#it is possible to like bo and din and this show and still be massively disappointed in all the choices of this season

[sabines-wrens]

“you have done the highest honor of the creed - saving a foundling.”

of all the things that has happened this season thus far this is what frustrates me the most. why is it never brought up that’s exactly what din did when he removed his helmet? like did they just expect us to forget that?? to not connect the dots??

i hope it’s addressed during the finale. if not - then idk. din’s being held to a double standard that doesn’t apply to a character whose entire backstory has been ignored to make her more palatable. and that’s well and truly fucked up.

[kanansdume]

I just watched a video claiming that part of the reason that Din's "redemption" storyline in Mandalorian season 3 doesn't work is because they never told us why Din wanted to go back to the covert and so we never really understood it or were invested in that journey. And I'd actually argue that the issue with this storyline is the exact opposite.

Because we actually DO have plenty of bulid-up for why Din wants to go back to the covert, it just happens over the last two seasons of this show.

We see people literally calling him "The Mandalorian" or "Mando" as a name because he never even gives them his name and prefers to be identified by his cultural identity alone.

We got to see Din getting new armor back in season 1 and it's pretty clear just how important that is to him. We also get to see his people coming to help him in a fight in this big emotional moment where they sacrifice their own safety in order to rescue him and they spent an entire episode building up to that. We also see the moment he goes BACK only to discover that his covert was attacked and has since fled and the impact of watching the Armorer stand alone to try to protect what's left and the grief of that moment where neither Din nor the audience knows whether the Armorer even survives or if Din is now the last one left of his covert.

We see how much his cultural practices mean to him over and over again whenever the issue of taking off his helmet comes up. We see the way Din reacts to OTHER people who he thinks might be Mandalorians but don't act in the way he thinks they should and how quickly he decides that they AREN'T Mandalorians because of that, and how hard it is for him to start to accept that there might be other ways to be Mandalorian that don't look the way he's used to it looking.

We see it enough that it's massively impactful when he is forced to remove his helmet in season 2 in order to save Grogu. We see him go from just replacing his helmet with another helmet so that he can use the excuse that no one saw his face still, to removing his helmet anyway because he has to in order to get through the base, and then removing it a final time without anybody's life on the line just to say goodbye to Grogu. It's a sacrifice that DIN is making, knowing that he is potentially giving up his ability to call himself a Mandalorian and any place among his people in order to give himself and Grogu this moment.

None of this would work at all if we don't FEEL the connection that Din has to being Mandalorian, if we don't understand on a very visceral level how important it is to him. The sacrifice that Din is making over these three scenes are absolutely meaningless if we don't truly GET that Din is making a clear conscious choice to place Grogu's life as more important than his own identity as a Mandalorian and his place within his culture.

So with all of that in mind, there's no way we as the audience need to have it spelled out to us why Din wants to rejoin his people. We know why. We spent two seasons watching why. He gave it up for Grogu, but now that Grogu's life isn't in the balance, it's not exactly a shocker that Din would want to reclaim that identity once he knows it's possible. It's a show literally CALLED The Mandalorian, it's not like the audience isn't going to be invested in watching the main character go on a journey to become a Mandalorian again.

But then the show spent three episodes total on it and it's split between Din's storyline, Bo-Katan's storyline, and the New Republic storyline, so Din's redemption arc gets a fraction of the total time it should've had.

And to add insult to injury, the big climactic parts of both episodes 2 and 3 go to BO-KATAN. It's Bo-Katan who goes down to rescue Din and sees the mythosaur, and then it's Bo-Katan whose "redemption" and welcome to the covert is focused on at the end, while Din's welcome ends up more of an afterthought.

So it's not that the show forgot to get us invested by never giving us good enough reason for Din to WANT his redemption, it's that they spent TWO SEASONS telling us why this is immensely important only to never pay off on that investment in a satisfying way by spending no meaningful time on it and choosing to make it about another character's emotional arc instead.

[themovieblogonline]

The Mandalorian Season 3 Premiere Just Connected Star Wars: Rebels With Ahsoka!

