#the point still stan(ha)ds

[kalopsic-lagomorph]

hm!

[sunflowerdigs]

Right now, the main issue with Malex is that we're getting messages from bts vs from the show itself that aren't necessarily contradictory but which, I think it's fair to say, feel that way. And that's causing a lot of cognitive dissonance and that's causing hostility. Part of it is the short season - we are both only and already through episode 4. That's 1/3rd of a season with only one Malex scene.

Basically, if I knew nothing about the folks bts or how they've said Malex are meant to be soulmates, and I just watched the show up to this point, I would not anticipate any kind of reunion between Malex happening this season at all. Because they very much aren't being treated like two people who are longing for each other - they're being kept apart, they aren't mentioning each other, and neither seems particularly bothered by the other's absence in his life. It's actually almost as though they exist on different planets at this point.

Max bumped into Liz and we got a beat for a reaction; before that he sat out in the desert and listened to tapes of Liz while crying and drinking. Liz has seen Max in her dreams and talked about her feelings for him and connected a major step in her life verbally to Max ("I have people"). That is what pining looks like on Roswell. And you can hate it or downplay it or mock it as much as you want, the point is, we aren't seeing anything like it at all from Malex. If the show went full-throttle Forlex or Miluca next episode (or, heck, even Kyle/Michael, since they recently got closer and they could build them up like they did Stephanie and Kyle) no one except hardcore Malex stans who have read the contradictory bts interviews, would think it was weird (well, the inevitable "Kyle is straight" stans might). Because both Forlex and Miluca (and...Kychael, lol?) have had more interaction onscreen that point to their wanting to currently be in each other's lives than Malex. Frankly, Malex seem like exes who are avoiding each other and avoiding mentioning each other. I loved Alex's line about burning down the world but in conjunction with his not mentioning Michael as a reason to be a part of DS and telling Forrest with zero hesitation that he had no competition...it came out of left field. Like...of course Michael thinks Alex no longer cares if he can't even drop a text (I'm assuming) for a year.

It's fair to say that the show is deliberately keeping the characters apart and deliberately not even having them mention the other and it's doing it to a point that is more extreme than feels realistic in a show about a small group of friends in a small town. Even growth that happens as a result of the one Malex moment (Michael no longer thinking he's bad because of his father) wasn't directly connected to them in any way that fans could really savor. I have my theories* about why the show is doing this. But I just wish that fandom would...stop pretending there's something wrong with people who have noticed this contradiction in onscreen action vs bts chatter and are confused by it. Of course they are. Of course they are confused about why we've gotten so little sense of how Malex feel about each other that Eduardo/Alex seems almost more viable. The best anyone can tell them at this point is trust Chris and we're only on episode x. Those aren't in-show reasons to believe they're going to happen. Neither is they still care about each other, frankly, because so do Miluca.

I'm writing a meta about how Malex are soulmates and I do think it's going to happen this season but I realized last night that I couldn't point to an on-screen reason for why that isn't heavily based on subtext or symbolism. So I thought I'd...point that out.

*Roswell knows which side its bread is buttered on. I think they've deliberately pushed all of Malex to the back half of the season because they didn't know they'd be renewed early and they wanted to pull in as many hungry viewers hoping for Malex as they could for the first episodes. It's not queerbaiting if the back half is Malex-heavy and it's not even something I'd be overly angry about, but it is a strategy I could see them employing.

[amoderndreamletdown]

Random Jatp Headcannons I Have

1. Reggie used to sleep with a teddy bear before he died. It had been given to him by his parents and was a reminder of happier times. He used it to comfort him over the sound of his parents fighting.

2. The boys are Green Day stans. No I will not explain.

3. Alex designed the Sunset Curve logo and uses art to help with his anxiety and to escape reality a bit. 

4. The boys in Sunset Curve used to borrow each other’s clothes all the time. This was mostly a result of them always staying over at each others houses and not packing enough clothes. It got to the point where they couldn’t remember what clothes where theirs and what weren’t. They eventually stopped and developed their own styles, but they would still steal hoodies and flannels from one another on occasion.

5. The boys started Sunset Curve after Luke got his first guitar. Bobby and Alex already knew how to play their instruments, Reggie knew how to play guitar, but picked up bass quickly, and Luke was learning for their first time.

6. The phantoms discovered more alternative music like Paramore, Fall Out Boy, MCR, etc after opening for Panic! and googling them.They became obsessed and Luke now insist on covering Paramore at every jatp concert and claims “Julie has the perfect voice for it.” 

7. Alex was a Queen stan and secretly hopes he’ll run into Freddie Mercury some day. 

8. Carrie stopped being friends with Julie after her mom died because she thought of Rose as her own mom. She hated that Julie was the only one getting any sympathy. The only she could think to fuel her hurt was to take it out on Julie. She regrets it, but won’t admit it.

9. Nick is a Panic! stan and already had tickets to the Orpheum before Julie announced she was opening (Panic! shows sell out fast, and ik it’s a TV show, but idc)

10. Flynn’s also a Panic! stan and was extremely enthusiastic when she found out Julie was opening for them. 

11. Luke, Julie, and Alex are extremely competitive whenever they have a game night. Alex less so than the others, but Julie the most. However, Reggie always somehow wins. 

12. Reggie’s extremely good at math. One day Julie asked Reggie to help her with her math homework and Reggie does the whole worksheet in ten minutes getting all the answers right. Reggie has no idea how he does it or why it’s so impressive.

13. Alex and Luke suck at math. Alex just can’t do it to save his life, but Luke just never understood the point of learning it and never paid attention in school. Both barely passed with Ds.

14. Alex has a little sister.

15. Julie’s favorite subject, besides music, is history. 

16. One day Alex asks Julie to paint his nails. He’s nervous at first as he’s afraid of what she’ll say. Of course she’s supportive and asks what color he wants. Alex, of course, chooses a light pink. However, once Luke and Reggie sees his nails they go to Julie as well. Luke paints his black at first, but after a while changes to blue. Reggie mainly paints his red. This becomes a weekly thing.

17. The boys have Sunset Curve stick and pokes they gave themselves after they booked the Orpheum. Trevor’s is faded now and basically gone, but, since Luke, Reggie, and Alex are dead, they still have theirs.

18. Julie and Reggie are bi, Luke is pan, Carrie is a lesbian, and Flynn is omni.

19. Alex and Luke dated in the ‘90s, but decided they were better off as friends. Julie and Willie often joke about it. Alex and Luke join in most of the time, but sometimes they just roll their eyes.

20. Reggie had a crush on Han Solo.

[zosonils]

top six fandoms/hyperfixations c:

i thought this was gonna be really fucking hard but it turns out i actually don’t shift hyperfixations as fast as i thought i did so it was only the specific ordering that was tricky hjdnkvjg let’s a go

6. homestuck - a fucking disaster in retrospect [both the fandom and the comic itself], but my experience honestly could have been a lot worse. i think getting into homestuck is where i started learning to really deconstruct media as i consume it, and nowadays i pretty much can’t read/watch/play anything without tearing the writing to pieces in my head, so i guess that’s something good i got out of it. i absolutely would not recommend homestuck fandom to anyone, it’s very high-risk mediocre-reward lmao, but between aus and rampant headcanoning and actually learning to fucking read it’s shaped how i enjoy media whether i like it or not so it gets a cursory last-place mention. also classpecting is still fun as hell

5. professor layton - another fandom i’ve sorta fallen out of, albeit in more of a ‘politely packs my bags and leaves’ way than a ‘fuck this shit i’m out’ way, but it was really nice overall. it’s a small enough fandom that everyone kinda knows everyone else [at least in the queer/neurodivergent corner that i frantically search for and sprint to every time i get into something new lmao] so i really felt like a Part of it while i was there. it’s just such a nice welcoming community and it felt good to be there and i wish all fellow luke stans and/or kinnies a very pleasant evening

4. undertale - i’ve blocked out all memory of my initial hyperfixation on it when i was like 13 because thinking about being 13 makes me violently retract into a perfect icosahedron but i’ve managed to find a nice little pocket this time that i can only assume is a sharp improvement over whatever the hell i was doing back then. i’m only in the baby stages of this hyperfixation, but i think now that the initial hype has died down and [presumably] a larger percentage of the fandom knows how to fucking read i’m going to enjoy myself a lot since the game has basically everything i like in media - it’s funny as fuck, it’s got hidden depths on an unimaginable scale, it tricks you into thinking it’ll be a fun little wacky brightly-coloured adventure and then it is that but it also punches you in each rib individually with emotions you weren’t prepared to have, papyrus is in it

3. sonic - sonic’s gotta be on here because i’ve been into it for literally a decade and it would not be an exaggeration to say that getting sonic colours on the nintendo ds for christmas when i was 7 changed the course of my entire life. like if not for sonic i very possibly would not be an artist and/or know that i am queer as hell and fuck. while i mostly observe these days rather than participating [one day i’ll pick up sa2 again or that sonic colours hd rerelease will be real and the hyperfixation will kick the fuck back in i’m sure] it really does seem like a lovely place to be now that i’ve slotted into the usual nd/queer section rather than blindly stumbling through the aggressively heteronormative masses on fanfiction.net

2. mother - mother 3 is my absolute favourite video game of all time, this coming from someone who doesn’t even like rpgs a whole lot. on the more serious side of things it’s helped me process a lot of things i otherwise wouldn’t have had a good reference point for, and on a more lighthearted note it’s led me to make so many great friends, including my now-girlfriend [cypress if you read this i love you]. it’s kinda hard to articulate but mother 3 is something that’s genuinely been so important to me for all sorts of reasons. this blog is and always will be a claus mother 3 stanning zone

1. phineas and ferb/dwampyverse - i’ve made like a million posts already about how pnf is really good comfort media for me so i’ll spare the details lmao but i think getting into pnf fandom was really good for my mental health for a bunch of reasons. not only is the show itself just a nice positive thing with no complicated emotions or heavy themes but the fandom is full of such nice people?? like i mentioned earlier with pl since it’s a relatively small fandom it feels really close-knit and friendly, which in conjunction with me posting about it A Lot makes me feel like i’m a really tangible part of things rather than just an outside observer who occasionally offers something up. i feel seen and heard and it’s just nice to be around people who care about my thoughts as much as i care about theirs y’know? it’s good. really good. i love it here. thank y’all

[lesbian-kyoru]

What do you think is each character's favorite subject in school?

