#but really kenobi fucking destroyed me emotionally

[owlssin]

au where anakin doesn’t turn evil and lives his best life with padmé and the twins on Naboo

[ihathbenobiwankenobied]

Obi-Wan Hurt/Comfort and Whump Rec 1: Long Fics

Some of my favorite multi-chaptered or longer form fics (>10K). These are whump, sickfics, angst fics, and hurt/comfort with some very general tags and descriptions. Please make sure you note the tags on ao3 before reading.

I tried to tag everyone I could find here on tumblr, but if you see your fic and want a tag, let me know and I'll add it in. To all the writers, thank you for these fics, I have read each of them multiple times and I am fucking in love with all of them.

Here we go, in no particular order:

Good Man of War - scrapathon

Codywan, OC clones and medics, 16.2K

This fic is so well written and it has some really well-characterized OC clones, including clone medic Zero, as well as a bit of codywan (which I can't resist).

Things Hidden, Things Forgotten- sospes

Codywan, Zygerria/Kadavo arc, 23.5K

This writer has some of the best codywan fics on their roster, but this one absolutely destroys me everytime. This fic covers Zygerria and gets into some of the emotional aspects of the experience for Obi-Wan.

Shoulder the Sky - @kcrabb88

Quinobi, rewritten ending for Palpatine, 149.4K

This fic is part one of the Shoulder the Sky Verse series and is one of my favorite fics of all time. This fic is incredibly detailed, and every character get's their time in the spotlight. The Obi-Wan whump is absolutely delicious, and lasts basically the entirety of this fic. The plot follows Obi-Wan's discovery of the identity of Darth Sidious and how this changes the course of the end days of the Clone Wars.

Whispers from the Dead - @kcrabb88

Quinobi, PTSD and medical trauma, 210K as of 8.14.2023 (WIP)

Another part of the Shoulder the Sky Verse series (please read the fic above first). This fic is a WIP and every time there is a new chapter I drop everything to read it. Equally as emotionally damaging, equally as much whump, and equally perfect characterizations of every single character. I won't spoil the plot, but it's a perfect continuation of the series.

Gaping Hollow - Walpger

Gen - Obi-Wan, Cody, and Ahsoka, Force-exhaustion and hypothermia, 18.1K

Obi-Wan, Ahsoka, and Cody are trapped in a cave on the ice-planet Vandor and Obi-Wan uses the Force to keep them both warm and alive. This leads to impending Force-exhaustion. This is one of the earliest Obi-Wan-centric h/c fics I read and I love how the author describes Obi-Wan's use of the Force.

Enforced Convalescence - @swbumblebee

Gen - Obi-Wan, clones, and Jedi, sickfic/illness and fluff, 12.5K

Obi-Wan is ill and requires babysitting because he doesn't really know how to rest. This fic is endlessly soft, and Obi-Wan gets taken care of for once in his life. This author writes delightfully soft fics and this one is one of my absolute favorites.

Uja Nejah - @ijustreallylovedaredevil

Gen - Obi-Wan, OC clone medic Stim, clone troopers, Cody, diabetes and medical accuracy, 34.2K

Possibly my favorite fic of all time? Perhaps? Anything by whitchry9 is pure gold and this fic is only one example. This fic follows Obi-Wan's journey through his life as a Jedi diagnosed with diabetes. Deliciously whump, and my favorite OC clone medic, stim. You might as well read the whole series: a series of fics in which Obi Wan Kenobi having a disability somehow saves the galaxy

Iviin’hiibi te Tuur - @ijustreallylovedaredevil

Gen - Obi-Wan, OC clone medic Stim, clone troopers, Cody, epilepsy and medical accuracy, 16.4K

Surprise, surprise, yet another whitchry9 fic. This one is about Obi-Wan's life with epilepsy. This fic also has Stim and has a few extra oneshots that can be read with it.

every shadow - @kenobster

Gen - Obi-Wan, Anakin, Rex, Ahsoka, Cody, 501st, Zygerria/Kadavo arc and recovery, 34.9K as of 8.14.2023 (WIP)

This fic is a WIP and at 3/9 chapters, so I am going to to use part of the author's summary here: "during the mass casualty event following Kadavo and Zygerria, Obi-Wan and Anakin seek ways to cope with trauma." I am absolutely glued to this fic, and have already read all three chapters multiple times.

Finding Obi-Wan - @stolen-pen-name23

Gen - Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Ahsoka, amnesia and angst, 86.8K

For the record, I think I read the entirety of this fic in one day because I just couldn't put it down. In this fic, Obi-Wan loses his memory and finds himself in the lower levels of Coruscant.

something inside this heart has died (you're in ruins) - revanchxst (BadWolfGirl01)

Codywan (implied or pre-slash), Zygerria/Kadavo arc, 22.6K

In this fic, Cody joins Obi-wan on the Zygerria arc rather than Rex. Very painful with a sprinkling of codywan. 1000 kudos for this fic.

The Consequences of a Crash - happygiraffe

Gen or pre-slash Obi-Wan & Anakin, crash-landing injury/infection, 44.9K

ALRIGHT. Alright. This is the first long-fic I read in this fandom, and remains one of my favorites to this day. Delicious whump, a really wonderful look at Obi-Wan and Anakin's relationship, especially as Anakin has just become a Jedi Knight. I reread this one at least once a month.

See My Dreams All Die - @hellotemporaryuniverse

Obi-Wan & Cody (implied codywan), torture by Darth Sidious, 34.7K

This fic is absolutely brutal in the best way. In this fic, Anakin dies and Sidious is looking for a new apprentice. Such good whump.

From the Same Stone - @kckenobi

Gen - Obi-Wan & Anakin, concussion and poisoning, 8.1K

I'm already breaking my own rules, because this fic is under 10K, but this fic is one of my favorites and it's just long enough that it felt like it should be included on this list. In this fic, Obi-Wan and Anakin get trapped in a mine and are slowly ingesting a toxin.

|to failure, sweet victor| - littlekaracan

Codywan, angst and physical fights, 20K

This fic is as fucking bittersweet as it gets. Absolutely destroys me with every read. This fic follows Obi-Wan and Cody on Tatooine, but Cody's chip can't be removed until it has deteriorated to a certain point. As a result, sometimes Cody isn't quite himself.

battle scars - series - @calltomuster

Gen - Obi-Wan, Ahsoka, and Anakin, PTSD and medical trauma, 27.2K

This series gets into some of Obi-Wan's medical trauma and why avoids medical treatment. I can't get enough of the OC clone medic, Fuzzy, and I love how well the author writes Obi-Wan's PTSD.

shoulder the sky - series - Night_Fury

Codywan, Cerasi & Obi-Wan Kenobi & Nield, Qui-Gon & Obi-Wan, PTSD, temporary death, recovery, 196.1K

What can I say about this series? Probably too much. You will just need to read it to find out. Just read it.

chronic conditions - @deniigi

Codywan and clones, epilepsy and chronic illness, 13.1K

Yet another epileptic Obi-wan fic, this one through the lens of Kix and Cody. I am absolutely mesmerized by how this author writes, and I keep going back to this one over and over again.

Six Times Ahsoka Thought Her Grandmaster Was Dead, and the One Time He Actually Was - @pandora15 and lazarusII

Gen - Obi-Wan & Ahsoka, deathfic, 12.3K

The title says it all. You will be in pain.

heavy off a golden hue - @catboydogma

Codywan, hanahaki and chronic illness, 36.7K

This is a series which looks at Obi-Wan's life with chronic Hanahaki. This is such an amazing series, another set of fics I read in one sit-down.

Suddenly this is defeat - ealcynn

Gen, Landing at Point Rain and major injury, 13.3K

This fic is in first-person POV and does an incredible job of portraying Obi-Wan's perspective on the events based on the episode Landing at Point Rain.

This incessant snow - ealcynn

Gen, Landing at Point Rain and major injury, 20.7K

Part two to the above fic. Another extremely well-written fic. I absolutely adore the way Obi-Wan is written.

We Can Be Beautiful - OuzoAthena11

Codywan, panic attacks, 23.2K

The fic summary on ao3 says it best, "Five times Obi-Wan deals with anxiety or a panic attack and one time he causes minor anxiety in someone else." Really well written and soft fic.

Count My Little Scars I've Got Dozens Inside - nuclearturtle

Codywan (as adults), angst and de-aging, 27.1K

A de-aged Obi-Wan fic where Dooku attempts to gain his trust, but inevitably, doesn't. Very angsty. Extremely angsty.

Conjuring Miracles - @kcrabb88

Gen - Obi-Wan, Leia, Tala, Vader, PTSD, 29.8K

Another one by this author. In this fic, Tala doesn't get to Obi-Wan in time, and he ends up being taken with Leia to the the inquisitor base. There, he encounters Vader.

Rapture - @galateagalvanized

Codywan, depowered character, 62.5K

I think the summary on ao3 says it best, "An independent terrorist cell has developed a weapon capable of severing the bond between a Jedi and the Living Force. They test it on High General Obi-Wan Kenobi." Wonderful whump mixed with a great story, and of course, codywan.

Always Gold - happygiraffe

Gen - Obi-Wan & Anakin, terminal illness/cancer, 10K

In this fic, Obi-Wan is dying of cancer and just wants the best for his padawan. Prepare yourself, this one hurts.

As an Obi-Wan whump writer myself, I can't help but throw a couple of my own here (not that these are by any means on par with the quality of the incredible fics above). I have linked a couple below if you are interested:

orbit me slowly

Codywan, burns and recovery, 15.3K

After an injury leaves Obi-Wan down and out, he realizes that time isn't as unlimited as he once believed

green is the colour

Codywan, sickfic and injury, 14K

Obi-Wan, sick with the flu, is cornered by hundreds of droids. Cody and Anakin come to his rescue, but there is unresolved tension between them.

Hope you all enjoy this list!

[twilightofthe]

So...about that Obitine Anidala rant. Also, you said something about how Sidious and Obi-Wan are foils. I would love it if you elaborate. (Also, I love your blog.)

Awwwww thank you anon!  I just be yelling on here!

*wheezes* okie doke!  Tho I stress that this won’t exactly be a rant because I adore Obitine and Anidala and rant kinda implies aggression towards them, this is more of just a long-ass ramble because while I love them, I don’t always love the way canon portrays them in the narrative, particularly in relationship to each other, because I often do not feel that what the show is trying to push us to think about them is accurate to how they actually act and come across.  Notably, the show attempts to draw comparisons to the two relationships that really don’t exist below surface level similarities.  Again, these are my own personal opinions, and in fact, I welcome discussion!  I truly do!  Please politely debate me on this if you disagree!

(god dammit it got long again, so long I’ll actually put ur Sidious and Obi Wan as foils part in a separate post)

I’ll get to why exactly the show compares the relationships very strangely in a moment, but first we gotta explore the reason why it does this in the first place, which is that the Clone Wars show has decided to make Obi Wan and Anakin narrative foils to one another.  Narrative foils, by the literary definition, are two characters that contrast one another.  They don’t have to be the protagonist and the antagonist, these characters can be on the same side, basically the thing is that they have “opposite” personalities where if one character is hot, the other is cold, if one character chooses to go right, the other will go left.  It’s usually used to show one character’s qualities as more favorable for the situation as opposed to anyone else’s.

TCW does this whenever they possibly can with Anakin and Obi Wan.  I get its reasoning behind it.  I do.  The reasoning is that while Anakin is supposed to be a main character, he makes questionable decisions quite often and for the kiddies watching, those decisions must be seen as Bad even if the hero does it, so they have Obi Wan, the unquestionable good guy, encounter the exact same scenarios Anakin makes his questionable decisions in, and then has Obi Wan make the Right(TM) decision to teach the kids a valuable lesson.  They turn Obi Wan into the voice of reason for the entire show, which turns basically almost everything Obi Wan and Anakin do into a constant competition in the narrative in a way the movies do not do (and I’ll get to the movies later).  I’m not saying it’s necessarily a bad thing, making them foils, but it’s definitely more of a show-only thing and it does it quite, quite often.

So yeah, TCW likes to compare Obi Wan and Anakin to the point that sometimes they try and use Obi Wan to diminish Anakin’s genuine trauma and struggles by going “well why didn’t you do it like THIS?” and I think that writing parallel plotlines for the purpose of shaming/criticism is kinda ://////, but that’s another rant for another day that again, if y’all wanna hear about, lmk

Anyway, the need to compare them absolutely made its way into their romantic relationships as well, as they acknowledge the similarities in the show, and Filoni and the crew explicitly compare the two relationships in interviews.

Basically my problem with how they try and draw said parallels can be boiled down to one quote by Filoni that a cursory Google search could not find but I know exists so y’all can take my word or not, that went along the lines of “Obi Wan and Satine are like Anakin and Padmé but better because they know how to stay unattached and let each other go.  They’re a success story.”  I disagreed with this quote so much it inspired me to write a whole-ass fic about it (Mutuals update: yes, it is coming soon, Darth Maul is just himself and therefore an utter pain in the ass to do a POV on and is fighting me like the bitchass he is)

My thesis that I will be arguing today is that while TCW tried to create Obitine as an Anidala parallel, they’re really not similar in the way the writers think they are.  Obitine is not a success story to Anidala, they’re a goddamn tragedy too; the real parallel to Anidala is that Obitine also ended in death and tears despite making all the “right” decisions instead of all the “wrong” ones, and that is what is sad about them.

Like, on the surface level?  Yeah, the crew-intended parallels are there.  A fancy politician and a Jedi get together after the Jedi is assigned as the politician’s bodyguard.  The first time they see each other in over a decade the guy’s first words are basically “damn girl you’re still hot”, there is Conflict(TM) and the choice to try and be together or stay yearningly apart because they are Forbidden(TM) to be together, and ultimately a Sith Lord fucks them both over because he’s obsessed with the Jedi and uses Politician Lady to his advantage, finds and exploits a vulnerability of hers, destroys her life’s work, and then lets her die to make Jedi Man sad.  The difference is all that one pair said “yeah we aren’t gonna break the rules to be together” and the other said “fuck it yeah we are, let’s do this”

But beneath all of that, they real similarities are different and not at all focused on by the narrative.  Obi Wan and Anakin are extremely different people, as are Padmé and Satine, so their relationship dynamics together will not be the same.  You want to try and compare Obi Wan and Anakin and then compare Satine and Padmé like the crew attempts to, and you can’t, they have the same job but not nearly the same life.  Namely, the funny coincidence is that Obi Wan and Padmé are much more similar in personality, while Anakin and Satine are also much more similar in personality, so the first time they meet again, it’s both Anakin and Satine as the one who’s been pining for over a decade and the one more actively pursuing the relationship, while Obi Wan and Padmé who are more like “uh, hi, wow, you’re hot and this is a Problem because I have a job to do pls don’t look at me like that but also I will Cause Problems On Purpose and flirt with you anyway because I can’t help it”.  I get the Corruption TCW ep with Sati and Pads was mostly intended just to help Satine pass the Bechdel test and also show how similar the two leading lady love interests are, but it was a genuinely creative episode that actually ended up showing how much Satine and Padmé compliment each other instead of mirroring each other, much like Obi Wan and Anakin do.

And, onto my next point, despite the character parallels being wrong, the parallels in the relationship are different too.  Like I said, the parallel isn’t that Obi Wan and Satine aren’t attached like Anakin and Padmé are.  The parallel is that Obitine is actively running from what that attachment means instead of embracing it like Anidala is.  The show would argue that since they try to avoid it, that they are able to live without one another, means they aren’t attached like the Jedi define it, but I argue that they definitely still are attached to a degree because they cannot give each other up.  They held torches for each other from a timerange of 15 YEARS.  Yes I know they spent an entire year together at a young and emotionally volatile point in their lives, but I stand that NO ONE is that hung up on their ex for that long unless there is some serious emotions involved.  Anakin was hung up on Padmé for ten years, and that was because Palpatine was constantly bolstering those affections and reminding him of Padmé.  Obes and Sati both-- or at least Satine, the show always makes Obi Wan’s feelings for Satine in return much more vague --held on to their feelings for five years longer without the influence of a Sith Lord.

And the thing is, they know it.  Obi Wan and Satine are both fully aware that they haven’t been able to shake each other off like they should and that that is a Problem, that’s why they’re both a mite venomous with each other beneath the flirting at first, they’re both extremely frustrated with themselves for not being able to get over this thing they have, and frustrated with the other for being there as an active temptation.

