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ordinaryschmuck · 3 years

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What I Thought About "Through The Looking Glass Ruins" from The Owl House

Salutations, random people on the internet who most certainly won’t read this! I am an Ordinary Schmuck! I write stories and reviews and draw comics and cartoons!

When Disney announced episode titles/synopsis for the new season (On a day that left my head SPINNING!), there was one episode that I knew deep down that would cause controversy and discourse amongst the fandom. And that episode was "Through the Looking Glass Ruins." Not because it would be bad, far from it. Instead, because the episode was a Gus episode with a Lumity subplot, that meant that discourse would start as fans decide which story they prefer more. A situation that, might I add, would result in no winners.

Do you prefer the Lumity plotline? Well, guess what! You're a racist who chose to talk about an overrated ship rather than a heavily underrated character who just so happens to be a person of color.

Do you prefer Gus' plotline? Well, guess what! You're a homophobe who decided to shine a light on a character who's underrated for a reason instead of praising a ship that just so happens to involve two girls.

Either side you pick is going to result in making people mad. The only way to avoid that is by explaining in heavy detail that you still enjoyed one side despite preferring the other. Even if you loved both, you'll most certainly have to explain to everyone that you mean it and that you're neither racist nor homophobic. And all I have to say is this: F that.

F that S in the A right now.

Because I, or anybody else for that matter, shouldn't have to explain myself when it comes to saying why I prefer one plot line or the other. I shouldn't have to prevent getting ripped apart by some bulls**t, black and white mentality of people who can't accept that others like a show for different reasons than they do.

You wanna know what I think about "Through the Looking Glass Ruins?" Well, continue reading to find out. You'll have to make your way through spoilers, but it's the only way for you to learn why I consider this episode not worth any discourse that I'm already certain is cropping up.

Now, let's review, shall we?

WHAT I LIKED

The Opening Scene: I'm kind of digging how snappy and to the point these opening scenes are getting. In the span of what has to be less than a minute, we're given all the information we need to know: Gus is insecure about his illusion magic because he accidentally got Willow injured. It's a great way of setting up why Gus wants to prove himself to the Glandus students and a great way of showing how much Willow's friendship means to him. Look at how he's reacting a few days after the incident. He's still mopey and guilty about it, and I feel bad for the little guy.

Gus in General: And while we're already talking about him, let's give this episode a round of applause for giving Gus the spotlight without having him screw over his friends...except for Willow.

"Through the Looking Glass Ruins" really fleshes Gus out much more so than past episodes. As I said, it plays heavily into his own insecurities while proving how he's capable as an illusionist. He's also the best possible outlet to explore more about what illusionist magic can really do. It can't hurt anybody or work well in a fight. Instead, its strengths lie in the act of convincingly tricking others into thinking that something that should be fake is actually real. And Gus got to prove he really is a super witch because of his illusions through a jaw-dropping scene that's as dark as it was enthralling. The fact that he did it all by himself, without the help of an illusion elder who was right there, is honestly even more impressive. A lot of people aren't that interested in Gus as a character, but I feel like, after this episode, he certainly won a few more fans over.

Willow Getting Injured and Missing the Episode: This is a smart move, in my opinion. Willow acts as the voice of reason in the friend group, so if she tagged along with Luz and Gus right away, she would have easily talked Gus out of joining the Glandus kids on a dangerous quest. I love Willow, she's a solid character, but writing her out is really the only way the plot could have progressed.

(I also love that she wasn't mad in the slightest over Gus getting her hurt. She has every right to be, but she also understands that it was an accident, and Gus wouldn't do anything to purposefully hurt her. And that's sweet!)

King’s Prerecorded Message for Gus: That's just adorable. We need more cute friendship moments between these two, DAMN IT!

Gus Being Sick of Luz’s S**t: Of all the characters I expected to get sick of the whole Lumity situation, Gus wasn't really one of them. I'd always thought it'd be Willow, primarily because the rest of the fandom latched onto that idea, but for Gus, I'd figured he'd be more supportive rather than annoyed. That being said, seeing him call Luz out for borrowing his library card to see Amity (Not ask her out. Just to see her) is not only a hilarious moment for Gus but also an adorable moment for Luz. It's something I would never have seen coming, but now that I have it, I want more. GIVE ME MORE!

(Sorry if I'm being a little intense)

Luz Trying to Cheer Up Gus: It's moments like this that prove why Luz is my favorite character.

Willow might have the most common sense out of the group, but it's Luz who still has the biggest heart. She knows her friend is down in the dumps, so Luz pulls out all the stops in cheering him up. Whether it's researching the first-ever human (really surprised he wasn't the tiniest bit excited about that, by the way) and lending him glyphs for his mission to help show up Mattholomule. She may be slow in the romantic relationship department, but episodes like this prove that she excels with a platonic friendship.

Bria: I consider Amar adorably optimistic, and I have no strong feelings for Gavin, one or the other. But with Bria? Holy hell, did the writers do everything they should with her!

At first, it seems like she'll be a generic nice girl for Gus to have a crush on. Only for that writing to be a perfect twist into how she's kind of the worst. You see hints of her true personality in the overly sweet way she threatens to force Amar to eat a bug he gets distracted by. A viewer's initial reaction to that would be to think that while she's sweet, she still means business. But no, it's actually a perfect way to reveal her true intentions while hiding them at the same time. Bria may be rotten to the core, but with how perfectly executed this twist was, I can't help but adore her contribution.

Mattholomule: ...I would sooner expect to have gone insane before believing that this little s**t weasel would make his way onto my good side. Despite that, here we are in episode five of the new season, and I like Mattholomule now.

The reveal that Glandus High forces students to believe that the strong survive and the weak are inferior explains so much for Mattholomule's thirst for power in "Something Ventured, Someone Framed." It doesn't excuse his actions, not by a long shot, but it definitely paints a clearer picture. It also explains his treatment of Gus, as well as Mattholomule's reasoning to help him. Because of Glandus High inserting a "the strong survive" mentality into Mattholomule, he belittles Gus due to thinking that illusion magic makes Gus weak. But after seeing how they're both stooges to Bria's mistreatment, he's quick to apologize and willingly helps Gus out. In the process, the two of them create a believable and cute friendship...a friendship that is absolutely going to be interpreted as something else by the fandom...which is something that I'm more than supportive of--HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?! I WENT FROM ONE OF THE BIGGEST GUSTOLOMULE DENIERS TO ONE OF ITS SUPPORTERS IN LESS THAN A DAY! HOW DO THESE WRITERS MANAGE TO TAKE ELEMENTS THAT WERE ONCE ON MY S**T LIST TO THEN MAKING ME MORE THAN OK WITH THEM!

IT'S INSANE!

Mostly impressive.

BUT ALSO INSANE!

Edric and Emira: More so than ever, I am so happy that the writers took their course correction with Edric and Emira. These two work so much better as supporting characters rather than minor antagonists like several fans thought they would be after their treatment of Amity in "Lost in Language." They're quick to pick up on Luz and Amity's mutual affections for one another and do their part to help their friend and baby sister out. It's wholesome to watch, and, you know what, I'm gonna go ahead and say it: Edric and Emira Blight are much better mischievous twin characters than Fred and George Weasley. As much as I adore Fred and George, there is an issue how they're always referred to as Fred and George, not Fred or George. It's because their personalities are as identical as they are, so separating them is pointless. With Edric and Emira, they have enough individuality that you could enjoy them separately as much as you could seeing them together. Emira is more emotionally supportive in how she listens to Amity vent her frustrations about her feelings, while Edric is more of a doofus who can't take a hint to save his life. It creates a great set of characters who can potentially work well on their own. I hope they get explored more at some point, but for now, I'm happy with the cute moments these two offered already.

Lumity Moments: BUUUUUUUUUUUUT, nothing compares to the cuteness of these two.

I don't care if I'll be called a racist for it because these! Moments! These moments are the highlights of "Through the Looking Glass Ruins" for me! Seeing these two interact in this episode, now that the pining is mutual, was everything I could have ever hoped for, and so much more. Seriously, how can you complain about anything about all of this when you get cute bits like:

Luz getting flustered of seeing Amity with her hair down

Amity risking her job to help Luz

Amity being motivated to find the diary due to the possibility of a date with Luz in the human realm

Luz going through hell and back to get Amity her job back

All of the blushing

And that F**KING KISS AT THE END HOLY SH--Don't you dare think I'm not going to further discuss that. DON'T YOU DARE!

Gus' story was entertaining with how it surprised me in all the right ways, don't get me wrong. But seeing Luz and Amity's relationship develop more and more always fills my heart with glee that, believe it or not, I'm always going to remember it more. I love you, Gus, but I love Lumity more.

