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love-d20-or-die · 4 years

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Too Many Words | Trying to get into the Bad Kids’ heads

So far, a solid half of the bad kids have faced manifestations of their fears and doubts. And I’ve been wondering what aspect(s) of the other Bad Kids will be reflected and manifested by the Nightmare King?

Adaine faced the shadow creature in her tent - the manifestation of her anxiety and fears of helplessness, silently sitting in the corner unable to act or do anything but wait, paralysed by her anxiety in a manner that truly terrifies Adaine - being helpless against her illness yet again.

Fabian faced the weird Gilear!Fabian in his nightmare - the manifestation of his fears of being like Gilear: unfulfilled, mediocre, a failure. Of being less than unremarkable, just an avatar of powerlessness and failure. Mixed with the fear of not being a part of his father’s legacy, of failing to “write his name on the face of the world” and ultimately being forgotten.

Riz has faced both Baron and the Shadowcat (Kalina), two different but intersecting facets of his fears - not of lying specifically, but of lying for betterment, lying to escape. He lied about Baron to escape the awkwardness of the situation, to try to make himself appear better. Baron reflected the bad and toxic outcome of his lies, and Kalina reflected the kind of person he would be if he continued to try to escape, to seek selfish self-betterment, she is the negative aspect of his rogue nature: the hiding, the lying, the deception - because what is hiding and lying if not a perpetual escape? From the mortal horror of being seen, and dealing with the honest consequences of your actions. Kalina doesn’t care, reflected in her hiding in and movement through the shadows - perpetually escaping from the consequences of her actions and refusing the honesty that requires presence.

Now, for the possibilities:

Will Kristen be forced to face the doubt and confusion and feelings of being lost that comes from her central ideology being based around doubt and unsureness and skepticism? Or will she have to face a manifestation of the devout, blind worship she used to engage in - the scripted, doll-like mannerisms of a zealous follower? Maybe they’ll pivot from Kristen’s issues with her faith and focus on her interpersonal relationships - her rocky relationship with her parents and what they represent to her, her (seemingly) severed connection to her little brothers, her relatively recent but ride-or-die relationship with Tracker that she sometimes seems to flaunt in a weirdly kind of insecure way, her at times concerningly casual relationship with adults and authority figures, her odd interactions with the rest of the Bad Kids mostly evident in season 1 and what that stems from? Or will it focus on her relationship to her own identity as a lesbian - the comparatively unusual journey of self-discovery she went through, the fact that she doesn’t seem to be too hands on with Aguefort Academy’s LGBT community despite being almost desperate at times for connection and feedback, the ways she occasionally flaunts her relationship with Tracker with comments like the 69 thing and the jokes about getting a horse now that she’s gay that could point towards a need for outward validation of her identity that she might crave as she doesn’t get praised as much for being a multifaceted person as she did when she was a fairly standard worshipper and mouthpiece of Helio.

Will Fig’s manifestations of fear follow her nightmare trance in being about hollow fame and the resulting isolation - of being so famous that you stop being a person, that you never have to interact meaningfully again, never need to be open or vulnerable and open to getting burned like she got burned when her horns came in. Will this mingle with Fig’s rocky interactions with those around her, simultaneously completely open and utterly closed off - telling people so much and letting them know how she feels but also closing herself off from important and serious conversations to deflect and joke and pretend. Will it explore her relation to lying and how it ties into her self-worth and feelings of usefulness, how she’s naturally better at things when she’s pretending to be anyone but herself, how this prevents her from the kind of closeness that rewards vulnerability and facilitates growth into a healthier place? Will it explore her complicated relationships with her parents and how they’ve all fucked her over but are trying to be better for her and thereby reflect and be a foil to her own journey of self-improvement and reflection, of learning to be Figeroth Faeth and not whoever people want to see.

