#If there's a lot of Finns surely there's at least one version of who I'm thinking of who could make this particular Wish...

[sysig]

Okay so I’m deeply on nightbrain rn but I’m having a lot of Thoughts about Winter King (again)

[fellow-anime-weeb927]

I am back :D (the anon who recently asked you about the idea of reader being mother to the 6 sons in mashle)

I just that the necklaces would probably annulate the magic of the owner too, but reader doesn't really care about it since nobody in her family had magic before (if we don't count the sons). But, since it's a familiar relic (or something like that), naturally her sons also would have their own four necklaces at some point. Neither of them use them, it's not beneficial for them, but they do keep it with them since they see it as being closer to their mother. I also thought about how the smallest area in which the necklaces work would be around the core of the necklaces, to protect it from being destroyed by magic.

I'm sure at least some of them (especially Domina) would be jealous of Mash for being a lackmagic, at some point, since they think about it as the fact that Mash resembles their mother the most (no matter how their mother looks physically). Pops would be so weirded out when four necklaces appeared in Mash's hand in the period of 1 year (I think it would be better if they didn't appeare at the same time?) And Mash would have 0 idea about why or from where (at first he thought that Pops was the responsible for it). I think it would also be convenient that the necklaces wouldn't break forever unless all four are broken in the spam of a certain amount of time. If the time passed, but other necklaces wouldn't be destroyed, the broken would be repaired by itself. I imagine the necklaces being just a square with a beautiful pattern inside and a chain holding it by one of the edges (with a time of hook of the edge?) and since it's a familiar relic, it would probably have more antique style (baroque? Or maybe the renaissance?). The sons would probably treasure it deeply, especially since when their mother fell into a coma. Also, because of the background of the reader (the mother) I believe that the necklaces would only left their owner to lift them. Also, the more damage the owner receives the deeper the necklaces (the core/the square) will go into the owners skin (where the heart is located) as if to protect them better, since if the necklaces break (the four of them in the certain amount of time) the owner either dies or suffers a lot of damage. It doesn't burn or anything, tho.

Since Doom is the nicest of the siblings (not counting Mash and Domina's change in behavior) I would say it's because he's the oldest and has been with their mother the longest. I also believe they (the sons) would visit their mother, no matter if she's already in the coma or not. Epidem would be so obsessed with his pudding because mother "introduced" it to him, idk. Fanim would definitely enjoy the freedom so much because his mother always talked about it and how they always should be free (he got his own version of freedom but nvm). Delisaster likes to party so much because mother said that you never know what will happen next and if there's will be food on the table tomorrow (because of how bad her background is) so they should enjoy their lives at the fullest while they can (she would try to somehow ignore that she married a power hungry man, but it was for her own best). Domina would anticipate the day mother wakes up because all his older brothers told him about how kind and nice and beautiful mother is. Mash wouldn't even know about the existence of his mother (spoilers ahead) since he just randomly disappeared from there. If mother wakes up the day of the eclipse without a clue of what is going on (her husband trying to hunt down their youngest son just to take his heart and be immortal), first of all, all the sons that would be there at that time (depending on when exactly mother wakes up, but we'll take the time after they fought the first four visionaries, but before Dot, Finn and the gang arrived there to fight) would be delightful and shocked (imagine Innocent zero manipulating them to do the horrible things they did because "It will wake up mother") that mother finally woke up. Reader would try to get their head around what is going on and how much time passed while the four of them are sitting or rather standing around her bed where she was laying for all this time. Imagine if when Doom is fighting Mash, Doom says something like "You came in the perfect time, mother just woke up" while Mash doesn't have the slightest idea who this "mother" is. While they're fighting Doom explains a bit more and Mash is just like 🧍‍♀️. If Domina sees her when he there or if he hears Innocent zero talk about her awakening while fighting him he would be so shocked and probably feel slightly betrayed because "what do you mean she wakes up when I'm no longer welcome there?" Mother would definitely not know about how Mash disappeared from the 'house' or how Innocent zero abandoned Domina. I also can guess that she wouldn't be arrested alongside Innocent and the four sons, and rather the Bureau of Magic would let her free like Domina, since she was in a coma for like 15 years and didn't know what was happening exactly (I'm 100% sure Domina would convince them somehow, doesn't matter the fact that she passed out into a coma only after giving birth to 6 sons. He probably asked the boy who used magnetic magic and had a twin for a favor (since his dad is the head of the Bureau of Magic? I think)). And so she would have time to get to know Domina and maybe Mash more?

That's it for now, I will come back >:) Also, can I be '🎨 anon' ?

Woah :O long Mashle rant, I like it picasso✨👍🏻

Very interesting about the necklaces, I can already imagine how pretty they would look👀✨

This does fit the original manga very well hello?? You even managed to make it seem like it actually happened in the past omfg-

Props to you 🎨 anon🛐

(maybe I should make an anon list just in case hehe-)

[paragonrobits]

I'm exploring a few different ideas for a fic that ultimately focuses around the idea of damaged people from ruined worlds or little left to go back to coming together in the form of Farmworld Finn surviving his battle with the Scarab and traveling to Vampire World to continue the good fight in a way that matters to him while his kids get to grow up somewhere safe; there, he meets up with Vampire World Bonnibel, and they team up to fix things as best as possible, possibly even following their worlds merging as a result of cosmic auditors noting that their worlds are otherwise untidy enough and better suited mashed together

But its not enough to just have Princess Bubblegum, Finn the human and Jake the dog together again; there is a FOURTH member of that found family. It's not complete without Marceline, adopted Petrikov. But the Marceline of that world is... perhaps, too far gone. A corruption of the Marcy we know and love. Redemption is for her, perhaps not IMPOSSIBLE, but certainly something outside the scope of what I want to do. But you know one possibility?

The unknown fate of the original Marceline of Winter King's world. And one potential vibe I have for why she might be angry at Winter King even after his death and the source of some complex feelings, and what Ice Marceline actually was, can all be summed up by a relevant panel of Protoman from the Mega Man comics:

Winter King Marceline raises a LOT of questions and open ideas.

We don't have anything to go on, besides the fact that an Ice Marceline acting as a play replica implies that she is either gone or Winter King THINKS she's gone. Betty is also dead, or that Winter King believes she is. So here's my idea; the Marceline of that world IS still alive, but quite different from mainline Adventure Time world; I propose that she actually occupies a similar role to Magic Woman Betty, as a magically powerful wizard who has done complicated things and even acted as an antagonist in her desperate attempts to save Winter King from himself, but in the end it was too late, and she couldn't save him.

The idea I have is that for various reasons, she is not connected to the Finn of her world or Princess Bubblegum; its likely that if they ever knew each other, the circumstances behind her Simon's death and his crimes against that PB left her with a very severe conflict of loyalties and was ultimately too distanced from either; its not impossible that at some point she MIGHT return to them, but I'm thinking that the mode her is that these are people who were meant on some level to unite in the Finn/PB/Marceline family triangle, but due to accidents of fate or bad circumstances, it didn't turn out that way.

In this case, that particular part of the eternal recurrance did NOT work out for them, but through the actions of Fionna and Simon bringing other worlds together, they have a chance to start anew; Magic Marceline comes to vampire world and meets up with them, deciding that she can at least fix SOMETHING even if she can't save the man that used to be her father.

This take on her draws much more on her demonic nature; her soul sucking powers have been honed so that she's stolen magical power from others with the intent of ultimately trying to find a way to do the same with the Ice Crown without harming Simon in the process, and she's garnered a bunch of different wizard powers that let her do the sort of things Marceline can otherwise do. This version of her most likely looks more human, similar to Marshall Lee in Fionna's world; not sure why yet but maybe she has actively altered her appearance to distance herself further from her father, or she simply looked more like her mother here.

As another detail on how warped and tragic the dynamic of Winter King was, I'm also thinking that her relationship with him was full of conflicts leaving her feeling tremendously messed up; she loved him but she hated what he'd become, she known for a while there was not coming back from what he'd done but she still tried so hard, and in the end he deliberately forgot her in favor of an illusion of the child she once was.

[sometipsygnostalgic]

16 for the violence ask game 🔪

Thank you Jagm, I can always count on you to choose violence.

16 - you can't understand why so many people like this thing (characterization, trope, headcanon, etc)

This is a hard one to answer because I absolutely understand why people like most things, at least in the things I enjoy. I consider myself to be very good at analysing what makes media and even fanfic feel good.

The main problem is that my answer deeply ties to every other question on this bloody post!!!!

But with She-ra, this largely ties into romance.

With Entrapdak I don't like the Suave Hordak trope. To me he's not suave at all, I don't like it when he calls Entrapta "Starlight" which is a popular thing people came up with. I prefer a straight up abundance of autism with my Entrapdak. Hordak calls Entrapta "Entrapta." and Entrapta calls him "Hordak!!!!" and nicknames are for losers.

With Catradora I don't like that people remove Catra's fangs. This is probably my answer to every damn question on that post. Why do people mischaracterize Catra as a pathetic little blorbo who is a victim of everything and is mildly tsundere. This is what Hordak should be-- okay ignore that, I have my own issues with Hordak's blorbification especially in canon-compliant fanfic. But in fanfic AU scenarios, people love working with S5 Catra in her final form, they don't bother touching on dysfunctional earlier show Catra, nevermind her S4 self. If I write a Catra-focused AU I think I'm going to focus on that broken version of her.

What is the obsession with characters having kids? Okay I know that we are all gay and gay people having kids is a fantasy but, fucking hell, raising kids is HARD. I don't think "this relationship is so much richer because they had children who look like a cursed crossover of both characters". You can agree with me on that one, right Jagm?

Oh and finally I don't like that everyone has decided the romance is UNAMBIGUOUSLY set in stone. I blame Nate somewhat for this because he basically word-of-god canonized all the unconfirmed romances. But specifically I think of Entrapdak. It's a good reading but it doesn't need to be romantic to still be one of the most amazing dynamics in the show. Same for Scorfuma, a lot of doors have been opened for them and I'm sure they're falling in love, but it doesn't mean they'll settle down immediately and have flower babies. Queerplatonic relationships are good and valuable too, as is intense platonic love. These characters still prioritise each other.

With Adventure Time, it's the way everyone wants Finn to have a GF at the end. Who gives a fuck!!!! The entire point was Finn learning about his own strengths and weaknesses without fixating on the next girl. He is now able to stand on his own two feet and he isn't going to wallow in misery because he isn't smooching someone. After all, Jake is his soulmate, nobody else.

[rosechilds-writing-desk]

I've been reading up on pluralpedia and I think we are a proxy system and I'm partially a headmate challener(?) Byt not really? There are things I "just know" about some headmates and tend to feel their emotions really strongly. But this still doesn't explain why Shimon and I are basically the same but different, to the extent that sometimes things that happen to me in the headspace also happen to him.

Random things I know about system (for my own notes but you can look too!) I might be missing things or things may change who knows. I still don't know much about us.

