#cinta’s dialogues

[smileflowcr]

Cuántos meses le quedan, mini Seoja no deja de pedir dulces(?)

[mistress-light]

Cinta: "You look troubled"

Frey: "Oh, uh... just got a lot to think about."

Me: 💔

[mikrokosmcs]

Ps ps seoja, no te gustaría tener otro cachorro? 🥺

-  —Me  encantaría  tener  todos  los  cachorros  que  Minjun  quiera  tener,  especialmente  una  princesa  —  -no  duda  en  responder  ante  aquello,  viniendo  en  su  naturaleza  como  un  lobo  y  su  crianza  en  una  familia  enorme,  el  deseo  de  siempre  estar  rodeados  de  gente  en  la  vida  cotidiana  y  no  solo  en  las  fiestas.  -  —Pero  Minjun  es  solo  un  humano  y  tuvimos  ciertos…  problemas  con  la  idea  de  un  embarazo  múltiple.  Está  en  mi  genética  que  podemos  tener  más  de  un  cachorro  de  golpe,  lo  cual  conlleva  muchos  problemas  para  él  en  el  proceso.  Si  no  quiere  tener  más  hijos  luego  de  Haeim-ah,  lo  respeto  y  lo  apoyo  completamente.   

[colleybrifanfics]

“Canon ships are boring” - ?!!

I’ve seen this statement a couple of times, in connection with general debates about Canon vs Fanon. And I’m sure it’s often true of a lot of fics and a lot of source material.

But established Canon relationships, past present or future … boring by definition?

Not on Andor, they’re not. Not remotely. None of them.

On a really well written show, as in a really well written novel, canon relationships can be complex, nuanced, believable, intriguing, inspiring, heartbreaking, sexy, frustrating, toxic, one-sided, racked with insecurity… etc. Just like real life relationships. And so too can be the fiction they inspire.

Vel/Cinta is described by Tony Gilroy as “One of the least complicated relationships in the show.” (Variety )

One of the least complicated! !

Yet it’s so deliciously, painfully, realistically … complicated!. It’s not perfect. Of course it isn’t. That’s the point. Perhaps a fic writer doesn’t have to work hard to invent ways to make it complicated. But you don’t always have to invent; you can explore what’s there. What’s given to you. No need to reinvent the wheel.

I’m one of very few to “ship” the canon Cassian / Bix relationship. (There doesn’t even seem to be a portmanteau for it - Bixcassian probably having to do. ) I think one of the reasons is – they have often been really bad for each other. That’s fair enough – not going to argue with that ! (Though for me, that’s kind of the point .) But sometimes I’ve seen this relationship referred to dismissively as the relatively simple “teenage romance” or “exes to friends” trope. To which I would say – watch the scenes between those two again. Carefully. There’s a lot more to it than that. It’s an extremely messy relationship, but by no means a simple one. And it’s canonically not just a one-off either , as Tony Gilroy is keen to point out.

This wonderful complexity is because of the standard this show’s writing sets. So much is done through subtext. The implication of what is being thought rather than the exact words being said. The way that a single line can imply several pages worth of lesser dialogue or storytelling. The gaps between the words. The silences. Top-notch performances obviously help with that too.

Vel/Cinta epitomises this. So does Cassian/Bix. So does Mon/Perrin (and even the hints of Mon/Tay).

And we’re only just getting started with the deliciously poisonous concoction that is Dedra/Syril. Whatever that is going to start to look like in the second season, I can’t begin to guess. But I’m really enjoying the fics out there that are doing some serious speculating, keeping both characters 100% believable (in terms of recognisably their canon selves) at the same time.

Andor has given us the gift of some incredibly meaty Canon relationships to explore and play with.

⬆️. I mean… need I say more.?!

[andorshitdaily]

the increase of absolute screentime for velcinta

Mon talking to someone that's not Luthen or Chandrilan or a senator- I rewatched the show and was surprised to notice that Mon and Kleya didn't even share a single dialogue together(though they did exchange a few homosexual glances)

Bix not pining after Cassian(shudders)

Chandrila....

