#i think jyn is so interesting as someone who is so clearly just kind of fit around the shape of larger adult things

[rotzaprachim]

new possible aspect of extended andor-erso family Dynamics include galen and lyra’s protracted awkward divorce (it starts to happen the moment that jyn is out of the house, either age, like, 6 or 18 you can decide) where galen for whom she’s like he only real human connection to the Outside World is like *this is Fine* *opens vodka bottle* meanwhile lyra keeps talking about living her Best Life. she’s actually finishing her geology master’s degree that got put on pause by galen, galen’s career, and jyn. she’s invested in a bunch of new-age hippy sweaters and scented candles and taken up hot yoga. she’s got the space!joy of sex and assorted manuals on the female orgasm sitting up on the bookshelf with all her baking books. she goes hillwalking for weeks at a time. she keeps bringing her collection of nubile younger lovers ‘round to family events and they are all her age or younger, which is to say, at least eleven years younger than galen 

[cosleia]

Andor Livetweeting: Episode 4

Livetweets about episode 4 below the cut.

Episode 1 | Episode 2 | Episode 3

6:48 PM · Sep 28, 2022

ANDOR EPISODE 4 LIVETWEETING BEGINS · Sep 28

I like how they change the music for the title card each time · Sep 28 “Med nog” · Sep 28 He sounds like Jyn 🥲 · Sep 28 HEIST EPISODE · Sep 28 “Capital of the galaxy” · Sep 28 lol this guy is slaying me · Sep 28 “We are healthcare providers” rofl · Sep 28 lol Cassian clearly thinking about just leaving · Sep 28 Now how much of what Selvig said to Vel was his real thoughts? What are his real thoughts? Also I don’t remember his name in this show rofl · Sep 28 Lawful Pretty looking pretty as always · Sep 28 WHO IS HE · Sep 28 Oooooh intriguing · Sep 28 A chameleon · Sep 28 Wouldn’t it be funny if Cassian found his sister here · Sep 28 So much Syril time! · Sep 28 HIS MOMMY · Sep 28 Luthen, that’s his name 😂 · Sep 28 Wait, she’s married? · Sep 28 I guess they don’t have to walk ALL the time · Sep 28 Well THAT is clearly a relationship of convenience · Sep 28 omg their plan is so cool I can’t wait to see the Eye · Sep 28 The episode is over 😭 · Sep 28 My husband is very perplexed by the credits they’re stealing being actually physical…I suppose it is interesting · Sep 28 There was so much information in this episode. Still kind of processing. So Luthen poses as an antiquities dealer while funneling money to rebels, Mon Mothma GETS him that money…Mon wants to bring someone new in (Bail?? Except surely he’s already in)… · Sep 28 That group on Aldhani is so interesting, they live in such a simple, low-tech way. But that must be to stay off the Empire’s radar. They’d be caught pretty quick if they used speeders all the time probably? But what a sacrifice · Sep 28 How many groups does Luthen work with? Is Bix actually in the Rebellion? · Oct 2 Reading this article about Mon Mothma now and really loving it.

[tryalittlejoytomorrow]

20 questions, writer’s edition:

I was tagged by my favorite child @flythesail ! ;) Thank you!! ❤️

How many works do you have on AO3?

39 stories. That’s...a lot. Especially as I used to have around 20 other fics on ffnet that I never crossposted. Maybe I need to sleep more.

What’s your total AO3 word count?

528,088 words.I KNOW. I’m talkative, okay??? It’s crazy to think about the fact that almost a half of this word count is my kevison fic tho. 👀 👀

How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

SO MANY FANDOMS

The 100 / Bellarke

The Hunger Games / Everlark

Star Wars / Rebelcaptain + Han/Leia

Marvel / Clintasha

Still Star-Crossed / Rosvolio

Arrow / Olicity

Marvel’s Runaways / Gertchase

Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries / Phryne x Jack

Shades of magic / Kell x Lila

Six of Crows / Kanej

This is us / Kevison

NCIS:LA / Densi (so many moons ago, all deleted)

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Friends (I’ve watched us as we changed) / Bellarke modern-AU / The 100

it’s not easy for me to belong here (I’m learning) / Kanej / SoC

Girl, ya can’t conceal it / Bellarke

no remedy for love (but to love more) / Rosvolio / Still Star-Crossed

Things just don’t grow (if you don’t bless them with your patience) / Bellarke

Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

Yes! Feedback from readers is so important, so I do my best to reply to all meaningful, encouraging feedback. It shows both my appreciation, but also starts nice, interesting conversations sometimes. :)

What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

I think that would definitely be a Bellarke fic, I have been known to be mean in that fandom... 😛 I’d say, if we go with angstiest ending, I’ll have to pick I came here to get some peace. I have another story that’s far angstier as a whole, but the ending was more hopeful.

What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

Mmh, I think I’ll go with Rosvolio on that one, and the series starting with no remedy for love and ending with for love is such a daily good thing. The sequel, epilogue of sorts, was almost as long as the original fic itself, and it was all about giving these two the agency they deserve in their finding each other and growing into love.

Do you write crossovers? If so what is the craziest one you’ve written?

I did once, but never completed the fic. It was a Dark Matter/The 100 crossover. Though was it really one? I don’t think so. I used the main characters from the 100 in the context of Dark Matter? Anyway. As evidenced by the fact that I never did finish the thing past the first chapter - no, I don’t write crossovers.

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Are there really writers who don’t? Bless your hearts. I’ve been active in writing for various fandoms since 2011 and I’ve had the usual cocktail of anon hate, death threats, insults, etc.

Do you write smut? If so what kind?

Yep. Sex is a conversation, and writing dialogue is one of my favorite things, and they’re basically the same. Sex is a form of communication like any other - be it awkward, passionate, peaceful and quiet, a routine, a habit, a bad habit you can’t kick, sorta meh, or bad. So I guess I write all kinds of smut? Smut with feels is obviously a favorite, but it’s nice to write smut that is just about two people who can’t be apart from each other, passionate and hungry for one another.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Yup - and not subtly at all. But at the time ffnet did nothing about it, and neither did the fandom. Even though people knew that this person had stolen my story and only changed the characters’ names to fit another ship, people still read it and commented it. Insert #lesigh.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

No. I was asked, once, but I said no. This just feels weird to me.

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Nope. My head and my writing process are messy enough as they are, they don’t need the intrusion.

What’s your all time favorite ship?

It’s like asking someone to pick a favorite child. Which everyone could do, really, we all know it. Still, it’s not proper to ask. But I’ll go with my childhood and ultimate otp, Piper and Leo from Charmed. They taught me what love was.

What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

Mmmh, I don’t think I have one atm? I gave up on some wips back when I was writing for The 100, but I know I’ll never pick them up. My only current wip is for Kevison, and I do intend to see this through.

What are your writing strengths?

Clearly my style? I’ve been told it’s kinda poetic, and I do like my prose and my flow - a stream of consciousness, a line that’ll go straight to your heart, long sentences of uninterrupted thoughts, a window into the character’s soul. I also have a very good grasp on the characters I choose to write about - I only write when I feel like I know them like the back of my hand, so characterization and being true to who they are is my number one priority.

What are your writing weaknesses?

I have no discipline. I’ll write for days on end, get one, two, three chapters ready...and sometimes a month passes by and I have nothing, my brain is completely empty, and I feel all squeezed out. I could never wait until I’ve completed a work before posting it, for instance - and I mean, I’ve been working on my Kevison fic for 17 months now, so, in a way, lucky thing I didn’t wait, right?

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

If it fits the character and the context, why not.

What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Harry Potter! It was a lifetime ago, I was 12 and I wrote what I expected the fifth book to be before it came out. Needless to say, it was bad.

What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

Once again, asking someone to pick a favorite child isn’t proper. I have a sort of very unique love for something always brings me back to you, one of my rebelcaptain fics. First of all, it’s the only work who’s ever gotten a fan edit made about (thanks again to the lovely person who did!). I also think the writing is solid, the dialogue and the chemistry between Jyn and Cassian on point. And I loved working on that AU of their first meeting(s) through the galaxy.

Tagging: @queenofchildren , @lullabiesandgoodbyes , @alienor-woods and whoever else wants to do it!

[andorerso]

for the prompt “Help me I’m being hit on at a bar please be my fake boyfriend for a second” which was requested on AO3, but @asunachinadoll also asked for it. I wasn’t originally going to do it because I initially chose your other prompt, but since somebody else also asked for this one, I figured I’d tag you too. Hope you enjoy! :)

It was Friday night at the Falcon, and Jyn was not having a good time. Shara was ill and had to cancel, Leia was now fifteen minutes late without an explanation, and the guy who’d seen her sitting alone and thought it was an invitation to join her would not get the hint. And she wasn’t even subtle about it.

It was obvious he saw “conquering” her as a challenge and wasn’t about to give up soon. Guys like him made her wonder why she even bothered to leave her apartment when she could very well get drunk and have a good time at home. But Leia and Shara both preferred to go out drinking, thus Jyn was outvoted.

Now she was alone and she was seriously contemplating leaving. If Leia didn’t show up in the next five minutes, she would. In the meantime, she had to figure out how to get rid of this creep, and since “I’m not interested” clearly didn’t cut it, her options were limited.

She could punch the guy, she supposed, but she didn’t want to get banned from the bar, especially because Leia had an obvious crush on the bartender and would not be happy about it. At a loss of other ideas, she reverted back to the old classic.

“I have a boyfriend,” she lied, hoping this would be enough for him to back off. Some guys wouldn’t take no for answer but would have some kind of fucked up respect for the “territory” of another dude. It made Jyn sick, but if it got him to leave, she’d take it.

Unfortunately, he didn’t seem to be one of those guys.

“I don’t see him anywhere,” he said, looking around the bar pointedly. Jyn contemplated punching him once again.

By some miracle, she saw a guy walking towards their general direction and she reacted without thinking.

“He’s right here,” she said, standing up and catching the stranger’s arm to draw him to her side. She felt him tense up, obviously caught off-guard by her boldness.

Oh Jesus. She felt so awkward and she hoped the creepy dude didn’t pick up on it. Please just play along, please just play along, please just play along.

She knew this could potentially backfire really bad, but she prayed to some god that the guy whose arm she was currently clutching was decent enough to help her out here. She glanced at him quickly, momentarily stunned by the dark brown eyes that met hers. Woah. He was kind of handsome.

Ignoring that revelation, she gave him a pleading look, hoping to convey that she was not crazy, she just needed some backup. He furrowed his eyebrows, glanced at the creepy dude who’d been harassing her, then gave her a small, almost imperceptible nod.

Maybe she was in luck here.

“You her boyfriend?” creepy dude asked, sounding suspicious. He talked directly to the stranger like only his opinion mattered here. Jyn really wanted to punch him.

“Yes,” the guy said without blinking, and she was surprised by how genuine it sounded. Someone was a good liar, apparently. “And I’d appreciate it if you didn’t harass my girlfriend.”

Creepy dude held up his arms, clearly not looking for a fight. All talk, no bark, it seemed. Most of them were.

“Hey man, no harm done. I didn’t know she was taken.”

“I told you I wasn’t interested,” Jyn answered darkly but the guy didn’t seem remorseful in the least.

“They all say that,” he shrugged. Before Jyn could open her mouth to tear him apart, the other guy cut in.

“I suggest you leave now,” he said, a clear warning in his voice. Jyn looked up at him, surprised by how much she liked his dark tone. At first glance, he just seemed kind of stand-offish, but not the kind of guy who could do serious damage to anyone. Now, there was a dangerous glint in his eyes, and he looked like he was capable of holding his own in a fight if pushed to it.

Jyn gulped and quickly looked away, realizing that she missed the moment creepy guy actually left. Finally.

She turned to the other man, letting go of his arm and giving him an apologetic but grateful smile. Immediately, the dangerous expression on his face cleared up, replaced by compassion.

“Sorry about that. He was pushy.”

“It’s no problem at all,” he said, then gave her a quick once-over. Her face heated up. It didn’t feel leering, rather assessing, but she liked it a little too much. “Somehow, you don’t look like the type who needs to be saved though.”

She gave him a feral grin. “Oh, you didn’t save me. You saved him.”

“Now I regret it,” he laughed, and she warmed all over. Damn, why was her heart beating so fast?

“Well, thank you,” she said. From the corner of her eyes, she could see Leia finally walk through the door, and she almost felt disappointed. But he probably had to go back to his friends too – unless he was here alone? Then maybe she could invite him to –

No. She wasn’t here to pick up someone, she was here to laugh and hang out with her friend, and she wasn’t interested in a drunken hook-up anyway.

“My friend’s here so…” she trailed off, a little awkward, and he nodded. They both paused. He looked like he might say something, and she contemplated saying something… but it seemed neither of them were brave enough.

“Have fun,” he said before leaving. She followed him with her eyes, watching as he found his table and sat down in front of another man with short-cropped hair and wiry glasses. So he was here with friends. It was a good thing she didn’t make a fool of herself then.

Leia arrived with a flourish, gesturing towards the guy with her finger.

“What was that about?” she asked as a way of greeting. Jyn glared a little bit to let her know she was mad about her tardiness.

“Some guy hit on me and he pretended to be my boyfriend,” she explained, looking back at him again. She realized she didn’t even know his name. She wondered if she’d see him again.

“He’s cute,” Leia offered as they both sat down, and Jyn shrugged, trying to play it off.

“Yeah.”

“Why didn’t you get his number?”

“I’m not here to meet people.”

“But if the opportunity presents itself…” Leia trailed off, a sharp grin curving on her lips.

Jyn sighed and glanced at the guy again. This time, he was looking back, and her face went red as she quickly averted her eyes. Jesus. Could he tell they were talking about him?

Leia’s eyebrows were raised when she looked back at her.

“Go over there and ask him,” she said, and Jyn crossed her arms across her chest.

“No.”

“Oh, for Christ’s sake,” Leia groaned, and before Jyn could stop her, she was up and heading towards the guys’ table.

“Leia!” Jyn hissed but Leia was no longer paying attention. Jyn watched in horror as she reached the other table and addressed the cute guy. She was too far away to make out what she was saying but Jyn could just about imagine. She buried her face in her hands, wishing for the ground to swallow her whole, and only looked up when Leia was back at their table.

“Oh, don’t be so dramatic,” Leia huffed, holding a piece of paper in her hand. “He liked you too, you know.”

She smirked and held out the paper.

“Here. His name is Cassian and he said he didn’t feel right asking for your number when you just got rid of one creepy dude. So. Solid guy. Consider it a consolation prize for being late.”

Jyn took the paper, glanced at the number, then looked towards his table again. Cassian. She liked it.

He was looking back, and when their eyes met, he gave her a tiny smile. Jyn felt her own lips curve up in response, her heartbeat picking up. Her face was aflame by this point, but she held up the paper to let him know she got it. Would it be too soon to text him tonight?

Jyn turned back to Leia then gave her a shrug. “You’re forgiven.”

[chamerionwrites]

I’m so sorry, I guess I’m not done having Draven feelings but the thing about him is that in the first place he’s a John le Carré character in space. As far as I’m concerned that’s a fabulous elevator pitch in any context but maybe especially in Star Wars, because Star Wars tends to avoid (to a fault imho) the kind of moral complexity that implies - which makes it refreshing and subversive and all the other adjectives you want if you’re going to keep a long-running franchise interesting.

But in the second place - he’s a tragedy. And I don’t mean that he’s tragic, in the sense that the rest of the film is tragic. I mean he’s a tragedy, in the very classical sense, where fate and your own character flaws conspire to crush you in the jaws of the exact circumstance you’re trying desperately to avoid. Draven makes a terrific amount of sense as a character when you realize that his tragic flaw isn’t callousness or even cynicism (though a lot of his choices are undoubtedly both callous and cynical). It’s impatience, driven by a smothering sense of urgency.

Whatever else you can say about the character, it’s clear that he takes the threat posed by the Empire deadly seriously (correctly so). He’s clearly very, very conscious that the Rebellion is suicidally outgunned, that initiative and unpredictability are some of the only advantages their little guerrilla army has. He doesn’t want them to get caught in a scenario where they’re reacting instead of acting for the same reason that a little dude doesn’t want to stand and block punches from a fighter who outweighs him by a hundred pounds - any one unlucky blow can be a knockout. And as a head of intel, it’s literally his job to prevent this. If he seems a little trigger-happy it’s because it is literally his job to stay one step ahead of the Empire, and if he fails a lot of people are going to die. This guy talks about time constraints in essentially every scene he’s in. (“We’re up against the clock here, girl.”) He may be a bit player but he’s well-sketched enough to have a driving character motivation: the fear of being too late.

And in the end...he’s too late, PRECISELY because he’s driving ahead with such single-minded urgency that he oversteps and doesn’t have time to take it back. In every instance where he could stop and reevaluate he pushes forward because he’s afraid that if he hesitates at the wrong moment they might miss their only shot (“We have to kill Galen Erso while we have the chance”). Then in the horribly satisfying circular way of tragedy he finally tries to hit the brakes - and can’t. He’s too late to call off that airstrike, it’s a bloody mess that dominoes into the double disasters of Scarif and Alderaan, and it’s hard not to picture this guy standing around on Yavin while the fleets are scrambling thinking he’s spent literal decades trying to avoid going to war with the Empire blind and underprepared and here they are doing just that.

