#Dad Vader to the rescue of Son boy even as a memory

[marvelstars]

Star Wars Tales #15

Anakin and Luke meet on Tatooine

[a-reasonforthoughts]

My thoughts on the Rise of Skywalker, because quarantine forced me to finally watch it. !!!!Spoilers!!!!!

Growing up, Star Wars was my childhood. My sisters and I read all the books (including the comics) and we packed the Essential Guides with us everywhere. Because for our deep love of the Extended universe, when the last few movies came out we had... mixed emotions. I didn’t even see the last movie when it came out after hearing some less than stellar reviews. So here’s my review, or rather my reactions to the Rise of Skywalker. (Yes, I actually sat down with paper and pen and watched this movie.) Title craw: The DIABOLICAL First Order.

‘The Emperor has returned.’ Wow, the are expecting us to go along with a lot aren’t they.

Cool. Kylo wrecking everything.

Yay, a planet that isn’t snow, desert, or forest. Hold on tight kids, they’re throwing us right into this one. We’re already at Palpatine’s house.   Ew. Whats with the tank?

Whoa eyes! What’s up with his lips? Can someone bring this fossil a drink?

Imperial March playing while a Star Destroyer rises in the back ground. Is this Vader’s old ship? Rey is “Not who we thought she is.” Thought she was “Nothing”?

Ew, what is Klaud, and why is he here?

Who are all these people on the Falcon? “How do we thank you?” “Win the war.” aren’t you all on the same team? Why do you need to thank him? Cool, another planet thats not snow, desert, or a forest. Never mind.

Oh great, Rey’s here.  Looks like the Lightsaber is fixed.  I know the names of a bunch of these plants! When Luke was training with the ball thing (Training remote) he was just trying to deflect the shots. Rey’s trying to take down the whole forest. 

You sure you want to destroy that thing Rey? There can’t be to many of them laying around Who are all these people? Why’s the Falcon on FIRE?! Since when is “Light-speed skip” a thing? Seriously. Who are all these people? I thought after the last movie there was only like, 10 of them left. Hey! It’s Merry from Lord of the Rings!

What’s this old orange doing here?

“Sith Way-finder” Sigh. Are Poe and Rey a “thing”? Are Finn and Rey a “thing”? Why’s everyone here but R2? There he is. Why did they not bring him?!

Now I’m watching a Planet of the Apes crossover.

That guy who was on the same team is dead now. His blood is clear so the rating doesn't go up. Well, Hux is certainly different.

Someone must have taken his hair gel because his hair was never this poofy before.   Is this a Holi Festival, or Burning man.

Why are we learning the name of this random kid? Rey just walked away from her, what was that? Yay! The force link is still there!

Kylo is giving off stalker vibes. It’s nice to see him growing into his role of Supreme Leader. Looks like everyone hates him. Wait- Who is this guy?! Why are they following a stranger!

It’s LANDO Oh, so Rey know’s who Lando is, but thought Luke was a myth. Makes sense. Boom. First order is here.

Lando: “My flying days are over.” Why? “Give Leia my love.” Ew.  Wait, why is Lando out here? Did Luke just leave him? He said he came here with him. Has the emotional issues of being abandoned by Luke led him to never fly again? Is this a parallel story to Rey’s abandonment? What’s the motive here movie!  They made it even harder for these Storm Troopers to see out of those helmets.

3PO is getting a lot of lines. Rey *is distracted* Ship *Blows up*  Now they have sinking sand. WAS THAT ALMOST A CONFESSION?! This guy just says, “The Falcon is not responding.” when asked, and they’re like “Don’t be such a downer!” Oh yay, they survived.  Kay, we’re just brushing over Finn’s almost confession. I’m sure they’ll come back to that later. *Cough* Okay, that flashlight bit was funny. 

How do you know that’s the guy you’re looking for? That could be anybody’s skeleton! How’d they find a knife that neither Luke, or Lando (who might have been here for 20 years) could find!  Rey’s making friend’s with the basilisk.

