#but i'm way more of a casual fan of Star Wars

[ravinoforre]

the second of my Pokemon Colosseum anniversary fanzine submissions. I've always found Colosseum and Star Wars have a lot in common aesthetically (and thematically to an extent), so this is based on one of the original 1977 Star Wars posters.

This game means a hell of a lot to me. Fixating on this, and its sequel, have gotten me through some rough times as a teen and young adult.

May the Orre by with you.

[david-talks-sw]

I got a good feeling about "The Acolyte"

Not even kidding. Like, I've spoken before about why I'm wary of it.

George Lucas' Star Wars is something that intentionally has black and white morality, rather than shades of gray. Those movies are meant for kids and projecting a "gray" morality onto them then proclaiming it was George's vision all along is doing so in bad faith.

The narrative of the Prequels doesn't frame the Prequel Jedi in as negative a light as Leslye Headland, Dave Filoni, etc etc do.

See here for more details, but bottom line: yeah, a show that has a darksider as the underdog is bound to demonize the Jedi (who are the actual underdogs in the Prequels), and obviously that rubs me the wrong way.

BUT.

The trailer looks fucking cool. It really really does.

And more importantly? I've done some research... and Leslye Headland is ticking a lot of good boxes, in my book.

1. The Acolyte won't be a 10-hour movie.

I've criticized Disney Plus shows before, explaining that a big source for most of their issues is that these series are being structured as "long movies" rather than, y'know, actual shows.

But in this interview with Collider, Headland addresses that: it'll be a series. Not a long movie that you need to watch across four weeks.

Thank God. You have no idea how much that comforts me. Finally a showrunner who's, y'know, actually running a show.

And this goes hand in hand with what she told IGN, here, about how she's going about building suspense.

Yes! Exactly! That's how it's supposed to be!

Like, compare this to Baylan Skoll's storyline in Ahsoka.

In no possible way was that emotionally-fulfilling. For 8 episodes we had no idea what he was after, and the season ended where we still don't know. What does he want? What is he after? Your guess is as good as mine, it's something Mortis-related.

So yeah. Maybe getting the Emmy-nominated trained screenwriter on board to run this was a good idea.

2. Maybe the Jedi will not be as demonized as I originally thought.

Don't get me wrong. 80% of what she says about the Jedi makes me cringe. It's the typical fan's interpretation and y'all know I disagree with that interpretation.

It's painful to see her refer to the Jedi as an institution (not how the Prequels' narrative frames them) and to see her frame "Balance" in the "oh there's so many of them and just two Sith, that means the Force is out of balance" meaning... but at least she acknowledges the Jedi are a benevolent institution.

They're not an "elitist force hiding in their ivory tower" as others have described the Jedi.

Moreover, there'll be a variety of Jedi POVs, many personalities.

Yord Fandar, is described as a strictly by-the-book Jedi Knight and guardian from the Jedi Temple, is an overachiever and a rule follower.

The question now becomes: will the narrative frame him as "your typical Jedi" or is it just this one guy? I'm hoping it's the latter.

I also like how her reasoning goes re: Jedi drawing their lightsabers.

Which explains the hand-to-hand combat seen in the trailer.

This teenager is coming at Carrie-Ann Moss with a dagger, of course the Jedi won't draw her saber.

3. She's a fan of Star Wars... but a screenwriter first.

You can tell in the interviews she's a fan. She's using words like "BBY" and "EU" casually. In the above-linked interviews she's bringing up the Nightsisters, Timothy Zahn, The Clone Wars, she mentions she has a tattoo of Ralph McQuarrie's concept art of Leia, the High Republic books, etc.

She's done her homework. She's a fan.

But the vibe I'm getting from these interviews is that she's weaving in these various lore-elements in a more organic way, rather than in the "fan-servicey" way Dave Filoni has been doing in his shows.

The references and Easter Eggs will be there, but the narrative won't bend over itself just so you can get it. Crafting a good story comes first, and Andor is a beautiful illustration of why this is true.

Which is why I was never bothered about one of the writers never having watched Star Wars before getting the job. You need those fresh eyes when you're tackling something of this scale.

That makes sense to me. Maybe it's because of my own screenwriting experience, but yeah. That out-of-the box perspective is precious.

And like, obviously, that writer watched the films eventually, but for some reason everyone who bitched about Headland omitted that detail and opted for a more bad faith interpretation.

Hm. Wonder why.

Maybe it's the same reason that months ago this clipped audio circulated socials without context, in which she debates whether Star Wars only came from George Lucas and only Lucas is the key.

The FULL context of that interview reveals that she's actually:

debating the "autheur director" myth and positing that it was achieved by a collective of excellent filmmakers and craftspeople that George was skilled and smart enough to recruit...

the studios now think it's a simple as hiring one guy and throwing money at him, because they have no idea what the fuck they're talking about. See Napoleon (2023) for example.

Yes, she also does a jab to the Prequels, which speaks to the generation of fans she's a part of... but overall she's giving Lucas props whilst also stating an ideological difference, that's it!

George is a proponent of the "autheur" theory, Leslye isn't.

However, guess what, in like half the talks George gave post-selling Star Wars? He's giving shoutouts to everyone who helped make the first film, even remembering their names.

So I'm not even sure he'd vehemently disagree with Leslye, in fact they'd prolly have a conversation about it and immediately bitch about how stupid studio executives are :D

But that's not as incendiary, is it? Again, the more I do the research, the more it feels like the reason most of these influencers are hating on her is purely sexist.

I mean, on IGN she's even acknowledging that she does plan on taking stock of fan reactions for Season 2.

It's not a guarantee that she'll incorporate the feedback, but at least that's more consideration than, say, JJ Abrams or Rian Johnson gave the fandom.

She's even bringing the moral ambiguity that the Gray Jedi-loving edge-lords love so much.

"No, she's a woke feminist! Anything she does is evil! Eww, girls!"

🙄

Needless to say... I'm gonna give it a shot.

I think it's gonna be a good show, I think it's gonna be a solid story.

I'm crossing my fingers that they won't as biased against the Jedi as it seems they'll be. Even if they are... if it's still an enjoyable experience, I'll gloss over it.

As @gffa states in this post:

Worst case? It's not a story from George. I can dismiss it from my headcanon without a moment's hesitation :D

[pedroshotwifey]

Hungry Like The...

Pairing: Werewolf!Frankie Morales x AFAB!Reader

Word Count: 3.6k

Tags/Warnings: Smut, PIV sex, oral sex (f receiving), fluff, established relationship, no use of y/n, Frankie has a monster cock, im missing stuff but I want to go to bed so...

Summary: You and Frankie decide to attend an 80s themed Halloween party. Through all of the excitement, you must have forgotten what day the full moon falls on.

A/N: I'm gonna go ahead and say that I rushed the absolute fuck out of this one, but I think it turned out pretty good. I really kind of jumped outside of my comfort zone with this, so I'm kinda proud that I did that. That being said, please feel free to call me out on anything that might not make sense or anything that I should change at all because I'm half clueless with this kind of stuff. Please consider reposting and/or liking. Thank you for reading and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!! <3

***

You have no idea where Frankie snuck off too. 

He claimed he was going to get the two of you more drinks, but that was about ten minutes ago. You’re well aware that it should have taken less than half of that for him to find his way to the refreshment table, pick up some drinks, and bring them back to you. 

Right now, though, you’re too blissed out to care—not that you have much to worry about with your loving boyfriend anyway. The lights are almost blinding as you spin around beneath them, but they transform into a nice glow thanks to the buzz you’re sporting. “Mony Mony,” is blaring through the speakers and you're in your zone as you swing your hips to the beat. 

You’re glad that Frankie had suggested that you two attend this party specifically. The only requirements were that you had to dress up as an 80’s character in order to fit the era the party revolves around. 80’s costumes, 80’s music, 80’s decor. Luckily for you, the 80’s is one of your absolute favorite decades, and you’re pretty sure Frankie knew that when he signed the two of you up. 

The dance floor is packed with people to the point where you can’t stretch out all the way without bumping into someone. Usually, that would irk you, but you can’t find it in you to mind tonight. It’s not like anybody else does. 

As you snap your hips to the beat, you look around at all the different costumes in the crowd. You see a handful of Star Wars characters, a couple of Freddy Kruegers, some Ghost Busters, and—of course—a shit ton of Madonnas. The rest, for the most part, are pretty original. 

You’re pretty proud of your own costume, to be honest. You had spent a couple of weeks configuring a custom-made Storm costume. You’ve been an X-Men fan for as long as you can remember, and it made you so happy to try on your costume for the first time a few days ago. It’s pretty damn spot-on. 

Frankie, on the other hand, had insisted on being a werewolf. Like turning into one once a month wasn’t enough already. You had simply rolled your eyes and asked him what he had in mind so you could make his costume. It was worth it to see the way he lit up, even though he’s cutting it close with the party’s theme. 

After the year he had, he deserves to be happy—even if it means you have to endure his stupid jokes every now and again. When he gets tipsy, his goofy humor always makes an appearance. It’s one of your favorite parts about nights out with your boyfriend. He never fails to make you laugh. 

Just as you begin to worry that he might have gotten lost in the crowd, you feel a hand spin you around. You’re getting ready to tell someone off until you come face to face with those irresistible brown eyes. 

“Hey there, Hermosa,” he says as he cuddles up to you, swaying you to the song. “Having fun, sweetheart?” 

You giggle as he bends down and nuzzles his face into your neck. Glancing down, you almost aren’t surprised to see that he doesn’t have any drinks. 

“Frankie?” You ask casually as you throw your arms around him. 

“Hmm?” 

“Did you find the drinks?” 

Suddenly, he stops moving and stands up straight again, a playful smile plastered across his face. 

“Guess not,” he says. “Found something to eat, though,” he winks and you playfully roll your eyes as he throws himself back onto you. As the song changes to “When Doves Cry”, he begins to dance with you. Frankie has never been the best dancer, but it's better this way. Neither of you take anything seriously as you push and pull your bodies together, giving eachother flirty kisses every now and again. 

You laugh as you bump into someone and flash them an apologetic look. Frankie really loves to bring out your careless side. You honestly didn’t know you were capable of being so care-free until you had met him. Sometimes he makes you feel as if nothing else matters but you and him. It’s times like these that you really realize just how lucky you are to have him. 

