#for reference for the non Star Wars initiated

[theanoninyourinbox]

I Am In A Star Wars Art Mood

Help me pick an alien to draw!

[magicicephoenix]

Hey, I'm sorry if this sounds rude, but is it ok if you can just give me a quick explanation of dca who? au, or just send me the link to your explanation of it? I kinda just got tired from trying to find explanations of lots of aus... sorry.

hi i’m going to use your ask as a rough masterpost until i manufacture a permanent one

The DCA Who AU is inspired by the show Doctor Who. That’s why it’s called that; DCA replaces Doctor for a silly play on words. pretty please do not call it the “Who AU”, that’s not what it’s called. and you can refer to specific characters with the acronym “DW” (ex. DW!Moon, DW!Sun)

here are the designs for our main trio! the Moon and Y/N had a quick redesign so direct your attention to the second image for them. note that Y/N also wears pants and other things i just felt like giving them a skirt here :)

the Moon was inspired by the Doctor, and the Sun was inspired by the Master. and Y/N is the Moon’s companion.

Brief explanation for those who don’t know Doctor Who (but in the terms of the AU): the Moon and the Sun are of an ancient race called the Time Lords, who oversaw all of time and were very powerful. Some time ago, there was a giant battle called the Time War, in which all of the Time Lords were wiped out… except for the Moon. the Moon stole borrowed a special device called the TARDIS (Time And Relative Dimension(s) In Space), which is essentially a spaceship that is also a time machine. Years pass, and the Moon spends his time traveling from place to place; occasionally he comes across trouble, and he is one to help those who need it. The ‘start’ of the AU is when the Moon comes across Y/N during one of these bouts of trouble, and one thing leads to another and now Y/N is traveling alongside the Moon in the TARDIS!

the Sun comes much later in the story, once the Moon and Y/N become closer. he is a key antagonist and hates the Moon’s guts. why? unknown at the moment.

established lore (at the time of writing this):

the Time Lords are partly inorganic, partly organic. not just animatronics. They can open their mouths (though do not need to in order to speak) and eat. They don’t need to eat in order to survive, but it’s good for them. they also have fangs because fangs are fun. and retractable claws too.

in Doctor Who, Time Lords have a special ability that allows them to “regenerate” upon death, restoring their body with a new face and personality. in the DCA Who AU, this is replaced with a special program called the Regeneration Protocol, which kicks in when a Time Lord is fatally injured. it does a quick, barebones fix of the Time Lord’s body so that they won’t immediately die, and then initiates a mode where the Time Lord isn’t really mentally present as their body searches for materials to repair itself until they’re stable again. they will use anything (anything) in reach to do this. afterwards the Time Lord may suffer some negative effects, as running the protocol is harsh on the body & mind.

the Moon and the Sun used to be old friends. they have special nicknames for each other: “Moondust” and ��Sunshine”. however, once they meet again in the AU, the Sun refuses use of his nickname. additionally, the Moon gives Y/N the nickname “Star” and also “Starlight” occasionally, and the Sun (upon meeting them) nicknames them “Dewdrop.” these names have out-of-universe significance :)

i’m using their full titles here but the Moon and the Sun are good to just be called “Moon” and “Sun”! doesn’t matter to them.

Y/N is in their 20s, lives alone, and is somewhat distant from their family. they don’t have much to return to.

the collars around the Moon and the Sun’s neck are a special cloaking device! it’s for if they time travel to a point where cyborgs/animatronic/the like aren’t considered people or are disproved of. it works as a sort of perception filter that forces the brain to gloss over the non organic parts of their appearance, essentially accepting them as whatever form of being would make sense in the scenario (ex. on earth surrounded by humans? must be human! on mars surrounded by martians? must be martian! though it usually defaults to human for simplicity’s sake, especially when the Moon’s with Y/N)

playlists

Main playlist; songs are arranged in chronological order to the AU :)

Sun's playlist; no particular order

[verpineshatterrifle]

okay so your post abt alpha-17 and the other alpha arcs got me thinking (and im sorry for using you as sw google but in my mind you're Alpha Legends Lore mutual) who ARE the oldest clones? I feel like everything got... really confusing with a bunch of super secret REAL first clones getting shuffled into the order. is boba the oldest? in my mind it goes 1 boba 2 nulls 3 alphas 4 the rest of the initial clones that obi-wan saw in aotc but I have no bloody clue 😭

I AM HONORED TO BE YOUR LEGENDS LORE GOOGLE MUTUAL

ok so. sources probably conflict bc this is star wars, of course they do. what i care about is repcomm so we're just gonna go with that as our primary source with wookieepedia as secondary sources

first we gotta get some dates. unfortunately star wars doesnt really give months for most dates but years is still a starting place. these dates are all pulled from wookieepedia, legends page when applicable/different

also we're using geonosis as our date reference point since the timeline is honestly so hard to work with

order 66 happens 19 bby

1st battle of geonosis, 22 bby, the clone wars are 3 years long

boba fett's birth date is listed as 32 bby, meaning he was 10 at geonosis. cody, rex, ordo, fi, spar, and sull are all also listed with a birth date of 32 bby, so we're down to a difference of months here. essentially they're all the same age though- boba himself, troopers, nulls, commandos, and alphas

I REPEAT. ALPHA IS NOT SIGNIFICANTLY OLDER THAN THE CORE OF THE GAR. PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD. HE ISNT THE ONLY ALPHA EITHER.

but who's actually oldest? and is wookieepedia entirely correct? this is the part where i open repcomm and ignore everything else. i don't even know if anything else contradicts because i'm not checking

chapter 1 of triple zero, kal has just arrived on kamino. it's eight years before geonosis, and 2 years into the cloning program

(ALSO ITS SO FUCKING GREAT THAT THIS IS KAL'S INTRODUCTORY LINE LMAOOO <3)

he does see a lot of clone babies in gestation vats, just like we see in attack of the clones as well as cadets of varying ages- the kaminoans continue producing troopers through the entire ten years of the cloning program, so yes, the 'first generation' (clones deployed at geonosis) ARE older than a lot of later clones. but we dont really have a lot of those later clones as named characters as far as i know

anyways

the nulls appear to kal to be 4 or 5 (also peep jango apparently being legitimately shocked by them)

chronologically the nulls are NEARLY two, which probably means like 1 year and 11 months or something

(pause for me to cry about this entire scene, 'kal was instantly proud of all of them,' 'how would you like to be called ordo, he was a mandalorian warrior,' kal teaching them to embrace their fear as a mechanism their body uses to help protect them, but this is gonna be long enough as it is)

and then we have jango showing up with boba. no real indication of if boba or the nulls are actually older, but it's implied that they're very very close in actual age, if not the same age. we also get mention of the commandos and the alphas.

now, this is now just down to what i think and what makes sense to me. the whole point of the nulls is that they were experimental units- the kaminoans wanted to see if tinkering with the genome would be worth it, and ultimately decided it wasn't. it would actually make sense to me if the nulls were at least a year or two older than the rest of the clones- the kaminoans need time to see if their experiment panned out, don't they? but the nulls are also 10 at geonosis

while the nulls have been flash-trained and put through some trial runs at this point, it's indicated that the alphas and commandos aren't quite ready for training yet. this could be because the alphas and commandos are just a bit too young yet, it could be that the kaminoans put the nulls through training at a younger age than they're doing for non-experimental units. not totally clear

this is another point that is important to me: multiple times the nulls pass for clone troopers. i keep seeing headcanons of them being noticeably taller/bigger than other clones and while it is true that they're canonically slightly heavier, i think the difference is probably like 10-20 pounds, most people cannot easily tell the difference. ordo puts on corr's armor and just notes that it's slightly tighter than he's used to. mereel infiltrated kamino in trooper armor unnoticed, even while directly speaking to a kaminoan

here is my opinion on it: -the nulls and boba are basically the same age -the alphas were created next, but a few months after. by this point the kaminoans had decided (possibly because of the nulls' high mortality rate in gestation) that the alphas would be fully unaltered aside from the accelerated aging. the nulls' behavior 'issues' proved to the kaminoans that this was the right call -the commandos were created at the same time or shortly after the alphas. we're talking within weeks if not days. they have minor genetic changes to work better as a team but that's about it. -the troopers then begin production, now that the kaminoans have lots of practice altering jango's genome. heavy alteration for better social cooperation and obedience. -we're talking a span on like 4 months for all of this

you could say that ordo's gray hairs support the nulls being maybe 4-6 months older than everybody else, but i really think he is just that stressy, and there's also book evidence for clones actually aging at variable rates depending on how much stress they're under

quick note for omega: i think her existence is just insane and she's only here because disney was making a children's show and needed a child character (and girl so they can get inclusivity points), but i could see her being made anywhere from at the same time as boba to up to 3 years later. her wookieepedia page doesn't say, because the bad batch never bothered to give us any concrete information on... anything.

WE ARENT EVEN TOUCHING ON EMERIE. WHAT THE FUCK

[reslari]

Alright, gonna take a stab at making sense of Certain SOTE things, because like it or not, this is the lore we have, so we gotta figure out what pieces fit where.

Assumption: Miquella speaking of the "vow" in plural, and the item from Freyja's questline pretty well contextualize that it was a mutual agreement. Miquella proposed it, Radahn agreed initially.

Lore Question: Why did Radahn agree in the first place?

Hypothesis: What we know about Radahn is characterized by a love of battle, an admiration of Godfrey and Radagon, and an allegience to the Golden Order. He is a quintessential warrior character - a warlord, even. Yet, there is more nuance to that: An affinity for gravity magic implies a sharp mind so he is not all brawn and no brain, and going to the lengths he went to preserve Leonard implies a nurturing side.

I think the former points are why he would agree to be consort, and the latter are why Miquella asked in the first place, and I think that schism brought up conflict.

