#the acolyte episode 8 title

[mimir-anoshe]

I know we got those "leaks" about the episode titles. But seeing as "choice" is not "Honesty/Acceptance" then imma throw a bone and say the title of episode 8 isn't "Doom". If it is, my bad, I'll hold my hand up first.

But I wonder, if it's not...what is it?

I'm sure any speculation I have will be wrong, but if I was Lesyle, I would go with "Eclipse." Seeing as every episode has been a / (my brain wanted to put /fic lmao nope not that) for opposites, this is the one episode where the duality of everything, and the twins, narratively, should all come together.

A word that describes an alchemical union in some form. Even a title like "Ouroboros" or "Dyad". Or even something to represent a triad. I will be very surprised if it's not.

We shall see.

If all else fails, I'll take Enemy/Lover? teehee.

[scoobyrooster1]

She's Mine [Part 1]

Qimir x (she/her)!reader

Summary: Events take place after episode 8 of the acolyte. You are Qimirs new acolyte after agreeing to train under him. But, first you both must escape to the outer rim and outrun the Jedi who now hunts you. A precarious situation arises when you suddenly owe a debt to the local gunrunner... but it could be just the opportunity you've been hoping for. Now you have to break the news to Qimir... Shit. Warnings: Angst, Angry Qimir, cursing Notes: I plan for this to be a slow burn story between you and Qimir. Haven't officially decided on a permanent title yet. And yes there will be plenty of future smut but I wanna do this right!

*Im trying my best to use canon history but high republic era is a little difficult so there will be discrepancies and times where I have to improvise... bear with me!

She's Mine [Intro] She's Mine [Part 1] She's Mine [Part 2]

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The Republic's influence and reach were stronger than ever, and with that came the ever-present shadow of the Jedi. Since narrowly escaping Vernestra on Brandok, the last few months had been a blur. You were never truly safe. Settling down had been more a matter of necessity than comfort, and even then, "settling" was a stretch.

You were still trapped within the confines of Republic space. Your ship's transponder was a liability, a beacon that couldn’t slip past any checkpoints unnoticed. The only real refuge was the Outer Rim, far from the vigilant eyes of the Jedi and the ever-watchful Republic. But the closest jump to Hutt space was out of reach, forcing you to land on the barren sands of Jakart.

The Jedi were already scouring the galaxy for any sign of force discrepancies, even in the most remote backwater planets. And you both couldn't very well lead them back to Qimirs home. So, you made the choice to hide in plain sight, settling in a place where the noise of a thousand other lives could drown out your presence. Jakart, with its swarms of thugs, scavengers, and criminals, was the perfect cover. Here, you could disappear into the crowd, becoming just another face. But you knew that this was a temporary solution; the longer you stayed, the more you pushed your luck, and the longer you went without proper training.

You didn’t know when—or if—another opportunity like Ian’s would come along. Passage to the Outer Rim on a ship that could evade Republic scouts was a rare gift, one that you couldn’t afford to lose But now, you had to face the hard part: breaking the news to Qimir.

As you scanned into the small, cramped building you and Qimir now called home, a wave of exhaustion washed over you. The door slid open with a hiss, and you stepped inside, the faint hum of the city’s underbelly muffled by the walls. You pulled off your cloak, shaking off the fine layer of dust that clung to it, a grim reminder of the harsh environment outside. Your eyes stung from the grit of the sand, and you rubbed them wearily. It had been a long, grueling day.

The dimly lit room felt stifling, the walls pressing in with the weight of the choices you had to make. You tossed the cloak aside and took a deep breath, trying to steady yourself before the inevitable conversation. Qimir wasn’t going to like what you had to say, but there was no other option.

The sound of Qimir moving around in the next room broke your train of thought. You squared your shoulders, pushing down the fatigue, and stepped forward.

There he stood. Looking at you through wisps of black hair, slick with sweat. His eyes, which you once thought were brown, seemed almost black now, with a sharpness that felt more predatory than human.

"You're back." He exclaimed.

"I picked up some Jogans." You tilted your head in the direction of the small table in the corner.

"Feeling hungry after that mug today?"

You only sighed in response.

"That thug tried to take my shit... Would you have rather I just let him walk away?"

He tilted his head back in frustration, his adams apple bobbing as he swallowed whatever distaste was rising in his throat.

"How many times do I have to remind you that our survival here banks on our ability to lay low."

"About that..."

His eyes locked on you, demanding an explanation.

"I found a ship that can take us to the outer rim, under the radar."

His eyebrows shot up in surprise "the pilot you found wasn't a bust after all."

You bristled at his tone, almost offended by his doubt. These past few months had shown how strained the relationship could become. It felt more like a game of cat and mouse, and you hated losing.

"Not exactly."

He continued to stare at you through his eyebrows. Why did he always have to stare at you like that.

"A smuggler can get us there."

"who's the smuggler."

He didn't waste any time. You tensed. Ian was the last name you wanted to give. But thats where this was headed anyways. You just had to bite the bullet.

"Ian Skynyr."

Even the name tasted bad on your tongue.

His jaw twitched.

Jeez this was gonna a difficult one to swallow.

"Skynyr." He repeated.

He took a long pause before continuing. "No."

"This is our only shot. You know as well as I do that a freighter like his could secure us both passage safely off of Jakart. I just have to help him out then we can---"

"Help him with what exactly." He cut you off.

You froze.

"Its just a job." You stated casually.

"What kind of job."

"Obtaining and transporting cargo to some client." You brushed it off as if it were a mere fly buzzing past your ear.

"What else."

"Thats all he told me."

"Details matter y/n."

"No they don't matter... because this might be our only chance to get to the outer rim."

"Whatever debt he thinks you owe him... forget it. Skynyr is an idiot. Wherever he goes a blaster target follows him."

"I know, I know. I trust him about as far as I can throw him. But he's all we've got. So, I'm doing it."

"And the deal we made?"

"What about it? I'm not going back on anything. So being your acolyte is following whatever you say regardless? Can you not trust me on this?"

He grimaced.

"No. It means don't fall into a mess I have to pull you out of."

"I can handle myself just fine. I thought Brandok proved that."

"Brandok only revealed how reckless you are right now."

Did the death of your old master, at your own hands, prove nothing to him?

No.

You were bartering with a man that had no interest with the rest of what you had to say. But no matter how much he disliked this plan or how much of a headache your existence seemed to him at this moment... he couldn't resist the appeal of Ians secure passage through Republic space.

"Do you have any better ideas then?"

He sighed, finally breaking eye contact and looking down at the floor. His posture slumped as he leaned against the wall, just as exhausted as you were.

"If you can come up with one, I wont take Ians offer. Otherwise we should take this deal."

You didn’t wait for a reply. Instead, you walked into the next room, slumping onto the small cot that had been your bed for the past few weeks.

You imagined that the only reason he didn't follow was because he knew the truth, which was that you both had no idea when another chance like this would arise. He was just angry it involved working for Ian.

You replayed what Qimir had said to you.

Brandok only revealed how reckless you are right now.

You realized that killing your old master did prove your commitment. But to Qimir it also unearthed how little he truly knew you. And something he couldn't predict or control... that probably terrified him.

Good.

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

You basically had to drag Qimir to the landing platform where Ians team was meeting. The air was filled with hyper fluid and gases that singed your nostrils. It reminded you of your old post fixing up freighters like the one that now towered before you. Although, that life now felt like it belonged to someone else.

Ian practically beamed when he saw you both approach, his voice cutting through the cacophony of the buzzing platform. "Glad to see you made it."

You only gave him a small nod in return face remaining neutral.

The rest of the crew were people you recognized from around the bazaar.

The Transdoshan known as Kiro. His presence was intimidating, standing at an imposing 6'7", with a build that suggested he could break bones as easily as he could snap his scaly talons.

Next to him was Shaun, a grizzled sharpshooter. He gave you a curt nod, acknowledging your presence with the little care.

A droid, its model old but well-maintained, stood quietly beside them. You couldn’t quite place its make, but it looked functional and that’s all that mattered.

And Ian. Your point of contact - begrudgingly so.

"Our buyer is interested in a rarity being sold at auction tomorrow on Carinth. Job is to secure the cargo and transport it. We'll rendezvous with him on Canto Bight."

"how do you intend to secure the bid. I'm guessing you don't have nearly enough credits to bid on something that an anonymous buyer wants"

Your skeptic tone was thinly veiled.

"Who said anything about bidding with actual credits."

"So what, you yell fire and then grab it in the chaos?"

"Our operation is a little more refined than that."

Qimir scoffed earning a frown from Ian.

Kiro growled, lacing his arms together in a tight cross obviously put off by Qimirs severe lack of respect for any of them.

"The buyer is willing to pay whatever sum for the item plus our services. But he doesn't want to be tied to the acquisition of the aforementioned cargo. So we're going to act as his ambassador of sorts"

"And how do you intend to make the highest bid."

"Rod here is going to take care of that." He gestured to the droid. "So no matter what you have the highest bid."

"Wait, that I have the highest bid?"

"Well Yord was supposed to be the stand in for the auction and canto bight but he's kinda occupied right now."

It took everything in you to bite your tongue.

"You said this was a simple job." You bristled.

"It is."

"You never said anything about impersonating a bidder."

"You didn't ask sweetheart."

Qimir clenched his jaw.

"Yord normally keeps a low profile which made him the best suited for the stand in. Unlucky that he broke his streak on trying to rob you"

"I'll be recognized."

"Where we'll be, no one is going to give two bactas about who you are. These aren't the type of joints where saints congregate. Jedi will be the least of your worries."

"Why are the Jedi looking for you two anyways." Shaun questioned suddenly very interested in the conversation.

"Thats none of your concern."

Shaun put his hands up realizing that you weren't one to answer pointed questions.

"Whats the item I'll be bidding on."

"that also happens to be none of your concern either."

"If we're doing this job I need more information to make sure were not walking into anything we can't walk out of."

"Even if I wanted to I couldn't tell you. The item only goes by its bidding number and the client wont share beyond that. Also I don't really care what it is... as long as I get paid. You're now the stand in on Carinth and Canto Bight, and thats all I'll hear of it."

"Why was it Yord? why me?"

