Star Wars

Just because I repost something doesn’t mean I necessarily agree with it, more like it’s something I want to revisit or think about…

[scr3444m]

The Alpha Centauri and Nightingales: Why do I think that Good Omens finale works

You should know by now that the Alpha Centauri system consists of two stars, orbiting so close to eachother that it was assumed for decades it was just one star. They are orbiting, but they never touch — they are stars, after all. Stars can't be too close.

Regarding the plot

I will insist that from a dramaturgical point of view, the ending is logical, and, mainly it feels right. Major story arcs have been started — Heaven and Hell, God and humanity, the all-time duet of Aziraphale&Crowley against the antics of the universe, and the most important — God's ineffable plan. The stakes were too high. You wouldn't leave it hanging if you were a writer just for the sake of a cozy ending, would you? (Oh, I know you would, you.) It may feel a little rushed, but c'mon, 99 minutes? They were used to the fullest — and the style of storytelling in the first season was pretty much the same.

Was it all in vain?

Hell, no. Why on Earth would you say that? For Heaven's sake. Just because something has come to an end, does not lessen the meaning of  it's existence. Just because there is no eternal yaoi, does not mean that all of Azicrow development was pointless. It's still them. Everything in this world comes with its allotted time, and it would be rather foolish to not acknowledge that it was there even if you don't have it anymore, otherwise, what's the point of everything?

Why couldn't they just stay together?

What makes you think that they're not? Well, it's not the angel Aziraphale and the demon Crowley anymore, right? Although-

First of all, a vast part of GO fandom treats A&C as human characters — which they're certainly not. A habit of a human brain, it is. You see something human shaped and it clicks — well, that thing might be human as well! My point, though, is that you should remember them as supernatural, ethereal (or occult) beings, for whom a human body is merely a funny costume to fit in. Interpreting their actions from a human's point of view will not work — the way they think, feel, what kind of affection matters to them, despite the fact that they actively sought to assimilate on Earth. But do you know what distinguishes A&C from humans the most?

Free will, ladies and gentlemen!

This is stated in the movie in plain text (by Crowley) — just humans have it. Angels and demons are known for being created with a purpose, and not that the said purpose can be ditched so easily. That's what they struggle with throughout the story — being assigned a purpose they don't want to fullfill. And they were, for the first time, given a choice — what do you want, God's creatures? Mere curiousity of Hers. And the second they were really given a choice, they chose their fate. Now they are fully left to themselves and free to do whatever. Marry, hug, kiss, and many other things they've been depicted to do in thousands of fanworks.

Besides, I don't think that God would have fulfilled just any request of theirs. It was pure gambling — all depending on if She will find it amusing enough to give it a go. Otherwise, A&C simply would've  been erased to start over, just as planned. The void bookshop scene has strong Master and Margarita vibes, too. Thus, if you decide to play with an ineffable force, don't expect it to indulge.

Why didn't Azi properly kiss Crowley back?

Again, Aziraphale and Crowley are not humans. The meaning that a kiss holds to us would not mean the same to them — you have to be made of flesh for tactile romance to be a remarkable experience. They are not actually material, so no big difference how exactly they touched, it's the background each concious action has. THE kiss was more of a desperate way to get angel's atrention, hold him back somehow. That scene does not determine them as lovers — the nightingale scenes do. But if we are to analyse what Aziraphale gave in response, we're ought to keep in mind two things. Firstly, by Christian dogmas (I would determine the source as Christian, because Good Omens, obviously, consists of mostly biblical figures and events, from both Old and New Testaments), love is associated with mercy, which is usually tied to forgiving people. Basically, if you love someome, you will forgive them anything. In this context, "I forgive you" can as well be a variation of "I love you", especially for divine creatures.

Secondly, the mouth-fingers-touch kiss. It's a gesture used for blessings. Aziraphale blessed Crowley, before, as they thought, they were seeing eachother for the last time. When you bless someone, you not only wish them wellbeing, you ask God for mercy for this person. And mercy is the thing that a sinner, not quite fallen, rather sauntered vaguely downward, needs the most.

I just wanted a happy ending for them

Two old married men, sitting close together, stargazing with a cup of hot cocoa each. If that you won't call a happy ending, I don't know what you will. A nice scene, really. Just the right amount of sappy. That is what they both ever wished for. The human nature, yes. Let me explain.

