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comebackali · 8 months

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🔥 + those new star wars shows

i feel like it's not an unpopular opinion that disney star wars is like, bad, and we're very over saturated with sw content rn. but let's go one by one for disney era sw shows, yeah?

rebels (2014-2018): okay i love rebels. nuthin to say here. it's not perfect but overall, a good fun time. good fun characters. love it.

forces of destiny (2017-2018): meh. the animation is meh, but i liked most of the padme ones, and i liked the ones where the girls from different franchises interact, like leia and sabine and jyn. i like the concept, but overall was underwhelmed. but for what it was it's fine.

resistance (2018-2020): i don't really have an opinion on resistance. i watched a few episodes when it first came out but it didn't really pull me in. so i'm neutral on it, but it's sequel era so auto hate i guess. but not really. it's fine.

galaxy of adventures (2018-2020): best animation in star wars. oh and it's narrated by dante basco? incredible. love it.

the mandalorian (2019-present): hate. i liked the first season cuz i liked baby yoda (he's cute!), and i liked pedro pascal becoming daddy™, but then season 2 was just bad. the best part was them getting temuera morrison back as boba fett, but we all know how that turned out. and season 3 was simply intolerable. even characters i used to sort of like i now hate with a firey passion. like bo katan?? hate her. why is she so young?? and here's the real unpopular opinion, i HATE baby yoda. like he's not even cute to me anymore i literally just hate him with the passion of a thousand firey suns. i think it's the combo of over saturation plus the absolute STUPIDNESS that was his "arc" in the book of boba fett, but kill that little green old man with fiiiiiire 🔥🔥🔥. i didn't even care about the order 66 stuff with him, it was just so stupid. the best part was my boy kelleran beq. but i do respect the hell out of pedro pascal for being like, the highest paid voice actor in hollywood. like he's barely in the suit anymore but literally get that bread 🤑🤑🤑

jedi temple challenge (2020): i cannot belieeeeeeeeeve that when i look up "star wars shows" wikipedia has every fucking show listed EXCEPT jedi temple challenge. THE AUDACITY. THE DISRESPECT. jedi temple challenge is a star wars game show based on game shows like "legends of the hidden temple" from back in the day, and it's an absolute delight. AND it brought ahmed best (jar jar binks) back into star wars. and he did such a good job and you can tell he had such a fun time doing it. kelleran beq my absolute BELOVED. y'all think you love him but none of you love him like i do. also SAM WITWER??! frank oz?? zakai "the dark side is a little bitch" you absolute fucking legend? incredible, no notes. i wish there were a thousand seasons.

the bad batch (2021-present): hate. #unwhitewashthebadbatch. also, it's boring. i just don't care.

visions (2021-present): best thing that's happened to star wars in 20 years. love forever ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

the book of boba fett (2021-2022): HATE. IT'S JUST SOOOOOOOO BAD. HOW COULD THEY DO THIS TO MY BOY????? temuera morrison deserved sooooooooooo much better. and don't even TALK to me about what they've done to my son, luke jskywalker. fake luke skywalker. jake skywalker. terrible. hate hate hate.

obi wan kenobi (2022): my beloved. has done nothing wrong in their life, i know this and i love them. (except for what they've done to my boy the grand inquisitor. and fifth brother. but we don't talk about that.) genuinely so surprised that it was as good as it was, seeing the state of star wars live action before it. but i've never been so grateful that dave felony does not care about obi wan as a character, and therefore does not feel the need to rub his greedy little hands all over him. deborah chow did such a good job protecting the integrity of the characters imo. i would have been happier if it was just sad man alone in the desert, hallucinating anakin and house hunting with force ghost qui gon, but i've since gotten over that. i loved baby leia and the organas. also i don't think this is an unpopular opinion but KATHLEEN KENNEDY IS A LITTLE BITCH FOR CANCELLING S2 BUT GREENLIGHTING A REY MOVIE THAT NO ONE WANTS. ESPECIALLY when ewan/hayden/jimmy were all on board. she's number one on my hit list tbh. but if that was all we had it was enough. better to die a hero than live long enough to see yourself become a villain, and all that.

