cyratania

[cyratania]

got fuckin CHILLS from this scene man. also darth vader is way harder to draw than i thought he’d be goddamn

#brUH #stop #its gorgeous #star wars #sw #ahsoka tano #luke skywalker #art

[cyratania]

The “Throwing Hands” Lineage

Mace Windu in Star Wars: Clone Wars (2003) Ezra Bridger in Star Wars: Ahsoka (2023)

#omg yes #shatterpoint lineage #star wars #sw #ezra bridger #mace windu #Ahsoka show

[cyratania]

perdon por la falta Sabine...

#them #star wars #sw #shatterpoint lineage #disaster lineage

[cyratania]

ahsoka 1x07 liveblog / post mortem

i’m sorry but hera needs to beat this senator’s ass

LEIA SENDING C-3PO 🥹

chopper having some shit to say in court…. i love him

the anakin hologram! he made ahsoka multiple holograms!!! i’m cryinnn

i’m enjoying seeing more of ahsoka’s humor (and snippiness if you will)

ZEB MENTION

(i honestly believe the reason zeb hasn’t shown up is because it’s too expensive to animate him lmao)

i’m so afraid of what will happen when ezra finds out how sabine really got here.

eman esfandi is a PERFECT ezra. the body language, mannerisms, voice, the signature charm/humor — everything!

loved seeing ezra gently encouraging sabine to explain the “feeling” she felt. force sensitivity 101!

what is baylan’s play here? sending his own apprentice off on her own? what is his own “path”?

did ezra teach the noti how to use slingshots, like his own energy slingshot from rebels? awwww

oh ezra and sabine look SO fucking cool standing next to each other, preparing for battle. (i see the battle couple vision. i see it.)

ahsoka yeeting herself out of a speeding aircraft is insane actually. i know she did something similar before (the siege of mandalore comes to mind) but damn, she really is anakin’s padawan, huh. the drama!

ezra’s force-assisted martial arts is VERY cool. his confidence in his abilities? him refusing to use his old lightsaber, and telling sabine it’s hers now because he gave it to her? chef’s kiss

ezra force-pulling sabine as she lights up her flamethrower!! AAAAAA!!!!!!

ahsoka pulling up to the fight like that was so fucking funny

CLASSIC SABINE EXPLOSIVES!!!!!! let my girl blow up more stuff!!!

oh that ahsoka and ezra reunion was so lovely. years ago, in the world between worlds he told her to come find him…. she promised she would, and she did!!

ezra saying “i might be going home after all” … bro i’m fucking scared WHAT IF HE DOESNT!!!!!!! DAVE FELONY YOU CANT DO THIS

i suppose it’s in ahsoka’s nature to forgive what sabine did — after all, she acknowledged it was the only choice that made sense for her at the time. but as much as i hate to say it, at some point sabine needs to face the consequences.

i can’t believe there’s only one episode left!!! lots of loose ends to wrap up. i am cautiously excited but also afraid because i have the sinking feeling not everyone’s making it back to the galaxy we’re familiar with. 🥲

#me rn #sw #ahsoka series #star wars #im so normal about it guys

[cyratania]

my favorite thing about anakin as a character is the inherent nuance lucas wrote into his story, like he's neither an innocent victim nor an inherently evil monster, he's just some guy put in a series of Situations and ultimately failing the test of his humility and self-control. he was certainly flattered and shaped by the devil, spiraling into something unrecognizable, but he chose to take every step down the pathway to hell. lucas knew he would lose a certain demographic by making him basically a greedy pawn in the larger story, not a righteous betrayed macho badass, but he did it anyway. he made him an awkward romantic and a loyal friend, a generous boy and a brilliant teen. he made sure he had all the positive qualities that meant that he had potential to be so much more than vader, but it was clearly his choice to lie, murder, and fully squander that potential. there are no excuses for what he became, no acceptable reasons to commit mass slaughter. he became an unbelievably selfish and impatient man, reckless and wantonly violent. hayden captured that nuance so well, nobody can match the sweetness of his smile and the absolute horror of his scowl on mustafar. to view him through a single lens as either pure victim of manipulation and (canonically unsupported) emotional neglect, or a creepy evil villain, denies the heart of his story and the weight of his tragedy. he's neither an angel nor a demon, he's both and neither, he's deeply human, a classical tragic hero with a flaw of greed. lucas made a choice with the prequels to tell a story that not everyone wanted to hear, and the result was a character that i think is one of the best of modern pop culture, mostly because he feels to me so very, very ancient and eternal.

