#because for real most of my work involving the prequel trio will

[maoam]

One thing that bothers me about jujutsu is that the author doesn't know how to develop some characters. 1 Shoko Ieri is an interesting character but I find her apathetic without a cold and superficial personality. 2 itadori yuji doesn't seem to be a protagonist he seems more like a tool than the protagonist of the work. 3 nobara had no development dry and emotionless death. and many other characters. There were only 2 characters that really had development, which was gojo and geto, for me, they were the only ones that had it. Why do you think the author did this, is it because he didn't want to develop the characters that's why he killed many important characters? I would appreciate it if you respond.

To me it's a bit wild you genuinely think Yuji and Megumi don't have any development... We are only getting to really delve into what's Sukuna's deal. Maki has definitely gotten development. Yuuta got too but it was more in the prequel, in the main story he's a full fledged sorcerer. Characters like Todo, Yuki, Utahime don't need development imo. Now Gege has to show if he actually has something planned for Miwa (for me the way he wrote it it looks like he does, but I won't praise him yet in case he fumbles it).

What I find funny is one of my co-workers just recently watched all of Jujutsu kaisen and he liked it, but his biggest problem was that season 1 was too long lol. He felt it could have been shortened. When I told him about some people's opinions on character development and that there should have been another arc between season 1 and season 2, he was baffled and said "umm no". He was like "it's actually fine, he manages to make people care about many characters, I don't get why people even expect every character to have character development... not all need it". It's interesting to see how differently people see it.

The thing that's most notable about both Shoko and Nobara in terms of being female characters is that despite being the only female in a trio (and Shoko also being a medic) neither of them is the most emphatic nor the softest. Shoko seems more interested in dissecting bodies than healing them and she also keeps some distance to Gojo and Geto. She doesn't want to get involved in their fights and thus doesn't play the classic role of a mediator whenever the two get confrontional with each other. But she's not apathetic, she wishes Gojo relied more on others, including herself, she seemed frustrated with him.

As for Yuuji, he is very much involved in the plot so I don't know what you're talking about? Jjk isn't your typical shonen so Gege makes some twists and turns that people aren't used to. Yuuji goes through a lot of rough events that shape him into a more full fledged sorcerer. He's connected to Mahito, Sukuna and Kenjaku as well.

Nobara did have subtle development too. She was strong fighting wise since the beginning, so she didn't need to go through the kind of development people expect Sakura like characters to go through. She started to rely on others more and letting them get closer to her (in her initial appearance she is very harsh on Yuuji and Megumi, and thinks she can do everything alone), but not surprisingly when she was dying she wished she let them more close. We don't know yet if she died for real since Gege refuses to confirm it, but I do like her character.

[jaimebluesq]

Now that the results are in, in case anyone's wondering what the real summaries are:

Four boys eat some bad congee and get horny: During Evil Wen Summer Camp, the One Braincell Trio & Wangji are dragged out before the Wen soldiers one evening after their dinner - it turns out their meal was laced with an inhibition-lowering aphrodisiac, and the four boys are expected to 'perform' for their captors

Qin Su gets bored and decides sex is the best revenge: A scenario where QS walks in on JGY facing off with NHS because he discovered NHS knows about his role in Da-ge's death, JGY decides he doesn't have the heart to kill either of them and locks them up in the treasure vault, and of course, NHS & QS get much, *much* closer.

Post-Canon Nie Huaisang finds out what could have been: NHS is drinking on a rainy night when a flash brightens up his office, and he turns to see Meng Yao there, no hat or trappings of Jin office. Turns out there's a 'good' timeline where Da-ge still lives and Meng Yao is Nie Huaisang's husband, and that Meng Yao was accidentally made to cross dimensions. He comforts NHS and helps him gain some closure.

Lan Xichen gets 3 for the price of 1: LXC, in seclusion, receives a visit from NHS who is acting extremely erratically. It turns out he tried to free NMJ & JGY from the get-along coffin and succeeded... except now both of their souls are inside NHS, sharing his body and sometimes fighting for control... Now Lan Xichen has to accept the two men he loved most are still alive in some way, and it may not be such a bad thing that NHS is stuck in the middle, so to speak.

Jiang Cheng gets very drastic costume changes: This is for the MDZS Big Bang, so my only spoiler is to say the 'drastic costume changes' are a result of Jiang Cheng living for many centuries, changing his clothing according to the popular dynastic styles to blend in with people.

Jiang Yanli gets her brother and Nie Huaisang to run errands for her: Another special fic I'm not going to spoiler too much, just to say it's SangCheng endgame ;)

Even Gusu Lan's punishments are pervy: Alternate punishment to the infamous Gusu drinking night that is very horny and pervy and may involve more than a few of my weird personal kinks XD

Yu Ziyuan comes to enjoy being part of a polycule: Prequel to "A Day in the life of Nie Yanli" showing how YZY came to Qinghe, gave birth to Yanli, and though at first her being knows as one of Sect Leader Nie's concubines is for show, her, him, and his ladies become a polycule in their own right, resulting in the births of Nie Huaisang and Nie Cheng

4 Jins get laid and only one of them isn't to someone from Qinghe: This is my forever in the works "Jin Zixuan plans the PHoenix Mountain Hunt and changes everything", with pairings of Xuanli, NieYao, NHS/JinZixun, & Mianmian/NieZongzhui

Sect Leader Yao fucks things up for everyone: Post-canon during a cultivation conference, SL Yao brings out some wine that he's secretly doctored - not to be poisonous, but to reveal secret monstrous bloodlines in whoever drinks it. He thinks it will only work on Sect Leader Jiang, who has pissed him off in recent trade negotiations, and whose family are rumoured to have jiaoren blood in them. It turns out MANY cultivators have questionable blood in their veins when they all begin to change at once.

Out of Context WIPs

Rules: Pick a bunch of your WIPs and summarize them as badly as possible, then ask your followers to vote on which one they’d be most likely to read. Multiple/all/none options are completely optional.

Tagged by: @thebiscuiteternal

Tagging: @roseclaw @gekidasa @lowkeyed1

This is going to be fun *rubs hands together*.

[magic-owl]

prompt: unanswered questions, Star Wars (it's vague but I'm sure you've got something

Everyone who likes Star Wars can follow me for Star Wars stuff on my Star Wars blog, @twilightofthe

I did the thing! Sorry if it wasn’t what you were looking for, but I really needed to practice writing a Padmé voice, and this cute little thing was what came to mind!

• • •

The first time Anakin asks Padmé to marry him, he is more than a little drunk.

Well, not drunk, per say, but certainly drugged.

It is the morning after the Battle of Geonosis, and the massive Republic cruisers sent to retrieve its new army from the battlefield are due to arrive back on Coruscant in a couple of hours.

Aboard one of them is Padmé, who has just finished having her own injuries from the battle redressed by a med-droid, and is absolutely not using her being in the medbay anyway as an excuse to go searching for the handsome face that had whirled back into her life with all the heat and intensity of a summer sandstorm.

It takes a couple of tries, peering into rooms to see other wounded Jedi, offering Senatorial thank you’s and well-wishes. She is the only civilian on board.

Eventually, she peeks in and there he is. Her heart does that new, terrifying, exhilarating little twist it’s made a habit of whenever she sees him, and if she hurries into the room to take a seat in the stool pulled up next to his sleeping form, well, no one else is there to see her.

And if she makes the mistake of looking too long at him, face soft and young and beautiful in slumber, gods, if she looks at his hand— or lack of, anyway —well, there’s no one there to apologize to as she ducks down and trails her lips across his brow, his nose, his cheek, the barest of breaths against his half-open mouth.

She hasn’t seen him since they were separated in the battle, since she held her own side by side with those new clone soldiers, since she had been swept away in the aftermath to medical for the claw slashes on her back, to emergency holocalls with various senators including the Chancellor to discuss the oncoming war, to a hasty gathering with the assembled members of the Jedi Council to recount what exactly had happened when her and Anakin had decided to leave Naboo.

(She doesn’t mention Tatooine at all.)

She hadn’t even known Anakin had landed himself in intensive care until she had asked faux-casually as she could manage how her assigned protectors had fared, and a councilor, she couldn’t remember who, had taken pity and told her.

She hasn’t realized until now just how frightened she had been, just how much she’s missed him, and she’s scared that the thought no longer scares her. Yes he had lost his hand, but he could have died and she wouldn’t have even been there to say goodbye...

As she steals that hint of a kiss, he shifts, mumbling incoherently against her mouth, and she freezes, jerking her face backwards until she’s hovered a respectable distance over him, watching in anticipation as his long lashes flutter. His nose twitches as one of her loose curls brushes against it and she quickly sits up to wrap the offending strands into a messy bun. When she turns back around, he’s watching her, goofy smile on his face and blue eyes sparkling under half-lids.

“Hiya, Angel.”

Padmé feels herself flush like the giddy teenager she never got to be. “Hello, Ani. How are you feeling?”

“Y’ so pretty,” Anakin informs her, completely ignoring her question and tilting his head to the side, gazing at her adoringly. It’s incredibly endearing.

It also isn’t quite right, Padmé decides, as she notes the hazy glint in his eyes, the dropping of his mouth, the slurring of his words as he babbles something else about angels and how he’s in love with one— her heart takes flight at that part, and she has to forcibly pull it back down again. She spots the number of tubes and wires trailing beneath the sheet he’s tucked tightly under that lead to the stump on his wrist, and she realizes she doesn’t even know how he was injured.

“Anakin,” she laughs, tilting away from his left hand as it emerges from the sheet to paw at her face, catching it in her own. “You’re still on pain meds.”

“What? Nah.” Anakin’s nose wrinkles adorably. “‘Kay, maybe a little. Jus’ a bit. It’s a happy buzz, s’all.” His eyes meet hers again and she can feel the hand she’s captured tighten around her fingers. “You make me happy.”

Something catches in her throat, and Padmé is forced to swallow before speaking. “You make me happy too,” she says honestly, and it’s the truth.

“Heh.” He offers her another dopey smile and it takes all of her trained, Queenly restraint not to kiss it right off his face. She settles for stroking a hand down his cheek as he leans into it.

He still hasn’t answered her question though. “Do you want to tell me what happened?” she asks gently, nodding towards where his stump arm is draped across his chest in a protective mechano-casing.

Something darker stirs in his eyes, and she just squeezes his hand in comfort, treading as lightly as she can. “You don’t need to say anything if you don’t want to.”

Anakin scowls, shaking his head and running a thumb over her knuckles. “Dooku,” he eventually spits out.

Padmé bites back her own snarl at the mention of the Count. “I hear he escaped,” she says evenly. “I’m sorry.”

“My fault,” Anakin mutters. “Mastern’I were fighting ‘im. He hurt Obi Wan, n’ I tried t’ take him alone. Failed. Yoda had to save our asses.”

Padmé can tell that from his averted gaze and the way he’s leaning his missing limb away from her, right now it’s his pride that has taken the most serious injury. Unable to help herself, she raises his grasped flesh hand and kisses it. “I’m just happy you’re alive and safe.”

Rolled eyes and a snort. “Not all of me.” He waves his stump in the air for emphasis. “Gonna be part cyborg, gonna set off all th’ metal detectors.”

A giggle escapes Padmé at that, and she stifles it quickly in fear of upsetting him, but when she looks at him she just sees proud content on his face. He’s happy he made her laugh.

She smiles reassuringly, now gathering both his stump and his flesh hand together in hers. “Well I can promise you I won’t have any metal detectors. You’ll be safe with me.” She kicks herself inwardly. What am I saying?

