#i love kreia and her quotes so much

[raven-of-domain-kwaad]

“The slightest push, the smallest touch, sends echoes throughout life. Even an act of kindness may have more severe repercussions than you know or can see...”

“... and perhaps in the end all you have wrought is more pain.”

[425599167]

i gotcha boss, 1, 20, or 2

1. Tell us about your current project(s)  – what’s it about, how’s progress, what do you love most about it?

FNB is on hold due to life being terrible, but I do want to get back to it for the expanded cast, particularly some new villains I worked on. I’ve turned my ultimate Glup Shitto into Ahsoka’s creepy antagonistic foil and I want to show him off.

Unfortunately, fanfiction can’t buy food so I have to focus on side work which will make as much money as possible. I must get out of here. I must get free.

2. Tell us about what you’re most looking forward to writing – in your current project, or a future project.

There are many, many moments in FNB I want to get to but I won’t spoil, the most immediate is Round 3 between the Fulcra and the Sith agents, and the aftermath of it.

20. Tell us the meta about your writing that you really want to ramble to people about (symbolism you’ve included, character or relationship development that you love, hidden references, callbacks or clues for future scenes?)

A Jedi's Duty provided more confirmation of me being right about everything Barriss-related, and also reinforces why Revan is the perfect character to give her further training.

Barriss's key problem is that she's powerless. She knows how much danger she's in, she knows how everything is spiraling, but she can't do anything about it because she starts out a padawan with little combat skill, no authority, and no control over the situation. The short story is all about how she doesn't think she has any choices. Luminara and Tutso Mara are clearly aware she's troubled and ask if she can handle the tasks ahead, but it doesn't matter if they ask because Barriss knows what her duty is and doesn't think she has a real choice. She won't tell anyone she can't do what's being asked of her because that would mean failing her duty as a Jedi, then she gives up what little power she had over her life. Then she started making choices, and they were the worst ones possible. Wow. Those were terrible.

Enter Revan, a character whose most iconic descriptor is "Revan was power." I don't like putting characters into power tiers, and I like quoting Kreia even less, but even I have to point out that she instakilled three Jedi Council members simultaneously. That’s one hell of a benchmark. Aside from being practically unstoppable, Revan is an RPG player character, they're all about choices. I think of the dialogue choices in KotOR as not just options the player sees, but options Revan is considering. Even if Revan is played 100% light side, they're not a perfect angel who could never conceive of taking the dark path, every disturbing option crossed Revan's mind before they chose otherwise.

Jedi teaching exalts restraint, and despite Sith encouraging ambition, masters always work to keep apprentices weak for as long as possible to be controlled and exploited. By contrast, Revan is very much trying to make Barriss as strong as possible, as fast as possible, no strings attached with the philosophical discussions focusing on making smarter strategic decisions and thinking outside the box, making choices where none were given. That’s exactly what she needs, not only to protect herself and survive, but to find means of successfully undermining the Empire.

This manifests on Ilum when despite being hopelessly outmatched and with Ahsoka captured, Barriss dictates the terms to the Grand Inquisitor, a character who, as she points out, can’t make any choice except to meet her demands. Another reason I'm happy with Obsolete Products is because it shows Barriss's development as she refuses to be railroaded again.

[sovonight]

therealflurrin replied to your post “[[MOR] oh vampire/vampire hunter au?”

Oh plz tell me more. Did Kreia turn her? What does Cel hunt to live? What's Atton's Dark Backstory in this context

okay what i have so far:

i think revan turned cela??? and that was 10 years ago so that's why atton says she's young, she's only a few years older than he is (when that sinks in half his brain is like “romance time” and he has to step back to be like haha what)

kreia found cela after she'd (ugh) already gotten used to drinking animal blood and TRY AS KREIA MIGHT cela refuses to feed from humans. it's partly a morality thing and hard-to-get-consent thing, and partly bc cela had a few bad experiences when she was just starting out (y'know, the classic blacking out and waking up with blood everywhere). she used to fear herself but became more comfortable w kreia's help, so she feels indebted to kreia even as she disagrees with a lot of kreia's practices

atton's target is kreia (even though he doesn't know her by that name or appearance, but give him a break he’s going off a very old description), and kreia (who knows Someone is out to get her) leaves cela shortly before the story begins, so atton runs into cela instead. the reason atton doesn't just kill cela when they meet is because 1) he's not that person anymore 2) cela turns out to be a lead in the hunt 3) their scuffle ended in a “tie” anyway (quotes around tie because cela wasn’t actually trying to hurt him, just make him listen)

atton's dark backstory is probably that he got too into hunting vampires; like had he stayed he would've reached a point where he believed in completely eradicating them, regardless of how benign they'd made their lifestyle. to align w canon he was probably trained with others to hunt down vampires that revan saw as threats, and he left because he was saved by one (ofc). he still uses his skills to kill the dangerous ones (that really prey upon humans and are young enough to be blatant or foolish about it) for a price-- but as a non-famous freelance hunter he’s perpetually either broke or close to broke. killing kreia (a contract better-known hunters refused bc it’s a fool’s errand) would have him set for the next 15 years (low number but i just hesitate to say set for life) so he’s putting his all into this one contract, and it’s why he even tries working with cela in the first place

cela is motivated to help atton because hunting down kreia will (she hopes) lead to revan, who’s always been hard to find but has now practically disappeared, and no one but kreia would know where to even start finding her. kreia has told her not to mind it, that she’s not ready, that she doesn’t Need to meet revan, but revan’s disappearance and kreia’s likely-imminent death has made her quest feel a little more urgent. she’s fine with selling kreia out to atton because 1) she doesn’t really believe atton can kill kreia to begin with, like come on, and 2) she and kreia don’t see eye to eye on many things and if the things atton’s bringing up are true, if kreia really has been doing awful things even in the recent years cela’s known her, then cela doesn’t really want to defend her. just 10 years ago, cela was a regular human too, and she still very much aligns herself with them even if she shouldn’t

anyway atton falls in love even if he won’t admit it and at some point they need cela to be at full strength for the next part of the story or something and that only happens if she consumes human blood like she’s supposed to, but she refuses to drink from someone who doesn’t want it, and atton’s like okay use me and she’s like what??? and he’s like i love you, my body is ready it’s fine, just do it and he like tugs his collar down and she’s like .......atton no just your wrist is fine and he like blushes and gives her his wrist and it’s still romantic and it just makes him want the neck thing even more, which makes him feel weird, but he can’t stop wishing she’d take him already

after tasting atton’s blood, the pig’s blood she usually drinks pales way far in comparison (not because atton’s particularly special, but because she had 10 years to forget what human blood tastes like and forgot how big the difference is) so she keeps thinking about it and eyeing him and thinking about it and feeling Very guilty about it and being like no, this is atton who i’ve come to consider a friend, i will not reduce him to food, but her unacknowledged love for him is what makes him so appealing to feed from in the first place

anyway they are both Thinking About It so the next time there is even the barest excuse for cela to have to feed from atton, atton brings it up. he’s like, just to be safe,,, maybe you should,,,,, [he pushes up his sleeve] and she’s like yeah,,,, maybe i should,,,,, but no i can’t, we don’t need to, and they argue and she reveals that she cares about him too much to use him like that again and he’s like you’re not using me, i’m letting you, and she’s like why? and he's like, BECAUSE-- because money and the contract, now just drink

she refuses (because, money, right, that’s why he’s doing all this) and they get through the next part fine (so she didn’t need to feed from him anyway) and cela is Not Speaking To Him anymore (and atton misses her) so he admits he cares about her too, jokes that she looked so disappointed after going back to her usual food and that he didn’t think she’d accept if he didn’t give her a good excuse, and she kind of sees past his front a little to see he’s genuine and finally she’s like... okay. so she drinks from his wrist again and congrats, atton now dreams about kissing her under the moonlight

anyway they’re both thwarted in reaching their individual goals, atton doesn’t get his money and cela doesn’t get her confrontation/questions answered (for cliffhanger reasons???), but they confess their love for each other and they’re like maybe the real treasure was the love we found along the way. oh and now that they’re totally open w each other the neck thing happens

