#bb has never been perfect but this is the first time i feel truly disappointed by it and i don’t know how to deal with that

[kexing]

For me the last 2 eps just felt too inconsistent like the way Wai and Pran's other friends reacted didn't feel right? Ig it felt like they just randomly switched their personalities around halfway through the show. Plus the way they treated the whole being outed thing as inconsequential felt weirdly off to me bc the show very much isn't queer norm. I don't get how they could spend the whole show addressing the way queerness is still not as normalised as people try to make it out to be in media and then completely flip around and act like homophobia isn't a thing just for this episode? Anyway yeah the inconsistencies made me feel less excited about it than i used to but I'm still here for IngPha and PatPran

i understand you. for me ep 9 felt completely off.

up until ep 8 i was okay with most things. although i really hated the idea of wai exposing pat and pran, even that would’ve been okay for me if they had addressed it, had showed that what wai did was wrong. like okay, pran did hide his relationship with pat but that still doesn’t give him the right to do that. regardless if homophobia exists there or not, what wai did to his own best friend was WRONG and nobody can change my mind on that.

and in a way i know that they had good intentions with the whole being exposed thing not having consequences, I KNOW but it still feels wrong to me.

pran is a character that means so much to me. so much. i connect with him in ways that i don’t really connect with other characters and i’ve always seen myself in him as a queer kid who grew up in a controlling home having to struggle with that and later on having to hide even from so called friends because you don’t feel safe telling them the truth.

then they expose pran and make him apologize for it. that triggered me. okay that’s on ME i guess but still.

i’m not EVEN going to start on pat having to get shot for wai to come around. i’m just not gonna…… no

but same, i mean. as disappointed as i am in this ep and what it possibly means for future eps, bad buddy is still amazing in many ways, raised the bar in many ways and i’m really grateful for it and i’ll always love it for what it means.

#bb has never been perfect but this is the first time i feel truly disappointed by it and i don’t know how to deal with that #but i’m trying. i’ve been trying for five days now to get over it and be myself again #but i’m gonna need more time. which is why i’m glad there’s no new ep this week #hopefully next week i’ll be feeling better #disaster-j #mj got mail!

[officialgomezaddams]

Morality

I honestly dk what this is but its set in AOTC kinda want to turn this into a little series $wag also shout out to my fellow nihilists this is for you bb

Palpatine had always kept watchful over her but never loomed. It would have been too obvious. When he met Anakin, it was like a breath of fresh air, a realization that this little boy was destined to restore the balance in the force and his daughter, Y/n, would be the one to defeat him. He had begun the idea of his daughter once he joined the Darkside, already knowing that the possibility to be overthrown was something he couldn’t let happen. The dark energy, the power, was simply too much to let go of. The moment he saw the nine-year-old boy, the lord was happy to know that the power would stay on the dark side. 

Dooku trained Y/n as a padawan, and when he left the order, he took Y/n with him, kidnapping her into the night. When she asked why they were leaving the temple as he dragged her into a ship, he simply replied, “Sometimes when politicians can’t do their job, we must do something ourselves.” Over the years together, he would open up more, telling Y/n about the death of Qui-Gon and every step that drove him to leave. 

“The Jedi rely on selflessness. To strip one’s ability to have connection and emotion. They lose themselves in conformity. We need to take control of the life we’re given. Emotion, passion, drive. Those are how we will be victorious. Corrupt politicians pull the Jedi around like kites on strings. You can not try and save a house that its lousy foundation has torn down. Tear it down and build a new one.” 

It was her job to ensure just that, a new foundation set within the heart of the Darkside. Relentless training to mentally and physically defeat the chosen one. Palpatine would often tell her that her destiny was a part of the Sith Two, that the strongest one of the two would survive, and it was to be her. Darth Sidious found comfort that his creation would take over the Darkside once she had killed him and the Count. The most decisive Jedi ruling on the side of the night. 

She didn’t quite understand it, but to stay on the Darkside made the most sense to her. It wasn’t about power. It was the lifestyle. Why be selfless if there was no personal gain? Why spend a life living for something else? Shouldn’t one live their life for themselves? Everyone, she determined, had to want something. As long as she did what she wanted, it was enough. It had to be. Because without drive and her idea of what was truly right and wrong, how would she get anything done? 

She rationed that it all didn’t matter. She would never know who was right because, in her mind, the concept of being right varied too much. The Jedi thought they were right, the sith thought they were right, the politicians who voted against their people’s needs thought they were right. She had to suffer through Palpatine’s long lectures about how awful the senate was and now terrible the Jedi Order is. But who was to say he was right? That was only his opinion. Who was to say the Jedi were right because a frog that was almost nine hundred years old said so? 

“I’m just…” Anakin went on, pulling a piece of grass out of the ground. “I mean, I don’t know. Padmè is beautiful and wonderful. She’s everything that could make someone perfect: marriage, it’s so permanent. I know I’m supposed to be excited, which I am, of course. But what if we were not supposed to be together.” 

His speech made her frown. “Sometimes, it’s better just to dive in and see where you land.” She offered. The dreams with Anakin were a peaceful escape to a Jedi’s life. Neither knew why their dreams brought them together or what they even meant. Neither of them bothered, living the same training life on opposite sides. A sweet dream was the perfect reward. “And who are you going to be with then, me?” She teased back. 

The setting of the dreams was in the meadows of Naboo. The pastel-colored flowers stood dim in the moonlight from the starry night above. Anakin laid with his head in her lap as they talked about their personal lives, never going in too deep about what their destinies were. Anakin no longer had the pressure of being the chosen one, and Y/n never had to admit she would kill the chosen one. 

“I wish,” Anakin admitted, now looking up at her. “I want so bad to meet you Y/n, not just in my dreams but in real life. If I could have you by my side, all of this would be less confusing. I’ve fallen in love with you, a woman in my dreams. Why can’t you be in my reality?”

“Don’t say that,” She whispered. Whenever Anakin talked about his little girl-thing, Y/n wasn’t even one hundred percent sure what their relationship was, and she always felt a slight nic in her heart. Y/n knew that she was in love with Anakin, but to hear about another woman making him the happiest he’s been in the majority of the years that she knew him, that it wasn’t her, the one sneaking in kisses with him in the shadows. It brought out an ugly feeling of jealousy and possessiveness to Y/n that she didn’t know she had. 

“I promise, one day, I’ll be with you in all the ways you want.” She spoke with a smile. She would often daydream about what life would be like to meet him real-time. They would run up to each other and crush each other in a hug. She imagined it all.

“Tell me about it,” Anakin edged on, closing his eyes as if it was going to play out in his head.

“Well, I want to go somewhere like D’Qar, somewhere quiet where I won’t have to worry about neighbors or anyone I don’t want finding me. Or us, because you’re coming with me no matter what your soon-to-be wife says,” You teased, making him laugh. “Maybe- Sometimes in my dreams, there’s no Padmè, it’s just us, and every so often there are kids, but it’s just us. Tucked away where we can be together, and nothing can bother us or stop us from being together.”

The silence that sat in between them began to scare Y/n, “Is that a future you would want with me?”

His eyes met hers, a peaceful moment in the chaos of their lives. He reached up to tuck a strand of hair that fell in front of her face, behind her ear. “If I were able to, I would.”

“And why can’t you? Why can’t you have the things you want, Anakin? Is it wrong to be happy?” 

Waking up from the dreams was always the most challenging part, the reality of it not being a reality. Y/n woke up already in a bad mood, mentally kicking herself for pushing too far in. Of course, he wouldn’t want to. He’s getting married to someone else. You’re too late. It had always been Y/n’s plan to end up with Anakin in some way or another. From the first dream to now, she decided to leave the Sith once she had killed the chosen one. Somedays, she would pace around, impatiently waiting for whoever held the title to cross her path so she could just finish the job and take the next ship to wherever Anakin was. 

She tore the necklace he had given her off her neck, clutching the carven japor snippet in her hand with a grip so hard she could have cracked it if it wasn’t made out of stone. She was squeezing her eyes shut, trying not to cry. Anakin had given Y/n the good luck charm when they were at the age of thirteen. Y/n was upset that once everything was over that he may not want to be with her, the reputation of her choices would drive him away. 

“Well, you can’t be that bad,” He commented, pulling out the carved stone from his pocket and shyly handing it to her. “I made this for you,” Anakin explained as she put it around her neck, “So that when good things happen, you can think of me. It’ll be my way of keeping you safe, and in return, one day, you will come to me safely.”

She opened her eyes and stared at the carvings, remembering how Anakin said he made it just for her, so she better not lose it. Y/n wanted to break it, throw it away, and never see Anakin again. She wanted more than just the dreams. She wanted the sunsets and the early morning and the rainy days - all of it. Maybe they were wrong, they weren’t supposed to meet, and it was just a nice dream. 

She couldn’t do that. She at least owes him a simple greeting, and then she can get rid of him. Putting the necklace back on and wiping her face to make sure she wasn’t crying, Y/n walked out of the room, ready for whatever the sith wanted her to do. 

“Just be patient,” Her master told her as they waited outside the still open ship. Geonosis was overrun with battle, the sith fighting tooth and bone to claim the planet as its capital, the major droid foundries, and its Mandalorians. Nothing could be more perfect for the sith. The two force signatures caught Y/n’s attention. Looking up at Dooku, she told him, “Well, let’s make it quick then.” 

“The chosen one will be here,” he whispered back. “I’ll leave that one to you.”

“You’re gonna pay for all the Jedi you killed, Dooku,” A familiar voice said as you both turned around in unison. “Y/N?” A pit dropped in her stomach. It was him, Anakin. Anakin’s blue saber was pointed at the ground, more focused on her than the older man. 

The necklace he gave her burned her through her robes. Anakin was finally there in front of her. This Anakin was different from her dreams. He stood with more pride and confidence. He was also the chosen one. “I-I didn’t expect to meet you like this,” She told him, knowing full well once on the ship, she would be interrogated about her knowledge of the boy. 

“Why are you with him?” The venom in his voice almost made her feel guilty about being who she was. “Are you-? Don’t tell me Y/n-” He couldn’t find the words to express his confusion and disappointment, “You’re a Sith. How can you be with them? You lied to me! Can’t you see what they’re doing to you? Can’t you see what they’ve done!”

“The Jedi know no facts,” She spoke, looking over at the Count, waiting for his head nod and sign of approval to ignite her orange saber. The whole weapon was made for destruction, a perfect saber to kill the chosen one. Its orange glow was representing strength. The curved hilt that matched hers of her masters was perfect for duels and close fights. “Only assumptions.”

It hurt her to have him looking at her in disgust. As if she was suddenly less than him because of her beliefs. “Anakin, you need to calm down,” She warned him as he charged towards her, only for Dooku to step in front of her, raising his hand to send bolds of electricity into the boy’s body and fling him into a rock wall. “Don’t keep me waiting,” Her master spoke before walking up the platform of the ship. 

Y/n only had seconds to understand that not only her master had abandoned her, Anakin was also lying limp in a pile of rocks, and the other Jedi was making his way towards her. She pointed her saber straight ahead at him, taking careful steps around him, trying to think about how this all would end. Was this it? When is supposed to kill the chosen one who happened to be the boy Y/n had fallen in love with over the past ten years? She knew that once she killed Anakin, she would have to kill the two sith above her, starting the two over with her as a master. 

“I heard the little green guy talks highly of you, Kenobi. What a pity it will be when I kill his two strongest men.”

Obi-wan shook his head, “You’re not Dooku’s apprentice. You’re just an assassin to him. Y/n why would he elect a child to be his successor?” He spoke as if he could read her mind, his blue eyes pleading with her. 

“You don’t know anything!” Y/n yelled, making the first strike. His saber skills were advanced, but quickly she was able to disarm him and left two marks on him, one on his arm and one on his thigh. She walked up to him, the two staring at each other. Was she about to kill this man? She had never killed a human before. Taking down droids and other creatures were casual to her. Humans? This man was edging her on with his eyes, both understanding that she wasn’t able to drive her saber into his neck. She couldn’t just kill a man who had done nothing to her. That would be wrong, right? But if it was so bad, why was she encouraged to do it? 

Before she could thoroughly choose, Anakin came at full force again. This time his master had tossed him his saber, making the fight two against one. “Why won’t you join our site, the right side?” Anakin asked, swiftly dodging her but failing to make any advancements to disarming her. 

“I don’t believe in any right sides.” She told him, knocking the green lightsaber out of his hand, evening out the fight. “I believe in one thing. Power of human will.” 

She walked into the ship quietly, ignoring the little green Jedi behind her. She didn’t care about the older man, Yoda or Count Dooku. She walked past the sith and made her way right to the pilot’s seat before sitting down. 

Dooku followed her, giving her space as she sat down. Crossing his arms like a disappointed parent, he asked, “Well?”

“I cut his arm off,” Y/n spoke, taking out the necklace and looking at the charm in her hand. She left right after, watching him lay unconscious against his master, missing apart of his right arm. She had hurt him, and for a moment, when she was looking at the injured pair, the padawan’s master had the same look on his face as before. An eyebrow raised as if to say, Do it, kill us. I doubt you’ll do it. 

“I’m disappointed in you.” He said. Y/n could have done it. She would have just pictured them as droids and slice the two in half. It would have been quick and painless. She could have plaid her life out, kill the chosen one, rule the sith, and live her life. Why didn’t you? She kept thinking as she admired the gift. 

Looking at the charm, the future she talked about seemed too far away, especially now. The end with the boy she loved, Anakin, who also was the boy she was supposed to kill. But for right now, she thought to herself. She wouldn’t kill him, at least not yet, until she knew for sure that her fantasies with Anakin were just wild dreams. It was her own life. Why couldn’t she have the things she wanted? 

#anakin skywalker imagine #star wars imagine #anakin imagine #anakin skywalker imagines #star wars imagines #anakin imagines #anakin skywalker x reader #anakin x reader #star wars x reader

[badass-at-fandoming]

Just Little Ventrue Things ~

I finished a Camarilla Ventrue run of VTMB. Mostly, the only thing Ventrue these days know how to do is Dominate, run screaming, eat hot chip, and lie, and [high falsetto voice] here’s a list of other nonsense I discovered:

PC’s name is Christina; she’s a Dominatrix because I’m bi. Her sire was one of her clients, and she’s actually very, very angry about his death. She doesn’t mind being a vampire. She’s Wiccan and part of a coven

In this Camarilla run, I decided I would only do quests given by Camarilla members. My justification was that, while Christina is intelligent and curious about lore, she focuses on tasks that immediately relate to her and her goals. She’s not curious about others; won’t go out of her way to talk to them. She’s not a bleeding heart, like my other PCs, and she believes in the Camarilla’s laws. She just hates LaCroix for killing her sire. Her plan during the game is to curry as much favor within the Cam as possible and cozy up to LaCroix so she can stab him.

Enough backstory

Nonsense time

Smiling Jack laughs at you if you don’t eat a rat in the tutorial. LOL. The Ventrue dialog is like “I could barely choke down the homeless man: please don’t make me eat a rat!”

The blood in the Santa Monica haven’s fridge is now blue blood. Does regular blood make Ventrue sick? I was too scared to experiment.

[spots Mercurio] I am going to steal that ghoul

Rosa: The people you’re looking for are up there. Christina, assuming Rosa is a Cam agent: Okay, thanks, bye

Never spoke to the Thin-Bloods again (sorry Lily baby ;-;)

Everyone except Julius still leaves when the PC reaches Hollywood

If you try to feed on Julius, he WILL kick you in the head and you WILL glitch into the fire, be on fire; run away screaming in Prada

You can skip the whole basement of the Ocean House Hotel if you manage to jump over the hole in the staircase???? Like?? You mean the spookiest fucking level has been optional this whole time I”M

[ghost appears] [Christina smacks it with an axe] None of that.

Club girls speak to Christina and I’m on the FLOOR

Therese “kills” Jeanette, even though I had enough oompa to make that not happen.

Therese joins the Camarilla and says she’s in good position to be the next Prince??? Hello??? Where is our Prince Voerman ending????

Went straight to LaCroix, called him “sir,” and he name-dropped Napoleon.

LaCroix tells Christina to go visit the Anarchs. She blows the Anarchs off (Nines made a growly face, Damsel dialog yowl-exited out after I asked if she wanted to join the Cam; Skelter threatened to murder me twice). When LaCroix told Christina that, while he admired her Cam loyalty, she must listen to her enemies to understand what they wanted, it felt like he was actually being a good sire and mentor.

That’s weird.

When Christina asked for his history, he very carefully explained his lineage, like the important part of Ventrue culture it is.

Overall, I found LaCroix-being-nice-to-me extremely unsettling.

Sir. Stop smiling at me, sir. Stop being impressed I don’t ask for money. STOP MAKING ME UNDERSTAND WHY PEOPLE LIKE YOU, SIR.

In contrast, LaCroix sounded genuinely betrayed at the end

Also made it more obvious when he started to lose track of his marbles

Ventrue PC seems juuuuuuust tall enough for her forehead to glitch into the ceiling of literally any confined space

The dirty Elizabeth Dane policeman didn’t psspspspsp at Christina so the whole ship was 15 white-knuckled minutes of making police dance and scuttling about

There is!!! A lot less!!! Talking in this game!!! Than I remember!!! She is only good at talking and ordering people around i am bEGGING

All EXP goes to Dominate and making Christina extremely charismatic and buff.

Ventrue himbo????

Beckett un-himbo-ifies her

She insults Beckett on their first meeting, spitting out “What do you want, wolfie?!” I thought this was appropriate because she died like, 4 times on that warehouse mission and was Extremely Stressed And Under Duress

Beckett’s response of “Oh, you’re too young to have mouthed off to the truly old ones yet.” makes his later snide remark of “the young ones are so temperamental” 900% funnier. Yeah, LaCroix! Beckett thinks I’ve grown and am now more mature than you! XD

Missions involving sex workers hit different when you’re a sex worker.

Christina was incandescent with rage at the Brotherhood

Grout’s mansion mission was a lot of “I have no interest in this nonsense.”

For the first time ever, I didn’t kill anyone during the Museum quest! This is because Christina ran very fast and Dominated every guard as quickly as possible. Every single fucking guard knew she was there, but could do nothing about it, because they were dancing. The door to the sarcophagus locked (it will do this if too many guards are agro), but locked doors are no match for noclip hack.

Entertaining image of a tall woman absolutely blasting into this museum room and Beckett tackling her to the floor like wait! I must snark at you! You are legally obligated to speak with me!

Isaac is still somehow a pretty chill guy to work with if you’re Camarilla.

Christina didn’t visit VV or Ash. Interestingly, Ash didn’t show up at the hunter monastery later. Did he just die in his club? Is he still there, waiting, deciding?

Christina @ Andrei: what the fuck is this shit

“I don’t care. It’s ugly. Clean it up.”

SEWERS.

Not as bad as I was expecting

Did take shortcut, run away from fights, ducked out in the middle for a snack, and bring 7 blue blood packs tho

Gary threatened to shred her face with a cheese grater, which I thought was Toreador only dialog?? It must be connected to the Appearance Stat. Which Christina has maxed out.

When Heather became Christina’s ghoul, I was delighted because I thought this meant Christina would always have fresh blood.

No

If you ask to feed on her too soon after the last time, Heather says she feels light headed and wants to lie down. The dialog exits out

I love you, Heather bb

Perfected the art of nudging NPCs into corners

Mitnick’s quests now feature Enforced Nap Time for all guards

Seriously, Dominate is ridiculously powerful, hooooly shit. I get why people like it. I also like it when people do things I ask them to do.

Christina can’t sneak, but she CAN strongly encourage everyone to choke on their own tongues.

Very high contrast in the beginning of the game: 2 punches would knock her over, but anyone she spoke to would obey immediately and without question

Chinatown goes by ridiculously fast if you can’t sneak and don’t do any sidequests besides Mitnick’s.

For the first time ever, Zhao survived! This is because Christina made him take a nap.

He just told her to leave

You’re welcome, my good dude

IDK if it’s a game glitch, but Christina would vocalize? In battle, she grunts with effort and pain.

Got to the point where I kept expecting Dominate dialog in every interaction and would get disappointed if it didn’t show up. What do you mean I have to actually convince people? That’s lame.

Christina was polite and charming to Ming Xiao, who also conveyed a deeper betrayal than normal at the end. ;-;

I promise to give you a Ventrue boy toy soon, Xiao

Finale arc quests went by VERY FAST because Christina can’t sneak for shit. Just run in, Dominate blazing

You can skip the outside bit of the Hallowbrook Hotel if you find the open door on the top level what the fuuuuuuuuuCK

[“A Little Party Never Killed Nobody” plays while Christina wipes out the Sabbat in 10 minutes]

Andrei disappeared mid-fight and didn’t come back until I complained that only I was allowed to run away from boss fights

I’m categorizing “triggering the interaction to save Heather” as something quite difficult to do. The timing has to be just right. I’ve missed it twice now. BUT hacking into the game to save her is easy.

I love you, Heather bb

Final Beckett talk had the vibe of “You’re a very different person than me, but you’re also High Humanity and trying to do good. You don’t deserve to die.”

Damsel threatens to kick the shit out of Christina and is extremely reluctant to tell her where Nines is

“Out of all people, they send you? All right, let’s just talk terms.” - Nines because Christina was short with him one (1) time

WEREWOLF HARD

You can just?? Walk out of your haven?? Without speaking to Jack at all???

I didn’t do that

But I could have

[”Dust in the Wind” plays while Christina kills entire Camarilla hit squad in 3 minutes]

You can visit Mercurio and Trip on your way out of Santa Monica??

Mercurio makes no comment on the blood hunt. Business as usual with him. This is fine.

Christina: I’m SO going to adopt that ghoul. And perhaps Isaac can be convinced to part with Romero...

(For the first time ever, my PC boinked Romero. Twice, to receive the break up email)

This is definitely a glitch, but Christina brushed up against Caine, and a worried voice said, “Are you all right?” It sounded like the same voice actor, but a higher pitch?

Always nice to think about Caine demonstrating care

Christina asked Caine who he is, and Caine replied that he “gets people where they’re going. [He’s] a driver,”  which is a nice nod (lol) to both his literal job as a driver and as a shepherd/creator/god to Kindred. Caine creates and makes fate.

Caine triple checks with Christina that she’s sure Strauss won’t betray her. Thanks, Vampire Dad. :’D

For some reason, only other Ventrue guarded LaCroix’s tower. I wonder if this is intentional. Like all the other Camarilla Clans backed Strauss and left? So only LaCroix’s Ventrue lackeys remain? Anyway, it created some weird moments where Christina fought her double.

KILL YOUR DOUBLE

Sheriff laughed in haughty joy that he was to kill Christina. I don’t remember him laughing in other playthroughs.

Christina ruining Caine and Jack’s prank oh noes

#vampire the masquerade #vtm #vtmb #ventrue #Vampire The Masquerade Bloodlines #camarilla #smiling jack #sebastian lacroix #vtm mercurio #vtm caine #max strauss #heather poe #nines rodriguez #vtm damsel #vtm skelter #therese voerman #gary golden #vtm mitnick #vtm romero #cuthbert beckett #ming xiao #andrei the defiler #text post

[fanfic-inator795]

So... Now that We Bare Bears is officially over, here’s a hot take for you:

Season One was the best season and the show just kinda plateaued/got blander after that point.

Season One had some of my favorite (and what I’d argue to be the best) episodes of the series. Episodes that even years later I still remember like Burrito, Jean Jacket, Food Truck, Occupy Bears, Charlie and the Snake, and the first two Baby Bears episodes (which were not only still a fresh concept at that point, but were also two of the best Baby Bear episodes).

This season had pretty decent jokes, but it also had some of the best emotional moments as well as the best character and character relationship moments between the three brothers. When I think of We Bare Bears, my mind always jumps to moments from s1. It was charming and grounded while still being entertaining and sweet, and there’s a clear season why it didn’t take me very long to get into this show.

Now don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of eps after s1 that I like. Episodes like Chicken and Waffles, Panda’s Art and Bubble are peak Panlie content, Baby Bear episodes like The Island are still enjoyable, we still get those emotional hits like with Captain Craboo (the only ep, imo, to rival Burrito in terms of emotional gut punches), Hurricane Hal and Googs. Also, eps like Grizz Helps, Go Fish, The Perfect Tree and ESPECIALLY I Am Ice Bear are just plain enjoyable. 

But seasons 2, 3 and 4 also had more overall issues than s1 that kinda brought them down. Season 2 relied a lot more on vignette episodes that had each bear doing their own thing, as well as more episodes where they fought. Now, episodes like this do serve a purpose in developing each of their characters as individuals, but the main reason why I watched the show was because of the GROUP dynamic, so I’d always be a little disappointed when they’d separate for an episode, even if it made for an interesting set up or good jokes.

As for s3 and 4, as others have mentioned before, they rely wayyyyyyyyyy too much on the Baby Bears episodes. Other than seeing their origins, most of the BB eps followed the same formula, and there’s only so much cute you can do before it just gets dull :/

The humor and a lot of the stories also started to feel pretty flat by seasons 3 and 4. I remember during a week of premieres watching all the episodes, and only Go Fish and Googs got big reactions out of me. Granted, WBB was never a super hilarious show like Wander Over Yonder, nor was it the type of show to have big emotional moments every episode. But after such a strong first season, a lot of the time - especially during the last two seasons - I was just sitting there waiting for the next Burrito or the next Jean Jacket.

Granted, this all may be a personal bias from me since I haven’t rewatched any episodes in a while and I’ve even missed some episodes of s3 and 4. But that’s the thing: I didn’t feel bothered to watch them unless I heard from the fandom that they had some truly amazing moment (or Panlie fuel) in them because I had sat through so many meh episodes previously and I didn’t want to waste anymore time.

So yeah, while I agree that the WBB movie was a pretty disappointing ending to the series overall, given that the Icy Nights arc and the Grizznom and Panlie arcs are now without endings, I’m not sad that the show has ended since the writing was pretty much on the wall. Yeah, with a 5th season we could’ve gotten a couple more amazing episodes... but we also probably would’ve gotten half a dozen middle of the road vignette episodes and another half dozen Baby Bears episodes (which, why are they making those their own spinoff? Whyyyyyyyyyy)

In that sense, I guess it’s better to end with an alright grand adventure with a happy ending then on an otherwise meh episode like the Monsta X one. Still, looking back on the show as a whole, I wish it could have grown more. Now to be clear, I DON’T wish that it suddenly became a grand epic like SU or Adventure Time, because I love the show for it’s slice of life feel. 

I just wish we could have gotten more of the eps like I named above - eps that either did something really interesting with the characters, had some really powerful moments, or were just really funny or really enjoyable and fun. But instead, it felt like 80% of the time we were getting super safe and familiar plots with jokes that made you sorta smile more than they made you laugh and character development that moved at a snail’s pace. Any one of these flaws on it’s own would have been fine and easy enough to deal with, but all three at once? It just made for a pretty boring show after a while...

So yeah, while I’m still sorta sad to see the Bears go, I firmly believe the show peaked early and has been on cruise control for quite a while now - and in terms of being a fun, chill slice of life while still growing their characters and stories, Craig of the Creek has overshadowed WBBs for quiiiiiite a while now, so go watch that show if you need your chill and charming slice of life fix.

#wbb #we bare bears #my opinion #long post #sorry but I got on a roll and I had a lot to say

[bb-8irl]

I can’t believe I’m doing this again. The number of times I try to write out my feelings towards TROS, I always feel like I haven’t worded it properly, or haven’t said what I’ve needed to say. Or that I still have much to say when I’m done. But after seeing this movie three times, with having a week between the second and third I think I’ve got this. Also, I’m naturally optimistic, so this will probably come off more positive than negative, but I have a lot to say so I literally how no clue how this is going to go.

Heads up this is hella long, do bare with me. And I’m sorry I couldn’t figure out how to do the read more thing.

First, what Star Wars means to me.

To some people, it’s just movies, and yes it is. But they are some of my favorites, even though they are imperfect, I fall in love with the idea of a galaxy far far away. They take me to a world that I can escape to. They have given me characters that I adore, many of which I see parts of myself in, while others inspire me. As a kid I never really saw myself as a princess, I loved princess movies but I never felt like I fit in with them. No, I felt like a Jedi, I felt like this was a world I belonged to. I love the movies, the tv shows, comics, and books. Why do I think this is important to share, mainly for perspective and where I come from when I say what I say about TROS. You don’t have to be a life long fan to have an opinion on this, but this is just from a certain point of view. I’m a Reylo, and I’m going to have strong opinions as a SW fan and as a Reylo. Some opinions that you may agree or disagree with. I’m not here to argue. And I’m not here to say someone cannot feel differently towards any of this.

Where to start?

Well point blank, as an overall Star Wars movie what did I think? I don’t hate it, I don’t think it’s perfect and I think there are MANY problems with it and I really don’t wanna give JJ or Chris any credit for anything good that did come from this movie. But I can’t say that it was a horrible movie, I’d being lying if I said I wasn’t entertained. But it wasn’t great, and really missed the target.

So the writing…

Let me say first that I’m not a writer, or at least not professionally, I write for my own enjoyment in my free time. But in terms of the story we were given, it was…well again I didn’t hate it. But especially after thinking about it, and I know I can’t change anything, but I just wish it didn’t feel like the entire story revolves around Palpatine. Now I like the idea of Palpatine coming back, it does make sense since this mother fucker has been stirring the damn pot and has always had his hand in things. And as much as I actually love the opening sequence, I think it would have been more interesting to see in the in at least first act to see how everything for the resistance and first is going before Palpatine makes himself known. But if were gonna just talk about the literal writing, it was fine, especially Carrie’s scenes I think they did well writing them to try and make it fit. Star Wars in general for writing I give some lenience, just cause the writing has never been perfect, it’ll have its moments but not perfect. So yeah that’s where I stand with that.

