#That’s the final part of the Empires-Hermit saga | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

sugarmaplewings-fics · 4 years ago

Text

Deep Blue Fantasy Part Seven

Pairing: Merman!Tamaki Amajiki x fem!reader

Warnings: None, maybe a vague sexual reference

Author’s Note:

Whoo! It's Sugar; back to bring you the conclusion to the Mermaki saga. So it's finally over! I'm a little sad to see it go, but I'm glad to have my vision complete. I think I worked on this for ~3 months.

Anyway, not to bore you before we get to the story, I just wanted to give a huge thank you for all the support! Even if you don't leave comments or even a like, I want to thank you for reading. I don't publish these for the notes or comments. I do this simply because I want to get my writing out to the world for people to hopefully enjoy. If you liked reading my stories, even if you don't say anything, I'm happy to think I made you smile with something I've written. It's still nice to know for sure, but no pressure.

Thanks again for reading, I couldn't do it without you guys.

Love,

-Sugar

✤✤✤✤✤

{Pt. 1} {Pt. 2} {Pt. 3} {Pt. 4} {Pt. 5} {Pt. 6} {Pt. 7}

くコ:彡くコ:彡くコ:彡くコ:彡

The membranous lids over Tamaki's eyes slid to the side, only to be met with more darkness. It was then that he remembered. He was alone, at the bottom of the ocean.

Tamaki straightened, now unused to the drag of the water slightly hindering his movements. His tail curled up, and he studied the overlapping scales that adorned it, looking pitch black in the dim depths of where he had lain. He must have fallen asleep after he'd fled from you. Tamaki looked up towards the surface, wondering how much time had passed since. It looked considerably brighter up there, so he'd probably slept the full night. Great.

The fins on his tail waved a little in the mini currents swirling around him. He watched a little crab wander over the grey sand before burying itself beneath the fine grains. Now that Tamaki was settled down, he realized how dumb his actions the previous night had been. Seriously? Running away? What good did that do for him?

You were royalty . . . . Interesting. He really should have seen it coming, what with all the blatantly obvious signs there were. Maybe he had been trying to lie to himself. Maybe he had suspected all along, but just wanted to play to the fantasy that you were still, somehow, not too far out of his league.

But a princess? That had been too much. And yet . . . Tamaki found that you never talked down to him. You never treated him different. You must have known he was a commoner, and yet you hadn't been put off by it. Maybe you were only interested because he was a merman? But you hadn't even known it that first day, and your kindness hadn't changed since.

Tamaki laid himself back down, sand softly shifting under his ruined white human shirt. He hid his face in his hands again, replaying the events of last night over in his mind. What had he done? You were so close to him, and the dance you'd had was nothing short of magical. The connection he'd felt between you . . . he couldn't have just imagined it.

The merman gingerly lifted a hand, letting his fingertips ghost over his chest where your hands had been placed mere hours before. He pushed into himself a little harder, trying to imagine it was you, mind beginning to race with ideas of how it all could have gone differently.

Tamaki's fingers froze. His chest was smooth. Too smooth. It was only then that he remembered what had made him human in the first place, followed by what he'd done with it.

The necklace!

In a moment of denial, Tamaki began patting himself around his neck, ripping his shirt over his head in a desperate attempt at finding the valuable object he was borrowing. But he knew it was gone. He distinctly remembered throwing it behind him as he ran into the sea.

He laid himself back down in the sand again, right next to his old shirt.

Stupid stupid stupid stupid—

Tamaki let out a high pitched keen into the water around him, trying to vent his frustration towards himself. Not only had he destroyed his chances with you, he'd also broken his promise to that Nejire mermaid.

It was over. He'd yee'd his last haw. There was no more hope for him. He'd have to go to live off in the corners of the ocean, holed up like some kind of hermit crab where no one he'd ever known would find him again. This was it. It was time to go run—no, swim—away again.

Tamaki didn't move. He allowed himself to lie down and sulk for another good, long time before finally hauling himself up. He needed help, that much was clear. Maybe Mirio would lift his spirits enough for him to snap out of this. Besides, his best friend had a lot of good ideas and always seemed to know what to say to Tamaki.

He flicked his tail, letting himself rise up a bit in the water before sluggishly making his way in the direction of his old home.

Tamaki soon came upon the merpeople village, the familiar outline of homes jutting from the sandy sea floor. He swam through them, trying to keep a low profile in case someone decided to question his disappearance for the past week. Granted, not letting anyone see him for extended amounts of time was nothing new for Tamaki, but now that he was guilty, it was hard to brush the fact aside.

He couldn't help but feel like an outsider among the buildings. Tamaki had never been all that social, so he didn't have the most ties to the town he'd grown up in. Really it had always just been him and Mirio, but now that he'd experienced you, he felt as though there was no going back to his old ways.

I may still have to, Tamaki glumly thought before finally reaching the large entry hole in the side of Mirio's home. He sent a ping inside, letting it bounce around the sandy mud walls. A dark form moved in the shadows, quickly telling Tamaki that Mirio was, in fact, home.

"Tamaki?" Mirio asked, running a hand over his face like he'd just woke up. "What are you doing here?" The blond finally registered the panicked expression on his friend's face, and ushered him inside. "What happened?" Mirio signed, floating back to activate a luminous lamp so it would be easier to converse. "Why are you a merman again?"

Tamaki crumbled a little, hunching in on himself. "I messed up."

Mirio's brow ridge pushed together, trying to make sense of what might have happened. "Did she reject you?" he guessed, trying to get his friend talking.

Tamaki shook his head. "No. It's almost like . . . I rejected her . . . ?"

"What?"

"She—Apparently—I didn't know—" Tamaki's tail wouldn't stop twitching, his fins waving in invisible currents. "She told me she's royalty," he finally motioned out.

Mirio blinked. "Humans do that? With monarchies?"

"Yes." Tamaki nearly growled in frustration at his predicament. "Except she doesn't have an empire or anything, she's what's called a princess. And her dad is rich and important and he like, owns the islands around here and I had no idea this entire time until last night and—"

"Tamaki." Mirio put a hand on his shoulder. "Breathe."

Tamaki paused, allowing himself to pull extra water through his gills. The sensation helped him calm down for a second, but then he began to fret again. "She—she was teaching me how to dance like a human, you know, with my legs and stuff, a-and we almost kissed but then I just had to ask her what a princess was and she looked upset and I ruined everything and I looked like an idiot—"

"Tamaki."

The merman in question froze again, slowly dropping his hands.

"It was an honest mistake," Mirio assured him. "Did she say anything about it?"

"No," Tamaki admitted. "But I ran away before she really could. There was something in her face . . . . She just looked so sad."

"Hmm." Mirio tapped a finger to his chin, thinking. "Have you told her you like her yet?" he finally asked.

"Not really, no." It was then that Tamaki's brain decided to give him flashbacks of the sponge incident, making him subtly shudder.

"Well . . . do you think she might like you back?" Mirio prodded.

Tamaki's first instinct was to say no, to keep his hopes from getting too high by denying any possible indication that you might think about him in that way. And yet, all the time you spent together, coupled with how close you had grown within the short time you'd known each other, and there was the moment you'd held yourself so close to him after you danced, mere moments before he ruined everything. If only he'd kissed you then . . . .

"Maybe," Tamaki hesitantly signed.

"And you know you like her, right?"

"Of course."

Mirio triumphantly lifted himself a little higher in the water. "There you go. Now all you have to do is tell her how you feel. Simple as that. She can only either reject or accept you. If she says no, then you can come back home with me and never see her again and we can pretend this never happened. If she likes you back, then yay! You have a girlfriend."

Tamaki was almost indignant towards how simply Mirio put it. Why did he have to make so much sense? But he had to admit he was right. Tamaki should just go back to you and apologize, maybe propose courtship while he was at it to get everything over with. Except one thing was stopping him . . . .

"So, uh, there's one more problem," Tamaki said.

"Oh?"

"You know the necklace I used to turn myself into a human?"

Mirio's eyes darted to Tamaki's chest, finding it bare before looking in his hands, as if he may have been holding it this entire time without him noticing. At the realization he couldn't see it, his gills flared a bit. "Tamaki? Where is it?"

"That's my problem. I . . . lost it."

"Why would you do that?!" Mirio lightly shook Tamaki's shoulders.

"It wasn't on purpose! I just . . . needed to get it off, and then I threw it somewhere . . . ."

"You threw it somewhere?!" For once, Mirio looked more panicked than his best friend. "But we have to give it back to Nejire! And you need to talk to her—that girl! What's her name again?"

"(Y/N)."

"Exactly! Is there any chance we could find it?"

Tamaki wanted to hope, he wanted to say that there was a chance, but he knew better. The ocean was so vast and violent, even within the past few hours it had to be gone forever. Tamaki should have thought more about the price he would have to pay for such a reckless action.

His slumped shoulders were enough of a hint for Mirio to what he was thinking. Mirio slumped a little too, feeling a bit defeated. "So is that it? Is there no other way for you to contact her?"

Tamaki began to think. You had been doing well with the sign language he'd been teaching you, and that stretch of beach Mirio had showed him where there weren't so many rocks would be a good place to meet up . . . . His mind began to spin, already trying to work something out for you.

"Well?" Mirio asked, wondering what made his friend shift his mood so suddenly.

"There may be something I can do," Tamaki said. After a few more moments of sorting out his thoughts, he began to relay them to Mirio.

"That could work," Mirio ruled.

"I may not be able to get my legs back, but I still have to apologize and tell her how I feel," Tamaki said, newly determined.

Mirio pumped his fist. "Let's go!"

By the time Mirio and Tamaki were ready, the surface had already surpassed its peak brightness. Tamaki vigorously pumped his tail in the direction of your island home, sincerely hoping you didn't hate him after the stunt he'd pulled.

✤✤✤✤✤

You hadn't slept well last night. Worry for your friend had worked its way into your very being, your position flighty and your eyebrows creased.

You didn't know how to feel. You weren't angry with him—well, maybe you were a little mad that he ran off without giving you a chance to talk or even say goodbye. You just wondered why he had gotten so upset. Truth be told, you'd thought he knew what you were talking about when you called yourself a princess. You liked how he treated you . . . just like any other person. He'd thought you were just another human. So that was why.

The realization had struck you the other night. You'd always hated the way people tended to act towards you; treating you either like you were some type of bomb or a piece of glass; dangerous, but fragile. Yet Tamaki had been different. Tamaki treated you like a friend. He was genuine and he was sweet . . . and he was a merman who had little clue as to how your world worked.

Had it all meant nothing? Would he flip that switch inside of him and never be himself around you again? Had that been the last time you'd see his carefree smile? The smile you were starting to fall in love with?

Love? You had more important things to worry about. Like your kingdom. And also the fact that he'd turned tail and ran the moment you said 'royalty'.

Stupid, you thought, though you weren't certain if it was directed at yourself or him. Forget about seeing his true smile again, you may never see him again.

You'd finally walked back to the chateau alone in the dark after deeming Tamaki gone for good. You hadn't even bothered to tell anyone that he was gone. What were they going to do? And it wasn't like now was a great time to reveal to an entire chateau of people that the boy you'd been hanging out with for the past week had actually been a merman this entire time, but now he ran away. Oopsie.

Ever your faithful friend, Brianne still poked her head inside your bedroom, wondering where you'd gone off to. She must have noticed the slump you'd fallen into after walking in on you laying face-down on your plush bed.

"Everything alright, princess?" she asked, concern lacing her voice.

"Y-yeah." You forced yourself to sit up in the bed, already in your night dress.

"Where's that boy?" she asked you. "I haven't seen either of you for the past hour."

You bit your lip, trying to decide whether or not you should lie. "He's in his room," you finally said, internally cringing at yourself for choosing untruth. "He doesn't like crowds much, so he went to bed early. I think I will too." You staged a yawn.

"Sounds like him," Brianne remarked. "He's stayed here all week and I don't think I've heard his voice. Oh, well. I hope he'll be up for the dance tomorrow night. I think he'd like it. Have a good rest, princess."

"Thank you. You as well."

