#might do one of these for every sw movie its way too much fun

[stealingpotatoes]

i get doing studies on proper programs is probably like, better, but have you considered this: MS paint really fun

(-- tip jar! --)

[lil-tachyon]

Hey logan, i'm trying to get into sci fi more, do you have any media, movies or otherwise you'd say it's a must watch for someone starting to get into it? Thanks

Super broad question! And precisely the thing I love to talk about. Although unfortunately I really don’t watch a lot of movies or TV so the best I can do for you is list some stuff I like and hope that you find something you enjoy. If we were talking sci-fi literature, that’s something I would probably write a full essay on- if anyone’s interested in reading my thoughts on that and getting my really long list of recommendations, just let me know. I might even do it on my own anyway, just for fun…

I guess if we’re going to talk about “must-watch” sci-fi movies then we have to talk about Star Wars first just to get it out of the way. I’ll keep it brief, far too much ink has been spilt regarding this franchise and you can find more in-depth opinions somewhere else. The original trilogy is great- there’s a reason it launched one of the biggest media franchises of the past 45 years. Endlessly rewatchable, somehow still looks better than basically any other big budget SFF popcorn movie and just plain fun. If you somehow haven’t seen the OT yet, get to it. 

You don’t really need to watch any other Star Wars stuff aside from the OT. The prequels aren’t exactly essential and they’re unquestionably worse in terms of dialog, acting, pacing (i.e. the nuts and bolts of storytelling.) If you’ve never watched Star Wars before you won’t have any nostalgia for them so you can skip them. Don’t even bother with the Disney sequels- pointless and incoherent. If you DO for some reason want more Star Wars in your life I can give you two recommendations: 

First is the masterpiece that is Genndy Tartakovsky’s (creator of Samurai Jack) Star Wars: Clone Wars (2003) (no, not the CGI Clone Wars show you’re probably thinking of). Split into 25 episodes ranging in length from two to twelve minutes, the whole show is only about two hours long but boy is it sweet. There are no main characters and not much in the way of an overarching plot. Instead the show is composed of a series of rapid-fire vignettes that take place across the entire Star Wars galaxy and tell dozens of unique microstories. It’s pulpy and fun and never takes itself too seriously and the whole thing is on YouTube because for some reason Disney actually hates everything that made Star Wars good and hasn’t taken the time to copyright strike it.

Second recommendation is the Mandalorian. I didn’t believe it when people started raving about it, but it really is great and tells a poignant, self-contained, original story. It’s not perfect and it definitely suffers from the Disneywars curse of really obnoxious references to the OT, but it’s absolutely worth the watch.

Damn that’s so much more time than I wanted to spend on Star Wars. I always forget how much of a SW geek I am until I start talking about it…

Quick list of the other big “essentials” that I’ve seen and can recommend before I get into more personal stuff (in no particular order):

Alien (1979) - Weird and creepy and gross and with impeccable visual design in every single frame. I need to rewatch it, only seen it once.

Akira (1988) - Massive, groundbreaking, unsettling, beautiful. Brought cyberpunk into the visual realm, brought anime to the West in a whole new way. I could rewatch it a hundred times. 

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) - A foundational film that moves at a foreboding crawl and leaves you feeling unsafe and unsure of what you just watched. (Also my dad’s band referenced the monkey scene in their big-label debut music video, so that should be reason enough to watch it)

Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) - UFOs, the American West, and the most 70s-looking cast imaginable. It feels more a product of its time than most of the others on this list, but I love it for that and it does nothing to make it any less impactful or engrossing.

The Terminator (1984) and Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991) - I waited waaaaaay too long to watch these. I only got around to seeing them this past year in fact. I had always just written them off in my head as nothing more than cheesy 80s action flicks but my God are they good and so much different from what I expected. The first one is basically a sci-fi slasher film and the second is probably the best sequel film I’ve ever seen and takes everything in a totally different direction that still manages to build on all the groundwork laid by the first. Please watch, don’t be like me and wait until you’re twenty-six. 

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984) - My favorite Ghibli movie. For being a film about people flying airships and fighting bugs in a giant toxic jungle, it really has a lot of important stuff to say and says it very well.

Castle in the Sky (1988) - Hits a lot of the same plot beats as Nausicaä and, imo, suffers a little bit in comparison but still a great anime sci-fantasy romp. 

The Thing (1982) - Disgusting sci-fi horror in the glacial Antarctic wastes

The Twilight Zone (1959-1964) - The first, the best. Sure, it’s inconsistent in terms of quality, but it’s at least consistently weird and inventive and the good episodes are really damn good. Also something I love about it is the acting- it’s very over-the-top expressive and exaggerated. Feels more like it’s meant for the stage than for the small screen. You don’t see a lot of TV like that these days. 

The X-Files (1993-2002, 2016-2018) - Absolutely in my top 5 TV shows. It was great to watch as a 14-year-old because I was still young enough to find it scary, and it’s great on every re-watch because I can really appreciate how much chemistry Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny have and how fun, goofy, and overall weird it is. As I recall it starts to decline noticeably in season 8. Season 9 you’ll have to grit your teeth to get through. The 2016-2018 revival is half composed of unwatcheable “storyline” episodes and half surprisingly good-to-great “monster of the week” episodes.

Cowboy Bebop (1998-1999) - My number one favorite anime, I love everything about it. So much effort goes into small background details and characters that only appear for a few seconds and it really goes a long way to making the whole universe of the show feel so real that you could see yourself living in it. Also the soundtrack is top-notch, I listen to it regularly. 

Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995-1996) and End of Evangelion (1997) - Another one that I took too long to get to and to be honest I probably would’ve been more into it had I watched it when I was younger, but it’s still great and I recommend it. Features a classic “inflation suit” episode

Stuff that’s less “essential” but I really like it:

Planetes (2003-2004) - My second favorite anime. Starts off as a workplace slice-of-life and slowly builds into a really, really emotional conclusion. Can’t recommend it enough.

Forbidden Planet (1956) - A sci-fi adaptation of Shakespeare’s The Tempest (I’m an illiterate piece of shit so I can’t tell you how good an adaptation it is). It’s slow-paced and eerie, and way more atmospheric than its decidedly 1950s visuals would lead you to believe.

Digimon: The Movie (2000) / Summer Wars (2009) - A short story: as a kid I probably watched the Digmon Movie about a million times. It was huge with kids my age and was probably an entire generation’s first introduction to ska-punk. It’s a great movie. Anyway, fast forward about a decade and a half and at some point I sit down to watch Summer Wars with my brother on no other information than that we heard it’s good. And it is! But pretty soon into the movie we both notice something odd- it seems to feature almost the exact same plot as the Digmon Movie. After a bit of digging we find out that they were both directed by the same guy and it seems he just had this idea in his head for a story that he really wanted to make for over a decade because Summer Wars is basically a more mature and less merchandisable remake. Watch them both!

Samurai Jack (2001-2004, 2017) - the first cartoon I saw as a kid that really made me say “finally, something for me!” I wouldn’t get another TV show aimed at me that was “cool” and “epic” and “badass” until ATLA came out. Nothing beats watching a samurai fight a million robots and bounty-hunters on an endless quest to go back to the past. Also the season 5 revival is great and I genuinely don’t get why a lot of people seemed to really hate on it. 

Moon (2009) - It’s been a LONG time since I watched it, but I liked it quite a bit. A lonely lunar miner runs into what seems to be his double and things get spooky…

Prospect (2018) - More space miners running into trouble! Really great costume and prop design on a super small budget (but you wouldn’t know it from how good it looks). 

Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket (1989) - Listen- I’m not a gundam guy. I don’t care about all the different robots and I’m not about to watch 40 years of TV to try and figure out the story. Which is why War in the Pocket is great because it’s six episodes long and it just tells a really touching story punctuated by cool robot battles and you don’t need to know anything about Gundam to enjoy it.

Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honnêamise (1987) - A story about a space race set on an alternate world. What really sets it apart is the visual design- every detail from books, to currency, to texts to vehicles, to architecture is unique enough to feel totally alien but also grounded enough to somehow feel familiar. It’s quite an achievement. Trigger Warning: there’s a very uncomfortable rape scene in the middle of the film that seems to come out of nowhere. I’m still not sure why they chose to include it.

Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade (1999) - Military police get up to some real nasty stuff in alternate history fashy 1950s Japan. Very depressing, all my friends complained to me about how sad it was even though they went into it knowing what it was about and agreeing to watch it with me. You just can’t win sometimes!

That’s about all I have for now. I know it’s all kind of basic bitch stuff but like I said, I don’t often watch movies/TV. Hope it helps and thanks for the great question!

[graysistance]

@stalkvr replied

MMMM-HMM. she was star wars first silver screen lady lead and they fucked it. it was perfectly fine that she followed the sw hero origin story that luke, anakin, and ezra all followed: a scruffy kid from a desert with the hidden potential to rattle the stars. but each of the boys got a unique ending.

luke found the man who was his father and saved the galaxy along the way. anakin was the tragedy of how the best of us can fall. and for ezra, his fate isn't known at this time, he does exemplify the power of found family. rey was on her way to proving that heroes are not a lineage, they're self-defining. they are the choices a person makes and the courage to stand against the odds. but they gave her the binary suns and called it a day because they didnt actually care enough to do something different. gave her scraps left over by the men. knock her legs out from underneath. snatch away any reward that would've made her happy, make her story feel whole.

 tlj wasnt perfect but it gave women like rose and rey a platform to be their own characters. it was bold. rose's wasnt executed the best but we had a third movie to watch her blossom and to see rey continue down this exciting path. but abrams and terrio treat women like cushioning and didnt give a damn about any of the characters, least of all the women. they cut rose entirely, added jannah for a quota, and threw zorii into the mix just to avoid the on-screen gay chemistry we all saw with our eyeballs for five years. 

yes. yes. yes. 

what’s utterly shattering too is that not only was the ending of the skywalker saga poorly composed from a literary standpoint, it’s a terrible message about identity. human identity. not even just female or female presenting, while that was glaringly at the forefront thanks to jarjar and terrorio. 

in storytelling there’s a difference between leaving an impression and teaching the reader a lesson. assume, for a moment, that the lesson learned is a positive and practical one. what star wars’ audience could have learned from the first two films is that human beings should be ever evolving and if you’re not evolving you’re stagnating. we could have learned that those choices you mentioned help you evolve just as quickly as they let you stagnate. we could have learned that hoping for the unlikely isn’t wrong or stupid or fanciful. we could have learned that we as growing people deserve better and should not be afraid to ask for better, to seek better, to BE better.  

women could have been reminded that they are trailblazers too, valuable in all forms, not just the pure form or the innocent form or the docile form. we could have been reminded that women lead movements to victory, women see problems and decide to fix them, women think critically and emotionally and come to both logical and meaningful conclusions. 

gender aside, we could have been reminded that mental health is something that needs treatment and an involved process of healing. we could have been reminded that sometimes, working past mental scars is more difficult than simply “dealing with it” and not everything is fixed by “growing up”. we could have been reminded that you are not your parents, that your body has room for more than just grief, that love can take many forms and have many faces, that whatever desert you came from or were born into you might just be able to get out of it, yet that pulling yourself up by your bootstraps isn’t always possible but asking for help and getting it is definitely possible. 

then, gender aside, we were presented with cliches. reused perspectives. fear of diversity. a completely unoriginal, weak, and profoundly lazy, nostalgic circle-jerk of a story arc. we were given the impression that to be memorable, the only path to take is the one someone else took. we were given the impression that in order to succeed, you must follow a formula to the end. we were given the impression that every story must be one story in order to mean anything. we were given the impression that love is distracting, happiness is for the lucky, chosen families require names and titles in order to be families, and that the desert is a place where things grow and flourish. yeah. that last one doesn’t sound right does it? that’s what tros tried to sell its audience. 

tros as a standalone movie has very fun moments, beautiful surprises, breathtaking cinematography, and people worked really hard on it. as part of a trilogy, as part of a franchise, it’s disheartening. the audience deserved better, just as much as the characters did. 

[twilightofthe]

Anakin Skywalker Has ADHD.  Here’s Why:

I’ve noticed during my time as a neurodivergent person in the Star Wars community that Anakin, a favorite character of mine, displays a lot of neurodivergent traits.  Other people have noticed this too; in particular, @bpdanakins has made a really in depth and detailed post explaining how Anakin having BPD (Borderline Personality Disorder) makes a whole lotta sense.  I’ve got ADHD, so this post is gonna be about how I as an ADHD individual see Anakin Skywalker as having ADHD too!!!

Note: Symptoms of ADHD include inability to focus and disorganization.  I have ADHD.  This post is gonna be a wee bit disorganized and I probs won’t be the best at citing a million sources cuz I do not have the mental focus to do that right now.  Thank ye.

So, what is ADHD? (Complicated.  The answer is complicated.) (If you don’t want the general ADHD lecture, just scroll down to where I start talking about Anakin particularly).

ADHD, or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, is a neurological disorder that impairs the brain’s executive functions.  People with ADHD have trouble with impulse-control, focusing, and organization.  Basically, ADHD is a developmental weakness in how the brain manages itself.  I like to picture it like a filing cabinet.  Everyone else’s brain has a neatly sorted, labeled, and organized cabinet full of drawers that contain typical brain executive function commands.  ADHD people’s brains have a monkey in them that runs around screeching loudly, ripping labels off drawers, rearranging stuff, throwing the files everywhere, eating the papers and generally making a gigantic mess, so whatever you need to go to the drawers to look for something, it takes you ten times longer to find the mental command you need to do if it’s even still there-- and also the monkey is biting your leg the entire time.

People tend to say that this monkey infestation is a gift because sometimes, occasionally, the monkey will rearrange the papers in a different, special way that makes a beautiful picture that no one’s seen before and you can share it for the world to enjoy and everything’s great, you’re just quirky!  People tend to forget that it can be like that, but 90% of the time it’s more like the monkey has decided to take a massive shit all over the one specific paper you needed really badly and then put it in front of your foot so you step in it and don’t notice until people point out you’re tracking monkey shit paper everywhere.  Anyway.

ADHD is a complex condition and difficult to diagnose because it has so many different varying symptoms, and one person who has ADHD may experience none of the symptoms than another person who also has ADHD does and vice versa because there is a lot.  ADHD also tends to go unnoticed because it overlaps symptoms with a LOT of other mental illnesses an individual might have, so you might not even know you have ADHD if you’re also, say, autistic or bipolar, or again vice versa, because there’s a lot of “same hat” stuff going on there.  

ADHD also can have its own subcategories of mental illness that can also stand on their own, like ADHD-induced anxiety or ADHD-induced depression.  It can be really confusing to know everything going on in your head and put a label on it; for example for me, my doctors and I think I’ve got a separate anxiety disorder that works on its own that my ADHD makes worse, but that the depressive episodes I can suffer likely stem from my ADHD, and don’t need to be tackled individually or say that I have depression.

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) has previously identified three subtypes of ADHD:

Primarily Hyperactive-Impulsive type: Mainly have impulse control problems, tend to be impulsive, impatient, and interrupt others.  They fidget, hate sitting still/need to be in constant movement, tend to blurt out what’s on their mind or do what they feel like without thinking it through.  They’re constantly up with the thoughts in their head and have difficulty focusing on a single task unless they’re in hyperfocus mode (explaining more later)

Primarily Inattentive type:  Are easily distracted and forgetful.  Tend to be daydreamers who lose track of memories and personal items with regularity.

Primarily Combined type: Tend to display a mixture of both symptoms.  I was diagnosed as a child with the combined type but leaning more towards inattentive.

