#anyways now I am caught between wanting to rewatch Star Wars again and needing to see Songbirds and Snakes

[melhekhelmurkun]

I’m at that point where I’m obsessing over two separate fandoms at once (Star Wars and Hunger Games) and so my brain’s solution is to scour Ao3 for HG aus for the Star Wars fandom, but the problem here is those are two VERY depressing fandoms with very sad canon events and mashing them together makes it even sadder

[queenoflit97]

Roadtrip

This one is inspired by some instagram posts I stumbled across, illustrating an online friendship between Garfield Logan and Peter Parker. So I got to work writing my own DC/Marvel crossover, specifically Titans and Spider-Man with some mention of the Avengers. To avoid making this story complicated, its continuity will be taking place outside of the snap (otherwise it would be entirely too long lol). Anyways I hope you guys enjoy the story!

It's been a couple of months since Gar and Peter started talking. They met in an online chatroom dedicated to star wars and they really hit it off. Eventually Gar told him about his powers and the Titans and Peter told him about being Spider-Man and the Avengers. They talked about the bad guys they fought and traded fighting strategies. It made Gar happy to have a friend outside of the Titans, someone uninvolved with all their crazy drama. But all that was about to change......

*ding* Gar eagerly slid over to his laptop, hoping it was Peter.

Peter: Hey.

Gar: What's up?

Peter: I need your help.

Gar: Is everything okay?

Peter: No. It's bad Gar. I tried calling the Avengers, but they're not answering! My friends, my Aunt, my girlfriend, they're all gone! I have no idea what's going on, but I need your help!

Gar: How am I supposed to help?

Peter: Come to New York.

Gar: Are you serious?!

Peter: Yes! Please Gar. There's no one else I can ask.

Gar: Okay.

Gar sprinted from his desk, grabbing his backpack and jacket along the way. He stayed in the kitchen and waited until everyone went to their rooms. Once he made sure the last person had rounded the corner, he yanked his backpack from the cabinet he'd hidden it in and made a run for the elevator. "Freeze!" Rachel yelled from behind him. "Damnit!" Gar muttered to himself. "Where are you going?" She raised her eyebrow, questioning him. "Out." Gar smiled nervously. "Out where?" She pressed. "Y'know, just...out." Gar gulped. "I know you're up to something, and I'm not moving until you talk. So talk." Rachel stated firmly, narrowing her eyes at him. "..........Fine! I'm going to New York." Gar stammered quickly, explaining himself. "What?! You can't be serious?!" Rachel exclaimed. "Yeah. I am." Gar responded calmly. "And how the hell were you planning on getting there?!" Rachel scolded him. "I don't know, but I'll figure it out!" Gar snapped at her. Rachel sighed, staying silent for a moment before responding, "Why are you even going to New York in the first place?" "Peter needs help." Gar frowned. "Your online friend? What could possibly be so bad that you'd need to go all the way to New York to help him?" Rachel asked, concerned. "His friends and family are missing and his superhero friends aren't around to help! So he needs my help! I'm going, and I don't care if you tell on me!" Gar huffed, turning towards the elevator. "Then I'm going with you." Rachel crossed her arms. "Really?" Gar asked, surprised. "Well yeah. I can't let you get into trouble all by yourself, now can I?" Rachel chuckled. "Roadtrip?" Gar smirked. "Suuuuure." Rachel chuckled, joining Gar in the elevator.

*45 minutes later*

"Which flight should we take?" Gar asked as he studied the schedule. "It doesn't matter which one we take, it's still a five hour flight." Rachel groaned. "What's with the attitude?" Gar asked cautiously. "Flying will take too long. And I assume your friend needs help sooner rather than later, yeah?" Rachel explained. "Okay, well do you have a better idea then?" Gar questioned her. "Yeah. I can take us there." Rachel answered. "How?" Gar asked, confused. "I can open a portal from here to there. All I have to do is focus on where I want to go." Rachel explained. "You can do that?!" Gar replied, still confused. "Yes, now come on!" Rachel rolled her eyes as she dragged him out of the airport.

*******

Within minutes, they were in New York. "Okay, so where exactly does your friend live?" Rachel asked. "Queens." Gar answered. "Alright, next stop-" "Wait! Don't you think we should lay low until we find Peter? I mean, we have no idea what's going on here." Gar cut her off before she could open another portal. "Good idea. But how are we supposed to get to Queens?" Rachel asked. "We take the subway." Gar answered, pointing at the station below. "Okay." Rachel nodded. "Two tickets to Queens." Gar smiled, putting all the money he had through the window. "Here you go." The woman in the booth handed him the tickets. Gar thanked the woman, and handed one of the tickets to Rachel.

