From the holo-diary of Aran Liander: Jedi Apprentice

(Sorry this post doesn't have much action, but I have several things I have to set up before that can happen)


981 ARR

After the harrowing events of my first day, for the last week I've been laying low and keeping away from the impervious gaze of the stone-cold stormtroopers. I've been a good little dutiful Imperial boy; I turn my homework in on time, I get good grades, I don't cause a fuss, and I stay out of the hulking Imperial Youth Instructors. If I still had the power, I would have those three thugs carted away to prison long ago; they have done so many horrible things to the weaker students and from their evil glowers sent towards me during school-hours, I have a dark sense of foreboding that they are wanting to get back at me for beating them so badly. The grown ups at the school aren't that much better than the students. They can be quite cruel and vindictive, especially to those not graced in a certain class or skill. One teacher screamed a girl into tears because she couldn't do some of the higher up math; what the barve didn't know was that she was a whiz in history and galactic literature. Some people truly have no understanding and it sickens me to see the treatment of these poor people.
Nothing much happened until today. The day started off badly with Natalie shaking me awake, a frightened look painted across her features.
“Rune...Rune, what's the matter?” For a moment I had been confused-my Master had just been dying in my arms and everything was smoking and bleeding and-. Then it all snapped back into place.
“N-nothing, ma'am. Just-just a nightmare.” I shut my eyes again, whispering.
“I'm sorry to have disturbed you.” I felt Natalie's hand against my face and I resisted the urge to flinch. These people, as well as everyone I'd met outside the Jedi Order, were a lot more physical than I was used to. I felt ashamed that it bothered me so, but I couldn't change the fact that it unsettled me a little. They weren't doing anything wrong- it was completely normal in the regular world- but I wasn't regular or normal was I?
All through breakfast, Natalie stared at me over her cup of caf, as if she was worried that I'd fall from my chair, screaming and crying like I'd lost my arm. The air had been steadily getting colder and I vehemently wished I had warmer clothes to wear to school; however, due to 'Imperial Rules' jackets weren't aloud to be worn on the school's premises. When I'd stepped onto the crowded hover-bus, I saw the Imperial Youth Instructors glaring at me from the back. Keeping my gaze from theirs, burning with embarrassment that I wasn't able to use my Jedi status on these bullies, I sat down and gazed out the grimy window, watching as the cityscape rushed passed me in a blur of gray and silver.
Classes were as awful as usual and I hated myself for having to take notes on their Bantha crap. By the time lunch rolled along, I was so relived that I didn't notice that someone had taken a seat before me at the lunch table. I blinked, sitting back, muscles taut. When I realized it was just the girl who sat next to me in history-Kayla, that's her name, I relaxed and dipped my spoon into the soup which smelled like sour Corellian wine. I tried a bit and nearly spit it back into the bowel, the extremely hot liquid tasting worse than it smelled.
“Rune...I saw what you did the other day when you stood up to those bullies.” I looked back up at her, fighting back the sour-induced tears in my eyes. She smiled and looked shyly down at her hands, folded before her bowl of soup.
“Well...I admired what you did. You are by far the nicest person here.” She looked up at me with ivory blue eyes and smiled again. I felt a strange sense of unease, yet I sensed no dark intent from her. She really did mean what she said. I shrugged and plastered a smile onto my face as I tried the soup again, this time trying to take little sips.
“It was nothing; I just don't like seeing people hurt others. It isn't right.” The girl looked over her shoulder warily and leaned forward.
“I agree; I don't like how much this school has changed since--” Than her face blanched and she looked away, looking ready to bolt. I reached a hand out.
“No, Kayla, it's okay. I agree with you too.” She looked at me with wide, frightened eyes and nodded, sitting down.
“You need to be careful,” she said, glancing askance towards the three thugs who sat across the room.
“Your smart; I can tell, even though you are trying very hard to hide it. And I saw what you did to those three boys- you had such amazing reflexes.” She gave me a significant look.
“They might just try and enlist you into the Imperial Academy. But before they do, they'll want to teach you a lesson for beating them like they did.” Then a squeaky voice shouted
“Kayla! Kayla, come sit with us!” Kayla looked up at me with an apologetic glance, and stood.
“Sorry Rune, but -” she nodded to a glamorous looking girl with glossy brown tresses and too much make up who was waving animatedly towards our table.
“Go ahead,” I told her and Kayla stood up, rushing towards the beauty-queen girl, her long, red hair slashing the air like sheets of fire in an amber sky. The glamorous girl caught sight of me and I looked away, hoping she didn't think I was staring at her. I hardly ever stared at anyone and she was definitely not my type.
Why am I even talking about that?
Anyway, after class, when I got home, I decided to meditate on the questions I had, especially whether or not I should trust Kayla and the worrisome thought that I might get sent to the Imperial Academy. I would rather die than go to that hell-hole of a place.
I had been sitting there for a long time, immersed in the Force for the first time in what seemed like a trillion lifetimes, soaking it all in, when the door opened.
“Rune, what are you doing?” My eyes snapped open and I jerked quickly out of my meditation posture, my face flooding with heat and blood.
“Uhh, nothing, ma'am. I'm just-just tired after school, you know.” I mentally crossed my fingers, forcing my face to remain blank as Natalie gives me a bizarre look.
I really need to be more careful. Maybe I should re-think trusting Kayla. I shouldn't really trust anyone-not even Natalie and Ben who have been so good to me.
Some Jedi Knight I'm turning out to be...I don't know how they do it-did it.
May the Force be with you.