andor (2022-present): rogue one is the best thing that star wars has ever done imo, and andor is andor: a rogue one story, so it's great. but i fucking hate polldark cereal man. he's so fucking annoying. every time he is on screen i am throwing things at my tv. i don't even know his name, sibil, maybe? anyway, he's fucking stupid. taking away valuable screen time from my beloveds and for what? and he's just so boring. he's not even an interesting fascist like dedra (who i really only like because of the actress's incredible performance in "under the banner of heaven"). but anyway he's the worst. unpopular opinion is that mon mothma is sooo valid for selling her daughter to satan for one corn chip. go off queen.

tales of the jedi (2022-present): stupid. you can't even have continuity in your own canon? get it together dave, christ alive. i wanted to like it but, meh. i did like the rex, ahsoka, anakin one, because it's peak anakinnuttery and he's literally so insane i love it.

young jedi adventures (2023-present): adorable. you're killing it babies. high republic is fun. all the gold drip is fun. and the little riyo chuchi pantoran with the purple lightsaber is adorable. the eps are whatever, but it's literally made for 3 year olds, so it's great.

ahsoka (2023): it's so terrible i can't even speak. my expectations were low but man they wow'd me with how bad it was. first bitchy thing: ewan's new wife as hera was even more terrible than i was expecting. i can't think of a single thing i liked, except sabine a little, but that is for lesbian reasons and i cannot be held accountable for that. the rampant love for shin is soooooooo transparent. like i don't even dislike her, i like her just fine, but come on. and cgi hayden?? are you kidding me?? he looked SOOOOOOOO terrible are y'all for real?? i knew it was gonna be bad but damn. biggest takeaway was that whoever was in charge of the sound editing should be SHOT. it was so bad and sooooooo distracting. it took me right out.

huh. i guess overall i don't hate as many as i thought. but still, the ones i hate i really hate, and waaaaaaaaaaaaay too many. i'd sell them all to satan (except kenobi) for one corn chip.

#star wars #star wars tv #icebluecyanide #thanks for the ask i got things to say lol

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no-droids · 4 years

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Hi! I LOVE your writing! It inspired me to actually write something myself, so I wanted to thank you for giving me some courage :) I also wanted to ask how long it usually took you to write a chapter/story? I've been working on mine for a couple of hours and I feel like it's taking longer than it should idk. Looking forward to the next chapter of "Rough Day" though!!

Everybody takes different amounts of time writing, reading, and editing and that’s TOTALLY COOL

Rough day chapters have typically been anywhere between 3k and 5k so far and I’ve never finished a single chapter in one day, much less a few hours. I feel like that’d be spectacular tbh

The quickest I’ve been able to get out a new update was a five day turnaround during finals week, and that was with a fire lit under my ass. Quite a bit of time goes into each chapter, not just writing but editing and trying to make them solid for you guys. I’m a relatively quick writer but a slow ass editor. Maybe I’m just clunkier than most but I would advise you NOT to feel like a couple of hours on a story is longer than you should take. Pace yourself, eat some cookies, consider the words. Also I’ve noticed it’s incredibly helpful to have a fellow Star Wars/literature nerd you can text random snippets to and ask about characterization opinions, prompts, do you think this sounds weird, etc.

I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to read ANYTHING ANY OF MY FOLLOWERS WRITE by the way, so tag me or message me whenever you post. I feel like these new shows are a lovely opportunity for Star Wars fans to reset, come together and reinvent the way we’ve interacted with each other historically. I have nothing but goddamn love and fucking support for each and every one of you. now lets go write about getting plowed ok

All together now. I am one with the dick, the dick is with me.

#ask #anon #no-droids discourse #greedy little baby yodas for life

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pascalsky · 3 years

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Pedro Pascal is flying high on The Mandalorian, but defining success by his earthly bonds

The Wonder Woman 1984 and The Mandalorian star is one of EW's Entertainers of the Year.

