#passion republic games

[iamthekaijuking]

YYEEEAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH

[savingcontent]

Godzilla stomps onto GigaBash today in new DLC for the multiplayer arena brawler

Godzilla stomps onto GigaBash today in new DLC for the multiplayer arena brawler

(more…)

[arctrooper69]

Mine

Here's my piece for the wonderful @isaidonyourknees for the @cloneficgiftexchange! So sorry it's a day and a half late! 😂😅

Warnings: Suggestive spice (nothing explicit), unwanted advances, jealousy, angst

--------------------------------------------------

"Leave me alone, Crosshair." The order meant to be snappish slipped out instead with a tired sigh.

"No," came the reply.

You sighed again as you felt him shift and sit down a few feet away. No more words were exchanged - the silence felt both peaceful, yet suffocating.

"Why are you up here pouting?" He finally spoke.

You glanced at him sharply. "I'm not pouting!"

"Yes you are."

"No. I'm not!"

He huffed dryly. "Sure looks like it to me."

"Hunter benched me!"

Crosshair shifted and sighed, "It's for your own good."

You scoffed, "And how would you know what's good for me?"

"You're exhausted. You're off your game."

"I'm fine. I feel fine."

He sighed again and you could practically feel him rolling his eyes. "That constant tapping of your foot and the way you're shaking tells me you're trying to run on stims and caf."

Now it was your turn to roll your eyes. "And how would you know?"

He was silent. "Because I've done the same thing."

"So that makes you think you're better than me?"

"No."

You crossed your arms, turning away from him. “I’m still not pouting.”

“Sure.”

You glared at him out of the corner of your eye. “Just go away.” This time the words did deliver the sharp edge you’d wanted before, but now you weren’t sure it was exactly what you wanted.

You didn’t know what you wanted.

“Fine, came the equally snappish response. Crosshair stood and headed back down the wooded trail. A sudden disappointment threatened to overtake you and a heat burned in the back of your throat as you tried to swallow it back.

“Crosshair wait…” you called out, turning to face him as he paused and turned back.

“What?”

“I…” You stopped. No. Crosshair had better things to do than to deal with emotions that you yourself couldn’t even decipher. “Nevermind.”

For a second he paused, almost as if waiting for you to once again change your mind. He shook his head and turned around once again, disappearing into the woods, leaving you on your own.

Fine. It’s fine. You’d asked for privacy and that’s exactly what he gave you. Yet, it felt lonely nonetheless.

Crosshair was confusing to say the least. One moment it felt like he was trying to make an emotional connection, and the next he acted like he wanted nothing to do with you.

The roar of engines echoed through the trees from the base of the hill as the Marauder soared into the sky and disappeared into the atmosphere.

***

It seemed like forever ago that you'd met the surly sniper on a job. It was forever ago. So much had changed since a heated exchange of angry words led to a moment of heedless passion. One night. A romance ignited by the very intensity that divided you. The same fingers that rested pompously on the trigger of a rifle soon pulled through tangled hair and moved with purpose against your warmth. Tongues once sharp and taunting, now slotted through parted lips with desperate pleas for more.

And then it was over. Back to the cold realities of war. No words were spoken, only awkward avoidances and inverted eyes.

Talk to me, you'd wanted to say. Tell me what you want. Tell me what you need.

Perhaps that's all it was to him. Maybe you'd given him everything he wanted in that moment. Maybe that's all you were to him - a distraction - a soldier's relief from the stress of a never ending war.

You'd wanted to say something but the words wouldn't come. Then the galaxy changed and as the Republic fell, so did your hopes.

And now after so long, he was back.

***

It was nearing dusk before you finally pushed yourself from the ground and headed back down the path.

Fueled by a growing sense of hunger and the need to be around others, you found yourself walking towards the local cantina.

The music blared from somewhere above, pumping a bass that rattled your bones.

Despite the club-like atmosphere the lighting was dim, illuminating the same bar scene that haunted almost every planet in the galaxy.

The air was thick with the scent of spice and the sound of raucous laughter. You sat at the bar, nursing a drink. Despite the bustle, it still felt lonely.

“Hey there, sweetheart.”

Fingers ran across your back as you spun around to face the unfamiliar voice.

A large nikto smiled drunkenly over at you as he leaned against the bar.

“You look lonely. You here alone?”