tohru: not a surprise but baby girl loves home ec!! kind of has to work her butt off studying for her other classes, so she gets to enjoy herself and do something she’s naturally super good at in home ec. loves making little snacks in class for her friends and then sharing them at lunch. the sewing unit takes her fashion game to the next level. when they do a project where they take care of fake babies, she definitely ends up caring for half of the class’s infants like they’re her own. kyo is her partner and everyone teases them about it but she still has a really nice time and thinks kyo would be a great dad :’)) highest home ec grade of all time in their school

kyo: says his favorite is PE but it’s actually math. gets a 5 on the AP calc exam. tells no one but tohru, who then tells everyone and kazuma throws a party and kyo is Not Pleased. isn’t a great math tutor though because he can’t really explain how he gets his answers—he just Knows. checks tohru’s homework for her before she turns it in (read: fixes all her wrong answers when she’s not looking so he can see her huge smile when she gets a good grade back. only feels a little bit guilty). watches math tedtalks. nerd disguised as a jock

yuki: favorite subject is lit!! bullshits his way through class discussions and papers without ever actually reading the books because he’s smart and charismatic. has a premium account on sparknotes. favorite class specifically was one on ancient greek literature and epic poetry—spent the entirety of the class critiquing heteronormative readings of the iliad and taking the piss out of other students because “achilles and patroclus are clearly gay if you have eyes”

kakeru: …...i’ll be real he doesn’t like school lmao. senioritis personified. on his phone during classes constantly. laptop open playing world of warcraft or candy crush or neopets. could not tell you anything the teacher said in the last hour. doesn’t take notes because “i’ve got it all up here yun-yun…..” but doesn’t actually do half-bad on tests. only reason he does homework is because he can pretend to study with yuki while actually just flirting with him. if there’s one subject he doesn’t hate it’s history because he “thinks the fight scenes are fun” (yuki: “you mean world war 1??” “yeah it was exciting”)

uo: autoshop. hates the stereotype that just because she’s a lesbian she must like tools and machinery and automotive tech.....having said that she is a lesbian and she does like tools and machinery and automotive tech. gets a 100 on her project where she fixes a busted up motorcycle, and now she has two motorcycles. all the boys in the class call her senpai and worship the ground she walks on. smells faintly like motor oil all the time but she Absolutely makes it work

hana: creative writing. school is not her thing but she thrives in creative writing because her creativity is 100/10 and her stories are absolutely off the walls. excels in writing spooky yet also homoerotic ghost stories in particular. reads them aloud in class with the lights turned off and a flashlight illuminating her face. has made students cry out of fear. shigure beta-reads her writing. likes to subtly imply that her stories actually happened to fuck with kyo. it works

momiji: band/orchestra!! all the older students lose their minds over how well he can play. first chair violinist from day one. has a solo in every concert; tohru sits front row and films them, always cries. he’s the life of the party at Band Camp(™). even the grumpy bass clarinetists like him. doesn’t get in trouble when he talks waaaaay too much during rehearsal because the teacher loves him

haru: mr space cadet himself isn’t much of a science guy but LOVES astronomy. gets Ds on pretty much every test but he doesn’t care because his mind is expanding. buys a super nice telescope so he can look at constellations at 3 in the morning. develops very specific opinions about each planet. stans the moon. gets really into sleeping at last’s astronomy-themed album. becomes that guy whose personality is “i like space” until the class is over and then he never talks about it again

rin: art! she takes several art classes throughout high school. really loves drawing and painting, but also really likes doing ceramics projects because she likes working with her hands :’)) does a watercolor portrait for tohru as a graduation gift but gets really flustered when tohru sobs into her arms over how beautiful it is. also secretly likes doing little doodles of her and haru—he sees them once in her sketchbook and will never let her live it down

kagura: says her favorite is PE and it actually is PE. goes ham for capture the flag, tends to play too rough when capturing and gets taken out of the game. only person who is actually good at volleyball so she is constantly spiking, setting, and diving for the ball all in the same game, while the rest of her team just kind of fumbles around and tries to stay out of her way. gets first place every time they run the mile even though it’s definitely not a competition. definitely knows her mile time even though it is not a timed activity

hiro: this kid screams history nerd, but like Male History Nerd with a niche interest in military history and very specific opinions about how *insert historical figure* wasn’t actually all that bad. gets his ass handed to him in class discussions on the daily but won’t admit it. is genuinely really smart and has Better Opinions by the time he graduates, so he starts using his history nerd powers For Good as an adult—as in, arguing about inaccurate historical memes on facebook in his free time

kisa: choir. singing stresses her out, but she’s figured out that she can just mouth the words and no one can tell that she’s not actually singing! loves being in the group and hearing the beautiful music around her :’)) everyone is in awe of how cute she is in her lil choir robe. tohru comes to all of kisa’s concerts as well and films them from the front row, also while crying

machi: woodshop. gets sawdust on her clothes and loves the smell. obsessed with digging through piles of splintering and warped scrap wood. loses her damn mind when she gets to use the jigsaw. really enjoys making like…misshapen birdhouses and crooked tables, but woodshop is mostly participation grades anyway so her teacher gives her A’s on all of her grotesque wood creations. she is at peace and is One with the Wood. doesn’t wear safety goggles while chopping wood because she likes Risk

kimi: loves speech & drama. emphasis on the drama. it’s a chance to talk for a long time and everyone has to look at her and listen to her or else they’ll fail!! which is how she likes it. goes three minutes over for every speech but the teacher can’t get her to pause long enough to stop her. comes to auditions in a full professionally-made costume. knows her lines and everyone else’s

nao: AP statistics on the pre-accounting track. has known he wants to be an accountant since he was in diapers. does slightly below average in the class. still studies accounting in college because it’s too big a part of his personality to quit at this point. becomes an accountant. never quite feels fulfilled

[sullustangin]

Not a disaster spy.

Note:  I speak in lawful/neutral/chaotic alignments as seen in D&D.  I’m not getting into good, evil, or neutral, nor “Dark Side” or “Light Side” activities. 

There were more than a few reasons why I commissioned a piece of art that depicted some pretty gnarly scars on Theron Shan (and on my smug, Eva, but you don’t care as much about her, let’s be real). It’s part of a story I’m telling.  It’s part of my headcanon.  Also, it’s my own sort of protest against the habit of writing Theron off as a hot but inept spy.  He’s an impulsive fool despite being intelligent, which is why he ends up in bizarre situations. He always gets hurt because of this (but he’s always magically healed up in time for any smut). 

To be clear: Theron totally has issues due to his early life and an inability to play well with others; you can label him with attachment issues, intimacy issues, whatever keeps him a bit of a lonely character (which he admits).  Personal life -- disaster.  That’s canon, explicit and implicit.

What I object to are his skills and abilities being discounted because of that.  His professional life is far from being a disaster.  Director SIS Marcus Trant brands him as one of the best field agents, and long term, he ends up being operations manager for a covert base for an upstart independent government.

Reasons:

In the book Annihilation, Theron runs around in his boots and briefs trying to destroy the Ascendant Spear.   Hot, funny, and strangely effective.

But why?

Because Jace Malcom and Marcus Trant were ok with sacrificing a few planets of people “for the greater good.”  They let Ruan be attacked.  They planned on letting Duro be attacked, because they wanted the Pub fleet to focus on the Ascendant Spear, the Empire superweapon.  They watched a planet get wrecked and planned on doing it again.  It’s war.  It’s a lawful action, for the greater good.  It complies with society’s expectations -- the Republic leadership’s expectations -- in a time of war. Lawful neutral, probably.  Maybe lawful good if you squint and do the math about the Spear’s potential fatality rate, galaxy wide.

But Theron isn’t a lawful character -- he doesn’t just do stuff because society says it’s ok.  That’s why he goes off and does impulsive stuff because sometimes, society is wrong.  Theron is a neutral, leaning chaotic character -- he mostly follows the law, but also relies on his own intuition and gut feeling about what is right. Neutral characters balance what society says is right and what a person internally thinks is right.   Chaotic characters -- like my oc smuggler -- don’t rely on society’s views at all; it’s all about her gut and moral compass.  Theron at least considers lawfulness and order in his response, which is why he is (mostly) not a chaotic character.  He has his moments, though - no character is pure.  In contrast, Lana is a Lawful character in the context of the Sith Empire.  She does things that her society approves of.  She does like to think of herself as ‘her own woman’, but her behavior patterns are heavily informed by the Sith upbringing and training - she is Lawful but leaning Neutral on occasion due to her own sense of pragmatism.  She does not go by her gut alone. 

(Please remember I’m not addressing good/evil, Light/Dark side in this post.)

That’s why Theron ends up dehydrated with cramped leg and half naked.  He didn’t want people to die "for the greater good” when he personally could stop it.  So he and Gnost Dural fool Darth Karrid into participating at Duro, which means the Republic Fleet has to defend the planet, since its target is the Ascendant Spear.  The only way that happens is that Gnost-Dural is tortured, and Theron has to manually slice into the nearly uninhabitable bowels of the ship.  Hence the whole strip tease by the end of the incident.  

Consequences: 

In the example above, it’s mostly situational embarrassment for Theron, and the Jedi gets tortured. 

In an earlier part of the book, Theron is beaten up to keep his cover and acquire important information (and loses a few teeth in the process) and leaps off a building and probably fractures a few things -- he dislocated a shoulder too.  Still didn’t blow cover, and he is able get off Ziost with Gnost Dural. 

Every SWTOR player knows about Rishi -- it’s easy to argue that Theron doesn’t give up Lana because that could burn his Republic ally.  But if  you’re playing Imp side, what’s stopping him?  Flirting is nothing to this point.  Why not burn all the Imps down?  He could save his own skin, infiltrate the Revanites that way and save the Republic Fleet -- to hell with Darth Marr.

Because it’s not just “ooo rah Republic” informing his choices -it’s not Republic society saying it’s ok and lawful that makes him sit there.  It’s his own moral compass that says it’s wrong to burn Jakarro and the operative, even if Lana did give him up.  So he holds out under torture, even as Revan tries to make his descendant his ally. 

Theron had been in SIS for about 12-13 years by the time we get to Rishi.  We know he’s fallen from high heights and survived worse falls than leaping between buildings on Nar Shaddaa -- survived, not gotten out unscathed. He was a swoop racer for awhile -- that’s a risky hobby.  As an agent, It’s reasonable to assume he’s been shot at with blasters and possibly slugthrowers (if he came across a Mando), stabbed with traditional blades or vibro-blades, got burned if he was in an industrial area or a hot engine room or a chemical lab -- the list goes on.  After Yavin, we know that the one agent possibly more chaotic than he is, Jonas Balkar, ends up giving him a few broken ribs in the name of busting up an implants ring. 

So Theron does have very real consequences for his decisions, in all likelihood.  That’s what I wanted to reflect in the recent commission; although it happens shortly before the torture session on Rishi, it shows the viewer that this is a path he’s been on before, and not by accident. 

Cutting here because boy, did I have a lot to say about what happens AFTER SoR in terms of alignment/characterization.