“Alright, baby,” Frankie says after a moment, bringing you out of your thoughts. “I’m going to go get us those drinks now.” 

Instead of answering him, you get up on your tip-toes and kiss him. He begins to wrap his arms around you again, but you gently push him off, giving him a faux stern look. 

“Alright, alright, I get it, baby, I’m going!” he says over the music before turning around to scamper away.

You have to suppress a giggle when he jolts as you deliver a light slap to his ass. He turns just enough to flash you a dirty look, and you give him one of feigned innocence in return, well aware he’ll get you back for that eventually if you continue to tease. 

“Hurry up, wolfboy!” you shout after him. 

***

Alright, you’re actually about to be pissed this time. 

There’s absolutely no way he lost you—or rather, you lost him—twice. He has to be playing with you, right? Whatever, if that’s the case, two can play at that game. 

You’ll just pretend like you don’t even notice something is missing. Maybe once he sees you where he left you, completely unaffected by his absence, he’ll stop being such an ass. 

Perfect. Perfect plan. 

You shake your head and dance as the song ends. You can have fun by yourself if your boyfriend wants to be immature. 

Well, it would have been a perfect plan. 

As if he could somehow read your mind—which you almost wouldn’t doubt at this point—you spot Frankie in your vision once again. However, this time, he’s not coming over to you. 

He has a familiar dark look in his eyes that immediately soaks you, despite yourself. You stop dancing because as quick as you see him, he’s gone again. You spin in a panicked circle as the song changes to one by Duran Duran. You almost laugh at the irony as “Hungry Like the Wolf” blares through the speakers. 

Your phone buzzes in the small pocket of your bodysuit, and you pause your quick search to look at it. Your brow furrows as you see that it’s a text from Frankie. What the fuck is he playing at? Quickly, you unlock your phone and open your messages. 

“Better start running, baby,” the text reads. You look up, your eyes frantically scanning the crowd around you. Maybe the song choice isn’t so ironic after all. 

“Don’t let me catch you… feeling hungry like the wolf tonight…”

You don’t stop to think before you make a mad dash toward the exit, your heart dropping to your stomach as you go. You get some pissed looks as you shove through people, your heart hammering in your chest and your eyes darting every which way. 

You have no idea where he could be at this point. Maybe he’s somewhere inside, having missed your exit. He could be trailing right behind you, ready to grab you at any moment.

Soon enough, it is revealed that he is, once again, always one step ahead of you. As soon as you step out of the doors, a large body is engulfing yours and carrying you to a secluded spot on the patio, though there’s nobody outside anyway. 

You would scream if not for the large hand that covers your lips when he grabs you. You know it’s Frankie, of course, but the exhilaration that comes from the scare really adds to the game the two of you just started. 

You ignore the heat simmering between your legs as he sets you down on your own feet and removes his hand from your mouth. Neither of you move, you don’t look up, he doesn’t crouch down. You just stand there, breathing heavily as Frankie embraces your figure. 

You can’t help but lean back into him, letting your guard down probably isn’t the best idea right now, but you can’t find it in you to care about that fact at the moment. 

The fresh air feels nice on your heated cheeks, but Frankie's front against your back feels even better. The music continues to play faintly behind you as you sway side to side, Frankie’s arms wrapped tightly around you, his head resting on your shoulder. 

You swear you could stay here forever. Actually, you could stay anywhere, as long as you had Frankie. But right now, you can’t imagine anything more perfect than this. As long as you have your boyfriend’s arms around you, you would do anything or go anywhere he wants to. 

Your body may be his, but you decided a long time ago that your soul belongs to him as well. He can pick it up and do whatever he wishes with it, and you know he could never do anything that would cause your trust or love for him to dull.

“Look up, sweetheart,” Frankie’s soft voice brings you out of your thoughts, making you open your eyes. You hadn’t realized they had slid shut in the first place. 

The sight of the full moon high up in the night sky confirms your suspicions. Frankie’s going to turn tonight. 

Fuck, you’re screwed, your subconscious automatically screams at you. 

You can't miss the way your panties dampen as the thought crosses your mind. Your body stiffens as you fight the urge to run, the adrenaline getting the best of you.

Frankie must feel the way you tense up because his arms immediately tighten around you. 

“It’s alright, hermosa,” he whispers into your ear. “Just means we’ll have a bit more fun than usual.”

You try but fail to stifle your grin at his menacing tone. Just because you know you’re screwed doesn’t mean you don't enjoy it. 

“Probably got less than ten minutes now,” Frankie says far too casually. “Let’s pick up on our little chase, yeah?” 

He lets you out of his grasp this time, and you turn around to give him a peck on his cheek, allowing your hand to brush past his erection as you pull away. The touch is just enough for Frankie to grit his teeth as he hisses out. The warning glance he gives you makes arousal burn deep into your core, only serving to make you more excited. 

“I’ll give you a head start, sweetheart,” he says, his tone giving you a warning, “I’d take it if I were you.”

With his word, you spin on your heel, ready to plummet into the forest, but you only get about a foot before he has a large hand wrapped around your wrist. Your heart beats louder in your chest as you turn to look at him, his eyes dark with lust. 

“Don’t let me catch you this time,” he says, pulling you close enough for his lips to flutter across your ear as he speaks. “I won’t go easy on you.”

You ignore the shiver in your spine as you pull back as much as you can. 

“Maybe I don't want you to go easy on me,” you whisper back, earning a slight growl from Frankie. He lets his hand linger on you for only a moment more before letting go, this time allowing you to back away. 

“Don’t push yourself too hard then, because I’m going to fucking exaust you when I catch up.” 

You smile before turning once again, pushing yourself into the trees without looking back. 

***

The sound of your heartbeat is deafening as you run through the otherwise silent forest. The steady pitter-patter of the organ combined with your ragged breathing and your frantic footsteps make a horrifying symphony. Even those sounds seem muffled, though, with the amount of pure adrenaline that courses through your veins and drowns out your senses. 

Frankie can’t be too far behind you now. You guess you’ve been running for about fifteen minutes. There’s no doubt that he has turned at this point; he proved it with the howl you heard bellowing through the woods a couple minutes ago. 

Since then, you haven't stopped to take a breath. There is pure fear in the fact that you have a beast on your trail, but also excitement in knowing what will likely happen once he catches up. 

For now though, fear is the dominant emotion. It’s prominent enough to keep you going even as your hair gets tugged by branches and your skin gets scratched and torn by twigs and thorns. None of it seems to matter right now just as long as you can keep your distance from the monster hunting you down. 

Suddenly, you hear a snap from somewhere behind you. The noise is sharp, a twig snapping beneath heavy weight. It reverberates all around you, sending a shiver down your spine. Soon after, You pick up on the steady thumping of what sounds to be an animal hot on your tail. 

The sound gets closer and closer even as you push yourself to run faster. Your entire body is shaking and you can feel tears welling up in your eyes. You can practically feel Frankie’s breath on your neck, the sensation almost more powerful than the ache overtaking your legs and abdomen. 

“Please, leave me alone!” You cry out the plea over your shoulder, your voice bordering a sob. Your gut is curling with a mixture of panic and arousal. The responding growl makes the tears you have been holding spill over and your knees buckle. 

For a second, you’re worried that you might fall, but you’re pushed into the ground before you have the chance to do it yourself. The weight of Frankie pouncing on top of you knocks the wind out of you, a sharp cry leaving your lips as your breath is taken. 

In the time that it takes you to get your breath back, Frankie has your bodysuit torn enough to pry off of your shaking body, and your lacy panties shoved–or ripped–down your legs. Luckily, the bodysuit was the cheapest and easiest to find component of your costume. You can feel a whisper of his claws against your skin as he drags scraps away from where he needs you most.

Your arms flail wildly, your fingers trying to grasp a handful of fur from the beast atop you. Frankie sees what you’re trying to do, and with a growl, he ducks down and slides toward your feet, away from your hands. 

Before you can question what he’s doing, you feel something thick, wet, and warm against your bare, soaked cunt. 

A high pitched moan tumbles from your lips as Frankie drags his tongue across your pussy before dipping it into your core.

The hot muscle digs deep into your cunt, curling once it's in all the way. You can feel his nose bobbing up and down against your ass as he starts to work his tongue in and out of your cunt.

“F-Frankie, fuck!” You scream, feeling your orgasm building embarrassingly quickly.

The way his tongue swirls and scrapes against your walls is absolutely delicious, and that combined with the tip of the muscle prodding against your g-spot? You’re fucking done for. 

You’re writhing as Frankie brings his tongue out to swallow down the slick he’s collected, and you can feel the way a combination of your arousal and his saliva leaks out of your pulsing cunt, coming down to collect at your clit and make you shudder. You’re so close to coming, a warm feeling that can only be described as pure euphoria making a home deep in your lower abdomen. 

Almost as soon as he was gone, Frankie shoves his tongue back inside of you, meticulously prodding all the right places. You’re gasping and moaning so loud you have half the mind to feel bad for whatever critters might reside in these woods. 

That thought passes quickly, though, once you feel yourself returning to the edge. Frankie flicks his tongue one more time and you’re suddenly convulsing around him. The high seems to go on forever, your toes curling and your fingers grasping at the leafy ground in front of you. 

The beast doesn’t pull away as you come, instead, he allows you to rock your hips back and forth in order to prolong your pleasure for as long as possible. You don’t even notice that you moved your arm until you feel one hand entangled in soft fur, your subconscious mind telling you to hold him to you. 

You hear Frankie whine from behind you and you have to suppress the urge to giggle. He’s always liked it when you tug at his hair, and apparently, being in this form leaves no room for exceptions. 

Your body goes limp as Frankie backs away from you, making it easy for him to nudge you to prop you up where he wants you. Hands and knees, of course. He wastes no time in getting into position behind you, crowding you in with his massive form. 

The tip of his cock feels massive against your swollen cunt, but it only takes a few swipes of the beast’s hips before he is notched into your entrance. With one more thrust, he’s pushing in all the way, making you scream as your pussy stretches to accommodate his girth. 

