February & March Catch-All

[spiritwalks]

Who: Vyng spiritwalks and various others
What: Catch-All for February. Closed Prompts (in comments) for now, but am open to adding more!
When: Various
Where: Various

Content Warnings: Listed in subject lines when applicable

Notes:

- Style veers wildly between prose and brackets. Just choose whatever style feels good when responding, and I'll match it ♥

- Feel free to hit me up at jackets or Jansen#8997 for plotting and general chatter...or if you want a starter of your own!

Comments

[spiritwalks]

[Vyng has been guilty of turning trauma into a competition in the past. But not these days. Instead, he views other people's trauma the same way he sees the cracks in his staff: Pieces of history, rather than flaws that need to be hidden or diminished. Seeing himself in such a charitable light is a work in progress, but he likes to believe he's getting there. At the very least, he doesn't feel any shame over his physical scars.]

You also bare those scars freely to others. Especially if there's a purpose or some other connection to be found in it.

[jedies]

[ he smiles again. ]

Why wouldn't I? There's no shame in it.

[spiritwalks]

[Vyng mirrors his smile.]

You're right. There isn't. Beauty can be found in the cracks of our hearts...if we look. And if we allow others to do the same.

[jedies]

That is how it should be.

[spiritwalks]

You said the war's made you less helpful. But it seems like you've found the space to lean into your original purpose again here in Trench.

[jedies]

[ he shakes his head. ]

I'm not sure. It hasn't quite . . . clicked yet.

Perhaps I'm chasing the shadow of what I once was.

[spiritwalks]

What would "clicking" feel like?

[jedies]

[ he chuckles. ]

If I knew that, I wouldn't be framing it like that.

[spiritwalks]

What feels off, then?

Is it the war hanging in the back of your mind, so it's harder to feel fully present? Or is it, like...you're so used to dealing with interplanetary conflict, that it's taking some time to shift gears into smaller-town problems?

[jedies]

That might be part of it.

[ he exhales. ]

The rest might be Anakin.

[spiritwalks]

[Quietly:]

Anakin?

[An indirect offer to listen, if Obi-Wan is willing to share.]

[jedies]

[ obi-wan falls silent. ]

He was corrupted a few months ago. And I finally discovered a Sith Lord had been feeding him lies for a long time. Feeding into his fears. And I don't know if I can untangle it. Or if he even wants to.

[spiritwalks]

[Vyng gives a sympathetic nod. That Anakin struggles with insecurity and fear doesn't come as a surprise. But he hadn't considered the extra complication of corruption, or how the threat of future episodes could linger like a cold, damp chill in the back of their minds.]

Sometimes trying to help somebody reverse a harmful belief can...cause them to double down. Shut you out.

[Staging an intervention is delicate work. Vyng's had some firsthand experience with it during his travels.]

[jedies]

[ he sighs. ]

There's certainly a lot of that happening. And I can't make those choices for him. So he has to pull himself out.

[spiritwalks]

That's true.

[And also a challenge every parent goes through at some point.]

Is he still living with you?

[jedies]

He is. I hope he is healing and it is always a slow process.

But . . . I don't know. Perhaps I'm too close to it to tell.

[spiritwalks]

[Healing isn't always about moving forward, either — something Vyng himself recently became painfully aware of.

No wonder Obi-Wan developed lockjoint. Bath salts aren't exactly a priority when the family is in crisis. Vyng can only imagine the emotional toll of watching his closest friend continually struggle with his inner demons.]

Does he have any friends?

[jedies]

One left recently. I'm not sure otherwise.

[spiritwalks]

I see...

[Vyng purses his lips for a moment. In a place where bonds act as an anchor, that doesn't bode well.]

He still has you, at least. And he hasn't moved off into the woods. That's something. But I can see why you're worried for him.

[jedies]

[ it's not enough. their bond is strong but it should never be the only thing. it smacks of attachment and obi-wan knows should anything happen to him, anakin would slide.

that is not how growth should be. ]

He needs more than that.

[spiritwalks]

[Vyng can relate, on some level. Tuck hasn't integrated himself into the community as readily as himself, and it's been a source of tension in the past. But when all is said and done, his best friend is capable of stepping back and trusting Vyng to do what he feels is right — even when it isn't easy. He's also got Billie and Perell now, along with two other roommates in Manabu and Michael. Tuck isn't nearly so isolated as Anakin.]

What do you think he needs?

[jedies]

[ obi-wan is quiet. ]

To let go.

[spiritwalks]

[He slowly nods. Letting go is one of the core ideas behind druidic thought. If a person hopes to become a druid, change must be their teacher. If a druid seeks to become a shapeshifter, harmony with nature — and not survival in spite of it — must be their guiding light.

But even then, childhood wounds still exist. Some attachments are more difficult to shake than others. Vyng knows that firsthand.]

Is he struggling with losing somebody? From before the Dream.

[jedies]

Yes. A woman he loves named Padme. I suspect they're more than just a relationship considering he had a son.

[ marriage, probably. which means anakin has been lying to him for years. ]

Palpatine took advantage of that fear.

[spiritwalks]

Ohhh. They've got a kid...

[Marriage isn't the first thing Vyng assumes, but that's because plenty of children were born out of wedlock back in the Principalities (especially among humans, whose family lines are traced through the person who actually gave birth to them). Parenthood for somebody so young and insecure is arguably the bigger deal in his mind.

Of course, he doesn't have much context for the relationship, or the culture surrounding it.]

Is Palpatine another Sleeper?