If Miquella was poised to be the God-Heir Apparent of the Lands Between, then by becoming his Consort, Radahn would be poised to end up just like the two men he admired most in the world: The Elden Lord. Why wouldn't someone want that sort of position of honor? More than that, it seems like he was asked - he didn't even need to pursue such a goal - so saying a "yes" was fairly easy. No mind control required.

In Radahn, Miquella saw that nurturing side; things that likely reminded him of Radagon. Considering Miquella had a good relationship with Radagon, at least for some time, and Radagon was Miquella's frame of reference for what a "king" should be, it's sort of natural that the places where Radahn and Radagon overlap would catch the younger Miquella's attention. Even if it was partially because Radagon was also Radahn's father.

Now, it seems like this promise was made in secret. If many people knew about it, then I doubt Freyja would've had to go searching so hard for it, and it probably would've come up way more often in lore. An arranged marriage between demigods (and with an Empyrean) would be kind of a big deal; it would be the talk of Leyndell. Yet, it would also probably threaten Queen Marika, and what her vengeful self would do if she caught wind that Miquella was going through the preliminary steps to become a god would be Bad, so not mentioning it to anyone is honestly probably for the best, actually.

What's a little secret between brothers?

Lore Question 2: Why did Radahn back out?

I have a few thoughts for this:

1) Miquella does not age or mature. Because he is kept in a sort of youthful, unchanging stasis, maybe it started to look like he would never really "grow into" becoming a god. It was a non-starter because he could never actually mature into anything than the child he was. If your god doesn't become a god, then you don't become Elden Lord, and that was all a waste of time. (Radahn holding the stars back also likely contributed to the stagnation, but he wasn't going to give that up.)

2) Miquella abandoned the Golden Order. We know Radahn's campaign against the stars was done partially on orders from the Golden Order. We know he was a loyalist. Miquella abandoning it meant that when he became a god, it wasn't because he was going to be the heir of the Golden Order, nor was he going to make Golden Order 2.0: he was going to make his own thing, and that wasn't appealing to Radahn, who just wanted to live within the Golden Order.

3) Miquella wanted to build a "kind world" or a "kinder world". A world in which everyone is forced to get along isn't one in which a career soldier can thrive: No conflict, no war. No chance for honor and glory on the battlefield. Radahn can't live up to Radagon's legend, let alone Godfrey's, if there isn't anything for him to battle. And maybe, in that obsolescence, he'd be cast out, the same as Godfrey. He probably doesn't want to be THAT much like Godfrey - he wants to live the good parts of the legend, not the bad.

So yeah, I can see those, and maybe other reasons I'm not thinking of coalescing together and painting a picture for why Radahn didn't actually want to go through with it. Radahn is, of course, well within his rights to say actually, this isn't going to get me what I want, so I'm not going to do it.

Yet Miquella, a young prodigy with an underdeveloped prefrontal cortex didn't want to let him go so easily. Miquella, who famously has not actually fixed anything ever in his own life, decided he wanted to try to fix this.

Instead, Radahn walked out.

Miquella must have felt devastated, desperate, heartbroken. You PROMISED, Radahn! You promised!!

Lore Question: So what was the Battle of Aeonia?

Let me preface this: Malenia is the Blade of Miquella. I don't think enough people read enough low fantasy to take this seriously: When someone is the "blade" of someone else, they are calling themselves a tool. An object. A thing to be used to enact their masters' will. They sublimate their own feelings, opinions, and wants, in service to another. The only agency they have - and sometimes even that is questionable - is in whether they choose to serve someone. To that end: It does not actually matter if Malenia was mind controlled by Miquella. She would have been oath and honor-bound to enact his will, no matter what she thought of it. No matter how dangerous it was for her. No matter what she had to do.

Now, death in the Lands Between seems to work in one of two ways: Death where the souls and bodies are just recycled through the Erdtree and spit back out, and Destined Death, which is a one-and-done sort of deal. The former means the person is salvagable and will resurrect eventually, the other puts them beyond the reach of the Erdtree and any known systems at all. This relates to one reason Godwyn was never actually a viable option: but put a pin in that, and I'll come back to it.

But the resurrection form of death isn't really called death in the Lands Between. At least, it's not associated with that much gravitas. In Dark Souls, the humans do a similar thing: Since they're functionally immortal, they can, for instance, turn a wedding ceremony into a ritual sacrifice. Y'know, the whole Anri thing.

So killing Radahn isn't that serious of a thing, as long as Destined Death isn't involved. He'll be back. I don't know if it was the original intention to kill him, but I don't actually think it was. I think that came later.

Maybe by being defeated in combat, he would start to take Miquella seriously. Or maybe Miquella did want the chance to get the mind control hooks into him, but that seems too straightforward for a FromSoft game. I want to explore the former option:

Except Malenia, who is an extension of Miquella's will REGARDLESS of any paranormal influence Miquella might have had on her, was unable to beat Radahn. She was unable to get him to back down, submit, and/or actually uphold his part of the vow. So she cast aside her pride (quite literally, I love you Millicent), and gave into her own god's power. She is under orders; Miquella wanted Radahn, and she will deliver him in whatever form she can. If he dies, then his soul can be pulled out of the Erdtree, no harm, no foul.

This SHOULD have killed Radahn, but, again, not a Destined Death-death, so he would come back. And, having been killed (and thus defeated), could be told he was honor-bound to uphold his end of the vow upon his revival. Maybe with some newfound respect: Miquella is enough to become a god. He has the love of his men, a powerful blade, and a will to become the ruler he was born to be. If he still refused, well, Miquella still has that compulsion to him. He can still force it.

But Radahn's great rune saved him. Or, to be most precise, it cursed him to a fate worse than death. His rune is burning, after all, trying to stave off the rot. So instead of a... messy but functional death, he has to suffer a slow, painful degradation of his mind and body that leaves him naught but a howling animal in the dunes. Very much alive, and very much too incoherent to uphold any kind of vow.

Now this seems to be happening at about the same time that Miquella decides to put himself in the womb of the Haligtree. He seems, with this, to be trying to mature into an adult. This makes the plan simple: Prove to Radahn that he is going to be a mighty god, AND age himself to show that he is capable of growing up into a god.

Yet with the battle concluded, Miquella has failed yet again. And with Malenia out of commission, he has nothing and nobody to try to further Plan B. The leftover Cleanrot Knights can't beat Radahn, the Haligtree soldiers can't beat Radahn, Radahn's own men can't beat Radahn, he's just this ridiculously powerful being that's basically now untouchable. Until the Tarnished comes along, but that's in the future; there's no way for Miquella to know when or even if Marika's going to call the Tarnished back.

So Miquella needs another plan. Or at least to enact a backup plan. Enter, an Omen with a thirst for power, and a desire to build his own dynasty - a castaway yearning for love and acceptance for who - and what - he is. Who made contact with an outer god, but since he was not an Empyrean, could not be the vessel for it. He just needs a little... push. To turn that ambition into obsession.

Sorry, Mohg, but the Empyreans are playing on another field entirely. What's one cast-away son no one knows existed otherwise? Minor sacrifices must be made, as the doubts in Miquella's heart begin to fester, and push him in increasingly desperate directions. He's running out of options.

He just needs to become God, and he can fix all of this, he says, with the simplistic resolve of a child playing with dolls. All the world's problems are so easy to solve, he just needs the power to do it.

Lore Question: So why not Godwyn?

Hypothesis: This isn't even subtext, this is just plain obvious from the game. Maybe in an earlier iteration of the story it might be possible, but as soon as they wrote Godwyn into being the Prince of Death, it was over.

First of all: The statues in the Haligtree being Godwyn are based on entirely speculation. It's a popular fan theory, but only that. There are no references to them in items, nothing internally or externally in the game to tell you what they are. FromSoft put them in the game, and giggled softly as they made the "zippering shut" motion over their lips.

The popular theory of it being Godwyn mostly comes from the fact that Miquella refers positively to Godwyn, and was even willing to go to great lengths to help him out. This is the best theory we had at the time, but that's as solid as it gets. But if "Miquella speaks of the person in high regard" is the only basis for what the statues are, then we might as well say the statues are just as likely to be Radagon, protecting and loving his children. Someone on twitter even posited that it was Ranni, the raised arm and robe "shielding" her younger Empyrean siblings from the horrors of being an Empyrean in the first place, since she knows well how awful it is.

Now that we have the DLC, those statues could very easily now be Radahn. Not as Radahn is, but the ideal Radahn that Miquella saw and made a vow with.

No one but FromSoft knows what they were meant to represent; but what they are not is unambiguously Godwyn.

So remember the discussion about death vs. Destined Death? We know when Ranni perpetrated the Night of the Black Knives, she killed her body, and Godwyn's soul. That means both of those things are Dead-dead. Temporal incursion dead. Basically, so far out of reach of resurrection that it's impossible, so they functionally might as well not exist. But it was just her BODY, and Godwyn's SOUL.

Her soul lives.

And so does Godwyn's body.

Godwyn is functionally a tumor. I believe the Japanese descriptions of the Prince of Death's cyst and pustule both make direct references to cancer, in fact. Cancer is cell growth with damaged DNA that no longer has a termination peptide in it, and no limit to replication anymore. Immortal cells, basically, that rapidly reproduce. Fall down a wiki hole sometime about how cancer metastasises, and it will give you the creepiest, uncanny feeling that cancer actually has a will of its own.

But even without knowing the weird ways cancer can grow and spread, just knowing that it does spread explains a lot about Godwyn, and the Deathroot, and even why it would show up somewhere like Farum Azula. Because you only need a little bit of the cancer cells to "break away" or... be transported... from one place to another in order for a second tumor to start to grow. All that's needed afterward is a source of vitality. Since the broken-away tumor also has the DNA of the original tumor, as well, it is. Well. The same being. A clone at worst, but literally a shucked-off part of the body that keeps living, and is still its root being at the same time it is separate from it.

Kinda like Trina and Radagon, now that I think about it.