I am the only host that has ever been in front. I do have vivid memories of disasociating in grade school, so I know we are traumagencic.

There are at least nine of us counting me. Oliver, Fujioka, Clary, Shimon, Jace, Koko, Kurt and Finn.

I cannot access the inner world at all. I have no idea what it's like back there apart from Clary and Fujioka who has "shown" me their "rooms". Other that that I've never accessed the headspace. However, the others come co-con occasionally and have real time reactions to what's going on. I have been told by them that it also helps that I have such a detailed internal monologue.

I can feel a lot of their emotions so I often have to stop and think whether or not their emotions are me or them. But that's also a bit wonky. It's not always 100% and I do not think all the headmates are aware of this connection? It also took me a long time to tell the difference between things I inatately know about them vs what they tell me. An example being a miscommunication that accured when I noted Clary's sexuality and she got upset and thought I was making assumptions based on her personality or something and Shimon had to explain that I can't sort out what I "just know" from what I've been told.

I know headspace is technically a synonym for inner world but I'm not exactly sure what to call the co-con space. I can see them in the co-con space extremely clearly and this is where we converse when we are co-con. Sometimes I have a very weird partial "avatar" in that space and its used to interact with them but I am still front, I feel through this partial me when the others touch me but do not get phantom feelings of it in the body? Anyway It is all black, sometimes shades of Grey. Kind of like the skyrim loading screen! Shimon is usually leaning up on an invisible ledge as he talks to me. He is there 9/10 even if he is not communicating with me, followed by Clary.

They tend to dissappear into "the back" when they leave this space. It feels like there's a gap between two black walls (that just looks like one sea of black) that they vanish into/appear from behind.

I do not know how many people are in the inner world and I certainly do not know who the "gatekeepers are" but they seem to not want me in the back/not want me to know who's in the back. I've tried asking and don't really get much.

I am aware that at the very least I have more Glee fictives. I asked Kurt if there was anyone he would want to talk to if I saw them and he got mad and said he didn't want to talk to my shitty friends and everyone he needs is in the inner world but did not elaborate.

I do not know who the gatekeepers are. I do not know what the inner world looks like as a whole. I only know that Clary's room is at the institute and that Fujioka spends a lot of time in an exact copy of the library from my irl middle school.

Shimon and I are extremely confconfusing and I also have a version of his source as a kintype. I call him my co-pilot because he is almlst always here. He also is the one who gets most frustrated with being stuck in the back and unable to front. But the connection I have with Shimon is still very confusing. Someone suggested that we might be in a subsystem together. I'm wondering if that's possible. But its also worth noting that all 3 of my headmates from his source are from different sources. (I originally thought Shimon and Clary introverted from the same place, however I am now seeing more clearly that Jace, Clary, and Shimon are from all different spurces. Shimon and Clary being married is unrelated to their source)

To elaborate on Shimon and I's memories. One of us has memories of Luke being a detective as he is in the television show and the other has memories of him owning a bookstore as he does in the books/film and we have no clue at all who's are who's. It's a mystery.

I have a partial theory that he partially split durring a traumatic event when I was in high school and didn't fully split until later though I know this isn't exactly something I've ever heard of. I do not think it follows any structures of plurality, however. I'm not entirely sure how subsystems work. But it kind of feels like we are like this:

I think Koko might hold some of my autism symptoms. He only uses physical communication and has a very intense draw to cats.

Ollie (Oliver to everyone outside the system + Kurt) for some reason only protects Fujioka. I am not entirely sure why that is. I have reason to believe that Fujioka could be some sort of school trauma holder.

Kurt feels like a prosecutor of some kind. He tends to cause problems on purpose when he shows up. He is very easy to pacify though. He tends to target Fujioka, Ollie and I. He also lashes out at his sourcemates when we watch his source. He likes touch Fujioka (nothing weird, but he likes to dress them up and touch their hair. Fujioka is 100% with this however he does it because it makes Ollie REALLY upset. I have seen Ollie get violent with Kurt before and I've been told by Shimon that it was not that first time after breaking up the fight) he also just likes being mean at times. He insulted Fujioka's looks and insulted me. It seemed at first to be retaliation against me for how I regarded his source counterpart but I get the feeling more that he is pre-dispositioned to be antagonistic towards us. Even after I've pacified him and made up he gets very angry very easily and seems to want to take it out on us or his sourcemates.

Another thing about Kurt is that I believe he appeared in middle school and went to the back sometime durring high school. When he first emerged he thought I was leaving for school soon and age slid when we learned we were older now.

Finn is some kind of caretaker. He's very gentle and tends to shake me from my intrusive thoughts spiral at times.

I have a joke running theory that my gate-keepers are also two specific fictives and I'm starting to question if im correct because they won't way a word. However I have no proof of this. I have considered trying to bait them out but I think that would be cruel.

Update: as I was writing Oliver revealed his room to me as well.

All of the headmates are over 20 years of my age with (Shimon and Clary aging with the body) apart from Fujioka who is 16. The world is very small for him it feels like? Leading me to believe she is a trauma holder. When Kurt came out of the back he changed his age because he didn't want to be a teen. Haruhi stayed the same and... as far as she's concerned so is everyone else? Fujioka refers to Shimon and I as senpai as if we're in school together and they do speak to each other in Japanese. (I no longer speak it, but Fujioka seems a little formal with Shimon) I originally offered to let Fujioka use kun or chan for me and they seemed uncomfortable. I offered san and this left them confused so I stopped pushing the issue. I see no reason to shatter her reality as she does not front.

Fujioka tends to call Ollie "dad" at times and I believe she spends a lot of time in his room or he guards Fujioka's library. He takes his job very seriously. He views attempts to get close to him as a threat to her. Their relationship seems to be a flip flop between bodyguard/asset and father/child. Both these dynamics exist separately but at the same time.

While Fujioka identifies as Aroace I have reason to believe she had feelings for Ootori.

[tuiyla]

Glee covers that recontextualized the original song

[originally on r/glee]

So I think that the best thing a show like Glee can do to a song is use the original meaning and transform it into something different and hopefully meaningful to the context of its characters. We all know that out of the 700 or so songs covered a lot were just cash grabs, covering what's popular to chart and get that iTunes money. But there were also some that were genuinely poignant to the characters and the storylines or just in general special in their own way. Recontextualisation can mean a lot of things and most GCVs are transforming the original just by virtue of existing within the narrative of the show but I'm looking for Glee versions that really feel like they elevate the song in some way, like they make you look at it in a different way.

I'll share a few examples that have been on my mind but I'm sure there are many, many more, so please do add your own and explain it in as much detail as you'd like, I'd love to hear your faves. I've chosen three solos and, as a preamble, I'm usually not a huge fan of solos as a type of cover on Glee. They were far more common than duets or group numbers but I think a solo has to work harder, in a way, to justify its existence as a cover. At least if you cover what was originally a solo as a duet or group number, you can play with several voices and the distribution of parts and create meaning through that. This really is just imo but I think a solo needs to have at least some form of recontextualization to make me care that a new singer is now covering it.

Luckily this does happen often in Glee and without further ado, here are just three examples that are my favourites/have been on my mind recently.

I Want to Hold Your Hand

I just rewatched "Grilled Cheesus" today so I have very fresh memories of this Kurt performance. Originally, it's a pretty straightforward Beatles song with some generic lyrics and a pleasant melody - Beatles fans don't come for me, I'm not saying there's anything wrong with generic. It's a pretty tame love song and not so overtly romantic that it'd be weird for a song to sing it about a hospitalized father. In fact, it even has that soft quality that makes it pretty wholesome.

The recontextualisation, for me, comes in when we consider what holding his father's hand means to Kurt versus what it meant for the Beatles as a tame love song. It's no longer about this most innocent of physical contacts between lovers but the desperate cry of a boy who wants his father to squeeze his hand back. It's still about intimacy, in a way, but it's now about a familial bond and the need for someone to hold us and say it's gonna be okay.

There's one line in particular why this got stuck in my head and even made me write this post now, despite having been thinking about the other two examples for months and months. It's this part:

Oh, please, say to me

You'll let me be your man

As I was crying my eyes out watching flashbacks of the Hummels, this part struck me as particularly emotional in the context of their relationship. We get the feeling that before the series' start the relationship between father and son is somewhat distant. Don't get me wrong, Burt has always looked after Kurt and tried his best but prior to Kurt officially coming out and the two actively working on this relationship it was an uneasy dynamic. They've been getting better and trying more and it's wonderful to witness, but they both occasionally struggle with navigating their father-son bond in a homophobic world where Kurt is constantly being put down and Burt tried to unlearn harmful ideas he grew up with. As we see in season 1, there's tension between the two when it comes to this concept of The Son who learns from The Father, and I'm being dramatic with the capitalization but that's because these are larger themes they're working with. Conflict arises when Kurt feels like Burt is getting the father-son bonding they never did with Finn and, even though Burt doesn't want him to feel this way, there's a sense that Kurt isn't manly enough to be his boy. It's not their individual fault but it's a shitty thing regardless that Kurt doesn't always feel like he's the son whom his father wanted, like he can't grow into the man he wanted.

So when Kurt sings, "let me be your man", it's such a small thing in this already emotionally charged performance but it alone is enough to make me reconsider the whole song. Because Kurt wants nothing more than to be able to hold his dad's hand again and maybe even be the one who says it's all gonna be okay this time. He wants Burt to live long enough to see him become a man.

If I Were a Boy

That Kurt section was longer than intended so let's see how much I've got to say about Unique, lol. Alex Newell's voice is such that a Unique solo was bound to end up as one of my favourites in the entire show but I'm really glad the character was allowed not only stunning vocals but narratively important songs. There are many interpretations to every song, but the way I see it Beyoncé's original version is about femininity and the double standards women face. It's about trying to challenge people, specifically men to change perspective. It's essentially a thought experiment about gender-swapping and it tells the story of misfortune on a small and personal scale.

Now think about it in the context of Unique's character. Particularly in the episode "The End of Twerk" but really throughout her run on the show, Unique struggles with misgendering and flat-out transphobia. She's not always recognized for the woman she is, challenged about her gender identity, challenged about her right to exist, really. So it's in that context that we're giving "If I Were a Boy", a song about hypothetical gender-swapping, to Unique, a trans woman. When Unique sings about the double standards between genders, it hits different because she knows what it feels like to be perceived as a man and it wasn't true to who she was. Instead of challenging an unfaithful partner, Unique is challenging anyone listening to see that yes, it is different for men and women and it makes all the difference for her when people recognize and respect her as not just a boy but a woman. A woman who didn't choose to be one and didn't choose to have transphobia and gendered double standards be imposed on her.

I think that Unique's version still has that underlying plea of asking men to consider how it feels but it just has so many more layers now because of her identity and journey. She's speaking as someone who has been seen as a boy before but also as someone who is a woman and knows how tough it can be. We see some great acting through song from Alex Newell as they tear up during the performance without taking it too far and making it melodramatic. Instead, the heartbreak of this cover lies in its simplicity. As the song ends, it's ultimately that last line that keeps haunting me:

But you're just a boy...

