#Luke Skywalker - The Journey Begins

[pedroam-bang]

Star Wars Galaxy Of Adventures (2019)

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Writing Notes: Allegory

Allegory - a story that alludes to other literary works or comments on common conditions of life.

When a work or its passages are allegorical, they are similar to an event, character or setting in a story that is universally known: a fable, a parable in the Bible, or a Greek myth.

Allegories have 2 levels of narration occurring at the same time: the actual events, characters and setting presented in the story, and the ideas they are intended to convey or the significance they bear.

3 Literary Forms that you might use when discussing allegory:

Fable. A fable is a short story, often featuring animals with human traits, to which writers attach morals or explanations.

Parable. Parables are most often associated with Jesus Christ, who used them in His teachings. They are short narratives that exemplify religious truths or insights.

Myth. Myths are stories, either short or long, that are often associated with religion and philosophy and with various races and cultures. They embody the social and cultural values of the civilization during which they were written.

When writing about allegory, determine whether all or part of the story is allegorical.

Sustained allegory. This occurs when a story’s allegory continues throughout the work, from beginning to end. The sole purpose is to convey the dominant idea. The idea is emphasized rather than the story’s actual (literal) details. For example, The Pilgrim’s Progress is a story about Christian’s difficult journey from his home in the City of Destruction to his new home in the Heavenly City. But the main idea is about the rigors and trials of Christian life.

Episodic allegory. This occurs when a story contains an allegorical episode or passage. The passage is based on both the actual (literal) events in the story and the allegorical elements. For example, during one scene in the film Star Wars, Darth Vader imprisons Luke Skywalker, and Skywalker must exert all his skill and strength to get free and to overcome Vader. This temporary imprisonment signifies those moments of doubt and discouragement that people experience while trying to overcome obstacles. Similar heroic deeds have been represented allegorically in the stories of Jason and the Argonauts and Beowulf and Grendel.

When analyzing allegory, ask yourself the following questions:

The application of allegory. Does the allegory (fable, parable, myth) refer to anything or anyone specific? Does it refer to an action or particular period of history? Or does the allegory refer to human tendencies or ideas? Does it illustrate, point by point, particular philosophies or religions? If the allegory seems outdated, how much can be applied for people living today?

The consistency of allegory. Is the allegory maintained consistently throughout the work, or is it intermittently used? Explain and detail this use.

Do extra reading and research:

To understand allegorical implications in a story, you have to become familiar with the source of the similarities.

Allegorical sources include world history, classic works of literature, and archetypal ideas, such as the “quest” or “coming of age.”

You might need to use a dictionary, encyclopedia, or other reference book. For example, you would not recognize that the musical West Side Story is allegorical unless you were aware of its similarities to a classic work of literature: Romeo and Juliet. Thus, to see certain implications in West Side Story, you have to have a general grasp of Shakespeare’s play.

Remember: As long as the similarities are close and consistent, your allegorical interpretations of the story will be valid.

If these writing notes help with your poem/story, do tag me. Or send me a link. I'd love to read them!

Writing Notes & References

[she-who-fights-and-writes]

Ideas for subverting popular character tropes? I've started a story and am having difficulty making my cast of characters unique. I'd love it if you had any fresh takes on tropes like the mentor, the sidekick, etc...

POPULAR CHARACTER TROPES AND PROMPTS TO SUBVERT THEM

A character trope, sometimes called a character archetype, is a “recognizable element within a story or plot that defines or conveys information about a character. Character tropes can either define a character's entire role in a plot or the character's personality or motivations.” (source: arcstudiopro).

Many people bash “tropes,” but what you have to remember is that there is no such thing as a unique idea; everything has been done before, and the reason why tropes are so popular is because (a lot of time) they work!

It is totally possible to have a "normal" trope in your story without making it a cliché. However, if you’re looking to subvert these expectations, here’s a list of ideas I’ve come up with!

(This is me brainstorming on the fly to help get your gears turning, so I apologize if these aren’t fully fleshed out or if they’ve already been done before!)

1. THE CHOSEN ONE

The “Chosen One” is a trope where “one character is framed as the inevitable hero or antihero of the story, as a result of destiny, unique gifts, and/or special lineage” (source: Wikipedia). The Chosen One is often depicted as naive or unwilling at the beginning, and has a progression of growth through the narrative when they “accept their destiny.”

Examples:

Luke Skywalker (Star Wars)

Harry Potter (Harry Potter)

Frodo (The Lord of the Rings)

Neo (The Matrix)

Subversions:

1. The protagonist who was believed to be the chosen one from the very beginning discovers that it was actually someone else the whole time and must come to terms with the realization that they no longer have this title that they’ve based their entire life (and perhaps personality) around. (Bonus points if the new Chosen One is someone they’re close to).

2. Every solstice, the “Holy Order” sends a Chosen One to defeat the monster that has been ravaging their town. None ever return. The protagonist is selected as the next Chosen One, only to find that being Chosen does not mean “Chosen to defeat the monster” but rather “Chosen as the sacrifice to appease the monster.” (Bonus points if the reason the Chosen Ones always die is because the “Holy Order” misguides them (gives them broken weapons/drugged food/faulty armor/directs them into traps/etc.)).

3. Having the Chosen Power comes with a price. After someone is Chosen, it is a death sentence. The protagonist must find a way to defeat the villain AND purge themself of the Chosen Power before it’s too late (Bonus points if the villain helps them purge the Chosen Power).

2. THE SIDEKICK

The sidekick is a friend and helper of the main protagonist. They are often depicted as a loyal comic relief character made to emphasize the hero’s greatness, and may be killed off to advance the hero’s journey.

Examples:

Robin (Batman)

Samwise Gamgee (The Lord of the Rings)

Chewbacca (Star Wars)

Pan (His Dark Materials)

Subversions:

1. The “sidekick” is actually the hero of the story; the narrator just has an inflated ego and believes themself to be the hero. Meanwhile, their “sidekick” is the one saving the world.

2. Sidekicks are often depicted as younger than the hero. Perhaps an older sidekick might do good to spice things up (Bonus points if it’s without turning them into the mentor trope).

3. The sidekick is a former hero who had to watch their own sidekick sacrifice themself, and was convinced to leave hiding by the current hero. (Bonus points if the sidekick dies in a poetic way that is a narrative foil to the way his own sidekick died, perhaps in a “I didn’t understand why they would sacrifice themself for me but now I get it”).

4. A ridiculously strong/powerful Mary Sue type character is the sidekick to a Normal Guy™ (Bonus points if they are incredibly content in this position).

5. The sidekick is not a willing sidekick; they were kidnapped by the hero because they have an object/bloodline/power/etc. that is essential to defeating the villain.

3. THE MENTOR

The Mentor is the protagonist’s teacher, who helps them transition from a “normal” person into a hero. The Mentor is often depicted as wise and virtuous, teaching the protagonist not only the ways of fighting or magic, but also the ways of good and evil. The mentor is often killed off to advance the hero’s character arc, due to the fact that they are sometimes seen as a parental figure.

Examples:

Dumbledore (Harry Potter)

Yoda (Star Wars)

Uncle Iroh (Avatar the Last Airbender)

Mr. Miyagi (Karate Kid)

Subversions:

1. The mentor is the narrator. After spending so much time training the Chosen One and raising them like their own child, they must hear news that they have been killed by the villain. While still grieving (or perhaps fueled by revenge), the mentor must venture out and defeat the villain themself.

2. Have the mentor be a woman! You would be shocked at how overwhelmingly male-dominated the “mentor” archetype is!

3. The mentor turns on the protagonist that they trained…not because the mentor has turned evil, but because the mentor believes that the protagonist has become a monster (à la Kung Fu Panda). (Bonus points if the mentor is actually right and the protagonist really has become a monster).

4. The bright-eyed Chosen One thinks the world of their mentor, only to realize through experiences with others that the mentor trained them horribly, and that the mentor only used their training to boost their renown—without expecting them to survive their fight with the villain. (Bonus points if the protagonist is an unreliable narrator, and we as the readers feel just as betrayed by the mentor because we, too, thought they were a great person).

5. The mentor is the former Chosen One, desperate for the current Chosen One to not make the same mistakes. The current Chosen One resents the mentor for pushing them so hard and treating them so cruelly, but in reality the mentor is just overprotective (Bonus points if it’s not revealed that they were the legendary “Defeated Chosen One” until later).

4. THE DAMSEL IN DISTRESS

Although a Damsel in Distress is often associated with female characters, any character is capable of falling into this archetype; mostly known for being a passive figure who exists mostly as an object for the hero to save.

This is one of the few character tropes that is difficult to break the negative stigma, due to its root in misogyny and the disadvantages that come along with having a character without personal goals or motivations. In my opinion, if you have a character that follows this archetype to the T, perhaps you should consider some revising.

Examples:

Lois Lane (Superman)

Princess Buttercup (The Princess Bride)

Mary Jane Watson (Spiderman)

Ann Darrow (King Kong)

Subversions:

1. The passive, meek damsel in distress whom the hero has been working relentlessly to save actually turns out to be a villain! Their supposed rescue efforts were used as a distraction while the evil plot unfolds, and ends with a fight to the death!

