#but yeah clearly the jedi are the intolerant ones here
Explore tagged Tumblr posts
stairset · 2 years ago
Text
I know certain parts of Star Wars fandom are determined to see literally everything about the Jedi in the most bad faith way possible but one of the most baffling examples to me is when people act like they look down on all other force religions and don't take the time to understand them because they see their own way as superior when there is quite literally nothing to suggest that. Like the only other force users they have any actual beef with on principle are the Sith, which I'd say is justified considering the Sith are a bunch of fascist pricks who constantly try to take over the galaxy. Literally all the others are either allies of the Jedi or the Jedi just leave them alone to do their thing.
1K notes · View notes
skellymom · 1 year ago
Text
"Vagabonds" Chapter 5 "Secrets"
Ongoing fanfic Hunter x Reader/Fem Reader/OC
Hunter meets a smuggler Nomaadi Star Woman with a powerful force sensitive teen who changes the trajectory of CF-99's lives...as they ALL try to escape from The Empire together.
Tumblr media
To read Chapter 4:
https://www.tumblr.com/skellymom/730320896366149632/vagabonds-chapter-4?source=share
ᴛʜɪꜱ ꜰɪᴄ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴀɪɴꜱ ɴꜱꜰᴡ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴇɴᴛ. ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʀᴇ ɴᴏᴛ 18+ ᴅɴɪ
Word Count: 1.6 K
Background: The cat is out of the bag! Hunter and Mad must divulge their secrets.
Warning: Crying, fear, Hunter fluff/angst.
(Credit: Cool moving star dividers by @4ngelic-wh1spers )
Tumblr media
Recap: Hunter sensed something brewing with Mad, then smelled fear suddenly coming off her.  Then he picks up on Love’s fear and Sil’s body language.  THEY KNOW, he thinks and suddenly regrets not being more honest back at Cid’s.  He opens his mouth...” Mad...” 
Mad immediately reaches for her holstered blaster...   
"Secrets"
Hunter, with his quick reflexes reaches behind her back, grabs her wrist and holds it tightly so she cannot unholster her gun.  Mad’s left hand reaches out to grab Hunter’s right shoulder and angrily digs her nails into his skin.  He tries to ignore the physical and emotional pain but drops the caf.  It hits the floor, spilling dramatically. 
“CLONE!  Are you working for the Empire???” 
Tech instantly stops talking, shocked.  Wrecker immediately stands up and blurts, ��WHATS GOIN’ ON!?”   
Sil looks at Omega “Meg, did they capture you?  Are you a slave???” 
Omega looks scared, shocked, confused all at the same time, “No...I left Kamino because they came back for me.  They are my brothers.” 
“Oh, for KRIFF SAKE!  She’s one too.”  Mad is beyond pissed.   
Wrecker tries to reach out and hug Mad.  It’s the only thing he knows to do when people are upset.  He’s stopped by an invisible force.  He can’t walk and is now levitating above the ‘Dames decking.  Love is behind him with both hands out using their power, and levitating too, intense concentration on their face. 
Everyone sees this happening, and it occurs to both Hunter and Tech exactly why Mad and Love are so scared.  Love can control the Force, they both think the Batch will execute Order 66 killing them, and probably Sil too.   
“I promise we won’t harm any of you.”  Hunter extends his left hand out to try cup Mad’s cheek.  She flinches away.  His hand stops, palm open, beseeching her forgiveness. 
“Hunter’s telling the truth.  We refused to kill the Jedi and left Kamino as soon as the Empire took over.  We are running from them too.”  Omega pleaded. 
“I concur.  We are not a danger.”  Tech chimes in, finger raised. 
Wrecker, resigned to not being able to do anything but float, “Yeah...what they said.” 
Mad stands there thinking this over.  “Why weren’t you honest with me?” 
“I’m sorry.  Thought you would walk out on me last night.  I should have been open with you.” lowering his voice, “You never told me you had a Jedi on board.” 
“Love’s NOT a Jedi.  I refused to let them be indoctrinated into that order.  If I had, we would all be dead now.”  She’s still angry, but now Hunter sees tears forming in her eyes.  She’s holding back a lot of strong emotions. 
“Tech!  When are you getting over here with my caf!!!”  Everyone flinches as Echo screeches over Tech’s comm. 
Tech sighs, “Echo, your timing is impeccable.  May I leave and take Echo his caf?  He will become intolerable without it.  We still need to locate the part for your shield generator.”  Clearly, Tech had his priorities, and killing the ‘Dames crew was not on the list.  Mad was still unable to speak. 
Wrecker's feet hit the decking with a thud as Love released him.  “Awww, we won’t hurt ya.  Promise.” 
Love’s voice whispers in Mad’s head, “Mom, they mean it.  They won’t hurt us.  I can feel it.” 
She’s still on alert but trying to calm down.  
Hunter senses something between Mad and Love.  Just not sure what.  Tech is watching the exchange with interest, trying to piece things together. 
Mad slowly calms down and releases her grip on the blaster and Hunter’s shoulder. “I’m sorry.  Thank you, Tech...and Wrecker...for everything.  I’ll be ok.  It’s been hard to trust anyone for a long time.”   
“Understandable.  We have had to be vigilant as well.  I will contact Hunter when we obtain the replacement part.  We can plan on meeting up and repairing the Beldame then.”  Tech nods and makes his way down the gangplank. 
Hunter releases his grip on Mad’s wrist.  She throws her arms around him in embrace.  Hunter puts his arms around Mad and buries his head in the crook of her neck.  He can hear her sniffle softly.   
Tech paused before leaving, “Hunter, PLEASE keep your comm on in case I need to contact you?” 
Tumblr media
“Yes Tech,” Hunter growled still buried in Mads neck. 
“Very good,” Tech turns and makes his way to the Marauder. 
Mad feels someone embrace her leg.  She looks down to see Omega.  Omega looks up and smiles reassuringly.  Mad reaches out and tousles Omega’s hair.  Sil follows suit and hugs Mad from behind.  Love floats in and rubs lazy circles on Hunter’s and Mad’s back.  Wrecker is left standing there, confused, unsure what to do. 
“It’s ok to hug us now, Wrecker” Mad says.  He breaks out in a huge smile and embraces everyone.  Love stops doing lazy circles on Mad’s back and starts them on top of Wrecker’s head.  He sighs. 
They stay like this for some time trying to relieve the stress.  Omega was the first to break the silence. 
“You know we’re all standing in a puddle of caf, right?” 
Mad looks down and sees the spilled caf.  “I’m SO SORRY!” 
“No problem, I’ve got this.” Hunter hands her several napkins and it reminds them both of last night when Mad choked on the Spotchka.  They grin at each other, she takes the napkin, and dabs her tears away.  
Hunter grabs a towel off a nearby bunk and helps clean up.  Omega, Love, and Wrecker immediately start picking up the trash strewn about the ship.  Sil runs to the pantry to grab refuse bags. 
“We must be SO careful.  I think you know things have been getting...complicated lately.” 
“We understand your distrust of clones.  Our brother Crosshair decided to stay with The Empire.  Which is now actively looking for us and Omega.  Luckily, he doesn’t know we’re here. “ 
“Just how many siblings DO you have?”  He can see the relief on Mad’s face.  He’s back to being the man she can trust.  
He chuckles “Technically, the whole clone army is related.  But 4 brothers and 1 sister I am very close to.  You have yet to meet Echo.” 
“I’ll have time tonight after picking up some cargo for a job this afternoon.  Would you and the rest of your siblings like to have dinner together with us on the Beldame?” 
“Uh...yeah, we’ll all be there!” 
“Looking forward to it.” 
“I should go and check in at the Marauder.” 
“See you later then.   I’ll comm you when I get back from my job” Mad planted a big kiss on Hunter’s lips and he returned it. 
Hunter crouches down to Omega. 
“You ok?  What just happened was probably scary” 
“I was worried in the moment, but OK now.  Looks like we aren’t the only family that needs to be careful.  Can I stay for a while with Love and Sil?  
Hunter glances up at Mad. 
“She’s VERY welcome to stay.  We’ll feed her and she can use our refresher.” 
Sil, Love, and Wrecker jump up and down happily at the news. 
“First, though, you all need to clean up this place and take Tiggy for a walk.” 
Groans from Love and Sil.  Omega salutes Mad, “Yes, Ma’am!” 
The kids set out cleaning up their messes. 
“C’mon Wrecker, let's go” Hunter nods to his brother. 
“WHAT?  OHHHH, I wanna stay too!”  He sulks. 
“Let Omega stay with her friends, Mad’s got things to do.  We need to get back to the Marauder.” 
“Ahhh, poo.”  Wrecker picks up Lula and brings his caf with him, “I had a good time everyone.  See ya later.” 
Everyone waves goodbye.  Hunter and Wrecker walk down the gangplank.   
When they are out of earshot, Wrecker roughly pats Hunter on the back, “Muahaha, you got a girlfriend!”  He’s grinning like crazy. 
“I guess you could say that.” 
“You like her ALOT, yeah?” 
“She’s unlike any woman I’ve ever met.” 
“She’s pretty and spicy.  I Like her kids, too.” 