"There's a strong likelihood that the rest of us aren't exactly on the best terms with some of the attendees frequenting the auction, especially not in Canto Bight. We need someone who’s not a big player—or better yet, someone who’s completely unknown. The client insists on absolute secrecy. The fewer issues we encounter and questions we face, the better."

You couldn't deny that everything he stated made sense for a job such as this.

"So what happens when they find out the credits being transferred are fake?"

"Thats when we blast out of there like a bat out of hell."

You almost smirked. You hated to admit it but the chase excited you.

"So you're what is considered a big player?" You replied mockingly.

"Ouch." He pretended to take a knife to the heart.

"Fine."

"And just because I like you so very much y/n I'll let the two of you split Yords share."

"How generous of you, Ian." You swallowed your words with disdain.

"I like to think so." he smiled with great satisfaction. "Be here at 05:00."

Before you could nod your head, Qimir had already turned on his heal heading towards the exit.

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

"Whatever you have to say, go ahead. Get it out."

Qimir said nothing as you followed him down the ally. Though you could almost read the back of his head.

"Well if you're going to brood about it at least -"

Before you could get your next words out, you were slammed against the wall. The impact knocked the air from your lungs, and you barely had time to react before his hands pinned your arms to your sides, his grip like iron.

"This isn’t my fault," you gasped.

"Of course it isn’t," his voice was dripping with sarcasm.

You could feel the anger radiating off him. He continued.

"Skynyr is trouble, and nothing but. That makes him dangerous."

"And what are we exactly?" you shot back, your voice tinged with defiance. "What are we?"

"You know what we are," he replied. His tone was cold, as if stating an undeniable truth.

"So when did smugglers become the biggest, baddest thing in the galaxy? In the dark, there’s nothing to fear but us."

"Maker, you’re naive," he spat. "He’s more trouble than he’s worth."

"You’re right," you conceded, though your voice was steady with what you said next. "The sooner we leave the sooner we can continue training. And he’s our best shot out of here."

His jaw clenched, and his teeth bared in a snarl. The rage in his eyes was palpable, and for a moment, you felt a shiver run down your spine. He tightened his grip, pressing you harder against the cold, unforgiving wall. The proximity, the force, everything about the moment screamed danger, yet you held your ground.

"The only reason I’m willing to go along with this little drama," he whispered, a lethal calm overtaking him, his face inches from yours, "is because of that damn republic transponder. Maker knows who else has one... Maybe this trip will teach you a valuable lesson, my young apprentice."

Those last three words hung in the air like dead bodies.

Ghosts.

Ones that constantly haunted you.

My young apprentice.

It wasn’t just a title; it was a reminder of everything you had left behind when you walked away from the Order. He was asserting his authority, reminding you of what you were to him—and more importantly, what he was to you. The unspoken command was clear: Don’t forget it.

You could see the words of warning in his eyes.

"Yes, Master," you whispered.

He stared at you for a moment longer, as if to ensure you truly grasped the gravity of your position. He loosened his grip and pushed himself away from you, storming off toward the compound.

You remained against the wall for a few seconds longer, the echoes of the encounter still reverberating through your mind. The word “Master” clung to you like a weight.

The next morning you both had packed everything you owned... which was very little. But it wasn't the material things that weighed you down. Qimir lashed out at you for a good reason. It was the uncertainty, the sense that you were stepping into something that could very well get you both killed.

Or worst captured.

Maker help me. You whispered.

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Thats it for today! Hope you liked it! If your feeling it, let me know what you think in the comments.

[david-talks-sw]

I havent watched it yet, but I saw a lot of reports that The Acolyte promotes a lot of Jedi Order "hate" if you will. What did you think about it? As a Jedi fan, I kind of DONT want to watch it because of that.

If you ask me, it's a fine show :) it hasn't quite gripped me, the thick lightsabers that look like toys are a nitpick that keeps triggering me.

But overall it's nice!

Yes, there are some small jabs.

The Jedi in The Acolyte are really reticent towards using their lightsabers, resorting to hand-to-hand or even stun weapons.

From what I've seen on Twitter, people are speculating that this is to show how much more "good" the Jedi were back then, as opposed to the more "square, dogmatic, quick-on-the-draw Prequel Jedi," who lost their compassion and have fully detached themselves to the point of dehumanizing themselves.

Yord is clearly meant to be one of the first "Prequel Jedi" as described above.

It's played for laughs 50% of the time, but yeah. The narrative frames him as being a bit of a dick who's a bit too proud of himself. And I'm seeing reflections of Tales of the Jedi Mace Windu & what Filoni described Episode I Obi-Wan as.

Same goes for Vernestra, dogmatically insisting he return to Coruscant because "protocol" and literally shown playing politics.

I've seen folks draw a parallel between Vernestra's attitude and that scene in Episode II where Yoda and Mace agree that they can't let the Senate know their powers of foresight are waning... and yeah, people interpret that scene as the two of them playing politics.

The director commentary of Episode II states that's not the case. It's more about the fact that if they trying to keep the war from starting.

Parallels between Sol and Qui-Gon

Very evident. But again... if you ask me, Sol is just being a Jedi. Qui-Gon isn't the only one with those character traits. Look at Obi-Wan, Yoda, Mace, Shaak Ti.

Finally, there's some hints that some evil shit went down years prior to the show and the Jedi were at the center of it.

I'm gonna hazard a guess that it's not as black and white as Mae or Sol makes it seem. A "big misunderstanding" type deal.

So yeah. Vernestra and Yord strike me as one-dimensional and a bit cartoonish. But overall:

Love seeing Jedi do some Kung Fu.

Love that they finally fixed how lightsaber blades look on camera.

Love the concept of a Jedi-centered detective story.

Mae and Osha are fun in different ways, but I'm kinda scared that, from their mantra, the show is gonna culminate in a "Gray Jedi is the way" kinda direction, and you know how I feel about that.

Love Qimir. And I get the feeling he's more than what he says he is, if you get my drift.

Love the acting in it, the set pieces, the production value, the way some Force powers are used (Sol with the Force speed, fuck yeah!)

Love that the title of "sith acolyte" is an actual thing now. It kinda helps us figure out what Dooku was between when he left in Dooku: Jedi Lost and his last episode in Tales of the Jedi. If I understand correctly, Sidious had an apprentice while grooming an acolyte... once the apprentice kicked the bucket, he promoted Dooku.

8/10 as far as I'm concerned.

[ofmdrecaps]

08/20-21/2024 Daily OFMD Recap

TLDR; Rhys Darby; Taika Waititi; Con O'Neill; Samson Kayo; Samba Schutte; Nathan Foad; Madeleine Sami; Guz Khan; Lindsey Cantrell Tim Heidecker; Articles; GalaxyConRaleigh Video; Fan Spotlight: Cast Cards; Never Left Podcast; Love Notes;

Hey crew, sorry I've been swamped with work/life again.. I swear I'll get back on track again one of these days. 8/22 will be up tonight or tomorrow.

== Rhys Darby ==

Reminder! Aug 28 is Rhys' episode of Expedition X!

Source: Moosh's Twitter

== Taika Waititi ==

Taika headed out of Italy!

Source: Instagram

Taika's in A LOT of the new episodes of Time Bandits (the season finales!) You can check them out on Apple TV!

Img Src: Collider Article

== Con O'Neill ==

Con's relaxing on vacation!

Source: Con O'Neill's Instagram

== Samson Kayo ==

Source: Samson Kayo's Instagram

== Samba Schutte ==

Advanced Chemistry is opening on September 12 and Samba has been kind enough to share lots of available links!

Laemmle Santa Monica

Wellington Delaware

Source: Samba Schutte's Instagram

You can also checkout the official full trailer here!

== Nathan Foad ==

Voyage of the Damned -- narrated by our fabulous Nathan Foad is finally out in North America! You can access it here.

Source: Audible.com

== Madeleine Sami ==

More of Mads and the Deadloch ladies out at the TV Week Logie Awards!

Source: Madeleine Sami's Instagram

== Guz Khan ==

Just a side view of Guz

Source: Guz Khan's Instagram

== Linds Cantrell ==

Linds was giving off some feels, her current project turned on OFMD for her!

Source: Lindsey Cantrell's Instagram

== Tim Heidecker ==

Our beloved Doug NoLastName is going to be touring! For tickets checkout https://linktr.ee/tim.heidecker!

Source: Tim Heidecker's Twitter

== Galaxy Con Raleigh Panel ==

Didn't get to go to GalaxyCon in Raleigh? Well you can access the OFMD Panel on Youtube! Sounds like the Livestream of San Jose will be up one of these days too!

Source: @JimJim531969

== Articles ==

Thank you @adoptourcrew for highlighting more articles!

== Fan Spotlight ==

= Cast Cards =

I am SO VERY behind on the cast cards from the lovely @melvisik who's been keeping them rolling! I'll try catch up on a bunch of them tonight!

First up is Abigail Swain, and Zhanda P., some of the Stunt performers / Action Talent! (According to ofmd-crew.com!)

Next up is the fabulous Hilda Rasula, one of our Series Editors from Season 1!

Next is another "civilian", Ellenette W.!

And who could forget Jeffrey Kushon, one of our fantastic Set Decorators!

Stacy Bisel was one of the Hair Co-Department Heads! Now this is super cool, @melvisik has given us some BTS to go along with some of the cast cards today! Check out her work with Buttons below!

And who could forget One of Jackie's Husbands, Hayden Bryant! Lots of BTS pics below as well!

Last tonight is a multi-job master Zak Enayat, who was workeding as both and actor and costumer according to ofmd-crew.com! You can see him working on the Calypso costume below!

Source: @melvisik's Twitter

== Never Left Podcast ==

New episode of Never Left Podcast is out! The theme of this one is birds! Check out the latest on your favorite listening platforms here!

Source: Never Left Podcast Instagram

== Love Notes ==

Hey lovelies! Do you know what time it is? It's time for you to take a second and remind yourself how frickn brilliant you are!

You just keep facing every day and keep going! EVERY SINGLE DAY! (Sure you might sleep in or something) but you still manage to face the day in whatever capacity you are able to (physically or mentally)!

It can be so very hard sometimes just to start your day-- but you're still doing it, no matter what you're facing!

