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tomicaleto · 1 year

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SO glad you reblogged that list of duolingo prompts, and only if you want:

maybe 33. “My compliments to your mother!” but, like---hopeless cook obi-wan to anakin?

I'm so happy you sent a prompt! I'm sorry it took me a bit to write but I'm coming to terms that I'm a super slow creator due to several different reasons and such

Anyways, here is the prompt list if anyone wants to send me another prompt

This is a little longer than I expected but we get Argentinean Anakin, golden eyed Anakin and a terrible cook Obi-Wan, with some of his mishaps being inspired by real life events (I was a sleepy child when it happened, okay, you can't judge me) Hope you enjoy!

33. “My compliments to your mother!”

“So, what are we going to eat tonight?” Obi-Wan asked, leaning on the kitchen island and shamelessly staring at Anakin’s ass as he leaned down and took a pan out of the oven. “It smells good!”

Anakin huffed from the heat and closed the oven’s door. “We’re eating empanadas, my mother’s recipe.” He explained, putting the pan on the counter and effortlessly moving the empanadas to a plate, making a neat pile. “If only to avoid you burning the whole floor down with one of your cooking adventures.” Anakin added, turning his head just enough so he could blink at Obi-Wan, making clear the comment was not mean-natured.

Obi-Wan huffed and rolled his eyes. “Not all of us inherited our mother’s skills in the kitchen.” He complained. “We simply have to make do with what we were given.”

Anakin finally turned around and put the pile of empanadas in between them, sitting down on the stool on his side of the island and grabbed one empanada, taking a bite as he stared at Obi-Wan with both eyebrows mockingly raised, a mischievous glint in his golden eyes. He swallowed quickly and quipped back “multiplying by zero is still zero, Obi-Wan!”

He huffed and grabbed his own empanada. “I really tried this time.” He pouted, making Anakin laugh, his golden eyes closing as he chuckled.

“What is that thing that your grandfather says? Do or do not, there is no try.” Anakin emulated the way old Yoda spoke. “I think you should take his advice and, you know, do not.”

—

Anakin’s teasing wasn’t enough to stop Obi-Wan, though. And so, the next week he had Anakin sitting in front of him at his own house, his friend staring dubiously at the perfectly cooked gruel Obi-Wan had put in front of him.

“What is it?” He asked, when Anakin didn’t even hint that he was going to pick the spoon and start eating.

“Where is the sauce?” Anakin asked, briefly meeting Obi-Wan’s eyes with his own and then glaring back at the plate set in front of him. “Or the cheese?”

“You know I can’t make sauce without ruining my pan forever.” Obi-Wan shot back. “And I know it’s traditional to make gruel with sauce at your house but I promise I followed the recipe and it tastes good so please give it a try and maybe don’t compare it to how your mother does it?”

Finally, Anakin grabbed the spoon and picked some gruel on it. His face was neutral at first but then he grimaced and Obi-Wan’s shoulders slumped. “Is it bad?”

“Eh…” Anakin began, shrugging. “It’s not bad per se,” he continued. “It just tastes like nothing.”

Obi-Wan huffed, frustrated, and grabbed his own spoon. “Well, you’ll have to tolerate my flavourless gruel because there is nothing else to eat tonight in this house.”

He pretended he didn’t see Anakin roll his eyes and kept eating.

—

It was raining hard when Anakin knocked on the door, curls plastered to his forehead and golden eyes shining with unshed tears. He had an empty plate on his trembling hands and his lower lip was trembling.

“Jesus, Anakin!” Obi-Wan said, shuffling Anakin inside and letting him dripping on his doormat as he frantically looked for some towels. “What happened?”

He took the plate from Anakin’s hands and handed him the towel, turning around to give the man some privacy. “Take off your clothes, I’ll make you some tea to warm up.”

As he heard Anakin shift around, he stared at the plate puzzledly. It wasn’t one of Anakin’s, as far as he was aware and it most certainly wasn’t one of his. It was absolutely tasteless in design. “Feel free to choose any clothes from my closet!” He exclaimed when he heard Anakin stop moving.

Some minutes later, Anakin was entering the kitchen. He seemed calmer, but still down. “Can you add some milk to it?” Anakin asked, his voice soft.

“Of course! Go to the living room, I’ll be there soon.” Obi-Wan ordered while opening the fridge without looking. He stared as Anakin dragged his feet towards the couch and poured the milk into the cup. “Do you wanna tell me what’s going on?”

Anakin flattened even more against the couch. “Dooku just broke up with me.”

Obi-Wan pressed his lips together and remained neutral. He had never liked Dooku, he often seemed pretentious and tended to undermine Anakin’s brilliance in front of other people.

All that without counting his personal jealousy towards the man for being the one dating Anakin and not appreciating him as he should.

But now was not the time to celebrate Anakin being free from a frankly terribly toxic relationship but to offer support and comfort. So he put the cup on the low table in front of Anakin and hugged him towards his chest.

Anakin followed without complaints, continuing on his rant. “He said some shit I can’t remember now and I threw a plate to his face.” Obi-Wan snorted then. “I can’t believe I wasted years on this guy.” He sobbed, and Obi-Wan allowed himself to rub his back.

They stayed like that for some minutes before Anakin dried his tears with his hands and straightened from where he was slumped against Obi-Wan. “I know it’s my turn to cook but could we order in tonight?”

“Of course, Anakin,” Obi-Wan answered. “I’ll take care of it.”

With a little sniff and a nod, Anakin finally leaned forwards and grabbed the cup of tea Obi-Wan had made for him. He closed his eyes and sighed at the warmth coming from the cup before taking a long sip.

He immediately blanched and spit the whole thing back into the cup, coughing and gagging. He left a curse in Spanish and put the cup back on the table, turning towards Obi-Wan. “What the hell is this?!” He accused.

“What? It’s just tea, I did it like you always like it.” Obi-Wan exclaimed back, grabbing the cup himself and trying it himself. With great difficulty, he swallowed it as Anakin declared “It tastes like vomit!”

“I don’t understand what happened, I did it exactly as I always do.” Obi-Wan insisted, prompting Anakin to walk towards the kitchen and aggressively open the fridge.

“Holy shit, Obi-Wan,” He said, as Obi-Wan arrived at the kitchen. “Did you put yogurt in my coffee?”

Obi-Wan paled. “Fuck.” He covered his eyes as Anakin began laughing. “Don’t laugh, I was so worried about you that I must have mixed them up when taking one out of the fridge!”

Anakin continued laughing as he put the yogurt back inside and then hugged Obi-Wan close, letting him hide his face on his chest as Anakin pet his hair. “Thank you, Obi-Wan, at least I’ll remember this day not as the day I got dumped but the day you almost poisoned me with your tea.”

—

“You can help me only if you promise to keep to the cutting table part of it.” Anakin pointedly said as Obi-Wan neared the kitchen. He was once again preparing some dish he had learned from his mom for them both to enjoy.

Since his breakup, Anakin had seemed a bit lighter, like a huge weight had come off his shoulders. He had been spending more time with Obi-Wan, and they had become closer in ways that made Obi-Wan yearn for more, their quick banter turned into what could only be flirting.

And yet, Anakin seemed to be unaware of what he was doing. Obi-Wan had come to the conclusion that he would need to say something obvious before Anakin realised what was going on.

Obi-Wan slid into place, the kitchen knife in his hand and a pile of carrots, potatoes and yams next to the cutting table. He started slowly, easing into it as Anakin moved around the kitchen, checking out different pots, glasses filled with varied seasonings and so on.

“I’m not that bad, you know, I can stir the pot without burning the place down.” He teased Anakin. He got a snort back as Anakin threw him a side smirk.

“And risk ruining my precious figure with whatever poison you manage to slip in the pot while I’m not looking? This body that my mother gave me?” Anakin shot back, striking a silly pose, leaning against the kitchen wall.

There it was, an opportunity. Obi-Wan looked Anakin up and down, letting his eyes take his time in each part put on display. The silence turned heavy and charged, Anakin’s cheeks flushing as Obi-Wan finally met his eyes. “My compliments to your mother!” Obi-Wan finally smirked, watching how Anakin’s face turned completely red at his words and he lost his balance.

He held eye contact as Anakin processed what had just happened. With lips pressed tightly together and golden eyes showing a mix of suspicion and what Obi-Wan thought could be hope, Anakin got closer to him. Obi-Wan wisely put the knife on the cutting table before pushing his hand softly into Anakin’s curls.

Anakin kept searching for something in Obi-Wan’s eyes, so he kept himself relaxed and open. And then, Anakin looked down, smiling shyly, the way Obi-Wan loved. With gentle hands, he grabbed Obi-Wan’s limp hand hanging at his side and rubbed Obi-Wan’s knuckles. Finally, he looked up again.

“Maybe I should compliment your mother, Obi-Wan.”

It prompted a hearty laugh from Obi-Wan before he tugged Anakin closer by his curls and pressed their lips together. He opened Anakin’s lips with his own and licked into his mouth, enjoying how Anakin tried to get closer as they kissed.

When they separated to catch their breaths, Obi-Wan dragged his beard on Anakin’s cheek, earning himself a gasp before he reached Anakin’s earlobe, dropping a wet kiss on it.

“Why don’t you put the stew in the fridge and we order some food tonight instead?”

Anakin’s nod was eager, and it made Obi-Wan chuckle as he leaned in again for another kiss.

#obikin #Obi-Wan Kenobi #Anakin Skywalker #Star Wars #SW #The Clone Wars #TCW #ROTS #Revenge of the Sith #Prequel trilogy #Tomi's fics #asks #tennessoui #Ask Game #wrong duoling answers prompt game

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greenreticule · 1 year

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Sav Malagán and Dexter Jettster being parallels not just as poncho buddies but thematically as well... I cannot stop thinking about them.

[ID: Panels showing Sav and Dex standing next to each other in their matching outfits and their high collared ponchos. END ID]

At first, it looks mostly like Sav trying to emulate one of her heroes, with her choice of outfit, and scampering after him into the night. She even accidentally makes a comparison between herself and Dex when she misreads Maz's reaction to seeing Dex.

[ID: Maz, turning around: "Wait! is that my favorite person in the galaxy?!" Sav (thinking): “Me?! The great pirate Maz Kanata knows who I am?! And I'm her favorite?!” Sav: "Uh..." Dex, appearing at Sav's side: "Maz! If you keep talking like that I'm going to believe you one day and make a fool of myself for love!" Sav (thinking, embarrassed): “Oh. Kark.” END ID]

But even then, Sav returns the favor (accidentally) by popping up unexpectedly next to HIS shoulder mere minutes later.

[ID: Sav: "Who's getting away?" Dex: "GAH!! Where did you come from?" END ID]

Furthermore, as the story goes on, we see that it's less that Sav is copying her hero, and more that Dex and Sav are kindred spirits. Because the actions that set of the adventure in Issue #1, the actions that set off the series (aside from Sav beaning Raf with a tankard)...

...is Dex repeating Sav's actions from the opening pages. Scampers off into the night, leaves behind the usual community, shedding the mask worn around them, paying a droid to ferry them clandestinely across a lake,while also being a little reckless about it.

For as much as Dex does try to be the responsible adult (as he should), trying to get Sav to wait on the ferry, out of danger, he also is not being the most... sensible in the way he himself went about it.

Despite having an entire castle of pirates that he could choose from to ask to back him up, Dex still goes after the "most notorious pirate hunter" ON HIS OWN. Sav being there saved him not only from the droids, but likely from Raf as well.

So while it's hidden beneath the maturity of his age and the motivation of protecting a community (instead of adventure for the sake thereof), Dex still clearly has the same sort of recklessness that drives Sav.

It's the same sort of recklessness driven by compassion that we'll see a century on in Master Malagán

Furthermore, there's the parallels in how both Dex and Sav - in being on this adventure together - get a chance to see past the front that the other puts up as some form of protection.

See, in nearly every other portrayal of Dex, we're always seeing him from some sort of distance. Even in the stories where he trusts Obi-Wan, there's always a part of himself that Dex keeps walled off and secret from our POV character and thus from us, the audience.

The Smuggler's Guide, Dex's journal entry, breaks that wall down. We get to actually see what happens in Dex's mind. And it's really goddamn similar to what Sav sees when she sneaks after Dex, how he acts when he thinks no one else can see him.

Just as Dex saw the part of Sav that she keeps secret from everyone else - seeing her as pirate and Padawan both - Sav also saw the part of Dex that he keeps secret, and has kept secret over the course of twenty years of canon.

I can’t help but think of how Treasure Planet similarly used character designs and themes to draw parallels between Jim and Silver. Like Sav and Dex, they have outfits designed to reflect each other. Their introductory music (”12 Years Later” and “Silver”) is the same theme but in different styles.

They both are driven to find the treasure, it’s been a long-standing dream of them both, and they end up revealing sides of each other that they usually keep locked away.

[ID: Promotional image for Treasure Planet, showcasing Jim and Silver’s matching black jackets, tan undershirts, and left ear piercing. END ID]

Treasure Planet is one of the few, maybe only, adaptations (not prequel/sequel/etc. adaptation.) of Treasure Island that gives Silver an arc of growth, and it’s based entirely off of his relationship and parallels to Jim.

This film gives Silver a want and invites us to empathize with that want by centering his emotions, then puts a need in conflict with that want, and then forces him to choose.

Sure, he's always fond of Jim, even in the original texts, and all the other Disney adaptations have a moment where Silver chooses not to hurt Jim. But in those movies, choosing not to hurt Jim doesn't actually cost Silver anything. He still gets what he wants.

Treasure Planet makes Silver choose and therefore gives him character growth from a very selfish individual to a man who sacrifices his dream to save someone else. And it’s all tied to his parallels with Jim.

Now, Dexter Jettster is already starting out with a different baseline than Silver here. Not only do we know that Dex will be - centuries after The High Republic - a person who puts community over his own personal gain (highlighted by a comparison to Long John Silver!), Dex is already displaying those traits here in The High Republic Adventures! His actions in this comic are specifically about protecting his community.

There’s also an entire cast of characters that Sav is going to interact with, including Pirate Queen Maz Kanata herself! Which is a relationship we already know will last long into the future. I don’t know that Dex himself is going to get as poignant an arc in The High Republic Adventures as Silver had in Treasure Planet, not when Sav has so many other important relationships to develop.

Treasure Planet was about Jim and Silver. The High Republic Adventures is about Sav Malagán. As it should be. Still, the parallels that Dex shares with her, even in this first issue, already grants such depth to both their characters. And it’s such a solid way to start a comic run.

#dexter jettster #sav malagán #the high republic #high republic #the high republic adventures #star wars #treasure planet #long john silver

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obiwanobi · 2 years

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« I wish you would write a fic where…. »

Ahsoka gets deaged to a one or two years old baby and it’s now Anakin and Obi-WAN’s job to take care of her and it is an adventure at first :« Obi-Wan she’s a carnivore ? Are we supposed to give bacon to a child ??? »,« Anakin she doesn’t have teeth », « so ? Do I chew it for her ? » or « Obi-Wan you put so much clothes on her she can’t even lift her arms », « But it’s cold out there! », « yes but she’s sweating so much she’s the same color as Master Tii ». After a while they are synchronized and there are tenders moments where she falls asleep in Obi-Wan’s arm and Obi-Wan falls asleep as well and Anakin takes a holo and put a blanket on the three of them and falls asleep on Obi-Wan’s shoulder an arm across his middle holding Ahsoka little hand or they both realized they are trying to make her say the other name when they are alone.

