#the overthrow trilogy

[foxqlove-draws]

ESTA TIME ESTA TIME FUCK YEAH WORST BIRD

SPOILERS FOR THRIVE

[toxictoad]

Luke is such a funny character because he perfectly encapsulates the reality of growing up in a small town and when you finally get to leave it's a complete shitshow but you're still having the time of your fucking LIFE

[cheemscakecat]

Okay so this is a really good idea.

@screwtornadowarningsimsouthern had a really good au concept where Luke Skywalker goes undercover as an imperial and ends up stuck as Darth Vader’s personal aide:

https://www.tumblr.com/screwtornadowarningsimsouthern/781204182219800576/httpsarchiveofourownorgworks64816816chapters?source=share

I don’t have an Ao3 account, so if the actual fanfic touches on the following ideas of mine, it’s not me intentionally trying to steal ideas from the author.

The Emperor’s intelligence machine was very quick to identify the blond kid that blew up the Death Star, quicker than Vader in his attempts. Which meant Palpatine already knew Luke was Vader’s son before he did.

When the Rebellion recklessly put him on Vader’s Star destroyer as a spy, Palpatine realized he had an opportunity. Darth Vader was still angrily trying to get information on the rookie, seeking revenge for his humiliating defeat.

He was the best flyer in the galaxy; a random farm kid and smuggler should never have been able to send his ship hurdling into space and blow up the Death Star. If he played his cards right, Palpatine could distract the Darth from his research and keep him from realizing Luke’s his kid. Not forever, but it would buy some time.

Some time to pursue backup apprentices and make contingencies for his apprentice deciding to rise up.

Besides, someone as evil and arrogant as the Emperor would gladly take the chance to play mind games with a Rebel. Find a way to make him help the Imperials to stay undercover.

Palpatine informed Vader that the rebel pilot he despises is undercover on his ship. (Using the disguise name instead of Skywalker, of course.) He commanded the Darth not to kill the rebel scum just yet; make it a mind game. Keep him in your employ so he can’t scurry around unseen on some Rebel base. For once don’t resort to instant death, show some dastardly finesse.

Vader resented the idea, but begrudgingly went along with it. He made sure to make the Rebel a low ranking member of the crew, as he tried to puzzle out a good punishment that fit the Emperor’s command.

One of the sniveling, arrogant Admirals brought up the undercover pilot, hoping Vader would kill him. The Darth quickly realized this was not going to do much for his revenge; the Rebel wasn’t outed, he was just talking back to a superior. That meant he still had to live, and a really harsh punishment was off the table.

Disgusted, he told Ozzel to deal with it himself, refusing to stroke the man’s ego that was radiating off him like Hutt-stink.

Then the rebel started speaking out of turn. Loudly critiquing his superior officer, to the towering, infamous Darth himself.

Vader was stunned at the audacity. Really, to pipe up around him and think it was a good idea?! That he could pass the blame onto Ozzel, or distract them both long enough to get backup? He reached out with the Force..

The Rebel wasn’t trying to save his own sorry hide. The boy knew full well he was as good as dead, and that nobody was around to pull a rescue mission off, and that he’d get choked out for his disrespect shortly.

No, he wasn’t doing this for himself. He truly believed the Admiral was going to get people killed. And for some unknowable reason, he wanted to prevent it.

It gave the Darth pause. Why interrupt your enemy while he’s making a mistake? The Rebels would benefit greatly if Ozzel got a swath of Imperials killed with his stupidity. Were there more Rebels in the ranks who were at risk? … Not to the pilot’s knowledge.

The kid’s words made too much sense, the conviction he carried about them was too great to be a mere lie. He had to think the Admiral was wrong for a reason, reason enough to get himself killed exposing that fact.

So Vader turned to Ozzel, and began interrogating him on this plan that the underling was so heated about. And it very quickly became apparent that the rebel was right. The Admiral believed his plan was full-proof, but it was idiotic and reckless and sure to be a disaster.

Of course, another self-serving imperial with a scrap of power and ego. Vader had long lost count of the men he’d killed for the same reasons. Trying to move up the ranks, or do something to be remembered, or to spite their rival peers. He’d seen underlings greedy and naive enough to think they could take his place one day!

Exhausting as usual. But through the mind-numbing pride and hubris that infected every Imperial craft, which Darth Vader was supremely resentful of, there was something else. Something that was getting rarer and rarer among Imperials, even the ground troops. They weren’t like Clone troopers.

Selflessness, and honor and respect for life itself. It was radiating off of the Rebel pilot. That made enough sense, the Rebels seemed to believe such naive feelings would save them.

It was intermixed with resentment for him, caused by the family that should not have died, and friends that should not have been shot down in battle, and the death of Obi Wan.

The boy had absolutely no good reason to believe that Vader was capable of caring about life enough to hear him out. And he really wasn’t expecting a good outcome. But he couldn’t resist the urge to try anyway, even for the sake of enemy soldiers.

Darth Vader choked Admiral Ozzel, then turned to the disguised rebel. He had an idea. One that might satisfy his thirst for revenge, and his curiosity about such strange behavior, and hopefully Palpatine as well.

Luke found himself looking through sickening data about Vader’s past missions. It was now his job to file this raw information into proper reports, justifying the Darth’s actions and making so much slaughter sound like success.

At first he resented the hulking metal monster even more. It was very easy to, after all.

But he was also a secretary. The person who had to set up hologram meetings when Vader was off on a mission somewhere, or the higher ups he was meeting with. He was also the one who had to fetch the Darth if he was in his meditation chamber ahead of an in-person meeting.

Sometimes they were on the schedule, sometimes they were impromptu.

The first time he had to walk into Vader’s quarters to get him into a meeting, he was surprised to see a black coated, toothy looking thing in the middle of the room. It was virtually the only notable object in there.

Vader was inside of the glowing white inner shell, without his helmet. Luke only saw the back of his head from where he stood in the doorway.

It was terribly scarred and bald and a sickly color. Skywalker had the startling thought that hair was probably an irritant, and whatever still grew would have to be shaved off swiftly.

He must have seen more battle than Luke thought. Evil as he was, this many scars were a sign that he had survived very poor odds. It really wasn’t his business how Vader got those scars, or how long it took for him to get to this point.

Luke straightened into proper Imperial attention and kept his voice neutral. “Lord Vader? You have an appointment with the Moffs in fifteen minutes.” He hoped that was enough time. He didn’t exactly know what routine Vader had to do to get ready or how long it would take.

The helmet lowered down from the top side of the lid and that familiar unsettling breathing noise hissed out of it.

“Understood. Return to your station.” Skywalker obliged.