She left and shut the door behind her, leaving you alone in your room with your thoughts. A week ago, you had been used to being alone, simply anticipating the return of your father from his important business in other lands. But now you had grown used to a very particular presence, and his absence was already beginning to settle very heavily on your heart.

One difficult night later, you found yourself in the company of your father, trying to keep all conversations away from the mysterious visitor you'd been harboring in the chateau. You'd missed your father, the king, and you still listened to every story he told you of his most recent travels. But at every pause, every distraction, your mind began to slip. It danced to lands of indigo-black hair, and infinite eyes of sapphire and cobalt, of a timid, gentle voice.

Tush! You'd let yourself catch feelings. What could be a more foolish move than that? You tried to subtly grind your teeth as your father began to talk about some lord of Ospal and their herring trade. Of all the people across all the seas, it had to be the one you couldn't have. The merman who fled. The merman who was probably only interested in you because you were a human.

Obscenities that had no business floating around the head of a princess angrily danced around in your mind, only interrupted from their chaotic boogie when your dad asked if you were okay. You glanced up from the desk you'd been boring holes into with your eyes, guiltily trying to wipe the blatantly aggravated expression off your face for a more pensive one.

You were dismissed after a long lunch with the king, retreating to your study to pour over your books. Maybe that would take your mind off the boy who'd made off with your heart. Or at least, that was what you'd hoped until you glanced out your window when a flash of movement caught your eye.

This window happened to have a lovely view of your beach, sprawling out below a large black cliff face abruptly cutting downward to dark ebony sand. Your gaze had grown used to the constant motions of the sea; black brackish waters undertoned with green and crested with white foam, infinitely pushing forward and rolling back on the shore. But what your peripheral vision wasn't accustomed to was a sudden flash of shiny brilliance lifting and falling from the waves beyond the rocks.

Your eyes darted up, uncertain if they'd seen right, and if they had, what it was they'd detected. But there it was again, and another. Two unmistakable scaly tails were poking out from the water. One was a sort of light blue green, while the other was more of an indigo black, reminding you of a certain someone's hair. You had only seen the likes of these tails in drawings; art typically accompanying a fantastical story, but there they were, basking in the steadily lowering sun right outside your window.

You shot yourself up, letting your chair screech as it abruptly slid out from behind you. Clutching your thin skirt in one hand, you began to run through the halls, flying past people in other rooms as you went. You flung the back door open, slippered feet pounding on the lush grass leading down to your favorite part of the island. They finally met the sand, your chest heaving as you focused your gaze on the two figures sliding above and under the surface.

"Tamaki?!" you called, hoping he would be able to hear you.

Sure enough, a familiar head poked up, waving to you urgently and pointing to your right. You frowned, confused as to what he was trying to say before he made a show of swimming in that direction.

So he wanted you to follow. That was something you could do.

You began to pick your way down the shore, trodding through overgrown tan grass and weaving through rocks deposited and littered throughout your path. After a few minutes of constant checking that the other was there, you found yourself on a new expanse of beach; this one still as violent as the last, but certainly more devoid of the large black rocks jutting from the frigid waves. It was then that Tamaki finally began to swim towards you rather than parallel, coming as close as he dared to the sandy beach.

You kicked off your shoes and stood at the edge of the water, wincing at each lap the cold water took at your bare feet. Don't go into the ocean had been drilled into your head so thoroughly from such a young age, that even going this far tensed your muscles to run at any moment.

You frowned at how far Tamaki had to float, bobbing up and down meters away from you. Hesitantly, you took another step, letting the water rush over your ankles and fleck onto your calves.

No closer, you saw him sign, fighting to keep himself in position and his hands visible at the same time. Not safe.

Your face ticked. You knew that.

"What happened?" you called out over the sea, hoping you'd still be able to understand each other. "You just left me, Tamaki. Why?"

Hurt flashed on his face after a moment of processing your words. I'm sorry! he signed. I got scared.

"Why are you all the way over there?" you asked. "What happened to your legs? The necklace?"

Tamaki winced again. You really seemed to be hitting the worst points right on the head. I, um, lost it.

"It's gone?!" you asked, incredulous. The volume you needed to be heard over the sound of the waves wasn't helping with your tone.

Look, Tamaki signed. I have something I need to tell you. I messed up and I was being stupid last night, and I'm really really sorry for overreacting—

He jerked a bit in the water, jolting him out of the rant he had begun to go on with his hands. He glared down into the water, and it was only then that you wondered what had happened to the second tail.

"Is that what you wanted to say?" you said, making him look up at you again. "If you need to go back home—I-I understand. You were a really great friend, Tamaki. I really liked you."

Tamaki shook his head, frantically waving his hands at you to stop. That wasn't it! I just, um, well, this isn't a goodbye. I wanted you to know—I've been thinking about it for a long time—I—I'm in love with you!

You blinked. Had you interpreted that correctly? He had just used a lot of signs you weren't familiar with. "What?!"

A little cloth bag was suddenly launched out of the water, splashing next to you and drenching a side of your skirt. You bent down to pick it up, watching as Tamaki's hands moved to scold his friend.

Mirio! She doesn't like it when you throw things at her!

You pulled at a drawstring that was keeping it closed. Inside was an assortment of shells, some of which the likes you'd never seen before.

"Are these for me?" you asked, clutching the dripping bag.

Tamaki nodded. If you'll accept them. Do you, by any chance, like me back?

You squinted at his hands. "I'm having a hard time understanding you," you said. "You've only been teaching me this for a week."

Tamaki stopped short, letting his hands fall back into the water. A sense of hopelessness began to wash over him. He didn't know how much you were able to understand. The distance between you frustrated him, and at that moment he would have given anything to be back in last night, with you pulled flush into his chest. If only, if only.

He punched his fist into the water, the resulting splash flecking him with a familiar wetness. So this was it. He had been so close, but you'd never know his true feelings. He may as well take his losses and turn to go now.

"Will I ever see you again?" you called, the expression on your face only describable as deeply sad.

He wanted to say yes. He wanted to say he'd always find a way to be with you. And yet, it couldn't be. You were from two very different worlds, and even now you were struggling to talk to each other. It would be best if he took the cold approach, steeling himself to never appear on your beaches again.

Tamaki was about to shake his head, sealing his answer when he noticed the grass on the shore part for a familiar figure.

"Gabriel!" you said, startling at his sudden presence. "Where did—how long have you—?"

"Princess, get out of the water."

You heeded his calm but firm voice, glancing back at Tamaki's head before gratefully stepping out of the cold sea that had been encasing your feet.

The burly man stood next to you, crossing his arms as he studied Tamaki from afar. "A merman," he stated. "So the legends are true."

You swallowed. "Please don't tell anyone. It's supposed to be a secret."

Gabriel nodded and held out a hand. "Don't worry about it, princess. Now what's going on between you?"

Tamaki had dared to drift a little closer, ears straining to catch words he faintly remembered the meanings of.

"He's leaving now," you said, casting your eyes to the sand. "I guess this is it."

Gabriel made eye contact with Tamaki. "You sure that's what you want to do? Because I have something that might change your mind."

You blinked, confused, looking up to see Gabriel fishing something out of a pocket on the front of his burgundy shirt. A thin cord was raised from the material, followed by a curious shell securely tied to the center.

"I found this little trinket washed up on the beach this morning. I knew it looked familiar."

Tamaki caught sight of the necklace, eagerly swimming forward.

"It's yours, isn't it? It was the only thing you were wearing when you washed ashore. I believe it belongs with you."

Tamaki finally gave into the waves pushing him to shore, surging towards you and Gabriel. This was his chance, the necklace wasn't lost after all! He could tell you how he felt and you could be together!

You watched as his form took greater detail with proximity. A long fishy tail more than half the length of his human torso powerfully pumped itself through the water. Iridescent indigo scales caught the light, ever changing between black and blue. Lighter, thin blue fins flared around the tail and from behind his ears. You couldn't help but think about how absolutely beautiful he was like this, in his original form.

It was then that it really registered for you that Tamaki was a merman. You'd believed him, and the stories of his undersea home only helped you to imagine him in this way, but it wasn't until you were actually able to see him like this that it clicked for you how smitten you had grown for this mythical creature, who existed, and was your new best friend.

He pulled himself onto the sand, dragging a once graceful tail heavily onto the beach. Gabriel placed the necklace into his outstretched webbed hand, and Tamaki went to lift it over his head.

"Wait!" Gabriel said suddenly.

Tamaki froze, looking to Gabriel uncertainly.

"That thing doesn't give you any pants!" he said, causing you to burst out laughing. "You can't be like that in front of the princess!"

Tamaki sheepishly lowered the cord. He had a point.

"Wait here, I'll go find you some." Your friend turned to sprint off, leaving the two of you alone together.

"Tamaki!" You knelt down and threw your arms around him, disregarding how cold and wet his skin was. "I was starting to think I was never going to see you again!"

He patted your back with shaky hands, having gone rigid at your sudden touch.

You pushed yourself back. "Look at you! You're an actual merman! That's crazy! Can I see your tail?"

Tamaki shuffled himself a bit, pulling it most of the rest of the way out of the water. He sincerely hoped that Gabriel would be back soon, otherwise he'd be in a bit of a predicament. His gills would stay moist for only so long.

You admired his scales, glistening with seawater in the afternoon sun. "Pretty," you murmured to yourself, eyes unashamedly scanning up and down his body. You studied the various fins and scales on his tail, marveling at how seamlessly he went from man to fish at the base of his torso.

Tamaki's first instinct was to hunch in on himself and be a touch embarrassed, but he couldn't help a sense of flattery at how your eyes scooped him in with such fascinated wonder. Remembering how the mermen back home would show off, he shifted so he could stretch out his tail a bit more, trying to gently flutter his caudal fins. The effect wasn't the same as it would have been underwater, but luckily he didn't look too much like a floppy dying fish.

"Can I touch it?" you asked, making Tamaki jump and go back to hunching in his shoulders. Typically, tail touches didn't occur among simple acquaintances; usually gentle affectionate rubs among close friends, and tender handsy touches during . . . those times. Thinking about it made Tamaki's entire face turn red, even as your face remained innocently curious.

He shakily nodded. What could it hurt? You gingerly brought your fingertips down onto his scales, finding them moist and cool and smooth. He was still a bit slippery, though you could tell he was beginning to suffer from the exposure to the dry air. The sensation of your fingers on his tail was foreign to Tamaki, and he found himself not wanting you to stop. You were so gentle, so tender, little jolts of electricity found themselves running all the way up to his spine.

A sudden whistle cut through the air, making both you and Tamaki jump. The merman turned, recognizing the pitch. A blond head had poked from the waves a few meters away, bobbing up and down as close as he dared.

Holy hagfish! he signed. You two work fast. On the beach, you're going to start that?!

Tamaki tensed, honestly having forgotten that Mirio was still there. How long had he been watching you?

You weren't quite certain as to what the blond was saying, but the way Tamaki's soul left his body and, if it were possible, his face turned even more brick red told you enough that you should probably stop touching him.

As if on cue, Gabriel saved you both by running back in with a pair of trousers. "For our guest," he said as he presented them to Tamaki.

You turned as he finally slipped the necklace over his head. The pain of transforming was over far faster than it had the first time, and within seconds he was standing and pulling the brown cloth onto himself.

"(Y/N)."

You turned back to him, seeing Tamaki standing before you again as a human. "Tamaki!" You pulled him into a second hug, letting his damp hair tickle against your cheek. Finally, he hugged you back, and the sensation was so warm and so fulfilling you never wanted it to end.

As always, the moment was ruined by your audience.

Two sets of hands clapped, one from the land, and one from the sea. You cracked open your eyes to look at Mirio, who motioned a sign which you didn't know the meaning of.

You pulled yourself from Tamaki. "Can I still understand you?" you asked.

"I hope so," he said, causing you to beam at him.

"So what were you trying to say out there? I couldn't see you that well."

"Oh." Tamaki looked at his bare feet, spotting the brown cloth bag that momentarily laid forgotten on the sand. He turned to glance at Mirio, who gave him a thumbs up, then looked at Gabriel. Tamaki knelt and grabbed the bag of shells, presenting it to you again. "I'm sorry this always ends in disaster for me," he began, letting you take it from him. "I just needed to get something off my chest."