I'm so proud of you for that, and you should be proud of yourself too! Even when things are tough, you're still doing little things, (or big things) to keep moving forward.

It might seem like something so small- but it means the world to people who love you, that you are still here and you are still with us. Remember that you are beautiful, and brilliant, and strong enough, even when you feel at your worst!

Love you crew <3 Rest up and keep on keep'n on!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by My Self-Love Supply™ (@myselflovesupply)

[flythesail]

In episode 3, Mother Aniseya tells Osha:

"Destiny is not decided for you by an anonymous Force. You get to make a choice, Osha. If you want to pull the Thread, then pull it."

This is the conversation surrounding how Osha wants to become a Jedi. Her choice, yet the choice is ultimately taken from her anyway, when the Jedi kill her coven. She ends up in the same place but not in her chosen way. This episode is called Destiny. Becoming a Jedi is decided for her as she wasn't the one to pull the Thread.

Then in episode 8, Osha sees "Mae" killing Master Sol when she wears Qimir's helmet:

"Mae. I saw Mae. She had her hand outstretched. She was killing Sol."

We later learn Osha actually saw herself. But she didn't know that. She chooses to kill Master Sol. After, she chooses to join Qimir too, telling him she wants to be trained.

This poses the question, how much of your future are you in control of? The witches believe the Thread ties you to your destiny but you can change it. Osha reiterates this after seeing who she thought to be Mae killing Sol: "But the future isn't fixed."

In that sense, she both proves and disproves her claim. The future isn't fixed because she's the one who kills Sol. Yet she always was to begin with. She just didn't know.

If the future (or your destiny) is a matter of belief, then yes, she has changed hers. By killing Sol and joining Qimir, she pulls the Thread. In contrast to episode 3, Destiny, the finale's title is Osha's choice: The Acolyte. Becoming an Acolyte, unlike becoming a Jedi, is her choice.

Choice is central to most of Osha and Qimir's relationship too. Beyond taking her to the Unknown Planet, he doesn't give her his lightsaber - he leaves it for her to pick up. Same with his helmet. He's guiding or offering, but not deciding for her.

And yet, Osha and Qimir's relationship can still be traced back to when the Jedi came to Brendok. If Osha became a Jedi as she decided, if her coven was never killed due to the Jedi's decisions... Osha and Qimir don't meet.

Master Sol killing Mother Aniseya is both the catalyst of the story, and the defining variable that makes Osha first joining the Jedi someone else's choice. (Because any alternative option was gone, regardless of what she wanted in the first place.)

I think this is something season 2 could have explored more. Whether that be Vernestra's visions (in regard to Qimir's backstory, that could set up a question of choice versus destiny - what if she suspects he'll turn to the dark side because of a vision and her response solidifies that?), or generally, this could tie into Mae and Osha's existence due to them being created with the Force.

On a larger scale, The Acolyte even fits into destiny. Because no matter what Osha decides within the period of time The Acolyte covers, she will be restricted by the story to come. Let's say Plagueis is on the Unknown Planet specifically for her. We already know Plagueis will go on to work with Palpatine, Palpatine will go on to... set the primary story of Star Wars in motion. Osha could pull the Thread by rejecting Plagueis and stepping outside of it.

[beri-allen]

Nobody asked, but I finally decided to change the title of my two-chapter missing-scene Oshamir fic from Dying Breed to From the Same Cloth. I've wanted to change it just one day after I published the first chapter, lol, so yeah, finally.

Anyways.

Summary:

On the unknown planet, Osha and Qimir spend a night together. On a flying ship, Osha and Qimir have a talk.

Two missing scenes from Episode 8, set in the night Osha wears the cortosis helmet and sees the vision & the next morning when she and Qimir are on their way to the final battle in Brendok.

For Oshamir Week - Day 1: Canonverse AU.

(Originally completed on 21 October 2024).

[thevibraniumveterans]

STAR WARS — The Acolyte

EP 8 — The Acolyte

MAIN THOUGHTS:

I loved this episode, because it leaves us with several more questions, in addition to the ones that have yet to be answered, and also because it results in almost a role reversal for Mae and Osha.

In Episode 5, the Stranger had said to Sol, “I’ve accepted my darkness, what have you done with yours?” Seems like in this episode, Sol has accepted his darkness and his failure.

There are a few familiar lines thrown in for good measure too.

Also, something about killing a Jedi without a weapon? Yeaaaah, about that… Somehow that’s always stuck with me, even though it’s not all that important of a line. Turns out it was pretty important this episode.

And that lightsaber scene? The one that stole this whole episode? You know the one; I thought it was by far the best on-screen visual example of a kyber crystal, and as a result the blade, responding to the owner’s emotions.

Spoilers in my thoughts in my notes below.

- We begin by hearing Osha calming her breathing, just like she did when it left off last episode. From the outside it sounds like pseudo-mechanical breathing, but not on the inside. The Stranger watches from a few feet away, but suddenly Osha gasps, as if something is choking her. She struggles to breathe. The Stranger, meanwhile, seems to worry, striding toward her with an outstretched arm. A second after his hand is inches away from the helmet, however, he experiences darkness around him, and he momentarily internally panics but tries to suppress it. What could be the source of this darkness he is experiencing?

- From the outside, we see that his eyes go dark, much like Torbin’s did last episode. Something is influencing him, but we’re not sure what. In his ‘experience’, the Stranger’s emotions flash across his face in rapid waves. We don’t know what he’s seeing. Osha, on the other hand, is still struggling for air, taking short and sharp breaths. The Stranger struggles to lift his other arm, and at last, removes the helmet from Osha’s head. She gasps for air, the feeling of drowning slowly escaping her. She shudders; what has she seen? She says she’s seen her sister, and that in her vision, Mae “had her hand outstretched” and that “she was killing Sol”. This visibly shakes Osha because she still considers Sol a good friend. After a short while, Osha says she still wants to stop Mae, but the Stranger notes that only he has the ship.

- Planetside Brendok, Mae and Sol are onboard the Jedi ship, and in orbit. Mae is still bound to the bed, and Sol says Master Vern will intercept him later. All these years later and Sol wants to prove that there is a Vergence on Brendok, but Mae still does not believe that her mother’s murder was justified. That’s a fair response; how else would one feel to talk to someone who killed their mom?

- We see, as was already obvious, two very different points of view. Sol maintains that the covens’ death was an “accident”, but Mae is adamant that in her eyes, the Jedi “invaded” her home and so she had to lock everyone in, irregardless of her setting Osha’s book on fire in the first place. While they argue, Mae uses Pip to pick the lock on her wrist binder to free herself. Sol says that the Jedi were right to intervene, but then tells Mae that she and Osha “are not twins. You’re not even sisters.”

- That’s when Mae’s restraints pop open, and she briefly shocks Sol, then bolts. Sol chases after her, but Mae makes it to an escape ship, and closes the door just as Sol reaches the ship. It’s too late for him; Mae takes the pilot’s seat, and flies off.

- TITLE CARD!!

- Sol reaches the pilot’s bay in his main ship and can only watch Mae fly off. He takes off after her. She chooses evasive maneuvers and flies straight into an orbiting asteroid ring. (Classic Star Wars moves.) No matter; he follows from above, but chooses to fly in after her, and pops up his rangefinder.

- The tracker creature pulls a few wires, sending alarms blaring. Sol’s ship veers out of balance, sending Mae’s escape ship also careening away. She manages to get her ship down to the ground, but it’s a rough landing, thankfully.

- Back on Coruscant, Vernestra meets with Rayencourt. This is internal Senate-Jedi politics, and Rayencourt doesn’t seem to like that Vernestra is keeping some things secret to the Jedi alone. Rayencourt tries to prod for answers, but Vern only reveals little. Rayencourt states point blank, “I think the Jedi are a massive system of unchecked power, posing as a religion, a delusional cult that claims to control the uncontrollable.” From an outside perspective, he’s absolutely right. It’s why Yoda, a hundred years from now, will say he failed; it’s why Luke, more than 100 years later, will say the Jedi are a failed system. It’s an easy thing to say when Jedi essentially kidnap children and train them to be soldiers under the guise of being so-called keepers of the peace. Rayencourt’s view of the Jedi is the same statement that many want to make but is also one that underpins the Prequels, so much so that it’s easy to see why they failed to stop Palpatine from rising to power. They were blinded by their own power, and could not see darkness from within their own ranks.

- Rayencourt continues, “You project an image of goodness and restraint, but it’s only a matter of time before one of you snaps.” He’s also absolutely correct in this regard; we saw what happened to Anakin, we saw what became of Ben Solo, we saw the man Luke became. They snapped, all in their own way. Rayencourt, with great if not unforeseen foresight, goes on: “And when, not “if”, that happens, who will be strong enough to stop him?” Vernestra takes all this in stoically, and shows him the door. He leaves, but not without a “May the Force be with you” valediction, but this time it sounds like an intended and well-placed insult.

- On the unknown planet, Osha and the Stranger head for his ship. He’s the curious one now, not knowing the destination. Osha, on the other hand, knows what she’s doing, and effectively holds his ship hostage by saying, “We do together or we don’t go at all.” Osha is decked in an athletic and hooded dress-like outfit; it is dark grey. The Stranger asks Osha if she ever considered being trained, but she refuses. The Stranger thinks that’s fair.

- We see the ship leave, but when the camera cuts back to the shadows of the hideout, one of the scarred witches appears from behind a wall, dark and ominous.

- On Brendok. Sol’s ship is stationed outside the fortress, much like he had done 16 years ago. He sets out alone.

- On Coruscant, Vern speaks over the comms to a person unknown to us. It sounds like this person had disguised their voice, deliberately. Vernestra is informed that Sol has been located; she wants to resolve something.

- Near Brendok, the Stranger’s ship approaches. Osha is in the pilot’s seat; why would she not be? The ship’s odd design means the Stranger is in a twin but separate cockpit. He makes a comment, but she shuts down his systems on his side to prevent him doing anything funny. She leaves on the comms to add insult to injury. She notices that Sol and/or Mae are already at the fortress.

- On the ground, Sol makes his way to the fortress, and hears, and sees, the approaching ship. He decides to ignore it for now, and encircles the fortress to find a way in. He does, and walks into the overgrown courtyard he hadn’t stepped foot in in over a decade. The place does not hold good memories; regardless, he calls for Mae, thinking that she would have made her way to her fortress home as well.