I do have a knee jerk rejection for poorly integrated fanservice for anything/anyone else but strangely I'm okay with seeing Hondo in anything-no worries though Gilroy won't even know that he exists

Sartha-Mothma family members worrying and caring about Vel but not being able to accept that she's 'different'

Cinta tenderly caressing Vel's cheek and Vel closing her eyes to th- oh wait this is a certainty. Ahhhhhh I can't wait

Nothing bad should happen to any female Chandrilans in this show

GAYS NOT BEING BURIED

+Happy birthday!! thank you so much for being the admin for this account

i agree wholeheartedly with everything here including a nonsense cameo by my favorite pirate Hondo Ohnaka

and thank you!! i absolutely love running this account and am so glad others enjoy it as well <3

[frostbitepandaaaaa]

🌤️ for that ask game :)

omg hiiiiiiiii static! <3

🌤️Share your favorite piece of dialogue from your WIP.

congrats. this is pretty much my fave. from Aphelion:

Vel takes his silence as defeat, and perhaps takes pity on him, too, because she sighs, softens. “Getting off world in a surreptitious way is even trickier than getting you bacta… but it can be done. As for the datapad… that shouldn’t be a problem.” She shakes her head, squints at him in clear confusion. “Why? Why do this? It seems like a lot of risk… even for you.” “Wouldn’t you do it for Cinta?” he counters without thinking. Vel gives him an incredulous look and Cassian can hear his heart pound in his ears. “So it’s like that, huh?” “No,” Cassian answers slowly, voice hoarse and low. He swallows. “But it could be.”

ask me about my WIPs!

[chipthekeeper]

Ranking Velcinta moments by how insane they make me feel, a(n overly) comprehensive list

As promised, here's my way too detailed ranking of all 18-ish of their moments. This (predictably) got obnoxiously long toward the end, so venture under the cut if you actually care and/or don't mind a lot of scrolling.

18. Valley One (Ep. 6)

I'm relatively sane about this. Except when I think about how they probably slept in that little hut the night before. Also when I think about how this is one of the very few shots in which they're both visible and (relatively) in focus.

17. "No farewells tonight." (Ep. 5)

Mostly was insane about this when the episode first came out and I was SO. FUCKING. WORRIED. that they were gonna die in the next one.

16. "What are they doing?" (Ep. 5)

Girlfriends who scowl together stay together (please Tony Gilroy I'm begging you).

15. Feeding the dray (Ep. 5)

The fact that Cinta is smiling here is what makes me most crazy. Also I just adore this flash of simple domesticity with them. Ahh, what could have been....

14. "Have you heard from Cinta?" (Ep. 7)

Vel not being able to look Kleya in the eye when she asks about Cinta makes me crazy mostly for the whole "Vel/Kleya exes" plot but of course this whole part had me jumping out of my seat on first watch.

13. "The rebellion comes first. We take what's left." (Ep. 9)

VEL FINDING STRENGTH IN CINTA'S WORDS AND USING THEM TO HELP MON WITH HER DOUBTS TOO I'M !!!!!

(went all-caps way before I thought I would, maybe this one should be higher....)

12. Into the smoke (Ep. 12)

She looks so worried when Cinta isn't where she's supposed to be and then she sprints INTO the melee while everyone else is running AWAY. I'M NOT FINE!!!!

11. At the campfire (Ep. 4)

I swear to y'all that the first time I watched this episode and saw them sitting so close I was like "oh. hey" fully intending to ship them even if that was literally all we got. And then holy fucking shit we got everything I was too afraid to ask for. So this moment always has a special place in my heart.

10. "What's she doing?" (Ep. 4)

It. Makes. Me. CRAZY. That the first time they share a scene together, they're literally always in the same frame.

CRAZY.

Like....they've been connected from the VERY beginning, even if the show revealed them being together rather slowly. Also it's everything to me that the first time we see Cinta it's Taramyn asking her what Vel is up to bringing a new guy in. Because if anyone would know, it would be her.

9. "Stay focused, Clem." (Ep. 5)

All of the territorial Vel stuff is great to me but I especially love this moment. First of all Cinta's little smirk. And also it's just so....idk it's a quiet moment of contemplation and probably anxiety but we can't not take a second to tell Clem to back off.

I'm combining this with the "you can dress yourself" bit too because that moment just makes me laugh with how Vel's always in the background watching and then immediately jumps up to give Clem the business and use his scuffle with Skeen as an excuse to mark her territory.