That was how it went for a while, when the Darth wasn’t on the bridge or in medical or on business somewhere else. Sometimes the thing was hardly cracked, other times it was half open. Vader usually had his helmet on if the toothy maw left gaps big enough to see him.

But eventually, there came a day where Vader didn’t respond to Luke’s announcement from the doorway. He hesitated, then spoke again.

There wasn’t a response.

It was a sudden meeting, though thankfully the Emperor didn’t appear to be part of it. Even so, Luke wasn’t sure what would happen if Lord Vader was late or missed it. High ranking officials seemed to be punished more harshly, even outside of Vader’s command.

What if he wasn’t.. no, some sort of alarm would have gone off. Or the medical personnel would have kept him in Medbay for extra care. Vader wasn’t sick or dying, he was probably asleep.

Skywalker raised his voice slightly. Nothing. He needed to get closer, then…. Great!

He got a few feet away from the strange device and thought for a moment. It was mostly shut, but if he stood on tip toe or got crouched down, he might be able to look inside. Or talk into it.

Luke was tempted to just knock on one of the panels, but that could be seen as disrespectful, and he might break something by mistake. It was always best to avoid annoying Vader if you could help it.

Alright, he thought, semi-bitterly. Imperials and their impossible standards! Luke got on one knee by one of the lower openings. He made out the shadowy sliver that was the Darth’s head and spoke towards it.

“Lord Vader?”

All at once the device lurched open partway -like a living thing- and Luke was thrown across the room with the Force. As he was sailing away towards the hard floor, the world seemed to slow. What could only have been 3 seconds at most felt like a minute.

Skywalker saw Vader shoot up from his chair in tandem with the device, like they were one. He saw the Darth’s scarred face, though his mouth was obscured by the piece of armor on his neck. Like a breathing apparatus. He had odd eyes, red with a poisonous yellow in the middle.

Vader’s eyes looked alarmed and confused for a brief second, but it was very quickly replaced with unholy anger. He got further away and the ceiling rushed into Luke’s field of vision. Then he hit the floor.

He was going to die.

Skywalker wanted to retreat, but that was pointless. He tried to turn over and break his fall, but the Darth’s force powers prevented it. The same thing would happen if he tried to run. Or he’s get choked.

Even if Vader for some reason took his time getting out of the device and let him leave the room, he could easily be found later. If not by the Dark Lord, then by the other Imperials on board. He couldn’t risk leading them to the other Rebels anyway.

He hadn’t brought a weapon in; not that it would have saved him to try and fight. He knew from the reports that he would need proper Jedi training to even have a chance, and still that would be pushing his luck.

Luke decided not to move from the spot where he landed, instead.

He lay there and listened to the machinery latching Vader’s mask into place, then the cursed evil breathing, then the sound of the Darth stomping over.

“Explain yourself.” Vader barked, masking how shaken he was. He had been deep in meditation, for some reason Padme had been at the forefront of his mind and he was trying to make the most of it.

Still, it was embarrassing knowing a Rebel snuck in that close. He should be more than capable of sensing a threat. Yet again the Rebel pilot was making a fool of him!

“Apologies, Lord Vader. There’s a Moff downstairs demanding to speak with you. He hadn’t scheduled ahead, but is now insisting on an immediate meeting face to face.” The Rebel explained calmly, lying on the floor like a discarded doll.

The one time you’re asleep, of course.

Once again, the Darth was surprised. The reason mr. pilot boy hadn’t raised any disturbances in the Force was simply that he wasn’t there to attack. He was genuinely just trying to do his job.

Why though? Why not take advantage of the situation, even a little bit? No sabotage, no assassination attempt, no throwing up his hands and saying “I tried” and making Vader look bad.

What’s wrong with this kid?

Again, through the Force, it was clear as day that the spy hated working there and had harsh feelings towards him. It’s not my fault, you never told me what to do if this happens!

It’s not fair, he didn’t do anything wrong. Ah, that must be it. His honor wouldn’t let him attack an unconscious enemy, even one as bloody as Darth Vader.

But at the same time, he could have just left and blamed Vader for not showing up. Shouldn’t that be how he reacts, considering what happened to Ozzel? He was fine with humiliating his enemy and getting him in trouble then.

“Did he give a reason for wanting to meet?” Darth asked, refusing to apologize to a Rebel operative.

“No. He wasn’t interested in telling me details. I assume it’s confidential.”

He’s stuck up, even Vader’s secretary isn’t important enough to ask questions.

Whichever self-important Moff was here, they hadn’t been respectful when calling for his audience.

Suddenly the Rebel’s emotions shifted. He seemed to get over the initial slight of being tossed away and accused. They almost matched Lord Vader’s feelings on the matter.

That’s another day off squandered, and I bet the reason isn’t even worth it. Can’t let him rest, always gotta come in with some mission or stupid idea or complaint.

The way the Imps treat him, I’m not surprised Vader’s known to kill them. They act like he’s not a person.

The Darth almost forgot himself and jerked his head back at the audacity of those blunt emotions on him. But the pilot didn’t seem to take pleasure in him being the Empire’s attack dog. Nor his scarred and ugly appearance.

It wasn’t exactly pity either, just.. understanding. He understood why the dark lord was so angry and prone to attacking idiot underlings. Being a Rebel, the kid still didn’t agree with all the killing (exactly why making him the report filer was satisfying), but he wasn’t dismissing the reasons for it.

Why? Why are you like this?

He wasn’t trying to trick Vader into giving him anything. Not pretending to revere him for a future promotion, or to avoid getting killed, or to lure him into a trap. He wasn’t lustful like that idiot stalker from the medical wing.

This Rebel didn’t even like him, they were enemies, and yet it was like he couldn’t bring himself to hate the Darth. At one point he was more resentful, sometimes hateful, and Vader had expected it to get unbearable with the gory reports.

But no. His enemy was beginning to have a begrudging respect for him. To even wish he’d be treated fairly, despite everything that he’d stolen away. It was so confusing, but also refreshing. Anakin.. no! Vader couldn’t remember the last time he’d been seen that way. Maybe he never had.

Maybe he should revisit investigating this boy. He’d been traveling with Obi Wan, it was possible this was a mind game from the Jedi. Besides, the kid’s name was probably an alias.

Palpatine had expected more prep-time as Vader puzzled over what to do with the rebel kid. But for whatever reason he had already figured out the truth.

[green-grinning-glitter-ghosts]

You KNOW things are getting bad when suddenly the political state of the British government portrayed in Ptolemy’s Gate is becoming relatable to real life.

[cl0-ud1]

ALRIGHT i see a bunch of kenneth oppel stuff on here but no one talks about the overthrown trilogy.