Philip Whittabeen: So we finally have a name to the alleged human who was here years ago, and we get properly introduced to him through a really visually appealing animation change. I'm personally curious to see where the writers go with him, but it's too early to say if his inclusion will be worth something. But I will say one thing, though. One thing, and then I'm going to move on.

Here it is:

Philip sounds eerily similar to Emperor Belos to me.

That is all I'm going to say about that.

Luz’s Sentences in Spanish: I want to give a personal shout-out to mi buen amigo @l-egionaire for pointing this out because there are some things to analyze in what Luz says in Spanish in this episode. Knowing what she means, it's clear that they are ideals that Camila instilled into Luz. Ideals that possibly show a lot about Camila's personality on top of revealing where Luz got her hopeful optimism and sense of determination. It's the second sentence that Luz says later on that I really want to delve deep into:

"Nada funcionará a menos que lo haga funcionar."

Translated, that means "Nothing will work unless you make it work." Again, this proves the dedication that Luz has filled into her soul, but to me, it says a lot about Luz's dedication to Amity. She wants to make this relationship work but fully understands that it won't unless she puts in the effort. It's a sweet sentiment that says so much about how Luz feels about Amity that some fans might not be able to pick up on if they don't speak Spanish. Or, in my case, have a good friend who finds the translation for you (thanks again @l-egionaire).

The Galderstones: Pretty interesting concept, I'm not going to lie. It's also interesting that of all the types of witches in the Boiling Isles, it was illusionists who were the ones that guard over the Galderstones. Because illusion magic can't really harm anyone, it makes a weird type of sense that they would be the ones to keep the Galderstones out of the wrong hands. And, even better, it showcases Gus' strength as an illusionist when he was able to take down Bria, who was hopped up on Galderstone power, through that same "harmless" magic. It just goes to show that if you have a big enough brain, you don't need to overpower somebody. You need to outthink them.

Malphus Being a Surprisingly Cool Dude: What can I say? I'm a sucker for expectation subversion.

Luz and Amity Crying: First of all, a HUGE round of applause to VAs Sarah-Nicole Robles and Mae Whitman through their vocal performances in this scene! They really sold how upset and broken apart Luz and Amity were due to their feelings for each other messing things up. More so with Sarah-Nicole.

Second, this might be the closest these two have gotten to a confession so far ("so far" being the keyword). I specifically latch onto Amity's expression after hearing Luz agree that she's always weird around Amity. In one way, it looks like Amity is surprised to see she made Luz cry, but in another, it could be that she realizes that perhaps that Luz has feelings for her as well. Or, at least, that's how I interpreted things. The thing about art is that there's no one interpretation to agree on. And that's what this scene is: Art. It's performed, written, and animated well, that no matter how you look at it, it's a masterpiece.

“I’ll call the hounds”: One line. One line was all it took for me to love the Keeper of the Looking Glass Graveyard.

Amity Dyes her Hair: I always assumed that Amity would let her original hair color grow out as defiance to Odalia. But dying it lavender? Thus crafting her own identity without having her be compared to either Odalia or Alador?

...yeah, that's brilliant. Whoever thought of that, you are a genius and deserve all of the credit that comes from it.

ALL of the credit.

Amity Kisses Luz on the Cheek!: I'll save my "Wha-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo" for an actual kiss, but for now, THIS IS AWESOME!

This moment, much like other Lumity moments, was everything I could have ever expected and so much more:

Amity's instant panic after realizing she seriously just did that

Ed and Em looking fondly at their sister taking such a big step

The look on Luz's face, which may or may not hint that she realizes that the feelings are more than mutual

And the fact that Luz's legs give out soon after Amity leaves

It was adorable as all forms of hell, and it was a perfect way to end such a perfect episode...or, at least, an almost perfect episode. I do have some issues.

WHAT I DISLIKED

Mattholomule Helping Gus too Easily: The Glandus kids were right there, in-ear and eye-shot, yet did nothing as Mattholomule effortlessly helped Gus and the Keeper escape...how?

Gavin falling for Gus’ Illusion: I want to laugh at how stupidly easy that was...but it's too stupidly easy for me to forgive.

And that’s about it. Just two nitpicks that don’t really take away that much enjoyment from the episode

IN CONCLUSION

"Through the Looking Glass Ruins" keeps Season Two's winning streak going by being another solid A. It fleshes out characters, develops cute relationships, and keeps the story going despite being so character-driven. It's easily more than worth the time...but it's not worth any discourse that comes from some fans preferring one plot over the other.

I highly doubt that some people are racist for loving the Lumity plotline or homophobic for loving Gus'. Maybe some people are, but also consider that maybe, just maybe, a person loves a ship because it's their favorite, or a person likes a character cause he's their favorite.

Which.

Is.

Fine.

There's no definitive way to like a series, and demanding that people like it for the same reasons you do is not worth anything. Because, believe it or not, even Dana Terrace doesn't care how people love her show. In the AMA she did, when a fan asked if she's upset about fans obsessing over Amity's crush on Luz, this is her word for word reaction:

"Not at all! No, the main focus of the series will never be on any romantic thread but that doesn't mean those threads aren't important. And I'm thrilled that people connect to our characters!"

THERE YOU HAVE IT! The creator herself fully admits that she doesn't care what fans latch onto. She's just glad to have people who like the show in the first place! So don't create discourse just because some people enjoy a part of an episode more than others. The second you get that through your heads, the sooner we can all move on with our lives.

(Also, that's five episodes in a row that are hits. And, man, is that stinker going to hit harder because of it.)

#the owl house #the owl house season two #the owl house reviews #gus porter #mattolomule #luz noceda #amity blight #lumity #edric and emira #edric blight #emira blight #what i thought about

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zehecatl · 3 years

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@fre-dream

apologizes in advance if i come off as rude, that’s not my intention at all! (and i had to make A Post, because when i tried to just, reply, it got too long >o>)

okay, so first of: i haven’t seen s2 yet! i’ve seen some spoilers, but from what i know, Wukong is lowkey MIA for most of it, and there’s no big scene that ‘confirms’ that Wukong sees MK as his kid. mostly i’m pretty sure of this because the fandom would have lost its mind

now. to be entirely blunt: that’s your interpretation

like, don’t get me wrong- i love dad!Wukong, it’s good and soft and i treasure it greatly, but it’s not canon. at best, it’s vaguely implied, and even that, i would say, is a stretch

because being honest- their relationship is literally just a mentor-mentee relationship

hell, up until the first Macaque episode, you could very much make the case that Wukong didn’t even register that he cared about the kid

now, about the creators saying it's a father-son relationship:

okay? so?

like. first of, if this is about that dad joke they made on some social media, then that barely counts, because that's the team catering to their audience, who loves dad!Wukong, and makes the exact same joke (which i'm not trying to shade, btw! i love everyone being MK's Dad)

and if they've stated it somewhere, then, again. so?

like, here's the thing: if it's not directly stated in canon, as in MK turns to the camera and goes 'my relationship with Wukong is strictly platonic, and he's my father figure', then it doesn't really... count?

an author can tell me 'this is how you're meant to read this', but if i don't read it like that, then it doesn't really matter, does it? there's a reason 'death of the author' is such a big thing, there's a reason everyone has different takes on characters- everyone reads stuff differently! hell, sometimes you can have multiple takes on one character! fiction is shaped by the person engaging with it- that's why LGBT headcanon's are so huge, despite what the author intended

if you see it as a father-son relationship: nice! that's completely valid, and understandable!

but i can just as easily read it as a relationship that could become romantic, because that's fun too! i'm not saying it'll become canon, i don't think anyone is, but sometimes you just ship stuff because it's neat, or cute, or fun- doesn't gotta be deeper than that

and if you're not comfortable with this ship, that's okay! you can block the tag, and if that ain't enough, feel free to block me

#lego monkie kid #peachynoodles #tagging because i feel like people need to see this ¯\_(ツ)_/¯#tbh i don't think wukong is ready to be a parental figure to ANYONE (yet)#and just in case anyone tries: MK isn't a kid. we know this. please do not #he is AT LEAST 18 considering he can drive #also if you want an example of an audience reading a character differently than the author intended: dean w/nchester #there is no way the creators intended for him to be bi but you can pry that hc from the fandom's gruppy lil' hands #also i like mentor-mentee romantic relationships A Lot and i FINALLY have one i can indulge in #i blame tamora pierce. just. entirely her fault tbh #i'm just sitting here waiting for my fiance to get back on if i missed something and now i'm just making tags for the fun of it #like remember that scene where MK goes 'EW' to the idea that him and mei could be in a romantic relationship?#you could read that in SO many ways!#like. it could be because he sees her as a sister or JUST as a best friend and the idea of them being ANYTHING else is absolutely Wrong #or it could be because he's gay! or maybe he's aromantic! like. you can read it in SO many different ways!#and all of them are equally valid but probably not what the team intended #like. MK/mei could still very much become canon?#it could have just been for comedy or like. one of those 'ew cooties' thing #feelings change! people change! and so of course does fictional characters

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ask-2p-hetaliaaa · 3 years

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Welcome!~ [Info!]