His breath reeked of alcohol. “You're real pretty,” he slurred, reaching out to grab your arm.

You jerked away, shooting him a glare. "Back off," you growled, voice barely audible over the din of the crowd.

The nikto persisted, his grip tightening. "Come on, don't be like that.”

“Dude,” you rolled your eyes, “leave me alone.”

He sighed, seemingly annoyed at your refusal.

“A pretty girl like you shouldn't be alone in a place like this. Let me at least walk you home, baby.”

“Don't call me that,” You spat, wrenching your arm from his grip.

His jaw stiffened as he stood up straighter.

“You should be more grateful that I'm even giving you the time of day, bitch!”

Now it was your turn to stand. The nikto grabbed your arm again. Your fingers curling into a fist, ready to strike the stupid smirk from his drunken face.

"She's not yours to touch."

A familiar voice growled from behind as the nikto’s hand was wrenched from your arm with a cry of pain.

Crosshair.

What was he doing back already? You turned to face him standing behind you, expression dark and dangerous. His hand rested on the blaster at his hip, ready to draw at a moment's notice.

The nikto's eyes narrowed. “And who do you think you are, asshole?”

Crosshair glowered, taking a menacing step forward. “I'm the guy who's going to put an extra hole in you if you don't leave immediately.”

The nikto paused, unsure if he was bluffing or not.

Crosshair clicked the safety off, loosening the blaster from its holster.

"I'm not gonna ask you again," he said, voice low and threatening.

The nikto had enough. “Geez, okay fine! I'm leaving!”

Without another word, he turned and fled, disappearing into the crowd.

You stood silently watching as Crosshair stepped forward, his practiced eyes scanning every inch of you.

“Are you alright?” He asked, “Did he hurt you?”

You let out a shaky breath, “No,” you murmured, “I'm fine.” A smile flitted across your face as you looked up.

Honey brown eyes stared sharp, pierced with concern and something else.

Jealousy?

“Good.” He replied. His lips parted as if he wanted to say something more but couldn't find the courage to do so.

But this time something rose within your own chest, warm and encouraging.

“Crosshair?” The words came timidly despite their bold intent.

He looked sharply, “What?”

“What did you mean by that? ‘She's not yours to touch’?” You asked. His hand, still on your arm, gripped a bit tighter, pulling you close. Something flashed in his eyes. It wasn't the hardness you'd come to expect from him.

“It means you're mine. You've always been mine.”

--------------------------------------------------

@zoeykallus @ttzamara @nahoney22 @merkitty49 @viva-la-whump @agenteliix @dumpsters-little-matchbook @nekotaetae @ladykatakuri @loverofclones @heyitsaloy @padawancat97 @jambolska-grozdova @flyingkangaroo @melymigo @the-rain-on-kamino @jiabae @my-own-oracle @dragonrider9905 @queenofspades6 @ordinarylokix @jupitersaturnapollo @queencousland101 @vampire-rogue @southernbaguette @staycalmandhugaclone @dalu-grantkylo @dangraccoon @aconstructofamind @sev-on-kamino @sol-the-otter @pb-jellybeans @atomickidsoul @caitnotfound @ghostlyembassy @skellymom @freesia-writes @trixie2023 @jedipoodoo @reader6898 @all-mights-babygirl @arcsimper5 @red-robin-yum08 @wintersnnowie @whore-of-many-hot-men @theeyesofasoldier @griffedeloup @starswhores @totallyunidentified @waytooldforthis78

If you want to be on my taglist, feel free to send me a message! Also, asks are open! Reblogging is very much encouraged and it makes me do a happy dance every time any of my writing gets reblogged 😂❤️

[chains-of-destiny]

Few families can say that they've been blessed by the gods, and even fewer can count ancestors as illustrious and celebrated as Niemon, your great-grandfather. He was the very man who led the rebellion against a tyrannical magocracy and laid the founding stones for a free and fair republic. Your family was destined for greatness and respect, but your grandfather ruined it all… You are the heir to House Serin, and the burden of your family's legacy weighs heavily on you. However, your destiny is much greater than that of your forefathers, maybe even the great Niemon's. So, let the chronicles begin! But remember, the chains of destiny are strong and will not be easily broken. Do you have the power to defy fate?

