#Ashoka series critical

[imfromthemiddlekingdom]

Felony saying that everyone in the universe can access the force if they tried hard enough makes me want to deck him in his fugly face

He’s ruining all established canon in real time. Speed running the absolute destruction of continuity of the SW universe and people are still rooting for him and his blorbo self inserts like there’s no tomorrow. Literally the whole reason I no longer engage in Ashoka content is because he massacred my girl and made her so one dimensional that my Mary Sue self insert fanfics OCs I wrote when I was 14 looks well developed compared to the absolute bland “girlboss kick ass take names” personality Ashoka has right now.

There were so many opportunities for him to explore the absolute potential of angst and conflict within Ashoka in this new series, to give her character a believable story of grief loss and growth yet he threw it all away because he wanted his OC to be the specialist girl that ever lived. This series could’ve been used to explore Ashokas conflicting feelings regarding the Anakin that taught her and was a mentor to her whilst trying to connect it to the monster that killed her family and hunted her culture into almost extinction and tried to kill her, a person he confessed to love as a sister, on Malachor. It could’ve been a good send off to a great character, to have her face that the Skyguy she put on a pedestal in her mind was in actuality the worst sort of scum and have her try to come to terms that just because she can forgive him for being the genocidal maniac he was and still hold love in her heart for who he used to be and also understand why the Jedi, her family, wasn’t the reason for their own downfall.

But alas. We got another series of “the Jedi caused their own downfall!!! Anakin did nothing wrong ever and him killing all my family and everyone I’ve ever known is so not his fault!!! It’s definitely the fault of the unbending stuck in the past council!!!”. Instead of a series that could’ve made Ashoka’s “departure” (literally never going to happen with felony at the helm, he’s going to find a way to make her immortal and then show up 200 years in the future to be the protagonist of another light v dark fight since she’s his special SI) from the series tie in nicely thematically and canonically with every other Star Wars media we have, he decided that the best way to have this series go down is 1) everyone is force sensitive if they tried hard enough ig and 2) the Jedi were bad!!! Their protocols don’t work! They were mean to my little meow meow Anakin Skywalker the greatest Jedi of all times™️ therefore he got to kill them all!!!!

Got a bit off topic but I’m still so mad that he had this chance to make Ashoka truly experience growth like the first 5 seasons of TCW yet he decided maintaining the badass rebel without a cause aesthetics for her was more important then good story telling.

Honestly though, my main problem with this series is that he decided that apparently everyone in the universe can be force sensitive if they “just tried hard enough”. Like your Midichlorian Count no longer matters since even if you were Force-Null you can still be special!!!!

This takes away any and all urgency in the Jedi Fallen Order games. It makes Cals journey absolutely redundant. It throws away all the tragedy contained in having inquisitors being force sensitive kids kidnapped from their parents and tortured till they give into the dark side. If all beings are able to use the force in his universe then there are no consequences to the inquisitors not finding the Holocron that holds the names to all force sensitive children in the universe. There would be no need to them to chase Cal and the Mantis Crew throughout the universe to obtain what they have. They could’ve just went down to any random level in Coruscant and take homeless Force-Null kids and train them.

Even better! It makes the entirety of the KOTOR games redundant!!!! Oh and I guess the hidden path is also redundant since everyone can be force sensitive and no one truly needs more saving from the empire over others :/ totally not like these kids that were saved by the path would’ve been taken and tortured into inquisitors, definitely not since EVERYONE is force sensitive nowadays or is it just the ones Ashoka trains herself because she’s the “living embodiment of the daughter uwu she’s so special and unique look how well she can train a non force sensitive to be force sensitive!!!”

Everyone in the Star Wars universe has Midichlorian’s in their blood. That is a fact. It is also an established fact that the amount each person has is different and is not determined nor dependent on lineage. Force-Nulls typically range in the 1000-3000 count and you need 7000 to be force sensitive and higher to be accepted into the order. (The order isn’t the end all be all of force cultures, Rouge One shows that Jedha’s force culture isn’t restricted to only force sensitives as the Guardian’s were never specified to be only a religious order of force sensitives. And high canon doesn’t depict many other force cultures but we know that there are many force cultures in the universe that co-exist with the Jedi with which the Jedi weren’t in opposition towards; literally not even the witches of Dathomir were oppositions anywhere outside of the battle fields.) You don’t need to be force sensitive to be part of a force culture (Jedha literally has pilgrims who come far and wide to make a pilgrimage to the holy site and not all of them were force sensitive), Sabine could’ve very easily been taught the tenets of the Jedi without retconning her to be force sensitive or making everyone in the universe force sensitive.

No where in either the EU or High Canon did anyone ever say that you have to be force sensitive to be a badass or to make a difference. Hera did not hold the title of the best pilot in the universe just for some rat of a man to come and say that Anakin was the best because *muh force sensitivity!!!!* Some of the most heroic and most influential (good or bad) people in the franchise are Force-Null! And that’s great! It means that the force doesn’t make anyone better than anyone else! It’s a quirk of the universe! To retcon that everyone can and is force sensitive if they tried hard enough is literally cheapening everything the franchise stands for. Andor did not literally give us an entire story about how Force-Nulls in the Galaxy makes just as much of a difference as force sensitives for felony to come out and say that “you know what??? Midichlorian’s are a scam! You get a force sensitivity! You get a force sensitivity! Everyone gets a force sensitivity!!!!”

Sabine was great as she was in rebels, why cheapen it with “oh she’s actually force sensitive all this time!!!” When we could’ve stuck with badass Force-Null Mandalorian can kick your ass five ways to Sunday with her paint bombs and blasters you force wielding asshole!!! Like why even do that felony. Do you want people to hate her??? Nvm ofc you do, you need Ashoka to be the best in every way possible even if it means ruining every other beloved character in this franchise👍

#Star Wars salt #star wars #ashoka series #Ashoka Tano critical #anti anakin skywalker #anti Dave Filoni #fuck you felony I want to punch you in your rat face #Ashoka series critical #the Midichlorian count should mean something felony!!!!! #why are you making Ashoka a Mary sue😭 literally give her a personality that isn’t kickass take names please I beg #sw salt #I hate it here #jedi positive

[ankorhead]

Most posts are from the last four months, but hey…

Happy 2023.

#critical role fan art #across the spider verse fanart #gwen stacy #spider man fanart #spider gwen #daft punk #ashoka series #baylan skoll #cr yasha #jester lavorre #art vs artist 2023 #art vs artist

[phantom-at-the-library]

#star wars #media #science fiction #joseph campbell #george lucas #critical #politics #bigotry #racism #misogyny #star wars trilogy #star wars prequels #star wars sequel trilogy #ashoka series #luke skywalker #anakin skywalker #obi wan kenobi #obi wan series #star wars: the clone wars #star wars: rebels #background noise #Youtube

[currentlyobsessedwithobi-wan]

To the person who asked me to make a list of my favorites Star Wars time travel fanfictions, and anyone who may be interested, first of all sorry that it took me so long. For some reasons my dumbass self didn’t bookmark the fics so I had to go and search them.

Secondly, I don’t want to disappoint but you should know that I’m not really picky when it comes to fanfics. Meaning that there’s a lot of thing that I don’t actually agree with but that I’m ready to accept in fanfics (for example madalorians. I honestly don’t know enough to either love or hate them in canon but I don’t ,mind them in fanfictions, as long as they’re not just here to bash the Jedi). Really, my only hard limit is no Jedi bashing.

That being said, here are some of my favorites that I was able to find again (most of them are incomplete or WIPs). I tried to put a simple description for most of them, but if you want something really accurate I advise you to just check the fanfiction :

The Lesson by cjwritesfanficnow

https://archiveofourown.org/works/26486284/chapters/85863850 :

Work in Progress. This one is pro Jedi but also pro Mandalorian and feature Jango/Obi-wan, so be warned if it’s not your cup of tea.

Basically, Jango realize what an ass he was, and is confronted with the consequences of his actions. Then he get to time travel in order to fix it.

Little Light Age by SpideyGrayson

https://archiveofourown.org/works/44444098/chapters/111788134 :

In progress. This one is also Pro Jedi. It’s mostly fluff for now. Ship : Cody/Obi-wan.

Obi-wan is send in the past, back when he’s 12, and becomes Shaak Ti’s Padawan instead of Qui-Gon’s.

Take it from the top and try again

https://archiveofourown.org/series/3535600 :

it’s a serie of two fics, one completed and one in progress. I honestly don’t remember if it’s completly pro Jedi or Jedi critical. But it’s not straight up Jedi Bashing. No ships for now.

Obi-wan is sent back at the time of Phantom Menace, and wants to save everyone (yes Anakin too, so if you truly truly hate him this one is probably not for you). It involves a lot of politics.