Inbox: 0

Asks: Open! [Hiatus]

I'm mun Diego! I noticed many 2p Hetalia ask blogs are inactive, and if they aren't, they usually only have one character. Well no longer! For I have created ask-2p-hetaliaaa, where you can interact with any of the following characters via ask box:

2p!America - Allen F Jones

2p!Canada - James Matthieu Williams (Matt)

2p!France - François Bonnefoy

2p!England - Oliver Kirkland

2p!Scotland - Gavin Kirkland

2p!Wales - Cedric Kirkland

2p!Ireland - Sean L Kirkland

2p!Russia - Viktor Braginsky

2p!China - Xiao Wang

2p!Italy - Luciano Vargas

2p!Romano - Flavio Vargas

2p!Germany - Lutz Beilschmidt

2p!Japan - Kuro Honda

2p!Prussia - Gillen Beilschmidt

2p!Austria - Roland Edelstein

2p!Spain - Andres Fernández Carriedo

2p!Iceland - Egil Steilsson

2p!Norway - Loki Bondevik

2p!Denmark - Magnus Kohler

2p!Sweden - Bernard Oxenstierna (Or Felix)

2p!Finland - Thurston Väinämöinen

2p!Greece - Hermes Karpusi

2p!Rome - Caligula or Lucius

2p!Germania -

2p!Poland - Franciszek Łukasiewicz

2p!Belarus - Anastasia Braginsky

2p!Ukraine - Katya Braginsky

2p!Estonia - Egor Von Bock

2p!Latvia - Raimonds Galante

2p!Lithuania - Leonas Laurinaitis

2p!Sealand - Paul Kirkland

2p!Wy - Scarlett Irwin

2p!Seborga - Romeo Vargas

(No name = just use country name)

My interpretations of some of the characters may differ to others', due to how uncommon they are.

What is allowed:

- Mostly anything!

- Asks about/that include 1ps

- Ships

- Romantic and platonic asks

- Soft yandere/lovesick (No violence, Will be tagged!)

- Asks for written responses (textposts)

- Asks for headcanons

- Texting (https://ask-2p-hetaliaaa.tumblr.com/post/655644479936757761/texting-event)

- OCs

- Self-shipping

What isn't allowed:

- Inherently nsfw stuff

- Things like in*est or abuse

> In*est ships (ScotEng, AmeCan, SeaWy, NorIce, Itacest, Germancest, etc.)

- Hardcore yanderes

- Asks that mention race/ethnicity/nationality/skin color (unfortunately, I have received these before ⬇️)

- Asks that mention bodily functions

- Asks that are intentionally meant to annoy, offend, disturb, hurt, etc. the admin

Ships I do (For the 2ps, I have more for the 1ps):

Character X reader!

UsUk, FrUk, SpaMano, PruAus, GerIta, PruCan, DenNor, SuFin, SuMano, GiriPan, etc.

Shipping is not a large part of this blog. Though, I am a multi-shipper and am not tied to any specific ships. Shipping discourse is not allowed on this blog.

Please feel free to use my art in:

- Edits

- Dubs

- Amvs

- Compilations

- As pfps/banners/etc.

- Etc.

Just credit me and send the link to any videos afterwards! <3

2p Wattpad book: https://www.wattpad.com/story/277429772-2p-hetalia-masterbook-headcanons-x-reader-scenario

DNI:

I don't like DNIs, but sometimes fandom makes setting these boundaries necessary, so I'll make this short.

- You participate in 'cancel culture'

- You are an extreme proshipper OR anti

- You participate in fandom discourse/drama

> You post "call outs", ESPECIALLY on minors

- You are an extremely political/activist account, no matter your views

- You are an IRL nsfw account, or only post nsfw

- You're going to argue with me about my, or anyone else's, 2p Hetalia interpretations

- You are going to post my art/posts on negative Instagram accounts (drama/tea pages, no context pages, slander pages, confession pages, etc...)

This blog is a safe space for both myself and my followers to escape from everyday troubles. Please do not bring any political views or drama onto this blog.

Note: If you are 18 or older, please be mindful about your interactions with the admin and askers.

Enjoy your stay!~

#hetalia #2phetalia #2ptalia #2p hetalia #hws #aph #2phws #2p hetalia roleplay #2p hetalia asks #ask 2p hetalia #textposts #2p hws

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denialcity · 2 years

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I hope this doesn't come across as rude, but why do you tag posts with ship tags if you only view the relationship in a platonic way? Why not just use the platonic tags?

heya you’re alright! don’t mind, im gonna outsource this to the amazing @firecoloredwater bc im out of spoons from real life, but i agree w everything below

Hey! This is Para answering (with some Red commentary/edits), because we approach shipping the same way + Para has worded some of it before. Hopefully this will answer some of your questions!

The easiest reason to address is that platonic tags don't have as well established a tradition/format as ship tags in general do. AO3 has a semi-well-known system (still somewhat recent) but Tumblr really doesn't; the platonic version of TobiIzu could be Tobi&Izu or Tobi+Izu or Tobirama & Izuna or platonic!TobiIzu or any number of other variants. Some people use Tobirama/Izuna for platonic, even. Certain niches will of course develop their own conventions, but tumblr as a whole doesn't have anything that strong, so using platonic tags exclusively would A: be harder, and B: mean fewer people find the post.

Now, if someone will be actively squicked by people interpreting their post as romantic when they meant it to be platonic, then that's worth doing. But Red is happy to share and usually perfectly fine with their posts being interpreted as romantic/sexual when Red was thinking platonic, or vice versa. So there's no reason not to use the overall tag, even if it comes with a presumption of romance (which Red politely disagrees with).

The other answer is: Red usually doesn't only view the relationships in a platonic way.

When people say "ship" and "shipping" a lot of people assume that means specifically romantic+sexual relationships.

But there's also another thing that goes on under the terms "ship" and "shipping" which is more like, "I want to see what these two do to each other. I want to examine their interactions and what happens when you put them together and how they change as a result." And sometimes the answer to "what happens" is sex and/or romance, but sometimes it's not, and even when it is that's not the point of the exercise.

Often the goal here is intensity: the characters are hugely important to each other and change each other's lives and selves, for good or ill, and whether that gets framed in a romantic or sexual or platonic or fraternal or complete other way is often dependent on the particular AU. (This, of course, is vastly oversimplified, but hopefully it makes sense.)

Some people take one approach with certain characters and the other approach with others, so this can get even more mixed up. Some people vary their approach by AU, or mood, or whatever other reason, or they just sort of fuse the two together. It's complicated, basically; I'm trying to do broad strokes but actually fandom is just a whole bunch of people each doing their own thing, so there are always exceptions to everything and things I haven't mentioned.

Red's shipping (and mine) tends to be that second type, and as a result, how we interpret a given character interaction can be pretty ambiguous and fluid. Sometimes Red will draw something for an AU where we haven't even decided if the characters are romantic or platonic yet, like this art of everybody lives verse Itama and Kunimi, or blessed sacrifice AU TobiIzu cuddles. Is it romantic or sexual or platonic? Who knows! Not us yet! Quite likely not the characters as it happens either!

So then, how do you tag romantic vs platonic when you don't even know which it is? The simplest answer is, it just gets the normal ship tag and people can see it however they want to.

(We've mostly figured out where BSAU is going by now, on the basis of what creates the most angst. But not until well after that was posted.)

Even when one version of a ship is preferred, Red is usually happy with the other version (eg: Red prefers HashiMada to be platonic, but romantic HashiMada is still good). It's just like getting your second favorite food instead of your first, is all.

So basically, in summary: platonic ship tags aren't as standardized as "overall" ship tags so they're less useful, open/ alternative interpretation is welcome, and Red ships “whatever the fuck these two had going on” rather than strict delineated relationship categories.

#replies from the city council #thank you para for my life #sorry i used up all my srs explaining energy this is my comfy pajama blog #para and i got the pacrim drift anw so like i agree w everything here #long post

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kaibacxrps · 3 years

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Name / Alias: Vani Are you over 18? Yes / No Is your muse(s) over 18? Yes / No / Verse Dependent When was your blog established? The first blog for Kaiba was made in May 2020, then I moved him here in June of 2020. Quebracabeca September 2020.

– W R I T I N G –

Are you selective about who you write with?

No (anyone) / Semi (most people) / Yes (some people) / Highly (few people) / Private (mutuals only).

Are you selective about who you follow?

No (anyone) / Semi (most people) / Yes (some people) / Highly (few people).

If your muse is canon, how much do you adhere to canon?