*******

When they reached their stop, Gar pulled out his phone.

Gar: I just arrived in Queens, where are you?

Peter: At my apartment. 20 Ingram Street, Forest Hills.

Gar: I'm on my way.

Peter: Hey Gar?

Gar: Yeah?

Peter: Thanks.

Gar: No problem.

*******

*knock* *knock* "Peter?" Gar called out. Before he could say anything else, the door swung open. "Finally!" Peter breathed a sigh of relief. "How can we help?" Gar asked. "We?" Peter replied, confused. "Yeah. I kinda got caught on my way out. But don't worry, you can trust Rachel. She wants to help just as much as I do." Gar reassured him. Peter nodded and shuffled them all inside.

"What exactly is going on?" Rachel questioned. "Everyone I care about is missing." Peter answered. "Did any of them try to contact you before they went missing?" Gar asked. "Yeah, Ned and MJ did. It was weird though..." Peter trailed off. "Weird how?" Rachel pressed. "Well Ned and I were on a video call and there was this weird sound...here, I recorded it just in case." Peter explained, grabbing his phone to show them.  A high pitched screech filled the room. "AGH!" They all winced, covering their ears. "Then the video just.....crashed." Peter sighed. "Weird." Gar mumbled to himself as rewatched the clip. "Uh, so what happened with MJ?" Rachel continued. "We were talking on the phone while I was patrolling the city. I heard the same sound, the audio got warbled and distorted, and then she hung up. And everytime I tried to call back, it went straight to voicemail. Ned's too." Peter explained. "What's that in the corner?" Gar asked, showing them both the phone. "What's what?" They questioned at the same time. "This. It's black, shiny and more importantly it's moving." Gar specified. "I have no idea." Peter scratched his head in confusion.

Just then Peter's phone went off. "It's MJ!" He yelled, snatching the phone from Gar's hand to answer it. It was a video call. It was glitchy and the audio was distorted. "Pee..t...er! He....lp I....dddo....n't....knnn...oow......ceeee....ntral.....pp.....ark!" A high pitched screech blared through the phone, then the call ended. "We have to go find her!" Peter threw his phone down and began rummaging for his suit. "How?! We don't even know where to look!" Rachel exclaimed. "She mentioned Central Park during the call, so that's where we're going!" Peter yelled as he frantically pulled his suit on. "Look, we don't even know who or what we're up against. We can't just go running down there without a plan." Gar explained calmly. "*sigh* You're right. So what do we do?" Peter asked. "We take the stealth approach. Go in unnoticed." Rachel suggested. "Rach you're brilliant!" Gar exclaimed. "And how exactly are we supposed to pull that off?" Peter questioned. "I can make a portal from your apartment to central park." Rachel smiled. "You can do that? She can do that?" Peter questioned them. They both nodded.

*******

"That was awesome!" Peter exclaimed quietly. "Thanks." Rachel whispered back. "Guys! We're on a rescue mission! Now's not the time!" Gar whisper yelled at them. "Right, sorry. What's our next move?" Peter asked. "We need to find cover." Gar answered. "What about the park bathrooms?" Rachel suggested. "Perfect. Let's go." Gar agreed, and they quietly made their way over.

"Now what?" Peter asked. "Here, I swiped these before we left. They'll be our line of communication." Gar answered, pulling the com case out of his pocket. "Now we layout our approach. Gar?" Rachel looked at Gar to continue. "Okay, Peter you'll come in on the right, I'll come in on the left, and Rachel will be front and center. Seeing as she is the most powerful out of all of us." Gar pointed out. They all nodded in agreement.

"HEEEELP! PETER!!" A female voice screamed. "MJ!" Peter exclaimed. He bolted from the bathroom with Gar and Rachel behind him. The screaming got louder as they got closer. "Where are they?!" Peter yelled in frustration. "PETER!!" Another female voice screamed out. Rachel turned in the direction of the noise, "Guys, I found them!" Rachel pointed towards the middle of the park. Before she could say anything else, Peter bolted again.