Still, every time you see the giant clam-face, every time you see the deathroots, those are all Godwyn. So Godwyn's body is not just the giant, unmoving merman thing in Deeproot Depths, it is functionally in every corner of the Lands Between, and a few places outside it. And it's still growing, still living, still replicating.

Now, try to put Radahn's soul into that.

Where would you even begin?

More than that, could you do it? Since Godwyn's body is still alive? And if you did... what's to say that it wouldn't just be Radahn in a giant, immobile fish body, genetically glued into the roots of the Erdtree, and spreading everywhere else? How could he be a King, how could he be a warrior if he's immobile, and buried?

Miquella wants a functional king. If he's modeling it off what he knows, then Radagon was able to mingle among the people, to fight wars, to be present in the lives of the court. He wouldn't get that with Godwyn's body, even if it was as simple as sticking a new soul in a still-living body that spans the entirety of the Lands Between, which I sincerely doubt it is.

No, Godwyn was never an option.

But a more normal dead body? One whose soul has only recently fled? That was otherwise whole and hale? That could be useful.

"What are you doing? This is not right," says St. Trina inside Miquella's head. She's starting to get annoying. Doesn't she understand he just needs to get this one thing done?

Oh, and look at that.

The Tarnished have returned.

Conclusion: I like it. I think it's kind of funny, actually. It's not what I was expecting - I do agree that at least like. One. Item in the base game could have legitimately alluded to some connection here, because I absolutely can see how this feels like a sucker punch to people who had two years to set their lore assumptions in stone. But as it's presented in the DLC... it's fine. I can make sense of it. It's sufficiently doomed and tragic: Miquella didn't become the god he could have, he became the god Radahn wanted. And becoming god at all required a sacrifice that removed all the reasons he would've been a good god to begin with.

My biggest qualm with the ending is this: I think if you get your heart stolen by Miquella, it should trigger an ending. Thus, most players will probably get the "bad end" where you end up a subordinate of Miquella's reign, forcing them to use either the Great Rune he cast aside, or to just not get grabbed to get the "good" ending. Please, FromSoft, it was a perfect opportunity!!!

Now this doesn't account for absolutely everything, and maybe an item will be discovered somewhere in the DLC that bucks all of it, but this makes the most sense to me, and based on some other readings, it seems to align with other people. Miquella is far from a perfectly innocent being in all of this, but he's not some purely evil mastermind either. He's a kid, trying to fix a deeply broken world like he's playing with dolls, without the capability of regard for how real lives are affected in a nuanced way.

Just trust him! He'll become a god, and- and all of this will be better!

("No," whispers Saint Trina, sleepily, where she was cast off. Now, where Miquella cannot hear her. "No, godhood will be your prison.")

[garycxjk]

Why everybody gets 100 Girlfriends wrong

I've been seeing quite a few comments that completely misinterpret The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You, so I'm gonna break down to you the series a bit, trying to not spoil it for anime onlies. This is mainly in response to someone wondering why they don't just "speedrun girlfriends".

100 Girlfriends, first and foremost, is not a romance manga. It's a comedy manga with focus on romance, yes, but first and foremost, it's a parody manga. It's parody in the same sense that Gintama is a parody. Yes, it's an affectionate parody, but a parody nonetheless.

It already starts with the premise that the main character has 100 girlfriends. The focus actually isn't the 100 girlfriends, it has always been the girlfriend archetypes. The pervert, the tsundere, the non-communicative one, the kuudere. They deconstruct, then reconstruct each and every single one. This is why it also does not speedrun the girlfriends, because it shouldn't.

In fact, the first seven chapters (up to episode 5) do show this already, it has a slight pacing problem. Not because it takes too much time to get to each girlfriend, but because it doesn't take its time to give us the deconstruction and reconstruction phases. It is only from the next two chapters (or episode 6) on that it basically uses each girl's traits and shows us creative ways they work with them.

But they had to speedrun at least the first four girlfriends to give us an idea of what the premise is. Rentarou is an impossible protagonist who actually manages to make a polyamorous relationship work. I'll get back to that later, but keep this in mind. It needs to establish the actual rules.

We know the visible rules, that if Rentarou rejects a girlfriend, she'll die. However, chapter 3, and by extension episode 3, establishes directly that Rentarou doesn't just make these girlfriends his because they'd otherwise die, he actually genuinely starts caring for them, and wants to love them, while at the same time he wants them to care for him.

This is one of the manga rules people miss, because, forget the rejection means death rule. That rule hasn't been important since episode 3 anymore, and hasn't even been brought up that much in episode 5, and that's the initial mistake many manga readers made when getting to chapter 7. However, from chapter 8 on (the next episode), something magical happened. We finally figured out that this manga has never actually been about playing the romance part straight. It was always a comedy first and foremost.

You see, the fourth wall breaks, the absurd situations, the literal physical abuse Rentarou gets (from Karane of all people). Heck, even the anime opening. Especially the first point, the fourth wall breaks, those should tell you that the manga never really takes itself too seriously. Yes, it does take the romance parts seriously, but that's because if you don't do that, it doesn't work as a parody.

Take Gintama. It's a parody of shounen manga (and by extension anime). However, it is also a shounen manga in and of itself, that part it still plays straight. If it was just riffing on shounen manga, do you think it would have been as successful as it has been right now?

Or take the many films by Mel Brooks, and one in particular, Spaceballs. Spaceballs is a parody of science fiction films, but Star Wars in particular. However, it still is a science fiction film in and of itself, it still takes that part serious enough to make the parody work.

Compare that to the later Scary Movie films or those other movie parodies. They didn't work because it became pop culture reference, the movie, instead of being a parody of the genre while still playing that genre straight enough to make it work. They fundamentally forgot how parodies work, which is why the parody film died.

So let's go back to my comment about Rentarou being the impossible boyfriend. Many manga readers joke about Rentarou being the chad, or Chadtarou. However, by now we've realized one thing about him. He's literally an unrealistic standard when it comes to boyfriends.

There's a reason the meme "Chapter 1: I want to become Rentarou, Chapter X: I want to be Rentarou's." We realize that we literally cannot be Rentarou, nor would we even want to be Rentarou, because, face it, his job sucks. He has to take care of, what, four girlfriends at this point, which already seems like an impossible task in real life, but Rentarou goes above and beyond to make sure each girlfriend is equally loved. Not proportionally, no, equally. And with each new girlfriend, he doesn't divide the love he has between his current girlfriends and his newest girlfriend, no, he adds on top of it. It's like, at the start, Rentarou's love capacity is 100%, but then he gets two soulmates. Does he just divide his love in two, 50% for Hakari, 50% for Karane? No, he gives 100% to Hakari and 100% to Karane.

At this point, we'd just rather be Rentarou's **girlfriend**, because at least we **know** we can and will be loved by him 100%. Rentarou deliberately sets an impossible standard for the harem protagonist, because it's a standard that should never be reached by any living being. Rentarou in and of himself is the ultimate parody of a harem protagonist, and the reason for that is so that the manga and anime can safely parody every single romance trope that exists.

So, to break down the five episodes for you, to explain why it's paced like this:

Ep. 1: It explains the premise of the story, and how it's going to subvert your expectations.

Ep. 2: It shows an explanation of such subversions.

Ep. 3: It shows you the more serious side of this anime.

Ep. 4: It subverts the harem narrative.

Ep. 5: Basically the same as episode 3, combined with trying to deconstruct and reconstruct the archetype of the week.

And you will notice that with each new girlfriend, it will do the deconstruction and reconstruction in one episode. It needs to explain an archetype, show how it would actually work in reality, and turn it around and make it actually work in the bigger picture. Then, in the following episode, it will... well, you will have to find out soon I guess. But there is a pattern.

To sum it up:

1. This anime isn't a harem romcom. It's a parody of romance manga.

2. Each girlfriend represents an archetype that gets deconstructed and reconstructed.

3. Likewise, without going too much into spoiler territory, any situation is a parody of an existing romance trope.

4. Rentarou isn't your typical harem protagonist, because he isn't meant to be one, he's meant to be a parody of one.

5. The reason it doesn't speedrun girlfriends is to give each girlfriend enough time to parody.

[testingthewatersss]

I never lost him Trigger warnings for PTSD, mentions of war, torture,  etc. Just unapologetic cuddling and comfort ft. Steve Rodgers. Bucky Barnes x F Reader Chapter 8 2560 words fluff, angst, comfort. 18+ MDNI Post TWS Steve realises that he's not the only one looking for Sargent Barnes. Reader is Tony’s sister, a non-enhanced shield agent who recently resurfaced.

“That went great” Y/N says instantly, "Well done, Buck"

The praise washes over him like water, soothing the frayed edges of his soul like a balm.

He relishes in the soft swell of affection for a moment, nuzzling down into her embrace until he feels like he might be able to speak without his voice cracking;

“‘days not over yet, doll” he murmurs eventually, “’s only the afternoon— still plenty of time for me to ruin’ it”

“Don’t be ridiculous” she counters, “You’re here, with me— there’s no way you could ruin anything.”

He scoffs, holding onto her a little bit tighter.

Y/N can feel the way he’s clinging onto her waist with both of his hands, clutching onto her t-shirt like a child who’s afraid of being abandoned.

Her heart is aching, behind her ribs. He’s clearly trying to catch up with the reality of everything that’s just transpired, and she doesn’t really know if she can do anything to help.

Holding him seems to be doing something, at least.

So, she decides to just keep doing that, stroking circles across the back of his ribs.

“I can’t believe he went to the deli dressed like that” she murmurs, “I bet it makes the news.”

He smiles a little at that, small and hidden against her shoulder.

“He… he wasn’t wearin’ his dog tag”

That hurts.

It hurts more than she’d have expected it too.

