#holding out for andor season 2

[mayhaps-a-blog]

You know, I finally watched Black Panther: Wakanda Forever the other night, and I have to say

Their blue people - few as they were, and unclear which ones were supposed to be blue or not blue and why - were so much more well done than the aliens in Ahsoka.

Like, Disney can clearly do the makeup, and even do it well! What's up with that?

And at the mall today, I did the usual tour through the fandom-y shops, and there was so little Ahsoka stuff. Not much Star Wars at all, really.

It just... kind of feels like Disney is writing Star Wars off. Really phoning it in. Which sucks, because there is SO much potential there, and they're just dropping the ball on it.

At least the books have been pretty good, from what I've heard. And there's always plenty of Legends, the good, the bad, and the ugly! Not like Star Wars hasn't had its ups and downs before...

[colleybri]

Cassian x Bix and Rebelcaptain: Please let these ships be friends !

I ‘ship’ Cassian x Bix AND Cassian x Jyn. I see there has been some conflict in the past when the “new woman” was first brought in with the series, some that remains now, and I’m both saddened and bemused by that.

Rebelcaptain for me is a canon relationship… to a certain extent. I have no doubt that these brave heroes would have ended up together had they lived. That’s why I love it… the whole beautiful tragedy of what might have been, and the loyalty that binds people together when making a sacrifice like this. Were they actually in love, in canon? For me – no. Not yet. And that’s important for my personal enjoyment of Rogue One, especially its ending. As the novelisation stresses, Cassian dies without knowing Jyn as “There wasn’t the time”. And I simply don’t believe you can love someone without knowing them . But I enjoy the idea of exploring what would have happened had they lived. They are a perfect loyal “battle couple”, definitely my favourite fanon SW couple and great to imagine together. I see Rebelcaptain also as a way of giving them the happy ending they deserved. Oh - and the chemistry between Felicity Jones and Diego Luna on-screen is absolutely electric. In short and again: I have no doubt that they would have fallen in love had they lived and would have been perfect for each other. And they are a perfect fanon ship.

(^^ And I I think this is the exact moment in canon when they both acknowledge the loss of what might have been. It’s just heartbreakingly beautiful… )

Cassian x Bix - I don’t even think of it as a ‘ship’ per se as it is a 100% canon relationship, and one that is currently ongoing as we wait for Andor S2.. It’s fascinating to me – 17 years of friendship that has occasionally blossomed into a romantic/sexual relationship. It’s a genuinely unusual set up too. I’ve read a few takes that they are “over each other” by the time of the start of the series, to which I want to say … watch again, closely! They certainly have moved on to date different people, but it’s also very clear from their interactions (especially in the intense scene in Ep 7) that there is still a lot of extremely deep feeling between them – even if some of it is very negative. In the S1 production notes, the show’s creator Tony Gilroy says that they “are meant to be together… but it’s been impossible all these years. Now, she’s done with him … he’s burnt every last bridge .” Why? The series also provides the answer – Cassian is in many ways an absolute mess at the start of the season and Bix was quite rightly fed up with him as a boyfriend. He’s completely unreliable, likes short-lived affairs (often with married women - so no risk of commitment!), isn’t working regularly and has debts all over the place. This largely stems from his “unresolved childhood trauma”. He has a fear of “leaving people behind” and despite having a lot of love to give “ is so scared of being loved”. But he and Bix nonetheless prove to be incredibly loyal friends and their love in this platonic sense clearly runs very deep indeed. They have known each other since he was 10 so she is also something like a sister figure. Bix is still very protective of Cassian and takes personal risks for him… and he finally comes to appreciate this and pay back his metaphorical debt to her in the finale. The question now is what season 2 holds for them, if anything.

(^^ I love the way she is using her fingertips to push his hand off, as if to avoid the risk of too much touch. The gesture and look that says “Please don’t try and get close to me again because we both know how bad that is for us… but I’m such a total idiot when it comes to you that I will still very unwisely go out of my way to help you, especially when you look at me like that so please just don’t”)

Does loving their messy and complicated relationship mean that I want Cassian and Bix to ‘end up together’ ? No, and the obvious additional point is that they don’t! They are both going to be very different people at the start of S2 and over the following years of the story . Bix has been traumatised; Cassian has been radicalised. And that’s just the start. Perhaps they quickly drift apart. Perhaps some kind of betrayal is involved. Perhaps one or both of them will want to commit again to a relationship, but it’s impossible because of the demands of the rebellion (like Vel /Cinta). Perhaps Bix “ends up with” someone else (Brasso, ideally, especially if they both survive the season). Perhaps they will get back together at least for a while and enjoy a little last happiness before inevitable heartbreak. Perhaps all, some or none of these. But none of that stops me from loving and appreciating what they do have, what they have had up to now, and the intriguing dynamics of when they do interact on screen. Bix x Cassian attracts me as a fanfic ship because it’s all about exploring what is there and how it came to be, which is why I currently don’t write them beyond the present time of season 1. I’m waiting to see what happens next in Canon, as it were, because that to me is an important part of writing them. Meanwhile, I’m enjoying analysing the relationship by imagining them in the past.

So for me Bix x Cassian in no way impacts on Jyn x Cassian or vice versa, especially if you apply… real life principles rather than the ideals of fandoms: “soulmates” and OTPs. Many people – most people – will have a beautifully intense and loving relationship with more than one person at different times of their lives. I’m old – trust me on this one.

^^ Both relationships in these two scenes go way beyond romance. In the first - many years of close and loyal friendship. In the second: a bond created through brave and selfless sacrifice together. And for both: Cassian’s absolute hatred of being “someone who leaves people behind”: the quality that I love best about him. And saving each other. Literally and metaphorically.