#omg #this #THIS is it #you put feelings into words #sw #meta #anakin skywalker #darth vader #star wars

[cyratania]

tfw your main character energy doesn't translate to board games ):

(commission info // kofi support!)

#this #i want it injected into my veins #ahsoka tano #anakin skywalker #obi wan kenobi #star wars #sw #star wars the clone wars #disaster lineage

[cyratania]

I don’t know if it can be properly conveyed how much shit was thrown Hayden’s way when his prequel movies came out. Just a metric fuckton of crap. After AOTC (and only in his very early 20s) he was swiftly made the Star Wars pariah, and ROTS did little to assuage that. A lot of the dissatisfaction with the prequels somehow fell on him, both his turns as Anakin got Razzie “Awards”, his name became synonymous with bad, wooden acting.

Over the years the opinion of his performance shifted to Hayden being an unfortunate victim of George Lucas' writing and directing, saddled with lines no actor could make work. But even that opinion still largely discounted Hayden's acting ability.

For him to come back after 17 years to the role he got so much flack for, have his big scene show not even half of his face (and have that face caked in makeup and prosthetic), have his voice distorted, and still deliver the way he did? Still convey all the rage and evil and arrogance but also pain and sadness within Vader? Show everyone this is why he landed the role two decades ago, because he can be frightening and vulnerable and devastating even with just one eye and the corner of his mouth visible? Show everyone he is Anakin/Vader, and make everyone consider he was good all along? Incredible, amazing, the chosen one indeed. Thanks Deborah Chow and Ewan for making this show, thank you Hayden for coming back.

#just plain hard cold facts #hayden christensen #anakin skywalker #ahsoka spoilers #sw #star wars

[cyratania]

Not only is Hayden a brilliant actor, he’s one of the most skilled athletes I’ve ever seen. He learned fast and is now leagues ahead of everybody. He is terrifying. — Nick Gillard

HAYDEN CHRISTENSEN as ANAKIN SKYWALKER/DARTH VADER Ahsoka: Part 5 - Shadow Warrior (2023)

#hot #i said what i said #ahsoka spoilers #Anakin Skywalker #hayden christensen #sw #starwars

[cyratania]

#Anakin Skywalker + Flashbacks

#screams #star wars #ahsoka series #ahsoka spoilers #anakin skywalker #ahsoka tano

[cyratania]

Honestly I loved episode three. I loved the gaping hole Kanan left in the narrative. He's a ghost, he's right there, he never existed, he never left.

When Hera talks to Mon Mothma and the senators and Mothma asks about Jacen, and Ezra is mentioned by name, but not Kanan. Just 'I lost people who were like family' and the only person she can be taking about is Kanan but he is unnamed. We know. She knows. But the others in the scene cant. And the republic wouldn't really want to acknowledge that loss. A Jedi died fighting for them, and his wife is begging for help to find their Jedi adoptive son and there 'isn't resources' because there is never fucking resources for anything that doesn't line the elites pockets because under the veneer of space opera, capitalism is rotting and always will be.

And when Hera is talking to Jacen, and he's been playing with Chopper when he should be with his Dad or Ezra learning Jedi stuff, and when he ways he wants to be a Jedi and it just hangs there and Hera tells him she knows. How many excuses has she come up with to keep him away from the Jedi stuff because its safer for him to let his talent burn out and she just can't loose another person to that. She can't go through it again. How long can she keep him safe from it? She can't. He is Kanan's son as much as hers. Ezra will come back, but at least Ezra will Know. Will have known Kanan. Know what Hera fears.

And when Ahsoka talks about the force with Sabine and she says the same things Kanan did, and Sabine doesn't stop her because how would Ahsoka know? She barely knew Kanan. When she trains Sabine with wooden weapons and its the same way Kanan did. And when they do the blind drills, and she should have been learning to fight blind from Kanan. Even the mask Sabine wears looks more like Kanan's mask from 'Twilight of the Apprentice' than any of the other helmets we see used for the same drill.