To Fix the Shattered Past by Forever_A_Thief

https://archiveofourown.org/works/42912192 :

Work in progress. For now it’s (and hopefully will stay) Pro-Jedi. But it’s Qui-Gon critical/bashing (because, you know, Legends). Anakin friendly (yes again, sorry to those who may be bothered by that). Dooku redemption (one of those things that I only accept in fanfiction. Though in this one, if I remember correctly Galidraan hasn’t happened yet and Dooku is not even close to falling).

Obi-wan, Anakin and Ashoka are send back in time during Melida-Daan. Obi-wan is physically 13, Anakin 6-9, and Ahsoka 3. For now it’s a lot of fluff (i like fluff, okay ? 😆) and a bit of angst.

Reprise by Elfpen :

https://archiveofourown.org/series/454408 :

A serie composed of four main parts. Three completed, and one in progress. Honestly, I read this one a long time ago so I don’t remember much. But I know that I liked it a lot. I would have to re-read. But I also read this before I became completly Pro Jedi so beware that this one may be slightly Jedi critical.

Since, like I said I don’t remember much I don’t want to risk making a mistake while describing it. I just remember that Obi-wan comes back as an adult (as Ben) and so there’s two Obi-wan : Qui-Gon’s padawan and the Obi-wan who died and time traveled. So if you want to know more, just click on the link.

Unexpected awakening by Rhiw

https://archiveofourown.org/works/15436701/chapters/35831454 :

Work in progress. Once again, remember reading, somewhat remember liking it, yet for some reasons can’t remember any details. By the tag, seems to be Pro Jedi. No ships tagged.

Please click on the link to know more.

Edit : so, I started re-reading this fic right after I posted this. I’m at chapter 4 for now, and it’s actually seems to be very Pro Jedi. And I really likes the writing style. I don’t really know how to describe it, but to me it’s almost…soothing. Where I’m at in the fic it’s still mostly hurt/comfort, but that’s the kind of thing that I really enjoy.

Revolving sun by SiennahRobek

https://archiveofourown.org/works/31766296 :

Work in progress (though I don’t know if it’s abandoned or not). Pro Jedi. Semi Anakin friendly. No ships.

It’s an alternate universe where Luke is raised by Obi-wan (and is somewhat his padawan) and they both ends up back in time, during the clone war. I really like this one despite it being incomplete.

When The Time is Right by robinasnyder

https://archiveofourown.org/works/26242654 :

Incomplete (still in progress? Dunno). Anakin friendly (listen there’s not a lot of time travel fanfics that are Anakin critical. Believe me I actually like it when he has to face consequences). Pro Jedi if my memory serves me right, but you should probably check just in case. Ships are : adult Obi-wan/Cody, kid Obi-wan/Cerasi/Nield.

Obi-wan, Anakin, Padmé and some clones ends up in the past. Obi-wan for some reasons that I can’t remember takes Bruck Chun as his padawan.

Teach the Padawan. Save the galaxy. by alexjanna91 https://archiveofourown.org/series/2520193

A serie of 4 works (each completed). Ships are : obi-wan (Ben) Kenobi /Tahl and temporary young Obi-wan/Satine. Kookie is Obi-wan’s son (I honestly didn’t remember this before doing my researches), So this is the fic that I talked about in my original post about time travel fanfictions. Be aware that while Jedi are still the good guys in this, it’s rather critical toward the Jedi Code. Pro Mandalorian (I think) but they’re not the main guys. I decided to add it here anyway because even if I have my issue with it now that I’m pro Jedi I still feel…nostalgic, since it’s one of the first time travel fanfiction that I have ever read.

Ben Kenobi is send back in time, save his younger self from Melida-Daan. Then he takes young Obi-wan as his padawan and trains him. And tries to save the galaxy.

Well, that all for now. Please let me know if I made any mistakes, and I’ll correct it (if I’m not too lazy).

#star wars #jedi order #pro jedi #well mostly #Fanfictions list #Pretty sure there’s an official tag for that but I don’t remember #obi wan kenobi #time travel #fanfiction #star wars prequels #ben kenobi

[cubanpetekotrb]

I'm seeing a lot of criticisms (including from actual 'critics' but hey its been documented that they are bought so not an actual critic but I digress not the point I'm trying to make 😆) towards the Ashoka show and also WOT that is just more an opinion and frankly a shit tonne of misogyny.

There is 1 thing I think is a true criticisms for the faulty concept that is 8 episode seasons -> uneven pacing. All of the 8 episode streaming shows I have watched have a problem with pacing, its very very uneven.

The buildup doesn't always work because its shot too much like an 8 episode movie, the material is too spread out. When condensing the material into a 2,5/3 hour movie, it might work better, at least the build up to certain revelations will. However, there is actually too much going on for a movie which is why you are making a series in the first place 😡.

Or with a reveal that does deserves a bit more time which historically you would have in a series but it doesn't get it because its only an 8 episode season.

Part of the reason I think Star Trek: Strange New Worlds works really well is it follows that tv concept more. They had a reveal about the 1st officer in S01 that was alluded to and referenced throughout both seasons but resolved (sorta but not entirely) in a dedicated episode in S02. Now THAT is how you make a great build up and pay off because that episode was a REALLY great Star Trek episode and just good television in general because of the work that was put in before.

This is something I do miss in Ahsoka (and other 8 epsiode series including WOT, little less this 2nd season but still) some of it felt rushed, some of it felt slow and when the revelation followed it lacked the impact.

#still absolutely love both #ahsoka #and #wheel of time #but i think some things need to shift in how shows are shot and build up #it just doesnt work in a #tv concept #anyways #season 2 #ahsoka tano please #star wars #star trek

[brujitaadinbo]

Well, now that I continue to see a lot of commotion because according to many "fans" of The Mandalorian series, they criticize that the action format changed, that Din's role disappeared, blah blah blah…

I wonder, do they at least realize that everything won't always be the same as the first season? that everything is part of growth? That's how a western-type series develops…

And it's absurd that they want to maintain the same line, really… if they don't like this material… what are they doing here watching it? LOL Has no sense.

When we talk about a western, we don't just talk about action, we talk about drama, suspense, a story that develops with other characters, many protagonists and villains, romance, of course short, long, with or without a happy ending, but present romance.

So I keep asking myself, what are they doing here? Because the series has given us this and more; the development of Din, accompanied by Grogu, his new son, having a new profession, recovering his planet, having rewards like the cabin, being guardians and the first line of defense of the outer edge,

unify with another tribe, redeem himself with his creed, with his own group, form a bond with a fallen princess, but more than that with a woman whom he respects, admires and values ​​​​very much (Bo katan) So, do you still think that Din lost prominence?? LOL I prefer to call it because they never paid attention to the series and I repeat, they are those types of people who have no passion for anything, they don't take a message from anything, they just want to see something "good" and short as if everything were a stupid video of tik tok haha ​​and well I think you're making a mistake if you keep seeing everything like this.

And with this I return to my childhood; the legacy that my mother left in me… watching the films and series from the golden age of Mexican cinema, those westerns that were so dark and sinister or at the same time with that soft and familiar tone, where there was everything and obvious. Romance, not just because it is a cliché, is part of our human nature, this is something that Star Wars has always touched on in its material. I loved seeing actors like Rodolfo de Anda being gunfighters and living their lives to the limit, without fear of anything, like Din Djarin, adopting children and saving towns, helping his friends and conquering the heart of a certain protagonist girl with his heroism, honor and bravery. .

Those are the westerns, gentlemen, and before criticizing the material of The Mandalorian or its relationship with Bo Katan, look at all the Star Wars content, you will notice that until recently Rebels and Ashoka also touched on these aspects. about, do yourself a favor and see the material better.

#the mandalorian #this is the way #star wars #clandetres #bokadin #dinbo #bo katan x din #bo katan kryze #din x bo #din djarin

[palfriendpatine66]

I need all of your spoilery thoughts (tagged of course) about Ashoka!

Plus if it was possible (aka an au) what do you think Anakin's reaction would be seeing his children? After seeing both and Vivien Lyra Blair excellent portrayal of Leia my mind cannot help but rot about this and think about it nonstop

I feel like I still haven't collected my thoughts after Ahsoka episode 5 my brain is still just going !!!!!!!! after the latest episodes - and there's probably a ton of people with far more eloquent and thought out things to say but I'll be happy to ramble. See below the cut for Ahsoka series spoilers

The first couple episodes of the Ahsoka series were okay but I've lost my mind over the live action Clone Wars Anakin and I don't know that I'm ever going to recover. Visually - the episode was amazing. And I'm so in awe of Hayden. The way he portrays the duality of Anakin and Vader, because they've are and always have been the same, is perfection. The man understood his assignment from day one, and this shows it. His physicality! His change in tone! His incorporation of TCW/Matt Lanter's portrayal. I could gush/ramble praises forever.