And oh… it’s beautiful. Both moments are beautiful.

Edit: I won’t do any speculating here about the content of the trailers and articles. Except to say that there’s nothing in them that detracts from the emotional power of both ships. They can continue to happily coexist. 

[elwenyere]

Reentry (Andor, Melshian, 336 w)

Author's Note: A wee ficlet in honor of this weekend's potato crumbs, set sometime during season 2 and inspired by approximately 2.5 seconds of grainy bootleg footage. We are so back.

.....

Cassian waits until they’re approaching Dantooine before he leaves Kay at the controls and goes back to check on the prisoner they’ve sprung from detainment - on Melshi, who’s dozing against the bulkhead, his shorn head listing over one shoulder.

Cassian crouches in front of him, taking a moment, after the shock of reunion and the rush of escape, to assess the status of his unexpected passenger. He’d forgotten so much more of Melshi than he’d realized: the flurries of movement in his fingers, the slip of space that softens his mouth in surprise, the way the skin around his eyes looks scored with effort - the thin, radial grooves pinching like spread foils, even in sleep.

“Hey.” 

The word’s out before Cassian can form the intention to voice it. He shouldn’t. He should let Melshi rest: he’d been hard to rouse, when they found him - limbs leaden with long exhaustion, skin so sallow he’d looked almost -

“Melshi.” 

Cassian speaks again anyway, finds that something under his breastbone unsnarls when Melshi’s eyes open, his gaze settling on Cassian and his lips parting.

“We’re almost there,” Cassian says.

Melshi straightens, his attention drifting to scan the hold of the ship before it returns to take in Cassian’s unshaven chin, the insignia on his jacket, the blaster at his hip.

“Sorry,” Melshi says. “Thought for a moment I must be dreaming.”

Cassian reaches for a line that would compose the expression on his face and finds nothing - nothing but the words he’d said when he’d punched the hyperdrive, when he’d hauled Melshi to his feet in his cell, when they’d clung to a cliff face, years earlier, or when he’d watched the bunk across from his and prayed never to see a broad-shouldered form silhouetted against the dark walls, toes curled over the edge: hold on. 

As the ship drops out of hyperspace, Cassian’s still watching Melshi’s face, so he feels it: the moment they settle into orbit - that sideways slip of forward motion and gravity falling back into balance.

[andorshitdaily]

still holding out hope that we'll get a resolution or follow up to the Keri plot. but i'll settle for Bix's smile ❤

rip kerri they kind of forgot about you but we haven't

tell me what you want/need to see in Andor season 2!

[dorkydegeneracy]

1. Andor

2. Obi-Wan Kenobi

3. The Mandolorian

4. Ahsoka

-----------------------------

5. The Acolyte

5. The Book of Boba Fett

Andor is by far the greatest live action Star Wars project to date, which is a shame because I think it is the least watched of all projects. As someone who loves the political intrigue side of Star Wars, this show speaks to me on a personal level. I understand that most Star Wars fans may not value this aspect of the series. Indeed, I have heard from many fans that this is their least favorite aspect of Star Wars. Nevertheless, I truly believe that Andor is the only show that I can confidently say makes for good television (not perfect of course, far from it). Diego Luna's performance rivals only one other lead actor's performance imo for the best performance in live action Star Wars (more on that in just a second!). Kyle Soller's Syril was a pleasant surprise standout. Overall, the cast delivered in a way that I did not expect.

The other projects imo have writing/cinematography flaws that severely effect the quality and overall enjoyment of the show.

---

Obi-Wan Kenobi ranks second for me in LARGE part because, despite some valid concerns of characterization, Ewan McGregor absolutely nailed his portrayal of Master Kenobi! Ewan is a phenomenal actor. We all know this. His Obi-Wan was a highlight of the prequels, and he tried his very best to hold this show together because he cares so much about Star Wars.

Unfortunately, there are so many questionable writing issues. Chief among them, Reva's character was terribly written and the continued existence of her character damages Obi-Wan's legacy as the protector of the "last hope." Second, the budget was the smallest of all of the shows, resulting in lower quality cinematography and special effects. Lastly, there were too many strange gaffes that made the it hard to take the show serious at times (this includes the trenchcoat fiasco, Flea's portrayal of a kidnapper to name a few).

Other straws that make the show valuable and interesting to me include:

1) Excluding Reva, everything else that happened in the show doesn't present concerns for me in terms of canon compliance. In fact, the way the show ends leaves the possibility of a more introspective character story about Kenobi learning how to communicate with Qui-Gon, and his life on Tatooine.

2) The Obi-Wan/Anakin relationship. One of the key goals of the Prequels and the Clone Wars was to expand on this relationship. It is a fascinating tragedy at the heart of Star Wars. I would have loved it if the whole show was about Kenobi's guilt, seeing him get back in touch with the force, communing with Qui Gon, and Tuscan Raiders. However, the little that we did get was fulfilling, and Darth Vader releasing Obi-Wan from his guilt over Anakin was beautiful.

3) Eventhough there were critiques about having Princess Lei play the key role that she did in the show, Vivien Lyra Blair was very likeable and portrayed the spirit of princess Leia in a new way. Never in a million years would I have said that I needed or wanted to see Leia as a child, but I am glad that I did. She was for sure a highlight.

That's enough about Obi-Wan. It's not like I could possibly convince anybody who thought the show was holistically bad (a valid criticism imo) to find any redeeming qualities.

---

The Mandolorian is a visually stunning show for the most part, and it serves as the foundation of live action Star Wars. Admittedly, I have little significant criticisms with the stories told throughout the series. My biggest issue with Mando, and I will continue to die on this hill, is that I want it to be more about Mandolorians. This is why, believe it or not, season 3 is my favorite season. It finally focused on the show's namesake, and builds on the incredible world of Mandalore, one of the best things to come out of the Clone Wars. I desperately want Mandalore to rise again. It's such an important planet in the canon, and people love all the lore that is associated with Mandalore.

