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Rhaegar: You need to react when people cry.

Jon: I did. I rolled my eyes.

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𝐆𝐎𝐎𝐃 𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐒 x 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐀𝐉𝐎𝐑 𝐀𝐑𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐀 || part 1/5 psd || insp.

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big fan of stories that, while undoubtedly being about the power of friendship, acknowledge that the power of incredible violence is just as important

the love was there. the love changed everything. the crowbar helped also

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AU - The Jedi say "The Padawan Chooses The Master" Qui Gon lives, Obi Wan is very preoccupied, and Anakin is put into the creche as an Initiate to learn what he can until Qui Gon wakes up from his coma and gets yelled at by the Council. In the meantime, Anakin meets other Jedi Masters and when the Council asks him who he wants to be his teacher, his answer isn't Qui Gon. Instead it's *insert your fav Jedi here*

My Friend, I both hate you and love you for this prompt. Because I am so very very torn. But let me give it a go.

Naboo is a debacle. No one debates that. Qui-Gon Jinn comes back to the Temple barely alive, accompanied by his Padawan - the first Jedi in a millenia to have slain a Sith - and the powerful young boy they found on Tatooine.

At first they wait - while Obi-Wan Kenobi is considered more than deserving of Knighthood, they hold out hope that Qui-Gon will wake and perform the ceremony himself, and take Anakin on as he originally intended. It is not to be.

Obi-Wan is knighted and sent off on missions, Anakin remains in the creche - as Qui-Gon lives, it seems presumptuous to have any other Jedi take him on. But Qui-Gon may never wake, and so the more senior Masters take it upon themselves to get a feel for the too-powerful boy. Just in case.

Months later, Qui-Gon wakes.

He is in no shape to do anything more than argue with the council, but he is awake. Still, the matter of Anakin Skywalker is put off a little longer, until Qui-Gon is in a better position health wise. Besides, while he is not completely at ease in the ranks of the initiates, Skywalker has settled in somewhat - it will do no harm to wait a little longer. And it also gives some of them a bit more time to try an mitigate Jinn’s eventual bad influence.

A year after Naboo, the council requests the presence of Initiate Skywalker. The boy who faces them is so very similar and yet so very different from the child they interviewed a year earlier. Still far from emotionally balanced, but much less fearful. After all, by this stage he knows them all somewhat, and he has begun to accept that he is not going to be turned out - over the last year it has become very apparent that he cannot remain untrained, and as such the Creche Master had taken the time to explain the notion of a Padawan accepting a Master.

(They will never know how how much that notion affects Anakin. Because what slave chooses their own Master?)

And so they ask him. “Who would he choose as his Master?”

And Anakin is torn. Because this is a huge decision, and he knows it. Never before has he had the power to CHOOSE. He has to do this right. Qui-Gon Jinn freed him and brought him to the Temple. He is Anakin’s hero. It would make sense to accept him. And yet… What of the other Masters?

What about Master Billaba, who so patiently walked him through the First Forms when he worried about being so far behind his classmates? Or maybe Master Fisto, who laughs and smiles and pats him on the head and tells him not to worry, he will get the trick in time - has he considered a moving meditation, like this? Or even Master Windu, who is stern and forbidding, but UNDERSTANDS the anger that coils in his chest? And Master Koon - he’s kind and an absolutely WIZARD pilot. What should he do?

But Anakin Skywalker is a child of the Force. And all of the Masters he has encountered over the last year have told him the same thing. So he reaches out and…

The council watches as the boy raises his head and looks up at them with an unassailable sense of certainty. 

“I’m sorry Masters, but I can’t choose. Not yet. It’s not the right time.”

And it takes everything in him not to back down in the face of Qui-Gon’s sadness and the Council’s impatience, but Anakin stands firm.

The Force is speaking to him. Loud and clear.

“Not Now.”

