#despite me thinking he is manipulating Ezra which he does to get what he wants there is something gentle and tender there

[13ag21k]

I headcanon Ezra as someone who absolutely adores being taken care of and knowing there are people out there who care for him and take notice of his potential, that's why despite everything that Maul does to them and despite his manipulation Ezra still doesn't hate him, Maul still protects him from the Tusken raiders and calls him apprentice and he doesn't use violence with Ezra and maybe I'm looking too much into this but I would've absolutely loved to see them grow a stronger bond where Maul only opens up to Ezra and trusts him and is redeemed slowly. But I kid you not I mostly would be thrilled to see Kanan and Maul argue over the methods the other uses to teach Ezra and constantly tell him to pick a side.

Ahsoka probably sees them all together and frowns, a little amused by the situation she asks: so Kanan is your master?

Ezra: Yes.

Ahsoka: and Maul also?

*insert a shot with Ezra holding Kanan and Maul's hand on each side*

Ezra: yes.

I'm smiling from ear to ear just thinking about Kanan training Ezra and trying to teach him some important jedi technique and philosophy regarding the force and Maul just making snarky comments and constantly correcting Kanan or Maul straight up barges into the room and slames the door open yelling: Ezra it is sith training time, While Kanan's eyes go as wide as saucers "HIS WHAT?" And a whole fight breaks out and Ezra just walks out with a face palm, head hanging low, tired and lowkey absolutely fond of the way these people who could have absolutely anyone as their apprentices to guide and look over chose him and care for him, who only a while ago had no one to trust and rely on, thinking he is alone and unwanted and now there are so many people believing in him, cheering him on and wanting to pass down their wisdom to him.

That's what would've made my heart explode and brain glitch with happiness.

*cue to me crying*

Also Maul calls Ezra "little sith" and Kanan flinches visibly everytime he hears this nickname, Ezra loves it tho.

[brujitaadinbo]

You know; I was discussing the series with my friends team Dinbo in our group chat and despite our differences on things about the series; We didn't have any problem about Osha and Quimir developing feelings, BUT….

We began to see and notice something that in particular makes me quite angry, which is the hypocrisy of the toxic SW fandom.

and here comes my not at all humble opinion and what I take into account from my friends. The fact that Osha and Qimir are enemies then lovers can be accepted and everything is fine. BUT let's be honest, Qimir's true intentions are other, intentions that are not good and can affect Osha; If in history they manage to develop Qimir for a redemption, well at least something like Kylo Rey would happen Although that does not mean that in both cases there is toxicity and manipulation, there is even aggression and that SHOULD NOT BE JUSTIFIED OR NORMALIZED. as has happened lately in SW material

nor deal with the premise of "we are trying to put dark romance in this content" because then that message becomes so repetitive that later it seems as if they were trying to tell us that it is something good, which it is not.

Because Qimir has a much better developed gift of persuasion to convince Osha, more polished than Kylo.

And that's what we think is really screwed with that hypocritical SW fandom that hides behind "there must be variety in the universe, they must let a man and a woman be friends"

It's just that you only like that when the couple is not to your liking, just like Din and Bo katan.

They foamed at the mouth, because "they shouldn't always put a man and a woman together, it's an imposition" when from season 2 they show us that dynamic between them of "enemies then lovers"

but what they really didn't like is that this couple left that level of toxicity that could have escalated due to Bo Katan's small manipulative movements. In season 3 everything was a reboot and redemption, it is obvious that a couple must be healthy for it to prosper!!!

and that's what they don't like, this fandom always takes the worst and enjoys it, it likes morbidity and conflict. That is why they hide that "they are just friends" when season 3 is very evident and their entire relationship is documented as a deeper connection than simple battle companions.

Regardless of whether Din is inspired by Pedro Pascal, of course it is the essence but it is not his tastes or preferences. The fandom gets carried away by their own projections when it suits them.

It seems ridiculous to me that in “Osha Qimir” they like more that level of morbidity that they themselves can develop and well here it is a “man-woman”

so??' Where is the coherence in what they discuss with Din and Bo or even Ezra and Sabine?

It is simply that, their own projections and they believe that with that, the other part of the fandom will be discouraged by something that is very evident that they show us that they want to happen.

Now take Katee's statements, sorry but… she said many things before and the fandom does not forget. He started that game of "it could be, we still don't know" then he took control of this shipment and even talked about material that was eliminated, which did happen and after the actors' strike, everything was silence and retracting what was said, which even Carl himself contradicted…. so???

And Brendan Wayne himself replicated this game and at the end in a certain podcast interview he mentioned how he wanted to interpret Din's feelings towards Bo, as if it were him and his wife.

That even Screen Rant changed everything he said because from the beginning they don't like that Din and Bo are paired together, so they resort to playing dirty and doing ridiculous things like negative publicity for this shipment in their mediocre notes Internet.

The truth is that I find the hypocrisy of that toxic fandom pathetic and sad, especially on Twitter. They are not going to impose their preferences and projections on characters that do NOT belong to them. This is so simple and clear to understand because it is reality.

I just hope that just as they give "Qimir Osha" the opportunity Give it to other couples developing in SW.

Just as it is happening to Din and Bo Katan because they had a great positive change and are standard bearers of an unconventional family but that represents a healthy and strong bond.

I wish Qimir and Osha would allow it. May Qimir develop positive feelings towards her, take care of her and not let his own Sith interests win, may he and Osha not be consumed by the dark side and give us a better ending than Rey and Kylo, ​​because they weren't allowed to; being together.

This is the way.

[manyfandomocs]

Hi I would like to know about your teen wolf characters (both the ones you are all about rn and the ones you want to work on) Tell me one important fact about each one and one fun fact please and thank you!

Yes yes absolutely as you wish

Avalon Ridley

Important: She's known about the supernatural aspect of Beacon Hills her whole life, cause she's always known she's a witch

Fun: She's been besties with Lydia since the second grade

Beckett Grove

Important: His birth parents didn't technically abandon him but he doesn't know that until (so far in my ideas) about s4

Fun: He was on the basketball team with Derek for like, half a season before he quit

Candace Monahan

Important: She's taken care of Gilead her whole life, but obviously it was more official when their parents died and they moved to Beacon Hills

Fun: She was a gymnast when she was younger

Caylin Hale

Important: When Peter came back and first saw her, he was planning on recruiting her for his pack

Fun: Her and Jackson have movie nights every week

Devin Parrish

Important: His parents are absent at best which is why he chooses to move to Beacon Hills with Jordan

Fun: He pretends to need Kira to tutor him to talk to her

Dylan Bradford

Important: Dylan's known about the supernatural since he was kid and saw a hunter shoot at a werewolf in the woods

Fun: He only started playing football cause he didn't make the lacrosse team and now that's why he actually has a lacrosse grudge

Ezra Brady

Important: Erica originally only was flirting with him to get to Scott

Fun: He only joined the lacrosse team cause Scott and Stiles were joining

Gilead Monahan

Important: He was the closest to his dad's best friend before his death

Fun: Gilead usually goes by Gil

Guinevere Bates

Important: She does ultimately remember who killed her uncle, which is what jumpstarted her banshee powers

Fun: She likes photography

Griffin Browning

Important: He's never been super dedicated to the hunting lifestyle the way his family wants

Fun: The only thing Griffin really likes about hunting is the traveling

Henrietta Atwood

Important: She's going after Scott because Peter asked her to, though around this time she has a huge crush on Peter that he is aware of and uses to manipulate her

Fun: Lydia and her had sleepovers every weekend in middle school

Julian Knights

Important: Despite the age difference, he really does see Chris as his brother and Kate as his sister

Fun: He does call Allison his niece which, while technically true, does kind of annoy her

Leon Hastings

Important: So far I'm thinking his mom chose to move to Beacon Hills on purpose, that with her mythology research she somehow found how much was going on in Beacon Hills

Fun: Jackson had a small crush on him

Serena Morgan

Important: Since I don't think it's been technically mention yet and just alluded to in her initial ask, she's a Siren. But I might change whether or not she already knows that

Fun: Isaac's dad does not like when she's over because she does not exactly hide her distaste for him

Vivian Bell

Important: Her name is on the dead pool which is how she really gets involved in everything

Fun: Mason is her neighbor

[ironmandeficiency]

I saw y'all discussing potential zodiac signs for Pascal's characters, what's your take on the major ones? I personally believe Marcus Pike is a cancer, Catfish's a pisces, Din's a virgo, Whiskey's an aries, Oberyn's either a leo or a libra, Ezra's a gemini or a sag, but I lean towards gemini. Javier's the poster child for Scorpio. Don't know about Maxwell Lord.

pedro character star signs

i’m so sorry it took so long, i was tweaking this so much bc i wanted to make sure i got it right! these are just what i think based on my astrology opinions, i hope you like it! 💕 i added their moon signs for flair bc i can. gonna tag a few friends i think may be interested, hope it’s not an inconvenience

max phillips: aries sun & moon. his ambition and charisma paired with the carefree attitude and optimism are an optimum fire sign duality and despite the fact i shouldn't, i love it so much. he has an inner child that he spoils with the riches of his conquests (good and bad) & gets emotional contentment when he succeeds in achieving his goals. knows what he wants & is quick to make those wants known. you never have to worry about where you stand with him because he will not hesitate to tell you.

javier peña: taurus sun with scorpio moon (the real guy is a taurus & i can see it but w heavy scorpio influence). he has his own structure and routine and will fight to the death to maintain it. very work oriented & does his best to rationalize his emotion-driven scorpio moon with his taurean logic, it's a tossup as to whether it works half the time. has a lot of emotional needs that aren't always met day to day & thats why he smokes and drinks and fucks. but don’t let anything make you doubt his love for you because the only thing stronger than his stubborn streak is his heart and its capacity to love you so damn much.

maxwell lord: libra sun with a sagittarius moon. the charisma? attractive and engaging af. oddly adept at chameleoning himself into whatever social group he's trying to vibe with. will draw eyes no matter what because so many people know him & if they don't already, they sure as hell want to. it takes him a while to learn to balance healthy relationships and his work life but when he does, you can visibly see how much healthier he is because of it. normally tends to his emotions in private but with help, he can start sharing a bit more. more optimistic than he sometimes should be but it could be worse

frankie morales: pisces sun with a cancer moon. his caring and sometimes cautious nature (with a twinge of homicidal tendencies) make him one that you don't just casually fuck with sexually or otherwise. catches feelings very easy & makes a lot of emotionally-driven decisions. these two water signs have a propensity towards codependence & defensiveness when hurt. is at his best when he feels loved and is supported by those he loves. emotions are always fluctuating and there’s some trouble with self-discipline (which is not the same as self-deprecation). because of this, he needs someone who can ground him

jack "whiskey" daniels: his swagger!! his charm!! his generosity!! the protectiveness over people he cares about!! this has the makings of a leo sun. this charismatic sun sign paired with his capricorn moon create a living example of the most balanced "work hard, play hard" you've ever seen. has a tendency to set high standards for himself and others & is a smidge more accepting when people fuck up, wanting to help them be better in the future. his emotions are often repressed in the name of responsibility but when he feels safe, he isn’t shy about them in the slightest. very confident in his skills & one of those that he’s the proudest of is his ability to cheer you up when you’re sad

din djarin: he is the most virgo virgo to ever virgo, a double whammy of it in both his sun & moon placements. very logical, disciplined, and tradition-oriented. knows how to bargain and budget, approaches problems with as little emotional attachment as he can (doesn't always work though), and is selfless af. needs something to keep him from being a worry wart bc otherwise he will spend every waking moment fretting over anything he can find. remarkably well-rounded & somehow the most emotionally stable

ezra: everything about this man radiates aquarius sun + gemini moon and you will never convinve me otherwise. he's just enough of an intellectual elitist (the big words and flowy shakespearian vocabulary) for it to border on unique and fun & annoying as fuck. every aquarian i've met has a quirk that sets them apart from everyone else & ezra's quirk (besides murder) is his vocabulary. it takes him a long time to learn to not talk over people on accident (sometimes he does on purpose just to be a bastard), but you can tell when he’s really trying to be conscious of it.