“Technically one of them is her nephew.” 
“Eh, it’s all the same to them.  Like Omega is our sister and kinda like our daughter.” 
“Guess so.”  Hunter is glib.  So much has happened since last night.  He doesn’t get close quickly with people outside of his clone family.  It feels strange, but...right.  Mad, Sil, and Love seem like good people.  He can see himself being in their company for a long time.  This is new for him.  
Wrecker broke the silence and started singing, “Hunter and Mad, sittin’ in a tree.  K...I...S...S...I...N...G...” 
“HUSH, you!” 
Wrecker laughed and bonked Hunter on the head with Lula. 
Tumblr media Tumblr media
 Tiggy is still not accounted for.  Mad turned and headed up towards the front of the ship looking for the pup.  She reaches her seat in the cockpit to find Tiggy curled up INSIDE the cushion.  Stuffing and bits of leather littered the cockpit.  The pup's head is the only thing poking out of the upholstery and she's snoring soundly.   
Mad sighs in mild frustration.  It HAD to be HER chair that was destroyed.  The pilot’s chair.  Considering Tig could have done more damage not being supervised last night, she can’t be TOO upset.  Luckily Tech was looking after the pup this morning.  Mad was going to have to have a very serious discussion with Love about owning a pet. 
If what the butcher back on Coruscant said was true, Tiggy was a hybrid between two Force sensitive breeds of canine: Vornskr hunting dog and wild Loth Wolf.  Seems her tail was docked to remove the venomous barb at the end and blunt any aggression.  Mad was concerned about any residual Vornskr aggression against Force users, but hoped the lofty Loth Wolf would dilute this.  Either Tiggy was going to be a great pet or a total disaster.  Mad was going to have to consult with Tech later to see if he had any knowledge or advice on the matter.  
She tiptoed toward the refresher to clean up and get ready for the next job...
Tumblr media
PLEASE like, comment, and/or REBLOG!
To read Chapter 6
https://www.tumblr.com/skellymom/733835736590303232/vagabonds-chapter-6?source=share
52 notes · View notes
whatapunk · 4 years ago
Text
Endings: Chapter 4
I’m sure everyone has forgotten about this by now but... I finally finished the fourth chapter I’ve been working on for over a month. I think I stressed over this chapter because I brought in some old Legends canon and that just made me overthink all. the. things. Anywho, maybe someone out there will enjoy it because even though I may take forever to update I’m really enjoying writing it! Especially now that I’ve started to explain my OC and get all the things in my head down on paper... 
Title: Endings
Fandom: Star Wars Rebels
Relationship: Kanan Jarrus/Hera Syndulla; Kanan Jarrus/female OC
Rating: m for the profanity, possibly for non-explicit intimacy later
Word Count: 3410
Previous Chapters: Ch. 1 / Ch. 2/ Ch. 3
16 years prior
Aboard CT-900 freighter, Exuberance
Kanan Jarrus hadn’t felt this way since he was on Kaller. He’d been chased by his old clone squadron for years since Order 66, but he’d never been discovered by an outsider before. Now, as he stood in the hallway of a ship in the middle of hyperspace, he pressed his forehead to the cold metal wall beside him. Sweat prickled on his neck and his head felt a little light. Knowing someone else knew he was a jedi hadn’t just scared him- it terrified him. 
Kanan took a deep breath and calmed himself, calling upon his meditation experience from when he was a jedi, funnily enough. He breathed again.
“Alright, lad?” a voice startled him out of his trance. 
Kanan straightened himself and tried hard to pretend he hadn’t just been leaning on the wall. The pilot, Mack, eyed him quizzically. 
“Kid?” 
At that, Kanan frowned, though he could feel his mind drained of all fight at the moment.
“Don’t call me that,” he said quietly and walked past the ship pilot and into the galley. 
Mack, who had better things to do than talk to one of his non-crew passengers (let alone a teenage one), pulled greasy work gloves from his hands and yelled down a shaft in the floor that led to the cargo bay. 
“Hey Rhia, don’t take too long moving those stacks- we’re starving up here!” Mack was smiling and laughing at his own joke, though Kanan could tell by the tone that Mack generally being obnoxious was his idea of joking. Kanan saw a skinny metal tool of some kind hurl itself up out of the hole in the floor, narrowly missing Mack’s face as he bent over the opening. Kanan smirked.
Mack strolled off down to his quarters and left Kanan alone in the galley. A few seconds later, Kanan heard a very loud crash in the cargo bay below, followed by a woman swearing even louder.
“Dank farrik!” Rhia yelled, exasperated. 
Kanan really wasn’t in the mood to be helpful, especially not toward Rhia. She’d been perfectly nice the entire time Kanan had been aboard Exuberance, but now she knew him. He replayed his last conversation, moments ago, with her over in his mind and felt ice in his gut. No, she’d manage on her own down there. 
Just as Kanan stood up to go to his own quarters, a couple more smaller crashes happened below. He rolled his eyes at himself, knowing he was a sucker for lending a quick hand, even if it was someone he’d hoped to never speak to again. 
Determined (disdainfully) to lend a hand, Kanan climbed down the ladder to the bay. Turning to face the expected mess, he was all but dumbstruck at what he didn’t expect to see. Rhia, nearly turned completely away from Kanan, was in the middle of tying her hair more securely back in place. Kanan was mesmerized. 
He’d noticed Rhia had vibrant, deep red hair the moment he’d seen her- anyone would. But she kept it up, tightly wound in a way that had hidden just how long it was. Not only that, but it didn’t look so, well, alien as it did all hanging loosely, catching the lights. It was long, hiding her entire back, and wavy, especially near the ends. Kanan’s mouth hung open and he couldn’t decide if he was seeing it sparkle or not. He’d been assuming she was just a fellow human, but looking at her now, he wasn’t so sure. She finished wrapping it up and caught a glimpse of him in the corner of her eye. She clearly thought about speaking but then hesitated, wondering how long he’d been standing there.
“Wow,” Kanan heard himself, unfortunately, utter. Rhia rolled her eyes, but revealed a small smile.
“That’s charming,” she said wryly. 
“Your hair, I’ve- I’ve neve seen anything like it,” he said, finally able to string some words together. Rhia’s smile faltered.
“Yeah, it’s genetic,” was all she offered before she went back to organizing the mess around her. When Kanan didn’t move, she started to get a little irritated. 
“What do you want, Kanan?” she asked, a little nastier than she meant to be. It seemed to bring him back to reality.
“I was just uh… I heard the crashes and thought you might need help,” he said feebly. Rhia softened at this. She also noted he refused to meet her eyes, a difference, she noted, that was new. New for the new dynamic that now surrounded and suffocated both of them: Kanan, a jedi outcast, and Rhia, the woman who’d found him out. 
“Oh,” she started, “well then thank you. Can you pick up the stacks over there while I get these?” she pointed and Kanan nodded, turning away silently, and began picking up the scattered cargo. 
Rhia went back to her own mess, but paused to watch him. He’d come all the way down here to help, but clearly not because of her. They’d been getting along so well it was hard for Rhia to remember that she had found him absolutely intolerable when she’d first met him. She’d only outed him for the good of her crew and to make sure that his identity didn’t bring them all down. She had absolutely no intentions of revealing the jedi to anyone and had promised that she would make up something else to tell the crew once they dropped them off at a far more remote location than Kanan and Janus had originally paid them for. But still, here it was, a chasm between the two of them, only instead of them both being on either side, Rhia stood at the top holding a rope from which Kanan dangled in the abyss below. Or at least that’s how it felt to him.
She knew what she had to do, the only thing that would ease the boy’s mind. 
“I’m a Morellian,” she said simply, eyes on her work. Kanan stopped and looked at her.
“What?”
“My species. We all have the hair.” 
Kanan’s brain finally caught up to what she was saying. Before seeing her hair, he’d never questioned her species and had been assuming, wrongly, that she was a human. Every other facet of her appearance led him to believe she was human, though now as his eyes were drawn again to her hair, he realized it made sense why he’d never encountered such a thing before. 
“Morellian? I’ve... never heard of them.”
“Well, they’re mostly a legend now, not something most people even hear about. I’ve not seen another like me since I was young,” she said, a more solemn edge to her tone. 
“Where are you from?” Kanan asked, interested in both the subject and changing it slightly.
“Morellia,” she started, letting out a little laugh at what sounded so obvious. “It’s a small planet out beyond the outer rim,” she explained. “I haven’t been there since I was young either.” 
“What happened to them?” Kanan asked before he had really thought about it.
“The last full clan of them was killed about 70 years ago,” she said, not looking at him. “There haven’t been Morellians on Morellia since.”
Kanan dropped the subject he now felt bad for asking about. He’d planned not to say another word and just finish helping her in silence when suddenly a thought occurred to him.
“Wait,” he began, “you said you’d been there- that you’d seen other Morellians when you were young. But that’d make you…” he trailed off, realizing the math and scrutinizing her carefully. She smirked. 
“We also live for a long time,” she explained. 
“So when you told me earlier that you were too old for me…” he said, questioning. 
“I’m 136.”
“Oh,” Kanan was suddenly lost for words. She certainly did look older than him, but not that old. He said the only thing he could think of. “Well, you look great.” 
