#Ankin’s Terms of Use

[multi-ankin]

So are we all collectively gonna forget what White Lily, (As Dark Enchantress cookie because they are still the SAME cookie) did to The Golden Cheese kingdom?

[sarcastic-sketches]

TCW Snapshots: Kitsune Ed. Zygerria

Back on my Kitsune AU bullshit and I have considered various scenes that take place during the Clone Wars - and have written tons of dialogue for - but I have some favourites. I’ve already covered Umbara and the Zillo Beast but this one covers the Zygerria Arc because oh boy would that play very differently.

Anakin cannot play the part of the slaver, not with those very visible ears and tails that mark him for what he is - supposedly the last Kitsune in the Galaxy - his price tag with be practically unnamable. Sure, he could play the slaver but there’s no way the Queen would listen to him as one, she would just see his rarity and value. Anakin would know this. He would have to be the bait. He has to face that long buried trauma again and play the role of the slave. It’s fine, he says to himself, it’s just a role. He can handle it.

There’s nothing they could use to trap him that would keep him for long.

Nobody is happy about this and everyone knows that’s gonna have consequences of the mental kind but they can’t just leave the Togruta to their fate. Plus, the only other likely alternative is the Togruta child in their midst. A Jedi’s duty is to others before themselves...

But this leaves the part of the slaver open. Ahsoka can’t do it, for the aforementioned reasons. Rex is briefly considered but ultimately decided to also not be an option because he’s not trained as a negotiator, he can’t bluff his way through this. Privately, he also doesn’t think at this point in the timeline that he would be able to just hand over his General like he were an item to barter with. The mission always comes first and all that but the guy has realised he’s in love with Skywalker for over a year now, there would be tells he could not control. But you know who can? Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan who is Anakin’s teacher, his best friend, who is called ‘Master’ by Anakin for an entirely different reason. He realises just how much trust Anakin is placing in him to take on this role, but Anakin tells him that he refuses to call Obi-Wan ‘Master’ for the entire charade - refuses to tarnish the word he has come to accept as a term of respect - and Obi-Wan is grateful for that. It would fuck them both up once this was all over if he did.

Rex and Ahsoka are now on infiltration duty and they are the ones who get caught later to be showcased in the slave auction arena.

So you’ve got Rex and Ahsoka about to be made examples of, with Obi-Wan forced to whip them. Except, he clearly hesitates; he knows he has to do this for the ruse but this was NOT discussed as a possibility beforehand. Rex can take it, they both know this and he signals as such, but Ahsoka is a child, their padawan. Anakin consented to be put in the position he’s in for the plan, but not Ahsoka. 

Obi-Wan doesn’t get to make the choice in the end.

Anakin has had enough. It’s not pretty. Ankin is flying into a Full Kitsune mode fuelled rage right in the middle of the arena, snapping Ahsoka’s and Rex’s chains free before taking out the guards. Obi-Wan tries to reach out to him, to calm him down but the guards are closing in and now Rex is getting tasered. The lack of control, being enslaved again (just the mindset he’s put himself back into alone), and seeing the people he cares about most having to hurt each other have eaten through Anakin’s remaining calm and patience over the situation. The electro whips are doing bugger all to a Kitsune the size of an Acklay.

But then he stops. Stops in horror because the Queen has got a guard with a knife to Ahsoka’s throat in all the chaos.

Queen: If the legends are true, Kitsune were meant to be very protective of their own Queen: You clearly care for this one. I wonder, what would you be willing to do to keep her safe? Queen: If you’re good, she won’t be harmed. 

In the ensuing stand-off, Obi-Wan manages to grab Rex and high tail it out of there. There’s nothing he can do for Ahsoka or Anakin at that moment and they have a mission to finish. The risk to Anakin physically right now is very low, given he’s shown what he’s capable of, but the risk to his sanity is very high. Especially using Ahsoka as a bargaining chip. Initially, the Queen tries to put her in the cage, like she does in canon, but this causes Anakin to be less than 100% compliant given his stress (and therefore constant form changes) so the Queen gets crafty.