When they reached the middle there were two men standing there. One they didn't didn't recognize at all, and the other they did. "Deathstroke!" Gar and Rachel gasped in unison. "Who?!" Peter yelled, frustrated. "He's a hit man that's been after the Tians for years, even before Gar and I joined. And he's supposed to be dead." Rachel explained. "I'm a hard man to kill." Deathstroke reminded them. "Why do you have Peter's family?!" Rachel snapped at him. "You see, I made a deal with Mr. Brock. He wanted your friend Peter and I wanted you. Simple." Deathatroke explained. "You're a hard kid to track down Peter. We need your help. You're the only one who's smart enough." Eddie chimed in. "We?" Peter questioned. "Silly me, I almost forgot to introduce you!" Eddie laughed as the shiny black goo began to cover his body. "RAAAAAGHHHHHH!!!" It growled. "What the hell is that?!" Gar looked on in shock. "I AM VENOM!" He announced himself. "AHHHGGG!!!!" Peter yelled as the symbiote lifted him into the air. Gar frantically tore off his clothes and lunged forward, transforming. He bit Venom, making him wince and drop Peter. Rachel unleashed her power, engulfing Venom in darkness. The screams of his Aunt, MJ, and Ned filled the air. Peter webbed Deathstroke, pulling him away. He tried to fight him off, but Deathstroke overpowered him. "NNNNNGGHHHH!" Peter yelled out as he tried to hold back the blade inching towards his face. Rachel turned her attention to Deathstroke, wrapping him in darkness. Peter threw the blade back and made a run for it. He began to free his family, when Venom lunged for him. Gar jumped on the symbiote, clawing and biting at him until he retracted back into Eddie. "Please!" Eddie pleaded, breathing heavily. "What do you want! Huh!" Peter yelled angrily. "It's not what I want, it's what he wants. He's getting bored with the same old meat suit, wants to try on a new one. And you're the perfect candidate." Eddie explained. "No. I won't do it." Peter stated firmly. "That's okay, I guess. But it might cost you the people you love if you don't." Eddie assured him. "NOOOOOO!" Peter yelled, lunging at Eddie. Just as he did, the symbiote began to separate itself from Eddie and attach to Peter. "AAAHHHHHGGG!" Peter yelled and squirmed as the symbiote tried to meld with him. Rachel used her powers to get between Peter and the symbiote, pushing it apart with all her might. She finally freed him and the symbiote fled. "DAMMNIT!" Eddie yelled, angrily lunging at Peter. Gar jumped on top of him, knocking him out. "Peter!" His Aunt, MJ, and Ned sighed in relief, hugging him. "Where's Deathstroke?" Gar pointed out his absence as he finished re-dressing himself. "Gone. But he'll be back." Rachel answered.

*******

Everyone went back to Peter's apartment to say their goodbyes. "I can't thank you guys enough!" Peter gushed. "That's what friends do." Gar smiled. "Yeah. Anytime you need help, just give us a call." Rachel assured him. "Definitely. Hey, you guys need a ride to the airport?" Peter offered. "Nah. We got it covered." Gar assured him. "Okay. Well, thanks again and safe travels." Peter waved them off. As he shut the door, a shiny, black glob slipped in unnoticed.

******

"How mad do you think Dick is going to be?" Gar asked nervously. "Oh, we're so dead!" Rachel laughed as they went through the portal to get home.

[youremyonlyhope]

The Force Awakens

Almost 4 years ago, I started my Star Wars rewatch by watching the original series in preparation to watch the Force Awakens. Then I rewatched the prequels before The Last Jedi. And now I’m seeing Rise of Skywalker on Sunday, so it’s time to rewatch the 2 other sequels.

I’ve rewatched the Force Awakens a couple of times since I first saw it, so it should still be fresh in my mind. As for the Last Jedi, I have not been able to bring myself to watch that one because of the ending. Not because I hated it, I loved it, but because it hurts.

Also, this gives me a distraction so I don’t get spoiled for Rise of Skywalker. Again. Can’t believe I’ve been spoiled twice already in just 2 days... luckily it was the same spoiler twice. One that was vague and I hoped it wasn’t right, but then the other one was a gif of the scene so now I know it’s true. Ugh...

This is super long and I apologize in advance.

“A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...” I didn’t see the Force Awakens in theaters. I saw it at home nearly a year later (after getting spoiled for all major plot points during that year). So I can’t IMAGINE the pure joy that people felt when they got to see the opening title crawl for the first time in 10 years. I wish I had seen it in theaters. Ok. I don’t like that I can’t pause Disney+ with the spacebar like other streaming sites let me... or maybe it’s just my computer. ANYWAY. I forgot that the opening crawl literally says “Skywalker, the last Jedi” in it, accidentally telling us the title of the next movie. Yeah so I can already tell I’ll be pausing every like 2 seconds. But I love this opening shot of a ship blocking out a MOON. Oh and NOW the spacebar works to pause. One of those stormtroopers is Finn. Awww. BB8! I didn’t realize he’s (they’re?) the first character we see (that we know is an important character since at this point we don’t really know which stormtrooper is Finn). Poe! Giving a message to a droid... so I know we like to think of Poe as the Han of the sequel trio... but honestly he’s the Leia. Yeah I mean... a friend (or at least co-worker) smearing their blood on your face with their hand as they die is definitely traumatizing enough to make you rethink your life. Finn, I don’t blame you. I started this scene like “Oh we’re gonna get the Knights of Ren and Kylo freezing the blaster ray using the Force” then I got so into the scene that I forgot Kylo was going to show up at all.