Now breaking it down. What did I think? What I liked and didn’t like. What I would have done different.

The title scroll…again it just felt very Palpatine centric when I feel like it could have been a little less of him in the start.

Kylo fighting on Mustafar…HOT it’s fucking HOT because he’s HOT and it’s fucking HOT on Mustafar. Now it was after the fact of the first and second time I saw the movie that I found out he was on Mustafar, which makes sense plot wise if you know all the details of why he’s on Mustafar…and maybe I just didn’t identify they planet well and it’s just me who didn’t notice it was Mustafar. (JK it wasn’t just me, I told my roommate and she was pissed that they didn’t give us any helpful clues.) But I feel like that was something that maybe could have used a bit better of an explanation.

Kylo literally not having the time of day to deal with Palpatine. BIG MOOD BRO. And like that’s

He’s done being a puppet, he’s not playing around. And I’m proud of my boy for that. Also just the fact that he’s protective boyfriend literally not having it, there’s literally nothing he can be offered that can sway him from Rey.

It was interesting to kinda get a look at how how connected they are. (Hello force soulmates.) I did like seeing how their their memories really do intertwine into one. But I don’t really give JJ or Chris any of the force bond credit. That’s probably the one good thing they took from what Rian left them with and didn’t have to do a 180 on it. But again the force bond was Rian’s creation, they on expanded on it.

Now I like how Poe and Rey butt heads, it’s honestly how I expected that to go. Meanwhile Finn is in the middle of it, trying to keep his little sister and boyfriend from breaking into a full on MMA fight. Overall the trio was cute, I wouldn’t really change much about it honestly. Though they really gave us barely any Rose action which was sincerely disappointing.

Though it was a small interaction, Kylo and Hux was funny. I truly love how much they hate each other, comedic gold.

Pasana party looks like hoot and half. But they really had her look at a group of kids, and have a conversation about how Rey doesn’t have a last name, and played the whole oh she will get something like this by the end…bruh…it’s fine I’ll discuss that more later.

Rey and Bens first force Skype in TROS. He really said, “Palpatine wants you dead.” As a conversation starter, what a Solo. Anyways their conversation was angsty AF, and I expected nothing less than that. I love when he asks her why she didn’t take his hand she asks back, “You could have killed me. Why didn’t you?” And what I love from that is how she, at least from my perspective, answered his question with that question. Because the answer would be because I care/love you too much to ever hurt you. And I’ll bring this up later, but it kinda foreshadows what Rey tells him later.

He ripped that necklace off. And maybe I should have been offended…but that was…

FINN WAS NOT GOING TO TELL REY HE LOVES HER. I just really needed to say that. Also I know I caught on quicker than most but honestly the minute Finn says “It’s Ren.” My thought process was and I quote. “Mother fucker do you have something you would like to share with the class?” I kinda caught onto the early on that he is force sensitive.

And I’ll cover that topic now real quick. I love Finn, and I honestly am so happy for him. Them making him force sensitive doesn’t bother me, again happy for him. From a writing standpoint though I feel like JJ did that for when people try to say “oh you ruined about how it doesn’t matter where you come from, the force doesn’t care about bloodline.” This is where he points his finger and goes “see, look, we don’t know his bloodline.” And you know I hope that there are better intentions in that, but I wouldn’t be surprised if at least some of the intention was for JJ to try and cover his ass. Regardless I like Finn being force sensitive. But I feel like they were too subtle about to be introducing something like that so late in the game. It kinda just left a lot of people confused.

Also, Poe is a jealous boyfriend…nuff said.

And it was cute how BB-8 kinda had a learning lesson from Rey when she says, “you would have done the same.” When referring to force healing. And then BB-8 kinda uses that concept for D-O when he charges him.

Continuing on to the flip over the tie fighter was epic, shout out to Katie McDonnell who preformed that specific stunt. (I know she’s not the only stunt double, I’m just a fan of Katie, but major props to the whole stunt team.)

Oh and Kylo on Pasana is also…

Also the Chewie fake out I saw coming which kinda ruined anything emotional JJ was trying to pull on me.

Ok now to Kimji stuff.

Zorii is a cool character. I can buy the history the two had. You get a good feel for past chemistry but I like that she actually doesn’t wanna kiss him. Like I will kiss almost anyone (not Jabba the hut) in Star Wars (ok there’s a fair amount I wouldn’t) but Poe is on that list of whom I would kiss. So props to her for being all been there done that. And Babu Frik is precious.

Force Skype number 2. Firstly I‘m happy to hear the words “I never lied to you.” Come out of Kylos mouth. I’ve just always found that very important thing about him is how honest he is to Rey. He’s not a liar, he’s not deceptive, it’s not really in his character to do so, and specially to Rey I don’t think he would ever consider lying to her.

Ok…

The Rey Palpatine situation. I don’t love it but I also don’t hate it…but I don’t like it for sure. I can accept it as canon, but it leaves me with more questions…before I say what I would have done let me just first say this. I have questions on who the fuck did Palpatine fuck. This also just has me questioning the timeline and everything, especially watching it all again. I just started asking where everything falls into the timeline, was he part of raising his son, like there’s a lot of missing pieces, and it kinda just makes me ask why it was it was so important to make her a Palpatine. But like sure if I turn my brain off…ok…Rey is a Palpatine…sure, whatever makes the fanboys shut up on trying to make her a blood related Skywalker. And honestly JJ you don’t get credit for making Anti fanboys shut up. But at least they look EXTRA dumb now when they still try and make her related to Ben.

But ok, now lets really address this. It really was not that necessary to make her Palpatine and sure, yeah it happened. But I really liked the direction Rian was going with in TLJ, that it doesn’t matter who you, that anyone can be force sensitive, that it doesn’t matter where you come from, or who your parentage is, it’s just the matter of the force. What I wish they had went with was this idea that Rey was kinda born for the darkness and Ben for the light, just something very basic. And because they are kinda fighting for the opposite of which the were “created” for it causes a weird shift in the force. It would have fit will with what Rian had already written, explain why Rey is so strong with the force, being Bens equal, and quite literally it would barely change anything that was already there. Literally just changing any lines that involve Rey being Palpatine’s granddaughter. Related or not Palpatine could have known of Rey and was trying to seek here out, her parents wanted to protect leaving her on Jakku, telling Plutt they were selling her for drinking money to make sure there was nothing suspicious going on. Everything happens ala TFA and TLJ, Ben finds out where Rey is suppose to belong in the force, he tells her, she hates it because it’s everything she doesn’t want to be. We get it the ending and Palpatine does the whole kill me and because what you were created to be, Empress of the galaxy and harness all the sith. BOOM. You didn’t have to fuck with her parentage, you didn’t have to try to find loopholes in what Rian gave you. Cause all the shit I just wrote out, I’d believe, I’d that believe more than the whole Palpatine thing.

Hux was the spy…well I knew he was gonna be up to some bullshit but I didn’t expect that. And while I think that was an interesting twist I kinda was hoping with Hux something a little different. Kinda the same concept of “I need Kylo Ren to loose.” I feel like again if we started a bit before the whole Palpatine shit happens, it would have been interesting to see Hux trying to undermine Kylo. I was hoping to have seen Hux die, but I feel like his part was kinda thrown away. Again, there could have been great potential with him trying to “dethrone” Kylo. I never thought Hux as dumb and so it just felt like we missed out on him trying to take the power.

I love Jannah, I think she was a great character for Finn to relate to. But I’m just saying we had a good set up for a Stormtrooper rebellion…just saying that was some missed potential.

The Rey versus Dark!Rey stuff was cool, and I expected it to be something short, but just saying it would have been cool to have seen a bit more of that. AND would have been cool if it were a vision Ben had seen though.

“You can’t go back to her now. Like I can’t.” Oh my sweet baby boy. The crazy thing is too though is that he probably could have gone back, which is something he realizes when Leia reaches out to him not long after. But you know he wants to go back and truly feels helpless and can’t.

Also he crushed the Wayfinder with one hand…

The water fight was pretty epic. I was happy to see specifically in this fight and the final fight later on that they were fighting in a very similar way to the prequel Jedi. Like that shit is epic.

Ok and that moment when he stops himself from striking Rey, knowing that no matter how upset he might be at her, and how upset she is with him he never wants to hurt her.

Also I predicted that Leia’s death would be the starter for Bens redemption, and again I really felt for my baby boy. Also I definitely verbally screamed “No!” When Rey impaled him with his lightsaber.

Rey force healing Ben is a tender moment.

Now I know some people don’t like this, but I understand why Rey says, “I did want to take your hand. Ben’s hand.” And I get it. When we go back to when she asks him why he didn’t kill her it’s that same kinda answer he would give. She cares/loves him to much to see him destroyed. She knows that her following him to the dark side would turn him into something he’s not, and turn her into something she’s not. I know a lot of people find this as her not being able to accept him as Kylo, and I think she accepts him for all that he is, but doesn’t want him to loose who he really is. Because as Kylo has lived a tortured destructive life, and she wants him happy. She already knows the side he doesn’t let anyone but her see, and I think she knows that he would loose that. And then from her perspective for herself, Rey has never wanted power, or the want to rule. When he offered her his hand, and offered her basically everything he could, she never wanted any of that, you see that with Palpatine she’s never wanted to rule. Her saying she wanted Bens hand, it’s her telling him she doesn’t need anything but him for her to be with him and love him. And he’s never had that. With Luke he was the prize student, with Snoke he had to live up to this expectation of being Vader and being told he was never good enough. And Rey is there telling him that Ben is enough. It’s the equivalent of Ben saying, “you’re nothing. You come from nothing. But not to me.” He didn’t care where she came from, he loved her just for her, as she loves him for him.

(Wow that was a lot…but I at least think I finally got that out.)

Moving on.

I was so glad that they basically addressed the Han/Ben scene from TFA. For me it was always easy to see Bens struggle in that moment, I’ve always been empathetic with him cause I think of just about everything he had to do this was the most painful and regretful thing he’s ever done. And having to relive was so heartbreaking, but it important for him and important for the audience as a whole. This whole scene, as painful as it is, is healing. With Rey starting with healing him and his scar to him having to have that memory/conversation with his Father.

And yes I was absolutely broken by “Dad.” “I know”. I was so wrapped up in my emotions it took me the third time to realize that was their I love you.

So Rey going back to Ahch-to, and having her conversation with Luke. And like…again the whole Rey Palpatine thing, again fine it’s canon…this is fine. But this would have been so much less explanation…like I really feel like they made it harder for themselves by making her a Palpatine. But…fine it’s in canon.

Also Leia is a Jedi! Which was already hinted to with Leia training Rey. And Leia is continuously one of my favorite characters…but I never pinned her down to actually go through full on Jedi training. I can believe that she got byLuke but ok no she went all the way. And it’s not out of character for her to just hide something from the family, though this does almost butt heads against canon in terms of Han never even knew she trained…so JJ you kinda made another plot hole…you tried to cover it up, Jedi Leia is a cool concept, and the fact we needed two lightsabers cause someone decided to throw his into the ocean I see why you did it…but bro…she didn’t need be a Jedi to train Rey.

And ok the “some things are stronger than blood.” Which is a great message for her, which I’m just saying could have been used regardless of her parentage. But I digress.

Ok so the Exegol stuff.

Just kinda standard dialogue between Rey and Palps. Again if I could change it, it would really just be her not being his grandfather. The more I think about it the more unnecessary it becomes.

I know some people wanna question how Ben even got to Exegol, that’s honestly a plot hole I don’t mind waiting for the novelization to explain, doesn’t bother me, just thought I’d address it.

And seeing Ben Solo running in with nothing but a blaster in his hand, no plan, just his wife on his mind.

ALSO “ow!” Is the one Ben Solo line we got and it may be the one line…but says so much about Ben Solo.

And man the look that Rey and Ben give each other through the bond, that was the look of love and trust. And when she passes over the lightsaber and Ben freaking goes.

And then he takes on the Knights of Ren…

Oh I should address the Dyad situation. Honestly I’m all for anything that confirms that they are literal soulmates in the force. I mean we all kinda called this happening, now there is a literal name for this.

I will say I loved getting to hear from the Jedi, that was a touching moment, yeah it would have been cool to have actually seen them in force ghost form but that’s me being nit picky. Also would I have loved to have seen it be both Rey and Ben defeat Palpatine, they both have been fucked with by Palpatine. But it doesn’t bother me to see Rey defeat him. It again was just kinda a missed opportunity.

Now watching Ben pull himself from that pit and use every last bit of energy he has to get to Rey, scooping her into his arms, looking around helplessly, and hugging her close. Everyone could literally see the inner monologue he was having and my heart was BREAKING. JJ you don’t they any credit for that, Adam is just wonderful and amazing, and is the only one who deserves credit for that.

He gave her his life. HE FUCKING GAVE HER HIS LIFE!

(Heads up I’m just gonna first talk about from here on till I reach the end before I start talking about changes or things I would have done different…not to mention the thing that really has me upset.)

Now I see the full circle in terms of “finishing what Vader started”, that the whole big reason for Anakin's fall to the dark side was because he wanted to save the person he loved more than anything. So ok I see what you did there JJ, but by no means did that mean that he had to die…but I’m getting ahead of myself.

And can we talk about how Rey looks at him, I really don’t think she realizes what he’s actually done, but she just looks at him with love and adoration oh my fucking heart.

THEY KISS FOLKS REYLO CONFIRMED. They have canonized Reylo…painful as fuck after that so yeah.

And then it happens. Now ok…I have many feelings. But let’s just go with the fact that what’s happened…happened. Fact of the matter is he gave his life to Rey. Now it’s hella romantic, and I do think that if they had tried to kill him any other way I would be fuming (well I kinda am still). But yeah had it been any other way I would have rioted.

And then we get to the ending…celebration is cute. RIP Snap Wexley btw. Then we get to Tatooine. Now it took me a the THIRD time of seeing that movie to actually maybe understand what they were getting at. First two times I was like “really, this is how we end it?” And I’m still saying that, but I understand why she bury’s the lightsabers, it is a sense of closure for the Skywalkers. I’m just gonna assume Tatooine is not a permanent situation…that’s what I would hope at least. And I’m not too mad about her taking the name Skywalker, I guess since she just has to be a Palpatine, I wouldn’t wanna keep the Palpatine name either. And so as far as I know her and Ben are fucking married so let her take on the family name.

Was that ending what I would consider satisfying though? No, not really. Her lightsaber is cool and I’m glad she has one, but not still not satisfied.

Why am I not satisfied you might ask.

Here’s why.

Now if this is me excepting the fact of the matter that Ben is dead. I mainly have a problem with the fact that the ending is almost too vague and gives the audience little to no explanation. Sure I can be left to my assumptions and I’ll get to those, but the majority of the audiences initial interpretation of that ending is, Rey is now going to be just as she started, alone on a desert planet…like bro wtf. This could have been explained so much better, especially the fact that we specifically see Luke and Leia as force ghost. Look I’m gonna assume since I see no ghost Ben is either still with/part of Rey…or because there’s a chance of him coming back. But you could have explained it so much better, and I’m gonna read the novelization with hopes that there is a better explanation. The ending as a whole just felt incomplete, maybe because it was a lack of explanation or maybe something else. But this was suppose to be the end of 9 movies, you can explain yourself a bit more.

Now lemme talk about Bens death. While I would never accept him dying any other way, his death is what I would consider to be unnecessary. And I’m repeating what I said before, but I agree he finished what Vader started, saving the one they love from death, but that doesn’t mean he had to die. Like there’s literally in terms of the plot was no reason for him to die, it doesn’t further anything. Yes Rey is alive, but this is Star Wars all you have to say is “because the force wills it” and that’s all the explanation you would need. Oh Rey and Ben both get to live because the force wills it, because they are Dyad in the force, because they are the balance in the force. Live together, die together. They literally did not say anything about the consequences of force healing, so you literally have freedom to do whatever want. It would not have been impossible for Ben to of had a future, maybe not go to the resistance, but his life, his actual life was just beginning. Since he was in his mother’s womb he was being manipulated by Snoke, his life is turned upside down when his uncle was going to kill him, he runs to the one person he trusts in the galaxy who just so happens to turn out to be his abuser. He gets to be Ben solo for 15 minutes, has literally less than a minute of pure happiness…AND THEN KILL HIM. What’s the point?!?! JJ you literally retconed yourself with the whole die together thing and then kill ONE of them…how do you fuck yourself that badly. IT WAS LITERALLY IN THE SAME SEQUENCE.

And what’s the point of Rey looking at a group of children, probably wondering what it would be like to have a family to then leave her alone like that!

“I always hated that in movies, when you go along and one of the main characters gets killed. It’s a fairytale. You want everybody to live happily ever after and nothing bad happens.” - George fucking Lucas

And yes of course some people will die, it’s a war after all. But when he talks about this journey with a character, it’s not only cliche and over done, it’s just not necessary. Especially when it’s Star Wars a space fairytale where it should end with “and they all lived happily ever after.”

And let me give you perspective from those around me who never shipped Reylo. Firstly a friend who I saw it with my second time around who we’ve talked before about how she’s had in summary said “well I like Kylo more than I like Hux or Snoke.” And her leaving that theatre left her saying “I never realized how much I love Ben Solo.” And then was crushed by the fact that they decided to kill him. Another instance in my step sister who I encouraged to watch Star Wars, though she had no interest, she watched all the movies to humor me. And she knows I ship Reylo, and knows Ben is one of my favorite characters. We saw the movie last night and she, who has no attachment to him at all literally texted me about him dying and said “THAT WAS DEPRESSING” followed it by “I liked it. Like it wasn’t bad. But why did he die. That was totally unnecessary.” And we talked about the ending and how she did perceive Rey as being lonely on Tatooine. And I don’t wanna generalize what the general audiences perception is…but for a lot of people who don’t look too deeply into things, or theorize what things could mean, that’s what they are more than likely going to think.

Anyways, if I had my hands in on this Ben would not be dead. They would kiss, profess each others love. Ben would tell her to go to her friends and to meet him later. Rey would go and celebrate and then tell them she needs to go. She flies the falcon and meets up with Ben, ideally on Naboo. They take the lightsabers Padme’s mausoleum and leave the lightsabers there. Both Ben and Rey rebuild their lightsabers. Bens lightsaber would be white because let’s just say he somehow gets his crystal back and heals it, and Rey’s yellow. It ends with them in the field where Anakin and Padme once were and watch the sunset.

Hm…I don’t know about you but that sounds pretty fucking satisfying.

Now I could get into the fact that I do believe there are deleted scenes, there are different endings and they really thought that was the most satisfying one. And personally I would like to see them, so DFL if you see this, bring it on, you owe us this. That and if you were to give me comics or a novelization of Ben Solo bring brought back to life via world between worlds or whatsoever I will would like that and appreciate it. It’s not like it’s the first time you killed a character and then said “ha you thought they were dead but they’re not.” I just really think Ben deserves more time than what he was given. But I’m not gonna go crazy about how the ending was fucked around with or the alternative ones, I know it’s out there, and a lot of other people have already made post on it.

The movie as a whole is just kinda one big missed opportunity. Not all of it was bad, it had some moments, some things that I even really enjoyed. I appreciated them building onto the force bonds, but I give that credit for Rian cause those wouldn’t have happened without him. And it also just bothers me that JJ really just tried to take the long way around and stretch things around to make it fit with what Rian wrote. When in reality you had a great set up. You have some kind of insight into Rey, that she is drawn to the dark. Ben is supreme leader now what could that mean, and what could Hux possibly be up to. We could have seen some of the rebuilding of the resistance. The idea that maybe it is time for the Jedi order to end, that Ben is right that it’s time to let old things die, the Jedi and sith. And they just messed with it to no end to kinda make sense but, took the most complicated and exhausting route to get to where they did.

My roommate and I literally sat for about an hour discussing what we would have done and realized we had a more cohesive story that lines up with where Rian left off. Like…they really used all their brain cells on how to make Rey being a Palpatine work when that didn’t have to be a thing, they focused all their energy on making Palpatine be part of the whole movie which was not necessary, for the whole plot.

So this isn’t left on an negative, everyone performance wise was amazing. All this above is not a reflection on any of the actors. Daisy showed some incredible growth as an actress and in Rey. Adam was amazing as always and is truly a genius when it comes to understanding his character. Oscar and John were on point, and as far as I know Finn and Poe end up settling down together and stormpilot is canon in my eyes. All my love to The ENTIRE cast.

I know this was a lot, if you actually read all of this I really appreciate it. A lot of this I needed to just get off my chest. I’ll probably have more things to say later on, maybe my mind will change after thinking about something. But for now this is it. Thanks for reading this, hope it all makes sense. I hate to ever say negative things, I like to be positive and optimistic but it’s better to not suppress any of these feeling either.

May the force be with all of you. Always.

#reylo #star wars #the rise of skywalker #ix spoilers #the rise of skywalker spoilers #reylo spoilers #tros spoilers #tros #ben solo deserves better #ben solo defense squad #reylo deserves better #reylo deserved better #rey deserves better #rose deserved better #stormpilot deserves better #everyone and their characters deserved better #JJ abrams wtf #Chris Terrio wtf #Kathleen Kennedy wtf #Rian Johnson deserved better

[caligobeltrao]

I for one would love 2 hear ur thoughts on the hannibal novel 👀👀 - bloodybrahms ☺

ahhh thank you BB!! <3 I’m gonna throw it under a cut bc I know people aren’t gonna want my ramblings clogging up their dash lol. 

Edit after I’ve written it: Holy shit this turned into a monster but tbf I did say I was going to rant. I think I miss writing college essays...

Also, I would like to note bc I’m about to bitch, I do still love Hannibal and Clarice and all of the franchise. Hell, I even love book Hannibal because I’m garbage and want to be special. So yeah. It’s a fond bitching. 

Okay where to fuckin begin man... This novel was a fucking Shit Show, my dudes. It was like baby’s first fanfiction. 

Let’s just jump in, shall we? 

So by now, having read both Red Dragon and Silence of the Lambs, I know Harris injects of lot of sexual shit into his novels, fine whatever, but the amount of pedophilia is insane. Like, Red Dragon with the grandmother threatening to cut his dick off by holding it in between scissors????? And then we have Mason Verger, worst human on the planet. Like jfc I’ll go into him specifically more later but just. Men. Why does it always have to be sexual. 

Like that time Clarice wasn’t wearing a bra and she wanted to prove to Paul Krendler she wasn’t wearing a wire so she flashed him her tits?? Unnecessary, Harris. Bullshit on all counts. 

Next, poor Ardelia Mapp. So he clearly wrote out her accent in Silence, which frankly reads racist since to me it seemed like he did it every time a character of color was met but he didn’t for Clarice’s Southern accent except for this book when she was talking to Ardelia. Now, that’d be a cool way to show how close they are, sure, but it just... She didn’t show up enough to warrant that reaction from me, plus all the other casually racist shit he throws in. 

Ardelia’s literally there as the wise Black best friend to help Clarice along. She doesn’t feel like her own character, she’s only there in conjunction with her, or doing something for her. She was the fucking valedictorian for Christ fucking sake, she also works at the Bureau but if her department was mentioned it was only once in passing. She was not a full character which fucking blows because she could’ve been so cool. 

And real quick before I forget, I hate how she’s treated in the end. I do like she gets a reference and that brainwashed Clarice sent her an emerald ring and a note saying she was okay, but Ardelia was abandoned by her best friend (that she had lived with) with not even a phone call and they will never see each other again and I think Ardelia knows it. It sucks and I’m heartbroken for this woman. 

I’m gonna touch a little bit on the racism too. Now I’m white and not the most qualified to talk about this shit, but I do wanna mention it because it makes me mad. There’s just so many unnecessary slurs, any POC is more of a background helper character to Clarice than anything or a foil. 

For example, Evelda Drumgo. She starts us off. Badass Black woman who runs a drug cartel. She chooses to shoot at Clarice and risk her baby’s life, and we have Clarice wash the baby off and save his life. Then Evelda’s mother is written as irrational when she slaps Clarice for visiting the baby in the hospital; I get Clarice’s impulse, but that woman just lost her daughter because Clarice killed her. I would’ve slapped Clarice too, even if it was a totally justifiable shot. 

The baby himself is used as a foil throughout other parts, most notably to me when Clarice goes to visit Mason the first time. There are two Black boys from a foster home playing in a room with a camera so Mason can watch them, and it shakes Clarice up a lil bit because of the baby, but it says she’s getting more used to it.

Now this is half and half well written and shoddy to me. It’d be a cool moment, if the whole incident wasn’t nearly completely forgotten for the rest of the book shortly afterword. It could show growth, if Clarice had any growth to show. 

And then the Romani people who are literally just used and thrown away. Sickening. Also very broadly used the stereotypes we hear which Sucks; the three we meet in any sort of depth are pickpockets, one was already in jail and Pazzi used his leverage as a police officer to get her to do what he wanted and threatened to have her baby taken away from her permanently, like it was just bad. And then the man got killed. Pazzi let him bleed out. Asshole. 

The slurs. I could take out all of them and pretty much have the same damn thing. Like I get showing negative aspects of characters and just because a character’s racist doesn’t mean the author is, but with the characters already being as shitty as they are, fully didn’t need it to make them worse. Entirely unnecessary. Racism or the character being racist has no impact on the plot is the major thing, I think. And you can replace that with anything along those lines, like sexist, homophobic, transphobic. It didn’t impact the plot, they can still be shitty, you just don’t need to use them. 

This also goes in reference to Margot being a lesbian. And the transphobia holy shit, it was disgusting. Harris had Clarice think something so cruel and unnecessary it’s like my guy why was that even remotely something we needed to hear. We didn’t. I wanted to stop reading because that’s not my Clarice, first and foremost, and second, this is supposed to be the character we LIKE. And now I don’t like ANYBODY in this damn book. 

And he treats Margot like shit too, and Barney. 

Their friendship was beautiful and great and finally for once something nice was happening in Margot’s life and I was happy reading it, and then FOR SOME REASON Margot goes to shower in the same room as Barney after a workout, which makes no sense, and then Barney tries to force a kiss on her (and he was hard, Harris made that very clear) and she had been sexually assaulted by Mason her brother and ruin the whole damn thing and none of it would have changed any other piece of the novel if you removed it!!!!!!!!! Entirely unnecessary!!!!!! And Barney had the gall to say well I couldn’t help myself like none of that was realistic in the slightest, she never would have went in the same room to shower with him. 

Something you need to do is basically get some suspension of disbelief from your reader and maintain and stretch that as you go, right? Well mine was gone at that moment.

Also side note Margot is basically just there to show how shitty Mason is for the umpteenth time. Her whole thing is lesbian sexual assault victim.

Also heavily implied she was a lesbian because of the sexual assault. And we rarely see Judy, her girlfriend, so. Bad. Bad all around. 

Circling back around to Clarice and how disappointing she is in the books as compared to the movies. Well, Clarice is also a poorly written character. She’s 1000x better in the movie. Hell, she’s even better in this book than she was in Silence, but that’s not fucking hard. 

Pretty much all the characters are so flat they don’t even classify as two dimensional. 

Like sure, maybe we wanna say Clarice didn’t really solve much in the first book and was just handed everything because she was a trainee and that’s what Hannibal wanted. 

Like if you remember the John Mulaney sketch of Delta Airlines where he’s just going “Okay!” and running to the next place he’s told, that’s Clarice. 

Okay so why does she get goaded into all this shit now? She should know better. She should know how to handle herself better. Like she messes up basic fucking shit like clearing a room before untying Hannibal, which was stupid, she seems oblivious to some of the politics at work even though she’s been in the FBI for like 7 years now, she would at least have more fucking contacts than Brigham who died in the beginning and Jack Crawford who died at the end by rolling over in his bed to his dead wife’s side and Ardelia who would be near the same level as Clarice I guess but I still don’t know her damn department???? Like you fucking network. 

Plus after her final fall from grace with the FBI, we meet or are told of random side characters that go no where and do nothing just to say “hey look at my special little girl, everyone likes her and looks up to her!!” Why? Because she caught Buffalo Bill 7 years ago and then never got a promotion or even worked with the BAU? Again, it does not make sense. People may pity her? But a random girl in the lab wouldn’t be fangirling. Starling herself said her career had gone nowhere because of the politics and not sleeping with Paul. You need to show me why she’s likable in her actions not others words. 

We spend more time away from her than with her anyways but Jesus. 

AND HER IN THE ENDING. She was fucking BRAINWASHED????? Bull FUCKING SHIT. He completely ruined anything he even remotely might’ve had in this cluster fuck of a novel. 

Case in point, difference from the movie, Hannibal spends weeks (possibly? it’s left purposefully vague and I’m guessing that’s because Harris didn’t know the ins and outs and wanted his novel done) meticulously brainwashing Clarice, he had stolen her father’s bones and she’s so far gone at that point she doesn’t care, and the whole scene where Paul is getting his brain eaten? Yeah, she happily indulges and when he insults her, she asks Hannibal for more. Fuck you, Thomas Harris. 

And Hannibal’s a Gary Stu, fucking fight me. 

In the movie he either is or he’s tap dancing on that line, don’t get me wrong, but in the novels it’s insufferable because it doesn’t seem earned. The pigs didn’t attack him because they didn’t smell fear on him. No. He’s easily able to drug and brainwash Clarice and take her as his lover. No. Go away. He’s so smart and one step ahead and can manipulate anyone and everyone into doing what he wants and blah blah blah shut up! A character being perfect isn’t interesting even if he’s evil!! We all know he’s never truly in danger because of how Harris writes him and that’s boring!! 

