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void-botanist · 5 months

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hiii i come bearing a very silly wip question

for whichever wip you think would be the funniest to answer for... please tell me what a discord server with the characters would be like. is it a fun hangout with friends? is it a discourse-riddled nightmare? maybe both?

Multi!! I was going to talk about the androids from TFA because they already organize their chats in a serveresque format but a Nicea server would be so much funnier. Cady started the server but got bored of making admin decisions so he added Rodney. Rodney was like "uh…great but I don't know either" and Gil was like "nonono I got you" and got Rodney all up to speed and now they are Discord admin spouses as they were meant to be (again. mlm/wlw solidarity). Of course the whole crew of the Nicea is on there, plus Bo, Celia, and Martin, and eventually Tatya. They all have their own circles within the server. And oops this was so delightful to me it got long so

Cady: has had Nitro from the beginning, which he uses to post gigantic ascii pictures that he creates, and is always the first person to try whatever new feature. He loves soundboards so much. He's also usually the person hosting Jackbox or otherwise streaming something (playing some horror game and screaming every time he gets jumpscared, or being way too serious about a flash game that he's way too good at).

Declan: has almost every channel muted because he can't stand the endless notifications. Cady made him a channel for his special interests, #declans-amphitheatre, which he had every intention of using for five minutes and then forgetting about it (for real or on purpose), but it's actually become a space that most of the server members pay attention to. He also shows up to the politics channel when summoned because there are some things that he keeps tabs on and knows Everything about.

Rodney: has never muted any of the channels and just deals with the onslaught of information. He wants to Know. He has his own black heart emoji that is optimized for both dark and light mode, and he reacts to everything with it. He keeps second guessing the organization of the server and is usually the one revoking privileges that Cady gave to someone then forgot about. But his favorite thing to do is post goofy things he encounters in his historical research, followed by talking at length about action movie choreography and watching Cady play (non-screaming) games.

Gil: constantly sends messages with no context because she's so deep in thinking about it that she forgot no one else knows what she's talking about. It's usually drama from the school where she teaches or home improvement plans. She and Rodney had an admin channel but it's barely about admin stuff at this point - they're just talking about politics and philosophy. On the public channels she is the reaction meme queen and also tied with Tristan as the most likely to ask everyone to show up to an event/rally for something.

Tristan: mostly posts her landscape photography and videos of her and Gil ballroom dancing. She hangs out in the voice channels a lot because she likes doing things while other people talk to her. Since the two people most likely to be in the voice chat are Cady and Bo, she also gets to hear a lot of chaos and nonsense that is extremely funny to her. She has tried to explain it to Gil and failed so many times that now she just shrugs and says "friendship?"

Isabel: most likely to send goofy selfies to the chat, half of which are just her poking fun at whichever server member she's hanging out with (they're in the background doing something else). She also posts her song recordings, which are 90% serious samples of her work and 10% meme songs that she also wrote, and you can't always tell which is which without clicking. She agonized over adding Tatya to the server because she didn't want it to devolve into strange flirtational chaos but she immediately begged Cady not to add his nephews (Neb & Oran) to the server because their love language is being fucking annoying.

Spinder: the emoji polls guy. Usually it's about something he's working on, like an embroidery piece, but it's also sometimes about whether he should get involved with whatever the tailors are up to or an extremely meme question (you know, the kind where you answer "vanilla extract") or sometimes something important and serious like when they're going to play Jackbox. He knows the name of almost every emoji and emote offhand but he does not use :rod: (Rodney's heart).

Bo: treated the server as a personal foodstagram to the point that they got their own channel, #restaurant-recommendations. He rarely messages on the server but is always emoji-reacting to random things and spends an inexplicable amount of time in the voice channels with Tristan.

Tatya: is honestly just so excited to see everyone else being excited. She's the other person most likely to message #restaurant-recommendations with suggestions for places and snacks out in her locality, which no one is in any hurry to go all the way back to. Despite her FTL connection her messages are most often a little bit slow and sometimes jump out of order. She asks lots of questions about the server like "why aren't Neb and Oran allowed here? also who are Neb and Oran?" and posts pictures of cool things she sees in the desert where she lives. Currently there is a debate going on among the triumvirate of admins whether she should get her own channel, #tatyas-travelogue. Or something like that. They can workshop it.

Celia: the server's hypemaster. Most likely to say "okay I'm catching up on all this and what the fuck????" in the main and drama channels, and has genuinely become enamored with #declans-amphitheatre and has learned an enormous amount of interesting things about pens by talking to Declan there. She always reacts with a relevant emoji and always votes the most YES option in every poll about whether Spinder should get involved in tailor schemes. She also loves Isabel's meme songs and Tatya's weird space snacks and thinks Cady is the only person she has ever encountered who is More than she is.

Martin: is never online except when summoned for Jackbox or when Cady begs him to post a picture of his pottery, but you will take his membership in this server out of his cold dead hands. He has had to swear not to also add his sons (Neb and Oran).

Nicea taglist: @kahvilahuhut @kk7-rbs @outpost51 @writernopal @athenswrites

#Isabel can't handle Neb & Oran calling her 'great-aunt' all the time. yeah they're technically right but can they stop #I was gonna say Celia was the hypebeast but that doesn't mean what I remembered it meaning #c: Martin #c: Celia #c: Tatya #c: Bo #c: Cady #c: Declan #c: Rodney #c: Isabel #c: Tristan #c: Gil #c: Spinder #c: Neb #c: Oran #wip: nicea #asks

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yes-i-write-fanfiction · 2 years

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Tfa bots reaction to a human friend’s arranged marriage but with a twist. Battle royal style. Which ever of the multiple suitors that their family has picked out for them beats them in battle they have to marry. Their friend though has no interest in marriage and states “Don’t worry guys I’m drawing blood this year.”

Optimus is a tad hesitant. “Are you really ok with this?” If they want his help to, dunno, stop this then he will do whatever he can but if they have stuff figured out then he’ll go with it. He doesn’t know that much about human marriage after all.

Ratchet thinks this ‘arranged marriage’ thing seems like a bunch of bogus. It reminds him of how some bots would become conjux just for political leverage and power. But at least their friend seems to be pretty confident that they will be winning this ‘battle Royale’ or whatever.

Bumblebee can’t help but think it sounds kinda cool. There’s this huge battle where the participants have to fight and defeat you in order to get the right to conjux you? That sound pretty badass. Of course, if their friend don’t want to get married in the first place then Bumblebee will try to sabotage the whole thing.

Bulkhead don’t like this. Conjuxing should be about love and something of free choice, this seems... very forced. And violent. Will cheer his friend on to beat up the challengers so that they won’t have to get married.

Prowl has a plan, ok? He will offer to beat up the other contestants and then ‘lose’ to them so that they don’t have to get married. Ain’t no one getting forced to marry someone they don’t want to on his watch.

#transformers imagine #transformers animated #optimus prime #ratchet #bumblebee #bulkhead #prowl

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onewomancitadel · 2 years

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I actually think the slashshipping/Migratory Slash Fandom thing is kind of smallfry compared to a lot of problems, it's not like I want to be spending my time fingerwagging at other people. It's a personal journey of figuring out what you like and why

It's just annoying that it's the apparent standard and the rest of us are making do with those boring icky female characters. Or like, for me growing up in fandom, slashfandom was all there was.

And it was really weird to be fingerwagged at by other people, for years, for shipping Reylo because it has a female character - enemies-to-lovers is only okay if it's two guys, because it doesn't matter if they hurt each other.

Like WHAT are you fucking smoking.

But then they hide behind defences of like, well actually slashshipping is a thing because female characters aren't written well/it's hard to relate to women in fiction because you want to flee harm done to women/female sexuality is gross and men having sex is hotter/you're a homophobe if you don't slash-ship/ad infinitum so it's completely and utterly impossible to have a real conversation.

How does Rey, who's the protagonist, have less development than Hux in TFA? What's the explanation here? There's clearly something else going on. Just formulate your arguments honestly and properly.

I think I'm thinking about this issue because I engage in a lot of fandom voyeurism, and this ongoing conflict is still everywhere. It hasn't changed, the same issues are being rehashed, but there's some fingerwagging of like 'u guise are misogynists 4 not liking female characters' 'understood, let me write some lip service in the background' and it does nothing to solve the debate, because that's not the right approach.

And to be quite honest, I bought into that whole thing about female characters aren't written well etc. when I was younger. Then I listened to my intuition and I realised actually, it was all bullshit. It was seriously all bullshit. For my own personal journey of trying to be less resenting of my sexuality, slash had hurt me, Reylo didn't. I have extreme, profound and severe discomfort surrounding the existence of sexual attraction/desire because of my anorexia (to all genders, and no just to be clear I've never experienced sexual abuse; it's because I associate sexual attraction with being at a healthy weight and existing) and I'm not kidding when I say reading Reylo erotica literally helped me lol, characters making love actually made me feel better about the virulent disgust I hold towards myself. All of that bullshit about female desires being gross was bullshit, being a homophobe was bullshit - how does my shipping politics remotely make me a better person? How does slashshipping reflect my own bisexuality?

I don't want to be the Fandom Police. That's boring. That's so, so, so boring and tiresome. But I do think that slashshipping has priority and is taken more seriously than anything else in most fandom, and the most important takeaway should be actually listening to and trying to engage with the things you're interested in.

Fandom has been a beloved hobby for me since I was about ten. I started really young. As polarising as Reylo was, it was the most fun I've ever had, and continues to be fun with Knightfall. Find your bliss!!! It may not look the same as me at all, too.

#stirring the pot #I don't even like drawing attention to the fact I am bisexual #which probably makes me some sort of internalised biphobe #I literally don't care though I've never struggled materially with it #which is kind of ironic because there's so much wrong with me #but I figured it out very young and was like 'well that about tracks' and moved on with my life

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alirhi · 3 years

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How I'd have done TFATWS pt 1

Okay, I am such a whore for positive attention that, yes, it literally only takes one person expressing interest to get me to do something lol. So, for the lovely @goblin-tea, here is how The Falcon and the Winter Soldier would have gone for Bucky if I'd been a writer on the show!

Also, shoutout to @gunshou, who popped up showing support when I was in the middle of writing this lol ��

Episode 1: New World Order

I actually love how most of this episode was handled; it's what drew me into the show in the first place, and gave me such hope for the rest of it. Most of the changes that I'd make here are pretty minor, tbh.