2. The damsel in distress gets in a huge fight with the protagonist when they come to the rescue; they were undercover the entire time, and the protagonist has ruined their plans!

5. THE FEMME FATALE

The femme fatale is usually characterized as a mysterious woman who seduces and entraps men with her body. This doesn’t necessarily have to be a gendered archetype, but often errs into sexualization and misogyny (especially in works written by men).

Examples:

Jane Smith (Mr. & Mrs. Smith)

Nikita (La Femme Nikita)

Catwoman (Batman)

Catherine Tramell (Basic Instinct)

Subversions:

1. The Femme Fatale doesn’t know they’re a femme fatale. They are a master of seduction and gaining valuable information through licentious wiles, but it’s all an accident; they just-so-happen to sleep with rivals and they just-so-happen to say important information. The femme fatale casually brings this information up in conversation, rendering the team awed by their “impressive skill set.”

2. The Femme Fatale is male or nonbinary (Bonus points if they will seduce any gender).

3. There is a Femme Fatale team; an icy power couple dedicated to killing through threesomes.

6. THE GEEK (OR MAD SCIENTIST OR NERD OR KNOW-IT-ALL ETC.)

The Geek, or the Mad Scientist, is the character known for knowing everything. They often have a lack of social skills, and their vast knowledge of random things helps the characters when they’ve been backed into a corner…though they sometimes tend to be a quick fix for writers who’ve written their characters into a corner and need an easy solution.

Examples:

Sheldon (The Big Bang Theory)

Spencer Reid (Criminal Minds)

Spock (Star Trek)

L (Death Note)

Subversions:

1. The Geek has leadership skills and ability to inspire others. Awkward is not the complete opposite of charismatic; just because someone may have trouble talking to people doesn’t mean they can’t foster intense loyalty from their comrades. (Think along the lines of L from Death Note. Bonus if they’re the leader of their organization, and their subordinates would face God and walk backwards into Hell for them).

2. Combine the Geek with another archetype, perhaps an antithesis archetype like the Dumb Jock. For example, a Geek that enjoys the outdoors and extreme sports like rock climbing (but rather than to get buff, they just want to look at the fantastic granite deposits on the side of the mountain they’re climbing). Or perhaps a Geek Femme Fatale, whose “special interest” is the psychology of seduction.

3. The Geek hates what they do. The “passion” that Geeks usually have for machines/non-humans/their chosen expertise is forced upon them because they’re super smart. In reality, they’d wanted to take it easy going to business school but nooooo the world was at stake so they had to become an expert in the intergalactic space-time continuum.

4. The Geek is useless. Their musings are more mania than genius, their explanations and ideas incomprehensible to a normal human being, and the group only keeps them around with the hopes that one day they’ll come up with an idea that actually makes sense. (Bonus if that idea comes at the climax of the story).

8. THE DUMB JOCK (OR HIMBO)

The dumb jock, also known as “the brawn,” is an archetype that is often categorized by being all buff and no brains. They often are, or at least begin as, the antagonist of the story, and if they aren’t, they’re considered the “Himbo” character (with character traits being buff, dumb, and respectful to women), who are often reduced merely to their attractiveness and stupidity, without much depth.

Examples:

Jason Carver (Stranger Things)

Mitch Downe (ParaNorman)

Kronk (The Emperor’s New Groove)

Bolin (The Legend of Korra)

Subversions:

1. The himbo and/or jock is frustrated with the way that their comrades always reduce them to the brawn. They feel left out and isolated because they can’t understand the lofty conversations of their peers, and know that they, in a way, look down on them for not being as smart (Bonus if this becomes a major plot point in the character’s arc, causing a huge blowout fight that fissures the group because of it).

2. The himbo/jock’s stupidity does not reduce them to comic relief. The himbo/jock is well-respected and has incredible emotional intelligence and charisma/street smarts, but merely lacks in textbook intelligence.

3. The himbo/jock is a woman! Break through the stereotype of dumb strong people being men and put some herbos in your story (Bonus if you don’t sexualize her and just let her be herself).

4. An idea from the jock/himbo becomes an integral part of the plan to save the world!

9. THE ANTIHERO

The antihero archetype is categorized by their lack of conventional heroic attributes, their execution of their goals through morally gray means, and their frequent reluctance to be the one saving the world. Their motivations may be vengeance, hatred, or any other less-than heroic inspiration besides “the greater good.” In fact, the antihero is sometimes the antagonist of the story, but due to the fact that the audience is seeing things from their perspective, they often tend to root for them.

The antihero used to be its own subversion of the “Chosen One” archetype, but became so widespread that it itself became its own archetype. That’s why antiheroes are so varied, to the point where you may not even need a subversion due to how many possible ideas there are to choose from. (This was the hardest list to make!)

Examples:

Barry Berkman (Barry)

Harley Quinn (DC)

Cassie Thomas (Promising Young Woman)

Deadpool (Deadpool)

Subversions:

1. The antihero feels guilt. Oftentimes, an antihero is depicted as stone-cold and dead-set on their actions (and sometimes they’re right! If someone killed my family, I wouldn’t care about “being the bigger person”). However, an interesting subversion may be guilt or self-awareness surrounding their actions playing a large role in the execution of their goals.

2. The antihero is not a lone wolf, and develops meaningful and positive relationships with others rather than having it be 90% snarky banter. Sometimes, antiheroes suffer from a lack of three-dimensionality due to most of their dialogue being cheeky one-liners. Anchor them solidly into the story by building a web of relationships to support them! (They don’t have to all be lovey-dovey, either! Even enemy relationships can be more than snark).

3. An honor code. Giving an antihero with an interesting honor code regarding killing, stealing, or any of their other morally gray deeds could be an excellent subversion! Having characters who are stone-cold killers but draw the line (perhaps in an odd way, such as refusing to steal cars or kill pets), somewhere can be a great way to develop their personality and show the readers their motivations.

Hope these all helped, and happy writing!

[coffeebeanwriting]

How to Write Strong Character Goals 📑⭐

Here are some tips on how to write a strong motivation or goal for your protagonist. Typically, characters have multiple wants and needs throughout a story. However, every protagonist should have one, main goal that follows them throughout their journey that concludes at the end of the book.

Example: Frodo is tasked with destroying the ring at Mount Doom. This goal is established at the beginning of the story and concludes at the end.

⭐ Your character’s goal doesn’t have to be complicated. A simple goal is sometimes more powerful and relatable than an overly complex one. 

In Star Wars, Luke Skywalker’s primary goal isn’t to defeat the evil Empire or even to save Princess Leia. While these gradually become things that he wants/needs to do... his initial goal, what he really wants deep down at the beginning, is to simply escape his lackluster life of being a farmer on a remote sand planet. 

⭐ Your character needs to have both external goals and internal goals.  These two types of goals add complexity and realism to your protagonist.

A character’s external goal is displayed for everyone to see and typically deals with the plot: a new witch wants to master her magic and obtain a powerful amulet.

An internal goal is your protagonist's hidden motive that other characters are unaware of (and sometimes even the reader): the witch wants to become the most powerful magic-wielder so that no one can hurt her ever again.

⭐ Show your readers as soon as possible what your protagonist's goal is.  While a character’s goal doesn’t have to be super defined at the beginning of a story, it’s important that they have a reason behind their actions and a motivation that propels them forward in the story.

It’s clear from page one of The Hunger Games that Katniss strives to protect and provide for her sister Prim, which is then shown directly at the beginning of chapter two when she volunteers as Tribute for her. We understand Katniss’s goal from the very start and it makes us feel for her.

⭐ Your character’s goal can evolve and change. It does not have to remain the same. Katniss’s goal is always to protect Prim, but once she’s in the Hunger Games, her primary goals evolve into surviving against the other Tributes and the elements.

⭐ Make it hard for them to obtain their goal. Conflict is the heart of every story and if it was easy for your character to get what they want... there would be no story. Place obstacles in front of them, set them back, and watch them grow in the process.

⭐ Create mini-goals in each scene. Your characters and story should never feel stagnant or stuck in one place, and a great way to keep the story progressing is by giving your character smaller objectives that eventually get them to their main goal. 

Katniss has a ton of mini-goals she must complete that eventually gets her to her end goal of winning The Games. She must be likable to the Sponsors and in her interview, impress the judges with her bow skills, and try to make alliances. Once in the arena, she must find water, warmth, a safe place to sleep, escape danger, help Peeta and Rue, etc.

Instagram: coffeebeanwriting

[kismetconstellations]

I found this Reddit thread, the other day, and got a good chuckle out of this particular response:

And, while Shiro having this sort of raw, incontestable, and unmatched power makes him a True Underappreciated Icon, it also stands as the loudest, most glaring testament to the Voltron: Legendary Defender showrunners not knowing what they were doing.

Basic Writing 101 would suggest that, if you intend to kill an important character off, you don't not only open your series on them, but continue to spotlight them as completely intrinsic to, and inextricable from your still ongoing narrative.