Aran Liander

The Avengers movie review

Warning! Spoilers for The Avengers will most definitely follow

Okay, before I start, can I just say that the film was just PLAIN AWESOME!? I had been expecting a lot from this film and it definitely lived up to my expectations and the hype. The action was perfect(some of the best action I've ever seen in a movie), the characters(and their actors) were all totally epic and the plot was very exciting. This is definitely a movie I'd consider a favorite of mine and I will definitely be getting the film on DVD once it comes out. Joss Whedon showed that he can do as good in film as he can in t.v(he is the creator of the two amazing t.v shows called Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel as well as other shows I want to see but haven't yet gotten around to yet). I would definitely recommend going to see this movie if you already haven't seen it.
I'd like to thank the girls over at the Lakehouse and James from JandJ Productions for encouraging me to see this film(as well as the ones before it) :D.
Oh, and I did stay to watch the clips after both credits and the one with them all in the diner was very funny XD. I loved how they were all in their suits still.

The Good: The whole big shabang! :D I loved the action; it was TOTALLY awesome. While in some movies, action can get stale and repetitive, in this film it is very fluid and captivating; you just keep wanting to see more of it :)(I can definitely tell Joss Whedon directed this; this fighting reminds of way he choreographed Buffy and Angel; on a much smaller scale of course). I really loved how each character had distinctive style of fighting and each had their own bit that they contributed to saving the world; they really were a team(I really, really would love to be cast in The Avengers 2..hmmm*goes of to plan*). Both the action on the ship and in New York was really cool and very realistic looking.

On characters, they were all so cool, I'm going to have to give a summary of each one(I'll go in order of films being made and such). They were all SO GOOD and the actors playing them did a grand, grand job. I would be honored to be in a film with any of them. :)

Iron Man/Tony Stark - Even though he can be a bit of a smart-aleck, Iron Man/Tony is different then the man we saw on Iron Man 1, though his witty, snide remarks are still there(and thankfully so; that's one of the reason's he's such a great character). Iron Man was even cooler here than he was in Iron Man(though he was really epic in the first film). I loved his dynamics with Captain America; I can really see these guys being friends. I don't know why, but I really just liked them together; I guess because the actors worked really well together. I also liked his friendship with Bruce, it was pretty neat since they are both scientific geniuses(finally, someone who talks English XD). His bravery and selflessness at the end were quite pivotal for his character(as was the part where he was trying to save the ship). Even if has an exterior of being self-absorbed, he is definitely a hero. His fight with Thor was really epic, kind of like a battle between the old and the new, the science fiction and the fantasy. Plus, he had a lot of really good lines in this film; he was definitely making me laugh at different points. I loved the scene where he was talking to Loki in his Stark tower(he was just so casual with him, it was great!). Tony is definitely a riot and a great character. :D

Thor Thor is probably my favorite Avenger; I loved his character in Thor and he doesn't disappoint in The Avengers. He was totally epic! His fight scenes were totally epic and his character was perfect; even if he can be a bit otherworldy(but then he isn't human) he is a really sweet guy(and good looking) :). I loved his interactions with Loki, you can really see that he loves and cares for his brother(I have a soft spot for brotherly relationships). I loved how when he's first talking to Loki, he puts his hand on the side of Loki's neck/face and says to "Come Home"; I also liked that he still considered Loki his brother and said "our father" when referring to Odin. Thor's fight with the Hulk was great(I liked it when the Hulk couldn't lift the hammer) as was his fight with Iron Man. I really enjoyed the the scenes where Thor showed emotion; the actor is really good at that(I love good acting :)). I also liked it when Thor jumped into the plane, grabbed his brother, and just left; it was hilarious. His accent and way of talking are also really cool :). I liked that he wanted to make sure Jane was all right, it was nice of him(I don't like coddling girls or making them appear weak or anything*since I hate that*but I do appreciate people showing care and concern). He really is a sweet, nice guy :)

Captain America/Steve Rogers While Captain America didn't exactly click with me in Captain America: The First Avenger, I totally fell for him(in a non romantic way) in The Avengers. He ROCKED in this film! You could see his confusion and grief at being in the wrong time in the beginning sequence where he is beating up punching bag after punching bag(I loved the flashbacks, they really made you care about him). He is also a great character; he is very loyal, kind, humble, and selfless, not to mention an epic fighter. I loved how he and Iron Man/Tony Stark interacted in the film; one of my favorite parts with them was then they were working together to save the ship; even though they didn't get along at first, they worked very well together when the going got tough(I loved how after the explosion, the both of them immediately left to have Iron Man get his suit; I really liked how Captain America grabbed onto a stumbling Tony and help him from the room). Captain America, in my opinion, adapted pretty well to the advanced technology, though of course he did have his moments where you could tell he was from a different time; like when he said something like "I think it's run by electricity" or when he wouldn't understand a reference(it was really funny when they mentioned a monkey and he was like "Oh, I get that reference"). His fighting in the battles were also great and he was also quite funny :). I liked how he gave Nick Fury ten dollars after being surprised by the ship and when he tried to get Thor and Iron Man to stop fighting(I loved how he threw his shield). I also loved the scene where Iron Man was on the ground and they thought he was dead but, when the Hulk roared, he woke up and said that he hoped no one had kissed him and that he wanted to try out this food-joint he'd seen. Captain America was really nice in this film and a really sweet guy; especially when he was sad that he'd never signed Phil's cards. :(

Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff I LOVED Black Widow. Finally, an awesome, kick-butt girl superhero character who isn't there just for romance purposes or eye candy but has a purpose to the overall story. I also appreciated that she wasn't in sexy/skimpy garb; her neck line was a bit too low, but that doesn't bother me as long as I don't have to wear it ;). Black Widow was definitely an awesome fighter; she was definitely one of my favorite characters in the film. I loved how cool and collected she was in most fights and how she was able to fight her way out of all situations(the part at the beginning was epic!!). In almost all her fights, she was in complete control which I loved seeing(she only needed rescuing once). The only time she wasn't in control was when she was being chased by the Hulk, but I can understand that since no one can really fight the Hulk that easily; Loki, a powerful god, couldn't take him and I have to say that Natasha handled it a lot better than Loki did. I also loved how she used the scepter on the tesseract and that she had her own very important part to play in saving the world(Black Widow has definitely joined the ranks of my favorite female characters). :D

Hawkeye Hawkeye was a really great character as well. I loved his archery abilities(he was very, very, VERY, good) and his fighting abilities. It was so cool, for example, when he shot behind him without looking. Like Black Widow, he is able to take care of himself very well and his character is very likable(once he's free of Loki's control, that is). I loved it when Iron Man said "Clench up, Legolas" when he lifted him into the air, it was an epic tribute to one of my favorite film series. I also enjoyed his friendship with Natasha, it was really good :) (oh yeah, I forgot to mention this but there is hardly any romance in this movie. YAAAY!!!!).

Bruce Banner/The Hulk I will admit, when I was little I didn't like the Hulk at all; I thought he was a weird, freaky-looking green monster man and it was something I didn't really feel interested in at all. After seeing this movie, I definitely liked the character and how he was portrayed. Bruce Banner is a great character and the actor playing him did a good job. You can really tell he's a man constantly on edge(which has to be really hard and really taxing, I can definitely see why he's that way). I felt really bad for him :(. The Hulk had one of the most hilarious parts of the film; I loved how Loki was screaming at him that he was a god and that he was above Banner and that he wouldn't be bullied by him and the Hulk just lifted in into the air and started to BASH and SMASH him against the floor. Oh my gosh, that was just plain EPIC! XD. I also liked it when they told him to "smash". Another scene I liked with him was when he woke up after crashing through the roof of a building and this old guy was asking him if he was an alien; after saying he wasn't, I thought it was funny when he said something like "Then son, I'm afraid you have a problem"- the look on Banner's face made me think "Yeah...I kind of new that..."

Loki Loki was again a well portrayed villain, just as he was in Thor. I liked how Tom Hiddleston played Loki; he is definitely evil and crazy, but you can tell that he wasn't always that way. While not as a tragic figure as he was in Thor, you can still see that bit of him there. Though he is a bad guy and he did kill a lot of people, and there is no excuse for that. Loki is definitely one of the better villains I've come across in film and I enjoyed something different then the usual cartoonish villain used on shows. Loki, while mostly an emotional character, did have some funny moments. Besides the totally awesome scene with the Hulk, he had some great lines with Iron Man during their talk at Stark Tower. I loved the part where, at the end, when he's surrounded by the Avengers and he looks up and says "If it's all the same to you, I'd like to have that drink now," and they all just stare at him like he's crazy. Ha! XD

I also enjoyed characters such as Nick Fury, Maria Hill, and Agent Phil Coulson. It was great to see my buddy Mace Windu again....er, I mean, it was great to see Samuel Jackson in another film; he is truly a great actor :). Some people don't like Nick Fury, but I think he's great. He's definitely a good guy in my opinion. I thought it was funny at the end where he 'disobeyed' the council "I didn't disobey orders, I just didn't argue with the god who said otherwise." I also thought that Maria Hill was an awesome character; she was a good fighter and I loved how she could take care of herself as well as her interactions with Nick Fury. Agent Phil Coulson was also a great character; I liked how he idolized Captain America- it was really cute since he reminded me of a starry-eyed little boy. It was really sad when he was killed by Loki :( (though I was happy he shot Loki with that gun). I really wished he had gotten his cards signed :(. I liked how, towards the the end, when Iron Man brings up Phil right before he blasts Loki over. >:)

The Bad: I actually only have one complaint and it is rather small, so that's perfectly okay. I didn't really like the adoption comment, since my brother and two of my cousins are adopted. Though I do get what he meant when he said that, which goes to show, that you should always tell a child they were adopted when they are little(bring it up every so often; for example, talk about the birth mother or, if they are from another country, tell them about that as well). I believe if Loki had been told growing up that he'd been adopted, he wouldn't have turned the way he did. I guess my main problem wasn't the comment, but the fact that everyone laughed since it wasn't funny. Being adopted doesn't make you bad- most kids who are adopted are perfectly fine. But that was my only problem and even that was a small matter that I can handle.