The show responsible for reviving the Star Wars franchise on television is back with its 3rd season. The Mandalorian season 3 premiere was keenly anticipated by audiences everywhere, and I’m glad to say the episode did not disappoint. While continuing the story from those 2 random episodes of The Book Of Boba Fett where The Mandalorian basically took over, season 3 starts with a bang! But the show isn’t just the first of many awesome Star Wars shows, it’s the beginning of an interconnected Star Wars universe within Disney+. Not to mention connecting existing Star Wars stories from before, within its narrative and world-building. One of those huge connections comes in the first half of The Mandalorian season 3 premiere, when it connects the animated Star Wars: Rebels to the upcoming live-action Ahsoka series! Read on to find out how and what this really means for Ahsoka. Please note that the following will contain massive spoilers for both seasons of The Mandalorian, as well as its season 3 premiere. The Mandalorian Brought A Lot Of The Clones Wars To Live Action While The Mandalorian originally started as a standalone new original story set in Star Wars, there were still ample connections to the larger universe. The connections amplified in season 2 with the mention of Jedis, and live-action debuts of characters from the animated Clone Wars series, like Bo-Katan (Katee Sackoff) and Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson). Not to mention the concepts of Mandalore from that series as well. Season 2 ended with a massive reveal as a post-Return Of The Jedi Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) appeared to begin Grogu’s Jedi training. Most interestingly, the show spun off two new series with The Book Of Boba Fett and the upcoming Ashoka. While Boba Fett didn’t really get fans clamouring due to its— let’s say ‘meh’—storylines, the anticipation for Ahsoka couldn’t be higher. Her appearance in season 2 tied into what could potentially be the plot of her series; her search for Ezra Bridger. But, some context first to make this make sense. How Ahsoka’s Live-Action Debut Ties Into Star Wars: Rebels In season 2, we learned that Ahsoka had been searching for someone. That someone was revealed as Grand Admiral Thrawn. While casual viewers of The Mandalorian season 3 premiere might not know who he is, Star Wars: Rebels and novels fans absolutely will. Thrawn was the main baddie of Rebels, and the series ended with the hero, Ezra Bridger and Thrawn, getting sucked into hyperspace and ending up lost in space. Star Wars: Rebels ends with Ahsoka and Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo in the Ahsoka series) going off to search for and find Ezra. Many think that this is going to be the main storyline for the Ahsoka series. The search for Ezra Bridger. And given that Ezra and Thrawn were last seen together, Ahsoka looking for Thrawn in The Mandalorian gives even more credence to that theory. While no one has really confirmed what the Ahsoka series will be about, we just got a huge potential confirmation in The Mandalorian season 3 premiere! The Mandalorian Season 3 Premiere Has A Dino Fight And Whales Season 3 of The Mandalorian starts with a ceremony seemingly inducting a new Mandalorian youngling, into The Way. As a pre-teen boy gets his first helmet and swears his oath, a water creature out of nowhere appears and attacks the group. Eventually, Din (Pedro Pascal) and Gorgu show up to save the day. After Din has a conversation with the Armourer (Emily Swallow), he flies off to redeem himself for taking off his helmet in season 2 and becoming a Mandalorian once again. While in hyperspace, we see Grogu and Din napping as the ship, seemingly autopilots them to their destination. Grogu awakes and looks around him. And to his amazement, and possibly fear, he faintly sees a creature travelling beside them, amidst the stares. As the shot changes, we clearly see a shadowy massive whale-like creature beside their ship. In hyperspace! Another shot then reveals even more of them, flying through space, alongside Din and Grogu! How The Mandalorian Season 3 Premiere Connects Directly To Rebels & Ahsoka These are clearly Purgill! Purgill are creatures introduced and have only ever appeared in Star Wars: Rebels. They are basically space whales, with tentacles. They are mild and unobtrusive unless attacked. And they fly through space and can go into hyperspace as well. In an earlier episode of the series, Ezra Bridger protects them from attack and helps them survive. He develops a connection with them using the Force. In the last episode of the Rebels series, it’s these creatures that he calls on for help. The Purgill help Ezra and our heroes turn the tide against the Empire, and it’s with these creatures that Ezra and Thrawn fly off into hyperspace and become lost to the distance of space. Their appearance in The Mandalorian season 3 premiere in such a throwaway and brief way, can only mean that they’ll play a bigger part later on. If not in The Mandalorian, but most probably in Ahsoka. It feels like a way to ease in casual viewers, but also Star Wars superfans, into the idea of these space travelling creatures. Especially if Ahsoka is going to feature them, at least in the context of how they were responsible for Ezra and Thrawn’s disappearance. It was definitely a point and scream at the TV moment when they appeared, which I suspect was intentional. The Mandalorian season 3 premiere is now streaming on Disney+ Did you catch the first live-action appearance of the Purgill? Are you excited about what it means for Ahsoka? Let me know in the comments below, or on Twitter at @theshahshahid. Featured image via Disney+. Read the full article

[antianakin]

I feel like there can be different definitions of the term "honor" and what it means to a culture's values. Like I'd argue the Jedi do also care about honor, but their version of honor is about treating everybody equally and compassionately, about maintaining neutrality in their politics so they don't show favoritism to one planet/system over another, and only ever causing harm in defense of life. This is why Obi-Wan has that line in TCW at the end of the Citadel arc where he argues back against Tarkin's accusation of the Jedi not going far enough to secure victory that if they did whatever it took to win battles, they'd be losing their honor in the process. The priority for the Jedi isn't "winning every battle as quickly as possible" so much as it is trying to attain victory with as little LOSS OF LIFE as possible, both for the clones and the people whose planets end up a battleground (this counts both for Republic planets and Separatist planets).

Whereas Mandalorians seem to define honor more by their family name, how much political power they have over others, martial prowess over others, etc. Satine has a definition of honor that's CLOSER to the Jedi's and she's attempting to move Mandalorian culture towards that definition and away from their traditional one, but a) I don't think she sticks to it herself very well, and b) Death Watch are making for damn sure she doesn't succeed. And even Satine's definition seems to be pretty weird since seems to refuse any level of nuance (for example, she completely turns on anyone who seems to make a mistake or doesn't do as she asks, like the dock master or the Prime Minister, even when they're innocent of any crime or had sympathetic reasons for what they did and she might bear some culpability for their choices). There's no honor in threatening an innocent man with incarceration for a crime he didn't commit simply because he dared to question her once. But Satine is more interested in making sure she doesn't look like she's allowing any kind of corruption than she is in being compassionate or merciful or thoughtful. She has a similar outlook on the Jedi. So while Satine is trying to move the Mandalorians away from a code of honor based primarily on violence and martial prowess and family feuding, she still has some elements of what appear to be a VERY Mandalorian honor code.