And I personally have a pet peeve where the villain is described as a monster or unstoppable. That’s boring and I no longer care about your story. I know 9 times out of 10 your main character is going to find a bullshit way around the impossible and kill it. Or it’s just like a default personality and nothing else is added to it. And that’s Hannibal. 

I’m on Hannibal Rising now and, spoiler alert, he’s very bland as a character. (Also Harris switched some details in the novel which kinda annoys me like get your own canon right my man but whatever.) The plot itself is pretty fun? I guess? Like there’s action and stuff and I’m enjoying that. But it’s the same set up where Harris’s Gary Stu always wins, like he was 13 in the book when he killed the butcher. Let. Your. Characters. Lose. 

Also even more racist shit but what did I expect really. 

Anyways, I have no idea who I’m supposed to root for in the novel because all the characters are just kinda shitty. It really just boils down to Harris not showing any redeeming qualities or actions from any of his characters. I liked Margot for a while out of spite but she never really went anywhere and the way she killed Mason (btw she sodomized him with a cattle prod to get his semen bc side plot and then stuffed his Moray eel down his throat and somehow I still don’t think that’s the worst part of the novel) just. No thanks really. 

All the random little side plots were also pretty not great. How many time does Harris have to say Pazzi of the Pazzis? Like I fucking get what you’re going for, even if I hadn’t watched the movie I’d be like, “Oh this dude’s gonna get hung outta that window, dope,” the literal first time. Stop treating your readers like idiots. 

And then Margot’s side plot was that the will their father left said she needed a biological heir to inherit because he was pissed she’s gay and we needed the homophobia I guess, so Mason got everything, and she was helping him with the Hannibal shit because he’s pretty incapacitated duh, and in return he would give her his jizz so Judy could be artificially inseminated and they could have a child and get some of her inheritance. I don’t care. It was all very gross, and Mason kept saying shit like suck me off you’ve done it before, I won’t be able to feel it anyway, maybe Judy’ll suck me off you think she’d like that. It’s all gross. 

And I guess this is a good a time as any to finally start on Mason. So a great rule of writing to make everything work better and give your story more depth is to give everyone both positive and negative traits right, even and especially the bad guys? Like, rules can always be broken if you’re a good enough writer, but I believe I have established that Harris isn’t quite there yet, to put it nicer than I have. 

Mason is one bad trait after another. It’s like when Harris was bored of constantly writing about plain ole pedophilia, he threw a dart at a board of horrible things and landed on topics such as: pedophilia but make it incest, extreme sadism, sadism but against children now, and good old fashioned racism! Fucking Cordell was supposed to collect the children’s tears after Mason would make them cry and put them in martinis for him. Realism went out the goddamn door real fast with this novel y’all. Like a fucking Scooby Doo villain over here. 

And he loves talking about being a sadistic pedophile, he will literally not shut up about it to Clarice when she first gets there telling her about his trip to Africa and this portable guillotine he has and just. I get it was probably like trying to make her uncomfortable on purpose because he’s a Freak, but it went way too far if only because it was annoying, not even uncomfortable for me as a reader. I was bored real quick. Get to the shit I actually wanna know. 

And it sucks because of the weird, over-the-top way of how he died, I got zero satisfaction from his death. I couldn’t even be like, “Well at least Margot got her revenge,” because that’s not how she originally wanted to kill him!!! She wanted someone else to extract his semen for the insemination but couldn’t find anybody to do it for her, and then Hannibal, whilst tied up, said use a cattle prod and you won’t have to touch him and when you kill him you can blame it on me, and I’m pretty sure even if she hit his prostate right every time and he COULD cum from that alone in addition to how his body is Fucked Up now, it would’ve been a lengthy, gross, and re-traumatizing experience for her because all she wanted to do was avoid seeing and touching her brother’s private parts again, which I think is a totally fair and rational desire. 

So I have to live with the fact that she was desperate enough to not lose the house and business because of her homophobic father to go through her childhood trauma again. There’s no place in this book that has a somewhat positive conclusion. 

Even the very last bit where Barney has a girlfriend and a ton of cash from Margot, all he wants to do is see every Vermeer in the world right? Well, because Hannibal and Clarice are in Buenos Aires where one of them is on display, Barney gets spooked and has him and his girlfriend leave before he can see it and it ends that bit with he never got to see it ever so he didn’t even complete his dream!!! 

Also for good measure, Harris throws in that Hannibal and Clarice enjoy having sex regularly. For no reason. Just letting us know. 

I know this seemed like just a bitch fest, because it was, but I kinda sorta enjoyed it? It kept my attention at the very least. It’s really disappointing because like I said, I love the movies, all of them, and have since I was little. To see the original not stand up to that image in my mind is a little heartbreaking. Especially Clarice. She was a strong female role model to me, but turns out she’s... just kinda there. And her ending is that of her no longer being herself and getting that agency taken away from her. 

There is a reference to her waking up from a sleep, if she is asleep (that’s kind of how he worded it), that kinda let us draw our conclusions on whether she was just brainwashed into being good for him or if she was willingly going along with this and was in love with him I guess and it felt like a slap in the face. She turned from a hardworking, modest country girl working her way up to the FBI into a female Hannibal. Which on the surface sounds kinda cool because we love luxe serial killers, but that’s not what she wanted or who she was set up to be. And to insinuate that she would even remotely consider choosing that path for herself is at its best an insult to her and at its worst a complete erasure of her background, what little character Harris did set up. It also completely erases my own connections to her, as a girl from a small town myself who has bigger dreams than this and also... a good, strong set of morals. He just tossed that out the window. 

Obviously if you’re on this blog, you like slasher x reader shit, and this is a novel with a slasher x a person, right? So why am I so mad about it? Because the whole point of this blog and reader insert fanfiction in general is that you are taken as you are and loved wholly as yourself and that you are worthy of that love (in a fictional setting, not really loving people who are like this, which I think we understand but I want to clarify). She was not taken as she was. He is not in love with her, she is not in love with him. She was transformed into what he wanted out of her. He couldn’t get her to be Mischa, his first plan, so he made her like himself. And the fact that he was so easily able to do it makes me upset, and even more so is that it’s not written like it’s weird or wrong. It’s written like they’re in love and this is a good thing. 

He may have been going for the classic “everyone is capable of doing bad things” stuff we see a lot, but we got that from Margot already. And Barney, for stealing Lecter’s stuff and selling it. And Paul, and the entire FBI for turning on Clarice, and the kidnappers, and Pazzi, and random shitty side characters. And none of it was particularly well written or made some sort of strong statement. It just was. And that’s not a good enough basis for a novel. 

Anyways, if you made it this far holy shit you’re a saint and I love you, let’s be friends?? <3 Have a good day y’all, thank you BB for giving me permission to ramble. 

#bloodybrahms #ask #no joke i spent like 5-6 hours total writing this i had a Lot to say

[nadziejastar]

Terra: I just-- When I really need you, Ven, I know you'll be there.

Ven: Well, why wouldn't I? You're my friend.

Terra: Yeah. You're right. Thanks, Ven.

Yeah, Terra’s reunion certainly fared a lot better than Lea and Isa’s. It wasn’t perfect, but it wasn’t a travesty, lol. One of my sisters said it was her favorite part, and we both got a bit teary. She never liked Terra that much, but changed her mind with his reunion scene. Personally, I loved Terra the moment I saw him escort Cinderella to the ball and he bowed to her, like a gentleman. When BBS was first announced, I didn’t expect to like Terra that much. I thought he was going to be very serious and stiff. But I found him so adorable. Like when he called Merlin “Your Elderness”. That was so cute. I mean, he was trying to be respectful.

I thought it was kinda silly that Terranort was actually fighting with those chains, like they were just a physical weapon. I’m pretty sure those chains were supposed to be metaphysical “chains of memory”, lol. Sora may not have had a place in that fight, and we didn’t get to see Ventus use the power of waking, but at least all of the most important themes were kept intact. It didn’t build suspense for something and then totally change directions at the last minute, like with Lea. And Terra actually had a moment of glory to save his best friends.

Terra: There's darkness within me... So what does that matter? I know I'm strong enough to hold it back.

Terra’s Keyblade was called “Ends of the Earth”. He wanted to return to the land he battled Xehanort to set things right. He’d go to any lengths for his friends. Terra was earth-based. His Heartless was the Guardian. The main theme of Terra as a Guardian of Light was “strength”. He was trying to hold back the darkness in him by getting stronger physically. 

Terra: I'm not afraid of what the darkness holds now. Even if you do wrest control of my heart from me--even if you cast me into the deepest, darkest abyss--you'll never sway me from the one cause that pushes me to keep on fighting. Whatever the cost, I'm ready to pay it.

Each Disney world he went to contributed to this theme. Once he started to listen to his heart, he realized that he was gaining power at the expense of his friendships. That was actually causing his heart to become weaker, and fueling his darkness. 

Terra: Funny... This whole time I've been telling myself I want to be stronger, more independent... But the second I let my heart do the talking... I find out how little I really know myself. And how much I miss them.

It was Ven reminding him of his promise that awakened Terra’s heart at the Keyblade Graveyard. I think it was important that Ventus was the one to save Terra because it was a role reversal. 

Terra: Relax, Ven. We're here and we're gonna take care of you.

Ven: I may have to fight Vanitas after all. If I do, guys... I want you to--

Terra: The three of us can never be torn apart, all right? I'll always find a way.

Terra never wanted to admit it, but he needed to feel taken care of too. I don’t talk about this enough, but I truly love Terra, and not being able to see the story of how he became an apprentice really disappointed me. I think that since Terra was the main personality at the beginning, it affected Ansem the Wise’s decision to try and restore his memory. Terra would have been completely sincere and genuine, wanting to remember his past. Then the Xehanort side woke up. It’s not surprising why Ansem felt such betrayal. I can easily imagine him becoming very close to Terra, because he’s so sincere and innocent. Then he changed into a completely different person. I really wish we could have seen that. 

Terra: Strength for what?

Riku: To protect the things that matter. You know, like my friends.

Ansem/Terra was a wasted opportunity. So was Riku/Terra. Riku helped Terra see that strength is about protecting those you love. He was the one who gave Riku his Keyblade. They had a very important relationship. Unfortunately, the relationship between Terra and Riku also got completely ignored in KH3. It was a huge disappointment for me, because that was actually one of the things I was excited about the most. I wasn’t even quite sure if Riku was aware that the missing Keyblade wielder they were looking for was the same guy who gave him the Keybalde as a kid. You think he would have told Mickey that he met Terra, but nope. They didn’t have time for Riku and Terra to exchange a single word. God, I was so pissed.

Terra: Yep, hard to believe there are so many worlds out there besides our own. The light is their hearts, and it's shining down on us like a million lanterns.

Ven: What? I don't get it.

Terra: In other words, they're just like you, Ven.

But at the very least, the scene of Terra’s reunion with his friends seemed to be left mostly intact from how it was originally envisioned. TAV came full circle. They spent the last night together under the light of the stars, which is what their wayfinders were shaped like. Terra’s friends were always lighting his way back, just like the stars. His reunion was one of the highlights of KH3 for me. There was a feeling of sincerity there that was totally absent from Lea and Isa’s awful reunion. 

Xehanort: Oh? So that's how it is, is it? Someone else has set foot in your heart. Eraqus, you sly fox...

I know a lot of people were put off by Eraqus telling Terra to take care of Ventus and Aqua. I understand why. But I feel like we were probably supposed to get a lot more development to Eraqus being inside Terra’s heart. Eraqus and Terra’s final scene just depressed the shit out of me because the last scene they had together was Terra helping Xehanort kill him. I still got the feeling that Terra hadn’t forgiven himself and his relationship with Eraqus was damaged. He acted more happy to see Xehanort than Terra, so it made me sad.

Lingering Will: That’s it. Your power. That’s what I felt within you. The power that connects to Aqua. And to Ven’s heart.

Terra: Where am I...?

Naminé: In your memories. Traces of you were lost, so I found you through memories belonging to those you’ve met in the past.

Terra: Who are you?

Naminé: I’m Naminé. It’s nice to meet you. I’m a witch who can control people’s memories.

Terra: A witch?

Naminé: Right now, you’re bound to two memories. One belongs to an unspeakable darkness---

I was also a little confused by Terra telling Ventus that he “found him”. I didn’t remember Ven ever specifically promising Terra that he’d find him. Sadly, I get the feeling that this promise was something we were supposed to see in BBSV2. Terra was very emotional when he said this. When Ven said he kept his promise, I also think that was referring to this other promise. And Ven was crying, too. 

Terra: ...Master Xehanort.

Naminé: Your heart will soon encounter a familiar light. You must make sure she isn’t lost to the darkness. You must guide her.

Terra: Her? You mean Aqua? I’m not sure what I can do to help, not like this.

Naminé: You must fight, Terra, like the others. You mustn’t let your heart melt into darkness; follow your true memories, and you’ll reach the light. She’s headed there too---to the same place. You must believe in your promise, just as she continues to believe in you.

Terra: Aqua, Ven. One day I’ll---I’ve never forgotten our promise. Never. I will keep fighting.

I think it must have been a promise made when Terra was already lost in darkness, unlike the original one in Radiant Garden. I feel like there was supposed to be a more fleshed out subplot with the Lingering Will and Terra being able to communicate with both Aqua and Ven’s hearts, which is why Nomura felt compelled to show off this one scene of dialogue at an orchestra of all places. He originally said BBSV2 would tell the story of not just Aqua, but all three. And that lack of build up did make the reunion less impactful than it should have been.

#kingdom hearts #kh meta #kh #kh3 #kh terra

[dalekofchaos]

Sequel Trilogy, Wasted Potential and what could’ve been

This post is where I look at what could’ve been done with the characters of the Sequel Trilogy and comparing to what they chose to do. I will be doing this for Rey, Finn, Poe, Rose, Kylo, Hux, Phasma, Snoke, Luke, Han and Leia. This will be both TFA and TLJ critical, there is no holding back.

List of ways they could’ve handled Rey in the Sequel Trilogy

Give Rey a different setting. Listen, absolutely no one cared about having another desert planet. So I think if you gave Rey an aquatic planet or an Amazonian planet, I really think it would help improve the story without anyone accusing you of ripping off the original trilogy.

Let Rey have a character arc. Rey starts off as a mix of Han Solo and Jyn Erso. Someone who only cares about her own survival and is consumed by her own trauma but learns to overcome her trauma, start caring for other people and something bigger than herself. That would’ve been the perfect character arc for Rey.

Rey would sell BB-8 for food, then fight to get him back.   It doesn’t work that she would be selfless and was willing to pass up all that food for a droid she just met. So I think it would help if she had sold BB-8 and later after meeting Finn, she learns of the importance of the droid and she feels guilt and fights to get BB-8 back. That I think would’ve improved her arc in TFA

Show that Rey is still learning piloting a starship and have Han teaching Rey how to fly proper. Rey will mention that she flew simulations on Jakku, but realizes flying simulations is different than flying for real. This will give us a nice scene of Han mentoring Rey in flying the Falcon.

When returning to D’Qar, showing Rey going to the infirmary with Finn, while Leia hugs Chewie. Rey’s concern should be to make sure Finn is okay, we didn’t need to see an unearned hug between two characters who didn’t know each other.

Have a meaningful mentor and student relationship with Luke and Rey. Luke reaches out after R2 and seeing so much of himself in Rey. It is more important to have a Rey and Luke strong mentor-apprentice relationship than having Rey have a connection with Kylo Ren. It should be about training Rey and establishing a relationship between Luke and her. It was said their relationship would be the heart of the film, so my suggestion is do just that. Focus on Rey and Luke having an actual relationship with each other and her training. Rey needs to be trained in the force to be a believable character. Even Anakin, Ahsoka, and Luke himself were given training and time to become skilled and powerful. Instead of just copying Yoda and old man Obi’s personality into him, do something we have never seen before in a Jedi Master in the movies: make Luke humorous, lighthearted, make Luke lecture Rey ON the importance of attachments and understanding the darkness just as much is the light. It would also create a parallel to what Snoke is teaching Kylo. Have Luke show Rey how to feel the force. Even show Luke teaching Rey to craft her own Lightsaber. Rey could finally make her Saberstaff with Yellow or Purple Crystal and teach Rey that attachments can lead you to the dark side if you let them, but they won’t lead you to darkness if you control your emotions. 

Reveal that Rey is Luke Skywalker and Mara Jade’s daughter. After Rey falls into the dark side cave, Luke finds her and brings her near the fire and is there to comfort her. Then the revelation happens. Rey says “I’ve never felt so alone.” And we get Luke telling her “the force is strong in my family. My father had it, I have it, my sister has it and my daughter has it” “There is a reason you dreamed of this place.” “You were never meant to be left on Jakku…I thought you died the night in the academy.” “All those years. I was so alone.” “I know. I’m sorry.” “Did you ever try to find me?” “Of course. For so long I searched the galaxy for you. Everyone said that you had died that night in the temple, that I should give up searching. But through the force, I could still feel you. I knew you were still alive. Every face I seen, it was your. Every voice I heard, it was yours. It drove me crazy. I came to this island, turned away from the force because it was so hard. Feeling that you were somewhere in the galaxy and being unable to find you. Seeing you in front of me right now… I’ve never felt so lucky.” And Rey with tears in her eyes. “I waited so long for you and your finally here” they embrace, father and daughter reunited.” Rey then asks about her mother. Luke sadly says “her name was Mara Jade and she loved you very much.” Rey why she was left on Jakku. “Because of your cousin Ben, Kylo Ren.”  Luke tells her that after a decade of training Ben, and fighting to keep the dark side at bay, Ben turned to the dark side because his family kept the secret that Darth Vader was his grandfather. He still wanted to help his nephew and save him from Snoke. One night he went to him to talk to him, Ben saw this as Luke being afraid of his power and Ben was the one to strike first. And then he woke up to see the other Jedi Masters dead. His wife Mara Jade dead and even the younglings dead. Only six other Jedi left with Ben, those who would become the Knights Of Ren. Rey left with Ben because she trusted her cousin and she couldn’t find Luke or Mara.  and Ben left her on Jakku where no one would ever find her because a part of him couldn’t kill his cousin.

Rey and Luke together go to The Supremacy after they both feel Leia and Finn in danger. Rey flies the Falcon, while Luke lifts his old X-Wing and head to the Supremacy to face Snoke. Rey will pose as bait, while Luke sneaks aboard The Supremacy.  Rey is brought before Kylo Ren and Snoke. Snoke taunts that today hope dies and The Resistance dies. But what happens next, Luke enters the throne room. “MASTER SKYWALKER! AT LAST WE MEET” Snoke will echo through his throne room. The Praetorian Guards will attack, but Luke kills them easily with the force. Luke will say he’s come to save his apprentice, his sister and the rebellion. And finally what we’ve been waiting for Luke vs Snoke. Snoke takes out the true Darksaber, while Luke takes out his Green Lightsaber. The master of the light and master of the dark. And we have the rematch between Rey and Kylo. This time Kylo appears stronger. He is dominating Rey in the fight. Kylo will tell her “you should have accepted my offer, scavenger” “Rey will say “I’ll never join you!” Kylo with the famous Solo snark will say “pity” and cuts  Rey’s hand off. Luke enraged will use the force to knock Kylo out. Finally Luke defeats Snoke. Luke will take Rey with him. As the hyperspace ramming happens, the Falcon is there to pick up Rey. Luke leaves on his X-Wing to guide Rey to safety.

Rey awakens and senses Finn nearby on Crait. As Luke is fighting Kylo, Rey knows while injured, she has to lift the rocks in order to save Finn and The Resistance. Finally Rey embraces Finn, reunited again. The movie ends with Rey getting her mechanical hand and joins Luke and Leia. Leia places her hand over her and Luke’s hands and say “we have everything we need”

What They chose to do with Rey instead

Choose to have Rey on a desert planet again....for reasons

Rey is good natured and selfless for no reason or build up whatsoever. My issue with this it makes no sense considering that Rey grew up on Jakku, a dog eat dog world. She had no reason to be selfless on that planet. I do love Rey, but it really makes no sense that a person who was raised on a ruthless and violent planet of thieves and scavengers, abandoned and lived the life of a scavenger who barely makes enough to survive would give up all that food for a droid she just met.

Rey perfectly flies The Falcon despite not flying a ship. In the movie she says she’s never flown before and doesn’t know how she did it. In The novel she says she flew ships at night and flight simulations. That’s all well and good, but if you choose to explain things in the novel, but not in the movie. Then you deliberately chose not to explain how a scavenger who never leaves the planet knows how to fly the Millennium Falcon.

She pulls off maneuvers and mechanical tricks that not even Han Solo could think of and a scene later he is dumbfounded and astonished by Rey

Rey hugs Leia. Leia hugging Rey out of nowhere instead of Chewie just doesn’t work. Why is she hugging and grieving with someone she just met when Chewie is right there?

Daisy doesn’t think Rey should have any flaws and that’s a problem

Rey has a connection and starts to trust Kylo Ren...when only ONE DAY passes since Kylo has tortured her, killed Han Solo, and injured Finn. There’s a difference between being “forgiving” and there’s being blindly gullible. She went from wanting to kill him to believing he’s “our last hope”....for reasons.

Rey’s stupidity in TLJ. Rey’s plan. Rey has some vision of Kylo Ren deciding to help her out and locks herself in a box to fly straight to him, with no escape plan or regard for her own safety. As bad as JJ chose to develop Rey, I will admit that Rey is adaptable. Rey makes plans and strategizes. She has been raised as a scavenger, working hard for every day of survival and fighting for every item in her possession. While Luke and Anakin throw caution to the wind in order to succeed, Rey keeps a level head and fights her way through things. TLJ acts like that version of Rey doesn’t exist.

Rey has no character arc in TLJ.  Rey doesn’t learn anything and I don’t feel like she has a character arc or journey. She starts her journey in TFA and I was excited to learn where her character would go. And TLJ does nothing with Rey.  I do love Rey, but I don’t feel like it truly tests Rey and forces her to grow as a character. Rey is intriguing and we care for her, but her journey feels non existent.  Luke and Anakin had struggles and journeys.  I just don’t feel it from Rey. I am really disappointed with how TLJ handles Rey. Rey doesn’t have any struggles. Rey is all powerful and she is the same character she is from TFA. Everything TFA was building her up was instantly ignored.  How Maz got the Skywalker lightsaber? Never mentioned again. How Rey was drawn to the Skywalker lightsaber and what the force vision was meant to mean? Never addressed. Rey says that she’s classified information, “none of your business” Then her parents are revealed as junk traitors who sold her for drinking money and died in Jakku. If her parents were just junkers, how did they afford that space ship if they spent the money on booze? Rey herself told BB-8 she was classified information. All that build up for nothing. The force can come from anyone, we all feel it but you build Rey up only to do nothing with her. Whatever TFA was building up for Rey was dropped entirely.  My big issue with how TLJ handles Rey, is she does not learn anything. She was awakened by Kylo’s mind melding and has his powers transferred to her, she doesn’t even earn her powers on her own, it’s all from Kylo. Your big feminist icon has to get her powers from the man who’s been harassing her. How empowering....please kill me. She doesn’t learn anything from Luke and she feels like the same character in The Force Awakens. We see Luke showing Rey to feel the force and the Jedi’s hubris. The third lesson was deleted, but we did not really get to see Luke train her as a Jedi. Rey doesn’t learn anything. Rey even defeats Luke... In the end we see Rey has the sacred Jedi texts, but Yoda pointed out that those texts were holding back the Jedi and doesn’t teaches her what she doesn’t already know. SO in the end, Rey doesn’t learn anything and that’s the problem. And the big problem is we are expected that Rey will learn everything off screen....that’s the problem. You cannot just have a character who can do all these amazing feats, show her not being trained as a Jedi and make her even more powerful in the final movie with no build up whatsoever.

Rey in TROS teaser looks like nothing ever changed. The same type of outfit from The Force Awakens, the same Lightsaber and the same hairstyle. Like nothing ever happened or changed. Like nothing ever changed. God forbid Rey looks like a mix of a Jedi Knight and Resistance Leader, godforbid Rey builds her own lightsaber, especially a Saberstaff. It’s almost as if JJ and Lucasfilm are afraid to develop Rey as a character and let her look different at all....*sighs*

Rey has no development or arc. Rey is not allowed to have flaws or personal struggles or has a real hero’s journey.  Which is disappointing because I truly loved having Star Wars be centered around a female lead and feel like it’s a missed opportunity. It’s not Daisy’s fault, I feel like the blame lies with Disney. I’m not sure if Disney got cold feet with a female protagonist and felt they would get backlash if they made her character naturally flawed but it’s storytelling 101 to have your protagonist faced with problems that aren’t easy to overcome and correlate to said flaws. Instead we got a hero who faces no real consequences, has no real goals, and can defeat everything in her path with abysmal training. Which ultimately makes for an extremely uninteresting hero. No hard training, no real consequences, no real flaws, no struggles or not even an arc and everything is handed to her. It just makes Episode IX predictable and boring. Rey will defeat Kylo again to no one’s surprise. There is just not a reason to care to see what will happen with Rey. I’m more invested to see what happens with Finn, Poe, Rose and Jannah. I just lost any and all investment in Rey after TLJ. Rey just doesn’t feel like a reason to even want to watch Episode IX and Disney just failed Rey as a character.

List of ways they could’ve handled Finn in TLJ

Have Finn lead a Stormtrooper rebellion

Have Finn be fully committed to The Resistance. It is shown through cut material that Finn was in Cobalt Squadron uniform. Have Finn be with Paige, have Paige and Finn have a short friendship(this actually gives Ngo Thanh Van speaking lines), Paige being in awe that Finn, someone who escaped The First Order helped The Resistance destroy Starkiller Base is working with him and she is more than happy to show him the ropes. They are co-pilots of a Y-Wing(those bombers were stupid and we all know it) Finn was able to save Paige from dying in space and instead she dies in his arms while leaving a bloody handprint on his heart, working as a callback to when Slip died in Finn’s arms and left a bloody handprint on his helmet and her last words being “tell my sister I love her. Finn brings the bad news to Rose and gives Rose Paige’s pendant. Rose breaks down and hugs Finn. Both Finn and Rose have a good relationship at this point and there is no pointless hostility. You could even have Finn and Rose together finding the hacker and having their plan succeed and just having DJ betray them as they make it to the escape pod. And Finn and Phasma do have their fight, but keep in the deleted Phasma death scene

Finn and Poe go to Canto Bight in order to find Rose Tico, the Resistance hacker. 

Finn and Rose’s mission is to find the master codebreaker. The Master Codebreaker they are meant to find is none other than Lando Calrissian. Lando is the person Finn and Rose are meant to get help from. They leave with DJ, but Lando was expecting to meet two members from the Resistance, so he leaves Canto Bight and on his way out he gets Leia’s message and mobilizes old friends from the Rebellion(a cameo from Wedge Antilles) and goes to give the Resistance some reinforcements. We then see a little reunion with Lando, Leia and Chewbacca and Lando revealing that he was who Finn and Rose were meant to meet. 

KEEP IN THE FUCKING DELETED FINN AND PHASMA SCENE, GOOD FUCKING GOD.

Cut the battle of Crait entirely. It was a pointless copy and paste of the Battle Of Hoth, only with salt instead!! And Finn knew full well his suicide run would not work. He was familiar with First Order weaponry, so Finn would know full well it would not work. So what I would do instead is when Leia’s signal reaches her allies, we would hear Lando Calrissian. Lando brings support to Crait. If you have to copy and paste something from Empire, then copy the ending. We would see the Resistance strong and our heroes reunited and united against the common goal of burning the First Order to the ground

Change the ending to TFA and they wait till Finn is healed up and both Rey and Finn go to Ach-To. When Rey comes out of the dark side cave, Finn is the one to comfort Rey. Instead of a pointless fight between Rey and Luke. Rey and Luke both sense Leia is in danger, Rey convinces Luke to go to his sister, while Rey and Finn will go to The Supremacy to confront Snoke and Kylo Ren. Finn takes the Jedi texts to the Falcon.  Finn and Rey are captured by Kylo Ren and brings them before Snoke. If you have to have a force bond. Make it between all three of them. Finn and Kylo are obvious foils. Finn was taken from his family against his will into the First Order and realized on his own that murder was wrong. Conversely, Kylo willingly ran from his family into the First Order and consciously uses murder to gain power. As Kylo kills his father, Finn becomes a Resistance hero. Their storylines and development are inversely proportional to each other- when Finn moves toward the light, Kylo falls further toward darkness. Finn is the humanity Kylo rejected when he chose to kill his father.  Kylo is the darkness Finn could have succumbed to but ran away from. So why not have them being connected by the force. Have Kylo taunt Finn and Rey and trying to convince them to join him and turn on Luke, only for them to keep their resolve. You could even have Kylo telling Finn “you could’ve been so much more, yet you betrayed us.” Finn calling Kylo a coward and a monster. With a force connection established between Finn and Kylo, we could have Kylo wondering why Finn would desert The First Order, while Finn wonders why Kylo betrayed his family, the Jedi and joined The First Order, but despite what may have happened, Finn keeps his resolve.  Rey and Finn tell each other that they see Kylo and comfort each other. Maybe even show potential cause Kylo sees them all as abandoned children and together they could bring a new order.  Rey and Finn are asking him to turn and return home, Finn even believes there is hope, “if I could leave The First Order, you can too.” but still, Kylo brings them before Snoke. Snoke commends Kylo for bringing Rey and the traitor before him. Snoke mocks Finn from running from The First Order, but senses he could be strong in the force. “Have you never wondered what the Knights Of Ren are? They were all Stormtroopers Force Sensitive enough to be turned into a new order. Kylo Ren sensed it in you and wanted you to join him, but you left and betrayed us.” “It was weakness that drove you to leave the First Order, not strength. But today I see strength within you that can burn down the Jed!” Snoke asks Finn to take his blaster and execute Rey. Rey is pleading with Finn.  Snoke demands it. "Your compassion for her is now your weakness. Strike her down, join Kylo Ren as a Knight Of Ren and fulfill your destiny- and as we all see it, Finn uses the force to ignite Rey’s lightsaber on Snoke. Together Rey and Finn fights the Praetorian guards. Kylo wants Rey and Finn to join him. Wanting a new order, but Rey and Finn refuses. Rey fights Kylo, but Kylo cuts Rey’s hand off, so Finn fights Kylo. Finn and Kylo are on even footing, but as we see the fight reaching it’s climax, the hyperspace ramming happens. Finn and Rey escape to the Falcon. as Rey is in healing, Finn kisses her on the forehead and covers her up. Finn and Chewie blast away the Tie-Fighters on Crait and destroys the siege cannon. The end scene of both Rey and Finn lifting the rocks and saving The Resistance. Rey and Finn reunite with Poe and Leia. It ends with Leia telling Rey, Finn and Poe saying “we have everything we need.”