8. "Closet?" "Empty." (Ep. 12)

That bit of dialogue made my gay little self so happy and then they went and did the whole "that's blood" "it's not mine" thing and I'll never recover. Vel being so concerned that she won't even let Cinta keep packing, but then at the very end she's a little impressed/turned on??? 10/10 no notes. (okay I have one note and that's "you're really just going to leave me hanging like that for two years?????" but that's a different post)

7. "Get down!" (Ep. 6)

Truly one of my favorite scenes in the whole show is when Vel almost loses her shit at the top of the dam. The tension is insane, her fear is PALPABLE, and I absolutely love that it's Cinta just calling her out for stalling and then yelling at her that breaks her out of it.

But the thing that makes me feel most crazy about this scene is this:

Someone please explain to me WHY Cinta makes the jump while looking directly at Vel. EXPLAIN IT TO ME. Or else I will just continue to believe it's because part of her is scared up there too and looking at Vel is what helps her take the leap. That is a crazy thought -- I'm pretty sure she's fine -- but if it's not that then I don't get why she's even facing that way??

6. This (Ep. 8)

THE MUSIC. THE FADE. THE SORROW. I like literally can't even talk about this one. But it does make me feel a lot how obvious it is that Vel's thoughts are soooooooooo far from the fight here:

While at the same time there's not a thought in Cinta's head about her:

Breaks my fucking heart.

5. "No. She didn't tell me." (Ep. 5)

Whew. This moment. For a while I was mostly happy about this moment because it was just one more piece of evidence that they were together before that was fully confirmed.

But then my headcanon brain took over while I was writing my multichapter fic and it has been fucking me up ever since. Because I'm always going to wonder if all their drama was always going to happen the way it did or if Vel betraying Cinta's trust as a partner was some kind of breaking point.

Is that probably just me? Yes. Does it matter? Not to this ranking.

4. "She's already sharin' a blanket if that's what you're wonderin'." (Ep. 5)

I was!!! I was wonderin'!!!!! And I will forever use this phrase as a euphemism for being a lesbian.

What I would not give........to experience this line and this shot for the first time again. Or at least know what I sounded like giving a joyous shout.

3. "Tell me you'll be alright." (Ep. 6)

This is the one that I would probably sound the most insane trying to talk about out loud. It would be a lot of me like verbally keysmashing and somehow going "!!!!!!" out loud.

The hand-hold that saved my life? The EMOTION in their eyes when they look at each other??? Vel starting to go in for the goodbye kiss right in front of the hostages' salad but then just not????????

Fuck.

FUCK!!!!!!!

2. "Come away from the window." (Ep. 12)

I have to start by talking about Vel's cute little sad grin in this scene when she's like "nice to see you too" and Cinta like glares back at her. That made me feel crazy enough but then this whole scene that I want to say I can't even put into words even though I have in fact already done it.

The desperation on Vel's part is what kills me. Not that she's desperate for attention or love or whatever people always try to pin on her here (and of course it is that to some degree) but that she's desperate to keep Cinta from losing herself. She's so desperate but all she can do is ask. All she can do is hope Cinta will turn around and take a break. And she does.

BUT WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENS AFTER THAT TONY GILROY?!

I have never screamed so loud about a scene just ending.

Whatever, it gave me something to write and I enjoyed doing that.

1. "You love me because I show you what you need to see." (Ep. 8)

And here we are. The scene that has taken up space in my brain more than any other single thing since I saw it. I've been over it so many times. Watching and taking notes, staring at the gifs, studying the screencaps, trying to wrap my head around every little line and gesture and movement and emotion. I've spent hours on it, and I still find myself coming back to think about it and wondering if I've truly understood it all.

Just getting them reunited after Aldhani was such a relief (even though it was jarring at first to just see Cinta and be like "how the fuck did you get here?"). But then the conversation just knocked me on my ass.

"Haven't we been apart long enough?" YES YOU HAVE!!

"We take what's left." NOOOO TAKE IT ALL

"That's cold...even for you." Stabbing me in the face would be less painful.

And then...hearing the words "you love me" from one woman to another woman in a Star Wars show....not a book, not a comic...a show. Truly meant everything to me. I was so fucking happy to hear those words that I couldn't even process how goddamn sad the rest of it was until later. Once I did I had a stomachache for an entire week. I have one again right now.

And then it ends with the most fucking beautiful hand-hold and yet another tiny look that makes me feel crazy in and of itself (which I've done a whole post on by itself), and despite my broken heart I have hope.