The KotFE and Beyond: Consistency Issues

Theron registers his approval and disapproval on certain decisions in later xpacs, and he often takes the more benevolent “light side” end of things -- whether that’s based upon his societal expectations or personal moral compass is not as clear.  But he still does disagree with the Commander (one of the more obvious examples being  storming out of the room if there are too many Pub casualties on Corellia when the player is Imp side).  While it remains a touchy topic, the Traitor Arc does reflect his neutral-chaotic tendencies. He goes with his internal moral compass.

Electrocuting the Commander on Iokath was part of Theron gaining the Order of Zildrog’s trust. Theron’s smart enough and probably familiar enough with the Commander’s bio data to know how to make it happen and look bad enough without serious ill-effects. This is part of what he does as a spy, and there’s likely a guide on double agent sabotage somewhere in SIS -- how to look like you’re doing bad stuff without actually doing as bad stuff as requested.  This is also part of what he personally believes to be a better path -- certainly not by Alliance “what to do when bad things happen” book, which was to tell his Commander.   

Does Theron fail at Nathema?  Yes; there is a major loss of war materiel (the Gravestone and the Eternal Fleet).  But what would he have considered more important?  The loss of the fleet or the loss of the Commander and others if the Fleet was unleashed?  The loss of life or the loss of stuff? That’s where Theron’s neutral-chaotic alignment comes in. 

It also does matter how the player views the entire situation -- Theron’s boss also has a say in ‘success,’ which is why Trant matters in judging Theron’s previous actions. At the end of KotET, some people had been miserable that they HAD to either be a ruler or a peacekeeper instead of just getting on their ship and riding off into the sunset for more class-specific adventures. By the end of Nathema, some people were mad about losing the weapons and the power.  Some people were relieved that they weren’t so OP anymore; the writers had written story/character development into a corner, and ending the whole Throne/Fleet thing had to happen. (It’s still not fully out of a corner, in my personal opinion.)  

Theron doesn’t get out of the Traitor Arc completely clean, no matter how many stans we write about it -- the writing is what it is.  He assuredly gains a new scar.  But it is player choice as to the severity of the failure -- and the consequences: Theron can end up married, still in love with the Commander, dumped by the Commander but in the Alliance, exiled, or dead. Those were the consequences for what he believed was the right thing to do -- this was probably his biggest leap into the chaotic alignment in terms of decision making, and this was the most dramatic spectrum of consequences.

As a side bar, the latter xpacs suffer from writing issues; there’s a lack of nuance compared to the vanilla stories and even Hutts and SOR.  Although the writers did promise that characters would leave if there were enough negative actions, only Koth actually left because of something we did; Lana never leaves, and Theron leaves regardless of prior actions -- because he’s doing the  double agent thing. (I thought the opening speech on Umbara was ill-fit for most classes, frankly -- the writing got better as we got closer to Nathema, but there are plotholes that make me fume.)  Lana and Theron never leave because the player makes too many LS or DS decisions. I honestly wish that was a consequence, because not having a consequence for decisions hallows out both characters and makes them lackeys rather than the stronger, distinct characters they were prior to Popsicle Time. Lana never leaves no matter what. Theron ultimately remains gone by player decision, not by his own.  Koth was at least granted that autonomy, for which I respect the writing for Koth. 

Theron Shan is a good spy that accepts consequences.

Theron is good at his job -- the best at his job, around the time of SoR. Because of how Theron approaches the world, he takes risks so others don’t -- so others don’t get tortured, so other planets don’t get blown up.  It doesn’t mean that he’s some inept idiot that fumbles his way toward mission success. He  knowingly suffers for his choices that are a combination of by-the-book training and his instincts. He doesn’t complain about it, even when the player points it out on Rishi.  It is the job.  Spies do really, really strange stuff to keep their covers. He also doesn’t complain as he’s limping around after Nathema, nor does he object if he’s exiled or dumped.  He knows what he did.  He can live with it (if the player lets him). 

Spies that remain alive and get back to their home nations without giving anything important up to the enemy are successful spies.  We see this in pre-SWTOR media.  Rishi is a success for Theron -- although he is exposed, he remains alive and uncooperative.  The temporary Alliance between Marr and Satele gain massive amounts of intel, including Revan’s base on Yavin.  Later, Theron is able to keep the Odessen base functional and secret.  We even get to do some infiltration work on Zakuul -- the Alliance’s spies don’t give anything up while surviving and making it home with gains.  He succeeds overall at Odessen.  He fails at Nathema, though that failure is mostly interpreted by the player in terms of severity. 

Few spies are perfect and survive to become old men.  Even if Theron is killed at the end of Nathema, he did make it further than many; if we consider that Theron was about 37 or 38 at Nathema and he started SIS at 16, that’s upwards of 20 years in the field.  That’s a long lifespan for an active field agent, even in real world estimates. 

For those of us who let Theron live, then he still has potential for more spy escapades, though probably with some serious oversight.  We can leave that to headcanons, since Lana and Theron have taken a step back in prominence since Onslaught.  Theron will never be orderly like Lana; if you favor lawful characters, you will rarely see eye to eye with Theron.  He is not a by the book spy, and even Trant complains about that.  At the same time, the instinct, the skills, and personal conscience is there, which is why Theron is successful all the way up to Nathema -- and depending on the player, arguably still is. 

Personal life -- sure, a disaster. No doubt. But as a spy?  I don’t think disaster is an accurate assessment.

[zumpietoo]

If you think about lili reinhart never denied the cheating of cole sprouse she said im not saying my boyfriend fucked another woman I'm saying i felt BETRAYED, i was cheated but cole wasn't the only person on my life but i won't deny or accept it  mean I doubt cole cheated with kaia ( there was a supposed ss amy reinhart confimed in but i dont know if it is real also colemsprouseupdates   ) and lili defend cole many times btw april and August but lili everytime she was asked about it she answered with something else, she didn't  i don't understand how people can stan cole sprouse even when lili admited that he left her when she was on her worst fighting against her depression, insecurities and reaching the breaking point" i mean i can stan lili and don't hate the guy

i don't understand how people can stan cole sprouse even when lili admited that he left her when she was on her worst fighting against her depression, insecurities and reaching the breaking point and that's a dick move

I’m gonna answer this from my phone after all—-but don’t be surprised if I have edits:

If you think about it, lili was shadin/using cole to draw attention to her shorty book’s and movie’s delayed releases. Both, like her attempts to exploit their relationship thusly, flopped big time.

Her failure to deny a lie she floated to generate intrigue still fails to actually substantiate or prove her lie(s). Plus I thought you lilistans all insisted she dumped him?

Continuing, idk why you’re so desperate to revisit a fantasy from 12 to 18 months ago, but kaia???

A) cole had already fully dumped lili’s loony ass, so no “cheating”

B) what about kathryns, hobo Maggie, Rainey, his publicist, df, ds, elisha, cara, slavetay, etc? Oh and ari when he first met her?

As for amy, dude—-I know from direct interaction, she’s a fucking liar/bully/psychopath

To your second part:

Idgaf what you do or don’t think, butt...

Lili freely stated she forced herself into a depressive state for her role. That’s fucking moronic, irresponsible and on her.

She also created the beginning of the end by choosing to do this, ditch Italy with his family and then fuck her co-star.

Something she had already done previously, was again her fault and makes HER the omg cheater!

Lastly (and most importantly) cole (in fact nobody) is obligated to remain in a dysfunctional relationship because the other person has my issues. Staying with somebody in such a situation is supremely toxic and never a good idea.

Cole is not responsible for lili’s issues, lili is—-and he had already spent four years trying to make shit work and repeatedly being fucked over for his trouble.

By your logic, nobody can ever dump anybody else, because what if it makes the other person sad?

Also, I bet if lili dumped cole, you’d applaud it.

Now fuck off, you stupid cuntwipe

[sansacherie]

My Favorite Blogs

So a couple days ago marked a year since I joined Tumblr. Although it was a different account, I’m still counting it. Anyway I thought I’d make a list of my top 9 ASOIAF/GOT blogs, because that was one of the reasons why I joined in the first place. Also I love every blog that I follow and I’d include them all if I could.

In no particular order-

1. @rougeam Their meta is really good and I love their dark sense of humor.

2. @azullarks I really love their metas as well (especially on Young Griff and Arianne) i also love their blog because like @sayruq i know they’ll be martell content. 

3. @gumx395 Gum is fun to talk to and she knows what she’s talking about when pointing out the racism in Dany’s storyline. She’s just cool in general. 

4. @bugaboo-valerie I really love talking to Val in general about the books/show and swapping ideas about fanfiction we want to write.

5. @cleverjonquil i always liked cat but cleverjonquil is probably the reason why i stan hard for her now. She’s corrupted me with getting me to love the inferior trouts 

6. @thestarkbitch really cool and down to earth kind of person. what i also appreciate about their blog is that both her and rougeam are arya stans but i can go on their blog and enjoy arya content without having to worry that sansa isn’t going to be attacked/demeaned in the process. 

7. @sayruq sansa is my favourite character in both books/show and sayruq is probably the commander of the sansa queensguard. sayruq probably has one of the best understandings of sansa in contrast to a lot of the fandom who sometimes wildly mischaracterises sansa. i also love how pressed they make dany stans because deep down DS know they are right dany - that she isnt a saviour queen

8. @falconstarfall i think they’ve said they didnt like the show and much prefer the books. ive often seen this arguement put forth by a lot, especially by those who claim to hate sansa in the show and love sansa in the books. however that because sansa in the show is very different from the sansa in the books (ie sansa in s8 wasnt bowing down to fan faves) she was free from her abusers (in the books shes still with petyr) a lot of sansa antis cling to the books still because they hope sansa will get the punishment she deserves /s.  however that isn’t the case here. plus its also nice to have a blog that appreciates book sansa because i adore sansa in the show, the show also missed out on a lot of things as well. 

9. @mostly-got just good content in general and I love reading their asks.

[sinnhelmingr]

“You ship what?” // @nodamnstogive

You know what, since it’s taking up roughly 80% of my available brain power rn, let’s discuss Heldolin. Bc it’s a dynamic that has evolved... a lot... across interactions w different blogs and muns. It’s a case of ‘it makes so much sense from a characterization perspective’ with Kleffy’s muse while still having room for Hel to be many things to other takes of this muse.

The first Lin I ever wrote with, who has moved on from roleplaying, had the relationship as strictly platonic. And it was baller, both Lin and Hel were the family outcasts, Hel was the perky and dark femme to that Lin’s savvy and light femme. It was a dynamic I really enjoyed of Hel being something of a confidant and partner in crime to her honorary cousin, especially in trying to be her wingman for Lin. It was fun! I liked it. It really solidified for me that Hel working w Lin had some legs in that au, regardless of who might play Lin given the political nightmare and faction mentality of that setting.

