#this is a rant

[storycraftcafe]

Did I just unsubscribe from a writer I've been following for years because they advocated for using AI? You fucking bet.

They suggest it's use as a tool, citing writers who hesitated to jump on the internet being left behind and I think that displays a rather big misunderstanding of the nature of problem.

Their point was gen AI can "help us think" but there's growing studies show us that it does anything but. Here's one paper on skill atrophy from AI use. There's more than a few of them plus some articles like this one from Forbes. Essentially using AI for a particular skill shows degradation in thelat skill.

Fact is brainstorming, research, analysis. Planning, outlining, writing, editing are ALL skills writers need to develop and practise. Not offload to a machine and surrender critical thought.

These skills are vital and transferrable to other aspects of our lives. My ability to critically examine a body of text to parse meaning works in enjoying fiction and digging through mixed messages in news and on social media. My ability to research and develop ideas from multiple sources also helps me fact check misinformation online.

These skills are so important, too important to cast aside for convenience.

I'd rather use my brain and do the work. Maybe ai will shift and better tools will arise, but I have put too much work into developing my skills to be content with the half assed result of the plagiarism machine.

Fuck that.

[pondermoniums]

I'm never getting over the fact that Arthur, on every single date he goes on, talks about Merlin. Brings Merlin along. Aggravates the living hell out of Merlin right in front of the salad.

Vivian, Elena, Gwen, and Mithian are the epitome of, "Hi, this is my boyfriend, Arthur. And that's Arthur's boyfriend, Merlin."

It's really freaking rich that Arthur made a joke about Merlin being sheltered with no tact with women - meanwhile, this literal castle-bound prince cannot function without his best friend, manservant, and boyfriend.

[ydsurluvhsm]

ok so i need ppl to stop reducing gajevy to just “tiny smart girl & her big dumb guard dog bf” bc that is NOT what’s going on here. yeah, levy is book smart, yeah, gajeel is a beast in a fight, but they’re both so much more than that?? levy might not be physically strong, but she’s got insane emotional intelligence. she picks up on things so fast. she understands people better than they understand themselves. and gajeel?? literally one of the most observant characters in the series. he might not be out here writing essays, but he knows how people move, how they think—that’s street smarts, battle smarts, whatever u wanna call it. levy teaches him patience and softness, but gajeel teaches her how to stand her ground, how to be bold. it’s not just levy being the “brains” and gajeel being the “brawn.” they balance each other. they challenge each other. that’s why they work so well!!

[derwinduckirl]

Why do people think Eric and Dylan are Racist?

Okay, to start this, let me say I do not know Eric and Dylan and I obviously can't know truly what they felt since... they're both fucking dead. Anyway:

Both boys said slurs of various kinds. The nword, slurs against Mexicans and Asians, literally all racial slurs ever. Dylan called Isaiah (I believe that's his name, I don't care), the only person of colour they killed, the nword too. Eric called himself racist multiple times, too. But beyond that, I don't really see any proof.

Eric: Eric had called himself racist multiple times, a nazi too, but he also said he thinks white people should be oppressed. He called racism dumb and even wrote a whole essay on it for a class. Eric also had multiple colored people who were his classmates, none of which reported any racist events from Eric.

Dylan: The only real evidence I see used is him saying the nword and calling Isaiah the nword. But the thing is... he obviously wasn't racist. I don't believe Dylan ever claimed to be. He didn't call Isaiah that because he hated his race, he was mocking everyone they shot. And, well... that was Isaiahs most prominent feature. So, you know, he made fun of it.

Another thing to remember is that the 90s and 80s were very different times. Slurs weren't really as serious as they are now. Even people like Kurt Cobain used terms that could be offensive now (r.g: negros). They both had an edgy kid persona as well. And I can talk from experience that it is made to offend *everyone*, it's made to be hated. It's a defence mechanism, if anything. The nword was used like faggot is used today.