It’s not a Star Wars rewatch if my grandma doesn’t call and interrupt at least once. This time it was right as Kylo came out of the ship.

Kylo’s powerful. I’ll give him that. Holding that blaster ray for as long as he's about to. I love Poe looking back at it. Poe’s first lines to Kylo are joking about who gets to talk first, when Kylo’s literally still holding a blaster ray in midair and knows Poe has the map he wants. And people say “General Hugs” during a battle was out of character. GENERAL PHASMA! GWENDOLINE MY QUEEN! Poor baby Finn. [BB8 moans softly] BB8 NO DON’T CRY. Oh poor Finn. But yay first time we see his face! It just hit me that now I’m the same age/older than John and Daisy when they filmed this... great.... AND REY! I remember when we first saw footage of her climbing around, I said to my dad “I think that’s supposed to be Han and Leia’s daughter.” So far I’m wrong. I’ve been holding out hope for years that maybe just maybe there will be a twist and I’m right. I’m fine with her parents being nobodies, but I kind of want to be right. I’m probably not. The scale of that ship behind her... The shot of her speeding across the desert has such... original trilogy vibes. It never registered to me that Rey has some wilting flowers. That brings new meaning to the “so much green” scene later... Awwww the practical effect bread... Ok. I’m being nit picky, but they drained it just a split second too early. If it’d drained just a millisecond later, it would have been perfectly timed with the inflation of the bread. But that’s just me nitpicking for no reason. It’s an impressive effect. “Classified? Me too. Big secret.” LOL even at the time I knew the fandom was making a big fuss about that line for nothing. Too on the nose for it to truly be a big secret she’s keeping from the world. I figured she meant it was a big secret to her. Of course... then people got mad that they wasted their time analyzing that... it’s their own fault really. I forgot that they actually eventually get the location of the map out of Poe. Oh and hi General Hugs! “This is a rescue. I’m helping you escape.” Yep Poe is Leia. She was initially being rescued, but then ends up having to help rescue her rescuer(s) while they’re trying to rescue her. “Because it’s the right thing to do.” If Finn was raised as a stormtrooper, even just to work in sanitation, he wouldn’t necessarily have a moral compass since he wouldn’t know what’s right... at this point I think he just knows he doesn’t like killing... Like how Zuko didn’t realize he wasn’t good because he was taught something else was good. (YES. Finn is closer to Zuko) “You need a pilot” “I need a pilot” Ok see so it’s not necessarily what’s right, but he knows this is how he can get out. Sorta selfish, but not really. Oooooh yeah! It’s Thomas Brodie-Sangster! Forgot he was in this. Wilhelm Scream! Poe naming Finn. Aww. Ok see. How does Kylo know Finn’s identification? Did he ask Phasma “who was the one with the blood on his helmet?” right after they got back on the ship? Because otherwise, he’d have no way to tell them apart in that moment, I don’t think they have their names on their armor unless I never noticed, and even then Kylo would be too far away to read it. There’s a picture of little baby Finn... he was so young when the First Order took him (I assume they took him, I’d hate it if his parents sent him there) OH WOW. ANOTHER WOMAN! Oh and it’s whats-her-face, she was in Deathly Hallows Part 1. (IMDB says Kate Fleetwood) See, back in the day the Empire had no women in their ranks. This is the only thing the First Order is doing right, equal opportunity to be a space Nazi. I forgot that the wreckage gets sucked into the sand... that sucks. Here’s where Poe would have died if Oscar hadn’t been so charismatic. Also, do we ever find out how he survived this? I forgot about the explosion afterwards that just adds insult to injury. Was that necessary? Was that supposed to be funny? If it was, why are people criticizing the Last Jedi’s humor if this moment tries to make us laugh at a character dying... I hope that wasn’t meant to be funny... My poor baby... stranded on a strange desert planet... alone... with the First Order looking for him... I love this giant hippo thing. I want one.