Idk, he does some genuinely bad things but it’s clear that his motivation is more or less the same thing Jyn articulates - If you give way to an enemy this evil with this much power, you condemn the galaxy to an eternity of submission - and there’s something horribly sympathetic about that, and about someone causing the very tragedy they’re trying to prevent because they simultaneously have too much and not quite enough foresight.

[thegirlwholied]

SW anon - So I have tried to watch the whole thing before but I could never really get past the start. I watched ep IV a few years back (and in 2018 I watched it while it playing with a live orchestra which really enhanced the experience) and ofc I’ve known most of what happens bc my mom and brother have been fans of it (and ofc all the references to it in shows and it being everywhere) but the thing about the original trilogy that I found difficult to watch was very much the acting being off

Gov SW anon continued - but I think I’m gonna watch the clone wars show next as I feel like the general universe and people speak to me more than the skywalker and co. story speaks to me. But I’ll probably try and get back to the prequels afterwards (at least just to have seen them) but also bc I’ve been on tumblr for so long and I’ve encountered so much about the new movies with Finn, Poe and rey (I already know I don’t like kylo) that I’m interested to see what comes before that

Seeing Ep IV with a live orchestra sounds fantastic as the music is incredible. <3

I must admit I haven’t gotten properly into the Clone Wars show! I’ve tried, & did jump in to (and enjoy) the finale ~ and certain Mandalorian episodes strongly remind me of the show’s tone ~ but it has yet to hit me right in the place where I care. What I appreciate about it & what it’s brought into the Star Wars universe is still on a more distant level, not visceral. 

I most love that The Mandalorian is truly exploring & taking advantage of the wider Star Wars universe beyond Skywalker & co. (but boy do I also love Skywalker & co.) There is an exciting amount of potential in the newly-announced projects too I love characters outside of a universe’s main chosen-one story. In 6th grade, I was obsessed with the X-Wing book series, which were definitely really marketed toward adult guys but whoops, I had found the deep Star Wars section of the library! And the first line of that series, introducing the main character, is “You’re good, but you’re no Luke Skywalker.” And in a way, that’s the Mandalorian too, to the audience if not himself ~ good, but no Luke Skywalker. Not a Jedi, not meant to bring balance to the Force, a sidestory in the main universe’s struggle.  I (from what I’ve seen/know of) get the impression that’s how Ahsoka sees herself ~ ‘you’re good, but you’re no Anakin Skywalker’. 

Of course, for that contrast to work, first you need a Luke Skywalker.

it’s interesting you mention OT acting feeling off as I would use that exact word to describe how I feel about the acting in some episodes of The Mandalorian. In some I love it! Other times... I hesitate to say ‘like a video game’ as I mean no insult to the well-developed video game characters out there but yeah, it hits me like the actor’s aware they’re essentially in a live-action video game cut scene.

But. I truly love the acting in the original trilogy! ...but also as I type this I’m watching a movie from 1944 and acting style certainly varies by decade, & mileage varies as to personal taste... but also I will never be objective about Star Wars which I have loved since I was six... but also I studied film history in college and firmly believe Star Wars, the original trilogy is just objectively good if not quite everybody’s cup of tea (...okay maybe Return of the Jedi is not quite as objectively good, but I still love it so much and given the work it had to do wrapping up the original trilogy, hey, it did its job successfully and with Ewoks). 

I love the twinkling, wry humor & also gravitas of Alec Guinness. There’s that sense of amusement as he talks to Han, as he waves off the storm troopers, and even in the “let go, Luke”... but always the right weight in the right moments imho

Luke & Han particularly can both be petulant in different ways, & they’re all quippy & brash & even cavalier at times in what in context ~ especially when you rewatch A New Hope right after Rogue One ~ in Very Serious Situations! and I love them for it. 

Carrie Fisher’s accent does shift in the one scene (which I have never minded and definitely went around as a kid trying to say ‘Governor Tarkin’ exactly the way she does), and young Mark Hamill’s Luke can be Dramatic & the Most Petulant but understandably (& prettily) so, and... yeah I probably could muster a criticism for Harrison Ford but also I *can’t*! There are some ridiculous Han Solo moments in Return of the Jedi especially, but also I love him/them/just about every choice these movies made. They just hit on magic.

The magic’s there for me from the music swelling as Luke looks yearningly into the twin suns (the cinematography!), but where it really hits is the up-and-running chemistry between all three of the main actors starting the “Luke, we’re gonna have company” scene, and then, boom, it’s the garbage chute, it’s the you’re-braver-than-I-thought/he-certainly-has-courage, for-luck, here-they-come of it all and the movie is flying. 

...and I will never forgive the sequels for, avoiding spoilers as it sounds like you’re familiar but haven’t seen them, not giving us any true interaction scenes between Rey & Finn & Poe all together until the 3rd movie. While I still so appreciated finally getting that & what we got, for me it was just not just too little but too late. I love the casting & acting for all 3 of those characters, but while fandom’s taken and run with the combination, and they had plenty of chemistry... it should have been up-and-running so much sooner. 

And the prequels just... well, even seeing them in theaters at a susceptible age, the Lord of the Rings movies were coming out at the same time and that did them no favors in comparison. As someone who judges movies above all on dialogue, that... also did them no favors. (Beyond the OT I may have a Nontraditional ranking of Star Wars movies). 

The short version of my prequels & sequels take is that both missed that cinematic magic for me, outside of certain scenes, though I still enjoy them as part of The Whole Thing That Is Star Wars Which I Love. Rogue One had that magic; I know and see the criticism of the early editing & introduction-of-Jyn’s-background-and-Krennic-and-Galen scene, but, to me, that movie is perfect. Solo was solid - maybe not magic, but reliably enjoyable, and I’ve been meaning to rewatch. The prequels & sequels... the lows are very low and the highs are very high, in terms of how they hit me. 

I feel like I’d probably sum them up as Prequels: Good Star Wars, Bad Movies, and Sequels: Good Movies, Bad Star Wars, which may seem a little harsh or too kind on one side or another but gets at my take at the worldbuilding vs. just the cinema of it all. The bread scene in Force Awakens, the salt planet in Last Jedi, the dyad-duel-in-dual-locations in Rise of Skywalker? Gorgeous. Individual scenes’ acting & dialogue is sound for me. And yet. All three sequels’ choices in respect to the entire Star Wars universe and existing characters AND its new characters? ...Tonally inconsistent with each other *and* ultimately with the themes of the OT. Whereas the prequels did so much worldbuilding, and its politics, and I’ll see gifs and think ‘yes actually, is it better than I remember?’... and then I’ll catch one on TV & it’s the Padme & Anakin romance or even Anakin & Obi-Wan’s buddy scene dialogue at the beginning of Rise of Skywalker and the answer will come, clearly: “noooooooooooooooo.”

(...this got long. Which I tend to do when I care, about fiction in any form, and with the prequels/sequels: the ingredients were there to be magic. And just-misses are more frustrating than swing-and-misses. A la, you won’t find me complaining about the Star Wars Holiday Special!) 

(...OK so I haven’t seen all of the Star Wars Holiday Special, and I’m sort of aiming to watch it through this holiday season, since what other year than 2020 seems more appropriate? So I won’t promise not to complain about the Holiday Special but I mostly expect to laugh at it.)

(That said I found the Lego Star Wars Holiday Special an absolute, surprising, laugh-out-loud delight; 9/10 would recommend & yes, 1 point deduction as I will nitpick character consistency even when they are Legos.)

[scripttorture]

Torture in Fiction: Star Wars, Rogue One

Rogue One was the first Star Wars movie that was made as a separate stand-alone story. With a new and interesting cast of characters and a darker, grittier glimpse into the Star Wars world it was a big hit when it was released.

It certainly focuses, more then any other Star Wars film, on war and soldiers. It uses a lot of tropes from classic action and war movies, blending them successfully into a sci fi setting while keeping the classic Star Wars eye for design.

It wasn’t my favourite of the new movies, I found it enjoyable but the focus of the film just wasn’t as interesting to me as the originals, which are much more character-focused.

But I’m not here to talk about depictions of warfare in fiction. I’m rating the depiction and use of torture, not the movie itself. I’m trying to take into account realism (regardless of fantasy or sci fi elements), presence of any apologist arguments, stereotypes and the narrative treatment of victims and torturers.

In this case that means primarily focusing on two characters: Galen Erso and Bodhi Rook.

The movie begins with the main character Jyn Erso remembering the day her father was taken away by Imperial forces. Galen was an Imperial engineer and attempted to leave the Empire with his family because he refused to work on the Death Star.

Galen and his wife manage to hide Jyn who watches as her mother is killed and her father is taken away. We don’t see the conditions of Galen’s captivity but it is heavily implied that he is threatened and coerced into designing the Death Star.

But Rogue One puts a clever twist on this scenario. Galen agrees to work on the Death Star, by his own account he makes himself indispensable. He does it so that he can sabotage the project putting a fatal flaw in the Death Star’s design.

At this point Bodhi is an Imperial pilot. Galen talks him round to the Rebel cause, gives him a message with details of the Death Star’s flaws and directs him towards Saw Gerrera.

Bodhi escapes from the Empire and finds Saw’s men, insisting he will give the message to Saw. He tells multiple people before hand that the Empire is building a ‘planet killer’.

Saw’s men put a hood over Bodhi’s head, bind his hands and take him to Saw. Bodhi tells Saw he defected and was sent by Galen Erso but Saw doesn’t believe Bodhi. He orders Bodhi to be put in a cage with the ‘Bor Gullet’, a mind reading Cuthuloid monstrosity. Saw says that no lie is safe around the Bor Gullet and says that the unfortunate side effect is that victims tend to lose their minds.

We see Bodhi spasm in the chair he’s tied to, apparently in pain.

Even with this ‘reassurance’ Saw doubts the message is genuine and doesn’t act on it.

We next see Bodhi in a cell when the other main characters are captured by Saw’s forces. He’s unresponsive to threats from one of the characters and struggles to respond to speech. For the rest of the movie Bodhi seems to struggle with speech and responding to stimulus. But he doesn’t display symptoms consistent with depression, anxiety, chronic pain, PTSD or the other common symptoms torture survivors display.

Torture isn’t really dwelt on in this movie and the story takes place over a very short period of time which means we don’t see long term effects in any of the characters.

I’m giving it 7/10

The Good

Throughout this movie torture is completely pointless. No one who tortures gets what they want as a result.

Saw’s use of torture puts Galen’s entire plan in jeopardy. It delays the release of vital information and Galen’s message is almost destroyed as a result.

The Empire’s threats against Galen and murder of his wife don’t ‘break’ him or change his mind. If anything it seems as though his beliefs are reaffirmed by these threats.

The only group with good intelligence are the Rebel group who don’t torture. They find Jyn when the Imperials couldn’t. They hear about Bodhi and investigate the message he passes on. Their worst blunder comes from a delay in communications. In contrast Saw doesn’t believe the truth when he hears it and the Imperials don’t realise the source of the leak or its importance until it’s far too late. This is typical of organisations that allow torturers into their intelligence operations: it guts the operation and renders it useless.

There’s a shorter scene in the movie that has Vader use his powers to strangle the main antagonist. This is a nice echo of his behaviour in A New Hope. Once again we don’t see enough of Vader to really get a clear sense of his motivations, but the scene is highly suggestive: it’s showing a character we know is a torturer habitually using violence in response to minor irritations. This lines up with some psychologist assessments of real torturers.

Despite the fact that I don’t think Bodhi’s symptoms are realistic he does have symptoms. He’s clearly effected and shown to be consistently effected by what he survived. And while he often struggles to respond or respond appropriately he isn’t shown to be passive.

Both Galen and Bodhi have a massive impact on the plot and the characters around them. The choices survivors make drive the plot and arguably build the emotional core of the film.

The Bad

Bodhi’s symptoms are neither realistic nor typical of torture survivors. Admittedly they could be perfectly typical for attacks by giant sci fi squid monsters, but this is framed as a torture scene. And while Bodhi struggles he doesn’t show appropriate symptoms or symptoms severe enough to suggest someone who was tortured less then twenty four hours ago. He also doesn’t appear to be in shock, which can mask some symptoms for a while.

Bodhi doesn’t show any kind of physical impairment or injury as a result of torture. Obvious injuries are rare in torture survivors now but things like pain, nausea, struggling with fine motor control are still common. Someone who has just been tortured might not look like they’ve been attacked but they don’t look healthy.

Overall

This is a long way from my favourite Star Wars movie but when it comes to torture I think it gets a lot more right then it gets wrong.

Bodhi’s symptoms could have been handled more realistically but the story never suggests he’s unaffected.

Galen’s resistance is the driving force of the story and most of the early stumbling blocks the Rebellion faces are down to Saw’s distrust and reliance on torture. I really liked the way the narrative centred patient sabotage as an act of resistance.

The effect torture has on organisations is uniformly negative. I’m not sure I can think of another movie that links the use of torture to poor intelligence networks for both the good guys and the bad.

A similar story could be told without torture or coercion but like the original trilogy this story just wouldn’t be the same without it.

Available on Wordpress.

Disclaimer

[imgoingtocrash]

1-20 lololol

thank u for your pity savannah joke’s on all of my followers I am absolutely going to answer them all because I’m bored

1. who is the hardest character for you to write?

At the moment it’s MJ--but I’m slowly overcoming that writing block and getting to know her better as I write her. Otherwise...I don’t know, I rarely write for characters if I don’t feel I have a decent angle on them.

2. who is the easiest character for you to write?

Deadpan Snarkers, lol. Tony, Kanan, sometimes Jyn...though I used to like writing for Felicity a lot too because she’s very cute-funny instead of snarky-funny and it was interesting to play with.

3. How do you know if your writing is “in character”?

This is tough, because I think a lot of the fun of fanfic is that we play with what “in character” means, but in my writing, I imagine it all very cinematically--could I imagine the character being played that way by their actor, could I make this scene happen in some alternate universe tv show and feel like it meshes with the real thing (or what I would prefer the canon character was like, in some cases)?

4. Where do your story ideas come from?

It depends. Sometimes it’s seeing something that already exists and taking inspiration (EX: an AU, a trope, an episode of TV, a movie) and other times it’s a very specific scene in my head. (EX: Tony finding Peter in the cabin in your energy has not died. I had to iron out the details of the story as a whole, but I saw Peter’s cabin and Tony’s approach very clearly.)

5. Do you tell the people in your life that you write fics?

I used to, but now I’m more careful about it. My parents have always supported it, but they didn’t really get it. Friends I’ve had since high school are either fandom friends who read it or friends who I showed my writing to at the time. My roommate in college wrote some, so we’d talk about it sometimes. I don’t talk about it at work because it doesn’t really come up, but I don’t think my boss or anyone would think it’s too weird bc we’re all creatives.

6. What has been the hardest fic for you to write?

Invulnerable is off and on hard, just because it’s a very “I HAVE AN IDEA...aaaand now I have to make it into a whole Thing” process that I have with it. this was is the story of our lives was pretty tough just because it’s futurefic, and I was determined to get my ages and dates and things right, and with Star Wars that can be a whooooole monster.

7. What fic of yours makes you the most emotional?

Chapters 5 and 6 of Invulnerable made my eyes water for sure. I haven’t been through anything like it, but the emotional, physical places that I put Tony and Peter in for those chapters were really raw. A Foreign Feeling is pretty high up there now, because it took MONTHS of work with Savannah, and it was fun and emotional and we both had writers block at times but WE DID THE DAMN THING and it feels really good and weird to have it done. Also, you got me hoping for a miracle, because it’s THE HUG WE DESERVED!!!

8. What is a scene you wrote that you are most proud of?

The Vanity Fair article in i fell for mantle photographs is a point of pride for me. I don’t know why, I just always wanted to do something like it, and it feels sleek and modern and super in-universe.

9. Is there one character that you refuse to write? why?

I don’t have any hard and fast rules or anything, but it’s unlikely I’ll ever write for villains. I know some people get a kick of exploring their POVs, but I rarely do.

10. When you write fics, how much of canon are you willing to ignore/skip over?

It seems like a cop-out to say it depends, but it does. In general I’m pretty flexible (most commonly, in who lives and dies), but there’s a point where it essentially becomes original fiction with character names slapped on it, you know? I like to be able to recognize the characters I’m reading about, even if it’s in an AU.

11. Do you prefer to be cold or hot when you write?

Cold. I like to bundle up and sit in my little writing blanket cocoon.

12. What is your ideal writing area?

I do just about everything on my laptop, in my bed. It’s made for staying comfy while writing for hours.

13. How do you come up with your titles?

I’m a fan of using details and quotes from the stories themselves. I also like using songs/quotes as a title that have relation/meaning to the story. I just want things to connect and have meaning.

14. How do you come up with chapter titles?

Honestly, I usually don’t use chapter titles much. When I do, it’s pretty basic.

15. At what point in writing a fic, do you decide to quit?

Well, passion is a big part of it. If I don’t want to write the fic anymore...I won’t. There are also some points where I just...know it’s not going anywhere. If I can’t come up with the next section, if I’ve been stuck on one place for months and purposefully am writing everything else BUT that fic...it’s time to let it go. If an impulse idea makes me want to pick it back up, it’s always there, but I have a lot of WIPs and I try to prioritize and keep it fun by doing whatever I feel like doing.

16. How much of your personal life do you put into fics?

Too much? Not enough?? Tbh I’m inspired by events/people from my life more than I directly reference specific things. Like, 287 Miles, i like (the idea of) you, and the Twenty-Something series weren’t my college experience, but there were a lot of things inspired by campus life, stressors I experienced, or ways I wish my college life had been.