[rangerslayer-97]

An Analysis of Ahsoka and Windu's Interaction in TCW Finale Season 7 Episode 11 - Why Windu's Comment is in the Right

It's been 28 days since the Clone Wars finale finished. It has been 31 days since Episode 11: Shattered aired. This was the infamous episode that had a good majority raging anger at Jedi Master/General and Council Member Mace Windu.

In the opening 5-6mins, we see the Jedi Council meeting via hologram, the scene we see taking place on Coruscant in Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith. Moments after, Ahsoka walks in with Rex. Now, this opinion might put me in the crosshairs of some people who will think differently, but I have an inkling or belief some are misinterpreting this particular scene.

Let me make it clear first: I love Ahsoka. She is one of the greatest characters brought into the Star Wars mythos by George Lucas and brought to life by Dave Filoni and voiced wonderfully by the talented Ashley Eckstein. Do you want to know how much Ahsoka Tano means to me? I wouldn't have come back and embraced Star Wars again had I not discovered her character watching random Rebels clips on YouTube which led me back to the Clone Wars ~2yrs ago.

I greatly thank Ashley Eckstein for bringing me back to the fandom. Back to the main point, separating voice actor/actress from their character. In my point of view, I'm NOT directing it at EVERYONE, but some of those who love or big fans of Ahsoka so much there's no fault in her. Her character had faults in the beginning and she's still a flawed character. Ahsoka is flawed, but so well written, she is relatable and to a certain degree, perfect. That's not what I'm on about. It's about the lash and some giving Windu the slap because of how he addresses and speaks to Ahsoka post-capture and detainment of Maul.

We all know, but to refresh some, Ahsoka Tano left the Jedi Order, this effectively removing her status as a Jedi Padawan and Commander of the 501st Legion of the Grand Army of the Republic. She chose to walk away and strip herself of everything, military rank and privileges. She is essentially a standard citizen trying to survive and make ends meet of a cruel galaxy, in a dying Galactic Republic. We are well aware, the twilight of the Republic and the Jedi was near, inevitable and unavoidable. So let me reiterate Ahsoka's stance, because this is an important point. Tano is a CITIZEN. She's a CIVILIAN.

Push forward to the Siege of Mandalore, without a doubt, some time has passed and Ahsoka's walkabout took place before the Bad Batch arc, with Republic on shaky battle grounds against the Separatists on Annaxes, which it's sitting on a major hyperspace lane direct to Coruscant (way too close for comfort).

By the time Ahsoka fills in the Council about the status of Maul and Mandalore, here comes the scene that had a lot of people running up the walls of how Windu addresses and treats Ahsoka. Let's remind ourselves of some vital quotes and points. Ahsoka was not a Jedi, she gave that up. She could have chosen to enlist directly into the GAR instead as a commissioned officer or take back her position as Commander via the GAR. Positions and military rank were given to the Jedi by their own status in the Order. Knights and Masters given General, Padawans ranked Commanders (Obi-wan an exception since he had a Clone Marshal Commander).

The Siege of Mandalore was going to be a sticky one despite success because Mandalore is a neutral planet, though it had links to the Republic, but is very much neutral. I won't go into complexities, but visit the YouTube channel Generation Tech, they did a very good exploration into it. I'll avoid politics standpoints for now.

Back to the primary point. Ahsoka stated she only fought in the siege as her duty as a citizen, but as not a Jedi.

"I did my duty as a citizen." - Ahsoka Tano

She also says prior to that statement:

"I will escort Commander Rex when he delivers him to Coruscant." - Ahsoka Tano

Finished with:

"No, not yet." - Ahsoka Tano

This is the key point here. Ahsoka is a citizen. She aided as a citizen, fought as a citizen and she is taking time out to escort Commander Rex and the 332nd back to Coruscant. After that, she would have went her separate ways (but we all know disaster strikes). To make it clear: Ahsoka Tano is a citizen who freely involved herself in what would have been a campaign, part of the Outer Rim Sieges and in extension, Jedi business.

Now, the statement Windu make upon the 'wrapping up' of the meeting.

"I'm sorry, citizen, but these are matters for the Council to discuss." - Mace Windu

And this where lovers of TCW nearly flipped the table. The scenario was read and interpreted as rude and maybe even condescending on Ahsoka, despite her service in the siege. However, I think the scene is being read incorrectly.

Ahsoka openly stated before the High Jedi Council that she is a citizen, only fought as her duty as a citizen. How often in real life do you hear a citizen involving themself in a military campaign? It's almost unheard of, but this is Star Wars and it's fiction, but there is real life influences that make logical sense.

In this case, there is without a doubt somewhere in the regulation handbook of the GAR that under any circumstances are civilians NOT to be disclosed to military information. Military information and even to involved in the Council meeting, it's something not be shared with a civilian. Sharing what is classified information is a MAJOR breach in security. I'm not saying Ahsoka is a spy (though she does become a pretty badass one one in Rebels), but because of her status as a civilian, she cannot be disclosed such information. Heck, even if the boys wanted to see her again, Ahsoka cannot walk into the Clone Barracks anymore. She probably can, unless someone escorts her, people like Rex or a fellow General such as Anakin.

We already know Windu is getting stressed by the war, almost desperate to end the war and we all know the action he takes in the film. Windu does love the Republic, if I'm correct, it was quoted in Stover's ROTS novelisation, he thought he is doing best for the Republic.

Anyways, I think there are those being too harsh on Windu. Think about it again, I'd you were in Ahsoka's shoes, a citizen after fighting in a siege, essentially part of the Clone Wars, neither you would be privy to sensitive information. Windu is stoic as it is, it's not his attitude, it's his tone that came across as condescending. He was only repeating what Ahsoka stated to them, so his mindset was: "alright, you called yourself a citizen, then you shall be treated as such". Yes, his tone might not have helped much, but he is right. Ahsoka could be disclosed what is highly sensitive and classified information. If they did, just because she used to be part of the Order, it is A MAJOR BREACH in security protocol.

To repeat: Windu is correct to tell Tano that she cannot be disclosed what goes on in a Council Meeting or the situation of the war. It is all down due her status as a citizen. It would be a different story if after leaving the Jedi, she reinstated herself by enlisting with the GAR.