Not at all / A little / Some / Mostly / Strictly / Not Applicable. (I try to fill in parts, where the canon left it very vague or open to interpretation really. I also follow the anime’s take on the series, so keep that in mind.)

What post lengths do you write?

One-Liners / Single-Para / Multi-Para / Novella / All of the aforementioned. (one-liners are only for crack/dash shenanigans.)

Do you use icons and/or GIFS?

No / Gifs / Icons / Yes / Sometimes.

Do you write on other platforms?

No / Yes (discord)

What level of plots do you write?

Unplotted / Open-Ended Plots / Semi-Plotted / Fully Plotted Epics / All of the aforementioned (I have a huge preference for plotted stuff. Knowing the course of events and my partner’s muse makes things a lot easier for me, and overall it is a lot more enjoyable.)

How quickly do you usually respond to threads?

Very Slow (more than a month) / Slow (3-4 weeks) / Average (1-2 weeks) / Fast (less than one week) / Very Fast (less than three days) (It depends on the kind of thread & the size of it TBH)

What types of themes do you like?

Adventure / Romance / Fluff / ANGST / Violence / Tragedy / Domestic / Family / All of the aforementioned (Read below)

WHAT GENRES DO YOU LIKE? ( Feel free to add! )

High Fantasy / Supernatural / Science Fiction / Historical / Horror / Comedy / Romantic / Drama / Action / Smut / Adventure / Espionage / All of the aforementioned

Are there any themes you’re uncomfortable writing on your blog? (Not triggers)

No / Yes / Sometimes ( Gore can leave me feeling ill, it’s a grey area to me- sometimes I feel sick while reading certain descriptions, but others I dion’t mind it... Go figure. I’m also not against delving into darker/taboo themes for plots, however I’m careful about who to talk about these things. I only do them with those close to me & I know I can trust on. I refuse to romanticize any of those subjects & I know that won’t happen with those partners. )

Do you have any triggers? How do you request it tagged?

I have no triggers! But I ask for my mutuals to tag anything related to politics/IRL stuff, Sorry not sorry. I don’t think that a RP blog is the best place for these things IMO. Keep it to your personal or a blog specifically meant for those things. I come here to relax.

LAbel & call me all sorts of names. But I think there are better places & the right time to talk about these serious subjects. I will unfollow, if I feel like my dash is being spammed about these things. It’s nothing against the person, it’s just that I’m not interested in seeing stuff about it around here.

– S H I P P I N G –

What types of relationships are you open to?

Romantic / Platonic / Familial / All of the aforementioned (It all depends on the chemistry, and IC development. Ironically, I’m extremely picky about platonic/familial relationships, due to having bad experiences with it in the past.)

What types of pre-established relationships are you open to?

Romantic / Platonic / Familial / All of the aforementioned (so long as we have managed to come up with something that works well for both muses)

Do you have OTPs?

No / Chemistry Only / Yes (But a full on shipping verse around here, heavily depends on the chemistry between muses).

Kaiba: rival (Yugi/Kaiba). Set: scandal (Atem/Set- I mainly write this off tumblr, I’m currently testing- seeing the reception to me writing this ship around here), ? (Seto C. Rosenkreuz/Set), headddress (Mahad/Set). Atem: pride (Kaiba/Atem)

Do you have NOTPS?

No / Yes (These are my straight up “no”s, don’t even try it. You’ll only be wasting your time, man.)

Kaiba: Tabloid (Mokuba/Seto), Mirror (Noah/Seto) and puppy/violet (Jou/Seto) Set: Corrupt (TKB/Set) Atem: IDK the names of the ships but, any version of Bakura (ryou/yami/TK)/Atem.

What is your muse’s sexual orientation?

Heterosexual / Heteroflexible / Bisexual / Pansexual / Homoflexible / Homosexual / Demisexual / Sapiosexual / Asexual / Still trying to figure it out / Depends on the muse you’re asking

Kaiba: Homosexual Set and Atem: Bisexual

What is your muse’s romantic orientation?

Heteroromantic / Heteroflexible / Biromantic / Homoflexible / Homoromantic / Panromantic / Demiromantic / Sapioromantic / Aromantic / Still trying to figure it out / Depends on the muse you’re asking

Kaiba: Homoromantic, although he is unable to fall in love with anyone. Set and Atem: Biromantic, with no clear preference.

Are you comfortable writing smut?

No / Selectively / Yes (But I’m very selective when it comes to Atem, I just feel like I’d rather keep that only to plotted shipping AUs)

How early in a relationship do you ship romantically?

Autoship / During plotting / After a couple IC interactions / Several IC interactions / Slow burn / Plot dependent / Never (Man it just happens)

Are you open to toxic ships?

No / Selectively / Yes / I am not sure (I’m very selective about who I’d write such subject. I personally, prefer doing this by myself. I’m not opposed to writing it with others, I just want to make sure nothing will be romanticized during the plotting/writing of such relationship. And due to a few bad apples in the past, I’ve become wary of giving others a shot at this.)

Are you open to problematic ships?

No / Selectively / Yes / I am not sure (Aside from the ones mentioned above, and some obvious stuff that I won’t write [namely pedophilia, incest (outside of the AE context), etc]. I’m open to pretty much anything, ofc depending on the ship I’d rather keep it to discord.)

Are you open to polyshipping?

No / Selectively / Yes / I am not sure (Most of my muses aren’t open to such thing though, but I’d be more than glad to give it a shot <3)

Are you an exclusive shipper?

Never / Sometimes / Yes / I would be open to discuss it (Nah man, I’ve tried it a few times but it just ain’t for me.)

Does crack shipping ever happen?

Nope / Yes / depends / altho they normally become normal ships (Stares @ my ships from other blogs)

#ooc /#; dash games

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sometimesrosy · 5 years

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Hi Rosy, I hope you are well. Now, I had mentioned to you I would come up with a lovey-dovey-Bellarke question... Not sure if this is it lol but I love when you write about the symbolism/yin yang aspect of their relationship, so when you first heard them being described as Soulmates, how did you feel or react to that? Or did you have a feeling from when you first watched the show? Is ‘soulmates’ an important term for you when you think of their relationship? Thank you again for all you do. xo

Hi Pauline! :) You’re welcome.

The first time I actually heard the term “soulmates” in relation to this show was in season 3, back when I was still talking to and arguing with CLs, when someone was telling me that CL were soulmates.

Now I don’t believe in soulmates, not in the way people mean them in stories, I believe in the “you have many soulmates in your life and they are those people you feel that immediate connection to and have a big effect on your life, but they might be there only for a day or for the rest of your life or they might pop in and out of your life who knows?” So when the CL said that CL were soulmates, I was like, “no there are no soulmates in this story you can see–”

And I had to stop. Because when I double checked that statement up against the narrative, looking for evidence, what I saw was that I was wrong and The 100 DID have soulmates. Whether I believed in soulmates or not was irrelevant, because the STORY was describing soulmates.

But it wasn’t CL.

It was Bellarke. The way they kept being drawn together, the way they kept believing in each other, saving each other, making each other better. And the words that they used to describe the characters and relationship. The Head and The Heart, Together. The almost unwelcome trust and respect. Even the princess and the rebel king. It placed their relationship in a primary, linked, necessary role. They placed their identities in one body. The head and the heart, and declared that they had to be together. That is two souls in one body. That is the myth of the soulmates separated and needing to find each other. I mean, it’s almost exactly the myth. Here they are. They’ve found each other and they need each other.

This was NOT the way CL was talked about. If anything, when they were “together” as in pressing the button to open the mountain… it didn’t work.

So in addressing the interpretation that CL were the soulmates of the show I not only discovered that The 100 was romantic enough to be writing a soulmates story, but the soulmates were Clarke and Bellamy.

Much later, when JR said that Clarke and Bellamy were soulmates I reacted like I usually do when he confirms some interpretation I had. I go “YES!” and then forget about it, because for me it wasn’t new information, I knew it already because I saw it in the story. I just take it as confirmation that I’m on the right track and continue on. So like, I wasn’t surprised when he said that, becuse that was the story on screen. Clarke and Bellamy as soulmates. Him admitting it meant that he was closer to telling the story, and actually WAS telling it. Because before that, he wouldn’t talk about Clarke and Bellamy because he wanted to tell OTHER stories first. So I was excited about that. Because it expressed a development in romantic Bellarke that would be seen on screen. And it was.

When I hear JR speak about the story, I don’t take what he says as canon. I listen to his words and they sound like tags in a fanfic to me, he’s telling us what to expect, what kind of story he’s telling, without giving away spoilers. Except if you listen closely, he does tell you endgame. So when he said “non-romantic partners and soulmates,” that was confirmation that Bellarke was soulmates. That they would be moving from their non romantic partnership into something else. Because as soulmates, they have to. ESPECIALLY once I found out they had B/E. Because it COULD be possible that he was keeping it platonic… but it wasn’t anymore once he was setting B/E up to be the obstacle to the Bellarke relationship. Because if B/E was romantic, and Bellarke wasn’t, it wouldn’t be an obstacle. But if B/E was a PROBLEM for Bellarke, for the already state soulmates, that means that the soulmates were romantic on TOP of their partnership.