"What is it?" you asked, wondering if he'd done all this just to say he was leaving you.

"Ever since I first saw you on the beach, I-I—I've liked you, (Y/N). And then I went on this crazy adventure to get myself in a position where we could meet and I could get to know you, and all that time, I-I just couldn't help myself. I'm falling in love with you, (Y/N), and I don't care if we're some of the most different people on the planet, I still want to be with you. I'm so sorry about that stunt I pulled last night and I know I messed up. I'm no prince or anything, but—please give me a chance."

Tamaki finally let himself meet your eyes. He hadn't expected to see your touched expression, looking upon his face like he was the sweetest, most caring person in your world.

"Of course, Tamaki. I'd be honored to court you." With that, you flung your arms around his neck and partook in the kiss you'd missed out upon the night before. Tamaki melted into your lips, his slightly salty taste mingling with your sweet.

The kiss didn't last long, but it spoke volumes. You pulled apart, cheeks glowing with rouge warmth as you took a final lingering look into each other's eyes.

Loud splashing made the two of you look back to Mirio, who was giddily celebrating with his own merman cheers. Tamaki smiled at his friend, glad to have had him at his side all this time, leading him to this very moment.

"Now, I have no idea what he just said," Gabriel began, making the two of you turn back to him. "But I'll assume he confessed his feelings, and now Brianne owes me a drink."

You and Tamaki chuckled, settling into a state of complete contentment.

"Now you two lovebirds best be getting back home," Gabriel continued. "The dance starts in an hour, and I suspect neither of you want to be late."

You gasped, having forgotten the welcome party that had been planned for the evening. "Come on!" you said, taking Tamaki's hand in yours. This time, there was an extra warmth behind it, and you took an additional second to twine your fingers around his. With that, you pulled him back along the beach toward home; Gabriel in tow from behind, Mirio still frisking along parallel in the ocean.

Tamaki couldn't wipe the grin off his face if he tried. Three weeks he had. Three weeks to be human, to fall deeper in love with you. It could never be enough time, but once it was up, he wouldn't rest until he found a way to spend the rest of his life with you. He pushed the gnawing worries down deep inside, letting excitement for the night course into his system instead. You and him and the town would dance under the stars, and no matter what, he'd give you the time of your life.

✤✤✤✤✤

Just as he'd expected, his three weeks flew by in a blur. He hid nothing from you, so it was a certain understanding quickly established that one day soon, he would have to go.

Taking the opportunity nevertheless, you spent those weeks well, hanging out in the chateau or wandering around the island. Tamaki never lost his curiosity for your world, and you were eager to show him everything you knew. He started to become familiar with some of the townsfolk, and even met a few sailors at the docks when they came. Tamaki also began to grow closer with your father, explaining after a few days that he was, in fact, a merman, and that, yes, you were dating him.

He seemed open to the idea, especially once he got to know Tamaki better. The king left you alone to bond when needed, and the two of you certainly did. News spread that you had found yourself a boyfriend, and everyone on the island agreed that you were cute together. Brianne was quickly let in on the secret that he was a merman, and she finally began to warm up to Tamaki.

Those three weeks were some of the best of his life; wandering the grassy plains with you and watching the clouds one day, holing up in your study for hours the next. You found excuse after excuse to kiss him, enjoying the way it made his cheeks flare with color. Every now and then though, he'd steal one from you, delighting in how the tables turned to make you flustered as well. Anything from hand holding to hugging fired his heart into a furious beat, savoring every moment he could hold you close as his own.

But all things must come to an end, and his mental tracker finally reached the number 29. You stood with your father, Gabriel, and Brianne on that expanse of open beach, solemnly watching as he waded further into the sea. You had given him a final hug and a kiss, and he whispered a promise into your ear that he would find a way back to you, and this one would be permanent.

Tamaki's body shuddered as waves slapped at his thighs, and he suddenly began to lose his footing. His pants slid off as his legs began to merge once more into a single appendage, familiar indigo scales scattering over his surface. He swam to Mirio, who had been waiting for him, giving a final wave over their shoulders. This was only a temporary goodbye, he would make sure of that.

After readjusting to being a merman for a bit, Mirio and Tamaki made their way south to visit Nejire, ready to return the now useless necklace. One long day of swimming later, they poked their heads into a familiar cave. Had it only been a month since they'd been here last?

Mirio swam straight in, confident as ever. He loudly clicked, calling for the mermaid. She glided out from an area in the back, lighting up at the sight of them.

"Hey, it's you guys!" Nejire pulled the boys into the back room, delightedly listening to Tamaki tell her everything she wanted to know about the human world.

Both she and Mirio fired off questions, nearly overwhelming him at some points. Eventually, they were satisfied, and Tamaki opened his bag to present the necklace back to its rightful owner.

"Sure sounds like you had fun!" Nejire signed, taking the necklace and putting it on a shelf behind her for safekeeping. "I'm definitely going to try it out sometime! I'm not sure if I'll go to that island. Maybe the mainland. Do you think I'd meet someone cute like you did? That would be so tragically romantic. I belong in the sea, though, isn't that right, Amajiki?"

"Actually," he began, "I was wondering if you had another option, something more permanent."

She stared at his stilled hands, then looked back at his face. "So that's what you want to do? Be human forever?"

Tamaki nodded. "I don't think I'll miss the ocean too much. I may not see Mirio every day, but we can still always talk every now and then. (Y/N) said that some of her other islands have calmer beaches that would be better for visiting with him."

Mirio nodded. It had taken him some time, but eventually he had grown to accept the fact that Tamaki preferred to be on land with you.

"You want to be human . . . ." Nejire mused, tapping against her lip for a moment.

"Is it possible? Can I do it?" Tamaki studied her face, allowing himself to hope it could be this simple. He had already accepted it was likely it wouldn't be, and he was more than prepared to journey through the merpeople empires around the world to find someone who could help him. But Nejire was a start, and it never hurt to ask.

Nejire's slightly pointed teeth made an appearance as she began to chew at her lip. "My mother . . . she was the last sea witch before me. She may be able to help you. She retired earlier this year and gave the shop to me, but I can go fetch her for you if you'd like."

Tamaki nodded vigorously and waited as she swam off. An hour later, she came back with a second mermaid in tow. She looked strikingly similar to her daughter, her hair just a few shades lighter. Tamaki assisted in explaining his situation to her, and she agreed to help.

"Normally I wouldn't want to be involved in breaking the laws," she said, "but it's their own fault for not enforcing them. I'll help you, little merman. You seem passionate about this human girl. I'll make you a brew, but just understand you won't be able to come back to the ocean."

"I know." Even if everything fell through with you, which Tamaki was certain it wouldn't, he was deeply intrigued with exploring the land and sea, witnessing the sights the earth had to offer.

"But mother," Nejire said, "don't potions have a tendency to not last long? I mean, once they go through one's system—"

"That's only for the amateurs." Nejire's mother grinned. "I know how to give lasting effects. Come along, there's much to be done!"

✤✤✤✤✤

You gazed out at the sea from your window, thinking about Tamaki. You were prepared to wait weeks—months even for his return, but even so you couldn't help but miss his presence. Your father kept you busy with your duties, yet every chance it got, your mind found itself wandering back to the timid mer-boy.

You hummed to yourself contentedly, glancing back down at your notes. You so happened to be studying some of the Greek legends; illustrations of gods and monsters decorating the margins of the page. You couldn't help but wonder if all of them were true, since you'd now met a merman for yourself.

Eventually you were able to settle back into your work, the distant sound of the ocean occasionally breezing into your ears as your pen scratched at your parchment. The story you were reading was interesting, so much so that you didn't hear your door creak open behind you, nor did you pick up on the footsteps that snuck up from over your shoulder.

A pair of pale, somewhat lanky arms gently wrapped around your shoulders. You jumped and spun, meeting two indigo blue eyes with your own (E/C). Raven hair fell over his nose and a small smile graced his handsome face. The face of the man you adored. The face of the man who would be yours forever.

"Hey, princess," he said. "I'm back."

...

The End.

くコ:彡くコ:彡くコ:彡くコ:彡

Taglist:

@bnhavibes @engel-hageshii @inumorph @good-so @krissy189 @milkteeboba @pansexual-potterhead @selfship-mishaps @ure-a-sunflower @xeina @kingtamakimurder @basicaegyo @iiminibattlehero @pyrofanatic @sokkasangel @xoxopam4

#tamaki #amajiki #tamaki amajiki #mermaki #tamaki bnha #tamaki amajiki bnha #tamaki mha #tamaki amajiki mha #tamaki x reader #tamaki amajiki x reader #bnha x reader #mha x reader #reader insert #deepbluefantasy #sugar fics

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aion-rsa · 4 years ago

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The Mandalorian Season 2: Boba Fett’s Return Explained

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This Star Wars article contains spoilers.

From the very beginning, Boba Fett has inspired The Mandalorian. Showrunner Jon Favreau’s “toy box” approach pitched protagonist Din Djarin as a Boba Fett-like figure, and although the two are quite different in terms of personality and history, the iconic silhouette of the space western gunslinger is very similar.

But now Boba Fett himself is back in The Mandalorian season 2, played by none other than Temuera Morrison in a very brief cameo. At the very end of the season 2 premiere “The Marshall,” we find Boba watching from a hill as Mando rides off with his old armor, a scowl on the old Mandalorian’s face that would silence a krayt dragon. With all the Mandalorian history and bounty hunting on the show, it was only a matter of time before we finally got to see Boba in the flesh!

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While new Star Wars fans may not be as familiar with Boba Fett, fans who’ve spent hours rewatching the Original Trilogy of movies likely let out a shriek when Morrison hit the screen on the live-action series. The helmeted bounty hunter first appeared in the Star Wars Holiday Special in animated form, but more famously in The Empire Strikes Back as a mysterious figure able to talk back to Darth Vader without consequences. Although he’s barely on screen and speaks very few lines in Empire and Return of the Jedi, his iconic look and intimidating swagger have made him one of the most popular characters in the saga. Most Star Wars fans will recognize his iconic T-visored Mandalorian helmet, jetpack, and gauntlets that can shoot either missiles or ropes for capturing bounties alive. His entire storyline in the Original Trilogy involved hunting down Han Solo for Jabba the Hutt, and he’d fit right in The Mandalorian’s Bounty Hunter’s Guild.

Morrison isn’t the original actor to play Boba Fett: that’s Jeremy Bulloch, who wore the helmet in the Original Trilogy. Other people helped bring the character to life, too. John Morton filled in as body double for Bulloch and Jason Wingreen provided the voice. But Morrison played Jango Fett in Attack of the Clones and is, therefore, the live-action face for all of Jango’s clones, including Boba. This is also why George Lucas later dubbed Morrison’s voice over Wingreen’s performance for the DVD release of the Original Trilogy in 2004.

Unsurprisingly, Boba Fett’s return has sparked a lot of talk among fans, who will likely spend the entire season theorizing how the bounty hunter was able to escape his fate in Return of the Jedi and what his arrival might mean for The Mandalorian. Let’s discuss…

Why Is Boba Fett Returning in The Mandalorian?

Disney has already tried to bring Boba Fett back to live-action twice since it purchased Lucasfilm and the rights to Star Wars in 2012. In 2015, Fantastic Four director Josh Trank was attached to direct a Boba Fett movie that was originally going to be announced as a third Star Wars Story standalone movie, along with Rogue One and Solo. According to an interview with Polygon, Trank “quit because I knew I was going to be fired if I didn’t quit” after Fantastic Four‘s dismal performance and the well-known behind-the-scenes drama during production.

The Boba Fett project was revived in 2018, with Logan director James Mangold set to helm the movie, but this second attempt was also shelved after Solo‘s tepid turn at the box office that same year. Simon Kinberg, Rebels producer and Dark Phoenix director, would have co-written the movie.

In 2020, The Mandalorian provides perhaps the best re-entry point for Boba Fett. Not only does it star a main character with a similar occupation and a taste for carbonite, but it delves deeper into Mandalorian culture as well as what happened to places like Tatooine after the fall of the Empire. Even though Boba Fett isn’t Mandalorian by blood, the fate of Mandalore could still affect him personally, especially since his father was a member of that culture, even if Jango was treated like an outcast by the planet’s pacifist government. Would Fett still be an ally of the Empire after what they did to his father’s people?