I'd specify the setting in some way for Bucky's nightmare. Obviously, since he was there and knows what happened, when, and where he was, it wouldn't be like the setting changes in movies where they slap a big, bold title card over the scene. Still, I'd probably open with a brief establishing shot showing the city skyline or something; some identifying feature so that viewers can work out where this happened without needing a direct statement from Marvel (note: if you need to directly address your audience to clarify something from within your story, you're a bad storyteller). What year did this take place? I show technology from the time; perhaps a dated cell phone in someone's hand. The point is to establish where and when The Winter Soldier killed RJ Nakajima, without detracting from the emotional impact of the scene. Why does it matter? Because we should know why. Why is Bucky dreaming about this particular incident? Was it his last mission before the events of CA:TWS (a theory I see frequently repeated but with no evidence to back it up)? Was it earlier on? Is RJ only on the forefront of Bucky's mind because of his (unhealthy, but we'll get to that) friendship with Yori? How long has Yori been suffering under the weight of his grief?

I would not have had him crash through the wall, btw. As cool as that shot looked, let's try to remember that The Winter Soldier was a ghost story for 70 years. Ghosts don't leave giant gaping holes in hotel walls. I'm not saying brazen wholesale destruction is out of character for him (obviously not. I've seen CA:TWS lmao. many times. this moment lives rent-free in my brain:

found on google without credit; pls lmk if it's yours so I can credit.

but you don't become a "ghost story" if you always leave that much evidence, ijs)

I'd leave the terrible therapy session alone. That scene was beautiful. Beautifully shot; I loved how claustrophobic it felt, and it really did a wonderful job of showing how Bucky felt on the spot, scrutinized, almost put on display for this bitch woman. This scene establishes Raynor as clearly wrong, and an unprofessional mess, and Bucky calls her out on it. I fucking love that!

lmao gods, I love his painfully awkward forced smile... Guys, this episode is fkn great. (betcha weren't expecting so much praise from me, were you? 😂)

"You're free." "To do what?"

👆👆👆 In my show? That would have more of an impact on Bucky's arc. That question would be one of the underlying issues moving his whole story along. Twice in this show, he's told that he's free, but no one addresses what he's free from, much less what he's free to do next.

It's a minor thing, but when Yori tells Bucky to ask Leah out? I'd have Bucky do more than just shake his head in silent horror. Not much more, just something that matters to me as someone who's worked in the service industry for many, many years and dealt with too many creepos: Bucky would flat-out say "she's at work! that's harassment, Yori!"

Yori can still stomp right past that boundary, and Leah can still smile and agree. I just really want someone to verbally acknowledge that you don't fucking ask someone out when they're at work. Ever. Bucky cringing and apologizing puts the power of the conversation back in Leah's hands; it gives her an out to politely decline if she's not interested, and just laugh off Yori's flirting on Bucky's behalf as a senile old man being silly, so I'm actually fine with how this scene turned out. I just would personally have gone that extra inch there for the idiots in the audience who don't get Bucky's subtle "wtf" reaction and why Yori's suggestion was so bad. If someone's livelihood depends on being nice to you, keep your goddamn distance. Flirting with them or asking them out when they're at that big of a disadvantage and have virtually no power to say "no" is harassment.

Here is where I'd make one more subtle change, too. When Yori sees the mochi and is reminded of his son, and tells Bucky about his death, I'd just slip in a time frame. "x years ago, my son was..." blah. (Guys, it really bothers me not knowing when that scene took place rofl can you tell?)

One complaint I've seen a lot online about this show is how it's a bit murky on just how well known Bucky is in-universe. He can walk around Brooklyn with more or less total anonymity, but he's also recognized as "an Avenger" (when he was never actually technically in the group)... but honestly? I think it's actually pretty realistic. Just because someone's famous doesn't mean every single person on the planet knows who they are and what they look like well enough to instantly recognize them on the street. People look different in photos than in person, and pre-Blip, Bucky had the complete Jesus look - long flowing hair and a full beard. In TFATWS he's a little scruffy, but not this:

Sebastian looks like about 10 different men from one moment to the next just irl with a change in haircut, lighting, expression, whether or not he got enough sleep the night before... 😂 I don't really find it hard to believe that people not expecting to bump into an Avenger would have trouble seeing Bucky post-haircut as anything other than just another attractive white guy.

Anyway! Sorry for the segue lol. On to the date!

Earlier in this very same goddamn episode, it is established that Bucky can remotely operate a car with a tablet. This is not a technologically-inept geezer. This is a 30-something nerd who loves new technology, who, yes, is facing a brave new world and a whole lot of new technology, but has never shown any issue picking it up. The crappy flip phone he handed Raynor earlier? a burner to keep her out of what little personal life he does have (we never see it again in the real show, anyway). The "tiger photos" line? Stays, not to show Bucky's floundering ineptitude with technology, but as a little nod to his bisexuality. (don't like it? don't wanna see Bucky as bi? go watch the show and read Skogland's borderline-offensive interviews. This isn't "how I would pander to a homophobic audience" it's "how I would have written it." the "Bucky is bi" interpretation is super fucking common and has been since TFA so bite me 😁)

Tiny nitpick, but I'd also have the Battleship boards actually set up properly lmao. What even was that? Anyway...

I don't think I'd have Leah get all ranty about Yori and RJ. That's not first date talk, for one thing. For another, let's ease up on the beating Bucky and the audience over the head with that one incident in a single episode, shall we? Instead, I'd have her stick with the date questions - she asked his age, asked about his family; I'd have her follow it with questions about what he does for a living (giving us a chance to not only actually have that question answered for us - how the hell does Bucky keep himself from being homeless? lol - but also set up...)

He shuts down a little when she starts asking about his past; she's innocently curious, just trying to get to know him, but he's flinchy and deflects with questions about her. The date is awkward, but doesn't abruptly end with him running away lol. He walks Leah home, like the old-fashioned gentleman he is, goes home, himself, and end on him grimacing in his sleep, in the clutches of another nightmare: not as much detail as the RJ murder scene, we see disjointed, disorienting images of fluorescent lights glinting off of machinery, the occasional shot of Bucky writhing in the chair, a shot of that damned notebook (to remind the dumber audience members why Raynor's passive-aggressive notebook thing was so triggering for him), and we hear echoes of a couple of the trigger words, and Bucky's screams.

#tfatws #tfatws critical #how it should have gone #if i'd written it #bucky deserved better #bucky was a victim #victim not villain #take your victim blaming bullshit and fucking choke on it #episode 1

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inklingofadream · 2 years

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not to have Star Wars Thoughts but

I think that The Force Awakens is the best (regarded/remembered) because it’s both a good movie and a good opener for a trilogy. It’s honestly the only one that does a really good job endearing us to the characters.

The Last Jedi is a fine movie and a BAD second act of a trilogy. Rian Johnson had a lot of ideas about subverting the cliches of the series that are set up in TFA, but he focuses on that at the expense of the characters being fun to watch and moving the story forward.

Rise of Skywalker is just bad, but it is kind of set up to struggle by TLJ giving it so little to work with. TLJ doesn’t end in a “going into the final act” way, it ends basically the same way TFA does. For all the prequels’ flaws, they do manage that escalating stakes and tension lightyears better than the sequels do.

imo, they SHOULD have hired some third director who wasn’t Abrams or Johnson to do the WHOLE trilogy- JJ Abrams sucks at ending anything, and while I think Johnson COULD have done a good trilogy if the whole thing was his baby, I don’t think he wanted to do more than one movie. If they wanted to give him a Star War, it should’ve been a Solo/Rogue One. If they really wanted to alternate directors, they should have had someone higher up who was VERY ACTIVE in what the overall vision for this trilogy was, FROM DAY ONE.

I do think that if the TFA and TLJ scripts were extant at the same time (TLJ seems v much like a response to TFA as a finished product, and I think the production history confirms that, but play time traveller with me) they could have made a really interesting start to the new trilogy mashed together. TLJ is WAY too obsessed with subverting both general Star Wars stuff and specifically the way that stuff is played out in TFA for a middle installment, but as a latter half of a first movie I think it could set up a really interesting theme?

Because neither of the other Star Wars trilogies care about subverting or deconstructing anything. The first one is just having fun in its mashup of genres. And where the prequels are RIGHT (and could have been v good if Lucas was being edited) is that they don’t even really try to recapture that vibe. They revisit bits of that story, with Anakin on Tatooine similar to Luke etc, but it’s all very “this is the more serious side, where we take the mentions of slavery seriously and examine the politics”. They both have a very singular Vibe to each other, that the sequels don’t.

Like if you took the first act of TFA basically as-is, but then sped up its story (probably dropping Maz Kanata, because for all I love Lupita they just. never paid any of that off, and Kylo capturing Rey is a beat that’s basically repeated in the TLJ story, so you can still move those pieces into place) so that Luke throwing away the lightsaber was the end of the second act, I think you could do a lot of that deconstruction?

Especially if we drop the Kylo flashbacks, just keep everything to the impact it has on the original trio. A beat that i think makes more sense for Luke is NOT seeing things going wrong with Ben, not seeing it and not killing him fast enough. You pay off Finn’s marketing by having him go to find Luke, while Rey is captured, very clearly influenced by the stories she’s heard and poking at the idea of redeeming him. I think TLJ is waaayyy too mean to Poe (he’s clearly trusted in TFA! and like leading an important mission! if we’re deconstructing Han, Han wasn’t even part of the proper military of the Rebels, he just showed up when he felt like it!) and we could do more with him and Rose as the insiders to Rey and Finn’s outsiders.

You already establish Rey’s trying to redeem Kylo, and maybe hint that it could work, and THEN, having played that more heavily, him killing Han (or Luke, depending on how you want to shake those pieces out) is how we know that the heroes are going to drop that idea. If you actually wanted to do sth interesting with Leia in the rest of ur trilogy, you could play Kylo still waffling but the heroes not buying in because of the personal loss of Han/Luke by having her talk about Alderaan, and how Luke could forgive Vader, but she wouldn’t have.

#star wars #ink post #meta #rambling

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mr-and-mr-dameron · 3 years

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Learning to love ALL of Star Wars

I’ve grown a lot the past few years, and with that I’ve came to appreciate a lot more things about what I love. I’ve went from bitter and spiteful about what I don't have to appreciating what I do have, and at the centre of that storm is Star Wars. A franchise I’ve only really been invested in the last year.

The beginning

So I was always a “fan” of Star Wars, sure. I grew up with the prequels and I was excited when Disney was releasing their new movies. But the past year is where I really got invested and found a whole new love for the franchise. And strangely enough, it was through the simplicity of Lego. You see, I started watching videos by Brickvault about Lego Star Wars minifigures, and something about seeing the toys I loved as a kid from a modern perspective took me right back to wooshing my Jedi starfighter around my room. From there, I started moving away from Lego and dipped my toe in theories, lore videos and eventually discussion and review videos, the turning point being Cosmonaught Variety Hour. Now, I have some opinions on the guy now, but Cosmonaught was perfect for me at the time. He was opinionated, entertaining, but most importantly knew his shit, and I liked that. His videos on Star Wars are pretty good, and really helped form my opinions back then... In a bad way... Now I’ll make this clear, this is NOT on Cosmonaught, it was just how impressionable I was as a person back then. I’m just saying how his video affected me on a personal level. Up to this point I didn’t really understand the hate for the prequels besides the fact they were “bad movies” and “people don’t like them”. Cosmonaughts video on the prequels gave me those reasons, and I finally felt like I got the distaste for those films. However, like they say... A little knowledge can be dangerous, and boy was I about to learn that lesson the hard way...