Anakin and Signs of ADHD:

SO.  For starters, I see Anakin as primarily combined type with heavy leanings toward hyperactive-impulsivity.  While this type is used to describe the stereotypical hyper little boy media tends to paint ADHD people as, adults can have it too and I see it a lot in Anakin.  ADHD magazine ADDitude gives examples of adults with h-i ADHD as people who find difficulty in waiting around for anything, interrupt others in conversation, make impulsive decisions, and have reckless driving skills.  Sound at all like someone we know?

Now Anakin absolutely checks all of the above boxes, but it’s way more than that, though.  I looked up Healthline’s basic signs and symptoms of Adult ADHD, and I am going to run down the list to show how basically all of them apply to Anakin Skywalker in one way or another.  Let’s begin!

Anakin and LACK OF FOCUS:  ADDitude suggests that saying ADHD people don’t have attention might be a bit misleading.  More accurately, ADHD people have tons of attention, we just can’t harness it in the right direction at the right time with any consistency.  In canon, it is made very clear to us very early on that Anakin has issues with some of the more spiritual aspects of Jedi training, like meditation, because he does not possess the focus necessary to concentrate.  We get other times when Anakin’s on missions with Obi Wan, where it is made clear Anakin has read the mission brief, but he hasn’t done a good job on it as he’s overlooked something.  He gets distracted while in diplomatic situations and Obi Wan needs to tell him to pay attention.  Palpatine is able to pull sketchy shit because he knows how to slip under Anakin’s radar while he’s not too focused on him.  Anakin isn’t always aware of his surroundings, seeing as how basically everyone who knows him knows about Padmé because he’s not good at being subtle; he’s not good at reading a room.  Canon has established that Anakin, while brilliant, has a very flighty attention span and unless it’s something that is deeply important to him or made glaringly obvious, his brain has a tendency to skip over it, and makes him less aware.

Anakin and HYPERFOCUS:  The flip side of ADHD focus issues.  While our brains don’t always want to pay attention to important rules or other peoples’ emotions or basically anything presented to us that we find boring in any shape or form, if we find something we like, we LATCH.  ON.  And we cannot stop concentrating on it, up until the point that we lose track of time and ignore others around us.  In canon, it is shown very easily what Anakin hyperfocuses on.  He’s described in several SW books and is shown in show and movies to completely go into a zone when in combat mode.  He’s good at it, he enjoys it, and saber skills is easily something that he can concentrate and get lost in.  Another obvious one is mechanics.  We see briefly in TCW and bits in the movies where when Anakin is fixing something or piloting something, he kind of drifts away from reality-- he’s got an ear on the situation if there’s danger of course, but he goes just solidly into Tech Mode where all he concentrates on is whatever he’s fixing/piloting at the moment, and that’s why he’s so skilled at what he does.  It’s also possible to hyperfocus on specific ideas or opinions, which you can see in basically every argument Anakin ever gets into with someone.  He’s like a dog with a bone on a topic he wants to discuss Right Now This Very Second and he will not let it go, nor will he allow you to either, because when we hyperfocus, our fixation can bleed into conversation until it takes control of the conversation, without us even knowing we’re doing it, so it can be surprising/embarrassing when someone points out we’re doing it. 

Anakin and DISORGANIZATION:  ADHD people basically struggle with organizational skills.  While we don’t see much of Anakin’s living spaces, we can see from the brief TCW snippets that his living quarters are a little cluttered.  However, he does run a relatively neat army-- though we don’t know how much of that has Rex, Ahsoka, Obi Wan, or someone else to thank for it.  In Anakin, most of the disorganization we see is in his mind.  Priorities can be an issue for ADHD people, and Anakin tends to prioritize the wrong thing at the wrong time at certain points.  He doesn’t always know what to say or how to say it, making him awkward and not very eloquent when speaking.

Anakin and TIME MANAGEMENT PROBLEMS: An issue that goes hand-in-hand with disorganization.  We have trouble using time effectively.  We procrastinate on things we don’t want to do, show up late, ignore things we consider boring, and the idea of the future or the past is overwhelming and or scary to us and can cause panic-- we need to focus on the now and the now alone because if we try to cross that bridge before we get to it, we might end up burning it.  All throughout TCW, we get Obi Wan in particular, but others as well, harping on Anakin for showing up late.  And, uh, he kinda does.  He makes it, he always does, but it’s always at the last minute just when everyone’s worried he’s not gonna show up.  He sometimes doesn’t go to important meetings.  He puts off paperwork.  Lots of people use all of this to make fun of him, be like “ah, he’s a bad Jedi, he’s lazy”, but like, that’s standard ADHD time management issues.  And fear of the future?  Hoo boy...  Anakin may handle his fears of the future in the literal worst way possible, but that overwhelming anxiety that everything’s rushing at you so fast and holy shit, you don’t have your shit together NOW, what the hell are you gonna do THEN, holy shit holy shit everyone’s gonna DIE PANIC PANIC DANGER PANIC--  Like, I get that.  I really do.  Fear of the future and inability to manage time overlap a lot.

Anakin and FORGETFULNESS:  ADHD have a tendency to forget important stuff, but here is where I remind y’all that not all ADHD people experience all the same symptoms, because Anakin actually has a really damn good memory.  Boy is sharp, he recalls really obscure stuff, and if you piss him off/do him a favor, he’s remembering that to his deathbed. Anakin, however, does display what is common in ADHD people, having a selective memory.  This goes hand in hand with our attention issues.  We remember what we focused on and that sticks in our mind: hopes, fears, interests, stuff like that.  Anything else?  Eh, if we didn’t notice it then, we’re not noticing it five years from then, or even five minutes from then.  That you can see in Anakin, where people like Ahsoka and Obi Wan have to teasingly remind him of important stuff that he tends to just shrug off like “oh yeah that thing that I didn’t care about then and don’t really care about now”, or he feels guilty cuz “oops I didn’t notice it then so now I’m lost”

Anakin and IMPULSIVITY: Aight y’all, this probably requires the least amount of explanation for Anakin Skywalker cuz the Star Wars narrative calls him impulsive like every ten seconds xD  ADHD people with impulsivity can be socially inappropriate (Anakin, always managing to say the wrong thing at the wrong time, king of escalating tense situations because he blurts out whatever he feels like), interrupt others (something Padmé and Ahsoka have both canonically called him on doing, he does it to plenty of others as well, Vader does it all the damn time by just force-choking people silent), rushing through tasks (”Oh Anakin, always on the move”.  He does not wait, he makes up plans as he goes, he’s constantly in motion), ACTING WITHOUT MUCH CONSIDERATION TO THE CONSEQUENCES (Examples: The entirety of Star Wars episodes 1-6, Star Wars: The Clone Wars)

Anakin and EMOTIONAL PROBLEMS: Alright, maybe THIS is the one that requires the least amount of explanation, haha.  ADHD peoples’ emotions seem constantly in flux.  We get bored easily and need constant entertainment. (Anakin running off doing crazy stuff seemingly for fun)  Small frustrations always feel like the end of the world because it takes over our entire brain. (Anakin being “overdramatic/overreacting”)  The slightest sense of rejection or negativity towards our ideas or anything we do can read as total hatred (this is called Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria, it SUCKS) so we’re oversensitive about criticism of basically anything.  RSD also means we’re paranoid that we’re not noticing other people’s emotions, so we always tend to worry everyone else hates us or our friends are going to leave us-- we have serious abandonment issues. (Basically all of Anakin worrying about the Jedi’s image of him, worrying about Padmé and Obi Wan loving him, freaking out over Ahsoka leaving, etc.)  Our mind is focusing on a million things at once so our emotions run super quickly, causing what looks like mood swings because in the time it takes someone to get surprised, we’ve already gone through surprise, confusion, realization, betrayal, fury, and sadness and are now “randomly” crying in front of you (Anakin and his mood swings).  Focus issues make us not realize that something we’re doing is upsetting/bothering someone unless they flat out say it, so we may seem mean/inconsiderate/careless (ok, not excusing that part of Anakin’s personality is that he’s just kind of a dick lol, but other stuff that he does seems accidental; he doesn’t want to hurt anyone he loves).

Anakin and POOR SELF-IMAGE:  HOOOO BOY THIS IS GONNA BE FUN!  So adults with ADHD are often hypercritical of themselves, which can lead to a poor self-image.  I do this a lot, and I can’t really explain why, just that I am frustrated with myself and need validation from outside sources.  Anakin verbally expresses this to Padmé and Palpatine in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith especially with all his “I’m not the Jedi I’m supposed to be” bits, how he constantly puts pressure on himself in the novels to be “the very best, I have to be better than everyone, I SHOULD be”, the conflict with that Chosen One label and whether he believes it or not and the pressure he feels from others to fulfill it, to be the Hero With No Fear when he’s fucking terrified all the time.  He’s relentlessly hard on himself for his failures and is always looking for an insult in others’ words (Like if Obi Wan gives him gentle concrit, Anakin will subconsciously tear it apart to turn it into how Obi Wan has found an error with all of him and hates him and Anakin sucks). For all his pride in his abilities, Anakin really does not like himself, poor dear, and seeks outside validation in Padmé, Palpatine, and Obi Wan.

Anakin and LACK OF MOTIVATION: Also ties back to focus issues again, if we don’t like it, our brain won’t focus on it, and we can’t convince ourselves to do it.  We can see this in times where Anakin has to be gently (or not so gently) prodded by Obi Wan or Ahsoka or someone into doing some Jedi business Anakin considers annoying.

Anakin and RESTLESSNESS AND ANXIETY: It’s described as our “motor won’t shut off”.  We always need to keep moving and doing things, and we get frustrated when we can’t do something immediately.  There are also bodily tics with fidgeting or frequent hand movements.  We see this several times with Anakin during wartime, where he’s practically vibrating over having to play the long waiting game instead of rushing in and getting the job done immediately (See: on Naboo where Anakin is pacing a hole into the floor and Obi Wan is telling him to kindly chill pls).  Part of his issues in ROTS happen when he’s worked himself up into a frenzy over sitting not knowing what to do over what’s scaring him so he jumps the gun and goes with the first available (awful) option.  I don’t remember if this is Hayden or if this is me projecting, sorry, but I always feel that when I watch Hayden in the movies, he always portrays Anakin as vaguely squirmy/fidgety, not really ever sitting PERFECTLY still, like he’s always moving some body part, fiddling with something in his hands or on his clothes.  In TCW and the OT especially, we see how hand-wavey he is when he talks, especially when he’s pissed, then the Finger Wag Of Doom comes out, but his hands are ALWAYS in motion.

Anakin and FATIGUE: It’s as the word describes it, we feel tired.  All the craziness in our head is overwhelming and we just.  Feel.  Tired.  We don’t see this as clearly in Anakin because all the Jedi seem fatigued, they’re fighting a fucking hopeless war, but it’s definitely there.  He has sleeping problems with his dreams and nightmares that spawn from his anxiety that could easily be ADHD-induced; they’re there.

Anakin and HEALTH PROBLEMS: Long story short, it’s basically all your ADHD issues making you neglect to take care of yourself.  We see how Anakin has unhealthy coping mechanisms, neglects sleep, and throws himself into reckless, dangerous situations.  He does not take care of himself very well at all.

Anakin and RELATIONSHIP ISSUES:  Ruh roh...  Aight, so all of the symptoms above can very obviously prove to be hurdles in professional, romantic, or platonic situations.  We can see how all the above examples in Anakin have in one way or another caused an argument between himself and basically everyone he loves (Obi Wan, Padmé, Ahsoka), people he has to work with (the Jedi council, anyone he gets assigned to on a mission), and anyone else.  He’s not called a human disaster for no reason, his actions can make him rub people very much the wrong way, and being kind of lonely and awkward and with not many friends is unfortunately a common occurrence in the lives of ADHD people (It happened to me, and I would consider myself much more of a pleasant individual than Anakin (no offense, hon), other people who met me just thought I was “strange” and that was that).

WHEW.  So yes, all of the above state my reasons why I think Anakin Skywalker has ADHD (as well as anxiety, but that’s another post).  Please remember once more that these are MY EXPERIENCES AS AN INDIVIDUAL WITH ADHD and that once again, NOT ALL ADHD PEOPLE SHARE THE SAME EXPERIENCES/SYMPTOMS

I will give the two articles I bothered fact-checking with below, the one from Healthline and from ADDitude

If y’all wanna talk more about ADHD!Anakin or any other ADHD Star Wars characters or just neurodivergent Star Wars character headcanons with me, my inbox and DM’s are always open, I love talking about this!!!!!!!!!

[gffa]

Hey! Long time reader, first time asker but I read your post yesterday about supplementary material enriching experience. I’ve seen all the movies, I’m loving The Clone Wars and I enjoy playing Swtor but that’s all I have experienced. Do you have any recommendations as to where to start with supplementary material? Are the graphic novels you reference on that marvel comic subscription do you know? Thank you for your posts, they are always so interesting!

