#So that probably kinda contributed to the muted reactions

[dnalt-d2]

Man, Chayanne and Tallulah's nightmare is freakin crazy to me

Not because of how unbalanced it was and how hopeless it all seemed afterward, or how much angst and cool animatics came from it

But because of everyone's reactions at the time

Because I got curious once about what everyone's reactions was and went to go check out their VODs

And no one really seemed to give a shit when it was happening????

Like they were in some sort of therapy session at the time and suddenly we see in the chat

TALLULAH DIED

PHIL DIED

CHAYANNE DIED

PHIL DIED

THEY ALL DIED

And Bad even saw that. And then when someone asked about it he was just like "Oh yeah, some eggs are dying."

Like bro???

You're not gonna DO ANYTHING about it?????

Like obviously there wasn't anything he COULD do, but it was so freaking weird to see him just not do anything

It's so contradictory to how they react now, ESPECIALLY Bad

[meta-shadowsong]

Quick response to Mandalorian season finale

Behind a cut because, well.

Okay, yes, I am in this show for Dadalorian and Found Family etc. But I am at least as invested in the plotline this season about various factions of Mandalorians and their, for lack of a better word, sectarian disputes. Which frequently result in barfights. Because Mandalorians.

(AKA that scene where they picked up Bo and her minion was. A Delight.)

(Also, I love my girl Bo-Katan. Even if she’s very much a blunt instrument/not a politician going at this in all the wrong ways and was Very Rude to Boba but tbh I wasn’t 100% sure she was going to show up in this episode and I would’ve been Sad if we hadn’t gotten to see them meet. Either here or next season.)

(Still Sad at the lack of Sabine, though :( )

Leaving aside anything re: Gina Caranno (because that has been discussed by people much smarter and better-informed than myself), I’m kind of thrilled that the strike team was Almost Entirely Ladies.

(On that note. Uh. Does anyone else kinda. That little “Anyone else, we can take” smirk. And I just. Uh. Bo/Fennec, anyone??????)

(I kind of already ship Bo with Ventress tbh but a) multishipping ftw and b) threesome??????)

(Hi I’m shallow sometimes lol)

Anyway moving on.

Also the sound/almost-music when the Cylons Dark Troopers were activating was Excellent I approve.

And that Visual of the one trooper Din set on fire. ...honestly that whole hallway fight sequence was pretty Brilliant.

And the sort of...almost casual layer of the scene in the elevator. Even if these women haven’t worked together before, just that, “sure you don’t need any help with that?” “I got it. Excuse me.”

And that whole thing where Gideon was trying to Manipulate Din and he was like “...dude, I legit just care about the kid. I’ll fight for/with Bo-Katan because she’s pretty badass and I Might As Well plus she gets me what I want but I don’t...actually...Care about her Greater Cause?”

(Side note, I’ve spent a lot of time writing Bo-Katan/figuring out how her head works and literally all she cares about is Mandalore and its survival. It’s why she broke away from her sister in the first place, and has informed every single thing she’s done since. A lot of why she makes the specific choices she does goes back to the Mandalorian Civil War and her experiences there--especially since all the evidence indicates she was not with Satine and Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon. The way that separation and their different experiences of that conflict probably contributed to the eventual destruction of what seems likely to have been a Very Close Relationship before that is fascinating to me. And the subject of a fic I’ve been working on off and on for a couple years now, lol.)

(...anyway, where I was going with this was--I mean, yes, Gideon knows everything in terms of facts, but he doesn’t always interpret them correctly. IMO, Bo-Katan’s desire to rule Mandalore is less about power (for herself) than it is about Mandalore. Especially given some of what she says to Sabine in Rebels--if there was someone else she genuinely trusted to take the throne and rule her world, she’d be willing to cede her claim and be one of their generals. Especially since she’s very much not a political animal. She’s an excellent war leader, but not so much in terms of actual Governance.)

(insert long ramble about the Parallels between her and Anakin, which I touched on in one of my fanfics, lol; and will probably do more with in my BB project which involves the two of them and Padme as the main characters)

(And, yeah, she does want to fight Din for the right, but if she thought Din would be a good Duke/King of Mandalore, I think she would seriously considering swearing allegiance to him? Again, witness how she handled things with Sabine. Also she would probs prefer to avoid a third (fourth?) civil war in her lifetime. But, I mean. I love Din but he is. He is not a Leader. Not like her people need.)

(And I think the way things played out with Sabine affects her decisions here, too--she did accept the Darksaber as a gift/tribute then, but proceeded to lose it. Maybe she does need to fight for it the way Maul and Viszla did (presumably; we don’t know how he got the Darksaber; it may be something he inherited/have been held by House Viszla for a while, even if they never used it to dethrone the Kryzes until now).)