Because that's what Unique's been told over and over again, and that's a kind of meaning that never would have been there in the original version.

Mine

This really shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone who's heard me go on about, well, any aspect of this whole scene. I'll try to keep it brief and we'll see how it goes. So with this one, Taylor Swift has spoken on several occasions about the idea behind the original song and I'm sure any Swiftie could do a much better job of explaining that context than I could here. For the purposes of this post, let's consider Taylor's version as a song about a could-be, a potential future that plays out with all the ups and downs and the hope of making it work despite everything that could stand in its way. Honestly there's way more to be said about the original song but for now really just leave it at "ultimately hopeful love story about a future together."

So what does Santana Lopez do, she uses it as a breakup song. It's a serenade to Brittany reminiscent of "Songbird", except that was before a proper relationship between the two even formed and now here they are, at a painful end. It's a slower and more melancholic version of the song and that alone means it's different but there are so many layers to what makes "Mine" such a transformative cover and a very, very strong contender for my favourite Glee cover of all time. One, it's how Santana seems to use it to lament about their past and the future she imagined they would have but they might never get to experience. As Brittany says, she turns it into a sad song while the original was really more hopeful than anything. Two, Naya Rivera's acting once again shines as she conveys all the emotions she needs to while doing nothing more than sitting there and facing the girl she loves, in the room where they fell in love. Even without watching the performance, even if you just listen to the studio version you can hear the pain behind her words and how difficult this decision to end things is for her.

Those two aspects would already be enough and I could talk much more about both the context of the song and Naya's vocals and acting, but I also want to focus on a third aspect. Much like with the first two songs, there's a particular bit in the song that cements it as a recontextualised one in my mind. Said bit in "Mine" is when the song switches perspective and the lyric changes to quoting this lover Taylor imagined a future with. Some of it is cut in the episode version but my favourite part made it in:

You said, "I remember how we felt, sitting by the water

(And every time I look at you, it's like the first time

I fell in love with a careless man's careful daughter)

She is the best thing that's ever been mine"

Words cannot express how much I love this but I'll try anyway. So once again there are several layers, and the one that strikes me the most is the pronoun. "Mine" is a not very gendered song save for a few words here and there and the most we get is that the singer is a woman because of this quote part that's from the lover's perspective. When Taylor sings "she" and when Santana sings "she", we understand that they're talking about themselves through the lovers' lens. But I love it so much when Glee does the pronoun change thing and though that's not quite what happens here, I think it's important to highlight this one line and one word nonetheless. Because of the way Naya sings it, putting some slight emphasis on "she is the best thing" and the way the whole scene is structured, Glee doesn't have to touch the lyrics for us to still understand that this is transformed and it's Santana talking about Brittany. She is the best thing that's ever been hers and she'll always love her the most. And do you believe it now? Even though they're breaking up, they'll make it somehow.

[shadowmaat]

Racism and BoBF

I haven't watched Book of Boba Fett yet, mostly because I don't trust Disney to do justice to the character. What I've heard from folks who have been watching is encouraging, though. I'm still leery, but I may give it a shot.

It sounds like Temuera Morrison is being allowed input into the show, which is fantastic. There are a lot of Māori influences into who Boba is as a person and I LOVE the sound of that. I'm also liking what I've heard about the Tuskens and how they're being handled. Ep 1 reviews sounded discouraging, but- surprise- it seems it's going to be more layered than one single take.

The biggest problem I've seen so far is, of course, fandom. Middle-aged white men are furious at what Boba has become, with at least one going so far as to say that he was better "when the helmet stayed on."

I've also seen people- including white women- complain that he's "boring" now, that he's been "Disneyfied" (well, DUH), and that he's basically just "Mando Too."

Look. I'm a white girl (or girl-adjacent) too, but this is Red Flag territory. "Boring" is a label that gets applied WAY too often to Brown and Black characters. Witness white fangirl reactions to Finn, who wound up sidelined in his own goddamn movies to make more room for the white villain that the fangirls loved.

If you still want to call Boba "boring," that's fine, but I hope you're able to articulate WHY, other than "he just is." I can find similarities between him and some white characters who are incredibly popular, so there's gotta be something to make Boba different and less good, right? Maybe it's the same problem white fangirls had with John Boyega: they think Temuera Morrison can't act. That he doesn't emote as well. Uh huh. Sure.

I can see being frustrated with this version of Boba being "Disneyfied," because great and little gods do I hate how the Mouse tries to sanitize everything, but until someone else buys the franchise there isn't a heck of a lot that can be done. I am maliciously curious to see what happens with the Kenobi series and if Obi-Wan will suffer any Mouse-related clean-up efforts.

That being said, however, one of the things I like about this "new" Boba is that he's being given a chance to try a different path. I won't call it a "redemption arc" since that's a loaded and inaccurate term, but I think it's great that he's trying to be a good guy now. Or less bad, at any rate.

I've seen people be mad about that, too; that Disney took a great villain, removed all his teeth, and made him a generic hero instead. It's a complaint that sounds valid and could be valid in some cases. The thing is, though, that as much as fans wish they could ignore it, Boba Fett is a Brown man. Villainous Brown men getting a chance to balance out past mistakes isn't something we get to see often, especially not in the racist landfill known as Star Wars. It's important that Boba Fett in particular is getting this chance. Previously, in the SWCU at least, that's an opportunity that has only ever been given to white men.

So, no, I don't really see the problem with a bad guy trying to be good. Especially since there are eleventy billion stories featuring exactly that. And as much as I enjoy who Boba Fett was, I'm not sure he'd really qualify as one of the Greatest Villains of Star Wars. He was memorable, sure, but his appearances were as brief as his dialogue, and as soon as Lucas realized he was getting popular, he killed him off in as humiliating a way as he could.

There's a whole lot of drama surrounding the "original" version of Boba, the white nerdbros who projected themselves onto his blank slate to such an extent that the rest of fandom grew to hate him, and the selfsame white nerdbros who had a collective aneurysm when the PT revealed Boba to be a "whiny" little Brown boy.

He hasn't had a very good history; not in canon and not in fandom. It isn't really a surprise that fandom continues to have issues with him, but personally, I'm more inclined to listen to the nonwhite fans, most of whom have been wildly enthusiastic about BoBF for the representation, the touches to native culture, and the stances taken so far in regards to colonizers. Those are the voices that matter, and they're the ones telling me that maybe I should swallow my distrust of the Mouse and watch to see Boba does next.

One thing I've heard that does sound valid is that it feels like a big chunk of Boba's backstory is missing. That can be frustrating as heck, but one can certainly HOPE that it's something that will be explored in future eps and not, for example, in some bullshit tie-in material like a book or comic. I do agree it'd be nice to know more, though, and that it's a bit of a necessary item to link Then and Now.

[whereconfusionisarhyme]

First Reactions To Logan’s Playlist

K first song let’s do this

White and Nerdy-Weird Al Yankovic

Wtf this song was definitely Joan’s idea I mean who else would think of ‘White and Nerdy’ for Logan

Is this like canon he listens to this stuff or like songs about him???

Not Perfect-Tim Minchin

TIM MINCHIN

Bo Burnham better be on Logan's playlist

#deep

Is this about the mindpalace/inside of Thomas’ head??? Cause like???? Ouch???? I think????

Lol nvm it’s not sad lmao

I take back my take back it is sad

So this could be literally “in his mind” or it could be figurative and it’s really messing with my funky flow

Streaks-ANIMA!

Cool instrumental

Love the voice sounds a little like MARINA and Regina Spektor

Oh no I’m two lines in and I can tell it’s gonna be sad

OH NO CONFORMITY RELATED ANGST AHHHHH

Wow Logan is just out here being relatable isn’t he smh 😔👊

"Cause you're a smart kid, but you're still a kid" LOGAN REALLY BE OUT HERE BEING RELATABLE ON MAIN

The Elements-Tom Lehrer

Sounds like what piano class would sound like if I took piano class

Something you would listen to in science class

Bop

Medicine-STRFCKR

A Fever You Can't Sweat Out vibes

Lmao nvm

Gonna go look up the lyrics rn brb

A sad bop

Philosophy cool

Human-Tank And The Bangas

Logan playing this to comfort himself because this singer is the only person who has ever told him this

WHO HURT LOGAN WITH THEIR WORDS

LOGAN THE HEART SKIPPING COMMENT ARE YOU OKAY IM GIVING YOU A HUG

GUYS LOGAN IS TRYING TO CONVINCE HIMSELF THAT HE MATTERS IM NOT OKAY

Last???? Relationship???

Okay I'm not a shipper BUT my theorist analysis obsessed brain is just SCREAMING about Roman and Patton

Observation: Logan is probably atheistic and this song covers God a lot. I don't have a conclusion or anything just pointing that out

This woman do be calming tho like yes I'm beautiful yes I'm special thank you

Okay so I already knew Logan wasn't okay but he 100% isn't okay

Fittet Happier-Radiohead

K two words in and I can tell this is gonna be sad here we go

Employees? Or maybe…other sides?

Minor key ok

SELF HARM ISNT OKAY

"WILL NOT CRY IN PUBLIC" NONONONO

So I heard of a good therapist just downtown-

The Watchtower-The Dø

I paused it cause I need a second after the last one

Guys as someone who dissosiates a lot I think Logan might be dissosiating

Dissosiating to protect himself from his emotions

Y'all just trust me in this one

Coming for the TØP brand I see

K ready to start again here we go

Fire beat I'm vibing with it

Is he trying to distance himself from his emotions to try and perform his tasks better like watching from a Watchtower???

This is the first character I've seen that might dissosiate which only means one thing

I'm gonna be projecting an unholy amount in my fanfiction

"No one in particular" hon who hurt you

City Lights=Emotions (which he considers distractions)??? Maybe??

I'm a William Finn fan come on this isn't my first rodeo

Art Is Dead-Bo Burnham

BO BURNHAM I WAS RIGHT

We all love some good Imposter Syndrome (tm)! :D

This gives Learning New Things About Ourselves' a whole new meaning

Ngl this is the first time I heard the degrading of the piano at the end and I'm here for it

In My Mind-Amanda Palmer

Oop we LOVE setting up impossible expectations for yourself to the point you have a cripplingly horrid self esteem! :D

Logan I've done this before and trust me it isn't worth it the mental breakdowns are too taxing

I'll do it when I'm older=I'm never gonna get around to it

I don't wanna be the person I wanna be either

Why do I perfectly understand every lyric am I ok

Live!!! While you!!!! Can!!!!

