etney-monkfire

[etney-monkfire]

One of the things that disappointed me in TROS was the retconning of Rey’s parentage, but I also can’t deny that it’s very funny if you think about it. XD

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[etney-monkfire]

help

[etney-monkfire]

the-son-of-suns replied to your post “permian-tropos: johnboyegadeservesbetter: Mass movements for…

I’m not sure I agree with this. The idea that turning Ben could be “how we win,” was definitely present in The Last Jedi, and Rose’s line about saving what we love rather than fighting what we hate sets up a victory that is all about saving not just Ben Solo, but the storm trooper brothers and sisters of Finn as well. This sort of interpretation is to 1:1 political rather than mythological/psychological. I think the truth lies somewhere in the middle.

In other words, the saga is not just a story about political systems (and I’d argue it’s about those things on a secondary level), but rather the psychological processes present in everyday humans that give rise to those systems. Therefore Ben representing the “dark side of society” as K.K. said means the story is ultimately about redeeming society itself via Ben’s character and his views.

With Finn and Ben we have an interesting dichotomy because these psychological themes are now represented both at the top, and the bottom, of the galaxy’s social/political pyramid, however it’s not picking and choosing which side of the equation is more important, it’s saying that both need to be there. In other words, social movements and the exceptional individuals that represent them are in a relationship, and that relationship should ideally be symbiotic.

I’m not sure whether you reply was intended for OP or me, but there it goes nonetheless.

So for starters, yes, it’s more of a political reading, and it is a valid one. It’s not a question of the truth being in the middle, or anywhere at all. It’s fiction. It’s a question of different frameworks of interpretation, and the conclusions do not automatically cancel themselves out. The point of criticism is to explore different perspectives, to find one we like maybe, but not to find which is the ~true one. A story can both make some really nice points on redemption, and have terrible political subtext. Those things are not mutually exclusive. As readers we can choose to focus on one aspect or another, but that’s because of preferences in some themes and narratives over others, not because we’ve found the one true reading. I happen to like the politics. 

And the thing is, saying “there’s a truer reading” does not address the points initially made, ie that although a defection from the current leader of the FO would certainly be a boon to the Resistance, they don’t need him, and that the notion that Ben Solo’s privileged background would make him the better Resistance leader sounds like exceptionalist individualism (or, as I added, classism). Which you pretty much repeat. The top and bottom both need to be there, because they’re equally important? That’s textbook classist rhetoric, and maybe it is what the text aims to say, but that doesn’t make it any less open to criticism. The discussion doesn’t stop at which side of the equation is more important, but continues on to whether that equation is a natural condition or a construct, and a rather shitty one at that. 

Now, sure the “Ben could be how we win” idea was certainly present in TLJ, if held by literally no one other than Rey, whose objectivity on the matter is as disputable as that of anyone’s in the ST, but I’m prety sure the end of the movie was pretty clear on the fact that she’d let go of hat notion. And between Luke and Kylo, letting go of idealized saviors was an actual theme, so I don’t think the “Ben could be how we win” idea came out strongly of the movie, overall.

As to Rose’s line, it can be interpreted in many ways, and in the specific context of SW (because irl, ‘saving what we love’ is often enough a conservative rallying cry), it’s not quite clear what is loved, and considering how little focus has been put on troopers, in general or through Finn’s own arc, I’m not sure whether they’re covered. I also kind of think that if someone’s arc is going to stand for the troopers, it’ll work better if that someone is the actual ex-trooper character. 

Wrt to Ben Solo representing the ~dark side of society and his redeeming being symbolic of that of society as a whole - sure. But that’s not an argument for him becoming any kind of leader for the Resistance either. It’s perfectly possible to have both a redemption and not to put him in that role. 

[etney-monkfire]

Settlement Sheet (by luckpack)

[The following text may have been edited for accessibility]

“This is essentially a character sheet, but it’s for towns and other settlements instead of persons. It’s intended to help guide the creation process and facilitate reading and organization.