Next was uh. Someone who turned around and blocked me and from hindsight was very toxic. They tried to broach shipping their Lin muse with Hel, and I was like okay, sure, let’s see where it goes. It was... Very possessive and toxic. Lin was very codependent on Hel and yet also refused to really trust her or let her thrive. It was a major plot point that Hel, having had a relationship with Mal’s Arto, sent Lin into a fit because they were not her first. Let that one settle in. The character was punished for having a relationship while her best friend would not make their feelings known. None of this was meant to be framed as dysfunctional or even problematic, but instead a sign of Lin’s love and devotion. It was ugly. Almost put me off the ship concept entirely.

And then Kleffy comes in. Fresh into DS after being a BB stan. Looks at Lin like ‘das a nonbinary lesbean.’ Yes, I nodded, they are whatever you want them to be, the lore is so sketchy about Lin’s gender instead of their sex. So here is this absolute oddball, this stoic ball of neuroses and general weirdo energy, that encapsulates what being Lin might do to someone. Each sneg (snake-leg) got a name. Here was a Lin who stood on her own merits and not just to be with my muse. Hel and Lin were established as friends basically from the word go as small children. Here’s a crossbreed child of the highest ranking god, tender and shy, running around with Death’s exuberant and monstrous eldest child. The opposites attract/childhood best friend energy leapt off our discord threads. We did some plotting, I opened myself up to shipping again, and, well, most of my posts in that verse’s tags are just me screaming about two gay wives. Here’s a healthy, understandable take on the potential dynamic that isn’t me seeing their divorce prior to the third game as an inevitability based on dysfunction, but the actual tragedy of clashing ideals and beliefs that it should have always been.

It’s the kind of ship that canon would eviscerate, but we’re sitting here with two aus where they get to be happy either from the start, with no great cataclysmic world-ending interference, or they find that they still care for one another post-divorce and start bonding all over again after Hel saves Lin from her canonical fate. It’s just really reinvigorated not just my love for Hel and Lin interactions, but the setting in general.

[knifefather]

First of all congrats on 400 Jasper!! You deserve it and so much more! Here's to hoping for more milestones in the future :D This event seems really fun so I thought I'd try it out! I'd like a jojo matchup from any part just no underage characters please haha. Let's see my name is Sid and I'm a 22 year old 5'1 bi girl. I've got sun in pisces, moon in leo, gemini rising and venus in aquarius! I'm an INFP. Likes: I'm a foodie and like trying out new places to eat, but I'm also big on staying home and relaxing, enjoy conversations over warm beverages, libraries, music, reading a good book (or fic haha), writing, alone time, sweets, cute dresses and makeup! Dislikes: I don't like getting angry / upset, waiting in line, crying in front of others, confrontational situations, embarrassing situations, or being the center attention it gives me anxiety. Appearance wise I've got brown eyes and skin, black hair. I'm short and chubby w/ and tummy and double Ds haha 😳 that's all I've got! Thank you so much 💜

Thank you so much Sid!!! I appreciate the kind words!! Also... I know that I’m matching you with your fave, but I honestly would have matched yall even if I didn’t know he was your fave lol. 

The Knife Father matches you with...

Prosciutto!

via porunareff 

➼ Wow, where does one begin with you two lovebirds? Prosciutto is known to be the stern, older brother type of La Squadra. But when he’s around you, it becomes very apparent that some of the strictness is an act. He’s very nurturing and kind, especially to a cutie like you! Though, he does stick true to his facade a bit, because he is the type of partner that inspires you to be the best version of yourself. He knows what you’re capable of, what your strengths and weaknesses are, and he encourages you to better yourself as a person. He’s very kind, though, much kinder than he is to Pesci, and very receptive to your feelings. Given your sun in Pisces and that Moon in Leo, that is very important to you. His attention is also a very valuable thing to you. 

➼ Prosciutto actually enjoys that you like to stay at home. It’s easier to make sure that you’re safe if you’re not going 100 places a day. He is the type of person that worries about their partner in the middle of his day. It’s really often that he’ll text you sweet messages like “Are you doing okay princess?” to make sure you’re still good. On the other hand, he knows that you enjoy going out and makes it a point to take you to new, interesting places all the time. Enjoys that you’re a foodie and will have you trying new things all the time. He likes the bright-eyed, happy look you get on your face when you taste something for the first time that’s really good!

➼ As a couple, you and Prosciutto seldom fight. You’re not confrontational, but Prosciutto is. He’s definitely not the type to get mad over petty shit in a relationship, so if he brings something to your attention, it needs addressing. It also eases your anxiety to know that he doesn’t get mad at you easily. His temper is relatively short with everyone else, but he has a special reserve of patience and understanding just for you. There is no better comforting place than being on Prosicutto’s lap, letting him stroke your hair while you work out your problems. He’ll even make you a cup of your favorite warm beverage to calm you down and while you talk. 

➼ Cute dresses and makeup? Prosicutto is an enthusiast! He adores taking you shopping and seeing you model for him. It’s often that you’ll pic out a few things to try, then he’ll pick out a few that he wants to see you in, too. Likes it when you come out of the fitting room and do a little twirl. If you’re a fan of high-end makeup, too, Prosciutto has got you! He brings you high-end stuff that he sees while he’s out and about, and he’s like, “I’m not sure if this is what you wear, but I saw this and it made me think of you.” It’s pretty often that what made him think of you is a 160,000 lire (100 USD) bottle of foundation. That just so happens to be in your perfect shade. We stan a king. 

➼ Last but not least, Prosciutto likes your body type! He’s not normally too selective on that, but he really finds himself captivated by your many curves. Bending over, or exposing your ass to him in any way, is a dangerous game lol. If you let him, he’d always have his hand on your rump, or one of your tits in his hands. He just appreciates your looks in general, he thinks you’re very pretty and tells you every opportunity he can get!

[cassie1022]

I wanted to thank your obsessed anon for pointing out the pictures behind C - thanks to them, I noticed that the picture frames are exactly the same style as those in "Ds" house. So either D+C just have an eerily similar taste or team shit bought them in bulk and decorated both PR walls with them. Well my dear PR stans... which thought is scarier? D+C being completely on the same wavelength *once again* (a feat Mi/arren STILL hasn't achieved) or another fuckup by team shit?

Nonnie, they don't care. They have their blinders on and they willingly buy into the narrative that has changed 7,376 times and they can't sell because D and M are NEVER on the same page and D doesn't care to remember the details, unlike his first interaction with the costar they claim he hates, which he remembers in vivid detail and will tell the story to anyone that will listen, but hey, yeah, you can feel the hate.

[bookishable]

half-blood prince book moments

“you can do magic! surely you can sort out anything!” “the trouble is, the other side can do magic too, prime minister.”

“it is a long time since my last visit, i must say, your agapanthuses are flourishing.”

‘it was clear that as far as he was concerned, any man who could look at harry and say ‘excellent’ was a man with whom he could never see eye to eye.’

‘the dursleys tried to ignore their glasses completely, a difficult feat, as they were nudging them gently on the sides of their heads. harry could not suppress a suspicion that dumbledore was rather enjoying himself.’

“and now, let us step out into the night and pursue that flighty temptress, adventure.”

“ah, yes, of course, i haven’t told you” the harry potter series, a summary

“you have not asked me, for instance, what is my favourite flavour of jam, to check that i am indeed professor dumbledore, and not an impostor. for future reference, it is raspberry … although of course, if i were a death eater, i would have been sure to research my own jam-preferences before impersonating myself.”

‘he seemed remarkably unabashed for a man who had just been discovered pretending to be an armchair.’

slughorn being more than a comedy character and being more prejudiced against muggle-borns than the movie showed

“i realised i can’t shut myself away or crack up. sirius wouldn’t have wanted that, would he? and anyway, life’s too short … it could be me next, couldn’t it? but if it is, i’ll make sure i take as many death eaters with me as i can, and voldemort too if i can manage it.”

“i won’t have to do occlumency lessons with snape, will i? because they were a—” “i think the word ‘fiasco’ would be a good one here”

“what is your dearest ambition?” “to find out how aeroplanes stay up.”

“mollywobbles”

“dumbledore says people find it far easier to forgive others for being wrong than being right” “sounds like the sort of mental thing dumbledore would say” “he’s going to be giving me private lessons this year” said harry conversationally

‘a warmth was spreading through him that had nothing to do with the sunlight; a tight obstruction in his chest seemed to be dissolving. the mere fact that they were still there on either side of him, speaking bracing words of comfort, not shrinking from him as though he were contaminated or dangerous, was worth more than he could ever tell them.’

harry getting an outstanding in the defence against the dark arts OWL

“who blacked your eye, granger? i want to send them flowers.” i’m sorry but this is such a great insult

“dumbledore won’t always be there to protect you.” “wow … look at that … he’s not here now! so why not have a go? they might be able to find you a double cell in azkaban with your loser of a husband!”

the weasley twins’ shop window telling people to worry about ‘u-no-poo’ instead of you-know-who

the constipation sensation that’s gripping the nation

hermione saying fred and george’s products are “extraordinary magic”

“certainly they work, for up to twenty-four hours at a time depending on the weight of the boy in question—” “—and the attractiveness of the girl”

fred and george accusing ginny of going out with five boys and ginny being like “last time i looked, dean thomas was definitely one boy, not five.”

“people expect you to have cooler friends than us” “you are cool, none of them was at the ministry. they didn’t fight with me.” “that’s a very nice thing to say” i honestly love luna and harry’s friendship

slughorn inviting ginny to lunch on the train because of her “marvellous” bat bogey hex on zacharias smith

nick: harry potter knows that he can confide in me with complete confidence, i would rather die than betray his trust. ron: that’s not saying much, seeing as you’re already dead nick: once again, you show all the sensitivity of a blunt axe

“snape’ll be gone by the end of the year, that job’s jinxed. quirrell actually died doing it. personally, i’m going to keep my fingers crossed for another death …” christ harry is a savage but tbh same

‘it was a mark of the strength of their friendship that ron did not laugh.’

“it’s high time your grandmother learned to be proud of the grandson she’s got, rather than the one she thinks she ought to have” stan minerva mcgonagall

“there’s no need to call me ‘sir’, professor.”

“i thought he sounded a bit like you. when you were telling us what it’s like to face voldemort. you said it wasn’t just memorising a bunch of spells, you said it was just you and your brains and your guts—well, wasn’t that what snape was saying? that it really comes down to being brave and quick-thinking?”

the polyjuice potion being something students should be able to make after completing their NEWTS, but which hermione made at age thirteen

slughorn giving hermione points for knowing all the potions and being an intelligent muggle-born, and ‘malfoy looked rather as he had done the time hermione had punched him in the face.’

“it’s not quidditch that’s popular, it’s you! you’ve never been more interesting and, frankly, you’ve never been more fanciable.”

hermione: harry’s got scars from umbridge ron: look at where those brains attacked me hermione: he’s grown over the summer ron: i’m tall

‘he did not usually lie in bed reading his textbooks; that sort of behaviour, as ron rightly said, was indecent in anybody except hermione, who was simply weird that way.’