Can you imagine Obi-Wan coming back from a council session ready to play with Ahsoka and Anakin (his new favorite moment of the day) and Anakin is sitting in front of her with a serious face « Come on little Soka for me say Obi-Wan, O-B-I W-A-N» and she looks a him with her big blue eyes and he repeats and she goes « Noniii wannn » and Anakin fucking cries like « Yes that’s it you are so good myo meeshku!! ». Obi-Wan’s heart is beyond full and he confess that he has been trying to make her say « Ani » for several weeks now cue to her saying « naniiiii » while giggling.

I’m so soft for these boys and their little one ☺️ (myo meeshku -> my sweet in huttese, yes I totally googled it)

that is the cutest thing oh my god 😭😭 Obi-Wan would definitely try to keep his cool and pretends he's not affected by all the cuteness, especially after Anakin said he wouldn't have a problem caring for Ahsoka without getting too attached but was found browsing the holonet to find her lothcat hats (plurals) 12 minutes later. So he tries! he really tries!

Obi-Wan: we are Jedi, Anakin, we should have let Ahsoka in the crèche, really, we can't forget that we, Jedi, shouldn't try to emulate a parental relationship that could possibly lead us on the path of— Anakin, holding Ahsoka up: say it again to him! Ahsoka, proudly: Noni-Wan! Obi-Wan: Anakin: ....are you— Obi-Wan: NO I'm not crying, that would be ridiculous, but for unrelated reasons I'm going to take Ahsoka right now and buy her all the sweet cakes she wants

#hc that they're super proud of her for saying both their names #and fail to realise that she's now convinced anakin is named obi-wan and obi-wan anakin #also obi-wan always puts so many layers on her when it's cold that she ends up doing the penguin walk #and anakin wants to make fun of him for that but she's so cute he can't process it #obikin for bl #clem's aus #asks

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minnarr · 3 years

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Jedi Sabé?? 👀👀 I literally perked up when I read that it sounds so cool!!!!

It's an idea I've had kicking around in my head for a while where instead of Anakin, Sabé is the Chosen One, he ends up free and as Padmé's most reckless bodyguard, and I get a Sabédala fake dating/only one bed/etc AOTC rewrite. (Anakin tags along on the trip to Naboo against orders and they only booked 2 rooms. Not sure whether he's involved in shipping shenanigans).

“I wasn’t asking for perfect logic,” Obi-Wan said softly. “I just want you to be clear about what you are getting into. You made your commitment to the Jedi Order so much later than most of us, and this assignment will test you.”

“Did the Council mean it as one?” Sabé snapped.

“The Council was only able to convince Senator Amidala to take Jedi protectors by promising her a team she knew and trusted,” Obi-Wan said. He was almost expressionless, his calm a worse rebuke than if he had become frustrated.

The Council, her commitment to the Order, should not be such a sore subject.

Sabé bowed her head and folded her hands into her sleeves, trying to mirror Obi-Wan’s body language even if she could not emulate his tranquility at this moment.

#star wars #sabé #padmé amidala #sabédala #promise me you will train the girl

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separatist-apologist · 2 years

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So Star Wars lore can be complicated at times (stay with me here, this is ACOTAR related). A lot of people confuse the Jedi teaching of attachment because they don't understand what Lucas was trying to say. Anakins attachment to Padme was dangerous and possessive- he let the Jedi fall, he participated in genocide (slaughtering younglings), and was complicit in the subjugating the Galaxy as a whole to save Padme's life based on dreams that weren't conclusive

And, in the end, we know that had he taken Yoda's advice to let go of what he feared to lose, and Windu's order to stay put, Padme would have lived. Ultimately it was Anakins fear and jealousy that killed Padme. He was afraid she loved Obi Wan, that she betrayed him to the Jedi. He strangles her. His love, his attachment, it was dangerous.

It was what Lucas was trying to impart. Love should be selfless- the Jedi were encouraged to love, some of them took lovers (Rael, for example. Obi Wan, too). They were not supposed to love at the cost of everything, though which Anakin could not do, and that's his tragedy.

And I swear to God, when I see too many of y'all comparing Anakin/Padme to Az/Elain I just DIE on the inside. This is perhaps the worst relationship to emulate. There is subtext that had Anakin and Padme gone to Obi Wan for help, he would have helped them. Star-Crossed lovers are lovers who are doomed by fate. Anakin could have saved Padme but he chose not to trust his teachings and the force and thus his visions were proven right-she dies.

Like imagine watching the prequels and walking away thinking "that was romantic". It was TRAGEDY the way Romeo & Juliette is.

#anti e*riel #imagine making my argument that this ship is toxic for me #Anakin straight up murdered her #after he murdered a lot of children #he is not a good guy #even if you empathize with him #he had the opportunity to make better choices #and gave in to his fear #what a metaphor

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artsy0wl · 3 years

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Maul: A Broken Evil Retrospective

On a Star Wars Amino I’m in, I had made an introspective on why I feel that Maul, while he is a villain is not whole heartedly evil, but broken. I took from said Amino post, with a few needed edit tweaks.

Chaotic Evil

Of course given the fact he was a Sith and some of the decisions he’s made, I don’t completely want to negate that in this discussion. If we were to use the alignment chart (lawful good, true neutral, chaotic evil, etc), he would probably fit best in Neutral Evil. From my understanding, Maul would fit Neutral Evil as a lot if what he does has to do with benefiting himself. Even if that means using allies (i.e. Ezra initially) and potentially betraying them (i.e. blinding Kanan once the Inquisitors were dealt with). He’ll follow things as he needs and can be calculating when he needs (like his take over of Mandalore). He’s not spontaneous enough or lacks enough restraint to be Chaotic Evil (like the Joker for instance), nor is he as calculating and “lawful” to be Lawful Evil (like say Thrawn and/or Palpatine). With that said, I’d agree that Maul has a darkness/evil in him considering all of the things he’s done. Obviously, he’s not winning any hero points by killing people like Qui Gon and Satine or blinding and attempting to kill Kanan.

Onto why I feel he’s broken.

Palpatine: Taken From a Young Age and Molded into what Sidious Wanted

Whether it be Talzin offering Maul as a child in Canon or his mother giving Palpatine Maul as a baby in Legends (Darth Plagueis), Maul was caught in a situation that he really didn’t have much control over. Granted, his life may not have been much better on Dathomir, given how the Nightsisters used their male counterparts, but there’s no telling what kind of life he could have had, had he not been handed over to Palpatine. Maul was molded into a weapon as Darth Sidious’ apprentice. And Maul spent most of his younger years being molded into what Sidious wants. Only to be “cast aside” when he is presumed dead. With Sidious being his only form of human contact/interaction, it’s fair to say that Maul feels a level of rejection/abandonment by the only person he had a bond with.

However, rather than having a level of depression because of it, he’s angry about it. For him that seems to be a common response, along with hatred and arrogance (the latter of which was used to explain how he survived the Phantom Menace). Sidious created a weapon out of Maul. And with that, a character with no real coping mechanism or knowing how to let things go.

A lot of, if not all of, Maul’s issues can be linked back to Sidious in some way. Sidious isn’t exactly Mentor of the Year material. Especially with Maul. Though that could be chopped up to him being a Sith and very manipulative. He wasn’t the kindest person to the Zabrak pre or post Phantom Menace (both in canon and Legends). Either way, a lot of Maul’s issues are a direct result of Palpatine’s involvement in his life.

If it weren’t for Sidious, Maul would have a normal life (or whatever that would equate to on Dathomir). He would have had his family, would have been more level headed and maybe less cocky, and he wouldn’t have enraged abandonment issues. The amount of grief, trauma, and hatred would be vastly different

Family: He Lost a Brother and a Mother

Let’s be real, thanks to Sidious, Maul’s lost a brother and a mother (two brothers when you count Feral, though he never got to meet him). By the time Savage came around in Clone Wars, we got to see Maul sort of build his character more than say the Phantom Menace (the novels did too, but I can’t say that everyone’s read them). We also get to see Maul exhibit more emotion where, again, the movie lacks as well as the introduction of his family, Mother Talzin, Feral, and Savage. And while Maul may not have been what you’d call an “affectionate” brother, he does care for Savage to the best of his ability.

Their deaths still haunted him years after the events of the Prequel Trilogy and Clone Wars. These deaths stuck with him psychologically to the point that he is still effected by it in Rebels. Which in turn, may have contributed some to him wanting Ezra as an apprentice (among other factors).

Torture After Loss

In Son of Dathomir after Maul tries to get back at Sidious, he is captured after his last battle with Sidious in Clone Wars (season 5). It starts off with Maul being interrogated and tortured by Sidious. He makes it through without faltering and escapes with the help of the Shadow Collective. That being said, we never really get to see where his mindset is. During Son of Dathomir, he gets a lot done, capturing Dooku and Grievous (taunting Sidious and working with Dooku to fight Obi Wan and a few other Jedi before escaping). However, we don’t get to see the mental toll Savage’s death here. Though with everything going on, I guess there wasn’t time.

Now the reason I bring this up, is because part of me felt like I should and the timing. Prior to Son of Dathomir, Maul had recently lost Savage. At the end, he loses his mother. The torture and the scheming in between shows how he didn’t catch a break. And while he was able to stay strong when he had to, they never really explored how the torture effected him, which one would think he would have been.

Obsession, Insanity, Arrogance: Maul’s Faults

I do feel like I address this point. I’ve already kind of touched on his anger and arrogance (synonymously with cockiness). While training Maul, Sidious didn’t consider how arrogant he had let the Zabrak become (according to Darth Plagueis, the novel). This has Maul’s Achilles Heel since the Phantom Menace. While having a healthy dose of pride never hurt anyone, a healthy dose, Maul dose not possess.

His obsession with getting Obi Wan and Sidious is another issue. This really only pops up after his apparent death in Phantom Menace. Because after that point, Maul finds out that he was replaced by Sidious (with Dooku) and that he was bested by a mere Padawan (Obi Wan). I feel like this obsessive tendency is a combination of his feelings of abandonment and having his ego damaged.

And of course, I feel like Maul’s roughly decade long battle with insanity really didn’t help his psyche. While his sanity was restored thanks to Mother Talzin and Savage, I do feel like that’s caused more harm than good. Something like that had to feel draining after getting his sanity restored. He was sitting on a trash planet and on his own. Along with not having anything from the waist down and forced to manage with what he had. Hatred may have helped keep him alive, but his psyche during those ten years didn’t.

He has a lot of internal conflict in an emotional and mental sense. Unfortunately, these negative emotions, obsession and pride especially, cause him more harm than good.

The Ezra Bond: Feeling a Need to Replicate a Connection, Even if He Approaches it Incorrectly

By the time Rebels rolls around, Maul is older and calmer (though still proud). Obviously, he still wants to get back at the Empire for what they (more specifically Sidious) did to him. And at first, Ezra seemed like someone that he could use. This is an element that is prevalent, however, not the only aspect of their relationship.

According to Sam Witwer, Maul’s VA, Maul did have a (platonic) fondness for Ezra. And on top of wanting to make Ezra his apprentice, Maul wanted to emulate a sense of brotherhood between him and Ezra. For example, his phrase in Visions and Voices when Maul says “...We can walk that path together. As friends. As brothers.” How he said it shows how he does miss Savage and wants that family back.

That being said, how he approached this connection could be seen as manipulative and more than likely one sided. Sure, over the course of Twilight of the Apprentice, Ezra grows on Maul, to the point where Maul wants to make him his apprentice and has an appreciation for Ezra. However, his pride and lack of planning cause a rift between them and there was a lot of mistrust on Ezra’s part, not that one could blame him.

Subsequent episodes show that Maul is hellbent on making Ezra his apprentice through any means possible.

Maul lost Savage and Talzin, and Ezra was one of the first few people to trust him in years. I think it’s safe to say that, in Maul’s mind, Ezra gave him a sense of belonging or connection.

Maul’s need for a connection could be interpreted as him trying to find something good in life. However, manipulative tendencies and how he was brought up, hinder him doing that in a healthy and positive way. With Savage, he didn’t need to do anything as they both had a similar plan when they met (Savage being indoctrinated into the ways of the Sith). But subsequent relationships (i.e. Ezra), Maul is at a bit of a disadvantage emotionally and morally.

Sure, he could relate to Ezra since they both lost people they care for because of the Empire (and by extent Sidious), but manipulation and harming Ezra’s allies hinder a smoother connection. Even if a force bond was eventually made. Ezra, arguably, could have been what he needed for what he wanted and a possible change/redemption/blank slate only for things not to entirely go as plan.

Could Maul Have Something Along the Lines of PTSD?

Now, I could do a mini theory about this as I’ve speculated that with another character before. It’d be an interesting way to look at Maul’s psychology. It’s one last little avenue I thought I’d address before closing this post out. Of course, it’s worth noting that I am not a Psychology major (as interesting as psychology is). I have, however, done some research.

I do believe that Maul, to some degree, may have PTSD. But instead of exhibiting panic/anxiety, depression or easily startled, Maul has more aggressive tendencies and is easy to anger. He still lives with the trauma of the death of his brother (and mother) and flashbacks of that and other events in his life, I’m sure he’d be effected by.

Conclusion

In conclusion, while I certainly think that Maul is no hero, his life experiences certainly effected what kind of person he became. Being raised as a weapon, abandoned, and tortured would bring any normal person way down. And because that was all Maul knew, I don’t think that entirely means he’s evil. Rather, he’s a character who’s been used and abused to the point that he’s mentally and psychologically broken. Unfortunately, that effects his life in ways that make him arrogant, hateful and obsessive. And when he tries to build bonds later in life, he doesn’t know how to in a way that, while laced in trauma, has manipulative and one sided undertones.

That being said, I feel like I should round out this introspective with a little positive. While he’s definitely been through a lot, Maul is pretty resilient all things considered. He’s cheated death and managed to live through a lot of abuse. The fact that he could keep bouncing back shows just hoe resilient and determined the character is.

#Darth Maul #Star Wars #Rebels #Clone Wars #Movies #Retrospective #Theory #Speculation #Discussion #PTSD?#Chaotic Evil #Maul #Star Wars Rebels #Star Wars Clone Wars #Zabrak #Prequel Trilogy

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empiresmostwanted · 3 years

Note

I see you're doing prompts/requests? Well since I was complaining about the lack of it the other day here's one for you: Cody and Ahsoka being siblings. Maybe playing a prank on Rex or Cody giving Ahsoka advice on being a Commander. I just think we really need more Cody and Ahsoka interaction.

Thank you so much @thisistheendtimes for the request, I really appreciate it – and I love this idea! I tried to include each element of your request without forcing it but it did turn out a little longer than expected haha. It was just so much fun to write! There definitely aren’t enough Ahsoka and Cody interactions in canon, so I hope you enjoy! (P.S. There is now a part two!)

Crossposted on AO3 | Words: 1.1k | Warnings: none

Commander To Commander

21BBY

→

"Anakin and I should return in a rotation or two. Unfortunately, negotiations did not go as planned. We're trusting you both to begin the attack on the Separatist presence there on Katuu, before they try to eliminate the natives."

"You can count on us, General Kenobi," said Commander Cody, at parade rest by the holotable. "The Seppies won't stand a chance."

Ahsoka Tano, beside him, tried to emulate his more easy posture and relaxed expression, but she felt a spike of apprehension at the news from Obi-Wan and her master. She had never led so many men into such dangerous territory without Anakin to guide them, and she was reminded of the battle over Ryloth – which she would have rather forgotten.