“I asked him where it was” she tells him, “He says he lost it, y’know? In the ice”

That sounds reasonable, he’d been prepared for a similar answer, but, she doesn’t sound sure. There’s something about her tone, that makes him furrow his brow;

“You don’t think he did?”

“I might be wrong” she sighs, “but, I could’ve sworn I saw it in one of Peg’s old boxes”

It’s why I recognised yours so quickly, she thinks.

“If… If it was in Peggy’s stuff, maybe he did lose it, but she, she found it?”

“Maybe” Y/N agrees, “Or maybe I never saw it at all”

‘Excuse me, boss’ FRIDAY inserts politely, ‘But Bucky is right, I can confirm that when Captain Rodgers was first brought to SHEILD headquarters he was booked in, and his dog tag was noted along with his compass and original suit in the documentation regarding his personal belongings.’

That catches her attention, she tilts her head and hums,

“Was… was he awake when you brought him here?”

‘No’ FRIDAY replies, ‘He remained frozen until our medical officers felt confident in their ability to bring him round without complication’

“But he had it on him when he arrived?” Y/N cuts in, wanting to clarify, “Do you have any record about where it went?”

‘Yes, boss.’ the AI agrees, ‘And whilst there is no official mention of the article after that initial reference, I can use the archived security footage to speculate that Agent Carter may have retrieved it from him during one of her regular visits.’

Oh—

“Well there we go…” Y/N murmurs, stroking Bucky’s back again, “…mystery solved.”

“She…” Bucky says, clearing his throat, “… Y’think she took it?”

“Probably” she sighs, “she loved him, it’s not a stretch to think she’d want to try and keep a piece of him close, ‘specially… ‘specially when she realised that he probably wouldn’t be wakin’ up any time soon.”

Bucky thinks that’s awfully sad.

Sometimes he forgets how unfair fate was to Steve. He forgets that it wasn’t just him who lost everything in ice.

“I think we should get it back to him, don’t you?”

Y/N’s voice makes his head lift up, away from the crook of neck.

He’s starring at her, trying to read wether or not she’s being serious.

“You… you think we can?”

“Of course we can” she chuckles, stroking his cheek, “Baby, if Peggy kept it then it’s here— After she died a lot of her stuff was archived, y’know, for security— Tony and Sharon agreed that the tower was the best place for her personal belongings, since it’s real easy to protect, and, if I saw it before got scooped up, then I’d wager it’s still exactly where it was back then.”

“So” he murmurs, “We… We really could get it for him?”

“Sure” she says, “We can go grab it ourselves, or I can ask Tony or Nat to go and find it?”

His face shifts into something terribly conflicted. For a moment, she thinks that he might speak, but instead, he just ducks his head back down into her shoulder, burying his face against her like hiding might erase the burn of shame he’s experiencing because he just can’t volunteer himself to go and retrieve it himself.

It doesn’t.

Her arms wrapping back around across his body helps though.

So does the way she presses her lips against the top of his head, hushing him before she says,

“FRIDAY, can you message Natasha discretely for me? Do it in Russian so she knows it’s private— ask her to go down to the archives and use my override to get into the safe in room 12, tell her that I think the tag is somewhere between boxes 1-8 under one of Peg’s old dresses. When she’s got it, ask her to bring it up here, don’t let Rodgers see.”

‘Yes, boss’

“I- I’m sorry” she hears Bucky whisper, voice melting against her throat, “I just can’t-“

“It’s okay” she soothes, “Baby, it’s fine, Nat loves snoopin’ around down there, she’ll get it for us, and then you can double check, make sure it’s right before you give it to him.”

“Before-“ he gulps, “before I give it to him?”

“well, yeah” she says, smiling, “Sweetheart, unless you don’t want too?”

“I- I do” he blurts out urgently, “I-I just, thought maybe you-”

“No, baby” she murmurs, “I think it’ll mean more if it’s you.”

‘Ms Romanoff is on her way to the archives now, Boss— she asked me pass on a message to Bucky on her behalf’

“Oh?” Y/N scoffs, pressing another kiss against his head, “What message would that be?”

‘Dobro pozhalovat' domoy, serzhant’

Welcome Home, Sergeant.

That makes a smile bloom across her face.

The recorded greeting being laced with a genuine tone of kindness is enough to make her affection towards her old friend swell in her chest.

“She… Is, is that her voice?”

‘Yes, Bucky- I can relay messages to anybody you like.’

“Could you reply for me? could… could you tell her ‘Thank you, and I- I’m sorry, for— for fightin’ you, and for- for shootin’ you back… back in Japan.”

“Sure I will.”

“Sweetheart” Y/N says, “you know she’s not angry, don’t you?”

“It doesn’t matter” he counters weakly, “It doesn’t matter if she’s angry, doll, I— I’m still sorry.”

The silence that follows doesn’t last long, but it’s still long enough for his words to make Y/N’s chest ache again.

“C’mere” she purrs, settling herself back against the arm of the couch, guiding him up, so he’s back in position between her thighs, “Grab that blanket, baby, are you sure you’re not hungry?”

He lets one of his hands snake out so he can pull the covers out from underneath his legs, whispering out an “I- I can eat if… if you want me to?” as he passes it to her.

“It’s not up to me” Y/N says, arranging the quilt across his back, “what do you want?”

“…To stay here for awhile?…”

He means in her arms. He means against her chest, where he finally feels safe, and there isn’t a single thing in the world that could convince her to prise him away. Not with the way he’s looking at her, wide eyed and touch-starved.

“Then you can stay here awhile.” she tells him, one hand snaking up to cup his cheek, “You can stay right here for as long as you want”

“Excuse the interruption, but Miss Romanoff has sent a reply, Bucky, would you like to hear it now, or shall I store it for later playback?”

Bucky’s eyes widen for a moment, and he pushes back into Y/N’s hand as he gulps;

“Can I- Can I hear it now?”

‘Ofcourse—

Zabud' ob etom. Vy byli pervym chelovekom, kotoryy ustroil mne dostoynyy boy za desyat' let. My provedem match-revansh, kogda tebe stanet luchshe.’

Forget about it. You were the first person to give me a decent fight in a decade. We'll rematch when you're feeling better.

There’s a laugh in her tone that makes Y/N scoff, eyes rolling as her old friends voice floods the space.

“See?” she whispers, pressing a kiss against his lips, “Don’t worry about Nat”

His smile is tight and anxious, and she can tell he wants to hide again, so she reminds him that he doesn’t need to reply, and that is when he surrenders, nodding and retreating to her chest.

“We’ll eat later” she says, “You, you just get comfy, it’s been a hell of a mornin’…”

It has, it has been a hell of a morning.

“I love you” is the response he settles on, “I- I love you so much”

That makes her laugh, but it’s sweet, it’s happy and girlish, and he’s beaming into the skin of her throat.

“Baby boy” she coos, “I love you more.”

“’s not possible” he counters, because he can’t not, “doll, It… it’s like you hung the damn moon”

“We’ll argue it out another day” she whispers, feeling him sagging against her, “you’re exhausted.”

He is, he is exhausted, he’s emotionally drained and the heat from her body is drawing him in, making it easy for his breathing to synchronise with hers, deep, and slow.

His eyes are closed and her fingers are in his hair.

God, he feels like the luckiest man alive.

and then, he’s asleep again.

Y/N spends more time showering him in gentle touches, this time. She plays with the curls that are hanging loose across the back of his neck. She presses her lips against his brow and then finally drapes one arm across the back of waist so that she can pull up the STARK internship paperwork that she’d mentioned filling out earlier with the other.

In two hours, it’s early evening and she’s half way through the file.

In three, she’s still half way through, but now Natasha has let her know that she has the dog tag, and she can bring it up whenever.

Now might be the best time, she considers, whilst he’s sleeping— maybe we can avoid another introduction.

She relays her thoughts to FRIDAY who quietly, and politely agrees with her theory, and tells her that ‘Ms Romanoff will be with her in a few moments.’

It’s been just over five minutes when Natasha lets herself into Y/N’s suite.

Unlike Steve she’s used to dropping by, so, there isn’t any cause for her to stop to survey her surroundings.

That is, until she spots her best friend, curled up on her couch with the very same super-solider that had been deemed as ‘HYRDA’s most dangerous weapon’ passed out between her thighs.

That is definitely worth a double take.

Y/N’s eyes roll at the look on her face, and she uses her free hand to beckon her towards her,

“He’s sleeping—” she tells her helpfully, “— and thank you for finding it so quickly”

The dog tag is already in her outstretched palm. Natasha’s smile is curious more than anything else, so Y/N finds herself mirroring it, quirking a brow and murmuring out a “what?” that makes the other woman chuckle, quiet and tempered into the air between them;

“This isn’t just a hook-up is it?”

“No” she replies, “No, I don’t think it is.”

The red-head nods, and her face morphs into something only approving.

“You met him whilst you were away?” she checks, waiting for Y/N to nod before she continues, “So you’ve been, together, for awhile?”

“Yeah” Y/N agrees, “better part of 5 years.”

“Well” Nat sighs, “I hope he deserves you.”

“He does” she’s quick to tell her

“good” the other woman replies, “if you trust him, then that’s good enough for me, just let him know that if he breaks your heart then it won’t just be Tony he has to watch out for.”

That makes Y/N snort, childish and happy as she nods, curling her fingers through Bucky’s hair again.

“Speaking off” Natasha murmurs, “Is he okay? With this whole thing?”

“I think he’s more than okay” she says, “Honestly, I didn’t expect him to be so good about it, y’know? but he’s really gone out of his way to make this easy on us.”

“He can probably tell how happy you are” she replies, “and if somethin’ happens and you need me then-”

“I know you’ve got my back” Y/N swears, “You always have, Nat- ya tebya lyublyu”

I love you

A genuine smile blooms across the red-heads face. She’s beaming as she leans in to press a kiss on Y/N’s brow, and she’s still sporting the same grin when she starts towards the door.

“Do you think he’ll mind if I stop by tomorrow?”