Whiny fanboys: Rey’s a Mary Sue! She can’t know how to fight already! Rey: *Been fighting creeps at the market since she was born*

And I love how she caught Finn. Oh nooo BB8 no don’t cry! Finn, babe, why would you just tell Rey about the map!? Babe! I get that you want to seem reliable and credible, but baby! No! The way Rey was sort of horrified by Finn holding her hand... makes me really wonder what she’s been through. “Stop taking my hand!” Aww and how she offers her hand to him. “The garbage will do” Oh how I wish I hadn’t been spoiled that that was the Millennium Falcon reveal. But that line did create a meme so that’s fun. Wow the Millennium Falcon has been through a LOT. That dramatic zoom in as they fly into the ship (I’m sorry, I do not have ship names memorized) was very Torchwood. The sudden, almost shaky and unnecessary zoom. That upside down shot though. Amazing. And also terrifying. “You’re ok. He’s with the Resistance” *BB8 gives Finn a pointed look* I am DEAD. Oh and the Powerpoint style transitions between scenes. Very necessary. Vital to every Star Wars movie. Kylo. You’re like 30. You should not still have temper tantrums. Grow up. Awww BB8. The internal battle. Followed by the thumbs up. Adorable. Literally for a second I was like “How could the First Order override the controls of the Millennium - HAN!!!!” HAN AND CHEWIE!!!!! I will never forget watching the Force Awakens trailer for the first time with my dad, and nearly sobbing over “Chewie... we’re home.” Also what the hell, Chewie has been through SO MUCH and he’s STILL around! He was protecting Yoda in Revenge of the Sith! And then ends up enslaved and being fed people before Han meets him in Solo!?!?!? What?!?!?!? AND had a whole family before all of that!?!??!?!?!?

Also, watching Solo and realizing that Chewie’s been forced to eat people literally shattered my heart into a billion pieces. I wanted to cry seeing him covered in that mud and trying to kill Han.

Aww, Han and Chewie know the hiding places. I’m not even a third of the way through and I’ve written way too much.

Finn: Han Solo, the Rebellion general? Rey: No, the smuggler! Finn: Wasn’t he a war hero? Chewie: *Grunts and shrugs ‘I don’t know’*

That says so much about all of their characters. Oh god the 12 parsecs thing. I was legitimately MAD when I was watching Solo and realized that they had actually figured out a way to make the 12 parsecs thing make sense. That they actually solved and fixed George Lucas’ mistake, when he was literally just trying to find a cool word and didn’t care about the actual meaning. I am still so angry they managed to fix it in a way that made sense. I started raging once I realized that they were doing it. Awww Han in the cockpit. Ok Finn there you go again, telling everyone about the map to Luke. You’re lucky that Han’s one of the few people it’s good to tell. It could have gone so wrong with Rey. That subtle Binary Sunset piercing my heart. Hey it’s that kid from that Eaters of Light episode of Doctor Who. And when I watched that episode I was like hey it’s that kid from the Force Awakens. He looks familiar to me, but those are the only two things I’ve seen him in. “I got a bad feeling about this” He said the thing! Yeah the Rathtars are gross. Aww and he grabbed her hand again to run. I just noticed that they made the camera lens blurry on the edge, like some of the goo got on it. “That was lucky.” Rey’s so modest. I forgot that they hyperspeeded through the Rathtar... also did that happen in the original series too or am I just remembering it wrong? Anyway, Admiral Holdo did it best. 2nd mention of the last Jedi. Also, LOL remember when everyone was theorizing who Snoke was? My favorite theory was that he was Mace Windu. That was a WILD conspiracy theory. “In the hands of your father... Han Solo.” Oh the dramatic reveal. Awww BB8 running away from Chewie’s roar. Awwww the hologram game! And it’s still stop motion! “It’s true. The Force. The Jedi. All of it.” I forget what video I was watching, but they pointed out that this was Han’s arc. Learning to believe in the Force. I guess in that way, he has a satisfying ending. “I didn’t know there was this much green in the whole galaxy” I remember people saying that Han’s face is basically him thinking ‘...oh no... looks like I gotta adopt this kid.’

...It’s hitting me that we’re going to see Leia in this movie... and I’m gonna be emotional...