"Snips, is everything all right?" Anakin asked. His hologram flickered, but Ahsoka saw the concern on his face, brows pulled in and gaze softened. She tried not to grimace as all eyes trained on her, and she cursed herself for remaining so quiet.

The people of Katuu were depending on the Republic to stand by them and push back the enemy. Ahsoka's guilt and her own doubts wouldn't serve the desert planet, and she didn't want to worry Anakin. So she said, "Yes, Master. Sorry, I've been thinking of strategies all day, and my mind drifted."

Anakin tilted his head, unconvinced.

"Well, then," said Obi-Wan, "keep us informed of your progress—"

"—and may the Force be with you both," Anakin finished, with a wink for Ahsoka.

And the holotable went dark.

"Are you sure everything's okay, Commander?" asked Cody before the silence could settle, his posture relaxing in the wake of the generals' transmission.

She couldn't meet his eyes. "Just a little nervous, I guess. I've never been given so much responsibility before."

"I understand," Cody replied, and he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "I remember the first time I left Tipoca City. Let me tell you, commander to commander: I was so nervous I thought I was going to be sick. All my knowledge of the galaxy beyond Kamino came from the simulations. It didn't take me long to realise the real deal is very different. But one thing I learned is to trust in my training, my brothers, and my general. You've got me, and your men – including Rex – and your presence as a Jedi will be enough to boost morale. You forget how many times you've helped them already."

Ahsoka's eyes grew hot. For the longest time, she'd been under the impression the clone marshal commander wasn't particularly fond of her: falling headfirst into the position of a CO as she had, by proxy of her Padawan status, and despite her complete lack of military training. She wouldn't blame him. This unexpected kindness brought a lump to her throat.

"Cody, thank you," she said, with only the suggestion of a sniffle. "How do you always stay so calm?"

He chuckled, and crossed his arms over his chest. "That's what I've got you believing, is it?"

"You're telling me you're nervous now, too?"

"Well, maybe a little," he admitted.

"But you always look so composed." Was he just humouring her?

"Sometimes it pays to have the best sabacc face in the GAR. And sometimes it's important to let off a little steam."

"How do you let off steam?" she asked, unable to picture the commander of the 7th Sky Corps dancing to the pulsing music in 79's, or kicking back with a cold glass of Calamari xinphar.

He smirked. "Seeing as you brought it up: watch and learn, kid."

Cody raised his wrist comm and spoke into the microphone. "Captain Rex. We're in need of your expert opinion, if you could meet us on the bridge."

The comlink crackled before Rex's voice came through the transmission. Of course, sir. I'll be right there.

"What are you up to?" Ahsoka asked, following Cody out of the communications room and onto the command bridge. It was quiet, the chatter subdued, with most of the crew sleeping through the night shift. They passed the few comms officers on duty and stepped up to the viewport, Katuu and its desert biome filling their view.

"Patience, Commander," Cody replied, the corners of his eyes crinkling. "You'll see."

Ahsoka smiled.

A moment later, Rex stepped through the hatch and walked towards them down the aisle, his white and blue helmet tucked under one arm.

"Commander Tano, Cody," he said upon reaching them. "What did you need me for?"

"Rex, ol' boy." Cody patted his brother on the back and motioned for him to join them at the viewport, passing him a pair of macrobinoculars. "See what you think."

"What am I looking for?"

"That's just it, we're not sure. Over there." And Cody waved his hand in the general direction of Katuu, then watched with something like restrained glee in his expression as Rex brought the scopes to his eyes. It was the most animated Ahsoka had ever seen him.

"I don't spot anything out of the ordinary, Cody," the captain confessed, zooming in, then back out again.

"A little more to your left, I'd say," Ahsoka chimed in, beginning to catch on.

"What are you two—" Rex let out a sigh, and lowered the scopes. Cody was already chuckling, his mouth hidden behind a gloved hand. "Really, Cody? Again?"

Ahsoka shifted to get a closer look at the captain, then burst out laughing when she saw the perfect black circles around his eyes, and the look of resignation on his face. She doubled over, clutching her stomach as tears began to stream down her cheeks.

"Well, I'm glad you two are having fun," said Rex, handing the scopes back to his brother. "But I've got to round up the troops. And Cody, you'd better not have used the permanent stuff this time, or I swear I'll find a way to put you on latrine duty."

Laughing harder than ever, Ahsoka managed to say, "C'mon, Rexter. Lenses would suit you!"

Rex shook his head. In a bid to maintain some of his dignity, he shoved his helmet back on his head and strode from the bridge. But before he did, Ahsoka would have sworn she saw a grudging smile on his lips.

As soon as Ahsoka was able to catch her breath, she said, "Poor Rex."

"Oh, I shouldn't worry about him. It definitely wasn't permanent this time. I'm fairly sure."

"So that's how you let off steam, is it?" she asked. "You prank your brothers."

"Works every time. But if Rex isn't around, a nice cup of tea goes a long way, too."

→ part ii

I hope you enjoyed! This was so much fun to write, but if you have any feedback at all, feel free to pop it in the comments or a private message. And if you have any more prompts/requests, my asks are open! 💜

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animemangasoul · 3 years

Text

My Spot

Summery: 5 times Anakin was possessive of Obi-Wan & the 1 time Obi-Wan was just a (little bit) possessive of him too.

[Or where Anakin's possessiveness might just end up saving the galaxy]

Chapter: 1/6 - Initiate

Here's the thing.

Anakin wasn't a possessive person. He really wasn't. Contrary to what others might say about him, Anakin saw himself as quite the reasonable Jedi when it came to his relationship with the people closest to him. Was he overprotective at times? Sure. Was he a tad aggressive towards those that meant them harm? Most definitely. But possessive? No.

No way.

Anakin was not possessive.

He wasn't.

He just didn't like to share and that definitely wasn't the same thing.

Especially since what he didn't like to share was his force-given position in his chosen people's lives. And why should he ever have to give those spots up, to anyone?

Anakin Skywalker wasn't possessive because he knew where he belonged and as long as no one trespassed into that zone, he was fine. More than fine. Perfect even.

That's why…… this little Twi'lek girl, hell bent on impressing his former Master was….. Well, getting on his kriffing nerves.

Because his place in Padme's life was secure. Because his place in Ahsoka's life was untouchable. And for a time, his place in Obi-Wan's life had felt just about the same, but now……

Now he wasn't so sure anymore, and that made Anakin burn with a sense of jealousy that nearly consumed him. Frustration, anger, fear.

Deep breath. In, out.

He released his emotions into the force.

The Twi'lek girl spun in place, training saber coming down with a thud.

Anakin frowned.

Padme was his angel. The love of his life, his significant other. No one could ever take his spot in her life because he was her husband and they were in love. So while he felt tinge of annoyance whenever she directed her attention to Senators and political figures; smiling brightly, laughing that bell like shimmer of laugh…. While he did feel the tiniest bit of frustration that he wasn't able to keep her attention fully to himself, he understood.

Because Padme was his angel and he was her Knight. And nothing and no one could ever replace him in her life. So he never had to fight for his spot when it came to her.

Just like he didn't have to fight for his spot as Ahsoka's Master.

His Padawan was his Padawan and unless he died, no one else would ever be her Master. No one else would ever be her guide, her protector, her teacher and furious as the Order would be if they knew about it, her older brother. No one would replace him in Snips life because their relationship was unique. Just like his with Padme. He was Ahsoka's Master and she was his Padawan. That would never change unless he let it. And Anakin wasn't about to get himself killed off anytime soon, so he was safe there too.

That only left one person.

Obi-Wan Kenobi.

His Master, well, former Master.

And wasn't that his entire problem.

He hadn't even thought much of it after his Knighting. After all, him and Obi-Wan were still stuck together majority of the time. Being The Team and all that. Which essentially meant that Anakin had never really outgrown his Master no matter how much he liked to throw his Knighthood in his former Master's face whenever he disagreed with him. But it didn't matter how much he disagreed with Obi-Wan, because Obi-Wan was his Master and he was his Master's Padawan. That was their dynamic. That was their relationship. That was Anakin's spot in Obi-Wan's life. It belonged to him……Or it used to.

Not anymore.

And yes, logic dictated that Obi-Wan had every right to take on a new Padawan. Hell, Anakin already had his own; his brilliant Snips, so of course it would only be a matter of time before Obi-Wan got a new one. A brand new, shiny-eyed Padawan. A little youngling to follow him around, nod at everything he said. Hero worshiping him no matter what he did.

It was a logical next step for Obi-Wan…… and yet……

That was Anakin's spot!

He was Padme's husband, Ahsoka's Master and Obi-Wan's Padawan.

That's how it was. That's how it was supposed to be, forever. The biggest portion of their hearts belonged to him. Those titles were his. They've always been.

Padme's husband, Ahsoka's Master and Obi-Wan's Padawan.

Always.

But there his former Master was, silently observing a tiny Twi'lek going through the basic katas of Soresu with such elegance and precision it made him smile; fingers coming up to tug at his beard. "Remarkable," Obi-Wan muttered. "Not many select Soresu as their foundation."

Anakin stiffened. "Well," he said forcing himself to relax and clap his Master cheerfully on the back. "Ever since you climbed your way to fame and glory tons of younglings have taken up Soresu, Master. She isn't the first nor the last I can assure you!"

'She isn't special,' he wanted to hiss instead. 'Everyone knows you prefer Soresu. Of course she would use it to impress you. She knows you're watching!'

But he doesn't. It sounds too bitter and cruel. And Anakin didn't want to come off as defensive or well, judgmental. He just…..

The thought of Obi-Wan patting that Twi'lek child on the head like he used to do to him after a well done mission, the thought of him giving her one of his proud little smiles or comforting her after a horrible nightmare….. The thought of Obi-Wan calling her, Padawan and sharing tea with her…… It made Anakin's stomach coil in disgust.

Why was Obi-Wan even watching these younglings practice? They had so many other relevant things to do, together. Didn't he know Anakin was stressed and needed to talk to him about battle strategies and ship inventory?

"That may be true," his friend finally said, breaking him out of his momentary brooding; and kriffin hell Anakin was becoming more and more like Obi-Wan wasn't he. "But Soresu doesn't come naturally to many. Children rarely have the patient for it," a knowing smirk. "No matter how much they wish to emulate me." Here he winked at Anakin; who did his best to send him a friendly grin back even though his mind was screaming to grab Obi-Wan and get the kriff away from this potential Padawan. "Mie'ilyuda is filled with much potential. Someone ought to nurture that talent," his Master finished.

Anakin swallowed thickly. "How old is she?"

The other man shrugged, eyes still focused like lasers on the child; and oh how Anakin wished to cover his eyes. 'Don't look,' he wanted to say. 'Don't think about it. You're mine mine mine mine.'

"She recently turned twelve."

"Oh," Anakin said, shifting his boots just enough so he could brush his shoulder against Obi-Wan, the light pressure he got back; as his Master leaned into him, making a ghost of a smile slip past his blanket mask of fake interest. "Then she still has time."

"True," Obi-Wan muttered, "It's unfortunate that we will likely be assigned off planet by the end of the week however. I would have liked to observe her more." And there was that something in his voice…..

And yeah, no. Anakin couldn't let him think about this any longer. "Snips wants to learn Jar'Kai," he blurted out. Wincing when Obi-Wan's eyebrows lifted in that silent surprise of his.

"Oh?"

'Well, might as well go all in,' he thought. 'And besides,' Anakin mused to himself. 'Half baked as it was. This little idea slowly taking root in his head wasn't half bad.'

Anakin had always been one to think on his feet anyways. "Yeah," he continued. "She has shown keen interest in it and I thought maybe you could give her some pointers?"

If Obi-Wan could look any more surprised, he probably would. But as quickly as the flicker of pleasure flashed through his eyes for being asked, it was gone instantly. Hidden once more behind a mask of polite curiosity. "I knew Ahsoka wished to learn Jar'Kai," he said slowly. "But I was under the impression you wished to teach her yourself, no?"

Anakin shrugged trying to come across as anything but suspicious. 'Yes,' he thought. 'Yes I wanted to. But this is an emergency and you're better at Jar'Kai then me anyways.'

What was a little time lost with his Padawan to prevent a leach from usurping him as Obi-Wan's one and only apprentice?

"Not really," he said instead. "Last time I tried it….." waving his prosthetic hand helplessly, he smiled ruefully at his former Master." Besides, it's always good to get the basics right before you advance to more complex forms and there aren't any Masters better than you at teaching, Obi-Wan."

Obi-Wan's eyes lit up at that and Anakin warmed from the inside out at the delighted expression his former Master was quickly trying to smooth away. 'Mie'ilyuda could never,' he thought smugly.

"Well then," the other man tugged at his beard, a certain level of shyness making him look almost vulnerable. "It would be my pleasure dear one."

Anakin beamed down at him, arm coming up to throw around his former Master's shoulder and quickly leading him away from the accursed practice room.

True to his word, Obi-Wan devoted his full time in training Ahsoka, with helpful inputs from Anakin here and there, and it was nice, Anakin thought. Watching his former Master gently adjust Ahsoka's grip on her saber and nodding approvingly when she got the moves right. It was really nice.

And if between the war efforts and training Snips, Obi-Wan was too occupied to pay Mie'ilyuda any mind. If by the time they heard back from the Temple, six months had already passed. If Obi-Wan's inquiry about her resulted in them being informed that the little Twi'lek girl had already found a Master, well, that was all a big bowl of coincidence now wasn't it?

"She didn't age out," he thus said in a reassuring, comforting tone to his quiet Master, hand supportively resting on his shoulder.

Obi-Wan's nodded.

"Yes, I am happy for her."

But there was no denying his former Master was disappointed he missed out on choosing her himself. A little tinge of guilt bubbled up and coiled its way around Anakin's heart, but he quickly shoved the feelings deep into the depth of his mind and told himself it was for the best. For now….

"I think I need to brush up on my defense," he said, a playful grin curling at the corner of his mouth. "Mind helping me practice?"

The surprise tendril of fondness that curled around him briefly managed to drown out the shame clawing at Anakin's throat. '

'I have to protect what’s mine.'

"Are you asking me for Soresu lessons, Anakin?"

"What if I am?"

Now the smile dancing on Obi-Wan's lips was unmistakable. "I would be honored dear one."

And as they found themselves back in the training room aboard The Negotiator. As Anakin clumsily took up his Soresu stance, biting back a pleased smile when his former Master 'Always my Master' corrected it carefully, Anakin knew he would never let anyone take his spot in Obi-Wan's heart.

It was his.

Obi-Wan Kenobi was his Master and Anakin was his Padawan.

Forever and always.

The End

I’m currently suffering through a writing block for my [You Are Wanted Obi-Wan Kenobi] fic, so here have some possessively creepy Anakin.

Chapter: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

#Anakin Skywalker #obi wan kenobi #anakin fanfic #star wars #star wars fanfic #fanfic #anakin & obi wan fanfic #anakin & obi wan #my spot #fanfic chapter 1 #anakin being possessive #yes it's unhealthy and hella creepy #but it's fun to write so I'm writing it

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mecomptane · 3 years

Text

Blew up my old laptop so I’m trying to recover things from it. (Okay, a slight exaggeration. Maybe.) Apparently I decided to write Star Wars fic at some point? It’s here for posterity, definitely no beta, can’t guarantee the quality. So, the usual. (Pretty sure this was also a 3am sort of thing.)

Yoda has been Grand Master of the Jedi Order for going on five centuries, alive for nearly nine, and still, sometimes, feels like he's barely one.

