part of the obikin dynamic that fucks with me severely is that anakin commits to having his act together when obi-wan is looking. when obi-wan isn't looking, he's more inclined to make some of the riskiest and worst decisions of his life, but when obi-wan is with him, he's genuinely the best version of himself. there's so much that can be read into that for just anakin's side of it alone, never mind what it says about the two of them together. obi-wan is an influence that consistently brings out the best in him, but it's in an arguably subterfuge way. it's conveyed as genuine, a real part of anakin, just as the parts of him he tries to keep hidden and separate from obi-wan are (until they can't hide anymore). before vader, a significant bulk of the worst things anakin does just have a much less chance of reaching the heights they do if only obi-wan were around. obi-wan comprehends a fraction of the influence he has on anakin, if at all. anakin likely recognizes what obi-wan is to him more, but whether or not he ever actually looks at it fully in the face is up in the air, and personally i'm inclined to think that he doesn't. but that doesn't make the strength of whatever this is any weaker. anakin just doesn't have a thing like this with anyone but obi-wan; the closest next to obi-wan is yoda. anakin is so consistently worse without him. it's hitting so many buttons. it's so compelling.