Not only did JR confirm Bellarke as soulmates, though, he also confirmed them as the primary relationship of the story. He confirmed Clarke as hero. And Bellamy as protagonist, without whom there is no The 100. He confirmed that The 100 is, and has always been, about Clarke and her relationship to Bellamy.

I got accused of listening to JR too much, but I don’t. I listen to what he says to try and find out his intentions. I think about the different interpretations and compare it to what I see on screen, if it makes it fit together better or make more sense, if it clarifies a narrative path.

And so far, almost everything, especially if you take his tendency to speak ambiguously, follows the narrative very well. And the speculations I’ve based on his commentary have turned out to be mostly correct. (I get into trouble when I get impatient for my OWN desires or avoid my dislikes.)

Let me give you a rundown of the basic tags for this show that I think I’ve figured out. There are a lot so I’m probably not going to do all the character tags or ship tags, just the main. It goes like this:

warning: major character deaths, Bellamy Blake/Clarke Griffin, post apocalyptic science fiction survival, slow burn, REALLY slow burn, enemies to friends to partners to lovers (eventually,) soulmates, the head and the heart, PTSD, trauma, mutual pining, love triangle, betrayal, abandonment, being the good guy, together, mom and dad, leadership, hero worship, jealousy, parent trap, a life worth living, redemption, the heart and the head.

That’s more or less what it is based on what JR has said and some key phrases from the text, and some obvious but unstated tropes. I think when we ignore those things, like “apocalyptic science fiction survival” or “love triangle” our expectation can lean too far into the romantic and we are disappointed. But if we ignore the things like “soulmates” we miss the depth of the story and get confused by the side plots.

I don’t think this was as lovey-dovey as you wanted it to be. That’s probably because I don’t really ship the “soulmates” dynamic, so I don’t get gooey over it. And JR isn’t very lovey-dovey when he talks about bellarke either…

however…

JR is doing something that REALLY does check all my boxes. Something intensely romantic. And that is the mythic love story, the story of two lovers separated by fate and being brought back together time and time again, across space, time and death itself, that the universe must have together, because without them, things don’t work. And this is NOT really about the modern concept of romance, but a deeper one about love and partnership and being a better person WITH them. It’s about a balance, that yin yang, where each lover becomes a part of the other, where they give strength when needed and hope when needed. You know how Bellamy always touches Clarke’s hair or face? That’s where her head is, and also where her HOPE is. And you know how Clarke always touches his shoulder or chest, that’s where his heart is but also his STRENGTH. This is what they provide for each other. Even when he left her behind and thought she was dead, Clarke’s life gave him hope. And Bellamy’s memory gave Clarke the strength to keep going. So they are no longer separate. They carry the other inside them. OMG. poem time.

[i carry your heart with me(i carry it in]

BY E. E. CUMMINGS

i carry your heart with me(i carry it inmy heart)i am never without it(anywherei go you go,my dear;and whatever is doneby only me is your doing,my darling) i fearno fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i wantno world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)and it’s you are whatever a moon has always meantand whatever a sun will always sing is youhere is the deepest secret nobody knows(here is the root of the root and the bud of the budand the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which growshigher than soul can hope or mind can hide)and this is the wonder that’s keeping the stars aparti carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)

And e.e. cummings has brought the lovey dovey.

#the 100 #bellarke #soulmates #the jr whisperer #yin yang #tags #mythos #poetry

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livvywrites · 5 years

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11/11/11

tagged by @aslanwrites, thanks so much~~~ this is one of my favorite tag games tbh xD

1. If your WIP got made into a movie, which actors/actresses would you cast for your main characters?

I’ve never been real good at fancasting, tbh. Probably because I really don’t watch a lot of movies. BUT, I do have some faceclaims that I’ve found through pinterest and other sites?

Alinora Mynerva -- Tuba Buyukustun

Lyr Inerra -- Luke Pasqualino

Talitha Jade -- short haired Halsey

Haven’t found any other fc’s yet, but there’s a short list!!

2. What is a story you’d like to write, but don’t know how to yet tackle?

There are a couple of different ones, actually.

The first is one I’ve talked about before on Tumblr. It’s called Heart Eater. (It’s a temporary title.) It’s a lot darker than my usual stories, though, so I have no idea where to even start. Not to mention I don’t know what kind of genre or setting to use...

The second is temporarily titled Guardians/Overmorrow. It’s more of a sci-fi/fantasy story, with both high technology and a little magic. Or a lot of magic. It was one of the first novel ideas that I came up with and stuck with, though I didn’t finish it. I would love to tackle it one day, but for the moment, I don’t have much for it! Nor much faith in my ability to tackle any of the science that would be involved xD

3. How do you deal with writer’s block?

Crying, begging, pleading, making sacrifices to the writing gods...

I kid, I kid.

I don’t really handle writer’s block all that well, tbh. But there are a couple of different things that (occasionally) work for me.

The first is just leaving the story alone. Focusing on something else, if it’s a specific story block, or just taking a break from writing all together. I’ll do things like read and play games instead.

The second is to stop writing the story, but still do things related to it. Create playlists--none of which I really like well enough to share, tbh, but I’m working on it! Make moodboards/aesthetics, do character questionnaires, revisit the plot with new templates... You know. Whatever I can do that’s still relevant to what I’m writing but isn’t actually writing. Or is, in the case of modern AU’s/pre-series drabbles. (Usually I’m too blocked up even for those, though.)

4. Coffee, hot chocolate, or tea?

All of the above!

I wish I could tell you I had a specific preference, but I really don’t. It switches up on me a lot. I CAN tell you that I’m picky about all of the above, though.

Tea I like to be sweet and a little spicy. I’m a big fan of Chai lattes, but I also have this lovely Warm Fireside tea that I ADORE. Sadly, they’ve discontinued it, though, so I’ll be hunting around again soon. *sigh* I also really enjoy sweet tea! But I like it *really* sweet.

Coffee I like with creamer. A lot of creamer. Like, two thirds coffee, one third creamer. Lattes are amazing, tbh. I mostly prefer vanilla flavoring, but sometimes I’ll go for caramel...

Hot chocolate is probably what I’m least picky about, tbh. I’ll drink it by itself, but I like it best with a bit of peppermint. (I keep peppermint creamer on hand, but I also usually have mints in my purse I can drop in.)

5. Do you believe in the death of the author?

Yes.

I think that an author’s interpretation and intention are still relevant to a work, but I also believe in a fan’s ability to disregard those things and do it their own way. And I don’t think that the author should interfere with that. Conversely, I don’t believe that fandom has the right to control how an author continues their work.

In short, while fandom and author overlap in the middle, there should also be some separation--much like a venn diagram ;)

6. What is a trope that needs more love?

You know, my first impulse was to say “found family” but like. That one is everywhere lately. (I am NOT complaining. I just don’t think it’s in the spirit of the question to answer that way xD)

So I don’t really know specific “tropes” necessarily, and I’m not falling into the void that is TV tropes to answer, so I’m just going to list some things that I, personally, would like to see more of?

male/female friendships that don’t end in romance, pls. AND, if either has a significant other, that SO doesn’t get jealous every time they’re in the vicinity of each other.

healthy M/F ships!!! no unnecessary miscommunication or jealousy please!! unless that miscomm is used for non relationship-threatening humor.

characters that don’t end in relationships??? it feels like in a lot of mainstream fiction lately all the characters end up with someone. i love a good romance as much as anyone, but as an ace and possibly aro person (questioning, majorly) it’s also a little disappointing???

the power of FRIENDSHIP. this probably goes hand-in-hand with the found family, but like. friendship/platonic love being the most important thing to a person??? yes pls.

I’ll stop there ‘cause I think that’s enough, but those are a few things!! :D

7. What is your biggest inspiration?

This question is actually really hard for me, because I don’t KNOW.

Part of me wants to just boil it down to life, to living every day and finding something new about the world/about myself. And that IS a good answer, and true as well, but it doesn’t feel quite... right.

I could tell you that I feel inspired every time I pick up a new book, or poem, or fanfic to read. I could tell you that I feel inspired every time I see a commercial for a movie or a TV show. I could tell you that history articles/magazines inspire me. I could tell you that hearing about different identities and cultures inspires me. I could tell you that I find inspiration everywhere, in everything, and that none of it would qualify as my “biggest” inspiration, because I get little bits from everywhere.

But that still doesn’t feel right either.