...AM I JUST NOW REALIZING THAT CHEWIE’S STRAP OVER HIS CHEST IS A STRAP TO A BAG? I THOUGHT IT WAS JUST TO HOLD AMMO OR SOMETHING?!?!? I’ve been a Star Wars fan for HOW many years and I’m just noticing this?!!? Also, in an alternate universe, Han survives and Rey goes off with him and Chewie and they have smuggling adventures and everyone’s happy and alive. Catina music by Lin Manuel! Yay! WOLFMAN! THEY PUT THE WOLFMAN IN THIS! WOW. Look at them shading George Lucas’s rerelease edits. ...Ok so Maz is definitely Force sensitive if she knew Han was there right away, right? Also, Maz is an example of how before Rose Tico and whoever Naomi plays in RoS (I will not google her character name because I know I will get spoiled), we very rarely see AND hear women of color, we get just one or the other. They’re either in the background with no lines or playing a character that isn’t a human if they have lines. The only exception coming to mind is the Queen of Naboo who took over after Padme, Jamillia. Ok I forgot that the lady who rats them out to the First Order actually gets a line and isn’t painted green, so good for her! I love her costume too. Too bad she’s evil.

See. We hear the breathing of Vader, because Ani is so done with his idiot grandson worshipping him that he’s sighing in defeat in the afterlife. Ani needs to Force Ghost himself over to Kylo and be like “DID YOU NOT UNDERSTAND THAT WHEN I THREW A SITH LORD DOWN A HOLE THAT IT MEANT I WAS TURNING AGAINST THE DARK SIDE? DID THAT GO OVER YOUR HEAD? DID MY ENTIRE CHARACTER ARC GO OVER YOUR HEAD??” Please, what I want most from the Rise of Skywalker (besides making sure Leia gets the proper send off she deserves) is Hayden coming back as a Force Ghost and knocking some sense into Kylo.

Oh Finn. The captions tell us who was talking during the vision... and there WAS a lot of Obi-Wan dialogue... Also poor Rey. She probably definitely remembers her parents, but just blocked it out. Now. If after the endless lines of soldiers, the podium with a giant red and black flag behind it, and the arms rising up still make the space Nazi thing go over your head... then we just can’t help you anymore. HEY! WAS THAT WHATSHERFACE?!? Ghost from Ant-Man and the Wasp? Was that her? Yes! IMDB says it was Hannah John-Kamen! Look at you girl! Too bad you’re evil too. Ok. I will admit that I blanked out for General Hugs’ speech because who wants to listen to a space Nazi. But, has the Star Destroyer been mentioned before this point in the movie? Because I literally can’t remember. If Hugs said it then I probably let my mind wander. Oh and I do appreciate these two dudes who were like “Yeah sure Finn, come with us, work for a bit, and we’ll help you get far away” and were going to let Finn come along with them. They seem nice. Also. Here’s the girl who’s not Freema Ageman. Not every black girl is Martha Jones. The entire internet was like “Martha was in Star Wars!” then I watched the movie and I was like “...that literally was not Freema what are you all on about?” IMDB says she’s Maisie Richardson-Sellers, she’s also in Legends of Tomorrow, which is something I do hope to watch one day. So good for her. The ion engines sounded like the TARDIS for a split second and I was VERY confused. “How did you get that?” “A good question for another time.” Ok JJ you gotta stop with all these unanswered questions that you pose. I get that that’s your thing. And that you have some term for it. But there’s too many now. This one better get answered in Rise of Skywalker. That behind the back shot though. I’m convinced Han’s Force sensitive too. Not even convinced, I think it’s canon. LOL remember when everyone named that stormtrooper who recognized Finn TR-8R.

Finn: *Manages to function using a lightsaber even though he’s only trained with blasters* Fanboys: *Silence* Rey: *Fights with a lightsaber well since she’s fought with sticks her whole life and it’s a similar concept* Fanboys: MARY SUE! SHE CAN’T BE THAT GOOD THAT FAST!