Kanan left this huge absence in the show, that only exists for those who knew him, both in universe and those who watched Rebels. And I just think its fucking beautiful.

#didnt think of it like that #i vibe with this #its so much sadder #i love it #star wars #ahsoka spoilers #kanan jarrus #ahsoka tano #sabine wren #jacen syndulla #hera syndulla

[cyratania]

Iroh being judged worthy by the dragons not for himself, but for his eventual role in guiding Zuko to them. Iroh's act of choosing not to kill the last dragon would result in Zuko and Aang standing in front of Ren and Shaw. Iroh may not have known it at the time, as according to the timeline this happened before his enlightenment about the war, but perhaps the dragons judged him worthy because they already knew what events he could set in motion. Iroh tells Zuko that he himself is not the one to take the throne, but that Zuko is.

Imagine Iroh, in the height of his career as crown prince and general, being given the knowledge by the dragons in exchange for sparing the life of one that it is not his destiny to take the throne, but to pave the way for another, more worthy. That's why Iroh doesn't fight Ozai for the throne after Lu Ten's death. Though surely, this can't be the destiny the dragons had in mind, one wrought in horror and blood? Perhaps this is what motivates him to take his spiritual journey.

Much later, when Zuko begs Iroh to let him in the war meeting, speaking of learning to lead his country, Iroh remembers the dragons' prophecy, and a spark ignites. That's why he lets Zuko in, despite knowing the danger, despite knowing that Ozai would never let Zuko become the kind of leader the Fire Nation needs. But there is that spark of hope.

That spark of hope is also what motivates his guilt after it happens. Iroh was thinking of his own salvation and sacrificed a child on the same altar his son died on. But there is still that spark of hope that exists, and Iroh knows now what his true destiny is.

I don't think Zuko truly realizes that Zuko is the one who needs to take the throne until late in the game, though, because he had to be sure that Zuko would make the right decision in the end, that he would show that he truly was the "idealist with a pure heart" as Iroh names him.

A lot of this is headcanon but I feel like it does flesh out some of the thornier bits of Iroh's backstory while fitting with the theme of destiny existing but also being influenced by individual choices.

#oohhh #this is lovely #i like this #iroh #zuko #the firebending masters #atla

[cyratania]

I can't sleep tonight, so I'm using this as an opportunity to do something extremely productive and rewrite Ep 2-3 Anakin's dialog to be less creepy and over-the-top and still be in character for a teenager struggling with his emotions.

This is just my personal headcanon based on what I like and didn't like about his character in AotC mostly. I wanted to portray him as sympathetic but still flawed, so his fall to darkness hits that much harder.

_________________________________________

•Ep 2:

(Elevator scene:)

Anakin does not tell Obi-Wan his thoughts about Padmé. When asked about his unease, he deflects, saying it's probably some confusion in the Force. Obi-Wan reminds Anakin to be mindful of his feelings. He hides the necklace Padmé gave him ten years prior in his hand.

("Ani?... my goodness, you've grown!")

Anakin, awkwardly: And you... You've stayed about the same.

Padmé chuckles at this, not realizing Anakin was only half-joking. In this rendition, she does not still see him as the young slave boy from Tatooine, but he doesn't realize that until later.

("We will find out who's trying to kill you, Padmé. I promise you.")

Obi-Wan puts his hand on Anakin's shoulder, silently telling him to cool it. Anakin relinquishes, slumping back into his seat. After the conversation is finished, Obi-Wan talks to Anakin alone.

Obi-Wan: Anakin, we will not overstep our mandate. Our responsibility is to ensure the Senator's safety only. We can do that and no more.

Anakin: Why? Would finding this assassin not ensure her safety?

Obi-Wan: Perhaps. But that is up to the Coruscant guard for now. Your thoughts are clouded today. What troubles you, my young Padawan?

Anakin: I'm sorry, master. It's not important, I just... it's been ten years since I last saw senator Amidala. I'd all but forgotten how... beautiful she is. I wasn't expecting it, is all.

Obi-Wan: Focus, Anakin. Do not let your feelings cloud your judgment. Remember the Code.

Anakin, dejected: ...Yes, master.

[Anakin hasn't thought about her every single day for the past ten years, and he doesn't comment on how she's 'forgotten him' because... ew.]