Hi!  Thank you for the kind words, I’m glad you’re enjoying the blog!  And I love doing “where to start” posts!  Keep in mind that a lot depends on what you happen to like (if you’re more of an OT fan or a PT fan or an ST fan, if you like certain characters more than others, etc.) but I think the basic places to start when moving on from the movies are:- The Clone Wars TV show.  As you’ve said, you’re already watching this one but it’s still my #1 recommendation, because it sets up so much of the galaxy and the way things operate in the Republic and is just really good.  Finish this one first, as it introduces you to so much you’ll need down the road–a lot of the Jedi characters that will then break your heart when you watch Order 66 happening in Revenge of the Sith, getting invested in Ahsoka Tano and her role in Anakin’s life, getting more time spent with characters like Obi-Wan Kenobi and Padme Amidala, some trippy arcs like the Mortis arc that are fascinating for Force Woo, and a lot of stuff will come up in other shows, comics, and books!- Star Wars Rebels TV show.  While it’s about an entirely new group of characters, it has a lot of recurring familiar characters–like James Earl Jones reprises his role in voicing Darth Vader, you learn the fate of Ahsoka Tano here, you get to see some of the clones again, you get a look at what it’s like for Jedi under the thumb of the Empire, you’re introduced to the Inquisitors, you get to see the politics of the Rebellion as the show goes along, you get a better look at Mandalore, etc.  This is another show that will help form the foundations of other stuff.- Star Wars Battlefront II game.  You can play it or just watch a movie version of it on YouTube.  Yeah, the game got a lot of crap for the shit EA tried to pull with it, but it’s turned into a really great piece of media and the story itself is absolutely fantastic and will only take about 2 hours to get through, but a) it’s a great story with great characters (I LOVE IDEN VERSIO SO MUCH) and b) it does a great job at showing a lot of what happened after Return of the Jedi but before the Empire truly gave up.  This establishes a lot of the final fight stuff, like the Battle of Jakku and its importance (aka, that’s all those ships that Rey is scavenging at the beginning of The Force Awakens) and what Operation Cinder is and the epilogue helps lead into what the First Order is.- The Star Wars titular comic + Darth Vader volume 1 (by Kieron Gillen) comics.  These two are meant to be read concurrently, so I recommend them together, and they do an absolutely incredible job of filling out the space between A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back.  They’re telling fantastic stories (including some really powerful stuff about Vader finding out the name of the Death Star pilot is Skywalker) while also giving some really great insights into the characters, adding depth to the story of the movies, and made me fall in love with the characters all over again.  This Vader tends to be a little more mysterious, Gillen liked keeping the mystique to him (which appeals more to some, so if that’s your jam, read these first!), the feeling is very much in tune with the original trilogy in that sense.  Same for the heroes, they feel very OT!- Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith by Charles Soule comics.  You can read the Vader comics in either order, but I generally like suggesting this one to go second (release order is always good, imo) despite that this is my favorite of the comics.  Set not long after Revenge of the Sith, this is a comic about Darth Vader adjusting to his new life and about the bigger, overarching story of the psychological look at a character who cannot admit what he’s done wrong.  On the surface, it’s about him hunting down Jedi and trying to raise his wife from the dead, but in the macro sense, it’s about this guy who cannot admit that he had other choices, even when the Force is literally throwing those other paths in his face.  Great Vader content for him being powerful and terrifying, while also being an absolute human disaster garbage bag.- Age of the Republic comics by Jodie Houser.  If you like the prequels at all, these comics are stellar.  There are eight of them, four for the main heroes, four for the main villains, and they’re a single issue each, where there’s a short look into their lives at various points, all which illustrate really thoughtful things about the characters, whether through their actions or even sometimes comparisons with other issues in the series.  (ie, reading the Obi-Wan one and Jango Fett one really highlighted how each of them dealt with this young person they were taking care of.)  They were just REALLY GOOD STORIES, too.- Star Wars Adventures by IDW Comics.  These are cuter stories and set all across various eras, from the PT to the OT to the ST to occasionally other areas, but they’re always just absolutely CHARMING.  They’re pure delight to read, they tend to focus on moments that are just really fun, so it’s easy to think of it as a kids’ comic, but instead I think they work best at showing some of the more hopeful moments of Star Wars without being too fluffy.- Poe Dameron by Charles Soule comics.  These are SO GOOD, they really add so much to Poe’s character and they also do a great job of fleshing out that time between the New Republic still working to stabilize itself and when we know the First Order is coming.  But mostly it just really makes you like Poe as a character, it captures his sense of charm and swagger while giving him an actual character arc, as he learns to be a leader.- Kanan: The Last Padawan comics.  You need to see Rebels first (or at least the first two seasons, enough to make you care about Kanan as a character) but then this is a gorgeous, beautifully told story.  It’s half about the current days with his new found family the Ghost crew (the cast of Rebels) and half about his history as a Padawan in the Jedi Order, how he was apprenticed to Depa Billaba, how he watched her die, how he had to live in the galaxy that wanted him dead just for being born the way he was, how he was being hunted for it, and how he survived.  It’s really, really good!- Forces of Destiny animated shorts.  You can find them all on Disney’s YouTube channel, they’re these 2-3 minute long stories about the women of the galaxy far, far away (with occasional appearances by others) and they’re pretty light-hearted fare, they’re meant to impart messages to kids or just be bite-sized content, but they’re pretty wonderful and it’s nice to see the women of SW get some attention.- From a Certain Point of View book.  For the 40th Anniversary of A New Hope they put out an anthology of short stories, telling the various points of view of different side characters and adding depth to everything that was going on.  Not all of them are super great, you can feel free to skip ones if you’re getting bored, but there are some MUST READ ones, especially the Qui-Gon, Yoda, and Obi-Wan ones.  And the Admiral Motti story had me in absolute tears from cry-laughing while reading it.- Bloodline by Claudia Gray book.  It’s a really good Leia story, but it’s also a book that does a lot to cover what’s going on with the New Republic still struggling to establish itself, why Leia isn’t part of it by TFA, and more on how the First Order came to be and why people stuck their heads in the sand about it.- Thrawn by Timothy Zahn book.  While there’s some dissonance between Zahn’s version of the character and the character from Rebels, I think you can make them fit together, and this book really is one of the best of canon material.  It’s fun and zips right along and introduces some new characters and sets up some really interesting backstories and just fleshes out the Imperial stuff and gives us Eli Vanto.  ALL THINGS I LOVED.FINALLY:  The above is aimed at a general list of things that I thin pretty much anyone would enjoy, it’s meant to cover most of the bases as best I can, but if you have a favorite era or a favorite character, feel free to run straight to anything that involves them.  There’s a lot of good Legends stuff (as always it’s hard not to recommend the Revenge of the Sith novelization or Wild Space, but that’d just muddle the line between canon and Legends), but I’m sticking with canon right now because it’s easier and there’s so much good stuff and it’s less confusing that way.All the comics are available on Comixology (and there’s never been a comic I hated by any means, though, admittedly some of the mini series can be kind of bland, anything that ran for at least 20 issues is a good bet, and most of the comics are THE BEST of the supplementary material), and if you don’t mind waiting a couple of months for Disney+ (or Googling for streaming sites) the animated properties are all really worth watching.  Sometimes they take a bit to get going, but I’ve fallen in love with every single one.These might not end up being your favorites (some of my favorites–like the Aftermath books or the Join the Resistance books–are ones that I wouldn’t put on a list for new-to-supplementary-material fans, because they’re a little too distanced from established characters) but they’re great places to start getting a feel for whether or not you like this kind of thing!  :D

[niennavalier]

Okay, belated Star Wars thoughts under the cut; no particular order, just as I think of them. Possibly some unpopular opinions, I dont really know, I'm not all that active in the SW fandom. So maybe I'll get roasted alive but...eh, whatever, this site is somewhere between an void and hell anyway.

Also SPOILERS BELOW (OBVIOUSLY)

[[MORE]]

Okay, so first things first: I enjoyed episode 9. A lot. It was really fun to watch, and just talking in terms of my experience in the theater, it was fantastic. It was so much fun to see the old crew back, all of those appearances were basically like happiness shots in the arm. It was really very cool. The Palpatine reveal and everything around it was pretty damn epic for the obvious reasons. And I absolutely loved seeing the trio bantering and arguing and passing each other - I always love stuff like that. I swear, just give me hours of good character interaction and I'll be happy. Kylo and Rey fighting together/him using the blue lightsaber was also some cool shit and basically like "yaasss heres the payoff for the entire trilogy let's fucking gooo"

Oh, and I need to mention that little droid that Rey fixes. That little guy was adorable and I want merch for him and I will not hear otherwise. (The droids are always great in all the movies fight me)

Also Zorii and Jannah. Badasses, loved watching them and the way they got to interact with the main cast. Just...wanna spill all the love for them in this sentence.

But there are a lot of other things I have to say about the movie - especially the more I think about it and the trilogy as a whole. Dont get me wrong; I still really loved watching the movie. There are just...certain things that feel like missteps or missed opportunities?

(Not counting how badly Oscar Isaac wanted Finn and Poe to be boyfriends, which I just discovered is a thing. And reminds me a lot of anytime anyone mentions Julian Bashir to Andy Robinson and his response is always "oh Garak wanted to have sex with him from the start". Which I literally love so much, this man is a treasure, and I'm glad that apparently the same thing is happening here. And it's not that I'm not gonna talk about it here cause I dont think Poe and Finn should've been boyfriends, but I'm pretty sure Oscar Isaac has much more to say about it than I do)

Gonna start where I always start when I have problems with writing: romance. Because IMO badly written/unnecessary romance can ruin any good story real quick. I'm talking about the kiss at the end. I'm not saying this to bash on the Rey and Kylo shippers. Generally, I dont care what you ship so long as you dont start harassing everyone else; I care even less when it comes to this fandom cause I just participate in it so little. So this isnt me bashing on the ship itself or the fans, but I just think that, in the context of the movie itself, the romance was really poorly handled. To the point that I saw the scene going that way and all I could think was "oh god please dont kiss, I'm begging you". And well...we all know where that went. But I just never got a romantic vibe from the two of them in terms of what was shown on screen. The chemistry always felt familial, at least to me, across episodes 8 and 9 in particular. I dont know if that's just the chemistry between the actors or what, but the tension between them never struck me as romantic - more like two people desperate for someone who understands the chaos around them, not lovers.

Again, granted, maybe that's just the way I read stuff, especially considering I really appreciate movies that don't feature romance arcs. I'm not sure how it read to other people, and I'm not gonna bash on the shippers who like it. I may feel like JJ Abrams didnt write a convincing romance - or just stuck the kiss in there at the end to fulfill some plan from episode 7 that didnt actually pan out - but I have no problem with the ship itself, or the people who ship it. (Because at the end of the day, this is all fiction, and I couldnt care less how anyone chooses to interact with it)

(And this isnt an entirely rated point but because I've seen it around:

In all honesty, I'm starting to think that the romance thing was just a symptom of a bigger problem with this trilogy: it doesnt feel cohesive. It's like JJ Abrams and Rian Johnson had two separate sets of notes and just refused to actually look between them. Two separate sets of ideas that they were too stubborn to compromise on.

And I have a feeling (at least, talking to my little brother, who definitely feels this way) that a lot of people are pinning this fragmented feel to the trilogy on Rian Johnson and The Last Jedi, but I honestly don't think that's fair. Because, and here's the unpopular opinion: I really don't think Last Jedi is that bad. At least, not bad enough to deserve all the flak it gets.

Won't get into that entirely here because that could be a whole separate post, but that's my opinion. Sure, it's not perfect, there are definitely a lot of parts that are pretty irrelevant and not really necessary, but that's true of everything. Frankly, its biggest problem was that it was written for the wrong audience. Which is a major problem, yes, but taken for what it is, it's perfectly decent. As I said before, I could write a whole thing on this movie and why it's not that bad (because I have my brother's points as to why it's terrible for me to argue against) but overall, my reading of 8 is that it's a movie meant to introduce wider ideas and concepts to the universe - particularly this very gray and murky area of morality and character - through stories that are closer to the characters and tied to harsher realities of war. Things aren't always black and white, people are complex, sometimes our heroes can be gravely wrong in ways that aren't glamorous.

Frankly, it feels somewhere between a super deep indie movie and Star Trek (particularly DS9, at least to me, because I love when that show gets to twisty moral stuff). So yeah, wrong audience, yet he decided to stick with his storytelling despite that. No matter I personally might fall into the audience that movie resonates with, it wasnt gonna resonate with most of the fandon.

Again, Last Jedi is far from perfect in other ways too, but it sets up some great ideas that I was really hoping to get some closure on. Honorable mention here is when Rose saves Finn when he's speeding out to sacrifice himself and because of the desire to save the people they love, which I always end up likening to the "we dont trade lives" sentiment. Mentioning this cause my brother always complains about it, but I was thinking this would be one of those virtues that separate the good guys from the bad guys and ultimately allow good to triumph. Yknow, sorta like how Voldemort's lack of understanding of love contributed to his downfall, to liken it to HP. I was under the assumption that would be the concept at some turning point in the climax, but...guess not.

Big one though, which was actually a pretty big disappointment IMO, was the whole neutrality argument, the existence of a grey area. The most interesting thing from Rey and Kylo's scenes in 8 was the notion that the Jedi and Sith could be left to die, and the two of them would essentially find a way separate from those two sides, walking a path down the middle. I know I'm not the first person to bring this up, especially because of how the Force just...works. That the scales need to be balanced. And so, given that, to have the Jedi always destroy the Sith - that's not balance. Give it a few more years and the same problem is gonna happen; if there are Jedi, there will be Sith and war is gonna break out. That's hardly resolution, so neutrality is the way to go. And, personal opinion - I loved that this ended up in 8. It's just a lot more nuanced than "good vs evil, good is victorious" and brought in new ideas to this universe that I really wanted to see explored.

But that just...never happened. Sure, Rey has that yellow lightsaber at the end, but it's really very little more than the barest hint of lip service to that entire concept. Because it's never built on throughout the movie. Kylo's insistence that they look for a different way turns into a demand that she basically become his Sith queen. Which isnt playing with the gray area - it's more firmly dividing light and dark. And as she's fighting Palpatine, he's all the Sith, while she's all the Jedi; doubt that needs further explanation. Sure yeah, she's dealing with the revelation of her bloodline throughout the movie, but that interaction with the dark side is very different than in 8; she's afraid of it (a character arc I love, dont get me wrong), not lured by it. The Sith are very clearly evil, and despite her family, she comes to embody the Jedi as a whole. The opposite of what was laid out in 8.

Which actually just makes her choice to take the yellow lightsaber make even less sense? Because...she has no reason at all to turn away from the Jedi and every reason to keep using the Light side. The only possible reason by that point is if she knows about the balance and makes that choice intentionally to prevent the rise of a Sith lord. But that choice is never shown, so I dont give that a pass. It just feels like the lamest nod to something from 8 - no buildup, no explanation, just there because it technically should be.

And that fucking sucks. What a waste. Puts so much space between these movies.

The romance might be another aspect of that - 8 didnt really give me a strong romantic vibe, and then 9 tried to benefit off of buildup of romantic tension that just wasnt there. And that romance isnt the only other one. Just the existence of Palpatine at all? Like, awesome plot yes, but not at all foreshadowed. The banter between the trio at the start? One of my favorite parts to watch, but it comes out of nowhere, and I guess we just have to live with the idea that all of the development happened off screen. Lame. The return of the fucking helmet? Fuck, i actually have more i can say about the way i interpreted the helmet, but this is getting long. So point being: it's like we just got zipped right back to episode 7 all of a sudden and didnt even get a symbolic moment of him losing the helmet in 9 (at least, not that I remember).

Really, on the whole, JJ Abrams basically did the beginning of 9 such that most of 8 could be made irrelevant. Because that's how I felt throughout the whole movie; like 8 didnt matter. And I know a lot of fans are honestly happy with that (so maybe if was actually the right choice on that front) but god does it make the whole trilogy clunky. Literally nothing flows.

And I think that's my main problem with the trilogy as a whole - or, rather, with the production behind it. It's like JJ Abrams and Rian Johnson were just so goddamned married to their ideas that they wouldnt budge from the story they wanted to tell. Like they put their individual creative visions above the quality of the story as a whole. Like they weren't willing to deal with any changes that they didn't put into play themselves. And the trilogy suffered for it.

Which is really so obnoxious to me. Because it is very possible to be flexible and improv and incorporate other ideas into what you already had; just look at D&D. That's the job of a DM. You can plan everything out perfectly, figure out the story you want to tell, decide how you want everyone to interact with your world, but the players will invariably fuck those plans over. And you just have to roll with the punches. But beyond that, those changes can be for the better, because those are ideas you never thought of, and incorporating those makes for an even richer story than anyone expected. All because the people involved are willing to see where the story naturally takes itself.

Just wish these directors could understand that.

(Also...what was Finn gonna tell Rey? I mean...? This is honestly the strangest thing about the movie because it literally felt like the writers just...forgot they ever had this plot point after halfway. Which just feels like sloppy writing, and I feel Poe when he seems to be really curious what Finn wants to tell Rey. Because...me too!)

[clairen45]

I feel a great disturbance in the Force...

I am getting more and more anxious asks about Reylo in IX from anons . “What if Reylo doesn’t happen?”, “What if JJ avoids it to please the fans?” (what fans, may I ask? Because obviously, Reylo fans are also fans!), “what if it’s too controversial?”, “what if...”

Guys, I hear you loud and clear. And I only bring you this:

CHILL!!!! Stop worrying! It’s all going to be ok.

I fell for Reylo big time after TLJ in December and never looked back, mad at myself for being so casual about what I had somewhat sensed in TFA. I had no idea there was such a thing as official Reylo accounts and metas, and art on the internet, Tumblr, or fanfiction. None. So I blissfully spent two years of ignorance between TFA and TLJ about the Reylo wars. I can only imagine the madness it was pre TLJ as the first wavers were the laughing stock and target for every self-righteous pompous troll on the internet. I really admire them for their relentless dedication to pointing out all the parallels and tropes with other movies and books that buttressed each of their argument. You would think that post TLJ, the validation about Reylo would be a moot point, but it’s really sad to say that we still have a long way to go. Even despite the plethora of evidence we got since TLJ with comic books, merchandising, novels, and interviews. People who still wage war against Reylo as a concept are seriously deluded at this point.

Look, I do understand the anxiety and concern about some who think that even if RJ validated the concept, JJ will no go there and seal the deal, and that episode ix will write off any possibility of a romantic conclusion between Rey and Kylo. I do empathize. But...