In the end it is Yoda who breaks up the raucous arguments with a few firm taps of his gimmer stick. If the Force tells young Skywalker that now is not the time then so be it. The boy is still younger than the average new padawan, and still has some catching up to do. There is no hurry. Let him remain in the creche they shall, until the time is right.

And so they do. Except Anakin’s little demonstration along with the general increased interaction during Qui-Gon’s convalescence means that several of the Council members are seriously considering the merits of taking him on themselves. And Qui-Gon? He is determined to regain little Ani’s regard.

You can imagine the result. Anakin Skywalker becomes the envy of his classmates, as multiple senior masters court him to be their padawan. Plo Koon in particular seems to take great delight in tweaking Qui-Gon’s ire by allowing Anakin to learn to pilot the Temple ships, and Mace has spent a lot of time showing Anakin how to control his darker impulses. Kit sneaks him sweets but both he and Depa have the suspicion that they are not seriously in contention. Ironically all the attention has done wonders for his attachment issues.

Still, every time he is asked if he is ready to take a Master, Anakin will close his eyes and reach into the Force, before saying. “No. Not yet.”

Incidentally, his lack of Master has very much impeded the Chancellor’s efforts to spend time with the boy alone. After all, a Padawan is very different from an Initiate from a Jedi perspective - one is considered a semi-adult capable of assisting in basic mission duties while the other is not. The Chancellor may be their direct superior, but even he cannot order them to facilitate private audiences with a CHILD under their care. For now, he must make to with infrequent and supervised visits in which he must take care not to overstep the role of a genial man interested in the welfare of the child who saved his planet.

It infuriates him.

But anyway.

Time passes, and Anakin’s classmates start to dwindle, as they are either apprenticed (Anakin feels smug at having facilitated one of two of the matches - having Knights and Masters watching him keenly means he can try and push others in direction the Force suggests) or drawn towards alternate pathways. Anakin is nearing thirteen years of age, and he knows the time for a decision is coming soon.

But there are things he needs to make sure are in place first. Luckily, he knows who to speak to about that.

“Time then, it is, Young Skywalker?”

“Yes Master Yoda.”

“Hmm. Certain, you are?”

“Yes Master Yoda.”

“Good. Done well, you have, to follow the Force in this. Who is it, you have chosen?” 

Anakin tells him.

And the old Jedi starts cackling.

It is not long after that Anakin Skywalker stands before a large crowd of Knights and Masters (Because this? The apprenticeship of Initiate Skywalker? This is going to be the thing of temple legends and  NO ONE wants to miss out.) and asked who he would take as his master.

And Anakin Skywalker looks his choice straight in the eye as he speaks their name.

Obi-Wan Kenobi nearly faints there and then.

.

Let’s take a step back. 

When Obi-Wan Kenobi first accompanied his comatose Master back to the Temple, he had been consumed by their last conversation. The one in which he had promised Qui-Gon to train the boy. Except, those were obviously the words of a man who thought himself dying, and Qui-Gon still LIVED. When the council decides to put Anakin into the creche until things are more certain, Obi-Wan is so RELIEVED. Because while he would if he had to, Obi-Wan doesn’t feel READY to take a padawan just yet, not while he is still processing the end of his own apprenticeship, and Anakin is meant for Master Qui-Gon - Obi-Wan would never wish to steal that role while the possibility remains that the man will wake one day.

Still, he made a promise. And there are many ways to teach.

So Obi-Wan makes an effort to check in on Ani, make sure he’s settling in ok. It’s a big culture shock for the boy from Tatooine, and Obi-Wan does his best to help explain some of the things Temple raised initiates take for granted. Anakin’s  glee when he finally gets the hang of something is infectious, and Obi-Wan finds himself enjoying the time they spend together. 

When he starts taking missions as a Knight, Obi-Wan makes the effort to farewell Anakin every time he leaves, and if he can, brings him back some toy or trinket from wherever he ends up. Nothing major, but Anakin has often expressed his desire to visit every world in the galaxy one day, and he gets so excited even if all Obi-Wan has to show him is a rock he found while running for his life from upset dignitaries…

Obi-Wan thought his missions might be less exciting now he wasn’t partnered with the most infuriating diplomat in the Order. He was wrong.