Frankie lets out a series of whimpers as he starts a brutal pace, not giving you a second to adjust. Your hands come up to grasp above his paws, which are positioned on either side of your head, and then up a little. 

“F-Frankie!” Your moan comes out more like a screech, the pain quickly turning into a sick pleasure as he rips you open on his cock. Each time he thrusts, it’s accompanied by a puff of breath which fans out across your cheek. 

The sound of his whines and ragged breathing mix with the squelching noises coming from your cunt and the panting coming from your lips, everything combined making the filthiest symphony you’ve ever heard. 

Your second orgasm starts to build rapidly, your cunt beginning to flutter around Frankie’s unforgiving length. With each punch, the tip of his cock touches something heavenly within you, making your eyes roll to the back of your head. 

You’re pretty sure you’re drooling, but you find that every limb has turned to jelly, preventing you from bringing your hand up to check. If not for the monster above you impaling you on his length, you would likely be flat on the forest floor right now. 

Every thought that had previously occupied your mind is forced out of you as Frankie effortlessly pries another orgasm from you. He doesn’t slow or pause as you squeeze around his cock like a vice. If anything, it only spurs him on and gets him going faster, if that's even possible. 

With each slam of his hips, you feel your body being sent forward, only stabilized by your palms, which are somehow still firmly planted on the ground. 

‘Oh god, Frankie,” your voice sounds hazy to your own ears. “F-feels so fucking good, Francisco.”

You hear him grunt at the sound of his full name, something you usually only call him in bed—or in this case, in the middle of nowhere. 

It does feel good, his cock feels absolutely massive. You know that it is definitely bigger than when he’s in his human form—the size of which should be considered supernatural in it’s own way. Right now, though, he feels bigger than ever, thicker, longer. The only thought occupying your mind at the moment is how badly you want to suck his cock. 

How the fuck does this man fuck you so good to the point where you fantasize about giving him a blowjob while he’s already inside of you? Next time, you’ll have to get his dick in your mouth before he shoves it into your cunt. 

Your eyes droop as your second orgasm morphs into a third, your body growing weaker with each movement from Frankie. You ignore the shaking to spread your legs wider to allow him better access, which results in him getting to a deeper spot with the new angle. 

Your mouth drops open as you begin to come again, a silent scream getting stuck in your throat. This time, as you constrict around his monstrous cock, you can feel his hips stutter. He’s getting close, which is probably a good thing considering you’re about to pass out from both pleasure and exhaustion. 

“C-come on, Frankie, f-fill me up,” you command through moans. It very obviously eggs him on because before you know it, he’s stilling inside of you, howling into the trees, and blowing his massive load deep into your core. 

The feeling of his cum painting your walls is fucking heavenly. Spurt after spurt of his warm seed fills you to the brim until it eventually starts to seep out around the base of his cock. If you thought you had felt full before, that was nothing compared to now. 

Frankie gives you a few minutes to calm down before he starts to lower himself to the ground, laying on his side and tugging you with him. Your body and mind are equally compliant with his request. 

As your eyes shut once again, you can feel Frankie starting to shift behind you, probably making his transformation back to his human form. Try as you might, you know you won’t have enough energy to wait for him to be done, so you make the most of it and snuggle into his soft fur. You know that you’ll wake up safe and sound in your bed, tangled with your kind, attentive, and very much human boyfriend.

[silver-starss]

I have (spoilery) Thoughts on Ahsoka episode four

First of all how dare you

Second of all how dare you

THIRD OF ALL HOW DARE YOU

Bro why is Hera taking Jacen on this mission? I know she has a penchant for lugging around badass kids, but he's what, 10? A bit young imo.

Called it. Marrok was a red herring. Filoni knew that we'd all go nuts about the identity of yet another cool masked dude and let fan speculation run wild. Though him turning to dust does bring up new questions...

Sabine and Shin round two! I like that Sabine was actually able to use her armor/equipment this time and fight Shin on more even ground.

That moment when Marrok died and Shin seemed genuinely shook? And Sabine recognizing this and trying to take advantage of Shin's shookness? *chef's kiss*

Really good special effects in the shot with the ring coming out of the atmosphere! That was stunning!

Ahsoka and Baylan fight was genuinely cool, and the choreography felt much more Ahsoka-esque. Particularly that flip she did, which didn't look wired like the one from Ep 2.

So Clan Wren is dead. :/ Not surprising, I assumed that would be Sabine's character arc when the series was first announced (feeling survivor's guilt after the Purge), but what does Ahsoka have to do with that? Is it an emotional support thing?

Sabine joining up with the bad guys makes sense. Her #1 priority is finding Ezra and they're her only means of getting there. She's probably planning to gun down Thrawn in the process, though I imagine Baylan is fully aware of that and planning accordingly.

On the bright side, this gives us more opportunities to explore her rivalry with Shin...

Speaking of, love the dynamic with Shin being the feral one yet actually listening to/respecting her master. I imagine there's a story there and I'm very curious to hear it.

I don't know whether to be mad or impressed that Jacen said part of the Iconic Star Wars Line but not the full thing.

Beautiful transition between the ocean and the World Between Worlds. It looks absolutely gorgeous in live-action.

Why and how is Ahsoka in the World Between Worlds?

HAYDEN ALREADY???? I didn't think he'd show up until episode 5.

"SNIPS" (!!!!!)

Holy fucking shit I'm losing my mind.

He looks way better than he did in Kenobi, but the de-aging isn't 100% great. Still though.

Interesting that Ahsoka's first instinct was to call him "Master". Old habits (and attachments) die hard I guess. They're going to have some serious issues to sort out next ep though.

Lmao casuals must be super confused by this ending. Imagine that.

Goddamn that's a cliff-hanger. And on the strongest episode so far!

[antianakin]

what are your opinions on the sequels? specifically how luke (and his new jedi order) is portrayed. but also like just the jedi stuff in general, the training and everyone becoming force ghosts and somehow palpatine

Oh gosh, it has been a MINUTE since I've even watched the Sequels. I'm planning on rewatching them sometime early next year for Reasons, but for both episodes 8 and 9, it'll be the first time I've seen them since I saw them in the theaters. I MIGHT have seen episode 7 after its theater release, but not often. I can definitely say I haven't watched a single one of them since 2019 lol.

All of that to say, I don't remember them super well. I liked episode 7, but didn't care AT ALL for TLJ and was ho hum on TROS. My overall opinion is that it's too bad these characters didn't have anyone writing for them who seemed to actually CARE about them at any point and that nobody bothered to create a fucking blueprint for the entire trilogy and then stick to it. Say what you will about the execution of the Prequels, but Lucas had a damn vision in mind and a clear end goal for the story and the characters and he STUCK TO IT. You can go back to those films and rewatch them and find that story and see the arc he was trying to take the characters on. You may not LIKE what he chose to do or feel like it worked very well, but it's clearly THERE. The same cannot be said for the Sequels. The characters change personalities in basically every film, the primary motivations and intended end goals for them are never consistent, the relationships aren't built up well, and the theme and message of the Sequels is so muddied with all of these changes that they may as well not exist.

All of that is very broad, though, and doesn't touch much on your specific question about the Jedi and Luke and how they were portrayed in the Sequels. To be honest, I don't remember it very well, and when I saw these films, I was a pretty casual Star Wars fan who was still what I would now consider Jedi critical. I didn't hate them by any means, but I had absorbed the fandom osmosis of the Jedi having been too repressive/old-fashioned and how they caused their own doom. So I haven't watched them from a more pro Jedi lens yet in order to comment on it with any level of authority.

What I DO remember feeling was that making Luke bitter was a bad choice. There's undoing a character a little in order to allow them to develop somewhere, and then there's complete and utter character assassination and TLJ's characterization of Luke falls closer to the latter for me. The biggest thing anyone remembers about Luke is that he chose not to kill Anakin in ROTJ. That's his big climactic triumph. He goes on an entire journey towards understanding Anakin and having to accept that Anakin was a person making evil choices so that he could believe in Anakin's ability to be BETTER. That's kind-of the core of Luke's WHOLE JOURNEY. So I don't really get the entire concept of Luke reacting so violently to "feeling some darkness" in his teenaged nephew. He's already sort-of worked through that particular flaw of his and overcome it, why is he suddenly reacting this way? What's the point of that? And why would Luke just completely lose himself to cynicism and bitterness in the aftermath of that kind of failure? What was the point of leaving a piece of map behind or whatever? None of it really seems to make any sense to me and you can just FEEL Rian Johnson sort-of tossing things in the trash as he wrote this so that he could do his own thing.

All of that being said, what I've seen other people comment on is that there's a lot of shit Luke says in TLJ that are pretty anti-Jedi, but that the whole point is that Luke is wrong. Luke is succumbing to despair and so he feels like he's defeated and there's no point to anything and he's WRONG. The movie does pretty strongly emphasize that he's WRONG to feel this way and act like this. So I think a lot of people take what Luke says in this film sort-of at face value without taking into account that context that you're not SUPPOSED to agree with him any more than Rey does. I'm interested to see how I feel about it when I do end up rewatching them in a few months, but it rings relatively true to what I can remember.

It doesn't seem wrong that Luke and Leia could end up being able to ghost, it doesn't make any sense that Han can ghost but we all know that that happened specifically because Carrie Fisher died mid-filming and they had to figure out how to work around that, so I'm willing to give a little bit of slack to TROS for that exact reason.

I don't remember much training even HAPPENING on screen. I remember Luke barely teaching Rey anything at all in the one week she spends with him and Leia sending Rey on an obstacle course at the beginning of TROS. I wish they'd chosen to spend more time really showcasing more of Rey's actual training (or, ya know, FINN training in Force abilities at all), but I don't have any strong feelings about it at this point.

And as for Palpatine, I think everybody knows it was a bad choice to make at this point. It was lazy, it was silly, and it doesn't work. It feels like a direct response to Snoke having been killed off too early and disagreements between the directors and the studio execs about whether Kylo Ren should be a villain or not. It doesn't work and nobody likes it.

So, yeah, my feelings are a little faded at this point because I disliked them enough that when I do my Star Wars marathons, I never include the Sequels in it and I just stop at ROTJ. I feel like that says enough on its own.

[veny-many]

STAR WARS ADVENTURES: THE CLONE WARS-BATTLE TALES ISSUE #2 is for wolfpack fans and i love it.