Overall, I loved this film and I would definitely go see it again. It is also being added to one of my top favorite films which is awesome since it so rarely happens. I really can't wait to see what they do next in The Avengers 2, Thor 2, and Iron Man 3(but first, I need to see Iron Man 2). The Avengers is also my favorite superhero movie- it blows the rest of them out of the water. So, if you haven't see it then do so. You won't regret it :).
May the Force be with you...Always
Jedi Shena Tokala out (hope you enjoy the pictures). :)

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From the holo-dary of Aran Liander: Jedi Apprentice

981 ARR

Today as been one of the longest of my life.
I've trekked for kilometers without rest, I've slept in the rain, in mud, and in my own blood. I've spent weeks trapped in a prison with nothing but tight, silver walls surrounding me. But today is right up there with the most grueling missions I did before the war. The school would have been all right had not the Empire infected it with it's bitter, crushing grip.
I woke up this morning at the wee hours of the morning, the sky still black and a lit with the night-lights of Coruscant's towers. I had tried to go back to sleep, telling myself that I needed more rest than I'd had, but my annoying insides decided to twist themselves into painful knots and keep me awake.
When the holo-clock said 5:30, I got out of bed and quickly got ready, putting on the strange, stiff shirt and pants that Natalie had insisted I wear on my first day. I had asked for a hair cut and it had been granted; it wasn't as short as I was accustomed to it being, but at least it stayed out of my eyes and off my ears. After getting ready and sensing that both my hosts were fast asleep, I decided to make breakfast for everyone. We had learned how to cook at the Temple at an early age and it turned out to be a very important ability, especially if our rations and credits ran out.
After I had everything heating up on the stove, Natalie stumbled in, eyes barely cracked open and hair in a mess on top of her head.
“Rune what are you doing up-wait...did you make breakfast?” Her gray eyes had gone wide in total shock and I nearly kicked myself. How could I have been so stupid?!
“Um...um, yes..I'm sorry, did you want to make it?” The words had fumbled from my mouth in a random splatter and I'd clamped my jaws shut before I could say any more stupid things.
“No, no, it's fine, I'm just surprised is all,” Natalie says, waving me off as she slumps in the chair at the head of the table. I glanced at the cup of caf I'd made her on the table and for a moment debated giving it to her, less I illicit more strange looks. Finally, I decided that I should, so I picked up the cap and handed it to her. Her eyes widened and for a moment I thought I'd made a mistake but instead she took it and smiled at me.
“Why thank you, Rune. You're very sweet.” My face had flushed at the comment and I'd turned away. I've never been called sweet before.
After breakfast, Natalie helped me pack and sent me off to get on the hover-bus stop while she took her speeder to work. The air had been chilly in the early morning and I'd stared at the brilliantly colored sunrise, longingly thinking of my thick Jedi cloak and tunic shoved under my bed.
After riding the crammed-to-overflowing hover-bus, which had been filled with squealing, gossiping, shoving children of all ages, I disembarked in-front of an imposing structure. Swarms of children and teens surged passed me in a dash to the doors, laughs and shouts permeating the air around me. I'd let myself be dragged along with the crowd, finding small passages through the mob, threading around the people as I'd learned from my Master. Soon, I'd reached the door and I entered into the pristine hallways of the school. Every so often, I would see stormtroopers posted at intersections in the hallway, standing so still in their all-encompassing armor that they could have been statues. I ducked my head and continued forward, not entirely sure what I was supposed to be doing.
'Calm down, Aran,' I'd said to myself 'Your a Jedi Knight now. Jedi Knights don't panic.'
Suddenly, a snake-like arm shot towards me, the hand taking my shoulder. I tensed and was just about to jerk away when I saw that the person who'd grabbed me was a spindly, balding man.
“Hey, you're the new kid, Rune, right?” he asked. I nodded and the man began pulling me down the passage, leading me clumsily through the hoards. I pulled away gently, not wanting to appear as strong as I actually was.
“Ummm sir, um, I can follow you.” The man turned to me and shook his head.
“Sorry son, but I'm to bring you straight to the Headmaster's office immediately.”
Keeping my sigh in check, I'd followed the man, who I later learned was Mr. Banzibo, the assistant headmaster. The headmaster was a short, yet imposing, man with long white hair and beard who went on and on about rules in a neutral tone; his eyes never met mind, instead, focusing on a point above my head. After hearing the rules, like no fighting, no smoking, no drugs, no blasters or detonators, to anti-imperial propaganda or anything Jedi related, Mr. Banzibo took me to my class; at the mention of the Jedi, I'd felt a violent fluctuation of illness puncture into my stomach and I'd had to make myself focus as Mr. Banzibo to my first class.
The morning passed pretty smoothly. I didn't answer too many questions in my first class, which was history; instead, I listened to hear what lies the imperials were implementing into the schooling system. Apparently, according to the empire, the Jedi had lied to everyone and had actually started the Clone Wars in the first place and were the cause of every woe the galaxy had endured. Forcing myself to not say a word against such blatant lies, I'd typed what was being said into the small datapad on my desk. The girl next to me, a tall, skinny girl with long, scarlet hair, seemed to be staring at what I was doing and I slowed down, realizing that I might be pointed out as having a good memory; I could not let that happen. After the class had ended, I'd risen quickly, scooping up my datapads and pack and headed for the door.
“Hey....Rune, is it?” I turned to see the red-haired girl making her way towards me through the milling children, clutching her pack tightly to her chest. I nodded and gestured for her to continue.
“My name is Kayla, Kayla Brimstone,” she said, sticking her hand out to me. I reached out and shook it. She pointed towards the datapad in my hand.
“I saw you taking notes earlier today and you were wizardly fast. How did you learn to do that? It was amazing.” My mouth dried and I had to fight the urge to flee. Taking a breath, my mind reeling, trying not to panic, I forced a smile onto my face, hoping it didn't look fake or anything.
“Yeah..thanks. Well, um, well, I learned it from, well, you know, from my parents.” The words, especially those about parents, felt ripped from me and a dark, pulsing burn began at the back of my eyes. Kayla..Kayla?; Kyla, friend who is now gone. A sweat rose upon my skin.
“Um, I have to go, nice meeting you,” I said, smiling at the girl once again before I practically leaped through the doorway. The next class passed pretty much the same way, except that the person sitting next to me, a silent, brooding Togruta, didn't appear interested at my speed on the datapad.
