#i will be putting anakin into situations

[to-proudly-go]

Obikin fic WIP snippet

(Deaged!Obi-Wan au)

*******

“He was reporting to us about a strange phenomenon that he experienced in Ilum while escorting the new Padawans for the choosing of their kyber crystals,” Master Plo Koon started, and Anakin turned to him at his words. Obi-Wan didn’t like that and smacked Anakin's cheeks with his chubby hands for attention. Incoherent babble accompanied the painless hits. Anakin gently guided the wayward limbs away from his face and kissed the palms of Obi-Wan’s hands, unable to help himself. Obi-Wan seemed appeased by that and settled down, smushing his face into the crook between Anakin’s shoulder and neck.

Anakin looked up again at Plo Koon and found the gathered Masters hiding smiles behind their hands, and in Windu’s case, trying to calm the pulsating vein at his temple down. Ahsoka was grinning at him knowingly from behind Plo Koon.

He felt his face burning. “What was the phenomenon, specifically?” he ground out, desperately hoping that they’d turn their attention away from the blatant display of affection.

******

Yeahhh so I know I said I don't write plot but inspiration struck and I wrote 2.3k words in a frenzy. It's far from finished and I'm still mulling over on what direction to take this but yeah I think I'm gonna enjoy writing 2-year-old baby shenanigans 🥹

[stealthetrees]

Thorn, Stone, and Thire hold an intervention for Fox because his obsession with his supposed conspiracy about the war has gotten to unhealthy levels again so they force him to take a vacation somewhere he can’t disappear to fight gangs and assassins for days on end without sleeping.

They send him to the 501st because Cody can keep an eye on him and Rex, as the batch baby, may have some luck getting him to sleep. Fox decides to make this everyone else’s problem by getting into screaming matches with Anakin over his ability to make battle plans, terrorizing logistics officers, abducting shines into his “spy network” (aka cult, also known as being adopted), and ranting to anyone who will stay still long enough about how palpatine is secretly a sith and is controlling both sides of the war.

Fortunately he calms down a bit when they let him out of the ship onto a battlefield. He’s used to being able to run around Coruscant, which is a giant parkour playground, and doesn’t do well cooped up too long. Unfortunately the battlefield is Umbara.

When Krell gets there Fox tells him he’s shit to his face and pulls out his spreadsheet to prove it. (The spreadsheet is a meticulously crafted document ranking every Jedi general and commander based in multiple factors like casualties, treatment of troops, how the chancellor feels about them, ect. Number 1 is Plo Koon and 2 is Mace Windu. Krell is last, Anakin is second to last.) Rex keeps trying to get Fox not to pick fights with commanding officers and reminds him he’s supposed to be on vacation, but Fox doesn’t listen cause he’s too busy radicalizing the ARC troopers.

Krell dies of a heart attack because he drank Fox’s caff, which had enough caffeine to kill an elephant.

[weregonnabecoolbeans]

I keep thinking about how young jecki was compared to both ahsoka when she left the order, and anakin in aotc and it keeps making want to sob

[redbean-nom]

watched the first 2 episodes of acolyte and so far i like every character except for the main one lol. (also is her name osha as in occupational safety and health administration??)

[itstimeforstarwars]

My formative years were spent as a lotr fic writer which means that every day I refrain from adding people bursting into song or putting on a play out of boredom in my fics.

[varpusvaras]

I'm back on my Bail/Breha/Fox bs (I haven't left even for a second but anyway) and I was thinking of that one post where someone said that just imagine the political implications these three together would cause, and I think there would be one moment where everything would start to go different with them in the timeline, and it's the wrong Jedi arc.

Padmé is close friends with Bail. She is close friends with Breha. They belong very closely to the same political movement and couldn't make things work without each other. I'm not saying Padmé's political career is wholly dependent on her relationship with Bail, but them working togerher is one of the main things that keeps them afloat against the war. Now, Bail would be professional enough to work with her even if they have personal differences (which they do already), and he knows better than putting one person above everything else, but I do think he wouldn't take Anakin threatening Fox lightly. I don't think he would make up a huge fuss, but he would, most likely, make his disagreement about his behavior known to Padmé. Now, Padmé knows about the whole Tusken massacre, so she knows how Anakin can get when something gets in his way. She knows, even though she wants to pretend that Anakin is a good person, that her husband is perfectly capable of treating people he doesn't like badly and even worse. She can try and tell herself that no, Anakin wouldn't do anything, but she knows. This is about Ahsoka, after all, whom Anakin has said is like a little sister to him. His personal feelings are on the line.

Padmé can either be delusional about it, tell herself that nothing will happen, and hey! Maybe nothing will happen! But she cannot be entirely sure. Because what if. What if something does happen. What if something happens to Ahsoka, and Anakin reacts badly? What then?