Just remember that despite misgivings, Windu is a highly valued member of the Jedi Order and a highly skilled one. He is also powerful in the Force. Before the war broke out in 22 BBY, he was trained as a Jedi Guardian, up to the events of TPM, he was already a Master of the Order and even one of the best swordsman of the time. He was first taught under Grand Master Yoda, then his years as Padawan up to the Jedi Knight Trials learning under Jedi Master T'ra Saa. At a very young agree too, he discovered his rare Force ability to see shatterpoints in the Force. This skill greatly aided Windu at how hissy would his future actions, along with the vulnerability of the opponents he faced. Because of his ability in shatterpoint, Windu even had glimpses into parts of the future of how he works build his lightsaber.

Windu also created one off the most difficult lightsaber forms that the Jedi Order forbade except to even and perhaps even his own student: Master Depa Billaba. Quinlan Vos is another notable practitioner. A counteract style to Form VII: Juyo. He created Vaapad, along with another Jedi Master named Sora Bulq. Quoting Windu on his description when he created the form:

"I created Vaapad to answer my weakness: it channels my own darkness into a weapon of the light." - Mace Windu

Windu had his own struggles with the Dark Side and he channelled that into a form. To use ones own inner darkness and channel it into a weapon of the light and not even fall in the process. It's an opposite of Juyo, the style being more of a 'state of mind' and not just another fighting style. To channel their own darkness and accept the fury of an opponent whereas Juyo as described by Kreia:

"Predictably, he seeks to unbalance you with his erratic attacks. His technique is called Juyo, the most chaotic of the lightsaber forms. This form sacrifices much to bolster offense, leaving one exposed to attack by the Force." - Kreia

This post had gone on long enough, all I'm saying is to maybe read the interaction between Ahsoka and Windu a little bit differently. Windu is correct not to disclose classified information, even council information especially with her status as a civilian. Perhaps don't be quick to judge Windu or even just think twice. Sorry for the long post, but I needed to get out of my head.

[mlmanakin]

I’d love to hear more thoughts about Atton when you have them.

tl;dr: i loved him! he was not at all what i expected in the best possible way. (and even if he was what i expected, i still probably would’ve loved him.) 

even on the surface, there was more to him than i expected. he’s witty and irreverent, but there’s this darker edge to that part of him. like, he’s (usually) not just being a class clown, it’s a little more... bitter and hostile (or defensive, depending on the situation). and the contrast between the more lighthearted side of atton and... everyone and everything else was just perfect. his interactions with kreia are the best example of this of course, but it’s really just... every time he speaks without being spoken to (with the bounty hunters on nar shaddaa, when you crash on telos, etc.).

and then you find out about his past. that conversation was super confusing to me at first, but even after i understood it, i just sat there and processed it for a while. i didn’t really know how to take it. i really loved that about the game in general. i was expecting a lot of black & white (or red & blue) morality, and while there were definitely some moments like that, there were also some moments where i genuinely did not know how to respond - at least, not with the exile’s background in mind. i chose to tell atton that i couldn’t forgive him, and his response was something like, “i don’t want you to. that would make it worse.” and that was one of my favorite moments. i LOVE characters who are unapologetic about their past, their decisions, etc. - even if they are moving on, recognizing they made a mistake, etc. (to interject with an example from the clone wars: ahsoka’s “maybe. but i have to sort this out on my own... without the council, and without you.” is one of my favorite quotes from her. definitely nowhere near equivalent situations, but i think it demonstrates my point.)

another conversation i really liked, which kind of expanded on some earlier dialogue which i also liked, was after you “eavesdrop” on him with kreia and he teaches you to “play pazaak.” i really do not know how to describe what i liked about it but... i liked it. i think both the actual concept of what he was teaching you and what that technique said about atton was really interesting.

and then his devotion to the exile... a+++++. (loosely related: my biggest disappointment from the game was that there was no final scene with the companions where you got some closure with them. your relationships all felt a little unresolved. like kotor 1 had a bunch of scenes past the point-of-no-return where you check in with your companions. kotor 2 had... none, really. like... i maxed out my influence on all of them and pretty much all i got were a few scenes of kreia talking about how obsessed they are with me which the exile doesn’t even hear. i want them to tell me how obsessed they are with me to my face!! although i did let atton die to sion at first so he could do that sfgskjgkjg but even that wasn’t satisfying.)

also... he’s a lil cute. (sion’s cuter tho... when he called me beautiful 😳😳😳 i tried to spare him so hard.)

[brokenedgeben]

Remember when I said I had more to say? You’re getting it.

A.k.a. my Sion/Exile vs. Reylo meta that I’ve been sitting on for quite a while now. Fair warning, this may start a rumble, but I have to get this out of my system.

Call it one of those moments when I realized that I am not against hero/villain pairings by default. I mean, my Darkpilot shipping aside, one of my favorite pairings when I was in the Knights of the Old Republic fandom was Darth Sion and the Jedi Exile (unfortunately only available if you play the female path. I’m guessing Chris Avellone didn’t want any Unfortunate Implications, to quote TV Tropes...?). Why does Sion/Exile work for me, and Reylo does not (besides my love of FinnRey and Darkpilot)?

Let’s look at the evidence.

For a bit of backstory, Knights of the Old Republic II follows a General of a fallen Jedi-turned-good-again (or bad again, depending on your choices), named simply the Jedi Exile (there’s one book that calls her Meetra Surik, but IMHO, she’s really the Exile in name only from what I heard), who has (SPOILERS) cut herself off from the Force after a traumatic event at the Battle of Malachor V. When she returns to Republic space, she, among other things, finds herself tracked by two Sith Lords intent on exterminating all Jedi everywhere. One’s a Sith Lord who feeds off the Force (it’s a long story). One’s Sion, who relies on his physical and mental anguish in order to survive things that would kill a normal person (including the explosion of a starship). As a result...well, he basically looks like this:

Yeah, that guy. This is when he’s confronting the Exile on Korriban (I know it’s Moraband in the new canon, but this is old canon). We’ll be going into that soon enough.

So, on the surface, SionExile and Reylo have similarities. Sion and Kylo even look somewhat alike.

Seriously, I don’t think it’s a stretch to think that they went to the same clothing designer. Difference is that Kylo’s not as seriously scarred, but I digress.

But in the end, there are definite differences in terms of how they’re executed. To begin with, Sion actually seems to care for the Exile, in a very twisted sense of the word. Kylo...if there’s any love in him for Rey, it would be a miracle. 

First meetings

For Sion and the Exile, they actually have two first meetings. One is on the Republic ship the Harbinger, when the Exile (along with her two party members, Atton and Kreia -- Kreia being who Sion has a very complex relationship with. He hates her, yet also yearns for her approval, even though it’s clear that she loathes him. And at the same time, he wants to save the Exile -- at least the female Exile -- from suffering the same fate he did, whatever happened to him pre-game) is trying to get off the mining colony Peragus. Sion makes his entrance to the Exile at the end of a long dark hall on the ship (unfortunately, I can’t find a good screencap of it), while saying (at least in the Restored Content mod), “I came to warn you, Jedi; you know not the path you walk.”