This is the first book of Chains of Destiny, a planned trilogy where you step into the shoes of the heir to House Serin. Set in the fictional continent of Runsas, your choices will not only shape your life but also impact the lives of those around you and the future of the republic. Uncover the secrets behind your grandfather's betrayal, break free from the chains that bind you, and finally take control of your destiny.

The game is more character/story-focused and places less emphasis on stats.

[Link to the demo]

Total word count: ~190k words (as of 2024/05/01)

ROs | Forum Page  | Update Log

The intention is not to make the story as dark as possible but to establish a living, breathing world that exists within the setting it found itself in. So, you will not be swimming in a sea of blood and body parts, it is not the point of the story. Still, I feel obliged to warn any potential players before playing this game, as certain scenes contain things that may not be for everyone.

Reader Discretion Advised: This content may be disturbing or triggering for some players. Proceed with caution and consider your own emotional well-being before continuing.

[Content warning] - this game currently contains (or will contain in the future):

Strong language

Graphic scenes of violence

Graphic depictions of injuries, wounds, and corpses

Scenes of physical and emotional abuse

Blood and gore

Dark and disturbing themes

Body horror - Transformation (skippable)

Alcohol and drug use

Mentions and references to animal death

Mutilation

Physical and psychological Trauma

War crimes

Manipulation and gaslighting

Themes of authoritarianism and oppression/discrimination of certain groups of people

Themes of war and conflict

- The list may or may not expand as the development progresses.

Also, this story was created purely out of my passion for writing. It does not intend to preach or lecture anyone about any particular topic or belief.

If you feel that any part of this game is preaching or trying to convey a specific message, it is unintentional, and I sincerely apologize. The primary goal is to provide an enjoyable and fun experience for everyone.

PS: I should've already made a post like this in the beginning, but somehow I just forgot to.😄

[david-talks-sw]

The Sith don't want peace.

I've seen some fans use the below quote by Lucas in the Revenge of the Sith director's commentary to frame Darth Sidious/Sheev Palpatine as "evil but with well-meaning intentions".

"Lord Sidious thinks he's bringing peace to the galaxy because there's so much corruption and confusion and chaos going on. Now he's gonna be able to straighten everything out, but the price the galaxy is gonna have to pay for it is way too much."

And uh... no.

Sidious thinking that him ruling the galaxy will bring about peace as a byproduct and him wanting to bring about peace are two very different things.

He's not doing what he does for altruistic reasons. He's a selfish dick who is saying that technically the galaxy won't be fighting anymore and the corruption in the Senate will be quelled... because of course it will be, they'll all be under his thumb in his totalitarian regime.

So Palpatine is not lying, but he's not being genuine either. And that's his whole schtick.

"The Jedi are holding you back, Anakin." Yes, because Anakin has a tendency of flying off the handle, mainly because you enable him to give in to his darker instincts, Sheev!

"The Jedi are trying to take over!" Temporarily? Yeah. Because you're a dictator who orchestrated a war and cemented division across the galaxy, and everyone behind you is corrupt to the bone, SHEEV!

He's not Thanos or Killmonger, he's not the "if you think about it, he's actually a good guy who took it too far" villain.

This is a modern myth with a binary view of good and evil. He's Iago, Jafar, Freezer. He's not "gray", he's the classic "he's evil because he can be" villain. The Emperor is the Devil. As stated by Lucas himself:

"Palpatine is the Devil. There’s no fall from grace there. He’s the evil one." - Starlog Magazine #337, 2005

And the Sith are not pragmatists or people who try to bring positive change using their passion. They're not "free thinkers" who "follow their own path". They're not "religiously persecuted for pursuing knowledge beyond the dogma of the Jedi".

And this battle between the Jedi and Sith, thousands years prior to the films ⬇️...

... it didn't happen the way it's shown in the comic panel. That's Sidious showing horrific unreliable visions to Maul - a child - to indoctrinate him into hating the Jedi.

You know who does that? A cult. That's what the Sith are.

Hell, their code was partly based on Mein Kampf.

The whole "the Jedi 'limit' but the Sith 'embrace' and that's why we're being hunted down" line is just that. A line.

It's what the Sith tell themselves to justify the fact that they fucked with Dark Magic, got corrupted, and are now making it everyone else's problem.

"The Sith are people who are very self-centered and selfish. [They] learned how to manipulate both sides of the Force, and then they fell into the trap of being corrupted by the dark side." - Sci-fi Online, 2005

Which is why the Jedi step in, to stand up to them.