She would have to decide then. Does she stay with Anakin, to the end, and thus claiming that his personal feelings are more important to her than what's good for everyone, and thus ending his friendship with Bail and Breha, which would more than destroy her whole career and put everything she stands for in danger? Or does she say no, and stand with her ideals, no matter what Anakin feels is correct or justified? Because this time it's not a group of people who have no impact on her life and who she can forget about. This time she would have to decide her course of action even before anything happens.

Maybe trying to decide would make her think harder about their relationship in general. Maybe, just maybe, something that he does having consequences to her would make her do something about it before it's too late.

[imogenkol]

In the year of our lord, 2024, some of the fandom is still approaching the Jedi Order with zero nuance

[somestorythoughts]

Radioactive Eldritch Jedi

Okay so when I say radioactive. The Force is primordial and eldritch and the jedi (and any other force users of a comparable level) resonate with the echoes of this primoridal of-the-world-and-yet-not-the-world energy like your body when you’re so close to a marching bacd you can feel the drums in your bones and they’re not the music or the instruments, they’re only the echo thereof, but the echo of something from the depths that bore the universe is still A Lot.

And when you look at them. There’s teeth that aren’t there the next minute, you could count them again and again for half an hour and never get the same number twice in a row. And that’s not mentioning when their teeth don’t fit in their mouth, don’t match each other, when there aren’t teeth in their mouths but claws...

That’s just one element of their face which is one element of their body.

You can smell them, even the species that don’t have particularly good senses of smell though it is far more distracting for them. Something fresh with light or rotting with dark, herby or sea salty or citrusy or floral and threaded with sweat or blood or sex to suit whatever they’ve been doing and it wouldn’t be remarkable except they smell simultaneously like their species and like something else entirely in a way that is clearly but indescribably not caused by soap or perfume or oil.

There’s a resonance in their voices. Something like there’s a drumbeat in their throat, like they’re speaking with the vibrations of a song you’ve always heard without knowing it, but always perfectly understandable. The sound of jedi singing in harmony with feeling has reduced cities to tears of joy or tears of pain, blood dripping from their ears in mirror of their tears.

Don’t get me started on their shadows, on the way they move in the dark

And they’d be leaking this strangeness 24/7 except they keep themselves so tightly shielded, not only hiding themselves so that they appear uncanny and not terrifyingly Other (they’ve been there time and time again and it is a problem. There are Consequences) but also keeping any of this force-energy-resonance leaking out into the world. Places where force sensitives have lived a long time thrum like a pulse, are touches with the energy of generations of force users relaxing enough to let their shields lower and their selves to leak and brush the walls and tables, etching their presences into the place like fire into wood, and when this touches people it changes them.

Not immediately. Not quickly. It can take months for anything to change and this is why jedi keep their shields maintained, because if you’re fully shielded nothing will happen, and this is part of why attachments are risky, because the emotion can affect the shields can change the one you love, because to say you love a jedi is not the same as accepting all that they are and being willing to change along with them because you can’t dodge that forever, and saying you’re willing to do this isn’t the same as being willing.

The changes aren’t quick, and not as Eldritch as the jedi, but they are permanent and definitely Other.

When shields crack or break, when a jedi lashes out with the force, it brushes an imprint on everything around them (those with any kind of vision skills can find this difficult or comforting to deal with, like a too-large gulp of hot tea) and a few times on the same thing doesn’t matter. Genuinely. Repeition is an entirely different matter.

War is hell. 

War is hell, and the jedi are holding on to each other for support, clinging interlocking arms, but they’re scattered around the galaxy and it’s so hard to actually reach each other.

Sometimes to know you’re supported isn’t enough. Not when you can’t reach their shoulder to lean on, for just a moment.

And the clones are going through hell with them, are dying around them, and they reach out to support the jedi who are doing their best not only to help them survive but to help them live in a war that wants them dead for a senate that doesn’t care and the jedi recognizes them as people so they reach out and the jedi can’t help but reach back.

The clones catch them when they fall, love them in different ways each as sure as the tides, and the jedi relax into it without realizing. Their shields crack over and over again because war is hell, but they also find them relaxing them, instinctively and unconsciously, because so little is certain but the clones’ willingness to go to hell and back for them is one of them and they feel safe.

And the echoes of the force that resonate in the heartbeats-nervepulses-bloodflows of the jedi leaves imprints on the clones that rises like paint added layer by layer and it changes them.

The clones don’t have a childhood of familiarity to fall back on, much less the shielding techniques to keep them looking “normal.” What they have is legions of brothers willing to support each other come hell or high water or unending clankers and jedi who at first beg their forgiveness for changing them (because it wasn’t supposed to happen and because they like how they are but everyone already sees them as strange and to beg forgiveness for making them like them is many jedi’s first instinct) then teach them how to hide it when they need to and the comfort of singing together, their voices ringing through their ships in tune with the thrumming in their blood, bone-deep.