Baloney.

Let’s go there for a sec and imagine, why not, that JJ (as in JJ the one that came up with the design of these characters and had them eye-f... the first chance he got) does write off Reylo.   LOL.

Well, who cares anyways? As if the passion of fans invested into this pairing would just vanish because it is not “canon”... Gasp... That didn’t stop people from shipping Stormpilot, Kylhux or whatnot.. First there is the wonderful work done by fans. In fandom, Reylo is obviously a force to reckon this. But it’s not just fandom culture. Reylo has been widely validated in pop culture. Look at the parodies, the merch, the cartoons, that recent Nerdist youtube song, the twitter accounts from official businesses proclaiming their support of Reylo, the jokes and references made by celebrities. It is real. Reylo as a concept exists and is recognized. EVEN IF (internal giggle) episode IX did not go that route, Reylo is not an illusion. Reylo has already happened, and will always be its own thing. EVEN IF (roaring laughter) we did not get a Reylo endgame in IX, I’d be cool with it because I know it was part of the journey and will always be a thing in the SW universe, even as something that "might have been” and played an important part in the storyline of the characters. No one will take Reylo away from Star Wars. Ever. So if you ship Reylo, dudes and dudettes, no one will take it away from you.

Now, seriously. Do you really think that this is not going to be happen? Because I don’t. Absolutely don’t. I never worry about it. Not even one tiny bit.

The tale has been told anyways, guys. They are done shooting. They made their choices, wrote their dialogues, shot their scenes. It is over. Some people somewhere know how it all ends. And some of these people report on social media how proud they are of what they did. Cast, crew, directors... Anyways, nothing we can do about it. We are not going to sway them one way or the other. And that’s fine.

We have a few months to go towards IX. Choose what you want to believe and how you want to be spending this time. Is there any reason to fret and worry? Nope. If Reylo is not endgame, well, big oopla, it’s only a movie with fictional characters. I will be glad that SW gave me this epic relationship and my favorite fictional character ever, no matter what. If anything, it’s great to get a new SW movie! So much fun! But if/when it does happen, well, I will have spent all these weeks and months rooting for them and not stressing out about what might or might not be. Even not knowing for sure is fun. Just like falling in love. The anticipation. What an awesome time to be having. The suspense, the teasers, the trailers, the first pictures they will release, the campaign, the poster... like WOW guys. Think of all these golden nuggets. Like a big Advent calendar. And every time getting closer to the prize. The FUN. It is what it is all about, guys. FUN. No need to worry.

And between you and me, seriously, of course Reylo is Endgame.

[permian-tropos]

Ok, my issue with TLJ is the cynical-ness of it. It's written in a way that pokes fun of SW. Like, "all of this is so silly, isn't it. Wink, wink." I don't like how it took the focus off Rey. Ahch-To was filmed from Luke's POV most of the time. I'm not saying TLJ is a bad movie bc it's not! I just felt like I'd been slapped in the face w the fanboy-ness (the ego-ness) of it all. I know you'll break my whole argument down, but maybe I need that.

Can’t help but feel like I’m some kind of TLJ s&m dominatrix now like “this movie made you feel bad and you should be grateful” lmao 

TL;DR: As I experienced it, the movie is actually super sappy and in love with the sincerity of Star Wars just like TFA but taking its own route to convey it. instead of TFA, it’s framed to first appeal to and then sway the minds of an imagined cynical audience, and that audience might actually be 12 year olds and if so, that’s as it should be.

A point about the cynical-ness – it’s interesting you’re talking about the poking fun at SW, since the other way people have called it cynical would be in its depiction of failures and loss. To that, I would argue that it only seems especially dark because the end of the story hasn’t come yet. Which… the movie actually addresses in its story, the “hope is like the sun” line is kind of nudging the audience like “hey the heroes are in a bad spot but they’ll win in the end, don’t forget that”. 

It would be patronizing but… this movie is meant to be seen by 12 year olds as well as adults so maybe it’s okay that it’s kinda blunt about some things? Star Wars actually draws in a much younger audience than I think other PG-13 level movies do. Hiding all the messages in subtext isn’t fair to them so I think people get tripped up with TLJ thinking that it’s not saying exactly what it seems to be saying, and just communicating that message on a myriad of levels.

Like as someone who has written so many metas about TLJ – a lot of my analysis boils down to “I don’t think the movie is hiding its message very much, it’s kind of all right there, but there’s also a lot of extra layers enhancing it”. 

When the movie goes, “this is so silly, isn’t it?” (and also it doesn’t do that nearly as much as I’ve seen in some franchises) I sort of imagine what a 12 year old, having grown up in this cynical age of deconstruction of sincerity, and also being right at that age where you might look at your younger childhood loves and think “so silly”, would take from it. I don’t see them being so hurt or offended. They aren’t nostalgic for the OT yet. Their nostalgia fodder is being formed as these movies are coming out. Actually I remember being 12 and being oversensitive to people bashing sincerity – because all my peers were 100% in love with cynicism and I was well uhhh neurodivergent and at a different stage of emotional development.

Older people have a very different relationship to their childhood, often longing for the simplicity of it, or cherishing the joys. But you have to have some distance to really see that. Many movies for a pre-teen or young teen audience are about reminding them not to be too cynical, while showing an understanding of their sense of cynicism. They’re about telling kids “hey I get it but don’t rush into adulthood too fast”.

The Last Jedi concludes on sincerity, really bluntly. Rose saving Finn is about rejecting the nihilism of “the only way to prove you care about a cause is to die for it” – this isn’t true, and it’s why Holdo’s sacrifice isn’t the same. Holdo is deliberately trying to save the fleet, but the First Order, when you think about it, has cornered the Resistance on Crait whether they blast open the doors right away or besiege them for days. Finn’s sacrifice would actually just delay the inevitable and that’s not worth dying for. And “saving what we love” is this deeply sincere message.

Poe getting to save the Resistance by noticing the vulptices are leading them towards the exit is super sincere, that’s so freaking corny, it’s unreal. Cute animal friends save the day. 

Rey and Finn’s reunion is CORN HEAVEN it’s literally every run-into-your-beloved’s-arms scene (actually my first association with it is how the movie Madagascar parodies that trope with the zebra and the lion whose names I am not going to bother to remember). Rey lifting all those rocks is sincere, Luke mocks her earlier for claiming the Force is about that but guess what? It is about that! And it looks awesome and it saves everyone’s lives. Leia telling Rey “we have everything we need” is optimistic. It’s saying they’re not going to wallow in their losses. They will keep moving forward, they will take strength from failure, not despair.

Luke starts off the film thinking heroism is meaningless. He ends the film doing exactly what he said would be absurd – walking out with a laser sword and facing down the First Order. He starts off filmed with this shroud of overcast shadow around him, and ends with his face illuminated by nostalgic callback to the twin suns of Tatooine. Yoda even encourages him to remember his youthful dreams and desire for adventure – stop being such a cynic, Young Skywalker, I know you’re still that boy who stares at the horizon. 

And of course, the entire last scene with the slave kids is painfully adoring of Star Wars and its importance to kids. It’s wretchedly corny. I’ve said it elsewhere but the slope of the floor, leading up to a field of stars, actually parallels the slope of the opening crawl. That’s how meta the cinematography went. It went there, it poked that fourth wall. The movie ends with a promise that any little child who loves Star Wars is as special as the saga’s heroes, and that’s actually the most sappy thing in the Whole Entire Saga. 

So the movie basically argues with a hypothetically cynical audience. And if it feels weird, like it’s assuming you’re cynical (which is insulting because no, you unironically adore Star Wars, thank u v much)… I suppose maybe give the movie a fair shake and remember its most important audience is 12 year olds, who have all their little quirks and emotional hangups. No matter what this movie means to you, it will never ever compare to the place it will hold in the hearts of its preteen audience. That’s how Star Wars is supposed to be.

I have no idea the consensus on this film from 12 year olds but I really hope they don’t get overwhelmed by 20-somethings pressuring them to hate it.

Side note on “Ahch-To was filmed from Luke’s POV” – I’m pretty sure it’s the opposite?? people ran into this before where they thought the movie was siding with Kylo and showing his POV when he’s never the POV. Do people just have it backwards? Please okay I feel weird breaking something so simple down but…. the character that is being stared at a lot by the camera is the Object. The character who you presume to be doing the staring is the Subject and POV. Rey is the subject and Luke is the object. Rey is the subject and Kylo is the object.

The fact that the two leading white men of the movie are almost always Object is, I think, actually a point of confusion, because that’s not how it ever is, but it’s how it is in TLJ. They’re not being favored over Rey, we’re seeing her perception of them, so she’s even closer to the audience than they are. Except for the Luke and Yoda scene, nearly everything from Ahch-To is from Rey’s perspective. She seems invisible because she’s actually omnipresent. It is highly unfamiliar to have a woman seem invisible for that reason, but this is a thing I’m super confident about. 

Rey is POV, as she should be of course, and actually she is more POV than in The Force Awakens because Finn gets that role a lot more and he gets that role when he’s with her. We’re probably actually used to Rey-as-Object despite thinking of her as the protagonist because she’s framed like that in TFA. I’m extremely pleased that Episode 9 will have Finn and Rey in an adventure together, but it wasn’t even that bad to have them apart for one movie because it let us get to know Rey on her own terms. 

I could honestly go through the whole sequel trilogy and break down who is POV in what scene and make some kind of infographic lmao would I actually be that extra TM??? who knows

[gotgifsandmusings]

Will you be doing a write up about your thoughts on Solo? Really curious and excited to hear your detailed thoughts on the movie and why you thought it was so bad!

Ideally I’d have had time today for a very thorough write-up or video, but I can at least give my quicker take now.

FULL SPOILERS FOR SOLO BELOW.

I mean...we know where the character ends up.

But still.

FULL SPOILERS FOR SOLO BELOW.

Here we go.

The unofficial tagline of this movie should be, “hey, if you think SJWs are ruining Star Wars, this is the film for you!” Or maybe “If you’re still really really angry about the EU being nixed, come watch Solo.” And most definitely, “If you feel TLJ ruined the integrity and fiber of SW by ‘shitting on the fans’, pandering to liberals, or giving us Rose Tico, grab a bucket of popcorn!”

(And yes, I know TLJ is polarizing from all sides of the fanbase.)

This was, without question, a movie that plays into all the worst instincts of the white, male gatekeepery segment of the SW fanbase. And I mean, it’s a fucking Han Solo prequel; I sort of expected misplaced badass worship going into this, because most people seem to miss that Han is an adorable puppy dog.

Now, to be clear, I honestly went in with an open mind. I was never particularly excited this movie existed, since Han is the second most boring choice from the OT for a prequel (Luke clearly being the first). However, after learning Ron Howard took over and seeing the trailer, I had a feeling that while I wasn’t likely to love this movie, it might still give me a fun ride.

It was so weirdly not fun at all. Like, it’s paced very strangely. We’ve got Han’s opening sequence where he escapes Corellia (and leaves his gf behind), a sequence that sort of catches us up to his time as an imperial soldier (they mention him getting kicked out of the navy in one sentence, and given that’s where he learned to fly, it felt strange) and defects because he hates these purposeless horrifying wars (that’s why you always bring a clone!) and meets Chewy in the process (oh hey he happens to speak Wookiee), a train robbery sequence where we watch Thandie Newton get squandered and we’re not given any real reason to care about this being successful (they tried with some bullshit that he could go back to Corellia for his gf with the money, but that relationship was never exactly established), the Kessel run team assembly and run after meeting the Crimson Dawn organization (and surprise...his gf!), and then what I guess is the final showdown following the Kessel run that involves “betrayals” with people who never promised each other anything, set-up for a Qi’ra spinoff with Darth Maul (??), Han being totally onboard with the rebellion but he won’t go with them for reasons, and then the final winning the Falcon scene to fill in all the gaps, as he heads to Tatooine to go work for Jabba right away.

So, there’s all these pieces, and it kind of has the feeling of playing through a level in a video game. You’re sitting waiting for the next cut-scene, because during the mission itself, there’s not any reason to particularly care about the stakes. I suppose you vaguely want Han to survive, and Lando, but there’s really nothing that this movie seeks to say or explore other than “here’s what happened.”

Which just...isn’t centered around a character worth that exploration, I’m sorry. Han begins the OT as a “look out for myself” struggling smuggler, and very quickly finds himself compelled by something greater than himself. This movie couldn’t get him there, but then they couldn’t think of a reason how to not get him there, so he just randomly chooses to go off and be a pirate.

The one tenuous thread is “trust nobody,” and surprise surprise, his romanticized teenage girlfriend has ambition in a crime organization and after telling Han she’s going off with him, she doesn’t. But there’s nothing that connects that moment to Han then going and giving over the fuel to the Rebel Alliance that had showed without asking for anything in return. Also, after that moment, Han is stranded on a planet that has nothing but desert lean-tos and an oil refinery. The whole movie he was just trying to get to a place where he could be ‘free’ and ‘explore’ or something (like a Disney Princess?), driven by his great love. There’s really nothing that would have logically stopped him from becoming a rebel at that point in time. Was it distrust? Because then why did he just hand over the fuel out of the goodness of his heart? 

Sorry, this is a rabbit hole. Things happened because they happened. The great untold story of Han Solo is apparently “I got dumped by a girl I didn’t think would dump me, and that made me a sad loner for 20 years.” To be frank, there’s really nothing that particularly connects this character to Han Solo in ANH. Other than significant dice ownership, I guess.

What makes it worse is that there’s so much idiotic “AHA, we filled in THIS moment!” Like, the music literally swells any time something ~iconic~ from the OT happens. Han gets handed his blaster (it’s literally a random gun) and we recognize it. MUSIC!! Chewie sits in the copilot’s seat. MUSIC!!! The dialogue is even clunkier than that. “Chewbacca, huh? I’m going to need to think of a nickname for you.” “You’re the good guy, Han.” “I know a gangster on Tatooine who always is looking for work.” I have never groaned or rolled my eyes more during a film than I did for this one.

It’s the anal “every detail needs explanation” style of writing that plagued the EU, and kind of led the SW fandom to that stupid, curative gatekeepery vibe it held for so long. Not one single thing actually pushed on any ideas of the OT, or took a remote risk, or was even inventive. 

Then there was the very angry stick the writers decided to shake. You know who sucks? SJWs. Let’s make them a big ol’ joke! So we had a droid that was for droid-rights, in a very “played for laughs” kind of way. At one point Lando asks if she needs anything, and she says “equality?”, and he just rolls his eyes. At another point she starts a droid and slave revolt on Kessel, and he’s like, “oh that stupid droid is at it again!” Quite literally a straw-feminist who got in the way, was so shrill and annoying with her demands, and then got herself blown up. Lando even full on says he would have had her memory wiped, but she has useful navigational information.

And really, the whole movie just felt pandering to the fans who would appreciate those jokes. The ~sanctity~ of Star Wars and Han wasn’t touched or questioned in any way, and written with such self-congratulatory dialogue it was legitimately embarrassing to watch.

My favorite example is the Darth Maul scene. It’s not really work getting into, but at the end, Qi’ra talks with him via hologram, and he’s the leader of a crime organization sorta in league with the empire. (Does he know Palps was Sidious?) It’s very clearly Maul, but first he lowers his hood. Get it? Then he stands up and shows us his robot legs. Get it??? Then he force-calls his lightsaber to him for literally no reason, because the conversation is basically her pledging her devotion and not needing to be convinced or threatened in any way. THEN he lights it up and it’s his iconic double-sided blade. GET IT????

I could not stop laughing, and Griffin ended up having to poke me in the sides because I think the people in the row were starting to turn around. 