Human connection. It’s vital. Especially in a year like 2020. Especially for Pedro Pascal. So it’s ironic that the 45-year-old’s highest-profile success to date is working with an adorable animatronic puppet, inside a chrome helmet he famously can’t take off. "It is why I wanted to do this show. Selfishly, I knew [the Child, a.k.a. Baby Yoda] was likely to make people fall in love with the show," says Pascal of tackling the title role on The Mandalorian, the Emmy-nominated hit Star Wars series, which returned for its second season on Disney+ in October.

The Chilean-American actor has an eye for choosing projects where he’ll stand out, from popular network procedurals including The Good Wife, The Mentalist, and Law & Order to his breakout roles as the charming — and horny — Oberyn Martell on Game of Thrones and, soon after, DEA agent Javier Peña on Netflix’s Narcos. But it’s the stoic bounty hunter safeguarding a frog-egg-eating 50-year-old toddler that’s made him a household name. The new season of The Mandalorian followed Pascal’s galaxy-traveling warrior as he searched for the home of the Child, generating countless memes in the process.

Playing the Mandalorian has been one of the hardest and most unique experiences of Pascal's career to date. At this point, it's no secret that he wasn't physically under the helmet as much as he would've liked in season 1 and recorded his dialogue in post-production to match what his doubles, stunt actors Brendan Wayne and Lateef Crowder, did on set in the armor. Giving a largely vocal performance was a challenge for a physical actor like Pascal, who is almost unrecognizable when you compare his turns on The Good Wife and Game of Thrones, for example, because of how he carries himself. Yet, being on set way more in The Mandalorian season 2 didn't make his job any easier because he still had to figure how to make Mando compelling while also being as economical as possible in his physical movements and vocal performance.

"I'm not even sure if I would be able to do it if it weren't for the amount of direct experience that I've had with being on stage to understand how to posture yourself, how to physically frame yourself into something and to tell a story with a gesture, with a stance, or with very, very specific vocal intonation," says Pascal, who believes his collaborative relationship with creator Jon Favreau and executive producer Dave Filoni, a.k.a. his "Mandalorian papas," also helped him inhabit the role in season 2.

Speaking of collaboration: Working with comedian Amy Sedaris, who plays gruff Tatooine mechanic Peli Motto, was one of the highlights of The Mandalorian’s sophomore season. “I followed Amy Sedaris around like a puppy. [I was] like, ‘Hey again. I’m not leaving your side until you wrap,’ and she’s like, ‘Cool,’” Pascal says. “I love the Child — it really is adorable — and it is so fascinating to see it work, but somebody who makes you spit-laugh right into your helmet will always be my favorite thing."

Pascal longed for those kinds of interactions during quarantine, which proved difficult for the actor who was living alone in Los Angeles. But he lights up, is even giddy at times, when the conversation turns to bonding with the Community cast right before a charity table read back in May (he filled in for Walton Goggins), or FaceTiming his friends to celebrate Joe Biden and Kamala Harris' election victory on Nov. 7. "Ahhhh! Ahhhh!" Pascal exclaims, reenacting the joyous calls with buddies like Oscar Isaac that Saturday morning. "It was screaming and jumping and dancing and crying…. I very arrogantly took screenshots of everything and [shared them], like, 'I am a part of this!'”

"I'd be less nervous playing tennis in front of the Obamas than I was seeing a reunion of these people that I think are brilliant and have this incredible chemistry with each other and stepping in and having really, really, bad technology in this new space that I had moved into. I really resented having to actually participate acting-wise because there were instances where it was way too much fun to watch."

- PEDRO PASCAL ON SHOOTING THE COMMUNITY TABLE READ.

His appreciation for those around him has only grown during the pandemic. Before flying to Budapest to film The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent with Nicholas Cage, Pascal leaned on his bubble for support. Community's Gillian Jacobs, for example, hosted him for an outdoor socially distanced pizza night every Saturday in the early weeks of lockdown. (He suspects that's why he was recruited for the sitcom's table read when Goggins couldn't participate.) "The friends that got me through it are absolutely everything to me and very beautifully marked in my head. I've got old friends and new friends that literally did nothing short of parent me through the experience," says Pascal, who has "survivor's remorse" for being in Europe right now. "I feel guilty not being [in the States] with my friends through [this tumultuous time] but also grateful that, individually, I was able to gain a little bit of separation from the stress of it."

