#don'tlookback

[themindfulmanatee]

You've Got This https://etsy.me/3fHxYd3

#toughtimes #etsybracelets #friendship gift #besties #strong #don'tlookback #giftforfriends #daughtergifts #songifts #flowers #nyloncord #bffs

[ilonga]

angstpril day 10

prompt: Don’t Look Back

warning for referenced/threat of slavery

ao3

"Stop." Anakin says. His voice is no longer panicked—suddenly it's clear as a bell, ringing with resolve. "Take me instead."

"What? Anakin, no—"

"If you take her, I'll stop at nothing." He's not threatening them; just stating as if he's reading from a GAR report. "I'll burn this ship to the ground and you with it."

"Step forward and she dies, Jedi," the slaver spits, finger hovering over the explosive.

"Then we'll all die." Anakin says, undeterred and—he's bluffing, right? He has to be. "And no one will walk away happy. But if you take me and let her go safely, I won't fight. I won't resist. You can do whatever you'd like to me." He grins, sharply. "I'm the better investment."

"He's bluffing," Another one of them says, not sounding convinced. "Besides, the girl will be easier to train." To break.

Anakin laughs with a bitter edge and pulls down his collar. There's a faint scar on his neck; a thin, small line she'd always thought was the result of some stray shrapnel. "I'm already trained."

She can feel the slavers' sudden sick pleasure. It's disgusting.

"Aren't the freed ones always more trouble then they're worth?" mutters a slaver in the back. 

"No," Another says. "He's a Jedi, remember? They already answer to Masters."

Ahsoka can feel the blaster digging into the side of her skull ease up somewhat. The force suppressors are still locked tight around her wrists.

"Fine," says the one holding her. "We accept. Now drop the saber or we shoot."

"If you don't let her go safely, the deal is off." Anakin warns, and the room freezes with a sudden chill. The slavers seem sufficiently intimidated.

He drops the saber.

Suddenly there's a rush of movement from all sides—

Ahsoka finds herself shoved towards the escape pods—

Anakin is dragged down and manhandled into force suppressant cuffs—he doesn't resist—

The hatch begins to close—

"Don't look back, Ahsoka," Anakin shouts to her as her pod slides shut and she's left alone. "Don't look back."

She's launched into the yawning abyss of space, alone save for her sabers and a pre-plotted route to the campaign they'd left behind.

#angstpril2021 #fanfiction #dayten #don'tlookback #cw referenced/threat of slavery #star wars fanfiction #star wars au #my writing #anakin skywalker #ahsoka tano #star wars #angstpril day 10 #angstpril

[hellowkatey]

angstpril day 10: don't look back

[ part 1 ] [ AO3 ]

Unfinished Business (pt. 2)

It didn't take much convincing at all to get the council to knight Obi-Wan. Qui-Gon holds the lightsaber in his hand, and it feels heavier than normal. Maybe it's his weakened state since Naboo, or maybe seeing his padawan kneeling before him, trying his hardest not to smile, is causing him to want to let this moment stretch out as long as he can. His moments are numbered, and this is one he wants to remember.

"Obi-Wan Kenobi," Qui-Gon says, igniting his lightsaber and lowering it to the shoulder of the boy he watched grow into a man. His face is illuminated in the darkened council chambers by the lightsabers of the council, who granted him this exception to knight his own padawan. Yoda stands beside him, and Qui-Gon taps into the calmness of his presence to get him through this moment. "By the right of the council; by the will of the Force; I dub thee," and he flicks his wrist, the delicate movement taking the braid off in a single hiss. "Jedi Knight of the Republic."

Qui-Gon watches the braid fall to the floor, and a polite smile spreads across Obi-Wan's face as he rises. There is cheering from the council, and Qui-Gon deactivates his lightsaber.

He lets Obi-Wan get whisked away by the crowd of his friends. The post-knighting celebration is always an exciting one and one that with any hope, Obi-Wan will not remember entirely the following day. (Mace made damn sure of that at Qui-Gon's own knighting. He still can't even think about cinnamon shots without feeling queasy).

He looks at his padawan-- former padawan who beams in his direction, his braid held tightly in his fingers. Pride blooms in Qui-Gon’s chest. The boy he raised from his youth now stands among his friends, some lacking their braids and others who are soon due. Their arms wrap around him and words of congratulations fill the air, and Qui-Gon has to resist the urge to run up to them and tell them how right they are. How Obi-Wan stepped up against a foe even he couldn’t defeat, and now he even inquired about taking on Anakin as his padawan in a few years if Qui-Gon is still feeling the effects of his injuries. He raised an excellent Jedi, true and good, but he must make sure Obi-Wan knows how good he is before Qui-Gon accepts his demise.

