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vaguely-concerned · 3 years

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The Mandalorian Chapter 14 reactions: HOLY SHIT THAT WAS AWESOME BUT ALSO I’M CRYING edition

- the good good din characterization is back after all the weirdness last episode!!!! that soft way he says ‘no, no, I’m not mad at you’? THAT’S din djarin, he would not be fucking impatient with his son having just been informed and seen for himself that he is terrified, go away mr filoni I know you’ve got all of canon memorized but you don’t get this lol. this feels much more right in how din being conflicted and still thinking he should give the baby away for his own good plays out too

honestly every line of dialogue for him in this one was perfect I was just whispering ‘I love this awkward clueless wonderful man just doing his best’ to myself any time he said anything. “...does this look Jedi to you?” sir I adore you more than words can describe

- we got din chuckling. asjdklfhsdkafghsdafsadhjkfsdahjkfh. fskahfksjad. side note: I can’t believe my joke post about din desperately trying to Force home school the kid with the one (1) jedi trick he knows about and the baby being delighted by it over and over anyway -- listen to his expectant excited laugh when din takes the ball and sets up the game!!!! -- was canon all along. and then the baby & mando music kicking in when he gently put the silver ball into the baby’s hands again and tells him he’s special (because he IS special. to din)? hmng. hmmmmnnnnn

they opened on the height of softness so we would all crumple under the weight of the rest of the episode and that was very mean of them in a way I sincerely appreciate

- nothing to see here... just a dad trying to walk through the literal manifestation of the unassailable underlying forces of the universe to get to his baby again and again........ the desperation in that, the love, the foolhardy devotion................... shit

- okay so I might be a dumbass, but I’d never noticed this before -- the silver ball has a blue spot on the top, like so:

and in addition we get the room where the baby goes full darth grogu (I have to laugh so I don’t cry okay) on those storm troopers, and there’s a red light in there dominating the room (and it did even more in the concept art):

in star wars blue means light side and red means dark side (it’s very sophisticated that way), meaning the visual storytelling here is that there’s a battle for the baby’s soul and gideon and all his nonsense (and the trauma bb’s been through in the wider sense) is pulling towards the dark, while grogu and din’s connection leads him towards the light. just... the image of the baby looking at his own reflection in the symbolic representation of his relationship to din? the way children find their sense of self through being safely reflected and held by their caretakers? god help meeeeeee I will go in there and fistfight gideon myself for disrupting that in any way

the smaller light seems to be blue too, like there’s still the presence of light even if it’s dimmed and small in that shitty horrible room, which is a change from the concept art!

- FENNEC SHAND SURVIVED BITCHES!!! I even called that she’d be back with new shiny robot parts back in season 1, could not happen to a cooler lady, I hope we get more backstory and interaction from her the next episodes -- sounds like she’s basically sworn herself to boba’s service in gratitude for saving her life, I wonder if that’s a cultural thing of whereever she comes from? does she live aboard slave 1 now too?? because that would be hilarious and amazing, it must be like two strange cats trying to get used to sharing the same space

- everything I could ever hope for about boba fett in this series came true, they went down the much more interesting and nuanced route with jango and boba’s identities as mandalorians, he looked cool as fuck and made din as a character shine rather than overshadowing him... amazing beautiful yesss

(I did 100% not anticipate just how ‘cool uncle boba here to help you fuck shit up’ he was going to be but I am delighted to get it anyway. uncle points deducted for getting someone to point a gun at the baby, but the main point still stands lol)

the power and brutality of his hand to hand fighting too... a w e s o m e , I enjoyed the action scenes a lot in this one

- they even recanonized him actually wearing jango’s armour. what more could I ask for. I’ve had confused parent & child feels about these two since I was like eleven and here we fucking go again. and jango fighting in the mando civil wars too!

- so I’m grieving the razor crest (and I always will be, rip you magnificent jalopy, always in my heart) but also there’s the grim satisfaction that my reading on it was sort of true -- it is (...was. oh god it’s going to take a while to sink in huh) a symbol of din’s self and life, and at this point when they take the baby it tears everything else to pieces. the only thing that’s left in the ashes is the beskar and the thing that connects him to the baby. and there’s... a strange solace in seeing that that’s all he needs to keep going? he’s fucking obliterated from orbit but he still has his love for the baby and the beskar and that can keep him going until he finds something new, everything else can be replaced?????? weirdly healing, though he is probably going to have a solid breakdown at some point after they get the kid back (shut up they are getting the kid back) and the cold distant fog lifts

also this scene/shot feels like it carries some Meaning, doesn’t it? I’m on record several times saying I never want din to be mand’alor and that’s still true, but there’s something about the framing of this and the way boba looks at him that’s like... hm. I’m not sure I have the words for it. there’s something heightened about it, anyway, for a moment he looks like something mythic there in the wreckage

(something I would be much cooler with is our clan of two growing a little bit and those new people rallying behind him, actually, that might be neat. imagine if a force user does show up for the baby and gets adopted into the clan somehow??? so many possibilities.)

- from the way he picks up the silver ball... din djarin is on his way to straight up murder some people huh

I think part of what reassures me about this scene is the music -- this mando flute is not distant, is not beaten, is not despondent, it’s clear and determined and strong.

I love this. I love when we get explicit baby POVs, it makes it feel so real and intimate and... like home. (I especially loved baby’s point of view inside the razor crest, which just made me tear up again. baby lost the closest thing he’s had to a home in a long long time on top of it all. everything is suffering)

Emotionally Significant Thumb Grabbing tm; the show

- din djarin looking for the ‘on’ switch on a magic rock fhsdakjfhsadlfhsdjah I can’t breathe

“Well, this is the seeing stone. Are you. Seeing anything?” fsafkdsajhfsa sdhfksjalhfkjsdahfkjsdhf

- the energy around the baby as he’s, in ahsoka’s words, ‘choosing his path’ is blue, and the force sort of works across time and space, right?? so there’s definitely still hope for our lil green bean to not have to come up with a really dumb unsubtle sith name for himself, as is regrettably yet delightfully tradition. darth babbu should never come to pass (I do like how they’re interrogating the normal dark/light side dichotomy in this series, seeing as this is a literal baby who can’t really be responsible for that stuff himself yet and has such capacity for both.)

- listen. listen, the way din says ‘can you please hurry up’ with no sarcasm or real impatience whatsoever, more like a harried worry, to his force-meditating son as he jogs off to make sure no one’s trying to kill them. is hilarious and also YES this is what the character is!!! weirdly and incongruously polite under stress sometimes and with a slightly odd reaction pattern to things!!! he’s not just quiet and badass, he’s a little strange sometimes and it’s so good!

- a friendly opening volley warning shot from boba there

also din uncertainly asking BOBA FETT if he’s a jedi... now this is the dramatic irony I’ve been looking for haha

I guess neither shand nor boba actually know din’s name after this either. baby you gotta start introducing yourself at some point it gets real confusing when there are two mandos on screen

oh the long weary sigh going through din’s frame when boba says he wants ‘the armour’ and he thinks it’s just someone trying to peel the beskar off his corpse again. sorry the galaxy’s so shitty dad

- “But fate sometimes steps in to rescue the wretched” is a killer line well done mr favreau. I like that boba actually offers din a good deal as well and seems to intend to deliver on it from how things are going.

- din using his beskar-covered bod to cover someone he’s fighting alongside!!! literal moving cover haha. also I love fennec’s costume design

- I don’t know where din got more whistling birds from and I don’t care, it was really cool haha

wow haha um so anyway --

(cue all the ‘who wore it better’ with cobb vanth’s ‘spiderman’s first home made costume’ look on one side and ABSOLUTE UNIT DADDY boba fett on the other side posts lol)

- aaaghh the music almost like a stunned desperate fluttering heart beat as din watches the razor crest be destroyed

- for someone who has willingly worked for them in the past boba sure sounds less than thrilled about having the empire back in any capacity

- oof the deadness in din’s voice when he says “The child is gone”. ooooh no that got me h e l p

- guessing next episode is at least partly a ‘gathering old allies and preparing the assault’ step before the grand finale, then! they cannot go for the season ender cliffhanger with this, I will fucking riot. anything can be up in the air except baby and dad being separated, I will not allow it

it would be very funny if the force user baby called out to comes stumbling into the middle of all this like the troy entering the room with pizzas meme too

- the music in the darth grogu scene is partially a dark mirror of the baby & mando music :’( is nothing in this world sacred

also from how he reaches out for it baby might have used a light saber before in the past with the jedi? ngl the idea of baby wielding the dark saber not when he’s all grown up but in like two episodes -- with all the chaos a toddler holding a laser sword would involve -- is all that is keeping me sane here

‘liable to put an eye out with one of these’ well gideon you sure have doomed someone to lose an eye with that one, here’s to hoping it’s you, for full dramatic payoff

he is a deliciously smug awful force with great musical cues tho, you have to give it to him

- okay so this

is obviously awful and horrible and it makes me so sad... but it is undeniably also very very very funny in how it’s framed. you know what? after all this bullshit baby grogu can have a little dark side tantrum, as a treat, we’ve all been there right

(forget finding a jedi, we need to go out there and find a child psychologist who can help him deal with this without adding the fear that he’s on the path to become a two foot tall evil space sorcerer to the mix Y_________Y)

- rip the razor crest except for the second time :’’’( gone but never forgotten

- the last thing din tells the baby is “I’m gonna protect you; I’ll be back soon”. and I hope that stays with the kid somehow and that it actually comes true, that din will be back for him as soon as humanly possible and all this pain and fear can be repaired. ggggghhhhh my emotions are too big for my dumb human body

#star wars #the mandalorian #the mandalorian spoilers #the mandalorian meta #okay I'm gonna have to. go take a calming walk or something after this haha

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intrepidmare · 4 years

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MARE'S RECAPS ~ THE MANDALORIAN: CHAPTER 9 "THE MARSHALL"

Oh wow! It's been a while since I've done something like this. Last year, I caught up with season 1 about 2 days before the finale, so I didn't have the opportunity to write reviews/recaps. This season, though, I'm going to 😀 so here it is the first one!

For the folks that haven't seen the premiere and don't want spoilers, scroll past this, fast and furious, because it's full of them. If you want to blacklist tags to avoid spoilers from me, I suggest that you add #mando spoilers, #the mandalorian season 2 spoilers, and #mare's mando recaps to the list.

I've seen the episode a few times (yeah, I'm that obsessed with the show) so some of my reactions are more visceral than others since I was too excited the few first times I watched it and I missed a lot of details (another reason to rewatch the episode more than once). This recap is loooooong, which is an indication of how amazing it was.

So this my final warning to those avoiding spoilers. Stop reading, right now. The rest of you… enjoy and let me know if you share some of my opinions. I'm always open to chat 😊

Chapter 9 ~ The Marshall

So it begins! It's so exciting!

I knew that Mando and baby Yoda walking in the street at night was going to be the opening scene. I started to think about it after watching the second trailer, and I'm glad that I was right.

It turns out that the red-eyed creatures were not jawas as I saw some people saying.

Baby Yoda was not happy with the little excursion to the fighting arena. Not walking on the streets nor inside watching the fight. I still laughed when he locked himself up in the pram, even if I've watched the trailer like a gazillion times by now and I knew he was going to do it.

And talking about the baby, he's getting more vocal I think. He's making a few new noises, whimpering more, which I'm not sure if it's a good or bad thing. That he complains more means that he feels safe with his buir and isn't afraid of retaliation for it as he probably was with others in the past and the reason he didn't cry much in season 1. But it breaks my heart that he is stressed. And that child is anxious, I can tell you that much.

The fight with Gor Koresh's thugs was awesome! The gamorrean flying to squash Mando and failing had me cracking up. And omg! Din'd moves! Using his helmet as a weapon and throwing his vibroblade. And leaving Gor Koresh to be eaten! Man of his word, he didn't kill the guy.

On a side note, I would've never guessed it was John Leguizamo who gave voice to Koresh until I saw the credits. Of all the actors who could play the part, I never thought of him.

Umm, I'm curious about the time Mando has spent in Tatooine, which according to him it's been a lot and it makes sense since he knows so much about the Tuskens, their language and culture. I'm guessing he spent a while among them. He had to learn all that somehow.

When I speculated that Mando was going back to Tatooine after watching the trailers, I said that I was going to riot if he didn't visit his favorite mechanic. Thankfully, I didn't need to worry. I loved Peli in episode 5 of season 1 and I loved her even more now remarking on Din's dislike of droids and trying to keep the baby for herself. Not to mention she complaining about not getting good help these days 🤣

And I ADORE the (improvised?) Birikad Din got for the baby. Of course, the baby is safer in the pram, right (guessing that's why he used it when he met Gor Koresh), but there's something sweet watching him carrying his son so close to him.

And I tell you, Mando has been spending credits lately in baby stuff. I mean, he got a new pram (which I initially thought it was the original that he had somehow retrieved from the garbage in Nevarro, but no, it's not the same, and neither it's the one that Kuiil made) and he also got the bag/birikad thing, which looks brand-new. I wonder what else he bought.

Watching the droids doing maintenance of the Razor Crest makes me think it's all for nothing, knowing that in a few episodes (it might be even in the next one) Mando is going to crash the ship. More than once perhaps.

😆 The baby still loves speed! I think riding on the speeder bike was the only moment that he truly enjoyed in this episode. Look at that happy face

When they arrived at Mos Pelgo and Din went into the cantina, leaving the baby outside, I was like: Din! That's not responsible. How can you leave your son out in the inclement sun, alone! Then baby Yoda peeked in and I went: never mind. I take back what I said.

Oooh. Cobb Vanth! I love him! For a moment, I thought it could actually be Boba but it seemed illogical and that's what Mr. Feloni and Mr. Favreau wanted us to think. I was correct.

My gawd! Din's shock when Vanth took the helmet off. I just knew he would freak out the moment Cobb asked for drinks and I said to drink they need to remove their helmets and Mando is going to lose it when this guy does. And the standoff! Was so good! "Take it off or I will" is going to become a quite popular phrase in fics from now on, not in the same context, but yeah…

The krayt dragon… oh shit! Or rather Dank farrik! We can't see Mando's face or expression but I can imagine which one was when he saw the dragon eating the bantha the first time.

Oh my goodness. The baby hiding in the pot! Too adorable!

I know every hardcore SW fan lost it watching Vanth modified speeder because is a callback to the Phantom Menace and Anakin but my first thought was: is he compensating for something? Sorry, I couldn't help it

The dog-lizard creatures were kinda scary at first but then became adorable. Almost as much as baby Yoda getting out of hiding

Baby Yoda doesn't like dog-lizards things. He looked afraid to be eaten I think. Poor little guy.

And look at that! Din showing such growth! To think he was the one incensing others in negotiation 😆 this is a total callback to the jawas in Arvala-7. And I gotta tell you, Din freaking loves his flamethrower. He doesn't waste the opportunity to use it.

The krayt dragon eating the Tusken raider instead of the bantha was quite of a plot twist 😆

When they were planning the attack on the dragon, Cobb Vanth's face when Din told him that the bones and pebbles were to scale, and then when he had volunteered the villagers to help… priceless!

I like the fact of banding together with others for a greater good, relying on others to accomplish something is going to continue being the theme of this season. It started last season but I think it's going to be stronger this time around along all of the episodes.

😳😲😳😲 this thing vomits acid?! What. The. FUCK?!!!

Cobb: I don't think it's dead

Mando: me neither

Me, at the same time as Din: yeah, nope it's not dead

Oh yeah! Teaming up with jetpacks!