Those tight bonds helped redefine, or at least clarify, what success means to him. "I want to make sure that my relationships are right, and I want to make sure I'm nurturing meaning in a sustaining way, and that won't necessarily be related to getting good jobs and making lots of money," he says. But he'll take them — as he did for both of his 2020 projects, about which he's thrilled. And how could he not be, starring in two of the year's most feverishly anticipated properties?

Besides The Mandalorian, Pascal appears in Patty Jenkins' superhero epic Wonder Woman 1984, which has endured a Homeric journey to its release (read: several pandemic-related delays). Thankfully, the odyssey is almost over because Warner Bros. recently confirmed that it will open in both theaters and on HBO Max on Dec. 25. Pascal is stoked audiences will finally see his turn as the villainous Maxwell Lord because playing the greedy dream-seller pushed him out of his post-Game of Thrones action role comfort zone.

"With Wonder Woman, [Gal Gadot and Kristen Wiig] are doing the action, baby, and I'm doing the schm-acting!" he says, hilariously elongating that final syllable. "I am hamming it up!" (Indeed, Pascal reveals Cage inspired his performance in one particular scene.)

But Pascal felt he was up to the challenge because everything he needed was right there in the screenplay, which Jenkins co-wrote with Geoff Johns and David Callaham. "I didn't have to take something and figure out how to put more flesh onto it. I had to achieve getting into the skin of what was being presented to me," he says, contrasting the experience with playing a DEA agent for three seasons on Narcos. "For me, Colombia was almost the central character, and then I was allowed to make him depressive and to tonally interpret what the character was. And in this case [on Wonder Woman 1984], there was just so much for me to meet rather than to invent."

He continues: "That was an incredible delight and challenge because Patty Jenkins is a director who loves actors and when she sees she can ask for more, she does. And there isn't anyone better, in my experience, to give more to."

In 2021, he rejoins the good guys as an aging superhero and father in Robert Rodriguez's kid-friendly Netflix drama We Can Be Heroes. The inherent optimism of the Netflix film's title also complements Pascal's hope for the new year. Says Pascal, ”If [fear] can take a little bit of a backseat and not be the main character in everybody’s life, that would be great.”

SOURCE

#omg he looks so damn good #entertainment weekly #pedro pascal #the mandalorian #din djarin #max lord #maxwell lord #wonder women 1984 #ww1984 #oberyn martell #prince oberyn #the unbearable weight of massive talent #javier pena #narcos #javi gutierrez #we can be heroes #marcus moreno

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helaintoloki · 4 years

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A Friend

pairing: Mandalorian (Dyn Jarren) x reader

notes: I don’t know what this is but I finally caught up on the Mandalorian and wanted to write something for him. maybe I might make a part two? I don’t know. I just know he’s my husband and baby yoda is our child🥺

Despite how secluded her home was, it served as a rest stop for many travelers alike. They would knock on her door offering what little they had in exchange for food and shelter, and she would always gently push the offerings away before ushering them inside. Word spread of her kindness and her hospitality, and soon it became a routine, a casual affair in her life. And it was no different when a roughed up, damaged Mandalorian appeared at her doorsteps.

Again, she silently pushed away the credits in his outstretched hand and led him inside. She said nothing as he collapsed in the nearest chair, made no comment towards the green creature peacefully sleeping away in its mobile nursery. Instead she made them dinner, wiped the grime from his helmet as carefully as she could manage in order not to wake him, and held the child at her hip when he began to fuss.

When the Mando woke his first instinct was to search for the child. It wasn’t in its crib, but it was swaddled in the arms of the woman. She sang a quiet song in her native tongue to the baby, and as it listened it took greedy gulps from its bottle of blue milk. Hungry little fella he was.