Their second first meeting comes on Korriban. Sion’s treatment of the female Exile is quite a contrast to how Kylo treats Rey. While he is rather creepy in terms of describing himself as having studied the Exile extensively (up to knowing where she walked when she was in Exile, her battles in the Mandalorian Wars, and more), he’s surprisingly gentle with her. 

For starters, in a video game, the voice acting is essential (along with animation, etc.) to convey emotions. In contrast to his angry Evil Cannot Comprehend Good treatment of a male Exile (Sion doesn’t understand why someone would turn away from power instead of embrace it), Sion is generally tender towards a female Exile in terms of how he speaks. His voice softens, and while there are instances where he seems genuinely confused as to why Kreia would sacrifice herself for the Exile either way, he shows sympathy for what she’s gone through (“You know what it means to be broken.”) and tries to warn her, again, about Kreia and what she’s capable of (”The one who travels with you will destroy you, as she did me. I can end it before it begins.”).

Now Sion, obviously, is not a destined partnership sort. Sion’s not even the character I mainly ship my female Exiles with (that would be Atton, God bless him). But it is noteworthy that even his facial expression seems to be softer in that screencap -- at least as soft as one can get considering the animation. Pretty decent animation for 2004, really. It’s also noteworthy that Sion’s voice goes a lot more tender when he says that line, almost like the Exile’s valuable to him. (We’ll get into that more later)

In addition, he has qualms about harming the Exile. After the Exile (temporarily) beats him in battle, he actually spares her, even ordering his assassins not to harm her. “She,” he says, “Has earned this. She and I will meet again.”

Even that shows more respect towards the Exile than Kylo shows towards Rey. The Exile may be his enemy, but he respects her for what she’s been able to accomplish (especially since, in both paths, he underestimates the Exile. The difference is that with a male Exile, Sion despises him, while with a female Exile, Sion begrudgingly respects what she’s capable of).

In contrast, Kylo’s meeting with Rey is much different. In her initial vision, Rey’s frightened of him:

He terrifies her in the forest of Takodana, blatantly:

There was quite a ruckus made over the fact that he carried her bridal style (and even that you would have to stretch quite a bit, considering that it reminded me more of how Michael Myers would carry a victim), but even then, the difference between bridal style and that is that you have to have consent from the carried (carry-ee? Who knows). Kylo didn’t have Rey’s consent when he carried her. He actively knocked her unconscious with the Force (it’s rather unclear, but he does wave his hand a little) in order to get what he wanted:

And lest we forget, he tortured her. “But brokenedgeben!” you may say. “You ship Darkpilot, and that’s way worse than Reylo!” 

Yes, I ship Darkpilot. The difference is that Darkpilot shippers never try to romanticize Poe’s torture or minimize it like Reylos do with Rey (some have said that Kylo didn’t really torture her). We acknowledge that what Kylo did is a terrible thing and actually try to work with it. Sion obviously never tortured the Exile (ergo, not much to go on), so the best we can do is get into Kylo’s torture of Rey. I remember reading multiple fics that tried to excuse and rationalize Rey’s torture, including saying it was okay because he didn’t use a torture droid on her like he (apparently) did to Poe. But does it really make it better? Let’s really look at the evidence here. Aside from taking off his mask for Rey and trying to explain to her why she’s here, he isn’t really any better towards her than he was towards Poe. In fact, the only difference is that Rey beats him in the end. When he’s interrogating her, and getting into her personal space, she’s crying, closing her eyes, and turning her face away:

She doesn’t want it. It’s easy to understand why JJ Abrams would compare this scene to a sexual assault -- Kylo refuses to get out of her head and she has to force him out, and then there’s the gratuitous closeness of the two (again, without Rey’s consent, so even if Reylo did exist, it would be one-sided at most) during the torture scene. 

Attitudes towards enemies

With Sion, it’s made abundantly clear that he does have compassion and respect towards the Exile, twisted as it is. That only becomes stronger as we get to Malachor V. Nihilus has been vanquished, but Sion and Kreia are still standing, and Sion is relegated to being Kreia’s servant again (after Kreia makes a point of Force Choking him). Now, Kylo had no qualms about bringing Rey to Snoke, and even watches idly as Rey’s tortured by Snoke:

When Rey’s tortured by Snoke, there’s no emotion on Kylo’s face. There’s very little emotion, actually. He does nothing to intervene until the last minute when he kills Snoke (and even Rian Johnson’s comments don’t necessarily suggest that he killed Snoke for Rey). Not to mention that he’s tortured Rey in the past, complete with very creepily getting into her space:

When Kreia and Sion discuss the Exile on Malachor, however, Sion immediately shows concern for her. He explicitly asks Kreia what she will do to the Exile, which Kreia mocks him for, even asking if he has feelings within that shell. (In contrast, aside from Snoke bringing up the idea of Kylo having compassion for Rey in the novelization -- very different from romantic love -- Kylo’s feelings for Rey are never acknowledged onscreen) Even when Kreia explains what she’ll do (which may have been a bluff, but Sion didn’t know that), Sion actually is furious -- he doesn’t show it explicitly, but the gesture he makes of helplessly clenching his fists says volumes, really. 

When Rey tries to sway Kylo away from the path he’s going down (and keep in mind she’s crying all the while), Kylo shouts at her, and then, to twist the knife further, forces her to say that her parents were basically nobody and then says, “You have no place in this story. You come from nothing -- you’re nothing. But not to me.” Even the last part could arguably be called a form of emotional manipulation. 

And keep in mind, Rey crying above? Kylo did this to her. All because she wanted to help him.

How does Sion handle the duel with the Exile? He explicitly says that he respects the Exile’s abilities -- twice, actually. “I cannot see as [Kreia] does, but I know that in time, you will surpass her power. But not here. Not [at Malachor].” And “You are strong. As strong as I had believed. But you cannot beat me. [Kreia] knows this.” Part of the last one is sheer denial of the fact that Kreia’s using him as a pawn in a very complicated game of dejarik, part of it is a belief that he’s saving the Exile by either having her leave the Academy or killing her himself. When the Exile tries to help him (albeit in a twisted way, considering that it actually does result in Sion’s death at the end), Sion doesn’t ridicule her. He doesn’t rub in the fact that she’s nothing. If anything, Sion’s words seem to be more of unhealthy twisted coping mechanisms literally trying to keep himself alive. His words are fundamentally turned against himself, while Kylo actively wants to (emotionally) break Rey into joining him.

Think about it. If Kylo really loved Rey, he would have appealed to her joining him by confessing he loved her. Not implying, but confessing. It still would have gotten the point across that Kylo is manipulative, but it would have been a major step up from basically humiliating her and putting her down to make himself feel better about the fact that Luke “chose” her over him (don’t believe me? The novelization explicitly says that Kylo’s jealous of Rey. So was Sion with the Exile, of course, but the waters do get muddied by the fact that he genuinely seems to care for her and worry for her in a twisted way). 

