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Choosing the Beast: Modern Folklore Heroines Embrace the Animal Husband

“I choose the bear.” The refrain rang out across the web, with many a woman nodding in agreement or at least understanding, and certain men huffing with indignant outrage. Just a meme, really, but did it speak to a deeper truth? Is it merely age-old mistrust of patriarchy talking, or a true desire for the beastly, the wild, the untame?

I’m no sociologist, of course, but I have noticed an emerging trend in fem-gaze media that seems to reflect this view. In movies like I Am Dragon (2015) and recent shows like My Lady Jane and The Acolyte, the heroine chooses the beast, loving her animal husband in his wild form rather than requiring him to transform back into a mundane man to earn her affection. This is such a departure from the typical folktale pattern that it’s difficult to even find an historic example where this occurs.

Commonly thought to reveal the desire to tame a dangerous mate in a patriarchal society, most animal husband tales (ATU 425a) feature a hero who ultimately transforms permanently into a human. This is viewed not only as freeing him from the maddening effect of his wild form, but also saving his bride from committing the sin of bestiality. In these tales, the animal mate’s transformation is necessary for the salvation of both.

Is the modern heroine then damned by choosing her husband’s beastly form? Or does she actually free them both from the yoke of patriarchal expectations?

Bathing: Discovering the Wild Masculine

The first motif that stands out in these modern screen examples is bathing. In animal spouse tales, there is often a dynamic of the hunter and the hunted, and thus a moment when the hunter comes upon their would-be lover unawares. Perhaps they find the animal spouse sleeping, or they cast a light on them unexpectedly, see them without their animal skin or disguise, and so on. And of course, they often come upon the lover at their bath.

There is an implied eroticism in this discovery, finding one’s quarry not only undressed, but also in the most private of activities. Water of course symbolizes fertility, but bathing is also purifying, symbolically washing away all that might make a mate undesirable. And this, perhaps, is the reason that historically this motif is used almost exclusively for animal brides, not animal husbands.

For the animal husband, he either actively chooses to reveal himself to the bride (perhaps on their wedding night), or she violently strips away his disguise, often armed with “flame and steel” like Psyche and her many avatars. Animal brides on the other hand are nearly always discovered at a body of water, bathing. The hunter will then capture her either by stealing her animal skin or cloak, or by placing his own clothing on her. What does it mean, then, when it is the husband who is discovered bathing in a body of water, held as an erotic object in the feminine gaze?

In The Acolyte, Osha follows Qimir to a pool where he slowly undresses, in full knowledge that she is watching. On the shore, she steals his lightsaber, just like the hunter who steals the animal skin, symbolically claiming him. When he emerges, Qimir dons new clothes, as if acknowledging that he is a different person than before he entered the water, almost purified in a way. Osha is forced to confront that there is more to the murderer in the mask than she realized.

Similarly, in My Lady Jane, our heroine goes looking for Guildford just before sunrise on their ill-fated wedding night, only to discover him bathing in the stables. The scene is gratuitously filmed from Jane’s (very horny) perspective, flipping the script on the countless scenes in screen history shot with the masculine gaze. Immediately after she discovers and confronts him, Guildford transforms against his will into a horse, and Jane realizes that he is an Ethian, a creature she has been taught is demonic and unnatural.

And in I Am Dragon, Mira makes several discoveries in quick succession: first, she deduces that Arman is actually the dragon. In the next moment, she slips from the island’s peak and falls, saved only when Arman transforms at the last moment and breaks her fall with his dragon form. The water begins to wash over his unconscious body, and at first Mira thinks that she will allow him to drown. But the sight of Arman in his human form after he rescued her, worried over by his animal familiar, stirs her to pity and she wraps him in a sail and drags him to safety. In this way, she clothes him, claiming him as her own.

Each of these heroines discovered a new aspect of her husband at the bath, finding him unexpectedly alluring, and ultimately choosing to begrudgingly claim him. Each animal husband tried to wash away his beastly form, to separate himself from the wild masculine. These men feel a sense of disassociation from a part of themselves, but now that their brides have discovered it, there will be no more hiding. Further, the bride now holds the power in the relationship, evidenced by how her husband needs her: Qimir needs Osha to be his apprentice, Guildford needs Jane to help him “break the curse,” and Arman needs Mira to heal him from his wounds.