But will there even be time for that?

The question constantly lingers in his mind. He can feel the eyes of his council members who know the deal he made. He's been their constant study ever since he explained what had happened in that chamber. It feels like they're afraid to blink around him-- that one moment he'll be living and the next the Force will take him before their eyes. Had Qui-Gon known he would become a captive animal he would have succumbed to his rightful fate weeks ago.

A joke, he projects into the Force. Only a joke.

Maybe he will disappear in an instant-- it certainly feels that way sometimes. Ever since Naboo, he is at the very peak of a metaphorical mountain. Solid ground is virtually non-existent at this point, with only the treacherous cliffside around him if he wavers from his upright stance. He is posted up at the very edge of his Life Force. Yes, he can stand here almost comfortably, but even mountains weather over time. Soon he will have to fall and accept his entry into the Cosmic Force.

"They grow up so fast," the sardonic voice of his friend says, with a hand resting on his shoulder. He looks to Mace Windu who may be the only member of the council who isn't obsessed with his current existence. Or at least he hides it better.

"Indeed. One day I'm pulling him out of a fire beetle pit and the next he's besting a Sith in a duel."

"A testament to your lineage. With hope, your maverick ways weren't hereditary."

Qui-Gon chuckles. "If anything, it skips a generation."

"Then I'm not giving Kenobi any say in his padawan choice."

"Much like Yoda did for me then?"

Mace clears his throat, straightening up. Yes, maverick ways certainly skip a generation in this lineage. Yoda may be the worst of all, somehow even getting the Force on his side to do his bidding.

"The creche master sent a comm during the ceremony," the Master of the Order changes the subject ever so subtly. Qui-Gon perks up, looking at his friend.

"Is it--"

"It's Skywalker, yes."

Qui-Gon glances over at Obi-Wan, still in the midst of collecting praises.

"If Obi-Wan asks, I am stepping out for just a moment."

Windu nods, and Qui-Gon moves quietly away from the party.

The walk to the creche feels longer than normal. Perhaps it is his new philosophy to savor the moment he has left in his home. Walks through the temple are different now that he knows they are the last he will take. He looks at every art piece, glances into every room. Though he isn't spending as much time sightseeing, it still feels long.

His focus lies on Anakin now.

Qui-Gon is a hypocrite. He so often took the time to lecture about not reflecting on the past, and now here he is, wishing he could have done so many things differently. One such choice is how he dealt with young Anakin.

Impulsive is a word used on numerous occasions to describe him through his knighthood. Usually, he ignores such critiques since they so often come from senators with no concept of what it means to be a Jedi and know the Force... but this time they may have a point. At the time it felt like the right thing to do. Anakin was a slave with untapped potential and the answer to a prophecy he's been studying for years. He's undoubtedly the Chosen One who will save them from the darkness. But maybe if he'd just waited...

He strides into the dormitories to find Master Rose, Anakin's creche master, waiting patiently for him.

"Master Jinn," she says, her lips pressed together. "They're happening again."

He sighs. "Can I see him?"

She nods, stepping out of the way. The dormitories are just as he remembers from his own childhood. Rows of beds, little privacy, and always a little musty from the older younglings that aren't keen on hygiene yet. It's empty at this time of day-- Anakin has been granted additional rest hours because of the nightmares he's been having ever since his arrival at the Temple. A recommendation from his mind healer. The boy sits on the edge of his bed, arms wrapped around himself as though he's cold or simulating a hug. He only looks up at Qui-Gon when he approaches and sits next to him, his eyes rimmed red and nose running.

"Was it her again?" Qui-Gon asks softly, wrapping an arm around the boy. He leans into his side, sniffling in the process.

"Yes, Master Jinn."

"The same as the others?"

He feels the nod. Anakin has told him of his nightmares before. His mother, Shmi, sitting in the window staring out to the horizon. He calls for her, but she doesn't turn around. So he runs at her, only to be held back. The creche master would wake up to him screaming for her in the night. Pleading her to look at him. If his dream progresses enough, she does turn around, but she doesn't know him. Doesn't remember him. And then he screams louder-- but in despair.

"The mind healer told me it's because I'm attached," he looks up, his eyes a bright blue from crying. "Master Jinn, how can I not be attached to my mom?"

The question pangs in Qui-Gon's chest because truthfully, he doesn't know the answer to that question. Biological family is not something he's ever known or really put much thought into. The Jedi have always been his family, but not quite in the way that Anakin feels for his mother.

