#she is the goth queen of TFA

[kabukiaku]

if you recognize her, you're a real one 🖤💜✨🕷️🕸️

[cinamun]

ik its random but i wish we could see bella goth make an appearance in tfa sometime in the future, i just love your version of her!

Hello anonyfriend! You know what? I just love my Bella lol she's everywhere! Can you believe, the last time she and her dear, sweet husband appeared in the story was the night Hope ran away?

And remember when Jerri went to trial and Morty was her lawyer and Bella was there in court for support?

My favorite FAVORITE part, tho, was when they were narrating Sean and his ex-wife's divorce LMFAOOOOOOOOOOO

These days she's narrowly escaping prison.

I'm sorry, I am a nerd for the lore of all things Queen Bella so I love to play her whenever I can or at least incorporate her into the story, gameplay, etc and her whole family too. I'm pretty sure we'll see her again nonny!

[needs-to-stop-looking-at-valves]

Character review 3/7)

Tigatron!(Reconnaissance):

Infiltrator, scout, and loner, Tigatron was brought to this series before his kick ass wife was, allowing us more time to get to know him. Chivalrous, kind, attuned w/nature, he was pretty easy to fall for. And I've made it pretty obvious when I first met him, that I liked this kitty. Boy got a voice like honey. He also has a factor in common w/ tfa Prowl, where he was helm over pede for nature and animals, and I sort of really liked that about his character.

(1st and only forms)

Verdict:I liked him a bit more than Airrazor, purely because we got to know him more. I didn't like how he ended, he didn't deserve it anymore than his girl did. Overall, I give him 8/10, since he was a charming, smooth voiced gentlemech.

Tigerhawk!(Vok emissary):

So this mech here gets a category on his own, given that he IS a different character, despite being a combination of both Tigatron & Airrazor. I could've gone the rest of the series without him, honestly. Hot as he looked winking, and how cool he looks, beast wars unfortunately sacrifices characters for the sake of new forms, no doubt to sell more toys. It hurts.

(1st & only forms)

Verdict: Guys i... I liked him as a temporary character. He made sense, he had a role and he filled it out, but I just...I didn't like that we had to sacrifice Tigatron & Aiirazor to to this. I really didnt. Blackarachnia & Silverbolt had a happy ending and couple moments, I wish they had it too. I rate this 6/10, sorry guys.

Blackarachnia!(Combat specialist/Saboteur):

Oh the Queen. The goth goddess. If you havent guessed yet, I'm kinda in love with her. Clever, cunning, much like her tfp counterpart. Only thing is, shes more of a sneaky scientist, versus a plain murderer (not that I'm not in love w/ tfp Blackarachnia). Her voice is adorable, her screams actually instilled panic in me here and there, and her arc wasn't PERFECT, but was damn good. A true icon.

(1st forms)

Blackarachnia's glory days were in there in this form. She triggers ALL my bisexual energy, and if you wanna bring her home, do so at your own risk. She's the girl your parents warned you not to talk to, but with lips like those, you bet your ass your gonna do it anyway. Shes a clever little minx, deceptive, and an AMAZING techy. She was a huge plot point in regards to the ark plot line, and for the resurrection of Tarantulas. Shes literally so smart, she almost took over the entire planet, using advanced alien technology. Shes got such a witty way of talking, takes no shit, but has a soft spot for her bowser boyfriend, which made her not a TOTAL villian. Look wise, her robo form highlighted how killer she was, highlighted how seductive she was. Spider form? I loved it, it suited her being a spider on the wall, that was a huge part of her character.

(2nd forms)

So...this form. Where do I start? So i dont HATE it. But i dont LOVE it. I got used to it, but this feels like shes in a work out sports bra and shorts, and got her nails done. Her personality also changed a bit. Juuust a bit. It MAYBE because she got a bit less screen time, it feels like anyway, but I felt a slight mellow-ness after her transformation. I LOVED her spider form though, oh my god she got dangerous as shit, I loved it.

Verdict: Blackarachnia is....wow. She can, in my opinion, only be described as wow. She had full confidence in herself and who she was (versus her tfa counterpart), and let no one change her. She was a predicon through and through, and NO ONE could tell her otherwise, even her doggy boyfriend. 10/10 a dream come true. Maybe I'm biased, but damn you guys, her and her character ark was on par with Dinobot.

Silverbolt!(Aerial assault &Reconnaissance):

Everyones favorite Fullbright gone furry, is our buddy Silverbolt. He comes into the series acting like everyones knight in shining armour. He isnt too sharp, but hes keen on what his spark tells him, and he fights for chances and rights for all. Unless your Tarantulas. Then hes not interested. Guzzles respect fem juice, and totally gets pegged. Sees things in black and white (not just because hes a dog), unless it's about his babe Blackarachnia.