marcus moreno: now this man is what you call a pisces. a softie with a heart of gold that is constantly being underestimated, he has more power than most think. his silly and carefree nature detracts from the badassery he's capable of so it sometimes catches you off guard when he goes into Badass In Charge™️ mode but it’s there. his moon is also in pisces, which adds to his gentility and desire to be understood by his partner. this man just needs some love dammit, give it to him already!! his empathy makes him the Cool Dad™️ bc missy and literally any other kid get the vibe of “yeah this adult will actually listen to me and value my opinions”

dave: capricorn sun, aries moon. he thrives with people who can handle their own shit competency kink anyone? and doesn’t have patience with those who should know better. his standards are higher than a stoned giraffe, and is at his best in controlled environments. has a strong sense of self & a short list of people he would risk it all for. not as outwardly expressive but he does have a couple cues that you learn over time. also knows what he wants and is very meticulous in how he goes about getting it; there are very few places where he takes no for an answer. is a very good provider but don’t expect him to be mushy when you thank him for things he does for you.

oberyn martell: gemini sun & leo moon. he’s got more charisma than can fit in the ocean and sometimes it gets him into trouble. this man thrives on validation from loved ones. there is never a worry about not knowing what he’s feeling because oh boy is this man expressive. he’s a protector and a provider (and a gossip but don’t let him hear you say that). can and will cause a scene if there’s ample opportunity, he enjoys watching shit go down. will only interfere if it directly impacts him or someone he really cares about but otherwise will just pop the popcorn and pull up a seat. somehow has all the details of everything that ever happens but you learn to not question it.

pero tovar: scorpio sun (but specifically october scorpio) & aquarius moon. he’s highly rational when it comes to emotions but does have a temper. he’s observant af of his environment & the emotions of everyone around him, and chooses his actions carefully based on those. doesn’t confront his deeper emotions as often as he should bc it’s easier to default to Angy™️ and let the rest of the world come to their own assumptions. has no tolerance for lies and other bs, wants the truth and though it makes him seem power-hungry and manipulative, that’s not his intention. it’s just his way of looking for someone he can trust with the most intimate parts of him

marcus pike: this man? taurus sun, cancer moon. has a fear of abandonment that takes a while to quell but once it’s gone, he’s all in. he’s very empathetic and observant af, will know exactly what you need before you voice said need. will feel guilty for his baggage sometimes and the guilt will make him recluse for a short period until he’s reminded just how appreciated he is. does not play around when it comes to affection & is very eager to give and receive it whenever possible

my friends that i think might be interested: @scribbledghost @autumnleaves1991-blog @dyke--grayson @max--phillips @dindjarindiaries @pikemoreno @ohnopoe @pedropasscals @forever-rogue @engineeredfiction @bitchin-beskar

[caffeinejournalist23]

Rewriting Pretty Little Liars - Part II

I didn't think my original post "Rewriting Pretty Little Liars would get as much interaction as I did (thanks btw! I'm not necessarily writing to get some kind of interaction as much as I'm writing to improve my own writing skills, but getting likes and "reblogs" helps me feel not so alone in the Tumblr community!) So, with that in mind, I thought I'd follow-up with a better fleshed-out explanation - with scenes! This post is gonna be a long one folks, so grab your popcorn and your teA, And pretend the unsAtisfying reveAl in the show never hAppened.

!! SPOILER WARNING FOR TV SHOW & BOOK PLL!!

Hate is not a vice; it's a coping mechanism. Lying is not a crime; it's a game. Mona is not a stable girl, but is her instability more excusable than the evil and torment Aria and Alison chose to exert on their supposed friends?

Allison got in deep shit with members of the N.A.T. club, along with pretty much everyone in Rosewood. The result? Mona hit Allison over the head with a shovel - and Melissa Hastings buried her. But Aria came to the rescue; Aria was planning to say goodbye to Allison before she ran away from Rosewood as Vivian Darkbloom.

"Oh my God are you kidding me?" Allison sulked, dirt staining her yellow top as she held her hands to the sore spot on her head. "Loser Mona?! She really thought she could just get rid of me like that - when I tell my parents our lawyers are gonna make the rest of her life a living hell -" "No, Alli," Aria interrupted sternly, gently wiping dirt from Allison's shoulders as they quickly sashayed through the yard between the DeLaurentis' and Hastings' households. "We can use this, we need someone to take the fall when we take our game for a test run." Allison rolled her eyes. "Jeez Aria since when did you find something to obsess over besides Noel?" Allison asked asked curtly, clearly annoyed. "Trust me on this Alli, this will work. It's what Doctor Sullivan calls 'Refocusing my rage into something productive.' And besides," Aria stared glassy-eyed into the stormy sky for moment, her eyes seeing fantasies she couldn't disclose to anyone other than Allison. "They deserve it," Aria continued. Allison scrunched her lips, not sure exactly what to think. "I like this side of you as much as the next bitch, Aria, but I'm starting to think maybe you're taking it too seriously - it's just a game, and yeah the other three aren't as cool as us but that crazy bitch Mona just tried to kill me!" Allison shouted. "And that bitch took my phone." Aria felt for the pink flip-phone snugly buried in her back pocket before she stopped suddenly and gently gripped Allison's arm, causing her to stop also. "It'll all go according to plan," Aria chided, "and it's gonna be so worth it." A dark car pulled up their street suddenly. Aria looked to try to make out the driver, but it was too dark for her to see who it was - perhaps the driver was wearing a hoodie or something. "Do we know this person?" Aria asked looking between the car and Allison. Allison smoothed down her hair a bit. "Not 'we' - just me; he's a friend," said Allison softly. She turned to Aria, who passed her the brown wig and red coat. "This is where we say goodbye," said Allison. "For now," added Aria with certainty. The two friends hugged briefly, Allison looking at Aria in a similar way she occasionally looked at Emily, then Allison entered the passenger seat of the dark vehicle. Aria watched the car pull away before heading back to the barn. She thought she saw another blonde in a yellow top dart behind the DeLaurentis house, but Aria assumed it was a delusion; she was starting to spiral in her head a little, like another episode was threatening to occur - maybe it was the alcohol, or the stress of watching a psycho loser hit her best friend with a shovel and then watching another friend's older sister bury said best friend. Allison's "friend" sped the car smoothly towards Radley sanitarium as Allison smoothed the brown wig over her throbbing head. "What took you so long Ezra?" Allison spat bitterly to the driver. Ezra Fitz swallowed nervously. "And good evening to you too," Ezra said; nervous and intimidated as he was by Allison, the sarcasm couldn't be helped. "Long night?" asked Ezra dryly. "I told you not to talk to me, Ezra; you do me this last favor, or I shove a sharp third-degree-rape lawsuit up your ass. Not to mention the obsessive stalking." Allison barked bitterly. She thought back to Aria and her obsession with the anonymous texting app they found; Aria had texted Allison a creepy "I'm watching you" message from the app last Halloween as a prank, and ever since Aria was obsessed with how someone could use the anonymous texting app for good or evil. Allison rolled her eyes and shook her head at the silly similarity. "You know, I have this friend - obsessive and a super writer geek. You two would be perfect for each other," Allison says scornfully. Ezra swallowed again. "I doubt she'd be as interesting as you," Ezra whispered, alluding to the book about Allison he had been drafting. Allison thought for a moment, her need to be on top competed with her curious feelings for her female friends. "People can surprise you," Allison shrugged.

So as we can see, Allison and Aria had a dysfunctional dynamic - I guess when you can't fight fire with fire, you make the whole town burn. Soon after Ezra helps Allison hide in Radley (pretending to be Aria), Aria and her family temporarily relocate to Iceland because Byron and Ella Montgomery are warned that the case regarding the death of Toby's mother in Radley has been reopened, and because the time and occurrence correlates with when Aria was there regularly before she convinced her psychiatrist that she's recovering enough to go back to school and "normal" life. Aria's psychiatrist Dr. Sullivan had been worried while Aria was in Radley; she thought that Aria's friend Allison seemed to be encouraging Aria's psychosis and erratic behavior. Meanwhile, Hanna befriends Mona at "fat camp," and together they coach each other to replace Allison - Mona is convinced Allison is dead, so she feels confident replacing her despite Hanna worrying Allison could come back any day. "There'd be hell to pay if Allison suddenly came back and just saw us trying to be her," said Hanna anxiously as Mona curled the ends of her hair. "That's 'if,' Hanna, why would she come back to this godforsaken town," Mona asks passively. "yeah, you're right," Hanna chuckled shyly, rolling her eyes. "I bet she just ran off to a boujie island or something with some hot guy." Mona paused in thought for a moment. "I bet she did." Melissa continues to work with the N.A.T. club - primarily to ensure there was no evidence of her burying Allison's body to help Mona. Mona continually annoys Melissa about it, terrified she will get caught - that it was just an accident and it just happened too fast. Melissa checks the N.A.T. club cameras - cameras secretly placed/tapped into several places throughout Rosewood, funded by Jason's share of the DeLaurentis fortune/stake in the industry company (I can't remember the name of the company, but it's the same one Cece claimed to have used as A). Melissa is certain she literally got away with murder, and fabricates a confession video for Spencer if the investigation got too close to her and she needed Spencer's help to cover herself. Emily continues to grieve for Allison, wondering if she'll ever be found, or if she just ran away with some guy - typical Alli. Spencer feels relief with Alli gone; less rivalry and competition, and the secrets Allison had on her couldn't be weaponized - right?

When Aria returns from Iceland, she's furious to find that the other friends had "moved on" from Allison; Hanna tried to take Allison's place and befriended Mona (who Allison totally despised), Spencer admitted she was relieved that Alli was gone, and Emily dated [that one guy] and disregarded her feelings for Allison. These conditions are the perfect justifications for Aria's torturous experiment; the girls need to remember Allison is still there - one day Allison will come home and everything will go back to how it was, and her friends will be who they used to be before Allison went away. Aria confronts Mona about the night she "killed" Allison, and threatens to bear witness against Mona unless Mona does her bidding. Mona agrees to do whatever Aria asks her to do. Now that "Allison's body" has been found, Aria promises Mona will never be caught for "killing Allison" if Mona uses her wits and skill in her plan to "remind the girls closest to Allison that she's still in charge" - and Mona manifests it into a game.

