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soulofapatrick · 1 year

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Birthday Surprises - Pedro Pascal x Reader

Summary: Oscar gives you the task to distract Pedro so they can break into his apartment and set it up for a surprise birthday party - both you and Pedro get more than you planned for

Words: 2.4K

Warnings: none I think

Notes HAPPY BIRTHDYA TO THE BEAUTIFUL AND HUMBLE MAN THAT IS PEDRO FUCKING PASCAL

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Y/N’s POV

My heart pounds in my chest as I knock on Pedro’s door, Oscar having given me his address with one specific detail: get Pedro out of the house by 1pm and keep him out until 6pm. It’s his birthday and we want to surprise him with a small gathering, knowing he’s been stressed recently with The Mandalorian and The Last of Us press tours and the fans wanting to know his every move.

Before I can have any doubts about this the door swings open and a very sleepy Pedro appears. He looks fucking amazing in just his shorts and a loose lakers tee shirt, fluffy hair standing up in all different directions as if he’s just run his hands through it. He seems to light up when he sees me, the frown slipping from his soft features as he ushered me in. The door shutting with a soft click and he’s herding me to the kitchen where I see a massive stack of pancakes ready to slide off the plate.

“Happy Birthday Pepsi,” I laugh softly, turning to face him and pull him into a hug. I’m not much of a hugger but Pedro… I will never say no to a Pedro hug. His chest rumbles with laughter as he wraps his strong arms around my shoulders and rocks us on the spot as he presses a smiled kiss to my temple. I don’t know how long we stand there but we only separate when Pedro suddenly lets me go with a cry of ‘save the pancakes’ and I’m just watching him race around the island and steady the pile with one fatality.

He’s laughing and pointing towards a cupboard for me to get another plate, “Come on sweetheart, we’ll share the birthday pancakes. I made too many for myself anyway!”

“Alright but I have an afternoon planned for us and you can’t say no.” I shoot back, grabbing another plate and helping Pedro dish out the pancakes before both plates get placed on the island. He buzzed around the kitchen, grabbing all sorts of things like whipped cream; sugar; lemon juice and syrup before joining me, “That’s a lot of sugar.”

“It’s my birthday.” He grins around a mouthful of pancake and whipped cream, bright and bubbly like a child. I can’t keep the fond smile off my lips, shaking my head fondly at him as he giggles. Fuck me he’s so cute and I wish this was everyday life for me, getting to wake up and have breakfast everyday with him and be able to kiss the bit of whipped cream from the corner of his mouth but this isn’t my life. I’m just here to help a few friends out and before I can stop myself I’m swiping the cream from his lips, going to wipe it on my jeans when those very same lips wrap around my thumb and his tongue darts over the pad of it before he’s pulling back with a ‘pop’ and a cheeky grin, “I’ll go get dressed.”

Despite being spring the breeze was still cold and harsh, rustling hair and tugging at our coats that are tightly wrapped around ourselves. Pedro is telling me how last year he had a quiet birthday with his family who came to visit him and he made them a traditional chilean meal, it was apparently his mother’s favourite meal. My hand found his when he told me that, the sadness in his voice evident despite how hard he’s trying to hide it, gently squeezing his large hand comfortingly and getting that softest smile in return.

I had definitely had reservations about becoming an actress when I had seen how pompous and self-centred they could be, scared I would end up just like them but I quickly found my group of people who I couldn’t live without. I met Pedro through Oscar Isaac after being an extra in Star Wars, not sure why Oscar decided to become my friend but here we are now years later. I owe a lot to Oscar as he got me my role as Bobbi Morse aka Mockingbird in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D and it was my breakout role really. I wouldn’t be where I am right now, having worked with major stars I could only have dreamt working for, and currently walking along side the most humble and warmhearted celeb I have ever met.

Pedro is currently eyeing up a cafe across the street from us, eyes flicking between the cafe and me with his bottom lip jutted out in a pout and his honey eyes all wide and innocent as he flutters his eyelashes at me. A simple look would have gotten me to say yes but what he’s doing in making me weak at the knees so I just fake sigh and pull him towards the cafe, hearing the triumphant sound he lets out.