"The Jedi are the enemy of the Sith because the Sith want to dominate the galaxy, to control everything, and for a thousand years they have had a plot against the Jedi." - Sci-fi Online, 2005

The Sith just wanna subdue and control everyone around them, including the Force itself, to fashion the galaxy in their image.

"The end game for the Sith was to bring the world into a very selfish, self-centered, greedy, evil place, as opposed to a compassionate place." - James Cameron's Story of Science Fiction, 2018

So sure, have fun with your The Old Republic OC, go to town.

But when it comes down to it, when we're talking about the intended narrative (I'm looking at you, The Acolyte):

The Sith don't care about peace, they're literal religious extremists.

While some Sith may say they're misunderstood and some may justify themselves as being altruistic... at the end of the day, they're objectively not. They're greedy, power-hungry and self-centered.

They're the anti-theme to Star Wars' theme of "be compassionate".

[derangedanomaly]

If you want to ofc could you tell us more about u? Like irl outside of Tumblr :D sorry if it's a personal kinda question

Wait- you're actually interested to know something about me?..

I-uhm- sure!

ABOUT ME (ig?)

I'm not a native English speaker

My favorite color is red

Other than Undertale/The Au's, I also like: The slashers, South Park, Obey me, Mlp, Sonic and Steven Universe! (*^^*)

I have a lot of hobbies that I can't keep track of..and I'm adding more and more as time goes on. Other hobbies besides drawing: writing, reading, programming, animating, playing videogames, listening to music, journalling, collecting, creating new things (like from a paper, or crocheting), I'm sure I have more- but I can't remember them now 😭

I'm an introvert

I really like Lana Del Rey, Mitsuki, and Queen.

I like to wear dresses- but I have next to none 😭

I'm broke as a joke, so the only place I've ever seen/visited is: The Italy and The Great Britain. 💀

I have mental breakdowns a lot, mostly about my future 😭

I can't stand public speaking!!

I hate being forced to do something.

I wear glasses-

I'm surprisingly not that much into anime, I've seen some, but I just can't watch a 20+ minutes video, that has episodes 😭

The only animes I've watched (and liked): TBHK, MHA, SPY X FAMILY

I've watched more- but I didn't really liked the others.

I'm scared of spiders- and it's pretty serious too, I have like a panic attack... 💀

I'm not into sugary things. I like spicy things the best!

I'M A GAMER AT HEART!! Some games I own/played/have: The Sims 4, Outlast, Outlast 2, Sonic Frontiers, Subnautica, Subnautica Below Zero, Genshin Impact, Honkai Starrail, Rayman (I have like wayyy more, but I don't remember all of them.. 😭)

My favorite games are: Subnautica (both of them- but I like the first more), Sonic Frontiers, Genshin Impact, Honkai starrail, Rayman, Outlast

I'm from The Czech Republic! ^^

I have OCD

I'm hopeless romantic. 😔

I want to read a lot- but don't have the time for it.

I HATE CHEMISTRY WITH A BURNING PASSION!!

I like old music! ^^

Alright- that's about all the things I've thought about at the top of my head- I'm still surprised you even want to know something about me, lolz.

[tkachuktkaching]

Matthew Tkachuk put the world on notice this past season when he helped lead the underdog Florida Panthers to the Stanley Cup Final. The 25-year-old superstar is now widely considered as one of the premier players in the NHL.

Tkachuk’s journey and path into professional hockey all began in Arizona.

On Dec. 11, 1997, Tkachuk was born in Scottsdale Arizona just over a year after his father Keith Tkachuk started playing for the Phoenix Coyotes, a newly established franchise at the time.

Matthew spent his early childhood years in Arizona as Keith played for the Coyotes from 1996-2001. It was there where Matthew believes his love for the game of hockey was truly brought to life.

“I’m sure that’s where I first started to love the game,” Matthew said in 2016 Via The Arizona Republic. “Obviously, you have a special place for that.”

Even at a young age, Matthew was always a hockey junky.

“He would watch the highlights at 3 years old,” said Coyotes head equipment manager Stan Wilson back in 2016. “When my wife would be babysitting him, they’d play hockey. He’d stand there and make her sing the national anthem. He’s been a hockey nut his whole life, that’s for sure.”