Who is Mona playing the game against? The N.A.T. club (and Big A). Aria and the N.A.T. do not exactly work together, but they know of each other and compete with each other through Mona. This is why later on the Halloween train members of the N.A.T. club try to murder Aria, as a means to play against the A(D) team (Aria, Mona, Cece, and Allison). Aria had killed Garrett after Allison texts her that Garett realized Aria was A, but Allison actually manipulated Aria to kill Garrett because Garett realized Cece was still feeding them (Allison and Aria) info from the N.A.T. club. Members of the N.A.T. club are slowly killed off by the A Team. Allison kills Ian for moving on to Spencer. Ian was going to make Allison the subject of a movie he wanted to make, but he moved on to Spencer/Melissa as soon as Allison disappeared, which infuriates Allison's self-absorbed ego. Jason is injured by Cece in the elevator because she's pissed he developed an interest in Aria, and he starts connecting dots together between Cece and Allison still being alive (around this time the A Team hits a fork; Cece and Allison versus Aria/Mona)..

Mona is sent to Radley sanitarium after being caught as A by Spencer; Mona thought she could reveal herself as A and convince Spencer to join the team, but Spencer refuses. When every other girl she gets tangled up with (Aria, Allison, and Melissa) is motivated by secrets, Mona assumed that the allure of secret info would be enough to convince Spencer. Mona continues playing the game while in Radley, but she realizes she rather be part of the group than win the game, so after she's released she starts victimizing herself by "A" (her accomplices Toby and Lucas). Aria finds out Mona went behind her back to recruit help for Mona's sake of winning the game and victimizing herself, and confronts Mona at the movies and whispers to her, "you'll never be part of the group, especially if they learn you killed their best friend" - which makes her cry.

After stealing Allison's diaries from Spencer (season 4?), Aria dissects the diaries and reaches out to someone recurring in Allison's diaries; Cece. Aria realizes through Allison's diaries and Cece that despite her unwavering loyalty, Allison kept secrets from Aria - and that just didn't sit right with Aria. Cece is still mad at Allison for jeopardizing her spot in the N.A.T. club - and her relationship with Jason (she was hoping to get a cut from his stake in the DeLaurentis fortune), which motivates her to spill anything she has on Allison to Aria - including Allison's secret relationship with Ezra. Aria visits Allison in Radley, who is anxious to go home, but when Aria confronts Allison about Ezra, she lies, which severs Aria's tie to her. Aria dissociates with her rage and tells Alison she'll never be able to safely escape Radley and go home. After this confrontation in Radley, Allison snaps and has a mental breakdown; she rips off the brown wig and insists she's not Aria but Allison DeLaurentis - the most popular "It" girl in Rosewood. Radley then treats Allison as a "Jane Doe" after confirming with Dr. Sullivan that Aria has been released, and Allison's body has been found so this can't be her. Allison is getting fed up with Aria for stranding her in Radley for years and works with Wren, one of the new hot doctors at Radley, to get fake IDs for her and Cece. Allison continues to pretend to be Aria and visits Mona, asking for all the info she has on the girls and the A game; Allison is ready to take over. Allison promises Cece a cut of the DeLaurentis fortune if she can help her escape. Cece agrees; Allison tells her about the A game, and if "A" kills Jason they can inherit his share of the wealth. Finally Allison can escape Radley for good and steal the A game from Mona/Aria.

Allison and Cece escape Radley and hide in New York [soon] after Mona leaves and steal the game from Mona/Aria. Allison recruits new A team members, including Shawna. Allison as A also inadvertently recruits Jenna, who has no clue A is Alison and Cece. Later, Aria realizes Allison and Cece came back are roaming around Rosewood in red coats and starts the fire in the cabin when she thinks Allison and Cece are nearby to kill Mona - yes, Aria used Mona as bait to bring in Cece and Allison and planned to kill them. She rescued Emily, Spencer and Hanna because to take Allison's place she needs them - the group; Hanna saw Aria in a red coat and an Allison mask. This is why Aria and Cece fight in the warehouse; Cece and Aria used to be chill but now Cece is team Allison (for the money obvi), and Aria tries to save Cece saying she can "be Allison" and give Cece the same money when she fully becomes Allison, but Cece slips and Aria leaves her for dead. Cece resents Aria for leaving her for dead and plays A against Aria.

Allison reveals she's alive to the rest of the girls but she can't come home yet; it's not because of A she can't come home, because as far as she thinks she stole the A game from Aria - she can't come home because of her mom and the family secrets. Jessica DeLaurentis did not want Allison to come home - by assuming Allison was dead she inherited Allison's share of the DeLaurentis company stake, and Allison blackmails Jessica when she learns of Mary Drake - Jessica's deranged twin. To free herself from the restraints her mother poses (she thinks her mother really would kill her), Allison kills Jessica as A. The group is still suspicious of Allison being A, and because she's running out of cards to play, Aria relies on these suspicions to get the game back from Allison.

However, Allison throws a curveball (to Aria) and convinces Cece to reveal herself as A to the girls; Cece is guilty of killing Wilden for Allison and of course Allison has proof. This lands Cece in Radley. Cece learns Allison killed Jessica through the N.A.T. club cameras (because she was allies with Jenna and [Allison's fiance (can't remember his name)] while in Radley), so she threatens to convict Allison with the video footage if Allison does not advocate for her release from Radley. So Allison fights to get Cece released by creating this narrative that they are deranged relatives/half-siblings. Cece is released but Allison hates that Cece has the footage of Jessica's death on her, so she kills Cece. Aria uses this as the perfect means to steal the A game back, but this time she plays it as AD; AD for Alison DeLaurentis, and Aria believes she is Alison DeLaurentis. They play the final game and Aria shoots Spencer near the heart because she's Allison now, and Allison was "heartbroken" Spencer stole Ian from her. Aria/AD abducts and tortures Hanna for trying to take her/Allison's place as HBIC. And the eggs with Emily? That was because Aria was jealous she and Ezra couldn't have kids, and she believed Allison and Emily were supposed to be together in the beginning anyway; Emily did nothing wrong, so Aria's rewarding her by getting her with Alison.

Damn that took me almost 3 hours lmao. Any unanswered plot points this rewrite fixed? Let me know your thoughts! Who do y'all think would've made the most sense to end up as AD? Thanks for reading this far lmao. Wishing y'all the best.

[thedistantstorm]

Project Compass 06

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This time: Ezra encounters the Grysks. Thrawn has a confrontation. Vah’nya does something that could jeopardize everything.

Next time: A reunion between Thrawn and an old colleague. Ivant and Ar’alani discuss dangerous complications.

-/

Admiral Ar’alani kept him to a brisk pace. Like most of the adult Chiss, she was both taller and more slender than Ezra. They moved through the ship to the upper levels, and then, instead of turning toward the Captain’s office like Ezra had expected, they made an about face out of the lift and went to the upper hangar of the ship.

“Someone will tell Mitth’raw’nuruodo that you are occupied today. Do you fear that he will worry about you?” Something about the curl of Ar’alani’s voice didn’t sit comfortably with the young Jedi. “Or are you worried that something will happen to him while you’re away?”

“Respectfully,” Ezra grit out, his Cheunh heavily accentuated, “It’s a little of both.”

“A wise answer,” She concurred. “Nothing will happen to Mitth’raw’nuruodo. As far as he will know, it is any other day, except that Captain Ivant wished to meet with you regarding your progress.” She steered him into the hangar, gesturing with a stiff arm to a sleek shuttle. She looked down to him with a peaked eyebrow as if asking him to question her obvious lie. Captain Ivant was not on that ship, and Ezra could sense it. “If you have reservations, speak.”

Ezra met her gaze with hard eyes of his own. “I do not, Admiral.”

“You are brave,” She said. “May warrior’s fortune be in our favor today.”

That gave Ezra pause. “Admiral?”

The Chiss tutted. “Thrawn has imparted the meaning of this phrase, yes?”

“He has,” Ezra answered immediately. “Are we going into battle?”

“We are,” She confirmed. “Tell me,” Ar’alani held his eyes with a piercing gaze that reminded Ezra of facing Thrawn over Lothal. It was a grim expression for such an elegant face. “Have you ever seen a Grysk?”

-/

It had been forty-eight hours since Ezra had been last seen aboard the Compass. Thrawn was not expecting to worry as much as he did. None of the Navigators seemed to know anything, not that he went out of his way to glean information. In the time since Ezra disappeared, he had been given all sorts of tasks, the Captain’s underlings - most of whom were far younger and more inexperienced - pumping him for information and expertise. There was concern for civil war within the Ascendency. The ruling families were at odds, restricting their strengths and using them as bargaining chips to the detriment of their people.

Thrawn did not pretend to be remotely knowledgeable in politics. The subtle nuances of that theatre of battle were often lost on him. He was military. His brother, on the other hand, was charismatic, witty and the owner of an equally impressive facade. It was why they brought their family honor, not that that really meant anything to Thrawn. He walked a warrior’s path. Honor was important for that reason. Glory was something that Mitth’ras’safis rellished, it made his job easier, helped his word carry more clout amongst his peers.

But, worse than that, it was the Second ruling family pulling back. The ruling family that, opposite Thrawn’s own, helped oversee military affairs. The fallout would rip their defenses in two. It would lead to military sabotage, and games of espionage that would take away from the Grysks, who were more active and out in the open in the last five years than they had been in all of Thrawn’s years before that.

Vah’nya had pulled him into a briefing room after his mid-shift break, her posture tense and the glow of her eyes so dim he could see the deep garnet-red ring around her irises. “The missing Navigators from the most recent Grysk incident have been recovered,” She informed him. Her posture and tone reminded him subtly of Ar’alani. No doubt, once her sight faded, she would continue her military career in a field of her choosing. She had good instincts and could be soft without yielding. She had the right sort of empathy that many, himself included, lacked at times.

“You will accompany me to meet the crew that recovered them,” She said. “I need your eyes.”

“Mine?”

“Ivant is occupied,” She commented dryly. “It is a sensitive situation and they will be arriving soon.”

Thrawn frowned at that but followed her through the ship and to the lift that descended to the lower hangar. “Have you heard word of Ezra’Bridger?” He dared to ask, when the doors had closed behind them.

She shook her head once, remaining silent for a moment. “And if I had, I am under strict orders not to update you.”

“I care little about mission status, Navigator. My concern is that Bridger is not sent into a situation he does not understand for sake of a people who have kept him in the dark about their motives, like a caged animal.”

“I cannot tell if you are speaking of yourself or if you are speaking out of concern for your ward.”

“What happens to me is of little consequence,” Thrawn assured her. “There is a price to pay for my actions, and I will pay it.” The Navigator edged away from him slowly, her shoulder touching the far side of the lift. “He joined us because I convinced him he would be of help.”