(But, then again, I mean, this has been her life for at least a decade, so...well, maybe she wouldn’t quite step aside. Even if an Absolutely Perfect candidate came along. But WRT Din specifically--given who he is and what he’s capable of, while she absolutely wants him in her camp (and on a personal level isn’t super thrilled about having to fight him like this; she seems to genuinely like this kid), my guess is she doesn’t want him ruling. Not without some more actual leadership training/experience. Because, well, he’s been either a follower or a loner in everything we’ve seen him in, and given Bo’s opinion of (possibly experience with?) the Watch/the group who raised him, and the fact that he’s consistently shown himself to have super-narrow priorities and not really caring about much outside of them...yeah, she probs has some Concerns.)

(Plus, he clearly doesn’t want it. And you have to Want It on some level in order to be an effective ruler--that Wanting can be from genuine altruism/wanting to make the world better, like we see with Bail and Padme; it can be from single-minded determination to Make Things Right, like Satine and I would argue Bo-Katan (Leia falls into either the first or second category, depending on the point in her storyline); and it can come from a desire for personal power and advancement (as we see with Pre Viszla and, of course, Skeev Palpatine himself; to be fair, rulers in this third category tend to be bad in other ways lol). But someone who genuinely doesn’t want power generally kind of Sucks when they’re unexpectedly handed it. Which I could cite several IRL historical examples of. And, I mean, obviously, this isn’t the only factor in play for what makes a good ruler/leader (see above re: Palps and Pre Viszla), but it is a factor.)

(Also, to clarify: none of these are bad qualities/traits, necessarily? Like, traits are good or bad depending on whatever context a person/character finds themself in. And in Din’s current context, with his current life and mission--even in situations where he has to coordinate with other groups in the service of a larger goal--these are excellent traits to have. But for someone who’s responsible for an entire nation? Not so much.)

(One could argue that Bo has some Issues there, too, albeit different ones, which is why I think she might be willing to step aside and cede her claim to a Genuinely Good/Better Alternative, if she found one. She’s a war-leader, not a ruler, and the two jobs require overlapping but different skillsets.)

(..........honestly? I don’t think the show would go there, but I think the two of them as a team/partnership ruling Mandalore would actually be really effective? Either on an equal footing or with one as the Official Ruler and the other as a second-in-command/right-hand. She has the leadership expertise and the actual will and drive to pull this off, and he has the diplomatic skill, as we see with the Tusken Raiders, among others.)

(Not a romantic partnership, lol, that would be Weird, but a political and probably eventually platonically affectionate one. Especially with how Mandalore feels about family of choice/adoption, and the fact that they’re both kind of alone now (whatever happened to Korkie, anyway??) even if no formal adoption is likely in their case...)

(Anyway. Uh. Long tangent aside...)

(also if there’s anyone who didn’t see Gideon trying to decapitate Din when his back was turned...IDEK what you were expecting. Like. I am All About guys like Pellaeon in the Imperial ranks, and the fact that there might be a few people who would make that offer/deal and be on the level. To say nothing of my best beloved Alexsandr Kallus. But. Uh. Gideon is. Not one of them.)

(Also, I thought it was a Nice Touch when the spear started turning red--because, no, the Darksaber can’t cut pure beskar. But it does generate heat, as we’ve seen in, say, TPM. And beskar does melt.)

Also, called it on tossing the Cylons Dark Troopers out the airlock Not Working in the long term.

While it’s not Cool or Flashy like a bomb or slicing, the Cylons Dark Troopers pounding the doors down with their goddamn fists was Cool and Terrifying in all the best ways.

Side note--I think even if I hadn’t been spoiled (forgot to mute the spoiler channels on the SW Discords I’m on before going to bed, and checked on autopilot), X-wing + Grogu perking up would’ve probably clued me in and I would’ve been SHRIEKING. I was still vibrating super hard even though I knew who was coming, but it probably would’ve been slightly more XD

(and then a moment of HAHA GIDEON KNOWS WHAT’S COMING)

(and so does my girl Bo)

(and then the green ‘saber and the glove and other costume details and IF YA DIDN’T SCREAM BEFORE YOU SURE ARE NOW!!!!)