If I am ever able to watch this scene and not feel seventeen emotions at once, it's over for me.

Easy number one.

[thesunwillart]

@velcintaweek​ day 1 - first meeting

i like to think their first meeting was somewhat antagonistic, since they can both be such prickly people. also with luthen just coming in and pulling the rug out from both of them by revealing their names to each other, i think would be an interesting way to force them to have some begrudging trust...

dialogue under the cut!

vel: hey! what are you doing here?!

cinta: ... not whatever it is you’re doing.

vel: and what am i doing?

cinta: not minding your own kriffing business.

luthen: no need for teeth baring, vel. but, as i see, you’ve made yourself aquainted- this is your new partner for the next mission: cinta kaz.

[cruelfeline]

I was doing that thing where you're imagining various character scenarios, except you're feeling particularly self-insert-y, so you've added that in there, too. And I was talking out loud, as one does, talking at characters and whatnot. Specifically thinking about the scenario from earlier, with Cuff and Frey temporarily stranded in a Labyrinth, and Frey snapping at Cuff due to his somewhat noisy, bothersome coping methods.

The dialogue that ultimately came out of my mouth was "Alfre, something may be done for a reasonable purpose; it may even be necessary. But it may still ultimately result in egregious harm. You know this."

Meaning, specifically, that imprisoning Susurrus in the Labyrinths very well may have been the only reasonable thing to do in the face of the destruction he wrought. It may have been "right." That does not mean that it didn't traumatize and torment an actual person for centuries, in a way that has lasting effects in him.

And as I was thinking about it, it occurred to me that like, the last bit of my ramblings is true for her. She does know! Because what Cinta did to her has the same sort of energy.

Yeeting her to NYC was potentially the best thing to do at the time. It very well could have saved her from the Break, even from Cinta herself. It has completely good intentions and was done in desperation and love.

But it still sucked. It still caused Frey massive trauma from childhood onwards. It still hurt her and damaged her. And it's still something that she doesn't seem fully comfortable forgiving Cinta for, even knowing why it was done.

Anyway. Where was I going with this? No where.

I just had a minor Forspoken character thought/epiphany while talking to myself, and I wanted to share it. Yes. Good.

[sydneyadmu]

im glad someone else is talking about the racism issues in andor because people really gloss over it. it just had some of the most blatant racism i’ve seen in star wars in a while. maarva being treated as nothing but a hero as if she didnt literally kidnap a child. EVERY black character was unceremoniously killed off (except for the villain) while maarva and nemik actually had impactful deaths. all the nuance was given to the white characters. it was awesome to see a sapphic relationship, but cinta literally did nothing but be there and look pretty while the white lady had actual stuff to do. show already had limited black characters but you know damn well they managed to find a bunch of black background actors for the prison episodes. it’s just ridiculous to me, completely turns me off and makes the antifascism message just seem performative.

that’s exactly how I felt, thanks for sharing your thoughts!! it seems so performative because we know that people of color have been the central figures in many revolutionary movements but in the show they’re completely sidelined. maarva did nothing her entire life but recorded a speech before she died and suddenly she’s a rebel icon. ferrix is all about this community and etc but the most prominent characters are white while black and poc in general have awful deaths or no dialogues at all. In the prison arc we have lots of man of color as background characters but again, who are the main ones, the ones who have an active role and make the difference? the white guys… it’s really disappointing because it wasn’t only one time, this situation happened during the whole show but many people seem to ignore this because of good dialogue and nice directing

[phoenixiancrystallist]

Can't help but to think that Cuff has a soft spot for Junoon. I have nothing really to back that up, but that video with the bridge dialogue made me think of it.

Oh, and worth sharing. The little shit even wanted to call Junoon Vambracia at some point asjasd. Also by wandering around Junoon. I was so offended and Frey too.

Gosh, I love how much there is still to discover.

