#how tros should've ended

[tljisthegoat]

The longing & angst between Reylo in TLJ & the aftermath could've fueled an entire series. You can do an Anidala parallel where, in a twist, Ben becomes the spy that somehow exists in TROS. He even forces Hux to defect with him because he's that petty & does actually care about him after learning his backstory (abused by his father)

That's why Hux says, "I'm the spy." in TROS.

Yes, that's right, I've made that line somehow make some sense. Only took thinking about how I can make both Hux & Ben's relationship more interesting & have a reason to explore it in depth. While also maintaining the best parts of everything The Sequel Trilogy set up but failed to take any advantage of unfortunately.

Hux is in himself, one of the most underappreciated & underutilized characters in Star Wars history. Which is so tragic imo. He could've been a great villain who tried to take out Ben only to be turned into his friend & great ally.

The Sequel Trilogy could've ended at TLJ. It should've imo.

#ben solo #reylo #the last jedi

[dalekofchaos]

My thoughts on Adam Driver's interview on Bendemption/Dyad/Reylo not being planned.

As much as I love Reylo, I honestly would've preferred Supreme Leader Kylo Ren as the big bad of the sequel trilogy.

And honestly? The vibe I got with Rian is he still intended for Kylo Ren to go down the path of the big bad. It was the studio who chose for the result we got because they saw how big the Reylo fandom got, but wanted to appease all sides, hence the stupid result we got.

A part of me feels like the entire trilogy was building up Kylo Ren as the villain. If it were his destiny to abandon the dark side and The First Order, he would have either joined Rey or left in exile and eventually return and join Rey to end the war together. But that didn’t happen. Trust me I wanted that to happen, I wanted Rey to convince Ben to stop the fleet, take her hand and come home and while Rey flies the Falcon, Ben goes to Luke and Leia to make amends. Then Luke and Ben together would stop The First Order on Crait.

But here’s why I think TLJ was setting up Kylo Ren as the villain. In TFA, Kylo Ren killed Han Solo, but did not yet fully embrace the dark side. The deed split his spirit to the bone, which made him unbalanced and conflicted. He was so conflicted that in TLJ, he was unable to pull the trigger to kill his mother. At this point, he still felt a call to the light. Also, in ROTJ, Palpatine said to Luke, “Strike me down with all of your hatred, and your journey toward the dark side will be complete”. While Luke resisted temptation, Kylo Ren did not. When faced with the opportunity to kill Snoke, he didn’t hesitate. I see him turning the lightsaber to strike true. And now, foolish child. He ignites it, and kills his true enemy! At this moment, his journey towards the Dark Side is complete. Then, after the fight against the Praetorian Guards, Kylo Ren was given a chance by Rey to be redeemed. However, he went straight for the throne. He went straight for power. Even during the Battle Of Crait, knowing very well that Leia was probably in the base, Kylo still gave the command to take no prisoners. He was now willing to kill his mother and even ordered that the Falcon be shot out of the sky with both Rey and Chewie on board. He killed Han and Snoke. He was willing to kill Leia, and he indirectly caused Luke’s death. From this point of view, Kylo Ren has fully cemented himself in the dark side and it was a shame we could not continue this path and a shame they just HAD TO bring back Palpatine.

To me Kylo Ren is what Vader could've been had he reached his full potential. A Vader who was never wounded on Mustafar, a Vader who killed a close family member and his master. He is the villain they were looking for, but no they had to course correct.

Now yes, it would've been sad that Ben dying unredeemed as much as Ben dying after being redeemed. My suggestion is if villain Kylo happens, we could either get the following

Ben lets the light in and surrenders to Rey and does what he should've done and call off the fleet. Ben makes peace with Leia and it ends with The First Order and Resistance signing a peace treaty, while also symbolizing the balance in the force and peace in the Skywalker family

Exile. After embracing the light and doing the right thing, Ben knows he cannot live the life his family wanted for him. He cannot live a peaceful life with Rey after everything he's done, so Ben goes into exile on Ach-To or Jakku to repent for the life he lived.

Atonement. Basically what should've happened in TROS. Ben lives and has to separate from Rey. He takes the Falcon and goes to snuff out First Order holdouts and releases the systems that was conquered in his name. To make things right and the movie ends with Ben walking off into the sunset like an old Spaghetti Western like ROTJ was originally meant to end.

Paying for his crimes. Kylo Ren refuses to let the light in and gives into the dark side fully. But Rey won't kill him, not after promising Leia. So Rey would disarm Ben, destroy his lightsaber and sever Ben's connection to the force. So he cannot harm anyone ever again. The war is over.