He turns a charming shade of red and ducks his head slightly, staring at their connected hands. He mutters something under his breath, and she nudges him. “Come again?”

He looks up at her now, blue eyes shining with a new sense of eager urgency. “I was just thinking,” he says slowly, “that maybe you could give me your hand...”

Okay, now he’s definitely been on the medication for too long. “I don’t think that would work,” she tells him, struggling to hide her laughter. “I kind of need my hand, and it’s a bit small for you, wouldn’t you say so?

He pouts again. “That’s not what I—“

“And here I was worried about leaving you by yourself.”

Padmé almost has a heart attack, whipping around to see Anakin’s master leaning in the doorway.

“Hey, Master,” Anakin greets him casually, as if he’s not still gripping Padmé’s hand with his remaining one. “See, Padmé, just look at what Dooku did to his leg!”

Obi Wan is currently wearing pants so Padmé can’t actually see what happened, but from the way he grips a cane to support himself and the bags under his eyes, she can tell he’s had a rough time. She wonders if he’s slept yet.

“Hello, Anakin. Senator Amidala.” He dips his head at her, and she realizes with a start that he must have been the one to pull the chair next to Anakin’s bed that she’s currently sitting in.

“Knight Kenobi,” she greets in return, starting to rise to give him his seat back, only for him to shake his head and motion for her to keep it. She resettles uncomfortably, trying her best to shake off any sort of prickly defensiveness. She’s only visiting the man who helped protect her, she’s done nothing wrong, nothing to feel guilty about.

Obi Wan’s grey eyes seem to hold no accusation in them, however, so she forces herself to calm as he enters the room. “How are you, Senator? You’re healing from your injuries, I hope?”

The claw marks on Padmé’s back twinge at the reminder, and she rolls her shoulders, surprised he‘s remembered. “I’m doing well, thank you; I can barely feel them anymore. And you?”

Anakin cuts in rather rudely. “Hey, Master, could you talk to Padmé later? She still needs to answer my question.”

Padmé blinks. “What question?”

“What I was just asking you about,” Anakin insists.

Hands?! She shoots a helpless glance at Obi Wan, who gives the slightest of shrugs and an amused smile before turning to Anakin.

“It seems you’ve caught the lady unawares, young one. Care to repeat the question for her?”

Anakin huffs. “I was trying to ask her to marry me.”

Silence.

“Oh,” Padmé says faintly. He wants my hand...

“Oh,” Obi Wan echoes, looking rather like someone has pulled the ground out from under him. Padmé thinks she knows the feeling.

“Well?” Anakin demands.

“Um,” is Padmé’s eloquent response, and Obi Wan’s hand goes to pinch the bridge of his nose.

There’s more awkward, dragging silence, and Padmé doesn’t know if she can breathe, and then at the same time—

“I am so sorry!” her and Obi Wan blurt out in unison.

“I’m not,” Anakin offers.

Obi Wan makes a frustrated noise, but otherwise ignores him in favor of Padmé. “You’re sorry?”

“I shouldn’t have woken him up!” Padmé gasps, hands flailing. “He needs rest, he’s still on medication—“

“I’m not that drugged,” Anakin says indignantly.

“It’s not your fault, I promise you this isn’t normal behavior for him,” Obi Wan’s own eyes are rather wide. “I know he meant no—“

“I meant it,” Anakin insists.

“He meant no offense,” Obi Wan finishes in exasperation.

“Please, none taken, it’s really fine,” Padmé promises, having stood from the chair at this point, noticing how her and Obi Wan have been circling each other like anxious buzzards.

“You guys look kinda pale, maybe you should sit down,” Anakin observes from the bed, patting both sides with hand and stump. “And Padmé—“

“You both should get some rest,” Padmé breathes, half-wondering why she hasn’t physically turned into a quivering lump of jelly to match her insides. “I should be going.”

“Wait, you’re leaving?” There’s a frown in Anakin’s voice and she cant bear to look at his face.

“I’m sure you two will see each other again.” The assurance from Obi Wan makes her turn to him in shock. He’s staring right at her, and for the first time, she can see that the normally unreadable man looks as frightened as she is.

Will she reveal what Anakin asked her? Will she stay or will she go? Will she hurt him? that gaze says.

Padmé feels as though she must be visibly trembling, but she nods back, words addressed to Anakin but eyes straight on Obi Wan. “Of course we will, Anakin. I’ll still need someone to see me home safely after, won’t I?”

I’ll not tell a soul, how can I leave him, I love him, I love him so much it terrifies me.

“Okay, good,” Anakin says, and Obi Wan offers her the most tentative of smiles in return.

“I will see you both around, then,” Padmé tells them stiffly. “I’ll see you around”? Smooth, Senator... She gives them both a nod, turning on her heel and heading for the door. “Good day, Master Jedi.”

She hears Anakin call out “Bye, Padmé!” as she ducks through the doorway and scurries off down the hall, clutching her dress closely to her sides.

She knows she is considered attractive by a number of species, and this is far from the first impromptu proposal she has received over a lifetime as Queen and senator. Anakin, however, is the only one out of all of them who has ever made her want to answer “yes”.

Once they arrive back on Coruscant, it’s a whirlwind of rushing back to her home to throw on an appropriate outfit for the emergency Senate session the Chancellor calls immediately, struggling to make herself heard over the raucous from the pods around her as she makes a last ditch plea for consideration of any other possible routes they could take that wouldn’t mean civil war, despair when the vote falls in favor of it, even when she knew it was coming.

The rest of that week is spent making future plans with political allies, contacting the Council and confirming that yes, she is still to have an escort when she returns home, and solidifying the details of the trip back to Naboo itself, and what she will discuss with the Queen once she arrives.

The entire time, Anakin’s question is a burning flame in the back of her mind.

When the day comes that she is to travel home, she clenches her fingers tightly in the pockets of her traveling dress, worrying. Maybe he won’t even come, maybe they have sent someone else altogether to escort her back.

But no, there he is, golden hair gleaming in the setting sunlight, head bowed in respect but dark blue eyes peering up at her hopefully, both hands conspicuously hidden from view inside his robe pockets.

His master is walking with him, hand on his shoulder, but when they meet, Padmé is informed that only Anakin will be escorting her back; Obi Wan has business to attend to here.

Padmé doesn’t even have time to process what that means, that once again they will be alone together, when Obi Wan is stepping away, telling them to take care. His eyes meet hers for a brief moment and Padmé catches the double meaning.

I will always take care of him, she vows.

Then they’re boarding the ship and they’re taking off and they’re jumping to lightspeed, and they’re very much alone and Padmé feels like the ship is going much too slow, like her heart is racing parsecs ahead of them.

They both sit there awkwardly for a time, watching hyperspace swirl around them, before Anakin takes a deep breath and holds up his right hand, which he had taken out of his pockets earlier but has been sheathed in a black glove.

She can’t take her eyes away as he slowly, with unsteady fingers, unlatches the buckles and snaps holding it on, then slips the glove off. He offers the glove to her, but she takes the hand instead.

It’s a basic design, skeletal lines of metal shimmering from the light of space around them. He’s talking to her about it in a gruff, embarrassed tone, saying how it doesn’t look like much but it was what they had at the time, and he’s already drawing up blueprints for modifications, and then he’s cutting himself off with a shiver when she rolls the shining knuckles in her grip.

She looks up at him and he’s looking at her and now he’s much closer than he was before and then he’s kissing her. She kisses him back.

Surprisingly, it’s him who breaks it first, resting his forehead against hers. His voice when he speaks is rougher, lower, and that definitely does something for her.

“You never answered my question.”

“What question?”

She knows exactly what question he’s talking about.

He humors her anyway. “In medical, on the ship back from Geonosis. I remember asking you something very important, and you never gave me an answer. I know I’m not making it up.”

She lets out a shaky breath. “Oh. You mean the one you asked in front of your master when you were high on painkillers? I think I can remember that.”

He pulls away, making a face at her. “First of all, I was not that high. I was basically sober. Second, Obi Wan’s seen me way worse saying way dumber things, there’s no way he took it seriously.”

She arches a brow at him and he realizes his mistake, backpedaling. “Not that anything about this is dumb, stars no, ignore me. See, I say dumb things!”

She tries to look disapproving at him, but his panicked expression makes her crack into laughter, and now he’s just sulking. “I promise you, Padmé, I meant everything I said, and I won’t take it back.”

Her response surprises both of them. “Then ask me again.”

What am I doing?

To his credit, he doesn’t hesitate for a moment, taking up both of her hands in both his metal and flesh ones, looking deep into her eyes. She feels like she’s drowning in them. “Padmé, I love you more than the stars themselves. Will you marry me?”

She’s going too fast, is what she’s doing, but for Padmé at this moment, it feels like she’ll never need brakes again.

“Yes,” she breathes, filled with exhilaration from the speed high, and leans in for another kiss.

[sandu-zidian]

Blabbing about this Musician!au I started last summer that has now also turned into a marching band!au because I got sad and nostalgic because despite how shitty it could be, marching band defined my high school life and social life and I couldn’t had asked for anything else.

I also don’t have every single prequel character (because this au is surrounding the prequel characters) in Star Wars smacked into here, and I gave up halfway through a couple of months ago in terms of brainstorming. Anyways, this is hella long so check everything out under the line if you’d like! don’t want to spam everyone with something that’s like, 4 pages long

Now, you might be asking. What instruments are these characters playing, or what are they doing in marching band? well, boy oh boy do I have some lore for you.

Anakin Skywalker: alright lets start of with the “Chosen One”. Now, I gotta say. He’s got some intense brass vibes, specifically high brass. But I don’t know. He didn’t really mesh well. And given his natural talent with the Force in canon, I thought that Anakin would be a sort of prodigy. And we all know the two instruments associated with that: the piano and violin. He’s more of a piano dude, so here we go! piano prodigy Anakin Skywalker. He also gives mad drumline vibes, and I can see him as either the lead snare, setting the tempo, or the main quad player. He’s brash, slightly obnoxious, but damn is he fucking good at what he does.

Obi-Wan Kenobi: I literally started this AU on the idea that Obi-Wan would play the cello. One of the defining quotes for him is that fucking “infinite sadness” quote. And we all know that cellos play some of the saddest pieces out there. (see: Elgar cello concerto) However, I can’t see him as a marching band dude. He doesn’t really give off color guard vibes (since that’s where most non-band people go to) so I have him as the resident student helper who everyone tolerates because he brings ice cream after band camp.

Ahsoka Tano: Ahsoka is a flute player. As a flute player, I have intimate knowledge on this. She’s like the chill flute player who’s competitive enough to keep her position as principal, but is also chill enough to not have a big ego that butts heads with everyone. She also gives mad color guard vibes. Also speaking about that from personal experience (am I lowkey projecting my own experiences on her? you didn’t hear that from me). She seems like the type to love swing flags and sabre, and is 100% captain by senior year.

I have Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Ahsoka as siblings in this AU because I say so. Qui-Gon is around here somewhere as the resident hippie dad who lowkey smokes pot and will support his children while giving a big ‘fuck you’ to Dooku. 

Yoda’s also in here somewhere, and I love the idea that he’s an old Chinese/Asian man who refuses to speak english and will only do so with the most backwards grammar so his grandchild (Qui-Gon) and great-grandchildren (the trio) are forced to speak Mandarin/Cantonese to him (pick your poison). He just spends his days cutting up fruit and also might pull out his erhu if everyone asks nice enough. (I want to say he was a Peking Opera musician, but immigrated during Mao’s reign after he lost opportunities during the cultural revolution)

So, I know that it doesn’t make sense for a family to have 3 sets of twins and one triplet set, but fuck that I do what I want.