[platossoulmates]

one thing i see often about movie cherik specifically is people assuming erik is staunchly anti-telepathy but this is simply not true. there are multiple times when erik tells charles to stay out of his head, yes, but these are all moments when he is exceptionally angry. we know erik likes that charles thinks there’s good in him, and we also know he disagrees. he tells charles to stay out when he believes his anger will make charles see his true nature.

but there are also moments where he welcomes charles inside his mind. when they train in first class, charles asks “may i” and wiggles his fingers, and erik agrees without hesitation despite having no idea what charles plans to do. he trusts him. multiple times throughout the prequel movies, when he is without his helmet, he brings up the fact that charles could make him do whatever he wishes. he is joking, but the fact that he can joke about it at all shows just how deeply he trusts him. he never shows disgust or mistrust towards charles ability- in fact his whole fight is that no one should have to hide their mutation

even when he puts the helmet on the first time, he says “sorry charles, it’s not that i don’t trust you” he simply knows that he is disappointing him- knows that without the helmet, charles would be able to stop him, but also knows he wouldn’t, and is therefore saving them both from the what ifs when he chooses to wear it

tldr; erik never actually had a problem with charles inside his head! and it drives me crazy when that’s the whole basis of fics even though erik trusts charles more than he has ever trusted anyone else from the very moment they meet

[thevulturesquadron]

I can’t take people who're complaining about the companions' reactions to Solas’s murals seriously. Not when in the same breath they whine about there being no nuance or difference of opinion or conflict between them. Which one is it? Cause in reality, it just shows that you lot care more about complaining than about enjoying the game.

Those murals might have been called ‘Solas’s regrets’, but the reason the team is investigating them is because they need to know Solas better, to understand him and the way he works so that they can predict what's next. What’s his goal? What angle is he operating from? What is he not telling them? What motivates him and how can they be prepared for a possible betrayal? They take Solas very seriously. They give him the importance he is due. In the end, he is still someone a million times more powerful than any of them, and he is still a threat to everything they love. The game tells you in so many ways that you can understand and have compassion for someone while still acknowledging that they are wrong.

On top of that, it was so refreshing to actually have different opinions, see people give different meanings to what they see BECAUSE of who they are. Each one brings a different perspective, a different voice. You need all of that to get the full picture! That’s what makes them a team. That’s why you need them! So you don’t end up with a skewed perspective or miss an angle that might not be obvious because of your own beliefs or experiences. In the end they trust your judgment. But they make sure you have all the pieces.

Also, let's not forget that a lot of the people that are complaining about these moments completely ignore that a. not everything that’s said is black and white (based on what answers you pick, often times, these characters answer differently), b. it offers the RPG element everyone likes to say is missing by offering Rook the chance to truly state their own thoughts and feelings on the matter.

Anyway, these scenes just prove that some of you out there are not capable of handling nuance and a difference of opinion or conflicting characters.

And that’s why you don’t give fans what they think they want: because the result is going to be lukewarm (at best) and they’re still going to complain about it.

[yj-polycule]

I'll never understand the fanon interpretation of Tim where he is a loner or anti-social.

Tim Drake? The same Tim Drake that makes friends even when he's at his lowest mentally? The Tim Drake that has connections absolutely everywhere and probably one of the most codependent relationships with his respective superhero team?

The Tim Drake that managed to befriend Huntress and bring her more into the Gotham vigilante scene? The same Tim Drake that still has contact with Jean-Paul despite not liking the dude in the slightest?

The same Tim Drake that was the first person (besides Barbara) to trust Cass and the same person to befriend and trust Steph before everyone else? The same Tim Drake that has changed school five times (that we know of in comics) and had managed to make a solid friend group at every single school?

No, Tim is not a loner or anti-social. He is the most socially active of the Batfamily in terms of friendships outside of just being a vigilante. He has more named civilian friends that most of the other combined, and is known to be well spoken and easy to get along with.

So no, Tim is not anti-social. Tim is not a loner. This motherfucker cannot got 10 minutes without making a friend or an ally whenever he's doing a mission. Literally when he pushed away everyone else in his life when he was at his lowest he still came out of the whole ordeal with 2 new best friends. He has never once been a loner and I genuinely would love to know where the hell Fanon came up with that?