First, Do No Harm

During their duel in the forest on Starkiller Base before Rey gets the upper hand, Kylo has no qualms about knocking Rey unconscious to focus on Finn first (it’s only after he severely burns Finn that Rey actually reenters the fight). Does he suggest her joining him? Yes, and in an arguably less derogatory way than he does in TLJ, as he doesn’t focus on her origins as much as her power and potential. That’s actually the catalyst for Rey being able to defeat him, and keep in mind, during her duel, she’s absolutely furious with him (and justifiably so):

(This was the best GIF I got of angry Rey, BTW)

After Rey fundamentally rejects him on the Supremacy, Kylo has no qualms about harming her. He even orders the Falcon blown out of the sky (though he doesn’t succeed or Rey would be dead) by his TIE fighters when Rey shows up to the battle. In contrast, while Sion doesn’t hold back in his duel against the Exile, he repeatedly urges her to surrender and leave Malachor because he sees it as better than what Kreia will inevitably do to her (in his eyes). Johnson could have chosen to have Kylo hesitate in firing on Rey for whatever reason (after all, he had it in the beginning with Kylo refusing to fire on his mother), but he didn’t. He chose to have Kylo treat Rey as any other opponent he hated. 

The Confession

While Kylo never really confesses his feelings to Rey explicitly, some Reylo shippers have interpreted the “you have no place in this story” speech as a love confession simply because of Kylo’s “but not to me” at the end. The problem is that it doesn’t do anything to tie into Kylo’s character; it’s just awful. In contrast, Sion’s confession is...probably not going to win any awards for best confession ever, but it ties into his character organically and is unexpectedly poignant because it is basically Sion trying to comprehend feelings that aren’t simply the hate and anger that’s keeping him alive -- feelings that may literally kill him. Even the script directions for the dialogue (shown on this Wookieepedia page if you scroll to the bottom and look for the eleventh footnote) describe it as him trying to describe what love feels like to him. It’s part of his character and makes sense. It illuminates a part of his character. With Kylo, the “you come from nothing” speech could have been intended to serve a similar purpose, but what does it really reveal about him? Nothing, except him being a manipulative bastard. And Sion/Exile was never intended to be a destined partnership (those would fall to Atton/Exile and Disciple/Exile, respectively, for a female Exile. And possibly Visas/Exile and Handmaiden/Exile if you’re using a mod). It was all part of Sion’s character, not knowing what to do with his emotions that aren’t hate. 

Even while he’s dying, he doesn’t lose his affection for the Exile. He even, while warning her about Kreia a final time, says, “Her weakness is you. As you were mine.” Coming from the literal embodiment of the Dark Side, that’s actually touching in a way. 

A tale of two heroines

What also makes Sion and the Exile work is purely in a character-driven way -- Sion is a look into what the Exile could have become if she depended too much on the Force/fell to the Dark Side. (Nihilus is a more blatant parallel, but Sion definitely has his parallels too) The Exile keeps her character arc; she isn’t sacrificed identity-wise in order to try and save Sion. All throughout her encounters with Sion, she keeps her identity intact. And keep in mind, this was written in 2004. 

In contrast, everything about Rey’s character in The Last Jedi is sacrificed to serve Kylo. She’s willing to put herself in danger on the off chance (and a really forced -- if you pardon the pun -- off chance that there may be good in him). Luke had a more familial version of it with Vader, but he kept his character arc of becoming a Jedi intact. Rey is sacrificed to serve another, her story of becoming a Jedi ultimately consumed by Kylo’s story. And this was in 2017. And called a “feminist” film. Calling it feminist is a genuine insult to feminism. 

Does Rey get a chance to resolve her own conflicts? No. She’s relegated to resolving another’s conflict. When she confronts Snoke, it’s all about “Ben”, not resisting the Dark Side herself. Rey rarely gets a chance to have an identity of her own in TLJ until towards the end; it’s all about Kylo. But hey, what do I know? Obviously I hate things directed at women, despite being a woman myself. 

Conclusion

When a hero/villain relationship keeps the heroine’s agency more in a game written in 2004 than a movie in 2017, we’ve got problems on our hands. Even saying that KOTOR II was a deconstruction is no excuse, as The Last Jedi was a deconstruction as well. (I’m probably going to stir up some controversy considering that apparently KOTOR II and TLJ are Friendly Fandoms, but TLJ doesn’t even hold a candle to KOTOR II) The difference is that one got it right, and the other got it wrong. One defied sexist tropes, one succumbed to it. One made the villain sympathetic and even redeemable through the relationship, the other did not. 

So how would I have written Reylo? I wouldn’t have copied Sion/Exile word for word, but I’d take these lessons to heart:

-Emphasize the nature of Rey and Kylo as foils. Using Kylo as a foil for Rey would have arguably saved Rey’s character from becoming just a tool for Kylo, as she would have faced him in a way that was relevant to her becoming a Jedi in her own right. Even if you didn’t have her lose in the forest on Starkiller Base, she could be learning to resist the Dark Side, or at least struggling with it. You could even have her struggle with Luke’s teachings, at least in terms of what she’s learned. 

-Cut the whole matter of Kylo ragging on Rey’s origins. It really does nothing except make him look like a pointless jerk.

-Have Kylo actually show he cares for Rey. There were countless opportunities. He could have hesitated to blow her out of the sky on Crait. He could have expressed sympathy towards her parentage (even though he has no idea what she’s gone through, at least he’d be trying). He could have openly used his caring for her in order to get her to join his side. (Think Bastila with Revan) He could have warned her what Snoke would do to her and that she shouldn’t have come (though that would have gotten in the way of his plan to turn her, so there is that. Mostly suggesting, of course). 

-Build up to Rey actually caring for Kylo and wanting to save him. There was no transition to her sudden change of mind, not even a bit of foreshadowing. It makes me wonder if a scene got cut that never even made it into the deleted scenes. 

-Completely change the “You come from nothing” scene. Instead of having Kylo use Rey’s parentage against her, have him promise her a future -- a better future, in his eyes, than what she’s got. 

-Have Kylo try and warn her about Luke. It would have been a nice bit of foreshadowing for the fact that Luke’s not entirely the good guy. 

-Make it unique to their characters. Make it part of their individual arcs (as I would argue that Sion got an arc despite not being a party member). Make it unique and striking, and you can likely get some gems from there.

In the end, Reylo could have been a lot more. Rey could have been a lot more. The fact that a game made in 2004 had better writing, character development, feminism, and emotion than a movie made in 2017 really does say volumes about how Star Wars has evolved -- and how it may go in the future.

[carterhaughs]

TLJ Analysis (SPOILERS!)

I absolutely loved The Last Jedi. It deepened my understanding of all the characters involved in a way the first movie didn’t, while at the same time making me appreciate the first film more. This film also felt like more of a standalone feature rather than just an installment in a series, which is always a good thing. The Force Awakens functioned mostly as a prelude or an overture of sorts, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but makes for a weaker film. 

I walked away from The Force Awakens liking all the characters but not really feeling like any of them had a particularly strong character arc other than Finn and Kylo. This film remedied that, and then some, adding the wonderful Rose Tico into the mix as well. Looking back on my analysis of Rey in the first film and the things I wanted for the second film, The Last Jedi pretty much checked off the whole list and delivered on all of it, big time:

The spiritual and psychological element of the Force is very important to me and we almost don’t get enough of it in this movie - although I think a lot of that has to do with this being the introduction of these characters, and I think that Daisy and Adam did a really good job with what was included.