She just transferred some of her life force to the snake! Why!? This old ship they found in the desert still works. “Chewie, tell Rey we got to go!” Why can’t you do it? You’re not doing anything. Axe. Here comes lover boy.  How to Breathe, the movie, by Rey.

Trailer shot.

Was he just gonna run her over?

Cool, she’s pulling the ship out of the sky. Uh oh, helmet’s off, there goes her focus.

Now they’re playing tug-a-war with the ship. It’s the light saber fight all over again.  Whoa!!! She juST LIGHTING’D THE SHIP! Kylo Looked freaked out for a second! She just told Finn she had a vision of her and Kylo together, and he looks like he’s gonna cry. 3PO tells them how horrible and dangerous it is to override a droid’s programming. “Let’s do that!” That droid looks like a yoga wheel and a hairdryer. 

Rey to the new droid: “Someone treated him badly. It’s alright, you’re with us now.” Yeah, just don’t watch what we’re about to do to this other droid.

Looks like we’re adding another girl to this love triangle (hexagon?) She’s not supposed to be a Mandalorian is she. (So help me-) I hate you and I’m going to turn you in *Hit’s her over the head and pulls out a lightsaber* Okay, lets go.

Why they so mad at Poe for being a smuggler?  Wow. They are forcing C-3PO to do this. Backup his memory to the hairdryer! It’s got to have a reason for being here! C-3PO “Oh! I just had an idea of something else we could try-” ZAP!  ...Was that supposed to be funny? These writers need to learn what humor is, and when to use it. Why are we focusing on Poe and his old girlfriend the Power Ranger? Wah! What’s up with 3PO’s eye’s? Is he a Sith droid now? Why does he have that function?!

Rey, you’re boyfriend���s here. They wiped 3PO’s memory and he doesn’t know who anyone is, but he’s still polite. Poe angrily points “That’s gonna be a problem!” Our heroes ladies and gentleman. I hope the First Order just blast them. That Admiral’s badge just let them in? Like no one reported that missing?? Wiped 3PO’s memory and they’re getting the dagger anyway. Worst rescue ever. 

Vaders Helmet has had a hard life. Rey has a vision in every scene she's in.

More ‘Rey’s family history’ with Kylo “Tell me where you are,” She’s in your room dude.

R.IP. Vader Helmet

That Stormtrooper behind Kylo must be so confused.  *Sees helmet, breaks link*  “She’s in my quarters!” Told you so. Why is Hux the spy? When did this happen? What does he think the outcome of this will be?

3PO just wandering the halls with a crossbow. 

“You are a Palpatine.” Wanna be a Solo? Is this like his fourth proposal? OooooOOOOooo, that was cool! Kylo standing in the blast of the Falcon’s engines was a moment we needed!

Yikes! They took out Hux fast! They didn’t want to question him or anything? No?

The Death Star was blasted to smithereens, why is it here? How is it here?

They made that dagger to line up with the wreckage? I’m pretty sure things that are constantly beat by the ocean will move or erode over time. Who even made that? What was the purpose?!

Yay, another scavenger  Who’s also a ex-Stormtrooper, because why not.

That’s a horse covered in a rug. Rey’s out trying to kill herself again.

“There’s another Skimmer!” Wonder who that is. He is literally following her to the ends of the galaxy. 

Wait- The throne rooms still in one piece?! The chair and everything?!!! Dark Rey- YIKES! TEETH

I thought he stopped the holocron with his foot, I was really surprised when fingers formed and he picked it up.

Kylo acting so cool as she’s trying to slash him to ribbons. I see Merry again! Wait- What’s Leia got to do? And why does Maz know? They’ve never explained what this strange orange is and what she can do.

Finn’s in deep- Wait how'd he get out here?????

Leia don’t distract your son while he’s fighting for his life!

SEE!!!!!!!

“I wanted to take your hand. Ben’s hand.” You think he’s going to leave you alone after that?

Why is Rey just a total mess in every movie.