I feel like maybe I’m missing the point of the question.

8. Let’s go on a little adventure: One day, you end up in the same world as your characters–or if they’re in ours, you end up with your characters in some way, shape or form. What do you do?

I’m going to assume that either they don’t know who I am or think of me as some scribe meant to tell their story, instead of the person who created it. (Which is how I think of myself sometimes, tbh.) Because otherwise I feel like they would probably be maybe a little mad at me.

So, first things first, I probably give Alinora and Aishlynn a hug. Well. Okay. I don’t hug them because neither of them would be super comfortable with that. (Alinora doesn’t mind, and even appreciates, hugs from people she knows, but not so much people she doesn’t. Aishlynn just isn’t big on hugs in general.)

And then I probably fangirl a little.

Just a little.

I mean. These are my BABIES, and yes they’re flawed and have their weak spots but. They’re also so STRONG and HEROIC and GOOD and I just LOVE THEM.

9. If you had a magical power, what would that power be?

Probably something like empathy. tbh, but I would WANT like... the ability to not have to sleep. Though I guess that would probably get boring after a while.

10. What is a genre that you feel is underrated? What about overrated?

So, I feel like every genre has the potential to be done really well, and I think I could probably enjoy something from pretty much any of them. HOWEVER. Lately I’ve been a little... uninterested in a lot of mainstream YA fiction. Not all of it, necessarily, but a lot of it. It’s not that I think YA as a whole is overrated, because I don’t. But at the same time, I do?? I dunno. I wanna read more about older people??? Not full-on “adult” fiction, but y’know. New Adult. And while I don’t think NA is “underrated” specifically, I do wish they had an actual section for it in bookstores.

11. Have you accomplished anything that you’re proud of?

Yes. I finished my very first novel around 17. (I might have actually been 16 and a half.) I still have yet to complete the second draft/full rewrite, but I’m still really proud of actually FINISHING it.

I’m also really proud of how far I’ve made it into THE MARTYR QUEEN. I’ve started and re-started that story so many times, and actually being THIS close to the end, with a draft I don’t hate... It’s amazing. I mean, it definitely needs changes, but I’m really proud of how it’s shaping up.

Now if I could just finish a short story.... X’D

MY QUESTIONS

Have you ever been so disappointed/unimpressed by a character’s concept/arc/etc. that you decided to take that concept and write it how you wished it had been told? Whether you’ve started the story or not is irrelevant, just if you’ve got an idea built up!

What do you feel are your biggest strengths in writing? What makes you look back over your writing and feel proud?

Are there any characters, themes, setting types, etc that you see popping up over and over again in your writing? Why do you think that is?

If you could give your past self any writing-related advice, what would you tell them?

When it comes to character creation, what are things you HAVE to know before you start writing, if anything?

Similarly, what are some things you HAVE to know about your plot before you start writing, if anything?

How often do find that your characters/plot surprise you?

What do you find the most difficult/what is your weakest point when it comes to world-building?

What experiences do you feel have most shaped your writing? (It’s okay if you don’t want to share specifics, or don’t want to share at all! Or just don’t know. You can say something else that majorly shaped your writing :D)

Do you find it easier to work alone, or to have at least one other writer/person encouraging you?

Assuming you aren’t already, if you were ever to write a story based off of a mythology/fairytale/other, which one would you choose, and how would you do it?

(i won’t be tagging 11 people, i’m sorry! but if you see this and WANT to do it, PLEASE do so and tag me. if i’ve already tagged you in something like this recently, feel free to pick which one you do <3)

tagging: @aslanwrites (yes, i’m tagging you back, but only do it if you want to! or save it for later, when you wanna have something to do. i don’t mind xD) @waterfallwritings, @diabhals, @matterovermindpodcast, @firesidefantasy, @klywrites

#tag games #11 11 11 #my answer for my first question is yes btw #specifically based off of dany's character in got #i wrote the prologue before the final season aired #not that i actually ever watched got #i just read the books #but like #im not sure i like where her character is going in the books???#i dunno #we'll see #but i decided to write my own version of the concept #but v v different at the same time #its called valkyrie #it'll be my next project #cause it's a standalone #i might post a moodboard for it later xD #feel free to ask about it if you want!

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thezolblade · 5 years

Text

tma meme

tagged by @sazandorable ~

Top 10 episodes

101: Another Twist 118: The Masquerade 119: Stranger and Stranger 81: A Guest For Mr. Spider 80: The Librarian 79: Hide and Seek 92: Nothing Beside Remains 39: Infestation 34: Anatomy Class 100: I Guess You Had To Be There

tend to enjoy the ones where we get a lot about the overarching plot; i’ve only listened to most of them once at work and i get the feeling i’m missing a lot of the connections that i’d get if i relistened to everything, though some pieces fall into place just browsing the wiki and transcripts a little. jon is so... ;.; i don’t think anything’s likely to displace another twist as fave.

(oh, and did you see my message on twitter the other day? had more feels about ep22 after talking about it on discord, but after the group chat moved on i felt i maybe shouldn’t go on and on about it in other people’s space, but if you’re interested in any more rambling then, guess i wouldn’t be derailing anything posting here... since the other people who lived in the same building as martin’s flat probably couldn’t see jane prentiss, same as most entities that are invisible to most people, would martin have been able to infer that, from hearing people walk past in the hallway outside his front door without screaming or attracting jane’s attention? would martin have been worried that the worms might have gotten people anyway? he went so far as to seal the cracks round his windows in case the worms got round the outside walls, but then when he got to the archives we didn’t hear him worrying about his neighbors. while he was trapped for those two weeks, do you think he heard his neighbors walking past, and had to avoid calling out to them for help, in case drawing their attention was enough to get them hurt?)

5 Episodes that scared you the most

mostly they’re effective as horror in that i feel horrified for the characters, to some degree, but not scared as if there was a real life danger - generally find it a bit weird that people talk about ‘horror’ genre and ‘scary’ things as if they were the same when they’re so different.

still, 94: Dead Woman Walking and 70: Book of the Dead had lines that were maybe a bit too unsettling, the inscription 'Life is a current that cannot be fought. It is a march with one destination. You cannot cease your step, nor move your course, to one that skirts the journey's destination. You have already read too much.' and "The moment that you die will feel exactly the same as this one." - left me thinking about how death is real enough. we’re bodies that are only very temporarily alive. and sure a story is only a reminder, but it can leave one feeling down anyway, kinda flat and nauseous. but georgie is a good symbol of one way of getting on with things anyway - accept reality as it is and let fear burn itself out, then live for the sake of it, even we don’t all have our fear completely cauterized.

Top TMA ship(s)

well jon and martin are interesting in canon and there are some very funny plays on that in the fanart here on tumblr, and feels for the episodes where they get protective of each other... but i guess i’m about as ace as jon, bc i didn’t interpret martin’s friendliness as a crush until elias explicitly described it that way and the actors confirmed it in the Q&A. even looking back now, i can see how having a crush could lead martin to act the way he does (...or if s4 is as bad as it looks, the way he used to...) but it’s not the only plausible explanation for that behaviour. i mean people can be fond of each other and determinedly nice without necessarily feeling romantic attraction. and i honestly just want to see them get more fond and protective of each other, to have each other’s backs more effectively and appreciate each other’s efforts, whether or not the ‘crush’ is ever ‘reciprocated’ in romantic terms - tho if romance was the form that all of that came in, i’d be just as happy as if it was platonic, especially as that’d make physical comfort more likely, since it’s a lot more common than cuddly queerplatonic stuff - tho i’m not really expecting the ship to sail far in canon since we already know that ‘nobody’s going to be okay’...

(i’m getting really worried about what martin meant by ‘goodbye jon’ in the s4 trailer; that guess someone made on the discord about how maybe martin gave up his own ability to connect with people seems horribly likely. if he had to sacrifice something once he was convinced that peter ‘was right’, would he be ready to give up unreciprocated feelings for someone who wasn’t going to wake up, and wouldn’t want him even if he ever did somehow recover, someone who thought too little of him to return his feelings even if he wasn’t completely disinterested in relationships anyway? would he be ready to stop feeling so attached to a parent that hates him and always will no matter what he does, and to coworkers who were caught on tape saying that he has to accept that not everyone likes him? at that point in time, could he even believe that anyone left alive actually cared about him?)

for other ships... daisy and basira sounded interesting, again mostly because elias said one of them cares deeply about the other even though i didn’t catch anything directly between them that felt necessarily shippy beforehand.