And yet, they still are attached to each other.  They try to avoid it, they definitely try, and that’s what makes them different from Anidala, but they are definitely still attached.  You can see it in Obi Wan’s actions in Voyage of Temptation when Merrik is threatening to blow the ship, the way he hesitates in attacking him because that would be “striking an unarmed man”.  Obi Wan Kenobi does not prefer violence, no, but he has never hesitated to cut a bitch before if it’s for the good of the many.  This is the man who stabbed someone with a fork and threatened to eat him just to maintain his cover as a dangerous criminal.  This is the guy who had no problem killing Zam Wessel for information to protect Padmé.  This is a pragmatist who prefers peaceful solutions, but he does not hesitate if he feels it is a justified offense.  But this time, when an entire shipful of people is at risk, Obi Wan hesitates.  Because he doesn’t want to upset Satine.  Because he’s probably thinking on how she told him that if he had killed the last terrorist they encountered, she wouldn’t speak to him, how she had criticized every time he used violence to escape Death Watch before.  He hesitates because he’s putting her happiness, just for a second, over the sake of duty.  Do I think that if Anakin hadn’t shown up to save their moral compasses, Obi Wan would have eventually taken out Merrik?  Absolutely; hell, I honestly think Satine might have done it.

But the matter was, Merrik could have pressed the kill switch any second of Obi Wan’s hesitation, and Obi Wan knew that, and was hesitating anyway.

I am calling this attachment solely because if the situation was reversed, if this was Anakin and Padmé in this situation, with Anakin not taking out a dangerous criminal because he doesn’t want to upset Padmé (lol ignoring the fact that Pads 1000% would have shot that bitch, and even if she didn’t, Anakin would because he is perfectly fine with hurting his loved ones’ feelings if he feels it’ll keep them safe), god, the narrative would have eaten Anakin alive.  

No, I won’t take criticism.  I know how the show handles the Anidala dynamic.  It would have shown Obi Wan popping up to take out the baddie as him doing the right thing and saving the day, and then Anakin would have been shamed for letting his feelings for his wife get in the way of protecting a shipful of people.  THAT would be the Vader foreshadowing, none of this “only a cold-blooded killer” shit, no way would they ever stick that label on Obi Wan.

So yeah, I’m going off of the fact that if that would have been classified as attachment for Anidala-- which, it would, then. it counts for Obitine.

And then Obi Wan and Satine continue to be hung up on each other for the rest of the eps they’re in, Satine saying in words multiple times how much she loves and cares about him and wishes things could be different, and Obi Wan performing it in actions, risking his own neck and political standing to help her even when she’s a fugitive, probably personally putting in to send his own grandpadawan to help her later.  Right up to the time when Satine decides that she is going to call Obi Wan when she is deposed.  Not the Senate.  Not any powerful politician friends.  Not even the Jedi Order or the Council as a whole.  She calls and addresses her distress call to Obi Wan alone.  And Obi Wan, as now revealed to us by TCW S7, defies Council orders and breaks a century old neutrality treaty to try and bust her, a convicted murderer in the eyes of the Republic and Mandalore, out.  He didn’t even know Maul had her.  Just knew she was in danger and came running to her aid.  He risks starting a potential war to come save her.  They acted so in love that Vizsla was able to guess from being around them for like five seconds, and was able to tell Maul exactly who he would need to bait Obi Wan.

That is where the attachment comes from.  It’s the fact that Obi Wan and Satine tried so, so hard to give each other up and do the right thing, but when it came down to it, they couldn’t lose the other one so they put them first when logically they shouldn’t.  And thus, Satine ended up dead.

Now I know most people will argue with me that actually Filoni means that since they didn’t stay together after the year on the run, THAT is what makes them able to give each other up, and also the fact that Obi Wan didn’t go dark side and murder everyone when Satine died.

But I still think that at least the murder front is a fairly low bar to cross, and anyway, that just because they could live without each other didn’t mean they weren’t still attached.  Anakin and Padmé were apart for 10 years and then even after that, they were apart almost constantly during the war.  Just because they could live apart or even past the other’s death didn’t mean they weren’t attached, as they both still had not let the other go mentally and also broke rules to try and ensure the other would not die, even if the rules said they should let it happen.

So yeah, that’s my big theory.  We can’t compare Obitine with Anidala by saying Obitine was a success story, we compare them by acknowledging that both struggled with attachments and letting the other go, but Obitine at least tried to the bitter end to do the right thing while Anidala didn’t really bother, and both ended up with dead women and broken men regardless, and that is the true sad parallel to me.

[katsukikitten]

Heated 3

A/N just remember yall asked for part three 😂😂

It has been a long time since you've used your quirk to it's full potential, high school even.

This wasnt from a lack of challenge, no if anything holding back day after day was a challenge in of itself.

But, as all things do with time, it became easier and easier.

Soon you had forgotten what the feeling of your quirk really was. Of the rage that flowed through your body so easily has quickly turned into cold apathy.

No longer were you passionate or emotionally invested in any of the missions you took part of.

Or the outings.

Which lead to your recent break up with a ruby red haired hero.

You two had dated for the better half of your highschool year but something always felt off between the two of you.

And the more that Aizawa taught your to reign in your emotions the more prevalent the distance between you and Kirishima became.

You ended things, especially when you figured out why the two started dating.

Convenience, heart break over another. You stare at your ever present heart monitor that every hero agency demands you wear for "just in case you do go berserk".

It doesnt matter that your heart rate barely soars over 90 during missions or training.

And it doesn't matter that you hadn't gone berserk in almost a decade.

You sigh out, bored even as you wait for the bank robber to come your way as you hide in the shadows. He comes in breathless bounds, rounding the corner as he flees from the cops. He rounds to corner bumping into your chest, falling right onto his ass, bag of money starting to blow in the wind.

"Hello there." You smile as he stares up at you with widened eyes. After a quick stretch of silence you grab for him with one hand while the other goes for the cuffs.

You giggle as you clamp the antiquirk cuffs onto his wrists passing him over easily to the cops.

A scream rings out before the radio in your ear hisses.

*' Berserk we need you in the west end. There has been reports of an appearance of the League.'*

"Anyone else on scene?" You ask, several large explosions shake the earth beneath your feet practically answering your question.

*"Currently Ground Zero."*

Your heart rate increases by ten at even the sound of his name.

*"Anger is fear turned inward."* Aizawa's words echo in your head as your feet pound against pavement.

The scene is a tough sight to take in as Bkaugou fights back against three people.

Toga, who slices the air with a manic grin, twice who surprisingly has yet to split and Dabi who's blue hot flame licks on sunkissed skin.

For the first time in a long time your heart rate spikes enough for your bracelet to beep. You have half a mind to crush it before lunging into battle.

"Hello there." You scream out as part of your on going experiment Dabi gives you a side way smile before answering.

"General Kenobi." He faces you only for a fist to slam harshly into his face. Slamming him hard enough into the wall that a cloud of dust begins to blind everyone in the party.

"Oi oi!" Bakugou's voice grates your nerves but you blow hot air out of your nose, bringing you hand backward with enough force to clear the air.

When Bakugou catches sight of your strong frame he is stunned stupid.

That is until a six inch blade plunges into his side as a moan of glee rings out in his ear.

"Ooooohhh." Toga smiles with flushed cheeks as Bakugou brings a powered fist into her face. He lands on two feet, hand instinctively flying to his wound. He looks at his splayed fingers to spy an already alarming amount of blood. He growls as he goes into the attack. Every now and again his eyes flickering towards you.

Who, no surprise, is holding you own quite well. You move too quickly for Dabi, who is more used to ranged or surprised attacks. Not all out close combat and not to the intensity that his opponent swings so quickly and with such force that his flames are snuffed out. You press further as agitation grows quickly on his chest.

What you don't know is that you may or may not be falling into a trap as twice splits half run towards him while the other half run towards your fight.

Bakugou cannot warn you about the possibility either. Too preoccupied by Toga, three Twice and the screaming of his side.

He lands again but this time on unsteady feet spitting blood onto the street.

Toga licks up the length of her knife with lust filled eyes, quickly turning into the hot heads mirror image.

Twice multiples at an alarming rate, meaning to overwhelm the quickly tiring Bakugou.

"I wouldn't follow after Berserk if I were you." He spits again, flashing malice through bloodied teeth, "She's liable to hit you twice as hard using my stolen face."

He watches himself sneer before he turns on his heel heading into the fight clouded by smoke and dust.

"Fuck." Bakugou hisses as he let's explosions ring out freely from his palms as Twice splits and splits and fucking splits. All the while Bakugou begins to sway, the blood being urged out of him with every sharp movement he takes.

You connect another deadly blow into his burnt jaw sending him flying as two Twice jump you out of nowhere. You slam your back agaisnt the closest wall to shake them, one falls bloodied while the other wrangles to wrap his arms around your throat.

"Y/LN, Stand down before your temper rises too high." You freeze in your steps, his voice doing the opposite as your wrist double beeps.

It's hard to believe that your heart rate has reached 130 for the first time in *years*

With that more power floods your veins as you reach behind you, grabbing onto the nape of Twice's neck sending him flying into Bakugou.

"Fucking take care of that would you?" Your voice comes out tight, more twice split as you stalk towards Dabi.

He would be the best to bring in considering out of the three present he has the most sound mind.

A scary thought to have.

"Your heart rate is too high and the agency is going to come and ruin all of our fucking fun. Stand down!" Its a yell, almost like an order that has you seeing a maddening shade of red. You turn like a bull called rushing towards him fist reared only to stop inches from his stupidly smug face.

Fuck this guy and fuck how he made your heart soar and sink at the same time.

Fuck how you could feel his gaze without looking.

And most importantly fuck how you could never, ever get over him.

You pant in his face, thinking of head butting him when you notice something his off.

His eyes, they were missing something.

Some sort of underlying emotion was absent. As you rage a war within yourself if this could be Toga or the true Bakugou Dabi jumps onto your back.

Twice piles onto your arms and legs, multiplying with each lost body twice over.

All the while a smug ass smirk hangs off of those damn lips.

Your heart rate soars as you struggle to keep your temper in check. Should you lose your cool there would be no one here to stop you from leveling the city.

Dabi presses his lips to your ear as he cranes your head upward by pulling your hair.

"Why not let that temper out?" It is a cruel bark of a laugh. You knock your head into his ripping your own hair as one of his teeth sinks and sticks into your scalp from the blow. He spits blood at Bakugou's feet.

"Its in *your* best interest that I don't." You hiss, struggling with yourself and the weight of the ever growing pile of men. Your breath hitches, your wrist beeps too loudly and sensory over load is coming in hot.

Coaxing your rage out from the corner, your bite your lip until you taste pennies.

"She's too scared too is all." Bakugou sneers down at you, palm held out as you buck only for your head to be slammed down.

"You have a better chance of getting *him* to lose his temper than me." You incline towards the blonde before you. Half wondering if it is really him.

His eyes haunt your memories and they haunt you now.

"Oh but we aren't here for him. No we are here for *you*." Dabi purrs.

"What?" You bite out, starting to lose the fight.

And not with the fight with the amass of men pressing you into shards of broken tile.

"You're lucky enough to have been chosen." An insidious smile on his lips as he speaks, his breath hot on your ear "Maybe even lucky enough to be a Nomu or better yet reborn."

With that the thread snaps and blinding rage floods your vision, clouding it with nothing but the thought to destroy.

To have these men before you bleed until they gasp out their last breaths.

The bracelet beeps at high volume only to be crushed by a Twice.

You thrash as someone screams "NOW!" A sharp point sinks into your neck before a burning liquid rushes your veins.

Your eyes flutter, your heart slows and your body even goes slack, whatever sedative they were using on you was most likely lethal.

Your body relaxes with an exhaled breath as darkness ebbs like the ocean. Slowly washing away reality and replacing it with pitch black.

××××××

You wake with a start hand clutched to your chest as you jump to your feet. Rage still flooding hot in your body as you split your bed in two.

"Easy there." His voice comes out smooth and your door opens. You turn to see Dabi enter the room. Your heart floods with a mixture hurt...of love as you stare after him. Toga, your best friend, follows in behind him, her ash blonde hair gives you a splitting headache as scarlet flashes in your head. You begin to shake, breath coming out too quickly as Dabi soothes his hands over your skin.

"Hey.. " It comes out feather soft, "It's just the medicine. You got into a nasty fight with that asshole Ground Zero."

Blood pounds in your ears from the sound of his name and all that you remember last is him looking down at you, palm held out. Your fist goes clean through the cinder block wall, you shake all over. Body over stimulated and over worked.

Dabi and Toga exchange a worried glance.

"Did...did he hurt you?" You turn towards your lover now with worry welling in your eyes. Blue burns into your skin as you look him over, fingers softly pressing here and there for wounds. You spy the bruises on his jaw easily. Again your body shakes, vibrates even as you lose yourself in your temper, something you had not allowed yourself to do in quite some time.

"I'll fucking kill him." Your voice comes out dark, dark enough that it thrums with enough power for the light bulb over head to shatter.

Blue flame illuminates the small room emphazinfing a dizzying smile before his blue eyes flicker to your friend Toga with approval.

[jjoelswatch]

I HAVE SEEN THE WAR OF THE STARS

This was a very different Star Wars movie in the best ways possible. Whether you loved it or hated it, this movie would not have been possible without SW:TLJ, full stop. Personally, I liked this movie a lot. SW:ROTS is my favorite just because it’s a) the movie that got me to like Star Wars and b) Anakin, so nothing really compares to that for me but. I think I can largely attribute what I did like about this movie to how much it reminded me of story arcs in Clone Wars or Rebels (namely Mortis, Malachor, and the World Between Worlds), with the little caveats/side quests and side characters and the focus on arcane Force powers.

What I liked:

Kylo Ren and Rey being collective badasses on two opposite spectrums of the Force. You really get the sense that as things continue to become unbalanced, the more and more their powers grow. This movie is truly a love letter to fans of both Rey and Kylo Ren, because they both have largely satisfying developments (in their powers and their character growth). I’ve never hated Kylo Ren like a lot of people do. I like his character, I think he’s - at least - cool. This movie really showcased how formidable he was right off the bat-- from Title Scroll to opening scene. And if this movie showed how powerful he was, it REALLY doubled down on how strong Rey is. More on this throughout this ramble post.

Holy Sith lore, Batman.

Rey’s training sequence was everything Luke’s training sequence in SW:TESB should have been (limited ofc by film techniques of its time); I thoroughly enjoyed it. I know a lot of people are complaining about it, since she adamantly chose not to walk the path of a Jedi, but I liked that Leia got to be her Jedi Master.

Even though it was in the trailer, Rey flipping over the Kylo’s ship and slicing the wing off with her lightsaber was rad af.

Also followed by another rad af moment of her Force pulling the ship, like damn girl.

My face when Rey used Sith lightning was one of genuine shock like holy shit. This is also when I knew the “Force bloodline” twist ahead of time. It allowed me to become (mostly) okay with it. But damn, even Kylo Ren is like “...fuck”.

AUDIBLE SIGH OF RELIEF THAT CHEWIE DIDN’T DIE. Actual personification of that one bear vine.

Former spice-runner Poe is...sexy. What a concept.

Kijimi planet sequence was really cool. It also hammered home the entire space nazi motif in a very in-your-face way, which I appreciated because I feel like people try to rationalize the Empire and First Order as not being that, when that’s literally what they are. It also introduced Zorii Bliss, who I really enjoyed.

I really liked the style of the Force bond/Force Dyad moments in this movie. We got a good handful of them in TLJ and they were cool (and confirmed to not just be Snoke causing them with that movie’s end scene), but these were better. Just the way the scenes transition and the tangible objects being transferred between them.

Her parentage reveal, the mirror of the “join me” scene from TLJ [chef’s kiss] *

General Hux being the spy really reminded me of Alexsandr Kallus being Fulcrum in SW:Rebels, except Kallus was hotter and had less petty reasons for betraying the Empire.

The space horse...tusk...creatures. I love them.

Rey and Kylo Ren’s fight on the Death Star wreckage. Finally, at long last, we get to see some prequels level Jedi flips and jumps. FINALLY!

Leia’s last sacrifice c’:

Rey striking down Kylo Ren, healing him, telling him that she had wanted to take his hand when he offered, but she’d wanted to take Ben’s hand. So perfect.

Ben and Han’s mirrored scene from the bridge scene in TFA with Kylo and Han, line for line, with the right choice made this time. Just the combined effort of his father’s memory and his mother’s sacrifice having him throw his lightsaber into the ocean, killing Kylo Ren and becoming Ben Solo once more. So emotionally satisfying. **

Also: “Dad...” “I know.” very nice callback to TESB.

Force Ghost!Luke c’: catching that lightsaber as Rey goes to throw it into the flames; nice resolution to Luke’s arc from TLJ.

LUKE AND LEIA TRAINING SCENE FLASHBACK!!

Kylo Ren’s redemption/turn to the light was something that I thought I would hate, but I actually thought it was the one consistent character arc in the sequel films. I actually enjoyed it a lot, like everything about him turning to the light was handled well and you can track its path through the entire sequel trilogy. Don’t @ me.

Ben doing the classic Han Solo No Look Shot-- with Lando’s blaster (how did he get that?)

Ben absolutely butchering the Knights of Ren wearing the space equivalent of a sweater and jeans. Just the epitome of chaotic Skywalker/Solo energy. Iconic.

Enjoyed Ben’s little shrug of “finally” when Rey used their Force bond to transfer him one of the lightsabers to use. Was sitting there watching him fight like, get this man a lightsaber.