The fall

So here I am, knower of all things, the CORRECT things... I’ve watched my fair share of videos from a handful of sources, I know my shit. I’m making my opinions known, and I’ve become that friend. But whats this! A dissenting opinion!? My boyfriend actually likes the prequels more than the Original Trilogy!? SACRALAGE!! I must prove him wrong! And prove him wrong I...! Did not... In fact, something rather bizarre happened... He convinced me. I was stubborn at first, but I’ll admit, my wall got broken down at long last. He (bless his soul for dealing with me) managed to get through to me exactly what it was he loved about those films, and it wasn’t just the nostalgia. I had always seen the politics of the Galaxy like most other people did, some boring preachy nonsense that had no place in Star Wars, but I came around to it. Granted with a little help from the Clone Wars I managed to piece together just what it was there was to like about these films... I wont say they’re perfect, far from it. But internally they have so much more going on compared to the Original Trilogy. The Era has some of the most fun and expandable concepts and ideas in all of Star Wars, and while it may not be as iconic, the visual artstyle of it all is still its own recognizable brand of Star Wars. And almost like magic (or my phone spying on me) youtube started recommending videos that disagreed with Cosmonaught, and I got my first taste of how his video wasn’t as sound as I thought. Now as a side note: I still like Cosmonaught. He’s a funny guy who like I said knows his shit, but he obviously isnt the be all end all right and wrong which I hadn’t quite learned. I can enjoy his content while disagreeing with it, and I think thats just fine. I find myself disagreeing with a lot of creators I watch now and he’s just joined them. But hang on, we’re missing something here... A certain... Mouse? Perhaps?

The dark times... The Disney Empire...

So hop back to modern day for a sec, this timeline pretty much lines up with the end of the Disney movies right? So how do I feel about those? Well... When the first three came out, I liked them. Like everyone else I was loving new Star Wars. As a young art student, I loved Rogue One and TLJ for their stunning visuals, deeper themes and their attempt at something new and fresh. I loved the throne room fight scene, the light speed ram and how Rogue One had such a bitter sweet ending. But ho ho no one else felt that way! And whether it be peer pressure or my love of dumpster fires my opinions changed like that. I laughed at the Rose Tico and Snoke memes, I hated the Canto Bight subplot and poor Luke being butchered on screen like that, and then there's Rey... Solo came and passed. I refused to go see it, as I did with TROS which came out around the time I was getting back into Lego, and along with the prequels I was watching video essay upon video essay about why the sequels sucked and how to rewrite them. Some of them coming from a positive place, others... Not so much.. And so my hatred for them grew as I got back into the franchise and came to appreciate the originals for what they done great, and loathing the new films for lacking that same spark. And unlike the prequels, I didn’t really get enough pushback to change my mind. But what I did get was the full brunt of spite and hate the fans had for these new films, and honestly? It was depressing.

Hate leads to suffering.

I finally reached my rock bottom. I genuinely reached a point where I debated giving up Star Wars for the sheer amount of negative feelings I had towards the state of the franchise (which might I add is valid if you ever end up feeling that way about something you’re meant to be enjoying).

I struggled to get past how Disney “ruined” Star Wars, and clearly nothing was going to change. 40 Years of history had been wiped out and the new timeline was a contorted mess, and the amount of discourse and disagreements in the franchise honestly did not help at all.

Nothing was simple, everything had a catch. You like how Kylo was irredeemable in TLJ? Well he’s redeemed in TROS. TFA is a fun film but it sets up a lot of the things people hated about the sequels so you cant even just head canon that the other two never happened. And then...

Saved by Lego

There was Lego, making the best of a bad situation. It didnt care if you didn’t like that Palpatine was back (somehow), it didn’t care about the clunky prequel dialog, and it didn’t care about the thousands of retcons from the entierety of the franchises existence.

Whether by contractual force or not: It was pure, distilled Star Wars.

I loved how a set with Rey could stand beside a set with OT Luke and thats just how it was. It put into context that this was reality, and I could either be bitter about what could have been or accept what was, which wasn’t easy and I’m still not really over it. But I reached a place where I could accept the fun in all of Star Wars, that I liked how some of these characters looked, that these characters all existed in one Galaxy, and it was nice.

And it led me straight back into...

Learning to love Star Wars

One of the most important lessons I learned in the past year was trust your gut. Sure, hear out other peoples take on something, and if it changes your opinion all the more power to you. But don’t fight the fact you felt something in that initial reaction. I liked the prequels as a kid, so why don’t I as an adult? Is it because i outgrew them and see them for the disasters they are? Or is it because a someone who watched them as a fully grown adult that grew up with the OT was underwhelmed?

And to that extent... I rewatched TFA and TLJ with an open mind and an open heart. The result?

Im indifferent towards TFA. It has fun character moments and has a decent adventure, for what it is its good. But I actually found myself enjoying TLJ after all these years of hating on it. I liked their take on Luke, I liked the mutiny subplot, it didnt push the story forward leaps and bounds but it was a more methodical take on the franchise and for the I liked it. It wasn’t perfect, its biggest flaw is how bleak it can feel and its lack of doing anything interesting with its setting, but it does do a fair amount of decent things and I’ve come to appreciate it for that.

I’m planning to watch TROS at long last soon, so maybe I’ll update it here. But what I will say is that I hope Lucasfilm don’t give up on the sequel era and characters quite yet. There is still a lot to love here as much as you may not like it, and I hope that they can explore more interesting meaningful themes and narratives in external media that they couldn’t in mainline films cough cough Stormpilot cough cough...

I know not everyone will agree with how I feel now, heck a lot of my problems I had still stand, but I’m at peace with it all now. I just want to sit back and enjoy this franchise for what it is. While I might not forgive Disney for its severe mishandling of... everything (a rant for another time) I’m content just not them supporting to the best of ability.

Star Wars is in such a unique position where each generation has a different stance and appreciation for different parts within the franchise. The prequels were hated until its fans grew up and started defending it, The Clone Wars was hated until its fans grew up and started defending it, and the sequels ended last year, their fans haven’t quite got their voice yet. But I’m interested to hear what they have to say.

#star wars #star wars trilogy #self reflection #thoughts #meta commentary #star wars prequels #Star Wars Sequels #lego star wars #my post

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ariainstars · 4 years

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Feminism (and Not) in Star Wars

Warning: unpopular opinions ahead.

During the last few years, I have often heard and read people arguing that the Star Wars sequels are “feminist”, that Rey in particular is a Mary Sue and, at worst, that “feminism ruined Star Wars.” So, I would like to add my two cents.

It cannot to be denied that the end of the sequels, and with it of the saga as a whole, is highly dissatisfying. But feminism is not what caused it.

The sequels are not feminist at all. Especially not in Star Wars, where the greatest hero Luke Skywalker had ended the conflict through compassion and forgiveness. TRoS in particular is a slap in the face of female dignity and virtue, both for the male protagonist’s mother and for his love interest.

Unfortunately, and that is one of my major issues with the sequels, many things are not being said or explained. This might be due to the fact that Episode VIII was subversive and that so many classic fans ranted and stormed against it; but that didn’t prevent Episode IX from showing, if not saying, a lot of things.

Star Wars is all about subtext, that’s what makes it compelling. Please:

Read between the lines.

Look at what is not being said but shown.

Compare the attitudes of different people in similar situations.

Rey

„You cannot deny the truth that is your family.” Lor San Tekka in The Force Awakens

Rey was introduced as a positive female character but then, over the course of three films, her moral corruption was displayed under the lame excuse of a black and white morality (“I am all the Sith” vs. “I am all the Jedi”).

Rey seemed like a reboot of Luke Skywalker at first, but watching her throughout TRoS we see her fail in all instances where Luke had proved himself a hero.

- Luke had forgiven his father despite all the pain he had inflicted on him and his friends. Rey stabbed the „bad guy”, who had repeatedly protected and comforted her, to death.

- Luke never asked Vader to help the Rebellion or to turn to the Light Side, he only wanted him back as his father. Rey assumed that she could make Ben Solo turn, give up the First Order and join the Resistance for her. She was thinking of her friends and her own validation, not of him.

- Luke had made peace by choosing peace. Rey fought until the bitter end.

- Luke had thrown his weapon away before Palpatine. Rey picked up a second weapon. (And both of them weren’t her own.)

- Luke had mourned his dead father. Rey didn’t shed a tear for the man she is bonded to by the Force.

- Luke went back to his friends to celebrate the new peace with them. Rey went back letting everyone celebrate her like the one who saved the galaxy on her own - the woman who was tempted to become the new evil ruler of the galaxy and had to rely on the alleged Bad Guy to save both her soul and her body.

- Luke had embodied compassion when Palpatine was all about hatred. Where he chose love and faith in his father, Rey chose violence and fear.

- Luke had briefly fallen prey to the Dark Side but it made him realize that he had no right to judge his father. Rey’s fall to the Dark Side did not make her wiser.

- Confronted by Vader’s disclosure of his true identity Luke was forced to face himself, to realize that he had been judgmental, arrogant and biased; and after the initial shock he accepted his origins as a part of himself. - Rey did not reconcile with Palpatine as a part of herself. (When she says to him “I don’t hate you” it’s not a sign of superior attitude. It merely shows that she sees him as separate from herself.)

- After realizing what he had done to his nephew, feeling responsible and disillusioned, Luke went into exile for years waiting for his death. - Rey also was appalled at herself, but she spent just a few minutes on Ahch-To until Luke appeared to her, this time telling her exactly what she would have wanted him to say to her on her first visit on the island. This scene was so ridiculously opposite to his attitude in TLJ that I believe he was a fantasy conjectured by her like Ben’s vision of his father.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rey failed where Ben had been strong.

- Ben killed Snoke to save Rey. Rey killed Palpatine to complete her Jedihood. (Or at least, what she believes being a Jedi means, i.e. “being always right and winning at all costs”.)

- Ben loved Rey despite all she did to him and took away from him, and she didn’t even honour his name in the end.

- Ben knew the stories of Luke, Vader and Palpatine well enough to wanted to end the Jedi and Sith at last and start something new and better. Rey only knew scraps of old tales and wanted to have them her own way.

- Ben had been under an evil influence in his mind since before he was born; when he finally turned to the Dark because he had nowhere else to go, he was 23. Rey gave in to her Dark Side minutes after meeting her “mother” in the Death Star ruin; the same happened to her again with Palpatine on Exegol.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On the ruin of the second Death Star, Rey is at her lowest on the same spot where Luke had won over himself thirty years before in RoTJ.

- Vader had provoked Luke to make him turn - Kylo hadn’t.