I'm gonna have to run around Junoon more, I never got that dialogue either! Cuff was holding out on me while I was running around photographing everything in sight!!! XD

He does seem to have some good feelings for Junoon, yeah. It's kind of sweet, and I have so many headcanons about why. Mostly of the "being bonded to Cinta and feeling her love for Frey second hand was the first time he ever experienced positive emotions, and just being in Junoon brings those feelings back" flavor of headcanon, tbh. But he also has an eye for beauty and fashion, which Junoon was known to cultivate, so maybe that has something to do with it, too :) He's such a precious birb, I love him so much 💜

[mikrokosmcs]

Taeyong  con  esa  voz  grabe,  pero  con  un  tono  gentil,  siempre  lograba  que  se  sintiera  lindo,  atractivo  y  como  una  joya  en  el  mundo,  y  en  esta  ocasión  en  conjunto  con  las  mariposas  en  su  estómago,  una  risa  resuena  en  su  boca.  -  —Si  la  marca  en  el  cuello  y  que  estoy  cargando  tu  cachorro,  no  sé  que  más  pruebas  necesitas  que  soy  tuyo  —  -baja  la  vista  hasta  donde  las  manos  del  otro  lo  tocan,  colocando  una  de  las  suyas  para  comenzar  a  moverla  por  la  expansión  de  piel,  queriendo  que  lo  toque  donde  el  peso  del  bebé  era  más  prominente,  esperando  que  patee  pronto.  -  —Tengo  fe  que  heredará  tu  bella  voz  y  le  encantará  estar  sobre  un  escenario,  demostrando  que  es  una  estrella  colocada  por  el  universo  en  la  tierra  —  -a  Sakmin  le  gustaba  traer  a  las  personas  y  ser  el  centro  de  atención,  su  cachorro  esperaba  pudiese  ser  exactamente  un  cantante  y  interprete  maravilloso.  -  —¿Quieres  que  sea  un  niño  o  una  niña,  mi  amor? 

Se asegura de recordar cada alimento requerido por el contrario para enviar a un miembro de la manada en las próximas horas, todo esto sin dejar de sonreír por lo creativo que era con sus deseos y la forma que lame sus labios, provocando que se sienta tan enamorado como el día que se hicieron uno en el bosque. "No estas gordo, mi vida, sigues siendo el hombre más atractivo que he visto y mío, todo mío." Taeyong sabe porqué está más sensible que de costumbre y entiende que extrañe a su familia y el lugar donde creció hasta que iniciar su viaje por el mundo, siendo uno de esos donde sus caminos se cruzaron. "Tienes que comer bien y por dos, al parecer esta pequeña criatura es insaciable y tiene los mismo gustos que tú." la diestra se posa en el lugar donde su cachorro crece, moviéndola en círculos gentilmente. "¿Crees que le guste cantar conmigo en los espectáculos?"

[catharsis-in-a-bottle]

so i ummmmmm really liked andor. like, a lot. holy shit. i need to make a list of Things I Enjoyed

FINALLY, A STAR WARS SHOW WITH GOOD FUCKING DIALOGUE. THE WORDS FEEL LIKE WORDS REAL PEOPLE WOULD ACTUALLY SAY. CONGRATULATIONS.

ON THAT NOTE: a star wars show that DOESN'T try to cover up bad writing with cgi and nostalgia grabs!!!!! the writing is quite good and they didn't throw in fight scenes just for shits and giggles, they all had meaning!!! huzzah!!!

(like. i am floored that i have enjoyed a disney show. what can i say. i have been disappointed in the past because of their incessant desire to Churn Out Content which results in underpaid workers and Loads Of Hot Shit. i am slandering up in this house tonight)

alright let's talk about the SOUNDTRACK. upon my first listen of the main theme, i was like, huh, kind of boring... by my fifth listen i was like, This Theme Is Going To Kill Me, and So Is The Rest Of The Whole Damn Soundtrack. orchestral swells AND weird and fucked up electronic sounds!!!! they were not afraid of a little out-of-tune synth wobbling, and that i can RESPECT!!!!! also not to music theory on main but IV to VI chords in a minor key, which is in the theme, is just a fucking beautiful progression and i will always love it in any context except for pop music. OKAY MOVING ON

this is the first star wars media i've encountered that i felt had something actually substantial to say about imperialism. like a lot of the other shows and the movies themselves have felt idealistic about rebellion against fascism, and then andor walks in and is like, hey, you know how we fight imperialism? Armed Revolt!! you know what enables fascism! a lot of nuanced factors that we're going to delve into with some Rich Character Development!! and obviously the rebellion in all other star wars media is like, openly an armed revolt, but this show puts that into greater context w/ police brutality, prison systems, and colonization, which makes the politics not more obvious per se, but more impactful and in greater dialogue with its audience. in my opinion. okay moving on again:

let's talk about some characters baby!!! cassian andor was bound to join my blorbo library from the moment i began this show. i absolutely fucking love his development from passive victim of empire to "kill me, or take me in [to your violent rebellion]", AND i love his haircut, AND emotionally repressed characters will forever remain fixtures of my heart. he's so!!!!! you know!!!!! i swear to god the writers did SO well on this one

i am not going to pretend that i remembered most of the character's names. my family did not watch this with subtitles and my auditory processing is quirky and elusive. so anyway i really liked [insert name of Guy Behind Major Acts Of Rebellion - you know, stellan skarsgård] because of his take no shit, give all the fucks attitude, and gravelly voice, and stellan in general as an actor (i am totally not biased because of the chernobyl miniseries). GREAT fucking complicated character.

i did find the writing of vel and cinta so fucking hilarious though. like if you google "vel and cinta", there are questions about if they are a romantic pairing. i appreciate the effort here, and i appreciate the glimpse of an actual nuanced lesbian dynamic in a mainstream company, but star wars is still very wimpy about gay people on the surface. we still have the beneath the surface homoeroticism though so we're good

mon mothma and tay [insert last name] only straight people i can get behind

THE FUCKING PRISON. EVERYTHING ABOUT THE PRISON ARC. first of all: what a fucking physical and psychological horror show. i mean, my god, electrified floors, no escape, nobody ever leaves. all the rest of the horror comes directly from real life, of course - prison slave labor, unfair sentences, shit living conditions.... i don't know the name of andy serkis's character so i will just call him andy serkis. what an EXCELLENT turnaround! from complacent hopelessness to violent hopelessness, and we know which one is more useful!!! FUCK YEAH!!! ALSO: "ONE WAY OUT" OHHH MY GOD!!!! JUST WOW!!!!! and "i can't swim"........ at least he got to see the sunlight... god this is a side comment but i think it's a crime to have to be stuck somewhere where you can't see the fucking sun this INCLUDES places of work UM ANYWAY

i am Tired so i will now sculpt my concluding remarks: i am pleasantly surprised!! i am delighted, even!!! i have gained another character to rotate in my head!!! that is all good night/day/insert time here

[lesbxdyke]

I vaguely mentioned this the other day (via screaming very loudly) but I was full on fucking blindsided by the Cuff reveal in Forspoken.

There was only one piece of dialogue that gave me any pause ("I will be with you, to do whatever needs to be done") and even that was easy to brush off as 'If you can't bring yourself to kill your mother, I will do what I have to in order to save Athia from her madness'

My honest to gods prediction was that we'd get to Cinta, have a big climactic battle, and in her last moments, she'd return Cuff to being the person he once was (since he mentioned when Frey first arrived in Athia that the Tanta's turned him into his bracelety self) and the game would end.

And then I hit the reveal and I felt so betrayed! (Not by the writers, but by Cuff, which imo proves that the character is compelling!) It cast everything I thought I knew about the world into doubt and I was heartbroken!

Now in case it wasn't obvious, I love Cuff and I love his return in the postgame and the changes in his relationship to Frey now that she knows about him.

But that initial moment tore me to shreds! Up until I got the pop up telling me to run, I was 100% convinced it was an illusion!

Honestly, I'll likely be thinking about that twist for a long time!

[stillbubbles]

After completing my rewatch of season 1 I have concluded that it is IMPOSSIBLE to make a poll asking “what was the best line” so INSTEAD I want opinions!!

(these are literally just off the top of my head characters who I thought had banger lines)

[dezykinnz]

Forspoken Rant down below 👇

Listen… as much as I love this game the writers need to get their asses beat for the shit that they did to Frey and her characterization.

This is gonna be a long one… all leave me along for any typos I’m not editing this in the slightest this is just a word vomit rant. Spoilers below I guess

One of my favorite things about Forspoken is that I’m not stuck playing grizzled white guy number 65. I can finally play a game that lets me play as a black woman. Frey she’s the main attraction, she isn’t a side character to the main hero. We play her solo. And for black woman like myself I never thought I’d see a triple A game with someone who looks like me at least not for a very loooong time.