What they chose to do with Finn instead

A complete lack of empathy and care for Finn. He is constantly belittled and mocked throughout the movie. In The Force Awakens, Finn fights Kylo Ren. He does well, but is ultimately defeated.  He is slashed in the shoulder and the spine by Kylo Ren and falls into the snow, unconscious. Now if this were in the first 6 movies, Finn would be dead or would be paralyzed. But because it’s a Disney movie, Finn heals up. Rey continues the fight and slashes Ren across the face, leaving him with a gash. The characters all escape, but Finn has to be carried to a medical station, unconscious until TLJ. Kylo Ren seems fine, ultimately jumping in a TIE fighter to try and kill his mom before getting patched up further.  Finn, again, has to wake up before doing anything. Here’s the difference between Finn and Kylo’s injuries.  Finn awakens in a medical bed wearing a bacta suit.  His first instinct is to call out for Rey. As he jolts up, he slams his head against the medical container.  He slams against it again. Regaining awareness, he opens up the medical container to find himself alone in a cargo room.  He falls out of the bed, spraying medical fluids all over the place.  He trudges down the hallway until Poe and BB-8 find him. His injuries are never mentioned, shown, or even referenced again.  Kylo, on the other hand, is asked by Snoke how his wound is, to which he responds “it’s nothing.”  He then takes that ridiculous thing off, complete with a close-up of a sad kylo Ren face, with his sutures  framed to draw attention to them. This happens again in the elevator.  Then we get a scene of him getting patched up soberly by a medical droid.  Then we get a shirtless scene as a final showcase of his other two scars.  Throughout the film, Kylo’s scars are present and framed as a constant reminder that he went through pain.  Finn’s injuries are used as a joke once and promptly forgotten, and let’s not pretend that these injuries are  one-to-one aside from how they’re framed.  Remember Finn received injuries trying to protect Rey, while Kylo received injuries trying to murder Rey. Finn received a deep wound across his spine, which can often be fatal in the real world.  Kylo received a gash across his face.  Finn’s injuries were worse and nobly gained. Kylo’s injuries were comparatively tame and well deserved.  Yet the movie uses Finn’s pain as a joke, and Kylo’s pain as a humanizing factor.

Repeats the same character arc he already learned in The Force Awakens and is made a side character. Finn is changed from one of the main protagonists to being a side character in his own trilogy.  Finn’s character arc from The Force Awakens was dropped completely in The Last Jedi. He does want Rey to be safe, but Finn just wants to run away, despite the fact that he learned to be courageous, face his fears and stay and fight at the end of TFA. He already saw that The Resistance is worth fighting for, that The First Order needs to be fought and he stood up to his fears by facing Kylo Ren. It didn’t need a bad retelling.  

Finn is reduced to Rose’s sidekick and is made into a racist slapstick caricature. The first real problem for Finn. He is reduced to a slapstick joke in his very first scene. Finn awakens from his coma, slams his face and it is revealed that he isn’t even on the medical ship or even in the medbay on the Raddus…he is in the cargo hold and is made to be a joke. This is the Co-protagonist of the trilogy, and he’s reintroduced as a slapstick joke. Then once again he wants to runaway. I am getting a real racist vibe that Rian Johnson sees Finn as the cowardly black man troupe. That’s just downright disgusting.

The dynamic between Finn and Rose. I wanted to like Rose…Bad writing and direction prevents that. Finn wants to escape to save Rey and because The Supremacy is tracking them through hyperspace, but Rose sees this as desertion….Desertion? You taze people for desertion? How exactly am I supposed to root for either side again? This is probably the same only less lethal treatment one could expect from The First Order. And what if The Raddus took critical damage? Are you trying to tell me Rose would taze anyone going to the escape pods? I thought she was supposed to be a mechanic, not someone who prevents escape. Finn is then tazed by Rose, which is understandable, she thought he was running away and she was in mourning. He also was objectively posing absolutely no threat to her, wasn’t running away, and was even trying to explain himself. Additionally, just the threat of the taser seemed to have been enough to stop him from leaving. But Rose attacked him anyways. The difference between Rey and Rose attacking Finn is Rey subdued Finn just enough to stop and interrogate him, Rose went completely overboard by paralyzing him and knocking him unconscious. It was completely unnecessary and gratuitous and is supposed to be played for laughs. Rey and Finn have a real friendship and partnership from the last movie. Rose, on the other hand, spends the rest of the movie belittling Finn and talking down to him. The book also says that she thought about using violence against him more than once after the tasing (for annoying her) and even pushed him. This displays a really problematic pattern of violence and disrespect towards Finn so yeah,  multiple uses of violence and expressed desire to inflict violence on him as being abusive. I would argue that she is undeniably verbally abusive with Finn. In the movie and in the book (more so in the book) she often belittles him by calling him names and using other put downs. It seems she wants to make him feel bad about himself and bring him down, which is abusive. Of course, it doesn’t really matter what her intent is, even if she doesn’t “mean to be mean” it still counts as verbal abuse. So, in summary, her repeated threats and use of violence against Finn and her continual use of insults and put downs causes me to come to the conclusion that she is abusive to Finn.

Canto Bight. Rian Johnson cared more for visuals and CGI than telling a coherent story. It’s complete filler. It’s all the pointless CGI in the Special Editions of the original trilogy, only worse. Was a big boobed alien worth more than Finn and Rose completing their mission to save the Resistance?

Canto Bight continues the racist stereotype that black people would be in awe of a casino and be completely oblivious to what happens behind the scenes. The idea that Finn, someone who was raised in the violent and oppressive environment of the first order and who risked his life to rebel against it, would struggle to understand why a casino full of rich unaffected assholes wasn’t the greatest thing on earth is impossibly bad writing and demonstrates just how little of a shit rian gave about his character

Finn and Rose cared more about space horses than saving slave children. Who cares that these children are gonna be left at the mercy of their violent slave owners and face merciless abuse, because after all, it was all worth it to free the animals!!! Look at us, we’re so progressive!!!….Please kill me

The plan to disable the Hyperspace tracking is made to pointlessly fail. Finn, Rose and DJ are close to fulfilling their objective and fail for no reason whatsoever. Okay first of all, Finn and Rose are captured because neither Finn or Rose bothered to get to a legal parking spot. So instead of going to find the ACTUAL Master Codebreaker(which told a better story) we are instead shown to DJ. This is a character who is made to be untrustworthy from the beginning and even sounds like a snake. So obviously he betrays them. And instead of letting them disable their tracker and just being caught when heading towards the escape pods, their plan is made to fail, making everything they’ve been trying to do ultimately pointless. It effect the plot even in the slightest. You could remove it and nothing would change in the slightest. Nothing mattered. Apparently the people of color needed their white hero savior to show them up…..*sighs*

The only time Finn is allowed to be presented as a protagonist when finally confronting Phasma and facing his abuser. My only problem is they cut out Phasma’s better death scene. Finn reveals Phasma shut down the shields for Starkiller Base, and that gets the Stormtroopers to turn on Phasma. This is what I would hope starts a Stormtrooper Rebellion. Finn’s defection was withheld information by Hux and Phasma in fear of a full on rebellion. Humanizing Stormtroopers and having one become a hero is kind of genius, but the way they did it in Episode 7 made it seem like Finn was the ONLY good Stormtrooper, which has to be an impossibility. If one Stormtrooper can suddenly switch sides, what’s to say that others couldn’t? And since Episode IX will most likely see the fall of the First Order, I personally think that Finn should convince all (or most of) the Stormtroopers to turn against Kylo and Hux, leading to a cool final scene where the First Order is ultimately destroyed by their own henchmen, children who were abducted and indoctrinated take back their narrative. That would be cooler and more unique, I think, than another Resistance vs. First Order space shootout, or Rey and her possible Jedi apprentice army taking them down.

Finn’s suicide run. Finn was the best Stormtrooper and knows about The First Order’s weapons, he should know full well that speeder would be destroyed trying to destroy the mini death star. Finn’s attempted sacrifice was pointless as he knew that it wouldn’t work.

Rose stopping Finn. “that’s how we win, not by fighting what we hate, by saving what we love.” That makes no sense and ignores the entire narrative of Star Wars and heroism of the saga. Paige, her sister sacrificed herself to save The Resistance. Holdo sacrificed herself to save The Resistance. The Rogue One crew sacrificed themselves. Kanan Jarrus sacrificed himself to save what he loved. Finn’s entire arc in the movie was learning not to just think about running away with Rey and fight for a greater cause and when the time comes for Finn to prove that he’s grown as a character, he can’t? What was the point of Finn’s arc in the movie? And let’s talk about Poe. Shouldn’t Poe be sacrificing himself? Poe has spent the entire film watching others die and give their lives and he’s never backed down, so shouldn’t Poe be in Finn’s place? And if Rose stopped Finn who would save The Resistance? We saw after Rose stopped Finn, the bunker was blown up by the battering ram. Absolutely NO ONE knew that Luke was going to make his surprise entrance and save everyone. For all we knew, The First Order would’ve moved into the bunker and killed everyone and The Resistance.

Finn was done dirty throughout the entire movie, the only time I felt any sense of joy for his character was when he reunited with Rey. I just hope TROS treats Finn better and he isn’t Rian’d again. Finn deserved better than what he got in TLJ

List of ways they could’ve handled Poe in the sequel trilogy

Poe is on Jakku with Finn. I was not happy that Poe who was heavily advertised as one of the leads of this new trilogy and is sidelined for the majority of the movie. So what I’d have happen is Poe saves Finn and together they go to Nema outpost. Poe gives Finn his jacket because his Stormtrooper armor would draw too much attention and after he sees Finn in the jacket, Poe will tell him “you should keep it, it looks good on you” Poe will tell Finn, “if anyone asks, you’re with the Resistance.” Eventually both Poe and Finn would meet up with BB-8 and Rey. Eventually the three meet up and run for safety as The First Order attacks. Rey and Finn would blast the Tie-FIghters out of the sky as Poe flies the Falcon. The trio introduces themselves and starts to show a friendship for each other. Poe will tell Rey they need to get BB-8 to the Resistance base, it is to locate Luke Skywalker. Rey will have her “Luke Skywalker? I thought he was a myth.” Han will arrive and Poe asks for help. Han will tell the story of Luke’s disappearance and takes them to Takodana. We get to see the friendship between Poe, Finn and Rey. Poe tells Finn and Rey about his parents and how much Poe idolizes Shara and Kes. Giving the audience the knowledge that his parents are war heroes in the Rebellion and life long friends of the original trilogy characters. Both Finn and Rey feel alone but is interested in knowing about Poe’s life. Poe tells Finn he has to tell Rey, he appreciates what he has done for him but it’s best Rey find out from him and not The First Order. Maz finds out about Finn, when Poe is confronted about the lie, Poe did it to protect Finn and after that Finn and Rey have their moment like they did in the movie.  When The First Order’s attack on Takodana happens, Poe signals Black Squadron to help. The big change is having Poe go to Starkiller Base with Finn and Han. Everyone assumes that Poe will destroy Starkiller Base, but it’s his team that will do it, mainly Jessika Pava. He trusts his team to destroy Starkiller Base while Poe helps destroy it from the inside. Also Finn convinced Poe to help and because Rey is Poe’s friend. I just really think it would’ve been better to have Rey, Finn and Poe together as the Sequel trio and to have the three to have a good dynamic.  

The Resistance mobilizes with what’s left of The New Republic and Poe leads the fleet against The First Order

Poe convinces Leia that destroying the Dreadnought is a good thing.

Poe is commended and praised for saving The Resistance, but Poe feels regret for the lives that were lost. Leia sympathizes that she has delt with this guilt throughout her entire life. “Does it ever get easier General? “No Poe, it doesn’t, but we must endure.”

Poe does get in his X-Wing and gets in a dogfight with Kylo Ren in The Silencer. Poe is the one thing from keeping Kylo from destroying The Resistance fleet. As Kylo hesitates on shooting Leia, before his wingmen can fire on the bridge, Poe shoots the wingmen out of the sky and sends The Silencer flying. 

Goes on the mission with Finn to find the Resistance hacker Rose Tico

Actually letting Holdo tell Poe the plan 

Actually acknowledging that Poe saved The Resistance against The Dreadnought and acknowledge that he destroyed Starkiller Base. Not condemn him for already being a Resistance Leader who cared about saving lives

What they chose to do with Poe instead

The lack of tension between Kylo Ren and Poe. Poe Dameron just witnessed The First Order’s arrival, the death of his friend Lor San Tekka and the massacre of a village. What happens next is a complete change in tone and lack of tension. Poe decides to tell a joke. JJ decides it’s best to throw in a joke, it just undermined the seriousness of the slaughter Kylo Ren has caused and killed one of Poe and Leia’s friends. Poe should not be cracking jokes. Poe should be brave, firm and defiant to Kylo Ren. Telling a joke is the absolute last thing Poe should be doing after witnessing the murder of a friend.

Keep Poe separate from Finn and Rey for the first half of the movie

Pointlessly change Poe’s character in TLJ. Poe started out as the most levelheaded, compassionate and trusted soldier in the entire Resistance, so trusted that he was given the mission to find the map to Luke Skywalker and leading the strike force to destroy Starkiller Base, why is it that he is suddenly a hot headed fly boy who ignores orders and is getting no respect from his commanding officers? The character change for Poe Dameron was unnecessary and so out of place. Poe before TLJ would not be okay with sacrificing lives to stop one ship that can be easily replaced.  In all source material and the last movie he refused to let anyone die. Not even Finn, a man who was an enemy an hour before they met formally, even though Poe shot his squad mate before during the fight on Jakku. Everything about Poe’s portrayal in TLJ is so unnecessary.  Poe Dameron went from a caring and experienced rebel pilot to an arrogant, hotheaded latino stereotype in the span of like…a day. That’s not subversive writing, that’s racist and bad writing.

Is condemned and demoted for saving The Resistance and doing something that Han and Luke did to destroy the Death Star

Kept Poe in the dark about something that could’ve been solved with basic communication skills. Holdo’s absolute refusal to tell Poe or literally ANYONE in the Resistance the plan is baffling. Poe is a respected and highly trained, top ranking rebel fighter, who had been covert enough to execute a highly delicate and secret mission to retrieve the Map to Luke Skywalker, responsible for destroying Starkiller base and the biggest asset to the resistance and biggest threat to the first order, anything about the plan? He’s literally a war hero and is more than likely only second to Leia. Holdo didn’t just leave Poe in the dark, she left the entire Resistance in the dark. When Holdo meets Poe, she then proceeds to dress Poe down just for asking for his orders and the plan. Keep in mind that Poe isn’t just some grunt. Even with his demotion, he’s your second or third in command, and he has the respect of the entire crew, as evidenced by his later leading a majority of the crew in mutiny against Holdo. Holdo brought her personal crew from her ship and worked with them while snubbing the main rebel crew entirely. That’s a bit of a dick move, protocol or not. One of the biggest issues was not that Holdo wasn’t telling Poe the plan, but it was acting as if there was really no other plan. She was literally taking personal jabs at him when he was trying to find something out. If she said something like. “While it seems bad , we are working on a plan right now. We are not just going to stay here and have everyone die. Just have your pilots ready to go at a moment’s notice” But she didn’t even give him that. Remember up until Poe taking over, they were watching ship after ship being picked off slowly. The crew was given nothing and was told just to trust her. Blind faith in leadership is a horrible message. If that is the take away then why not just do what the First Order or the Empire wants. I mean seemingly they are in charge of stuff now. And we should follow orders blindly. Moreover they were down to < 1000 people, and from the POV of everyone else she was just watching people die. Rank be damned. Anyone who cared about their crew would do something. He was a Commander and the flight commander there is NO way he should have been left out in the cold. Then they have the nerve to touch his unconscious body and say “I like him” fuck you. How Poe was treated in TLJ was absolutely atrocious and a complete insult to Oscar Isaac, Poe deserves better.

List of ways they could’ve handled Rose in the sequel trilogy

Make Rose the Hacker. It’s not unrealistic for the Resistance to have one. She could still think her skills aren’t useful considering most Wars have been won by soldiers and Jedi, not hackers. Paige is a Resistance fighter and her sister is a hacker. The Tico sisters fight the war in their own way. Finn and Poe go to Canto Bight to get Rose. Rose is on the planet to make the war profiteers hurt, and Finn and Poe must convince her. Her character arc could be learning that the war is much bigger than just her and that her sister, and the galaxy need her.

Finn and Rose’s mission is to find the master codebreaker. The Master Codebreaker they are meant to find is none other than Lando Calrissian. Lando is the person Finn and Rose are meant to get help from. They leave with DJ, but Lando was expecting to meet two members from the Resistance, so he leaves Canto Bight and on his way out he gets Leia’s message and mobilizes old friends from the Rebellion(a cameo from Wedge Antilles) and goes to give the Resistance some reinforcements. So instead of a hopelessly outgunned Resistance at Death’s door, when all hope seems lost, Lando brings the cavalry and shows The Rebellion is alive and hope still lives. We then see a little reunion with Lando, Leia and Chewbacca and Lando revealing that he was who Finn and Rose were meant to meet. 

Rose is a highly valued Resistance Mechanic fighting for The Resistance her own way as Paige was a bomber

Actually letting Paige live and actually giving us the sisterly bond between Rose and Paige and you know, GIVING  Ngô Thanh Vân SPEAKING LINES

Letting Rose empathize with Finn’s trauma and acknowledge that they are both cut from the same cloth. Rose and Paige lost their family and home and Finn lost his family and home, they have something in common and a reason to fight for The Resistance

Have Finn tell Rose about Rey and Rose being in awe of the Jedi and hopes to someday meet her and understands why Finn loves her

Letting Finn and Rose’s plan to disable the tracker succeed and only be captured upon reaching the escape pods.

What they chose to do with Rose instead

Poorly written. I wanted to like Rose…Bad writing and direction prevents that. The Supremacy is tracking them through hyperspace, but Rose sees this as desertion….Desertion? You taze people for desertion? How exactly am I supposed to root for either side again? This is probably the same only less lethal treatment one could expect from The First Order. And what if The Raddus took critical damage? Are you trying to tell me Rose would taze anyone going to the escape pods? I thought she was supposed to be a mechanic, not someone who prevents escape. Finn is then tazed by Rose, which is understandable, she thought he was running away and she was in mourning. He also was objectively posing absolutely no threat to her, wasn’t running away, and was even trying to explain himself. Additionally, just the threat of the taser seemed to have been enough to stop him from leaving. But Rose attacked him anyways. The difference between Rey and Rose attacking Finn is Rey subdued Finn just enough to stop and interrogate him, Rose went completely overboard by paralyzing him and knocking him unconscious. It was completely unnecessary and gratuitous and is supposed to be played for laughs. Rey and Finn have a real friendship and partnership from the last movie. Rose, on the other hand, spends the rest of the movie belittling Finn and talking down to him. The book also says that she thought about using violence against him more than once after the tasing (for annoying her) and even pushed him. This displays a really problematic pattern of violence and disrespect towards Finn so yeah,  multiple uses of violence and expressed desire to inflict violence on him as being abusive. I would argue that she is undeniably verbally abusive with Finn. In the movie and in the book (more so in the book) she often belittles him by calling him names and using other put downs. It seems she wants to make him feel bad about himself and bring him down, which is abusive. Of course, it doesn’t really matter what her intent is, even if she doesn’t “mean to be mean” it still counts as verbal abuse. So, in summary, her repeated threats and use of violence against Finn and her continual use of insults and put downs causes me to come to the conclusion that she is abusive to Finn. And I am supposed to root for them to be in a relationship?

Cared more about space horses than saving slave children. Who cares that these children are gonna be left at the mercy of their violent slave owners and face merciless abuse, because after all, it was all worth it to free the animals!!! Look at us, we’re so progressive!!!….Please kill me

The plan to disable the Hyperspace tracking is made to pointlessly fail. Finn, Rose and DJ are close to fulfilling their objective and fail for no reason whatsoever. Okay first of all, Finn and Rose are captured because neither Finn or Rose bothered to get to a parking spot. So instead of going to find the ACTUAL Master Codebreaker(which told a better story) we are instead shown to DJ. This is a character who is made to be untrustworthy from the beginning and even sounds like a snake. So obviously he betrays them. And instead of letting them disable their tracker and just being caught when heading towards the escape pods, their plan is made to fail, making everything they’ve been trying to do ultimately pointless. It effect the plot even in the slightest. You could remove it and nothing would change in the slightest. Nothing mattered. Apparently the people of color needed their white hero savior to show them up…..*sighs*

Rose stopping Finn. “that’s how we win, not by fighting what we hate, by saving what we love.” That makes no sense and ignores the entire narrative of Star Wars and heroism of the saga. Paige, her sister sacrificed herself to save The Resistance. Holdo sacrificed herself to save The Resistance. The Rogue One crew sacrificed themselves. Kanan Jarrus sacrificed himself to save what he loved. Finn’s entire arc in the movie was learning not to just think about running away with Rey and fight for a greater cause and when the time comes for Finn to prove that he’s grown as a character, he can’t? What was the point of Finn’s arc in the movie? And let’s talk about Poe. Shouldn’t Poe be sacrificing himself? Poe has spent the entire film watching others die and give their lives and he’s never backed down, so shouldn’t Poe be in Finn’s place? And if Rose stopped Finn who would save The Resistance? We saw after Rose stopped Finn, the bunker was blown up by the battering ram. Absolutely NO ONE knew that Luke was going to make his surprise entrance and save everyone. For all we knew, The First Order would’ve moved into the bunker and killed everyone and The Resistance.

in TLJ novel she is made bitter and jealous of Rey when Rey is trying to save them....great, we are actually putting the only two main female characters of the sequel trilogy against each other because Jason Fry and Rian Johnson are misogynists and complete and utter fucking morons

Rose Tico could’ve been a great character, but because she was in the hands of Rian Johnson, she had no chance of succeeding. I can only hope she is handled better and by someone competent. Rose Tico and Kelly Marie Tran deserved better 

List of ways they could’ve handled Kylo Ren in the sequel trilogy

Make Kylo handle the Lor San Tekka situation better. The man who has or had the map to Skywalker is right there. Show Kylo’s villainy and ruthlessness by forcing  Lor San Tekka to comply. Order the village massacre right there and force Lor San Tekka to watch until he tells you what you want or just use the force probe right then and there, Poe’s interference causes Kylo to lose focus and causes Kylo to lobotomize Lor San Tekka which brings us to Kylo getting Poe. It would show how far in the dark side Kylo Ren is and what he will do to get what he wants 

Instead of the tantrums, have Kylo Ren kill FO officers right then and there with his Lightsaber, it shows that he has no regard for human life and his only focus is to fulfill his mission.

Keep the mask on until Kylo faces Han Solo. 

Reveal that Ben Solo fell to the dark side and became Kylo Ren because his family did not tell him the truth that Darth Vader was his grandfather. Leia chose to hid the fact that Darth Vader was his grandfather and did not tell him that Vader redeemed himself. The New Republic publicly spread the news that Darth Vader was Leia’s true father, so Ben could have seen that at Luke’s Jedi Temple. It could’ve been a similar situation after Luke found out the truth. “Ben, why didn’t you tell me.” “Mother…you lied to me….” this can be seen as a darker mirror of Luke and Obi-Wan’s relationship. Luke did feel a little betrayed by Obi-Wan and Yoda, but did not let the truth consume him. Ben Solo would let this consume him. He feels betrayed by his family and those feelings of resentment lead Snoke to Ben Solo. He promises a place where he would never be lied to again and valued and where he can learn more of his grandfather. So Ben betrays his family, kills the Jedi and becomes Kylo Ren because the truth of Anakin was kept from him and because of that Snoke twisted the view of Vader’s fall being compassion and Kylo idolized Vader and viewed Anakin as weakness. He wants to destroy everything his family built out of spite and finish what Vader started, which was kill his master, the Jedi and rule the galaxy.

Have Kylo Ren be sent to Darth Vader’s castle on Mustafar to complete his training. Allowing the dark side energies within Vader’s castle and what remains of Vader to strengthen the dark side within him to snuff out the light. We would later see Snoke teaching him the flaws of the Jedi and Sith and why they must destroy the Jedi and Sith. Their goal isn’t to do over Palpatine and Vader. Their goal is to end both orders and to serve the dark side to let it and The First Order reign supreme. Snoke teaching him the ways of the dark side, using torture and force lightning to draw Kylo’s rage to bring out his full potential in the dark side of the force. We needed to see Sith training. We never once got to see it, so we needed to see it with Snoke and Kylo Ren. And Snoke gives his apprentice one final test. Killing his mother General Leia Organa and drawing out Luke Skywalker.

Have The Supremacy board The Raddus and Kylo leads an attack to kill everyone aboard. Leia offers herself to be taken hostage, Kylo Ren takes his mother as hostage while The Resistance is spared.

Actually give us scenes of Kylo and Leia instead of force bond scenes with Kylo and Rey. It bothers me that there is not a single scene with Kylo Ren and Leia. No scene with mother and son and because Carrie is no longer with us, we will never get to see Carrie and Adam act together. So we desperately need to see Kylo Ren interacting with Leia aboard The Supremacy. Unlike a force connection with Rey, this provides an endless amount of interesting scenes and dialogue between two characters who have no screen time relationship whatsoever but are probably the closest people in the movie. Plus Star Wars has had no mother and son relationship since Anakin and Shmi Skywalker. We could have Kylo raging at his mother for leaving him and abandoning him, and  Leia breaking down about Han and Kylo vowing to destroy everything that his family has built. Kylo will rip off his mask to show his scar and the dark side corruption. “LOOK AT MY FACE MOTHER, IS THIS WHAT YOU WANTED TO SEE? AS I TOLD HAN SOLO, YOUR SON IS GONE, HE WAS WEAK AND FOOLISH!” With his eyes pitch Sith Yellow, a single tear leaves his eye and Leia wipes it. Even in his darkest days, Leia is there for her son, as a mother should be. Leia will tell her son  "Your father loved you to the very end, he never stopped searching or believing in you he was finally there for you in the end. We were so caught up with our work we couldn’t be with you as much as we would have wanted, as much as you needed. And sending you away with your uncle, when you needed us the most, was the biggest mistake of our lives. I’m sorry.” Kylo will scream and lash out at equipment after failing to go through with it.

Kylo fighting Rey while Luke fights Snoke. Kylo gets the upperhand and cuts Rey’s hand off

An actual Lightsaber duel between Luke and Kylo Ren. Luke has his green lightsaber. Their blades clash. Their dialogue remains the same, but Luke is there. Luke is toying with Kylo, similar to how Vader toyed with him on Bespin.  When Kylo makes his dramatic slut ™ lunge at Luke, but Luke dodges and cuts Kylo’s hand off. And finally Luke gives his “see you around kid” but Luke does not die

Cut the battle of Crait entirely. After Kylo Ren awakens. Kylo will order Hux to pullback their fleet. They needed to regroup on Mustafar with the other Knights of Ren. General Hux explodes in rage, stating that he does not take orders from the supreme leader’s dog. Hux then feels his throat closing and grabs his neck. The Imperial March plays as Kylo Ren declares himself supreme leader of the First Order. Hux barely manages to take out his blaster and shoots Ren in order to free himself. Hux threatens Kylo that if he were to die, then Kylo will never make it off of the ship alive. They will either work together or both die. Kylo releases the general and says from here on out the First Order will focus on their true mission. Kylo declares Hux as the Grand Marshal of the First Order. Hux orders his fleet to pull back, and says that Kylo better pray the force isn’t leading him astray. The Grand Marshal then leaves. The new Supreme Leader casts one last look at the planet, then turns away. Picking up half of the destroyed lightsaber that had belonged to his grandfather.

What they chose to do with Kylo instead

Stupidly kill Lor San Tekka when he could’ve forced him to comply or take the information out of his head

Kylo Ren knows the map is on Jakku. He chooses to let the Stormtroopers get the droid when he does not have faith in them.

How am I supposed to feel that a villain is a threat when he is throwing tantrums and destroying expensive equipment? Vader force choked Imperial Officers who failed him. Rather than do that, Kylo lashes out and destroys equipment on the ship. I’m honestly surprised Kylo has not bankrupted the First Order by now.

Kylo keeps taking his mask off. This is not an insult to Adam Driver, he is a handsome man. But it just cheapens the reveal if he shows it to Rey. It would mean a whole lot more if Kylo was masked throughout the entire movie and only takes his mask off to Han Solo. We would see through Han’s eyes, a father’s eyes that his son has been twisted into something he doesn’t recognize, but still tries to reach out to his son. I honestly feel like Kylo taking his mask off earlier cheapens the reveal. I know unmasking is supposed to showcase that he turned to the dark side at a young age....but Adam Driver is in his 30′s.