All that being said, I needed more quiet moments with Rey because any Force-sensitive character is best-written with a hefty side of introspection. I needed to see more quiet moments in the film in general - slower moving scenes that focused solely on characterization. Nowadays, we don’t get a lot of those in action-adventure franchise movies, and J.J. Abrams rarely includes them in his films, which is his biggest weakness as a director imo. Moments like Han seeing Luke in Rey’s innocent, unbridled wonder when she sees the Resistance base planet covered in trees and says she didn’t think there was so much green in the universe. Rian Johnson, a director-writer, is very good at such moments (as in his film Looper), and I’m counting on him to include many in the next two films, which he is writing (and one of which he’s directing as well).

Also, can I just say that I love being right? I think you all already knew that but I do so love being right. I haven’t talked much about Kylo Ren on this blog bc he’s such a polarizing subject and my hands were full enough dealing with the nastier side of the Rogue One fandom without weighing in on Kylo, but I’m going to quote myself here - this is from my initial analysis right after watching The Force Awakens for the first time (I also analyzed all the other main characters in this post, if you’re interested in reading my takes on them as well) - then, as now, the conflict in him was fully evident:

I was fascinated by Adam Driver’s soulful, wrathful, deeply disturbing portrayal of our new conflicted Dark Sider. He’s embarassed by the very fact that he’s human - he turns away when Hux enters Snoke’s hologram throne room thingy like he can’t bear for anyone to see his actual face. He’d rather be a concept than a flesh and blood human with feelings and we don’t know what drove him to this. Leia absolves Han and herself of guilt, saying it’s Snoke who seduced him to the Dark Side and that Ben had too much of Vader in him. This is confusing to me, as the last thing Vader says to Luke is to tell Leia that Luke was right about there being good in him. Until we know more, I’m going to interpret this as Anakin’s acute vulnerability to the extremes of the Force (because of the whole Chosen One business) being something Ben is susceptible to as well. Snoke did something and Ben ended up killing Luke’s new Jedi Order - bad shit had to have gone down and I want that explored, stat. He’s not a completely soulless monster yet, but if no one intervenes, he soon will be.

Snoke’s final test for him was to kill his father, and he passed that test with tears in his eyes (of anger? of sadistic joy? of love? of all three and other emotions beside?). But his eyes aren’t Sith eyes yet so perhaps there’s further yet for him to fall. He says Rey would be “disappointed” if Han was her real father, but we never hear him speak a word about Leia, and I need his relationship with his parents prior to his fall, as well as his fall itself, to be described. He’s lonely, I think - he asks Rey to allow him to teach her, genuinely desperate to connect with her in spite of his jealousy of Anakin’s lightsaber choosing her. He’s filled with self-loathing (for more reasons than I can fathom - for his perceived emotional weakness, his actual physical weakness, his multiple failures in his pursuit of Rey, and so on) and punches his own wounds as if that will make them go away. I feel like I’ll have more to say about him after another viewing, because Adam’s subtle acting says so much that repeated viewings are a must for thorough analysis.

Now, the Imperials/First Order members are much more intriguing in this film than they were in the original trilogy. They aren’t cynical and above it all, or just trying to get by. They’re true believers.

Ok, see what I mean about being right? Bc damn, was I ever right. Conflict and the balance channeled thereby make up the grey areas of the Force where Rey and Kylo were finally able to meet and connect.

Luke’s arc about failure in this film moved me to tears and among the few issues I had with the film were that we didn’t get to see him continue to teach Rey beyond this film - Mark Hamill was fantastic and the scene between Luke and Force Ghost Yoda was my favorite in the film and resonated with me deeply - the truth of failure as a potent teacher and the role of the master to nurture the student to grow beyond their reach. 

I also wanted more lore from this film - more about the connections between past and present via the ancient Jedi but maybe that would have been too esoteric for general audiences. I’ve been spoiled by Knights of the Old Republic, a video game series in the old Star Wars canon that this film certainly has drawn on (that much is most obviously evident in Kylo Ren’s character design and now in the Force Bond lore and connection between Rey and Kylo - if you are interested in my meta on Revan and Bastila, and then Atton and the Exile and Kreia, you can read all that here and here, respectively).  

In any case, I am raring to go see it again and can’t wait to dive into fic and meta for this film - and as I did with Rogue One, am very much looking forward to contributing my own.

[oathkeeper-of-tarth]

So I finally came home after 3 weeks of outdoor toil in pleasant sub-zero conditions, because someone lovingly scheduled work at sea for the middle of December (because of course the people making the decisions are not the people actually freezing outside at any point, but whatever). Anyway, I am indeed alive and, priorities being what they are, I made it to a late-night showing of The Last Jedi, woo! I got a really nice print with my ticket, too.

Short version: I like it the more I think about it and I can’t wait to rewatch, I loved how meta it was and the points it was making, I felt very catered to in various ways, including politically, which is always nice.

Rambly spoilery thoughts under the cut.

I loved so much about Luke (I first typed “everything” here but then I remembered the... milk... and noped out, ay). I felt his arc, while painful in many ways, was very on point and appropriate and made perfect sense. The whole going from cutting himself off from the Force, to more powerful than you can possibly imagine, not in a fight an entire army with a laser sword “badass” way, while still echoing those words - it was so... Jedi. The projection scene with all of its building hints that something is up was amazing, and one of the parts I’m most looking forward to seeing again. The binary sunset, an image carved so deeply into my mind way back when that’s stuck with me so closely and for so long that I can’t help but slip it into so many things I do - seeing it here, and in such a very... purposeful and peaceful full circle context, sure was something. Those kids at the end there? Playing with their Luke Skywalker action figure and being inspired by his tale? The best kind of meta. I actually have a ton of feelings and thoughts about the entire being a legend thing and making people into legends and sources of hope and all but I’m still processing.

Yoda! Yoda!!! Suddenly I was a tiny kid watching a worn out VHS of Empire again. The little troll, damn, nothing the girl doesn’t already possess, huh, I see you there, I see you. And with such a good lesson about failure - one that I feel echoes nicely throughout the movie.

Can we take Gwendoline Christie and put her in a big franchise where she won’t be criminally underused? Thanks. I was really, really looking forward to a whole Phasma vs Finn thing, as Finn and his story and the whole renegade stormtrooper thing ended up being my favourite parts of TFA, so while the scene was cool, and Finn well and truly finding and choosing his place and life as Rebel Scum was wonderful, it was all way shorter and less prominent than I expected, alas (would’ve been nice to see some of that “surviving at all costs, loyalty to nothing and nobody” from Phasma contrasted with him here - maybe in the, uh, next one? Because she totally survived that fall, right? Of course she did.). MORE FINN.

Every second of Leia’s screentime was a gift, she is powerful in so many ways, both as a direct actor and as an icon and beacon of hope for so many, I dearly loved how this was all acknowledged (some of it with a big whiff of FINALLY! for me). I am saddened by the way this whole movie was building up towards a big Leia arc in IX which we now won’t see, and I genuinely don’t know what they’ll do with the story. “No one's ever really gone.” wow, thanks for that shot direct through my goddamn heart. Also, I’m looking at you, AO3 Leia/Holdo tag. I’ve got my eye on you.

