In case you’re not aware, Tumblr has recently announced that on the seventeenth of December they’ll start purging all porn and porn-adjacent content on Tumblr. Why does that matter to LWU, you ask? Well, they’re using their bots to identify it, and we’ve all seen how well THAT works. One of my Wander posts even got flagged as sensitive for no apparent reason. What I want to do is reassure you all that I’ve taken steps to back up all of the content on LWU to my hard drive using a tool I was recommended a couple weeks ago. I’m going to continue to do so on a regular basis just in case, so there’s very little chance that my stuff will be lost.
I’m using this one! It condensed my entire blog as of November 20th into one 4.36 gigabyte folder.
Any notes on how to use it? I can’t figure it out.
Okay, so here’s how to do this.
First off, go here and make sure you have Python installed. For Windows it should be the very bottom link, the x86 MSI Installer. You don’t have to do anything but install it.
Second, go here, and click “Clone or Download” (the green button on the right). Select “Download ZIP”.
Make sure you have WinRAR or 7zip or something installed that lets you extract zip files.
Next, make a folder on your desktop. I named mine “Tumblr Backup”, and in the following instructions I’m going to assume that’s what you’ve named yours as well; replace “Tumblr Backup” with whatever you name yours if it isn’t.
Drop the zip file you downloaded into Tumblr Backup. Go in and extract it; this should create a folder called “tumblr-utils-master“.
Open your Command Prompt. If you don’t know how to find that, click your start menu button and type “CMD”, which should give you this:
That should open this:
That frog over there is blotting out my profile name on my computer. Whatever your profile name is when you sign in (e.g. “Max” or “Snugglebuns” or “froglord69”) is going to be in that spot on the address path. If it instead says something about Windows and System 32, that’s okay, what I’m gonna tell you to do will go to the right place either way.
Next, input this command–keeping in mind that the parts in bold should be changed based on your profile name and what you named the folder on your desktop:
CD C:Usersfroglord69DesktopTumblr Backuptumblr-utils-master
There! Now you’re in the right folder! Next, enter this command, replacing the bolded bit with your own blog name:
tumblr_backup.py yourblogname
You should see this:
Then just…let it run! It took less than five minutes for my computer, though it will vary by processor and connection. Once it’s done, you’ll have something like this:
That “index” opens in an internet browser. It’s basically a webpage stored directly on your computer. Some pics of mine:
So…not pretty, but it’ll save the content of your posts. Hope this helps!
Seriously, share this. There doesn’t seem to be a way to donate to the author of the tool, but THANK you for mentioning this and giving such a detailed how-to. Glorious.
I’m actually so excited that so many people bought/preordered him so here’s some shots of what to expect when you get your package (I’ll tag this as #merch spoiler if you want a surprise)
Rey is about 11 inches tall and Kylo is over 12 so there’s a clear inch in height difference
They fixed Kylo’s build because his arms looked kinda awkward and skinny in the prototypes so this definitely considers his broad chest and big arms
They got Adam’s face on point I am so impressed
The cloak is ok, it’s not essential to make Kylo look big and intimidating because he’s frankly bigger than most regular sixth scale collectibles
Some of the plastic (especially around his neck) is difficult to take off but you can rotate his head 360 degrees to facilitate removal. Just be careful
The fabric and leather is very accurate to what I imagine is the feel of his actual clothes
Unfortunately we won’t have Adam’s “puppy dog eyes” as his permanent expression is one of intense passionate fury, but the gaze is still soulful
I get all my Hot Toys from a retailer called Sideshow Collectibles. Each piece usually a limited run (so we might get a Supreme Leader Kylo version next year if we are lucky for Episode IX). Everything’s hand sculpted and painted hence the insane price tag. But I definitely think it’s worth it if you’re a hardcore fan and enjoy perfect replication of your favorite actors/characters. It’s about 260 something USD but my Canadian ass had to pay 310 something so just be wary of conversion rates. There’s also extra shipping and customs fees. Literally ships and arrives the day after your payment is paid off (there are payment plans available)
Hello! Now I do
not have a job 😦 This month I make commissions with rebates to be able to have
some money.Please, if you do not want a commission, help me share this post.
Among all the
commissions of the month of July, I will draw a drawing of an original Reylo
drawing (free shipping).
Hello! I open
commissions for July. Special offer of 20%
discount on rates ^^ Please, if you can not ask me for a commission, share.
Thank you!
