#actually my pet theory is that she’s more emotionally stunted than they are

[leifyposting]

i am once again doing some numbers on twitter, this time for a frankly lukewarm take on jean:

and someone responded:

y’all. all love, but when i say “jean is no more emotionally competent than diluc and kaeya” i do actually mean “jean is no more emotionally competent than diluc and kaeya”

i simply believe that jean is as emotionally stunted as the boys. in fact i think that’s very hot of her!! and i don’t understand why we’re reducing her flaws down to “worse than a normal person but better than these male characters i like a lot”

[fanmoose12]

Levi ignored the formal greetings and salutes of the soldiers he passed as he made his way through the barracks. His mind was focused on one thing and one thing only. He had to get to the infirmary.

Apparently, Hange had decided to start her experiments bright and early that day. So early that the sun had barely begun to rise. Not long after, a titan's arm broke free from its restraints and swung at Hange while her back was facing away. With no time to react, the full force of the attack had her instantly flying through the air and only stopping when her body met a wall. Levi didn't comprehend much of the details after that. He simply threw on his uniform as is, not bothering a second glance in the mirror.

He bit back a chill as he entered the courtyard, not knowing whether it was from the sudden cold winter air or from his own nerves. It was only then that he realized he had left without throwing on a coat.

When he entered the infirmary, he immediately noticed a small group of people huddled together. Hange's squad, Mike, Nanaba, and Erwin along with a nurse Levi didn't recognize. They all spoke in hushed whispers and, as if on cue, all turned to look at him. His pace suddenly slowed, an uncomfortable feeling settled in the pit of his stomach at their ominous gazes. He hesitated to approach.

After a moment, Erwin resumed speaking to the nurse and exchanged a few more words before she finally walked away. Erwin then dismissed the rest of the group as they shuffled away, avoiding eye contact as they passed Levi.

Levi swallowed the lump that formed in his throat and approached Erwin. "How's Hange?" He asked, hoping the tremor in his voice wasn't obvious.

"Levi," Erwin began, his voice stern and his jaw tight. "How long have you known about Hange's condition?"

"Just this morning." He answered.

Erwin's brow furrowed and Levi could see the wrinkles in his face. "I will ask again. How long have you known about Hange's condition?"

The question was puzzling. What kind of answer was Erwin looking for? Levi felt like a child being chastised. He was coming in blind to this whole situation, only knowing the information that Moblit had told him earlier.

"Moblit came by my room about twenty minutes ago and told me about the accident. I came as fast as I could."

Erwin's eyes stared intently at Levi, as if he was trying to look through him instead of at him. It was then that Levi noticed the small beads of sweat lining his forehead.

Levi's heart rate quickened. Something wasn't right. "Erwin, what the hell is going on?"

What was Erwin trying to get out of him? What did he know that Levi didn't? Was Hange sick? Surely he would've noticed, right? Then again, they hadn't seen much of each other recently. Hange had been busy testing a new theory involving the evaporation of titan blood and Levi had been assigned to oversee the development of the new training grounds.

She and Levi had grown close. Immensely close. Too close for Levi's comfort sometimes. They had become a bonded pair in all forms; emotionally, physically, and mentally. They knew each other's strengths and short-comings, their pet peeves and bad habits, their fears and hopes, the way each other tasted and smelled, how their bodies felt intertwined, the rhythm of each other's heartbeats. Hange had become the one thing Levi never wanted; someone to lose.

As if Erwin could sense his inner turmoil, his shoulders dropped and his eyes relaxed. "You really don't know, do you?"

"Nobody's told me a damn thing."

Erwin released a tired sigh. "Hange is alive but she suffered a concussion. The nurse wants to keep her here for a few days to monitor her once she wakes up."

"How long has she been unconscious?"

"I'm not sure but this could have been much worse. In more ways than you realize."

Levi could feel his frustration reaching its peak. "Why not just come out and tell me whatever the hell it is you're hiding?"

Erwin just shook his head. "It's not for me to tell. We'll continue this at a later time. You may see her if you'd like."

Levi decided not to further the discussion and made his way towards the room. Once his hand had reached the doorknob, he heard Erwin's voice behind him. "Levi, once you're finished, meet me in my office. We have much to discuss."