Rose I love to bits and I am so glad we got to meet her. It might sound silly but the best way to summarise my feelings on her would be, honestly, if she were an actual person and we met in real life, we’d get on like a house on capitalism-hating fire. Her quote about protecting what you love as the true point of resistance is a huge and important thing, I think, and for me tied into the whole thing about... basing your actions, your activism, what you try to do and what you fight for, on furthering a cause you care for and a desire to genuinely improve the world and the rights and lives of a certain group of people, as opposed to doing it to tear someone else down, prove yourself superior or make yourself look good in some way. I would have liked to see more of her and Finn’s relationship developing (and reeeeally really hope there’s nothing resembling a love triangle in the next movie, nobody needs those).

The (non)answer given here about Rey’s parentage is, honestly, what I’ve pretty much been rooting for. Between this and Rogue One, I dig the stepping away from dynasties and secret family ties and bloodlines as the sources of power and heroism. And the Force bond thing threw me back to KOTOR2 and ah, Kreia.

Also just... casually seeing women everywhere? Pilots, engineers, bridge crew, on all sides? It just felt... good.

I have very, very little personal emotional investment (to put it mildly) in Kylo Ren but I liked the direction he was taken here, the subversion of Rey’s and some of the audience’s expectations or even wishes re: redemption etc. (with another bit of the theme of drawing on stories and legends that the OT became - Luke got through to Vader in the end there, right? That’s how it’s going to go, right, how it’s supposed to, when Rey tries it?).

Porgs were pretty cute and not obnoxiously overused as I vaguely feared they might end up being.

Location shooting for Canto Bight was done here - not in the exact city I live in, but altogether close enough for the “wretched hive of outwardly more high-class scum and villainy drawing their obscene wealth from war profiteering” to hit very close to home in ways I’m sure were not intended.

Conclusion: would probably watch 5 movies about Finn and Rose Destroying Capitalism, thanks.

[princess-stabbity]

copied from my replies because i forgot how limited character space is for those, and how much i have to say about kotor 2--

i’m glad i'm not the only one who suspects she might simply have been lying to get you to malachor, and never actually thought she could 'kill' the force. the counterpoint i usually see is that she says she wants you to agree with her, so she doesn't lie to you...except she DOES lie to you. we KNOW she does. just not about her philosophy. and who is it who tells you kreia doesn't lie to you? kreia, iirc. so like...👀

the possibility that the game, for all its many strengths, is not entirely Coherent, is also one i wish was considered more often. and that's coming from someone who adores it, who was fundamentally shaped by it creatively. in general, i really appreciate how often you investigate questions from a doylist perspective.

that said, there are a few things that make me inclined towards the "kreia was just lying to lure you to malachor" argument.

1) how quickly she pivots from "i'm going to kill the force" to "you need to help revan" once you defeat her. sure, it's Sequel Bait, but not one without narrative build-up. we’re repeatedly asked to wonder why revan left. we’re told that kreia was their first and last mentor (pre-mindwipe, anyway. i will not stand for jolee erasure). kreia, herself, is the one who says to you, “the difference between a fall and a sacrifice is sometimes difficult [to determine].” is her betrayal of you a fall, or a sacrifice?

if her goal was to unshackle you from the philosophies and limitations of both the jedi and sith, and to free you from your past, then it makes perfect sense to me that your last test would be -to kill her, someone who represents both groups and cannot overcome their limitations herself, -at malachor, the place most representative of your past, your pain, and your unique choice to cut yourself off from the force

2) if all she needed to do was kill A Person Wound In The Force at A Location Wound In The Force, why bother teaching you and dragging you from planet to planet? why not just drag your ass from peragus to malachor as efficiently as possible? i mean, i know she loves to hear herself talk, but it just seems excessive. not to mention, the stronger she makes you, the more likely you would be to mess up her plans by killing her. as you do. it just feels a bit incongruous to me that people will hold her up as the epitome of intelligence and ruthlessness, while also arguing Plan A was definitely to kill you at malachor.

i think a lot of the people who take her 100% at face value are perhaps just really horny for how Metal it sounds to kill god, or whatever, without questioning whether the force IS god. which is not entirely their fault; the seed of kreia, and by extension the game, was CA rewatching the prequels and going, "if this is The Force's Will, the force is kind of a shithead." and, y'know, he wasn't wrong about that.

but i think interpreting the force as a sentient and singular being is a very Western (read: christian) interpretation of an eastern concept, one i don't particularly like. i’m not saying it’s an invalid one; while i haven’t watched them in many years, the prequels’ whole “anakin is The Chosen One immaculate conception force balance baby” thing does seem to point in that direction (though, again, Many Years, so maybe i’m remembering poorly). and certainly george lucas himself is A Western Dude taking inspiration in part from eastern concepts. but i think more focus, when analyzing these things, should be on the fact that many things people take as fact are actually in-universe conjecture by flawed beings (like the jedi council).

and that was something CA has said he had in mind; i don’t feel like hunting down the quote, but he said they tried to keep the nature of the force vague in kotor 2, and allow the player to come to their own conclusions about the nature of the force (and, implicitly, whether kreia was right). personally, i’m inclined towards thinking the force has no “will,” and if one somehow did “kill” it they might take out all life in the galaxy with it, which is explicitly not what kreia wants (to disciple, before erasing his memory: “do you think i seek the death of all living things? there is no victory in such things. [...] when i win, i wish it to be because i was right, my teachings true”). but one could reasonably ask, then, what it even means to be “cut off” from the force, if that’s the case. my only answer would be to suggest that “cutting off” here means shutting oneself off from the connection to other living things inherent in the force. but i don’t really have a contextual argument to back this up.

to make a long post only slightly shorter, the interpretation that makes the most sense to me is that kreia does hate the force, but didn’t really think she could kill it at malachor. that she said that because the emotional force behind it (ie, her hatred of the force) gives it the semblance of truth, and she wanted to ensure you would show up. but that’s just my reading of it. the game is intentionally ambiguous, and perhaps unintentionally as well. your confusion is warranted. even after writing all this, i’m questioning myself. and other people have argued that perhaps every interpretation is correct, with contextual evidence to back it.

ok, i have a bit of a lore request? do you think you could explain what exactly Kreia had planned to DO with the Exile in KOTOR2? it's something i still haven't been able to parse enough myself to actually understand. i know she saw in the Exile the potential to 'kill' the Force, that the Exile was "an emptiness in which its will might be denied", but i never understood HOW, exactly. lots of small pieces that i've never been able to connect. like, just what was going ON in that whole situation??

Wow, this is a fun one. Do I think I could explain it? Like, authoritatively? Absolutely not.  I wonder a lot about how much of it was left intentionally mysterious or open to speculation/interpretation and how much was down to inexpert writing, the limitations of the medium, or KotOR II being rushed to release in an incomplete state. 

Kreia might intend to use the Exile and their metaphysically unique situation as a focus for a ritual that would destroy the Force or cut off its influence on sentient beings, but we...never really get any details about how that’s actually supposed to work.

There’s plenty of latitude for you to read that any number of ways from “Kreia has a detailed, realistic itinerary to execute this plan that she’s not sharing with you for OpSec reasons,” to “Kreia is feeding you information that she expects will cause you to react a particular way that serves her Actual Real Ultimate Goal,” to “Kreia’s plan is an underpants gnomes gambit and she legitimately has no idea what she’s doing”  to “Kreia just loves you and wants you to achieve your highest potential, and this whole field trip has been her abusive, nightmarish take on a Socratic dialog,” some combination of all of those, or other stuff entirely.

