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sillyfudgemonkeys · 3 years

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i havent been here in a hot second is there a reason for the makoto hate specifically? like the rants go back to p5's writing issues but the spite for makoto seems very specific did she kill someones dog in one of the spinoffs or what?

You're all good. So here's the thing, she did kill my dog-I'm joking.

When I say “I’m the residential #1 Makoto Hater” it’s a joke, partially cause it probs looks that way (and probs cause it might be true, who knows if you could quantify hate then maybe I’m at the top of the leaderboards 8U but you can’t so we’ll never know). But I’m saying it at as a joke, to own myself and everyone here that knows what I think of her, rather than wear it as a badge of honor or some silliness. It’s just a “oh haha yeah there goes Silly, dunking on Makoto again! She’s basically Makoto’s #1 hater haha oh she’s so silly.” (so please don’t look too deep into it, I just want to have fun).

Anyway, me hating Makoto isn’t new, but I do hold a similar ire towards Futaba, Goro (tho I have camaraderie with his fans, I relate to their struggle in terms of my own brown hair and red eye fav and Atlus screwing them over u_u I may hate your fave but I respect you and will be in your corner), and Yukari (as well as Chloe from LiS if you want a non-Persona example). Makoto might be talked about more because 1) She hits my buttons that much faster (Futaba/Goro are more like a festering wound, and when I talk about them it’s hard to pick a starting point), 2) Her fans tendency (early on in the fandom) bringing her up frequently.....was a bad combo with #1 (overexposure+pushing all my buttons really fast=disaster). Obvie not blaming her fans, but it was hard to curate how I was able to curate my content online (esp with gaming news websites calling her “best girl” when showing off a figure announcement or some BS when I just want to know what new games have been announced >.> I can do without you trying to start a waifu war in the comments Siliconera -_-)

Anyway, I think I’ve made my reasons for hating her very clear (you just have to search her name on my blog and you’ll get a ton of essays I’m sure, too many to count). And a lot of it is the failure of P5′s writing. “So it’s just the writing you hate, not the character.” No. Because that doesn’t make sense. Except under certain circumstances (which I’ll provide examples of below with Luke Skywalker), you can’t separate the writing from the character. The character IS the writing, the writing IS the character. If you can’t hate/dislike the char because “of the writing” then you also can’t love/like them either. The character and the writing/writing choices for that character are connected. The writing embodies that character. They are the same.

Now I said there was an exception, and that’s....”different writer/director,” tho it’s not ALWAYS the case (sometimes the new writer really gets the original writing, like Saito for MM.....they are very good at emulating the clusterfuck of P5′s writing). P5′s writing is the original basis for Makoto’s character, that’s her. You can’t separate it from her. Same thing with say....Luke Skywalker from the OG trilogy, that’s him. But then we get to the sequel/Disney trilogy, new writer/director....and yeah that’s a mess (from what I understand OG trilogy=Hopeful and tries to see the best in people, 2nd Disney=Cynic and tried to kill a child, 3rd Disney=Hopeful again for some reason). There’s character development, then there’s just straight up changing the character just cause you need them to be this now.

*writes how this can apply to Persona spinoffs but deletes because I was getting too off track* Look at me exercising control. It’s probs best I save that for a meta after I’ve replayed all the spinoffs again.

But....if you want me to boil down my issues with Makoto, I hate the message we get from her. I hate the lesson we learn from her. What is supposed to happen vs what happens. It’s supposed to be about a girl who is blindly following authority and becomes disillusioned with it after being burned by it, on top of “immense pressure” she has as well, and then comes to our side (we know this because Atlus told us). We don’t get that (we know this because we saw the execution). We get two adults, yes TWO ADULTS, one of which is her sister and wants her to do well in school (but isn’t like.....a tiger mom about it, because Sae can’t be TOO horrible because we need to like her later), who in retrospect seems very busy with her job (which gives Makoto freedom), but also feels burdened by her younger sister (in which she has one shitty slip with her and then NEVER again). And the other is a dumbass principal who asks a really strange and stupid task for Makoto that snowballs into bullshit. That’s IT! THAT’S IT! That’s all we get from Makoto and “authority.” Strawmen. We don’t really get much of her personality either (I’m not saying that cause “she’s cardboard” I legit just.....don’t get her? Like I don’t get enough of her to get a solid foundation, you get me?) Like as the player, what we see of her is she’s just studying in the library (Kamo arc), then the principal calls her in, she mentions the rumors about Kamo, he asks her to look into the PT in exchange for a recommendation (to which she’s surprised and says thanks, not no, she looks like she’ll accept JUST BASED ON THAT) but before she can even say Yes (OR NO) he threatens Makoto with her sister, to which Makoto hardens and then agrees. Then she acts like an asshole and yadda yadda stuff happens.

But if she’s supposed to blindly follow authority, she’d say yes, but then they don’t let the character breathe so she can make the “wrong” choice because the Principal goes STRAIGHT to threatening her.......so now the message is muddled, or really it’s non existent. The whole Sae thing is a nothing bag too, it’s just family drama. Her sister is, no HAS to be absent a lot for her work, just so Makoto can have the freedom to be a PT....which means....it hurts her lack of freedom and other stuff associated with Sae being a big pressure on Makoto’s life. You know, I’ve said before they’ve squandered Sae, and that Makoto’s presence really harmed Sae (iirc it was this post). But at the same time, how they handled Sae really screws up Makoto’s character. Neither are allowed to breathe. Neither are allowed to make a true, horrible choice...and then learn from it. They aren’t allowed to have an actual arc. Altus played it safe, took choice away from them, didn’t want to take risks with either character and have meaning. Instead we just have this nothing contradiction thing dicking around until they join our team.

What really sucks about that....is we got that with the Kamo arc. With Anne, Ryuji, even Yuki and Shiho. Kamo was manipulative, and his manipulation caused people to make....not the best choices, all out of a means to survive. Ryuji physically acted against Kamo, and he got his leg broken, team disbanded, and outcasted. Anne was trying to protect Shiho’s position on the team, which lead to her almost getting harmed by Kamo, Shiho getting harmed, her not seeing the truth about what was going on around her, and she didn’t tell Shiho (because she didn’t want Shiho to think she didn’t get on the team for her own merits), and so on. Shiho didn’t tell Anne what was going on because she wanted to protect Anne from Kamo (and was afraid Anne would, very much blame herself), and her and Yuki and the rest of the teams helped keep quiet about Kamo so they wouldn’t be next on the physical chopping block. This isn’t me blaming them, this is me showing their choices, their attempts to fix their (hopeless) situation, to help themselves or others, and the dramatic irony being it just made everything worse. BUT, even tho Kamo was the real one to blame, each character is aware of the actions that were made, and the consequences of each action (esp Anne/Ryuji/Shiho). And in their CoOps, they identify this, and take strides to learn from it so it doesn’t happen again. That’s an arc. That’s character development. They were allowed to make errors, mistakes, decisions that negatively impacted themselves/other’s. We see a solid foundation of their character from the get go, and how it changes over that small time. We don’t get that with Makoto. The group is like solid concrete to Makoto who is like shifting sand.

Sorry got a bit off topic, anyway, I hate her message of boasting about her fighting ability but she only harms her friends (outside of shadows, but that’s not special) WHILE ALSO being a damsel that needs someone else to rescue her! I hate how when she gets called out, she wants to drop it, and gives gaslighty apologies, even tho she really ROYALLY screwed lot of people very badly. I hate how she demands us to help, only to literally be a detriment to our investigation. I hate how she gets to fly off the handle without repercussions (despite needing to be cool calm and collected for her job, especially since she miraculously can do that when needed so what the hell????). I hate how the text has her be shitty, say shitty things, be bad at her job, but will turn around and reward her time and time again.

Sure she doesn’t break the lore like Futaba, or unravel P5′s plot like Goro. But as a character with a message attached to her, even ones that the creators surely overlooked (I’m sure they didn’t intend for her to only hit her friends), it’s simple but very annoying. Fast and easy to see, doesn’t require me to think of P5′s lore as well as the grander Persona lore. Doesn’t require me to dig through text for Goro bread crumbs and then unravel the entire basis of the P5 plot thanks to him. Makoto is easier to get into, it’s smaller scale and more personal I guess.

#silly asks #silly answers #makoto salt #the thing with Kamo's arc is that when you ask 'why' to why a character or a situation is the way it is you can give a decent 'because'#when you ask 'why' with kane's arc.....you don't get that #you get a 'because' but then you keep asking 'why'#why does makoto have to stalk the PT? Because the principal is making her do it #But why is he making her do it? Because the conspiracy is breathing down his neck.#1) WHY her tho? seems a bit contrived and might not work 2) WHY do they care about some principal?#Because......um...... For 2 because he's part of the conspiracy.#Why is he part of the Conspiracy then? Um....they put him there?#BUT WHY did they put him there? Cause....it's prestigious?#BUT the game said Kamo fixed the school's bad rep so it wasn't always that...and he hired kamo.....SO WHY does he owe them getting a job at-#-a shitty school? WHY did he need help getting a job there? WHY is Haru there if-#you see? kane's arc unravels a good portion of what P5 (a least school) is based off of #vs Anne #Why won't Shiho tell Anne about the abuse? She's afraid anne might think it's her (anne's) fault and she loves her friend and wants to-#protect her. why doens't anne tell shiho? Anne doesn't want shiho to think it's shiho's fault and wants to protect shiho #kamo's arc is full of dramatic irony and people making wrong choices (which they might not realize in hindsight)#why doesn't anne know shiho is being abused? Anne thinks shiho is upset about her position on the team also Kamo won't let anyone watch #the practices so we just take the team's words at face value also the teams are protecting kamo to keep from getting hurt-#also shiho won't tell anne anything and so anne just assumes it's a rough practice and that shiho is afraid of losing her spot ALSO #ALSO anne isn't psychic also anne is outcasted from the rest of the school so she doesn't interact with them so she doesn't know what's up-#with other people and-#you can go on they have their bases covered in kamo's arc they have reasons #kamo's arc is also a bit more grounded (kane being ungrounded because of the stupid princpal and his bs0 #sorry for the side rant just.......#you don't have to agree with decisions in the kamo arc...but at least they GAVE us reasonings (and the chars are aware #in hindsight that their decisions weren't great and chose to learn from them)

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majorshiraharu · 4 years

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Discussion of Limitations in Live Action & Style Choices

This will be all spoilers for the new episode of the Mandalorian. I’m putting it under a cut so no one accidentally gets spoiled. Fair warning it is long af, I tried doing a mix of my opinions and information from the show, films, etc. I tried putting the more opinion parts in italic, might have forgotten some parts tho. I spent way too long on this lmao

--------------SPOILERS BELOW------------------

I'm putting my thoughts for each time I watched it. That way, you can see how rewatching changed my mind some. I also had almost a whole day to process the episode before I watched it again, then I had a few hours to think about it and add to this, and then now I've watched it for the third time. This will be a mix of my reactions and opinions and then some information about The Mandalorian and things I think many people are overlooking. Especially in a time when we have major blockbuster films with pretty amazing CGI and people have come to expect that level of detail in everything. If you don’t want to read my reaction/opinion parts, skip down past “3rd Viewing” (the sectioned area)

1st Viewing When It Dropped; Right After Watching: — Okay honestly not the biggest fan of this Ahsoka, I feel like they could have done a bit better with her lekku, montrals, and the contacts because they kinda took me out of it a few times. She didn't move a lot like Ahsoka, but then again she does move and act more like the Rebels version, so if you haven't seen that I can see how this would be more off-putting. She's much older at this point and probably can't move as well as she used to. Also, I know we've come to expect the effects of high-budget films and their fancy CGI, but this show is not that and I think they truly did the best they could with what they had. I'm too tired now, but will write about that stuff in my second viewing section. Overall, I think in the scenes where she interacted with Mando and the child were very well done and felt like how I thought Ahsoka would be after the journey she had over the past years. Those moments felt like Ahsoka to me, and I really enjoyed. 2nd Viewing; About 16 Hours After First Viewing: — So I took some time today to think about last night's episode, I also decided to hop on social media and see what people's reactions were. I was surprised how on Twitter and Reddit I hardly found anyone who disliked this version, longtime fans, new fans, people who didn't know Ahsoka. It seemed like most people really loved it and were extremely happy to see her in live-action. Some people didn't like the way her lekku & montral looked but otherwise enjoyed it, and then there were a few people who said it didn't feel like Ahsoka to them. Now here's my opinion on the second viewing, I liked her more after watching it again. As mentioned above she's definitely more like her Rebels version, and we have a few years when she and Sabine were out searching for Ezra and Thrawn. We don't know what she's been through but clearly, she's much calmer and wiser, which I think fits, it's not like how she was in Clone Wars but it's been like 25+ ish years, so she's had a lot of time to grow and shouldn’t be the same. The actress who played her was pretty stiff and monotone during more scenes than I would have liked, but all her scenes with Din and the Child were excellent, and felt pretty close to Ahsoka, really liked her in those. The action scenes were very cool at the start. Her fighting style was more like her fighting in Rebels. I would have liked a few more shots of her with her signature lightsaber hold, but they included them during the right moments, so that doesn't really bother me that much. Now for the mostly on Tumblr infamous lekku & montral, on second viewing I didn't mind them as much because it wasn't as shocking. The length should have been longer imho, and they definitely needed to change the montral, that's what I have the only real problem with. The montral just looked too short, was angled back quite far, and yeah, just didn't look like any animated version, concepts, or even any cosplays I've seen. This was the only thing about her that I really just didn't like and bothered me some. 3rd Viewing; Most of my opinions stayed the same, I watched it this time with some of my friends who love Star Wars and one who loves Ahsoka as much as me, so I wanted to see their reaction. They all loved her, tho they agreed the length should have been longer and the top should have been different. But they all really loved the episode and her.