- Vader hat traumatized Luke - Kylo had protected and spared Rey repeatedly.

- Vader hardly had had a kind word to spare for his son (except perhaps when he said to him “It is too late for me, son”) - Kylo had comforted her and shown her his human side.

- Vader had lured Luke into a trap twice in order to keep him by his side. - Kylo hadn’t, on the contrary, he wanted to prevent her from running into Palpatine’s trap.

- Luke did not know what had made Vader the way he was when he came to find him, but he was adamant to save him. - Rey knew by the time of their duel that Kylo was largely also a victim, and she stabbed him to death.

- Luke always fought fair. - Rey used the distraction made by Leia’s reaching out to him to impale him - the way she had seen him impaling Han.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It is ridiculous to say that it’s a victory of Good over Evil when a young woman uses Jedi training to kill her master’s own son, who was on the defensive, with his mother’s help and blessing. That their weird connection, which was already introduced during the first two films, is explained by way of their being a dyad (one soul in two bodies) only makes it worse. Rey will rather kill the man she belongs to, or die herself, than admit that she needs him. If that is supposed to be “feminism”, it’s a very distorted idea of female independence and strength. Just like it’s not automatically “feminism” to make a girl pose as the heroine because she wants to be a Jedi no questions asked.

Fans discussed and argued about Rey’s family for years; it was a great move in TLJ when she admitted her parents were “nobodies” and that they left her on purpose. It was refreshing to see her carve her life and personality on her own. TRoS shattered this by making her the descendant of the most powerful man in the galaxy; and what’s worse, she wound up being a usurper just the way he was, taking over the Skywalker mantle.

The sequels are feminist only when the audience believes that it’s a happy ending if a female ends up alone with no one standing in her way. They are told from her point of view, so as viewers we will automatically believe that she’s the heroine and root for her (or not, but still believe that it’s her story). Looking only at the bare facts, Rey is much less heroic than she first seems.

At the end of TRoS Rey is alone with two dead people behind her, on a desert planet in company of a droid and with an old, wrinkled woman as her only interlocuter, the way she began, and her mind still has hardly developed beyond that of a child. She is willing to embrace the legacy of both Skywalker family and Jedi although the fate of Ben Solo should have taught her how fu***-up both of them were.

Rey doesn’t want to see. She’s in denial like when she pretended that her family was coming back for her on Jakku. Inside, she is still a child - everything she did was motivated by her desire to find the belonging she ardently craved. She can’t be blamed for that. But does that make her a “strong woman”, or even a “Mary Sue”, like many annoyed viewers claim? No.

Leia

“If you will not turn to the Dark Side, then perhaps she will.” Darth Vader in Return of the Jedi

There is something I find much worse than Ben’s patricide or Luke’s panic attack at the Jedi temple. Those were actions spurred by the moment and provoked by Snoke, and both men regretted it immediately. Leia’s behaviour shows an unpardonable attitude for entire decades. Being a trained Jedi herself, she could have taught her son - instead she sent him to his uncle. This seems a practical choice since she was politically active while her brother wanted to start a new Jedi Order, but from the novels we learn that Ben heard his parents arguing and talking about him like he was a monster ever since he was a child, and that when he was sent away this seemed to confirm to him that something was wrong with him and had to be fixed. (From the novels we also learn that he actually had no ambition to become a Jedi and wanted to be a pilot - true Skywalker and also Solo that he is -, but he had no say in the matter.)

After the tragedy at Luke’s temple and the rise of the First Order, Leia fought with the Resistance for years knowing that her own son was on the other side. What if she had met him and been forced to kill him (or if he had come into the situation, as we see in TLJ)? In TFA, she sent his own father to bomb Starkiller Base knowing well that their son might be on board. Leia had felt Snoke’s influence on Ben’s mind when he was still in her womb; so, she knew he had been manipulated for decades, but when she heard of his fall to the Dark Side, she automatically assumed he had made the choice to be “evil”. Only after he had been a part of a criminal organization for years Leia sent her estranged husband to him. She only reached out to him when she was on her deathbed, and I still am not certain whether she wanted to help him, or to make him stop fighting against the girl she had adopted in his stead.

Would Padmé have left her own son in the dumps? Never. Padmé refuted Obi-Wan’s disclosure about Anakin’s fall to the Dark Side adamantly, and went to a volcanic planet alone, with a highly advanced pregnancy, to see a terrorist and murderer because she still saw the good little boy he had been in him. And she would have gotten him out of that hell had Obi-Wan not interfered. If you don’t believe me, watch the scene again: Slowly but surely, Anakin’s expression changes totally on speaking with his wife. Padmé was literally reaching out to him, and she was succeeding. Love, as always, was stronger than anything else in him. And Padmé believed in her husband until her very last breath. “Obi-Wan, there is still good in him.”

Din Djarin, the Mandalorian of the eponymous tv show, is an outcast who earns his living with dubious business and has killed his fair share of people. But had anyone attempted to do to his little protégé what Snoke did to Ben Solo, I don’t doubt he would have marched on the Supremacy and strangled him with his bare hands. (At least, he would have died trying.) Han would probably have done the same, but Leia deliberately never told him of Snoke’s influence on her son’s mind ever since before his birth. By the time she finally does, as we witness in TFA, their son has been Kylo Ren for six years.

Leia, the princess, the general, the war heroine, had feared her son before he was even born because she sensed that he was like her own father. But she had no qualms and no fear accepting and instructing the granddaughter of her worst enemy. Why?

Because Rey doesn’t waver. She has no doubts. She is not conflicted between both Sides of the Force. In Leia’s eyes, Rey is pure Light Side, so she embraces her wholeheartedly as the child she always wanted. As far as I can remember, Leia has never, the way her brother did, offered love to anyone who didn’t fight on her side. And Rey, who had angrily confronted Luke for his moment of terror which “created Kylo Ren”, did not consider for a moment Leia’s responsibility towards her son. Despite training with Leia for a whole year, she never tells her about Luke’s failure which pushed her son into Snoke’s clutches. Nor does she realize that Leia’s love for her is not unconditional but that it is parallel to her Jedi training. Rey literally becomes both a little girl and a Jedi with Leia, down to wearing pure white for the whole of the last instalment of the trilogy.

Most fans admire Leia for her rebellious, spirited nature. Nothing wrong with that, but it’s not necessarily such a good thing if one spends one’s whole life fighting instead of learning how to preserve peace. Leia is adamant that the side she’s on must win. Like every Jedi before her, she does not know, want or even consider that what the Force actually needs is Balance; and that both her father and her son were not evil because they were strong on both Sides, but that this meant they might have found balance, had they not met opposition to this in everyone they knew.

Leia never approached her relationship to her father (at least as far as I know), never tried to understand him better and forgive him the way her brother had. Considering what Vader had done to her and her friends, she can’t be blamed for pushing away her memories and living in terror of the Dark Side. However, on the long run her incapacity or refusal for introspection is not a strength but a weakness. The one who paid the price is her son, and with his fall to the Dark, the whole galaxy again became prey to the terror that she herself had always fought against in first line.

Vader had been right after all: Leia did fall prey to the Dark Side, though unknowingly. Not only did she give up on her son, she actively helped evil come back to the galaxy by believing to do the right thing: she trained Palpatine’s granddaughter, taught her to deny her own fears and weaknesses, gave her justification for her actions, helped her killing her own “evil” son. If that is not the Dark Side’s influence, I don’t know what it is. Leia denied her son’s potential for good and given up on him long before his fate was sealed, and in the same way she closed her eyes on Rey’s potential for evil. The same “bad” son had to prevent the girl she had taken under her wing from becoming what the old devil Palpatine had in mind, at the cost of his life.

Conclusion

I am not an advocate for feminism on principle. If females can be independent and self-assured, if they shed the cloak of “damsel in distress”, on the downside this also means that they can be or become villains just like men. Many people tend to believe that a woman is naturally better, kinder, softer than a man. The Star Wars saga never bowed to this cliché.

The idea that a woman does not necessarily need a man is positive on its own, but it becomes poisonous if it undermines female trust in men. Star Wars has a long story of lonely, unhappy men (all three generations of Skywalkers), who were denied their natural right to be needed by their women and to keep their families together. One of Anakin’s dilemmas was that he saw Padmé as being too good for him and wanted to prove to her that he was equal to her in his own way. Ben, ironically, felt that he was not good enough for Rey because he was tainted by his larger-than-life heritage, so he wanted to “let the past die” and start something new and fresh with her.

A man naturally wishes to protect others, in particular wife and children. But in all three generations, we find these men whose personalities are split in two and cannot reconcile the two halves of their self: Anakin / Vader, Luke / Leia, Ben / Kylo. Due to the similarity in his two names, I expected the last of the Skywalker blood to finally heal the wound in his personality and become one. Had anyone wanted and needed both, Ben and Kylo, he might have. But Kylo was an aberration to everyone including Rey. Kylo was a villainous figure and as a male, he was aggressive and arrogant; but at least he made his own decisions and had chosen his own name, things Ben Solo never got to do.

This is not to say that the sequels are against strong females or prefer the guys over them: no, the guys f** up at least as often as the women do. But to pretend that Leia’s and / or Rey’s portrayal is unrealistically positive and that “feminism ruined Star Wars” is either extremely short-sighted or a mockery of femaleness.

It is true that women have more and larger roles in the ST, but I can’t see anything wrong with that. Not any more than with the fact that in the OT there was practically only Leia (the few other female characters almost had no impact on the story), and that there were few females in the PT, too. The Jedi Order consisted almost only of men, and you hardly hear anyone complain.

I know that many fans dislike Anakin and Ben, but please let us consider why.

One reason is that in an action movie we usually value coolness in a male protagonist above everything, and that the Skywalkers are hot-headed by nature. Most fans prefer Darth Vader, Han Solo and the likes to the Skywalker men.

Another reason is that the filmmakers have deliberately manipulated our emotions. The prequels are told from everybody’s point of view but Anakin’s, and the same goes for the sequels with Ben, despite the fact that the trilogies are about them, not about “the Jedi superheroes saviours of the galaxy” or “the almighty and untainted Skywalker family”. So, as viewers we automatically identify emotionally with anyone but them. We never get to really know the “villain’s” point of view, we only see how other people react to them; and since these reactions are much more often negative than positive, we get to the conclusion that both of them are inescapably evil, that they chose to be so, and that they deserve their terrible fate.

My suggestion: rewatch both trilogies again and this time try to look through Anakin’s or Ben’s eyes. (And possibly also read the novels and the Kylo Ren comics.)

You could be surprised.

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gxrlcinema · 3 years

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5, 22 & 30

5. Favorite trilogy and why?

This will surprise absolutely no one, but the Cap trilogy is my favorite. Actually, the Cap duopoly (Civil War is only a Cap movie because its emotional story hinges on the wellbeing of Bucky Barnes).