And seeing teeny tiny baby Ahsoka was amazing. I have never been on the Jedi critical aspect of Padawans in the war effort, and that's not what I'm saying here either, but it was such a beautifully done, heartbreaking way to show the realities of war with her middle age perspective and understanding coming through reliving the traumatic experiences of her younger self.

ALSO I know there's specifically some talk around if that was really Vader or Anakin in (or just her unconscious imagination) and here's my poorly thought out and worded take: it's Anakin. Anakin as he is now, post Return of the Jedi/Vader redeemed, balanced in the Force. He understands that both light and dark have always and will always be a part of him. He teaches Ahsoka how to move on from her fear of becoming just like him and falling to her darkest parts by making her confront it - as Vader. He's not actually trying to kill her, he's using the dark as a tool, totally in control, and turns it off as soon as he doesn't need it. [I also think he's not done yet and we're going to see more of him before the season is done]

Finally - I'm not quite sure what you mean about Anakin meeting his kids. Do you mean if he had found out earlier and been able to meet them like...during the Kenobi show? Or as infants before that, and known that he hadn't really lost everything like he thought? I do have thoughts about both of those possibilities. But Force ghost Anakin has met both Luke and Leia as Darth Vader as they took down the Empire, but maybe this is my brain just being stuck on Ahsoka series/Force ghost Anakin!!! I do care about answering your question so please pop back into my inbox and set me straight so I can give it the thought it deserves!

#ahsoka series #ahsoka spoilers #ahsoka series spoilers #ahsoka show #ahsoka show spoilers

[bluntblade]

I'm in a curious place with Mando where I've been up and down for a lot of the series already (S1 is mostly OK with a finale head and shoulders above IMO, then S2 has a couple of terrific eps but falls down badly with its own ender), so this season doesn't feel like a huge departure but we're just... extremely low on "up" episodes.

I hadn't realised how much the one clear mission per season was holding things together, but once you take that away/start finishing them all quickly and impatiently jumping to the next thing, the more it feels like Din's lack of propulsion has turned into a critical weakness. He's just being yanked back and forth by events (so again, my TFA criticisms find an echo here) without the show managing to comment on that.

Because that would be an interesting idea if it really mattered to who he is. I think there is an interesting idea there in a guy who just wants to have a place to call his own and be left alone by the cataclysms. We just aren't really getting a story about that (because we have to set up S4, Thrawn in Ashoka and then the crossover).

#The Mandalorian S3 #mandalorian critical

[thecrossoverwriter15]

I think I’m just about done with Mandalorian Season 3.

So, where to start…

The Mandalorian was a breath of fresh air after nearly suffocating from the appalling torment which was Rise of Skywalker, lol. As a Star Wars fan since I was a little kid and a major fan of Clone Wars, I FLIPPED OUT when I heard of a series about Mandalorians. (I created two Mandalorian OCs and went to Comic Con in them) Also, flipping DAVE FILONI, the man behind Clone Wars and Jon Favreau, who created Iron Man which kicked off the MCU, would be working on the project. It looked like Star Wars would return and do no wrong!

People around the world waited and waited and waited. Then, on November 12, 2019 aka, the year the world ended, the first episode released on Disney Plus and…

BOY OH BOY, WAS IT GOOD! The story, character design of the Mandalorian or Din Djarin, the world building, I could go on! The series was incredible! Along with this, the cuteness of Baby Yoda made viewers freak every time he came on screen. Din Djarin, who always wore a helmet, carried so much emotion. A mando bounty hunter who swore to the creed and a little green child together across the galaxy during a quiet time in the Star Wars universe?! (Getting Last of Us vibes! Oh, wait…) I was IN LOVE with the show and maybe Din Djarin. But, let’s not worry about that cuz this show was great and we couldn’t wait for more!

Fast forward a bit and the 1st season had ended. It brought excitement and hope back into Star Wars. Just like everyone else, I was on board and ready to see what else the House of Mouse would give to us. About a year later, Season 2 was announced and fans were ready! It was awesome! SPOILERS: We got to see the live action debuts of Bo Katan, Ashoka, Luke SKYWALKER and Boba Fett! A lot of cameos, but still an awesome season! Can’t wait for season 3!

Buckle up and get ready.

As I was watching the Book of Book Fett, a spinoff series developing around that one guy who had like 3 lines from Empire Strikes Back, I was shocked to see Din Djarin show up in episode 6! BOBF was like a train about to fall off the rails when someone at Disney decided to bring the Mandalorian in to save the series. Don’t get me wrong, it was great seeing Din again, but something about him that made me feel like he would either turn the show into an awesome series or he would take it over. The episode was good; as well as the last two. I was happy that we finally got Cad Bane (my fav clone wars character) in the show! The finale was okay. (BANE FREAKING DIED, YALL.) Overall, Din Djarin in BOBF just felt like lazy writing, like they had to get the show back on track so they decided to have Pedro Pascal show up. The whole Darksaber plot didn’t really made a whole lot of sense, but they would touch up on that in season 3.

So, Season 3 rolls around and there’s a lot to talk about.

AN: I’ll just be talking about the series as a whole instead of what happened each episode.

To start off, the second season teased a major succession critical between Din Djarin and Bo Katan Kryze. See, Din Djarin got the Darksaber, a weapon that could unite the Mandalorians as well as making the welder Ruler of Mandalore. Bo Katan wanted the Darksaber for her own reasons. Quoting from the show, “In order for her the weld the Darksaber again, she would need to defeat you in combat.” So Bo Katan would need to kill Din Djarin or take the Darksaber in order to become Queen. Sounds like Daenarys. Yeah, Disney barely touched on that. The first episode kinda did, but that idea flew out the window with these past flew episodes. This season also felt all over the place. For example, we head to Mandalore for a mission, then we travel to Courscant for another plot with that one doctor from season 1. Then we head back to our main story line, only to find Bo Katan TEAMING UP with Din Djarin. The man who she despises now teaming up with him after the whole Darksaber incident. It went from a possible crisis of rulers to some random stuff happening each episode. Chapter 21 was great! Everything we wanted, but they just had to head right back to square A. This new episode didn’t do much. We had Jack Black, Lizzo and Christoper Loyd. Look, I like Jack Black, but I didn’t really care for his character this episode. Also, the ending made me LIVID. Why would Bo Katan just TAKE THE DARKSABER after Din sweet-talked the clan she was just fighting?

Overall, this season should have touched more on the crisis of Bo Katan and Din Djarin instead of going all over the place. I understand what they were trying to do, but the execution just came out like a mixed up jigsaw puzzle. Keep the main story line, but connect the dots. The thing I noticed about season 1 and 2 was that each place Din and Baby Yoda (Grogu) when to was for a reason. For example, in Season 2, Din needed to get Grogu to a Jedi, so he tried to find one of his kind who could take him, which was Bo Katan. Bo Katan tells Din to take Grogu to Ashoka, which she tells him to go to a planet where he can make a connection with another Jedi, which is where he meets Boba Fett, whose there for his armour that Din was given in the first episode. Season 3 didn’t have a direct storyline. It tried to mix in a whole bunch of different places without any context or explanation on why our characters need to go there.

This leads me to the end of this post. We still have two episodes left. Hopefully, Dave, Jon and all the other people working behind the scenes can fix their mistakes, at least for season 4. With the Ashoka series coming out, hopefully that will inspire them to get back on track and made their fans happy!

Thank you for reading! #thisistheway

[gch1995]

"how much of a sellout George Lucas is" I mean me personally, I do find it weird how the fandom has done a total 180 in their attitude towards him and generally treat him like a saint, but what do you mean by sellout?

I mean, the Disney Star Wars sequels are the biggest insult to the lessons of the first generation into the second generation of the Skywalkers. The Republic and the Jedi Council started off as a corrupt system. They had good intentions, but they enabled slavery in impoverished communities. They treated their Jedi soldiers like emotionally repressed cult members who were allowed no personal lives or close connections outside of their organization. They took in infants they started training at 4 as recruits in the Jedi. They had the shady Emperor Palpatine under their nose for 14 years as a politician and suspected nothing when fully experienced masters who’d been with the Jedi for a long time turned to the dark side, like Count Dooku. The Jedi Council had no idea how to raise these children to be emotionally/psychologically healthy functioning adults at all, and they weren’t trying to. They were grooming them to be compliant soldiers to their Order.