(Padmé retires to bed:)

Anakin watches Padmé walk past him to her bedroom. He's flustered, trying to work up the courage to speak. Behind his back he holds the necklace she gave him all those years ago. He calls out to her, and she stops to talk to him. He fidgets with the necklace behind his back for a moment, unsure whether or not to show it to her, before fully concealing in in his fist once R2-D2 enters. He simply tells her to inform R2-D2 if she needs anything. His feelings will stay concealed for now.

[Anakin isn't implied to have spied on Padmé using her security feeds because... ew.]

("I am truly thankful to be his apprentice.")

Anakin: But at times I feel he's too harsh. He reprimands everything I do, everything I say. I wish in those moments he'd respect me more. Maybe then I could actually become the Jedi I know I can be.

Padmé: All mentors have a way of seeing more of our faults than we'd like. It's how we grow.

Anakin: But I am grown!

Padmé: No one ever really stops growing, Ani. We're always learning, always changing. To grow is to be alive.

They share a moment, lost in each other's eyes.

Padmé: I have to finish packing. I'll meet you here when I'm ready.

Anakin: Of course, my lady.

Anakin watches her leave the room for a few more moments, before averting his gaze to the view outside.

[Anakin does not mention remembering Padmé's beauty in his dreams to her on the ship to Naboo because... ew.]

(On Naboo overlooking the river:)

Anakin: I don't like sand. It's coarse, it's rough, it's irritating, and it gets everywhere. It was all over my home on Tatooine. When my mother and I lived there as slaves, it seeped into every crack and crevice of our home. It was a constant reminder of our imprisonment. But here? Here's different. Here's everything soft and smooth...

Anakin turns his gaze from the rolling hills of Naboo to Padmé.

Anakin: ...and beautiful.

They share a kiss for a few moments before Anakin breaks it abruptly, stiffening and looking over the hills and river once more.

Anakin: I apologize, my lady. I've overstepped my mandate. Please forgive me.

Padmé puts her hand on Anakin's. He looks at her again.

Padmé: I forgive you.

(Scene in firepit room:)

Anakin: The life of a Jedi doesn't allow for many pleasures. In fact, it forbids most of them. Being here with you now... I've never felt this way before. I'm afraid. I thought I knew my feelings. And in a way, I suppose I do. You make me feel strong and weak at the same time. I want to be with you. If you feel these same conflicting things, please tell me. I need to know I'm not the only one.

Padmé: I... we couldn't. Regardless of how we feel about each other... I'm a senator, and you're a Jedi. We'd be doing something forbidden to both of us.

There's a pause. The moment is tense.

Anakin: We could keel it a secret. No one would have to know. Just us.

Padmé: We'd be living a lie. One we couldn't keep, not for long. One that might destroy us. Could you live like that, Anakin?

Anakin: ...No. You're right.

(After Shmi dies:)

Anakin tinkers with a gadget in the Lars homestead. Padmé enters, with a tray of food and some blue milk.

Padmé: I brought you food. Thought you might be hungry.

Anakin: Thanks. The shifter on this drive engine broke. It's an easy fix.

Padmé: You've been fixing things all day.

Anakin: It's soothing to me. Life seems so much simpler when I'm fixing things. I'm good at it. At least, I ought to be.

Padmé: There are some things in life you can't fix. You're not all-powerful.

Anakin: That's not a good enough excuse. If I'd felt her pain sooner, if I'd searched for her faster, if I'd-

Anakin is fighting tears. Padmé rushes to his side.

Padmé: Anakin! Its alright.

Anakin falls to his knees. He lets the tears flow.

Anakin: I thought about her every single day after I left her. I had dreams about coming back here... about setting her free. Those dreams, those memories, kept me going. They were the reason I endured the hardships of my Jedi life. Now she's gone. And I have nothing left to give me hope.

Padmé: That's not true. Think of Obi-Wan. Think of how strong and wise and brave he is. Think of C-3P0 and R2-D2 and how loyal they are. Think of me. If you need a shoulder to rest your head on, I'll be here for you.

Anakin puts his head on Padmé's shoulder. They stay like that for a while, Anakin silently weeping.

There is no mention of Anakin's slaughter of the sand people. It's a part of the story only Palpatine will hear.