[aaeeart]

everytime I see a piece of art with the Ghost crew all together post SWR with Ahsoka standing with them I get personally attacked.

[imafluffycupcakey]

If I see ONE MORE PERSON INSULTING this art style, I'm gonna lose it.

Spoilers for a panel of boy wonder bellow

I was reading in a website (it was when it came out, so it was gonna take a while for the comic to be translated and be in stores here).

And you can log in and leave reviews, and there where at least 3 people trash the art style, and not even on a " oh yeah I don't really like it" no, just fully going " this is garbage"

Just because YOU don't like it doesn't mean it's bad.

LOOK AT IT, it's the most beautiful art style I've seen on comics so far (I haven't read many, leave me alone).

I wish there would be more things like boy wonder, it was such a delight to read.

Also, Talia in these comics is the only version of her I like. (I've only seen her 3-4 times in Canon, 2 in movies and the other times in comics... I'm still not over what they did on RedHood lost day)

[the-cat-and-the-birdie]

I just wanted to say that the way you characterize and talk about Miguel has actually really helped me with thinking about how to write for him 😭 genuinely I love the way you describe him as an actual like person and not just some sex addict or someone who's extremely distant and cold. I hope you continue writing mild Miguel because it's so refreshing compared to all the other shit I see 😭💕

THANK YOU THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!

AHHHHHHHHHHH THIS IS A MIGUEL SAFE SPACE AND LIKE- CAN I BE REAL FOR A SECOND???

MIGUEL ISN'T AN ASSHOLE YOU PEOPLE ARE JUST MEAN - A.K.A -

My Defense & Evidence of a Milder, Non-aggressive Sympathetic Miguel O'hara.

[This is a half-break down half rant about Mild Miguel, when we see Miguel's true nature, and what fandom gets wrong about him. I have my evidence.

this is shorter than my usual posts but I'm going absolute apeshit Miguel Mode by the end so sorry you have to see that.]

I think Miguel and Hobie are the two most complex characters in the film. Like - both of them equally.

It's just really easy to explain one over the other.

I feel this way because every character we see in the entire movie - Miles, Gwen, Peter, Jess, Rio, Jeff, The Spot, everyone - is forthcoming and clear about their intentions and motive throughout the movie.

When we're watching the movie the first time, we understand Miles motive, and Peter's, and Gwen. In real time. It's there and stated. Miles wants to save his dad, Peter wants to be a better mentor, Gwen just wants peace basically.

But when we're watching for the first time - we have no idea what Hobie OR Miguel is capable of until they do it.

They are the two we're surprised by. (And they're also exact opposites who somehow don't seem to be complete adversaries)

They're the only two within the film who we are left to speculate their motive, their drive, and what they'll do next.

They're the only two in the film who are truly meant to catch us off guard with their behavior.

Leading up to Hobie's big twist, there was a LOT of misdirection. I think the same is true for Miguel...but like..the fandom isn't picking up on the misdirection AT ALL.

I have a lot of ideas and thoughts about Miguel and his character and honestly I think it's the exact opposite of what the fandom sees.

But when its's Hobie, it's very easy to understand him, just read the wiki on Punk and you're good.

But I don't think anyone has look closer at Miguel yet.

I genuinely believe that the reason Miles got away was because Miguel went soft.

He was watching the videos of Gaby to remind himself why he was doing this - why he had to stand his ground, but when Miles started panicking, and begging to know how much time he had left - Miguel slipped up. He went soft.

And he told him 'two days'.

You can see it in Miguel's face when Miles is asking.

That's not the face of a man considering assault. That's not anger. He's wavering.

He didn't have to tell Miles how long he had left. But he did - why? Cause he thought 'I'd kill for two days with Gabby. A lot of people get less warning about death - Maybe he can spend those two days with his fath-'

and then Miles is like 'word?? two days to stop you?? iight im out also fuck yall' - which understandable have a nice day

But like......Miguel wouldn't have said it if he knew it would fuck him over. He didn't KNOW Miles was radicalized cause he didn't know Hobie had spoken to him. He thought that telling him might convince him. If he knew Miles was gonna run - there's no need to tell him anything.