Playing House: The Half-Husband

The second feature of these stories is a period of domesticity for the couple. For a brief time after the husband’s beastly nature is revealed, the lovers “play house” like children. While sexual tension is present, they typically do not consummate their union during this time, but instead cook, eat, rest, and care for one another. What’s more, they ignore or even attempt to actively destroy the husband’s animal form. They deny that this is part of him and therefore part of their relationship.

In I Am Dragon, Mira heals Arman, and wakes the next morning to find he has left food for her (dragonfruit, appropriately). Together they begin building a home out of shipwreck debris they find scattered around the island. A cheery montage shows them decorating a living space, choosing clothes, playing music, and dancing. But the specter of Arman’s monstrous form lurks on the edge of their idyllic life. Mira has nightmares, and tells Arman how much she fears “the dragon,” notably not referring to them as the same person. And eventually, it emerges that Mira has been planning to escape, rejecting Arman’s dragon form entirely.

After he sheds the helmet and robes of The Stranger, Qimir turns his attention to caring for Osha: he heals her, lets her sleep in his bed, provides clothes, and cooks for her. In turn, after some lightsaber-wielding, Osha becomes more comfortable in his home and accepts the food he offers, eventually even trying on his helmet. Later, they bicker amiably on their way to Brendok, like an old married couple on a road trip. When not facing down Jedi, Qimir leaves his menacing persona behind and transforms into an empathetic, protective, and alluring partner.

Jane Grey, meanwhile, finds herself using her honeymoon sequestered away in a private cottage to try to cure Guildford of his Ethianism. With her knowledge of medicine, she concocts various potions and magical cures, but none of them succeed. Guildford often checks in on her after these disappointments, making sure she’s getting enough sleep and taking care of herself. It’s also clear that they’ve been regularly dining together when Jane suddenly dashes off to rescue her friend. Guildford follows her and the two protect one another, followed by an almost-tryst. Even when they move into the palace, their day-to-day (or rather night-to-night) life is one of comfortable domesticity, although they continue to deny Guildford’s horse form.

In each of these cases (although less so in The Acolyte without Season 2 to continue the story), playing house can only last for so long while the husband’s animal nature is denied. There is a part of him that is suppressed, rejected, and this leads to him being incomplete, a half-husband. Each hero is unable or unwilling to accept and celebrate his whole self with his bride. Eventually, it is that denial that leads to a rift between the couple, which can only be healed not with the transformation of the husband, but with the embrace of his animal form.

Enforcing Patriarchy: The Rival

Each of these relationships exists in direct opposition to the dominant culture in the story: Arman as the Dragon is the literal enemy of Mira’s people, Qimir as Sith is the enemy of Osha’s Jedi masters, and in My Lady Jane, intermarriage between humans and Ethians is punishable by death. By choosing to stay with their animal husbands, even for a brief time, our heroines are openly defying the patriarchal norms of their societies. But no oppressive society is about to take that transgression lying down. In each story, a rival emerges to enforce the patriarchal order, kill the beastly husband, and retrieve the bride.

In I Am Dragon, Mira’s betrothed and descendent of the dragon-slayer, Igor, journeys to rescue her from the dragon. Over the course of the story, it becomes clear that Igor cares nothing for Mira herself, and merely feels entitled to her as his bride. Dragon-slaying is his heritage, so he must find her, kill the dragon, and take his place as the hero of his people. Even the marriage ceremony illustrates his ownership of her: he takes hold of a rope tied to her boat and reels her in, thus binding her to the patriarchal order. Contrast that to Arman, who offers her the power of flight, a symbol for freedom.

In Osha’s case, Qimir’s rival for her loyalty is clearly Master Sol, who wants to keep his former pupil dependent on him and the Jedi. Sol takes patronizing fatherliness to an extreme, constantly rescuing Osha rather than letting her stand for herself, teaching her to deny her feelings and instincts, and lying to her to “protect” her. The Jedi refuse to allow that there might be any other way to access the Force than their own, thus invading the home of the Brendok witches and ultimately orphaning the twins. Sol continues to press this dominance to the end, challenging Qimir and insisting to Osha that his own lies were justified.