This is where his regret comes. He didn't consider the fallout of Anakin's attachment. Obi-Wan tried to warn him but he admittedly wasn't in the market for advice at that time. As much as he's trying to make things right by having the boy see a mind healer to cope with the change, he isn't sure the boy will ever figure out how to overcome his attachment. It worries him. He knows it worries the council. Obi-Wan has come around on the idea, but with the condition that he works with the healers.

"What is it you fear, Anakin?"

His face scrunched up. "What do you mean?"

"What do you fear."

"You said Jedi aren't supposed to fear."

Qui-Gon smiles. "You are a Jedi in training, young one. And Jedi do fear, they just know how to deal with it. How to release it and not let it affect their connection to the Force."

"Because fear is the dark side, right?"

"You learn quickly. Fear is not inherently the dark side, but it can lead to it. Now tell me, what is making you afraid?"

The boy takes a deep breath. "What if she... forgets about me?" As he speaks, his voice cracks. "What if she is hurt or needs help, and I... can't help her? I shouldn't have-- I shouldn't have left her all alone."

The tears come now, hot and fast. And stars, the Force... when Anakin cries just feels like it's crying with him.

Qui-Gon has learned that sometimes tears just need to flow. For the young, it is a necessary release. He lets Anakin have his moment, lets him collapse into his lap, and ball his robes in his little fists. Qui-Gon just sends calm sentiments through the Force, even though it feels like he's holding an umbrella to a gale. When his sobs turned to sniffles, Qui-Gon ruffles his fingers through the floppy blond strands of his hair. His dry heaving and hiccups shift to controlled breaths, and then the Jedi Master speaks.

"Now how do you feel?"

Anakin sniffles, sitting up again next to Qui-Gon. "A little... better."

"Your mind healer has told you to release your emotions, right? This--" He sets his hand lightly on the boy's chest. "--feeling you have. A weight off your shoulders, and your emotions calm. This is the feeling you are looking for."

"So I have to... cry when I meditate?"

The master smiles. "With much practice, you will find you can release any negative emotions with just your strength of mind. To be a Jedi is to be in control of these emotions. To think and act with a clear mind. Now tell me young one, these dreams. Your mother. Now that you have released your anxieties, what is it telling you?"

The boy looks up at him, eyes wide and bright from the residual tears. Anakin's lip quivers, but he bites the inside of his lip.

"Don't look back. She told me not to look back."

He nods. Qui-Gon remembers the moment vividly, Shmi's jaw set but face soft when Anakin looked at her. He could see her strength, her desire for Anakin to have a life better than his current one, but also her love for her son. When Anakin didn't turn around, Qui-Gon did. Shmi stared back, a smile still on her face and a nod in his direction. A promise--I will be okay-- and a request-- take care of him for me.

"Yes. Don't look back, look forward. If you learn the ways of the Jedi, learn to regulate your emotions, and become the great knight I feel you could be, then you will be making her proud. You are living the life that your mother wanted for you. I know you can feel that."

"I can feel it," he says softly. "I just... don't know if I should believe it."

"Trust in the Force, Ani. You've done it naturally all your life, and now it's time you learn to hone it. And don't look back."

"Look forward," Anakin finishes for him, pushing off the bed and standing. "I'll try, Master Jinn."

Do or do not, there is no try, his grandmaster's voice automatically replies in his mind. Qui-Gon walks with Anakin back out to see his creche master, who will take him to his next mind healing session.

And then he's alone walking back to the council chambers. When he's alone, he is aware of the ticking chrono constantly ringing in his ears. It grows louder with every day he awakes, every additional moment he strongarms his way through. Maybe Qui-Gon would wonder what this world would look like had he perished in that chamber, but he need not wonder.

It's what he hasn't yet told a soul, and it weighs on him. When he held on for dear life to that final thread of life, he saw a future clad in darkness. Light and dark clashing in a heated fury of heartbreak and loss. It was cold, laced with pain and treachery he could hardly comprehend. This was a future of suffering, and he has woken in a cold sweat every night since he felt it.

If he died in that chamber, the galaxy would suffer. He tries to tell himself what Shmi told her son-- don't look back-- but the very idea of such a shatterpoint over his existence is horrifying. He can't help it. But it's given him a reason to do what he can to fix this mess he has created. To prevent that pit of despair he could feel in the shadow of his former padawan's future. To preserve the light that shines so brightly within a boy who had every reason to live in darkness. Don't look back-- Force, but what if he had died? What if he was too slow, too weak to keep himself from going into that light?

He stops outside the council chambers, sitting on the bench and breathing deeply. The sounds of celebration still rage in the next room, and from here Qui-Gon can feel Obi-Wan and the gratification that has made his Force presence feel like a raging bonfire. It's warm, inviting, and feels as though it could burn for an eternity.