Also, regarding that moment, just the pause within their Force bond, actually, truly seeing each other.

All the voices of the Jedi. Chills. I heard Luke, Obi-Wan, Yoda, Windu, Kanan, Anakin. Ahsoka. ***

Rey’s sacrifice. Ben’s sacrifice. For a moment, I thought they were going to kill both of them and Palpatine (which I would have hated and appreciated at once; zero it out, bring balance to the Force via a flatline), or leave Rey dead and Ben alive to be haunted by his own deeds and demons. It was a surprise that Ben could use Force healing in the way Rey displayed earlier in the film, but a good one. Thanos vc: a soul for a soul.

“Ben” c’: such a bittersweet moment of acknowledgement and redemption tbh. ****

Rey burying Luke (Anakin’s) and Leia’s sabers on Tatooine c’: *****

Rey’s yellow lightsaber made from her staff. I wonder if it’s double-bladed (I bet it is).

I had a feeling one way or another that by the end of the movie Rey would be taking the Skywalker name for herself. I’m sure this made a lot of people angry. I’m not one of them.

What I didn’t like:

Not much tbh!

The Reylo kiss I guess, since it felt shoehorned in since they were both enemies 12 hours prior (if that). It would have felt more natural if it had just been a brief embrace or (as a friend suggested) a forehead touch. I’m totally okay with Rey and Ben having this strong connection through the Force, but no matter where you stand on the idea of those characters being romantically involved, you have to admit that they just weren’t there yet to have that kiss. ******

Conflicted that the Skywalker bloodline is gone. Like, trust me, I know the point - or one of the major ones - of this film is that blood doesn’t dictate choices/blood isn’t important, but like...I really love the Skywalkers, okay?

Palpatine being alive in this pretty much invalidates Anakin’s journey in the first six episodes, which sucks because in this house we love and appreciate Anakin Skywalker. You get a sense that Palpatine’s return was definitely never the end goal for this trilogy. It doesn’t feel planned because it’s never explained how he’s back, how he survived. We’re left to assume that it’s Sith power sustaining him. We never find out how Palpatine (who’s basically a zombie, I mean, look at him) managed to create a massive fleet of Star Destroyers capable of destroying planets. That’s just how it is, deal with it.

Asterisks/Questions Unanswered/Misc.:

* Still can’t believe Rey Palpatine fan theories DID THAT. Press F to pay respects to my Rey Kenobi theories (which would have made more sense with a Force bond but WHATEVER).

** This is where I would have wanted Anakin’s Force Ghost moment to be, especially since Kylo Ren idolized the ideal of Vader for so long, I felt it would have been a nice touch to have Anakin step in here, while across the galaxy Rey is being reached out to by Luke. Ultimately though, I think Han worked best.

*** Look, I know Ahsoka’s voice was in the past Jedi/Force Ghost moment, but like...my girl ain’t dead. Togruta live for over 200+ years, plus she was resurrected with the power of The Daughter. She just Force Skyped in to give Rey an inspirational line. Also Ahsoka is...not a Jedi, so ? interesting.

On that note, the above scene also reminds me 100% of Ezra’s moment in The World Between Worlds.

**** Really wish redemption didn’t always have to mean death, but I also understand that just like in ROTJ with Vader, there was a slim-to-none chance of a future for Ben after doing everything he’d done. But I also think death is...an easy out, when you don’t want to think about how a character can continue to atone for their deeds. I would have liked to see Ben live.

***** As for burying Luke and Leia’s sabers in the sands of Tatooine, Luke never associated himself with Anakin’s saber, so she buried Anakin’s saber in a place he hated and associated with so much pain and loss.

****** Reylo has never really been a ship I sailed, though I’ve never expressly hated it (there are certainly far more uncomfortable scenes with Anakin and Padma in AOTC than there have been between Rey and Kylo Ren in the sequel films), but if one of them is going to die, don’t have them kiss. If you’re going to have them kiss, let them live.

Finn never really did get to tell Rey what he wanted to tell her, huh? I joke. I think it’s obvious by the final act of the movie that he wanted to tell her that he could feel the Force, that he’s Force sensitive. This was hinted at in TFA during several beats (especially when he fights Kylo Ren-- anyone can use a lightsaber, but it’s kinda curious that he could hold his own for a bit).

This movie radiates a bi energy in ways I can’t describe. All the stuff with Poe being real concerned about what Finn wanted to tell Rey when he thought they were going to die? Poe and Zorii? Finn and Jannah? Poe and Rey? Really can’t believe they cut away before Finn and Poe kissed in the end celebration scene.

Ben Solo > Kylo Ren

[padawanlost]

redrikki replied to your post “Maybe I’m REALLY slow but I just realized Yoda felt “Pain, suffering,...”

To be fair, a war started 30 seconds later so he was pretty busy. Also, the Jedi don't give a fuck about mental health as long as they can still do their job. They needed all hands on deck and as long as Anakin was pointed at the right targets they didn't care.

I thought about that too but even if we consider the war and the Jedi disregard for mental health, it was still a terrible move. The Jedi in general were all about the destruction of the sith. Behind their benevolent ideals, they were all about eradicating any perceived enemies without question. The moment they suspected you of being involved in anything remotely “dark”, you’re done. Your opinions don’t matter because you’re mad. All you get is a death sentence or a lifetime in prison without any trial. That’s how Jedi justified they actions against Palpatine in ROTS. They didn’t have enough proof to do anything legal about it (they just thought he was involved in something “dark”) but they still spied on him and were considering a coup.

Yoda spend every second of his screen time preaching about the dangerous of attachments and how “negative emotions” turn you evil. That should make him obligated to do something when he sensed the being with the highest midichlorians count ever took a step towards evil? Anakin’s “negative emotions” were so powerful Yoda sensed them all the way from Tatooine. That alone was a gigantic warning flag. It’s not just about not caring for Anakin’s mental health, it’s about endangering the Order and the Republic. They just found out a mysterious army was created, the sith is back and their prodigy just proved his suffering was powerful enough to be felt around the galaxy. Look at the distance, that’s some powerful suffering:

He should have talked to the council about it. By pretending nothing had happened he played right into Palpatine’s hand and allowed him to keep manipulating and abusing Anakin. If he swept it under the rug because of the war then it’s even worse. Not only he was neglecting his duty to his students, his peers and the republic, he’s also knowingly using a young man.

That’s what I’m curious about. I think we all know Yoda never cared for Anakin’s mental health. What I want to know is how Yoda justified it to himself. Why did he decided it was better to ignore such an obvious sign something was wrong? I went back to the only conversation I could think of where Yoda talks about it and, sadly, it doesn’t help his case:

Yoda flicked him a skeptical glance. “Reluctant I was because the same flaw you share, Obi-Wan. The flaw of attachment.” 

 What? “I’m sorry. I don’t understand.”

Yoda snorted. “Yes, you do. Melida/Daan, attachment that was. Your promise to Qui-Gon Jinn, that you would train Anakin? From attachment it sprang. Great affection you felt for him. Great affection you feel for Anakin Skywalker. Run deep your feelings do, Obi-Wan. Mastered them completely you have not. Mastered his own young Skywalker has not. Suspect I do that strict with him about attachments you have not always been.” […] “Because of attachment to his mother,” Yoda continued, his expression severe, “to Tatooine did young Skywalker go, defying your direct instructions.” 

 Obi-Wan stared. “I don’t—we didn’t—he has not told me why he left Naboo. There was no time to discuss it. Events on Geonosis moved too quickly.” 

 “To Shmi Skywalker has something happened, I fear,” said Yoda quietly.

 “What?” 

 “Sensed young Skywalker in the Force, I did. Great pain. Great anger. A terrible tragedy.”

 Oh no. “He’s said nothing to me, Master Yoda. If something had happened to his mother, I’m sure he’d tell me.” […]

Then Yoda goes on and on about the necessity of ending Anakin’s attachment to Padmé. Obi-wan leaves to Padmé, learns about Shmi’s death and returns to this:

“Necessary this was. Necessary it would not have been, Obi-Wan, if closer attention you had paid.” Yoda’s eyes narrowed. “Disappointed I am.” 

 And that was a lightsaber thrust between his ribs. “I am truly sorry, Master.”

 Yoda tilted his chin, his steady gaze implacable. “A lesson let this be, Master Kenobi. Attachment leads to suffering for a Jedi. School yourself. School your Padawan, while you still can. A Jedi Knight must he become, sooner than we thought.” 

 What? No. “Master Yoda, he’s not ready.” 

 “Make him ready, you must, Obi-Wan. Your task that is.”

 Given Yoda’s mood it was folly to argue. But he couldn’t stay silent. “Master Yoda, is there really a need to be precipitate? Surely it would be unwise to rush Anakin, especially now. His injury … and Master, his mother is dead.” 

 Yoda nodded, short and sharp. “Yes. But mothers die, Obi-Wan. Sad it is, but distract a Jedi death must not.” […]  Yoda’s stare was bleak. “Great are the challenges your Padawan will face. To be his friend your heart will urge you. But Obi-Wan, a mistake that would be. A friend young Skywalker does not need. A Master he needs, and a Master you must be.” 

 Yoda admits he sensed something wrong (something deeply connected to the dark side) and yet seems more concerned in “correcting” Obi-wan and making Anakin a “proper” Jedi. He acknowledges everything that’s “wrong” with Anakin (everything that would later lead him to destroy the Jedi) and does nothing. Why? Is he so arrogant he thinks he can control Anakin? Is he so detached he doesn’t understand the depth of Anakin’s pain and attachments? Is he so hypocrite he does not realize he’s acting against his own teachings? Is it all of the above? Or is it something else? That’s what I can’t wrap my head around.

If we look at Yoda as teacher, then he was wrong to not properly ackonwlge his students struggles. If we look at Yoda as a the leader of the Jedi Order, then he was wrong to hide from the entire Council know about what had happened. If we look at Yoda as a general, then he was wrong to put an emotionally unstable child-soldier in the front lines.

[sailtheplains]

Star Wars talk - Darth Snookie

Let’s discuss Star Wars.

 Okay, I will admit, the countdown on the Rebel transport was kinda cheezy and felt a little forced. But, I did like that Poe seemed to take a real lesson from it (though that brings up the question of why the General didn’t tell anyone her plan when Poe asked her to---that seemed kinda dumb).

 The introduction of Rose, I thought, was cool. Especially as a Vietnamese-American actress. I really admire their efforts to diversify Star Wars.  And I like that we didn’t end up in another seedy bar but in a casino—because we have to remember, the Star Wars universe is fucking huge. We’ve only seen a tiny sliver of it. So I actually didn’t really mind them taking their little side trip to….wherever the hell that was. To pick up the dude from The Usual Suspects, Benici Del Toro, who I thought was an interesting addition and I wonder if we’ll be seeing him again sometime. He’s a great actor. I feel like it would be a waste to throw away that character.

 BB8 returns as well to show us that he and R2D2 are the only fuckmothering Gryffindors up in here.

  But the two elements I really loved, was Mark Hamil back as an older, more jaded, Luke Skywalker. And the strange bond developing between Rey and Kylo.

 First, Luke Skywalker—because this was what almost got me into an argument with my roommate’s brother-in-law on Christmas day. They wanted Luke Skywalker to remain this legend, a myth. But he didn’t. Because Luke never thought of himself as a legend. He killed Darth Vader, yeah, but he didn’t want to. He didn’t relish it. It wasn’t satisfying to him. Vader was his father. And the Dark Side of the Force destroyed Anakin from the core.  

 Luke never thought of himself as this “great master”. He was barely trained when he first faced Vader. He was a terrified kid. That fight changed him. When we meet him in Return of the Jedi, he’s clearly grown but still has a tendency to not always plan ahead. Yoda then leaves him, just as Luke is coming to terms with how little he actually knows about the Jedi at all.

 Luke was not raised as a Jedi. And Luke correctly identifies it as a religion. Because that’s what it is. He makes a very good point to Rey, that the Force exists whether there are Jedi and Sith or not. All they did was give it a name. The Jedi became romanticized, deified—because its totally true. (Folks don’t like Luke Skywalker being a real human.)

 But Luke studied the Force and the way of the Jedi anyway, even after the fall of the Empire and presumably all through Leia’s reconstruction of the galactic government or whatever. He found out about the Jedi temples and the sacred texts—who knows how, really (Wookiepedia, presumably). He gathered what he could to teach those who came to him, including his own nephew, Ben Solo. But the only expertise he had was his own and whatever advice he may have picked up during his very short training sessions with Kenobi and Yoda. (It’s still a little odd to me that Luke and Leia never, like, got together to study the Force or something. She clearly can use it as well.)

 So he attempts to train these dozen or so kids, gets spooked by something he sees in his nephew and decides to go get a read on him.

 The Light Side of the Force took one look at Ben and was like, “Nope.”

 And Luke has a moment where it was instinctive for him to snuff out any Dark that he found, even if it was his own nephew.

 That was the turning point. Cue the awkward wake up where Ben, a scared young man, sees his uncle standing over him with a lightsaber and panics. And that was it—everything Luke has put together, dashed in a single night.

 Though, of course, Kylo does not explain what happened himself. He simply asks Rey if she knew, and if Luke told her. But he never actually states his interpretation of what happened—except for the bit about thinking his uncle was going to kill him. But he never claims to have killed the other apprentices. Kylo does the same thing about Rey’s parents, claiming to know who they are—and then asking her if she knows who they were. When she says “no one”, he goes with it. So it was hard to tell what exactly he did know about her and what was him probing for information. But more on this later.

 Of course, he could have killed his nephew and potentially saved his temple. But he would likely never forgive himself for killing another member of his own family just for the Force.

 That was the point. The Jedi had become so stagnant and sterile that, as Luke notes, at the height of their power—Sidious took over the fucking Senate and gave rise to Darth Vader and no one figured it out? Maybe the Jedi and the Sith had become too polarized. Maybe it wasn’t Good and Bad so much as simply Defend and Attack.

 Because Luke was not raised in the Jedi order, he was able to step back from it and look passed the façade of myth surrounding the Jedi and Sith. It’s no different from an Atheist getting into a religion and wanting to study it first. So Luke studies and finds some shady shit.

 So that, plus him nearly instinctively killing his nephew—and having all that go to shit—he retreats from using the Force. Because the Force is as much a blessing as a curse. 

Yeah, the Force is strong in his family: his father is dead, his mother is dead, his adoptive aunt and uncle are dead, Ben Kenobi is dead, Yoda is dead, his friends from back home are dead, he lost his hand, he lost his home, he never knew his sister, he had to kill his father, he nearly killed his own nephew. Was that a religion he really wanted to be part of?

 And Luke steps back to look at this religion and way of life and finds it full of holes and bullshit. And after his temple burns, nephew disappears and apprentices are slaughtered….he probably feels pretty fucking terrible. Because again, Luke wasn’t arrogant. He had a lot of doubt. He didn’t believe in himself very much. And he saw that as a terrible failure. Like he destroys everything he touches. Had he driven Ben Solo to the dark side or had Ben gone on his own? And if so, why? How? What had turned Anakin? Luke doesn’t really know. So he turns the blame inward.

 It’s actually a very human response. So he leaves Leia to politics and stops connecting to the Force—to get his shit figured out, likely. And after everything he suffered—maybe he just wanted somewhere quiet. He was never a statesman. That was Leia. Ben Kenobi went to be a hermit and maybe he unconsciously followed that example. Trauma will do that to people.

 So then this kid shows up with a lot of inherent power and we get a little montage of her following him around, which he grumpily tolerates. But bits of young Luke Skywalker still shine through—he was always a little bit of a smart-ass. More subtle than Han. It’s nice to see that again.  (Though when he realized Chewie is there with the Falcon and Han isn’t. I was like, “Oh!” ;_;)

 I thought it was a good touch to bring Yoda back and remind us that Luke was just a man. Always looking at the horizon. His mind was never on where he was and what he was doing. And that’s just who Luke was as a person. And he still is. Because he wasn’t a god. He wasn’t perfect. He wasn’t Jesus. He was just a farmer from a dirtball outer rim planet.

 And you realize how very young Luke still is compared to Yoda and how much he still doesn’t know and will never be able to know. He was a ‘master’, yes. But only because there was no one else. Compared to other species in the galaxy with the ability to use the Force—he might still be a young man. Just like Yoda addresses him as, “Young Skywalker”

 I thought it was actually really cool that instead of blindly following the Jedi Order, Luke steps back and examines it—contemplating whether to change it or just let it die out completely.

 And then he decides to come back to the Force to help them. I don’t see what all the Fankids are bitching about. It was some nice character work for Luke, because he has suffered a lot and he never really saw himself as anything special. (Also, I burst out laughing when he brushed his shoulder off. Luke Skywalker throws some bomb shade.)

 This brings me to Rey and Kylo Ren. So Snookie takes a page from Voldemort’s book and establishes a brain link between Rey and Kylo—presumably, without the latter’s knowledge—as Leader Snoke seems to indicate when taunting Rey about it. 