She certainly orchestrates opportunities for conflict with representatives of the Jedi and the Sith, but that’s not the same thing. She also goes on at length about how the Exile’s existence puts to lie all of the doctrine that the Jedi and Sith have accumulated over millennia, and it’s left to you to decide whether she genuinely believes that and there’s something of substance to it, whether she genuinely believes it and it’s delusional, whether she’s lying to you and why/to what purpose, whether Kreia knows she’s a character in a video game and she’s actually addressing you, the player (”There is no great revelation, no great secret. There is only you.”), or what.

[izzyovercoffee]

SWTOR: Fallen Empire and Eternal Throne

send me a fandom and I’ll — meme

hooo man. why this. I talked so much already. 

WHY IS STAR WARS SO BIG. WHO’S RESPONSIBLE?

Also warning for anyone who hasn’t played them, there’s probably spoilers below. Also I have really, really harsh opinions about the Emperor (mostly that he’s poorly written attempt at a villain by men who do not know what horror is). 

SWTOR: KOTFE / KOTET

the character i least understand

LMAO VALKORIAN

the emperor’s new groove

this doesn’t really answer the question but I’ve been d y i n g to say this

Valkorian reeks of desperation and fear, under that veneer of godliness, and lies. Afraid of death. Afraid of losing the force. Weak, and pathetic, and fearful, and have never faced the horrors of just existing, and in his extra efforts to avoid this, he struggles for power and crushes everyone in their way.

and I don’t understand how I’m supposed to believe that this pathetic villain is supposed to be the Eldritch Horror that was Vitiate, lmao

he’s not the real Eldritch horror. He’s a … yet again, corrupt man with too much power. If I’m supposed to believe he is, supposedly, an eldritch horror of eternal life, like … sorry, but this is a far cry from KotOR II, in which we were actually given four actual eldritch horrors.

(“what do you mean four, izzy?” I mean Kreia is an Eldritch Horror, and so is the Exile, in addition to Darth Nihlus and Darth Sion. Horror is not a sadly predictable corrupted man, horror is the void of space meant to consume all life to feed an immense, unending, undying hunger. Horror is being forced to stay alive when all the agony and pain and suffering of a body torn asunder kept contained in a thin mortal coil surpasses all limitation on what life can feasibly endure. Horror is having your solid foundations and convictions and dignity stripped from you until all you are left with is hopelessness and no will to live. Horror is facing your convictions and realizing everything you are, everything you’ve done, everything you ever will be is meaningless, does not matter, and everything you touch will be swallowed by you.)

Maybe if his writing was actually nuanced I would be concerned or worried or even remotely scared of “The Emperor” but all I am is vaguely disgusted. Plus he’s a shitty Darth Nihlus rip off, tbh. Darth Nihlus deserved better 2kwhatever

Harsh, but alas. He’s just a sick sad man that is eventually put down like he deserves, and to be frank I don’t understand how the writers thought we should ever be scared of him

interactions i enjoyed the most

All of the companions together, in every iteration possible. If there was anything done right, it was the companions interacting with each other. Especially any/every scene with Koth, and Koth & Crew, in it.

Darth Marr and Master Shan. I’m so … jump down to ships that didn’t sail honestly.

the character who scares me the most

Vaylin. And she deserved so much better.

But, woo. Talk about presence, and the way they animated her stalking her prey? She was terrifying in the way that someone who can and will hurt you is fucking terrifying.

the character who is mostly like me

I want to say Theron, if only bc I am also a mess, need a vacation, don’t get enough sleep, and sometimes makes very little sense when I’m trying to process too much too quickly all at once.

hottest looks character

VAYLIN AND ARCANN

HONESTLY

Wow. Wowowow. 

one thing i dislike about my fave character

Why the hell can’t I take Theron with me into the Star Fortresses. And why can’t I get +500 influence with him whenever I do the bonus quest? Why is it only the companion I take with me, when he’s there also witnessing this at the same time ??

wrt his character, I kind of dislike … how everyone whitewashes him. wtf, fandom. his parents are BOTH NONWHITE. WHY WOULD YOU MAKE HIM WHITE? FOR THE LOVE OF

I know that’s not what this question is asking but HONESTLY

one thing i like about my hated character

I like the eventual reveal that Valkorian is in fact a whiny pissant who’s afraid of death. That was vindicating, I felt vindicated.

a quote or scene that haunts me

Getting stabbed through the gut by a lightsaber really sucked. But, Rhendr being Rhendr was just like “Not … the first time this has happened.”

a death that left me indifferent

The Torian/Vette death was so shoehorned and senseless. I didn’t really feel anything except, lmao, that I expected it to be written as poorly as it was — and tbh it felt like such a betrayal to Vaylin’s character, moreso than the other two. Vette, the escape artist, somehow captured?

Torian, who has a literal jetpack, somehow captured?

Why these two, specifically? What purpose does it even serve?

And then Vaylin. They, the writers, were clearly so desperate to make Vaylin unlikable and unsymapthetic they wrote her senselessly killing one of the companions, purely to make it easier on the PC to kill her bc they couldn’t be bothered to write a way for us to save her like we could/can/do save Arcann.

Like … you cannot tell me that this wasn’t misogynistic. Writers chose to write it this way. They chose to write a broken abused child as being irredeemable when her brother, who actually committed genocide and equal if not worse heinous crimes against the galaxy, receives a redemption arc.

Like, repeated themes of people showing the ugly sides of mental illness being murdered, especially if they’re women, is a thing. That’s an actual thing. It’s not a unique or even interesting development. It’s been repeated ad nauseum and it’s, quite frankly, poor writing. =/

at that point of the story, I just stopped giving a shit, and just wanted to finish the story for the sake of finishing it — and then never touching it again.

a character i wish died but didn’t

No one ??? Oh you know what, Broonmark. My completionist ass had to save him, but I really wanted him dead. That was my own damn fault though.

my ship that never sailed

LANA and THERON

I just feel like, take out the PC/Outlander, and they still would have succeeded between the two of them. I feel this often about Bioware stories, actually (this is like … a repeated theme where the story, if you removed the PC, could still go on fine without them) but the galaxy could have survived without the PC with just the two of them.

They work really well together. They know each other. They support each other. Their flaws and their strengths balance the other’s. They just work, and I have no idea if the fandom ever considered it or not but, you know.

Not to say that I don’t ship other’s OCs and Theron (bc some people I follow I’m constantly like WOW @ their ocs lmao) but you know. This is the ship that didn’t sail.

Also … Darth Marr and Satele Shan.

I know, I know. BUT LISTEN. LISTEN. The way Darth Marr talks about Satele is just. My heart? Aches? 

Honestly, the line: “But only one, in all the galaxy, was my equal.” The way it was delivered by Darth Marr about Satele Shan was just … there was a lot of emotion, and implications, in that one line. Whether intentional, or even returned, or not, it’s still there. 

“We met on this world. We argued, explored… and found an understanding.” 

Greater ships have sailed on less, tbph.