Obi-Wan Kenobi's death impacts Luke Skywalker, but doesn't cause the entire story of the original Star Wars trilogy to fall apart.

When Gandalf appears to die in The Fellowship of the Ring, his absence is felt, and impossible to ignore, but the journey of the other main characters continues, nevertheless, and his revival in The Two Towers only aids the narrative's progression, rather than derailing it.

This is due both to Obi-Wan Kenobi and Gandalf not being the central characters of these stories, and George Lucas and J.R.R. Tolkien knowing exactly what stories they intended to tell. And, not just competently tell them, but tell them in ways that have touched and continue to inspire generations of storytellers and story-enjoyers, alike.

The crew behind Voltron: Legendary Defender, however, seemed to have no idea what story they were trying to tell, to begin with, let alone how to tell it.

On its surface, this is a mecha cartoon series about four teenagers and one adult from Earth who find themselves jetted into space to, under the guidance of an alien princess and her quirky advisor, pilot giant robot lions that combine into an even bigger humanoid robot, and fight to free the universe from the tyranny of an evil alien empire. It's packaged as an ensemble show, in the vein of Teen Titans, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Power Rangers, Justice League, most X-Men cartoon series, and so on. Thus, it can be presumed that no one character on the team is more important than any of the others.

While an attempt is, indeed, made to give each of the seven members of Team Voltron their own internal and external conflicts and days in the sun (with the exception of poor Coran, who exists primarily for comic relief, and viewers are scarcely given insight into anything beyond his quirky anecdotes, eccentric mannerisms, and fear of losing Allura), Shiro is overwhelmingly given the most emotional pathos and narrative significance.

The series opens on his abduction and imprisonment.

His escape from Zarkon's ship and recapture by the Galaxy Garrison is the impetus that launches the plot, and brings the five pilots of Voltron together.

He's specifically singled out as the de facto leader of Voltron, and given the most significant role of Paladin of its largest lion, and decisive head.

He has personal ties to all three of the major villains of the first two seasons as a direct victim of their cruelty, and as the series continues, this remains a trait exclusive to Shiro, and Shiro alone.

Sendak is Shiro's personal tormentor, something implied as early as the pilot,

and that continues to be emphasized in Sendak's subsequent appearances.

Haggar was responsible for the experiments conducted on Shiro that lead to the amputation of his right arm and its replacement with a weapon, and feels a sense of entitlement to Shiro's body.

It was Zarkon's ship that Shiro was held prisoner on after losing his crew, Zarkon was the previous Black Paladin, and Zarkon's persisting connection to the Black Lion is a conflict that Shiro ultimately elects to resolve on his own, even if it means a hand-to-hand fight to the death.

There are several episodes (Across The Universe, Space Mall) where the younger Paladins, Allura, and Coran are engaged in comedic shenanigans while Shiro is fighting for his life in explicitly high stakes situations.

Shiro's leadership, compassion, selflessness, and heroism are illustrated over and over again for Shiro's sake, and to it drive home for the audience just how incontrovertibly vital he is in the fight to overthrow Zarkon, and restore peace and liberty to the universe.

"Why are you helping me?"

"As a fighter, and a leader, you give hope."

Instead of writing Shiro as one component of a larger story, making his removal from it possible in the right hands, he was written as the heart of that story. Which rendered excising him from it an exercise in futility, as he is integral to every poignant narrative beat. I.E., his bond with Pidge/Katie being one of the major reasons she chooses to stay with the team instead of venturing out on her own to look for her father and brother.

Shiro is, in essence, Voltron: Legendary Defender's equivalent of Leonardo from the 2003 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series--The emotionally beleaguered, self-sacrificing and scarred (as of the end of the third season and entirety of the fourth, in Leonardo's case) leader, who is by far, the most skilled and experienced fighter, and spiritually advanced member of the team.

Leonardo, too, had personal connections to several of his series's most powerful and imposing recurring villains, with two of them (Karai and the Daimyo's son) hellbent on destroying him, specifically.

There are instances (The Shredder Strikes Back Part 1, and the episodes covering the Battle Nexus Tournament) where Leonardo faces higher stakes in juxtaposition to his brothers' lighter-hearted, more comedic exploits, and he underwent the most intensive character arc; battling feelings of anger, guilt, self-loathing, and PTSD before finally achieving inner piece and returning to his family as a more mature, composed, and even greater leader than he was, before.

What the staff behind Voltron: Legendary Defender effectively did is kill their show's Leonardo and replace him with Raphael (Keith). Then, aggressively backtrack on that decision by bringing in a clone of Leonardo who much, much (roughly four seasons) later turns out to have been an infiltrator created by a character with direct relation (Karai/Haggar) to the Turtles and Splinter's greatest enemy (Shredder/Zarkon) brainwashed to attempt to kill the real Leonardo's loved ones. Only for the clone to be taken out of commission during an emotionally-charged confrontation with Raphael, after which his consciousness is overwritten as the Real Leonardo's lifeforce is magically transferred into his body... Just so the newly resurrected and sorely missed Real Leonardo can mostly stand silently around, be disrespected, and do nothing of significance for the rest of the show.

Anyone with any knowledge of the Ninja Turtles franchise, this particular iteration of it, decent storytelling, or even a lick of common sense would tell you that this move is ill-advised, at best, and a terrible idea destined to crash and burn, at worst. But, these showrunners were, evidently, oblivious to their own poor decision-making and ineptitude, and chose to rip out the stitch that held their messily woven tapestry together, causing it to irreparably unravel right in front of their and their audience's eyes.

And, blaming Shiro for that blind incompetence is exactly like blaming that deliberately torn stitch.

[dalekofchaos]

The problem with Rey choosing to rebuild the Jedi Order and take the Skywalker name

When I look back on Rey's journey throughout the trilogy is that it's apparent to me that she really doesn't show a desire to be a Jedi.

In The Force Awakens, Rey wanted to find her family, she is mesmerized by so much green in the galaxy and ultimately protecting her friends.

In The Last Jedi she wanted to find her place in the story and bring Ben back to the light. Rey ultimately comes to terms with the fact that she wasn't born into any powerful bloodlines and made peace with her family being gone. Rey forged her own heroine's path and it worked.

In the Rise of Skywalker, Rey goes back to the same hairstyle she had since she was a child and the same outfit in TFA, but in white, it's like all the growth from the last movie never happened. Rey's motivation is whatever the plot demanded it to be. She wants to "earn" Luke's Lightsaber(fuck you JJ) and she wants the Jedi to be with her. Now it's a plot convenience to stop the bad guys. And she's in killmode everytime she sees Ben. Now the uplifting message that she's not related to anyone is gone, she's related to the literal Satan of the Star Wars universe. Now she wants to kill Palpatine out of revenge. Now she has this new found reverence for "Master Skywalker" when it was never there to begin with. It's only because of Ben's redemption that she doesn't strike Palpatine in anger. Ben dies, Rey goes to the literal tomb of the Skywalkers and symbol of the family's misery, buries the sabers and takes their name.

TROS absolutely destroyed Rey’s characterization. In a way that’s kind of mind blowing actually. She’s definitely meant to be a parallel character to Luke, but Rian purposely wrote it to subvert fan expectations. A lot of people probably saw the story trajectory following the OG trilogy after TFA, which had a very similar vibe to ANH. However while both Luke and Rey start out as mysterious nobodies, Luke very much did not want to be Vader’s son. His curse was being the son of this monster, and finding out the truth about his lineage. Meanwhile, for Rey, it’s literally the exact opposite. She wants desperately to be apart of something. Kylo points out her weakness perfectly in TLJ- “Your parents threw you like garbage… But you can't stop needing them. It is your greatest weakness. You're looking for them everywhere… in Han Solo… now in Skywalker.” Rey wanted to apart of something bigger than herself to belong. While Luke’s hero’s journey started by accepting his parentage, Rey should’ve begun by accepting that she alone was enough, and she deserved a place in this story for her own merits.

TROS absolutely dismantles this by having Rey discover she’s actually related to the big bad (just like Luke), which somehow earns her a place at the table. Except unlike Luke, who had 3 films prior to truly hate/come to terms with Vader, Rey meets Palpatine in the very last movie, and he essentially becomes a villain-of-the-week or a Marvel villain of sorts. There’s no build up. Rey’s powers suddenly need to be “explained” to the audience, via her lineage, and it’s horrendous because the message of the prior films showed that anyone can have the force. Also Rey suddenly having an attachment to Luke or the Jedi order makes no sense from her character’s perspective. It feels as if Rey is supposed to represent the audience, and her worship of Luke is reminiscent of how fans (who’ve had 47 years of Star Wars fandom prior) should feel about him. But Rey as an individual, as a character, should not view Luke in this way. They did not get along in TLJ, and in the long run, his impact on her was very minimal. And by clinging to past ideas, it just shows Kylo Ren/Ben Solo was right. She can’t stop needing parental figures to feel loved/belonged. She needs to carry that torch.

Now Rey is expected to be this Jedi Master 15 years later.