Levi's hand tightened around the doorknob. He didn't like being left in the dark but he was humanity's strongest, surely he could handle whatever news Erwin was refusing to disclose.

He shook the thought from his mind, wanting to be solely focused on Hange. He readied himself for the sight and pushed open the door.

Hange appeared natural as she slept in the hospital bed before him. Her expression was peaceful with the usual stress lines in her face relaxed. Her glasses rested on a table next to the bed with her uniform and winter coat thrown over a wooden chair. She had been changed into a hospital gown with a white bandage wrapped around her head.

"That was an extreme stunt to pull just to get some sleep don't you think, four eyes?" Levi mused.

He examined the bandage and noticed a minimal amount of blood from a scrape on the side of her head. He wasn't sure what the worry was about. Concussions were a normal injury for most soldiers, especially new recruits who were practicing with their ODM gear.

Still, Erwin had mentioned her "condition" which meant there was something Levi was missing, something he wasn't seeing.

"Sorry about this, Hange." He said as he grabbed the blanket on top of her and tossed it to the side.

Before the blanket had even touched the ground, Levi had stumbled away from Hange's bedside until his back was forced against the wall. His heart beat hard against his chest, he struggled to catch his breath and felt as if he was suffocating, his knees trembled beneath him, and his mind could not comprehend the sight before him.

Levi looked around the room as if an explanation would appear before him. He couldn't bring himself to look at her again. He was almost thankful that she was asleep.

The sight of her winter coat suddenly drew his attention. Like most things, Hange was too engrossed in her research and often careless when it came to her own health. Levi would often find her outside in the snow, watching over her precious titans, wearing nothing more than her usual brown jacket. She never bundled herself properly and always claimed she felt fine despite the obvious signs of her red nose, chapped lips, chattering teeth, and shivering body. And as expected, Levi would be the one to have to care for her when she fell ill.

Although, come to think of it, this was the first year that Hange had actually been adamant about wearing her coat. Each time Levi saw her, she had it buttoned around her, refusing to take it off even when indoors. And if he thought about it further, he realized that it always looked a size too big for her.

The realization suddenly came crashing on him as all the pieces fell into place. The air felt as if it had been knocked out of him and his head was spinning. If it weren't for the wall supporting him, he's sure he would have collapsed.

It didn't feel real. It couldn't be real.

It was stupid, he knew, the evidence was right in front of him but he just had to confirm it for himself. He looked towards her still sleeping face and then very slowly trailed his eyes down her body until he was staring at a small bump on her torso.

He steadied his knees and pushed himself away from the wall. It felt like an eternity before he was finally able to move his legs and reach her bed side. With a shaky hand and a deep ragged breath, he outstretched his arm until it rested gently on her swollen abdomen. He ignored the water stinging the corner of his eyes and forcefully blinked the sensation away.

It was as if his mind was not his own as he began to slowly stroke small circles on top of her belly. As he was getting used to the feeling, he felt a sudden pressure hit against his head. He immediately froze his movements and waited. A few seconds passed and there it was again, a small push to his hand.

He released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding and could feel his lips curve into a smile. He was feeling a kick. The being inside of Hange was making it self known to him.

He became overwhelmed with an abundance of conflicting emotions bombarding him all at once. He had so many thoughts, questions, ideas, fears. At that moment all he could do was reach for her hand and relish in the comfort of her warmth beneath his palm. He needed her here with him.

And then a new realization chilled him to his core.

She would eventually awaken...wouldn't she?

"Hange." He whispered desperately. "Please, wake up."

omg, you got me so worried!! i thought hange lost the baby, but whew! i'm so glad the baby is alright! and your writing is top notch! if you ever think of posting it and maybe adding a second part...... hmu?

[ambulatoryhoodie]

I’m trying to combine some of all the aspects of Beetlejuice media into a coherent algimation. For my own fic verse

So, long post, I can’t put a read more on mobile

Juno is Beetlejuices birth mom, she put him in foster care as soon as he was born.

Nat and Bea wanted to adopt him, even if he was a right troublemaker they still loved him and had raised him since infancy.

Around 8years or so the adoption papers wound up on Juno’s desk. She regained custody of him, pulled him out of regular schooling and made him work in the catacomb like offices.