In My Lady Jane, there are two rivals, both women. Lady Frances attempts throughout the show to dominate her daughters and crush their wills, forcing them into unwanted marriages, applying political pressure, and even counseling Jane to abandon Guildford to save herself. The other rival is Mary Tudor, who is determined not only to emulate her father’s violent, oppressive, and misogynistic reign, but to crush anyone she considers “unnatural” or who poses a threat to her rule. These characters stand as clear examples of how women can enforce patriarchy, too.

In each story, there is a moment when the rival briefly recaptures or “rescues” the bride from her beastly husband, bringing her to a moment of decision: will she stay within the bounds of patriarchy like a good little girl? Or will she make an act of defiance to choose her own path?

Marriage: Choosing the Beast

The bride’s choice will ultimately decide not only her fate, but that of her mate as well. As an independent character, the wild masculine is deeply wounded, separated from himself and thus from his bride. He longs to transform not into a greater, more whole person, but into a lesser, half-person. Alone, without the embrace of his anima, he cannot see the value of his beastly form. Instead of healing, he faces annihilation.

As a part of the bride’s psyche, the beastly husband represents her innermost desires, the truth of her heart, and a spirit freed from the expectations of her society. He is her animus, her missing wild masculine. If she transforms him into a man, then she will tame his wild nature, bringing him to heel under the boot of the patriarchy. Choosing the human form and rejecting the beast means rejecting her own psychological needs. It would be just another form of psychic dismemberment.

Fortunately and unusually, each of these modern brides chooses her beastly husband without demanding he transform. When Osha finally agrees to become Qimir’s apprentice, she takes his hand under the willow tree, clasping the newly-bled lightsaber between them. A few scenes later, this wedding imagery is repeated when they hold hands over the saber again, this time looking into a sunrise/set. Notably, at the moment they “marry” under the willow tree, Qimir is wearing his beastly helmet with rows of menacing, wolfish teeth. He has not come to the light side or shed his Dark Side persona, but Osha has embraced him anyway without fear. And while they might not both be healed (yet), they are more whole together than they were apart.

When her efforts to cure Guildford of his Ethianism repeatedly fail, Jane begins to suspect that his “condition” cannot be cured at all. But listening to her Ethian friends Susanna and Archer finally convinces her that the truth is Guildford doesn’t NEED to be healed - being an Ethian is who he is, and it’s nothing to fear. Unfortunately, Guildford still associates his beastly form with his mother’s death, so he is unable to accept it as Jane encourages, and flees. After a near-death experience, he uses his equine speed to return to the castle just as Jane is deposed and captured. As our heroes battle toward the end, Guildford comes to learn that there are many other proud Ethians, and that his family loves and accepts him in any form.

Still, he’s unable to transform at will, and when Mary captures him and sentences both husband and wife to death, it seems their story may end in tragedy. But as Guildford has been struggling to accept himself, Jane too has been battling with her own conscience. Does she renounce Guildford to save herself? Use her wits to kill the guard and escape? Bend to her mother’s manipulation? Jane confronts each temptation, and ultimately chooses to face death rather than betray Guildford or herself. But when her Ethian friends (the wild instinct) appear to disrupt the execution, our heroine seizes the opportunity to rescue Guildford. Unable to free him from the burning pyre, she confesses her love for him, and they kiss amid the flames.

Fire is often a herald of transformation, burning away illusions to reveal the truth. And when Jane and Guildford exchange their vows in this symbolic marriage ceremony, Guildford’s fears and illusions are finally burned away. Now that his bride has accepted his beastly form, he can accept it too, and so he at last transforms at will into a horse so that they can escape. Their story ends with them married and whole before the sunrise.

Among our modern heroines, Mira is the boldest in her embrace of the beastly husband. Offered yet again as a bride to Igor, she realizes that this is not what she wants, and casts off the tether from her boat. She declares “I love the Dragon!” using the name of her husband’s animal form rather than his human name. Then, she sings the song that will call the dragon to her, and he appears to carry her away again.