Here's the problem. Rey has never shown a desire to be a Jedi. It's just something that was necessary to become. They never explored what Rey wanted.

“People keep telling me they know me. No one does” neither did JJ Abrams or DLF, apparently.

To me, Rey's desires were to have a family, to live on a green planet and to live in peace with Ben, her other half. While Ben's story should have been actually completing what Anakin. Saving the one he loved and starting a family.

Ben died and so instead of giving what Rey wanted, she's given what JJ Abrams and DLF wanted, a Jedi's life of duty instead of a desire of love and family.

Now it feels like Rey is going to be like they ended things the way they did so Rey could succeed leading a Jedi Order where Luke failed and to me, that's boring, might as well just say Rey is going to become Legends Luke.

For me, personally, the more interesting story moving forward would be having Rey go darker. Completely subverting fan expectations, but I know Disney won’t do this. However, based on how TROS ended off, I think it could be an interesting way of continuing the story and re-gaining interest from fans who’ve become bored with the same formula.

Just imagine. Rey founded a new Jedi Order, but Rey isn't happy. She thought this is what she wanted, but it isn't. She does her best to mask her feelings from her students and fellow Jedi Council members, but deep down she knows what she wanted is long gone. "But what if he can come back" she thought to herself. she grows darker and starts committing dark acts to bring Ben back. If she condemned herself to the dark side, so be it. If her own Jedi Order turns against her, so be it. She throws away the Skywalker name and leaves the past behind her. She will find Kylo's helmet, wears his sweater and take his title. The force took her other half, so Rey will rip apart the force to bring him back.

Sources

TROS Concept Art

Pablo Ruiz

reyreybutt

clari.saiyazam

[satureja13]

The Boys got up early. Today is Ji Ho's first Therapy Game session. Ji Ho still supports Jack with his yoga and meditation practice to ease his pain and they convinced Saiwa to join them this morning. It will do him good too.

And while Jack explains the asanas to Sai, Ji Ho is lost in thought. He worries it will hurt Vlad if he marries Caleb ingame. Vlad doesn't deserve this after all he went through because of him.

Ji Ho has to talk about this before he enters the game for the first time. And so he told Sai and Jack about his worries. But Jack reassures him: "Vlad told me to tell you that whatever you do in your therapy is ok for him. Don't worry."

Saiwa: "Even though it is made up as a game, we all have to keep our end goals in mind. All of us. Always. The journey will be the reward. Whatever helps you to - safely - get your feelings back, will also help Vlad. When you're able to overcome your trauma, you will finally be able to love Vlad. And Vlad knows that. So don't hold back because of him."

Saiwa is right. All this madness has to end so Vlad and he can finally be together. Jack: "What happens in the game, stays in the game. Ok?" Haha, Jack is obviously also thinking of Lou and him ^^' Ji Ho: "Ok." But they all agreed that Vlad won't attend when Ji Ho is in his Therapy Game. For his own good.

It's still early and they decided to go for a swim before breakfast and Ji Ho's session. So Ji Ho can relax a bit.

They changed into their swim wear and when Jack turned around, Ji Ho and Saiwa couldn't believe their eyes. The rash on Jack's lower back is gone! Saiwa: "Omg Jack!"

It's still painful as hell when he's not ingame, but his whole body hurts so Jack didn't even notice since when because he doesn't see it! So does the therapy work already or is it because of his steady yoga and meditation practice or because he's apart from Kiyoshi? (Oh my, I know this so well! I try a lot of stuff which is supposed to help me with my condition and when I finally suceed on sth, I have no idea what exactly it was that helped!) He twists and turns but he can't see it ^^' Jack, the puppy chasing his own tail hahaha.

Jack: "I take this as a sign to go for it should Lou hit on me!" Of course he does...

Ji Ho and Saiwa sighed. But they also take it as a good sign: that the Therapy Game will help them. And Sai is determined to enter the game after Ji Ho is back safe and sound. They have to move on. And they'll have to return back home to the others and fix their relationships.

Saiwa and Ji Ho go back to the house to prepare breakfast. And lazy Jack stayed in the water.

Saiwa: "The last one by the house is cleaning the yoga mats!" Jack: "Hey!"

'I really want to see you Really want to be with you Really want to see you, Lord But it takes so long, my Lord

Hare Rama, Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare'

My sweet Lord - George Harrison

I had this song in my head when I edited this episode and when I looked for it on youtube, I found this short film: 'Official Music Video for George Harrison “My Sweet Lord” In celebration of the 50th anniversary of George Harrison's classic solo album, All Things Must Pass.' It starts with Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker!) and there are so many other actors I know. Plus Ringo!

From the Beginning  ~  Underwater Love ~  Latest Current Chapter: 🕹️ 'The One' from the beginning ▶️ here 📚 Previous Chapters: Chapters: 1-6 ~ 7-12 ~ 13-16 ~ 17-22 ~ 23-28

[the-far-bright-center]

There's a fundamental disconnect between my view of Star Wars and that of, well.... the majority of the SW fandom these days. Whether this is due to lingering disdain for the Prequels (despite fandom claims of acceptance, there's still plenty of prequels-hate going around, it's just taken on a different guise) or the constant onslaught of Disney’s big-budget fanfic muddying the waters, or a combination of both, I don’t know.

But ultimately, it's quite simple. I view 'Star Wars' as the Skywalker saga...aka the six-film Lucas saga, which tells the story of Anakin Skywalker's rise, fall, and redemption. I don't personally see 'Star Wars' as some ongoing, open-ended franchise that can or even should have indefinite *canonical* additions to it. (An optional expanded universe is one thing, but additions that we, as fans, are just supposed to accept as canon without question because Disney says so is another thing entirely.) Because 'Star Wars' is not just some cinematic universe that exists for its own sake. The fact is, almost the entirety of the world-building from the Lucas-era was done in service of the story and characters of the Original Trilogy and the Prequels. The galaxy far, far away was created specifically to be the backdrop for the Skywalker saga.

So when people debate topics like ‘pro-Jedi’ vs. ‘Jedi critical’, I’m often unable to relate to the angle that these discussions take because I feel like they are largely missing the point. Story-wise, the Jedi don’t exist for their own sake, they (along with the Jedi vs. Sith struggle) are simply part of the mythic backstory of the saga. As a concept, the Jedi exist primarily to serve Anakin and Luke’s respective journeys. So, the Jedi Order of the Prequels-era is written as having become rigid and flawed because that is the necessary context for Anakin’s fall to the Dark Side. And likewise, Luke bringing Anakin back to the Light through the power of love and familial bonds is what rectifies the Old Order’s failings and thus restores the Jedi to the galaxy.

That's just... the story. As in, how it was told. So when I write meta about the Prequels and Original Trilogy, and how they work together as one story, my descriptions and interpretations of both the Jedi Order and the Jedi religion (these are related but not exactly the same thing) are simply neutral in my mind. I'm just talking about what the story is trying to convey. I can't relate to this idea that we must leap to the Jedi Order's defense, nor the converse, that we must condemn the Jedi eternally for having lost their way by the time of the Twilight of the Republic. Rather, I step outside of the story for a moment, and look from the outside in to try to see what is happening from that perspective.

I'm not sure that everyone in the fandom is willing or even able to do that.

Whether that is because very few people actually appreciate the Skywalker saga as Lucas told it to begin with (many people still loudly proclaim that 'Star Wars sucks!', which leads me to believe they must not value the core story at its heart), or they have been so confused by the Disney nonsense that they think the 'new canon' has automatically overridden any meaning that once existed in the PT x OT saga...again, I don't know. I have purposefully tried very hard to stay away from any Disney-related SW discussions for years now, so this is just all what I've gleaned from glimpses here and there.

But it seems to me that many SW fans have trouble accepting that the concept of the Jedi (and the Sith) are inextricably linked to the Skywalker saga and the Skywalker saga alone. These things would never have been created in the way they were without that story. But to acknowledge this would means fans have to accept how central Anakin is to the entire thing. All of it exists for Anakin's story. There are fans who don't like this for a slew of reasons, whether it be that they became attached to a certain idea of the Jedi based on how they were portrayed in Expanded Universe stories that came out during the interim between RotJ and the release of the Prequels (stories that were largely jossed by Lucas' canon), or because they hate Anakin for in-story reasons and have never been able to accept that Star Wars is about him whether they like it or not.

It certainly doesn't help that Disney has played into this discomfort by largely ignoring Anakin (at least, until fan-demand forced their hand) or even outright denying his importance to the story as Lucas told it. (Anakin is the Chosen One whether Disney or fans want him to be or not. Being the Chosen One is not about whether he 'deserves' it, it's literally just his role in the story. And Lucas' saga simply doesn't work without Anakin in the central role.) If fans are confused and disoriented these days, I can't entirely blame them. Disney's version of SW doesn't 'match' the Lucas saga and in many places outright contradicts it. But everything can easily be made clear if people step back (and put aside the Disney stuff for a moment) and just look at the actual story being told in the PT and OT. Likewise, any debates about the Jedi can easily be resolved in the same way. It's really not about how much fans like the Jedi as a group or as individual characters, or how much fans might wish they could be a Jedi themselves. It's about the role the Jedi play in the story, and it's about acknowledging whose story it really is.