“kylo ren is an antagonist because he puts obstacles in the way of the protagonists"
here follows a comprehensive list of the main obstacles encountered by the protagonists in tfa:
– starkiller base (very much shown to be hux’s baby: “on this MACHINE WHICH YOU HAVE BUILT, on which WE STAND”)
– shooting down finn during his escape attempt (overseen by hux, kylo does absolutely nothing else except stare off into the distance murmuring “fn-2187” then leaving again)
– the pursuit of bb-8 (hux: “well then, if it’s on jakku we’ll soon have it…” / kylo: “i leave that to you”)
– the destruction of hosnian prime (ordered by snoke, carried out by hux, with kylo watching from the finalizer)
– the imminent destruction of d’qar, the resistance base (ordered by snoke, carried out by general hux)
this is followed by a comprehensive list of internal conflicts faced by the characters in tfa:
– rey’s abandonment issues (caused by someone of unknown origin)
– finn’s wish to flee (caused by trauma from his time in FO)
– han’s fear of going back (caused by not feeling he deserves leia anymore/leia now hates him, and his own grief over kylo’s turning)
and following that list, here follows a comprehensive list of actions taken by kylo ren in tfa:
– acts as enforcer, killing lor san tekka and the tuanul villagers and interrogating poe on behalf of tfa but leaves the actual obstacle of searching for bb-8 to hux
– is told by his master, snoke, of his father’s involvement and does nothing by insisting his father means nothing to him
– doesn’t turn up again for a good portion of time until we see him talking to his dead grandfather’s helmet worrying over the fact he can feel the light (“supreme leader senses it”)
– turns up at takodana 15 minutes late with starbucks and goes after one girl
– looks into girl’s mind
– “the map. you’ve seen it.”
– “we have what we need.”
– carries rey bridal style to his ship in the middle of an ongoing battle
– interrogates her without the violence of his interrogation with poe
– tells his captive the following:
“you’re my guest”
“don’t be afraid, i feel it too”
“it’s in there. and now you’ll give it to me”
– roundly gets his ass kicked mentally by said captive
“you… you’re afraid. that you’ll never be as strong as darth vader!”
– gets the scolding of his life by a gigantic hologram for his fuck-up
– insists he can get the map from the girl when hux reveals they know where the resistance base is hiding
– destroys the very rig his captive was sitting in when he discovers she’s gone
– has tantrums like this so often that the stormtroopers just slink away instead of coming to his aid
– strolls around starkiller then abandons his search when he senses han on board
– doesn’t see han standing right there
– weeps in front of his dad and says very clearly “i’m feeling torn apart”
– “i know what i have to do but i don’t know if i have the strength to do it”
– kills han solo
– immediately feels weakened afterwards (confirmed in novelizations)
– gets shot by chewbacca
– runs after the traitor, finn, and that scavenger girl
– says the one cool thing he’s ever said in his life: “we’re not done yet” and probably mentally high-fives himself
– defeats finn, but not before getting injured by said ex-stormtrooper who has never wielded a lightsaber before that moment
– tries to retrieve his grandfather’s lightsaber like his uncle did before him in esb
– has to fucking launch himself back like he’s a goddamn contortionist because said lightsaber goes ‘LOL NOPE’ and goes straight to rey
– looks like he’s going to have a boner for a hundred more years at the mere sight of rey holding the lightsaber
– backs her up to a cliff as a planet crumbles around him, never once actually attacking her despite the fact she turns her back on him numerous times
– then, instead of killing her at her weakest point or pushing her off the cliff, he yells at her to be his student
– most intense open day ever
– LITERALLY… JUST… KEEPS STANDING THERE WHILE SHE SUMMONS THE FORCE
– THEN IS REALLY SURPRISED WHEN SHE FUCKING NUKES HIS ASS AND SLICES HIS FACE OPEN
– THEN STARES AT HER LONGINGLY OVER A CLIFF
– WHILE THE PLANET CONTINUES TO COLLAPSE AROUND HIM
like, i’m not saying kylo’s innocent. what i’m saying is that from the beginning, kylo’s on a separate path, which starts with the guise of a an antagonist (killing of randoms, turning to the dark side) but tangles with the paths of both protagonists, finn and rey, instead of outright conflicting with the narratives (which is the duty of an antagonist), and revealing himself to be carrying his own inner conflict – which is something that never happened with darth vader in the OT until the third movie. (he learns of luke in esb, but has no thought of redemption or going back to the light – in fact, he chops off his son’s damn hand, making luke’s character arc, of staying in the light and not giving up on the fallen, all the more satisfying.)
i guess the irony is that people who want to call kylo ren an antagonist when he can’t even succeed very well at actually being one, don’t realise that that’s precisely what his character arc is.