But their story is not over yet! Earlier in the story, Arman told Mira of how he loses control when in dragon form, and that dragons are compelled to reproduce by burning maidens to death and retrieving their offspring from the ashes. Returning to the island with her a second time, the dragon drops her on the altar and prepares to spew fire, but Mira lunges up and kisses him. This act of love, even when he is a monster, stuns the beastly husband. Again, Mira declares her love and kneels before him, saying she does not wish to be parted. We might expect the animal husband to transform in this moment, but instead he lays his fearsome head in her lap as a lover. Their story ends with a child and a flight in the sky, silhouetted by the sun just like the other couples.

Each bride, when confronted with the option to return to the patriarchal limits of her childhood, chose instead an act of love and acceptance for her wild masculine. This embrace helped the beastly husband to accept his whole self, and he is healed without having to cut off the wild parts of himself.

What Does It Mean?

Again, this story is so rare in world folklore that it’s difficult to even find examples. On fleeting occasions that the woman chooses an untransformed beast, it is presented as a cautionary tale. These women are framed as a danger to the community for their bestial impulses and abandonment of the social order, much like witches who were said to consort with the devil. It was certainly never presented as a happy ending, insofar as we can tell from written accounts.

So what does the emergence of this tale mean for our culture? I would argue that this is just the latest step in our ongoing reckoning with historic gender roles, as well as renegotiating with other forms of systemic oppression. People of all genders are pressured to reject a part of ourselves, cutting us off from our own truth and desires that run counter to the enforced social order. We must not challenge patriarchy, must not embrace different gender expressions, must not blur established hierarchies of power, must not find joy and power in our identities, and so on.

This enforced denial does tremendous damage to everyone caught in the system, and so through story, we dream our way to escape. We dream of embracing the dark, wild parts of ourselves, of flying free on a spaceship or a dragon or enchanted horseback, and of being totally loved for who we are.

It’s clear patriarchy is still fighting back against this emancipation of the wild feminine and wild masculine, given that both The Acolyte and My Lady Jane were canceled not long after their release. In the case of The Acolyte in particular, there was a sustained campaign from its announcement to harass and silence the creators. Demoralizing as this phenomenon may be, it’s important to remember WHO ultimately owns these stories:

“Fanfiction is a way of the culture repairing the damage done in a system where contemporary myths are owned by corporations instead of owned by the folk.

-Henry Jenkins, NYT 1997

Ah, an oldie-but-goodie. But Dr. Jenkins is right. Corporations may greenlight, film, release, and then cancel these stories, but ultimately they belong to the people. We take from these tales what speaks to us, leave what does not, and then retell them ourselves in fanfiction, in art inspired by the stories, and in lessons we pass on to our friends and families. If the embrace of the wild masculine speaks to you, let the story take root in your own life. Do you know someone who needs to be embraced, just as they are? Do you need to accept the parts of yourself that society tells you to hate? Do you want to be free, healed, and whole?

If so, then let these stories show you how, and tell more like them. Embrace the beast, and find your joy.

Sources:

Beauty and the Beast Tales From Around the World by Heidi Anne Heiner

In Search of the Swan Maiden: A Narrative on Folklore and Gender by Barbara Fass Leavy

Women Who Run With the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype by Clarissa Pinkola Estés, Ph.D.

And a relevant song for you, as a treat:

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Totally unreal

Ever since Tuesday, I've had moments where I'm just struck by how Qimir's persona has changed from when he first met Osha, to the moment he stands by her on the breaker wall. It's unbelievable sometimes how even they evolve their interactions. It's, like, I can't believe this is the same character; or probably more accurate, that he would even be that important of one.

Let's look at the two scenes I'm referencing. Upon her entry into the shop, he was a curious goof with her at first before getting all close and personal. When she pulls the weapon on him, he is half-acting, half-genuinely shocked at her boldness and fierceness.

Along the way, we know the dynamic shifts from defending himself on pure reflex, to caring for her wounds and not leaving her stranded, to assisting her and offering his guidance.

Then we get THAT scene in episode 8 with THAT look:

Look how serious he is here; the stoicism, and the compassion. It's sooo different from before. He's talking with his face, saying, "I know things haven't gone exactly the way you foresaw. But everything will be okay. I'll be by your side for all of it". It's just so....AHHH!

