Paradise Lost

 We're all mad here. It's not a sin to fall in love. Hufflepuff. Star Wars.  

[stefani-germanotta]

Ezra hears voices from the future (belonging to Kylo, Rey, Maz, etc.) in Star Wars: Rebels (s04e12 — A World Between Worlds).

[thefaultinourforcebond]

MY EARS

[nikkinotions]

[scarletmischief]

“Show me”

“We’ll see each other again”

“Grandfather”

“I believe that”

“And i will finish”

“I won’t lose you Padme”

“What you started”

[padmerrie]

The darkness will not forget a heart that ruled the skies and moved a galaxy to tell the story of how one falling star sparked the uprising of the ages. 

[caleysteggy]

(x)

[babil6]

[munettie]

Why is nobody talking about this Zelink fact in Daruk’s diary?

[theforceawakens]

Fuck.

[maiashibutanis]

Yuzuru Hanyu in tears after winning consecutive gold

[alphalydiaargent]

THIS. IS. SO. IMPORTANT. FOR. PEOPLE. TO. UNDERSTAND

[babyanimalgifs]

yawning

[girlcalledbunny]

Eeee!

[fandomship22]

Adams adorable giggle💕

[ismeriewrites]

If this doesn’t make you giggle too, I don’t know who you are.

[quietdreamcatcher]

This is a good day to remember that

John Boyega is friends with Adam Driver and loves Kylo Ren

Daisy Ridley is also friends with Adam Driver and describes Rey and Kylo’s relationship as awesome

Carrie Fisher helped write The Last Jedi and she also greatly admired Rian Johnson

Mark admires Rian Johnson’s work and thinks that TLJ is a great movie

JJ Abrams is the executive producer of TLJ so he’s not going to validate antis’ already dead theories in episode 9.

Adam Driver and Rian Johnson are just people trying to do their jobs and do not deserve the hate they get. Also, they’re precious.

[normadcisba]

Join the dark side.

[ismeriewrites]

I can’t reblog this enough. 

[beeftea78-deactivated20200113]

You mentioned Pride and Prejudice in your post about classic novels, and I was wondering about a) your opinion of Mr. Darcy in general and b) your opinion of Darcy and Elizabeth as a couple.

Don’tlet my mocking tone in that post fool you. I adore Mr. Darcy with all my heart,I merely object to the way he’s popularly associated with the image of this perfect, brooding hunk,when really he’s just a socially awkward loser.

Okay,okay, so our first introduction to Darcy is at a ball, where he:

Doesn’t dance

Can’t make small talk

Is generally rude and embarrassing

Stands awkwardly in the corner the whole night

Decides he might fancy this one girl, so heinsults her.

Loudly.

Where anyone could overhear.

Including the girl.

Gets roundly insulted to his face by said girl, and hisreaction is ‘…damn.’

Later on, he gets to know this girl a bit better. He warms up to her, and starts to act a little less like a standoffish jackass.

Thencomes the infamous ball where the entire Bennet family, except for Jane andLizzie, embarrass themselves. He convinces Bingley not to marry Jane because itwould degrade him.

MONTHSpass, and Lizzie meets Mr. Darcy again. She finds out that he separated Jane andBingley and she is SIMMERING with resentment. Darcy, on the other hand, (whomust have been pining over her and doodling ‘Mrs Elizabeth Darcy’ in hisnotebooks all this time) decides this is the perfect time to propose marriage.He BURSTS into her house, completely unannounced, ignores her chilly reception,then makes awkward small talk and wanders around in agitation. Finally, heconfesses that he loves her, against his better judgment, and insults her and herentire family before standing back, quite pleased with himself and convinced that she’s going to accepthim.

Butshe doesn’t.

Shelets him have it. She tells him how much she loathes him and exactly why. He isstunned. Mortified. No one has ever spoken to him like this. He’s quite used togetting everything he wants, and this just shakes him to his core. He stands therefor a while with a face like a slapped arse, then, unable to defend himself, he slinks away with a haughty goodbye and goes off to wallow in shame and resentment.

Andthen.

THEN.

Thenext day Lizzie is walking around the grounds and Mr. Darcy finds her. Has hetaken this time to compose himself so he might talk to her and explain himselfbetter?

No.

Hewrote a letter. He wrote a fucking letter. He probably spent all nightagonising and poring over this thing. Then he skulked around the grounds ALLMORNING in the hope of finding her. His exact words: “I have been walkingin the grove some time in the hope of meeting you. Will you do me the honour ofreading that letter?”

Andhe shoves it in her hand.

Thenhe runs.

RUNS.

(Darcyyou fucking walnut.)