It's pretty hard to imagine but Matthew used to wear the Coyotes uniform with excitement as he started to understand hockey at a deeper level back when Keith used to play in the Valley.

“It was more of a thrill for me to see him than him really recognizing what was going on,” Keith said in 2016. “He had his tight little Coyotes jersey on, which was funny because he was a bigger baby. So it was awesome. It was a lot of fun.”

Now Matthew is one of the most feared players in the NHL playing a hard nose, ferocious type game. He is coming off his best statistical season where he had 40 goals, 69 assists and 109 points in 79 games.

Matthew plays the game with a passion that not very few players have. That rare type of passion and drive for hockey all started in Arizona. 

thehockeynews.com

[nateofgreat]

You know it's kind of sad the Old Republic's going the anti-Jedi route (totally unrelated to Disney buying Lucasfilm I'm sure) because beforehand it was actually pretty good at depicting the Jedi despite a few pitfalls.

Before they were shown to be a genuinely kindhearted and benevolent group who're almost always spoken of as the most heroic people around. Able to reform even dark siders and train them to be great Jedi. The light side options (despite how contrived some dilemmas are) was shown to be kind and merciful to the psychotic evil of the dark side.

But what the game was really good at was showing they were also people with different interests and personalities. They weren't shown to be a bunch of unfeeling jerks, detached from the struggles of others.

The Jedi Consular class (assuming you don't ruin it by being a garbage Jedi) was one of the most genuine Jedi ever and are shown to be a great force of self-sacrificing goodness. Heck the game even did a decent job at depicting the unrestrained pursuit of passion as a negative thing.

So I hope they don't fall down the anti-Jedi pitfall.

[kemendin]

Intro Post 2024 Edition

Heya, I’m Kem! (he/they) This is where I share my gaming shenanigans. I like RPGs, angst, and making my OCs suffer.

Current focus is generally Star Wars: The Old Republic, with a new hyperfixation of Baldur's Gate 3. You can also expect to see content from Lord of the Rings Online, Fallout 4, and Secret World Legends.

I’m an avid screenshotter/virtual photographer, so expect many screenshots as well as the occasional gifset. I also spend far too much time, effort, and money playing pixel dress-up with my characters. With SWTOR at 32 possible outfits, I might just be able to sate my outfit needs there (other games still need to get with it).

More notably in my opinion, I'm a passionate writer with more fanfic ideas than I think I'll ever actually be able to write. Again, most of my fics have been SWTOR in nature, but I'm dipping my metaphorical toes into some BG3 writing as well. I have a handy page for my published fics here.

If you’re interested in learning more about my OCs, feel free to check out my characters page, or peruse their tags. I’m always happy to talk about them, or answer any questions!

Other places you can find me (though I’m most active here):

kemendin (twitter) kemendin_ (instagram) Kemendin (AO3)

Navigation/helpful tags below cut:

#kem rambles - general talking #kem oc - anything related to my own characters #kem writes - for fic words I write, including WIP blurbs #kem fics - completed writings #kem screenshots - I take pictures #kem gifs - I make gifs #kem arts - for when I occasionally do the doodle thing #kem plays dress up - outfits galore across all my games #kem does swtor building - SWTOR housing adventures #kem does fallout building - Fallout 4 housing adventures

[savingcontent]

GigaBash is a mix of Super Smash and Kaiju movie battling with multiple modes, out today on PC and console

GigaBash is a mix of Super Smash and Kaiju movie battling with multiple modes, out today on PC and console

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[foxes-that-run]

Need - Unreleased

What I need is a studio release of that song. I love the way it sounds like a metronome, it's so pensive. In it, Taylor is not over a muse and feeling drawn to them. A demo of it was leaked 1 March 2023, it's thought to be from Lover.

'What would Taylor have cut this for?'

It has some wordplay that is similar to False God and I think he knows, but not so similar I would cut it. Lover was her first album with Republic. Taylor said they told her "Whatever you turn in, we will be proud to put out. We give you 100% creative freedom and trust." The result is that Lover's Deluxe has 20 tracks and is 71 minutes long vs Reputation with 15 tracks, 56 minutes. So, it seems more likely that is where it was cut.

I could see it being cut for being too similar to Delicate and Gorgeous, vocals are distorted in places like Delicate, the beat is similar to Gorgeous, all three are about a hook up with an ex that they are not over. Dress is also similar.