[kylo-skywalkerr]

It has come to my attention that some people apparently didn't know about the Duel of the Fates script??

Okay so here's some of the official concept art for the original (and better) direction that the sequels were meant to go down.

1. Many cool fights were cut from the script. Kylo was supposed to fight a form of Vader to outline how he's always been in the shadow of expectations that Vader left. The Knights of Ren actually got used for more than just a brief battle. The Knights hunted the Resistance actively, and as seen in the art, it wasn't just Ren or Rey fighting them. In fact, Rey kills them, and it makes her fear that she's slipping to the darkside. Rey runs off as Luke had and goes into hiding so that she doesn't use her teachings to be anything like Kylo. In her fight with Kylo Ren, she's blinded.

2. The story also went a far darker route. Years had passed between the movies. Characters were older, and changes were made.

For example, Rose and Finn get sent away to a First Order labor camp for their crimes against the FO.

While I can't find an image for it, the Resistance also takes fewer prisoners with them. Rigging FO ships to explode if they attempted to escape, disguising bb8 as a FO droid to rob their ships, all that fun stuff that wasn't featured as much in the sequels we got.

My favorite part was that Hux was the chancellor. All of the power he wanted was his, and Kylo was alright relinquishing it. It was proof that they were stronger together, with Hux admiring the force and even having a lightsaber collection of his own. Chancellor Hux wishes he had the force and is frustrated that he doesn't, so he keeps Kylo as a tool to use instead of banishing him from the FO or simply killing him.

The darker aspect comes from what Hux does after the Resistance defeats the First Order. In shame for all that Hux lost, he commits suicide with a lightsaber. Another thing to note is that if you read about it, it's mentioned that the lightsaber was supposed to be purple. The concept art, however, shows a red one, like Kylo's. (I'll have to note this particular fact down for later.)

3. Kylo gets stronger. A Sith holocron guides him to a new master, from whom he learns to drain life from and use force lightning.

Eventually, these teachings are used to kill Kylo's new teacher, bringing him closer to the dark side than he was before, despite the internal conflict still being present.

Kylo was also intended to get a new mask! It may or may not have been intended to be a show of his journey, but imo the concept art seemed interesting enough to note.

4. How Kylo's redemption was handled. While hunting a sith artifact, the artifact senses the light in him and pretty much explodes, leaving him disfigured and severely injured. The locals of the planet, despite knowing who he is, help him recover. Kylo begins to reconsider his actions due to the kindness he was shown and works his way towards redemption.

He still dies, but only when Leia stops him from killing Rey. He sacrifices his life to save her as in the original, making his death the endgame in both scripts.

5. Relationships. Reylo isn't a thing, I think she actually kisses Poe or something at a point. Rose and Finn are canon and at the end of their story have force sensitive children. That could have been in the original if not for Disney's "issue" with them being together. (That's not a story for today)

6. Rey's true name was revealed to be Rey Solana. Not Skywalker.

To conclude, the script was fascinating to me. There was redemption, suicide, new characters, different relationships to explore, and so much potential for a darker yet more interesting story than what we got. Thank you for reading!

Here's some sources if you'd like to read more about it yourself, those were just key things to note about the script!

(And of course, a source for where I got the concept art from)

[guineapigdean]

i really don’t agree with the fact that sam is queer coded and I don’t see why that’s an objectionable statement. first of all I wouldn’t go to bat on the fact that dean is queer coded either lol but i do see more of an argument for that. but like sam girls can claim that they are reading him through a queer lens and that’s fine that’s their interpretation but so many of them insist in the same breath that dean is het etc. if you’re going to claim that sam is in opposition to the cisheteronormative family structure you can also argue that dean and john, in their rejection of societal norms and institutions could also be read as a queer narrative. sam is in a lot ways at the beginning of the story the element that is reinforcing traditional structures through his trust in the value of things such as academia, law enforcement, and social hierarchies. things which dean and john challenge the authority of. i guess I just question how that aspect fits into academic queer theory and why fans feel the need to insist upon this. I see more people argue that sam does fulfill a queer narrative which like whatever floats your boat but no one has to agree with you. I personally think charitably they are tying to see themselves in their favorite characters and uncharitably that they are shoehorning sam, who does generally fall into the typically male luke skywalker hero’s journey archetype, into the narrative role of victim at all times with a questionable definition of queer theory at best. all of this to say i think most of the usual suspects here are essentially reactionary

[gtunesmiff]

I love to teach structure, and Joe’s post on Wednesday brought up a tremendously important question. Someone in another writing forum wanted to know how you figure out where to end Act 2, and go into Act 3.

The question of where the act breaks go, and what they entail, may be the most crucial in all of dramatic structure, because if they are weak, the entire edifice of the story will be unsound. Knowing how to fix them will go a long way toward making your novel more readable.

Think of novel structure as a suspension bridge.

As is obvious from the picture above, the suspension bridge is held up primarily by the two supporting pylons, one near the beginning of the bridge and one near the end. Without these pylons in those exact spots, the bridge will not be stable.

Now looking at the picture you can see that it perfectly represents the 3 act structure. A solidly constructed novel will look just like a solidly constructed suspension bridge. If that first pylon is placed too far out from the beginning, the first “act” of the bridge will sag and sway. In a book or movie, it means the first act is starting to drag.

Similarly, if the second pylon is misplaced, you’ll end up either with anti-climax (the pylon too far away from the shore) or a feeling of deus ex machina (the pylon too close).

In my book, Plot & Structure, I refer to these pylons as “doorways of no return.” I wanted to convey the idea of being forced through doorways, and once that’s done, you can’t go back again. Life will never be the same for the Lead. If you don’t have that feeling in your story, the stakes aren’t high enough.

Now, the first doorway is an event that thrusts the Lead into the conflict of Act 2. It is not, and this is crucial, just a decision to go looking around in the “dark world” (to use mythic terms). That’s weak. That’s not being forced.

A good example of a first doorway is when Luke Skywalker’s aunt and uncle are murdered by the forces of the Empire in Star Wars. That compels Luke to leave his home planet and seek to become a Jedi, to fight the evil forces. If the murders didn’t happen, Luke would have stayed on his planet as a farmer. He had to be forced out.

In Gone With the Wind it’s the outbreak of the Civil War. Hard to miss that one. No one can go back again to the way things were. Scarlett O’Hara is going to be forced to deal with life in a way she never wanted or anticipated.

In The Wizard of Oz, it’s the twister (hint: if a movie changed from black and white to color, odds are you’ve passed through the first doorway of no return).

In The Fugitive, the first doorway is the train wreck that enables Richard Kimble to escape, a long sequence that ends at the 30 minute mark (perfect structure) and has U. S. Marshal Sam Gerard declaring, “Your fugitive’s name is Dr. Richard Kimble. Go get him!”

The second doorway, the one that closes Act 2 and leads to Act 3, is a bit more malleable, but just as critical. It is a clue or discovery, or set-back or crisis, one which makes inevitable the final battle of Act 3. It is the doorway that makes an ending possible. Without this, the novel could go on forever (and some seem to for lack of this act break).

In The Fugitive, at the 90 minute mark (the right placement for a film of just over two hours), Kimble breaks into the one-armed man’s house and finds the key evidence linking him with the pharmaceutical company. This clue leads to the inevitable showdown with the “behind the scenes” villain.

In High Noon, the town marshal reaches the major crisis: he finally realizes no one in the town is going to help him fight the bad guys. That forces him into the final battle of Act 3, the showdown with the four killers.

By the way, this structure works for both “plot driven” and “character driven” stories. It’s just that the former is mainly about outside events, and the latter about the inner journey. But that’s beyond the scope of this post.

~ James Scott Bell || The Kill-Zone (blog) January 16, 2010

[satoru-is-the-way]

Din Djarin X Force Sensitive Reader

A/n:A small dabble! This will be my first Din x reader peace! A few things will be changes! Also a bit of a soulmate theme!!!

Warning: None. Small hints at being a future Sith? Idk lmao.

Fandom Master List! I have 2 more Din fanfics on their way!

Summary: (Y/n) and Din Djarin have been flying across the Galaxy in search of a Jedi Knight for Grogu. During this period they both caught feelings for each other. After Grogu leaves with Luke what is her fate with the Mandalorian?

"Only We Know"

I came across a fallen tree

I felt the beaches of it looking at me

(Y/n) knew she could wield the force. Since her childhood days there had been something different about her. A gentle whisper came to her, a feeling that never could be fully explained. She blindly followed this to a lightsaber on Tatooine. The crystals glow red against her (s/c) skin. From then on she knew her path. The darkness always had been her friend. However she could not accept this fate. The tales of Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader had been told around the galaxy. She did not want to be labeled as an evil Sith. (Y/n) knew no Jedi would ever train her with such darkness encircling her soul. She battled between the dark and light sigh in an never struggle.