He could've lied and said "I DON'T KNOW. But maybe let's talk about this."

But he didn't. He slipped up.

He's SOFT. Everytime he's mean, or angry - He has to think about it. Like when he looked at Hobie - and thought about it. He has to MAKE himself do it. It isn't natural to him.

Nobody else in the room was gonna answer Miles. Miles wouldn't have known. But Miguel told him two days. And because of that, that specific slip-up, Miles is trying to save his dad.

Why? Because he's SOFT. CAPITAL S SOFT.

Miguel is not a raging monster. Or aggressive. Or manipulative.

He's a guy who thinks he's holding the universe together with duct tape and a kid is in front of him begging to know how long they have left with their father and he tells them and because of that they get away and now everything he worked for is gonna emplode in his face because he had a SOFT SPOT FOR A KID AGAIN AND DID SOMETHING HE SHOULDN'T AGAIN AND TOLD HIM AND NOW PEOPLE ARE GONNA DIE AGAIN BECAUSE HE MESSED WITH THE MULTIVERSE AGAIN FUCK-

Like...yeah- he snapped. A normal person would snap. I've snapped for way less and a lot of other people have.

Granted, we don't go mauling children.

I don't know, I just feel like he's an incredibly layered character.

Because when he's ranting and screaming at Gwen like an irritated school teacher we're already like 'oh fuck you dude but also fuck you ;)'

so when he's right there doing things like this - we don't see it. The same way we don't see Hobie's stealing - because we think we have him figured out.

We don't see Miguel's tenderness.

Because we assume we know who he is - he's cold and aggressive and rude and hates Miles,

but like...is he really?

Miles is getting upset - and the whole conversation leading up to it Miguel has talked to him from a far, hands when Miles can see them. He's not trying to stand over him, or intimidate him. Miguel knows he's scary. He knows how to be scary.

He isn't trying to scare Miles. The exact opposite. He's trying to comfort him.

And when Miles starts lashing out - Miguel is genuinely surprised. That isn't the look of someone who THINKS he's about to hurt this kid.

He's telling Miles, hands up "Hey, sorry. I'm not trying to hurt you." He immediately lets go, backs up.

I just---- FUCK, PEOPLE THE MAN IS STANDING RIGHT THERE THATS MILD MIGUEL LOOK AT HIM

If you really really think Miguel is naturally aggressive, or angry, or cold -

If you write him that way -

I ask that you rewatch the leading up to Miles' escape. Look at his body language. Watch him, and look at his face. That's all I ask.

I just kjsjrghjkSIGHIDDGU I CAN'T STAND FOR THIS INJUSTICE AND EMOTIONAL ILLITERACY

HES NOT A GOOD GUY BUT LIKE....HE'S ... THE ONE YALL ARE SERVING...COMPLETELY DIFFERENT MAN.

He's SOFT. The same way he caved for Gwen after a little pushing. He caved for Miles after a little pushing. That's why he told him two days. SOFT

MILD MIGUEL, SOFT MIGUEL, WANTS TO DO THE HARD THING BUT FUCK HE CAN'T DO IT MIGUEL, HAS TO STAND COMPLETELY STILL AND UNMOVING TO NOT CAVE TO MAYDAY MIGUEL, MIGUEL WHO LOVES PEOPLE BUT KEEPS HIS DISTANCE AND SHUTS HIS MOUTH BECAUSE PEOPLE GET HURT MIGUEL MIGUEL MIGUEL

I'm going to go Miguel Mode.

If understanding Hobie was a house, the fandom is standing out on the road.

If understanding Miguel was a house, the people aren't even in the same neighborhood. We're in the next state over. Other side of the globe. Off base by like 12 zipcodes and 4 times zones

Mild Miguel. Please tell me you're seeing this.