[tennessoui]

I love your idea for new Greek myth AUs. Eben if I did laugh a little bit about Athena!Anakin. I know he is clever but clever like Athena? But okay he could she is the genius of war strategies so maybe this could fit. 🤔

But how could this Obikin get a happy end? Does Obi-Wan still loves Satine? What are his thoughts about Athena!Anakin? Did they ever 'meet'? Or does he blame him for the death of his crew?

Yeah!! I thought anakin for Athena because of war strategies in general 🥰 I think he’s a pretty good fit for it!! He had a lot of great battle plans in TCW—very ingenious!! Also him being highly intelligent with low emotional intelligence sort of…also tracks lol

As for his wife I feel like he loves her enough to get anakin not to kill her but also…anakin is a god and a god of the things obi-wan loves the most. I think there’d be very little stopping him from falling in love with Anakin from his end—though I feel like there’s probably like a phase he goes through when they first meet which is very worshipful and anakin appreciates that but he likes it more when the devoutness turns to more genuine respect and love (he’s never had someone bitch at him before but obi-wan is apparently god of bitching)

[oathkeeperoxas]

wip wednesday

Kenobi looks a mess when Cody steps inside. He slides the door shut after him, wanting to give them that tiny bit of privacy even when he probably shouldn’t. But Kenobi will probably want updates on what happened while he was unconscious – the closed door to Kenobi’s private medbay is only as scandalous as the two of them being alone in a meeting room together. 

“Cody,” Kenobi says, and Cody tries not to focus on the way Kenobi’s mouth goes lax for a moment as tension leaves him and fondness shades his expression. “You’re well?” 

“I didn’t get myself blown up,” Cody tells him, trying to sound stern. His voice dips into concern at the end, which makes Kenobi frown. Cody draws up a chair to sit beside him, busying himself with his datapad to give him a five second excuse to not look at Kenobi’s face and to try and wrangle the overwhelming relief at seeing him alive that is roaring away in his chest. “I’m well.” 

That’s a lie – or it was, before Cody could lay his own eyes on Kenobi and know he’s still alive after the last stunt that he pulled. Cody reigns in the urge to reprimand him for it, because it had gotten an entire platoon out of danger, and that’s where Kenobi’s priorities are – where they’ll always be, if he can choose. Cody only wishes that he put his own health and safety anywhere as near the top of the list. 

[maidenvault]

During my last rewatch of the prequels I was actually shocked by how much I've misremembered or decontextualized certain moments in my mind because of how they're often talked about in fandom as showing the Jedi as too arrogant, too bureaucratic, generally just burying their heads in the sand while everything goes bad etc. So I'm gonna try to address every individual scene that typically gets brought up to argue that this is an actual theme in Lucas's portrayal of the Order.

The Council doesn't take Qui-Gon's account of meeting a Sith seriously.

Mace and Ki Adi Mundi do both express doubt this guy could be a Sith. (Understandably! Historically they've never known Sith to be able to hide their existence, and for them to have survived totally in secret for a thousand years is a pretty wild thing for Qui-Gon to be so sure of.)

BUT Yoda admits that the dark side is hard to see, and Mace assures Qui-Gon they'll do everything to find out the identity of the attacker. Later he's ordered to go back to Naboo and try to draw out Maul to discover more. Qui-Gon accepts this and doesn't ask for backup. Why should he? He held his own against Maul before, and Maul's probably not gonna show himself again to face a ton of Jedi. They end up missing the chance to learn who trained Maul because of how things go down, but Qui-Gon's death isn't the result of the Council mishandling the situation.

At the funeral, Yoda says the presence of one Sith means there's another out there. They know they've got to be on guard now and will be, but they've got no more leads for now.

2. Qui-Gon's not here to free slaves.

There's this idea that slavery existing on Tatooine shows the Order is apparently too tied up doing shady things for self-interested politicians (footage not found) to help the people who really need it. But Padme's shocked to know the Skywalkers are slaves for a reason. The truth is there isn't a lot of slavery in the galaxy at this time because the Jedi have helped keep it that way for centuries only by working with the Republic. In TCW we see that Zygerrian slavers have a particular hatred of Jedi because they're literally The Anti Slavery People and did so much of the work to crack down on their trade. But Tatooine is controlled by the Hutts and they simply don't have the resources to start a war with them.

(And honestly, it's crazy how people talk like Qui-Gon's a monster for honestly and apologetically telling Anakin no, that's not why he's here. This is a child he's already indebted to and who has a hero-worshipping idea of Jedi, it would be fucked up for him not to be clear about how he can't help him and his mom.)

