#they're both having trouble fitting (back?) in to the Rebellion

[mosylufanfic]

Remastered

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), Star Wars - All Media Types Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Cassian Andor/Jyn Erso, Chirrut Îmwe/Baze Malbus Characters: Jyn Erso, Cassian Andor, Bodhi Rook, Chirrut Îmwe, Baze Malbus, Mon Mothma, Shara Bey Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, everyone's alive except K2 sorry, everyone's a disaster, except bodhi, he's got his shit together, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Nighmares, bed sharing of course, heavy on the rebelcaptain, mon mothma means well but jyn is full of rage as per usual, Fix-It of Sorts Summary:

There are many ways to die. Incidentally, there are also many ways to disappear.

Or: Jyn discovers life to be far more troublesome than death.

-

Is this your story? Let me know so I can tag you!

[undefeatednils]

TTRPGs I Desperately Wanna Play

I like TTRPGs. I've only played with three systems (D&D 5e, The Dark Eye 4th Edition Revised, and Dread), but I'd love to try out more. These are a small selection of games that I wish I could play, but I sadly lack the group(s) for that. Also, as an honorary mention, Pathfinder 2e needs to be pointed out. It's very mainstream, and I think I'd enjoy it as a player, but not as a GM.

These games are all in alphabetical order, by the way!

Blades in the Dark

Blades in the Dark is an absolute classic, from everything I've heard. Designed by John Harper and pretty old by now (2017!), I'd just love to experience a short campaign with it. The usage of "clocks" to represent progress when solving problems, the focus on intrigue in general, flashbacks! Blades in the Dark is a very specific game, but it sure looks so fun!

Cloud Empress

Designed by someone going by watt, Cloud Empress is heavily inspired by Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, the first original movie by Hayao Miyazaki (by the way, not a Ghibli movie, because it predates the studio, and its success allowed Studio Ghibli to be formed!).

Cloud Empress really feels like a world where violence is an option, but rarely worth it. Gorgeous illustrations, a fantastic injury and stress system, and a dark yet hopeful setting really give it a lot of flavor that I really, really love!

GRIM

Designed by Tumblr's own @efangamez, GRIM is a dark sci-fi horror game inspired by Quake. I loved reading about its fast-paced, coin-toss-based gameplay and its focus on players rushing around the dungeons, so I'd love to get to play it some day! Let me slay some eldritch beings!

Mausritter

Another oldie, but a goldie! Mausritter by Isaac Williams really plays with the squishyness of player characters in TTRPGs of yore and plays with it by making the players create cute little mice that go on adventures. You can go Watership Down dark, or whimsy, or somewhere inbetween. Perfect little guy energy in the form of a game.

Mothership

So... Are you looking to play a game with someone that really allows you to mirror classic films like Alien or Aliens or The Thing or Event Horizon? I think Mothership by Sean McCoy and others would be the perfect game for that. It largely uses d100s and really seems to allow for characters that fit the archetypes you can find in sci-fi horror movies and have them be both weak enough to be in danger but competent enough to have a shot at dealing with the problem at hand.

See You Space Cowboy

See You Space Cowboy (also known as CUSC) by Onslaught Six and the rest of Tidal Wave Games is really just Cowboy Bebop the TTRPG without the licensing required. Lots of jazzy slang creates the short ruleset for this fun sci-fi RPG. Its system of traits, talents, and breaks feels very intuitive, and I just wanna put on some T-Square or Yoko Kanno or Casiopea while me and a bunch of friends try to survive in a zanier version of space compared to, say, Mothership xD

Sherwood

Created by Richard Ruane, with additional design by Eric Swanson, Sherwood really looks like it can capture the feeling a lot of TTRPG campaigns want to achieve when presented with the idea of adventurers being more trouble for commonfolk than they're worth.

It uses a nice, elegant 2d6 system, its four attributes also serve as a resource for your outlaw, and it really seems fit to tell fun folk tales filled with magic, rebellion, and merriment!

The Electrum Archive

Developed by @emielboven, I just adore pretty much everything about The Electrum Archive. It combines an incredibly flavorful desert world setting with mechanics that are easy to grasp for folks who mostly play 5e, and three very cool classes (I adore the Warlock and the whole magic system which involves knowing the true names of magical spirits and a bit of negotiation between the Warlock player and the GM). I backed the game's second volume via Kickstarter because I was so blown away even by the free rules. I adore it!