Clarifications I feel the need to make
because I know this site:
-The Last Jedi is not a Vice News
documentary. I will be suggesting allusions to real-life events that are
controversial, to put it mildly. But again these are allusions, not political
statements. George Lucas doesn’t get called a Nazi sympathizer because he
redeemed Darth Vader, nor should he ever be referred to as such. Same goes for
Rian Johnson if anything I am about to say here is in any way true.
–This is speculation through a very
specific lens. There are many ways of looking at how TLJ may pan out. This is
one of them and I am not saying it is the end all be all.
Alright. Now that that is out of the
way….
“A lot of Star Wars was in response to
Vietnam and a lot of what I remember talking about with JJ and Rian was this idea of terrorism and two sides being
morally justified to behave however they wanted to to get what they thought was
absolutely correct.” -Adam Driver, Larry King, 2017
“We talked about
terrorism a lot. You have young and deeply committed people with one-sided
education who think in absolutes. That is more dangerous than being evil. Kylo thinks what he is doing is entirely
right, and that, in my mind, is the scariest part.”-Adam Driver, British GQ, 2017
The point that I want you to
pay attention to is that The Last Jedi
sends a message that things are not so clearly black and white. The boundary between good and evil becomes
increasingly vague and the relationship between Rey and Kylo is symbolic of
that. In fact, Kylo believes that his
actions are correct. -Daisy Ridley, Yahoo Japan, 2017
Adam’s initial discussion of Kylo Ren
on Larry King around terrorism and its influence on Kylo’s characterization got
me thinking about similar themes that I had read about in Dostoevsky’s The
Brothers Karamazov and The Demons. These themes stem from a theory in political
science referred to as “The Shame Model,” which tackles the roots of terrorist
motivations at the hands of western domination and humiliation of eastern
nations.
“The Shame Model” —most notably
theorized on by policy analyst Anatol Lievan in his essay “The Cold War is Finally
Over: The True Significance of the Attacks”—is when extreme, violent reactions
(terrorism) occur “wherever proud people with strong but in part irrational
traditions, feel defeated or radically unsettled by aspects of
Western-Dominated modernity.” Of course, this reflects on today’s modern-day
debacles between the east and the west and the different forms of terror that
each bring upon the other. Lievan writes that “humiliation of the Arab and
Muslim world by Israel is so infuriating to them in part because it is only the
last in a long history of defeats starting in the seventeenth century and
extending far into the twentieth—overwhelmingly at the hands of the Christian
Western world.” The consistent humiliation and defeat at the hands of more
economically, politically, and militaristically powerful nations has driven the
Mid-East into displaying abhorrent actions of violence in order to remedy what
they see as equally abhorrent actions of violence from the west. The model
attempts to look at these actions and strategize ways in which western
governments and western individuals can work to reduce feelings of shame placed
on eastern countries and cultures.
Given that people involved with The
Last Jedi have hinted at themes of terrorism and the blurring of the lines
between who is right and who is wrong, I am convinced that Rian will tackle not
only the thought-provoking and often divisive feelings of shame and its
accompanying violence, but more importantly what remedies these feelings. Dostoevsky
has handled these themes in the past, however, they were presented through a
nihilistic lens wherein a character’s shame was resolved by violently eliminating
the source of the shame. This was the case for Smerdyakov in The Brothers Karamazov
who had—like Kylo–committed patricide to right the negative feelings he held
towards his father’s neglect. According to J.P. Moran, author of “The Roots of
Terrorist Motivation: Shame, Rage, and Violence in The Brothers Karamazov”, “Smerdyakov
was lashing out violently at the very source of his humiliation [by murdering
his father]…after doing so successfully, his mission is complete.”
However, we know this was not the case
for Kylo Ren. When Kylo committed patricide, this marked the beginning of his
journey and not the end of it. As Adam Driver has pointed out, “patricide is
not all it’s cracked up to be.”
While we will get a further
understanding into why Kylo Ren acts the way he does, we also have reason to
believe this will not be a static narrative bent on making the “villain” look
one sided or irredeemable.
How do we know Ben understood this? And why does it matter?
Luke Force projects himself on Crait to face Ben, in a Space Western like showdown, where dirt has become salt and stings the bleeding wounds of Ben’s psyche.
But Luke is not there to save him. No!
He actually says it twice, to Leia first, then to her son. He is there to admit his guilt to the person that was hurt the most by his actions. “I failed you Ben, I am sorry”
He is there to atone.
Facing Ben, means facing the tragic moment he thought he should kill his nephew and finally taking responsibility for ALL the consequences. He is giving Ben a chance to act on his anger in a cathartic and healing way as @huntedbyacreature explained, but doing so, he is also punishing, literally sacrificing himself, because he knows, this will kill him.