If the Mandalorians defined "honor" the way the Jedi tend to do, I'd agree with the person above who claimed the Mandalorians don't value power, but that just isn't how I've ever seen them be portrayed. And while they discounted "Disney" canon, the dude currently most in charge of everything Star Wars right now is pretty clearly a massive Legends fan who is working pretty hard to turn "Disney" canon into Legends canon anyway, Mandalorians included.

And I'd make the same argument for the word "family." I think it's true that Mandalorians value family, I just don't think that their version of "family" is particularly inclusive and their way of valuing family seems to often lead to more violence down the line. The Jedi tend to use the word very loosely to describe the entire Order's relationship to each other. But they never prioritize the Order above the entire galaxy, and they don't prioritize certain people within the Order above others simply because they might know them better. The Jedi say family to just mean someone they are connected to, someone who they know they can turn to if they need to, someone who can understand them and support them. Mandalorians only consider someone family if you're connected by blood or marriage (or adoption sometimes). Look at how the Mandalorians treat OTHER MANDALORIANS. Look at the way Bo-Katan's group is immediately dismissive of Din's covert as a "cult." Look at the way the Children of the Watch have taught their children that anyone who doesn't wear the helmet is not a Mandalorian and so people who were literally BORN on Mandalore don't get to count as Mandalorians. There's zero acceptance in either culture for people who choose to be Mandalorians in a slightly different way. There's no tolerance or compassion or understanding. Family is a very LIMITED term that gets used to other certain people and seems to inevitably lead to violence.

So sure, the Mandalorians value family and honor, fine. But their versions of family and honor seem pretty inherently selfish and an excuse for more violence towards each other.

Okay, what about more AUs where a Jedi leaves the Order and becomes a Mandalorian because they feel like the Order is too restrictive and caught up in politics or whatever, and then they realize how much they HATE it and how much better the Jedi Order was specifically BECAUSE they have these rules that actually make life so much better overall. Like yeah, sure, the Jedi have to play politics sometimes and that can be frustrating, but look at what happens when everyone is doing whatever they want and fighting for themselves. It's not good. Sure, the Jedi don't allow marriage and children, but look at what happens when certain families are given more power than others just by luck of birth or by which person can beat up someone from the other person's family better. Look at the dynasties and hierarchies it creates and how much conflict comes out of it.

And so they quit being a Mandalorian and go back to being a Jedi because they have seen the light.

[the-demi-jedi]

“The Mandalorian” S2 finale prediction

- Episode 6 is a Boba Fett episode - It’s mentioned that it’s hard to reach Tython from Corvus because it’s so far away and/or located in uncharted regions - Din somehow ends up on Tatooine again. There, he encounters Boba Fett who takes his armor back and disappears to be seen again in S3 - The episode is somehow boring as fuck; the fans still claim it’s one of the best episodes ever because Boba Fett - In episode 7, Din and Grogu arrive to Tython. They find the place Ahsoka was talking about. - Some obscure Legends lore is mentioned. The fans are going INSANE. - Gideon arrives with his Dark Troopers. They burn the place to the ground in a similar fashion First Order destroyed the haven on Takodana. - In the fray, Grogu is captured. The fans are complaining that it’s repeating the formula from season 1. - Din is off to save Grogu. He once again joins forces with Greef and C*ra (and possibly Bo-Katan, Koska and Axe). - They track Gideon down. Gideon is now Force sensitive because of Grogu’s blood transfusion. He fights Din (Darksaber vs. Beskar spear) who gets his ass kicked like never before. - Din’s helmet is heavily damaged and he spends the rest of the series with his helmet off. - Ahsoka shows up right as Gideon is about to finish Din. They engage in an epic duel. - Bonus points: Ahsoka says (finally) “I am no Jedi”. - The fans claim it’s the best lightsaber duel since Revenge of the Sith. - While Gideon is distracted, Din, Greef and C*ra raid Gideon’s base, shoot through the Dark Troopers and rescue Grogu. Gideon no longer cares because he got what he needed. - There’s some throwaway connection to the sequel trilogy. The fans are threatening to boycott the show if it connects to the sequels too much. - Din reclaims Grogu. A character dies (I hope it’s C*ra, although it will more probably be someone from Bo-Katan’s gang). Gideon’s duel with Ahsoka ends in a draw. The gang escapes Gideon in Razor Crest.  - There is another indirect confirmation of the Rebels sequel series - perhaps Ezra is mentioned. - Back on Tython, Grogu tries to connect to other Jedi as Ahsoka told him. There is a brief cameo of some character which makes the fans go insane once again. It creates a massive cliffhanger for S3. It is revealed who hid Grogu from the Empire. - Bonus points: Yoda’s Force ghost - Grogu says his first word. - Gideon is seen in charge of a HUGE Imperial army, complete with Star Destroyers and shit.

[lesbianwyllravengard]

Mandalorian chapter 14 spoilers

I feel like it's too much to hope for to get the galactic team up we all so desperately want but I'm gonna humour the idea anyway and make predictions ab characters' interactions

Note: this is based off of my interpretations of the characters and their interactions with others. If you disagree, that is fine. Don't attack me because you think differently. You can tell me you disagree with my interpretations without being rude. I'm a human, and a massive fan, same as all of you. Thanks.