No training between Kylo Ren and Snoke. Snoke does not train Kylo. Snoke said that he would complete Kylo’s training when he told Hux to bring Kylo Ren to him at the end of TFA. Yes, he did fail him and he sensed his father in him, but I really thought we’d see Snoke sending Kylo to Vader’s castle on Mustafar to allow the dark side energies in the castle and what remains of Vader to strengthen the dark side within him to snuff out the light. Killing Han broke his spirit, but he could use the castle to complete Kylo Ren’s training. Then we would see Snoke personally train Kylo himself. Snoke begins by telling Kylo the Sith code ” Peace is a lie, there is only passion. Through passion, I gain strength. Through strength, I gain power. Through power, I gain victory. Through victory, my chains are broken. The Force shall free me.” teaching him the ways of the dark side, using torture and force lightning to draw Kylo’s rage to bring out his full potential in the dark side of the force. We needed to see Sith training. We never once got to see it, so we needed to see it with Snoke and Kylo Ren. 

That pointless and laughable shirtless scene. 

The laughable and terrible Throne Room fight scene. There is no tension in the scene and it is pointless. Kylo Ren and Rey are fighting a faceless a group of guards that we know absolutely nothing about and have literally no purpose in the entire story except for this one fight. We know neither of the characters are going to die because these are just faceless red shirts and there is still like 30 to 40 minutes left of the movie. There are times where you can tell that some of the guards are just waiting their turn to fight and in one shot the editor literally digitally removed a knife from one of the guard’s hands because it would make no sense why he didn’t just stab Rey. There are multiple times where Rey, Kylo and the guards are just doing motions and actions because they look cool but serve no purpose but to look cool. Kylo stabbing the ground? Pointless. Rey twirling her rave stick around while someone falls behind her, pointless. Another annoying thing is that both of the characters are acting like they don’t have monumentally strong force powers. Hell, both of them get into a force tug of war right after the fight. Kylo can freeze people in place and stop blaster fire in mid air. Not even  once do we see them displaying their powers is what cheapens the fight. Kylo Ren is powerful enough to freeze a blaster and a person in place and Rey herself unlocked Kylo’s powers, so the two of them could have easily ended the fight sooner than it was dragged out. Kylo is powerful in the force but he SERIOUSLY could not stop a Praetorian Guard choke holding him and Rey struggled with a guard? Rey and Kylo were stronger in TFA and are just made weaker in the duel with the Praetorian Guards. Kylo could have frozen half of the guards and Rey could have mind tricked the other half into killing the frozen guards and Kylo and Rey could have finished them. They are masters of light and darkness, but they are made weaker.

A force connection between Kylo Ren and Rey. None of these characters have a reason to trust one another. Kylo should be furious. He has been humiliated and defeated by this random Scavenger from Jakku, especially after being berated and humiliated by Snoke about said defeat. Kylo has done nothing but hurt Rey. It’s obvious Kylo has been manipulating Rey all movie, but it’s just so poorly executed. If anyone honestly believed Kylo about calling Rey’s parents filthy junk traders, they are gullible. Kylo was not being sincere or truthful about calling Rey’s parents nobodies. He’s attacking her biggest insecurity, her greatest fear, that her parents were nobodies. “They were filthy junk traders who died on Jakku” we see visibly in TFA that her parents were flying away from Jakku. And if anyone actually find Kylo’s “You’re nobody, but not to me” romantic, I honestly hope you never find yourself in a relationship with someone who would say something like that. That is text book abuse 101. That is a clear example of psychological manipulation. He’s attacking her biggest insecurity, her greatest fear, that she’s alone in the universe, and using the classic abuser’s tactic of “no one else but me loves you, so you should be with me. Aren’t you grateful?” He’s trying to cut her off from the people who love her, who made her feel worthwhile, and who helped to give her purpose in life, by saying they don’t care about the “real her.” But he apparently “sees” the real her and knows who she is and that doesn’t matter to him. That is STRAIGHT out of the How to Be an Abusive Asshole Handbook! It is very clear that he is obsessed with her, but he is also not worthy of her because he’s using such dirty means to drag her down to his level of self-deprecation and self-loathing. Thankfully, our girl Rey is tougher and smarter than that and reunited with the people who DO love her and think she is everything, regardless of her roots.  

The worst offense about what they did with Kylo Ren is how horribly and lazily written his actual reason or lack there of for choosing the dark side. Okay by all canon sources, the reason Ben Solo turned to the dark side is he turned to the dark side, killed The Jedi, betrayed his family and joined The First Order because his family was trying to build a better galaxy for him…… Because Han and Leia chose to put their life into the rebellion and not enough time into him, that’s why he fell. “My loving parents who doted on me and gave me the best in life also wanted to help other people and rebuild a wartorn galaxy. It makes me so mad just thinking of it!” And Rian Johnson in his “sUbVeRt ExPeCTaTiOnS” edgelord philosophy decided it would be best if Luke Skywalker, a man who thought Darth Vader, the most evil man in the galaxy who has 20 years of war crimes in his life, believed the good man he used to be was alive, was willing to die for his father and was able to save his father, yet somehow Johnson thought it would be better to make Luke Skywalker, the most hopeful character to try and kill his nephew in his sleep instead of ACTUALLY TALKING TO HIM LIKE LUKE SKYWALKER WOULD ACTUALLY DO. Luke, Han and Leia are not responsible for Kylo Ren’s actions and their characters did not need to be broken down for his development, or lack there of. The lesson apparently is spend more time with your child instead of building a better world for him otherwise he’ll shoot up a school, join a fascist organization and blame his every action on his family and constantly harass and gaslight the one girl who peaks his interest.  

Kylo Ren is a terrible villain. When written well, Kylo Ren is a well-rounded antagonist that broke the clichés of most of modern villains. Kylo Ren was a complex and layered character who wasn’t glorified or idealized for his morally wrong actions and chose to embrace his darker side than to chose redemption. He is the Skywalker who chose to burn down everything his family built. However the problem is Kylo merely an illusion of depth, just like the rest of this trilogy. This becomes evident when you put him up against other, better villains. When compared to great villains like Loki, Darth Vader and Eric Killmonger, it just feels like Kylo is a terrible and bland villain. We understand what launched these characters into their villainy, and it builds sympathy for their situation. Over the course of the films, we learn their plan, what they believe in, and see how they carry out their vision. No such thing has happened for Kylo; he’s largely inconsistent and really we don’t know why he or the First Order are attacking the protagonists other than “Hope” or something. Even when compared to Anakin, he’s far less of a character, regardless of how you feel about his dialogue or acting. Anakin had a legitimately crappy childhood, and was told to let go of the people he loved. He does bad things, but it’s clear he doesn’t want to. Especially in RotS he tries his absolute hardest to do the right thing, but when faced with losing Padme, he changed his mind at the last minute. He shows true conflict in his actions, whereas with Kylo Ren, we have to be told that he was sad after killing Han Solo. With TLJ there is more damage done. Kylo has been so “moody” it’s difficult to take him seriously. When Snoke died, it made me feel like there was no longer an antagonist. TLJ castrated Hux, the FO is incompetent, and Kylo is a moody teenager. There’s no serious tension left. Kylo is just a whiny psychopath who has no reason to be evil, but decides to be evil anyway, but we’re supposed to believe that he’s “conflicted” about his psychotic actions because he’s teary eyed every time he slaughters innocent people, and loses his temper like a child whenever someone offends him. And what really blows my mind is how some that want redemption for him believe he will make a total 180 on a dime and suddenly become a wise, benevolent leader whom the galaxy respects. This dude hasn’t shown an ounce of political savvy, charisma, or even self-restraint, I’d be shocked if he manages to run anything properly as Supreme Leader. JJ will have my respect if he can turn Kylo Ren into an unhinged monster worthy of being afraid of  

List of ways they could’ve handled Hux in TLJ

Have it featured in the crawl that Hux has been responsible for masterminding the invasions of New Republic worlds after the destruction of the Hoznian Prime. The First Order Reigns Supreme because of Hux

Keep Hux as he was in TFA. a competent military leader that came up with plans and made necessary risks in order to destroy The Resistance, talked back to Kylo Ren and didn’t fear him or his power and Hux has the populations of 5 planets to his body count.

Keep the foil dynamic between Hux and Kylo Ren. Kylo being intimidating and Hux having none of it with no sign of fear. Give it a clear sign that both Kylo Ren and Hux want to become the Supreme Leader and both are willing to kill Snoke and the other to do so.

Keep Hux composed and in control not falling for Poe’s attempts at humor and ordering the fighters to be scrambled to annihilate Poe and his squadron  and cuts them off from the main fleet, establishing that Poe is clearly outnumbered. Just as the evacuation is complete, the dreadnought cannons are working again and aiming at the Raddus. Just as it’s about to fire, Paige launches the bombers. The Dreadnought is destroyed but Hux is presented as a cold, ruthless and calculating general. Hux gets punished and nearly killed by Snoke for that but can insure that they can follow the resistance cruiser.

Keep my idea of the Supremacy boarding The Raddus. Before this happens, a confrontation between Hux and Kylo happens. Hux just wants to swarm The Raddus with Tie Fighters fire it enough to destroy their shields and finally destroy The Resistance once and for all. but Ren stops him. He has to face his mother and kill his mother. Hux says his training is ridiculous and stands in the way of a quick victory. But Ren states that when they blow up the Raddus now, every one of them will die a martyr spreading the resistance lies further but if they can puplicly execute them, there won’t be another resistance. When Leia is captured, Hux is overjoyed that General Organa will be granted a quick and public execution and execute hope itself. 

Instead of slapping Finn it would have been way better if Hux had wanted to turn Finn back into a Stormtrooper since you know the Stormtrooper program was designed by Hux and his father and he took it as a personal insult that Finn deserted. But Finn would inspire the Stormtroopers who captured him to rebel. And then the fight between Finn and Phasma happens.

Show that Hux absolutely has no chill or fear in the face of Kylo Ren. He gets force choked but Hux is able to fire his blaster at Ren in order to free himself. The general refuses to submit. Hux threatens Kylo that if he were to die, then Kylo will never make it off of the ship alive. They will either work together or both die. Kylo releases the general and says from here on out the First Order will focus on their true mission. Kylo declares Hux as the Grand Marshal of the First Order.

What they chose to do with Hux instead

Hux is made into a joke. General Hux, the man who caused the destruction of the Hosnian system and is shown to be a younger angrier version of Tarkin in TFA, is shown to be an incompetent bumbling fool and Captain Canady is the only intelligent officer in The First Order. He does not deploy the Tie Fighters, order the fleet to move in when The Resistance are evacuating D'Qar and vulnerable, instead orders the Dreadnought to move in, and instead of ordering the Dreadnought with it’s devastating canon to fire on the cruiser thus giving the transports nowhere to go, he orders an orbital bombardment to an almost empty planet. But does not fire because he sees Poe’s X-Wing When Poe arrives in his X-Wing, the only X-Wing in view. Hux does not order deploying the Tie Fighters or even ordering the Dreadnought to fire on Poe. They do absolutely NOTHING. How is Hux a general again? Did he just want to hear himself talk? The turrets are being destroyed by Poe and Hux tells Captain Canady to fire the Dreadnought, Canady responds it’s too small and too close of range to fire their turbolasers and orders the Tie Fighters to be scrambled which should have been done 5 minutes ago. Canady knows Poe is not aiming to penetrate their armor, he knows Poe is clearing out their surface cannons. Here we have it. The only intelligent officer in The First Order, everyone else including Hux are incompetent. How exactly is Hux a general again?

The Evacuation of D’Qar. Hux is goaded into allowing a Starfighter into point blank range with one of their fleet’s more valuable assets, he doesn’t launch a fighter screen to keep that fighter at bay, and when a real danger is detected, still does nothing. Captain Canady is left to launch his own fighters from Fulminatrix, and gets no support from Hux or the rest of the First Order fleet. Hux doesn’t launch support fighters, direct their batteries to put up defensive fire covering the dreadnought, nothing, no he’s too busy massaging his bruised ego because some flyboy put him on tilt with what amounts to a practical joke, and an 8km long warship pays the price for their incompetence. Now onto said Dreadnought. They have this weapon that is capable of dealing planetary bombardment and chooses to fire on a nearly abandoned planet instead of targeting the Resistance ship that is used to carry The Resistance fleet. Destroy The Raddus and you can easily pick a part The Resistance easily. Instead of doing the most intelligent thing, they chose to do the stupid thing.  

The lowsped chase. Now onto the chase, or as I like to call it “the dumbest bit of military nonsense since the Emu war.” You have the First Order Fleet chasing the Resistance flotilla, supposedly the Resistance fleet is “faster” but they aren’t opening the gap between them and the First Order because… it would burn more fuel (because inertia isn’t a thing in Star Wars Space)? So they stay just at the extreme range of the First Order’s guns, and the Raddus has to be on the receiving end of a potshot every once in a while. Meanwhile said Resistance ships are flying in a straight line, direct away from the First Order fleet, so why not just set course past them and Hyperspace in front of them and catch them in the middle? Are interdictors at play here? Are they content to just think the fleet will run out of fuel and they can just catch them? It bothers me to understand that the heroes are only alive because of the gross incompetence of the First Order, because it doesn’t speak well to the capabilities of the heroes.

Hux is a ragdoll for dark side users apparently. Hux is slapped around with the force by Snoke, okay understandable, it’s for failure. Vader did the same. But god it is done in almost every scene by Snoke and Kylo. 

Hux stupidly tells Kylo Ren to pull back. When the Silencer pretty much destroyed all the X-Wing fighters, and The Resistance command is jettisoned in space, Hux just orders Kylo back. They have the opportunity to end The Resistance, just calls him back, a scene later Hux complains he let them go. Sure they can still track them, but the fact that they let them goes shows that Hux is a fool. 

The only time Hux is allowed to be villainous in the movie is when he is prepared to take out his blaster and kill Kylo Ren. Everything else he is either an idiot or someone’s toy to be slapped around. And you expect me and the general audience to believe Hux is going to be the villain in Episode IX?      

So now the Resistance is stuck on Crait, the First Order knows they are there, we know implicitly that the First Order has more than one dreadnought in their fleet, we also know the Resistance is fresh out of bombers. Maybe instead of calling for a costly ground invasion just call in another dreadnought and finish the job once and for all. This isn’t next level thinking, this isn’t superior tactics. This is using a rock to smash a bug levels of thinking. But they don’t, they land a ground invasion bigger than Hoth and bring a mini Death Star with them. Note again, that while Hoth was defended by more men with better equipment, Crait is defended by a quarter as many with rusting, dilapidated equipment… but it was enough to keep the Order stalled for Luke Skywalker to video-conference in.

List of ways they could’ve handled Phasma in the sequel trilogy

Have Phasma visibly shown slaughtering villagers on Tuanul

Show Phasma leading the strike team on Takodana

Have Phasma making it her prime duty to bring the traitorous FN-2187 to justice.

Have Phasma being involved with the meetings with Snoke. Phasma is part of the First Order triumvirate, there is no reason whatsoever why Phasma CANNOT be involved with the scenes with Snoke.

Captain Phasma is the one who fights Finn on Takodana, not FN-2199. It makes sense. It gives Finn an enemy to fight, his former Captain and leader who ordered atrocities that Finn could not commit and had compassion for his team members and Phasma wanting to show no mercy to traitors. Phasma would be winning the fight and nearly delivers the killing blow, but Han shoots her with the bowcaster

Phasma recovers and returns to Starkiller Base and is captured by Finn and Han. However, Phasma does not comply with Finn and Han, she sounds the security alarm/intruder alert and Chewie knocks her out and throws her down the trash compactor. Finn and Han figure out on disabling the shields themselves. This is the obvious thing she would do. She is a villain and smart, she would not comply or cower, so Finn, Han and Chewie are left by themselves to disabled the shields on their own.

Make Phasma a deranged individual obsessed with capturing and executing Finn. Phasma is basically Captain Ahab and Finn is her great white whale to chase. She is hunting Finn to the ends of the galaxy. Each battle they face she is there ready for him, every time he isn’t there, she kills every Resistance soldier there. Phasma is losing it, Hux is worried, but both Snoke and Kylo believe this will be beneficial in destroying The Resistance. And finally she finds him on The Supremacy. Finn and Phasma go head to head. finally on equal levels and in this moment it happens. Finn’s old comrades come, Finn believes this is the end, but to his surprise they shoot Phasma down. Phasma is knocked down in the ruins of the Star Destroyer. But Phasma makes her escape with Hux.

What they chose to do with Phasma instead

Just stands there doing nothing

Has to be told by Kylo Ren to lead a massacre on Tuanul

Is not even acknowledged by Snoke

Is easily coerced into lowering the shields of Starkiller Base. Is thrown into the trash compactor and makes me wonder why would Gwendoline Christie even agree to star in these movies

Stupidly decides to execute Finn and Rose as a spectacle instead of just shooting Finn and Rose right then and there.

Phasma has a hidden blaster and doesn’t use it against Finn

Phasma is only brought back for toys to sell and for Phasma to pointlessly die....again.

Only lets Phasma to be a character in her novel. In her novel she is a completely different and better character. In the novel  which is a fascinating study of how utterly ruthless and selfish she is, how completely dedicated to her own survival at the expense of others, and how there is no one and nothing she would not betray to further herself. It’s about peeling back the layers of a seemingly perfect First Order warrior to show her morally empty core, and with it the rottenness of the First Order itself. The novel shows with unsettling clarity that, under all the pretty words about the ideals of justice and order, the First Order is a place where actual idealistic soldiers are used and then thrown away (see: Finn, Cardinal) while backstabbers, abusers, and murderers like the two Huxes and Phasma are actively shielded and rise to the top. Phasma is a survivor. She will always align herself with the most powerful force. Phasma is extremely intelligent and a brilliant battlefield commander. Outside of the movies, she’s lost approximately one fight. Ever. the movies portray her as a minor annoyance but in the book she is the most badass human to ever live and I’m upset with how they’ve treated her. But really, what would’ve helped Phasma is her deleted death scene. I will never understand why this was deleted. Finn calls her out about her betrayal of lowering the shields and when this information is revealed, the Stormtroopers near her look suspicious and it looks as if they are going to turn on her. Phasma like the ultimate survivalist she is kills them with no hesitation. Finn cuts her hand off and blasts her into the abyss, giving Phasma a more deserving and better send off. Seriously, this is way better than their actual confrontation.  What I really like about this scene is its direct connection to The Force Awakens plot point and that it acknowledges Phasma’s survivalist attitude which was introduced into her novel.

List of ways they could’ve handled Snoke in TLJ

Show Snoke completing Kylo Ren’s training

Make Snoke the darkness Palpatine was sensing in the Endgame novels

Have Snoke give Kylo Ren one final test, killing his mother General Organa

Order Kylo Ren and the Knights Of Ren to Ach-To to kill Luke Skywalker and bring Rey to him

Have Snoke force Rey to kill Kylo and turn Rey to the dark side. Snoke knows who Rey truly is. Snoke will reveal that Rey was an experiment by Palpatine on his lab on Jakku. The people who she thought were her parents were just random junkers who sold her for a ship. Snoke manipulates Rey into joining him. “The belonging you always sought all your life, was by my side. Strike Kylo Ren, as you should have on Starkiller Base and take your place as my apprentice.” We have a fight that feels real and a fight we care about because we know these characters and not faceless guards who do not just die. But as we believe it’s going to go down as it was in ROTJ by having Rey be the strong heroine who throws her lightsaber away, instead Rey kills Kylo Ren and becomes Snoke’s new apprentice. “You have done well, my apprentice, heir to Palpatine, daughter of darkness. Hence forth, you shall be known as Darth Solitudis” Rey will make the Galaxy feel the loneliness and despair she felt all her life. Only Finn can bring her back to the light or stop her if he must.

Show Snoke using Battle Meditation against The Resistance, while Leia uses BM against Snoke. Leia’s will against Snoke’s might over Ach-To, while Snoke is trying to kill Luke, Leia is trying to save her brother. 

Make Snoke Darth Plagueis. It ties everything together. Darth Plagueis supposedly figured out the secret to immortal life, basically. Imagine if J.J. went with this  - Darth Plagueis trained Darth Sidious - also shared his dream of galactic conquest with his young pupil. When Sidious was strong enough, he 'killed' his master, as Sith tend to do... (or so he thought - more on this later). - Believing himself the one true powerful Sith Lord, Darth Sidious puts into motion his plan to take down the Republic and more importantly, the Jedi Order. He uses the power that Darth Plagueis taught him and creates Anakin (this has all but been confirmed) putting into motion the eventual destruction of the Jedi via 'the Chosen One' prophecy. - Fast forward, Darth Sidious goes ahead and does all the very hard work in building the Galactic Empire, taking over more and more systems... his reign over all of the galaxy was near complete when Luke Skywalker joined the rebellion and threw a lightsaber in his plans. - Meanwhile, Darth Plageuis (who has all the time in the galaxy, being able to transfer his essance when needed - nothing new in Star Wars when it comes to Sith) is watching from afar. HE is the TRUE puppet master, manipulating even Palpatine - he sits back while his puppet unifies the galaxy under one rule, only to one day return and take it. - Seeing what Skywalker did puts fear into Darth Plagueis' heart -- "SKYWALKER MUST NOT BE ALLOWED TO LIVE". -He manipulates young Ben, hoping to one day turn Ben against Luke... However, Kylo seems to be a constant disappointment to 'Snoke'. Perhaps he creates Rey with the intention of turning her and making her his new powerful apprentice - Kylo Ren is given the task of finding the girl and bringing her before him. -His plan was to transfer his essence into Kylo and turn Rey to the dark side and destroy Skywalker and The Resistance

What they chose to do with Snoke instead

Snoke died pointlessly without doing anything with him. Supreme Leader Snoke is wasted and there is no reason to care now that the villain you’ve been building your trilogy around is dead. Snoke’s death was too soon. Snoke is a dark side user. Calm and collected. Old enough to see the rise and fall of the empire. He takes no risks and does what it takes to win. He was different from Palpatine and I dare say he even had potential to rival Kreia. He was a mastermind and did not allow himself to be a slave to the dark side. He did not want his apprentice to die like the Sith masters of old. He did not want to keep power until his dying breath. Snoke was not the average Sith Lord, he was different.  He was respectful, he was very powerful, and watching his scenes, even when faced with failure, he remained calm and collected because he was playing the long game and was not a slave to the Darkside like the Sith. He was invested in turning Kylo Ren into Vader’s heir and even has a ring from the catacombs of Vader’s castle. Snoke was so interesting, so many unanswered questions and this well thought out villain. And then TLJ turned him into a dumbed down Palpatine rip off. The claim that Snoke and his backstory is not important is dumb, considering that we know nothing on why this war is even happening or even why The First Order is doing ANYTHING! We want to know who Snoke is because we want to know how this random evil guy was able to destroy the lives of the entire original trio, corrupted Ben Solo and override the happy ending the entire original trilogy and prequels were fighting for. The struggles of the prequels, the clone wars, rebels, original trilogy, all of these stories and struggles were undone because of Snoke, so of course we have questions. Why do the remnants of the Empire follow Snoke and where did he come from? Not wanting to know the motivation of the villains is just plain ignorant. They completely wasted Snoke. Snoke is a power from the unknown regions. He was SO powerful that Palpatine sensed him, Palpatine was so focused and invested in Jakku in hopes of getting closer to the Unknown regions and he wanted to meet what he believed was the source of the dark side of the force. And they just kill him off so easy? Now there is no reason to care. Kylo Ren is not an intimidating villain and it’s pretty obvious he’s turning to the light in Episode IX. Hux is a bumbling incompetent fool and I’m pretty sure they already confirmed he will be more comedic in Episode IX instead of being a threat. There is a villain problem for the Sequel Trilogy. There is no menace in The First Order anymore and I really feel there is no reason to care.

Pointlessly tried to kill Rey instead of trying to turn her

“Your Snoke theory sucks” card is patronizing and insulting. God fucking forbid your audience is fucking invested in the story. God forbid we actually care about learning about the big bad of the sequel trilogy. God forbid we put more thought into Snoke than you did. “Your Snoke theory sucks” no Rian, your Snoke card sucks, your inability to do ANYTHING with Snoke sucks and talking down to us for caring about the direction of the big bad and killing him for no reason sucks. You arrogant piece of fucking shit.

Because Snoke was killed, they copped out and lied out their asses that it was always the plan to bring back Palpatine....bullshit. “oh but wait Snoke was a host body for Palpatine” BULLFUCKINGSHIT. Not originally. Snoke was someone who was supposed to be the darkness Palpatine was trying to get closer. Snoke was the man who destroyed 30 years of peace. He could’ve been anyone, hell even Darth Plagueis. But no, why create interesting characters when you can bring Palpatine back because it’s obvious you have no original ideas.

List of ways they could’ve handled Luke in the sequel trilogy

Actually use Luke in The Force Awakens. Don’t waste Mark Hamill. Don’t exclude him from marketing. Don’t force him to be on a mountain and say no lines whatsoever.

Have Luke’s big reveal be on Starkiller Base. Use Mark Hamill’s suggestion. ‘You can still have me come in at the very end, but how about this. How about Leia’s trying to contact me telepathically, she gets frustrated because there’s no answers, so she rushes to the new Death Star’–that’s three, so far.”He continued, “‘And she almost gets there but she gets stopped by two Stormtroopers and, just before she’s abducted, one Stormtrooper turns to the other one, blows him away, pulls off his helmet and says “Hi, sis, I’m here to rescue you.”‘ I say, ‘It’ll blow the roof off the joint, I’m still in it at the very end.‘”“I think it’s more effective to have people that really have a history with Han Solo witness his death and be unable to stop it,” the actor claimed. “His wife, the mother of his child, his best friend, instead of two characters that have known him, what, 20 minutes?”

Use Mark’s other suggestion. After Finn is knocked unconscious, have the person who lifts the Skywalker Lightsaber be Luke. Luke duels Kylo and defeats his nephew and saves Rey and Finn. I know Jedi and force sensitives are more durable than normal people, but if you are thrown into a tree, you are going to be unconscious for at least an hour. So yes Luke being the one to lift the lightsaber would’ve been much better. It would’ve been a great entrance. The entire audience would have been cheering as they witness Luke’s return. Luke helps Chewie getting Rey and Finn aboard the Falcon and returns to D’Qar. Reunites with Leia and ends with Luke, Rey and Finn flying to the Ancient Jedi Temple on Ach-To preparing to train the new Jedi.

Luke grieves for Han

Luke actually trying to help Ben as a Padawan, but it is in vain as he already turned to the dark side and made his choice.

Luke will tell Rey why he left the map behind. He wanted Leia to come and find him. It is revealed that Luke  did not run away, did not even consider running away, but rather went looking for the Jedi’s beginnings find the balance of dark and light–Luke Skywalker felt Rey and Finn awaken across half the galaxy, and settled on Ach-To, and waited.

Let Luke and Rey have a meaningful mentor and student relationship. Luke trains Rey, Rey develops her skills and Rey has a father figure that shows her place in the galaxy

Reveal that Luke is Rey’s father. After Rey falls into the dark side cave, Luke finds her and brings her near the fire and is there to comfort her. Then the revelation happens. Rey says “I’ve never felt so alone.” And we get Luke telling her “the force is strong in my family. My father had it, I have it, my sister has it and my daughter has it” “There is a reason you dreamed of this place.” “You were never meant to be left on Jakku…I thought you died the night in the academy.” “All those years. I was so alone.” “I know. I’m sorry.” “Did you ever try to find me?” “Of course. For so long I searched the galaxy for you. Everyone said that you had died that night in the temple, that I should give up searching. But through the force, I could still feel you. I knew you were still alive. Every face I seen, it was your. Every voice I heard, it was yours. It drove me crazy. I came to this island, turned away from the force because it was so hard. Feeling that you were somewhere in the galaxy and being unable to find you. Seeing you in front of me right now… I’ve never felt so lucky.” And Rey with tears in her eyes. “I waited so long for you and your finally here” they embrace, father and daughter reunited.” Rey then asks about her mother. Luke sadly says “her name was Mara Jade and she loved you very much.” Rey why she was left on Jakku. “Because of your cousin Ben, Kylo Ren.”  Luke tells her that after a decade of training Ben, and fighting to keep the dark side at bay, Ben turned to the dark side because his family kept the secret that Darth Vader was his grandfather. He still wanted to help his nephew and save him from Snoke. One night he went to him to talk to him, Ben saw this as Luke being afraid of his power and Ben was the one to strike first. And then he woke up to see the other Jedi Masters dead. His wife Mara Jade dead and even the younglings dead. Only six other Jedi left with Ben, those who would become the Knights Of Ren. Rey left with Ben because she trusted her cousin and she couldn’t find Luke or Mara.  and Ben left her on Jakku where no one would ever find her because a part of him couldn’t kill his cousin.

If we had to have a broken Luke, what would bring him back, is his father. Basically have a Lion King moment with Anakin and Luke. "You have forgotten who you are and so have forgotten me. Look inside yourself Luke, you are more than what you have become.“ would’ve meant more in my opinion if it were Anakin who reached out to Luke than Yoda.

Luke wants to save Leia. He  lifts his X-Wing and heads towards The Supremacy. Boards the ship and confronts Snoke. Luke will reveal his Green Lightsaber and Snoke’s own Black Lightsaber. They fight, while Rey and Kylo fights. Luke defeats Snoke, but Kylo cuts Rey’s hand off. Enraged, Luke knocks Kylo out with a force repulse. So Luke gives Chewie the signal and gets Rey to safety, while Luke heads back to his X-Wing.

On Crait as Finn is about to make his sacrifice, we see Luke’s X-Wing firing and destroying the mini death star.