17. What is the most supportive comment you have gotten?

Most recently, the user Laronia on AO3 literally commented on EVERY SINGLE ONE OF MY MARVEL FICS. ALL OF THEM. AND THEN LEFT A GIANT, AMAZING COMMENT ON A Foreign Feeling. I am so incredibly touched about it. No one has ever done that before. I felt like a fucking superstar all day.

18. What is the most negative comment you have gotten?

Someone left comments on a couple of my Star Wars Rebels fics that were literally just. Fact correcting me. The most UM, ACTUALLY, bullshit. ON CANON DIVERGENT FICS. Like, no other commentary about the fic. They took the effort to sign in and comment as a guest--not a member, a guest with a username--just to “correct me”. Why. Anyway, in retaliation, I then took the effort to put those comments in the I’VE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS DUDE meme from It’s Always Sunny and sent it to a friend to make myself feel better.

19. How do you handle negative comments?

I really don’t get many, which has been a relief. I think a lot of us do extra research on things like canon timelines, medical jargon, etc. because we’ve experienced gatekeepers like the above commenter and it sucks. We’re terrified that with every fic we have to prove ourselves as “real fans” “worthy” of writing fic. I still do it, even though a part of me wants to be the kind of person that doesn’t spend an hour researching smoke inhalation treatments, what ages everyone was before the Blip, or what year x Star Wars battle happened. I just...try to be kind to my fellow writers and hope that karma comes back to me.

20. What story that you have written makes you the happiest to re-read?

The Cloak Verse is so soft, as a series. Everything in it is fluffy and whumpy and there just because I wanted it to exist. Also, everything I did for Pepperony Week 2019! I worked really hard on all of them, and every one came out really well imo. Again--they’re fics I wanted to read for them, so I made them. OH, and Honorary Stark. It’s EXCELLENT 5 Times fic in general, and I love when I get to do The OTP + The Parent&Child Relationship. (Plus, 3rd Person Perspective on The OTP!)

[makeste]

in which we talk more about chapter 236

okay so I’m just gonna put all of the asks about the latest chapter in one big post

all good! it wasn’t spoilery or anything this time around so I was fine with it. and thank you for being considerate in response to my post a couple weeks back about preferring to go in spoiler-free anon, I appreciate it.

yeah, I’ve noticed this too. I can’t decide if he has really good control over the quirk at this point, or if it’s the exact opposite and he hardly has any control at all. it seems like depending on how he uses the quirk, he can target a specific area and control how quickly the decay spreads. but there have been times when he’s used it but if he’s capable of crumbling a person to bits in an instant (which would appear to be the case based on his use of the quirk in chapters 125, 160, etc.), you would think he would do that more often. he touched Aizawa for long enough that Aizawa would definitely have died if he didn’t have plot armor. and two chapters ago when he used the quirk on Re-Destro’s hand, it really should have killed him if the rules from chapter 160 applied. 

so yeah, I don’t really know what the deal is with his quirk, but since parts of it clearly are supposed to be weird and mysterious (like the fact that it’s “awakening” now), I’ll give Horikoshi the benefit of the doubt I guess.

I can assure you, that “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA” was basically a constant background noise in my own mind as well. it was just one of those chapters.

it’s like Jyn and Cassian sitting on the beach at the end of Rogue One and turning to each other and being all, “hell of a sunset, huh.”

actually, yeah, now that you mention it anon, on a reread I can see that it’s a gradual process. because of the way that art style changed subtly, I didn’t notice it at first; I thought there were just more lines in his hair because Horikoshi was illustrating him in a rougher style than normal to show his descent into ~madness~. but yeah, especially looking at some of the panels where he’s kneeling in horror, and the one panel where his dad tries to smack him with the clippers (which is another thing I didn’t pick up on but a lot of people pointed out; I still think it’s weird that the clippers just happened to be there for him to grab at that crucial moment, but yeah it does appear to be on purpose), it definitely is changing color.

I noticed this as well! it’s such a gruesome detail, sob. I still think the hands are Fake because what the fuck, but it does explain why Tenko didn’t question them still existing to begin with.

he already is in the process of getting one, I think! this entire arc has done a fantastic job of humanizing him and making him more sympathetic and making us relate to him and even root for him.

I think there is a possibility he might go really bad after this for a little while and do some really evil shit (like, I don’t know, killing All Might) that will make everyone question whether redemption is possible, or whether it’s better for him to just die a Darth Vader death where it’s tragic but he gets some kind of peace in the end. but I personally think he will live and will change sides and help the heroes out in the end. not as an actual Good Guy, mind, but as someone who’s kind of a rogue who’s not on anyone’s particular side except his own, and who just happens to have a personal interest in seeing All for One choke and die, and since that interest just happens to line up with the heroes’ own goals, well then. but I mean, he’s still a murderer, and wants to destroy the world and stuff. so he’s never actually going to get along with everyone, but I think he can pull a Loki and just be this mischievous guy who pretends he doesn’t give a fuck and is always causing trouble, but at the end of the day he and his ragtag gang of lovable outlaws still help out at critical moments because secretly they are not really all that bad shh don’t tell anyone.

so anyways, to answer your question, yes I do.

[moonprincess92]

One, two, three... 

Jyn is terrible at Salsa. Cassian teaches dance for a living. Bodhi ships it.

(AKA: the Salsa AU that I am 100% going to regret posting but #yolo). 

Read on AO3 

Chapter 1 

If she’d had her way, Jyn would be at home wrapped up in a blanket burrito with tea and three seasons of Victoria.

As it was, her feet were involuntarily tapping to the beat of the music that she couldn’t understand, too hot and too tired to even try and stop it. The Muddy Farmer was always a pulsing mass on a Friday night, a wave of heat that managed to sit low over the dance floor even if it was blowing a gale outside. She still didn’t understand why an Irish pub hosted a Latin dance night of all things, but there were stranger things in the world, she supposed.

“Come onnnnn,” Bodhi had practically whined earlier that evening, attempting to forcibly unroll her from her blanket burrito. “I need a partner to dance with!”

“You know I’m shite at Salsa and half the bloody class goes out to Muddy Farmer every week,” Jyn had argued right on back. “There will be someone you know there.”

“Look,” Bodhi had huffed. “You and I both know that as soon as Luke arrives you can go home.”

“Oh no,” Jyn had shaken her head. “You said that last time, only I was forced to stay because you were too chicken to ask him out for the tenth time!”

“It’s HARD, ok?”

“He literally told you he had a crush on you.” 

“…still.”

Yes, still. She still somehow ended up here, on the edges of the crowd and watching Bodhi and Luke tear up a storm across the floor. Luke Skywalker’s perfect blond hair whipped around as he span, almost blurring as Bodhi led him through the crowd. Some heads still turned at the sight, but most of the social scene was used to the two dancing by this point, not to mention that the well known masters, Baze and Chirrut, still came out every once in a while as well. The couple had been the original ones to get Bodhi into Salsa in the first place, Jyn naturally being reluctantly dragged along behind him as the dutiful best friend/roommate. 

(Sometimes life just threw you curveballs). 

She took another gulp of her beer, watching the steps, turns and dips. There was everything from beginners just learning to cross-body, to seasoned veterans who could spin no less than five times in a row. She could barely hear herself think over the live music, it thumping and rattling in her eardrums. The scent of greasy pub food hit her as the guy next to her at the bar ordered a basket of chips and she debated the merits of getting some herself versus just going home. She’d been here long enough now that she could probably get away with it, and Bodhi barely noticed anything when he was dancing.

Though the chips really did smell good…

In the end, the decision was made for her when someone accidentally stepped too close and shoved into another dancer. Chips went flying as they stumbled right into Chip Guy, nearly throwing him off his stool. Jyn debated the morality of eating the chip that had landed on her chest for a hot second or two, before deciding to go with the conscience and toss it aside so that she could offer to help him up.

“I’m so sorry!” the dancers exclaimed several times over.

“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Chip Guy insisted, somehow taking the battering with a smile. “Not the first time I’ve been danced into.”

“You all right, mate?” Jyn asked him.

He glanced over at her as the dancers went back to their partners. “I’m fine,” he insisted once more. “although I might need some help eating these now, my friend is weird about eating things off the floor.”

“Just don’t tell him, who has to know?”

He thankfully laughed a little, offering the basket up to her. Figuring it would be rude not to take one at this point, she quickly shoved a chip into her mouth, suddenly wishing that she’d actually made an effort to look decent that night, rather than stubbornly remain in her dirty jeans and t-shirt combo. The guy looked vaguely familiar, which was confirmed when he then asked her,

“I think I’ve seen you around, what’s your name again?”

“Jyn,” she said around her chips. “I’ve seen you too, I’m pretty sure.”

“I’m Cassian,” he replied. “Sorry if I’ve told you before, I’m pretty bad with names and there’s a lot of people–”

“Oh god, don’t even worry about it,” Jyn insisted. “You don’t need a name to dance so I forget everyone pretty much as soon as they introduce themselves.”

He smiled in solidarity. “I know a lot of faces, and I know a lot of names, but I’m at the point where I don’t know which name goes with which face.”

“That’s exactly it.”

“You don’t come out often, right?”

“Nah, only when the flatmate drags me,” Jyn gestured across the dance floor. “Do you know Bodhi?”

“Oh, THAT’S Bodhi!” Cassian said, face lighting up in recognition. “I’ve actually spoken to him several times! Good guy, although I had no idea what his name was until now.”

Jyn found herself wanting to laugh a little, which was clearly the strangest sensation she could ever feel on a Friday night when she should be at home alone with her historical dramas. She certainly knew of Cassian before now, even if she hadn’t ever properly spoken to him before. He was apparently from Mexico, he was pretty damn cute and he was insanely good at Salsa. She had danced with him a couple times as they’d all switched partners during the classes that Bodhi had forced her to do with him, and she could remember the way he had shaken her hands, claiming that she was way too tense, and how he had taught her how to switch the tension to her arms so that her frame stayed locked and easy to lead. He had been easy to chat to and easily her favourite to dance with…

But the thing with favourites is that she wasn’t the only one. Cassian insisted on her continuing to help him eat the contaminated chips and she noticed the eyes from across the pub, people wondering and craning heads, trying to figure out who she was and why she was the one who got to sit and eat with Cassian the Infamously Amazing Dancer. She tried to focus on what she was saying, answering her question of what she did as a job, instead of acknowledging Bodhi who was practically hollering at Luke at the sight.

“It’s not that interesting,” she tore her eyes away. “but I’ve got good work colleagues so it’s not too bad.”

“Are you kidding? It’s so cool you work in a police station!”

“Admin doesn’t solve murders, remember?” she said.

“Still,” Cassian pointed out. “You’re Gina from Brooklyn Nine-Nine.”

Jyn nearly choked on her chip.

“I don’t – I don’t think I’m quite like Gina,” she coughed. “Although to be fair, she is an inspiration to all.”

“I love that show.”

“Me too,” Damn it, she was smiling too much. Their basket of chips was nearly empty now as she asked, “So what’s your job?”

“I teach dance.”

“Never would have guessed that,” Jyn said, dryly.

Cassian laughed (god, he was cute when he laughed). “Not just Salsa, other styles too,” he added. “I actually mostly teach kids classes, although sometimes I help out with the adult ones if there’s an instructor away or an uneven amount of people or something.”

“I bet there are kids even better at dancing than I am.”

“There are some kids better than me,” Cassian pointed out. “Still… I think we demolished these chips, by the way.”

She glanced down at them. “Oh, definitely. Your friend won’t be pissed we ate them all?”

“He’ll be pissed, he’ll get over it. Want to dance?”

“Oh–” Fucking shit. He was holding out his hand and jumping down from his bar stool and suddenly she wished she hadn’t eaten quite so much. “but we just ate–”

“We’ll burn off the calories.”

“I’m honestly shit at Salsa, like I could barely keep up with the beginners class–”

“If I do my job and lead you properly, then you’ll be fine I promise.”

Jyn reluctantly slid off her stool. “And if you fuck up?”

Cassian smiled. 

“I’ll buy you a drink to go with the chips.”

She… couldn’t argue that.

So despite her better judgement, she ended up taking his hand and following him to a relatively spare space within the dance floor. She hoped to god that Bodhi wasn’t still witnessing this because she would no doubt never hear the end of it, although it was kind of the least of her worries. There were too many things cycling through her head to pay attention to much else. She prayed that she didn’t fuck up her ankles in these heels, she hoped that no one accidentally stood on her or that she didn’t crash into anyone. Hell, she begged to all the primordial forces out there that she didn’t just fuck up in general.

At least the basic step she could do.

Cassian held her hands as she concentrated on getting the beat right – 1-2-3, 5,6,7 – and she could feel the sweat starting to gather at her hairline already. She practically held her breath during the first turn and he shook his head once she was back facing him once more.

“I can practically feel the anxiety coming off you,” he pointed out.

It was always hard to talk on the dance floor, what with the cacophony of the live band, people talking, glasses clinking and bar stools scraping. However, Cassian had made the effort to yell over it all and so she felt compelled to reply.

“That is a skill I am proud of, I’ll have you know,” she yelled back.

He just snorted. Instead of stepping forward he stepped back on the next bar, moving them through an open break turn and not even pausing before swapping their hands and leading her through a cross-body turn. “See?” he pointed out once she had thankfully not keeled over. “It comes naturally, you can do it!”

Ok, maybe a part of her knew it.

She knew she wasn’t absolutely completely fucking terrible, as she was determined to make it seem. She wasn't great either, but after a few of the beginners classes she had found herself picking up the rhythm. She struggled with anything fast, but eventually learned how to make her steps smaller and tighter. She wasn't bad…it was just hard to not compare herself when she was fully aware of the fact that she was currently partnered with an actual goddamn dance teacher. He moved into a close hold, hand curving up to rest between her shoulder blades as he swept her around and she tried to ignore the heartbeat currently slamming in her throat. This was supposed to be fun. She was supposed to be swept up into the music, uncaring of those around her, just moving and feeling. She could be fun, goddamn it! She supposed the tension in her arms was good at least for something as he continued to lead her this way and then that, changing the line depending on the crowd. With so many people, it was impossible to not stand on someone occasionally. She ended up half gasping, half laughing when Cassian lead her in a cross-body turn and she ended up slamming right into someone she recognised from Bodhi’s dance classes.  

“Oh, shit!” she mouthed to Cassian once the initial apologies were over.

“You ok?”

“I am,” she answered. “I don’t think my shoes are. Shit, do I actually have a dent in it?”

They took a moment to pause and glance down at where the other woman had literally stomped down on the back of her heel. Sure enough, running her fingers over the dance shoes that she had bought second hand online she could feel a dip. She grabbed his hand without thinking to ensure that he could feel it too, and she gripped his arm to keep her balance as she stood up on one foot.

“You have battle wounds now,” he teased.

“I guess so–”

She hastily cut herself off as the latest song apparently finished and her yelling was suddenly much louder as the music faded. The crowd cheered and they both clapped politely, several people leaving the dance floor, others coming to join. It was a mass of movement and Jyn hovered awkwardly for a moment, unsure of what she was supposed to do now. Etiquette said that they should thank each other for the dance before going and finding someone else, but some weird part of her knew a fucking vibe when it saw it, and wasn’t denying that it wanted to stay. For a wild moment it looked like he wanted to stay too, but unfortunately the next song that was strung up sounded off, and it took her several moments to click.

“Oh,” she screwed up her face. “this isn’t Salsa anymore, is it?”

“No, this is Bachata,” Cassian nodded.

“Christ,” she sighed. “I don’t know how to Bachata at all.”

“Do you know the basic step?”

Jyn cringed at the memory of the one Bachata dance she had attempted, the last time she had been dragged out social dancing alongside Bodhi. Thank god it had been with him. If it had been with anyone else she might have died of mortification, but remembering how she had awkwardly attempted to move her hips the right way made her want to throw up a little.

“It’s 1-2-3-hip or something, right? Or is it a tap, I can’t remember–”

“It just depends on which style you’re using, but honestly,” Cassian shrugged, tugging on her hands once more. “Just move your body, and you’ll be great.”

He started moving then as if to prove his point in the basic side to side motion that Jyn had to actively think about in order not to mess up. All around them, couples were already pressing up against each other’s bodies, rolling and grinding. Jyn was pretty sure that wasn’t the traditional Bachata, but then again much of her internal meltdown was probably because she was certain her hips just simply didn’t not move that way. She didn’t even realise how much she was glancing around anxiously until she caught Bodhi’s eye only several couples away. Now dancing with a girl that she recognised from classes with long brown braids, he mouthed at her in astonishment,

“WHAT THE FUCK?” 

“I DON’T KNOW.”

“THAT’S CASSIAN!”

Thanks, mate. She had no idea.

She was pulled away from the non-verbal conversation when Cassian lead her into what was probably one of the most simplest turns she’d ever had to do and yet she still somehow managed to botch it. Stepping with the wrong foot, she ended up on the wrong timing and exclaimed in frustration,

“Sorry! I told you I don’t know what I’m doing!” 

He stopped them. For a moment her heart pounded, sure he was about to politely call it quits and send her packing across the dance floor so that he could sweep up some other woman into his arms… except instead, he steadied her with his hands sliding down to her hips.

“You think you’re terrible, fine,” he started to grin. “Crash course in Bachata.” 