At least there's a happy ending

Okay so I've decided that once I'm done I'm gonna make a list of songs I think would fit in the playlist

Algorythym-Childish Gambino

K its spelled incorrectly get ready for some metaphors my dudes

Intro is cool definitely very very Logan WOAH OKAY CHAIN SMOKER

Gonna go look up lyrics I don't understand shit

The chorus sounds like Thanksgiving at my Aunt's house where like 100+ African American relatives blast house music and dance until their feet falls off

Nvm no it doesn't

GO OFF

ELPHABA BETTER WATCH OUT CHILDISH GAMBINO IS COMING FOR YOUR BELT

Adlibs are everything

Letter C-Zach Sherwin

This gives off the same vibes as that one pickle video by Charlie Puth

Roman vs Logan rap battle but it's this

I don't really see why this is related but sure

Time Adventure-The Marcus Hedgehog

Nostalgiaaaaaa

Okay Logan has too many songs talking about one (1) person who is it

I have a gut feeling that it's about Thomas and how Logan used to be enough "back then" but now he thinks he's not cause like let's be honest when was the last time someone gave Logan a strong sincere thank you for all that he does????Excluding DWIT (which doesn't really count in my opinion cause they said he was cool, not like an integral and arguably the most important and powerful side) nobody really appreciates Logan???? Hugs???

Anyway plz ignore this is just how my brain works

K next song

The Breach-clipping.

OKAY SLOW DOWN IM GONNA LOOK UP LYRICS

Is this Daveed Diggs???? I haven't listened to Hamilton in like forever is this Daveed Diggs???

LITERALLY PERFECY PARRALLEL TO LOGAN AND THE SIDES

Sound effects

Really just gonna fry my eardrums like that huh

What I Do For U-Ra Ra Riot

Okay scrap anything and everything I said about it being the sides Logan is 100% talking about Character!Thomas

Erase Me-Ben Folds Five

Ooh this intro reminds me of this one particular musical songs but I don't remember which one

Wait have I listened to this before????

I've listened to this before!

Okay I need to stop being distracted

NOOOOOO don't Erase Yourself!!!!

Logan really just do be having no Self Esteem don't he

Okay so theory: Logan didn't pop up in person in the last video because his eyes were too red from crying

I have 0 evidence so it's not a very good theory but…

Just throwing it out there

One More Time with Feeling-Regina Spektor

Oh no it's Regina Spektor

Oh no I'm gonna cry

Okay so Logan doesnt wanna block of all emotion, only permit some to show???? But most of the time block everything????

Did I get that???

Nobody!!!! Thanks!!!! Logan!!!!

Awww he just wants love and recognition

Tbh this sounds a lot like Roman they have so much in common despite their constant arguing

Galaxy Song-Monty Python

Ooh Monty Python

I haven't listened to Monty Python so I sadly don't know the context

Really just dissing all of the other sides aren't we

Can't really blame him tho

Very scientific

"Yeau~"

Sweet with dark undertones. Love it.

Equation-Hans Zimmer

Later I'm gonna check the equations if they're correct XD

Sunrise-In The Heights

!!!!!!

WHO???!!!!!

K to this is one of my favorite love songs ever it's just so sweet and as someone who's bilingual the concept is just amazingly wonderful so yeah I may be freaking out

Also because WHO??!!

Okay I said I wasn't a shipper but let's be honest this is probably about Roman not romantically but like

OR MAYBE JANUS???

IM SO CONFUSED

But Logan is definitely Nina in this situation it just fits so well with her character for the same reasons I really wanna play her (but never will cause I'm exactly 0% Latin American smh) yeah the pressures to be the smartest and then it backfiring horribly and oh God what if Inùtil is also in the playlist ahhhh

Okay moving on

Lifeboat-Heathers

WHAT

NO

NO

CONFORMITY RELATED ANGST LOGAN STOP BEING RELATABLE AHHHH

IS THIS CAPTAIN THOMAS??? THE OTHER SIDES AS A WHOLE??? AN ABSTRACT CONCEPT???

IM NOT OKAY

Bohemian Groove-Will Connolly

Okay I'm still not recovered from the last song but I need to continue or else I'm never gonna finish this playlist

Eeecccchhhhhoooo

Your friends haven't surpassed you Logan you belong with them okay????

Emptiness despite success??? Millennial who???

Vibing with it but also are you okay

Nvm I know the answer already

Hug All Ur Friends-Cavetown

Okay so Logan is a Cavetown gay noted

Self validation??? Who's she???

Lies. You care so much about what other people *sides* think about you

Maybe Logan listens to this song to remind himself to not care too much

But it doesn't work and it's getting to him more and more

Oh

That took a turn

Breathin'-Thomas Sanders

Good move

Don't really have much to say on this

The Bidding

Spoopy

Alchoholic!Logan

New idea for us fan writers

The pronunciation of beurgoise

Okay I'm like pretty certain at this point that all of the songs that mention a someone else is about Character!Thomas

A Better Version

OHMYGOD I LOVE THIS MUSICAL ITS SO UNDERRATED I HAVE LISTENED TO THE SOUNDTRACK AND UNGODLY AMOUNT OF TIMES YESSSSS

But also since I know the song in terrified cause the feels are gonna come in I just know it

Wait so is Jayce supposed to be Thomas???

I am suddenly feeling much more uncertain about my certainty

Okay let me unpause and just listen to it (even though I already know all of the lyrics)

Okay so I'm a dumbass and apparently this song isn't even part of the playlist

Okay so I'm an idiot and the last few songs have all been "related to playlist" and not in the actual playlist I'm big dumb.

Anyway here's my list of songs I think would fit. (BTW, I only went off of lyrics for these ones. I realize that there’s a general sound and vibe for the playlist, but I decided not to follow it.)

Oh No! ~ MARINA

Hug All Ur Friends ~ Cavetown

Bohemian Groove ~ Will Connolly

Guiltless ~ Dodie Clark

Lifeboat ~ Laurens O’Keefe

The Bidding ~ *idk who*

I Am Not A Robot ~ MARINA

Inútil - Lin Manuel Miranda

Through The Eyes Of A Child ~ AURORA

Community Gardens ~ The Scary Jokes

Let me know if I should do this with the other playlists as well! :)

[harusha]

I just saw your post about PJ and I'm wondering, do you have any book recs?

On mythology specifically or overall? I’m gonna do both since I’m not sure. Also sorry for the relatively late reply, I had to think about this, and I just got back from dinner.

The Count of Monte Cristo- Fantastic page turner, and a genuinely good “revenge” tale. It’s actually one of the first of that kind (or at the very least, one of the most popular ones). It’s also a book that a lot of people cite as the one that changes their mind on classics as “boring.”

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn- Somewhat of a controversial pick (both because of its subject matter and because it’s often “required high school reading,” ie “boring” to a lot of people.)

Huck Finn is an exceedingly complex character, and his friendship with Jim is really good. Pay attention to what Huck Finn does and says; he’s an unreliable narrator due to how he was brought up, his age, and his illiteracy. There’s also a lot of symbolism and other literary devices at play in his character (ex. notice his fixation with death and how it colors how Twain writes him). It’s very much a book I recommend if you want to study the unreliable narrator as a trope, the  Naïf version of it.

As a side note, it’s very poignant because of how Huck learns to condemn his racism. One of the messages you can get from this book is “If this uneducated poor white boy can learn to overcome his prejudices, so too can someone who has been educated, has money, etc.” It is a brutal condemnation of racism (though you do have to consider the time period, the “lens” of which you have to view through.)

Lolita- Another controversial pick, and one I’ll upright say as a lot of trigger warnings attached (google the summary, and you’ll see what I mean).

Beautiful prose (some of my favorite in literature actually) and a monster of a protagonist. When you read this, remember how Humbert Humbert is framing it. He is telling his tale to a court; he is unreliable and will frame events to make himself appear sympathetic. One notable factor of the author’s skill is how often Humbert gains the readers’ sympathy despite the atrocious subject matter. I personally felt viscerally uncomfortable reading his thoughts, and this is one of the few books that has ever made me feel that way. I didn’t fall into the sympathy trap, but look at any discussion of the book, and you’ll see what I mean.

I also recommend this author’s (Vladimir Nabokov) other works.

Franz Kafka’s literary works- Kafka is one of my favorite authors because he really showcases the isolation (both due to WWI, technological advancement, and the “beginnings” of modern capitalism) of the beginning of the 1900s, and he’s one of modernism’s premier authors. His works often deal with the themes of isolation, judgement, and outcasts. 

In particular, I’m fond of “The Metamorphosis” (cliche pick I know) and “In the Penal Colony.” The former is a short story so quick read if you just wanna try his writing style + it’s very influential (See Part 1 of Tokyo Ghoul for one example).

Also know that Kafka had a very strained relationship with his father and a conflicted relationship with his religion. I recommend reading “Letter to his Father” first to get an understanding of Kafka’s psyche to truly get pass the “nonsensical” nature of his works. It, like the title says, is a letter he wrote to his father, but his mother never delivered it.

If you want even more info on Kafka to understand his works, I recommend Kafka: Judaism, Politics, and Literature which covers a lot more (and in more succinct words) than I can on his works and life. As a fun fact, Vladimir Nabokov also placed him as one of the greatest writers of the 20th century. On Kafka himself, he thought he was a failure of a human being and writer, and now look at him. He’s up there in the Western Canon with Shakespeare.

Paradise Lost + Paradise Regained- If you’re interested in Lucifer (or Samael if you subscribe to that theory), this is a must-read. Beautiful, haunting, and with a very charismatic figure in Lucifer. Alongside the obvious Divine Comedy, this work has influenced the portrayal of Lucifer and Hell quite a bit imo. Namely, the “sympathetic” portrayal you find in works such as Supernatural. It’s also an epic poem so it’s best listened to imo rather than read.

No Longer Human- Osamu Dazai’s work if you’re into that one show. An incredibly depressing book that’s often thought to be semi-autobiographical. It’s a haunting book that I don’t recommend for prose, but for the mood it evokes. I don’t recommend this unless you’re in a decent state of mind.

The Catcher in the Rye- Mildly controversial pick in that you either hate Holden or love him. It’s a book where you have to be in the “right” state of mind to appreciate Holden. For example, the period of moving away from home for college  This work deals with societal isolation and human loneliness and features an unreliable narrator.

It’s just a very particular feeling you have to be experiencing to appreciate Holden. I think anyway.

The Epic of Gilgamesh- Not super fancy or a reinterpretation of whatever. Just the oldest known written work of mankind. I like it a lot, but I like Sumerian myth so YMMV. It’s still missing a few tablets last I checked, but still a good read.

Also the related Enuma Elish, you get the creation myth.

Vampire Chronicles- I recommend the first three or four so books honestly. Afterwards, Anne Rice just goes off the rails. Prose is pretty, and Lestat is a terrible person but fascinating to read about. I am partial to Armand though tbh.

Dracula- I think this is another page-turner. I certainly enjoyed it. I don’t think it’s as scary as it would be in its’ published time period, but it is a classic Gothic horror. The unabridged version may look intimidating, but like Monte Cristo, you’ll sweep through it rather quickly.