- Outside, Osha and the Stranger arrive at the fortress. She notes that the old elevator is the only way in, but then, hears the Stranger’s voice become an echo, asking her, “Are you sure?” She looks around; where has he gone? People don’t just vanish like that; not when they’re within arm’s length distance from you. As she stands there, confused, Sol makes his way through the fortress ruins. He arrives at the exact same point he had stood all those years ago when he made that fatal decision. He backs up and walks away, and just as his figure disappears from sight, Mae’s hand shoots up from beneath the floor, and she heaves herself up to the platform.

- Mae finds herself in her old bedroom, the same bedroom she had locked Osha in all those years ago to prevent her from leaving. It looks like she feels uneasy. Outside, Osha fiddles with the elevator controls, and opens the rusty doors.

- Sol makes his way through a hallway and calls Mae’s name, but is accosted by the helmeted Stranger. They face down; what is Star Wars without a good hallway saber duel? The Stranger backs Sol through a series of hallways, and they hover themselves down to the plaza. Sol says, “I will destroy you if I must”, to which the Stranger warns, “Not if she gets to you first.” The Stranger disconnects his saber, choosing to now duel with two blades, a longer one and a shorter one.

- Sol leaps at the Stranger, kicking him backwards, but this doesn’t faze him. The Stranger throws both his lit sabers, hoping to backstab Sol, but Sol sees this coming, and holsters his own sabers, and uses the Force to throw the red sabers off, and the Stranger to the ground. Sol reignites his saber. The Stranger is undaunted.

- Osha, clad in dark grey, finds her sister Mae, in light grey, in their old room. Osha still feels grief and anger over the past, but Mae holds a different view of how things unfolded. Mae tells Osha that Sol has killed Mother Aniseya, and affirms Osha’s negative emotions that Sol could never hope to quell. Mae continues, saying, “You never failed; he did.” With that, the sisters come to blows, engaging in physical unarmed combat. Their movements mirror each other. They both kick high, legs clashing.

- The camera cuts right away to the clashed blades of Sol and the Stranger in the courtyard, their battle evidently not over. The Jedi’s ship arrives.

- In their bedroom, Osha and Mae keep duking it out. Mysteriously, Mae disappears, and Osha looks around the empty room.

- In the courtyard, the battle rages on. In a stunning move, Sol swipes his blade and slices the Stranger’s lightsaber hilt open. The Stranger discards his saber, removes his helmet, and turns to face Sol, whose saber is out and pointing to his neck.

- Mae appears in the courtyard, and hits Sol. In a swift movement, Mae grabs Sol’s lightsaber. The Stranger says, “Strike him down and your journey will be complete.” Mae, however, tosses Sol’s saber aside. Mae refuses, wanting instead for Sol to “confess what he did. I want him to face the High Council. The Senate. The Republic. I want him to pay for his crimes.” Sol still maintains that he “did the right thing”, but how was killing Mother Aniseya the right thing? Nothing can explain that away. He claims that he was trying to protect Osha and Mae from their mother, who might’ve in some way used the Force to create life. Sol says, “In the history of the galaxy, very few have been that powerful.” While he talks and is distracted, the Stranger picks up Sol’s saber. In Mae’s eyes, it still does not justify her mother’s death. Sol is hesitant, but finally admits that yes, he did kill Mother Aniseya. (On a separate note, one of the Stranger’s past last lessons to Mae was to kill a Jedi without a weapon; here and now Mae is weaponless, and had forced Sol, a supposedly respectable Jedi, to distill the Jedi’s order and idea of “protection” down to chaos and “murder” in the name of safety, and in a way, killed the idea of a Jedi, thereby fulfilling the Stranger’s last task.)

- Mae looks up, and sees Osha coming through the doorway. Osha had heard all she needs to hear, but shakily asks Sol, “Is that true?” Sol deflects by telling her he did what he thought was right, that he wanted to tell her the truth “so many times, but I couldn’t”. Osha is in denial; in her hand, she holds Sol’s saber. Turns out, the Stranger had handed it to her.

- Osha does not take this lightly; she Force-chokes Sol, and Mae looks on in concern. The crystal in the saber in Osha’s hand slowly bleeds red, and she closes her fist, killing Sol. He drops to the ground, and Osha sobs, realizing what she has done. Mae is also concerned; Osha had done what Mae could not. The Stranger slowly approaches Osha, who lashes out at him, saber ignited; we see the red from the crystal bleeding into the ignited blade, and within seconds, the blade turns an angry crimson from hilt to tip. Osha inspects the saber, fascinated.

- Elsewhere, Vern’s ship had arrived. With her are a small contingent of Knights. She reaches out, and realizes the Stranger is alive. He notices the Force shift, and puts his helmet on.

- Back in the fortress, Mae cautiously approaches Osha, saying, “We need to leave.” Surprisingly, Osha switches off the saber, and follows her sister. They run through the hallways, and escape down the internal cliff that Mae had earlier climbed up from. They reach a tunnel, and walk through it.

- In the courtyard, Vernestra and the Jedi find Sol’s lifeless body. Vern sends the Jedi to search the premises; the Stranger looks on from behind a hidden pillar as Vern approaches Sol’s body.

- Mae and Osha continue running. Elsewhere not too far away, the Jedi start tracking the sisters, who have arrived at the tree they used to come to as kids.

- Mae tells Osha that this is where she sat and waited; Osha apologizes to Mae, saying, “I’m sorry I didn’t believe you.” Mae returns an apology: “I’m sorry I started that fire.” Osha starts crying, and tears appear in Mae’s eyes too. They repeat the same little chant they did as kids.

- The Stranger appears, and takes Sol’s now-red saber. Mae asks her sister, “What do you want, Osha?” What does Osha want to do? Osha tells the Stranger that she will train with him, only if he lets Mae go. Mae warns that the Jedi are using her scent to track the both of them, and the Stranger offers to wipe Mae’s memory in favor of letting Osha do what she wants. Mae willingly agrees, not wanting to risk her sister’s safety. This is not something she is forced to do, she is doing this of her own free will and out of love for her own sister. Osha doesn’t want to lose Mae, not again. Mae assures, “You’re not. You are going to do what you were meant to do. But I won’t stop you this time.” Osha makes a deal with the Stranger, but gives one last farewell hug to Mae. Osha promises to find Mae, who says, “I know you will.” They start their little poem again, and Mae discreetly nods at the Stranger, who proceeds to, with her consent, wipe her memory. Mae can’t even finish her line. By the time the Jedi arrive, only Mae is left standing under the tree, Osha and the Stranger long gone.

- Back on Coruscant, an arrested Mae gets shepherded through the Temple’s halls. At this point, as agreed, she has no memory of her sister and the Stranger. Mae is walked into a room, and sees Vernestra, who orders that Mae’s restraints be removed.

- Vern asks Mae if she knows why she’s here; to Mae she does not know anything, other than being told she’s murdered someone but has no collection of the event. She recounts fragmented memories, about a fire, a man killing her mother, and herself running off.

- Vernestra fills in the gaps for her, telling Mae her last memory is of when she’s 8. Vern affirms that Sol killed Mother Aniseya. Later, she tells the Senate what happened all those years ago. She tells them the truth, though a warped version of it. In this version, she names Sol as the rogue Jedi who “killed his accomplices to maintain the cover story.” When asked where Sol was, Vern says, “I believe he ended his own life.” Which, from a certain point of view, is true, considering he allowed Osha to kill him, accepting his failure and his guilt. Vern tells Mae, “Sol made a mistake. A mistake he lived with for so long it twisted his mind.” (Would Vern be telling a warped version of the story to protect Mae and Osha?) “He justified every selfish step with the live he had for your sister.” Mae does not remember the name Osha.

- Vern continues, “You poor girl. The Jedi have failed you. I am going to make this right. But I need your help.” Mae asks what with, and is informed, “A pupil of mine before he turned to evil.” (Which is more or less the same words Obi-Wan would utter to Luke in ANH.) Mae agrees.

- On the Stranger’s planet, Osha stands, looking out at the waves before her. The Stranger approaches, and lightly takes Osha’s hand, which is holding the saber. Sunset; Master and Apprentice look out at the waves beyond.

- Back on Coruscant, Vern walks into a room, and addresses her Master, who is none other than Yoda.

- The scene closes out. The credits roll.

[ljones41]

Ranking of "THE ACOLYTE" (2024) Episodes

Below is my ranking of the episodes from the Disney Plus/Lucasfilm streaming series, "THE ACOLYTE". Created by Leslye Headland, the series starred Amandla Stenberg in the title role:

RANKING OF "THE ACOLYTE" (2024) EPISODES

(1.07) "The Choice" - A long flashback set 16 years earlier reveals the truth about the confrontation between the Jedi investigating a potential "vergence" in the Force and a coven of exiled witches on Brendok.

2. (1.05) "Night" - in the jungles of Khofar, the Jedi investigators have a violent and disastrous encounter with Qimir, the Sith master of their murder suspect, Mae Aniseya.

3. (1.01) "Lost/Found" - In the series premiere, Mae attacks and kills Jedi Master Indara at a bar on Ueda. However, her twin sister, former Jedi padawan Osha Aniseya, becomes the top suspect.

4. (1.08) "The Acolyte" - In the finale, Osha learns the truth about what happened on Brendok, which leads to a tragic conclusion. Jedi Master  Vernestra sets out to hide the truth from the Republic's Galactic Senate.

5. (1.03) "Destiny" - When the Jedi traveled to Brendok to search for a "vergence" in the Force sixteen years earlier, then Jedi Knight Sol discovered the witches' coven and the Force sensitive twin sisters they were raising in a series of flashbacks.

6. (1.04) "Day" - Osha, now Jedi Master Sol and a group of Jedi travel to Khofar in order to prevent Mae and her Sith master from murdering Jedi Master Kelnacca, who had also been a part of the Brendok expedition sixteen years earlier.

7. (1.02) "Revenge/Justice" - Mae fails in her attempt to kill Jedi Master Torbin, another who had participated in the Brendok expedition. Before Osha and the Jedi can stop her, she resorts to another means to acquire her target.