Ahem, anyway, I'm not sure that it's all because of Manny's acting. I didn't watch any of the show until episode 6, and, before that, I had only caught a gif of their meeting after episode 2 and there were no sequential interactions since then. So, my view and understanding of his character pertaining to her, and the rest of the plot, made me think he was inconsequential. Thus, when we get this scene where he is framed as the MMC romantic interest, it's all so staggering.

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"With Osha and The Stranger’s relationship, Bram Stoker's Dracula by Francis Ford Coppola — which I know is different from the book — that film is one of my favorite films. Again, it was to have someone that was so scary, to have somebody that we clearly see is a bad guy, and he's doing bad things, and Lucy is dying, and then to have this deep connection with Mina, where you see a totally different side of him. One of the things that really works about that movie is that there is this past life, soulmate, reincarnation idea for this character that has been alive for centuries, and he is just shocked to find her. There's also a moment later in the movie where she agrees to drink his blood, and he says, “I can't let you do this. It's basically gonna damn your soul.” And she has the agency and makes the decision to make this bond between the two of them. Actually, in earlier drafts, The Stranger had a line from that movie, which is, “I have crossed oceans of time to find you." - Lesyle Headland (showrunner of The Acolyte)

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For All Time. Always. & Text Posts

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I feel so bad for Sophia Di Martino. She's the only Loki star that's really active on social media, and she's the one I see get the most hate. The Lokius shippers hate her because she plays Loki's love interest, the Man Dudes™ hate her because she plays a strong female character so the feminists must be taking over, people who hate the Loki series hate her because they hate that a female character turned Loki "soft." And it would be one thing if it was all directed at hating Sylvie, but I've seen so many people talk shit about Sophia personally, and I have to think she's seen at least some of it. She looks like such a ball of sunshine and I just wish people would back off of her :(

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Just because your ship isn’t canon, it doesn’t give you the automatic right to attack other people.

Going to summarize it short and sweet.

Do not attack the ship tag and its people (so many antis attacking the #Sylki tag every time an episode airs, that it’s almost expected now).

Do not attack the actors or actresses, you are making a horrible impression for the rest of us within the Marvel fandom.

Do not try to justify yourselves for this behavior, there is nothing to defend when you’re proactively trying to ruin it for other people who are trying to enjoy the show and like the opposing ship.

Made my point, should’ve posted this since Episode 3.

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reasons of why I started shipping sylkie after episode 4 (it’s a long post, and sorry for my bad english)

okay here we go

first, not only the holding hands, but the way Loki looks at her

the way he is all awkward and fragile when he is at her side, and I’ve never seen his character act like this with anyone else before

his reaction when Mobius lied to him saying Sylvie was dead

I agree with Mobius, it’s really funny because, as the God of Mischief, Loki seems to be a terrible liar here, and who else could say he is lying than a Loki specialist who is also an analyst?

Mobius had done this before right? In my opinion, I really don’t believe he was jealous during the interrogatory, Mobius was just doing his job trying to get some informations, but yes, he seemed to be extremely upset with the fact that Loki betraied him

“a bad friend” …

now, I know most part of the fandom is a lokius shipper, and it’s okay, they are really cute together, I was actually shipping it too before I watched episode 4, Mobius was the first person who could see something good on Loki, and he really wants to help him to be a better person

yes, I do agree that Loki was completely devastated when Mobius died, and it was a really heart breaking scene to watch

I do agree that they like each other, and they would make a good couple, I still shipp it a little bit, but I believe (and I know everybody’s gonna be angry with me) that in the TV show, they are just friends

anyone would be devastated to lose a good friend, or to be betrayed by one

even though it would be awesome to have lokius as a canon shipp, I don’t think it’s gonna happen because they are just friends (sad)

but, it does make sense since Loki wants to help Mobius to find his real life, his real family

If Loki has romantic feelings for Mobius, why he would want to reunite him with his own family and not just runaway with him? I’m sorry but, at this point, in my opinion, if we are talking about canon, lokius is a shipp that doesn’t make sense anymore (even though I still like it and I support everybody who shipps it)

now, the part that will make everybody hates me

as a good friend, Mobius wants Loki to be happy, so, he wants Loki and Sylvie to be together