The First Order would be put on trial. Kylo Ren, Hux and Phasma(ideally she lives and faces punishment) would be put on a Nuremberg styled trial as they are tried as War Criminals. Just the thought of the FO leadership facing a Space Nuremberg tribunal is too fun to think about. Just imagine Ren, Phasma & Hux backstabbing and shit-talking each other in jail. Then we see the people who are the victims of their atrocities. Finn and the various Stormtroopers who were forced as children to kill for them. Eila and Kel from SW Resistance tells everyone exactly what Kylo did to their home planet of Tehar. Kazuda Xiono and the rest of the Hosnian Prime survivors will voice heartbreak and outrage for what Hux did, while Hux reminds everyone “I am not alone to blame, Supreme Leader Ren was there as I voiced the plan to Snoke, he did not object and stood by and watched from a distance and did nothing he is just as guilty.” Both Poe and Finn will come forth as witnesses to the massacre of Tuanul. Rey will then come to Finn and stand as witness to the murder of Han Solo. Rose will voice what the First Order did to her home and how Hux confirmed it when she was aboard the Supremacy. R2-D2 will come forth showing the footage of the Jedi massacre. Rey and Poe will come forth and say they were victims of torture by his use of the force and Rey then say “I gave him the chance to turn his back on the FO and save the Resistance twice, to save his mother and he still chose to let everyone die and he almost succeeded on Crait. and still gave the order to wage war until the very last man” Literally everything is stacked against them and finally, Kylo, Phasma and Hux will get their say. Phasma will be unapologetic for her actions. “I grew up on a hellhole. Each day clawing my way to stay alive. I killed my own family. Went from clan to clan. Then one day The First Order came. I saw my opportunity and I chose them. I saw power, strength, order and unity. And I did what I had to do to get to where I am today. I do not regret what I’ve done in the name of The FIrst Order or rescuing children and forging them into an army the likes of which this galaxy has never seen.” Phasma then looks at Finn and her former Stormtroopers. “Only you chose disobedience and cowardice instead of greatness. I don’t regret it. That’s the difference between us. I know what I am, and I embrace it. I’m proud of it. I fought for everything that I have, every bit of what I am.” Hux will go on a Nazi like rant, saying the New Republic was a lawless and corrupt state that usurped it’s rightful government and it deserved to die! He shows absolutely no remorse whatsoever, only pride. “WE COULD HAVE DESTROYED THE LOATHSOME RESISTANCE, IF ONLY OUR SUPREME LEADER DID NOT LET HIS PATHETIC EMOTIONS CLOUD HIS JUDGEMENT!” Hux will say “LONG LIVE THE FIRST ORDER!” and does his salute and expects his former men to do the same, only the former Stormtroopers doesn’t do anything but look down in shame. Kylo Ren will show just as little care or empathy for his actions. Basically he will say the galaxy fell without Imperial rule. Without the example of Darth Vader. He will dare claim “I became a stronger Vader, one not held back by sentiment or compassion. I killed the past and became better for it. I was abandoned by everyone, but came back to burn everything down. I do not apologize for ANYTHING I DID! I AM PROUD OF IT. I AM THE SUPREME LEADER AND MASTER OF THE KNIGHTS OF REN, WHERE WOULD YOU BE WITHOUT ME OR THE FIRST ORDER? A CORRUPT GOVERNMENT THAT ALLOWED SLAVERY AND A LAWLESS GALAXY? WE BROUGHT ORDER BACK TO THE GALAXY! I UNITED YOU AGAINST ME AND YOU BECAME STRONGER FOR IT! YOU ALL NEEDED ME! WHERE WOULD ANY OF YOU BE WITHOUT ME? Do what you will, I know what we did was right.”

WIth that, The First Order Triumvirate is sentenced for life in prison. Phasma still looking as the sole survivor. Hux uttering threats. In one final moment, Kylo Ren would be taunting Leia and Rey. Goading them all to sentence them all to be killed by a firing squad. Leia turns away with Poe wrapping an arm around her, Finn & Rey supporting her.

Even though I ship Reylo and love what Ben Solo could've been. Even I understand that in the context of no redemption, dyad or Reylo existing. Kylo Ren ending the trilogy as a disgraced and jailed war criminal seems to be the only realistic solution the more I think about it. Leia doesn’t lose her son but he faces consequences for his crimes. He absolutely must face the consequences of his actions and spend the rest of his life imprisoned for crimes against the galaxy and the Republic. Kylo Ren does not get to have a happy ending. He stood by as Hosnian Prime was wiped out, he killed Han, Luke and wanted to kill Leia, Finn and Rey and countless other atrocities. He chose his path and he has to live with the consequences of his actions.

But overall I'm glad we got Bendemption and Reylo, even if it ended poorly, but ultimately I recognize Carrie Fisher’s death radically affected the plot of Ep IX for better or for worse.

#Star Wars #Kylo Ren #Ben Solo #Adam Driver #Reylo #Rey

[trashquisitor-shirozora]

Oh my god the Mandalorian s3 decisions being a push to make Bo Katan more marketable for women makes so much sense.

I’ve been watching the flames of season 3 for afar wondering what possibly possessed them to sideline the wildly popular duo of Din and Grogu in favor of this Bo Katan stuff, aside from the obvious future content advertisement… it’s because it’s popular with women…

Like it’s a known pattern that corporations hate when something they’ve created aimed at men is disproportionately popular with women because they strive to keep a very distinct line between Boy things and Girl things. Anything Star Wars is for men, except the acceptable Girl Things like Leia and Padme and Asoka. But then the Mandalorian became wildly popular with women and they can’t just cancel a cash cow like the Mandalorian without milking everything they can from it so they’re like “well let’s bring in Bo Katan she’s for the Women now start making the toys”

I am so late to this but that meant time to simmer and seethe over Disney's decisions before and lately, and things I've read over the years about how corporations market to their target audiences, and how little things have changed.

I saw rumors and theories that KKKennedy (y'all sorry I keep calling her that but iykyk) meddled a LOT with The Mandalorian and Jon even threatened to quit, but at the end of the day the Mouse House has the final say and we're stuck with their decisions. I really don't know how the final numbers will look, how it'll affect their merch sales, and what it means for the future seasons of The Mandalorian. Maybe the hard pivot to redeem Bo-Katan for the bajillionth time will be the new cash cow or the canary in the coal mine (for The Mandalorian; I'm sure Ahsoka will be a hit no matter what). Maybe they gambled right or they've lost too many viewers who wanted Din and Grogu to be the heart and soul and center of this particular show. It's called The Mandalorian after all. If they want to claim that it could be any Mandalorian who's The Mandalorian of these season, then maybe Season 2 should've followed a different Mandalorian and established this before scamming us with Season 3. They were already trying that with TBOBF before having Din and Grogu steal the show.

