flyfreeskylark

[flyfreeskylark]

Fix-it week day 6 ☆ how they live after the war

HAPPY BEACH TIMES

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rebelcaptain fix-it week

day 6 - how they live after the war

[flyfreeskylark]

REBELCAPTAIN FIX-IT WEEK Day 4

Scenario: how they work together on missions…

[flyfreeskylark]

Not an official entry into the event this week but I will be posting on the free day! :)

(sorry I have a 7-day in a row work week, sob)

[flyfreeskylark]

There’s a lot that drives me fucking insane about this, starting from the fact it’s stupid and also continuing through the fact that it’s STUPID, but it also really highlights to me how out of touch season 2 seems to be with season 1 of its own show? Cause like we’ve already been here in the sense that Mon mothma clearly thought this was the case! She thought she’d have her special baby girl and then she’d be there happily ever after yaddah yaddah yaddah

and then like.

We had.

1.25 seasons proving how deeply this was Not the case. Even the first quarter of season 2 was about how this was Not The Case.

because leida mothma was one of the scariest parts of season 1. Leida mothma was a ticking time bomb. Leida mothma was a girl who grew up under the empire and took in its values - as many children would do, and not because they’re inherently evil or fascist but because they are Children- and who her mother could not save. Leida mothma is not the symbol of hope. She’s one of the worst and most hopeless moments this series could ever produce.

and I think there’s a deep fucking - and I will say fucking male gaze-y- view to this, that a cute little (nameless) baby Boy is the ultimate symbol of Hope, you see, but the girl who is already trapped in the narrative - who shouldn’t be infantilised as an infant but at 15/16 absolutely still IS a child - is like this sacrificable chess piece for the rebellion? Is this little teenage bitch who didn’t love her mother enough? Who knows. But Leida is a child, mark it down, and she’s a girl whose mother couldn’t save her from a fate that, following what actually comes from child marriages, almost certainly cannot save her from rape and pregnancy and loss of her bodily autonomy - and I think the andor writers kind of dissent want to acknowledge it because holy hell is that dark, Batman! But I also think they Knew, on some level, because they fucking named a teenage girl after a mythological woman who as raped by a god - the most powerful gps in the pantheon - and then forced to birth children themselves caught by war. I don’t want more shock value gender-based violence but I do want them to fucking acknowledge that if there’s a child marriage plot line that a massive part of why child marriage is such a crime against humanity is that it does often immediately entail rape and forced underage pregnancy like. It does. If they wanted a fucking baby plot line it should have been leida with a red headed toddler in a fancy nursery with the imperial emblem on the floor and Mon who can lead the rebel alliance but do nothing to save her own grandchild from the empire. It should have been leida ambiguously missing and a shot of that three year old right back at the start of the story where Dedra meero was, in an imperial kinder home.

so yeah I hate this plot line and I think it’s stupid and gilroy is stupid for it, and I fcukinf hate making bix whose already been tortured and sexually assaulted ALSO be the one to have a surprise wartime pregnancy and end up back on the hell farm planet she was assaulted on? - but I also hate it because it completely jarrs with season one and characters and themes already introduced into the narrative? Like they didn’t need to do a new baby plot line! Cassian already had a baby! Her name was Kerri, and given he was implicitly situationally forced to raise her from infant hood the loss of her was already this massive trauma in the shape of a missing child! And they didn’t need to do a plot line about how having a biological child is the ultimate sign of Hope that feels “legit” when they’ve spent 1.25 seasons showing this with Leida Mothma who is still a child!

and I fucking fucking hate the whole imposition of a nameless little boy over the two difficult, existing, breathing (well. Kerri maybe or may not) girls, ages 6 and 16, who might actually exist and might have names and might fucking Need something from the characters, might Need something from Cassian or Need Something from Mon mothma, and be proof of the fact that both are imperfect human beings !

Like the whole idea of the nameless perfect single-shot baby over the difficult living children is literally something so deeply wound into the actual fascist propaganda of family and childbearing and natalism that upholds these images to raise the number of people in the workforce while being incredibly violent towards actual living children especially girls that it makes me scream

Anyway.

no surprise hope babies we have no need of hope babies season 2 should have been cassian and mon’s parallel unshakeable grief and failure at their failure to save the girls who in different ways were their daughters and that they don’t ever talk about but who hang over the story like a cloud and a knife that should have been the fucking parenthood plot line

[flyfreeskylark]

INTRODUCING REBELCAPTAIN FIX-IT WEEK

WHAT THIS IS: a Rebelcaptain fan-event centered around fix-its as a theme. because they deserve their happy ending, don't they? special shoutout to Ebby for encouraging me to do this, and Stell for coming up with many of the prompts.