While all of the members in the Jedi were mistreated by the elders in the Council because of Yoda’s system, they particularly emotionally/psychologically abused and neglected Anakin Skywalker because he was older than their other recruits when they took him in at 9 years old. He came from a traumatic background of slavery and oppression, they treated him like the black sheep of their cult, he got the brunt of the council’s abuse because he was ambitious and emotional, and they didn’t do anything to help free his his mother and the other people in his home planet from slavery. This gave him completely valid feelings of anger and fear that they kept telling him to just get over because they made him “dangerous” for having, rather than encouraging him to talk about before handing him a lightsaber. They allowed Palpatine access to Anakin Skywalker alone from the age of 12 for “political reasons,” giving him opportunity to groom this kid for the dark side from right under their noses. This all culminated in Anakin Skywalker finally losing his shit at 23 years old by turning to the dark side and pledging himself to Sidious in his desperate fear over losing his wife.

Was Anakin a very selfish man in his fear who holds a level of responsibility for the terrible choices he made as an adult in his intense desperation to avoid potential abandonment? Absolutely. Did he become an addict who gave up fighting when offered the chance for redemption by Padme in his fear of abandonment and blind anger at a misperceived sense of betrayal when he saw Obi Wan walk out of that ship with a look on his face that made him sense he was ready to kill him? Absolutely. He may had untreated trauma, mental illness, and it is understandable why he got addicted to the high of the new dark power. However, that still doesn’t make it okay to murder children, destroy the majority of the Order/Republic, or to recklessly force choke Padme in a blind rage and frantic effort to avoid abandonment. That is still not an excuse to not even try to take the risk to stand up for himself and make the right choice out of fear and uncertainty of unknown from the beginning of ROTS when faced with the choice between Mace and Palpatine, though. I understand why he felt like he had little to no better choice in his desperation when his support system and options for escape from such a toxic environment were pretty limited to nonexistent, but he still ultimately realized that choosing Palpatine over Mace was a bad idea.

That being said, I also can’t completely hold all accountability on Anakin for his fall to the dark side because the level of privileges he held to escape out of the Republic safely were so limited to nonexistent since he had no fortune, family, friends, or connections outside of the Republic and the Jedi Order. He came from slavery and poverty. His wife had a job as a Senator in the Republic. The Jedi Council were shitty parents/guardians and shitty at their job as “space therapists.” Yes, absolutely meditation can be helpful as therapy for BPD and C-PTSD sufferers, which are the mental illnesses that Anakin Skywalker has the most symptoms of, but you also need to know that it’s okay to talk about those negative feelings without being judged. You need to know that people will allow you catharsis to deal with those feelings. You need to know that you have a shoulder to cry on and a sympathetic ear to listen if you open up. You need to know that your negative feelings are going to be heard without being told you’re “evil” or “dangerous” for having them.

Anakin really only got that from Padme in the prequel movies. At least, somewhat. She was willing to give up that life to run away with him because she loved him. However, she was also a senator of the Republic, who never really tried to do much to help the poor, or understood just how rough it was for Anakin to constantly feel terrified about being forced into poverty and slavery again.

Obi Wan tried better than most of the Council, particularly in Revenge of the Sith, but he still victim blamed him for Palpatine grooming him, even though he was the adult with primary care of Anakin who allowed for them to speak alone as a child in the first place. He usually just blew off Anakin’s fears as insignificant when he tried to open up to him about them. He was still a member of an emotionally/psychologically abusive, oppressive, and repressive cult who had been indoctrinated into it from birth. Obi-Wan wanted to let Anakin know he cared, but he was way too dedicated to the Order. He saw this boy as a little brother, rather than the father figure Anakin expected him to be. In AOTC, Anakin tells Obi Wan how he’s the closest thing to a father he’s ever had and he loves him, but Obi Wan says nothing in return. Then in ROTS, Obi Wan tells Anakin “You were my brother Anakin. I loved you.”

Padme was too dedicated to the Republic, and rather naive.

Obi Wan Kenobi and Padme were the only two somewhat healthy emotional support systems that Anakin had in the prequel movies and their roles were still both planted in the broken and toxic system of the Republic, so they couldn’t really be healthy and objective enough for Anakin.

The Republic and Jedi System were overall abusive, classist, corrupt, and hypocritical systems, in spite of its good intentions, that prophetically needed to fail Anakin Skywalker, so he would feel influenced to turn on them to become Palpatine’s accomplice and help him destroy it as Darth Vader because he had this really cataclysmic strength in his power with the force. Did all those innocent people actually deserve to die? No, of course, not. It should have gone far better than the near-extinction of the old Jedi and Republic. Everyone should have been less afraid to speak up for what was right, rather than enabling and perpetuating the wrong things for “the greater good” out of a fear of losing security. However, this kid growing up to help the Sith destroy the Jedi Order was the only thing that finally made most people realize that they fucked up in their negligence and complacency with a system that was messed up, in spite of its good intentions.

So for the next two decades, the Empire terrorize the galaxy with Darth Sidious using Darth Vader as his killing machine. We meet Luke Skywalker, and he’s the neutral good hero everyone needed to save the galaxy all along. Unlike his father before him, he had a good childhood, he had a healthy support system that’s fostered a strong sense of faith in his moral compass, so he is not afraid to stand up for what he believes in and fight for what he knows is right in regards to other people, no matter how much Obi Wan Kenobi, Yoda, his father, and Darth Sidious all try to convince him otherwise. He’s willing to murder a lot of people in self-defense. Luke’s biological father kills his aunt and uncle in cold blood, he hurts him, his friends, stalks him, kidnaps him, cuts off his hand when he refuses to join the dark side recklessly, and offers Luke up to Sidious to kill when he continues to keep refusing to join the dark side. Luke would have absolutely every reason to despise his father Anakin Skywalker, and want to kill him in vengeance or self-defense.

However, much like his father before him, Luke does really value close attachments, family, and friends so much so that he is willing to believe there is good in them and sacrifice his life for them, so when he has a force vision that Han Solo and Leia are in danger he lets Obi Wan and Yoda know that he’s leaving training to go save them. When Darth Vader tells him that he is his estranged biological father Anakin Skywalker, he’s rightfully angry, in denial, and terrified at first. Then, he confronts Yoda and Obi Wan about not telling him that Vader is his father Anakin Skywalker, and refuses to kill him. He can now recognize in that moment in ESB when Vader kidnapped him, told Luke that he was his father, and asked him to join him so they could kill the Emperor and rule the galaxy together, that in his own broken, dark, and twisted, way the good man that Anakin Skywalker was beneath the mask of Darth Vader was trying to reach out for his son’s love and companionship for help because he was tired of being Sidious’ slave to darkness after so many years. He only wanted power to rule the universe if he had someone from his family he felt he could love and trust to do it with him because he was afraid of being abandoned and lonely.

This is what gives Luke the empathy and strength to keep insisting that he knows the good man Anakin Skywalker is still under the dark shell of Vader in there in ROTJ, even after every awful thing that Anakin has done to him, his guardians, and his friends. He doesn’t have to feel afraid anymore, and he can make the choice he knows is right by just being true to what he believes to be right as Anakin Skywalker, not a Jedi, not a Sith, just the man who loves his family enough to turn back to the light to free himself from all the darkness, fear, anger, and self-hated consuming him, so he can save them instead. Thus, Anakin finally does find this inspiration to do so through Luke’s compassion and empathy for him by sacrificing his life to save him from Sidious after offering him up to him at the end of ROTJ because he realizes he’s tired of living in constant fear, anger, and self-loathing.

However, while Anakin Skywalker finally dies happily at peace with himself after years of being a slave to someone else with authority over him in his fear, the legacy of Vader lives on for pretty much everyone else, but Luke who knows that his father died by turning back to the light to save him because he offered him compassion and understanding when Anakin was lost in the darkness, rather than killing him, or turning against him in hatred.

Thus, the cycle of abuse and corruption in the galaxy is finally broken after two decades of the Empire ruling through Luke Skywalker convincing his father Anakin Skywalker to turn back to the light and kill Sidious by pretty much doing what he knows is right, rather than deferring to anyone else who tries to make him compromise his morality.

We didn’t need more of a story to tell after the OT and PT movies. We really didn’t. Yeah, there were certainly parts of the PT movies that could have been a bit more fleshed out, such as Anakin’s and Padme’s romance, Anakin’s childhood of slavery, and Anakin’s days in the temple as a Jedi padawan. However, I don’t think we needed to spend seven seasons focused on the Clone Wars with Anakin. I really don’t. Then, there’s also the fact that Anakin, Padme, and Obi Wan aren’t even the same characters anymore. Anakin’s more endearingly awkward, boyish, conflicted, emotionally unstable, and traumatized side have been undercut. He seems to act more like a man in his 30s. His, cocky and possessive side have been flanderdized. He doesn’t strike me as much as that emotionally vulnerable and sincere 19-22 year old young man he was in the prequel movies, which makes him less sympathetic. Padme is a snarky two-faced bitch, rather than kindhearted and loving. Obi Wan is too much of a hypocrite. Ashoka makes no sense as Anakin’s padawan when taken in with his reaction to the Council rejecting him the position of master as a knight after four years on it in the context of ROTS.