He started counting. His hands moved her hips with the beat of the song and shit, if she had blood, it was currently rushing to her face. Was anyone watching this? Another quick glance around however showed her that Bodhi had apparently already moved on and was now totally absorbed in having fun dancing with his friend and that literally no one else gave a shit. While a little disappointing to know no one cared, it was also admittedly… liberating to know that she could thrust her hips as awkwardly as she liked and no one would make fun of her for it. It took a while, but soon they were adding in the footwork and then her hands were being picked up again, the two of them finally having found their rhythm.  

“That’s it!” he said, happily.

She wasn’t quite sure how the knot in her throat managed to dissipate (and to be honest, she didn’t think it was going to entirely go away) but she did feel a hell of a lot better than when she had first stepped out onto the dance floor, and that said something. This time when Cassian led her in a turn, her feet automatically kept up the rhythm and she found herself with her back to him, arms crossed in front of her as he kept a hold of her hands. 1-2-3-tap, 1-2-3-tap…

It was slower than Salsa, which helped, not to mention less spinning like a top and more turning within his arms. When she was eventually brought back around to face him, he span himself before moving in and bringing her into a close hold. Jesus Christ. This close, their legs overlapped to avoid their knees banging into each other, and it may or may not have been causing a slight heart attack, she still wasn’t sure. They moved in a 360, around and around until she was let go and allowed to breathe again.

Maybe it was her mind just wrecking havoc inside her, but it almost felt lighter inside the pub now. She supposed it was the atmosphere of connecting with the person in front of you and tuning out the rest, or at least it was certainly hard to concentrate on anything else. She could imagine that drink Cassian had promised her, imagine that they danced together every weekend, that his hands sliding against her hips were familiar to her and that the chest she was pressed against was always warm and solid. She felt like she could let go and just fucking dance, and she wondered whether maybe he could feel it too. She was pulled into his body once more, his arms lifting hers up before his fingertips traced back down her sides. She slung her arms around his neck, her body settled firmly on his thigh. After a moment he bent her back so that she swung around, Jyn letting her head tilt back so that she could see the ceiling of the pub and the ends of her hair brushed against his arms. Pulled back up, she smiled into his shoulder.

He must have recognised the song enough to know when the end was coming. After feeling his leg sliding between hers, after swinging her hips in time with his, he eventually turned her around and with her back pressed to this chest, brought each of her arms up and over his head. Leaning to the side to see her, Jyn realised that he had ended their dance with perfect timing, left standing with their noses inches from each other, hands still clutched in his behind his head as they struggled to breathe. Jyn might have ignored all the polite claps and cheers for the band, might have even had the guts to say a giant fuck it in her head before closing the distance between them –

– when suddenly, her phone started buzzing in her pocket.

“Oh – shit, I’m sorry–” She pulled away and he hastily snatched back his hands, taking a step back. One glance at the caller made her stomach sink. “Fuck – I have to answer this – but thank you for the dance and the chips, it was really good! The dance, I mean, the chips too but the dance was – fuckity fuck–”

She made for the exit before she could glance back and see what was no doubt utter bemusement left on Cassian’s face. She hit answer on the way, finally speaking once she was outside the pub and out on the cold city street.

“Hey, Papa,” she said, wrapping her spare arm around her like it could retain the heat of the dance floor. “what’s up?”

“Jyn! My darling daughter–”

“Yeah, yeah,” Despite her slight disappointment, she smiled a little at hearing her father’s voice. She also heard rustling and clicking, along with Galen cursing under his breath every now and then.

“You aren’t busy, are you?” he asked. “I know it's kind of late, I can call back later or tomorrow even–”

“Nah, it’s fine, I’m just out with Bodhi,” Jyn immediately said. “How are you?”

“Oh, I’m grand – got the new T.V. finally!”

“The T.V. you’ve been meaning to buy ever since it went on sale two months ago, you mean?” Jyn teased.

“Har, har, you know how I am with crowds,” her dad scoffed. “I’m just trying to connect it now, but turns out it’s harder than I thought. There’s so many damn cords and – shite – I’m no good at this sort of thing at all! Technology was all your mother’s territory–”

She just knew what it must be like, her dad sat in the middle of a pile of cables, pretending to be ok with the fact that he didn’t have a wife to help him with this kind of thing anymore. He had been doing reasonably ok since the funeral – or rather as ok as anyone would have expected him to be – but he still called every day and there were still moments Jyn knew he was really only calling because he needed to have her near, rather than because he actually needed her help. She closed her eyes a moment, making the decision before her mind could consciously think about it.

“You’re terrible, Papa. Need me to come help?”

“You wouldn’t help an old man, would you?”

“I’ll be there soon,” she told him.

She hung up quickly so that she could give Bodhi a call to explain. He eventually picked up in the bathroom, still not entirely quiet, but at least able to hear what he was saying. “I gotta go help my dad,” she explained. “You all right if I leave?”

“I’m totally fine – are you, though?”

“Oh, you know,” she let out a long breath. “I think I might have to take up Bachata lessons again, mate.”

“I fucking saw you dancing with Cassian, SHIT, Jyn!” She could just imagine Bodhi practically hopping up and down in glee.

She smiled despite herself.

“Shit sounds about right.”

[melanoradrood]

ficlet : last first kiss

Prompt: Jyn and Cassian caught in a riot, and Jyn tells Cassian “Well, at least I got to kiss Leia before I die,” and Cassian is having none of that Prompted By: the discord chat a few months ago, but for some reason @lostinmirkwood is specifically mentioned when I wrote down the prompt, so we’ll pretend like you asked for this? ( Since posting this, it has been figured out that @rebelle-capitan was the inspiration for this ficlet after her adventures in Mexico. )

Cassian has been in a riot before. He has been in street fights before. The fight on Jedha, with the Partisans and explosions and fire coming from all sides… That was something to be scared of. He had been, in fact, because he knew to run, to get away, but Jyn just threw herself into it, time and again. She had been a sight to behold, then, but that was different.

For one, no one is pulling out blasters on this planet. The people are too poor, there’s no real resistance movement, their rebellious tendencies too small. Furthermore, the people here are not rebelling against the empire in a fight for freedom. No, they’re rebelling against the ruling class, because they’re hungry and sick.

Cassian understands it, but they’re here to gain help from that same ruling class.

He wants to support the rioters in the street, looks at the children throwing rocks at the guards, wants to help the old women that are trying to get out of the way while also heckling the noble elite, but…

He has a job to do. He can’t help these rioters.

Jyn seems to have a different idea.

She’s already looking around, a light in her eyes, and he can see it. She can see that burning need to rebel, the urge to start yelling directions, and she’s looking to find who might be the leader, to garner his support.

They need the wealth of this planet, and this rebellion is too new, too young to have any chance. By the time the people have risen up, the Empire will be defeated…

This also means that their mission here is a bust, because the local leadership will be more concerned with themselves than with the galaxy.

“We have to go,” he calls out to her, but she’s… she’s already lost to him, the fight taking her by storm.

He wants to support it, he knows this need, knows what it’s like, but they have to go. They can’t save every planet… they have to save the galaxy.

“Jyn, we have to-”

He grabs her arm, turning her towards him, and he hates doing this, hates making a move like this, hates being physically forceful, but the roar of the crowd is too loud, and they’re being pulled apart. Her hand immediately goes up in response, to strike him down, untill she sees it’s him.

For a brief second, there’s a rage within her, and then she’s grinning, laughing.

“I know, I know, but isn’t it amazing? They’re fighting back!”

“They’re going to die,” he says, and the light in her eyes-

It fades suddenly, and she gives a nod.

These people, they were farmers. There was no natural prey on this land, no need for weapons. Their tools were limited, sparse. They didn’t have any way to really fight, not against an armed guard with unlimited wealth.

Where was that money coming from, anyways?

“We should help,” she says, and he knows… He knows that.

“We will. When the war is over, we can come back, we can save these planets from oppression, but we have to save the galaxy first.”

That fire is picking up again, but then she nods, her gaze turning to the crowd. They turn together, looking for a way out, and then her eyes linger on a group of children, tucked off to the side, watching it, the hunger clear on their faces.

“We’re going to come back,” she repeats, and he steps up behind her, pulls her to his chest.

“Yeah, we’ll be back.”

Moving with the crowd is much easier than moving out of it, and even just trying to shift closer and closer to the edge, it’s getting harder. People are starting to pack in as they get closer to the capital, and when Cassian can see it’s spires above rooftops, he knows they are too close.

“Jyn, we have to get out of this,” he hisses. It’s nothing like Jedha, but all it takes is one wrong move, and blaster fire would light up the crowd.

“I’m trying!” she insists, and someone jostles into her, separating them for a moment. Panic strikes Cassian and he reaches out towards her - she grabs his hand, and he pulls her back to him.

It’s a fight, a stumble, and Cassian shoves more than one person out of the way, but when they reach an alley, he lets out a sigh. A glance backwards tells them there’s no real way out of it, but for the moment, they’re out of the crowd, and out of the line of fire, should it open up.

“Well, at least if we die here, I can say I kissed a Princess.”

Cassian has to do a double take as he looks at Jyn, his head shaking, not entirely sure he heard her right. Kissed a - who would she - why was she - when was she?

“Wait, you kissed Leia?”

Leia is the only Princess he knows of, the only one in the Rebellion, at least, and he blinks a few more times, his head shaking. He’s not sure how he can process that, and he’s not jealous because he remembers overhearing a very clear conversation between Jyn and Leia about how Leia is in love with Han, even though he’s insufferable, but-

“Well, yeah,” Jyn says, and she’s laughing about it, and he can’t… Cassian can’t even process.

“Why?”

Wait, is Jyn into Leia? He knows that Jyn knows that Leia is interested in someone else, but that doesn’t mean that the two women can’t pass their time together… and that makes his jealous flare a little. Why wasn’t he… why wouldn’t she want to… with him.

Jyn is grinning at him, and he feels like he’s blushing a little. Maybe he is.

“Why does it matter?”

Cassian sputters in response, unable to find any words-

“Are you jealous?”

Well… now he is.

“Who you kiss is no business of mine,” he says with a scoff, but Jyn looks too pleased with herself, like maybe… she expected this.

Why would Jyn mention kissing Leia, and then look at him like she expected him to be jealous about it?

“How would you feel to know that my last kiss before death is Leia Organa?” she asks him, and he’s suddenly aware that she’s walking towards him, crowding him against a wall.

Cassian can’t find a response for a moment, just blinking, and then he licks his lips. He tries to think about his last kiss, and he can’t even remember, knows it was from before Scarif, from before Jyn, and that was… karking hell, over a year ago. At the very least.

“I guess if you enjoyed the kiss,” he breathes out, but Jyn shakes her head, like she knows he’s lying.

He’s lying, because dammit, he can’t go to his death without tasting her lips.

“I kissed her to piss off Han… and it worked. It’s funny, the jealousy he seemed to feel immediately, seeing me kissing her.”

She’s teasing him, and that realization slaps him across the face so hard, he feels his jaw drop. She’s teasing him because she knows he’s jealous, because she-

“I expected him to tell you, of course, but the nerf herder kept it to himself because he was so upset about it. Kind of ruined my plans.”

He doesn’t know what plans they are but clearly she has something…

“She shouldn’t be your last kiss,” he says, and they’re not going to die here, they aren’t, and this is entirely morbid, but also… also, Leia wasn’t going to be her last kiss.

“Why, do you think I can find someone else here to kiss me?” she asks, and he……

His brain breaks.

“I’m a nerf herder,” he groans out, and he never thought to compare himself to Han Solo, but the fact that he was clearly in love with the Princess and the Princess in love with him, and he was jealous of her kissing Leia…

Yeah, he’s in love with Jyn, and clearly, she was trying to make that obvious to him.

“My nerf herder,” she corrects, and he doesn’t know how long she has known how he feels for her, but it dawns on him that this is the first time in a long time it had been just them… she had clearly planned this.

“We’re not dying here,” he says, and he sounds very, very firm in that thought. “But we’re also not leaving here without us kissing.”

Jyn grins at him, like she’s pleased… and then she’s pulling away.

“You’ll have to catch me in the crowd first,” she says, and she’s pushing her way into the crowd now, making her way back towards the shipyard, hopefully so they can get off this planet before the riots grow worse.

“Yeah… yeah, I’m gonna catch you,” he says to himself, and two seconds later, he’s pushing out after her, ready to make good on his promise.

[semisweetshadow]

In honor of beautiful @misskatieleigh here is a snippet of the fic I am working on for her as a gift. I really hope she likes it and I encourage everyone to go wish her a fabulous birthday! 

♥ The as-yet-unnamed Knight!Bodhi AU. Bodhi/Jyn. Around 2k. (BETA’D BY SASSYSNOWPERSON WHO I LOVE AND FORGOT BEFORE) ♥

Chapter 1

The longer Lady Jyn Erso stands in the hall, the more furious she grows at the entire situation. The idea that she would be a peace offering, a bride. It was insulting for Krennic to ask. It was demeaning that her father had answered.

There was no way without sacrifice.

It was war if she denied him. Her life for thousands seemed a rare bargain for peace. She remembers the pain in her father's eyes as he read over Krennic’s cloying letter, the way his chin set into a firm line when he offered her the terrible choice. She swallowed her fury and accepted.

She would see this through and save her people, even if it killed her.

If she had anything to say about it, it surely would. She can’t dwell on that now though, forcing a placid expression on her face. Krennic is still miles away from her blade, not even man enough to cross their borders, awaiting Jyn as if she were a raven, unable to do anything but come when sent for.

If she didn’t need an escort she’d already be there by now, she thinks impatiently. She'd have raced off on their quickest thoroughbred to meet her fate. That wouldn’t have been ladylike though, she knows, sighing to hold back a scowl.

With a sudden sound the doors to the hall finally creak open, revealing the person they've been waiting for. One the queen's best knights, sent with haste from the capitol. A proper escort for her safe delivery. It was a favor to her father, one she should feel grateful for, but all the stranger’s presence does is make her feel on edge.

Jyn hardly has interest in her temporary safety, considering the dire fate that almost certainly awaits her. The journey would be her last taste at freedom before Krennic stripped her of her life in one way or another. She stares somewhere beyond the gaping citizens of the barony, fighting the caged feeling in her chest, keeping her face impassive.

Her father reaches out, taking her hand in a tender gesture. She squeezes back, sure it would be the last time.

The knight steps forward, going to his knee, wearing clean plate armor clearly meant for show. She fights the urge to roll her eyes, glancing down at his bowed head, his hair dark and curling down to his neck. His voice is steady when he speaks, smooth with the cadence of the North like a kindness.

“My lord, I am here at your humble service in the name of the queen,” he says, keeping his eyes lowered in deference as he makes the vow. Her father assents to his words with calm resignation despite the edge of grief, blatant to her ears only. She can’t stand to focus on the niceties that follow, the allowances for her travel as if she were cargo.

It isn’t until the knight stands that a swoop of bright recognition draws through her, like a bow snap. The boy she’d never thought to see again, blossomed into the man before her. Bodhi Rook looks through her with his unmistakable eyes, shared grief etched in the wide gaze she keeps moments past propriety. She ducks her head in a nod of greeting, if only for a chance to remember herself. To remember that, as much as she missed Bodhi, she’s still furious with him.

The old wound of him leaving flare and for a moment she doesn’t even speak for fear of cursing him out on the spot. It’s not until her father squeezes her hand again, urging her back into her role, that she can focus past it. “Sir Rook has traveled a long way,” he says carefully and quiet. “We owe him a great deal of gratitude.”

From his nonplussed manner, Jyn wonders if her father has known just who the Queensguard would send, if he’d set her up for this shock without a thought to her feelings. She buries her suspicion, for his stake still, knowing this is no time for such resentment. She forces a cordial smile.

“I thank you, Sir Rook,” she starts, though the title feels strange on her lips. “I would be much obliged for your escort.”

“I hope to serve you well, Honourable Lady.” Bodhi says, taking a step back.

He looks like a stranger. He’s taller and more stoic than she could have ever imagined him. The once gangly teen with a bright open face who would sneak into her room, to chatter about his day and trade stories, is nowhere to be seen in his countenance.

For an instant only does she let herself mourn, knowing nothing can take the years back.

She wonders if he’ll even care to reminisce, given the chance. Heaven knows they’ll have enough time for it on the long road to Scarif. The Citadel would take four days ride on horseback, possibly more if they forced her into a carriage for presentation’s sake. She prays for nothing as much as open sky.

The overwrought reception comes to a quiet end for all they’ve waited, her lady’s maids frittering about, gossiping about how strong and handsome Sir Rook seems as they follow Jyn back down the hall. She’s meant to gather any last personal effects she’s bothering to take. She can hardly stand to hear to them mooning on in stage whispers, as if he would forget his duty and sweep them off their feet suddenly. Jyn wishes her own fantasies were that simple.

She reaches her room and shuts the door behind her, pressing her back against it. Taking a deep breath as she memorizes the familiar sight, reciting a silent farewell to it. At the center sits the same wide bed where Bodhi would fall asleep with her, both too small to know better or to care. Her nursemaid would shoo him out in the morning, never cruel enough to get him in any kind of trouble over it. Jyn was so often a sullen child after her mother’s death, her taking a shine to anyone must have been a relief. Sometimes she wonders if that’s why her father took Bodhi in at all, for the sake of her having a friend.

Her father’s gentle but skittish new ward was the perfect confidant and playmate, someone she intended to keep forever. Fate hadn't permitted it.

They both outgrew childhood, adolescence pressing her into a more serious world. It was long trips to the capitol with father, summer visits to her cousins, new suitors calling with each year she remained unwed. Her father wouldn’t force her but she knew well enough to pretend, to give quiet consideration in the name of diplomacy.  