Rhia laughed, genuinely. She was still very unsure of this kid, especially given his past, but he had a natural charm that she could tell he was in the midst of fine tuning. She was a person who generally liked the quiet and she liked being quiet; naturally, she also liked quiet people, or, even better- few to no people. But she already seemed to like being around this kid, even if she hadn’t at first. It was why she had started this conversation in the first place.
“Even before my species became so rare, we were sort of hunted," she began, a little out of nowhere. "I mean, in the right market, to the right buyer, especially now, a Morellian slave, or even just enough of our hair, could set up a person with wealth for life,” she said as casually as if she was telling him what was for dinner. She slid a hoverpad under a stack of crates and activated it, pushing it neatly into a corner. 
Kanan had stopped working and stared at her, brow furrowed and mouth slightly open. He was just about to ask her why she was telling him this when she continued.
“Maybe even more than something as rare as a jedi.”
Kanan felt his shoulders relax, having been more tensed up than he’d even realized. For the first time since Rhia had told him she knew of his identity, his mind stopped racing and he stepped out of fight-or-flight mode. She still didn’t look back at him, and no more words were said while they cleaned up the rest of the crates in the bay. The silence wasn’t awkward or tense though, and Kanan enjoyed it and felt real gratitude, a feeling that was few and far between for him these days. She’d put him back on the same level as herself, or really, put herself on his level. She didn’t have to at all, but she’d given up what he figured was probably her biggest secret to him; she reset the dynamic between them, just to put him at ease. Upon this realization, Kanan felt something else that had eluded him greatly in the last few years: trust.
***
Present Day
Kanan guided the twi’lek down the hall, battling to keep himself in a straight line so that he could guide her to do the same. Hera was all giggles.
“Kanan, I like her,” she said for the third time since they’d left Rhia in the galley. Kanan chuckled.
“Yes, she’s a very nice person,” he replied again, reaching a hand out to steady himself against the wall as Hera’s balance faltered. 
“I can definitely see why you guys dated,” she said, her voice slightly too loud.
“We didn’t exactly date,” Kanan interjected. He worried he came off as too defensive.
“Sorry,” Hera started, rolling her eyes playfully. “I can tell why you guys slept together frequently,” she said casually. Kanan chuckled but felt himself blush ever so slightly. 
Hera had never met a girl from Kanan’s past before, mostly because none of them lasted long enough for him to really even remember properly. He’d had a steady string of nothing steady for a long time in his late teens and early twenties, and Hera knew that much. She didn’t care, and Kanan could tell she meant that. So now, it felt weird to him for her to know not only who Rhia was, but to actually meet her as well. Kanan had never mentioned her to Hera. 
“And her hair is so red!” Hera announced, shaking Kanan out of his thoughts. “I’ve never seen hair like that, have you?”
“I’ve not-”
“I mean she’s gorgeous anyway,” Hera cut him off, “but she has such a striking… head!” Kanan laughed and Hera frowned at him.
“Don’t you laugh at me, Kanan Jarrus. You know I don’t drink much,” she said, putting a finger in his face. He pulled it gently down and held her hand. 
“I know, I haven’t had this much to drink in years I think.”
“You don’t sound drunk,” she said. They walked through their hangar doors and the Ghost appeared, parked before them. “How do I sound so much drunker than you? I didn’t even drink that much!” Hera’s volume increased again and Kanan softly shushed her, laughing. 
“I don’t know, but I promise you I’m only holding it together to impress you,” Kanan said, only half joking. He did seem to be slightly more sober than Hera, but truthfully he couldn’t feel his face. 
Kanan led Hera up Ghost’s ramp, both of them trying to keep their giggles as quiet as they could, for fear of bothering Zeb, Sabine, or Ezra. Finally, they made it to Hera’s quarters and he guided her to her bunk, laying her down and pulling off her boots. By the time he was finished, Hera’s eyes were drooping so low that for a moment he couldn’t tell if she was still awake. She smiled and curled her legs up closer to her chest, rolling to her side. 
“Kanan… I like her,” she said again, a whisper that faded into the final sigh she released before sleep took hold. Kanan smiled and kissed her forehead before he left, as silently as his stumbling could be. 
For a moment he’d considered going to his own quarters and letting the drunken fog behind his eyes lull him to sleep. But something else pressed on his mind, willing itself and his feet forward. He felt both an intense longing and a swollen mass of guilt inside his chest. The longing brought him back into the bay, back down the hallway, and back to a galley that still had a light on. The guilt had begun wrapping tendrils around his heart, his lungs- whatever was pounding in his chest. But the pounding slowed those tendrils down, shook some of them off, and Kanan’s foggy mind was in no position to follow anything except straight, concentrated feeling.
Nearly running into him, Rhia gasped at Kanan’s sudden appearance in the doorway. 
“Fuck, Kanan, you know it’s late and quiet and no one’s around, right?” Rhia asked, catching her breath. Kanan laughed at her, more than he usually would have. Rhia laughed it off, but readjusted her grip on the shoulder strap of her bag and flipped the light off, clear signs that she was on her way out. 
“I needed to use your fresher,” Kanan said, making an obvious effort to enunciate over his slurs. Rhia raised an eyebrow.
“You don’t have a fresher on your ship?” she asked, skeptical. 
“Zeb’s… showering,” he said, not so smoothly. “You know… fur,” he added, as if it was clarifying. Rhia nodded, but slowly. 
“Ah, well, sure. I’m down here,” she said, pointing and exiting the galley to her right. Her pulse, which had been so pleasantly dropped for the evening, suddenly quickened, and that plus the alcohol started to make her queasy. She walked quickly so it would feel like there was a breeze. Even so, it was a short walk before they’d arrived. 
Rhia punched in her code and the door slid past them almost silently. Inside, there was a dull wall light that glowed a sunset-colored orange that bathed things in just the right amount of light to see where everything was. To save energy and to encourage regular sleeping patterns, the light remained this color until 0500, when it would begin to brighten to a bold white. This was the first time Rhia found herself wishing she could override such things.
Rhia knew why he’d asked to come in. Even if he really did have to use the fresher, the point was still just to be inside, away from anything and anyone. She could now feel her heart rate increasing more every second it seemed, and all it did was make her angry with herself, which made it worse. 
“It’s there,” she said softly and pointed to the door on the left, the other one being a small closet. 
Once he’d closed the door behind him Rhia felt her shoulders fall as she breathed out loudly, unaware that she’d been holding back. She sat down on her bed to untie her boots, thinking desperately about what she was going to say- what she was going to have to say. When she heard the flush she stood up quickly, worried about how it would look to him if he came out and she was sitting on the bed. She turned to her dresser, where she began rifling through her sock drawer when Kanan came out of the fresher. She took a quiet but deep breath.
“I know why you’re here, Kanan,” she said evenly.
“Why I am here- like on this ship? Or like here, here?” he asked, and she could hear the smile in his voice. He was at the part of the night where everything that comes out of his mouth is somehow a joke. Every statement had a natural lift in tone at the end, as if it were a punchline. She wanted to roll her eyes because it both drove her insane and, for some reason, greatly affected the strength of her knees. She had to stay serious though; she did not want to be that kind of person. 
“Kanan,” and she turned to face him. “I know why you’re here. I shouldn’t- we shouldn’t have had so much to drink. I know why you wanted to come in here, but I just can’t,” she said, the last words coming out with more exasperation than she’d meant to show. He was barely listening.
“You don’t know why I’m here, Rhia,” he said calmly, that tranquil smile glued to his face.
“Kanan I know what you want- it just-”
“You really don’t.” “Kanan-” she started, her voice beginning to raise. His voice, unchanging this whole time, cut her off.
“Can I see your hair?” he asked, the drunkenness of the words and the way he said them enveloping her in something that felt so wholesome. Her hands, which she’d begun to raise in an exhausted gesture, fell to her sides, her arms suddenly feeling so heavy.
Kanan looked at her and even in the fogginess of his inebriated brain he knew he’d remember what she looked like when everything about her suddenly softened. Rhia paused. Her mouth fell open just slightly, but instead of speaking she simply offered him a shaky but honest head nod. She gave him the smallest smile before she turned back around to face her dresser and her hands went up into the knot of hair she kept piled on top of her head. 
Kanan watched her remove a few pins first, silently placing them on top of her dresser, and slowly strands and chunks of hair began to fall away. Once she was done with those, she worked her fingers beneath the bun, finding the ends of her hair and unwinding what seemed to be an endless ponytail. This wasn’t the first time Kanan had watched her do this, and it was every bit as mesmerizing as he remembered. Even in the dull orange light, it glimmered, reminding him of the way a grassy hill seems to shimmer in the wind.
Rhia undid the final tie and it all came cascading down her shoulders, throwing a fiery halo around her in every direction as she turned back around to face him. She ran her fingers through it a bit, feeling the relief of the tension off of her scalp. 