“You’re awake,” she states, not once looking up from the child. “I made dinner. If you eat that sort of thing, that is. I know you’re not supposed to remove your helmet.”

He says nothing, only stares. And she smiles the kindest smile he’s seen in a long time, so soft and gentle. That kind of softness was wiped out almost everywhere he went. How was something so good still alive?

“You both can stay as long as you’d like,” she declares, gently handing the baby over to the silent man. It whines in protest, reaching out for her robes desperately. She only smiles.

“Your name,” he says, and it catches her by surprise, “what is it?”

“Y/N,” she replies gently. “But you can call me a friend, if you’d like.”

She retreats behind the two sheets hung over the doorway, leaving the man confused and weary and full of so many questions that have no time to be answered.

#the mandalorian #the mandalorian x reader #mandalorian x reader #dyn jarren x reader #dyn jarren #baby yoda #star wars

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exowolf-reactions · 4 years

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Three (Lay 5/5)

genre: Yixing Fluff (5/5) type: drabble/scenario characters: Yixing, reader Do not copy without permission or use in any way, this is my work. ------------------------------------------------------

“ Yixing can you please stop that already?” “I want to save this moment for eternity!” “…And I want you to help me with this. Please put that camera away!” You snorted as he kissed your forehead and took one of the babies you were carrying in your arms. “Can you believe it jagi? We didn’t get one, but two beautiful boys”.

Two. No, three boys. You were now stuck with three Parks. How did I let this happened. It was hard enough to deal with your childish husband, and now you had to take care of other two. It’s not like you complained, but you kinda enjoyed making him Lay think you were still angry for making you carry two boys for nine months. “I told you to be careful Yixing , but you didn’t listen…” “Come on honey bunny, it wasn’t that bad. You smiled everyday, waiting for the kids to come” “Until the contractions started…” You sighed. “But you are right, I wanted a family as much as you did”.

How could you deny it? It was impossible. You’ve never been this happy before and being with your husband was everything you could ever ask for. Now you two didn’t only share love, but two beautiful healthy boys, that looked exactly like their father.

“Can we call them Yoda one and Yoda two?” He said a few hours later after being discharged form the hospital. “Didn’t we had this discussion before Yixing? We are sticking to the names I had already chosen… Not gonna fight over this again” You rolled your eyes and smiled at the idea of them being called the Jedi of the class. He was definitely a dork, a sweet one, and you were sure your life together had just begun. As you thought of how life would be now, the house never quiet and you always busy cooking meals, cleaning diapers or telling Yixing to teach the babies how to talk, ending up in them singing all the words they managed to say instead of talking like normal little kids, Yixing opened the car’s door for you helping you get inside and handing the babies to Suho and Xiumin who were smiling and and amazed of the two little creatures now in their arms. “ Yixing? You haven’t told me where Kyungsoo and his Jagi are. I thought they would be here when you gave them the news” “Well, as soon as Kyungsoo heard we wanted them to be the godparents, they ran to the house to prepare everything”

You couldn’t help it but laugh after hearing what Yixing had said. It had been weeks since you last finished preparing everything for the two new members of the families, and yet Yixing believed that’s what his best friend was doing. After all one of your kids was going to be named after Kyungsoo, so you were sure he was doing something big, not just paint the room blue. “You know Yixing, I think our family will be bigger than expected…” You thought of the rest of the boys, going to visit you everyday to “take care” (play) of their nephews. “True that honey bunny, but think of it as an opportunity. We will have some time for ourselves as they take care of them, if you know what I mean” He grinned and held your hand as he drove to your house. “Oh don’t get greedy Lay! you won’t get me pregnant again! Three boys are more than enough!”

#exo #exo l #exo scenarios #exo m #exo k #exo reactions #exo fanfiction #exo fanfic #exo fluff #exo lay #lay #zhang yixing #lay fanfic #lay scenario #lay fluff

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babblingblondegenius · 5 years

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Felicity Megan Smoak-Queen really can have it all!