3. They doubt Dooku could be behind the assassination attempt.

This I understand shows the Jedi to be a little naive. But they knew Dooku as a good man, and at this point he and his followers are still putting on a show of wanting to secede for idealistic reasons (and a few of them, manipulated by Dooku, actually do have good intentions). Only later do the Jedi learn they're illegally building an army before they've even officially left the Republic and clearly have no interest in the peaceful resolution Padme's been advocating for. And they only find this out because they have Obi-Wan investigate the assassin and this very quickly leads him to Dooku.

4. "Arrogance, yes. A trait more and more common among Jedi. Even the older, more experienced ones."

In context, this line from Yoda is clearly not meant to be taken so seriously. Obi-Wan says he fears Anakin is too arrogant, and this is Yoda's light-hearted way of telling him not to be so hard on him. Part of training a Padawan is learning to trust them so they can grow, and Obi-Wan perhaps needs the reminder that he isn't done learning himself.

Of course Yoda saying this could be partly motivated by them having been caught off guard before by the existence of Darth Maul and the dark side clouding their awareness, as we're told repeatedly throughout the PT they know is a problem. But it's kind of contradictory to take this as confirmation that this is a serious fatal flaw of theirs. If someone acknowledges their own arrogance then they're aware of their ability to be wrong, which means they can't actually be that arrogant. If truly meant in a general sense and not just as a gentle reproof of Obi-Wan, it's a pretty self-deprecating comment coming from Yoda.

5. "If an item does not appear in our records, it does not exist."

Chief Librarian Jocasta Nu gives this haughty response to Obi-Wan looking for Kamino, a system that's not in the Jedi Archives. So being so overly confident in the infallible knowledge of the Jedi, he takes her word for it and totally drops this lead.

Except no, he goes to someone older and wiser to figure out what this actually means. And he and Yoda are forced to conclude that the unthinkable - a trusted person among them somehow had reason to erase information from the archive - must nonetheless be what happened. This is honestly an exception that proves the rule: Kamino, and we can assume only Kamino, is missing from the archive only because it was removed, which is so suspicious it just shows he must be on the right track to discovering something. Jocasta is kind of snooty about it but theirs obviously is supposed to be one of the most accurate and complete databases in the galaxy.

6. Obi-Wan doesn't believe what Dooku tells him about the Senate.

For one thing, in this conversation Dooku's lying about basically everything but this. And I can't ever stress enough that Palpatine is a threat unlike anything the Jedi have ever dealt with before, who's already taken control of so much before they even know they're fighting anything, so the idea that a Sith is controlling the Senate would be really hard for anyone to believe.

Still, we know Obi-Wan reports this to the Council anyway. But it's a vague statement and they still don't have any information to act on. Palpatine soon has them very busy putting out fires in the war, and naturally fighting the Separatists who are led by Sith seems the best way for them to get to the bottom of what exactly is going on with the dark side. And they do finally turn their attention to how power-hungry Palpatine is getting once the war is nearly over and they've got the bandwidth for it, and think about what they might have to do if he's the threat to their democracy they fear, but of course he's too many steps ahead of them all the time.

---

So basically, what we see the Jedi being so guilty of in these examples are thought crimes. When confronted with the crazy explanation that happens to be true, their instinctive reaction is "No, I don't think that's possible." And then they do their due diligence to uncover as much of the truth as they can anyway. And Yoda, the Grand Master of them all, is often the first to admit that their first assumptions could be wrong. But Palpatine wouldn't be a good villain if his moves were predictable and he couldn't get an advantage over the good guys - that's just how storytelling works sometimes and it's not that deep.

It honestly felt stupid typing so much of this out because it's 90% just describing what actually happens in these scenes. But I guess it's a lot to ask that people actually carefully watch the films they discuss. 😒

[intermundia]

my favorite thing about anakin as a character is the inherent nuance lucas wrote into his story, like he's neither an innocent victim nor an inherently evil monster, he's just some guy put in a series of Situations and ultimately failing the test of his humility and self-control. he was certainly flattered and shaped by the devil, spiraling into something unrecognizable, but he chose to take every step down the pathway to hell. lucas knew he would lose a certain demographic by making him basically a greedy pawn in the larger story, not a righteous betrayed macho badass, but he did it anyway. he made him an awkward romantic and a loyal friend, a generous boy and a brilliant teen. he made sure he had all the positive qualities that meant that he had potential to be so much more than vader, but it was clearly his choice to lie, murder, and fully squander that potential. there are no excuses for what he became, no acceptable reasons to commit mass slaughter. he became an unbelievably selfish and impatient man, reckless and wantonly violent. hayden captured that nuance so well, nobody can match the sweetness of his smile and the absolute horror of his scowl on mustafar. to view him through a single lens as either pure victim of manipulation and (canonically unsupported) emotional neglect, or a creepy evil villain, denies the heart of his story and the weight of his tragedy. he's neither an angel nor a demon, he's both and neither, he's deeply human, a classical tragic hero with a flaw of greed. lucas made a choice with the prequels to tell a story that not everyone wanted to hear, and the result was a character that i think is one of the best of modern pop culture, mostly because he feels to me so very, very ancient and eternal.