“A Rose for Emily”- One of William Faulkner’s short stories. I think it’s a lovely piece and showcases the Southern Gothic (crumbling house, decaying and failing tradition and the southern nobility, etc.) There’s a theme of decay and time passing throughout this work.

As a side note, I actually enjoy Faulkner a lot, but he’s a difficult author imo. It’s not as apparent in this work, but more so in Intruder in the Dust (the first racial thriller) and especially The Sound and The Fury.

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof- A play that deals with repressed homosexuality (maybe, it depends on how you interpret Brick’s dialogue and actions), loss, and denial. I quite like it a lot, and Tennessee Williams actually was gay (was because he’s dead and all). I read it, but tbh I feel like it would be better watched if you can find a performance on Youtube.

The Picture of Dorian Gray- Oscar Wilde’s most well known work imo. I enjoy the prose and the themes of corruption and indulgence present throughout the novel. There’s also a lot of allusions to Faust in it if you’re interested in that.

Peter Darling-a more modern choice but it features a trans and gay protagonist. Part of what I enjoy is how it’s not browbeaten into you that the protagonist is trans. It’s interwoven into the character where it’s an important part of him, but to where it doesn’t overwhelm his entire character. However, this is a novel where I feel the beginning and ending are great, but the middle is so-so. It’s a retelling of Peter Pan.

The Tain- Focuses on Cu Cuchulain and his cycle.

Poetic Edda- A must read if you’re interested in exploring Norse myths outside of Marvel. It’s basically a collection of tales.

Arabian Nights- Scheherazade is one of my favorite female figures from literature. She’s daring, clever, and particularly resourceful. It’s a frame narrative sort of tale so you technically won’t be seeing her as much since she’s telling each story, but it’s a lovely piece and perfect for a bedtime read because of its collection of tales. A lot of them have been referenced in media and related as well.

The Book Thief- Classic YA novel rec. It’s set in WWII and one of the novels that really showcases what YA could be. Basically a classic gem in the rough pile.

John Keats- He’s a poet, but I love his poetry because of how haunting and dark it can get; he often deals with themes of mortality.. Ode to Nightingale is particularly good.

China’s Four Great Classical Novels (Journey to the West, Dreams of the Red Chamber, Water Margin, Romance of the Three Kingdoms)- I decided to clump them here since this is already super long. Each one is incredibly well-known in Asia (and obviously China), and you can find allusions everywhere to these four novels. Each novel is rather long and expensive though (I paid like 40 USD for each set). Journey to the West follows Sun Wukong, unarguably one of the most well-known figures in literature (at least in the East; he’s super influential, but somewhat less so in the West; keyword somewhat). Dreams of the Red Chamber has some very pretty poems, but it’s often thought to be the semi autobiographical work of the author (it deals with the rise and fall of his family and the dynasty).

Daiyu’s flower poem is one of the most memorable for example.

The blossoms fade, the blossoms fly,  the blossoms fill the sky. Their crimson fades, their scent dies out,  and who is there to pity?  Drifting threads gently twist together  and float past the springtime lodge;  Falling willow floss lightly sticks  and strikes the lady’s window drapes.

Water Margin is a bit “bawdier” than the other ones imo, but it’s a good tale and has many notable figures and scenes. On Three Kingdoms, it’s the one I’d recommend to start with if you’re interested in military intrigue and battles.

I also have a Goodreads where I organize everything by shelf if you prefer to look at that. I do need to update it though tbh.

https://www.goodreads.com/Mahariel

[spaceorphan18]

I'd love to hear more of your thoughts re: 23, how Chris' artistic choices were mistaken for apathy. I apologize if you go into this in your meta (which I didn't realize you were finished with and I'm SUPER excited to jump into!) -- clearly you're acknowledging that there is some sort of shift in Kurt's character. I think he's noticeably not as into the "Klaine" relationship and I just assumed it was because Chris was over Glee at that point. What do you think?

Okay - so yeah, I do get into it within the meta - so if you want super specifics - it’s there.  You think a scene looks off? Go check what I have to say - cause I’m sure I’ve tried to hit every complaint.  

So - first of all, though, I need to say this - there’s this habit of -- hey this scene isn’t the be all and end all of everything I wanted it to be -- especially after I’ve been spoiled about it.  And I do think /that/ plays into it.  

And yes, I do think Chris was getting tired of the show, but so was everyone else.  And I feel like it’s disingenuous to saddle him as being the one checked out when I think everyone had their moments - especially the last few seasons after they’re all dealing with the tragic early death of a friend and coworker.  But I also think once an actor says admits that (and Chris did) -- people jump on to every little thing not quite up to their personal standards and declares that it’s Chris not being into it.  

And quite frankly - it does frustrate me a little bit.  Cause no other actor gets as much scrutiny for it, and I really don’t think that it’s fair -- especially when there were other actors who had lackluster moments, too...   

I also think that, as a fandom, we micro-analyze these scenes and sometimes forget the bigger picture of what’s going on -- and we did that especially in season 5 when we weren’t sure what was going on with season 6, and I feel like once we have the whole picture - a lot of Chris’s acting choices actually make more sense (to me).  

I also believe Chris is professional enough to do his job, too...  

There is another huge thing I’d like to point out -- Darren, when talking about his time on Versace, mentioned that a lot of time, performances are shaped by directing and editing - and when he watched Versace, he felt like there pieces missing (cause they had to cut them out) and that some of his process wasn’t shone.  

And that clicked with me.  An actor’s performance is only one part of it.  There’s direction - what the actors are specifically /told/ to do, and then editing - where other people piece together what we see and create a performance out of what they’re given.  And I think a lot of times - things were edited together weirdly, tbh.  But I think it’s important to remember that someone’s acting/performance isn’t the full picture - and that there are other factors that go into creating a show.  

That said -- some specifics...  

I haven’t heard of many complaints about Chris’s acting until the end of season 4 - if there’s another, earlier moment you’d like to know more about, I’d suggest checking the meta.  I probably won’t get into this again because people get super wanky easily over this - and I’m just a little tired of it, tbh.  

1. The Lesbian/Breadstix scene of All or Nothing (4x22) - So.  First of all, this is an editing issue more than a performance issue.  If you look at a lot of the over the shoulder shots, or shots when Kurt’s very off to the side - you can see him smiling happily at Blaine.  Kurt wasn’t dismissive of Blaine at all - but because of the editing wanting to keep Kurt’s inner thoughts more of a mystery (because of the ending cliffhanger) they didn’t show the times when Kurt seemed to be having a good time.  Plus - they’re with strangers, and Kurt isn’t exactly the most open person when people he doesn’t know.  Plus also - the point of this scene isn’t about Klaine’s relationship, it’s about LGTB rights and the lesbians getting engaged.  

I know I go on about this scene in the meta - so I do suggest you check that out for more details.  

2. In Love Love Love, Chris’s acting is spot on - and I see absolutely zero issues.  He’s completely checked in and plays Kurt masterfully here.  People don’t complain about LLL - I’m just bringing it up because I feel like that Chris hits the major Klaine moments out of the ballpark every time.  

3. Movin’ Out - in general there was grumbling about the Klaine stuff, but again, I don’t see the issue.  Their one real scene together was awkwardly staged, but I see no issue with the acting in the scene.  And it’s not Chris’s fault there wasn’t a scripted kiss there.  **shrugs**

4. Mid-season 5 - did people have problems with Kurt’s acting during this? Did people notice? I feel like people only seem to have issues when it’s directly connected to Blaine, and that doesn’t feel fair.  

My only issue with Puppet Master is that they didn’t have a final scene for Klaine to reconnect and be over the conflict - but Glee is bad about those kind of things. 

Other than that...  ??  

I personally have an issue with Previously Unaired Christmas, but only because they never wrote Kurt to be that flirty and up on Blaine.  That’s not Chris’s fault either.  

5. The New York Arc - So, for detailed info, I really suggest the meta, cause I go super into Kurt’s headspace and defend Chris’s choices here a lot.  the tl;dr version -- 

Kurt’s not in a good place in general - partly cause of Finn’s death, partly cause he’s not ready to be married, partly because he’s constantly surrounded by an onslaught of people who are very much about them, partly cause he feels like his career isn’t going anywhere.  Kurt’s in a sad place through most of the arc - which leads to the break up.  

Kurt’s far more irritated and annoyed by Rachel than he ever is with Blaine throughout the arc

When Kurt was supposed to be happy with Blaine he was -- and I didn’t see any issues with Chris’s acting there.  

I know people have issues with the end of Tested - but that was definitely acting choice/direction over performance/actor bleed - and I go way into in the meta.  

I find there’s only one real bad Klaine scene - and that’s their first scene in the Back Up Plan - but its a) a badly written scene and b) It’s Darren whom I find off in it, tbh.  

I do agree that we should have seen more downtime/happier moments to balance out the drama - glee’s writers dropped the ball on that.  

And -- in season 3 we were used to the background moments of Klaine because that’s all we got... but now they’re front and center, we didn’t get background moments the same way.  Personally, I prefer the story and the conflict and the growth, and while yes, I think we could have used some more minor moments, I don’t think we got nothing? Nor do I think Chris was purposely pulling away in what we did see - or least in my own interpretation.  

6. I have zero issues with season six Kurt.  Chris totally knocked the whole thing out of the park, so I have no idea what people’s issues are during that season.  I mean - I kinda understand the lack of feeling married post the Wedding episode - but that was due to the story telling issues and the show not focusing on them as characters /at all/.  I think the finale was fine? 

7. As for Kurt, the character, not seeming as invested in Blaine?? Ug - Kurt loves Blaine.  It’s there, I promise, it really is.  There’s never an instance in the show where I thought - huh, Kurt seems like he doesn’t love Blaine anymore.  Not even during the break ups.  Whether you believe Chris’s acting choices were valid or not - the writing was always there when it came to Kurt loving Blaine. And yeah, I’d have loved to have seen more of it.  But it is there... I spend most of my meta analyzing time talking about it, lol. 

Do I think Chris was 100% on all the time? No - but no actor is.  But I ultimately think that most of the bigger complaints I’ve seen over the years are more from purposeful acting choices during season 5 than Chris being unprofessional.  Hey - if you just don’t see it that way, that’s fine, I’m not going to try to convince you otherwise.  But I really do wish people would go back and watch the full thing with an open mind before outright dismissing or judging it.  

**shrugs**

[scuttleboat]

It's interesting you bring up Kane "Finn Collins-ing", because in all the discourse over how Bellamy has/hasn't changed, I'm getting a sense of "new Kane" off him that I think is why I'm not connecting. It's a very "let me rationally explain things, Octavia, as I expect things from you that I myself was incapable of" vibe, where it's not like he's WRONG, but he's coming off vaguely self-righteous in a way I hope isn't a pattern (especially if Kane is dying and B steps in as "moral authority").

*sigh* I mean, that all kind of is happening? For now, at least. Bellamy turning into Kane or being his apprentice or being his metaphorical son has been really popular in fandom for a long time, and in the show since s3. Which I don’t want to knock at all for other fans but is still, like I said, only like a halfway-interesting thing for me. So anyway. 6 years.