“And that is what he is doing,” Vah’nya turned to him, her eyes a little wild, but her stance confident. “Both of you are where you are because that is the place in which you can be of the most use.”

“That isn’t true.”

“It is,” She asserted. Her eyes narrowed. “You do not see what I see,” She insisted hotly.

“Or what you’ve seen,” The ex-Admiral said bluntly, outmaneuvering her. “Eight months in the presence of the Grysks is a substantial time. It was nothing like Un’hee’s previous experience. You knew things. Things they wanted to know.”

Vah’nya did not back down from him. If he had not been so single-mindedly focused on his objective, he might have catalogued such a feat away. “That is not common knowledge,” She said. “How did you come to know?”

“Un’hee spent an evening in our company when these particular Navigators were taken,” Thrawn informed her. "I was able to extrapolate the information from her statements."

The Navigator slammed her palm on the brake and the lift powered down in transit, jerking before coming to a rest. “You utilized her distress for information?”

“She told us without my prompting.”

“So she felt your anguish and regret,” Vah’nya spat as though he was guilty of it all the same. “Like an aura that clings to your skin.” Her livid eyes lifted to meet his before she seemed to sink into an otherworldly calm. “Choose your next words very carefully. You do not have many allies left to lose.”

“I wish to know what is happening with the Jedi,” He said. “That is all.”

“And Eli?”

“I will not ask you any further questions about what transpired.”

She hit the toggle to resume power to the lift, shifting to a rest position. “He is with the Admiral. She wished to get to know him better. I was not made aware of the details, but I suspect he will be back in another rotation.”

Thrawn nodded. “Thank you, Navigator.”

Dipping her head ever-so-slightly, Vah’ya looked at her own reflection in the mirror-like durasteel. Then, she let her eyes meet Thrawn’s through the metal as well. Her anger was reined in, her features smoothing. “Even if I wanted to tell you, I would not,” She whispered fervently, scratching at her arm. The light material of her black uniform slevr pulled up ever so slightly, revealing a tangle edge of scars upon her arm. Thrawn did not ask about it, and she pulled her sleeve down without looking at them. The doors whooshed open seconds later and Thrawn stepped forward. Vah’nya grabbed his wrist and held fast. “He is a good man, Mitth’raw’nuruodo. He protected me from the worst of it.”

“I believe you," Thrawn said. "He has a warrior's heart.”

Vah’nya released him. She could hear the rare overt sincerity in Thrawn’s words. And it was true. Eli’van’to was kind and he was good, and Mitth’raw’nuruodo, for all the things she’d heard and felt and seen, had been enough to convince Eli to come to the Ascendancy all on his own. Despite what others might think, Vah’nya believed that had to count for something.

-/

Ezra had been assigned to the primary boarding party after nearly an entire rotation of sitting at an empty station in the bridge with Admiral Ar’alani while she asked him about his abilities within the Force. He’d slipped into and out of meditation on the bridge - she hadn’t allowed him to go anywhere else aboard without her personally accompanying him - with her eyes trained on the back of his neck while he looked out at the expanse of space.

Apparently, it took time to make sure the Grysk ship was not only disabled, but that it was safe. He’d learned about Grysk tactics, how they’d prefer to expire rather than be taken alive, how they’d rig whatever they’d left to explode, how they’re merciless and twisted and whatever beings they held captive would be manipulated into doing their bidding like willing (or unwilling) slaves.

The Admiral had stood shoulder to shoulder with him, soldiers both in front and behind. “Do you sense anything?” She asked him. The tone of her voice was serious but different. She intended to teach him something.

The Jedi closed his eyes and concentrated. His body jerked when he felt it, and Ar’alani reached out with a firm grip, grabbing his shoulder.

“That,” She said, with a curt nod, “Is a Grysk.”

“Can you-”

“Not anymore,” She interrupted, looking straight ahead. “But I will never forget it. We do not perceive what you call the Force the same as you do. We do not war like your Jedi and Sith. Our Sight is not like that.” They continue, Ar’alani’s hand remaining firm on his shoulder. “But what we feel,” She said, “That is something I think runs similarly enough for us to relate to one another. You must trust me.”

“Yes, Admiral,” Ezra said dutifully.

“No,” Ar’alani snapped, spinning him with her grip. “Look at me.”

Ezra did. The Admiral waited until his posture relaxed marginally.

“I will guide you, but I cannot feel what you feel as sharply anymore. You will keep us safe. There are enemies aboard this vessel. Your abilities will give us an edge. Do you understand?”

“I do,” Ezra said, sure to meet her eyes.

“Good.” She turned him back to face the men in front of them and gave the order. “Proceed with caution.”

-/

The lower hangar was alarmingly empty when they came to the doors. Only a small group of armed guardsmen and medics, as well as one of the normal four overseers on the control deck set above the hangar were present. The hangar itself was moderately large for a vessel of this size. Of the ten docking bays, four housed smaller Chiss craft that were rarely used but well maintained. The remaining six were typically empty, saved for arriving shuttles from larger craft.

There was an unknown ship in the hangar. It was not Imperial. It was a well-armed transport vessel dating before the Empire, but had come from the same shipyards that had since made imperial craft. By comparison, it dwarfed the Chiss shuttles.

Vah'nya spoke briskly, standing in the doorway with Thrawn to her left. "All non-medical personnel are dismissed," She commanded. "You will be contacted by control when you are required to return."

Thrawn cast her an inquisitive glance. The Navigator ignored him.

The ramp of the non-Chiss ship had been lowered, and two of the armed Chiss that had been monitoring it stepped back and left as they approached.

"You may disembark," Vah'nya called out.

Two humans descended the ramp. One stood beside a very unhappy Navigator who appeared roughly a year or two older than Un'hee. The girl's hair hung limp and tangled over her shoulders, like a curtain to help distract from the way her lip trembled and the gouge on her cheek. Vah'nya reached for her instead of the other child, a younger Navigator with dressings wrapped around her arms and peeking out beneath her torn pant leg. This girl was carried, and did not seem to be in any distress.

"The eldest was killed," Vah'nya said in Basic. It wasn't a question.

Thrawn stayed silent beside her, watching and waiting. Vah'nya was trying to show him something, and he was as of yet unsure what. Behind the two humans, further up the ramp that led into the ship, there were more footsteps. Another person, perhaps.

"Trying to keep them from us, Senior Navigator," Said the older of the two girls in very broken Basic. "I tried-" The girl coughed, and Thrawn saw the blood - it was hot, contrasting in the infrared spectrum against her skin - dot her hand.

"You did well to protect your sister," Vah'nya said soothingly, crouching down to eye-level. She laid a hand over the girl's more superficial injury, wiping away some of the excess blood to see the wound, then wiped it on her tunic as if it were a bit of dust. "The medics will tend to you," She smiled, a small, reassuring thing, and cupped the younger Navigator's cheek again. The child flinched at the touch, then seemed to relax instantly.

Quickly, they sprung into action, taking the little one from the one man's arms and carefully easing the older of the two onto a stretcher that hovered at waist level. Thrawn noted that when the girl swiveled her head so she could keep her eyes on Vah'nya for as long as she could, both of her cheeks were dirty, but unblemished.

That was strange, he thought. Neither of the medics had administered any bacta.

-/

Above them, and unseen in the control tower that overlooked the hangar, Captain Ivant clenched his fists and swore in Sy Bisti. The lone tech who remained on duty took a microscopic step away from his furious superior. "What the kriff do you think you're doing, Vah'nya?" He growled to no one in particular, keying the console to focus in on Thrawn.

As luck would have it, a woman's voice - also in Sy Bisti - rang out loud and clear, demanding Thrawn's attention without so much as an order.

Thrawn's voice was pinched with surprise as it carried through the tiny speaker in front of the console."Commodore Faro?"

Though, when it came to outsmarting Thrawn, nobody ever got lucky. If he saw what had happened, if it looked even one atom out of line, Thrawn would analyze the details with that ridiculous recall of his. It wouldn't be right away, Vanto knew, but if Thrawn was already trying to figure out what was going on aboard the Compass, which he was, this moment could - and more likely, would - be a catalyst.

"Damn fool," He said aloud. He turned on his heel. Now he'd have to do pre-emptive damage control, in addition to the rest of it.

[meta-shadowsong]

On Change for the Jedi Order

Specifically in Relation to Nontraditional/Latecomer Students

So, there’s a commentary that’s been floating around lately, that examines whether the Jedi Order/culture should change purely because of Anakin’s issues integrating (and later issues as an adult, some of which are related). And if that were the question, then the answer is probably no--as these commentaries have pointed out, the vast majority of Jedi don’t have that kind of trouble and are, so far as we the audience can tell, happy/fulfilled. Or, if not, they’re willing and able to depart under peaceful circumstances. And, as has also been pointed out, if they did adapt to the changing galaxy in the ways that fandom, with its external viewpoint, would suggest, who’s to say Palpatine wouldn’t be thinking five steps ahead of them and have a contingency plan in place? (The man does love his contingency plans, I gotta say.)

These are valid points, particularly in terms of some of the doctrines/requirements placed on adults/full Jedi (i.e., no marriage, etc.) that tend to catch a lot of criticism, but I feel like there’s a piece missing from this conversation. And that’s a consideration of other nontraditional/latecomer students (and/or nonstudents who are rejected for being too old), aside from Anakin. Because, from where I’m standing, the evidence indicates that the traditionalist Jedi Order, as it is at the fall of the Republic, is not super great at helping them integrate.

Before I get into my actual examples/analysis, I want to say that I don’t think this is from a lack of compassion or effort on the part of the Order. I do believe that, once a nontraditional student is accepted, they are given support in terms of that integration. I just don’t think it’s very effective support, because I don’t think that the Order, as it stands at that point, is very well set up for it.

Second, I want to say that the reason why this matters is that there’s a not-insignificant implication that not all potential candidates are identified within the acceptable age range; and therefore some unknown, and possibly significant (in proportion to the size of the Order itself) number of people are actually affected by this policy. I’ve touched on this before, but the fact that Palpatine (who comes from a) a Republic sector capital, b) a culture that highly values children, and c) parents with means) is never identified indicates that there are some significant gaps in the search process; probably particularly for populations that are more likely to slip through the cracks in a society like the Republic (i.e., the deep underlevels of Coruscant; remote farming/mining communities that are essentially Space Appalachia; etc.)

I should also mention, as a caveat, that we unfortunately have very few examples of nontraditional students within canon, so it’s admittedly not the greatest sample size in the world--I came up with five, which I will discuss at some length. But the sample sizes for any discussion on this subject are pretty small (I think we have personal information/significant canon detail on maybe a hundred members (i.e., ~1%) of the Jedi Order of this period?), so assumptions have to be made regardless. The way I’m defining my five examples is that they are students who came to the Jedi Path later than the traditional Order would typically allow, and they were trained/raised by Jedi Masters who were themselves traditionally trained (so far as we know).

Okay. Moving on.

So, the five nontraditional students we see in any detail are Anakin, Rael Avaross, Luke, Ezra, and Ventress.

