#they are handling it so badly

[mass-charge-spin]

probably a controversial opinion but my fave part of ep 7 (and the e-soul arc in general) is how yan shu systematically groomed yang cheng into being his asset. like, yang cheng was the perfect blank canvas for him to mold however he wanted, and he definitely took advantage of that.

yang cheng had zero trust value, meaning he was beholden to exactly no one else. trust value is everything in this society so he's as good as legally nonexistent. his first point was explicitly tied to him doing e-soul-style actual heroics.

yang cheng is generally kind, hard-working, and reliable, and very charismatic but only under the mask, so he'd be a believable replacement for the real thing. he also has crippling self-worth issues, which means he's easy to take advantage of if you treat him nicely and he likes you.

yang cheng also trusts yan shu.

yan shu has goons, connections, and a working knowledge of yang cheng's social circle so it's easy for him to set things up to get results. like hey, here's a kid who hero worships yang cheng, they're pretty close, let's arrange a kidnapping so he can go viral doing heroics. yang cheng has a new friend with hero agency connections and a ton of money to dump on him? nice, his boy can get a taste of pro hero life and the kind of material support that entails, and he doesn't have to show his hand too early. hey kid, make this guy your manager, it'll be good for you.

getting rid of shang chao when he did was also a fantastic move on his part because it served three things: 1) getting rid of the competition over who gets to be yang cheng's manager, 2) destabilizing a rival agency because their head is now in mourning, and 3) making yang cheng mad with grief and regret, so he's emotionally vulnerable and easy to manipulate under the guise of being supportive. bonus points for shang chao leaving behind a new suit and a bunch of training equipment they can use.

by the combined power of advertising and word of mouth he manages to get the duel to happen and force og e-soul into creating an opening, ensuring yang cheng comes out on top. it's also great that yang cheng is so consumed by grief and anger that he doesn't ask very many questions about where the ad money came from. (why was that convo so much like "don't worry about it, kitten." "okay 💔 yay 💔" lmao)

xia qing is a complicating factor, but it's nice that she wasn't helping, and left him behind in the end. if she hadn't left of her own volition, i am pretty sure yan shu would also have gotten rid of her at some point. more fuel for his tragic backstory.

so anyway at the end of it all, yan shu has a traumatized, broken-down, beloved hero in the top ten who doesn't have anything else apart from him and the e-soul identity. mission successful, he's perfect. like yeah, this is the kind of guy who would shoot moon in the head with zero hesitation. 10/10, no notes.

[niobiumao3]

So, agreeing with all of what @heyclickadee said, and I just want to add:

Though Disney has given creators/creatives free reign to tell lies to keep the spoilers, Rau and Corbett haven't lied at all. NEITHER of them has said he was dead.

There are plenty of losses and consequences which aren't death. He can be significantly disabled in a manner which keeps him out of the field or limits his ability to contribute. I am SO TIRED of everyone acting like death is the only consequence, like daring acts of bravery can't result in a disability which significantly alters your life. That's a loss! It's a consequence! Can we stop talking about being permanently disability like it wouldn't be a big deal?? And certainly being without Tech allowed Omega to get captured and Crosshair to endure MORE trauma in captivity, and gave Wrecker and Hunter some incredible emotional burdens. Consequences, we have them.

What I do think they were concerned about is people reacting badly to him coming back, and IMO the solution there was to show Tech badly injured if alive and in danger in a stinger. I get why they opted not to (engagement! marketing! discourse! omg he's dead! no wait he's not!) but I hate that and IMO anyways fake out 'deaths' are dumb and I need to stop seeing them. They are not good narrative calls. Stop telling me someone is dead if they may or may not be, just TELL ME their path is uncertain. Show me him in dire straits, trust me we will ALL talk about that for a fucking year. But, whatever, that ship has sailed and is rounding Cape Horn.

As heyclickadee said, everything they've done looks quite intentional in terms of preventing a return from being received poorly: plenty of outs in the actual event, no body, no processing of the grief on screen, no one getting the news (not even Crosshair from Omega, our POV character, let alone Phee, the teased love interest; arguably the two most IMPORTANT people who didn't yet know to find out).

We will, if reviewers are correct, not be seeing anything remotely like what would be needed to bring home an actual departure. His absence is 'felt' but never discussed or processed. You don't do that if you want a death to be real, unless you suck at writing or are doing your character dirty. And I really don't think that those are the case here.

So I’m starting to listen through all the promotional interviews that were done with the cast and crew that were released earlier in the week, and something stuck out to me listening to the round table on Skytalkers with Brad and Jen about the loss of Tech.