Will Gorgug be forced to face the manifestations of his fears of abandonment and lack of self worth - the feelings and fears of being abandoned that stem from being adopted into a family of accepting but very obviously not biologically related parents, from being so very Other in his environments and excluded by those who are not: the self-worth issues that come from wondering why your birth parents didn’t keep you, from constantly being so much bigger and stronger than those around you - from his parents and his house to his classmates in middle school who were implied to be mostly small folk or at least smaller people, all were nowhere near Gorgug’s size or strength. From not really having any friends that stems from that dissonance between him and everyone else he knew. Wilma and Digby are open accepting and loving but in s1 e1 their reactions to Gorgug’s expressions of rage - trying to teach him to sing and repress and not actually deal with any causes of his anger, fixing his bed but not teaching him how to fix it himself. They try to help but they don’t show him how to try to help himself, and so Gorgug often feels reliant on others and lesser than them because he relies on them as purely a berserker that pretty much only deals damage and his self esteem suffers. Will it explore how Gorgug’s desperation for parental validation and acknowledgement may have negatively impacted his perceptions of those around him and his own relationship with his parents, of how his relationship with Zelda seems to have moved pretty far for their shy natures in less than a year to be described as getting “regular [amount of] kisses” and how that may stem from his need for outside validation and reliance on others, and how his severance from this presence in his life has left him fairly sad and far more willing to do wild shenanigans in a reckless manner and how that’s not an entirely healthy response to maybe breaking up with your girlfriend.

Regardless of my attempts to psychoanalyse the Bad Kids at 1AM, I can’t wait to see what the D20 crew will do with this “facing manifestations of your fears and doubts” narrative.

#can you tell that i'm an amateur psychology kid? it only shows in the Everything that i do #maybe i finally has some good thoughts though.....#¯\_(ツ)_/¯#dimension 20 #d20 #fantasy high #fantasy high live #fantasy high spoilers

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fantasticalendeavors-blog · 5 years

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Venom

Finally got to go see Venom, and I decided to write a little review in an informal way. Spoilers ahead. Seriously thou.

Reasons I like and Dislike the Movie

1. I love Venom

So the voice is awesome, but the character behind the voice is even better. He is basically just a puppy. he is hungry and wants to be fed. He finds a person. he attaches himself to his person. he loves his person.

I want to make a quick note that Venom is supposed to be this big mean and viscious character. In the movie (2018) he is by no means mean and/or vicious. I know this is going to upset people, because it strays away from the comic, but honestly I like him more for it. Sure he eats people, particularly their heads, but he isn’t maliscious about it. He’s just hungry. So from the very beginning you can root for him!

I can’t enphasis this enough. You can tell that he cares for Eddy. That he cares for Anne. And that he even likes the earth. He shows honest real emotions, and isn’t caught up in himself. So he’s not a villian, and this isn’t a redemption story, at least not for him.

2. Eddy

I also like Eddie. He is a fun character, and I immediatly liked him. He is honest, and open, and seriously no bullshit. He fucks up when he steals from his fiance, and ultimatly loses everything because of it. But despite this he can still be a good guy. he gives the poor woman $20 for a free newspaper. He is kind to the woman at the convience store, even when she says that he “looks like shit.” He doesn’t get aggressive, or mean to the guy next door, even though that guy is a jerk, turns the music up to loud when everyone is trying to sleep, and keeps him up all night. He is honestly a good guy, he has just made a couple mistakes that he has to suffer for. And he actually suffers. (seriously they spent too much of the movie dewelling on how different his life was after he went from all to not)

But he tries to be a good person. He isn’t perfect, and he doesn’t pretend that he is. He just tries to be a good person. How relatable is that. I mean, we all want to bite someone’s head off at some point. But he is like, “okay, no! well, maybe sometimes... Just the bad ones.”

3. We Are Venom

Okay, Riot immediatly says “There are more of us. They will follow me whereever I go.” notice the “I”. Venom never does that. Riot is thinking only about himself, but from the very beginning, Venom is like “We” and “Us”.

Whatever type of relationship you want to ship them as, it doesn’t really matter. They can be friends, or more than friend, or brothers, or whatever. But you cannot deny the fact that they have a serious bond, that bond makes them stronger, and that Venom is a wonderful little sweetroll.

They both are “losers”, but together they are strong. Strong enough to defeat Riot, even if it means letting him trap himself in a rocket, and then blowing up the rocket. But they beat him! it still counts!

Venom even accepts his own death at the end, as he protects and says goodbye to Eddy. “We are Venom” are some real relationship goals. It means, we can do this, if we do this together. It means “We are a team.”

4. It was hilarious

When I sat in the theater, everyone was breaking out laughing at different parts. And some of it was the most mundane and ridiculous Sh*t.

I love the scene where Eddie puts his arms up (like he is surrendering) and Venom’s response is “You are making us look bad.” And he has Eddie put his arms down. And the two are fighting between each other, arms up, arms down, arms up, arms down. it’s so simple, but It is just a wonderful scene. (I couldn’t find a decent video to show.) And I want to point out that Riot just took control of his host and had them do what he wanted. But from the very beginning Venom is like “I’m going to do some shit, but you have an opinion in this.” So I’m back to the “We are Venom” thing.