8. (1.06) "Teach/Corrupt" - Qimir takes a captured Osha to an unknown planet where he tries to recruit her by claiming to be a former Jedi who had been betrayed by his master. Meanwhile, Mae, while impersonating Osha, tries to learn the truth from Master Sol about what happened on Brendok.

[chloelefay]

Movies & Shows we've seen

Our Letterboxd:

Our MAL:

Every TV Show we've seen at least 8 consecutive episodes of ranked:

★★★★★ / 10/10 / S 1. Neon Genesis Evangelion 2. LEGION 3. Cowboy Bebop 4. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya 5. Andor 6. Revolutionary Girl Utena 7. Spectacular Spider-Man 8. Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water 9. Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur 10. Hazbin Hotel 11. SSSS.Dynazenon 12. Puella Magi Madoka Magica 13. Ninjago: Dragons Rising

★★★★½ / 9/10 / A 14. RWBY 15. Loki 16. Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 17. Kamen Rider Ryuki 18. Doom Patrol (Seasons 1 & 2) 19. Serial Experiments Lain 20. Magia Record Season 1 21. Godzilla Singular Point 22. Mekakucity Actors 23. The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan 24. SSSS.GRIDMAN 25. Arcane 26. DEVS 27. Kid vs Kat 28. Helluva Boss 29. Hit-Monkey 30. She-Hulk: Attorney at Law 31. Good Omens 32. The Acolyte

★★★★ / 8/10 / B 33. Warehouse 13 34. Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu 35. M.O.D.O.K. 36. WandaVision 37. Marvel Rising 38. Legends of Chima

★★★½ / 7/10 / C 39. Ninjago (2019-2022) 40. Marvel's What If...? 41. Hero Factory

★★ / 4/10 / F (42. Doom Patrol Season 3)

we post livetweet threads for most things we watch on our twitter. you can find them by looking through our media tab, we almost always post a photo of the title card:

[generalpierrotdameron]

‘Star Wars: The Acolyte’ – Volume 2 (Episodes 5-8) Soundtrack Album Details

Tracklist:

1. Power of Two (End Credit Version) – Victoria Monet (4:06) 2. Awake in the Aftermath (1:22) 3. Multicolored Lightsaber Battle (3:05) 4. You Are No Jedi / You Are Under Arrest (3:15) 5. Dual-Wielding Duel (2:43) 6. Battle in Red Green & Blue (2:37) 7. A Horrifying Reveal (3:09) 8. I’ve Accepted My Darkness (1:40) 9. Two Sisters / Two Stories (4:14) 10. Leaving Khofar (1:52) 11. What Extraordinary Beings We Are (2:31) 12. Prisoner in Paradise (2:33) 13. Beach Walk (1:19) 14. Code Zero (1:34) 15. Bazil Suspects (0:53) 16. The Lagoon (3:46) 17. Mae in Disguise (2:01) 18. Bazil & Pip Strike Back (1:26) 19. This Is Who You Are (3:26) 20. Have You Told Me Everything (2:48) 21. A Ship Departs / A Ship Arrives (1:31) 22. Interpreting a Battlefield (2:16) 23. You’re Going to Listen (0:59) 24. The Helmet Calls (1:25) 25. Luxuriously Dark (1:25) 26. A Noble Mission (2:23) 27. Sol Discovers the Twins (2:17) 28. Preparing to Intervene (2:54) 29. Standoff Revisited (3:03) 30. Assessments (2:37) 31. Those Girls Are the Proof (1:43) 32. The Fire Revisited (3:05) 33. A Tragic Mistake (2:50) 34. Kelnacca Attacks (4:23) 35. The Cover-Up Begins (1:46) 36. Helmet Visions (1:53) 37. Another Asteroid Field (1:36) 38. Converging on Brendok (2:45) 39. Memories Among the Ruins (3:29) 40. A Great Team (2:09) 41. Double Duel (2:49) 42. Explanation / Confession (2:06) 43. Atonement / Transformation (3:15) 44. Pursuing the Twins (2:43) 45. Rapprochement / Farewell (4:06) 46. Deceptive Elegy (2:03) 47. The Acolyte / Homage to a Master (1:51) 48. The Power of Many / End Title (3:17)

[classicanalyzer]

The second half of the Acolyte soundtrack came out!

I love the presence of Kylo Ren's theme in this soundtrack (all the hints and vibes of The Stranger/"Qimir" being also possibly the founder of the Knights of Ren seems likely).

I absolutely love the use of violins in this soundtrack. A lot of Kingdom Hearts vibes.

The Acolyte main theme is very chilling and the standout original theme of this soundtrack. The rise of the Sith is clear. I also love how the music playing when Plagueis appears is similar to the Tragedy tale in Revenge of the Sith.

Violins and pianos in soundtracks are my weakness lol.

Favorite tracks (There are a lot of them in both volumes but I have to condense them except the final two episodes!) -

Episode 5: Awake in the Aftermath (Ren's theme), Multicolored Lightsaber Battle, Dual-Wielding Duel, A Horrifying Reveal, Two Sisters/Two Stories, What Extraordinary Beings We Are (Ren's theme).

Episode 6: Prisoner in Paradise, Beach Walk, The Lagoon, This Is Who You Are, The Helmet Calls, Luxuriously Dark.

Episode 7: Sol Discovers the Twins, Preparing to Intervene, Standoff Revisited, Those Girls Are the Proof, A Tragic Mistake, Kelnacca Attacks, The Cover-Up Begins, Power of One.

Episode 8: Helmet Visions, Converging on Brendok (Tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise!), Memories Among the Ruins, A Great Team, Double Duel, Atonement/Transformation, Rapprochement/Farewell, Deceptive Elegy, The Acolyte/Homage to a Master, and the Power of Many/End Title.

[scoobyrooster1]

She's Mine [Intro]

Qimir x (she/her)!reader

Summary: Events take place after episode 8 of the acolyte. You are Qimirs new acolyte after agreeing to train under him. But, first you both must escape to the outer rim and outrun the Jedi who now hunts you. A precarious situation arises when you suddenly owe a debt to the local gunrunner... but it could be just the opportunity you've been hoping for. Warnings: None so far Notes: I plan for this to be a slow burn story between you and Qimir. Future heist plot on canto bight. Haven't officially decided on a permanent title yet. Probably needs more edits lol.

^ Nice ambience for the intro

Master List

She's Mine [Intro]  She's Mine [Part 1] She's Mine [Part 2]

______________________________________________________________

You and Qimir had been on the road for months now. Vernestra couldn’t put out an official warrant on you both—not without raising questions she didn’t want to answer. Instead, she relied on something more insidious: whispers, rumors, just enough to keep you glancing over your shoulder but never enough to reveal her true intentions.

So now you found yourself sitting in a mossy dive bar waiting on a pilot that could be your last chance to escape republic space. He was 20 minutes late and it had been one hell of a day. Your patience was wearing thin.

You felt someone sit down at the stool next to you. Not giving them any notice ----until they spoke.

"Oi. Ale for me and whatever the lady wants."

You stifled a grunt, eyes remaining fixed on your drink.

"Not interested."

The bartender, unfazed, slid a glass down the bar landing directly into the strangers hand with ease. He took a full three chugs before wiping his chin with the back of his hand.

Exhaling he exclaimed. "Not interested?... Handsome fella like me? Sure you are."

"Its been a rough day." You grimaced, still not sparing him a glance.

"Well its about to get a little more difficult."

You could feel him shift beside you. Instinctively, you unholstered your blaster and aimed it directly at his crotch. You were now face to face with Ian Skynyr. Notorious playboy and smuggler.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." You whispered.

He only froze, eyes widening on where your blaster now rested. His shoulders slightly relaxed almost as impressed as he was shocked.

"Easy"

"Like I said its been a long day and I'm not especially forgiving on those. So get lost."

"One of my men is in a bacta tank thanks to you."

You recalled what had transpired a mere few hours ago.

Some thug saw you walking through the bazar. Cloaked, your figure appeared small and unthreatening. He assumed you'd be an easy target. He assumed wrong.

Qimir had found you standing over the aqualish male, his breathing labored, knocked unconscious with far more hidden injuries.

All Qimir had said to you was, lets go. No emotion shown on his striking face.

"If he wanted an easy pocket to pick he shouldn't have cornered me."

"Listen sunshine, you put me in a bit of a bind here."

"Not my problem. I know your line of work and I'm not looking for that kind of heat."

Neither you or Qimir could take that right now.

The stranger didn’t back off. He leaned in, just enough for you to catch the scent of engine grease and blaster residue.

"Oh I think it is, don't think I don't know exactly why you're sitting here."

You suppressed a laugh. Of course.

"So I can assume you intercepted my pilot."

"Theres now a debt to pay. Im here to collect."

"I wouldn't bet on it."

"Right... Only a certain type of woman wears with an LL-30 blaster pistol strapped to her thigh."

"And it only takes a special kind of idiot to steal from her." You retracted the gun back to under your cloak.

He cracked a smile.

"The job I have lined up that you so gracefully mucked might actually be of some interest to you."

"I highly doubt that."

"You and your friend need to get to the outer rim no? Something about avoiding the order? I can provide that for you both so long as you pay whats now owed."

You couldn’t hide the shock on your face.

So the pilot had a loose mouth. But you knew Qimir would later curse you for your own.

"I don't owe you anything."

"Deny that little fact all you want. What you can't deny is that the republic has been slowly tightening its grip on hyperspace routes. Good luck finding another freighter that can slip past their patrols unnoticed."

You frowned.

He wasn’t wrong. Vernestra wouldn't risk the upper hand she now had on the two of you. It was easy enough to establish stricter checkpoints in the name of peace and safety. Finding another ship capable of making it past their checkpoints undetected and unquestioned would be next to impossible.

You sat there. Silent. Weighing the options in front of you. Even though you had your finger on the trigger and every reason to pull it, you squirmed underneath the predicament he now faced you with.

He watched the gears turning behind your eyes, carefully calculating your next move.

"Well." he sighed "If you're that confident, I guess its easy enough for me to find another replacement."

He slowly stood, nudging the now empty glass towards the edge of the bar.

"Good luck out running the damned Jedi."