Oh my god it’s the Resistance FINALLY. POE!!!! Yes, I did just scream “Poe!!” out loud. Now, I’m not sure where these forest scenes were filmed, but if you told me the same forest where half of Merlin’s forest scenes were filmed then I would not be shocked. Merlin had some scenes in a similarly narrow trench/valley/pathway/thing. No but seriously, yes the plants look like they’re more tropical than whatever forest Merlin filmed in in the UK, but the trench looks so similar. Oh god the second we saw Leia I froze. And then Leia’s Theme played and I had a sad smile. And then C-3PO popped up and I laughed. Awwww. I love C-3PO so much. There’s so much that body language can convey. Oh no. While watching Finn and Poe reunite, I suddenly remembered that fanedit that put Helpless from Hamilton as the background of the scene. And i laughed. Oh 2015. When all we cared about was Star Wars and Hamilton. That lip bite. Oscar stop it. Billie Lourd! So I’ve realized over the years that R2D2 kind of sucks. Not that I don’t love him. But he spends the entire original trilogy lying by omission, when he could have just told them everything he knew from the prequels (since he WITNESSED everything and didn’t have his memory erased like 3PO did). And now, he just sits back while everyone scrambles to find Luke and does nothing, WHEN HE HAS THE ANSWER. Yes. I get that it’s deeper than that. But still. It’s funny to think that R2 just wants to sit back and watch the drama unfold while not telling anyone that Vader is Luke’s dad or that he has Luke’s map. (Unless I’m remembering it incorrectly and R2 doesn’t have it. If that’s the case R2 gets a pass this one time.) [It wasn’t the case, R2 doesn’t get a pass] “It is very doubtful that R2 would have the rest of the map in his backup data.” C-3PO are you sure? Because I’m not. I think low-power mode means R2 wants to relax and watch the soap opera that is Star Wars unfold. “There’s still light in him, I know it.” For your sake Leia, I hope there is too. But Kylo is going to need a hell of a redemption arc in tRoS. See, and I can’t remember when I found this out, but the ashes that he puts his helmet in are the ashes of people he’s killed. Kylo Ren SAVES the ashes. He has a TUB of them in his office. What is WRONG with him!??! Yeah so him reading her mind about the ocean was just plain creepy. I just... don’t understand Reylo shippers. “You. You’re afraid... that you will never be as strong as Darth Vader.” And he’s right to be afraid! Ani eventually had the strength to turn himself around! Kylo Ren could never! I won’t believe it till I see it! And even then I might not believe it! I think that people forget that Kylo’s supposed to be like 30 years old. I will say that Adam plays the role in this first movie like Kylo’s very young with a hint of a tiny possibility that he feels like he’s in over his head. Really he only plays it that way when the helmet’s off. So I get that he seems younger, but Adam was like 30 when he filmed this too. So why do so many fans coddle Kylo when he’s a grown man? A grown man who’s killing people. After a certain point, you can’t blame Luke or his parents or Snoke... if the guy is literally worshipping his grandfather and ignoring the fact that even Ani turned back to the light side... then the guy has issues. Rey failed twice before getting the Jedi mind trick right. Also, I love that Daisy’s face kind of sorta softened with less fear before she said the command and got it right. I’ve seen the scene of the stormtroopers literally going “Nope” and turning away from Kylo’s tantrum many times over the years, but I didn’t realize that Kylo screams “GUARDS” as he does it until I saw the caption just now. So not only are the stormtroopers like “I don’t want to get into that” they’re like “Let’s act like we didn’t hear him scream for us and let someone else get into that.” Which is even more hilarious. Ok it’s Starkiller not Star Destroyer. Whatever. I was close. But I knew that Luke’s last name was originally Starkiller, so I honestly should have guessed Starkiller in the first place. Whatever. Hey Admiral Akbar! The guy talking about the thermal oscillator looks familiar... was he in Night Shift... IMDB says he’s Ken Leung and yes he was in the Night Shift! Good for him! Awww that was the last time Han and Leia ever saw each other... “That’s not how the Force works.” The captions are telling me that the stormtroopers Rey is hiding from are just talking about how much their new weapons suck. That’s hilarious. “Is there a garbage shoot? Trash compactor?” Oh Han, I see what you did there. Wow, I didn’t notice that the walls of the base are rock, that it’s literally built INTO the planet. Awwwww Finn gave Rey his jacket! I was thinking she must be cold in just a t-shirt after living in a desert. Because I rewatched the last half of RotJ after Force Awakens, I was able to realize that this scene of Han and Chewie planting the bombs was a reference to RotJ, but only because of watching Force Awakens earlier that day. Really, I should have gotten the reference the other way around. “We’ll meet back here.” NOOOOO BUT YOU WON’T. THIS IS THE LAST TIME! Wait, did we not know his name was Ben before this? Was that the moment we all realized he was named after Obi-Wan? (Also, never really got that since Han and Leia knew Obi-Wan for only a couple of days at most... but whatever) Chewie keep going! Keep going and planting bombs while they’re distracted by Han! Come on! Ok I wanted to mention it earlier, but there was a lightbeam hitting Kylo when Snoke’s hologram disappeared, and that was after Snoke told him to be careful of going back to the light. Now as Han walks towards Kylo, there’s another lightbeam. It’s all very literal, but still. I like it. UH OH. I forgot about the light from the sun going away. Now Kylo’s literally in the darkness. We’re getting super literal now. (Also, I now realize that Poe’s line of “As long as we have the light we have a chance” was also a on-the-nose reference to light vs. dark and not just exposition about stopping the Starkiller, though it was also exposition.) I like to think that Han sorta knew that Kylo would kill him, and that he hoped it would eventually lead him to the light in some way and be worth it. But wow seeing Han fall hurts. OH AND LEIA. I FORGOT ABOUT LEIA KNOWING IMMEDIATELY AND JUST SINKING DOWN. OH I HURT. See. Finn’s literally just using a lightsaber like any other sword. Just hit your target with it. Because anyone can do that. Yes Rey! Summon that lightsaber! Earn that Binary Sunset! Trench run. Because Star Wars. Ok I gotta replay all of that because I was too busy getting lost in my mind about something and got distracted. Why is the Starkiller base falling apart? Ok got it, Poe hit a bunch of stuff that exploded. Cool.