The coffee shop is a cozy haven tucked away on a quiet street corner. Pedro moving closer to me in excitement as we step inside, the sweet aroma of freshly brewed coffee filling my senses, instantly calming me. The shop fills with natural light streaming through the large windows, creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere and none of that fake brightness lightbulbs give in quaint places like this.

The walls are adorned with local artwork and framed photographs, giving the space a personal touch. The wooden floors creaking underfoot, adding to the charm of the place. The furniture is an eclectic mix of cozy armchairs, wooden tables, and benches that looked like they had been there for decades. Behind the counter, a barista greets us with a smile, ready to take our order. The menu written on a chalkboard, which I take the time to look art despite knowing exactly what Pedro and I will have to drink. We get the same things every time so I go ahead and order.

“Hey! Could we get a caramel macchiato and an iced quad espresso with extra ice and six shots please.” I tell him and he raises an eyebrow at Pedro’s six extra shots but a warm smile replaces it when he sees Pedro staring at the pastries and small cakes with his face and hands practically pressed to the glass. It catches me off guard as it’s the smile you give a couple when you see them do something cute and deeply romantic. I should correct him and tell him he’s wrong but instead I add to my order. “Could you add two caramel doughnuts to that.” and I don’t regret it when Pedro’s face lights up even more.

Pedro is practically bouncing on the spot as we wait for the coffee and doughnuts, watching the barista prepare them with such love and care while I scan the cafe, It’s quiet and calm with the only other occupants being a group of friends huddled together in a corner, chatting and laughing and a couple sat across the cafe, lost in conversation. The sound of clinking cups and spoons fill the air as I thank the barista and grab our cups while Pedro practically snatches up the doughnuts, having already taken a bite out of one of them before we can sit down.

“Mmmmm, so fucking good, we - me and you -“ He waves a hand between us, almost knocking his coffee over, “We are coming here very often.”

“I can get behind that.” I agree as I take my first sip of my macchiato. It’s the best macchiato I’ve tried, the rich and complex flavours making me groan lightly into my cup and I don’t miss the way Pedro’s honey eyes sparkle with amusement. It’s too damn good to care, I’ve made my fair share of coffees as a barista before I became an actor and no way have I ever been able to make one this good. The smooth and velvety texture of the steamed milk adds a layer of creaminess that beautifully balances the espresso's bitterness. It is like a dance between the two flavours, with each one complementing the other perfectly. But the real star of the show is the caramel syrup. It is sweet and slightly nutty in flavour which adds such a warm and decadent sweetness that lingered on my taste buds.

“You’re making out with that coffee.” Pedro smirks and I’m spluttering.

“Just because I have actual coffee and not six shots of hyper,” I retort, sticking my tongue out at him, “Whatever this barista has done it’s really fucking good. Like a fucking work of art, a symphony of flavours perfectly crafted and blended to make this-“

“You’re cute when you nerd out. You know so much about coffee.”

“I was a barista before I became an actor.”

The afternoon continues like that, Pedro and I finding topics to discuss or bicker over but each of us avoiding the topic of our shows and movies. We have an agreement that we talks about normal things, like we aren’t famous or noticeable. Pedro tells me all about his family and I always listen intently as they’re such great people and he seems so close to them it makes me a little jealous as I broke a lot of bonds with my parents when I became an actress. I think out of everyone in his family I would love to meet Lux as she is crafted by the gods themselves and she just seems such a strong and passionate woman with a lot to say and no fear in saying it. She seems dedicated to what she does and seeing pictures and videos of her and Pedro I can see an unbreakable bond that I can’t wait to see in person if Pedro would ever allow me.

I had told Pedro about my parents and how they had reacted badly to it all. My dad wanted me to become a machine and sit at a desk doing a nine to five job until I get old and die. My dad kicked me out while my mum had shook her head and let me pack my bags, not knowing that I had sent a message to my older brother. My brother had become my pillar of support and Pedro had sat there with pain in his eyes and a hurt look on his face when I had told him everything. He had promised me that he would always be there for me and I could always find him if needs be which really solidified the growing feeling I have towards him.

We were on our second round of drinks when my phone buzzes with a message from Oscar.

‘Mission birthday boy is go.’