Favorite Monster(s)/Avatars

jon

michael shelley

helen richardson

Ex Altiora, it definitely counts

Favorite Entity/Entities

the descriptions of the vast whale-like creature underwater, the vast space entity, and jon’s dreams of a vast entity watching everything, have me wondering whether they’re one and the same - whether ‘the eye’ and ‘the vast’ are two aspects of it, like leitner’s metaphor about the eye, hand and foot appearing unconnected to an ant, and like that old story about blind men feeling different parts of an elephant and giving contradictory descriptions of ‘an elephant’ as a result, which i heard in the context of ‘a metaphor for god described by different religions’. considering the lonely’s effect on one of the astronaughts was kinda maybe triggered by another of them having an experience with the vast (the spacesuit floating away, and passing the window), maybe ‘the lonely’ is another aspect of that creature, the way it makes people feel...? it’ll be interesting to see canon delve further into all of this.

Any Entities that Don’t Scare You?

well mostly they’re not scary as mentioned above, though i often feel sad for the characters. the flesh often gets weird enough to just leave me kinda puzzled sometimes, like ‘where is this going?’, though on a meta level i like that it’s because it’s some kind of embodiment of animal fears, not human ones.

#sazandorable #the magnus archives #tma thoughts

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sonreiv · 7 years

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i absolutely despise when ppl paint katsuki as an abuser when horikoshi doesn't even say he's an abuser. Bullying and Abusing has some similar aspects but they are different at the end of it. Katsuki is. a. bully. Izuku recognizes that Katsuki is a jerk and what he did was wrong/bad (and he actually has stated that he hates katsuki, twice) but still sees his strong qualities that make him admire him

(This ask has been sitting in my drafts for the longest time and I thought with the upcoming episodes it was the perfect time to stop procrastinating and finally finish it. Sorry for the wait, nony! I mostly agree with you, but I want to further discuss some points so I hope you don’t mind I got a bit lenghty. You got me an excuse to ramble up some meta haha.)

A TL;DR beforehand: canon analysis supports that Katsuki should not be interpreted as an abuser, but an early bully at most. I also did a little analysis on the early middle school chapter and how it shows BNHA’s society/the peers Deku and Katsuki grew up around set up a bullying enticing enviroment, and how bad translations have us interpret their relationship as more aggravating than it really is - Deku NEVER said he hates Katsuki, for instance. Not once.

I agree that Katsuki is not to be interpreted as an abuser. He does not want to pursue Deku in order to hurt him; instead, he wants to push Deku away from himself. There’s a difference between “I want to possess you, to make you stay around me and hurt you emotionally and physically” - and “I don’t want anything to do with you, go away, don’t interact with me or else”. The first one is abuse. The second one is what Katsuki felt about Deku for most of his life (albeit very simplified). At the times when Katsuki did hurt him - threatening him in middle school, getting out of hand during the heroes vs villains team trial, punching him during the end of the term exam, etc - was because he felt threatened; so his response was to push him away with violence, with an attempt at “teaching” Deku to stay away from his lane.

This is not to defend Katsuki’s actions; this is only a reasoning, not an excuse. His violent behavior towards Deku is still inexcusable. I only want to make clear there’s a difference between “I want to go out of my way to hurt you” and “I will smack you if you push me”, even if his concept of being pushed is distorted to his own experience and it still does not make his violent actions okay. He fears and despises what Deku did at those times: talking to Katsuki as if Katsuki isn’t on the pedestal he grew up believing he was on. This is the core of Katsuki’s feelings. He does not want to abuse Deku. He wanted him to go away, and he WOULD physically/verbally assault him if that meant pushing Deku away from him. And the rest of his threats/aggressive banter is just really how he talks to everyone else.

Even in canon it’s explicitly stated Deku was the one who insisted on following him because of his admiration, and that was what Katsuki couldn’t stand; he wanted him to be away.

And that was way before. The game is changing, and the development of their relationship is one of the core points of the series. Katsuki recognized him as someone who is not allowed to lose, someone worthy of All Might’s trust, and just very slowly started talking to Deku like he does to everyone else.

I also believe that affirming Katsuki would be an abuser in a romantic relationship with Deku misses the point if the person is okay with it if it’s a friendship/platonic relationship, or if they ship Katsuki with other people. Someone who is abusive does not isolate their behavior to one single person, nor does abuse happen only in romantic relationships. Abusive friendships exist. If one thinks katsudeku is okay as long as it’s platonic, if they believe in their growth and healing enough to believe they can start and share a healthy friendship, then the same should be applied to a romantic relationship. Also if Katsuki were to be an abusive partner to Deku, he’d be the same to other partners. If he were to be emotionally manipulative, possessive, constantly putting him down and hurting him while also keeping him - he’d do it to any other partners. The thing is people who ship katsudeku usually don’t ship it hc'ing that Katsuki keeps his ill behavior towards Deku in the relationship - we cherish the character’s growth and development. The canon Katsuki, the Katsuki with the bad behavior in the older chapters, as stated above, didn’t even wish to keep Deku around as a peer, let alone to form some kind of deeper bond. The romantic katsudeku ship I personally want is the kind where Katsuki grows and changes (as it’s slowly happening in canon) enough past his insecurities towards Deku to be okay with approaching him like he does to other peers. No possessiveness, no emotional abuse, because I personally don’t see that coming from him.

Since we got to this point, something interesting and relevant that I don’t usually see being pointed out is that in the very beginning of the story, it wasn’t only Katsuki opposing to the idea Deku could enter UA while being quirkless. The entire class laughed at him, and the teacher didn’t bat an eye.

This is not to gloss over the fact Katsuki did show unexcusable behavior towards Deku, but I think the scene was set up that way to show it was not only Katsuki’s isolated behavior, but the system, BNHA’s society is shaped to mock and discourage individuals who believe they can become heroes or achieve certain things despite the conditions of their quirk(lesness). The way the society is shaped was Deku’s childhood bully. He was mocked by his peers as young as 4, while at the same time Katsuki was put in a pedestal because of his quirk - which led to his massive ego complex. We can’t analyse their personalities and relationship without taking in account the context they grew up in. Many people frame Katsuki as the single-handed culprit for Deku’s bullying background without taking this whole context into account, while also casting Deku the role of a submissive, persecuted victim when he deliberately chose to stick around Katsuki, and just generally shows to be a character with a lot more agency than that.

And what’s interesting in this scene is that Katsuki didn’t laugh along with everyone else when Deku says he wants to apply and he might have a chance. Because Katsuki takes that seriously. He takes that as a personal offence. The whole point of Katsuki’s ill feelings towards Deku were always that he

feels as Deku is mocking his efforts by believing that himself, a quirkless boy who didn’t do any kind of physical preparation for a heroics course - has chances of becoming a hero as much as Katsuki, who is a born genius AND presumably prepared himself to apply to UA, with training and studying, going as far as scolding his colleague for smoking because he wanted a clean student record.

he feels threatened by Deku because ever since they were kids, as much as Deku admired him, he also saw Katsuki as someone who was able to get hurt and could have a hand offered to like anyone else; Deku saw him as superior in terms of skill, but an equal as a human being, while all the other kids did not. And that made Katsuki not stand him. Because he’s scared of being anything less than the very best, he’s scared of being someone who can be offered help - in his eyes, someone who can be pitied and looked down onto.

And that’s why he reacts with hostility. He wants to intimidate Deku out of even trying to apply to UA. It’s even stated by Katsuki’s colleagues he got out of hand this time, implying it’s not normal behavior for Katsuki (and I’ve seen people saying it was confirmed by Horikoshi himself, though I don’t have sources so don’t quote me on that). Again, he will only seriously smack Deku down if he feels threatened. He does not go out of his way to put him down on a daily basis because he doesn’t want to interact with Deku to begin with.

Also, Deku actually never stated he hates Katsuki. Not once. What he actually says is closer to “he may be a jerk, but-”, which is how the official english translation translated it, as seen above (stole the picture from this post by @kiraelric because it’s where I found it faster :P). Here’s a post explaining it, and I quote @sugarmagic who gently broke down the first panel - which FA translated as “I hate his guts” - for me:

Basically the word 嫌う, the verb form is “to hate” but 嫌な奴 is “unlikable/disagreeable guy.” So what I’m pretty sure happened is that they didn’t realize な was modifying the word to be an adjective. It’s not describing Deku’s feelings, it’s describing Kacchan’s character. The reading of the kanji is written as “iyana yatsu,” versus “Kacchan ga kurai” which really would be “I hate Kacchan”. Then again, even if they read it that way, the furigana explicitly shows the reading, so I don’t even know what they were thinking.

The translation group Fallen Angels takes way too much freedom and completely distorts some lines, and the dislike of Bakugou/his relationship with Deku in the western fandom was heavily influenced by interpreting it via FA’s aggravated translations. I had people who know japanese tell me how gratuitously innacurate the translations are - as an example, FA translates Deku thinking Katsuki is difficult to deal with as Deku thinking Katsuki causes him to be aware of his own flaws (source). The translations paint Bakugou’s character and his relationships, specially with Deku, unnecessarily harsher than they really are. In fact, something the localisation usually fails to translate is how Bakugou’s “die!” and similar threats are not be taken as seriously in japanese as one would in english - but rather pretty immature and petty (source).