Queen: I am aware there’s very little I can do to you to get you to behave. I know better than to try and force your compliance like the others but that girl? You react as if she’s your cub. Queen: As a token of my good will, I will give her to you unharmed and in return you will do exactly as I say. Break this simple rule and I will kill her and should she be found to misbehave… Queen: Then the consequences will be on you.

She’s effectively got them both trapped. As long as Anakin does what she wants, Ahsoka can stay in the palace unharmed. As long as Ahsoka behaves, Anakin won’t be hurt in her stead.

It seems like a kinder gesture than the Queen is known for, but it’s only surface level. If he tries to kill the Queen or hurt her in any way, the guards will activate Ahsoka’s shock collar and kill her without hesitation. He can’t kill them all at once.

They get an additional reason to play by the rules, when Obi-Wan manages to pay them a visit in secret. He’s not best friends with a Shadow for nothing. If they can get info about where the other Togruta are being kept from the other slaves then Obi-Wan and Rex can deal with that before coming back to rescue them.

Cue Anakin being torn between obeying to the letter out of worry that Ahsoka will be hurt or taken away from him if he acts out AND wanting to rebel against authority and choose the path of Malicious Compliance just to show how unhappy he is about this entire situation. All while trying to get the info Obi-Wan needs to complete the mission - that was why he was here to begin with after all. 

The Queen can’t really pick a single thing she wants Anakin to do. Either act as her bodyguard or have him shapeshift into Smol Fox so she can have him on her lap like some exotic pet. He has to fight to not sink his claws into her legs.

Dooku eventually turns up and fucks up the Queen’s set up, thereby allowing Anakin and Ahsoka to get the co-ords to Kadavo in the ensuing chaos, which in turns allows Obi-Wan to send out a message to the Council about where the Togruta are. Master Plo goes to Kadavo and Obi-Wan and Rex blow their cover to get Anakin and Ahsoka out. With Dooku here there’s no need for subterfuge anymore. Anakin is very close to making the decision to level the entire palace on his way out but Rex manages to calm him down, pointing out that it isn’t just slavers in there. Not to mention what it would do to his psyche on top of everything else.

Anakin is just too powerful at this point, with five tails his anger could rip apart the very ground he’s stood on. He can’t afford to give in because the destruction would be too broad, there’s no control to that. But Rex? His anger is just enough to shoot someone's head clean off at over 500 yards. After all, he’s not a Jedi.

[eliceislandent]

8 Qualities of Fictional Heroes

Tomorrow, my novel "The Double" publishes on Amazon. (Grab your copy here.) The hero of the novel, Eddie Ankin, is my entry into the annals of heroic characters in contemporary fiction. An ex-Marine turned Hollywood stuntman who has to take matters into his own hands to stop a killer. I've always wanted to write a hero. I spent much of my early days in television focused on anti-heroes, so I've longed to see what it took to create a hero in today's world with all its challenges, big and small, professional and personal.

Why do we love to read about heroes?

Best-selling novelist Robert Crais has a pretty good answer. As he writes to his hero, Elvis Cole, in the anthology The Lineup, "you are a metaphor...you represents hope to people...most folks, all we have is ourselves, the transmission drops before Christmas, some dip keys your car, the rent jacks up, and we're left wondering how we're going to make it. That's where you come in."

Pick up Mr. Crais’s latest Elvis Cole novel here:

In contemporary fiction, characters like Jack Reacher, John Corey, or most of John Grisham's lawyers often possess qualities that readers find heroic and entertaining.

I thought about these qualities a lot when writing about my hero, Eddie Ankin, trying to build them into him while following him in his first adventure in "The Double." Read the book and judge for yourself if Eddie is a fictional character worthy of the label: "heroic."

In the meantime, here are 8 qualities that I think make a great fictional hero:

1. Mastery: The characters in the story have an extraordinary ability to develop creative solutions and a deep understanding of their respective fields. They use their expertise to excel in challenging situations and produce remarkable results.

2. Determination: Possessed of an unshakeable desire to succeed, heroic characters forge ahead. No matter the obstacle, they persevere with a ferocity borne from unyielding strength of will. They will not quit until their goal is accomplished. They endure hardships and setbacks but find ways to bounce back, showcasing resilience.