When they showed the bantha with the remaining explosives my first thought was why didn't they use all those before?! That's why they didn't kill it!! Of course, it was just an excuse to grant Din a more grand win in the end, but you know, it's stupid not to use everything you have to kill the monster on the first try. Just saying

Wait, what? Din! What are you going to do? No! Taking care of the child is your responsibility, not Cobb Vanth's! I hate this plan of yours, Din Djarin!! Whichever it is!

Oh! Nice callback to the flaw on that jetpack. But makes me wonder, do all the rising Phoenixes have the same flaw? Cuz unless Din knows Boba in person and that it's his armor with that particular flaw, it means it's a common problem for all and I don't like it.

Get away, Din! Get away, Din!! FLY AWAY!! AAAAAAAHHHHHH! NOOOOOO!

There he is! Damn, Mando! Don't scare me like that! Altho, it was a nice move.

Okay, but now I want someone to explain something to me. If the dragon's acid melted people at contact before, how the hell is Din so whole? I mean, sure for argument' sake let's say his beskar armor provides some protection, but he's not entirely covered in it. His cape and undersuit seem just fine, albeit sticky. Where's the logic in that?

The tuskens getting the pearl reminded me of the jawas and the mudhorn's egg, chanting zukka, zukka (or however egg is spelled in Jawa).

That's quite a piece of meat. The baby is going to be happy eating off it for days🤣

😮😮😳😳 BOBA FETT!!!!! Yesssssss!!

Okay, I've seen other people's thoughts and some think that Boba was after Cobb Vanth because he had the armor, but I don't know. If that was true then why he hadn't gone to Mos Pelgo and got it? It seems to me that it's more likely that Boba is following Din somehow because it's the second time in as many Mando's visits to the planet that they sort of cross paths. Could they know each other? Have some score to settle? It's possible. Din has spent much time on Tatooine -his words, not mine- so it wouldn't be so out of consideration that they actually know each other. That if Mando knows Boba is (fake?) Mando, I don't know. Probably not, but who knows?

Extra thoughts

I gotta say that Ludwig Göransson is killing it with the score music! Oh. My. God! So so so so good! I could tell from the trailers that it was going to be awesome this season but it astounded me in chapter 9. Gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous! My favorite piece is when they're going to the dragon's cave to kill it. The orchestral sound of the already familiar music blew my mind!

#mare's mando recaps #mando spoilers #the mandalorian #the mandalorian season 2 spoilers #the mandalorian season 2 #din djarin #baby yoda #cobb vanth

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piketrickfeet · 3 years

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tbl 8x02 thoughts

ugh fine i guess i'll watch some more

god i love elizabeth keen

MUCH

i just don't understand why dom won't just tell her

who or what could be so important that he would kill his own daughter

i just can't imagine it

roflllll red looking at ressler's dick when he goaded him

also i'm pretty sure i wrote that drabble re: hs ressler and liz

oh sure enough

i did

rofl did y'all hear gina carano got FIRED from the mandalorian for being a piece of shit!

amazing

oh no we're not going to introduce a grandmother are we

LOTTE!!!!!!!!!!!!1

whoever is doing megan's eyebrows is doing the lord's work

she looks amazing

they had almost a whole year to write these episodes

"i would do anything for you" BZZZZZZZT I HEARD NOTHING ELSE AFTER THAT THERE WERE NO QUALIFIERS WE HEARD HIM

oh i have to actually pay attention

i don't know russian

this show is fuckin wild

the absolute TENSION between red and liz will sustain me for YEARS

i'm like one of those little fusion machines

i can run off this UST for aaaaaaages

OF COURSE SHE FUCKING BELIEVES HER

SHE'S THE ONLY ONE WHO ACTUALLY TELLS HER SHIT

raymond

legitimately

what the fuck

one day i will spell legitimately correct the first time

if gabriel mann was ilya costov/brett cullen

who do y'all think they'll get as a flashback jspades

oh dembe

I SWEAR TO GOD IF THEY KILL DOM

I'M GOING TO NBC STUDIOS P E R S O N A L L Y

I'M GOING T OSHIT

THEIR

LAWN

fuck you forever

i don't know who this bearded man is

but he's very attractive

why did ressler's voice shake when he said reddington!?!?

why is everyone in love!??!

(leave me alone lol i KNOW i'm the only keenlerton lol)

man FUCK this show

oh no

oooohnooooooooooo

everyone's cars always look so clean

i haven't washed my car in over a year

who the fuck

this show is incomprehensible lol

i know there are people that analyze this show and pick apart all the little details to get at the mystery

but this is

like picking up breadcrumbs and trying to make toast

stop making lizzy cry!!

realizing how much i would LOVE to see more liz/dembe scenes

DEMBE IS STOPPING THE CAR

WAIT

whoops we forgot the waterproof mascara today

oof hitting him right where it hurts

liz NO

she makes me so angry i love her SO MUCH

god she's so smart lol

clever little criminal

god DEMBE I WANT TO MARRY YOU

rofl remember when this show was about catching bad guys

rofl ressler would have dembe's name in his phone instead of literally anything covert

they're all too close to this

no decent government agency would allow agents to dictate missions when they come in and say "he's going to kill agent keen's mother"

it's gotta be target names

also shoutout to aram for continuing to call her agent keen after seven years lol

oh no

i HATE it

still better than 99% of season 7

#the blacklist #tbls8

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servinglemonade · 3 years

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The Mandalorian Season 2 Review

BEWARE: SPOILERS AHEAD FOR THE MANDALORIAN SEASON 1 AND 2

Hi everyone, it has been a while since The Mandalorian finished up its second season, and to be honest, I kind of miss waking up at 9 AM on Friday to watch this show. Now, I loved season 1 and have watched it multiple times already. I was so excited for season 2 and to see more of Mando/Din and The Child and where their story would go. I never would have thought season 2 would go the way that it did. It was incredible and even better than I thought it would be. This Is The Way. Keep on reading to find out my opinions for every episode this season!

And again, beware... SPOILERS AHEAD

Chapter 9: The Marshal (dir. Jon Favreau)

I enjoyed the first episode back in the world of The Mandalorian. The first thing I noticed about this episode was the run time. Its a 54 minute episode, the longest we have gotten so far. I liked that it was so long, since we had been waiting on the second season for about a year and the episode overall was enjoyable. Being back on Tatooine was great since it is one of my favorite planets in the Star Wars universe. I liked seeing more of the Tusken Raiders and loved that battle scene with the krayt dragon. One thing I loved from that was the change in aspect ratio! When the krayt dragon opened its mouth, the ratio changed to IMAX/full screen. That was amazing and such a good choice for it. It just made it more cinematic. And of course, who can forget that Boba Fett tease at the very end of the episode! Fun fact, I never really liked/enjoyed Boba Fett. In the Original Trilogy, he does not do much, he is just kind of there and then ‘dies’. So I never really got the hype. But, oh, I am going to talk about Boba Fett later. In conclusion, chapter 9 was a nice episode.

Favorite moments: Mando taking out the krayt dragon like a BOSS, Mando talking with the Tusken Raiders in their language, The Child in his little pouch on Mando’s speeder bike with his ears flapping in the wind.

Overall: 7.5/10

Chapter 10: The Passenger (dir. Peyton Reed)

This episode was more of a side quest but hey, if it is nice, I do not mind. This is a fun episode but those spiders at the end... They just reminded me of those spiders in Rebels season 2/3 and I HATED those things. However, the action scene was very thrilling. I loved the beginning of the episode, where some guys try to take The Child from Din and he tricks them. The Child running into his arms again and Din messing with the guy that took his jetpack was great. The episode mostly takes place on this ice/snow planet, which I always enjoy in anything Star Wars! This episode also introduced us to Frog Lady, who was a nice addition to the gang.

Favorite moments: Din fixing the Razor Crest and then telling The Child he should help him and the final action scene.

Overall: 7.5/10

Chapter 11: The Heiress (dir. Bryce Dallas Howard)

This episode felt like a Clone Wars or Rebels episode and I LOVED IT!!! This was so good. I was quite surprised to see Bo-Katan show up here, she was great and I enjoyed seeing her in live-action. The action scenes, on the boat and on that imperial ship, were especially incredible and really well done, so props to Bryce! There was also an important storyline here regarding Mando and his Creed vs. other Mandalorians. Since we know Bo-Katan and other Mandalorians keep removing their helmet and Din never does, I wondered why. This finally gets adressed here and I loved seeing it unfold and how this storyline kept unfolding as the season went on. And of course, at the end of the episode, we got THE ASHOKA TANO NAME DROP! Confirming that we would be seeing her this season. I am a huge Ahsoka fan and she has become one of my favorite Star Wars characters, so I was excited to say the least.

Favorite moments: Mando crash landing the Razor Crest in the water, Frog Lady reuniting with her husband, Bo-Katan, and Mando telling The Child to stop playing with his food

Overall: 8.5/10

Chapter 12: The Siege (dir. Carl Weathers)

But before we see Ahsoka, a little detour. However, a short, sweet, and fun detour, directed by none other than Greef Karga himself! Yes, this episode saw the return of season one’s Greef Karga, Cara Dune, and the Mythrol (the blue guy from season 1). Nonetheless, the star of the episode was The Child with his blue cookies haha. The beginning of the episode was so funny with Din trying to tell The Child were to put the wires in and then them eating together. Din even showed a little bit of his face, with The Child trying to take a peek, so adorable. Additionally, I really liked being back on Nevarro and seeing how Greef Karga and Cara cleaned up the town. Once again, the action here was fantastic and Carl Weathers did a great job. The final action scene was amazing and showed how great of a pilot Din is. In this episode, I also really felt the bond between Din and The Child and how much it has grown over time! OMG, almost forgot... We learn more about Moff Gideon wanted with The Child, he used his blood and the midi-chlorians to create what looked like clones?! Crazy, AND they put a tracker on the Razor Crest, which got me very anxious about the next episode.

Favorite moments: The Child and the wires (aka me in Among Us), The Child in school and stealing blue space macarons, and the trio from season 1 back together and kicking ass

Overall: 8.5/10

Chapter 13: The Jedi (dir. Dave Filoni)

This was magical. Purely magical. Dave Filoni... Oh my goodness, what a legend. He understands Star Wars in a way no else but George Lucas does. From the action, to the samurai and western infleunces, to the emotion, everything was perfect. So, in this episode Din finally finds Ahsoka Tano, one of the few Jedi that are left. The episode wastes no time to introduce Ahsoka. Her entrance in the forest was amazing, the way she uses the force and her lightsabers, just ugh, amazing. Now, I really like Rosario Dawson as Ahsoka but it took some getting used to since Ahsoka originally is an animated character. However, she looked great here. I loved the scene where Ahsoka was communicating with The Child through the force and we learn his backstory!! His name is Grogu and was trained at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant by many masters and was hidden during Order 66. The way we learned all of this was so natural and I really did not see it coming. It was great. I really like the name Grogu, it fits him haha. The little training session with Grogu was fantastic and showed how much Din cares about Grogu. Ahsoka tells Din she cannot train Grogu because of his attachements and how that can lead him to the dark side. She even references Anakin!!!!!! Omg, the feels. Mando and Ahsoka team up to fight the Magistrate of the town and this fight was fantastic. Manda and Ahsoka are both so cool and have some great moments. Then, when we thought this episode could not get any better, Ahsoka teases what is to come as she name drops GRAND ADMIRAL THRAWN!! Now, if you have not watched Rebels, this might mean nothing to you. But I gasped so loud when she said it, good stuff is coming for the Ahsoka show!!!! When Mando had to say goodbye to Grogu, I thought no... They are not going to do it, are they?! But Ahsoka sticks to her gut and says she cannot train Grogu. Instead, she sends them to the remants of an ancient Jedi temple where Grogu can choose his path. And so Mando, Grogu, and Ahsoka part ways. I just loved this episode. Also a special shout-out to Ludwig Göransson’s score. He has been fantastic for season 1 and 2, but the score at the very end of this episode, just captured the magic and beauty of this one. He is so talented!

Favorite moments: all of Ahsoka’s action scenes, Ahsoka vs. Mando, Din learning Grogu’s name and he keeps saying it, the Trawn name drop, Ahsoka referencing Anakin, and Din and Ahsoka traing Grogu

Overall: 9.5/10

Chapter 14: The Tragedy (dir. Robert Rodriguez)

This was a short but action packed episode, oh my goodness. It just kept going at some point, which was very thrilling to watch. This episode saw the return of Boba Fett and Fennec Shand, which was surprising. Now, like I said, I have never been a fan of Boba Fett. However, we was a badass in this episode with some very cool moments! I also loved that in the bts of season 2 Temuera Morrison talked about how he brought in some of his Maori traditions into Boba’s fighting style, which was very awesome to see. Okay, back to the rest of the episode. So, it starts out with Mando messing with Grogu and his name a little bit on the Razor Crest. He actually laughed, which is something we had not seen yet. He then trained with him for a bit and told him how proud he was of him and how he is special... Sooo soft! So then, they get to the seeing stone and of course Mando is an actual rookie and has no clue what any of this Jedi stuff (as he calls it) means, which is understandable of course. But I just thought it was very funny to watch. Boba and Fennec show up, a lot of Stromtroopers show up, and they have to fight their way out of that nasty situation. It was really cool!! All of them had awesome moments. Then, when everything has calmed down a bit, Moff Gideon’s dark troopers show up and take Grogu from Mando. I just- I can’t... Another thing that happens is the Razor Crest getting blown up! Holy shit, I was shocked. So Mando is left with no ship, no Grogu, and has to get him back. So, Boba and Fennec promise to help him. Very action packed, and tragic episode.

Favorite moments: Din knowing nothing about the Jedi, the whole bit in the Razor Crest with Din and Grogu being cute, Fennec being a badass, Boba being a badass, Grogu beating those Stormtroopers in his cell, and Moff Gideon being as vilanous as ever (gotta love Giancarlo Esposito)

Overall: 8.7/10

Chapter 15: The Believer (dir. Rick Famuyiwa)

I LOVED this episode. Rick Famuyiwa did it again!! Okay, so Mando, Boba, Fennec, Cara, and Mayfeld (from season 1) go to this Empirial base to get the coordinates of Moff Gideon’s cruiser so they can get Grogu back to his dad (yes, I said it, because it’s true!). So they want Mayfeld to come because he knows stuff about the Empire and I did not really like him in season 1. However, I thought he was really nice here. He even had some funny lines. I loved the action scene on the transport with Mando fighting those pirates they encountered. It was really weird though, not seeing him in his Beskar armor. So they inflitrate the base and Mayfeld’s old superior is sitting where they have to get the coordinates, so he cannot go in, Mando wants to go but here is the twist... It is a facial scan (insert suspenseful sound). So, he goes in, tries it with his helmet on, and that obviously does not work. So he removes his helmet. This was so powerful, he was willing to let other people see his face to save Grogu. It just shows how much he cares, and I loved to see it. The whole scene without his helmet was so suspenseful. I was stressed while watching it. Pedro Pascal is such a good actor, he was selling it! Mayfeld was so cool about it though. He had been messing with Mando having his helmet on the entire time and when he eventually took it off, he was really respectful about it. Another thing I thought was fantasic this episode was Mando treathening Moff Gideon with a little message. He basically used the same message Gideon told him last season when he was looking for Grogu, but now Mando used it on him. He even said that Grogu means more to him and Gideon will ever know. Oh my gosh!!! In conclusion, after this episode, I could not wait for the finale.