What were your chances of another opportunity like this? As damned as the circumstances were.

Before he could step out of the cantina you turned.

"Wait."

Ian inclined his head to you, smile spreading across his stupid face.

Qimir was going to kill you.

_____________________________________________________________

[voltron-s7-8-rewrite]

Shadows

This is part of my Voltron Season 7 & 8 re-write. If you are interested start HERE

PREVIOUS

Three Years Earlier:

Despite Lotor's rejection of Honerva, she is not dissuaded from her belief that she can gain Lotor's love if given time, and searches for him.

A Galran commander contacts her, updating her on his search for the missing Prince. Having gone to where the Paladins and Lotor were last seen, he has found no traces of them, however there were strange energy readings all around the area.

Honerva orders him to keep looking and ends the conversation. Asking herself where could her son be, she looks out of the window at the ruins of Diabazaal.

As she stares at the dead world that had once been her home, memories begin to surface.

                                   __________________________  

Having told Zarkon of her pregnancy, he worries; they have tried over and over to have a child, but each attempt ended in devastation for the couple.

Honerva assures him that her study of Quintessence and its "life giving properties" will insure their child lives and will be healthy.

Hearing her confidence eases Zarkon's worries and he becomes overjoyed, remarking on how the Quintessence will not only bless them with what they so desperately crave, a child, but it will also give them what they need to create a strong and stable Galran Empire.

Honerva says that they need to find a name for their child. The two share names they had each considered, before finally deciding to combine the two, officially naming the child "Lotor".

                                   __________________________  

 Coming out of her memories, Honerva's conviction for finding her son hardens.

                                   __________________________  

Sometime later, Macidus seeks Honerva out. She asks if there has been a report from the commander she sent out, Macidus says he made contact and said that Lotor and the Paladins disappeared some time ago, and are believed to be dead.

Honerva refuses to accept that answer, and orders the commander to be brought in. Macidus tells her he can't be, as shortly after making contact, his ship was destroyed in an attack by another faction of the fractured Empire.

Macidus then uses this example to try to persuade her into taking up a leadership role and commanding the Druids to bring these factions, and anyone that opposes them to an end.

His request falls on deaf ears as Honerva dismisses him. She tells him that he and the Druids as a relic of the past and she no longer needs them.

After he leaves she issues a command to a nearby soldier to order the Kral Zera to be held.

                                   __________________________  

One more lost to memories of the past, Honerva begins remembering what happened after she and Zarkon were brought back to life after their death from the overexposure to pure Quintessence.

Zarkon, fully corrupted by the rift creature, realizes Honerva has no memories of who she is. With his new state of mind, Zarkon views his wife as having been a weakness that held him back from achieving the power he needed.

Rather than telling her who she truly is, he only informs her that he is her Emperor, then he leaves her to be taken care of by others.

                                   __________________________  

Taking the name "Haggar", Honerva begins to build an identity for herself. However, it is a slow and confusing process for her. Even when she gives birth to Lotor, she is still too disconnected from herself and reality to make sense of her child.

After Lotor's birth, the doctors inform Zarkon that he and Haggar need Quintessence to survive, but their supply is finite.

Knowing of Honerva's obsession and knowledge of Quintessence, Zarkon asks Haggar if she has the ability to find it for him. The mention of Quintessence seems to be the only thing that rouses her from her disassociated state, and she says she can.

                                   __________________________  

 As time passes Lotor grows. Neglected and looked down upon by the Galra due to his mixed blood, he still seeks to please his father.

However all Zarkon can ever see in Lotor is the same weakness he saw Honerva as.

Not knowing of their true relationship to one another, Lotor and Haggar begin to view one another with contempt and indifference respectively.

Through the years, Zarkon continues to dismiss and degrade Lotor, even as the young man follows in his father's footsteps and conquers planets, producing more Quintessence than any other under the Empire's rule.

It is not until Zarkon decides to destroy Ven'tar's world, that Lotor stands up to him, fighting for the people he worked with and grew close to.

Zarkon is displeased by this and as a result, the world and all the work Lotor had done for his father is destroyed. He is then banished from the Empire as a disgrace. Embittered, and full of hatred, Lotor leaves.

                                   __________________________  

In the present, on Planet Feyiv, the Kral Zera is held once more. As the Galran commanders and Warlords wait for their chance to seize the throne, Honerva appears and kills the Archivist.

She reveals her true identity to the Galran leaders, and tells them that it was the Galra that held Lotor back and caused his fall.

She declares the Galran race unworthy of what Lotor given them, and as a result, unworthy to continue to exist in his universe.

Using her powers, she kills all that are there and vows to end the entire race for Lotor.

                                   __________________________  

Certain that her son is alive, Honerva uses the Alchemy she learned from Oriande, and searches for Lotor's Quintessence. It takes time, but she finally finds it in the rift between universes.

Knowing she has to open the rift to get him out, she digs through the information he had left on his abandoned ship.

It's there that she discovers information about Altean colony, and his desire to create a new Altean Empire.

                                   __________________________  

Going through the Quantum Abyss without a problem, Honerva makes it to the Altean colony.

The Alteans there are shocked and wary to see a stranger walk through their town and demand to know who she is and why she's there.

Honerva stands at the base of the monument built for her son and tells them that she is the mother of their savior, Lotor, and that he has been betrayed by Voltron and is in need of their help.

Being blindly devoted to Lotor, the Alteans immediately offer themselves to his and Honerva's service, willing to help however they can.

                                   __________________________  

Selecting a handful of colonists she deems to be most suited for her plans, Honerva gives them the title of Acolytes and leaves with them.

They head to Oriande, but knowing not all the Alteans would be chosen by the Guardian, Honerva enters alone.

Landing on Oriande, Honerva calls forth her powers. The Guardian appears, sensing she is there with dark intentions and attacks her. Honerva uses her dark Alchemy, attempting to corrupt the Guardian. It fights her power, but Honerva unleashes all that she has, weakening herself as the energy finally corrupts the Guardian and causes an explosion.

As the dust clears, the Guardian is gone.

With the rest of the Alteans free to enter, they quickly work on crafting a mech designed by Honerva. With limited supplies and workers, they can only complete one mech.

Knowing they will need more for her plans, Honerva sends an Acolyte on their first mission using the mech; they are to go to Olkarion to retrieve the Olkarian Cubes and test the Komar on the planet.

                                   __________________________  

The Altean completes their mission and returns, but when they come out of the mech, they have been traumatized by the event. When using the Kolmar, the Altean felt the death of the planet and those on it.

Hearing this, many of the Alteans are no longer sure that what they are doing is right, especially after hearing that Honerva wants to go after the surviving Olkari and use them to build more mechs.

Having no desire to deal with the Alteans that are questioning her, she has the Acolytes that are still loyal imprison the rest. She then orders those following her to go after the Olkari.

                                   __________________________  

When they return successful, Honerva makes it clear to the Olkari that they will obey her commands, or she will have her mech start going from planet to planet, destroying one after another until they obey.

As a demonstration to the truth of her threat, she has the mech destroy a defenseless world.

Witnessing this, and unwilling to allow billions more to die, the Olkari follow her commands, figuring they can work to hinder her plans and bide time until Voltron comes.

                                   __________________________  

Overtime the mechs are built; Honerva sends them out to several planets and has them use the Komar in order to give her the strength she needs to open the rift, as she's still severely weakened since her fight with the Guardian.

One of the Acolytes asks if she'd rather wait until she's stronger, as this could cause further harm to her, but Honerva dismisses them, desperate to get Lotor.

She orders the Komar to start. Channeling the energy from the Komars into the Olkarion cubes, she absorbs the Quintessence and opens the rift.

 Notes:

Ok, so I'm first going explain how I view Zarkon/Honerva/Lotor's corruption in my version, as it is vital to the story, then I'll get into some specific stuff about this episode rewrite.

.

First off, If there was any information about Quintessence and the Rift mentioned in S7&8, I'm completely ignoring it, as stuff in those seasons seemed to go against what we saw/were told earlier in the series. I don't know if that all came down to the creators not caring about inconsistencies, or if it was due to the alterations they had to make to elements of the story to blame.

That said, I've seen most people talk about how in S3E7 "The Legend Begins" it was the exposure to the Quintessence in the rift that corrupted Zarkon and Honerva, turning them evil, and even Allura says the same thing in S6E7. But that's not what we are shown in the actual scene of their corruption.

In the episode, Zarkon gets out of Black with Honerva

The Rift Creatures attack

And they are shown to be what corrupts Zarkon, Honerva, and the unborn Lotor.

Now, I won't dispute that it was the overexposure to the Quintessence killed the couple, as that is stated directly in S3E7; and it makes sense. Too much of anything, even something good, can kill a person.

However, I have a real hard time with the idea that pure Quintessence, something described as "life itself" is something that can corrupt a person to the extent that Zarkon and Honerva were. Especially given the visual evidence.

*As a note, we are shown that Quintessence itself can be corrupted, however, anytime the corrupted Quintessence is used, it always does something horrific -i.e., extending Zarkon and Honerva's lives in unnatural ways, mutating and disfiguring anyone who uses it to power themselves up...etc. We're not talking about that stuff, we're talking about the pure, unadulterated rift juice that is specifically shown to heal (like Keith's hand after his fight with Macidus.

Now, again, I know Allura says in S6E7 (when fighting Lotor in the Quintessence field) that,

"Exposure to all this quintessence turned him[Zarkon] into a monster."

But I don't buy it. Really, from what I saw in the show, Zarkon's (and Honerva's) corruption started long before the exposure in the rift.

In S3E7, after the Rift is opened and Honerva has been studying it for some time, we see her years after her first introduction in the episode, and the change from who she was first scene is stark. Rather then the excited, joyful Alchemist she was shown to be, she is now aloof and closed off, almost machine like in her words and actions towards Alfor, which is even shown to throw him off.

As he talks to her and Zarkon, he sees she has one of the Rift Creatures in containment. He shares his concerns about it, but Honerva dismisses him, seemly entranced by by the being.

I believe that the Creature was the cause of her shift in personality. That being in close proximity to it was influencing her and Zarkon.

Zarkon went from a man wanting order and structure in his -what I believe to have always been slightly unstable- world*, to a man who sought power in order to build and keep an Empire.