So much to tell him. So much to share. His learning as a padawan may have stopped, but now his future as a great Jedi knight lies before him. But he clutches his chest, feeling like his breath has been stolen from his lungs. The hallway seems to spin, and Qui-Gon knows he is teetering over the edge of that cliffside. So much to share. So much to do. But the Force has waited long enough.

#angstpril2021 #fic #day 10 #don't look back #don'tlookback #unfinished business pt 2 #part three is dying words but i dont think that is a spoiler #anakin gets therapy! #obi-wan gets closure! #and a proper knighting! #but don't worry even though its a fix it #there is of course some angst

[missgonnabealrightsomedayy]

.....

It’s not that I don’t want to speak to you - but I don’t want to speak to you. 

You are my achilles heel.... I will melt for you- I will melt into you. This is NOT the time for that- I am busy making life altering moves. This time is about ME. NO DISTRACTIONS- I cannot afford distractions. 

#growth #positibevibes #don'tlookback #I miss you

[miracleswithinme]

Finding your purpose alone.

#alone #whenincuba #standing #stepforward #don'tlookback

[tonybrigmon]

The best way to stop stumbling over something behind you is to move forward. You can do this. Ready? Good for you. Move. Forward.

Good Notes to Self (TonyBrigmon.com)

#don'tlookback #moveforward #goodforyou

[gr33ngx-blog]

Your better off without me

Feeling this beat

Can’t feel myself

I’m feeling real weak

I love you 

But I hate myself

You’re living on the highest shelf

I’m at the very bottom myself

Choose someone else

Just know my heart melts

I can’t stop thinking about you

Just know i’d never doubt you

My thoughts are all about you

I know you know it too

I don’t know what to do

Just know my thoughts are about you

All about you

They’re all about you

I see you 

I see how you grew

I see how you flew

How you’re happy 

And you’re better of without me

Don’t worry bout me

I’ll worry bout me

Bout who I’ll be

Just be happy

I know I feel crappy

But your better of without me

Just know your better of without me... 

#sad #relatable #she's gone #i'm sorry #moveon #don'tlookback #deppresing thoughts #deppresive #poems #songs #sadsongs #relatablesongs #relatablepoems #sadpoems #better off without me

[saraluceno]

Past, Present and Future

To my past: This year has been bittersweet, with lots of learning, new experiences, and lots of love. There have been many blessings and unfortunate events that I think had to happen and is helping to shape me to become the person God wants me to be. I’ve learned through all the disappointments I’ve come across this year, that God is merely saying he has better plans for us in store. We just need to have faith and trust in Him. This year has been a year for living and learning, but now it’s time to let go, don’t look back and move on. 

To my ex-lover: I don’t regret ever loving you, my only regret was not loving you with integrity. I know we’re mere strangers now, but you taught me so much about bettering yourself, using your time wisely by learning and meeting new people. You are truly inspiring. I do wish the very best in your future endeavors.

To my future: I honestly can’t wait to see what God has planned for me this year and the years to come. I want to accomplish so much next year, and use my time wisely and more efficiently, learning more things about the world, others, myself, and most importantly, God. My favorite verse this year is: 

“No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” Philippians 3: 13-14 

It’s such an uplifting verse because it tells us to look to the future without looking back. We are trusting in God when we’re not constantly looking back and instead we hold on to his promises to give us a better future, enduring and pressing on till our heavenly father comes back for us.   

To my present self: Right now, I’m holding on to God’s promises that he will give us peace in our brokenness. Each day, there are many difficult situations, but in those moments, I try to cling tighter to God’s word and wrap myself in the love of my family and friends. I know that whatever I’m going through right now, God will use to mold me into the woman he wants me to be. That’s to become a woman who is warm, positive, welcoming, a reflection of God’s love and without fear of the future.

Thank you God for all the wonderful moments you let me experience this year. All I ask is that you continue to mold me, make me, and refine me to be the person you want me to be so I can do whatever it is you want me to do for you.

#don'tlookback

[tropicallyaddicted-blog]

good for you , better for her

#gif #sea #don'tlookback

[chaillestovall-blog]

Ink & brushed Flyman!! 