Favorite moments: Din removing his helmet, Din realizing his blaster was jammed so he just yeeted it to the pirate instead, Mayfeld and Din talking to the Empirial guy in the cantine, Mayfeld calling Din ‘Brown Eyes’, and Din’s message to Gideon.

Overall: 9/10

Chapter 16: The Rescue (dir. Peyton Reed)

Where to begin?! Oh my goodness, SO MUCH happened during this episode. Mando adds Bo-Katan and Koska Reeves to his crew to get Grogu back. They agree, since this is Bo-Katan’s chance to take back the darksaber from him. So Boba Fett distracts Gideon’s people for the rest of the crew to sneak on board. So we had Cara, Fennec, Bo-Katan, and Koska just kicking these stromtrooper’s asses and it was stunning to see. Mando goes to look for Grogu but encounters the dark troopers and they were ruthless. I honestly thought he was going to get hurt or something. Thank goodness he had that Beskar speer, so he yeeted them out of the ship and made his way to Grogu. Only to find Gideon standing there with the darksaber. He is like just take him, I got his blood. Of course, it is a trap and he attacks Mando. We get an epic fight between Gideon with the darksaber and Mando with his speer. It was so cool and Mando wins! He then walks back to the crew with Gideon in handcuffs, wielding the darksaber, and Grogu in his hand. Bo-Katan sees it and looks shocked since she now cant get it from him since it needs to won in battle as Gideon reminds everyone (he was obviously enjoying this), which I completely forgot. Then just says I yield, take it. She cannot just accept, which makes Din the rightful ruler of Mandalore (CRAZY!!!). This was left with no answers, so I am hoping that this will be explored during season 3!!. The dark troopers get back to the ship and they need a miracle now. Out of nowhere, one single X-Wing shows up. I knew it was a Jedi, but who? Of course, Luke crossed my mind, but I was like, NO WAY. So I thought, it could be Ezra from Rebels (he also has a green lightsaber). However, there was no way someone that powerful was Ezra, it had to be Luke. I will never forget it, my heart was beating so fast, I was crying, and the suspense was just, oh my. The hallway scene was fantastic. Then the jedi reveals his face, and it is Mark Hamill back as Luke Skywalker in all his glory. The CGI was impressive, although when he started talking, it looked a little off. Anyway, now Din has to say goodbye to Grogu and he lets him see his face. This was such a beautiful moment, it made me cry even more. This show is incredible, however this just proves that when you strip away all the cool stuff and guest appearances, this show is about Din and Grogu’s relationship, which in the end, is my favorite thing about the show. It was so emotional. Grogu then leaves with Luke and R2 (!!!), and that concludes season 2! This finale was just incredible, and what made it even more emotional was Pedro’s perfromance. He is fantastic! Again, the score this season was so good but in the finale, Ludwig outdit himself! So beautiful and emotional.

Favorite moments: the whole thing, not even going to try to pick just a few

Overall: 10/10

So that is season 2 of The Mandalorian!! I have to say, after the shit year 2020 was, Mando Fridays made it a little better. I cannot wait to see it continue. I think it will be after The Book of Boba Fett with Boba and Fennec (looking forward to that!). This ended up way longer than I intended, oh well. I hope you enjoyed reliving Mando season 2 with me! Now I kind of want to watch it again...

This Is The Way.

Yenai

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doopcafe · 4 years

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Star Wars: The Clone Wars (Seasons 1--6), Final Analysis

Well, I made it through.

Let’s be absolutely clear: The Clone Wars (TCW) is not good television. For the most part, it’s not even watchable television. The show suffers from serious fundamental issues in nearly every aspect of storytelling. Characters are underdeveloped and inconsistent; the dialogue is expository and contradictory; the tone is disjoint and jarring; and most episodes serve no greater purpose than to be a twenty-minute vessel to house lightsaber fights.

So I want to put this part of the show to rest before I move on to Star Wars: Rebels (and before returning to watch season 7).

With two exceptions, the show poorly handles twists and reveals. In the earlier seasons, reveals were spoiled mostly due to telegraphing: Captain Sleaze in Cloak of Darkness, Senator Clovis in Senate Spy, and Yolo (?) in Senate Murders come to mind, but there were others. In later seasons, telegraphing was supplanted by “small universe syndrome” as the primary cause of spoiled reveals. In The Academy, a cloaked figure was seen doing shady, back-alley deals, but his identity could only have been the Prime Minister. During the “Ahsoka framed” series, Barriss was obviously the traitor, simply because her character suddenly reappeared after four seasons and there were no other candidates.

Probably the most successfully executed reveal was that of Krell, as his assholeness was at least initially masked as military rigidity. But even so, it was so over-the-top that when the reveal finally came to light, it felt more like an overdue disclosure than a dramatic twist. It didn’t help that, by that point in the show, the format of “asshole = upcoming reveal” had been firmly entrenched into the show’s DNA.

I would argue that the most effective plot twist of the entire show was when the dancer/singer girl shot and killed Ziro the Hutt in Hunt for Ziro. Although irrelevant to the greater story, it was an actual twist because it was strongly implied the opposite would happen (i.e., Ziro would betray the girl). If there is to be a second place, that award would go to Ahsoka’s decision to leave the Jedi Order at the conclusion of The Wrong Jedi. But this leads me into my next point...

Who was the main character of The Clone Wars? If we go by the logic that whoever had the most screen time was the main character, then Anakin probably wins over Ahsoka. But if we go by the logic that the most developed character was the “main character,” then this is a show about Ahsoka. Ahsoka---more than any other character---grows in a noticeable way (from impatient, violent child to impatient, slightly less violent teenager). In contrast, Anakin in Rising Malevolence is the same character as Anakin in Voices (only a little more violent and angry for some reason).

It’s unfortunate that her major character moments were never capitalized on. Intentionally sacrificing herself for the greater good in Weapons Factory apparently led to no lasting repercussions on her character. Her impatience and disobedience led to the deaths of thousands in Storm over Ryloth, but was similarly forgotten immediately afterwards. Even Ahsoka’s major character moment at the end of The Wrong Jedi resulted in her walking away from the show, never to address the implications of that decisions (although I suppose that’s the subject of Season 7).

On a different note, the show was riddled by a shameful amount of “references” and fan service, for reasons exclusively external to the story. These “nods” ranged from the obvious “Obi-wan Kenobi, you’re my only hope” (or whatever Senator Jimmy Smits says in Cat and Mouse) to the innocuous design of a droid or background device.

These “references” are objectively problematic for at least a few reasons. (1) They contribute to the sense that the universe is a really, really small place. Is the Mos Eisley cantina really the only place in the Outer Rim where shady deals go down? Is carbon freezing really the only way to store a person in stasis for transport? How long do Rodians live for anyways? Greedo’s gotta be what, like 80 when Han shoots him in A New Hope? It’s ironic that ultimately, this incomprehensibly large, diverse galaxy actually feels much smaller after watching this series because we keep going to the same twelve places...

(2) “Fan service” is tricky to get right because different people have different memories and impressions of the source material. In result, copying material will oftentimes comes across as a blatant misunderstanding of the original content. For example, to me, Vader put Solo into carbon freeze because it’s what Lando had lying around. It’s not a galactically established method of transporting people. Obi-Wan trained Luke with those laser balls aboard the Falcon because Han had them lying around and Obi-Wan needed to improvise a training exercise to kill time.

(3) "References” and “nods” usually are just a band-aid for a lack of creativity. Some of the better episodes in the initial seasons were just direct rehashes of famous movies. Seven Samurai, Godzilla, Stray Dog, The Most Dangerous Game, King Kong... I mean, it’d be pretty impressive to mess-up stories like these, but it’s concerning that there were just so many episodes made from other people’s stories.

These “references” even seep into the most innocuous of scenes. When Prequel!Wan lands on Mandalore to attempt a rescue of Satine from Darth Maul, one of the Mandalorians takes aim at him, only to have their blaster pushed down by their companion who’s shaking their head. This is a direct reference o the Tusken Raiders on Tatooine when Luke went after R2 in the desert. Even if this scene served an important plot purpose (it didn’t), there’s undoubtedly a multitude of ways to communicate the same thing. Instead, a small reference to the OT is interjected into the show, deimmersing the audience from the events shown. Unfortunately, this is just one (very small) example of hundreds over the whole show.

Let me say something positive. The episodes that worked best (especially early in the show's run) were ones that focused on mortal people, usually the clones. Innocents of Ryloth was one of the first watchable episodes, simply because we didn't have to sit through twenty minutes of unlikable, unrelatable “Jedi” and instead followed around a pair of troopers helping a little girl using their limited abilities. Likewise, Pursuit of Peace was way more enjoyable than it probably should have been, simply because the story was understandable, the consequences clear, and the drama real. Plan of Dissent (when the clones actively rebel against Krell) was also noteworthy for similar reasons: clones we liked must subdue a “Jedi” we’ve learned to hate.

This isn’t to say that episodes focused on the major characters were inherently unenjoyable, it’s just that none of these characters had any room to grow (with the exception of Ahsoka). Dooku, Grievous, Anakin, Prequel!Wan... They were the same characters as portrayed in Episode II and III. As presented, there was nowhere for these characters to go. Dooku was literally identical at the beginning of the series as he was at the end, and the same can be said about the others.

But these are false constraints the writers imposed upon themselves. Grievous was not in Episode II and was introduced in Episode III. TCW could have started him however they wanted and then illustrated his change into the character he later becomes. Who was he? What was his motivation? Why did he hate Jedi so much? The show was handed a completely clean slate to deliver a character from scratch, but instead we were immediately shown “Episode III General Grievous” with zero introduction because fans were expected to already know who he was.

This is partly why the backstory episode to Grievous was so compelling, at least in premise: viewing his home was personal to his story and it represented a chance to learn a bit more about the character and where he came from. Of course, it was mostly mishandled by a reliance on meaningless action, but the high ratings of that particular episode suggest there was room for quality television here, it just was never capitalized on.

Instead, we have completely static caricatures, especially for minor characters from the movies. Admiral Tarkin, Admiral Ackbar, Greedo (among others) were written out of cardboard and their roles in the plot could have just as easily been played by anyone else (there was nothing unique about their roles that required them to be these characters).

This is a shame because a lot could have been done with the established premise to really focus on Anakin, his motivations, and his relationship to his Padawan. I would have been okay with a lot of backtracking if it meant I could begin to grasp his “fall” to the Dark Side. Instead, I’m honestly more confused than ever about his motivation.

One argument is that Anakin joins the Dark Side because he like, “loves” Padme (or whatever). However, what we’re shown in this show---consistently, clearly---is that Padme and Anakin have a toxic, dysfunctional relationship. He is uncomfortably jealous and rarely trusts her. They argue nearly every time they’re together. Their “love” (or whatever) must remain secret, equating their relationship to something “wrong” or even “illegal” that must be kept secret, even on the verge of death. In a later episode, Anakin orders Padme to listen to him because he’s the “man” and, as his wife, she doesn’t have a say in the matter. This is clearly a broken relationship and the best result is the one that actually happens: They stop seeing each other. Anakin wants to save this woman from a vision? Why?

This brings up a second point, which is that Anakin can’t stand the pain of losing someone. His desire to protect those close to him may be Anakin’s only redeeming trait. He has a single selfless scene (in the entire show) during the opening of Jedi Crash where he sacrifices himself to delay an explosion and save his companions. I want to stress that any other scene where Anakin saves or helps someone isn’t done because he’s a good person, it’s done because he’s a broken person. It’s done because he, personally, would struggle with the emotional toll of knowing he allowed someone close to him to be hurt or die. In other words, he’s doing nice things for selfish reasons.

As far as I’m concerned, Anakin has always been Darth Vader. He is given choices between being a Jedi and allowing a lot of people to die, and he enjoys choosing the second. In Ghosts of Mortis, we’re shown that the threshold between “Anakin” and “Darth Vader” is disconcertingly low, requiring only a few choice words and less than a minute to convert him. In short, what I’ve learned from TCW regarding Anakin Skywalker is that he was an unlikable dick, and his “turn” to the Dark Side was just a long-overdue reveal.

While the later seasons worked towards the events in Episode III in a way that at least made a bit of sense, earlier seasons were focused on adult-themed wacky hijinks. In a way, the show almost would have worked better as a kid’s show, but this was clearly meant for adults: politics, war, slavery, and lots and lots of horrific violence. In comparison, the silly adventures of Star Wars: Resistance worked well because the show didn’t take itself too seriously. It was very clearly, from the start, a lighthearted show about kids going on fun adventures. In contrast, TCW suffered because its themes were adult in nature, but was portrayed as a Saturday morning cartoon show. The humor was misplaced, the tone disjointed from actual events, and the violence excessive.

Let me say a few words on the “Jedi.” Initially I labeled them as overpowered (OP), because in earlier episodes they seemed invincible and dissolved tension in every scene. Later, we see a slew of them get cut down as plot fodder, even against widely different situations. We see Luminara and others push through hoards of droids only to see “Jedi” Master Yoda-like dude get taken down by a dog. We watch as Fisto *heh* powers through entire battalions and the cone-head guy counting coup against an army, only to watch as pink girl gets shot in the face by a single clone who stands in front of her for several seconds before pulling the trigger.

It’s nearly impossible to feel tension in these scenes because the metrics for judging the true strength of a “Jedi” keep shifting as a function of the plot requirements. Anakin suddenly forgets how to use the Force when the plot needs his help to fake some drama. Prequel!Wan pointlessly fist fights with a slaver cat for an hour until the plot needs him to get back up again and OP everyone in the room. Even their ships are only as strong or weak as the plot needs them to be. Plo Koon’s fleet is devastated in seconds in order to portray the Malevolence as being a threat; Anakin’s fleet powers through a larger force three times its size because Anakin’s like, really mad about something.

Secondly, the “Jedi,” in general, were unlikable assholes. They were consistently portrayed as violent and ignorant and I struggled to understand them as real people. Frequently, we witnessed them torture victims, default to a lightsaber to solve problems, and enjoy death to the point of counting coup against sentient life forms defending their homes. Anakin threatened civilians with his lightsaber. Ahsoka was annoyed when she’s asked not to murder a defenseless creature in Jedi Crash. Prequel!Wan and Anakin team up to hurtle enormous rocks into a beaten monster in Dooku Captured. A trio of Jedi Masters mentally gang bang a shackled Cad Bane. They supported state terrorism when it suited their needs, but agreed to abandon their friends for political reasons.

I mean, these are not good people...

This is a shame, because my impression of true Jedi comes from Luke, Yoda, and Obi-Wan in the OT, as well as the expanded universe novels that take place afterwards. It always seemed to me that being a Jedi was about conquering oneself, one’s fears, and learning to use the Force to selflessly help others and let go of all worldly attachments. You know, like the Buddhists they were originally inspired by. I always had the impression that the Force was extremely powerful and that Yoda was only showing Luke a portion of what was possible. That the Emperor was only using Force lighting to toy with Luke. That Vader only Force choked his officers because it was visually intimidating and kept them in line.

Instead, we’re treated to some garbage about how a “Jedi” is nothing greater than an actuator to swing around a lightsaber. When Luke enters Jabba’s palace in Jedi to rescue his friends, it’s not with lightsaber swinging, cutting shit up, flipping around like an acrobatic monkey. Imagine Anakin and Ahsoka in the same scene. They’d blaze through the palace corridors before Force choking Jabba as the Darth Vader theme plays. Forget the rancor, these are demigods. They have lightsabers. Have you seen them? They go “woosh woosh.”