I honestly think this is a worse film than the prequels. There was no reason for it to exist, and no story it was even trying to tell. Lucas’s story was pretty terrible for Anakin and the rise of the Empire, but at least it existed. It also felt kind of revenge-fic-ish in a way that’s sort of hard to articulate.

Donald Glover was the one shining spot of the movie (even if he uncomfortably had to roll his eyes at the concept of equal rights), and it really just makes me sad it wasn’t his prequel in the first place. 

Also, Qi’ra is the most non-character character I’ve seen yet. She has pretty much no personality, and then the big ~reveal~ at the end that she betrays Han is kind of like, “okay?”, since we have no grasp on what she’s been up to, or what her motivations are at all. We know she thinks Han is hot. That’s it.

Anonymous said to gotgifsandmusings:

Is Solo trying too hard to be Guardians of the Galaxy?

No, it demands to be taken seriously. Which is not helping its cause.

I guess this ended up being longer than I expected. I really was in the mood to see something that was just kind of, “eh, this isn’t great, but it’s fun enough,” and at worst I expected it to be in the “meh” category. Instead, I was actively cringing in my seat. My best hope is that I can appreciate it ironically in a few years. 

[verdigrisprowl]

Jan 20 Bevel’s Movie Stream - Star Trek: Discovery Ep. 5 & 6

Prowl was about ready to give up on the series, but then the thoroughly dislikable people being documented in this series became about 1% more likable, so he’s giving it another week.

Bevel 7:30 pm *the usual set up, a few bedraggled couches and a table of snacks, nothing fancy but it'll do* ItsyBitsySpyers 7:32 pm *Soundwave was already out and about on errands today, so instead of bridging he'll just swing round and fly right up before unfolding and skidding to a halt at his couch. Hooray for buildings still under construction!* Ratchet 7:32 pm Thriller! *pops in and immediately starts dancing* ItsyBitsySpyers 7:33 pm *And then gracefully takes his seat like he didn't just risk crashing into the damn thing for the tiniest of inefficient thrills.* [[Bevel, Ratchet.]] Bevel 7:33 pm *grins* Ratchet 7:33 pm Evening. Bevel 7:34 pm I found more of the Starfleet stuff! FakeProwl 7:34 pm *arrives just in time to miss this act of reckless grace* Ratchet 7:34 pm Heya, Prowl! FakeProwl 7:34 pm Evening. Bevel 7:35 pm *small wave to Prowl* FakeProwl 7:36 pm *hesitates, then nods. would be rude not to acknowledge the host.* Bevel 7:36 pm *internal yay* Ratchet 7:37 pm *hovers a few moments to see where Prowl will sit* FakeProwl 7:39 pm *with soundwave, as usual* ItsyBitsySpyers 7:39 pm *Nods to Prowl.* FakeProwl 7:39 pm *nods back. hello.* Ratchet 7:40 pm *ah well. he'll sit with Bevel then* ItsyBitsySpyers 7:40 pm [[You do know he doesn't have the capacity to bite.]] *Taps his visor at Ratchet.* Bevel 7:41 pm *giggles* Ratchet 7:41 pm Cute. But I'm all right over here. Tarantulas 7:42 pm *stepping thru a portal, tarantulas almost says "false" to sw's claim, but stops himself just in time* Bevel 7:42 pm ((last song and then i'll start ItsyBitsySpyers 7:42 pm *BOI* Tarantulas 7:42 pm *he'll just stick with a snicker* FakeProwl 7:43 pm *had to fight the urge to say "i would know if he was." you're surrounded by reprobates, soundwave.* Tarantulas 7:43 pm *at least sw is the only telepath in here tho, be glad for that* ItsyBitsySpyers 7:44 pm *Primus below. How is he supposed to keep personal secrets with you lot around.* Ratchet 7:44 pm *it's fine, Ratchet is blissfully unaware* Ratchet 7:46 pm *let's keep it that way, shall we? the last thing he needs is _another_ reason to.... nnnnot lust after Soundwave. that one* *look he just doesn't need to know about any aspect of Soundwave that's attractive. cool? cool.* ItsyBitsySpyers 7:47 pm *Mmhm. Sure.* [[Ah! We return to the Starfleet timeline. Good.]] Tarantulas 7:47 pm *also thanks for the amenities bevel but tarantulas brought his own seat, he's currently busy slinging it from the ceiling* Bevel 7:48 pm *enjoy, there's plenty of ceiling to hang from* Tarantulas 7:49 pm *he's set up right behind and nearly on top of prowl and soundwave, hello there* ItsyBitsySpyers 7:50 pm *Soundwave raises a feeler to offer a greeting tap and/or a hold if Tarantulas wants thought contact.* Tarantulas 7:51 pm *paw-bump the feeler* ItsyBitsySpyers 7:51 pm [[And where do they plan to GET the other... tardigrades? That they found one was a fortunate accident.]] FakeProwl 7:51 pm ((SDLFIJLJ WHY)) Tarantulas 7:52 pm If I were younger and more naive, I'd say they should clone it. Bevel 7:52 pm ((oh snap, warnings, i forgot warnings FakeProwl 7:53 pm Hm. Finally. Someone who recognizes the possibility that blaming her for the war might NOT be justified. Bevel 7:53 pm ((mention of rape, torture, violence, blood, all that goes with the TV-MA warning FakeProwl 7:54 pm ((and things straight to the eyeball in closeup)) Bevel 7:54 pm ((yes i'm soooooooo sorry FakeProwl 7:54 pm ((im ok ill live)) Bevel 7:54 pm ((i legit forgot he did that, probably to protect my own dang self because augh ItsyBitsySpyers 7:56 pm *Stretch arm across couch and settle in. He is ready to find out what's going on with the second-in-command Klingon. What is her name... L'Rell? Yes. What is she doing while the Voq Klingon is away?* FakeProwl 7:56 pm *... Would that arm be across the couch in Prowl's direction?* Bevel 7:58 pm Aw, no. I hope they find out what is wrong with the tardigrade. Ratchet 7:59 pm [[ saru's ganglia squick me something fierce goddddd. why they gotta do that. ]] FakeProwl 7:59 pm *... Is Saru going to try to eliminate Michael. Please don't. He'd like them to get along.* ItsyBitsySpyers 8:00 pm *And yes it is.* FakeProwl 8:02 pm *WELL then. Sits up straight. That's a bit much for mixed company.* ItsyBitsySpyers 8:03 pm *Well. He's... sort of glad that part is over. Now that he's out of the war, he tends to avoid thinking about all the times similar actions were taken during its run. And thinks about other times. ... Never mind, there it is again.* *Tiny glance. Too much, he supposes. Pulls his arm back onto his lap.* Tarantulas 8:05 pm S-Stuart. Hyeh. ItsyBitsySpyers 8:06 pm [[Hm. The little creature reminds him of Zori.]] Tarantulas 8:07 pm *chinhands happily* Tarantulas 8:08 pm *agrees, this is definitely Fucking Cool* Bevel 8:08 pm *giggles* FakeProwl 8:09 pm *... no one in this show is likable.* Bevel 8:09 pm *hopes they find a workable solution* FakeProwl 8:09 pm *no one is likable and no one likes each other.* Bevel 8:09 pm ((fun fact, Klingons have two of everything ItsyBitsySpyers 8:10 pm ((*throws bricks*)) FakeProwl 8:11 pm *it even takes the joy out of the science.* Tarantulas 8:11 pm *science IS joy, shh* Bevel 8:13 pm 😔 FakeProwl 8:13 pm *not when every single person performing it is insufferable* ItsyBitsySpyers 8:14 pm *ALARM BLIP* Bevel 8:14 pm Hey! It was just a bug. It only did what it was told 😔 ItsyBitsySpyers 8:14 pm [[Will it be all right?]] Bevel 8:14 pm He said Lorca almost killed him. Maybe Stuart is ok then? ItsyBitsySpyers 8:15 pm *Has finished deciding that he does not like Lorca at all.* [[He hopes it is.]] Bevel 8:15 pm Ha. Tarantulas 8:16 pm *pings prowl a set of data that, if calculated, will predict if stuart died, and if not, how badly injured he'll be - all prowl need do is add his own numbers and calculate* Ratchet 8:16 pm I don't think the civilian is the spy. ItsyBitsySpyers 8:17 pm *Another alarm blip, quieter.* Tarantulas 8:17 pm You can't simply rehydrate the tardigrade, pft. See? Bevel 8:17 pm Good doctor trying to protect it. ItsyBitsySpyers 8:18 pm *They've almost killed a creature capable of calculations like those required for a space bridge. How displeasing.* ItsyBitsySpyers 8:19 pm [[Why don't you believe the civilian is the spy, if he may ask?]] FakeProwl 8:20 pm *... what, is this a simulation? based on what data?* Tarantulas 8:20 pm *guesstimates* *he has a lot of zori's data* *well, not a LOT but some* ItsyBitsySpyers 8:20 pm *More than most.* FakeProwl 8:21 pm *meh. plugs in a couple of numbers before he gets bored of it.* Ratchet 8:21 pm Seven months. ItsyBitsySpyers 8:22 pm [[What of it?]] Ratchet 8:22 pm The Captain thought it was a long time for someone to survive captivity. Tarantulas 8:22 pm *ur supposed to reassure sw, prowl, tarantulas was being strangely nice* ItsyBitsySpyers 8:23 pm [[The L'rell Klingon... favored him. She would not allow something she considers a preferred toy to perish.]] Tarantulas 8:24 pm Oh dear. ItsyBitsySpyers 8:24 pm [[Just as she did not want to let him leave.]] Ratchet 8:24 pm I continue to be suspicious. Bevel 8:25 pm ...oh no. ItsyBitsySpyers 8:25 pm *Scoots forward a little. Is that--?* Tarantulas 8:25 pm *snickers along with stamets' laughter* FakeProwl 8:29 pm *oh thank god, finally SOMEONE is getting along with each other.* Bevel 8:29 pm *hopes this works* ItsyBitsySpyers 8:30 pm [[...Good.]] FakeProwl 8:30 pm ((fire the tardigrade cannon)) ItsyBitsySpyers 8:30 pm ((LOL)) Tarantulas 8:30 pm Why did they - awh no. Ratchet 8:31 pm [[ oh no they're cute ]] FakeProwl 8:31 pm ((it's about damn time)) Bevel 8:31 pm ((dear doctor <3 FakeProwl 8:31 pm *oh look! two more people who like each other! FINALLY.* Tarantulas 8:31 pm (( fuckin cute ItsyBitsySpyers 8:32 pm [[...Is that - that is not normal for human mirrors. Is it?]] Ratchet 8:32 pm [[ why........ why did it end like that ]] Tarantulas 8:32 pm (( wait what happened at the end i missed it Ratchet 8:32 pm [[ i missed what happened but something was weird and now i;m concerned ]] ItsyBitsySpyers 8:32 pm ((he walked away. his reflection stayed in the mirror a little while before smiling and leaving)) Bevel 8:33 pm ((ok, warnings for... Vulcan mind melding to the extreme and that's the only thing I remember from this episode but keep in mind past warnings just in case ItsyBitsySpyers 8:34 pm *Lovely angular architecture on a hot desert-y planet. How wonderful, their planet.* Ratchet 8:34 pm [[ anyway i'm just saying, it's real convenient that there was one spy in that room and now someone from that room has accompanied captain lorca back to the ship with the new propulsion system ]] Bevel 8:35 pm Mirror do not act like that. Ever. They are just glass. ItsyBitsySpyers 8:36 pm *Back on a ship?*

[[Then that does not bode well.]] Ratchet 8:38 pm Hmm. Bevel 8:40 pm That was Michael's dad, right? ItsyBitsySpyers 8:40 pm [[The one who was not making a martyr of themselves.]] Bevel 8:40 pm Yeah. Tarantulas 8:40 pm Father? I assumed he was adoptive or something of the sort. FakeProwl 8:41 pm Well, we know he survived. Bevel 8:42 pm Yeah, Michael said foster parents. They are still parents. ...scuttlebutt FakeProwl 8:42 pm I knew a mech named Scuttlebutt. *he's wrong. the mech's name was Shuttlebay.* Bevel 8:42 pm *omg* ItsyBitsySpyers 8:43 pm [[...One hopes he kept his aft away from boats.]] *Oh. He knows this feeling.* ItsyBitsySpyers 8:46 pm @P: [[...Not unlike this when they died.]] *Tiny glance to see how he's doing with all this mental melding talk.* FakeProwl 8:46 pm @S «... Through the spark bond?» FakeProwl 8:48 pm *it's between people who get along with each other, not forced by a puppetmaster upon an unwilling puppet, and no mind-control is involved. he's fine.* Bevel 8:49 pm *Bevel would be glad if she knew* ItsyBitsySpyers 8:49 pm @P: [[Correct. Together with telepathy, in some cases.]] *Not the twins. And, good. Looks like no emergency avatar deactivations.* [[Ravage was - the worst. The others perished quicker.]] FakeProwl 8:50 pm *huh. the scientist has become more tolerable.* Bevel 8:50 pm *mimics the explosion sound* ItsyBitsySpyers 8:51 pm *Nods to Bevel. Approves.* Bevel 8:51 pm *grins at Soundwave* Tarantulas 8:52 pm *tarantulas makes a mental note to poke soundwave about how his telepathy works bc of this katra mess. he's not quite believing the science of it* ItsyBitsySpyers 8:52 pm *That'll be an interesting conversation.* Bevel 8:54 pm Why is genetic manipulation so bad in this universe? FakeProwl 8:55 pm Haven't they made allusions to some sort of war with genetically-manipulated humans? Or a rebellion or something? ItsyBitsySpyers 8:55 pm @P: [[...Your alternate signed off on Ravage's interrogation. He has always wondered if she knew what was happening.]] *Another small look. He's searching for - something. Confirmation? Denial? Who would be able to calculate the probability better than an alternate?* FakeProwl 8:58 pm *he doesn't pick up the implied question.* @S «... I see.» *but he does feel like he's supposed to say something.* «... I'm sorry. To hear that.» ItsyBitsySpyers 8:59 pm *Waits a moment to see if he will say anything else. But, that'll do for now. Apologies are better than nothing.* @P: [[Thank you.]]

*And broadcast more widely:* [[They have. There was a... where are his files on this. One moment.]] Bevel 9:00 pm Have they? *might have missed some things, or they might be in episodes she hasn't actually seen* Tarantulas 9:01 pm *tara's gonna conduct an experiment as they watch - down comes a thread to touch sw's shoulder* @SW: [[Push me a thought if you can hear this.]] Tarantulas 9:02 pm (( OH DAMN FakeProwl 9:03 pm *... all right, okay. NOW it's getting uncomfortable. what with the aggressive insistence that he let her into his mind.* *but it's over quickly.* Bevel 9:04 pm *oh wow a dad worse than hers, have all her sympathies, Michael* ItsyBitsySpyers 9:06 pm [[In other pieces. And Saru mentioned it.]]

[[The humans attempted genetic manipulation and upgrading a couple of hundred years before this time period.]] *Gesture to screen.* [[The humans produced used their new bodies and minds to seize power in many countries across the world. They were the cause of multiple extreme wars and eventually lost.]]