Chewie mourning Leia is a good touch. It’s nice to see the reaction of someone who ACTUALLY knew her.  Whoa! They got Harrison Ford to come back! That must have taken a lot of bribery (or blackmail).

Has almost dying given Kylo/Ben the power to see non-Force user ghost, or is he just going nuts? So this is just a rehash of Han’s death scene. 

Aw, he called him Dad- Hey don’t throw that away, you need that!

He’s nuts. Those red helmets look stupid. Aaaaand it’s the Death Star again Merry in the background! Why’d they make Poe the General? Lando finally got off that planet 

“General.” “General.” She’s burning his ship. Good luck Kylo/Ben.

You know how hot that fire has got to be to burn metal “A Jedi weapon should be treated with more respect.” You brat.

Why did he have Leia’s lightsaber here? “...it would be picked up again, by someone who would finish her journey.” Oooookay, but why not just have her take Luke’s old Saber? It’s gotta be laying around here somewhere.

I know it’s symbolic and all that he’s raising the x-wing, but there’s no way that thing still works.

Alright, 3PO’s memories are back. Why’d we have to go through all that? I spy Merry again! How does Poe know all this stuff about Exogol? He’s just a fountain of information over here!

“Now we take the war to them!” That’s literally what you’ve done every movie ever No one is questioning how Lando got here. Isn’t this a secret base? *Dr. Evil voice* ONE MILLION STAR DESTROYERS 

Who even wrote this story line? Finn’s going with his gut and everyones just going along with it. Not like you could all die or anything. They brought the rug horses with them

How are they breathing in space!? Those red troopers still look stupid.

What’s this crowd chanting? Are they speaking Parseltoungue?  “I never wanted you dead.” That’s why I told Kylo Ren to kill you.

Hang on- his plan is ‘You be the empress, and I’ll just possess you. Grandaughter.’  EW. Why would she want that? How is that a tempting offer? Someone’s gone senile. Direct quote: “I got to go do something!” “I’m coming with you!” Why do these people get attached so quickly?! 

“Luke was saved by his father. The only family you have here is me.” Yeah, but I got a boyfriend who follows me everywhere!

Ben runs and jumps: “Ow.” We finally get to see the Knight’s of Ren in action! (Where have they been this whole time?) “Once you kill me I shall become apart of you!” So she could just, not kill him. Right? Oh yeah, here we go, now we got a showdown!

Well, that was anticlimactic 

WHAT IS HAPPENING Poe just realized he's the worst General ever.

YO. Don’t tell your troops there is no hope! What is wrong with you??? Why isn't Lando the General? He is a lot more qualified!!!

Wait a minute!! Where were all these people when LEIA ORGANA called for help????

Wedge Antilles!!!!!! So all the life force sucking was just so Palpatine could up grade his outfit? *Flings Ben into a pit* Palpatine is so done with the Skywalkers Hey, I know these voices!!!! Aaaaand now he wants to kill her. So whats our big moment? TWO lightsabers! 

Why did the make that the big epic moment? Why didn’t they have Ben run over and they do it together- It would have been perfect for his story arch! Rey: “And we” Together: “are all the Jedi!” Now she's dying. Why? Not even the writers know So Finn’s Force sensitive. Cool I guess? This is a really touching moment for them, even more so if they did anything other than fight this entire movie!

This kinda feels out of nowhere

I’M SO MAD RIGHT NOW

NOW SHE’S SMILING AND FINE. HE JUST DIED Merry’s here again and I can’t even be happy about it Now Finn has to chose between Rose and the new girl  Poe’s trying to start something with his Power Ranger old flame, and she's like “Not a chance.” Now everything’s all happy like BEN DIDN’T JUST DIE. ARE WE NOT GOING TO ADDRESS THIS?????????? Oh hey, it’s the Lars farm. Nobody else moved in after all these years? Now she's burying the Skywalker lightsabers in the place they all hated.

WHY IS BEN NOT HERE!!!!!!! HE WAS A MAIN CHARACTER FOR THESE MOVIES AND THEY DID HIM DIRTY!!!!!!