3. Courage: These figures may be confronted with risky or hazardous circumstances and demonstrate bravery in the face of adversity. They stay calm in a crisis. They keep their wits about them even in a dangerous or hostile situation. These figures fight for their cause and are not afraid to risk their lives for it.

4. Strong moral compass: They are often driven by a desire to do what is right. There can be a struggle between upholding a strong moral code and getting the job done. On the one hand, they have a strong moral code that they adhere to even when it comes into conflict with the law. On the other hand, they sometimes find themselves operating outside of the law in order to achieve their goals.

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5. Intelligence: They are often portrayed as intelligent and resourceful, able to think critically and solve complex problems.

6. Strength: These characters are no slouches in terms of physicality - they possess great strength, agility, and mastery of combat, giving them a definite edge when facing off against opponents.

7. Wit and charisma: Often, they possess a sharp wit and a sense of humor that adds an element of entertainment to their character. This is an important quality for readers to respond to as it injects a playful dynamic into the story and keeps the narrative lively. Characters with wit are adept at maneuvering their way out of tricky situations. For example, Jack Reacher is renowned for his wry comments. In every book, he dishes out funny lines that keeps readers invested in the story. Similarly, John Corey's dry sense of humor and droll sarcasm act as a counterpoint to his gruff demeanor which keeps readers hooked on every page. These characters have a certain magnetism that captivates readers, making them enjoyable to follow throughout their journeys.

8. Complexity: The protagonists of these stories are usually well-developed with interesting and complex backgrounds that draw readers in. Their struggles and motivations are the very things that make them instantly relatable. Watching how they use those struggles to solve the problems they face is what makes them captivating.

What do you look for in your fictional heroes?

Who are your real life heroes?

"The Double" on Amazon. (Grab your copy here.)

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If you love a good story and want to read more about the lessons our favorite stories hold for each of us, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

[twstankin]

=Ankin’s Terms of Use=

If I make art for you and you wish to post it to your blog, please ask me first! If I say no, then just please reblog it/or not do anything and go along your day.

If I give you the Okay, I require you credit me by my name and one of my blogs (name: Ankin, blogs: Twstankin or Multi- ankin) and tagging me so I know that it’s been reposted. THIS IS MANDATORY. OTHERWISE I WILL ASK YOU TO TAKE IT DOWN.

Not manditory but i would appreciate it if you provide an active link back to one of my blogs

You CANNOT post my art to a social media platform I do not have. Currently Tumblr is the only place I’ll allow it.

✨I may not be the best artist in the world but respect me by crediting my work, please and thank you.✨

[jadejedi]

Love Does Not Fail (1/?)

Summary: When Anakin saves the galaxy from Palpatine, Padmé and his children survive, but their family is split apart nonetheless. Leia is taken to be raised in the Temple, not knowing that the Jedi who "found" her is actually her father. Luke grows up with Padmé, knowing only his mother's side of the family. But some things are inevitable.

ao3 link here

A/N: Another RotS fix-it fic slash what if Anakin and Padmé each raise a twin fic. Basically, things happen a little differently post Crisis at the Heart. This chapter is basically a prologue, so we are going to move with LIGHTNING SPEED through RotS. The focus of this story is what comes after RotS, rather than a scene-by-scene rewrite of the movie. Also, I am a little hesitant to put this out before s7 of The Clone Wars airs, but eh whatever. If it fits in, great, if not, oh well. 

Padmé was silent on the jump back to Coruscant. 

Anakin wasn’t sure if it was grief for the loss of Clovis, or if it was lingering anger over his actions throughout this whole ordeal. He had been right about Clovis being a traitorous piece of Separatist scum, but he had a feeling that that wasn’t much comfort to Padmé right now. 

For the first couple of hours of the trip back, he had been content to pretend to meditate while he let her sit silently in his bunk on The Resolute, wordlessly scrolling through her datapad, but he wasn’t sure how much longer he could go on like this. 

“Padmé,” he began hesitantly, moving to crouch next to the bunk. “I am sorry about what happened to Clovis. I am sorry for my part in all of this.” 