No boy ever caught her eye or held her attention as much as Bodhi did. By the time she recognized what that meant, it was too late. She wondered if her father had too. Perhaps, that was the real reason he had sent her only friend away.

She can’t dwell on it now, there are bigger problems than lost possibilities. She takes but three things from the room; her mother’s necklace, a well-worn note, and the sharp dagger at her hip. The uncle who had gifted it to her is long gone, but his training lingers. Her father had never approved but had never stopped her, knowing the world too well.

There’s a soft knock at the door and she’s sure it will be another lady in waiting, trying their best to cheer Jyn before her looming nuptials. It isn’t though, it’s her father, looking as uncertain as she’s ever seen him. His eyes are red-rimmed but he’s not crying now, expression fading into something softer as she moves to let him in. He looks around her room as if he could find some place to hide her still.

“It’s nearly time,” he says, voice catching rough on his familiar accent. It’s the same soothing voice he’d use to lull her to sleep, reading from scientific journals, describing the forces of the natural world just as well as fairy stories. She’s long outgrown that now, and yet still she wants nothing more than to curl up in his arms and cling tight.

“I know,” she answers, just short of terse, wishing there were any way out of this that wouldn’t sacrifice too much.

He knows her too well for her to hide. His palm reaches out, tilting her head up so their eyes meet. His gaze begs a forgiveness she wishes she could muster. Still, she tries, falling short at the tightness in her throat.

“Papa,” her voice trembles and the hurt sound that escapes his throat is far worse than the silence.

“My stardust,” he breathes, drawing her into a hug. She folds in his arms, hands gripping the fabric of his tunic. She can bring her brave face to the world but for a moment that fades, she’s a child in her father’s arms and she’s scared.

She buries her face in his chest, along with her unbidden tears. She’s going to miss him more than anything else, for all the strain between them she can’t hold grudges now. He holds her tight and she revels in the safety while she can until another knock breaks them from the moment.

He steps back, taking a deep breath and swiping at the tear tracks beneath his eyes. She brushes a handkerchief over her own face, praying her distress is well disguised. She won’t have word getting to Krennic that she cried when she left.

Her father answers the door, tells the guard that Jyn will only be a moment. He lingers in the doorway, waiting for her, as she takes a final steadying breath. She returns to his side, her few possessions wrapped safe in a pouch strung to her gown. She’s ready to leave this behind. Her father looks her over, as if memorizing, and reaches for her hand.

“I’ll never be able to tell you how proud I am,” he says, making her heart ache all over again. “Or how much I hate that it has come to this.”

“I’ll try not to let you down,” is all she can muster, for all she wants to curse.

There’s nothing more to say, just the tight line of his lips, the tragic nod he gives her.

He walks her outside, clasping her hand in his as long as he can. When they reach the front steps she can see Bodhi waiting at the foot, holding the reins of a beautiful dark stallion. She doesn’t miss the way he reaches out to pat its muzzle, some gentleness left in him after all these years.

Her own horse is at the ready, packed up with her scant belongings in the saddlebag, held steady by the faithful stablehand who had always been kind to her. She walks down the steps and doesn’t falter, taking hold of the bridle with quiet thanks as she mounts the horse, not wanting to linger with long goodbyes.

Bodhi waits a moment longer and her father steps up to him, clasping Bodhi’s shoulder.

“You’ve grown up well,” she overhears, the first break of protocol between them. “I’m glad, glad it’s you at least.” Bodhi’s plain expression wavers, nerves showing like they used to for the briefest instant before he nods.

“I’ll protect her,” he promises. Jyn would resent it if there wasn’t such care in his voice.

Her father nods, stepping back to look her way again.

“Let’s make way then,” she says, unwilling to bare more vulnerability.

Bodhi doesn’t question it, mounting his own horse with well-practiced ease. They take off and Jyn only looks back once. Her father stands at the gate, and she offers him a final wave. He returns it, and she turns away, staring at the open horizon. Her fate at the end of this journey may be grim but she’ll meet it on her own terms, she thinks, starting toward it without regret.

[red-applesith]

I love your meta works! I have a question regarding the interrogation scene in TFA. Why do you think Rey was so calm? Her first question is 'where am I?' and she sounds relatively collected given the circumstances. I imagened myself in her position. Strapped down to a chair, facing a massive guy in a mask. I would expect to be raped and be in utter panic. She only tears up much later. Do you think she's just not as easily scared, or is Ben not as intimidating to her as a 'monster' should be?

Thank you for your kind words!

Daaamn, that’s a REALLY good question! I think there’s much to say about that.

Context

First of all, when watching the movie (or any movie for that matter), it’s essential to make the distinction between what the character knows and what the audience knows.

It’s especially crucial with Star Wars because the audience knows or expects a great deal more than the characters themselves about the world they inhabit. 

And that’s why fans tend to make connections between characters or events that are not connected in-universe.

Recent example: Rey’s parentage.

Rey must be Luke’s daughter!

Jyn Erso is Rey’s mum.

Qi'ra is Han’s love interest, and Rey’s mum, meaning Rey and Kylo are half-siblings!

It doesn’t matter if the timelines don’t align. Fans WANT to find connections and connect the dots.

In movies, especially in The Force Awakens, some things are meant to only make sense to the character at this point of the story (every single line spoken by Kylo Ren for instance) which leave us, the fans, speculating to no end.

However, to speculate, we need specific tools, which brings me to my second point.

What are the tools in our possession as an audience to understand Star Wars?

1. Star Wars legacy and tie-in materialOn top of their knowledge of the Star Wars stories that came before, Star Wars fans have access to supplemental content such as books, games, TV series and an extensive database to feed their theories about a character’s motivations or background. Doesn’t matter if some of that is not canon anymore. Some basic concepts exist.

That’s why Reylo fans correctly predicted the Force bond. We labeled Rey and Kylo the new Bastilla and Revan because the parallels existed and from there, the Force bond made perfect sense.

2. Codes and conventionsIn every form of art, ‘there’s a way to do things,’ codes and conventions that give us some clues about a character’s true feelings or where a story is heading. That’s why some movies are predictable while others have a shocking, unexpected ending. That’s also why ‘genres’ (romantic comedies, horror movies, thrillers, etc…) exist.

In movies, codes are what brings meaning to what’s going on on-screen, while conventions are more about how things are done.

And the truth is, there are many codes and conventions the audience understand instinctively, even if they never studied Media Studies 101.

Why is that? Because those codes emerged over the years, and as the audience saw them on-screen over and over again, they became part of our culture. For instance, imagine a character in a bathroom opening a medicine cabinet. How many of us expect to see the reflection of a menacing figure in the mirror as soon as the character closes the cabinet? (answer: a lot)

Another good illustration of that phenomenon is that meme:

But I’ll go back to that later; first I want to discuss one last point before getting into the breakdown of the interrogation scene.

3. The viewer’s experience/baggage  

There’s one last tool we use as an audience: Our personal experience/feelings/bias.

That one is the most contentious because for obvious reasons, no two human beings have the same life experience, ambitions, or fears, and art is one of the most subjective human concepts. We all react differently to images and situations (Wonder what fuels nerd wars or ship wars? Look no further.)

Dynamic of the interrogation scene

Okay, let’s get into this for real.

Do I think Rey is afraid of being raped?No

Why?Because I don’t think that rape is a concept she’s ‘aware’ or afraid of.

Okay, some might think this is a bold statement, but let me explain my reasoning.

First of all, in Force Awakens, Rey’s Survival Guide and Before the awakening, we see a glimpse of Rey’s life on Jakku, and we know she’s been pretty much alone all of her life. Despite that, she’s not afraid; Not afraid to rescue BB-8 from Teedo, not afraid to refuse to sell BB-8 to Plutt, not afraid to fight Plutt’s thugs.

>> Rey isn’t afraid to say no to male figures. 

If Jakku were a place where women are sexually exploited or mistreated, Rey would react very differently to these situations, wouldn’t she? She would hide and keep her head down at all time. That’s clearly not the case here.

Now, picture Jakku and Niima Outpost, especially in the movie. It’s hot and dusty, like Tatooine. Plutt is an asshole, like Watto. But do we see slaves in skimpy outfits or any sleazy bar? The answer is no. 

World building 101: Jakku and Rey’s early life is sexless. 

It doesn’t mean Rey is ignorant about sex; it just says she has no reason to associate danger or punishment to sexual violence, she just has no frame of reference for that.

And I believe that’s a very deliberate choice from the writers. In both TFA and TLJ, Rey and women, in general, are not sexualized. Even Bazine, who is the ‘femme fatale spy’ of The Force Awakens is clothed from tip to toe. And when we see boobs in TLJ, we see the Thala sirens and the weird lady in the casino with the floating dog.

(Btw, it’s super interesting because TFA and TLJ draw a lot of parallels with the previous movies obviously, but the exciting thing to study is what is missing.

For instance, even if we don’t know who Maz is, it takes no more than a scene in TFA to understand what she’s not: Maz’s castle is not Jabba’s palace. There are no cruel games, no slave dancing for the male gaze, etc…)

Is the audience afraid on behalf of Rey?Yes

Why?We didn’t grow up on Jakku. For us, sexual violence is real and female suffering and sexual exploitation a staple of our entertainment and culture.

Narrative codes taught us that female characters restrained to metal chairs do not belong to romantic comedies; they belong to horror movies and stories about serial killers. Our brain is conditioned to recognize such patterns, and it’s entirely reasonable to be afraid for Rey at that moment.  

Is Kylo talking about sex?I don’t think so. But I think Lawrence Kasdan and J.J. Abrams knew that the audience was going to understand it that way.

Code and conventions:

 ‘That this is not the face of a villain threatening sexually our hero:’

Let’s compare with Javier Bardem’s character, Raul Silva, in Casino Royale 

Code and conventions:

‘Yeah…That’s more like it.’

Codes and conventions are amazing, I love them

Why?In Force Awakens especially, Kylo is the writers’ puppet. His lines are the most meta of them all: What Kylo says and what he means are two very different things.

Is Ben intimidating to Rey?To an extent, yes, but not as much as Kylo/Ben is intimidating to us, the audience, and maybe not for the reasons we think of. Also probably not as much as he’d like to be, to be honest.

Seeing how Rey reacts when she’s with Ben/Kylo is essential to understand her character AND the nature of their relationship.

Now, to analyze her reactions, we need to separate what we know of Kylo Ren at that point and what Rey knows.

We witnessed him killing Lor San Tekka and giving the order to kill the members of the Church of the Force, but Rey didn’t; she doesn’t know who he is, except that he followed her in the Forest and he uses the Force.

Last thing she remembers:

Code and conventions:

That’s not how you carry a prisoner Kylo. What school of villainy did you go to?

Also, as established earlier, Rey isn’t easily frightened.

When Rey wakes up, Kylo is squatting a few meters away, watching her. As far as she’s concerned, she’s not in immediate danger. (Let’s be honest; if she’d opened her eyes and found him sniffing her hair or trying to cop a feel, her reaction might have been different tbh.)

Code and conventions:

Kylo, Y U not doing what you did with Poe??

Next, she initiates the conversation, asking with defiance where she is. 

How she speaks to Kylo isn’t that different to how she speaks to Teedo and Plutt. Perhaps she’s assessing the situation at that moment. How is he going to react? 

Kylo’s response and reaction gives her two clues:

He calls her a guest, not a prisoner.

He answers her question (He doesn’t shout, doesn’t stay silent,  doesn’t ask her to shut up).

From the get-go, Rey is already -relatively- in control.

Code and conventions:

Usually the kidnapper is in control. You’re really bad at your job, Kylo.

Rey, you’re doing great, continue like that.

Next, she mentions the mask. What does Kylo do? He removes it.

Code and conventions: 

Okay… What’s going on there?

Once again, even if she’s retrained, Rey is the one in control.

Once the mask is off, you can sense a shift in her body language. She’s not scared; she’s embarrassed and confused.

Code and conventions:

That is not how you react when you’re scared.

Then, Kylo tries to get into her head and things get tough. That’s when she starts crying. 

Suddenly she’s lost the control. The things she’s never talked to anyone? Kylo is finding out and she’s embarrassed about it. Embarrassed because she’s a very private person, embarrassed because she has secrets, embarrassed because her defiance is a mask, and probably embarrassed because Kylo is cute and she doesn’t know how to process what’s going on.

Some people want to argue that the whole scene is a metaphor for rape, but it’s actually closer to someone finding a teenager’s diary and reading it out loud.

Rey is very private and obviously having her inner thoughts exposed brings back lots of bad memories. 

Arguably, that’s when Kylo discovers her parents:

But as I said earlier, Rey isn’t easily frightened and she fights back.

Code and conventions:

Rey is no damsel in distress or victim! She will have none of your bullshit.

Rey orders Kylo to get out of her head and what happens? He immediately moves away from her. 

That’s where they start fighting mentally and she gets into his head instead

And she wins!

^ That’s the face she sees before Kylo goes running to Snoke. 

Code and conventions:

That guy isn’t a threat.

>> During the whole scene, Rey might be restrained, but she’s the one in control.

So overall, Rey knows that she has nothing to be afraid of when Ben is around because she’s had the upper hand since the beginning. Now that she’s been into his head, she also knows that he’s more afraid than she is.

Also, she still has no idea what he did before they met, nor does she know what he’s about to do. 

Sure, it’s open to personal interpretation but let’s look at Finn and Rey when Han and Ben are talking. 

Finn is scared because he knows Kylo Ren. Rey is curious because she doesn’t think Ben has the guts to kill Han. 

TL;DR: Rey isn’t scared because Kylo isn’t scary to her.

[tomeandflickcorner]

Rouge One: A Star Wars Story

We’ve reached the movie that pretty much serves as a prologue to the original trilogy, and the film that kickstarted the Star Wars anthology movies.  I know this movie got a bit of flack for not utilizing the iconic text crawl, but in this movie’s defense, it’s not the first time a Star Wars movie didn’t include a text crawl.  Besides, the point of the text crawl is to fill people in on what happened prior to the movie’s opening and to help set the stage.  I’m pretty sure everyone who went into this movie knew what it was going to be about.

The movie opens on a desolate planet called Lah'mu.  Here, a man named Galen Erso lives and runs a small farm with the aid of his wife, Lyra, and their daughter, Jyn. Throughout the film, it comes out that Galen once worked for the Empire as one of their chief scientists in charge of the construction of a top secret weapon.  However, when he started to find out the true nature of the weapon he was helping to design, he realized that he no longer wanted anything to do with it and deserted his post, secretly relocating to this planet with his family so they could simply live their lives in peace.  But it turns out that the Empire somehow managed to locate him. Galen obviously had anticipated this would happen as he was utilizing a Sentry Droid to alert them if any Imperial ships entered the atmosphere, and he and his family had clearly already worked out an escape plan.  

While Lyra contacts a man called Saw Gerrera, who is apparently a trusted friend of theirs, Galen takes a moment to hug his young daughter, telling her to remember that everything he’s done or will do is because he wants to keep her safe.  He then gets Lyra to take Jyn and run while he goes out to confront the approaching Imperials alone, obviously to give his family time to escape.  As such, he goes out to face Orson Krennic, the man in charge of the Empire’s weapon development branch.  Krennic tries to convince Galen to return with him to resume work on the Empire’s secret weapon, as development has hit a snag and they’ll need his expertise to proceed with the development.  But Galen refuses, stating he no longer wants anything to do with the Empire and their plans. In the end, however, Galen is forcibly taken captive.  And Lyra, who had decided to leave Jyn behind in order to come back and defend her husband, is killed.   As a result, Jyn is left alone in a secret bunker hidden within the mountain, where she remains until Saw finally shows up to retrieve her.

Have to say, that was a pretty dumb move by Lyra.   I get that Galen was in danger and she dearly loved her husband and all. But as a parent, her first priority should have been with Jyn.  Chances were, she was going to lose her father that day either way, so she needed her mother even more.  Sure, Lyra obviously knew Saw was on his way and that he would most likely take her under his wing.  But it still was a bit foolhardy for this woman to walk out on her kid like that. Especially since she and Galen had clearly planned and prepared for this day.

It’s then shown that that whole sequence was some kind of dream/flashback sequence of Jyn, who is now fully grown.  And at this point in time, she’s being confined in some interplanetary prison with a number of other inmates.  It’s later stated that she’s been arrested for possessing undocumented weapons, forgery, assault and resisting arrest.

The story then cuts to some trading post called the Ring of Kafrene.  The thing that stuck out to me was that it appears to be located on an asteroid.  Which makes me wonder how they maintain an atmosphere in this place, as people are clearly walking about outside.  Do they utilize a similar technology to what the Gungans used with their underwater city? Anyway, it’s here that we meet our next main character, Captain Cassian Andor, a member of the Rebel Alliance. He’s in the process of having a rendezvous with a fellow Rebel named Tivik who informs him that an Imperial pilot has recently defected from the Empire.  This Imperial pilot claims that the Empire, who has recently been harvesting Kyber Crystals from the planet Jedah, is building a weapon they’re calling a ‘planet killer.’  And the pilot’s friend, who just happens to be Galen, had sent him to pass an important message to Saw.  Unfortunately, a Stormtrooper approaches the two before more could be said, and Cassian shoots him dead.  This, of course, alerts some other nearby Stormtroopers, and, because Tivik is injured, Cassian kills him as well.  Now, obviously, I can see the logic to this particular action.  Since Tivik was wounded and would not be able to keep up with Cassian in evading the Stormtroopers, it would have been inevitable that he would have been captured.  And if that happened, the Imperials would have undoubtedly tortured him before subjecting him to a painful, drawn out death.  So realistically, Cassian was being merciful to his ally.  At the same time, the fact that Cassian can kill his friend without even blinking is a sobering testament to what war can do to a person.  Cassian will later admit that he has been fighting in the Rebellion since the age of 6.  Meaning he had to grow up way too quickly.  It’s in moments like this that I think it’s a shame that the original movies never really gave the characters a chance to actually be human.  The original trilogy never really touched upon the lasting effects this war must be having on those who have been fighting for most of their lives.  Think about how many might be suffering from PTSD.  So the fact that they’re kinda exploring an aspect of all of that with Cassian is kinda cool.