Cobb and Ahsoka would 100% be sarcastic bffs, possibly teasing Din, bonding over war stories. They'd respect each other a lot. Cobb tells her of his past as a slave and she's reminded of Anakin. Ahsoka tells him of all the shit she went through with both wars under her belt and he's just amazed she's made it so far. They definitely would have a secret handshake.

This was an idea a friend of mine and I came up with and I love it: Cobb would absolutely simp for Bo-Katan. Now, I'm 100% sure Bo-Katan would not return any feelings also I really don't think Cobb is romantically into women but Cobb would be like a little puppy, following her around and complimenting her and she just kinda half smiles but that's good enough for him. Cobb has a thing for Mandalorians that he wasn't even aware of himself and now he's surrounded by them.

Cobb is scared of Boba Fett. Especially when Boba wears the armour. Boba uses that knowledge to mess with him. Probably tells him about some made-up hardcore Mandalorian pre-battle ritual involving sacrificing someone from Tatooine. Cobb just nods and slowly backs away.

Bo-Katan and Ahsoka reunion. That's all🥰

I feel like Axe and Koska (assuming they'd come w Bo-Katan) wouldn't like Cobb at first/think he's annoying but he'd quickly grow on everyone and they'd all end up liking him, even Boba, though he'd still mess with Cobb.

Now before chapter 14 I for sure would've thought Boba would just hate everybody but that's changed given his respectful interactions with Din. (I guess the Dune sea taught this man a little bit of patience). He'd probably thank Cobb for getting the armour back from the jawas/keeping it safe, he'd definitely show the utmost respect to Bo-Katan, the true ruler of Mandalore, and thus her friends Koska and Axe as well. He'd totally bond with Cara Dune over some fighting technique or something cool like that. I don't know if he'd remember Ahsoka but it'd be cool if he did. I doubt he'd hold grudges against her for so long, and I'd like for them to be friends. I know Ahsoka's endless empathy would make her the best confidante.

No one likes Mayfeld. I mean, I'm sure they'd be nice to him. Ahsoka might tolerate him. Din would definitely try to be nice bc duh he needs Mayfeld to pull this off, but Mayfeld absolutely holds grudges and they have a history. I could see him eventually becoming friends with Axe and Koska though. Idk why, just a vibe.

Everyone treats Ahsoka and Bo-Katan with the utmost respect and awe. I'm mostly basing this off of Rebels lol. Both women have a presence that demands attention, and they're friends which makes them twice as powerful.

FENNEC SHAND. Listen, she's absolutely badass but she's totally a sweetheart. She ran up that mountain right beside Din to try to save the child, she was concerned about his safety. Mind you we're talking after she and Din became friends not when she had her gun trained on Grogu lmao. When Din is looking though the debris of the Razor Crest (rest in peace you wonderful spaceship) there's a shot of Fennec where she looks sad and sympathetic towards Din, we see she feels bad for him. Likewise, when Boba told Din they were in his service til the child was safely returned, she nodded very emphatically in agreeance. I know she's an assassin but that doesn't mean she's incapable of emotion, when she cares about someone, she cares. Everyone loves her. Mayfeld lowkey simps.

I doubt Peli would join them on the mission unless she stayed on the ship, but she'd definitely bring them snacks. And just like. Whip them out of her pockets randomly. They all love her of course. She calls everyone out on their bs. Fistbumps Bo-Katan. High-fives Ahsoka. Peli and Cobb are the life of the party. Din just smiles under his helmet.

[inkribbon796]

Flight of the Bomble Bees Ch. 2: The White Wolves

Summary: Not all white dogs are good omens.

A/N: Warning for Tubbo getting triggered by fireworks. Thought I’d add a heads up. Guy’s an unhinged mad scientist, but he’s still a seventeen year old with a lot of unresolved emotional and physical trauma. 

Chapters: 1, 2

Roman was telling the story of Thomas and “Nico”, Virgil interjecting to try and add in some embarrassing detail, as they headed back to the base. Ranboo making himself look less human, his horns growing out and a long tail with a fluffy ends trailing behind him, before he joined up with the group. He looked nervously at Tubbo who smiled at him and began showing his new superhero suit.

During this exchange, Patton let out a gasp, “Puppy!”

Logan looked over to see a dog, a smaller spaniel or at the largest some husky, but it wasn’t. The beast approaching them was a fully grown wolf.

Tommy and Tubbo looked over and froze as the wolf kept walking over. Several people just parting for the massive canine.

“Uhhh,” Tommy warned cautiously.

“Lea?” Ranboo asked in confusion as he walked over to Patton and the wolf. “What are you doing here?”

“I think he likes me,” Patton smiled as he let the wolf sniff his hands and arms.

“She . . .” Ranboo faltered nervously. He’d meant to speak more but the words caught in his throat.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Patton corrected himself before turning back to the wolf, his hands scratching and petting the wolf. “Who’s a pretty lady? You are! Yes, you are!”

“Is this your wolf?” Logan asked hesitantly as Tubbo picked himself into the sky to look around for someone.

“Yeah,” Ranboo asked before correcting, twisting his tail in his hands, “but no. She’s one of Techno’s wolves. He usually keeps them in southern Scotland on some property that he and Phil own.”