‘the prince had proved a much more effective teacher than snape so far.’ hm right

“it’s only muggle-borns they hate, they’d be quite happy to let you and ron join up.” “my whole family are blood traitors!” “and they’d love to have me, we’d be best pals if they didn’t keep trying to do me in.”

ron and hermione’s ‘new policy of feigning deafness whenever harry mentioned his malfoy-is-a-death-eater theory’

“nice suit, sir”

“very astute, harry, but the mouth-organ was only ever a mouth-organ.”

tHe SLuG cLUb

‘it was natural that he should want to rip dean limb from limb for kissing her … no … he would have to control that particular brotherly feeling …’

“it looks like he’s eating her face, doesn’t it? but i suppose he’s got to refine his technique somehow.”

‘harry could not help admiring her spellwork at a time like this.’

‘ginny kept cropping up in his dreams in ways that made him devoutly thankful that ron could not perform legilimency.’

madam pince ‘looked as though she might have a seizure’ after seeing the half-blood prince’s book

‘arguing about whether or not filch and madam pince were secretly in love’

“he says very funny things sometimes, doesn’t he? but he can be a bit unkind. i noticed that last year.”

‘luna was demonstrating her usual knack of speaking uncomfortable truths; he had never met anyone quite like her.’

“what did you have to imitate her for?” “she laughed at my moustache!” “so did i, it was the stupidest thing i’ve ever seen.”

harry’s observation that ‘girls were very strange sometimes’

‘harry was left to ponder in silence the depths to which girls would sink to get revenge.’

the guy named worple at slughorn’s party bringing along his friend sanguini who happened to be a vampire

sanguini: *edges towards group of girls* worple: here, have a pasty

luna telling everyone that the aurors are part of the rotfang conspiracy “they’re working from within to bring down the ministry of magic using a combination of dark magic and gum disease”

ron: you can’t break an unbreakable vow harry: well it’s a good thing i have at least one brain cell

“fred reckons his left buttock has never been the same since.” “yeah, well, passing over fred’s left buttock—”

“aaah, george, look at this. they’re using knives and everything. bless them.”

*the twins discussing ron and lavender* “did she have an accident or something?” “what?” “well, how did she sustain such extensive brain damage?”

“he called it my ‘furry little problem’ in company. many people were under the impression that i owned a badly behaved rabbit.”

lavender giving ron a necklace saying ‘my sweetheart’ for christmas

kreacher sending harry a package of maggots and him being like “i’d rather have them than that necklace”

“you might have noticed he’s not minister anymore, but dumbledore’s still headmaster. i’d leave dumbledore alone, if i were you.”

‘percy had stormed from the house on christmas day with his glasses splattered with mashed parsnip (for which fred, george and ginny all claimed credit).’

“stay out of trouble” “i always do, mrs weasley, i like a quiet life, you know me.”

“he accused me of being ‘dumbledore’s man through and through’.” “how very rude of him.” “i told him i was.”

“blessed as i am with extraordinary brainpower, i understood everything you told me”

‘there was a certain amount of ill-feeling towards wilkie twycross and his three Ds, which had inspired a number of nicknames for him, the politest of which were dog-breath and dung-head.’

‘friends they might be, but if ron started calling lavender ‘lav-lav’, he would have to put his foot down.’

harry resisting the urge to let ron run around under the effect of the love potion and instead taking him to be cured by slughorn because ‘they were supposed to be friends’

‘madam pomfrey seemed to have been counting hagrid as several people due to his vastness.’

“half our family does seem to owe you their lives, well, all i can say is that it was a lucky day for the weasleys when ron decided to sit in your compartment on the hogwarts express, harry.”

ron pretending to be asleep whenever lavender came to visit him in the hospital wing

luna’s commentary at the quidditch match

“smith was being quite rude about gryffindor, i expect he regrets that now he’s playing them—oh, look, he’s lost the quaffle, ginny took it from him, i do like her, she’s very nice …”

LOSER’S LURGY

harry: i want to find mclaggen and kill him madame pomfrey: that would come under the heading of over-exertion

‘harry’s imagination zoomed into overdrive, rapidly constructing a scene in which ginny, weeping over his lifeless form, confessed her feelings of deep attraction to him while ron gave them his blessing …’

“how d‘you spell ‘belligerent’? it can’t be B-U-M”

“we were asked how we’d deal with dementors, not ‘dugbogs’, and i don’t remember you changing your name to ‘roonil wazlib’, either.”

“i love you, hermione” “don’t let lavender hear you saying that.”

“the more i hint i want to finish it, the tighter she holds on. it’s like going out with the giant squid.”

“yeah, we don’t need to hear about you being in love with malfoy”

‘harry swore. someone screamed. he looked around to see a gaggle of first-years running back round the corner, apparently under the impression that they had just encountered a particularly foul-mouthed ghost.’

“ghosts are transparent.”

“when we come face to face with one down a dark alley we’re going to be having a shufti to see if it’s solid, aren’t we, we’re not going to be asking, ‘excuse me, are you the imprint of a departed soul?’”

harry deciding to go to aragog’s funeral because he saw the tears left on the letter hagrid had sent them

ron thinking of using felix felicis to get slughorn’s memory

“this is felix felicis, i suppose? you haven’t got another little bottle full of—” “essence of insanity?”

“in spite of all the temptation you have endured, all the suffering, you remain pure of heart, just as pure as you were at the age of eleven, when you stared into a mirror that reflected your heart’s desire, and it showed you only the way to thwart lord voldemort, and not immortality or riches.”

‘it was, he thought, the difference between being dragged into the arena to face a battle to the death and walking into the arena with your head held high. some people would say that there was little to choose between the two ways, but dumbledore knew—and so do i, thought harry, with a rush of fierce pride, and so did my parents—that there was all the difference in the world.’

“that’s my nickname”

‘there was ginny running towards him; she had a hard, blazing look in her face as she threw her arms around him. and without thinking, without planning it, without worrying about the fact that fifty people were watching, harry kissed her.’

“the truth is that you don’t think a girl would have been clever enough” “how can i have hung round with you for five years and not think girls are clever?”

harry admiring dumbledore swimming as they head to a cave on the most dangerous mission he’s ever been on, like ‘bloody hell this man is 300 years old look at his fantastic breaststroke’

“it is the unknown we fear when we look upon death and darkness, nothing more.”

“i am not worried, harry, i am with you.”

‘harry felt, as he had felt about phoenix song before, that the music was inside him, not without: it was his own grief turned magically to song that echoed across the grounds and through the castle windows.’

“what do i care how ’e looks? i am good-looking enough for both of us, i theenk! all these scars show is zat my husband is brave!”

“young and whole men do not necessarily remain so.”

“dumbledore would have been happier than anybody to think that there was a little more love in the world”

“i feel that if a single pupil wants to come, then the school ought to remain open for that pupil.”

“professor dumbledore always valued your views, and so do i.”

“no other headmaster or headmistress ever gave more to this school”

‘he felt no curiosity at all: he doubted that he would ever feel curious again.’

‘and he knew, without knowing how he knew it, that the phoenix had gone, had left hogwarts for good, just as dumbledore had left the school, had left the world … had left harry.’

‘all that appeared to have changed was that he now had a great liking for very rare steaks.’

“so eet ees lucky ’e is marrying me, because ze british overcook their meat, i ’ave always said this.”

“she was snape’s mother!” “i thought she wasn’t much of a looker”

‘the strange music and the knowledge that dumbledore’s body was so close seemed to take all warmth from the day.’

‘it was important, dumbledore said, to fight, and fight again, and keep fighting, for only then could evil be kept at bay, though never quite eradicated’

‘she met harry’s gaze with the same hard, blazing look, and he knew that at that moment they understood each other perfectly, and that when he told her what he was going to do now, she would accept his decision, because she would not have expected anything less of him.’

“i never really gave up on you”

scrimgeour: the ministry can add two and two harry, inwardly: but there’s no maths in the wizarding world harry, outwardly: glad to hear it

“he will only be gone from the school when none here are loyal to him”

“you said to us once before, that there was time to turn back if we wanted to. we’ve had time, haven’t we?”

“we’re with you whatever happens”

[fortunatelylori]

J0nereys in Winterfell: Let’s make this as uncomfortable as possible for everyone, shall we?

Right before the premiere, the Ds decided to stoke the dying ambers of the J0nereys relationship by saying that they didn’t have time to develop Jon and D*ny’s relationship in season 7, despite dedicating almost 5 episodes to it. But, now, they say, now we’re really going to see Jon and D*ny’s relationship blossom.  

So let’s see how Jon and D*ny spend their time now that they’re “together, together”.  (lolz ... they sound like toddlers).

Jon and D*ny share 5 scenes in this episode and they run the gambit from the strange and ridiculous to the deeply, deeply disturbing. And as with most of their scenes, they’re never really alone. Something always encroaches on the relationship in order to add another new layer of just sheer and utter desolation.

The “skip the awe and go straight for the fear” scene: 

Gods, this scene is unsettling! Everything from the bleak lighting, to the subdued military music, to the rivers of soldiers marching towards Winterfell. There is nothing triumphant or feel good about this scene. 

In order to fully understand this scene and Jon and D*ny’s reactions, I think we need to remember what D*ny said in season 7. There’s two important lines in there that come into play here. 

The first one is in episode 2 of season 7: 

Tyrion: On a night like this, you came into the world. 

Varys: I remember that storm. All the dogs in King’s Landing howled through the night. 

D*ny: I wish I could remember it. I always thought this would be a homecoming. Doesn’t feel like home. 

Since the start of season 7, D*ny has been chasing an elusive sense of belonging in Westeros while the people of Westeros seem hell bent on denying her that. 

No one in the North is acting directly hostile towards her. They’re just subdued, apprehensive and suspicious, as anyone would when faced with 100.000 foreign soldiers marching through their streets. But D*ny is unable to cope with this reality or even attempt to see things from the Northerns perspective, particularly since at the end of season 7, this is how she viewed her relationship with the North: 

D*ny: I’ve not come to conquer the North. I’m coming to save the North. 

The North has, unfortunately, not been informed of D*ny’s benevolence so D*ny is left feeling slighted by the long faces. Jon, who has now been completely colonized (at least in theory) by D*ny, is so attune to her crazy that he’s quick to offer an explanation and a pained smile: 

Jon: I warned you. Northerners don’t much trust outsiders. 

Yeah ... you also told her that they would come to see her for “what” she is, Jon. Which in D*ny’s world can only mean they will fall in love with her the moment they set eyes on her. No wonder she’s dissapointed. And you have only yourself to blame. 

So ... in the absence of masters to crucify and a crowd of brown people to surf, what is D*ny to do to get that validation she so desperately craves? 

