Saga Saga - OT Saga - ST Memory and Smoking Ash [A Fic Gift for Jedi_Lover]

Title: Memory and Smoking Ash

Author: devilinthedetails

Characters: Luke Skywalker; Obi-Wan Kenobi (Force Ghost version).

Genre: Angst; Hurt/Comfort; Drama.

Timeline: Saga-ST. Set between ROTJ and TFA in the aftermath of the destruction of Luke’s Jedi Academy.

Summary: After the destruction of Luke’s Jedi Academy, Obi-Wan appears to offer comfort and wisdom to a distraught Luke Skywalker.

Gift-Fic Note: This story was written for @Jedi_Lover in fulfillment of the following wish:

“Third wish is Ghost Obi-Wan talking to Luke after his Academy burned down in the ST.”

Happy Holidays to @Jedi_Lover! Thank you for the opportunity to explore the relationship between Obi-Wan and Luke and how Luke could process the terrible trauma of his Academy’s destruction. This was a really moving story for me to write and I never would’ve come up with the concept for it without the excellent inspiration of your prompt. I hope you enjoy receiving this fic as much as I enjoyed writing and giving it to you. Best wishes for a happy 2023!

Memory and Smoking Ash

Luke stood among the smoldering cinders of his ruined dream of a revived Jedi Order. The flaming ashes that his Academy on Ossus had been reduced to–a monument to pride humbled. Ambition laid low.

Tears streamed down his cheeks. He had already buried in stone cairns the charred flesh and burned bones that were all that remained of the students that hadn’t betrayed him. The earnest, eager (earnest and eager as he had been on Tatooine when a wise old hermit first placed his father’s lightsaber in his hands–a blade he had not even known how to swing properly) initiates and Padawans whose parents had selflessly entrusted their precious offspring to Luke’s guidance and care. Trusting that Luke would train them to make a difference in the galaxy. To change it for the better. Imagining that their children would have lives of meaning. Not become burning sacrifices to Ben Solo’s uncontrollable rage.

Ben Solo. Even the thought of his nephew’s name was enough for a yellow lightning bolt of pain to lance through his head. A pain of memory. The memory of Ben’s lightsaber clashing with his. Not in training but in true conflict. The memory of his agonized shout: “Ben, no!” The memory of Ben ignoring his prohibition. Raising a palm with outstretched fingers. Not for defense–as Jedi were taught–but for attack. An avalanche of crumbling rock followed as Ben called on the Force to wreck the Academy Luke had labored so hard to create.

Luke had been buried under a heavy pile of stone. Had sustained what he was certain were two broken ribs that hurt every time he breathed, because he was denying himself bacta. Felt unworthy of its healing properties when his students were all dead or corrupted by the Dark Side. Purple and black bruises dotted his body, and a gray cloud of confusion fogged his mind as only a concussion could. He had felt disoriented and nauseous ever since he had emerged from the oblivion of the unconsciousness the falling rocks had slapped him into.

He wondered if the fact that he had been unconscious and buried beneath so much stone was the reason Ben had spared him when he fled the Academy. If Ben had believed that he was dead.

Part of Luke wished he were dead. So that he wouldn’t have to face this devastation. This flaming testimony to his failure and shame.

Leia and Han, he remembered through the hazy mist of his concussion in which the past bled into the present to taint it like a virus, had trusted Luke with their only son. Believed Luke could tame the Dark inside him. Nourish the Light. Channel his great potential in the Force for good and not evil in the universe.

Leia’s brown eyes–usually so fierce–had been soft with hope for her son and faith in her brother as she said farewell to them both so many years ago. Han had been more skeptical as always by anything related to the Force, but hadn’t that only made his decision to trust Luke with Ben all the more significant? Because he had been willing to trust Luke without having any deep faith in the Force. Without being able to sense it in blood and bone like Luke, Leia, and Ben could.

There was a blue shimmering–like the hottest part of a flame–beside Luke. Along with a gently swelling surge in the Force that was all the warning Luke received before Obi-Wan materialized at his side.