“Yeah, but what’s this one doin’[1] here?” Tommy demanded, the wolf turning from Patton to sniff at Logan for a little bit. Patton looked a bit put out when the wolf’s interest went somewhere other than him.

“She’s kinda[2] mine,” Ranboo explained.

“Yours?” Tommy scoffed, sounding hurt. As they spoke the wolf turned to Virgil who tried to keep his body as far away from sharp teeth and crushing jaws. So then she moved to Roman who gave the wolf a couple uncertain pats. “How the fuck is she yours? Those hounds are Techno’s.”

“Yeah,” Ranboo’s tail fluff suddenly the most interesting thing in the world to him. “You remember how I used to live with them? I used to help Techno take care of the wolves and he let me name one. He even gave it a purple collar to tell her apart.”

“What do you mean he gave you one?” Tommy spat in a jealous huff. “He barely let me touch ‘em[3]!”

Lea finally reached Thomas, who upon seeing Roman and Patton, and the other Sides being able to get close to it, reached out to give the wolf a pet. Before she snarled and sank her jaws into his arm, the only thing keeping it from being crushed was the lightly reinforced suit he was wearing.

Thomas screamed in pain.

Thankfully the wolf let go and began to back up and let out a long, piercing howl.

“Incoming!” Tubbo warned as he caught sight of who he was looking for.

“What do you see?” Logan put himself in between the wolf and Thomas, who was holding his arm. “Princey, get him up and out of the way.”

“Techno! Techno’s coming!” Tubbo warned, a terrified tremor to his voice.

People scrambled to get out of the way as Roman enchanted himself to fly and picked Thomas up to start flying him back to base.

Which took them out of the safety of the group.

There was a hiss in the air as something whistled through the air and hit Roman. The small rocket exploded like a bright firework.

Roman screamed in pain and crashed back to the ground with Thomas.

Tubbo screamed in panic, even though he was a safe distance from the explosion, trying to shield his eyes and face from the explosion. Ranboo caught him when he fell.

“Bee? Bee? It’s okay, I’ve got you.” Ranboo promised as he held Tubbo in his arms. Tubbo was shaking wildly in terror, curled up in his husband’s arms.

Virgil’s magic whipped into the air as the wall of wolf teeth hit them. His barrier holding protectively as Patton fretted over Roman who was quick to pick himself up.

“I’m fine,” Roman stood up and pulled out his sword, putting Thomas and the minors in the center of the group. Logan was already signally for backup. Trying to count the number of wolves. His brain got to thirty before it was hard to keep track of them and he wasn’t sure if there were more or he’d miscounted.”

Eventually they saw Techno himself, the tall and hulking figure with a boar mask over his face. Lea circled back around to him from her place in the pack and Techno gave her a quick scratch on the head.

“Finally,” Techno smiled, axe in hand. “After all this time.”

Logan braced with his stun batons, he knew Virgil’s shield would not protect them indefinitely. He watched Philza hanging back about fifty feet, bow and arrow in hand but not notched and raised at them.

“You’re part of Dream’s gang, aren’t you?” Logan probed, trying to get as much information from their attackers as possible.

“Ehh, Dream and I are just old friends,” Techno dismissed. “We’ve just been a couple rounds in a death pit.”

“I see,” Logan commented, watching Virgil’s magic begin to sputter, the force of maintaining a barrier getting to be too much.

“Techno,” Tommy greeted tensely.

“Tommy, back up, I’m not here to fight you,” Techno warned.

“You almost hit Tubbo,” Ranboo reminded.

“Yeah, didn’t see him,” Techno admitted. “Was more focused on trying to find the legate and his head popped up, so . . .”

Techno made a shooing motion with his hand towards the three kids. “. . . you three should get out of the way before I accidentally hit one of you.”

Logan took a glance at Ranboo who was still holding Tubbo. “When the barrier lowers, I want you to take him away from here.”

“I,” Tubbo seemed to regain his composure, his false eye glowing, a radioactive symbol visible from behind his fringe. “I’m up, let me at him.”

Jackie and Silver were speeding in, sending a message to Logan how Bing and Oliver were on standby.

“Absolutely not,” Logan told him. “This is foolhardy, we’ve already had a minor causality, and I will not allow another under my watch.”

“I got your back Bo,” Tommy promised.

That got Techno angry, “Tommy, stay out of the way, you’re in over your head again. And this time I’m not saving you. I don’t want to fight you guys, I want the legate.”

“Well, that’s gonna be a problem then, innit?” Tommy dared.

“Fine,” Techno spat, pulling out three vials of swirling magical cocotions. “You asked for it!”

Tubbo and Tommy were summoning weapons as the vials shattered on the ground and magic wafted up at Techno. Tubbo quickly pulled out a handful of potions and smashed them around their feet, magic filling the bubble. The Sides and the three minors felt charged with strength as Techno let out a shrill, high pitched whistle and the wolves all attacked at once.

Tubbo took to the sky again. Throwing down potions on top of Techno, spells trying to cancel each other out and Techno dodging. “See how you like some fuckin’[4] sparks, shitshow!”

Ranboo summoned a scythe as Phil notched an arrow and let it fly at Tubbo. The tall teen cutting his sword into the air and making the arrow shoot at the ground in front of them.

“Ehh!” Techno smiled. “Finally growing a spine kid?”