When the Masters begin paying more attention to Anakin it is Obi-Wan he contacts for reassurance he is doing the right thing. After all he is listening to the Force, but what if he’s listening wrong? And Obi-Wan tells him he’s doing fine, to follow his instincts, and sorry he has to go now due to potential pirates, but maybe to take time with each of them to work out how well they connect, just in case the Force changes its mind? And it is Obi-Wan who tells him he should just confess about the incident with the door chimes, and reassures him that no one will hate him over the accident with the speeder. 

As time goes on, Obi-Wan becomes known in the Temple as the BEST source of information on the Skywalker Situation, because he has THE most up to date gossip on what Masters Jinn and Windu have decided to challenge each other with this time, or which Knight has decided to throw their hat into the ring most recently, only to find the kid too much to deal with. Obi-Wan finds himself feeling a little protective over Anakin, rolling his eyes at the latest stuff up on the part of Ani’s potential masters, and during one of his morning meditations he comes to the startling realisation that he is well and truly Attached to his young friend.

Well then.

So of course when it comes time for Anakin to make his final decision, Obi-Wan Kenobi puts on his best face and mentally tries to work out which master will have the honour of training the Chosen One. The selfish part of him hopes it’s not Qui-Gon. He adores his former Master, but time has convinced him that he would be a poor match for Anakin. And he wants what is best for the boy. 

Maybe once Anakin is safely matched to a Master of his own Obi-Wan might consider the merits of a Padawan himself. Certainly he is feeling a lot more confident in his skills that he was a few years earlier…

But then Anakin gives his name.

His.

Obi-Wan Kenobi.

So many faces are turned to face them and he can feel them all asking “Why him?” and he doesnt have an answer and…

Anakin is looking at him. Waiting. For his response.

His heart gives him his answer, but he has to be SURE this is the boy’s decision.

“Why now Anakin?”

And Anakin smiles, bright and sure.

“Because you weren’t ready before.”

Oh.

Obi-Wan Kenobi laughs then, in joyous wonder and kneels to look the boy (his student!) in the eye.

“In that case, Anakin Skywalker, I would be honoured to be your Master, if you would agree to become my Padawan.”