Then the bell rang for lunch and I began to make my way in that direction. I was about just about there when I heard a shout,a giant slam and cry of pain. I looked up and, towards the end of the hallway, I saw a group of teens chanting 'Fight, fight, fight!' like some crazy spectators about to watch some poor creature fight another poor creature to the death. I rushed towards the group, picking up on the Force to keep me from hitting anyone. In the middle of the circle of chanters, stood three stockily-built humans, a small, near-human male lying at their feet, his soft, feminine features bloodied and bruised. I picked up speed, dropping my datapads into a cascade, and shrugging out of my pack. I shoved through the chanters, not caring if I hit anyone in the stomach with my elbow.
Once I reached the clearing, I dropped to my knees beside the near-human, who I realized was a Mirlian; his skin had paled to sickly yellowish-green and he looked to be wavering into unconsciousness.
“It's okay, you'll be okay, I'll take care of you,” I said, ripping some cloth from my shirt to staunch the blood running down the boy's broad forehead. One of the bulky humans stepped towards me and I looked up, arms bared, ready to defend myself against any sort of assault. The human, who looked like the leader of the three bullies, glared down at me with blank, yellow-black irises, a Imperial insignia tattoo blazing on his bulging bicep.
“Punk, back away from looser boy here, you don't want to waste with the likes of him. Right.”
“What do you think you're doing, picking on someone so much smaller than you?” I demanded, fighting the anger that was awash inside me.
“Are you guys cowards or something? Why can't you pick on someone your own size.” The boy's over-sized, lumpy head turned beet-red, his eyes huge fury. His fist swung at me like a sloppy pendulum and I easily dodged it, gently lifting the now-moaning victim to the side so that I was in-between the bullies and him.
“You think your so hot, do ya, newbie? Well, I'll be nice to you just this one and let it slip. Now, stand aside and let this sniveling little whelp get what he deserves.”
My blood ran with fire and I forced myself to breath in deeply.
'There is no emotion, there is peace.' I shook my head.
“No.” A wide, cruel grin broke across the leader's face and he shuffled forward, gesturing for his two friends to join him.
“Fine then.” His foot came flying at me and I dodged, rolling to the side and shooting into a standing position.
“You can end this. Stand down,” I said, putting as much forcefulness into my voice as I possibly could. I wished I could use a mind trick on these three but I knew it wouldn't help matters in the slightest. The bullies all broke out into raucous guffaws, pointing and sniggering at me like I was some sort of minstrel brought in for their amusement.
“No, no, you don't understand, you little punk; it doesn't work that way, you see.” He flexed his left arm, the ugly, marring tattoo rippling along his muscle. I clenched my fists, keeping my breathing rate even and calm; I knew I couldn't use the Force, lest they have a Force-meter in this school, so I'd have to fight these three with only my knowledge of hand-to-hand combat.
“You see, we're the leaders here. No matter what the teachers tell you, we see everything and everyone listens to us. And if you want to stay in our good grace, you'd better leave right now.”
I sighed; I hadn't wanted to bring attention to myself here but it looked like I didn't have a choice.
“This is your last chance,” I said, narrowing my eyes at them. The leader's face darkened, his eyes mottled viciousness made manifest against his skin. He cracked his knuckles and charged at me, his cronies following along behind him. The three were the lousiest fighters I have ever come across; their balance was horrendous and their punches incorrect and sloppy. In fact, the majority of Jedi younglings could have taken on these three barves easily.
I ducked and weaved, blocking the kicks and punches they launched at me, sometimes sending in attacks of my own; upset punches doubling them over temporarily and upper cuts sending their heads cracking backwards. One such strike sent the leader stumbling back and falling flat on his back.
He heaved himself to his feet, his face pale and stretched, his jaws looking slightly swollen.
“You kriffing barve, you will pay,” he growled, launching himself at me with vigorous violence. I snapped my hands out before me and when he was within arms length, I took two fistfuls of his sharp-looking shirt and tossed him behind me. I used the Force slightly to cushion his fall. I turned to see the bully scrambling to his feet, spluttering in petrified, furious shock. I sensed it before I heard their footsteps and as I spun around, I could see, as if in slow motion, the leader's two friends flying towards me. I quickly side-stepped them and they crashed into the floor, tangling with their leader, furious roars issuing from the knot of bipedal limbs.
“What is going on here?” a stormtrooper demanded, coming over towards us. Panic flared up inside me and I averted my gaze.
“Uh,um,uh, sir, these guys were picking on him and I told them to stop and they started to fight me.” The stormtrooper's helmeted head swung from me, to the sniveling, human knot, to the small, battered boy sitting up.
“One demerit for the both of you,” he said at last, gesturing to me and the small boy.
“What?” the shout of denial ripped itself from my chest and the trooper swung towards me, it's eyeless mask looking just as evil as that of Darth Vader. A shiver ran down my spine, but I didn't let it show.
“You two picked a fight with the honorable Imperial Youth Instructors here. Their job is to search for eligible youth to enlist into the Imperial Academy. And you have disruped their lively hood.”
“But they were BEATING UP an innocent person who had done them no harm. How can you-”
The blaster swung towards me and I froze, terror zinging through me.
'Dead. So many dead.'
“We are the Empire and if a part of it is weak, it is lopped off. Back in the days of the Republic, we cared for the weak and look where it led us- ruin. The galaxy is now the realm of the strong. These boys had every right to beat this boy.” He nudged the gun towards my face and for a moment I was tempted to reach up and pluck it from the stormtrooper's clenched fists. My blood boiled as the stormtrooper and the smug trio of bullies walked off. The crowd began to fade away, looking slightly afraid of me and slightly disappointed that the fight had ended. I went over to where the bullied child was cowering, head bowed. I reached out to touch his shoulder but he batted my hand away, his eyes aflame.
“Don't touch me. Don't you see? You've made it worse. Much worse.” He stood and began to run, limping and softly weeping. A prickling of tears had risen into my eyes. Even as a normal individual, no one wanted my help anymore. My duty, which I had hoped to be able to cling to, seemed to be slipping like water through my fingers.
Numbly, I had went and retrieved my dropped items and had went through the rest of the school day in a daze, all the kids giving me weird looks the entire day. No one spoke to me and even though that's what I'd hoped for, I was still lonely, which was something I wasn't used to feeling.
I hate this new life. I wish I could go back but there is no good in wishing; like my Master always said, if you want something to be changed, be the first to do it.
I had to lie to Natalie and Ben today at dinner and now, as I finish writing this entry, I dread tomorrow and all that it will bring.
May the Force be with us all