I (personally) HATE ESTA. i’m sorry but i just do not like her, i have a hate club (with just me) dedicated to esta, i hate that stupid fucking bird lady.

i see seth and petra as very close friends and esta ruins their dynamic because SOMEONE DECIDES TO FUCKING RUN AWAY WITH A GIRL THEY JUST MET *cough cough* SETH *cough cough*

also, personally, darren was cool. aside from what happened, he was cool…

[superlintball]

One of my absolute favorite things about the Mistborn series (era 1, specifically) is the bait-and-switch of the overarching plot.

Like, you go into it and you're like, "Yeah, okay. I'm reading one of the Big Fantasy Trilogies of the modern era. Hell yeah. What's this all about?"

And so you read. You get introduced to the characters, the magic system, and, most importantly, the central conflict: it's an assassination plot.

Clearly, the whole trilogy is going to be about finding a way to kill the god-emperor of the cruel and oppressive regime, and the final book will have them overthrow him and everything will Be Good.

"Of course that's what will happen," you think to yourself. "That's a pretty standard narrative structure."

So you keep reading.

But as you read the book, something doesn't feel right. The pacing seems... Off. Isn't this book moving too quickly?

And then, as you get around the second act of the book, it hits you all at once.

"Are they... Are they gonna successfully assassinate the Lord Ruler?? IN THE FIRST BOOK??"

It sure looks like it.

SO WHAT THE HELL ARE THE OTHER TWO BOOKS GONNA BE ABOUT.

[warrioreowynofrohan]

Me, reading “On Faerie-Stories”: Star Wars is a faerie-story.

Of course, it’s been called ‘science fantasy’ or ‘space opera’, but that doesn’t entirely get at the same thing. Tolkien may be the source of the popularizing of the fantasy genre as we know it today, but much of fantasy is arguably not faerie-stories. (Which is not to say that they are bad! Only that they are doing something different than a faerie-story as Tolkien describes it.)

But Star Wars (the original trilogy) is. It feeds the imagination, the desire for the strange and wonderful and terrible. It gives us not only shining swords and magic, but strange worlds, cities in the clouds, and ogres in forms like Jabba the Hutt. It is concerned with Good and Evil, with the overthrow of a usurping tyrant and the return of the rightful form of government.

And it has eucatastrophe in in the same way that Tolkien does. The key moment on which Return of the Jedi and the entire trilogy turns is the renunciation of power, the moment when Luke throws away his lightsaber and refuses the temptations of power that are offered by evil. And then it takes us up to the very edge, the expectation that this renunciation will lead to nothing but a horrible, torturous death – and it says no. It says that clinging to Good against all hope can give it the power to reach into the very heart of Evil and draw out goodness from it, and in that moral power rather than physical power lies victory. It is not inevitable and it does not always happen – in the words of Tolkien “eucatastrophe does not deny the existence of dyscatastrophe, of sorrow and failure: the possibility of these is necessary to the joy of deliverance” – but it can happen and the heart of Star Wars is that it does.

[mypatronusisamockingjay13]

i find it so interesting that SoTR shows us two types of people from the Capitol: Plutarch, who wants to change the system but is callous on a personal level to the tributes vs. Effie, who cares about people on a personal level but doesn't think about overthrowing the system.

in presenting their character flaws like this, Suzanne Collins is trying to show us that you need to balance both aspects, something she achieves through Cinna in the original trilogy

[apoloadonisandnarcissus]

“Passing powers around”, Rings of Power and the One ring

"you just cannot "pass" powers around because it's just not how it works in the Tolkien universe”, I hear, and this is making stuff up based on “Reddit theories” instead of in what Tolkien wrote. And, yes, this is yet again, about “blood binding theory”.

So this person is criticizing “Rings of Power” because we have this exchange in 1x08:

Sauron says this while holding Finrod’s dagger, and after Adar tells the audience, in 1x05, that “only blood can bind”. What does Sauron mean by “binding to power”? This implies some sort of power-sharing by the union of their bloods (she gives him light, and he gives her power).

In Season 2, we also saw Sauron placing his blood into the Nine alloy. This will not only bind their ring-bearers to him, but also give these rings a different set of power than those of the Seven (which he was directly involved), and the Three (which he never touched, but were made by using his lore).

But does this has any basis in what Tolkien himself wrote and created in his legendarium, or is just a RoP invention?

In "The Shadow of The Past" chapter from “Fellowship of the Ring” (“The Lord of the Rings" trilogy), Gandalf explains to Frodo what the One ring is and how it came to be, and how it can be destroyed. Another notion is introduced: "the [One] ring had given him [Gollum] power according to his stature"; which, according to Galadriel in the "Mirror of Galadriel" chapter, applies to all rings of power: "Did not Gandalf tell you that the rings give power according to the measure of each possessor? Before you could use that power you would need to become far stronger, and to train your will to the domination of others."

But I'm going to the source here, and see what Tolkien himself had to say about this in his letters (which are the most "neutral" source of information about the legendarium):

"at Eregion great work began – and the Elves came their nearest to falling to 'magic' and machinery. With the aid of Sauron's lore they made Rings of Power ('power' is an ominous and sinister word in all these tales, except as applied to the gods). [...] they [Nine rings of power] had other powers, more directly derived from Sauron ('the Necromancer': so he is called as he casts a fleeting shadow and presage on the pages of The Hobbit): such as rendering invisible the material body, and making things of the invisible world visible." Tolkien Letter 131

These "other powers" will find paralel in what Tolkien says about the One ring:

"he [Sauron] had been obliged to let a great part of his own inherent power (a frequent and very significant motive in myth and fairy-story) pass into the One Ring. While he wore it, his power on earth was actually enhanced. But even if he did not wear it, that power existed and was in 'rapport' with himself: he was not 'diminished'. Unless some other seized it and became possessed of it. If that happened, the new possessor could (if sufficiently strong and heroic by nature) challenge Sauron, become master of all that he had learned or done since the making of the One Ring, and so overthrow him and usurp his place." This was the essential weakness he had introduced into his situation in his effort (largely unsuccessful) to enslave the Elves, and in his desire to establish a control over the minds and wills of his servants. There was another weakness: if the One Ring was actually unmade, annihilated, then its power would be dissolved, Sauron's own being would be diminished to vanishing point, and he would be reduced to a shadow, a mere memory of malicious will. But that he never contemplated nor feared. The Ring was unbreakable by any smithcraft less than his own. It was indissoluble in any fire, save the undying subterranean fire where it was made– and that was unapproachable, in Mordor. Also so great was the Ring's power of lust, that anyone who used it became mastered by it; it was beyond the strength of any will (even his own) to injure it, cast it away, or neglect it. So he thought. It was in any case on his finger." Tolkien Letter 131

"The Ring of Sauron is only one of the various mythical treatments of the placing of one's life, or power, in some external object, which is thus exposed to capture or destruction with disastrous results to oneself." (Tolkien Letter 211)

Everyone (even if they have only watched the Peter Jackson adaptations) should know, by now, that Sauron placed a part of himself into the One ring.