And then there is this scene! I memorized the entire quote and ran around my house telling everyone about it. This movie knows that it’s dark, but it is having a lot of fun! (take notes DC, Batman can be fun. Or any of your characters!!!! Aquaman is already fun. BUT HE’S THE ONLY ONE!!!!!!!)

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5. It asked some big questions

So this movie is hilarious. It’s dark. It’s gritty. It’s enjoyable. And it asks some big questions. Who gets to decide good and evil? How far are we willing to go to save the world? to better ourselves? to better humanity? How far should we go, and how far is too far? a lot of fars in these sentences. What makes a good person? When should you interviene with something that you know is wrong? Who’s lives matter?

And the movie doesn’t answer these questions. i mean, it kinda answers them, but it really doesn’t. It comes down to us. We need to make these dicisions. We need to try and be good people. We need to try to do what’s right, even if it means losing everything. We need to think about more than just ourselves. We need to try. And remember that our decisions don’t just affect us.

Now things I don’t like about the Movie.... I’m sorry.

1. WHAT THE FRICKING FRACK!

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(I’m sorry about the poor quality of the video, it was the best I could find.)

SERIOUSLY WHY DOES VENOM HAVE BOOBS! This scene is a bit cringeworthy, but due to the humorous/gritty style it doesn’t bother me that it’s in there. The thing I have is the horrible BS design of Venom/Anne. Seriously, is this the best we can do. “Let’s give venom breast, that will show his host is a woman!” WTF! So venom goes into a female body, and his form changes to have boobs? Why doesn’t Eddie’s Penis show? WHERE IS THE DONG?

I want to see Venom as the dog. Like does his outsides turn into a wolf? I get it, they are trying to ship the Eddie/Anne, but I’m so annoyed that he turns into this skinny frail looking, Breasted Venom.

And while this is technically another reason, I’m just going to say it. Why is Anne wearing an school girl skirt at the middle/end of the film? Why? I thought she was a lawyer. What is she playing school girl with the judge so she can win a case?

2. Plot holes?

i put the question mark in because this is just my opinion, and it isn’t necessary to the film, or necessary to enjoy the film.

Why does Eddie hate Riz Ahmed, and his company? like I know that Ahmed is an extremist who doesn’t actual care about human life, is a bit self absorbed, manipulative, and powerful. But it seems that Eddie hates Riz before he has even met the guy. It feels like there is some personal connection, and we just never find out. Once again, not necessary for the film, but I really want to know.

Riz Ahmed wanted to cement his name in history. He wanted to be remembered for saving everyone and every thing. he was egotistical, and selfish, and didn’t care about anyone. Then he meets Riot, and Riot is just as bad as he is, but worse! And Ahmed, rather than being like “this bi*ch is about to take my spotlight, and wipe my name, and lexacy off the face of the planet” he’s like “Cool, I get to help!” How does that make sense? What is in it for him? He has to know that Riot plans to kill everyone and destroy the planet, right?

3. Scene distribution

The beginning of the film was a little slow. The car chase was way too long. The car chase was way too long. THE CAR CHASE WAS WAY TOO LONG!!!! And some of the end felt rushed, probably because they took to much time on the CAR CHASE!

I want to see more of Venom seeing the world. He has one scene where he is like “Wow, your world is actually pretty.” I want more bonding with Eddie. “You changed my mind” (about distroying everything and everyone, so I want to stay here with you.) Seriously, like one scene before Eddie had abandoned Venom, leaving him for dead!!! Then he comes back, saves Eddie! Venom is just a puppy, following his owner around!

Venom kind of went from “I’m hungry” to “I’m going to be a hero,” and I just want to see his views change a bit more visually. Venom had this connection with Eddie, that allowed him to know what Eddie is knows or thinks. This is a very internal process, that is mentioned, but I would kinda like a little more visual bonding. Show it, don’t say it. And a lot less car chase. Again, not necessary to make the film good, but it would have been appreciated.

I really enjoyed the Film! I like the characters! I like the story! I like how relatable they are, even if it isn’t relatable, if that make sense. It was funny, and gritty, and it didn’t do the All-to-Popular “Superhero” or “redemed Villian” movie. Yeah, he had super powers, but it felt kind of mundane. This story is about screwing up, but still fighting for what’s right, even after you’ve lost everything. No one is perfect, but you should still try! At the end Eddie says that Venom can only eat the bad people. Who should decide who is good and bad? That’s a question that is not answered in the film. It’s not supposed to. The question is, “Are you trying?”