“Do you see what disaster your namesake has wrought?” Luke gestured sharply at the smoldering ruins. His question ash-bitter. As if Obi-Wan were to blame for this catastrophe. Rather than Luke. Rather than Ben.

“I too saw a great temple burn.” Obi-Wan rested a hand on Luke’s shoulder. The touch unable to be felt on the physical plane but vibrating along the mystical currents of the Force that bound all lives–especially their own–together in an unbreakable cosmic thread. “Though it was on Coruscant, not Ossus.”

“Ben was my nephew.” Luke didn’t know if there was anything more heartbreaking in the galaxy than that. Referring in the past tense to one who was still alive but in a dark, corrupted form. A form that made death seem a mercy from the Force.

“I loved your father like a son and a brother.” Obi-Wan’s voice was still jagged with the rough edges of grief even decades after that fateful night when Anakin Skywalker had marched on the Jedi Temple. Slaughtering so many Jedi. Including younglings in the Council Chamber itself. Sullying that sacred space of sanctuary. “Yoda warned me not to look through the security holofiles to see with my own eyes what I sensed deep down had occurred but I didn’t heed him to my sorrow.”

“I loved my nephew.” The words burst from Luke like a confession. Seeking an absolution. “But I was afraid to show it. Afraid that it wouldn’t exhibit an appropriate degree of the Jedi attachment that I should’ve been modeling for my students, and that my other pupils would perceive it as familial favoritism. A vile nepotism that should have no place in the Jedi Order. Now I wonder if that was my worst mistake. Letting fear seep into me and shape his training. Fear poisons everything that drinks it in, after all.”

“What happened to Ben wasn’t your fault.” Obi-Wan’s tenderness was no balm for the raw wound inside Luke. A wound no amount of bacta would have been able to heal. A spiritual and not physical wound. “Ben made his own choices and was corrupted by Snoke whispering in his brain the way Sidious wormed his way into Anakin’s mind. The Dark Side–through its agents Snoke and Sidious–tells them that they don’t need to change. That their rage, hatred, and thirst for power is right, not wrong. Nothing is more seductive and alluring than that. The Dark Side is a clever tempter. It demands nothing in the beginning and promises everything. Then, in the end, it takes and consumes everything.”

“Leaving nothing behind but an empty, ruined shell.” Luke remembered the black, heavy-breathing monster his father had become. The monster that Ben had become. “Reducing everything to smoking ash.”

“It is one of the strange truths of the galaxy that ashy soil is some of the most fertile ground,” Obi-Wan pointed out. Quiet as wind whispering through a glade. “Forest fires are necessary for new growth. Volcanoes can produce lush, verdant paradises.”

“This does not feel like a paradise.” Luke’s jaw clenched like Vader’s fist before a choking. “This feels like a hollowness. Like nothing is left.”

“Our entire universe came from a single atom exploding.” Obi-Wan was serene as a mountain lake. Perhaps that was what happened when someone became one with the Force. United completely with its mysterious ways and eternally enigmatic will. “Our universe is quite a master of creating a glorious something out of what seems like nothing to the naked eye.”

“But that is on a cosmic scale no sentient being will ever get to witness or experience in any meaningful way.” Irritation and impatience sliced through Luke. He felt as if his suffering and that of his dead students were being minimized. As if they were being treated as insignificant. Their fates and griefs of no consequence to the universe or the will of the Force. A Force that seemed indifferent to their sad destinies.

“No.” Obi-Wan remained unfazed. As implacable in his convictions as the rocks that had tumbled onto Luke. Concussing and bruising him. Shattering his ribs. “You can, however, see the flowers that conquer ashy fields. The flowers that bloom over graves. Bright, beautiful life emerging out of the darkness of death and despair.”