[[Some were finally captured and tried as war criminals. They disappeared before they could serve their sentences.]] [[...And it is satisfying to see his abilities used for good. For once.]] *Soundwave is intrigued by the thread - and what he heard through it. He winds the end around a finger and looks at it.* @T: [[Confirmed.]] Bevel 9:07 pm Oh! Then yeah, it really is. Stamets is being really helpful. Even with the mirror being weird. Bevel 9:09 pm *cheers Michael on* FakeProwl 9:10 pm Emotions are not Vulcan. But passive-aggression is. Tarantulas 9:10 pm *curious quirk of his visor. hmm* @SW [[Humor me - just a moment.]] *and the thread is withdrawn* ItsyBitsySpyers 9:10 pm *Finds it interesting that he acts different from the others yet chose - HUFF, Prowl, that was lovely - the "superior" partially Vulcan child over the fully human child.* *And that he did not know Spock well enough to predict Spock's actions.* *Lets the thread go and watches its slow retreat, curious.* Bevel 9:13 pm I really like Michael. Bevel 9:14 pm *somehow not surprised by this turn of events* ItsyBitsySpyers 9:15 pm *...Suspicious.* FakeProwl 9:15 pm He's quite pleased to leave her there, isn't he. Bevel 9:15 pm He just wants to keep his ship. ItsyBitsySpyers 9:16 pm *Oh good. It's not just him.* [[It seems so.]] FakeProwl 9:16 pm Selfish. Tarantulas 9:16 pm This message has been removed. FakeProwl 9:16 pm *all the same, he wants to know how he cheated his psych evals.* ItsyBitsySpyers 9:20 pm *Soundwave responds every time a thread still attached inside the generation point touches him. Not so much any held in a paw.* Bevel 9:20 pm ((i'm so sorry ((did not mean to do that, i click and highlight things i'm reading and did it by accident Tarantulas 9:21 pm (( oops lol ItsyBitsySpyers 9:21 pm *And cheating on tests seems to be a common problem in Starfleet commanders. Hmm.* *Can't decide if he approves or not.* Bevel 9:21 pm ((*buries face in hands* Tarantulas 9:21 pm (( puff did u happen to log my comment or should i rewrite jic? FakeProwl 9:22 pm ((i did not, on rabbit i don't log it til the end)) Tarantulas 9:22 pm (( o7 ...actually nvm, we all know what happened, tarantulas sent down different threads etc Bevel 9:23 pm ((all the threads Tarantulas 9:24 pm *curiouser and curiouser, sw. tarantulas notes the organic interference, then eventually pulls all the threads up and disposes of them* FakeProwl 9:24 pm *... bevel are you trying to get prowl's attention* Bevel 9:25 pm *...you can't prove anything* FakeProwl 9:25 pm *you're playing The Titanic Song* ItsyBitsySpyers 9:25 pm [[...This is a rearrangment of the Titanic music.]] *Pause.* [[He likes it better than the original.]] Bevel 9:25 pm Yeah, same. ItsyBitsySpyers 9:25 pm @T: (txt): Experiment successful? Bevel 9:25 pm *did it work?* ItsyBitsySpyers 9:26 pm [[It is not as wistful, but it sounds more - celebratory. That feels like a better ending.]] FakeProwl 9:27 pm The end of the Titanic wasn't celebratory. Bevel 9:27 pm The ahistorical ending? Tarantulas 9:27 pm @SW: ::Every experiment is successful if you come into it with an open mind.:: ItsyBitsySpyers 9:28 pm [[No, no. Celebrating her memories of when she was content with the Jack human.]] *Tilt. Tilt the other way.* [[Or believed she was. He still does not think it was a good relationship.]] FakeProwl 9:29 pm Oh, it was absolutely not. ItsyBitsySpyers 9:29 pm @T: (txt): New viewpoint heard, considered, appreciated.

*Hmm. Does Shockwave think like that?* ItsyBitsySpyers 9:30 pm [[Then this song following it was a good choice. Well done, Bevel.]] Bevel 9:30 pm *grins* Tarantulas 9:31 pm *shockwave would be a shitty scientist if he didn't, in tarantulas's opinion, therefore he must* FakeProwl 9:31 pm His death was the best thing that could have possibly happened to her. It allowed her to leave with the memory of the brief freedom she thinks she experienced and opportunity for liberation that that experience provided her, while saving her from the eventual and inevitable controlling, manipulative, and abusive behavior he would have strangled her with. Tarantulas 9:34 pm *hhhm. briefly tarantulas wonders if that's what prowl thinks of him in turn* ItsyBitsySpyers 9:35 pm [[...Like the timing he suggested with the Council. A similar concept.]] FakeProwl 9:36 pm ... Still on that? ItsyBitsySpyers 9:37 pm [[Not on that discussion specifically. He understood what you were going for.]] *No need to fret all over again.* [[But it is a thing he has often thought about over the years. Among other problems of timing.]] Bevel 9:37 pm Council? FakeProwl 9:38 pm *he reacted extremely strongly in the negative for someone who supposedly understood what he was going for* ItsyBitsySpyers 9:38 pm [[It just reminded him of that. Removing a controlling force and then disposing of the one that would turn corrupt.]] *Small shrug.* [[He thinks in terms he understands.]] ItsyBitsySpyers 9:39 pm *Perhaps, but he did demonstrate that he got it once he stopped focusing on the example itself.* ItsyBitsySpyers 9:41 pm [[He also wonders what would have happened if he himself took certain data to the Council instead of bringing it to Megatron, back when he had that moment of doubt. And whether he should have spilled certain secrets to save his life or died to keep them quiet.]] [[They're just moments that gnaw at him and give him frames for processing other contexts.]] Bevel 9:43 pm *didn't get an exact answer but she's read enough history to follow where Soundwave was coming from now* It is important to think about the things you did and think about how you could have done better so you can make better decisions, in the future, right? ItsyBitsySpyers 9:44 pm *Soundwave leans to one side to get a better look at her.*

[[Now where did you get a lesson like that...?]] Bevel 9:45 pm *looks away from Soundwave and at the ceiling for a moment* From talking to people. FakeProwl 9:46 pm *is people* Bevel 9:46 pm *indeed* ItsyBitsySpyers 9:46 pm [[He's a telepath, Bevel.]] Bevel 9:46 pm 😐 You are a polite one. ItsyBitsySpyers 9:47 pm [[True.]] *Leans back. Like he's gonna poke at her thoughts too much in front of Prowl.* [[But he IS curious, still.]] Tarantulas 9:48 pm *visor quirk, what the heck is this chattering about* ItsyBitsySpyers 9:48 pm *Some suggest asking when it comes to things you want to know. He's a big voice for that.* Bevel 9:51 pm I... *her armor and paint start to change subtly to match the couch she's sitting on, but she controls the urge and settles back smoothly into the frame she's been wearing all night* I have been thinking. About stuff. Important stuff. Not council important! But important to me. Tarantulas 9:51 pm *tarantulas is too stubborn to ask about things he'd rather pretend to know or to figure out himself, if you're referring to him, sw* ItsyBitsySpyers 9:55 pm [[Go on. Such as?]] *He was.* Bevel 9:55 pm Not now. *she has to talk to someone else first, else word get around somehow, she only trusts like one and a half of the bots still here* Tarantulas 9:57 pm *wait what the heck was that, bevel. weren't YOU the one who was saying mirrors don't behave like that? strange, when tarantulas just saw you behaving in a way wholly unlike a typical mech. no way was that a trick of the light* ItsyBitsySpyers 9:57 pm [[As you wish.]] Bevel 9:57 pm *grateful smile at Soundwave* Tarantulas 9:59 pm *tara's gonna keep that to himself for now. he's got enough to chew on from this evening as it is* Bevel 10:01 pm *gonna just.... go back to picking music clueless about what's going on with Tara* Tarantulas 10:06 pm ...Oh! Bevel 10:06 pm ? Tarantulas 10:08 pm Do forgive me for forgetting for so long. I owe each party in this room three cephalopod acquaintanceships, don't I? ItsyBitsySpyers 10:08 pm *SNAP ALERT AWAY FROM MUSIC congrats that was the impossible* [[Yes. You do. Does this mean...?]] Bevel 10:08 pm Yes! *sits up* Tarantulas 10:10 pm What this means is that I don't yet have the specimens, but I can acquire them, say... before we meet here next? FakeProwl 10:10 pm *turns slightly. go on, he's listening.* ItsyBitsySpyers 10:11 pm [[All of them?]] Tarantulas 10:13 pm Of course. *a bit affronted* Bevel 10:13 pm You have some time. It will be a little bit before I can get everyone here again. ItsyBitsySpyers 10:13 pm *No harm meant. He's just - quietly excited.* Tarantulas 10:15 pm If meeting here is the problem, we could all meet elsewhere. That is to say, you'll all be coming to my lab anyhow. FakeProwl 10:16 pm ((IS THAT FUCKING SAX FLAMETHROWING)) Tarantulas 10:17 pm (( oh my god FakeProwl 10:17 pm ((MAD MAX: POSTMODERN JUKEBOX)) I'll be able to come unless some emergency comes up that requires my attention. ((so that's why he's by the open window)) ItsyBitsySpyers 10:18 pm [[He will make the emergency wait for his attention to exist.]] Bevel 10:18 pm *giggles* ItsyBitsySpyers 10:19 pm [[Which is impossible. But that is how much he looks forward to this. If it wasn't yet clear.]] FakeProwl 10:19 pm Unfortunately, emergencies that require a police captain's attention frequently don't care what other people think. Even when cephalopods are involved. If I can't come, don't delay it on my behalf. Soundwave can record the event for me to watch later. Tarantulas 10:20 pm Nono, you /must/ come, really. Bevel 10:21 pm Yeah, we planned this with you, Prowl. ItsyBitsySpyers 10:21 pm [[Perhaps he can bribe all of Iacon into behaving for a single day...]] *That is a joke. Please do not arrest him for bribery.* FakeProwl 10:21 pm It's all right. I'm not planning to touch them, so it doesn't make a difference if I see them in person or via video. Bevel 10:21 pm That would be a lot of bribes. Tarantulas 10:22 pm You're coming. *stated definitively* ItsyBitsySpyers 10:22 pm [[Never underestimate his abilities, Bevel.]] FakeProwl 10:22 pm *honestly Prowl's pretty neutral on the whole thing. The only reason he asked to come was so that he could request another couple of creatures for Soundwave to see.* Bevel 10:22 pm Never. *laughs* FakeProwl 10:22 pm *but if Tarantulas seems determined that it won't happen until Prowl CAN come...* ... Very well. ItsyBitsySpyers 10:22 pm [[...They won't be exposed to the Noisemaze, correct?]] Bevel 10:23 pm Noisemaze? Tarantulas 10:24 pm Ah, no, of course not. They'll be directly bridged in. FakeProwl 10:24 pm *... is that alright to mention in front of Bevel? PROWL wouldn't have mentioned it in front of Bevel* ItsyBitsySpyers 10:24 pm *Prowl wouldn't be the one getting his aft beaten to within an inch of his life if Bevel went to the lab and was lured out there and hurt somehow.* *Soundwave would really like not to anger Ratchet like that. Tarantulas already tried to convince her to be a Science once.* Tarantulas 10:26 pm *he plans on convincing her to be a Science somehow through the cephaloparty as well, but sw need not know that* FakeProwl 10:26 pm ((*judges song intensely for changing the pronouns*)) ((make them lesbians you cowards.)) Tarantulas 10:26 pm (( make it GAAAAY Bevel 10:27 pm ((*same, hadn't heard this one yet* ItsyBitsySpyers 10:27 pm *Tarantulas better hope Soundwave doesn't find out* FakeProwl 10:27 pm ((the music video was about gay men. you can make the song about lesbians. it's okay.)) Bevel 10:27 pm ((just for this i'm gonna play a cover of rude after this that I know is gay af Tarantulas 10:28 pm *is ignoring bevel's question ftr* Bevel 10:28 pm *is ignored boo* *will just assume it's a maze. with noises* FakeProwl 10:30 pm ((a hedge maze and from the hedges comes the wild dooting of kazoos)) Tarantulas 10:30 pm (( a kazzorchestra Bevel 10:30 pm ((and now for something not post modern ItsyBitsySpyers 10:32 pm ((soundwave volunteers to hunt down the wild kazoo)) Tarantulas 10:35 pm *claw tap to mandibles* ...I haven't thought of what to do with them once we've wrapped things up, though. FakeProwl 10:35 pm ... Take them home, I'd assume. Bevel 10:35 pm Let them go? Tarantulas 10:35 pm *funny look as if that hadn't occurred to him* Well, maybe. Though they might not be safe to return. ItsyBitsySpyers 10:36 pm [[Why wouldn't they?]] Tarantulas 10:37 pm I'm trying to think of the logistics, hold on. ItsyBitsySpyers 10:37 pm *Growing vaguely alarmed. He does not want them to be made into a Science.* FakeProwl 10:37 pm Are you concerned they're going to share the awesome things they've learned about Cybertronian technology with their octopus militaries? Tarantulas 10:38 pm *SNORT* No, not in the least. FakeProwl 10:38 pm Then I don't see what the problem with taking them home is. Tarantulas 10:38 pm One does not simply take a cephalopod home, Prowl. FakeProwl 10:39 pm Why not? ItsyBitsySpyers 10:39 pm *Has a worse thought than Science.*

[[-No eating them.-]] Tarantulas 10:40 pm Hyah, nono, I'm not going to eat them. I'm not partial to seafood. Tarantulas 10:41 pm The matter of putting them back - much less taking them back - is that I can't just reverse the process, that's all. (( I LOVE THIS ONE FakeProwl 10:42 pm Why not? If anything, it should be EASIER to return them than to pick them up. Picking them up involves effort to figure out where they are so you can get them. Taking them back involves only taking them directly back to the very spot you took them from. Tarantulas 10:43 pm This message has been removed. I mean, I could do that I suppose, it'd just be a mess, and not worth the time. FakeProwl 10:44 pm So open the bridge horizontally, one inch over the ocean, and drop them in. Tarantulas 10:44 pm No - but - hyah. *starts laughing* Bevel 10:45 pm ((gd self stop clicking things ((*puts mouse in corner* FakeProwl 10:45 pm ((for the chat record, could we get a re-statement of the now-deleted quote)) Tarantulas 10:46 pm (( something something "unless someone has tech i don't have, i can't just open a hole in the ocean and stick them back in" Bevel 10:46 pm ((yes plz i'm so sorry there needs to be a way to undo that omfg ItsyBitsySpyers 10:48 pm [[Could you not build a container to hold all the water coming in as you replace the creature, then bridge all that water back over the ocean?]] FakeProwl 10:53 pm ... What's wrong with the bridge one inch over the ocean? *all he got was a no and a laugh.* ItsyBitsySpyers 10:59 pm [[Oh, yes. From what he understands, not all life in the Earth's ocean can sustain itself at the same level because of the pressure, lighting, and fuel available to them at different depths. If some of these creatures live lower down, we may well be condemning them to death by dropping them in at the top.]]