SCHEDULE: the event will run from June 16 to 22

RULES

✩ the obvious one: your creation has to center around Jyn and Cassian, and their relationship.

✩ any type of fanwork is welcome! fanfics, fanart, gifsets, graphics, metas, rec lists... you name it.

✩ since it's a fix-it event, all creations where it's possible should take place after Scarif. this means two things: Jyn and Cassian should survive Scarif (the rest of the rogues' fates are up to you), and all creations should be canon to the movie (besides, of course, the ending). that means no different first meetings, no Galen or Lyra lives AUs, no canon divergence, etc. missing scenes are allowed (for example, if you want to imagine they kissed in the elevator, we just didn't get to see it, and now they're agonizing over what that meant, that's alright). anything other than the movie's canon is up to the creator's discretion. if you'd rather not use the novelization, Andor, Rebel Rising, or any bonus materials as a basis, that's completely fine.

✩ since the post-Scarif requirement is hard to enforce for things like gifsets, the rules are a little laxer in that case. just try to go for some feel-good vibes, and avoid the heartbreak!

✩ no sign-ups required, anyone can participate. if you see a prompt you like, and you want to make something for it, go ahead!

✩ angst is allowed, but since it's a fix-it event, your creation should have a happy or at least hopeful ending.

✩ we wanted to give you guys some variety and options so we provided several prompts for each day - a scenario, word prompts, and a song. you only need to use one of them for your creation, but if you wanna be adventurous and combine all of them, be my guest!

✩ late entries are fine! for example, if you started making something for day 2 but couldn't finish it until day 5, post it anyway! (just make sure to specify it's for day 2.) I know we all have busy lives, and I know these events can be stressful sometimes because of the time constrict, and I don't want that to be the case here. this is a low-stakes, low-pressure event. the purpose of this week is to encourage more Rebelcaptain-themed creations, whenever it's ready 💜

✩ any rating is allowed but tag appropriately! if any triggers appear in your work, don't forget to list them.

✩ I'll be using the tag rcfixitweek for organization. feel free to tag your creations with it too so we can all find each other's works!

✩ I will, roughly a week before the event, create a collection on AO3 for those who might want to put their fics in it. it's not mandatory, it's just so we might easily browse everyone's entries. I'll make a post about it when it's live and update this post with a link as well!

UPDATE: the ao3 collection is now live!

✩ any other questions, thoughts, ideas? let me know!

PROMPTS UNDER THE CUT

✩ Day 1 (June 16)

scenario: how they escape Scarif

prompts: without words/promise

song: Francesca - Hozier

✩ Day 2 (June 17)

scenario: how they finally admit their feelings

prompts: lucky accident/surprise

song: Dust to Dust - The Civil Wars

✩ Day 3 (June 18)

scenario: how they fare on Hoth

prompts: stolen moments/traditions

song: Human - dodie

✩ Day 4 (June 19)

scenario: how they work together on missions

prompts: fresh start/dance

song: Slow Show - The National

✩ Day 5 (June 20)

scenario: how they celebrate on Endor

prompts: follow to the ends of the galaxy/mirror

song: Heaven is a Place - Amber Run

✩ Day 6 (June 21)

scenario: how they live after the war

prompts: somewhere to belong/growth

song: Constellate - Fleurie

✩ Day 7 (June 22): free day! any scenario, prompt, song you can think of that we didn't? go for it!

[flyfreeskylark]

See, the thing about conforming to an idealized, unrealistic, unattainable femininity is,

you don’t have to.

[flyfreeskylark]

ANDOR 2.11 "Who Else Knows?"

[flyfreeskylark]

drunk rebels

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jyn lives!!!

[flyfreeskylark]

just gaslighting myself atp

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[flyfreeskylark]

So here’s my little comic— it has no dialogue. I actually wanted it that way so I could focus 100% on emotions, facial expressions and body language. I want other people to see this and ideally, it will inspire them to come up with their own narrative for what’s happening here :)

I will most likely do a part two and maybe do a nsfw additon (but like cute and romantic nsfw) obv that portion will be on Patreon. These two are the best IMO but they’re just so Jane Austen coded? I hope you like it!

[flyfreeskylark]

Thoughts on Bix, Cassian and the end of Andor…

Well, I guess Bix is not off fighting for the rebellion on her own or in another rebel cell. The baby is, le sigh, so cliche. I’m glad Bix returned to Mina-Rau where she has a community, which has always been important to her. I think she’s finding ways to contribute to the community and the rebellion; I imagine her fixing farm machinery wearing a BabyBjorn, and doing some smuggling or espionage on the side. I don’t even hate the idea of her having a baby; B2 will make a delightful nanny, and you know, joy and hope from the ashes, etc. I just wish we would have seen her be more than a pretty, supportive partner to Cassian in the last two arcs. Her character went flat. It was a seriously missed opportunity to show her further recover from PTSD, and instead we got a sexist, boring trope.