“You speak of plants.” Luke’s lips curled. He felt weary of the horticultural comparisons. Of Obi-Wan’s unsatisfying attempts at offering wisdom and comfort. Of this conversation. Of the galaxy and trying to make a difference in it. Of light and life when it was so tempting to surrender to the dark and death. Of the burdens of doing the right thing. Being a hero and constantly courting failure. Of the Force that now seemed beyond his comprehension. Something he no longer wanted to reach out and touch with his unclean, guilty soul. As if he might dirty it. Stain it even more than his family already had. “Then you know that sometimes the soil needs to lie fallow in order for it to remain fertile. For plants to continue to be able to grow and thrive in it. That is what I will do. Cut myself off from the Force and the rest of the galaxy. Lie fallow.”

“That would be a mistake, Luke,” Obi-Wan began, but was interrupted when Luke severed his connection with the Force. Making it impossible for Obi-Wan, his father, or Yoda to contact Luke. To speak to him from the spiritual realm beyond death.

He did not want to hear their voices. He wanted to be alone. To mourn the loss of his Academy and students. To maybe find some peace at last. A peace they couldn’t give him. A peace he must find for himself. Within himself. Not through the Force but outside it.

Yet, somehow, even though he was cutting himself off from the Force and its wishes and whims, he still found himself drawn to Ahch-To. To the first Jedi Temple built by the Prime Jedi. A sacred place of pilgrimage for the Jedi dating back to the dawning days of their Order. A sanctuary set apart for meditation. For refocusing on the Force. For restoring a sense of harmony with its nature. For rejuvenation and revival of the spirit. For refuge and sanctification. For bringing forth light out of the darkness buried beneath the island on which the temple sat.

 

@Nehru_Amidala Thank you so much for reading and commenting!I'm so glad that you found this an interesting psychological read since I definitely wanted this to be a piece devoted to delving into Luke's mental and emotional turmoil after a very traumatic event in his life. I also wanted this story to have a large component of exploring Jedi philosophy in terms of what it means to be a Jedi, how Jedi can accept loss and process grief, how Jedi can retreat and rejuvenate themselves spiritually, and ultimately how they can return to a renewed galaxy so I am so happy to hear those concepts and themes resonated with you so much!

@Jedi_Lover Thank you so much for reading and commenting!I'm so glad that you found your holiday gift fic to be beautifully written!

Great minds think alike The Force definitely has this everlasting and eternal nature, which creates a clash when temporal beings like humans try to fully understand it and fathom all its mysteries. The Force just works on a much larger time scale and grander tapestry than humans and other sentient beings can fully see or appreciate. Which can make it very difficult for humans and other species to see the new growth that follows devastation, and the something that ultimately springs from the seeming nothing.

I agree that the Sequel Trilogy felt very tragic for Luke and the other OT protagonists (like Han and Leia). It felt like the happy ending that they seemed to get in ROTJ was taken away from them, and it was hard to see them subjected to so much pain. TLJ especially devoted a lot of time to Luke's suffering.

I really loved the idea of Obi-Wan trying to help Luke and guide him through his grief (which is part of why I felt so inspired by your prompt), but I also didn't want to change Luke's trajectory or decisions too much from what TLJ and the ST described. I wanted to be canon compliant so I tried to write their conversation in such a way that comfort could be offered but the loss and pain was still so raw and deep that it would hopefully be understandable to readers why Luke chose to cut himself off from the Force but also how on some level he is still behaving like a Jedi and seeking a place of retreat that is sacred to the Jedi.

I"m so happy that you enjoyed this story, and happy holidays to you as well!

 

@earlybird-obi-wan As always, thank you so much for reading and commenting! It was really moving for me to be able to write this conversation between Obi-Wan and Luke in the aftermath of the destruction of Luke's Jedi Temple, and it was very powerful for me to think of the imagery of the light ultimately overcoming the dark when flowers grow from ashes and graves. Life does come out of death and grief, and I think that is important for Luke to realize even if he is understandably heartbroken and devastated after his academy lies in ruins and so many of his students have died.