In short, there was little to look up to in terms of a “hero” character. I can see how children can look up to Luke as a role model, someone they want to emulate or play with as a toy, but looking up to Anakin? Ahsoka? Hey kids, wanna learn to become a psychopath? First, you use your power to abuse those who are weaker than you. Then you need to get really really angry and uncontrollably choke someone, preferably your sister or one of your cousins.

And so, for a Saturday morning cartoon show, it is very unclear who we’re supposed to care about. I liked when Ahsoka went against Anakin because I hated his character so much. I liked everything with Hondo, a pirate. I liked Ventress a little, because she was actively seeking to kill the main characters. I liked some of the clones, but I don’t know which ones because they all looked the same. I cared about Darth Maul because I’m honestly a little worried about him, especially after the loss of his brother. I kinda liked General Grievous just because he hates the “Jedi” and was therefore relatable (even though the reasoning was never explained). And... that’s it.

At no point did I ever “look forward” to the next episode. I painfully died a little on the inside hitting the “watch next” button every single time.

This “review” is already way too long, so let me summarize by applying my five-star rating system (developed for movies) to each episode. In review:

5. Amazing, classic, culturally important. Something everyone should watch. 4. Great; very well done, no significant flaws. 3: Entertaining with only minor gripes/criticisms. 2: “Watchable,” but suffers from flaws and has some poor parts. 1. Uncomfortably bad; suffers from serious flaws. 0. Painfully bad, would actively fight against being forced to watch a second time.

The 3-star episodes were:

Hostage Crisis

Lightsaber Lost

Pursuit of Peace

Carnage of Krell

The Wrong Jedi

Hostage Crisis was the introduction of Cad Bane, Lightsaber Lost was the remake of Stray Dog (and the only episode to include a real Jedi), Pursuit of Peace was the random Padme/politics episode that was strangely well-executed, Carnage of Krell was the reveal of Krell as a bad guy and his clones working to apprehend him, and The Wrong Jedi was Ahsoka leaving the Jedi Order (and the only episode to include a true character moment).

Also, I scaled the IMDB ratings of each episode to my ratings and then detected outliers in their overlap. In other words, I wanted to answer the question, “which episodes did I rate the most differently from others?”

Turns out, I rated every single episode lower except for seven. Those seven were:

Mercy Mission (+1.853) - R2 and 3PO discover an underground world with ents. This one is universally panned by “fans,” but was a competently handled episode apart from the disappointing resolution.

Pursuit of Peace (+1.382) - Padme struggles to win support for a Senate bill. Another competently handled episode that focuses on Padme and politics and is ranked low by “fans.”

Lightsaber Lost (+0.6471)

Weapons Factory (+0.4118) - An average episode with a dramatic scene of sacrifice by Ahsoka and her “friend” Barriss.

Shadow Warrior (+0.3824) - Grievous is captured during some dramatic moments on Naboo.

Hostage Crisis (+0.3529)

Front Runners (+0.0882) - One of the rebels episodes, I don’t remember which.

In conclusion, Star Wars: Rebels is next and I am somehow still alive.

#pie211-tcw #tcw #clone wars #the clone wars #star wars

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thinkingheron · 3 years

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Finally Watched The Mandalorian Season 1

(Spoilers ahead)

So, out of complete impulse, I decided to finally watch The Mandalorian and ended up watching the entire Season 1. I have seen gifs and meta on tumblr so I was already aware of some spoilers, but watching it for myself within contexts are different. And I have to say... you people have been holding out on me with funny gifs on this series. There were more hilarious moments than I expected.

I was going to rave about Kuiil and how whoever wrote his lines deserves an award because of his no nonsense, I do what I want, deal with it kind of personality and the humor derived from his interaction with the Mandalorian. I was also going to rave about IG-11, because droids are one of my favorite things in Star Wars because of their often literal minded way of operating and IG-11 had some of the funniest moments before and after getting reprogrammed. And with IG-11′s reprogramming it looks like he actually had to learn through hands-on experience rather than having everything programmed for him, which gives him a unique personality of his own. I have actual notes compiled here about them.

...Then I got to the end of episode 7 and 8. And now I don’t wanna talk about them anymore.

They really paced their humor and dark moments well though. Episode 7 ends in a tense, hero’s darkest hour cliffhanger, and then episode 8 starts off with a healthy dose of black humor by showing what kind of inane stuff two average stormtroopers go through while the real action is happening elsewhere. Their slightly exasperated conversation on their boss’s theatrics feels so Real. It reminds me of this Imperial snapchat fan comic that had me in stitches. The only time I remember seeing that sort of thing in SW was with the B1 battle droids in TCW. So that was funny, right up until they start poking the Child.

The reason I put off watching The Mandalorian for long was because first of all, I procrastinate everything, but secondly Mandalorian culture as a whole never held my interest. It may have been my own bias, but the whole Proud Warrior Race as a trope isn’t my favorite. (I know Mandalorian isn’t a ‘race’, that’s just the trope name) These types were usually depicted as having “You gotta be THIS tough to be worthy otherwise get lost” sort of attitude, and I just plain don’t like that. And Din in particular has been depicted as something of a religious zealot as well with his helmet and that ‘This is the Way’ mantra.

So this series had gotten me emotionally invested in not just a bounty hunter with questionable morality, but also a religious zealot with honor before reason tendency. And that’s quite an achievement.

It helps that Din is a genuinely likable character who (probably) won’t screw you unless you mess with him first or happens to have a bounty on your head. Potential Death Watch associations aside, he has his own set of rules and hasn’t yet killed anyone who doesn’t deserve it. In fact, the same could be said for his whole tribe(?) that makes me sympathize with them in a way I couldn’t with Bo-Katan and Death Watch in TCW. (Incidentally, I really should catch up on TCW S7)

Another point for Din is that he seems to be loosing up on some of the more extreme rules -- first showing concerns for the Child and then later allowing IG-10 to remove his helmet to treat him. I’m interested to see where things will go from here.

#the mandalorian #the mandalorian spoilers #though it probably isn't for most people who searches the tag #heron rambles

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trainsinanime · 3 years

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Just finished Mandalorian season 2 so far (up to Episode 14 / Six of season 2). Some random notes:

The start felt like they had run out of ideas, which is fascinating for a show that felt like it never had a single original idea to begin with. The thing is that Mandalorian takes very old tropes and just executes them to perfection. No subversion, no nothing, just the old thing done really, really well. Most of the times that's enough. Sometimes, though, it seems to start dragging just a tiny little bit. The ice planet episode in particular was just a generic trench run followed by a generic monster fight, with nothing ultimately learned or gained.

There are parts where the storytelling is arguably too conventional, and this is most obvious with the character of the blue coward in the cloning lab episode. Apart from the fact that his objections were very reasonable - he's an accountant, not a superhero, and it makes no sense whatsoever that they expect him to act like one - the whole character is a very old trope: He is portrayed as cowardly, untrustworthy, concerned with personal comfort and material wealth, and coded weak and effeminate when compared to the very masculine no-nonsense main heroes… in short, this is an old homophobic caricature. Compare TVTropes. Now, I'm not saying the cast and crew of Mandalorian are deliberately homophobic, or at least not all of them. But I am saying that they are creatively bankrupt (which should be obvious, they brought Boba Fett back) and clearly don't think enough about the context of the old tropes they're stealing.

Another thing is Baby Yoda eating the unborn children of the frog lady, which I know Twitter was upset about back when that episode first aired. Personally, I agree that this joke is weird and leaves a bad taste (I mean, I assume, but clearly Grogu disagrees), but since the whole frog lady plot was a giant waste of time anyway, I can't even bring myself to care. Honestly, why are they setting up the whole "can't communicate" conflict, then provide her a means to communicate, have her not say anything of value, and then revert back? That's just weak.

I'm not entirely sure whether I like Ahsoka Tahno here, or just Rosario Dawson. She is an amazing presence, but it's not like she gets a lot to do here. I appreciate Thrawn being canon in the live-action TV universe again (I vaguely recall something about a show called Rebels that was apparently animated, happened before this, and also brought up our favorite art lover, but I never watched that show. Maybe I should). That being said, the moment anyone even so much as whispers "Yuuzhan Vong", I'm out.

I know a lot of people like Din's unwavering commitment to his own questline, but personally, I think it's selling us short. Like in that heist episode, he learns that "the way" he's been following may not actually be "the way", or at least the only way. And his response is… to skip the dialogue lines so he can get to his side quest quicker. Gotta say: Meh.

I don't like the Boba Fett episode, although it did something unbelievable: It briefly made Boba Fett seem cool! I don't know why people keep insisting that he has ever been cool before. I did watch him in the movies. I did read all the Karen Traviss books. But I never thought he was actually cool or interesting. And the fight that was meant to convince us that he was cool in this episode was mostly just ridiculous. The way that these stormtroopers completely fail to hit Ming-Na Wen is just plain ridiculous, especially once they set up their machine gun. But then they manage to hit only the characters that are wearing armor, so the whole thing seems more threatening. And in the big finale, a character with a jetpack arrives to late to save the day because he couldn't walk fast enough. Like, seriously? This is a classic idiot plot that only works because at any given point, someone was incompetent enough, not because of any actual reason, but just because the plot wouldn't work otherwise.

Overall, Mandalorian season 2 is still mostly the same as season 1: Unoriginal ideas executed with beautiful perfection. But I think we're seeing more and more cracks form.

#star wars #the mandalorian #mandalorian

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entering-mymind · 4 years

Text

The Mandalorians

This is the first episode to a fanfiction of my take on the Disney+ series “The Mandalorian” I have added my OC character (Mando’s daughter) into the series, allowing the reader to get a deeper insight to Mando’s decisions. I do not own these characters and the story and dialogue goes to the respected credit of the screenwriters and creators of the show. I would love to hear feedback.

Chapter 1

The frosty planet had no effect on the Mandalorian, he stood fierce, monitoring the tracking fob as it guided him to a local cantina.

“Look at his glands, I bet we could sell them at the port,” the gangster declared to his buddy while speaking in Huttese.

“Please, please I have credits. Take them,” the blue fish looking Mythrol desperately pleaded.

“He’s young. The musk will be sweet,” the two gangsters picked up their target but spilled their drink in the process, “And now the real prize,” but he was interrupted by a stranger walking into the cantina.

The Mandalorian received many stares but caught the attention of the two hoodlums.

“You spilled my drink,” the gangster addressed the stranger but the Mandalorian walked to the bar ignoring all.

“Hey Mando!” the hoodlum walked towards the bar and spoke his phrase again, “You spilled my drink, Mando.”

Again the gangster was ignored when the bartender translated in case the Mandalorian didn’t speak Huttese, “He says you spilled his drink,” seeing a brawl about to unfold the bartender got the gangster a new one, “It’s fine, it’s on me.”

But the gangster turned his attention back on the Mandalorian, “Is that real Beskar steel?” when the two gangsters boxed Mando in as the bartender passed the drink.

“Here,” but Mando intercepted and took out his two assailants with ease, even killing one in the process.

Everyone in the cantina stared in apprehension and fear but the Mandalorian turned his attention on the Mythrol instead.

“Thank you, thank you very much,” the Mythrol began, “You have my heartfelt gratitude,” but Mando stared unenthused, “You know what? Here, you take my credits, buy yourself a drink,” when Mando illuminated a hologram with the Mythrol’s face.

“Huh, is that a bounty puck?” the Mythrol played dumb, “Is that me, uh look there must be some mistake. I can get you more credits.”

“I can bring you in warm, or I can bring you in cold,” Mando reached for his blaster as the Mythrol received the hint.

* * *

The two walked up to a Ferryman who spoke Kubazian, it awaited for orders, as Mando stated a request, “I need passage to the yards.”

The Ferryman played one note on his recorder when a speeder approached with a droid driver.

“No droids,” Mando stated in distain.

“I assure you, this speeder is brand new. It’s the latest model,” the Ferryman tried to sell but Mando flipped him a credit as the Ferryman signaled for another transport, which was spitting smoke and all beat up but at least was piloted by a human driver.

“Where to?” the pilot asked.

The three sped off approaching a ship in the snowy distance.

“You know what he’s looking for?” the Mythrol said pointing in the distance with his cuffed hands, “You’re looking for Ravinaks, right?” he asked the driver.

“It’s clear right now, but be careful near the port. Everyone dumps their Gray Holds out. They think the whole entire planet is their own personal stink pit. Here you are,” the driver eased up to a ship.

“You’re kidding me right,” the Mythrol said to the Mandalorian but Mando commanded him to get out of the speeder.

“I’ll hire us a Livery cruiser. No big deal. It won’t come out of your end. I’ll pay for it,” the Mythrol hoped to bribe, “I’m just trying to make it pleasant,” he ended.

“Hey it’s time to go, so let’s settle up,” the driver said as Mando paid, “I’d stay off the ice if I were you,” when he pulled away.

“You think there’s really something to worry about?” the Mythrol questioned in fear but his assumptions were clarified as he watched the driver get devoured by the massive creature that just emerged through the ice.

“Open the hatch!” the Mythrol ran but became stunned by fear as the creature made haste in his direction. Quicker than he thought, the Ravinak broke through the surface with its massive jaws and tried to claim another meal, but Mando pulled the Mythrol safely on board.

The two entered the cockpit rapidly while Mando fired up his ship.

“Dank farrik, that was close! Stay off the ice, that’s the understatement of the millennium,” the Mythrol exasperated.

The ship’s engines ignited with life when Mando began flight, but the Ravinak took hold of the landing gear preventing further movement.

“It’s taking us down. What’re you doing?” the Mythrol said in distress, “It’s got us. It’s gonna take us under. You gotta do something! We gotta get out of here,” the Mythrol pleaded where it seemed as if the Mandalorian was waiting for assistance but it never came, instead he took matters into his own hands.

Mando rose from his seat and grabbed his pulse rifle, he made his way to the lower deck of the ship taking a glance around, he realized the severity of the situation and gave up on the search in order to deal with the creature himself.

Mando lowered the hatch and gave the Ravinak a good electric shock from his rifle. With luck the creature released the ship and they were on their way. Mando made his way back to the cockpit as the two sat in silence, eventually the Mythrol began a one-way conversation.

“I like your ship. She’s a classic, Razor Crest am I right? Pre-empire? I have credits, by the way. That’s why I offered to hail a cruiser,” continued silence, “How much are they paying you?” The Mythrol could see the Mandalorian wasn’t interested and stayed focused on his flying.

“Is it true that you guys never take off your helmets? Oh boy I think I have to use the vacc tube, I mean I could do it here but if you’ve never see a Fledgling Mythrol evacuate their thorax, you’re a lucky guy, trust me,” still silence.

“Clearly there’s nowhere for me to go. So uh…I’m gonna look for that vacc tube if it’s all the same to you? Great,” the Mythrol got up from his seat when the cockpit door opened as he went to the lower deck, but Mando wasn’t worried because she didn’t like strangers in her artistic workspace.

* * *

The Mythrol climbed below in anticipation and began to explore. In the back far corner of the ship a vacc tube stood as the Mythrol declared he found it.

“Thanks it might take awhile, I’m molting,” he began to walk around hoping to find an escape pod and continued talking for a distraction, “Oh, this feels a lot better, I haven’t evacuated since the solstice,” he walked further and entered into another room of the ship, sheets of paper were spread along the floor while art supplies were scattered all around.