Wanderhome

Wanderhome, by Jay Dragon, is another classic. And it barely has any "conventional" mechanics, mostly relying on conversations guided by the, many, many playbooks that exist for it. It really seems like such a beautiful game, an exercise in empathy, and I'd love to read the rulebook more and sit down with folks to "play" Wanderhome, sharing tasty drinks and snacks in the sun.

Also, as an honorary mention, Pathfinder 2e needs to be pointed out. It's very mainstream, and I think I'd enjoy it as a player, but not as a GM.

Also sorry to the two folks I tagged, both are just very prolific people who are also (semi-)active on Tumblr, so yeah...

And again, I didn't get to play any of these. But maybe I will sooner rather than later? Hopefully?

[byanyan]

main verse updates, developments, & additional headcanons

ㅤthanks to lena practically dragging them into it, byan is on the track team that she coaches at school. though they initially weren't all that interested, it's something they've come to enjoy a lot (even if they sometimes have to stop running for a little coughing fit) — they've always enjoyed physical activity, always enjoyed sports, but have never been particularly cooperative when it came to team sports (and always broke rules and got too violent when they'd try martial arts or boxing), so track suits them quite well. they quickly became one of the top performing team members and, though things were certainly rough in the beginning with byan being very abrasive and uninterested in their teammates, they've actually ended up pretty friendly with most of them over the months since they joined.

ㅤalthough they never planned to go to college, having zero interest in continuing in school once they were finally out of the hell of high school, they've come around on it a bit. this is mostly thanks to both lena and sol's encouragement and helping them realize they can go to learn something they actually care about — fashion design. almost entirely because of these two, byan is planning to apply to the local community college and is in the process of building a portfolio of their work for this purpose.

ㅤbecause of this plan, they're slowly becoming a (slightly) better student: attending class more regularly (though still skipping fairly often), paying a bit more attention in class, and even completing and handing in homework. they're actually on track to graduate now rather than flunking out. they may not graduate with flying colours, but it's enough for a diploma and that's all they care about.

ㅤjust because they're doing better doesn't mean that things are perfect, though. they still get discouraged a lot in their struggle with their (still undiagnosed) dyslexia, general inferiority complex, and overall difficulty in the typical school setting. it's not uncommon to hear them ranting about changing their mind about college, see them throw a textbook across the room, or catch them straight up burning their homework out of frustration. if they're feeling particularly awful and discouraged, they have a tendency to disappear for a few days, get themself into even more trouble than usual, get themself into more fights, and numb themself with drugs and/or alcohol. they come back around eventually, but sometimes it takes a bit of coaxing.

ㅤthough they still technically live in the group home, they spend almost no time there anymore, only really stopping by for food or appointments (when they don't blow them off, anyway). most nights they're either crashing on lena's couch or at sol's place, and even most of their belongings have been moved and split between these two locations.

ㅤat this point, the caretakers at the group home have more or less given up on trying to keep an eye on them or expecting any different behaviour from them. they've been in this particular home for several years at this point and, with their eighteenth birthday fast approaching (and with it the time where they'll be unable to stay there any longer), not much point is seen in trying to change anything anymore. byan has always been difficult to keep a handle on, efforts at controlling them to any extent met with aggressive rebellion, and it isn't seen as worth the hassle anymore. at least if they're off doing their own thing all the time, it means they're causing less trouble around the home.

ㅤthe boy they share a room with in the home, si-u, still covers for them a lot of the time, telling the caretakers and staff that oh yeah, byan was totally here last night. byan suspects he mostly does this because he likes having a room to himself, but it results in them being hounded a little less all the same, so they appreciate it.

ㅤof course, just because their future is looking a little less grim doesn't mean that everything has changed. they might have a boyfriend now, might have found themself some actual friends and even some familial figures, but they're still byan. they still love to go out and get themself into trouble, still love to fight, steal, and cause havoc for others, and still have a tendency to get themself in over their head or disappear without warning when their ptsd acts up. things are looking up and they might be feeling more fulfilled but, when it comes down to it, they're still them, and they still have a long way to go.

[forgottenroisin]

Hearing Cassandra's voice, Rosie's face lit up and, with a gleeful laugh, she threw her arms around her friend in response, sleeves flaring out dramatically as she laughed. "Cassandra! Oh, darling, but how enchanting you look!" she cried, stepping back as her friend broke the embrace (Rose failing to note the queen's look of disapproval), and turning her quick gaze towards Cassandra's sumptuous gown.

