#cannedsoupsucks is an absolute gem

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Mando season 3... sigh. Sadly, I'm beginning to lose interest. The story seems disjointed, and the production value feels like it's diminished in quality.

I'm having difficulty suspending my belief. For example, the location of the covert. It looks like they're in the middle of nowhere. There are dangerous beasts all over the place, so why are they still there? Why did they save those baby monsters if they're only going to turn into more dangerous predators? It looks like no one has a ship, so how are they getting supplies? Where are they getting gas to fire forge? Practicalities like these are knocking me out of the narrative.

Also, the fact that Favreau said there's no end in site concerns me because shows seem to lose quality over time when there isn't a plan. The words "jump the shark" come to mind.

I'll keep watching, but I miss being excited for a new episode to drop each week. In fact, I haven't watched the latest episode and am in no hurry to do so.

Hi Michelle!! 😀 I was so happy to see you pop up in my inbox! I hope you’re doing well, lovely!! Thanks for swinging by with this!!

I’m sorry that you’re not enjoying this season as much as the previous ones. It seems like you’re not alone - I have seen quite a few people expressing less than favorable opinions on what’s going on with s3 - but that’s still unfortunate, and I hope that the remaining episodes give you and others more to enjoy about it!

That being said, I’m actually really liking this season so far, which probably (maybe?) isn’t what you were expecting me to say, but here we are. 🤷🏻‍♀️

But let’s talk about the things you brought up. Going under the cut to avoid spoilers for anyone who doesn’t want to see them:

I’m gonna start by saying that I do agree that the production value feels a little diminished. I’m wondering if it’s because of bigger budgets on other SW shows (I’m thinking Andor & Ahsoka- which I have HIGH hopes for), and them banking on the fact that the Mandalorian series already has a large fan base. It doesn’t feel (to me at least) as diminished as the production value of BOBF felt (that low speed chase on 50s era mopeds was … a choice), but I’ll agree that it feels like a half step down from seasons 1 & 2.

The only thing I personally have had a hard time with as far as the storytelling/disjointedness goes, was the way that the Pershing episode was structured. It was 5 minutes of Din/Bo/Grogu, and then a whole chunk of Pershing and the least trustworthy character in all of star wars, and then another 6 minutes of Din/Bo/Grogu. I didn't hate that we got some info on what was going on on that side of things - I have theories about where they're going with Elia Kane and all of that, and they were strengthened by some details in the latest episode - but I wish they had structured the storytelling differently by sort of breaking it up and sprinkling it into the rest of the episodes.

As far as the covert being in the middle of nowhere goes, it’s entirely possible that at least one other Mando has a ship, and it’s hidden. I always assumed that their tunnels and caves on Nevarro were more expansive than what we ever actually saw - Din at one point says he’s not familiar with a certain section of them, which made me think they were LARGE and possibly even connected to other tunnels where a ship (or ships) that belongs to the covert might be kept for emergencies or just to use when needed. I also recall a line (when the covert was on Nevarro) about how living in the shadows means only one can go out at a time for secrecy and safety, and that made me think that it’s not just Din who comes and goes off world, that others do, too if or when they need to. It’s also possible that they had a pre-arranged backup plan, so they didn't all need to leave Nevarro together, they just had to find a way there even if it wasn't right away. But again this is all just what my brain came up with throughout the series, so I have no idea if it’s canonically correct.

The fact that there are so many dangerous beasts on that planet was probably one of the things that made it a desirable hideout - because no one in their right mind would try to settle Dino World, but Mandalorians aren't in their right minds so I get why they chose it from that perspective.

THE BABY MONSTERS!!!! Can I tell you that as soon as the mama went down I gasped and said "but the babies will die now!" And then as soon as they turned up back at the covert I was filled with relief like "oh, nevermind, they're going to be loved and cared for!" I love that they were "adopted" by the Mandalorians. For one, raising them from hatchlings will allow them to bond with the lil beasts and possibly even rely on them for battle backup like Boba did with the Rancor. Also? I just love the reiteration of how important adoption is to Mandalorians. It's a part of their belief system that they take care of any children that need taking care of, no matter who or what their parents were. "Mandalorian isn't a race, it's a Creed" extends even to beasties and I just think that's very sweet coming from a group of tin cans. (idk what the beasts are called. I've been calling them pterodactyls to fit the Dino World theme - I've seen articles and posts where people are calling them shriek hawks, but I'm pretty sure shriek hawks are smaller and have feeyethers. I could be wrong about that, though!)