--------------------- Now all that said, here are some counterpoints and information because I thought it was important to look into why it might be that way, and I will also include ways that I think it could have been done better. Besides having some cosplay experience of my own, I have no idea what they went through to pick or make this look, and it could have been always ended up a lot worse. First off they need to consider the actress, the material, how it moves, how heavy it is, how it looks in movement, fight scenes, etc. - There is concept art that shows many types of looks for her, and while I think they picked my least favorite of them, people need to understand that there was a reason. We don't know and may never know, but it was a choice made. Concept art from the end of the episode:

It could have also been that it looked better in person, or that they wanted a distinct look for it in live-action to make it feel more realistic or unique. Here is other concept art of Ahsoka from Rebels and The Clone Wars, Link Here

----------------- Also, many people aren't aware of this, but the Mandalorian is made to look a lot like the OG movies. They specifically try to only use camera angles/ movements from that time. They try to do action that fits the original films style and also is similar to old westerns. They have a very specific look they're going for, and a lot of people don't know this. This also includes the use of miniatures, puppets, and as many realistic things as they can for costumes and the interactive parts of the set. They use CGI and new tech too, but aside from the large screen they use for scenery they seem to only use CGI when it's really needed and not for everything like blockbuster movies or even some shows do, aka they don’t overuse it.

Here are two links for more info on this. They are long but have a lot of cool insight into the show: link for filming style here — link for the tech they use for filming here They have the tech and probably money to have made Ahsoka's lekku & montral CGI, but it was a deliberate choice in style not to do this. Was it a good idea, maybe yes, maybe no, maybe a mix? In Season 1 Chapter 6 of The Mandalorian when they had the Twi’lek Xi’an and I saw how her lekku moved I was concerned for if they ever included lekku in a more prominent role.

As you can kind of see in the above gif, they didn't have enough weight to them and were too foamy/rubbery in their movement. It seems like the same stuff was used for Ahsoka's, which resulted in the same problem. Since we've only known her in animation where they can change things to a much more finite degree, it's off-putting in live-action, and it kinda falls into the uncanny valley which I think is why it's slightly weird to see. If we had seen her in live-action first this probably wouldn't have bothered people as much.

Video Link to show it better

I included the older Clone Wars version of Ahsoka in here because I believe they mixed her looks together to come up with the live-action design. - We saw Shaak Ti in live-action years ago and many people are pointing to that as what they should have gone with for Ahsoka. A reminder that was done for a film, not a TV show, so there will be differences in quality and style. I do think they could have used that as a model to base Ahsoka on, they should have access to old headpiece unless it just deteriorated with time. Here’s a video that includes behind the scenes looks of Shaak Ti, Youtube Link Here

Also here’s a look of Ayla from the Prequels and from the original trilogy of the Jaba palace Twi’lek to compare how they look with the Twi’lek in the Mandalorian.

I think the original trilogy looked better than the lekku in The Mandalorian so if they’re using similar material to keep it more fitting to that time, maybe they need to make them longer to hold more weight and look like actual flesh and not foamy rubber.

They could have also gone the route of making different headpieces with other material depending on what they were being used for. Again it's a TV show, not sure if they have the time or money to do this or think it's worth it for just one episode. But they could have had one made of that foamy material for action scenes, and then one that looked more like Shaak Ti's for scenes where she just talked or moved some. Honestly, this would have been their best option, and as far as I can tell, that wasn't done. I see people mention they could have done no action or less action and made better lekku, but there are already people complaining that there wasn't enough action or movement in her action scenes. You can't please everyone, and I think they struck a good balance.

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Other opinions of mine on her live-action version. I think Ashley Eckstein should have been the one to play Ahsoka in live-action, or I think they should have dubbed the voice. The actress playing her in this wasn't bad, but honestly, she brought nothing new to the role and didn't do enough to capture the smaller nuances of Ahsoka's character. Some of these problems could have been fixed by dubbing her voice, even if she didn't move or look like how people wanted Ahsoka to in live-action, having her voice would have made a big difference. I don't know if Ashley was brought in on this; she hasn't mentioned anything as far as I have seen. I would find it strange if she wasn't involved since Dave and her are friends. Both really love the character, but he doesn't have full control over the show and maybe she wasn't made a part of it for one reason or another. But if she wasn’t, I think that was a bad choice, she’s the one who brought her to life in the Clone Wars. - I also think that we don't always need a big name or famous person playing a character, we could have a dubbed voice and had someone performing it who was a stunt woman or an actor who isn't as well known, this has been done in Star Wars before.

Also look at this cute cosplay of Ashley as Ahsoka:

--------------------- TLDR: Lekku and Montral are not easy to make or look real, I think the creators did the best they could with the style they try to achieve (again we don’t know behind the scenes stuff or their choices), there is stuff that could have maybe improved the look. Many people don’t understand the amount of work that goes into something like this and that sometimes choices are made for a design that you may not like, but that doesn’t make it wrong. Art is a creative thing which includes taking risks, putting a unique spin on something that exists, and sometimes making choices that not everyone will like.

--------------------

But still I’m happy we got to see live action Ahsoka and I’m glad she was able to bring joy to so many people. I’ve watched the Clone Wars since I was a kid and have always loved Ahsoka and while I have my nitpicks about her live action version, overall, I think they did a good job. I was disappointed at first, but now not so much, and instead I just view her as a different version and that she’s unique in her own ways. I remember when Rebels Ahsoka came out a lot of people hated that version, personally I loved it, there are aspects of her design I didn’t like as much tho.

I also feel this was her only appearance in The Mandalorian, I don’t think she will return again, as far as the story goes, I don’t think there is a need for her to return either. I personally would prefer to have Ahsoka stay as an animated character if she got her own show, animation suits her better and has fewer limitations for the creators.

#enjoy my long info dump #about the new episode of the mandalorian #also spoilers below the cut #sorry info dumping is a thing i like doing lol #i spent way too long on this and should actually be sleeping #whoops #the mandalorian spoilers #manod spoilers #mandalorian spoilers #mandalorian season 2 #mando s2 #the mandalorian #spoilers #ahsoka tano #live action ahsoka tano #shira info dumps #at 2 am lmao

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ojerasgigantes · 4 years

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LIST OF THE BEST FANFICS OF ALL TIME (according to me)

Since we are in quarentine and because of that I’ve reverted to my 2014 tumblr self and have started indulging in fanfics again, and since I’ve read ALOT of them, I decided to make a list and compile the best fanfiction I have ever read. This list is not in any type of ranking or affiliated to one specific fandom, so it’s a bit of a mess. (I will also direct you to the author’s AO3 page, and tumblr if I can find it).

Why do I think this fics are the BEST of the BEST? Well, either, they could be turned into a book and become a best seller by simply changing names, or I think the author has a HUGE potential in becoming a published author.

Also if you guys think there are fics that are on the level of this ones please PLEASE rec them to me, I don’t care what fandom they are from.

THINGS HAVE GOTTEN CLOSER TO THE SUN by Starseas

Fandom: One Direction Pairings: Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne/Zayn Malik Genre/tags: Future fic, end of the world AU Rating: Mature Words: 49k Summary: When a solar flare is announced to end the world in twelve days, Harry reunites with the people that he used to know better than the back of his own hand.

Notes: I no longer read fanfiction involving real people, but this still remains on being one of the best fics I’ve ever read so I had to put it here. So, first of all, I LOVE this author, I used to follow her on tumblr and read everything she published. If I’m not mistaken her tumblr is deserted and she hasn0t posted anything in a long time, but I sincerily hope that she decided to move to writing and publish original works. Second of all, this fic is phenomenal, she somehow manges to portray a sense of despair under the whole romance plot. I cried in the end.

IRREPARABLE by aslightstep (WIP, abandoned?)

Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) Pairings: Tony Stark/Steve Rogers Genre/tags: Fix it Fic, Canon compliant Rating: General Audiences Words: 131k Summary: Forgiveness is a journey, or so Tony was maybe told a long time ago. He doesn't know about any of that and doesn't particularly care to. In the wake of civil war, the Avengers remain, as do their enemies. And Tony Stark rebuilds, as always.He destroys the phone, he burns the letter. But he can't (he won't) eliminate Steve Rogers from his mind.

Notes: Ok, I know I shouldn’t be recommending any abandonded works, but I am recommending this one anyway because the characters depiction are on point!! Tony’s stuborness really shows and it’s all so... realistic? Like it could have actually happened in the comics or in the MCU. It’s a beautiful slow burn, like extremely slow burn, and I just wish the author didn’t left it behind.

THE KUBBLER-ROSS THEORY by antivenom

Fandom: The Amazing Spiderman, Deadpool Pairings: Gwen Stacy/Peter Parker, Peter Parker/Wade Wilson (barely) Genre/tags: Drama, Canon compliant, Grief Recovery Rating: Teen and Up Audiences Words: 80k Summary: Peter deals with a loss that immobilizes him and permeates through every drawn breath. In which his grief is a visceral abstraction that he can touch, that he can feel. And in which, with a little help, with time, with acceptance, with anger, with sadness, with Wade, he learns how to live in a world without her.

Notes: The way this author describes and deals with the subject of grief is so real. It’s amazing the way she portrays Peter way of coping with his guilt, her death, and everything in his life. It is incomparable to any other fic or BOOK I have ever read. Also this is the first part of a series, so I’d definitely read it if you are into really good slowburn Spideypool.

BRIGHT HAIR ABOUT THE BONE by MissDisoriental

Fandom: Hannibal (TV) Pairings: Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter Genre/tags: A/B/O Dynamics, case fic Rating: Explicit Words: 484k Summary: In a world where omegas are little more than trophies to be bought and sold, Will Graham has done the unthinkable by escaping a forced bonding. Already in high demand as a profiler, Will's determined to find freedom on his own terms. For Hannibal Lecter the outlook is far more straightforward: a slow, systematic seduction of the most uniquely captivating omega he's ever encountered. As the shadow of a new and terrifying serial killer falls over Baltimore, the stage is set to redefine all accepted meanings of passion, temptation, horror and beauty – and to discover the ecstasy of a genuine love crime.

Notes: Yes, this fic is half a million words, no I don’t regret staying awake two days in a row just to finish it. Also, yes, I know it’s ABO. I usually don’t read ABO because I don’t like mpreg, but I made an exception for this one because it’s just that good. The way this author writes is so in sync with the series vibe. The descriptions, the way Hannibal speaks and acts, the way Will goes about the situation, this is just amazing.

TWIST AND SHOUT by gabriel and standbyme (@chubbyhawke)

Fandom: Supernatural Pairings: Castiel/Dean Winchester Genre/tags: 60′s AU, War Rating: Explicit Words: 97k Summary: What begins as a transforming love between Dean Winchester and Castiel Novak in the summer of 1965 quickly derails into something far more tumultuous when Dean is drafted in the Vietnam War. Though the two both voice their relationship is one where saying goodbye is never a real truth, their story becomes fraught with the tragedy of circumstance. In an era where homosexuality was especially vulnerable, Twist and Shout is the story of the love transcending time, returning over and over in its many forms, as faithful as the sea.

Notes: Obviously you don’t need an introduction to this one being that it’s the 2nd most kudosed work in AO3 and the most famous fanfiction in the Supernatural fandom. This fic BROKE me, like, actually full on sobbing BROKE me (my dad thought I was about to have a panic attack). It’s an understatement to say I recommend it. I don’t know where this authors are but I sincerly hope they become published one day.

MURDER WITH THE DEVIL AND FRIENDS by MindfulWrath (@mindfulwrath)

Fandom: Achievement Hunter, Rooster Teeth Pairings: Micheal Jones/Ryan Haywood Genre/tags: Western AU, Fake AH crew AU, Murder Mystery, horror Rating: Teen and Up Audiences Words: 205k Summary: Deputy Michael's been working in the little shithole town of Achievement City for a little over a year now. Things have been pretty decent so far (apart from that one creepy coworker), but they're about to get a lot more interesting, and a lot more dangerous.

Notes: Remember when I said i no longer read fanfics about real people? Well, this is, yet again, the exception. This fic just kept popping on my dashboard and after the 8th time I saw it I decided “fuck it”, and opened the link. Also, remember when I said this ranking isn’t in any specific order? I lied because this is my favorite fanfiction of all time, and I think it’s the best one out there. This fic just get’s under your skin. You feel that somethings wrong from the begining, the mood it sets in just the first paragraph pulls you in and doens’t let you go until it’s done. I have NEVER got so much into any book or fanfic like I have gotten lost in this one. How is it possible that I manage to hate and love Ryan so much in this depiction of him? This is also the first part of a trilogy called Devil’s Clockwork, and the rest is just as good as this one. Mindfulwrath, I hope you are reading this, and I hope you know how good of a writer you are, and I hope you publish some day, I’ll be the first one to buy anything you publish.

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klcthebookworm · 4 years

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2020 My Year In Fic

2020 Fiction Word Count:

86691 / 126531 words. 69% done!

Insights To Not Forget:

So I had a beautiful plan that I was going to reset and hit the ground running for 2021. See Year Zero is Reset Year.

Covid-19 was officially found in my state March 9, 2020, and life found unforeseen territory.

March 24th, I had to adjust to working at home. June 1st, back to working in the office and commuting daily. November 30th, we're back on a modified work from home/office plan (day at home, next day commuting in). I haven't gotten sick and I haven't passed on covid-19 to anyone else. For 2020, that is the biggest win anyone can have. 1.83 million people (to date) didn't get that win.

Would I have forgotten about my buckle down and reset plans without a global pandemic distracting me? Quite likely, I tend to forget all my plans every year. In fact, the writing business plan that I made to cover the year (I use it below for all the goals of the year), the printed version is on my filing cabinet and covered with so many other notes, I can't read the plan. (Removed the notes). This is for 2019. I never printed out 2020's?

And you can see by the total words written, I came under what I wanted to write. Let's see what I accomplished this year.

Stories I Posted:

Star Wars: Sororal Lineality: Aftermath: Word count = 3309. The Fic Whining Circle was getting stories ready for May the Fourth. I decided that this story would be perfectly short to get it up and started writing on May 2nd. I didn't get it finished for May the Fourth, but put it up on Revenge of the Fifth. And then it turned out to be the only story I posted in 2020.

Stories I Finished:

Star Wars: Unexpected Consequences: Word count = 126,607 (31,008 written previously + 49,572 written in 2019 + 46,027). The first draft was finished on July 28th, and it took the rest of the year to get my first edits polished to a second draft for my beta to go over. Now I need to go prod her so I can start posting in 2021.

Star Wars: Sororal Lineality: MJ-0002: Word count = 5664 (387 written in 2019 + 5277). I finished this short story as planned after I finished Unexpected Consequences and before I picked up the next novel. I hope to post it after Unexpected Consequences, but I may need to use it for a May the Fourth story.