Cody Fett: okay so, Cody 100% plays the french horn. I don’t know, he just, he does. He’s got that air of sophistication because he can play the hardest brass instrument, but at the same time, he’s incredibly good at it and is matter-of-fact about it. He also would be the mello section leader (I was playing with the idea of drum major, but for now, leaving him as a section leader for now). He’s a bit uptight to be a low brass player, but cool enough to still be associated with the general brass group.

Rex Fett: I got Rex and Cody as the eldest Fett twins. Rex feels like a string player, so I have him on violin. I can see him be very hardworking and practicing diligently to the point where he easily sweeps through to concertmaster in high school and the local youth orchestra. He also gives of mad drum major vibes. I can see him copying music, handing out drill charts, and hauling the met around. Also, just think about Rex doing a fancy ass salute at competitions. Yes.

Next round of twins lets gooo

Jesse Fett: You could say Jesse has brass vibes. I see him as a reed person though. In concert band, he’s on clarinet. I used to think clarinets were as stuck up as us flutes but no they’re literally balls of chaotic energy ready to be unleashed. Just imagine Jesse blaming everything on his reed. I see him as the guy who switches to saxophone for marching band, though. He’s got the energy of the clarinet and the saxophone harnessed. Also, wouldn’t be surprised if he knows how to play the sousa.

Kix Fett: Y’know, when I originally made this AU, I had Kix as a musician as well. I’m gonna scratch that. He’s going to medical school, or at least, he’s planning to. He’s on the pre-med track and is dying in organic chemistry and wishes there weren’t so many pre-requisites. However, in high school, he definitely played the oboe. Of course Kix chose one of the hardest instruments to play. Also, just imagine him trying to make his own reeds. I don’t see him as a guy who’s in marching band. He’ll come to competitions and maybe football games if he’s bullied into it. Kix is the guy who’s classes are all AP and he’s dying inside.

Next round of twins yeet:

Fives Fett: shit, I forgot I gave them all real names. If I remember correctly, Fives is Frank. Anyways, trumpet vibes. Need I say more? He’s on the trumpet in marching band as well and he’s the dude who’s obsessed with DCI and always tries to play as high as he possibly can and absolutely demolishes his chops. I would say he’s section leader as well. He also hangs with the drumline at the back of the bus and always plays meme songs on blast and sends weird pictures to people’s phone via open airdrop.

Echo Fett: I think his birth name is Ethan??? I’m spitting thoughts not checking my old documents. Anyways. Echo feels like a string person. Specifically, low strings. So, he plays the bass. Upright bass. Whatever. You get what I mean. He sleeps in the case after school and hates hauling it everywhere. He was in marching band as a mello player (the easiest brass instrument to pick up for the activity so) but he was in a car crash that left him paralyzed from the hip down, and had to quit to recover. He never stopped playing, and found ways to adjust. (I do not know how exactly this would work, since I’m able bodied and also don’t play the bass, but I know he’d at least have a stool to sit on in order to lean his body on. let me know if you have other ideas i’d love to hear them!)

Finally, we got the triplets:

Dogma Fett: Dogma plays the bassoon. He’s a low reed kinda guy and between the bari sax, bass clarinet, and bassoon, he fits the last one the best. He and Kix moan over making reeds and he’s on the quieter side. He just vibes and plays all the low notes and has fun whenever he’s got some moving part. I see Dogma as someone who is only casually into marching band. He uses Jesse’s old student clarinet as his instrument and he’s always on time, knows his sets, and his technique is on point. He always finds himself roped into his brothers’ shenanigans though.

Tup Fett: Tup plays the harp. I like to think he met Shaak Ti (we’ll get to her in a bit) when he was young, and she was playing with an orchestra. He met her backstage and she offered to give him lessons. Tup’s not really a part of high school orchestra but sometimes he’ll be brought in. He’s more involved with solo work and the youth orchestra more than anything. Tup’s another on where I don’t think he’d be into marching band. Though I can see him being in winter guard as the dude who just shows up and is lowkey rip and therefore is a hunk on the rifle. His technique’s good but they’ve never been able to saddle him into fall guard.

Hardcase Fett: (i’ve given up on remembering the birth names so i’m just gonna not) Hardcase is 100% low brass vibes. He can’t be anything but a low brass. I see him as a tuba player. He’s chill, laid back, but also reliable for being the foundation of the band sound. He plays the sousaphone in marching band and always blasts either Seven Nation Army or some other popular show tune right after rehearsals. Hardcase also can play the bari sax and no one knows when he learned how to. 

OKAY we’re done with the Fett’s! Jango and Boba are in here somewhere but honestly I don’t have enough brainpower to come up with what their roles are. Jango’s gonna be a good dad though. Maybe he was a musician and that’s why most of his kids are going into music. Or maybe he’s just a supportive father. Boba’s the youngest though, that’s for sure. And he’s a little shit. Don’t know if he plays an instrument (probably) or what it might be.

Now lets get into some other characters! There’s a lot. And I wasn’t even halfway done with the characters I wanted to include. What the hell was I on last summer?

Padmé Amidala: Padmé is a flute player who quit after freshman year of high school and started taking music production and music theory classes. She loved it so much that she decided that composing was her jam. Now, she’s highly successful and often works with well known pianist, Anakin Skywalker, on piano concertos. Also, she may or may not be dating said pianists but you didn’t hear that from me.

Satine Kryze: twosetters don’t shit on me but Satine feels like she’d play the viola. She and Obi-Obi-Wan definitely dated in high school but after a year broke up on mutual terms and are just good friends now. A lot of people feel like she’d have been a better political science/international studies major than a music major but she’s good so no one complains (until she gets into a fighting match with someone and wins smugly)

Bo-Katan Kryze: shes Satine’s younger sister and is a mad athlete. She doesn’t play any instruments but she’s deeply active and is on scholarship for college, on the pre-med track with Kix. She’s very scary and most people are too intimidated by her to approach.

Plo Koon: I originally had him as an asian man, but I can see Native American as well. He plays the euphonium and he’s just a sweet man. He helps out a lot with private lessons at local high schools and is often brought in to help with low brass during marching band.

Wolffe Koon: Wolffe and Gregor (get to him in a bit) were both adopted by Plo when their parents died when they were very young. Plo was their godfather and he took them in like they were his own. They’re cousins to the Fett brothers (though don’t ask me how I have no idea). Wolffe is an engineer and works close to home.

Gregor Koon: Gregor is Wolffe’s younger brother and had a short stint of musical interest in middle school but quit after he entered high school. Gregor was in a serious car crash during college that left him amnesiac for a year before some of his memories returned. He now owns a restaurant and sticks close to home. Wolffe often comes around to check up on him because his brain injury still impacts his current life in small physical and emotional dips

Kit Fisto: Kit gives off mad trombone vibes and it’s mostly because he seems incredibly laid back. He’s one of those brass players who’s just a nice guy and while jokes around, never got pulled into jokes as a student.

Shaak Ti: like I said above, Shaak Ti is most definitely a harpist. She has that ethereal quality I think is common in harpists. She’s a tall Indian woman and she loves her job! She’s a private lesson teacher and instructor at the conservatory on top of her job in the orchestra since she’s not called in often to play. She loves all her students and gives good hugs.

Mace Windu: Mace is the director of the Jedi Symphony, the orchestra which almost everyone is involved with. He is a bass player and he likes his more classical pieces over contemporary music. He’s good friends with Yoda and sometimes the old troll has to wack some sense into Windu and have him take on newer pieces. Windu 100% gives off unhinged director vibes because mistakes and lazy musicians definitely don’t end after high school/college is over.

Quinlan Vos: this lil shithead definitely is the obnoxious, slightly arrogant, but kind of deserving of that, percussionist. He loves his snare drum and is also in the drumline. He’s the same age as Obi-Wan and the two are close friends. Quinlan is definitely slightly unhinged and is always at the back of the bus causing havoc after competitions. He’s the guy that I (OP) hate but also can’t help but respect cuz yeah he’s annoying but at least he’s good.

Aayla Secura: Aayla is Quinn’s half-sister, and plays the French horn. Again, like Cody, she’s got this air of professionalism that I associate with French horn players and like, we gotta represent the girls in brass somehow. She just fits it really nicely.

I feel like now is the time to list who’s still in conservatory and who isn’t: Obi-Wan, Anakin, Rex, Cody, Jesse, Quinlan, Padmé, and Satine are all recent graduates. Ahsoka, Aayla, Fives, Echo, Tup, Dogma, and Hardcase are still in conservatory (at varying years of course). Kix and Bo are entering med school/frantically applying and banging their heads cuz MCATs. Wolffe and Gregor are older and have been in the field for quite some time now. Plo, Kit, Shaak, and Mace are all faculty/seasoned professionals.

Somehow, I was gonna bring in The Skiratas (with proper research cuz I know very little about them), Dooku, Ventress, the Oppress siblings, rest of Domino Squad, Cut Lawquene, the other CCs, and more. I designated a page out of my sketchbook for this and my oh my the flow chart was hella confusing. How I thought I was gonna handle that in the summer before my first year of college, I have no idea. Maybe I’ll brainstorm more in the future but for now, this is all I have :]]]

Also excuse some of my slightly unhinged language I started writing this a few days ago while slightly unfocused and tired and stressed so my language is a product of that

[burnt-ghost-toast]

Prequel Trio HCs - How they comfort you when you’re sad:

Obi-Wan:

He is used to the glazed over eyes, he remembers them well from Anakin’s childhood, so he knows when you’ve begun to shut yourself off. In situations like this he’ll pull back. It isn’t his goal to push you into a corner.

Obi-Wan is quick to notice something is off. I mean, with Anakin as a padawan you have to be good at picking up mood shifts

Speaking of which: parenting training Anakin has taught Obi-Wan a lot about caring for another person, so when you’re ready to let Obi-Wan in he’ll be there with tea and advice

However he isn’t the most emotionally open person (let’s be real the Code and Order dominate this man’s life)

There are very few open and honest conversations. Attachments are bad and lead down a path Obi-Wan doesn’t want to follow, but on the rare occasion Obi-Wan can pull back from this black and white view of attachment you can see a softer side of him

His touch lingers longer than it should, his gaze soft and eyes full of longing. It would be so easy to reach out and capture his lips in a kiss.

Maybe this will be the day he allows himself to give into his desires. Maybe, just this once, Obi-Wan Kenobi can exist beyond the Jedi Order.

Because, despite his best efforts, Obi-Wan is someone with attachments and love in his heart.

In public you may not be able to expect much:

He places his hand on your shoulder and gives you a rare smile

“Good job today.” 

But in private, if you ask, he’ll give what he can while still abiding by the Code.

He’s big on meditation. It gives you both a chance to clear your minds and enjoy each other’s presence without having to talk

If your sadness manifests more as anger then he’d suggest some hand-to-hand training so you can let out that frustration in a contained environment.

You’re never obligated to tell him something, but he makes an effort to listen and lend you strength when you need it.

Anakin Skywalker:

Anakin would probably take the longest of the prequel trio to figure out something was wrong

This boy is sweet and so intelligent, but he’s got a lot going on and between trying to prove himself at every turn and dealing with his own feelings of inadequacy it can be hard to notice the shifts in your own personality.

It would be hard for Anakin to believe that there was something about yourself that you didn’t like. To him, you are an incredibly competent and talented person. The thought of you feeling as inadequate as he sometimes does unsettles him.