The last couple of days she had felt the force closer than ever. It showed her glimpses of the future. One thing (Y/n) hated were the small fragments of imagines. The first dream is of a child. Small, large brown eyes, green skin? Not very old. He was scared, sad, and in need of help. The next dream came with something -no someone unexpected. She knew of the term 'Soulmates' and laughed at the idea. Silver armor, brown hair, chocolate eyes, and his scent overwhelmed (Y/n) each night.

She had watched as a Mandalorian took on a town from afar. Once he and the droid walked into the building (Y/n) dropped down from her hiding spot and walked in. Whatever was in that crate sent her instincts into overdrive. The droid listed its gun without a second thought she shoot it. The Mandalorian spun around holding his blaster up. Din inhaled sharply at the strange feeling once their eyes meet.

'Is this the *girl I'm meant* to love?' He wonders.

'Is this the *man* that I've been dreaming of?' (Y/n) put her gun down.

_Two Year's Later_

Oh, simple thing, where have you gone?

After earning permission from (Y/n) and Din Grogu waddled up to Luke. The Jedi picked the small foundling up before glancing at (Y/n). Skywalker could sense the darkness inside of her. Yet, how it would dwindle over time because she found her soulmate, the Mandalorian. "May the force be with you." Luke bows his head before leaving.

Heading to Tatooine (Y/n) glanced over at Din. She could never forget the image of his face. Despite seeing him in her dreams the real thing was more meaningful. Over their journey (Y/n) had fallen for the Mandalorian. "I think I might stay on Tatooine with Boba." She whispered.

"What?! Why?" Din reacted with than she imagined, betrayal in his voice.

"I just want to fine a place to settle finding someone to settle with." She whispered the last part.

"What about me?" Din asked. This caught her off guard. Since the beginning, there was a tense feeling between them. The unspoken knowing. The unspoken feelings.

"Din, I'm gettin' *older*, and I need *someone* to rely on. You and I...We are soul mates but at this time we are needing two different things." Din scoffled at her words.

"So, tell me when you're gonna let me in. You closed yourself off to me. I want to know how you feel. About this, about me, us. Just anything. You shut yourself off when I get closer to you." He touched your hand.

"I'm gettin' tired, and I need somewhere to begin with you!" (Y/n) stood up. Din also stood.

And if you have a minute

"Why don't we go. Talk about *this* somewhere only we know? I am open to anything if that means I can be with you." Din cupped (Y/n)'s cheek.

Her (e/c) orbs scan his chocolate-brown eyes. She was scared to feel love. All her life she denied the idea of happening. Yet here Din stood ready to do anything and everything for her.

This could be the end of everything

So, why don't we go

Somewhere only we know?

Somewhere only we know.

"Only for you." She slowly removed his helmet before pulling him into a long deep kiss.

[aquitainequeen]

Okay, so after much thinking about Shadow and Bone Season 2, I've narrowed down one major issue from which other issues arose, which is: time.

Time affects Shadow and Bone season 2 in several ways, but the four that stand out to me are time allowance, pacing, beginnings, and narrative. Time allowance and pacing rather speak for themselves. Netflix really should have given this season two more episodes, to provide more room for plot, dialogue, character arcs, etc; and others who are far better than me at this have elaborated on the pacing.

In terms of beginnings, Season 2 suffers from the same problem that harmed the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy; the writers had their hands tied about where they could feasibly start it. This impacts the whole season moving forward.

To elaborate: in the Original and Prequel Trilogies there were established periods of time between the plots of the films, so the OT takes place over four years and the PT covers thirteen years, which meant there was at least some room to hint at the building of character relationships between both the protagonists and the villains. Having time skips between the films allowed for hints of backstory to add extra weight; even if you haven’t read any of the (frankly gargantuan amounts by this point) material set between Episodes IV and V, you can still appreciate the knowledge that Vader’s been obsessively chasing down Luke Skywalker for the past three years, and you can understand Luke’s determination to beat the spectre that’s been hunting him across the galaxy.

In stark contrast and by necessity, the creators had to start The Last Jedi almost immediately after the end of The Force Awakens, because they needed to show the fallout of the cliff-hanger that was Rey holding out the lightsaber to Luke; what would happen when Luke began to train Rey, or return to the Resistance, or do whatever; what would happen when Finn woke up from his medical treatment. All of which did occur, but it meant that the first two films in the sequel trilogy ended up covering at most a week to a week and a half, at the end of which most of the characters still barely know each other, and their friendships/enmities don't have as much weight as those in the previous trilogies.

Compare this to Shadow and Bone. Season 1 ended with Alina and Mal leaving Ravka for the time being and Kirigan emerging from the Fold with the nichevo'ya, both of which could have allowed for some passage of time between seasons and Season 2 beginning some months later, as was the case with the books...

...but Season 1 also ended with the Crows planning what they were going to do when they returned to Ketterdam without Alina. And in my opinion this trapped the writers, because by necessity they had to show what happened when the Crows got back and suffered the logical fallout of stealing a job from Pekka Rollins. And since the writers now had to keep both the Ravkan and the Crows narratives in the same time frame, they also had to continue the stories of Alina, Mal, Kirigan, Genya, Nikolai, Zoya etc from this point as well. Which means that barely any time has passed since the battle in the Fold and Alina and Kirigan becoming, to quote Tolkien's Unfinished Tales, 'unfriends forever', and barely a few more weeks pass before the events of the season's final episode.

And the thing about Alina's journey is that it's not a story that can or should be told very quickly, or in a relatively short time frame. Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdoms, put together, is an epic, action packed, violent heist and revenge story. The Grisha Trilogy is a different kind of epic, a struggle to protect and save a kingdom, and even the whole world. It's a story that needs to address the persecution of a entire group of people, across multiple countries. It's a story where there should have been a lot more talking between the protagonists and the antagonists as they try to sway each other to their side. It's a story that should have included resistance fighters and guerrilla warfare, and far more struggles between the opposing forces as they challenge and occasionally dismantle each others' points of view.

It's the sort of story that should be told over months or even a few years, not weeks.

[whateverthedragonswant]

This might be a hot take but I've gotta get this off my chest:

I have seen so many times in the past two years the point being made by a particular section of the fandom that Sam was the hero of SPN, the "Luke Skywalker" of the series as Kripke himself stated, and that the finale ending made sense for not only Sam getting to live but also for Dean's ending. And in the very same breath, it's mentioned that the show was always about the brothers, no one else, that's what Kripke always wanted, etc., but this argument is always made from a very pro-Sam slanted/skewed anti-ship (and sometimes anti-Dean) point of view without taking into consideration of just how much the story of SPN evolved even before Kripke left the show.

Like say what you will about Sam being the hero of the story, and I'm not going to disagree with you about that being Kripke's original intention because you're right. Sam was the main protagonist; that's clear from the outset of the series. The whole first season is everything being told from Sam's POV. It's evident in every single episode in how each case has resolution thanks to Sam. He is made to be the hero. The whole arc of season 1 is about Sam being dragged back into this world due to his desire for revenge for what happened to Jessica which turns into something more aka Sam is naturally a hunter and he wants to help people/help his family->Dean. It's even Sam in the season finale that chooses a different way compared to John's quest for revenge by choosing Dean/his family over his revenge.

So, yes, you're right when you say in the beginning of the series that Sam was the hero/main protagonist. Absolutely. But what is not being mentioned/realized is that somewhere along the way, during Kripke's era, Dean's own story within the series became just as integral to the main story like Sam's as did their relationship as brothers. Kripke developed the story to include both. They both become essential to the main overhead arc of the entire show. The whole reason John and Mary even got together (through Heaven's intervention as per SPN canon) was to bring about both Sam and Dean's existence. Dean becomes the complement to Sam's role. We find out that Sam is the chosen vessel for Lucifer, and then we find out Dean is the chosen vessel for Michael, which leads to the showdown between Heaven and Hell essentially through the two. Both have a decision to make; both are tapped on the shoulders by both sides (i.e. Cas/Ruby); both are essential to the main plot while having their own separate arcs/journeys. Dean is no longer a side character or even the "Han Solo". His story is developed and we not only see his own hero's journey that he has to go on (when physically separate from Sam for example; going into the future though this is still intertwined with Sam's journey itself; going back in time, etc.) but his own desires, thought processes, relationships (outside of Sam), are also brought into the forefront for his story. Can this happen with side characters? Sure. But that's not what happens here because Kripke not only develops/beefs up Dean's story but also interweaves it with Sam's very carefully, to the point that the show doesn't work without both characters. Hence, Sam is no longer the sole main protagonist.

Which is why, for example, Dean is the one to kill the YED even though Sam had been determined to make YED pay for what happened to Jessica. And Kripke masterfully balances the main plot between the two as the show develops, so much so that we get payoff for Sam's journey (which leads up to Swan Song but I'll get to that in a moment), by fulfilling big plot points such as his killing Lillith and setting Lucifer free. He even still gets the hero's end by choosing to sacrifice himself to save Dean and the world in 5x22. Kripke beautifully takes Sam's original journey and tweaks it in such a way that while Sam had his dad's training and a similar quest for vengeance, he made a different decision and he did that while having much more on his shoulders (literally the weight of the world) than John ever did. And we still get payoff for what was initially set up way back in season 1. We get a close out to the Jessica story line, to Sam's powers story line, all of it, before Kripke dipped out.