He is taking away the guilt that Ben could have felt if he had truly killed him, while still allowing him to release his resentment. Watch Kylo/Ben pouring all his hatred into striking Luke’s image, where he appears exactly the same as the day he raised his lightsaber to his nephew. Luke is not only taking Ben back to this moment, but himself too. He is accepting of his fate, by lowering his lightsaber this time.
At the end of the showdown, we see Ben realising:
‘that man’ is only a ghost image of his uncle.
As he understands this, he whispers ‘No’…
Ben knows that Luke is now dying.
During his first Force connection with Rey, when he sees her he says:
“You’re not doing this. The effort alone would kill you”
Ben knows that such Force projection is at the cost of one’s life!
I think this barely audible no, was not said in anger and frustration but in shock at understanding Luke’s sacrifice, which is meant to help Ben heal his wounds and compell him to face the guilt of killing his father.
A little more on the context: The entire planet is covered in salt layered over a bleeding like earth. The colour red is striking against the white mineral. Salt hurts when placed on a wound but is also used to disinfect and cleanse.
Salt is traditionally seen as a symbol of life, friendship and healing.
The planet is, in a way, a metaphor for guilt and the pain that has to be endured during the healing process.
So I am coming back to my theory that Kylo/Ben experiences an epiphany at the end TLJ.
He has cleansed the gaping wound that created Kylo Ren, therefore the healing process can start. He is now ready to face his own sins, instead of focusing on his anger and those who wronged him.
No more excuses. No one else to kill. Just him and his conscience.
I still straight up lose my shit when I think about this scene too much. It makes me so frustrated to think people have interpreted Kylo’s words as manipulative/abusive/etc when his face is so raw and desperate and sincere like it is here – A look that I never expected he’d be capable of before this film. There is NO malice there, he’s not relishing saying this at all; On the contrary he’s sharing the same pain she feels and that he’s felt in her. He’s voicing what she hasn’t been able to bring herself to say – The dark source of her own inner turmoil, her feelings of misdirection, the questioning of her self-worth if even her parents – her less-than-nothing-parents – found her so meaningless.
But even the way Kylo shakes his head when he says ‘you’re nothing’ – It’s like he’s simultaneously negating the statement as he speaks it. The sentiment is so repulsive and unthinkable to him, that anyone could view Rey in such a way. Then he says ‘But not to me,’ and his whole face changes, taking on that determination and fervency, and you can literally see his eyes changing with his desperation to make her see what bullshit that sentiment was.
“But not to me” is not a statement that pressures or manipulates. It’s completely devoid of politics and to me does not at all equate to ‘come to the dark side.’ It’s spoken like they’re the only two people in the whole world. Nothing outside of them matters, and there’s not a single other thing on his mind other than the all-consuming need that he feels for her. This was probably the most shocking moment of the entire film to me, because I was NOT a Kylo fan going into it and I didn’t think he’d be capable of emotions this pure. I say ‘pure’ because “but not to me” is – if anything – a statement that reveals HIS OWN weakness more than her own. The balance of vulnerability and resolve when he spoke it betrayed that this was not a moment when he felt in control. Sure, he was trying to make her see that if she joined him, she would never find reason to question her self-worth again… but the way he’s practically TREMBLING when he speaks it belies the fact that he’s probably the more vulnerable of the two of them in this moment.
As we know from how this scene pans out, Rey is not dependent on Kylo’s belief in her worth. Once she comes to terms with her past, she has plenty of strength through her decisions in the present to know her own path. I think it’s incredibly telling that Kylo’s declaration and offer here was not enough to persuade Rey to abandon her convictions; YET, Kylo says all this directly after abandoning his own loyalties and killing Snoke – Most directly because of his need to protect Rey and keep her with him. It meant everything to him that he believed Rey valued him for him, regardless of his past or his power (the aspects of him that seemed to have guided everyone else’s manipulation of him up to this point). Knowing that in one way or another, he mattered to Rey – that she reached her hand out to him of her own volition, and came to his side that day – that alone inspired his most shocking and admirable display of strength to date when he threw off Snoke’s influence. It took her belief in him for him to find that inner resolution he so painfully lacked.
All of this is basically to say I find it ludicrous that people misread the true balance of power in this scene. He says “But not to me,” and he means it so, so honestly – much more than he could ever say in words. She has kindled inner strength in him he didn’t know he possessed. She has changed everything for him. She is literally the most powerful force he has ever known.