The show first teased the return of Boba Fett in the season 1 episode “The Gunslinger.” That episode ends with a mysterious figure inspecting the body of Din Djarin’s latest target on Tatooine. When does this moment take place with respect to Fett’s timeline? Has he just escaped the sarlacc or has he spent the years since Return of the Jedi as a hermit in the desert? Has he been following Din’s tracks all along? The cameo seems to confirm Boba’s hermit status, as we see him wearing black robes and carrying a rifle as his own protection. (He very likely wants his armor back.)

But has he also been tracking Mando? When it comes to a bounty as big as the one on Din and Baby Yoda‘s heads in season 1, there’s no doubt that the greatest bounty hunter in the galaxy would have heard about it. And if the underworld has forgotten him after he was swallowed whole by the sarlacc, what better way to reclaim his reputation than by collecting the bounty no one else could?

That’s not to say that the bounty hunter has definitely returned as a villain. For one thing, this could just be a cameo or perhaps the very start of an arc that will see Boba following our heroes around, waiting for the right moment to reveal himself.

However Fett’s story plays out, it could set up future adventures for the character, just like the ones he had before Disney erased the classic Legends continuity from canon.

How Did Boba Fett Survive the Sarlacc Pit?

Fett’s death in Return of the Jedi wasn’t the end for the bounty hunter in the pre-Disney Legends continuity. In fact, he lived a long life that stretched decades beyond the events of the Original Trilogy. But how did he survive a fate as gruesome as being slowly digested over a thousand years inside of the sarlacc?

Fans learned in the classic Dark Horse comic series Dark Empire by Tom Veitch and Cam Kennedy that Fett’s armor allowed him to survive inside the sarlacc and fight his way out, blowing up the creature in the process (a move very similar to how Mando escaped the belly of the krayt dragon in “The Marshall”). The novel The Mandalorian Armor by K.W. Jeter further explained that it was rival bounty hunter Dengar who found Boba Fett half-dead in the desert and nursed him back to health.

From that point on, Fett became a regular character in the Legends Expanded Universe, featuring in many bounty-hunter focused books. He also made a brief cameo in the 19-book New Jedi Order series and appeared in the Jedi-focused Legacy of the Force and Fate of the Jedi books. In fact, Fett lived on until the very end of the Legends timeline, completely defying the odds after his initial demise in Return of the Jedi.

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Boba Fett eventually became the leader of the Mandalorians, which had a sprawling culture and even their own official language in Legends. Fett had a family and his granddaughter ended up assisting in the training of Jaina Solo, Han and Leia’s daughter.

As in the Sequel Trilogy, Legends included the continuation of the Skywalker-Solo clan, and, while Fett mostly kept to himself as the leader of a third faction sometimes opposed and sometimes allied with the Republic, he was involved with incorporating Mandalorian fighting into Jaina’s Jedi training. He also became a formal ally of the Jedi in the war against Jaina’s brother, Jacen Solo/Darth Caedus, in Legacy of the Force.

Will the Disney canon do something similar with Boba Fett’s post-Return of the Jedi story? We don’t know what the studio might have in mind for Fett, or whether he will eventually turn into a more sympathetic anti-hero character, but it wouldn’t be surprising if some elements from his Legends storyline were brought into the new canon. That’s exactly what Disney did with Grand Admiral Thrawn, another character whose Legends story was pieced together in a new way in the canon animated series Rebels.

How Boba Fett Might Connect to Baby Yoda

Boba, as we all know, isn’t a traditional Mandalorian — he’s a clone. He wasn’t born on Mandalore, he wasn’t connected to a traditional cultural/religious covert like Din Djarin in The Mandalorian, and his father Jango, a killer willing to sell his clones to the Republic, doesn’t exactly seem like a traditionalist in the vein of the Armorer or Mandalorian leader Bo-Katan Kryze.

There’s certainly some kind of cloning plot being woven into The Mandalorian. In season 1, Ugnaught hero Kuill suggested that Baby Yoda could be a “strand-cast,” a type of bio-engineered clone that Emperor Palpatine hoped to use as the perfect vessel for his spirit after his original body was destroyed in the Battle of Endor. We know that Dr. Pershing, an Imperial scientist, wanted to experiment on the Child before Din decided to rescue him. Was Baby Yoda part of the Emperor’s plan to find a new vessel or a clone of Master Yoda the Emperor planned to turn to the dark side?

Or is Baby Yoda the result of a separate strand-cast experiment that worked where so many of the Sith’s failed? If this is the case, the Empire would undoubtedly want to see how the Child not only survived the cloning process but also became powerful in the Force. As we learn in The Rise of Skywalker, the Emperor’s own clones were all massive disappointments on that front.

What if Boba Fett is hunting Baby Yoda for what’s left of the Empire? Would they feel any sort of affinity toward each other if they’re both clones, or would Boba Fett be the cold-hearted killer to Din Djarin’s heartfelt foundling? The potential clone connection could make for a captivating storyline in season 2.

Fans certainly have had a lot of time to come up with opinions, headcanon, and theories about the bounty hunter. Fett speaks sparingly and radiates intimidation, even if his most famous role features him falling into a large pit. Attack of the Clones and The Clone Wars added to Fett’s backstory and showed him learning the ropes of the bounty hunting trade. All that could be paid off in The Mandalorian, depending on how the show incorporates Morrison now that he’s made his return.

The Star Wars franchise has been in a rather uncertain place since the Disney purchase, with movies doing well at the box office but cultural cache falling. The Mandalorian is one of the most unquestionably successful and high-quality parts of the franchise right now, so it’s a good business decision to bring a very popular character to the show. We’ll see what that means for the story.

The Mandalorian season 2 airs Fridays at 12:01 pm PT/3:01 am ET on Disney+.

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idonthaveanaccent · 5 years ago

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Just a little rambling and then a few bands I really like and you should totally check out, so expand it if you wanna see them :)

I know this isn’t a normal update, I just have to talk about this with someone.

Music is a vital part of everyday life for me. Everything I do has a backtrack. If I’m not watching a show in my room, I have to have music playing. When I write I have headphones in, blasting music, like right now. To go to sleep and sleep easily I have to play music, ever since I was young I’ve done it. I can’t remember not falling asleep without music playing. Music even helps inspire what I write.

Point is, I love music.

However, I am extremely uncomfortable with sharing my music. My freshman year I was made fun of the type of music I listen to, which has evolved a bit in the 3-4 years since that time, however it hasn’t ventured too far.

When I was eleven my parents gave me a windows phone with no sim card, but it had a music app. They downloaded a bunch of child friendly songs and it was the first time I could control what I listened to. Before I had an old MP3 which was filled with Disney songs, Anamaniacs tunes, and ABBA’s Golden Hits. I can sing all them by heart, dances are a fun time for me. Now, I could look up songs.

My best friend was into the alternative scene as her sister is six years older than us and as such had a more ‘adult’ music sense. She introduced me to the classic bands, Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance, Panic! At the Disco, etc. I loved their music, we’d listen to it on the bus to middle school. However, as time went on, I began expanding my music taste. I got into My Three Days Grace, Shinedown, and other similar bands. Then, Freshman year came.

I remember the moment clear as day. I was working on my photography notebook the week before finals like the dumbass I was am, with Pandora open and listening to one of the many radios. Then, a song came on. It was by a band I hadn’t heard of before. It was called Bad Company, and the band was called Five Finger Death Punch. Now, little fourteen year old me was a little shocked by the name but the song wasn’t unlike anything I’d heard before. I decided I liked that song and favorited it.

A little while later more of their songs began popping up, but they were a little different. Heavier. Angrier. And I loved it. I don’t know what it was about the gruff vocals or pounding drum beats or glorious guitar solos, but I was hooked. I then moved onto Spotify and listened to their albums, headbanging all the way. This was my first experience with Metal, and you better believe I was a fan.

As time went on I explored more bands. Alesana, Asking Alexandria, Crown the Empire, A Day to Remember, Halestorm, Ghost, etc. I tried showing people my favorite bands but they made fun of my music taste, mimicking their screams whenever I looked up. It was disheartening, and I never wanted to share it again. Not until I knew they were okay with it. I had people tell me they were scared of that music, and asked me to never play it in front of them. You can see how that would make me never want to tell anyone about it, right? Well, I kept it to myself, electing to share music with only a few people, one being my friend. She always jokes about how she showed me Fall Out Boy and all them and then lost me along the way.

During Junior year I discovered even more bands, including one of my favorites, Ice Nine Kills. Amazing band, you should definitely check them out, but the advertising comes later. My music taste also diversified a little and I began listening to softer bands, like grandson and The Ghost Club.

Now, to the main show. My recent music taste.

It all began with one Instagram video. A meme video that really isn’t all that funny. I was actually just looking through what I saved and it happened to be in a really small folder, so I clicked it. Here is the exact video

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by positive memes (@positive_and_negative_memes) on Feb 23, 2019 at 6:14pm PST

So I was interested the song and band and decided to look them up. What I found was simply...amazing.

Okay, here comes the advertising of my favorite bands :)

I. Gloryhammer

The first Power Metal band I discovered and still my favorite. Here’s how Gloryhammer describes themselves:

“And lo, Planet Earth had been destroyed by the Hootsman, with an explosion so powerful it ripped a hole in the very fabric of spacetime. And yet, Zargothrax was still not defeated, for he managed to use his last shreds of power to escape through the dimensional rift. Vowing to defeat the evil sorcerer, Angus McFife XIII followed him into the portal, with no idea where it might lead…“

That may seem confusing, and it is, but trust me, when I tell you a bit more, it will all make sense.

So Gloryhammer is one of the best bands I have ever heard before. Their concept is absolute gold and is the only of its kind I’ve seen before. Basically, every single one of their songs tells a story of the Land of Fife. The Lead singer (Thomas Winkler) is Prince Angus McFife (the 1st and 13th), keyboard/backing vocals (Christopher Bowes) is the Evil Sorcerer Zargothrax, guitar/backing vocals (Paul Templing) is Sir Proletiues, leader of the warriors of Crail, drums (Ben Turk) is the Ancient Hermit Ralathor, and last but never least is bass/backing vocals (James Cartwright), the Mighty Hootsman!

Each album follows a part in the epic saga, with three in total. The first album tells the story of the original Angus McFife the I whereas the next two follow his ancestor, Anguc McFife XIII. I don't want to give too much spoilers but let's just say that all three are filled with so much creativity and twists that it’s like listening to a movie! I cant even express how if you are looking for something to listen to that has dragons, goblin kings, evil sorcerers, hammers, and space, then this is the band for you!

I am going to put one song by them down because you can only have five and I’m big mad about it.

Gloryhammer - Legends from Beyond the Galactic Terrorvortex

youtube

So yeah, that’s band numero uno!

II. Sabaton

What is there to say about Sabaton that hasn’t already been said...

Unlike Gloryhammer, Sabaton is older, formed in the nineties. Here’s what they say about themselves on their website:

“In the nearly two decades since their launch, Swedish metallers Sabaton have carved out a reputation as one of the hardest working bands in the business – gaining a legion of loyal fans across the globe, delivering eight highly-rated studio albums (including two certified platinum-sellers), and scoring multiple industry award wins and nominations… not to mention launching their own annual festival and cruise.

Combining soaring power riffs with vocalist Joakim Brodén’s instantly-recognisable gruff baritone, the band refuses to be simply slotted into a genre. Fans need only know them as Sabaton: the heavy metal band that sings of real life wars and the people who played a part in them – of gruelling campaigns and dazzling acts of bravery, of magnificent victories and touching personal struggles – true stories more fantastic than any fiction,”

Sabaton is, as they stated, a band dedicated to sharing stories of true battles throughout history. On their website they even have a whole calendar dedicated to historic events, so you can see what happened in history on whatever day you’d like!

As a huge history geek, this band is amazing. I would watch the World War documentary series before I went to bed in middle school because I thought all of that stuff was so interesting. If I didn’t love writing and English as much as I do then I’d go into a career where history was involved. They were actually a part of my Spotify Wrapped this year where I explored 27 of their songs, listened to six of their albums, and spent over 39 hours listening to just them this year.