It's few and far between, admittedly--history doesn't exactly repeat, no, but the motivations of sapient beings don't particularly change, and once you understand why people make the choices they do, then you can generally guess what any person or group might do in response. It's not flawless and has failed him before, but between lived experience, his strength in the Force, and the Republic having little changed, overall, he's usually right. Or at least, unsurprised.

The Councilors call him unflappable, the Masters and Knights steadfast, and the Padawans and Initiates whisper that he is Ancient and Omniscient.

Yoda, mostly, calls himself tired.

This is a song and dance he knows well, has all but memorized the steps to. Padawans become Knights become Masters and find an Initiate to teach and mentor and raise, the closest they will ever be to children of blood being children of their hearts. Years--in some cases, a decade or more--will weave the two into a knot of compassion and knowledge and reliance (but never attachment), and with the Trials the Master shears their Padawan's braid and the Padawan shears the rope that had once bound them so tightly, and the two walk away, together but inherently separate, to live their lives as sole individuals connected only by the gossamer web and weave of the Force, as all living things do.

Countless have come and gone, all with slightly different steps or rhythms. Not all have been successful. Jedi walk in the light and dream of the sun, but shadowy corners and secrets in darkness are tempting, too intriguing to pass up the chance to investigate. Rare are those who give in; rarer still are those who find their way back. But it does happen, as much as they might wish it otherwise.

Yoda has seen all of them in nearly a millennia, can trace the pattern and knows the steps of that dance, too. Not that of true Sith, no, but the path to becoming a Darksider is identical to that of a Jedi with only a few steps reversed, repeated, skipped over. Once the first misstep occurs, it takes barely any thought to see where and how the dance might change. Will they weave back and forth, between light and darkness? Will they flit into the shadows briefly and find it not to their taste, thereafter choosing only the path strung with the lanterns of faith? Will they stumble into the shadows once, twice, again and again, until the light itself hurts their eyes and they cannot see save anywhere but darkness?

One step, two, a few more--that's all it takes, now, for Yoda to know. He's been wrong, true, but those times were more that he'd given into hope. Hope that they'd find their way into the light, that their dance would one day realign with that of the rest of the Jedi.

So as Yoda sits among the Council, the dimming light of Coruscant's pale setting sun struggling in through the windows, he is thrown. Surprised. Confused.

"I will take him as my Padawan," Qui-Gon Jinn says, hands resting reassuringly on the shoulders of a supernova given form. So bright, so powerful, spilling everywhere with little control, care, or concern. Yoda can barely look.

Behind the duo stands a white dwarf of the Force, the light and warmth turned inward and controlled, peaceful but puissant and exactly like a Jedi should be, but.

But.

"Obi-Wan? He is ready for his Trials."

"Decide that, the Council shall."

In a room of so much light, where the brightest and most powerful Jedi in the galaxy sit in state, there is an undercurrent of shadows. A slight dimming in the corners, a hint of something obscuring the warmth and nurturing rays.

Qui-Gon Jinn. Obi-Wan Kenobi. Anakin Skywalker.

Yoda looks between them and the Council, and wonders.

When he was younger, Yoda delighted in his Padawan learners. That he lived so much longer than any other species or race was a detriment to others, but it allowed him to have generations of Padawans and their Padawans, Grandpadawans and Greatgrandpadawans. Each of his students had siblings, younger or older; each had nieces and nephews; all had someone to fall back on, to speak with, to rely on. To be family with.

Attachment was not the Jedi way, but compassion and selfless love was. All of his students--and their students, so on and so forth--understood that, embraced that.

Eventually he became the Grand Master and became so busy with duties he could not devote the time to another Padawan, to his Lineage as he once did. They understood, relied more on each other, and while some came to him with questions or concerns it was a rarity. And then--somewhere along the lines--it stopped happening altogether. A Lineage was called after the oldest surviving member, but when there were gaps of three, four, ten generations... did one really still count as part of that Lineage? But that was fine, as it should be; the Force is Life and Life is forever changing, growing, renewing. Yoda had learnt at the side of a Master long gone but fondly remembered, now part of the Force; his students, too, memories and trinkets, memorabilia tucked carefully away in a chest in his room, never opened but a reminder nonetheless.

The desire to teach Dooku had been unexpected, unanticipated, almost unappreciated. It had been years since he last had a Padawan learner of his own... but why not? He'd long since turned over immediate day-to-day responsibilities to an aide, now the Master of the Order, and aside from popping in to teach classes or spend time in the creche, he had ample time for a personal student again.

Of course, the way that had turned out... but Dooku's own Padawan, Qui-Gon, had been bright and sensitive to the ways and wills of the Force, and always willing to help another Padawan, always willing to lend an ear or support. Maybe Dooku hadn't turned out as Yoda had hoped, but surely Qui-Gon would be better.

And he was, with Feemor. Maybe not the most in-touch Master, preferring books or research or his plants and animals and following the eddies of the Force invisible to most others, but he cared. He wanted Feemor to succeed, to thrive, as did Yoda. And Feemor did, passing his Trials with little difficulty and much grace; a Jedi Knight to be, surely, proud of.

Xanatos, however....

He'd deserved to be repudiated, true. Yoda had even cautioned Qui-Gon about his second Padawan, having seen the steps and the missteps and the constant swaying between light and dark. A Shadow, he'd suggested. Cautioned. Xanatos could not walk in the light, not like Feemor, but enough light he had in him to walk in both, to be a Shadow of their Order. Qui-Gon hadn't listened, still too proud, too arrogant, after Feemor.

In the end, Xanatos became a Darksider. Qui-Gon, as custom and duty and common sense demanded, repudiated him. But not just him, no, for if he'd gone so wrong with Xanatos, surely Feemor, too, was secretly not what he appeared to be? And so Feemor had suffered for his younger brother's choices, for Qui-Gon's pride and lack of attention to detail, for his desperation to not stain or blemish the Lineage of the Grand Master.

Two students, one Jedi Knight, one Darksider. Two repudiations, one earned, one not.

Qui-Gon had sworn off all further students, had nearly been convinced to take another, had rejected them in the end. The Force had brought them back together, and Qui-Gon could not ignore such a sign, but--

Obi-Wan is quiet in the Force. As a child he'd been as a river, calmly flowing one minute and the tempestuousness of white water the next, but always moving, always steady. As a babe... Yoda remembers the young human, presumed Stewjoni, being brought into the Hall of Healing for the first time, so young and already so part of the Force it had nearly wrapped around him. Not a vergence, not power, but a pin in an ever-changing tapestry, a marble dropped into the center of a taught sheet, a boulder in the middle of the river he'd become part of.

Chaos in the midst of calm, or the calm waters of the eye of a storm?

Obi-Wan learnt the steps of those around him, learnt to dance between light and darkness with Quinlan Vos and somewhere along the lines chose to remain in the light. But these were not his steps, Yoda could see. They were the steps of the Masters, the Knights, the Padawans, even other Initiates; they were what should be, what Kenobi himself clearly wanted to do, to be, but were copied from others, a reflection of truth and not what actually was.

The only times Yoda could remember Obi-Wan stepping out on his own, trying to make his own dance--Melida/Daan. Mandalore. Qui-Gon had either left him alone or with minimal guidance, and without the framework of the Order to guide him, Obi-Wan had fallen back on what he believed to be right, to be the will of the Force. Protect the Young. Protect the Duchess. Stop a war. (Even if it meant fighting.)

Obi-Wan wouldn't be happy strictly as a Peacekeeper, no. He had the knack for it, a skill with words and negotiations that most Masters could only wish for, but the boy's heart--his desire--was to defend and protect that which was Good.

And now, here. Naboo.

Qui-Gon's body lays in repose in the next room, waiting for the sunset and the pyre. Obi-Wan kneels before him, a Knight in a Padawan's garb, and while he never fails to make eye contact, there's a careful guard to it.

Peacekeepers do not kill, after all. Jedi are Peacekeepers; ergo, for all that he's tried to emulate them, Obi-Wan Kenobi is not a Peacekeeper. Not a Jedi.

He's a protector, and Yoda can see him realizing this even as he kneels and Yoda paces, otherwise in perfect silence.

Protectors need things to protect, things to cherish, attachments. How do you value something enough to protect it while maintaining a necessary distance? Even the Sentinels, guards as they are, keep their distance from their charges, no matter how many Younglings jump around and climb them and offer them sweets and pies.

"...even if I must leave the Order, I will train the boy."

And there is both the problem and the solution. Qui-Gon did a disservice to his student, leaving him to find his way alone. Even now, in death, Qui-Gon cannot complete the ritual to break their bond, to cut their ties so Obi-Wan may move forward alone. Yet it's clear that between the Council chamber and the reactor, the bond between them had already begun to unravel. Now what ritual there might be--it wouldn't have mattered, anyway. A sham, a farce, to be done with, if it would even happen at all.

Not that they didn't care about each other--no, he'd seen enough of them together to know that they did, but it was the care between two Knights or two Masters, not teacher-and-student, not father-and-son. Removed, careful, expecting and understanding that each could exist without the other ever in their lives again, but grateful for this brief opportunity to spend time beside each other.

So maybe Qui-Gon was right, in the end: maybe Obi-Wan had been ready for his Trials, having been acting the part of Knight already. No Trials now, Darth Maul's death is more than enough to count, and no ritual Knighting. Just the burning of a body... and the decision of a Knight to train a boy he barely knows.

A boy for the first time away from family and friends and familiarity, a boy... much like Obi-Wan once was, if only Yoda had paid more attention. A boy that, like Obi-Wan, will need to find his own path through life, his own steps through light and dark that might--will--be different from any Yoda has seen before.

A boy that, for right now, needs less guidance and more care. More compassion. More... protection.

It goes against the teachings of the Jedi, to encourage attachments. But Yoda looks at Obi-Wan, feels out for the boy on the other side of the door keeping vigil over his once would-be Master's body, and knows the will of the Force, too.

"Train the boy, you shall," he decrees, and blames the rest of the Council. "A Knight, you are."

Obi-Wan bows his head, like he'd expected nothing less, like he's grateful they're in accord and he won't have to fight for it.

And like he'd never expected a Knighting, a ritual, a ceremony.

Yoda watches him quietly enter the next room, kneel down beside Anakin Skywalker and join the silent vigil. Sees Anakin lean into him, just slightly. Sees Obi-Wan pause, then wrap one arm loosely around small shoulders.

No, he decides, turning his back on what's left of his Lineage. They'll make new dances, a new path, and he won't recognize a single step of it.

And he feels the slightest hint of relief.

#sw #star wars #meco writes #fic:Untitled (The Disaster Lineage Needs a Hug and Yoda Knows it)#yoda #lots of introspection #and what actually falls in a timeline is #set towards the end of tpm #it's been a while since i've posted here #what is even my tag structure again?

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powerfulharmony · 3 years

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Powerful Harmony-Part 11

It didn’t take long for Ahsoka and Obi-wan to get involved, as well. As Ahsoka ran off to assist Sokka and Suki, Obi-wan fought off the Heartless with Toph, Zuko and Aang. The more they fought together, the more they learned about each other and the closer they have become. Toph, Zuko and Aang came together and fought beside Master Kenobi, each with pleasing grins on their faces. Obi-wan: “I have to admit, you’re all pretty good for a group of kids.” Aang: “Thanks, Master Kenobi! You’re not half bad yourself.” Zuko: “It’s good to know we have someone like you on our side, Obi-wan.” Toph: “I’ll say, not bad for someone who’s powerless against the Heartless.” Zuko: “I wouldn’t say that; not completely, at the very least.” Toph: “You’re right! I think I’m more than OK with being wrong for once.” Obi-wan: “I wouldn’t put too much emphasis on it, my friends.”

More and more Heartless came in from everywhere. They were soon outnumbered and quickly surrounded. Toph: “Grr! Heartless everywhere!” Zuko: “This is crazy! We can’t take on all of them at once!”

As the Heartless struck, Obi-wan held both his arms out and held back all of the Heartless with the use of his Force powers. Toph, Zuko and Aang looked up at Obi-wan and observed as he struggled to hold back all of them. Toph: “Obi-wan! What are you doing!?!” Obi-wan: “Giving you all of fighting chance! Now go! I don’t know how long I can keep this up!” Zuko: “You heard him! Let’s take them all out!”

Toph and Aang nodded and lunged out. They moved quickly, taking down all of the Heartless with the use of their bending and Keyblades. Obi-wan continued to struggle. Obi-wan: “Hurry! I’m beginning…to lose my…grip!”

Toph, Aang and Zuko worked as fast as they could. With each Heartless that they took out, more of them kept coming. Toph: “It’s no use; they just keep coming!” Zuko: “I’m guessing it obvious that we can’t do this alone.”

The clone troopers grew anxious as they kept watching. Cody: “It’s no use! They can’t keep fighting against all of these creatures forever!” Rex: “What can we do about it? We’re no match against them. At least those kids stand a fighting chance.” Cody: “Well, we must do something! Even the Jedi know that they don't stand much of a chance against these creatures and they’re risking their lives helping those kids. At this rate, our last hope will be wiped out within a matter of minutes.”

Rex looked out and watched as the benders and the Jedi struggled during their fight. Rex: “Alright, I guess we have no other choice. Men, let’s back up the Jedi and the, uh…Benders.” Troopers: “Sir, yes, sir!”

The clone troopers ran out into the battle. They stood by and shot at many of the Heartless. Ahsoka stopped to observe them. Ahsoka: “What are you doing!?! You don’t stand a chance against these creatures!” Rex: “Neither do you, but that didn’t stop you from running in and fighting them head on.” Ahsoka: “Um…point well taken. Just…try to be careful and don’t get near any of them. We still don’t know what they’re capable of.” Rex: “Roger that! You heard her, men! Target all of those creatures and don‘t ever let them get the better of you!” Troopers: “Sir! Yes, sir!”

The troopers then shot out at the Heartless again. Ahsoka, Suki and Sokka ran out and fought off each of the Heartless that are being targeted by the clone troopers. Just then, Cody began to notice something strange about Sokka and Suki. Cody: “Hey! You! Young man clad in blue!”

Sokka turned around and looked at Cody. Sokka: "Who? Me?" Cody: “Yes, you! How come you and that girl in green aren’t doing what your other friends are doing with the rocks and water and…the…other…natural elements?” Sokka: “You mean Bending? Sorry, Suki and I can’t do any of that! We’re not Benders!” Cody: “What? But I thought all of you were capable of doing all of that stuff.” Sokka: “Well…not really. It’s a long story and I’d rather not get involved with telling it at the moment.” Cody: “Right! Understood! Sorry to bother you!” Sokka: “Oh, sure, no problem, it’s not like we’re in the middle of a battle against dangerous creatures from another dimension or anything!”

Sokka went back to fighting. Cody: “What an odd young man.”

The troopers continued shooting. Along the way, Anakin and Obi-wan noticed the Clone Troopers were participating in the fight. Anakin:“What? Have the clone troopers lost their minds?” Obi-wan: “No, I think they’re trying to help us. The situation has escalated more than even we could keep up, the Heartless keep outnumbering us more than we can keep up…”

Just then, Obi-wan noticed something. Obi-wan: “Anakin, look!”

Anakin looked over and noticed that the clone troopers shot at the Heartless, causing them to become more sluggish. Anakin: “The Heartless! They’re… weakening? But that…that’s never happened before! How is this possible?”

Obi-wan began to ponder. Obi-wan: “How, indeed? Hm…I wonder?”

