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]

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?

[jedies]

His actions and words spoke for themselves.

[spiritwalks]

[Separated from his partner and son. Insecure about his relationship with Obi-Wan. And at the mercy of a world prone to digging up trauma. It's a recipe for disaster.]

Did something happen recently?

[jedies]

[ obi-wan sighs. ]

I suppose you wouldn't know. A while back, Anakin slipped to the Dark Side. Threatened to kill the Jedi and anyone in his path. And he did kill someone, a person named Dean Winchester who was manipulated by Maul and his own brother.

We managed to pull the corruption out of him, but the lingering effects. His inability to empathize with others, his fear of losing people he cares about . . . he has a tendency to lash out and balance eludes him.

[spiritwalks]

[Vyng doesn't know a lot of things. But he lends an ear anyway, chiming in with an occasional "uh-huh?" or "yeah?" as Obi-Wan elaborates.

It's heavy stuff. He gives himself some time to process by taking a slow sip from his cocktail glass. (Well, tries to take a sip, anyway. A piece of tomato gets caught in the straw.) With a sigh of his own, he stirs the drink again.]

Wow. All that, and the regular bullshit this town tosses at everyone? It sounds awful, man.

No wonder everything here feels off. You must be terribly worried about him.

[jedies]

I am.

[ there's no denying it. ]

But if he cannot pull himself out of it . . .

[spiritwalks]

He's yours. [Student. Brother. Son. It doesn't matter what word you use in that particular moment, because the outcome is the same:] You feel like the buck stops with you, and that...you'll need to be the one who confronts him. Whatever shape that ends up taking.

[jedies]

. . . It is my duty.

[spiritwalks]

Something you need to do without other people's help?

[It's an honest question.]