Genius, bamf, wife, mother, hero, and HBIC of Smoak Technologies!!!! EPISODE 7x17 SPOILERS>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

SMOAK TECH RISE! After we’ve waited for 84 years, Felicity is finally launching Smoak Tech in the present using the ‘Archer’ program. I am so excited for this precious bean to create her company and make a difference in the world the way she has wanted for so long. She already has her first employee--Alena who finally got a last name Whitlock. And who I now fear might be killed in the line of duty. Let’s hope I’m wrong and just enjoy the cuteness.

I am also emotional af since we are inching closer to the end and even though we’ve known about Archer for months (thanks FFs), seeing it in the present hit me right in the Olicity feels that Felicity named her premiere pilot program as a homage to her husband. Do you ever just cry over how much Felicity Smoak loves Oliver Queen and how proud she is of him?!?

Perfect reason to use one of my favorite gifs of all time. :) Felicity does think the world of Oliver and most of the time, I do too. Oliver being epic tonight was when he took out like ten baddies all by his bamf self and then arrowed the drones in rapid succession. Not so epic was Oliver being willfully naive and blindly trusting of Emiko. Including but not limited to bringing her to the secret Arrow lair that his brilliant wife just got restored. Although Emiko made a fan of Felicity when she found out that Emiko was the one who killed Diaz.

Probably won’t feel that way once Emiko goes after Archer. :/ In the meantime, Oliver’s guilt complex was back in full force and he believes he can make up for his father abandoning Emiko by saving her from the Ninth Circle. Oliver still hasn’t quite figured out a couple of things: 1. you cannot save someone who doesn’t want to be saved; and 2. it is not necessary or even very prudent for him to always try to fix his parents’ wrongs. And there’s a whole lotta wrongs.

Oliver keeps looking backward to heal the hurts of the past. But those wounds can’t be healed; time turns them into scars that we carry with us, whether they are external or internal. Our scars teach us lessons and serve as a catalyst for change. Oliver knows this from experience. That experience and those scars are what drive Oliver and his huge marshmallow heart to try to right the wrongs his family created. He hasn’t quite realized he can only redeem it by living his best life in the light and truth of the present. Which he is already doing. As his amazing wife has told him repeatedly, Oliver is better than his parents’ legacy.

Yes, Oliver. Let go of the past. Focus on the present and future. Listen to your wife. Always. She’s super smart. That’s one of the reasons you married her. And now those impeccable genetics are part of a tiny human you created. That should be a reason Oliver wants to redeem his family name and maybe it is but they didn’t mention it. I was glad they had BS point out the obvious blind spot Oliver has and then Diggle discuss the fact we’ve tread this road before with him and Andy. But the difference is the emotional connection that John had with his long-lost sibling had been established since season 1 well before we saw them reunited and then at odds in season 4. Emiko was introduced as an unknown quantity and then once unmasked, hated Oliver. This was only maybe the 2nd or 3rd time they have interacted. Arrow waited too long to try and hinge such a huge emotional impact on a character we’ve barely had a chance or a reason to connect with. I’m sorry that Oliver has been betrayed by someone else he cared about but not at all surprised and quite frankly, he shouldn’t be either.

And IMHO, the only family that Oliver should be concerned about at this point is Felicity, William, and baby Smoak-Queen. (Also, the Diggle family since John seems to be fully restored to the Dig we know and love). One look from Felicity and John went with Oliver to Emiko’s hideout and gave him a tried and true Yoda Diggle talk. These are the dynamics I really hoped they would focus on.

But instead we had to hash out some more plot and in an interesting but kinda sudden twist, we find out Emiko isn’t just part of the Ninth Circle, she is their leader. So when did Dante hand over the reins? And why? We also find out that she knew about (or helped orchestrate?) the Queen’s Gambit bomb plot. Apparently, Robert Queen pissed so many people off, that boat was going down no matter what. He at least left his son with some encouraging words.