She made his life hell, he never had any contact with Nat and Bea after that. She wasn’t physically abusive but she used her affection as a tool to make Beetlejuice do as told

Other office workers were physically abusive towards him but telling Juno just made things worse

Beetlejuice is a lot older that Miss Argentina but she’s like a mother figure to him.

Beetlejuice is emotionally stunted. He’s also extremely immature, either because he never learned better or actually went insane a long time ago.

He loves the hell out of Miss A, but would never say it outloud afraid Juno might put her down in the filing dungeon

He worked down there for a century, it was a never ending unorganized mess. On account of people always dying and all. He learned a lot about random people reading their files and can really spook some Neitherworld denizens by knowing every fact about them.

I’m calling it the Neitherworld not netherworld

The whole system is being computerized after Juno’s death.

After purposely fucking up continuously Juno banishes a Beetlejuice to the world of the living. And puts a name curse on him.

Events follow like the musical. But beetlejuice is more of a creepy haunting before he finds out Lydia can see him. The ‘wedding’ is way less creepy and Lydia is on board from the get go. It’s just a green card thing and she gets to be an honorary dead girl so she can freely travel to the Neitherworld to look for her mom.

They just can’t go through with it without a legal gardian signing a document. Juno stabs Beetlejuice and banishes him instead of Lydia stabbing him. Juno still gets eaten by a sandworm. But it’s Barbra and Beetlejuice who ride it into the living room.

beej is crazy good at writing up contracts and sometimes helps out Charles with his new business contracts. Beej can be scummy in them so Chuck always makes sure they aren’t too scummy.

Also, Chuck isn’t cowardly. He is easy to jump scare though.

Delia shows basically no reaction to any pranks. She laughs them off and sometimes gets Beej and the Maitlands to do creepy messed up poses and shapes so she can paint them.

Barbra is her favorite muse

Adam is really into miniatures

Charles bought the Maitland hardware store and a ‘sorry we almost exorcised you’ gift.

Adam still technically runs it and Lydia works there after school.

Delia has taught Barbra sculpting, and she likes it way better than pottery.

Ginger looks like a regular spider (her face bothers me in the cartoon) she’s redder, think red kneed tarantula, than in the cartoon and wears a pink tailcoat and top hat. Still tap dances but knows a lot of other dance styles too. She works as back up dancer but hopes to one day have her own show or dance studio

Jacques LaLean runs a gym in downtown, has a better less fake French accent.

Both rent from Beetlejuice who owns the roadhouse. He is actually a fair landlord and fixes things quickly.

Beetlejuice is still a slob in his own appartment. And kind of a hoarder.

The only thing organized are the books and documents wich are emacculant.

Beej enjoys reading but has some trouble actually reading and gets embarrassed when he pronounces something wrong. It takes him ages to finish a book.

Beej is Adhd hardcore. And on the autisic spectrum. Delia, Barbra, Adam, and Lydia are the only ones that know.

Most Neitherworld denizens hate Beetlejuice on priniciple, thinking he’d be like Juno. They quickly learn to hate him for other reasons.

He’s still a jerk but more prankster trickster than outright murderer. Thinks all problems can and should be solved with violence

Lydia is a little on the fence about this, on one hand she thinks some things can be talked out. On the other she totally agrees that guy needed a guilla monster set on him.

Doomie exists, and Lydia can summon him to the living world by clicking his car fob.

Lydia and Beej carry around compact mirrors to talk to each other anytime.

Clare is still a snobbish airhead. More of the school like her though and avoid the new kid Lydia.

Prudence and Bertha are still school friends with Lydia on account of thier shared social pariah status

Lydia dyes her hair black, it’s naturally blonde.

Adam and Barbra make frequent visits to the Neitherworld but aren’t ready to pass on yet.

Instead there’s a door in the attic that leads to Beej’s living room.

Beetlejuice is tempted to charge them rent for it

Charles and Delia occasionally vacation to the Neitherworld, Beej or the Maitlands tag along. Lydia loves showing them cool spots and weird flora and fauna. As well as introducing them to her friends.

There’s a room in Beejs appartment he rents out as a dead and breakfast.

During these times the appartments mess is localized to Beejs room. And eventually it stays like that.