She looked up from her data pad, a tired look in her eyes. “Anakin, what has happened to us?” She set the data pad down and looked at her hands. “Our relationship isn’t what it once was.”

Anakin felt his heart ache. “Do you still want us to… take a break?” he asked, recalling her words on Coruscant. 

She shook her head helplessly. “Anakin, I love you. I don’t want to be apart from you. But I also want things that can’t be. I want our relationship to be better than it is now.”

Anakin reached out to grasp her hands. “It can be better. I can be better!” He couldn’t lose her. This whole mess had started because he hadn’t wanted to lose her, and now he might anyways.

Padmé smiled sadly at him. “It might not be up to us. This relationship will always be a secret. How can either of us be expected to operate normally, or in any way that could be considered healthy, in such conditions?”

Anakin let out a frustrated huff. “So what? You’re just going to throw this away? Pretend it never happened?”

“No! That’s not what I want.” She sighed. “Anakin, I worry about how healthy his relationship is for you. You feel things so strongly, including your feelings for me. And I love that about you. But you have no outlet for those feelings, except for me. And when you and I are at odds, you have no one to turn to. You end up just bottling up those emotions until they explode out of you like they did at home.”

Anakin looked down at their joined hands. “I could tell Obi-Wan,” he offered. 

“What?” Padmé said in surprise. 

“I…think he may have an idea that something is going on between us,” he admitted, looking up at her. “And I think he would understand, at least a little.” He paused and looked back down. “I haven’t told him before because,” he sighed. “Because I don’t want him to see me as a failure. As a bad Jedi.”

Padmé withdrew one of her hands from his so she could cup his cheek. “Oh, Anakin. Obi-Wan loves you. I know the Jedi aren’t supposed to feel such things, and I know you think that Obi-Wan is above all that, but he isn’t. It is the nature of sentient beings to love. There is no stopping it.”

“You think so?”

Padmé nodded. “I know the Jedi say that attachment is dangerous, but I think that they don’t realize how much strength that love, healthy love, can give a person. I think attachment only becomes dangerous when it becomes an obsession.” She gently tilted his head so he was looking her in the eye. “Anakin, I don’t want our love to become an obsession.”

Anakin leaned into the hand that was touching his cheek. “I don’t want that either. I think you’re right. I need to be able to talk to someone about all of this.” 

She smiled encouragingly at him. “I’m glad, Ani.”

Hearing her use his nickname soothed some of the worry he felt that had been eating away at his gut. They would be okay, he could feel it. 

There was always the possibility that Obi-Wan would rat on him to the Council, but he didn’t think so. And even if he did, his future with Padmé was worth more to him than his future with the Jedi. 

--

“Anakin,” scolded Obi-Wan, “I can feel your anxiety from here,” he said, meditating in one of the Temple’s small meditation rooms.

 Anakin was seated next to him, ostensibly meditating himself. In reality, though, he was too keyed up to meditate. He and Padmé had gotten back from Scipio almost a week ago, and he still hadn’t confessed. His anxiety over the subject was a nexu chewing at his insides. 

When Anakin didn’t reply, Obi-Wan sighed and looked over at him. “What’s going on, Anakin? You know you can talk to me.”

Did he know that? 

Yes, he supposed he did.

“Master,” Anakin began, “I have something to confess to you.”

Obi-Wan looked at him in concern but said nothing, and let him speak.

Anakin paused, then sighed. “I am telling you this because I have no one else to talk to, and it is causing me a great deal of stress.” He paused again. “Please don’t tell the Council.” 

He paused again, before blurting, “I’m married to Padmé!”

Obi-Wan’s eyes widened in surprise, only for a moment, before his expression settled onto one of understanding.

Anakin shot him a hesitant smile. “You knew, didn’t you?

Obi-Wan leaned back where he sat, palms behind him on the ground for support. “I knew you were in a relationship with the Senator, of course. At first, I think I just thought that you wanted to be. But I eventually realized, yes.” He grinned wryly. “I wouldn’t have guessed that you were actually married, though.” 

“You aren’t going to tell the Council?” Anakin asked, just to be sure.