The Mythrol took interest, analyzing the works of art that depicted sceneries of different planets across the galaxy when a few had weird interpretations of what appeared to be from a dream.

He never thought the Mandalorian was the artistic type when he continued talking and looked for the hatch, “Yeah I was hoping to be free for Life Day. Maybe even, uh,” when his journey continued further but a solid golden slab of a Rodian caught his attention.

In panic the Mythrol noticed a series of hanging golden slabs, one behind the other, consisting of a plethora of specimens.

“Even uh, get home to the family,” he said losing his words, quickly he started to side step away from the carbonited prisoners hoping this wouldn’t be his fate, when he felt a presence directly behind him, “But I guess that’s not gonna happen this year,” he ended.

In terror the Mythrol turned around fearing the Mandalorian’s wrath but a different Mandalorian gazed upon him.

“You talk to much,” the young female Mandalorian pointed out. Without hesitation she kicked the Mythrol into the machine making it roar to life. Once the carbonited process finished she glared at her newest blank canvas and decided to give the Mythrol a little flare. She chose to give him an over exaggerated expression making him appear almost cartoonish. Once finished with her masterpiece she hung their latest bounty with the others wondering if she should spruce up any of the others with her talent.

Once she was done with her fun, young Mando made her way up to the cockpit and took her usual seat, “You know I don’t like it when you allow the bounties to just roam freely about the ship,” she stated in annoyance.

“I don’t like when Ravinaks think my ship is a snack. Where were you, did you have an episode?” Mando questioned in concern.

“No, I’m fine. I wasn’t aware fighting off giant Ravinaks became my responsibility, next time I’ll just shock it with my pulse rifle…oh wait I can’t because I don’t have one, so remind me again how I was suppose to get the Ravinak to detach? Ask it nicely?” young Mando got up irritated and headed back to the lower deck. There she would create more works of art hoping this would calm her down due to being frustrated with her father.

* * *

The Razor Crest made it’s way to the planet of Nevarro so Mando could drop off the bounties him and his daughter collected. Once landed on the outskirts Mando made his way below.

“Stay on the ship and help with the unloading once Karga’s crew arrives,” Mando instructed his daughter.

“What, why don’t I get to come along?”

“No arguing,” Mando stated firmly and left to meet Greef Karga, head of the Bounty Hunter’s Guild.

Mando made his way through the small town and entered the Guild’s cantina with all eyes on him. Mando never let the other Guild member’s jealousy affect him when he approached Greef Karga who sat in the corner booth.

“Ah, that was fast, did you guys catch them all?” Karga questioned while Mando laid down a bunch of tracking fobs, “Good. I’ll command the off-load,” when Karga spoke Huttese to some crew as they left for the Razor Crest.

Mando took a seat opposite of Karga when he began to make small talk while he got out Mando’s payment.

“So where’s the kiddo?” Karga referred to Mando’s daughter, “Grounded for painting on the carbonited prisoners again?” Karga joked but didn’t mind the artistic flare she exuded.

“No,” was all Mando replied.

“Now I know it’s not my place but Naboo has an excellent art program. She could study music, theater, art, maybe even politics. I heard that planet turned out some great politicians in the past. You should consider it, a talented kid like her shouldn’t be involved with bounty hunting,” Karga set the payment on the table when Mando ignored Karga’s suggestion.

“These are Imperial credits,” Mando said not thrilled.

“They still spend,” Karga stated.

“I don’t know if you heard, but the Empire is gone.”

“It’s all I got.”

Quickly Mando picked up the fobs when Karga stopped him, “Save the theatrics. Fine, I can do Calamari Flan, but I can only pay half.”

“Fine,” Mando handed over the fobs and took the payment.

* * *

Back at the Razor Crest young Mando let Karga’s crew on board as she helped them unload the bounties, finding this as demeaning she kept to herself when suddenly one of the crewmembers cautiously addressed her.

“Um…Greef Karga wanted me to give this to you,” he slowly stepped forward afraid of what she could possibly due to him.

Finding his hesitation amusing she approached and noticed a small rack filled with a line of tiny jars. Each one was unique and filled with a specific color she had never seen before.

“Karga said these paints are very rare, only can be made from certain seashells that surface once every fifty years. He says he doesn’t have favorites but I think that’s an understatement.”

In excitement she took the gift mesmerized by it, she couldn’t wait to start creating with them and finally, in what felt like forever, displayed a smile under her helmet that no one would ever see.

* * *

“I have a bail jumper, a bail jumper, another bail jumper, a wanted smuggler,” Karga put several pucks on the table when Mando declared he would take them all. “Now hold on, there are other members of the Guild, and this is all I have.”

“Why so slow?” Mando questioned.

“It’s not slow at all, actually, very busy. They just don’t want to pay Guild rates. They don’t mind if things get sloppy.”

Frustrated Mando made a suggestion, “What’s your highest bounty?”

“Not much, five thousand.”

“That won’t even cover fuel these days.”

“There is one job.”

“Let’s see the puck,” Mando said.

“No puck, face to face, direct commission, deep pocket.”

“Underworld?”

“All I know is no chain code,” Mando glared at Karga in frustration as he held out a card, “Do you want the chit or not?” Karga waited while Mando hesitated and then vigorously took it.

Mando stood and half turned showcasing his hand on his blaster, more to display a warning than a threat, “And you’re right about one thing, it’s not your place when it comes to decisions for my daughter,” Mando stated sternly and then walked out leaving Karga shaking his head in scrutiny, but with a smirk on his face knowing his gift brought the kiddo some joy.

* * *

Trying to disregard Karga’s suggestion, Mando couldn’t help and ponder over her future. Was this the way for her, a life in bounty hunting or should she be able to choose a life for her own? A debacle Mando continued battling over since she entered his life, he wanted nothing more than her happiness, but her safety was main priority.

Mando meandered his way through the town when he ventured down some secluded streets and came upon the client’s door. He knocked loudly as a droid popped out from the wall asking for clearance when Mando showed the chit. The droid scanned the card and then allowed his access.

Mando followed a droid down a dark hallway, always on guard when he entered a room showcasing four Stormtroopers and an older gentleman – who appeared Imperial- sitting at a table located in the center of the room.

“Greef Karga said you were coming,” the client said as Mando approached the table.

“What else did he say?” Mando replied.

“He said you were the best in the parsec,” when unexpectedly a side door opened when a man – who appeared to be a doctor- walked through.

Immediately Mando thought this to be a threat and so drew his weapons as the Stormtroopers also reacted, “Freeze!” One trooper yelled.

“Drop your weapons!” Another commanded.

“No, no, no, pardon. Uh sorry,” the doctor stated nervously, “I didn’t mean to alarm,” as Mando kept one blaster pointed at the doctor and his pulse rifle on the troopers.

“This is Dr. Pershing, please excuse his lack of decorum. His enthusiasm out weights his discretion. Please lower your blaster,” the client requested.

“Have them lower theirs first,” Mando demanded.

“We have you four to one,” one Stormtrooper stated in blind confidence.

“I like those odds,” Mando said without hesitation.

“He also said you were expensive,” the client tried to draw Mando’s attention, “Very expensive, please sit,” when he commanded the troopers to lower their weapons with a wave of his hand.

Mando lowered his also and took a seat at the table hearing out his assignment. When everyone was settled down the client unveiled an item Mando had not seen in years.

“Beskar,” Mando said to clarify.

“Go ahead. It’s real. This is only a down payment,” the client said while Mando picked it up to inspect the small slab for himself, “ I have a camtono of Beskar waiting for you upon delivery of the asset.”

“Alive,” Dr. Pershing chimed in.

“Yes alive, although I acknowledge that bounty hunting is a complicated profession. This being the case, proof of termination is also acceptable for a lower fee,” the client said.

“That is not what we agreed upon,” the doctor said in confusion.

“I’m simply being pragmatic.”

“Let’s see the puck,” Mando requested.

“I’m afraid discretion dictates a less traditional agreement. We can only offer you a tracking fob,” the client signaled the doctor to give the fob over to Mando.

“What’s the chain code?” Mando asked.

“We can only provide the last four digits.”

“Their age? That’s all you can give me?” Mando stated in confusion.

“Yes. They’re fifty years old. We can also give you last reported positional data. Between that and the fob, a man of your skill should make short work of this,” the client said in certainty as Mando rose to exit when the client continued, “The Beskar belongs back into the hands of a Mandalorian. It is good to restore the natural order of things after a period of such disarray, don’t you agree?” the client ended but Mando walked out before giving an answer.

* * *

Mando walked back to the Razor Crest to collect his daughter because together they would visit the secret covert of the Mandalorians.

“How many bounties do we have to slave over this time,” she said unenthused.

“Come, we have some upgrading to do,” her father said cryptically.

Confused yet intrigued young Mando stored her supplies away and followed. The two walked down the hatch when Mando glared at his daughter disbelieving her constant mistake.

“How many times do I have to remind you?” Mando questioned.

“Obviously every time I leave the ship, geez what’s the big deal, no one would be stupid enough to board, let alone steal,” she replied.

“Don’t argue with me. The galaxy is filled…” but Mando was cut off.

“Yah, yah, with scum and villainy, blah, blah, blah. I don’t need another lecture. I understand, lock and activate the security protocol always before leaving the ship. Message received Papi,” she said while playfully saluting but her father didn’t find her antic cute.

Teenagers, he never acted like this when he was her age, but every generation seemed to turn out differently, he would just have to keep at her until she reached her age of independence, which was right around the corner. Only a little over a month, he pondered saddened, then she would receive the honorary title of Mandalorian and be able to choose to either continue bounty hunting with him or another. A clan of two there always were because this is the way.

Mando and his daughter made their way through the town discreetly. The citizens knew better than to mess with a Mandalorian, let alone two, so they shouted for passing customers to stop by their shops while ignoring the two bounty hunters. This upset young Mando because even though she appreciated the people’s respect for them, she hated the constant fear. She always imagined setting up her own booth to sell her art, but this was not the way, so she kept her dreams to herself.

The two made their way to a secret underground corridor, descending down the staircase and into the bleak darkness. This was where the remaining Mandalorians stayed hidden and safe.

Mando and his daughter walked down the corridor to find their destination with the Armorer, along the way young Mando waved at the younglings who ran playfully past her, returning her gestured happily to see them again. She always enjoyed the little ones company, telling them stories of her and her father’s adventures or teaching them how to paint and draw.

Unfortunately she knew their stay wouldn’t be long and so followed her father into the armory. She took a seat next to him as the Armorer acknowledged their presence and sat opposite. Mando placed the Calamari Flan and the slab of Beskar on the table for the Armorer to inspect.

“This was gathered in the Great Purge,�� the woman Armorer picked up the Beskar almost in disbelief, “It is good it is back with the Tribe.”

“Yes,” Mando replied while young Mando stayed silent and in shock she was witnessing this event.

She had only heard tales of Beskar from other Mandalorians, but to see it in the flesh had a different meaning.

“A pauldron would be in order,” the Armorer suggested to Mando, “Has your signet been revealed?” she addressed to Mando knowing his daughter was not yet of age.

“No,” Mando said in honesty.

“Soon,” she reassured, rising to begin her work when Mando made a request.

“I would like my daughter to receive some Beskar as well.”

“Of course, it appears a new thigh guard is in need, it shall be done,” the Armorer began her work melting down the slab of Beskar to formulate the armor pieces, “This is extremely generous. The excess will sponsor many Foundlings.”

“That’s good, I was once a Foundling,” Mando reveled when his daughter glared at him in sadness.

She knew of her father’s childhood, losing his parents at such a young age during the Clone Wars and the reason for his disdain for droids. She would hate droids also if they killed her father, but instead she tried to control and understand the machines, she hoped to change her father’s opinion on them someday but that was a lost cause.

It didn’t take the Armorer long before she finished her masterpieces, once completed she securely placed the armor on her two subjects and sent them on their next mission.

* * *

The Razor Crest made way towards the planet of Arvala-7, a desert looking world located on the Outer Rim Sector. Unable to pinpoint an exact position of the asset, Mando landed in a general location so then he could use the tracking fob to his advantage. He lowered the hatch and pulled his pulse rifle ready in case of any danger, he was unfamiliar with this planet and didn’t know the terrain, locals, or wildlife.

“Stay on board until I surveillance the area,” he commanded of his daughter.

“But…” she was about to argue when all he did was give her a glare of warning, silencing her debate, “Right, stay on board until you give clearance, story of my life,” she said under her breath while making her way back into the ship.

Mando walked a few feet away, pulling out the tracking fob to get a read of where the asset might reside. The fob began beeping a little faster when he pointed it North, seeing this as the best option to lead with, Mando looked through his rifle’s scope and noticed some weird creatures ahead in distress.

They appeared large, but half the size of a Dewback, and walked on two legs. Their mouths were filled with rows of teeth but had stumpy arms that seemed to do nothing but hang. He continued watching the herd and noticed their path of direction change course as they headed his way, but out of the corner of his eye another herd – of the same creatures- side swiped him.

Mando was knocked onto his back and almost trampled when he began rolling side-to-side maneuvering himself in order to avoid their feet. The herd continued their stampede when out of the blue a massive cat like creature sprung for the attack. It leaped on top of one of the Blurrgs but their hide was impossible to penetrate with a normal blade, but the Nexu cat had its razor sharp claws.

The Nexu, upset with its miss of prey, scrambled through the herd looking for another attempt when it’s four eyes laid upon Mando. It pounced with force, securing its jaws on his arm, thrashing him around like a rag doll. Grunting in distress, Mando had to get this creature off of him fast because the gauntlet the creature had a hold of was giving way.

From the ship young Mando heard the commotion and her father’s distress, she ran down the hatch and instantly to her father’s aid. Mando tried to tell her to get back but he was to pre-occupied trying to stay alive and not lose his arm. His gauntlet was slowing cracking under the cat’s jaws of pressure when young Mando pulled out her Vibroblade and stabbed the Nexu in the brain, or so where she thought its brain was.

Becoming enraged, the Nexu let go of Mando and turned its attention onto his daughter, leaping on her and going for the kill. All of her father’s teaching flashed into her mind as she fought the menacing creature. Her arms stayed crossed in front of her, resting the Nexu’s chin on her forearms, this was to prevent the Nexu’s jaws from clamping down on her head. Her Vibroblade held tight in her hand but she was inebriated to use it.

Her heart palpitated, sweat began to manifest, along with that suppressed feeling beginning to awaken. She could feel it vibrate from her core ready to release without warning, she had to keep composure and not allow her fear to overrun her, fear clouded judgment and now was not the time to lose one’s head; literally.

Mando immediately rose to his feet ready to fight the Nexu to the death but the hysterical Blurrgs turned their distress onto Mando, taking their anger out on him. They used their large heads to battle ram him, he was thrown to the ground multiple times as they ping ponged him with their feet.

Mando couldn’t have this be their demise and tried everything to get free so he could reach his struggling daughter, when suddenly he felt the ground beneath him quake. He knew if he didn’t reach her in time to help calm her down unthinkable events would manifest.

Mando ignited a stream of flames from his crushed gauntlet as this sent most of the Blurrgs back, but two instantly went down due to being hit by a tranquilizer. The herd immediately ran away when Mando loaded his pulse rifle and fired multiple shots at the Nexu, finally penetrating through its fur and killing it.