Prudence and Bertha have never knowingly been in the Neitherworld. Lydia is afraid they wouldn’t want to be her friends if they knew most of her friends were dead or monsters.

Betty juice is still a thing, and is the ‘niece’ of Mister Beetleman. Who can be found sometimes conning the citizens of whatever that towns name is. It’s got like three names.

The school is coed instead of an all girls school (that makes no sense in a small town to have seperate schools)

There are some other weird kids that are friends with Lydia but I haven’t named them yet.

An alien enthusiast and conspiracy theory nut boy.

And a ditzy pastel horse girl she loves Lydia’s entomology projects. But the boy is terrified of all things six or more legged.

The kids hang out at the local grave yard. Some kids stole the g a long time ago and it never got replaced. There are sometimes secret dance parties on the empty side of the lot.

Lydia is still very into photography and with the help of prudence runs the school newspaper

The Deetz family donates large sums to the Girl Scouts every year.

Sky actually thinks Beetlejuice is cool and is very into horror now.

The kids think it’s weird Lydia hangs out with a smelly old guy but hey, it’s free adult supervision.

Most parents dont trust him at first, he claims to be Lydia’s uncle and the Deetz family assures all parents he’s not a pedophile. They don’t say not a sex offender because frankly they aren’t sure about that.

The parents are trusting after Beetlejuice beats some guy into pulp after harassing some school kids he didn’t even know.

The rest of the school like Lydia better after that and Beetlejuice is a local hero-ish. He still always has some kind of con he’s trying to run and no one wants another pyramid scheme after the last one involved and actual pyramid.

The pyramid is near a local park, and was made into an art gallery.

Lydia’s search for her mom lasts a long time, they eventually do find her. Emily adores Delia and had given Charles the go ahead to remarry after her death.

Emily will sometimes haunt the Deetz household, but she already has her own house in the Neitherworld which Lydia visits often.

Chuck, Delia, and Emily will sometimes go on group dates in the Neitherworld, it can be hard to find a place that living people can actually eat at though.

There is a bizarre ‘normal’ area in the Neitherworld. It looks just like any normal town. And the people there are usually newly deads.

Beetlejuice takes up bug farming, beetles actually got eged out as his favorite after he got his hands on some Dubia roaches. He loves the ‘Creamy filling’. he covers them in powdered sugar like reptile keepers would cover them in calcium.

Lydia likes to pick up weird feeder bugs for him in pairs so he can try raising them. She’s a pet store regular, the employees have no idea what critter she keeps.

When Emily found out about Juno and Beetlejuice she named him her honorary son. But really gave him a chewing out over the green card thing.

Lydia helps Beetlejuice reconnect with the Juice family and they finally legally adopt him.

Beejs full name is Lawrence Betlguise Juice

I can’t think of anymore at the moment but this is real long already

[somuchkdrama]

Bride of the Water God

Episode 5

Rants 

Part 1: The Car Scene

dramajib: OH MY GOD. I apologise in advance if I get caps-intensive but just RELEASE THE ACCELERATOR it's not rocket science

@rocknghorss: LOLOL

rocknghorss: Ekta breathe!

dramajib:  Like honestly if it weren't for watching this with you guys I would have given up on the show at this point

dramajib:  I have a full list of pet peeves to go through, and stupidly not taking the obvious solution at hand was number one. I mean, the whole water globe bubble thing with the orange light at the back was a very cool visual effect, but still

rocknghorss:  Ekta what was the obvious solution?

dramajib:  releasing the accelerator. and then slowly driving into the grass so your car stops or stalls

rocknghorss: oh oh

rocknghorss:  HaBaek never did go to driving school tho...

dramajib:  yeah but he's supposed to be a super genius

rocknghorss:  lol

@triangularlily: Lol

dramajib:  also he has to know that pressing the pedal makes it go faster, ergo not pressing it will, if not slow things down, at least stop them from getting worse

rocknghorss:  the whole scene honestly reminded me of the K2

triangularlily: Well he might have done it on purpose tho to test his theory on saving SoAh

dramajib:  Oh true. Didn't think of that

rocknghorss: ah good point!

dramajib:  Okay I give you that, but it was VERY frustrating to watch

triangularlily: I mean I feel like they should have showed that tho???

