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]

[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?

[jedies]

[ obi-wan pauses. ]

No. He was the Supreme Chancellor of the Senate. And a secret Sith Lord, apparently.

[spiritwalks]

[Supreme Chancellor...sure sounds like the politician Obi-Wan's Jedi family would be beholden to during a war. Vyng quietly sucks some air through his teeth. But he also looks for silver linings where can find them.]

Well, you've gotten him away from Palpatine. That's good.

Do you know what kinds of lies he told Anakin?

[jedies]

Oh, I have a feeling. Invoking jealousy, envy and pride that you're above the rest is a Sith specialty.

[ one look at maul would clinch that. ]

[spiritwalks]

[Maul's main goal was survival...but that isn't necessarily true for all Sith, Vyng realizes. A Supreme Chancellor could easily want more power, while an ex-Jedi might be convinced he's doing the right thing for the good of the galaxy. Motivations aside, though—]

Being above the rest is how they justify bleeding their kyber crystals, isn't it. Doing anything else would be seen as weakness or a lack of conviction.

[jedies]

[ obi-wan's eyebrows go up, surprised by vyng's information. ]

Yes. It's not that the Dark is inherently evil, but the Sith exist to consume and take everything in its path. They do not care for balance or life.

[spiritwalks]

[That was Vyng's conclusion after Maul explained his crystal's origins back in the Dream. Before that point, he'd thought the Sith was the Dark: A destructive force of nature — neither good nor bad, but as deserving of a place in the world as peace, tranquility and light.

But then he learned Maul's story. Of how no crystal would choose him, and so he forced his hatred and rage onto several instead. Even in Trench, Vyng hears their agony. When they're close, their echoes resonate with his crystal heart, beckoning him closer. They entreat him to end their suffering.

Senseless. Cruel. Fucked-up.

Vyng meets Obi-Wan's gaze and quietly asks:]

Has Anakin bled his crystal?

[jedies]

I'm . . . not sure.

[ he saw the red in the lightsaber, but the change had been too swift, too quick. doing such a thing takes time. ]

I took his lightsaber.

[spiritwalks]

[He hopes not. More for Anakin's sake than anything else. Shortcuts like that might feel good in the moment, sure. But they take a terrible toll on a person's mind and body. The crystal — whose suffering is barely a blip within the scope of its total existence — would probably fare much better in the end.

Vyng's expression softens.]

You're worried he's a danger to himself. And to others.

[jedies]

No.

[ his reply is soft. ]

I know he is a danger to himself and others.

[spiritwalks]

Through experience?