Bellamy Season 5 Big Picture Speculation

To me it seems clear that one of the major goals that came with the time jump was to dramatically change the main characters. They have to do this to make the time jump believable and to justify its existence. If characters come back the same, why bother? Examples: Clarke has changed a lot in terms of what she prioritizes (her child) and how candid she is with herself about that (100%, no hesitation.) Octavia has changed in terms of adopting Jaha’s world view of violence as a necessary outcome of government and then, tragically, by enduring 6 years of starvation and hell that seemed to validate the choice. Bellamy has changed a couple ways: by bridging his internal emotional self and his external social self, allowing honest and self-reflection. By six years of fighting the elements instead of people, letting him grow a faith in humanity that he probably never really had before. By six years of forcefully talking himself into “think before you act”, to honor this person he loved who died to save them. And most importantly he’s genuinely internalized forgiveness, to himself and to others, finally opening him up to deeper and more meaningful personal relationships without being hamstrung by doubt.

That’s a lot of change for him to go through, and the results kind of resemble Kane a lot. However, I don’t think this will hold forever, for a few reasons. One, Bellamy is not Kane and while Kane has influenced him, we’ve also seen the series draw some lines in the sand about it. Two, we’ve seen New Bellamy get more and more frustrated as he tries to hold his old and new families together, but fails. Acting as New Bellamy allowed him to get his people to the ground and save Clarke and open the bunker, which is wonderful. But it’s not enough for what happens next, when all the people he cares about are in escalating and conflicting dangers. He’s trying, and he’s doing everything ‘right’, and it’s not enough. Everyone is leaving him and people are dying… He’s evidently not doing enough bc his plans are not working, but he’s got to struggle to find what will work (while being scared of / not wanting to become the person he used to be). Contrast that with Clarke, who we saw in 503 is way past doing “what’s right” and is in the zone of “what’s necessary”. Clarke + Octavia makes two women in Bellamy’s life who are making decisions that resemble the person he tried to change away from being. Bellamy now resembles Kane, sure. But Kane is a character who is regularly captured, undermined, beaten, and taken prisoner for holding to his beliefs, whose inaction cost him rule of Arkadia in season 3, and who ultimately had to be rescued time and time again by characters with more shakey moral stances. Kane is often right in an ethical way, but he’s also a reactionary character, and you can’t win just by playing defense. So what I’m getting at here is that none of these approaches are necessarily superior, in the long run.

This is the 100, and what I get from the show after four years is the theme that ALL the characters are somewhat right and somewhat wrong. So if you take Bellamy who is both right and wrong, and seemingly do a 180 spin on how his judgment operates…you still get a Bellamy who is both right and wrong. Same for Clarke, same for Octavia. It’s like being on one end of an ellipse or the other. S3 Bellamy becoming S5 Bellamy completes that switch. But neither version of Bellamy is the best fit for surviving on the ground, now that space sabbatical is over. He’s got to change again, this time, hopefully towards an adaptive middle.

So yeah, I was leery about Kane-Bellamy, but it’s clear to me that this is only the first half of a season where he’s going through a process. I think the situation is gonna get worse, and Zen Bellamy ((hi JtV fans!)) is gonna crack. Rational morality isnt gonna be enough to save his loved ones, and accepting that means Bellamy will have to accept that he can’t fully divorce who he used to be from who he is now. This is going to mirror the main character, Clarke, who is moving from the other extreme (survive at all costs) toward moderation. They’re on a journey towards the center again, and they’re going to discover each other there like they always have. Octavia and Wonkru are also people who gone deep to one way of thinking (far more extreme a move across the graph than either Bellamy or Clarke), and who will be pushed and tested this season. When Bloodreina reaches a breaking point, we’ll see Octavia come forward again, and the values she used to hold be reasserted in her judgment again. But she’s moved the farthest so her return orbit is gonna be the most painful.

CONCLUSION: At this point, I’m not *overly* worried about Bellamy becoming Kane; I see “Kane” as a phase that Bellamy is transitioning through. I hope my instincts are right about that, anyway. I like a little dirt and blood in the water, and Bellamy’s always being a reliable character for that. I think when the season is over we’ll see how much of him is the of the person he grew up as and how much of him is the person he molded himself into for the time jump. They’re both real aspects of him. I anticipate he’ll end up with some of both.

But, to your ask, I don’t think Bellamy is gonna be a moral authority forever. That’s a hot potato that the show passes around pretty freely, all the while saying “btw this potato you’re holding, is it even real? I mean moral relativism….” I know the fandom always wants characters to be or not be “right”, but the show writers only seem interested in seeing the impact of the question, not providing clear answers.

[nifujiswhore]

III - Different kind of Leech

“So…. you guys are leeches, yeah?” Sam started off the conversation, not to be rude or argumentative, but curious.

“We don’t prefer the term leech, moroi is better. But for the sake of the argument, yes, we are a different kind of leech.” Rebekah responded as talia was still shifted because she didn’t have spare clothes. Hearing a warning growl and a nudge on the arm from the wolf behind her rebekah amended, “well, we as in me, my brothers Finn, Kol and Elijah are the original moroi, whereas my brother Niklaus is the original hybrid, half-moroi half-werewolf, my niece is the original tribrid, wolf, witch and moroi, and my sister is an upgraded original moroi with her shifting and mutations on the side and then there’s my older sister who is a witch.”

“What do you mean by ‘original’?” paul asked. “From us came the species of moroi or ‘traditional vampires’. Were faster, stronger, can bite harder and the only thing that can destroy us is hidden away. Talia is an upgraded version of us, stronger bite, faster speed, with the addition of lethal venom that kills even one of us.”

The pack were in awe, not knowing how strong their elders actually were, and if talia was intimidating when she wasn’t shifted then imagine the whole family. Paul gulped nervously knowing that he just imprinted on someone who could snap his neck like a rubber band.

Not long into the silence did emily come back onto the porch with some clothes in hand for the girl. “I’m not sure if these will fit, but at least they’re something to wear right?”

Trying to smile as gratefully as she could in wolf form the girl accepted the clothes and shifted back into her human state behind her sister. Paul, sam, emily and jared all turned away respectively while embry (the only one who hadn’t imprinted, was skillfully avoiding rebekah’s glare and ogling like he’d never seen a naked girl before, which he hadn’t.

“Ow!” startling talia out of getting dressed she looked up to see embry rubbing the back of his head while paul suppressing his laughter with his back facing the girls. Cheeks turning pink she teleported behind a tree in the nearby woods with a bamf! “Hey where’d she go? How’d she do that?”

“She’s a mutant, you idiot.”

- - -

After settling back down in the house while emily was cooking, talia decided to see if emily needed help in the kitchen while rebekah got to know the rest of the pack for her. Talia’s social skills outside of her family were atrocious and with her inattentive adhd, conversing and getting to know new people was a pain, but emily had a patient motherly aura so talia decided to give it a try.

“Do you need any help here? I’m a great cook, my family doesn’t complain and the ones who do haven’t suffered from food poisoning or they haven’t told me yet or they can’t ‘cause they’re supernaturals, but anyway the point is I'm not a terrible cook.” Talia started then dissolved into muttering before getting back to the point.

Giggling quietly at the eternal teen before her, Emily realised that the girl muttering to herself in the entryway to the kitchen was just that, a girl standing in slightly baggy denim shorts and an oversized shirt that did not match at all with the expensive heels on her feet while trying to be social.

“You don’t do this a lot do you? And i can’t help but ask, what’s your real name?” emily turning her back to the muffin mix behind her, to fully face the girl.

Nervously laughing with a quiet “oh” she couldn’t take her eyes away from the pretty face in front of her scars and all, but stopped staring after realising emily asked her a question.

“Um.. n-no i don’t, in fact im the least social in my family and thats saying a lot, a-and my real names talia but no-one really uses it because Nik started calling me that around the 20’s and my mum called me Citali, which-” “-which means ‘beautiful star’ in cherokee. It fits.”

“Are you sure you're not trying to hit on me?” laughing quietly with tinted cheeks before walking over to the bench to help emily with the muffins.

“Which name would you prefer, sweetie? And could you grab that tray from the top shelf over there?” pausing mid-step at the pet name and the question. “No-ones asked what i wanted to be called before.”

Smiling sadly at the girl, emily brought her into a motherly hug. “Well, i think i’ll call you Citali” and all she received was a teary nod accompanied by a ‘i’d like that’ before the two went back to baking.

“So, you mentioned the 20’s earlier, did you mean the 1920’s?” realising early on that emily just had to follow the path of talia’s brain rather than control it to have a proper and interesting conversion with the girl, she waited for lulls in their, rather talia’s, talking to ask her questions.

“Did i? And no, not the 1920’s though they were fun though. Nik gave me that nickname in the 1320’s, i had been with the mikaelsons for about…” counting the decades on her fingers, she then held up three “three years?” emily supplied

“No, three decades i think, but history gets boring once you’ve lived through it.”

Continuing to lick the freshly made (extra, just so she’d stop eating the other batch) brownie batter while sitting on the bench while watching emily bake and observing the scars.

“Do they hurt?” the words slipped out before she could stop them and immediately slapped a hand over her mouth while emily froze. The boys, especially Sam and rebekah who had been discreetly listening in the whole time the girls talked, froze as well and rebekah just slapped her forehead getting ready to go and whack her sister on the head before she heard emily’s reply.

“Sort of, every now and then they sort of ache, why do you ask sweetie?” She was a sweetheart honestly, and rebekah was very thankful that emily had the patience to deal with her sister because although she loved her immensely she was pretty clueless in most social situations.

“Because i have some too, see-” turning around and pulling up the top to show emily her scared back “-i got them when my wings were still coming through, the bones had to sprout straight out of my skin, i healed most of them but these were to deep to be healed properly and the skin was always more sensitive-Ahh, that’s cold!” she yelped after feeling emily’s cold hands trace the scars on her back.

“Your wings, where do they go?” pure curiosity in her voice as she got sidetracked “the just sink into my skin and become faint white outlines when i’m not putting on a front in public. Kinda like battle scars, i guess” shrugging while giving the response, Talia dropped the shirt to be face to face with emily.

“Hey, are we gonna kiss right now?” it was just sitting there, and she had to break the tension somehow. Not only did emily laugh at the joke but everyone in the other room could be heard cackling as well.

“No were not, don’t pout i’m taken, see this. This ring means im off limits” pulling back to watch as talia’s expression brightened before going back to her original thought.

“Do you want me to heal them for you? I c-can at least try.” She was nervous, gods bless her, and while the offer was tempting emily declined, because without them she wouldn’t be here right now, with the love of her life sitting in the next room, with a rowdy pack to cook for.

“That’s very sweet of you, sweetheart, but these are my own battle scars if you will.”