She shone like silver twilight, her cascade of golden curls framing the lovely angles of her face to perfection, managing to outshine even her gown, itself a perfect confection of regal splendor. "No wonder the wind is raging so: the stars in the sky must be jealous! I am surprised that every young man here has not already dropped dead for love of you. They must be hale and hardy, indeed! But I fear the emperor may be obliged to muster his armies to fend them all off, after tonight!"

Grinning with delight, Rose laughed cheerfully as Cassandra complimented her gown. "It is," she confessed, the color in her cheeks disguised by the blazing torches all around.

It was a rebellion, in truth, to wear this, but -- whatever trouble was to come of it -- Rose boasted no single regret for all that. Slim fitting only to flaire at her hips and at her sleeves (largely so as to conceal her poor hands), Rose was outfitted in her mother's seal: the arms of House Malconaire decorating her right side, while her left depicted those of House Lorcan, a rebellion in which Brigit had gleefully joined her. To be sure that they were not discovered before the fact, Rose had also made them velvet surcoats lively enough to pass for gowns, themselves, but which both sisters had discarded with their cloaks promptly upon arriving, to reveal their true ensembles beneath.

Likewise, Rose's hair was piled becomingly upon her head and, lacking any jewels anywhere upon her person, her hair was decorated only with a crown of ivy that wound round the top of her head and twisted through her braids at the back where it was augmented with a clutch of white snowdrops gleaming amidst her chestnut tresses. (Originally, she'd included a few swan feathers just behind the flowers, wishing to encorporate something of her mother's House, but Eithne had rightfully thought the effect a touch too much and had kindly -- and painfstakingly, so as not to spoil her hair -- removed them for her.) A loop of braided snowdrop stems encircled her throat, their blooms appearing at the front, attended by ivy leaves to complete the effect.

It was not lost on Rose that her stepmother bore an aversion to anything at all relating to their mother and, certainly, she would take this as a slap in the face. Rose thought that a very fine thing. It was the only slap she was capable of delivering, and remembering her mother was something she by no means meant ever to give up, little as she could recall as it was.

"Though I cannot take entire credit for it. My ancestors had some input," she joked, softly, given the heraldry upon it as she glanced down at herself. Suddenly, she realized Cassandra, not being Astairan, might not be familial with her crests and, lighting up with sudden flash of familial pride, she indicated her left side. "This is an artistic depiction, you see, of my mother's family crest: the House of Lorcan. And this one, you may recognize...my father's. The House of Malconaire. I wanted to honor them tonight, you see. Brigit joined me, too," she added with a bright gleam. "In truth," she added, looping arms with her friend. "It almost makes me feel as if they're here with us, tonight. Oh, Cassandra, you would have so liked them, I know it!"

Hearing Cassandra's concerned she giggled and squeezed her arm affectionately. "As if anything could have kept me away, tonight! I've been so looking forward to this! But yes, I confess...it was exciting. And...perhaps a bit harrowing," she began in apparent seriousness before her face brightened with laughter she could no longer conceal as she spoke again. "We were, after all, confined in a small space with Valentina and Cassimir!"

Though she made light of it, there had in fact been one or two rather frightening moments, and it had been so dreadfully, dreadfully cold, she had half thought they'd arrived with a bout of hypothermia, but that hardly seemed like the sort of lively conversation she had looked forward to this evening. Nothing was to spoil tonight!

"What of you? You must have been so busy preparing when all this began! I do hope nothing was spoiled? Though, I must say, it is was, you have recovered wonderfully well. Everything looks..." Different, she thought with a stab of sadness. Something lost. No, no. Not that. Not tonight. "Extraordinary!"

Indeed, this was more than true: she had never once before seen this hall look so. But, she told herself, perhaps all the metal the gold and the broze, the stiff dancing, the sonorous drums, the flaring torchilight...was it not something new and fresh and exciting, rather than gaudy and inhospitable? There was something beautiful to be found here, she was sure. There was something beautiful to be found everywhere! Y et, she found she could find precious little in Roderick's starkly austere tastes.

All she could find to say was this: "I lived here briefly, you know, when I served as lady-in-waiting to the Queen," she began forgetting that at that moment, Eilionora was to be known strictly as a princess and nothing more. Yet, by the end of the night, she would not boast even that title. "And I never once saw it look so. I must congratulate your artisans upon the originality of their vision! But , tell me, were this your feast day, how would you have the Great Hall arranged? "

Glad You Came | Cassandra & Rose

Rose looked absolutely stunning.