I think Grogu is an amazing character, and I love his connections with Luke and Ahsoka. I love Din Djarin and his role as Grogu's father figure. These characters are very valuable and important, but they should not have been the focus of the show. I want more clan conflicts, and I want to see Mandalore grow! I want flashbacks to Bo Katan's childhood, when Mandalore was thriving! Why has there not been a single mention of Satine Kryze in a show called the Mandolorian? I know the show is not about Satine. Nobody is asking for the show to be about Satine. But Satine is supposed to be Bo's older sister, and there is so much character development to be expounded upon there.

Other than that, I just don't personally have a connection to the Mandolorian in a way that I do with Andor and Kenobi. Seasons 1 and 2 just really weren't my type of show. Season 3 did pique my interests tho.

---

Lastly, Ahsoka! I thought Ahsoka was okay, but it really just confuses me tbh. My confusion stems from two key things: 1) Thrawn was very lackluster; and 2) the world between worlds was even more complicated.

Thrawn in the books and in Rebels is arguably the smartest, most cunning creature in the universe. This is his primary attribute which makes him stand out in a universe of force wielders, aliens, and bots. The Thrawn in Ahsoka made some questionable decisions, and heavily relied on Morgan Elsbeth as his fellow strategist. He also just looked goofy to me, but his skin is blue so I won't harp on it too much.

Unlike some fans, I find the world between worlds to be an interesting addition to the Star Wars universe. The mechanics established in Rebels were relatively straightforward: some sort of plane governed by the force containing various doors to different points in time. The mechanics of the world between worlds were complicated in Ahsoka.

First, Ahsoka entered the world between worlds (WBW) after falling off of a cliff at sea. Was the ocean a magical gateway to the WBW? Did Ahsoka die? Nobody knows. My best guess is that the WBW is probably an astral plane where one's spirit enters, and not their whole corporal being.

Secondly, if the WBW is an astral plane, that means that Anakin's soul was communicating with Ahsoka. Was he trapped there? Is he a force ghost? Do all force ghost reside here? And then Anakin's force ghost shows up at the end! I just have so many questions.

Third, Ahsoka did hop between different points in the timeline, but did so as a younger version of herself, which we have never seen before. Additionally, Ahsoka never walked through a door on her journey.

All of this just makes the world between worlds hella confusing.

I'm not that bothered by Sabine is training to become a Jedi. Let me be clear: her midichlorian levels are insanely low, and had this been in an era during the Jedi Order's prominence she would have been sneezed at. But I can appreciate having a character who is truly like the rest of us train as a Jedi. That was the whole point of Rey being a nobody, which they immediately retconed. No, Sabine being a Jedi isn't necessarily canon compliant, but the force is within us all, right? God knows I wouldn't be sufficiently force sensitive, so I can relate to Satine on a personal level.

---

The last two are set apart from the rest in all fairness because I have not watched them in their entirety. I have watched 10 minutes of Boba Fett, and after hearing what was going on in The Acolyte, I watched detailed recaps of the season because I do think that Lucas Films will be creating more stories that will build on stories established therein. Overall, I don't believe that these two shows are of the same caliber as the rest of the Star Wars live action projects.

[emietook]

star wars for the fandom question game 👀

A long time ago in a galaxy far far away���

Hopefully tumblr mobile and I don’t screw this one up

Favorite Male character - As a kid it was Han Solo, but more recently he’s been dethroned by the Mandalorian 😍 we’re all suckers for a mysterious stranger right?

Favorite Female character - Princess Leia. She was the character I wanted to be as a kid. As cool as the various jedi were I’d rather have her confidence and will than whatever powers the Force could give.

Least Favorite character - Shockingly it’s not Kylo Ren lol. It’s Anakin. I haven’t finished the animated Clone Wars series so I’ll hold off a little judgement but no matter how he’s been presented he’s never come across as sympathetic or interesting to me. He’s not cool until he becomes Vader.

Favorite Ship - The Millennium Falcon . Han/Leia, can’t go wrong with the originators of “I love you.” “I know.” I really like Jyn/Cassian too, in any form romantic or platonic

Favorite friendship - The dynamic of the original trio is hard to beat, but I also really enjoyed Poe and Finn in the newer movies. They deserve a series!

Favorite Quote - Sooooo many ones from Andor!!!! I think Luthen Rael’s “I burn my life to make a sunrise that I know I’ll never see.” goes hard though and I love it

Worst character death - Han’s wasn’t great. I used to cry almost every time Yoda died in RotJ when I was little though hahaha

This made me so happy you have no idea Moment - Din taking off his helmet to say goodbye to Grogu at the end of Mando season 2. It’s kinda a cop out to say an entire episode but seriously every second of “One Way Out” in Andor had me gleeful. What an episode!!!!

Saddest moment - Han’s death got to me the first time I saw it. Hard to watch a childhood fav go no matter how it’s done. The Acolyte as a whole was pretty sad but I’m still processing it so it’s on my mind.