@JediMaster_Jen Thank you so much for reading and for the kind words! I am so glad that you loved this story since I don't have that much experience writing ST stories, so this felt like entering a "brave new world" of fanfic for me, but that was extremely satisfying as an author in its own way. Sometimes it is nice to experiment and push the boundaries of what I think I am capable of as an author and find myself truly impacted and moved by the story I am writing. One of the hard and frustrating things for me about the ST was that the idea of why Luke withdrew from the Force wasn't well explained or explored (at least in my opinion) so I wanted to provide that context of why it made sense for Luke to withdraw into the Force. Because deep down I believe that a story can make just about any character decision believable if the character decision is developed well enough and sufficient context is provided. So I decided to try to give that development and context to one of the more controversial aspects of the ST. I think one of the many awesome things about fanfic is it gives us the freedom and opportunity to develop those sorts of context that can add to canon in cool ways, and I really treasured the chance to do that in this fic with Luke and his decision to cut himself off from the Force. So it makes me super happy that you thought this piece was amazing

@Kahara Thank you so much for reading and for your in-depth, thoughtful review I am so flattered to hear that this is a story that will stick with you for awhile because I feel like there is no higher compliment an author can receive than that!

This piece was definitely a haunting one for me to write because it was very emotionally painful to experience the grief and other raw emotions Luke was feeling after Ben/Kylo fell to the Dark Side and after his Jedi Academy was destroyed. It is amazing to hear that you felt his grief and bitter disappointment showed in every line because that was what I truly aimed to capture in this story. That overpowering sense of grief and bitter disappointment that is so crushing to Luke.

I agree that in the ST the destruction of Luke's Jedi Academy didn't have the weight I wish it would've. Especially Luke didn't seem to mourn the deaths of his other students as much as I imagined that he would. So I wanted to give some attention to how Luke would have mourned those students entrusted to his care.

I really wanted this story to be consistent with the ST canon while remaining true as I could to the characters and events of the OT and the PT so that this wouldn't feel like an AU but just more of an exploration and expansion of Star Wars canon consistent with the ST, OT, and PT. I was trying to really integrate them rather than contradict any of them if that makes sense.

My heart broke into probably a million pieces for poor, grieving Luke there. It broke my heart both thinking of that young, idealistic version of Luke (contrasted against the bitter, broken Luke in this story and much of the ST) and of Luke knowing that his precious students, entrusted to his care, will never reach the milestones as a Jedi that he did because their lives were cut too short by Kylo Ren. And he also has to carry the weight of feeling like he failed the parents and families who entrusted the younglings to his care. It's all just massively devastating and heartbreaking for him because he feels so keenly responsible for this terrible tragedy. Even though it is not all his fault, he feels as though it is in his grief.

Yeah, I definitely wondered about the whys and the hows of Ben/Kylo escaping the Academy's destruction but leaving Luke alive. So just like Luke, I have no clear answers, just more mystery!

I found it interesting to delve into the reasons Han and Leia chose to send Ben to train with Luke and I am so glad that section resonated with you. It was also really moving for me to look at how that relationship to Han and Leia meant Luke felt he had failed them even more profoundly because he couldn't prevent Ben from falling to the Dark Side.

Yes, I think Luke's reaction and words to Obi-Wan when Obi-Wan first appears to him is very irrational in part because of the grief and guilt he is feeling and in part because he does have that resentment you described for the fact that Obi-Wan is in union with the Force and so sort of beyond pain and suffering at least as Luke is experiencing it. It's a very sort of emotional reaction rather than one rooted in logic or reason like you say.

My heart did break for Obi-Wan not to be able to reach Luke, and for Luke not really able to be comforted by Obi-Wan even when Obi-Wan appears to him and tries to offer understanding and wisdom. Obi-Wan and Luke definitely do have a shared trauma in terms of seeing a beloved student fall to the Dark Side and a Jedi Temple burn, and yet even that cannot guarantee a perfect communication because of this barrier between them.