It was mentioned several times, and they are very firm in their usage of the words “loss” and “sacrifice”, but I honed in on Jen saying:

1. They spent many many hours of planning, storyboarding, and shooting in order to get that scene right (in other words, it wasn’t a snap decision, they spent a very long time deciding to pull that trigger)

2. That they had to convince themselves (and convince themselves several times over) that it was necessary.

I remember them saying that Filoni mentioned to them that if they were going to go into Tarkin’s turf there had to be a price to pay, bc he is too cunning and powerful of a character for them to leave Eriadu without consequences. That I agree with and understand. But I wonder if they went too far in the convincing themselves that Tech had to die be lost in order to get that point across. Like it really still feels like a miscalculation to me at this stage of the story.

I’m still going forward kind of on the fence about whether we get him back or not, bc I don’t want to be overly burned if we don’t. But, I just think it’s interesting that really nobody, creators, actors, and fans included, wanted him gone, and yet they felt like it was necessary anyway.

[elfcollector]

Don't leave me alone. Please...please take me home... — Okay, Shianni. Okay. Let's go home.

[e-the-village-cryptid]

the way bix is being handled this season is gonna be my villain origin story. i can't believe i'd rather have had that whole ship leaving ferrix in 1.12 just get blown up than whatever the hell this is.

like why the fuck did they even bring her back this season if she's just gonna follow cassian around but stay home the whole time doing nothing. get a half-hearted PTSD/addiction arc that never gets followed through on. get one moment of actually doing something but in a scene so surreal, so overly simple and bizarre and over so quickly that everyone thought it was a dream until the end of it. why even keep her around at this point. to pour him tea and check his wounds? to give him a big speech on how she has to leave for the rebellion, but oh no, not HER rebellion, no, she doesn't even know what the fuck she's doing or where she's going to go! she just has to stop being a distraction for HIM because clearly the only contribution bix has to the rebellion is just to get out of cassian's way! i fucking guess!!

[luminarai]

Me: I am actually decent at my job, I am responsible, I’ve spent years acquiring my knowledge and skills within my field, and I put a lot of thought and time into my work

Also me, after receiving literally one (1) angry email:

[akumahoshojo]

💗 protect her smile 💗

[simaraknows]

i see your "'does he want to lick my boots or chop off my hands' is a Nicki reference" and raise you "what if Armand's relationship with sex is so fucked that his two modi are total submission and 'don't touch me or I'll chop off your hands' and Louis is still clowning on his trauma" in this essay I will

[sipthegossip-if]

THE CRAB. Hard shelled and always side-stepping. Cool glances and clipped words. You will meet their edges before you meet their eyes. They have a way of retreating just when you think you're getting close. Most people think it's arrogance but it's River's armour. Because underneath the practiced distance, there's something tender. A softness, they don't trust the world to hold gently. They are the kind of soft that bruises easily, the kind that hardens out of necessity, not nature. They are the kind of person that makes you second guess every interaction, not because they are cruel but because they are careful. Careful with their time, their words, their heart. Like a turtle retreating into its shell, they only come out when it's safe— and it rarely ever is.

River Fox doesn't let people in. Not because they don't want to— but because they have done it before, and it didn't end kindly.

If they ever open up to you, it won't be loud. It will be quiet. A door left half-open, in hopes you will walk through, look their ugly in the eye still love them without question.

ROMANCING RIVER FOX : It didn't happen all at once. With River, it never does.

It started with annoyance— the sharp edged awareness whenever you walked into a room. Too careless, too loud, too there. You talk like you have never been hurt. Like you don't know what it means to lose something you never got to name. So, their mouth becomes a gun, their tongue, a knife and their words, bullets.

But then arrives the hesitation. The way their gaze falls down to your mouth, mid sentence while you're rehearsing. And before they know it you begin to bleed into their music. It feels like you see right through them, and River has spent years perfecting the art of being unreadable. River sometimes wishes they were anyone else but River Fox— perhaps, that would have made loving you easier. But River turns cruel when they crave love— because anything is better than this want. They are ashamed of it. Ashamed of being caught in the act of wanting something that could never be theirs.

They will kiss you like a secret, like a mistake they will make again. They will touch you like they are waiting for regret.

River only hopes you will prove them wrong.

PERSONALITY : River Fox doesn't trust easily. They have built these walls around themself not because they are cold but because they remember. Every misstep, every betrayal, every time someone mistook their softness for something breakable. They feel everything deeply. Too much and all at once. They loathe being underestimated but they loathe being understood even more. Their quiet nature gives them a mysterious gravitational pull that their fans adore. Devastatingly loyal, once they let you in— but you will have to prove that you're worthy of it time and time again.