Obi-wan then pulled out his Lightsaber; he slashed one of the Heartless nearby. He was shocked to see that he was able to penetrate it. The Heartless went all wobbly and weak, but then went right back to normal. Obi-wan: “Strange; how come I was never able to do that? Hm… could it be…”

He looked over towards the benders who were still fighting. Obi-wan: “No, this can’t be a coincidence. It fits together all too well.” Anakin: “What are you suggesting; can we destroy these things with our weapons now?”

Obi-wan shook his head. Obi-wan: “No, Anakin, I don’t think we can destroy them, but I believe we have gained an ability to weaken these creatures.” Anakin: “But how and why did we just receive this just now?” Obi-wan: “I believe we have our Bender friends to thank for this. Whatever force is emulating from those weapons of their, our weapons seem to be taking it in.”

Anakin pulled out his Lightsaber and grinned. Anakin: “I have no idea what any of that means and I don’t care! We can penetrate these creatures and that’s good enough for me!”

Anakin rushed over and started slashing every Heartless he comes across. Obi-wan: “There he goes again.”

Obi-wan ran out and reunited with Toph, Zuko and Aang. It didn’t take the benders long to realize that something strange was happening to the Heartless. Katara: “What…what is going on here, it seems almost like the Heartless are getting weaker and weaker.”

She looked over to Anakin, who was slashing each Heartless one by one, she soon noticed that they were weakening. Katara: “Anakin…what is…?” Anakin: “I don’t know what this is, not exactly, but this is the first time that I had a chance to fight back and now, we’re much closer to ridding the galaxy of these Heartless than we would have ever thought possible. Let’s destroy these things!” Katara: “Right!”

They leapt out and continued fighting. Obi-wan regrouped with Toph, Zuko and Aang. Toph: “Obi-wan!” Aang: “What was the hold up?” Obi-wan: “Sorry, I was…conjuring up a very interesting hypothesis.” Zuko: “You sure picked a fine time to start working on a theory; maybe you should save that for after this fight is over.” Obi-wan: “Oh, I assure you, Zuko; this one is indeed very important.” Toph: “OK, then, fill us in, what is this theory that you’ve been working on?” Obi-wan: “This!”

Obi-wan lunged towards one of the Heartless and slashed it with his Lightsaber. The Heartless then became depleted and lost all will to fight. Zuko: “Whoa…” Aang: “No way!” Toph: “Why didn’t you try that earlier?” Obi-wan: “It never worked until just now.” Aang: “But, this doesn’t make any sense, our Keyblades were the only things that could harm them. Now your weapons are working on them, too?” Obi-wan: “Yes, I believe your weapons are providing some sort of strange power that enables our weapons to penetrate these creatures.” Aang: “Well, when you put it that way…that does make sense…I guess…” Toph: “I don’t think so.” Zuko: “It doesn’t matter, whatever it is, it means that now you guys have the upper hand.” Toph: “Great, whatever, you can harm these things now, let’s just get on with bringing the hurt on them already!” Obi-wan: “Yes, let’s not waste any more time.”

They moved out and continued on the fight.

#Ultimate Story 4 #Ultimate Story spin-off #Star Wars the Clone Wars #Avatar the Last Airbender #Aang #Zuko #Obi-Wan Kenobi #Toph #Ahsoka Tano #Sokka #Captain Rex #Commander Cody #Clone Troopers #Coruscant

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annoyedfanfiction · 4 years

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the chosen (7)

qui-gon x reader

“I will not be part of this.” Your world shattered around you as you spoke. Even after so long away from it, the Jedi Order was your home. “Master (L/N), surely you see that this is a precarious situation,” Koth put in, condescendingly. “The Jedi Order defends peace and prosperity in the Galaxy, we may have need for soldiers in the coming years.” “We are not weapons, Master Koth,” you snapped back, voice icy. “We fight when we must, but we do not bring war to the galaxy. And we certainly don’t use soldiers who have no option but to be willing.” “Enough!” Mace interrupted, cutting across Koth’s reply. “(L/N), what you have reported to us indicates we have an army of soldiers willing to fight or die for us. That is their purpose.” “So, slaves, you mean,” you put in, drawing yourself up to your full height and releasing your hold on your Force presence. You knew from the audible gasps that the Councillors could see it. “This is an army of slaves. We know nothing of them – Cloning is physical, it does not emulate personality, and we cannot know if the Sith have further tampered with them.” You gestured to Dooku, still cowered at your feet, his eyes burning yellow. “Besides, the Jedi are not immune to the disputes of the Galaxy, or does our most prestigious Count not prove that well enough for you? The Jedi cannot be handed an army of men who would do anything they say at any cost and not be affected. Today, we defend peace and prosperity in the Galaxy. Tomorrow, we may defend our own rule over it.” You cast one last look around the Council chambers, then threw the doors open and stormed out. “That went well,” Mace muttered, sinking into his chair. “She is a fool if she believes we will survive this without fighting!” Koth put in, angrily. “Are you going to say that to her face?” Koon asked, relaxed in his chair as Koth thrashed forward from his own. “Because I wouldn’t be most inclined to after what we just saw.” He looked to Yoda, who had not spoken since you had returned. “How long have you known? And what then of the Skywalker boy?”

“You proposed using an army of slaves and expected her to react other than by leaving?” Qui-Gon deadpanned, gaze sweeping around the Council room as Mace avoided his eyes. “Excellent. Do you have anything further to say?” Obi-Wan shifted uncomfortably beside him, and Anakin was glaring at the shifting Koth as though the man had personally offended him. Qui-Gon was pretty sure he had, in fact, personally offended him by calling (Y/N) a fool, but he wasn’t going to comment. “Your opinion on the Clones?” Koon inquired, thoughtfully. “The Galaxy is in more turmoil than has been seen since the Republic formed,” Qui-Gon said, gravely. “If we are to defend the Republic, I will not condemn it. But I will not fight alongside soldiers who have no option outside of this war. And I will not bring children into battle or endanger civilian lives by bringing my wars into their homes.” He paused, inclined his head thoughtfully, and spoke once more. “This would also take great discretion on the part of the Council in choosing its commanders. A lightsaber in the wrong hands is dangerous enough, an army could destroy everything we stand for.” He waited, silently, hands folded behind his back as his words sank in. “Dismissed,” Yoda offered, eventually, seeing the slight impatient tick in his composure. “If you can, (L/N) find.” “Yes Master.” He bowed his head, once, then swished out, Anakin and Obi-Wan close behind him.

He found you where he had expected to: the highest room in the Temple, a small, bare wooden mezzanine in its domed attic, beside a circular window flooded in the setting sun of Coruscant. You didn’t look up as he approached, but your glow strengthened, melding in with the warm light around you. “Qui-Gon,” you greeted, quietly, not daring to look at him. “(Y/N),” he answered, steadily. “You heard?” you asked, finally raising your eyes to his face. “I have heard many things since you left,” he replied, cryptically, taking a seat beside you. “But yes, I heard about the Clones.” “And what do you think?” Your face was creased with worry, fear, confusion. “I think I owe you an apology before we can even begin to discuss a war policy,” he stated, evenly. “I’m sorry I didn’t understand. I’m sorry I did exactly what you feared I would.” “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,” you answered, reaching for his hands. “I couldn’t, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have lied–“ “It’s not your fault.” His hands were warm when he cupped your face, pressing a gentle kiss to your forehead. “What Dyas did to you is unforgivable, and I am sorry that I could not see past my own hurt to see yours.” “Mine is in the past,” you disputed, pulling away from him. “And it’s not like you didn’t have it worse with Dooku and–“ “It’s alright, love,” he soothed, once again pressing you closer to him, letting you lean into the warmth he offered. “It’s all alright now. We’re both here.” He let your tears and his own dry before he moved again, each of you taking comfort in the other. “I love you,” you murmured, vaguely, into his neck. “I love you too,” he answered, turning his head to place a kiss on your temple. “But we really should go and find the boys. They’ll be worried sick.”

“What are you going to do?” Obi-Wan asked, once you were all settled in Qui-Gon’s apartment, you and Anakin snuggled on the couch with Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon in the two chairs opposite you. You sighed, pulling Anakin closer. “I see the sense in having the power to defend the Republic,” you murmured, fiddling Anakin’s hair in and out of a small braid. “But I will not fight with soldiers who have no choice. I want to get to know these men, beyond being clones and soldiers, before we throw them into a war. As for choosing commanders among the Jedi…we are not incorruptible. There must be a check – something that prevents the wrong hands from throwing the Republic into disarray.” “Not to mention something must be done about the state of the Republic as it stands,” Qui-Gon added, sipping his tea. “The Separatists have not come from nothing – they are citizens of the Galaxy, hurting and disillusioned, because we are not doing enough. The state of Tatooine…” He trailed off, staring into the teacup as though trying to divine the answer in the dark liquid. “And Naboo,” Obi-Wan pointed out, thoughtfully. “The Trade Federation is stronger than we could have predicted, and the defeat on Naboo will not put it off.” You hummed, thoughtfully, untangling Anakin’s hair and running your fingers through it, smoothing the blond locks. “Do you think we’re going to war?” the young boy asked, fearfully. “Not yet,” you assured him, gently, pulling him closer. “And hopefully not at all.” You pressed a soft kiss into his hair, then looked up at the other two. “Dinner?”

#baby anakin #young obi-wan #qui gon #qui-gon #qui gon x reader #qui-gon x reader #qui gon jinn #qui-gon jinn #qui-gon lives #qui gon jinn x reader #qui-gon jinn x reader #clone army #clone wars #jedi #jedi order #star wars #star wars prequels #the jedi council is full of shit

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thought-42 · 4 years

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Clone Wars Fic Day Three

Today in the pointless modern au: Obi-Wan goes skating! And then he goes to a hospital! A fun Friday night for everyone. (also listen sometimes Easter falls in March) Part One

Part Two

Obi-Wan goes to the Starbucks team building mandatory fun skating night with full intentions of being present just long enough to cement his willing and enthusiastic participation. He can think of minimally six better things to be doing with his time on a Friday night, and he's only going because their manager had overheard Quinlan mocking the whole production and Obi-Wan had been caught in the fallout.

"Don't worry," Quin says, yanking the laces on his rented skates tight with a grunt, "I'll catch you if you fall."

"I'm perfectly capable of skating, thank you," Obi-Wan says primly. He's brought a pair of skates that he'd found in Qui-Gon's storage room, and wishing fervently that he had just spent the money to rent. The skates are stiff and rusted and slightly too small.

"Hey, I have actually been skating in the past six years and I'm not confident in my ability to stay on my feet," Quin says. "I'm just saying, there's no shame in falling."

Obi-Wan stares at him. Quin sighs. "Ok, there's a little shame. This is what I get for trying to be a supportive friend."

Obi-Wan gets out on the ice with only a slight wobble, and he and Quin take to one of the trails leading away from the main rink to attempt to distance themselves from the rest of their coworkers, all of whom have clearly pregamed with no thought to the consequences.

There are fairy lights strung up in the trees, and aggressively upbeat pop music being piped in from somewhere. Obi-Wan focuses on keeping himself poised and steady, only swerving to avoid the occasional small child. He hasn't skated since he was a teenager, and it doesn't so much come back to him as he watches the people around him, emulates what they do, and doesn't fall down.

"Probably," Quin puffs out from ahead of him, "this is supposed to be romantic or charming or peaceful."

Obi-Wan, who can already feel his feet aching and is currently passing through a swarm of yelling children and their equally loud parents, says "You simply have no appreciation for the subtler, more sophisticated pleasures in life."

They make it down the trail, back up, across the rink, through smalltalk with the other staff, and to the edge of the rink before Obi-Wan's luck and/or skill fail him. An elderly man steps out onto the ice and teeters alarmingly, one arm flailing out to keep his balance. Obi-Wan's hands go forward to help and his head jerks back to avoid the waving limbs and suddenly he's staring up at the night sky and gasping for breath and his ankle is twisted up under his body in a way that shouldn't be physically possible. He uses the snowbank along the edge of the rink to haul himself first to kneeling, then, cautiously, to standing. Nothing feels particularly stabbed, so he thinks it's safe to say that he managed not to land directly on his blade. His ankle, on the other hand, stabs a bolt of pain up through his whole leg so sharp that he feels his stomach lurch. He stumbles onto the snow, and then over to a bench, swearing mentally because there are really just an unnecessary number of children about.

"Shit," Quin says, clearly less concerned with strangers' disapproval. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine," Obi-Wan says. "But I think that's quite enough skating for one night."

"Yeah," Quin says. "I'll get our boots. I needed to head out anyway."

"Thank you," Obi-Wan says, uncharacteristically willing to accept the unnecessary kindness. He undoes his skates and pokes gingerly at his ankle. The pain when he touches it is white hot and sharp, but nothing looks blatantly out of place, which is better than he was expecting.

Quin drops his boots and guards in front of him, already wearing his own, skates obviously returned. "Are you sure you're ok?"

"Yes," Obi-Wan says, waving him off.

Quin looks unconvinced, but at Obi-Wan's reassuring smile he relaxes. "Ok. Well, I'm off to get fucked up with some old ladies for Easter Bingo, wish me luck."

Obi-Wan stares. "I'm really not sure *what* to wish you for this occasion."

Quin winces. "Yeah, I honestly have no idea what I'm walking in to, but I've been assured there'll be sherry and at least one other person under seventy. And how could I possibly refuse an offer like that?"

Obi-Wan chuckles. "Please do feel free to send updates as your evening progresses."

He waits until Quin is gone to stand up, just in case, and is glad he did when he has to catch himself on the back of the bench, shifting all his weight onto his uninjured ankle quickly.

"Well," he says under his breath. "This is inconvenient." He forces himself away from the rink, glad as he gets further away from the lights and crowd as he staggers along, swearing no longer kept inside his head. The footpath to the parking lot is slippery, and he almost falls again. Once he's gotten across the parking lot it's only a block to the bus stop. Practically nothing. Walking it off is probably the best thing he can do, anyway.

He's almost through the parking lot when he slips and has to catch himself on the back of someone's truck. Headlights flare in the dark behind him, and he hears a group of people coming up from the path, jovial and loud. He braces himself for his next step, sucking in air between his teeth.

"Obi-Wan?"

He freezes. It's not anyone he works with, but the voice is still definitely familiar.

"Obi-Wan! I wasn't sure if it was you, sorry. Were you skating?"

It's Rex's brother Cody standing behind him, all bundled up in a sensible parka and gloves, bright green hat tucked down over his ears and skates slung over his shoulder. He looks unforgivably happy.

"Yes, hello, I was," Obi-Wan says. His own skates are jammed awkwardly into his backpack along with his tablet and travel mug and three books and a bag of clementines he keeps forgetting to take out, and the weight is doing his balance no favours. He attempts to straighten up and has to bite down hard on his lip to stifle a gasp of pain. Even the brief moment of stillness has somehow made moving newly painful.

"Are you alright?" Cody asks, sharply.

"Fine, yes, just had a bit of a fall on the ice," Obi-Wan says, projecting gentle self-effacing amusement as hard as he can. "A bit of a sore ankle I've been walking off."

Cody frowns. "That seems like the exact opposite of what you should be doing with a hurt ankle. Can I help you to your car, at least?"

Obi-Wan waves him off, and forces himself to stand up straight. "I'm just going to the bus stop down the way," he says. "It's very close, I'm quite alright."

"I can drive you to whatever clinic you're going to," Cody says.

"That's very kind, but I'm quite alright. A good night's sleep and I'm sure it won't even hurt." He means to illustrate this by walking calmly away, but instead he stumbles over a chunk of ice that's fallen off the nearby truck and in catching his balance puts all his weight down hard on the offending ankle. The edges of his vision go hazy for a moment, and suddenly Cody is there, arm going around him to support his weight and steady him.