“I don’t know” Y/N says honestly, “I doubt it? If he isn’t ready then I’ll slip out and catch you before training”

And then she’s gone, and Y/N finds herself tucking the dog tag into her pocket so that she can return her attention to the papers she’d been working on before.

Bucky doesn’t stir for another hour. By then she’s actually almost finished. She’s so focused on the task at hand that she only notices he’s awake when he moves, rolling onto his side so he can peer at the glowing hologram she’s typing on.

“Hey, love” she purrs, “Sorry, I thought I’d try and get this finished whilst you slept.”

“Don’t be sorry, doll” he replies, voice cracking with disuse, “Have I been out long?”

“3 hours, maybe 4?” Y/N answers, looking at the clock, “it’s about 8 now, Nat’s been and gone.”

That catches his attention, he paws at his eyes, and then at his chin, all whilst using his metal arm to support his weight so he can stare at her face.

“What?” she presses, typing the final sentence of her conclusion with impressive speed, “Did you want me to wake you?”

“No” he admits, “I- I just didn’t think she’d be able to find it so quick”

The papers are finished so Y/N hits submit, dismissing the screen with a flick of her wrist so that she can give him her full attention.

“It wasn’t hidden” she reminds him calmly, “Do you want to see it?”

His lip quirks as he nods.

She shifts her hips pulling the silver, age-stained trinket out of her pocket before letting the charm drop, so that its where he can reach out and grab it.

He does, turning it over in his flesh fingers as his eyes scan the engravings again and again.

“Is it the right thing?” she wonders, already suspecting from the look on his face that it is, “I’m pretty sure, but-”

“Yeah” he says, “Yeah, it- it’s right— can I give it to him now?”

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | x | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12

[supremechancellorrex]

Now, I gotta say, I find it interesting how there are some people that target you for stating your opinion on fiction. I've had this same Jedi-stan user sending me tens and tens of comments which are based on denial and opinion rather than any logical argument. Now, they're telling others not to read my arguments because... what, it's too scary? They literally reblog my post with a quite insulting argument and then quickly block me because they don't want me to respond.

Well, too bad.

This isn't even an argument based on logic. You just stated your opinion and acted like it was a fact, anyone else who believes differently is doing so "foolishly", more "foolishly" than a child apparently. Because despite much evidence to the contrary in children's media, apparently 'villains' never have any depth or say the truth ever, according to you.

Slick: "Yes, she offered me money. But she offered me something more important, something you wouldn't understand: freedom!"

You know the one thing Slick doesn't actually have? It's freedom. Because, he is a slave, that is a fact. Let's go through the fact that slave isn't a title you award but a state of existence and being, a slave by definition is: "a person who is forced to work for and obey another and is considered to be their property; an enslaved person." That is the clones to a T. Just because Slick was selfish doesn't just invalidate he described a situation which still has not been refuted and instead has been only proven over and over again.

Now, you say "the clones are property of the Republic", and they are under the command... of the Jedi, who are generals and part of the Republic command structure. Legally, the Jedi may not have a say in the fate of the clone troopers other than being in charge of their daily actions and organisation for years, but illegally? Are you claiming that the Jedi could not even think to organise a mass desertion? When the law is unjust, you challenge it, you break it. Now, you try to absolve them here by saying that they had no choice because the Separatists were a threat to the Republic, an institution that supports slavery for its own ends. You may hate it but "Cool motive, still slavery" still applies here. Any institution that supports having an enslaved army does not deserve to exist, and that includes the Jedi Order's support of the Republic.

As for your non-sequitur on the placement of the episode, this is just pointless. There is no basis to discount an episode just because it wasn't in Season 4. This adds nothing to your argument and is just a complete fallacy.

You can't really make this argument on a number of basises. One, the writing intentions have clearly changed since that initial George Lucas' quote decades ago. Not only this, but George Lucas doesn't even own Star Wars anymore and Disney are now in charge, with Dave Filoni and a number of other writers making significant contributions.

Dave Filoni: "So I think that trying to draw these paths of the Jedi and the choices they make and how they wind up good or bad … Yoda isn’t afraid in the prequels to say the Jedi are flawed and that they’ve become greedy and self-interested and arrogant. That helps you understand why they’re going to lose the Clone War and why they’re so ripe for the picking."

I think this quote speaks for itself. Also, I think it was very clear that George Lucas, a man well-known for changing his mind and who was still the executive producer, was on Ahsoka's side in the Wrong Jedi Arc. Otherwise at some point the narrative would have refuted her assertions on the Jedi Order, that's just basic storytelling.

Now, onto the clones. You essentially admit that the draft is essentially slavery in the clones' case. The clones are property and are referred to as such, they can't leave, they can't vote, they have no rights and this has been the case since they were fetuses in tubes. Let's look at Umbara again.

Fives: "We did it. We took Umbara."

Captain Rex: "What’s the point of all this? I mean, why?"

Fives: "I don’t know, sir. I don’t think anybody knows. But I do know that someday this war is gonna end."

Captain Rex: "Then what? We’re soldiers. What happens to us then?"

Considering the fact that the Senate are voting on whether to "decommission" the clones like a product in the Bad Batch, I think it's safe to say that Captain Rex's fears were confirmed. Senator Riyo Chuchi, an actual good person in a bad system, is literally fighting to give the clones any rights at all in the Bad Batch, and she is a lonely voice.

Riyo Chuchi: "[The Clones] are not droids to simply be shut down. These are soldiers who defended us, defended our worlds"

Meanwhile, when the Jedi wax on about the end of the War, they just assume they'll be fulfilling the same duties they did before the war. This is because the Jedi are privileged and are treated as citizens during the War, able to walk around completely uncumbered and engage on a conversational level with the elite. They can also leave the Order, especially if they break the code, which is not something allowed for the clones. They may be servants, but they aren't property, and they have more tools to push back and fight the Senate, which they can walk around freely in a venerated position. You practically say this throughout your argument. Over all, the Jedi are drafted, the clones are slaves. There is a difference in the power dynamic.

The Clone Wars waived the right to be dismissed solely as "It's just a superificial kids show, don't criticise" when it decided to deal with dark, serious topics, including the Republic's growing authoritarianism, political maneuvering, slaughter and murder. All those cases of the Jedi challenging their leaders simply make it more egregious that the Jedi never advocated for the clones to the same level. The fact Mace Windu is willing to fight tooth and nail for the Zillo Beast, however demonstrates no passion to fight for the clone rights, who are slaves soldiers under his command, is actually a pretty bad look. There are also clones that died around the same time as Even Piell, yet they get no rites either.

It's funny you mention Qui Gon Jinn because his opposition to the Jedi Council has been noted previously and it is a critique of the Jedi Order.

Dave Filoni: "I think Qui-Gon in a lot of ways represents the kind of path the Jedi are supposed to be on. He’s the one that’s the most compassionate. But he has no ambition to be part of the council. He feels he can’t do what he needs to do if he’s a part of that. That thinking and that philosophy is from what Dooku taught him. Dooku was a free-thinker and was looking out for people."

Oh, you know Dooku too? The guy who said "The Jedi blindly serve a corrupt Senate that fails the Republic it represents." Looks like he imparted some spirit to his Padawan. Ultimately, this actually supports my arguments that the Jedi Order have lost their way as an institution. Now, earlier you say it "sucks" the Jedi can't allegedly speak out because of the draft, at the same time you... have Jedi speaking out on every topic that isn't clones. Hmm.

Well, mademoiselle-cookie, you have crossed into antisemitic territory here and it's shockingly disgusting of you. The Jedi should not be considered an expy of Jewish people, because that would be really racist of the writers and very misrepresentative. Jewish people are not a fictional order of magic monks that wave lightsabers around, fighting wars with state-owned clone slaves, believe it or not. Going through your argument until now has been bearable, but this really takes the cake. I've warned people to stop using real-life minority groups as meat-shields for their fictional favs, however it seems that privileged people will often use minority groups instinctively for their benefit. The fact you accuse me, a mixed race gay man, as being the type to fall for Nazi lies because I critique the Jedi Order is just the icing on the cake.

Also, you argue "it's a kid's show" and then it's a direct allegory for the Holocaust, one of the darkest periods in human history, at the same time, huh? If this were the case, it would mean it's portrayal is even more important to critique without exception.

But, moving on from your just completely inappropriate allegory. So, the Jedi have a "choice" as you just state. That's much more the clones ever had and that is a privilege. You're essentially arguing for the Jedi to stand back and do nothing by choice while earlier you also argued that the Jedi had to do something in regards to the War as it was the moral choice but also that they 'don't' have a choice. Meanwhile, the Jedi were shown to be willing to overthrow Palpatine given the 'proper motivation', but due to their lack of compassion I guess the enslavement of millions of men such as the clones just wasn't important enough. Your argument falls apart because the Jedi did try to overthrew Palpatine in the end, just not for the slaves.

Using the "Bad guys lie" trope in an absolute capacity is also not an argument. You're just stating your opinion as a fact again and it's very 'convenient' your metric. I could reply "Good guys can be wrong and don't always tell the truth" and we'd, like your point, get nowhere.

Finally, an interesting point. There's no denying that Ahsoka did not make the situation as squeaky clean in her desperation, however ultimately my point still stands that Mace Windu, and I quoted him, said "I understand your sentiment, Obi-Wan. But, if the council does as you suggest. It could be seen as an act of opposition to the Senate. I'm afraid we have little choice."

At the end of the day, the Jedi do have a choice despite what Windu says. The choice was political. The ruling isn't unanimous, because doubts are expressed, but as Mace Windu says what they view as important in response to Obi-Wan saying things don't add up regarding Ahsoka is to focus how it looks to the Senate, a Senate that supports authoritarianism, corruption and slavery. The Jedi arguably lie to themselves and say they support justice, but they don't ultimately. As Jedi Master Dooku, the described "free-thinker", says: "The Jedi blindly serve a corrupt Senate that fails the Republic it represents."