And in the same fashion, we also got a closeout to Dean's story line. If he would ever get out of hunting, would he allow Sam to go into that dark night alone, would he be the same as John -- all of it.

So the ending to 5x22 absolutely makes sense. And we get: Dean surviving and going to live a "normal" life & Sam making the sacrifice (as the hero the series started out with) while also somehow surviving & making his way back to his brother. That's Kripke's ending. Now to be fair, Sam making his way back to Dean more likely had to do with them setting up the next season, but ultimately he wasn't dead after throwing himself and Michael into the pit.

Then in the later seasons, which some fans like to exclude or dismiss (but it's still part of Sam and Dean's official story), their stories were still integral to the main story but they had also evolved to include other characters (such as Cas, Jody, Donna, etc) and they had developed over the next ten years. So when looking at the series as a whole, Dean and Sam's endings in the series finale do not make sense. Kripke already got his ending in 5x22 and the show moved past that, and quickly set out to dismantle it in 6x01. This theme continued and the idea of free will became the center stage even more than it had in the first five seasons. By the time the last season rolled around, Dean and Sam had different desires, their stories had not only been completely intertwined to make both of them the main protagonists but both the heroes, and how their ends/hunting boots were hung up in the end would both matter.

So if you watched all of the seasons, 15x20 doesn't make sense. Because Dean and Sam wanted very different things by that point, they had both built relationships with other characters (Cas and Jack were the biggest ones but those two were not the only ones), and their story had effectively changed.

And if you didn't watch any of the later seasons (or you dismiss it), 15x20 still doesn't make sense because this wasn't the ending Kripke had for the seasons 1-5 Sam and Dean. If anything, it felt like it could have been 1x02 instead of the Wendigo episode, ending Dean and Sam's story in two short episodes with nothing in between.

That does not make sense.

Imagine we were discussing the show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. We all know how that ended (I'm talking TV only, not the comics). Buffy saved the world, she survived (finally!), and she was free from Sunnydale. Now imagine she had been killed off. Not only would it feel redundant but it wouldn't feel like a true ending for the story told over the past 7 seasons. What would have been the point of her being resurrected in season 6 then? What would have been the point of her relationship with Spike, Dawn, and the others? Could Joss Whedon have made it into another hero's sacrifice (instead of Spike doing the heroic/redeeming sacrifice), that she got Dawn, Willow, Xander, and the other Slayers ready to defend the world that she would die saving? Sure. But again, when you compare that ending to her story, it doesn't really make sense. There is no payoff, for the viewers or for the character of Buffy. She had earned that ending, the freedom from the Hellmouth and from the burden of being alone as the only Slayer (aka Chosen One). Which is why we get that great shot in the end:

Willow: "Yeah, the First is scrunched so...what do you think we should do, Buffy?"

Faith: "Yeah, you're not the one and only Chosen anymore. Just got to live like a person. How's that feel?"

Dawn: "Yeah, Buffy, what are we going to do now?"

The hero, who had already made the hero's sacrifice more than once, finally earned the ending that she wanted: freedom and the ability to choose to live her life for herself. The burden of being The Slayer had been removed and spread out to others (effectively building a network, hold that thought for a minute), she was no longer alone, she had defeated the Big Bad (which was effectively the Hellmouth since it kept creating/calling to these other Big Bads she faced over the years as well as the monsters she started out fighting), she might have more to face in the future, but it's up to her now what she wants to do. She is given the choice aka free will and that's what she earned after everything she had gone through during the duration of the show.

That's an ending.

This isn't:

Death wasn't supposed to be their ending. While some might be able to turn to you and say 'but they end up in Heaven together, they're at peace', that doesn't make it a payoff ending, for the viewers (early seasons only or all seasons) or for the characters of Sam and Dean. That's not effective storytelling. Neither ending was heroic or earned.

Dean dying, while again wouldn't make sense given the story, could have been painted as heroic if it happened during the battle with Chuck for example. Their final battle with the ultimate Big Bad. Even though they both died heroically quite a few times before this, it could have been done and while ultimately disappointing, it could have been the hero's end for Dean (just like Sam's end in 5x22 was the hero's end for him). This death wasn't heroic; instead it was from vampire stunt guy #4 who apparently juiced before that scene getting an upper hand on the hero and impaling him on a piece of sharp rebar. During a milk run hunt. Now imagine if that were Sam. Ask these people who think that by the end of the series that Sam was the only hero, ask them if that happened to Sam instead, would they still be praising the finale? Or imagine that was Buffy. That she survived like she does, the Hellmouth in Sunnydale was finally gone, only to be killed by a random forgettable vampire who she had faced off with in the first season and got away, only to suddenly return and take the hero out, thus negating the payoff/earned ending she and the viewers got. Doesn't make sense, right?

Now imagine if say Dawn was killed off in a similar way (though tbf Dawn's role was not the same as Dean's in the story) or during the battle, and we see Buffy living her life through the years, getting out of slaying, having a family which consists of a daughter she names Dawn, wearing her own Party City wig and looking at a picture of Dawn all teary-eyed, dying in her sleep as an old lady, and then reuniting with her in Heaven. It doesn't work. Not only because Dawn had a very different role in the show when it came to the main story but also because it DOESN'T WORK. What kind of hero's end is that? What payoff is that? Is it great that Sam gets to choose to get out of hunting and have a family? Sure. But that's not where his story was headed, in later seasons, or even during Kripke's era.

Going back to the network thing I mentioned with Buffy, Sam had done that. Not only were there strong hints of leader!Sam near the end of the series, but he had effectively built a network of hunters for a time until Alt!Michael killed them all. But he and Dean still had a network going through Jody, Donna, Claire, even Jack until he turned God!Jack. Wayward Sisters might not have taken off when it first aired but the point was made: a hunter network still existed. And these characters, this network, even though not shown in the finale, still survived no matter what happened with Sam and Dean in the end. Why is this important? Because not only does it extend the hunting universe, but it also removes the burden from the heroes' shoulders. So they could have gotten out of hunting if they wanted to, just like Buffy could have laid down her axe (or stake). The heroes had earned it.

So for Dean to die on a random hunt and for those few to say that it was being foreshadowed this whole time with Dean's quotes (from before season 15 btw) and a proper ending to his story...they really don't know what show they were watching or how storytelling works in general. Because when they say that, they negate Dean's whole arc of season 15 (while also negating his whole series arc). Dean was angry in the beginning of the season because he thought not only had his free will been taken from him, but also because he thought he hadn't had any free will this whole time. There's a reason why he says what he says to Cas in 15x02. There's a reason why he was so gung ho on letting Jack sacrifice himself, and only once once Sam and Chuck say what they say in 15x17 does Dean make a different choice: his family (and the world) vs his own desire (his idea of free will, not fully realizing that he's actually utilizing it by making that choice). It's only when he chooses not to kill Chuck in 15x19 that he is completely self-aware and that he is using his free will to make a choice. A choice that affects how the Big Bad is ended/defeated. "That's not who I am."

He was given the hero's choice and he made it. And his decision was the right one that had payoff from not only the events in 15x17 and 15x18 but for his overall story. That's why what Cas says to him in 15x18 about who he is as a character was so important. It set Dean up to not only have self-realization but to also act upon it. Think about how many times over the years Sam and other characters have told Dean this about himself but he never really believed it. Why? Because he hadn't reached that part of his journey yet. Because he hadn't reached the end of it yet. So it makes perfect sense how 15x17, 15x18, and 15x19 play out. This is the appropriate ending battle for not only Dean but Sam as well:

This was the hero's sacrifice they made. They could have been killed from Chuck beating on them as he did. He could have chosen to snap his fingers at any point. They made the sacrifice in order to get Jack the time and energy he needed to power up to overpower Chuck. And they never stayed down no matter the pain, no matter the potential of their deaths at Chuck's hand. They refused to give it up. This is why Sam helps Dean back up and why they're laughing/smiling. Because they know that no matter what happens to them, Jack/the world is going to win. "Why are you smiling?" "Because...you lose." And their sacrifice not only hands victory over to the new generation aka Jack but also instates the new God who replaces Chuck aka The Big Bad of the entire series. EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS SCREAMS HERO.

So it's not only payoff for Jack's story (as well as Chuck's) but also for Sam and Dean's. And both brothers were the heroes. Which is why Sam tells Chuck that he loses and Dean tells him that they won. Why both of them tell Chuck about their plan that they formed together (and Jack doesn't say a word). Which is why Chuck says he's going to die at both of their hands, both Sam and Dean look at each other, and then Dean makes the choice not to kill Chuck. "See, that's not who I am. That's not who we are." Because they both were the heroes and main protagonists of the series. Something that Kripe had set up long before 5x22.