He did. He survived the event that altered his life forever. The source of his scars. His catalyst for change. The start of Oliver’s journey that brought him tremendous pain and loss. But also ultimately led him to find his purpose and the love of his life. Years after returning to Star City, he made it home and is making it better.

We got a cute Olicity moment in the lair when Felicity was comforting Oliver with one hand on his face and the other resting on her belly while Oliver looked at her in his broody affectionate way. I really would have liked if Oliver had placed his hand on hers. He doesn’t need to be super overbearingly protective now that Felicity is pregnant but some little demonstrative touches would sure be nice to show he is thinking of their future, especially when the dialogue is lacking. Also, what happened to the little kisses? Yes, I’m greedy. We only have so many episodes left and I want all the adorable Olicity moments we possibly can.

We’re now entering a three-week hiatus, fam. Also, don’t forget when they return on April 15, it will be an hour later. Please let the writers utilize the new time slot appropriately by letting Olicity have dessert. 7x20 is coming up. Let’s see if the writers were smart enough to capitalize on this amazing chemistry and continue in the fine tradition of 3x20 and 5x20 epic love scenes! ;)

#without these cuties flirting #the episode felt meh #balance is key #arrow spoilers #random thoughts

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aion-rsa · 3 years

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Willow: What to Expect from the Disney+ Series

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

After the wildly successful conclusion of the original Star Wars trilogy and meeting the wonderful Warwick Davis, George Lucas had a plan: to launch a new fantasy franchise with the man who’d bought Wicket the Ewok to life at the forefront. Reimagining a film he’d first conceived in 1972, Lucas got to work and five years later Willow hit screens in 1988. Directed by Ron Howard and written by Bob Dolman based on Lucas’ story, the film tells the tale of the titular hero and aspiring sorcerer who heads off on an incredible journey to return a baby to its people.

While the film wasn’t a huge commercial success and received mixed reviews on release, to a whole generation of kids–who have now grown up–and their kids it remains a classic. That’s why this Willow fan was incredibly excited to hear that Howard and Lucas will be returning–with helmers Jon Chu and Jon Kasdan–to the fantastical world and the characters who’ve meant so much to so many over the years.

So what will this new Willow series look like? What do we want to see? And what storylines will the new show likely pick up? Get ready for some theories because we’re diving in!

The Ufgoods

With Davis returning it’s clear that Willow will once again be at the center of the new series. In the original film he and his family lived in the small village of Nelwyn. Willow’s wife Kiaya (Julie Peters) and children Ranon (Mark Vandebrake) and Mims (Dawn Downing) were only in the film for a short time but the new series could see them return. Seeing as Davis is getting older there’s a chance that we could see one of his kids join him on his quest or even take over for the hero. If Willow achieved his goal of becoming a powerful sorcerer we could also meet him as the town’s elder, using his magic to protect the people he cares about while potentially looking for an apprentice.

With longer form storytelling available to the creative team it would be nice to learn a little more about the Ufgoods and their village. Magic is real here and clearly a part of the economy, world, and existence of the Nelwyn community as well as that of the Daikinis who rule over the land. It would be super cool to take advantage of the format to really build on the inner workings of the world and lore of Willow.

In the film, Willow acts as a connection between those two worlds which we could see explored here. Speaking of which, the fact he saved a young baby who was prophesied to take down an evil queen–and did–is probably a big thread that will get picked up here.

Which brings us to…

A New Generation of Heroes

Alongside Willow’s children, Ranon and Mims, there is the obvious story of Elora Dannon, the young baby that set Willow on his quest years ago. Disney has finally started to combine their success with women-led stories–the princess movies that kept them afloat for years–with genre storytelling. It might have taken them 11 years to do a female-led movie in the MCU but it now exists, and after critiques of The Mandalorian and its lack of women with speaking roles, it seems like they’d be smart to take advantage of the fact that they have a franchise here which featured two radical strong women already in place and a new young hero who could potentially be a great ally to Willow. Basically, expect Elora Dannon to play a large part in whatever adventures Chu, Kasdan, and co. have in store.