Hmm, you don't seem to understand what an "unreliable narrator" actually is. With your use especially, every single character ever could be described as an unreliable narrator, I can describe Mace Windu as an unreliable narrator or Obi-Wan. I could literally flip your argument and claim the Jedi are unreliable narrators who only think they're doing good because they were raised in an environment which told them this from a young age and ultimately they were propping up a failing, authoritarian, corrupt 'Republic'.

I don't think you realise that Ahsoka's story would not have been presented the way it was in Season 7 if the narrative was not on her side. There were key cues in its structure and quotations that were critical of the Jedi Order, who were mostly in opposition to Ahsoka narratively.

Ahsoka: "This is why the people have lost faith in the Jedi. I had, too, until I was reminded of what the Order means to people who truly need us.” 

What a coincidence that Obi-Wan, a man gifted with the gab, fails to counter this criticism as well. Just like Slick.

We literally see the Jedi propping up the Republic system for the near entirely of the War. They allowed "the destruction of innocent life-forms", the clones, men brainwashed and forced into combat. They also conducted military investigations, deferred to the Senate, and I think it's very telling that Rex did not reveal Cut Lawquane's location to either the Jedi or the rest of the Republic. As Generals, they are a part of the hierarchy, and they support the Republic, a hegemony of laws and demarcations. Also, last I checked, Satine isn't a slave, I only wish Obi-Wan had gone out of his way to protect the clones as people, but I guess he only does that for citizens.

As for Order 66, again, this isn't an argument on your part. I'm well-aware of events, nor did I say they deserved to be murdered. The Jedi Order, specificially their leadership, made "poor choices" and it screwed them over. I also find your Nazi allegory more disgusting personally, but whatever. Now, let's see what the Jedi are actually doing.

Dave Filoni: "They’ve, as an institution, existed for a very long time. It doesn’t mean they’re evil or bad, but they’re making a lot of poor choices, and they can’t get out ahead of things in part because they’re desperately attempting to do things the right way and take an even stance.”

The centrist stance the Jedi take on most matters clearly contributed to their downfall. They made "poor choices" and I am critiquing them for it because allowing slavery at the heart of the Republic is not just a poor choice, but a stupid and immoral one. They are 'desperately attempting to do things the right way', but they don't, and this is why actual criticisms are levied at them. Again, I never argued the Jedi were evil, I argued they should be held accountable for their flaws and mistakes, like everyone should be.

I like how you completely misunderstood my point here despite many other people getting it. The problem is that the Jedi do have a choice, it's just a difficult one. However just because doing the right thing is difficult does not mean you shouldn't do it. The problem with the Jedi allowing countless clones, who are slaves, to die for years and that not prompt them to confront, combat or even overthrow the Republic is it makes them very morally bankrupt. As soon as the Republic said it was going to utilise slaves, the Jedi should have realised the Republic was the enemy of human decency itself. But, as we know from just watching Star Wars media with basic critical thinking or this exchange in Rebels...

Ezra: "Master Yoda, you’re powerful. You must know a way to destroy Vader and his Inquisitors.”

Master Yoda: “Padawan, thousands of Jedi once there were. Then came war. In our arrogance, joined the conflict swiftly we did. Fear, anger hate. Consumed by the dark side the Jedi were.”

I think you need to add more depth to your idea of "good". The Jedi were complicit in their own downfall. The fact you have to jump through so many 'logical' hoops to 'explain' and 'absolve' them is evidence enough. The fact you also dismiss all criticism of the Jedi as anti-Jedi propaganda, even when coming from its own members, from Yoda to Ahsoka, who clearly the narrative sides with. Now, as for your 'the citizens did nothing too' whataboutism argument? Yep. So, if you're arguing the Jedi are as bad as Republic citizens who also enabled clone slavery, then sure, a little 'harsh' of you, but that's what you're actually saying here. Plus, you keep both stating the Jedi have a choice and don't have a choice when it suits you throughout this argument.

And, regardless of whether the SW writers verbally acknowledge the word slavery, it is the story they present by saying the clones are "property" who "have no representation in the Senate". You should watch the Riyo Chuchi episodes in Bad Batch again, because this should be impossible to miss in the discussion of "clone rights". Your attempted use of 'rhetorical' questions instead of an actual argument is also pretty uninspired.

You literally didn't "debunk" anything, mademoiselle-cookie. As usual, you used ad hominem attacks, misused terminology, made antisemitic allegories, and now you're upset someone expressed an opinion you dislike. The fact you warn other people not to read my opinion as if you're the guardian of Jedi stan tumblr and they couldn't bear having someone make a post they don't agree with is also hilarious, I would hope people are full of sterner stuff. After all, people always have a choice, whether to read or not.

[opinated-user]

I'm very tempted, now that someone has mentioned the idea of parodying Lily, to do a parody of TSR wherein everything Aliana does is mocked and retold in a more accurate way. Nothing sexual or gross, but we shove in an OC who looks back at the audience and goes, "Kylo Ren never expressed any sexual desires in the original trilogy. Now he wants Rey and Aliana to be his concubines. Gee, who was it that said authors only put violence against women in fiction if they get off to it? Billy Smorchard? Lillian Orchestra? Something like that." Just TSR, but Aliana is stuck with a character who can see beyond the fourth wall who will not stop mocking the bad writing. He asks Rey how she fell in love with Aliana and she says, "Oh, we talked." "That's it?!" "We had things in common." "I have things in common with you, her, Luke Skywalker, BB8 and my cat, that doesn't mean I'm in love with them!" The entire story ends up with a running gag where he refers to Aliana's mom as "The Noble Black Slaver" and she wants to murder him but his two superpowers are being aware of things beyond the fourth wall and being immune to Force abilities so she's just forced to deal with his existing without ever being able to choke, maim, murder, electrocute, etc. him, which are her only means of problem-solving. I really want to do a lengthy parody thing where we start out following the plot of TSR but eventually this dude's continual interference in Aliana's bullshit totally derails her attempts to take over the galaxy.

Specifically I want to do this parody fic with comments set to logged-in users only and see what she ends up doing when she realizes she can't threaten my life without getting banned from AO3. She can't bully me off of social media, because I don't have that. Her viewers can't scream at me without death threats and suicide bait getting them banned off of AO3 for TOS violations.

Imagine how mad she would be. Imagine the glorious indignation, the swearing, the inevitable trying to frame me as [buzzwords here] and not being able to control someone enough to make them stop because she has no power. And the best part is, I could make it so, so queer and make it majority non-white and make the fourth-wall breaking OC Jewish just to piss her off. "But Judaism doesn't exist in Star Wars!" someone in the comments will say, to which I can simply reply, "Black people selling white kids doesn't exist in Star Wars and every black character having a connection to slavery didn't exist in Star Wars but y'all were fine with those additions. You'll survive this one."

I have a spare AO3 account. I could do this. Someone either needs to stop me or give me a title because that's always the hardest part to come up with. I'm thinking I want to retain TSR as initials...

you should, anon, why not? LO has officially left alaina free for the taken. if someone can grab her and do something actually interesting with her then they should.

[shipping1addict]

Finished Outlaws just now and my initial thoughts are the following:

*Spoiler free section*

It was really refreshing, seeing someone not aligned with "the good guys". Because every protagonist somehow ends up playing some role in the skywalker saga.

The story wasn't something out of this world. Wasn't something BIG and important. It was a heist. But it was entertaining. The characters were great and interesting and have lots and lots of potential for future content.

I really liked the gameplay aspect of it. There were moments when I forgot what the main objective was for a quick second because I was so caught up in the side missions.

That said, this is not to be taken as a critique. Even the syndicate missions where so emmersive and had interesting plots, that you wouldn't even know they weren't part of the main quest.

The planets were AWESOME. The design, the feeling. The interactive opportunities popping up. The adventure of it all. You wouldn't even need to play a quest and could get lost in the wilds.

Also THE MUSIC. There were a lot of obvious sampled idk music theory don't kill be pls bits of known soundtracks from the movies. I'm quite certain that the main theme or at least a theme that was played a lot of the time was a mix of the mandalorian and fallen order.

And I wouldn't be me without stating the very obvious elephant in the room: there were some gay as-fuck scenes and vibes in this game.

Something I would love to see in future contents.

-

Before I dive into spoiler territory, I want to ad, that this game probably gets a lot of hate from the fandom and if you think about playing this game, don't listen to them.

I haven't touched any reviews or ratings, but I can already see people being overly critiqual because of Kay as a protagonist, because of the absence of Jedi or the focus on the empire or the rebellion.

But I tell you: this game is a great way to explore the galaxy as someone who has their own bagage. As someone only familiar with the world they grew up in. And there are lots and lots of references and dialogs that refer to the happenings in the movies.

You just need to look and listen. It's such an emmersive game and I would hate for it to get thrown onto the "too woke, not star wars enough" pile.

!!!SPOILER WARNING!!!

The fanservice of including Darth Vader in every single Game in some capacity is something expected by now and I kid you not: I laughed when he showed up.

Not something totally un-fitting for the story but I can see why ome people might have a problem with that.

I also liked how Kay couldn't even explain what was happening in that room. That shows how non-existent the knowledge of the force was during the reign of the empire.

The small detail of Han Solo in Jabbas Palace and Boba Fett - who you can see in one of those vents you crawl through - was very fitting.

With me basically going in blind into the game, it was a great way to pinpoint on where on the timeline it is set on.