rocknghorss:  I'm still mad that he just let SooRi stay in the car!!!

dramajib:  hahaha well he obviously has faith in him

triangularlily: Yeah idk if it was supposed to be funny but I was concerned

rocknghorss:  I was too lol

dramajib:  I actually like the severely over melodramatic bits, like the music when Kyle is bringing on the thunder at the end and stuff. It's so over the top, but in a cheesy fun way, you know? More in line with the last four episodes

triangularlily: Yeah I think so too

triangularlily: Like whenever Habaek saves her with the water effects I think it's kind of fun

rocknghorss:  same. do you guys know if this is pre-produced too?

triangularlily: I don't think so?

dramajib:  I don't know actually. I don't think it is?

rocknghorss: oh that's good! maybe they'll pay attention to the audience feedback then and bring back the campiness?

dramajib:  Yeah I hope so! Campy was fun. May I list the rest of the pet peeves this episode partook in?

rocknghorss:  oh yea, go for it!

triangularlily: Yes ekta

Part 2: dramajib is a grinch 😎

dramajib: 1) That stupid two fingered shirt grab - ain't nobody gonna feel that

rocknghorss:  lol

rocknghorss: i know that's right

dramajib: 2) Unnecessary recaps of things that literally just happened

triangularlily: ^that is kind of a kdrama thing

dramajib: 3) driving out a massive distance to meet each other face to face for conversation, only for it to last all of three sentences before throwing a hissy fit and driving off

triangularlily: Lol!

dramajib: 4) Characters referring to things they shouldn't know. See: Kyle saying So Ah told him that Habaek's powers come back when she needs saving, even though I'm PRETTY sure she just said his powers come and go. But I might be wrong because I was rolling my eyes a lot by that point. And 5) Sex noises instead of sounds of people in trouble. See: So Ah on that bridge in the rain

rocknghorss:  😂

triangularlily: Oh yeah 5 bothered me too like I feel like she's stronger than just whining in the same spot

dramajib: to be fair for #5 - she does have a water phobia so...

rocknghorss:  yeah, also I can't imagine how freaked I'd be if a bridge started crumbling beneath my feet 😰

rocknghorss:  maybe the beginning of ep6 will be her saving her own self, before Kyle fixes the bridge or HaBaek saves her?

triangularlily: Kyle did fix the bridge tho right at the end

rocknghorss:  oh he did? oops

dramajib: The thing about So Ah is she's strong while defending other people, like when Kyle gives her that vial and she just stomps on it. but then when it comes to herself she becomes useless

triangularlily: Oh I did like the vial part. I was proud of her.

dramajib: Yeah when she was staring him down I was like "Girl I know you not going to take that offer seriously." and she didn’t. Good on her.

rocknghorss: but she can defend herself— remember that whole conversation with granddaughter at the hotel?

dramajib: Oh that's true Marie, I forgot about that one. But also, that in a way was defending her family?

rocknghorss:  hmm! It was, so perhaps you guys are right.

dramajib: I dunno. I feel like, the show has so much potential. There's all these great characters with good back stories for exploring

rocknghorss: she's strong in defense of others… maybe that's why they're laying on the whole having HaBaek protect her thing, so thick

rocknghorss:  ^^they do! they just need a strong overarching story they want to tell… and i don't know what it is.

dramajib: and they did so well with the humour initially, so I'm really hoping this week's episodes (because I don't expect them to switch things around between ep 5 and 6) will be just a temporary slump

Part 3: rocknghorss’ mini-rant

dramajib:  The stalker's identity reveal - thoughts? Personally I found it so unsatisfying

rocknghorss: Argh. Ekta don't get me started on this.

dramajib:  hahahaha! Your turn to go on a rant if you'd like :P

rocknghorss:  lol I'm going to take you up on this offer..

triangularlily: Rant away

rocnghorss: Ok! Why is it that they've painted SoAh, a fully trained practicing psychiatrist, as a hapless, emotionally stunted weak person? I'm quite tired (and it's only been 5 episodes!) of the implication that SoAh, if only she would tap into her compassionate side, would find the world is full of rainbows, puppies, and other good fortune.