JUST LOOK AT THAT WOLFFE'S SMILE

Like he smiles everytime in this comics how could he smile all the time in this comics since he never ever smiles peacefully and happily in the clone wars im crying right now

He's just happy boy who likes to go along with his boys and his general. He's a good big brother and son.

And now Comet being the most aggressive boy in wolfpack makes me cringe.

And Wolffe's like 'okay calm down little bro you can't just shoot everything like that' leader(big bro) makes me cringe more.

Aaaaaaand Sinker casually jinxing his bros lmao

They really argue like annoying brothers. I love it so much.

Before the malevolence I bet the Comet was the sassest and most sarcastic youngest in wolfpack bc look at this.

He's so annoyed by flying clankers.

And now he looked like scared and desperate. Saying they can't make it alive. He has fast and realistic judgment and he knows they'll never make it

And Wolffe is just talking to his bros it'll be alright like oldest child reassure their younger siblings when they're in danger or afraid. Its nice somehow heartbreaking...

And don't worry the General came to save his boys!

I like he was riding his starfighter before and now he's in gunship and came for Wolfpack.

Like 'Well seems like my boys in trouble my job is done and I'm gonna quickly hop out of my jet and get in gunship and search for them!'.

And he do cares for them. He's just happy nobody hurt or died and that's all he cares and it BREAKS MY HEART BC HE DID LOST MANY FRIENDS AND FAMILIES IN MANY BATTLES BEFORE SO HE JUST HAPPY THAT HIS BOYS ALRIGHT.

And Wolffe is like 'that's my general!' And smiles happily. This is happy. And sad. Just both.

And after malevolence and khorm he's just... sass, and cold, and annoyed by many other thing and doesn't SMILE.

Or... maybe he just smiles like... only when he talks to his wolfpack and general while relaxed, and that's why we never could see him smile??

Either way he became sad boy after so many lost brother and it always makes me sad too. I know he had big heart, being great big brother, and happy smiles, and naive but honest and good boy. But war made him devastated and angry and depressed.

It's still good that at least he had his wolfpack bros, and plo koon, even and after war he had Rex and Gregor together. He can't leave alone. He can't be lone wolf bc he's sad big brother and needs some pack that he needs to take care and live together and ever.

[taco-pal]

AHSOKA REVIEW: I'm sorry but Dave Filoni has got to go lol. Ahsoka show is so mediocre in execution. His dialogue and style of directing just do not translate to live action well at all. The dialogue is so stilted and full of pauses, enough that it feels like actors are in entirely different spaces when reciting lines. All of it feels so expository and flat. Characters do not act like real people, they act as plot and lore delivery machines.

Rosario Dawson and Mary Elizabeth Winstead are not a bad actors. And yet here...Ahsoka is played so stoic, so emotionless, that it has to come down to the directing and writing telling her to do so. None of the charisma Ashley Eckstein and the animators of TCW and Rebels is here whatsoever. Winstead's Hera Syndulla is also played very flat. Can we also talk about how the blue eye contacts for both make the characters look absolutely lifeless and cheap? You can also just tell Natasha Liu Bordizzo is being instructed to act a certain way and wants to do more with the character but cant. It's so frustrating!

There is some stuff to like here: the stuff going on with Skoll and Hati at least seems mildly interesting, but it's also doing the Dave Filoni thing of changing the entire lore structure of a pretty well known universe by introducing more and more fantasy elements and glup shittos from the EU. It is just not dramatically interesting, sorry. Marrok at least looks cool as fuck by emulating Rinzler from Tron lol.

And this just brings us to the problem with modern Star Wars; It is all becoming so interconnected to the animated tv shows that they assume you'll have seen them already and understand who so and so blorbo's and glup shittos are and why they're here. But new SW creators are also in the trap of having an entire generation of younger fans created because of those shows now watching and wanting to feel validated. How do creators please both camps? How do you make people suspend disbelief enough to think that Thrawn really was part of the Empire that Lucas established in the OT? It just feels like Lucasfilm and Filoni steered the ship into the trap of fan service and ridiculous lore by mistakenly believing it could make up for the flaws of the prequels and any inconsistencies they might have later on and it is just sinking the entire ship.

Casual fans just do not care about this stuff and it's causing the entire SW machine to fail. It is also what made The Mandalorian drop hard in quality and also Book of Boba Fett.

The animated shows have never had any REAL parity with the main saga and it is a huge mistake to make it the backbone and catalyst of all the new content. I'm sorry, but most people don't want to watch 100+ hours of an animated show to understand what's going on in the series their grandma also wants to watch and easily understand. Only Disney Adult 30+ year olds and younger millennials that grew up on The Clone Wars could possibly find this pleasing.

(The way I had to hold off on talking about Andor's brilliance in comparison here...consider yourself lucky. ANDOR STANS RISE UP!!!!!)

[archduke42]

OK, I've had time to really reflect with this trailer

I still have some mixed feelings. Part of me hoped they would not bring Barriss back because maybe it was time to move on. After 11 years, I felt like I was just being suckered by red herrings. It's a little exhausting when opportunities happen and everyone speculates but it becomes a false alarm. Plus I used to be rather arrogant over the thought of Barriss being an Inquisitor. Used to irritate me a lot that fans even wanted that to happen. "How can anyone want this?" I used to ask myself. But I'm old fashioned, from a time when good guys were good, bad guys were bad, and Hero(ine) blows up the super weapon. All this character ambiguity people embraced for their Star Wars was a bit alien to me. It was enough that she was supposed to die in Order 66, but this was almost too much. The backlash against "The Wrong Jedi" was a tidal wave at the time, and lots of fans (myself included) cried hard at Filoni and Lucas' casual retcon.

But then, I'd been writing hero journey stories for Barriss since 2005 or 2006 and the whole villain plot twist was infuriating. And there was so much hate for Barriss on the internet at the time. I cursed Filoni's name with an old man's fiery blackened heart. My Muse had become the most hated character in Star Wars, and I had become a hot mess for several years after so much heavy emotional investment. I wanted to channel all my energy into Barriss stories (and eventually Barrissoka stories, since they were such a perfect couple) I also commissioned some shipping/wedding/marriage art to maybe push back against people's notions of a revenge fight between Ahsoka and Barriss. I have been blessed with discovering a huge Barriss Offee/Barrissoka fan community out here, and I think we have all built so positive energy in our love for these characters. Being a writer and reading the works of so many others has helped me grow with the community and learn so much. I am grateful to the art of people like @grissaecrim, and stories by people like @jedimasterbailey and @stellanslashgeode (and so many others) I can be excited that Barriss is officially coming back! The wait is over, and my anxiety returns. but I also have had a long period of time in 11 years to accept these new dynamics for Barriss. I am ready to accept whatever Destiny is in store for Barriss, though I suspect Filoni will be giving her a journey of sorts and not just leading these episodes towards a villain death for her. I suspect this journey may even go to live streaming with Ahsoka involved but time will tell. I still loath the concept of challenging expectations, but I realize that Star Wars characters have to grow out of two dimensional designs. Heroes don't need to be sparkling perfect and Villains can have a moral compass of sorts. I just wish Lucasfilm would stick to a consistent history with all this. I'm certain Filoni will have more retcons to drop on us. It's his style. But in fairness, the trailer was exciting, the animation looked really good. And I enjoyed seeing other minor characters involved, like 4th Sister, Grand Inquisitor, etc. I look forward to the exciting battles with Elsbeth and Grievous, etc. Most importantly with this trailer comes the enthusiasm to see Barriss return. Much of the hate is gone, and the Star Wars community in places like Youtube, Tumblr, etc is blowing up with excitement for this. The majority fans are ready for her adventure to continue with open minds. I think that gives me more joy than anything, that fans actually want to see her again, and want her to win at this in the best way possible even though she is starting from a dark place. I'm ready to see how this goes. This could be one of the best Star Wars experiences of 2024.

[frostycatblr-fandom-files]

Hello there! My request is how would The Bad Batch react to playing Mario Kart Wii? (I’m currently listening to the soundtrack so that’s where I got the request from.) BYW I love all of your stories :)

It's a Mario Party! [TBB Headcanons]

Warnings and Information: Apologies that a simple headcanon request took a while, dear, but I was under the weather around the time the request came in. All better now at the time of posting, thankfully! (Grateful I got my flu shot when I did!) Mentions of Star Wars and real-world swearing, because Mario Kart brings it out of all of us! Reader is mentioned in each character's headcanon segment, but not specifically gendered. I couldn't resist adding Omega to make sure I got the full rainbow, so consider her a bonus!

Word-count: 2,072

HUNTER

Watching vs Playing: Hunter plays more than one might expect given the nature of his enhancements. Mario Kart is a chaotic, colorful cacophony of music, sound effects and bright visuals, and it seems like it would be pretty overwhelming for him. On a really, really bad day, Hunter can't even watch, no matter if the brightness is dimmed and the sound is turned down. It's a lot of sensory input. But on the good days, Hunter enjoys playing against you and his brothers. 

Does he take it easy on his brothers: If the five of them are in a good mood, there's going to be playful banter for certain. If Hunter's having a minor disagreement with one of his brothers however, Mario Kart is utilized to either work out most of the frustration, or lighten up the tension enough for another, hopefully slightly calmer approach to smoothing out the disagreement. (Won't work for bigger arguments, however (that's what Super Smash Bros is for).) Hunter's not afraid to do some mild trash-talking and teasing. Curses occasionally, like if someone knocks him off the track, nothing severe though. 

Does he take it easy on you: Will he take it easy on you every time, no; but when he will depends! If Hunter notices you're looking a bit glum, he'll let you secure a few wins while keeping the conversation casual throughout. May or may not ask what's on your mind right away, but it'll certainly come up eventually. Whether you're just a friend or a romantic interest/partner, Hunter cares about you as much as he cares about his brothers. If you're in a good mood, he'll probably be a little more playfully competitive with you. 

Favorite item: Thunder cloud.

Favorite race track: Yoshi Falls or Moonview Highway.

Bonus: No matter if Hunter wins or loses most of the session, he'll always say it was fun and he enjoyed himself. Truth is he's not a huge fan of the game itself, it's more that he had the opportunity to spend time with his brothers and/or a friend. 