Lizziereads the letter, and of course it’s beautiful and eloquent and it sayseverything he’s too socially inept to say to her face. It radically alters her opinion of him.

In response to her criticisms, Darcyreally does make an effort to changehis manners. He was never a bad guy – it’s obvious how much he loves his friendsand his baby sister, and Lizzie too, he just tends to be rude and haughty and socially awkward,something that’s understandable considering his station.

Lizziemeets him at Pemberley and he introduces her to his sister (which,over-protective big brother alert, is the biggest compliment he can give) andseeing how he treats her makes Lizzie just a tiny bit weak in the knees. JUST ALITTLE. NOT THAT SHE WANTS TO MARRY HIM OR ANYTHING HAHA wow his house is big.

THENHE’S EVEN A GENTLEMAN TO HER AUNT AND UNCLE AND MAYBE JUST MAYBE SHE MIGHTTHINK HE’S A BIT HANDSOME???? JUST A LITTLE?????

Then she hears her sister Lydia has run away with the renegade Mr. Wickham.

Mr.Darcy be like

NOTON MY WATCH. NO SIR.

Hecomes to the rescue, finds Lydia and Wickham, and persuades them to marry with ahefty sum of money, thus rescuing the Bennets from disgrace. But. BUT.

HEDOES ALL THIS WITHOUT TELLING HER. OR THE REST OF HER FAMILY.

HERAUNT AND UNCLE TELL HER, MUCH LATER, THAT DARCY DID IT ALL AT GREAT PERSONALEXPENSE.

AndLizzie’s just like ‘oh no.’

(Because every girl’s a slut for a gentlemanwho treats her and her family with respect.)

BUTTHAT’S NOT ALL.

OHNO, THAT IS NOT ALL.

BINGLEYCOMES BACK. MAH BOY BINGLEY COMES RIDING INTO TOWN TO SWEEP JANE OFF HER FEET.

Gee,I wonder who could have been behind that? I wonder who could possibly havepersuaded Bingley that Jane truly did love him, and that her family was notbeneath his station after all? WHO COULD POSSIBLY HAVE DONE THAT????

Bythis point Lizzie’s a hive of conflicting desires and emotions. That’s whenLady Catherine de Bourgh comes into her house, unannounced, and tells her notto marry Mr. Darcy.

Howdoes Lizzie respond? Miss “From the very beginning – from the firstmoment, I may almost say – of my acquaintance with you, your manners,impressing me with the fullest belief of your arrogance, your conceit, and yourselfish disdain of the feelings of others, were such as to form that groundworkof disapprobation on which succeeding events have built so immoveable adislike; and I had not known you a month before I felt that you were the lastman in the world whom I could ever be prevailed on to marry” ?

Shesays, ‘WOW. FUCK YOU LADY. YOU CAN’T TELL ME WHAT TO DO. HE’S A GENTLEMAN AND IAM A GENTLEMAN’S DAUGHTER. WE ARE EQUALS. I’LL MARRY WHOMEVER I PLEASE. NOW GETTHE FUCK OUT OF MY HOUSE.’

(Oooooh, girl, you got it bad.)

After this, Darcy shows up and starts talking to Lizzie. And it KILLS me, because obviouslyhe’d given up on ever winning her hand. He did all those things for her notbecause he wanted her to like him, but just because he loved her. He was upsetwhen he found out her uncle had told her about what he did for Lydia andWickham. UPSET. And while Lady Catherine had raged about how inferiorLizzie’s family was, just as Darcy once had, now Darcy says that he respectsand loves them. He says Lady Catherine spoke to him of their encounter, and it filledhim with hope that maybe she didn’t think he was an insufferable jackassanymore. ONLY when he receives this encouragement does he renew his proposal,and even then he adds, “one word from you will silence me on this subject forever.”

IMEAN???? Just LOOK at this precious sunflower, dumb and stuttering and full of “awkwardnessand anxiety,” so fucking in love with this girl that he was willing to give hispersonality a complete overhaul and re-evaluate all his life choices, notbecause he thought it would make her like him, but JUST BECAUSE he loved her. And if she had refused him a second time, he would never have bothered her again.THAT is how you gentleman.

Thename of the novel says it all – Pride and Prejudice. He’s proud and haughty,she’s prejudiced and rooted in her negative first impressions. These are thethings they have to overcome, this is how they have to grow and evolve. Heneeds to lay aside his pride, she her prejudice, and only then can they betogether.

Becausethey are perfect for each other. Absolutely,unequivocally. And when Jane Austen says they live happily ever after, Ibelieve her.

[marvellegends]

You’re on a planet surrounded by doorways. Go through one.