But now that I've seen those rumors and theories, I could not fucking stop thinking about what happened when the ST was rolling out and when Rogue 1 and Solo came out. I could not stop thinking about the casting choices for Rey, Jyn, and Qi'ra, could not stop thinking about how white and brunette they were. I could not stop thinking about KKKennedy and others talking about how they wanted to bring more female fans to Star Wars, acting like Star Wars was exclusively a male space, which, what a fucking insult. I could not forget pictures of her wearing "The Force is Female" shirts and pushing this message so fucking hard that it would keep showing up in critical reviews of TLJ/TROS/ST as proof that Disney didn't know what it was doing.

Rey, Jyn, and Qi'ra were lucky to not have the kind of long history that Bo-Katan already had in the gffa by the time she made her live-action debut. It didn't take much to google her involvement in TCW and Rebels, and see what she'd done. I've seen commenters say she redeemed herself in Rebels by rallying the Mandalorians but are you sure about that? Are we still having trouble with writing redemption arcs after the fucking horrible one Disney put Kylo Ren through to the detriment of every other character not named Rey?

I wouldn't have minded Bo-Katan having greater involvement in Season 3 if she didn't basically take charge of not just the COTW but also the entire show. Watch out for the new merch of her with the Darksaber now. Probably the most we'll get out of Din is whatever happens to him in the season finale because Disney gotta make more money, amirite? Grogu got a new accessory so that Disney can sell new versions of him, so why not Din?

I truly envy the poeple who are having a good time or don't need to have these thoughts constantly in their heads while watching. I didn't have a good time and I can never turn those thoughts off. I don't have the luxury so I'm never shutting up about this.

ftr I unfollowed Okiro after the billionth time he called Din, Grogu, and Bo-Katan "Clan of Three". what the fuck had she done to earn equal footing?

#shirozora awkwardly responds to asks #the mandalorian #the mandalorian critical #mando critical #the mandalorian season 3 #mando spoilers #sorry y'all but as a yellow person i am ALWAYS constantly aware of this shit #i cannot deal with kkkennedy's brand of white feminism interfering with good stories and sensible character arcs #sorry also for these long asks but i can't help critical ramblings because i have nothing else to offer for this season #ask box will still be open but i gotta yeet myself out of it until I'm done with these illustrations

[d3sertdream3r]

Sabine is my favorite star wars character of all tine and I wanted to like her so bad in Ahsoka…. But I didn’t :’( Did you like her? Can you make me feel better about not liking her pretty please?? 

I don’t really know how to make you feel better about something you’re disappointed in, but I can share some of my thoughts! 

You’re definitely not alone. I’ve seen lots of criticism towards how Sabine was handled. I think my main problem with it is live action Star Wars these days doesn’t seem to know what to do with female characters that aren’t wielding a lightsaber (Andor is a notable exception to this imo). They even gave one to Leia in TROS to make her seem more important than she already was. 

I really loved that Sabine and Hera were such amazing women with many talents that saved the Rebellion’s butt a million times without using the Force. Hera is barely in Ahsoka, and Sabine didn’t get to create any explosives, use her spray paint, or I don’t know… go into any depth about the fact that her entire civilization and family were slaughtered. I liked that she was able to decipher the map ball thing with her knowledge of art in the first 2 episodes, but it felt like a lot of her Rebels character was lost to focusing on making her a Jedi.

The lack of discussion about the Mandalorian Purge particularly bothered me. I kept waiting for that to be expanded on and it never was. They just continued to push that she needed to train with a lightsaber without addressing her entire backstory. I feel like Ahsoka's apprentice should've been a new character and Sabine should've stayed just a Mandalorian. She was interesting and amazing enough like that, she doesn't need to be a Jedi to be important! I don't hate that she's a Jedi now, but I'm not really a fan of it.

There’s clearly going to be more story happening in the future, but I feel like the introduction of her to the general audience and the explanation of where she’s at during this point of her life for the people that already know her wasn’t handled that well. It also didn’t feel terribly emotional when she finally used the Force for the first time. I was expecting it to be a big moment like when Rey calls the lightsaber to her at the end of The Force Awakens, especially since Sabine has been trying so hard for years. 

Side Note: It would’ve been nice to go into how they even discovered Sabine is force sensitive when she couldn’t access it for so long. How did Ashoka know she could be trained to use it? I feel like the first season would’ve been the best time to explore this. 

Another Side Note: I was really hoping Ahsoka’s fear of Sabine turning to the dark side would be connected to Sabine making the choice to doom the galaxy to Thrawn for Ezra, paralleled with Anakin’s decision to doom the galaxy to Palpatine for Padme. Both of them were willing to sacrifice the entire galaxy for the people they loved, which is very dangerous for force users since they have the actual power to sacrifice the galaxy. I hope they discuss this more in the future. I feel like what Anakin did for Padme is never talked about in Star Wars and its weird because it’s the reason everything is happening in the first place! This was the perfect opportunity to talk about it and they still didn’t for some reason.

I have hope for Sabine's future, but there's certainly some changes that need to be made. Filoni is a good writer and great world-builder, but he needs some help with the more emotional and spiritual aspects of female characters in particular. During his animation years he had a writer's room to help him out with that... hopefully they have more writers and feminine perspectives for season 2!