And the Force sings.

~~~

I hope you’re not too disappointed! I was tempted to write a Plo Koon is Anakin’s Master AU, but in my heart of hearts, I just can’t keep the Team separated! :)

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A skinny brown girl on a skinny brown dragon.

Nettles, the Dragonseed

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thinking about the vampire remmick in sinners coming from a same place of oppression as the people he's terrorizing, thinking about him using the music that his oppressed ancestors played to perpetuate the cycle of domination that they were a victim of, thinking about him trying to use his background to make sammie think they're on the same side when he's trying to take his gift for himself and use it for evil, thinking about him using his talents to destroy communities instead of healing them and bond his people together the way sammie does, music as the vessel of love through generations of black people against a white man that wants to take it for himself, vampirism in the movie being represented as a continuation of the south's racism, one that wants to appropriate the culture ("your memories become my memories") by using it to destroy the community, ryan coogler... genius i'm afraid

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Annie: There are legends of people born with the gift of making music so true, it can pierce the veil between life and death; conjuring spirits from the past...and the future. In ancient Ireland, they were called Filí. In Choctaw land, they called them Fire Keepers. And in West Africa, they were called Griots. This gift can bring healing to their communities. But it also...attracts evil....

Sinners (2025)

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Thoughts on Sinners (2025):

I would like to thank god and Wunmi Mosaku's titties

Me when I saw Bo Chow:

This is probably Ryan Coogler's horniest film to date, and I love that

Holy shit, the sound mixing 🙌🏻

After hating on the White Americans, the French and the Spaniards in the Black Panther films, Ryan Coogler really turned to the Irish and said, "don't worry, I didn't forget about yall too!!"

3 words - Choctaw. Vampire. Hunters. Ryan Coogler, I demand a prequel

No but the Choctaw Vampire Hunters were hilarious. They can't be bothered to put in the labour to help the kkk couple. They really went, "you invited it, you deal with it. Godspeed." And peaced the fuck out ✌🏻 good for them

And the scene of the kkk couple inviting the Remmick the Irish vampire into their home while holding guns to the Choctaw pple even tho the Choctaw pple were trying to warn them? Perfect symbolism for how White pple would rather shoot themselves in the foot than listen to people of colour

Jayme Lawson's married ass getting her pussy eaten out by the male ingenue character, I support women's rights and women's wrongs 🫡

Me when the White music kinda slapped:

When Cornbread started going on about love and unity when he returned from peeing in the trees, I nearly yelled, "oh my god he's in the sunken place!!"

When the Irish vampire started river dancing during a tense moment:

The contrast between Sammie's music bringing pple/spirits of different times and cultures together while Remmick's is front and center in his ghoulish dance scene

Also the vampires only singing Remmick's songs but not songs from their respective communities even tho he preached about love and unity. Remmick speaking Cantonese only to threaten the Chinese shop owner.

The vampire hivemind being a metaphor for how White supremacy erases the uniqueness of different cultures to create the singular culture of whiteness

Remmick the victim of forced anglicisation of Ireland, Remmick the settler on Indigenous American land, Remmick who violently attempts to exploit a Black man's music to hear his (white) Irish kin again. Ryan Coogler, your mind

Sammie's music 🫱🏻‍🫲🏼 Annie's hoodoo religion being a bridge to the ancestors and the homeland. But while Sammie's music invites danger becos it can be exploited, Annie's spiritual beliefs helps them in contrast to how hoodoo has been demonised and dismissed

When the credits started rolling:

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Adding to this: the fact that Rimmick’s song doesn’t even achieve what he’s wanting. No ancestors appear. He’s forced those people to join his community, there is no soul there, unlike with Samnie’s performance.

I need like a million more of these movie analyses please and thank you I am loving all the different takes.

remmick and the vampires present a false dichotomy

Hogwood (the man who sold the twins the mill) and the KKK are very obviously bad, they are outright malicious bigotry, they use the n-word and plan to lynch the moore's and their community, they are so blatantly racist and hateful it's unavoidably obvious

remmick and the vampires however say that they believe in equality, say that they want to create a community, and yet remmick's goal throught the movie is to both metaphorically and literally steal sammie's ability for his own goal of reconnecting with his irish ancestors, a white man wants to harm a young and upcoming black man and use talents for his own goals without giving any regard to said black man's autonomy or agency

when sammie sings 'I lied to you' in the juke joint and calls forth the spirits from the past and future, it's a blend of cultures; west african, east asian, native american, and african american song and dance blend together across time and space to tell the stories of blues; where it takes its inspiration from, the music genres it then inspired, the complex history of black american culture and its intersections with other peoples of colour in the USA

when remmick and the vampires kill and turn the people in the juke joint, and then perform rocky road to dublin, only remmick's irish culture is on display, there is no influence from the black and asian people he has forcibly assimilated into his song, it's juxtaposition with the earlier scene is blatant, remmick is more than happy to assimilate people of colour into his 'community' of 'equals', and yet its only whiteness that is celebrated, that is normative