Then another comes through before I can text back, shielding my phone from Pedro despite the small pout on the older man’s lips as I never hide my phone from him, I could never as I have nothing to hide from the man I am head over heels for but right now Oscar needs me to be secretive.

‘That means get your asses here now.’

‘Be there in 10.’

Pedro turns his key in the lock and swings the door open to darkness. He frowns at me, raising an eyebrow in question as we step inside but I stay silent, seeing the smallest amount of movement as I shut the door. As soon as the door clicks shut the room lights up and erupts with cries of “SURPRISE!”

The birthday boy lets out a shriek of surprise before accepting the hug Oscar pulls him into, the pair laughing and hugging. I think they probably would have stayed like that for longer if Sarah hadn’t wrangled Pedro out of Oscar's arms. All I can do is watch: the apartment filled with weighed down balloons; birthday banners strung up and a small feast of food spread out upon the kitchen island while Oscar joins me leaning against the wall by the door.

“You did good,” He bumps my shoulder and I laugh softly, taking the beer he’s holding out and leaning my head on his shoulder. There’s not many people here, around 25, and they’re all giving their birthday wishes to Pedro who is practically bouncing off the walls with excitement. I can’t stop the fond smile as he is so happy, eyes sparkling and hands flailing excitedly while Oscar turns his head and presses a kiss to my hair before mumbling, “There’s a surprise for you too.”

“For me?” I frown up at him but I don’t get to pry more when Pedro makes his way back over, a grin so wide I think his face may split into two. He pulls me away from Oscar who takes my beer from me, shrugging with fake innocence when Pedro stops us by the floor to ceiling windows he has in his top floor apartment. His large and soft hands slide up my arms, stopping when they’re cupping my jaw.

“You organised this for me?” His voice is low and gentle, eyes wide in awe and I go to protest but I realise what Oscar meant so I just nod, scared to see his next move. His ducks his head a little, nose bumping mine a little and I can’t stop the squeal of surprise when his nose is cold and the feel of his warm breath ghosting my face is almost overwhelming. My heart jackhammers in my chest, my eyes slipping shut at the first brush of his pillowy lips in mine. It’s a gentle kiss, full of tenderness and love, nearly knocking me off my feet and how he can make it feel like nothing else matters as I melt into his embrace. It’s just him and me, lost in the passion that comes with a first kiss.

But the cheering and whooping brings me back to reality, my face heating up and I’m hiding in Pedro’s shirt as he chuckles. Mixture of emotions fill my chest: excitement, nervousness and a rush of adrenaline. His heart is racing just as fast as mine, a small moment of pure intimacy despite the many people observing our interactions. The hug is long and lingering, and as we pull away, I look up into his warm honey eyes and see a mix of emotions there as well. It’s like we both know that something special had just happened between us, and we are both feeling the weight of the moment, knowing we’re in this together and all of our friends couldn’t be happier for us.

“Happy Birthday Pepsi.”

“Best birthday present mi cariño.”

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thefrogdalorian · 1 month

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Now that we have a date for The Mandalorian & Grogu movie, I keep thinking about how much fun the build up to the release day will be. It seems like so far away now and the wait will be TORTURE... but there are so many mini-milestones before May 22nd 2026 that will make that wait seem slightly less bearable.

I think about the first confirmation filming has begun, hopefully next month! The ensuing endless rumours and clickbait, of course. But it will feel so great to know that somewhere out there, the talented cast and crew are working on our movie.

I get so excited when I think about how it will feel when the first teaser trailer drops. The chaos here on tumblr, the theories we'll come up with. The emotions it will awaken and maybe even re-awaken in fans!

How it will feel to get a proper look at the movie with the official trailer. The even bigger chaos of that day. Our first glimpse of the movie will be so exciting, as will knowing it could pop up anywhere, even before other movies! Trying to act like a normal person if that happens.

As the release date gets closer, seeing the posters and billboards appear everywhere. The magazine covers, the TV appearances on the press tour with probably so many iconic interviews. The premieres!!

Before finally, the day itself in May 2026! Probably walking into my screening incredibly sleep deprived, taking my seat as my heart is pounding in my chest. Bursting with anticipation to finally see the characters that mean the world to me on the big screen.

I really cannot wait for that day itself, but I don't want to wish my life away. There is so much to look forward to before that date!