We then return to Jyn, who is now being transported to another prison encampment. Along the way, however, the prison convoy is halted by a group that are soon revealed to be part of the Rebel Alliance. Because they somehow managed to find out that Galen’s daughter, Jyn was aboard this convoy.  Not quite sure how they managed to figure that out, considering Jyn had been living under an assumed name at the time, but oh well. When the Rebels break into the prison transport to free Jyn, however, she reacts with hostility and tries to run away.  She doesn’t get far, though, as a Droid called K-2SO, manages to stop her. K-2SO, as it’s later stated, was once an Imperial Droid, but he was captured and reprogramed by the Rebel Alliance and is therefore now on their side.  And he’s probably one of the best characters in this movie, due to his delightfully deadpan manner.  The fact that Alan Tudyk provided the voice for this character only makes it even cooler.

Once Jyn is in their custody, the Rebels take her to their base on Yavin 4, where she’s brought before the leaders of the Rebellion, including Mon Mothma and Jan Dodonna.  (Incidentally, I applaud the casting director for their pick of the actress who portrayed Mon Mothma.  She looks just like the woman who played her in Return of the Jedi.)  During this scene, we also get a glimpse of Bail Organa himself, who really seemed to age well.  Even though I was slightly confused as to why the movie decided to play the Luke Theme Music when he first appeared. 

When Jyn is brought before the Rebellion leaders, she’s informed that the Rebel Alliance believes her father, Galen, is working on a new weapon for the Empire, but they have learned that Galen has sent a message through the deflected Imperial pilot.  A message that has been received by Saw.  The problem is, Saw is an extremist who has severed ties with the Rebellion.  As such, it’s doubtful that he will react kindly if someone from the Rebellion approached him to retrieve the alleged message. So they’re hoping that Jyn can help them out, considering she and Saw know each other, and he’d therefore trust her. Jyn, however, isn’t initially interested in helping out, as she’s grown too jaded to believe in the Rebellion’s cause and has become apathetic to the Empire taking over everywhere.  Not to mention she hasn’t exactly been fond of Saw since the day he abandoned her to fend for herself at some point after the events of the opening scene.  But she eventually agrees to assist them when the Rebel Leaders offer to grant her a pardon for her list of crimes in exchange for her help.  As such, Jyn is sent to accompany Cassian and K-2SO when they journey to Jedah in order to seek out Saw and retrieve the message Galen sent with the defected Imperial pilot.  And with luck, they can then locate Galen himself so he can be brought before the Senate for testimony.   It’s at this stage in the movie a mini subplot is initiated, with it being shown a mutual distrust exists between Jyn and K-2SO.

We also get the start of another subplot around this point.  This one involving the Empire.   Krennic, it turns out, is getting a lot of flak due to the number of setbacks that have sprung up in the development of the weapon that will eventually be revealed as the Death Star.  And now, word has gotten out that one of the cargo pilots has defected and has started spreading the word about their secret weapon.  In an effort to appease Emperor Palpatine (who has been growing impatient for the Death Star to be completed) as well as prevent the possibility of more planetary systems siding with the Rebel Alliance, Grand Moff Tarkin decrees that an immediate test of the Death Star should be performed.  And yes, Grand Moff Tarkin has been placed into this movie through CGI because the original actor, Peter Cushing, passed away from prostate cancer 22 years before this movie premiered.  It’s rather hard to rate the quality of the CGI here.  On the one hand, it always does look like there’s someone actually there.  But at the same time, there’s just something about the face that’s just….off.  Though it’s hard to pinpoint what exactly is off about it. It does make one wonder why they decided to insert this character into the movie with CGI, however.  If they can find a lookalike actress for Mom Mothma, I’m sure they could have located a replacement Peter Cushing.

Meanwhile, Cassian, Jyn and K-2SO have arrived on Jedha, where they observe a Star Destroyer hovering over the holy city.  It turns out that Jedha was once the location of a sacred Jedi Temple.  But ever since the Jedi massacre, the temple is now a shadow of its former self.  (I wonder if that’s why the planet is called Jedha.  It does sound quite similar to Jedi.)  Anyway, Cassian informs Jyn that the Star Destroyer is there because Saw and his band of rebels have been attacking the Imperial cargo ships that have been harvesting the Kyber Crystals that were stored and grown in the abandoned Jedi temple. It turns out that the Death Star’s attack beam is powered by the Kyber Crystals, so the Empire has been gathering up as many as they could find.  In order to find Saw, Jyn and Cassian enter the nearby city, with K-2SO remaining near the ship.  

Once they reach the city streets, Cassian steps away for a bit, explaining that he had a contact on Jedha who disappeared, but his sister would be waiting for them nearby. So he plans on approaching the sister to inform her that Jyn is there, in the hopes that hearing Jyn’s name would enable them to meet with Saw.  While it’s not clear, I wonder if this missing contact Cassian mentioned was Tivik, that guy he shot and killed earlier in the movie.  If so, it’s a bit unsettling to know that he has a sister waiting in vain for him to come home.  But after Cassian leaves Jyn to her own devices, after a surprise cameo of two faces that might be familiar to the long-time Star Wars fans, Jyn’s attention is caught by a blind man sitting nearby when he reveals he knows she’s wearing a necklace.  Yeah, Jyn has a necklace of a Kyber Crystal that her mother, Lyra, gave her before her death.  I don’t think the necklace is that significant in the film, but I have heard this movie did undergo a few script rewites, so maybe Jyn’s necklace was going to be important in an early version of the script but they then dropped its significance in the final draft.  Either way, all we really get from this scene is the knowledge that the Kyber Crystals were also what powered the Jedi lightsabers.  Which would explain why there’s a large collection of them on Jedha. But Cassian returns and ushers Jyn away before more could be said.

Cassian and Jyn don’t get far, though, as an Imperial squadron appears at that moment, moving their way through the city streets.  They’re apparently transporting more Kyber Crystals off the planet so they can be used to power the Death Star’s laser canon.  To avoid being seen, Cassian and Jyn duck into a nearby alleyway, but they then notice a small number of figures moving about from the shadows and rooftops.  These people are revealed to be Saw’s band of rebels, as they proceed to attack the Imperial convoy and make off with the Kyber Crystals amidst a whole gun fight. A gun fight that Cassian and Jyn get involved in.

Incidentally, there’s this one moment in this particular sequence where Jyn saves a little girl who had wandered out into the middle of the chaos.  From what I’ve seen, there’s some fan speculation that this little girl is a young Rose Tico, a character we meet in the current trilogy. But I don’t think I buy into that particular theory.  Based on Rose’s apparent age in The Last Jedi, I think it’s highly unlikely she even existed back then.

Anyway, the gunfight ends up coming to a pause when K-2SO unexpectedly pops up (resulting in a rather nice fake-out moment.)  He admits he’d gotten bored waiting around for Cassian and Jyn to return. Although, while K-2SO does help save Cassian and Jyn by fending off a few of the Stormtroopers, they then find themselves surrounded by a larger group of them.  In spite of K-2SO’s attempt at bluffing their way out of the situation by taking advantage of the fact that he was originally an Imperial Droid, it’s ultimately the blind man from earlier that helps save them.  His name is Chirrut Îmwe.  He was once one of the Guardians of the Whills, an order that was charged with protecting the temple on Jedha, up until the rise of the Empire.  When the Jedi were wiped out, Chirrut was virtually thrown out on the street.  Nevertheless, Chirrut has remained steadfast at his old post. And it’s him who manages to singlehandedly fight off the Stormtroopers that were attempting to apprehend Cassian, Jyn and K-2SO.  Although, it’s Chirrut’s friend and partner, Baze Malbus, that ends up finishing the task. Baze is another former member of the Guardians of the Whills, but he’s not as spiritual as Chirrut, as the presence of the Empire on Jedhah has left him with a cynical nature.

Before I continue the review, I’d like to comment on Chirrut, who is one of my two favorite character in the movie.  (The other being K-2SO.)  Even though Chirrut is blind, it doesn’t seem to slow him down, and he effortlessly is able to take on a number of Stormtroopers at once.  This guy is so incredible, you might even forget that he’s blind.  Which makes me wonder if he is able to see through the Force.  Of course, that presents the possibility that Churrut was Force Sensitive.  If that’s the case, I wonder why he wasn’t trained as a Jedi.  Did he just not have a master to train him?  I don’t think the Jedi Order would have rejected him due to his blindness.  Especially since I distinctly remember the existence of the Miraluka, a species that were naturally born without eyes.  In one of the Star Wars MM0s, you could even have your character be a Miraluka if you played as a Jedi.  So obviously, the Jedi Order don’t usually discriminate against blind Force Sensitive individuals.

Either way, moments after Chuirrut and Baze meet Cassian and Jyn, with K-2SO being sent back to the ship, some of Saw’s rebels appear.   They are all set to either capture or kill the four of them, until Jyn steps forward and identifies herself as the daughter of Galen Erso. This is enough for the rebels to decide against killing them, but they still forcibly bring them to Saw’s hideout in the Catacombs of Cadera, also blindfolding them, much to Chirrut’s exasperation.  When they reach the Catacombs, Cassian, Baze and Chirrut are placed within holding cells while Jyn is escorted to Saw’s chambers.

While they’re imprisoned, they happen to meet the Imperial pilot that deflected, Bodhi Rook. It turns out that when he sought out Saw with Galen’s message, Saw refused to believe him and, in order to test the validity of his story, he subjected Bodhi to this squid creature called Bor Gullet.  Apparently, this Bor Gullet has some kind of mind probing ability that will determine if Bodhi is telling the truth or not.  The only downside is that getting mind probed by Bor Gullet tends to have an adverse effect on the victim.  Obviously, this was meant to show how ruthless Saw is, as he doesn’t seem to care about what happens to Bodhi if he turns out to be telling the truth.  But there’s no real explanation for how he found Bor Gullet or anything like that.  Is Bor Gullet a sentient being or is he just an attack squid of some kind? Either way, Bodhi is visibly shaken up from his ordeal with Bor Gullet, but when Cassian notices him and realizes that he is the Imperial piolet that defected, he is able to snap Bodhi out of his state by reminding him that Galen sent him to bring the message to Saw.

Meanwhile, Jyn is in the middle of reuniting with Saw, who is happy to see her again. But Jyn is less than pleased, as she’s still mad at him for abandoning her.  Apparently, Saw had left Jyn in a bunker somewhere, armed with a knife and loaded blaster, when she was only 16.  And he never came back for her.  But Saw tries to excuse his actions by pointing out that people were starting to figure out who she was, or rather who her father was.  Turns out Saw’s followers aren’t a hug fan of Galen due to his affiliation with the Empire, and Saw was therefore worried they might take it out on Jyn.  While that kinda makes sense, I get the impression that Saw had left Jyn in the bunker with the implication that he’d come back for her, but then never did. If that’s the case, I don’t blame Jyn for being angry.  The least Saw could have done was be honest about why he had to send her off on her own.

Instead of fully resolving the strain in their relationship, Saw ends up showing Jyn the message Galen sent through Bodhi.  In the holographic message, Galen admits that he did indeed help the Empire build their deadly weapon called the Death Star, but it was only because he knew that Krennic would have simply tasked someone else with the project if he refused to comply.  So Galen had decided to take advantage of his position to sabotage the project from the inside.  He ended up purposely designing the Death Star with a small but vital flaw. Galen’s message goes on to state that the blueprints for the Death Star are located in a data vault on a planet called Scarif, and if Rebel Forces managed to obtain those blueprints, they’d be able to locate the position of that fatal flaw and take advantage of the knowledge to destroy it.

Galen’s message ends with an emotional personal postscript addressed to Jyn, in which he states he never stopped thinking of her and misses her so much.  This message clearly strikes a chord with Jyn, as she falls to her knees in tears.  While she had previously acted as if she didn’t care, it’s obvious that she still dearly loves her father and missed him terribly.

However, there’s not much time to mourn, because by sheer chance, Krennic and Grand Moff Tarkin are hovering above Jedha within the Death Star.  It had been decided that they would perform a test of the Death Star’s capabilities by directing a half-powered blast at the Holy City on the planet surface.  Turns out the Death Star’s destructive laser blast had an intensity dial.  Who knew?  After they evacuate their troops from the Jedha, hey end up firing one of these smaller blasts down at the planet, right after Jyn and Saw finished watching Galen’s message.  (Talk about ironic timing).  Fortunately, Cassian had just happened to break himself, Chirrut, Baze and Bohdi out of their cells and, after locating Jyn, he is able to make contact K-2SO, instructing him to fly the ship to their present location on the double.  After a brief suspenseful moment, the six of them are able to only just get away from the massive destructive blast enveloping the area.  However, Saw chooses to remain behind because of reasons that are not really explained. As such, he ends up dying, along with who knows how many people who were caught in the explosion and destructive aftershock.  As far as we know, our six main leads are the only ones who survived.

Up on the Death Star, Tarkin apologizes to Krennick for doubting him, as the test has proven that the Death Star’s destructive capabilities have made up for the multitude of problems that had sprung up during the development. Although, the smile is wiped off Krennick’s face when he’s informed that Tarkin intends to take over control of the Death Star.  Krennick sees this as a great injustice as the Death Star was his achievement, and he therefore deserves full credit.  Tarkin, however, counters that by stating the recent security breaches, such as Bodhi’s deflection and the possibility that he told others about the Death Star, has shown that Krennick is too incompetent to continue being in charge of the project. Krennick argues that the breaches have been sealed, since, as far as they knew, Bohdi and everyone he told about the Death Star had been on Jedha when they destroyed the Holy City.  But Tarkin scoffs at this, pointing out that Bodhi might not have acted alone, as he had been dispatched from the research installation on the planet Eadu right before he defected.  The fact that Eadu was the facility where Galen and his crew were working on the Death Star is enough to rouse some suspicion.  To follow up on this observation, Krennick decides to make an impromptu trip to Eadu.

Coincidentally, Jyn, Cassian and the others are also on their way to Eadu, as Bohdi most likely told them that’s where Galen was.  Although, it turns out that the mission to apprehend Galen and bring him back to Yaven 4 for questioning isn’t quite the true objective.  Cassian had been taken aside earlier by General Draven and given secret orders to kill Galen on sight.  Which honestly doesn’t make much sense.  Sure, the Rebel Alliance obviously believe Galen is loyal to the Empire due to the fact that he works for them and therefore concluded that he supports the construction of the Death Star.  But if they kill him, then they lose the chance to interrogate him about the Death Star, and possibly find out a way to combat it.  But I guess this is meant to give us this underlining commentary about a soldier blindly following orders.  Because on the way, Jyn begins to tell her companions about Galen’s holographic message, in which he’d explained that he only agreed to work on the Death Star so he could sabotage it from the inside, and that he’d purposely designed it with a weak spot on the Death Star’s reactor. Unfortunately, Jyn was too emotionally sidetracked to even think about taking the holographic imager with her when they were escaping the planet, meaning the message was destroyed along with the Holy City on Jedha.  So all they have is her word.  And considering Galen is Jyn’s father, she’s probably not the most impartial witness. So this is clearly set up to be a test of whether or not Cassian trusts Jyn’s word.

When they arrive on Eadu, Cassian sets off for the research facility where Galen is stationed, taking only Bohdi with him, on account of the fact that he’s been there before and therefore knows the layout of the planet and the facility.  However, after they leave, K-2SO and Chirrut tip Jyn off that Cassian is probably not looking to bring her father back alive. (Chirrut comments on how the Force moves in a certain way around someone about to kill, and K-2SO observed Cassian had been carrying a sniper weapon.)  As such, she immediately heads off after them.  And Chirrut and Baze also follow her soon afterwards.  So only K-2SO is left back at the ship.

Cassian and Bohdi manage to make it up onto a rocky outcrop overlooking the research facility, just as Galen and his crew are coming outside to meet with Krennic, who has just arrived.  Fully intending to go through with his orders to kill Galen, Cassian sends Bohdi back to the ship so he won’t try to stop him.

Down at the docking platform, Krennic proceeds to announce he knows someone among the research team has betrayed the Empire and conspired with a pilot to send messages to the Rebellion.  He threatens to kill everyone unless the traitor step forward.  After a tense moment, Galen jumps forward, just when Krennic was giving the order to kill all the engineers.  He pleads with Krennic to spare them, as he was the one who conspired with Bohdi and the others had nothing to do with it.  However, even after Galen admits to have worked alone, Krennic still has the other scientists gunned down.  Which was a jerk move, to be honest.  Why would you even do that?