- - -

“Geez, can’t you sit still or somethin’? I thought you dead were supposed to be like perfect corpses an’ shit?” paul grumbled at talia while she was just sitting cross legged on a chair while bouncing her knees and eating a now cooked brownie.

“Uhm, no actually. ‘M not sure about strigoi but becoming a moroi just enhances who you already were, and we have heightened emotions as well so frustration can feel like hate, sadness like despair, and hopefulness can feel like passion. Traits that we died with like mental health disorders, such as mine, only become enhanced. I actually didn’t know i had a mental health disorder until Nik took me to a psychologist and they diagnosed me with ADD, now referred to as inattentive ADHD and because of my supernatural status i can’t take meds.” scoffing, she continued “believe me, i’ve tried.”

“It’s also why she’s atrocious in any social interaction, and has us do it for her” gaining a nod of an agreement from talia as rebekah finished off.

Changing the topic, jared asked a question none of the others thought of, “if you both are immortal teens, are you going to high school?”

Both girls groaning in response with ‘don’t remind us’ floating out by both of them.

“We start at Forks High next monday, this sucks. I mean I shouldn't be allowed anywhere near a school. I can’t sit still for six hours straight, everyone annoys me, we can smell everyone's hormones. It’s disgusting.”

Laughing in agreement, jared and embry exchanged mischievous glances with one another.

“Well, if it’s really that bad maybe Paul would like to drop you guys off he just graduated, so he’s got a lot of free time now when he’s not on patrol.”

“Ugh, no thanks” “Yes, please.”

Snorting at what the boys were doing she played along, “sorry bekah, but i’d rather gag on a back of sweaty gym socks then watch you two flirt, i’ll just take my bike to school then and you two can use my car.”

Smirking at the two and wriggling her brows watching paul race put the house to check out the jeep, she added a horrifying afterthought “AND IF I EVEN SMELL THE SCENT OF ANYTHING UNSAVOURY IN MY CAR YOU WILL BE BUYING ME A NEW ONE!”

Everyone burst out laughing at that. Smiling to herself she felt the happiest she had felt in a long time

Yeah, i could get used to this.

- - -

“Hey, we should probably get going.” rebekah reluctantly told the pack. “But we’ll see you guys soon, and paul here’s my number so you can come get me.” Talia rolled her eyes before waving to the boys and muttering a ‘really beks?’

Stepping up to give sam a friendly - but awkward nonetheless (she was hopeless at this shit) - shoulder pat before moving onto emily who gave a bone crushing hug.

“Don’t be a stranger Citali” digging her face into the crook of her neck and smiling, emily received a small “i won’t be” before joining rebekah at the car and waving.

Both girls were smiling on the drive back, but the smiles turned to dread when they realised they had to go school supply shopping, heck talia never finished the first time she attended.

Pulling up to the local target, cards in hand, both girls glanced at each other before heading into the store.

“Next stop Forks High, go Pirates!”

“It’s timberwolves.”

“Oh, I know.”

<<prev | next>>

[rosiewitchescottage]

Very true. And I also know that historically those people have come from all directions.

Books with anti racism themes. They absolutely should be on the shelves.

Let people choose to read or not to read them.

The same with books like Huckleberry Finn. Yes it contains the 'N' word, a lot.

But it too is very much anti slavery. Huck and Tom Sawyer see Jim, a freed slave as nothing else but their friend and companion.

People who consider books to be 'problematic' such as C S Lewis' The Horse and His Boy from the Narnia series and Enid Blyton (I'm talking about things like The Famous Five, Secret Seven, The Enchanted Wood series, Amelia Jane, Mr Meddle etc.)

Expressing this as an opinion is absolutely fair and fine.

But, I do disagree with telling people that them being 'problematic' is a fact that must simply be accepted.

Let people read them to form and express their own opinions.

No. This isn't the same as banning a book. I don't suggest otherwise.

But reading critically should mean learning to think and form one's own perspective.

It shouldn't mean being told what to think. That is a problem of its own.

LGBT books. No. They shouldn't be banned.

If people want to read about non heterosexual and transgender or non binary identities, then those books should be as openly available as any others.

But I also think that a little more subtly wouldn't go amiss.

Not everyone is comfortable with such books, and there is a difference between a book being easily visible, and being advertised with the visual equivalent of bells and trumpets.

I enjoy reading gay love stories. It's fascinating to see the romantic dynamic between two men.

Harper Fox's wide range are a favourite at the moment, as well as Aria Grace's.

I don't need a neon bright arrow to find them. I'm capable of asking and looking for myself.

Plus. We also need to make sure that what's available for children's reading choices are suitable for their age.

I disagree strongly with removing Anne Frank's Diary and The Boy in The Striped Pyjamas.

These books can be a good introduction to a hard subject.

We also read a book called The Silver Sword by Ian Serrallier (aka Escape from Warsaw), when I was at school aged 9. And it fascinated me enough to still be in my memory now.

However. If we're getting books in children's libraries that show depictions of sexual acts.

Then common decency should dictate that children not have access to such material until they're older.

(I'm having trouble finding the info I want. But the book I have in mind has pictures and shows one teen giving another oral sex.)

We wouldn't (or at least shouldn't) show children straight couples having sex. So this isn't any more suitable.

That isn't banning the book outright. It's just making sure that children who are too young to see sexually explicit material as yet, are not having access to it.

I've heard the mention of the Bible.

(When we're talking 'Old Testament', then remember it's first and foremost Jewish Scripture. Torah or Talmud. I lose track of which term is right. Not to forget that some stories also appear in Islamic Scripture as well.)

Yes. It's true that there are some very 'spicy' and scary narratives.

Which is why we get so many books of Scripture stories told at a child's level. And in a children's library, one would hope that those are what are available.

Look at the Tales of 1001 Nights. The classic translations by Richard Burton and others contain some very juicy details.

Not exactly what you'd read to a young child. And so we have many versions of Aladdin, Ali Baba and Sinbad aimed at children.

As for Jesus being 'Woke'. Err no he wasn't.

He ate with tax collectors and other 'undesirables', not because he was saying that their way of life was actually OK.

He was saying that they were valuable as people in their own right.

He wanted to lead them away from their former lives and show them a better way.

He saved the woman caught in adultery from being stoned, not to let her just go back to life as usual. His words to her were

"Go in peace, and sin no more'.

Absolutely he talked about taking care of the poor.

And hospitality was a integral part of the culture he lived in.

But he wasn't talking about giving money to the government for them to take care of the poor.

He was telling people to do it personally. He was talking about Charity, giving out of Love.

I don't think throwing out the money changers from the temple was Jesus being 'anti capitalist'.

'Love your enemies. Do good to those that despise you'.

There's nothing 'Woke' in that.

[elizabethrobertajones]

I'm not saying you agree with that TLJ article since you tagged it 'mh', but I'm very worried but this latest trend 'Your opinion is wrong because of internalized ___'. Some movies just suck? Like, I hated Ghostbusters 2 because it was bad. I was perfectly okay with having four women as main characters, but that can't be your whole idea for a movie.

I do think that article is interesting, and trying to describe what is basically a wider cultural phenomenon. I’m sure on case by case basis you could rarely boil it down to just a few specific factors and “diagnose” someone except for really obvious lifelong character types who would be in the most obvious demographic. 

Star Wars *already* got a bunch of sexist and racist backlash before TFA, so it’s already in the bracket of movies which got thrown together as the collection of SJWs are ruining our childhood movies like Mad Max, Ghostbusters, etc, so it’s also definitely not like this is a wild stab in the dark that it has pre-existing tension, although in this case the reaction is still really split. But I can see why it’s easy to examine it this way and analyse where it might make people uncomfortable, and wonder to what degree people are prepared to let go of Leading White Man formula for mega blockbusters. 

Something like Wonder Woman, people know what they’re getting into when they see it in the sense that the franchise is completely built around there being a female character in the lead role. So that stands quite alone. And it’s not like there haven’t been action movies with female leads in the past either, but the re-casting in the case of Ghostbusters, or just development of interesting female characters who aren’t beholden to a cookie cutter template/romance arc within a supposedly male-dominated franchise (Furiosa, especially) and changing up old franchises to have more diverse cast (Star Wars) or just completely flip the “male is the default” idea like Ghostbusters and Oceans 8, are deliberately challenging and in some cases - the last 2 especially - are pretty much thumbing the nose to the idea of all-male casts being unremarkable and default. Whether the movies are *good* or not (I thought Ghostbusters was about on the level of, say, a Ghostbusters movie for quality and humour, so okay basically :P) they’re culturally significant at a time when it seems both bizarre and horrifically slow and backwards that we *still* don’t have *even just getting male and female representation right, never mind race and sexuality and disability representation* (I mean for that last point - in some ways these films are already going to be regressive by the time other progressive steps are made, for example Charlize Theron wearing a green screen glove to delete her arm, instead of just hiring an actress with half an arm which is the immediately less-expensive and fiddly route to get the aesthetic…)

But idk, it’s not even like Star Wars was either perfect or extremely progressive, it just managed *not* to have 2-3 white male leads + some other people in the background, and to allow the non white male people to have such a stake in the story they could mess up and make decisions that affected the fate of the galaxy - often negatively, as this is the ESB slot of the trilogy aka where everything is supposed to go in the toilet. There was a lot they could have done better and I’m still annoyed that Maz and Phasma both got pitifully tiny roles but were basically included despite the set up of the movie being extremely restrictive to much exploration and with probably the longest time limit they thought they could allow themselves and still sound like there were any tension in the chase… 

I think it’s definitely always worth exploring whether social issues are having an impact on the reception of a film, though, because it’s a way of addressing the issues in our society, which we *know* exist, and when a film is openly critical of our society, and then people are critical back at it, guessing there may be a nervous backlash from people it made uncomfortable for too-close-to-home reasons makes sense. The critique offered by Kylo Ren to edgy white masculinity is really interesting, and I think it’s probably not hard to imagine SOME people especially who fit the profile are reacting against him, or glorifying him anyway unironically while disliking large amounts of the rest of the movie. 

One of the points that article made as well was that other generic or bad films do much better with audience reaction - in fact some truly terrible films do really well as they’re marketed to a niche audience, and that audience gobbles them up and we get the inverse, of critically panned but audience ratings pretty high.

I mean, I’m assuming if you follow me you’re a Supernatural fan and so we’re all here to gobble up the melodramatic pretty boys :P

So, idk, I think in some ways the picking apart of the film and emphasising its flaws is happening in a strange social climate, where in some ways the discomfort about the film not catering with the most “easy” empathy of a white male main character & with flawed but interesting characters in the other roles particularly prone to being criticised in society for existing anyway and that the SW revival has already had one film threatened boycott over because of Finn being a black stormtrooper on his reveal, and I doubt that feeling has just magically gone away… There comes a point where I wonder how much is basically film review concern trolling when it comes to criticising his and Rose’s arc, or the film in general. 