Although, I get why Bix left and think it was the right move for her and the story, that part of the story felt forced. It could have worked so much better if we had another year with them; I see them splitting up because they grow apart and being at war and dealing with trauma puts too much strain on their relationship. Sure, they love each other, but the seed of incompatibility is there and evident since the second arc; Cassian is overprotective of Bix, who wants to be active and involved, and he’s dismissive when she voices her needs. They don’t want the same things from their future. In the last arc, Cassian’s only comment about Bix is that “it’s not safe for her to be around me right now.” Bix doesn’t want to be protected, she wants to belong. And overprotective husband is such a boring role that doesn’t suit Cassian. If they had split up earlier and more mutually, we could have seen Cassian fully commit to the rebellion and mature into the strong leader we see in Rogue One.

Andor was a fantastic show. In and of itself, it’s some of the best storytelling out there. But in the end, I don’t think they got there with Cassian’s character. It was close, but I wish we got to see him grow beyond a loose cannon that goes rogue whenever it suits him. He’s clearly struggling a bit with the drinking, gambling and his bachelor pad with Melshi and K2 (don’t get me wrong, I thought that was super cute), but I wanted to see his character fully commit to the rebellion because he realizes that the fight is bigger than himself. To the very end of Andor, he remains selfishly motivated, which contradicts his characterization in Rogue One. He also needed a bit more time to move on from Bix and/or we needed to see him feeling betrayed by her leaving, and I’m not just saying that as a RebelCaptain fan. Giving Cassian a partner and kid to go home to at the end of the war undermines the whole premise of his character in Rogue One, the guy who lost everything. It’s not even an issue of who he should end up with; I see Bix as Cassian’s first love and Jyn as his chance to love again after he had given up on a future for himself. The beauty and tragedy of Rogue One is a story of hope cut short, symbolized by all that Jyn and Cassian could have been but never got to experience.

PTSD, recovery, agency vs. fate in Bix from Andor

I’ve been thinking a lot about Bix today. Yesterday, before Andor S2, episodes 7-9 aired, I was thinking to myself, oh gawd! Bix is gonna die in these episodes because she’s not around in Rogue One and has clearly been gone for some time. I’m glad they didn’t kill her off. I wouldn’t be surprised if she died fighting off screen because this is a Rogue One prequel after all, and it’s a story about the true cost of war where no one outruns death.

In S1 of Andor, Bix is a badass. She exhibits tons of agency and likes to be busy, industrious and contribute to the cause and community. We see people try to take these things from her: Gorst’s torture and being hunted down and assaulted as a refugee in the first arc of season 2. I don’t like seeing her as a punching bag because a) I love her, b) no one deserves that, and 3) abuse is too often used as an impetus for character growth in women, or worse, for the men in the story. I hate this trope so much because it justifies the abuse, implying that the cost is worthwhile when actually, it absolutely is not. But that’s not what happens in the story. Nobody is unaffected by abuse, badass Bix included, and we see the realistic effects of PTSD in episodes 4-6. Their relationship is strained; Cassian is controlling and paranoid and Bix is disconnected and struggling with addiction. I do love that she gets revenge on Gorst and kills the rapist because this is fiction and why the hell not.

I love that in the third arc (ep 7-9), Bix and Cassian have built a real, beautiful home together, full of love, where they are free to come and go. Seriously, I love that treehouse. They both so desperately wanted this in the second arc after all the trauma they’ve both been through. Bix seems to have recovered from her PTSD and addiction and reestablished a safe, loving home. But it’s still not perfect. Cassian is still controlling and dissatisfied with his work for the rebellion. Bix is still a bit isolated, and crucially, she’s unfulfilled. I’ve seen a lot of criticism that her character really fell flat in this arc because all she does is hang around the house being beautiful. But I think that’s the point and one of the reasons she leaves. She knows that Cassian loves her so fiercely and just wants to protect her. He thinks the best way to do that is to leave the fight and find a nice, quiet home. But from what we know of Bix from season 1 and the first arc of season 2, Bix thrives when she is productive, in community and helping others. She knows that Cassian’s perfect idea of the future is not what she wants or needs. In order to reclaim her agency, she needs to find a way to fight.

I think you could interpret the force healer’s vision as the reason Bix leaves. WE ultimately know how Cassian is the messenger because of Rogue One. I did love the suggestion from the healer that maybe Bix was his home because it’s a beautiful idea, but we know that it’s ultimately not true. Cassian said, “Welcome home” to Jyn because he was welcoming her to HIS home. I hope we see how that’s been established in the last three episodes. I didn’t love the implication that Bix left so he could fulfill his destiny as the messenger because this show and Rogue One are the antithesis to the concept of destiny. I want to believe that the force healer could see the future as a result of their choices, rather than their fate. Yes, Bix forces Cassian to choose the Rebelion by leaving him, and maybe that’s not fair. But by leaving, Bix also chooses the future that SHE needs that will fulfill her: fighting in the rebellion. In the end, it also fulfills Cassian. And it’s heartbreaking.