No matter the problem he’d be the one trying to solve it:

Worried about training or class work? No problem, Anakin will train with you daily and help quiz you.

Someone is bothering you? He will not hesitate to get involved, whether it be speaking or fighting on your behalf, he’ll do it.

Insecure about your appearance? He won’t stop showering you in complements until you smile and say something kind about yourself.

Point is, if you are sad, cheering you up will become Anakin’s sole focus. His kindness and dedication to others knows no bounds.

He isn’t afraid to be affectionate with you if that’s what you need

And oh boy, get ready for the cheesiest lines in the galaxy. Anakin can’t flirt to save his life, but he’s so enduring you can’t help but adore him

“I’d walk through an ocean of sand if it meant you were my oasis.” “Um, when you say ‘ocean of sand’ do you just mean desert?”

“Your smile alone could fuel all of Coruscant.”

Your relationship with Anakin, romantic or platonic, would be one of mutual love and validation. You both prop each other up and help the other see what makes them special.

There is strength in love, and while the Order and cynics may disagree, the bond you share with Anakin does not ever subtract from who each of you are. 

Padmé Amidala:

Padmé is a political leader. When she asks if you’re okay she’ll know if you weren’t being completely truthful. If she didn’t she wouldn’t have lasted very long in the Senate

“Are you alright?” Padmé would ask after noticing your dejected expression during a particularly long and fruitless meeting.

“I’m fine.” 

She frowns, noticing how your smile doesn’t quite reach your eyes, “are you sure?”

And at this point one of two things happen:

You break, giving way to the aches that have been plaguing you while Padmé listens carefully, and when the tears finally fall she’ll take you in her arms and just hold you until your breathing steadies.

Or you double down and Padmé allows you to have your way until you’re ready.

She isn’t one to share her own suffering, so if you’re not ready to talk she won’t force the issue, but she will make her presence felt so you know that you’re not alone.

Padmé understands what it’s like to feel helpless and like you have no control over your own life. When you’re feeling this way she’ll take you to a spa and rent out a private room just for the two of you.

She’ll go through all the bath oils and lotions with you, allowing you to smell each one as she explains the different properties each oil can help with. You add whatever you like and the two of you bathe together

Bottles of your favorite bath oils and lotions are sent to your quarters to enjoy whenever you feel like treating yourself.

Padmé hosts sleepovers for the two of you and her handmaidens to bond and de-stress. Those girls love Padmé and by extension come to love you because when you’re around Padmé her loyal handmaidens aren’t far behind

And it works out because your circle of friends just got exponentially bigger and that's just that many more people you can rely on

The group all love to pamper you. 

If your hair is long enough, one of the other women would braid it, and then face masks are applied before bed.

Padmé is a gifted public speaker and diplomat. She is strictly against violence and always tries to settle issues peacefully. If someone was giving you trouble or just made you uncomfortable she’d do what she could to get them reassigned or offer to leave the room with you if you needed the space. 

She also has no problem denouncing another senators' abhorrent behavior publicly. Padmé will use whatever power she possesses to make things right.

Her handmaidens are also there to back you up when Padmé can’t. If anyone was giving you problems you know you would have a force of badass women ready to back you.

If you feel unheard she’ll ask what you want to do about the situation and make sure you get a chance to speak your mind. Your voice matters to Padmé and she will lend you all she has to help you.

[blurhawaii]

Yuletide 2019

dear yuletide writer,

hello and happy yuletide! this is my fifth year taking part and my longest letter yet so i’m just going to jump right in. the suggestions are guidelines. if you’ve got a great idea, go for it. i only ask that you steer clear of my dislikes.

feel free to go through my tumblr for each of these fandoms. i should have tags for them, tho your mileage may vary. i might even have more stuff on my side blog: here. likes:

dysfunctional relationships eg. codependency, messed up father/son dynamics, enemies to lovers, power imbalances.

found family

big loyalty kink. love it when trust is earned and kept.

praise kink

vulnerability in men

open and honest communication between partners

i love ot3s. it’s the journey of them getting together and making it work that interests me the most. or how an established pair goes about bringing in a third person.

stories set in canon. or a divergence of canon.

dark/bleak fics. don’t be afraid to drag characters through the mud. happy endings are welcome but i like the struggle.

i’m fine with anything from gen to porn but would be happiest with something in the middle. i love first times.

canon typical violence is fine and to be expected from some of my choices of fandoms.

detective stories/film noir

magical realism/cosmic horror. weird hints of it in an otherwise normal universe

redemption arcs

characters and relationships are more important than plot for me

dislikes:

AUs that are completely disconnected from canon e.g. coffee shop AUs.

established relationships

crossovers

genderbending

feminisation of male characters

fics that are entirely fluff

A/B/O fics

PWP

mpreg 

scat/watersports

first person fics (i have no problem with second person fics tho if you think that could work. they really wow me when done well.)

The Departed (2006) *Billy Costigan             *Sean Dignam

one of my favourite films ever. i request it every year so you can't really go wrong with this as i am thirsty for anything. most of my love is for dignam and his tough love attitude towards his job and the undercovers he's responsible for. it's obvious he cares, i don't think you could do a job like that and not care, but those rare and few moments when he softens around billy --we need you, pal-- that's what i would like to see more of. i have written a couple of departed fics myself, centred around costigan/dignam, but in all honesty, i would be happy with anything involving them both. shipping is preferred but whatever you are comfortable with is fine. due to the nature of the film, i am perfectly comfortable with violence and the screwed up relationship they are bound to have. the friction born of the situation vs the fact that they need each other to get through this is what i am all about.

codependency, power imbalances and enemies to lovers tropes are abound here.

fics where billy lives are my usual go-to. the survivability of being shot in the head, that kind of stuff can be hand waved away in fic, and i'd love something that explores the angst of billy's ‘where the hell were you when i needed you’ reaction towards dignam following that ending.

or a canon divergence fic with their totally antagonistic relationship being front and centre. i just ask that there be an underlying level of affection, no matter how buried. when billy is undercover, there’s a special kind of relationship that comes with dignam and queenan being the only people he can talk to.

something i’ve never seen for this but would actually love: a time loop/groundhog day fic

Jurassic Park Original Trilogy (Movies)

*Sarah Harding                  *Ian Malcolm                  *Nick Van Owen

i originally wasn’t going to ask for this again this year (i was lucky enough to get treated with a fic a couple of years ago) but then someone other than myself nominated nick van owen which surprised and delighted me and i figured why the hell not.

my passion here is the ot3 potential. i view these three in the same way i view the trio in the first film, meaning i see them as three people who have bonded over a traumatic experience and come out of it forever linked in some way. they spend the entire film looking out for each other and keeping each other safe, and they all separately take care of ian’s daughter at one point and i am fascinated by this and how that could continue in the future. (in fact, i love stories where adults treat kids like adults, not talking down to them–see any shane black film.) i’m looking for an actual relationship between them but would be happy with anything that showcased a connection with every side of this triangle.

anything post-film with them dealing or not dealing with what happened would be amazing. there are quite a few fics based around this idea for the first film’s trio, i’d love to see something like that for these three. (i’ve always been kind of bitter about the way nick just disappears for the last act but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ that’s what fics are for, i guess.)

i don’t like the jurassic world films but i’m fine with fics that take that future into account. a lot of the trauma for these characters comes from the idea that the parks still exist and continue to fuck people up.

Godless (TV 2017)

*Roy Goode                 *Bill McNue                 *Alice Fletcher

i’m a massive fan of westerns. the harsh way of life, the violence, the isolation, drawn out revenge plots, the murkiness of good vs evil or sheriff vs anti-hero, the importance of honour and heroism and how that differs for men and women, especially in this universe with its town full of widows. having said all that, i’m still very much a sucker for cool cowboys in a shallow female way.

as you’ve probably already gathered my favourite thing is turning every love triangle into an ot3. so i’d love a fic post canon where roy comes back after realising found family is just as important as real family despite frank’s influence. i imagine bill would try to do the gentlemanly/self depreciating thing of bowing out and letting roy and alice be together but i’d love for alice to actually get a say in this where she wasn’t allowed in the show. however you jigsaw them together my main thing is that bill doesn’t get left out.

i feel the roy/bill aspect in particular could be explored a lot more. i love that they don’t hate each on sight. they learn mutual respect and then smoothly move around each other during the gunfight at the end. (bill’s deteriorating eyesight side plot also fascinates me, how it goes with his loss of purpose -”losing his shadow”- and comes back when teaming up with roy to defend the town. maybe there’s a fic possibility where it flares up again due to his insecurity of roy coming between him and alice. either way, the hints of magical realism here and with frank’s repeated insistence that he’s seen his death and this ain’t it are great and i wouldn’t mind seeing more of that.)

the usual ideas of western masculinity get all twisted around when roy and bill are in the presence of alice and they both seem kind of subby towards her, which yes please. the way alice kisses the scar she gave roy and the fact that he simply lets her is *chef kiss* because i also love the parallel that bill got shot in the hip trying to get revenge for alice. they all have scars that tie them together.

i’m actually very okay with letting them be soft with each other after all of their tragedy.

honest communication between partners could work wonders here.

Barry (TV 2018)

*Barry Berkman                     *Monroe Fuches

i expected to like this show. dark comedy, depressed hitman, henry winkler, it’s a perfect combination of things. i didn’t expect to get obsessed with barry’s obvious fucked up father-figure hangups. but hey ho, i was pleasantly surprised.

pretty much every one of barry’s relationships in this show has an element of fucked-upness but the barry/fuches one is by far the worst. it’s codependent, it’s manipulative, it’s a little abusive, the power is constantly flip-flopping and most importantly there’s the father/son dynamic that could so easily tip over into something sexual. it’s everything i love. any time fuches calls barry “his boy” it kills me. and i am fascinated by the way barry can go from needy and touch starved to a rampaging killer hunting fuches down by the end and still have that dynamic going strong.

the parallels between them and the barry/gene cousineau relationship, which is fucked up too just in a very different way, are great. love the jealousy it brings and i would even be into a fic set post the season 2 ending, if you could find a way to swing that. though, while i like a little darkness, i would still rather see them fall back into old unhealthy habits than kill each other.

any kind of prequel fic would be amazing too.

and just to be clear i’m more than okay with a sexual relationship between these two but if you don’t want to write it that’s fine. I’d just like all the other aspects of their shitty relationship delved into.

L.A. Confidential (1997)

*Bud White                         *Ed Exley

pretty much all of my bullet pointed likes come into play here. i’ve nominated two characters but i’d be happy with almost any combination of the characters available in the tagset as long as exley is involved in some way.

ships i like: bud/exley,  exley/vincennes,  bud/exley/lynn

but if we matched purely on both bud and exley then:

i love the opposites attract partnership bud and exley have and i like that they both seem angry at their attraction to each other. hate-sex with reluctant feelings? always good. i'd love anything that deals with their perceived difference in intellect and/or education. bud being turned-on by exley's smarts, exley realizing how much he's underestimated bud, them being mutually impressed by each other.

if you choose to go down the ot3 route then:

i love fics where exley shows up in arizona and they fall into weird domesticity. i love seeing how three people--especially three people who aren't used to the idea of poly relationships--work their way towards realizing and accepting what they want.

and while i’m not sure what you could do with this knowledge, i’d just like to add that i’ve read the book and i’m somewhat obsessed with the existence of dream-a-dreamland in general. if you could incorporate that in any way i’d be hugely impressed.