Am I crazy for thinking that the slip up - of telling Miles two days - wasn't out of stupidity but PITY? SYMPATHY?

Because Miguel thinks getting to spend two whole days with some you'll lose is a BLESSING to him - not a curse.

Even though to ANY non-traumatized person - it would be a curse.

...... yo

Miguel stepped into Gabriellas life because he didn't want her to lose a father. He KNOWS losing a father hurts.

So when Miles is there in front of him, talking about not wanting to lose his father - Miguel KNOWS how he feels. Gabby didn't want to lose her dad either.

Miguel UNDERSTANDS. He's a FATHER -

HE KNOWS HE'S BEING THE BAD GUY HE KNOWS ITS WRONG NOT TO STEP IN THATS WHY HE STEPPED IN FOR GABRIELLA IN THE FIRST PLACE THIS ISN'T THE PERSON HE WANTS TO BE OR THOUGHT HE'D BECOME YOU PEOPLE ARE MEAN AND HORNY -

I- I can't even i'm sorry I -

I have a longer post about this in the works like breaking down all of his body language from his moments with MJ and Hobie and like teverything

but ITS NOT EVEN LIKE I THINK HE'S RIGHT I JUST CANT STAND PEOPLE BEING THIS WRONG ABOUT IT I CANT

If you see him as aggressive or cold this post isn't meant to be an attack. I am just down bad for Mild Miguel and I'm going delirious with hunger and starvation for him

#Justice4MildMiguel Maybe I'm huffing copium but also i know im fucking not he's RIGHT THERE

[And if you hate Miguel like hate hate him Moche says dishonor on you dishonor on your cow dishonor your family and your land in the name of Aia Paec Almighty]

If you made it this far....Imsorry you had to see me that way I don't know what came over me here's a picture of Hobie to help me calm down.

(aka Hobie judging the fuck outta me in my head)

I need a glass of water. Bye.

[to-the-stars8]

Controversial opinion, but I just saw a post about a Joker HBO show being in the works--and, I just can't. I'm tired of that stupid fuck. DO ANOTHER VILLIAN THAT CAN BE FLESHED OUT!!

[cyantt-does-stuff]

The way people tend to treat Wilson and Amber's relationship kinda pisses me off.

"They only knew each other for a few months."

First off, putting a time limit on a relationship is stupid. Dictating how long a person has to know someone for their feelings to suddenly become "real" or "validated" is the dumbest take I've ever seen. Especially when the show gives you the change Amber helps Wilson make.

Wilson is a people pleaser with a need to be a savior. But paired up with someone who doesn't need saving, someone who would rather see Wilson please himself instead of others? That's the foil Amber was and the one Wilson desperately deserved. Amber wasn't needy. This is important.

Amber took charge. She knew about Wilson's past relationships and refused to let a repeat happen. Because she loved him. And Wilson was changing because he loved her.

It doesn't matter how long they knew each other what mattered is that they helped each other be better, to grow. I also hate people bashing Wilson for grieving, again, for someone he's known a short while.

Give these two a break.

[pondermoniums]

There are plenty of questionable moments throughout Merlin but one thing they did super well is Arthur and Uther's relationship. Uther's an abusive father, but Arthur loves him, and we see Uther's delicate side often enough to understand why.

A moment that really hits hard is in season 3, after Uther discovers Arthur and Gwen together, is when Arthur pleads his case. He scrambles between three different tactics, first sincerity, followed by more princely authoritative force, and then begging and apologizing.

Uther is unpredictable, a trait that makes him so awful as a father. So watching Arthur, who knows him better than anyone, swing wide so fast, within a single conversation, trying to find the right card to play in his father's game, is really heart-wrenching.

It shows a very special emotional intelligence in Arthur, albeit a devastating one.

[anelysiumcoffeeshop]

There is something so inherently raw and spiritual about becoming a woman. You feel everything with the power of a storm, you love savagely, and you cry with the same power. Womanhood is seeing that we are nature- sacred, wild, beautiful, and something men have tried to push down and control for thousands of years.