[jonathanrogersartist]

How 'The Acolyte' Disappointed Me, and Why the Themes of 'Star Wars' Matter

Someone recently commented on my 'On the Dark Side, the Jedi and the Moral Decay of Star Wars' essay with these words: 

"A lot of words for saying 'I don't like the newer media, but I won't get into specifics as to why.'"

Okay! I shall then finally clarify those specifics....

That first essay has, so far, been my biggest success on this blog, and it's attracted a number of interesting responses. Full disclosure: I wrote that fresh off the heels of feeling depressed over how the Acolyte ended, and after reading/listening to several of Leslye Headland's interviews, where she went into great detail about her ideas behind the show's choices, the themes she's trying to get across, and what personal baggage she brings to Star Wars. 

Why was I depressed?

Because the show's finale ended with the deeply problematic implication that Osha, by killing Sol and joining Qimir, has achieved true self-actualization. As Leslye herself put it, it's a 'positive corruption arc.' Interesting way to phrase it. 

Furthermore, Vernestra's actions that frame Sol for several murders, all to protect her own reputation, and to avoid oversight by the Senate, confirmed one of the things that I was really worried this show would do as soon as we began learning plot details, which is that it's leaning into this very persistent edgelord take that the Jedi are actually big ol' bastards not worth seeing as heroes. 

It's the Dave Filoni gospel of the Jedi Order as a morally broken and fundamentally hypocritical institution, a decaying monument to religious hubris, who brought about their own destruction with their arrogance and so-called rejection of emotion making them lack empathy. 

This is, as many of my followers know already, a giant misreading of George's storyline in the prequels, and what he was actually telling us about the Jedi's philosophy and code. And in my experience, it gets us some vicious pushback when we try to inform fans of it, even if we back it up with proof of George's words. 

George really did intend the Jedi to be the ultimate example of what a brave, wise, and all-loving hero should be, and are very specifically inspired by Buddhist monks. They do not 'repress emotions': they learn to regulate their emotions, so as to not let the negative ones feed the Dark Side, and they have the moral fortitude to focus on their spiritual duty. They're professionals that have dedicated themselves to a higher calling, and who still feel and display the same emotions we all feel, unless I watched very different movies from everyone else. We see that Jedi characters can still crack jokes, cry when they are sad, become scared or anxious, feel strong love and loyalty to their peers, and can even be righteously angry in some situations BUT always knowing when to pull back.

The Jedi of the prequels were victims of manipulation by Palpatine, and were caught in between a rock-and-a-hard-place with the Clone War, and they were ultimately destroyed not by their own actions, but by the treachery of Anakin Skywalker, who failed to overcome his own flaws because he refused to really follow the Jedi teachings, and was gaslit by Palpatine for decades on top of that. 

Leslye's take on Star Wars, based on how she wrote the story of the Acolyte, is that "yup, the Jedi were doomed to destroy themselves by being hypocritical and tone-deaf space cops," and she also outright compared them to the Catholic Church (this reeks of Western bias and misunderstanding of Eastern religions). The one that really stunned me, was when she said she designed Qimir to be her own mouthpiece for the experience of being queer and suppressed, who isn't allowed to just be her authentic self in a restrictive world. Which, to me, implies that Leslye wanted to depict the Dark Side as actually a misunderstood path to self-actualization that the Jedi, in keeping with their dogma of repressing emotions, only smear as 'evil.' 

Let me remind you all: Qimir is officially referred to as a Sith Lord, by Manny Jacinto, by Leslye, etc. And what are the Sith, exactly? 

Space fascists. Intergalactic superpowered terrorists. Dark wizard Nazi-coded wannabe dictators, whose ideology is of might-makes-right, survival of the fittest, and the pursuit of power for power's sake. To depict followers of this creed as an analogy for marginalized people who have literally been targeted and murdered throughout history BY the real-life inspirations for the Sith.... I find revolting and tone-deaf by Leslye. 

SO.... seeing how that show ended, and reading up on how Leslye intended it to be interpreted (Osha's 'triumph' over the 'toxic paternalism' of Sol/the Jedi in general), really put me in a funk, because deep down, I could just sense that this was not at all compatible with the ethos of Star Wars. It made me go on a deep-dive into the BTS of the writing of the prequels and George's ideas about the Jedi, and it's how I discovered the truth that Dave Filoni has been pretty egregiously misrepresenting George's themes for several years now, usurping George's words with his own personal fanfic about the motivations of characters like Anakin, or Qui-Gon, or the Jedi Council, etc. 

His influence on the franchise has caused this completely baseless take on the Jedi to become so widespread as to rewrite history for modern fans. Who are utterly convinced now that this anti-Jedi messaging WAS George's vision all along, and they get real mad at you if you show them actual proof of that being a lie. 