Had it been anyone (Guinevere aside), Cassandra would have been seething with jealousy to have someone outshine her so. Rose was perhaps Cassandra's first true friend in the entire world and, with that, she realized that she was just as happy to see Rose shine as she was to shine, herself.

"Thank goodness you have come!" She cried. Formalities forgotten, she threw her arms about her friend until she noticed her mother's disapproving look. Luckily, her father had not and, straightening herself she resolved to be a bit more ladylike the rest of the evening (even if it was so easy to forget herself when she was with Rose).

"You look so beautiful, Rose. Is this gown one of your own designs?" Cassandra wished she had some of Rose's patience to sit down and sketch out any ideas she had for her gowns. Instead, she settled with vaguely describing the general idea and left her father's teams of seamstresses to interpret.

I had begun to worry you might not come, with this terrible weather. Was it terribly exciting braving it to get here?"

[kemonododo]

Decided to rewatch the whole series after seeing the finale, here's my thoughts as they come along part 3

There was an old He-man reboot that was cancelled after two seasons, season 3 was being set up as the horde conquering Eternia with He-man and his kingdom being forced into hiding as rebels. Apparently She-Ra would also appear, though knowing that show she'd be lucky to be 1/4th as interesting or engaging as our Adora. I'm saying this because, even though that cartoon was cancelled before it could finish it's story, we were lucky enough to see ours to it's end and in a way that story they wanted to tell exists here with us now. Plus I always disliked that they called themselves "The Rebellion" when they weren't really rebelling against anything, but they are now!

Poor Adora, even after all this time she still has that hero complex eating away at her, telling her she's useless unless she's serving others.

Entrapta's ramblings about space this season are very relatable.

Catra's face when she sees Glimmer be manipulated, you can see so much behind her eyes. Fear for her standing, flashbacks to her own manipulation, shock at how unprepared Glimmer is for this. Love how Horde Prime sees right through her afterwards, she has no power over him.

Poor Entrapta, she hasn't been with the other princesses since season 1, they're opinion of her has been soured by her betrayal and appearance to not care. We know she loves her friends and is trying her best, but the wound is still sore.

Horde Prime using Glimmer's dad as a bargaining chip is extra horrible when you remember that this is when she discovers he's alive.

It's great that the show takes a moment to allow Adora to come to grips with no longer having a clear destiny she can follow. She's so used to being told what to do, this is the first time she's truly making her own decisions. Agency that Shadow Weaver begins to take away from her later.

I love Catra's internal struggles in these first few episodes. She's trying to do what she's been doing, working her way up the ladder, but she can't. Not anymore. Her heart isn't in it, she knows this isn't what she wants, she's just going through the motions. Spending time with Glimmer is the only thing she enjoys, she finally slows down for a moment to just enjoy someone's company and really bond. Her turn to good isn't a 180, we see her mind working and how she comes to the decision of sacrificing herself. Seeing that Horde Prime is a complete psychopath helped of course.

I love how Horde Prime's ship has star themed beds.

I don't know how they did it, but they made Hordak recognizable among the other clones. It's like twins, once you get to know them the difference is obvious. You can look at a clone and see he's Hordak, yet he looks identical to the others. It's remarkable.

These flashbacks Catra has, wandering the empty corridors that her decisions have left her in, it's a testimony to how far she's come that they don't reaffirm Adora's betrayal to her anymore. She wants to absolve herself of her sins, and she decides a sacrifice is the best way. She wants to go out on one good grace, redemption by death, but that action and her apology is what makes Adora sure she still has good in her. Catra has shown she is willing to be good, and that alone is enough for Adora to give her another chance.

This is the first time the best friend squad has been together since Glimmer pulled the queen card, a lot of the wounds are still fresh. I definitely think this is the point Bow and her truly realize they love each other, they probably had a schoolyard crush but the realization of where they are without each other and how much they mean to each other, something really deep sparked here.

The Star Siblings are here to show what life under Prime is like, but also as a quick show of the Rebellion's message expanding. That's a little underdeveloped though, which is mostly a product of time.

Adora's little "she's not my friend" bit is adorable but a bit out of place imo, Adora hasn't really been this outwardly lovestruck over Catra before, and while Adora has decided to give her another chance I don't think that reignition of love would have happened yet.

The thought that Entrapta went out to find that LUVD crystal to bring with her in the slightest hope she would find Hordak and that he would recognize it. Plus the noises she makes and the fact she immediately adopts Wrong Hordak and that we get to see her without her mask, ah she is so cute!