He’s not nearly as intelligent, nor does he look or feel sincere anymore when he says anything, whereas with Hayden Christensen’s Anakin I did get a sense that he still expressed his feelings and reacted genuinely. Those occasional outbursts he had before going to the dark side sincerely felt like someone who was slowly breaking from the inside out after being told over and over again to get over it every time he had valid feelings of anger and fear that he never got encouraged or taught how to release healthily.

While not an excuse for his crimes at all, part of what made Hayden Christenen’s version of Anakin (you know, the one that George Lucas originally envisioned) so tragic was that this young man still felt like a boy who was way out of his depth and trying his best to stay afloat for 14 years with the limited resources he had to survive in such a toxic environment. Then, he finally went haywire when he realized how easily this new power could be used as a release for all those pent up negative emotions of anger and fear recklessly in the heat of the moment because he couldn’t handle dealing with the guilt and shame of the horrible choices he had just made to try to learn that new power to save his wife. We know that Anakin has always been triggered by fears of abandonment.

After cutting off Mace Windu’s hand in a selfish impulse to learn this new dark power that Palpatine who has groomed from the age of 12 says can be used to save his wife, he’s like “What have I done?” He looks fucking exhausted! He looks broken. He looks physically ill in his submission towards Palpatine now that he realizes this guy is a Sith Lord, but he’s willing to sell his soul to him because the odds are against him trying to do the right thing anyway. He is afraid, he is tired of trying to fight to be good in an order that has always treated him like a black sheep of their cult since day one and offers little to no emotional support when he tries to reach out most of the time, anyway. His impulse control over his emotions had been weakening since slaughtering the Tuskens in AOTC for killing his mother, and after getting this new dark power he gets high on the feelings of false invincibility it gives him, and snaps.

Anakin came on rather awkward and too strong with Padme at first in AOTC, but it didn’t seem like he was intentionally trying to be cringey or too forward. It’s just that he lived in a cult with emotionally repressed monks who never let him talk to form relationships with other people outside of the temple. He was socially less mature for his age as a result. He still allowed for Padme to make her own choices, though. I do not understand how people don’t have the ability to get this.

TCW’s and Disney’s version of Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader were written to appease the venomous and entitled fanboy bullies in the fanbase who could never accept the fact that this character got written to be emotional, relatable, and sympathetic. They are the same ones who constantly bitched about Luke Skywalker being too much of a soft, emotional, and moody teenager, unlike the gruff, rugged, and emotionally reserved swashbuckling Han Solo action hero type. Sure, Luke and Anakin had angsty teen moments, though I’d argue that Anakin had more valid reasons to complain about life sucking than his son when he was growing up because his life genuinely was a constant tragedy with little to no relief in between, but their relatability and strengths were in how emotionally driven these characters were. They were led by their emotions of compassion, anger, love, naïveté, deference, and fear, for better or worse, and fanboys can’t stand that in action heroes. They weren’t driven by rationality, duty, or a desire to push away love.

These were the types of male lead characters that George Lucas originally envisioned for Luke and Anakin to be, but he sold them out to appease the entitled fanboys who kept bitching that Darth Vader needed to be this entity of pure evil who was completely responsible for his fall to the dark side, was always destined to be that way because he wanted to be, and keeps choosing to reject redemption for twenty three years every time a retconned survivor of Order 66 shows up who offers him compassion after recognizing him, he confirms he’s Anakin, has a brief flash of humanity, and then mercilessly slaughters them because he likes being evil, enjoys staying with his abuser as his killing machine. The strength of Luke’s character in his father’s redemption arc now has been undermined in Disney canon and TCW since he’s no longer one of the few people out there to recognize that Darth Vader was a shell of a monster that everyone else saw to cover up the deeply broken and twisted man Anakin Skywalker underneath it all.

My point is that if George Lucas really had any integrity at all, he wouldn’t have signed over his franchise to writers who he knew wanted for Anakin, Luke, Leia, and all these other characters to be more one-dimensional tropes. He wouldn’t have caved in to the bullying of the whiny fanboys in the fandom who kept insisting these characters had to be generic action movie heroes and villains by letting them be rewritten.

#anon answered #star wars meta #anti tcw 08 #anti disney star wars #anti George Lucas kind of #like I both appreciate that he came up with these characters and stories in the ot and pt series but hate him for selling out #pt star wars #jedi critical #luke skywalker #anakin skywalker #padme amidala #darth vader #you had a good story going on in the ot and the pt movies with Luke and Anakin as the leads #we didn’t need to see any more than that #hayden christensen #also I know a lot of fans like ashoka tano but her character doesn’t make any sense being assigned as Anakin’s padawan #she just does not make narrative sense at all when you consider the fact that yoda wouldn’t allow him to be a grandmaster in ROTS #why would yoda give Anakin a padawan but not a position as grandmaster on the council four years after being knighted? #that doesn’t make any sense #also like the pt!movies and novelizations Anakin worked really hard to please the Jedi council #to be honest he cared too much about their validation rather than sticking to his own moral compass because he wanted to be a ‘good Jedi’ #if pt!movies/novelizations Anakin ever rebelled it was in secret from the council and he still beat himself up over it #whereas TCW 08’ Anakin really is that lazy and entitled brat who thinks he’s safe because he’s ‘the chosen one.’ #and that wasn’t who anakin skywalker was with the Jedi council in the movies or novels #he tried really hard to fit in with the Jedi order even if his gut instinct told him he was wrong #and it was this deference to authority figures with power over him in anakin that led to his undoing #pt!movies/novelizations would have been honored to be given a padawan

[where-fantasy-meets-reality]

“We’re Not Promised Tomorrow”  Chapter 1 “Into the Trenches”

Masterlist 

Pairing: Obi-Wan Kenobi/Fem. OC

Word Count: 1.3 K

Warnings: Battle scenarios

A/N: Hello everyone! So, this is a story I’ve had saved on my computer for a while. It was the first piece of fan fiction I had ever written and it is an extremely long series. This is one of the ways I stayed sane during the lockdown and I put a LOT into this story, which is why I’ve decided to share it. The good news is it's finished, so there will be an ending for anyone who sticks with it. It is a rollercoaster of a story with a few OC’s, familiar and loveable characters, and all sorts of fluff, angst, and laughter. And maybe a smut chapter or two. 🙃 A chapter will be posted every Tuesday. Let me know in the comments if you want to be added to the tag list. Also, shout to @mrskenobi19​ for the name suggestion 😊

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The hum of battle droids rang in his ears louder than ever. The glow of his vibrating lightsaber seemed to match his beating heart as he force ran over the terrain.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Anakin to his left and Commander Cody to his right. Behind him, the chorus of clone boots could be heard pounding into the ground as they dutifully followed him into battle.

He could feel them through the force; their senses filled with the rush and dread of running head-on into the unknown.

Ashoka, a bright and confident light in the force, could be felt but not seen. She and Rex would be leading the second wave of reinforcements on the other side of the battle, to cut off the eventual retreat of the droid army. They needed to make sure that he didn’t get away this time.

Obi-Wan could feel Anakin's self-assuredness flowing through the Force, and it made him feel ready, easing his own jitters. As he poised himself to force leap into battle, he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and steadied himself. In his mind he chanted, “I am one with the Force and the Force is one with me.”

Taking one last centering breath, he leaped forward.

He hit the ground, his lightsaber slicing through the droids like they were air. He and Anakin perfectly moved around each other and the clones as if this were a dance they had done together a thousand times.

Then again, maybe they had done this thousand times and it was just routine at this point.

“Come on old man, don't make me do all the work!” Anakin called over his shoulder as he ran past him into a group of droids.

Obi-Wan Kenobi gave him a one-raised eyebrow and a half-smile. “Old man,” Obi-Wan thought to himself, “he wishes.”

As he sliced through another droid, he jumped over two more and slashed one that had pinned Waxer into the ground. Turning around and putting all those hours of sparring to good use, he made quick work of the two droids whom he had previously jumped over and that were now making their way toward his position.

“I'm sorry, what were you saying Anakin?” Kenobi called over his shoulder at his former Padawan, addressing him in a sarcastic tone with a sassy look that matched.

“I’m just saying that I have already destroyed 65 droids and we haven't even broken through the first wave yet. What are you, tired? You’re falling behind, you can’t even keep up mean I would understand a man of your age…”

The Jedi was too busy running his mouth that he had lost sight of his surroundings.