APPEARANCE : Mahogany skin with visible patches of vitiligo. Dyed platinum blonde hair, styled in loose, messy locs that fall around their face. Multiple silver rings on their fingers, a small silver hoop earring in one ear, triple helix piercing and multiple bracelets. Wears kohl in their eyes. Often dressed in dark or muted shades. 5'11. Lean but strong frame. Chocolate brown eyes.

[canidbutch]

i don't know if that scene was intended to make us like trinity more or make us think she's actually badass! or something but i'm actually leaning towards it just reinforcing the prior characterization of her being emotionally ill-prepared for this environment and having no self control whatsoever. as a csa survivor AND someone going into healthcare ... yeah you can't just Do That, buddy

[corvus-cucullatus]

What the hell is this thing

[bumblingbabooshka]

I have an idea for making Seska and the Kazon more interesting (less Klingon-lite) and it's by making it kinda Seska v Chakotay (based on the episode where Chakotay helps that Kazon kid) Basically, the Kazon are this severely fractured group of historically disenfranchised and preyed upon people (they were literally enslaved by the Trabe who took their homeworld, kept them living in squalor while the Trabe lived in luxury, and are still trying to kill them. This is canon and it's insane that the Kazon are still the bad guys overall. Like, they're painted as this incorrigibly innately violent mass of idiots it's SO bad.) Basically my idea is that Seska, as a Cardassian and a spy, is someone who's used to infiltrating and subjugating groups. So I was picturing Voyager being attacked by the Kazon and accused of helping the Trabe again. Voyager says they absolutely would never help the Trabe or anyone else kill people and learn that swaths of Kazon have been being killed and captured and that all the evidence leads to Voyager. The Kazon Voyager interacts with from here on are acting notably different. Far more paranoid, cagey, and gruesome in their violence. B'Elanna remarks that it feels almost Cardassian. This (Voyager's involvement) is eventually revealed to be a Trabe plot (they're pissed Voyager backed out of helping them assassinate the Kazon's leaders) but what the audience knows and Voyager doesn't yet is that Seska is working WITH the Trabe. Playing both sides. As a spy within the Kazon she can make them more vulnerable to the Trabe and the Trabe have WAY more power and resources so of course Seska's gonna be on their side. Chakotay is the first one to figure this all out and he can't believe that Seska would do something like that. Not Seska specifically, anyone. Here we get more into the Maquis and Chakotay's thoughts and feelings on why he initially joined and how he feels about the movement now (still very passionately positive I refuse to believe otherwise). I hate the idea media LOOOVES to push that people who use violence in pursuit of noble goals 'pollute' that 'pure' goal or are 'just like their oppressors'. Shut uuup kill Cardassians kill the Trabe.

So Janeway's like this is incredibly unfortunate but now that we've cleared Voyager's name we really can't interfere with whatever's going on. Chakotay thinks Seska's doing something but we don't know for SURE and I don't wanna involve us unnecessarily let's just go. Chakotay argues against this and there's a tense moment during the meeting where it seems like there's gonna be a fight but Chakotay momentarily lets it be and instead speaks to Janeway one-on-one where we get much the same result. Ends on a sour note where Chakotay says he respects Janeway but their 'blended' crew is looking a lot like a Starfleet one. (He means this sort of behavior is exactly what he left Starfleet over: Inability to do enough good in his eyes due to a desire to remain more Neutrally Benevolent.) Later we get a scene of Chakotay talking in private to Neelix. They're using vague, mysterious language bc it's tv. After this we get hints that Chakotay's been talking to people in secret but we aren't told who or why. Eventually, several episodes later, Voyager is in a pinch and at the climax of the conflict someone helps them out of an impossible situation. The Kazon! Two different sects in fact which is highly unusual. It's revealed that Chakotay has been communicating with the Kazon behind everyone's back. He obviously hasn't told them anything about Voyager or given them anything which Neelix (who's been helping him) found hard to believe. He, along with all others in the delta quadrant, didn't think much of the Kazon but with one stone we've showcased both that the Kazon are like, people. Who want to live peacefully and are capable of working together which canon and the Trabe say is impossible. AND that Chakotay is excellent at convincing and uniting people. Honestly, Janeway and Tuvok conspired behind Chakotay's back enough that he deserves to do it at LEAST once and it's for an excellent cause. The Kazon show Voyager proof that Seska's been playing both sides using Cardassian tactics the Maquis recognize. She has the ear of the strongest sects as well as the Trabe. If Voyager doesn't help the Kazon, they're all going to be wiped out or enslaved again, the Trabe taking their homeworld. Someone points out that the Kazon just saved their lives. Chakotay points out that since Seska's behind this and he brought Seska here- Janeway interrupts. We brought Seska here, commander. If she started this, we'll be sure to finish it. [to the table] Together. The crew, united, (along with the Kazon!) all agree enthusiastically. Ideally, you know, there wouldn't be these third parties coming in to help the Kazon as if they Kazon are incapable of helping themselves but I'm formatting this as a Voyager plotline so that can't happen entirely - the main characters have to be involved BUT leaving off with them having two sects as allies gives us room to have Kazon characters interacting positively with the crew and each other. Maybe there could be two reoccurring characters from different sects and them slowly getting along in a genuine way acts as like a microcosm of what the Kazon can do (and parallels Starfleet v Maquis). I want it to be made clear through this plotline that the image of the Kazon as violent thugs is largely manufactured by the Trabe and their guarding of and constant quest for more resources is due to their background of having nothing. I hope connecting them to the Maquis in how they're painted and the Bajorans in how the Trabe and Cardassians exploit them also makes it seem less like the Kazon are idiots with no culture besides violence and more like this could happen to any marginalized group. Also Seska seems like such a villain to Chakotay specifically that I think they should get to fully duke it out. Ideologically.