I recommend using it with my [NPC Sheets.]

Below are Google Drive download links. All PDFs have two pages: the first one is the front and the second one is the back. The Form Fillable version has no lines, so you can download and print it without filling the forms if you want.

[Settlement Sheet]

[Settlement Sheet, Form Fillable]

[Settlement Sheet, Printer Friendly]

[Settlement Sheet, Form Fillable, Printer Friendly]

I intentionally left some things out from this sheet:

Some DMs like writing down “Notable Items” in their settlement notes, but this has never made sense to me. I view special items as NPC belongings or Quests rewards, not something location specific. 

The prices, foods, drinks and services provided by the local inn, as well as the inventories of stores. Rather than writing all this down for every settlement, I prefer having a single document for every store. I recommend checking this [Traders & Merchants homebrew] and this [Shopping Catalog homebrew.] Both can be referred to whenever players visit any and all stores.

Town random encounters. I don’t do those, personally.

Of course, if you want to write down any of those you can use the Notes section in the back.

[etney-monkfire]

The Righteous Mind - Chapter 3

The Righteous Mind – Chapter 3

The Righteous Mind Chapter 3: Elephants Rule

The last entry introduced us to the social intuitionist model coined by Haidt.  This chapter starts off with results from a study that tested that model.  Haidt and Thalia Wheatley conducted an experiment where participants were hypnotized to negatively respond to the either the words “take’ or ‘often’.  They were then presented with six stories on…

[etney-monkfire]

I have a secret to tell you.

It’s something the people on TV and the politicians won’t tell you: if you are a white, poor or lower working class American out there, struggling to get by, and you’re supporting the Trump administration treating migrants like sub-humans, regardless of whether they broke any laws or not, it’s imperative you know this:

You have more in common with the people trying to get into America than you ever will with Donald Trump, millionaire politicians or TV pundits.

They foment anger and fear in you, and exploit your reactions for their gain.

You may not see it now; you may never see it, but that’s what is happening, and I am telling you because you need to know that very loud, very powerful, very cynical people are trying to manipulate you.

[etney-monkfire]

The Righteous Mind - Chapter 2

The Righteous Mind – Chapter 2

It has been a while.  I found it hard to concentrate on this goal in the last few months due to school, other distractions, and general laziness.  Now I have a taste for freedom that I almost forgot existed, and the struggle is to not waste it entirely on video games and actually work on my goals. This entry will provide an overview of chapter two from The Righteous Mindfollowed by my reflection…

[etney-monkfire]

“If you live long enough, you see the same eyes in different people”

[etney-monkfire]

The Righteous Mind - Chapter 1

The Righteous Mind – Chapter 1

The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion by Jonathan Haidt is the book I referenced in my first blog post; the one I ignored because it was about facts I did not want to hear.  I purchased it after watching an interview Haidt had on The Colbert Report, which I really enjoyed.  Maybe if I had snarky Colbert to ease the tension as I started to read I wouldn’t have…

[etney-monkfire]

A Storied Spirit

Star Wars has always been a part of my life. Above is my portrayal of the greatest SW character ever. I think I was in elementary school. My fam dressed as other characters from the Phantom Menace. The contender for the best representation definitely goes to my dad who had a wicked get up as Darth Maul that would put most cosplayers to shame. At that age, the best part of SW for me was the…

[etney-monkfire]

Brick Walls

I decided to start up a blog to help organize my thoughts, feels, and goals for growth. Not sure how it’s gonna turn it out but here is the first post.

This is weird. I had this incredible urge to write and share my experiences for the last week or so. Now that I am doing it, parts of me are terrified, unsure, and worried about what others will think. I’m pestered by my conflict with vanity while doubting everything that brought me to this point. This feels weird. I’ve always been able to feel strongly. Not only my own emotions but the emotions…

[etney-monkfire]

Next time antis are being, well, antis, show them this:

[etney-monkfire]

My initial reaction when I first stumble upon a new spoiler.

And then after pondering over it for a few hours, I get to this stage in the process.