I know Mobius wants to destroy TVA after finding out the true, but still, he was being such a good friend here trying to help Loki to save Sylvie, and maybe (please don’t hate me) (I know you all gonna hate me anyway) he is a sylkie shipper (at least it’s what it seems to me in the episode 4 I’m sorry)

now, talking about where the show is going, the whole point of the series is the destruction of the TVA, and the only thing that can do it is a nexus event strong enough to break the timeline

okay, now let’s talk about sci-fi a little bit

as we all know, Kate Herron, the director of Loki series is a big fan of sci-fi, and I can see she is getting inspirations of some famous sci-fi works like Doctor Who, so, the collapse of spacetime it’s a big cliche of sci-fi works, and there’s many movies, books and tv shows that explore it, not only Doctor Who, but also Dark, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Back To The Future, Donnie Darko and now, Loki series as well

so, according to most of sci-fi works, even the smallest interact between different events of spacetime, or between different dimensions could ruin the order of the universe, creating another reality completely different like a parallel universe, or something even worse like bring chaos and destroy everything, just like in the Loki series

but as we can see, Loki and Sylvie, two of the same being from different realities were together and interacting all the time in the episode 3 and nothing happened, no nexus event

apparently they can fight each other, they can help each other, they can drink together and talk about their families and relationships, they can confort each other, they even can sing to each other that everything will be just fine, no chaos

so what caused the nexus event?

if we take the Interstellar movie as a good example of a sci-fi work (actually, this movie is a true masterpiece, and one of the best movies of all time about spacetime), we will be able to see another sci-fi cliche here, which is in my opinion, something that the creators of the show are exploring as well

basically, it’s saying that love is the most powerful force of the universe

obviously, love can be manifest in many different ways, like between siblings, or self-love, but I don’t think this is what Loki and Sylvie connection is about

in the episode 3, they spent too much time talking about romantic relationships, and that “love is an imaginary dagger” mataphor really got us, I don’t think the creators of the show would made all those lines between Loki and Sylvie just for nothing, I think it’s something about the development of their characters, and the development of their relatioship as well

also, it’s pretty obvious that Loki and Sylvie never found real love, they never had it, and most important, they truly want it

and then, the nexus event happened, not with just a conversation, empathy or self-love, but because of a real romantic love between two people who just fell in love, yes, two variants of the same being falling in love with each other, and I agree, it’s weird, confusing, twisted, chaotic, a chaotic love so powerful and so strong that it can break the timeline and destroy TVA

this is why I’m shipping sylkie now, because I love sci-fi and I love what they are doing with the show and the characters

and after all this, if you still don’t agree with me, well, that’s fine

let’s just finish here with the lyrics of the song If You Love me by Brenda Lee, the song that was playing in the end credits of The Nexus Event

“If the sun should tumble from the sky, If the sea should suddenly run dry, If you love me, really love me, Let it happen, I won’t care, If it seems that everything is lost, I will smile and never count the cost, If you love me, really love me, Let it happen, darling I won’t care, Shall I catch a shooting star? Shall I bring it where you are? If you want me to, I will, You can set me any task, I’ll do anything you ask If you’ll only say you love me still, When at last our life on earth is through I will share eternity with you, If you love me, really love me, Let it happen, I won’t care, If you love me, really love me, Let it happen, darling, I won’t care”

just let it happen guys, or not, I don’t care, and go watch Interstellar, it’s a really good movie

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I wonder the same thing

What was Mando going to say? After he said "dank farrik" he told Grogu he wasn't mad at him then said, "When the nice lady said you had training I...."

He doesn't finish it. What was he going to say? He's obviously upset because he doesn't want Grogu to go.

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I know that considering (TCW-2008) refs/characters in this episode that it won’t be your fav but can you please share your child development thoughts for S02E05 please??

They may have been stuff I wasn’t fond of but there were so many cute Baby & Dad moments to make up for it!!