dramajib: lol she is definitely in the wrong field. There's her whole internal struggle with compassion thing, and now she says she doesn't want to be held responsible for someone else

rocknghorss: I do think she needs to let down the walls just a bit, but seriously!!

rocknghorss: done now...

dramajib:  Wow your rant is way more controlled than mine

rocknghorss: I blame it on being sick lol

triangularlily: I was really worried when I first found out she was a psychiatrist and I feel like I haven't changed my mind , I felt like that was a risky and bad move

dramajib:  Yeah I thought maybe the reason for her being a psychiatrist was because she could help Habaek analyze Moo Ra and Kyle and figure out what his enemies are up to and help him get the upper hand and stuff (see: his reason for going to visit her at the clinic before she gets abducted by Kyle. Because you know. Helpless female. Helpless HUMAN female). But super genius clearly didn't need her help soooo... what's the point? She's just going to continue showcasing mental illness in an inaccurate manner?

rocknghorss: lol yes.

rocknghorss:^^ this is also why I'm not on board with the romance. Because to me right now, HaBaek appears to see SoAh as a person to be protected and/or used for his own goals and not as a valuable person in her own right.

triangularlily: I just think mental illness is such an important topic that's easy to mess up and I feel like 0 concern from the writers or writing accurately and with consideration

rocknghorss: Agreed Kristin.  Perhaps they're trying to say SoAh would be able to help her patients more if she.. idk cared about them??

rocknghorss: something like that.  but then they turn around and use OCD as a reason for the stalker to attempt to murder someone..

triangularlily: Yeah also the patients seem like sad cliches or problems, like the very first guy right was the alien one

rocknghorss: it's frustrating :(

dramajib: The preview for the next episode seems to indicate we're moving toward a more usual romance storyline, where she's falling in love with him and confiding with the second male lead while simultaneously being resigned to it being a never-gonna-happen thing.

rocknghorss: Ekta if that's the case, does this mean SoAh will be used to help HooYe humanize himself?

triangularlily: Maybe they will humanize each other

rocknghorss: hm!

dramajib:  Hmm. Maybe? He seems to be fascinated by her, and he does try to be nice to people all the time, so it could be a win win?

[tatakatte]

Thoughts on The Last Jedi

Overall: I loved it, but I can very much understand why people won’t. It’s a smorgasbord of plots and characters that doesn’t linger long enough with any of them and completely shatters the cadence of the other trilogies. That being said, it gave a hint as to a different message than we’ve previously felt in the Star Wars movies. One that I find refreshing and intriguing if they have the guts to really thoroughly explore it.

The movie can be divided into three sections. We have the Resistance plot, which focuses mostly on Poe Dameron and Leia. Then the Caper plot, which is Finn and newcomer Rose - easily the most extraneous of the plots and a big part of why I think people will not like this film. Lastly is the Jedi/Force plot, the major one that deals with Luke, Rey, and Kylo Ren.

Rebellion Plot:

The plot device used here - the slow chase to inexorable death via depleted fuel - always has the potential to cast a feeling of dread and defeat. There’s nothing they can do to get more fuel, and if they are caught, they will die. This is used effectively, and is devastating. It’s hard to watch the resistance get beaten and beaten and crushed by inevitability. It was also a good device to use, since it was so slow, versus the quick pace of the battle scenes and the Caper plot.

Poe Dameron was the star of this plotline. We get to see him really shine here, under tutelage from Leia, while still being his own infuriating person. He seems a mix of the Han Solo and Leia archetypes. He’s brash and reactive, but he’s also calculating and deeply loyal. I don’t think he can ever be the diplomat Leia is, but he can certainly get close. For all that they didn’t give him in TFA, Oscar Isaac kills it. He’s cocky, but not destructive. Yes, his first instinct is to blow things up, but he learns several times that sometimes he has to find a different way, that he has to rely on other peoples’ knowledge, especially those more experienced than him. I like that he fucked up a few times, because it takes time for people to learn from their mistakes. Don’t even get me started on his relationship with BB-8, which is adorable, nor his constant admiration for Finn, which should make Stormpilot fans happy.

Really, it’s his interactions with Leia that show his true self. He argues with her, but defers to her when necessary. It’s obvious that Leia has sort of replaced Ben with Poe, mothering in the only way she knows how.

