dominoxsquad

[dominoxsquad]

Force user who refers to the force almost exclusively as ‘Chat’, particularly when looking to it for guidence

Anyone want an awful idea

[dominoxsquad]

Anyone want an awful idea

[dominoxsquad]

I've been trying to figure out why the Russian! Kallus fanon bothers me so much, and I think I've finally put my finger on a few different reasons.

First, there's the general, "headcanon A is so widely accepted that fanon became Fanon and now no one else can get a word in edgewise" that drives me nuts, but I don't think I have to elaborate on that one. I think everyone has the Fanon that makes their eye twitch, so we've all been there.

But second (and third, these points kind of tie together), it's Russian Propaganda. That sounds kinda wild, but hear me out. There's a very popular trope in western media about the Russian-ballerina-assassin, and usually the role falls to a woman not a man, but I think a lot of the Russian!Kallus idea stems from that specific trope. For examples of this trope, think of Tatiana Romanova from From Russia With Love, Natasha Romanov in Marvel properties, whoever Jennifer Lawrence played in Red Sparrow, the new movie Ballerina with Ana de Armas, that movie Salt with Angelina Jolie, Oksana Astankova from Killing Eve (I've never seen Killing Eve, but I've heard that his version of the trope works better with her than other iterations of the trope), it goes on and on. The Russian Ballerina is a, usually attractive, assassin that is a victim of the KGB, used as a honeypot, and she is tortured and  trained as a seductress in order to lure in victims of the KGB's schemes. The Russian Ballerina is usually forced into this work by circumstance, revenge or desperation, and is waiting to be rescued from the very institution that made her what she is. I do want to stop here and say this: there is a very particular lens western men view Slavic and eastern women through that is very easy to see with this trope and I'm not trying to downplay that by not mentioning it, it just doesn't really apply to Kallus (in short, this trope is an example of the weird savior fetish that western men have).

This is kind of Russian propaganda, I think. It paints Russia as a crumbling remnant of the power they once had and it paints everyone involved with the Russian state as desperate victims, when, more often than not, they're willing participants in what the Russian state is doing. And more than that, Russia isn't crumbling. They're years into a direct invasion of Ukraine (not four years, I'm talking about the annexation of the Crimea AT LEAST ten years ago, and so much more even further back than that). They want to reinstate the Iron Curtain. They're interfering in other powerful countries elections *clears throat loudly and americanly*. They're still massively important on a geopolitical scale, and while I understand that the people of a nation don't represent its corrupt government *clears throat loudly and americanly* it doesn't change the fact that anyone who is an arm of that state DOES represent their corrupt government, and does so willingly. I don't have sympathy for Russian soldiers, and ESPECIALLY not the KGB. (I'm not excluding any country from this criticism, by the way. I just want to make that very clear).

The other part of the Russian propaganda is the lack of Russian culture. Western audiences don't have a very good understanding of any Slavic culture, so by NOT defining what about a character is Russian specifically, you kind of paint a picture of a homogenous (interchangeable) Slavic monolith. This goes back to what I said about Russia reestablishing the Iron Curtain. The Russian state views all Eastern Europe countries as land-that-Russia-has-lost, not land-that-wasn't-theirs-to-begin-with. Now maybe I'm reaching, but I feel really uncomfortable when all Slavic nations are treated like interchangeable parts of an individual culture. From where I'm sitting, it feels like a deliberate smoothing over of non-Russian Slavs and their history as an attempt to culturally annex a nation. Russia tries to scrub the serial numbers off of a culture and pass it off as their own so that they can say they have a cultural right to a people and land that is not theirs (this actually happens, btw, for example, a Russian ballet company tried to pass itself off as Ukrainian to tour Europe during the ongoing invasion of Ukraine).