*thanks, Dieter*

The "no end in sight" is admittedly concerning, but I'm choosing to believe they won't let it go beyond where it needs to. Depending on where this season ends, I think it could probably go one more. With all the tie-ins from the Clone Wars & Rebels series (which honestly, I know animation isn't everyone's jam, but Rebels was truly great, and there is a LOT of Mandalorian lore and history in that show, including stuff pertaining to the Darksaber, Bo-Katan, and Clan Vizsla, so if you're ever looking for something to watch I recommend it, or at least the episodes that concern Mandalore) that have been popping up, I'm hoping that Filoni will take good care of the rest of this story. My fingers are crossed.

I hope that you do keep watching, and I hope that you do find things to enjoy about it as it continues! I'm very much looking forward to the next episode.

Thank you again for dropping in! I know my response was probably different from what you were expecting, so I hope that's okay!

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🎶✨️when u get this u have to put 5 songs u actually listen to, publish. then, send this ask to 10 of your favourite followers (non-negotiable, positivity is cool)🎶✨️

Hi Michelle!!!! ☺️☺️ Thanks for sending this! @zaffrenotes tagged me in this as well, so thank you, too, D! I always love sharing tunes.

5 songs I actually listen to ALL THE DAMN TIME:

Remain Nameless by Florence + the Machine

Etta James by Brian Fallon

Strangers by The Airborne Toxic Event

The Lightning Strike by Snow Patrol

Your Hand in Mine by Explosions in the Sky

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Who am I?

@cannedsoupsucks (thanks Michelle!!) tagged me to list 4 fictional characters from books, movies or TV that sum up my personality and this is where I landed:

Allison Reynolds from The Breakfast Club (but without the dandruff thank you very much)

April Ludgate from Parks and Rec

Judy Hale from Dead to Me

Lavinia Dickinson from Dickinson (the Spider Dance scene especially.)

This was fun!!

Tagging: @its-my-little-dumpster-fire @suchatinyinfinity @zaffrenotes @alraedesigns and anyone who wants to play along!!

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Abe is going to get a friend! I can't wait to find out Cee's nickname for him and to revisit Ezra and Clara!

Hi Michelle! 👋🏻 hope you’re doing well!! Thanks for dropping in!!

Friend might be a strong word… Abe gets an annoying little sister who tries to steal his window seat is probably closer to how he feels about it 😹

Meet Number 4:

Her name comes directly from this little nugget that I am so mad didn’t make the cut in the movie:

“In the absence of your given moniker, I will call you channel rat.”

“If you call me that even one time I will shoot you.”

“… number 3 it is.”

———

Cee found her in the barn when she heard a muffled but frantic yowling sound coming from under a pile of empty burlap sacks used during the harvest. When she went digging to find the source of the sound, she was greeted by a scrawny little floof with huge eyes. Here we can all see that she is a gray cat… but Cee didn’t know what color her fur really was until after (much to young number 4’s dismay) she gave her a bath, because the kitten was absolutely covered in bright pink Thulian dust. 🌸

I am SO GLAD you’re excited about this crew coming back. I am, too.

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I hope it's been the best day ever!

Michelle!! ☺️☺️☺️ Thank you so darn much!!! It has been a very good day, and your message (along with those gorgeous gifs 😍) only made it that much better.

gosh, just look at him.

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Ask you anything you say... how about a list of your top 5 Pedro characters in order of preference and an explanation as to why number 1 is number 1

Cheers to you, you lovely gem! I hope you are having a good Friday night. This is such a great question- thank you for sending it!!

I would say that my top five Pedro characters are:

5- Javi Peña 4- Frankie Morales 3- Din Djarin 2- Oberyn Martell (he would be #1 if he had better spatial awareness. I love literally everything about this man aside from the fact that he chooses to strut too close to his opponent's grip. sir, where is your standup game? finish your opponent!!!)

1- Ezra. There is something so raw and relatable in him that makes me ache and smile in equal measure. He's protective but aggressive, rough but refined. He's an iceberg- there is so much of himself that he keeps hidden at first but the more he shows of his true self the more it becomes clear that he is a good man at heart. Maybe a good man who has done questionable things, sure, but he isn't cruel without necessity. He's fierce and strong but also practical and reasonable and fuck he checks all my boxes. Every Kevva forsaken one of 'em.

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See this picture makes me wonder which galaxy houses Ezra, Clara, and Cee

🥲🥲🥲

Michelle. The fact that you would even mention the PoNR crew in the same context as this image is making me emotional. Thank you for thinking about them. This message truly warmed my heart. 🌸🌾

Also just… how beautiful is our universe, right?! 💫🪐☄️

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How about numbers 1 and 3 for your fanfic and of the year ask.

Hi Michelle!! (Omg I just noticed the Santa hat you added to jiffy pedro!! Haha love it!!) Hope you are having a good week so far! Thank you so much for sending these!!

1. favorite fic you wrote this year?