“Boo! Get out of here!” Tubbo ordered his husband.

“Not with out you!” Ranboo told him.

“Heh, gay,” Tubbo smiled.

“Come on, Bomble, work with me here,” Ranboo demanded in exasperation, trying to keep arrows off of Tubbo.

“Helping!” Tubbo dove down to slap a disk on Ranboo’s. Metal clipping and unfolding out with the aid of what Logan suspected was nanites. It made an almost all black suit with a visor that looked like bandages wrapped around his eyes.

Ranboo faltered and in that time an arrow nicked Tubbo’s ankle.

Jackie and Silver were trying to keep the tide of wolves at bay while Tommy tried to continuously rush for Techno, which was much harder because Roman and Logan were trying to keep him away and keep Techno off of Thomas.

Virgil’s spider legs sprouted as he tried to pull Thomas away, hissing and spitting at the warrior trying to hit them with an axe.

“Anxiety! Pass him!” Janus called over the chaos.

Some time in the chaos and din of battle, Janus had wormed his way in and held out a hand.

Hesitating for a bit, Virgil tried to figure out if this was an illusion or a trick before shoving Thomas towards Janus who was sprouting multiple arms and snakes poured out from him. A large one coiled around him, enough to grip but not to strangle, other snakes almost forming a protective cocoon around Thomas who was almost dizzy with everything going around him.

“Go! Go!” Janus ordered and began trying to roll the mass of snakes through the onslaught of wolves. Virgil screamed as a set of canine teeth chomped on one of his spider legs. Virgil ripped his leg away, the limb almost snapping off under the pressure but Janus and Virgil were starting to get away from the fight.

“Move!” Janus ordered Virgil as they tried to put distance between the fight and themselves.

“Where are you going?” Techno pulled out one of the green eye orbs and tossed it. The orb shattered and Techno appeared right behind the group, cutting through several of the snakes with his axe but Janus quickly began building them back up as Thomas was trying to backpedal from the guy trying to hit him with an axe.

Ranboo took the opportunity to grab both Tommy and Tubbo and opened up a small portal right on top of himself to get them back to the heroes’ base. Taking them from the battle and the wolves trying to snap at them. Much to Tubbo and Tommy’s immediate anger.

Janus summoned his staff and redirected the blow that would have hit Thomas right in the chest.

Thomas looked at Janus in surprise as the deceitful Side protectively coiled more snakes around him.

Techno immediately began swinging his axe to cut through the mass of snakes. The instant Thomas was in any danger of getting hit, Virgil used his spider web threads to tug Thomas out of the way long enough for Janus to build his serpentine shield back up.

“Come on! Fight me! This is what you’re good at!” Techno ordered as his axe came dangerously close to Thomas on each swing but Virgil and Janus kept him out of harm’s way each time.

“You want a fight, you’ll get it from us,” Janus hissed.

“He’s a lover, not a fighter!” Patton yelled out as he tried to get back into the fight before Phil shot him in the shoulder with an arrow.

In response, Thomas grabbed his arm right where Patton had been shot and let out a choked gasp.

“What do you mean he doesn’t fight‽” Techno demanded, sounding enraged and insulted in the same breath. “He’s a legate, that’s all they know.”

“I don’t,” Thomas whimpered, hiding behind Virgil and Janus. “I don’t know how.”

“All your arms can fight, how do you not know how to fight?” Techno snapped.

Thomas stayed defensively quiet, but Techno was the one who pulled away. He let out a frustrated scream. “What was the point?”

“Mate, yah[5] okay there?” Phil walked closer.

“I brought my dogs out for nothing, Phil,” Techno complained as Philza just smiled in amusement at him. “For nothing!”

“Least yeh[5] got some exercise, mate,” Phil chuckled. “We can head over to Arizona, there’s supposed to be a pit over there.”

“It’s not the same,” Techno complained. “This was going to be my fight.”

Techno huffed before looking over at Phil, “Fine.”

The combatant finally lowered his sword and stomped away, letting out a shrill whistle and all the wolves began to pull away from their fights to cloud around Techno and some of them began pushing around his hands.

“Yeh[5] freaks done?” Jackie demanded.

“Yeah, if Techno can’t get his fight, then he’s done,” Phil smiled. “He’s done, we just gotta[6] take the dogs back.”

“Those are wolves,” Logan reminded.

“Yeah, bred from hellhounds, mate,” Phil smiled. “Yeh[5] all lucked out that he couldn’t get his fight.”

Phil made his way carefully through the wolves to talk to a very upset Techno, while Thomas looked back at Janus and Virgil who were still braced for a fight, snakes still coiling around Thomas, spider silk everywhere.

“You,” Thomas looked up at them with shock, “you saved me.”

“Yeah well,” Virgil fumbled, kneeling down to Thomas’s level. “Supposed to be a hero, it’s what I do.”

Thomas leaned in and rested his head against Virgil’s arm. Virgil flinched and Thomas had one eye light up purple, and the other with a bright yellow. He leaned into Virgil who let out a gasp as one of his eyes lit up. Janus looked down at them.

“I think perhaps you two should go back to the base, while he’s still distracted,” Janus told Virgil.

The scene was briefly interrupted by Thomas letting out a gasp in pain, his eyes returning to their normal color and the group looked over to Patton, who was already receiving first aid for the arrow sticking out of his arm. The tip was still coursing with magic to ensure it would puncture through armour and shields alike.