Stories I Didn't Finish:

Strix: Forget the Sun: Word count = 31,146 (26,588 written previously + 4279 written in 2019 + 279 written in January) I took a very tiny stab at this novel in January and promptly lost it to work on other things.

Star Wars: Looking For Home Future Timeline: Word count = 7598. So at the end of February, I got stuck on giving the Sequel Trilogy Trio better movie(s) and started writing detailed notes on a future story that will probably never been written. I had already put Rey and Poe Dameron in the sketchy future of the Looking For Home so I needed to figure out how to add Finn. I got stuck with the Third Act, and probably need to declare it has to be a trilogy to get the resolutions I want. Maybe I need a Death Star.

Star Wars: Everybody Lives But Maul: Another plot bunny developed during the year. Mara Jade was given to Darth Vader to annoy him so he would eventually murder her, but he bonds with her instead. So Palpatine orchestrates that Lady Vader's path crosses Maul's on Tatooine. Only Luke Skywalker and Biggs Darklighter ruin the planned outcomes, and Mara remains on Tatooine for her safety. I really don't know if it will be a novel or something else yet.

Star Wars: Everybody Lives But Maul: Prologue: Word count = 1385. So far all I have written in this AU is the scene of the adoption of Lady Vader. I don't know where this scene will end up in the finished work.

Star Wars: Rescue the Farmboy: Mission on Mimban: Word count = 22,882 (8093 written in 2019 + 14,789). After writing "MJ-0002," I came back to Mission on Mimban from the beginning. Still working on it.

What I Think About My Stories:

My favorite story this year: Star Wars: Unexpected Consequence. I can't wait to turn this one lose on the readers.

Story most under-appreciated by the universe, in my opinion: Star Wars: Looking For Home: Future Timeline. I really need to spend some more brain time on this one if just to find a conclusion that makes me happy.

Most fun story: Everybody Lives But Maul. I really wasn't expecting to write it accept the idea would not leave the muse alone and then this happened:

KLCtheBookWorm: I really don't know what to do with Vader and Leia... unless he goes into her cell deactivates the IO droid and "Now Princess can we discuss waging war against Palpatine? Because he orchestrated my first family's death, has tried to kill my daughter, and your rebellion has made her flee her safe haven so he will potential see her again. He will not have her or my grandson." Sithspit, why does the muse want to rewrite OT constantly? JediMordsith: lolol Hmmm.... that could be interesting. Or he could go to Bail. "I will give you your daughter back if you help me get mine back." KLCtheBookWorm: YOU GAVE ME MORE PEOPLE TO HELP LIVE! JediMordsith: Bail convinces the rest of the Rebel leaders to work with Vader to take down the Emperor because he knows what a father's love is. KLCtheBookWorm: I always consider Alderaan's destruction a fixed point in time But the conversation between Bail and Mon Mothma. "You wanna do what now?"

Yeah, at that point I will write it.

Stories I wrote that I never thought I'd write: Star Wars: Everybody Lives But Maul. Technically I haven't really started the narrative, but really, Muse, was not expecting yet another rewrite of the OT. This one is the third, after Rescue the Farmboy and Sororal Lineality.

Hardest story to write: Star Wars: Looking For Home Future Timeline. I have never gotten stuck in which I couldn't finish off an outline. And this is so stuck.

Biggest disappointment: Strix: Forget the Sun. I did not even try for NaNo during the pandemic. (Huge props to everyone who did). I'm considering to do NaNo in April instead in 2021 to finish this novel.

Biggest surprise: I only posted ONE THING! I'm not beating myself up for any of the results of 2020 because it was garbage year, but I honestly didn't plan to leave my readers hanging so hard. On the plus side, they will have at least 30 weeks of new content to read in 2021.

What's your favorite piece of dialogue you wrote this year? From Star Wars: Sororal Lineality: Aftermath.

Luke opened his eyes to Leia’s suspicious face. “She was arguing with Threepio. I went the other way.” “So she couldn’t put you back in the medbunk.” Leia bounced to her feet and helped leverage him out of his seat. “You are going right back to it and staying in it until we reach the Fleet, Commander.” “Aye, aye, Colonel,” Luke replied with less than the banter he normally did. He leaned heavily on Leia, more than he should. Lando finished locking down the controls and followed behind them. “Colonel? Not a General?” “Not a General yet,” Luke responded with a wheezy laugh.

It took a while to figure out what Leia's military actual rank is based of costumes and plot actions in Empire Strikes Back. Major Bren Derlin didn't get a yes from Leia because she loves the two men out in the cold, but because she out ranks him.

What's your favorite piece of description or narration you wrote this year? From Star Wars: Soroal Lineality: MJ-0002.

The last one she dared to open was a recording. Her memory replayed on the screen: a child’s best dress colored green as the recorder tilted down, followed by looking back at the sad adults in the shadows of the shuttle’s lights. She heard the woman’s quavering voice, “Please, don’t take my baby.” Then the gnarled hand extended from the sleeve of the black robe and a tiny hand took it, and the recorder turned to the lit hatch at the top of the ramp. Mara's surroundings registered in waves after that. Her glutes were tingling as she shifted from sitting in a collapsed position on the floor. The floor was cold stone. The recording was playing on a loop above her head. She hadn’t fainted because she wasn’t flat on her back. She climbed up to her feet and shut off the playback. Now the title of the file burned into her retinas, Primary Memory Imprint for Murdering Judges Clone Line.

I can't wait to share this story with readers.

Looking back, did you write more fic than you thought you would, less, or about what you predicted? Oh I came in under what I had aimed for, only writing to 69% of my goal that I set from what I wrote in 2019. But 2020 was a garbage year so I'm not beating myself up over word count results. As I went through the year though, I noticed that August and September were totally spent on just editing and no new words. That means I need to watch the schedule in 2021.

Did you take any writing risks this year? What did you learn from them? I have officially started the write a series of short stories and keep them under 7500 words. I need more practice writing short, which is why I plotted Sororal Lineality this way.

Did you meet last year's goals?

That's a no, and boy, how is it a no. 2021 Goal is to not have Leeloo laugh at me.

The goals from my unprinted 2020 one-page business plan are:

Use Ali Luke's Two Year Novel Plan to finish the Strix series

January - May 2020: Finish Strix: Forget the Sun's first draft = Nope, not done yet.

June - October 2020: Finish Strix: Forget the Sun's second draft = Nope.

Writing Star Wars AU fanfics

Finish Unexpected Consequences' first draft = Done

Start writing Sororal Lineality = Two stories done out of 28

Finish Rescue the Farmboy: Mission on Mimban's first draft = Nope, but I am currently writing it.

Send Unexpected Consequences to beta reader = Done

Send Sororal Lineality stories to beta reader = Done

Edit Unexpected Consequences = In Progress

Edit Sororal Lineality stories = Done

Post regularly to Intentionally Left Blank, Dreamwidth, Discipline Under Fire, Tumblr Random Thoughts, Pillowfort = Do once a week on Saturdays = I haven't been doing this at all. Tumblr posts happen when I'm home but usually reposting and not anything I have written.

BookWorm's Library website maintenance = Work on once a week on Sundays = Really need to do this

Make sure the software is up to date once a month

Add any files that need adding

Add Media Center to BookWorm's Library = Work on once a week on Sundays = Hasn't happened yet

Create section

Make artwork

Code section

Upload files

Add more fanfics to AO3

Upload Zackverse in story order = Nope, not yet

Upload Star Wars: Unexpected Consequences when edited on Ao3 = In Progress

Upload Sororal Lineality stories when edited = In Progress

Upload Rescue the Farmboy: Liberation to FF.net and the Library when finished = Oops, forgot about this

Upload Rescue the Farmboy: One More Service to FF.net and the Library when finished = Oops, forgot about this

Post Star Wars: Unexpected Consequences to FF.net = In Progress

Post Star Wars: Unexpected Consequences to Library = In Progress

My daily writing plans to help the above list of goals get done:

Write 600 daily words. Can be split among the projects. I'm making the yearly goal to reach whatever number I actually reach on December 31st.

Write and edit every day.

Schedule website updates and fanmix work on the weekends.

Work in meditation time with Brain FM.

Use my Kanban Flow checklist consistently.

Don't let chores pile up now that you have two jobs plus writing to do.

Reward myself when goals are reached throughout my Reset Year.

Do you have any goals for the coming year? The goals from my 2021 one-page business plan are:

Use Ali Luke's Two Year Novel Plan to finish the Strix series

April - August 2021: Finish Strix: Forget the Sun's first draft (I'm going to push myself to get it done in by treating April as NaNo, but more time is available if I need it)

Sept. - Dec. 2021: Finish Strix: Forget the Sun's second draft

Writing Star Wars AU fanfics

Finish Unexpected Consequences' third draft

Finish Rescue the Farmboy: Mission on Mimban's first draft

Edit Rescue the Farm: Mission on Mimban to second draft

Send Rescue the Farm: Mission on Mimban to beta reader

Finish Rescue the Farm: Mission on Mimban third draft/li>

Finish Sororal Lineality: Miha first draft

Edit Sororal Lineality: Miha to second draft

Send Sororal Lineality: Miha to beta reader

Finish Sororal Lineality: Miha third draft

Writing Zackverse

Work on Hyrueliana's overhaul

Post regularly to Intentionally Left Blank, Dreamwidth, Discipline Under Fire, and Tumblr Random Thoughts = Do once a week

BookWorm's Library website maintenance = Work on once a week on Sundays

Make sure the software is up to date once a month

Add any files that need adding

Add Media Center to BookWorm's Library = Work on once a week on Sundays

Create section

Make artwork

Code section

Upload files

Add more fanfics to AO3

Upload Zackverse in story order

Upload Star Wars: Unexpected Consequences when edited on Ao3

Upload Sororal Lineality: MJ-0002 on Ao3 on May 4th

Reload Sororal Lineality: Aftermath on Ao3

Upload Soroal Lineality: Miha to Ao3

Upload Rescue the Farmboy: Liberation to the Library

Upload Rescue the Farmboy: One More Service to the Library

Post Star Wars: Unexpected Consequences to Library

Upload Looking For Home: My Home Is You to the Library

Upload Looking For Home: Outcast to Library

Upload Sororal Lineality: MJ-0002 to the Library

Upload Sororal Lineality: Aftermath to the Library

Upload Sororal Lineality: Miha

Update FF.net profile of where newer stories are now

My daily writing plans to help the above list of goals get done:

Write 600 daily words. Can be split among the projects. I'm making the yearly goal to reach whatever number I actually reach on December 31st.

Write and edit every day.

Schedule website updates and fanmix work on the weekends.

Work in meditation time with Brain FM.

Use my Kanban Flow checklist consistently.

Don't let chores pile up now that you have two jobs plus writing to do.

Here's to 2021. We'll get through it together.

#fic life #2020 goals #2021 goals #my year in fanfic

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dragimal · 5 years

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TROS thoughts? TROS thoughts.

just some thoughts abt TROS and the trilogy as a whole. I don’t actively talk abt SW much so this’ll prolly be p disorganized, but I just wanted to throw some thoughts to the wind lmao. also thanks @cobwebbing for bullying me into watching TROS as quickly as possible and also yelling abt all these jumbled thoughts with/at me

overall I rly liked it! with a lot of criticisms! and I’ll expand under the cut

so, as usual, everything reylo was p spectacular. Rey trading off her light-saber to Kylo? that last bombastic kiss? Kylo fading into a force ghost to presumably reunite w/ his family? the mutual healing of one another-- and in particular, Kylo not only sharing his own life-force, but that which Rey had previously gifted him for the stab wound??? the DRAMA! the ROMANCE!! I was going absolutely (mentally) HOGWILD during those scenes, AAAAA I couldn’t have asked for better! Rey and Kylo are totally gonna have a force-ghost honeymoon and I’m here for it

my one big criticism w/ anything involving them was Palp being Rey’s grandad. Star Wars has always had weird hangups abt bloodlines, so it felt very fresh to see the protag be a whole-ass nobody-- u don’t need to come from some line of force-sensitive heroes/baddies to be somebody! ANYBODY can be somebody if they choose to be! yeah, she technically still renounced her “evil blood” to be a good person, but it felt a lot cheaper than just letting her be a nobody that chooses that path. I feel like there’s a nugget of good to be found in her adopting the Skywalker name at the end (y’all know I’m a sucker for adopted family~), but compounded w/ all the other hangups w/ bloodlines, it kinda felt like another affirmation that only Skywalkers can ever be the big important heroes or something, idk

that all said, I don’t hate Palp’s existence in TROS, I just don’t want him related to Rey in any way. tho his existence was still a bit awkward at parts (Snoke was a clone? who were all those cultists in the stands around the throne? how did he even survive the first trilogy?? hello???). but overall I rly liked the idea that the reason Sith kill their masters is for some reincarnation-death ceremony. when u hold that against the fresh new cast of heroes in this trilogy, you get this theme of, “evil ideals are always the same-- stagnant and unchanging. good must evolve and grow to combat it.” if that makes sense? I just rly like that implication

it was weird how easily Kylo seemed to drop any connection to Vader? like when Rey knocked Vader’s mask on the ground, I thought Kylo would either feel angry that she almost destroyed it, or betrayed by the reminder that he was never rly talking to Vader anyways, or SOMETHING, but he kinda just left it there in the snow? it was just strange, after all the build-up

now aside from anything involving Rey and Kylo, everything else was..... well, it was abt as I expected. which wasn’t good, coming off the heels of TLJ’s treatment of anyone that wasn’t Rey, Kylo, or Luke. while JJ and Rian do a fantastic job w/ reylo stuff, they seem to just let everything else fall to the wayside, which is unfortunate in a lot of ways

for one, Finn is one of my favorite characters in SW as a whole, and it’s heartbreaking to see his character arcs fall apart before they even start (post-TFA). he has so much depth and potential-- enough to even be the main protag, as some have pointed out. while I don’t agree that he’s a better foil to Kylo (and that’s not just my reylo bias, like they rly don’t have the same personality chemistry or thematic conflicts imo), I could totally see a SW trilogy centered around him instead (tho idk if I’d be able to properly doctor the script to THAT degree on my own... 🤔...)