In an effort to keep all of my answers from being Point of No Return 😅… I think my favorite single thing I wrote was The Cold Offends Me- the first thing I ever wrote for Oberyn. I’ve loved that fictional man for a very long time so finally taking the leap to write for him has been fun and challenging in equal measure. I love writing dialogue for him because he doesn’t hold his tongue and says exactly what he’s thinking. Writing it surprised me, because it was completely spur of the moment and it came out all in one day… which almost never happens but the Prince of Dorne knows what he wants. 😏

3. favorite line/scene you wrote this year?

… okay I know I said I was trying not to let PoNR take the cake across the board but… I think my favorite scene that l wrote was when Clara was helping Ezra shave his face:

The shake in his fingers caused the blade to slip even more, and he hissed as it nicked the skin over his jaw. “Fuck,” he bit out, upper lip snared as he turned his cheek to get a better look at the damage. Along with a strip of wiry dark facial hair, he’d removed a small chunk of flesh. Ah, shit. Beads of bright crimson rushed to the raw surface, bleeding red swirls into the white shaving foam that covered the rest of his jaw and throat. Frustration and anger erupted all at once and he threw the razor down into the sink, the heavy metal tool clattering against the porcelain basin dramatically. Letting out a grunt that was close to a growl, he slammed his hand on the counter, sending the canister of shaving cream tumbling to the ground. “Useless fuckin Kevva-damned piece of sh-“

“Hey.”

Clara’s voice came from the doorway behind him, patient and soft, and the tension in his shoulders vanished as he dropped them, letting out a sigh. From anyone else he would mistake her tone of voice as pity, only serving to enrage him further. But not from her. Snapping his eyes up to the glass in front of him, he met her steady gaze in the reflection. Oh, Huckleberry, what did I do to deserve you?

“Clara…” he croaked out her name, turning as she stooped down to pick up the orange striped can, replacing the lid as she stood. “ I didn’t hear you come up. I’m sorry, I did not mean to cause you any-“

“I know, Ezra.” She didn’t let him finish, setting the can on the counter as he leaned back against it. Reaching past him without breaking eye contact, she grabbed the towel that he’d been using and brought it gently to the cut on the right side of his jawline to clean the blood. She pressed lightly with one finger wrapped in the blue fabric against the shallow divot, tilting her head as he raised his hand to encircle her wrist. “Why didn’t you ask me for help, hmm?”

He swallowed, closing his eyes while she swiped the towel over his skin finally staunching the flow. “Because I need to,” he inhaled as she let the cloth fall into the basin of the sink with a damp plop, letting the breath out and opening his eyes. “I cannot rely on you or Cee or others for everything. I need to be able to do things for myself.” He scoffed then, casting his eyes downward, feeling how they were darkening and not wanting to shed that on her. “I need to get used to…to this.” He nodded at his right arm, lifting the stump an inch or two away from his side to emphasize its abrupt end.

Clara placed one hand at his waist, the other sliding along the already trimmed and shaved plane of his left cheek, tenderly turning his attention back to her eyes. “Not all at once you don’t.” She swept her thumb over the rounded top of the arched scar, then elevated on tiptoe to kiss the same place. “And in the meantime, I’d rather not have you carve this face up, Ezra.” She kissed him again. “I happen to like it as is.”

End of the year fic asks

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I'm only going to ask for 🌹 even though I want to ask for 20.

Michelle! Hi! I hope you’re having a great night! Thank you for sending this! 

Just one (1) so I will make it a sweet one (1): 

from Survivor Blues --- 

One hand was still on your back, holding you up as he slowly situated himself behind you. Leaning against the wall and stretching his legs out in front of him, he circled his right arm loosely around your waist, easing you back into his chest. You could feel his heartbeat between your shoulder blades and after a few seconds you picked up the matching rhythm of the pulse in his wrist where it lay across your abdomen. Tucked against his body you felt yourself breathing easier, even if each breath still came with a sharp slicing sensation, and you realized that it was because you felt safe with him.

--- 

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How about T, U, and Y for writer asks?

Hi Michelle! Happy Wednesday, and thanks for sending these! Here, have some soups 🥣 🍜 🍲!!

T: Any fandom tropes you can’t stand?

I answered this one already with my list of major turn offs… but to add to it: anything where the major cause of conflict is a misunderstanding or something that can easily be addressed if only the two main characters would just say something. 🙄 JUST TELL EACH OTHER YOURE BONKERS FIR EACH OTHER ALREADY YOU DOPES. It just feels sort of… unnecessary, especially when the characters in question are grown adults who don’t have time for private pining and unrequited love.

U: Share three of your favorite fic writers and why you like them so much.

This is SUCH a hard one because there are so freaking many talented wonderful writers out there that I have read and enjoyed. But…three of my favorites:

@something-tofightfor who pours so much heart and hard work into her stories that you can hear and feel and see everything, who gives characters a chance to grow and learn, who concocts amazing, well thought out plots that feel like epic adventures.