I am so glad that you appreciated my explanation of what makes the Dark Side so appealing to some. I definitely think that part of the lure of the Dark Side is just what you describe. That it gives someone license to give into all their worst emotions instead of having to fight to control and regulate those emotions. The Dark Side in that way is very much the easier and more comforting path. It says "give into your anger" instead of "control your temper." Examining your anger and why it is wrong can also be a really hard thing to do, so it can be easier to just label it as right or natural and then just go on a rampage or whatever. But in the long run, that takes you to a dark place, and the Dark Side ends up being a cruel master that consumes and destroys everything it touches. As characters like Vader/Anakin discover to their sorrow. So I think you understood exactly what I was getting at perfectly, and I am so happy to hear you found it thought-provoking to read that exploration of what makes a character fall to the Dark Side because I agree that I would've liked a little more exploration of that in the ST. Especially since one of my favorite elements of the PT was understanding more about how people fall to the Dark Side based on Anakin's tragic downfall and a lot of my favorite moments in the ST are related to Force philosophy like when Luke teaches Rey a bit about balance in the Force. So I think it could've been done well if the ST had attempted to dive into it more. But again that gives fanfic an opportunity to hopefully step into that gap and shine.

Yeah, I definitely think that Luke is the sort who will not accept the loss of innocent lives easily. And it is hard to focus on the "big picture" when not one with the Unifying Force during a moment of extreme devastation and tragedy. So I think Luke's response is very human and hopefully relatable to readers.

Oh, thank you, I always do find it interesting how some of the most fertile soil in the world is around volcanoes (examples like the Hawaiian islands spring to mind) and how graveyards in addition to being places of death can be places of new life and natural renewal. It's not going to be a comfort immediately after a volcanic eruption or after a death of a loved one, but there is that sort of balance in the universe between life and death, beauty and destruction, that I find it fascinating to explore in my writing. So I am so happy that concept and language resonated with you.

I didn't want to end my story on a "never ever" of Luke touching the Force again (especially since how his story ends in TLJ and then TROS) and because I did hope that I could show Luke's decision to cut himself off from the Force in a way that still connects with themes of rejuvenation in the sense that laying fallow can sometimes be necessary for soil to remain fertile and because Luke might need that time and space to reflect and heal and try to come to terms with what happened to him. A sort of retreat from the Force as well as the galaxy to try to recover from his trauma. I didn't want the story to feel entirely hopeless and bleak even though it was dealing with some very intense themes of loss and grief.

Thank you so much! That description of Ahch-To at the end was one of my absolute favorite parts of this story, and I am so thrilled it was a highlight for you as well. I really liked the idea of it being a traditional place of spiritual healing and retreat among the Jedi because then I could have Luke's choice (however unconscious and instinctual) to retreat there be in line with Jedi tradition whether he knows it or not and be something that was perhaps guided by the Force even though he was cutting himself off from it. Luke's time as a Jedi really isn't done, and the Force is not done working in his life. He is headed to a planet of great spiritual significance to the Jedi, and returning to the first Jedi Temple so in a way he is returning to the roots of what it means to be a Jedi in union with the Force even as he cuts himself off from the Force. So it was really compelling for me to explore that concept in relation to Luke at the end, and I am so glad that it was moving and impactful for you!

I am just so pleased that you found this story so fantastic, and I am very grateful for the prompt that inspired it, since it is definitely a story I never would've written otherwise, and I'm so glad that I wrote it

It's one I will remember for a long time too since a lot of deep thought and heartbreaking emotion went into it, leaving a mark on me as a writer

 

So, this was absurdly good. The conviction-born tension is really well weighed. It's as heavy as it needs to be without tipping over. And the canonical characters are still completely recognizable amid the fanfic they are brilliantly framed within.

 

@A Chorus of Disapproval Thank you so much for reading and commenting!

I'm so flattered that you found it absurdly good since I was definitely branching out of my comfort zone writing an ST fic, but it was very interesting for me to look at how Luke would've processed his feelings of grief and guilt in the aftermath of his academy's destruction and how he might have reacted to Force Ghost Obi-Wan appearing to him in that moment to try to provide advice and comfort.

I did want to try to maintain that delicate balance between given the tragedy the weight it deserved while also not going to far with the angst and still leaving that room for hope at the end, so I am thrilled that you thought I succeeded with that!

And this fic was all about Luke and Obi-Wan for me, so it is wonderful to know that you felt they were completely recognizable as themselves!

Thanks so much for the kind words and happy holidays

 

You handled it magnificently. And happy holidays to you as well.