[flyfreeskylark]

The introduction of Melshi in a big sorta way makes me thing he’s going to have a significant role in the last arc of Andor S2. Melshi’s introduced in Rogue One as the guy who breaks Jyn out of prison. The last arc of Andor takes place days before the beginning of Rogue One. Which means…I predict we’ll get some Jyn in the next three episodes!!!! Maybe not an actual appearance but I’d be happy with some lore or backstory! Ahhhhhhhhhh!

[flyfreeskylark]

I kind of love how Andor is setting up Jyn to essentially be "third time's the charm" for Cassian. Twice now during Andor, he's made the mistake of shortsightedly wanting to leave the Rebellion and trying to convince the women in his life to leave with him. He tried it with Maarva in season 1 and with Bix in season 2. Both times, both women had to essentially redirect him, remind him the Rebellion was more important.

But then it all comes full circle in Rogue One, where Cassian is finally fully committed to the Rebellion. And in barrels Jyn, who's a mirror of what Cassian used to be: wants to just do "enough," then tap out and live on some Outer Rim planet as far from the Empire as possible.

And this time Cassian finally gets it right: his refusal to abandon Jyn helps her come around to the cause, and now they're both fully committed. Full circle.

[flyfreeskylark]

PTSD, recovery, agency vs. fate in Bix from Andor

I’ve been thinking a lot about Bix today. Yesterday, before Andor S2, episodes 7-9 aired, I was thinking to myself, oh gawd! Bix is gonna die in these episodes because she’s not around in Rogue One and has clearly been gone for some time. I’m glad they didn’t kill her off. I wouldn’t be surprised if she died fighting off screen because this is a Rogue One prequel after all, and it’s a story about the true cost of war where no one outruns death.

In S1 of Andor, Bix is a badass. She exhibits tons of agency and likes to be busy, industrious and contribute to the cause and community. We see people try to take these things from her: Gorst’s torture and being hunted down and assaulted as a refugee in the first arc of season 2. I don’t like seeing her as a punching bag because a) I love her, b) no one deserves that, and 3) abuse is too often used as an impetus for character growth in women, or worse, for the men in the story. I hate this trope so much because it justifies the abuse, implying that the cost is worthwhile when actually, it absolutely is not. But that’s not what happens in the story. Nobody is unaffected by abuse, badass Bix included, and we see the realistic effects of PTSD in episodes 4-6. Their relationship is strained; Cassian is controlling and paranoid and Bix is disconnected and struggling with addiction. I do love that she gets revenge on Gorst and kills the rapist because this is fiction and why the hell not.

I love that in the third arc (ep 7-9), Bix and Cassian have built a real, beautiful home together, full of love, where they are free to come and go. Seriously, I love that treehouse. They both so desperately wanted this in the second arc after all the trauma they’ve both been through. Bix seems to have recovered from her PTSD and addiction and reestablished a safe, loving home. But it’s still not perfect. Cassian is still controlling and dissatisfied with his work for the rebellion. Bix is still a bit isolated, and crucially, she’s unfulfilled. I’ve seen a lot of criticism that her character really fell flat in this arc because all she does is hang around the house being beautiful. But I think that’s the point and one of the reasons she leaves. She knows that Cassian loves her so fiercely and just wants to protect her. He thinks the best way to do that is to leave the fight and find a nice, quiet home. But from what we know of Bix from season 1 and the first arc of season 2, Bix thrives when she is productive, in community and helping others. She knows that Cassian’s perfect idea of the future is not what she wants or needs. In order to reclaim her agency, she needs to find a way to fight.

I think you could interpret the force healer’s vision as the reason Bix leaves. WE ultimately know how Cassian is the messenger because of Rogue One. I did love the suggestion from the healer that maybe Bix was his home because it’s a beautiful idea, but we know that it’s ultimately not true. Cassian said, “Welcome home” to Jyn because he was welcoming her to HIS home. I hope we see how that’s been established in the last three episodes. I didn’t love the implication that Bix left so he could fulfill his destiny as the messenger because this show and Rogue One are the antithesis to the concept of destiny. I want to believe that the force healer could see the future as a result of their choices, rather than their fate. Yes, Bix forces Cassian to choose the Rebelion by leaving him, and maybe that’s not fair. But by leaving, Bix also chooses the future that SHE needs that will fulfill her: fighting in the rebellion. In the end, it also fulfills Cassian. And it’s heartbreaking.