TECH

Watching vs Playing: Fifty-fifty split on whether or not Tech with play or watch when everyone's in the mood for a little Mario. When he watches, it's another toss-up on if he's going to be sitting on the couch with his datapad in hand the entire time, or if he's going to be something of a backseat driver. Tech knows the game's race tracks the same way he knows the inner consoles of the Havoc Marauder: inside and out, by heart, and with his eyes closed. It's equally impressive and terrifying. (Much like his flying can be, on occasion.)

Does he take it easy on his brothers: Yes and no. Tech doesn't see the fun in winning every time, and perhaps secretly worries that if he did win every time, his brothers may not want to play against him anymore. So he comes up with some kind of balancing system in how much he helps his brothers and what kind of trash talking he participates in.

"There's a double-stacked item box on the left side of the track, Wrecker." ("Awh, thanks, Tech!")

"You're falling behind, Hunter! Better catch up." ("Tech I'm in third place you little krif-")

There's something strangely amusing about hearing him simply say "Well shit." in a mild voice if he's knocked off the track by a carefully placed banana peel, courtesy of Crosshair, of course. 

Does he take it easy on you: Yes and no, while being similar to Hunter. Tech helps you secure a few wins if you're in need of cheering up, and he won't engage in as much trash-talk like he will with his brothers. (However, feel free to lobby all the friendly ribbing you're comfortable with his way, as it'll help him understand what does and doesn't constitute as "too far" when engaging in a friendly feud with you.) When you're up for it, Tech can make the race a real competition. 

Favorite item: Red/Green Shells.

Favorite race track: "All of them" is a shorter answer than the analysis of what he likes about each track, trust me on this. 

Bonus: Makes it a point to be sincere in his congratulations if one of his brothers and/or a friend bests him in a match. Not because Tech's worried about looking like a sore loser, but because acknowledging the successful efforts of others feels like the polite thing to do.

CROSSHAIR 

Watching vs Playing: Not terribly big on playing Mario Kart, but he'll certainly watch. Generally, he'll make some minor commentary now and again, usually at the expense of the poor soul who is furthest behind. When Crosshair plays, he'll get pretty focused on the game, however. Mario Kart might not be among his most favorite games, but he enjoys it. 

Does he take it easy on his brothers: It's all in good fun, but Cross is fluent in trash-talk. If Crosshair was truly upset with the way the game is going, he gets quiet. Swears up a storm, about as many f-bombs as a rated R film. He's completely competitive. Wrecker enjoys the competition the most from an entertainment standpoint, followed by Tech from a challenge standpoint.

Does he take it easy on you: Depends on the nature of the relationship, and how long he's known you. But if Cross suspects the game's becoming frustrating, or even stopped being fun for you, then he'll adjust his play style accordingly. A game like Mario Kart stops being fun the moment someone looks like they're ready to walk away, for him. 

Favorite item: Bullet Bill

Favorite race track: None in particular, likes utilizing the Random feature so the track is a surprise each time. 

Bonus: His favorite racer is either Toad or King Boo.

ECHO

Watching vs Playing: Watches and plays in equal amounts. Between one hand and a scomp link, it took Echo some time to get the hang of playing Mario Kart essentially one-handed, so it was once pretty frustrating for him to play. He uses the steering wheel accessory to make playing easier for himself. (Omega later got his permission to add stickers and stuff to the accessory not long after she joined the squad and started playing Mario Kart with everyone.) 

Does he take it easy on his brothers: They had to take it easy on him at first while he was getting the hang of the game. As a group, everyone helped him work up to a point that Echo could confidently play the game just like any other able-bodied individual. ("It'd be unfair to leave Echo out entirely… He should have an opportunity to play if he wants like the rest'a us!" Wrecker empathetically declared early-on.) 

Later down the line, Echo performs pretty well in Mario Kart! He'll have days where he struggles a little more and doesn't play as long as he usually would, on occasion still of course. Assuming for the moment he's older than most of the Batch (save for perhaps Omega), one of his favorite forms of banter falls along the lines of "Don't tell me you boys are losing to an old ARC trooper!". He doesn't completely refrain from swearing, but he's not as reserved as one might think either. 

Does he take it easy on you: It depends on how taxing he finds playing Mario Kart on any particular day. Some days he's able to give you a real run for your credits, others, he's just able to keep up, and others still, you have him smoked, no questions asked. He'll understand feeling sympathetic, but he'd probably hate if you felt really bad for him on the days he's struggling. (There's a difference between "I'm sorry you're struggling today, do you wanna try another race or stop for now?" and "I'm sorry you keep losing, Echo…")

Favorite item: Golden Mushroom

Favorite race track: The simpler tracks without additional obstacles, for the most part. But Rainbow Road is a classic for a reason. 

Bonus: He's grateful for all the hours Wrecker helped him practice and built his confidence in playing with just one hand and the steering wheel accessory for the Wii. 

WRECKER

Watching vs Playing: Loves to play, no matter how long or short the gaming session if someone invites him to join! If he's playing by himself, that's really the only time he'll be worried about placing first. He's more focused on having fun with others than his position when playing with his brothers and/or friends. If someone wants to play by themselves, say to practice a track they struggle with, then Wrecker's there to be their hype man. (Plus providing reminders for snacks and water breaks!)

Does he take it easy on his brothers: Wrecker plays very well, but overall wins few races when playing Mario Kart against other people. Because really, he just plays to have fun. Any pouting over a loss is short-lived, and quickly forgotten. It's more about having a good time overall than repeated victories. He enjoys challenges with Crosshair, and sometimes he can convince the marksman to go one-on-one if he's still got a competitive itch to scratch. 

Does he take it easy on you: If he thinks it'll make you happy, or cheer you up, he'll certainly goof around a lot more to give you a better chance of winning. Wrecker enjoys spending the time with you either way, so however competitive you feel like getting is fine by him! 

Favorite item: Bob-omb, of course! 

Favorite race track: Bowser's Castle and Rainbow Road. 

Bonus: A lot of helping Echo practice getting the hang of playing Mario Kart with just one hand just meant letting Echo get as frustrated as he wanted or needed some days, and responding without harsh judgements. When Omega joins the squad, and there's something bothering her, one of Wrecker's favorite things to try is spending about fifteen minutes just playing and goofing off with her around the track before asking her if he can do something to help her with the current problem. Even if she doesn't take him up on the offer, she's grateful he spent time with her to take her mind off of it temporarily. 

OMEGA

Watching vs Playing: She'll tell you that she loves watching and playing with her brothers in equal measure, but really she loves being directly involved a whole lot more. 

Do her brothers take it easy on her: When she's having a bad day, or something's bothering her, they make more of an effort to be more casual and less cutthroat for certain. She's still a kid, and she's developing differently than they did given her lack of accelerated aging. Try as she might, she's still going to have those days where everything is confusing, adults Just Don't Get It, and she's having difficulty explaining all her Big Feelings like any other child her age. 

They'll do their best to be patient with her, and answer those questions the best they can (while Tech researches age appropriate solutions where applicable) on those bad days. 

They also have to remember this kid is an absolute whizz at Dejarik; Omega might be the one who needs to go easy on some of her brothers on a good day! 

Does she go easy on you: She understands that when playing with other people, it's not always about who wins. It's about the time spent with them, and how they make you feel. There's been a few occasions where she's tried playing against people other than her brothers or you, and she hasn't enjoyed it as much because the other person was bitter about their loss, or they were meanspirited or bragged too much over a win. "It's not fun to play with people like that. That's why I like playing with you and my brothers more." she tells you one day when you ask about it. 

"Makes sense. Hey, one more time on your favorite race track, and then we should go get something to eat for lunch, okay?" 

Favorite item: Star

Favorite race track: She has a lot of favorites, but she's mentioned she likes Rainbow Road because it reminds her of hyperspace.

Bonus: She enjoys playing with everyone all at once whenever possible. She understands Mario Party is a separate game, and it really should be called "Mario Kart Night" instead, but she likes calling them Mario Party Nights, and those are her favorite nights of all. 

Don't have a fic taglist form for the time being. For now, though, if you'd like to join a taglist for specific types of fics (for example: just TBB-centric or just TCW-centric (or both)) don't hesitate to ask. 🩷

[Masterlist] [Requests: OPEN]

[tarisilmarwen]

Rebels Rewatch: "The Last Battle"

Well TCW fans were happy lol.

It's weird to write these as someone who has very little emotional investment in TCW.

Okay, full disclaimer, I have seen quite a chunk of the show, the husband showed me several of the best arcs, I've seen scattered bits and pieces here and there so I know who a lot of the key players are, a lot of the important events and everything but... I dunno the whole Clone Wars era has just never been a big area of interest for me.

Happy for y'all tho?

Anyway.

[Insert commentary about how this show has really gorgeous environments and y'all sleeping on this work and effort.]

Kanan lampshading the tendency for missions to go sideways ha ha.

Ooof this verbal stumble by Rex is painful, he doesn't know how to act in a scenario where a Jedi is not his commanding officer, ouch.

Oh wow, just like Ezra, Rex shields himself inside his helmet.

Ezra messing with the B1 head awww.

Side note: I LOVE how stocky the model for clones is in Rebels. TCW clones always felt too tall and thin to me, Rebels clones look way more like Temura Morrisan's actual physique.

Ezra accidentally being insensitive about the Clone Wars moment number 1.

Kanan's comment about "scars you can't see". Something the animated shows have always excelled at is showing the genuine aftereffects of PTSD.

Ezra's been playing the Watson role for the past few episodes and it is adorable.

Rex's initial panic when he thinks he's back in the war. :(((

I understand that TCW fandom cried a lot about Rex calling Cody's name unconsciously here.

*sobs* Ezra still looks so TINY compared to everyone else.

Kalani assumed the shutdown order was a Republic trick lol.

Lasats not being part of the Clone Wars is an interesting detail. Obviously, Doylistically speaking, they couldn't have been since they weren't created yet, but also I like the idea that Lasats were adamantly against participating in the conflict and the Separatists took one look at them and decided invading them anyway wasn't worth it.