And the Acolyte is perpetuating this twisting of the very core of Star Wars. This is what I meant by the 'moral decay of Star Wars.' 

The Star Wars saga was made by George Lucas in 1977 to accomplish these specific tasks: 

To remind people of what it really means to be good.

What evil actually looks like, and how it comes from our fears and greed.

To teach kids how to grow up and choose the right path that will make them loving, brave, honest people that stand up to tyrants.

To give the world a story that returns to classic mythological motifs and is fundamentally idealistic, to defy the uptick in cynical and nihilistic storytelling after the scandals of Vietnam and Watergate broke Americans' belief in there being such a thing as actual heroes anymore. 

THAT is the soul of Star Wars. That is what George meant for this remarkably creative universe to say with its storytelling. But I sincerely think that what the Acolyte told, was that morality is relative, the heroes of this saga are actually bastards, the fascist death-cult is misunderstood, and a young woman being gaslit into joining said death-cult is a triumphant girlboss moment. When it actually comes across as the tragedy of a broken person choosing the wrong path that will only make her miserable, full of hatred and powerlust, and hurt innocent people along the way. 

The Acolyte betrayed one of George's most critical lessons: that the Dark Side ruins people, and if you want to truly become your best self, you must choose the path of Light, and the Jedi are the ones who have best mastered that path. So if the future of Star Wars is to continue framing the Jedi and their teachings as some corrupt and immoral system that is making the galaxy worse, then I would rather stick to rewatching the classic scripture of Episode 1-6. George wrote a complete and satisfying story, that is thematically consistent, and in my opinion should have been allowed to rest. 

I will not hate on new fans that love the new material, but I will pity them if they really think any of this is actually faithful to George's vision (they may very well simply not care, either, which troubles me too), and I am afraid of a show like Acolyte teaching young people to see the Jedi's philosophy as wrong, and the Sith as having a point. 

(P.S. I have a moral duty to clarify this, given the discourse around the show: No, this is not a problem with 'wokeness,' or diversity, or representation; that side of the fandom is very sick in the head and not to be taken seriously. 

It's a problem with Leslye's themes and tastes as a storyteller, being fundamentally against the ethos of Star Wars and how it soured the entire show in hindsight for me... a show that I was actually really liking, before the finale dropped its thematic nuke.)

[hemmingsleclerc]

Holidays┃max verstappen

summary: Max and his family go to disney orlando <3

  ִֶָ 𖥔 ﾟ˖ ⊹ › ‹ ᵎ 𖧧. ⊹ ˖ ♡.˚˳១୨୧ ༘✰ ༘ ˚ ˚ ༘ ‧₊˚𖧧  ִֶָ 𖥔 ﾟ˖ ⊹ › ‹ ᵎ 𖧧. ⊹ ˖ ♡.˚˳១୨୧  ִֶָ 𖥔 ﾟ˖

Max was sitting behind the wheel of the family Mercedes, with Google Maps marking the route to Disney Orlando. Next to him sat Y/n , his longtime girlfriend, with a big smile on her face as she looked at her three children in the rearview mirror. Thomas, the eldest, (seven years old), had his face lit up as he watched the view out the window, Harry, (five), talked excitedly about all the attractions he wanted to go to, and little Aurora, just four years old, hugged happily her stuffed animal.

"Ready, everyone?" Max called out, earning a chorus of enthusiastic little "yes!" from the back seats.

The trip was full of laughter and fun games. As they drove, the kids chatted non-stop about all the attractions they wanted to go to and the characters they hoped to meet.

When they arrived, the view of the park was enough to make even Max excited. They parked and headed towards the entrance, Aurora was firmly attached to Max's hip who carried her while Thomas and Harry clung to Y/n's hands.

The first stop was the gift shop, where the real fun began. Thomas saw a Mickey Mouse hat and excitedly put it on his head. Harry chose a Goofy hat, laughing at the floppy ears. Aurora's eyes lit up when she saw a Rey costume from Star Wars and she excitedly held it up for Max to see.

"Can I get it, daddy? Please?" she pleaded, her eyes wide with hope.

"Of course, angel," Max replied, smiling as he looked for the size that would fit Aurora. She spun around, showing off her new outfit with pride, and became even more excited to see her mother coming to her with a lightsaber to complement her costume.

While strolling through the park, the family met various characters, collected autographs, and took countless photographs. Aurora squealed with joy when she saw Rey (and Anakin)and insisted on taking a photo with her, while Thomas and Harry took photos with every Marvel character they could find.

When it was time for the roller coasters, Max found himself in a difficult situation. Despite driving a car more than 200 kilometers, some of the Disney attractions were more than he expected. At the Tower of Terror, Max tightened his grip on the safety bar as the elevator descended, his eyes widening in fear and screaming in horror. Aurora, sitting next to him, laughed and patted his arm reassuringly, clearly enjoying the ride more than her father.