First of all, the puppeteers deserves ALL THE AWARDS for bringing Baby Yoda to life!  Not just making Baby “come alive” in general, but also that sort-of-awkward way children move when they don’t have complete confidence in their limbs yet.  The are doing a phenomenal job this season and I hope they are all safe and healthy and have all the chocolate they want.  Not only is it fantastic from a special effects perspective, it really highlights how far Baby has come now that he’s not stuck in a pod all day and implies that Din is trying to keep him active and physically healthy, and giving him opportunities to develop his muscles and muscle control.  (Just imagine them playing a makeshift game of chase through the Razor Crest!)

I absolutely loved Din saying “Hey, what did I tell you” because I have said those exact words in that exact tone SO MANY TIMES and also his Dad Voice is getting so much better!  Baby actually listens to him and understands that Din expects him to listen!  Of course he still wants the ball (and apparently takes it enough that Din has been practicing his Dad voice on that too, “What did I say about that” is another phrase I also use at work).

Though there may have been another reason he wants the ball this time - as a comfort item, like a child bringing their favorite stuffie to the first day of school.  Baby was there when the Armorer told Din to find Jedi to bring the Baby to.  He has been listening a lot when Din talks about finding Jedi to train him and give him to.  I think Baby is very, very aware of the fact that the end goal is to leave him with the Jedi and is very afraid of leaving his beloved father.  He would’ve had stable caretaker(s) at the Jedi Temple but in the last twenty years who knows what’s happened to him.  His subdued, don’t-draw-attention-to-myself behavior in Season 1 definitely makes me think he’s been neglected, bare minimum, and possibly abused.  Din not only treats him kindly but actually takes care of his needs, is kind to him, and is the most stable presence in his life.  Of course he’d be terrified to leave him!

I think that’s also why he doesn’t play ball with Ahsoka, so to speak.  We all know he can lift a mudhorn, a rock is no problem for him.  He could do it in a heartbeat.  But I think he understood that if he showed off for her, Ahsoka might take him away.  So he refused for that, and because it’s very common at that age to refuse to do something to regain control of a situation.  (That’s why you get kids enjoying telling you “No!” and the whole terrible twos thing.)  If he refuses, he stays in control of what’s happening.  But of course Din knows exactly how to tempt him with his favorite ball, and kids do want to please adults they like.  Anything to hear that sweet, sweet positive reinforcement.  So it wasn’t just the shiny ball that convinced Baby - it was the fact that Din was the one playing with him, and that Din so enthusiastically tells him good job.  (And Din is noticeably more into it when using the orb.  Maybe he and Baby have played with it before?  So it’s more natural to both of them.  And he was truly so proud of his boy!!  It was adorable.)

It’s the same with hearing his real name, which he presumably hasn’t heard in twenty years.  He responds when Ahsoka says it, but when Din says it?  He’s instantly turned around, ears perked all the way up in “happy” mode.  It’s special when Din says it, because Din is special to him.

Which then ties into the whole attachment thing.  Baby is very healthily attached to Din.  There’s a reason we stick kids with the same teacher for a year plus at a time, it’s because kids are comfortable with a regular person they can get to know, just like adults are.  To Baby, Ahsoka is just some orange stranger and Din is his dad.  Of course he is more attached to Din and has fears over losing him, especially if he’s been deprived of that for the last 20-odd years!  It’d be different if Din was sticking around to transition Baby somewhere new, or just dropping him off for lessons.  But leaving a parent permanently and abruptly after likely previous trauma?  That would be horrible for Baby.

And re: The Jedi + attachments Ahsoka (and Filoni) are wrong on that.  The Jedi do not forbid attachments, only letting your attachments rule you.  Ki-Adi-Mundi is married and so were others, and there are plenty of Padawan-Master relationships to see - for example, Obi-Wan was attached to Qui-Gon and clearly loved him and was devastated by his loss, but it’s only when he conquers his emotions and calms himself is he able to defeat Maul, and afterward is implied/shown to mourn Qui-Gon and handle his grief in a healthy way.  Anakin doesn’t fall because he’s attached to his loved ones.  He falls because he’s willing to commit murder and genocide over his attachments.  So “I can’t teach Grogu because he’s attached to you” is bullshit.  “I can’t teach Grogu because he is attached to you and needs to be safely transitioned into Jedi life in an environment that is comfortable and safe for him, with your help as his adoptive father, and I have no way to do that here and/or don’t feel comfortable doing that” is much more accurate.  (This is probably what would’ve happened if the Order was still around, anyway, and/or how he was actually taken in - the 3D TCW episode with the Jedi children shows the bounty hunters tricking the parents to kidnap the kids, implying that a real Jedi would work with the family to transition the children in a safe and healthy manner.  The Rodian even says the Jedi have already spoken to her iirc.)