*...What? Anglerfish and their horrible fangy deep sea brethren with their own biolights fascinated him just as much.*

*At least you know he values -some- organic life forms, Prowl.* Tarantulas 11:00 pm *finishes laughing with a huff* I just adjusted my capture plans. I'll be able to put them back. ItsyBitsySpyers 11:01 pm [[Are you sure? How?]] FakeProwl 11:01 pm So put them in a container that maintains their needed pressure, put it on a cable, and lower it through the bridge. And have it open when it reaches the proper depth. Tarantulas 11:03 pm I don't remember the species, but the ocean is rather deep, which means that'd entail more effort than I'm willing to put in for a small party like this. But it's alright, the solution is similar. ItsyBitsySpyers 11:03 pm *Excuse you. Every single one of those beings is worth all that effort. Not that he'll say as much out loud. In front of Bevel, anyway.* *He's still listening though.* Tarantulas 11:05 pm I'll prepare pressure-contained tanks, fill them with the appropriate environment, hook them up to my portal one at a time, target the creatures so they navigate into the chambers when the portal's opened, and voila. Simply do the reverse for release. (( IT'S MY JAM Bevel 11:06 pm *is listening to make sure all the cool critters will be safe* Tarantulas 11:06 pm (( *sings along* ItsyBitsySpyers 11:06 pm *Soundwave taps his fingers against his leg.* [[That sounds... reasonable.]] Bevel 11:07 pm ((This song is so damn good Tarantulas 11:07 pm (( also the music vid A+ ItsyBitsySpyers 11:07 pm *He was about to start researching what it would take to keep them on Cybertron. So, y'know. This is better.* Tarantulas 11:07 pm *no more additions to your collections, sw* Bevel 11:08 pm ((So good, ladies supporting ladies ItsyBitsySpyers 11:08 pm *One plant is hardly a collection!* ItsyBitsySpyers 11:10 pm *...And he never brought the human into the habitat that was built for them, so there.* Tarantulas 11:10 pm *keeping humans is amusing, sw should try it sometime* FakeProwl 11:11 pm *NO* ItsyBitsySpyers 11:11 pm *IN HIS DEFENSE, THEY WEREN'T ENTIRELY AGAINST IT* ItsyBitsySpyers 11:12 pm *He's definitely never mentioning the idea to turn them into a cassette though. That'll just. Stay out of an entire timeline's worth of hearing range of Prowl.* Tarantulas 11:13 pm *divert it in tarantulas's direction, he'll never speak a word* ItsyBitsySpyers 11:13 pm *It was a more desperate time. Don't you judge him.* Bevel 11:13 pm *the brief mention of a plant reminds the mun that Bevel needs to identify the plant she traded for that one movie night* ItsyBitsySpyers 11:14 pm [[...He will bring some patterns for them. Buzzsaw can make them.]] Tarantulas 11:14 pm Patterns for - ? ItsyBitsySpyers 11:14 pm [[The cephalopods capable of changing their colors.]] [[Something for them to exercise their minds on.]] Bevel 11:15 pm Can I help? Tarantulas 11:15 pm Oh, oh, yes, I see. Mind you, I'm not certain how much of their mind is exercised by their color changing. Bevel 11:15 pm *she's gonna be having a hard enough time resisting the urge to shift and see if they'll change colors to match* ItsyBitsySpyers 11:17 pm [[Yes, Bevel. He would like that.]]

[[And neither is he. If nothing else, it will be something they do not have in the ocean. It is all he can think of they might li... jars. Jars and - fish. He will procure fish.]] [[Ravage should be able to gather some of that.]] ItsyBitsySpyers 11:19 pm *Maybe a couple of crabs? Or clams dug out of the sand? Some of them might have preferences...* Bevel 11:20 pm Awesome. FakeProwl 11:20 pm ... Do they like jars? *that seems like an odd thing for them to like* ItsyBitsySpyers 11:22 pm [[He thinks so. He has seen captive ones open them to get what it is inside. There are some that carry large seed shells with them as well.]] Tarantulas 11:23 pm Hyeheh, it's true. I'll leave you in charge of their entertainment and mental stimulation, then, Soundwave. ItsyBitsySpyers 11:24 pm *Soundwave plays back a small fanfare. He is legitimately happy to be assigned this role.* Bevel 11:25 pm *grins, this is gonna be the coolest trip* Tarantulas 11:26 pm *tarantulas hopes so. maybe he can trick you into revealing some of your tricks too, bevel* ItsyBitsySpyers 11:26 pm *Agreed. Whole-sparkedly.*

*...Not on the revealing tricks bit, but he can't hear that hope.* Bevel 11:27 pm *is gonna try to be good but she never found a shapeshifting teacher* ItsyBitsySpyers 11:27 pm *Unable to quite contain himself, he allows himself to send Prowl a gif of falling foil confetti and an accompanying excitement tag. And a restraint tag. Just so Prowl understands he's not going to burst out and suddenly start yelling or whatever it is other people do.* ItsyBitsySpyers 11:28 pm *He then sends Bevel a task: acquire the largest pair of co-co-nut shells she can find and make a replacement out of sturdier supplies.* *There is a promise of payment attached.* Bevel 11:29 pm *can definitely do this! excited ping back* Tarantulas 11:30 pm *is sliding out of his sling/hammock and casually disattaching it* FakeProwl 11:31 pm *... ping ping ping.* Bevel 11:33 pm ((cro has request, i play that instead ItsyBitsySpyers 11:33 pm *And one of intense affection.*

*Ah. Are we leaving? Tarantulas is leaving. He should take the hint.* [[He should be on his way shortly. There is something he must do tomorrow.]] FakeProwl 11:33 pm Oh? ItsyBitsySpyers 11:33 pm ((the mun says as she promptly forgets what she was going to have him do...)) Bevel 11:33 pm ((whoops Aw, ok. ItsyBitsySpyers 11:34 pm ((OH YEAH i remember now)) [[Yes. He ordered a special item. Its creator informed him earlier today that it is ready.]] [[Among our other trades, per usual.]] FakeProwl 11:35 pm Ah. So you need to be in to pick up the delivery. Bevel 11:35 pm Can you say what you ordered or is it a secret? Tarantulas 11:36 pm Can you say who you ordered it from? That might be more informative. FakeProwl 11:36 pm *asks absolutely no questions about it, which may be informative all by itself.* Bevel 11:37 pm ((not at all ic Tarantulas 11:37 pm (( lmao ItsyBitsySpyers 11:37 pm [[He does.]]

[[Ah. Rumble and Frenzy have been asking for Arcade to replicate a new game console.]] *Not technically the item he meant, but also something he has to pick up personally. It's a surprise for them. And it'll stop them asking why Prowl isn't asking. He hopes.* Tarantulas 11:38 pm *doesn't 100% believe sw but doesn't feel like poking* ItsyBitsySpyers 11:38 pm *He can call in and check if he wants. It's true.* Bevel 11:39 pm *isn't observant enough to wonder why Prowl isn't asking, besides Prowl might already know since he's a, uh, friend* ItsyBitsySpyers 11:39 pm *FUNNY YOU SHOULD THINK THAT...* FakeProwl 11:39 pm *... now not sure if that's actually what it is, or if that's the cover story for the others* Bevel 11:39 pm I bet they will really like that. *100% believes him* Tarantulas 11:41 pm Certainly. *stretching* I must be on my way as well. ItsyBitsySpyers 11:41 pm [[Oh yes. Something about being a... what is it called. Switch? In any case, it's supposed to be important.]] Tarantulas 11:41 pm (( is that a double entendre (( it is isnt it Bevel 11:42 pm I do not know much about Earth games. *Bevel no* FakeProwl 11:42 pm *... okay now it's definitely the handcuffs.* *mystery solved* ItsyBitsySpyers 11:42 pm *Soundwave rises, enormously pleased with himself for that one, and nods to them all in turn.* [[Goodnight, all.]] Tarantulas 11:42 pm (( i cant fuckin believe you cro FakeProwl 11:42 pm Evening. ItsyBitsySpyers 11:43 pm ((u better believe it)) Tarantulas 11:43 pm Until next time. I'll be making preparations, hyeh. FakeProwl 11:43 pm ... Let me know if you're going to need help playtesting the new machine. *so very, very cool and casual* Bevel 11:44 pm ((*physically resists having Bevel query about that remark because tired ItsyBitsySpyers 11:44 pm *With any luck, so will he.*

[[Thank you. He'd like to make sure it doesn't have problems with locking up.]] Tarantulas 11:44 pm *since when has prowl been into gaming, tarantulas wonders* FakeProwl 11:44 pm (("what, do you think i don't play video games?" says prowl, who probably doesn't know how to hold a controller right-side up)) Bevel 11:44 pm ((Prowl, expect Bevel to ask you about how playtesting went later. FakeProwl 11:45 pm ((GOOD)) Tarantulas 11:45 pm *is off home now, au revoir* Bevel 11:45 pm *waves* ItsyBitsySpyers 11:47 pm *Follows suit by heading to the edge of the open wall, jumping off, and zipping on home in alt mode. There's some energy to work off after that last little innuendo-laced exchange.* FakeProwl 11:47 pm *SOUNDWAVE THIS IS A CITY* *WHAT ARE YOU DOING FLYING BETWEEN BUILDINGS* ItsyBitsySpyers 11:48 pm *WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO, ARREST HIM?* FakeProwl 11:48 pm *HE COULD CALL HIS ALTERNATE* ItsyBitsySpyers 11:48 pm *-HE WOULDN'T DARE.- BEVEL DON'T LET HIM DO IT, DISTRACT HIM* *SOUNDWAVE WILL PAY YOU* Bevel 11:49 pm *this universe's Prowl does not look forward to that call because she'll have to send someone to follow up on it* *don't do that to Chase, he's barely an adult, Prowl* FakeProwl 11:50 pm *would having an uncomfortable rescue bot awkwardly asking questions be enough to discourage soundwave from RECKLESSLY ENDANGERING HIMSELF AND THE NEARBY ARCHITECTURE again* Bevel 11:51 pm *Bevel used Distraction! It's... not very effective. Especially since she's trying to think of how to complete the task Soundwave gave her* ItsyBitsySpyers 11:51 pm *Who's recklessly endangering anything? Is this not common where Prowl's from? Why the Pit do they have balconies on their apartments then? Is this why he's getting odd looks all the time?* FakeProwl 11:52 pm *you're supposed to go UP in the SKY and be OVER the buildings* ItsyBitsySpyers 11:54 pm *That's for work. And most every other time. Today he wants to feel his wings.* ItsyBitsySpyers 11:58 pm *But anyway, he's gone. He'll attend future meetings a lot less recklessly.* FakeProwl 11:59 pm *HE'D BETTER* Yesterday Bevel 11:59 pm *awkwardly waves to Prowl, who she assumes is probably not staying long since everyone else left* FakeProwl 12:00 am *now that he's done gaping in outrage at soundwave's departure? no, probably not.* *farewell, he is gone.* Bevel 12:01 am *oh good no stilted attempts at conversation, she'll get to cleaning up now*

[thebookbeard-blog]

December is for Star Wars.

At least that's what I decided at the end of 2015 after watching The Force Awakens, a movie that re-kindled a love and passion that had been dormant since my teenage years. I went back to the theater three more times. I left each showing feeling like a kid, in the best of ways. I was, at almost thirty years old, Star Wars trash once again -- a label that I happily and readily accepted. I began to consume more SW-related pop culture. I started watching Star Wars Rebels, which in time I came to realize captures the spirit of the original trilogy better than almost anything else. I started reading some of the comics being put out by Marvel at the time, chiefly Kieron Gillen's Darth Vader run, a brilliant piece of storytelling on its own. Then I started to explore some of the books set in the Star Wars universe. 

The trash of the thing.

The first SW book I ever read was Claudia Gray's Lost Stars. My expectations were low: Star Wars is such a visually rich setting, after all, and I had doubts as to how well it would translate to the written word. If anything, I only expected a fun romp through the Star Wars universe. I certainly didn't expect it to be an arresting and heart-wrenching piece of fiction. But it turned out to be both. I loved it enough that it was the first book I picked as a favorite read for last year. And I loved Gray's writing enough that I would eagerly pick up whatever she wrote for the expanded universe next. The fact that this happened to be a story that focused on Leia increased my interested only by a hell of a lot.

Bloodline features and older, wiser, slightly weary Leia, still serving in her function as a Senator for the New Republic. At the beginning of the story, tired of all the ceremony and hypocrisy of politics, she's determined to retire from it all, but not before engaging in one last diplomatic mission which she hopes will do some actual, genuine good for the galaxy -- not to mention serve as one final adventure. That this adventure should prove to uncover a vast and deep conspiracy that threatens not only her personal safety and reputation but the fate of the entire galaxy should really come as no big surprise -- this is a Star Wars story, after all.

Gray's portrayal of Leia is beautifully nuanced, and balances the political and personal aspects of the character with grace and aplomb. This is a Leia that is a brilliant and savvy politician, as well as a bad-ass who knows how to handle a blaster and is ready to throw down at a moment’s notice.

Leia lifted her blaster, losing her sights on Rinnrivin’s guard — and targeting the central strut of the tunnel support directly overhead. One bolt held the entire thing together. That bolt was no larger than a child’s fist. At this range, in semi-darkness, perhaps one shot in a thousand might be capable of destroying that bolt. But Leia made the shot.

In short, the very same Leia that we all know and love. The same Leia that the late, great Carrie Fisher brought to life. Gray's capable prose does her more than enough justice.

The story is made all the more interesting by the fact that it deals heavily with politics, something that the prequels tried to do with very mixed and muddy results. It’s one of the more fascinating aspects in Bloodline however, and the intrigue and West Wing-like drama of it all carries the story through. That the political landscape of the novel happens to look very much like our own just adds a more surreal and slightly ominous layer to it all. 

Gray has gone on record to say that Bloodline wasn’t written as commentary, but it's pretty hard, especially after the events of last November, not to view the story as a reflection of our current reality. Part of the reason that Leia wants to retire has to do with the Senate devolving into a two-party system -- parties that are themselves fragmented into conflicting fractions. She laments how "every debate on the Senate floor turns into an endless argument over ‘tone’ or ‘form’ and never about issues of substance." And try to read this bit of dialogue and tell me it doesn't sound like something you’d find on a recent think piece.

“Surely you won’t deny the New Republic is committing mistakes of its own.”

“Not the evils of tyranny and control.”

“No. The evils of absence and neglect.”

And, of course, there’s the now viral quote at the close of the book that has gained new relevance in light of yesterday's marches:

“The sun is setting on the New Republic," Leia said. "It's time for the Resistance to rise.”

Indeed. 

Bloodline is both a brilliant character portrait and relevant social commentary. Claudia Gray can write Star Wars like no other and I will read anything she writes in this universe.

After dealing with the heady but heavy themes of Bloodline however, I figured I was due some for some warmth and comfort. At which point I usually turn to a Rainbow Rowell book.

I love Rainbow Rowell. I love her quirky and clever and passionate writing (if there was a book equivalent to Gilmore Girls, it would be a Rowell book). I love her amazing and uncanny ability to make you fall for a character in almost no time at all.

This same talent is brilliantly showcased in Kindred Spirits, a slim novella that, over the course of sixty-two pages, manages to have more character development than most sprawling, brick-sized novels.

It's an unfair gift, really.

This is a story about three Star Wars geeks camping out in desolate line in front of an Omaha theater for the premiere of The Force Awakens. It is lovely, and it is charming, and it is so wonderful. I finished the story in one sitting, desperately wishing there was a full-length novel featuring these characters that I could immediately pick up. Heartwarming and beautiful.

And so December rolled around once more, and with it another Star Wars film, because Disney will never be stopped.

But of course I loved almost everything about Rogue One: I loved its beautiful and beautifully diverse cast, I loved its relentless and brutal pace, I even dug its CGI missteps. It's a dark, dark film, to be sure, but it also seems very apt and timely. Rebellions are built on hope, etc.

I picked up the Rogue One: A Star Wars Story novelization by Alexander Freed because I kept coming across good reviews. I was skeptical -- I had tried to read Alan Dean Foster's adaptation of The Force Awakens and found the writing style so tedious that I couldn't get past the first chapter. Thankfully though Freed doesn't seem to suffer from this: his writing style is relatively spartan and straightforward, which serves this kind of story well. Even so I was still very much surprised at how much I enjoyed reading this, and even more surprised at how much more depth it managed to add to the story. 

One of the main criticisms about the film is that we don't spend enough individual time with the characters too feel much of anything when they meet their ultimate fate. Which is fair: movie's are all about the external after all, whereas in books and comics you can delve more into the character's feelings and motivations -- literally get inside their heads. This is what Freed does in the novelization, and to great effect. We get so many details regarding each character's background, personality, and motivation.

Cassian stashed his paranoia in the back of his brain -- out of the way but within easy reach.