Kanan watched as the sunset-colored ceiling lamp made her shine like something that had been detonated. The slightest motion of her head threw ripples of metallic colors from root to tip, and Kanan tried to look at every inch of it at once, not wanting to miss such an amazing opportunity. Rhia was pleasantly attractive to most people and would be with or without hair. But with this hair, long and untamed as it was now, even in this artificial light, she looked positively divine. If she’d claimed now, in this moment, that she was some mythical goddess, there wasn’t a soul in the galaxy who wouldn’t believe her, let alone Kanan. He knew she wasn’t though, and that knowledge just made him like her more. She was just Rhia- beautiful Rhia. 
She met his eyes as they took a break from roaming around her head. He swallowed. 
“Oh, kriff.”
3 notes · View notes
haddocktree · 5 years ago
Text
Dean DeBlois Talks the Care and Feeding of Flying Reptiles
The writer-director of DreamWorks Animation’s Oscar-nominated ‘How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World’ reflects on his long and loving journey creating the epic animated trilogy.
By Jon Hofferman and Dan Sarto | Tuesday, January 28, 2020 at 11:29am
In 3D, Awards, CG, Films, People, Virtual Reality, Visual Effects | ANIMATIONWorld | Geographic Region: All
Oscar and Annie Award-nominated ‘How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World,’ the final chapter in DreamWorks Animation’s epic animated feature trilogy, written and directed by Dean DeBlois. Images © 2019 DreamWorks Animation LLC. All Rights Reserved.
At this point, neither the How to Train Your Dragon animated feature film franchise, nor its longtime writer-director Dean DeBlois, needs much of an introduction. The epic adventure series, which debuted in 2010, has been both commercially successful and critically acclaimed, with the first two installments garnering an immense number of Annie Award nominations and wins, as well as being Oscar, BAFTA and Golden Globe nominees for Best Animated Feature. (How to Train Your Dragon 2 won the Golden Globe in that category in 2015.)
This time is no different: How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World has been nominated for an Academy Award and eight Annie Awards, including Best Animated Feature, and has won accolades from the National Board of Review, the Society of Voice Arts & Sciences, and the Hollywood Music in Media Awards, among others. Produced by Brad Lewis and Bonnie Arnold, The Hidden World delivers a heartwarming message about overcoming intolerance wrapped inside a tale about growing up, facing the unknown, and learning to let go. It also answers the burning question of what happened to the dragons that once populated the earth and lived in cooperation with humans.
So, as awards season rounds into the home stretch, and DeBlois faces his third round of Dragon-mania, it seemed like a good time to talk with him about this reptilian saga that’s become such a central part of his life.
AWN: In a presentation that you gave at the VIEW conference in October, you said that in general, you’re not very enthusiastic about sequels because, if you've done a good job, your story is told, and a follow-up can feel like an unnecessary add-on. What about How to Train Your Dragon made you feel that it provided an opportunity to do sequels the way they should be done?
Dean DeBlois: Well, I think it was a combination of three things. One is that I was a Star Wars kid and I loved the expansiveness of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. I felt they took characters that I loved, expanded their worlds and increased the adventure, the peril. The characters were kind of maturing and growing up, and it had a big impact on me. And I saw in the Dragon world and its cast of characters the potential to do something similar. The world could be expansive, and we could grow up with the characters. In the time that it takes to make an animated movie, our fan base could be aging with the characters, which wasn't really something that I'd seen done before – where you take a cast of friends and then grow up with them. We would leap five years into the future and find a new organic problem that felt important and universal. So, that was part of it.
Then, I think it's also the conversation that I had with [Dragon books author] Cressida Cowell. Even though the narratives are quite different in the films and the books, I loved the idea that she was taking on this challenge of explaining what happened to dragons and why they aren't here anymore. I thought that was really intriguing, but also kind of gripping and emotional. The opening line of her very first book is, "There were dragons when I was a boy." That suggests they're gone. What happened to them? So, I loved taking on that challenge.
Finally, just being able to explain certain mysteries that were inherent in the first film. What happened to Hiccup’s mother? Is Toothless the last of his kind? If so, why? Just the idea that we might be able to take organic questions that we didn't have time to explain in the first movie, or didn't feel the need to, and make them into important questions in the context of the trilogy. As if we'd gone back in time and planted them there.
AWN: The emotional center of the storytelling in the films is the growth of the characters, their becoming adults and taking on adult responsibilities, even though they're still young. That’s really the best part of the films.
DeBlois: Yeah, it felt organic to me because I was thinking about what problem I could graft onto 15-year-old Hiccup that felt important. He now has his father’s love and admiration, he has the respect of the town, he has the attention of the girl he was secretly pining for, he has an amazing dragon that he could fly around on, and he ended an age-old war. It doesn't feel like a character who could have a problem until something really eventful enters his life. We needed to go to another rite of passage, which just naturally led to a 19-year-old in search of himself, when you've got two domineering parents of contrasting philosophies. A character who's on the run from his destiny at home, only to return to it with a renewed sense of self, was an appealing tale to me.
AWN: There's a large number of characters in the films, and they play pretty central roles. How do you ensure that you give them enough screen time and develop them enough so it feels that they really belong and have a reason for being there?
DeBlois: It's really tough and I don't know that we did, to be honest. I think that a lot of our characters are underserved. If we had a longer movie, if we could make a 120-minute movie instead of a 90-minute movie, we might be able to explore them more. But oftentimes the characters do become support characters. We do our best to give them moments, give them a laugh here and there, or give them a starring turn. But when you have an unwieldy group of characters, it’s really tough because you're always fighting the ticking clock of budget and time.
AWN: Speaking of characters, what makes a good villain and how do you determine how villainous to make your villain?
DeBlois: That is a very good question and I don't know that I have a very good answer. I struggle with villains. I find them boring if they just want power or money. Unless there's a bit of empathy in their desire, it just falls flat for me. Drago was meant to be a really interesting villain in How to Train Your Dragon 2. There was going to be a sea story that followed his survival and how he became marooned on an island that was home to a very aggressive dragon. He had to befriend this thing in order to fly off the island and get back to his armada. It was a very touch-and-go relationship because they were both very headstrong, but in the end, they established a mutual trust, and it changed him. Even with all of his heinous crimes, when he arrived in the third-act battle, he took the side of the dragon riders, fighting his own former cohorts. I liked that idea because it took what was admittedly a one-dimensional character and gave him complexity. But we didn't get to do that because, again, taking the time to do that story properly would have compromised Hiccup’s story. I regret it since I really wanted to do something interesting with that character.
We channeled some of that frustration into the development of Grimmel [in The Hidden World] and making him a villain for the times – an intolerant elitist who’s trying to crush blossoming ideas of peaceful coexistence. But he’s also a character who’s fun to watch onscreen – he has a kind of playful sensibility and likes the sound of his own voice. Enjoys the hunt, enjoys cornering his prey and forcing it to make desperate decisions. He’s a character without empathy, but he has a sense of humor.
Dean DeBlois.
AWN: To turn to the production side, did you use any virtual camera work or any tools that helped you visualize how you wanted to shoot this?
DeBlois: Yes, [cinematographer] Gil Zimmerman and his team – the layout team who provided us all the previs and the final layout of the movie – would go down to our mocap stage and pull up rough versions of our sets and don the outfits with the little ping-pong balls and actually work out a lot of their own choreography. So, if it wasn't a flight scene, if it was something that had a physical space where they could really block for action, they would come up with ideas that way. It's always dispensed with when it gets to animation, but the ideas are there and then the animators start from scratch.
AWN: How extensive was the previs? Were you using it more for storytelling or was it used more for camera and layout?
DeBlois: On this film, we started to invite the layout department into the storytelling. In other words, if there was a sequence that depended on visceral, kinetic movement – something that's hard to suggest on drawn storyboards – we would talk out the beats of the script pages with Gil Zimmerman and the assigned previs artists, and they would go off and develop it. If we knew there was going to be flight involved or some kind of complex set, we would either hand the sequence entirely to the previs artists or involve them really early.
I found I really liked this step and how far it has come in recent years, where so much of the finished idea can be represented quite clearly and closely in the previs. It used to be awkward to look at – characters that would slide across floors, and blank expressions, and robotic movements. It’s come such a long way that it’s something you can include in test previews with audiences, because it's full of color and it has lighting… it’s a very exciting new tool to use.
AWN: Like many top animation directors, you're going to be moving over into the live-action world. Have you always wanted to go this route? You've been directing animated films for a long time.
DeBlois: Yeah, after Lilo and Stitch, I took a look at my personal hopper of ideas that I was working on and I would say three-quarters of them were live-action. They felt like live-action films. I decided to go out there and just see if anyone was interested. I sold three of them. It got close with a start date on one of them, but they all kind of went on ice when there were administrative changes both at Disney and Universal. It was an exciting and frustrating period and it just feels like an itch that I didn't scratch. So now I have that opportunity to return to the world of live-action and hopefully get a movie going. I do so with caution because I know that so many things can fall apart very quickly in live-action, whereas in animation we tend to commit to the idea of making the movie, even if you have to change out people in the process.
AWN: Do you feel that your experience in animation gives you specific skills that you can apply in live-action production?
DeBlois: I think my storyboarding background definitely gives me the ability to communicate ideas clearly and visually represent them. Having spent so much time on the story side of things, writing as well, I feel as though I can clearly communicate the story we're telling and engage other people in contributing ideas and making it better. I think in any sort of filmmaking enterprise you need somebody who's going to be the guardian of the story, but still be open to great ideas, and I feel like I've been honing that skill over the years.