With Anakin and Rael, we see a failure to adapt to the culture. Again, this is despite a genuine effort given on the part of their teachers. Admittedly, I’m less familiar with Rael, since I haven’t gotten around to reading Dooku Lost myself, but I’ve read enough excerpts and analyses that I feel like I have a general idea of what’s going on. Basically, my understanding is that he has some of the same issues Anakin has, relating to the family he left behind, and wanting things that are out of step with Jedi values. And, yes, at least with Anakin, Palpatine’s manipulations play a role in that. But the fact that he’s not the only example indicates (to me, at least) that it’s not the only factor in play here.

Obviously, this disconnect does not in any way excuse what Anakin (or Rael) later does, when he comes to a crisis point. I’m not trying to say that.

What I am trying to say is that I think this is an issue of conflicting expectations, and a fundamental miscommunication/disconnect despite genuine effort, particularly in the early stages, that leaves nontraditional students with a shaky foundation even if/when they find workarounds to appear like things are on track. Because the fact is that the Jedi Order typically takes in very small children, who can absorb most of these cultural norms essentially by osmosis, through a combination of infant neuroplasticity and the Force. An older child needs a different approach, and I’m not sure that the Jedi Order actually has the tools it needs to adapt their teaching style effectively to those circumstances. Especially when trying to integrate someone into a close-knit, fairly isolated/insular culture, which is difficult for an outsider/newcomer under the best of circumstances, on top of the new modes of behavior/emotional processing/etc. And, given how few nontraditional students there are, this is definitely a factor.

So, then it becomes sort of a feedback loop--older/nontraditional students have trouble adapting, which means the Jedi Order is less likely to take them on in the future, which means any they do take in have further troubles, etc., etc. Legends sort of indicated how this cycle started; canon has not; but frankly it’s a chicken-and-egg situation as of the period we’re talking about. Once that cycle does start, it’s hard to break.

Which brings me to my next set of examples, and the reason I think this is at least in part an issue in the Jedi Order’s teaching style.

Luke and Ezra are also nontraditional students, who are taught by traditionally-trained masters. And they are both successful.

And maybe, in part, that comes down to some quirk in personality that they share that Anakin and Rael don’t. But there’s also the fact that (due to genuinely horrific circumstances; and I will interrupt myself here and now to say that, while I do advocate for change on this particular issue, I don’t think the catalyst for change had to be, let alone should have been, what it was; but in canon, it was a catalyst for a change in approach), their masters had to adapt traditional teachings and values into a somewhat nontraditional framework. One reason I lean more towards the second/change in approach as the stronger factor--and, granted, we don’t have many specific examples to cite; plus they don’t fit technically my established definition--is that Luke’s new Academy would pretty much have to be all nontraditional students, and, so far as I can tell, the vast majority of them seem to have been successful, or on their way there, until Kylo Ren happened.

So, that leads to the conclusion that there’s an issue in how traditional Jedi Order teachings/teaching styles work with nontraditional students. Meaning, the Jedi Order of the late Republic era has difficulty in adapting said styles to the needs of the few older candidates they do take in, though not for lack of trying.

At this point, I’ll interrupt myself again to say that adjusting these practices might have an impact on the children who are brought in at a more typical age, and there’s possibly a balance to be struck between the needs of those students and the needs of these others. The way the culture is structured now does seem to be beneficial for the majority of students brought in the usual way, and fixing this flaw might open another, which might be more detrimental in the long run. And if there were any viable alternatives for training and support, that would be the end of it, as far as I was concerned. But the fact is--there aren’t. Pretty much all other Force-adepts we see seem to be closed ethnoreligious groups (or Sith). So I think an increase in flexibility in the early-stage teaching style/age limit for adoption is actually of a net benefit. Whether or not any changes are made to the broader framework/culture past that period, which is a separate discussion.

And that brings me to Ventress, my final example, who is much more complicated and harder to discuss due to several key pieces of evidence that are missing.

Where does she fit into all of this?

The implication in her flashbacks seem to be that she does pretty well with Ky Narec, who--without the same awful circumstances pushing his choices--adapts and uses a non-traditional/one-on-one approach with her, rather than trying to bring her to the Temple and integrate her into the culture right away.

Of course, there are a couple of issues with this. One, Ventress falls apart when he dies, so his approach also clearly had some flaws. Two, her memories may not be the most reliable/she might not be a super reliable narrator. Three, we are missing so much information about how and in what order everything went down.

First, why did Ky Narec make the choices he did? One explanation is that he had no way off the planet/no long-range communications and couldn’t contact the rest of the Order. I find this hard to believe for two reasons: how did Ventress then get offplanet after he died; and how did she get onto the planet in the first place? Someone there has a connection with the wider galaxy, and if Ky Narec really wanted to make contact, I’m sure he could’ve found a way.

So, why didn’t he? Was it because he knew Ventress was too old, and he felt he lacked the standing/social or political capital to convince the Council to accept her anyway? Was that assessment accurate on his part? Alternatively, did he think he could get her accepted, but felt that some training on their own before trying to integrate her into the broader culture was the better approach; and then he died before he could complete that process? Was he already thinking about leaving (as did the Lost Twenty), and she was what pushed him to actually take that step? I’m sure there are other possible explanations, but those are the ones that jump to mind.

Second, what did he tell her? What were her expectations for if/when they finally made contact with the Order? Did he warn her that her training was unauthorized and the Order would not accept her (whether or not that was actually true)?

Third, what did she actually do when he died? Did she try to reach out to the Order? Did she assume that there was no point? Did she reach out to her sisters on Dathomir? (From what I recall, most likely not, but it’s been a while since I watched the relevant TCW episodes.) Did she go straight to Dooku?

Fourth, when she did finally contact Dooku, was she seeking him out as a former Jedi who might have some understanding and compassion for her situation, or was she seeking him out as a Sith Lord/Dark Side adept? (Unless that’s actually covered in her flashbacks as well; again, I might be misremembering/have forgotten.)

So…yeah. It’s really hard to evaluate this question fully without more information on how everything with Ventress went down. But all the other evidence does indicate a disconnect.

I guess my point in all of this was…no, it’s not right for an entire culture to have to change everything for one person. But on the other hand, there’s something to be said for a test case/case study that draws attention to an existing flaw in the structure. And Anakin, while the most visible, isn’t actually the only one here.

Also...on a more general note, cultures are dynamic. They do change over time. Sometimes very rapidly, when change is forced by external pressures, sometimes more organically, by gradual internal shifts. So, the implication that the culture of the Jedi Order should remain exactly as it is as of the late Republic because that’s the best possible way for it to be, no matter how much the broader culture of the galaxy and/or their role in it might shift, feels…a little off to me. Especially since the war itself was already an impetus for change. The postwar Jedi Order was almost certainly going to be somewhat different from the prewar Order; how drastic or subtle that change would be without Anakin making all the wrong choices is a little harder to determine. And--look, I know I’m citing Legends here, because canon has yet to provide deep (i.e., 100+ years pre-TPM) backstory, but some of these things already have shifted over time, in response to both internal and external pressures. The age limit for taking in initiates/apprentices being one of them.

...but I’ll admit that that last paragraph may be me misinterpreting/reading too much into some of the posts and my There Is No One True Way button getting pushed again whether or not it’s merited in this case XD

Anyway, tangent aside, I just wanted to highlight why I feel this particular issue should be addressed, even if the expected cultural norms/code of conduct for Jedi who have integrated into the culture remain the same. Because, yeah, those seem to work out for most members, and the option to leave is there for those who have issues.

But the problem of latecomers/nontraditional students, particularly when there aren’t really any other options available to them for training and support, and there are an unknown (but possibly significant, in proportion to the size of the Order itself) number out there, is still a Thing.

((Also, one last tangent re: why this matters/is a Thing…look, applying IRL issues/politics/history and so on to Star Wars can be a weird/hinky/YMMV thing, apart from certain direct/explicit/obviously intentional parallels, and in general I try to avoid doing it--and, like, earlier today, I had to stop myself from going off on a long tangent about the Constitutions of Clarendon and Thomas Becket on a semi-related post about Ahsoka; if I want to do it, I can--but given the issues older kids/teenagers have being adopted IRL, and given the idea that baby Jedi are essentially adoptees, the fact that older kids are excluded is a little…yeah.))

[nny11writes]

ALL of your Ahsoka headcanons

Canon AhsokaHeadcanons

Because I have severalcontradicting headcanons, I’m trying to keep things contained to what wouldactually be likely versus what I enjoy headcanoning for Ahsoka as a character.I think anyone can headcanon anything about characters, and no one can say they’rewrong. Just, to make it easier for me I’m going to focus on things I think are morelikely true in canon instead of things I can’t prove/explain (clutching my newlyfound togruta have worse eyesight than humans and are “color blind” head canonto my chest y’all). There are probably things missing since I had to kind of blind search for these (my brain often needs a reminder before I remember I think something about something else lol)

I think canon Ahsoka is aromantic. She feels stronglytowards Lux and /tries/ to make that work but doesn’t really get it. She justknows that she cares a lot about him and isn’t that probably love? It’s alsowhy she gets catty with Steela, Ahsoka thinks she probably should be butrealizes that it’s kind of silly. Once she stops trying to act the way shethinks is expected, Ahsoka finds herself much more comfortable with them.

 Ahsoka feels awful that she was being purposefullystandoffish and weird with Steela, she feels like she wasted time that couldhave been spent with her friend. I think this is a bit of a wake up call momentfor Ahsoka in the war as well. That her friends can die at any moment, and sheshould make the most of being with them while she can.

 I think young Ahsoka had a sense of invincibility, which iswhat made her engage Grievous, go to the Citadel, and do many, many recklessthings. Post Order 66 I think Ahsoka has that falsehood torn away violently,which is why she becomes so much more cautious leading up to Raada.

 Ahsoka believes the ends justify the means. This mind set isdangerous and often leads her to act coldly or even cruelly. I think Ahsoka inthe Forces of Destiny short where she fought Ezra is a perfect example of this.That boy is traumatized, has trust issues, and doesn’t really know her. Ahsokayeets his crystal into the stars knows where and those strikes, whilecalculated, are still aimed to hurt or kill. Ezra looks panicked, and I thinkhe believes Ahsoka might actually hurt him to make a point. This all gets sweptunder the rug because he gets the lesson and they laugh. This was A TERRIBLETHING TO DO TO A CHILD, it was manipulative, a scare tactic, and possiblyabusive (not sure if there has to be any length before something is technicallyabuse). Ahsoka gets away with it and it’s framed as an ok thing, but it’s not.

 I think that Ahsoka gets a lot of passes for her shittybehavior in universe because she is skilled, competent, people who know her(see Bail post Order 66, but Anakin/Obi-Wan/Plo pre Order 66) know she hastrauma, and these same people know she meant well. It made her a brattypre-teen, and a show off as a teen. As an adult, this just fed into herfeelings that “she was doing what she must”.