#I love Sabine so much #I loved her in the first two episodes #I liked her the rest of the show #but I still hope her story gets better in future stories #let my girl paint and explode things!!! #let my girl cry over the loss of her family!!! #let women be important without using the force!!! #star wars #ahsoka series #sabine wren

[onewomancitadel]

There's like an incredibly fine line to tread with expressing dislike for something and being mean to people who don't deserve it and are just having fun. Mostly I just want to parse what makes my taste the way it is and also I really just want to be wrong, I want new pop culture phenomenon stories to be good and interesting and exciting and maybe even hopeful and transformational.

Really I think there's a bit of that childish sense of being left out - Reylo fandom scattering here and there after TROS (certainly some sticking around, it's still really active on Twitter, not as sure about Tumblr since so many went there post 2018 booby-purge) - and it feeling vaguely unfair that I don't get so many of the ships Reylos flocked to. Like nearly all of them I don't like in some way which makes me feel mistaken in my like of the enemies-to-lovers trope in general.

It's not just that I'm picky but that some of my favourite ships are themselves not ETL but involve basic elements of what I think makes ETL good, but those basic elements are missing in other ETL ships. Or in the case of a few recent examples, are clearly NOT validated or endorsed by the narrative. Even from TFA, Reylo is endorsed/validated by the narrative (the belonging you seek is not behind you, it is ahead *immediately meets him for the first time after just having a vision of him*; oh no he's beautiful from the unmasking;); when Rey rejects Kylo's hand in TLJ it's because she wants him and only him not an empire and their failure to understand each other is a challenge they have to overcome - that she only unconditionally wants him and vice versa but he thinks surely that cannot be enough... it's not that Rey is making the Good Girl choice of rejecting Power, she has rejected the lure of false artificial power to become stronger than you know and for that rejection to follow later with Ben returning to her anyway (his redemption married to them finally understanding each other and themselves and him accepting that he has value and she herself accepting that she has value and despite the fact her parents won't come back, there's someone who can). Rejection -> loss -> then a greater gain than even conceived of before.

I don't want to be into ships that are clearly being used to teach a moral lesson or tease a Dark Fuck Prince, because that's condescending but also because... why would I? What does that mean for the story then if they're not thoughtful? If they don't value compassion? Why should I bother if they're so fucking lazy using an overdone and misunderstood trope?

And how is it that I ended up with fucking KNIGHTFALL? Seriously, I should've never got so lucky.

#stirring the pot #reylo for tag blocking #discussed anyway

[ap-kinda-lit]

Ben: I OUTLIVED YOU, PALPATINE! I CRUSHED YOU INTO THE GROUND AND GNAWED YOUR BONES INTO OIL BENEATH MY LIVING FEET!

Rey: Ben, please-

Ben: I MARRIED YOUR GRANDDAUGHTER, FILLED HER BELLY WITH MY FESTERING SEED AND SIRED A BOY! HE'S MY FINAL REVENGE AGAINST YOU, PALPATINE!

Rey: Ben, our son is right here...

#s: saturday night live #reylo #how tros should've ended #ben solo x rey #kylo ren x rey #ben solo #kylo ren #tros #the rise of skywalker #palpatine is confused and shocked in the afterlife #rey #rey palpatine #snl #saturday night live #rey nobody #star wars #star wars: the rise of skywalker #emperor palpatine #darth sidious

[kittystargen3]

Summary: A time traveling Grandmaster, to the Prequel Era, trying to fix the mistakes the Jedi made, and get rid of a certain Sith too. Only Time Travel is not that easy, as Yoda will soon learn.

I've added chapter Twelve to Time Travel: To the Past Yoda Goes. Below is a small selection. Please click one of the links above to read more.

Chapter 12 - Even Piell’s Mission

As Qui-Gon drove them back to the Temple, he couldn't help but think, 'Perhaps I should've put some credits on the race.' They both watched as Anakin's pick, racer number five, won round after round.  ‘No, it would set a bad example for my grand-padawan,’ he eventually told himself.

They parked in the Hangar-bay and Qui-Gon turned around to pick up the bag of goodies he’d bought for Anakin.  Of course he had to buy his grand-padawan a model racer.  This one was labeled standard ages twelve and up, but Anakin had a knack for technical builds.  He probably would enjoy the extra challenge to build it.  And he needed a flag to wave in the crowd too.

Qui-Gon turned back to see Anakin nodding off in his seat.  Then he realized his problem.  All the new things to see had worn down the boy, and he'd begun to take the nap he desperately needed.

Qui-Gon was trying to shuffle the packages in his grip to allow him to carry Anakin as well, when a voice interrupted him from behind.  "Master Jinn, do you need a hand?"

"Oh, Master Fisto.  Yes, if you could carry this bag, I'll carry Anakin," Qui-Gon answered.

"Are you headed to Knight Kenobi's quarters?" Kit Fisto asked.

"Yes, we are." Qui-Gon nodded.

"Oh good, I was headed there myself," Kit replied.

Qui-Gon was about to inquire why, when it hit him.  “You missing a padawan again?”

“Mmm,” Kit grunted.  “Though this time she did message me.  So I doubt they’re in any sort of trouble.”

“Wha- Tro-ble?” Anakin half woke up to question.

Qui-Gon patted him back to sleep and he responded.  “Those two have certainly caused their fair share of mischief.”

Kit laughed.  “Yes, they certainly have.”

Qui-Gon shifted Anakin in his arms to reach the buzzer.  Bant Eerin surprised him by opening the door.

“Where’s Obi-Wan?”  He asked.