*See earlier in the episode where he doesn't want Blaytz to be too friendly with the 'servant class' as it would lead to a loss of discipline. I will go further into my beliefs on Daibazaal's instability in another rewrite.

Honerva went from an inquisitive scientist with a thirst for life, to someone who was consumed by her research, completely detached from everything except her experiments and Zarkon.

The only thing that changed from when we first met them, to who they were now, was the Creature. Sure, you can argue that the Rift being opened allowed the Quintessence to seep through and corrupt them, but why was no one else shown to be corrupted? On top of that, why did they have the scene in the rift showing the Creatures surrounding and effecting the couple?

'Well, what about that scene you were talking about earlier? When Lotor went into the Quintessence field he went nuts too.'

Why, yes, that's very true my hypothetical Questioner, however, I'm not saying that the Rift doesn't effect people, as we see both Lotor and all the Paladins effected, but they wern't corrupted like Zarkon and Honerva.

To me, the Quintessence in the Rift was enhancing what Lotor and the Paladins were already feeling, not changing them. Think Testerone, it's something everyone has, and in the right amounts it makes the body work properly, however, too much and it harms the person, boosting things like aggression. That's what the Quintessence was doing.

The Paladins were all hurt by the revelation of Lotor's actions in different ways, and Lotor was enraged by all his dirty laundry being exposed and the rejection from Allura and the others. The emotions they were all already feeling -anger, pain, betrayal, sorrow, rage- they were all being overload and enhanced by the pure Quintessence.

Being in there not only heighten their abilities and strength, thus making them feel strong and powerful, but it heightened the negative things they were feeling, bringing out the worst in them.

Sure, had the Paladins been in the field long enough, the overexposure would have killed them, like Honerva and Zarkon, but I don't think it would have corrupted them.

And even if I’m wrong, it would have corrupted them in canon, this isn't canon here. So in my version they wouldn't have.

Now, there's actually more I want to go into on this whole subject, but that would end up giving away major spoilers, so I'll do that another time. This was just a brief explanation on where I'm coming from and how the Rift/Quintessence/Creature corruption works in my version.

.

So, onto notes about this specific episode!

First off, the ship mentioned in the summary where I put the "*" is the ship that Lotor, Axca, Ezor, and Zethrid abandoned in S4E3 "Black Site". The ship, though attacked by Zarkon's ships, was last seen to still be intact with Kova still inside. So in my version after Lotor and the Generals escaped, the fleet stopped firing on it and brought it in to gather intel about Lotor's plans.

That's also how Honerva would end up getting Kova back...not that I did anything with the space cat in this version. But it makes more sense then finding him randomly in space, light years away from where that ship had been.

.

Now, as you can see I have taken a lot of elements from the canon story, but changed things up a bit for my own plans.

One of the things I added was actually based on a theory I once saw -and I'm sorry I don't remember who came up with it, if I find out, I will credit them- but they theorized that the reason Honerva became so obsessed with Quintessence and its "life giving properties" was because she and Zarkon kept having miscarriages.

I thought that really fit in the tragedy of the whole situation, so I included it.

It also fits in with how I view the Creature affecting and corrupting Honerva too. She and Zarkon desired a family, and when they were repeatedly met with disappointment, she became obsessed with Quintessence in order to make life. However as with all great tragedies, a pure desire became tainted and her corruption twisted her into someone who took life instead of giving it.

Plus, it makes her attitude towards Alfor make more sense. I mean, look at these pictures. These two Honerva's don't add up to me:

Based on her appearance, those are supposed to take place around the same time , but it's like two completely different people.

So, looking at it from this perspective; family was something she desperately wanted and fought for. With failure after failure, she became more bitter and resentful; especially towards Alfor and his family, as everything always seemed to fall perfectly into place for them. Including having a child.

Over time her jealousy towards one of her closest friends grew. The Rift Entity took advantage of that, influencing her jealousy to become to resentment, and resentment eventually became hatred.

.

Moving on from there, another thing I didn't care for was how all of Altean colonists were totally cool with mass murder and destruction. Like, I get they saw Lotor/Honerva as saviors/gods, but they'd been living simple peaceful lives for generations, suddenly they're all totally down with genocide?

I would have liked for some to realize that what they were doing was wrong and resist that path from the get go. Sure, some would just be so bitter over their own people's plight, that they didn't care and sought revenge on the universe. But to have them all be like that just came off wrong.

.

Oh, and look, I did something with the Olkari that survived Olkarion’s destruction! ...Don’t think they are too happy with that.

.

And for the record, there's not going to be an Altean version of Merla in this. I don't know about everyone else, but I was so disappointed with VLD Merla. I'd been hoping to see her since I first learned about her, but what we got seemed to be a 'in name only Merla'. Heck, I didn't even know the character was Merla till the last episode.

Personally, I think Axca should have been Merla. I mean, she looks similar to her, has a connection with Lotor, eventually is redeemed. She seems to have far more in common with the original Merla the the Altean one we were given. I just don't get why they didn't go with that.

Unless they were worried people would be upset that she wasn't a Queen? But they didn't seem to have a problem with removing Romelle's royal status. I don't know, it's weird.

Anyhow, thanks for reading! Have a great day!

NEXT

[deepestuniversallove]

Fucking pissed off about the Altean Colony and a rant about Allura and why I hate her

So, I am putting together a mega-video with all Lotor scenes including all scenes with his generals, and just... ALLURA IS SUCH A MEGA CUNT, HOLY FUCK!

I am putting this under a read more, because it is just me, angry-ranting. Any stupid anon messages will be deleted on sight, so don’t even think about it!

How can people still like her? How are there still Lotura shippers? How can they call Allura still a Princess after she has forsaken all of her Princess duties? I have been rewatching Season 8, episode 2 and 6, and am SCREAMING.

WHY HAS SHE FUCKED OFF TO EARTH INSTEAD OF GOING TO THE DAMN COLONY AND APOLOGIZING TO THE ALTEANS THERE FOR KILLING THEIR LEADER AND AT LEAST PROVIDE FOR THEM SO THAT THEY DON’T FEND FOR THEMSELVES?!! 

Killing Lotor has only brought negative consequences that could have been avoided if she had only listened to him! Even more upsetting is the fact that she just fucked off and left the Alteans at the colony alone to fend for themselves. Instead, she should have taken Romelle, let her be her guide, and fucking go there, and teach them about the old Altea and actually lead them like the princess she is supposed to be!

But NOPE, by going to Earth and just leaving them to fend for themselves, she just opened them up to be usurped by Honerva - who only had to mention that she is Lotor’s mother to be revered as a Goddess. If Allura had been there to do her goddamn duties, this would have never happened. The destruction of Oriande (the last remaining artifact and place of the old Altean culture, I might add!!) only happened because of her damn stupidity. Had she led the new Alteans, Honerva wouldn’t have destroyed that place or exploited them for her own purposes.

"Honerva has exploited vulnerable people - MY PEOPLE, and bend them to her will!", Allura says in Episode 6 of season 8. Honerva also says that those are her loyal acolytes and servants. NO, NO, NO. Those are neither Allura’s nor Honerva’s people! THEY ARE LOTOR’S PEOPLE! HE SAVED THEM, HE KEPT THEM SAFE. THESE TWO BITCHES DID NOTHING, YET WANNA CLAIM THE COLONY AS THEIRS?!! FUCK OFF WITH THAT SHIT!!

---------

In Honerva’s case, it infuriates me the most that she has simply taken what Lotor has sacrificed so much to build. He created a place, a refuge, for the last living Alteans, trying his hardest to keep it safe and away from his murderous parents, who he knew would exploit the shit out of it! And in the end, he was right. Honerva did take it all. Took the Alteans and made them in a blind religious cult that followed her every command. Took Lotor’s Sincline ship and made it BOW TO HER. Went and destroyed Oriande, the realm that Lotor always dreamt to find!

As an abuse victim, this is my biggest fear also: that my narcissistic mother will take away everything I have ever built, all progress I have tried to make in moving on from her and the carnage she has caused in my life. Just the prospect alone that she may even possibly be able to take away all of that drives such FEAR into my heart and that Voltron showed Honerva succeed to take away EVERYTHING FROM LOTOR EVEN AFTER HIS DEATH... makes me sick beyond belief as an abuse victim. Fuck the writers of Voltron for writing this steaming pile of shit

--------

And Allura...NOPE, I am sorry. She is no princess, she lost that title when she left “her people” with no leader. Honestly, she should kiss the ground at Lotor’s feet because there would be NO ALTEA AT ALL if he didn’t have the interest to collect all Alteans and bring them to a safe place. If he hadn’t done that, then there would be only her and Coran left as the last living Alteans. She would have never even known of Oriande. Without Lotor, she would have died twice over - once when Zarkon was readying his weapon to wipe them out and injured Lotor swooped in to kill Zarkon last second, and the second time at Naxzela, when everything was set to explode and kill them all - and they would have died had Lotor not swooped in. After all this, She owed it to him to hear him out and explain more about what Romelle was talking about.

I am sorry, but she doesn’t get to claim them as “her people”, since she literally did nothing for them. Except bring more misery to them. Not to speak of the second colony that was lost and probably full of people that needed Quintessence to be ressurrected. Lotor haters can fuck right off with the accusation that Lotor was killing Alteans. Because what kind of murderer would store away all the bodies in STASIS PODS? Heck, if he had killed them, he would have been better off just chucking those corpses into the nearest Star to burn to a crisp, as that leaves no evidence of the crime. You cannot tell me that this isn’t what you wouldn’t do, dear reader. I mean, imagine you were Lotor and really wanted to kill Alteans. Would you really be SO DUMB to leave evidence of your crimes like this? I mean, come the fuck on!!

But the simple fact that he kept the Alteans in those pods suggests to me that may have had plans to revive them once he got access to the Quintessence field. I mean, think about it! Maybe that is why it was so pressing for him to reach that place!