It’s a motivational movie!

Personal Review 4 stars out of 5. Would recommend!

#Venom #Venom Movie #Review #Eddie #Tom Hardy #2018 #Venom 2018 #Movie #Movie Review #Just my opinion #Why it's good #I really enjoyed this film #Sony

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a-non-sequitur · 7 years

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Rogue One: Second Viewing

- link to my other Rogue One blabberings -

Watched Rogue One for the second time today on the big screen. Here are some more thoughts since I’m not inundated by “HOLY SHIT” feelings from experiencing it the first time. There may be some repeat thoughts.

NB, as usual: have only seen the movie and read a small portion of its prequel Catalyst so far. I try to talk about individual characters themselves, but shipping thoughts concerning RebelCaptain (Jyn/Cassian) and SpiritAssassin (Chirrut/Baze) still occur.

Warning: THIS IS REALLY, REALLY LONG. Not exaggerating in any way.

Quick General Thoughts

I’d seen the movie a little more than a month ago and have swamped myself in fandom, so I thought I wouldn’t have Extreme Emotions from seeing it again. I even thought I’d be bored for some bits.

I was wrong.

It’s a beautiful movie, and I honestly liked every single performance by the actors and actresses. I thought they were all really good or amazing.

By far one of the most intense movies that I’ve seen in general, not just the Star Wars ‘verse.

Lah’mu

There’s a piece of symbolism in some Rogue One book material that talks about how the movie bookends the theme of “Jyn” and “home.” AKA: Jyn starts the movie by having a home, and Jyn ends the movie by rediscovering home. Figuratively, this is shown by Lah’mu with her parents (start) and the Scarif beach with Cassian (end) (or you could argue the entire Rogue One team becoming family, a la Baze’s “little sister”, as “home”).

However, now I can see there’s also a literal interpretation of this: Jyn’s Lah’mu home is next to a beach. And you remember where she dies? A BEACH.

If one of the Stormtroopers was taught even a little bit of forensic science, Jyn would have absolutely been found underneath that damn rock. They live on rich, loamy soil. Anyone heard of footprints or tracks? I guess Death Troopers are too busy learning how to kill people.

Lyra Erso continues to grow in my heart as a hero and wonderful human being, and I am sad and bitter that beyond one or two lines from Galen and Orson (tangentially for the latter), she is never discussed or mentioned post-Lah’mu. Read Catalyst; Lyra is a badass.

“You will never win.” = Erso Rebels, one for one.

Lyra/Galen4lyfe. They love each other so friggin much (again, read Catalyst for the one-two-three punch in the gut feels (even though I’ve only read a little)).

I wonder what sort of crops the Ersos grew.

Rings of Kafrene

I originally thought Cassian was very blank-faced about killing the informant and any guilt he felt wasn’t expressed except 100% internally or at a later time on his own. Nope, he definitely shows guilt/regret immediately after shooting the guy, even with Stormtroopers converging. Throughout the movie, in fact, he shows a LOT of guilty faces/body language. Not as perfect as a spy as I thought! (at least 100% of the time)

Wobani Prison

FN-2187 is a reference to Leia’s prison cell 2187. At Wobani, cell 4227 is mentioned. They don’t mean Jyn’s cell, but it finally explains to me why one of my favorite fics (Death Trooper One) uses the designation DT-4227. Tricky, tricky, tricky!

Yavin 4

Yooooo, Jyn is amazing at doing a non-reactive, “I won’t tell you shit” face.

Whatever you say about Draven’s duplicity and cutthroat tactics, Mothma’s democratic idealism is unsustainable bullshit. A lot of fics like to uphold her as this Kind Rebellion Paragon Leader vs Draven, but you know what? Saw had a point in separating from the rebellion. I don’t condone his “civilian deaths are unavoidable” tactics, but Mothma’s path is a fruitless endeavor, and she should have been completely aware of that after twenty years of Empire rule.

This is a passionate, immediate response after seeing the movie again. Maybe someone has some meta to calm me down/see Mothma’s side of the story.

Jedha

So many Asians on Jedha! <3333 (now all dead </3333 )

Small funny moment: the scene where Chirrut and Baze come to the rescue, there’s two little old Asian ladies sitting in the corners of the courtyard just chilling around.

I believe Cassian’s feelings for Jyn went from “unwanted charge” to “shit DEVELOPING FEELINGS” sometime between Jyn saving the little girl and Jyn beating the asses of Stormtroopers with her truncheons. I told you guys that Cassian has a Competency kink.