"Come on, daddy, it's fun!" Aurora laughed, her bright eyes shining with excitement.

Y/n couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of Max looking more terrified than his four-year-old daughter. "Having fun, darling?" she teased as they exited the ride.

"Loads," he replied, forcing a smile and trying to shake off the adrenaline.

The rest of the day was filled with more fun. Thomas and Harry dragged Y/n on every roller coaster they could find, their energy seemed endless. Max stayed with Aurora, going to calmer games for her age, and whom he occasionally picked up to see the parades and fireworks.

A particularly fun time was on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. As the boat plunged over a small waterfall, Max let out an involuntary scream, much to the amusement of his children. Thomas and Harry couldn't stop laughing, and even Aurora joined in, clapping her hands in joy.

When they arrived at their hotel room, the children were exhausted but happy while Aurora was full asleep and Max carried her. Thomas and Harry snuggled into their bed , who were already half asleep, while Max tucked Aurora into her bed.

As he settled into bed next to Y/n, Max couldn't help but feel grateful for those moments with his beautiful family. Despite the scares, the day had been perfect.

"We should do this more often," he murmured, putting an arm around Y/n and closing his eyes.

"I totally agree," she replied softly, snuggling closer to him.

[gffa]

Here's why I don't think Qui-Gon could be the magical answer to "How do you solve a problem like Anakin Skywalker?" because of this right here. Qui-Gon directly witnesses Dooku's anger at the Senator who is oppressing the people of his planet, that he uses the Force in anger, he's literally Force-choking people right in front of Qui-Gon's eyes, and that's the same kind of thing Anakin does, the big red warning flag. So what does Qui-Gon do about it? He gets the Senator's son to help calm this specific situation down, puts a hand on Dooku's shoulder and gently says, "It's over now." But beyond that he doesn't really step in to make Dooku do anything, which is especially understandable here, but even as a Jedi Master we see that he never really stepped in to do anything with Dooku. Which isn't Qui-Gon's fault, this is not a castigation of him or saying he was wrong. Because it's Dooku's choice to not deal with his darker feelings. Because we see that Yaddle does try to reach out to him but it still has to be Dooku's choice, she couldn't make it for him, Qui-Gon couldn't make it for him, all they can do is handle what's in front of them in the moment and be there if the person reaches out. They have to trust and believe in the person that they care about. Which Qui-Gon very obviously does! You can hear it in his voice and see it on his face in these scenes! And what I'm getting at is--that's exactly what Obi-Wan does with Anakin as well. He reaches out to talk to him, he makes himself available, we see that in AOTC, in TCW, in ROTS. We see on his face that he cares so much about Anakin! We see others make themselves available for Anakin to talk to, but that it has to be his choice still. Qui-Gon cared about Dooku, who was falling to the dark, just as Obi-Wan and Padme and Yoda cared about Anakin who was falling to the dark. Qui-Gon could not have magically solved Anakin's fall to the dark side because we already see he couldn't magically solve Dooku's, because it has to be that the person wants to make a different choice, they have to want to open up and be vulnerable. There's so much sympathy to be had for why Dooku or Anakin made the choices they did, that's why these characters love and care about them so much, because their motivations are sympathy-inspiring. But no one could save them from themselves if they didn't want to make the choice themselves, and Qui-Gon would not have been that magic save for Anakin, any more than Obi-Wan could have been a magic save for Dooku, if they'd been introduced sooner, not with the way Star Wars' narrative intentions work. I do believe that, in different circumstances (ones that mix-and-match Qui-Gon and Yoda and Obi-Wan's influences in their lives) people might have been inspired to make different choices, but it wouldn't have been a magic save. It would still be down to that the characters are responsible for their own choices and that Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan and Yoda are all generally equally able to/not able to save others. Qui-Gon wouldn't magically save Anakin from falling to the dark and couldn't save Dooku from falling to the dark, because he doesn't magically strip them of their own agency. That doesn't mean Qui-Gon cares about them any less, just like I honestly believe that Obi-Wan would have cared deeply about Dooku if places had been swapped, but he couldn't have magically saved him, either. Obi-Wan loved Anakin and did his best. Qui-Gon loved Dooku and did his best. And both of those beloved people still made their own choices, because all you can do is make yourself available and believe in them, whether they come through or not.