Favorite location - I’m partial to Hoth because I love the snow (and the walker fight!) but Endor and the redwood trees is so pretty it wins

[vidavalor]

Hi! I'm the anon who asked about the logistics of together-the-whole-time twist back again. Firstly, thanks so much for your response! Secondly, sorry, should have worded that better! It's not the sleeping together part that would be the twist for me - I actually was confident we'd get the romance canonised, either with a kiss andor with an outright declaration and some hand-holding-forehead-kisses-type tenderness, though not necessarily until the 3rd season, I'm definitely on board with 1941 part 3 and now that they've kissed I have a pretty good feeling about some shape or form of implied, innuendoed or faded-to-black sex scene, or even something like Newt and Anathema, if it fits, in the next season - it's more about the fact that a first kiss an insanely long time ago and a secret, coded, largely unspoken romance since then that's been happening mostly past the audience's nose would put a pretty dramatic spin on everything else we've seen so far. A change our entire perspective and everything we thought we knew spin. Because that would mean that the story we thought they're telling is not in fact the story they're telling after all, that we've gotten the first 2 seasons in a completely wrong context, and that's where the feeling that this might be too much of a rug pull comes in. You don't need to respond again if you don't want to, after all you've already laid out your thoughts excellently as always, just thought I'd give you a follow up. Anyways, hope I'm wrong and you're right!

Hi. I appreciate your follow up. Please help yourself to cookies... Apologies for the delayed response. I save Asks as drafts in my folder to reply to if I'm going to and I somehow overlooked this one for awhile so I apologize. Let me add a few things here about why I really, really, really disagree with the idea that an ancient times vavoom would be "a rug pull" as you put it and "not the story they're telling." (I'm also not sure how you're okay with one happening in 1941 but not millennia ago when, really, both would mean that you'd have been "fooled" by the story? What's the difference, really?) This is actually exactly the story they're telling and there are plenty of suggestions of that.

I recently wrote a meta that I'll link at the bottom listing all of the things that Good Omens has shown you and then provided context for you later and I didn't get through a third of them... that I've even noticed so far. I'm sure there are more. What this does is recontextualize what you've been watching. It deepens it. You call that a "rug pull" with a tone that hints you might think it deceptive in a negative way. I see it as literally brilliant sleight-of-hand storytelling that's innocent in its intent. It's trickery in a magic show sense. Part of my argument to you is that a show where one of half of the couple we're talking about is a magician has a theme of narrative sleight-of-hand lol. It is very much intentionally not giving you all the information you need to have a complete picture of any one scene from only that one scene by design. It's been doing this all along and it is a way of building layers into the story and your understanding it. There is no reason not to think that this would not be the case for scenes related to the central relationship of the show that is between its main characters because every single one of them to date has already been about them.

I don't think the audience would find this complicated so I don't see it as too much of a deception. I think people would kinda go nuts for it, actually lol. You're already watching a show that keeps telling you things later that have you recontextualizing what you've already seen so don't sell yourself or the audience short. All it does is then allow the audience to see what a bunch of us expect is already there anyway. It'd make rewatching the show even more fun. If you ever want to already get a taste of that, theorize for a bit that I'm right and that this has been going on for ages and then go rewatch the show a bit and see what you spot in places. You'll be surprised by how much it all just sorta slides into place. That's because they've built it that way. You're reading a novel that's written out of chronological order and you're only two-thirds of the way through it... are you not expecting a few surprises and some deepening of your understanding of what's going on before the end of it? This show is no different.

I guess I'm saying that ain't no way that the show that keeps making scenes that change your understanding of scenes you've already watched and, as a result, your understanding of Crowley & Aziraphale's relationship, isn't planning the mother of all those scenes that will completely recontextualize the whole damn thing. They are absolutely going to have kissed before 2.06 but the way they recontextualize the whole series at once is if they make the first one near the start of the timeline.

S3 audience during The Ancient Times Vavoom lol:

[karnpuffs]

:[

I still can't believe this happened to me. Kyle is such an unbelievably sweet guy. I met him at the FACTS convention in Ghent, which I almost didn't go to because I have very bad social anxiety, but I'm so glad I dared to approach him, he was absolutely lovely. Luckily they let you take selfies there, and of course we did The Pout��� And he really took the time to answer my weird questions~ 😳

After I gave him my tiny little cereal box, we talked about cereal and he confirmed that someone really did buy lots and lots of Trix Trolls and then had to sort it all out until they had a big bag full of just the blue cereal pieces. The worst day of shooting was when he had to eat 27 bowls of it in one day...

Since there isn't really any behind-the-scenes footage of Andor S1, I wanted to know if there were any bloopers during filming - and there were a lot! But especially the weather was a disaster, because the filming took place mainly in winter. They really didn't know if they would ever get that whole scene on Ferrix done. Especially the shot of Cassian holding Syril at gunpoint took an incredibly long time because it was SNOWING that day. (I rewatched the scene, you can actually see a few snowflakes flying in through the door)

Ohhh and the scene with the switched hats wasn't in the script! It was kind of improvised because they kept playing around with the hats and then decided it would be funny if Syril was unhappy with his hat. He also thinks it's a shame that Alex Ferns is no longer in season 2, he loved working with him, Syril and Sgt.Mosk definitely had a bromance thing going on. 😏

He also said "There will be more Dedra and Syril... but less closet. Let's put it that way." (evil gays in space??) Their relationship gets more intense. In fact, everything in the second season will be more intense.

We talked about other random stuff and I was pretty overwhelmed by EVERYTHING but I can only repeat that he is a really sweet guy.

...and he gave me a hug 😭

[notasapleasure]

I had this draft for the 8 shows to get to know me meme that no one tagged me in, but then @batri-jopa tagged me for this other meme, so I'm doiing them as a mash-up.

10 comfort shows -

- that tell you more than you wanted to know about me. reasons below the cut, but the tl;dr is:

The Terror

Garrow's Law

Ripper Street

The X Files

Utopia

Interview with the Vampire

(BBC) Ghosts

Futurama

Avatar: the Last Airbender

Detectorists

Honourable mentions: Andor (will probably make the list once season 2 is out, but my trust of Disney Star Wars is *so* thin, I can't commit until then, no matter how excellent season 1 is); The Great (it's so good. The script is still one of the most astonishing works of art I have ever encountered. But comfort TV? hell no.); see also, Bojack Horseman (objectively great. Not comfort TV); Grease Monkeys (I've got to get hold of season 2, but I'm really fond of its coarseness, wish-fulfilment and sureallism).