Jyn’s feelings, on the other hand, went from “jailer” to “friendly.” And I think that explains the level of betrayal she expresses to Cassian after Eadu; yeah, she’s pissed that he was planning to kill her father, but she was also pissed that he had lied to her. She had considered him a friend by the time they had arrived there, and she hadn’t had friends for a long time.

I think it says something about Jyn that, even if she is at most amused by K-2SO or at worst annoyed/indifferent to him, she still is the one who jumps in front of his body when Baze points a gun to him. She responds faster than Cassian, who (definitely) considers Kay his best friend. When Jyn is in a team, she is loyal. (I really, really like Jyn, okay.)

Bor Gullet (the tentacle creature) continues to be gross-looking, and even though I admire the subtle acting choices of Bodhi’s character arc by Riz Ahmed from “nervous defector to traumatized pilot to recovering person”, I do wish we got a better understanding of how damaging this creature (nonhuman sentient?) is. (Apparently the book does a good job?)

Again, I desperately desire more background on Saw’s spiral into severe paranoia. At one point did he start thinking that everyone was going to betray him? At one point did he find the Bor Gullet?

We know that the Empire hates non-humans, but do you know what I found really interesting? The Rebellion actually showcases only a few nonhumans. Do you know which group represents the most non-humans (besides local populations)? Saw’s Partisans.

There’s not supposed to be galactic racism in Star Wars (I don’t know about extended universe materials, so maybe (most likely) racism exists on individual planet cultures). Rather, it’s replaced by speciesism. And I find the fact that the Partisans are heavily made up of non-humans (and the Rebellion not) extremely interesting if you parallel it to American politics on race throughout the centuries. I’m simplifying the issue, but in fights for equality and justice, who are the people associated with violent protest and riots by society? Who often feel and are sidelined by mainstream movements?

Still curious at what point Saw separated from the Rebellion. I assume post-Lah’mu, just because Galen seems under the impression that Saw is still in contact with the Rebellion.

Saw says outright that Jyn was his best fighter. SO MANY RADICAL!JYN FEELINGS.

and this is why I can’t really support Cassian’s side of the argument after Eadu - Jyn had been involved in the Fight for a very long time. When she says at her interrogation that she “didn’t have the luxury of political opinions,” she has a good reason in saying that! She was never allowed to have a choice: she was born in a Separatist prison, raised by the Empire, ran away from an Empire, and then absorbed into a radical Rebellion cell. It isn’t until Saw abandons her that she makes a choice: the Empire and the Rebellion both hurt her deeply. These weren’t minor hits against her; they performed acts that damaged the core of her soul and transformed her personality. Why does she have any obligation to support either in any way?

Even if you think that abandoning the Fight was a very selfish thing to do, I think it would be incorrect to say that it was an unfounded decision on her part.

Galen mentioning Lyra (;_______;)

I loved all the performances, but Forest Whitaker’s is actually my favorite. Just, wow. (And Jyn’s heartbroken face when Saw refused to leave with her: :( I mean, considering his broken body, no way would he have been able to get out of the mountain, no less to the ship, and he absolutely knew that.)

The destruction of Jedha City was awe-inspiring, in the original etymology of the word (fear, terror). Alderaan’s destruction is sad, but it’s distant - a sphere blows up. The detail of Jedha City’s annihiliation... even on-the-ground videos of nuclear bomb testing and Hiroshima/Nagasaki don’t strike as much fear into my heart (please don’t attack me).

Baze’s FACE when the City is destroyed. It’s SO HEARTWRENCHING. Like, you can see his non-belief in the Force get even worse after the destruction.

Krennic’s “It’s beautiful” brought horrified shivers. I can’t find the tumblr post anymore, but the user talked about the importance of art in injustice (or something like that).

Eadu

All Cassian had to do was snipe Krennic while on that ledge instead of angsting over Erso, and the ending of Rogue One would probably have been less soul-destroying.

I do not understand how geography and the passage of time occurs in some of these scenes. Between Jyn being able to cross the valley and climb up that ladder in the period of Orson’s and Galen’s conversation, Cassian getting to Jyn after the platform is bombed, and Jyn and Cassian crossing back to the other side in no time at all, I assume Einstein’s relativity is involved.

I’m trying to decide whether K-2 revealing that Cassian’s rifle was in a sniper configuration was because (a) K-2 has been described as basically being a child and so he doesn’t even think about it, (b) K-2 didn’t know about Draven’s extra orders to Cassian, so he didn’t know it was supposed to be a secret, or (c) K-2 knows that Cassian would really, really regret assassinating Galen (moreso than anything else he did). My strongest option is (b).