I like heroes who are heroes. Cap is a hero; not a perfect soldier but a good man. (I'll talk about this in your final question but this is what made me latch onto Steve when I was a kid).

What I like about the first two Cap films is that they're explorations of American identity and values. CA:TFA gives us the jingoistic narrative of WW II that many Americans grew up with: U.S. good, Nazis bad. (Although I could do a whole side analysis on the ways in which I think TFA alludes to the darker war that we're not being shown and how I think that could be due to the limits of Steve's perspective and perhaps ties into Steve's arc on the whole and the themes of the series. Let me know if anyone wants to know more about that). CA:TWS destroys that image. Nazis not just bad, they're us now. It seems almost prophetic, given that the movie came out two years before Trump was elected. I like the marriage of personal and political, and I like that Steve goes morally uncompromised but is still forced to evolve.

22. Favorite character who was snapped?

Bucky, probably. I also think it's a really interesting choice that Bucky was snapped, mostly because I think it really could've solved most of the complaints about Endgame if we simply knew that Bucky had those five years to recover, hang out with Steve and reintegrate into society. Like, I still think Steve's ending would be off and a little out of character, but it wouldn't be as wildly out of character as leaving Bucky behind.

30. How/why did you get into Marvel?

I had a long journey with the MCU.

When it was starting, I was too young to see PG-13 rated movies, so the first film in the franchise that I saw was The Avengers (2012). Most of what I remember from that initial viewing was liking Steve, and being completely taken with the scene where Nat manipulates Loki. The next time I saw a Marvel movie, it was Civil War in theaters in high school. At that point though, I'd joined Tumblr, so I was pretty aware of the Marvel Universe and had even read fanfic (so basically, I was already attached to Bucky even though I hadn't seen the other movies). I saw a couple more of the movies in theaters, but I didn't really get attached until WandaVision came out. WandaVision hit home for me in a lot of ways and I finally decided to kind of check out the rest of that universe. And now here we are.

#ilanswers #golden-bucky #mcu reflection asks

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giveamadeuschohisownmovie · 4 years

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My pitch for an alternate version of the Star Wars sequel arc (Episodes 7-12):

(NOTE: Aside from some characters being reused, this is completely separate from the actual sequel trilogy)

1) All six movies comprise of one arc but episodes 7-9 and 10-12 can be seen as their own trilogies. Think of this like a TV show season; the first half of the season is different from the second half.

2) The initial main protagonists are Ben Solo and Rey Nebula, Luke Skywalker’s proteges and the top two students of the reformed Jedi Academy. However, there’s a change in protagonists after episode 9, which I’ll explain when I get there. The main protagonists from episodes 10-12 are Nico Palpatine (Emperor Palpatine’s granddaughter), Finn (a former stormtrooper), Poe Dameron (a Mandalorian bounty hunter), and Rose Tico (an inventor from Coruscant).

3) Episodes 7-9 focus on defeating the last of the Imperial forces (renamed “The First Order”) and Luke ordering the capture of Nico Palpatine, the last of Emperor Palpatine’s line. The trilogy is set up like a traditional Star Wars story; Empire and Sith are the villains while the Republic and the Jedi are the heroes. However, in episode 8, we start to see the cracks in the story. Nico, despite being a Palpatine, is revealed to be a scared, severely depressed young woman who is trying to escape her legacy. She’s not interested in the Sith or even avenging her grandfather, she just wants to live her life. In addition, it’s revealed that there’s unrest in the Republic with Leia’s government becoming more unpopular each day. The main concern is that, in their quest to stamp out all traces of the Galactic Empire, people are fearing that the New Republic is on the road to becoming a fascist dictatorship as well.

4) While all that is going on, Luke learns about this “Force boogeyman” who has resurfaced. This boogeyman, known as “The Equalist”, is a legendary figure who is feared by both the Jedi and the Sith. Apparently, they have survived for thousands of years (using the Force to extend their lifespan) and they have an intense hatred towards both orders of the Force. The Equalist is the main antagonist of the sequel series.

5) The big reveal in Episode 9: Rey Nebula, who was presented as the main heroine of the sequel series, is revealed to be “The Equalist”. She entered Luke’s academy with the intention of infiltrating the Jedi Order and destroying it from within, as well as getting close to Luke. In addition, she’s the one who has been influencing the political unrest in the New Republic. The reason for her hatred of the Jedi and the Sith is that she was part of an ancient order of Force users that predated the Jedi and the Sith (think: Dai Bendu). Her order, instead of emphasizing the differences in the Light and Dark sides of the Force, preached a “Grey” interpretation that believed the Light and Dark sides worked in tandem. Rey reveals that her order was destroyed by both the early Jedi and Sith as they felt threatened by the “Grey” interpretation of the Force.

6) Some dialogue I came up with for Rey/The Equalist: “When the universe was first formed...do you think the Creators had a set of morals in mind for the Force? The answer is no...we were the ones who gave meaning to the Force. The problem is...we couldn’t agree which interpretation was correct and, as a result, millions of people died. Over a difference of faith. How pitiful.” / “The Jedi preaches that the Dark Side is evil. The Sith preaches that the Light Side is evil. But yet, despite the differences in your religions...you both agreed that my people were a threat. We were a threat...for believing that the Force was neither good or evil. For our beliefs, you sentenced my people to death.” --> author’s note: If this sounds like Pain from Naruto or Zaheer from Legend of Korra, I admit that they were inspirations for the Equalist.

7) Ben Solo goes from the main male protagonist to the secondary antagonist of the series. Although he starts out as an honorable Jedi, he becomes swayed by Rey’s mission to destroy the Jedi and the Sith once he learns their “hidden history” (namely, the destruction of Rey’s old order of Force users). He also becomes disillusioned by the New Republic when he learns about the war crimes and atrocities that the Rebels committed during the war with the Galactic Empire (history that was also buried by the New Republic). Ben feels betrayed as he was taught that the Jedi and Rebels were pure heroes, leading to him joining forces with Rey. So in this version, Ben’s turn to darkness comes from his inability to see the world through a grey perspective; he’s stuck in a black-and-white moral mentality that makes him unable to comprehend the nuances of war and politics, which then leads to him helping Rey in her dangerous revolution.

8) Nico Palpatine goes from a supporting protagonist to the main protagonist of the series. Although she’s treated with much hostility from Luke Skywalker in the beginning, Luke slowly warms up to her when he realizes she’s nothing like her grandfather. Also, when we get to know more about Nico, we learn that she has a strange connection to the Force. She’s as powerful as Emperor Palpatine but she doesn’t feel a strong connection to either the Light or Dark sides since she was never formally trained. As a result, she’s developed a sort of “Grey” relationship to the Force, just like Rey. However, Nico’s pure heart clashes with Rey’s thirst for vengeance, which leads to them becoming archenemies.

---------------------------> side note: my fancast for Nico is Jessica Henwick (Colleen Wing from Iron Fist)

9) Finn, Poe, and Rose are all elevated to co-protagonists in episodes 10-12. They start out as supporting allies in episodes 7-9 but are elevated in importance when they befriend Nico and form her inner circle. So if Nico is the Luke of the sequel series, Poe and Rose share the Han Solo role while Finn fills in the Leia Organa role. In this alternate version, Rose is an inventor who sells state-of-the-art weapons to the New Republic, Finn is a former stormtrooper who has enlisted in the New Republic’s army, and Poe is a Mandalorian bounty hunter who specializes in hunting down Sith lords.

10) Just as a side note, I pictured Finn being more important than Poe and Rose since he also has a subplot where he learns that he’s Force-sensitive.

11) Episodes 10-12 focus on Nico, Finn, Poe, and Rose trying to stop Rey, Ben, and their faction from destroying the Jedi, the Sith and the New Republic. We learn that Rey’s grand plan is to cause as much unrest in the New Republic as possible, causing the Republic to fall into a civil war. Combined with the ongoing war against the First Order, this would eventually lead to the Republic collapsing into complete anarchy. So as a stark contrast to the original and prequel trilogies, our main villain isn’t a fascist dictator but a vengeance-fueled anarchist who wants to destroy all traces of the Jedi and the Sith.

12) Fates of the OG trio: Han Solo is killed in episode 8 during a battle with the First Order. His death sends Ben Solo into full despair, which Rey takes advantage of. Leia Skywalker is killed in episode 10 by Ben. Leia tries to convince him that Rey is the real threat and, in response, Ben stabs her through the chest (so she gets Han’s death from TFA). Luke Skywalker heroically sacrifices himself in episode 12. He destroys a Death Star-type weapon that Rey had taken control of while still inside.

13) There’s a major time jump between episodes 9 and 10 because Luke Skywalker has taken on Nico Palpatine as his protege Episode 10 takes place six years after episode 9 in order to explain how Nico is suddenly a capable Jedi, as well as how Rey and Ben were able to raise an army while hiding in the shadows.

14) The ending scene of episode 11 is Luke Skywalker naming Nico Palpatine as the next Grandmaster of the Jedi Order. When Nico protests, saying that she should be disqualified due to her lineage, Luke reminds her that his father was Darth Vader. He says something along the lines of, “You may be a Palpatine by blood...but you’ve proven more than once that you are your own person.” He also says that the Jedi could benefit from Nico’s “Grey” view of the Force since she could teach about the Dark Side without falling into it and becoming a Sith.

15) Showdown in episode 12 is split between Nico’s confrontation with Rey and Ben, as well as the New Republic engaging the Equalist Army. Both conflicts are resolved in a way to symbolize that the galaxy is willing to make an effort for peace. First, the New Republic is assisted by the factions that were threatening to break away, signifying that Rey’s plan for complete anarchy has failed and that the New Republic is whole again. Second, after Rey is fatally wounded by Nico, both women decide to sit together in peace and discuss their place in the universe. Before she dies, Rey says that Nico has a chance to be better than her predecessors and to not repeat the mistakes of the past Jedi.

16) Ben survives but is imprisoned for life due to his actions in episodes 10-12.

17) Ending of the series: Nico takes her place as the new Jedi Grandmaster, Finn joins the Jedi Academy, Poe is made a leading general in the New Republic (the first Mandalorian to take on the position), and Rose becomes a Senator.

Some more thematic stuff I forgot to add:

* Aside from being “Grey Force” users, I wanted Rey and Nico to parallel each other in the sense that they both are the result of a hateful environment. Rey’s people were senselessly destroyed since their beliefs were feared while Nico’s very existence made her a target of the galaxy’s hatred.

* In the original trilogy, the main sin was pride. In the prequel trilogy, the main sin was envy. For this sequel series, the main sin is wrath (Luke hating Nico’s existence before getting to know her, Rey’s hatred fueling her anarchist campaign and Ben’s anger after learning the hidden history of the Jedi and the Republic)

* The first half is set up as a traditional Star Wars story in order to set up the contrast of the second half. We go from having a Skywalker as the main protagonist to a Palpatine as the lead, the main villain isn’t a Sith but someone who challenges the beliefs of both the Jedi and the Sith, and the conflict isn’t about toppling an empire but making sure the current regime survives the unrest.