Tagging 10 people if they wanna join in, but others feel free to say I tagged you! @stripedroseandsketchpads, @notfromcold, @notabuddhist, @donnaimmaculata, @erinaceina, @boogerwookiesugarcookie, @elwenyere, @kheldara, @bellaroles, @jimtheviking

List 10 comfort shows and then tag 10 people

The Terror: Like Ripper Street below, I feel this show deep in my bones and think I must be actually insane when I try to explain to people what I like about it (watching it literally made my husband's depression worse so I'm not allowed to talk about it. Jk. Sort of. About the last bit anyway). The sheer ridiculousness of that era of exploration has been a firm fave for years and I love how the show weaves horror and hubris together, how it's not a straightforward 'natives get vengeance on colonisers' story, but the colonisers ruin it for everyone, poison life for Silna, too (all without any threat of sexual violence towards her CAN YOU BELIEVE IT). I love all the attempts to impose 'civilisation' on the life the men try to live as they come to realise how doomed they are, how key the trappings of their life become - objects as tethers and talismans. I love how utterly futile it all is. How much they all care, and the audience cares despite that. Self-destruction and salvation all jumbled up together. Two full crews go into the ice and die. The end. They do everything they can not to die and it happens anyway, it's the ultimate 'the love was there and it didn't change anything'. And no one learns anything. Perfect TV.

Garrow's Law: Sometimes I do want my historical drama to be wish fulfillment actually, and this is the actual og fave. No, most of the cases weren't actually Garrow's, yes, it's a fluffy liberal take on things that played out in a more complex way, but the cast is so good, and Garrow is such a likeable guy, but then you see his flaws emerge in such a gentle way through the four series, and it really does case-of-the-week with characterisation so well, and it's got that amazing British TV character actor cast where there's always someone in the background you know, and the building romance between Garrow and Sarah, and the real repercussions of it for her are handled so sensitively, augh the culmination of the series with their own personal legal cases is so good.

Ripper Street: in my head this show was so much more than the sum of its parts. Season 1 was on the surface a fun BBC historical romp. Season 2 I had to watch through gritted teeth because Susan's situation quicked me out too much, among other reasons. Season 3 leaned into the more sinister side of the protagonist and came through as something weirder and darker, a vein which ran through Seasons 4 and 5, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I live for my alternative reading of the migration stories and nightmarish flipsides of people that we get running through the background of seasons [3/]4/5, but uh. the show's tumblr fandom is not a place for me. Reid is actually monstrous, and I like him despite/because of that. Oh man, I have so many feelings about this show, and I'd love to do a rewatch and blog about all my crazy theories but I'd probably have to go into witness protection afterwards. But rest assured, it isn't a show about the Ripper, and it's all the better for that. It does class and trauma so well, it also captures all the optimistic curiosity and the utter hypocrisy and hubris of the Victorian era so well.

The X Files: I mean, it's a formative influence, innit. Seasons 1 and 3 are the best, a lot of the 'classic' favourites are episodes I actually really disliked, even though the early seasons are the best a lot of my favourite episodes are from later...the beauty of TXF is that there's so much of it you can hold contradictory opinions about what makes it good, though, and my theory is that it's at its best when it's early and still being allowed to take its course, where even the mytharc hasn't tied itself in knots yet so every episode is of a higher standard, and then later, when the actors have wrested control of their characters from CC enough to play them like they want, but the good episodes are really just MotW ones because the mytharc has vanished up it's own fundament and I've lost track of whose turn it is to have a near-death season arc. Not technically the TV series, but still, Fight the Future is just so much of its time, watching it is like having a warm bubble bath in childhood nostalgia. Even the later series have things to recommend them - I always enjoy Doggett much more than I'm expecting to, and it's about bloody time Scully got a decent female friend in the form of Reyes...I haven't watched seasons 10 onwards though, I don't feel I'm missing much. Five fave episodes: 1.13 Beyond the Sea, 3.4 Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose, 5.4 Detour, 7.17 all things, 6.19 The Unnatural.

Utopia: Tragically incomplete at 2 seasons, but what a pair of seasons they are. Brutal and uncompromising, horrible and compelling, but also frequently hilarious and full of the warmest, most fascinating characters who are all on a journey to Getting Much Worse. It's not something I've been able to watch since the pandemic *weak laugh* but I know when I do go back to it it will remain painfully prescient and uncomfortable. The longing for a 'balancing' and a righting of a historic wrong that drives it, and the desperate failures between people who are really just searching for love and don't know how to give/receive it...ugh so good.

Interview with the Vampire: Just rewatched season 1 and I'm just. No notes, five stars. The way Louis think he's a narrator in control, the way Daniel knows such a thing isn't possible, the way Louis does let himself get drawn on things, the way Armand sees the danger in this but it's not in his control any longer. Memory is a monster. The Odyssey of recollection. Fucking won my heart with those lines alone.

(BBC) Ghosts: Ok, I will say that I think the last season was actually a bit weak. They were in a hurry to finish, and they got away with wringing the feels from the important bits (The Captain's death was perfect and I will say this over and over again), but it felt like it was in a rush to come up with scenarios that would force admissions like The Captain's, whereas the show is at its best meandering around in a buffonish way that suddenly results in a Big Oof moment. Robin's arc in season 4 was a great example of this, as was Mary's. But basically it's still simply perfect comfort TV: silly but not malicious, unfair but kind to its characters. I'm going to miss them all so much, but I'm also going to rewatch so much.