[There is no mention of Anakin desiring to be the most powerful Jedi or anything like that. His desire for control is portrayed with more subtlety]

•Ep 3:

("You are on this council, but we do not grant you the rank of master.")

Anakin: ...what?

Anakin looks around at the council. They are all glaring at him. They see the simple act of his bewilderment as defiance, or at least that's how he silently interprets it.

Anakin: ...I...

Mace Windu: Take a seat, young Skywalker.

Anakin reluctantly sits without much complaint, though the concern and dejection on his face says enough.

#yes #also love that you kept the important meme line #but gave it meaning lol #sw #imo he still shouldnt have been able to do the tusken massacre to get a bigger impact for order 66 #but i digress #star wars

[cyratania]

"The idea that anyone can be a Jedi if they just work hard enough goes against everything we know of Star Wars!"

What Star Wars have these sorts of commenters been consuming!?

I just finished a rewatch of the OT last week and not once was it implied that force abilities were something limited to a small few. Just that Luke's family line were particularly strong with the force. They DID imply that force abilities for even someone strong like Luke took a lot of discipline to do even basic stuff.

The much maligned prequels with their Midichlorians basically used M-count like an SAT score to enter Jedi university. But everyone knows you can't boil a student's educational potential down to a singular score. Why should it be any different for potential force users? Hell, relying on M-count alone got us Anakin, whose terrible personality frequently weakened his ability to use the force as effectively as Jedi with lower M-counts but better focus.

Legends and Canon both stuff the universe chock full of species and cultures that use/view the force very differently from how the Jedi do and do not seem to draw nearly so clean a line between Force Sensitives and non Force Sensitives. Ithorians for example were once all implied to have force connections to their home forest, but we only ever saw a small handful within the Jedi ranks. Zeb's not once shown any force potential, but can somehow draw on it to guide his people to Lira San. Chirrut was "just" a monk but easily used the force to "see" arguably even better than Kanan. The examples go on.

"The Jedi don't have all the answers concering the force" has been a thing since at least Return of the Jedi. Yet we rely on a perspective of the Star Wars universe that's been shown to us through a very Jedi-centric lens. Of course that's not the full picture of how the force operates. It never has been.

#YES #THANK YOU #Literally all of this #honestly i loved that it tied back to the ot like this #its beautiful #ahsoka spoilers #sw #star wars

[cyratania]

Honestly Sabine being Ashoka’s padawan is poetically hilarious.

Because only Ahsoka “I am no Jedi” Tano, padawan of Anakin “Darth Vader Human Disaster” Skywalker, would have a padawan that is not only barely force-sensitive, but a Mandalorian at that.

Like this is peak Disaster Lineage™️ behavior.

#i love it so much lol #ahsoka spoilers #star wars #sw

[cyratania]

Thoughts on Invincible Iron Man #8 and #9

When I read Invincible Iron Man #8, I couldn’t believe my eyes. A reference to Iron Man #182, in my Iron Man comics? More likely than I thought. The fact that the reference was tasteful and also showcased Duggan’s understanding of Tony’s character was the icing on the cake. To sum up the scene: Tony just got hurt very badly by two Stark Sentinels and is half conscious. He reaches out and asks Emma for help. She gets into his mindscape, which we discover is a snowy alley full with empty bottles and sad tags on the walls.

“No way out, safe, hope”. This is the melodrama I want to see in my Iron Man comics. I also loved that Emma didn’t dismiss Tony’s trauma: “It’s real, but it’s not what’s happening right now.” She helps him get out of this flashback/mindspace, and the fight goes on.

There’s this beautiful panel where Tony surrenders his suit to save Emma:

Look at it!! Look at the colours! Look at the lines! The motion!

Anyways. Tony manages to get Emma away from the fight, taunts Feilong to kill him. Then in issue #9, he refuses Steve’s help when he arrives (because he needs to be alone and he wants to protect his friends) and then he meets up with Emma in the sewers, runs back to his workshop to make her a ring to conceal her from Orchis, and comes back to her. He also bandages his own injuries.