It could have been considered for both like New Years Day.

Lyrics

Want is the cigarette smoke on a jacket You wore to the wrong part of town Desire is the sound of the whiskey Telling me you miss me Can you come around?

The first verse is similar to a scene in Delicate "Dive bar on the East Side, where you at? Phone lights up my nightstand in the black Come here; you can meet me in the back"

Taylor is singing about an ex that she and this person are not over. The muse misses her and can they come around. Whisky plays a role with not not being in Gorgeous too "Whiskey on ice, Sunset and Vine, you’ve ruined my life by not being mine"

When the muse arrives he smells like smoke from a bar, Taylor doesn't smoke, in Slut! is similar "Adorned with smoke on my clothes, lovelorn and nobody knows" I think wanting a unpleasant smell is that it permeates and lingers like cigarette smoke on clothes.

Passion is a passing thing It's accidental chemistry Lust is a liar, a short-lived fire It ain't what you and I are at all

In the pre-chorus Taylor outlines that her connection to this muse is lasting, it's more than lust, desire or was intended.

'Accidental Chemistry' reminds me of Suburban Legends where Taylor said "I didn't come here to make friends" meaning Taylor did not intend to fall in love but did. A similar idea that something that should be over but isn't is in the Lakes "What should be over burrowed under my skin".

Oh, It's a need, it's a need I would go anywhere that you lead

The chorus is similar to Lover - "Can I go where you go?" and Treacherous "And I'll do anything you say / If you say it with your hands" and I think he knows "I think he knows his footprints / On the sidewalk / Lead to where I can't stop / Go there every night"

I am hopeless, breathless, burning slow

This lyric tells of how important having this person is to Taylor. She has described being breathless about love a few times:

Blank Space: It’ll leave you breathless or with a nasty scar

Labyrinth: Breathe in, breathe through, breathe deep, breathe out

Paris: I’m so in love that I might stop breathing

Evermore: And I was catching my breath

Betty: When I passed your house, it’s like I couldn’t breathe

Touch me, hold me, tell me, " I won't let you go I won't leave, it's a need"

I won't let you go is similar to:

Miss Americana And The Heartbreak Prince: "And I’ll never let you go"

End Game: "And I can’t let you go, your hand prints on my soul"

King of my heart "And all at once, you’re all I want, I’ll never let you go"

Afterglow: "Just wanna lift you up and not let you go"

I won't leave is similar to the theme of Staying:

All you had to do was stay

Treacherous: "I hear the sound of my own voice asking you to stay"

Renegade "There was nowhere for me to stay, but I stayed anyway."

Delicate: "Stay here, honey, I don’t wanna share"

New Year’s Day: "But I stay when you’re lost and I’m scared and you’re turning away"

The Archer: "Who could stay, you could stay"

Right Where You Left Me: "Everybody moved on, I stayed there"

Danger is a thousand prickles on my neck That tell me to run or to freeze Fear is the nightmare I had You were with someone else You forgot about me

The idea of likening love to danger and continuing on is also in Treacherous "And I'd be smart to walk away / But you're quicksand / This slope is treacherous / This path is reckless"

Taylor wanted to run and also stay in I Wish You Would: "Makes you wanna run and hide, then it makes you turn right back around"

Nightmare has only appeared in Blank Space "Darling, I’m a nightmare dressed like a daydream”, but this particular one is also in Hits Different "I pictured you with other girls in love / Then threw up on the street"

In Wildest Dreams Taylor asked her muse to remember, "Say you’ll remember me standing in a nice dress, staring at the sunset, babe" Here, her muse not remembering is the nightmare.

Baby, it's always a new kiss Every time we do this The truth is It's essential to me That you love me More than wishing, longing

'Everytime we do this' refers to the cyclical nature of their relationship:

Style: And when we go crashing down we come back every time

Blank Space: "But you’ll come back each time you leave"

Out Of The Woods: "We were built to fall apart, then fall back together"

[gwaedhannen]

🐅 + 💖 for finarfin?

(Unusual headcanon ask game)

🐅 - Characterization: character habits, personality, etc.

He really didn't want to be crowned king upon his return from Araman, spent the whole First Age loudly reminding everyone of the fact (until he could go to war and finally do something useful), and also spent the whole First Age shunting as many powers away from the throne as possible and accidentally inventing the republic.