POKEMON Detective Pikachu (2019)

*Harry Goodman                        *Hide Yoshida

this is totally a last minute request that i’ve edited in but is by no means less wanted than the others. i watched this film back when it came out and was honestly surprised by how much i enjoyed it. i’m a massive pokemon fan and have been since i got my pokemon red when i was seven years old and, let me tell you, getting to see all those growlithes waddling about the real world was like a childhood dream come true.

i had a good time and i moved on.

a few days ago i stumbled on a piece of art : here : and it was like the little goblin that is my brain just sat up straight. the very concept of these characters together had never crossed my mind before that but then suddenly the desire for this just casually strolled through my entire headspace, turning on every light as it went.

i love detective stories, i love cop partnerships, i love hot single dads who happen to be cops with cute little pokemon cop partners. i love that harry is kind of a shitty father but he’s now trying his best. i love that hide had nothing but praise and respect for harry when he meets with tim and that he knew things like tim wanting to be a pokemon trainer when he was younger (meaning he and harry had talked about stuff like this.) i love that hide inexplicably has a spare key to harry’s apartment in his desk drawer. i love how absolutely certain hide was in saying harry loved his son more than anything in the world.

there’s history there is what i’m saying, and i’d love to know more about it.

anything set pre-film would be cool. loose cannon harry throwing his whole being into his job to deal with the loss of his wife and his fractured relationship with his son. hide the tired lieutenant trying to rein him in, quietly talking about tim together, keeping him grounded and safe. all up until he can’t, that is. (great angst potential with hide genuinely believing harry is dead.)

anything set post-film would be even better. harry struggling to find balance between being a father and a cop. probably doing a shitty job at it in the beginning. hide trying to help. would love for tim to be an actual presence (outsider POV could be amazing here.)

may sound strange but my favourite thing that used to happen in digimon a lot is when characters would interact with each other digimon partner. i would be massively into a fic about the two of them growing closer through each other’s pokemon partner.

thank you writer and best of luck.

[grizzbe]

Let the past die. Kill it if you have to.

After my third viewing of The Last Jedi, I think I’m ready to write down my thoughts on the movie. Follow below the cut for my spoilerific musings!

First off, I’ll put down a quick and easy guide as to whether you should bother to continue with reading my review or not: In your rankings of the Star Wars movies, does any prequel movie rank above TLJ? If so, you might as well move on. If not, keep on reading! 

Alright! I’m just going to say right off that bat that I loved it. I loved it the first time I saw it and I only love it more with each subsequent viewing.

The reason that it’s taken me so long to get around to this, though, is because I want to try my hardest to avoid some pitfalls that I feel are a bit easy for myself to fall into, namely to make this review simply a point-by-point list as to why your reasons for disliking this movie are wrong or simply word-vomit gushing over the movie.

So, I’ll start by saying that the movie is not without its faults. Some of its jokes are ham-fisted or fall flat, some of the visual effects (you know what I’m talking about) look wonky, some of its subplots could use a little tuning, and the whole thing probably could’ve been helped by increasing the timeline even just a few days.

That being said, the jokes aren’t bad and there are far more “Star Wars” jokes than those dastardly “off-brand” jokes that seem to be sticking in a lot of people’s craws.

 I’ve heard a lot of people complain about Leia’s force moment and while I’ll agree that it doesn’t work great visually, I am more than willing to accept it in its principle, especially considering that people can survive in the vacuum of space in real life (https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/survival-in-space-unprotected-possible/). Once you throw onto it Star Wars’ wacky take on physics and space in general, Leia surviving this moment is more than reasonable.

When it comes to subplots, the main thing that they’re about is quite simply character development. 

Poe learns that there’s more to being an effective leader than being an excellent flier. After putting the fleet and the whole of the Resistance in danger more than once over the course of a few days, Poe finally sees what it takes to be a leader through his mentor, Leia, and his foil throughout most of the film, Holdo. I’ve seen a lot of people upset at the “character assassination” that Poe goes through in TLJ, but I’ll argue that we finally got to see Poe be more than just a cardboard cutout in this film and he really shined because of it. I might have been more willing to accept this version of Poe since I’m an avid reader of his comic book, where him being an immature leader has been a plot point for at least the past year.

While some might just flat out hate the Canto Bight subplot, I appreciated it for what it was doing. Finn starts the movie as a man only concerned about himself and a couple of his closest friends (fully in line with where the character was at the end of TFA). It’s only through his time with Rose and his interactions with DJ that he comes to realize that he can’t just hide and that he needs to drive himself forwards. DJ even offers him a false, easy escape, “Live free, don’t join” and Finn sees it for what it is: a man unwilling to stand up for what is right. Finn ends his journey a true hero of the Resistance.

And while other might be upset with how the film portrayed Luke, I loved it. The man screwed up. He retreated, exiled himself and resigned the end of his story to that of a hermit whose only option is to die alone. Rey appears, and while she has her own journey (she goes from putting all of her faith in Luke, to putting it in Ben, to finally putting it in herself), she riles in Luke a desire to once again be the man that he knows he can be.

Which brings me to my final point: the movie subverts expectations at almost every turn and does so beautifully. People expect Luke to face down the First Order and single-handedly save the Republic with his lightsaber. Luke does this, but he does it his way, through an amazing show of Force Power (In which the man creates a corporeal force projection of himself and other objects across the universe).

People expect Kylo Ren to listen to his master and fight Rey, but he tricks Snoke (side note: I could write a whole other post on how amazing Serkis was in this role) and proves that the Supreme Leader, in his hubris, had hugely underestimated his apprentice.

People expect Poe, Rose, and Finn’s plan to work flawlessly and save the Rebellion. It doesn’t and they all have to learn and grow and pay for that mistake. 

And on top of all that, we get one of the best laser sword fights in the whole of the canon, an excellent performance from Adam Driver as Kylo Ren (holy shit, is he built like a brick shithouse. In case you were unaware, Driver is a former marine), and, in my opinion, EXCELLENT answers to the “Who is Snoke?” and “Who are Rey’s parents?” questions (hint, it doesn’t fucking matter. The past is the past, look to the future. This is a call out to my post’s title, btw).

So, this is already too long and I want to discuss some things I’m looking forward to in the next film. Suffice it to say, the movie is excellent and I’m super excited to see Rian Johnson’s take in his trilogy.

Okay! Next movie, I’ll just jot down a few things:

I fully expect Rey to consult a Force Ghost Jedi Council comprised of Luke, Obi-Wan, Yoda, Anakin, and Qui Gon at least twice. I’m going to feel real cheated if we don’t get this.

The next movie is going to involve a pretty significant time jump. I’d say at least five years.

As a Damerey shipper, I’m actually concerned that we’ll miss the opening salvos of the relationship in the time jump and the movie will just start with them together in a committed relationship. Don’t rob us of this JJ.

For those that are going nuts right now wondering how I can be a Damerey shipper after they’ve only spoken to each other once, did you even see the scene?!? And you can’t just throw the two most loaded words in the whole of the Star Wars canon on us and not expect us to want some payout.

I don’t think Kylo will die, he is the last of the Skywalkers, after all, but he’ll be in exile, probably self-imposed, where he’ll try to learn from Anakin and Luke.

With Leia unfortunately out of the picture, I really want Lando and Wedge to come in as Leaders of the Resistance. While the new group will undoubtedly rise to prominence in the ranks (much like the OT trio), the leaders of the whole movement can’t be flying into battles or leading from the ground.

So that’s about it. I, of course, have way more but this thing is already an insane amount of word vomit. If you have any other thoughts that you’d like to kick around with me, please feel free to message me!

[theartofdreaming1]

Semester’s Reading List

I decided to do another semester’s reading list (if you are interested in my previous one, you can check it out here). Unfortunately, I didn’t get to read as much as last semester, but I guess I just tend to read more during the fall/winter months :)

These are the books I’ve read from April to mid-October 2017, including their summaries and my thoughts on them:

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen:

Summary: “Catherine Morland is a young girl with a very active imagination. Her naivety and love of sensational novels lead her to approach the fashionable social scene in Bath and her stay at nearby Northanger Abbey with preconceptions that have embarrassing and entertaining consequences.”

Thoughts: I think you can tell that it’s an early work by Jane Austen; it reads a little less polished than her later works in some ways. Some passages were a little drier than usual to read but I enjoyed it a lot! (It probably helped that I had seen the BBC’s adaptation with Felicity Jones beforehand which really made me love the story, I guess). I could definitely relate a lot to Catherine - I also get way too absorbed in the fiction I read (and watch), make up great scenarios how things could go in real life and then get disappointed when reality falls flat ^^  The characters are really great (I love Elinor and Henry Tilney!) and it really says a lot about Jane Austen’s observation skills and about how little people have changed over the centuries that when Mr. Thorpe is blabbering on about how great his carriage and horses are, you can’t help but think of all these dudes rambling on about their cars nowadays ^^ I believe ‘Northanger Abbey’ is currently my second favorite Austen.

Double Down (Lois Lane) by Gwenda Bond:

I already did this book last time - I just wanted to reread it before tackling the third book of the series. You can read about my thoughts on the first two Lois Lane books here.

Triple Threat (Lois Lane) by Gwenda Bond:

Summary: “For the first time, Lois Lane has almost everything she wants. Non-temporary home? Check. Dream job? Double check. Incredible BFFs? The absolute best. And now, her online crush, SmallvilleGuy, is coming to Metropolis. If all goes well, they’ll turn their long-distance friendship into a some-kind-of-fairy-tale romance. But when does all ever go well? Before she can check “boyfriend” off her list, Lois must take down a mad scientist plus a trio of mutant teens, protect the elusive flying man from the fed (including her dad), and navigate her very first date with SmallvilleGuy.”

Thoughts: This book’s mystery wasn’t as intricate as in in the previous ones and TheInventor wasn’t as awesome as I hoped (on the other hand, there had been quite the buildup from the prequels; it would have been very hard to meet my expectations, I suppose ;) Strong as always were the ties between friends and family that were portrayed and the best part was definitely Clark, his interactions with Lois, her family and friends. The teaming up of Lois and Clark - always awesome, fun and badass :)

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling:

Thoughts: The thickest book of the series gives us holidays at Grimmauld Place 12, loveable and badass Tonks, our first introduction to the amazing Luna Lovegood - and who can imagine the HP world without her and the Crumple-Horned Snorkack? We get to read about Hermione, Harry and Ron creating the DA, learn to truly loathe Dolores Umbridge and root for Harry and the gang when they are fighting at the Ministry (the real, big fight with spooky, tentacled brains, huge planets and a creepy, baby-headed Death Eater, among other things)! Really thrilling!

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling:

Thoughts: Well, it’s the volume with the infamous “Yes.” -”Yes, sir.” “There’s no need to call me ‘sir’, Professor.” exchange between Harry and Snape, so what else do I need to say? ;) But in addition to that iconic moment, we also get to know a lot more about Voldemort’s backstory (and his mother’s), which is really interesting, great and funny interactions when Phlegm -I mean Fleur- and Ginny are involved (Ginny fake-retching into her cereal bowl, for example) and Harry’s inner conflict about liking his best friend’s sister ^^ But of course there are also a lot of serious moments and events taking place, which ultimately lead up to the final book in the series.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling:

Thoughts: This book is probably the darkest in the series, which is understandable considering everything that has happened before it. Because of that darkness, the last book is -naturally- a little less “fun” to read (when you think back to the first books,which, again, makes total sense), but it is a really great ending to an amazing book series. Reading the last pages of Harry Potter always makes me want to start from the beginning again, to relive all these adventures of our beloved Golden Trio :)

The Little Shop of Happy Ever After by Jenny Colgan:

Summary: “Nina is a bookworm who dreams of running her own little bookshop. But real life is a bit trickier than the stories Nina loves, as she discovers when she moves to the beautiful wild highlands of Scotland to turn her dreams into reality...”