You may have wanted A&C to ditch everything, Heaven and Hell, God, even, and live to their satisfaction somewhere where no one would bother them. Or something similar. Oh well. This goes against all their previous efforts, all of them. For what reason did they fuss over stopping Armageddon in the book and S1? For what did Aziraphale rush back to the head office to plan the Second Coming? For what did Crowley ask God the reason She made humans the way she did? Because they love Earth and humanity, they have not spent 6000 years there for nothing. The love humans. They love you. They wished for that world for you. They're angels, doesn't matter, formerly or currently, and angels love humanity, that is in their core.

Back to Alpha Centauri metaphor — stars don't touch. Humans do. Divine creatures, made with purpose, don't have free will. Humans do. An angel and a demon can't be free from the impact of higher forces, that's what they are struggling for through the story, you know? Humans can. No one watches over them anymore, thinking of yet another punishment. They adore being humans, I think. And it's undoubtedly them. Souls are immortal, at least in the setting where souls exist. Suggesting they did it differently means tossing all their wants and beliefs in vain, which is blatant disrespect, to be honest, to both Crowley and Aziraphale, their efforts, their relationship, and Neil Gaiman with Terry Pratchett who wrote them this way.

They are happy to live a human life. Happier than ever. Think of if as retirement — no obligations, no divine pressure, just life. I would imagine that it's what all millions years old creatures wish for.

"I have the universe and I have you. I don't need anything else."

[skywalkr-nberrie]

Anakin was forcefully kept alive when he was put in the Vader suit, mind you. Otherwise Anakin is literally dead the moment he heard Padmé was gone and also would’ve been physically dead too if it weren’t for Sidious’ evil and torturous solutions to keep him alive.

[antianakin]

Jedi critical fans: The Council were so flawed that they never would've listened to Fives' information about the chips if he'd tried to tell them, they'd have dismissed it entirely!

The Jedi Council In Canon: *Start planning treason against Palpatine the minute he makes it clear he won't stop the war and try for peace even after Dooku is dead.*

The Jedi Council In Canon: *Literally are on their way to arrest Palpatine for corruption before they ever even discover he's a Sith.*

The Jedi Council In Canon: *Immediately believe Anakin when he tells them that Palpatine is a Sith, despite recent difficulty between Anakin and the Council.*

Me: Really? THAT Jedi Council? THAT'S the Council you think are too flawed to believe Fives when he tells them that a politician they already don't like because they know he's corrupt is actually an evil Sith Lord trying to kill them all? THAT Council? Are you sure?

[cloudseeker7]

Stop handing Palpatine's accomplishments to other people!

I’m a Palpatine fan. Not because I think he’s "misunderstood" or because the Jedi deserved what happened, but because he is unapologetically, deliberately evil—and he is terrifyingly good at it. I’m tired of people attributing his wins to everyone except him. It’s time we stop nerfing Darth Sidious just to vilify the Jedi.

The "Anakin Fell Because of the Jedi" Let’s be clear: The Jedi didn’t push Anakin away. Palpatine pulled him. He didn't just wait for the Jedi to mess up; he identified a traumatized kid and spent fourteen years grooming him. He inserted himself as the only "affirming" authority figure in Anakin’s life, slowly warping his worldview until he reached a breaking point. Then, Palpatine stepped in and offered him exactly what he wanted to hear. If the Jedi had somehow magically done everything perfectly to counteract a Sith Master's influence, would Anakin have stayed in the Light? Yeah, probably. But that doesn’t change the fact that Palpatine did it. Just because the Jedi didn't manage to counter everything perfectly—when they didn't even know they had an opponent until the final hour—doesn't mean they deserve the credit for Palpatine's hard work. Stop crediting the Jedi for Anakin’s fall; that’s Palpatine’s masterpiece.

The Propaganda Machine People act like the Jedi just stumbled into being hated through "arrogance." No. Palpatine made them hated. He orchestrated a galactic war where he controlled both sides, then maneuvered the Jedi into military roles that fundamentally broke their image as neutral peacekeepers. He allowed the public to get used to seeing them as armed generals rather than spiritual guardians. That wasn't an accidental optics shift; it was a masterpiece PR assassination.