I'm rambling so I'm gonna get back to Kallus. Where does he fit into this. A lot of people, when they're writing about Kallus, tend to give him a backstory where he is a desperate victim who needs the Empire for something. He needs food, shelter, money for education, safety from life on the streets, etc. And I'm not saying that governments don't take advantage of their citizens misfortunes to try and force them to enlist, but it does rob Kallus of some of his agency. And its almost always painted as Kallus making the decision to enlist, but his decision is rooted in manufactured circumstance, which narratively robs him of the full right to his decision. He was a willing arm of the Empire, and I know that's uncomfy, but he was. I love the guy, but its so often narratively framed that he didn't really do anything wrong until Lasan went too far, which is untrue. It was the Empire's fault, they didn't benevolently give him new meaning to his life, they took advantage of a situation they created/maintained, and it was Kallus' fault, he should never have accepted a hand extended in bad faith.

The other part, the culture, is equally important. I've said this before and I'll say it again: the name Kallus is Estonian. IDC, IDC, NOT ONLY AM I DYING ON THIS HILL I'M KILLING ON IT TOO. But this is the larger issue I have with Russian!Kalllus. His name is not cartoonishly evil just because it sounds like 'callous'. It is a real human name on real human Earth in real life. Real life people have that name. In fact, I believe the previous Prime Minister of Estonia was named Kaja Kallas. So he has a SPECIFIC cultural tie to a real life Earth culture - and it's not Russia. But when Western audiences try to write a Slavic character without knowing anything about Slavic people, they all take on this (propagandized) idea of Slavs, that they're all Russian-lite and Not Real Cultures and use them interchangeably. "his first name is kinda Slavic, not even gonna google the last name, and therefore he is going to be Russian". But what about him, other than the vague, nebulous, backdrop of Ian Fleming's books is Russian? Some people give him a Russian patronymic (which Estonians don't use), and call it a day. Or translate some of his dialogue into Russian and call that good enough. But what about his family dynamics are specifically Russian? The food he grew up eating? Did he have cultural clothing or holidays that were important to him growing up? Did he grow up with bedtime stories about Baba Yaga, at the very, very least? IF he's going to be Russian specifically, what about him is specifically Russian? Why, if his culture is just background radiation, why does he have to be Russian? Why isn't he Georgian? Or Ukrainian? Or Belarusian? Or Lithuanian? Or Polish? What is it about Kallus, other than a Slavic name and him being a spy, that means he absolutely HAS to be Russian? Why is Russia what you're defaulting to when you hear Slavic? What environmental/cultural factors have lead you to view Russians as the default Slavs? (you are not immune to propaganda).

It's the lack of thought put into his character building, for me. The lack of effort. And the parroting of propaganda. Russian!Kallus is not Russian, he's a Slavic stereotype with all the cultural serial numbers scrubbed off. And to a degree, I understand. The Russian spy trope is very familiar, and enduring, so it's what people are familiar with when they write a Slavic spy, but I do think it's very culturally and historically insensitive. In Estonia, a significant percentage of the older population speaks Russian because speaking and teaching Estonian was banned during Russian occupation. So forgive me if I'm a little uncomfortable when the Estonian named character is suddenly speaking Russian. Estonia doesn't even use the Cyrillic alphabet.

And I'm not trying to say that I'm right and everyone else is wrong, it's fanon, you can write whatever you want. I'm just asking for more mindfulness. If he's going to be Russian, what about him is Russian beyond him being a spy. Wouldn't it be more interesting to mimic the real homogenization that Slavs face with some exchange about "oh, you're from Coruscant? Well, what's it like with xyz back home" "No, not all Coruscanti's are from that region I'm from *here*" " :| oh okay. I've never heard of that place. But it's basically the same, right? :|". Or why don't you explore a more nuanced idea of colonization with Kallus. If he's from a different culture than what everyone knows about Coruscant, what happened to Coruscant internally that led to his culture being forgotten and swept under the rug? How does he feel about it? Does he resent the Republic for what happened to his people and that's why he was so willing to fight for the Empire to the Republic's detriment? Was he happy when the Republic fell?

It just feels like people are slapping a culture onto him like a costume without any knowledge of the cultures they're using and no forethought into how that culture even exists on Coruscant. And you could do so much with all of this and instead it's just throwing random lines into google translate and then wiping your hands of it all. If you're gonna do that, why bother exploring a Slavic Kallus at all?