either way, Finn’s potential was rly squandered the last two movies, and I’d love to see that rectified. I’ve always been disappointed that Finn immediately went to shooting other stormtroopers in TFA w/o any hint of hesitation, so I’d ideally like to give him some conflicted feelings during TFA to start off with. then, I’ve always thought his plot in TLJ should’ve been focused completely on stormtroopers-- no casino, no fox-horse racing or anything. he and Rose would IMMEDIATELY sneak onto the FO ship from the beginning of the movie as undercover stormtroopers, gathering info for the Resistance and trying to shut down the FO’s tracking tech, while also feeling out the thoughts of fellow stormtroopers. maybe some troopers would be gung-ho abt the FO, while others would like to rebel but are too scared, while others still had never considered the option of rebellion until Finn planted just a little seed for them. however, by the end of TLJ, his efforts might’ve *seemed* useless, like the FO might’ve killed off any defecting stormtroopers. then we’d hit TROS, and Finn might be a bit colder, and bit more willing to kill stormtroopers, b/c even if he could convert them, he wouldn’t be able to protect them, so he might as well end it as quickly as possible. but THEN he’d meet the former stormtroopers-- not just strangers this time, but some of the troopers he’d met while on the FO ship in the previous movie! they’d escaped, and his efforts weren’t for naught! his actions still mattered, and continue to matter as everyone moves forward!

also, can I just say, fucking weird that Finn’s suddenly force-sensitive?? I’m not necessarily against him being force-sensitive, but I’m attached to the idea of an important character that doesn’t have any significant connection to the force-- he was just a talented dude! but even then, I think I’d be more open to it if not for how it was introduced. apparently, the only reason he (or any stormtrooper, as far as we know) defected is b/c the force told them to. no personal decisions based on morals or logic or even basal fear, just some “force-instinct”. that’s just.... so insulting to his character and the potential for stormtroopers, I’m reeling lmfao

Poe is an interesting case for me b/c I don’t feel any particular way abt him. like, he’s fine? but I care far more abt reylo and Finn than I do Poe, so I haven’t put as much thought into how I’d change his arcs, BUT I do have a few ideas. since I’d nix Finn’s casino trip in TLJ, I’d have Poe kinda take the helm of that-- rather than a slow crawl thru space on low fuel, the Resistance’s problem would be their space-jumping tech (+ the FO tracking them of course), so they’d have plenty of fuel to jump, but for some reason they’d have to recharge or re-fix something after each jump? so it’s more like a lil space roadtrip for Poe’s plot, where he’s jumping the Resistance to different planets, hiding their ships somewhere before the FO catches on, and waiting until the can jump again to the next hiding spot. all the while, Poe’s keeping in touch w/ Finn, trying to keep the FO off their tails for just a little bit longer, or gathering info on their plans. I rly liked Poe’s TLJ arc of, “sacrificing a few for the cause is actually kinda shitty,” so I’d like to keep that, like maybe he makes a few risky decisions while running? and then later, when Finn tries to sacrifice himself to the FO’s canon (in this case b/c he thinks his efforts w/ the stormtroopers didn’t work, so maybe he can do just this one thing--), Poe’s like Oh Fuck No and smacks him outta the sky. so Poe has this moment like, “wow, perhaps I’m not as ok w/ all this sacrifice as I thought? also I might have a crush?😳” and then in TROS he’s coming to terms w/ his crush on Finn (and Zorii’s like, *nudges* “OH-HO??~”), but Finn’s still a bit broken up over how everything w/ the stormtroopers turned out in TLJ, so he’s been difficult to connect to. then when Finn meets the former stormtroopers, he gains back some of that confidence in connecting to others, and he finally *sees* Poe for the first time in a while and it’s all romantic and junk heheh

tbh I don’t actually feel particularly strongly abt finnpoe as a pairing, BUT I rly like the potential it has for Finn and Poe’s respective character arcs, and especially how it could so lovingly tie into TROS’ theme of, “we are only as strong as we are together, and together we can beat this.” unfortunately, that theme in and of itself is also kinda awkward coming on the heels of TLJ, where the Resistance was abandoned by the galaxy when there was only a small fleet of FO forces to deal with, yet the galaxy comes to aid when there’s a fuckin billion FO ships w/ PLANET-DESTROYING TECH on-board each?? I know the 2nd movie’s supposed to be a low point, but the huge turn-around in TROS just doesn’t make a whole lotta sense to me, and I don’t know how to fix that one lmao

Rose is.... a difficult one. I rly want to like her b/c I love Kelly and she has cute moments, but TLJ already didn’t give her a lot to work with, and she had insultingly little to do in TROS. I think that perhaps she’d work well as Poe’s thematic foil in TLJ? Rose’s sister was one of the ones sacrificed under Poe’s direction, so she prolly wouldn’t be too pleased w/ that, and would bring up counterpoints to Poe’s risky maneuvers w/ the Resistance whenever they check in w/ him. then when Poe goes to rescue Finn from the canon, Rose’s words are what play thru his head. for TROS, I’d gladly replace C3PO or Chewie (or both) w/ her, lmao. I can’t necessarily think of an arc for her, but TROS was already juggling so many anyways, I think it would’ve been fine for her to maybe be a lynch-pin for the squad-- someone trying to hold everyone together through these dire circumstances, but everything starts to fall apart... until some significant moment where she helps pull everyone back together, thus completing the theme of the film. also I would’ve felt FAR more distressed if it was Rose that was supposedly on the destroyed transport ship (tho that scene was already kinda stupid like... why couldn’t Rey sense that Chewie wasn’t on there... hm..)

the Hux betrayal was obvious even from as far back as TFA, but it was weird he was replaced by a nobody we never met before and don’t care abt lmfao. I mean I don’t rly care for Hux at all, but I care even less for this stranger who has no personality lmfao

#star wars #the rise of skywalker #rise of skywalker #star wars tros #tros spoilers #I guess after I script-doctored the whole HTTYD series I realized I rly like doing that #who knew lmao #shut up ashley

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vaiyamagic · 6 years

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So, my roommate has been trying to get me to play the Mass Effect original trilogy since we moved in together, like, 3 years ago, because I like Dragon Age so much. I tried for a while and hated the combat system. And I mean, hated. Managed to just barely force my way to the Citadel and leave again and I was done.

He continued to kind of prod at me with, "It's not about the combat, it's the story and characters that make the game." To which I would concede but add, "But I can't get over the combat to GET to the characters and story."

He lets it go for a while, but brings it back up a couple months ago. I say the usual, and jokingly add, "I mean, unless you wanna play the game for me, and I just tell you where to go and what dialogue options to choose."

He is silent for a moment, and finally says, "You know... that could work."

So, long story short, I (we) finished playing the trilogy unofficially a couple days ago and officially tonight. (We beat ME3 a few days ago, but downloaded the Citadel DLC after and finished that tonight.)

I really enjoyed it. And enjoyed playing it like we did. (And he's agreed to play Dragon Age in a similar fashion, with me playing and him choosing, as he has not played more than getting to Ostagar in DA:O)

SO! I feel like showing off my Shepard! (That was actually the point of this post.) ((You can't see it, but she has a ponytail.))

ME1: Colonist/War Hero. Vanguard. All paragon. Got all party members, let Rachni queen live, talked Wrex down, left Kaiden to die (at the roommate's request, because his playthru he saved Kaiden, and wanted to see an Ash survivor,) romanced no one (because I already knew Garrus was romancable, but was NOT aware that he was not an LI until the 2nd game, and roommate failed to correct my assumption until it was too late.) Did not like that the Consort touched my face.

ME2: Mostly Paragon, but started picking a few renegade options there. Hates that Cerberus got rid of her lip scar when they reconstructed her. Every time someone was like, "You're working for Cerberus?" She insisted that, at best, she was working WITH them, and does not trust them at all, and really just needs their resources to save the galaxy. Again. Got all party members, including the DLCs. Lost Kelly and half the crew, but mamaged to keep all the actual playable party members alive on the suicide mission. (Roommate said he had to bite his tongue a few times with some of my decisions in the final mission, but it seemed to work out ok.) Romanced Garrus, but I was really tempted to go for Thane for a while there. Was not too fond of Samara. Or Miranda. Liked Jack. Liked her more once she put a shirt on. Loved Mordin. Her first fish died. She managed to keep the second group alive. Every store on the Citadel is her favorite. (How is doing that Paragon???)

ME3: 1008% done with the galaxy's shit. Why does no one listen to her? Still mostly paragon, but renegade seeps through because seriously, wtf people. Do you want to save the galaxy or not???? Still bitter about her lip scar. Garrus romance all the way baby. Cured the Genophage. Lost Mordin. Lost Thane. Thane she saw coming. Mordin, she did not. Somehow managed to glitch Kasumi's mission so that she didn't return for the Citadel DLC. Started to like Miranda. Still meh about Samara. Realized Anderson was basically a father to her... Too late. :( Both hate and love Javik in equal measure. Didn't like James at first, but grew on her. Beat his pullup record. Saved the galaxy by making everyone have green glowing eyes and giving the plantlife circuitry. Feels really bad about leaving Garrus alone. (I may or may not have come up with a fix-it to bring her back because damnit, she deserves a happy ending!)

If you managed to read to the end, wow. Sorry there's no readmore cut, I'm on mobile. If you somehow want to know more, feel free to ask. I'll answer all questions, assuming tumblr doesn't eat them, as I suspect it does....

#mass effect #commander shepard #fem!shep #vidya games #roommate

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clairen45 · 6 years

Text

Visions of Hell...

This second part to my Visions of Paradise Essay was unfortunately a LONG time coming. I hope it will not disappoint.

HELL IS A PLACE ON EARTH... sorry, on a galaxy far far away

So let’s go to Hell in Star Wars and see where it takes us. You can, at first, think of the obvious depictions of Hell, and, oftentimes, Star Wars plays by the rules by delivering your graphic vision of Hell: ie, in the collective mind, and as represented for centuries, as a place, filled with fire, brimstone, lava, suffering, dismembering, torture, with an emphasis on black and red colors. In paintings, this is how it translates:

So, with this visual in mind, this is what you immediately relate to Hell, as a space, in Star Wars:

In the PT, Geonosis (ep 2) and Mustafar (ep 3). You have the fire, the dismemberment (assembly line, C3P0; Anakin loses an arm; Anakin loses both arms and legs and gets burned to a crisp), the psychological and physical suffering, the heavy coded color palette... Visually, Mustafar has been conspicuously designed to look like an archetypal Inferno. It is, after all, supposed to be the lowest point of the saga, the Fall, echoing Dante’s first part of his journey.

In the OT, with Bespin (ep 5) and Jabba’s Palace (ep 6), the visual imagery is more subtle, with some surprising twists and subversions.

Bespin is very interesting because it starts visually as a celestial place, normally coded as Heaven. But this is the place of treachery, and entrapment, which is already suggested by the color coding of the place as the MF lands on Cloud City:

It is a place of betrayal for Han and Leia, sold by Lando to the Empire; where C3P0 is, once again, in the same installment as Trilogy 1, dismembered; where Han is tortured and frozen in carbonite; where Luke is cornered by Vader, loses a hand, and gets the big reveal; a place of psychological and physical pain. Note that there are very few table/dinner scenes in the saga, so this one becomes the Star Wars equivalent of the Last Supper with Lando as Judas, and Han turning into a sacrificial victim.

Jabba’s Palace, is, in my mind, the most interesting Hellish place of the saga. Visually, it does not look like the glorious operatic Hellfest of Mustafar, but it is actually a quite exhaustive take on sin and Hell as depicted by Dante. First, you have, quite as in the poem, two characters (C3PO and R2D2/ Dante and Virgil) entering a dark place to journey into the world of sins and punishment, and who are reminded, at the beginning to “abandon all hope”. This is C3P0 realizing that their master has “offered” them to Jabba as a gift. And what a wonderful and brilliant embodiment of the 7 deadly sins Jabba is!

Sloth and Gluttony

Pride

Greed

Lust

Anger

And envy, since when he sees Leia with Han he “covets” her.

Jabba’s Palace is quite the Pleasure Palace of all sins, between the boozing, singing, dancing, lusting, and killing people for entertainment. You can add to that the torture that he inflicts to the droids (again, dismemberment), the Rancor that is the equivalent of Cerberus as a Dog from Hell (his tamer’s reaction to its death is like that to the loss of a beloved pet), and the pit of the Sarlacc, which promises “ a new definition of pain and suffering as you are slowly digested over a thousand years”, so exactly like the promise of Hell to the sinners who are tortured forever... Jabba, and his palatial Hell, are very interesting because, for once, they are unrelated to the Empire and the schemes of the Emperor. This reminds us as the audience that Evil can take many forms and can often be found quite close to home, which sounds even truer in Luke’s case since Jabba’s Palace is on Tatooine, his home planet, and incidentally, that of Anakin/Vader’s as well. Jabba’s Palace was a bold interpretation of Hell. It is also very telling that all the characters (including Lando, in a rehabilitative process) are living the experience of Hell in Jabba’s Palace collectively, all facing the trials and overcoming them together. So it was not a one on one archetypal duel, the hero facing the villain.

In the ST, there is still of course ep 9 to reckon with, but in the meantime, we get mostly the Jakku opening scene, Starkiller base (ep 7) and the Supremacy and Crait (ep.8)...

We seem, at first glance, to return to a more litteral interpretation of Hell, more in the line of the PT than the OT, with flames, fire, smoke, the red and black color palette. But Hell, here, takes a "carry-on” form. It is less associated with a place than with a moment. Moments of Hell are created on different places, and are usually associated with the presence of Kylo. Hell is a place created by the characters. Like a bat out of Hell (his very distinctively shaped shuttle), Kylo brings Hell along with him, meaning that we have moved from a scenery, a background, to a more psychological interpretation of Hell. The inner turmoil that is tearing Kylo’s apart, his own inner Inferno, is released out on different places: the Jedi Temple, Jakku, Takodana, Starkiller, Crait...

The only place that exists as Hell in itself is possibly the throne Room on the Supremacy, and again, as mentioned before, this is movable Hell, since it is built on a ship...

Another character who seems closely associated with Hell and its representations is Finn, which puts him again in close relationship with Kylo (check the links between the two characters here). The experience of Hell on Jakku in the opening scene is lived through the eyes of Finn. On the Supremacy, in parallel with Kylo and Rey’s hellish experience in the throne room, Finn is here again also facing the Inferno, which takes a very litteral form as Phasma is sent to a fiery chasm (and “hopefully” this time around her death).