I loved that they had Holdo use the lightspeed to shatter a ship. It’s one of those pet theories that you wanna see, but rarely do. The sacrifice was good - a character we could respect, but nothing too devastating.

The two major battles - space battle at the beginning and red-dirt battle at the end - were well done, typical fancy action shit. I absolutely loved the visual of the white salt being shifted to reveal the red dirt. It was gorgeous and seemed more cinematic than usual. The first battle had the first showing of the humor that would be used in the film, and what I very much dislike. It’s the very meta obvious humor, and while it makes people laugh, it starts to feel inappropriate and too easy. I’m not quite sure how to articulate it. I like my humor to be more subtle, and probably why it rubs me the wrong way.

Leia was underused, but I loved that she used her Force powers. The situation was weird, but damnit if I don’t want Leia to use all the Skywalker powerful shit, just like her brother. It’s always bittersweet with Leia, that Han is gone, her son is gone, and now Luke is gone. She’s all that is left, and she endures. I’m so sad about Carrie Fisher passing, It looked as though she was really enjoying this film.

Caper plot:

Finn and mechanic Rose head to a casino planet to find a hacker to get them into the ship that’s tracking the rebel fleet. Yeah, it sounds convoluted because it is. Fortunately, Finn and Rose are so damn adorable and charismatic that I loved it anyway. Rose in particular came with a strong sense of self and devotion to the rebellion.

The film fails poor Finn. He has no character development and gets a lot of action, but it invariably is pointless. John Boyega is so wonderful, I hope the third film utilizes him appropriately.

Benicio del Toro was more tragically underused than Boyega. His hacker character doesn’t even get a name, has a cute humanizing moment, and then sells out Finn and Rose for a hot dog. Like, what was the point of having such a big actor play him. Maybe we’ll see more in Episode IX, but it was so weird having him do nothing in this one.

I’d like to reiterate this idea for Captain Phasma and the tragedy that is not using Gwendoline Christie. She’s awesome, and has shown to be a versatile actor, and we see her for about ten minutes and three lines. She ‘dies’ but I think they might bring her back for Ep. IX. There was no build up, no backstory or explanation. They have to do something.

Jedi/Force plot:

The meat of the movie. It’s the best part of the whole thing.

We see Luke downtrodden and beaten. He’s failed his sister, his friend, and his nephew. He didn’t train Ben properly, and ended up losing him to the Dark Side. And so Luke has made himself a crotchety hermit that won’t train anyone else. But there’s still that guy inside who brought balance to the Force. The Luke that saved his father, that turned down the Dark Side over and over. Mark Hamill does some of the best acting of his life in this film, giving us so much despair and so much hope. I also feel that Hamill’s career as a villainous voice actor influenced his portrayal of Luke, giving him just a hint of darkness that he didn’t feel like the Golden Child of the original trilogy anymore. I think he came to peace in this film, especially when he accepted that the way he was thinking of the Jedi - as these pristine providers of truth and justice and without flaw - wasn’t a way that could be sustained. And really, that whole ideology started with Luke, when he saw that Darth Vader - the baddest bitch of all - could still have light in him.

Rey was delightful. I do think her training was perfunctory and probably will lead to disaster, her vulnerability with what she saw through the Force and how she connects to it makes her a new sort of Jedi. She isn’t the black and white good or bad Jedi from before, which I think is necessary to the survival of the Jedi. A lot of folk have made talk about her being a Gray Jedi, which I think will happen if not in name, because I think it’s the only way the Jedi can proceed. What they’ve been doing obviously hasn’t been working.

Her Force bond scenes with Kylo Ren - Ben Solo - are amazing. Their connection was heartbreaking and soft and tender and naked in its emotions. I can’t even describe how lovely it was. They were like small children sharing secrets, exposing their deepest parts to each other. You see Kylo actually be a person rather than this whiny bitch, and the scene where they touch hands is one of the most sensual things that has ever happened on screen. A lot of people (especially Reylo shippers, hi) see a sexual component to their Force bond visions, but for me, it was just intimate. It was intimate in a way that was difficult to watch at times. It was a raw emotionality that doesn’t often appear in Star Wars films, and I believe never to this degree.  That’s what I believe will resonate the most with people.