Unlike what I did before, I am just going to showcase three of my favorite songs by them because they have way too many albums and I’m sad to say I didn’t listen to all of them.

The Lost Battalion - The Last Stand

youtube

Now, onto the third band and a good one too!

III. Powerwolf

I’m not a religious person, I grew up being taught all that stuff but I consider myself to be more agnostic rather than Christian or any of that stuff. But, if there’s one religious thing I don’t mind bumping its the Priests of Metal, Powerwolf! Here's what they have to say about themselves:

“After spilling gallons of blood and fighting tirelessly, after only two albums with Napalm Powerwolf shot straight to the pole position of the official German album charts (and another album made it into the top three!). After selling out venue after venue and thrilling bigger and bigger hordes of fans, the time is right for a new chapter: The Sacrament Of Sin which offers eleven metal psalms forged for all eternity!

Powerwolf entered Fascination Street Studios in Örebrö, Sweden starting in January 2018 to work on their seventh manifesto together with renowned producer Jens Bogren (Opeth, Arch Enemy, Amon Amarth). The result is brimming with the Germans` trademark sound, and yet the band have recorded their boldest and most adventurous album to date! ‘Where the wild wolves have gone‘ even marks the first ballad in Powerwolf history – whereas ‘Nightside of Siberia‘ does the exact opposite and turns out to be one of the heaviest tunes the fivepiece have ever written. ‘Incense And Iron‘ simply MUST be part of every future setlist with its folky nature and anthemic catchiness; and epic single ‘Fire & Forgive‘ brilliantly melts infectious melodies into timeless, heavy shredding. The Sacrament Of Sin overwhelms both with sophisticated songwriting and sheer aggression – and proves once more why Powerwolf are the one and only true high priests of heavy metal!,”

The band is made up of vocalist Karsten Brill as "Attila Dorn", lead guitarist Benjamin Buss as "Matthew Greywolf", bassist/rhythm guitarist David Vogt as "Charles Greywolf", keyboardist Christian Jost as "Falk Maria Schlegel" and drummer Roel van Helden.

They’re really awesome and here’s my favorite song by them.

Army of the Night - Blessed and Possessed

youtube

Now onto the fourth band ;)...

IV. Brothers of Metal

Oh boy, if you thought the bands might’ve mellowed out a little then you are sorely unprepared for this glorious group...

When I was younger I was one of those Percy Jackson kids, but my love for mythology started long before I read one of those books. As I grew older I expanded my knowledge, moving away from Greek and Roman and into Norse and other mythologies. You can imagine my joy when I found Brothers of Metal. They have no Wikipedia or website so here’s what Spotify says about them:

“BROTHERS OF METAL consist of eight powerful Viking warriors that originates from the glorious kingdom of Falun, far up in the north. Falun is a mighty town that lies within the dark iron woods where only true metal warriors reside. BROTHERS OF METAL are known to most as the strongest metal band in the nine realms.

Before time, our eight warriors would travel through the realms and protect the good folk against evil. It was one of those nights that the legacy of metal was born. They came home from some pretty intense giant slaying and felt the common urge for mead and entertainment. The mead was generously flowing from the teats of Heidrun, but the music was really bad. The warriors took what instruments they could find and started playing, thus they wrote their first song Son of Odin, creating a tribute hymn to the strongest god they knew.

The mortals of the kingdom was so impressed with the music that they couldn't get enough, our warriors looked at each other and so a band was formed. Together they swor an oath to keep the flames of true metal burning and to continue to play until the earthlings had worthy entertainment of their own, it's yet to come,”

They haven’t released a ton of music when compared to the bands I listed before them, but they are absolutely amazing! All their music videos make me chuckle and when I watch Q&A’s they’ve posted they feel so down to earth that a person whos probably a decade younger than them if not less/more can relate to them. All their music has to do with Norse Mythology, but here’s my favorite music video yet:

The Mead Song - Prophecy of Ragnarök

youtube

And yeah, that’s it!

I hope you all weren't too bored and I hope you at least somewhat enjoyed this. It feels good to talk about my favorite bands. I’d love to put more videos in but Tumblr won’t let you so I guess we’re stuck with only one per band. I planned on doing three each but I guess that’s dead in the water.

Oh well.

If you like any of this music/band honestly just reach out and talk to me, I love chatting about music. I don’t know a ton about the logistics or anything like that but we can share bands or songs or whatever. I sound really lonely which is true but please don’t feel shy.

See you all later!

-Paige

#music #metal #power metal #gloryhammer #sabaton #powerwolf #brothers of metal #the last battalion sabaton #army of the night powerwolf #gloryhammer gloryhammer #the mead song brothers of metal #rambling

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randomlyrambling · 7 years ago

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The Last Jedi. Review.

Star Wars ep. Vlll: The Last Jedi, directed by Rian Johnson, tells the eighth part of the never ending saga about the Skywalker family and their drama constantly tearing apart the galaxy. Even though the story focuses on the development of a completely fresh plot involving the “couple crush with daddy issues” Ben Solo and Rey; the “queer baited pilot pals” Poe Dameron and Finn; the “totally missed the point of being part of the rebellion and does not understand the importance of sacrifice” Rose Tico (wich, by the way, is a character who´s role forces audience to remember “hey, she's inclusive” and serves in absolutely nothing to the main story); the renewed Boba Fett nowadays known as Captain Phasma; the “theories ruined my arc and purpose as a villain” Supreme Leader Snoke and finally, the “they made look ridiculous and dumb” General Hux.

Therefore, the real reason die hard Star Wars fans keep on swallowing what Disney has to offer, is the fact that the Original Trilogy characters are still taking part on the new movies. But not as they should be.

Sadly, good old Luke, the sassiest smuggler on the galaxy Han Solo and the unbreakable General Leia Organa, are just far away from what they used to be 40 years ago, putting down every soul who has been inspired by Luke´s hope, Leia's strength and Han’s leadership. I, personally, feel like Lucas let down every one of us.

Reading over and over the amazing Expanded Universe which had been built by the hands and hearts of remarkably talented writers and storytellers, I realised the new Star Wars is no longer based on historical references, shakespearean dilemmas and has not even a little respect for the greatness of legendary villains nor iconic heroes.

I have to admit, sitting there at the movie theater with the Star Wars Theme resounding in my heart and giving me chills, actually made me cry, and I even cried during almost the whole movie, but then, at home, analysing the episode, all I felt was disappointment.

Honestly, getting rid of our dearest once called leading roles, is insulting and unacceptable. Turning the New Hope into a vituperative, coward hermit who abandons his family because of fear and turns his back to the whole galaxy due to shame and guilt, has no forgiveness. Mark Hamill stands on his word and shouts with pain that Disney´s Luke Skywalker, is no longer the Luke he knew back in the seventies.

Fulfilling the first battle with both, several deaths and forced childish humor;spending budget and time on screen in a side-story that leads to nowhere, instead of showing more about characters with back stories that would have been great to know; introducing the so called Porgs just to sell toys for little kids and erasing from the script the ancient phrase used to express the feeling of something bad about to happen… There is no excuse for that.

Despite the fact that old characters were managed poorly, we got to see the progression in Kylo and Rey´s relationship through the Force; and the last battle resembling the Hoth Battle from 1980's ”Empire Strikes Back” was sincerely fantastic . Redemption at its finest.

As well as visual effects and sound mixing, which totally deserved the four Academy Award nominations. Winning none of them, unhappily.

New fans may find it entertaining and accurate, I highly recommend it to the ones who search for adventure and action, and even to those fans who feel sick of the prequels and want something new and refreshing in the saga. Yet, most of the fan base might be feeling like something broke inside of them since the movie came out last december.

For now, all we have left is to bank on in next episodes hoping Disney redeems itself and gives us a decent ending to the Star Wars we´ve been worshiping for the last 40 years.

#star wars #the last jedi #review #movie review #critic #queer baiting #reylo #han solo #luke skywalker #general leia #leia #han x leia #star wars review #hoth battle #the empire strikes back #original trilogy

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svetliysudarworkshop · 5 years ago

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Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi

Each costume is a Story…a story that tells about Who wears it. Recreating them, we try not to miss the slightest detail. Today let’s fly to a galaxy far, far away… to the 8th chapter of the Star Wars saga…to tell you about the legendary Luke Skywalker.

“Fulfilling Master Yoda’s last will, Skywalker has begun training the new generation of Jedi, passing on to them all that he learned during his own training. He had several beginner Jedi in training, including his own nephew Ben, son of Organa and Solo. Ben’s parents knew about his craving for the dark side of the Force and were afraid that he was too much like his grandfather, so they sent him for training to Skywalker, hoping to rectify the situation. However, Solo the Younger was nevertheless subject to the corrupting influence of Snoke, who controlled the Dark Force and led the First Order, being its Supreme Leader and believing that a new generation of Jedi would be able to destroy the war machine reborn from the ashes of the Empire. Ben took the name Kylo Ren, killed all the new Jedi, destroying everything that Skywalker built and all his work in training them. Feeling responsible for what had happened, Luke disappeared without a trace, leaving for exile. No one knew exactly where Luke was headed, but those closest to him believed that he had gone in search of the First Jedi Temple. In the end, the hermit Jedi found himself on the water planet Ahch-To, where he remained in austerity.”

From space, Ahch-To appeared to be a world of nothing but deep blue oceans orbiting twin stars. Dotting the oceans, however, were rocky island archipelagos covered with green trees and grass. …A stone world, scattered with sharp rocks; mountains, stairs engraved in bare stone, cliffs, stacks, fjords and stone walls to be climbed. Sharp wind, saltiness, harsh weather, biting cold, sand, dust, mud and persistent rain…

Ahch-To – Star Wars Places

All these elements paid a crucial role on the choice for Luke Skywalker costumes.

In the official movie guides, where all the sketches are collected, the costume designers stated they designed Luke’s clothes as working outfit.

First of all, in order to not impede Mark Hamill while climbing the steep stairs of the Skelig-Michael Monastery, they decided to equip him with short and practical vests, very different from the long, uncomfortable Jedi robes.

Secondly, Luke’s clothes were supposed to personify his solitary life on the island, keeping traces of all his adventures: climbing mountains, jumping from one side of the fjord to the other, milking thala-sirens, fishing, hunting…

All these factors determined not only the choice of clothing style, but also the choice of materials, methods of aging, impregnation and dyeing.

Costume designers had to use:

heavy cotton fabrics soaked in oil or wax to ensure water resistance;

thick woolen fabrics of coarse hand knitting;

oil-soaked skin;

and even a tree aged by the sea.

Luke’s costume was definitely inspired by the fishing clothes worn by Norwegian and Icelandic men and women from the Viking era until the 1930s.

Such clothes were made mainly from the hides of various animals (horses, cows or sheep). The hides were prepared by rubbing cod liver oil in them. Then they were soaked in fish oil from time to time so that they remained soft, supple and waterproof. Warm woolen clothes were usually worn under them, since the main fishing season was in winter and spring.

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But lets go back to Luke … The most noticeable and characteristic item of his clothes in this episode, of course, is an aged and worn leather jacket. Costume makers from Star Wars called him the “poncho.” Luke wears it over a warm, hand-knitted wool sweater.

In accordance with the mythology of the film, the poncho was sewn by the Caretakers, aliens belonging to the Lanai race.

Lanais were an avian sentient species who lived on temple island on the ocean planet of Ahch-To for thousands of years. The females of the species took on the role of Caretakers and attended to the ancient structures on the sacred island, while the males were known as the Visitors.

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Centuries later, the Visitors still continued to assist the Jedi in hard work, such as fishing and hunting. While the Caretakers are cleaning, making clothes and cooking for the Jedi.

The Caretakers probably used pieces of the hides of a sea creature as the main material (this can be guessed by looking at some illustrations from the official artbook). Some parts of the jacket really look a bit like the skin of marine mammals.

When we just started working with this jacket and faced with the question of choosing a leather, we were going to pick up “ready-made” leather for factory dyeing and then work on aging.

But the longer we searched, the more we became convinced that we were unlikely to find something similar.