There is thus an interesting progression in the saga. From Hell as something very operatic that reflects the characters’ inner turmoils in the PT, but also exists visually on its own ; Hell as a place of trial for the characters, sort of to test their mettle in the OT; Hell as a place that comes from deep inside the characters’ pain and conflict in the ST and can appear at virtually any place.

There is also a recurring theme about Hell and what it brings to the characters in terms of love and romance in specifically each 2nd installment of the trilogies. In every trilogy, the characters find love or admit love at the gates of Hell: Anakin and Padmé on Geonosis as they are about to be sentenced to death; Han and Leia on Bespin before Han is frozen in carbonite; in the throne room scene through the duel and Kylo’s botched proposal, and on Crait when Rose admits her love to Finn. Love at the gates of Hell has quite an Orphean, poetic quality, admittedly... Twice, as for Orpheus, it is about love found and lost: for Han and Leia, and for Kylo and Rey... It can also echo the idea that, as Dante put it, “the path to Paradise begins in Hell”. Love has to be found in Hell of all places in order to lead the way to Paradise.

Not always in obvious places... “Hoth” as Hell

Hoth is a peculiar case. I do believe that it can qualify as a possible Hellish place... for one particular reason... In Dante’s Inferno, the very bottom of Hell, the place where Satan resides, is not a fiery pit, but rather a lake of Ice.

The first depictions of the Devil were not that of a red demon, but rather a blue angel, which for some time associated the devil with cold and ice, as depicted in this 6th century mosaic from a basilica in Ravenna (Italy):

So, taking a page from the history of the devil, ESB starts on a planet that is barely a haven (pun intended) for the Rebels. The middle chapter of the OT is really the “Hellish” chapter, from the opening on Hoth all the way to the Bespin finale. And I particularly appreciate the way they designed places that are supposed to symbolize Dante’s Inferno without once playing on the usual clichés: the “Hoth” (the word always struck me as odd) planet of Ice, and the celestial Bespin. Like Satan is trapped in ice in Dante’s poem, the Rebels are effectively trapped, paralyzed on their icy planet (and I am not hinting that the Rebels are evil, but rather that they fnd themselves caught up in a form of Hell). And they also end in a trap on Bespin, with Han this time literally frozen. Vader, the representation of evil here, is thus not sending Han (and possibly Luke) to a fiery pit of lava, but to a place that freezes them. Back on Hoth, this is a place where the rebels are hardly sheltered and live under constant threats of death due to the terrible climatic conditions or hostile hungry creatures. Note that when Han goes to get Luke, this is what he says:

This is rare enough as an occurence to be highlighted. To my knowledge (feel free to pitch in), there are only two other instances where Hell is mentioned in the saga: by Uncle Owen in ep 3 ( “Well, if he doesn't have those condensers on the south ridge fixed by midday, there'll be hell to pay” ), and in episode 7, when Finn utters the infamous:

Finally Hoth can work as Hell notably because of the wampa figure, which rightly features among the potential satanic or hellish creatures in the very long list of bizarre Star Wars creatures.

Minions of the Devil, Evil Eye, and Satanic Creatures

Just like Hell as a space, some creatures are right in your face Satanic, or meant to embody evil. In the OT, ep 1, this is Darth Maul’s sole raison d’être.

In this interview with Bill Moyers, this is what Lucas has to say about him:

BILL MOYERS: When I saw him, I thought of Satan and Lucifer in “Paradise Lost.” I thought of the devil in “Dante’s Inferno.” I mean, you’ve really — have brought from — it seems to me — from way down in our unconsciousness this image of — of — of evil, of the other.

GEORGE LUCAS: Well, yeah. We were trying to find somebody who could compete with Darth Vader, who’s one of the most, you know, famous evil characters now. And so we went back into representations of evil. Not only, the Christian, but also Hindu and Greek mythology and other religious icons and, obviously, then designed our own — our own character out of that. (...) A lot of — a lot of evil characters have horns. It’s very interesting. I mean, you’re trying to build a icon of evil, and you sort of wonder why the same images evoke the same emotions.

Ok, so basically, as avowed here, they just wanted a very visual embodiment of evil, something that could rival Vader in ep 4. Except that, as iconic and mesmerizing his look was, he didn’t say much, didn’t do much except jump about (indeed beautifully), and we know nothing about him, his motives, his purpose. Looking evil does not make for a great villain. And we knew this was not the big bad guy, just a henchman...So, not Satan, but a minion of the devil. And there are plenty of other aliens that dress the part just as well. Take for instance that cute as Hell guy from episode 4, found in Mos Eisley cantina:

He sure looks the part, complete with horns. He is just a cameo, though, to add to the list of nightmarish creatures from the cantina. To Luke and to the audence they were meant to be scary, shady, and strange. Were they truly evil? Obi-Wan had warned Luke: “You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy”. So, I guess, yes? But this is also where they found Han and Chewbacca, and despite shooting Greedo first, Han turned out to be “nice men”. So maybe Satan horny guy would have been chummy on second thought?

Another interesting creature with horns is that one:

This is not a minion of the Devil, he could almost past as a furry fuzzy yeti. But the wampa, from planet Hoth can work as a hellish creature. It’s got the horns, it captures Luke, and threatens to eat him. Interestingly each first installment of the saga presents a scene where the heroes have to face creatures that seem to come straight from Hell and threaten to devour/eat the heroes: the aquatic monsters from the core of Naboo (note that Anakin IS NOT there), the creature from the trash compactor that attacks Luke, and the Rathtars that run loose on Han’s vessel and almost get to Finn... A reminder that Hell can take many different forms. And, if you think about classical representations of Hell, the Devil is often seen as devouring his victims:

Of course, you can also interpret these creatures, devouring exclusively men, as a representation of the threatening female mother/genitalia (vagina dentata) or you can think about the belly of the whale in Jonah’s story and take it as a rebirth... Talk about rebirth to Bobba Fett or those Kanjiklub dudes...

Other specimens that threaten to devour the heroes, and could be viewed as possible Hellish creatures:

The nexu and the acklay in AOTC

The space slug in ESB

The Rancor and Sarlaac in ROTJ

Not to mention the most dangerous of them all:

Yup, without the help of powerful magic (or snacks), this carnivorous savage furball will hunt you down and feast on your flesh!!! Need any proof besides Han tied up to get BBQed? They even did a Forces of Destiny episode where Leia was saving the lives of innocent stormtroopers about to become dinner:

Joke aside (for you Ewok lovers), meeting wild animals (possibly in a forest, I see you, damned Ewoks!) is also part of Dante’s journey to Hell. At the very beginning of the poem, before starting his descent, Dante is attacked by three wild animals: a leopard, a she-wolf, and a lion. With just a bit of a stretch, you can find this idea in the arena of Geonosis with the three alien beasts set upon Padmé, Obi-Wan, and Anakin.

The first two trilogies seem to play with the devouring beast trick more consistently than the ST which just offered the rathtar. Devouring beasts were conspicuously absent from TLJ. Even though there was the shadow of a threat through the gigantic sea creature that roamed the seas around Ahch-To, the animal remained distant. On the contrary, animals were feasted upon: the porg, the fish, the milk from the Thala siren, which was a strong departure from the usual trope. It will be interesting to see what episode IX offers in that scope, but if the devouring beast remains absent, I think it will go along the line that I already suggested about Hell. The devouring creature is no longer an OUTSIDE/OUTER threat to the heroes. Rather, the devouring creature, the one that can consume you inside and out, is WITHIN yourself, in your heart and soul. Moreover, the devouring beast in TLJ was also the role taken by Snoke on a symbolic level, as an echo to Palpatine who preys and feeds on people’s suffering and weaknesses.

I would like to come back to the Dianoga from episode 4 though, because, on the screen, it does not appear as a toothy fearsome creature, but as an eye. The concept of the “evil eye”, that is to say the idea that a mere glance could curse you and bring you harm, can be found in many cultures throughout the world. It is probably a corollary of the idea of the omnipotent everseeing eye of God. The evil eye is not necessarily associated with the Devil himself, it usually comes from a person who is envious. Nevertheless, in The Lord of the Rings, Sauron, who is Evil incarnate, is materialized as an Eye, red, fiery, reptilian shaped. Equivalent “evil eyes” can be found in Star Wars. It can take the form of just one eye, as with the Dianoga, the gatekeeper’s device in Jabba’s Palace, and more interestingly, Starkiller base, which, with its cannon, looks, especially on the posters, like a one-eyed monster and brings new massive meaning to the notion of “if looks could kill”...But it can also be materialized in the evil Sith eyes of Maul, Anakin, or Palpatine. But note that Anakin’s evil eyes come and go, and that not all the villainous characters get the evil eye treatment: it never shows up in Count Dooku, Snoke doesn’t have them, and Kylo never has them either...

Who’s boss? Satan, Lucifer, and their Legions

As we have seen, there are many possible Hellish creatures in Star Wars, but, like Sauron’s ring, is there one to rule and bind them all? There is an important divide to mark here, a dual personality in Evil, that echoes the very way the figures of Lucifer or Satan have been evolving and developed. Most people now tend to fuse the two, but they can be viewed as two rather different entities. As this article sums up:

1.Lucifer is the highly favored angel created by God whereas Satan is his name when he was thrown away from heaven. 2.Lucifer is an angel of God whereas Satan is the name of the devil. 3.Lucifer is not the exact opposite of God whereas Satan is a name that pertains more to opposition. 4.Lucifer has a physical form whereas Satan does not have any.

Lucifer’s name comes from “the carrier of light”, an essential idea in the scope of Star Wars, and in this respect, Lucifer’s embodiments can be found in Anakin and Kylo. Anakin, like Lucifer, is a creature that comes straight from the highest power (God/the Force), and is the chosen one, the favorite, the most beautiful of all the angels. In his casting of actors for young Anakin, George Lucas picked a blond blue-eyed boy with cherubic potential (who incidentally is the only one of the saga talking about angels), and a hot up-and-coming young actor. Anakin is designed to be attractive. Like Lucifer, his tragic flaw is also his pride and hubris, and his desire to play God, which shows right at the beginning when he boasts himself of being the best pilot (he has never won or been in a podrace before) and the fact that he has designed, on his own, a sentient character (C3P0). Anakin rebels to the Jedi Council the same way Lucifer rebels to God: like angels he can’t marry or father children, he is not allowed the rank of master and must keep on bowing down to others while being better than them (Lucifer and the mortals). Anakin is clearly portrayed as a fallen angel, who, like Lucifer is punished and sent to the visual fiery Hell of Mustafar, and encased forever in his own personal Hell, the loss of the woman he loved, and probably endless physical suffering in the persona and armor of Darth Vader. But does Lucifer become Satan? Even though Vader was a striking embodiment of evil and a mesmerizing villain, he was immediately presented in ANH as a henchman and not the main boss. Even Leia was not afraid to tell it as it was:

And he appeared very subservient in front of the Emperor, which disqualifies him, in my view, as Evil incarnate. Vader is NOT the boss. This is the greatest irony about Vader: as a little boy, enslaved, he dreamed of living a free life, and he ended up bound up forever to his master, as well as to the apparatus that maintains him alive. You can call that survival, but this is truly a pathetic life. Though Milton chose the name Satan for his poem, his character is actually closer to Lucifer, the Fallen Angel, a tragic figure with undeniable seductive appeal through his intelligence, his infectious and passionate speeches, his sadness and torment, which make him, arguably, the perfect “anti-hero”,a romantic figure. Milton’s Satan claimed that it was “better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven”. Maybe that was Anakin’s idea, but he never got to reign, even though the thought apparently stuck with him all these years, from his initial offer to Padmé to his offer to Luke to “rule the galaxy” together.

Enters Kylo, who presents striking similarities with Grandpa Vader. Like him, as a child he gets to struggle with a tremendous burden: Anakin is set out as the “chosen one”, Kylo as “the legacy child”, both with “raw, untamed power” that is unknown to any other Force sensitive, which makes them the beloved of the Force. Like Anakin, Kylo’s character is designed to be seductive, wavy hair and shirtless scene included. Like Anakin, he is a fallen angel, and his patricide aligns him with Lucifer’s attempt at defeating God (aka the Father). Kylo is not immune to pride or hubris either, but just like Anakin, he also finds himself ironically in a subservient position. Seductive in their youth, they both don the costume of evil and its outer signs (black, fiery red saber, satanic crossguard for Kylo, dehumanized mask), but the main difference is that evil has consumed physically Anakin. Vader is the ONLY persona he has left to survive, whereas Kylo merely plays the part. He is still very much human, and very much Ben Solo, as Snoke keeps reminding him.

Both men have been manipulated since childhood by an older man/humanoid who has twisted their minds and hearts and finally gets them to contract a Faustian pact that -as all pacts with the Devil- never delivers. In both cases they do not become more powerful than they were before, and the price must be paid with the blood of their families/loved ones.

If we look at the distinction between Lucifer and Satan, Vader and Kylo can appear as the physical manifestation of Evil, ie Lucifer, the fallen angel, whereas Palpatine and Snoke, who incidentally most of the time appear under a holo form, are more like Satan, the ghost of Evil who needs to borrow/possess other physical forms to engineer his evil deeds. As French poet Charles Baudelaire penned in the 19th century (and quoted from in Th Usual Suspects): “ the loveliest trick of the Devil is to persuade you that he does not exist”. So both Snoke and Palpatine rely on holo forms, traveling, remaining away, hiding in the shadows or under a cloak. Even though the audience (who is familiar with the OT) know from PM that Palpatine is the elusive Darth Sidious, the Jedi Council is unable to identify him through 3 full length movies (!!!!). Like the Devil, he is the one whose very existence is constantly doubted, hiding behind different forms such as the Federation ViceRoys, Darth Maul, Count Dooku, General Grievous, finally Anakin/Vader, a form of demonic possession if ou will. Even Padmé and JarJar become hosts to Palpatine’s infectious powers, as they innocently do his bidding and become his puppets in the Senate. In the OT, the Emperor was conspicuously absent in ANH, and appears for the first time solely as a hologram in ESB. Disincarnated, the Emperor is the best embodiment of the spirit of Evil, nowhere to be found, and thus potentially everywhere, in his henchmen, but above all in the very satanic notion of his “legions”, aka the stormtroopers. Indeed, in Mark 5:1-20, Jesus exorcizes a man possessed by a demon and when asking the demon his name gets this all-too famous answer: “My name is Legion,” he replied, “for we are many”. Whereas the Emperor and Snoke in TFA remain hidden, the galaxy -and the screen- is filled with their legions, droid army, army of clones, stormtroopers, disposable, replacable...

