I dont subscribe to the house has secret debilitating empathy for people hc..i think he cares, and doesnt want all people to suffer, but he doesnt experience day to day empathy like someone else would. i have next to no empathy and it makes me just a little happy to imagine house having no empathy, because he isn't represented as someone who does only bad despite his lack of empathy, just that his motives are different from "well, ill feel bad if i dont" or "but society says i should care" (this, he would probably call selfish, anyway).
i think he recognizes his lack of empathy but still does the good thing anyway, not because he cares all the time, just that hes not evil, and can make nice choices for others.
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Had a thought, I think what's bothering a lot of people about recent Force stuff is that Filoni/new shows are treating the Force like a "soft magic" system. As in it's flexible to whatever the plot is and the few rules can change. Vs the more solid "hard magic" system the original stuff operates on. Only certain people have it, there's established things it can do, and it's main point of flexibility is that if you don't think you can do a thing with the Force, you can't.
Like movies/clone wars/even Rebels establishes that having the Force is an innate thing and while non Force users can "hear" the Force (various other practices we see like Chirrut) they can't utilize it. That there's certain abilities are things everyone has and more rare abilities exist but don't seem to be learned (at least not easily). I'm even willing to say Force Healing works in the og system set up in that it's a rare ability and it takes energy. You can't bring someone back from the brink of death without killing yourself or someone else.
But things like Sabine suddenly able to use the Force or Ahsoka able to use abilities out of nowhere and established to be innate and rare basically throws the hard rules out and gives it a confusing inconsistency that just makes it unenjoyable.
I think the problem is, in part, that canon itself treats the Force as both soft AND hard, depending on what aspect you're talking about, because Star Wars runs on Rule of Cool sort-of above and beyond anything else sometimes. For example, the Force Ghosts. Even within the original trilogy, the implications about how the Ghosts work seems to change from ANH to ROTJ, and then you get into the prequels and TCW and the sequels and now the Mandoverse and the Ghosts are just... wackier and wackier every time. There are NO RULES for the Force Ghosts beyond that the person ghosting should be definitively dead, not a Sith when they died, and they should look bluish. Like that's... really it. Beyond that, everyone seems to do whatever the fuck they want with it and they always have, even Lucas himself.
And then you have other things that seem to have remained fairly static this entire time even if they went unsaid, like who is capable of wielding the Force and who isn't, whether it's something you're born with or just something some people can learn easier than others. Up until the Ahsoka show, everybody seemed to agree on this one, so even though it's never been outright stated in canon that you HAVE to be born with the ability to wield the Force or you'll never be able to, it's just a generally accepted part of the worldbuilding and one that a LOT of the character narratives sort-of rely on. BUT, because it's never been outright stated and OTHER elements of the Force and how it's used can be pretty "soft magic", I suppose it's not shocking that eventually someone would try to switch this one up. It's infuriating and it's bad writing just because what little we DO know about it is so important to how these storylines go, but it's not shocking.
It's not like I hate "soft magic" systems in general, but in a lot of those stories, how the magic WORKS isn't actually important to the story being told most of the time. Like in Lord of the Rings, how Gandalf can do magic is completely irrelevant to the themes and messages sent through the story of Frodo and the Ring and the Fellowship. It doesn't MATTER.
But in Star Wars, the way the Force works is baked into the themes and messages of the whole ass story. What darkness is, where it comes from, what balance means and how it can be achieved, all of this is VITAL to the story being told throughout the first six films. And so a lot of the little stuff that gets added to the overall "how the Force works" stuff (psychometry, midichlorians, etc) should all sort-of work within those overall themes already set up. Midichlorians are important because Anakin is DEMONSTRABLY super powerful, more than anybody else in history, and it DOESN'T MATTER. He's literally MEASURABLY more powerful than anybody else and he still fails to do anything he actually wants to do. His power makes it so that his choices change the fate of an entire galaxy, but they're also completely useless in any way that actually matters to him. The fact that they can measure his power helps that message get across. Psychometry takes a lot of the stuff about how the Force allows you to dial into the emotions of other people and just takes it up an extra notch to really hammer home some of those themes about control over your own power and being connected to the world around you.
So Star Wars, in many ways, DOES have a "soft" magic system, it always has, but the things that are changed or added to it SHOULD generally still fit within the overall themes and messages that Star Wars has set up prior to this. Sabine being Force sensitive randomly very explicitly goes AGAINST all of these themes and messages and that's why it sucks. Changing the system so that literally ANYBODY could have the Force if they just worked hard enough at it (and having Sabine gain her ability to wield it only when she FEELS the most emotions as opposed to when she CONTROLS her emotions the best) completely fucks up a lot of the narratives for other characters. What makes Luke so special if literally ANYBODY could have just learned to do what he did, but apparently they just weren't trying hard enough? If Ahsoka felt this way this entire time why wasn't she training up TONS of people in the Rebellion to utilize the Force, why was she HOBBLING the Rebellion by keeping this from them? It's just... SO so stupid in so many ways. Why does Filoni seem to think that fans want the space wizards to be LESS special? It's ridiculous and it's insulting.
I think that at this point we're also just VERY tired of Filoni's blatant favoritism for his own characters and the ways he very intentionally will bash other characters in order to lift up his own faves, and quite honestly THAT'S what pisses me off the most about the Ahsoka show. Sabine and Ahsoka can't be special on their own, they HAVE to call the prequels Jedi failures because they were elitist in order to make Sabine and Ahsoka seem like they're so much better and more enlightened than those OTHER Jedi. And that honestly just stinks of a lack of imagination on Filoni's part. If he can't figure out how to make these characters feel special without tearing down other characters in this franchise to do it, then maybe he's just not that good of a fucking writer to begin with.