Thoughts: I definitely related to the shy, introverted Nina who struggles to make her dream come true, putting it off despite really wanting to do it because she doesn’t want to risk her comfortable safety. But when the challenge arises, Nina faces it and handles it quite determinedly. While I really enjoyed Nina’s story arc concerning her little mobile book shop, I was a little disappointed by the love story... I just wasn’t really on board with the two options that were presented (the endgame just didn’t really convince me as a really suitable match, just my two cents). I’m also not really a fan of that trope that the shy introvert needs to get involved with town life to be truly happy (it just kinda made me sad when Nina realized that she had been reading less because of how busy she’d been). The writing style itself was very engaging though (I read the whole thing through in, like, 3 days, so there’s that, too ;) just wasn’t exactly my cup of tea, I guess.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald:

Summary: “Everybody who is anybody is seen at the glittering parties held in millionaire Jay Gatsby's mansion in West Egg, east of New York. The riotous throng congregates in his sumptuous garden, coolly debating Gatsby's origins and mysterious past. None of the frivolous socialites understands him and among various rumours is the conviction that 'he killed a man'. A detached onlooker, Gatsby is oblivious to the speculation he creates, but always seems to be watching and waiting, though no one knows what for.As writer Nick Carraway is drawn into this decadent orbit, Gatsby's destructive dreams and passions are revealed, leading to disturbing and tragic consequences.“

Thoughts: I had read The Great Gatsby before, but not in English yet and I had always liked it’s iconic cover, so I just had to get this one, of course ;) It’s an interesting read that never fails to get my blood boiling when I realize how superficial and selfish most of the people in this book are... It’s not one of these books that I want to read all the time, but every once in a while I get the desire to pick it up again ^^

Love and First Sight by Josh Sundquist:

Summary: “On his first day at a new school, blind sixteen-year-old Will Porter accidentally groped a girl on the stairs, sat on another student in the cafeteria, and somehow drove a classmate to tears. High school can only go up from here, right? As Will starts to find his footing, he develops a crush on a charming, quiet girl named Cecily. Then an unprecedented opportunity arises: an experimental surgery that could give Will eyesight for the first time in his life. But learning to see is more difficult than Will ever imagined, and he soon discovers that the sighted world has been keeping secrets. It turns out Cecily doesn't meet traditional definitions of beauty--in fact, everything he'd heard about her appearance was a lie engineered by their so-called friends to get the two of them together. Does it matter what Cecily looks like? No, not really. But then why does Will feel so betrayed?”

Thoughts: I think I made it through the entire book in, like, 24 hours. It’s so well-written, with interesting characters and an intriguing story. It’s super funny and entertaining, while also getting you thinking about how reliant you are on your sight when it’s all you’ve ever known. I also liked that it was addressed how something basic as seeing actually requires a lot of learning (for example while Will can see colors soon after his operation, it takes him a long time to really recognize three-dimensional objects, since there are no receptors for certain shapes in our retina, after all - that was also I nice reminder of my biopsychology and cognitive psychology classes, when we learned about perception and the processing of sensory information ;) All in all, this book was just positvely awesome to read!

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen:

Summary: “When Elizabeth Bennet first meets eligible bachelor Fitzwilliam Darcy, she thinks him arrogant and conceited, while he struggles to remain indifferent to her good looks and lively mind. When she later discovers that Darcy has involved himself in the troubled relationship between his friend Bingley and her beloved sister Jane, she is determined to dislike him more than ever.”

Thoughts: I have lost count how many times I have read this book... I really like the characters and their relationships - the Bennets, Bingleys, Lucases and Darcys all have very different and interesting dynamics that I very much enjoy reading and I just adore Lizzie as the quick-witted protagonist... Pride and Prejudice simply is my favorite Austen book and definitely one of my favorite books, period!

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury:

Summary: “Guy Montag is a fireman. In his world, where television rules and literature is on the brink of extinction, firemen start fires rather than put them out. His job is to destroy the most illegal of commodities, the printed book, along with the houses in which they are hidden. Montag never questions the destruction and ruin his actions produce, returning each day to his bland life and wife, Mildred, who spends all day with her television “family”. But then he meets an eccentric young neighbor, Clarisse, who introduces him to a past where people didn’t live in fear and to a present where one sees the world through ideas in books instead of the mindless chatter of television. When Mildred attempts suicide and Clarisse suddenly disappears, Montag begins to question everything he has ever known.”

Thoughts: Fahrenheit 451 is another of my absolute favorite books, ever. The importance of thinking for yourself, of looking at things from a different perspective and forming your own opinions instead of just consuming mindless entertainment and following a certain path in life because “that’s how it’s done” is the core of this story. Books provide an easy access to different worlds and different perspectives and therefore stand in the way of having people become mindless drones. Seeing Montag slowly becoming aware that the life he’s leading is not the life he wants to lead makes for an interesting and exciting read. Which is exactly why I keep coming back to this book to read it over and over again ;)

If you’d like to know more about these books (and/or my thoughts about them) feel free to message me at any time! :)

The summaries are from the back of the books or amazon pages.

[ashitomarisu]

Project LONEWOLF: Important Update

Project LONEWOLF, at this point, might be getting a huge overhaul, to where the planned second and third story may be scrapped and rewritten into one abridged part 2. Karen’s origin story is something I want to work on, with the other short story scrapped due to lack of interest on subject.

Reason these are happening is because with school, I cannot take the spare time to make three separate parts, nor a special holiday short. Also, my focuses have changed to move on from the “All-Stars” and start my own fancure series.

Sadly, there are so many titles for the trio, but not an official yet. It is possible I will start concepts on another fancure series with just one cure involved who has the ability of the previous 13 teams. That is TBD, however; depends on how things go after concluding the main crossover storyline.

Going back to the new fanseries, here are some ideas I had in mind for the title (pretty sure most of these were taken):

Endless Skies Precure

Quantum Skies Precure

Dimension Cross Precure

Spirit Link Precure

Lonewolf Precure

Triad Pointe Precure

These are all I could come up with, but if anyone has other suggestions, I’ll gladly consider them! For now, I have to continue working on the prequel. Til next time, I await your input!

(Aurora: We look forward to making a huge deal in the fancure universe!)

(Hainoki: Please lend us your support!! Otherwise, Jovi won’t have any food for the near future! T^T)

(Jovi: I can fly and hunt you know.)

(Oshii: PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE WISH US LUCK!!! I’M DYING TO BECOME A MEMORABLE MASCOT!!)

(Renevulpe: I cannot wait for the day we hit the fanfiction sites for real. :3)

[annelixa]

Falling Apart at the Seams Chapter 15

Can also be read on AO3

Prequel I Chapter 1 I Chapter 2 I Chapter 3 I Chapter 4 I Chapter 5 I Chapter 6 I Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 I Chapter 9 I Chapter 10 I Chapter 11 I Chapter 12 I Chapter 13 I Chapter 14 I Chapter 16 I Chapter 17 I Chapter 18

Summary: After many months of attempted healing, Deceit is back and determined to fulfill his goal with his new idea. This time he’s sure it will work which could spell the end of all involved if they can’t prevent his interference in their lives but he may have help from an unfamiliar source.

Fandom: Sanders Sides

Words: 1477

Parings: None

Warnings: None

“Good afternoon, muffins!” Deceit called as he strolled into the room, stopping in front of Logan’s cell. “How are we doing this fine day? Having fun on your vacation?”

“This is never going to work!” Roman shouted, face tight with his anger and fists balled at his sides. He would have hit the other if he was closer. “Thomas literally cannot function without us and he is cut off from us while you keep us here!”

“Oh don’t worry about that, little prince,” the deceiver trilled. “Thomas is doing just fine. He doesn’t even notice that you are missing!”

Logan frowned, his eyebrows crinkling in confusion.

“That does not make any sense. He should be feeling the effects of our absence. He should be concerned and should desire to converse with us to check on his mental status.”

Across from him, Deceit grinned at their mounting bewilderment.

“Oh he already has, muffin. He called for his trusted Patton and ‘Patton’-” In an instant a doppelganger of the emotional Side appeared in front of the trio. “Came running to his aid. He was so understanding and helpful when poor Thomas was confused. His fears that something could be wrong were assuaged by his dear ‘Papa’ who told him how nothing was amiss. When his storm cloud swooped in and said the same thing, he smiled and believed it.”

The three stared at him in horror.

“Y-You…spoke to Thomas…alone?” Patton forced out.

“Of course not, weren’t you listening?” The other paused for a moment, waiting for them to figure it out. When they didn't, he continued, “I did it as you.” He indicated himself as he was still mimicking Patton’s appearance. “And Virgil was there for most of our conversation so I wasn’t alone really.”

“So you managed to convince Thomas that you were Patton when he only needed his consolation but what do you plan to do when he needs more than just one of us? Even with all your…talents…you can’t pretend to be more than one Side at a time.”

Suddenly Deceit was himself again and he turned to him with a grin that made them all shiver.

“Oh don’t worry yourself, Logan. I’ve already thought that through.” He turned to the door as it opened. “And it seems now is the time to prove that.”

Several figures made their way into the room and came to stand beside Deceit. At the front of the group was a Side dressed in green and black who instantly made them groan in frustration that quickly changed a noise of surprise as he pressed himself tightly against the deceiver’s left side. Behind him was a tall Side wearing a blue and black mask and a long cape. As he walked, he leaned on a cane that they all knew was more for show than support. At the rear was the muscular Side with the leather jacket they had seen earlier in the week. And, as before, he was dragging a final Side into the room by the thick leather leash attached to a collar around his neck. The difference this time was the appearance of the Side on the other end of the leash. Instead of the beast that was Anxiety, an exhausted Virgil was being forced to follow.

“Hi there, bro!” the one in green called to Roman, waving excitedly at him without separating himself from Deceit.

Roman simply stared back at him, lost for words.

“You see, we have all our players,” Deceit explained as he gestured to the Sides around him, ignoring that the other had spoken. “Obviously we would get your brother to replace you, Roman,” he started, facing the Side in question. “I thought that would be more than obvious since you two share the same job. He’s had to hold himself back to properly portray you but he’s been doing a wonderful job at convincing Thomas that you never left.”

The prince suddenly found his tongue, “But he’s a wild card! An absolute joker! How can you trust that he’ll keep it up?”

Deceit laughed.

“Your brother can seem like that to you of course but to me he’s quite easy to control.” He suddenly pushed the other down to his knees and forced him to kneel next to him, keeping his hand in his hair. “Isn’t that right, Remus?” The other creative Side nodded, smiling brightly, and rubbed his face against the deceiver’s leg. The caged three recoiled in disgust when they heard a pleased hum coming from him. “Your brother and I have an arrangement and as long as he keeps doing what I tell him, he gets his reward. Simple as that. And him altering himself to do your job has been so much effort on him but he hasn’t complained once.” He made eye contact with Roman as he began to run his gloved fingers through his brother’s hair causing the darker twin to let out a moan. “You really should have more faith in him.”

He decided to continue the action for a little longer because the incredibly uncomfortable look on Roman’s face was too much for him but finally he stopped torturing him. He stilled his fingers and Remus whined but he ignored him once more. Instead, he turned his attention to the masked Side next to him.

“I’m sure you all remember Delirium.”