Ezra maybe naively jumps into things feet first, to Rex and Kanan's consternation. They both already know that War Is Hell. But they also have the best chance of getting out of the situation if they relive their collective war experiences and face their past by fighting one last Clone Wars battle.

Oh hey! It's the shuttle they'd repurpose later as the Phantom II!

Hera and Sabine's small B-plot is very brief, but hilarious.

I think Pryce must have pulled a LOT of political favors in order to be granted occasional command of her own Star Destroyer. She's apparently allowed to lay a trap for the Spectres specifically and has the authority to deploy local Imperial outposts, too.

Not bad for a planetary governor. But then, Pryce was always ambitious beyond her station.

She attached herself to Thrawn primarily for the advancement opportunities, I think.

The sex was probably good too I mean what?

The boys be looking good.

Lol Kanan can hear the cacophony of clanking droid footprints.

Poor Ezra is so lost with all these references.

This is just a fun adventure for him, he doesn't have the frame of reference to know just how harrowing and dangerous this could be for the average Clone Wars Jedi commander and clone unit. So he doesn't know to keep tighter formation and wants to keep charging ahead instead of waiting to assess.

Rex casually calling his training and conditioning and genetic modulation his "programming", directly comparing himself to the droids. Ow. Ow ow ow ow. Hurting in "Central thesis of TCW, that the clones are not just identical mindless meat droids but individual and free-thinking men" feelings.

Kalani and Zeb's exchange here is hilarious.

Chopper jumpscaring Ezra lol.

Just wholecloth grabs his wrist like an excited kid trying to show their parent something.

He's come so far, I'm so proud. All he needs is the slightest gesture.

OH HEY IT'S MY FAVORITE SCENE.

Rex is... I think a little rattled by getting hit. Sure, the armor protected him, but you know it can't have been fun and he probably thought for a moment he had gone down for real. So yeah, Ezra's innocently flippant attitude about things upsets him.

"A good soldier follows orders!" Ouch. Ow ow ow ow that phrase, Rex, please.

You know it's something that's gotta echo inside his head constantly, his programming won't let him forget it.

Eternally a fan of the kicked-puppy flinch Ezra gives here.

Kanan immediately reassuring Ezra that it's not him. <3

The beginnings of a realization.

I slowed this sequence way down to check where Ezra got hit (for... reasons) and from what I can tell, it looks like Ezra didn't quite manage to block a shot and some of it fritzed past his blade and hit his right collar, right where his armor is.

Rex gets dinged in the helmet moments later, but as he said, "Gen 1 armor always holds up." Once again, Rebels showing off the importance of good armor. :)

<333333

The group get up to the command center and Ezra starts to live up to his name as "bridger" between disparate groups, first pointing out that by all rights the droids should have won their skirmish, they were just too old to actually function correctly. Kalani agrees and claims victory, but Ezra also pushes against that, pointing out that none of them actually won the Clone Wars. It just... ended.

The more techie side of Star Wars YouTube have analyzed both sides and concluded that, absent the obvious direction and self-sabotage by Palpatine, the Separatists would have eventually won the Clone Wars. But of course the sabotage and playing both sides was the point. No one was supposed to win the Clone Wars because it wasn't a real war, it wasn't naturally occurring or organic, it was a massive artificial power play by Palpatine, who instigated, incited, prolonged, and manipulated things so that whichever side "won", he would come out on top as the victor standing on the corpses of the Jedi.

Palpatine set both sides up to fail.

This is something Star Wars fandom repeatedly fails to understand, there was no winning in this whole situation. The trap was too carefully set, nothing the Jedi or the Senate or the Separatists did could have prevented the war from happening and nothing they did could have stopped its ultimate endgoal, which was the destruction of the Jedi Order and the consolidation of power under Palpatine as sole ruler of the galaxy. That's the whole tragedy, that they tried so hard, got so close, but ultimately could not prevent that awful fate from happening.

Barring Anakin sitting his ass down for just five more minutes or slashing through the correct party in Palpatine's office, there was no narrative escape. The choices were damned if you do, damned if you don't, and either way you're ending up dead.

Anyway, Ezra's armor-piercing questions absolutely stun Rex and Kalani into silence for a moment before Zeb points out the Empire won. Because they decided to conveniently show up just in time for a good Enemy Mine situation lol.

Kalani resists the logic at first since he's not at war with the Empire but the Stormtroopers casually destroying his scout unit probably helped change his mind lol.

Ezra Persuasion Checks both Kalani and Rex into accepting the team-up, like the budding little diplomat he is. :)

"Well this takes trust to a whole new level." Lol.

Nice to see the B1s retaining their status as hilariously abused butt monkeys.

Rex praising Ezra for "ending the Clone Wars" ahhhhh.

Sabine's eyes lighting up when she sees the shuttle they're bringing awww.

And TCW-inspired credits as a nice little homage.

Predictably this is one of the husband's favorite episodes. It's a fun little romp, pays some love to TCW and develops Ezra's character a bit. It doesn't really affect the larger story outside of that so I guess it could be called filler, but it's a fun filler.

[toskarin]

I'm a casual mecha anime fan who hasn't really had a chance to get into the genre. What mecha series would you recommend, preferably things that I might not have been exposed to already? I can put up with bad stuff too as long as it's entertaining

a couple rambling recommendations below the break

Getter Robo. Getter Robo is so incredibly good. it's stupid and violent and gloriously over-the-top. I highly recommend experiencing it before watching series that take a lot of influence, like Gurren Lagann, just so you can fully appreciate the homage (also, watch Gurren Lagann)

IBO gets a lot of hate as an entrypoint into the franchise because, being completely honest, its fans can be absolutely insufferable and refuse to engage with the rest of gundam. that said, I really really enjoy Iron Blooded Orphans and have to recommend it

if you want a slightly more respectable entrypoint (by broad consensus) you can also check out the original Gundam series and War in the Pocket. you might have already watched those though? who knows.

The Five Star Stories is wonderful, but it only got an OVA adaptation and is otherwise manga exclusive. if you're fine with reading, I highly recommend it. FSS is approximately 75% infodumping, so the OVA misses out on enough to where I wouldn't even consider it a spoiler for the chapters it covers

Aura Battler Dunbine is like a broad-spectrum test for how much stupid kino you can handle. if you like giant bugs and mecha in a fantasy setting, you've gotta check it out

here comes a recommendation with big caveats: Bokurano is a beautiful series about the despair of inescapable death and how the terminal are forced to come to terms with walking into its arms. it feels weird to include it in a list of mecha recommendations on a level that it doesn't feel weird to recommend...

Neon Genesis Evangelion! you've probably watched this one. I don't know. maybe you haven't. you should probably watch it, either way

I'll probably think of more series as soon as I send this answer, such is the peril of trying to remember anime series off the top of your head. this is a pretty good quick list of recommendations, though, I think

[tricoloured-cat]

what better way to procrastinate than to write random stuff

reviewing the works that the abilities were based on

Part 1: Armed Detective Agency

I just realized that I've finally read all the works attributed to the abilities of the author's BSD counterparts, at least for the ADA. I plan to do this for all organizations in the BSD universe so I can direct my reading and actually finish something HAHA

DISCLAIMER: I am not an expert on literature, let alone Japanese literature, and my short reviews are solely my opinion as a casual reader. These are all for fun so please don't take these so seriously!

Nakajima Atsushi Ability: Beast Beneath the Moonlight Original Work: Moon Over the Mountain

This short story has the vibes of a folktale but with existential dread sprinkled throughout. The prose is calm but the agony still reverberates. I liked this more than I though I would, perhaps because of how clean it felt. Honestly this would be one of the OG works I'd recommend to a BSD fan who wants to try classic Japanese literature.

Dazai Osamu Ability/Original Work: No Longer Human

This is probably the one novel/work most BSD fans would pick up first - and for a good reason. The themes are pretty universal albeit heavy, the tone of the narrator throughout the entire novel is gripping, the translation by Donald Keene is very readable, and it's just in the most general sense a summary of Dazai-sensei's own life. The last point must be taken with a grain of salt, however, as he's a master liar - something you'll find out if you dig more into his life and other works. If you'd like to see depression in book form, this is for you.

Kunikida Doppo Ability: Doppo Poet Original Work: Doppo Collection (probably)

Here's a case of "I can't really find the original work so I'll be reviewing something else instead"

Reviewing: Those Unforgettable People

I chose to talk about this one since it's the one found in the Penguin Anthology. It's an interesting mix of forms: technically, it's a short story. However, the elements of poetry and even of the essay are present - mostly the latter, tbh. Of course the whole "ideal" thing is such a Kunikida-sensei thing that it appears it almost every story he wrote, yet somehow in this one you'll have to squint a little bit more to see it. The point of this story-essay-poem thing is at the very end (the first half is quite dragging imo) is what gives it a little oomph, but honestly I much prefer his other works (specifically Old Gen and Death).

Tanizaki Jun'ichirou Ability/Original Work: Sasameyuki

You like a slow burn? You like pain? Familial drama? Maybe you'll like this. Maybe you won't. It's a mammoth of a book that feels like a series of extremely detailed telenovela episodes - not that it's necessarily a bad thing. I enjoyed it despite the length because the way it ends, although hardly strong at all, ties the themes and messages of the novel cleanly into a single scene.

Miyazawa Kenji Ability/Original Work: Be Not Defeated by the Rain

It's a poem every Japanese elementary student would know. The message and style is so simple yet beautiful (I read Sulz's translation). It's joyful and so sunny... until I read the background on it. I cried over his work. Again. (Night on the Galactic Railroad PLS) Man I just love this author so much. But I'm not really a poem person to begin with, so take this review with a grain of salt HAHA

Yosano Akiko Ability/Original Work: Thou Shalt Not Die

The only complete translation I could find is written in painfully archaic English, so I won't comment on the style HAHA. But I do think the original was just as pointed in its words and message; its anti-war sentiments and middle finger to the Japanese emperor and military (at the time) so characteristically Yosano-sensei. It's sad she'd support WW2 later on - come on sensei WHY

Personally, however, I prefer her shorter poems, specifically the ones from River of Stars. But I'm not really a poem person to begin with, so take this review with a grain of salt HAHA

Izumi Kyouka Ability: Demon Snow Original Work: Demon Pond

It's been a while since I've read a play, and perhaps that's why I had a hard time getting through the first half - either that or it was quite lackluster as most of the actual story happens in the second half. Its influences from folktales and traditional Japanese theater (i.e. kabuki and noh) are very apparent - I wish I could have seen it instead of read it because of that. I think this is the first work of Kyouka's that I actually liked (I've read some of his short stories and one of his other plays) so I'll definitely recommend this one if you want to start with this author. There's also a movie adaptation of it that I haven't watched yet (but I do plan to). I think it could be much better than just reading it as is because of the visuals and mood setting, but a review on that soon. Maybe.