(Kind of cool that they waited until the last minute before showing his actual face though)

NO MY GIRL BO-KATAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(IF YOU DIE WHO WILL GET DRUNK AND SWAP WAR STORIES AND MAYBE HAVE VICTORY SEX WITH FENNEC)

(shut up i’m shallow)

(also I love her she’s legit one of my favorite characters in this series I don’t want her to die DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD:)

OH GOOD SHE GOT UP

(yeah that was my actual real-time reaction to her getting shot lol)

“Talent without training is nothing.” ::insert Obvious/Tired joke about Luke having all of three months’ training At Best::

(also, I mentioned this in my last quick reaction, as well as elsewhere, but I’m...still kind of uncomfortable with the continuing implication that the Jedi path is the only option other than Darkness. Not because it’s a bad one, either in the PT-era or with Luke’s reconstruction. But the idea that the only way to achieve the mindset/emotional stability/whatever needed to wield the Force without Falling is through adapting the Jedi philosophy sits wrong with me. especially the implication that you can only do so from an early age/in isolation from other influences or bonds; which is a word I’m using very specifically because there’s a difference between Attachment as defined by the Jedi and interpersonal bonds which they clearly have and I don’t want this to get derailed by that particular Discourse(tm) That doesn’t even super hold up on Earth, with a single species, let alone in a galaxy with trillions of beings of multiple different species. Basically, people and the galaxy--and by extension the Force, which is in part created/influenced by living beings--are way too complicated for there to be only one right answer.)

(Also, it...doesn’t really hold up with the core message of Star Wars, which is about Choice? If the only way you can be a Good Force Adept is by meeting this extremely narrow set of criteria, most of which are outside your possible control......but I should probably save this for a separate post, lol.)

(The point is, I mentioned earlier in the post how much I’m LOVING the throughline in this season about different factions/sects among Mandalorians, and I think it would be Great if we got more of that with Jedi/Light adepts.)

(Anyway. Uh. Back to the episode...)

That FACE MOMENT had me legit crying omg

ARTOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1!@@21!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

omg had they MET

I...don’t know what I was expecting from the credits but Welp. I wonder who the body double was...

(And before you ask, I didn’t really get the Uncanny Valley effect from Rogue One, not even Tarkin, so.....yeah, I guess I don’t always pick up on that, or it hits me from weird directions, lol. Because I sometimes get that from the Rebels animation, especially in stills/gifsets, because everyone’s faces are all so Smooth...)

.........Jabba’s palace, okay.

.......Bib Fortuna, Okay.

(those fingernails, however, are Not Okay)

YAY RESCUE THE GIRL.

Good on you, Boba, just shooting him in the face instead of letting him posture!

although why you want to rule Tatooine is...okay then.

LOL at Fennec perching on the arm of the chair, sipping her booze all casual-like.

Right! So that was an Experience! Overall, I liked it. Looking forward to how Din and Bo handle things moving forward, in particular! Because, like I said, I’m in this series for Dadalorian (so IDK how I’ll feel with it no longer being the Core Story since Grogu left with Luke) and in this season for the Mandalorian factions/sects and how they interact.

I’m also not sure how I feel about three interconnected series leading up to a Major Finale Event? Disney’s Star Wars has not had a super great track record with giving all the information needed to follow things in the core product (see: the ST worldbuilding lol, and also some of the cameos/appearances in this season, even), so I’m Skeptical of how well they’ll do explaining what is Necessary in each of the three series, in case someone only watches one or two.

What were your thoughts?

[koalala1031]

In Memory of Cherry Blossom

Part of #SGRSWeek – Day 6/Act V: 懐かしい (Natsukashii: Fondness and Nostalgia) (AO3)

Rating: PG-13

Word Count: 885

Genre: Family, Drama, Hurt/Comfort

Summary: Two weeks after he passed away. The cherry blossoms might have already been falling, but their memories of him will never fade.

Pairing(s): slight Yotarou x Konatsu

Warning: S2 episode 10-11 spoilers, major character death

“Yosh!!!” Yotarou clapped his hands as he prayed for Yakumo in front of his grave, followed by Konatsu and Shinnosuke.

As they finished praying, Yotaro and Shinnosuke bowed down to Yakumo’s grave, while Konatsu just stared at them, looking confused.

“Mommy~!” Shinnosuke begged her without changing his position. Being unable to refuse her adorable yet mischievous son, Konatsu simply sighed as she bowed down as well.

“Aight, Master,” Yotarou said. “Now we’d like to bid farewell to you.”

“Goodbye, Grandpa,” Shinnosuke followed his father. “We’ll never forget you, and we’ll always visit you in a regular basis.”

Konatsu opened her mouth, as she nervously muttered, “I... I, uh...”

“You also got somethin’ to say for Master, Sis?” Yotarou asked his wife. Konatsu anxiously nodded. Then she breathed in, and started talking, “I might have said this before but... thank you, for raising me instead of abandoning me. Thank you, for being a father to me. Thank you, for everything...”

Konatsu tried her best to hold her tears, and she continued her speech, “You still owe me one thing, you know? Remember when I asked you to be my student?” She muted for a second and continued again, “Even though that’s pretty much nothing compared to all the things you’ve already done to me. Yet I... I...”