I'm incredibly excited to experience the build-up with all of you lovely lot right here on this hellsite 🩷

#the mandalorian #din djarin #this was very cheesy but itS TRUEEE i really cannot wait #mando movie #spud rants #din djarin brainrot

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ghostly-wisp · 1 year

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THE OSCARS

pairing — Pedro Pascal x gn!reader

Summary — Pedro and you go on a date to the oscars <3 nothing bad happens, just happy reader n' happy Pedro on a date to one of the biggest award ceremonies.

word count — 2288.

navigation | please like and reblog it makes me smile !!

You had dreamed of attending the Oscars since you were a kid, at the time it seemed like nothing you'd ever actually experience—the big dresses, fancy suits, and live performances, of course, that's when you were a kid, and before you met your partner—Pedro Pascal.

Pedro recently has been taking the world by storm, with the release of The Mandalorian season three and The Last Of Us, though he wasn't nominated for anything this year–he was presenting an award with the Elizabeth Olsen, which was a very big deal to him, nomination or not. He almost turned down the offer, because he was extremely busy with press tours following his series releases but he made the arrangement to go for his older sister, Javiera, who was in a nominated film.

You weren't even sure if he was going to take you at first—you would've been upset if he didn't at least ask, but the two of you had kept your relationship rather private for personal reasons. You weren't ashamed or scared; you just didn't want people in your business. People knew he was in a long-term relationship; they just knew very little about it, and you wanted it to stay that way.

As the day was coming closer, he still hadn't asked yet – and honestly, it was starting to hurt your feelings a bit. He hadn't picked up on it, too invested in making sure he remembered his lines and that his suit would be properly fit and ironed for the big night. He had attended the Oscars before, but this would be the first time he presented. He wanted everything to be perfect. Who can blame him for that?

“What are you going to wear?” He asks you one night as he's in the kitchen reading over his lines for the one-hundredth time, the last time he was this dedicated to something, it was his lines for The Last Of Us, you were cozied up on the couch while watching Friends. “What?” You ask in return, not understanding the context of his question; he rounds the corner so he can face you. He thinks you're joking, but the confusion on his face settles when he sees your confused facial reaction. “To the Oscars? I figured we could match a little. Maybe my tie matches your outfit?”

“I'm going?” You say, sitting up a little, clearly very excited. Pedro raises his eyebrows as if it's the most obvious thing ever. “Duh! Why wouldn't you? You're my partner, of course. I want you there.” Pedro puts his note cards down. “Did you think I wouldn't take you to see me present at The Oscars?” He asks while walking closer to you, and you stand. “You never asked!”

“I didn't think I needed to!”

Given the short notice, you didn't get one of those big, over-the-top outfits you've seen on TV. growing up, but you don't mind that. Because you're literally attending the fucking Oscars. Your outfit is simple yet elegant, and Pedro still thinks you're the most attractive person there. He looks extremely good too, since you were both wearing black he didn't add the tie to his suit, he has on a white turtleneck underneath his jacket, and my goodness, he looks good. The “red” carpet this year is champagne in color rather than red, but you don't mind it, you think it makes your black clothes stand out more with such light backgrounds as people took photos, the only negative so far was an interviewer asking Pedro rather questionable questions—but other than that, the night so far was a blast.

The nice thing about being out of the spotlight is that nobody wants to interview you, you get to stand there and look pretty beside Pedro, listening to people call his name excitedly, though you're the one actually entering the event with him.

The room is packed, as you expected, still—there are so many people, some of them you've admired for years. It takes composure not to point to celebrities with their husbands, wives, partners, or friends excitedly to Pedro. You'd think dating one of the biggest names in Hollywood at the moment would train you to be calmer in situations like this, but honestly who can't feel a little excited when they're in the presence of Melissa McCarthy? You are literally in the presence of the woman who played Sookie in Gilmore Girls!

Pedro takes you to your seats, and you look around the room. It's everything you've imagined, from being a little kid to now, the elegance, the outfits, and you can't believe you're here. Pedro can easily sense your excitement, and he grabs your hand. “Is this everything you've dreamed of?” His tone is quiet, contrasting to everyone else around you two talking at a normal volume. You nod your head, turning to face him. “And more.”