Ah, yes. Good ol’ faithful!

In season 7 D*ny also said this: 

D*ny: They [dragons] were terrifying, extraordinary. They filled people with wonder and awe. 

Let’s see some of that wonder and awe, Winterfell!

People are literally hugging the walls! So I’m assuming not so much wonder and awe but certainly extreme emotions of terror. Well, she got, at least, 1 right. 

The Northerners she’s come “to save” are running away in fear and screaming. D*ny’s reaction: 

How does Jon feel about his “new love of his life” terrifying the people he claims to fight for? Who knows. D*ny’s ego blows him off screen. 

The “diplomacy for dummies” scene: 

You know what it’s like ... first time meeting your partner’s family. You’re sitting right across from them while they ogle you like you’re some kind of alien coming to abduct their precious offspring. You smile and pretend to be deeply invested in washing the dishes even though you eat off plastic plates at home. Hell, you even say you love ironing even if you send everything to be dry cleaned. I mean who has time for that shit, am I right?

Well, D*ny hasn’t had this extremely important life lesson hoisted on her until now. Luckily Tyrion lent her his copy of “Diplomacy for dummies” right before they arrived in Winterfell and she manages to hobble together something akin to a galaxy overlord feigning interest in the mere mortals around her: 

D*ny: Thank you for inviting us into your home, lady Stark. The North is as beautiful as your brother claimed. As are you. 

Honestly, the thing I find most insulting about this line doesn’t even have anything with D*ny, but with the Ds. They’ve already pulled this “woman fake complimenting another woman in order to appease her” shtick with Sansa and Lyanna Mormont. At this point, it seems to me they have no idea how women greet each other. 

Of course, D*ny’s attempt is shut down by a Sansa Stark that has decided to go all yolo on everyone’s asses this episode: 

Bitch, please! I’m way hotter than you. I’ve only spent the last 8 hours getting ready so that Jon eats his heart out when he realizes he’s having sex with the wrong relative. 

This frosty look is followed by a tortured: 

Sansa: Winterfell is yours, Your Grace. 

that has D*ny deciding real quick that in fact the North sucks, Sansa is a traitor and she’s not getting her adoration quota met at all by these ungrateful bastards that she’s come to liberate ... aaa ... save ... aaa ... conquer: 

How does Jon think the meeting of his queen/lover/aunt and his sister-cousin/owner of his heart/bane of his existence went? ..... Footage missing. 

The “Roasting of Jon Snow” scene: 

There is one key line in this scene that encapsulates the entire Jon/D*ny dynamic in this episode and it’s delivered by the Ds favorite misogynistic mouthpiece, one tiny Lyanna Mormont, to Jon Snow:  

Lyanna: Your Grace? But you’re not, are you? You left Winterfell a king and came back a ... I’m not sure what you are now. A lord? Nothing at all? 

Jon: It’s not important. 

Jon is doing his best karoake version of Nothing else matters in this scene (careful, Jon! Metallica is famously prickly about their copyrights) but the fact still remains. Through out this episode, when it comes to his interactions with D*ny, Jon is, in fact, nothing at all. He doesn’t express any opinion, he doesn’t react. He’s essentially dead inside and the woman whom he’s supposedly in love with has cost him everything: his position, the respect of his people, his relationship with his family and, ultimately, even his voice. 

In order to exist in D*ny’s world, Jon needs to make himself small because “it’s not important”. He isn’t important. Only D*ny is important. 

I’m sorry but the Jon Snow I know is a proud man. He’s the guy who was ready to kill someone for calling his father a traitor. Which is why, perhaps, he can’t help but slip in this scene and say this: 

Jon: I had a choice. Keep my crown or protect the North. I chose the North!

Perhaps we can now put to rest the argument that Jon didn’t need to bend the knee since D*ny was already willing to help with the apocalypse. And we should put it to rest not just because Jon basically gives everyone the cliff notes to the political Jon theory but because, most significantly, D*ny doesn’t contradict him. 

She doesn’t stand up in this scene and say: Actually I was ready to fight for you all without Jon Snow bending the knee. 

She also doesn’t take the opportunity to ask Jon about it later on in the episode. That’s because she knows she wouldn’t be in Winterfell if Jon hadn’t bent the knee. 

Tell me again how any of this is romantic? Especially when it ends with: 

Sansa: May I ask? How are we meant to feed the greatest army the world has ever seen? While I ensured our stores will last through winter, I didn’t account for Dothraki, Unsullied and two full grown dragons. 

Hold on there, missy! Where do you think you are? In some kind of democracy where you’re allowed to question the glorious leader?!? Besides, I’ll have you know that D*ny is the very smartest leader evah and she has totally prepared supply chains for her humongous army and ... 

Oh ... Well, Sansa, if you must know I have it on very good authority from D*ny’s stans that the loot train attack was a strategic move on D*ny’s part and she didn’t actually burn any of the food. And now she’s going to tell you just how you’re going to feed all these people, ok? 

Sansa: What do dragons eat anyway?

D*ny: Whatever they want. 

.....

Yeah, sorry, Sans. D*ny’s a little busy at the moment eating Jon’s soul so you’re going to have to figure it out. 

You know ... when Emilia Clarke said that D*ny would try to make the Starks and the North like her despite the fact that they clearly don’t, I thought it would last more than 5 minutes of screen time. It basically took one frosty look and the smallest bit of attitude for D*ny to begin to threaten the Northerners and Jon’s family members with death via dragon. 

You might wonder how Jon reacts to all of this? And if you are ... what the hell is wrong with you?!? The man is “nothing at all”. We’ve already established that. 

The “expiration date” scenes: 

Davos, bless him, is attempting to save Jon’s reputation and crown despite the brooding bastard’s best efforts to rid himself of both by proposing a marriage alliance between Jon and D*ny at the end of the war. Tyrion is, surprisingly, subdued in this scene despite knowing that Jon and D*ny rubbed love organs together. 

But it’s Varys that really shoots down the idea for whatever reason. It’s a bit early to really figure out why Varys isn’t keen on the idea of Jon and D*ny marrying but he does utter the best bit of J0nereys foreshadow in the whole episode: 

Varys: Respect is how the young keep us at a distance. So we don’t remind them of an unpleasant truth. 

Tyrion: What is that? 

Varys: Nothing lasts. 

Yeah, I’d say there’s more than one unpleasant truth lurking about in Winterfell, my dear Lord Spider. 

I’m pretty sure that at least a few people had an orgasm when the marriage alliance was proposed, feeling as if this all but ensures that J0nereys is endgame. 

But here’s the thing: this idea of a marriage between Jon Snow and Daenerys Targareyen is being introduced too late into the game. This would have made sense back in season 7, before Jon bent the knee. 

Right now, the damage to Jon’s reputation is already done and the whole world is about to find out he’s a Targareyen. How do you think the people of the North will feel about two Targs on the throne? It’s not going to happen. Not only that but since Jon’s claim supersedes D*ny’s, she would never be able to marry him and rule as Queen of the 7 kingdoms. She would have to pick one over the other. 

Which means that all this scene can hope to be is a pleasant smoke and mirrors technique to distract everyone from the fact that J0nereys is essentially whiling their time away before the inevitable grave of the parentage reveal. 

At this point, we’re about halfway through the episode. We’ve already been informed that Jon and D*ny’s relationship won’t last. D*ny is just about ready to let the dragons loose on Sansa and we have yet to have an actual scene of these two people talking. 

So ... what is on our love birds minds? ... Sansa, of course. 

D*ny: Your sister doesn’t like me. 

Jon: She doesn’t know you. If it makes you feel any better, she didn’t like me either when we were growing up. 

When I first heard this line, it really stung that the first piece of personal information Jon shares with D*ny on screen is a rehash of the old “Sansa was mean to Jon when they were children” show invention. However, I’ve come to reconsider this line and for reasons I will touch upon tomorrow in my Jonsa meta, I find this kind of adorable. 

At the moment, let’s just say Jon is trying very hard not to antagonize D*ny and Sansa’s reactions to her are making it difficult which in turn frustrates Jon.

Speaking of: 

D*ny: She doesn’t need to be my friend. But I am her queen. 

(pointed pause)

D*ny: If she can’t respect me ... 

D*ny gets interrupted by the Dothraki that have been sent to feed her dragons so she never finishes what she was going to say. But ... what was she going to say? What kind of punishment does she believe is warranted for Sansa’s frosty reception and food question?

While Sansa is making it very clear she doesn’t like D*ny, she has yet to disrespect her. But as we’ve come to see with D*ny, she no longer knows the difference. Something Jon is painfully aware of. Otherwise why wouldn’t he be more outwardly concerned about his lover threatening his sister to his face? Talk about disrespectful ... 

Also: 

Sansa: What do dragons eat anyway? 

Dothraki: Only 18 goats and 11 sheep. 

Yeah ... let that sink in. 

The “It looked easy when Hiccup was doing it”scene: 

This scene hurts my souuuuuuul! You’d think with the kind of money HBO sunk into this TV show and into the Ds, they’d manage to come up with something other than a lame rip off of How to train your dragon for Jon’s first time riding Rhaegal. 

The cutesy tone feels anachronistic here for several reasons: 

D*ny’s dragons are not Toothless! Toothless is an angel on Earth and I love him to bits. He does not go around burning people to a crisp or killing little girls. The dragons in GOT have been called weapons of mass destruction not just by GRRM but by the Ds themselves. I’m not sure trying to parallel Hiccup with Jon really works in the context in which Jon is basically riding an atomic bomb. 

Also, this is a momentous moment for Jon. He’s about to ride the dragon that was named after his father. You’d think they’d go for something more emotionally fraught and majestic but no. We’re playing this for laughs, guys. 

In a romantic context, this scene is also deeply frustrating. Because just like in every other J0nereys scene, the Ds have taken a trusted trope (a couple bonding over one of them teaching the other something) and completely wrecked it. 

D*ny does encourage Jon to ride the dragon. It’s actually one of their cuter moments, with Jon being awkward and unsure and D*ny being cocky:

Jon: I don’t know how to ride a dragon. 

D*ny: Nobody does. Until they ride a dragon.  

Jon: What if he doesn’t want me to? 

D*ny: Then I’ve enjoyed your company, Jon Snow. 

The banter is cute ... for about 10 seconds. Until Jon is hoisted into the air, it becomes clear D*ny has no intention of teaching him anything and Jon is flinging around, inches away from being thrown off the dragon and into the abyss of death. Then it becomes less cute. 

Jon eventually lands, somewhere, next to a waterfall that has magically appeared in what is Siberian tundra because ... reasons. 

Despite looking like he was in some kind of never ending nightmare through out the ride, Jon ends the exercise with: 

Jon: You’ve completely ruined horses for me. 

No worries, Jon. She’s also about to ruin your sex life and your will to live so there’s a lot to look forward to. 