Meanwhile, up on the outcrop, Cassian is aiming his sniper rifle at Galen, with his finger on the trigger.  But he ultimately realizes he can’t go through with it.  However, that’s when he notices Jyn trying to sneak her way up to the platform where Galen and Krennic are having their confrontation.  If that wasn’t bad enough, he then receives word from K-2SO back at the ship that a Rebel squadron is heading their way. Because apparently, when the ship Cassian was piloting went off their radar upon approaching Erso, the Rebel Alliance decided to jump the gun and send backup.  Cassian tries to get a message up to the fleet to order them to disengage, but it’s too late as their radios have already switched off.  So Cassian has to scramble down to the platform to get Jyn out of harm’s way.  But by the time he gets there, the attack on the facility has already started.  While Jyn is miraculously unharmed in the ensuing explosions, she can only watch in horror as her father is struck down.  She is able to reach him just in time to see him one last time before he dies.

At that moment, Cassian appears on the scene.  He has to physically drag Jyn away from Galen’s body, as a fleet of TIE Fighters have appeared to fend off the Rebel squadron.  So it’s no longer safe there.  They manage to make it back to their ship, thanks to the combined efforts of Chirrut and Baze, who are able to shoot down the TIE Fighters from the ground, and Bohdi, who becomes an official member of the Rebellion by firing off their ship’s guns at his former compatriots.

As they make their return trip to Yaven 4, Jyn and Cassian get into a shouting match over the fact that Cassian had lied to her and had fully intended to kill her father. To Jyn, it doesn’t matter that Cassian had ultimately decided to disobey his orders.  The fact that he even considered following them at all without stopping to question if his orders were right and wrong means he’s no better than a Stormtrooper.  To Cassian, Jyn has no right to be so judgmental, as she has no idea what it is to be a soldier.  Unlike him, who has been on the battlefield for most of his life.  Overall, this is a rather deep scene that further drives home what war can do to a person.  And I guess I have to give the movie brownie points for not showing a resolution to the argument.  Because the only right answer to an argument such is this is that wars are ugly affairs and that anyone who fights in one cannot come out of it unchanged.

It’s at this point in the movie that we get a scene that pretty much only exists to show audiences that, yes, Darth Vader appears in this.  For some reason, he appears to live on Mustifar now.  Which seems like an odd choice.  Considering what happened to him on this particular planet, you’d think Vader would prefer to not have to revisit this place again. Anyway, Krennic approaches Vader to request an audience with the Emperor, to make sure he can fully appreciate the potential of the Death Star.  Throughout the scene, it comes out that the Emperor would prefer it if nobody knew the Death Star existed, and to cover up its involvement in the attack on Jedha, the Senate has been told the destruction was the result of a mining accident.  Although, that does present an issue with a key moment in A New Hope, which I’ll cover next week.

Back on Yaven 4, Jyn and Cassian have just finished telling the Rebellion about what they’d found out about the Death Star, and what really happened on Jedha. This puts everyone in an uproar, as everyone is shocked and horrified that the Empire has this kind of power. However, this creates a serious divide between them.  While some are giving into despair and thinking it would be in their best interests to surrender, others are insisting that they can’t give in and have to continue to fight.  Others are suspecting that the whole thing is a trick, and that it might just be a ploy to lure the Rebellion into the open, on account that their main sources of information came from an Imperial scientist and an Imperial pilot.  But that’s when Jyn suddenly develops the ability to deliver passionate speeches of encouragement.  She urges the Rebellion to rise up, stating that if they give into the enemy now, they condemn the galaxy to an eternal submission.  Jyn suggests that the Rebels send their best troops to Scarif and capture the Death Star plans.  Because if there is a hope of destroying it, it’s worth the risk.

Unfortunately, Mon Mothma decides that, without the full support of the council, she cannot launch an attack on Scarif.  But Jyn isn’t willing to give up.  And it turns out her feelings are shared by Bohdi, Chirrut and Baze.  Out of nowhere, Cassian also appears at their side, accompanied by a handful of Rebel soldiers.  They reveal they also agree with Jyn.  As such, they decide to go off to Scarif on their own, even without permission from the Rebel leaders.  And they proceed to hijack an impounded Imperial ship to make it to the Imperial controlled planet.  When the flight control staff attempt to hail them upon noticing the ship taking off without authorization, Bohdi impulsively decides to state their call sign is Rouge One.

As the newly dubbed Rouge One is leaving for Scariff, Mom Mothma has a one-on-one conversation with Bail Organa, in which they agree that war is now inevitable. Bail Organa decides to return to Alderaan to inform his people that peace is no longer feasible, but states that the Rebel Alliance needs every advantage they can get.  Right away, Mon Mothma realizes what Bail is implying. He intends to send word to their old ally, Obi Wan, in the hopes that they can convince him to come out of hiding. Mon Mothma comments how Bail will need someone he trusts completely with a mission of this importance.  To this, Bail simply says ‘I would trust her with my life.’  Right away, we can only conclude he is referring to his adopted daughter Leia.

Sadly, we know that this is the last time we’ll chronologically see Bail Organa.  Which is a huge shame because he really was a great character.  Although, I also have to wonder if he had an ulterior motive for sending Leia to fetch Obi Wan.  Especially considering Bail was probably one of the only people in the galaxy who knew that Leia was actually the daughter of Anakin and Padmé.  As such, it was only to be expected that she’d be Force Sensitive.  And I’d wager that Bail did notice some signs of Leia’s Force Sensitivity throughout the years.  So I wonder if Bail’s plan was that Obi-Wan would take the opportunity to inform Leia of her true birthright and train her as a Jedi as well.  If that’s the case, it’s a shame that it didn’t work out like that.

And that brings us to what’s by far the best sequence in the film- the Battle of Scarif. When they arrive at the planet, Bodhi uses the knowledge of his time among the Imperials to get past the protective shield that encompasses the planet, stating the Imperial ship they’ve commandeered should have an access code on file.  Thankfully, the Empire hadn’t yet logged that particular access code as out of date, and they are allowed to enter through the entry gate within the protective shield.  When they land on the planet surface and the Imperial inspection team enters the ship, the Rebels are able to ambush them.  By sheer dumb luck, the uniforms they confiscate from them fit Jyn and Cassian perfectly, which allows them to execute their plan.  Simply put, Jyn, Cassian and K-2SO will infiltrate the Citadel where the Death Star plans are sure to be kept.  Meanwhile, Baze and Chirrut will aid some of the Rebel soldiers in setting off strategically placed bombs throughout the facility, in order to make it look as if their small army is larger than it actually is.  This, they hope, will lure the Imperial forces out of the Citadel, making it easier for Jyn, Cassian and K-2SO to retrieve the Death Star plans and get back to the ship, where Bohdi and the remaining Rebels will be waiting to fly them out of there the moment their mission is completed.

Unbeknownst to our heroes, Krennic has also arrived at Scarif at the same time.  His intention is to follow up on the discovery that Galen was the one responsible for the security breach.  As such, he instructs the Imperials manning the base to inspect every single transmission that was sent from Scarif, no doubt thinking that Galen might have transmitted the Death Star plans from Scarif.  But because of this, he’s there when the Rebels start setting off their bombs, signaling the beginning of the battle.

Word of the Rebel attack on Scarif manages to make its way to Grand Moff Tarkin aboard the Death Star.  Remembering that the original plans for the Death Star are stored there, he instructs his subordinates to set a course for Scarif, clearly planning to destroy the Imperial base.  Which is a rather shred move.  He’s clearly deciding to sacrifice the base and the Imperials stationed there to prevent the Rebels from getting away with the Death Star Plans.  As for the Rebel Alliance stationed on Yavin 4, they likewise intercept the transmission about the Rebel attack on Scarif.  When Mom Mothma hears of this, she ends up sending an entire squadron over there to aid their allies.  Which seems to contradict her earlier statement that she couldn’t condone an attack on Scarif without the full support of the other Rebel leaders.

And yes, we do get a cameo of C-3PO and R2-D2 in this scene. It really serves no purpose, though.  I guess it was just thrown in to give Star Wars fans something to giggle about.

Back on Scariff, the battle is already underway.  Because of the explosions throughout the base, the Imperials are out in force, resulting in a gun fight between them and Rouge One’s ground crew. And to keep the Imperials running around on a wild goose chase, Bohdi and the Rebels back on their ship continue to send out false reports of Rebels being sighted in various sectors. Meanwhile, Jyn, Cassian and K-2SO have made it to the Citadel’s databanks, which they were able to locate by deactivating and scanning the memory bank of another Imperial Droid. But the tide starts to turn when AT-AT Walkers appear along the beach, forcing the Rebel soldiers to retreat. And when the Rebel squadron ships appear on the Imperial base’s radar, they lock down the base.  Only a few ships manage to get past the shield before the gates are closed.  While this does mean Rouge One’s ground crew now has areal support agaginst the AT-AT Walkers, this does present a problem.  With the shield gate closed, Rouge One is trapped, and will not be able to get off the planet with the Death Star plans.  Which means they’d have to come up with another idea of how to get the plans to the Rebel fleet fighting out in space

When she and Cassian are notified of this by K-2SO, who is helping them locate the right data file, Jyn suggests transmitting the plans out to the Rebel fleet. But this would only be possible if they take out the shield gate.  As such, they task Bohdi with finding a way of blowing a hole into the gate so the transmission can get through.  So Bohdi gets to work in trying to send a message to the Rebel Command ship, which is commanded by Admiral Raddus, a Mon Calamari.  (Apparently the same species as the well-known Admiral Ackbar), to inform them of the incoming transmission.  But in order to do that, Bohdi has to hack into the communications tower.  So he contacts the ground troops, asking them to locate the master switch that will enable him to interface with the tower 

The battle continues with Rebel troops joining Rouge One’s ground troop in reaching the master switch while the fleet that remains outside the planet’s barrier shield works for a way to dismantle the shield gate.  And over at the Citadel, Jyn and Cassian are continuing to try and locate the correct data file.  Although, there’s also a brief scene when Jyn and K-2SO reach the pinnacle of their relationship arc.   At the start of their reluctant alliance, K-2SO had voiced his objection to the fact that Jyn was allowed to carry around a blaster when he wasn’t.  But in this scene, Jyn willingly passes her blaster over to K-2SO.  Which is clearly meant to show that these two now consider each other friends.  Which is great, even though I don’t think they interacted that much apart from this one moment on Jedah, when Jyn shot an Imperial Droid during the gun battle and briefly froze in shock for a moment, visibly worried that she’d accidently shot K-2SO before getting her reassurance a second later when the real K-2SO appeared.

Anyway, when Cassian is scanning the code names for the numerous data files stored there, Jyn’s attention is caught by the fact that one of the files has been named ‘Stardust,’ which had been the nickname her father had given her when she was a little girl.  Right away, she realizes that that’s the file that contains the Death Star plans. While that was clever of Galen, it is still a bit problematic, because what if Jyn hadn’t been there?  Just saying, we’re pretty much talking the fate of the entire galaxy here.  It seems like a pretty high risk to stake everything solely on the possibility that Jyn would have been present to identify the correct data file.  

Unfortunately, before Cassian can extract the data file, K-2SO has to quickly close the door to the vault, enclosing Jyn and Cassian inside.  This is because a group of Storm Troopers had arrived on the scene, and K-2SO had been hoping to keep them from being discovered.  But his plan backfires when Cassian blows his cover by calling over their comlinks, asking the Droid what was going on.  Which was really dumb on Cassian’s part.  You’d think he would have been able to put 2 and 2 together and realize they were in danger of being discovered.  Either way, when he realizes his cover is blown, K-2SO quickly drops the charade and openly attacks the Stormtroopers, managing to defeat them all effortlessly.  He then proceeds to hold off further attackers with the blaster Jyn had given him. But as more and more Stormtroopers arrive on the scene, K-2SO soon finds himself outnumbered and outgunned.  As such, he uses the last of his strength to sever the power to the vault, which will prevent the Imperial forces from opening it to reach Jyn and Cassian.  The moment he does so, he receives one last hit before dying.  So, RIP to K-2SO.  He went down fighting.

Out on the beach, the Rebels are trying to reach the control tower in order to flip the master switch so Bohdi could inform the Rebel fleet of the incoming transmisson.  But they find their path blocked by a large amount of enemy gunfire, so it appears to be impossible for anyone to reach the master switch without getting gunned down. However, Chirrut, placing full trust in the Force, is able to calmly walk out and miraculously manages to reach the master switch unscathed.  Sadly though, the moment he flips the master switch, the Force apparently decides he’s fulfilled his appointed task as Chirrut is then caught in an explosion caused by Imperials shooting the control panel.  This obviously devastates Baze, who immediately breaks cover and hurries over to his fallen comrade.  The two best friends share one last moment together before Chirrut dies from his injuries. But his friend’s death has apparently led Baze to once again believe in the strength of the Force.  As such, Baze decides to continue fighting in his friend’s name.  And he manages to take down a number of Imperials before he’s also killed by a grenade. As for Bohdi, he manages to hack his way into the control tower to send a transmission up the Rebel Command ship. And because the Rebel fleet managed to destroy the shield gate with a really impressive maneuver involving a disabled Star Destroyer, he is able to inform Admiral Raddus that the Death Star plans will be transmitted up to them momentarily.  Tragically, the moment Bohdi finishes sending that message, he is also killed by a well-thrown grenade.  As such, only Jyn and Cassian are left from the movie’s six main leads.

Back at the Citadel, Jyn and Cassian have to climb up to retrieve the data file containing the Death Star plans because the power to the file extracting mechanism was also severed when K-2SO sealed off the vault.  Just when they retrieve it, however, Krennic appears out of nowhere and begins to open fire at the pair.  Eventually, Cassian is hit in the shoulder and falls.  Fortunately, he only falls onto a conveniently placed platform, but he’s temporarily knocked out.  So Jyn has to continue the climb to the top of the Citadel alone.  After some padding, including a moment when Jyn has to get through a video-game style grate that opens and closes repeatedly, she reaches the top of the Citadel, where she prepares to transmit the Death Star plans up to the Rebel command ship. Of course, the movie has to pad things out even more by making Jyn fix the alignment on the antenna first, but once she’s done that, she’s able to begin the transmission.

But that’s when Krennic appears once again for the final confrontation, holding Jyn at gunpoint.  Defiantly, Jyn identifies herself as the daughter of Galen and Lyra.  But then, for some reason, she decides to start monologing by informing Krennic of how Galen designed the Death Star with a fatal flaw, and she’s now told the Rebel Alliance all about it.  While I get why Jyn would have felt the need to rub it in and let him know of his failure before she died, for all she knew, Krennic was going to survive this encounter.  So why would she tell him that the Death Star had a fatal flaw in its design when he could have used that information to rectify the issue before the Rebels could do something about it?

In the end, though, I guess it doesn’t matter.  Because Cassian, who had regained conciseness, pops back up again, knocking out Krennic with a well-placed hit from his blaster.  He and Jyn then limp their way down to the beach, just as the Death Star arrives at Scariff.  Out in space, the remaining Rebel ships can only watch as the Death Star delivers a deadly blast at the Imperial base on the planet below.  (And there’s a bit of poetic justice when Krennic wakes up just in time to see his demise coming.)  As for Jyn and Cassian, they are able to accept their imminent deaths with peace, knowing that their deaths won’t be in vain as the Rebel fleet had undoubtedly received the Death Star plans.  In their last moments, the two embrace as friends, seeing comfort and courage in one another as their bodies are enveloped in the deadly aftershock of the Death Star’s attack.

After they witness the visible destruction on Scaraff, the remaining Rebel ships take a moment to send their respect to the fallen members of Rouge One before attempting to make their getaway.  But the Rebel command ship is prevented from retreating when Darth Vader’s Star Destoryer suddenly appears on the scene.  The command ship is quickly disabled, with all other remaining Rebel ships being destroyed, so Vader makes plans to board the ship in order to take back the stolen Death Star plans.

On the command ship in question, the Rebels are scrambling to download the plans onto a disk in order to transfer them over to the ship waiting in the hanger bay- The Tantive IV.  What follows is a rather chilling sequence in which Darth Vader boards the ship and immediately starts massacring everyone in sight.  However, a handful of Rebels manage to make it to the Tantive IV with the disk containing the plans, and they launch the ship from the hanger bay, managing to evade Vader by jumping into lightspeed the moment its path is clear. It’s then shown that Leia is present on the Tantive IV when she receives the stolen plans, with her announcing that they’ve received hope.  And on that note, the movie ends, right where we know Episode 4 begins.

Now, something that puzzles me.  We saw that the ship Admiral Raddus was commanding was the one that received the Death Star plans in the transmission Jyn sent up.  It was that ship that Darth Vader attacked, prompting the Rebels to quickly transfer the plans to a small portable disk so they could get it to the Tantive IV that Leia was waiting in.  Well, I guess it makes sense that Leia was originally being transported to Tatoinne on Admiral Raddus’ ship, but why would they redirect the ship to join the Battle of Scarif when Leia’s mission to fetch Obi-Wan was so vital? Wouldn’t going to Scarif put her and her mission in jeopardy?  Also, why were R2 and 3PO hanging around in the docking bay on Yavin 4 when they were supposed to be on the ship transporting Leia to Tatoinne?

Also, we see in this movie that Mon Mothma was currently working alongside the Rebels stationed on Yavin 4.  So you would think that she would have therefore been involved with the events of A New Hope as well.  If so, how come we didn’t meet her until Return of the Jedi, the final film in the original trilogy?