[interloved]

toxic!anakin skywalker hcs

↳ description box; small collection of nsfw drabbles for anakin x reader; i love my insane pookie

warnings; nsfw warnings; basically anakin is absolutely crazy, deranged and utterly obsessed with you. insane psychos are so hot bUT THIS BEHAVIOUR IS NOT TO BE ROMANTICISED!! and also minors dni

has an unhealthy habit of always checking your phone. he has a physical need to know who you’re talking to and why—that coworker named joseph you’re talking to? yeah, he CLAIMS to want to discuss your work schedule, but anakin’s so sure he wants to take advantage of you. and because anakin’s so smart and knows everything better than you do, you should just trust him and let him delete his number. and the number of every guy you have saved on your phone. but since anakin’s so smart, he’s surely right!!

he NEEDS everyone to know you’re taken and that you’re his. he’ll always have an arm slung around your shoulder casually, his hand resting at your hip, his fingers intertwined with yours or you wearing clothes that are obviously his (he really likes you in his clothes!!). but sometimes, that’s not enough, and he knows it’s pathetic but he literally can’t stand seeing you with any other guy except him. so sometimes, necessities like pretty bruises on your neck or marks on your chest are needed. he’s just letting everyone know you’re his, you wouldn’t object to that… right??

he can and he WILL stalk you. what, you’re going out without him? to go clubbing?? with your friends??? at NIGHT????

he can’t just possibly let you do that, he literally can’t stand the thought of even a mere possibility of you getting hurt somehow, it genuinely hurts his heart because how will he survive without you? you’re his world, and he’ll do anything to keep you. he just cares about you so much :(

anakin definitely has problems with sharing you with your friends, especially your male friends, and you’re so grateful he’s letting you talk to your female friends you’re not even considering talking to your guy friends again. oh, he looks out for you so much, awww

he’s a master manipulator and a professional gaslighter. all of your friends hate him, and are telling you to break him with him because he’s “toxic and obsessive”. baby, he’s not!! he’s just jealous sometimes and just very protective :( it makes him so sad every time you bring this up because why’re you trusting your friends over him? he’s the one you should trust the most, isn’t he? does that mean you don’t love him anymore?

needs your attention 24/7, all the time. he absolutely hates being separated from you, and even in his sleep, it’s like he won’t let go of you. he’ll always have an arm draped over your body, or his hands hooked on your waist. anakin is a naturally light sleeper, so he’ll wake up every time you get up—be it to use the bathroom or when you’re leaving for work. if everything went his way, he’d never let you leave him.

definitely thinks about locking you up in his big mansion. you’re so pretty he can’t stand the lingering gaze of other guys checking you out. he wishes he could be the only one to see your beauty.

likes to be in control and to be in charge of every situation regarding you. he knows he’s very intense in everything he does. that’s why he’s so grateful you put up with all his needs, but anakin is a very sceptical and careful person, he needs to know where you are and who you’re with—it’s no surprise he persuaded you to have your location on at all times. for your safety, he claims, and for his easement.

absolutely gets off on the height difference between you. you’re smaller than him, and he loved how cutely tiny you look next to him—and how you look when he uses you as his fleshlight!!

loves having you all submissive and obedient. his favourite positions are every one in which he can look at you, he loves seeing small tears forming in your eyes, loves you looking up at him in adoration, all trapped and utterly defenceless in his toned arms, mewling and gasping, moaning his name. especially loves when you’re sucking his cock, all pretty and desperate beneath him. just the way he likes you best.

why are you working? he makes enough money to provide for you AND a child; he has a house and a car. what do you need more? he knows you like your job, but he’d rather have you at home at all times. where you’re safe.

spoils you so much. he’ll buy you pretty clothes, sparkly jewellery, expensive shoes and anything else you want, he’d buy you an entire country if you asked him to. it’s not about flaunting his money or wealth or anything, he just gets off seeing you wearing stuff and knowing that he paid for it, so essentially, you’re walking around with his clothes.

for your birthday, he gifted you the cutest and most beautiful necklace!! if only you knew about the tracker inside it. he knows he has your location and you’re such a good girl for him he’s sure you’d never turn it off, but… just in case. (he’s lowkey paranoid)

if he could, he would carve his initials on you. (possessive much?)

but since you’d be hurt and he doesn’t like seeing you cry, he’s tried convincing you of getting a tattoo on your collarbone with his initials, and he’ll get one with your initials on his hip bone. you’re scared to death of needles though :( he’ll have to work on that for a while, but he knows he can get you to do anything for him with the right method and the right time.

has thought excessively and extensively about knocking you up. he knows you wouldn’t ever leave him if you were pregnant with his baby, god bless your sweet, kind and loving soul, and he loves to have that reassurance. so when condoms start to accidentally break, he accidentally forgets to wear one in the heat of the moment and he just can’t stop thrusting his load into you, you should’ve known those were not accidents.

but it’s too late now, anyway, you’re trapped, so you might as well just enjoy being trapped by him forever :)

“keep those legs open for me, doll. you can do that f’me, can’t you?” he mutters against your lips hoarsely, and you’re crying of the overstimulation.

“can’t,” you sniffle and your legs tremble adorably, “ani, ‘s too much… ‘s too much, i can’t…”

his gaze hardens, “you can and you will.”