The "If They Just Didn't Fight" Fallacy I hear this all the time: "If the Jedi hadn't fought in the Clone Wars, they wouldn't have died! Clearly, the Jedi fell because they had lost their way as peacekeepers." …do you seriously think Palpatine wouldn't have found a way to turn that situation to his advantage? If the Jedi had refused to fight, Palpatine wouldn't have just packed up and gone home. He would have weaponized their neutrality. Imagine the Holonet headlines: "Jedi Elitists Refuse to Defend Republic Against Former Member Count Dooku." He would have branded them as cowards, conspirators, or traitors who abandoned the galaxy in its darkest hour. The Clone Wars would have still happened, except the Jedi would be hunted by both the Separists and the Republic. The Purge would still have happened anyway; only the "why"(and "how") would have changed.

'He won because everyone played exactly like his script-' Things didn't go 100% to palpatine's plans in the prequels, he just was really good at adapting Naboo: The Trade Federation fumbled the occupation. Palpatine didn't panic; he still used it to seize the Chancellorship. Maul: His apprentice got cut in half. Palpatine just traded up for Dooku to fuel the Separatist movement. Mustafar: Anakin was supposed to be the perfect specimen, not a mutilated man in a life-support suit. Palpatine simply recalibrated and turned the "broken" remains into Vader.

Conclusion: Palpatine is a competent, ruthless tyrant who doesn't deserve to have his greatest accomplishments credited to the Jedi's "incompetence." Give that man some respect

[bipolar-daemon-offical-deactiva]

For those of you who don't know!

We're doing a Tumblr blackout protest for 24 hours on the 26!

Protesting shapes AI

(I hate this idea bc my partners are on here but it needs to be done!)

And Block @SHAPESINC

[lizzy-bennet]

Deleted Leia sass from The Empire Strikes Back

[ragnell]

Leia, you were scheduled for execution.

[imaginarycircus]

She had it under control.

[juju-or-anya]

Just a gentle reminder that if you're going to justify other characters' actions by saying Bridgerton is set in the Regency era, but you don't apply the same consideration to criticizing Eloise's feminism—and you criticize her using a 2026 mindset, saying she should shut up and know her place, then you're a hypocrite and have some internalized misogyny.

[juju-or-anya]

People saying that Eloise only talks and talks and never actually does anything with her white, privileged feminism.

First of all, if Eloise were to actually do something, considering she’s already hated in such an exaggerated way, people would immediately start saying that she should keep quiet, know her place, and that she’s ruining her family’s name.

Because let’s remember that in season two, Eloise did try to do something: she tried to educate herself and to understand. And because of a certain redheaded writer, she couldn’t continue. Throughout that time, while she was trying to learn and understand, you all were complaining that she was ruining her family, that she was stupid, that she wasn’t doing things the right way. Then, when she tries to adapt without giving up her beliefs, you say she only talks and does nothing.

Yes, I will always be the first to admit that Eloise is, in fact, a white, privileged feminist. I’m never going to deny it because it’s true.

But how do you think feminism started? Do you really think it was poor working-class women who started it? No. It was white, privileged women in positions like Eloise’s who began the feminist movement, because poor and working-class women were busy working just to put food on the table. They didn’t have the time or the space to question the system.

Women in Eloise’s position were the first to question things, to write, and to fight. But they didn’t start as fully formed revolutionaries: they started like Eloise, as misunderstood women, pushed aside, mocked, because questioning a woman’s role was something that brought punishment and ridicule.

Which brings us to the obvious: Eloise is in a social position where, if she were to say, do, or even think something radical and it became public, it wouldn’t just affect her. It wouldn’t only be a problem for Eloise, but also for her family. She has three siblings who are not yet married. Let’s say Benedict wouldn’t be as affected as Hyacinth and Gregory, but the mere fact that Eloise is known to have “radical” ideas would close doors for Hyacinth and Gregory: it would limit their chances of good marriages, invitations to balls, and access to important social circles. So no, Eloise can’t do much in her position without putting her family at risk. And isn’t that exactly what people keep accusing her of—not caring about her family’s reputation?