Sauron’s power is his own being, since he’s a immortal “angelic” spiritual being in nature, a Maia. He doesn’t belong to the Seen world. He’s one of the Ainur, and he (like every other Vala or Maia) can choose a physical form of the “incarnates” (Elves, Men or Dwarves) to appear in the Seen world (until he can’t take on fair form anymore after the “Fall of Númenor”). This subject is addressed in both “The Silmarillion” and Morgoth’s Ring” (and in Tolkien letters, too). And these physical forms are not illusions, they are real, made of flesh and blood.

Which explains RoP decision of going with Sauron using his blood on the Nine, and this will probably happen in forging the One, too. And it’s the most likely explanation for him being “goo” in a cave for centuries, too, while he tries to rebuild a physical form for himself. The “goo” being his blood.

This is nothing new, because one of Peter Jackson’s ideas for his film adaptation, was to have Sauron using his own blood to forge the One ring (which never made it to the final cut of “Fellowship of the Ring” prologue):

So, indeed, there is basis for Sauron “passing his power around” in the legendarium. Not only with the rings of power, but mainly with the One ring, and its ring-bearers gaining power (Sauron’s power) from using it. But this power isn’t “boundless”, the One ring gives its bearer power according to their own stature.

And, as JD Payne described, Sauron is the One ring personified, and that’s how they are handling his character in “Rings of Power”.

“You think it was only you, who put yourself in my power?” (2x07)

I’ve seen “Peter Jackson’s inventions” being mentioned quite often recently, and, yes, that “Sauron doesn’t share power” scene is one of those inventions, because Saruman’s entire deal with Sauron was to take the One ring for himself, and fight power with power. He had no loyalty towards Sauron, and was planning to betray him from the start (which obviously didn’t work, and he ended up corrupted in the process).

And, so, Sauron passing power to Galadriel isn’t out of pocket with the legendarium, nor is it “making stuff up” nor “pushing Reddit theories as true informations”. Also, Galadriel corrupted her (Elven) Art into Power in the legendarium, and we don’t know how. This doesn’t mean “blood binding theory” is a given or confirmed. This is saying there is basis for it in Tolkien world, unlike what this person is saying.

So, indeed, whoever wrote that rant saying “people usually aren’t all well versed in the Tolkien lore to spot inaccuracies in reddit/Tumblr posts” should take a look in the mirror. Because it seems to be their case, too. They don’t seem to grasp the complexities of Tolkien legendarium or what RoP is attempting to do.

If their argument is that “no character in the books stabbed others to pass their power around”, as far as I know, yes, that’s correct. But Palantíri don’t show visions of the future, either (they are communication devices), yet in RoP, it seems they took on the role of the “Mirror of Galadriel”. Galadriel and Sauron never met in the Sundering Seas, either, Galadriel has never been to Númenor, among so many other changes I would be here all day. So this person is thinking about “lore” as in “canon”, not as in “legendarium”, as in the mythology Tolkien created in this work, which is what the showrunners have said they would be doing in this show, before Season 1 even aired.

[deramin2]

Meta: Bell's Hells Plan: Self-Determination for Exandrian Mortals

Bell's Hells keep repeatedly saying what their plan is out loud, so I'm surprised it's still a mystery to so many viewers:

Bell's Hells want the Exandrian Pantheon to no longer have control of Exandria.

After much debate and talking to a lot of people, they've concluded that the Exandrian Pantheon having nearly unlimited power and control over Exandria is bad, and it needs to end. They've considered all the good those gods do personally and through their institutions and concluded the harm outweighs it. Exandrians deserve true self-determination, and they can't have that while the Gods treat them as pawns.

They don't want Ludinus or the Ruby Vanguard to have that power instead. That was definitely going to make an even worse situation.

Their preference was to reason with Predathos about eating them and instead let the gods leave. That plan is clearly not working. While talking to the Raven Queen they formed a new plan to undo the gods' divinity, the thing Predathos wants to eat, and allow them to live as mortals with much diminished power and control.

They do not have a plan for what mortals do with their freedom once they have it. They took so long to commit to this path because it means the full overthrow of global power structures, and that's a really big and unfair decision for one group to make for everyone. But in their heart of hearts they feel like those institutions are so corrupt they have to be undone so something else can grow. That something else will still have problems, but different ones. They were thrust into the position of having to choose revolution or the status quo that just kicks the can a bit farther down the road until that inevitable overthrow, and they couldn't stomach kicking the can. As is often the way with major change.

This is not a story about good and evil. That framework doesn't fit around the events being told. It doesn't explain anyone's actions or motivations. Even a softer binary of altruism and selfishness doesn't fit. It's all too muddled in every single choice. Because that's reality. This is not heroic fantasy. They've said out loud the entire campaign they're not heroes. They're normal people thrust into impossibly large decisions and the story is about the changes that come out of that. Almost all the media influences they cite are stories about change, not morality. (Kentucky Route Zero is one example.)

People keep trying to order a milkshake at an art gallery and then complain the paint water is a bad milkshake. Milkshakes are great, but not every place you go makes them. And since the cast have repeatedly talked about what kind of story they're telling for years, the mismatched expectations aren't on them.

The thing that's kept them coming back to Exandria after nearly 10 years is that they get to see how all their actions, big and small, changed the world. Taliesin planted guns into a fantasy world, Matt added on that tech escaped Percy's control, and now it's a major political force in the world and Percy just has to live with that. Travis sees a big red button and he longs more than anything to press it just to see what happens. Matt made an entire Campaign 3 of big red buttons. They're not trying to protect the world from their decisions, they're trying to see what happens when they make interesting choices.

(I think the doubt about making the "right choice" is largely driven by the hostility of the audience to interesting choices with messy consequences. Especially the women who have faced a ton of misogyny-amplified criticism for every perceived "mistake" they make. But that's a different meta.)

They all know that an age is ending, and big changes are coming to Exandria, no matter what they choose. It's only a matter of whether they try to steer the runaway train or give full agency over to people they trust even less. Matt has said he now sees this as an end to a trilogy. Remaking the world to fully separate from WotC IP and probably switching systems to Daggerheart makes a lot of sense for both creative control and business.