We have to give Draven credit: he only sent the Alliance ships because he thought Cassian was probably dead and Galen still needed to be killed. As soon as he heard Rebels were on the platform, he tried to call off the squadron (I mean, if he had heard it was Jyn and not Cassian, he probably wouldn’t have cared, but still).

I knew beforehand that Chirrut and Baze were married, but holy shit are Chirrut and Baze married. Baze’s self-suffering and resigned sigh after the “I have you” quote!

Little detail I liked: Chirrut puffing air into his hand before shooting with the Bow of Death. Combination of “Gimme luck, Force!” and “Gotta warm up my hands before kicking ass.”

Chirrut is definitely Force-sensitive (I have Headcanons about his pre-movie arc), but there’s no way that Baze isn’t even a teeny-tiny little bit Force-sensitive, too. There’s no way a sharpshooter can be THAT accurate from THAT distance THAT accurately in EVERY battle (every single shot hits someone or some ship).

I’m impressed that the movie did not try to beautify death. Galen died in a super awkward position, and I love the realism of it (even if there was a lot less blood than there should have been).

By the end of the scene, Krennic visually confirms to me that the Galen/Krennic ship is actually a completely one-sided infatuation (seriously, read the book. Galen is laughably blase about the dude).

“You willl never win.” = Erso Rebels, two for two.

Lyra/Galen4lyfe

Some fandoms I can ship characters with multiple people.

Rogue One is not one of those fandoms.

Jyn had, like, a 2% chance of actually being alive when the platform was bombed, and Cassian still went after her. He’s got it SO BAD. Like, this is the dude who killed his informant ASAP and who K-2SO was certain enough about that he said “we’ll be leaving without you” re:Chirrut & Baze leaving the ship ten minutes ago in the movie.

Chirrut grabbing Jyn’s hand before the Argument gives me sad feels because it makes me wish that the Jyn+Chirrut+Baze adopted family vibes could have been explored more.

As I said earlier, I don’t think the claims Cassian made against Jyn in their argument had a lot of merit (and I think Jyn knows that, too). But Jyn definitely understands Cassian a lot better after he describes his past, and that’s why she doesn’t dislike/hate him by the time they arrive on Yavin 4. She’s definitely angry and betrayed about his actions/lies, but she now understands why he did them. And I think that’s when she really decided that he was a friend (+ probable realization that this was the second time he had come back for her).

And even though Cassian already feels guilty about almost assassinating Galen, I think his defensive justification took a serious, serious, serious blow not because of Jyn’s words (though that did have an affect), but from the Absolute Overwhelming Disapproval and Disappointment from all the humans on the ship.

Baze is actually really, really hilarious? His tired collapse against the ship’s closed landing platform post-Argument made me burst into inappropriate giggles.

Mustafar

Darth Vader is terrifying.

I wonder if they hired an actual amputee for the reveal of Vader in that cylinder? Or if it’s CGI.

I’ve never really understood the eye-rolls over his “don’t choke on your aspirations” pun. I thought it was a terrifying addition and very apropos . (Though, if you’re familiar with medical terminology, you’d probably get a giggle from it.)

Krennic gets more and more pathetic every scene.

Yavin 4

Now, I know I talked all about the POC-nonhuman parallels above, but I do want to applaud this movie for its POC representation. The Empire, of course, has always been White As White Can Be, but the modern decision to make the Rebels so racially diverse? And to specifically have the Council be so racially diverse? (look at it! I think only Mothma and one other human was white. The rest of the humans were nonwhite!) That was a calculated decision to comment on today’s political climate. Think about it: the leaders of the Rebellion were mainly POC. Yes, they unfortunately did not get as much screentime or lines as Mothma and Draven, but what a wonderful step still.

A council that can only make decisions based on unanimous agreement is a terrible idea with that many people.

Cassian showing up with an entire crew of people = moment Jyn DEFINITELY develops Feelings for him.

This gif is always necessary to post:

Cassian has a lot of sway/respect from the people he was able to recruit, but I’m 100% certain that he basically sang Jyn’s praises during the recruitment process. This is the reason they were so okay with her being the mission leader.

STILL ANNOYED ABOUT THE ZERO WOMEN IN THE ROGUE REBEL GROUP.