Luke is actually there with his moment with Leia. He is there in person, not a force projection, he. is. there.

A true fight between Luke and Kylo. Kylo Ren orders every ship to fire on Luke AT-M6’s all firing but to everyone’s surprise, all blasts stop frozen in midair. Luke wipes the salt off his robes and sends the turbolasers right back at the AT-M6s and TIE-Fighters. Brings down the transports and Kylo’s shuttle and the Star Destroyers in orbit. Kylo descends from his crushed shuttle, preparing to kill his uncle. We have a real lightsaber battle between Luke and Kylo. Luke has his green lightsaber. Their blades clash. Their dialogue remains the same, but Luke is there. Luke is toying with Kylo, similar to how Vader toyed with him on Bespin.  When Kylo makes his dramatic slut ™ lunge at Luke, but Luke dodges and cuts Kylo’s hand off. And finally Luke gives his “see you around kid” but Luke does not die, he leaves to board his X-Wing

It ends with Rey, Luke and Leia together, brother and sister holding onto Rey’s hand. A father and his daughter and her aunt. “We have everything we need

What they chose to do with Luke instead

Luke is not marketed at all in The Force Awakens and is on a mountain and is only there as a cameo with no lines whatsoever

The Force Awakens established that Luke left a map to be found. It is never brought up. Han said he left to find the Temple to the First Jedi. It is never brought up. Funny how what was established is never brought up in the movie whatsoever

Luke, Han and Leia do not reunite at all.

Luke gives up. Luke Skywalker is a beacon of hope and optimism and love against all odds, and the fact that that was twisted into being depicted as some foolish youth naivety, and that the only way to make him “human” was to retract all that and make him a bitter, jaded man is so fucking disgusting. Even more disgusting is in TLJ novelization had him dreaming of never leaving Tatooine and having him live under the Empire’s dominance. He does not even care that his sister’s life and the Resistance she is leading is in danger. Jedi do not give up. You might say that Yoda and Obi-Wan also gave up. But for those two, the Sith took over the galaxy, they had to go into hiding to protect and guide Luke and Leia. Obi-Wan wanted to save Leia and guide Luke. Yoda always wanted to train Leia as a Jedi and bring Anakin back to the light. He was reluctant to train Luke but he still did his duty as a Jedi Master. They did not just give up and wanted to die and they did not betray their characters at all. Luke spends most of Last Jedi on a windswept island, brooding in solemn silence and frozen by indecision. He doesn’t connect with Rey on any meaningful level, doesn’t impart wisdom or knowledge, and never reasserts himself as the powerful Jedi he once was. A brief physical duel against Rey ends with her as the undisputed victor, completely killing his deserved mythos and her potential character arc in one fell swoop. It’s clear in that moment that he has nothing to teach her, and nothing to contribute to the overall narrative. The boundless potential that seemed poised to explode at the end of The Force Awakens fizzles here but never ignites.  And without any training at all, Rey defeats Luke Skywalker and Luke acts all cowardly and begs her to leave. He does buy The Resistance time and saves his sister, but it was ultimately pointless. He wasn’t even there and he dies pointlessly. What we got was not Luke Skywalker. Luke Skywalker is hope and optimism. Luke Skywalker is showing that no matter what, compassion, faith and love will always prevail. Luke is the hero that inspired an entire generations to aspire to be better, aspire to be heroes. Luke is what we wanted to see and what we got was not Luke Skywalker. Luke is someone who thought Doctor Aphra was a good person, she proves him wrong but he still had that hope for her. Luke believed that Darth Vader of all people still had good in him and was willing to die and he was able to reach his father. In Battlefront II’s Story, Luke saves Del Meeko because he asked and he offered Del a better life, a choice. Inferno Squad has committed atrocities in the name of the Empire, yet Luke still gave Del Meeko a chance. Canon Luke Skywalker is a kind hearted hero who will never run from a fight or knowingly leave a loved one in danger and will even save his enemy. This is Luke Skywalker. Luke is compassionate, adores his family, would never leave them. The Luke Skywalker I knew would never even think about killing his nephew in his sleep when there is always another way. Luke believes in the light and was willing to die to save his father. Darth Vader committed atrocities for decades, Luke still believed there was good in him. He would never give up on his family nor would he even consider killing his own nephew in his sleep just because he sensed darkness there. He would never abandon his sister at death’s door when she needed him most. The Hero’s Journey that he was following was ignored completely and he just gave up and wanted to die. And he dies instead of reuniting with Leia properly. Mark Hamill wanted Luke to live until Episode IX where he would pass on what he learned to Rey. No big battle with Snoke, no passing on, instead Luke dies and all we’re getting is force ghost Luke. Luke Skywalker was a hero to an entire generation.  Luke was the true heart of Star Wars. His was the journey we followed from idealistic farm boy dreaming of adventure, to reluctant warrior, and finally to savior of the entire galaxy. The original trilogy built him up, and The Last Jedi finally broke him down. I for one mourn my hero’s passing.  

Luke Skywalker tries to murder his nephew in his sleep and  is blamed for Ben Solo’s fall and Kylo Ren. Luke would not even think of trying to kill his nephew in his sleep. He would try to talk to him and try to pull him back to the light. His sister brought Ben there for protection and guidance. Even if that did fail, you did not need to make Luke attempt to murder him. You did not need to make Luke, Leia and Han at fault for Kylo Ren. Kylo is a grown ass man, he is responsible for his own actions. Kylo was going to murder the Jedi and younglings regardless, he already fell to the dark side. No one is responsible for Kylo’s actions but Kylo Ren. Boy, I sure do miss Legends Luke and Jacen Solo

Rey and Luke have no meaningful relationship. There is no teacher and student relationship. Luke teaches her nothing. Rey is already all powerful for…..reasons. He doesn’t even impart any sort of wisdom, guidance or a semblance that they even had a relationship or that he taught her anything. All he was towards Rey was a bitter old man trying to get the girl to leave her lawn. And all of a sudden “we passed on all we know” SINCE FUCKING WHEN??? Rey learned nothing all movie and we are to expect she learns everything off screen. We were deprived of a positive Rey and Luke mentor and student relationship and we were given complete garbage. What we should’ve gotten was Luke teaching Rey to feel the force, to build her own lightsaber and that attachments can lead you to the dark side if you let them, but they won’t lead you to darkness if you control your emotions. A battle between Rey and Luke against Kylo and the Knights Of Ren. Rey abducted and Luke has to lift his X-Wing and board the Supremacy to save Rey. Luke fighting Snoke and Rey against Kylo. Rey loses her fight and loses a hand. Luke stops Snoke and takes Rey to escape. Luke blasts away the battering laser. Fights Kylo on Crait with his green lightsaber. Escapes and reunites with Leia and Rey. Instead we are given nothing.

Luke doesn’t grieve for Han. Han Solo is Luke’s best friend. They have been together for decades. We are not allowed to see Luke react to Han’s death or Luke to grieve that his best friend is dead. Han was a big influence and friend it was dismissed as if he barely knew him. To quote Mark Hamill on the matter “They had time for me to milk that big alien but to show any human emotion? Nah”

Luke’s last moment with Leia is ultimately pointless. He was there as a projection. His last moment with Leia was made meaningless. He wasn’t even there. It was a great moment with Mark and Carrie, but it was ultimately a giant fuck you to everyone who loved Luke and Leia and wanted to see them reunite.

Luke’s confrontation with Kylo is ultimately meaningless. We are not allowed to see Luke Skywalker as a powerful Jedi Master. He does not wield his Green Lightsaber, he does not bring down all the AT-ATs, the transports, shuttles or bring down the star destroyers in orbit. He’s not even there thus making the confrontation with Kylo ultimately pointless. He toys with Kylo, but we don’t see a lightsaber fight between them.

Luke is only coming back as a force ghost and from the sound of it, it will only be a cameo.

Mark Hamill was ultimately disgusted with the direction they took with Luke. He is heartbroken that he never got to reunite with his friends and that Carrie is no longer with us. He now wishes that he’s done with Star Wars. He went from being excited to returning to the role that made his career and the character that he loves so much to being broken and apathetic. Crying on set and just being absolutely miserable throughout the whole affair. Mark did not return to play Luke Skywalker, he returned to play Jake Soywalker. It’s like Mark said “should’ve left well enough alone” Should’ve left the original trilogy alone and made your own story, but no, you had to break down Han, Luke and Leia to pointlessly build up these new characters. Mark Hamill and Luke Skywalker deserved better

List of ways they could’ve handled Han in the sequel trilogy

Make Han Solo a joint General with Leia in The Resistance.  Both Han and Leia lead the Resistance. When Poe hasn’t reported in, Leia sends Han to Jakku. Han has the Falcon. They find Rey, Finn and Poe under attack on Jakku, which leads to Han saving our heroes. “We’ve been looking for you kid.” Han chooses to go to Takodana so he doesn’t lead The First Order to D’Qar. We can see Han mentoring Rey about the Falcon and being a father figure to Rey and Finn. Instead of Maz’s talk of “Han, go home” Maz will simply tell Han. “Han, let him go. Your son is gone.” Han will simply say. “My son is still alive” When he sees Kylo abducting Rey, he knows it’s Ben. When he returns to Leia, keep in the “I found our son” Instead of giving the vibe that they split up, make it clear that Han and Leia have been married for over 30 years. They stood strong together despite the tragedy of their son. Han inspired Leia to form The Resistance after The New Republic abandoned her. Together they lead The Resistance in the hopes of finding Luke and their son. Their goodbye is pretty much the same, but Han kisses Leia goodbye. Han’s death remains the same because it was beautifully well done.

Have Han mention he spent years with Chewie and Lando searching the galaxy for his son and when he finally sees him, he is filled with  dread but still reaches out to his son.  

What they chose to do with Han instead

Pointlessly regress Han’s character. The Force Awakens undoes everything about Han’s character arc in the original trilogy.  Han starts out as a selfish smuggler who is COMPLETELY fine with letting other people die if it meant his own survival and goes through an internal and external journey to not only give a damn about his fellow person but also grow as an individual to be a hero that is willing to risk his own safety for a much larger cause than himself. And all that character development is thrown out the window.  The new canon is dead set on making Han a bad father. They made it so that Han goes back to smuggling. Han learned that there is something more than smuggling and Han and Leia breaking up because their son turns to the dark side? Han would never leave Leia or abandon his child. It is simply bad writing to redo his entire arc from the original trilogy again and to make him a bad parent when it is out of his character to do so. Legends understood Han and Leia better. Han and Leia stood strong in their marriage for 3 decades despite a hostile extra Galactic invading species killing both Chewbacca and their 14 year old son Anakin, their other son Jacen becoming a Sith, him killing Luke’s wife Mara, and having to be killed by his twin, their daughter Jaina. And they both still kept up their roles as a General and Chief of State/Ambassador.

Not giving Han Solo, an iconic hero a funeral or even a memorial. 

No one is allowed to grieve for Han Solo. Not his wife and mother of his son, not his best friend for decades and had a life debt to Han or even his brother Luke. I doubt they will even let Lando grieve for Han

Not really about Han...but the treatment of Chewbacca. Chewie is not allowed to mourn the death of his decades-long companion to whom he owed a life debt nor is he allowed a moment of forgiveness and reconciliation with Luke. Nor is he given a scene mourning the deaths of Han and Luke with Leia. What does Chewie get? Barely any screen time, Rey has to translate Chewie to Luke WHEN LUKE KNOWS HOW TO COMMUNICATE WITH CHEWIE and instead of just letting him eat in peace, he is made to feel guilty of his predator nature and is used as a bad “eating animals is bad” message. He doesn’t even try to talk Rey out of her dumbass plan and is used as a matchmaker tool for her and Finn. His biggest moment is a fucking comic relief scene with Porgs. In this new trilogy they don’t treat Chewie like a person. I was pretty appalled in TFA too, when Chewie and General Organa literally ignore each other, walk past each other without so much as a glance and then Rey gets a hug? Chewie was Han Solo’s companion and best friend for at least a half-century, stuck with him when Han and Leia broke up, and he’s not even allowed to mourn onscreen? Chewie and Leia don’t even interact during the end of TLJ at all. Chewie is not allowed to mourn for any of his best friends at all nor is he allowed to try and talk Rey out of her obvious dangerous plan by going to the man WHO KILLED HIS BEST FRIEND, in what way would Chewie even be okay with that? This is a day later, a single day and the wounds are still fresh. And he is mainly used as comic relief and is not used as a character and hero of the rebellion nor is he allowed to grieve. Chewbacca deserved so much better.

List of ways they could’ve handled Leia in the sequel trilogy

Leia is Chancellor of The New Republic and Jedi Master who leads The New Republic against The First Order

Leia using Battle Meditation to lead The Resistance to victory in battles against The First Order

Leia taking up her old Yellow Lightsaber one last time to fight Snoke and face her son

Leia actually being warm, understanding and loving, but firm when it comes to Poe. Leia openly slapping and stunning Poe was nothing like Leia in the OT. It just made her extremely unlikable. Poe saw the bigger picture, Leia did not.

The Supremacy boards The Raddus and Leia surrenders and offers herself to become a hostage to save The Resistance. This gives us the opportunity to see Leia confront Snoke and Leia actually having screen time with her son. Snoke’s plan is to use Leia to draw Luke and Rey out of hiding. It would’ve been more meaningful if we got to see scenes with Leia and Kylo, who actually have a connection. Rey and Kylo was not meaningful. We needed to see Leia and her son interact. We needed to see Leia trying to reach her son but falling on deaf ears as her son has truly fallen to the dark side, yet despite all this, Leia forgives him and Kylo would just break down and have his famous tantrum attack. The scenes with Kylo and Leia could have been the most heartbreaking thing to witness. This will also give us Luke sensing his sister is in danger and allowing himself to feel the force, free his X-Wing and save his sister. This will also give Poe and Finn the mission to find Rose(this time a Resistance Hacker) and to disable The Supremacy so The Resistance can mount a rescue operation. Everything comes full circle. Save Leia, Luke rescues his sister, Luke confronts Snoke and Kylo confronts his mother and then Rey. There you go I single-handedly made The Last Jedi a better movie.

Leia actually affecting the plot of TLJ and isn’t in a coma for 90% of the movie.

What they chose to do with Leia instead

Not making Leia a Jedi. The new trilogy was DEAD SET on not making Leia a Jedi. Empire Strikes Back and Return Of The Jedi said Leia has the potential to become a Jedi. “That boy is our last hope. “No there is another.” “The force is strong in my family, my father has it, I have it and my sister has that power.” Apparently JJ saw all that and thought “I think that all meant was to not make Leia a Jedi and just have spout off expository dialogue, break up the most iconic relationship in Star Wars for no reason and have her sit there and do nothing all movie” The last two movies were setting Leia up to be a Jedi and they did nothing with her. She could’ve been a Jedi Master and a politician but chose not to. For whatever stupid reason they did not want Leia to be a Jedi.  Leia could have used Battle Meditation to ensure the destruction of Starkiller Base was a success. and then used it to ensure the safety of the Resistance in TLJ, but they thought turning Leia into a Mary Poppins meme was the best possible use to give Carrie a swansong.

Spout expository dialogue and do nothing

Making facial expressions and doing nothing

Carrie FIsher was forced by Lucasfilm to lose weight in order to return and it costed her, her health. Carrie was perfectly healthy before that diet was forced on her and she did little to nothing all sequel trilogy, so she was told to lose weight at the cost of her own health so she can do nothing all movie, have no emotional connection with her son, grieve for Luke or Han or actually be significant to the Rebellion she has been leading all her life

Not mourning her husband or showing her grieve AT ALL

Leia does not grieve with Chewie, she even hugs Rey instead of Chewie

Leia does not mourn for Luke or Han

Becoming a Mary Poppins meme, unconscious for 90% of the movie, be unlikable and slap and stun your second in command and do nothing all movie. TLJ does absolutely nothing with Leia. Carrie Fisher is gone. The character herself does nothing to affect the plot. We all knew that Leia was strong and powerful with the force, but the way they decided to have it be shown is baffling. Instead of showing Leia using  the force to send the missiles flying at Kylo’s wing men or use Battle Meditation to inspire the Resistance to fight, instead we see the most impressive, and stupid looking, display of force powers, nothing follows from that. Leia goes into a coma for most the movie and then just hangs around. Isn’t it weird that Leia, one of the most important characters in the entire franchise only sees her brother for a moment, never mentions her husband, shares no screen time with her own son and isn’t even the focus in the very rebellion she’s been fighting for her entire life. In the end, all of her loved ones are dead, her son wants to destroy her legacy, her allies abandoned her, her soldiers were almost all killed, and due to Carrie Fisher’s passing, TLJ is her swan song and curtain call. One of the most iconic and empowering women in all of cinema gets to go out as a supporting character and Mary Poppins meme.

#Anti TLJ #Anti Rian Johnson #Anti TFA #My Changes #Anti JJ Abrams #Anti Lucasfilm #Rey #Finn #Poe Dameron #Rose Tico #Kylo Ren #General Armitage Hux #Captain Phasma #Supreme Leader Snoke #Luke Skywalker #Leia Organa #Han Solo

[mysteli]

protective instincts (jax x mc)

A/N: Its the second date fic for the bb lis. this one is for Jax since he got second on the vote. this one is very different to kamilah’s don’t worry and I’m not sure how I feel about it yet 

Warning: T (swearing and LOTS of innuendo)

Words: 2944

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Let me know if you wanna be tagged! 💗and let me know if the tags work because Tumblr is acting up.

Summary: Jax and Elena try going on their first date but it doesn’t turn out as generic as they had originally hoped

Masterlist

BLOODBOUND FAN FICTION PROTECTIVE INSTINCTS

Elena’s eyes flutter open slowly, as she’s slowly welcomed back into the light of day. Well, not really since there’s no light to awaken her abruptly like something usually would in her apartment. But that certainly won’t happen now since she stayed over at Jax’s the night before. 

And what a night it was. Countless amount of passion and desire fuelled into each other and Elena has never felt more complete than she does right now. She notices how Jax has an arm snaked around her waist and over her stomach. It’s obvious he isn’t asleep. Why would he be? But he seems to be dazed enough to be in his own little world. Elena relives so of the moments from last night in her end and a content smile stretches across her lips. She bites her lower lip nervously and decides to freshen up while Jax gains back his conscience. 

Elena carefully removes his hand from her waist and slowly drifts off the edge of the bed. It’s unbelievable how Jax hasn’t realised yet or maybe he has and he just can’t be bothered getting up. Rolling her lime eyes, Elena quickly scans the room for something to wear, her gaze landing on Jax’s brown leather jacket and she throws it around her as she ventures into the kitchen. 

She can’t seem to stop herself from smiling. She’s never been this happy about anything before and Jax really makes her life feel like he was the missing piece in it all along. Elena brings her lower lip between her teeth again, as she presses her palms against the counter and releases a sigh of satisfaction. She’s truly thankful for what she’s been given and she hopes there are many days like this still to come. 

All of a sudden, it only takes a dose of insane speed and one swift motion for Jax to end up behind Elena, wrapping his hands around her waist and spreading his palms out across her stomach but that action is performed a lot more slowly, which is almost painful for Elena to wait out.

Jax nuzzles her neck and smirks at the breathy moan she releases in response. “Where do you think you’re going? Not bailing out early, are you?” He teases, his tone wrapped with a cockiness she just expects from him now. Elena simply tilts her head so that their eyes meet, her own smirk slowly forming.

“No... I was just gonna freshen up.” She mutters, arching her head back against Jax’s shoulder as he begins moving his hands up and down her stomach agonisingly slowly, causing her body to shudder in reaction.

Hearing that, Jax glances around the space, furrowing his brows. “In the... kitchen?” 

With that, Elena rolls her eyes and finally relents. “Well, maybe I was reliving some of the best moments of last night too.” She admits, barely able to suppress a moan as Jax presses their bodies closer, clearly trying to see what reactions he can get out of her.

“Maybe? Hm, I don’t like those odds.” Jax responds, his eyebrows raising in disbelief when clearly he’s playing a game.

With that, Elena’s smile transitions into a smirk and she decides to play along, adding in her own twist. “You should know, I’m not gonna change my mind so easily.” She whispers back, beckoning Jax by placing a finger on his chin and tilting his head ever so slightly.

His desirable gaze darkens and he leans in so his lips are hovering over the nape of Elena’s neck. “Heh, well... maybe I’ll just have to do it for you.” 

“Forget the maybe, Jax. Do it.” Elena orders and that’s all the confirmation Jax needs before he twists Elena in his arms and crushes their lips together. 

The kisses have no time to build up the desire and passion, as if it’s already exploding before their lips even attach. Both hearts are burning with anticipation and a fire ignites inside their bodies. Jax slips his hands under the material of the leather jacket and takes this as an opportunity to cup Elena’s ass. Her lips part as a response and Jax takes advantage of that by slipping his tongue into her mouth, wanting full control of the situation. 

Elena deepens the kiss by tilting her head to the side and giving Jax a lot more access to her mouth. She runs her fingers through his jet black hair and her breath catches in her throat, when Jax sweeps her off her feet and places her onto the counter. The cold wood on her body causes her to moan aloud and Jax smirks against her lips in response.

By the time, they pull away, they’re both breathless and Elena eyes Jax with a questioning look. “Why’d you stop? Thought you had something to prove.” Elena reminds him and Jax just chuckles breathily in reaction.

“Yeah I do. But... I thought maybe we could do it a different way.” Jax suggests and Elena’s light green eyes narrow, as curiosity builds like brick in her strong gaze.

“Oh really? What did you have in mind?” 

Jax leans in so their lips are almost touching, the space between them and lack of physical contact soon becoming too agonising to bear. To zero some of the space, Jax knocks their foreheads together and Elena lets out a sigh of relief in response.

“...a date.” He finally reveals in a soft whisper, a genuine smile creeping up on his lips. Elena is a little caught of guard with his words at first and she finds her eyes widening rather incredulously.

“A... date?” 

The certainty of Jax slowly begins to fade and his confidence in his decision drops when he notices the utter disbelief in the eyes of his girlfriend. “What’s wrong? You looked scared.” Jax’s shoulders slump back in disappointment as he catches on to what might be happening here. “Do you not... like the idea?”

Elena’s features immediately relax upon hearing his reluctance and she brings their lips together briefly as a way to reassure Jax. “No! It’s not that. I just... never expected to hear those words come out of your mouth.”

Jax furrows his brows, confused at first. “Why? Is it so crazy for me to wanna go on a date with my own girlfriend?” He counters, lacing his fingers with Elena and kissing each of her fingers sweetly. “Besides, we’ve never really a chance to do something... human... with everything that’s been going on so I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to start that normal life we were talking about.” 

Elena melts at Jax’s words but there’s still uncertainty hidden in her eyes. “And that starts with a... date?” 

“Exactly.”

Elena finally sees that Jax is being serious about this and finds herself too intrigued to turn down his offer. “Okay. Let’s see what a date with Jax Matsuo.” 

“They’re not easy, I’ll tell you that.” Jax admits, running his hands up Elena’s bare thighs and watching as her lips part and her head arches back in reaction. 

Elena strokes the hair at the back of Jax’s neck, pouting at him playfully. “So tell me... what exactly do you have planned for this date?” She questions, her eagerness clearly not shying away. 

“Is there no mystery left in romance anymore?” Jax retorts, not sure why Elena wouldn’t want it to be a surprise.

“Don’t worry, I can keep a secret, the proof being how I’m keeping your whole species a secret from the rest of the world.” Elena clarifies and Jax can’t suppress the laugh that escapes him. 

“Alright. I was thinking someplace fancy...”

Elena groans upon hearing that. 

“What?”

“Jax, you know Adrian was kidding when he said ‘Welcome to the fancy life’, right? You don’t have to act like that because you’re a Clan Leader now.” Elena states, stroking Jax’s jaw thoughtfully and he nods in response.

“I know that. I just thought I’d treat you.” He mutters, joining their foreheads and she shakes her head at him dismissively.

“I don’t need any treats from you. Just take me somewhere casual and clean.” Elena assures and Jax contemplates for a moment where a place like that exists.

“Fine, okay. How about a diner? Does that satisfy your standards, Elena?” Jax suggests and Elena can’t help but grin in response. 

“Sounds perfect.”

As the day melts into the evening, Elena and Jax make their way over to the nearest diner, keeping their appearances rather casual for this more idle date they have planned. It’s pretty obvious that they’re both nervous as well as excited about this. In fact, this may be the first time either of them has had a chance to act like a mundane couple that everyone sees walking the streets, hand in hand. They’ve never had a chance to be like that with everything that’s been going on.

All Jax wants is to give Elena the chance to have her life back and if doing cheesy things like this will make her happy then he’s willing to do it a thousand times and even more. The diner is pretty retro, as one would expect and Jax really likes the theme of it because it reminds him of the fifties, a time when he was very much alive. It reminds him of simpler times and he’s hoping Elena has learned to appreciate that too.

Jax admires the exterior of the diner with a small smile and Elena entwines their hands before glancing at him curiously. “Remind you of something?” 

Jax meets her gaze, his eyes moving to the floor for a second. “Guess you could say that.” 

With that, they both enter the diner with their hands intertwined. Once they walk in, they seat themselves in one of the booths, only now realising how deserted the diner actually is. Jax and Elena position themselves opposite each other and it doesn’t take long for a conversation to start flowing.

“So, what do you think of this place?” Jax questions, gesturing to their surroundings and it prompts Elena to admire it again. “Does it fit with your casual and clean standards?” He adds, the corner of his lips tilting up teasingly.

Elena brushes off his comment and forms a small smile. “It’s perfect. I like us without all the fancy stuff.” She responds, reaching over and taking Jax’s hand in her own. 

Jax brushes over her knuckles with his thumb, his tender touch sending a satisfied feeling throughout her body. “Heh, me too. Plus it’s always nice to see some of the old stuff again. Those days were a whole lot simpler.” 

Elena furrows her brows eagerly. “I don’t think I can ask you about this topic without making you feel old.” 

Jax runs a hand through his hair and chuckles half-heartedly. “It’s alright. Sometimes it’s nice to reminisce but me, I loved to coming to places like this.” He admits, folding his arms and leaning against the table.

“I always thought you were more of a dive bar kind of guy.” Elena admits, leaning her jaw on her fist and clearly showing interest.

Jax just laughs at that, almost scoffing mockingly. “Ha. No... I like the vintage stuff. Why do you think I carry katanas around?” 

“Because you’re really safety-conscious?” Elena assumes, her smirk returning and Jax chuckles at her comment. 

“That’s a decent reason as well.” Jax counters. “You can never be too careful when there’s savage ferals hiding behind every corner.” 

Elena giggles melodically and it’s like music to Jax’s ears. “Well I—“

Before Elena can speak again, heavy footsteps stomping along the tiled floor off the restaurant cause both her and Jax to seek out where the noise was coming from. They’re immediately confused when they spot two male figures approaching them and that causes Jax’s protective instincts to instantly kick in as he can practically sense the uneasiness surrounding the stranger.

Soon enough, the men reach them, their builds rather muscular but they look like they haven’t slept for a good week. Jax narrows his eyes suspiciously at the two men, feeling suddenly easy at the sight of them. The uneasy tension in his body increases as one the men’s eyes sweep over Elena and the intensity of his gaze could burn a hole in her fragile head.

“Can we help you?” Elena pipes up first, running a hand through her hair and eyeing the men strangely. 

One of the men smirk at Elena, placing their hand on the table firmly and it startles Elena slightly. “Depends what you’re offering, Angel.” He responds, his intentions clear in his tone but then his expression falls solemn. “How about you start by giving us our table back?”

Elena’s features appear incredulous and Jax’s skepticism only increases dramatically. “I’m sorry... what?”

“These are our seats and you’re gonna get out of them.” The man orders, the commanding tone not enough to intimidate Elena or Jax in the slightest. In fact, it only tests their patience more than anything. 

“No can do, man.” Jax bites back, rising from his seat and squaring up with one of the men. They’re both around the same height with the other man being around an inch taller. There’s an obvious fire flaring in Jax’s eyes and he can’t seem to hold in his anger anymore. He has this sudden need to keep Elena away from guys like these.

The man practically laughs in Jax’s face, almost spitting all over his features. “Who the fuck do you think you are, tough guy?” 

“Jax... don’t.” Elena urges, rubbing his arm comfortingly and Jax stiffens a little when he locks eyes with her. 

Jax tilts his head back up towards the man before him, staring at him with narrowed eyes. “Fine. We’ll go. Just stop staring at her like that and then we don’t have a problem.” 

With that, Jax tugs Elena by her wrist and starts leading her out of the diner. Just when you think the conflict is over, sickening words leave the man’s mouth and it prompts Jax to do something he know he won’t regret. 

“Can’t really help it when she looks as tasty as she does.” 

By then, Jax has reached his breaking point. He swerves around and before Elena can stop him, he clocks the disgusting idiot right in the face while the other one just stares at the situation. The man falls back against a nearby table that gives Jax a minute to admire his work but when the man recovers, his eyes widen a little as he tugs Elena out of the diner. 

They barely make it outside before the men come chasing after them and Jax will die before he lets them get his hands on Elena. He tugs her around the diner and into a nearby alleyway, swiftly pressing her against the wall and placing a firm finger on her lips as she prepares to speak. The men don’t notice them, darting right past the alleyway and both Jax and Elena don’t dare speak until the men’s muffled voices are no longer in earshot.

However, even when silence takes over, Jax doesn’t take his finger off Elena’s lips and she eyes him expectantly, a little impatient when his finger doesn’t move. 