This leads to some interesting moments that feel….uncomfortable, weird, almost intimate. But at the same time, it’s intriguing to watch them attempt to communicate. She is the more ‘naïve’, I would guess and it’s not a big mystery to say that a young woman who is accustomed to a life of hardship would be made uncomfortable by Kylo without his shirt while also sharing a weird mindlink with him somehow.

 But at the same time…she’s trying to learn about him and knowing that he’s Han’s and Leia’s son—and she totally thinks those two are/were cool as shit—she’s determined to try, at least.

 Especially after Kylo brings her to Snookie. It was difficult to really tell if he had planned the entire thing or decided on a whim to kill Snook. So it’s hard to say what Kylo’s real goal is. This movie kind of displays what makes Kylo Ren so different from other Star Wars villains. Human Sith are almost always portrayed in the films as menacing, calculated and cold. Kylo is different. He’s the Zuko of this team.

 Luke said that Snook had gotten to Ben before he went to check on him at the temple. So how and when did Snook get in contact with Ben Solo originally? How old was Ben when Luke started his training?

 So now you have an unstable young man with a lot of inherent power and a lot of rage, frustration and self-hatred. There is just so much of it. Enough of it that Kylo somehow hid his intentions from Snookie. 

Kylo kind of gets a lot of shit because he is kind of awkward, almost. Socially, physically, emotionally. He’s so driven and passionate and intense about everything he seems to do. And now that he appears to be in control of the Order….now what will he do? He lets himself give in to the intensity and aggression of the Dark Side. Not unlike Zuko and his chaotic firebending. Only Ben doesn’t have an Uncle Iroh anymore.  

  So, overall, yeah—some bits dragged, the Resistance thing is kinda meh. How the Senate keeps getting fucked up is kinda crazy—yeah, some of that was pretty thin. But I like what they’re working on with the characters. It could end up being really interesting. And Poe finally meets Rey—which was kinda cute for a minute. I’d like to go see it again to keep examining the details.

[iabsolutelyresentthiswebsite]

Why Reylo Should DEFINITELY NOT Happen

Is this an unpopular opinion now?

Disclaimer: I am not anti-Kylo. I love Kylo Ren for the potential his character does have (view profile picture!). I do not excuse any of his actions, but I do understand that had he not been mentally fucked by Snoke as an impressionable adolescent and had he not pushed away everyone who cared about him and tried to help, he would not be in this mess. Very much Snoke’s fault, very much his own. I love Rey for the beautiful being and character she is. How strong she is, her emotionality, and her fierce and beautiful desires. I am a fan of both Rey and Kylo Ren, so please do not take this as me saying one is too good for the other. 

Well, everyone knows how very, very sure I am of myself when I say Rey is Rey Skywalker. This would make her Kylo’s first cousin, their parents being twins, so that is very, very fucked up to begin with. This is the MAJOR, and first, reason I was ever anti-Reylo. 

But let’s PRETEND she isn’t Rey Skywalker. Maybe she’s Rey Kenobi or Rey whatever. It doesn’t matter. Let’s PRETEND she’s not a Skywalker, even though that is so wildly unlikely. View the attached videos to the last few words to see why I say it is that.

Have you viewed the videos? No? Well, I suggest you do. But whatever…I don’t know your schedule nor your interest level in this. Anyway, moving on…

So I’m sure you’re wondering, “Why, if you love both of the characters and they weren’t related, would you not ship them together?”

Simple: Because it is insulting to their characters, detrimental to the character development they could potentially have, and ends Star Wars for good.

I can hear the jeering now, “Those are some WILD assertions. How can you prove this, OP?”

Dissertation:

We have only been just introduced to them as characters, so how would I truly understand their motivations and who they really are? Well, to tell you the truth, I am one of those people who knows who people are based on how they act and respond to situations. It’s easy for me to predict what you will want and how you will act later. If I am so confident after TFA that I am willing to put myself on the line for jeering and my opinion up to all criticism on this website littered with differing opinions, I must be pretty confident that I know what I’m talking about. Especially true because I avoid conflict at pretty much all cost. So here goes…

Kylo Ren is a child trapped in a man of 30′s body. He pushed everyone who loved him away and was brainwashed by someone who cared only about what he could do for them. Kylo Ren’s main desire is that he wants to be wanted, he wants someone to be proud of him. He is unstable, unpolished, and very, very frightened…of Snoke, of himself, and of what he feels inside him. He is not emotionally mature enough, at least at this point, to handle a romantic relationship…at least a healthy one, one that which Rey would hypothetically deserve. And even though Kylo is allegedly more “polished” in TLJ, deep-seated fears like those just don’t go away. 

Rey is a grown adult. She grew up alone by nothing more than circumstances brought on by her parents, of whom we don’t (but probably do) know. Rey is 19…probably 21 by this movie…and has dealt with way too much in her life. She is emotional, but strong. She is fiercely loyal and desires nothing greater than to belong somewhere and feel that she belongs. She has every capability to have a healthy romantic relationship, but she doesn’t seem to really push for that. She desires friends and companionship and belonging, but not…a romantic relationship. At some point may she? Probably, but she doesn’t seem like the type of person, in my opinion, to prioritize a romantic entanglement. She is just getting her footing in the new world outside of Jakku. 

Now, keep all that in mind while I explain why it’s insulting to their characters and the franchise itself!

I am writer myself. I am, admittedly, predominantly a songwriter. I have written screenplays and short stories and whatnot…you may have seen one of my screenplay ideas for Kylo Ren’s redemption because I did, at one point, post a few of them on Tumblr. However, not the point. 

I took a screenwriting class about 2 years ago in college. Stay with me here! There was one time, I remember, we had an assignment for a short screenplay. I was writing a story…I don’t remember about what exactly, but I remember how much trouble I was having in keeping it within the time limit and due date I had. Finally, I had 3 days left to hand it in and still was trying to think of a decent way to end it. I had ideas and ideas that I loved, but the only thing that fit within the page limit and that would allow me to hand it in on time was the ending I hated…but it was the only choice I had at this point. I did it. I had the main antagonist fall in love with the main protagonist. I hated myself for it and it dissected their characters and destroyed the story, but I did it. I handed that paper in on time and in the page limit I had. 

You see what I’m getting at, don’t you?

I used…a cop-out. 

And that’s what endgame Reylo is. 

A cop-out. 

A cop-out is, as I’m sure you all know, something you do when you have no other choice or can’t think of a way to bring about your next goal. You do it because you gotta do it to make what you want happen happen. In this case, making Reylo canon would bring about a natural close to the saga. 

But at what cost?!

Star Wars, as I’m sure we’re all aware, is littered with themes that extend back to the beginning time of storytelling. Good versus evil being the most notable theme, familial love, love in general. A lot of basic AF themes, but all good stories tend to have similar themes. We all know that because there are truly only 6-8 real stories in life and cinema. You can only have so many good things. 

Now, TROPES are a different monster all together. Redemption is a trope that Star Wars utilizes a lot and that’s okay because it makes sense and grounds their good versus evil theme. Also, the Star Wars universe is so expansive and well-designed that it’s even kind of difficult to identify the trope until you really step back and say…”…huh.” It’s fine to utilize some tropes in wonderful movies. Don’t get me wrong…

But not when it sacrifices your characters. 

The trope I will be talking about now is the one in which “the bad guy falls in love with the good girl and shirks his bad ways to make her happy and be with her”. We all know what I’m talking about. And we all know how played out it is. We’re all tired of it.

How many movies have we seen this year with the very same endgame trope? 12? more? I don’t know, I barely go to the movies anymore. 

Do you want Kylo Ren and Rey’s character identity as it stands and their potential character development to devolve, which that’s what it is, into a romantic endgame? 

That is my question for you. 

Kylo Ren has the potential to pull a Vader and decide for himself, with the help of the people whom he pushed away earlier and those new friends, that what he’s doing is wrong. Darth Vader decided that when his son’s life, whom believed steadfastly in his goodness, was threatened that what he was doing was wrong and changed because he wanted to. Luke did not coerce, did not guilt, did not even truly fully persuade Darth Vader to turn back. But having Rey profess her love or even Kylo admit he is in love as a method of change is such a disservice to both of their characters. You are eliminating the fact that Kylo Ren must take responsibility for what he’s done and make amends as necessary. 

To degrade Rey’s very presence in the series to a method to bring about change in her male counterpart is disgusting to me. Her potential to grow as a Force-user, her potential to be stronger than Luke, her potential to be her own person is GONE. We all know this to be true. Once she becomes the object of the male villain’s affections, she becomes a sex symbol, she becomes nothing more than an object, and she is now forever thought of as “Kylo Ren’s Girlfriend” and not “Rey”. She becomes his property in the thoughts and minds of fans and those not fans because she loses her own name when that happens because now all that matters is the relationship. 

To use a female of Rey’s caliber to FORCE CHANGE in a male such as Kylo is reprehensible because it negates his need for true redemption, for taking responsibility, for fighting back from the Darkness. We all know Kylo needs to show effort because of who he is. He is denying and fighting the light, so therefore, he needs to fight the Darkness even harder. But…

If they fall in love…we all know, that’s all that will be remembered. 

Not who Rey really is. Not what she could have been. Not Kylo’s struggle to turn back. Not his betrayal of Supreme Leader Snoke. 

It’s all just them falling in love now…

Do you want that for Star Wars?

Because you know that’s what would happen. “Search your feelings, you know it to be true.” 

I, personally, would not want that for this amazing franchise that has literally brought people joy for 40 years. 

Aside from that, if they did fall in love and potentially go on to have children, that would be the end of Star Wars. 

I know Return of the Jedi was kind of that way too. ROTJ was really a nicely tied bow on top of a Christmas present, sealing the whole Saga of 6 (yeah, I know ROTJ came out before the Prequels!)

TFA is really a second Christmas present for someone. 

Since X, XI, and XII are all confirmed, if Kylo and Rey get together in IX, I do not see where they could go from there, especially considering they’re probably intending to follow the formula from before where the first saga was Anakin and Luke’s story, this saga really couldn’t be Kylo and Rey’s. IX would feel too final for people to want to rehash and reopen the gift. They’d lose viewers. They’d lose revenue. They’d lose our trust. If something feels too final, people won’t want to come back to it. That’s the problem with older people not liking TFA and the new trilogies. ROTJ was too final. But now that we have this and I’m open-minded to the new story, I’m all in…but 

THEY HAVE TO DO IT RIGHT.

And Reylo is not the right way. 

It would bring everything to a natural close before its time. I don’t know if I’d want to come back to SW after that because I don’t see the potential for a future in the series with that as a trilogy-closer. 

Now, I’m done. I’m just trying to let you all see what I’m seeing here. The quote that Rian Johnson made in the NYT that “Rey and Kylo are really two sides of the same protagonist” is the truth, but it, in no way, alludes to Reylo becoming canon. If anything, it alludes to: 1) Kylo’s Redemption or 2) Rey’s Turn to the Dark Side. 

Now please understand…I’m not trying to make y’all feel anything if you ship Reylo. This is just how I feel and how a lot of others feel. I’m very Pro-Kylo and very Anti-Reylo and I admit that. But I have legitimate reasons and legitimate concerns for the future of the franchise if Reylo sets sail. 

[gffa]

One of the things that is so much fun about STAR WARS fic is the potential to play with Dark!Anakin (sometimes Vaderkin, sometimes a different version of Sith!Anakin, sometimes just Anakin going down a dark path), where he’s fallen to the dark side, but is still wrapped up in all his issues, just more wild and fey now, more unstable and volatile and it’s so super delicious. ✦ Fire and Ice by Yesac, obi-wan & anakin & some anakin/padme & cast, 111.9k    Anakin wins the duel on Mustafar, but doesn’t kill Obi-Wan. Along with Padme, Obi-Wan finds himself living in a chaotic world where the man he thought he knew has become the thing he swore to destroy. Can Anakin be turned back? If so, what then? ✦ A Walking Shadow by lilyconrad, obi-wan & anakin & padme & luke & leia & palpatine & cast, 74.6k    It is five years into the Empire’s ascension, an order built on the blood and bodies of the Jedi. None survived, they say, and the handsome, icy profile of Lord Vader plastered across every Imperial city leaves no room for doubt in the minds of many. But Vader knows there is at least one left, one that escaped him on Mustafar all those years ago. ✦ Broken by lilyconrad, obi-wan/anakin & rex & padme & cast, NSFW, sith!obi-wan (sort of), dark themes, 38.6k    The Twins are unstoppable enforcers of the Emperor’s will, the sun and moon that hang in the black void of his rule. It is said they are not the same age and that under their hoods they do not look alike, but they fight as one entity, silent and terrible as an eclipse in a spring sky. ✦ Tenebroso by the_dragongirl, obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, sith!obi wan, 1.4k    In the aftermath of battle, Anakin gets a little bit selfish with one of his lovers. Obi-Wan really doesn’t mind. ✦ Finding Balance by moonstone (amythestice), obi-wan/anakin & luke & leia & han & yoda & qui-gon & cast, sith!obi-wan, 27k wip    The Dark side clouds everything, even to eyes that should see through the murk with ease. Darth Sidious has miscalculated, drastically, and the waiting game for his enemies is now at an end, and Balance is at hand. ✦ Soldier, Poet, King by Glare, obi-wan/anakin & qui-gon & mace & dooku & palpatine & cast, sith!obi-wan, NSFW, 95.4k wip    Second chances are very rarely given, but the Force smiles upon two of its favorite children and returns them to a time before their actions have met their consequences. Anakin Skywalker, also known as Darth Vader, seeks redemption while Obi-Wan “Ben” Kenobi, disillusioned with the Jedi Order and its Code, falls to the Darkness. ✦ I, Myself, In You, Together by calicokat + Compromised by cupiscent, obi-wan/anakin + anakin/padme + obi-wan/anakin/padme, sith!obi-wan, 4.3k    Anakin returns from hunting Obi-Wan, and tears Padme’s universe apart. ✦ Bread and Circuses by cupiscent, obi-wan/anakin/padme, sith!obi-wan, 2.8k    The shape of Padme’s life. ✦ Gravitation by calicokat, obi-wan/anakin + obi-wan/padme + obi-wan/anakin/padme, NSFW, sith!obi-wan, 3.4k    Obi-Wan enjoys a respite from his service to Dooku. ✦ Darkside Echoes Part 1 + Part 2 by esama, obi-wan & anakin & qui-gon, sith!obi-wan, sith!anakin, 3k    Qui-Gon stares, astonished and dismayed, at the scene taking place beyond the glass. Two Sith, imprisoned at the heart of the Jedi Temple – both of them painfully familiar and yet so very strange. ✦ Custos by jedipati, obi-wan & anakin + background anakin/padme & luke & leia, 5.5k    The Revenge of the Sith went very differently. Now, six years later, Obi-Wan Kenobi guards the Imperial Prince and Princess from hiding, hoping that he will never have to reveal himself. Because if he did- well, he tried never to think about it. ✦ Second Chances by Driverpicksthemooseic (Ratkinzluver33), obi-wan/anakin & han/luke & leia + cast, de-aged fic, 106.3k wip    Leia wasn’t convinced inviting evil incarnate to join them in fighting the Empire was exactly one of Obi-Wan’s brightest ideas. ✦ Everything You Wanted by obaona, obi-wan & anakin + background anakin/padme, 11.3k    A RotS AU. Anakin is now Emperor and has captured ObiWan. But things are never that simple … ✦ Back Drifting by puts foot in mouth, obi-wan & anakin, de-aged!obi-wan, 20.4k wip    After falling on Mustafar, Obi-Wan awakens to the dubious reality of being trapped in the cloned body of his child self, and now has to cope with the reversed father/son relationship fostered upon him by the new Sith Lord.Darth Vader redemption story. ✦ Cruel by Bablefishmouse, obi-wan/anakin/padme & luke, sith!obi-wan, 1.2k    Luke grew up in the Great Empire run by his three parents, Sith Lord Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker and Padme Amidala. But now he’s nearly an adult, and he wants to learn. ✦ space dementia by wellwhiskey, eventual obi-wan/anakin/padme & dooku, sith!obi-wan, 30.7k wip    AU - Darth Maul survives the Battle of Theed. Obi-Wan succeeds in his quest for vengeance but fails to escape The Dark Side. Anakin goes along for the ride. full details + recs under the cut!