That, and the battle scene before Snoke, of course. I wasn’t happy with how quickly and abruptly they killed off Snoke. We didn’t learn a thing about him! But in some ways, I‘m glad he was disposed of so early, so that we can move on from Kylo having a dark manipulative master. And the way they did it was wonderful.

Kylo Ren gets A+ treatment in this movie. You can see the conflict in him, and how determined he is to be the antagonist, and how much he hates and how much he longs for his family. Early on, he has a chance to destroy the ship that Leia’s on, but he feels her. And he doesn’t shoot. He seems like a stunted little boy who was betrayed by everyone he loved and now he’s tearing them apart in the way Snoke taught him. He calls himself a monster, and only people who are in deep pain will do something like that. Monsters never think of themselves as such.

Kylo had moments of his usual short temper, throwing fits, being melodramatic crap. And it will always be hilarious about how the peons of the First Order seem to be completely used to him destroying random shit and they just carry on as usual. But I do feel like we saw the pale underbelly of our villain. He’s not cut-out for it, really. His redemption arc in Ep IX is going to be painful and glorious and it will happen.

The thing I liked most about this film, however, isn’t really any specific scene or character. It’s this idea Kylo Ren has, that he has to kill the past. Obviously, he takes it to a literal sense, but I think the motive behind it is intriguing.

After all, here we are again. Rebels vs empire. Separatists vs the Republic. Resistance vs First Order. Have we learned any lesson? Will this keep happening, over and over. Revolution, new government, oppression, revolution, etc. Nothing really gets better. At the end of the film, the entire Resistance fits inside the Millennium Falcon. Like, 30 people maybe. That’s not nearly enough red shirts to last a whole movie.

But there’s hope. We have Poe Dameron, who is in Leia’s position, but not quite like her. We have Finn, someone who broke out of the stormtrooper faceless mold. We have Rey, someone who rejects the Jedi teachings in a way that doesn’t embrace the Dark Side, but rather recognizes that the two sides will always be there, always need balancing. And we have Kylo Ren, this arrogant, whiny, tantrum-throwing abuse survivor, who’s been gaslighted and groomed for who knows how long. He’s not another villain who’s evil for kicks. What do we do with all these people who don’t fit in the Star Wars hero/villain templates?

The old way of doings things hasn’t worked. It’s made monsters and terrible people and killed countless. It never stops, it never truly gets better. That’s particularly emphasized - perhaps unintentionally - on the casino planet.

Finn and Rose have a sort of rollicking adventure, evading the police and getting into/out of trouble. del Toro’s character rather ham-fistedly states that the weapons dealers give to both the First Order and the Resistance (yeah, ok, what unionized friendly weapon-supplier are they supposed to use??), that there’s problems on both sides. However, I think the more poignant moment is when we see the kids being used as slaves, basically. They are tiny and live in the stables and obviously orphaned or sold to take care of the horse-creatures. Even Rose talks about how the children of her planet were used, destroyed by these money-hungry warmongers. The Empire rose, the Empire fell, the Republic rose, the Republic fell, and these poor people stayed in the same place. They are still downtrodden, impoverished, enslaved, used.

The old way doesn’t work. We have to try something new.

I really hope they embrace this idea in Ep IX. It excited me in a way that a lot of media has failed to do. I would love to see the talent behind Star Wars embrace a complete paradigm shift.

--- an aside. I absolutely adored that Rey’s parents were worthless junkers who sold her for drinking money. Really, truly, I feel like that’s in the spirit of what the filmmakers were trying to say. However, we do get this information from Kylo Ren, who isn’t the most reliable of sources, and may have been manipulated by Snoke (what’s new). I would much rather this be the truth.

But. During all their Force Skype scenes, Rey and Kylo felt very much like children bonding. Their interactions had an air of innocence to them. This was juxtaposed with Luke and Leia having their own Force-provided conversations and insights in a parallel that I’m still not sure was intentional. In fact, when Kylo is telling Rey that she knows who her parents are, that she’s always known, I straight-up thought she would say that Leia and Han are her parents. That her and Kylo are twins (are they the same age??? maybe siblings). It felt like a natural lead up, and I wouldn’t have been surprised. Was this just me? Am I the weirdo now?

Oh well.