"Yeah, you definitely seem fine," he says. "If you don't want me to drive you, is there someone I can call? Qui-Gon?"

"Good God, absolutely not," Obi-Wan says, aghast. "I really am fine, just a bit of a stumble--"

"Oy! Codes, what're you doing over there? It's bloody cold out here!" a young voice shouts from across the parking lot.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm sure you're suffering," Cody calls back. "Listen, Boba, can you get a ride with dad? I've just met up with a friend and I'm going to give him a lift."

"That's fine," another voice joins in. "I'd be happy to drive forty-five minutes out of my way, thanks for volunteering me, son, you were always my favourite. Don't mind me, just a tired old man..."

"Cheers," Cody says, sunnily, and begins hustling obi-wan down the row of cars to a tiny Prius.

"Truly, there's no need for a clinic," Obi-Wan says, half falling into the car.

"mmhm," says Cody, texting intently with one finger. It's possibly more painful than the ankle having to watch his slow progress.

The phone vibrates a few seconds later, and Cody nods. "Kix says you should get a doctor to take a look."

"Fucking pardon me?"

Cody shrugs, tosses his phone in the cup holder, and starts the car.

They get stuck waiting a good two hours before anyone will see Obi-Wan, but he takes a few Tylenol and pulls out his tablet when it becomes clear Cody doesn't plan on forcing smalltalk.

About an hour in to their wait, his phone buzzes in his pocket and he pulls it out, hoping for ridiculous photos from Quin, but it's Anakin's name that graces his lock screen.

'did you seriously break your ankle'

"Really?!" Obi-Wan hisses, then types back

'It's not broken, Anakin. Sprained, at the most. How did you find out?'

'Rex told me', Anakin says, and then, 'don't worry I texted qui-gon'.

'You absolutely did not.', obi-Wan responds, a pit opening up in his stomach. Before Anakin responds, a different thread pops up on his screen. It's Tahl, this time.

'Obi-Wan! Which clinic are you at? Have you been seen yet?'

Furious, Obi-Wan types back. 'I AM FINE, DO NOT BLOODY COME TO THE Clinic I ASSURE YOU I AM AN ADULT.' He sends it in capslock because he knows she's at a library fundraiser dinner and will be using her braille display to text under the table instead of the screenreader on her phone, so the full effect of his rage will be appropriately communicated.

beside him, Cody says "You're not secretly on the run from your family, right?"

"Excuse me?"

"Rex may have... gotten ahead of himself in sharing information."

"I'm already aware," Obi-Wan sighs. "If Qui-Gon's wife skips out on work to come sit in a chair beside me in a waiting room I'll never hear the end of it, but no, I have no serious problem with them knowing. And calling them my family may be a bit of a stretch."

"I'm just going to let that one pass," Cody says, briskly. Obi-Wan's name gets called, finally, and Cody stands to offer support before Obi-Wan can stop him. Deciding his dignity will take a harder hit if he has to stumble his way across the room, he accepts Cody's assistance. The nurse doesn't seem interested in offering her own help, nor does she seem concerned that Cody is accompanying Obi-Wan into the exam room.

Obi-Wan scrambles, undignified, onto the bed, paper crinkling under him. Cody glances around uncertainly, shifts towards the door, then shakes his head, straightens his back, and sits down in one of the two extra chairs in the corner. Obi-Wan thinks perhaps it would be rude to ask him to leave, and there's no particular reason to do so. Perhaps it will even be helpful if Cody hears from a medical professional that he hasn't fucking broken his ankle.

"It's a hairline fracture," the doctor says. Cody arches an eyebrow. Obi-Wan glares. "Keep weight off of it for a few days, then slowly start increasing use. Nothing intense for the next two months, and if you even suspect the pain is getting worse or something doesn't feel right, come back right away. This isn't serious, but it could be if you don't take care of it right."

Cody's eyebrow, unencumbered by the laws of physics, gets higher. Obi-Wan is going to break his face and nobody will believe him when he explains that it was justified.

Humiliatingly, the doctor gives the proscription and care instructions to Cody.

Back in Cody's car, Cody says "We can drop this off at the pharmacy and pick up a few ice packs while we're there."

"Oh, no, no, you don't need to worry about-- what makes you think I don't have icepacks? Or at least ice. Frozen vegetables. I am an adult, contrary to what everyone this evening seems to think."

Cody pulls out of the parking stall and clicks the dial to connect his phone to the car's bluetooth. "Well, do you?"

Obi-Wan glares. "There's plenty of snow and ice built up on my balcony, and I have a plastic bag full of plastic bags like any respectable human."

"what's your address?" Cody says.

Obi-Wan says, "I'm fine, honestly--"

Cody coasts to a stop at a red light and types out a text so quickly Obi-Wan wonders for a moment if he'd imagined it. "Never mind, I'm asking Anakin," Cody says. Obi-Wan slumps in his seat.

#Obi Wan Kenobi #Commander cody #Codywan #tumblrfic tag #star wars why?

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dontcallmecarrie · 5 years

Text

Standing On the Edge

stress writer + extreme stress + writer’s block for the stuff I actually want to write = me realizing I made a mistake, when trying to think of the absolute worst day Ben Organa Solo could have.

Well, sort of. Here, have a shatterpoint, it’s been a while. Under the cut, because RIP mobile users otherwise.

Ben Organa Solo had Seen Things. Had seen a lot of things, had been running from his demons for the better part of his life, had gotten into bar fights on Canto Bight and shot at pirates in hyperspace and yelled at Force ghosts on Korriban and Malachor, had helped take down the kriffin’ First Order. By all rights, nothing should be able to surprise him by now.

Yet—

This was a new one.

He swallowed hoarsely as he looked around and faces he’d only ever seen in his dreams, and bit back the urge to punch the wall, scream, anything.

Oh, come on.

Ben had long since been made aware of whose armor he’d apparently found, oh so long ago [it’d saddled him with that stupid, ridiculous name, how could he not?] but...

Well, he had already known the galaxy was still recovering from the fall of the Jedi. But it was one thing to be academically aware of something, and another to have said knowledge be forced in your face via the lightsaber he’d hastily had to deflect because—

Purple lightsaber clashed against purple, and Ben took a nanosecond to process his shock before he ripped off his mask with his other hand before things could escalate even more because this was a nightmare and the absolute worst way he could think of meeting his heroes [the only heroes who had never disappointed him].

“Hey, hey, I know this looks bad but I’m not him!”

His Force presence was a roiling stormcloud, he had a purple lightsaber and the armor of the Revanchist on some godforsaken battlefield and Sithspit he had not thought this through.

The only way things could be worse would be if—

A faint hum was the only warning Ben had before he ducked under the other lightsaber as he put his mask back. The other, annoyingly familiar blue lightsaber and kriff that was Skywalker.

...Ben could not kill him. No, he couldn’t kill the man who’d featured in the worst of his childhood nightmares, even if he wanted to deny any connection to the bastard he still wanted to be born and he must be really, really feeling like a Sith in the Force right now if the way they were eyeing him was any clue.

Do not screw with the space-time continuum, do not, do not—

So of course that’s when a platoon of droids find them.

Of kriffing course.

Jedi General Mace Windu was very, very alarmed to see the newcomer, and it was only partly because of who he resembled.

Nor was it the way the stranger’s Force presence had darkened even more at the sight of Skywalker, or the color of his lightsaber.

No, Mace Windu’s main concern was the ease with which he had turned to face the droids— his blood ran cold when he saw the figure outstretch a hand, and decimated them with an ease that spoke of years of practice and control.

He recognized it immediately, of course. [How could he not, when he himself had been the only one of his generation to have possessed said ability as well?]

Shatterpoint.

Ben kept his shoulders squared and lightsaber at the ready, even as he lowered his hand. He did not like the way the Jedi were looking at him— Mace Windu[!!!] had ill-disguised shock in his eyes, while Skywalker had stiffened after the first of the clankers had started falling [the hypocrite]. In the distance, he could hear clone troopers approaching and registering the disturbance as well— they’d probably arrive in a few minutes.

So much for subtlety.

Rey was never going to let him hear the end of it. Ben could almost hear Finn’s laughter, too, and the pang of homesickness came on the heels of the realization of how strained their bond felt, stretched between time and space as it was.

[He just wanted to go home.]

“Who are you?” Skywalker asked in suspicion, and Ben tamped down on what irritation he hadn’t managed to channel into his attack.

No need to escalate this, these were allies.

He turned to address Mace Windu, out of spite. “General Mace Windu. May I trouble you in asking what the date is? I do believe I’m a bit lost.”

aka the one where Ben crash-lands the Clone Wars. Cue internal screaming.

On the plus side, his childhood dreams [and nightmares], plus his being a history buff, mean that he’s very much on the ball as far as politicking and tactics go. Plus whenever Anakin’s not in the picture, Ben is highkey fanboying over everything and everyone he meets [Mace Windu! The 187th! Obi-Wan Kenobi! The 212st! Plo Koon! The Wolfpack! Bail Organa! Mon Mothma!] because these were his childhood heroes, the people whose deeds and morals he aspired to emulate when he was at his lowest points. He’s seeing and interacting with people he’d only ever seen in his dreams, and for the first time in his life, he meets his heroes and they don’t end up disappointing him even once.

...whenever he’s not scaring the crap out of them, anyway, because he refuses to remove his mask in case anyone spots the resemblance between him and Anakin. Which, combined with the armor he’s also not inclined to take off anytime soon [dude crash-landed in the middle of a war zone, what do you expect?], and you get a lot of heart attacks whenever he meets someone new.

A lot of ‘oh shit that’s Darth Revan!’ moments, with the Jedi, and multiple kidnapping attempts from the Separatists because of that very same reason. Because Ben refuses to set foot on Coruscant as long as the Supreme Chancellor’s on it, and Palpatine is very...intrigued by these reports.

Unfortunately for him, Ben takes one look at what’s going on, and goes “okay you know what? I didn’t want to make waves but clearly this is an alternate timeline so screw it, let’s see how much I can fix”.

If this universe doesn’t get a Ben, well at least they’re still going to be minus an Empire, so he’ll take it.

Even if the Jedi are slightly horrified by how chill he is about the prospect, because what the hell. Made even worse as the story continues tumbling out, about Order 66 [by the way, turns out that Shatterpoint + chips = one less risk in a pinch] and Operation Knightfall and everything else that went down— and that Ben saw it in his childhood.

The pièce de résistance, however, is the ‘my grandfather was a Sith Lord’ thing, hands down. [Geez. No wonder the guy’s Force presence was as solidly grey as it was.]

Ben doesn’t name names or remove his mask, but he doesn’t need to.

Not when everyone can feel just how little he likes Anakin Skywalker, whenever they’re in the same room.

Even if he hasn’t done it yet [ever, in this timeline], Ben will never forgive him for it. For becoming Darth Vader, for being the Emperor’s attack dog and casting a shadow so dark, Ben couldn’t fully escape it even after a lifetime of running.

Which is a tragedy, actually, because if Anakin had been any other person, they would’ve gotten along very well.

They have a similar protectiveness for their loved ones [the sacrifice Ben made to keep Finn and Rey safe would’ve spoken for itself], and similar experiences as Padawans [both experienced jealousy and fear because of their power]. Ben inherited Anakin's and Han Solo’s piloting skills, and Ben’s drive for justice runs in the family too.

But because Anakin Fell in Ben’s timeline, because he featured in so many of his nightmares, was the reason Ben had struggled so hard to define himself, he just— can’t. Can’t help but raise his guard, whenever he sees Anakin. Can’t help but stiffen, can't keep his Force presence from darkening slightly.

It’s painful to watch, even for the most distant of outsiders [...who are allies, anyway. Ventress just sits back and has popcorn, whenever they’re out in the field].

Especially because the more time passes, the more Ben lowers his guard around everyone else. He shows an excellent head for tactics in his talks with Obi-Wan and Yularen and the various politicians that crop up, banters with Ahsoka and the clones, and is...not exactly subtle with the way he fanboys over everyone.

It’s...kinda adorable, actually. Ben tries to acts all professional and aloof and gruff, but then he’ll slip and geek out at the prospect of sparring with a Jedi, or he focuses so much on trying to impress Bail Organa that he completely misses the look in the man’s eyes when Ben offhandedly mentions his own efforts against the First Order.

The more time passes, the better read everyone has on the situation.

And then Finn and Rey show up [”dammit Ben next time we’re the ones scouting the creepy Force cave”], and even more pieces of the puzzle come to light.

Finn and Rey, who are brilliant where Ben was a stormcloud.

Finn and Rey, who openly, shamelessly give their own perspective on things too, and help fill in the parts that Ben left out.

By the time the trio leave, it’s with the hope of a brighter future, and the knowledge that that galaxy is in good hands.

#shatterpoint #The Rise of Darth Calamity #The Man Who Sold The World #in which Darth Calamity meets canon and absolutely no one is happy #with bonus time travel #Darth Calamity meets the Clone Wars #My writing #My fic #bonus content #behind the scenes mini fic #behind the scenes

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ltfad · 5 years

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Some Cody Headcanons

About Rex:

They were in the same training group in command training, which trained for selecting commanders of various levels and captains.

When they were cadets, he was much more likely to do something unexpected than Dogma-ish young Rex. He projected a sort of carefree, energetic air and got away with it because when it counted he was highly focused and skilled. Rex still sees Cody as the more unconventional of the two of them, despite Cody’s now well-established Perfect Commander persona. People who never knew them both as cadets always associate Rex with Skywalker’s ridiculous stunts, and wrongly assume that because of the 501st’s wild reputation, Rex has always been the rebel and Cody the straight man.

Cody already had named himself by the time their training group was formed. Rex was still going by number. Cody chose the name Rex for him and it stuck.

Cody got his scar from an injury from a shuttle crash during command training just before graduation. Rex gave him stitches and because they were stuck on the planet for days with no access to real medical supplies, the scar didn’t heal all that well and you can still see the stitch marks.

Teases Rex for letting his armor get totally filthy. Has tried to use his rank to make Rex clean it but Rex didn’t take him seriously. Cleaned Rex’s armor once when Rex wasn’t looking–Rex got mad that Cody “washed away all the battles”.

Rex is the only one Cody let himself form a relationship with beyond the surface level. Rex doesn’t get that he’s an exception to the rule and thinks Cody forms friendships easily.

The first battle of Geonosis happened while Cody was recovering from complications from the shuttle crash injury. That’s why Rex was at Geonosis but Cody wasn’t.

Enjoys going out for a drink, especially with Rex. Has a taste for harder liquor, whereas Rex prefers sweet or mild drinks, and thinks half the stuff Cody likes tastes like expired rocket fuel.

Tactfully suggestd Rex to Obi-Wan as a good captain for his padawan’s company. (Headcanon 501st started out as a company in the 212th).

About the 212th:

Shinies often get the first impression that he’s strict and distant, and he has a certain reputation. He’s hard on rookies at first to establish respect for his rank and then eases up and shows his friendly side once they’ve proven their mettle and shown respect for the commander/trooper dynamic.

Chooses particularly friendly captains to make up for the above to help rookies integrate.

Low tolerance for behavior that’s distracting him from concentrating or is too unprofessional in a way he sees as potentially damaging to group cohesion (such as gossip).

The outer friendliness he shows, even to his best officers and oldest members of the 212th, rarely goes deeper for him than a general sense of professional camaraderie and responsibility. He doesn’t have personal friendships with his men, partly because of the reasons below, and partly because of how high his rank is. He has very few true peers. Rex is excepted because they’re command training batchers (and best friends since before deployment), and Cody is more likely to act in a peer manner to the rest of his batchers too when he sees them.