It feels like you're sitting in those chairs forever until the award ceremony starts, though the seats were surprisingly more comfortable than how they looked.

The host this year was Jimmy Kimmel—Pedro was on his show not all that long ago, he seemed like a rather decent guy and he was funny, which presumably would ease the nerves of those nominated and anxious about winning or losing tonight.

You're holding hands as the lights dim, and Jimmy comes on stage to begin his speech, most of the jokes seemed to be centered about a mishap that happened last year. Though they never said any names, but everyone in the room knew who they were talking about… Kimmel mentions the people who play strong characters in the crowd, the camera pans to Pedro as he mentions “You have to go through the mandalorian to get to me.” and you laugh as Pedro gestures two fingers from his eyes to the camera to say I’m watching you. Some of his jokes, and he eventually brings in the presenters for the first category. Time flies a lot faster than you anticipated it would, and before you know it, Pedro is releasing your hand and whispering, “I'm up next.” You just barely had enough time to reach up and kiss his cheek, offering him good luck. Though you know he doesn’t need it, you know he’ll do great, he always does. You’re not sure who was the person that decided to pair him with Elizabeth Olsen, but they did their job well and you know that the internet is going to love it.

While walking out – the crowd respectfully cheered, though having known Pedro for so long you can tell, even from your seat, that he was nervous. Shaking slightly, and his face was red. You’d think that being an actor he’d be used to standing in front of so many people, maybe it's because almost everyone in this room had the same profession as him or perhaps he never fully was ready for all the eyes. He had put his glasses on at some point and he looked very handsome, and you can confidently say that you’ve never seen a man so drop dead gorgeous and he was yours. The started by presenting “Best Documentary Short Film” – while Pedro didn’t say as much as Lizzy, his couple lines were delivered quickly yet professional, despite how nervous he was he didn’t stutter. He was the one to read out who the Oscar went to – The elephant whisperers, which you have never heard of before but still, the applause in the room seemed happy enough. He hands someone their oscar before standing off to the side while they give their speech.

He knows roughly where you are, and he's trying to see if he can find you but in the sea of people that's a hard thing to do, he settles on looking in your area – you can definitely see the attempt he's trying to make, and you’re appreciative of his gesture. They also present “Best Animated Short Film”, one of the names gives Pedro an opportunity to make a joke, which he goes by simply grinning this goofy, big grin to the camera. It melts your heart a little, seeing him seem so happy on the stage.

“Year of what, Pedro?” Lizzy asks, smiling widely while looking at her co-presenter, Pedro doesn’t take his eyes off the camera as he answers. “Well, you’ll find out when you watch this.” “How thrilling!”

It's unfortunate that My Year Of Dicks didn’t win for the sheer comedy of it, but The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse seems just as deserving of it and the people who accepted the award seemed genuine in their speech.

The Rhianna performance was incredible, as to be expected – her recent Superbowl performance was fantastic and this didn’t disappoint. You saw how excited Pedro was for her to sing, he had been talking about it before he even knew if it was going to happen or not, his wide grin and the way he squeezed your hand just a little tighter made it clear just how thrilled she was. She’s incredible when you’re driving in your car singing along, but she's absolutely jaw dropping in person. If you weren’t so infatuated with your boyfriend, you would say that she was the best part of the night without doubt.

By the time the award ceremony was over, you were so tired that you weren’t even sure if you wanted to go to the after party, you’ll go anyway if Pedro wants to, he is the one who the people cared about after all.