Konatsu tried her best to hold her tears. Her husband however, wasn’t exactly doing as well as her. “Eh, Yota?!” Konatsu was surprised with his reaction. “Why are you the one crying?!”

Yotarou didn’t even answer, he was crying too hard to even listen to her question. He just straight up hugged her tight as his tears are flooding over her shoulder.

“Sig... there there,” Konatsu said as she patted his head to calm him down. After he cooled down a bit, he let her off of his grip. Konatsu then switched to her son, “Hey, Shin.”

“Hmm?” Shinnosuke responded to his mom.

“You might wanna hug your dad. He needs it. Like, really.”

Shinnosuke pulled his father’s trousers. In respond, Yotarou bent down so he’s in his tiny son’s reach. The little guy then spread his arms wide as his father embraced him in return, and then he continued crying.

Shinnosuke didn’t actually mind his father crying in his arms. As his mother taught him, it’s actually good for men to cry. Showing emotion is a completely acceptable thing to do for a human.

Konatsu then switched from the two boys crying together back to her foster father’s tombstone. After that, she put a bouquet of peace lilies in front of it.

“Yota and Shin are still doing just fine, don’t worry,” Konatsu said again. “And the little child too...” She smiled as she touched her slightly bigger stomach. “Anyway... we should probably go home right now. Yota still has some upcoming performances. That’s a busy rakugoka for you.”

The three then bowed down to Yakumo’s grave again as they said goodbye, and then they left together.

Konatsu glanced at the cherry blossom trees. The cherry blossoms have been falling from their trees. “It’s really sad, huh...” she murmured under her breath.

“Eh? What is it, Sis?” Yotarou reacted.

“The cherry blossom. Only two weeks ago, they just started blooming. But now...”

Neither of the two gentlemen spoke as they kept walking. The lady then continued, “Well, this kinda reminds me of him regretting not planting a cherry tree in the front garden when I was younger. If he did, then, the tree would already be tall by now.”

“But we already planted one, didn’t we?” Shinnosuke cheerfully asked. “Daddy said it’s better late than never.”

“Also it’s not like the cherry blossoms only blooms once in a lifetime!” Yotarou added. “There’s always next year!”

Konatsu simply chuckled as she smiled at the two most important men in her life now.

“So Daddy, what are you gonna perform in tonight’s radio show?” Shinnosuke changed the topic.

“Jugemu!”

“Yaaaaay!”

The father and son hugged each other while cheering and laughing together.

“I actually remembered Grandpa performing Jugemu once!”

“Wha... really?!”

“I had a dream about it. But I wasn’t the only one there. There was this little girl who kinda looks like Mommy, and also two other people I don’t really know.”

“Well, um...” Konatsu interrupted. The two then immediately stared at her. “The two other people there... are your other grandpa, and your grandma. And that little girl was me.”

“Wait Mommy, how did you know about that?”

“Because... I had a similar dream once. There were my parents. And you too. Oh, but before Yakumo’s Jugemu, my dad also did a performance before.”

“But then, how did you... How could we be in the same dream?”

“I don’t know either, to be honest. Anything can happen in a dream, after all.”

“Doesn’t matter, that’s still amazing anyways!” Yotarou changed the topic again. “To actually see the greatest masters perform live with your entire family... Well, almost entire family, but still!!!”

Konatsu giggled at her husband. Yotarou then embraced his family happily as they continued walking home.

“Yota, be careful with the baby!”

“Aaaaah, I’m sorry!”

April 10th, 1994. Two weeks after The Eighth Yurakutei Yakumo passed away.

The cherry blossoms might have already been falling, but his family’s memories of him will never fade.

Author’s note:

It was like midnight when I finished this I actually contribute something for #SGRSWeek I’m so proud of myself yayy. I was actually kinda unsure if this belongs in Day 3 (because there’s family here) or Day 6, but heck, turns out I was already late for Day 3, so never mind that.

So um, I kinda did a tad research on cherry blossoms in Japan, and according to this, they bloom for roughly two weeks in total. Plus I assume they live in Tokyo, since Yota kinda does the Eastern-style rakugo. Also I think Yakumo/Kiku died when the cherry blossom started blooming?? So I just made the date here is 1 week after Tokyo’s average full bloom. Regardless, please CMIIW :)

About the bowing down, I don’t really know if Japanese people really do that in real life. I just decided to include it because I thought it kinda fits Yota’s character......?

Welp, the AN turned out to be surprisingly long. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this fic and feel free to leave some comments ^^ not forcing btw

[blaperile]

Homestuck Epilogues - Meat - Page 11 (Epilogue 2 Page 3)