Fukuzawa Yukichi Ability: All Men Are Created Equal Original Work: An Encouragement of Learning (Sec. 1-2)

I couldn't be bothered to read the whole thing, but the essence of the ability only comes from the first two sections (which I'll be reviewing).

It's an essay that imo serves as a good introduction to Fukuzawa's philosophy. His views and arguments are built primarily on morality with logic acting mostly as a way to expound on his points. It's interesting, nothing really new for a contemporary reader, but at least it gives a nice background on the changing environment during the early years of Meiji-era Japan. Of course there are personal biases here (specifically the one with China - one of the greatest criticisms against Fukuzawa, even though he was supposedly progressive for his time) but imo that reflects some views of many Japanese at the time - not that they're right, of course.

But what about our special non-gifted boi?

I guess let's look at what one of the episodes was based on instead lol

Edogawa Ranpo Episode: The Murder on D. Street (S01E05) Original Work: The Case on D. Hill

I will tell you now: they have almost NO similarities whatsoever. Doesn't mean it's bad tho...

Okay ngl I was pretty disappointed HAHA. It's the same type of disappointment I had with Poe's Murders on the Rue Morgue (which was ironically referenced in the story) but it at least had some sense to it. I blame myself for not seeing it coming tho, given that this story is very typical of Edogawa-sensei. If you do plan to read it, however, be warned that there are implicit (?) themes that may be uncomfortable for some readers (this warning applies to most of Edogawa-sensei's work not made specifically for children HAHA).

[sapphire-weapon]

I think the fact that so many people want to label Leon/Ashley as canonically "sibling- coded" is because they feel threatened in the way they view other of Leon's relationships, they can tell Leon and Ashley have chemistry and they try to convince themselves that they have a familial bond going on (like Ellie/Joel) so that they can justify not shipping them and making people who ship it feel bad/weird.

Because nowadays so many people can't just dislike something, they have to make up a reason why it's morally wrong and unacceptable so that way they can bully people that think differently and feel like their own personal opinions are objective and right while everyone else is wrong smh. This is mostly the case with younger fans (tho a lot of people older than me does this too lmao) so that's why I don't really find it frustrating bc it's most likely they have limited real life experience. Plus they might not be that good at interpreting canon from contextual clues yet.

In my case though I think a lot of these people are actually doing the opposite tbh because to me it just shows that they recognize that Ashley's relationship with Leon is real and they can't even concede that they're friends in the canon because they know it could lead to something else if followed through in the story, they admit there's potential there subconsciously with how hard they try to make it seem otherwise with nonsense claims. It's like when insecure guys feel uncomfortable but try to seem tough by buying big trucks and having guns on them all the time lmao.

So, I've talked about this before -- about how the "sibling coded" or "problematic age gap" discourse is just modern-day fandom's way of slutshaming and engaging in casual misogyny in a societally acceptable way.

I'm pretty confident in saying that anyone in my generation who slaps "siblings" on Leon and Ashley are probably people who have another ship and have had it for a while and don't want Ashley getting in the way of it, tbh LMAO

Like.... my generation has co-opted the current generation's vernacular, but make no mistake about the kind of bitches we are. We're ship war bitches. That's all we've ever been AND WE ARE NOT GOING TO CHANGE OUR WAYS NOW fjdskfh

But if we're talking about the current generation...

Media illiteracy is a big factor in this. It's no secret to anyone that the US education system took a massive shit starting in the late aughts/early 2010s, and things like critical reading skills aren't being taught in schools anymore.

I graduated high school in 2007. Two years later, I went back to visit an old English teacher to get a letter of recommendation, and he was lamenting to me that he'd just given up. It wasn't worth trying to explain the deeper themes of Beowulf to kids who didn't care, because the only thing that mattered was getting them to pass standardized tests.

So, now, without an overt, explicit declaration of love or something visually concrete like a kiss, kids literally do not have the skills to parse through a text and pick out themes and tropes and use of symbolism and imagery. They were never taught how to do it.

But there's a more culture-based thing happening here, I think. It's this fucking mess of a cocktail of internalized misogyny paired with learned helplessness, social anxiety, intense sheltering possibly exacerbated by the pandemic shutdowns, peer pressure, and internet purity culture.

I think it's pretty safe to say that fandom is predominantly made up of women and teenage girls. That was true in the 60s in Star Trek fandom, it was true in my generation, and it's still true today. And what I've seen happening today is that young women are absolutely terrified of their own sexual agency -- because the internet keeps telling them that, if you're under 18, it is wrong and bad and unacceptable for you to engage with anything even remotely sexual and how dare you express your sexuality -- and you'd better not do it not just because it's wrong and bad, but also because you are GUARANTEED TO BE PREYED UPON IF YOU DO. SEX IS DANGEROUS ALL OF THE TIME AND YOU'RE LITERALLY TOO YOUNG AND TOO STUPID TO UNDERSTAND ANYTHING SO DON'T TRY TO EVEN THINK ABOUT IT. Because if you're 17 and he's 18, he's a pedophile!!!!!!!!

I just.

So, we've now basically turned an entire generation of young women into the same type of young women who created the BL genre in Japan. These are women who were too afraid to explore their sexuality on their own, and it felt safer to do it with two male characters, because it was always more "okay" for men to be sexual. This is happening here in the West, now.

Slash ships have always been a thing in the West, but not to the degree that they are today. In today's fandom, if you have an M/F ship at all, you are outnumbered by at least 3:1 -- because M/M just "feels" safer for a lot of the current generation.

So, I think young women look at the Remake portrayal of Ashley Graham, and they identify with her. A lot. They're probably around her age, and her personality is very relatable to the kind of girls who play video games. Ashley's clearly introverted, but she's a fast learner who just wants to help, and she's got a good heart and a weird, kind of awkward sense of humor.

And, not only do these girls identify with Ashley, they're probably thirsty as fuck for Leon.

But that's terrifying to them.

Because they have been taught to fear their own sexual agency. The idea that an attractive, traditionally masculine, older man would be romantically or sexually interested in them is immediately categorized in their brains as wrong and bad -- and they don't want to think of Leon in that way.

So... for them, it can't be romantic. It can't be sexual. But there's clearly something there, but Leon would never abuse or prey on anyone so... that bond must be a perfectly innocent familial affection. That's what it is. That's what it has to be, because anything else forces them to face the uncomfortable reality even young women like them go on dates and have sex -- and sometimes, it's with men like Leon.

So, they thirst over Leon at a safe distance through Luis, primarily. Or they self-indulge on reader fic, because that's so much easier to write off as "just a fantasy" and not a statement on who Leon actually is as a character.

And it's just kind of sad, man. It sucks to see this happen to an entire generation of young women.

That's why I don't really get mad when I see the "siblings" shit out in the wild. I just feel sad for those people -- because they can't just say "I don't like the ship." They're so insecure and neurotic that they have to think of a reason why the ship is literally impossible to ever happen so that they don't have to be worried about it.

One day, they'll finally suck a dick for themselves and learn that it's not that serious. It's really fuckin not. Dicks are stupid, and the boys that are attached to them are even dumber.

[herora-nuva]

Why G1 Ended: No "Medium Fans"

New video out on my channel, check it out in the first reblog! Here I argue that the reason why Bionicle Generation 1 ended was that the story was far too scattered across different media, making it too hard to follow in the later arcs. The dedicated fans were willing to put in the effort, but less dedicated fans couldn't.

Meaning there was a relatively small group of superfans, a large group of casual fans who only vaguely followed the story, but very few in between, because the story being scattered meant it wasn't as easily accessible, and there were plenty of people who would've loved it who never got a chance to experience the deeper parts of the story.

And you can see this today in the online fandom, there are plenty of people who were obsessed with the series (like me, and many of us here) and a lot of "oh yeah, those cool robot toys, I liked the Red One."

And I firmly believe that in any franchise, it is these "medium fans" who drive the primary sales for the series, a large bulk of people who really like it, but aren't so invested to seek out every bit of lore they can. Like in Star Wars, you've got the superfans who know all the explanded universe and lore and lightsaber forms and all that, and the casuals who only vaguely follow the series. But you also have the medium fans who saw all the movies and maybe some of the shows, but don't stray too far from the most accessible media.

Bionicle's story was a multimedia extravaganza, but what that meant is there was no place to get the whole story that was available everywhere. Meaning there was little place for medium fans to thrive as it progressed. It says a lot about Bionicle's strength as a story that so many kids who had access to the whole thing became superfans. But the fact is without more casual fans to back them up, superfans can't support a franchise.

Now many people say the solution would've been a tv show, a widely accessible and enjoyable way to get the whole story in order in a single place. And I'd say I agree, at least that a tv show like Ninjago got would've gotten way more people into it. Though I must say, as it was the books were amazing, and the multimedia nature of it gave it a unique charm. I wouldn't change too much of what G1 did, though IF it were to ever come back, I think they'd need to give it a fully funded tv show right off the bat. Not a half-baked mini-series a full year in (looking at YOU Journey to One!)

So with all the buzz of attention around the Tahu Gift with Purchase leaks, the surpirising increase in attention from Lego on social media, and just the general surge in activity in the Bionicle fandom over the last few years, there's so much talk, speculation, and debate about whether or not Bionicle will or even can come back in some form. But with that comes reservations about how it ended the previous two times.

So this is part 1 in a 3-part series I'm making looking at the story-based reasons why Bionicle series have ended in the past, and what could've been done to avoid those failures to ultimately ask what would need to happen for Bionicle to return.

In part 2 I'll look at why G2's story and advertising failed to be captivating to new audiences and why I believe that was the cause of its early ending. And in part 3, I give my conclusions on if and how Bionicle could return in some form, as well as talk about why it might not need to, because the fans have been keeping it alive on their own.