Hive Mind Catra is terrifying and tragic, it feels so violating. He talks about how she wanted Adora to save her, how afraid she was when she was assimilated. We see that numbness and how it would seem appealing to her, but under the cracks Catra is still suffering, and Adora promises to bring her back, tells her how much she cares about her, transforms into She-Ra to save her. And finally, they are together again.

I love Adora constantly checking on Catra, this is the first time in years she has been with her, she just wants to be with her. Catra starts falling back into her old ways though, that anger still persistent, and Adora's honeymoon phase is over already and for a second we're all afraid nothing has changed. You can see Catra doesn't want to make that mistake again, and she finally lets Adora help her, and likewise Adora finally steps back and lets Catra help her too. They've both grown so much, and that growth is what allows their relationship to blossom.

It's great that Spinnerella and Netossa get their time to shine this season. Their arc here parallels Catra and Adora's earlier, and I would say it's unfortunate they have to go through this, but I love the angst.

Double Trouble! Back for a five minute appearance where they admittedly don't do much, but hey they're fun to watch and have some great lines so it's worth it.

Catra in a healthy relationship, with friends that don't fear her and people she sees as equals. People she can just joke around with and be teased by. You love to see it.

Melog is a pretty important addition, as he gives Catra someone that she can fully trust without the baggage from before. He's literally her therapy support pet, and he's the one that stops her from running away again.

Shadow Weaver's little speech here is great, she's been told that the First One's made the magic stronger when they did the exact opposite. It's a commentary on colonialism, "we brought you civilization, our conquest was good actually" is a very common lie.

Catra holding Adora's hand, Glitra kiss, Best Friend Squad hug, Catra's smirk when Adora says she's right. You love to see it.

I love how Noelle made a self-insert character and also decided she should be evil. "So the only person I'm fighting here is... My own wife" is a mega ouch.

I love Wrong Hordak so much, he not only shows how the Horde Clones are just regular people without the influence of Prime but he is also ridiculously cute.

Did I mention how much I love the new She-Ra look? I liked the old one but damn this blows it out of the park.

I will admit the Heart having a failsafe a d Mara having a rebellion of her own is a bit out of nowhere, but it was a nice reveal of the origin of Grayskull.

I'm a huge sucker for friendship saving the day messages I admit. Not the rainbow lazer kind, but that love and kindness reaching through Prime's control is beautiful. Plus it's wonderful for Catra to see what real friendship is like.

This is a great little moment with Castaspella and Glimmer, this is the first time they've seen Micah since his death.

I love Shadow Weaver so much, she sees Adora and immediately shifts into child manipulation mode. This is the first time I'm actually getting pissed at her though, obviously because she's starting to drive her chisel between Catradora but also because she's reversing all the development Adora has had up until this point.

Hordak: "Go, then maybe these memories and imperfections will leave me " Entrapta: "Remember, your imperfections are beautiful!" The fuck I'm crying in the club again.

I love this Catradora moment, "what do you want Adora" "I have to do this". Obviously their relationship isn't going to be easy after all these years, and both these girl's flaws and insecurities are flaring up again and driving each other apart.

Adora tells off Shadow Weaver for good, she ruins people. This is a huge moment for this character, SW has convinced herself she is the good guy and that she is making the necessary actions to save the world, but this is the one moment she really looks back at herself.

"Adora chose Shadow Weaver, not me. Adora doesn't want me, not like I want her" oof ouch my soul. That with Adora's memories, it's clear they can't just go back to the way it was anymore. They're love is too important to them now.

My headcanon is that Shadow Weaver is drunk here. She's slurring, she's drinking, her daughter is going to sacrifice herself. Maybe her decision to die was one she made totally wasted lol.

Catra promised Adora she'd look out for her, and the soft version of the promise song in the background. Ow ow ow ow my heart.

Glimbow canon!

Mara is here, telling Adora the same thing Razz told her in the 3rd episode of the entire show. Stop looking for what other people tell you to do, you have a choice.

Spinnetossa, Seamista, Entrapdak. It's cliche, but love conquers all is a message I'll never tire from.

I started tearing up with the Glimmer Micah fight, and full on sobbing when Angella appeared. Something that didn't really stop.

I was mixed on SW's sacrifice, but I think it works. Each of them were trying to take the selfish way out, to die for the ones they love. So it's fitting that SW is the one that does it.

Fuck yeah Hordak! What a monumentous but short lived moment.