And how much of the film’s real flaws, plotholes etc if they existed in an easier version of the film with all 4 Chrises in the major roles would take months or years to get properly dissected by the internet while it’s basically as soon as you go back online after the movie someone’s complaining about why Canto Bight even existed.

I mean my “Hm” was “this is interesting and I think it definitely could apply to the wider cultural reaction to the movies” while obviously on a personal level if people have certain standards for films (my dad hates basically *everything* so I don’t think his reaction to TFA was categorically racist or sexist, just that he would be inclined to think pretty much anything JJ Abrams makes is garbage and whoops I never should have naively made him watch the first episode of Fringe with me :P) then if any of these movies are things you can tell would have rubbed you up the wrong way anyway, e.g. you didn’t like the original Ghostbusters that much/have found it far cringey-er on adult rewatches etc then you are absolutely allowed to have a reaction to it on a personal level which is not a sign of the sickness of our society :P 

But I think even if you don’t like the new SW film, it’s worth putting aside your critiques of it for a moment to think about this article and the wider reaction - not to make you guilted into enjoying the film, but because it’s worth at least pondering the wider social issues the film’s already definitely caught up in since like, before TFA came out, so we can’t deny that there’s at least some portion of the audience, whether the loud but small group of assholes who utterly invisibly boycotted TFA, or the wider percentage of the population who’ll be consciously or unconsciously turned off by the cast and the power given to their characters in the story, and the possibly even wider percentage who may still struggle to empathise with female characters because Hollywood has so systematically underrepresented like, what can alternately be the literal largest demographic on the planet, and presented just plain old cis women as characters whose inner lives are valuable and decisions should be respected. 

I mean since I came out the movie I’ve been swinging back and forth on “should Holdo have just told Poe her plan or was the point that this man of a much lower station is getting all up in her business demanding to know and questioning her, and I assume that was intentional so I should agree with Holdo but would this have looked just as bad if a male admiral showed up doing the same thing and they accidentally undermine her by it being a bad decision in general, or is the point that if it had been a male admiral Poe would have shut up and not let an insurrection, but I mean it’s *Poe* and I love him and I totally understand and he was made out to be more sympathetic until *after* the twist so did they WANT us to be critical of Holdo or am I just falling into a trap of not giving female characters the same room to fuck up as male characters -” and that’s BEFORE I get onto the internet and read this debate for weeks, just my confusion about this arc and what it was saying and if it was meant to say one thing or the other or if it’s a bit of bad writing (but not something so bad it would ruin the film to the point of only 50% enthusiasm like Rotten Tomatoes is giving it - like, 93% or something :P) or if it’s doing exactly what it’s supposed to by making my brain cogs go and making me feel I need to write like, a dozen female admiralty into things to allow Holdo a cultural sisterhood of good bad and ugly admirals to be her own person in instead of the only female admiral to ever stick in my head like this :P So idk. 

Hm. Basically. 

[lj-writes]

wrt your kylo theory about his connection to rey specifically point 3 i'm sure you've seen the visual guide (which pablo wrote) i(.)pinimg(.)com/originals/da/57/2f/da572fafdc45305512821cc17cac6720(.)jpg he "betrayed the other students studying with luke and is responsible for their destruction" i really don't think thats very ambiguous... i suppose its possibly that if rey somehow did destroy them that he might take credit for it when he turned to bolster his reputation a bit but idk (1/4)

Note: Since each part of this multipart ask asks a different question or makes a different point I will quote each part throughout the post, and append the screenshots after a cut for those who want to view the originals.

To preface, this series of asks is in reference to my recent prediction of what the twist in The Last Jedi will be. This post comes with a potential spoiler warning much like the original theory post.

On the first part, anon, your quoted passage actually gives me more doubts. If it’s canon that Kylo slaughtered the students, why put it in such roundabout terms? We don’t even know if the passage refers to ironbound canon or conventional wisdom in-universe. Even if it’s canon, betrayal and moral responsibility can refer to a lot of things from outright murder to giving information. If Kylo murdered the students, why not say so instead of using wording that is open to broad interpretation?

This wording could also work with a modified theory proposed by @tegdoh​ in this thread, where then-Ben unwittingly betrayed his fellow students to Snoke without meaning to kill them.

None of this absolves Kylo of responsibility, of course, especially if he covered up his role in the event and especially if he hid Rey away to avoid responsibility as I suggest. But the passage you quote, much like Han’s telling in The Force Awakens, does make me wonder if Kylo Ren as a school shooter is what we have been led to believe rather than what actually happened.

also stuff like the legends of luke skywalker confirm that luke was already travelling quite a lot after rotj. i think his temple/school was actually very informal and it was more of a community of people who studied the force together rather than luke as a pt style jedi master. this is purely my assumption but i always assumed he continued to travel and learn after forming the school, passing his knowledge on to his ‘pupils’ (2/4)

Thank you for the information, and that’s a strong possibility, too. Like I have said, I am fully prepared to be (and actually hoping to be) wrong. I wasn’t saying the school, whatever its form, was definitely gone by the time of Bloodline, only that there’s no definitive proof that it existed at that point. It just seems odd that Luke and his apprentice were out of communication for such long stretches of time that it’s a source of distress to Leia.

Even if Luke was traveling a lot, it seems to me he should have been at least reachable if he was responsible for a school. And no matter how informal the community was there was at least a building that could be burned down and where the students could be found and slaughtered, suggesting some kind of fixed location that Luke needed to be in touch with.

Even if he didn’t have the kind of responsibilities that required his presence and contact, there is still the question of influence. Why had he faded almost into myth when by all rights he should have a couple of generations of students who kept his teachings alive?

(The rest under a cut for length)

also if rey was a solo why did han and leia send an infant to luke? i think it makes more sense that if she were at the temple it was because she was lukes kid and he left her with his students/extended fam while he travelled i’ve also wondered if kylo dumped her on jakku for whatever reason but if that’s the case i really don’t think he’s going to be played as sympathetically/heroically as your theory paints him (¾)

As stated in the post, the theory itself is largely agnostic on these details and can work with just about any parentage theory. She could have been Han and Leia’s kid visiting her brother, Luke’s daughter who lived there, a Kenobi scion or Random whom Luke took in and so on and so forth. It does have more emotional weight with the first two scenarios, however.

Does my theory paint him as heroic? Maybe he’s understandable as a response to trauma and manipulation, and sympathetic for that reason, but I thought it was clear that he is a very unreliable narrator and what he did to Rey was horrible.

I said in the post that abandoning Rey on Jakku was arguably abusive, but I take it back. There’s no argument, it’s abusive as SHIT. In my theory then-Ben took Rey’s fate into his sole purview, put her beyond all help by faking her death, and even tampered with her mind. That’s control, isolation, and removal of agency, three major elements of abuse.

Note that malice is not a requirement for abuse. Even if he had the best of intentions, even if his heart ached to pieces for her, good intentions don’t erase the impact on Rey in the deprivation, loneliness, danger, and trauma she suffered. Maybe he reacted badly in the first panicked moments after the tragedy, but there was no excuse whatsoever for leaving her there for the better part of a decade. And this isn’t even going into Ren’s later crimes committed directly against Rey, those she cared about, and billions of others.

don’t take this is harsh criticism i like the base idea of your theory i just think stuff like 'he had to kill han to protect rey’ is kinda garbage. imo rian is going to make him 'relatable’ but at the end of the day he’ll still be a villain. (personally i hope he kills snoke, take his place, offers rey a chance to join him and lose it when she rejects him). rian talks a lot of shit but i think kylo will be even more in the dark by the end of tlj, he’s leading those troops to crait after all 4/4

Never be afraid to criticize me, I enjoy challenges. I completely agree it’s garbage. The “had to kill Han" part was solely from Kylo’s warped perspective and it’s why I put “had” in quotes. What he should have done was seek the grownups’ help and not take matters into his own hands, especially in a way that irrevocably changed Rey’s life.

I also agree that whatever happens in the movie Kylo will still be a villain. Heck, I think my theory makes him even more of one, just one with human impulses and feelings that should keep all of us on our toes because no one is immune from doing evil with the best of intentions. And I like your speculation, too! Very reminiscent of ESB Vader, as I think the trailer was intentionally cut to be.

also if rey was so powerful and being manipulated by snoke and kylo was also being manipulated snoke when he came up with the jakku idea, why didnt snoke ever go get her? she’s clearly very powerful in the force, maybe even more so than kylo and we see in tfa and in tlj snoke has an interest in her. if kylo left her on jakku i think he did it of his own accord, not because snoke told him to. also if snoke was in rey’s head why would he lose contact with her just because she’s on a new planet?

Well, why not turn that question around–why didn’t Snoke get Kylo? There could be a lot of reasons, such as Snoke wanting to use her supposed death and the gnawing guilt of abandoning her as a way to turn Kylo thoroughly against his parents and Luke. Maybe she was too powerful, and Snoke feared he would not be able to control her without Kylo as leverage so he had to wait.

You do propose an interesting possibility, though, so here’s an alternate version of the theory: Maybe Kylo was the one who introduced Snoke to Rey, and when Snoke touched her mind disaster ensued. Maybe Snoke did want to get Rey right away, and Kylo wanted to protect her from him and prevent other such disasters. We know that whatever connection Snoke has to Kylo is not absolute–Kylo disobeyed direct orders in TFA and had his own agenda–so this may have been an example of such rebellion. I like this version better than the original, although it debunks parts of the original (such as Snoke alluding to Rey when he said Kylo would face a test with Han).

As for why Snoke couldn’t still get to her, there are two answers: First, because Kylo evaded him as discussed above, and second, because in this theory parts of Jakku have Force properties that confuse Force sense and/or signature. Maybe this was why Kylo stopped to stare at Finn after the massacre of the village, because he thought he sensed a Force signature but couldn’t be sure due to the area’s suppressive properties.

But why would Ben/Kylo continue to be in contact with Snoke if he knew Snoke was a bad guy? For one thing, Snoke by this time was effectively blackmailing him because it was then-Ben’s action that led to the students’ deaths, no matter how innocently. For another, I think then-Ben was jealous that Rey had captured Snoke’s attention so much, and it was as much an attempt to keep Snoke’s teachings and praise focused on himself as an attempt to protect Rey. This would give him very mixed motivations.and make him more of a bad guy than ever.

(This is NOT to say that Snoke’s abuse of then-Ben under this theory was Ben’s fault, or that Ben wanted it. Under this theory jealousy would be Ben’s response to the grooming, the desperate attempt to get his fix in a situation where he was increasingly being manipulated into dependence. Hurting Rey to get that hollow validation, however, is a wrongful response to the abuse. Again, this is all hypothetical of course.)

sorry my asks got so long winded! also don’t take this as me thinking your full of shit or that i hate your theory. i actually think the base idea is intriguing and wanted to discuss it a bit. sincerest apologies if my tone ever came across as inflammatory

No problem anon! I’m trained to take tough questions. I really wanted to discuss this theory too, so thanks for taking the time to send the asks. I enjoyed the conversation.

(Screenshots of original asks below.)