 

@vader_incarnate Thank you so much for reading and reviewing my work!

Writing for the ST is definitely going outside the comfort zone for me too, and I'm like you in that I tend to prefer the Luke we got in Legends to the Luke we got in the ST (especially TLJ) but this fic did let me tap into some major angst and that bond between Force Ghost Obi-Wan and Luke, which was really cool for me to write about. Especially since I've never written about it before. So this fic was me treading new ground in many ways.

I do think that seeing more details of how Luke mentored Ben Solo and how Ben Solo fell to the Dark Side could have been a really compelling story, and I do with the ST had developed and expanded upon it more. I still think a TV show for Disney Plus that looked at Luke training Ben Solo and how Ben Solo fell to the Dark Side could be a very moving and powerful story so I kind of hope we do get that one day. In the meantime, fanfic is excellent for filling in the blanks as it always does!

Yeah, I think if the ST had shown Luke mourning more for his lost students the destruction of his Jedi Academy could've held more weight. I really did want to draw on that parallel between Obi-Wan and Luke and between the OT and the ST in terms of Anakin and Ben turning to the Dark Side and the Jedi temples being destroyed. This is a story that has played out before. A pattern repeating, and I wanted to try to capitalize on the emotional impact of that. At the same time, there is truth to the fact that like you said Luke isn't ready to hear that he isn't the only one who has suffered this loss, and knowing that someone else experienced this loss and that this sort of destruction has happened before isn't that much of a consolation. I did want a lot of the weight and gut punch of that line to be unspoken and understated so that the reader could create those connections just like you mentioned, and I'm so happy to hear that technique was effective for you!

Yes, I think this is an Obi-Wan at the end of his character journey who has come to accept that what happened to Anakin wasn't his fault, but Luke is on a very different stage in his character journey right now, and even though Obi-Wan is trying to commiserate with him and pass along his hard-earned wisdom, there is a miscommunication happening. In a way, Luke has to go on his own character journey and find his own peace and acceptance after the horror of what happened. Obi-Wan is trying to make a connection, but he can't quite reach Luke just like you say and it was so heartbreaking to write that

I'm so glad that you found that line both beautifully stated and in keeping with Obi-Wan's character. I also think you are right that it is exactly what Luke doesn't want to hear.

I also should say that as an author I never mind if my readers bring their own headcanons and perspectives on characters to my stories because I always welcome different interpretations of my works and views on the characters I write. I like to leave a lot of the interpreting up to my readers because I always appreciate that freedom of interpretation as a reader. So please never be shy about sharing your interpretations of my work and the characters I like because I love to read them

Detachment is definitely a perfect word to describe Obi-Wan, especially in this piece. He does have that tendency to speak in metaphor rather than personal experience especially if the personal experience is very painful or traumatic (such as Anakin falling to the Dark Side). And I think that disconnect and tendency to speak obliquely in metaphor at emotional moments does make it difficult for him to communicate in big moments with Anakin and Luke. Who both crave a more straightforward and personal communication style. Certainly the moments that Obi-Wan in the PT is best able to connect with Anakin is when he is more open about telling Anakin how he feels like when he tells Anakin how proud he is of him before he leaves to hunt Grevious.

I think it is possible that the conversation might have gone differently and had a different outcome if Obi-Wan had taken a different, more emotional angle. Part of that was me not wanting this story to turn into an AU of the ST, so from the beginning of planning this story and conversation between Obi-Wan and Luke, I wanted it to transpire in such a way that it wouldn't change Luke's decision to cut himself off from the Force and head off to Ahch-To but I do think if I had started the story with a different set of parameters for the conversation, not caring if it created an AU version of the ST where Luke didn't cut himself off from the Force and isolate himself on Ahch-To, there probably would've been ways to make Obi-Wan and Luke connect more deeply and potentially prompt Luke to make a different decision. So I definitely think it is very possible it could've ended differently, and many fanfics could be written exploring how it could've gone differently. Which is part of what I love about fanfic!