It’s the same reason why, for example, Benedict can’t just marry Sophie without consequences: the family’s reputation would suffer, and the “purity” and dignity of the Bridgerton family would be seen as compromised. That would make Eloise’s, Hyacinth’s, and Gregory’s situation even worse—especially for the girls—because let’s remember that, at that time, the main way for a woman to survive socially and economically was through a good marriage. Gregory could at least hope for a respectable job in the future, but that wasn’t an option for Eloise and Hyacinth.

And to anyone who says that Penelope “did something,” I swear I want to smack them on the head. First of all, let’s remember that Penelope ran a gossip sheet, not a radical political movement. Second, she did it in complete anonymity. Her entire arc is about how she feels more seen when she’s anonymous and how no one can ever find out—there’s a reason she hid it from Colin before marrying him. So no, Penelope didn’t really “do” anything publicly. Lady Whistledown did. Yes, Penelope was behind LW, but when you don’t put your face to it, it’s not the same thing.

And even putting aside the fact that Penelope dragged half of the Ton, including the queen—if we don’t focus on that part—what Penelope did wasn’t actually dangerous in a political sense. She mostly reported gossip that happened in public places (not always, and she didn’t always verify it, but let’s not get into that now). She wasn’t promoting radical ideas or going against the system itself. Penelope wasn’t at risk of being considered a traitor or a dangerous figure for having radical beliefs. Eloise was.

So yes: talking, complaining, and voicing her opinions was pretty much the only thing Eloise could safely do without putting herself and her family in danger. Because you all love to pull the “it was historically accurate” card to defend Anthony, Benedict, Colin, or Penelope, but then you apply a very modern mindset when judging Eloise. That’s hypocritical. Why not judge all the characters by the same standard?

On top of that, people talk about how Hyacinth “called out” Eloise because Eloise was supposedly mean and inconsiderate to her sister. Sure, Eloise shouldn’t have been rude or harsh with her sister—that wasn’t fair. But do you know what else isn’t fair? Demanding that Eloise always understand and respect other women and their choices, while never offering her the same understanding in return.

And honestly, I understand Eloise. She’s incredibly frustrated. Her mother supposedly understood that she shouldn’t pressure her, promised to go at Eloise’s pace and to accept her. Then, one season later, she tells her it’s not enough to just form friendships with women and parades her in front of men, forcing her to smile and flirt, as if Violet were showing off livestock. And if Eloise doesn’t want to be paraded around like cattle, then she’s forced to spend time with her 14-year-old sister and attend etiquette lessons she already went through when she was younger—and that she has been very vocal about hating—while also having to listen to Hyacinth chatter endlessly about the very topic Eloise despises and wants to avoid: marriage. And then she gets attacked by her sister for not celebrating her desire to marry and become the “proper lady” that high society demands Eloise herself to be.

Yes, Eloise could have chosen a better attitude at times. But people also weren’t giving her any space not to be frustrated. And Hyacinth is also behaving in a very childish, entitled way—like when she got mad at Eloise for taking her out of a ball she was literally too young to attend.

And I get Hyacinth too. She’s frustrated and lonely: all her older siblings are married, her playmate Gregory is away at school, and the only sister she has left doesn’t care about the same things she does. So she takes that frustration out on Eloise. But why is Hyacinth allowed to dump her frustration onto Eloise and be cruel to her, while Eloise is expected to endure it and still be endlessly considerate?

Why is it always Eloise who has to be understanding and empathetic toward everyone else, while no one extends her the same grace? She’s expected to accept everyone’s cruel words, but the moment she talks back, she’s labeled selfish, cruel, and childish. At this point, it feels less like genuine criticism and more like people just wanting an excuse to hate her.

[charlesoberonn]

I appreciate The Empire Strikes Back for being the only time I can think of when a character just shot their enemy as soon as they saw them without pausing or having a dramatic moment beforehand.

