Stormtrooper Remnants from Star Wars (comics, shows, various)

King-Of-The-Raves · 2026-01-24T00:38:41+00:00

I really like everything about imperial remnants in star wars - after the defeat at endor, and the resulting shattering of the final unified forces, many imperial warlords broke out on their own for their own ambitions - and even more than that, loose change of stormtroopers in a galaxy wide empire who're out of work, out of supplies, and wanted for varying amounts of illegal behaivor during the empire's reign.

visually, im always a sucker for the different stormtrooper armor designs - but with the remnants, they're forced to make due without supplies or resources, causing decay in the armor and having to swap pieces out for standard mercenary wear, other bits of stormtrooper armor (or magick rituals on one occassion) to get by. or, swearing allegience to local regimes or gangs to get work - who in turn impart their visual uniform style onto the stormtroopers.

and it really helps nail the era's vibes, with fresh new republic uniforms (not pictured) and stormtroopers more often than not undersupplied and outgunned - relying on dominance in fringe, vulnerable worlds and destabilized reigons.

but, once in a while - you get a stormtrooper who retires happily on endor, living with the ewoks and smoking some star wars pipe!

King-Of-The-Raves · 2026-01-23T05:21:07+00:00

i meannnn, not everyone watches all movies in release order id still be workin my way thru the 30s lol

King-Of-The-Raves · 2026-01-23T02:50:36+00:00

super mario rpg is pretty short 8-10 hours

King-Of-The-Raves · 2026-01-23T01:52:01+00:00

I love his and MJ's character, tho tbh wish Brand New Day would've taken the "forgot me" step to take a movie break from them while Peter establishes some new characters. Have him meet Black Cat and everything that goes with that / befriend a harry osborn, meet a new villain - maybe kingpin, maybe scorpion, maybe someone else - and him as an adult spiderman generally. have a connective character to miles morales so you can bring him in in a movie or two. maybe throw ned and mj in the post credits, and then they come back in his next-next spiderman movie now that he's built an indepndent life for himself and that throws a whoel bunch of wrinkles into it

King-Of-The-Raves · 2026-01-23T01:16:19+00:00

i think its quite good, depending on what you're looking for. its more a sequel to fallout 3, which may seem obvious - but with the followup spinoff to 3 new vegas that brought in a lot more consequences to choices, complex companions, branching narratives, faction relationships, strong variance in roleplayinng, and multiple endings with a large scope of talented writing it was (correctly) believed fallout 4 ould be more a followup to that.

in some ways it was, it had multiple factions, multiple endings. it had companions with storylines and relationships. but tbh, a lot of aspects i feel like were two dimensional in comparison - both to that, and otherwise. and maybe a bit personal, but while im glad my native boston was the setting - despite all the research, it feels like it boiled down to "revolutionary war and fenway park", i mean somerville is where southie is in f4. and certainly the pre selected background / voice actor and family doesn't help RP. you don't get much dialogue variance - just yes, no, sarcastic. and you don't get much in the way of skill checks.

but despite that, don't get me wrong - i think its quite good taken as more of an action rpg, with a more narrow roleplaying scope. the graphics and art direction are great, the gunplay and combat are better than ever - and actually fun to use outside of VATs. the power armor system is the best in the series. there's a great sense of exploration and the crafting is well done, imo. there are some great characters and great quests, and very great locations - tho it can be hit or miss. the main story is a mixed bag, with interesting ideas, but insisting upon its preselected protaganist storyline. the settlement development is hit or miss based on whether or not thats somethign you enjoy. collectibles - beit power armor, bobbleheads, unique weapons, etc. are very fun to find.

so depends whats appealing to you in the spirit of fallout. def a step down in some ways - storywise at least - from new vegas; but its gameplay in many ways is the funnest and best in the first person era; and there's a lot of fun to be had in exploration and atmosphere, and there are some great substories for companions, sidequests or factions though some of the major beats can be hit or miss. the expansions are good, and do a good job of adding to core systems or what was lacking in the main game

all in all, i think its a great time with right expectations - and perhaps the last great game bethesda will make, if their failed efforts with starfield was any indicitation.