The trip to Yavin 4 to Scarif really, really highlights the fact that the entirety of the Rogue One family looks towards Jyn as their leader. Yeah, her speech to the group (”Saw always said carrying a stick...”) was, eh, pretty weak compared to Cassian’s (”Make ten men feel like a hundred!”) (Jyn’s not a great public speaker, ok?), but Cassian constantly defers to her. Speech time? You go first, Jyn. Is it time to blow up the mines? Tell me, Jyn. They ain’t co-leaders, and Cassian’s not a shadow leader. Jyn leads, Cassian is her right hand, and everyone else are her believers. (Remember that at Eadu, Chirrut outright states that Chirrut “follows her,” and I’m already forgetting the exact scenes, but I remember having the impression that Bodhi seemed to constantly look towards her (no surprise considering she’s related to Galen). And Baze’s “little sister”! (why no 500+ hours of these people being family. why.))

The side-eye Jyn gives Bodhi when he decides to call their group “Rogue” is still my favorite funniest moment.

Cassian and K-2SO are my favorite friendship in the crew, but I have to admit that K-2 and Bodhi would have definitely developed a pretty funny bromance if they had survived.

Possible RebelCaptain Kiss Moment 1: on the trip to Scarif

Scarif

Sidenote: this review is so friggin’ long, I’m already forgetting the things I want to say.

Seriously, why didn’t Cassian shoot Krennic on Eadu. WHYYYY

The grabber thing that picks out the data files? Reminds me of the claw game in arcades. I would have completely failed this mission purely because of that.

I didn’t realize this the first time, but Admiral Raddus had left even before the Alliance got news that Rogue One had landed. Raddus just up and went “EH FUCK THE COUNCIL LET’S DO THIS” and he had an ENTIRE NAVY follow him despite the very public refusal by the Council. Standing ovation for this dude.

FEMALE PILOTS!!! SO MANY FEMALE PILOTS!!!

Okay, it’s time for me to sing the praises of Bodhi Rook and Riz Ahmed:

Riz Ahmed deserves all the acting awards. Whitaker is still my fave RO performance, but Ahmed is second. It’s such a subtle transition but WOW.

On Jedha, we meet non-traumatized Bodhi. A little stammery, but he’s being pushed around by the Partisans and no one is listening to him. I’d stammer, too. He’s panicking re:plans, but there’s still steel in him though, a type of confidence.

Then we meet post-tortured Bodhi, and he’s a discombobulated, disjointed, confused mess of a human being. Within the prison cell to his escape outside the mountain, he shows someone whose reaction time is fifty times slower than a non-tortured human being. His dazed look and delayed movements before Cassian pulls him towards the ship is perfect.

Eadu: he’s a nervous wreck. He can’t stop stuttering, even when he’s trying to guide K-2 and Cassian to fly through the rainstorm. He can’t look people in the eye.

To Scarif: still nervous, but becoming more forward.

Scarif: When Cassian tells Bodhi to find a way to communicate beyond the shield: NO FUCKING STUTTER. HE ORDERS THOSE MEN AROUND AS IF HE’S BEEN ORDERING PEOPLE FOR YEARS. REMEMBER THAT HE’S A FUCKING CARGO PILOT. His voice is so firm, so direct, that none of the soldiers hesitate. When Bodhi makes the run to the shuttle with the cable, there’s a cut to a soldier watching him, and it’s after seeing Bodhi run that the soldier stands up again to fire at the Stormtroopers. I think this soldier is also the one that first decides to run to the master switch, too? (Not sure about that one.)

And Bodhi basically orders Admiral Raddus to do shit. An Admiral!

BODHI WILL SAVE HIS FRIENDS. HE WILL NOT DISAPPOINT HIS FRIENDS.

BODHI’S LAST WORDS ARE “THIS IS FOR YOU, GALEN.”

!!!! my heart

“THIS IS FOR YOU, GALEN.”

IF I WERE TO MULTISHIP A RO CHARACTER, IT’D BE GALEN/BODHI.

I just... I love Bodhi’s character arc so mUCh????11!!? And Riz Ahmed was amazing portraying it????

Melshi seems pretty damn cool. Too bad we didn’t hear more from him.

Baze looks SO BETRAYED when his cannon didn’t take down the AT-AT unit.

Baze and Chirrut at Chirrut’s death was so painful and heartbreaking to rewatch. I like to think that the only reason Chirrut didn’t cup Baze’s face in that moment was because he lost the strength to lift his arm higher and that’s why they just held hands. And the only reason Baze didn’t kiss Chirrut’s hand is because of movie industry homophobia :))))) Also, I realized that Chirrut was hoping/thinking Baze would survive because he says, “Look for me in the Force, and you’ll find me.” :(((

BAZE TURNING HIS GAZE BACK TO CHIRRUT’S BODY WHEN THE GRENADE LANDS BROKE ME EVEN MORE THAN HIS RECITAL OF CHIRRUT’S PRAYER. I could almost hear the “I’ll be with you soon, love,” voice-over.