“ANAKIN WATCH OUT!” Obi-Wan cried out as he moved Anakin out of the way and force pushed a Destroyer Droid till it slammed into a separatist tank and exploded.

Anakin looked stunned, that droid had come out of nowhere, or at least to him it did, because he had not been paying attention. Obi-Wan, however, was less than amused by Anakin’s antics.

“If you spent more time focusing and less time mouthing and showing off, this old man wouldn't have to save your butt. Now come on! We have to make it over this hill in time to aid Ashoka and make sure he doesn’t get away!!”

Anakin chuckled and shrugged off Obi-Wan’s criticism. As usual, his old master was all business and no fun. In his eyes, these tin-can, poor excuses for soldiers were fun to cut up and play with.

But Obi-Wan was right. They were here on a mission. Grievous was on the other side of that hill. And Ashoka was on the hill behind him, waiting for the signal to lead Rex and the 501st towards Grievous so they could sandwich him in and cut off his escape. If they could successfully capture him, it could turn the tide of the war and ensure a quicker victory.

Obi-Wan reached the top of the hill first and looked to the valley below. What he saw was anything but what he expected to see. There was nothing but grass. No equipment. No tanks. No droids. And no Grievous. The mechanical menace had escaped once again.

“BLAST” Obi-Wan hissed under his breath. “How could he have gotten away?”  He thought to himself.

The planet was surrounded by Republic forces so no ships could leave the atmosphere. The valley was similarly surrounded by the two hills that he and Ashoka occupied.

…..Unless…..

Realization coursed through him like a jolt of lightning. He whipped around to find Anakin approaching the top of the hill with the 212th behind him.

“ANAKIN, STOP ITS A TRAP! TURN AROUND! NOW!” Obi-Wan shouted to Anakin, but it was too late.

Behind the Clone Army, he could see the second wave of droids that were supposed to be positioned in the valley with Grevious. They were approaching the Jedi from behind. Worst of all, there he was, right at the front. Four glowing lightsabers twirled through the air as Grevious approached Anakin and the clones.

“ASHOKA, COME IN, ASHOKA, IT'S A TRAP! ADVANCE TO OUR POSITION NOW!”. Obi-Wan frantically shouted into his commlink.

He didn’t even wait for her response as he set off, running back down the hill.

“So much for making my way hastily to the top,” he thought to himself.

Would Ashoka even reach them in time? As he weaved his way through to the front line of the battle, cutting down anything in his path, he worried about the Padawan.

“She was positioned to hold off his retreat knowing that we wouldn’t be far behind, not to join us hastily...she has too much ground to cover in that short amount of time.” He silently huffed as he ran.

Once again their intel had been wrong. He sighed in frustration as he neared the droids. Their source had said General Grievous would be positioned between the two hills, using them as his cover from an aerial assault that had been a diversion for a ground invasion on unsuspecting troops.

This would be where he could safely and stealthy command his army or so Grievous thought.

And yet, the Separatist General had allowed them to rush the hill, putting them right where the mechanical General wanted them, sandwiched between the Droid army and a series of unforgiving terrain.  What was worse for the Jedi was they had foolishly believed that it would be that easy. Now, Grevious had them cornered like sitting Bantha’s.

- - - - - - - - - - - 

“BUT HE GOT AWAY AGAIN OBI-WAN! HOW?!?!” Anakin exclaimed as he pounded his fists onto the war table.

Once again, Grievous had slipped through their fingers.

No matter what they threw at the mechanical general, he always seemed to evade them; the coward. As opposed to standing and fighting the Jedi face to face he preferred to fight in matches that were underhanded or where his opponents were outnumbered, and even when he was losing those matches, he fled.

“I told you, for the millionth time, Anakin….I do not know how he got away.” Obi-Wan huffed as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

He hated when Anakin acted like this. It wasn’t as if they purposely failed their mission.

Obi-Wan found it equally as frustrating as his fellow Jedi did, only he took great care to not let his anger get the best of him.

He needed to be alone. He needed to meditate and decompress. Additionally, he had to think of what he was going to say to the council at the briefing. This was not going to look good for Anakin or himself that despite having inside intel, they somehow managed to not capture or defeat general Grievous but that they also lost ground they had gained yesterday.

@mrskenobi19​ @transcending-time​ @sillynilly27​ @kirstenvldfan21​

#obi wan kenobi #Obi-Wan Kenobi #obi wan #obi #obi-wan #obi-wan kenobi fanfic #obi wan fic #obi-wan fanfic

[missshezz]

I keep seeing comments in regards to criticism about the Bad Batch that suggest that because it is a “cartoon” that it is somehow exempt from criticism. That we should blindly just swallow whatever given because “it’s a kid’s show.”

I have one thing to say in regards to that:

Batman: The Animated Series.

This was a series marketed to kids, premise was for kids, and is hailed as being one of the best animated series to date.

Why?

Because the writers cared about the characters and they cared about the product they were putting out. They didn’t slap together any ole story. They created an entire animated world that benefited the cast of characters they were portraying.

Know what else they did?

They created a character, one who was supposed to only be in the show for one episode but who proved so popular that they ended up bringing them into comic canon.

Know who that character is?

Harley Quinn.

The episode was titled “Joker’s Favor” and debuted on September 11, 1992. A clip of her debut is here: https://youtu.be/W8Tyya3ozUI

Harley was an original character designed simply to play as the moll of the most iconic Batman villain: The Clown Prince of Crime. Her first comic appearance was in The Batman Adventures #12 in 1993 (still credited as non-canon). She became an official canon character in Batman: Harley Quinn #1 in 1999.

Harley has since become one of DC’s most popular characters. She has tons of merchandise featuring her in her various depictions. She’s been in video games. Comics. Movies (animated and live-action). She even has a current animated series about her on HBO Max.

ONE episode and she gained a fan base.

ONE.

Let’s switch to the Bad Batch. Hunter, Wrecker, Tech, and Crosshair became favorites after one episode, as well. Everyone remember this part of season 7, episode 1: https://youtu.be/pcWtU7Wvstg

They were cool, unusual, and instantly likable because of how different they were from Rex, Cody, and the other clones we knew. By the conclusion of the Bad Batch arc I wanted to know more about them. I also went out and bought Wrecker’s Funko and a Lego miniature because I love the big guy that much.

Flash forward to the announcement of the Bad Batch series. I was stoked. I was excited. I thought we’d be getting the Bad Batch content that we didn’t get in season 7 (back story and the like). Following Order Sixty-Six was an interesting take because it would delve into the time following the end of the Clone Wars and how the Clones went from Clone Troopers to Stormtroopers (and how they became recruits instead of clones).

Than came the announcement about a new character: Omega.

Was not excited but was willing to give it a chance. Ashoka got on my nerves but by and large I didn’t mind her character.

Following Omega’s introduction, I was less excited and started seeing how the show promised was absolutely not the one we were going to get. Omega is 9 episodes in and has yet to really have much in the way of character development. Her revelation about having pure Fett DNA undermines Boba’s entire storyline and Lama Su ordering her termination effectively renders it a moot point. She has no discernible flaws, has learned no real lessons, and effectively takes away from the other characters with a storyline that is thin at best.

Unlike Harley who was given enough depth and characterization in ONE episode of Batman: The Animated Series to turn her into a beloved character. Harley accentuated and complimented the Joker.

Omega is not beloved nor does she compliment or accentuate the Bad Batch.

Why?

Because she’s a flawed character in an animated series.

And many people, not just myself, see that. I also see the accusations of ours being “hate” blogs. Incorrect. We don’t hate the character. We hate the writing of her. We hate we haven’t been given enough of a reason to like her. We hate the forced narrative and how it diminishes the characters that the show is being marketed about. The title card of every episode lays out who Disney is marketing as the headliners.

Omega is NOT the headliner.

I’d argue that they chose to include her in the Bad Batch simply because they knew they couldn’t sell the show without title characters like the Bad Batch or Rex.

In closing, the argument about it being a “kid’s show” falls flat when one looks at Batman: the Animated Series (and other Batman shows like Brave and the Bold and Batman Beyond even), Spider-Man, X-Men, Transformers (the 80s version), Ninja Turtles. All are kid shows with adult followers because the shows were written in ways that kids and adults could enjoy them. I also know the next argument this will get: different companies, different eras, blah blah blah. Animated shows like Batman, Spider-Man, and Star Wars all follow the same formula: market to kids but make it accessible so both kids and adults will like it (and buy merchandise).

Bad Batch is not as appealing as those other shows (as Clone Wars was even).

It has its moments… but they come when Omega is NOT the center focus and when the narrative is NOT about her. Sadly, those moments are too few and far between. Which is a shame because the show has great potential to be up there with the shows I listed above. There is a rich galaxy to be explored in Star Wars. One that Filoni and his writers have chosen not to explore in favor of creating a show that essentially is the Mandalorian in animated form.