Although friendly and professional, he’s emotionally distant from most people and things because there’s a deeper feeling of defeatism and detachment because he feels that all of his men are going to die at some point, though he would never say this and barely likes to acknowledge he feels this way. Although he has little in the way of true conviction for the war if you dig down, he is perfect at doing what’s expected of him and is a model commander.

Enjoys seeing the troopers under him come out of their shells, is extremely perceptive of group dynamics and can easily judge people’s strengths and weaknesses not just in battle but socially as well.

Kind of a neatnik:

Cannot STAND stubble, must be clean-shaven at ALL TIMES whenever possible. If he can feel it, it’s too long. You can rely on him to have smuggled shaving supplies on particularly long campaigns.

Doesn’t let the dirt and grime build up on his armor and expects his troops to do the same.

Doesn’t wear a kama or pauldron because it feels like annoying/unnecessary weight and clutter.

Insists reports sent to him be well-composed and formatted appropriately. Will send notes correcting people’s spelling, formatting, punctuation etc. Will send reports back if they are too sloppy. Will put officers/battalions on notice if they can’t get their report-writing skills together. Regularly sends out broad reminders about this to his entire corps.

Other:

Notices and appreciates nature’s beauty perhaps more than the average trooper.

Is only an averagely good shot, as good as any veteran clone could be expected to be.

Scary capable at hand-to-hand/unarmed combat. Scraps clankers this way more often than he probably should just cause he enjoys it.

On that note, his habit of punching droids has caused him to break bones in his hands many times. His medics are super over it. He has some metal rods in his hands. If you look closely you can see surgery scars. He has less sensitivity in parts of his hands these days, but since they’re always wearing gloves, it doesn’t make much difference.

His habit of punching droids has rubbed off on a lot of shinies who try to emulate him. Again, the medics are super over it.

He has a long standing antagonism with Fox. Wouldn’t even call it a rivalry. Cody can get along with almost anybody but Fox’s personality for some reason just completely gets under his skin. He feels like Fox is always trying to catch Cody doing something against regs or is trying to goad him, Cody has no patience for Fox’s ego. They mostly avoid each other but when they cross paths, sparks fly. There’s a bit more to this story.

Rarely gets drunk because of his rank but enjoys a good buzz. Alcohol loosens him up, makes him more broadly amiable, quicker to laugh.

Has changed a lot over his life, his fearless energetic young self got tamed and tempered by the constant trauma around him and understanding what being seen as property really looks like in the real world.

#commander cody #the clone wars #tcw #star wars the clone wars #swtcw #clone wars #clone troopers #clonetroopers #this has been in drafts forever #since before who we are alone was published #headcanons #star wars headcanons

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narkinafive · 5 years

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essay update~!

inching ever closer to the right word and page count!! mobile users, i apologize if the read more function doesn’t work bc this one is a doozy

as always, PLEASE don’t hesitate to read and critique, bc i need that sweet sweet criticism babey

Few franchises can match the breadth of Star Wars, and fewer still can claim to be as iconic. Not only have the characters, dialogues, settings, and aesthetics been directly referenced and lovingly parodied across all genres, so too has John Williams’ music. Yet Williams’ music is perhaps most referenced, riffed on, and remixed within the franchise itself; it is difficult to find a piece of Star Wars media which does not contain any number of Williams’ leitmotifs, such as the bombastic “Main Title” fanfare, the sweeping majesty of the Force theme, or the foreboding, villainous “Imperial March.” Within the many, many Star Wars related properties that require the use of music, composers for the franchise’s “lower tier” [properties], i.e. any property outside of the nine-film “Skywalker Saga,” are presented with a difficult challenge: how does one emulate and reference Williams’ original, titanic score, keeping a coherent sonic aesthetic, without copying him directly, and allowing space for the composer’s own musical language?

By the 1950s and 60s, the practice of using Romantic music to accompany films was dying out; music by composers such as Max Steiner, Erich Korngold, or Leonard Bernstein was slowly being replaced by popular music of the era, or, as was the case with many science fiction films, electro-acoustic music. For example, Bernard Hermann in The Day the Earth Stood Still (dir. Robert Wise, 1951) used electronic instruments for the bulk of his orchestra, along with innovative techniques in overdubbing and tape-reversal. Five years later, Bebe Barron, alongside husband Louis Barron, would write one of the first entirely electronic scores for Forbidden Planet (dir. Fred Wilcox, 1956). Outside the realm of science fiction, films such as Breakfast at Tiffany’s (dir. Blake Edwards, 1961) or The Graduate (dir. Mike Nichols, 1967) used popular music partly for aesthetic purposes, and partly to exploit the songs’ commercial success outside of the films. Lucas himself elected for the use of a completely pop soundtrack for his film American Graffiti (dir. Lucas, 1973). Stanley Kubrick’s decision to use classical music for 2001: A Space Odyssey (dir. Kubrick, 1960) was unique in film at the time; his use of 19th and 20th century music even more so.

“Traditionally, music for the sci-fi genre would use a language inspired by twentieth-century musical modernism-atonalism, twelve-tone technique, aleatoric music, and so forth-or would use electronic instruments, timbres, or even musique concrete to provide the musical equivalent of futuristic or hyper technological worlds… Stanley Kubrick in [2001: A Space Odyssey] chose to combine images of deep space and unseen worlds with a compilation of repertoire orchestral pieces--after having rudely rejected Alex North’s original score [commissioned specifically for the film]. The selection spanned from classic pieces like Richard Strauss’ Thus Spoke Zarathustra (Also sprach Zarathustra, op. 30, 1896) and Johann Strauss Jr.’s The Blue Danube (An der schonen blauen Donau, op. 314, 1866) to contemporary art music like Gyorgy Ligeti’s Lux Aeterna (1966), Atmospheres (1961), Requiem (1963-65), and Adventures (1962)... Yet Kubrick’s choice was also the consequence of a lack of trust in film composers. ‘However good our best film composers may be, they are not a Beethoven, a Mozart or a Brhams. Why use music which is less good when there is such a multitude of great orchestral music from the past and from our own time?’ Lucas rejected the modernist and electronic options and chose Kubrick’s approach. He wrote the script while listening to the late romantic symphony repertoire…”

Jonathan Rinzler recalls Lucas’ choice of a more traditional, Romantic sonic language as being entirely deliberate, in order to help ease the audience into the extremely unfamiliar fictional world with the use of familiar music. “[Lucas] didn’t want, for example, electronic music, he didn’t want futuristic cliché, outer space noises. He felt that since the picture was so highly different in all of its physical orientations – with the different creatures, places unseen, sights unseen, and noises unheard – that the music should be on fairly familiar emotional ground.”

The larger Star Wars chronology can be broken into three general eras: the Original Trilogy era (OT), which focuses on the time represented by the films A New Hope, Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, and Rogue One, the Sequel Trilogy era (ST), which is comprised of the films The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, and The Rise of Skywalker, as well as the TV series Star Wars: Resistance, and the Prequel Trilogy era (PT), as represented by the films The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, Revenge of the Sith, and Solo, as well as the TV series The Clone Wars. Of these properties, Williams has obviously scored the lion’s share of the films; Rogue One’s soundtrack was composed by Michael Giacchino, Resistance by Michael Tavera, Solo by John Powell, and The Clone Wars by Kevin Kiner. Kiner’s other work for Star Wars was the score of another TV series, Star Wars Rebels. Rebels occupies an interesting place within the greater Star Wars chronology, qualifying as a prequel due to taking place before the events of A New Hope, yet both aesthetically and narratively more aligned with the OT, rather than the PT. Though Rebels is nominally a prequel, Kiner’s musical language sets it firmly within the OT era, with frequent sonic callbacks to Williams’ score, with each aesthetic connection serving not only to link the viewer to the OT era, but also, through its absences and deviations, highlight the narrative differences between Rebels and the original films. This is particularly exemplified in the parallels and contrasts between the heroes of Rebels and the OT, Ezra Bridger, and Luke Skywalker.

From the outset, several contrasts and parallels can be drawn between Ezra Bridger and Luke Skywalker: both are orphans from provincial areas of the galaxy, both are accidentally caught up in insurrectionist rebel activity against the Empire, and both discover that they can wield the powers of the Force. They are even roughly the same age, born within days of each other. Contrasts do abound, however. Ezra receives several years of Jedi training from a former Jedi, while Luke receives very little; Ezra is actively involved with the Rebellion from the beginning, while Luke steps in at the last second to secure one of the Alliance’s largest victories; Ezra’s primary motif is connected to the twin moons of his home planet of Lothal - this, in contrast to the famous scene of Luke Skywalker gazing into the twin sunset of his planet of Tatooine; and so on. Even their character designs are oppositional; Luke is quite white, blond-haired and blue-eyed, a country farmer from a family of farmers, kind but naive, whereas Ezra is coded as Jewish or Middle Eastern (his parents’ names are Ephraim and Mira, a name likely derived from Myra, Miriam, or Maryam--this, coupled with his physical features, points to a certain ethnic origin. Mira, in flashbacks, even wears a headscarf, and is one of the few human women in the larger Star Wars universe to do so), with dark hair and darker skin, a homeless city orphan who is more than well-acquainted with the Empire’s atrocities. When it comes to their roles in the Rebellion, though, both Luke and Ezra initially start their adventures with the promise of Jedi training, and find themselves drawn in to the major political and martial action of the Galactic Civil War.

Set five years before the events of A New Hope, the backdrop of Rebels depicts the formal declaration of the Galactic Alliance, the establishment of the famous rebel base on the planet of Yavin IV, and numerous references to the secret construction of the Death Star, alongside several integral character cameos, including Lando Calrissian, Princess Leia, and Obi-wan Kenobi, while the main thrust of the story centers on the crew of the Ghost, an early rebel cell, and the journey of its newest crew member, Ezra Bridger. Described by Dave Filoni, Executive Producer and creator of Rebels, as a con artist, and Taylor Gray, the character’s actor, as “very street smart, he’s a pickpocket, he’s a little thief,” Ezra happens upon the crew of the Ghost as they commit a minor act of terrorism against the Galactic Empire, stealing several crates of supplies. Rather than pick a side in the conflict, Ezra elects to steal a crate of the same supplies for himself, outrunning the comedically incompetent Imperial police force, and dodging the members of the Ghost crew as they try to get the supplies back, until Ezra is forced to seek refuge on the Ghost to escape the marginally more competent TIE figher pilots. After helping the crew in distributing the supplies - namely, food - to a nearby refugee camp, Ezra is convinced by the Ghost’s pilot and leader, Hera Syndulla, to assist in a rescue mission. Despite his initial capture and subsequent escape from Imperial custody, Ezra chooses to see the rescue mission through to the end, and witnesses the Ghost’s second-in-command, Kanan Jarrus, wield a lightsaber, revealing himself as a survivor of the presumed-extinct and quasi-legendary Jedi Order. Recognizing that Ezra has the same gift as him, Kanan offers to train him to wield the Force in order to continue fighting against the Empire, dispelling any notion that the Jedi are gone with a triumphant declaration, “Not all of us.” Ezra agrees, and thus begins their partnership which will last for the next four years, as Kanan, who never technically made it past the rank of apprentice, passes on his fragmented training, and they both become more and more deeply entwined with the Rebellion.

Luke’s introduction to the Rebel Alliance appears to be as coincidental as the above, though one can argue that it was ordained by the Force, or some kind of similar higher power. When his uncle and adoptive father Owen purchases a pair of droids for the farm, Luke discovers a secret message hidden within one of them: Princess Leia’s plea to a mysterious Obi-wan Kenobi for aid. Luke’s first instinct is to help her, seeking out the reclusive loner Ben Kenobi for more information--with the added gratification of disobeying his uncle, who is currently keeping him tied to the family farm, and will not let him leave the planet. When the Empire, inevitably, comes looking for its stolen property--stolen Imperial secrets hidden within one of the droids--Luke is too late to warn his aunt and uncle, and finds his homestead burned to the ground. Grief stricken and alone, Luke begs Obi-wan to take him with him to Alderaan, in order to learn how to be a Jedi like his mysterious father. After hiring smuggler Han Solo to take them to Alderaan, they instead find the Death Star, and Luke convinces Han to mount a daring, ill-planned rescue of the Princess. While they do rescue Leia, they lose Obi-wan as he stalls the Imperials, buying them time to escape. Thoughts of becoming a Jedi are pushed to the background as Luke volunteers to be a part of the attack on the Death Star, despite Han’s insistence that he should take his cut of their reward money and run. Up against an implausible and unbelievable behemoth of a killing machine, a massive weapon capable of genocide on an unimaginable scale, it is Luke and his superhuman abilities which allow him to fire the shot which destroys the Death Star and everybody on it, immediately cementing him as not only a hero, but the hero, from both a Doylist and a Watsonian perspective.

These parallels are further underscored by their respective musical motifs. Consider Luke’s theme, the “Main Title” fanfare. In the words of Williams himself, from the liner notes of the original 1977 LP release:

When I thought of a theme for Luke and his adventures, I composed a melody that reflected the brassy, bold, masculine, and noble qualities I saw in the character. When the theme is played softly, I tended towards a softer brass sound. But I used fanfarish horns for the more heraldic passages. This theme, in particular, brings out the full glow of the glorious brass section of the London Symphony Orchestra.

Comprised primarily of perfect intervals, the theme begins with an ascending fifth, an opening salvo so famous that music students everywhere, yours truly included, use it to identify perfect fifths in other contexts. As Lucas notes, the principal instrumentation is in the brass section, immediately conferring an old-world heroic air to Luke. “[The Main Title theme] conveys the heroism at the heart of the saga with the economy of its opening fifth (reaching upward), descending triplet (gathering strength for another try), and triumphant lift to an octave above the opening note (attainment of the goal).” Peter Nickalls compares this to the “perfect rising fifth” of “Siegfried’s Horn Call” from Wagner’s Ring Cycle as emblematic of many heroic melodies.

[insert sheet music here, recap]

As a theme, it is punchy, energetic, intrinsically tied up in the “Rebel Fanfare,” and generally underscores moments of onscreen heroism and stylistically valiant acts.

By contrast, while Ezra’s theme is also played by the horns, they are muted, thinner, ringing out more softly over shimmering, sustained strings. [insert sheet music here, recap] Ezra’s theme mostly serves to underscore the character’s moments of emotional reflection, rather than his superhuman action, which is usually accompanied by the “Force” theme, the “Rebel Fanfare,” or the Ghost’s musical motif.