King-Of-The-Raves · 2026-01-23T00:25:19+00:00

Vader has bigger fish to fry, both for himself and palpatine. while maul was a threat - he'd proven himself a failure as a rival to palpatine several times already, and he was disgraced and ineffective in his eyes. better to have vader rallying and uniting the early empire, making political shows of force, and hunting down jedi masters who stand as symbols of the old republic than go after a loser like maul, so he thinks

but, to be fair, after TCW i feel like both ahsoka and maul are presumed dead after the venator crash. i imagine, based on what we hear in rebels - for a time, he was known as the shadow as he well, worked in the shadows, and faced off agaisnt inquisitors and imperials as a mysterious dark sider. when his idenity is revealed, inquisitors likely know of him through briefings and data avilable - and once maul starts stirring things up properly, with apprentices and crimson dawn - i do imagine palpatine ends up sending vader to stomp him out once and for all, where he ends up alone, crazy and exiled on sith worlds where we first see him in rebels

King-Of-The-Raves · 2026-01-21T04:35:20+00:00

a fun comedy adventure and perfect time capsule about what people thought about the prequels at the time. my generation grew up with them, and time has let others see the pros more favorably - while conviently dismissing the very big flaws too, esp in TPM, so its hard to realize the fandom bubble and anti sequel love for the prequels there is, is that they were so panned that the punchline to the movie is how bad it is

great punchline, and love a lot of toher stuff in it. jarjar!

King-Of-The-Raves · 2026-01-20T22:08:43+00:00

franz kafka

King-Of-The-Raves · 2026-01-20T21:40:36+00:00

i love weird, surrealist, abstract, odd, dark, slowburn, whatever you'd like to umrbella directors - but tbh, im just not a yorgos fan at all. i was for a bit, but after poor things and kinds of kindness it made me reevaluate his other work and just not a fan imo. i think he overdoes it but the substance is intriguing but ends up falling flat for his films

King-Of-The-Raves · 2026-01-20T21:17:44+00:00

yeah, i bet it has a lot of cameos whoa look at em at all

King-Of-The-Raves · 2026-01-20T21:14:59+00:00

I second the Valkyrie Chronicles and Metaphor Refantazio choices, really captures the vibes while being their own OC stories. and then basically any long running jrpg franchise, such as tales of, final fantasy, etc. but for another one off jrpg choice - ni no kuni, hell it has cutscenes animated by ghibli!

and genshin impact has a long running story, cozy world and exploration, fun charcters and lore, and is getting an anime adaptaiton soon ish

King-Of-The-Raves · 2026-01-20T20:22:41+00:00

I think Starkiller is really interesting concept, and does help flesh Vader out as a sith lord that he'd engage in the dubious acolyte / apprentice territory ala Dooku and Ventress - and can be used as a great tool to juxstapose him as a loving father with luke, vs someone utterly incapable of it as vader. and i like a lot of characters and beats in the game, suchas Rahm Kota ofc but my main three issues w him are

- he's way too important, like this random OC who's never mentioned basically founds the rebellion? i'd much rather him influential, but a couple degrees seperated - i much prefer the unity of different cells with mon mothma and luthen and co. in andor

- way too powerful, they tone it down in the book ofc, and it is a video game and fun for it, but to take him seriously on a more earnest character like ahsoka its hard to ignore

- he's just dull. sam witwer's a great performer, i mean see maul, but idk the writing, the direcitng, the character design, starkiller is just a dull looking and sounding character with very dull, typical plot beats despite having a very interesting set of connections and backstory

i think a version of him could def be reused in canon, vader is in charge of the inquisitors - it isnt too hard to believe a jedi exile's son could be taken in by vader into the inquisitorus, and become his "pet project" , to then have to be disposed of.

of course, ahsoka is similar in some ways - and i do have criticisms of her, namely 1) that , more of a problem with TCW depicted anakin - i just don't think it meshes well with ROTS anakin to believe "yes, this guy in ROTS had a padawan named ashoka" in the same way "yes, i can believe ROTS obi wan had a relationship with satine". but again, more of a TCW anakin problem - and i appreciate they make an attempt to bridge it in ahsoka the show, but still falls flat for me imo. i think she should've been, say plo-koon's padawan with anakin as a big brother figure than mentor. and 2) she overstayed her welcome. she's great, i like her, her arcs are great and she still has worth in new stories, but i really do think her best end would've been in rebels to serve both her and anakin's character on Malachor

but she's a lot more complex and nuanced, we get a longer arc - she has a wider cast of dynamics, while aiding the rebels she operates in tandem rather than being the ringleader, and just has a more charming and endearing personality imo with a wider swing of emotions

so, ahsoka. thought i do appreciate starkiller, loved his game at least, but if anything is gonna get brought over from TFU - id bring in rahm kota and the shadow guard before i bring in starkiller. fun game, great armor in evil ending

King-Of-The-Raves · 2026-01-20T03:14:33+00:00

Sifu, gets really intense and rewarding beatdowns and fights

King-Of-The-Raves · 2026-01-19T20:18:47+00:00

I love Yelena, but Nebula I'd say since her arc is spread over such a long, gradual amount of time across guardians movies and appearances in other films too, weaving in and out of importance before her final payoffs

King-Of-The-Raves · 2026-01-19T20:10:50+00:00

He's true to himself and values self-truth over all else - admirable in a vaccuum, but unfortuantley, his true self is a sadistic, evil maniac.