AWN: Last question. How does it feel to say goodbye to dragon world – after three really well-done, well-received, expansive, beautifully animated features? You completed the trilogy, you told the story as well as it could be told. What are your thoughts looking back on this huge body of work?
DeBlois: I'm very proud that we were able to reach the goal that we had set for ourselves, that we didn't have to creatively compromise much, and that we did it with largely the same team over the course of a decade. It's bittersweet because not only have we come to love the characters and the world, but we really like working together. We don't know if we're ever going to be arranged as that crew again. People have gone on to different shows, some have left the studio. It was a bit of a gamble to dedicate so much time to a trilogy, especially in the ever-changing landscape of studios. There were five changes in leadership on Dragon 3 alone. With every person that comes in, they have their own sensibility and their own tastes. And so, learning to work with each person and also giving them ownership can be tricky. Luckily, we were able to keep our North Star in sight and deliver the ending that we wanted.
22 notes · View notes
resshiiram · 8 years ago
Photo
Tumblr media
I’d Give It All [Kylo Ren/OFC]
Title Credit Goes to Nickelback
Word Count: 2,664
Rated PG-13
Banner made by me.
Any recognizable characters are owned by Disney and Lucasflims.
Charactres you DON’T recognize are owned by me.
Enjoy. (:
Karia pressed her back against the wall and exhaled, setting her blaster on the ground next to her. Her mood was starting to grow sour, due in part to the fact that she found the Stormtrooper armor hot and uncomfortable. She wished she could remove the helmet, but knew that wasn’t an option. Not yet, at least. There was also the sense of foreboding that she was unable to shake; even though Karia kept telling herself it was because she was traipsing around Starkiller Base dressed as a Stormtrooper, she knew that she was just lying to herself. What she was truly dreading was seeing him again.
 **EARLIER**
 “Leia, are you sure about this?” Karia questioned for what seemed like the umpteenth time.
“I absolutely am. Han will be going as well, but…” Leia paused for a brief moment, “…I feel you have a better chance at reaching him.”
The blonde let loose a humorless laugh. “If you don’t think his own father can reach him, how do you expect me to?”
Leia gave Karia a sympathetic smile. “He loved you, Karia. You two loved each other.”
A lump developed in Karia’s throat at Leia’s words. “Yeah, and I let him down.”
“My dear, it isn’t your fault that he fell to the Dark Side. Snoke had been trying to seduce him for years and you know that,” Leia told her resolutely.
 “My reluctance to admit to him how I felt probably made it that much easier for Snoke,” Karia mumbled.
“Karia Tershin, stop it. He knew that you loved him. He was able to sense it through the Force.”
Karia dropped her eyes to the ground, biting on her lip lightly.
“It’s not too late to prove to him that you love him,” Leia told her quietly.
“It’s been years, Leia. The First Order’s changed him. Besides, he thinks I’m dead. How can you be so certain about this?”
Leia pulled Karia into a tight embrace and rubbed her back soothingly. “Ben believed you were his soulmate, Karia. Love that powerful never fades, no matter the circumstances.”
 //////////
 “How are you holding up, Kar?”
Caine’s familiar voice through the radio snapped Karia away from her memories.
“Oh, you mean other than the fact that we’re infiltrating the First Order dressed as Stormtroopers and the damn armor is intolerable? Absolutely fine and dandy.”
Caine emitted a sigh. “No one said that you had to agree to do this, sis.”
Karia shook her head, even though she knew her brother couldn’t see it. “I need to do this for Leia. I can’t let her down.”
“Honestly? I think you just let Han do it.”
“You know that Han won’t be able to get through to him, Caine. He may be his father, but he’s not  a Jedi. He doesn’t know the Force like us. Besides…”
 Karia’s breath caught in her throat as she caught sight of a dark figure moving past. He was dressed in long robes and a hood, making it unmistakable who it was. She thought she had been mentally prepared for this, but simply seeing Kylo Ren made her realize she would never be ready. The Jedi could feel butterflies storming in her gut as she silently observed him; given the conditions, she found it inconceivable that he had the same effect on her.
 Karia sucked in an apprehensive breath and grabbed her blaster, setting off in the direction of her former companion.
“Karia, is everything okay?”
Caine’s voice over cause Karia to flinch, as she had forgotten about him. “Oh…I’m uh…I’ll talk to you later, okay?”
“I take it that you found Kylo?”
“Perhaps.”
“Well, good luck with that,” Caine responded vehemently.
 Karia ignored the hostility in her brother’s voice. Caine abhorred Ben ever since his fall, albeit with good reason. While Karia felt guilty about it, her brother felt betrayed; due to Ben’s close relationship with Karia, Caine had naturally became close friends with the other male. But during the attack on the Academy, Ben had been the one to attack Caine and ultimately ravage his neck. Caine had been the one to pick up the pieces of his sister’s broken heart and convince her to finish her training. So in his eyes, Ben was too far gone and couldn’t be saved. Caine therefore believed that Leia sending Karia here was reckless and futile.
 Karia caught up to Kylo far quicker than she had wished to, much to her trepidation. She felt her heart in her throat as she approached a nearby Stormtrooper.
“Hey. You go on your break. I’ll stay with Ren,” she told him.
“Really? Well, thank you.”
Karia clapped a hand on the Stormtrooper’s shoulder. “No problem. Go enjoy yourself.”
The Stormtrooper nodded at Karia then walked away, leaving her alone with Kylo. Karia glanced at the male through her peripheral vision and noticing that his attention was elsewhere, opted to absently start inspecting her blaster rather than acknowledge him. She figured it would be wise to wait for Kylo to notice her first, as she was unsure how things would unfold if she made the first move.
 It wasn’t until several minutes later that Kylo addressed Karia.
“I take it that you have news on the girl?”
Karia brought her attention from the blaster to Kylo, who still had his back turned to her. “Unfortunately not.”
Following a long moment of silence, Kylo finally peered over his shoulder at Karia.
“Who are you?”
“FN-2496, sir.”
Kylo spun around so he was facing Karia. “Why do you sound like that…?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Karia said defiantly.
 “Take off the helmet,” Kylo replied quietly.
“Why? I’m just a Stormtrooper.”
Kylo frustratingly strode over to Karia, halting so close to her that their chests were practically touching. “I said, remove the helmet.”
Karia knew that it was time to drop the façade before it turned perilous. “Only if you remove your mask, Ben.”
 Her use of his birth name caused Kylo to quickly back away from Karia; after glaring at her for several tense seconds, he begrudgingly took off his mask and dropped it. Karia gulped as she found herself staring at Ben’s all-too familiar face; she for some reason had been expecting Kylo Ren to look completely different. But despite his hair having grown out and his features having matured a bit, he looked exactly the same as she remembered. That simple fact frightened her more than anything.
 “Now take off the helmet.”
Karia sucked in a breath and complied, removing the helmet and tossing it to the side. “Happy now?”
When he saw Karia’s face, Kylo’s dark eyes became huge and his face visibly paled.
“Karia?” he asked uncertainly, taking a few hesitant steps closer.
“Surprise.”
Kylo was clearly reeling over this revelation. “You’re dead, though!”
“Do I look dead?” Karia deadpanned.
“But, the Academy…the Knights of Ren…you died,” Kylo sputtered.
 Karia shook her head. “It was an illusion, Ben. Caine and I…we both survived.”
“Karia, I watched as Vurrha killed you. I was the one who killed Caine. You’re both supposed to be dead!”
Karia pinched the bridge of her nose. “Yes Ben, that’s what an illusion is. We had to make it appear that we were killed.”
Kylo turned around and emitted a vexed howl. “Stop calling me Ben!”
“I’ll just call you Kylo, then. Is that okay?”
Kylo disregarded Karia and acknowledged her without turning around. “How? All those years, I couldn’t feel you. And just now, I  still couldn’t even sense your Force.”
 “It’s an older Force ability that conceals one from being sensed by other Force-users.”
Kylo snorted. “So, you were the one sending me all of those calls back to the Light.”
“Actually, no. Those were from your mom. She wants you to come home, Kylo.”
Kylo turned around and gaped at the female. “What…?”
“She misses you. Everyone misses you. Your dad, Chewie, Mikal. They miss you. And, I miss you.”
“LIES!” Kylo vociferated. “You’re lying!”
“Have I ever lied to you, though?”
 The male, without warning, withdrew his Lightsaber and charged at Karia; having seen the assault coming, Karia grabbed her own Lightsaber and effortlessly locked blades with his. The pair remained like that for several minutes, silently staring at each other through the radiance coming from their weapons. Karia could feel her arms beginning to cramp under Kylo’s weight and had to ponder when scrawny Ben had become so muscular. Yet she held her ground and stared directly into Kylo’s dark eyes, where she could see the conflict brewing inside of him.
 It was clear that deep inside of him, it pained Kylo to be fighting against her.
“You are cracked, Kylo. I’m not your enemy,” Karia quietly told him at long last.