* EDIT: Another thing I forgot to add. The conflict between Rey’s Grey Order, Jedi, and Sith was inspired by real-life religion. Rey’s order is a Pagan religion while the Jedi and Sith can be seen as parallels to Catholicism or Christianity (both orders believe in the Dark-Light belief of the Force, but differ on which side to follow). The destruction of Rey’s order is a parallel to the Inquisitions.

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fallintosanity · 3 years

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I was thinking about Providence!verse and also Luca!verse and that somehow combined in my head to form the idea of an alt-universe Fifth Act/Providence verse where Cloud ends up a Hojo experiment before he can get recruited by Tseng and then later gets rescued by Sephiroth and Zack (and maybe Genesis?) and young!Cloud when they end up in Nibelheim.

Ohhhh, now that would make for an interesting AU! A lot would depend on whether Hojo captures Cloud before or after Cloud cures Genesis of degradation. If Cloud cures Genesis first, then the Firsts would have the lingering mystery of the man who fought Sephiroth to a standstill, promised to murder him, and then... dropped off the face of the earth???

It’s very likely Tseng would know that the mystery man ended up in Hojo’s clutches - especially in TFA, the Turks seem to have a good idea of what Hojo is up to. What Tseng would do with this information is less sure, though. On the one hand, better to have someone who could potentially defeat Sephiroth kept indisposed; on the other hand, even Hojo might not be able to keep someone that powerful locked up forever, and what kind of a risk would their mystery man be if he got loose after that? Tseng might even advocate to kill Cloud, at which point it’d come down to whether he has the right leverage to force Hojo to do so (or if Hojo’s just stubborn enough to keep Cloud around anyway).

Anyway, assuming Cloud survives, the next big question would be whether Hojo is more interested in what he can find out from Cloud-the-time-traveler, or from Cloud-the-successful-Sephiroth-clone. If the former, he wouldn’t let Sephiroth (or Genesis or Angeal) anywhere near Nibelheim ever again. If the latter, he’d do his best to arrange a meeting - and, given Hojo’s typical MO, would probably set it up so that Cloud and Sephiroth end up fighting. After all, he’d want to know if the clone is superior to the original.

But a Cloud who’s spent however long imprisoned and tortured by Hojo wouldn’t be stoppable by anyone (except possibly Aerith, but even she wouldn’t be in a position at that point in the timeline), so what’s most likely to happen is he succeeds in his original goal, in the most bloody and violent way possible: Sephiroth and Hojo end up dead, and Jenova maybe, depending on whether she can get her hooks in him deeply enough to stop him from killing her like she did in TFA. Which sets off a whole other set of interesting chain reactions at the ShinRa politics level.

If you go down the other path, though, where Hojo captures Cloud before Cloud cures Genesis... For the main characters, things would progress the same as in Crisis Core for the most part. Tseng might know Hojo’s picked up a new toy, but since no one other than Hojo knows what Cloud’s capable of in this version, Tseng is unlikely to care. Hojo would be free to experiment in peace, up until either Sephiroth or Genesis gets to Nibelheim. (Crisis Core has them both in the Nibel reactor at the same time, but we don’t know whether or how long Genesis was hanging around the area before Sephiroth got there.)

The big difference here, again, would be which part of Cloud catches Hojo’s fancy. Again, if Hojo’s more interested in the time-travel thing, he wouldn’t get involved with Hollander’s “failures”, though he’d likely still continue his plans for Sephiroth and Jenova independent of what he’s doing with Cloud. He might even see Cloud as a sort of “fallback” for the Sephiroth experiment, and take pains to keep Cloud separate from that whole thing.

On the other hand, I could see Genesis finding out about Cloud while hanging around the Nibel reactor and Nibelheim, and striking a deal with Hojo. Genesis in CC believed that post-Nibelheim Zack and/or Cloud could cure his degradation, so he’d likely believe the same thing here, especially if he knew exactly what Cloud was.

Which is where things get really interesting - this is the point where Cloud has a chance to be more than an especially murdery MacGuffin. He could convince Genesis to help him escape - possibly by bribing him with any of Aerith’s holy water he still has left. Genesis in this version still has a massive grudge against Sephiroth, so would likely be entirely on board with the plan to murder Sephiroth, and wouldn’t mind taking out Hojo and Jenova along the way.

This would result in either a fun story of Cloud and Genesis running around the world having Hijinks and causing Shenanigans as they save the planet and dismantle ShinRa - or a really depressing story where they manage to kill Sephiroth, Hojo, and Jenova, but Cloud takes the path he tried to follow at the end of TFA, and kills himself to take out the last remnant of Jenova.

I just realized I completely forgot to include young!Cloud in any of this, whoops. XD Honestly, despite living right outside the ShinRa mansion in Nibelheim, the kid’s not close enough to any of the Happenings to get involved, especially in the scenario where no one meets Cloud before Hojo captures him. He’d just end up a ShinRa grunt, unless and until Cloud goes to drag him away.

...I’m going to stop here because I keep branching this and it’s getting confusing. But now you have some 840 words of Fics Sanity Is Definitely Never Going To Write Because She Has Too Many Other Fics, Goodness. Enjoy!

#sanity replies #fanfiction #sanity's final fantasy crossover fic #ffvii #anonymous

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tfw-no-tennis · 3 years

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mtmte liveblog issue 9

back at it again, and its time for the shadowplay arc, HELL yeah

oh I'm so excited i love this arc lets DO this

oooh its nightbeat and quark!! way before they become relevant, which is so cool

‘one of those recepticon fanatics’ lmao imagine if they were...the recepticons. just doesn't have the same ring to it

god i fucking love all the politics of mtmte. i love how they’re talking about the senate here before we really get to See how bad they were (we heard a bit about it from whirl a few issues ago, and now here)

love how nightbeat is pretty much agreeing with the decepticon ideology here, even if its clear that he isn't Actually a decepticon - it just drives home the fact that, in this story, The Decepticons Were Right About A Lot Of That Stuff (or at least, they had a reason other than ‘destruction’ for rebelling).

AND THEN THERES RUNG!!!!!!! WITH HIS MODEL OF THE LOST LIGHT....god i fuckgin LOVE the continuity in this story bc the first time reading this ur like oh ok rung is old yea makes sense...but then later all the time travel stuff happens and then its like OHHHHH

damn poor rung nightbeat can rlly tell he's lonely just by looking at him vbhjdkdfhbjsjkdf geez. also nightbeat that's ur mystery stick bf from the future js!!

quarks extreme POV on all of the stuff is so interesting, and makes so much sense bc of Course he would think that as a non-combatant scientist who, due to his functional value in current society, wouldn't really benefit much from a revolution - in fact, he’d probably lose a lot. and that’s the sort of thing where you’re like, ok well think about everyone else dude, have some perspective - but at the same time, quark did suffer a pretty terrible fate, so his fears weren't entirely unfounded...augh, its so fascinating...im sorry I'm not gonna shut up about space robot politics this Entire time

HOW did nobody notice that dead body before now

ratchet spray-painting the hands he stole from pharma to match his own paintjob is like...kinda gruesome if you think about it hvbhsjkdfbkjdf

i love rewind sooo much oh my god

he rlly stashed rung’s comatose body in a wheelchair behind the bar hbkjdhfbshjkdf rewind

rewind and chromedome’s tag-team explanation....ough hhhhh THEM

wait a sec, rewind, you have medical records in your database? that is, at least according to regular medical laws, very illegal lmao. my favorite long-running theme in mtmte: the fact that hipaa and osha laws on cybertron are either basically nonexistent, or just universally disregarded

what the actual fuck is up w/cybertronian time units. that shit is wack as hell

ooh i love how chromedome looks different in the flashback - no shoulder tires! - that's a cool detail

how come prowl just said ‘minute,’ rewind was busting it up w/all the wack ass fantasy time units just a second ago. geez

also goddd i love the scenery of pre-war cybertron, its SUCH a cool setting like, visually and aesthetically and politically

like, i adore details like the sign in the bg that says ‘everyone’s shape serves a purpose.’ really adds to the ‘society on the precipice of civil war currently controlled by an increasingly-desperate faction who are doling out propaganda like crazy in an attempt to maintain their image and control over the populace’ vibe

good ole murder mystery setup. love it!

pre-war prowl is such an interesting character. actually prowl in general is such an interesting character...I kinda wrote him off during my first read of mtmte (and even a little during my second readthru) as just this dude who’s an asshole (espec bc my prev tf experience involved watching tfa as a kid, and this prowl is very different from tfa prowl lol)...but prowl is SUCH a multi-faceted and interesting character, even in the relatively little we see of him in mtmte

plus it was interesting to learn later that prowl was one of the characters that jro wanted for mtmte and didn't get, and MAN i wish he got prowl bc I would've loved to see what jro would've done w/prowl on the lost light, that would've been amazing. like, just imagine the arc he would have...I have no idea what that arc would BE, but I know it would be awesome. plus I’d be really interested to see how prowl would factor in, relationships-wise, amongst the crew of the lost light. so much potential!

anyways. I'm in a very talky mood tonight it seems. its currently 4 am so that kinda explains it. ok, moving on!

chromedome and prowl bantering....in their own morbid forensic-cop way...

skids bvhjdbsfjasf. speaking what we’re all thinking: is prowl gonna keep showing up in mtmte despite not technically being part of the cast??

swerves drawing of prowl lmaoooo

AND THEN REWIND IN SOME OF MY FAVORITE MTMTE PANELS....fuckgin cracks me up every time god. rewind was rlly about to flip their entire ass table just to demonstrate that prowl is a serial table-flipper...and then he cant even make the table budge and he just stares at his hands like ‘how could you betray me like this’ hvbajkhhsfdhksdf PEAK hilarity

drift hvbshfdjbasdfj his forcibly cheery expression even tho he’s being harassed by rodimus, who is a big whiny toddler w/drift lmao

rodimus is the type of guy who, upon drift not replying to one of his texts, would post a whole twitter thread being all like ‘these days u cant trust any1 to hav ur back...u think u kno someone and then they just ghost you...(1/14)’

again, rewind, HOW and WHY do you just Have medical reports, oh my god, somebody please call a hipaa agent I’m scared,

ratchet interrupting the story to give a quick medical PSA....that's Such an on-brand thing for Me to do that I feel like jro is assigning me ratchet kin as I read this

also, hey, its sonic and boom, those two decepticons from delphi! nice little continuity there