[anoray]

So, if you’re an ardent fan of Andor who thinks it and Rogue One are the best things that have ever happened to Star Wars ever ever ever, this post is not intended for you or to rattle your chain. My venting is for anyone else who might have similar Thoughts and/or may have their own feedback to share. Who knows? Maybe I’m the only person in the Star Wars fandom who reacted to Andor in this way, but into the void I feel compelled to scream.

First, I want to compliment the acting and production values. It is clear that everyone worked hard on the series, and they put their hearts into it. Kudos. What is mainly raising my hackles are the extremist Andor fans who suffer from what I call “Andor Superiority Syndrome” aka ASS. These ASS folks seem to take delight in proclaiming that Andor is the be all, end all of Star Wars and everything else is infantile and disposable in comparison. Their fawning praise, along with their outrage whenever anyone dares to opine that Andor has flaws, has grown increasingly tiresome (yes, I block it as best as I can. But.). At this point, I counter the ASS crowd with this argument: If the backstories of Andor and Rogue One never existed, all the other SW movies and series would still make sense and remain enjoyable within their own context. In contrast, because Andor and Rogue One rely quite heavily on the viewer knowing what has happened both before and after their events, it is these properties that are expendable to the Star Wars universe, not the other way around.

If anyone is wondering what flaws I am referring to, I agree with the SW fans who say Andor suffers from pacing issues and needless repetition due to the arc structure. Overall, I found that the various components of each arc did not add up to a satisfying whole by the end of the finale. Screen time was often spent on characters and events that never amounted to anything later on (for instance, all that time for Cassian to steal the TIE fighter and deal with those idiot Rebels only to have zero impact in the long run). I did like certain characters (although most got killed off) and aspects of the series, but I feel the story would have greatly benefitted from a more generous dollop of Star Wars charm. My biggest criticism is that if Andor was intended to make me care more about what happens to who in Rogue One, the series mostly failed to develop the origins of and camaraderie between the core group that goes on to sacrifice their lives in Rogue One. For example, I thought Cassian treated K2S0 horribly even after the droid saved all their lives during one of the best sequences in the series. This storytelling choice did nothing to set me up to care more about Cassian and K as a duo in the movie.

Andor certainly did an effective job of showing how awful the Empire is…but the Empire has been blatantly evil going back to the OT. Anyone who says the Empire is worse in Andor has just not been paying attention in my opinion. I mean, in A New Hope alone, the Empire slaughters Leia’s crew on her ship, kills a tribe of Tungsten Raiders, incinerates Luke’s aunt and uncle (no doubt after torturing them), destroys Alderaan entirely, and almost takes out the entire Rebellion. Is that to be considered lightweight? What is perplexing to me about Andor is how it goes out its way to make the majority of the early Rebels look as disjointed, incompetent, and/or immoral as possible. I totally get that everything was not rose-colored glasses, and I am onboard with gray areas, but having so many in the main group of characters be bitter, suspicious and unsupportive of each other was downright repulsive to me. Worse, by the end of Andor, I found myself knowing more about the backgrounds of the Imperial characters (like Syril and Dedra) than I did about most of the so-called good guys.

As a primary example, I will focus on Luthen Rael because he is a Rebel character that I wound up loathing almost as much as the Emperor by the finale. We are told by Cassian and others that Luthen was crucial to the formation of the Rebellion and the eventual establishment of Yavin’s base. But what did he ever really do to inspire or lead anyone? What I was shown in the story was basically a ruthless killer who took it upon himself to decide who would live or die according to his own plan and timetable. He let a group of 50 Rebels get killed to hide a mole, then he made sure the Ghor got decimated as a crisis point to force people like Mon Mothma to step it up. Luthen later mercilessly killed the mole, Lonni, once he got the information about the Empire’s superweapon. Lonni, who devoted years to the Rebellion and was trying to save his wife and daughter. Let me just say the real hero in this scenario was Lonni, not Luthen. And it is no wonder that Mon Mothma became terrified of Luthen, knowing he would have assassinated her just like he did her childhood friend if he ever deemed it necessary. Let’s not forget that Luthen was planning to have Cassian killed after the Aldani heist, but “luckily” Cassian got thrown into prison first.