 Kylo released a tortured whine and separated from her, storming over to a nearby console and destroying it with his Lightsaber. Karia wordlessly watched the dark knight take out his anger, retracting her own Lightsaber’s blade. Only when the machine was completely destroyed did Kylo put his weapon away, keeping his back turned to Karia while breathing heavily. The Jedi fiddled with her saber’s hilt as she struggled to find the proper thing to say. She eventually ran a hand through her hair and sucked in a breath.
 “So, I’d like to apologize to you.”
“What for?”
“For not admitting how I felt about you.”
“What do you mean, Karia?” Kylo turned slightly and eyed her, his voice drained.
“I’m sorry for not having the guts to tell you that I loved you, Kylo.”
Kylo angrily shook his head. “No, Snoke said that you never cared for me. He tells me that loving you was my biggest mistake.”
“Don’t even start with that, Kylo. I don’t understand how you cannot comprehend that Snoke is lying to you. Because if I never gave a damn about you, I sure as hell would not risked my life by coming here to talk to you.”
Karia’s words seemingly stupefied Kylo, who was unable to respond for some time.
“…why did you never tell me?” he finally questioned softly.
 “Because I was scared, okay? I thought it was inappropriate for two classmates to fall in love. So I was scared of what Master Luke would say, scared of what the other students would have said. I’m embarrassed to admit this to you, so I understand that it was a stupid and pathetic reason. I should have told you that I loved you. I could have made it more obvious how much I cared about you. But I didn’t and I can’t change that. And trust me, I have regretted that every day for the past six years. Because maybe, if I would have…” Karia paused to look away from Kylo, staring at some point off to her side, “…just maybe, none of this would have happened and you’d still be at home.”
 Karia didn’t register that Kylo approached her until his large hand was placed under her chin, gently turning her face toward him.
“Karia, I’d rather you not feel at fault over what happened.”
Karia could only stare at Kylo, obviously at a loss for words.
Kylo shut his eyes and sighed. “Just promise me you’ll stop beating yourself up over this.”
“Okay,” Karia muttered.
 The male slowly opened his eyes and shifted his hand so he was cupping her cheek, softly beginning to stroke it with his thumb. Karia was initially taken aback by his tender gesture, but responded by reaching up and lightly starting to trace random patterns on his chest. Kylo tensed up at her touch, yet only for a brief moment; he soon relaxed and inched closer to her, not removing his hand from her cheek. The pair said nothing for a bit and simply savored each other’s company, knowing that it wouldn’t last.
 Kylo’s eyes suddenly gasped quietly and he slowly moved his hand to the right side of her scalp, running his gloved fingers against the scars there.
“Am I correct in assuming that Vurrha caused these?”
“Yeah, you are,” Karia said.
Anger flashed through Kylo’s brown eyes and although it was gone as quickly as it appeared, he seemed to be on edge for some reason.
Karia rose an eyebrow at the male questioningly. “You okay?”
Kylo’s chest swelled under the female’s hand as he sucked in a breath. “I am.”
 Karia wasn’t terribly convinced yet chose to drop the subject. “Hey, Kylo?”
“What is it?”
“Come home with me.”
Kylo’s eyes enlarged at her words and he dropped his hand, taking a step back from her. “Home…?”
“Yes, home. Let’s go back to the Resistance together.”
Karia reached for Kylo’s hand, but he pulled away. “I can’t,” he whispered.
“Why not?”
Kylo averted his eyes to the ground. “I’m not the same person you used to know. I’ve changed. I’ve done horrible, horrible things. I’m simply not a good person anymore, Karia.”
“Oh, Kylo.”
 Karia cautiously stepped closer to Kylo and loosely wrapped her arms around him, nestling her head into his strong chest. Kylo inhaled sharply at the affectionate contact and again stiffened, although several seconds later he clumsily slipped his arms around her in return. The blonde had a suspicion that this was the first time Kylo had been hugged in six years, so she began to stroke the small of his back until she could feel his rigid embrace on her relax.
 “You shouldn’t let that keep you from coming home,” Karia murmured into Kylo’s chest. He only hummed in response, making her pull back from his chest. “You don’t belong here, Kylo, and you know it. You belong at the Resistance with us. You’d be so much be happier at home. We could be happy together."  
 Kylo looked more conflicted than ever as Karia finished; for a fleeting moment, she sensed that he was convinced to leave the First Order behind and go home with her. But then he gulped quietly and released his hold on the female, causing her heart to fall.
 “I’m sorry, Karia,” he told her thickly.
Karia released a shaky breath in an attempt to fight back the tears that were threatening to spill. “Well then, that’s that. I guess this is goodbye.”
“Yeah, I suppose it is,” Kylo replied softly.
 Karia reluctantly released her embrace on Kylo and placed her hands on his shoulders. Without an instant of hesitation, she lowered his face to hers and proceeded to place a brief, feather light kiss to his lips.
 “I should have done that years ago,” she whispered as she pulled back.
Kylo could only gape at Karia dumbfoundedly as he brought a trembling hand to his lips. Karia sheepishly bit her lip and turned to leave him, not wanting to stay any longer.
“Karie.”
Despite herself, the Jedi froze at the sound of Kylo’s former pet name for her; when they were children, Ben was unable to pronounce Karia for some reason and resorted to calling her ‘Karie’. Throughout the years, it turned into an affectionate nickname that only Ben had permission to use.
 Karia swallowed past the lump that had developed in her throat. “Yes?”
“You…you still love me…” Kylo commented slowly, as if he was coming to grips with the realization.
“Kylo Ren, I will always love you. I assure you that nothing will change that.”
 Karia grabbed her helmet and turned to leave again, but was quickly stopped by Kylo grabbing her wrist.
“Stay here with me,” he pleaded, his voice quivering. “Please.”
Karia frowned and gazed at him over her shoulder. “I can’t do that, Kylo. Leia already lost you. I won’t let her lose everything.”
 Karia felt Kylo’s hand fell away from her wrist and she let loose a regrettable sigh.
“Goodbye, Kylo,” she told him weakly.
 She then broke out running without another glance at Kylo, letting the tears stream freely down her face as she left her former friend behind.
8 notes · View notes
throwingideasatthewall · 4 years ago
Text
The Clone Wars         Voyage of Temptation
        (Season 2 Episode 13)
...... ^^            Any     way...    Episode          Opens           Up            With            .        Guard
  Ah      yes
       “ Obi-Wan apparently fucks things up,”
[Why the focus on the       guard’s blue eyes?]
The       Sequel;
Old        Friend
  [With no        familiarity-
 This     is really focusing on all the wrong scenes     . ....   Whelp
*Gets       glass*
‘pparently       I’m      ready       for      some     nonsense
.  .
 How      deep    does       this       go?
 (Almost         all the      bad scenes]
  Even the narrator-         Seems           To        Struggle            -        Making           Sense-
   ‘Satine claimed neutrality
   Then there was an attack by        -Deathwatch
   So Satine
     Had to go pled her innocence            To the Senate?
     -See how that     doesn’t make any sense
    Involvement             in           the war
         She-                -               She           didn’t               do            anything                  -               You just said it was a     terrorist organization.
          Anyone who didn’t watch the last episode-                         Is going to be so lost                                  (Even those                            that did..)
[We’re not even    passed that recap]
       Fun
       Er-
       ?
    Why?
   what?
   Why stick       bug?     (Skeleton         thing)
    As-sassinate her
Since     when?        I         mean        Okay...
       (For those of you that don’t know      the deathwatch,               Totally bitched                 out,                  When it had a           chance to kill her)
    After their    plan had been            revealed,
        Legit         “let her go”,           Ominous                  empty              Hook.
         Now     apparently giving            chase              . . .
       With more       bodyguards     and protection            . . .
      Sharp
One unaccompanied               ship..
       yeah they’re screwed
     [at least there’s no Ahsoka-]
      Presence
      “Retnu”               ?
        What
[Retinue; a group of advisers, assistants, or others accompanying an important person]                Oh
How to take the        clones
      Show          offs             “Anxiety,”
      Sense?
[can someone just say ‘feel’.      once?      Not everything has to be   “sensed”
              Stupid Jedi                  mind reading                     bullshit
Safer      Hand
The idiot   that got knocked out     by one of them
And   Anakin.
[also is there like a Padawan      babysitter?
 Question
  Don’t want to see them
  Just           Cur.]
  Any way
     Why?
   He doesn’t seem     too anxious
     Oh observant one-
    [I know somethings can only be   feel-  But seriously,      ed
      You’d think             it’d show up in his body language
       No dreamy look.               ...   
        No wrist       ful          ness
        Just          rubbing              his          beard           You        need             to do           better than that
[Because           at this rate I’m starting to believe           they were just friends
    Which I don’t think the writers              were going for]
    Also, geez, was that sharp           And with no defensiveness        Just anger
Let’s try it     again, with a little     more- sadness                  Emotion-
   “Ah! No, it’s           It’s all the past,”           [Sadness]
      More intensity on the             hair grab
      Narrowed               Eyes                (Eyes              Only,               Eye                 Brows                   Taut)
        [Look                  Ing                   at                 Ground]
         Possibly                    Shift-               Ing                   -                   Hands                       -                     Into           Pockets                  —-                  Head                  tilted                upwards                   ——                       For                  absolute                  dejection                       - - -                      And                 Des                    -peration                   - - -                   Neat  
           ‘Aight,’
          ‘How                  Do                    I-’
[Like,       that’s not a typical reaction,        Shout          Ing-              No emotion-       I have just decided to       -shout,’
   ‘Okay,’         Anakin
  Whelp
  Why is everything          dark?