“I am on the Council, Anakin. I don’t see why the whole Council needs to know,” he said with a sly grin. His expression turned serious. “And it’s not like I can’t empathize. I know that you know about some of my history with Satine, but I never really told you all of it.”

“All of it?”

Obi-Wan’s eyes looked sad in a way that had become frighteningly common for him these days. “I loved her. By the end of my time guarding her we were… involved. If she had asked me to leave the Order, I would have,” he admitted.

Anakin felt his own eyes widen. “You? Leave the Order?”

He nodded. “Like I said, we were in love. She didn’t want me to leave for her, though.”

“I’m sorry,” Anakin said. “I didn’t realize how much she meant to you.”

Obi-Wan shook his head. “We aren’t talking about me right now. Why are you telling me this now? Is something wrong?”

Ankin sighed and told him about what had happened between him and Padmé and Clovis. 

When he got through the whole story, Obi-Wan grimaced. “You really do have a way of finding trouble in every situation, don’t you?”

“Is that all you have to say?!” Anakin exclaimed, a bit of frustration slipping through. 

Obi-Wan chuckled. “No, of course not. I’m sorry. You have managed to get into a difficult situation, though.”

Anakin looked down at his hands. “I didn’t want to lose her,” he admitted. “I am always so scared of losing her. She is everything to me.”

“Have you considered that your efforts thus far to “keep” her are what is pushing her away?”

And there it was. His worst fear. That his own desire to save Padmé, to save their relationship would be what tore them apart. 

“What do I do?” he asked quietly. 

Obi-Wan stroked his beard. “I think your apology was a good first step. And talking to me was the right thing to do. I want to help you, Anakin. You may not be a conventional Jedi, but you are a great one; your relationship with Padmé hasn’t hindered you so far.”

Anakin felt himself smile a bit at his former master’s praise. 

Obi-Wan continued, “To me, the Jedi’s rules on attachment aren’t so much about any supposed danger that love and attachment carry, but about our responsibility to the Republic and the galaxy as a whole. The worry is that if you are attached to one person or one family, you won’t be able to serve the entire galaxy. And maybe that is true. But I have begun to think that it is possible that we need that attachment anyways. Maybe it makes us lesser Jedi, but it makes us better people.”

--

Things changed slowly for Anakin after that conversation with Obi-Wan, but they did change. 

He felt lighter, not having to hide that secret from his best friend. Knowing that Obi-Wan did not think any less of him. 

He and Padmé invited Obi-Wan over for dinner one night. It was a little awkward, at first, but eventually they all relaxed and Obi-Wan regaled Padmé with stories from Anakin’s apprenticeship. 

Anakin knew he and Padmé’s relationship would never be fully “normal”, but he was glad to be able to provide her with a little bit of that. 

Their relationship righted itself, as much as it could in the span of a couple of weeks. He still worried, about losing her, about the war. But he knew that she loved him, and wanted to be with him. And it helped, knowing that Obi-Wan was behind them. 

It wasn’t long before Obi-Wan and Anakin were deployed again to the Outer Rim. Anakin didn’t have to ask Rex to cover for him to Obi-Wan anymore. When Anakin started to feel the separation from Padmé, he was able to talk to Obi-Wan. 

It was about the longest they’d ever been separated, gone for three months without seeing each other. It wasn’t long before Anakin was driving Obi-Wan fully crazy with his pining for his wife. 

While they were deployed, Anakin felt like he was on the best terms with his former master than he’d been for a long time, maybe ever. Once that one secret had been told, it was like an avalanche had been released. He told Obi-Wan about his mother’s death on Tatooine, about what he’d done to the Tuskens, about everything.

Obi-Wan had been more than concerned, of course. That involved an even longer discussion than when Anakin had told him about his marriage. There had been a lot of meditation involved. And talking. And more meditating. Eventually, Obi-Wan put a hand on his shoulder, and looking him in the eyes said, “Those mistakes, Anakin, were in the past. I fully believe that you have grown past them, and that you understand not just the horror and gravity of your actions, but are no longer the kind of person who would do something like that again.”