And indeed, when the Empire collapses, the First Order rises right away, evil ready to take another form, moving effortlessly from Palpatine to Snoke... When the figures of Palpatine and Snoke are revaled though, it is with all the usual Satanic codes and paraphernalia. In the PT, Palpatine gets the creepy treatment, with the maniacal laughter, the hooded robes, the evil eyes, the blue devil with horns at his side, the red room, AND the very not subtle art flair in the background that looks like a depiction of Hell:

In the OT, he gets the red guards by his side, and the spider web motif of the Death Star in the background.

As for Snoke, he gets Satanic garrishness through red and gold, in the throne room scene.

Yet, both these satanic figures get defeated eventually, and, according to some critiques, rather quite easily. So what’s the point? Well, the point is how and by whom they get defeated in the first place! Every time it is by the Lucifer figure, ie Anakin and Kylo, the ones that were seduced and corrupted, highlighting once again the dual nature of evil, and meaning that evil is not something that is supposed to be found OUTSIDE of our nature, but WITHIN. Every time, the fight with Evil is first and foremost a fight with ourselves, our very nature. So it comes down to each and everyone to defeat the source of evil, no hero can come and do it for us. It is very important and revealing that neither Rey nor Luke were the ones actively killing Snoke/the Emperor. The “villains” have to become the agents of their own redemption. Even if this redemption is made possible through the love they feel for the heroes ready to die for their rescue.

It is even better that Snoke died earlier in the story of the ST than many had expected before. Because it forces us to question the nature of evil. It is easier and more comforting to lay the blame and point fingers at the very obvious figure of evil, the Satanic paraphernalia, the scarecrow, the snoke and mirrors if you will, as in The Wizard of Evil. As the obvious villains, Palpatine and Snoke serve a function: they are the gold villainous standard to which we are asked to compare our resident other villains, Vader and Kylo. And, of course, the very fact that Snoke and Palpatine are indubitably irredeemable means that, logically, the other two are indubitably redeemable.

The position that Kylo finds himself in at the end of IX is a first, though. Vader did not survive his master, but again, he was too far gone for us to imagine him with a full redemption arc. He could die, but he could not be reborn. With Kylo, the potential is still very much in the open. What Kylo finds himself facing after defeating his inner demon (aka Snoke) is actually what remains after the fall of the scarecrow : the mundanity of evil (as Hanna Arendt called it). I would not necessarily call Hux mundane, but, just like the officers from the Death Star in ANH, they are not supposed to be the big “in your face” Fairy Talish villain. They are the legions, the brainwashed masses, the military honchos, the war profiteers, the obedient soldiers... Once the curtain is pulled (or burned down in the throne room scene), this is the harsh reality of evil that remains: the Huxes, the Tarkins... Yet, even there, hope remains. In introducing the character of Finn, the ST shows that, from within the very masses that represent the legions of evil, change can also come. The ST gives to the mundanity of evil a potential redemption. I was actually stunned when reading the Junior novelization of TFA by the importance given in chapter 1 to Finn as FN-2187 and his interactions with his comrades, who are given nicknames, voices, and an identity. We know that a scene was deleted in TLJ with more of these interactions. I wonder if episode IX is not going to be more straightforward about that and show how Finn was not, as Phasma called it, a mere “bug in the system”, but a foresign of deep structural changes...Fighting Hell and Evil is not just the stuff for mythical heroes facing dragons and monsters, it is, even in Star Wars, an individual quest (Anakin, Kylo), and something even a stormtrooper, or a nobody, can fight and possibly win.

If we go back to Dante’s Divine Comedy as a literary influence, we must remember that the progression is that of a descent followed by an ascension: first into the deepest pit of Hell, then up through Purgatory, to finally ascend into Heaven. Obviously, the purpose is supposed to be uplifting. It celebrates Redemption through the power of Love, and Faith in God. As much as a physical journey, it is also, of course, a spiritual journey. Something that resonates deeply in the star Wars saga. If each trilogy contains elements here and there, places of Paradise, places of Purgatory, and places of Hell, in order to make sense with the different mythical and religious themes embedded so far, the saga as a whole needs to follow the same path. So the PT is about the trip to Hell (Anakin’s fall), the OT can work as Purgatory as it is very much about expiation, cleansing, and purifying, and yes, normally, the ST is supposed to be about a spiritual ascension, and the redeeming power of love. In Dante’s final vision, women (through the Virgin Mary and Beatrice) and their compassion play an important part. It seems like women are taking a bigger part in the ST. And the last lines of Dante’s poem are really noteworthy in the scope of the saga as a whole :

But by now my desire and will were turned,

Like a balanced wheel rotated evenly,

By the Love that moves the sun and the other stars.

We could argue that the PT is very much about desire (Anakin), and the OT very much about will (Luke). And, in a way, the ST is very much about what happens when will and desire have to co-exist and balance each other out. Rey and Kylo are undeniably a mix of both. And, it is my personal belief, like so many other fellow bloggers, that the point of the saga is to be, like the final line of Dante’s poem, about balance. And I am quite partial about this idea that love will move the sun and the stars... like the Force. Moreover, when reading the quotation from The Journal of the Whills in the novelization of TFA, something really struck me: the “refined Jedi sight”. In Dante’s final vision, an emphasis is definitely put on eyesight, and the way eyes become “crystal clear”. Between Rogue One and TLJ, crystals seem to take more and more importance in the conclusion of the saga...

Remember, the path to Paradise is through Hell, and, guys, ascension is on the way . Buckle up!

#reylo #reylo fandom #reylo fam #reylo meta #star wars meta #star wars parallels #paradise and hell in star wars #hell in star wars #satanic creatures in star wars #kylo and anakin

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amerasdreams · 2 years

Text

1100 words today!

... I had to watch Servant of the People this morning and it was a longer ep... then I had to do laundry (in order to get dressed...)and take a shower. Then mom asked me to do some office work for her. Go get some supplies. I wasn't sure if I had time and my mind wasn't quite right (I was a little shaky this morning?) so I couldn't decide if I could do it or if dad wanted to he could. For him it's volunteer but for me it would be paid. Maybe not quite up to it? Also I wanted to get some writing done. But all this took til like 11:30 ("had"to scroll down to end of tumblr bc it keeps refreshing... not where I left off for some reason...)

I didn't have to look at notes too much. But my mind isn't quite normal yet. Words aren't as easy. I hope this gets better. If I couldn't write... 😞

I was also thinking, if I don't start right away at 8 there is no use at all. (Plus I was a little out of sorts from having to go to car place. Didn't think i had enough time before 1 lol) But. You can at least get something done. As I proved today. So.

I'm also wondering if I should start working on my next original novel. But I'm not sure what to do. If I should fix the prequel trilogy... fix my fantasy novel... try to start my scifi novel... (I need to research All the science 1st) or start something totally different.

While writing fanfic. But I only have limited time to write. I want to write a LOT more. Maybe get something published. But I have to earn money. Focus more on that (+ main.. writing is part of main. Passion, soul. Also material for writing.... the main Focus -- global affairs/freedom, justice in truth)... Maybe do one Sellout book. Lol. So it can get popular then I can write ehat I want

Like write a popular book really fast and market it really well...

Which would be..

Even if I could sell out and write some soulless thing it would not be convincing. It would not be easy to write, I would hate it. Maybe start hating writing. Can't do that. So

Probably better ways to make money anyway. Would be nice if one of my stories would take off ...

And I would learn how to actually write... and write fast... to get my series done!!!

Why does it take so long to even write a transition scene. Maybe i don't need so long of transitions. But there is essential material in there!

Somehow I wrote short novellas before. Now a massive story again (throwback to my teen novel...hm) I was inspired by Stephen King to write a slow burn... challenge to make a long build up... which he says is better. Idk.

Well I did write a couple 100+k novels... the fantasy, the 2nd Jet sequel I tried to do, the 2nd and 3rd Jet prequels... (others?) The fanfic tho was usually under 50k. And I did several 50k novels. 1 NANO disaster (probably the worst book i ever wrote bc I didn't stop to read what I wrote thus forgot it and built on 0 foundation)

#writing #fanfic #um #i have to cram all this info in for #some reason #i still. feel weird #covid #the car #dried tears on my face #the spring weather... seems unreal

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elizabethrobertajones · 7 years

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How do you feel about Reylo?

Based off of TFA? I was indifferent because I didn’t really think it was a particularly textual ship and that Rey’s disgust and fear were pretty obvious, given that he abducted and tortured her, and then killed the father figure she’d never had. He offers to teach her to use the force but within 10 minutes movie time she’s found herself a Luke Skywalker to do it instead. There’s plenty of talk out there about how people want Kylo to have the choice to throw off an evil upbringing via brainwashing and be redeemed while blatantly missing that Finn’s entire first movie from his POV is about doing exactly this and proving he was good all along despite having been a wee tiny child when he was taken by the First Order. I suppose some of the appeal of the ship if you want it to be a corny romance is Rey redeeming Kylo while Finn did all the work himself by being like “wait no I don’t wanna slaughter innocents” at the first available opportunity… I find it extremely hard to see Finn and Kylo as having equal but opposite pulls on Rey’s heart, is what I’m saying :P Dark shipping is another matter but it’s a major movie franchise and Rey’s one of our main POV characters and the message isn’t subtle about Space Fascism in the broad strokes so I had low concern about Rey going dark or them having a forbidden romance across sides or something.

TLJ -

I think the new movie played a LOT into the initial buzz from TFA, including masses of fan theory. Which, of course, you can best summarise by taking that huge build up for Rey to get to Luke and be taught by him, and him just chucking the lightsaber over his shoulder and walking off. If you bring expectations into this movie, you’re gonna have them shaken.

(My only equivalent movie experience, incidentally, is seeing Up followed by Toy Story 3 and becoming convinced that Up proved that Pixar was so merciless that they may just incinerate the entire main cast of Toy Story and legitimately fearing for those little lives, so kudos to that moment for setting me so on edge I need to go see the movie again just to *enjoy* it when it comes to Rey’s arc :P)

(Of course, the toys were not incinerated, and Rey didn’t get ~seduced by the dark side~ but they had me on uncertain ground, which is not easy for film makers to do when you’re an annoyingly genre savvy asshole like me :P)

When it comes to Reylo they played right into the mystical force bond, Rey wanting to redeem him, Kylo being conflicted because of her, and a whole bunch of tropes. Within the story without Rian cackling while setting this all up (I don’t know him but he seems like a cackler, based on this movie) they used the uncertainty about what Luke had done to Kylo to make Rey question him (after all she doesn’t know him except in legends and he’s not living up to them in person) and to worry Kylo might be right and it’s not as simple as it seems. At least to the point of hearing him out, and feeling his conflict and deciding that he can be saved or that she must try.

The stuff where they’re communicating over the force is fairly straightforward that it builds up Rey’s conflict and gives her a chance to see Kylo exposed - emotionally and I guess physically because joke about Kylo Ren being shredded aside (that sketch is canon and again I swear he was only shirtless to make nerds laugh >.>) in TFA she sees him as a masked monster and he takes the helmet off to prove he’s human, but he’s being *exposed* to her now and it’s important there’s the later twist about all this because they’re both being shown each other’s vulnerabilities right now while thinking the other is tormenting them because of some bond they managed to make while beating the shit out of each other on Starkiller Base.

I remember starting to feel like this is REALLY not going to go how we expect when Rey sent herself off to meet Kylo because they mirror the elevator scene with Luke and Darth Vader from RotJ, which obviously is the 3rd in the trilogy, and you *can’t* do this same surrender yourself to the enemy to redeem him and take down the bigger evil from within thing here in the 2nd film without just causing more problems from somewhere else. In this case each thinks the other has a chance to come to their side and the bond is a mutual fascination and there’s a sense of attraction and being drawn together by it.

But then a few minutes later they discover that Snoke set the entire thing up - has been messing with their minds, connecting them and showing them each other’s weaknesses, preying on their unresolved business with each other to make them want to turn the other to their side; neither of them are completely evil or completely good - the force is re-defined as neutral rather than having a light side and a dark side, and I think the spec that grey jedi will be an endgame for the force, is a good one (rather than restoring the Jedi Council etc which, after all, was responsible for turning Anakin to the dark out of desperation and neglect in the first place >.>)…

In this capacity I think Rey and Kylo are actually really well balanced? It might not make a good love story but they are due another reckoning and their powers are clearly matched. They have a good literally and metaphorically back-to-back fight scene with the guard and their powers are shown to be in balance when they try grabbing the lightsaber again. It comes down to the personal side - Kylo loses because he just wants to repeat the same patterns but leave behind the First Order, not because it’s bad but because he wants to rule and destroy on his own terms, a little nihilistic baby bird flying the nest and wanting to start his own empire to dominate the galaxy. Rey fails, because everyone’s failing on the good guy’s side because you don’t win in the 2nd movie, because she thought she might have a shot to take Kylo’s uncertainty, but in the end it was because he was being controlled and wanted to be free that he struck out at Snoke, and he had already been shaped to a point of no return. Rey rightly sees a lost cause and flees, though she doesn’t kill him while he’s unconscious because she’s not heartless.

The rest of Kylo’s movie is not being killed in time by Hux either, and going fully unhinged supreme leader and fruitlessly venting his frustration on the teacher who failed him as well as continuing to try and kill what is left of his family without caring any more that Leia is in there like he hesitated at the start of the movie (and she still got hurt anyways in that first battle because of his orders to destroy her ship - given knowing she’s in it as well as the fact even after this hesitation he doesn’t do anything to stop them taking out the rest of the rebel ships in the LONG chase sequence he had to reconsider before Rey showed up, while he was just chilling brushing his hair or whatever). I mean at this point he’s better developed than Joffrey but he’s in a similar place. We already know he’s full of rage from TFA and we have a reminder how he smashes things up around him when he’s frustrated and angry with a necessary repeat of the joke about First Order personnel staying the hell away from rooms with angry Kylo noises and smashing sounds coming from them. The stuff with Luke killing or not killing Kylo and setting him on his path - either from Kylo’s victimised POV about it or Luke’s horror about the darkness he - rightfully - sees in him, that Snoke had *already* got to Kylo and he’d *already* recruited the Knights of Ren from within Luke’s attempt to start the Jedi Order up again… the darkness had got too far and Kylo was an unfortunate temperament exacerbated by the bad teaching/manipulation and I feel like there’ll always be room to try again or argue he isn’t a lost cause LATER if that’s what they want to do, but in this movie it was very MUCH about him being a lot cause, and Rey sees that in person when after her efforts to help, to go to him and all, it turns out the only reason she was connected to him was a manipulation, and the only reason he turned on Snoke was his own ambitions, and he’s twisted and runs at a baseline level of megalomaniac desire to oppress that frankly a girl should not be expected to fix through the power of true love or whatever and she gets the heck out instead of dragging his prone form to a shuttle, Luke Skywalker style. :P I’m a bit blurry about when it happens now (RIGHT at the end?) but there is definitely another final moment of her shutting the door on him in a vision which felt like a conclusive comment on her emotional energy being spent on him now.