Luke’s theme in its first non-diegetic appearance, that is, its first appearance outside of the main titles, is a little different than one would expect; the melody is still a solo, but played in the horns, implicitly sonically identifying Luke as the protagonist, according to Nickalls, and with a much tamer underlying harmonization. Instead of an alternating pattern of quarter notes and triplets, underscoring the martial aspect of the narrative to come, the “Wars” part of the saga, the harmonic rhythm here is much simpler, with gentle, almost sweet chord bursts on the second and fourth beats. Steven Galipeau, in his analysis of Luke Skywalker as a modern myth, writes of this narrative moment, “We meet [Luke] as a discouraged, frustrated young man stuck on his uncle’s farm, dreaming of going to the galaxy space academy with many of his friends. As he goes with his uncle to meet the Jawa sand trawler and the droids they bring, his aunt calls out his name: ‘Luke! Luke!’ The music and sequence immediately set him apart.” Simple, full of youthful energy, this moment is an aural demonstration of Luke at the beginning of his journey. He is not yet the hero of the Rebellion, nor the famed last of the Jedi; he is simply Luke, whose primary goal at this moment in the narrative is to leave his little hometown, by any means possible. Furthermore, beyond being the first narrative iteration of the title fanfare, it is the first recognizable melody in quite some time. While the audience is treated to several recognizable motifs in the opening sequence, such as Princess Leia’s theme, the Rebel Fanfare, and the original theme for Darth Vader and the Empire (the Imperial March would not be introduced until the next film in the sequence, Empire Strikes Back), the music of the sequence of the droids wandering across the desert is highly reminiscent of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring; Lucas even used Stravinsky as a temporary score during the editing process. Famous for inciting a riot in the streets of Paris at its premiere, the Rite of Spring, and by extension, Williams’ scoring of this scene, is strange and almost frightening, meandering and unmoored--perfect for representing the precarious journey of the droids, but difficult to recognize as a melody in the traditional sense. The return to standard melodic form also functions as an auditory notice, as it were, to the audience, politely calling attention to the arrival of the protagonist.

The first iteration of Ezra’s theme plays as he assists the crew of the Ghost handing out food supplies to a group of poverty-stricken refugees who live in a small cluster of ramshackle tents, named “Tarkintown” in universe, a clear reference to the Hoovervilles of the Great Depression. One refugee thanks Ezra directly for his efforts, putting a hand on his shoulder, but walks off before Ezra can weakly admit that he actually had no part in this, apart from physically walking the crate from the ship to the town. Deeply affected by this refugee’s actions, he retreats out of the village, and watches the Ghost crew and the villagers from afar. The day’s events have overturned his entire world view, and he is taking time to process them all; rather than abscond with the supplies stolen from Imperials, the crew of the Ghost chooses to give most of them away, an action which is clearly baffling to him (though, as the audience sees, a crate of weapons will be sold by the crew to a shady businessman for income), particularly as Ezra’s first instinct had been to sell them himself, to any number of the black market dealers with which he has become familiar growing up. At this moment, Ezra is struggling with a great many mysteries, chiefly the question of why the crew had even offered him refuge on their ship. Surely, if they were like any other thief or smuggler, they would have left him behind to be killed by the TIE Fighter pilot, either as a punishment for stealing the crates in the first place, or simply to get him out of the way. (Later, he will be even more shocked that they turn around to rescue him from an Imperial Star Destroyer, one of the Empire’s largest and most heavily guarded space vessels, despite having accidentally left him behind earlier in their haste to escape.) “Who are you people?” he will ask later, befuddled by their seemingly conflicting acts as they alternately help and, to his mind, hinder him. “I mean, you’re not thieves, exactly.” Now, however, this emotional confusion, coupled with a handy tug from the Force, compels him to sneak aboard the Ghost and snoop, where he stumbles on Kanan’s lightsaber and holocron, a treasure trove of Jedi information that only Jedi can open, which he promptly steals.

Similarly to the film example above, this moment cements Ezra’s place as the protagonist of the series. It arrives more than fifteen minutes into the episode, the bulk of which had been taken up by reworkings of Williams’ motifs; the Imperial March, the TIE Fighter theme, and the Rebel Fanfare are quite prominent, while Kiner’s most incorporated theme is his theme for the Ghost crew, which chiefly plays as its old members size up its eventual new one. Nestled in a flurry of exciting musical moments that recall the thrilling spaceflight chases of the OT, the slowness and pensiveness of Ezra’s theme, in contrast to the previous fifteen minutes of music, also brings the audience’s attention to the forefront. The musical change signals a similar change in mood, content, and focus, from heroic action to emotional reflection. Indeed, this is the first truly character driven moment of the series, and the first moment of an onscreen character struggle, as Ezra tries to reconcile the altruism he has just seen with the cynicism he has known for his entire life.

[better setup] During their grand escape from the Death Star, Luke and Leia, separated from Han and Obi-wan and on the run from a pack of Stormtroopers, nearly run off the edge of a platform into a bottomless pit. With a sequence lifted right from the screen of a mid-century swashbuckling pirate film, Luke throws a rope across and swings him and Leia to the safety of the other ledge of the hallway, before proceeding with the rest of their escape. The accompanying motif is appropriately heroic,

Ezra was born on “Empire Day,” the day that the Clone Wars were ended and the Galactic Empire was declared by Palpatine, formerly Senator, then Chancellor, and now Emperor. (It was that same day that the Emperor launched his assault on the Jedi Order, wiping nearly all of them out in one overwhelming blow. Incidentally, Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa were born two days later.) For Ezra, Empire Day comes with its own baggage--this day is also the anniversary of his parents’ arrest for treason, which left him homeless and alone. This Empire Day, however, Ezra is not alone, but instead has joined up with a rebel cell determined to cause some mayhem and headaches for the Imperial occupiers. With Imperials distracted by preparations for a local parade, and their search for a particular Imperial data-worker named Tseebo, Ezra and the rebels happily ruin the parade, and, while hiding in the abandoned apartment which used to be Ezra’s childhood home, discover Tseebo already there. Tseebo was, by Ezra’s admission, a friend of his parents, though Ezra himself wants nothing to do with Tseebo now, who “went to work for the Empire, after they took my parents away.” In the years since, Tseebo has allowed himself to be implanted with cybernetic enhancements by the Empire in order to increase his productivity, before downloading several caches of Imperial secrets, and attempting to flee. With all of the information in his head, Tseebo is little more than catatonic, able to walk and spout random information, but not truly understanding what is going on around him--until some turbulence aboard the Ghost appears to knock him back into consciousness. Seeing and recognizing Ezra, and perhaps knowing that he has a limited amount of time, Tseebo frantically tries to tell Ezra that he knows what happened to his parents, who he had presumed to be dead all this time. Sadly, Tseebo cannot remain lucid for very long, and Ezra must go and help draw the pursuing Imperials off of their tail, in order to get Tseebo to Hera’s rebel operative, the mysterious Fulcrum. Ezra will not discover the true fate of his parents for some time; at this point, however, he claims it is merely a moot point, telling crewmate Sabine, “I've been on my own since I was seven, okay? If I'd let myself believe my folks were alive, if I let myself believe they'd come back and save me, I'd never have learned how to survive.”

The arrest of his parents was clearly a traumatic event for Ezra, one he, truthfully, hasn’t processed until the events of this episode. Part of a Jedi’s training is learning to deal with one’s emotions in a healthy manner; Ezra, who refused to believe the possibility that his parents were alive, finds himself blocked, unable to tap into or use the Force beyond small bursts of instinctual panic, until he tearfully admits his fear that they may still be out there, and have been for all these years, to Kanan. Open to the Force, in battle with the Imperials, Ezra demonstrates the beginnings of his remarkable skill in connection, particularly with animals and other creatures, until, backed into a corner, he uses the Dark Side in order to summon a monster. With the Imperials beaten back, and Tseebo safely in the hands of the rebels, Sabine finds Ezra ruminating over the days’ events in one of the ship’s turrets, events which have shifted the galaxy on its axis, upping the stakes and changing the characters’ views of each other permanently. Sabine, who had previously treated Ezra as something of an irritating stranger with a misplaced crush, finds a kindred spirit in him as someone who has had their family torn apart by the Empire. For his belated birthday present, she gives him a data-disc which she had picked up while hiding in his childhood home; on it, amidst all the other corrupted data, is an old family photo of his. Too grateful for words, Ezra barely even notices her leave, his attention fixed on the image, as the camera exits the ship, zooming away as the Ghost heads off towards parts unknown, and his musical motif resounding in a full, stately, horn chorus. [insert sheet music]

In a pair of episodes chock full of this motif, [insert count here], this iteration in particular stands out from the rest. Firstly, it is clear that this final iteration is meant to be louder than the others, at least a mezzo-forte rather than a mezzo-piano; secondly, all the voices are working together in a moment of greater homophony, instead of a single voice over an aesthetic accompaniment; and thirdly, the top, melodic line arcs upwards, rather than downwards. These changes, in part, reflect Ezra’s newfound awareness of his own feelings regarding the disappearance of his parents. Rather than shame, which causes him to hide and suppress his emotions as he has done his entire life, he admits his fear and overcomes it, and he lets his joy and happiness at seeing the photo come out fully, rather than trying to save face in front of his peers and continue to keep playing the part of carefree, scrappy, ne’er-do-weller. It is a turning point in several ways, both narratively and musically; from this moment on, Ezra will begin making leaps and bounds in his Jedi education, going on to construct his own lightsaber in the next episode, a ritual which, in universe, historically marks the transition to a proper apprenticeship. Concurrently, instances of Ezra’s theme decrease dramatically.

[Luke example - death star run?]

[fix this part lmao] Sadly, Ezra’s quest to find his parents ends in tragedy. When a Force-inspired dream pushes him [find his parents again?], Kanan and Hera reveal that they have been trying to do the same for months. Ezra’s parents, according to Tseebo, were arrested and taken to an Imperial prison--one of thousands--somewhere in the galaxy, though soon after, news comes from the Rebel leadership of a prison break; guided by the Force, Ezra is certain that the prison break was orchestrated by his parents. Brimming with excitement and pursuing this new lead with a mildly alarming doggedness, Ezra returns to Lothal to find Ryder Azadi, the former governor of the planet, and friend of his parents. Azadi, a Rebel sympathizer, allowed the Bridgers to make their anti-Imperial broadcasts, and was subsequently arrested and imprisoned with them. Ezra, again, perhaps guided by the Force, seems to know what has happened before it is even said; though Mira and Ephraim did orchestrate the prison break, they perished in the attempt. His mourning spills into the next episode, where he and Kanan have to devise a way to get new supplies to the Rebellion without alerting the Empire to their covert benefactor’s identity--who is none other than Leia Organa, in a cameo appearance. Leia finds Ezra quietly crying over the photo of his parents that Sabine had saved for him. His musical motif this time is in the strings, not the horns, and loops repeatedly.

[Ezra’s journey from start to finish recap] Initially, Ezra joins the Rebellion not because it is the right thing to do, but because it is convenient to him at the time; the Ghost functions as a roof over his head, its crew members as a new set of parents and siblings, and its missions as a source of food and income, along with the added bonus of learning how to use an incredibly powerful, specialized weapon, despite the target it paints on his back. Filoni himself states [need src] that Ezra decides to join the Ghost not only to learn how to use a lightsaber, but because he is in need of a family, having lost his own parents at the age of seven, when they were arrested for their underground, anti-establishment radio broadcasts. Ezra’s larger journey over the course of Rebels is re-learning how to think beyond himself, regaining his trust and faith in others after having it completely shattered at a very young age, and following through with what he needs to do for the greater good of this fight against tyranny to which he has dedicated himself, not just the good of his family and friends--but, as one would expect, at the very beginning of his story, he is far more selfish than selfless. It is more than halfway into the first season before Ezra begins to truly understand and act on the Jedi lessons Kanan has attempted to teach him, beyond lifting rocks with his mind, as he finally admits and begins to face his fears while in the middle of a vision quest (presided over by the disembodied voice of Master Yoda). Over the course of the series, Ezra has frequent, deep brushes with the “Dark Side” of the Force, becoming more and more inclined to fight, hurt, or even kill in the name of pragmatism, earning victories for the Rebel Alliance through dubious and increasingly terroristic means, before the desolation of his homeworld and the loss of his mentor wrench him firmly back on the heroic path.

This is not to say that Kiner never chooses to use Ezra’s theme in a heroic context. Most notably, in the series finale, his theme plays triumphantly over his great sacrifice, as Ezra summons enormous, semi-legendary whale creatures called the Purrgil, to destroy the Imperial blockade over Lothal, and spirit away the remaining ships beyond the edge of the known galaxy, with both Thrawn, the series’ chief antagonist, and Ezra still on board. From an in-universe, narrative perspective, Ezra, of course, would have to sacrifice himself in some manner in order to explain his absence in the events of the original trilogy; Yoda on his deathbed tells Luke, “When gone am I, the last of the Jedi you will be,” leaving, unfortunately, no room for any other Jedi left in the galaxy, lest the entire narrative of the OT fall apart. It was inevitable that both Kanan and Ezra would have to vanish, though while Kanan died, Ezra merely disappeared, with Filoni confirming that both he and Thrawn are alive, somewhere off the edge of the map. It’s a fitting moment, then, for his theme to return in full force here; a far cry from his introduction as a scrappy street rat, Ezra has fully come into his own as a Jedi in his own right, and understands the role that he plays, both in-universe as it pertains to the fate of the Rebel Alliance, and in a meta-sense, as both precursor and herald to Luke Skywalker. Happily and willingly, he chooses to sacrifice himself in order to save his planet, and the hundreds of civilians who live on it, and the victorious music confirms this. Four years earlier, he stubbornly declared that he would never risk his life in this manner for people he didn’t know: “You know, this whole [rescue] mission thing is nuts. I'm not against sticking it to the Empire, but there's no way I'd stick my neck out this far. Who does that?” Hera, in reply, simply declares, “We do.” His journey with the crew of the Ghost, his apprenticeship with Kanan, and his role in the Rebel Alliance has transformed him, and his music, from shy, unsure, and sorrowful to confident, powerful, and determined, though the core of his music, and by extension, his character, remains the same; this heroism was within him all along.

In the latter half of 2019, several new Star Wars properties are set to launch, including the video game Jedi: Fallen Order, the seventh season of the revived Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated show, and, of course, the ninth and final film in the so-called “Skywalker Saga,” Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Each of the listed properties’ accompanying trailers, with music scored by Gordy Haab, Stephen Barton, and BLAKUS, composers for the video game Star Wars: Battlefront II, Kiner, and Williams, respectively, have one unexpected thing in common: the “Main Fanfare” theme is nowhere to be found. In the trailer for Jedi: Fallen Order, Haab’s score is much more reminiscent of Alan Silvestri’s Marvel’s Avengers in its melody and harmony than anything else. Though there are two instances of Williams’ themes in the trailer score, they are both short and incomplete; we hear a somber and foreboding four notes of “The Imperial March” as the protagonist gazes anxiously at his broken weapon, and we hear just the beginnings of the Force theme as the title of the game is revealed, though the theme is reharmonized in order to blend with what will doubtless become the protagonist’s own leitmotif. Similarly, in the trailer for The Rise of Skywalker, Williams chooses to only incorporate one of his themes, “Princess Leia’s Theme,” with splendid, yearning sixth intervals over long, drawn out horn and percussion crashes, partially as an homage to the late Carrie Fisher, and partially due to Leia Organa’s rumored key role in the film itself. For The Clone Wars season seven trailer, Kiner does not use any of Williams’ original score; instead, the trailer begins with the theme he created for the breakout character of the show, Ahsoka Tano, before moving into entirely his own new material.

Though the so-called “Skywalker Saga” is ending, Disney has planned nearly another decade’s worth of Star Wars content in the form of spin-off titles, television series, games, books, comics - any and every medium imaginable, and there are currently no signs that production is slowing down. Perhaps it is inevitable, then, that all traces of Luke Skywalker, visual, narrative, and musical, are disappearing from the greater Star Wars landscape as the universe continues to expand and include new protagonists and stories. Die-hard fans will of course decry this as an attack on a precious childhood memory, as they do for any piece of Star Wars media released after 1998. [Kiner demonstrates it’s possible to have the best of both worlds]

#essay tag #i'm........ extremely proud of a lot of this #there's some lines in here that are lit if i do say so myself #anyway pls give me critiques ;; thank u

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