For all the happiness this game has brought me so did the dread. And ultimately it showed me that we might never see something like it again. The ridicule and hate Forspoken has gained is truly astonishing. I don’t think I’ve seen something get nearly as much hate for simply being a mediocre game. The main component to this fire is Frey being a black woman and how one scene paused and taken out of context had the internet out with pitchforks and gasoline. Ready and gleefully shitting on anyone who enjoyed it. Make no mistake that most gamers are largely unwelcoming and hell out right racist did make me question my own position on if I was just enjoying this game because for the first time I could see myself in the protagonist. But it’s in spite of me relating to Frey that I will defend this game.

Forspoken is not a bad, no good, terrible game. It never was but it also is no masterpiece by any means. And a work that can’t be criticized just because I enjoy doesn’t mean I’m hating on it but there are background factors in my opinion that truly crippled this game.

And that’s mainly it’s story. Which I won’t be getting to much into mostly Frey as a character.

Janky gameplay will be overlooked and seem as somewhat endearing if the games story is strong and characters are well written.

Having good combat and a flashy particle system won’t. Having an empty open world where it feels like a collect-a-thon won’t. Especially if the story and its protagonist are weak. Double that if the protagonist is not one we’re creating.

All issues Forspoken suffers from.

Or rather Frey’s story and how little it seems the writers put any deeper characterization of her. Her origin are rife with stereotypes but that doesn’t necessarily make it bad. Hell take it from me someone who was in the foster care system it’s refreshing to see a character who went through similar struggles as me.

The real problems lies in how the writers made no attempt at any nuance in Frey’s story.

Like at all.

Did no one see that in the context of Cinta being white and not telling Frey who her father was or how to find him they played directly into the absent black father trope? Like did any go hmmm… maybe not a good idea. It’s like they wanted to divorce Frey from any cultural upbringing she would have had in New York City…. As a black woman. Especially one that shows her being a criminal. Even if it’s out of necessity to show how desperate she is to survive. America isn’t all sunshine and rainbows where everyone one gets along.

It feels almost cartoonish both outdated and as deep as a puddle. Like oh look at the black kids and one Latina being aggressive and how this mob guy really needs his money run away now while we show you some of the games movement mechanics. Seriously? That’s the best you got to set the tone of the game?!

And it especially shows in the dialogue because Frey doesn’t not sound like she’s from New York, hell she doesn’t even sound like an east coaster. You could have told me she was from California and it would have made more since. The writing team did not handle her with care nor were they prepared to write a character that needed to be multifaceted. I looked them up mostly writing teen tv dramas, which there’s nothing wrong with that… however coma I can tell none of them had a clue of how to write Frey because it is glaring and very obvious.

It feels like we never really get to bond with Frey and she feels strangely hollow. I can’t say other than her being snarky that there’s anything about her that stands out that is unique to her. But female protagonist being snarky for snarky sake is getting a little old for me in their characterization. We know she likes cats, and likes shoes. The shoes she’s wearing don’t even make much since if she’s a sneaker head but I digress. She gets a glimmer of hope in Olivia but that gets snatched away early on In the story for it to really have effectively changed Frey. In my eyes Oliva never died and Fret is gonna train her to be a Tanta lol.

We never learn much or get any deeper insight to what makes her tick.

It’s almost like Frey’s look came up and everyone had imagined someone else as the protagonist. Cough cough red head snarky girl. Colorblind storytelling at its finest. Which is not a good thing in this case.

Frey is told she is the only one who can save Athia and spends the game trying to get back home only to accept this duty due to her being to what equates to a magical princess. Her reasons for saving Athia are because she has too not because she wants to suddenly going from all I wanna do is go home to I’m gonna save these people I barely know and have treated me like shit.

I wish they never made her Cinta’s daughter or maybe implied it subtly something. Or maybe it just needed to be written better for the reveal.

They desperately need a black writer in the room or a sensitivity reader or something.

It’s sad and frustrating how easily her story could have been written if they just gave her to someone who actually wanted to tell this story. Because that’s another feeling I got that no one wanted to write this which is there loss

There are some genuinely interesting things about this story that simply fell by the wayside unfortunately.

I could rant until I turn purple in the face. But I say all this to say that please for the love of god do not treat your poc characters like they are white in an attempt to make them more relatable it divorces them of the culture, characterization and ultimately makes them feel empty.

Maybe I’ll make a Forspoken :ReMetamorphosis rewriting the story for fun because how often I would pause and go what if the wrote it like this instead.

Smh that’s all for now.

Ps still working on that fanart :) it’s an empty canvas now.