Oh, I must admit I was very angry after I saw TLJ. So angry I started questioning whether I even wanted to be a Star Wars fan any more (so glad I ultimately decided on "yes" as my answer to that) and finding it so hard to be at all enthusiastic for the final entry in the ST. The ST era in general was a period of my biggest existential crisis as a Star Wars fan but I am so happy I got through it because the age of Disney Plus Star Wars TV shows and Star Wars High Republic content has been much better for me. Like a little Star Wars golden age so I am glad that I didn't let my frustration at the ST disillusion me from the Star Wars fandom as a whole. So, basically, I can't blame anyone for being mad about the ST, because I was angry too

I also can't fault anyone for being confused by the time scale of the ST because it definitely baffled me as I was watching the movies. For example, when I first saw TFA, I thought Kylo and Rey were about the same age but it turned out they are like a decade apart in age or something. So oops on my part haha.

Thank you again for the kind words and thoughtful review! I really appreciate it

 

I’ve been meaning for a while now to come by and compliment you on this wonderful story! As someone who was also… displeased with the TLJ portrayal of Luke, I finally see in your story a version of that character, in that continuity, that I can get behind. Actually seeing him mourn the devastating loss of his students makes his feelings of hopelessness (to put it lightly) make so much more sense. I love the idea of Obi-Wan coming to comfort him now as he did back at the time of ROTJ; there’s no better man for the job, and, as previous commenters have said, his experiences with Anakin gives him an important perspective from which Luke can learn. And even though this is still a Luke who is responding to this loss by cutting himself from the Force and the galaxy, at least we see that it is coming more from mourning and hopelessness than from anger or disillusionment (which never seemed to quite fit the character). You did a great job rising to the challenge of this prompt, even though it meant going outside your usual wheelhouse, and you really threw your knowledge and love of both Luke and Obi-Wan into the story in a big way. Bravissima!

 

@Findswoman As always, thank you so much for reading and commenting on my work!

I'm so glad that you loved this story! Like you, I was less than pleased with TLJ's portrayal of Luke, so it was an interesting writing challenge for me to try to get into the mind and heart of a Luke from that continuity and try to make his actions and motivations something I could understand and find believable. So it means a lot to me how many readers were able to get behind this version of Luke from the ST continuity.

One of my quibbles with TLJ Luke is he doesn't seem to be mourning the death of his other Jedi students very much (just dwelling a lot on what happened with Kylo) so I wanted to make sure that my version of the ST continuity Luke was grieving for his lost Jedi students, and not just Ben's fall to the Dark Side. I do think the loss of all those students if he is allowed to mourn them in the narrative can be truly devastating and help explain why he feels so much hopelessness and retreats to the first Jedi Temple.

I felt inspired as soon as I saw the prompt of an Obi-Wan Force Ghost appearing to Luke after the destruction of his Jedi Academy. There is that wonderful symmetry of him coming to comfort Luke just as he did in ROTJ, and I agree that there really is no better man for the job in the sense that Obi-Wan's experiences with Anakin are such a mirror of Luke's with Ben. They have so much shared trauma and yet still their connection falls short in some ways, leaving Luke to cut himself off from the Force and the galaxy at the end of the story.

I'm so flattered that you felt I did a wonderful job responding to this prompt that was out of my usual wheelhouse in terms of being an ST story, and my love of both Luke and Obi-Wan was reflected in this story in a big way!

Thank you so much for reading and for the kind words

 

@Chyntuck Thank you so much for reading and commenting on this story! I know that there were definitely some people who really appreciated what TLJ did with Luke, and I'm glad that you were one of them It's awesome to hear that this story worked well for you and was compatible with your image of TLJ Luke. I envisioned this piece hopefully not so much arguing with TLJ as trying to be a way that I could sort of make my own peace with TLJ Luke. So I very much hoped that this could be a story that could resonate both with people who had issues with Luke's arc in TLJ and those who really enjoyed Luke's TLJ arc. Which means that I am absolutely thrilled to hear that this story meshed so well with how you pictured TLJ Luke

I think a common thread between the Luke in this story and the TLJ Luke is that Luke is very much struggling to deal with failure on a grand scale as you describe. That theme of failure and how to respond to it was such a central part of this piece for me. And you highlighted one of my favorite lines. I really did feel a great deal of sympathy for Luke writing that section because it can be a burden to be a hero and an even greater burden perhaps to think of oneself as a hero who has failed or fallen short in some way, causing a large scale disaster. So this is very much a weary Luke on the cusp of giving up.