Well I guess they had to wrap this mess up somehow

[serendipitousrambles]

Stand By Me (Stranger Things AU)

ao3 

It happens sometimes, friends come in and out of your life like busboys in a restaurant... I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve. Jesus, does anybody? - Stand by me, 1986

1983

The cold November air sent a chill down Mike's back as they walked along the train tracks. Dustin insisted despite Mike's protest that it wasn't particularly safe; it would be easier to find their way rather than get lost in the trees. A little further ahead, Dustin and Lucas walked along a track each, balancing on the thin metal with a stick held between Dustin's right and and Lucas' left hand. Their laughter and jokes relaxed Mike who was feeling a little nervous about being along the tracks, a train could come any minute - even though deep down he knew trains hardly ever passed through the small town. The boys and El had been walking most of the day, but the silence was filled with songs they had learned from school or camp, cheerful, walking songs. Dustin's voice had begun to squeak slightly as he tried to hit higher notes causing the kids to burst out laughing. Mike glanced at the girl walking next to him, she looked a little uneasy as well.

"Hey, El? Are you ok?" he had only known her for a short while but he had become worried about her very quickly.

She quietly nodded and gave him a weal smile, but her eyes still had a trace of fear. She had told them it wasn't safe, but Mike knew they had to find Will, they just had to. What if the bad men got there first? Who knows what could happen to Will. They were already on the run from the bad men, they couldn't go home. Not yet anyway.

They had been walking for a while when Dustin called back to them, "Hey guys! I think we should make camp for the night."

They hadn't had much time to grab supplies before running away from the men, but they had managed a few sleeping bags, blankets and some food - courtesy of Dustin. They had told their parents they were sleeping at each other's houses for the night, but that plan would only work so long as none of their mothers call each other.

The night was cold and dark, but Lucas knew how to build a fire which burned all night. The kids sat around the campfire, roasting marshmallows as if they were at camp, not on the run from the government. El had curled up in a blanket, content with simply listening to them joke and chat with each other.The conversations turned to ones you can only have with your friends - weird topics that would make absolutely no sense to anyone else: Who would win in a fight - Superman or Darth Vader? What would you rather - have feet for hands or hands for feet? What kind of animal is Goofy anyway?

"Mike, tell us one of your stories." Lucas reached for another marshmallow. Mike was good at that. The stories he came up with for their Dungeons and Dragons campaigns were always the best. He was so animated that the story seemed to come alive right before their eyes as if they were watching a movie, not some twelve year old boy.

"Alright, alright." Mike laughed as he looked at their expectant faces - El had even propped herself up on her elbows, looking up at him with excited eyes.

Mike began to tell the story of the lost knight who was taken by the evil monster. But have no fear for the brave band of knights and their fierce Princess warrior - El smiled at that part- were on their way to rescue him. Running from evils that couldn't even be described.

When he had finished, the camp burst into rounds of applause. Mike jokingly bowed in his seat.

The group had tried to get to sleep, but the fear of suddenly being found kept them awake.

"How about one of us keep guard? We'll take it in turns and that way we can get some sleep but aren't going to be caught unawares." Lucas stood up and pulled out his slingshot. "I'll take first watch."

Everyone was slowly drifting off to sleep when Lucas started mumbling under his breath. "Sinclair, Lucas. Keeping watch. No signs of enemy life. I will remain vigilant, calm, strong -"

"LUCAS!" Dustin and Mike shouted in unison.

"Can you stop your army role play? We're trying to sleep." Mike rolled over onto his back, looking back at Lucas who was a few feet away leaning against a tree. His slingshot at the ready in case of a surprise attack.

Lucas begrudgingly stayed quiet the rest of his shift. Dustin was up next and then it would be Mike. They had decided that El should probably stay asleep- she needed rest if she was going to use her powers, they didn't know when they next might need them.  