He gets down to the sewers again, and gets into an argument with Emma about his and her actions (or lack thereof) against Orchis/Feilong. And then…

Tony has a panic attack. Which I think is the first time, ever, we see this happening explicitly in an Iron Man comic (I’m happy to be proved wrong). He has a panic attack because everything is going to hell and Rhodey is getting hurt in prison and Feilong is trying to kill Rhodey and Tony. Tony is hurting, physically and mentally, and Duggan does not shy away from showing that. I think that Frigeri made an excellent job in drawing Tony so angry and literally foaming at the mouth: he’s not doing well, his emotions are all over the place. He cries (!!) and asks for help, again. I’m really surprised that Tony asks for help twice in as many issues. Is it because he trusts Emma to calm his mind? Is it easier for him to ask her instead of his friends because it’s less personal? Or is he so desperate that there is no other way? I don’t know. Regardless, it’s interesting.

This time, Emma brings him to his happy place:

His happy place, his “idealistic self-image”, is him surrounded by the Iron Man armours. Emma’s comment about there being less unsavoury people and “tramps” than she’d expected pleased my vindicative heart. But more importantly: last issue, we got to see Tony’s worst mindscape, where he falls into when everything is going to hell and he’s dying. And it was him, alone, in the snow, surrounded by his biggest weakness and fear: alcoholism. In this issue, we see his happy place, which is essentially: Iron Man. What Tony loves most about himself is Iron Man, what he hates most is his alcoholism. AAAAAAAA. This is such quintessential Tony. It’s him. I think I haven’t seen such a good characterization in Iron Man comics in a decade. I still barely believe it.

The following panels set up Tony and Emma’s alliance for the upcoming comics. Judging from the solicits for IIM 12 and 13, they’re going to be a team for at least until those issues, and maybe further.

Emma’s ruthlessness and Tony’s genius can make for a deadly combo. They’re not playing around. I hope we will see them shine together. I can’t wait for them to give Feilong and Orchis what they deserve. Also, note the way they phrase their alliance: “To their deaths.” Add to that the way they are framed, both dressed sharply and facing each other like that, and my mind immediately made the connection to wedding vows: “Until death do us part”. Am I reading too much into it, or was this intentional from Duggan and Frigeri? Maybe future wil tell.

To end this long post, here are unrelated thoughts:

1. I love the current trend of Avengers actively helping Mutants fight against Orchis. We have Tony, of course, but also Steve who reformed the Uncanny Avengers to fight against Orchis; Thor just saved a mutant in Immortal Thor #1, we’ve had mentions of Vision, Reed and T’Challa helping on the information side… It’s great. Between AXE Judgment Day and Fall of X, it seems that Marvel writers/editorial have decided to stop pitting the X-men and Avengers against each other. Let’s hope it stays that way. Avengers help everyone, and it’s nice to finally see it even in x-men books. Also, it gives us awesome panels:

2. Tony is his own nemesis confirmed. Thank you, Duggan.

And that’s it! If you’ve read this far, consider telling me in comments or tags what you thought. I might start doing posts like this for every Iron Man comic week.

[cyratania]

It's so funny to me that literally every jedi at some point in their mastery becomes a massive hypocrite.

Hera: Sabine figured out the map

Ahsoka: yeah and then she lost it

Ahsoka, that's you. You're literally her. You lost so many things as a padawan. You were a little gremlin. You were the worst. You made Anakin prematurely age. Lol, girl be real here.

#the way i lolled here #ahsoka tano #ahsoka series #ahsoka spoilers #sw #star wars

[cyratania]

Okay:

Ditching a ceremony dedicated to Ezra to go watch a private message he left for her?

Living in Ezra's Tower?

Has a pet Loth-Cat?

Literally dreaming about the last words she heard him say?

Saying his name in the softest tone imaginable?

Instantly takes the thing Ahsoka says will help find Ezra?

Doodled Loth Cats on her bunk on the shuttle?

Her place to think clearly is Ezra's Tower?

Instantly corrects Huyang on the lightsaber being Ezra's?

Does the same gentle face touch on Ezra's painting?

Sabine is unbelievably in love with E-

"You're like a sister to me"

Damn you cowboy man

Also her theme on the xylophone and in the credits is great

#IKKKKKRRR #LIKE CMON #WHO YOU TRYING TO FOOL #ahsoka tano #ezra bridger #sabine wren #ahsoka show #sw #star wars