 Ahsoka is deeply religious, and while no longer a Jedi shestill practices her faith. I think since leaving the Order her faith has gottenstronger but also narrowed. I don’t think she’s beyond listening to people andadjusting accordingly, but I think she uses her faith as a shield fromconsequences and as protection, and as something to have hope in. It’scomplicated and as I’m not religious I don’t think I can really explain in thebest way what I mean by this all.

Ahsoka doesn’t think she’s responsible for Anakin’s fall.She feels guilty because if she had noticed, maybe she could have prevented it.If she hadn’t, Ahsoka often feels like she could have stopped him somehow. Or atthe very least helped more Jedi escape the slaughter.

 Ahsoka is a near obligate carnivore. She doesn’t need to ONLYeat meat, and in fact having grown up in the upper rings of Coruscant she doesn’tlike or want raw or undercooked meat. Having grown up with the Jedi her dietwas healthy and balanced, and heavy on the veggies and fruits so Ahsoka eats evenless meat than the average person. This has done nothing to hinder the factthat Ahsoka /does/ enjoy hunting, or if she’s in dire straits Ahsoka will chokedown insects, raw/undercooked meat, etc.

 Ahsoka can fall asleep anywhere thanks to her time in theGAR, she can even sleep standing up. This would be much cooler if she didn’talso have nightmares and insomnia hindering her. She’s become more of a take anap here and there person instead of getting healthy sleep.

 Ahsoka cares/cared about the Clone Troopers. But she alsonever saw their production and use in the war as enslavement. Ahsoka came froma sheltered and privileged life (in many regards), I just don’t think she knewenough about the world to make those connections. Post Zygerria, maybe, but Idoubt it.

 I don’t think Ahsoka was particularly close to the clones ingeneral, nor they to her. I think she made strong bonds with some of theTroopers (clearly, I’m looking at you Rex and the rest of torrent, bluesquadron get over here), but despite how I wish she and the troopers were superclose…they weren’t. Between having a busy ass schedule, being naïve, and beinga bit bratty I don’t’ think Ahsoka made the effort she could have. And Trooperswould /never/ make the first move towards friendship. That was trained out ofthem.

 Ahsoka is a workaholic. I don’t think she knows what to dowhen she has down time, often using it to practice or talk to people. When she’solder this goes hand in hand with her terrible sleep. It’s part of what madeher such an important player to the Rebellion, Ahsoka works hard and fast anddoesn’t take time in between to rest. She just goes to a different part of thegalaxy to let the last area she was in cool off.

 I don’t think Ahsoka forgave Anakin, or ever will forgiveAnakin, for becoming Vader. Ahsoka is willing to reach out if she thinks there’sa snowball’s chance in hell, but Anakin proved that there wasn’t to her. Ithink ironically, while meeting on Malachor opened a chink in Vader’s armor thatLuke was able to fully capitalize on, I think it also built up the armor aroundAhsoka’s heart. So I don’t think a meeting with Anakin’s ghost would go well.At all. She takes betrayal VERY personally, for pretty good reason.

[queer-and-dear-books]

Title: Felix Ever After

Author: Kacen Callender

Genre: YA Fiction | Drama | Mystery | Friendship | LGBTQ+

Content Warnings: Transphobia | Bullying | Negligent Parents

Overall Rating: 8.4/10

Personal Opinion: After a transphobic gallery reveals Felix’s deadname to his entire school, Felix goes on a journey of vengeance searching for the person that put it up. What he ends up finding though is that not everyone is how they seem. 

Do I Own This Book? No.

Spoilers Below For My Likes & Dislikes:

Likes:

- The mystery of who is the transphobic asshole that put up the gallery certainly keeps you enraptured. Because it’s so undeniably cruel and awful that you want the perpetrator to be punished severely. I’m so glad it wasn’t obvious but it’s also not out of left field. (MAJOR SPOILER ALERT) Austin, a privileged cis white guy who has a crush on Ezra is the culprit and it just makes sense why he wouldn’t like Felix. Especially since he thinks Felix is intruding upon the spaces of gay men just for being trans. Which is not only incorrect but disgusting. Austin and Marisol deserved to be shunned from their friend group and I’m glad they got at least that.

- Leah. A babe! A queen! She went fucking off on her cousin and basically disowned him. Not only that, but she was in Felix’s corner from the very beginning. I honestly love her so goddamn much. And I love that Felix realized how badly he judged people for no real reason because of her. Well, her and Declan.

- The idea that art is supposed to be an exploration into your own self and the theme of this novel being about self-love is so important. I think that’s what makes Felix the type of guy to root for despite his convoluted plot for vengeance. I think, and this is most important, he’s so self-aware. He knows when he did something asshole-ish and he acknowledged that what he did to Declan was manipulative and cruel. He’s dealing with a lot of confusion surrounding his identity, frustration with both of his parents (a neglectful mom and a dad that doesn’t seem to be trying hard enough), and college applications. He’s got a lot going on so it’s relatable and he’s such a sympathetic character. I want to root for him and he does actually get me on his side.

- There is another theme here and that’s about how you don’t know what people are going through. Declan’s family situation is a huge deal and while it was so wrong to take it out on Ezra and Felix like that, he is also a teenager going through a lot. He doesn’t know how to fully process his emotions and it must’ve sucked to like a guy and realize he won’t love you in the same way.

- The progression of the many relationships between all of the characters is truly amazing in my opinion. The friendship of Felix and Leah. The romance between Felix and Ezra and Declan. The acceptance and then eventual fallout of Austin and Marisol VS Felix. The real understanding that Jill’s a good teacher and that Felix’s father is trying, even if it takes him a lot longer than it should. All of it is just so believable and meaningful. It’s also important, I think, for all young queer kids to see that even LGB+ people can be bigoted and especially, transphobic. Even if the perpetrators themselves don’t believe it because they’re like, “I can’t be queerphobic because I’m queer, haha!” It’s important to show these people exist so we can better protect ourselves.

- Felix’s personal struggle with his many marginalizations is a very real dilemma that I myself have experienced. So to me, personally, he’s relatable and I liked reading about him because of that.

Dislikes:

- I’m not sure I really like Felix and Ezra together? I do think that they’re great as friends with how protective Ezra is. But honestly? I feel like Felix relied on his friend too much. The food, the pot, the apartment, the co-dependence in general is a lot. Meanwhile, Ezra doesn’t seem to care too much about Felix’s feelings? He admits himself that he should’ve been more respectful but like, he’s seen the way Felix stressed and he just sort of lets it happen? I guess close friends would know each other well enough to know when they can’t do anything to interfere though. I don’t know, I just wish we saw more of Ezra enjoying Felix’s wit. Plus, Ezra took Declan’s side over Felix’s sometimes and it just felt weird considering the douchery that Declan pulled. I kind of almost wish those three ended up in a polycule in the end since they all had feelings for each other at some point. I’m just not sure I felt much romantic chemistry from Felix and Ezra alone.

- The douchery. Declan treated them like trash after the breakup and it wasn’t even their fault. And once again, he acknowledges he could’ve done it differently but it bothers me that Declan and Ezra were aware of where they went wrong but then proceeded not to fix it. I am willing to give it a pass though because I understand it can be awkward and humiliating to admit you were wrong after all that. But still, what the fuck.

- Marisol, what the fuck. You’re a TERF. You’re like every person who has said “We lost a lesbian” when an AFAB person says they are trans. That is not how this works at all! She still didn’t even think she was wrong! She called Felix a misogynist for “choosing” to be a boy. She should know better that it’s not a choice. But I guess it must not be the same if she can just “choose” to only date women. This stuff in and of itself is not what I dislike. It’s very unfortunate but it is real. What I do dislike and do not understand, is why was Leah still hanging out near her even after the Coney Island incident? I mean, I guess it is still her seat but Marisol was making gross comments to her. I feel gross talking about her.

- Felix’s dad is such a question mark to me. Like Felix, I think it’s so weird that his dad paid for and worked so hard to help him be in the right body… and then refuse to call him by his name? And also, he misgendered Felix a lot. And his apologies felt so shallow? I’m just so confused. I know that he is trying and that as a queer man, I will never understand how non-queer people think. But it’s just so confusing.

- I’d complain about Austin too but the way Leah went off on him was honestly so worth it. I got chills and I had to walk away from the book while smiling because, damn. It was intense. And I loved it so much. So yeah, even though Austin sucks, it really made Leah shine. His actions gave me such positive reactions… to Leah. Not to him. Never him. Fuck him. He is scum. “Proud to be trans” does not fucking mean “proud to have a deadname.” Just because Felix isn’t hiding his trans-ness doesn’t mean he wants to announce all he was assigned to be at birth.

- The drinking and smoking is a lot for 17 year olds.

[never-a-tale-of-more-poe]

Hey, I'd like to ask for your help. As an Ezria fan, I most likely don't see all the things that are wrong with the relationship. Do you remember certain scenes or something that has happened, where he clearly is in the wrong as an adult/teacher etc.? Like of course starting off with being with his student, that is using his position wrongly. Then was the whole creepy cabin thing and all the things he said there. Anything else that sticks to your mind? Thanks a ton x

Hey Ezria Anon! 

First and foremost, I want to apologize for taking so long to answer this. I felt like shit for the best few days, but I am finally feeling well enough to answer this question efficiently and effectively. I will be happy to answer your question and address your concerns to the best of my ability.

———————————————

Let me begin by saying that Ezra Fitz is not a likable character, nor is he a redeemable on. He is, in every sense of the word, a predator. Before we knew about Ezra’s book, we thought him to just be your regular high school English teacher.

…Who preys on underage girls. When he found out about Aria not only being his STUDENT, but SIXTEEN-YEARS-OLD, he still pursued their relationship. Mind you, this was before we found out everything about him.

I never liked Ezria in the first place. Their relationship just seemed ‘icky’ to me, in a sense. It felt off and the vibe was just wrong. However, when S4 ended and the ball was dropped, that was when I completely lost any sort of ‘respect’ for Ezra, and let me tell you I barely had any to begin with.

Ezra was obsessed with Alison, another underage girl. He called her his own “Holly Golightly,” and people really don’t see anything wrong with this? He was messing around with an underage girl. Yes, he “broke things off” when he found out her actual age, but still. His relationship with her was completely inappropriate.

And then Perv Man becomes obsessed with this girl. So obsessed in fact, that when she goes missing he thinks “Gee Golly, this sure makes for an interesting story!” 

So, what does Humbert Humbert’s protégé do? He deliberately seeks out Aria, seduces her in a fucking bathroom in a dingy bar, and from then on, starts a whirlwind of seduction, abuse of power, and stalks a sixteen-year-old girl and her friends for years. And why?

For a goddamn book. 

That was his reasoning. He stalked a group of teenage girls because he was obsessed with the disappearance of another teenage girl, with whom he once had a fling. 

Let’s reiterate:

 Ezra has an unhealthy obsession with underage girls

He used his power of authority over Aria

He literally stalked a teenage girl and her friends for years

He did so for the sake of ‘his book.’

Not to mention the fact that Ezra is shady as fuck. He is violent, ill-tempered and uses his charm to weasel his way out of trouble. He is VERY good at manipulation. In layman’s terms, Ezra Fitz displays classic qualities of a sociopath.