✦ Fire and Ice by Yesac, obi-wan & anakin & some anakin/padme & cast, 111.9k    Anakin wins the duel on Mustafar, but doesn’t kill Obi-Wan. Along with Padme, Obi-Wan finds himself living in a chaotic world where the man he thought he knew has become the thing he swore to destroy. Can Anakin be turned back? If so, what then?    This is one of the earliest fics I read in the fandom and I imprinted hard on it, but I wasn’t sure if it would hold up to a reread, so I decided to pick it up again for another read–and it absolutely holds up. In a lot of ways, this is the fic that got me into this relationship–I liked both characters, I had feelings about their relationship, but this is one the that really cemented in that this is what I’m here for and this is so much of how I wanted to see them done. It’s resolutely a gen fic and I’m fine reading it in that vein, I enjoy their dynamic on that level as well, but I think it’s worth reading if you ship them as well, because their relationship is so important to both characters, it’s the foundation on which they stand for both of them, and it’s also just really, really spot on.    This is an Anakin who has so much power at his fingertips, but is the emotionally weak one, this is an Anakin who is consumed by fear and anger and desperation and cravings for approval from those he loves, this is an Anakin who has such good in him, but took a very wrong turn. And this is an Obi-Wan who can be cut off from the Force, who can not be up to his usual speed, and yet he still has this iron will that’s incredible, he still looks Anakin right in the eye and refuses to be worn down, this is an Obi-Wan who cannot be compromised in the way Anakin wants him to be, because Obi-Wan’s strength of character is incredible. This is what I imprinted on and this is what I remain true to–that this is why they’re both such fascinating, complicated characters who become so entwined with each other and supporting each other and loving each other and trying to figure out a way forward together and working through their issues together, all in a way that’s about growth and healing in such a good, emotionally satisfying way.    But also on a sheer id-pleasing level, the first half of this fic is fucking delicious, it’s the best “Anakin wins the duel on Mustafar and keeps Obi-Wan prisoner” fic I have ever found, it understands Obi-Wan’s character just as much as it understands Anakin’s character, how strength comes in different forms. That even without the Force, holy shit, Obi-Wan is goddamned nightmare because he’s so smart and he may not be the Chosen One, but he was one of the best of the Jedi. And, oh, Anakin so desperately trying to gain his approval, when he climbs into bed with Obi-Wan it was one of my favorite scenes, it didn’t need to be anything more than what it was to be perfect. There are a ton of character insights in this fic, there are some great lines, there’s a great plot, and the writing is top-notch. To this day, this fic remains my #1 favorite in this fandom, the first half of this fic especially is everything I want re: characterization and writing. It was practically emotional/id porn for me and even if you don’t usually read genfic, I would suggest giving this one a shot, because, boy, is it ultimately ever really, really about the relationship between Obi-Wan and Anakin and it delivers on the emotional climax moments. ✦ A Walking Shadow by lilyconrad, obi-wan & anakin & padme & luke & leia & palpatine & cast, 74.6k    It is five years into the Empire’s ascension, an order built on the blood and bodies of the Jedi. None survived, they say, and the handsome, icy profile of Lord Vader plastered across every Imperial city leaves no room for doubt in the minds of many. But Vader knows there is at least one left, one that escaped him on Mustafar all those years ago.    I’ve done several recs for this fic, which are all posted here, but I’m sticking with a single rec that won’t give too much away, but still hopefully tells you why you should read one of my favorite fics: This is one of the earliest fics of Lily’s that I read and it’s created a special place in my heart because I love the concept, that Anakin redemption fics are incredibly special to me, and I felt like I went on a bit of a journey with this one, that I’d been following it for awhile and each update meant something to me. Ultimately this fic is about the path of redemption, that it’s not an easy road to step onto, much less walk down one that never really has a specific end, and this fic does a beautiful job with that, how Anakin does such terrible things and the ways he is or isn’t able to come back from them. And while I love canon a great deal, Anakin never really was redeemed, he died to save his son, he had one moment of selflessness (in a selfish way, honestly, because that’s Anakin for you, I love him so much) rather than actually doing any of the work, but this is a story that has a real cost for him. This is a story where it’s not easy, where he struggles, but it’s worth it in the end. Because his chilren love him, because Obi-Wan loves him, because he can’t hurt any more people that he loves.    It’s a story that’s novel length because that’s what it takes to write Anakin’s redemption in full like this, and it’s about the fight on Mustafar going differently, that leaves Vader without the suit, and I love that Padme is such an important weight in this story, even as it’s largely about Obi-Wan and Anakin at the heart of it. It’s an entirely gen fic, this is about them as brothers, but my id was pleased because they’re both parents to the children, because Obi-Wan is the shining light in Anakin’s darkness, because Anakin is the reason Obi-Wan gets out of bed in the morning, because the ending of the fic was so very, very Anakin Skywalker, so desperate to keep the people he loves close and safe, so teetering on the edge of darkness because he doesn’t know how to handle things, because he’s so wrenched around on the inside, and how things end up… I definitely kind of got a little misty-eyed by the end, because it was the exact bittersweet notes that a fic like this needed.    Which isn’t to forget that there’s actually a plot going on here! And world-building! There are a lot of really cool, interesting details and a genuinely intense final fight that has shades of horror in it in such a great way, the creatures that show up in this fic, the Sith artifacts that are used, are genuinely creepy and had me on the edge of my seat while I was reading because the action was so good! But, oh, the second to last scene (and, hell, the epilogue as well), especially with the kids, just hit me right in the feelings place and I can’t tell you how satisfying this fic was. It’s such a good, good fic for all these elements, for both of these characters, for fans of plot, for fans of having to work for redemption and how that makes it all the more satisfying, for fans who just want a good story. I’m sad to see the story end, but it was a great end and so incredibly worth reading. ✦ Broken by lilyconrad, obi-wan/anakin & rex & padme & cast, NSFW, sith!obi-wan (sort of), dark themes, 38.6k    The Twins are unstoppable enforcers of the Emperor’s will, the sun and moon that hang in the black void of his rule. It is said they are not the same age and that under their hoods they do not look alike, but they fight as one entity, silent and terrible as an eclipse in a spring sky.    I’ve done several recs for this fic, which are all posted here, but I’m (mostly) sticking with an earlier rec that won’t give too much away, but still hopefully tells you why you should read one of my favorite fics: I don’t always go for really dark fic, but I’ve liked this author’s other work so much and there was the promise of Anakin riding Obi-Wan like a greedy, desperate thing, so, okay, I’ll give it a shot! And it’s really lovely writing and there’s something so entirely unsettling about the silence of the two of them, contrasted against how we’re familiar with them as loud and bantery characters, that they’re the old married couple who bickers constantly. Here, that’s been stripped away from them, instead it’s taken them down to little more than base instincts, yet that connection between them remains, and it’s the strength of the writing that really pulls that off, that really makes me able to see this and feel so much about it. That I still see the characters I knew from canon in these warped and twisted versions of them was heartbreaking, but also the thing that super made it worth reading. Well, that and the furiously intense aftermath of their mission where they crash against each other and the sex is rough and harsh and Anakin climbs onto Obi-Wan’s lap and rides him like a demon possessed and, okay, I’m really into that, the darker quality to their relationship, as well as the pretty writing.    There’s such a lovely image in this moment: And then after more gasps and moans and fumbling with sweet slickness they had switched, Sen in the plush seat and the milky white disc of the planet outside a strange halo around Koh’s head as Koh rode him as hard as he could, thighs apart as he straddled Sen’s lap and their breaths harsh gasps against the faint ticking of the chronometer in the silence of the apartment. It’s taking all the good things about their relationship and inverting them, in some ways a negative image of what they are in canon, and making it lovely and heartbreaking and addictive. There are always undercurrents of darkness in the Star Wars canon, especially with these two, but they’re not always teased out in the right ways, but, oh, this one worked very, very well for me. Also, that sex scene was lovely and I’m always here for Anakin’s head crowned with a halo as he sits on Obi-Wan’s lap, give me that always.    It’s ultimately a fic that’s a bittersweet experience, but an incredibly lovely one. The final chapter gave me everything I could have asked for from it, the gamut of emotions that I come to this fandom and these characters for, in a way that was pleasing and satisfying both. The epilogue brought genuine tears to my eyes, it was a story that earned its ending, I felt, and was an incredibly experience of a story. If you’re not up for darker fic, then this one might not be for you, but if you don’t mind that going in, then this is a gorgeous one. ✦ Tenebroso by the_dragongirl, obi-wan/anakin, NSFW, sith!obi wan, 1.4k    In the aftermath of battle, Anakin gets a little bit selfish with one of his lovers. Obi-Wan really doesn’t mind.    This was a joyful fic to read, because honestly Anakin being all revved up from battle and saying, “I’m gonna ride you into the ground” + eagerly filling himself up with Obi-Wan, who clearly enjoys watching Anakin ride him and what Anakin needs to send himself over the edge is Obi-Wan’s guidance and encouragement, that soft touch of affection and care, that it’s so good to feel Obi-Wan in him but it’s just not quite enough, not until Obi-Wan reaches out to him. I love that moment, because it says so much about Anakin to me, that he can be so wound up and wild, but what he really wants is that soft touch to turn towards, in addition to the very lovely imagery of the piece, this is just how I like my Anakin riding Obi-Wan’s dick fanfic to go, god bless. ✦ Finding Balance by moonstone (amythestice), obi-wan/anakin & luke & leia & han & yoda & qui-gon & cast, sith!obi-wan, 27k wip    The Dark side clouds everything, even to eyes that should see through the murk with ease. Darth Sidious has miscalculated, drastically, and the waiting game for his enemies is now at an end, and Balance is at hand.    I have a weakness for Sith!Obi-Wan, even as difficult as it is to get me to actually believe it. While this fic needs a bit of a scrub with the beta brush, I really, really liked the heart of what was here, the different aspects that the fic wove together–that this is Obi-Wan/Anakin and redefining what “balance” means when it comes to the Force. I think it works for me because the Force is different from Lucas’ vision of it (but with Lucas gone, who knows where things will go, it’s hard to pin these things down), that the Dark Side isn’t evil, but instead the mirror image of the Light Side. It uses emotions, especially anger, but it’s just as necessary as the Light Side is, which makes me able to see Obi-Wan as someone who would side with the Dark, especially given that he has a lot of intense feelings about Anakin.    But I admit it also hits my id in that it’s got action scenes and a whole lot of long-term plotting from Obi-Wan and Anakin, that it’s about them defeating the current Empire and about Anakin’s utter and complete loyalty to Obi-Wan as his Master, that it gives him focus and emotional rewards to keep him from actually becoming Vader. I read the whole fic in about one or two sittings and found myself engrossed in the story, I wanted to know what was going to happen next, I was enjoying the tropes the fic used (loyalty kink + competency kink = so good for me) and while it’s a wip and updates are slow, there’s plenty of the good stuff along the way. ✦ Soldier, Poet, King by Glare, obi-wan/anakin & qui-gon & mace & dooku & palpatine & cast, sith!obi-wan, NSFW, 95.4k wip    Second chances are very rarely given, but the Force smiles upon two of its favorite children and returns them to a time before their actions have met their consequences. Anakin Skywalker, also known as Darth Vader, seeks redemption while Obi-Wan “Ben” Kenobi, disillusioned with the Jedi Order and its Code, falls to the Darkness.    I’ve done several recs for this fic, which are collated on this post, but I’m sticking with an earlier rec that won’t give too much away, but still hopefully tells you why you should read one of my favorite fics: I cannot tell you how in love with this fic I am, how much I love what it’s doing on both a plot level and an id-pleasing level. The fic first got me with these little moments of Ben (older Sith!Obi-Wan) and the way he would crowd into Anakin’s space, the way he would touch Anakin, the way he would run a hand down Anakin’s back or shove him up against the wall when he was getting out of control, there was this quiet but powerful intimacy between them, both dangerous and something very genuine there. It’s so incredibly good, the way Anakin curls up against Ben’s side or wriggles onto his lap, the way he so very much wants affection from his once-again-Master, the way Ben knows this after all they’ve been through together and the lives they’ve lived and this second chance, the way he absolutely is manipulative and much more iron-handed than he was before, but some part of Anakin feeds on that. It’s so well written and there’s such charm and sparkle to the writing, it’s that sweet spot between just exactly what my id wants and the more rational part of me that is impressed with the world-building and plotting and character motivations, that I legitimately respect the fic. It’s such a great example of what Obi-Wan would be like if freed from the restraints he puts on himself as a Jedi–he has power, sure, but it’s also such intelligence and insight, such lethality and being predatory in all the right moments, the way you really, really understand how Obi-Wan is dangerous when he puts all of his skills to less noble purposes.    And the plot is good, it’s a great cast of different versions of the characters, the older versions having been dumped back in time and are running around to fix things in their own way, including a time out to go free the slaves on Tatooine and, of course, have more run-ins with the Jedi. I love that there are light saber battles, I love that they’re not just idling around, they’re doing stuff, moving the pieces around from the shadows, in addition to their complicated relationship developing further. I am H O O K E D on this fic and it’s honestly one of the most satisfying I’ve read in the fandom yet, it’s one of those that I pretty much drop everything else to go read when there’s a new chapter, it’s one that I’m torn between tripping over myself to read everything as fast as I can because I want more and forcing myself to go slower becaus I want to savor it, it’s one of those that I never want to end, but also I want all of it to be able to read everything right now. I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve read from this author but, oh, this one is special. ✦ I, Myself, In You, Together by calicokat + Compromised by cupiscent, obi-wan/anakin + anakin/padme + obi-wan/anakin/padme, sith!obi-wan, 4.3k    Anakin returns from hunting Obi-Wan, and tears Padme’s universe apart.    There are two other fics in this series, but I think these are the two that should most be read together, they’re the closest in timeline to each other, and one plays soon off the other. And, oh, I’m a sucker for Sith!Obi-Wan who is so mannered and polite and yet utterly dangerous, he knows how to cut to the quick of people, to both of these people (but, oh, especially Anakin, who wants to be angry and riled up, but this is Obi-Wan and instead he’s paralyzed and just wants to give anything up to get back to where they were) and while it’s not a fully fleshed out universe, it’s snippets in a much larger storyline, what’s here is so fascinating and good. I love that all three of these characters have such presence, that I found each of them fascinating, and I love how much it really hurt to see Obi-Wan breaking Anakin apart, doing so very deliberately to put Anakin where he wants him, then the lovely look at Padme’s character as she thinks over the offer before her and what she sees and knows about her husband and the way his Master affects him, how she is actually a politican here in a way that’s fascinating to watch. I really, really enjoyed these two pieces a lot! ✦ Bread and Circuses by cupiscent, obi-wan/anakin/padme, sith!obi-wan, 2.8k    The shape of Padme’s life.    This is set in the same universe as the above fics, but way far into the future, so you can probably read it as a standalone if you want or you can read them together. I enjoyed pretty much every single aspect of this fic, to the point where it might be my favorite of the entire series, because I do enjoy the look at Padme’s character and how she deals with people as Chancellor, I enjoyed the sparkling moments she has with Anakin, and then the two of them with Obi-Wan as well. But, oh, it was the ending that got me, the sheer promise and potential of it, that it caught my imagination and wouldn’t let it go! I love the three of them together, the way this universe has them rising to the top and there’s this sense of something larger than life about them, yet it doesn’t keep them from feeling entirely human together in hovercar on their way to a night out, the way they look at each other, tease each other, love each other. So many fantastic little details woven into the story that I’m just completely enamored with everything about it! ✦ Gravitation by calicokat, obi-wan/anakin + obi-wan/padme + obi-wan/anakin/padme, NSFW, sith!obi-wan, 3.4k    Obi-Wan enjoys a respite from his service to Dooku.    It’s a toss-up between this one and the previous one for what my favorite fic in this series is, because this one has exactly what I’m looking for with Sith!Obi-Wan stories–where he knows exactly how to strike at people to pull them apart and put them where he wants them. While the beginning has Obi-Wan/Padme and it is an important part of the greater dynamic, while she is necessary and part of the stability of these three, it really is even more about the effect it has on Anakin. This is somewhere in the middle of the greater storyline, where Obi-Wan still works for Dooku, there are only vague plottings for now, but groundwork is being laid, he is very firmly their Master now, and I love love love the dynamic here. That Obi-Wan deliberately winds Anakin up, then cuts him apart–by assigning him homework with a dangerous threat looming over him, by getting Anakin’s jealousy going so that Obi-Wan can deliberately point out how he’s behaving and then shove Anakin down onto the bed to fuck him and wind him back down. And, oh, I do love the scenes of the three of them together, the bits of the bigger story that wind their way in, the politics and philosophy and discussion, but. Obi-Wan pinning Anakin onto the bed, already having fucked Padme just a little while ago, but still ready to go again with Anakin underneath him like this, the rough edge to the sex as he pushes into Anakin without much preparation, enjoying him and making a point at the same time, oh, that is what I am here with Sith!Obi-Wan. Who clearly does love these two, Anakin especially, but with this sharp edge that almost hurts to read, even as it makes that love no less true. ✦ Darkside Echoes Part 1 + Part 2 by esama, obi-wan & anakin & qui-gon, sith!obi-wan, sith!anakin, 3k    Qui-Gon stares, astonished and dismayed, at the scene taking place beyond the glass. Two Sith, imprisoned at the heart of the Jedi Temple – both of them painfully familiar and yet so very strange.    This is a set of ficlets that are snippets of what may one day be part of a larger storyline, but are interesting just as little bits of other worlds. And I’m always here for Sith!Obi-Wan, I love seeing the different ways and interpretations of that, and this one is so well written, so… dark and dangerous and mean, but there still feels like there’s internal logic working there, it still feels like there are rules there. I would have loved it just for seeing Obi-Wan’s control and precision and brilliance turned to the Dark Side, but then the fic got me with the little details of Anakin, who is wound so tightly, who seems ready to explode at any moment, the only thing keeping him together is Obi-Wan’s control over him, almost casually shoving him back down with a strong Force hold or the touch to Anakin’s hair when Anakin is on his knees, almost gentle but not quite. The strength of the writing is one of those that gets my imagination going, it’s satisfying for what it is, but also hooks me in and makes me wonder, in the way that really good, well-written, intiguing fic does. ✦ Custos by jedipati, obi-wan & anakin + background anakin/padme & luke & leia, 5.5k    The Revenge of the Sith went very differently. Now, six years later, Obi-Wan Kenobi guards the Imperial Prince and Princess from hiding, hoping that he will never have to reveal himself. Because if he did- well, he tried never to think about it.    You have no idea how hard I’m here for this set up! Where RotS went differently and Obi-Wan went into hiding but kept watch over Vader and his children and Padme anyway, how it’s just the right amount of fucked up to go with the something still good in all of them. The awkwardness of seeing each other again with the perfect reveal, the perfect amount of how, yes, something clicks back into place again and is right. It’s one of those fics that hit my id just right and so I enjoyed the hell out of it. ✦ Second Chances by Driverpicksthemooseic (Ratkinzluver33), obi-wan/anakin & han/luke & leia + cast, de-aged fic, 106.3k wip    Leia wasn’t convinced inviting evil incarnate to join them in fighting the Empire was exactly one of Obi-Wan’s brightest ideas.    This is a delightful cracky fic where, mid-ANH, the Force decides to de-age Obi-Wan and Anakin by about twenty years and then Anakin decides to defect to the Alliance and be a scary over-protective helicopter parent when he finds out Luke and Leia are his kids and also oh yeah falls totally in love with Obi-Wan. And then more characters from The Clone Wars and Rebels are pulled in, the plot goes off in its own direction, and it’s this fun, easy to read fic that I just sailed through! It’s very long, but it’s focused on a fairly large cast of characters (though not so large that you can’t keep track, especially since they’re all characters you’re invested in already) that’s about the greater web of connections between the SW characters. I picked it up for the Obi-Wan/Anakin ship, which is actually a relatively small part of the overall story, it’s really more a group fic about how Vader defecting to the Alliance changes a lot of things, and it’s about Anakin angsting a whole lot about trying to balance himself and his emotions and not always doing a stellar job of it, it’s about the people he’s hurt along the way and how some are able to be won over, but others take a much longer time.    I read practically the whole thing in a single day, that’s how easy it was to sail through, and it’s one of those delightfully tropey fics where I’m just so here for de-aging fic (why is there not more in fandom?? I want it!!) and it was nice to have a longfic to sink my teeth into again! It’s one of those stories that really hits a person’s id if you’re into this kind of thing and I am definitely in fandom to read about helicopter parent Anakin Skywalker who’s practically the same physical age as his kids. :D :D :D ✦ Everything You Wanted by obaona, obi-wan & anakin + background anakin/padme, 11.3k    A RotS AU. Anakin is now Emperor and has captured ObiWan. But things are never that simple …    This was a lovely and painful AU that was a straight shot to my heart, where Obi-Wan is captured by Vader and imprisoned, but Anakin cannot stay away, no matter how much he tries to hate Obi-Wan, there’s part of him that’s still desperate for Obi-Wan’s approval and help to understand what’s going on with him. The way he has all this physical power and is genuinely terrifying because he has no control, of himself or of anything, not really, is spot on, just as Obi-Wan cannot be crushed by him, even when cut off from the Force or physically weakened. The careful balance between anger/hate and love–for both Obi-Wan and Anakin–after everything that’s happened, that those things are so very terrible and yet it cannot erase that there is still such intense love underneath that, as well as the final confrontation, it just got at my feelings, so I read this entire thing with my fannish heart in my throat it felt like. It’s painful, but so very worth it in exactly the way it was meant to be. ✦ Back Drifting by puts foot in mouth, obi-wan & anakin, de-aged!obi-wan, 20.4k wip    After falling on Mustafar, Obi-Wan awakens to the dubious reality of being trapped in the cloned body of his child self, and now has to cope with the reversed father/son relationship fostered upon him by the new Sith Lord.Darth Vader redemption story.    Holy shit, this fic did a number on me like you wouldn’t believe. I’ll warn ahead of time that it’s a WIP and hasn’t been updated in years, it probably never will be, but I still think it’s worth reading, if you go in knowing that ahead of time, just… good lord what I wouldn’t do for another 100k of this to work out all their issues. I never realized that I needed a de-aged Obi-Wan (well, adult Obi-Wan’s consciousness put into a cloned body, so he also has to deal with a six year old’s lingering impulses) with Vader being just so unstable but desperately needing Obi-Wan in his life, the way he’s dangerous and prone to violence and you never know how he’s going to react, to Obi-Wan being in a body that can’t fight back, to deal with Vader thinking they can be a family, that he can be the father this time, that he’ll show Obi-Wan what they could have been.    The fic does a marvelous job of balancing that this is wrong wrong wrong and Anakin has no idea what he’s doing, with how there’s still something of the Light in him. It does a marvelous job of keeping Obi-Wan’s resolution and strong personality, that he’s heartbroken and angry, that this is not at all right, yet part of me really wanted it to work out eventually. I admit, it’s a little too much tell-rather-than-show in the beginning, but once Vader grabs hold of Obi-Wan to fly them off Kamino, the fic settles into gear and it absolutely captured my imagination, for the way he would settle Obi-Wan on his lap or smack the back of his head when he was talking back or picking him up to cart him off. I loved it because it said so much about Anakin, how he was trying so hard to be the one in power here, to be the father, but it never quite worked the way he wanted it, that he was the one still desperate for Obi-Wan’s affection. I am always, always here for that, it’s just a bonus when it comes with wee kidlet!Obi-Wan cuteness. ✦ Cruel by Bablefishmouse, obi-wan/anakin/padme & luke, sith!obi-wan, 1.2k    Luke grew up in the Great Empire run by his three parents, Sith Lord Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker and Padme Amidala. But now he’s nearly an adult, and he wants to learn.    This was a short but really fun fic with the whole Soft Sith dynamic/trope that I love so much, where Luke is almost eighteen now and wants to begin training, so he approaches his three parents about it. It’s about a moment in their lives, it’s about seeing the way these three interact with each other in this universe that went differently, and it was a fic that I just found myself enjoying this glimpse of a different universe. ✦ space dementia by wellwhiskey, eventual obi-wan/anakin/padme & dooku, sith!obi-wan, 30.7k wip    AU - Darth Maul survives the Battle of Theed. Obi-Wan succeeds in his quest for vengeance but fails to escape The Dark Side. Anakin goes along for the ride.    There are some fics that really hurt as a WIP, but are still worth reading and this is absolutely one of them. I think, though, that it hurts more because the author mentioned in the AN that they have about 80k written in rough draft and I want it, especially when only ~30k of it has been posted. And, holy shit, I tore through this fic like you wouldn’t believe because it just caught me up in the whirlwind of it and the writing is so smoothing and engaging that it felt like nothing to just keep reading and reading, because it was so good. It caught me immediately because it had some great banter of Obi-Wan and Anakin as adults and as Sith, that they snarked at each other, but were still deeply intwined with each other and I love that. But then! Padme POV! Who is lovely and intriguing! And then backstory! To show how Obi-Wan and Anakin got to where they are! And it’s still the early stages yet, but I found that I could really follow along with this Obi-Wan’s slow descent into the Dark Side, that it was well-written enough and slow enough and put pressure in just the right places and it wasn’t about caving or giving it, but instead about turning, about walking towards something, and so… I’ve been wary of trying to read fic that shows Obi-Wan’s fall to the Dark Side, because it’s a really hard sell for me, especially for someone so strong-willed, but this one has me still onboard and eager to read more.    Especially because Obi-Wan and moppet Anakin are a joy, even when Obi-Wan is tired and depressed and Anakin is just bursting at the seams, they’re already coming to twine together, Anakin just latches on and Obi-Wan doesn’t really entirely mind, which I am just so here for. I love this version of Anakin, I am fascinated by this version of Obi-Wan and the path he’s walking, and Dooku has been playing an interesting role in the later chapters, and it’s just REALLY GOOD, both for eventual Sith!Obi-Wan and for Obi-Wan&Anakin interaction and just a straight up well-told story!