At first glance, it seems that any of these samples could be used… But in fact, the material had to satisfy a fairly large number of criteria:

be thin enough, but durable at the same time;

have good elasticity and drape well;

the coloring of the outer and inner sides should be approximately the same (a bright inner side is not permissible, since the cape is unlined);

the front side should have a slight sheen.

And this is not to mention the fact that you need to get into the right color…

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And there was a slight technical complication: our customer’s growth (195 cm) was very different from Mark (175 cm). And this, given the features of the patterns, did not allow us to consider sheepskin as a material (the length of the hides would simply not be enough for some details).

So in the end we had to make a non-standard decision. We chose the undyeing cowhide…in the hope of dyeing it the way we need.

So, no matter how we tried to avoid this, we had to repeat the technology that Star Wars costume makers used.

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Honestly, we did it for the first time…so we decided to start with experiments… We mixed paints in different proportions and painted the probes for 5 hours in order to finally get the most suitable recipe.

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The dyeing process itself took us a little more than 4 hours. Already cut parts were painted on both sides. Moreover, each side had its own individual composition. When wet, the colors were mixed and as a result the same spots formed that we can see on the original jacket.

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And since we decided to repeat the technology from the movie, we had to process parts from the outside with synthetic oil, and some (for example, a collar) even inside to create a worn effect.

As for the cut of the jacket, the designers as always were inspired by elements of Japanese costumes (in this case, “kimono”), paying tribute to the traditions of the saga, but slightly modifying them to their plans.

The jackert is just below the knees; double-breasted, both sides are asymmetrical. The collar is quite wide. A characteristic feature of this cape is the wide 3/4 bat sleeves. Each part of the jacket is sewn from several pieces with a simple stitch. The allowances are left in the inside, where they are turned, glued and pressed to the inside of the leather, in order to obtaining flat finishing.

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The patches create the feeling that the jacket is quite old and has been repaired several times. We found three patches: below on the front part, on the inside of the collar and on the shoulder. Silk fabric was chosen for the patch on the shoulder.

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Working with this project from scratch took us about 80 hours, not counting the time of choosing the leather. Due to the urgency of the order, all these 80 hours went almost in a row… Something (for example, a collar that turned out to be too tight and draped poorly) had to be redone. After the main assembly, we several times added the dyes, aged jacket and soaked in oil. It was a whole new experience for us! But in the end…we made a thing that can tell its own story…

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Special thanks to our customer – Luca Bergamaschi – for help in finding references and additional materials. Without your support, this project would not have been a success! May the force be with you…

P.S. If you liked our story – share it, like it or leave a comment – so we can see that you are interested. And we will try to write articles more often and better 🙂

Alex & Anastasia Svetliy Sudar Leather Arts Workshop

Star Wars, its characters, costumes, and all associated items are the intellectual property of Lucasfilm. © & ™ Lucasfilm Ltd. & © Disney

Luke Skywalker Leather Jacket Replica (Star Wars: The Last Jedi) Each costume is a Story...a story that tells about Who wears it. Recreating them, we try not to miss the slightest detail.

#cosplay #disney #fantasy costume #geek #Last Jedi #leather #leather craft #leather goods #leather jacket #lucas #lucasfilm #Luke Skywalker #rise of skywalker #Skywalker #star wars #starwars #wip

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petelanemoviereviews-blog1 · 7 years ago

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Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi (2017) Review- Part 2: Addressing Spoilers, Complaints, and My Opinions on a Few Things