Futurama: bit basic maybe, but I have watched it so often and I can watch any episode (ok, except for Jurassic Bark) again and again and again. I don't think I've binged any TV show so often with so many different people. Not sure how I feel about the immanent revival, but this has always been my favourite Matt Groening product, so fingers crossed.

Avatar: the Last Airbender: without getting into like...fandom discourse, man, this is a really perfect show. No need to say 'ooh it gets good after--!', it's just good from the beginning. A really well fleshed-out world, great characters who grow through the series, enough self awareness that the 'clip-show' episode Ember Island Players actually builds on the characterisation and addresses ambiguities in its own plots. A show that sticks to its principles and doesn't fudge the ending and also consistently looks gorgeous.

Detectorists: I had to put it on because no other show has literally made me fall off my chair laughing. Are the main characters useless? Yes. Is it often perplexing that the women in their lives spend any time with them? Yes. But that's forgiveable, because it's ultimately so kind to its beleagured characters and things work out despite their stupid decisions. Also it just captures rural English eccentricity so well. They're all such freaks (affectionate).

[e-the-village-cryptid]

(don’t read if you don’t want andor season 2 spoilers)

the quality is terrible on the leaked andor season 2 teaser but asdfljkfasdflkjkl look

someone with long, dark, wavy/curly hair and baggy black sleeves enters the hall holding a blaster with both hands

later in the trailer, someone with the same baggy black sleeves holding the blaster in the same way is pointing it at a shocked dr. gorst. this has to be the same person we saw coming down the hall.

i think based on the hair this is either cinta or bix. the hair looks a bit more like bix to me, I love cinta but with bix it would be a very personal revenge, please tell me bix gets to kill him please please please

bix is also possibly meeting luthen?

i can’t tell if that’s her or cinta from behind, i think it’s one of them based on the hair again. i think the jacket looks a little more bix than cinta; it looks leathery like bix’s signature jacket from season 1, whereas cinta had a puffy down jacket. or this could be a completely new character, idk

also towards the very end they had this:

which is definitely bix, unconscious/dead and loosely holding a blaster. at first i thought oh damn, we knew she had to die before the events of rogue one but did they really put her death in the trailer??? but on closer look i think she’s maybe just sleeping, she appears to be on a bed or mattress. either way, I think this shows she’s fully joined the rebellion— either sleeping with blaster in hand ready for an attack at any minute, or going out fighting to the end.

i was so hoping bix’s recovery arc would wind up with her deciding the empire has taken enough from her and it’s time to fully commit to fighting back, and i really hope this teaser is confirming what i think it is. i hope we see bix do some damage in season 2 including killing dr. gorst kill him kill him

[amemoryofwot]

Ok final TSR wrap up and thoughts moving into S3 below

Whatta book damn. RJ is genuinely funny to me and there’s a lot of like, physical and situational comedy that I hope carries through to S3 (Nynaeve throwing the collar at Moghedien, Elayne and her 2x4, nobody knowing what the hell anyone is ever doing). He’s also so good at just like, desperate crushing character moments, like the AoL Aiel, Aram taking the sword, the final Battle of Two Rivers.

Even more so than Rand this is really Perrin’s book. He has the most complete storyline, which is great for S3 but a challenge moving forward as he is literally not in TFoH, and doesn’t do much until Dumai’s Wells. He also fights a lot of Trollocs, like a lot. Every second chapter someone is fighting Trollocs. For timing purposes the show could easily cut it down to Perrin’s failed ambush, and the final battle. That would still get him to the Tuatha’an and the Whitecloaks while cutting out two or three skirmishes. Whether CGI or practical i’m sure the Trollocs would be expensive and they already got dragged for 1x08’s PS2 Trollocs, so i’d personally rather have them less but better quality. I could see him and Faile having a whirlwind “omg what did we just do” kind of wedding in face of all the Trollocs and not expecting to live, but I can also see that being pushed. I think this will be the bulk of the S3 time.

Rand’s storyline could really be two eps, there’s actually not a lot there once we get rid of the Stone (for now). One for Cold Rocks Hold leading to Rhuidean, and then one for the journey to Alcair Dal. Of course he’s gonna have more to do like argue with Moiraine about prophecy, and hopefully everyone will get some bonding time in Falme, but he’s mostly travelling which the show doesnt really focus on with their wild back and forth, and he also gets attacked by a lot of Trollocs. Lan also has nothing to do this book so sword and toxic masculinity lessons being pushed to S3 will smooth that out at least.

Egwene kind of has nothing to do this book so S3 will surely be her Dreaming, although I wonder in what capacity. Verin, Siuan, or the Wise Ones or even Aviendha could really be intro points. I also don’t believe she would pass by the Dominion Band two or three times without realizing what it is, so her intro Dreaming sequence is largely filler except for meeting Amys. Nynaeve has a line about Egwene waking up screaming from nightmares so i think she of all people would recognize it. She also has a few moments with Moiraine so Moiraine’s story will probably be focused on Egwene and Rand versus her own S2 storyline.

Much of Tanchico is through Elayne’s perspective, which pulls her into our main group. Nynaeve takes a slight backseat in PoV to balance it out. There will be a lot going on between Thom, Min, Liandrin, Moggy, and possibly Mat, (Egeanin?) but I think it will also be the smoothest to adapt as everybody has something to do already, instead of having to make stuff up to keep them moving together.