“Jax... do you mind?” Elena mutters and Jax just laughs, dragging his finger down her lower lip and narrowing his eyes at her intently. “Care to explain what the fucking point of that was?” She asks, folding her arms in an expectant manor and Jax tilts his head at her, stroking his jaw thoughtfully.

“That guy was staring at you like you were an object.” 

“Well, you kinda got us chased out of the diner. Not sure how this can be a normal date without any good food.” Elena points out and that’s when Jax leans in, pausing inches away from her face. Her breath catches in her throat as Jax brushes her cheek with his thumb, his touch more tender than usual. 

“Heh, sorry I kinda ruined the date. Just couldn’t stand what they must have been thinking.” Jax apologises, his gaze skimming intensely over Elena’s features and she forms a weak smile. 

“It’s okay. Like I said, a date with you is a date as long as you’re there.” 

“Still... I wish there was a way I could redeem myself.” Jax suddenly suggests, his voice dropping to a soft whisper and Elena arches an eyebrow at the idea.

“You know... there may be a way you could make it up to me.” Elena whispers back, her hands moving up Jax’s chest and entwining around his neck. He flinches at her touch, biting his lower lip as he takes in the sight of her.

“Enlighten me then.” Jax insists and that’s when Elena responds by dragging him in for a long, lingering kiss. She attempts to end it after a few seconds but Jax immediately connects their lips again, bringing her in for a more deepened kiss which stifles a breathy moan out of Elena. 

Jax pins her against the wall, keeping a firm grip on her hips as he slips his tongue into her mouth. Their mouths moves at a perfect rhythm and the crisp cold air of the alleyway mixes with the taste of their lips. Elena tangled her fingers in Jax’s hair, making sure there is zero space between them.

This sure wasn’t an ordinary date but it sure as hell was a date with Jax Matsuo. 

#hope you like it #playchoices #choices #pixelberry #choices stories you play #pb choices #bloodbound #bb #choices bb #jax matsuo #Jax x mc #mc x Jax #fan fiction #mysteli #writing

[emilybmua-blog]

FAVORITE BASE PRODUCTS 2019!

Hey everyone! For my first content post I wanted to talk about my holy grail face products. I have numbered each product so that way it’s a lot easier to read each individual product review. I swear my alllllllllll of these products and all of them are definitely worth the splurge, but don’t feel like you have to buy anything, especially the more expensive items. Hope this helps!

1. NYX BB Cream in the shade 02 “Natural” : This product is an amazing, light coverage layer that evens skin tone and provides some coverage! However, the shade range is not great—only 3 (!!!) light colors are offered, which in my opinion is absolutely horrendous. Even though the formula is absolutely stunning, long wearing and affordable, it’s very disappointing that only three skin tones can appreciate how great it is. That being said, if you happen to be one of the lucky 3 (like myself) I do highly recommend this product for all skin types for a light coverage moment like school, work, or even just carving out your brows! ($13)

2. Maybelline Fit Me Loose Powder in shade “Fair Light” : This powder is absolutely amazing. It helps minimize oil and also works with dry skin as well. The shade range is absolutely stunning and provides shades for all skin tones. The powder does not flash back, feels soft and velvety on the skin, and is only $6! I can not recommend a product more, it’s probably my favorite face product I’ve ever purchased. ($6)

3. Makeup Revolution Highlight Palette : I love this palette even though I can only highlight with two of the colors. They are absolutely B-L-I-N-D-I-N-G! The colors will fit so many different skin tones because there are four colors in the palette: a light gold, rose gold, bronze, and dark bronze. The ones you can’t highlight with you can use as eyeshadows or inner corner highlights to get your money’s worth. The price is right too! ($15)

4. Elf Cream Blush : To be honest, I have only used this product one time so far (because I bought it yesterday LOL) but I can already tell this blush is everything I’ve been looking for. All the blushes I’ve tried emphasize my pores or are too light, so I picked this one up from Ulta for $4 during a “why not?” moment. Let me tell you though, this cream blush lasted with the same color payoff for SEVEN hours. Seriously. After seven hours it still looked like I had just applied it. Not to mention, but I actually applied the cream blush OVER my powder and it looked stunning, I can only imagine what it will look like under it! Don’t be scared of cream blush, especially not this one. I highly recommend! ($4)

5. Elf Clear Brow Gel & Mascara : Girllllll this stuff is so BOMB! You simply run it through your brows and they keep them in place all day long. When I first purchased it I was worried that I wouldn’t use the mascara side because I’m not one for clear mascara. However, I discovered that you don’t need to use the clear mascara as MASCARA, you can use it as brow gel once the clear brow gel runs out. I bought it at CVS but they also sell it at Target, Rite Aid, and so many more drugstores for less than $5! ($2)

6. NYX Micro Brow Pencil in shade “Chocolate” : I have literally been using this brow pencil since almost day one (2017) and it’s really the best. I love it better than any gel, pomade, or any other pencil I’ve tried—and I’ve had my fair share of trials and errors when it comes to brows. They have so many beautiful shades for all skin tones and brow colors (“Chocolate” is my absolute dead-on match) and the way the pencil is designed allows for you to get the perfect shape super easily. There is a great amount of product and it comes with a spoolie on the end too, an added bonus! ($10)

7. NYX Born to Glow highlighter : I picked up this highlighter close to a year ago because I saw it at Ulta and I thought it “looked pretty.” Who knew a year later I would hit pan and use it every day? Not me! This highlighter is absolutely stunning and blinding, but it doesn’t have to be if you don’t want it to be. It is very powdery though—make sure you do your makeup BEFORE you get dressed, or else you’ll be covered in gold powder. ($10)

8. Maybelline Age Rewind Concealer in shade “Fair” : This is another product that I’ve only used once but one time was enough to make a proper judgement. Although I kinda hate the applicator, the product inside is worth the purchase. The concealer is beautiful and medium coverage and works super well with the Fit Me powder. I recommend this product so much! ($9)

9. Catrice Liquid Camouflage Concealer in shade “Porcelain” : THIS CONCEALER IS A GIFT FROM GOD. Talk about full-coverage, this concealer will cover up anything you don’t want. It blends out beautifully and works well with the Fit Me powder. However, talk about terrible shade ranges: this product has THE WORST shade range I’ve ever seen. From what I’ve seen, they have white, whiter, and whitest. Literally 3 shades. That’s it. That is absolutely unacceptable. I actually have started to try to branch out to newer concealers because I don’t want to support a brand (Catrice) that puts no effort into making products for people of color. However, I couldn’t not put it in this post because it really is a beautiful product. If shade ranges aren’t a priority to you and you are one of the lucky 3, I do recommend the formula of this product. ($6)

10. Physicians Formula Butter Bronzer : This product has changed my life! Not only does it make your skin look super beautiful and bronzed, but it is soft to the touch and smells AMAZING. I know when compared to the prices of other drugstore bronzers this product is relatively expensive but it is worth every penny. It works for so many skin tones (from light - medium) but it unfortunately wouldn’t work for those in the deep or rich category. However, if you can use it, you should use it! ($15)

11. Too Faced Born This Way Foundation in shade “Nude” : This foundation was the first luxury product that I purchased with my own hard earned money and it truly changed my life. It’s marketed towards dry-combo skin, but I have both oily and dry patches and this foundation makes me feel so beautiful and my skin feel hydrated but also covered. If you are looking for a BOMB foundation to splurge on this is the one for you. However, there are alternate cheaper options, and don’t feel like you NEED to buy it. ($39)

12. Ulta Beauty Face Primer : This primer is my favorite one I’ve ever tried. It is straight silicon so if you’re skin is sensitive/ you have an allergy I would stay away from this product. However, if you don’t have any sensitivities or allergies, this product works wonders mattifying without drying, blurring without causing acne, and allowing the skin to have a beautiful and soft appearance and touch. It is a great product, but it’s almost never in stock in stores, so make sure to get your hands on it if you see it! ($18)

#makeup #glammakeup #basemakeup #ultabeauty #beauty #foundation #concealer #powder #highlight #affordable #bronze #reviews #makeupreview #skincare #inclusion #favorite

[sigrun23]

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Broadway, Part 1

I decided to split my review into two parts because it's going to be long and because at least two people are waiting for it and I don’t want them to wait any longer. The first part is general thoughts about the theatre, the audience and actors. The second part will be a detailed description of many scenes, with main focus on changes introduced on Broadway. I'm going to post the second part in a few days. Hopefully. 

3rd of June and 7th/8th of June 2018

The Lyric Theatre: I'm going to start this review with my thoughts about the Lyric Theatre. It's beautiful, it's huge and it's comfortable. There's much more space than in the Palace Theatre and many cosy sofas where you can sit before the show or during the interval. I loved them and it's something they should implement in the Palace. The auditorium is bigger than in London and it really looks like there aren't any truly bad seats (like balcony seats or seats in front of the pillar in the Palace). The front rows are much closer to the stage. I sat in row B and it felt like row AA/BB in the Palace. There's no room between the stage and the first row and people sitting there were touching the stage with their knees. The stage is also bigger and I felt that sometimes it was too big for this play. Also, the auditorium in the Palace feels cozier, more intimate. And there's no question which theatre looks better from the outside. The Palace wins every time, even with roadworks in front of it. Oh, and the queue to women's restrooms in the Lyric during the interval was ridiculous. Keep that in mind and quickly leave the auditorium if you need to use the bathroom.

Audience: Merlin, the Americans are so loud and expressive! They clap and cheer every time an old character (Harry, Dumbledore, even Myrtle) appears on stage. They clap after certain scenes, like wand dance, Death Eaters dance or scene with Scorpius and Snape. The only time British audience claps during the play is when Scorpius restores the time and Albus appears in the lake. They laugh at moments I've never heard people laugh at before. For me it was too distracting, too loud. And why, why!, people eat and drink in the theatre?! I understand eating in the cinema, music and sound effects are loud enough to drown the rustling. But in the theatre you can hear every tiny noise and rustle. I lost count on how many sweets children in front of me ate. And the man next to me drank a strong liquor at the beginning of Part 2. It's really not nice to sit next to a person who reeks of strong alcohol for three hours. All in all, I prefer a more reserved and restrained British audience.

Stage door: it was well organised, there were more people than in London but everyone was polite and well-behaved. It rained heavily during the first stage door but despite the bad weather thirteen actors came out. Sadly, only Paul and Poppy from the main seven. I decided to go on Tuesday as well, after my trip to Philadelphia, and it was a good decision because apart from Paul and Poppy, Noma, Sam and Anthony came out. On Friday only Paul, Sam and Anthony met the fans but I was satisfied because I managed to talk with them for a bit longer, thank Sam for replying to my letter last year and wish Anthony a happy birthday. Of course, a lot of other actors came out every time and they were all very kind. No luck again with meeting Jamie. xD

New actors: I liked new actors, except for Geraldine Hughes who plays McGonagall. I know a lot of people says she has a terrible accent but I'm not the one to judge that. But she was bad overall, she said her lines like she was reading a book, everything in the same tone of voice, no emotions, no nuances. I liked a lot Edward Hyland who plays Amos and Dumbledore and Byron Jennings (Snape/Voldemort), though he's not as good as David Annen. Jessie Fisher was great, though only on the second visit I started to like her Delphi. Her Delphi seems much older than the others I've seen. She has a very deep voice and I think her voice was the main thing in her performance that put me off in the beginning. In Part 1 she's funny, adorable, kind and confident. In Part 2 she's truly terrifying and insane but in a different way than Esther or Annabel. It's hard to describe that difference but I'll try. Esther and Annabel were mad and evil but in a kind of beautiful, even sexy way, while Jessie's Delphi's insanity is ugly, but very humane. There's nothing kind or beautiful left in her. And while I still prefer Esther and Annabel, I think Jessie is brilliant and made Delphi really her own. She also has a great chemistry with the boys.

Main seven: they were the reason I flew to NYC and they didn't disappoint. It was so good to see them all again and they all still remain my favourite actors in their respective roles. (I haven’t seen the cast three yet so it may change. But I doubt it.) Jamie, Alex, Noma and Paul were as amazing as in London, their performances didn't change much. Poppy and Sam - I don't know what it was, I'm unable to point specific things in their performances, but they were even better than in London. I always adored them, I'm in love with Sam's Albus, and watching their beautiful portrayals of Ginny and Albus, making them even better than before, brought me an immense joy and happiness.

Anthony Boyle: I wouldn't have made a separate part about Anthony's Scorpius if it hadn't been for a few reviews saying how much his Scorpius has changed. People reported that his Scorpius wasn't what he used to be, that they missed old Scorpius and all that made me scared and anxious that I wasn't going to like Anthony on Broadway, that his Scorpius would be completely different. But for me he hasn't changed much. Anthony started to play Scorpius differently (he was more serious, calmer) towards the end of London run (I noticed the difference in March compared to shows I saw in January). It wasn't a big difference but it was noticeable (I saw the play for the first time in November so maybe he started changing his performance earlier and the difference was bigger for people who saw him in the very beginning). I liked this slight change but was afraid that on Broadway he was even more quiet, calm, serious. But he wasn't. Anthony's Scorpius is still the Scorpius I fell in love with. He's awkward, funny, fidgety, he still speaks in this specific, squeaky voice, sometimes so high and quick that you can barely understand him, he still wraps himself in his robes, he tucks his hair behind ears, he rubs his eyes. Everything I remembered from London is still there. He speaks a bit slower, so Americans can understand his accent, I guess, but so does Jamie. I don't know why people wrote that he had changed so much. Maybe I suck at noticing differences and nuances in the performances, maybe Anthony started to play Scorpius the way he used to in London once he relaxed and knew that Broadway liked his Scorpius. Either way, I'm overjoyed that I could once again see my Scorpius. And connection and chemistry between Sam's Albus and Anthony's Scorpius is as strong as always. They are perfect together.

tbc  

#if you have any questions feel free to ask #or if you want to discuss anything #harry potter and the cursed child #cursed child broadway #the cursed child report #sam clemmett #anthony boyle #jamie parker #poppy miller #alex price #noma dumezweni #paul thornley #jessie fisher

[cvenir]

imma try this again bc i said y’know fck it (heh) bc i need to introduce these characters before making proper bios ok here we go

so actually since i did do zella, felix, and gwenna’s bios, i’ll actually just leave them out of the intro bc like.... i have 8 more lmao so like here you can find their bios in the first three circles n also imma link all the pinterests aGAIN bc they probably do more than i can

these are gonna be crude n real cut n dry but let’s face it who has time to read everything abt all 11 ok this is for US

CHRISTOPHER ‘KIT’ MILLER looks an awful lot like DONALD GLOVER. HE is THIRTY-TWO and while they’re MAGNETIC, they have a tendency to get pretty MERCENARY. You’ve probably seen them around Kola listening to DEGAS PARK by KEVIN ABSTRACT.

ok so kit is my son !! he is kinda a shitty person but it’s a result of his upbringing entirely like he was raised in a household of self-obsession and pre-occupation with the material things. aka he’s like filthy rich bc his parents are well-known in the entertainment business

his father is a rlly big time actor like he is thaT GUY ( my star wars lovin ass likes to pretend he’s billy dee williams bc lando unite but anyway unrelated ) and his mother is a super awesome film director so he grew up with that hanging over his shoulders. his dad was always really hard on him and pushed him to become an actor too but he isn’t abt that life (only to spite his dad lbr)

also his parents were lke actively trying not to have kids so his dad always kinda held that against kit and resented him from day one meanwhile his mother embraced it so :/

his mom is everything he ever dreamed of in a mother, and even tho she was always a bit too busy for him, she never let it affect their relationship and they’re still very close

so yeah kit is that fancy ass man like he bathes in the opulence. he doesn’t do much but gamble and parade his wealth around –– except he has invested in many businesses so like he can be p serious n focused on that sometimes bc like

$$$$

also he loves his ladies. like a lot. pls someone allow him to be the suGAR DADDY WE ALL DESERVE!!! but fr no that’s his biggest downfall like in his song inspo he can get very caught up in his emotions and rlly lose his head bc like he is calm cool and calculating and distant for the most part but once he gets attached it’s like he craves the connection and he can get very lost

anyway also bring me a plot where they may have grown up together and he’s very defensive over them like he doesn’t always get close to people but this person means the world to him and maybe he’s been lowkey in love his whole life but like whatever who talks abt feelings n ruins something so special he could never

yeah so idk what more to say at this point so yeah hmu w questions bc i could probably go off again

ROSALIND LEPAGE looks an awful lot like ADELAIDE KANE. SHE is TWENTY-FOUR and while they’re RESILIENT, they have a tendency to get pretty QUIXOTIC You’ve probably seen them around Kola listening to MELTING by KALI UCHIS. 

okay now this is my baby. she is a sweet lil buttercup and only wants the best in life but it never comes to her ugh i’m wounded.

so she was born and raised in kola, v much small-town girl vibes. she absolutely loves it here but since growing up the town was really been stained by disappointment :/ when she was seventeen both of her parents like went missing just like completely disappeared leaving her and her six-year-old sister just completely alone which really fucked up her plans bc she was already accepted to a top-tier music school in new york for college for her passion for violin but she had to turn it down bc her sister was now her responsibility 

so she dropped out of highschool and got her ged and immediately entered the work force, leaving her dreams in the dust. she still plays every now and then, especially whenever there’s an open mic night at the coffee shop where she works like girl plugs in her amp n everything i love her

anyway like she doesn’t resent anyone or blame her sister bc she’s just so compassionate and selfless like she didn’t hesitate to change her life to support her sis but it does still kill her to know that her life just kinda never took off and probs never will. but now she just channels all that sadness into fighting to make sure her sister doesn’t end up stuck like she did

so yeah she’s just a huge sweetheart who loves doing things for others and she’s so so soft like someone hold my lil muffin :/ she can get way too caught up in dreams sometimes but y’know that’s life!!!

DIEGO CABRERA looks an awful lot like XAVIER SERRANO. HE is TWENTY-THREE and while they’re VIVACIOUS, they have a tendency to get pretty ERRATIC. You’ve probably seen them around Kola listening to DO IT AGAIN by NO ROME.

so one of the messiest children ever, he is here. ngl i got a lot of inspo from adam sackler from girls for my son diego so if u feel me, word. 

basically pls meet the world’s biggest narcissist –– he’s just like appalling sometimes but he really is trying his best. my boi grew up in kola and always planned on moving to LA to pursue his dream of being an actor and wow is he perfect for that bc my guy is the most dramatic and expressive hot mess you’ll ever find

his mind is always moving 100 miles a minute and he just says the craziest things ??? like he doesn’t know where to stop. diego is super passionate abt his own life and what he wants to do and what he believes; he won’t let you forget it either. he’s always here to share a piece of his mind whether you want it for not and he’s not afraid to turn people away bc his opinions are valid !!

like he’s sooo selfish and doesn’t even hide his own agenda, but ngl once you get him attached there’s no going back like he really gives everything his all and will devote anything it takes to procure happiness for those he loves

like he’s rrlly terrible but he truly has a good head on his shoulders and a good heart in his chest n it’ll beat for u rll hard if u earn it (thru his means ofc)

like when i say god complex i mean it

but c’mon pls give me the plot where like this person pined after him for such a fuckin long time and he legit only used them for sex n didn’t even hide it (like fr seconds after rolling over he said ‘so are you gonna leave now ? bye) bUT y’know they’ve been hooking up for so long to where he actually got invested and wanted them to come to his rehearsals and share his passion w them and they just like ..... stopped caring all of a sudden. so now he’s sad boi and mad boi bc after basically begging for him to give a fuck they up and ran when his heart got invOLVED LIKE FUCK ME fr this is the song and i need this connection pLS LOVE ME

anyway he’s a mess but i love him

PIPER KOVALSKY looks an awful lot like EMMY ROSSUM. SHE is TWENTY-SEVEN and while they’re NURTURING, they have a tendency to get pretty CALAMITOUS. You’ve probably seen them around Kola listening to COFFEE & CIGARETTES by VIC MENSA.

awhh pipes.... my poor bb. she is also quite the mess!! 

but lbr it’s all her fucking fault lmao like her life literally never took off but she has no one to blame but herself. like she just really has a talent for ruining things whenever they get good and she doesn’t even try too my bb just does not think abt ramifications ever

piper was also born and raised in kola but she’s hopped around from area to area bc she can’t keep a lease going to save her life

or a job

she’s a big fan of cigareetes and alcohol and partying but whenever she indullges in anything they kinda have a perfect way of getting her in trouble. like she really wants to stop living like a vagrant but her cyncicsm really gets her down so she barely tries

she has a few siblings that she really wants to protect bc they’re headed down her path as well but she can’t even keep her life straight ugh :/

but ok so she’s truly the biggest softie on the inside like she cares soooo fucking much and she does a terrible job at pretending she doesn’t. but ya girl still tries!

ok so time for me to go off abt a wanted connect!!!! so her song is coffee & cigarettes and it’s a bop find it here pLS and i just really feel in my bones that this should be a connection ok. give me that high school lovers that were never lovers bc all piper could focus on was her own self-destruction n rlly living it up so she just completely shut this person out when it finally became real :/ so yeah it’s a fucking mess and she’s never truly moved on

anyway i should probably move onto the next muse lmao

MALCOLM WEST looks an awful lot like REECE KING. HE is TWENTY-TWO and while they’re JOCULAR, they have a tendency to get pretty CAVALIER. You’ve probably seen them around Kola listening to EPITAPH by HIPPO CAMPUS. –––––– may or may not be inspired by jake peralta

when i say he’s a goofster i mean he is a goofster and a gaffster ok

my tiny son who just wants to be a big bad detective and fight crime and just crack jokes along the way he is the meme king and he’ll let you know it

he grew up in atlanta where both of his parents were cops so he really just always dreamed of being just like them one day 

until his dad told him he’d never make it. that crushed his spirit entirely and ever since then he really kinda just figured out who his dad was ?? he caught him cheating on his mom and also just being a dirty cop and it just broke his heart bc that was his hero. and y’know malcolm gooddoer and fighter for justice so he went to his mom with this discovery and she just kind of admitted that she knew abt all of it but couldn’t do anything abt it so... he just kinda left and moved to kola to start over

he entered the police academy there as soon as he possibly could (18 i think maybe 19 if i’m dumb ) and just did not stop working his ass off and doing all kinds of paperwork and bust until he finally reached detective just a week ago

don’t get me wrong ya boi hates paperwork but he’s gotta do what he’s gotta do !!

anyway he’s a clown but he loves life and and even tho he’s a child he can take some things seriously

aside from his true feeling heh who ?? i don’t know her n imma just tell a joke or do an impression or smth instead

alsO idk if anyone knows chew the comic series but he dEF IS GONNA HAVE THOSE POWERS FOR THE SUPERHERO/SUPERNATURAL THREAD stay tuned

CAMBRIA SONG looks an awful lot like JENNIE KIM. SHE is TWENTY-ONE and while they’re IDEALISTIC, they have a tendency to get pretty WHIMSICAL. You’ve probably seen them around Kola listening to MARCELINE by WILLOW.

ok first of all her pinterest is a whole ass aesthetic and u basically see everything she’s abt on there 10/10 would reccommend

now this is a smol bean that is also a bad bitch and we stan !! she’s your astrology loving, extra ass, witty lil witch and she loves adding in her two cents! she’s a sweet lil thing but her bite is bigger than her bark so watch out fr

mostly imma have her in the supernatural verse (witch heh heh), demi-god verse (u kno she’s hecate’s daughter), n maybe the horror verse bc i want my bb to be a medium like lorraine warren that’s my girl!! 

other than that catch her throwing out ur natal chart, charging n cleansing her cyrstals, n offering free tarot readings! really she has her mf shit together n loves helping ppl w spiritual awakenings ok

here is a pic of her two sides conversing ok big meme here

anyway i’m a big fan of her pinterest and i hope that gives everyone a good vibe for her bc tbh i’m tired lol

so imma do my other three muses in another post tomorrow bc !!! ya girl is feeling lazy now lmao sry this took so long geez

#round two here we go #i have a good amount of wanted connects in here so thank god for that #fckit:intro #i used the wrong tag i love myself

[goodestboyryuji]

ok OK SO i have so many feelings about the final palace like i truly....am losing part of my mind, in good ways but mostly bad ways

first of all: MUSIC. god all the palace music has been so good, but Futaba’s and Shido’s gotta take the cake. Really like Okumura’s too tho

second: as entertaining as the mouse parts were, i’m so impatient when you have to backtrack lmao it’s the platformer in me. if i leave a room, i don’t wanna have to go back

BUT NOW FOR THE IMPORTANT PARTS:

i’m a big fan over how the intro letters showed some growth in each of the characters, namely yusuke’s?? i just really liked how he was like ‘no’ and then ‘yes’ and then when the dude was like ‘ew’ he was like ‘well fuck you that’s my interpretation i’m not gonna change for you.’ as i mentioned before, i think ann’s could’ve been better, but i’m lovin how she literally just called that sicko out in front of everyone.  NOT a fan over how ryuji didn’t get one tho. i mean i suppose the end of the palace is his moment but they fucked that up so royally that i wish he’d been given more of a chance to show his strengths. i still think coming up with the plan was a good moment for him, but not good enough imo. 

akechi is.............not as sympathetic as tumblr made me think he’d be lmao like i totally have sympathy for him and i feel badly, i do wish things had gone differently, but if you say like...20 times how much you want to massacre a group of teenagers...it is hard for me to be like ‘aww sweet bb.’ i thought i was gonna end up being more into his character once i completed his arc than i actually am (again bc of tumblr and the way they baby him lol) but  makes it additionally hard to believe so many ppl hate ryuji but love akechi. like...i can’t believe that’s a thing tbh lmao ryuji could’ve EASILY been like akechi--they came from really similar circumstances--but ryuji found the light in life while akechi refused. 

ALSO, LIKE PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED, ryuji tries SO hard for akechi???? he speaks the most to him, is the most encouraging/pleading imo (”you have to be your own person!” is the line that stood out to me most, both for its literal words but also how he said them), and the only one to run to the door and slam his fists on it in desperation at the end. time and time again we’ve seen ryuji have an opinion on someone and then change it when he learns more about them, and he does this IMMEDIATELY, esp if they’re in danger. Ryuji is the one who disliked akechi the most of anyone--the spicy scene sticks out in my mind lol--but he doesn’t hesitate for a single second to try to help akechi when he’s basically having a breakdown. RYUJI. IS. SO. GOOD. fuck any other opinion tbh

I AM SO HERE FOR HERO RYUJI

can we just....LIKE???? they’re all gonna DIE and he’s like ‘i got this’ even tho he has a well-known leg injury that caused him to fall in the first palace and doesn’t even think twice. he just zooms off. AND HE’S SO GOOD! HE DOES IT!!! HE GETS THE BOAT!!!!!!!! AND HE JUST HANGS THERE, SMILING!!!!!!! SO HAPPY EVERYONE IS OK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NOT EVEN URGING THEM TO HURRY EVEN THO EVERYTHING IS EXPLODING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i was CRYIN i am so proud of my bright and shiny son. also thanks to y’all’s warnings i 300% THOUGHT HE DIED SO THANKS FOR THAT. i literally jumped out of my seat and was like NO. i’ve avoided spoilers pretty well so i thought maybe??? looking back i think i deffo would’ve found out already since i’m all about ryuji and follow everyone else who is too lol but stILL!!!!!!!! i was...distraught. 

..but also....like......................................................i am OFFICIALLY removing from p5 canon the scene afterwards. like? what the FUCK is up atlus. no what did you DO dude. WHAT THE FUCK atlus????????????????? i’m straight up ready to fight.

WHAT KIND OF HORSESHIT????? it not only makes NOOOOOO FUCKING SENSE--like NO ONE would to do that to someone who almost DIED?? also i already really hate that trope of physical aggression towards an emotional situation. this is obvs hugely influenced by my own personal experience with that, but i’ve never been comfortable with it. it’s not a healthy way to treat someone or to treat your feelings. it was a perfect opportunity to show ryuji love and help him feel valued and respected, which would have been an incredible closing of his character arc and development, but instead they digressed all way back to BEFORE the first palace and treated him just as awfully as his previous trauma. it’s so disappointing.

not to mention the literal visual of ryuji just....slumped against the street pole, unresponsive, while everyone is like ‘ok so who’s hungry!!!!’ is just so..gross and disturbing. i know it’s “just a video game” but like..ryuji means so much to me so that was just really shitty. it would’ve been shitty if it was any other character too, but it esp sucked that it was ryuji. i dunno. just really not okay with it.

overall it was a good palace and i really enjoyed it, but the ending w/ ryuji was enough to sour it p heavily. i’m excite to finish the game tho!!! i hear there’s not much playing left even tho there are a few months left, so maybe i have less left than i think :( 

#ryuji is the best boy #the greatest boy #hands down the best character in the game and i will LITERALLY fight you on that #i DARE someone to tell me who's better #ryuji got treated like shit CONSISTENTLY and still has the biggest heart on the team #i'm honest to god deleting the after-palace scene from canon #like...it just didn't happen #how about we THANK ryuji and give him HUGS instead of MORE PHYSICAL ABUSE???? #like #i was so hype for ryuji saving the squad and then my mood was just demolished

[senatorrorgana]

Jedikiller -Two

a/n: so if i can keep up this rate of writing for once, i might be able to post new chapters of this once a week, probably on sundays like i've been doing so far since that's the quietest day for me by far to sit down and get things done. i hope you guys like this chapter and thanks for reading so far! <3

pairing: damerey (poe x rey)

ao3: (x)

    There was something in the shadows, lurking and watching, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. It had no name nor face, it was darkness itself, a shadowy mist that drew all of the air out of the room and sent a chill down Rey’s spine. Her heart started to race as it drew closer, Rey keeping her hands on her stomach to protect her unborn child as best as she could, and suddenly the mist was all around her. It’s only focal point being two bright yellow eyes, staring into her own and stealing the scream from her throat before she could utter a sound.