And if I wanted to watch the Mandalorian… I would just watch the Mandalorian.

Tumblr has an issue with links lately, so the videos are here:

#Star Wars #bad batch meta #cartoon debate #Omega Sue #Harley Quinn #DC #batman: the animated series #animated series

[supernova1us]

My Funko POP collection thus far

Don’t know why (boredom) but decided to take stock of all the pops I have collected(im honestly not a huge collector of them, just what catches my interest). Current POP count is 85.

Star Wars: rey(episode 8), rey skywalker(episode 9), supreme leader kylo ren, all 6 knights of ren, sidon ithano, ashoka tano(duel lightsabers), the mandolorean(newer armor), the child, the armorer, covert mandalorean, heavy artillery mandalorean, boba fett(mandalorean), L3-37, darth revan

Disney: steamboat mickey, maleficent(with throne), aurora(with forest base), Hyacinth Hippo(Fantasia), soldier Mulan, Lexington(gargoyles), all of the sinclair family(Dinosaurs), Rex playing Buzz lightyear game, Taran and horned king.

Marvel: endgame nebula, rogue, Soldier supreme, iron hammer, weapon hex, arachknight, ghost panther, diamond claws, madame hel, thor(jane foster), king tchalla & monster hunter(marvel vs capcom), Ironheart.

The Dark Crystal: jen, kira, mira, deet, the heretic, the wanderer, the chamberlain, the hunter

Ready Player One: perzival, artimis, aech, daito, sho, sorento, Irok

Critical Role: pike, grog, scanlan, vax, vex, percy, keyleth, trinket

Misc: mewtwo, raichu, spyro the dragon, gnasty gnorc, she-ra, raditz, brigitte lindholm, mei(overwatch), T.O.M., bran stark, megatron, soundwave, drift(AOE), the Lich king, Sauron, slifer the sky dragon(giant), illidan, korra, sukki, tumblebee(wetmore forest), magnus twistknot(wetmore forest), rita repulsa(film), green ranger rita repulsa.

Soon to be added(hopfully): the witch king of angmar, rita repulsa, deathwing, grumble(wetmore forest), scream(marvel), Cheshire Cat(Tim burton), general grevious(both versions), starscream, dinopool, Venomized Ironheart, captain America Sam wilson, squirrel girl, ultron(what if? version), psyduck, mew, Tiamat, teen Titans go(the “night begins to shine” set), Killer mother(teen titans), infinity stones snap ironman(endgame), gimli, master chief, grunt(halo), smaug, thorin oakenshield, the rest of the gargoyles series, twilight ringwraith(LOTR), dino ultrazord, mojo jojo, anything from the myths series, anything Winnie the Pooh. 

Suuuuuuper hard to get but I aint giving up: Stinkor, Hordak, Obelisk the tormenter, Orge(gummie bears).

#funko #funko pop #collection

[dezmondmyles]

hi i just finished watching booba fettaccini from sore wores and i have no one to yell at this about so hey lmao check this shit out uh spoilers ahead

okay so overall, i thought it was just... kinda boring lmao.

cause like ok we have our A story (boba becoming the daimyo of jabba’s old territory) and our B story (boba being taken in by a tribe of tuskens). and honestly? B story way better imo because im a sucker for a good found family story. i eat that shit up, and it was just more engaging esp as someone who grew up on the movies, and last seeing boba as a little kid, and falling into the snarlac pit before that.

like idgaf what he’s doing now really lmao the whole “i will show the people of mos espa that im their friend smilers” was just kinda, meh. like i wanna see the legendary boba fett doing cool bounty hunter shit but i get it ya know, he explains why he’s doing what he’s doing, and that’s all well and good. and i wouldnt have minded if it just wasnt so goddamn slow.

like nothing HAPPENS during the A story. all the interesting shit is in the B story. it’s not until ep4 that it’s like alright! time for a real story now!!!!

buuuut first, we gotta dedicate not one, but two whole episode to din djarin and grogu. like dont get me wrong, i fucking love the mandolorian, like so sos soso much. but that’s their show. this isn’t their show. it’s boba fett’s. why the fuck do they have so much prominence?? why wasnt this saved for mando s3?? why did boba fett suddenly stop being the main character OF HIS OWN SERIES?

cause din and grogu just stole the show, considering it very suddenly became about them. and then it’s like “well fuck what boba’s doing, i want more of this!!” and yeah i know we are getting more of it but im just... jon, dave, wyd guys.

and then we LOSE cobb vanth for cad bane. and then cad bane dies. it’s like okay!! that’s cool and all!! but WHAT was the point? i know that cad bane is boba’s old mentor but like, idk, i feel like they could have set it up way better than this? i feel like there should have been more impact to his appearance and his final stand off with boba? like these two have such a history but you don’t feel anything really between them watching it. so ultimately, i feel like it was a waste of a character and just another nod to the clone wars series.

ashoka had more impact in this series, and she only appeared for like 10 minutes!!! i know she’s also getting her own show, so it’s a good way to keep interest in the character but like... idk i wasnt happy with bane, and im very sad vanth is “dead”

(i mean i dont think he’s really dead they dont outright say he died just that he was shot down, and this is star wars, does anyone ever really actually die unless you see an explicit close up on their bodies? which vanth didnt get soooooo lmao)

just... yeah man idk. i get why they couldnt do a clone wars or empire era boba fett story because well, no offense, but temuera morrison is Old now and their de-aging tech is not... perfect quite yet, not on the same level that marvel is. and lbr the de-aged luke is kinda bad still and his voice is very obviously a computer we’re not gonna talk about luke here ok but I GET WHY.

and i realize i could be in a small minority of people who didnt totally enjoy the show. i didnt hate it, and there were plenty of parts and characters that i liked. it just felt idk, like it was being held back and kinda awkwardly squeezed in between mando seasons. i feel bad for it honestly, cause i feel like it did have so much potential but dave and jon just kinda... dropped the ball on it. idk. hopefully obi-wan and ashoka won’t have that same problem, but we’ll seeeeee.

anyway thats all i got no i wont take criticisms or debates about it okay bye <3

#kel talks

[aj-allen97]

A Queen’s Peril Review

*Spoilers* *Maybe?*

Let us be honest for a moment; in the whole entire Star Wars universe my favorite character is Padmé Naberiee Amidala and it’s not just a recent love. I have looked up too and adored this character since I was a little girl. To the point my own dad once tried to make me a Amidala Halloween costume when I was little. Yet, Amidala merchandise and related literature was hard to find and still is. If I wanted Amidala I had to be content with watching the three movies to get my Amidala fix and when the internet started to become more reliable and easier to access I was able to look up trivia or Fanfiction on her. So to hear that Disney has authorized not just one book about her but two? I got excited real fast.

Which leads us to EK Johnson third Star Wars Novel “A Queens Peril”, which I was excited for because I thought at long last I can find out how she got elected to Queen of Naboo, see how the handmaidens became a force to be reckoned with and why Naboo loved Amidala to the degree they wanted her to run for a third term and when she refused made her the first senator to have access to the Queen's Jewels.

My expectations did not meet reality. I was so disappointed I questioned how EK Johnson managed to write two Star Wars novels that were successful enough to warrant a third book. Queens Peril left me disappointed enough I went back and read the Queens Shadows to have a basis to start off with in figuring out what went wrong and if maybe I am being to harsh in my critique and after reading Queens Shadow EK Johnson has no excuse for such a poorly executed novel that is A Queens Peril.

Don’t get me wrong it was great in its own quaint way, but it was definitely a come down from her other works. While I found the Padme Amidala and her Handmaidens were fleshed out as much as they could be given the time restraints. But, she also seemed to be also cramming in every character that played a part in the movie, not as fleshed out characters but there just because, and creating new characters as needed. Though I will admit Queen Amidala did have more personality and character quirks then the Queen to be from my American Royals review.

But, it also felt rushed at times, I honestly think they could have turned this into a small series given how diverse Amidala's and her Handmaidens background is. In my humble opinion she kept introducing characters and plot points that had no impact to the main plot. This whole book hinges on the fact the reader has seen The Phantom Menace - I honestly do not believe a newcomer could read this and not come away lost because of all the scene skips and random conversations that happen in the novel and again how reliant EK Johnson seems on the bet the readers have already seen The Phantom Menace.

If I didn't know better I would say these were all scenes that were left on the cutting board floor during the editing of The Phantom Menace, just because they all seemed like filler scenes. They have no strong support through the novel, and some of them could even be removed and the plot would not even take a hit from their deletion.

