#mostthingskenobi

[journen]

for the star wars asks, #4. which character is the most misunderstood?

Okay, so I got this ask a few days ago, and I’ve been trying to think of a good answer… I remember thinking in the past of some characters I believe were misunderstood, but none have come to me lol! However, I did think of something!

So I’m going to piggy back on the topic of @mostthingskenobi’s recent podcast episode topic(go check out their podcast if you haven’t already, it’s super amazing!) and talk about Obi-Wan. Allthough I believe he is generally understood pretty well in the fandom, or at least by people who really love him, there are some aspects to his personality that I don’t see explored as often. And, I think it’s because people tend to think of him as a sort of “cinnamon roll” type character(as MTK goes into detail about on their podcast ep). Cute, fluffy, soft, innocent… etc…

To me, he is absolutely not a cinnamon roll!!! Or whatever. Lol. Obi-Wan is very kind, gentle, compassionate, and well mannered, but he’s also a very capable & ruthless warrior when he needs to be! And sometimes even unnecessarily so? Like the guy cuts off SO many people’s limbs! I mean, it’s kind of iconic lol(and I love it) but unwarranted, and SO violent! HAHA! Not to mention he is also an army general who is more than able to set aside his personal feelings & desires in order to complete a mission. It often even makes him a bit emotionally cold(though I do believe he feels guilt over this) and this is not at all cinnamon bun-y. Lol.

I mean, sometimes I DEF think he is very soft/sweet and innocent, but that’s not entirely how I’d define his character! As well, I think the times when he is “soft/sweet” it’s when he lets himself be emotionally vulnerable, and in p much all those moments it’s come back around to hurt him! And that obviously REALLY hardens someone. Dude’s been through a lot of pain and violence. He isn’t always so innocent(as being a cinnamon bun would imply lol).

Also, Obi-Wan has a lot of anger, too. You see it in some of his interactions with Anakin in AotC(though I believe it’s worry for Anakin masked by anger), in his fight with Maul in Phantom Menace(I mean, not that you can blame him for being angry), and when he fights with Maul and Savage in those CW episodes especially… dude has some anger and he uses it to strengthen his saber strikes. And though he never, ever lets it consume him, I think it’s there.

Anyhow, I could totally go on for 5000 more words, but I won’t. Hopefully I explained my thoughts well enough! 🤣

Btw, it’s 100% fine if anyone thinks of Obi-Wan as a sweet cinnamon roll, or whatever. Just personally, I don’t. Obi-Wan to me is a gentle, kind, and well mannered freaking bad ass and depressed Jedi warrior!! And I also find it fun to explore the darker aspects of his personality. But again if people love to view him as a soft sweetheart without a violent bone in his body that’s okay too, it’s all fiction after all. Have fun! ✨✨

Thanks so much @bad-batch-supremacy for the ask!!

Click here to see the list of SW asks! 😊

[legobiwan]

Obi-Wan of course, for the character meme, please and thank you!! I love your Obi analysis!!!!!

:)

(sung to the tune of “Tradition” from Fiddler on the Roof) Represssiooooon! Repression! Do-dooooooooo-do-repression! (take it up a major third!) Repressiooooooooon! Respression! Do-doooooooooo-do! Okay, I jest, but Obi-wan is a master of repressing his emotions when he very clearly feels things deeply. Qui-gon rejects his suggestions, projects that he feels Obi-wan is behind on his development as a Jedi without saying why, and then casts him aside in front of the Council for the promise of a prophecy that meant more to him than their relationship? Fine, swallow it, believe in the prophecy for Qui-gon’s sake, because, oh yeah, he’s dead and tasked Obi-wan with raising said prophecy in complete opposition to what the Council ordered, fine I’ll just swallow those feelings, too and raise a young child when I’m not prepared to do so. What, you say? Satine? Oh yes, nothing there, I let that go except I won’t even disarm this one bad guy in front of her because she’d look at me differently and I may have gone against not only the Council but the entire Republic government to interfere with a neutral system and try to save her but no, nothing happened, I’m not letting Ahsoka be put on trial because I feel guilty about my attachment actually coming to light. Anakin, you meant? No, no issues there, I know he has something going on with Senator Amidala but it’s fine and he kind of hates me after the Hardeen incident and I couldn’t quite kill him on Mustafar so I’m going to go dehydrate in the desert for the next 20 years everything is fine. Maul? Ha. (nervous laughter). No problems. No, none at all aside from that time I tried to chop him in half undefended and may have kicked his ass and Savage’s ass simultaneously because I was a little miffed at the whole situation. No, I’m fine. Really. Just going to...reach out...and have a glass of whiskey. Or two.