[throwingideasatthewall]

Clone Wars    Kidnapped

Also, yeah how do you   follow up an episode like that?

    Also isn’t this like the     second kidnapped episode?

Oh

You know we actually needed the levity so that I am completely OK with the saving a   thing plot,

  Gives time to breathe-

Ho-nest,      This place looks pretty     neat,

[Though they still knowingly enabled     Tox be    hav-ior]

This is the equivalent of someone ditch    -ing productivity,      And att      -em       pt       Ing          To     Go     Straight         To     creat-iv-ity        Before      anything’s       set up,]

And I should really be careful   not   to get distracted by the pretty lights,

Wa-     rr    ior-

Well least      tox

  Whe         lp,       In-        Sti        gators       ,    Fe      ck,      -      Oh hey that   war we enabl     -ed

 Whelp

Okay, seriously who is that guy?         (Normally I wouldn’t be so nervous        (but the last few episodes                 Not Krell          The under water                   One)       Introduced a guy of a   random species that we have never heard or seen of    and he died before we ever did,

            So,

             I’m                   a                  Little                Nervous                    ,     (I like different   species,)

His design       seems      nice          ...    Neu       tral.

Yet we won’t assume the amount of   accoun-   tability necessary to     enforce it       Don’t get      me wrong;     I don’t want an  infinity war

  But if you enable, be prepared for the consequences and/or to push it back, (what      ever        You       Left,)         Whenever        it comes for your life,         For the rest of it,  (Or until you snap and       hold it accountable,)

      Pro-tection

Usual spiel    but it works.

You know that would’ve worked really well with overinvolved     positivity,

  Though at this point it’s pretty clear they are going for the clear-cut        Jedi- are      Posit         Ive          Ly         Over-          Involv        e               -d-            (Sith - negative)

  And more so         general   “everyone is a     shithead,”         Kinda         Vibe.

   Which is perfectly fine,

    Why?

   That’s a lot

 [also never mind with the     - warning - or get into lines,]

  Obi-Wan looks really young-er      in the scene for some reason

     -His face

         -it’s too smooth

           - and are his eyes a bit bigger?

  10

  Also yeah they specifically told us not to get involved and that they were going to do it on their own       I-n.       Ia        tiv        e

   But screw that

  “Let’s   escalate the situation!”

   Despite that being literally what the dude       fears and probably        his nightmares

                              [screw respecting other adult’(s) initia     tive]

    I know Dooku is implied to be really feckin tox also

   But talk means nothing

   Dude has to have the actions       Attempt it on himself and decide what to do for        himself,

     He’s decided to enable,          Ain’t nothing       that can be done         about that,

[What    was that look?

   [also did Obi-Wan not ask what happened               down there?]

               Great

                Time for   warfare

                 For the Jedi that can’t take a   “no,”             For an   an   -swer

 Gr      -e         a-t        -       ?       Voice    -act         -ing       -       People        Shield             -               What,          I’ve-         Watch          -ed             The     Watton           Boar         -         Arc-           -      -Battle

   Yeah but it’s      -also      pretty     bullshit          - (when have the separatist ever respected the Gen       eva convention?)

    Rex-        Has a           Feck’in            Point

   I

(Also that doesn’t tell them anything this could be    basic    clankers    when no   in fact they are commando droids              )

Ana       Kin’s         Voice      De-eper?

Com       -man                  do-

       [I have a feeling they’re really trying to contest           the we have no fig           -h-ters)

         Lin                  e-             -             A-g                  ain-

        O-h                           Sir,           Oh,           ,           Also, how?

     But also         ok that            guy,

               Surprisingly,     calm        ly      spoken-

    So this could make a great scene    contrasting Obi- won’s I believe   moral nature,       With another strategist that seems to be believing some kind of     chivalry

   [Also, OH SHIT,   is that where they’re keeping the     pris    oners,

  Whelp

   Anakin is a         dick to        holograms,

Seriously      you could’ve      just turned it off,

     [if you had news       or opinion to share        ?)- 

Ok, where the    fuck?

    [Don’t, get me wrong I know Anakin,         was an ex slave,           Everything else             is new..  .  

 Including his    rage towards it,

      Me,

 Hey, they’re being smart    about this,         -                        Up-   s-   et-

Yes,   thank you,   did I miss     something?

P-ast

Doesn’t     justify any of this     bullshit. .

I     mean,

Literally no one     is smarter   than anyone else

 So       Ana        Kin,      ,      OK but that’s a whole different species     and/or a group - -           this is not “past”    this is I just hate feck     -ing    sl-av        er s              -                       And possibly un-vented            anger at trauma-         -                          Either way pretty damn           va                 -lid                  -                         Dis-              trust                 -              Whe-  

Oka-y         ,          I don’t- 

  Also is that an animal or     sentient?            - A game      I find myself playing           to no         One         ‘s      Cha        -grin-         -,         Oh

    Arro         gan      -c-          e

    Ah- tak        e?          ,            Also he has a    non-evil       pet           -            That’s kinda          cute

       But also kinda sad,            Hint,ing          at the fact              Dude was probably intended to be some kind of   animal      focus        (Someone who works around or just generally likes animals - special             ity)

       Before he went     corrupt

            (Showing some    interest in keeping them out of the battlefield,                    And                  Fond-ness)

       Or this could just be a short han     d-e        d symbolism                 For              slavery          and   grooming          -          Both    -work           -             Do        -Tell           -          [oh yeah         dude totally gave away his plan,]

     Despite Obi-Wan almost clearly not being          in earshot

     Nice interaction         * introduction

   Also     ,doesn’t he         already know,            Holo-gra       -m    -         Formal     in-         tro         duc-          tions            -                Are           Nice,             -              Er-

    Seriously what is up with         these two            people?

     Also why did dude           growl?

    For people that look like cats      they sure act like dogs              (Bor- d       -er)        (Nothing wrong with that-        just-         curious-             “      -i

    How?

    Also they’re just really shout-ing their      plans out here      aren’t they?

    S-u        -rr          en-          der-            -           Obi- won    still playing        along..     ——           W-help            -           He       gave        him            a         chance             -         Whelp-

    O-k

  Honestly he’s acting pretty calm and      diff-erent-ly characterized,             The Kenobi we know wouldn’t raise             a hand to help even himself                   (In ani.)             Also            I’m surprised Aniken hasn’t stumbled across anything by           now,

       Thought that would be the        crutch            of the narr-ative tension in the          office,

       But          Aight           ,         Calling the chips early is completely fine I will never have an issue with chara-     ter     -(s-     acting slightly smarter than expected,

Though wish Anakin had shown some kind of      initia-       tive-

 Like the stories telling us that he’s really      pumped up   “about      the     whole      slave      thing,”          . . .         But has just found          nada when it comes down to      rescuing the slaves,         Or just finding any hints about this    oper     -ation      in general,

To summarize;     What the heck has Aniken been doing the last minute      and a half             ~              ?            No-thing

[like if everyone had told him to chill due to his       clear aggression     believe he caused some harm      in his rage,

   And sent         Ahsoka         in-stead

         That would make a lot    more sense,

  [and make up Obi- wan look like less of a              Irrational Dick        By sh(ar-ing) Anakin‘s backstory         without any permission       or reason,

    While there    he might have to explain to       Ahsoka    why he’s sending her      and not Anakin,]

  Just-        Writer       Th-       ough   -t-         -      Treat-        ment          -    “ You have broken        through my         defenses,”

   Emotionally             or            ...      physically?             . .           Never           mind-

        Would’ve              been nice      if someone actually took him up on that          offer               -              (Like some villain(/enabler) is like you know what my job sucks,    my boss sucks, I could really use an       nap...

    Sure]     ..     They were just standing there          ...      doing nothing,

     Like,      Dude literally just said       there were bombs planted all over the city,

  And, no one’s in a ru-sh            to fix that-

       Or use them to find the           kidnapped people..

[I   mean      fair       ...    but      geez.

   Colo      -nists,

     Again,      where are they?            . . .             You supposedly sent Anakin to find       - them but we haven’t seen anything           -               Also yeah the dude is totally going to give up    his only bargaining     chip         . . .           After being          out gunn        -ed-            -            Well             -           Also you have one button that only activate(s     one mine?