(1st forms)

Verdict: He's a match made in heaven for Blackarachnia. And I love him for the fact that he gave her the chance to have that happy ending & redemption ark. He treats her like a Queen, and I'd call him a white knight, but he doesnt deserve it. Hes a good boy, but by himself? He surprisingly has some good character. Goofy, loyal, and has his helm in the clowds, I give our boy a solid 8/10.

[clairen45]

What’s in a Name? Naming Rey and Ren in the New Trilogy- part 2/3

EVERYBODY WANTS TO RULE THE WORLD: a King and a Queen, a Man and a Woman

 The second main theme induced by their naming is the question of royalty. It should not be a surprise there. JJ Abrams was very explicit in his commentary about Rey searching Maz castle

In this scene, she is drawn to this place, almost like...Cinderella.

and Ren revealing under his mask the unexpected figure of a prince.

And because we used to have Kylo Ren take the mask off in the original version, both in front of Snoke and privately with the Vader mask, and we changed both of those. This now becomes the first time that you see who’s behind the mask. And because of Vader, I think you expect him to need the mask. That, like Vader, it’s some kind of breathing apparatus, some sort of necessity. But when his mask comes off, you see Adam Driver, and he just looks like a sort of prince. And it makes no sense. Why would he wear a mask?

Even though people were anticipating Rey to be a princess in disguise, TLJ makes sure to underline she is a nobody, the shepherdess of the fable. Why some people were outraged is beyond me. The shepherdess after all usually represents high moral values and qualities that make her worthy and thus equal to a prince. Her journey where she has to undergo a series of tests and losses is in itself way more gratifying than that of the princess waiting in her tower. And Rey, interestingly enough, is shaken out of her role of waiting passively on Jakku to a life of action and adventure that puts her forth in the way of a prince (the said prince who ironically set this arc into motion by wreaking havoc on the planet where she was doing nothing at all with her life). So she is the scavenger and he is literally the prince, in his own right, which again comes heavily in his lineage. His mother and grandmother were royalty after all.

But it is a prince of mixed parentage, with a slave boy as a grandfather and a smuggler as a father, which is of high importance in their relationship.

Never does he seem to state that he finds the 'just a scavenger' girl beneath him. In TFA he even changes subjects when he senses that she is embarrassed by her condition, which is surprisingly tactful, and in TLJ, the 'you are nothing' statement leads to him dismissing it altogether and that he does not view her as being 'nothing'. So there is not, so to speak, any status divide between them in his mind. If anything he is even more awed by her, given her background. 

So here we have a prince and a princess of sorts, a boy and a girl, whose journey is to learn how to become a king and a queen, a man and a woman. To know about their place in the world, and not just how to be leaders or rulers over the galaxy and the resistance, but symbolically how to be the rulers of their own lives and fates, and how to behave as fully grown-ups in a couple or partnership. In this case ruling together does not mean sitting on a throne together, it also means being strong together, that out of the partnership could come true power.

But even who gets which name can't be coincidental and foils whoever fears this relationship might be abusive due to our first impressions of them (but since Jane Austen we should know better of first impressions, shouldn't we?). For the king is NOT the boy. Rey is obviously Spanish for king, but I will suggest looking at the old French for "king", "Roy". In this light, Ren is reminiscent of "Reine" or "queen" in French. So we have our king and or queen but the genders have been totally shuffled. What could it mean? Many things... but in my view...

First, it reinforces what has been the current arc of their relationship, which points to Rey becoming the dominant one and Kylo being redeemed through his acceptance of Rey's power over him. After all, there is a pattern so far. Look at the progression in their relationship when it comes to his final proposals, since every movie ends with him reaching out to her with a new offer that would bind them together. TFA: I will be your teacher, i.e., the dominant one.

She refuses and breaks him physically. TLJ: let's rule together, i.e. as equals, which already means he has toned down a bit. She refuses and lets him unconscious and broken psychologically.

Where does it go from here? The clues are all over, right? He has offered her knowledge, he has offered her power, if love is the answer as pointed out in TLJ though the character of Rose, the hidden hearts in the visuals of TFA, and the not so subtle compassion line of TFA which is reminiscent of Anakin's line to Padme (compassion is ‘unconditional love’), at the very least he has to offer something he has not offered yet:  love. The one thing that he feels deficient in and is unable to show to himself or others. Which also means that according to the progression of his character he has to recognize her as the dominant one, which is foreshadowed in the beginning of the interrogation scene, with him kneeling at her feet, in a very submissive, courtly stance.