And when he said that, Anakin believed him. Not just that Obi-Wan could forgive him and not see him as any less, but over the course of the Sieges, Anakin also came to believe what Obi-Wan said about him. He wasn’t that person anymore. That anger, that resentment and fear that he had so long held in his heart began to melt away as he continued to confide in Padmé and in Obi-Wan. 

And when they got back to Coruscant, and Padmé told him that she was pregnant, he told Obi-Wan the next day. When he had nightmares about her death, all three of them sat down and talked about how serious it might be, and what they could do. 

Padmé was looked over by a Jedi healer (a friend of Obi-Wan’s who was more interested in healing than in spreading secrets), and, to her chagrin, followed around by a very chipper medical droid called AZ-7. Everyone they talked to said she was healthy. But, his nightmares persisted.

--

When the moment came, Anakin was at peace with himself. Well, maybe not entirely. He still didn’t think that the Council trusted him, but Obi-Wan did. And he still had nightmares. But he didn’t want to let them get to him. 

When Palpatine told him that he could show him how to save Padmé from certain death, things clicked into place for Anakin.

“It’s you,” Anakin said, circling the Chancellor, lightsaber drawn. “You are the one giving me those nightmares.” He paused, and looked at Palpatine in horror. “You’ve been manipulating me this whole time!” He growled. “Since I was a boy!”

“No! It’s the Jedi, the Council that’s been manipulating you, Anakin! Your master, he doesn’t trust you. The Council doesn’t trust you! They fear your powers!”

“I’m not going to listen to you,” Anakin snarled.

Palpatine turned away. “Are you going to kill me?”

Anakin paused. Was he? On one hand, it would be treason, wouldn’t it? Did two opposite acts of treason cancel eachother out? On the other hand, he thought back to the discussions that he’d had with Obi-Wan, with Padmé, about the state of the Republic. The Chancellor’s executive powers. The feeling that all the Jedi had had recently, that there was something going on behind this war that they didn’t understand. 

“I would like to,” he admitted. 

“I know you would. I can feel your anger. It gives you focus,” Palpatine said. He turned back around to face Anakin. “Give into the darkside, Anakin. Know its power. It will make you stronger than any Jedi.”

Anakin thought of Padmé and the twins they’d found out she was carrying. He didn’t want to be stronger. He just wanted them. 

“I am going to turn you over to the Jedi Council,” he told Palpatine.

His expression did not change. “Of course. You should. But you’re not sure of their intentions.”

“I’m not sure of your intentions, either.” Anakin shot back. He pointed his lightsaber towards the Chancellor’s desk. “Sit there. I am going to comm the Temple, and I am not letting you out of my sight.”

He directed Palpatine into the chair at the desk, and then, holding his lightsaber to Palpatine’s throat, used the comm on the desk to contact Master Windu.

Mace Windu’s form appeared, blue and shimmering. “Skywalker, what’s wrong? Obi-Wan has destroyed Grievous. We are on our way to the Senate Offices to make sure the Chancellor turns over his emergency powers.”

“I am with him now,” Anakin said grimly. “And he won’t turn over his powers. He is the Sith we have been looking for. I am holding him here until you can arrive as back-up.” Anakin glanced over to Palpatine, who was not looking at Master Windu’s holographic form, rather he was calmly staring straight ahead, hands folded on the desk in front of him.

“A Sith?” Mace Windu said in surprise. “Okay, Skywalker. Stay there,” he commanded emphatically. “I will gather some Council Members.”

“And the Senate,” Anakin interjected. “They need to know what is happening. That he is a traitor. He was working with Dooku!” he exclaimed, suddenly realizing that it must be true.

Mace nodded grimly. “You’re right. I’ll keep them informed. If he tries something, you have my permission to use whatever force you deem necessary.” With that, the call ended. 

“Do you really think the Jedi will be content to just hand power back over to the Senate?” Palpatine sneered. “You know that they are power hungry. You have witnessed their corruption! They will want me dead.”

“Because you are a Sith! You have betrayed the Republic, Chancellor. You have betrayed the whole galaxy! You have manipulated all of us into this war!”