[macabre-muses]

i think my biggest issue with tcw anakin is just the fact that most of the time he not only felt like a generic action hero,but a male power fantasy. many times in the show he displays aggressive/dominant behavior towards the people around him,it's more obvious with padmé, but it can be seen with everyone else too. in the movies he got desperate instead of just plain aggressive when in distress and often cried,something i'm not sure he ever does in tcw.

in the movies he was pathetic, and it was one of the most intresting choices lucas made with the character. in tcw he just constantly acts aggresive and dominant, even though in the pt the only time he displayed that kind of behavior was mustafar,where he was at his MOST unhinged. tcw just acts as if anakin had 100 mini mustafars leading up to the big one, and there's no indication of that in the movies at all. his violent,controlling behavior was a shock to both obi wan and padmé, why would it be if he had just behaved as a light version of that for three years?

this quote is what sums it up best for me. it seems to me as if the writers tought that for anakin to show his darkness (which is very present in the movies too) he had to be just plain angry,instead of "melodramatic" or "whiny",traits that people wrongfully associate with,you guessed it,women.

tcw anakin is just much more predominantly masculine in the most stereotypical sense of the word,and people tought that for him to be that he just had to be much angrier and controlling,instead of someone genuinely tragic and pathetic in the original sense of the word (derived from the greek πάθος) .

[skysgalaxy]

Yeah really 😂😅

I feel like he does it on purpose no wonder why so many get confused

[jadorepadmes]

everytime I watch rots and it gets to Padmé’s funeral scene my heart breaks into a million pieces.

while pregnant, she watched everything that she built fall apart right before her in mere days. Everything she worked so hard for was in vain.

on top of that, the love of her life was the cause of it and he even did it in the name of her.

the tragedy of Padmé Amidala is one of the most heartbreaking ever.

[mirrorofliterature]

I think one reason why I, and so many others, get annoyed when people come swinging, unsolicited and impolitely, into the anidala tag to paint it uncharitably and inaccurately as toxic/dysfunctional/whatever, is because it undercuts the narrative arc of the films and the tragedy

anidala loved each other, knew each other, and respected each other. their love was pure, mythic and all encompassing.

their doomed end - anakin selling his soul to save his wife because he loves her so much and feels like he has no other choice (it was the incorrect choice) and it ultimately failing - simply does not hit if the story does not fall from the high of 'this romance you were rooting for ended tragically'.

if you say that 'lol they would've divorced anyway', then you are simply not getting why it is so tragic.

it is so tragic because in another life, they could have been so happy.

but their happiness was stolen by the empire, by palpatine.

it's a general arc to tragic romances: the love was there.

it ended badly, but my god, was the love there for anidala.

taking it away undercuts a key part of the tragedy of the prequel trilogy. it's boring, it's uninteresting.

please leave your trash unoriginal opinions about anidala at the door.

or, at the very least, stay out of our lane.

anidala is a tragic romance.

they deserved better.

& so do their fans.

[ceaselesswatchersspecialboy]

I will die on the hill that to understand Anidala you have to accept that Padme saw the red flags clear as day and went for it anyway. Why? Because Anakin was honest with her. Because Anakin, for all his idolising and putting her on a pedestal, still saw and treated her as a human being, even argued against her at times without fear or without hiding behind clever words. Because Anakin made her feel the youth that was taken from her at a young age. She was captured by the boyish charm and the awkwardness and the blunt honesty, and so when he came to her with a billion red flags, she went for it anyway. He was a breath of fresh air to her.

To understand Anidala you must understand they are 100% freak4freak. They are both children who grew up too fast and are now in a secret relationship giggling like teenagers in their twenties. This is vital to them. Padme is not a flawless character or an idea of perfection, on the contrary she is a very human character who was put in charge of her people at fourteen, something that had a lasting impact on her, and so she is choosing her childhood joy and a fairytale romance over the red flags her husband is waving. She is the OG ‘I can fix him’ mentality. No one is doing it like her.

‘The red flags are mass murder’ and the point still stands.

[mardthorn]

A few days ago I finished playing Jedi: Fallen Order and Survivor, and I just have one question: Why aren't we talking more about these two? God, it's been a while since I've seen such a great couple, especially in a genre like Star Wars.

Cal and Merrin won my heart.

[charmingwillow]

One thing I love about Cal is how obviously down bad he is for Merrin. The boy rushed over to her with the astrium, the thing he's been fighting across the galaxy for, and promptly lost his train of thought as he stared into her eyes and held her hands-- and then he invited her to move in lmao

[ellaswell]

there’s this part of jedi survivor when cal and merrin are traversing jedha and she moves a bunch of giant rocks to clear a path for him. cal immediately goes “that looked exhausting, wanna take a break?” and it made me laugh out loud.

like “damn, merrin. that looked really exhausting. i think we should stop and rest here. maybe sleep. ……together….WHAT who said that??”