Based on Mark Savee’s coloring book.http://collectingclassicmonsters.com/collectible-books/monster-gallery-coloring-book-1973/

#antman #ant #ink #chaillestovall #drawing #horror #runaway #don'tlookback #art #illustration

[michaelmatote13-blog]

Leave no traces behind

#don'tlookback

[thebookdragon217]

It's #ThrillerThursday! Thank you @harpercollins for the gifted copies. QOTD: What thriller do I need to read asap? Thrillers are not only my guilty pleasure but also my comfort reads. Whenever I'm in a reading slump or need a change of pace, I can always count on a good ole thriller book to get me through. I prefer slow builds, psychological mind twists and some domestic drama weaved in to the story. TITLE: DON'T TURN AROUND SYNOPSIS: The riveting follow up to Jessica Barry’s debut Freefall—a controversial, of-the-moment thriller about two women fighting for their right to live. 322 miles of road. 6 hours. 2 strangers. 1 killer. Too many secrets. --------------------------- TITLE: A GOOD MARRAIGE SYNOPSIS: Big Little Lies meets  Presumed Innocent  in  this riveting novel from the  New York Times  bestselling author of  Reconstructing Amelia, in which a woman’s brutal murder reveals  the perilous compromises some couples make—and the secrets they keep—in order to stay together. #thrillerthursday #thrillerbooks #thrillernerdigans #bookfeatures #bookstagram #booksoutside #bookphotos #bibliophile #books #bookworm #bookrecs #reading #Don'tLookBack #JessicaBarry #AGoodMarraige #paperbacks #bookswithblackcovers #bookdragon #booksinNYC #KimberlyMcCreight #bookish #booknerdactivities #booksbooksbooks #ILovebooks #bookaddict #bookinfluencer #womenauthors #booksofIG #harperinfluencer (at Bushwick) https://www.instagram.com/p/CORE__3r-KY/?igshid=5cc4k06ibkm3

#thrillerthursday #thrillerbooks #thrillernerdigans #bookfeatures #bookstagram #booksoutside #bookphotos #bibliophile #books #bookworm #bookrecs #reading #don #jessicabarry #agoodmarraige #paperbacks #bookswithblackcovers #bookdragon #booksinnyc #kimberlymccreight #bookish #booknerdactivities #booksbooksbooks #ilovebooks #bookaddict #bookinfluencer #womenauthors #booksofig #harperinfluencer

[kirakovach]

#don'tlookback🐼✌

[colorfulzebraunicorn]

I lost my voice I lost my mind I almost lost everything in my life Now I just sit to sing along This Twenty One Pilots' song "I'm ponder of something great My longs will fill and then deflate They fill with fire, exhale desire I know it's dire my time today I have these thougts, so often I ought To replace that slot with what I once bought 'Cause somebody stole my car radio and now I just sit in silence..." #SometimesQuietIsViolent #NoMoreSilence #Don'tStop #LiveYourDreams #Don'tLookBack #RaiseYourVoice #BlackAndWhite #TwentyOnePilots #CarRadio #Music #MusicMakesUsLive #Support

#don #raiseyourvoice #carradio #sometimesquietisviolent #music #support #blackandwhite #musicmakesuslive #twentyonepilots #liveyourdreams #nomoresilence

[speakerteacherstoryteller]

Keep your face to the sunshine

            and you cannot see the shadow.

_______________________________________Helen Keller

#don'tlookback #successmindset #positivethinking

#faceyourfears

[rinnyagustin]

Tak dapat aku menentang takdir Tak mampu aku hindari yang tlah ku sepakati Tak bisa aku batalkan yang sudah ku setujui

Ah ya…

Seperti katamu, kala tlah sampai dipersimpangan jalan.

Katamu ingin putar haluan, lewati rintangan tanpa ada aku dibelakang.

Karena kau bilang sudah lelah berjuang sendirian, perlu kawan untuk lewati lini masa kehidupan.

Hmm….

Kala kau bilang aku bukan kawan, bukan teman lanjutkan perjalanan.

Kala kau bilang bahwa aku pernah ikut berjuang dalam perjalanan, tak selalu ada saat kau butuhkan.

Kau harus tau, bukan separuh hati yang kau patahkan, bukan separuh hati yang sengaja kau porak-porandakan.

Karena nyatanya aku tak pernah tinggalkanmu berjuang sendirian, biarkanmu lewati dingin malam tanpa kawan, tak pernah aku biarkan kau kesepian.

Namun nyatanya usahaku kau anggap kurang, atau malah tak pernah kau perhitungkan.

Ah yaa…

Sungguh aku tak apa-apa, cukup hela nafas sebagai tanda kecewa.

Karena kini aku tlah mampu aku merangkul luka, pandai aku menghapus kecewa, mentralkan rasa dan dapat aku ciptakan bahagia saat kau tlah tiada.

Iyaa…

Sungguh tak apa kala aku kau tinggalkan, akan tetap sama jika jalan sendirian.

#don'tlookback #yookniklanjutjalan