MY HEART

“Climb! Climb!”

MY HEART

Possible RebelCaptain Kiss Moment No. 2: right before they jump onto the center tower.

Jyn and Cassian must have arms of steel, I’m just saying. If the claw thing didn’t trip me up, I’d fail the mission purely because I couldn’t climb more than one row.

Trying to figure out how many stories Cassian fell down. Fics keep saying really high numbers (like 8 or 12), but it didn’t seem like that? Though that just might be because we were watching it from a higher perspective. (I’m not implying Cassian wasn’t severely injured. I cringed every time he struck a beam. I was just wondering how long the fall was.)

If Cassian shooting Krennic on Eadu would have probably changed RO’s ending, do you want to know what would have completely changed the entire original trilogy? SOMEONE SHOOtinG THE FUCDKING SATELLITE DISH. HOW DID NO ONE HIT THAT EVEN BY ACCIDENT.

“You lose.” = completion of “You will never win.” = Erso Rebels, three for three.

So, since we’re nearing the end, I’d like to quickly talk about Descent/Climb (though Fall/Climb is a more catchy term, if less accurate).

If “abandonment/returning” was one of Jyn’s themes, “climb/descent” is another one.

She “falls” every time Krennic is near her: (1) Lah’mu: she descends the ladder into the hideout; (2) Eadu: she nearly falls off the platform after it’s bombed; (3) Scarif: not Jyn, but Cassian-Jyn are basically inseparable by now anyways: Cassian falls at the Citadel; (4) Scarif: Jyn falls when trying to get back to the transmission tower.

She climbs: (1) Lah’mu: towards Saw (unseen); (2): Eadu: to get to her father; (3) Scarif: to get the plans.

Ok, honestly I have no idea/don’t have the energy to figure out what this actually means, but Jyn went up and down too often for it to not have some sort of importance.

Speaking of themes: from Jyn’s perspective, the entire movie is basically a mirror of her life:

Home on Lah’mu.

Lyra abandons her.

Jyn sees Krennic. Lyra shoots him in the shoulder.

Lyra dies.

Galen “abandons” her.

Saw abandons her.

Jedha: Jyn reunites with Saw (and sees that she’s loved). [Cassian comes back for her x1]

Hologram/Eadu: Jyn reunites with her father (and see’s that she’s loved). [Cassian comes back for her x2]

Scarif: Jyn thinks Cassian is dead after his fall.

Jyn sees Krennic. Cassian shoots him in the shoulder.

Cassian comes back for her x3.

Home with Cassian/the beach.

Possible RebelCaptain Kiss Moment 3: Side of the head kiss after Cassian stops Jyn from murdering Krennic.

Possible RebelCaptain Kiss Moment 4: Elevator.

Possible RebelCaptain Kiss Moment 5: Beach.

Don’t know the proper term for it, but the quickly-gradual white-out of the screen as Jyn and Cassian are being burnt to a crisp is one of the most visually stunning moments in the film.

MY HEART.

Ships jumping out of hyperspace: cool.

Star Destroyer slamming into Star Destroyer and hitting that Ring Thing: cooler.

Star Destroyer jumping out of hyperspace and Rebel fleet crashing into it while trying to escape: coolest.

Another detail: the ship that had engaged the Star Destroyer and pushed it into the other one was a suicide run. I mean, I’m sure all the fleet knew that this mission was probably a suicide mission, but that ship in particular knew that what they were about to do was a kamikaze move. Serious bravery.

Darth Vader is fucking terrifying.

CGI Princess Leia would have been less uncanny valley if her nose and her eyes weren’t so far apart vertically.

So, the mission plans were on this big cassette thing. And then they were downloaded onto this tiny disc thing. Does the Alliance have better data storage equipment? Or is it like downloading the jpeg version of a CAD file? These are the important questions, people.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

movie is still amazing and emotionally traumatizing.

god knows how long i’ll be in this fandom. i’m guessing a long, long time. it will never leave my heart even if i visit another one.

every single rogue one family death made me tear up in the theater.

this is fucking long, jesus, i should be spending my time doing other things, like reading Catalyst.

- link to my other Rogue One blabberings -

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