CATRADORA!!! God, the confession, how Catra whispers it but how Adora hears it as a scream, how it wasn't Catra that made Adora weak but infact the exact opposite, how they're both so surprised and relieved that these feelings they've felt for years are real and strong and true and reciprocated. It's the best conclusion possible for them and it makes me cry so much.

This beautiful moment, where Adora saves Hordak, the ultimate repayal for him saving her all those years ago. He remembers her. Fuck I'm sobbing again.

Scorpia sees Catra again after leaving her, and of course she hugs her.

And it's over. The best show ever made. Netflix automatically resets your watch history and here I am looking at the button to play Season 1 Episode 1 again. This 1 and a half year journey feels like a millenia, it feels so long ago that Adora first picked up that sword. This is a show I will cherish forever, I can see myself binge watching in the retirement home already.

[crossdressingdeath]

#yeah... they haven��t really solved the problem the best though imo#in accounting for all these problems their solution so far seems to be to reduce the number of large OR small player choices#and keep player choices from the past from appearing a whole ton if at all#and we don’t need to be reminded of every single option you can take in regards to a mercs life in origins#but it does kind of feel like inquisition has it a lot weaker than 2 or origins#although there is some cool stuff#Morrison’s kids dad will be different and she’ll mention it to him and leliana will talk about her relationship to the warden#Conner will be in redcliffe if he’s still alive and obvi alistair shows up one way or another#there’s even a quest involving fucking worthy from da2#but idk it felt more... like something was definitely going to happen whether you liked it or not and all the say you had in it was -#the level of sarcasm you displayed#maybe it’s because I hate corypheus as a villain I think he sucks and that things involving him suck#and unfortunately that is the whole main story (tags via @its-cullenminating)

The trouble with Corypheus is that I got the sense that they were trying to copy what they did with the Archdemon in DAO without recognizing that the Archdemon only worked because Loghain and Howe were the villains carrying the story up to the endgame. Corypheus doesn't feel enough like a person to carry the story the way the villains of the previous games did; Samson and Calpernia aren't really active enough to cover for him, we're not even supposed to see Mythal as a villain during the section where she's a major player, and Solas doesn't reveal himself until the credits, so DAI is left without a strong overarching villain like Loghain or Meredith to keep things moving.

And DAI is definitely where we're starting to see the main weakness of this series's branching paths beginning to hit home. I mean, I'm pretty sure half the reason for the Conclave exploding is that previous player choices would lead to world states so wildly different that it would be hard to write the mage rebellion in a way that fits all of them (a world state where both the Warden and Hawke are firmly pro-mage will have a very different rebellion than one where they're both pro-Templar, as an example). I suspect (or at least hope) that that's why both the Circles and the College of Enchanters exist at the end of the game no matter who becomes Divine; Bioware is trying to create a situation where all world states are similar enough that they don't have to nuke the whole situation to make it work. Which does limit the impact player choices have, but that's a necessary evil. And I definitely agree that DAI feels very much like things are just happening with you occasionally commenting on it. I think that largely comes from you being shoved into the position of Inquisitor and constantly badgered about doing things that'll benefit the Chantry... even if you don't want to and/or it makes no sense for your character. I hope that in DA4 we'll go back to being Just Some Guy who happens to be in the right place at the right time; DAI gives the player way too much power over the setting and then doesn't let you do anything with it, which leaves me at least feeling like things are entirely out of my hands in a game where my choices are supposed to matter.

Continued HLtA thoughts: Stroud is so obviously a placeholder option that it's not even funny. I mean, Stroud? The guy Hawke interacts with for like ten minutes total tops across all of DA2? The Inquisitor has no reason to care about Stroud and the player has no reason to care about Stroud! ...Well, the Inquisitor has no particular reason to care about Loghain or Alistair either beyond the vaguest "veteran of the Fifth Blight helped save the world" sort of caring. But the player may well care about Loghain! The player almost certainly cares about Alistair (as long as they played Origins)! Choosing between Alistair and Hawke is hard! Leaving Loghain to die does provoke a small twinge of grief for me! But Stroud? He's just... a guy. If Stroud is your Warden ally it really weakens the impact of the whole quest, because neither you nor your character have any personal reason to care about whether this man lives or dies. The overall weakness of the sacrifice in-universe is somewhat covered up with Alistair and Loghain by the fact that the player has an attachment to those characters, but Stroud? With Stroud it really drives home that the Inquisitor has no reason not to save Hawke.