[perfectoh]

nothing, NOTHING, could have prepared me for this. WHY are people sleeping on this wonderful man

[calypsolemon]

barely coherent thoughts tonight byut does anyone else think that the reason why Lloyd puts so mcuh value in his role as the green ninja is in part because at a very formative time in his life, fulfilling the prophecy of the green ninja resulted in him having a few fleeting years where his father was in his life? and ever since then, at least on a subconscious level, Lloyd always feels like if he can just put One More Thing right, he can not only grant others that sense of security and completeness he felt for that small amount of time, but also get that back for himself.

[a-mel0n]

honestly i still can't believe they described 8x06 are bucktommy going through "hurdles." hey oliver. oliver stark. hey oli. quick question: have you.... ever done track and field? have you ever leapt over a hurdle? because... that's what you do. you leap over hurdles and you clear them. they're obstacles in the way that you get over. what part of this was a hurdle? this wasn't a hurdle. this was bucktommy leaping over a hurdle, slamming it's leg into the metal frame, and then falling face-first into a pit of knives.

[kabutoden]

if aradia's death was just in-character for a long roleplay, what's the deal with tavros and terezi's disabilities? did vriska have anything to do with them?

She Did Do Those Things. vriska no!!!!!!

[sage-nebula]

The part towards the end with Orio explaining that her grief over Friede is why she won't fly again (even though she really shouldn't have had to explain it) was very nice, because at least someone in this damn show misses him. But at the same time, the kids being like, "I feel like he's with us! He's not really gone! We're doing what he would want!" . . . while it's true they are doing what he would want, the whole "he doesn't feel gone, he's with us" would feel a lot more true if he was actually ever fucking mentioned in the show at all prior to this episode. The most we got was Cap wearing Friede's goggles, and Liko having flashbacks in the first two episodes. After that it was completely dropped. I mean, we haven't even revisited this:

You'd think other characters acknowledging that Liko is canonically a stepford smiler would come up in relation to the very real trauma she suffered at the end of the previous arc (and how out of anyone aside from Orio she has the most reason to feel survivor's guilt) but nope! Because all of her problems were solved when she decided to adventure again. We get one more flashback in the following episode with the Steelix and then it's all better and resolved because Pagogo has awoken. (And I'm still just like . . . why do all that build-up of Pagogo not coming out of its ball for a year just to resolve it that quickly. I have no idea what they were thinking with that.)

I don't know man, the explanation that the reason they're not showing any grief or PTSD at all is because "he's still with us actually! :D" when there has been no evidence of that aside from Cap wearing Friede's goggles just isn't it. It falls flat. You have to actually show your characters grieving, or making the decision to set their grief aside from the time being to move on with what their deceased loved one would want, in order for it to have weight. I'm not saying we needed multiple episodes of the kids sobbing into their pillows at night, but having them agree to the journey again because it's what Friede would do before this moment? Talking about Friede with Mollie and Murdock (mentioning his name only in a flashback doesn't count)? Maybe Roy telling Liko about how he and Cap struggled to find a rhythm together at first? Liko asking herself what Friede would do next as she makes her decisions? Something, anything, to show that they actually were carrying Friede with them, because honestly their whole "this is what Friede would want he's not gone!" almost feels like an excuse considering we haven't actually seen that from them at all.

It just kills me because the writing was so peak before this. And I was really excited for the timeskip, even with my trepidation about how Roy and Cap were positioned in marketing (which ended up being proven correct 🙃). I don't know what went wrong in the writers' room, but it sucks, man. It truly does.