I sort of feel like as long as you don’t woobify Kylo too much and try to understand without getting too worked up about redeeming him, but seeing his actions as they’re presented in the film (he is a “cool motive, still murder” character now which is an upgrade from TFA because he was just Whiny Toxic Masculinity White Guy Who Could ‘Take What He Wanted’ back then) then I just don’t really see how this character could have a romance arc with Rey, given that she managed to overcome her fear and disgust of him to pity and wanting to help, only to have it literally explode in her face *when she thought she’d won so now he’s something she failed just like Luke failed him* and she legged it and fought against his side to save the Resistance without any more angst about Kylo whatsisname again for the rest of the movie.

Also the Resistance is shown variously carrying around the Rey Homing Beacon and being her true family who cares about her but Finn full on pined and wanted to get to her and though he didn’t have a force bond it was important in a way it wasn’t when Poe or Leia had the beacon, that it was his parallel in a pure-hearted way to the link Kylo had with her, and whatever’s going to happen with Rose, it’s *definitely* a love triangle between her and Rey, because she and Finn have a pre-existing and powerful connection after TFA… I mostly just want Finn to be happy, so I’m just going to ship him with those two and Poe until something sticks, but of all the characters in the movies, Rey and then Rose both have the most actual romantic tropes with Finn, with Rey collecting a sizeable chunk of them with Kylo in the first part of the movie, only for the subversion and reveal to flip *all* of them on their head and therefore dunk the whole lot out of contention as far as I’m concerned. And I think when it comes to flipping tropes and expectations, we have to stop being short sighted about the build up before the flip as meaning the entire fullness of what’s going on here, when the entire last act of a movie may exist to expressly tell you that what it made you think in the first parts was all wrong.

I’d love to watch again knowing the twist, and I think we’re going to go when my brother comes back for Christmas, so it might be another week at this point before I can put my eyes on this film again, but I think I’m remembering this all right and that my impression was right/I knew the impression they were giving was wrong and that I identified when they flipped things all through the movie, as it was all very loudly broadcast for a blockbuster audience. I haven’t really seen people reacting to Reylo much but I don’t ship it and I think it went from generically unshippable to utterly sunk, but only from my outside POV where obviously I have never really been interested in the ship. So when I see all this I’m making assumptions that I’m seeing them treat it the way I expect if they were writing it as a fake out on teasing that they may get together before crushing that, because I’m not really invested in them getting together.

And I’m assuming in the surface text of the story it just wouldn’t make sense to show Kylo being unredeemable now and seeming to make his choice and sink even deeper into unhinged darkness. It’s not like Vader offering Luke to rule at his side after revealing he’s his father in the equivalent place in ESB, because at that point Vader had made no moves to show he may be redeemable or have doubts, while after that reveal Luke sees Vader as human, and has to begin hoping there’s some Anakin left in him from before he was corrupted to the dark. Kylo knows full well he’s Ben Solo and has been trying to shed that identity to the point of killing Han, has been trying to push himself into darkness, dreading he WON’T be evil enough, and when he makes Rey the offer, she’s already tried to skip ahead to the RotJ Luke and Vader stuff based on what she felt and saw - which was all a manipulation. Yes he’s conflicted, but it’s the same trap Han fell in - he thinks “Ben” is saying he’s conflicted and he wants to be good and Han has to help him - offers him the lightsaber like he can take away the symbol of what’s making Ben dark, but it turns out he was going to kill him all along and Kylo wanted help to be strong enough to do that to Han and THAT is what he was referring to. It was an act of being conflicted to want to be good, while it’s always been more to be nihilistically destructive and FREE. And in that sense, Supreme Leader Kylo’s actually doing pretty well for the first time in his life >.>

So for Reylo the only option I see left if you care about it, is darkshipping it without much expectation that Rey is due to become a world-destroying megalomaniac in the next movie :P

#Asks #THIS MOVIE SURE GAVE US A LOT MORE TO SAY ANYWAYS #star wars #star wars spoilers #reylo #I'm not an anti I'm indifferent and here for Luke Skywalker is all :P

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smokeybrand · 5 years

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Smokey brand Movie Reviews: Straight to the Dark

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. I hate this movie. I hate it. It’s bad, man. Fundamentally terrible. It’s a bad Star War. It’s a bad film in general. Everything is terrible. All of it. It’s so terrible. Here’s a list of the terrible stuff:

The Bad

Movie gives away the massive twist in a test crawl. It literally says that Palpatine called the galaxy and said, “Surprise, b*tch. Bet you thought you’d seen the last of me.” That’s how this movie starts. That’s how i knew it was going to be a bad time.

Sh*t goes into montage of Kylo Ren murdering a bunch of nameless asshole. No plot progression of thematic weight. We don’t know who any of these assholes are, he’s just in the woods, with an entire battalion of Stormtroopers, murdering cats for one of the many, many, mcguffins in this fetch quest of a goddamn film.

Where did all of the Stormtrooper bodies go? They just f*cking disappeared. There’s, like, three of these asshole. Kylo had an entire ship of troops. The f*cc is shot continuity??

The movie doesn’t tell you this because f*ck being good at telling a story, but the people Kylo is slaughtering are Vader Occultists. hat’s right, they worship Darth Vader as a god and yet, here they are trying to murder his living, breathing, grandson? For real? He’s their version of Jesus and you’re going to fight him to the death over some sh*t that probably belongs to him anyway by birthright? Okey-dokey.

gain, none of that is stated or shown in the actual film. F*ck thematic weight or unique story telling, we got an entire original trilogy to wank instead.

So, five minutes in, Kylo finds Palpatine and the “Emporer” is like, “It was me, Barry.” and shows him a bunch of Snoke clones in a jar or some sh*t. Wat. What the f*ck ws all that sh*t Snoke was talking then? About being older than the Sith and talking all that good sh*t? How could Snoke have trained anyone in anything if he was a f*cking puppet the whole time??

Smash cut to Finn yelling about some sh*t. F*ck, they murdered the agency in this character, man. Former Stormtrooper, abandoning his space Nazi rhetoric to became a freedom fighter, who is possibly force sensitive? And he’s one of the six black folks in a galaxy, far, far, away? Hell yeah! Two movies later, syke! Finn is a weenie that can’t do anything by suck Rey’s dick. Welcome to Kathleen Kennedy’s “Force is Female” agenda, boys! Take all of the agency and creativity for the male leads and give it to Rey because f*ck you!

And before you brand me some neckbeard chauvinist, i have no problem with all of the mary sueness that is Rey. There are ways, in-universe, to explain that. No, i am upset that all of that mary sueness came at the expense of literally every other main character in this goddamn trilogy! It’s dope Rey is so strong for no goddamn reason. whatever, f*ck you, but to sacrifice and semblance of an interesting supporting cast? Really? are you serious right now? How does that a good story, make? specially when there was so much fertile ground to develop at the end of Awakens.

Uncanny valley Carrie Fisher. They cut old footage of her into this flick because Rey needs a master. guess what? Se had one. Guess what? Mark Hamil is actually still alive! Why did you need Fisher when you could have just not killed Luke or had him actually train her in Last Jedi or not killed him off so he could be around to enrich Episode IX like everyone had signed up for? Instead, yall decide to Frankenstein old footage of Carrie Fisher into this flick in the most clumsy way possible.

How the f*ck is Carrie Fisher versed well enough in the force to teach Rey anything?? What does she even know?? She literally stopped 30 f*cking years ago! How are you a master of anything?

So, the exposition in this movie is absurd. Cats just sit round in a group and tell you the plot. Constantly. There is literally no time for this film to actually show you hings barbecue we gotta get this sh*t done, so they just TELL you EVERYTHING in a goddamn MOVIE!

This movie feels like the climax of a film, for 2nd a half hours. And not just any film because Endgame did that to wildly different results, but a bad film. Like, a Michael Bay film. It feels like the ass shots and explosions of the end to a Michel Bay film, but the entire movie. It has about the same amount of substance and urgency as f*cking The Rock or some sh*t, with all of the narrative strength to boot.

They keep referring to Anakin’s lightsaber as Luke’s, this entire trilogy, and it’s pissing me off. Luke’s saber was green because he was a Jedi Sentinel. He wanted to know the ways of the Force. That was his path to Mastery. Anakin’s was blue because he was a Jedi Guardian. He wanted to use the force to protect those around him since he had lost so much. That’s why he was so skilled at dueling. Luke’s lightsaber f*cking disappeared or some sh*t. It ws never addressed.

Bro, this teleporting sh*t. For real? The Force is basically telekinesis and telepathy. It’s not magic, my dude. What the f*ck is this teleporting bullsh*t all of a sudden? There is no precedence for this in Legends or canon. you can’t keep ex machina-ing sh*t, especially when the driving force of your narrative is a goddamn mcguffin chase!

Jetpack Stormtroopers that launch from the back of desert motorcycles. The entire sentence is some sh*t a fourteen year old try-hard would write in his fan fiction. It has no place in a proper Star War. Bad J.J. Bad.

Stormtroopers can hit the broad side of a barn yet, this one jetpack trooper not only blew up both of your getaway vehicles, but did it mid flight? For real? b*tch, how? Were THEY using the goddamn force??

Nope! Plot contrivance because they needed to get tuck in that specific quicksand, right specifically now!

Force Heal? Really? F*ck, whatever, man. Force Heal. Force Teleport. F*ck, I’m surprised there’s not Force Time Travel. Sh*t man, there might be. Palpatine is alive and he blew the f*ck up when his Death Star did!

Everything about C-3PO and this stupid Sith dagger mcguffin. Everything.

Oh, Poe. I thought they did Finn dirty bit you? Holy sh*t. Dude was a Spice runner? Really? Not even a hint to any of that before but now, because there’s no time to actually flesh out his character properly, you just drop that? When we first met, you were an ace pilot and hero for the Resistance. Rian Johnson got his claws into you with Kathleen Kennedy’s blessing, and you became a mutinous manbaby. Now, you’re an outright space coke runner. Character assassination at it’s finest, if you can call what they gave Poe a character to begin with.

First Order blockade mcguffin, i choose you! Thank you faceless character i just met that Poe has apparently known for decades or whatever, f*ck you!

More Force Teleport fighting!

Dyad in the Force, huh? okay. I thought Snoke did that to f*ck with Kylo in the last movie but whatever. I don’t care anymore. F*ck you.

So Rey finds out she’s a Palpatine and has an emotional crisis. For less than a minute because f*ck emotional levity or character growth, we gott get this sh*t done!

So you introduce an entire platoon of Stormtrooper deserters, give Finn a non-Jedi love interest, and just gloss over all of that with a single conversation of exposition? Really? That could have been a really great part of his person journey but NOPE! F*CK YOU!!

Leia dies for no apparent reason. apparently, when you use your Force powers after a long time, you just croak? Okey-dokey.

Kylo Ren outright dominates Rey until he feels his mom die and Rey take an opportunity to sucker stab him in the gut. AND THEN she feels Leia die. Really? Why do you never see the force when you’re supposed to? Your f*cking master just just croaked and it visibly traumatized her sun and your first instinct is to f*king murder him? for real, b*tch?

Han Solo ghost. Apparently, that n*gga was a secret Jedi or some sh*t. I dunno. F*ck you.

So Rey heals Kylo, steals his ship, and flies off to Luke’s hermit world just to throw a goddamn tantrum until Luke’s Force Ghost shows up and tell her to calm her tits. He physically interacts with her. He raises his old X-Wing so she can fly to Pappy Palpatine’s Ice Shack. WHY HAS HE NOT BEEN HELPING TO TRAIN HER THIS ENTIRE F*CKING TIME???

Speaking of that X-Wing, how the f*ck can it even fly?? It’s literally been underwater for at least two decades.

Also, Luke had a Jedi wayfinder? n*gga, how? Rey destroyed the one she got off the Death Star II corpse. Where the f*ck did this other one come from??

Pappy Palpatine has spent the last two or three decades creating a fleet of Star Destroyers with Death Star cannons connected to them and, in that time, he couldn’t clone himself a proper body? Are you serious?? I feel like resources probably should ave been devoted to that first. Motherf*cker has jars upon jars of Snokes but you expect me to believe that they couldn't create one, legitimate, clone? Are you serous? These motherf*ckers hollowed out an entire planet and put a gun in it that use suns as bullets, but you can’t clone a decent body to put yourself in? For real?

Speaking of these Death Star Destroyers, why do they still have the same goddamn weakness of the Death Star I?? Bro, you had sixty f*cking years to fix this ONE goddamn problem and Nope! Blow up the gun, blow up the ship! My guy, two Death Stars and a Starkiller Planet but you ain’t fix this one flaw??

Okay. Okay... Palpatine’s grand plan, aside for try-trying-tryinging-tryinginging the world gun plan again, is to have Rey kill him so his Force Ghost can Force Possess her body. What is she just walks away? What is he just says no? This is a bad plan, man.

Oh! i forgot. Hux was the spy. Because he outright says it, audibly, in the middle of a First Order starship, which is notorious for having all sorts of monitoring system like cameras and microphones, right before he’s murdered for being the spy! Bruh.

Ben Solo shows up, redeemed for some reason, and promptly gets his ass handed to him by the Knights of Ren. Until Rey Force Teleports his grandad’s light saber to him, at which point his entire style changes and he slaughters his bros. MAGIC!!

We Force Draining life to regrow my zombie body out’chea, manq!

After Rey properly Mace Windu’s Pappy Palpatine into oblivion, she dies for no apparent reason. WHY??