At once Mando rushed to his daughter’s aide noticing her panic, the heavy cat laid on top of her when the surrounding terrain began to vibrate more intensely as he approached. The loose gravel and small stones started to take life, floating ever so slightly off the ground as her terror escalated. Mando, with all of his strength, rolled the cat off of her and over looked her for any serious injuries. Luckily her armor with held the Nexu’s claws as she laid there, shaking, with Vibroblade still in hand.

“You’re alright,” Mando placed his hands on the sides of her helmet, forcing her to look at him, “Focus on me, breath, relax, you’re safe, breath,” Mando continued repeating this mantra as if this would calm her down, “Listen to my voice, focus, breath, you’re safe,” he continued and noticed his daughter’s body calming, her breathing returning to normal, while the quaking seized and everything became stagnate.

“Good, good, can you sit up?” Mando questioned looking at her as if she would break, all she did was nod her head “yes” and performed the motion with his help.

Mando sensed someone approach behind him and realized this was the individual who shot the tranquilizers, stunning the Blurrgs who had a hold of him, and if not for this individual his daughter might be dead. Mando helped her to her feet and turned to the individual who was riding one of the Blurrgs so he could give his gratitude.

“Thank you,” Mando said in sincerity.

“You two are bounty hunters?” the Ugnaught – a small pig like creature - lead with.

“Yes,” Mando replied wondering this stranger’s intention.

“I will help you. I have spoken,” when the Ugnaught kicked his Blurrg and lead the two hunters to his living quarters.

* * *

Everyone sat inside the Ugnaught’s tiny home, circled around the fire as tea brewed while Mando fixed his damaged gauntlet.

“Many have passed through. They seek the same one as you,” the Ugnaught told.

“Did you help them?” young Mando asked.

“Yes. They died.”

“Geez, maybe we don’t need his help,” she said in all seriousness to her father.

“You do, I can show you to the encampment,” the Ugnaught reassured.

“We will need his help,” Mando said to his daughter when he placed down a tool the Ugnaught gave him as he pulled out the destroyed fob.

“Great,” was all she said.

“What’s your cut?” Mando began negotiating.

“Half,” the Ugnaught replied.

“Half the bounty to guide? Seems steep.”

“No. Half of the Blurrgs you helped capture.”

“The Blurrgs? You can keep them both.”

“No, you both will need one to ride. The way is impossible to pass without a Blurrg mount,” the Ugnaught informed.

“We don’t know how to ride Blurrg,” young Mando chimed in.

“I have spoken.”

The next morning Mando and his daughter began lessons with the Ugnaught, but lessons were not going so well. Repeatedly Mando was thrown from the Blurrg while young Mando and the Ugnaught watched.

“Perhaps if you remove your helmet?” the Ugnaught suggested.

“Oh that’s a big no, no,” young Mando stated, “It’s smart he protects his head, one to many concussions in the past,” she tried to joke but the Ugnaught wasn’t amused.

“Perhaps he remembers I tried to roast him,” Mando shouted frustrated.

“This is a female. The males are all eaten during mating,” the Ugnaught clarified.

“Eww,” young Mando expressed, “Come on Papi you can do it,” she encouraged as Mando attempted again but was thrown once more.

He made his was to the surrounding fence hoping for a new form of transportation, “We don’t have time for this. Do you have a land speeder or speeder bike that I could hire?”

“You both are Mandalorians. Your ancestors rode the great Mythosaur. Surely you can ride this young foal. Why don’t you let her try,” the Ugnaught pointed to Mando’s daughter.

She stood there unknowing what her father was thinking when he nodded his head to signal her the go ahead. A bit nervous, she entered the enclosure and slowly approached the Blurrg, arm extended, while trying to read its body language. Was it frightened of her, was it angry with someone trying to tame and ride it, or did it only want to choose and give its acceptance instead of being forced?

“I got this, I can do this, no worries,” young Mando encouraged herself seeing those huge eyes peer at her and jaws slowly opening to revel its teeth. Slowly she approached when something deep inside spoke to her, practically guiding her on how to assess this creature.

She seized in her step while keeping her hand extended, nervously the Blurrg became anxious and appeared to attack as Mando was ready to intercept, but the Ugnaught encouraged him for her to be able to do this on her own. In anticipation Mando watched from the sidelines hoping his daughter knew what she was doing.

The Blurrg started to do a dance and then ran towards her in full force, she continued to listen to the inner voice as it said to show respect. How could one show respect to a creature? Make yourself look small, not infuriating, so she kneeled to one knee and bowed her head while still extending her hand out.

With this gesture the Blurrg immediately stopped its charge and approached slowly, placing its snout gently on her outstretched hand. Feeling its gesture, young Mando lifted her head and stared into the creature’s black eyes almost as if she could hear it speak to her. She rose to her feet and stroked the Blurrg’s head awaiting approval for her to mount. With a jerk of its head the Blurrg lifted young Mando to its back as she sat on top shocked she had achieved this task. Smiling under her helmet, young Mando peered at her father proudly as she could see his pride for her radiate in secret.

“Sometimes the child becomes the teacher,” the Ugnaught stated when Mando glared at him realizing the truth behind the statement.

Mando knew soon she would have to eventually go on her own, maybe even make a clan of two with another, but he still had time.

“Now it’s your turn,” the Ugnaught said to Mando, “I have spoken.”

Luckily Mando took his daughter’s achievement into consideration because this allowed him to tame his Blurrg quickly. The Ugnaught lead the way to the asset while Mando and his daughter followed. The terrain was rough, large cracks stretched for miles along the ground, ones the Blurrgs could easily jump, where a human could not. Finally the three approached a hill and stopped.

“That is where you’ll find your quarry,” the Ugnaught said.

Mando handed him a small pouch filled with credits but the Ugnaught refused.

“Please. You deserve this,” Mando declared.

“Since these ones arrived, this territory has been an endless stream of mercenaries seeking reward and bringing destruction.”

“Then why did you guide us?” young Mando questioned.

“They do not belong here. Those that live here come to seek peace. There will be no peace until they’re gone,” the Ugnaught explained.

“Then why do you help?” Mando asked.

“I have never met a Mandalorian, I’ve only read the stories. If they are true, you two will make quick work of it. Then there will again be peace. I have spoken,” when the Ugnaught collected their Blurrgs while waving farewell to Mando and tipped his head to young Mando.

* * *

Walking a small distance, Mando and his daughter approached a ravine, situated below was a series of buildings but defended by several guards.

“What do you see?” young Mando asked as Mando glared through his hand held scope.

“About eight Nikto’s stationed around the premises,” he informed.

“Should be easy enough, once you take your primary position and snipe most of them away, then I’ll draw the rest so you can obtain the asset,” she suggested.

“How about you take primary position this time,” Mando said while unbuckling his pulse rifle and handing it to his shocked daughter.

“What?”

“You’ve proven yourself, take your position on top of that building. I’ll wait here and surveillance until you’re set.”

“Are you being serious or is this an undertone for a lesson you’re trying to teach me? I can’t tell because you’re face is always so hard to read.”

Mando just tilted his head in annoyance and handed her the rifle.

“You know I’ve only taken practice shots with this…I mean cleaned it for you while you were sleeping,” she caught herself but Mando knew better.

“Go before I change my mind,” he said shaking his head while displaying a half smile underneath, “Turn your close range comms to channel two,” he reminded by tapping the side of his helmet because that was where their communications resided.

Performing the action so she didn’t forget, young Mando quickly made her way down the ravine to get into position, excited to finally be able to actually contribute to her father’s mission.

Mando kept a firm eye on his daughter, if anything went array he would intervene immediately when some of the guards became distracted. Mando followed their stares through his scope and noticed an IG-11 bounty hunter droid approach.

“Subparagraph 16 of the Bondsman Build protocol waiver compels you to immediately produce said asset,” IG-11 computed but the guard’s didn’t respond, instead one drew its weapon sending IG-11 into attack mode and opening fire, taking most out.

“Whoa!” young Mando said in shock, she had never seen an IG unit before and boy were they lethal, “Papi do you see this, they are securing the perimeter,” she radioed.

“Huh, droids,” he replied in irritation while making his way down to clean up the machines mess.

“Subparagraph 16 of the Bondsman Guild protocol waiver compels you to immediately produce said asset,” IG-11 repeated.

“IG-Unit! Stand down,” Mando shouted while stepping around a pillar.

The act of surprise made IG-11 shoot first and ask questions later, luckily the blast hit Mando in the pauldron.

“Papi!” young Mando shouted and put the IG-Unit in her scope, “Do you want me to take it out?”

“No, we might be able to use it.”

“Copy that because we are going to need all the help we can get,” as she could see approaching militia.

“I’m in the Guild,” Mando exclaimed to the IG-Unit by showing his fob.

“You are in the Guild? I thought I was the only one on assignment,” IG-11 stated.

“That makes two of us. So much for the element of surprise.”

“Sadly, I must ask for your fob. I already issued the writ of seizure. The bounty is mine,” IG-11 declared.

“Unless I’m mistaken, you are, as of yet, empty handed,” Mando reminded it.

“This is true.”

“I have a suggestion.”

“Proceed.”

“We split the reward.”

“What, are you kidding me!” young Mando stated but was ignored.

“This is acceptable,” IG-11 agreed.

“Great. Now let’s regroup out of harms way and form a plan,” Mando began, “My partner is positioned on top of that building and she sees a convoy making their approach,” Mando informed.

“I will of course receive the reputation merits associated with the mission,” IG-11 demanded.

“Can we talk about his later?” when blaster fire started in.

“Papi, they are getting closer. They have shield protectors, I don’t have a clear shot,” she stated.

“I require an answer if I am to proceed,” when hidden guards revealed themselves on top of the roofs hitting IG-11, “Alert…alert…alert.”

Suddenly more Nikto guards filed out from the buildings and gave hell towards IG-11 and Mando. Quickly Mando radioed to his daughter, but she was unable to respond because she was taken by surprise and was in a brawl herself.

“Come in, are you alright?” Mando screamed in case her comms was a tad out of range, but no response. He had to trust her, plus his situation was becoming to hot and shouted for IG-11, “Let’s go.”

The two began shooting their way towards the main double doors that had sealed, they each made it behind a pillar when IG-11 stated the obvious.

“It appears we are trapped. I will initiate self-destruct sequencing,” revealing a thermal detonator in its chest cavity.

“Whoa, you’re what!” Mando exclaimed.

“Manufacturers Protocol dictates I cannot be captured. I must self-destruct.”

“Do not self-destruct, my partner will take these guys out, come in,” Mando radioed his daughter again but only static came through.

She knew she couldn’t lose her cool, she had to stay calm and complete her mission to protect her father. The Nikto had her pinned to the ground, pulse rifle pushed firmly against her throat, choking her to the point of unconsciousness.

She couldn’t go under, he was counting on her, he felt she was ready for this task, she wasn’t going to disappoint him, but mostly herself. With quick thinking, she slide her foot in position and bucked the Nikto forward with her hips, giving her a window to get her knees up to her chest and placing her feet on the Nikto’s stomach. Without hesitation she flipped the Nikto behind her as it plummeted off the building and onto the ground distracting the others below. She immediately rolled into position and began taking out the exposed guards.

Seeing this as their opportunity Mando yelled for IG-11 to cover him as he attempted to over wire the blaster doors so they could take cover inside, but even with his daughter’s friendly fire there were still to many of them. Again Mando and IG-11 took refuge behind a pillar realizing that they had become pinned.

“I thought your partner was a skilled sniper?” IG-11 pointed out.

“She’s doing her best,” Mando defended.

“I will initiate self-destruct.”

“Do not self-destruct. We’re shooting our way out.”

Young Mando was just about to inform her father of the huge blaster canon when he stepped out into the open, guns a blazing, when he found out for himself.

“Okay,” Mando realized his outcome and again took refuge behind the pillar as the blaster canon opened fire, “New plan.”

“Beginning self-destruct countdown,” IG-11 stated exposing the detonator again.

“No. Stop it,” Mando pressed the side of his helmet to communicate with his daughter, “Aim for the barrel.”

“Okay,” she responded and began firing but this had an opposite effect, instead this drew the canons attention onto her and gave hell to her position.

“NO!” Mando screamed, “IG draw the others fire, I’ll take out the canon.”

“Acceptable.”

“Go!”

IG-11 stepped out of hiding but was immediately hit, falling to the ground. Mando could see the destruction the canon made to the building his daughter was on when the structure began to collapse.

The Nikto continued his reign of fire determined to make the building crumble and so it did. Furious beyond belief Mando shot his gauntlet’s grappling hook, wrapping the wire around an opening of the canon, swinging off the Nikto occupant while taking the gun for himself.

In rage Mando used his body weight to rotate the blaster fire around the complex, leaving no survivors. The situation appeared to be in their favor when Mando ran towards the crumbled building, rummaging through the debris in a frantic.

“No, no, no, please, please,” when from the corner of his eye something caught his attention, in a limp his daughter approached from an adjacent building she must have jumped to.

Without thought Mando ran towards her and embraced her; not caring if anyone saw his affection. He then held her at arms length overlooking her for any signs of serious injuries.

“Are you alright, are you injured?” he pestered.

“I’m fine really,” young Mando tried to sell but once she placed pressure on her left ankle she winced in pain and slightly lost her balance, “Okay, maybe I twisted my ankle from the jump. No big deal, I’ll walk it off, okay maybe that’s an understatement,” she tried to lighten the mood because she knew how protective her father was over her.

“Can you walk?”

“Yah, I’m good, really. Here,” she tried giving back his pulse rifle in case he had to wield it.

“Use it as a crutch for now,” Mando suggested.

“Will do,” as he guided her towards IG-11 who sat stationary across the way.

“Well done,” IG-11 said to both, “ I will disengage self-destruct initiative,” when the droid put the thermal detonator back into its chest.

“It was going to self-destruct,” young Mando said in shock.

“Several times,” Mando clarified, he released his daughter and went to help the IG Unit to its feet, “You know, you’re not so bad, for a droid.”

“Agreed,” IG-11 replied.

“That blaster hit looks nasty. I could take a look at it,” young Mando offered knowing the droid took the hit so her father could obtain the canon.

“That won’t be necessary. Running a quick diagnostic,” a few beeps and whirls sounded through the droid when it came back with a result, “It has missed my central wiring harness.”

“Is that good,” Mando said not to concerned.

“Yes.”

“Well, now we just need to get the door open,” when all three turned and thought of the same thing.

Rapid canon fire spewed through the metal doors creating a nice chisel when they soon fell on their own. The three walked in like they owned the joint as one final Nikto guard made its stand, but was met by Mando’s blast.

“Anyone else?” Mando shouted but there was nothing but silence.

“My sensors indicate that there are life forms present,” IG-11 reported.

“Yah, us,” she said to herself.

Mando shook his head by his daughter’s witty comment but unsure on how exactly they were going to track the asset down.

“We might have to spread out and search,” Mando suggested.

“What about your fob?” IG-11 questioned.

“The fob was damaged.”

“Then how did you get here?” IG-11 began to interrogate making Mando irritated.

The two hunters were deep in a squabble, only focused on each other and not on Mando’s daughter. Somehow, as if she was in a dream, she was being called, no, more like drawn to an egg shaped pod, which was piled on top of other items. Slowly she walked towards it, almost as if she could hear something inside.

“Hey,” she pulled herself out of the dreamlike trance, practically wondering how she got in front of it, but the two were still arguing when she shouted again, louder, getting their attention, “I think I found something,” she pointed towards the little white pod as the other two stepped forward meeting her.