“How bad is it?” Logan asked.

“I’m fine,” Patton gritted his teeth.

Thomas, almost robotically, got up and walked over to Patton. Logan was quick to come in-between Thomas and Patton, extending out one of his battens to keep Thomas away from Patton.

“He needs all the energy he can get right now,” Logan warned.

“You guys all give me energy, I should be able to give some to him, right?” Thomas suggested.

Patton shakily lowered Logan’s hand.

“Be careful,” Logan’s tone carried an unspoken threat in it.

Thomas nodded and set his hand on Patton’s injured arm, closing his eyes in concentration.

At first Patton felt the white hot pain grow hotter and chil the areas around him, before the pain started to melt away. Patton hummed in contentment, leaning into Thomas. The wound starting to knit itself back up as a huge bruise was secretly growing underneath the sleeve of Thomas’s arm.

Thomas pulled away, and Patton almost fell against him, blinking in blurry disorientation.

“Mmm, tired,” Patton complained.

“We’ll get you back to the base,” Logan picked Patton, cradling him gently against his chest. “Magic can only do so much.”

“I want marshmallows fer[7] pillows,” Patton mumbled, bringing a small smile to Logan’s face that was hidden by his visor. “I like marshmallows.”

“Go, I’ll make sure you aren’t followed,” Janus told Virgil.

“I get it, I get it,” Virgil grumbled as Logan and Roman led Thomas back to the base and Virgil brought up the rear.

Janus and Techno’s eyes met as the Core Sides retreated with Thomas. Janus followed the group from a distance. Jackie took Patton from Logan to speed the injured Side back to the base. It left Logan to break from the group and make his way back to where Silver was watching Philza and Techno.

“Morality alright?” Silver asked.

“He will be,” Logan said, “I want to keep my eye on things.”

“We’ll be gone soon enough,” Phil told him. “Don’t much like being next ta[8] Ent’s territory. Reeks ‘a[9] sad empath o’er[10] there.”

“You are Tommy’s guardian,” Logan reminded, getting a message that Jackie had helped speed both Patton and then Thomas to safety.

“He causin’[11] trouble?” Phil sighed.

“No, but he is seventeen,” Silver told him.

“He’s a spawnling, age is fuckin’[4] relative, mate,” Phil told them in a rather dismissive tone. “Fundy’s been fourteen fer[7] four years now. Bet Tommy’ll be seventeen fer[7] a while longer.”

“That still makes him a minor,” Logan spoke up.

“Look, mate, if I gotta[6] sign somethin’[12], I will,” Phil sighed as he leaned against the wall. “But I’m tellin’ yeh that it means shit an’ all. Tommy could go out an’ do whate’er he wanted an’ I wouldn’t stop him.”[13]

“For as much as you claim Tommy is an adult, he lacks the experience or the fully developed prefrontal cortex crucial for decision making,” Logan refuted. “We need your signature, how long will you be in town?”

“Long enough,” Phil evaded. “I know where yer[14] base is, I’ll head over there, then I’ll meet back up with you, Techno.”

Techno’s eyes glanced between the heroes, “If you’re sure.”

“Oh yeah, we’ll take a shortcut ta[8] the cabins,” Phil told Techno.

Techno let out a whistle and all the wolves gathered around him. “Yeah, yeah, got you.”

Techno began to walk away with his hounds.

Silver waited until Techno was far enough to wait before he asked, “How much do you spend on feeding all those animals?”

“Oh, we’ve got e’en more at the cabins, an’ we keep animals ta help feed ‘em, but it’s a lot, a lot a lot,”[15] Philza answered.

Philza did wind up heading to the base with the heroes to read through and sign some paperwork. He stayed outside as Tommy uneasily watched from the cameras, occasionally yelling obscenities at his father from a speaker and Philza was just shouting them back at him as Tubbo was laughing and eventually joined in.

The other heroes would have intervened to take the mic away from Tommy but it seemed to put Philza in a better mood and he left after the papers were done and he was given a copy.

Calmer, the winged demon left, Techno had been waiting for him and the two of them disappeared into the night. Leaving the heroes to lick their wounds and brace for the next attack.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Accessibility Translations:

1. doing

2. kind of

3. them

4. fucking

5. you

6. have to

7. for

8. to

9. of

10. over

11. causing

12. something

13. But I’m telling you that it means shit and all. Tommy could go out and do whatever he wanted and I wouldn’t stop him.

14. your

15. Oh, we’ve got even more at the cabins, and we keep animals to help feed them, but it’s a lot, a lot a lot

[aion-rsa]

How Star Wars Can Finally Have a Marvel-Like Shared Universe

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Last December, Disney announced seven new Star Wars film and TV projects, giving us a look at what the next few years in the galaxy far, far away will look like both on Disney+ and in theaters. While the Rogue Squadron movie directed by Patty Jenkins (Wonder Woman) was the absolute mic drop of the evening, equally impressive is Disney’s plan for the small screen: several new series that expand the stories of fan-favorite characters like Ahsoka Tano and Lando Calrissian. Most intriguing of all is that many of these shows are designed to connect and interact with each other. In other words, Disney is finally getting what it’s always wanted for Star Wars: a shared universe of screen projects meant to emulate the interconnectedness of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Storytelling synergy has existed for a long time between Star Wars movies, books, comics, and games, but rarely in the Marvel way where one series or movie directly teases or leads into the next. Sure, Skywalker Saga films technically work that way, but those three trilogies are really one big story. But in Marvel’s case, it’s par for the course for a tonally unique series like WandaVision to still set the stage for the next Doctor Strange movie or Captain Marvel 2. The foundation of Star Wars wasn’t really built that way back in 1977 but as a contained trilogy of movies.