Dustin noticed the fire had begun to die down on his watch and decided to try and get it going again. He sat down on his sleeping bag between Mike and Lucas'. A small, muffled whimper came from Mike's side. Suddenly he sat bolt upright and looked at Dustin. They exchanged an awkward look.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" Dustin whispered. They had never really spoken about personal things like that - it just wasn't how their group operated.

"I uh..."Mike started but he couldn't find the words. They were caught in his throat. He gave up and shook his head, lying back down on his sleeping bag.

Dustin understood and went back to his post, sitting down himself. It was too much effort to stand all night. He was suddenly aware of another presence sitting down beside him. Mike.

"Mike, you don't have to-"

"No, I want to." Mike whispered, his hands playing in his lap.

Mike explained about his nightmare: his dad shouting at him, calling him useless.

"He wants me to be someone I'm not. Thinks, writing stories is a waste of time, useless, unimportant skill that takes away the focus from anything good." Mike's voice wavered as he held back tears. His dad never understood or cared about his passion for story telling and writing. Sure science was cool, but he had a real talent for writing but his dad didn't seem to care. "He wants me to be some athlete jock and it's not me. I'm not the son he wanted..."

Dustin put his hand on Mike's shoulder and took a deep breath. "You are the son he wanted. You're a great kid, you're talented,smart. You're gonna do so many great things one day. Not like me." Dustin looked down and brought his knees up to his chest. Mike had never seen him like this. Dustin was the prankster, always having a laugh. Nothing bothered him, not bullies, not parents. Nothing. He always had a smile on his face, always knew just what to do. But know, Mike was seeing him for the first time as vulnerable. As a kid.

"I have to act like nothing bothers me, but the truth is? I'm terrified. I don't know what I'm doing in the future. All I have is science. But science can't help you if no one takes you seriously. I might laugh all the time but it's because...if I'm not laughing, then it just leaves way for others to laugh at me. At me, not with me." Dustin's voice was cracking also and Mike could see that there was indeed a small tear rolling down the side of his face.

They had never seen each other cry - except for that one night they thought it was Will's body.

"There's so much pressure on me to be the guy that cheers everyone up. But what about me? I can act all jokey in order to make everyone else happy. But how can I be happy all the time? I have to fake it, because if Dustin isn't smiling then who is?" Dustin's breathing became more hitched and uneven. He was choking back a sob, he didn't want Lucas to wake up and see him crying.

"Sometimes, I just want to go somewhere where nobody knows me. Where I can be myself, not this dumb facade I've put up. But I'm never getting out of Hawkins." He buried his head in his arms that were resting atop his knees. Muffled sobs came and Mike didn't know how to react except awkwardly pat Dustin's back. This had never happened before but he knew it was something he had to keep between him and Dustin.

When the morning came, it was as if last night hadn't happened. They were able to keep moving, and found a way to the Upside Down. Will was rescued of course, but Eleven had sacrificed herself...

2004

Over the years, we all grew apart. Becoming just another face in the halls. Sure, a friendly smile would sometimes be exchanged, memories returning. But that was all it was, fleeting memories gone just as quick as they arrived. It happens sometimes, friends come in and out of your life like busboys in a restaurant. You never think it could happen, but reality tells a different story. It's not like the movies - can anyone really be friends forever? It sucks losing them, but the memories are one thing that you can hold on to.

I don't quite remember what happened to the others. Lucas joined the army after high school, wanting to follow in his father's footsteps but last I heard he finished his service and runs a business. I think Will went to art school, I remember reading about his artwork being on display in the newspaper. His brother and Nancy didn't end well, it affected our friendship slowly until we just lost contact. And Dustin? Well, he got out of Hawkins. Became a lawyer and people finally took him seriously, just as he always deserved. I haven't heard or seen any of them for at least ten years now.

Oh but El. Eleven. I don't know where she is, if she's even alive...The heart never does let go, I never gave up hope. It's true what they say, you always remember your first love, and your first heartbreak. Although I didn't know her for very long, I know I'll miss her forever. I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve. Jesus, does anybody?