[destinyc1020]

No offense to Dennis but non except Zendaya have shown they can bring people to theaters. Acting wise yes but box office no.Florence last film grossed 2.4 million DWD barely broke even. Bones and All didn’t even cover its budget. Actually Elvis did well we can give it to Austin but Tom hanks is a huge draw

Anon, I'm pretty sure Denis was primarily referring to his upcoming film "Dune: Part 2", and the 4 actors who are pretty hot right now. 🤷🏾‍♀️ I think many will go see the film simply because of them. I also think Denis was saying that they all have a great future career ahead of them, and I definitely agree! 😊

Y'all know I don't like to get into fandom wars on here. I think all 4 of them are great! 😁👍🏾

But by your logic, if we're really splitting hairs, Zendaya hasn't really LED a major motion picture film on the big screen yet, so one could argue that ppl are flocking to theaters because of Tom, Marvel, MCU, and the all-star cast of Dune. 🤷🏾‍♀️ 👀

But there's no doubt in my mind that Zendaya is def going to be a box office draw when she leads her first film. 👍🏾

Interesting that you mention Timothée and "Bones and All", which is an indie film, and one about canabalism (at that), but imo "Wonka" would be a far better comparison when it comes out, to see if Timmy can lead a film with a high box office. 🤷🏾‍♀️

With Elvis, I think people would have originally flocked to the theaters regardless, since Elvis had (and still has) such a huge fanbase. But you're right, it wouldn't have made as much as it did box office-wise had Austin's performance not been so GOOD. 👍🏾 So I agree with you there. That film had repeat viewings too, so I'm sure if it had sucked ppl wouldn't have been watching it over and over again. While Tom Hanks was I'm sure an initial draw, believe me, that movie wasn't getting repeat viewings due to Tom Hanks lol, no offense 😆

With Florence, I too have mainly seen her in supporting roles, but to me DWD didn't do that well due to all of the negative press surrounding it and all of the drama with the cast members. 🥴

But that's not to say that Florence won't be a box office draw in the future. 🤷🏾‍♀️

Overall, I think Denis gave a very nice compliment to all 4 of them, and after working with all of them, I'm sure he saw smthg special in each of them, otherwise he wouldn't have given the compliment. 😌

They definitely have the potential to become Hollywood's next GOATs of the future (imo) if they play their cards right. 👍🏾 We're literally watching their careers skyrocket right in front of our eyes! 😊

I don't see the need to try to put down others in order to lift up Zendaya. She's already great! Lol 😅

[skelezomperman]

Revising A Tale of Star-Crossed Knights - Chapter 9

Link to Chapter 9: https://archiveofourown.org/works/39015690/chapters/101133303

This chapter is probably one of the lowest ones in terms of substance in the entire work, but I decided that it could get a post on its own. It's the first chapter in Part II which covers the time period in between Finn and Erinys separating for the last time all the way until Erinys' death and the beginnings of FE4 Gen 2/FE5. When I was approaching Part II, I initially wanted to write it in such a fashion to where it would swap between Finn's perspective and Erinys' perspective. I still did that for the second half, but for the first three chapters I segregated the perspectives. This was mostly because I didn't want to interrupt the Silesse Civil War arc which turned out to be one of my favorite parts of the entire work.

Chapter 9 is another filler chapter. The original version had some highlights of me rushing chapters again, that being abrupt endings in transitioning between scenes. That's definitely going to be a big thing to fix during the rest of the work. The other big thing, of course, is excising non-important worldbuilding stuff. (e.g., In the original version, Finn's bully is named Aillan, but I took that name out (as well as any Italy references) because I don't want to put something in that gets forgotten later on.) I also have worked at reducing the amount of interruptions between scenes and making them flow into each other. What would really be best is adding more content which is what I'm too lazy to do, but I still think it's worked well.

That said, while it's filler I do think it's good for Finn's character. He left Leonster as a young squire (maybe not 15 years old in this story, but young) and he comes back as an adult. So he has a sort of difficulty integrating back into Leonster, not only because of his longing for Erinys and Ced but also because he's matured more than his peers. Besides Quan, Glade is really the only close friend that Finn has. Even he doesn't truly understand Finn, but he at least helps through the culture shock of Finn coming back to other people suddenly changing their opinion on him and making crude jokes about his wife.

I think that's all I have to say, so the original author's notes are below for your perusal.

---

Welcome to Part II, the part where Erinys and Finn are completely separated. At first I was intending for the point of view to swap from scene to scene, but I realized when planning this out that it would interrupt story arcs if I did that - imagine if, say, the story flipped directly from Altena and Leif being little shits to Erinys learning about Annand dying. That would be whiplash. So the plan for now is that Chapters 9 and 12 will be in Finn's POV, while Chapters 10 and 11 will be Erinys' POV. That may change though.

Shorter chapter because lol taking a break for a week meant that I need to get back in my rhythm of writing. Nothing heavy happens in this chapter, it's just Finn returning home to Leonster. Which I initially wanted to base off Italy but I realize now that it's more fun to think of some kind of English influence too...not that it really shows in this fic. Next chapter will definitely include heavy stuff though...everyone knows what happens in Chapter 4 of the game so break out the tissues in a week.

Leif's born too and by necessity he's going to play a role in later chapters. I don't intend on this to be a complete retelling of the entire events of FE4/FE5 because that would be boring and I want to keep the focus on this relationship between Finn and Erinys, and later between Finn and his biological children. But obviously Leif is going to show up in some capacity, and Altena too beyond just being a little girl.

Miscellaneous notes: Altena's a weird thing. It feels weird that Quan and Ethlyn would be away from their daughter for three and a half years, especially when she was only a few months old when they left Leonster. It kind of makes sense if they expected to return to Leonster after two months and not get dragged into in a wild goose chase, but I feel like Altena shouldn't be able to recognize her parents *at all.* She'd recognize her grandparents though for sure. Credit to @PEve862 on Twitter for bringing up that according to Leonster's Fall, Finn really only had Glade as a friend (at least before he turned into a war hero.) I already felt like Finn was awkward and not really liked by others when he was a squire but that piece of info solidified the deal for the scene with the other nights. It's kind of like if someone who was bullied in middle school comes to a high school reunion and turns out to be more successful than their bullies. But I still felt like Finn would find it awkward - even though they're all about 20-ish years old, Finn's still more mature than his peers, and it really comes across when the others wanted to hear about what it's like to do The Thing with an "exotic" woman than actually listen to Finn who is truly in love with her beyond just in the bed. But Glade is there to save the day because he actually understands Finn and is friends with Finn beyond just wanting to suck up to their new commander. Aillen is the name of a fire breathing monster whom Fionn mac Cumhaill slays in mythology. I thought the name looked natural enough to be thrown in. Yudu is mentioned in supplementary material as an earth god worshipped prior to the arrival of Gair/Loptous. I wanted to call the tavern something other than "the tavern" and the name flows well. I almost had Glade call Finn "fra" as a reference to Italian but decided to change it to "bro" because I want readers to understand the connotation immediately. I know that it breaks the immersion of this being medieval times but we're ultimately still in modern times so sometimes it's okay to use modern words. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Feel free to kudos/comment as always if you liked it, and see you guys next week.

[warsofasoiaf]

Is this hater troll right?: "I don’t think Disney understands what pirates actually are. The old fashioned term was hostis humani generis – “enemies of all mankind”. Basically the sort of thing two unfriendly nations (like the Republic and the Empire) might cooperate to take down, at least as long as the particular pirates in question were not actually in the employ of one of them, or conveniently operating in such a way as to make their ex post facto licensing as privateers worthwhile."

If you need context for my Star Wars pirate ask, it was from a discussion of episode 5 of the new season of Mandalorian, where (s)he is ranting about all the military and politics being wrong. Do you have a general opinion on the military/political versimiltude of Star Wars? I would like to read it if so. Thank you in advance

I don't have a specific thing about the verisimilitude of Star Wars because I don't know the setting well enough really outside of the main films. Most of the military stuff falls fairly flat in the "space is just a 3D ocean" kind of way, but that's understandable. The space battles in Star Wars are largely inspired by WWII-era dogfighting and bombing raids. The politics in the later Star Wars films makes very little sense save as a means to rehash the old Rebellion versus Empire with different proper nouns.

What this person is probably referencing is the various treaties of Utrecht which ended the War of Spanish Succession. In the 1713 Peace of Utrecht, there was a stipulation in its contents that nations should: "cause all pirates and sea-robbers to be apprehended and punished as they deserve, for a terror and example to others." So in one sense, at a certain point in time, there was an effort to end piracy which, while not specifically operating as a joint coalition environment that we might think of, did offer some level of coordination and cut down significantly on pirate activity. By 1720 piracy was on a steep decline and the Golden Age of Piracy ended shortly thereafter, in many ways due to the efforts of European navies to end piracy and the collapse of the pirate republic of Nassau in 1718. Or this individual might be referring to current UN-led international efforts to curb piracy off Somalia, but that requires the mediation of a supranational entity which doesn't appear to be present in Star Wars.

But that specifically was following a resolution to a currently war, so I'd say that they have the issue backwards - once nations at war are able to conclude successful treaty negotiations (and thus no longer be "unfriendly"), which may indeed cover trade/monopoly licensing and the use of privateers, only then would they turn to the successful suppression of brigandry/piracy in a cooperative or semi-cooperative context. Non-privateers may have been hunted down but not typically in a joint operation, at best nations might deny pirates might deny the use of ports or crack down on contraband even from an unfriendly nation, but that's hardly something that two "unfriendly" nations would cooperate on. The context of this cooperation could be a full-on hunting of pirates either in a joint environment or one where they don't interfere in pirate-hunting and restrict or eliminate the use of privateers, or might involve other cooperative measures like denying the use of ports to known pirates and permitting foreign ships to weigh anchor and make use of port services (at a premium of course, mercantilism was the reigning economic theory in the day).

Initially, the end of the War of Spanish Succession saw a boom in piracy as trade exploded in the Carribbean combined with less need for navies and privateers which left many out of work. Trade ship life was miserable and many sailors abandoned the brutal life for a freer life of piracy. With the end of war and the rise of piracy, national navies were recruiting for anti-pirate campaigns. The same pool of skilled sailors that became pirates were also available for recruiting as anti-pirate sailors. Pardons were offered for pirates to end their ways and join up with the various European navies operating in the Caribbean.