Then Disney+ changed everything with The Mandalorian season 2, which not only introduced beloved animated characters Ahsoka Tano and Bo-Katan Kryze to live-action but also ended with a teaser for the next Star Wars series, The Book of Boba Fett, which is out in December. And The Book of Boba Fett doesn’t just star the infamous bounty hunter; it’s also a showcase for Ming-Na Wen’s Fennec Shand, an assassin who first appeared in the first season of The Mandalorian.

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Today, Marvel fans take this shared universe storytelling structure for granted, but this is still very new territory for Star Wars. Whether it works or not will likely depend on how many Mandalorian fans flock to Boba Fett later this year. But Disney is betting big on this approach.

The House of Mouse has already ordered two other series set during the same time period as The Mandalorian and Boba Fett, which take place five years after Return of the Jedi. The intriguing Rangers of the New Republic was reportedly conceived as a spinoff series for Mando associate Cara Dune before actor Gina Carano was fired from the franchise earlier this year, but I doubt that’s the only connection these series will have with each other. Meanwhile, Ahsoka will likely continue the hero’s search for Grand Admiral Thrawn right where it left off at the end of The Mandalorian season 2 episode “The Jedi.”

Disney isn’t just trying to cash in on the success of The Mandalorian with spinoffs for the show’s most popular characters, though. The company also confirmed in December that all of these shows will ultimately converge in a big story event. That sure sounds a lot like the end of a MCU phase. Are Mando, Ahsoka, Bo-Katan, Boba Fett, Fennec Shand, and friends eventually going team up against Grand Admiral Thrawn in an epic Avengers-like finale? It sure feels that way.

And the studio might not just be reserving its shared universe approach for the post-Jedi shows, either. Rogue One prequel Andor and Obi-Wan Kenobi are both set many years after Revenge of the Sith but before the Original Trilogy, and there’s a good chance the Lando series will also be set at some point during this era, with Donald Glover returning as the charming scoundrel. (While Disney hasn’t confirmed any details about the latter project besides the fact that it’s happening, the studio has been trying to make a Lando spinoff with Glover for quite a few years.) The timelines won’t line up quite as cleanly, though. Obi-Wan Kenobi takes place 10 years after Revenge of the Sith in 9 BBY (Before Battle of Yavin), while the events of Andor will unfold in 5 BBY.

But one rumor suggests that Ewan McGregor will appear as Obi-Wan in Andor, too. Far from an official confirmation, it’s still an intriguing possibility if true. With both series set to premiere in 2022, Disney could make the Jedi Master the character that ties both (or all three) pre-A New Hope series together, just like Mando is the common denominator across all of the post-Jedi shows. And could this all lead to an eventual big event that will see Obi-Wan, Cassian Andor, and Lando set up for their roles in the Original Trilogy era?

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It’s true that The Mandalorian spinoffs present much more intriguing storytelling paths than a potential Obi-Wan, Andor, and Lando shared universe for the simple fact that we know where the heroes in the latter series are ultimately headed. Meanwhile, the future isn’t set for Din Djarin, Bo-Katan, Ahsoka, Boba Fett, and their friends. But if Disney is leaning into what’s worked with Marvel for the Mando shows, why wouldn’t it try the same with the others?

Marvel has shown that building towards big events across multiple stories can lead to massive payoffs (both in terms of storytelling and the box office). Why can’t the same work across all Star Wars screen projects, especially now that the franchise isn’t only reserved for movie theaters, where it has always been treated as more of a once-in-a-decade event than something more fluid like the MCU? Away from the big screen, Star Wars can shape a different future for itself that doesn’t have to fit into a trilogy or an epic saga about good vs. evil. In fact, The Mandalorian has already started that process with stories that feel much more intimate but that also flesh out the galaxy in a way the movies haven’t.

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And if Disney wanted to eventually connect the pre-Hope shows to the Mando ones for an even more interconnected universe on Disney+, it wouldn’t even need a specific event or series to bridge the two eras. The Original Trilogy is already there as the bridge. Assuming Obi-Wan, Andor, and Lando are set to introduce exciting new characters destined to earn fandoms of their own, they could jump from one era to the other just as easily as Bo-Katan and Ahsoka have. This is especially true for characters introduced in Andor, which takes place only about 14 years before The Mandalorian. That’s the tiniest of time gaps when it comes to Star Wars.

When the Skywalker Saga concluded in 2019, it really felt for the first time ever that the possibilities were endless for Star Wars on the big and small screens. Star Wars no longer needed to tie back to Luke Skywalker (The Mandalorian cameo notwithstanding) and his family drama. On Disney+, Star Wars has found new ways to explore the galaxy far, far away while introducing us to new characters and places to love. Now comes the next frontier: a shared universe, a first step into a larger world.

The post How Star Wars Can Finally Have a Marvel-Like Shared Universe appeared first on Den of Geek.

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