Palpatine shook his head delicately, aware of Anakin’s thrumming lightsaber inches from his neck. “It was unfortunate, yes, that so many had to die. But now that I am in power, now that I control the Republic and the Separatists, the bureaucracy that you so hate will be gone. I can end slavery on Tatooine with a word. I can put the war criminals behind bars without waiting months for a trial and endless deliberation. Isn’t that what you want?” 

Anakin looked out the window towards 500 Republica. It was. It was what he wanted, wasn’t it? 

He thought of his mother. She could have been saved with a single order. She could have left Tatooine. 

He thought of the horrors of the war. The Twi’leks, the Lurmen, the Togruta of Kiros, the Mandalorians, and all the worlds that had had atrocities committed against them. 

He thought of Padmé. While he had fought for the Republic on the fronts, she had fought for democracy in the Senate. 

“Not like this.”

Palpatine made a face of disgust. “You are weaker than I thought. When I first met you, I sensed the power within you. I knew the Jedi would waste your potential. You would be my apprentice, and I would rule the galaxy with you by my side. 

“But I was wrong,” he hissed, standing up, ignoring Anakin’s lightsaber. “You are weak! Your love for your wife makes you weak,” he said, all but spitting the phrase ‘your wife’. “Your commitment to Kenobi makes you weak. And your commitment to the Council, to the Republic makes you a fool!” he spat, extending his arms, shoving Anakin away with the Force.

Anakin slammed back against the wall on the other side of the room. 

Two lightsaber hilts appeared in Palpatine’s hands, summoned from the sleeves of his robes. Two blood red blades thrummed to life.

Anakin jumped up, lightsaber at the ready, as Palpatine leapt through the air toward him, snarling. 

Anakin brought up his lightsaber to redirect one of the red blades while he spun away from the range of the other. Palpatine slashed. Each slash, each jab, each attack came at Anakin stronger and quicker than he’d imagined. 

As they fought, Anakin felt the tendrils of anger on the edges of his consciousness.

Palpatine had him in a corner. He jabbed. Anakin jumped up and flipped over the lightsabers, over him.

Not just the anger he’d felt when Palpatine had revealed his betrayal. But the anger he’d felt when he’d slaughtered the Tuskens. When he’d attacked Clovis.

Their lightsabers clashed over and over again in a whirlwind of red and blue. The strength and offensiveness of Anakin’s Djem So countering Palpatine’s angry and chaotic Juyo. 

Everything about this war had been a lie. Everything he’d done in this war, everything he’d sacrificed… 

Anakin saw an opening. Before he could take it, blue lightning shot from Palpatine’s fingertips, flowing into Anakin’s chest. He was once again knocked off his feet and into the desk.

The air smelled of burnt cloth and flesh

He growled in frustration. This fight was going on too long.

Palpatine cackled as he rose up from the ground. “Yes, Anakin! Give in to your anger! Give into hate! Only then can you defeat me!”

He charged at Palpatine, who treated his attacks like mere inconvenience. 

Anakin could feel the anger that had long ago taken root in his heart. It wasn’t giving him strength. It was a leech. But he could not remove it, or ignore it. But he would not give into it.

He parried every attack Palpatine threw at him, countering every one with a blow of his own. 

With a thrum-hiss, suddenly Anakin wasn’t alone. Masters Windu, Fisto, Tiin, and Kolar were with him, surrounding the Chancellor. 

“It’s over, Chancellor,” Master Windu declared. “You’ve lost.”

Palpatine snarled, and a wave of Force energy rolled off of him, knocking all of them, including Anakin, off of their feet. 

Windu and Fisto were the first back on their feet, each catching one of Palpatine’s blades on one of their own.

 Anakin was just about done with being thrown across the damn room. He jumped up, and attacked Palpatine from behind, only to be met with more lightning as Palpatine swung around.

 He was ready for it this time. He caught it on his blade, deflecting it back at him. At the same time, Master Windu disarmed him of one blade, while Master Fisto disarmed him of the other. The deflected lightning caught Palpatine in the chest, knocking him to the ground.

Palpatine looked at Anakin. He snarled, “They will never let you have your wife. They will never-”

 With one smooth motion, Windu drove his lightsaber through his heart. 