remmick claims that he's doing people a favour by turning them immortal, conviently ignoring that he literally has to suck the life out of them to do so, trapping their spirits on earth, he claims that he's the good guy, that the KKK were gonna come and lynch everyone at the joint in the morning anyways, conviently ignoring that he's doing the exact same thing; a white man leading a mob to kill a bunch of black people

in the final confrontation with sammie remmick repeatedly dunks him into the river, a forceful baptism. both the celtic irish and enslaved west africans had their religions suppressed and destroyed by colonialsm, had christianity forced upon them by the british empire, and in that scene we see remmick repeating that cycle, using christianity to inflict harm, and sammie reclaiming christianity, despite all the complex emotions he has arround it, as many colonised peoples have and still do, when he recites the lord's prayer

remmick and the vampires are no less racist than hogwood and the KKK, are no less predatory or evil, they're just less blantant about their bigotry, they represent the system, the normalised white supremacy that is seeped into the very foundation of culture in america, the point isnt that remmick would call any of the black characters in the movie the n-word, i dont think he would, the point is that his exploitation and desacration and inserting-himself-into-when-he-wasn't-invited of the juke joint is a microcosm of what white people have done to black american arts and culture since ever since there have been black and white people in america, and even before that

theres a reason vultures are shown early on in this movie

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Okay gushing about Sinners (2025) some more. I’ve literally recommended it to everyone I know at this point cos I loved it so much, but I’ll try and keep this spoiler free.

It was truly the first movie in a very long time I left wanting to write essays analysing, there was just so many themes explored through such interesting ways! Just the sheer fact it was an original story was such a refreshing experience and I hope the success of this movie paves the path for more of its kind.

Among so much else, something I really enjoyed was having Rimmick be Irish rather than the stereotypical vampire accents seen in media. Not only was this interesting from simply a ‘unique’ standpoint but from the cultural connotations. Despite being a white group the Irish weren’t accepted in many aspects of white society at that time. And this both humanises Rimmick and also shows how rotten he is that he tries to weaponise it. I didn’t really consider the impact of the hints of Irish culture until after the film when I was explaining the movie to my grandma and played her the soundtrack (Oml the soundtrack). I was surprised to see her get emotional over the Irish songs. She who’s first memory of reading something is off a sign that said “no blacks, no Irish, no dogs”. She who’s parents sent her to lessons to loose the Irish accent in favour of an English one. She asked me if it’s possible to miss an accent, I wasn’t sure what to say.

Make no mistake this isn’t me saying I’m team Rimmick or anything he was 100% the bad guy, nor am I trying to take the movies focus from black culture and community. It’s just an interesting addition of depth to the villain character, one that doesn’t justify or excuse his behaviour, but does explain it. It felt very apt in today’s political situation both in the uk and the states.

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quote from my friend who brought me to see sinners:

"you'd think vampires, literal supernatural beings, are gonna be the worst thing you'll have to deal with, but then the sun comes up and you still gotta deal with the goddamn klan"

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This! Like the fact in the intro story the Irish magic is referenced using the same song he later sings. When I watched it I genuinely just assumed we were meant to think this very idea!

Something about the vampires that Annie specifically mentions is their soul is not only trapped, but severed from their ancestors. I have a feeling Remmick also had the same ability as Sammie when he was human, given his musical proclivity and the fact he knows immediately that Sammie has the same talent, yet he probably lost the ability to pierce the veil when he was turned.

Remmick spends the whole movie wanting to turn Sammie so he can use his music to reconnect with his own ancestors, but he'd probably end up making Sammie lose his gift to do so since he no longer has that connection. Back at square one.

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What do you think of the "revenge bad" tropes frequently found

it actually pisses me off sooooo much when characters are like "ohhh but if i hurt or kill the bastard who made my life and others' a living hell i'm just as bad as they are!" like grow up and shoot him what are you catholic

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And then they die.

you’d think jon would be desperately searching for a feminine role model in his life to fill the place of an absent mother but he spends the whole series going up to every single man over 35 and going “will you be my father figure please” and making puppy eyes at them until they gave him fatherly affection

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The Children of King Rhaegar Targaryen (AU)

Rhaenys was the oldest. Sweet, with a cunning wit. Aegon was as fierce as a wild dragon. In his first tourney, he chipped his tooth. Aemon was the youngest and the bastard of the king. A quiet boy, who only seemed to have his sword in mind.

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Why are there no Percy Jackson x Wheel of time crossovers?! I need one pls and thank you world

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