Thanks for the question, Anon.

SomethingLikeALawyer, Hand of the King

[knightotoc]

Star Wars Brotherhood, almost 1/4 thru:

- many kotor references :D

- among jedi, sports fans are an oppressed minority

- Anakin is space racist lolll

- on the other hand Padme is perfect, we've heard you and we've seen you say that Padme had a flaw so we fixed that, she actually sent Kiera Knightly to go free the other white slaves on Tatooine (but is she still space racist too...? Don't worry about it)

- Quinlan Vos winks at Obi-Wan!!!🏳️‍🌈👨🏻‍🤝‍👨🏿👨🏻‍❤️‍💋‍👨🏿🌈 2022 the year of obiquin!?!?! WE JUST KEEP WINNING

- I feel like every sw book nowadays starts with a badass non-jedi woman in peril... Paige Tico's influence👏 If only any of them mattered as much as she did😑

- something interesting but unclear about Anakin's mechanical arm being NOT a part of the Force, as in, Obi-Wan can sense what Anakin's original arm is doing but not what his mechanical arm is doing (more machine than man already?); cool idea, it's very Kreia, but I can't really wrap my mind around it, I hope it comes up again; also wondering what it means for disabled ppl in the gffa

- definitely the most interesting thing so far is a new character, a Jedi initiate whose Force sensitivity is such that even the idea of violence makes her sick; she reminds me of Odion from Knight Errant or Lauren from Parable of the Sower; kind of bummed that she isn't the protagonist, my boys haven't done anything cool yet smh

[27timescinema]

PANEL – MIU MIU 2024 #4

By Maarja Hindoalla (EE), pics © Moris Puccio / GdA

Miu Miu Women’s Tales fourth panel at the 81. Venice Film Festival hosted always radiant Raffey Cassidy, who is in Venice for the premiere of much-praised The Brutalist, Alia Shawkat, most recently seen in mystery thriller Blink Twice helmed by Zoë Kravitz, and title character of the Brigitte Bardot biopic series Valentina Romani in a light and fun, but also insightful discussion under the title Unpicking the Craft.

When talking about the significance of Miu Miu Women’s Tales series, Romani noted that she is fascinated by both film and fashion, which have broken a lot of walls, and it’s interesting to see those changes carried out by captivating and inspiring women. Raffey Cassidy, who starred in Miu Miu Women’s Tales #19 Nightwalk in 2020, praised the initiative for providing an opportunity to both first-time and big-time directors to tell fascinating stories for which it seems to get harder and harder to find funding.

And some projects which start as a short films in Miu Miu Women’s Tales series, live to be made into feature films, as seen for #12, Crystal Moselle’s That One Day (2016) developed into Skate Kitchen (2018), which won several awards. And now awaits #27 Shako Mako (2019) by Hailey Gates and starring Alia Shawkat. Gates’s upcoming feature is rumoured to have Luca Guadagnino, also present in Venice for the premiere of his latest, Queer, and Alia Shawkat’s father, Tony Shawkat, as producers.

Mostly recalling their greatest collaborations with different filmmakers and hinting at works in progress, the panellists also discussed the overall state of cinema and its currents. Shawkat noted that people seem to love horror films at the moment as they reflect on the precarious state of the world around them. Romani underlined the importance of film in also understanding and remembering our history: “We need to know our history and why we have this freedom. We have generations of women who did this for us”, she noted. Also referring to the reassuring and safe work environment that female directors manage to create: “With female directors, there is a non-verbal dialogue which makes you feel safe and heard without even talking”.

Shawkat noted that it seems like everyone is trying to get something made, and intriguing films need encouragement to get made. When referring to a kind of #metoo thriller that Zoë Kravitz is working on, she said that in the US things are very black and white, but now is the time to discover the grey areas, referencing also Blink Twice and Cat Person which give ambivalent and at times uncomfortable views which need to be discussed. “There’s a lot more room for these conversations now, but they need to get deeper. And you have to remember it’s not a war, we are trying to heal people”.

[startrekfangirl2233]

No, it makes no sense to me either, @desert-fern. And welcome to my TED talk as I tell you exactly how Star Trek is just as woke and Feminist as Star Wars is.

This includes the cut because, well... Star Trek is in my name and it's my game. So bear with me.

Feminism in Star Trek

When the first season of Star Trek aired in 1966, (3 decades or so before I was born), it was already wildly progressive in and of itself. At that time, it was rare to find a program on television that had a multi-racial cast, as well as, male and female characters who worked as equals together.

Women in the Star Trek: The Original Series (to be clear, I'm referring to the show with William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Nichelle Nichols and DeForest Kelley) were depicted in a very feminine way, with close-fitted uniform tunics to emphasize their curves, snug high heeled boots, and of course, a full face of makeup. This was done in part to placate the show's audience, since it was filmed approximately a decade before females were allowed as candidates for NASA's space program. But despite their attire, Star Trek's women were ground-breaking at the time. They didn't cook, clean, raise children or get married. All they are within the lense and perspective of Starfleet is competent professionals.

Even with the first show, Star Trek had a loyal female fanbase and women actively took part in the letter campaigns to NBC after the show's third season in an effort to keep the show on the air.

That involvement of women in Star Trek continued when Gene Rodenberry began conceptualizing Star Trek: The Next Generation under the helm of Sir Patrick Stewart's Jean Luc Picard. Of the main characters in the show, three are female, Beverly Crusher, Deanna Troi, and Natasha Yar. As the Chief Medical Officer, Chief Counselor, and Chief of Security aboard the USS Enterprise D, all three women were decision-makers and had their own unique backgrounds, strengths and weaknesses.

In The Next Generation, moreover, women often initiated romantic and sexual encounters. The off-and-on relationship between Deanna Troi and William Riker is wholly controlled by the limits Troi sets. Deanna's mother? She flirts with every man in sight.

The trend of powerful women continues in Star Trek even today. We have Michael Burnham and the indomitable Empress Georgiou, Captain Katherine Janeway, and Number One. These are far from being the only reasons why Star Trek is a feminist body of media. If you want to know more, there are hundreds of blogs taking a look at the different shows in 60 years of Trek history which will tell you exactly how feminist Star Trek is.

You're Woke? So is Star Trek

I'm not sure how much the Fox New anchor, Emily Compagno knows about Star Trek for her to say, “That’s why I’m a Trekkie and not Star Wars!” Star Trek has always been progressive and promoted progressive values. After all, Star Trek The Original Series' episode titled "A Private Little War" condemned the Vietnam War as a losing gambit before the Pentagon Papers were released. The episode, "Let This Be Your Last Battlefield", from the same series, examined racism less than a year after Martin Luther King Jr. was murdered. Similarly, Star Trek Strange New Worlds used footage from the January 7th, 2021 insurrection at the US Capitol building.

Even the inclusion of Una Chin Riley in the unaired pilot of Star Trek: The Original Series can be considered woke. In Rodenberry's own words, Number One is the best at everything. Having a capable woman on the bridge like her was mind-blowing, and a little uncomfortable. Star Trek Discovery and Star Trek: Beyond both depict homosexual relationships, something Rodenberry wanted to do forty years ago but could never get off the cutting room floor.

The only difference is, the writers and actors for Star Trek no longer need to hide their stories behind allegory. In Star Trek Discovery, Grey is a trans character played by a trans actor and Adira is a non-binary character played by a non-binary actor. Similarly Lt. Stamets and Dr. Culbert have their homosexual relationship on full display even sharing the same quarters on the ship. Nothing is hidden because it doesn't have to be, not anymore. Star Trek has evolved with the times.

Above all, let's not forget one thing. Star Trek's entire point was the idea of a future where we can solve the social and economic problems of our time.

P.S. Emily Compagno. Your palm should face forward to show openness. You're brandishing the ta'al, not a gang sign.

Incredible.

[firstprince-ao3feed]

24 Frames per Second

by Djokodal_Fan Henry Fox is one of the brightest young stars in Hollywood's firmament, carrying the legacy of a long line of famous actors. He's signed on to play the lead in the Steven Spielberg-directed Desert Fox: a dramatic story of bravado, focusing on two childhood friends who are drafted together in the Allied 8th Army during WW II. Henry is initially skeptical about his co-star, the comparative greenhorn Alex Claremont-Diaz. But when they meet, he's floored by Alex's immense charisma and screen presence. As shooting commences on location in the barren wastes of the Sahara desert, Henry comes to realize that Alex has actually seen his share of war first hand, having been drafted to serve during the American intervention in Vietnam. As the barriers and reservations between the two men slowly evaporate amidst the scorching sands surrounding them, Alex and Henry begin to realize a few things. That the most meaningful of relationships can bloom unexpectedly, like a fragile oasis amidst a hostile wilderness. That sometimes, reaching out and taking someone's hand can be the beginning of a beautiful journey. And at other times, it is allowing another to take yours. Words: 13933, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English Fandoms: Red White & Royal Blue (2023), Red White & Royal Blue - Casey McQuiston Rating: Mature Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Categories: M/M Characters: Alex Claremont-Diaz, Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor, Shaan Srivastava, Steven Spielberg (mentioned), Real-Life Hollywood Stars (mentioned) Relationships: Alex Claremont-Diaz/Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Hollywood, Alternate Universe - Actors, Non-Royal Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor, Alex Claremont-Diaz is not First Son of the United States, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Moderate PTSD (Alex), colleagues to friends to lovers, Light Angst, Humor, Smut, Anal Sex, Oral Sex, Alex Claremont-Diaz Loves Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor, Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor Loves Alex Claremont-Diaz, Moving In Together, Hollywood - 1980s, Alex has played a role in Raiders of the Lost Ark (read to find out what that is!), Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Humor, Fluff and Smut, References to casualties during the war via https://ift.tt/zNKw1Lq