"What kind of an ending is this?" One the heroes had earned. Chuck as the Big Bad wanted violence and death, an ending he would be entertained by. And even for an ending he hadn't imagined for himself (where he loses), he still expected a grisly death at the hands of the heroes. Had either Winchester done that, then Chuck would have gotten what he wanted and it wouldn't be the heroes' end that they had earned.

This was the ending that Sam and Dean earned:

The choice to continue on if they wanted or to get out of hunting for good. To go see Jody, Donna, and the girls, or go get Cas out of The Empty, or go on milk run hunts for a while, or even to go to a freaking baseball game (screw you, John!); the point is it was their choice. That's what they had earned by the end of the series.

The ending that Chuck earned was not only the worst he could imagine but it was punishment for everything he had done. Both brothers say as much:

Sam: "I think it's the ending where you're just like us. And like all the other humans you forgot about."

Dean: "It's the ending where you grow old, you get sick, and you just die."

Sam: "And no one cares. And no one remembers you. You're just forgotten."

This was not the heroes' ending or the ending both characters had earned/deserved:

This was:

For the ones who insist that Dean's sacrifice was the right ending for his story and that he got a new Heaven as a reward are incorrect. Heaven wasn't what Dean wanted, not before he got what he earned.

For the one who insist that Sam's ending was right for his story and that he got to have a family and choose to get out of hunting as a reward are incorrect. Sam wanted Dean to be a part of that life (however it looked) and he had no desire to get out of hunting by the time the series came to an end.

15x20 is not the right ending for either Winchester.

And for those who say that Dean hadn't become one of the heroes in the series or that the finale was right because Sam was the sole main protagonist by the end (or even Kripke's ending in 5x22) clearly weren't paying attention. Not only did Sam not get the heroes' end or the end he wanted and earned, but neither did Dean who had been developed into the other main protagonist of the series, by the series creator himself before he left the show.

Bonus:

15x20 was not their real finale and here's how you know:

Next shot (after cutting to black):

Nothing after it.

SPN:

Next shot (after fading to black):

And then:

(while still in costume, the two leads thanking the fans and then the crew/bridge drone shot complete with show music)

Compare this to how 15x19 ended as well. We get the montage, the drive off shot, and then the scene from 1x01 of Sam shutting the trunk of the Impala as Dean watches. Then cuts to black.

That's their finale.

[foggysirens]

your local luke skywalker thought haver is back at it again because i have just been unable to get the thought of luke and his personal identity out of my head like- over the course of the original trilogy he goes through a wild change from farm boy to rebel to master of an ancient and thought dead religion. and like on one hand, yes, okay, it’s the hero’s journey in a fun little space film, i respect that, but on the other i just have to think about the mental impact that must have had on him. like we see throughout the films that he changes, the wonderstruck and youthful energy from the first movie transforming into a desperate hunt for knowledge and a search for self on dagobah. we see that as he trains with yoda and learns more of the force and literally fights a vision of himself that luke is searching for answers, searching for identity in his flipped upside down world. then we see that change go ever further, luke growing again, changing again, into a collected jedi, honing his skills rapidly with a determination and at times dark humoured presence. it’s understandable. it’s downright expected after such change and conflict and having to grown up quickly that luke would not be who he once was. it’s war. yet still, i can’t help but think of him in those moments in between. those moments where he’s just waking up and for a moment he’s still back on the farm, before he blinks and realizes he’s on echo base. or when he stops and stares down at his prosthetic hand for too long, poking and prodding at it until his chest begins to feel tight. when he’s standing by his fathers pyre, watching the flames and he suddenly has a flash of smouldering ash on sand. of a cut open helmet, bleeding smoke as he stares into his own face. and i think of luke, endlessly hopeful, endlessly resilient luke, waking each day reeling from the force of three lives being lived at once. the farmer, the fighter and the stoic. i think of him finally getting to rest. to finally get the time to grieve all the moments he’s lost. to finally move forward to what he wants to do. chooses to do. in his own time. be it hunt for texts or build his school, i think of luke finally getting to mend those versions of himself into one. i think of him finally settling into luke and i love him so much.

[manhandlememando]

Gravity Ch. 1

din djarin x f!reader

TW: depictions of injuries, Razor Crest lives, written in third person POV (refers to reader as she/her)

word count: 1,039

(series is ongoing)

There was a push and pull between them. He fell away from her orbit quite quickly after Grogu was taken back to his own kind. When Luke Skywalker had come to collect Grogu for his training it was almost as if Din crumpled before her. As if the oxygen was being forced out of him with every step the Jedi took away from them. The look in his eyes had broken her. She had only seen him briefly when he initially took off his helmet. Frozen in shock she took in his beautiful tan skin, the light and patchy beard crawling down the expanse of his jaw, the brown tendrils falling over his forehead. Sharply inhaling when she saw his eyes. The most divine chocolate eyes she had ever seen. So warm and yet so hurt, pooling with tears as Grogu touched his chin lightly. It was then she everted her eyes out of respect. He had not revealed his face again to her after that day, and she was sure she would never see it again. She could tell even with the helmet covering his features that he never looked at her anymore. Not more than a glance was all she felt she received now.

She knew Tatooine wasn’t a place to be trusted, at least outside of Nevarro. Mos Eisley wasn’t much of a town, but it was the town Din had chosen on their journey to finding the covert. She wondered if she should leave soon, if he really needed her without the child present needing to be taken care of. Without Grogu she played no other part in his life than a distant partner who aided him in ship repairs, bounty hunts, and anything else he may need. However what she really wondered was if actually needed her at all or if he was solely using her for an extra body on missions.

She had left the ship earlier in the day to grab supplies from a trader in town at the local cantina. The Mandalorian had left in search of fuel, so she placed a small note on the window of the cockpit, directly in front of the throttle. Knowing he would see the note, she then left and started into town.

—————————

Her presence on the ship had shifted his universe ever so slightly over the passing months. His planets and moons and stars all shifting closer to her. In the time after Grogu had left, Din retreated within himself. Not having dealt with loss like this in quite a long time, it had made him almost more angry and he had decided to channel that into work. With his focus entirely on keeping his mind preoccupied from his aching heart, Din genuinely hadn’t noticed just how much his center of gravity had shifted until that night when she still hadn’t returned from the cantina in the village. She had left a note, but no time assuring her return. Having been preoccupied with refueling the ship and finishing a repair on the left engine, he hadn’t noticed the lack of her presence on the vessel. She hasn’t been gone that long, has she? Din normally never worried about her leaving the ship and leading her own schedule, however something seemed off. A horrific Rolodex of thoughts spun in his head of all the possibilities of her absence. The sun in his universe had suddenly vanished, plunging him into a darkness he didn’t know she could hinder with her light. He tried to calm himself from the frenzy in his head. His helmet feeling overwhelming he retreats to his quarters to remove it. Gasping lightly as he sucks in the cool air of the ship, his head begins to clear. Comm her you idiot, shaking his head at this realization he puts his helmet back on and sends a communication signal to her Commlink, heading back towards the cockpit. After some time he checks but still receives no response. He repeats her name and his request for her location, worry beginning to build within him again.

“Maker, would you just respond so I - ,“ he starts.

She cuts him off, “Hey Tin Can, I’m right here stop blowing up my Commlink,” Din circles in his pilots chair to face her and immediately stands and takes a step towards her at what he’s met with. She’s bleeding, not terribly but visibly enough to be concerning.

“It’s fine,” she huffs, turning away from him curtly. He recoils at her rejection, realizing he wasn’t supposed to be feeling like this… but what was this? As she disappears into the ‘fresher of the ship, he cursed lowly in Mando’a for letting her leave unprotected. She is capable of defending herself, he immediately corrects himself. He heads towards the cockpit in an effort to give her space, as it seemed she wanted it.

He hadn’t noticed just how much she shifted even the ground he walked on, until her curt attitude hadn’t changed after several hours. Her absence causing Din to practically stumble over, everything shifting away with her as she put more and more distance between them. Slipping through hyperspace seamlessly, he sits in the cockpit waiting for her to emerge, but she doesn’t. When his thoughts finally win against his will he makes his way to her quarters. He lifts a gloved hand to knock on her door, almost automatically the door opens without him even touching it and he stumbles back in surprise. She hadn’t planned on seeing him either, clad in a thin tank top and her loose flight pants, the extent of her injuries was revealed. Dark blue and purple formed paths up her arms, a deep bruise blossoming along the column of her throat. She ducked her head to cover the large mark growing by the second. Din stood silent not understanding what small weapon could have created such small contusions. With a sharp inhale she could hear through his voice modulator she knew he had realized what had happened. Or at least had an idea. His breath is held as his brain stumbles onto the realization: they’re fingerprints. And almost as quickly as that thought came to him, the next horrified him even more. The large bruise on her neck was now forming into the shape of a hand.

“Mesh’la” he whispered it, concern almost tangibly falling from his lips. In his sympathy he hadn’t noticed he said that aloud until her frown deepened and a quizzical look adorned her face at his words. And he is, in that moment, eternally grateful she doesn’t know that one yet.