“What makes her accurate?” IG-11 inquired.

“Because I say,” Mando replied in complete certainty.

He glared down at his daughter seeing her intensity focused on the container. It appeared as if she was somewhere else, looking past this world and into another.

“This one?” he clarified by pointing to the egg shaped pod, all she did was nod her head in confirmation.

Analyzing the device gradually, Mando discovered three buttons in the front of the mechanism and pressed it, the tiny door hissed and half slide backwards, reveling the asset inside. All three peered in but Mando spoke first.

“Wait, they said fifty years old.”

“Species age differently,” IG-11 informed, “Perhaps it could live many centuries,” as a small green baby like creature, with a tiny nose, long ears, and huge brown eyes, reveled itself behind a blanket, “Sadly, we’ll never know,” IG-11 drew his blaster and pointed it towards the creature.

“No!” young Mando pleaded almost throwing herself in front of the child.

Mando put his arm up preventing her from sacrificing herself and agreed with his daughter, “We’ll bring it in alive.”

“The commission was quite specific. The asset was to be terminated,” IG-11 was ready to pull the trigger but was instead met by Mando’s immediate action. Taking a shot directly to the head, IG-11 fell to the ground with a thud and sizzled.

Unable to fathom the events, Mando turned to his daughter visualizing a past scenario, she could feel his gaze upon her when she glared up at him sensing an inner struggle. She never could tell what it was because he never gave anything away.

Even through her helmet Mando could see his daughter’s intent face, his face. He would do what must be done and he hoped his daughter would forgive him. Their gazes turned back onto the cooing child as it reached its hand out, extending with its little three fingers, trying to make contact with its new guardians.

#starwars #the mandalorian #mando #disney plus #din djarin #pedro pascal #jon favreau #fan fiction #sci-fi fantasy #baby yoda

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murfeelee · 4 years

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Alright, I’ve been talking about The Witcher TV show for months and months, and now I’ve FINALLY seen it.

I've skimmed through the books here and there, but really I’m a diehard fan of the video games, particularly The Witcher 3 (I’ve played TW1 and TW2 as well). Because of all the hype, attention and love the TW3 got over the years, with even Henry Cavill being a major fan of the video games, Netflix went and made this tv show, with Cavill as Geralt of Rivia, The Witcher.

MY THOUGHTS

It was GOOD! \(^0^)/ I really liked it!

Alright, don’t get excited, I think this show had some serious problems. But we’ll start with the good before getting to the bad and the ugly.

THE GOOD

THE ACTING

Everyone was top notch, and did a fantastic job. I freaking LOVE Grandma Calanthe, omg. I wanted more of her, and Mama Tissaia, and the different sorceresses (when Sodden started I was like hooo boy, I know how this goes; the finale is WORTH the price of admission, folks).

I even liked Eclipse-Princess (her name escapes me, my bad; I was calling her Arya 2.0 in my head). Don’t think I effing missed how they threw in a nod to the Eclipse Princess from Blood & Wine; that was awesome, featuring the Black Sun “curse” again.

I already knew I was gonna HAVE to tune in to see Yennefer’s story, and it was every bit as superb as I suspected it would be. Dare I say it was THE most interesting story arc of the three? Caught me tearing up a few times. I still don’t see book/game/Polish Yennefer with her, but she did a GREAT job, nonetheless--her emotions and delivery and everything was excellent.

She sounds so dang young though, which throws me off with the timeline, cuz when exactly does Yenn’s story take place in all of this? It’s hard to match her with the more...well....matronly/mature persona we’re more familiar with in the games. But I guess she develops that over time, after getting to raise Ciri. Though this does put in better perspective why she was so mean to Ciri at first, calling her ugly and everything. She wanted a child so badly, and Geralt just...gets one by surprise, and she was feeling bitter, I see it now.

THE ACTION

And I gotta give it to Cavill. Boy can MOVE. My favorite moments with Cavill were when he was sword fighting; whoever choreographed all that needs a frikkin award. I imagined the Butcher of Blaviken just tearing up mofos, and that’s exactly what we got. And he was WERKING them pants! XD

Except we never really saw my favorite sign, Igni. Oh well. And I hate that he doesn’t have cat eyes. And the Toxicity ISTG makes him look like a vampire and makes no effing sense, but whatevs.

And sometimes he was sounding WAY too Batman or demonic with this really deep and gravelly voice -- I appreciate that he was trying to give us that gruff and sandpaper dry video game Geralt, but when they’d make him yell or be mad I was like JFC NOT TODAY SATAN. But an attempt was made, and I appreciate it. ^_^ He was fine for the most part. More than fine, even. As I said, the acting & action was great, and they played to Cavill’s strengths.

THE SPECIAL EFFECTS

I also thought the CGI was fine--not the best, no, but I’ve seen way worse in shows with bigger budgets. The dragons...eh.... And that kikimore.... Well, I’m just remembering the Polish tv show, the Hexer--BIG improvement. Trust me. O_O The practical effects were excellent. Even though they messed around A LOT with the Striga plot from TW1, and what it looked like, I did like that they stayed pretty faithful to the fight.

THE STORIES & CHARACTERS

IMO, the best episode was E04, with Pavetta & Duny. It was just REALLY well done, and the one I was LEAST expecting. My favorite episode was E06, with the dragon, because of course. Reminded me of Hercules the Legendary Journeys, IDKY. The finale was really good, too; I love the sorceresses and all the magic. And E07 when all the plots and flashbacks come together was great.

And now for MY COMPLAINTS

THE BAD

#1) OMG WTF WAS UP WITH THE TIMELINE?

I feel BAD for anyone who’s watching this show fresh, who’s never played the games, read the books, seen the Polish Hexer tv show, played Gwent, or anything related to the Witcher world.

I was thrown off several times, as they shot from Ciri running for her life or Geralt fighting a Striga in the present time; to Yennefer learning magic in the past. Geralt & Dandelion go on adventures Shrek & Donkey style--I ASSUMED in the present, with the Sylvan, Djinn & Dragon, until an episode or two later they’re in Cintra together in the PAST, and Ciri’s not even born yet, and we’re seeing a drunk Ermion/Mousesack and young Crach an Craite (I squeed, my dad~!! His accent was on point!), and Ciri’s mom and grandma. (And WOW, the lady they got to play the mom looks just like the actress playing Ciri--are they related?)

And they do this over and over again over the episodes--present day with Ciri, eff knows when with Geralt or Yennefer. Especially since you know from the books/games that they’re both almost 100 years old. Yenn keeps throwing out “it’s been decades“ this and “years” that. But W H E N though!?!

I mean, I could follow along, sure, but they REALLY needed to make it clearer SOONER for people who have NO idea who TF these people or which kingdoms are which, that some things are happening YEARS apart from each other. Pay attention to how many times GoT shoved those maps of Westeros and Essos in our faces. Or how different shows use color filters for flashbacks or something. Properly situate the audience in time AND space--we’re not Cirilla, who can travel willy nilly between both. They bounced back and forward between past and present with the toss of a frikkin coin.

And speaking of coins...

#2) THE MUSIC WAS...Well.

youtube

Oh, Dandelion. XD

Anyone who knows me knows I fangirl HARD over the Witcher video game OSTs. And unfortunately, the music on the tv show was just...alright. :\ And for a franchise so closely connected to iconic music like the band Percival, it’s a crime against nature that the tv show never had a single track that made me go YES. Give it up for POLAND. The end credits song is okay, but I only started getting into it at like Episode 6, soooo... :\

And no, I didn’t like Toss A Coin to Your Witcher in this show. It didn’t sound like part of this medievalesque universe AT ALL, but something kinda pop/country, aimed at I don’t even know who. Sure, the dude playing Dandelion can sing. But so can Ed Sheeran, and when GoT got him to sing on the show, he sure AF didn’t bust out with the next Billboard Top 40 on us in the middle of nowhere.

#3) THE CHARACTER BONDING?

The acting was top notch...it was the plot/writing I didn’t like. Or rather, the relationships between the characters. I felt more for Yennefer & Istredd, and Geralt & Roach, and Ciri & the Elf boy (and her grandma), and even Pavetta & effing Duny/Emhyr (that royal piece of sh!te) than I did for any other characters on this whole show. And that’s a bit of a problem.

First off, I HATED how they made it seem that TEENAGED Ciri had no idea who TF Geralt was. TV Ciri’s gotta be what? 15? Geralt said something about it having been 12 years since Pavetta & Duny, but even that’s too old. Book!Ciri met Geralt IN the Brokilon or whatever forest with all the water drinking and the dryad queen and mess.

They were already obsessed with each other before the fall of Cintra even happened! Ciri was like 10 already when Geralt took Ciri to Kaer Morhen to start her Witcher training, but this girl on the show’s way older, and effing clueless. They don’t even meet til the final few SECONDS, wtf!! It’s just Destiny~! Destiny~! Child of Surprise, but we never even have a scene together~! Destiny~!

Speaking of children, we have Yennefer and Geralt, which was better, but again, WOAH with the pacing. I felt effing BAD for Istredd! :( I don’t really GET why Geralt & Yenn fell so hard for each other; I don’t really feel that connection. Geralt had just as much bonding time with that eclipse-princess! They only had the Djinn episode, really, and by the end of the Dragon episode it was already over!

I mean, yeah, in the books/game they have A LOT of ups and downs, but come on; we’ve already wasted so much time on Geralt & Triss (that homewrecking wench, I’m glad her airtime was minimal), and I just want more BAMF battle couple parents Geralt & Yenn raising Ciri already! >_<

Same with Geralt & Dandelion. Geralt’s kinda mean to him, which is fair; Geralt hates everyone. But I don’t feel where they’re friends at all, and they part at the end of the season on NOT great terms. I kinda feel Geralt doesn’t really like Dandelion at all. :( Even with the whole comedic relief Shrek schtick,

THE UGLY

#4) THE LENGTH

I dunno what’s up with all the 8 episode miniseries lately (GoT, Mandalorian, Witcher, etc), but it REALLY isn’t enough to really flesh out a story. Especially not one as convoluted as The Witcher, AKA the GoT of Poland.

Again, I REALLY feel for the casuals watching, who probably don’t know what the Conjunction of Spheres Istredd keeps referring to is, or what exactly a Witcher is, or why Ciri’s so dang special -- was Lara Dorren or the Elder Blood ever even MENTIONED???

We know Yenn’s got elf blood, but it’s waaaay more than that with Ciri -- though I don’t think they mentioned her elf blood, either, just that Calanthe’s grandmother or someone had their Banshee powers before Pavetta & Ciri.

BTW, wtf with Ermion/Mousesack? That’s gotta be a red herring or something. Cuz we know this dude’s old AF and thriving in Skellige, sooo....? TF. Why the Doppler? Why?

TBH this felt like Season 1A, if anything. I don’t feel the plot really progressed much at all, other than us getting Yennefer’s story. Ciri & Geralt finally meet (cliffhanger supreme right there), but jfc this felt like a prequel -- so much of the season was dedicated to backtracking us in a roundabout way up to the fall of Cintra, then skipping ahead to the Battle at Sodden Hill.

And why the heck did they wait so long to get to get to Vigelfortz!? That’s what I was sitting here WAITING for! You mean I gotta wait for Season TWO to see my Hanse in full force!? :( URGH. Reeeeeeeegiiiiiiiis~! :(

Maybe cut out some of the unnecessary nudity every frikkin where and tell the full frikkin story, hmm? (Yenn’s boobs look great, we got it the first 5 times. Meanwhile these cowards won’t even have a dude’s left testicle be shown on screen, but whatever.)

So yeah, those are my 4 biggest complaints.

Well, and that wig’s hard AF hair line, jfc.(I was DYING during the Pavetta & Duny scene, when Cavill was holding on to that wig for dear life. XD XD)

Otherwise, I really liked the show! B+!

#nonsims #non-sims #the witcher #the witcher 3

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trifoliate-undergrowth · 5 years

Text

Episode 6.2: Gloves

In which we have a short meeting to level up and get ourselves off of Alderaan.

As we’re leveling our characters up, we roll to see how much hp we gain, and Grif rolls a 1.

M: Grif is such a glass cannon.

DM: Yeah, he’s really just glass. I’m going to go ahead and give you some points anyway so you don’t die instantly. And now... loot.

Me: Loot?

M: Loot?

H: Loot?

The Party: Loot? Loot??

Me: we sound the seagulls in Finding Nemo.

We each gain 2000 credits, Grif and Taveau get grapple guns, and Grif snitches a paper with some commlink broadcast codes on it from the Blademaster’s body. Taveau gets a very nice, very stabby, +5 vibroblade from the Scout and some average combat gloves from one of the grunts. (Jang has claimed the gloves from the Scout and Blademaster). They’re not particularly flashy, but I wanted them for the aesthetic if nothing else.

Grif also takes the armor from the Scout, who’s about his size and has good armor. He’s planning on repainting it and keeping it in his room on the ship “so he has something to aspire to.” Mij may have been a little too encouraging of Grif’s interest in Mandalorian culture, and he’s decided to... OH. I JUST HAD A HORRIFYING REALIZATION. GRIF HAS BECOME A MANDO WEEB. He’s become obsessed with learning more about the culture and absorbing it. He’s... incredibly sincere, and he’s Grif, so it doesn’t really make Taveau uncomfortable, but he’s a little ??? ???

(More on this, later!)

As we’re searching the bodies, one of the Wookiees rushes in and snarls that the prisoners have died--one of internal bleeding, and the Blademaster apparently popped a poison pill real quick as soon as he came to.

Grif: Well, shoot! So much for giving them that message!

Taveau: What?

Grif: You know, when I told him to go back and tell the others that we fight with honor?

Taveau (didn’t know until now actually bc he was unconscious but whatever): Oh, you were serious about that?

Grif: I mean, yeah... I was really in the moment, might not have been the best thing to say. I’ll do better next time!

Mij was in deep conversation with Baron Welkonna when he hears the news. He looks up.

Mij: Ah, shab... that figures. Well, if you’ve got everything you can from them, we’ve no use for these boys. (He looks towards Midkrarr) You can dispose of them however you like--but, hey, real quick. Can you give me the gloves from the Blademaster and Scout? My friend’s a collector.

Grif: Hm. I have a couple questions about your friend. Were you part of the whole deal when he arrived on Hypori?

Mij: Hypori? Hypori..

Grif: Should’ve been like a week ago.

Mij: Honestly I don’t know, I don’t know what Jang gets up to in his free time.

Grif relates a brief version of our Hypori encounter with Jang.

Mij: Huh, sounds like him. I guess you’ll have to ask him when you meet him, if you meet him; not sure if he’s sticking around long enough to chat.

Grif: He’s here?

Mij: Oh yeah, he’s my pilot.

Grif: Oh, I see! Where’s he running off to? Got republic business, or...?

Mij: *chuckles* Oh, now now. As I said, I don’t ask what Jang gets up to when I’m not around.

Medrull gives Mij the gloves. No hands inside, thankfully. Mij appraises them for a moment.

Mij: That’ll do. *Turns to Grif* Alright, we’ve got real business to discuss. I’ve been talking to your father, and I think the only way this is going to work is if you’re dead.

Grif: Right. I’ll have to get rid of my IDs...

Rralwarr: You might want to get out of your robes.

Grif: Good idea. Dad, is it possible to get a change of clothes perhaps?

Medrull, who is ahead of the game, comes in from another room and hands Grif a fairly nondescript set of grey coveralls, rather loose and baggy, with lots of pockets. Grif likes pockets.