“Hello Master Jinn.  Come inside.”

At her invitation, Qui-Gon walked in and gently lowered Anakin to the couch.

She went on with her explanation as he did this.  “Obi-Wan was summoned to the Council, and I offered to wait here for your return.”

“Oh, well. That’s nice of you,” Kit praised.  Bant smiled up at her Master.

“The Council!  Today was supposed to be his day off.  I have half a mind to storm in there and…” Qui-Gon fumed.

“Oh, I wouldn't.  There were extenuating circumstances.”  Qui-Gon turned to the Padawan, and she began to sweat under his gaze.  “Uh, Something happened, and they needed his opinion.  It’s concerning...” She then lowered her voice to a whisper so the youngling couldn’t hear, “A-n-a-k-i-n’s M-o-t-h-e-r.”

Even Piell typed the code into the machine.  Getting any signal out from Tatooine was proving to be very difficult.  He had to pay the last of his Republic Credits to a shifty looking dealer to get the better machine to use.  And he had to wait until the systems lined up, and the sky was clear.  But in the end, Even was glad he had.  He needed the Council to hear this message.

The holo activated, and Even saw he was being displayed in the center of the Council Chambers on Coruscant.  There was an unexpected party present, too.  Knight Kenobi was seated in Even's own usual chair.  “Greetings Masters, Knight Kenobi.”  He bowed to greet them all.

“Master Piell, how goes your mission?”  Mace asked.

“And Shmi Skywalker?”  Obi-Wan asked.

“Yes, I think it wise I start at the very beginning.”  Even said.  “When I arrived on Tatooine I went straight to the last known residence of Shmi Skywalker…”

#yoda #star wars yoda #even piell #qui gon jinn #obi wan kenobi #shmi skywalker #jedi council #anakin skywalker #mace windu #cliegg lars #tatooine #slavery #tatooine slave culture #tusken raiders #watto #oppo rancisis #Jira #ki adi mundi #eeth koth #depa billaba #adi gallia #bant eerin #kit fisto #jedi culture #Jedi #starwars fanfic #starwars fanfiction #star wars fanfiction #star wars fanfic #ao3 fanfic

[benperorsolo]

Even if you ignore the ugly "replacement Skywalker" implications...TROS-Rey taking on the Skywalker name is insulting *to Rey* and anyone of "dark" origins like her, because it implies you can't reform your name or your family's reputation if your family is bad, you have to disown the identity completely to find peace. If there's evil in your ancestry you have to disown your ancestry. By that logic, Luke should've disowned "Skywalker" in ROTJ and called himself a "Kenobi" because Kenobi is Pure.

“because it implies you can't reform your name or your family's reputation if your family is bad, you have to disown the identity completely to find peace” This is something that also shakes out because of TROS’ handling of Ben and the actual Skywalker family. They all die because in the end none of them could escape from the darkness of their blood, and then Rey decides that their name is Pure and Aspirational because they had two dark siders in their family instead of Rey’s one. And if we’re going to play hypocrite because sure, Anakin and Ben were Impure but Luke and Leia were Pure(tm) and that’s why the Skywalkers are Good(tm), then the same logic should apply to the Palpatine name-- after all, Rey’s parents “sold her to protect her” and were “good people”, weren’t they :)

The theme JJerio claim they were writing was “lineages don’t matter”, as they took a character with no lineage and forced her to have one to prove how they weren’t important, and then had her deny that lineage which was so evil she just couldn’t go on for a better More Pure lineage because lineages don’t matter, obviously. 

#asks #nonnie

[leonardhoee]

Why TROS (The Rise of Skywalker) is better than Endgame (AKA absolute trash)

SPOILER WARNING!!! SCROLL IF YOU HAVENT SEEN TROS

Ok so apparently there’s actually a debate about which is better. First of all. I acknowledge that TROS may not be the best Star Wars movie to ever come out but compared to the trash that endgame/Infinity War are it was 10000x better.

TROS did a pretty good job with character development. Even though I’m not happy that Ben died, he had a purpose. There was no other choice in that situation but to do what he did and his death was more bittersweet than acutely painful. They did a great job redeeming him and the moment he talked to Han Solo made me so emotional. 8.5/10. the ending was satisfying and it left room for fans to make their own headcannons about the future.

Just some of the best moments

Look at the difference from the beginning to the end. *chefs kiss

Meanwhile...

Endgame and IW:

Carol?: reduced to a deus ex machina

Thor?: a fat joke; has no purpose for even being there anymore since anyone can use his hammer now

Steve?: threw away his entire new life to go back to the past with Peggy

Tony?: dead when it should've been nebula who killed thanos and his abusive dad got redemption

Natasha?: JUST found a family and redemption and happiness but she sacrificed herself for no reason

Wanda: had her trauma erased and basically made to not be taken seriously by the audience when thanos said he didn't even know who she is. And that’s exactly what happened.

Loki?: died for ABSOLUTELY no reason other than drama; undid his redemption arc

Gamora?: proved the trope that in the end you won't escape your abuser

Black panther/ wakanda?: reduced to ash in .5 seconds after they were supposed to be this great advanced nation

Banner?: basically useless bc he can't bring out the hulk. This couldve been their moment to truly show what BANNER can do but no. Apparently he's nothing without the hulk

And that’s just some of the characters they fucked up

1) The movie perpetuated a lot of misogynistic stereotypes (can’t expect anything better from the Russo’s), reducing most of the female characters to emotional wrecks (Wanda, nat), deus ex machinas that are shelved for most of the movie (carol) sacrificial lambs (gamora, nat), and plot devices for male characters (Peggy). And they think adding one “token feminist scene” is going to cover up their horrid treatment of the women in the rest of the movie

2) It supported basically most of the abusers in the MCU. Showing Gamora being sacrificed supported the trope that you can never escape your abuser. Loki being violently murdered for no reason showed that you can only find redemption in death (even though he was already redeemed). And tony easily forgiving Howard supports the idea that no matter how bad they are, you should forgive your abuser because they’re family.