          Like did you, set that up just for the purpose of    in-timi     dating people

   Also congrats    you likely threw away    your only bargaining chip                 -      because from his point of view     the explosion already went off-                        -       And he doesn’t know that you had one     specific button just for that      one mine-             -      (Like it   doesn’t sound that loud but he could’ve gotten     hear-ing probl-em (s-) from the      near- by      explosions,     )

  We-         ll-

   “Col-on-ists,”

  Oh     good thing you told him after you destroy-ed the       thing-

   And he didn’t go into attack mode and you have a light saber press-ed to your throat-

   dumb

I’m sorry but that’s just so adorable

   Look         at            it;

   Man like(s soft squishy things and    he doesn’t seem to be      hurt          ing-           -it,

      Like,           How               ?

        Also, did       no one check               for               that               shit?

Like,      No-

Me-      dic

 Wh-       el        p-

  Bo-

 Several people      -just died           And he         comforts the    robot.. .

   Dick

Also, Maybe       It’s be       cause         Cody         is     Obi-Wan’s        Gen.       (Generation          or      General)            Doesn’t     make much         of a        dif-ference?            -         That          this        flies?      (I mean I can        understand him not giving       too much of a heck,       Due to this being a war      caused by this guys’             Gen,         But     seriously,)

     Also yeah            kinda          ,dick             ,          Screw         medical     attention,

      Well,

     That’s a lot of faith          for a whole              lot a          nothing,

     Also let’s go do the thing       we were supposed to be doing            this entire time,

   (I think)

  My brain started going numb and I half paid    attention            -         Oh, wait 

now we’re getting into the back      story?

 After they’re on the planet

  Without any       pre-emption?

 -Er

My brain      cells      are    asleep,        -        Al        -ive         -           Seriously, what is up with the   -bird     thing,

   (I really hope     it factors into his character)

   Or is brought up

  Frust-      trat-      Ion

“Zy,”

  Dude they’re slave traders    I really don’t think     you want to do that          (Just           a       thought)

Also maybe     suggest     trading        him some       exotic animals,

   Dude seems to have a pen      -chant

   And he seems to treat them    re-     lati       vely       well,

   (There   are some in cages but that just seems to be for      transport,                         ) -  no I thought you should ever take animals        out of a pre-         ferr              ed         Safe  climate

       But he could have one set up            abet a smaller one,

        Wha?             (The      voice acting           there           was         weird,)

       Also, really?

    That’s the     competition?

 (Is there ever a tradition..   

    That isn’t fighting?)

  Also, okay,

 but is it like some kind of style of fighting?

     (I swear he you challenges him to sword fighting.)

   Then again Zy-         ger-          Ian-       fighting-

  Dif-ferent rules   could be interesting

   Possibly establish           Obi-Wan                 as                a          well traveled              man,

                   (So long as he isn’t allowed to use his                         feck -in light saber,                             -) (Which     Anakin      hasn’t        been       doing         at all,

 Also lower      ed risks     are nice,

Again, not saying anything about     deactivating em,

Also what the fuck is with that guy’s facial   expressions,

  Like ever since that moment       it has gone     insane,       (As in I can’t for my life     read what they’re trying to express,       And that is the closest     translation;       I can come up with,

Never   mind      -   he’s an asshole      -    Even th-

  Screw         It

  (The       logic         is not on        the high setting           with this one.”

       Any way,              Per-

        That’s

         [do you know how back when I was revie-       wing the movie I thought about how the escalation one from         1 to 10 and the characterization switched on a dime?

               -Not to   insult,

    But this is starting to feel a lot like   that-

 My brain already very checked out at this   point-

Because I     really   don’t    need      it for     this-      -   W-

  Constant      Characteri-zation?!

   What-  

[Excuse me while I sit over here drinking my       ‘wtf just happened,’          juice

   You know      when I was reviewing (Earlier) scenes       like this;           I used to give it somewhat of a pass    saying;              (Some        thing       along           the          lines            of)

       Well people change on a dime,

  Which I’m starting to realize    getting further into this;        Is that you need some kind of sentiment       Or pre-       -empt         To        Connect          Those           Thoughts      -             The           eyes             need              to           narrow                 -               The             body          language            needs              to             change                 -      The     music       (perhaps)        a subtle       change in tone;         -        It can’t change on    that much of a dime        -

            I               don’t               need                   a                  lot;                 Just some kind of indication about what the      feck just happened,     -             Because otherwise it’s just    spaghetti      -         Like I’m sorry     but it’s true-              -      The expressions before were completely unreadable      and down          right-        unhuman,

      There was no word      ,cues to indicate anything

      And the music     which could’ve been a brief    Cue,        Of whether this is supposed to be        abrupt or         instigated,             Well I don’t,     think there is any,   

                        Fix scen;                                    e

                     This guy smirks, possibly chuckling, the bird leaving his           arm-, possibly pre-facing it with, “ well then,  let’s          be-gin,” or a body posture is simply leaning in before     pouncing,

      Telling me    this is part of the plan,

        And that’s Zygrians value a more wild style of fighting with the element of surprise      being      emphasiz       ed-

    Which makes sense considering what seems to be a      hunting         focus,

    With snark following up either confirming or     denying,  

    That as true           (Or          False)

     That his actions were        prec-        edent-        ed         or        not,

      As it stands,  

   There was no      Cue

    And I’m        completely          lost.              . . .           Whel            -p

                           Well that was a bunch of nothing                                                                                  .  .  .                               Which is a shame because it had a lot of good     subjects to focus on, Slavery, the difference between Wild and Order, tam-ing, groom-       Ing,      Cap-       tivity              -         The concept of an invasive species,

     Unfortunately the writing is so inconsistent,      And generally        poor,         That it can’t carry a beat for longer than a few     min-utes

        Well I’ve noticeably praised the attempt to take on a higher intensity material

         That doesn’t give an     excuse for the apparent drop in quality

          Often; i’ve said that            stupid villains are fine

        However       the thing that often irritates me         in those episodes;           Isn’t that the villain’s            Stupid   

          It’s the lack of          self-awareness             (Not in the poking            fun of one’s                 self                 way)

  Is that it isn’t        framed that way,

  (No snark,    very little realistic the consequences without drawing attention to it,        And very little change       except the     villain is now Stupider          Though it attempts to keep the same dramatic tension          and stakes)

   In sum        -mary:

    While I think this episode had a lot of interesting concepts to work with they will unfortunately             Wasted                   By the episode lack of commitment, consistency, and constant characterization,

      Most        notably;

     - Anakin’s resent             -ment                    Of          slavery             (His care of it turns off and on like a light switch and his intensity             varies)

         Functioning less like a Berzerk/.              accountability button                  (Mild               Responsibility)  

               And                 more                  like                   an                excuse            to have him             flip his lid,

             Make                   odd                 facial            expressions,  

             And generally put, shout  put emphasis In a nonsensical bordering on                  inhumane way

                What seems to be a disturbing trend (with the characters       ;)

               Specifically the                  Zygarian                     here

                 And                      Ani             

              -The                 difference               between            wild and tamed;                   Along with a constant theme of slavery,                  It’s paired with the constant imagery                 of animals in cages

             Which would be fine if it was actually presented as an               excessive detail,

             But the focus is put on it and nothing ever seems to come of it

            (Almost as if it’s expected that just by having      it there, the motif comes with it)

             Which no

             Animals in cages and...            What?

             Like, I have an idea         what they’re trying to hint at,

             But until           the story commits;

             “These animals           are very much like you,”

               Then it remains in                        limbo,

 As wasted time          And wasted     emphasis,            -

      The Zy-             Gar            Ian             (s)          backstory;           Note      this works off another point         about captivity,

        Now, from the little bits,  I could get from the conversation;

        The Republic                inter                   fer                  r                   e                  d,                   Note; this seems to be a pretty big deal

   The antagonist      esp          ecially             affec               t-                e-d

           By                  It,

  But we never learn much about it      or him        (How it affected)

    Yeah he re-peats           Some          po-ints;            But it’s never elaborate-         d on

         What exactly       hap-pened to him?

          What exactly       hap-pened with the conflict?

           How?

            To be more                  precise;                     This presents the idea of a rather fas-       cin-        at        ing      conflict about the over- involve-ment of an outside species into              a           Nother’s            Planet          -           And I don’t think it really       utilizes it

       Drop      ping it almost instantly,          For an almost emotion-    less        fi-        gh          t,        Where are dude repeats ‘they were happy,        And generally everything except “I”             (How he was affected)                 Or any authentic emotion

       Just unread         able        inhumane       expressions            . . .       Not much in the way of themes,        motifs,            Or anything of         real        sub-      stance-         -       Sub      Category;           The clones got injured in an            attack;             This is not treated with any sort of        heaviness              -             Or even note             (Nor to the status/            theme of captiv-               ity- or                Sta              Tus                In               The              Empire-)

            Or         represen-tation               of             order,

           (And is quite point blank pointless)

           Not to speak of the ending where the Anakin is         almost point-blank informed                  That the captives are being held on                    Ty-                    Ger                        ia/                        By the Ty-                       ger-ians

                Po-int being;                      This is pretty subst                  antless                          Sn                            -ack,                             That lacks any kind of consis          tence

       - And isn’t.          worth the                watch,

           (With             nothing              set up)

          (Might’ve wanted to go with an                 R2-D2/ (CpO?) episode)                   Work on that tone                first

               Before trying anything serious,                   With that robots scream of absolute terror                  upon its death..

[agoddamn]

Kenobi time

>certain scenes in this fictional series may contain scenes upsetting to viewers

oh BOY

oh boy, time for the flashbacks to emotionally destroy fandom

that said, why AOTC-era over ROTS I wonder? Ewan's hairline is looking a little sad lmao they're both looking very 'trying so hard to pretend I'm twenty years younger'

oh, so here's all the people I was wondering exi--HAJA?!

how the FUCK is he alive????

plant?

anyway, what exactly are these people anyway? They seemed to imply that they were Force-sensitives, but there's a lot of them

so Reva didn't just toss a tracker on Lola, she totally reprogrammed her in the ~10 seconds she had grabbed her? I mean, sure, whatever

my saber recognition skills aren't what they used to be, but one of those things looks a bit like Mace Windu's to me?

even past!Obi-wan looks insanely rumpled lmao

this back thing is. weirdly sexual

general :] aww, he took the robe

Obi-wan: she SAID she wanted pickles

Roken has a wookie bowcaster

shakycam why

this is 6 eps long so I suppose we're coming up on the climax, right? Somehow it doesn't feel like it, I guess because every ep has a big dramatic fight sequence in it?

[Obi-wan catching up with what we all knew from ep 1]

does Anakin have his eye scar here? Something about his face looks weird

would be awfully nice if there were like, one grenade in this whole rebel cell

RIP Tala we hardly knew ye but you still lasted an ep longer than I was betting so good job

oh hey! I guess she had the only grenade

>hands cuffed in front

amateur move

"there are other ways to fight, like 4d psychological warfare"

cinematography guys went really extreme with the lightsaber reflected lighting; too hard, I think. How are they out here in full bright daylight and the saber is what's illuminating Anakin's face? They also still look way too saturated to me. Colored light doesn't look like this--the color of a colored light is paler than what's giving it off, always. The sabers in ANH are nearly white; the 100% saturation blue just doesn't look good

LMAO THAT WAS THE DECOY SHIP

...that was some mediocre-looking CQC, Obi-wan

we about to get choking?

underwhelming flashback fight. I thought the reveal there was gonna be Anakin using Force choke, not Obi-Wan pointing out that CQC exists

remember how I said that Reva was a proxy for Obi-wan to have the flashy Vader fights he couldn't? -spreads hands-

>helicopter music stops

you know, I think Reva should have gotten to be more unhinged. "I'll falseflag Vader" is a fucking insane plan and Reva thinking she can play at being a Sith without staining herself would have been great

>Grand Inquisitor, who is also a former Jedi, obsessed with calling Reva gutter trash

He's enough of a delusional dick that this is perfectly IC, but still

>Tala dies from one blaster wound to the stomach and Reva walks off lightsaber impalement

You know what, whatever

...okay, no, I'm sorry, tying the comic relief to the serious dramatic plot is a bad move and it's always gonna be a bad move. It was bad with Jar-Jar and it's bad here; the celebrity casting makes it feel even worse because Haja is clearly here to be comic relief and not a nuanced character. "Whoops Kumar dropped Obi-wan's phone, that rascal!" god please no

[gffa]

I’m at the point of Star Wars Feelings Hell where this is all I want to do anymore, I just want to talk about Star Wars, I just want to cry about the Star Wars characters, I just want to read Star Wars things, I want to watch Star Wars things, I want to play Star Wars games, I want to cry some more about Star Wars feelings, I want to have novels and novels worth of Star Wars fic to read, I want to curl up in my bed and lay there for three hours reading nothing but fluffy fix it fic and fic that makes everything even worse and everything in between. Just. All Star Wars All The Time! That’s all I want! STAR WARS FIC RECS: ✦ Fire and Ice by Yesac, obi-wan & anakin & some anakin/padme & cast, 111.9k    Anakin wins the duel on Mustafar, but doesn’t kill Obi-Wan. Along with Padme, Obi-Wan finds himself living in a chaotic world where the man he thought he knew has become the thing he swore to destroy. Can Anakin be turned back? If so, what then? ✦ Negotiation by Glare, obi-wan/anakin & ahsoka, NSFW, modern au, serial killer au, 50.4k wip    Over a year ago, Coruscant Police Detective Anakin Skywalker vanished without a trace while hunting the prolific serial killer known within the media as “The Negotiator”. ✦ Soldier, Poet, King by Glare, obi-wan/anakin & qui-gon & mace & dooku & palpatine & cast, sith!obi-wan, NSFW, 95.4k wip    Second chances are very rarely given, but the Force smiles upon two of its favorite children and returns them to a time before their actions have met their consequences. Anakin Skywalker, also known as Darth Vader, seeks redemption while Obi-Wan “Ben” Kenobi, disillusioned with the Jedi Order and its Code, falls to the Darkness. ✦ The Light You Leave Behind by laventadorn, obi-wan/anakin & anakin/padme & ahsoka, 18.9k wip    Because Anakin and Ahsoka have set out to learn what they can about the Sith - and to destroy them, once and for all. ✦ you’re gonna wish you never had met me by cosmicocean, obi-wan/padme & leia/han & luke & cast, 13k    Leia Kenobi, struggling to keep her head above water. ✦ An Enlightening Experience by Valmouth, obi-wan & anakin & qui-gon & ahsoka & the father & the daughter & the son & cast, 2.3k    “You… have been Chosen,” the Father says, and he sounds about as upset on the matter as Obi-Wan knows he will be, when he finally understands what that means. ✦ untitled by stonefreeak, obi-wan & anakin, ~1k    Anakin wakes from nightmares tinted red. The darkness of his bedroom seems oppressive, and no matter how many times he blinks red seems to seep into the edges of his vision. ✦ I’ll Be There For You by SinkingLikeASunset, obi-wan/anakin/padme (eventual) & qui-gon & clones & cast, 40.7k wip    Obi-Wan must alter events and make changes as he struggles with memories of a dreadful future and deals with new developments this time around. ✦ Wearer of the Veil by englishable, leia & ben, 1.4k    Leia Organa-Solo knows that her son is not quite like everybody else, although she’s uncertain as to whether this means he should be protected more from others or himself. Either way, these strange dreams he has are beyond her reach. ✦ those immortal dead by notbecauseofvictories, padme & leia & luke & ben & poe & rey, 2.1k    Padmé Amidala is forgotten, not gone. ✦ untitled by cadesama, anakin & leia & bail & tarkin, ~1k    Anonymous asked: AU, Vader sues Bail for custody (either the Empire is intact and he has standing or its gone and he absolutely doesn’t, whichever is funnier) ✦ A Game of Chess by Kayarde, obi-wan & palpatine & cast, 4.3k    Chancellor Palpatine and Knight Kenobi sit down for a game of chess. ✦ sometimes you don’t get it right by randomdreamer01, jyn & han (background han/leia and jyn/cassian) & cast, 2.6k    Han Solo and Jyn Erso get drunk on the Millenium Falcon and find that they are similar in more ways than one. ✦ Unearthed Bones by Glare, obi-wan/anakin, human au, mafia au, 2.5k    Obi-Wan Kenobi has given up a life of crime in favor of the questionable comforts of witness protection. Placed in a boring library job, everything appears to go great until he realizes his incompetent handlers somehow managed to drop him right in the middle of another man’s operation. full details + recs under the cut!