Matt and others have reshaped these deities and their institutions away from WotC's versions pretty strongly, but they still by their very nature exert control over them as independent creators navigating the unfathomably vast and powerful cosmic horror entities that are mega corporations like Hasbro. Taliesin's closing remarks at the Candela Obscura: Circle of the Silver Screen live show are about how the Hollywood machine eats people. I wrote about the symbolism in my essay A City Made of Aspirations.

Just this week, and after Matt said "Fuck AI!", Polygon reported that a student project had used their work to build an AI Dungeon Master using a data set created by Microsoft engineers out of fan wiki summaries and the linked transcript database maintained by Sil. Geek & Sundry used fan captions, so a significant amount of the caption work in the data set is fan labor. Critical Role switched to professional captions as soon as they went independent because they saw the value in that labor. Those same fan information labor projects have allowed them to be the most academically studied AP due to the ease of collecting information, which has added to their success.

They're beset in the real world by forces that want to devour their aspirations to maintain their youth. They barely escaped the wreckage of one such entity in 2018 with their Critical Role work in hand, but a lot of their other innovative shows like Sagas of Sundry were lost. The system that propelled them into the spotlight and has allowed them to chase life-long dreams they thought were impossible, has also been trying to devour that work. They've fought for worker's rights through their union for a good reason.

Campaign 3 isn't a story about good and evil, but it is a struggle for who gets to control the future. It's about overthrowing the hegemony of systems whose manipulative, selfish, and destructive influence outweighs the benefits they provide. Even if that's confusing, terrifying, and a known sacrifice. Ludinus was a piece of shit, but he wasn't entirely wrong. Tragically the worst person you know occasionally makes a good point.

There are only two ways to solve a problem: do what you're doing better or do something else. Campaign 3 is the story of ordinary people who have decided the world needs to do something else. They found themselves in extraordinary circumstances through a series of decisions they couldn't know the outcome of. They don't have a firm idea of what they want the new world to be or how to achieve it, but they do know that things have to be different. Sometimes that's all the seed of change you get to work with.

On the Wednesday Club episode Love is Love (2017-06-28) Taliesin put it, "Culture is not a rocket ship. We all don't get on the rocket ship to the planet culture and go up to the moon. Culture is like life: it is chaotic, it is violent, it is hungry… It is not normal for everything to just keep getting better all at the same time. It's normal for everything to get better over a period of the long game. In any internal point, chaos—"

That's often how the world is. Most activists don't know what happens after they win their battle. They can't predict what knock-on effects anything from legalizing gay marriage to forcing the military to clean up Superfund sites will have. We don't know what happens next when the lead industry is overthrown, or tobacco companies are forced to admit their product causes cancer. We didn't know what movies would be made after the Hayes code or what effects streaming would have on film, television, and music. Early researchers into generative AI had no idea it would get used this way. We don't know the future or if what we're doing is "good" or "bad" on any long timeline. We can only choose what's in front of us one decision at a time and just hope we don't live to regret them too badly. That's what Critical Role has always been about.

Now is the time for different people to choose their own fates, for good or ill, without the Exandrian Pantheon dictating them. Whatever happens next is for Campaign 4 to sort out.

—

This essay is also available on AO3.

[vadertyrannus]

Darth Vader in Return of the Jedi is (mostly) just as evil as in the prior two films

Oftentimes, I see discussion acting like Darth Vader in Return of the Jedi somehow experienced "badass decay", and/or that he's more subdued and conflicted the entire movie.

Some even claim that he abandoned his plot to overthrow the Emperor with Luke.

I disagree.

Darth Vader is just as evil, badass, and independent in ROTJ as the prior two Original Trilogy films, even if he's simultaneously made more sympathetic (but is still fully culpable for his villainy; more on that as we go on).

While Vader's internal conflict is made a big story point in the third act, people overstate it's presence in the film.

Vader's Introduction

I'd argue that the very point of this scene is to reinforce that Vader is still the ruthless badass he is in Empire Strikes Back.

I genuinely believe that this is Vader's best entrance. Hell, the best entrance in Star Wars. The buildup is masterful, the score is suspenseful and dramatic, and that low-angle of Vader walking down the ramp is just magnificent. Powerful and sinister.

Being real, I think it's more epic then the Emperor's entrance (though this is likely unintentional, and I'm bias, of course).

Immediately, the dialogue reinforces that Vader is just as cold-blooded and cruel as he is in ESB.

JERJERROD: Lord Vader, this is an unexpected pleasure. We're honored by your presence. VADER: You may dispense with the pleasantries, Commander. I'm here to put you back on schedule. The commander turns ashen and begins to shake. JERJERROD: I assure you, Lord Vader, my men are working as fast as they can. VADER: Perhaps I can find new ways to motivate them. JERJERROD: I tell you, this station will be operational as planned. VADER: The Emperor does not share your optimistic appraisal of the situation. JERJERROD: But he asks the impossible. I need more men. VADER: Then perhaps you can tell him when he arrives. JERJERROD (aghast): The Emperor's coming here? VADER: That is correct, Commander. And he is most displeased with your apparent lack of progress. JERJERROD: We shall double our efforts. VADER: (sarcastically) I hope so, Commander, for your sake. The Emperor is not as forgiving as I am.

Vader is being incredibly blunt, dismissing the Jerjerrod's politeness. Furthermore, he even threatens to torture/murder DSII construction workers to "motivate them". Now keep in mind, these construction workers are likely civilians just trying to put bread on the table.

The only way this scene could be read as more "subdued" on Vader's behalf is if you want to interpret that last line as genuine, but it's clearly not. Vader's being sarcastic; he wasn't actually accepting Needa's apology in ESB, either.

Leading us to the next point.

Did Vader abandon his plot to overthrow the Emperor?

No.

While Canon Vader is my favorite interpretation of him, and I'm no Lucas purist, Lucas himself has stated that this isn't true. Since Canon doesn't contradict it, I chose to interpret it this way as well (my interpretation of Star Wars doesn't strictly adhere to any particular continuity anyway, as it's all a mess).

Quotes from The Making of Return of the Jedi:

Furthermore, there's proof within the film itself.

In the Emperor's introduction, he outright points out that Vader has still been actively seeking out Luke. Vader only took a break to put the DSII construction back on schedule.

VADER: The Death Star will be completed on schedule. EMPEROR You have done well, Lord Vader. And now I sense you wish to continue your search for young Skywalker. VADER: Yes, my Master.

You can even notice that before responding, Vader pauses and studies the Emperor, trying to decipher if he's caught on to his deception.

Then we get to the next part, which tells us why Vader is going along with the Emperor's plot.