The leftover bit is the coup. Min not being there to rescue Siuan doesnt really matter except that someone will have to take her spot, as i dont think Siuan can do it herself. Gawyn seems a good choice to set up his inner conflict/indecision. The Blues could also just sweep them out on their way to Salidar. Siuan does spend a LONG time looking for Salidar, and as much as i love a good depression roadtrip this would cut time AND spare us Gareth if they could just go right there. Especially if LoC plotlines are coming in S4 we dont have time to wander the countryside and burn down a barn.

Anyways my inexperienced opinion is its actually not that much to get through, if you imagine one intro episode, 2 for each Two Rivers, the Waste, and Tanchico storylines, and maybe even one Andor/Tower focused. Two Rivers will wrap up in ep 7, and the rest in ep 8. I’m imagining the coup and Couladin will be the big season cliffhangers.

[chipthekeeper]

ChipTheKeeper's Velcinta Masterlist

Hi friends! Just wanted to put together a new post to pin for quick access to all my works on ao3 for this pair of characters that changed my life. These are in order by when they were published, oldest first.

One-shots:

Sharing a Blanket -- [2,046 words] With just a few days to go before the mission, Vel is starting to have some doubts. Luckily Cinta is there to ease her mind and remind her of why they fight.

This might not be my favorite of the things I've written for them (it's a bit out of character because, well, we didn't know as much about the characters when I wrote it), but I'm still overwhelmingly proud to have had the first story published in the tag for them. It's been a beautiful journey since then.

What's Left -- [4,729 words] In the aftermath of the Aldhani mission, Vel and Cinta try to come to terms with what they've lost. And what's still left to hold onto.

The longest of my one-shots because I had a lot of thoughts to process that week. Also introduces an OC that I've continued to use in stories with this pair.

New at This -- [3,644 words] Cinta Kaz prefers to work alone. Her handlers in the rebellion, however, feel she needs to learn to play nicely with others. Fortunately, her new partner grows on her quickly.

This came from a prompt to write about their first meeting, which turned out to have to be an alternative idea about their first meeting because I wanted to use a different one later, but I do love this one a lot too.

The Window to the Galaxy -- [4,232 words] Nine years after the robbery of the Aldhani garrison, in the waning months of the Galactic Civil War, Cinta returns to the planet with Vel to witness the Eye of Aldhani again.

No matter what Tony Gilroy has in mind for them, this is how I choose to believe their story goes. Fanfiction is built on hope.

Loved I Not Honor More -- [8,809 words] “Heroes who say ‘loved I not honor more’ enter a committed relationship and accept the strain that their role will put on that relationship. They allow themselves to fall in love, but the romance must take a backseat to duty. They'll dislike having to leave the wife or girl home alone to go save the world, but they won't hesitate (long) to do it.” - TVTropes.org -- A story of five times the struggle comes first and one time it doesn’t.

Written for Velcinta Week 2023. One of my all-time favorite things to have worked on.

It Won't Kill Ya -- [3,533 words] Vel has never been a fan of parties, especially not on Empire Day. Not until a stranger catches her eye and changes everything.

Don't have much commentary for this one, just threw something together out of boredom.

Gravity -- [3,398 words] My attempt to interpret the flashes of them we got in the season 2 teaser.

This one was a little bit devastating to write on a personal level but I'm happy with how it turned out. Pretty positive the show won't actually go like this at all but I would like for the ending to at least be similar.

Multichapter:

(oh, love, get me) out of the cold -- [22 chapters, 82,621 words] A lot can happen in five months on Aldhani. A lot that Vel and Cinta are prepared for, and much more that they're not.

This is the first meeting story that's my main headcanon. Many thousands of words spanning their entire time on Aldhani and through the end of season one of Andor. Title stolen from a Mayday Parade song I'm obsessed with.

The Fear of Being Alone -- [6 chapters, 11,798 words] A story of five times Vel didn't leave Cinta alone, and one time Cinta returned the favor.

A companion piece of sorts to Loved I Not Honor More, a 5+1 from Vel's perspective, written for Velcinta Sapphic September.

the heart is a muscle -- [8 chapters, 23,624 words ongoing] Cinta Kaz and Vel Sartha have worked together for years, becoming unlikely friends along the way. But a big opportunity on the planet of Aldhani is about to challenge the meaning of their partnership.

Another long one mostly about their time on Aldhani but this time they're old friends who go through some new shit together. Oh and also this is where I put all my headcanons/conspiracies (Vel is Luthen's daughter; Cinta was raised by Saw for a while).

Ficlets:

things you said -- Just some ficlets based on a list of prompts about "things you said" on tumblr.

I'll keep this pinned and update it as often as I remember to do so. Shoutout to everyone who's already read, kudos-ed, and commented on any of these. It's been so much fun to explore these characters by myself, but getting to share that and celebrate them with you makes it infinitely better :)

[bastillia]

The Mandalorian writing is SO bad this season…I’m sorry if that’s harsh but what’s going on??? It feels like I’m reading those 2012 Avengers tower fan fictions, if you know what I mean. And the dialogue! So mechanic and unnatural.

Not harsh at all, you're completely right and you should say it. It feels awful, it's somehow 90% exposition and fluff, with characters just saying words for the audience's benefit. Because god forbid we put any effort into thinking about what these characters might actually say in the situations that they're in. It feels totally flat, and any characterization that has been built up in season 1 and (kinda) season 2 just seems to have gone out the window. Now the mandoverse characters are all just mouthpieces for expository dialogue, and maybe a Star Wars Saying here and there to keep your attention. And the other 10% of the writing, which might actually hold some substance with a little effort, still feels like trite, one-size-fits-all dialogue that does nothing to deepen the characters or present any kind of stakes. The heroes say Hero Things because they're heroes, the villains say Villain Things because they're villains. I mean it leaves me wanting to bang my head against the wall because I could literally watch any marvel show or whatever and get the same shit. But that's just the thing, isn't it?