“It is physically impossible for us to forget as much as some might wish to do so,” Logan replied. “I am under the assumption that if you are replacing Patton and Remus is taking Roman’s position then he is going to be my proxy for when Thomas requires our presence?”

“Of course you wouldn’t be able to figure that out so easily, Logan,” Delirium replied smoothly, a smile just visible under the mask. “You were always a witless genius.”

With a sigh, Logan pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Well it’s good to know that you still speak in paradoxes. Thomas will come to get us within the week.”

Grinning from his spot on the floor, Remus piped up. “He doesn’t have to though, honey!”

The three in the cells did not know much about the ‘arrangement’ between Deceit and Remus but they expected there was a ‘rule’ about talking out of turn. They were therefore surprised when Deceit just resumed petting his hair.

“Remus is right. He chooses to do so to cause chaos which means he can control it while he plays pretend as your dear scholar.” It was quiet for a moment. “You might need to convince them, Del.”

“Certainly.” The long cape was swept up until it covered the entire figure in front of them and then dropped. As it fell to the ground it revealed a perfect copy of the logical Side. Even the smallest details were accounted for and mirrored perfectly. Mirrored perfectly.

“Why is your logo on the right?” Patton asked.

“Yeah and your hair is styled backwards?” Roman added.

“Delirium can only make so much of his deception real,” Logan clarified. “If he has decided to put his effort into speaking without paradoxes so he can more correctly copy my speech patterns, he has to give up something else. It seems that he has forgone a precise outward appearance as he will be able to explain that away with the perfect word choice he has chosen.”

“Precisely,” the fake Logan replied. “This deal works best for the plan.”

“And finally,” Deceit began, holding his free hand out. The muscular Side set the leash in his hand before giving a salute to the others and leaving. “Thank you, Warren dear!” Deceit called to him as he walked out. “Who can guess the last part of this little idea?” The other three firmly kept their mouths closed. He suddenly jerked Virgil’s leash, causing him to stumble over to his side. “Tell me or my hand may slip.”

“You’re going to keep using Virgil to trick Thomas!” Patton blurted out, unable to watch the two-faced Side yank Virgil around like a dog.

“Good job, Patton!” The other cried and he couldn’t help but glow a little under the praise. “But that was an easy one. Roman could have gotten it.” And the warm feeling was dashed. On the far side of the room Roman let out an indignant noise while Remus laughed loudly. “Yes, of course Virgil is going to keep helping us. He’s going to do the job he was made for, just like he used to!” He shifted back into Patton and nudged Remus with his foot who groaned but stood up and altered his appearance to be a copy of Roman’s. In front of them stood three clones and a tethered Virgil. “And while you three sit here, we will be playing your parts, waiting for Thomas to need us, and helping him when he does.”

[starwarsdc]

A Fandom Divided: a fractured fandom in the wake of The Last Jedi

This week in class, we discussed fandoms as a cultural group in general. We read and discussed the ways in which society’s views and attitudes towards fans have changed (or not) over the 20th and into the 21st century. We were asked to think about what it might mean for people create the distinction of “real fans” versus “casual fans” or “fake fans.”  We were also prompted to think more deeply about the relationship(s) a creator has with the created work and the people who experience that work. To what degree does a creator “own” their creation, and to what degree does a work belong to the fans? These are all questions I will be considering as we prepare to watch The People Versus George Lucas (There will probably be one or two blog posts on this film alone). On this blog, I am not going to offer my own thoughts as to what or who constitutes a “real fan” of Star Wars. Instead, I’ll look at the SW fandom’s various responses to TLJ. 

The negative backlash against The Last Jedi has been well documented. Many people are aware of the negative and complex response to this film, but do not understand why this backlash exists. I’ve heard fans say they like the film as a standalone movie, but not as a SW movie. I’ve heard them say they don’t like it, that they hate it, that they love it, that they didn’t understand it. Rather than link to a whole host of reviews and posts from individual tumblrs, I’m using this Vox article to summarize the different reasons for the negative response. (I’m only quoting portions of the article, not the entire thing, so if you’re interested in reading more about this topic, please follow the link to the full article) 

1. Too much progressivism: In the early going of the backlash, this was the easy culprit to point to. The broad strokes of the Last Jedi response sure looked like the broad strokes of Gamergate or the backlash to the all-female Ghostbusters remake. And there are lots and lots of tweets and user reviews and responses that focus on the idea that the film’s strongest characters are almost all women, who usually know the right thing to do, while its most evil characters are white men with complexes about being given what they think they deserve. . . . 

The Last Jedi is more or less a metaphorical depiction of the baby boomer generation (a generation that featured a lot of white dudes — good and bad — in positions of power) handing off leadership roles to younger generations, particularly millennials, who tend to be more racially diverse and to advocate having more women in positions of power. The series’ millennial good guys are a young white woman, a black man, a woman of Asian descent, and a Latino man, while its millennial bad guys are two white dudes.

But saying there’s a lot of cultural anxiety around this particular generational handoff is an understatement. And when you consider that Star Wars fandom has long been presided over by white guys, it’s natural this would lead to angry policing over what Star Wars is and isn’t. And that policing can be ugly and lead to toxic fandoms in which people who aren’t white men don’t feel comfortable.

2. The jokes are too jokey: Of the “nitpicky” complaints, this is the most nitpicky, in that plenty of fans don’t like The Last Jedi’s sense of humor. And to be sure, the film has its share of broad jokes, which seem to be written in comic idioms that are slightly more modern than the original trilogy’s more vaudevillian style. . . .  A lot of people who found Last Jedi too jokey also made subsequent tweets where they compared something in Last Jedi unfavorably to something in the prequel trilogy.

3. The movie is uninterested in fan theories: And even if you can get with the new trilogy’s ideas about how things ended up after Jedi, then The Last Jedi spends a lot of its running time telling you that a lot of the things fans have obsessed about since The Force Awakens was released just didn’t matter.The 2015 film was directed by J.J. Abrams, who never met a mystery he couldn’t tease. But Johnson immediately quashed many of those mysteries in Last Jedi. Who was Snoke? Who were Rey’s parents? Who cares, The Last Jedi ultimately concludes.Rey is impressive because of who she is, and Snoke is just a distraction from the real villain, who turns out to be Kylo Ren, who’s all the more terrifying because of his ultimate choice to embrace evil. But these storytelling choices weight the characters’ choices more heavily than their destiny, and if you spent a lot of time over the past two years trying to prove that, say, Rey is a Kenobi, well, you might find yourself disappointed at the casual disposal of something that seemed so important to the last film.

[note: I personally think the response of this kind is more serious than “uninterested in fan theories” would imply. Many fans, including myself, find fault in the film because it fails to follow the natural progression and plot arc established by its predecessor, The Force Awakens. Many of the issues, conflicts, and character arcs are simply ignored, openly contradicted, or not resolved.]

4. Individual plot lines/moments don’t make sense: How does Benicio Del Toro’s character know a very important piece of information late in the film? You can hand-wave this away, but it takes a couple of logic leaps to do so*.) This is especially true of the film’s pacing, with Rey’s Jedi training seeming to take months, while everything else in the movie takes place over a matter of hours.The most common complaint in this regard is that Finn and Rose’s journey to the casino planet of Canto Bight is a slow, pointless distraction from the more immediately involving plots involving Rey and Poe, one that gums up the middle of the movie and doesn’t amount to anything in terms of the plot. And I can certainly see this, since the Finn/Rose plot nearly lost me the first time I watched the film. . . . 

Ultimately, these sorts of plot holes and storytelling choices are of less interest to critics, who tend to focus more on a film’s craft and its themes, than fans, who like to pick apart the nitty-gritty details of a movie. And I’d argue that almost all of the so-called “plot holes” fans have brought up are ultimately explained away within the film, or justified by how they play into the movie’s overall storytelling structure. It’s rare in this film that a setup doesn’t have a payoff and vice versa. But they’re not always where you’re looking for them, and that can lead to confusion and consternation.

5. The characters’ journeys aren’t what was expected: This is probably the fan critique with the most meat to it. But it’s also, ultimately, the one that has the most personal spin on it. Do you think that Rey’s journey in the film shows the slow dawning of her realization that she has agency in and of herself and doesn’t need it to be given to her (as I do), or do you think it silos her off in the middle of a plot that takes her movie from her? Do you think that Luke Skywalker is an old man who learns a lesson about aging and wisdom, or a cranky cynic who never would have become what he is? Do you think the movie is optimistic about the future, or unable to compete with the wonders of the past? 

What’s interesting about the critiques of The Last Jedi is how often, when you talk about them, many of the above criticisms fall away, and you’re left with a distinct philosophical difference between people who love the film’s insistence that the future can be better if we make it and those who don’t like the way it forces us to grapple with the sins of the past, with the way it argues the Rebellion might have won at the end of Return of the Jedi, but it largely upheld the status quo.

Or consider the way that the film seems as if it’s largely left behind the central Force Awakens trio of Poe, Finn, and Rey — who are split up into three separate plot lines in Last Jedi — in favor of more focus on Kylo Ren’s journey through his own indecision toward something darker and more foreboding, as well as Luke’s journey from cynicism back to hope. I don’t think this is a terribly accurate read of the film, where all three characters get full, complicated character arcs and are tested in interesting ways, but if you really keyed in on, say, Finn and Rey’s interplay in Force Awakens, I get the disappointment.

This philosophical difference of opinion extends to none other than Mark Hamill, Luke Skywalker himself. While Hamill has turned into one of the film’s biggest boosters, he’s made no secret of the fact that he disagreed considerably with Johnson’s vision for the character. (For his part, Johnson took Hamill’s criticisms to heart and changed certain things about Luke’s arc — though we don’t know what.)

Van der Werff comes to the conclusion that “The Last Jedi is Act 2 of a story about letting go of the past and embracing the future. Maybe it was destined to be divisive.” He explains: 

The Last Jedi is about this tension, about the ways that generations uneasily give way to other generations and the ways we all learn to accept that our parents (or parental figures) sometimes have the right answers and sometimes don’t. It’s a big, bold, complex film, full of contradictory notes, a little like Empire was. I suspect, in time, it will age just as satisfactorily, but it’s also possible I’m wrong. Loving it means letting go, just a little bit, of some rosy past and embracing a future that might lead to disappointment.The people we were aren’t always the people we become, and that’s both a necessary lesson and a bitter disappointment, but you can’t become yourself without learning to live alongside that discomfort. And now there’s a Star Wars movie about that very dilemma, right when we all might need it most.

[recentanimenews]

An Introduction to the "SAIYUKI" Anime

An Introduction to the SAIYUKI Anime... As Told By a Fan Who Read the Manga Almost a Decade Ago

By Dee Hogan

After being off the air for nearly 13 years, Saiyuki has at last returned to grace our televisions with attractive men beating the crap out of each other while waxing poetic about their dark-and-stormy pasts. But with Saiyuki's previous anime seasons scarce and its manga volumes even scarcer, you might be hesitant to check out the new series.

  Well, fear not! I, an ardent Saiyuki fan who read the manga as it was coming out almost 10 years ago, am here to provide you with the story exactly as I remember it. Which is to say: Very vaguely! Now you, too, can enjoy Saiyuki Reload Blast as if you were right there with the rest of the fandom, reading the manga in the mid '00s, selling the volumes to help pay for grad school, and now racking your brain to piece together the semi-existent plot of that gloriously feelsy action series you still love so very, very much.

  Come along with me on this journey, won't you? This journey...TO THE MAX!

Caution: Loving irreverence, questionable accuracy, and spoilers for the Saiyuki and Saiyuki Reload manga below. Content warning for mentions of child abuse.