Sociopaths, or those with Antisocial Personality Disorder often have the following characteristics:

Sociopaths are exceedingly charming; these individuals are intelligent, smooth-talkers, flattering, and very good actors.

Sociopaths are extremely manipulative. This is one of their most practiced, honed skills. These individuals rely on their ability to talk their way out of anything. They are articulate, and they know exactly what you want to hear. They thrive on gaining the support of others through playing the victim. 

Sociopaths are pathological liars. They are deceptive, dishonest and lie through their teeth. They are very good at pretending to be genuinely interested in what you have to say and know the right questions to ask, to show that they care. It’s obvious that Ezra is a pathological liar, since he was using Aria from the very first episode for his own personal gain.

Sociopaths have an over-inflated ego. Ezra’s callousness and sense of self-worth is so distorted that he sincerely believes he can’t be touched.

So, how do the writers redeem his character? By having him get shot. That’s it. That is his redemption. 

“Oh, let’s have him get shot to protect the girls, that’ll show ‘em he really loves Aria!”

 It’s fucking bullshit. 

He cannot be redeemed. Ever. Besides being shot, he never faces any negative consequences. He is never held responsible for his predatory behavior, or his abuse of power over minors. 

And why? Well, that’s easy. I. Marlene King truly believes that all of what he has done can be forgiven, simply because he fell in love with his victim. 

Yes, Aria Montgomery is his victim. 

I don’t give a flying fuck if “fell in love with her,” because what he did is legally and morally reprehensible. 

Furthermore, he shows a complete lack of remorse for what he did. He is very good at faking empathy. He got caught, so he turns on the charm. The ol’ “woe is me” spiel. 

In 7B, when he found out Aria had filled out the report but didn’t actually file it, he immediately agrees with Aria. He does this because he knows he can convince her not to file the report. She still could have, and he still would have had his ass busted. But he doesn’t. He smooth-talks his way into Aria’s good graces again, pretending to “see the error of his ways.” 

What’s more is that there are young, impressionable girls out there who believe Ezra and Aria are made for each other; that their story and struggles is one of true love. Which, again, is fucking bullshit. Ezra never faced consequences for anything. Young girls want their own “Ezra Fitz,” because the show depicted their relationship as romantic. It is not romantic. It never was romantic.

It was an adult male taking full advantage of a sixteen-year-old girl.

I can guarantee you that one of the only reasons this fucking train wreck of a ‘ship’ was so beloved and popular is because Ian Harding is hot. And he is. He is very attractive. If he weren’t as attractive and didn’t have the cookie-cutter appearance of the “dreamy heartthrob,” then many people would not accept their relationship.

Since the show has ended (and even before) Ian Harding has stated that Ezra should have been in jail. He agreed that their relationship was wrong.

Troian Bellisario was (and is) very vocal about her dislike of Ezria.

Lucy Hale disapproves of Ezria. In the Afterwrap Party following the end of the last episode, Lucy stated “I would not made the same choices as Aria had.”

When three of your main cast members are vehemently against one of the main ships of your show because of the message it sends and what it portrays, then you really need to reevaluate your views on reality.

Don’t get me wrong. I love Pretty Little Liars, and I always will, despite what a shit-fest it turned into. But that doesn’t mean the writers (I’m looking at you, Marlene King) are without fault for their portrayal of this relationship and Ezra’s lack of consequences.

It’s funny that the show was meant to teach us about friendship, bullying, being true to who you are, etc. But really it taught us that the monsters are often those closest to us. 

In fact, let’s just say that the true villain and monster in the show was the guy obsessed with Scotch and pie.

[viiorels]

Make A Mockery

The Hunters don’t take insults to their honor lightly. When Armand does just that, Mihai goes to Versailles to put him in his place. (Tennis balls are involved.)

Alternatively titled, “If Armand could walk his ass out of existence, that would be great.”

(Loosely inspired by this post and written for Mihai’s birthday. Happy birthday, Mihai!)

If Mihai Radu could be said to be guilty of two sins, they would be Pride and Wrath.

Pride--as the only son of two doting parents, Mihai grew up without want for affection. Crina and Sorin spoiled their son not with material goods, but with attention. In the theater, all eyes were on Mihai when he performed, and his self-esteem shot up.

Wrath--he witnessed the deaths of those doting parents, who gave up their lives so that Mihai might live. Mihai lived with his strict, harsh, and uncaring aunt Stela. The injustice brewed within him until it reached a boiling point and Mihai steamed, lashing out at everyone and everything in reach. 

Since graduating from the Hunter program, Mihai’s pride and wrath have mellowed with his maturity. But once again they come to the forefront of Mihai’s character and he blooms brightly in flame. 

As he so often is, Dauphin Armand is the reason behind Mihai’s agitation. But this time he has not harmed Mihai himself; merely the entire institution of the Hunters of Avignon.

On one of his many trips to the Hunter’s compound, Armand gave in to his life-long obsession with the Hunters and scaled the wall of their dormitory. Taking advantage of a window someone opened out to the summer air, Armand slipped inside. 

Unfortunately, he had entered a Hunter’s room. He caught Bina Ezra in the middle of taking off her leather armor after a patrol. Bina had just removed her breastplate when Armand clambered through the window and she screamed, throwing her armor at Armand and grabbing a blanket to cover her upper half.

Hunters, maids, and stewards heard Bina screaming and rushed to her aid. Those not frog-marching Armand to the door held Bina and comforted her. Mihai was one of those Hunters, bringing Bina a mug of tea and talking with her into the early hours of the morning. It was a gross breach of Bina’s privacy and everyone rightfully expected an apology from Armand.

Instead of an apology, Bina received a box of tennis balls and an extremely snide, inappropriate letter from Armand in which he denied all wrongdoing and suggested that Bina was honored by his “surprise visit.” While his sister Marguerite followed it up with her own sincere, heartfelt apology for her brother’s error and King Henri punished his son by restricting his birthday celebrations, the damage had already been done.

Armand debased the dignity and pride of the Hunters, and now they are out for blood. 

The tennis balls weigh heavily in the leather messenger bag slung across Mihai’s back and shoulder, but he’s not a messenger boy, he’s a delivery boy.

As long as Armand thinks Mihai is here with his birthday present (or, if Armand had his way, Mihai would be his birthday present), Mihai will be granted passage into Armand’s chambers.

Armand has always had his own court of courtesans, nobles, and (mostly French) Hunters vying for his favor, but since his father restricted his birthday celebrations and basically put him under temporary house arrest, Armand’s court is more obvious and more overstated than ever.

There’s a good ten or fifteen people, Mihai excluded, gathered in Armand’s antechamber. Women laugh and hide their painted faces behind painted fans, trying to catch Armand’s eye. Men spew philosophy and drink fine wine from even finer glasses. Someone plays a white piano in the corner as servants dart around, offering finger sandwiches and more wine. Armand sits in the center of it all, and Mihai is more than a little pleased to see there aren’t any Hunters at his side. One of King Henri’s restrictions was to keep Armand’s beloved Hunters at bay unless one had important business to attend to.

And Mihai’s business is very important.

Seeing Mihai enter the room, Armand smiles broadly and stands up. The music suddenly halts as Armand crosses the room and kisses Mihai on each cheek like they’re old friends. Mihai remains stiff as a board and doesn’t look into Armand’s gray eyes.

“Mon cher, how lovely of you to come! Please, do sit down.” Armand gestures to the chair on his right.

“That’s very kind, Your Highness, but I’m fine with standing.” Mihai keeps his voice level but terse, biting back the anger just on the tip of his tongue. “I have an important message for the Dauphin from Avignon regarding the incident with Hunter Ezra.”

Armand’s eyes narrow into slivers and his lips turn up at the corners. He enjoys playing games with Mihai; chasing him at galas and manipulating him into a dance where Mihai can’t fight back without fear of punishment. He thinks this is another one of his games.

He is wrong.

“Regarding the Dauphin, you can speak to me. What’s the message from Avignon?” 

Mihai reaches into the bag and pulls out a tennis ball. He holds it in his hand, examining it. It’s a plain, beige ball with a slightly fuzzy covering on it. 

“Scorn and defiance...” 

Stepping his right foot back, Mihai lobs the ball at Armand’s head. The nobles all gasp, scandalized. Armand is startled but catches it in his hand. He stares at Mihai incredulously, his mouth open but his voice, for once, is silent. Mihai takes the advantage and grabs another ball.

“...Slight regard...” 

This ball meets the same fate as the first, whistling through the air towards Armand’s head. Armand reaches up and catches it, but now his hands are full and he can’t grab the third ball that Mihai lobs towards him,

“...contempt...”

This ball beans Armand squarely on the side of his head; not enough to wound, but enough to surprise and embarrass him. It does, and the expression on his face is a balm to Mihai’s anger. 

But only just. His rage and pride mounting, Mihai goes right up to Armand and gets in his face. Despite the two inches of height difference between the two, Mihai is broader and more solid. Armand can train all he likes; he’s still a pampered princeling living in a polished palace and eating Turkish Delights. Mihai faced Beasts twice the size of Armand. He’s not afraid of him.

For once, Armand is afraid. 

“...And any insult that wouldn’t disgrace our noble institution--that’s the value we put on you, Your Highness!”

Seizing the bag on his shoulders, Mihai upends it over Armand’s head. Dozens of tennis balls rain down upon Armand. His mouth opens and closes like a fish out of water. He can’t say anything for fear of embarrassing himself in front of his little play court, and his face gets redder and redder with every tennis ball that bounces off his head and shoulders.

With the bag empty, Mihai puts it back on, his pride well-sated and his anger curling up for a nap. Armand is humiliated, his courtiers are scandalized, and there are tennis balls rolling all around his parlor. 

Mihai smiles, showing a little fang of his own.

“I’d include my bag, but it’s my birthday gift from Nina and Italian leather is so hard to find. I’m sure you understand. Good day, Your Highness.”

[a-clear-vision-blog]

Pll end game conspiracy theories

I am going to start off by saying that the pll finale was very disappointing for me. There were so many loose ends, some things just didn’t add up, basically everything was a mess. (You can feel free to disagree)

I have some theories here that will probably tie up some loose ends:

Theory 1: The most disappointing part about A.D was it was no one we had already seen on the show. ‘The Spencer twin theory’ was very popular because it was an obvious one. The motives given by Alex for doing everything seem pretty stupid. But I feel like we as an audience weren’t given enough time to judge her. We don’t know her background or why she really felt the need to go through all that trouble. So my theory on her being A.D is that Alex had a pretty rough childhood (worse than Charlotte). Her parents abandoned her at a very young age, she struggled with mental disorders (she never recieved any treatment) and she had no one to rely on. When she met Charlotte, she realized how her twin sister had all the things she always wanted, that made her jealous. Alex started believing that everyone loved Spencer and if she wanted happiness she needed to be “Spencer”. So she came up with this plan to slowly manipulate everyone close to Spencer as A.D and come closer to them pretending to be Spencer. When the time was right, she would kill off Spencer and no one would suspect a thing. Hence, Alex did all this because she was struggling with mental disorders.