3) Thor was ridiculed throughout the movie, undoing everything Ragnarok did for his character development. It’s like that movie never even existed at this point. Instead of showing him healing from his trauma, his weight, mental health, and destructive coping mechanisms were made fun of by all the characters. Would tony stark ever actually mock Thor for alcoholism when he struggled with the same thing? Would Valkyrie seriously just leave him alone to drink and forget his pain when she went through the same thing?

4) Another thing is Mjolnir. I get that steve was able to lift mjolnir in the comics. However what exactly makes him worthy in the MCU? We know that Hela and Odin were able to use mjolnir and there’s a pattern there. People who are blood related to Thor are worthy of wielding mjolnir. That’s why loki was never able to lift it. So why is steve Rogers, a human, able to use it. And with lighting powers on top of that. After the way Thor was treated in the movie (basically being useless until the fight at the end) what is the purpose in him even being there if now even humans are able to summon lighting like he can?? Lightning is something only Thor can do. Not even Odin can do it. It doesn’t make sense with the logic they’ve established in the MCU.

5) Going back to loki. Ragnarok already finished his redemption arc. He was ready to go to earth with thor and the rest of the asgardians. He was finally being treated as an equal yet the Russo brothers decided to kill him pointlessly and violently before even the title credits. That’s just disrespectful they reduced him to a plot device for drama, to make thanos seem dangerous. Now, Looking at the scene. Thanos was literally ready to let him go. He did not need to die. Loki had to have known that attempt to kill him wouldn’t have worked after being tortured by thanos for so long. He can’t be killed by a dagger. Loki isn’t that dumb. And he’s not that selfless. He wouldn’t sacrifice himself for no reason especially when he could’ve walked away unscathed. His death scenes was one of the most unnecessary, gruesome, graphic deaths I’ve ever seen from marvel. It made me feel sick. The sound of his bone snapping seeing the blood running down his eyes was it. They could’ve done so much with this character but they chose to do this instead. Hopefully the Disney + show fixes his character arc.

Overall, my expectations were low for both movies. But endgame was the biggest disappointment to the marvel franchise I’ve ever seen. TROS was truthfully very satisfying and did everything endgame wishes it did.

Thank you for coming to my TED talk. I hope the sun will shine on us again.

#thor #valkryie #marvel #the rise of ben solo #the rise of palpatine #ben solo #rey palpatine #finnpoe #marvel endgame #endgame au #thor the dark world #loki #loki fanfic #loki fluff #loki x reader #iron man #black widow #wanda maximoff #thor ragnarok #guardians of the galaxy #gamora #thanos #black panther #avengers #kylo ren #reylo #the rise of skywalker #captain marvel #star wars

[dalekofchaos]

My ideal ending to TROS

Honestly imo how TROS should've ended

Rey and Ben kill Palpatine together

Finn successfully leads a Stormtrooper Rebellion and we get Stormtroopers vs Sith Troopers and blowing up the tower

Poe leads the people against THe FInal Order and wins the fight

Aftermath

Rey brings Ben back to base and while the tensions are high between Ben, Finn and Poe. Poe gives a cheeky line about. "Ben? I never met a Ben before. It's an honor to meet the general's long lost son, it's a good thing you escaped that monster Kylo Ren. Right *winks*

Finn Simply shakes his hand and tells him, "what my co-general means is you have been pardoned by The Resistance. It was the general's final wish. " "I can't exactly forgive you, but saving Rey was the start in the right direction."

Where Rey, Finn and Poe get their big hug, Ben gets his big hug from Lando and Chewie

We would see our heroes part ways and a clear direction for their story

Rey is walking the path of the Jedi. She hears the force sensitives out there and they need her help. She starts by finding the boy on Canto Bight. "These are your first steps"

Ben is walking a path of atonement. Going from system to system wielding his mother's Lightsaber and father's blaster, flying The Falcon undoing the damage he's done as Kylo Ren to make things right.

Finn and Jannah are going to free anyone still enslaved to The First Order. Their fellow Stormtroopers and finding out who they are and where they are all from.

Rose leads a sanctuary for all the children and animals who have lost their families due to the war and helps take care of them, but also Rose would lead an attack on arms dealers and war profiteers who have profited off the war and suffering of the galaxy.

Poe with the help of Lando is going to build a New Order. A Republic that helps everyone, where everyone has a say and makes sure corrupt bureaucrats cannot corrupt the system ever again so nothing like The Empire/First Order can never rise up again.

#Anti TROS #Reylo #Rey #Ben Solo #Finn #Poe Dameron #Lando Calrissian #Rose Tico #Jannah

[tinyphantomsalad]

So I haven't looked at your AO3 yet, but I know you know Star Wars. I also can't recall if you ship FinnPoe. But if you do. Your shot at a Stormpilot fic. Could even be a fix fic about how TROS should've ended. Asking for a friend. -blows kisses and tosses rose petals-

oh my dude, my bro, buddy,

I ship FinnPoe so hard

My fic is a time-travel fix-it that just

with TLJ and TROS

it’s a slow burn

with idiots to lovers

Jealous Poe and Oblivious Finn

Time Travel

Self indulgent writing

i’m planning to Crossover the Prequel and Sequel and Mandalorian and Sequel Trilogy

also:

i love you

(i also have two Malec fics on the go that are very different and nice little side wips)

#jim talks #jim answers

[onewomancitadel]

Have you ever considered doing a Knightfall Star Wars one shot? XD

No, mostly because I think the story - here I'm talking about Reylo - is far too similar so it's not as interesting. Well, partly that, partly the fact that Reylo is a deep emotional wound for me.