Of course even if Grogu is unhealthily attached to Din (which he isn’t, imo, he behaves like a child at a normal level of attachment to a regular caretaker he loves) then ignoring it and not doing anything about it is equally bad…. as we’ve already seen when he got upset with Cara last season.  Baby must learn to control his powers so he doesn’t hurt himself or others, especially since he’s so young he doesn’t always have full control over his own emotions.  “Big” emotions can be a lot for a kid; a screaming meltdown is bad enough when the kid can’t yeet you with their mind.  I’ve been hit, kicked, bitten, scratched, had toys thrown at me, even been hit with heavy wooden blocks.  A Grogu out of control with his emotions and using the Force?  Terrifying.  Yes, his attachment to Din makes him more vulnerable to his fears and anger - we’ve seen him choke Cara and while he only held back the mudhorn, in theory he could’ve done more.  But that is just all the more reason to teach him control.  Ignore harmful behavior and it will only get worse, and Din isn’t really equipped to help him navigate that since Din doesn’t understand the Force and can’t understand what Grogu says.

(Also lol at “He doesn’t understand” “He does.”  You can 100% tell when kids understand you perfectly and are refusing to do it, even when a parent is making excuses for their darling. xD  Especially since kids will frequently act/react differently to their parents versus other caretakers.)

“He’s hidden his abilities to survive over the years” I call partial bullshit on that.  No, I don’t think Baby has done any long-term planning or had thoughts along the lines of “I’m being hunted and need to protect myself by pretending not to be a Force-user.”  But I think he has probably figured out people react a certain way when he does Force things and perhaps decided “I shouldn’t make things float because then people will grab me/I will get taken away/other consequence I don’t like will happen.”  That’s more in line with a toddler’s level of thinking/comprehension.  And it adds greater weight to him saving Din from the mudhorn - he didn’t know how Din would react to him using the Force, if Din would try and hurt him or lock him in the pod or whatever, but he still wanted to save Din.  Overall though I think Baby’s Force-use is in line with a toddler’s thoughts.  “I want X to happen, I can make that happen with the Force, so I will make X happen unless I’m more scared of [consequence] happening.”

So overall a pretty revealing episode for Baby/Grogu.  (I’m not used to the new name yet tbh.)  Although I’m worried about how many times it will take Din hearing it to realize that yes, you are this baby’s father, get that through your beskar-plated skull.

[mariapt8]

Okay, i wanna talk about the soup scene again, and more importantly about Din’s body language.

He’s nervous.

Just look at this gif.

First, he drinks the soup, and immediately after he looks away from the child, as if he’s embarrassed. This IS a big first step for him to bond with the child: He can’t take off his entire helmet, but he can show the kid he trusts him enough to lower his defenses.

Look at how much he’s moving, not doing his usual rambling with the baby, almost trying to avoid eye contact with the kid. And Din isn’t stupid nor blind. He can surely tell that his son is curious and tries to sneek a peak (he’s not really subtle) but he doesn’t ridicule him or anything. He lets it happen.

I really feel like this is setting up a reveal of Dins face to the kid, making an exception to his creed for his clan. Because I really do think Din WANTS to show him.

[mariapt8]

The fact that he always acts like squirrel lmaoo

That being said... pretty sure that’s just all british kids ngl

[mariapt8]

Daniel Sharman🤣🤣 as the weeping monk spilling the tea about what happened between the scenes for #CurseNettlix☕

[mariapt8]

#ultimate brotp

[mariapt8]

squirrel: this is my friend weeping monk everyone: isn’t that the dude who assisted in the genocide of the fey, aren’t YOU fey squirrel: yeah but he’s my friend now sooo WM awkwardly standing behind squirrel:

[mariapt8]

what the fey did I just witness