Rralwarr: Well, you didn’t like being in noble robes anyway.

Grif: You didn’t like me being in robes! I was fine with it!

Welkonna: Son, it pains me to do this, but I’ll have to announce your death. We’ll have a private funeral, no viewing of the casket. We’ll get your ship to a safe location and you can sneak offworld. I have some friends in Alderaanian air control who won’t ask too many questions... This may be the last time I see you, for a while, maybe ever.

Grif: Dad don’t say that! I’m sure I’ll come home sometimes. Although, I might be using another name. And I might have to change my appearance. And you might not be able to acknowledge that it’s me. ...I’ll at least give you a code word, if I ever need to come home, you’ll know it’s me.

Welkonna: Alright, that’s better than nothing. What’s the word?

(H: don’t do it

Me: fluffy?

H: NOOO)

Grif: Um... gonna harvest some grain! Coming home to harvest some grain, that works.

Welkonna: Alright. I’ll remember. ...I wish I had some wise words, or a parting gift, or something to give you, son, but I’ll be honest: I’m tired, I’m old, I've seen too much now, more than I hoped to see, more than I ever wanted you to see. But the Force moves in ways we don’t understand, and perhaps eventually this will all work out. But for now... For now I need a rest.

Grif: Well, If I don’t see you dad, may the Force be with you.

They hug. Then, Baron Welkonna turns to Rralwarr.

Welkonna: Whatever you owed to me through your family’s debt has been more than repaid. Nonetheless I ask that you take as good care of my son as you can.

He shakes his hand, a little awkward about it. Rralwarr roars in approval.

Then Baron Welkonna looks at Taveau. He just nods and says “thank you.” He’s barely keeping it together.

Taveau returns the nod. “Thank you.”

The other bodyguards gather around Rralwarr. One tells him to go out and find himself a nice lady Wookiee. Another one slaps Taveau on the back, nearly knocking him over. They seem to like Taveau. He’s touched. Then they move in on Grif for hugs. Grif appreciates it, though he is Very Squeezed.

Grif: Well, better go guys!

Mij: Alright. Let’s head out. *He glances over the assembled party* It’s good to know there are still honorable people even among the aruetiise. Stay alive.

He salutes Baron Welkonna and heads out. We follow him. It’s nighttime, and the country sky, free of light pollution, is filled with stars.

Mij’s freighter looks like a fairly standard Corellian YT-series ship, however Taveau just hearing the engine hum can tell it’s a bit deeper and more powerful than standard, and Rralwarr notices a couple proton torpedoes that are definitely not standard. You can see the smoke trailing up from the wreckage of the Death Watch ship in the distance about a mile away.

As we head up into the ship, Mij goes to the cockpit and prepares to take off. Mij gets distracted by a familiar figure. He’s not wearing clone trooper armor this time, although his face, which is visible as his helmet is set beside him, is a clone’s face. He’s now wearing blue Mandalorian armor.

Grif: Jang!

Jang: ....? ....Aaaay! I know you. Hypori, right? Fun times, good to see you’re still alive.

He looks a little surprised to see that someone knows his name.

Grif: Yeah! We, uh, decided to join up!

Jang: *sighs, leans back towards the cockpit* Mij! You’re starting to act like my dad!

Mij: Shut up! Don’t forget I outrank you!

Jang: Not anymore, you’re a civilian for this mission, remember?

Mij: Osik!

Grif, concerned: So you gotta take up a new identity when you want to visit a planet, or what?

Jang makes a dismissive gesture.

Jang: Nah we’ll get you sorted, I’m one of the best slicers in the galaxy. Fake IDs are easy. You... Hmmm. *he gives Grif an appraising look.* You could be... a Koati accountant with a taste for Rodians.

Rralwarr: what’s that supposed to mean

Grif: I mean?? I’m?? Open to that I guess?

Jang then looks at Taveau, takes stock of the armor, and greets him in Mando’a. He comments that the armor is looking a bit beat up. Taveau just goes “yep.”

Jang: Don’t worry, I’m sure we can fix you up. *He looks at Rralwarr* ...I don’t think we have any armor that would fit you, though.

Grif: So Jang, what do we usually do? Like what would our first mission be like?

Jang: Mission? Believe me, mate, you’re not ready for a mission, yet. You got lucky with these guys, but you’re going to need some training before you’re ready for anything else.

Grif: Ah, training, well I can appreciate that, I’m definitely out of my element when it comes to the blasters.

Jang: Don’t worry, we’ll find something to do with you. You seem good at dealing with people, we could use someone like that. I’m a bit conspicuous, and some people seem to tire of Mij constantly reminding them that *yelling down the hallway into the cockpit* HE’S A DOCTOR all the time.

Mij: AND A BATTLEFIELD SURGEON, THANK YOU VERY MUCH! Hey, can you take over piloting? I need to talk to these guys. *He rejoins us* As far as your death goes, your dad’s going to take care of the administrative stuff.

Grif: Yeah, that’s the plan.

Mij, handing him a datacard: Meet me here at Sullust in 3 standard days. At that point we’ll work out what we’re doing.

They land the ship at a fairly unremarkable city spaceport, where your ship is now sitting, and let you off.

Mij: Alright, Sullust, 3 days, see you then.

They take off.

Grif: Well, guys, for once, I feel free! I don’t have anyone telling me what to do but the people I want telling me what to do! ...Huh, that sounds like what I said when I got my first job. ...So where are we going?

Rralwarr: We need medpacs.

Grif: Do we want to do that here, though?

Taveau: No! Let’s get off this planet where you’re known and supposed to be dead, first.

Rralwarr: Yeah, we’ve got three days to kill; it doesn’t take that long to get to Sullust.

DM pulls up the map (and I play this song) so we can decide where we’re going. Mij has plotted our course for us, it’s a bit out of the way, to avoid us taking the same route as him. We realize that we’ll be taking a turn right at Naboo, and decide to stop there for groceries. And thus the fun of the next session.

Masterpost of episodes

#Star Wars RPG #Taveau #Jang #ok I'm caught up now the next session will be the most recent one #I was 2 weeks behind!!

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dreadedloreenkid · 7 years

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I want to know all of the star wars asks, but I don't think you'd appreciate them all at once... so 1-10? or all, I don't mind :)

@ct-hardcase also asked me for some of these, so here goes. Sorry it’s late! Long post, so it’s under the cut.

1. Favourite Star Wars movie? (Episode 1-R1)Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith

2. Favourite Star Wars era? Rise Of The Empire, but I’ve recently been getting into the Empire (19BBY-0ABY) a lot.

3 Favourite Star Wars trilogy? (Originals, Prequels, Sequels)Look, I love them all, but I’ll have to say Prequels, even though it’s pretty even, because I have a lot of nostalgic memories attached to them.

4. Jedi or Sith? I think Sith, from the point of view that I love learning about them and their history and doctrines. The Jedi are super interesting too, especially when delve deep into the political aspect of the Order. Idk, they’re both interesting in different ways.

5. Empire or Rebellion?Well, if you’d asked me this a few years ago I would have said Empire without hesitation, but now that I know and care more about the Galactic Civil War era, I have to say Rebellion.

6. Bounty Hunter or Clone/Strom/First order Trooper? CLONE TROOPERS!

7. Rebels or Clone wars? Clone Wars

8. Favourite Star Wars book?I must confess, I haven’t read many Star Wars books; of those I have, I’d probably say Aftermath: Empire’s End?

9. Favourite Star Wars Comic? I’ve never actually read any of the comics

10. Favourite Star Wars game? Star Wars: Battlefront 2 (the original from 2005, obviously). What an iconic game. I wish I still had a working PS2 to play it on, because I will never ever be bored of it. Empire At War is a close second, I really wish they had done a Clone Wars era edition of it.

11. Top 5 favourite female Jedi?Ahsoka Tano (who is not a Jedi anymoer and I strongly support that decision)Shaak TiAayla SecuraRey SkywalkerDepa Bilaba

12. Top 5 favourite male Jedi?Obi-Wan KenobiLuke SkywalkerQui-gon JinnKit FistoPlo Koon,

13. Top 5 favourite Bounty Hunters?Jango FettAsajj VentressJas EmariEmboBoba Fett

14. Top 5 favourite Sith?Darth MaulDarth SidiousAsajj VentressDarth VaderDarth Bane

15. Top 5 favourite Droids? Individual droids: -Mister Bones-C1-10P-R2-D2-General Kalani-C-3POModels: -OOM-Series Battle Droid-P-Series Droideka-HMP Droid Gunship-Vulture Droid-OG-9 Homing Spider Droid

16. Top 5 favourite Troopers? Fives (ARC-5555) Rex (CT-7567) Keeli Tup (CT-5385)Gregor (CC-5576-39)

7. Top 5 favourite Senators? Padmé AmidalaMon MothmaBail OrganaRiyo ChuchiLeia Organa (NR)

18. Top 5 favourite Republic/Rebellion shipsVenator-Class Star Destroyer (GR)LAAT/i Gunship (GR)ARC-170 Starfighter (GR)T65-B X-Wing Starfighter (RA/NR) Mon Calamari Star Cruiser (RA/NR)

19. Top 5 favourite Separatist/Imperial shipsRecusant-Class Light Destroyer (CIS)Imperial I-Class Star Destroyer (GI)TIE-series Starfighters (GI)Lucrehulk-Class Battleship (CIS)Providence-Class Star Dreadnought (CIS)

20. Top 5 favourite planets? NabooGeonosisCoruscantKashyyykMandalore

21. Where would you live in the Star Wars universe?Naboo, no question

22. Who would you be in the Star Wars universe?In terms of occupation, I think I’d be happy as a public official on Naboo tbh, nothing too fancy, but high enough to go travelling as part of diplomatic entourages.

23. What ship would you own?I think I would like to own nice Naboo yacht, something like what Padme had at the start of Episode II; otherwise, something reliable and reasonably comfortable, like a Corellian light freighter or similar. A customised Sheathipede class shuttle or Lambda class shuttle would be nice too.

24. What Droid would you own?I’m not sure that I’d own a droid, but I guess they’re useful so probably an astromech or a repurposed OOM-series or B1 battledroid.

25. Would you have a team, or would you work alone? Well, ideally I’d love to have a team of friends that I could trust and keep me company.

26. If you where a Jedi, would you be a Knight or a Master?I think I’d be a Knight. My disdain for the Council and their dogmatic doctrines would make them disinclined to grant me the rank of master, I should think.

27. If you where a Jedi Master, would you have a Padawan?Maybe? I doubt it, but alternatively I might be able to give them a better, more honest and open view of the galaxy than a more orthodox master.

28. If you where a Sith, would you be the Master or Apprentice? Oh, the apprentice for sure. I don’t have it in me to be a Sith master; I wouldn’t be a very good Sith. I mean, I can see myself using the Dark Side maybe, but I would never subscribe to the Sith Creed or doctrines.

29. If you where a Sith Lord, would you have an Apprentice?No, given that the Rule Of Two dictates that the apprentice only becomes master by killing theirs.

30. Married, in a relationship, or single? Well, it’d be lovely to have a hubby or two, but you know, that’s down to the circumstances. I wouldn’t actively avoid or search for relationships, though.

31. Top 5 favourite species?GeonosiansZabrakWookiesTwi’leksMon Cala

32. What species would you be? Probably human tbh.

33. What species is your type? Uhhhhh………that’s an interesting question. Do Mandalorians count as a species? But that’s just because of Jango and the clones. Maybe Nautolans?

34. Who would your best friend be?I don’t know, I’ve never thought about this sort of thing.

35. Would you customise your ship? Someone who I trust, because I’m not very good at mechanics and engine things. If I’m honest, I probably wouldn’t customise at all.

36. Would you customise your Droid? Again, someone I trust and who knows their stuff.

37. What colour skin/eyes would you have?I really have no idea. Given I haven’t even thought about being a different species, I think I’ll have to pass on this one.

38. If male, beard or no beard?Beard if I can. Love facial hair.

39. 1 lightsaber, 2 lightsabers, double lightsaber, or 2 double lightsabers?Look, I’d love to go for double lightsabre (sabrestaff), but I would probably end up killing myself with it, so I think in reality I would keep it safe with a single sabre.

40. What colour would your lightsaber(s) be?BLUE! Even though in Legends canon (and possibly current canon?) blue represents a warrior, someone who about taking action, whilst green represents thinking and analysing (which is more me). I’ve also been told by online quizzes that I should have orange, but no thanks.

41. If you’re a Bounty Hunter, what armour would you have? Phase 1 Clone armour with kama, pauldron, and all that jazz.

42. Would you customise your armour? Definitely. Gotta look snazzy.

43. What colour scheme would your armour/robes be? I’m not sure. I think white, green, and blue would look good. Although, I might go for white, purple, and black.

44. If you where a Droid, what Droid would you be? I mean, I’d like to be something intelligent but also powerful and capable of looking after itself. Maybe a super tactical droid?45. What colour would your droid self be? Purple, blue, yellow…those sorts of colours I guess.

46. Pod racing or ship racing? I don’t have a death wish, so ship racing.

47. Space battle or ground battle?? Ooh, that’s a tough question. In Star Wars there are lots of cool things about both, but I’ll go with space, because I think my naval strategy would be a little better than my surface strategy, and it’s easier to escape if it all goes tits up.

48. Would you have survived order 66?Almost certainly not.

49. Where would you go after order 66? Probably a small, peaceful world on the edge of the known regions (if I could find one)

50. What would you do after order 66? Probably just hide, maybe try to resist if I encountered a rebel cell. I think these are the sorts of things that people always say “well, this is what I would have done”, but noone really knows exactly how they’ll react until they’re actually in these situations.

51. Do you have any Star Wars Pop Vinyls?Yes! I have a Queen Amidala one.

52. Do you have any Star Wars collections?I have a lot of Star Wars Lego.

53. Do you have any Star Wars art? I have some BTS prints from Episode V and Episode VI, otherwise no.

54. Do you create any Star Wars art?Nope, can’t draw at all, never really been interested that much in the visual arts. I used to try to copy the technical drawings in Incredible Cross Sections when I was a kid though.

55. Do you like/read any Legends/non canon stuff? I loved the young Boba Fett books (the ones that took place between Episodes II and III), and I loved the storyline of Battlefront II until Disney decanonised it. There’s also a lot of non-canon information in Incredible Cross Sections that was super fascinating. Having said this, I still support the decision to redo the EU canon and clean it up, because imo there was way too much crap in the EU that was just plain rubbish.

56. Top 5 favourite Legends character? I’m sorry, I don’t know enough for this.

57. Who is your Star Wars role model? It has to be Padmé Amidala. She is resilient, skillful, intelligent, principled, and compassionate. When I was a kid I used to pretend to be her.

58. Top 5 saddest Star Wars deaths? The entire Order 66 sequence in ROTSFivesSatine KryzePadmé AmidalaHan Solo

59. If you could bring any Star Wars character back to life who would it be? Padmé Amidala

60. If you found out the Star Wars universe was real, would you move there or stay here? Stay here, obviously. Have you watched Star Wars?! Sith, pirates, bounty hunters, crime lords, totalitarian regimes, corporations that have official political representation and own entire planet systems?! I think I’ll stay put, thanks.

61. On a scale of 1-10 (1 being very little, 10 being an absolute know it all) how well do you know the Star Wars universe? 8.5, maybe a 9?

I hope those answers were satisfactory! Thanks for the asks!

#star wars #ask #ct-hardcase #puffandproud

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