    Rey bolted upright in bed, gasping for air and frantically looking around the bedroom, telling herself it wasn’t real. Her heart was still racing and sweat was beading on her forehead, her hands shaking as she grasped the blankets around her tighter. Poe stirred beside her with a groan, slowly rolling over and opening his eyes, once he registered that something wrong, he sat up slowly, putting his arms around her without a second thought. She didn’t know how many times he’d seen her like this since they were together, surely way too many for her liking, but no matter how volatile the vision was, Poe always calmed her down.

    “It’s okay, you’re okay,” Poe mumbled, still half asleep but trying his best.

    Rey relaxed into his embrace, weaving her hands together with his over her stomach now and taking a deep breath to calm herself more. He held her like that in silence for a few moments, humming a tune that she still didn’t know the words too despite it becoming one of the most comforting sounds over the years. When her heart rate slowed, Poe seemed to sense she had calmed, pressing a kiss to her cheek before taking a deep breath himself.

    “What was it about this time?” Poe asked.

    “It was just...darkness,” Rey said, “like a shadow just following me, watching me. It wanted to take something from me.”

    “It can’t hurt you here,” Poe said, assuring her.

    “I know, but I just felt it coming for me like it knows where I am,” Rey said.

    “First thing in the morning, we’re getting this all over with the Senate and then we’re going home,” Poe said, “you know I won’t let anything happen to you, right?”

    “Of course, I know, but this thing - “

    “Don’t worry about it,” Poe said, Rey knew he was trying to calm her down like always, but something was different.

    “I don’t know if anyone can be protected from this...you didn’t feel what I felt,” Rey said.

    Poe was silent, she felt his stubbled chin rest on her shoulder as he took a deep breath, trying to draw her close to him. She relied on him for comfort and security so much, she sometimes forgot that she was the same for him. He protected her as best as he could, but Rey knew he couldn’t protect her from everything no matter how he tried.

    “We’ll be fine,” Poe said, “we’ll go home and it’ll be okay.”

    Ever since the war against the First Order ended, all Poe wanted was peace; he joined the Senate to help achieve that. But Rey had felt the darkness still lingering in the background ever since the Order fell. It didn’t stop when Snoke died or Ben renounced his ways to help the Resistance kill him, if anything, it grew after that. It was easy to forget about over the years, and Poe was part of what made her forget it, building this life with him and starting this family. She didn’t want to think there was something still out there that could tear this all from her, but from the strength, she felt tonight, she knew it was a possibility, no matter how much she or Poe wished it away.

    “Come on, let’s get back to sleep, we’ve got a long day tomorrow,” Poe said with a yawn, giving her a light kiss before pressing a quick kiss to her belly and lying back down.

    Rey laid down beside him, letting him pull her close and steal a few more kisses from her before finally falling asleep. Rey let her hands tangle through his hair, her eyes flitting over his peaceful face, memorizing every line and scar that she’d become so familiar with over the years. She loved Poe, there was no doubt about that, he gave her everything she dreamed of having during her exile on Jakku - love, security, safety, a family. But Rey knew what she felt despite him wanting to deny it, she knew that darkness was a threat, and it was coming for everyone.

    Ben didn’t sleep, not anymore, at least if he could help it. Sleeping led to too many things - too much time to think about what he’d done, too many opportunities for things within the Force to reach out to him. Staying awake was better for everyone involved, especially with the recent nightmares still plaguing his thoughts.

    Rey had too many things going on in her life to be able to see what he saw with a clear and level head between the Senate, her marriage, and his niece to enter the world soon. All he saw whether his eyes were opened or closed was the dark, shadowy mass with piercing yellow eyes, fear rippling down his spine whenever he thought about it. It was unlike anything he’d ever experienced before, something that could have just as easily seduced him to the dark side when he was still just a bitter child. It called to him when he first saw it, he remembered that much, but now all it wanted was to consume everything in its path, wiping all traces of light away no matter how small it might have been.

    The only comforting thought he could hold onto was knowing that Rey still had his lightsaber hidden away. It was best if everyone thought it was long destroyed, he’d taken so many lives with that lightsaber, he wasn’t sure he ever wanted to see it again himself. But with the Senate trying to cower in fear and control what could never truly be controlled, he knew at least Rey could protect herself - he owed her that much after everything he put her through.

    The loud alarms ringing off in the distance alerted Ben to the guards heading his way, more than likely making their last rounds for the night, they were long overdue for their evening gawking. It didn’t take long for the alarm on his door to go off as well, indicating they were going to enter, guns pointed at him and kept on him at all times while they searched his cell. But the guns never came, and neither did the guards. Instead, a cloaked figure entered the room, keeping their face shrouded in darkness as the door slowly closed behind them.

    “You’re new,” Ben remarked, keeping his eyes on the figure though he never made a move from his seat on his bed.

    “Far from it, Solo,” a scratchy voice replied, followed by a laugh.

    “Who are you?” Ben asked, trying to keep the fear rising up in him under control.

    A chill ran up his spine and the air in the room started to feel heavy and harder to breathe. The figure slowly turned towards him and all Ben saw through the darkness it cast under its hood was two piercing yellow eyes, his breath hitching in his throat at the sight. He wanted to speak, but his words were lost; he wanted to move, but his body refused as something held him in place. The cloaked figure quickly closed the distance between them, though Ben could still only see those two yellow eyes.

    “I’m someone who’s watched you for a very long time. You showed promise, once, but like the rest of your family, you’ve only left me disappointed. You Skywalkers aren’t worthy of the air you breath, much less the power the Force has given you,” the voice hissed, “I’m here to correct that.”

    A sharp pain coursed through Ben, something painful enough to finally let him make a sound, his anguished scream filling the silence though it was far from over. When the figure finally raised a gloved hand, it felt like a thousand lightsabers were twisting around his insides, tearing everything apart.

    “You don’t deserve this power,” the figure said, “you don’t even deserve to draw breath.”

    They twisted their hand and the pain only grew worse, it felt as if his bones were going to shatter, his muscles on fire and head splitting with pain while he continued to cry out. With a flick of their wrist, everything stopped, but for the first time in years, everything was silent within his mind - he felt nothing.

    “Goodbye, Ben Solo,” the figure said.

    Their words were the last thing he heard before his vision grew dark despite how much he fought against it, he didn't have the strength to keep his eyes open. He tumbled off of the bed and onto the floor, everything already dark, and not even a whisper of anything through the Force. It was as if the Force was gone, ripped from his very body, and Ben wasn’t sure which was more terrifying - the figure who took it from him, or the fact of that it was gone. He fought only a little while longer before the cold overtook him and everything melted away.

    There were few things Rey loved better in the morning than waking up to Poe - him holding her close and pressing kiss after kiss to her cheek. She turned to her side, still in his embrace, and started kissing him, her lips finding his in an instant after years of familiarity. Rey hummed into their kiss, she felt like she hadn’t seen Poe like this in weeks with all the stress from the Senate, she missed him more than she knew or could put into words despite him still at her side.

    “Excuse me, Master Poe,” the familiar interruption of C-3PO barged into the room, unfazed by the two of them, despite Rey pulling away from Poe quickly.

    Poe sat up in bed with a heavy sigh, irritated slightly by the droid’s interruption. Though after years of having C-3PO at his side, they were both used to the protocol droid. “Yes, Threepio?”

    “Master Luke is here,” Threepio announced.

    The cheerful beeps of BB-8 rolling into the room shortly followed behind Threepio,  the little droid nudging the bed by Poe’s feet dangling off the edge.

    “Thanks, Threepio,” Poe said, “I’ll be out there in a minute.”

    “Of course, sir,” Threepio gave a slight nod before shuffling out of the room, “come along Beebee-Ate!”

    With a few short beeps to signal he was leaving, BB-8 rolled out of the room before Threepio shut the door, giving Poe and Rey their privacy back, though Poe was already up on his feet and trying to get dressed.

    “I feel like no matter how many times I try to ask him about giving us privacy when the doors are closed, he still barges in any way,” Poe said.

    “I think it’s in his programming at this point,” Rey said with a slight laugh, “he’s getting better about it though I’ve noticed. It seems like when it’s Luke or someone from the Senate is the only time he interrupts.”

    “Yeah, but out here it’s always someone from the Senate or Luke,” Poe said, “I really can’t wait to get home.”

    “Me either, and hopefully your daughter will let me get a good night of sleep tonight,” Rey said, her hands going to her stomach, “After I woke up in the middle of the night, she kept me up for another hour with all the kicking.”

    “...Our daughter?” Poe asked, putting aside the shirt he was about to shrug on and staring at her with a smile slowly starting to cross his face, “You found out?”

    Rey knew she couldn’t tell him that it was Ben who actually discovered this and told her, after last night's nightmare, the last thing she wanted was for him to worry more about her.

    “Yeah, while I was out for my walk. I stopped and took a moment to just relax and I could finally sense it. I guess I’ve been too wound up this entire time to tell,” Rey said with a shrug, trying to avoid his gaze so he couldn’t catch her in the lie.

    She got to her feet slowly, stopping when she felt a slight dizziness make her wobble. Poe made it across the room to her in a few quick strides and wrapped his arm around her waist to keep her steady.

    “I’ve got you,” He assured her, smile still on his face.

    “I know you do,” Rey replied, “you always do.”

    His lips covered hers in an instant, the smile on her face now making it hard to kiss him back, though perhaps that was a good thing since it’d only be a matter of time before C-3PO returned. After a moment, Rey pulled away, knowing the out of the two of them, Poe was the one with a lack of impulse control and would gladly stay in here all day with her rather than do anything else.

    “We can pick this up later at home when there are no more interruptions and Threepio has occupied himself with reprogramming the field droids to have the ‘optimal performance’ for the third time this year,” Rey said, trying to fight back the laughter.

    “Yeah, you’re right,” Poe agreed with a hint of reluctance, “let’s just get all of this over with and go home.”

    Rey clutched the lightsaber tightly in her hands, trying to fight the urge to stay outside of the Senate room and keep it by her side. She’d grown attached to it, despite her troubled past with it, the lightsaber was part of her family history and now she had to just hand it over like it meant nothing. She knew she still had Ben’s old lightsaber tucked away in her luggage that was being loaded onto the Falcon now by Chewie, but this was the lightsaber that helped win the war, and Force only knows what the Senate would do with it.

    “I don’t want to give this up,” Jade said, walking up to Rey with a conflicted look on her face; Jade always wanted to do the right thing, more so than Rey half the time, “they don’t have the right to take these away from us.”

    “Try telling them that,” Rey huffed, she could hear the faint mumbling behind the doors and feel the stress from Poe radiating through them - he wanted to get this over with just as badly as she did.

    Jade’s lightsaber had been an amber-gold, almost matching the color of her eyes at times, and something Luke had said he hadn’t seen in years. Rey often wondered what hers would be, had she made one herself like Jade, with having to turn hers over, she just might try in her free time before the baby was born. There was Ben’s of course, but Rey preferred to save that as a last resort - too much pain radiated from it every time she activated it.

    “Are you sure you want me to go with Luke? I feel bad leaving you alone on Yavin 4,” Jade said.

    “I can handle myself,” Rey said, “besides, Luke can teach you more than I can, especially right now when all I feel like doing is either sleeping or crying. You couldn’t ask for a better teacher.”

    “I mean, I already had a pretty damn good one, but I suppose he’ll do,” Jade said with a smirk, stifling a small laugh and Rey having to do the same.

    “Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear, oh dear,” The familiar voice of C-3PO echoed through the halls, Rey could hear him shuffling just as quickly as he could with BB-8 zooming around the corner and stopping short at Rey’s feet.

    “Beebee-Ate, what’s wrong with Threepio?” Rey asked.

    Beebee-Ate beeped rapidly, too fast for Rey to understand half of what he said, Jade looking even more confused than Rey, despite her own proficiency in droid-speak.

    “Slow down Beebee-Ate, what’s wrong?” Rey asked again.

    “Oh dear me, this is terrible, terrible news Mistress Rey, just terrible,” Threepio carried on, finally reaching her.

    “Please tell me what’s wrong,” Rey said, feeling some anxiety build up in her now, the feeling of dread looming over her.

    “It’s Master Ben, something terrible has happened to him,” Threepio said, Beebee-Ate rolling past Rey now and barging into the Senate room, she could hear his faint beeping on the other side as he alerted the others.

    “Threepio, please, what happened?” Rey asked, her eyes welling up with tears while the fear crept up her spine; she saw Ben last night, but that terrible nightmare...she should have known something would happen.

    “Master Ben won’t wake up, the guards found him a few moments ago and they’ve rushed him into intensive care, he was barely breathing when they found him, no one knows what’s wrong,” Threepio said.

    Rey didn’t think, she just ran as fast as she could, her heart racing as a thousand thoughts raced through her mind. She heard everyone call out to her, she knew Poe’s voice was among them now that the Senate doors burst open, but she had to get to Ben. No matter what anyone said, no matter what people believed, and no matter all the things he had done - he was her brother, part of the small family she had left in this galaxy, and she’d do anything to save him.

#damerey #jedipilot #poerey #poe x rey #star wars #poe dameron #rey #my writing

[britesparc]

My Unpopular Star Wars Opinion: Or, Why The Phantom Menace is Better Than The Force Awakens

Was it, though? 

Were the Star Wars prequels – The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, and Revenge of the Sith, whose vary names have become entertainment-industry watchwords for disappointment – really, truly better than the current Disney-owned era of Star Wars, which so far has produced two widely-praised billion-dollar-grossing movies, and is about to unleash a third, about which expectation is as high as a city in the clouds? Can I really think that, for reals?

Well, yes and no.

Let’s get the obvious things out of the way: there were some very poor decisions made during the Prequel Era. Let’s not pick over the corpse of George Lucas’ story choices – the whys and wherefores of virgin births, whiny antagonists, and Jar Jar Binks – and focus instead on the filmmaking technique employed. The dialogue is wooden. The camerawork is rigid. The performances are flat. The pacing is all over the place: in Phantom, the much-vaunted podrace goes on for at least two laps too long; indeed, the whole Tatooine section of the film shoots the legs out from under the momentum. Prior to that it had been a breakneck chase from overwhelming odds, our heroes escaping Naboo by the skin of their teeth; as soon as they break down on Tatooine, they’re sheltering from sandstorms and going gambling. And, of course, there’s the whole “taxation of outlying star systems is in dispute” nonsense: doesn’t quite grab you as quickly as “it is a period of civil war”, does it?

But there’s still something about them that feels Star Wars-y. There’s still a sense, even though I know Lucas was making it all up as he went along, that this fits into the universe correctly (I mean, he was making everything up as he went along, which is why Leia kisses Luke in Empire). There’s a cyclical nature to how the prequels marry with the original trilogy that’s about more than a visit to Tatooine or the presence of a Mandalorian bounty hunter. The first films in both trilogies are, in essence, about innocence: a simple quest by simple people to prevent an immediate danger (removing the blockade of Naboo versus destroying the Death Star); the second films complicate things by splitting up our heroes on separate quests before uniting them for a finale that feels, at best, like a pyrrhic victory; before resolving their respective trilogies in an all-bets-are-off finale beset with divided loyalties and a dangerous Sith Lord. Revenge of the Sith and Return of the Jedi – even their titles are darkly mirrored – both deal explicitly with Vader and his relationship to the Force; he wrestles with his emotions and his commitment to his Order, the love of his wife compelling him to commit dark acts before finally the love of his son pulls him back into the light. The Force Awakens, whilst it does mirror aspects of Star Wars, feels more like a greatest hits package; we have another callow youth from a desert planet on a hero’s journey, another aged mentor, another cocky pilot, another tragic death, and another large object exploding in space, but it feels more consciously designed. A box-ticking exercise, rather than a thematic resonance. Or maybe it’s just because the iconography is so similar.

The First Order is basically the Empire, and the Resistance is basically the Rebellion. There are TIE Fighters and X-Wings. There are Stormtroopers and helmeted good-guy soldiers. There are English-accented characters walking around in SS outfits being glowery and evil. Whilst I’d never attempt to suggest that Amidala’s chrome-plated ship, or the wing-walking droid craft, were as iconic as what we got forty years ago, to go back to the same well is disappointing.

My wider issue, however, is how the new era seems to disregard somewhat the mythological aspects of Star Wars. I guess I’ve only seen one film in the trilogy, but despite the palette-swap nature of its craft and locations, it does feel markedly different to the Star Wars that came before.  There’s a sense of destiny in Star Wars, a “balance of the Force” that was hinted at in the original trilogy and made explicit in the prequels; the yoke of inevitability pulling characters in directions that they may not wish to go. The subtle, underplayed, and often-ignored theme in the prequels of once-noble institutions slowly crumbling into irrelevance and becoming the very thing they hated speaks to the wider issue of the “will of the Force”, of the Chosen One appearing to bring balance. That Chosen One is assumed to be Anakin, and we’re left to interpret for ourselves whether the balance was actually achieved; is it when he kills the Younglings? Or is it when he topples the Emperor? This thread ties the first six films together to produce something grander and more metaphorical, even if it is a case of Lucas essentially retconning to some degree his original intentions from the seventies and eighties. The Force Awakens feels a bit different, like the preoccupations of the previous films are gone; there’s a darkness to everything creeping in around the edges, complicating matters. Whether this makes for a better narrative is moot: what I’m saying is it makes it feel less of a whole with the rest of Star Wars.

This is exacerbated by the time-jump. Obviously we were always going to go 30-40 years ahead of Jedi. But so much has happened in that time. In the 20 years between Sith and Hope, the galaxy might be fundamentally different, but from a narrative view, nothing has changed: the Empire is still victorious and the Jedi still in exile, just like we left them. But in between Jedi and Force, we’ve seen Luke’s attempt at training new Jedi falter, Ben Solo fall to the Dark Side, the rise of the First Order, and the formation of the Resistance, to say nothing of the yet-unrevealed histories of Snoke and Rey. The film features flashbacks and a cliffhanger finale. It just feels odd, out of place, not at one with the cyclical nature of Star Wars. And, furthermore, it undoes so much of the happy ending of Jedi: despite the deaths of Vader and Palpatine, the Dark Side rises again, there's a new Empire, Luke goes into exile (apparently convinced that the Jedi as an institution is a bad thing) and Han and Leia split up. It's sad! It's tragic! And whilst I'm fine with all that happening in Star Wars, I think it should happen on-camera. Not in flashbacks or spin-offs, it should be part of the saga. To introduce it as backstory complicates the rhythm of the films. It feels less of a whole. It feels like a sequel, not the next episode. And from the trailers and pre-release hype of The Last Jedi, it seems like this is the new normal for Star Wars.

None of this makes the Disney films bad. In fact, going back to the popular iconography of the original trilogy makes perfect sense. Having the heroes still be a scrappy insurgency helps us root for them. Giving us a mysterious backstory to uncover is compelling. But my argument is, all these elements feel discordant with what's gone before. The prequels, for all their faults technically and narratively, helped weave a mythological tapestry for Star Wars that is being undone by the new films. I feel they're remaining too wedded to familiar imagery and story points, whilst simultaneously moving too far away from the more conceptual, mythological underpinnings of Star Wars as a fable. I kind of wish that Lucas had completed his mooted final trilogy – his own VII, VIII, and IX – before selling to Disney (especially if he took more of an executive role, as he did with Empire and Jedi, and left the writing and directing to others). Taken as individual films, maybe they wouldn't be as good as what we've got – because despite everything I've said here, I really do think Force Awakens and especially Rogue One are pretty tremendous – but at least we'd have Lucas' complex, contradictory, rhythmically compelling vision completed. Of course, then we wouldn't have Star Wars' new Holy Trinity of Rey, Finn, and Poe – perhaps the Disney era's most important additions to the overall mythos.

Look, Star Wars is complicated. George Lucas is complicated, and his legacy is complicated. I'm chuffed to bits he sold to Disney – not because DIsney is the be-all and end-all, but because they've proven their ability to marry corporate aims with creative excellence; look at Pixar and Marvel especially. The Force Awakens has issues but it's still a great, crowd-pleasing, immensely successful movie, and already we've got BB-8, porgs, and broadsword lightsabers sitting in the popular imagination in ways that, arguably, nothing in the prequels ever really managed (apart from Darth Maul and his double-ended saber, I guess). And again, the progressive casting of the new films is long overdue and utterly fantastic. I'm still really, really excited about The Last Jedi, and Abrams' Episode IX, and Johnson's new non-Skywalker trilogy. But I can't help feeling like something quintessentially Star Wars has been lost; perhaps it's an oddness, a willingness to duck when everyone is expecting a jump. Perhaps it was Lucas' own obsessions and interests that fuelled the franchise, that gave us everything from the sublime (Vader, the Death Star, lightsabers, Yoda) to the ridiculous (midichlorians, Gungans, Ewoks, Watto). Perhaps the new films are better films, but in my heart of hearts, I'm not sure I can love them quite as much. Maybe The Last Jedi will end up being the best Star Wars experience this side of Knights of the Old Republic, but it will still feel slightly separate. Further tales. An imaginary story. The expanded universe.

Maybe it's me. Maybe it's just knowing that Lucas had more stories he wanted to tell and never got the chance. Maybe it's because I've always been a lot warmer towards the prequels than most. Maybe things will shift with time – as more films come out in the new universe, with more characters, then this will start to feel like the status quo, the new normal. I hope so, because I love Star Wars – indeed, it's worth repeating, I think the new films are excellent, and are better films, better made films, than all three of the prequels. But although my head believes we're in a golden age of Star Wars not seen since the early 80s, my heart has yet to be convinced.

Anyway. I'll let you know if I still feel the same way after The Last Jedi...

#movies #films #star wars #George Lucas #the last jedi #star wars the last jedi

[nadziejastar]

Honestly, it feels like they came up with the idea of Subject X to extend the story of the Radiant Garden crew because otherwise KH3 would be the perfect place to end their story. She wasn't just a test subject, she was apparently a central figure in the experiments. When she inevitably returns in KH4 she'll drag Ansem, the apprentices, and the boys back into relevance even if they have no other reason to get involved

I suspect you’re right regarding the future. I am sure that she’ll be vital to KH4, and she’ll be heavily involved in Lea and Isa’s story in the future. She’s involved in a large human experimentation plot, and Lea and Isa also having that backstory would be seen as redundant.

None of this will be directed at you anon, just my general opinion on the current state of the story and characters.I’m going to rant a bit about the direction things seem to be going to get it off my chest. Basically, I resent how she took Saix’s backstory and derailed his entire character arc. And I don’t think any of them even needed her to have a role in the future of the story. Ansem the Wise still has a ton of potential. Lea is a full-fledged Keyblade wielder, and Isa could easily be one too. Whatever experiments she was involved in are going to be poorly retconned into the Xehanort Saga and will probably overwrite the mind control experiments that were originally mentioned. “Plot twist: There were no mind control experiments! It was really about learning the secrets of time-travel!” I’m not really excited to learn more, to be honest. 

I didn’t play Union X. I tried to, but I didn’t like the gameplay. I have read the story summary online and watched Back Cover. But I have no attachment to Skuld or any of the other original characters from that game. I didn’t play KH3 to learn about them. I don’t care about them. I wanted closure on the characters from this arc. The arc that’s been building up over the last decade. I was attached to Lea and Isa and all the others. And to have it suddenly be all about this new girl and Keyblade wielders of yore out of nowhere…well, it felt like a slap in the face as a long-time fan.

As for Isa’s character: If KH3 is the precedent for how he is to be portrayed going forward, I’m not very excited for the future. It doesn’t sound like Nomura is either.

–There are several Organisation members whose original names are still unknown. Will we have a chance to learn them someday, or to find out about the scar on Isa’s face?

Nomura: If there is a sequel, then that chance may come. But in my heart right now my desire is a blank page.

To be honest, I don’t even know how much blame I can attribute to Nomura personally. I know he wanted to make BBS Volume 2 and was very disappointed it was cancelled. I highly doubt he’s happy with the many, many revisions to the story after it got canned. I suspect his lack of interest in explaining Isa’s scar is due to the fact that he already had a great story all planned out and it was not able to be realized due to factors outside of his control. The Foreteller arc is an opportunity to step away from the butchered Xehanort Saga plot and start over with a blank slate. Just like Verum Rex seems like his attempt at restarting the butchered Versus XIII project with a blank slate.That’s my personal opinion. If it’s true, I can hardly blame him. 

As for Lea and Isa’s relationship, here is my honest take: KH3 took a very close and emotionally intimate former relationship between two boys (to me it even seemed romantic in nature) and made it into a caricature of a “dudebro” relationship. And like clockwork, it was all about a girl now. If I’m being perfectly honest, it felt like whoever was writing the Lea/Isa scenes was thinking “no homo, no homo” the entire time. Like they were terrified to depict even the slightest bit of genuine intimacy between these two male characters. I mean really, howcliché to attribute all of Saix’s villainy and the breakdown of his closest friendship… to a single girl that he barely knew. Completely deflecting away from the relationship they had with each other. A relationship history that spanned multiple games now revolves around a character who was never even mentioned before, let alone seen on-screen.

By his own description, he was not close to this girl. He spoke a handful of times to an imprisoned, traumatized amnesiac girl, in hushed whispers. He couldn’t have known her that well. She had amnesia. Did he even know her name? Did SHE even know her name? Didn’t sound like it based on the reports. He said they spoke in the shadows and it was too dim to make out her features. Did he know what she looked like? Again, this was not a childhood friend or anything. After a while, he wasn’t sure if she even existed. I seriously could not wrap my head around how ridiculous this whole concept was. It felt like a joke.

In 358/2 Days, Axel spent the entire game angsting over the loss of his close relationship with Isa. In KH3D, the first thing he does is look for him, and he’s very visibly upset when he finds out he’s still with Organization XIII. Then in KH3, he doesn’t mention him at all. It’s only Roxas this, Roxas that. Lea only remembers Isa exists when he randomly shows up in Twilight Town. I’m like, where did THIS come from? I was laughing hysterically when Saix asked for ice cream. It was the most out-of-character thing I’d ever seen. Axel didn’t even seem phased by him being so friendly all of a sudden, which was also very strange. I would have expected a stronger reaction, but he seemed more annoyed by his presence than anything. Even his promise to bring him home felt more like an afterthought than a priority. “I going to get my precious ROXAS back! Oh, well, I guess I’ll bring you back too, Isa. I mean, as long as you’re here…why not?”

Lea: Would you get lost? I’ll clobber you tomorrow.

Saix: Hmph. I expect no less.

I really disliked how Saix’s personality was portrayed in KH3. In my opinion, Isa’s entire redemption hinged on the fact that he was Xehanort’d. Saix was THE main villain in 358/2 Days. He was basically Xemnas-lite, only far more of an active presence than Xemnas himself was in that game. He was constantly antagonizing Roxas, Xion and Axel. By writing the story so that he was in control of himself the whole time, it sent the message that Saix’s personality is Isa’s true personality as well. And I just don’t think that works. At all. It’s inconsistent with the story, and it’s honestly insulting to Isa’s character. There was SO much evidence that Isa was not in control of himself prior to KH3.

It also left a very poor taste in my mouth because Isa was implied to be an innocent victim of cruel human experimentation, who was being controlled like a puppet by an evil madman. That is horrific abuse to a 15 year-old child. And the heartwarming resolution to his story is watching his best friend “clobber” him? Really? All he needs is someone to beat some sense into him? And keep in mind, this is supposed to be a battle to bring about the apocalypse. Why does the dialogue sound more like a pissing contest between two high school boys that are planning to have a fistfight in the parking lot after school?

Saix: I was jealous.

Lea: You admit it.

Saix: Well, if I make it back…you won’t get it out of me a second time.

Isa doesn’t even get a good redemption scene. He isn’t allowed to show any emotion whatsoever. He actually berates Lea for showing emotion…FOR HIM. And what’s Lea’s opinion after Isa is defeated? He’s disgusted that he LET Xehanort “reduce him to this.” It’d be like if Ven or Aqua were disgusted at Terra for having the audacity to get possessed. But no, apparently Saix was just putting on an “act” the whole time. All of his sociopathy was just an act of macho bravado to hide his jealousy and wounded ego. Sheesh, that’s supposed to make him more sympathetic? And he’s STILL a jerk even when he apologizes. There really was no way to make Saix into a “redeemed good guy”. I mean, he was a Xehanort clone, for Christ’s sake. As far as I’m concerned, the X-shaped scar never getting explained is just symbolic of the fact that the real Isa is still dead.

If it had just been shown that he was a victim of mind control, he wouldn’t have even NEEDED a redemption. He’d just… go back to being Isa, who was always good in the first place. I mean, you don’t need to redeem Xemnas to redeem Terra. Sure, it’s his body, but how stupid would it have been to have Xemnas give a half-hearted apology, then go back home with Aqua and Ven? The story could call him “Terra” all they want. But that’s still not Terra; that’s Xehanort. No, they actually needed to bring Terra back to have a truly happy ending for the trio.

That’s how I feel about Isa. KH3 can call him “Isa” all they want, but all I saw was a watered-down, slightly less douchey version of Saix masquerading as Isa. I wont go into too much detail right now because I have a huge meta almost finished (I hope to have it posted soon) analyzing Isa’s weapons and how they paint a very detailed picture of his (original) personality. And by every indication…Isa’s personality was very feminine, empathetic, and emotional. He’s basically the archetypal Yin; the Moon goddess. And that’s definitely closer to how I interpreted his personality based on BbS. I can’t see him saying ANY of the dialogue he had in KH3.

#anti-kh3 #kh3 spoilers #kh meta #kingdom hearts meta #kh axel #kh saix #kh isa #kh lea #kh leaisa #kh akusai #akusai #leaisa