In the behind the scenes footage, the Ds said that this is the place where Jon used to hunt as a child and he decides to show it to D*ny. You’d think this kind of romantic motivation would somehow find its way into the actual dialogue in the scene but no ...

Instead we get this generic line that is not really given any kind of context:  

D*ny: We could stay 1000 years. No one would find us. 

The interesting thing about this scene is that Jon has shared a similar moment with someone in the past that gave off the whole “1000 years” feel. Let’s have a look:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XQ1eTpPL6c

Unfortunately, I can’t embed the scene here but this is Jon/Ygritte atop the wall. There are no lines of dialogue in the whole scene. However, with Ygritte, Jon initiates contact and actually leads her to the other side of the Wall, to show her the expanse of the 7 kingdoms, something Ygritte has never seen. All of it is filmed just as the sun sets around the two kissing, with music swelling in the background. It’s all very clearly romance coded. 

So how does Jon respond to D*ny echoing the same kind of feeling: 

Jon: We’d be pretty old. 

That Jon Snow, huh? He really has a way with the ladies. 

They do kiss in this scene so that’s something but it’s at D*ny’s invitation: 

Jon: It’s cold up here for a Southern girl. 

D*ny: So keep your queen warm. 

They’ve shared 2 one on one scenes in this episode and D*ny felt the need to remind him she’s the queen in both of them. I guess titles aren’t important when it comes to Jon. When it’s D*ny’s titles, they are very, very important. 

You know what they say: All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others. 

And because this scene wasn’t odd or awkward enough already, it ends with this: 

Many people have speculated on what Jon’s thought process is during this stare down. Most have come to the conclusion that Jon is thinking about how to get D*ny’s “kids” to like him. 

Except that any romantic kiss where one partner opens their eyes mid-kiss, is a a huge red flag that the person in question isn’t actually into it. So I’m thinking he’s inwardly screaming: The moron just handed me a dragon on a silver platter! Let’s get this dance started!

*thanks for reading, guys! We will reconvene tomorrow for the Jonsa edition of this episode

*none of the artwork in the meta is mine; thank you to all the content creators! 

[chid-sen-gan-blog]

How to Win Every Dany Stan Argument

(DS = Dany Stan, Y = You)

DS: Dany was born to rule the Seven Kingdoms. Y: That's a nice dream. Joffrey thought the same thing.

--

DS: You're not a true Jon fan! He's in love with Dany! Don't you want him to be happy?! Y: You’re the ones who want Mr. "All-My-Life-I-Wanted-to-Be-a-Stark" to restore a lineage who's members were responsible for roasting his grandpops and uncle alive and serve as a glorified baby-maker to kween khaleesi for all eternity. Are you sure you want him to be happy?

--

DS: You're delusional! Y: *putting down magnifying glass* Huh? Sorry, I missed that. I was busy looking for Dothraki braids in Jon's hair.

--

DS: Boatbang!!!!!!!!! Y: Okay, but... a eunuch was given a longer love-making scene in the same season.

--

DS: You're just a Jonsa! Y: (if you're not a Jonsa) Actually, I'm not. *chuckles* Yeesh... and I'm the delusional one. Y: (if you are a Jonsa) And I will continue to be, unless your fave roasts me alive for having a different opinion.

--

DS: Stop whining! It doesn't matter that they're under a monarch now! The North is still free! Y: Really?! Man, someone contact the revolutionaries through history! Turns out they were free all along!

--

DS: But she freed slaves! Y: Slaves who now serve her without pay doing the exact same jobs they did without pay before she freed them. How inspiring!

--

DS: Don't be so hard on her! She's young and still learning! Y: Don't be so hard on Walder Frey! He was old and bitter!

--

DS: She doesn't enjoy burning people alive! Y: Then why are there enough clips of her looking visibly pleased at immolation that you could make a remix with them?

--

DS: So, she's done a few things wrong... Y: What counts as a "few"? Because, by that logic, so has Ramsay.

--

DS: She came to rescue everyone on the Wight Hunt! Y: I hear the Night King's penning a thank you letter* for that. *he'll send it via turbo-raven, like the one Gendry sent Dany

--

DS: You're just saying that because you're a/an *insert GoT character name here* stan! Y: *gasps* You're right! I am! I also stan *prattles off names of other characters you like*...

--

DS: Love comes at the eyes! Y: Good to know! That means all my ships are canon! Wait... *pauses* I thought you hated Doreah for what she did to Dany. Why are you quoting her? Are you sure you're real Dany fans?!

--

DS: *points out flaws in your favorite character to prop up Dany* Y: *nods and wipes a proud tear* I know. They've grown so much since then.

--

DS: Jon wasn't a prisoner on Dragonstone! Y: ... yeah, because he definitely didn't say it himself.

--

DS: Dany's done a lot without her dragons! Y: A fact I don't deny. Leading her Dothraki through the Red Waste, and starting a civil war in Mereen? Career goals!

--

DS: She saved Jon! Y: There was a Stark who had a name and Benjen was his name-o! B-E-N-J-E-N! B-E-N-J-E-N! B-E-N-J-E-N! And Benjen was his name-o!

--

DS: *calls foul names* Y: Just like the ones Kraznys called your beloved kween! I'll take it as a compliment!

--

DS: Dany’s never wanted to hurt/kill anyone! Y: I don't know. She didn't sound all that fond of "clever plans" in The Spoils of War. And seemed pretty fond of Aegon the Conqueror's fear tactics in Beyond the Wall. And then there’s the speech she gave the Dothraki back in Season 6...

--

DS: She's only/will only hurt/kill(ed) bad people! Y: ... but you just said she never intended to hurt/kill anyone...

--

DS: Her dragons don't make her who she is! Y: Yep, that's all her. I wouldn't brag about it.

--

DS: But she's suffered so much! Y: Everyone has. It's Game of Thrones.

--

DS: She's pretty! Y: Ros was, too. Doesn't mean she should be queen.

--

DS: She's not a villain, and definitely not the final villain! That’s obviously Cersei! Y: Like how it was obvious that Ned would be sitting on the Iron Throne at the end of the series?

--

DS: She gave the Tarlys a choice! Y: Incidentally, it was the same choice Voldemort gave the Hogwarts students in The Deathly Hallows.

--

DS: Don't judge her based on what her dad did! Y: I will stop when she stops doing what her dad did.

--

DS: You're a misogynist/sexist! Y: Trust me, if I was, I wouldn't be watching the show anymore. The only people fighting for a throne currently are two girls. Though I guess there’s that guy who doesn't want it, and a walking popsicle, too...

--

DS: You're just jealous of Dany! Y: Guilty. I wish that I, too, could do whatever I want and face zero consequences whatsoever.

------

That's it for now! Any other common arguments that I forgot, feel free to tell me/add on (given that anyone actually read this). I hope you enjoyed! Thanks!

[bigskydreaming]

I may or may not still be stuck on that reblog from earlier that inspired thoughts of how Finn, Rey and Poe all act as foils for K/ylo in certain ways, representing the three different aspects of his life, heritage and choices. 

Rey as a Force user and successor to Luke Skywalker, who K/ylo was the natural heir to before he rejected that path. 

Poe as a dedicated member of the Resistance and successor to Leia Skywalker Organa Solo (using her full name because the Skywalker part is relevant to aspects of this post but I refuse to ever uphold it as more important than any of her other names or titles, so all four names it is). With Leia also being who K/ylo could just as feasibly been the natural heir to had he chosen that path.

And Finn as someone the First Order/Empire/Dark Side tried to make into a weapon to serve their purposes and them alone, isolating them from family and attempting to make them reliant on them with no other bonds to others, even others with their same allegiance to the FO/Empire/DS....just as they did with Anakin....and with Finn rejecting all that and turning explicitly to the Light, as Anakin ultimately did....making Finn the true successor to the path K/ylo claimed to choose, as while Anakin’s final acts may quite arguably be too little too late to merit true redemption...they nevertheless quite clearly express his final alignment, no matter how K/ylo attempted to rewrite history to match his preferred perspective on the ancestor he honors for all the wrong reasons.

So in that sense, all three of the sequel trilogy’s protagonists serve as narrative foils to K/ylo, providing two different windows looking out on what he could’ve been, if he’d chosen his mother or uncle’s paths....and one inverted mirror showing what he should’ve looked like if he’d actually chosen his grandfather’s path, the way he tries to claim.

And thus, all three of them, each in their own, entirely separate ways.....are the spiritual successors to the Skywalkers whose choices reshaped their galaxy in the first two trilogies...

Even without a single one of them actually needing to be a Skywalker themselves.

Of course, due to the way Finn’s narrative potential stands out as a singular amid the three and with Poe and Rey’s paths flanking his, even though all three share thematic and narrative commonalities....

I maintain that naturally makes Finn’s narrative function the more logical lynchpin of the three distinct foils, bringing it all together.

So if it had been plotted this way from the start, rather than Poe’s importance boosted after the fact while Finn’s importance was either artificially inflated from the start or lessened because of TLJ’s creative changes under the direction of Dude Whose Name I Literally Have Forgotten, Please Don’t Refresh My Memory In The Notes, I Actually Prefer It This Way....

Then I think the way the trilogy should have unfolded is with each of the three movies spotlighting a different one of the three protagonists and the specific ways they mirrored K/ylo’s potential vs his actual choices and ultimate results.

And thus the first movie should have been Poe’s movie, due to the fact that of the three protagonists, he was the one who was already furthest along his particular path before the movie even started, and thus had the most potential as a vehicle for steering the other two protags into their narrative positions at the same time as showcasing the current state of the galaxy and resistance, and serving as a bridge between the new trilogy and the stars of the original trilogy, or at least Leia and Han. 

And of course, this still allows this to be the film where K/ylo kills his father and thus most fully cements his choices and allegiances as he turns his back on the life that could have been his by virtue of his birth, effectively saying “I don’t want or need this, the circumstances of my birth do not decide who I am, only I decide who I am.”

With Poe perfectly mirroring even that, as the end of the film and start of the next one could still bring about his rise within the ranks of the resistance, which is something we’ve been told Leia had hopes for all along. As Poe then demonstrates what could have been K/ylo’s while definitively cementing both his path and his place in history...right alongside Leia Skywalker Organa Solo’s name in future retellings of this time in galactic events. And it doesn’t require anything like Poe viewing her as his mother, as he has his own parents already.....because Leia’s own story in the original trilogy established that she was a Skywalker by birth and an Organa by her adoptive parents’ choice and her own choice to continue honoring them and the childhood and family they gave her...and neither of these things ever demanded conflict, because just as K/ylo’s killing Han declared, everything about Leia’s narrative has always upheld that the circumstances of her birth do not decide who she is...only she decides who she is. 