EMPEROR: Patience, my friend. In time he will seek you out. And when he does, you must bring him before me. He has grown strong. Only together can we turn him to the dark side of the Force. VADER: As you wish.

Vader doesn't send Luke to the Emperor because he's given up on his plot: he does it because he believes they can only turn him if they work together.

Even the way Vader says "As you wish," sounds rather sinister, as if he's thinking about how he's gonna backstab the Emperor.

This matches what Lucas says in the above quotes:

"What is operating in his head is: "The Emperor will turn Luke to the dark side because I can't do it, because *I am not strong enough; he will turn Luke and then I will be able to [...] join with Luke and eventually turn him to destroy the Emperor. Once he is on the dark side, then it will be easy; then we are a team, then we are father and son."

*When Lucas says Vader is "not strong enough", he is referring to strength in terms of mental manipulation.

Vader failed to convert Luke in ESB, despite forcing him into a situation where it was "Join me or die".

"Come with me. It is the only way."

Vader tried to turn Luke through assertiveness, forcefully. This makes sense for his character.

Darth Vader is the brute force, the warrior.

The Emperor, however, is the sly puppet master.

This is why, in Canon, despite Vader being more powerful then the Emperor (in terms of raw Force power), Palpatine is still able to hold Vader back; he has contingencies.

To briefly summarize: Palpatine has a button to deactivate his suit (technically Cylo had it, but he's under the Emperor's command), his royal guards, and Vader's suit is weak to Force lightning.

This is why Vader wants Luke to join him to help him overthrow the Emperor. His son is insurance, to guarantee his chances of winning. Vader's trying to cancel out Palpatine's contingencies with his own backup.

Part of Vader's arc in the 2015 comic run (post-ANH/pre-ESB) is becoming more sly, conducting more conniving, under-the-table missions, with less total reliance on brute force and battle tactics.

In-line with this, Vader isn't any less independent in ROTJ then he is in ESB.

PIETT: Shall I hold them? VADER: No. Leave them to me. I will deal with them myself.

Notice how this shot is framed, with Vader shot at a very low angle, emphasizing his power. Vader handling this himself instills dread into the audience. He has something sinister planned.

Vader's betrayal of the Emperor is foreshadowed further, when he outright disobeys him, trespassing in his throne room after being told to stay on the command ship.

EMPEROR: I told you to remain on the command ship. VADER: A small Rebel force has penetrated the shield and landed on Endor. EMPEROR (no surprise): Yes, I know. VADER (after a beat): My son is with them. EMPEROR (very cool): Are you sure? VADER: I have felt him, my Master. EMPEROR: Strange, that I have not.

This can even be considered an escalation of Vader's rebelliousness in ESB. He's not just scheming behind his back, he's defying him to his face.

There was even a deleted scene that showed that Vader had to force his way in, Force-choking the Emperor's guards.

68 INT DEATH STAR - CORRIDOR TO EMPEROR'S TOWER Darth Vader walks down the corridor to the Emperor's Tower and private elevator. The Emperor's private guard steps in Vader's path. GUARD: Halt! The Emperor does not wish to be disturbed at the moment. VADER: (raising his gloved hand to the two guards and choking them with the Force) The Emperor will see me, now! GUARD: (repeating Vader's command) The Emperor will see you, now.

Vader was gonna have a Force-choking scene in ROTJ, and in fact, has one in every draft of the screenplay (with him at one point killing Jerjerrod, in earlier drafts).

After scouring The Making of Return of the Jedi, there's no mention of this scene being removed for character reasons. All I could find regarding the deletion of this scene was a paragraph that says the scene was gone after an edit done to improve the pacing.

One thing I love about how Canon has recontextualized Vader and Palpatine's relationship is it's effect on this betrayal on Vader's behalf.

First, it makes even more sense that Vader gets away with disobeying the Emperor without punishment: Palpatine knows how powerful Vader is. He's not gonna risk pissing off and starting a fight with the Son of the Force, which will be deadly for both of them.

It's not even the first time Vader's done something like this.

In the 2017 comic run, Vader gets away with refusing a direct order unless he gets his own world, and Palpatine completely indulges in his request.

He doesn't even physically punish him for the loss of the Death Star after A New Hope.

This is in stark contrast to the old EU, where he was tortured with Force lightning and had one of his limbs cut off.

The only time he physically punishes Vader is an occasion where Vader's connection to the dark side was weakened due to internal conflict.

He also punishes Vader after he attacked him immediately after ROTS (in the panel shown previously, when talking about Vader's power level). However, this was right after he had manipulated Vader into letting him go, who just became a cyborg after hours of surgery.

Point being: Palpatine hardly physically punishes Vader at all, in Canon. And Vader being more powerful (most of the time) explains why.

Second: while before, Vader sensing Luke when the Emperor couldn't is due to their father-son relationship, now it also makes even more sense. Vader is more powerful then him.

Vader's Conflict

Another thing outright established in the scene where Vader disobeys the Emperor is that he isn't conflicted, at this point in the story:

EMPEROR: I wonder if your feelings on this matter are clear, Lord Vader. Vader knows what is being asked. VADER: They are clear, my Master.

While this can be chalked up to Vader denying his feelings, not only have we not been given reason to believe this at this point in the film, but Vader's next scene reinforces this.

COMMANDER: This is a Rebel that surrendered to us. Although he denies it, I believe there may be more of them, and I request permission to conduct a further search of the area. He was armed only with this. VADER: Good work, Commander. Leave us. Conduct your search, and bring his companions to me.

Vader conducts himself in the exact same way as in ESB, even upon reuniting with his son. He's concocting a plan to kidnap his friends to use as leverage, without the Emperor's knowledge, as far as we know.

Vader proceeds to talk to Luke the same way he always does.

VADER: The Emperor has been expecting you. LUKE: I know, father. VADER: So, you have accepted the truth.

It isn't until Luke says the name "Anakin" that we see a shift:

LUKE: I've accepted the truth that you were once Anakin Skywalker, my father. VADER (turning to face him): That name no longer has any meaning for me.

Vader's reaction is immediate and aggressive.

As Luke talks, Vader remains silent, seemingly softened by his words.

LUKE: It is the name of your true self. You've only forgotten. I know there is good in you. The Emperor hasn't driven it from you fully. That is why you couldn't destroy me. That's why you won't bring me to your Emperor now. Vader looks down from Luke to the lightsaber in his own black- gloved hand. He seems to ponder Luke's words.

However, Vader immediately returns to his cold Sith persona, talking about Luke's new power in the Force.