The two of you wait for a decent amount of people to leave the theater before you do, in order to avoid possibly losing each other in the crowd. You leave holding each others hands, which does not go unnoticed by journalists waited for celebrities to come out to get an interview in; unluckily for the two of you, Pedro gets flagged down by one, begrudgingly, he makes his way over to the woman in a white dress and microphone. “Pedro!” She says once the two of you are close enough, “It’s nice to meet you, big fan of The Mandalorian!” He remains polite, “Thank you.” he replies, his arm is tight around yours because he notices the journalist taking a few glances at you, and he thinks he knows what's coming. “I see you bought a guest! People online have been freaking out by the rare sighting of your partner.” he was right, “Yeah, I couldn’t not bring them with me to a big night like this!” he beams, while his patience for these people as of recently has gotten rather faulty and thin – he loves talking about you, and he's pretty well trained at pretending to be enjoying whatever conversation is happening. He truly means what he's saying, but he wishes he could be saying it so someone who's not going to write it in some article about how “He never talks about you enough” or whatever shit they can spin to get clicks. “Y/N, is it?” the reporter asks, now facing more to you than Pedro. You nod politely, but you too wish that you could get a move on to the car. “How does it feel to be dating Hollywood's biggest heartthrob?” This question makes you internally cringe, but you aren’t going to just walk away. You feign a pleasant smile – “I mean, it’s no different than if he was just a regular person heartthrob.” you say, “As for the people who are jealous of me for it, I get to go home with him at the end of the night.” You add with a playful wink to the camera, his hand squeezing yours, his laugh is quiet though you think if he could it would’ve been louder. His attention is on you, this sort of thing isn’t your thing to do, yet you’re handling it elegantly and he couldn’t be more proud.

You finally get away from the reporter, and he kisses you gently on the head. “I just want to say goodbye to Javiera,” he tells you, “Then we can go home.”

“You don’t want to go to the after party?” you ask, you assume that he would – use the time to unwind before he's back on his high-stress schedule, he only shakes his head before saying. “No, I want to spend time with you for a little, God knows I’m going to be busy the next couple weeks and I just want to spend the rest of my night with you.”

So you do, in your pajamas curled up on the couch watching whatever garbage television was on this late at night, you were fighting to stay awake – but you wanted to savor every moment of this you could get. Pedro was a very attentive partner, sometimes though work consumes him. It's one of his flaws that he has but hey, everyone has them. “You can go to sleep if you need to, mama.” he says quietly, the pet name he uses is purely affectionate, he's been saying it for years, still it makes your heart flutter like it's the first time he's ever said it. “I’m here, I’m not goin’ anywhere,” yet you shake your head. “No, I want to enjoy every moment of this…” he can hear just how tired you are, but he knows better than to argue about whether you should sleep or not. “Did you have fun tonight?” he asks instead.

Your smile is wide, “Mm, yeah, I had fun bein’ with you. Next time though, I want more notice, and to be properly asked as your date.” This makes him chuckle, his grasp around you pulls you closer into your chest. “Dually noted.”

#pedro pascal #jose pedro balmaceda pascal #pedro pascal x you #pedro pascal x reader insert #reader insert #pedro pascal x reader #pedro pascal fluff #pedro pascal fic #pedro pascal imagine #the oscars #ghostly wisp #x reader #real person fiction #rpf

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june-girl-86 · 1 year

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youtube

#pedro pascal #jon favreau #the mandalorian press tour #the mandalorian #ppascaledit #ppedit #pedropascaledit #Youtube

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pedropascal24-7 · 1 year

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Pedro Pascal Giant Glasses Era

#pedro pascal #the Mandalorian press tour #and i’m here for it

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coulsons-band · 1 year

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with this press tour i’m begging someone anyone to ask pedro what his mandalorian suit is made of is it metal is it plastic painted shiny what is it i’ve been thinking about this for three freaking years it’s driving me nuts

#pedro pascal #the mandalorian #and HOW do they keep it so SHINY #is there someone strictly dedicated to following him around on set with like some windex and a lens cloth???#those things get everything clean #and if it is metal like how thick?? are they seriously just shoving pedro and the stunt guys into literal metal suits???#or if any of you lovely people know please put me out of my misery #she speaks

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firsttarotreader · 3 months

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He wore the coat last year during the Mandalorian press tour

Is it really the same coat? I can’t remember. 😅😅

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bettsfic · 2 years

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betts your obiwan posting makes me want to watch it, as a prequel fan. i havent looked at star wars in ages and dont have disney+ is this worth pursuing??????

i was certain, CERTAIN, i would be immune to Obi-Wan Kenobi (dir. Deborah Chow, 2022). for 17 miserable years i've been adamant that should disney exhume hayden christensen's acting career for the sake of new darth vader content, i would not be among its audience.

i've been angry most of my life about the prequels--not just that i loved them while recognizing they didn't live up to their potential and that the success of the franchise was largely because a mediocre dude had the right idea at the right time 45 years ago. but also what i loved about the prequels went totally unseen by many fans and made me feel very alone and like i was just making things up (i've since found a lot of people who love the prequels in the same way i do).