This is a very important Person,     yes?
  Why are there crates?
  Are you storing         Salt       Ine            with        the     luggage?
  (The Se-          nate’s gonna              kill-
   [Wait, was there a     perspective change?]
    Are-        Are we dealing with the other       clone troopers?
  That- was     very     badly   done-
You went from one area       with people in an enclosed space
 To people  who look exactly the same
  Coming out-     
[You-          You needed more      distinction      .there.]
Any.way
 Investigating crates
 In the dark
 On a ship
Supposedly    escorting     a very important person         [you’re telling me the           Senate couldn’t     splurge,     On the       lights,         For their very important  person      escorting        plane?
  What happens if she wanted to get     something for herself?
She has to walk through the dark?
Probably trip     on a lot of            things,
   And      possibly-
   This         set       wasn’t thought out well,
    Gotta            Say,
   Whelp
    Okay
  [Ah, the music is a little         blaring]
  It’s-     been going on for several      minutes-
 [nothing against     music        [or sound         effects]          Just...     This      one     doesn’t       really      match        the       tone        (Being       pretty        loud       bumbling         and       curious)         (Needing            less          Brass,            Or           to           be         played            at             a           lower         frequency)                For            Shorter            Periods                Of            Time)        As It’s         really fighting         with the other            effects,                ....     
      Worst transport vehicle     ever,]
     War is intolerable          Uh, did  I walk into a      philosophy       seminar?
   What
Also;          SUBTLE!
  And       sorry to be a           complainer;
      The colors            clash-                  Horribly                (Which could be the point,        the red of blood     against     her blue                  Red                   Oni-
             But     it’s not-
  The red in this scene     is clearly        Displayed    as nobility  
  (But        that’s         gold.)    
     And this scene        - it clashes          (Sorry to        critique.)
   Horr-ibly
    The nobility music is     drowning out her words
    Which are not ones;       you would speak with acquaintances or       court;         Far too uptight
 And...
   It just doesn’t work
 - Gives me a          -headache-
   (Not good)
   What is     dude doing here?
    What?
     Why?
 Er,             Not        As         Bad        As         The          .     Abo     mina        tions.
  Life
  What
 [Okay
   She’s         got             a          point             ...   Admittedly.             It              Is          Framing-         Her           As         Claiming            . . .             God? 
     . . .        Gathering         thoughts                 ...                 My          issue             with             the            scene-                (Besides-             the music) is how it presents Dutchess
         Here she’s calling     about the power of life               And this     could work;               There’s nothing wrong     with poking fun at   authority     assumers-
   The excessive           involved                 -               The            words             with            no           meaning               -           Extrava          gance-
    But it isn’t doing     that
    It’s presenting hi-     larious antics straight           (Like this is normal     behavior          Or        Just         Urgh-       Every-thing’s        off         And     everything’s          so    overwhelming         that I can’t pinpoint the       exact problems..         ...                   It’s not            Played             Up               ...           For           Humor
                 *Some                          Of                              It,                         But                        Could                          Be                          More
    That’s           The          Ish
    Small            fix;          Gold,         Extrav            agant           Music,           Lower             Tempo             (Volume)               Calling                Up             Obi-              Won                  To              Chat,              “The               Jedi”.       Jedis?               There’s                   Your                   Scene                     . . .             Neutral                   . . . .               Aight     Doing      The      Ey-
            Inter-
            She invited
           Yeah you    should’ve    knocked-
              And not come out swinging
             But-
            No-
           Senator
         ??
         Confusing this is
         ?
      Serious
   Also a lot       more people..
         ?
       Seriously          emotions                      .                ?
Yeah I don’t know what     kind of emotions are going on here either buddy
           Just                 that               the               writers                are           playing          defense               for          Obi-Wan            again
        -Seriously
          2              In                 A              Row                 All               For            Obi-won
         The only     emotion     and responsibility being       when Duchess is talking
Author favoritism     isn’t cute            
          Let            them            argue             like               adults
Not     lowering      the   standard          -        ?
 Peace keepers
  There’s          a     difference
       They’re              both            authority              assumers.
     Peace
      So is         enabling           for peace            .
     Okay, seriously
               Look                 effects                   can                      be                      used                           To               Accentuate                         What’s                    already                      there,
            Not             replace
Your     audience         will       know            who’s   right and wrong          Regardless of how many cheap tricks        You use
   All         it     does         is     make      you        look      bad              Have          faith         your       audience          can           tell            right          from       wrong
 And   don’t use cheap tricks    to try        and avoid     accountability
 (Equal         Accoun           tability                   In             The           Narra.            Tive)
   Any Way                 -
        No           such         thing
      Yeah, why are these fuckers     here?
      Last we saw they were getting on     Anakin’s ship and leaving
       Now this
It feels     a little       Ret-con   -y
And      the   story      isn’t    much    better        to    justify        it
              Also did you just call them up here so you could                                                                                      lambaste                                                                                      him                                                                                        in                                                                                      front                                                                                          of                                                                                        your friends?
                                                                                   Don’t                                                                                           get                                                                                         me                                                                                     wrong                                                                                       she’s                                                                                       being                                                                                         damn                                                                                         tox
                                                                             But                                                                              Obi-Wan                                                                                 is                                                                                an                                                                                 adult                                                                               and                                                                               can                                                                               get                                                                          himself                                                                             out                                                                                of                                                                              the                                                                           situation.
Now, moving on;      Did
  When?
  Even        they        looked        confused      ... Hide
She’s got a point
 Aight,      Stop,      How        is this        happening       .        Two         Sides
If only the     authors would let them argue as equals
  No avail
   [Also what even was the     argument?
    “A lot of people want to stay neutral because we don’t want to screw over our lives and that’s how I’ll be presenting our case”
     “ A lot of people like taking the initiative and being involved             in the action,”
      I don’t recall.. .
       [Public hum.]
       [Puppy Dog]
[You’re nice]
 [slightly guilty]  Yea,            I am
      [Here’s Anakin]
      Anakin...
     [Puppy               Dog] 
      “Your couriers asked me to do it,”
          Couriers- no
      “You’re         hiding behind people,”
       Blue dude             steps in
 I know she was the only one       contributing any actual philosophy
  Obi-Wan getting one line in
  Before the writers went         full defense..      ...    
   That was like the junk food        (the potato chips)         Of         Arguments
  Something        happened        but         there          was          no        value              . . .
   There was more dead air      in the conversation than anything          else,
   Indeed
   Non-sense
   That was junk food
   Stop padding yourself on the back         For writing      a void argument
  Also I really don’t trust the courier      guy...
  [Call it       old grudge]
   Why would Duchess    invite one of a her servants...
    To a high class          Senator         event..
   Look        at         this           guy           ...          Look at everyone else          . .        He    sticks       out           like      a sore      thumb         . . .          And        he’s      done       nothing         but         be   insubordinate        this          entire         time.
   Essentially           being           Obi-Wan’s            “Yes”             hype            man,
   (Are we sure     guy isn’t a court jester)
    I think       multitude makes discord and       not a good counsel
!
...
 She...
(Constant character     ization!)
Do it
[or hold them accountable to          hypocrisy!)
   Seriously,
        So far this is neither mentally engaging or     funny,]
       And it’s ONLY to screw with Duchess
    Seriously,            Stop playing           defense for                Obi-won
    [I know it’s called Star Wars        but that doesn’t mean you have to glorify militarization]
    Outside of in universe characters
     Right
      Two            Sides
     (For            five seconds)
     Before you started hiding behind meat shields and puppy dog eyes
   Hers
    As do you
  [That wasn’t funny,           Movie,          Save the soundtrack       for when      something funny         happens)
    Now,           Oof
   See, that was emotion
   Somethings the writers      Refuse to let Obi-      Wan do,
    It’s either a bad ass or         puppy dog eyes,
    - -
    You know what as   nonsensical as this is           It’s better than the      fake   arguing-
 Con-tinue
  Aight
  Neat
  Can’t see   anything in here
  Dark
  And a high-class vehicle        meant to escort a very important      person
    Yeah I’m aware       thanks for rubbing it in my        face
    Doesn’t it make any sensical, or fix the problem          Or make it funny          ...
   Whelp
  “Not funny”
 Hey, my thoughts when watching this    episode
   [except that was actually funny and            slightly good foreshadowing]
  Guess we know where we disagree,
Prefer laughing at their own un-balanced narrative,
          Made by cheating...
.....
Hey an actually argument         where they treated as equals!
You don’t get a star for that
Why did you bother with the other shit       instead of just skipping   to stuff like this?
This is     good
Also shut up     courier guy
                  [you have helped no one ever]
Rest
Hey this is actually good
  Dinner..
  Oof
  Right
That was almost a     facial expression
 .