@insomniamamma who blows my mind with her creativity when world-building or adding lore to an existing universe, who focuses so much attention on the way that characters interact with each other that they feel like people you know and love.

@its-my-little-dumpster-fire who SCHOOLED me on details and who is the most thorough when it comes to historical fiction and who is not at all afraid of what happens when happily ever after ain’t in the cards.

Y: A character you want to protect.

Ezra. Cee. Frankie Morales. OBERYN MOTHERFUCKING MARTELL. Ellie Williams. Joel Miller. Jack Daniels 😢 Din even though he’d laugh at the idea that he needs protecting. His weird little son even though he’s the most powerful being in the galaxy. Everyone, okay? The answer is everyone. I want to just put all my characters behind me and fuck yo anyone who would dare try to harm them.

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I hope today is treating you much kinder than yesterday

Michelle! Thank you sweet friend! Today is off to a much better start than yesterday for sure. I hope today is a good one for you, too. Thank you for sending this, it means a lot that you checked in and made me smile. :)

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How about 🍰👻 and 🌈 for one of my all time favorite fics, PoNR.

Hi darling!! I hope you're having a good week so far! Thank you for dropping in with these!

🍰 Name one of your fave comfort fics (doesn’t have to be your all time fave).

Neon Lights by @something-tofightfor . I want to live in it. Just check me into that hotel room and make me a permanent resident of the strip and Ryan's arms please and thank you.

👻 What is one WIP you think you may never pick back up?

Oh this is a tough one to answer because I want to finish all of the stories that I have started to share. There are a few that I know will be harder to get back into than others, like Made Man and Let's Face the Music & Dance, because of how long its been since I touched those stories or even those characters, but I still intend to try.

🌈 What inspired you to write PoNR?

Alright first of all I need you to know that you saying that it's one of your all time favorites honestly made my eyes tear up and my heart did a flip and a spin. That is such an incredibly kind thing to say and a huge compliment. PoNR is so near and dear to my heart and knowing that you feel that way about it is honestly an honor. Thank you <3

As far as what inspired me to write it, I have discussed this before but it was mostly the scene when Cee amputates Ezra's arm and he mentions all the things that it was useful for: gritty jobs and serious romance- and then the scene directly after that with the two of them walking through the forest on the Green when she's telling him about her stories and he's encouraging her to think about her future. I also HAD to follow their story after getting off the moon because that simply couldn't be the end, not after all those two characters had been through. In terms of the inspiration for Kamrea and the Thulian and Clara's farm, I just wanted to give him (and Cee) a place to call home that was as different from the Green and as far from the dangers of the Fringe as possible. Prospect is the most interesting movie I've seen in a really long time in that it left me thinking hard about a lot of things. When it ended I was only dissatisfied in that I wanted more from that world, not in what happened or how things turned out. So much was hinted at and I just... had to dig.

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You're amazing, superb and your blog makes me smile 🌸💘 you are such a gift to this world please don’t forget that, as well that you are so loved and appreciated! pass on this message to all your friends and favorite blogger. 💕💕

MICHELLE! The loveliest gem! I can’t tell you how much your posts, comments and messages have brightened my days. You are such a kind, supportive person and a genuine ray of sunshine and I am so grateful that our paths crossed. Sending this TIGHT BACK AT YOU. I hope you have the most wonderful day.

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Hi! How about #23 for the writer asks ⚘

Hi Michelle!! 🙋🏻‍♀️ Thanks for sending this!!

23) any obscure life experiences that you feel have helped your writing?

HA! Yes. Life is weird and pretty much everyone has strange or obscure experiences at some point… but sometimes I feel like I’ve had a ton of them 😅

I think what really has helped my writing the most when it comes to life experiences is the fact that I’ve job hopped all over the place. I’ve worked in restaurants as a server/bartender, in daycare & education settings, office settings, retail settings, held mangagement and training and administration positions and did freelance work for a few hot seconds. So I’ve met and interacted a lot of different people at different stages and with different dynamics and that’s certainly helped me gain perspective on things I may not have otherwise known anything about.

Thank you for asking, lovely! I hope your week is going well!

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I saw this today and the color made me think of Thulian fields.

OH MY GOSH ITS THE SAME EXACT COLOR AS THE THULIAN IN MY HEAD. 🌾🌸

And look at those peacocks! Gorgeous!

I wish you could see how big I’m smiling at the fact that you saw something that made you think of PoNR. This made me so happy, thank you for sharing it!! I hope you’re having a great Friday!!

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You send me the nicest 'have a great day' messages, so I wanted to wish you the same.

I hope your day treats you kindly and is full of all the happy moments that you deserve 🌻

🥰🥰🥰

This world would be a much cooler, kinder, chiller, happier place if more people were like you, darling. Thank you so much for this little mid day boost! I hope you are having a nice weekend!!