what made me angriest though was the unfair and wildly offbase criticism of hayden's acting. i can agree the dialogue is weak. the direction is weak. but hayden christiensen chews the scenery and spits it out. he's phenomenal. so i just couldn't bear the thought of even more of that in the year of our porg 2022, after the hatred for the prequels had finally died down in the wake of rise of skywalker which i think many of us can agree sunk star wars to a new low. not to mention the disneyfication of the franchise which pushes out new shiny happy content nonstop so that star wars is no longer an eagerly anticipated event, just another show on tv, fighting for attention against all the other content out there.

i can't tell you what exactly changed my mind. it wasn't like i saw any positive reviews or a ton of gifsets or anything. in fact it might have been the total absence of hype that sparked my interest. four of six episodes had aired and my feeds were still mostly ofmd and tgcf. so i gave the first episode a shot.

as expected, i was not wholly impressed. the first episode is a lot of plot setup. a little boring. i didn't end up watching the second episode that night. but for days after i kept thinking--isn't this what i've always wanted from star wars? a well-crafted character study that takes its time? a thoughtful story about the aftermath of revenge of the sith, the more intricate economic and social consequences of the clone war and the rise of the empire? ewan mcgregor being a dilf???

i guess until now i didn't believe i'd ever see live action prequel-related star wars content made by someone with more respect for the source material than shock value or high tech explosions. and that was silly of me--i loved rogue one and solo. i wasn't super into the mandalorian but i watched it and recognized it was trying to do something new. those were all different to me though. i wasn't emotionally attached to the original trilogy and its adjacent stories the way i'm attached to the prequels.

[some spoilers after this but nothing you couldn't piece together from the fact hayden has been on the press tour]

i finally watched the second episode. darth vader was there. i thought, did they really bring hayden back just to be the dude in the suit? and they did. they did bring hayden back just to be the dude in the suit. and the bacta tank. and a heartbreaking mirage in the desert. i was expecting just random high-stakes plot content until the very end of the series when we'd finally get an ominous peek at vader. but no. he's like. a main character. obi-wan's love for him and his regret at the events of RotS is overt. his love for padme is there too. like Deborah Chow really said "padobikin is canon lol." it's emotionally devastating in a way i didn't think any new live action prequel content could be.

[spoilers for episode 5 here but i've also reblogged about a thousand gifsets of what i'm talking about so if you've seen those you've already been spoiled]

then in episode five we get a flashback. pre-AotC. and i don't know why this was the thing that really sealed the deal for me but it just meant a lot to me that they didn't fully de-age hayden back to 19. maybe they couldn't or maybe it was a Choice. they might have done a little polishing but but for the most part you look at him and know you're looking at a 41 year old man. it's a flashback, yeah, but i can't help but think "this is what he would have looked like."

and so there i was imprinting onto darth vader again the way i did when i was 15. but whereas back then i related to his eternal struggle to have agency in a society that only wanted to exploit his gifts while denying him any real personhood, now i relate to the abysmal feeling of regret, the long-term consequences of a million wrong choices. and i guess i'm just impressed that despite the disney backing, the show leans into the real tragedy of the whole thing and doesn't let up. it assumes that the thing we care about most isn't the fate of the galaxy but the fate of one man in it, and we already know how his story ends.

the finale airs tomorrow and i'm not nervous. it follows the canon so closely that you can easily deduce where the story is going, and even though many dudebros would have you believe predictability is bad, personally i find it exciting to see the cause and effect sequence of a story told over many generations totally out of chronological order.

and what's more, i've been watching interviews with ewan and hayden and getting the sense that they enjoyed filming the show, and that it wasn't filmed on green screen but on something called The Volume and that seemed to make a big difference. i think it was moses (reva) who said, "you get on set and you're in star wars."

on a personal note though, what i'm most excited about is that after nearly a year struggling with the motivation to write and a total lack of inspiration, somehow i managed to pound out 12k words in 3 days of a longform RotS fix-it fic i've been wanting to write for 17 years.

tl;dr Kenobi isn't a perfect show and it does fall prey to the overbloated nature of the undying big budget franchise disease, but it's thoughtfully made, entertaining for casual fans, and cathartic for diehard prequels fans.

ps i can't stop thinking about middle-aged wifeguy anakin skywalker and that will be my undoing.