So while I'm not PERSONALLY a fan of the way the Force is often very "soft" in the way it's written, that doesn't make it bad in and of itself, but Filoni (and the Mandoverse in general, but mostly Filoni) feels like he's actively flipping the bird at prior accepted assumptions about the worldbuilding and the way those things really helped build the NARRATIVE just because he wants to insist that HIS characters are NOT IRRELEVANT and are in fact more important and cooler than everybody else. When I consume a Star Wars story, I'm EXPECTING something about how it's better to accept and acknowledge your own darkness so you can let it go and control it rather than letting it control you. I'm EXPECTING something about being selfless and compassionate over being selfish and greedy. I'm EXPECTING something about how destiny exists but it isn't everything and your choices still MATTER (both good and bad). And that's just... not what Filoni gave me. The things he changed DON'T suit the narrative of Star Wars, regardless of whether the Force is a soft magic system or not.
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Richard,
I hope you don't mind, but I happened upon you deep in thought in the castle courtyard and...well, the sight took my breath away.
I used a Muggle contraption (I believe they call it a camera) to capture these still images. You look almost corporeal...
E 🖤
E, my dear,
I am most intrigued by this Muggle contraption, and even more so — by how well you were able to capture me and my heart with it. And what a coincidence! I must admit, I had no idea that anybody was there at the time as I was most likely preoccupied with matters regarding me... Well, you said it yourself, looking corporal. If you have the time, allow me to explain.
You see, for the past two weeks I have been experimenting with something known as ancient magic. I cannot really see it but I can feel it when I am somewhere near the source, and I can really feel it if I touch it. If I spend plenty of time doing just that and focusing on being corporal — I seem to become so! Well, whatever part of me is surrounded by magic anyway.
That photo you took — I believe it was the first time that I have attempted to fully step into the stream of magic a day or two ago. The reason I needed to conduct some experiments first is rather serious as well: when the magic starts sipping away (and it never holds for longer than one day) I... Well, I am yet to find a way to make the transition back to my ghostly form less painful. As much as I was craving to feel, I forgot that pain is an integral part of life as well.
Needless to say that as fun as being able to be me again was, by the time I walked all the way back to the castle in my human form (and I got lost so many times since I could not just fly above the land toward the castle, oops) I was so tired that I just fell asleep on a bench somewhere near that area your camera captured me. When I woke up — I was a ghost again. At the very least, whatever pain I might have gone through that night, I slept through it.
I do hope that you are doing well, my darling. The sight of me should not be taking your breath away but instead making your heart beat and your soul soar. I hope you continue working on those still images because I did not get a chance to look at myself in the mirror that night. You are my only witness and I am honoured to have you share that special moment with me.
Thinking of you, always,
Richard Jackdaw
P. S. May I hope that someday I would be granted permission to call you by your proper name, my lady E?
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Some outsiders would think that bathing in the Fountain of Dreams is considered some kind of taboo. However, not only are most Dream Landers fine with you bathing in the water it's actually highly encouraged, as it's believed that bathing would not only help with giving you a good night's sleep, it would also help keep the nightmares away.
There is a small amount of Dream Matter in the Fountain of Dreams, but it's not enough to hurt or corrupt anybody.
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so, this may seem completely random to some, but.
since i have decided not to log in on tumblr/stay off the tag for the next couple of days, until i am able to watch the third season- personal choice i don't need distractions from doing some work/school stuff, a.k.a. my curiosity having the upper hand and me ending up spoiling myself, lol- i want to wish everyone in the fandom happy watching, whenever you do so.
i am aware we still have one week for the finale plus the documentary, but i just want to say, despite not seeming to be a very active member of the fandom and lurking in the shadows, these almost (key word: almost, hehe) three years of being a part of this whole thing, which was one of the reasons i decided to create a tumblr account (a year too late, haha) in the first place, have been wonderful- with the exception of very few incidents i won't bring up right now.
even though i may not always show it by rebloging and the like, i am always amazed by the way people put the puzzle pieces together, by their wittiness and their humour, by their talent and creativity- and by our collective decision of learning/trying to learn swedish at some point, lol. so, from a stranger on the internet who happens to love the same show as you, you guys (gender neutral) rock. this show, in spite of being the amazing, inspiring, heart-breaking and heart-warming creation that it is, wouldn't be the same without any one of you- and i am not saying us, because the only thing i have contributed in the past years is screamingcryingthrowingup over the characters' breathing. lol.
i don't want this to seem like a goodbye to the show post, because it's always going to be there, and, as some may say, it's just a show. but the thing is, it doesn't really feel like just a show sometimes. personally, i'll keep posting about it from my deathbed. and i cannot wait for the actors and the whole crew's projects about to come. they are very talented and promising and wonderful.
i watched young royals a "rainy" day of july 2021. back then, i don't think i realised how important it would be to me. to many people around the globe of course, not to seem selfish here.
so, happy watching, y'all (i am not american, i just unironically like y'all, haha). this fandom (a 99% majority of it, anyway) has been and will always be great and so freaking funny- i am so looking forward to the memes created by the scenes of the (not-so-little-anymore) dramatic swedish show we love and cherish like our baby.
till the end of the week where you'll see me losing my mind over everything*,
i hope you have a nice watching.
*also, this post is a formal apology to the mutuals and the people whose posts i'll reblog. i'll try not to be insufferable. not promising anything, though. hehe.
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