Anakin stumbled back, both from shock and exhaustion. He deactivated his lightsaber and the others did the same. 

“You should have taken him prisoner,” Anakin said. “This will not look good to the Senate.”

“How it looks to the Senate is the least of our worries,” Master Fisto said mildly.

Master Windu shook his head. “Skywalker has a point. It won’t look good.” He looked Anakin in the eye. “But I had to do it. He was too dangerous to  be left alive. We don’t have the resources to contain that kind of power.” 

Anakin nodded. He knew that he was right. 

“You have done well here, Skywalker,” Master Windu admitted. “But you have a lot of explaining to do.”

Sooooo, like I said, LIGHTNING SPEED. I kind of rushed how much Anakin’s mindset changed in these months, but I might explore that later in one-shots, or if you want to discuss it, leave a comment!! I have a lot of thoughts about it, but at the same time, that’s not what this story is about; it’s about Anakin and Padmé raising Luke and Leia. I just had to get past this prologue lol. BUT, I will say that I am FAR from done dealing with Anakin’s issues. I kinda hand-waved a lot of it away for the purposes of getting through the events of RotS, but I will definitely be circling back.

[vsplusonline]

Doctor who allegedly forged vaccine records cites ‘regrets’ in suicide note

New Post has been published on https://apzweb.com/doctor-who-allegedly-forged-vaccine-records-cites-regrets-in-suicide-note/

Doctor who allegedly forged vaccine records cites ‘regrets’ in suicide note

A Chicago doctor’s suicide note suggests he may have forged vaccination records.

Dr. Van Koinis, who died by suicide last September, left a note detailing his regret, the Cook County Sheriff’s Office said on Tuesday, though officials say his note was “cryptic.”

Officers investigating the death of the 58-year-old pediatrician say he may have fabricated vaccination records, allowing children of anti-vaccine parents to go to school unvaccinated.

Illinois law requires students to provide proof of immunization to be allowed to attend. Until recently, parents were able to exempt their children from this requirement under medical or religious reasons, according to the Ankin Law Office.

READ MORE: Calling the shots — how Canadian teens can defy their anti-vaxxer parents

“He was incredibly regretful for what he did and it was the only thing he mentioned in the suicide note. It was this and only this,” Chicago Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart told CBS.

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Though Dart said nothing in Koinis’ final words indicated that he had gone against parents’ wishes, it’s possible some kids who came in for vaccinations went without.

“The biggest issue is parents who are under the impression their children are immunized when they are not,” Dart told the Chicago Sun-Times.

Koinis garnered a good reputation among “anti-vaxxers” — a term used to describe individuals against vaccination — because of his love for homeopathic remedies, the Chicago Tribune reports.

1:47 Anti-vaccination activist charged in Samoa, amid measles outbreak

Anti-vaccination activist charged in Samoa, amid measles outbreak

The late doctor was first reported missing in August, and was later found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in a forest outside of the city in September, the Tribune said.

In his note, Koinis said that he’d become “averse” to vaccinations in the last decade of his career, but regretted his conduct.

“My heart is broken. I am devastated,” one person wrote on Facebook at the time of his death. “My children and I love him so much. He is like a part of our family.”

Another person commented: “Both my children were his patients. I’m so lost for words.”

READ MORE: Anti-vaxxer group mocked for asking to be called ‘vaccine risk aware’

Per the Tribune, Koinis was never disciplined by a regulatory board during his three decades in practice.

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A state agency, the publication reports, may have been investigating a complaint against him, but there is no indication Koinis was aware of it at the time of his death.

—

If you or someone you know is in crisis and needs help, resources are available. In case of an emergency, please call 911 for immediate help.

The Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention, Depression Hurts and Kids Help Phone 1-800-668-6868 all offer ways of getting help if you, or someone you know, may be suffering from mental health issues.

If you or someone you know is experiencing abuse or is involved in an abusive situation, please visit the Canadian Resource Centre for Victims of Crime for help. They are also reachable toll-free at 1-877-232-2610.

—

meaghan.wray@globalnews.ca

© 2020 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

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