Ok see. Some of the fans think fighting with a lightsaber is like a integral part of being one with the Force and being a Jedi. But literally, you just need to know is how to fight with a sword or a stick and you can fight with a lightsaber. The Force just means you’re better at predicting your opponent’s next moves, sensing the danger, knowing the best move to make, etc. That’s why Rey started winning against Kylo when he said “Join me and let me teach you the ways of the Force.” Before that, she’s just fighting like she would with her stick and all that’s doing is helping her survive and keep Kylo at bay, but she’s not winning. Being reminded that she’s Force sensitive let her tap into that and start incorporating that into the fight. Now she’s using the skills she already has, and using the Force to help her predict Kylo’s moves. She’s not magically good at using a lightsaber, she just already had skills that were easily transferable to a lightsaber and using the Force to enhance it.

I don’t think we’ve lost any arms yet in this movie, besides C-3PO off-screen.

OH. AND SNOKE SAYS KYLO NEEDS TO COMPLETE HIS TRAINING! He’s not even a full Sith Lord yet! He’s still being trained! So no, Rey did not just defeat a powerful Sith Lord, she defeated a Sith Lord in training. And she barely defeated him, he was already injured, she just fought hard enough to bring him to the ground. Then the ground literally separated them. Basically, I’m tired of people being mad that Rey has skills, she already had them. Plus, she’s not magically the most powerful Jedi ever like Ani was, she’s just strong. So go critique Ani for being literal space Jesus.

Oh Chewie. He’s alone saving Finn and Rey. My heart is breaking. All teams, Poe? You mean you and the other two who are left? Ok fine, there are a couple more X-Wings behind the Millennium Falcon. You and the other 6 who are left. Playing the Love Theme one last time. I am hurting. OH. NOW YOU WAKE UP, R2D2? NOW YOU WAKE UP? AFTER HAN DIES, YOU WAKE UP? Aww BB8′s like “Dad! Give me the map! I wanna put the puzzle together!” So I was right to be mad at R2D2. Literally sitting back, watching the drama, then at the end is like “Oh by the way, I have all the rest of the information you needed.” (Yes, I realize that I guess we’re supposed to infer that he spent all those years in low power mode trying to find the map, but whatever.) “May the Force be with you.” Oh Leia. Oh Carrie. Oh R2D2 NOW you’re excited. If you wanted to see Luke so bad, you should have found the map faster. You just know Luke knew they were coming, so he was like “Let me get my cloak out and stand on the highest point all mysteriously.” since he too lives for the drama (as we saw from all the flips in RotJ). Oh I love that ending so much. Some people think Last Jedi ruins the suspense of the ending. I love it. I love that Luke takes a minute to just stare at Rey and the lightsaber before deciding to chuck it over a cliff.

I’m watching the credits, and I noticed that Harrison gets first billing. I literally just said out loud “Why does Harri- ok no fine actually” since I realized this was his last Star Wars movie, so give him first billing. He deserves it.

So that’s the Force Awakens. Very enjoyable. I forget where I heard/read this, but the Force Awakens and Rogue One are like Star Wars comfort food. Super full of nostalgia.

And I do agree at least to an extent. Especially since the Force Awakens is like A New Hope all over again. A droid with a special message. Evil character with a spherical base that destroys planets. The evil Empire’s gone, but the evil First Order has taken over. And the Rebels are now the Resistance and are not that much better off than they were before.

But I LIVE for the nostalgia. Throughout the entirety of the prequels, I said that the best moments were the callbacks/references to the original series. The sequels do that better, so I really enjoy them.

Also I don’t actually hate R2D2. But the theory/idea that R2 is secretly a horrible person because of the fact he seems to know everything but never actually tell anyone what he knows is hilarious to me. And I never realized how well the Force Awakens fits into that theory. So it’s super funny to me.

Now hopefully, I can watch all of The Last Jedi tomorrow. I have a bit of a day... and this rewatch took like 4 hours since I literally paused every 2 seconds to write something. For the Last Jedi, I need to try to write less so I can pause less and finish the movie.