Note: After having some time to think it over, The Last Jedi was not as good as I thought. Before I say what I’m about to say, I still enjoyed the movie, was overall satisfied, and my expectations were virtually met. Still, now that I’ve thought about it this my third least favorite movie of the saga after Attack of the Clones and The Phantom Menace. Again, as hardcore Star Wars, I enjoy all of the films despite their flaws. This one is heavily flawed but was still a good movie in my mind. This second part will also defend some of the aspects people have problems with. Again, SPOILERS!!!!!!!!!!!!! Let’s address the elephant in the room and get this out of the way. Yes, Luke is a very different character from the original trilogy and dun dun dun…he dies. Apparently, a lot of people didn’t see it coming or didn’t want it to happen. I did and that was before I read the spoilers before seeing the movie. Hamill himself wasn’t happy with the direction Rian Johnson went with his character. To be honest, on the surface, it seems like a far cry from the expanded universe (now called Legends) where he DOES successfully restart the Jedi Order, has a wife and kid, goes on many awesome adventures, and does a lot more cool stuff which are too many to mention. In this new Disney canon, he’s a washed-up hermit living alone waiting to die because he failed Ben Solo from turning to the Dark Side. The last shot of TFA shows Rey about to hand him his father’s lightsaber. For two years we speculated how he would react and when that moment comes, he tosses it over his shoulder without a second thought. To me that was absolutely hilarious. Despite his redemption in the end, his arc is still depressing. In the original trilogy, while he was a bit whiny, we still rooted for him. At the end of Return of the Jedi, there was hope that he’d have a bright future after all the stuff he’d gone through. Now, that’s not the case. While it is sad, I feel that Disney and Johnson did a decent enough job making it work. In the beginning, he’s lost and destitute. A lot of people aren’t willing to accept that. A lot of complaint has been that it was out of character for Luke to try and kill Ben/Kylo. Perhaps he was acting on his emotions rather than logic which has been an element throughout the saga. It showed that there was a dark side of Luke that we hadn’t seen. That’s partly why he is in this film. At the end, he’s himself again having made peace with his sister in a very touching scene and dies while the two suns of Ahch-To set, paralleling that iconic scene in the first film. I loved the heck out of that shot and it gave me a similar feeling. It was beautiful. Could his characterization this film have been better? Of course! But there’s still a reason for his death. This whole new trilogy is about passing on the legacy to a new generation. Snoke’s Death and Kylo’s Allegiance; Now this was one of the really shocking moments in the movie for me. We all thought he’d have a bigger presence. We knew he’d get a lightsaber to the gut or head at some point, just not this early. This is one of the aspects of the film I’m on the fence about. On one hand, it works, on the other, it doesn’t. Here’s why it works; It shows us that Ben/Kylo is still struggling to come to terms with what side of the Force he’s on. In TFA, he killed his father, Han=bad. In this, he kills his evil master= good. Before this, he hesitates to shoot the bridge of the ship that his mother is in. He’s a conflicted character. He wants so desperately to be evil but there is still good in him no matter how hard he tries to suppress it. Luke trying to kill him was the final straw that made him turn to the dark side. Again, that’s another scene that I really loved. Luke saw too much of Vader in his nephew and didn’t want to take the risk. Getting back to Luke for a sec, he saw the good in his father. He didn’t want to kill his father. With Ben, he felt as if he had to. To me, I think that’s what makes Kylo a good villain. He’s not Vader. OK, well he is an overblown version of him. But, he’s not a badass like Vader. In some aspects that makes him a better bad guy. We really don’t know if he’ll return to the light-side as his grandfather did at the end of RotJ. Now for the bad part of Snoke’s death. We were lead to believe he’d have a bigger role in the trilogy. We still don’t know a lot about him. Well, maybe that’s a good thing we’re not having everything spoon-fed to us this time around. Maybe this is one of the twists mentioned by the filmmakers. Still, I was kind of hoping he’d stick around till the last one, but then again, he’d be a copy of the Emperor and he was already pretty close to begin with. Other surprising deaths were Admiral Ackbar and Holdo. As for Ackbar, I understand why they killed him off as he doesn’t really serve any purpose to the story anymore. He was a relatively prominent character in RotJ but he doesn’t do anything in this trilogy. We briefly see what is probably him being blown up when the bridge is destroyed, and Leia is sucked into space. Holdo confirms his death in the next scene. As for Holdo, I was under the impression that she’d stick around for a bit. Something I'll get into a bit later is dealing with the progressive attitude this film has. I don’t see the problem with women being strong. I never have. There are a lot of strong female characters in this film and there’s nothing wrong with that. Rey’s Heritage Not Being Important; To say that she isn’t special because she isn’t the offspring of a character(s) from past films is a bit redundant. If she really is the daughter of space- lowlife drug addicts (like Kylo told her), that does make her special as she came from nothing. She had that power that her parents weren’t aware of. Perhaps she was just in the right place at the right time. Force sensitivity could skip generations. Maybe one of her ancestors was a Jedi but that might not be that important. One of the scenes that I thought was a bit ridiculous was when she fell down that hole that Luke told her not to go near. It was too much like the great sequence in Empire on Dagobah when Luke goes into that cave. As with TFA, there are a lot of copied and pasted scenes from the original trilogy. That’s my biggest problem with the new trilogy but now isn’t the time to go into that. Anyways, she goes down and finds a big glass wall-thing. I immediately thought of The Mirror of Erised in Harry Potter. It doesn’t reveal her parents but multiple images of herself. Maybe I’m wrong here, but what if she’s an incarnation of the Force? Also, what if Kylo was lying to her to weaken her in attempt to persuade her to turn to the Dark Side? We learn later that it was Snoke who concocted the connection between the two. Again, this is probably another reason why people didn’t like the film. It is too vague. Again, are the Disney and Johnson trying to fool us as they’ve done in the past and have a greater scheme that’s saved for the next film or is it just bad writing? We’ll know in 2019. The Canto Bight Sequence: This is something I will agree with the haters on… to a certain extent. It was virtually pointless to the main plot. I felt the same way with the Rathtar Escape sequence in The Force Awakens. Both stopped the plots in their tracks. As for the sequence in this film, I thought it was completely ridiculous that Finn and Rose were put into a cell with the kind of person they were looking for. DJ (played by Benicio Del Toro) wasn’t the person they were looking to recruit. They were looking for a Master Codebreaker who we briefly see being played by Justin Theroux. Guess what though, DJ is a codebreaker too! Even for plot convenience that was overly absurd. Still, both these scenes do amazingly have a point. It’s called World-building. We get more exposition as to what the galaxy is like at this time and a bit of character development/backstory. The Rathtar sequence showed us that there were still gangs after Han and Chewie and some of the stuff they’ve been up to since RotJ. It also shows that Rey is resourceful. The Canto Bight sequence is much the same in that case. We learn that this is a luxury planet filled with casinos and caters to the rich and their every desire. This is probably a callback to Hologram Fun World in the now Legends canon. Ok, back to this sequence. It also showed or at least alluded to how The First Order is getting some of their funding. Another thing it showed was that the planet had a grim underbelly. The rich got their pleasure at the expense of those less fortunate including that Force-sensitive kid we see at the end of the movie. That leads us to Rose who grew up on a planet where she and her sister (who dies in the opening battle) were possibly used as a workforce to mine the planet’s crystalline Ore. This may be a callback to Anakin’s childhood as a slave. The First Order also used this planet to steal children to become Stormtroopers and test their weapons. Getting the social commentary here? So, while it does plod out the film’s runtime, it isn’t completely pointless. Note: I’m going back on what I said in the initial review calling Luke/Rey’s plotline a bit boring and this one more interesting. This plotline did suddenly halt the former to the point where it got annoying at times. The Force’s Capabilities: Arguably the most ridiculous scene in the movie (to me) was the one in which Leia is sucked into the vacuum of space after Tie Fighters destroy in the bridge (after Kylo hesitated) and uses the Force to make her way back into the ship. I’ve heard some people say that should have killed her. That would have been extremely disrespectful to Carrie Fisher unless that was the original plan if she hadn’t died. It wasn’t. It was the plan for the third film to be hers as the first was Han’s and this Luke’s. Anyway, at this point in the forty years since the first one came out, you should know by now that the Force is most likely capable of just about anything. A lot of the plot holes can be fixed by saying; “It was the Force.” And I’m OK with that. Another plot-hole fixer is that some of the laws of physics in our universe don’t necessarily apply in ours. This scene however with Leia even kinda pushed the limits of suspension of disbelief for me. I found it unintentionally funny. To see her literally Superman her way back to the ship was kind of stupid. Because Leia is out of the action for about twenty minutes and sets up the entrance of Vice Admiral Holdo played by Laura Dern. Now, yes we’ve known for a while that Leia “has that power too” from the original trilogy and even a book about her early life on Alderaan. Don’t ask me what book, I just saw that she could Force-throw a ball on Wookiepedia. If Luke had failed in defeating Vader, Leia probably would have eventually. I’m not going to go into HOW she learned to do what she did the film but it’s possible all Force-sensitive people learn at least a few things on their own as we see with that little kid on Canto Bight in the final scene. We also learn that adept Force users can project themselves across space. We see this with Luke fighting Kylo on Crait while he’s still on Ahch-To. One of my issues was that while he couldn’t be touched, the items he had (the dice from the Millennium Falcon and the blue lightsaber which was broken a few scenes before by Kylo and Rey) can interact with the world i.e. are solid. Still, this is what all of the past movies have done; expanded on what the Force is capable of. The Resistance is Down to a Few Ships: Yes, I’ve heard people complain about how they seemed numerous at the end of TFA. Here’s how; I don’t know if you walked into the theater late but most of the Resistance was on D’Qar when the first order initiated their counter-attack. Not a lot of ships escaped. In another scene when they’re down to a support frigate and their command ship, The Raddus, they do call for help but everyone else is too far away. If you’ll remember the Resistance wasn’t that big, to begin with. They were an offshoot of the New Republic. Those main planets were destroyed by Starkiller Base. We see what could be Resistance ships in orbit destroyed as well. Yes, one of the issues with that is did all the other planets suddenly bow down to the First Order that quick? Maybe they didn’t want another situation like when the Empire forcibly took over planets, killing millions. This could be a scapegoat for the writers to further the plot when it took years for the Empire to take over all of those systems. As for why help is too far away, in the thirty years since the events of the original trilogy, it is more than likely that more of the galaxy has been explored and populated. We know that many new species have entered The New Republic. Also, this is a call back to Empire. In the three years between that and A New Hope, the Empire found and slaughtered many Rebel planets and hideouts. What Purpose Do the Porgs Serve to the Plot? Yes, I thought they were adorable and funny but they’re just…there. Before release, they were marketed as being crucial. In the end, they were in the movie to sell toys. I’ll admit I want one. Also, they’re there for the kids just like the Ewoks which were created to sell toys as well. At least they had a purpose to the plot even if was ridiculous. Yes, we’re most likely going to get a movie or two about these little bird-things and I’m totally fine with that. The Seemingly Progressive Attitude of the Film; Some of the hate (I’m hoping it’s minor) has been geared toward the fact that the film is seen as “too progressive”. A lot of people had problems with a Black Stormtrooper in TFA. I don’t see why. If you paid attention, you would know that clones as troopers were fazed out between the events of Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. The Empire and later the First Order found it easier and cheaper to conscript or force people to be troopers. As a Millennial raised to judge people by their character rather than their ethnicity, gender, or sexuality both in and outside the household, it didn’t really occur to me that some people had a problem with a Black man, Asian woman, Latino man, and a White woman being the heroes of the story. I’m not trying to get into politics here, but I see them as PEOPLE. The thing I like about these movies is (at least I don’t think) is that they’re not trying to shove political correctness down everybody’s throat. If there were an SW movie containing all gay characters, I really wouldn’t have a problem with that. If I hated the film, it wouldn’t be about that. What is wrong with diversity as long as all races and genders are treated equally?! Also, this whole thing about calling Rey a ‘Mary Sue’. She’s not. I’ve never thought that women were below men. Again, not trying to start an argument here but to me, that concept has always seemed archaic and primitive. If you still think that way, there’s nothing I can do about that. You are free to your own thoughts just as everyone else is. Complaints That the Film is Different and Unexpected; Do you want the same movie again?! A lot of people complained that The Force Awakens was far too like A New Hope. For the most part, Disney took that to heart. Yes, there are many scenes that are like those in the original trilogy, but this isn’t as prevalent here as it was in TFA. You’re always going to have whiny fans, but this is getting ridiculous. You’re entitled to your opinion and I respect that, but I’m also entitled to mine and I’m going to speak my mind as I already have so far. People are angry that their fan theories were incorrect. I’m not being mean here but most of them were completely stupid and make no sense. Heck, I had a theory that Rey was the reincarnated soul of Anakin Skywalker. Personally, I thought that would have been neat but when it was shot down, I was totally fine with it! Phasma Probably isn’t Dead!: Yes, we do see her fall in into a giant explosion during the destruction of Snoke’s Mega-class Star Dreadnought ‘The Supremacy’. Keep in mind that we see that her armor is completely bullet-proof a minute or so before. She could have escaped just like she did the destruction of Starkiller Base in the previous film. We’ll probably see her back for the final episode, so she’ll get a better send off. Or maybe she is in a billion pieces floating in the vastness of space. She was supposed to be this trilogy’s Boba Fett i.e. mysterious and a fan favorite. Disney may have jumped the gun on the latter as it doesn’t seem she’s getting the same reception, although personally, I do find her character cool despite the fact that she’s barely in the first two movies. Fett had an impact in the original trilogy that so far Phasma hasn’t even come close to and probably won’t. While I personally enjoyed the brief battle between her and Finn in this, I really do want to see a more amped up version in IX ending the grudge once and for all. Finally, What Does the Future Hold for the Franchise in Terms of Sequels; *Before I get into this, this section is basically me just throwing out guesses. Like I’ve mentioned before, in the last scene we see a stable boy on Canto Bight take a broom by using the Force and look hopefully to the stars. This meant to me that the Jedi Order may resurface at some point. I didn’t notice this, but it was pointed out to me that the sacred texts of Jedi religion thought to be destroyed by Force-ghost Yoda when he set the tree library on fire can be seen on the Millennium Falcon around the scene when Rey finally meets Poe. Was Yoda the one who put the books on the ship or was it, Rey, as she knew Luke wanted the Jedi to end? That’s a question for another time. As far as we know, Luke was the only one alive at the point of this trilogy that knew about the Jedi ways and it’s always seemed to me that he had barely scratched the surface. Rey at this point knows next to nothing. Luke restarted the Jedi Order from scratch and Rey (and maybe along with Ben if he returns to the light side) will most likely do the same. Perhaps Luke, Yoda, and other Jedi who learned how to become a Force-ghost will come back and guide them. In the now Legends canon in the book Heir to the Empire by Timothy Zahn, in 9ABY Obi-Wan tells Luke that he must go on to the afterlife or whatever comes after death in that universe and would not be able to guide his apprentice anymore, meaning that the Force-ghost ability itself could drain. Luke only heard his voice twice again. That’s been retconned. For all we know, in this canon, those who learned the ability before death may live on as ghosts forever should they choose. Did Luke learn the ability? Did he even bother? We’ll probably find out in the next movie. As for Obi-Wan, it is very possible we’ll see his ghost at some point as Ewan McGregor has repeatedly expressed a keen interest in returning. He even has a brief voice cameo in TFA when Rey first touches Anakin/Luke’s lightsaber saying; “These are your first steps.” It should be noted he (Obi-Wan) said “Rey” before this but this was not McGregor but a snippet from Alec Guinness saying, “Don’t be afraid” in the 1977 film. We know Anakin did as he is seen at the end of RotJ. There’s even concept art from TFA showing him as Force-ghost. Could he return as well? Will Hayden Christensen return? I disliked his portrayal of Anakin, but he’s gotten to be a bit of a better actor since last appearing in 2005’s Revenge of the Sith, so if he came back in some form or another, I’d be OK with that. Finally, Just a Little Nitpicking Here; For some reason, I liked the cinematography more in TFA. Not that aren’t many great shots in this, I don’t know. I’m not complaining, it’s not so much of a criticism as it is a personal thought. Speaking of TFA, yeah, I liked it a bit better than this. Mostly because of the whole; “Hey, it’s a new Star Wars movie!” effect. Said effect has worn off only slightly. I’m one of those people who will never get tired of Star Wars. I’m ecstatic about the fact that the franchise is back in the spotlight again, that you can go anywhere and see the merchandise. I can understand why a lot of people are sick of it. This is a complaint many people have and I’m right there with them; no Lando! He would have been perfect for a brief scene during the Canto Bight sequence. Heck, I would have been satisfied with a brief cameo. But as many Star Wars have learned the hard way, we can’t always get what we want. Speaking of my fellow fans, I really wish the whining would stop or at least be directed to more important issues in the trilogy. The Last Jedi wasn’t what you thought it would be and now you’re angry? I’m with you guys that the now Legends cannon (expanded universe) is better than anything Disney will probably put out Star Wars related, but at least you still have Star Wars. You whined that TFA was too similar to the original movie, now about how different this one is? What do you want?! Disney is trying to please fans of the previous movies but they’re also trying to reach a new audience/generation and you’ve got to accept that. Nothing is ever going to be the exact way you thought it would be. That’s life as well and that’s also what makes both interesting. If you can’t accept the franchise’s many faults, then I feel bad saying this, but then you’re not a true Star Wars fan. In final, if you’re not happy, don’t watch the new ones. There’s still a lifetime’s worth of material. Star Wars is moving on without you. Enjoy the old ones. You have those. Be grateful for that.

In conclusion, The Last Jedi is both a new direction for the franchise while still having the similarity of the previous films. Could it have been better? Yes, but then again everything can. Does it have a lot of glaring issues? Heck yeah! Still, you can overlook those because the magic that has captivated us for over 40 years is still there, maybe in a different form, but it’s still there. It’s been such an important part of my life and I’m more than overjoyed that I get to continue to experience it, even if I’m not totally on board with some of the directions it takes. I’m more than ready for Rian Johnson’s new trilogy and Disney’s overall involvement in the franchise. I said this before, but I’m gonna stick with Star Wars until the very end, either it be mine or the franchise’s.

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aion-rsa · 5 years ago

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Star Wars: Best Darth Maul Moments from The Clone Wars and Beyond

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This Star Wars article contains spoilers.

Since his debut in The Phantom Menace, Darth Maul has demanded the attention of Star Wars fans everywhere. In 1999, Maul looked unlike any villain that had come before in the saga, and the movie’s high-energy lightsaber duel is still one of the most memorable parts of the Prequel Trilogy. It’s unfortunate, then, that Maul was originally created by George Lucas as a one-off character, present only to re-establish the threat of the Sith.

But you can’t keep a good character down. Maul returned in The Clone Wars season 4 to introduce even more chaos to the galaxy. Infamously unkillable, his obsession with killing Obi-Wan Kenobi and reuniting with Palpatine kept him going for much of the galactic conflict and well after the rise of the Empire.

Maul has been a Sith apprentice, a ranting hermit, and a powerful crime lord throughout his strange and storied life. Maul failed to become a Sith Master, as Palpatine tossed him to the side once his role in Anakin Skywalker’s story was over, but Maul never stopped trying to clamber to the top. As you’ll see in The Clone Wars season 7 and the Rebels animated series, Maul will fight until the very end to get what he wants.

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As we say goodbye once again to one of Star Wars‘ greatest villains, let’s take a look back at the former Sith’s best moments from The Clone Wars, Rebels, the comics, and beyond.

Duel of the Fates

The Phantom Menace is not a perfect movie, but the two-on-one lightsaber duel in the third act is a great example of the kind of action and physical storytelling that makes Star Wars such an effective and enduring movie franchise. Maul is a nearly voiceless demon dogging the heels of the good guys for most of the film, his powers obscured until he finally reveals himself on Naboo. For the audience watching this duel on the big screen, this was the first chance to see a full-fledged Jedi of legend dueling a Sith Lord.

Actor Ray Park was hired primarily for his ability to do the stunts and fight work. Choreographed by Nick Gillard, the lightsaber fight was acrobatic and wide-ranging, mixing in more melee than had been possible in the Original Trilogy. The climactic duel also introduced the double-bladed lightsaber to the Star Wars galaxy. The weapon and the character would be inseparable in fans’ minds for years to come.

Maul’s Return

How do you revive a character who has been cut in half? Just as in the world of comic books, Star Wars offers plenty of options. Since the Original Trilogy, Star Wars has made it common practice to rebuild mortally wounded and horribly mutilated villains, shaping them into a whole new threat. In 2012, The Clone Wars confirmed that there was more to Maul’s story than The Phantom Menace. Season 4 episode “Brothers” opens with the horror movie atmosphere of the scrapyard on planet Lotho Minor, where Maul has been living since his defeat on Naboo.