Aran Liander

Captain America: The First Avenger movie review

Warning: Spoilers The other day I watched the Avenger/Marvel film "Captain America: The First Avenger". While not as good as Thor, I still really enjoyed the film! I would rate it about even with Iron Man(I would have seen Iron Man 2 but the copy the movie rental place had got lost which is kind of ridiculous since its such a big place). Oh, and did you notice that the red face in the corner of this picture sort of looks like Darth Maul? (if doesn't look like him in the movie, though). The film is about Steve Rogers, a young man living during WWII who wants to join the army but keeps getting rejected because he is so skinny and small. However, Doctor Abraham Erskine sees potential in young Steve and gets him recruited into a program to develop "super soldiers" to help the Allies in their fight their enemies and to oppose the dangerous Nazi Office Johann Schmidt who has dangerous, mutated powers. After seeing Steve's inerrant goodness, Dr. Erskine decides that Steve will serve as the projects first test subject and the young man excepts. After Steve is changed, an assassin kills Dr. Erskine and the project stops. (watch the rest of the film to find out what happens next). The Good: I liked the majority of the film and I really liked the WWII setting. My favorite part was when Steve and Agent Peggy Carter were chasing the assassin through the streets, it was totally awesome!! :D I also loved the battle at the end, it was very, very cool and very science fiction-y. I also liked the part at the end where Steve crashes the ship into the ice-berg, the emotion in that scene was very well acted by all those involved in it. I also liked the characters. Steve was pretty cool and I loved Peggy Carter; I loved it when she was shooting at the assassin in the get-away car, that part was epic! :D. I thought it was funny when she yelled at him that she had him >:). I also liked it when Steve was preparing his shield and Peggy shot at and said "It works". I also liked the part where they had him repeat the line "I can do this all day" to the villain at the end; it really showed how far the character had come yet how he was still the same inside. Another thing I liked was the part at the very end where he woke up and found out that he'd been asleep in the ice for a long time; looking forward to seeing more about that in The Avengers. :) I also liked getting to see Sebastian Stan play a role in this film(I know Sebastian from Once Upon a Time; he played the Mad Hatter).

The Bad: There wasn't anything terrible in this film. The only thing that I didn't really like was that when that weird lady kissed him(forced kissed him, actually) and he didn't do anything about it. He could have pushed her away or something like that(I think he should have done that). But beyond that, nothing bothered me. I also didn't like the fact that our copy kept PAUSING >:( We missed part of the last action sequence. Overall, the film was a good one and now I really, really can't wait to see The Avengers!!!(hopefully, I'll be going this Saturday). :D May the Force be with you! Jedi Shena Tokala out

Favorite Song Monday

Today's song choice is "Fade Away" by my favorite band, Breaking Benjamin. It's a really good song and I love the sound and the lyrics :D :D There used to be a Star Wars related video that I really liked that went with this song but the owner got off :( However, I did find a few other videos that went with the song and here they are. I'll hopefully be writing the Captain America movie review today so look out for it :) May the Force be with you Jedi Shena Tokala out

Thor movie review

Warning, spoilers follow Ever since The Avenger craze started up these past few months, I've been wanting to see all the films leading up to the one in theaters(which I have yet to see) and Thor had been one I'd especially been looking forward to. I'd heard a lot of good things about this film and when I saw images of Asgard, the action sequences, and the characters, I knew I would really enjoy the movie. And it did not disappoint! So far, I have seen Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America and Thor is my favorite out of the three(though I did enjoy all the Avenger films I've seen so far) :D. The story revolves around the Norse gods of Asgard, especially Odin's son Thor who is to ascend to the throne. When Frost Giants interrupt Thor's coronation, he goes with his brother Loki, and friends Lady Sif and the Warriors Free to take revenge. Things don't go according to plan and Thor ends up breaking the unstable truce between the Frost Giants and the gods. Because of his arrogance and thoughtlessness, Thor is stripped of his powers(hammer) and his immortality and is sent to earth until he can learn humility. Thor is then found by a group of scientists and has to find out to survive in this new world and find out the truth that is going on inside his own family.