VADER (indicating lightsaber): I see you have constructed a new lightsaber. Vader ignites the lightsaber and holds it to examine its humming, brilliant blade. VADER: Your skills are complete. Indeed, you are powerful, as the Emperor has foreseen. They stand for a moment, Vader extinguishes the lightsaber.

He's glad, because he knows this means he'll be useful for overthrowing the Emperor.

By turning on the lightsaber, Vader is also subtly threatening Luke, reminding him that he has all of the power in the situation. It's a defense mechanism against his son's armor piercing words.

Then Luke says another thing that actually gets a vulnerable response from Vader (likely because these are also Padme's words).

LUKE: Come with me. VADER: Obi-Wan once thought as you do. Luke steps close to Vader, then stops. Vader is still. VADER: You don't know the power of the dark side. I must obey my master.

He solemnly admits that Obi-Wan once believed he could walk away, but he can't.

Because Vader has been retconned to be more powerful then the Emperor, in Canon, I choose to interpret "You don't know the power of the dark side" as him saying that his addiction to the dark side is too strong for him to let go of it. If he's gonna rule the galaxy, he needs to go along with the Emperor's plan.

Even if you go by the power-scaling of G-Canon or the old-EU, in which he's only 80% as powerful as the Emperor, Vader still has a choice. He can join the Rebel Alliance, as Luke offers.

He doesn't. This vulnerability is short-lived, and Vader returns to his ruthlessness.

LUKE: I will not turn... and you'll be forced to kill me. VADER: If that is your destiny.

Vader coldly tells his son that he will kill him, if he refuses to turn. Goosebumps.

And this is exactly what he did in ESB.

VADER: There is no escape. Don't make me destroy you.

A similar line is repeated in their fight on the DSII.

VADER: You underestimate the power of the dark side. If you will not fight, then you will meet your destiny.

Luke then manages to get Vader to actually admit regret.

LUKE: Search your feelings, father. You can't do this. I feel the conflict within you. Let go of your hate. VADER: It is too late for me, son.

Then Vader doubles down again.

Vader signals to some distant stormtroopers. VADER: The Emperor will show you the true nature of the Force. He is your master now. He and Luke stand staring at one another for a long moment. LUKE: Then my father is truly dead.

Vader is unwilling to let go of the power of the dark side, of the Empire. He's too addicted to it.

Deep down, he regrets his choices. But he doesn't want to face that sadness, that guilt. He believes those feelings to be weakness, and willingly buries them with callousness, rage, and egotistical pleasure from lording his power over others.

He wants to be that invincible, monstrous Dark Lord of the Sith.

His feeling that he doesn't have a way out is born out of ego and self-centeredness, it's an excuse.

He knows he has a way out. He's been shown this.

But he's prioritizing his feelings of self-worth, his power-hunger, over doing the right thing for the galaxy.

He's rather embrace being a sadistic monster then face his guilt, admit that he messed up, and face the consequences.

Furthermore, Vader is prioritizing his own plot to finally rule the galaxy without the Emperor over the well-being of his son and the galaxy.

As Lucas said, in the quotes shown above:

"The way to do it here is to make Vader evil and terrible and turn his son in, and they go before the Emperor and they have a fight."

This scene isn't meant to convey, "He knows he's a dead man walking, that there's no way out, and so is just scared, hopeless, and following orders."

Vader still has a selfish motive, and is doing this for selfish reasons.

This scene is meant to reinforce Vader's agency, not rob him of it.

Vader does it for selfish reasons, because he's evil, not helpless.

In this scene, Vader is more vulnerable then any scene in the prior two films (which is why the title says "mostly"). Now, this isn't a bad thing at all. This is one of the best scenes in all of Star Wars. In all of film history, in my opinion. The depth it gives both Luke and Vader is fantastic.

Yet, I feel people extrapolate this vulnerability to other points of the film and even other material involving Vader to the point of ridiculousness. Not everything he does is meant to be viewed in this sympathetic "he's a victim" mindset. He's hardly even a victim in ROTJ. He's only a victim of his own actions.

People seem to struggle with the concept that, for most of his time as Vader, Anakin is practically dead. All that's left is the cold, merciless Sith Lord. He spends decades committing horrific atrocities throughout the galaxy for the sake of power.

If anything, this conflict being brought to light, emphasis placed on the fact that Vader was once a good person, enhances his villainy: Vader actively chooses to be evil, he actively represses his light side.

During his duel with Luke, Vader aggressively denies there is conflict within him and continues attacking his son.

Vader even sadistically lords the leverage he has over Luke, due to his feelings for his friends and sister.

VADER: Give yourself to the dark side. It is the only way you can save your friends. Yes, your thoughts betray you. Your feelings for them are strong. Especially for... Vader stops and senses something. Luke shuts his eyes tightly, in anguish. VADER: Sister! So...you have a twin sister. Your feelings have now betrayed her, too. Obi-Wan was wise to hide her from me. Now his failure is complete. If you will not turn to the dark side, then perhaps she will.

The first thing he does upon learning he has a daughter is realize she could be used as a tool, gloat about Obi-Wan's failure, and make a threat to her brother to turn her to the dark side, insinuating that he'll just kill him and use her instead.

This is one of Vader's scariest moments of all-time, in my opinion. He's really sinister, and the lighting emphasizes this, a monster lurking in the dark.

Don’t get me wrong, the emotional conflict within Vader is still a very important factor in this fight. It’s the reason Luke wins, after all. Vader was subconsciously holding back, because the part of him that is Anakin doesn’t want to kill his son. But he’s much better at hiding his conflict then fans seem to think.

There was but an ounce of that good left in him (that reawakened when his son expressed faith in him on Endor). And while it hinders his fighting, he doesn’t truly act on it until his son is on the brink of death, after watching him be excruciatingly electrocuted by lightning for over a minute.

Vader/Anakin's arc in this film only reinforces that he had agency all along; it's about choosing to be selfless, compassion over greed.

As Lucas says:

“Anakin can’t be redeemed for all the pain and suffering he’s caused. He doesn’t right the wrongs, but he stops the horror. The end of the Saga is simply Anakin saying: ‘I care about this person, regardless of what it means to me. I will throw away everything that I have, everything that I have grown to love - primarily the Emperor - and throw away my life, to save this person. And I’m doing this because he has faith in me, loves me despite all the horrible things I’ve done. I broke his mother’s heart, but he still cares about me, and I can’t let that die’. Anakin is very different in the end. The thing of it: The prophecy was right. Anakin was the Chosen One, and he does bring balance to the Force. He takes the ounce of good still left in him and destroys the Emperor out of compassion for his son."

Vader's character is all about the choices that he makes, just like Luke is.