#owk #meta #spoilers

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tenebrouspterodactyl · 1 year

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I guess this is my Thursday routine now, rambling about The Mandalorian. So I enjoyed this latest episode. It was fun watching Din and Bo go all buddy cop while Grogu vibed with the royals. Fun cameos with JB, Lizzo, and Christopher Lloyd. The planet looked beautiful and I enjoyed seeing the droid bar and the kind of mad tea party going on. Do I still have issues? Oh, yeah. The big thing I see people saying is well, Din never wanted the dark saber, him giving it to Bo makes sense. Ok, sure. But is it satisfying to watch? No, sorry. I could get down with Din not wanting it or the responsibility and ultimately giving it up, if it were just handled a little better, and wasn’t jammed into the last few minutes of the episode. We never really know how he feels about having it. First he doesn’t want it. Then he fights Paz for it. We could surmise from that, that he wants to keep it, at least out of spite. Then in that same episode when he has to stow all his weapons away at the airport we see a moment of hesitation before he puts the saber in the box with his other stuff. We never see him really consider having it or what it might mean, not even a little. Even if he did decide to give it up, it would’ve been nice to see a bit more thought about it. If he did truly want to just let it go, why did he wait so long? He’s had chances since the first episode to rid himself of this thing, so why didn’t he? Even the logic for him giving it to Bo seemed a bit flimsy. And this is the 2nd(?) time she’s gotten this thing. I’m just tired of it now.

But honestly at the end of the day it doesn’t matter whether he keeps it or not. None of that matters. What matters is that Din has been given no room to grow. He is static. And it feels like all the growth and character development he might’ve had has been shifted to Bo. It feels like Jon fell out of love with writing Din and realized he’d prefer to write Bo instead. Again, I don’t mind her getting developed but damn, can’t we do both?

I know people have been saying well, it’s called The Mandalorian. Not the Din Djarin show. Yeah, that’s true but that feels so flimsy to me. Wouldn’t we all have been pissed if Aang had never gotten time to shine or grow and mature in atla? It’s the same thing here. Other characters were given time to grow and develop but we never forgot about Aang either. Whether you like him or not he still had the chance to grow. We haven’t really seen that with Din. He feels like such an afterthought. Even with all the cameos last season he still had his hero moments, he had his time with Grogu, we got the chance to understand how he felt. With a few exceptions there hasn’t been much of that yet and we’re almost to the end of the season. I don’t hate this season but it’s getting increasingly harder to care about this show. The way it was described before it came out, or at least how Pedro described it, it seemed that Din was going to take a more active role in the unification of the Mandos even if he didn’t decide to rule them. I know they can’t say much on these press tours but I don’t know, maybe they had to do some rewrites. But even so, it just feels sloppy to me. And even the argument of him not having to grow anymore cause he’s where he wants to be doesn’t really hold water with me either.

Yes, he’s back with Grogu and his clan but where are the tender moments between them? Outside of two very quick scenes in the first 2 episodes and that one duel with Ragnar we have not seen them interact much. And that’s the stuff I live for. Their bond should only be growing stronger. They should have more time for Din to teach him, and even to learn more about him. We don’t have any of that. We haven’t even seen Grogu’s little silver ball, something that was so close to him, another expression of their bond, and it’s nowhere to be found. Hell, we haven’t even seen any whistling birds. And no, it’s not just about toys and accessories. But these are tools Din has had from the beginning, things he could be using in some of the situations he’s been in, like with that crazy droid on Mandalore, and conveniently he just hasn’t used them.

I’ve got no problem with the focus shifting to the rest of the galaxy, retaking Mandalore, or other characters. But just give the main character some time to shine so it feels like you still care about him. He doesn’t have to be the ruler, or the chosen one. But he doesn’t have to be this stagnant character either. There’s so much untapped potential with him and Grogu and I feel like it’s just not being explored. It felt like they were setting something interesting up and then just decided to drop it.

#the mandalorian #just ranting #random rants #rants n rambles #din djarin #mandalorian and grogu

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