💖 - Romantic relationships or ships. (This could be as simple as sharing a rareship you enjoy, or an unusual interpretation of a popular/canon ship!)

He and Amarië had a brief ill-advised fling around FA 400 which they both immediately heavily regretted. It did give him impetus to finally reach out to Eärwen for the first time since the Kinslaying, at least, and they finally figure out that instead of centuries of stubborn avoidance they could instead scream at each other for a few hours then have passionate angry makeup sex.

(It takes a few rounds of that plus feeling their sons die to fully reconcile)

When Finrod finds out after re-embodiment he's briefly horrified, then thinks it's hilarious.

[david-talks-sw]

"Does it make sense?"

I think, ultimately, the thing that it comes down to for why I just can't see "the Jedi are intentionally written as dogmatic/dispassionate" or "Obi-Wan failed Anakin" or "the Jedi brought their own downfall" reads as valid anymore is because... it makes no sense that George Lucas - of all people - would write that.

Like, this is the guy who preaches the same lessons and philosophies that the Jedi do in the Prequels, every chance he gets (sometimes going all the way back to American Graffiti).

So ask yourself:

Does it make sense that he would intentionally make the characters to whom he gave his own values "dogmatic"?

He's a self-proclaimed "methodist-Buddhist". The Jedi are based on Buddhist monks.

Does it make sense that the buddhist would write a story about space-buddhists being "emotionless", "devoid of compassion" and "at fault for their own genocide"?

Lucas had an apprenticeship, that turned into a friendly/brotherly bond with his mentor Francis Ford Coppola. Their personalities were completely opposite (Coppola was more outgoing, George was more prudent) but they worked in sync, they completed each other.

Do you really think that this guy's intended narrative would be that "Qui-Gon would've been better-suited for Anakin as a teacher than Obi-Wan because the latter was prudent/strict and too different from the more passionate Anakin"?

George lays Anakin's downfall on Anakin's shoulders almost every time he talks about it. It's a corruption that was caused from within, he would be able to love without getting attached if he had joined the Jedi at an earlier age, but he didn't so his attachment and greed results in his turn to the Dark Side.

So does it make sense that Lucas' narrative would be that "the Jedi (aka EXTERNAL forces) pushed, denied and failed Anakin that they caused him to turn" instead of "it was Anakin's own fault because he wasn't able to let go"?

He has said multiple times that, aside from Anakin's downfall, the Prequels center on the Republic's downfall, never mentioned the Jedi once when describing what the Prequels are about.

If the Prequels were actually about "the fall of the Jedi and how they lost their way", wouldn't he have brought it up once? And would he really have focused so much on the Senate and politics rather than adding more development to characters like Mace and Yoda?

I think the answer to all of these is "no".

Here's one more: Lucas stated so many times that this was a fairy tale, that all six Star Wars movies are meant for kids. The situation of the Prequels is more complex than the one in the Original Trilogy, but before, during and after the Prequels Lucas confirmed that the Star Wars morality is binary, it is black and white, good vs bad.

Would he really intentionally make the Prequels this subversive story wherein "actually, if you stop and think about it, the good guys are really the bad guys"?

Or is it just that:

We live in a time where movie audiences expect the "good guy" to be individualistic, flawed and non-conformist, and the Jedi are a community of nigh-incorruptible champions of good who've already completed their character arcs.

So the adults (aka not the target audience) who watched the Prequels at the time were turned off by these characters who they perceived as "holier than thou", having been conditioned by the times they lived in to think that there are skeletons in "Mr. Perfect's" closet.

Thus, they retconned the films (via comics, books, games and episodes) so that they could enjoy the Prequels more, and did so by:

injecting more realistic "gray morality" themes into the films and

projecting an oppressive "boys don't cry" philosophy onto the Jedi.

For lack of a better metaphor, "they put a skeleton in Mr. Perfect's closet so that they could finally find his existence bearable, and keep bringing up that skeleton to this day."

[earlgrey24]

Ask game: 4, 19, 20

Thanks for the ask!

4. Favourite historical era?

18th century/age of enlightenment. Something about the birth and exchange of all those great ideas, all the beautiful letters, the way people seemed to express their emotions much more freely... okay, I'm romanticising it way too much probably. But you get my point!