What makes it all the worse is that Luthen had the ability and the intel to attempt a different approach in many of these crucial instances. Where he could have protected and preserved Rebel lives...yet he made zero attempts to do so. If he had at least tried to expose what the Empire wanted with Ghorman first before ensuring they were a lamb to the slaughter, it would have deepened his character.  Instead, he ignored Cassian’s warnings that the Ghor rebels were not ready. He sent Cinta and Vel to rile them up, getting Cinta killed in the process of making the planet “burn brightly.” Luthen might as well have been the Imperial sniper who fired the first shot in the Ghorman protest, he was that underhanded and calculating.

Is it any wonder that everyone ultimately left Luthen except Kleya? How can you continue to follow a person who believes the ends justify the means no matter the horrendous moral cost? So, I do not agree with Cassian defending Luthen because I never saw any side of him that earned a place on Yavin. The irony is that Bail Organa and Mon Mothma would have allowed him to come to the base to save his life—something he would not have done for them if the positions were reversed. As awful as Saw Gerrera is with no plan beyond hurting the Empire, at least he never pretended to be anything beyond an agent of chaos. Nor did he try to force another Rebel to stay a mole while grandiosely proclaiming he sacrificed his soul for the Rebellion. Frankly, I wasn’t sure Luthen ever had a soul by the end of Andor.

Indeed, I wish I knew what Luthen actually did sacrifice because they showed us almost nothing of his background and I think we really needed to know more. Unfortunately, what little we saw was really Kleya’s backstory. It appears Luthen was an Imperial sergeant in the middle of a brutal battle who finally cracks and says, “Make it stop.” And yet, he then goes on to encourage the child Kleya to stoke her hatred while he employs cruel, bloody, and unethical tactics to stir up the Rebellion. I guess you can take the man out of the Empire, but you can’t take the Empire out of the man. Last, but certainly not least, Luthen totally botched his own death when he was confronted by Dedra. If he were as efficient and merciless with his own killing as he had been with everyone else, he’d have slit his throat and saved Kleya from having to risk her life to finish the job. Never mind how much it cost her emotionally.

Luthen is the Rebel character I found most distasteful, but he was only one of many uninspiring people. Unfortunately, these negative types were not sufficiently counterbalanced by more positive Rebel characters until very late in the game. Even then, the character interactions and plot steered us to view anyone like Organa and Mothma as naïve and weak for standing against unethical and unnecessarily violent methods. That they owed their lives and the entire existence of the Rebellion to Luthen and his cell because they took on the dirty deeds. Well, I argue that Luthen frequently created situations that required dirty deeds to fix them. Anyway, as an example of belittling the straight arrow characters, Andor pretty much spit on the Ghost crew from Rebels, barely acknowledging they played a vital role in rescuing Mon Mothma as well. Instead, we’re basically told flat out that the real hero, Cassian, was denied his glory and that everything Hera and the others did in Rebels was second banana, kid show stuff.  Talk about “changing the story.”

To wrap up my venting, I confess the most puzzling thing to me is why the show creators wanted to produce this under the Star Wars banner in the first place. Based on what the producers have said, they seemed very uncomfortable about including any of the signature space fantasy elements associated with Star Wars, as if they were terrified of being accused of “fan service” by integrating more droids, alien characters, or any significant representation of the Force into their story. To me, they erred so far on the side of caution that Andor barely feels like it happens in the Star Wars universe at all. For some reason beyond me, the ASS crowd seems to think that keeping Star Wars out of a Star Wars show is wonderful and they actually get incensed if anyone comments otherwise. Maybe the next time Gilroy wants to produce a slow burn political thriller featuring humans, he and his team should set it on modern day planet Earth and leave Star Wars completely out of it. I have no doubt they’ll do an excellent job, and we will be spared from the ASS crowd’s annoying shenanigans. I call that a win-win.