  But First, a History Lesson!

Saiyuki began as a manga created by Kazuya Minekura. Well, I guess technically it began as the Chinese novel Journey to the West. Saiyuki is based on that classic epic, in the same way that Taco Bell is based on Mexican food.

Journey to the West is a Buddhist-inspired comic adventure story that follows a monk, a monkey king, a half-pig man, and an exiled immortal as they travel to India to retrieve sacred sutras. It's a complete story that has been translated in its entirety into English, unlike the Saiyuki manga, which is neither complete nor fully translated. Tokyopop imploded (along with half the U.S. anime industry) in the late '00s, leaving us one volume short from finishing Saiyuki Reload, and we've seen neither hide nor hair of the manga since. I am still salty about this.

  Pictured: Saiyuki sexily locked out of the U.S.

  The anime adaptations have fared somewhat better, at least: the three TV series (Gensomaden Saiyuki, Saiyuki ReLoad, and Saiyuki ReLoad Gunlock) were all released in the U.S., as was the film (Saiyuki Requiem) and the most recent OVA series (Saiyuki Gaiden). I only caught about 15 episodes of the anime, but my memory is that it's a reasonably faithful adaptation, albeit one that tones down the R-rated elements and adds a bunch of filler stories. Depending on where you live, you can stream both the original TV series and the Gaiden OVAs, but the two ReLoad sequels are confined to dusty DVD shelves for the time being.

  And if all these title variants are confusing you, then congratulations! You're well on your way to being a Saiyuki fan, because they're confusing to me, too. Saiyuki is to manga as Kingdom Hearts is to video games. The series has been running off and on for twenty whopping years, and it's splintered in a  bunch of directions along the way. For now, all you really need to know is that the central story goes Saiyuki, then Reload, then Reload Blast. Everything else is prequels and side stories.

  As for what that central story is all about, well...

    The Story!

Saiyuki takes place in Shangri-La, a fantasy world created by plucking Chinese fiction and history fruits from across the centuries, tossing them in a blender, and adding a splash of good old-fashioned manga tropes for spice. Humans and youkai share the land, six-shooters are as common as swords, and the main characters ride around in a jeep that's actually a dragon. (Or is it a dragon that's actually a jeep?)

  Things are going great until a youkai sorceress hooks up with a mad scientist and they start brainwashing youkai into murdering the faces off every human they can get their hands on. Then the local humans start panicking and murdering the faces off every youkai they can get their hands on, whether they've been brainwashed or not, and pretty soon everyone in Shangri-La is starting to feel pretty Shangri-Low.

To keep the peace, the local Bodhisattvas decide to send their Top Man, Double-Oh Sanzo, out West to find the culprits and tell them to knock it off. Our priest is joined on his quest by three companions: Goku, Gojyo, and Hakkai, each with their own uniquely upsetting backstory and particular set of skills. They're also all youkai (or at least youkai-adjacent), but they've been equipped with handy-dandy power limiters to keep them from going berserk like the others.

  Together our quartet travel across the lands, getting into scrapes, fighting off the minions their mysterious antagonists send after them, and frequently threatening to kill each other as they journey ever Westward, hoping to one day reach their foes and stop their nefarious scheme.

    And I'd tell you all about that nefarious scheme, but I have straight-up forgotten it. The Big Bads' oh-so-sympathetic underlings are prominent in the original Saiyuki series, but then they have to take an extended spa vacation, so most of Reload is one long semi-self-contained arc about cowboys and necromancers. It's GREAT, mind you, but all the tension and shootouts and good good angst have shoved what's-her-name and scientist-face and their plan to do something-or-other straight out of my head.

  Honestly? It doesn't matter. Saiyuki is about the journey, not the destination. More to the point, it's about the people you get to hang out with along the way.

  And speaking of...

    The Characters!

  There are a lot of compelling supporting characters (mostly antagonists) who drift in and out of the Saiyuniverse, particularly Kougaiji and his merry band of Youkai In Need of Hugs. But the story is carried by its four protagonists—most of whom you're also going to want to hug, and two of whom may try to kill you if you do—so you're gonna want to get to know them.

    A chain-smoking, booze-slinging, trigger-happy, permanently irritated Buddhist priest, he's the current holder of the Sanzo title and the wielder of some very powerful sutras, though he's usually content to keep those stored away and just shoot people in their dumb faces instead (all faces are dumb to Sanzo, I'm pretty sure). He met his trio of party members through various traumatic adventures and brought them together, offering them a chance to start over. Despite his grouchy exterior, deep down he's a good guy.

  ...Deeper than that. No, further. Little further. There it is! See? Good guy.

  Sanzo's history is told in fits and starts, which is to say I can't keep it straight anymore. I feel pretty confident saying he had a rough childhood, because this is Saiyuki we're talking about. And I know he witnessed his master's murder and it messed him up right proper. I have a working theory that Mr. Mad Scientist (Jianyi! That's his name!) is involved, because he used to be a Sanzo priest himself and sure seems to know a lot about our Sanzo, but take that with a grain of salt. Sure would make for some good drama though, yeah?

    Goku's the youngest-looking of the gang and often acts like it. Don't let that fool you, though: He's actually a powerful monkey king who was imprisoned on a mountain for hundreds of years. His memory's as patchy as mine, so all he really remembers is being lonely and then Sanzo freeing him and then him not being lonely anymore. See, happy things do happen in this story!

  Like another Son Goku you may know (who's also based on the monkey king in Journey to the West, by the by), this one fights with a staff and loves to eat. He's generally cheerful and friendly, but if you take off his diadem, he gets real angry, and not just because that diadem brings his whole outfit together, you uncultured boor. Mostly it's because the diadem is his power limiter, and removing it makes him hulk out somethin' fierce.

  I know this is the part where I'm supposed to say “you won't like him when he's angry,” but berserker Goku leads to some of the best fights and dramatic beats of the series. I like him when he's angry a lot more than I should.

    Half-youkai, half-human, Gojyo is the child of a “forbidden” affair between the two species. A literal redheaded stepchild, he was abused by his youkai stepmom and shunned by society at large. He had an older brother he loved (not like that, you pervs) who stepped in to defend him, to the point where he was eventually forced to kill his own mother to protect his brother. The two eventually meet again and it's... it's real sad, y'all. Gojyo's backstory is real sad.

  Nowadays he's a foul-mouthed gambler who likes to pick fights with Sanzo and quarrel with Goku, but he's maybe the most loyal member of the team and (despite being the least powerful) doesn't hesitate to step up to defend others. An asshole with a heart of gold, more or less. He fights with a sickle-flail that doesn't make sense but looks real cool, and he's technically a womanizer, but don't let that stop you from 'shipping him with one of his teammates. Gojyo is Extremely Shippable, you see.

    There are two kinds of people in this world: Those who think Hakkai is the best character in Saiyuki, and those who are wrong. Since the rest of the team has zero chill, Hakkai has an excess of chill to balance them out. Perpetually smiling and perpetually The Saddest, he's the team peacemaker and magic user, the owner-driver of the Dragon-Jeep, and a secret badass. Hakkai has removed his power limiters exactly twice, and exactly twice he has ruined his opponents. Other fun facts include: Can and will drink you under a table. Technically died once to save his friends. (Don't worry, he got better.)

  His backstory is basically one big D: emoji. Born a human, he had an older sister he loved (yes, exactly like that, you pervs) who was kidnapped by the resident evil youkai noble. Hakkai slaughtered ONE THOUSAND MUTHAFUGGIN YOUKAI on his way to rescue her, but she died anyway because Kazuya Minekura is a cruel, cruel manga-ka. Also, it turns out that when you slaughter ONE THOUSAND MUTHAFUGGIN YOUKAI, you, uh...turn into a muthafuggin youkai yourself. Womp womp.

  Hakkai wasn't doing so hot after all that. In a fit of guilt and despair, he even ripped out his own eye to appease a vengeful youkai (he eventually replaced it with a fake one, and got a rad monocle to match). He was ready to rip out the other eye, too, but Team Sanzo showed up in time to slap his hand away and offer him a new life and a second chance. They're his FAMILY now and he loves them VERY MUCH and they all need to PROTECT each other and—

  Er. Ah-hem.

  So. Uh. Yeah. I used to scour eBay looking for a UFO doll of this guy because that's how badly I needed to give him a hug. Hakkai is Best Boy. It is known.

    Okay, But What's it About?

  Kicking ass and having feelings and looking damn fine while doing it.

  And if that's not enough for you, then here's a bit more: The title of the manga (最遊記) is a play on the Japanese title for Journey to the West (西遊記). They're both read as Saiyuki, but the manga replaces the kanji for “west” with the kanji for “most” or “extreme.”  With one simple character, our journey to the West has turned into a journey... TO THE MAX!

  And, honestly, that's what Saiyuki is about. Big expansive world, big bombastic fights, big heart-on-sleeve emotions, big tragic histories, big meandering narrative. Everything is cranked up to 11. The series first ran in a shounen magazine (targeted at boys) before later finding a home in a josei one (targeted at adult women), which I think speaks to the way it dances between all those extremes: From rip-roaring action-adventure to character (melo)drama and on over to broad or black comedy before bouncing right back to one of its other modes again.

    Is it over-the-top, unfocused, and unapologetically packed with shipteases and emotional fanservice? Oh, yeah. One hundred percent. But, all teasing aside, I love it. I used to devour new volumes in one sitting, cheer out loud during the fights, bite my nails when my boys were in danger, giggle at their down-time bickering, and lap up all those theatrical, quasi-philosophical monologues.

  I love it in a way that's hard to put into words because it's so intricately tied to being a stressed-out high school/college kid in the mid-to-late '00s, but I think it comes down the series' overall tone and message. Because, despite its many moments of levity (particularly in the early going), as bullets fly and youkai rampage, the story always comes back to a bunch of sad-yet-defiant survivors trying to make it in a world that seems fundamentally, maybe even permanently broken.

  It's devastatingly grim at times, but even at its most dismal, it always manages to offer a kind of skeptical hope instead of just pessimistic tragedy porn. “Everything is terrible, but I'm not gonna give up,” in essence. Or maybe more to the point: “Everything is terrible, but I have people who support me, so I can get through it.” And there are times even now when that message has been a comfort to me, melodramatics or no.

  Saiyuki is too gleefully ridiculous, both in terms of world-building and staging, for me to take it too seriously or champion it as A Great Classic That Everyone Should Try. Frankly, if you read “a jeep that's actually a dragon” and didn't at least crack a smile, you probably should have walked away right there.

  Even so, with its raging battles, skewed sense of humor, smokin' hot anti-heroes, and willingness to dive head-first into sensationalized but nevertheless sincere explorations of trauma, depression, community, and identity, it scratches a particular itch and does so very effectively. Saiyukiis intense and bombastic, as overloaded with bullets as it is with feelings. It's stylish, heartfelt, top-tier trash, and I can't wait to roll around in it all over again. Lock and reload, gang. It's gonna be a blast.

  About the author, Dee Hogan

Dee is a nerd of all trades and a master of one. She has bachelor’s degrees in English and East Asian studies and an MFA in Creative Writing. To pay the bills, she works as a technical writer. To not pay the bills, she devours novels and comics, watches far too much anime, and cheers very loudly for the Kansas Jayhawks. You can hang out with her at The Josei Next Door, a friendly neighborhood anime blog for long-time fans and newbies alike, as well as on Tumblr and Twitter.

  SAIYUKI RELOAD BLAST is available for viewing now on Crunchyroll!

By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com