[thegirlwholied]

So I've been reading your posts about Rebel Rising and the inconsistencies are driving me crazy. I just can't see her having been adopted by a family and her NEVER thinking about them after they're killed. And of course they had to give her a love interest. I literally can't imagine her having romantic feelings for anyone before Cassian, or even having an emotional connection to anyone until she meets the R1 squad. Does she actually fall in ~Love~ or is it just a passing attraction?

Very Telling here is that I didn’t even mention that Jyn’s Temporary Found Family dies… but you immediately Knew It To Be True.

And it is.

Here’s the rub with Jyn never thinking about them after they’re killed, though-

RebelRising!Jyn thinks about them again. Plenty.

Novelization!Jyn doesn’t, and we’re fully in her head, but she maybe wouldn’t have reason to.

Movie!Jyn, our only insight into her thoughts is the acting, the dialogue and how it’s delivered, and how of course we then take it. There’s more backstory-room.

But STILL there’s inconsistencies, which I’d describe as:

RR!Jyn’s characterization doesn’t feel in line with movie!Jyn and comes closer to directly contrasting Novelization!Jyn.

Small but specific example of what I mean:

RR!Jyn has a “bit of luck” in that the stormtroopers inspecting her mistake her kyber crystal necklace for a bit of glass.

Novelization!Jyn ‘managed to keep’ her necklace, smuggled into the prison when she should have ‘been worried about weapons or a comlink.’

Movie!Jyn has the necklace; we don’t know why; either works but the two are pretty incompatible as presented, both Factually and Characterization-Wise.

More overall example:

RR!Jyn, while she of course has her canon combat skill set, avoids fights whenever possible, after Saw leaves her. She never starts one.

Movie!Jyn, on a covert mission, when somebody just bumps into her:

…That is not the face of someone who is not looking for trouble, but okay. It’s not… factually incompatible.

Novelization!Jyn, chapter 1, as we’re introduced to Jyn on Wobani and who she is as an adult: considers rising a second time ‘solely to irritate’ her cellmate (who is threatening to kill her), but decides against it only because “If she was going to pick a fight, better be awake enough to enjoy it”.

“It’s not a problem if you don’t look up” - Novelization!Jyn explicitly says this just to hurt Saw. Felicity’s acting suggests the same in the movie- and maybe partly that she’s trying to convince herself, but her heart’s not in it.

RebelRising!Jyn legit comes to believe this and stews a lot about the Rebels drawing the Empire down on people who might otherwise be left alone…

The Inevitable YA Love Interest is honestly the least of things I took issue with, my friend. But let me break it down for you, so as to answer your actual question, under the cut:

We make it 213 pages - over half the book! - without a love interest.

This was refreshing, and I say this as someone fond of a strong flavor of romance in my plot (Empire Strikes Back style, say, or Raiders of the Lost Arc - childhood favorites that probably set the tone of Things I Like).  

Attraction was largely not even on Jyn’s radar. She was busy, being Saw’s surrogate daughter, training to trying to be included on missions - not that she ever gets sent on many, for the ‘best soldier in his cadre’ - working on her forging skills (the development of Jyn’s forging skills was my favorite part of the book by far)…

But this is YA, a YA book fully intended to be a bestseller and have all the bestselling YA things, so I was waiting for it.

Every single newly introduced character near Jyn’s age, I considered like I was playing mental Clue.

-Could it be young Rebel group leader Reece Tallent with his YA-romance-ready name and blue eyes?

-Could it be one of the Partisans Jyn asks after in the novelization, who all show up here?

(Note: the YA-sounding scene referenced in one line of the novelization, Codo trying to kiss her and then not speaking to her when she refused, is Not In This Novel.)

-Could it be the Imperial Lieutenant Colonel with the perfectly chiseled face Jyn “felt inexplicably drawn to” and is struck that he doesn’t say the “Empire was already wonderful, just that it had the potential to be”?

(Note again: I thought he might be the novel’s central villain when he again shows up on a news report, now missing an eye. No, this is just a character introduction that goes absolutely nowhere but is just kind of episodic.)

-Could it be the young man Jyn grabs to get off a planet under bombardment, since she’s got the forged clearance codes to get by and he says “I work transport; I can fly anything”?

…Who immediately opens a potentially interesting Rogue One esque dialogue by saying, racked with guilt, “We could have saved someone other than ourselves”?

(A Note of Nope: …don’t get your hopes up on this dynamic. They might scrape through near-certain death together but Jyn never even learns his name.)