Luke's entire journey is about rejecting the dark side and choosing to walk the path of the Jedi. Vader is the evil father, the Devil on Luke's shoulder tempting him to choose evil. He is used to contrast Luke, show who he will become if he chooses the wrong path, like his father did.

Darth Vader is not Norman Bates - a trapped victim suffering from a mental disorder due to a traumatic upbringing by a failed parental figure. Darth Vader is Walter White - a once-good person who became evil, choosing to do terrible things out of a lust for power and desire for dominance, but in the end, chooses to stop the horrors he created and save his family before his death.

[bryngreenwood]

This is the book. The Book™️. The one that made me obsessed with books. I read The Tombs of Atuan, when I was 8. I’d read tons of books by then, so it might seem I was already obsessed, except this book made me aware that I was much more interested in fictional worlds than the real world. (And who could blame me?) The copy I first read was one of those battered yellow library books without a cover. The kind of books that were meant to last for decades. It was the only LeGuin book my tiny grade school library had, and I confess, I had no idea it was part of a then trilogy. I didn’t learn about that until the internet came around and it became easy to look up books. While I like and respect the other EarthSea books, they don’t make up a cornerstone of my life the way this one does. You could even say this is the book that radicalized me, because the main character, Tenar, overthrows a lifetime of indoctrination and turns her back on brutal superstition. May we all have that kind of awakening.

[secretagentspydetectiveninja]

(Alright, going to stop procrastinating and finally make this post.) After playing through the new trilogy in French to see what was different, here are some things about the French localisation of Spirit of Justice I thought you should know:

First of all, I usually like the French and English versions of the games equally. This marks the first time I've actually enjoyed the French version... more than the English one?? Especially Turnabout Revolution? Don't get me wrong, I already loved it in English, but I think the next time I replay it I'll actively choose French. Idk man it just hits different when a bunch of French people are talking about revolution and overthrowing the tyrannical regime etc

Oh yes, speaking of which, yes, the "Japanifornia" parts of the game take place in Paris, France, as usual. No, I have no idea how Kurain village can be next to the mountains and also the sea while also being in the vicinity of Paris. I also don't know why the entire population of a small country in the Himalayas are fluent in French and use it on a daily basis. But seriously, the main characters mention SO OFTEN that they're French and from France, like, all the fricking time. Remember the incredibly Japanese rakugo case? Imagine that taking place in France.

The Khura'inese pun names are hysterical in French. An example that English speakers can get too: the first culprit's name in French is Sterh'uey Tu'heiven. I'm not making this up. That's his name.

RAYFA'S FRENCH VOICE ACTUALLY SOUNDS LIKE A TEENAGER INSTEAD OF A 30 YEAR OLD, THANK THE HOLY MOTHER

Unfortunately the Holy Mother giveth, but she also taketh away, and they gave Nahyuta a crunchy old man voice that doesn't suit his ethereal appearance at all...

Athena has now added German and Italian to her random English and Spanish phrases from the prev game. I mean... it made sense before, since she was meant to have lived in the USA in this version, but now I guess she just does it for fun? Who knows

French Roger Retinz uses €50 notes (euros) to fan himself instead of dollar bills

Inga's full name is "Inga Karkhuul Kel Nomh Bowkhou Tro'lon Pohm'peu Eh'Duhr Apronh Ons'ai Khura'in III" ("quel nom beaucoup trop long, pompeux et dur à prononcer")

Nahyuta's nickname in French is just "Yuta"

Ema and Apollo now use informal pronouns for each other, so do Ema and Trucy now, Maya starts using informal pronouns for Apollo from almost the first moment she meets him (though he uses formal pronouns for her lmao), and yes Dhurke and Apollo use informal pronouns with each other the whole time, even when things are awkward at the start. Rayfa and her mother always use formal pronouns for each other, which is a little depressing.

AS FOR NAHYUTA AND APOLLO... HOHOHO. Obviously they're both using "vous" (formal) in court, but in the scene afterwards Apollo switches to "tu" (informal) when he asks Nahyuta if he remembers him. Later in Turnabout Revolution, Apollo has gone back to vous but he's at least saying "Nahyuta" rather than "Prosecutor Sahdmadhi" or whatever (I think that happened in the English version too). Then during the final trial, after that one insanely angsty scene, Apollo starts using tu again and even (internally) uses the nickname Yuta once! Nahyuta eventually starts referring to him as Apollo and starts using tu after finally openly acknowledging Apollo as his family aaauuuuuugh ;o;

(Listen Apollo usually always tries to be formal and professional in court so this is a big deal!!! It's a big deal to me at least!!!!!!!!!)

In the English version there were a few times our good ol' American Apollo had a sort of "haha I'm just a foreigner I don't know anything here" vibe which... no you're not lol. The French version didn't have that (or at least toned it down a lot) and made him feel less like a tourist and more like an immigrant returning to his old home country with complex feelings, which he is. It makes it more personal that he's the one to bring about the revolution imo -- he's not some random foreigner swooping in to save the day, this is his home and his family, he belongs here. (As an immigrant myself I find aspects of him relatable and will defend his Khura'inese backstory to the death DON'T TEST ME)

The "what's crack-a-lackin' homie" line in all its glory:

[wisteria-cherry]

a finnick odair fic where reader is a capitolite, aged somewhere around 18 where finnick is still a forced pr0stitute

reader buys his time but as it turns out they’re looking to overthrow snow, and so asks that finnick gather secrets for them that would aid them

this is what initiates finnick’s love for secrets in the actual trilogy bc 1) he sees their worth as opposed to money and 2) they remind him of reader

and then reader dies at the end womp womp

[pumpkinrootbeer]

something that stands out to me on my reread is how present haymitch is even when he's not physically there in the books. they kind of undo this in the movies by showing us him running around to get sponsors but how much he comes up during the games, especially in catching fire just really highlights how necessary he was in everything.

a change i absolutely hate is them having haymitch send katniss notes in the movies when in the books they could just communicate effortlessly. two poor kids from seam, they knew each other. we don't really see that kind of communication from anyone else in the trilogy, it's both a testiment to how alike they are and how uncannily clever haymitch manages to be throughout the entirety of the series. I keep thinking about specifically "... a water source for those who don't have mentors as smart as Haymitch."

just. yeah that's my drunk genius who overthrows a government. u go king ily

[overlyinvested]

Only 53% into The Finale Empire and ohh they’re gonna Martyr this man they’re gonna martyr his ass so badly. That talk between Marsh and Vin about the reverent way the skaa see and talk about kell??

Oh he is not making it through the end of this damn trilogy 😭 He’s gonna die fucking overthrowing the government in Hero of Ages and the Skaa are gonna martry his ass and turn him into a god