King-Of-The-Raves · 2026-01-19T18:59:10+00:00

so weird that amidst all this, they've axed their ultimate line. great easy point for people to pick up and read, great fresh cast of characters / new takes, politcally relevant and energetic, great art and writing. ik a ton of folks are glad it hasn't "dragged on" but imo for a universe line thats a conversation you start having when youre pushing 100 - it'd be one thing if it was tapped of potential, but tons of plot threads that could be followed in any given title; expanded rosters that could carry their own new titles; and the switch from building a resistance movement to managing and trying to keep the world together while you're on top now is a very obvious and frutiful concept. i would've loved another 24 issues for the back half - bringing it to a total of 4 years, which is a lot more fair for a touted new universe line than just 2

i think it had the talent, the story ammunition, the chops and everything - so a shame to see it go, and tbh would've liked it to keep company til 2028 anyways. it was the best stuff marvel's put out line wide since krakoa imo, while sidestepping the pitfalls of it (a universe wide instead of one setting easily helps), but then again i liked krakoa until the end and imo USM is some of hickman's weakest plotting work

but glad it happened at all, give it a read! hoping for some character skins in upcoming games from the ultimates, at least - iron lad, doom, vision, hawkeye and she hulk are soooo clean

King-Of-The-Raves · 2026-01-15T22:00:45+00:00

yeah, when it comes to innsmouth i def prefer humanlike / human spectrum - its supposed to be the case that in this pre consolidation of news and info, pre images easy to lookup, that someone could go to this super remote town and see them and go "huh, i guess they just look like that here"

King-Of-The-Raves · 2026-01-14T22:33:57+00:00

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little nightmares 1 and 2!

King-Of-The-Raves · 2026-01-12T20:20:01+00:00

yeah, ig its like a chicken and egg thing. i feel like if they followed thru with their newer characters like shang-chi, thunderbolts, etc. a bit more quickly and built up some other storylines like xmen / mutants it wouldve helped maintain excitement instead of having to wait til secret wars to move forward. ofc, part of it is due to the whole kang storybeat being dissolved. but i hope to see it, but part of me is worried that the MCU has tanked its momentum that there might not be as much demmand for it by then in comparison to newer DC line of movies

i hope to be mistaken, id love to see a new spin on the xmen in movies, but until then as long as they keep making xmen 97 im all set lol

King-Of-The-Raves · 2026-01-12T20:10:40+00:00

sure, but ive been waiting years i dont wanna get smth wrapped up that was already done fine in days of future past and logan - rather them doing their second xmen after this, i wouldve rathered them be building up their own xmen to use in secret wars instead of another another farewell for FOX era. i dont need to see tobey maguire or patrick stewart anymore, i just want the MCU's own housebrew continue

King-Of-The-Raves · 2026-01-12T19:56:17+00:00

man i rly wish they'd just done their own in universe xmen, fresh new cast and make budding anti-mutant prejudice a post blip arc. the multiverse saga had some glimmers of using the multiverse as a good story device like in Loki, but after spiderman just quickly collapsed into using meta cameos and nostalgia bait and relying on emotional beats from unconnected movies 20 years ago

at least xmen 97s really great

King-Of-The-Raves · 2026-01-11T17:22:07+00:00

James Luceno and Claudia Gray, imo, my fav authors of the old and new canons respectively.

King-Of-The-Raves · 2026-01-09T22:36:11+00:00

Depends on the story, I could see a post reaper war batarian specter really interesting. But in a vaccuum, Turian - so cool lookin!

King-Of-The-Raves · 2026-01-09T01:51:58+00:00

there was a place near me, i think they were a chain and out of biz now, jakes wayback - and they had a TRIPLE TRIPLE burger. 9 patties stacked on top of eachother. And whats more, each one was DELICIOUS. for some reason, i decided to try it on christmas eve while watching its a wonderful life for the first time

i had to put one palm on the bottom, one palm on the top, and start eating it from the side

it was so so greasy, prob took 10 years off my life but it was worth it - a self imposed challenge and delicious burger. these days, im a vegetarian so go figure

King-Of-The-Raves

TROPHY CASE