Of course, the tragic part of this is that he believes he can be for her everything she has become for him. But she’s in a very different place than he is. She’s a much stronger person, still full of hope and faith in both herself and the world around her, and his absolutism isn’t right. Kylo sees their union as a total All Or Nothing, and she immediately knows this wasn’t her vision. She may be nothing or no one, but she still exists outside of his validation. But she will have to wait until the day he can, too.
Kylo watched her gliding in someone else’s arms, painfully aware of a time years ago when that could have been him; had he not been such a fuck-up.
He ran a hand through his hair as he tugged on his tie, stifled by his emotions, eyes fixated on the happy couple.
“Hey everyone! Gonna take a bit of a break now, eat some cake and rest your feet,” one of the band members’ was talking through the audio system and broke his concentration – fixation, really.
Rey smiled and pointed towards the doorway and he kissed her cheek as she left, Kylo’s eyes tracked her and his feet began following without a second thought. He didn’t have the best reputation for thinking things through, but he knew without a doubt he would pay for this soon – and painfully.
He pushed the doors open and looked at either side of the hallway, empty of people – Rey was nowhere to be seen, but he took off in a direction. No one ever called him indecisive – no one except for her, of course.
Kylo ran by a pillar and nearly turned down the next hallway when he heard her voice.
“What are you doing here, Kylo?”
His body froze and he turned slowly, taking her in; she had looked so blissfully happy as she left the room, but up close he could see in her eyes the toll everything was taking on her.
“You invited me,” he said simply.
Rey rolled her eyes and pushed off the pillar she had been leaning against, “Don’t be obtuse – I mean what are you doing here – were you following me?”
He took a step towards her and watched as her body tensed up – he froze mid step before answering, “I don’t know – just felt I had to follow you.”
She laughed almost bitterly, a sound that didn’t suit her and made him flinch as she pushed off and began walking back towards the doorway to the party.
“That’s just like you, Kylo,” she spat his name and he realized with a start she was still miraculously talking to him and he jolted forward, jogging slightly to walk beside her. “You never know anything. That’s the problem isn’t it?”
“Are we really having this conversation again? I thought we were past that – I mean you invited me here for Christ’s sake.” He clenched his fists, not knowing what he had expected – they hadn’t talked in years until he got the invitation. He had been stunned, but his mother had shrugged and then demanded he go.
“I never thought you’d actually show up!” She stopped and pushed at his chest with her fists, “Damn you, Kylo. Can’t you just for once do what I need you to do?”
He grabbed her wrists, holding them against his chest, “What do you want from me, if not to show up and see you happy?”
She had avoided his eyes nearly the whole time, but finally raised them and Kylo saw tears threatening. His heart stopped and he reached out to brush his fingers across her neck and push her hair off her face.
“Rey,” he whispered, imploring her to tell him what she wanted. He was so selfish – she had always told him, always been clear about it. And he had always denied her. “I’ve missed you.”
It was those words that broke the spell and she let out a cry of anger, ripping her hands from him and walking swiftly through the doorway, back to her guests. Kylo’s hands clenched, confused for once. She just wanted you to say goodbye, Kylo.
His mother’s words vibrated inside of him and he bitterly rebelled against it. He had made mistakes, but this was one he couldn’t let pass him; following her through the doorway, he saw her walking across the now-empty dance floor.
“I love you,” he shouted across the voices of the guests, watching them freeze as their eyes tracked between the bride and the mysterious stranger.
Kylo watched as she walked over to him slowly, with awe on her face. He swallowed and tried to tune out the murmuring, tried to slip on his emotionless mask he was so familiar with. But he couldn’t – not after he had told her his deepest darkest secret. She finally stood in front of him, neither of them saying anything after his shout, and she stunned him as her left hand whipped out and smacked him on the cheek. The newly-fitted wedding rings left a slice across it from the cut gems, but he could barely feel it as he stared at her in silent question.
“It’s a bit late for that, isn’t it Kylo?” You had your chance, her face told him.
He ignored the sting and the feeling of blood dripping from the cut, “It’s never too late, Rey – that’s what you always said right? That there was always a chance to do the right thing.”
Rey’s lips parted slightly as he watched her anger fade, as she replaced it with curiosity – and hope, perhaps. Kylo hoped it was that.
“I was everything you said I was – reckless, indecisive, scared. No one was ever right about me – no one but you,” he implored her with his eyes, even as he watched her new husband walk up behind her and place his hand on her shoulder. “I’m not scared anymore, that’s why I came. To tell you that, and…say goodbye.”
“But that’s not what you said,” she whispered.
Her husband’s hands slipped off her shoulder and he walked towards Kylo who took a step back, holding his hands up, but eyes locked on Rey’s, ignoring her husband’s words. “No, it’s not.”
Reylo Source 