He fashions himself a new, arachnid-like body out of trash, and it fits the frightening philosophy of the Sith as well as Maul’s gruesome fate. Spider legs twitch and stab, allowing Maul to climb around his trash-filled cave. Maul has become a hybrid of person and machine, human and animal. He doesn’t keep the spider legs for long, only for a few episodes, but it’s one of the most dramatic changes to his look, and a frightening new possibility when it comes to what cyborgs in Star Wars can become. Spider Maul will haunt your dreams.

Rematch with Obi-Wan

Obi-Wan Kenobi is skeptical when he hears Maul is back from the dead. But their confrontation is certainly real. After his surprise return in “Brothers,” Maul beelines for Obi-Wan in the next episode, suitably titled “Revenge.” This is the first chance to see the Sith’s rebuilt legs in action. It also shows Maul’s ruthlessness, as he destroys an innocent settlement just to draw Obi-Wan to his location. With the help of Savage Opress, his newfound brother, Maul captures Obi-Wan and kicks off a couple of action-heavy episodes that re-establishes Maul as a force to be reckoned with.

The Shadow Collective

Try as he might, Maul can’t get back into Sidious’ good graces, so he throws the Star Wars villain version of a tantrum: he forms a gang. With the help of the Mandalorians, he goes on a killing spree in season 5 to take out rival criminal organizations in the name of his new Shadow Collective. It’s a sequence of slaughters where there are no good guys.

Maul uses his Force powers, intimidation, and overwhelming force to destroy or intimidate the Black Sun gang, the Pyke gang, and the Hutts, including Jabba himself, into joining him. Maul is back on top.

Taking Over Mandalore

After recruiting a group of rogue Mandalorian warriors known as Death Watch to his side, Maul has bigger ambitions: to take over the entire planet of Mandalore. In season 5’s “The Lawless,” he slaughters the planet’s reigning leader, Duchess Satine Kryze, as well as the leader of Death Watch, and claims the symbolic weapon of Mandalore, the Darksaber, for himself.

It’s a visually striking episode, with much of the action set inside the Mandalorian throne room. The Darksaber is also the perfect example of silly Star Wars lore taken to the extreme. It also, somehow, works, even when it returns in live-action in The Mandalorian.

Duel Against Darth Sidious

Much of Maul’s story in The Clone Wars is about a student who wants to return to the teacher who discarded him. But Sidious isn’t going to accept him back so easily. “The Lawless” also features a duel between three dark side users: Maul, Darth Sidious, and Savage. This is a three-way clash of red lightsabers, ranging up and down the edifices of Mandalore. It’s one of many examples of The Clone Wars‘ elevated Star Wars action, and it’s one of the series’ most exciting sequences.

There are no good guys here, but someone has to win: Sidious kills Savage and defeats Maul, sparing his former apprentice so that he may feel the sting of rejection for the rest of his life. This is the reunion Star Wars fans had been waiting for since Maul’s return and it goes about how you’d expect.

Facing Grievous

The Son of Dathomir comic was adapted from unproduced episodes of The Clone Wars, so it’s closely linked to the events on Mandalore. It also features the entire rogues’ gallery of Prequel era villains, pitting Maul, Sidious, Count Dooku, General Grievous, and Mother Talzin against one another. The fight between Maul and Grievous, in particular, is the stuff of fantasy “What If” scenarios and it’s a visual delight, even if it happens off-screen.

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The Siege of Mandalore

One of the most hotly-anticipated conflicts of The Clone Wars did not disappoint. The Siege of Mandalore, which shows how the Republic took the Mandalorian homeworld back from Maul, features a lightsaber duel between the former Sith and ex-Jedi Ahsoka Tano. Though both have left their old orders behind, they bring all the acrobatics and Force powers one could want from a Star Wars fight.

This duel in Mandalore’s throne room and high above its capital city is an amazing use of setting, as Maul and Ahsoka climb up the rafters of one of Mandalore’s domed cities and balance themselves on thin beams. The fight also feels mythic, the two characters’ viewpoints clashing as much as their lightsabers.

The episode “The Phantom Apprentice,” in particular, shows that, despite being banished from the Sith, Maul is still one step ahead of the Jedi in terms of Palpatine’s grand plan. In fact, Maul instigates the Republic invasion in order to lure Anakin to the planet and stop him from becoming Sidious’ new apprentice — something he’s already seen in a vision before the Jedi even begin to suspect that Palpatine might be an agent of the dark side.

Maul’s Solo Cameo

Solo: A Star Wars Story spends plenty of time with the galaxy’s underworld. Throughout the movie, Han Solo and Qi’Ra tangle with rogues, thieves, smugglers, con men, and drifters, all leading to a big standoff with Dryden Vos, the leader of criminal organization Crimson Dawn. But Vos isn’t the true villain pulling the strings of the movie.

A big reveal is left for the end: Maul has been in charge of the criminal syndicate Crimson Dawn all this time, manipulating others the way Palpatine manipulated him. Maul doesn’t do a lot in Solo, appearing just for a few minutes to make Qi’Ra his new lieutenant, but he does ignite his lightsaber, showing he’s a step above most of the enemies the group has faced so far by virtue of his Sith legacy.

Maul’s Epic Death

Even though it seemed like he could survive anything, Maul had to die eventually. Luckily, the team behind Star Wars Rebels knew how to make Maul’s ending something truly amazing.

Maul has spent decades seeking revenge against his old Jedi enemy, while Obi-Wan has gone into hiding to protect Luke Skywalker, finding peace and coming to terms with the tragedy in his own life. The episode “Twin Suns” shows the final confrontation between Maul and Obi-Wan.

Although not a true adaptation, “Twin Suns” is loosely inspired by “Old Wounds,” a non-canon comic from the speculative comic series Visionaries. That comic, which was written and drawn by Aaron McBride, is also a great Maul moment unto itself, with a vivid lightsaber battle and the threat of Maul possibly discovering a very young Luke Skywalker. It gets to the heart of why Maul works as a frightening villain: a demonic-looking Sith with the drive to keep hunting you, even if you cut him in half.

“Twin Suns” chooses to go a more contemplative route than “Old Wounds.” While the basic setup is the same (Maul finds an older Obi-Wan on Tatooine), the lightsaber duel isn’t the focus in “Twin Suns.” Instead, one of the best Maul moments is actually an Obi-Wan moment. Their lightsaber duel is just one move, both of them considering their options but it’s Obi-Wan who actually finds the inner strength to carry it out.

In the end, Obi-Wan kills Maul, but also shows him pity, telling a truth that comforts both of them: Luke Skywalker, the one to bring balance to the Force, is still alive. Obi-Wan has escaped the cycle of revenge and ambition Maul has been stuck in his entire life, and he’s closer to the Force for it. It’s also a stunning farewell fit for a fan-favorite character like Maul.

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aion-rsa · 4 years ago

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The Mandalorian: How Is Boba Fett Still Alive and How Did He Survive the Sarlacc Pit?

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This Star Wars: The Mandalorian article contains spoilers.

But now Boba Fett himself is back in The Mandalorian season 2, played by none other than Temuera Morrison in a very brief cameo. At the very end of the season 2 premiere “The Marshal,” we find Boba watching from a hill as Mando rides off with his old armor, a scowl on the old bounty hunter’s face that would silence a krayt dragon. With all the Mandalorian history and bounty hunting on the show, it was only a matter of time before we finally got to see Boba in the flesh!

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Although he’s barely on screen and speaks very few lines in Empire and Return of the Jedi, his iconic look and intimidating swagger have made him one of the most popular characters in the saga. Most Star Wars fans will recognize his iconic T-visored Mandalorian helmet, jetpack, and gauntlets that can shoot either missiles or ropes for capturing bounties alive. His entire storyline in the Original Trilogy involved hunting down Han Solo for Jabba the Hutt, and he’d fit right in The Mandalorian’s Bounty Hunter’s Guild.

Unsurprisingly, Boba Fett’s return has sparked a lot of talk among fans, who will likely spend the entire season theorizing how the bounty hunter was able to escape his fate in Return of the Jedi and what’s next for him on The Mandalorian. Let’s discuss…

Why Did Boba Fett Return in The Mandalorian?

In 2020, The Mandalorian provides the best re-entry point for Boba Fett. Not only does it star a main character with a similar occupation and a taste for carbonite, but it delves deeper into Mandalorian culture as well as what happened to places like Tatooine after the fall of the Empire. Even though Boba Fett isn’t Mandalorian by blood, the fate of Mandalore could still affect him personally, especially since his father was a member of that culture, even if Jango was treated like an outcast by the planet’s pacifist government. Would Fett still be an ally of the Empire after what they did to his father’s people?

“The Tragedy” answered that question with a resounding “NO.” The episode sees Boba Fett team up with Mando and Fennec Shand to fight back the stormtroopers trying to take away Grogu on Tython. In fact, Boba seems shocked that the Empire is even back in such force after all this time, expressing surprised when he sees Moff Gideon’s dark troopers flying towards an Imperial cruiser reminiscent of the Star Destroyers of old.

By the end of the episode, Boba Fett has decided to join Mando on his quest to rescue Grogu, which will likely mean shooting his way through the faction he once allied himself to in the Original Trilogy. Had Boba had a change of heart after all these years or was he always just in it for the credits?

One thing we do know for sure is that Boba’s return has been a long time coming on The Mandalorian. The show first teased the return of Boba Fett in the season 1 episode “The Gunslinger.” That episode ends with a mysterious figure inspecting the body of Din Djarin’s latest target on Tatooine. When does this moment take place with respect to Fett’s timeline? Has he only just recently escaped the sarlacc or has he spent the years since Return of the Jedi as a hermit in the desert? The Mandalorian season 2 seems to confirm Boba’s hermit status, as we first see him wearing black robes and carrying a rifle and a gaffi stick as his only protection, even though he’s clearly had access to his ship, Slave I, this entire time. Why hadn’t he tried to leave Tatooine before?

There are still plenty of questions to be answered about Boba Fett’s missing years, which is probably why Lucasfilm is interested in producing a Disney+ spinoff for the character, but at least one piece of the puzzle is in place by the end of “The Tragedy.” Boba has his armor back and is deadlier than ever.

How Did Boba Fett Survive the Sarlacc Pit?

Fett’s death in Return of the Jedi wasn’t the end for the bounty hunter in the pre-Disney Legends continuity, either. In fact, he lived a long life that stretched decades beyond the events of the Original Trilogy. But how did he survive a fate as gruesome as being slowly digested over a thousand years inside of the sarlacc?

Fans learned in the classic Dark Horse comic series Dark Empire by Tom Veitch and Cam Kennedy that Fett’s armor allowed him to survive inside the sarlacc and fight his way out, blowing up the creature in the process (a move very similar to how Mando escaped the belly of the krayt dragon in “The Marshal”). The novel The Mandalorian Armor by K.W. Jeter further explained that it was rival bounty hunter Dengar who found Boba Fett half-dead in the desert and nursed him back to health.

From that point on, Fett became a regular character in the Legends Expanded Universe, featuring in many bounty hunter-focused books. He also made a brief cameo in the 19-book New Jedi Order series and appeared in the Jedi-focused Legacy of the Force and Fate of the Jedi books. In fact, Fett lived on until the very end of the Legends timeline, completely defying the odds after his initial demise in Return of the Jedi.

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Will the Disney canon do something similar with Boba Fett’s post-Return of the Jedi story? We don’t know what the studio might have in mind for Fett, but it wouldn’t be surprising if some elements from his Legends storyline were brought into the new canon. That’s exactly what Disney did with Grand Admiral Thrawn, another character whose Legends story was pieced together in a new way in the canon animated series Rebels.

Fans certainly have had a lot of time to come up with opinions, headcanon, and theories about the bounty hunter. Fett speaks sparingly and radiates intimidation, even if his most famous role features him falling into a large pit. Attack of the Clones and The Clone Wars added to Fett’s backstory and showed him learning the ropes of the bounty hunting trade. All that could be paid off depending on how Disney incorporates Boba now that he’s made his return to the universe.

Keep up with all of The Mandalorian season 2 news here.

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