Jyn knew the sounds of occupation well. They were the sounds of home.

Baze did not limit his targets to those who might spot the blind man, but he kept Chirrut under observation nonetheless; where the Force would fail Chirrut, Baze would not.

And it does affect how you feel about the characters as the plot happens to them. This is made most evident in K-2SO's final scene, an already heartbreaking moment in the film, but here Freed adds one last final touch that makes is all the more tragic and all the more beautiful. Totally evil stuff, but good nonetheless.

This device isn't limited to the characters either: for the more technical aspects of the plot we get things like communiques and log entries interspersed throughout the story, and they are also used to great effect. In a particularly brilliant entry, we get to find out just how Galen Erso, with the help of sheer bureaucratic nonsense, ensures the flaw he engineered in the Death Star reactor remains in place. A detail that is both morbidly hilarious and also incredibly realistic.

I do think that one of the things that makes the movie such a visceral experience gets totally lost in the translation, however, and that is much of the action. Freed does a serviceable job, but the action still very much slows down and lack urgency and tension. Darth Vader’s big scene is an absolute show-stopper in the movie, for example, whereas here it reads as very much anticlimactic. 

But that is admittedly a minor criticism that applies mostly to the third act, and I do think that the material and information that was added to the story more than makes up for it.

Highly recommend reading this before you watch Rogue One for the eight time.

It was raining. It didn’t rain in L.A. It was raining in L.A. and I was Princess Leia. I had never been Princess Leia before and now I would be her forever. I would never not be Princess Leia.

And then there's Carrie. Oh Carrie.

December was a particularly tough month in a particularly tough year. Too many artists I admired passed away, and then halfway through December I went a personal loss that left me dazed and numb. Then Carrie Fisher died, and it all struck me as once, and I was just sad for a long while.

I had downloaded The Princess Diarist shortly after finishing the Rogue One novelization. It seemed like an appropriate follow up, and I've been meaning to read Fisher's stuff for years anyway. It stayed unread on my tablet for a bit (the aforementioned personal loss took any desire I had to read much), but I picked it up immediately after learning of Carrie's death. It seemed like the appropriate thing to do.

The Princess Diarist is about Fisher looking back on diary entries she had penned in the late seventies, during the filming of Star Wars. It's a meditation on fame and growing up in Hollywood and being young and growing old. It's a wonderful read. Raunchy and hilarious and clever; whimsical and melancholy. Brutally honest and full of life truths. I highlighted a great many passages:

The crew was mostly men. That’s how it was and that’s pretty much how it still is. It’s a man’s world and show business is a man’s meal, with women generously sprinkled through it like overqualified spice.

I looked at her aghast, with much like the expression I used when shown the sketches of the metal bikini. The one I wore to kill Jabba (my favorite moment in my own personal film history), which I highly recommend your doing: find an equivalent of killing a giant space slug in your head and celebrate that.

Back then I was always looking ahead to who I wanted to be versus who I didn’t realize I already was, and the wished-for me was most likely based on who other people seemed to be and the desire to have the same effect on others that they had had on me.

I don’t just want you to like me, I want to be one of the most joy-inducing human beings that you’ve ever encountered. I want to explode on your night sky like fireworks at midnight on New Year’s Eve in Hong Kong.

Because what can you do with people that like you, except, of course, inevitably disappoint them?

I wish that I could leave myself alone. I wish that I could finally feel that I punished myself enough. That I deserved time off for all my bad behavior. Let myself off the hook, drag myself off the rack where I am both torturer and torturee.

I was sitting by myself the other night doing the usual things one does when spending time alone with yourselves. You know, making mountains out of molehills, hiking up to the top of the mountains, having a Hostess Twinkie and then throwing myself off the mountain. Stuff like that.

Trying relentlessly to make you love me, but I don’t want the love -- I quite prefer the quest for it. The challenge. I am always disappointed with someone who loves me -- how perfect can he be if he can’t see through me?

I call people sometimes hoping not only that they’ll verify the fact that I’m alive but that they’ll also, however indirectly, convince me that being alive is an appropriate state for me to be in.

I had feelings for him (at least five, but sometimes as many as seven).

Time shifts and your pity enables you to turn what was once, decades ago, an ordinary sort of pain or hurt, complicated by embarrassing self-pity, into what is now only a humiliating tale that you can share with others because, after almost four decades, it’s all in the past and who gives a shit?

This is a joy of a book, but it still made me sad. Sad that I never got to read and appreciate her written work while she was alive. Sad because the beautiful gem of a person who wrote these true beautiful things was now gone, drowned in moonlight, strangled by her own bra, and we'll never, ever see her like again.

“Carrie?” he asked. I knew my name. So I let him know I knew it. “Yeah,” I said in a voice very like mine.

Good night, Space Momma. Thank you for you voice. Thank you for being so unabashedly you.                                                                                           

[youngerdaniel]

2017: A Year at the Movies

It’s that time again, folks. A year has gone by, and I spent a lot of it on my ass in dark rooms watching moving pictures. But this year is special! For the first time, my annual list of films worth seeing comes with FILM SCHOOL CRED. 

What does that mean? Well, I guess I could delve into a deeper analysis of the chosen flicks... But let’s be real, you’re not here for that. So let’s just give the cred its cred and get into it.

2017: The raging dumpster fire of a year seems to be built on a foundation of terrifying surprise and disappointment. Everybody’s saying it, because it’s very much the truth—the world has gone batshit.

But it’s also been a remarkably good year for movies. When I try to list my absolute favorites, it gets difficult to rank them. Some gems in the indie circuit; some solid blockbuster fare. So rather than rank ‘em, I say fuck the numbers. Here’s what you should watch. Top 10:

Call Me By Your Name

Jesus, Gawd. The last 20 minutes of this movie alone are worth the rest of it. A beautiful tale of friendship, love, identity... and how all of these things can be tremendously confusing. I wasn’t fully hooked until around halfway through, but good leftovers gravy am I glad I stuck it out.

The Big Sick

It warms my heart that this lovely gem of a film is based on a true story. This movie is... Well, it’s fucking great. Amazing comedy, perfectly timed and nuanced drama. For we of the cynical Gen Y/Millennial crowd, this is the rom-com we needed, because grand gestures don’t work, there is no rushing to the airport, and there’s some surprisingly deep work at play when it comes to a timeless conflict in matters of the heart: family values vs who you love. The cast is on fire. The script is gold. If you missed this movie, you’re using your smartphone wrong.

The Bad Batch

If you tell me Ana Lily Amirpour made a film, I already love it. I’d been wooed ever since A GIRL WALKS HOME ALONE AT NIGHT, and when the grapevine started juicing on Amirpour’s newest joint, a dystopian survival tale, I was sold. When I finally got to sit down and watch it, I was blown away by how much of a visual storyteller Amirpour is. The visual pallette alone is drool-inducing. But the amount of worldbuilding and character development done free of expository bouts of dialogue is just tremendous. Now, that being said, the story involves cannibals, a lot of dismemberment, and perhaps just a bit too much shirtless Jason Momoa... But if that’s your thing, this one’s for you.

Lady Bird

Look, everybody’s already ranted to you about how great this movie is. You should really see it. No? Okay. Fine. It’s a fantastic, fantastic coming of age tale. Herein you’ll find a dysfunctional family, some well-drawn mother-daughter tensions, and a beautiful exploration of the thing that happens to most well-adjusted adults—the moment where you realize you’re grateful to your parents for everything they’ve done, despite the fact you’ve been a shit about it for the past 6-10 years. If that doesn’t strike a chord with you, maybe watch this movie and get a therapist?

Wind River

And speaking of getting a therapist, you might need one after this. Wind River is not by any stretch an easy film to watch (CW: rape scene late in the second act), but it is a gritty mystery that does what any crime story should well: it highlights a particularly ignored dark spot in North American society: the unaccounted-for loss of countless First Nations women on reservations. The politics are tied to the heart of this story, but rarely does it come off as preachy or a gimmick. At its heart, this mystery is a character study. In fact, nearly all of the moments that really sing are the quiet moments between the bigger set pieces. That being said, there’s a standoff sequence that happens late in the movie that is FUCKING INTENSE. You need a strong stomach for this one, but I was really impressed with it; the simplicity and effectiveness of the writing, the stark visuals, the top-notch performances. It’s great.

Logan

Logan made my cry. Actually, I’m pretty sure all of these movies coaxed a tear. But here’s the thing. I don’t actually give a shit about Wolverine. He’s not my favorite X-person. He’s definitely not my favorite anti-hero... But this movie was fucking exceptional. Not only does it take Logan’s character to an honorable and earned conclusion, it shows us that superhero movies don’t have to be for kids; they don’t have to follow the same old formula of “good guys learn something and win”... Of course, conventions are played with in this movie, but almost always to toy with your expectation as a viewer. You never know for certain if Logan’s going to make it out of this one on top... And when it ends, you won’t feel the same “Enh” that usually comes with the credits of a big I.P. movie.

Baby Driver

If you go into Baby Driver planning to take apart the story or to really delve into the character study of a young getaway driver... You’re missing the point of this movie. Instead, go in expecting a musical that happens to revolve around crime, and a young getaway driver’s learning that crime is only fun to a point. It’s a great thematic deconstruction of heist and getaway movies, showing us why we enjoy these things before peeling away the layers of heightened idealism until we just see the truth: crime is where people die and innocence is lost. (CW: Kevin Spacey, one of the newly minted shitstains of Hollywood garbage men... But he’s a nominal force.) It also has a killer soundtrack, some of the best driving sequences to grace the screen for a while, and it’s all tied together with that expertly stylized fantasy vision that belongs to Edgar Wright alone.

Ingrid Goes West

The thing I love most about this fiendishly unrepentant social media satire is that it will legit piss off people who buy into the whole “Insta-lyfe”. It picks apart how easily one can manufacture a personality or brand online that in no way represents who they actually are. It also, with zero subtlety, highlights just how fucking batshit our world can get when we start valuing our online avatars more than the people behind them. Of course, it wouldn’t be a proper satire if the facade didn’t shatter, and where that takes the story of this troubled young woman as she tries to manufacture the life she’s been double-tapping in her feed? Well... I thought it was bloody brilliant.

Band Aid

A small screen gem that totally destroyed me on the first viewing. Strap in with tissues and follow this quirky dramedy which follows a couple reeling from the fallout of a miscarriage. They’re not coping well, and in order to save their marriage, they decide to start turning their fights into songs. Sounds cute, right? But that’s the thing about cute band-aids: they don’t heal the wound on their own. Check this one out for some brilliant and bizarre bits of comedy, some hilarious songs, and some moments that are just heartbreaking. I wanted to give this movie #1 with a bullet, but then again, I’m not ranking this year, and how on earth could I forget...

Get Out

This movie was amazing. I knew it would be from the first time I saw its trailer, but good zombie Jesus on a popsicle stick, did it deliver. Social horror is the best horror, because as weird and horrible as the movie gets, everything that happens in it actually fucking happens every day of the year. No, not not a young person of color getting kidnapped and brainwashed by a bunch of upper-class white people... Jesus, do you actually watch movies literally? Do you not understand allegory? Does the subject of race, and how privileged upper-class assimilation looks through a Twilight Zone lens make you uncomfortable? Then...

You thought I was gonna write “Get out!” didn’t you? Nah. Go watch this movie. If it makes you uncomfortable, good. 

BUT DANIEL, WHAT ABOUT THE LAST JEDI?

I liked it, okay? It wasn’t perfect, and I’m sure I’ll get into that in more depth in a later post (or perhaps even in a podcast... that’s right, I’m working on shit). But all in all, a great entry to the franchise, and the first SW movie for a while to actually have the balls to move the franchise in a new trajectory and build off what the OT started. If you disagree, you can go wank your Return of the Jedi Luke Saber in the corner and cry about the lack of fanservice. Your days are numbered, cannon police.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

IT, GOTG Vol 2, and fuck it, I’m saying it: Dunkirk gave me a massive “meh.”

DID ANYTHING SUCK?

...The Election? Um... yeah, but I’m not going to the trouble of securing pictures for these. A list in short:

- Atomic Blonde

- Logan Lucky

- Kong: Skull Island

- Bright

- Max Landis in general

- Joss Whedon in general

And yeah. That’s a year at the movies. Toodles until 2018.

[wearemage]

Indeed! Thank you for the tag.

Everything has been said above about children and it’s a perfectly normal reaction from a small child. He can’t be blamed for what he did. I don’t want to address the SW lore too much here because I’m far from being an expert. But I would like to see more fiction representing people with supernatural, hard to control powers, doing more than fighting. Sure, those powers require training, a certain philosophy and self-control. But I’d like stories about those people building, creating, finding new solutions to problems.

I believe in a DnD-like context, a mage (Wizard) would be less concerned, as their magical abilities are learned and even if some people are more naturally skilled than the others, there’s less risk of wizard-babies hurting people.

Here, sorcerers are more concerned, so I’m tagging @wearesorcerer who might be more concerned in that context.

That being said, this post makes me think about Dragon Age’s Circles and Templars controlling Mages like dagerous animals or potential mass murderers. X-Men are also a good example. People with superpowers they don’t necesserly control, feared and hated by a lot of “not-gifted” ones. 

And I don’t like those policies, obviously. I’d like to believe there could be a way to train and support Force-sensitive people without shaping them into warrior-monks, isolated from their families... Still better than a Circle but not so fun. My SW knowlege is limited to the movies (haven’t seen the last one), but I’m pretty sure we haven’t seen enough therapist-jedi. Just imagine Force-senstive healers, relieving patients from their pain. Sure Jedi make outstanding warriors, generals, and other enforcers... but it’s all about war (I must admit, I can’t blame Star Wars about that...). They come from so various planets, cultures, races, backgrounds... I can’t believe all of them are meant to be higly-trained killers.

In the novels I’m writing, there are also space-wizards (or space-priests, as a matter of fact). Considered dangerous if left unchecked, they are though vastly respected and seen as useful to the societies they live in. So the Monasteries are schools, places of teaching, understanding where they can meet people like themselves and learn to harness their powers, but they are not cut from the civil life and use their abilities for a large panel of purposes, most of them being totally pacific, destined to improve life of people around them and protect them from the dangers of this universe. They bring light and knowledge with them adding magic to technology, fueling progress and only fighting when it’s necessery.

In the universe I’ve created, the Word has actual, litteral and very real power. Speaking out loud can mark the reality with either cataclysmic or wonderous effects. Even if both good and evil space-wizards are a thing, most of the worldbuilding and plot is about making the galaxy a better place. There are monsters, wars and other antagonists that need to be dealt with for some action, but there is also building, creating, developping technologies and rituals to prevent harm and free humanity from its demons (Hunger, war, greed, sickness). It’s a long process, and it doesn’t go well everywhere at once, but there is more than just War and fights...

Ok, I just realized I’ve taken this post away from the initial raising supernaturally-gifted children subject. But I can’t stop thinking about that other post saying that no-one would like to live in the Star Wars universe since every 20 years there’s a massive war between two tribes of space wizards, fascist dictatorships, mafia slugs, slavery and balantly inefficient bureaucracy.

Sure, antagonists are necessery and fights can make a good story. But now, I want more supernaturally-gifted children that are loved, cared for and educated to make the universe a better place. It’s probably influenced by the real world that seems to be more and more sacry every day. Give us some wholesome hope, for Talos’ sake.

The Mandalorian | Chapter 7 - “The Reckoning”

#WHY UNPREPARED TODDLERS WITH POTENTIAL GOD-LIKE POWERS MAY NOT BE THE SUPER BEST IDEA IN THE GALAXY #HOWEVER #I FOR ONE WELCOME OUR NEW TINY ANGRY BABY OVERLORD