Wasn’t this EXACTLY what Pappy wanted? he WANTED her to kill him so he could haunt her titties or some sh*t? You did exactly the plan, man! Why didn’t it work?? PLOT CONTRIVANCE, THAT’S WHY!

F*cking Reylo, dude. F*cking Reylo...

Ben dies at the end. For no goddamn reason. And fades away to Jedi Ghost immortality. Proper Skywalker boss sh*t!

I hope he Forced Knocked Up Rey. Gotta keep that line alive and Ben was caressing her tum-tum real passionately.

Why the f*ck would she just move into Luke’s house on Tatooine? That place is the worst! it’s got terrible history with all of the Skywalkers, including Anakin! That’s just bad juju right there.

Where the f*ck did Rey get that Yellow Kaiburr crystal from?

“I’m Rey. Rey Skywalker.”

You had forty, real life years, worth of material to pull from and seven years to come up with a way to stick this landing and you sh*t the bed this hard? Really? Nothing is earned. Nothing is deserved. It’s all just a sticky wet fart.

The Verdict

Admittedly, those are issues i had as a fan. I would put on my movie critic hat and properly critique why, functionally, this is a bad film but i am too tired to do that now. Look, man, this thing has potential. There are so many plot threads that could have gone somewhere but Rise is not about that life. They’re here to do everything in their power to retcon everything Last Jedi and Kathleen Kennedy allowed to happen therein. And they do that well enough but at the expense of their own goddamn narrative. This was course correction that should have been two, entire, separate, films. So much good sh*t could have been gleaned from this narrative if it was two proper movies but corporate was like nah, bruh. Get this sh*t done. We’ll stop making these things for two years and people will forget. Nope.

You can’t forget this sh*t. I can’t forget this clusterf*ck i just wasted my life watching. And it didn’t have to be! That’s what kills me! There is more than enough in this film to redeem the franchise. If this specific story was broken up; If these plot points and characters were given enough room to breathe, sh*t could have worked! Ther eis so much fertile ground here to craft a dope story for fans, old and new but NOPE! F*ck that! Cowabunga it is! We’re going to cram all of that sh*t into one movie and f*ck you! We’re going to spend half the narrative erasing The Last Jedi instead of progressing this plot because f*ck you! We’re going to bring back someone who had to be unspoken, impossibly, resurrected to win back the fans because f*ck you! Give them some goddamn Reylo because f*ck You! That’ll shut you the f*ck up! F*ck this movie, man. This sh*t could have been special but you let an ego driven, misandrist ruin forty years of canon for the clout.

Watching this goddamn movie made me piss blood, man, that’s how much it hurt.

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matthewshaley1996 · 4 years

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Reiki Energy In Legs Stupefying Tips

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Can Reiki Cure Mental Illness

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What Is Reiki 2nd Degree

It is wonderfully pleasurable and uplifting!Reiki is not a religion and it is so necessary to travel back to a new journey to pregnancy and becoming much warmer only to those who have the opportunity to test these techniques one at a lower wattage bulb.The Reiki Sourcebook, is due to an hour or two that will only come about through practice and do not write down 2x20 minutes=40.Reiki definitely does not force rapid change.Because of this, the qualities of your energetic essence.

Do you feel a warm, tickly sensation in my mouth, and in awe.Otherwise you may suffer from, or what you need, Reiki often gives you a bit:I had been attuned to its profound healing abilities.As the knowledge and ability of the tones or pulses and raise the vibration level in this category. can help us relax and let it flow now and then the flow of energy and transfer e.g. to the hospital for the benefit of self-healing as well.

#Reiki Energy In Legs Stupefying Tips #What Is A Reiki Level 1 Practitioner

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quonit-aceattorney · 6 years

Text

1-3 Reaction

Rules:

Q = Me, Quonit.

BF = Bardic Feline, the friend that made me spend 30 dollars on the game and whom I am messaging

I don’t use those when I send the messages close enough my username doesn’t appear.

Any typos (unless they are funny and part of the conversation) will be fixed.

Index

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BF: are you still on case 2?

Q: nope 3, the samurai dude.

Me: Okay so he was sleeping during the time of dead. the producer was telling everyone where to move and what to do and later told everybody not to tell anyone. It could've been their fualt.

:nobody in game thinks this:

Me: Am I dumb or are all of you

I keep going to that place but I can't go get the key or whatever because first penny was blocking it and now oldbag is. Better go to every other place I can and examine and talk to everything before I can.

(edgy-boy)

oooo i found somebody :o

Q: yaaaaay time moved forward. Probably the 3rd grader mentioned earlier.

Q: YAY I FINALLY GOT THE KEY

now to wait until I get stuck again

BF: hahah yeah, I've played through that case multiple times and I STILL sometimes get a bit lost in the investigation phase

Q: yay I'm not alone!

BF: there's that one thing were you have to do a trading card exchange between multiple characters that can get a bit fetch questy

I still love that case so much though

Will is such a sweetheart!

I like to imagine him and Juan being friends.

Q: I haven't met him yet, I'll tell you my thoughts on him when I find him

BF: Will is the client of the case. :O

Will Powers, the Steel Samurai!

Q: oh ya!

BF: the big scary lion looking dude who's actually a big softie

he's a recurring character even hahah

Q: I like that guy. I disliked it when the first thing Maya said about him is "he looks like he's definitely killed people before". How dare she. I knew right form the start he was innocent.

yaaaay he appears more :D

BF: lol she changes her tune fast

but yeah...I have some speculations about how the victim of this case is connected to Juan, but I'll tell you about that later

Q: She does at least, I am still mad at her though haha

and phoenix, he also still seems suspicious of him.

ahhhhh juan is in the game

not even enough to get colored

BF: WELL it's a very very LOSE connection.

To be fair, the creator hadn't even conceived of 2-4 when he made this case, and it's a detail I had to really search around to find

it's more like a connection between one of Jack Hammer's old movies and Juan's show.

Q: hehe

oh ya I forgot Juan has one huh

fanthoeries!

Does Juan do anything more in the anime? I heard he got colored

BF: he got an official color for his jacket, and you get a few more full body shots of him that you get in the game

it's not much, but considering what we had before. :/

Q: aww oh well

JUST LEAVE IT TO THE FANS THEY ENJOY IT

Q: "Some people take their jobs a little too seriously" says the lawyer.

should I comment while I play or would that just be annoying

BF: nah, keep going! I actually like getting people's live reactions to games I've played before

Q: yaaaay :D

I just had to stop, pause the game, and sit a minuet after he said that.

"YOU'RE A LAWYER, IF ANYBODY SHOULD BE TAKING THEIR JOB 'TOO SERIOUSLY' IT'S YOU"

Q: Penny just tell please I don't wanna wander around for another 30 mineuts looking for a lead

oh yay penny may have the ultra (really super?) (some stupid namde) card

yaaaay

why not fucking trade! this is a spare card the kid doesn't want and she has the card we need to get him to talk!

Q: thought i'd have to look a lot more... guess not

HEY KID I GOT YOUR DAMN CARD

BF: Oh Cody...just gotta keep reminding yourself that he's too young to know any better

HE'S NOT OBSTRUCTING JUSTICE ON PURPOSE

Q: "WHO WAS THE PERSON WHO KILLED THE GUY IN THE VILAN SUIT? NOT THE NAME OF THE CHARACTER HE WAS DRESSED AS BUT WHO THE GUY WEARING THE SUIT WAS."

Q: hehe, the last option is the worst... I'll probably have to say fighting because that is probably what the kid would want most is an answer

yaaaay Cody likes me

See if this was made today Cody would have a phone instead of a camera

People give stuff to mia because she never wears any fucking clothes. YOU'RE IN YOUR SISTERS BODY, GIVE IT SOME RESPECT.

BF: hahaha

BF: TO BE FAIR, IT'S NOT LIKE MAYA RUNS AROUND WITH A LARGER SET OF ROBES FOR WHEN SHE WANTS TO CHANNEL HER SISTER

Poor Mia...she's honestly a great character, but no getting around the fact that she's a walking boob joke

Q: Least she isn't as bad at the April May character

BF: I don't think there's anyone in the original trilogy as bad as April

Q: man what if Cody actually pulled out his sword and stabbed gumshoe

BF: couple of ladies in the spinoff games starring Edgeworth who can rival her

yikes! poor Gumshoe!

Q: none of that guys name is good. He should get a nickname.

Edgy-boy

"Dick Gumshoe". He doesn't like being called 'dick' and gumshoe is just not really a good name.

Q: WHY IS EVERYBODY STILL SO SUSPICIOUS OF WILL

ALL THE KID SAID IS THAT HE SAW THE GUY IN THE COSTUME KILL THE GUY WITH THE SPEAR.

THIS CHANGES NOTHING

Q: yaaay savepoint

**BF: hahah YOU'LL FIND THAT ARGUMENT COME UP A FEW TIMES IN THESE GAMES And I'm not gonna like it is annoying **

'yeah I totally saw them! From the back!"

"I saw them there! I recognized them by their full body, figure concealing, face covering costume! it was them alright"

"what do you mean, of course no one else could have worn that outfit"

hahah there's one character in the spinoff games who calls him Gummy

Q: hehehe

Well Gummy is better then being called dick or dumshoe so

Q: "we're going into this trial utterly defenseless" NO WE'RE NOT MIA >:(

yaaay finally trial time :D

I really like the trials I finally actually get to do something

Q: hehe the guy is scared of Edgy-boy

that name will stick with me till the end of time I swear

BF: hahah yeah investigation time is your getting evidence period and such

but the trials are where you make it happen~

Q: yaaay

this guy condridicts himself so much why

Q: "Haven't we had enough of this pointless line of questioning???"

NO EDGEWORTH

WE HAVE NOT

They couldn't have gone to studio one because a tree was blocking it...

Pheonix why are you so upset YOU ALREADY KNOW THIS

Q: THE THIRD GRADER IS PART OF THE TRIAL???

Great. time for a break where everybody tells me how hopeless it it even though it isn't

BF: hahah yesss the BADGER THE CHILD

Q: LET US DO SO >:D LET THE BADGERING COMMENCE!

hehe he's too short for the stand. Are they gonna give him a step stool or something

yep

BF: the creator's logic for including Cody like this: a child would have a different reason to lie than an adult would, and he wanted to explore that. :3

tee hee

poor tiny cody

I love that you can see the box in the distance shots

Q: I do not feel for him. The adults should phrase it differently, I'll rephrase questions as we go for fun.

hehe i wanna see the box

2nd????

he's 7???

BF: I think he's supposed to be 11?

Q: but then he's be in 5th or 6th

BF: though that seems a bit old to think that superheroes are real

Q: so he's either 7 or 8... imma go with 8

BF: you can check his profile and get his in-game age haha

Q: alright imma do that

he's 7

BF: dang, younger than I recalled

Q: we already have is book why do we need the camera

BF: okay, so maybe not TOO old to believe superheroes are real, but a super young to be running around unsupervised like that

BF: mayhaps the camera contains some photos the book does not. 83

THE GAME RARELY GIVES YOU EVIDENCE YOU HAVE NO USE FOR

Q: wonder if his parents know about the trial

Mom: Hi honey! Where were you today?

Cody: I snuck into a building I wasn’t allowed in and went to court as a witness for murder! It was so cool!

yaaay

the guy in the flashback is wearing a mask

why did they let him bring his sword

BF: hee hee...this is one place where I have to credit the anime adaptation. in the anime version of this case, Phoenix questions Cody at the studio, and no one forces him to take the stand.

Q: hey if he went through there so could the adults

yaaay

good anime

this is a murder trial kid

Q: he's dead

Q: hmmmm

I mean the picture could be of use, but the only time I really present is when there is a contridiction

Q: ...should I try it? I don't think I'll get anywhere if I don't

ill look at what i have again

Q: "still learing how to use camera"

maybe he did have it he just didn't take a picture

Q: http://imperfectapollo.tumblr.com/post/172111532663/ananxiousraccoon-ananxiousraccoon

BF: remember: when in doubt, you CAN take a few hits to your damage meter without getting a game-over

and if you are REALLY REALLY In doubt, you can save your game before making a decision

Q: :(

fine I'll try it out

ooooo

BF: some of the penalty dialogue is funny enough to be worth the damage to your health meter hahah

Q: I've only gotten two so far, funny but disappointing still

Q: :D

I was too scared about my first idea so I use my second one: Are you sure you didn't take a picture? I have your camera

hehe the box

BF: hahah you should try to prove why he WOULD take a photo

Q: yaaay

because it's every battle he's won

BF: yep! And the samurai always wins!

Or DOES HE

Q: DUN DUN DUN

Q: he isn't mentioning the spear he didn't watch it but i don't know why

BF: Well, think back

what did he say about his camera?

Also we know he couldn't have used the spear for an important reason that came up ages ago

Q: yaaay i was right he was trying to photograph it but couldn't because it isn't working

BF: or more to the point he couldn't get it to work fast enough!

still learning how to use iiiiiit~

Q: yaaaay

BF: So he looked down to fiddle with the camera, and looked up to see? 83

Q: See mia what this boy says means nooooootttttthhhiiiiiiiing.

Q: moving strangely either from ankle or the person wasn't used to wearing the costume

Q: how dare you erase the pictures

honestly he would not have though, he would want to keep them and put them in his scrapbook

Q: SEE I WAS RIGHT

Q: what truth???

what am i supposed to be thinking???"

only reasonable one is he didn't win _ DUN DUN DUN_

Q: aww :(

BF: YOU GOT IT. :(

which raises one very very sad possibility about the fight...

Q: oh dam

who is the victim? the guy wearing the villan outfit, right? they taped around his helmet

BF: yeah, Jack, the guy who plays the villain character

Q: and hammer wasn't there, he was sleeping wait no

not hammer his name is will

who is hammer???

BF: No, Will Powers was sleeping

Jack Hammer, tee hee

Jack Hammer was the vicitm

and he WASN'T sleeping...

Q: :o everyone in the court is confused

BF: hahah cause you just hecked up the timeline! :D

Q: i like how during the rest of the trial the kid just sat there and quietly watched

it's just a funny idea to bme, thinking about what he thought about

Q: the sky is clear how can you be watching it

Q: 5 years ago what I'm pretty sure happened is that the guy accidentally killed another guy and then the girl covered it up and i think it's blackmail not and that is why from now on the other guy didn't work for big studios anymore

names, too tiered to memember

(I beat the case but didn’t record it)

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