[gillianthecat]

Gonna end my semi-intensive campaign for the best kiss bracket here. I can see the writing on the wall: I've looked at the number of voters in each poll, and not only is this round decided, I can already tell who will win the semi-finals and the finals.

I was having a lot of fun campaigning and analyzing and updating my posts. But it stopped being fun. The one I don't want to win is going to win it all, and in the next round campaigning for OFC over PatPran is going to feel unnecessarily divisive.

I went into it as a fun way to talk about BL kisses, but my hater's heart has emerged a little to strongly, which isn't fun for me.

At some point I may write about my thoughts and feelings about Kinnporsche. Both the show itself, and also the fandom around it; which fascinates and baffles me, and sometimes annoys me, and is pushing me to face the fact that in some ways I can't help but be a contrarian. Seeing something get super popular that I have mixed feelings about, or think is only ok, usually pushes me to the other direction and dislike the thing and see its flaws.

In general I also tend to get tired even of shows I love if I'm overexposed to them. So I have filters even for things I really liked, like The Eclipse, Bad Buddy and Big Dragon because I was reaching saturation point and didn't want to stop liking them.

None of this is self-knowledge that's new to me; I've been thinking about it vaguely all along, but this poll is pushing it to the forefront. Even though I assumed from the beginning KP would win, my feelings about seeing it beating out other shows are stronger than expected.

And on an intellectual level, I am just so fascinated by why it is THE show out of all BL shows that has developed such an enormous fandom. My impression is that most fans of BL are fans of the genre as a whole, or at least multiple shows, but that there are large numbers KP fans who are fans of only that. (I don't know if that's accurate though. I've drafted a poll to try and get some of the demographics of that, though I suspect my reach isn't big enough to get a enough responses to get any real answers about it.)

Don't get me wrong, I was completely absorbed when I binged the first half of the series in late June. And also went a little crazy over vegaspete when I binged the second half after the whole show was out. It was the show that got me talking on tumblr, and in that way was the first show that made me part of a "fandom." So I can see why people get obsessed with it. Just not sure why there are so many more than for other good BL shows.

Is it because iQIYI did such heavy advertising? I actually heard of the show several months before I even heard of BL, and then watched it mainly because iQIYI kept reminding me about it. For me, it became a gateway to BL more generally, but perhaps there are a lot of fans who just stopped with that?

Is there also a large group of people who were watching BL casually but weren't particularly BL fans, and then watched KP and thought it better than anything other BL? I've seen scattered comments with those opinions, but not sure how broad-spread it is. (I suppose if I'm feeling very curious and very brave I could go into the comments and reviews on KP's MDL page, which might give me some idea of numbers.)

With how my ADHD manifests, I don't have the attention span to become devoted to one show at the exclusion of all others, and so I can't really understand the mindset of fans who do fandom like that. (For any show, be it Star Wars or Marvel or The Untamed.) But I guess there are many people who do participate in fandoms that way? And KP is one of the shows that many of that style of fan found?

Is it the mafia plot? (there have been other mafia plots.) Is it how glossy and expensive it all looked, and the truly excellent cinematography? Is it how high heat the sex scenes were? (Were they significantly higher heat than anything previous though? Could be.)

Is there something about Kinn and Porsche as a couple that is particularly compelling to people? (I don't personally think so, certainly not compared to other BL couples. For me their story kinda petered out once they got together. And I found Mile's acting serviceable, but not that compelling, but I do see that he has lots of fans so perhaps it's just me.)

If so, what is unique about them? Enemies to lovers, boss-employee, torn between duty and love—I guess that combo is somewhat unique? I can't think of other shows off the top of my head now at least.

Is it the darkness and danger and plottiness of the mafia story? I know that sort of thing tends to engender obsessive fandoms. Are there other shows that have that too? I can see why if that's your thing, you wouldn't be into more slice of life BL like Old Fashion Cupcake or Semantic Error, or the youthful high jinx of most HS or Uni set shows.

Some combination of all of that? Some luck of timing? Did the advertising have a significantly bigger reach than for any other BL? With KP being my entry point into BL, I'm not able to compare with what the fandom was like before it came out.

Anyway, not sure if this is coherent, and absolutely NOT trying to start discourse. But if you do have theories you feel like sharing about how KP ended up with the fandom it has, I'd love to hear them. Or do you think I'm wrong and its fandom actually isn't unique for BL?

For context, the ten most popular BL shows on MDL are

The Untamed (2019) - 83,572

2Gether (2020) - 60,952

TharnType (2019) - 57,444

Until We Meet Again (2019) - 55,451

KinnPorsche (2022) - 52,838

Where Your Eyes Linger (2020) - 50,310

Semantic Error (2022) - 50,309

Theory of Love (2019) - 49,263

Bad Buddy (2021) - 48,411

Love By Chance (2018) - 46,652

I'm measuring "popularity" by the number of MDL users who list the show as watched. The show on MDL with the most watchers of everything is Goblin (aka Guardian: The Lonely and Great God) with 199,983.

The Untamed I would say has it's own fandom, overlapping with but distinct from BL fans. In some ways (other than heat levels) I can see it as a model of what might make KP so uniquely popular as well - complex plot, violent danger, and angst, and lovers kept apart by circumstance.

Most of the other shows on the list are popular Thai BL from three to four years ago, so it makes sense to me why they've accumulated lots of watchers. Where Your Eyes Linger, at number 6, surprised me, I don't hear much about it on tumblr these days and would have guessed it was much further down. KinnPorsche and Semantic Error are the newest shows on the list, coming out around the same time last year. But although I hear a lot of love for SE, I don't see it having an obsessive one-show fandom like KP does. I do see a lot of very devoted Bad Buddy fans, but again, most of them seem to also be general BL fans.

Addendum: (For the record, my assumption/prediction is that KP and PatPran will win their respective semifinals, and KP will win it all, by at least a 20 percentage point difference.)

[mersi-kokhavasheva]

Hello!

This is Mersi Kokhavasheva, she/her. She is an Ilsabardian Raen Au Ra diviner-turned-knight based out of Gridania. I hope this will be a repository for the fan content I write about her story, from thoughtful snippets to five-part fanfiction.

FAQ&A

It's pronounced "mare-see" — not "mercy", though she understands the confusion — "koh-hha-vuh-shay-vuh".

Her preferred jobs were originally Bard, Dragoon, and Paladin, but she has of late swapped her arms for those of the Samurai, Dancer, and Gunbreaker. Blue magic is something of a special interest. She was raised on astrology, but has sworn off the cards since leaving home. Above all else, Mersi is a talented Weaver and seamstress, and is learning goldsmithing from her love.

She is engaged! Her love, A'rhya Velore, is a Gyr Abanian Seeker of the Sun Miqo'te with gorgeous ruby hair, and eyes like sapphire and amethyst, and a lovely soft voice that's not always able to be heard, and she's more than Mersi could ever have dreamed. However, recent events leave Mersi feeling less worthy than ever, and it shows in her haunted eyes whenever she's asked about a date for their wedding.

There is a timeline under construction for Mersi, A'rhya, and some friends along the way, to see how their spin on the Warrior of Light saga might look in a world in which, logistically, not every one of forty-eight million heroes could be veterans of the same battles.

I'm on Behemoth, in the midst of post-Heavensward. Feel free to say hi if you spot me, but I'm just as happy to chat here on Tumblr, or to share what I've written of her on AO3!

I'll likely be bouncing in and out of character here on Tumblr because, while this is not an RP blog, it's just fun to write in her headspace. If anyone wants to ask her a question, I think we'd be happy to answer. Perhaps we'll crack open the ask box and find out!

Frequent Tags

the Road to Sharlayan: This is for the stories written about Mersi and friends, or for progress made toward the next. I am new to AO3, so I would appreciate honesty when it comes to tagging etiquette! I hear it's "the more tags, the better" but, stars above, there are so many tags.

the Ruby and Larimar: Any Q's-and-A's Mersi gets through the ask box will be tagged as such, as will any fanart I mock up along the way. Casual coffee shop vibes! We love it.

Lore Have Mersi: For when Mersi have lore! These will be posts that explore who Mersi is as a person, or how she came to be as such. I will likely also use it for theorycrafting, such as my thoughts on the Deck of Sixty.

an Average Day in Eorzea: Memes. Nonsense. Shenanigans. Nothing you wouldn't see in Limsa, I'm sure!

Stories So Far

the Spineless Serenade (Romance) War in the north has found peace; those who fought alone to the east have found allies. From the patrol squadrons of Ishgard comes Mersi Kokhavasheva of the Knights Dragoon; from the war rooms of Rhalgr's Reach comes A'rhya Valore. This is not a story of their struggles, but of a rare moment in between. This is the story of a chance to grasp, and of their refusal to let go.

Coerthan Call (Drama/Tragedy) A sudden decision on the battlefield brings dangers unforeseen, and well foreseen. High above the Coerthas Western Highlands, two Knights Dragoon weigh the risks and put it all on the line to slay the dragon Graoully, but Mersi Kokhavasheva's past flies close behind.

The Lovers' Plainsong (Drama) In the fallout of her abduction by the heretics of Coerthas, Mersi Kokhavasheva rests with her fiancée in the shadow of war. Trauma shapes her future, worsened by the knowledge of how and why, of agency and fate. With the help of the one she loves, a woman broken must once again be made whole. All the while, the Dragon roars.

In Progress:

the Forgotten Berceuse (Romance) Two outsiders, strangers to the land of Eorzea, have found themselves sudden heroes of the realm. One misses the sands; the other, the waters. Together they find harmony, self-confidence, and room to breathe.

Ballet de Cour: A'rhya's Card (Romance) Despite two decades of training in the ways of astrology, Mersi has long been afraid to ask the cards for further guidance. With help from a dear friend, that bond may be renewed—or, by overcoming insecurity and learning unshakable trust, two diviners may strengthen their own bond instead.

A Tençon for Ishgard (Drama) The Dragonsong War has raged long enough. Both sides seek harmony, yet forces of darkness and light yet seek destruction. Caught between both worlds and asking for neither, Mersi Kokhavasheva has put down her lance; she rejoins the fray on her own terms.