I was pretty pumped by Jyn’s first post-Saw team-up. She gets a temporary job with a woman freighter pilot who ships for the ‘little guys’, family-run mining companies, not corporate or goverment…

…But winds up just moving into this woman’s house where she immediately meets her son, the first character all book described as:

“a boy about Jyn’s age.”

Anddddddd before I even made it to the next line, I knew, we have a winner.

His name is Hadder Ponta, and he’s fine.

And yes, I’m sure he’s “fine” as in “hot”, though the writing’s solid enough we don’t need that kind of direct descriptor, we get, “same dark brown skin with red undertones that [his mother] had, and the same black hair, though his was cropped to chin length”; later we get that Jyn’s attracted to him because it’s “very distracting” when he runs his fingers through his hair and the “silky locks fluttered around his ears. He needed a haircut…”

But I mean “fine” in the general sense. He’s just a boy, who really likes Jyn.

…I mean, his mom brought home a cute mysterious girl and put her in their house one wall away from him, and then just the two of them hang out while his mom’s off-planet doing her job; if other people their age are around we never meet them, so…

The most interesting thing about him is probably his dead sister, and I don’t mean that in a mean way -

Tanith Ponta, the real Tanith Ponta, died because she had bloodburn, a new!canon disease that impacts pilots, and actually, she overdosed on the addictive treatment for it. This is… a lot of interesting information, for a plotline that is otherwise irrelevant, but, tangent, odds in favor that bloodburn is what  killed Shara Bey? I’m not aware of any other diseases existing in the Star Wars universe likely to carry off a young fit pilot when her son is six.

The purpose for this is that Hadder’s mom is afraid it runs in their family and won’t let him fly, though he and Jyn secretly take out a shuttle together.

in other words his main personality characteristics are

wants to be a pilot but parental figure won’t let him

thinks being a Rebel sounds like a good idea but has no concept of the fight/gray areas

just wants to get away and see the universe

admires strong women

… wait why does that sound famili-

…I’m actually fine with this, but the execution of the concept was a little lackluster.

Book-wise, it wound up being not quite I was Here For - I was hoping for some more of the ‘disorderly conduct’ and ‘escaping custody’ and ‘creating a public nuisance’ promised by her charges in the Rebel Dossier (I still thought that would be coming, but uh, yeah, that never happens)…

But here we get about 100 pages of Jyn trying to live a settled life in a nice place for ~ a year with these nice people who remind her what the word family means again, obviously both the Empire and Rebels show up and there is crossfire and the Inevitable again happens…

But, while Hadder’s kind of boring, he’s fine, and I *can* see Jyn going for someone naive and genuinely caring at this point in her life, and part of me is like, whew, okay, it’s nice to see Jyn grab ANYTHING nice for herself, especially for her strongly implied first time and when Rebel Rising is drilling home that her life is A Series of Unfortunate Events.

The word ‘love’ is never thrown around, except once, by Hadder: he goes “Copy that, love” and I mentally go… “wait my default America reading accent may have been a mistake here”. The word “forever” is, in Jyn’s thoughts, and I was pretty bummed we never get older her reflecting back more cynically on how likely that would have been, even if he lived…

But no we don’t get that, and this becomes her big losing hope/’maw in her heart’ event/feels she doesn’t deserve good things and then the remaining 100 pages of the novel have so many Imperial collaboration issues, still seeming sixteen when she’s supposed to be her movie-age now, that I barely had a groan to spare for Hadder being something of a Lost Lenore.

But yeah he is, so it teeters pretty close to “L” on that scale you were asking about- but still, for me, fell pretty evenly in between “Could’ve Been Worse” and “Could Have Been Better”.

The big question, for me, which pushes it more one way:

Is that line I’d seen circulating Tumblr before I read Rebel Rising - of Cassian seeming “familiar” but she can’t place it- meant to imply, as we’re finishing the book, that he reminds her of Hadder?

(Hadder does have a “We need to do something” line at one point, she sees something “steely and fierce” in his dark eyes that Jyn thinks would make him a hero in the Rebellion, he’s the only character I can think of getting a laugh out of people… this is not a book with much in the way of humor…)

…so while that’s thankfully left open, there really isn’t much in the way of other in-book contenders she might be thinking of, that is a solid “probably” on intent there.

In summary of my whole long explanation: believe me when I tell you, even though there are some really good scenes in this book and aspects I like a lot… when I say Mistakes Were Made, Jyn’s teenage love interest and how important or not he remains to her, not even registering on my scale of frustrations.