Sad fallen to the dark side figure who needs one person - after many have failed - to see them on an intrinsically deep and magical level, is a source of personal, spiritual, and sexual awakening, and a heroic figure who's not really sure if they belong, if they know what they're doing and what they're meant for, who figures out who they really are in contact with the other side - and seeing that the power in their hands is redemptive, that it could save instead of kill, that it's something to protect with, that to overcome evil they need to understand their enemy...

That's beat for beat far too similar. It's even got the Han-Pyrrha element, where there's a real sense of personal injury with the kill; Rey's because of her projection of her parent wound onto Ben, which Ben directly calls her out for. It's really about her.

Star Wars also ended far too painfully for me to ever want to write in that setting, as I've mentioned a few times, I'm not interested in that sandbox anymore, it doesn't hold my interest or investment.

But as you can see, there's an obvious transference of interest there with Reylo vs. Knightfall, though in some ways Knightfall interests me more because of the setting, the ensemble cast, the intertextuality, the theming etc.

Reylo in its setting suffered from a lot of problems such as the monomyth essentially being totally lost in Star Wars and then completely and utterly killed in TROS and replaced with the American Monomyth. The worldbuilding for SW never interested me because it's this crossover between fantasy and sci-fi and then it's really a space opera, and it's metaphorical, and then you've got the absolutely inscrutable canon which you need to study for years to really 'get' - at least to my personal satisfaction - because I would want to be scavenging the EU for parts, so it's very hard for me to happily write for.

I find R/WBY much more fun to personally write for just because I know the setting mostly inside and out and I can fill in the blanks where I like, which is a lot of fun. This is mostly down to personal experience now, in terms of what I enjoy writing, to be fair.

But yeah, again I don't like writing 'the same' stuff, Reylo and Knightfall in the same setting are too superficially similar to interest me - in a deeper way I think the differences there are pronounced, and the similarities they share are not, necessarily, the same as what other Reylos find compelling about the pair.

For a good contrast, the usual pairings Reylos recommend to each other - like Draco/Hermione, Zuko/Katara, whathaveyou - are 100% not my idea of how I think Reylo works or what it is that interests me about Reylo, so no one's perception is necessarily the same.

So that's your answer lol, probably not no, too similar, too painful, I have a TROS-shaped hole in my heart and I kind of want Knightfall to redeem it and teach me how to love again. No, I'm serious, Cinder's redemption is like a redemption of me and my interests. I really shouldn't have let the finale of V7 give me hope when for a long time I didn't view it as a real possibility. I should've got another hobby lol. I wish I were just interested in something banal or less emotionally costly.

Although now I think of it, where I think Knightfall doesn't work in SW is that what's specifically interesting about SW is you've got Ben in the dark, wounded prince role, who's a source of sexual awakening - converse to Rey in the protagonist role. R/WBY has both Cinder and Jaune in protagonist roles and their stories are a bit more double-ended, and Cinder doesn't slot into the same role as comfortably as Ben. You've also got that element where Rey is the Nobody and Ben is the Somebody, and Cinder is the Nobody who's Nothing and Jaune is the Somebody who's Nothing, so their dynamics are quite different in that respect, and what's really thrilling and different about Reylo is that Rey - nobody, no one - is in the narrative position of power.

I obviously have a lot of thoughts about it so sorry for spilling all of that out, and I carry a deep-seated wound about SW and it hurts my fee-fees and I watch Reylo fanvids to feel something and cry.

On a more positive note, what interested me about Reylo (myth, redemption, feminine power, compassion which transcends everything, structural redemption of a wound at the heart of a story) is there with Knightfall which drives me crazy. It actually drives me crazy. I love stories which play out the same and then end differently, I love stories which rhyme, that's me and I love it.

So... to me... Knightfall on its own doesn't need a SW oneshot.

But this is me you're talking to lol.

#seraphina's asks #user: redhoodhungergames #the deep wound reylo wrought on me #reylo for tag blocking

[myimaginationplain]

Now I really know I should've listened to myself when TROS's marketing left a stange taste in my mouth. Seeing how similar Rey's outfit was in TFA had me worried and confused, especially seeing that she had gone back to the hairstyle she wore her whole childhood. I just couldn't understand what the point would be in having a character who used to exclusively wear white and a tight up-do don dark greys and loose hair in a pretty obvious show of maturation, only to stick her right back in (an ever brighter shade of) white and the up-do. Then I heard that it was so they could use old footage of Daisy and Carrie together that was leftover from TFA, and I was fine with it. I was willing to look past it to enjoy the film, knowing it was just a production necessity.

But now? Knowing what Rey's "arc" (if we can even call it that anymore) turned out to be? Knowing that JJ reverted Rey all the way back to her metaphorical girlhood, all the way down to riding sand dunes all done up in white and hair buns in a lonely desert? Knowing that her power is no longer uniquely her own, and now belongs to some fucked up paternal lineage? Knowing that the light and dark never really integrated, within the force nor within herself? Knowing she never got to grow out of her mental adolescence, never got to have the family and unconditional love and green planet she so desperately wanted?

I hate it. So much.