Those issues aside, I think Rouge One was a pretty good addition to the Star Wars mythos. While it is sobering to know that all the main characters are killed off at the end, I think that worked to the movie’s advantage.  It really touched on the darker aspects of war that I think the original trilogy pretty much glossed over.  And it was rather clear from the get-go that our protagonists were entering into a suicide mission from the moment they left for Scariff.

And that’s it for all the prequel films.  Now, it’s on to the original trilogy.  Although, chances are it’s going to be the special edition versions, as the original version of the trilogy is rather hard to locate these days, unless you happen to have the VHS tapes and a working VCR.  (Unfortunately, while I do still have the VHS tapes, I no longer have the working VCR.)

(Click here to go back to the directory)

[alexsprincessparty]

Oh Boy, What a Week

Disney is a lot like Survivor in the way that "just when you think you know what's going on, you have no idea what's going on." (Shoutout to Sebastian from Survivor: Ghost Island...) A company can campaign all it wants about inspiring young girls to Dream Big, Princess while its men (both in the company and within its fandom) get away with belittling women and girls of all ages. Just this week, it was announced that John Lasseter would step down from his role of Principal Creative Advisor, following allegations of sexual misconduct from numerous women he's worked with. Earlier in the week, newly-minted Star Wars star Kelly Marie Tran disappeared from Instagram following overwhelming harassment from angry male Star Wars fans. As this is a Disney blog that discusses gender-focused issues (especially surrounding females), I feel compelled to discuss these issues as a kind of break from Princess discussion, as Disney Princesses are just one facet of so-called Disney Feminism. What happens in our films is one thing, but we still need to focus on what is happening around us, behind the scenes and off the page.

Monsters, Inc, or, the Scary Stuff Behind Pixar's Closed Doors

Let's begin with Lasseter. John Lasseter is best known as one of the co-founders of Pixar Animation Studios, the studio that brought us Toy Story, Finding Nemo, and Cars. Up until recently, he was Chief Creative Officer at Walt Disney Animation Studios (Wreck-It Ralph, Frozen, Moana) as well as DisneyToon Studios (DuckTales, Planes), as well as Principal Creative Director of Walt Disney Imagineering. So, naturally, we all associate Lasseter with his achievements and creations (as well as his trademark Hawaiian shirts). In late 2017, just days before the theatrical release of Disney-Pixar's Coco, Lasseter came under fire for sexual misconduct towards several female employees. Numerous women came out in protest of Lasseter, claiming the 61-year-old Disney head had repeatedly tried to kiss other female employees on the mouth without their consent, give very lengthy and inappropriate hugs (particularly with the actresses of the Disney Fairies franchise), touch inappropriately (one employee stated he would rub her leg under the table at meetings), and make comments about employees' appearances. This led to an apologetic statement from Lasseter, who subsequently took a six-month sabbatical from Disney, after which he will take on a lesser role before leaving for good this December. As I said, Lasseter is renowned for his art and his leadership, as well as his innovative contributions to the animation medium. Rightfully so. 1995's Toy Story, directed by Lasseter, was the first-ever feature film to be animated completely in 3D animation. Pixar specialized in this medium, but Walt Disney Animation Studios would not give it a shot for itself until 2005's Chicken Little, just before Lasseter took over WDAS. Today, nearly every Disney animated feature since 2010's Tangled has been animated in CGI. Lasseter and Pixar blew the door wide open on CGI animation, which dominates the animation industry today, Disney or otherwise. Add that to the work he's done as a writer or producer on films as early as The Fox and The Hound, through the Disney Renaissance, numerous Studio Ghibli classics, all the way up to the upcoming sequels to Wreck-It Ralph, Frozen, and Toy Story--the film that put his company on the map. These are all great accomplishments, but are they really worth putting over the basic needs of security and safety for women in the workplace? Should we really excuse habitual predators and violators based solely on the fact that they're great artists, actors, athletes, musicians? Perhaps it's best left to an individual basis, as some people are better at separating art from artist. For example, I love Toy Story. It is indeed a revolutionary film, a well-written one, and incredibly memorable. In fact, I love a lot of the work Lasseter has done with Disney, and Disney-Pixar. That said, while I cannot put myself in the shoes of the women he affected, I won't simply forgive him because of how much I loved WALL-E. It doesn't work like that. So then, why are so many supporters of the #MeToo movement quick to initiate boycotts of someone's work after these allegations come out? Great question. It's as simple as cutting off a supply, so to speak. Since the allegations against Lasseter came out just before Coco's release, some had planned to boycott the film in protest of Lasseter (which I don't recommend, because 1. a loooooot of other people worked on that film, and 2. it's the only feature film Disney has produced around Mexican culture that also features Hispanic voice talent). What it says is, "if you hurt or violate other women, we will no longer support you." The accused no longer have that supply. It could be a financial supply, an emotional supply of "but you're still so great though!" or "it's okay because I'll still be up at the Oscars/Golden Globes/Annies this year anyway." That, again, is probably best left to an individual basis, that is, you do what you feel is right. 

For example, T.J. Miller very quickly lost favor with me after he came under fire for numerous actions (including violence, transphobia, and also calling in a fake bomb threat! A piece of work, this one), yet still, I saw Deadpool 2...mostly because Ryan Reynolds and Zazie Beetz. And Yukio. (Hi, Yukio.)

If Disney wants to continue to promise a safe workplace environment for women, then it has to commit to punishing violators within its doors, no matter how high on the food chain they are. Nobody should be "too big to fail." Misogyny: A Star Wars Story

You could argue that Star Wars has declined in quality since Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm in the early-to-mid 2010s. Perhaps it got too...you know, Disney. Too soft? Maybe. Too predictable? Yeah, sure, I could see that. But the most common scapegoats for this tend to be not Disney, and not Lucasfilm. Not even J.J. Abrams, or Rian Johnson, or Ron Howard.

Nope. It's the women. Earlier in the week, actress Kelly Marie Tran suddenly disappeared from Instagram amid a flurry of hateful comments from angry Star Wars fans. Tran made her Star Wars debut in last year's polarizing eighth installment, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, as Resistance tech Rose Tico. Since the film's release, many have criticized and questioned the need for Rose, as well as Tran's talents as an actress, in addition to her appearance. I know. Surprise. Granted, a lot of post-Disney Star Wars has seen its fair share of criticism, and it's normal to criticize cinema, regardless of how much you like it. However, I have to point out a glaring pattern with some recent Star Wars gripes. A lot of issues, particularly with male Star Wars fans, are with its new streak of female protagonists. Rey. Jyn Erso. Rose Tico. Maz Kanata. Captain Phasma. Qi'ra. Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo. These are just a portion of the cinematic female characters introduced by Lucasfilm since its acquisition by Disney, many of which have been panned by the saga's male fanbase not only as "useless" or "boring," but also "pandering to women because representation/SJWs/libtards/[insert buzzword here]!" While I think all those characters invite their own well-deserved criticisms. However, simply blaming the new films' failures on the fact that they have female protagonists? Sounds fake, but okay. "Rey is the hero? But Finn was holding the lightsaber in the trailer! WTF is this?" You didn't complain about Poe Dameron essentially being the new Han Solo. "Captain Phasma is a waste of space! She didn't do anything!" Boba Fett though? "Rose stole Finn's heroic moment, what a bitch!" BECAUSE WE'RE NOT FIGHTING THE THINGS WE HATE, WE'RE SAVING THINGS WE LOVE, KEVIN "Jyn Erso is such a flat character, why is it all about women now?" Because maybe, just maybe, it would be awesome for female fans of Star Wars to see other females in Star Wars. Sounds pretty novel if you ask me. This seems to be a long-running problem with Star Wars. In fact, Tran is not the only Star Wars lady bullied off Instagram by overzealous male fans. Only a few years ago, Rey herself, Daisy Ridley, suffered the same fate and still hasn't returned to the website (honestly? Probably for the best). You can't claim that just because Emilia Clarke, Gwendoline Christie, Lupita Nyong'o, and Laura Dern haven't buckled as well, that Tran and Ridley are "sissies" and not oppressed. Believe me, they are (Clarke and Christie probably deal with this crap as Game of Thrones stars as well so they're probably just used to it). "But we didn't harass Carrie Fisher!" You reduced Princess Leia to a metal bikini until Disney intervened and conveniently forgot about it when it came to merchandising.

Again, you can argue that Disney is ruining Star Wars. I might even agree. But it's not because they keep utilizing female protagonists. In fact, Disney's only Star Wars film with a male protagonist, Solo: A Star Wars Story, has been the least profitable of the Disney/Lucasfilm era. That's not to say the male protagonist was to blame, of course. Personally, I think the problem is Star Wars fatigue, that is, Disney oversaturating us with Star Wars to the point where we just can't take it anymore. But yeah, go ahead and blame the women, sure. Clearly it has been an interesting week for female Disney fans. Some good, some bad. But, hakuna matata, I guess. The world still sucks. But remember the Fairy Godmother's words: "Even miracles take a little time." (I don't remember if she actually said this, but there's a lot of cute Tumblr gifs of her saying it, so she must have said it, right?) I'll be swimming back this way soon for The Little Mermaid, so hang tight. I've just got some bigger fish to fry at the moment. Dream Big Princess!

[jynappreciationsquad]

liminal

Summary: Between death and dying, Jyn learns about herself and her family.

Author’s Note: A massive thanks to my wonderful beta, @rapidashpatronus, who was her usual mix of supportive and providing awesome suggestions for improvement. Second chapter forthcoming soon! Yavemiel

Can also be read here on AO3.

If asked, Jyn would have said that she had a very clear view of who she was as a person. A good scrapper, dependable in a fight, a clear head for strategy, loyal to a fault, a halfway decent cook if she could get her hands on the right stuff. She knew her faults too; occasionally impulsive, selfish with the time of those she loves, blunt of speech, and clumsy with any kind of physical interaction that didn’t involve violence. A soldier.

So when she saw the trooper’s blaster come up as if in slow motion, her own blaster useless on the ground, she didn’t hesitate before diving in front of the shot that would have hit Cassian directly between the shoulder-blades.

There was a sort of peace to it really, the way the sound sucked out of the world as she felt the impact to her own chest, though she could have done without the screaming that seemed to be coming from behind her, maybe her own name? That was nothing like Cassian’s voice though, far too high pitched, and she didn’t remember her vision being so red, maybe that was a side effect of dying? No wait, the trooper’s head had exploded. Odd, they didn’t normally do that.

Someone’s hands were on her shoulders, shaking her minutely with the tremors wracking their body. She dragged her gaze from the headless trooper to meet Cassian’s frantic face, screaming something, but she couldn’t hear him. He was always talking, and half the time Jyn didn’t even hear what he was saying, just the tenor of his voice and its warmth. She smiled and tried to tell him about how much she loved his voice, but her mouth wouldn’t shape the words. She could feel her eyes closing, no pain, just a heavy weight dragging the lids down, down, down, and she felt strangely happy.

Jyn was, after all, someone with an acute knowledge of her own worth, and so there was an obscure satisfaction in dying knowing that her life’s full value had been spent.

**

Oh.

Not dead.

Interesting.

But maybe not alive either?

She looked down from above at her own body encased in bacta packs and a pod, life-sign readings on the outside indicating a heart surprisingly still beating on the inside. It was a kind of mesmeric pulse that she could feel vibrating through her whole being and she was so entranced by it that she didn’t notice at first the mass of people huddled around her bedside, harrying a beleaguered medic for information.

As soon as she noticed them though, she couldn’t look away. Her whole team was there, Kay and Bodhi and Cassian all talking over each other, while Baze loomed over them in the background, no less imposing for his silence, and Chirrut stood next to her pod, his hand over the heart rate monitor, as though he alone was responsible for keeping it beating.

“Will you all please just shut up!”

Jyn’s attention was drawn back to the medic as he finally lost his patience and yelled. It had the desired effect, and he visibly took a deep breath.

“I know you are all extremely worried about Sergeant Erso, but I assure you, we are doing everything we possibly can. She’s in bacta. She’s being constantly monitored, any dip from one of these readings and a medteam will be here in seconds. What she needs right now, more than anything, is time.”

They all stayed silent and Jyn fought the urge to try and reach out to stroke the back of Cassian’s hand, ruffle Bodhi’s hair, all the small touches she used to try and keep her fam...her team at ease in times of stress.

“Is there, um, is there anything we can do?” Bodhi asked hesitantly. “That won’t, you know, interfere with anything.”

The medic smiled at him kindly, clearly relieved to have gotten his point across. “Keep her company. Talk to her. She’s in a medically induced coma, but there’s a chance that she may be able to hear you” - Jyn snorted - “and it will be comforting for her to know that her family’s nearby.”

No one corrected his use of the word ‘family’ and Jyn felt a warm inner glow that she attributed to the medpod keeping her core temperature at a balmy thirty-seven degrees.

There was silence as the medic left the room, broken by Kay’s peevish question.

“Now what?”

“Now,” said Baze, placing his hand over Chirrut’s on the medpod, “we talk.”

**

Thus began the strangest period of Jyn’s life.

Always awake, unable to communicate and unable to leave the room her body was in (she tried), she could only sit and watch and wait.

And listen.

Her team took the medic’s words to heart, and she was very rarely alone. Even at night, there was inevitably someone curled on the camp bed that was tucked into a corner of the room, the medics turning a blind eye.

It was oddly like eavesdropping, but Jyn silenced the faint stirrings of guilt with the knowledge that she couldn’t go anywhere else and listened eagerly, hungry for news and for human interaction, even if she couldn’t provide any in return.

What was said varied widely depending on who was saying it. From Bodhi she kept up with all the gossip around the base: who was seen sneaking off with whom, which generals were at loggerheads who managed to replace Draven’s caff with half strength for two days before he realised (Princess Leia to Jyn’s surprise).

She also learned far more than she ever wanted or expected to learn about Luke Skywalker and really, if...when she woke up, she was going to have a chat with Bodhi about discretion because you never knew which walls had ears.

It was in the middle of one such monologue on Luke’s assistance in his fighter pilot training that Bodhi suddenly hesitated before blurting out, “I wish you were here to help, Jyn. No one else helps me to learn like you, you’re...you’re so kind, and patient. You don’t care if I forget the words sometimes, or don’t get things on the first try.”

He patted her medpod clumsily and dipped his head in uncharacteristic silence as Jyn reeled from the unlooked for insight into Bodhi’s affection for her. She didn’t think of herself as particularly kind, but she couldn’t deny the warmth Bodhi’s insistence kindled in her.

Kind. Huh.

**

Baze and Chirrut often visited together, something Jyn suspected was at least partially because Chirrut was perfectly capable of holding a one-sided conversation, into which Baze occasionally interjected asides. Occasionally however, he came by by himself, and when he was there, he talked. Jyn listened with something approaching amazement. She’d never heard Baze say so many words all at once.

Most of his talk centred on whatever weapon he was cleaning at the time, talking her carefully through each movement as he restored it to full working order. It was both informative and soothing, his deep voice almost hypnotic as he narrated and explained his actions. It was the closest that Jyn got to sleep in her strange half life, and she appreciated it immensely.

Occasionally he would talk about Jedha, though it was clear to her that the topic was painful for him. He spoke wistfully of the festival of light that used to happen every year, the beautiful lanterns and happy crowds that would cram into the temple, laughter and life. He spoke of a warm bread straight from the ovens of the street vendors and children who liked to trail after him and try and put beads in his hair. Listening, Jyn deeply regretted not asking more about Jedha before and made a note to look up some of the customs when she could.

Once ever, he spoke to her of the time he and Chirrut spent apart. He spoke quietly, shaping the words like a confession, and Jyn held non-existent breath and listened.

“I was lost,” he said. “So lost. Without Chirrut, and the devastation the Empire was wreaking on Jedha...the anger consumed me and I did many things that I...regret.”

He was silent for a moment before rousing himself from his recollections and giving Jyn’s body a rare smile. “Of the many things I admire about you, little sister, the one I admire most is your humanity, your mercy. I lost pieces of myself when I felt abandoned, but you, you are strong and whole still, despite your childhood...it gives me hope.”

For the first time since she ‘woke up’, Jyn was almost glad she wasn’t in control of her body. She hated crying.

**

Kay...well, Kay was Kay. Her being half dead didn’t change that. He came by more infrequently than the others, and his entrances were always qualified with “Cassian sent me to…” or “Cassian says I have to be here because…”

Jyn found she didn’t mind. In a way, it was comforting that Kay was still so uniquely Kay, his bluntness and irritable nature unchanged by her incapacitation.

He mostly complained and Jyn tended to filter most of it out, content to let it buzz as background noise, almost able to pretend that she was on a mission, Kay wittering on in the cockpit, and Cassian...Cassian by her side, smiling whenever she caught his eye, Cassian with his clever plans and sharp mind, Cassian -

“Cassian...”

She jolted back to the present as Kay said Cassian’s name and then paused.

“Cassian misses you. He does not say so, but I know he does. He feels guilty about the manner in which you were injured, even though I have told him that it is ridiculous.”

He paused again briefly. “I myself have found that I have noted your absence an average of 5.6 times per daily cycle. It is disturbing. I do not like it.”

From Kay, that was practically a declaration of love.

“You need to recover faster, Jyn Erso. Cassian says that it could be weeks or even months until you are sufficiently recovered to be woken from your medical coma, however, if there’s anything that I can say about you, it’s is that you consistently confound expectations. I await your imminent consciousness with an equal measure of anticipation and aggravation.”

He stalked out of the room, leaving Jyn to contemplate with horror-tinged amusement a world where even Kay had nice things to say about her.

She’d show him ‘confound expectations’.

**

TBC