[venusmelody]

There are such terrible double-standards when it comes to fandom judging Jyn Erso. What provokes sympathy in other characters seems to be grounds to crucify her.

Cassian being in the fight against the Empire since he was six years old makes him tortured and in need of a hug. Jyn being in the fight against the Empire since she was eight years old, up until the time the leader of her extremely militant cell abandoned her, is roundly ignored. Cassian’s past as a child soldier is sympathetic; Jyn’s, apparently, doesn’t matter in the face of her no longer being one.

Jyn keeping her head down against Imperial Banners while working as a criminal and persistently causing trouble for the Empire - enough to land her in Wobani - is a sign of privileged cowardice. Bodhi keeping his head down by choosing to work for the Empire as a cargo pilot, accepted enough he can work under his own name too (whereas Jyn had to run) is a sign of a poor sad past. Bodhi’s complex motivations in a desperate situation are acknowledged and give depth; Jyn’s anger and survival instinct in a desperate situation are a cause for hatred.

Bodhi being inspired by Galen Erso to risk certain death, by defecting and join the Rebellion, is a sign of his inner goodness. Jyn being inspired by Galen Erso to risk certain death, by joining the Rebellion and going on a suicide mission, is… nothing, apparently.

Jyn grieving over her father dying in her arms is being too emotional and an unwanted stop to the action. Baze grieving over Chirrut dying in his arms is a moment of poignancy despite the firefights around them. Baze’s emotions are an accepted part of him; Jyn’s is not.

Jyn calling Cassian a stormtrooper when he went up with the intent to kill her father, despite being unable to follow through, is her being blind and self-centred, in the face of Cassian having lost his family. Cassian calling her a privileged coward after both her father figures died violently within 24 hours of one another, is Cassian “doing great for calling her out on her privilege”. Cassian’s traumatic past is worthy of acknowledgement; Jyn’s is not.

Jyn is white, and in our world that’s one axis of privilege. But it is not the only axis, and in Rogue One not the most important. Of all the characters, who is it who’d be hostage–or worse–because of her blood, no matter what she does? Who has been persistently on the run and has to keep her head down because the Empire is on the hunt? Apparently, being white and initially self-centred means that being a child soldier, instinctual self-sacrifice, and being actively persecuted for who she is, not who she does, count for nothing.

Which is not to say that Cassian isn’t sympathetic or Bodhi isn’t brave, or that it isn’t great to see Baze and Chirrut being so emotionally invested in one another on screen.* But you can’t then turn around and say that those traits are what make Jyn awful, when her actions aren’t her words.

Frankly, no one has to like Jyn. No one has to acknowledge her or understand her motivations either; she’s a character in a film, and we all focus on our favourites. It’s not surprising people want to focus on the non-white characters in a rare film full of them. But to turn around and say that she’s objectively not worthy of being liked, to feel neither dislike, nor disinterest, but visceral hatred for reasons that apply equally or moreso to other characters, means there’s something else going on. And it sure isn’t social justice.

*I say invested instead of married largely because I hesitate to give credit when it’s not made explicit

[venusmelody]

I can’t believe there’s more to add 8 months later, and yet here we are.

Jyn starting the film brought to the Rebellion - in shackles, mind you, yeah she should definitely trust these people - is a sign of her passive character as ‘things happen to her’. Jyn initiating the climax of the film by going to the council to argue for a mission, and then deciding to lead one to Scarif anyway, apparently doesn’t mean she’s showing initiative or character choice because… risking her life is selfish. Or something.

Jyn being a woman and white is a “personality trait”, with no others except “anger”. But somehow Jyn crying over her father and Saw doesn’t show grief, praying over her kyber necklace and referencing the Jedi isn’t being personally religious, speaking with conviction to the Rebellion council doesn’t show her ability to believe or her drive to do something, putting her body on the line to save a little girl in a firefight isn’t bravery, jumping in front of Baze’s very large canon to save K2 isn’t loyalty and bravery, insisting on having a blaster in a war zone isn’t practicality. No, these actions that reveal who she is are all about being a woman, white, and angry, apparently.

Maybe the problem isn’t with Jyn, or with the way she’s portrayed in the movie, because she shows who she is. Maybe it’s with people who see all of that, and cannot seem to comprehend that actions (say, 8 years of fighting in the Rebellion as a child, who Saw calls his best soldier, and a dangerous mission to Scarif and dying from that mission) speak louder than words. Or with people who selectively ignore what is so clear on screen so they can justify, with objective social language, and feel self-righteous about a visceral, very subjective, reaction to a character.

[sirenja-and-the-stag-deactivate]

Raise a glass to freedom

[usersukuna]

So, this is it?