I've been noticing the marvelfication of star wars over the past few years and i resent it SO fucking deeply but I think Andor restored a glimmer of hope for me that star wars might start bringing some fresh and competent creators to the table. I'm still holding onto that hope because ultimately I adore this universe and its characters, and I just want to see them written with care and truth to who they are. I've given up on that happening with the mandoverse characters going forward. I'm starting to accept that i'm just going to have to grit my teeth and let this part of the story be told at me by jon favreau through some very expensive actors' mouths. But maybe, hopefully, going forward, we will see a few more creative and character-driven approaches to star wars. Tony Gilroy please save us

[scribble-dribble-writes]

This post contains spoilers for Bad Batch season 2

Mostly a rant

---

I'm so tired of the narrative that there can't be a happy ending. Like I understand that happy endings have became a fantasy because it's not 'realistic' and in starwars most endings just have this sense of looming dread. That the good only wins for a while and evil is back again and it goes on.

Now with how the characters are dealt with and the story that gets given to them, if their ending isn't justifiable, it makes me really mad. Like Maul's death, fine I'm ok with that. Jyn Erson and Andor, again I can make peace with it. Obi wan living alone all for the sake of duty and then meeting his end at the hands of his long time best friend, fine I accept. But we had a lot of time with the character, knew them in and out, their struggles, their triumphs and fears.

Some 'deaths' in the star wars story reaaallllyyy impacted me. Like the seconds in which we lose them has caused me anxiety and my mind cannot ever register the fact that they died. That was for Ben Solo's death and as of yesterday, Tech's. I will always be delusional and hold out hope for them to come back. But I've been crying just thinking about yesterday's episode.

So I go on to tik tok and the comments under his edits state it's better of he's dead? That in the end only omega should survive and their lives are fodder for the rebellion? It just makes the rebellion feel like shit to be honest. They all sacrifice their lives. Great. So no heroes, only ghosts. And Luke alone is the saviour and no one else propelled this insanely huge act of getting the universe to defeat the empire because they all die in the process?

I want to see the bad batch and a few others find their happy endings. I want tech to come back and kiss phee this time. I want hunter to see Omega grow up. I want crosshair to get time to sit by the beach with his brothers. I want echo to save the clones and meet up with his old pals. I want wrecker to be a free soul who fishes and plays hide and seek with the kids.

I don't think many understand why the bad batch is so dear to a lot of people. Its the way they are animated and written, we truly interact with them as real people and I think of all the shit we go through in reality, a little happy ending will be nice. I don't care about the rebellion or the empire or anything else. I want the batch to be happy, because that gives me happiness and if for that I'm going to be criticized for being sensitive or be told of that ' they're just characters' so be it.

As someone who pretty much lives alone, the bad batch makes me feel like I'm one of them and they're like my found family. I want them all to be happy.

Dave filoni, please make that happen.

[ylojgtr]

for the record, i did enjoy the first 2 episodes of ahsoka, but i can't help but feel like there's an overwhelming sense of "disney" to the whole thing, just that feeling that some things are a little underbaked, not everything holds the weight or tension you expect it to or they seem to want, like some things don't feel entirely satisfying in the way they're paced and/or presented

for instance, i felt the scene where sabine is decoding the map at the tower to be so unsatisfying, like she literally just turned the sides of the sphere to match up, which is like, the exact same thing ahsoka did in the temple when she got the map in the first place? i was really hoping for a more enthralling discovery to pave the path forward, but instead we got another "eureka moment"

ive kinda noticed this in the mandalorian too, especially in s3, like with the one episode they spend following dr pershing on coruscant and you really hope for it to lead somewhere interesting with his character arc...but it just. barely comes up again. or how the darksaber is built up so much, like "ooh is it going to be used as a symbol to reunite mandalore" or smth, only for it to get broken in a kinda anticlimactic final battle...even if that was meant to be some sort of power symbolism of the empire taking over local cultures or something i just personally find it very by-the-books and like they're almost making it up as they go along, or overall just that the endings are anticlimactic. and that goes for obi wan too, such as revas entire arc

now i blame this on disney but i honestly have no idea whose fault it is, or if it's any single factors fault. there are many other common factors between the 3 shows here, but it does undeniably come in the age of disney, and ill take any chance to blame the big corporation for producing cheap shit (cause honestly, it probably is, and if it's not, im happy to cut the writers/directors/actors/crew/every other non-millionaire person some slack)

but i guess what i really want is to have some fun in the series and have it feel unique and not like another bland product. it's a show for people who love clone wars AND rebels, who enjoy the wildly different aspects of each of the shows for what they are. and i really hope ahsoka grows into a unique identity too, not just another mandalorian/bobf/obi-wan. (i should point out i do love the mandalorian too, especially its first season, specifically for feeling so unique and different from other star wars stories at the time. it sucks it's become a sort of template for other star wars media) and we know it is very possible to do so, even based off existing characters and character arcs, because andor exists and it is perfect in every way ❤️

also please let ahsoka have some joy in her life, i want to see her be fun again too and i get she's not really there at this point in her story but please let her have some peace not just another stoic jedi 😭

[ohstardustgirl]

Bix and Cassian will be together next season, together and holding hands https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-11766115/Diego-Luna-Adria-Arjona-film-season-two-Star-Wars-spin-Andor-London.html and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aE4TV_Fi9bQ

How are the Bix haters like you feeling?

Lol what a sad little life you must have.

I don’t hate Bix by the way. I just thought she was poorly fleshed out but has potential and I hope season 2 actually spends more time on her character. So well done on spending your Saturday night hoping to upset someone, but you’ve wasted your time.

I’m going to leave this up for the fandom to view for a bit before I block you.