It just feels gross. Skeevy. Like "Hey, young ladies, you can only be a strong badass good-hearted hero if you reject any notion of becoming a grown woman and latch onto your childhood purity forever! Chastity and paternalism win!" Even if that's not what was intended, that is what was absolutely conveyed in this ending.

Like, just look. If you didn't know any better you might think she starts the trilogy in her last outfit based off of these images.

Rey should've ended the series wearing brown, grey, and/or an earthy green, with loose hair, to start a new life with her partner-in-the-force Ben (who, as of TROS, she canonically shares a fucking life force with) on a lush, quiet planet, where they could hopefully start a family and finally be at peace. To never be lonely or afraid again.

But no, we can't write an ending that actually fulfills the narrative we've laid out for our characters in this day-and-age, can we?

#I might sound a bit petulant but this is how I really feel #especially seeing as I'm an adolescent growing into real adulthood rn #it just all sucks so much #swtros #star wars the rise of skywalker #swtros spoilers #rey #reylo #rant

[solohux]

We were robbed of Evil!Rey! Absolutely robbed! That concept deserved so much more screentime devoted to it then the paltry few seconds that we got. How cool would it have been if Rey had taken Kylo's hand ((Minus the gross romantic underlines of course!)) at the end of TLJ and then in TROS we got an entire movie about Evil!Rey? Oh! Oh! Or maybe at the end of TLJ Rey should've gone dark.... while Kylo went light! In trying to "save" Kylo, Rey ended up corrupting herself! That sounds so cool!

We were, totally! I wanted that vision to be a ‘what could have been’ bit with the Solo siblings (RIP), where Rey turned to the dark side and Ben kept as a Jedi, and they duelled! I had such high hopes for that!

And I’m really sorry but I’m not on board with the whole Rey wanting to save Kylo thing in the sliiiiiiightest, so even if it would have had the outcome of Rey becoming corrupt whilst Ben takes her place in the light, I wouldn’t be in support of that! I hate that Rey wanted to turn Kylo back to the Light. 🤢

#lottie’s ama

[him-e]

I've just finished the final season of She-Ra and I'm amazed at how it's basically everything TRoS should have been.. like, really, in every imaginable way; every single thing that TRoS did wrong, She-Ra has done right. So now it's kind of as if I've been given back my hope for good writing and unapologetically happy endings, but at the same time I've been also painfully reminded of how we'd been robbed of everything that's good and precious.. of everything we could and should've had in TRoS..

Hmmm, I really need to watch She-Ra, do I?

#stan twitter is all over it and yes everyone is saying how well it handles certain themes #i'm not exactly in the mood for starting new children media but maybe? #anon #asks

[charnine]

Let's talk a minute about Finn's story. In short, he doesn't have a fucking story, which is such a shame because Finn as a character was very fresh. A stormtrooper is humanized for the first time, and for what? He's implied to be Force sensitive, and for what? In the first movie he's still trying to get his bearings, so ok, maybe he hasn't found his motivation yet. But by TROS? Why the fuck is he still running around yelling Rey? What the hell are you going to do Finn? You just look like an idiot that's forcibly trying to inject themselves in scenarios where you're neither wanted or needed, and you just end up being a bystander anyway. We're beat over the head again and again that the stormtroopers were kidnapped, brainwashed children, but does Finn show any sympathy for his former associates? No, in fact, he whoops when he kills some like it's a video game. Only Jannah and Finn get to be special, screw everyone else that were in the same circumstances but were unable to break free. He's just used to move the plot forward, but when does Finn experience any character growth? He shows a little bit in TLJ, wanting to become part of something bigger than himself, but that's all wiped away in TROS and it's back to Rey, Rey, Rey. That's not to mention the huge disservice to Rose, who was the inspiration for what growth Finn did have. And of course, TROS pretended Rose and Finn barely had anything. Then there was his friendship with Poe, who again, was one of the driving factors behind Finn's arc. But who is he obsessed with? Rey, that did the least for him. Then Poe is made to look jealous of Finn's attentions to Rey for some pointless bickering. This is not to bash on Rey, or Rey and Finn's friendship, but to illustrate what was so off about their dynamic. Also, there was no 'trio', despite how DLF tried to market it, or throw in a hug for fanservice. Sorry, they were not friends. Poe and Rey were friends with Finn separately. Back to Finn, again there was so much wasted potential. He could've led a stormtrooper rebellion, he could've trained with Rey a bit to hone his Force sensitivity (why even throw that in if you're not going to use it)? I did not want Jedi Finn, because the Jedi suck. They're selfish and used Rey per their convenience and then left her to die. They never reached out to help Ben. They would've screwed over Finn too. The movie should've done away with the Jedi and their dumb ways, but TROS couldn't let go of its nostalgia boner. In the end, what role did Finn serve that couldn't have been filled by Rey, Poe, or Ben or random Resistance members? Nothing. This point is driven home by the TROS novelization when Leia talks about dividing up her legacy between Rey, Poe, and Ben. Leaving aside the fact that dividing up a legacy is stupid (and TROS is all about that legacy bullshit), Finn isn't mentioned anywhere. Because he has no legacy to fulfill, he's just neatly swept to the side and they give him a few action sequences to make it seem like he's doing something. TROS failed every single character, but Finn was practically a joke for someone meant to be an important character. It's like they had no idea what to do with him and just threw other characters' traits at him to see what sticks. Let's make him a general like Poe! Let's make him Force sensitive like Rey! Let's have him ride a space horse like Jannah! In the end, who is Finn?

#finn #tros negativity #finn star wars