?
Who these guys ?
Where did they       come from?      -      Aight,          Neat-
  Red
  That’s unfortunate-
    ?       Ship?
(What is that design?)
    History
See you look at all these lighted and gold..  Extended         Mission,
Okay,   that’s good to know.       - -        Would’ve been nice to be clued into that the   previous episode.
Okay,  
Right,
Bountry             Hunters
  That sounds really         traumatizing           (Aka. terrible)
  That actually does sound pretty     terrible for him
   Still an enabler
But nice     characterization.
.
Hand to mouth
Now realizing how terrible that sounds
 Rom-antic
 No     sounds     terrible
  Also they were children       likely,
   (Don’t think that’s cool,)
    That wasn’t really an emotion
   Whelp,         Crud
      ?
     Whelp
(Now     you’ve    scared     the          baby      droid)     /j
 Violence
  Wait did we just miss      her whole backstory?
  Also whoa, whoa,       Whoa
   Did you just try to assume authority over a grown woman’s decision to not like violence?
   (People aren’t just buttons and numbers decided by the trauma of their childhood- or lack there of-             (If so)
   And tried to claim authority   over a grown woman‘s decision
    What the HELL           movie?
     (I want to believe     that’s a mistake and Obi-Wan is meant       to come across as the asshole        For saying that,)
     But all the writers   previous choices regarding      writing women          Leave that up to      concerning amounts         of doubt)
  Difficult task
    Which she seemingly manage      quite well until you showed up
      Problematic..
   Yeah, jedi Masters don’t really do not being over involved      assholes
  Else where
  And your        master
   Demanded
   Feelings
   Hold up we saw one decent episode (instance) where they were characterized as being equals
   A) That doesn’t mean            necessarily romantic love
   B) we have seen         literally none of it
    No instance          where there actually seems to be any fondness
   Between, the both of them
     Just...           Toxic
   (If you need to pull that off you need some actual       emot        ional stimuli        Aka.         Emotions         Where are       they actually care about each other
  So far it’s been snipping with no     personal        (Romantic)              Attraction
  Example;       (Note         Romantic is not naturally       my field)
   Intro;
   “Satine - I,”
     “ I wish to keep this         strictly professional)
     (Under             “For both of our       Breath               sakes,”                     To            Her           self;
  Argue;
   “Well, I at least don’t          leave        the          people who require my assistance,”
                    “I’m a better peacekeeper                           than you,”
     And so forth;
   It’s about the      longing;
  These two;      nothing..
  Decison
  Did
Seriously, why are we watching this,       passive tone. .
 Whelp
Remorse
Which you haven’t felt this entire         episode,
 Also,        regret     and       longing are better     synonyms.
?
Aight  ...
Okay,
Oh yeah and the other half of this “love” story is a horror story       (Completely unconnected,      No one’s going         T’sundre)        What ever
    . .
  The rest           is        pretty good              Also it was totally the courier guy,        I call it,
   Me
  That’s almost    charming.   . .
  Find          Out.
     ?
   Seriously no one   checked it?
   Worst security ever
   It
    This security    sucks
 . . .
 Worst ship ever      ..
What?
   Okay?
  Aight
   What..?
Aight,
 Whelp
  Aight,
   Traitor
  Courier
  He changes his opinion on a dime    and starts shit
  Okay
  And not attacking   shit        Logic,
 ?
Okay
Everyone just got attacked
Surprised    everyone’s not jumpy
Or decided   to go to bed
On this nightmare   cruise
  (”The luggage compartment is       under-lit,         Senator,”
     “The - Security         is horrendous
      “Bugs in             All the             Food!”
     The HR department is        going to have a fecking fit          (As well as anyone         managing           quality)
       ?
    Courier
   Again, what does the little things do?
    They just seem to be      basic annoyances
  But..okay
 That makes   some sense.
 I mean it is   logical
  But he is being a dick
(Also bold you to assume none of the   clones did it)
Ha
  Knew         It
Merrick
Senator?
I thought he was a courier, or some       kind of servant?
What?
 Throw the table     will you?
   Whelp
Also;    
Tumblr media
R.I.P one Senator dude          (Who I don’t think was        ever named)
Shall be missed       (The bug     Obi-Wan will definitely hit that       senator)
Tumblr media
WHERE THE           FU-
 Where?
Worst.     Security.        Ever.
Tal       Merica
I have problems that     I haven’t found
 He’s learned     well from Obi-wan
 And will make the Jedi     Masters groan.
  Okay
   Team        Command.
   Aight
  Oh yeah   those guys got screwed over?
 But they’re totally dead      now right?
  Heck
One nuisance         bug. .
 ?
Clone’s have bug      phobia     (Dis    like)
 Thanks
 Mother
How do you know?
Tumblr media
S’up guys
Straight out       of a puppet show,
Anyway
  Whelp,
   Whelp
   Okay,
Saltine’s probably   gone       by now.
 ?
Are there     no escape       pods?
W-h       -elp
Aight     apparently     not
 Also         the     centerion      guard       are   bitches)         (Non       derog)
  Pfft
  That..     line
Also Satine,       Why did I bring the weakest         freaking guards
                 And                       everything involved                        in it.
Monster
You literally-
 Pfft  
Okay..
“Get used to it”           
   What?
Whelp
   Hi
  .. .
  Bull
  Do you just took out the Centurion     Guard, Ain’t some   clones       gonna stop him
   Or deter,”
Help
  ?
What?
?
.. .
Elevator
Dude you were just spilling your fecking   epilogue   a few seconds ago        (Also wrong     tone to make this work)
?
 Not reasonable     progression of emotions,
 ?
How does this help?
?
Aight,     Okay,
What’s
“Deathwatch command,        You’re listening to our talk tunes        at-”
  ?
 - -
They’re    not gonna be any help
They’re a    small moon   base     .
Possibly a   Gaztrillion miles away,
Liar
Not likely
 Aight-         -
?
How
Like if this is supposed to be a luxury ship design for the best of comfort and greatest of experience,  
No way dude’s   caught up in that quick a time
Especially   with the little support
Whelp
It’s just went   downhill. .
Into   crazy nonsense.
Dead.
?
How
Girl-
That hasn’t       even been remotely established   enough
   My-
 -
Stop-
No gun
You        gonna..
duchess
?
 ?
-
Aight
(Please        Do)
 Did pretty good at getting    hostage        Chips         . . .
Four (five counting     her)
And I don’t know how many others in terms of clones
Point being, it seems to be a         mostly empty ship
Run by droids
  .
  Anakin              Do            Thing?           - - -          Okay
    Guy already             dead.
   ?
  Hey, the centurion          guards actually did something,
  ?
 Who are those     guys-
 Nerrick
  ? ?
  Whelp         . .            Okay
   .               “I don’t know how to say       this,”
   I swear if you say “I love you       in that tone of voice, With       ‘no emotion,
 Whatsoever
 Ight
 Uhm
 Okay
  Right...
   The lack of understanding of     love       And any emotion in this scene,         Does it for             me,
    ?
  Neither do I      Gag me
It’s so       poorly       done       . .. Hardly
 (Screw the music     you didn’t earn that       and you know it)
  ?
  -
  -
  ?
   -
  ...
  The       Episode           ...                 Was better than its predecessor,              Which isn’t        saying       much,           From             Me
The first bit is as dis-jointed a mess as it’s predecessor
 The middle        reaches good levels
    Then promptly       declines       back         into      (less-than)        mediocrity
    And      Nonsense
     The romance is     nonexistent..
      Only getting     to friendship            At around     beg      in        ni       ng        Of          The       Half        Way.
             The love confession so forced..
           (There’s a reason                        The- cheesy- in the                   middle- of battle
               Was                    Dis      Continued
                Note; cheesy as in badly     done
                 And ‘dude has     a point’ is the                        least                           I                          Can                           Say                        about                           the                          Snark                           To-ward   s                               It
  Fix         It;
   Episode-wise;          Separatist pre      -sence         causes             Obi-won             And          Anakin            To            Be           Inter-            rupt              ed
       Only            Anakin             Being         In-         Vited           Obi-           Won            Heart-              Broken             But            Return-           Relent
[i’m sorry     I just can’t    work     with       the, “have                  to              answer                     /              defend                before                       the                     Senate (For         no       Reason)         Nor        the      mystery      train          bit
  (With         The        Chara           C-ter          I-zat      ion)
     Anakin            Just        Chill            -ing there
Alt;
  A cross        Un- requited          Love         (For-         Bidden-)         (Episode)     Mashing          This         Episode            And        “Hostage,”         Elements,           Specifically             the    professionalism         argument;         Obi- wan’s             Side            Show            -ing           The     Consequences             Of        Restriction          (Self       Restraint)          Gone             Too           Far               .          Anakin            (and         Padme’s)             Too            Little             ...           Possibly              a             Cross      where         they        both         lie         to         each         other         about       their     relationships          ....
   For     Symbolism           ...       And       Toxin         Is        Still       Toxin             ...
Sequence:     
   Anakin             Takes           Obi-wan’s            Place             And      Learns           About           The           Hist     -ory
    Acc-      identally        Stumbles        Across       Death       Watch
0 notes