Idk. Hopefully this makes sense. I'm up late so I'm a bit tired, so if this doesn't make sense or comes across as hostile, I don't mean it to be. I'm not mad at anyone, just confused and tired. There are so many cool things you could do, and it'd be so interesting, but every time he's just a James Bond villain. It's always the Russian Spy trope, complete with the Hero Who Saves Him From the KG- ISB. If you're going to introduce a specific cultural background, how does that cultural background inform who this character is? Or, more accurately for fanfic, how does this culture inform the version of the character you're about to introduce us to? who is this man and how does his culture impact him and matter to him?

[dominoxsquad]

Hm starting to think about the force sensitive oc idea i had a while ago but at the same time im. Not sure about her

[dominoxsquad]

Help was trying to argue in support of the jedi can people send me links of pro jedi analysis palette cleansers they can link me

[dominoxsquad]

my loves let us all remember on this fine Friday that kallus is a military man damn near his forties 🙏

[dominoxsquad]

[dominoxsquad]

Anyways if you want the full force of my Transformers brainrot find me at @teletraantwo

[dominoxsquad]

Do not ask me to elaborate but I feel like meeting Yoda would do wonders for Swerve’s mental health. Also do you think any of the Jedi would clock Rung as being at least deeply unusual.

[dominoxsquad]

Star Wars and Transformers crossover where the Lost Light just ends up in the middle of the Clone Wars. It’s the kind of thing that would happen to the Lost Light I think.

[dominoxsquad]

(Shoots Kallus with my Sanjification beam) Anyways what if Kal ends up looking like his old boss at the diner. Like in a way where they’re not at all related but honestly if you told someone they were they’d probably believe it.

[dominoxsquad]

I know this is a personal thing but I just can't see Kallus and Zeb having children. Or at least really little children. HOWEVER I am now imagining this teen Lasat getting a job at Kal's diner and they kinda realize she doesn't really have anyone so they kinda take care of her. Maybe not fully adopting her but still making sure she's got what she needs and always has a place to stay. Kallus and Zeb both knowing in different ways that she doesn't need to be their kid to still be family. Kallus because he was that kid once and Zeb because of the Ghost crew.

Also just in general the diner ending up a new little family. Maybe on a trip to Coruscant Kal gets a copy of an old picture of himself and the old diner crew outside of the place and gives it a place of honor on one of the walls. Under it hangs another photo, this time of himself in front of the new diner with his new little family.

[dominoxsquad]

Omg omg hear me out - chubby dinner owner Kallus, 'cause he's finally happy and comfortable and can actually afford to eat proper meals and not just cook them for others. His apron hugs him a little tighter and Zeb is absolutely smitten by how beautiful, healthy and joyful his husband is now

Oh, yeah I guess that'd probably end up being the case wouldn't it lol. Honestly that part of it wasn't exactly something I was thinking about, there were other parts of that I was a bit more focused on.

[dominoxsquad]

Please consider Kallus having some sort of book of recipies. Not a datapad, but an actual old, stained book thick with recipies both originally in the book and ones he added in later. Each recipie with notes and comments scribbled on it.

Him always saying he wants to transfer it all to a datapad, but never does. The notes are too important to him. The memory of his parents giving it too him is too important.

Imagine the Ghost crew transfering it to a data pad, each page scanned in order and visually just like his book, so even if the book can’t travel with him he can always have it close.

[dominoxsquad]

I still have no idea why I love the idea of little kallus working with his parents at a diner so good but like. Him knowing how to cook well and fast from it. Him cooking for the ghost crew and other rebels. Ither rebels who aren’t really fighters asking him to teach them because even though they can’t fight, they want to help and honestly better food on bases probably helps boost morale. Just… Kallus’s reputation still lingering over him but more and more people staring to recognize him as the food guy rather than the ex-isb agent.

[dominoxsquad]

Please think with me about Kallus having worked as a diner before the empire and it being a while before he’s comfortable enough to cook for the Ghost crew.

So him having all sorts of skills he picked up from working there (knifework, balancing things, etc) and brushes it off as something he used to work as without any further explination. The Ghost crew can’t figure out what the hell he used to do and are generally caught off guard when they find out he grew up in a diner.