AND HERES ORION PAX SUPER COP

can’t believe idw made my dad optimus prime into a cop. smh. shouldn't be that shocked tho, I feel like half the idw characters are cops

orion rlly hit them w/the omae wa mo shinderu arrest strat

orion: I cant believe you're beating this guy up. anyways, now I'm gonna beat YOU up,

when ratchet puts his hand over drifts mouth and then gets spray paint on drifts face bhjdfsvsdjhfgbjdskf

pre-war ratchet and drift ;_; ratchet’s little inspirational speech...the fact that he tells drift that he’s special...the fact that drift remembered all of this even after 4 million+ yrs...it gets me bro it GETS me

ALSO the layers in the fact that drift then goes on to become a well-known murderous decepticon...so this little scene of him and ratchet in the past gives a lot of context to ratchet’s general attitude towards drift - ratchet clearly feels at least somewhat responsible for all the blood on drift’s hands, since he saved drift’s life way back in the day

the whole relinquishment clinic thing is such cool worldbuilding, bc of course that's the kind of thing that would develop in a society of robot aliens who are only allowed to work within the rigid confines of their alt mode

I love the whole matrix thing bc its kinda like being the pope or st but also you have a ton of political sway, so its a super important position, so of Course the corrupt senate would want full control over that power, and would assassinate the current prime to try to get their own guy in

god vhbhjsdkbgshjdf rodimus is such a dick lmao poor drift

HHHHH I love that the cybertronian version of an autopsy is taking the dudes body apart into the smallest components and laying them all out. that's so fucking cool

hmmmm chromedome maybe you should Not be interested in mnemology, how about that,

oh god. time to start being sad about op and senator shockwave. oh god

senator shockwave more like senator sexy

also the first time I read this I thought I had just missed his name and like halfway thru the story I went back and scoured the pages looking for it hbvhsjdfbshgfdsbj then I was like oh ok so we’re maybe supposed to just know who this guy is from another comic? but NOPE it was very deliberate and I only realized very close to the end that they were setting up some sort of reveal

its funny bc normally I'm not a huge fan of stories where politics play a huge role but I fuckgin love it here, the politics and worldbuilding is all so interesting and also balanced out with a healthy dose of cool sci-fi hijinks, so

lmao there's chromedome being obsessed w/people making the ‘pfft’ sound

also wow yet more hindsight, maybe you Shouldn’t be so interested in the Institute, chromedome,

OHHHH shit I forgot abt the red alert stuff happening at the same time as this :( :( :(

AUGHHH what a fucked up situation. god

oooof i gotta continue now!! what a solid issue, I love the shadowplay arc

#lj rereads mtmte

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spinnenpfote6 · 4 years

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My view on Kylo’s story and the dangers of fascism

I find it really interesting how Kylo Ren’s story is often percieved as a story that says “Fascists are actually good people and you should forgive them!” when to me, it is literally the opposite. Mainly because people tend to view Kylo as the leader and therefore the problem because the focus is on him, when Snoke aka Palpatine and his influence is the actual threat and key problem, which is even made clear by the movies and comics. The theme here is, in my mind, how fascist organisations/leaders are able to manipulate people into following them.

Ben Solo was a troubled, abused and neglected boy, who wasn’t happy with how his family treated him, which is a totally human way of feeling. In the comics you can see him showing compassion and being respectful to people, showcasing that he is actually a nice person. After getting treated worse and worse by his family, he sadly made the mistake of trusting Snoke, who - mind you - wasn’t promising him power. The thing he baited young Ben with after grooming him was understanding, meaning and leaving behind his bad memories. Snoke was manipulating Ben’s feelings until he started stirring them up to full-blown hatred, which isn’t how you start the story of an irredeemable, deranged fascist.

If you pay attention to the movies, it is noticeable that Kylo’s goals aren’t exactly tied to the First Order’s goals of committing genocide and stuff. He is shown subtly questioning their decisions and only playing along either to please Snoke, whom he clearly looks up to as a father figure and wise mentor, or to reach his personal goals if they are tied into the First Order’s goals, like finding the map to Luke. For the First Order, it is to destroy the Jedi and the Resistance, but in TLJ you learn that Kylo was most likely trying to find the map because of personal issues with Luke, who is his uncle. Just like he could’ve just taken BB-8 instead of Rey to get the map, but tell me what you want - at that moment, he was too interested in Rey and therefore more likely chasing after his own curiosity than the First Order’s plans.

Sure, Kylo likes the (illusion of the) feeling of having power and being on top of things, but this feelings stems from a whole bunch of extremely negative emotions and you already learn that in TFA, Kylo’s arrogance and ego is built upon a fantasy of him and his force powers being a tool for Snoke, not because he actually sees himself as a great person. And he is promised that Snoke will help him reach his personal goals if he sticks to that concept. As soon as Snoke calls him a failure though, his ego deflates and he thinks that he derserves any form of punishment from his mentor. He also knows that there is something wrong with the way he is treated, but doesn’t want to admit it to himself. So he keeps following Snoke because of his poisoned mindset and lack of being able to let go of his negative feelings towards his family and because he knows that Snoke is probably going to get revenge on him if he actually leaves the First Order. And for the sake of pleasing Snoke and thinking that he himself wants it, Kylo pushes away his own identity, even if he is uncomfortable with it, even if he still clings to his family by gladly worshipping his grandfather Darth Vader.

Now let me tell you something: My own country, Germany, is lead by multiple political parties which got elected into the bundestag (house of representatives). One of those leading parties (other Germans and those who know about our politics will know exactly which one I mean) is extremely problematic - and I don’t mean it in the usual sense if me using this word in the context of fandom stuff. It is dangerously problematic. Members of this political party look and act like they’ve just stepped out of a German 1930s Hitler-propaganda clip, they are openly racist and xenophobic, they spew out speeches that are so full of hatred and aggression that I was genuinely shocked while watching and they occasionally march with nazis. Yet, a common callout of them to (mainly) us citizens is “It hurts us if you call us nazis! We aren’t, we just want to help you, the German nation! :(((” when anyone with half a functioning braincell can see that they are full-blown neo-nazis. This political party is already deemed as “problematic” and “under observation” by the bundestag due to its... questionable behaviour and their members recently got banned from visiting an official political Catholic donation festival by the German churches themselves. I still cannot wrap my mind around how they were allowed to take part in leading this country since one would think that they are heavily violating the German law. The most absurd thing about this is that you cannot even openly say the word “nazi” in Germany anymore, but people are electing groups like these to lead our country without batting an eye. Without even thinking about their decision. And that’s the problem.

This political party I’m talking about rose to fame back in 2015 (suitably the same year as The Force Awakens was released), mostly by using the European refugee-crisis as a tool. Back then, the fact that our chancellor Angela Merkel wanted to give shelter to a lot of refugees was deemed as very questionable by maaany Germans and got heavily criticized. Our problematic party was one of those critics and promised to get rid of the refugees and not let them into our country anymore, if they would be elected. And guess what: They were among the winners of the next election and are still using this 2015-refugee-crisis as an excuse for being racist.

The key fact and problem was that a lot of their voters/supporters said (and still say) that they don’t even think of this political party as the best, but as one that would satisfy “most” of their beliefs. They don’t care if the members are preaching hatred or potentially attracting nazis, as long as they are the only ones who - let’s say - get rid of the “evil” refugees. Just like Snoke, this party used/uses emotional manipulation. They don’t say “Hey, we are white supremacists and hate foreigners! We are the best! Join us in preparing the next secret genocide!” No. They say stuff like “Hey, remember that one time a refugee raped a schoolgirl? Elect us and we will keep your children safe!”.

It is a tactic that is commonly used by fascists and similar groups and what makes them so dangerous. They disguise their hateful actions by saying that they will support your wants and catch completely normal and otherwise friendly people. People who may be troubled, angry or sad or just plain uninformed and “blind” will follow them and get sucked into their hateful beliefs, just like Ben Solo was. He thought that following Snoke was the solution to his problems, even if he didn’t agree with all of his actions. By doing what his manipulative master wanted, he caused irreparabel damage to both others and himself and realized it too late, blinded by his tainted mind and inability to - I recitate - “let go”. He should’ve stayed with Rey, whose compassion and understanding was real, but Kylo couldn’t even distinguish the real promises from the fake ones anymore and saw her refusing his offer and taking the lightsaber in TLJ as just another “traitor” in his life backstabbing him in the heat of the moment (and therefore wasn’t ready for a redemption at that point), despite knowing deep down that she was what he actually wanted and needed all along - someone understanding, helpful. Han and Luke and even Leia didn’t belong in this group despite wanting to help their son, since they were the ones who largely contributed to his problems (without even fully realizing it).

In the end, Ben Solo aka Kylo Ren didn’t reach any of his original goals by following Snoke and even got himself in danger by speaking up and taking action against Snoke/Palpatine, just like a lot of people who realize their mistakes and choose to get out of fascist groups. Even if he wasn’t a bad person, he turned into a monster, which even he realized. It shows that you should always think twice about who you follow and which price you are paying for being a member of a certain group. Don’t let your mindset get tainted by others.

(And also: don’t punish people for getting out of problematic groups, even if it’s a first and very human reaction to react with concern and caution. There are people who can in fact change. Don’t pull a Rise Of Skywalker on them!)

Because the real threat aren’t single, troubled people. It’s the organisations, politicians and clubs who recruit them with their manipulation, disguised hatred and false promises.

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thisisthepartwhereyou · 4 years

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STAR WARS-SPECULATION #2: Rebel or Lost Cause? *May Contain Spoilers*

--- During the course of human history there has been many cases of overwhelming tyranny and opression. It can be as small as the dominion of a single creature, or as vast as an entire world. But as they say, even the cornered rat will bite the cat, and give birth to struggle and resistance. Under these circumstances, a rebellion rises to resist and challenge the rule of the oppressors, despite facing unlikely odds. David against Goliath, the Spartans in the battle of Thermopylae, and when speaking of the Star Wars-sequel trilogy, the Resistance and the First Order.

While one can go on to say that the conflict between the First Order and the Resistance is basically a carbon-copy of the Empire versus the Rebellion from the original trilogy, as we don't go deep enough into the history or political aspects of either group to really nail down their differences to their older counterparts. Though from what I gather, the First Order is composed of the remnants of the empire, who by the time of The Force Awakens (2015) is recognized as an extremist following, though not generally seen as a major danger in the eyes of the government (like a space-equivelent to North Korea?). The Resistance is a countergroup acting outside of the galactic government who sees the threath of the First Order and keeps an eye on their acitivties.

Either way, that is not what I am here to talk about today, as my focus will be directed at one of the most principal characters within the Resistance: Poe Dameron.

Played by the very likable Guetamalan-American actor Oscar Isaac, Poe Dameron is an ace X-wing pilot, an agent of the Resistance and the original owner of the droid BB-8. His actions in the first movie, where he stores important information within his droid, is what starts the whole chain of events for the trilogy, an act which rhymes with the actions of princess Leia in A New Hope (1977). Over the trilogy he is portrayed as a brave, cocky and hotheaded brother in arms. He is a generally well-received character, especially in regards to his bromantic (and apparently quasi-romantic) relationship with Finn, but has over the progression of the last two films been the subject for critique. Not as red-hot of a critique as some other aspects of the sequels, but enough to make you raise your eyebrowns a bit. The main critique being, is he REALLY neccesary?