With all of that said, it would be amazing to see Disney bring Mims and Ranon back. We rarely get stories with heroes who aren’t a very specific kind of person. To have two little people leading a big Disney+ series would be huge, plus the kids already have a connection to Elora as they were the ones who found her in the river at Nelwyn. It seems to make sense that she would have been raised alongside Willow’s kids, especially as he had a close connection to the people who raised her too.

Sorsha and Madmartigan

And who did raise her? Well, that would be the powerful warrior daughter of evil queen Bavmorda (Jean Marsh), Sorcha (Joanne Whalley), and the arrogant sellsword Madmartigan (Val Kilmer). It’s a truly unlikely pairing and both her parents were… let’s say unusual, so it’s hard to say exactly where they’ll be when we return.

There’s a chance they cleaned up their acts to raise their daughter and rule as stable and fair monarchs but that seems a little boring. Sorcha is one of fantasy’s coolest and most complex female characters so it’d be nice to see her return, especially if she’s ended up having to raise Elora alone due to Madmartigan continuing his canonical streak of being a useless, greedy man.

With the trend of big actors returning to nostalgic roles it seems like we could see Davis and Kilmer team up again, perhaps Willow has to find his one time ally for Sorcha? Maybe he even has to hunt him down when he puts the world in danger with some terrible scheme or bargain. It would be wonderful to see Whalley return too as we rarely get to see strong older women in big, meaty fantasy roles. If that’s the case then maybe we could see dual storylines as the classic Willow team reunites and their younger counterparts have to either assist, save, or potentially battle them. There’s so many options!

Bavmorda’s Return?

The big question is what could cause all of these disparate warriors to come back together? The answer seems to lay in the original movie.

The evil queen at the center of the story was banished but not killed, so potentially she could make her return to finish off Elora once and for all. Jean Marsh is an icon–she also terrified us as Momby in Return to Oz–so to see her return in some form would be amazing, but also if she’s not interested there are plenty of ways to reinvent an evil witch.

Bavmorda is a classic fantasy villain but if the team wants to do something else there’s plenty of scope for angles to explore. The conflict between the Daikini and Nelwyns seems like an obvious route, but we could see some totally new inventions too. There’s also the chance that Sorcha or Elora could become surprise villains, perhaps with one of them being inspired to follow in their missing matriarch’s footsteps. It would be a big twist but would definitely be an interesting route for the show to explore. Another option could be a sect of Bavmorda’s loyal followers rising up against the crown.

Incredible Creature Work

If you’ve rewatched Willow recently then you’ll be aware of how great the practical effects are. I still remember the abject horror of the opening attack on Nelwyn and the Death Dogs. There’s also the two headed Eborsisk–named after Siskel and Ebert–and the unforgettable transformation of Madmartigan. Basically, the ’88 film offers up a ton of incredible creature work.

Lucasfilm has been continuing that legacy with the new Star Wars trilogy and of course, the puppeteering magic of Baby Yoda, so they’re definitely capable of creating more fantastical creatures which will hopefully be filling the world of the Willow series.

There’s also the recent beauty of Jim Henson Studio’s The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance which was critically acclaimed–and unfairly canceled–showcasing that there’s still an audience for good old practical effects and hard fantasy. With the recent invention of the tech that brought The Mandalorian to life, it’s pretty likely that we’ll see a melding of VFX and practical effects to build out the world.

Reimagining What Fantasy Can Be

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Willow was groundbreaking for its time not just because of its effects and storytelling but also by having Davis as a lead. It would be amazing to see the series continue that trend. The conversation around representation often leaves out disabled people and this would be a brilliant place to introduce an accessible and inclusive version of what fantasy can be.

If we can imagine a world with Death Dogs and magical prophecies, surely we can imagine a wheelchair user as a heroine or someone with a facial disfigurement as a romantic lead. What would be really cool is if Willow expanded our idea of what disability looks like as disabled people of color are often left out of the very little rep that we do get.

So let’s see if Disney is willing to continue the legacy that was started years ago with the original film and create something truly radical in terms of who gets to be a hero in fantasy stories.

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