Theory 2: The most mind blowingly crazy thing done by Alex was taking Mona on the A team. Given that the whole A.D game was to find out who killed Charlotte.I don’t feel like Alex knew Mona killed Charlotte when she started the game. Her actual motive really was to avenge Charlotte’s murder. Alex found out about Charlotte’s murderer with the liars. She decided to end the game then but she couldn’t let go. She killed Wren, came to Rosewood and pretended to be Spencer from time to time. Now the question is why did she trust Mona again? Well the answer is simple. Mona has always found a way into the group of liars despite going off track. Mona was the strongest link for Alex to execute her plan of replacing Spencer.

Theory 3: Another thing that didn’t make sense was Alex kidnapping Ezra. In the finale Alex never gave a solid reason for doing that. My theory is, when Ezra suspected her not being Spencer, she freaked out. She saw her plan blowing up in flames, so she decided to kill him. That was her plan, to kill Ezra and Spencer.

Theory 4: This one of the most interesting theory. Why didn’t Alex kill Spencer when she shot her? Remember that scene in the finale when Wren shot Alex. Can you remember where it was? On the right side of her chest. And where did Alex shoot Spencer? Exactly! Alex shot Spencer to cover up her tracks. She already had a gun shot wound on her chest why not make it even more obvious she was ‘Spencer’ by giving the actual Spencer a wound on the exact spot.

Theory 5: The weirdest turn in the finale, Ali and Em’s twin’s biological father is Wren. I personally find it pretty lame. Last time I checked Wren was in London when Ali was impregnated with Em’s eggs. So how the hell was Wren able to donate his sperm? I guess he was in Rosewood the whole time and never went back to London. Alex forced him to donate his sperms for the procedure.

Theory 6: Towards the end of the episode Mona is playing with Mary and Alex in her personal ‘dollhouse’ somewhere in France (my fave part of the episode). How did she get them there? This is not my theory, I read it on YouTube but it’s pretty logical. So the theory goes that the guy Mona kissed before going into her 'dollhouse’ is actually a cop and also her boyfriend. He pulled some strings and got them out for Mona. This theory makes a lot of sense because he wasn’t really bothered by all the creepy dolls which wtf is so weird.

Theory 7: The last scene which annoyed me (more than Alex’s horrible British accent). The barn scene of Addison and her friends. What the actual fuck was it even about? There is a possibility of a spin off the show I guess. Why does Marlene think that anyone would watch a spin off after the way she ended the pll?

So this is all I have. Comment your thoughts!

[ryanmeft]

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald Movie Review

The Harry Potter universe is on the short list of fictional worlds that can sustain even a weak film, and that’s good, because with the second installment in the Fantastic Beasts series, it has to do just that. The constantly magical world---humongous felines that look like living Chinese dragons, mail rooms that shift like moving skyscrapers---and the typically stellar casting help get us through a story that is trying too hard to stretch a vulnerable franchise, replete with uninspiring plot twists and broken pacing.

Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) ended the last movie without any real over-arching goals he could call his own, and the labor of this movie is to give him some. To that end, it adds several characters and plot elements not even hinted at in the last one, probably because that movie needed to stand alone in case it underperformed. Among these: Newt’s brother, Theseus (Callum Turner), who is in the department of Magical Cops, and wants Newt to join him there. I’m not exactly sure why, as the latter doesn’t seem built for it, and not only does the film never elaborate, but Theseus and Newt’s relationship is all over the board, going from “Come work with me” to treating him like a fugitive and back again without much in the way of mooring. Also new is a sense of overarching story, which was teased with a questionable Johnny Deep surprise appearance in the last film. That story involves dark wizard Grindelwald attempting to rule over non-magic users so wizards can come out of the shadows, and manipulating a boy named Credence (Ezra Miller) into using his power to transform into a really angry dark cloud to do it. Newt’s hamstrung by an order not to leave Britain, which is a convenient excuse to drop Dumbledore into the mix. He’s played by Jude Law as much more of a cloak and dagger character than the wise old mentor of the Potter books. Zoe Kravitz debuts as Leta Lestrange, a former flame of Newt’s who has ended up engaged to his bro. Claudia Kim is Nagini---yes, that Nagini, and her addition is strange in an uncomfortable rather than a curious way. Returning cast include Katherine Waterston as Scamander’s estranged love interest Tina, and Alison Sudol and Dan Fogler as a couple dealing with a ban on wizards and non-wizards marrying.

I said of the previous film that “This movie is all about the beasts,” and praised the incredible level of visual creativity on-hand, including an absolutely spectacular world for magical monsters hidden inside a briefcase. That world returns, and now includes Victoria Yeates as Newt’s completely lovable, hideously underutilized assistant; there is a scene in which she revels in being doused by the waters from a pond containing a friendly sea monster that made me wish she was in the movie more and others in it less. Some favorite beasts return, but the only new one of serious consideration is that, well, fantastic dragon cat.

I also predicted it would be impossible for J.K. Rowling, who wrote the movie, and long-time Potterverse director David Yates to resist loading future sequels with fan service. I was right. Whereas the first film was caught up in the wonder of the beasts themselves and was a hell of a fun ride despite pretensions at world-building, this one is all about those pretensions. They occasionally almost work. To my great surprise, Jude Law is excellent as a young Dumbledore---in fact, he is a highlight. The movie wisely does not try to copy the character as he existed in the books or original movies, instead leaning full in to the idea that in his youth, he could be far more openly manipulative and willing to play chess with people. He’s still a good guy, of course, but he’s a good guy with more rough edges, and Law’s casting is spot on. Depp isn’t as horribly miscast as I expected him to be, though he’s rarely allowed to sink his teeth in. Grindelwald at this juncture is not so much his own character as a somewhat less creepy Voldemort, one whose plot is a tiny bit more complex and driven by a very warped ideology. If there’s more to his character that sets him apart, the team seems to be storing that up for later. 

Therein lies the trouble: with a planned five films in this series, it feels as if the Potter team is not just holding over their best cards for the next entries, but most of their good cards, too. Whereas Rowling, with the original series, almost always knew exactly where to drop in a new mystery or how to answer an old one and rarely resorted to filler, The Crimes of Grindelwald is often an advertisement for later entries. A return visit to Hogwarts that should have had fans squealing is neutered by the fact that nothing enticing happens there, while Grindelwald’s menace is fangless and mostly consists of him making speeches. Particularly annoying is the tease at the end of the film, which might have been something except that it relies on retconning an original-book plot point rather than expanding on one. Since there’s no possible way anyone could have thought of it, it left me feeling confused and cheated rather than anticipating the payoff to come in two years. All this build-up is at the expense of some of the more interesting characters, particularly Waterston, whose Tina is relegated to irrelevance.

All is not lost. There’s a lot of complaints about CGi ruining film, but the Potter franchise has always slapped those down, offering, by itself, a world that justifies the computer-animated era. It continues to do so here, and while the darker portents of the story aren’t fully served, the artists behind them give us a world that is. Secret meeting places hidden in cemeteries, glossy tiled floors of a new Ministry of Magic, and a particularly thrilling semi-cold opener succeed in setting a tone that could be really compelling if the story can catch up. My favorite bit was a carnival sideshow for magical freak acts like those still popular in the film’s 1920’s setting; it’s a marvelous combination of the wondrous and the seedy.

Unlike many, I don’t find Redmayne dull as a protagonist. I think after the rather cliche Chosen One trope that Harry often was (you know it’s true; the supporting cast made those stories), Newt’s more reserved, less action-hero persona works. When Redmayne needs to communicate the many emotions seething under the skin, however, he effectively does so with clipped replies and by giving the character an inability to make eye contact. I’m a fan of non-traditional heroes.

I often over-analyze the Potter universe, and that’s for two very good reasons. The first is that it is easily the most influential and important literary fantasy world to come down the pike since Tolkien put a Hobbit in a hole in the ground, and the second is I’m a big, big fan of Harry Potter. I probably know more about the genealogies and history of Rowling’s world than I strictly should. That’s why a review like this is a challenge to write. I like Newt and his friends. I like the beasts. I wanted to love this movie. I did at times. As a whole, though, I felt like I was being offered a stretched-out middle chapter that was mostly meant to placate me before the main course. And that’s something I never felt about the originals.

Verdict: Average

Note: I don’t use stars, but here are my possible verdicts.

Must-See

Highly Recommended

Recommended

Average

Not Recommended

Avoid like the Plague

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[ritterschaf]

Through Imperial Eyes

Oh my god this episode.

First things first: OMG I am so glad that Kallus survived...but honestly, he’s now in even MORE danger than before because obviously Thrawn didn’t know before but he does now. But tbh I’m not that anxious he might die anymore, but to that later.

In my opinion this episode was simply brilliant because we saw something that has been kind of overlooked in the last few episodes: Kallus' abilities outside the battlefield. Just look at how he manipulated Lyste into being his asset without him even knowing and basically without effort! Or how he preprogrammed Thrawn’s droids!  But let’s get a bit more into detail, because there were a few things that were really, really nice: The interactions between Lyste and Kallus were just the sweetest. These little smiles Lyste shot at Kallus a few times, like the one where Kallus told him, that he’s sure that Lyste will make a better impression than the last time he was summoned by high-ranking officers. Or when he stood by when Kallus was visibly pretty happy that Yularen obviously seemed to remember him, or him waiting for Kallus outside the room. Or Kallus’ little mournful expression before he tackles Lyste and frames him...though you have to say that Lyste’s enthusiasm made him easy to manipulate (although it was really cute to watch him x//D). This whole bickering between Ezra and Kallus was just priceless, I burst into laughter numerous times, especially when they were in Thrawns office, Kallus’ “Good point!” was just too great. And the way Kallus freaked out as soon as he was alone with Ezra - and especially that little moment after Ezra told him, that he’d come to get Kallus out of the empire, because before Kallus seemed like he’d expect an answer such as “Warning YOU? Oh come on, you must be delusional!” but instead he learns that the rebels actually care what happens to him.

And of course...the fact that Kallus stayed behind, because he can do “more good” when he continues to play his role - the only catch from now on: Thrawn knows, for real this time. And I don’t think Kallus is fully aware of that...but despite that I don’t fear for his life as much as before, because in the midseason trailer we’ve seen him on Lothal, so he seems to be able to get away from the empire at least once and maybe, maybe he uses that opportunity to finally really join the rebellion (or he goes into hiding, that’d be cool too). (.....okay tbh I’m still very concerned but not as much as I was before TIE aired because if this episode showed us one thing then it is that Kallus is absolutely capable of looking out for himself.)

But that image of the shuttle flying away without Kallus in it really kind of choked me up. At the beginning all he cared about was a higher rank and getting results and now he wants to help the rebellion as much as he can obviously no matter the risk. Damn son. And if the rebels or Ezra had any doubts about him and his intentions (which the latter clearly had)...well, I’m pretty sure Kallus has cleared those doubts out with his actions this episode.