I've now read the Clone Wars book Wild Space. Some thoughts:
▪ Main characterization takeaway: Everyone low-key hates each other.
▪ Exceptions: 1) Anakin and Padme whose love is (according to them) Pure and Eternal™️. 2) Anakin and Obi-Wan whose love is (according to them) COMPLICATED OK™️.
▪ Anakin absolutely wants an obianidala threesome. Obi-Wan and Padme would probably be up for it except for when they low-key hate each other. (Padme literally uses the words "it's complicated" in the book to describe her and Obi-Wan's relationship, but she's not all capital letters about it.)
▪ Yoda might have bipolar disorder? (Not that it straight up says he has bipolar disorder but 🤔)
▪ Jedi are supposed to be emotionless and they beat themselves up when they have Feelings. (I'm glad new canon doesn't really go this route because ❄️brr❄️.)
▪ Obi-Wan swats Anakin's butt and also gently palms his cheek (an upper one), and Anakin yells at him and then literally one second later flips the fuck out because Obi-Wan has a Pain, and they're sent on separate missions and are both So Angsty about it, and NO REALLY IT'S COMPLICATED OK™️. And then Padme rescues Obi-Wan and gets to gently palm his cheek (an upper one), and it's really really complicated. OK.
▪ The main plot of the book is Obi-Wan and Bail going on the road trip from hell. (Where they answer the question "is this trip really necessary?" with "no, it was not.") When you take a road trip with someone you low-key hate and you both wind up hating the trip even more than you hate each other, you Bond.
▪ Overall there were things I liked and things I'd prefer to ignore. How cold the Jedi were with each other, not to mention others, is something I'd prefer to ignore. However Bail getting a glimpse of what it actually means to be a Jedi and becoming their number one supporter was interesting. It must have truly terrified him to raise Leia, knowing how terrible that Force connection could be.
▪ But the best thing was just how 100% stupid The Team was about each other. Obi-Wan spends a lot of time worrying about Anakin's attachment to Padme, and meanwhile… Sir. Sir. Please. 🤣