Along those lines, I have a headcanon (that comes out in a lot of my writing) that Obi-wan is a functional alcoholic. I mean, that repression has to come out somewhere.

I’ve mentioned this before, but just as Obi-wan represses his emotions, he also represses his abilities. I mean, come on, the man was able to jar’kai Savage and Maul at the same time and make it look good. That scene is savage and I love him for it. Same with Mustafar. He beats peak-powered Anakin Skywalker (who, to be fair, was emotionally unhinged and thus a little distracted but still...) Obi-wan allows himself to get beaten, consciously or unconsciously, because he’s holding back with his true abilities (and whether or not this is some kind of self-punishment for his supposed faults or some extension of Qui-gon’s weird withholding nature I’m not sure. Probably a combination of both, tbh.)

Obi-wan is a good teacher, but subtle about it. Unlike Dooku, who struts across the stage with lessons and advice, Obi-wan hints, he questions, he leaves it up to his student(s) to figure out the answer for themselves, much like the Yoda we saw in Jedi Lost. He also cares so much about Anakin and Ahsoka, and tries to lighten their load in small ways that they both probably never notice (this is a prime, but not solitary example). But he asks for no credit, never even hints at having done anything because he might not realize it himself and he would downplay his actions. 

Again, as I’ve mentioned before - repression fo emotions, plus exacting standards for one’s self, plus a knife-edge intellect and sense of humor - Obi-wan Kenobi would be a terrifying Sith. Think about how he kept everyone moving forward in the face of death and disaster in the Citadel arc, how he accepted the Hardeen fiasco and now invert it so those impulses are made towards darker goals.

On the other hand, Obi-wan is just as much a disaster as everyone else in this damn Lineage. It’s just that he (and Dooku) are better at hiding it behind a fancy accent and manners. 

(Ask me about a character!)

[the-far-bright-center]

mostthingskenobi replied to your post “the-far-bright-center: prxncessleiaa: this this scene right here...”

@the-far-bright-center oh my god, yes to fucking all of this!!!!!!!!!! Thank you! Thank you for writing this. Thank you for understanding and articulating this so beautifully.

You’re so very, very welcome. It does my heart good to know this resonates so strongly with others. ♥

(and many thanks to the OP for bringing up this subject in the first place -- it desperately needed to be said.)

[capmorrow77]

Wouldn’t have been great?

Live action Landing at Point Rain. Obi-Wan’s looking in disbelief, struggling on his feet.

In which, after the shield generator is destroyed Anakin is back to find Obi-Wan is still sitting on the ground having refused to be taken to medical. Anakin would have crouched next to him and passed Obi-Wan’s arm on his shoulder and asked him first, “are you ready?” And Obi-Wan would have just answered “I sure hope so” before going on his feet with a helpless groan that Anakin acknowledges in worry but chooses to ignore. And then Obi-Wan would have been placed on an actual hover stretch on board the gun ship where he is immediately assessed by a clon doctor.

[capmorrow77]

[legobiwan]

mostthingskenobi replied to your post “One of my favorite tropes...”

Holy shit I totally wrote this into a fic I haven't posted yet! You and I have similar, excellent taste ;)

YAAAASSSSSSSSS 

I can’t wait. 

[forcearama]

@mostthingskenobi replied to your photo “ilovedyoubananakin: misanthrope1993: John and Paul, Toronto, 17...”

I still have THE BIGGEST crush on John Lennon. He was my first crush and I will always always love him ��❤

Same. I love him still, but nothing ever really comes close to the all-consuming blind love of a fangirl first crush. 

You guys should have seen my room back in the day. It looked like a Beatle Fangirl (and non-murderous) version of Maul’s Kenobi Cave. 

[legobiwan]

mostthingskenobi mentioned you in a post

holy shit!! I was literally just going to post this image and ask if anybody knew what this was from!! Get out of my brain @legobiwan​ But seriously, what *is* this from???

Hahahahaha! I told you before that great minds think alike :P

In all seriousness, though, it’s from a now-Legends series of Clone Wars comics from Dark Horse, and I think the issue is Republic 53 or something around there. The whole arc is wild, Obes gets the snot beaten out of him, crash lands a Jedi fighter on a landing pad at the Temple Anakin-style and has more people die in front of him (or in his arms) than is really necessary. And of course, he’s an absolute badass the entire time, but that goes without saying ;)