I have seen The Phantom Menace and this book still left me disconnected and disappointed by the lazy writing. The only new thing EK Johnson gave us was the prisoner camps on Naboo, which were fleshed out and engaging to read, because it was interesting and thought out. It was a snippet on what was going on in Naboo during the Blockade. Sadly that was the only good part of the book outside of the handmaidens and Padmé bonding and plotting time.

After success like Queens Shadow and Ashoka I feel that EK Johnson had no excuse for this poorly planned novel and I honestly believe if she was not up to the challenge of fleshing out The Phantom Menace by keeping it solely in the point of view of Queen Amidala and her handmaidens with the odd pop in of Darth Sideous or the Captain of her Guard, than she should not have attempted this project. Instead we get the point of views of several characters (some who had frankly little impact on the story or who felt like unfinished stories) and the unfortunate mess of time skips.

Instead of giving us a novel that added to The Phantom Menace and fleshed out Queen Amidala and her handmaidens character arc, she gave us slices of life segments and filler scenes. While skipping any other scenes that were crucial and would have had an impact on the reader if they could have seen or experienced it through Padmé Amidalas eyes.

At the pace they were going they could have honestly skipped the whole Tatooine scene because they skipped Amidala interacting with Anakin (important because Anakin ends up as her future husband and because it inspires her on wanting to free the slaves of the outer rim), the pod race, and meeting Maul for the first time, but they kept filler scenes like learning Sabé hates sand that had no bearing on the novel. They could have skipped the scene in Coruscant since all they kept was filler like gossiping on the fact Amidala overthrown the Chancellor instead of showing it.

Yet, we had time to hear about how Anakin Skywalker pod races for Watto on the side and how he likes to fly.

Yet, we had time to hear how Jar Jar Binks day went.

Yet, we had time for a pointless discussion between Mace Windu and Yoda that had very little bearing to the plot.

Yet, we had time to introduce Qui-Gon Jinn and his padawan, but they were so in the background they might as well have not existed. The same with Maul.

In the end what we got was a short novel that felt rushed or incomplete at some scenes. It had so much potential and yet it felt incomplete or they were beginning scenes of a story arc that never had the green light for their own independent novel, and oftentimes Johnson included characters like Anakin/Shimi or Maul or the Jedi when at times they didn’t feel necessary to the plot. They added scenes that helped at times and they added scenes that my brain said skip and skip I did and the story lost nothing from me skipping those parts. Other times they skipped parts I felt were needed for the story line and characterization since those scenes had an impact on the main character and on the whole Blockade plot.

I honestly think the most redeeming parts of the novel were when Amidala and her Handmaidens worked together as one entity and when they were just hanging out as friends.

Yet, we only get a week of that bonding time before the blockade happens. We only get a week of seeing how Amidala acted as Queen before they are forced into action. Watching the movies I honestly thought Queen Amidala was at least a year if not two into her reign at the start of the movie, yet here I came to find out she was only a week into her reign.

Not only that but even though Queens Shadow and Queens Peril were written by the same author and follows the same people they have different facts on what went down before the Blockade. They have different definitions on how the Handmaidens were picked and trained, even the way the story is presented feels different.

With how Queens Shadow and Queens Peril seem to disagree on several plot points, I wonder if they can be considered to exist in the same universe as one another even though they were written by the same author.

And while I may found the story enjoyable to a degree and some parts even funny, by the end of the book I felt cheated. This is the type of easy to read fluff I would have read in elementary. I felt disappointed and let down, I wanted more, not just more of The Phantom Menace, but more of Padmé Naberiee Amidala as a Queen.

Queens Peril feels more like in the author went screw it, everyone has seen The Phantom Menace and then wrote the book for that type of audience and thus allowing for lazy writing and the loss of relevant plots point in favor of non-relevant plot points.

So should you go out and read it? Indeed it’s funny and a great book for those that vaguely know Star Wars, especially if you're looking for an easy to read book that’s basically fluff and filler. Yet, for those that are fans of Amidala and have done your research on her like I have you might be like me and be a bit disappointed in how the whole thing played out.

Am I being over Biased and/or over critical? Maybe. But after reading Queen’s Shadow and seeing how it only focuses on Padme Amidala and Sabe PoV and is not all over the place with scene skips and what not I feel like I have the right to feel cheated with how this latest EK Johnson novel played out.

But I honestly would suggest reading EK Johnson’s Queens Shadow if you want something more coherent and not all over the place with differing points of views and pointless conversation or scenes.

Agree, Disagree? Drop me a comment and let me know! Until next time.

Signed AJ Allen

#Book Review #EK Johnson #Queen's Peril #Star Wars #lucas films #am i wrong #disappointed with this novel #the author was doing so well and then this #padmé amidala #queen of naboo #handmaidens of naboo

[bigyack-com]

BJP’s hegemony and party structure spark concerns. But its power is fragile - analysis

Two weeks ago, with Home Minister Amit Shah in front of him, corporate leader Rahul Bajaj spoke of an environment of fear gripping the country. While Shah addressed the concern in his response, government ministers and government-aligned public voices were quick to attack Bajaj — thereby validating Bajaj’s concerns.At its core, Bajaj was expressing a concern about the hegemony of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) rule at the Centre, and how it silences the criticism required for effective policy. The logic that undergirds this concern is straightforward. Political parties are highly susceptible to “group think,” as the careers of those in a party organisation are often linked to affirming the views of its leader. The leader’s hold over the party is linked to the relative absence of criticism. This generates incentives for those in the party to withhold even legitimate criticisms, or contradictory evidence, to the party leadership, as well as for the party leadership to stifle dissenting or critical views. All this is well known, but the hegemony of rule by a single party (in this case, the BJP) takes this logic one step further. Fundamentally, when a party is hegemonic, the chief aim of policy is to bolster its own organisation and entrench it in society. The logic that stifles criticism within a party must then be extended to the population as a whole. From this perspective, the characterisation of what is national interest or anti-national or what is an assertion of Hindu identity or anti-Hindu is not a matter of discernible ideology. It is curated by the political party in power and generates narratives that strengthens the party vis-à-vis its opponents. While there may be legitimate, even widely held, criticisms of the BJP government’s economic or agricultural policy, citizens are likely to withhold public criticism or face intimidation from government supporters when they do so. The problem is that when criticisms from the ground cannot easily reach those in power, then the government cannot efficiently correct flaws in its policies — as it is surrounded by yes men.In order to grapple with what we see today, one needs more institutional context. Unlike previous iterations of the BJP, the party seems to be more centralised than ever. In the recent negotiations over state formation in Haryana and Maharashtra, there was no doubt that parties and politicians were negotiating with BJP at the Centre, not the party’s state units. This is a testament to the popularity of Narendra Modi and juggernaut that Amit Shah has help to build. But this hollowing out of state units to strengthen the party at the Centre, also generates incentives for the central party to use its institutional heft to bully its rivals at the state level. Scholars of India’s political history will see strong similarities between the position of the BJP today and the Congress of the late 1960s and early 1970s. At that time, while Indira Gandhi remained by far the most popular national leader, her Congress faced serious factional splits. These breakaway factions suddenly made state politics far more electorally competitive for the Congress. As political scientist Steven Wilkinson chronicles, this competition made state elections a big money game. Gandhi sought to choke the funding for rival political parties by banning corporate donations, and she sought to bypass the electoral appeal of various state leaders by announcing a series of centrally sponsored schemes to generate a connection between herself and the voter. (The parallels to the sanctioning of electoral bonds, which have disproportionately benefited the BJP, and the myriad schemes announced under the Modi government are striking.) Many commentators have claimed that competitive state elections have shown that the BJP is not as hegemonic as many claim. Whereas the above logic now shows that the BJP is hegemonic in nature precisely because of it.But there are differences today too. Simply put, the technology around building a narrative and stifling the criticisms of others has changed. As we have witnessed in Kashmir, with the Internet shutdown, shutting of mobile networks, and curfews, the government can effectively stymie the ability of many citizens to express themselves. Furthermore, the speed at which the political party in power — with a somewhat sympathetic media — can build a narrative has grown significantly. (This is to say nothing of the efficiency with which social media can be used to intimidate or harass political opponents — with or without the assent of the political party.) The BJP looks like it will be in control for the foreseeable future. But politics can change at a moment’s notice. Whether it be the decline of the Congress after the late 1980s or the decimation of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in West Bengal after 2007, one rarely sees it coming. The catalyst can be anything from a policy mistake to an economic crisis. For when people are angry and frustrated enough, no amount of social control can hem them in.Neelanjan Sircar is an assistant professor, Ashoka University, and visiting senior fellow, Centre for Policy ResearchThe views expressed are personal Read the full article

#analysis #Articles #BJPs #concerns #Editor'sPick #editorial #fragile #hegemony #Party #Power #spark #structure