✦ Fire and Ice by Yesac, obi-wan & anakin & some anakin/padme & cast, 111.9k    Anakin wins the duel on Mustafar, but doesn’t kill Obi-Wan. Along with Padme, Obi-Wan finds himself living in a chaotic world where the man he thought he knew has become the thing he swore to destroy. Can Anakin be turned back? If so, what then?    This is one of the earliest fics I read in the fandom and I imprinted hard on it, but I wasn’t sure if it would hold up to a reread, so I decided to pick it up again for another read–and it absolutely holds up. In a lot of ways, this is the fic that got me into this relationship–I liked both characters, I had feelings about their relationship, but this is one the that really cemented in that this is what I’m here for and this is so much of how I wanted to see them done. It’s resolutely a gen fic and I’m fine reading it in that vein, I enjoy their dynamic on that level as well, but I think it’s worth reading if you ship them as well, because their relationship is so important to both characters, it’s the foundation on which they stand for both of them, and it’s also just really, really spot on. This is an Anakin who has so much power at his fingertips, but is the emotionally weak one, this is an Anakin who is consumed by fear and anger and desperation and cravings for approval from those he loves, this is an Anakin who has such good in him, but took a very wrong turn. And this is an Obi-Wan who can be cut off from the Force, who can not be up to his usual speed, and yet he still has this iron will that’s incredible, he still looks Anakin right in the eye and refuses to be worn down, this is an Obi-Wan who cannot be compromised in the way Anakin wants him to be, because Obi-Wan’s strength of character is incredible. This is what I imprinted on and this is what I remain true to–that this is why they’re both such fascinating, complicated characters who become so entwined with each other and supporting each other and loving each other and trying to figure out a way forward together and working through their issues together, all in a way that’s about growth and healing in such a good, emotionally satisfying way. But also on a sheer id-pleasing level, the first half of this fic is fucking delicious, it’s the best “Anakin wins the duel on Mustafar and keeps Obi-Wan prisoner” fic I have ever found, it understands Obi-Wan’s character just as much as it understands Anakin’s character, how strength comes in different forms. That even without the Force, holy shit, Obi-Wan is goddamned nightmare because he’s so smart and he may not be the Chosen One, but he was one of the best of the Jedi. And, oh, Anakin so desperately trying to gain his approval, when he climbs into bed with Obi-Wan it was one of my favorite scenes, it didn’t need to be anything more than what it was to be perfect. There are a ton of character insights in this fic, there are some great lines, there’s a great plot, and the writing is top-notch. To this day, this fic remains my #1 favorite in this fandom, the first half of this fic especially is everything I want re: characterization and writing. It was practically emotional/id porn for me and even if you don’t usually read genfic, I would suggest giving this one a shot, because, boy, is it ultimately ever really, really about the relationship between Obi-Wan and Anakin and it delivers on the emotional climax moments. ✦ Negotiation by Glare, obi-wan/anakin & ahsoka, NSFW, modern au, serial killer au, 50.4k wip    Over a year ago, Coruscant Police Detective Anakin Skywalker vanished without a trace while hunting the prolific serial killer known within the media as “The Negotiator”.    Chapter 18-19: This is an update rec and will focus on these chapters rather than the fic as a whole. I still can’t believe how good this fic is for me, how much I love every single scene of Anakin’s life being just an absolute mess, and the slow slide into where we know he’ll ultimately end up. It’s been 50k now and he’s still not there and yet every moment is just as interesting and engaging, it never gets old, each moment is useful in the journey along the way, it’s never repetitive in the ways that Anakin’s defenses are slowly crumbling against this person who is his only social outlet, this person who takes care of him, this person who he’s asking for things from, this person who is so charming and attractive, this person who is holding him here against his will, this person who is a murderer who feels no remorse about it, this person whose moods he cannot fully trust. Having this fic set from Anakin’s point of view works so well, because he’s such a relatable character in this situation and because the story focusing on his descent into Stockholm Syndrom is the heart of the fic, and it just works better in his pov, but it also gives me iddy happiness every time he’s so expaserated with himself and so frustrated/not a little terrified of what’s happening with him. But also, oh, man, the way the dynamic between him and Obi-Wan subtly shifts. The way Anakin’s so guilty about blowing him the night before, the way he still is drawn to Obi-Wan the next day, the way little moments, like Obi-Wan standing behind Anakin to guide his hands in chopping vegetables is so quietly intimate and there, all of that is SO GOOD FOR ME. And chapter 20 is set in the future again, a contrast against the chapter just before… but not as much of a contrast and I love it for how I felt the progress (?) Anakin has made along the fic. And, you know, Obi-Wan just looking people dead in the eye and able to say exactly what he wants to say to get the result he’s aiming for, how he can play a role and it’s utterly false but it gets the reaction or he can just look someone/something dead in the eye and you see the predator underneath and it’s… it’s not canon!Obi-Wan, but I feel like it’s what he might have been with the chains taken off him and I love getting to see such a sharp and immoral version of the character. It’s so much fun and also so good. And then Bail shows up! And, oh, man, the dynamic there is fascinating in what it says about Anakin, what it shows about Anakin and what calms him down, what puts him at ease and just… this fic is really good at being self-aware about what it’s doing, but still embracing it, and that makes it the fic I’m probably most eager to see a new chapter of, whenever it comes out. ✦ Soldier, Poet, King by Glare, obi-wan/anakin & qui-gon & mace & dooku & palpatine & cast, sith!obi-wan, NSFW, 95.4k wip    Second chances are very rarely given, but the Force smiles upon two of its favorite children and returns them to a time before their actions have met their consequences. Anakin Skywalker, also known as Darth Vader, seeks redemption while Obi-Wan “Ben” Kenobi, disillusioned with the Jedi Order and its Code, falls to the Darkness.    Chapter 30: This is an update rec and will focus on this chapter rather than the fic as a whole. Should I have waited until there was another chapter for an update rec? Ehh, probably. But I also don’t care. Because it’s a bit of a breather chapter after the previous one, it’s dealing with the aftermath of events that happened recently and it’s really satisfying–for both versions of the characters. Stepping carefully around spoilers, what happens with Padawan!Obi-Wan left me all excited and bouncing because I’d wondered and I loved the conversation with Plo Koon and how this chapter left off with this Obi-Wan, what it could mean for his future, because oh man yes do want! But also the future version of Ben and the downtime he has with Anakin, how it’s nice to have a chapter where they spend time together without any other pressing concerns in the very immediate future, as well as some really lovely, delicious shower sex. Where it’s just the two of them and Anakin whining for more so Ben opens him slowly and carefully before sliding into Anakin, who needs this, you feel how much he needs that connection again, rather than the fic telling you about it. That Ben has a moment of actually allowing himself something nice, to be pressed inside this person he loves so much, to have Anakin back after everything they’ve both been through, how it leads up to telling Anakin he loves him, because it’s one thing for us all to know it, but to read the words is so satisfying, right along with the lovely sex, that Anakin is safe in his arms again, trusts him again, listens to him again, wants more of him again. That they’ve found this balance, right exactly like this, and it just really made me happy in my soul for all the characters. ✦ The Light You Leave Behind by laventadorn, obi-wan/anakin & anakin/padme & ahsoka, 18.9k wip    Because Anakin and Ahsoka have set out to learn what they can about the Sith - and to destroy them, once and for all.    I think I’ve recommended this fic before, but there was enough time between updates/I reread enough of it that I’m gonna do a fresh rec. I LOVE THIS FIC, I am super intrigued by it already, where things go a little differently when Ahsoka leaves the Jedi Order and Anakin starts thinking about going with her, but is torn between wanting this other path and the desire he has to be a Jedi, to stay with Obi-Wan as well. The writing is lovely and sharp, the characterizations are complicated and bittersweet, in the way that Star Wars so often is. When Obi-Wan says that he thinks they’re losing the war, it sends Anakin into this tailspin, because Obi-Wan’s not supposed to say that, he starts a slow boil panic because Anakin is not good at dealing with feelings like this and, oh, it’s painful but it’s also so very good. It’s really a group fic, though, it has Padme and Ahsoka and Obi-Wan and Anakin, but there’s also some good stuff with Bail Organa and Asajj Ventress, there’s some great ways each of the characters see each other–I especially loved Padme’s view of Anakin and his need for guidance and how Obi-Wan could be “charmingly, annoyingly, passive-aggressive” in one description and really actually idealistic in another. And, oh, I do love the feeling that I get from this fic that there’s no “evil” side (other than Sidious and the Sith, of course), that the Jedi may have lost their way, but they’re not bad people, that Padme can disagree with people, but both sides have validity, that there’s nuance and complicated circumstances here. I live for that in fic, it makes things so much better and stronger as a story! It really is fascinating and so easy to see/hear the characters and so engaging a read. ✦ you’re gonna wish you never had met me by cosmicocean, obi-wan/padme & leia/han & luke & cast, 13k    Leia Kenobi, struggling to keep her head above water.    This is a sequel to turn my sorrow into treasured gold, which should be read first. I admit, this fic focused a little too much on the ESB plot, which meant not nearly as much new stuff happened in it, and I think that held it back from being as good as the first one was. But I also still tore through this fic and it’s a great look at Leia’s character and the writing is lovely and I am just so, so here for an AU where Obi-Wan and Padme raised the twins, where Leia knows her mother and considers herself Obi-Wan’s daughter, how that both does and doesn’t change who she is. The character moments are lovely and it just… really felt like Star Wars, I enjoyed it a great deal. ✦ An Enlightening Experience by Valmouth, obi-wan & anakin & qui-gon & ahsoka & the father & the daughter & the son & cast, 2.3k    “You… have been Chosen,” the Father says, and he sounds about as upset on the matter as Obi-Wan knows he will be, when he finally understands what that means.    I both wish that this had been like 50k long and think it’s perfect exactly as it is, it’s sort of crack-treated-seriously, but also very light-hearted, but also comes with genuine emotional weight. It’s one of those neat concepts that isn’t really in line with canon, but it’s happily embraced by being what my id wants, giving Obi-Wan a special Destiny, especially as the embodiment of the Light on Mortis. It’s such a fun fic, it has just the right amount of detail and ideas sketched out to really capture my imagination, but also to give me feelings (both happy and heartbreaking!) about Obi-Wan, exactly as it should. It was a really lovely read. ✦ untitled by stonefreeak, obi-wan & anakin, ~1k    Anakin wakes from nightmares tinted red. The darkness of his bedroom seems oppressive, and no matter how many times he blinks red seems to seep into the edges of his vision.    This is a short ficlet, but oh it’s lovely and adorable and bittersweet and heart-warming and perfect. When Anakin is 13, he feels he should be too old to sneak into Obi-Wan’s bed for cuddles and sleep, but a nightmare gets him up and sneaking out anyway and, oh, I love how easy it is in this moment, how it’s simple and quiet and Obi-Wan just lifts up one arm in invitation and I can see it so clearly and it’s perfect and my heart feels so much better after this lovely piece. ✦ I’ll Be There For You by SinkingLikeASunset, obi-wan/anakin/padme (eventual) & qui-gon & clones & cast, 40.7k wip    Obi-Wan must alter events and make changes as he struggles with memories of a dreadful future and deals with new developments this time around.    Chapter 1-8: I believe I’ve recommended this fic before, but it’s updated since then and I continue to enjoy it! The beginning takes a bit to get underway, but once Obi-Wan is in the past and has settled a bit, the fic shifts into gear and really engaged me. I like that it’s a fic where things aren’t really in a rush, even as they’re often tense and there’s a looming sense of things on the horizon. There’s room to breathe here, as well as some really good scenes between Obi-Wan and various people, especially Anakin, who gets frustrated that Obi-Wan won’t tell him what’s wrong, but Obi-Wan is slowly getting him to learn to trust that he’ll tell Anakin when the time is right. Not that Obi-Wan knows precisely what to do, he stumbles and is at a loss at times, but he’s still making his way carefully and is still determined to make things better this time. But what I’m really here for is the slow development of Obi-Wan/Anakin/Padme as a threesome and how Obi-Wan/Anakin is getting so much of their communication finally worked out. Chapter seven has a nicely id-satisfying scene where much of the building confrontations finally happen, where Obi-Wan and Anakin finally really talk to each other, how Obi-Wan finally says directly what he now realizes Anakin needs to hear, how Anakin warms under that praise and affection. The fic is at its best when it’s focused on them (and Padme), when it lets me just happily roll around in the tropes that it embraces and just makes me feel all warm-hearted and content!    Chapter 9: This is an update rec and will focus on this chapter, rater than the fic as a whole. This fic starts a bit rough in the beginning, but once the timeline starts changing and the fic settles into the more daily life stuff, it becomes really cute and charming and chapter 9 really exemplifies that for me, it was just so adorable to watch Anakin verbally flailing and tripping over himself because Obi-Wan knew about his marriage to Padme, like I would have read five chapters in a row of that, because that’s where the fic is at its best and it’s just fluffy and pure iddy fix-it and cuteness! And I’m enjoying the slow roll towards Obianidala as a pairing, that it’s been 40k of fic now and they’re just sort of getting around to it and Obi-Wan’s affection for them is very nice and both Anakin and Padme are really cute, especially when Obi-Wan is so calm and serene, because that’s how he is, while they trip over themselves trying to pretend they’re not in a relationship. But also I will apparently eat up with a spoon any time Anakin has a panic attack and Obi-Wan’s presence and guidance helps bring him back, yesss, give me that always, that’s what I’m here for! ✦ Wearer of the Veil by englishable, leia & ben, 1.4k    Leia Organa-Solo knows that her son is not quite like everybody else, although she’s uncertain as to whether this means he should be protected more from others or himself. Either way, these strange dreams he has are beyond her reach.    A lovely, bittersweet look at Leia and her son, how his childhood went and the dreams that loom over him, how a kid can start out so sweet and so loved, who is always loved, and still you see how things could end up the way they did. The imagery in the fic is used really well and the sheer amount of feelings of the piece are just right and it really was a really, really lovely piece to read. ✦ those immortal dead by notbecauseofvictories, padme & leia & luke & ben & poe & rey, 2.1k    Padmé Amidala is forgotten, not gone.    This is really more of a fairy tale type of story than one that’s grounded in the Star Wars details (though, I wouldn’t say it’s a straight up fairy tale, either, if you’re looking for that kind of thing, just that it’s fuzzy and dreamy and not quite how SW works, but that style works for the fic) and it’s more about fleeing impressions and moments, the lingering of a ghost that’s not quite in your field of vision. That Padme’s influence on the galaxy is still there, even if she herself or her name are not, and it’s a really delicate balance to walk, but I thought the fic did a lovely job of it! ✦ untitled by cadesama, anakin & leia & bail & tarkin, ~1k    Anonymous asked: AU, Vader sues Bail for custody (either the Empire is intact and he has standing or its gone and he absolutely doesn’t, whichever is funnier)    I think I grinned my way through this entire thing, there’s something just so… hilariously surreal about Vader suing Bail Organa for custody of baby Leia, who is just totally content to crawl all over him, while Wilhuff Tarkin moderates the whole thing with such utter… I don’t even know how to describe the mix of academic interest with complete detachment. Then you add in a fantastic last few lines that completely captured my imagination and you have a great little read. ✦ A Game of Chess by Kayarde, obi-wan & palpatine & cast, 4.3k    Chancellor Palpatine and Knight Kenobi sit down for a game of chess.    I have a great fascination for the dynamic between Obi-Wan and Palpatine, as two people who are playing a game of chess against each other (literally here, metaphorically in canon, even if Obi-Wan’s not entirely aware of it) and rivals in some ways. The series of scenes in this fic, spread across the years, the way they come to respect each other as rivals, the way Palpatine sees Obi-Wan as a genuinely interesting person to play against, and how that changes some fates and not others, was a really interesting little read tonight! ✦ sometimes you don’t get it right by randomdreamer01, jyn & han (background han/leia and jyn/cassian) & cast, 2.6k    Han Solo and Jyn Erso get drunk on the Millenium Falcon and find that they are similar in more ways than one.    Oh, this was a beautifully written fic, it’s all rough edges and unhappy moments and jaded undercurrents to everything, but with real and genuine heart underneath it, just as it should be for these two characters. It works beautifully and understands both characters and draws these really beautiful parallels and contrasts, for the way they look at the world and the feelings they have for these people who are so deep into the Rebellion and how Han and Jyn try to deal with that. It’s a gorgeous fic that I never expected to get and it really was a treat. ✦ Unearthed Bones by Glare, obi-wan/anakin, human au, mafia au, 2.5k    Obi-Wan Kenobi has given up a life of crime in favor of the questionable comforts of witness protection. Placed in a boring library job, everything appears to go great until he realizes his incompetent handlers somehow managed to drop him right in the middle of another man’s operation.    I didn’t know I needed this fic until I had it–which I say a lot, but I always mean it! It’s such an interesting beginning, I love that this Obi-Wan is living this peaceful life, but he can’t just not notice what’s going on around him, Obi-Wan is too fundamentally an observant character which of course leads exactly where it was always going to go. I loved this opening chapter, it could have stood on its own the way it is, the ending would have worked for that, but I am also really here for more of it! I love the potential of it, the way it captures my imagination, the scene between Obi-Wan and Anakin, both of them sizing the other up, especially the way Obi-Wan is just so… calm and centered, that even when he’s being tempted back to what he really is, there’s something solid and steady about him, which compliments the more wild feel of Anakin and I liked the way that sense of who they are was mapped onto these versions of them. And also I am super ready for more of this whenever it comes out, especially if it has undercurrents of being fucked up in super tasty ways, as the author is really good at. ♥