But back to Allura... I really don’t get the Lotura shippers here at all. Allura was a racist against the Galra, which was clearly seen in the episode when she interacted with the alternate reality Alteans. Commander Hira called the Galra “A SCOURGE”. Allura didn’t correct Hira at all at this moment, meaning that she probably agrees with that. Not to mention that she was HAPPY at the prospect of using the Hoktril-mind control machine to force other alien races to “join the peace movement”. That speaks VOLUMES about her character. Oh, and not to forget that utter disregard that she displayed to the Blade of Marmora and the distrust that she showed Keith as soon as she knew he was half-Galra by blood.

And you mean to tell me that she loved Lotor?

I never heard more bullshit in my entire life.

Had she really loved him, she would have given him a chance and heard him out! But it’s pretty telling that she immediately judged him because he is a worthless Galra just like Zarkon, right?

HOW CAN ANYONE STILL SHIP LOTURA WITH A STRAIGHT FACE? After all the shit she has done to him and all the abuse? Putting him in solitary confinement after he saved their lives, KILLING HIM WITH THE POWER OF THE “LIVE-GIVERS” that she wouldn’t have had in the first place, would it not have been for him!

Lemme give you an analogy about Allura’s racism:

Allura to me is like a Nazi paired up with a half-minority, half-German man. And Allura is a really indoctrinated Nazi. As soon as she hears one rumor about Lotor being bad, she immediately jumps on to shoot him - because his minority side makes him tainted of course.

And you consider this romantic?

Fuck off with this bullshit. 

Allura is a vindictive cunt, never thinking things through and being as un-diplomatic as can be. Or maybe she is even too inbred, seeing how her parents look like they could be closely related, I dunno.

[recentanimenews]

Bookshelf Briefs 8/6/19

Dr. STONE, Vol. 6 | By Riichiro Inagaki and Boichi | Viz Media – So it turns out that the current non-turned-to-stone population are all descended from Senku’s dad and the rest of the crew of the space shuttle, which is honestly more about Byakuya’s faith in his son to eventually save the day even if it takes hundreds of years. Back in the present, Tsukasa and the followers that he’s amassed are planning to invade the village and destroy what Senku has accomplished, but little do they know that Senku has the power of RIDICULOUS SHONEN SCIENCE on his side. The best thing about this volume is that we’re starting to see the non-Senku cast actually come up with inventions—the water wheel revelation was great, and Senku knows it. Dumb fun, masquerading as smart fun. – Sean Gaffney

Farewell, My Dear Cramer, Vol. 1 | By Naoshi Arakawa | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – Midori Soshizaki and Sumire Suo played girls’ soccer for different teams in middle school, but Soshizaki is so taken with Suo’s play that she volunteers to go to whichever high school Suo chooses. Suo, accustomed to being the only one really trying on her team, feels kinship with another girl on a lousy team, and so she and Soshizaki both end up at Warabi Seinan, whereupon a couple of other talented players show up along with a new coach, since the current one sees no future in girls’ soccer and isn’t interested in doing his job. This was a pleasant start to a series, but the soccer action isn’t as easy to follow as in other titles I’ve read, and it quickly veers away from the two leads to focus on another teammate. I’ll definitely keep reading, though! – Michelle Smith

Love in Focus, Vol. 3 | By Yoko Nogiri | Kodansha Comics – I had forgotten that this was a series that ended in three volumes, but I would have remembered anyway given the rapidity with which Kei and Mako get together and just as quickly break up. “Let’s date first and fall in love later” rarely works in shoujo manga, especially when you’re the blond, who almost always loses out to the brunet. That happens here as well, as dating Kei does help Mako realize her feelings—for Mitsuru. That said, though the plot beats were very predictable, I thought Mako and Mitsuru’s dialogue was sweet and pure in a shoujo sort of way, and I also liked how the “stalker” plot was resolved. As with the author’s previous series, this was decent but not good enough for long-term. – Sean Gaffney

My Hero Academia, Vol. 20 | By Kohei Horikoshi | VIZ Media – I’m sorry to say that I just can’t muster up much interest for Gentle Criminal and La Brava, the villain and his acolyte who get in Midoriya’s way when he’s trying to get back to campus in time for class 1A’s performance at the school festival. Once their fight is finally over, though, it’s time for the feels. The focus on Jiro here is pretty brief, but oh so welcome, and that two-page spread of her smiling so radiantly while performing is incredible. And then, just a few pages later, there’s Mirio who is suddenly moved to tears because Eri, the girl he sacrificed so much to save, is having the time of her life. I love Mirio and Eri together, and I also love Aizawa rushing to be with Todoroki when his dad, now the number-one hero, is injured on live TV. Plus, there’s Hawks! This volume has much goodness. – Michelle Smith

My Hero Academia: Smash!!, Vol. 1 | By Kohei Horikoshi and Hirofumi Neda | VIZ Media – I’m not really a gag manga sort of person, so I didn’t expect much from My Hero Academia: Smash!!. But despite the warning from creator (and Horikoshi assistant) Hirofumi Neda that it was going to be crude, I actually thought it was quite fun! It follows along with the early events of the main story, up until the first attack by the League of Villains. Often, familiar scenes are subverted in some way, like All Might’s “you can be a hero” moment turning into a sales pitch for vitamins, but sometimes they’re expounded upon in genuinely intriguing ways, like showing how Yaoyorozu used her quirk in the fitness tests Aizawa devised. (I also liked that her classmates now prefer Yaoyorozu brand erasers.) Also, I think one panel features a tiny puking Jesus. To my surprise, I’m looking forward to volume two! – Michelle Smith

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes, Vol. 5 | By Hideyuki Furuhashi and Betten Court | Viz Media – This volume definitely felt like the fifth book in a four-book series, a constant danger when something gets really popular. Knuckleduster’s plot is resolved, and so he very pointedly, with one or two exceptions, withdraws from the series. Instead we see Pop Step and the Crawler trying to be vigilantes on their own and rapidly coming to a realization, which is underscored by licensed heroes yelling at them—they’re not powerful enough to do much more than get in the way. That said, I did enjoy seeing Midnight in her “casual” clothes, and the kid singers were very cute. A series that has turned a corner but not yet hit the next long straightaway. – Sean Gaffney

My Next Life As a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!, Vol. 1 | By Satoru Yamaguchi and Nami Hidaka | Seven Seas – The manga adaptation of one of my favorite recent light novels didn’t have to go very far to impress me, just adapt the novel as well as it could. There’s obviously stuff that’s cut to fit (Katarina’s parents’ relationship gets a one-panel explanation), but it handles introducing the main cast well, and cuts the “alternate POV” parts which would have made the manga repetitive. Best of all is the prose short story at the end, seeing Katarina having a nightmare about the villainess her otome game self is supposed to be, and the bad choices that she makes which our Katarina can’t stop her from despite yelling inside her head. Definitely get this if you like the novels. – Sean Gaffney

The Quintessential Quintuplets, Vol. 4 | By Negi Haruba | Kodansha Comics – This is moving at a galloping pace for a romantic comedy, especially one with quintuplet heroines. There’s the bad—Ichika pursuing her dream would mean leaving school, which would mean Futaro losing tutoring money—and there’s the worse—various people getting bad, bad colds due to the weather and circumstance, which leads to a mass search for Itsuki and a bedside vigil for Futaro, whose cold of course turns out to be the worst of all. We also get another flash forward reminding us that he does eventually marry one of them, but continuing to not tell us who. Don’t expect that to be resolved till the final page of the series. For fans of harem comedy/dramas. – Sean Gaffney

Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts, Vol. 6 | By Yu Tomofuji | Yen Press – Anubis has finally given in and allowed a trial period for Sariphi to be Queen Consort. Unfortunately, we then see the problems that this causes, which is that the majority of the populace still isn’t ready for a human girl as the Queen. Fortunately, Sariphi is made of pretty stern stuff, and even when she’s down there are folks who can cheer her up. This allows her to resolve the fractured relationship between a mother and daughter, as well as give Amit the courage to give a token to her beloved Jor, even though as a soldier he may not be able to return that love. Honestly, this does continue to remind me a lot of Fruits Basket, but that’s not especially a bad thing. – Sean Gaffney

Skull-face Bookseller Honda-san, Vol. 1 | By Honda | Yen Press – My first exposure to Skull-face Bookseller Honda-san was through its anime adaptation. I’ve not actually watched the show, but I’ve seen enough screencaps of the titular skeleton dramatically reacting to a wide range of customer service exchanges to reasonably expect that I would love the original series. And, after reading the first volume of the manga, I can definitively say that I absolutely do. To a large extent the manga is autobiographical, based on Honda’s experiences as a clerk in the manga department of a large Tokyo bookstore. It provides entertaining insights into the life of a bookseller, showing the challenges presented by customers, publishing schedules, corporate management, and just trying to keep the shelves appropriately stocked. This could be rather dry as a subject, but in Honda’s hands the portrayal of bookselling is delightfully humorous, intense, and over-the-top in a way that is both engaging and still incredibly honest. – Ash Brown

Skull-face Bookseller Honda-san, Vol. 1 | By Honda | Yen Press – I’ve seen the first few episodes of the Skull-face Bookseller Honda-san anime and this is going to be one of those rare occasions where I have to admit that I kind of like the anime more than the manga. Certainly, Honda-sensei depicts the bookstore (specifically its manga department) as a place way more hectic than I ever anticipated, but that frenetic energy (and the kookiness of his often-foreign customers) just translates better to the animated medium, I think. That said, this volume has a lot to recommend it, particularly if you want a glimpse of what Japanese booksellers think of the global readership manga has obtained. Read it, but maybe watch it, too. – Michelle Smith

Waiting for Spring, Vol. 11 | By Anashin | Kodansha Comics – I’d long been wanting more basketball in Waiting for Spring, and I finally got my wish in this volume. The latest tournament has begun, and if the Seiryo boys want to repeal the no-dating rule, they have to win. They make to the finals league, where they’re up against Aya’s team, Hojo, and though Seiryo ends up losing, there’s still hope due to the structure of the tournament. Aya realizes his kind of love expected Mitsuki to never grow or change whereas her love for Asakura inspires her to try new things and set goals for herself, so he seemingly steps aside though he does talk about returning (he’s apparently moving back to American) once she’s grown up. Anyway, this is a cute series that I like a lot and though I don’t expect many surprises from its final two volumes, I nonetheless look forward to reading them. – Michelle Smith

By: Ash Brown