The Good: I loved practically the entire film, it was awesome!!! :D :D :D. I loved the action sequences, they were really cool, especially the ones in Asgard and the Frost Giant world, Jotunheim. I also loved the scene where Thor attacks the S.H.I.E.L.D operative place to get his hammer; that whole action/chase scene rocks! :D I really enjoyed the characters(and the actors that played them), especially Thor, Loki, and Odin; the dynamics where really good between these characters and I really wished we could have seen more of them(though both Thor and Loki are in The Avengers so I'm excited about seeing that :) ). I also enjoyed Lady Sif and the Warriors three; they were really cool characters and I know several of the actors from some of my favorite t.v shows which was really neat(Jaime Alexander(Lady Sif) who was Jessi XX in Kyle XY and Joshua Dallas(Fandral) who plays Prince Charming/David Nolan on Once Upon a Time). Seeing Natalie Portman was also really awesome since she is one of my favorite characters, I just wish we could have seen more of her(though she did really good in her role). I really liked the humor as well, the parts where Thor kept getting hit by cars and getting stocked/sedated where great. I also liked the fact that pretty much all the characters were likable or easy to relate to; even when Thor was making dumb decisions at the beginning, I never disliked him; he was always a nice guy, he just had to learn humility and kindness. I also really liked how Loki was portrayed; he was a very interesting bad guy and I liked that he had dimension and a vulnerable side(I felt bad for him when he found out what he was).

The bad: You know, I actually don't have that many complaints about the film; I just wish it could have been longer but beyond that, I loved it!! :D Overall I enjoyed the film and I really can't wait to see The Avengers since it looks awesome! :D :D (look for a Captain America review tomorrow). May the Force be with you...Always Jedi Shena Tokala out

From the holo-diary of Aran Liander: Jedi Apprentice

981 ARR I haven't written in a month and the reason behind that is the fact that I've been so busy. Natalie and Ben have been shipping me from shop to shop, trying to find me a myriad of outfits to wear to school which starts tomorrow. I'm not sure what I'm going to do in the morning or the rest of the day but I have a bad feeling that something will go wrong and my identity will be revealed and the two whose roof I live under will reject me or worse, be put into danger because of me. I don't know how regular kids can put up with this stuff, especially the shopping. If I hadn't been trained in patience as a Jedi, had not those laws been drilled into my very psyche, I might have started complaining. Natalie and Ben seem to find me strange and I don't know why. I do everything I am asked and I don't complain or whine or pitch a fit. You know, maybe that's the reason. I know I need to learn to fit in with the crowd but from what I've seen of other adolescents, I don't really, really don't want to since the behavior of the majority of them is horrendous. Don't get me wrong, I am very thankful to Natalie and Ben. I couldn't ask for kinder people to stay with as I begin this new life. They aren't my parents and I don't consider them family, but they are my friends and I will make sure to protect them should the need arise. I still don't know their stance on the Jedi since they don't bring it up, but I hope it's favorable. The ashes of my heart would dissolve if they hated that which I loved most dearly. I watched those holofilms I mentioned in a previous post and I can't believe how warped and romanticized the image of war is. I also can't believe the amount of innuendo and sexual content there is in some of those films. I've learned a lot of things I really wished I hadn't. Some, however, were actually good. I even enjoyed one of the films about war. The story and characters touched me in a way I'd never experienced. Sadly, this film is, from what I've heard from some jerks next store, is a 'girly war flick.' Which brings me to another thing, why do the genders seem to have so much disdain for the other yet crave carnal pleasures? I don't think I'll ever understand these people, they are nothing like the children I grew up with. In the Temple, we all respected each other and everyone was equal; no one made fun of anybody by calling something “girly” or “Only for boys”. You know, I don't think I really want to understand these people. So, tomorrow I embark on the next leg of my new, slightly terrifying life....I'm not sure I'm ready but when I remember the look in my Master's dying eyes and feel the lack of my braid on my cheek, I realize that I must. May the Force be with me and with everyone in the galaxy. Always Aran Liander Sorry for not posting this story for so long; I just kept putting it off and for that I apologize. Hope you enjoy and May the Force be with you..Always Jedi Shena Tokala out

Equal Love; Equal Rights

I support the rights of my LGBT sisters and brothers and I believe that they should be able to marry whomever they choose. If you don’t agree, then fine you have that right, but don’t take what you think out on these people. For example, I really don't like it when people say that only Christians go to heaven(since I think that everyone goes)but I would never bully someone because of their beliefs or how they are (unless, of course, they were some sort of sicko psychopath, but that's something different entirely). So in other words, if you can’t say something or do something nice don’t say/do it at all. I've seen and heard some of the horrible things these people have to endure and it truly is heartbreaking, especially when it comes from their families. I feel very bad for the man here and I hope that one day he will see LGBT have the ability to marry with out discrimination and to be accepted by all. I love you, Shane, and May God Bless you. And may your partner, Tom, rest in peace. May the Force be with you..Always Jedi Shena Tokala out