That also covers the French Revolution of course. Few periods in history were so charged, so fascinating, I mean the juxtaposition of all those noble ideas and the blood and violence that accompanied trying to put them into action,,,

Um, also Late Roman Republic (absolutely wild/poetic/tragic). I'll also include something that's not in my bio and throw in the US Gilded Age as a treat.

19. Favourite historical book?

That's a tough one! But I'm going to have to go with Robert Darnton's The Great Cat Massacre and Other Episodes in French Cultural History.

I really like microhistory/cultural history approach in general, so that already makes it right up my alley. Then there's the fact that it's 18th century French history. So you can see how I'm already quite biased.

But in all seriousness, it's weird, it's fascinating, it's ridiculously readable while attaining a high academic standard. Darnton is one good writer. It doesn't technically cover the French Revolution, but still, I really can't recommend it enough to the people from the community!

(I promised myself I'll make a post about the last chapter at some point. It's about people writing the 18th ce equivalent of fan mail to Jean-Jacques Rousseau)

20. History crush?

I mean I'm still trying to comprehend the line between a crush and someone who I just happen to be fascinated by. But, in the spirit of the ask game, I'm gonna go with Gaius Valerius Catullus at the moment. Maybe it just shows my questionable taste, but he just seems so fascinating. I also feel that reading someone's writing (especially poetry) sometimes allows you to connect with them on a deeper level? Like there's almost something intimate about it?

Camille too, to a point. Are there parallels between the two? Talented, passionate, with little to no filter? Well, maybe...

[thenhlteaissuperhot]

what do you think of the tkachuk vs mcdavid "face of the nhl" debate?

since people magazine called tkachuk the "face of the nhl" butthurt hockey men are saying that will never be true because mcdavid is the face of the nhl. the way i see it, mcdavid might be the best player but he has the personality of beige wallpaper and tkachuk might be a rat but seems to have a fun personality

also, who do you think the nhl should market more to be the "face"? boring but the best players in the world (mcdavid, crosby, mckinnon etc) or talented fun personality guys (tkachuk, pasta, zegres etc)

I see it the same as you do.

No one can deny that McDavid is currently and will continue to be the best NHL forward - it is something every single person who gets into the world of ice hockey and consequently even the world of the NHL grasps and accepts as a fact.

However, just as you have said Connor has a personality of beige wallpaper (I love that term so much by the way). You see it every single time he is asked to do any sort of promotional content during the All-Star Week, before the season shooting, or during it. The outcome of that is always something you can hardly sell to his fans, who are die-hard supporters of the cult of "McJesus" - even those people oftentimes consider it as unwatchable - so now imagine what would people, who have no idea what NHL is, say if McDavid really was the face and his content would be the one, with which would the league be trying to expand its fanbase.

It's not that I blame him for being socially awkward, everyone has a different sort of personality and not everyone is born as a social butterfly with an undeniable charm, but the NHL and those fans who passionately defend his "face of the league" title need to realize that being the best player and the most marketable player thus the face of the league are two completely different roles and McDavid can play only the first one. Just like Crosby.

Simultaneously, you have to take into consideration that they are looking for primarily an American face of the league - that's market where they are competing with other big and more known leagues like NFL, NBA, and so on, you don't need that much promotion in Canada where it is a national sport or in Europe where you could definitely find many more fans but where you have the huge disadvantage of the time difference so you will never have thousands of Europeans watching the games at 2 AM when they have to go to work the next day. If you use a Canadian or European player as the face of the league, it won't register as big of a success as you would love to. This is the USA we are talking about, the most ridiculously patriotic country I know, they want an American face or else they won't support it.

That's why the league is pushing guys like Matthew Tkachuk or Auston Matthews (or at times even Zegras) because they are both players with actual talent but also a big marketability aspect and mainly with American passports.

Naturally, there are players who would be even bigger internet sensations if they were American - look at David Pastrnak, that man has been born a showman and a great player on top of that, he would absolutely kill the face of the league game if he wasn't from the Czech Republic and so would Mitch Marner if he wasn't Canadian, hell even Brad Marchand has an elite personality or Jaromir Jagr if he once again wasn't Czech. To this day Jagr is the most beloved player from the big guys (Gretzky, Lemieux, Ovechkin...) because he was and still is a f*cking comedian on top of being an ice hockey legend.