Secondly, this mixing of gender demonstrates the strength of their bond. They are, or need to be, one with the Force, and being one, like Platonic soulmates finally bound back together, there is no telling where one begins and one ends.

Their identities, even gender identities, become porous. I do not think it means she becomes a she-male and he turns into less of a man, rather it points out to balance, harmony, not just between dark and light (the recurring and obsessive theme) but also between feminine and masculine, like Yin and Yang, an escape from the dichotomous and the duality that normally pervade the saga. This blending of the genders has been played out through the choices of costumes and the sketching of their characters since TFA, with Ren, being draped in long gowns, with a long, sinewy silhouette, and his long hair when he takes off his helmet. These so commented upon lustrous locks and lack of facial hair appear very distinct from Finn and Poe's short dos or our usually bearded Jedi. The look was distinctly boyish, many people calling it EMO or goth inspired. I would not go as far as calling it androgynous but Vader’s square massive shape it is not, nor Luke's boyish wholesomeness, nor Han's roguish and conventionally masculine charm. If Ren is clearly portrayed as attractive in the interrogation scene, there is an unconventional lure to him. Whereas Rey, at the beginning, with her scavenger garb and mask (she is also a creature in a mask after all) also appears undefined in her gender.At first glance (even though the fabric draped around her is tell-tale feminine) she could be an alien, she could be a little boy, a little girl, a man or a woman.

She is also assuming roles that are not distinctively feminine (even though to be fair, SW has always been rather progressive in that realm): a scavenger, a pilot, a mechanic, a fighter, a Jedi. Even the Yin and Yang that seem to be influential in the portrayal of the couple is consciously mixed and blurred. The Yin is traditionally associated with the black, the female, the moon, the dark and water, whereas the Yang is linked with the white, the male, the sun and daylight. So here, we have the male character endowed with all the attributes of the feminine principle of the Yin, and the female character endowed with all the attributes of the masculine Yang.

But this is per their own choice of naming or self definition. Because as viewed through the others they are very distinctively male and female, Ren being the ‘son’, ‘the boy’ that must be brought back, and Rey being called out ‘the girl’ (mostly by Ren) throughout the movie.

As the cycle progresses, the original blurring is somewhat redefined, Ren becoming more and more decidedly masculine and Rey more feminine, moving on from the boy and the girl. As I pointed out before, their journey is also about learning how to define themselves as man and woman. Thus, Ren, who appears as a machine or a ghost (an apparition out of a nightmare in Rey's eyes, the ghost of Vader for us the audience and in his mind), is little by little literally stripped of his disguise and becomes more and more fleshed out, his physicality being materialized onscreen with his bare massive torso and the removal of his glove to meet Rey's hand. Gone are in TLJ the mask, trashed into a distorted shape (ironically like that of Vader’s in TFA), the gowns, the cloaks, and, in its stead, he starts favoring a more conventionally male uniform of pants and short tunic.

Rey, on the other hand, lets her hair down and also starts showing a little more skin, even though her look is still practical for a fighter.

Again, there was some outcry at Ren's apparently gratuitous nakedness. The official statement released was that the naked chest and Rey's reaction to it served the purpose of highlighting that they not just sensed each other presence, but really could see each other through the bond, all too convenient but not very convincing. One could rather point out that it goes towards showing Ren no longer as a monster but as a man, a man and not a boy, no longer ´a child playing with a mask', a man fully grown. And this in itself is actually very canon in SW standards since it has an iconic precedent otherwise known as Princess Leia' s slave outfit, aka THE BIKINI, in ROTJ. As Leia's son it seems only fair that Ren would bring sexy back in a galaxy usually so far far away from such trivial matters, but taking a page from his mother, it also shows the evolution of his arc. Critiques have long justified the skimpy costume of the warrior princess as indicating of the development of her relationship with Han Solo, when she stops 'being just a princess' and 'becomes a woman', as if she was not a woman before and had to strip down to make that obvious. Given that the object of her affection was anyhow too blinded by his time in carbonite to fully appreciate the show, and that she was already in love with her scoundrel before, this was a moot point. Let us take it as it was, in all its glory, for male and female audiences alike, it was eye candy.

In this current blurring of the female/male paradigm that the new trilogy seems to explore, the choice to have the male characters (with even Finn barely dressed in a plastic bubble medical suit) and not the female one is the clever way to go. Eye-candy it was, but contrary to his mother, it was not gratuitous as plotline is concerned. Ren becomes a man in our eyes but also in Rey’s, who is very noticeably flustered by the apparition, and who, during their next encounter, significantly holds out her hand to the one who is no longer just a creature in a mask, but a man in the flesh. Learning how to be a man, learning how to be a woman...