Which Poe now upholds as well in his own ways, as the true successor to Princess Leia, the face of resistance. In essence, both of their stories proclaiming and affirming that how thoroughly K/ylo sought to divorce himself from following this path was never needed to separate himself from the life some thought he was destined for because of his birth, in order to define who he wanted to be himself.

Then, the second movie IMO should have been Rey’s, the way K/ylo’s natural abilities as a Force user next led him to the path Luke Skywalker had walked and now represented. Where the first movie was an inverted mirror of K/ylo’s life by birth, the second would serve as an inverted mirror of his childhood, by virtue of natural ability.

With Poe’s narrative in the first movie steering Rey into the same place as TFA, getting her to where she needed to go in order to be Luke’s student and learn from him, to unlock her potential as a Force wielder and discover what doors that opened for her as she debates which of them she wants to walk through....similarly, you don’t need to change much about Rey or her narrative to make the most of this here. Because Rey’s relative lack of a backstory and her life inexperience in various areas due to growing up as isolated as she did...both potentially combine to mimic aspects of childhood. A time of self-discovery and exploration, deciding who we are and who we want to be.

Ironically, that thing said about her past by the Dude Whose Name I Still Don’t Remember And Am Making A Conscious Choice Not To Look Up, Respect My Choices Please And Thank You....like, it still could hold true here. About how not knowing where she came from being important in a narrative or thematic way or whatever. I forget the full context or the full reason he had for saying it, and feel comfortable assuming it was bad and wrong and stupid....but, I maintain, neither Rey nor the audience knowing or ever learning who her parents were or where she originally came from could work perfectly for this movie too.

Because it makes her a blank slate...and thus, kind of the ideal candidate for a Jedi, according to the philosophies of the Jedi Order....when Anakin was a Jedi. With no prior ties or emotional attachments to ‘get in the way.’

This film should still revolve around Rey’s choice of alignment, the temptation to choose the Dark Side being brought before her. But whereas K/ylo chose the Dark Side even while having numerous emotional attachments that could have kept him from it if he’d valued them highly enough (and there continues to be zero evidence that Leia and Han were in any way a negative impact on their child to the degree stans of his try to frame them as being, so I’ll thank anyone tempted to make that claim for choosing to go contemplate their own asshole instead, thanks ever so much)...

As I was saying, ahem, in complete contrast to that, the entire opposite end of the spectrum, was Rey and her comparative lack of emotional attachments. Except for Finn and Poe, who she’d only met recently, she had as few attachments as it was pretty much even possible for her to have before embarking on her personal journey as a Force user.

And thus, as a narrative foil to K/ylo, she was perfectly positioned to most fully embody and affirm Luke Skywalker’s narrative in the original trilogy, and advance it from there onward. Because her being an ideal candidate for the Jedi Order even according to its old, pre-Empire standards, meant that her choosing to reject the Dark Side would uphold that the problem was neither having too many emotional attachments....like K/ylo had plenty of and plenty of pre-Empire Jedi would have haughtily trotted out as proof of why they were dangerous.....but also, the problem wasn’t having too few emotional attachments....like was arguably a key factor in Anakin’s fall to the Dark Side, with his emotional attachments being whittled away at or cited as innately dangerous to prioritize.

No. As Luke’s original narrative showed, and Rey’s would embody and hopefully now advance beyond that point....its never been about having too few or too many emotional attachments. Its entirely about what you do with them, the role they play in your life and your choices.

And thus Rey and the second movie of the trilogy would stand as an inverted mirror to the life K/ylo could have had by virtue of his natural abilities with the Force, the path he was presented with in his time of childhood, as the intended heir to Luke Skywalker and the path he’d once walked. And Rey and a choice to reject the Dark Side at the climax of this second movie standing as a rejection of the idea that it was ultimately either Luke’s actions that brought about K/ylo’s choices or the Jedi Order’s actions that brought about Anakin’s....while playing a role, a large role, in all of that....ultimately, as Rey’s choice of alignment would affirm here....it had always, and would always come down to: “What do I choose? I am not defined by the abilities I possess....neither the Light nor the Dark have an automatic claim over me. It is my choice.”

Which brings us at last, to Finn.

As I maintain in the view of all three protags as narrative foils, he’s the logical and most symbolic centerpoint of the triad of characters....which makes him the most logical and most symbolic lead for the finale of the trilogy. And the last movie thus should always have been his movie.

Because Finn and the way we were introduced to him from the start...is what always had the most potential to ensure this trilogy not only affirmed the original trilogy, and retold it in new ways for new audiences and old....but that it went further. Advanced somewhere new. Left us somewhere entirely unexplored, rather than just at the same endpoint the cycle always seems to ultimately revert to in the expanded saga of the Light vs the Dark Side.

See, as foils, both Poe and Rey, and both their movies, would have been about exploring the roads untraveled by K/ylo. The paths he’d not taken by his own choices. Bookending him in terms of what he could have been, as demonstrated by those trying to deal with the problems created by what he is now, what he became.

Poe was the birth of a new trilogy here, the spiritual successor to the idea that we are not defined by our births. Where we began does not have to determine where we end up.

Rey was its childhood, the spiritual successor to the idea that we are not defined by our abilities. What we can do does not have to determine who we can be.

Finn, then, as the last movie of the trilogy, is its adulthood. Birth and childhood and the possibilities they present or limit, the doors they open and close...they’ve made their cases, they’ve played their parts.

But now, in adulthood, its about the actual choices we make. And the consequences those choices carry.

And thus while Poe and Rey functioned within the narratives of their respective movies as windows to what K/ylo could have been had he chosen to walk the paths of his mother and uncle rather than rejected them to walk the path of his grandfather - at least as he insisted on viewing it....

Finn’s narrative in his movie would function fully and wholly as the inverted mirror of not the paths K/ylo could have chosen...but the path he did choose, instead.

And why it was not what he’d convinced himself it was. And never could have been. And never was going to be.

Because just as Poe and Rey were already introduced as perfectly positioned for their narratives as I outlined them here...the same holds true of Finn.

The first movie began where the original trilogy began. With K/ylo already established in the role his grandfather had made iconic....not as the Jedi he’d once been, but Darth Vader, the willing monster he became.

Finn, in stark contrast...began where Darth Vader ended.

Lucas has long said that all six movies ultimately were as much Anakin’s extended story as they were anything else. That in the end, it all came down to that final sacrifice, that last rejection of the Dark and return to the Light.

Thus Finn’s narrative was ultimately the true continuation past the endpoint of both previous trilogies and where they brought us to, and last left us.

He began where Anakin Skywalker ended, making him the one true heir to the Skywalker legacy K/ylo had tried to embrace - at least through the lens he’d committed to viewing it through.

By virtue of our initial introduction to Finn being his conscious and committed choice to defy the First Order that had raised him and molded him to be its weapon, to reject all of that and walk his own path in a completely opposite direction, just as K/ylo had consciously rejected everything he felt his birth and childhood wanted him to be and tried to make of him in order to walk his own path in the completely opposite direction....

This meant that both characters, ultimately, walked the same road.....but without ever meeting or overlapping or treading the same ground, that we saw.

With Finn, we begin where Anakin ultimately ended, and thus Star Wars says, there is always new ground to walk. The story we told, the one we told you was all about leading up to that one final climax....is not the only story worth telling. There are still stories to tell past that point, that choice that Anakin ultimately made.

And here’s one now.

Finn’s story.

And thus while Poe and Rey’s movies showed us everything the Skywalker Heir could have been if he’d made different choices, in two separate directions, two different paths he could have walked and still fulfilled the legacy of the legendary Skywalker family....Finn’s movie would have shown us everything the Skywalker Heir was, by virtue of the choices he had made, the path he did walk.....because Finn is that Skywalker heir, the true spiritual successor of the founding patriarch of the Skywalker line, Anakin, the man with no father. Finn is the final fulfillment and continuation of the Skywalker legacy in a new generation, not K/ylo, no matter how much the latter claimed to be, wanted to be, tried to be.

Because he fucking. Missed. The point.

No, all along its been Finn who is everything Anakin’s entire arc ever made of him...the choices he’d made in defiance or fulfillment of who he was by birth, whatever your stance may be on what the Force intended for him and whether he ultimately fulfilled it or not.....the man he’d become either in spite of or because of who he was by childhood, the way the Jedi Order had tried or failed to teach him or mold him, whatever your stance may be on how much culpability they share for that.

If both the prequel and the original trilogy were ultimately all Anakin’s story....

Then from the very first scene we were introduced to Finn...

They had everything they needed to make Anakin’s story Finn’s backstory.

Just as Poe and Rey were already ideally positioned to affirm, uphold and advance Luke and Leia’s original narratives as their spiritual successors, Finn was ideally positioned to do the same for Anakin’s as his. A two minute long scene at the very start of the new sequel pretty perfectly encapsulated: 

“This is Finn. You know his story. You’ve already seen it. Now, let’s get started with what happens next.”

What does one do after one’s rejected the Dark and chosen the Light?

The original trilogy said, well, one dies, we guess.

The sequel trilogy could have said, well, there’s a whole fucking lot left one can do after that, so here’s three movies to watch that unfold, with the last one specifically devoted to exploring where that road leads from here.

And thus, all three movies and their protagonists could have built upon everything that came before them, could even have claimed the same thing that was said about the original and prequel trilogy being ultimately about Anakin, as this one too could in a way be all about K/ylo and the choices he didn’t make and the ones that he did....

And with all three movies and protags then culminating in one deliberate, incontrovertible message:

K/ylo Ren is a loser punk shithead and the Dark Side sucks, don’t believe the hype. Here’s three movies worth of proof. Now back to the ongoing saga of the Skywalker Legacy, as enacted by its three different points that are nevertheless all headed in the same general direction: 

Into the future.

And into the Light.

But nah, LucasFilms decided “hey what if we just suck instead.”

Absolute fucking icons.

[youidiotprince]

People calling you a hater for not obsessing over DS as if that isnt one of the major reasons why this whole issue has spiralled. Appreciating an actor for their skills and contribution to a show is great but so often it gets taken too far and people start to put them on a pedestal and obsess over them. Then, when they do something that doesn’t match up with the idea of them that someone has created in their own head, they feel betrayed. I much prefer keeping a distance from their personal lives

I think this is a good point! It definitely works both ways too. The people who are really really upset with him, and the people who will fight tooth and nail to defend him. I think it’s best to keep actor and character separate, and to direct most of your love/admiration/obsession to the character and not the actor. If we think the characters are imperfect people, damn the actors are bound to be ten times worse bc they’re real. That’s not to excuse the behavior, and I still think it’s okay to want to hold somebody who’s creating a piece of content you enjoy accountable for their personal behavior when it’s brought to your attention and contradicts/undermines the content you’re supporting, but emotions definitely get very, very heightened when obsession and stan culture of the actual actor get involved.