Favorite Song Monday

Sorry that I've slacked off on my usual weekly posting. I'll be remedying that this week :D I'll be posting two songs today and both are by the same band. The first song is "Alligator Sky" by Owl City; it is probably my second favorite song by this group and I really love listening to it. The second song is Owl City's most famous song, "Fireflies". This was the first song I heard by this group and it's still one of my favorites my the group. :D Hope you enjoy :) May the Force be with you...Always Jedi Shena Tokala out

"Count Down to Doomsday"

Here is the film my sister, two of our friends, and I did for a recent movie competition(we got third place). We had loads of fun making this film and if you would watch it and tell me what you think, what your favorite scene(s) were and what are some things to work on. I'm the girl playing Natalie Lancing :). (yes, I do know it looks like I'm looking at the camera in a couple of the scenes but I was actually looking at the screen on the flip part of the video camera and I didn't realize it would make it look like I was looking at the screen). Hope you enjoy :D :D :D Sorry for not posting my usual stuff this week; I promise that next week I'll get back into the swing of things and post more :). May the Force be with you Jedi Shena Tokala out

Iron Man movie review

WARNING: Will contain spoilers Since the Avengers movie just came out, there as been a craze about this film for quite some time now. I had heard of the Marvel superhero films before but never paid much attention to them since I am more into science fiction and fantasy films/t.v shows than superhero shows(though I do like really like some of the films I've seen). Well, since a lot of my online friends really like these movies and since I thought they looked good, I decided to give them a watch. The first film in the series of Marvel superheros was Iron Man, so I rented it and watched it with my sister who also wanted to watch these films. The film is about a rich genius named Tony Stark who designs new weapons for the U.S. military. While visiting Afghanistan to test the new Jericho missile, Tony is captured by the terrorist group the military had been trying to find. The worst part, though, is that they were using the missiles he helped create. While in captivity, he meets Dr. Yinsen and the two of them are instructed to build them a Jericho missile. The two say they will but instead of building the missile, they build a suit for Stark so that they two of them can escape. In the escape, Dr. Yinsen dies(saying that he wanted to so he could be with his dead family) though Stark manages to escape(loosing his suit in the process). When he gets back to the states, he decides to build himself another suit and to stop making weapons. The Good: I really enjoyed the majority of the film. The plot was good and interesting and the characters of Tony/Iron Man was a good(if a little weird at first) and funny person. I really enjoyed how Tony Stark's character changed over the course of the film. He went from an arrogant, egotistic, playboy to a hero(albeit flawed, but still a hero). I also liked that, after seeing his friend and others die in Afghanistan, he decides to stop making weapons and work on other things, saying that he didn't want his legacy to be a body count. My favorite scenes would probably be the climax/battle at the end; even though I knew that Obadiah Stane was going to turn out to be the bad guy, it was still really cool to see the revelation and the battle between the two in their really cool suites. Another one of my favorites was when Iron Man saved an Afghan village from the terrorists; I liked that not all Afghans are not shown as being bad since that sort of thing tends to happen a lot(same with the Germans, Russians, and Japanease. Come on people, don't always have bad guys be from the same place). I loved how, after saving the village, he gave them one of the leaders and said "He's all yours"- that's exactly what I'd do >:). I loved Iron Man's suite and his flying ability and how he saved the people and was able to shoot the people holding there captives without harming the hostages. I would love to have that suit! Another one of my favorite scenes was where he was testing his new suit out and kept crashing into things, it was hilarious. Another thing I enjoyed was the character of Pepper. It was nice to see a normal female character in a super hero movie who didn't need any saving. While not a superhero(though I would love to see more girl superheroes), Pepper can take of herself, is smart, and never gets captured the entire movie. I also liked how she reacted just like a normal person would and even though she was scared, was able to help save the day(her best scene was when she copied the video of evidence off the computer and sneaked it away when the bad guy was in the room). The bad guy was also great; he wasn't the typical evil, cackling villain and the idea of him pulling a modern day Iran-Contra affair was a pretty original idea. And the ending where Tony reveals himself to be Iron Man was classic! :D The Bad: While there isn't too much to dislike about the film, there are a couple of things I didn't like, but these were all at the beginning. At first, as I said earlier, I was worried that they were going to portray all Afghans as evil but thankfully, they didn't, showing good as well as bad people from both Afghanistan and the U.S. I also wasn't a big fan of Tony at first, since I found him to be a little snotty and well, a bit of a womanizer :p. I also didn't like the short, inappropriate scene but it wasn't as bad as it could have been and I was easily able to fast forward it. Overall, the movie was a good one and now I am definitely looking forward to watching the next Avenger films :) Hope you have a nice day and May the Force be with you...Always :D Jedi Shena Tokala out

Star Wars Day! :D

Happy Star Wars Day and May the 4th be with you! :D Yes, today is the day we can celebrate the most awesome-st saga ever so I'm going to post a bunch of pictures on here :) It's also the day my sister and I have our piano recital :) Our teacher was saying that if she'd known the recital landed on the same day as Star Wars day she would have had everyone play Star Wars songs :) Anyway, without further ado, here are some of the awesome pics I have :) P.S. These pics aren't in order

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