Don't get me wrong, new members of the Resistance are vital for new movies, otherwise the Resistance might have looked like an old folks home. Poe Dameron should have all the ingredients neccesary to be the posterboy of the the Resistance: he is the member with the most screentime, his actions set off, he is played by a very likable actor and he is a great pilot. But the issue is, while it is all there, it is not really utilized well. The further one goes with these movies, the more one realizes that he is the least developed of the main characters. His role in TFA is minor, he acts as an agressor in a generally disliked sideplot in The Last Jedi (2017), and his part in The Rise of Skywalker (2019), while the richest in content, feels un-earned because the direction of the character is neither clear or given enough development.

So considering that his role doesn't add a whole lot in the trilogy after the first part, was Poe Dameron's continuous role in the sequel-trilogy REALLY neccesary? Objectively, I would have to say no. I mean if a character doesn't have a clear purpose, you either give him one, scale him back or kill him off, so that you can give more room for the other characters. I believe the therm is “kill your darlings.“ With that said, I can understand why one would be reluctant to kill him off to begin with; Oscar Isaacs is the most likable actor ever, something that translates into his performance, and in turn, the character. While Poe Dameron is pretty pointless, he is still hard to completely dislike. This illustrates the power of a talented actor, that he or she can someimes overwin bland or nonsensical writing.

So we have a character that is perfectly likable and who could have been a great addition to the franchise. There certainly was potencial in him, so what could have been done to make the most of it? Well, below are some of the directions I think could have been taken:

A) Poe Dameron dying in TFA: This one feels appropriate, considering it was the original intent of the moviemakers. As stated by Oscar Isaac's in Business Insider (https://www.businessinsider.com/star-wars-poe-was-supposed-to-die-2016-3?r=US&IR=T), his character was originally supposed to die. While it would be a shame to see a likable character go so fast, it might have solved a couple of issues and added something more to the first part of the trilogy. Besides the fact that it could have added an extra layer of danger to the plot, in that any character could die at any point, it would have also put all of our eggs in the basket of a deserting stormtrooper and a random scavenger. Plus, killing him off wouldn't have made his role in TFA much smaller anyway. Poe not being in the two following movies could have also left much bigger room for the development Rey, Finn and several other characters. Also, to see how the heroism and sacrifice of a single Resistance-member would affect Finn would be really interesting, considering that Finn would have owed his freedom and life to a complete stranger (who was just recently his enemy) that would have died before he could have even had a chance to thank him. How does that make a person who is trying to flee from the battlefield, feel? I can't help but to think of a similar situation in the Green Lantern-comics (DC), where veteran member of the Green Lantern Corps, Abin-sur, crashlands on Earth and gives his power ring to Hal Jordan, a human pilot, before dying. Abin-sur's death had a considerable effect on Hal Jordan, in that besides becoming a new corps member, but became one by taking over the ring of the corp's most beloved and respected members. That is a hell of legacy to live up to, not to mention a massive responsibility. Something like THAT would have been a pretty thought-provoking storyline for Finn.

B) His carelessness has personal consequences in TLJ: In the beginning of TLJ, Poe Dameron disobeys an order to evacuate and instead engages a First Order fleet. This is a foolhardy act, as even though they take down a Stardestroyer, a lot of Resistance pilots die in the process. While it has several consequences within the movie, such as barely having any pilots left for the remainder of it, he himself do not seem overly affected by it, dismissing it as the casualties of war. But if you really think about it, should there not be some resentment aimed at him besides from his superiors, and shouldn’t he feel more guilt? I mean, Rose Tico's sister died in that battle. Wouldn't it have been more interesting Rose and others resent him for his careless actions? This could've been a more likable struggle for him, as he should have been the one to learn that war is not just about defeating the enemy, but saving the ones you love. If he had done this and in the process displayed a sense of leadership in a time of great need, maybe his transformation into a commander in TROS would have felt more organic?

C) Poe goes with Finn to Canto Bight instead of Rose Tico: This one could have worked as a continuation to B. Canto Bight isn't exactly a favorite moment in TLJ, even for the ones who like TLJ. The main criticism being that it is not that interesting of a planetary environment; basically just feeling like a casino with aliens. Another critique is that it felt like a detour that was too disconnected and did ultimately not add that much to the other parts of the movie. One way of making the movie less fragmented, as well as give Poe something better to do, could have been to give him more or less the same role as Rose Tico. Besides further developing his and Finn's friendship, it could have even been a way of putting that awkward kiss in the third act to better use, and confirm some legitimacy to the whole Finn X Poe-ship. While I am not staunch supporter of the ship, I have to admit that it would have been interesting. With that said, I don't think it would have made everyone happy. I mean lets face it, if people get upset about a black dude in a stormtrooper-uniform, one can only assume how they would have reacted to an openly gay or bi character in Star Wars. But at the same time, if people were pissed off at even the good bits in TLJ, why not go all the way and piss off every stuck up parent sitting in the theaters worldwide while you're at it? Certainly would have been ballsiest move ever, especially considering it’s a Disney-film.

D) Poe staying at Leia's side in TROS: As I have written before, the main issues with TROS is messy storytelling and a rushed pace. One of many things that adds to this is by suddenly providing Poe with a backstory while simultenously trying to give him a bigger role than before by having him travel with Rey and Finn. What if they had scaled him down a little, let him stay with Leia as they plan for the upcoming attack? Not only would it have been more powerful for him to be there with her as she passes away, but also motivate him to step into the role of a mature leader more. I realize that this is a little sensitive, as it may have required additional footage of Leia in order to work. Though to be fair, being respectful is one thing, making a good movie is another. And also, if they can remake young Leia for a flashback, why can't they just remake old Leia a bit for some extra material?

Could any of these alternatives have added something good to the movie, or subtracted from the main story? You tell me. No, seriously, tell me what you think, I would love to hear your thoughts on the matter in the comments. Do you have any ideas of your own that could have helped make Poe Dameron the most iconic pilot of the sequel era? Feel free to discuss this with me :) ---

#star wars #poe dameron #finn #rey #leia #sw #x-wing #Speculation #rebel or lost cause #TROS #TLJ #TFA #The last Jedi #The Force Awakens #the rise of skywalker #theory #analysis #jcl #oscar isaac

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atamascolily · 4 years

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okay, not quite finished with Aftermath: Empire’s End but here are some Opinions thus far:

turns out Mercurial Swift is such a metal name it has to be a pseudonym - his actual name is much less exciting. The good guys threaten his mom because they are gritty antiheroes who do the work that the NR doesn’t want to acknowledge and that’s how they roll. Except they keep not shooting Swift and then being surprised when he keeps showing up to interfere with their plans.

Han bringing so much jogan fruit to Leia because the doctor recc’ed it and he loves his wife so much and just doesn’t know how to handle all of his feels. <3!

okay, I know the Ben Solo stans argue that the darkness that Leia senses in those scenes is Snoke reaching out to corrupt him in the womb, but... the writing is awfully vague, and could mean literally whatever you want it to mean. It’s an interesting theory, but I feel like if that was actually meant to be canon, it needed to be a little more spelled out. (of course, it’s so hard to tease out what is canon and what isn’t with that character)

nobody likes Dengar, lol.

Apparently Lumpy is still canon! (IDK about the Star Wars Holiday Special, but... nice to see him re-united with his father, even if the whole situation on Kashyyyk remains a Colonialist Hot Mess. (thanks for nothing, New Republic!!)

there’s an interlude with Jar-Jar Binks of all people on Naboo - he got ostracized by the Gungans AND the humans, who hold him responsible for putting Palpatine in charge, which just seems so unfair and also really sad. Look, he’s not my favorite character, but can this guy ever get a break??

something something political shenanigans something something corruption something something crime syndicates

I enjoy that Space Customs becomes a major plot point.

we get to see a few of the characters from the previous “Interludes” again: Malakili the Hutt-tamer, that pirate queen who reminds me of Booster Terrik, the weird Vader cult on Corellia, the Cult of the Force returning kyber crystals to the “wild” (???). I guess my question is, what’s the payoff for all these digressions? Are they relevant to stuff later on in other tie-ins I haven’t read or are those just plot-threads that got dropped and never picked up again?

(I did appreciate seeing the HoloNet reporter come back in one scene in the main plot, though.)

(LANDO and LOBOT in Cloud City!! But WHY ISN’T LANDO WITH THE NR GOVERNMENT/MILITARY INSTEAD OF REVERTING BACK TO HIS OLD ROLE??)

Sinjir DOES have a heart after all, and he and his slicer boyfriend continue to be adorable.

(apparently THAT was what got the “fanboys” upset enough to harass Wendig on social media?? ughhhhhh. no wonder we haven’t seen any gay characters since. for shame, disney, for shame.)

(there are many things I do not appreciate about this novel but Sinjir and Conder and their relationship are one of the main highlights).

also, Sinjir and Mon Mothma have this great relationship which is SO FUCKING GOOD, I want to read a novel about this instead.

There’s literally nothing about Jakku that distinguishes it from Tatooine. They even have their own Hutt, Niima (who I guess Niima Outpost is named for in TFA? That’s random, but okay.)

Niima has this weird cult around her with face-painted acolytes with literally sealed lips and mechanical body parts and there’s a caravan through the desert, and it feels very much Mad Max: Fury Road to me.

Mr. Bones is so cool, so obviously he doesn’t get to survive.

likewise, Brentin is toast because Wendig wants his OC to hook with Wedge, sigh. (I have nothing against Wedge/Norra, but POLYAMORY IS A THING, too!)

Jas breaks her own bones to escape, and wins, we stan.

meanwhile, that figurehead on Coruscant nobody actually cares about is rescued by the so-called “Anklebiter Brigade,” (yes, REALLY), a group of feral street kids. um...

speaking of feral children, Galli Rax is so proud Brendol Hux has kidnapped all these kids and indoctrinated them to serve, so he orders them to murder all the trained actual stormtroopers, which they do, and THEN he hands their command over to Brendol’s son Armitage, whose first act is to immediately abuse his power over them. O...... kay.

(I have so many questions about this)

One of the Imp higher-ups sincerely believes that Palpatine is gonna come back from the grave and Galli Rax is all smug believing it to be a lie he’s using to control the dude... that aged well. ;)

I don’t think we needed this much backstory to explain Why Jakku Is Interesting After All, especially since Jakku ends up having almost no relevance to the larger plot of the ST at all.

everything about the Contingency continues to be really dumb, and it keeps being played for maximum drama and it’s annoying. I’m saving some of that rant for a separate post because it involves some wonky world-building fails.

#star wars #WHY DISNEY WHY

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