Force ghosts always fascinate me, and I never get tired of writing about them so I am so happy that you thought I provided a great description of what contact with a Force ghost means and entails.

So glad you like the bit about the Dark Side being a clever tempter. I was sort of thinking how Palpatine was able to tempt Anakin to the Dark Side while seeming to demand nothing from him (saying he didn't need to control his fear, anger, or hatred, and not seeming to forbid his attachment to Padme whereas Obi-Wan and the Light Side expected Anakin to let go his fear, anger, hatred, and attachments) and seemed to promise Anakin everything (even that he could save those he loved from dying) when I came up with that line that to me encapsulated so much of Anakin's downfall.

Endings can sometimes be so tricky to write, so I am pleased to hear that you thought this one was magnificent! It's wonderful to know that you appreciated the dual purpose of Luke's retreat to Achch-To both to look for peace within himself and to dig into the origins of the Jedi and the source of the Force. Luke is definitely setting himself a big challenge here but in some ways having another project to focusing on can be a form of healing in itself and as you say that process of healing oneself is more complicated than merely delving into Jedi history however deeply buried.

I'm so flattered you felt this was a fantastic read, and thank you again for reading and for the kind words

@Kato Sai Thank you so much for reading and commenting! I'm so flattered that you thought this piece was incredible and that those lines left such a powerful impression on you!

I really do think the Dark Side can indeed be that clever tempter who seems to demand nothing (a person doesn't have to control their anger, fear, or hatred) and seems to promise so much power (unlimited power as Palpatine would phrase it) but in the end it leaves those who use it as burned out husks like Vader. The Dark Side actually exerts a terrible price from those who use it. It drains and consumes them despite all the pretty promises it makes when luring in its victims.

At least that was the sort of thought process I was trying to encapsulate in those lines, and I am so thrilled they resonated with you!

 

@WarmNyota_SweetAyesha As always, thank you so much for reading and reviewing! I always appreciate your thoughtful comments

I'm so glad that you felt the way I wrote Luke's conflicted anguish and sense of guilt to be beautifully poignant. My heart broke for Luke many times as I wrote this fic. Obi-Wan's wisdom and empathy are always wonderfully soothing for me to write, and it is great to hear that his words were a balm to you even though Luke wasn't quite in a position yet to accept Obi-Wan's words. As you say, though, he can reflect back on this conversation later and perhaps gain more wisdom from it. Distance from events can sometimes give perspective and wisdom and can lessen some of the incredible pain that poor Luke is experiencing right now. Luke is in a very raw state emotionally so it is hard for him to be receptive to what Obi-Wan says.

I think you are right that failure can be very interesting in that sometimes people can be tempted to not take on enough of it (to avoid taking responsibility for their bad deeds and the consequences of those bad deeds) and others can sometimes struggle with the opposite tendency (to blame themselves for things that are not their fault at all).

I also agree with you that a lot of the regret both Obi-Wan and Luke end up experiencing in the Star Wars movies is because they feel they weren't able to prevent the downfall of someone they cared about deeply even though it is very true that both Anakin and Ben are responsible for their own choices. Unfortunately, good people like Obi-Wan and Luke can end up taking on the burden of more guilt than they should.

I'm so flattered that you felt I was able to provide a plausible context for Luke's retreat. As I was writing this story, it truly occurred to me that in the context of spirituality, a retreat can be something very meditative and reflective (rather than something tactical or strategic) and I really wanted to highlight that spiritual element of Luke and the Jedi here. Retreats like this can bring healing and perspective. Two things that I think Luke really needs at this painful juncture in his life!

Thank you again for the kind words that brought a big grin to my face