So! If you read up to this point and you’re interested in reading other meta on Katsuki and Deku’s characters and relationship, you should check @explodo-smash’s meta tag. They’re a pretty smart team and can explain/analyse things better than me - in fact their meta helped me a lot understand better their dynamics post my bloody Fallen Angel readings. That’s all for today, and thank you for taking the time to read.

#katsudeku #bakudeku #izukatsu #midoriya izuku #bakugou katsuki #bnha #boku no hero academia #bnha meta #sonrei answer #bnha answer #I hope this isn't too long for no cut #reblogs are appreciated and encouraged!#Anonymous

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thestarbirdfromtheashes · 7 years

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Jyn and Cassian Survived Conspiracy Theory Meta

Updated November 23, 2017

I have put together a number – and I do mean a number – of thoughts regarding the possibility that Jyn and Cassian survived Scarif. As this is a meta, it is just (mostly) all my thoughts and desperate hopes and me probably reading way too much into things. After all, “Rebellions are built on hope,” so I am going to continue to hope we see Jyn and Cassian again in another movie.

Cut for length. Very, very long length. (Seriously, it is exhaustive. I even lay out counterarguments.)

@starwars, I have no problem tagging you here, even though I doubt you’ll ever read this. Just want you to know there are still a lot of die-hard Rogue One fans out there, and we still think about these things. I’m a 20-year veteran of the franchise myself, and I’ll be a fan of it -- and Rogue One in particular -- for life. I put this together because you can still bring back Jyn and Cassian if you want to. I’m a writer myself, and I know nothing is impossible in your own universe. You brought back Darth Maul. You can bring back Jyn and Cassian. Save the dream, Star Wars.

Now that my transparent plea is that’s out of the way, let’s get going.

Original discussion post here.

Note: I used the e-book for citations. They don’t always line up because I was a little hasty with them, but they’re only off by a page. I didn’t figure you guys would be too concerned with that, though.

The Theory I’m Using: Jyn and Cassian survived because of Jyn’s kyber crystal necklace. The argument is stronger for Jyn’s survival than for Cassian’s, but I still have some arguments for his survival that I will also lay out.

The Kyber Crystal’s Dubious Purpose in the Overall Plot

a. At the very beginning of Rogue One, we see Lyra give Jyn her kyber crystal necklace and tell her daughter, “Trust the Force.”

i. This is never brought up again.

b. Chirrut can sense the crystal and says, “The strongest stars have hearts of kyber.”

i. This is never brought up again.

ii. I've always interpreted this as just a comment about Jyn’s character: Jyn is the star, and the kyber crystal is next to her heart, or that kyber crystals are resilient and strong and so is Jyn.

c. Jyn was able to smuggle the crystal into her cell on Wobani, when she wasn’t able to smuggle in anything else.

i. Why would the stormtroopers have let her keep it? They’re ruthless and awful. There is literally no reason to explain this.

d. Jyn holds the crystal at least twice, but no one sees it except the audience.

The Question

Why bother with the kyber crystal at all, if it doesn’t serve a purpose? Jyn is not religious, as far as we know. Jyn doesn’t express a deep connection with her mother and mourn her, thus feeling the need to touch the crystal to connect back with Lyra and comfort Jyn. In fact, Jyn is upset with her mother for sacrificing herself and going back for her husband, and thus, leaving Jyn at a young age. As a storyteller, you cannot bring an item up, make A Big Deal over it, and then not explain it or refer to it. The kyber crystal serves absolutely no discernable purpose in the movie.

The Conspiracy Theory

Articles here and here will get you up to speed on what I am going to write about. I believe, along with many others, that the kyber crystal necklace is what could be used to bring Jyn back. I believe it could also be used to bring Cassian back, should Lucasfilm/Disney decide to be generous. And here’s why: the necklace does nothing in the movie. There is no point. Ergo, we can only believe that it served some other purpose, which is what the Uproxx article says: “…the film has an emergency ‘Jyn lives!’ switch built right into the narrative.”

MY ARGUMENTS (AND COUNTERARGUMENTS)

The Success of the Movie I will admit to knowing little about the effect Rogue One had on the regular Star Wars fandom, other than that it was a huge success, it made a lot of money, and a lot of people say it’s their favorite/"the best" of all the movies. (It was also referred to as such in an early review online, I believe.) There is speculation within the fandom that LFL/Disney misjudged how popular the movie would be, and didn’t or couldn’t predict that. On this, though, I call BS. Really, LFL and Disney in particular, a company that rakes in millions upon millions each year, didn’t forecast if Rogue One became successful, didn’t plan for it, didn’t run ANY numbers or scenarios for what might happen if it did? Disney loves money, so why not capitalize on it if it DID surprise them and hit big? So maybe, is it possible that they thought it could be really popular, and that is why they built in the kyber crystal necklace? Hedging their bets in case people loved the movie? As we know, the earliest draft of the script had Jyn and Cassian surviving, but it was never filmed because LFL/Disney green-lighted Gareth Edwards’s desire to kill everyone off. We also know “Gareth always wanted to bring Jyn home” (I can’t find this article again). Movies have test audiences, so is it possible that the test audience reacted in a way that changed some of the movie to what it is today? Is it possible that the test audiences really liked Jyn and Cassian together, which was something LFL/Disney were unsure of and thought could go either way with resurrecting him or not? This is a weak point in my argument, but I bring it up because of a fact about Return of the Jedi. There is a line from Han Solo that does not make sense. He says about the Falcon, “Yeah, I just got a funny feeling. Like I’m never gonna see her again.” This is because Lando Calrissian was originally supposed to die, and the Falcon was supposed to be destroyed, in Jedi, but test audiences reacted so badly, George Lucas changed it and had him live. Yet the line stayed, and it doesn’t make sense now. Remember, too, that Poe Dameron of the sequel trilogy was supposed to die, but test audiences liked him so much that he stayed – despite no explanation of how he got off Jakku. (Thanks, @rebelle-capitan!)

Regarding the movie’s popularity again: Given that I am deep into the RebelCaptain fandom, I don’t really have any barometer for how popular the ship is outside it. Do people like Cassian and Jyn together? Do they view them as “together”? I don’t really know. Do enough people like them to warrant LFL/Disney resurrecting Cassian, too? Again, don’t know. I know we don’t have a ton of fic out there, so maybe not. Then again, I don’t have any idea of how much is “a ton” of fic for a particular ship, and what determines a ship’s popularity in regards to amount of fic (if this sort of abstract data were even able to be gathered, and were actually valid). This leads me to my next point:

Jyn Erso & Cassian Andor as a Couple (“RebelCaptain”) Yes, LFL/Disney have never explicitly stated that Jyn and Cassian are a ship. They have also not stated that they aren’t. They have absolutely no reason to state either way, and determining romantic involvement is sort of up to one’s own discretion, to a point. Also, making part of the movie officially romantic would probably detract from the overall seriousness, tone, and message of it. Do Jyn and Cassian ever kiss? Do they ever express feelings for one another? No and no (although we can theorize that a kiss was cut from the elevator/turbolift scene). They don’t do any of these things. It could also be argued that they’re not the type of people to express feelings verbally, and as we know from the book, “There wasn’t the time.” Yet these two speak volumes with their faces and actions, and after their argument in the shuttle when fleeing Eadu, when Cassian gathers the army for Jyn and confesses to her, the movie is shot romantically. I’ve seen good, solid metas on Cassian’s actions pointing to him falling in love with Jyn, and there is the joke in the fandom of the army being akin to “his engagement present” (see this amazing meta by @ladytharen). People who are against the ship can say what they like, but the fact remains that the scene in the turbolift is shot incredibly intimately, and the looks on their faces (especially Cassian’s) are breathtaking. Jyn’s arm is over Cassian’s shoulder. I’m no movie expert, but this is one of the most romantic scenes I have ever watched, and certainly the most romantic in all of Star Wars. Why shoot it that way if Jyn and Cassian are not meant to have feelings for one another? Also, that scene appears to be a reshoot -- so it’s important and is there for a reason. A reason that was thought of later, after the original cut of the film. Maybe the romance-that-is-not-officially-a-romance was simply to make the story more interesting; maybe not. Maybe it means something more; maybe not. But if they weren’t meant to be romantic, wouldn’t they have been smiling at one another over their triumph in the elevator, rather than looking regretful in Jyn’s case, adoring in Cassian’s? Another thing: Jyn and Cassian were originally supposed to die apart. Cassian was supposed to die with Kaytoo, and Jyn was supposed to die elsewhere. But they didn’t. They died in each other’s arms, Cassian’s hand sliding up to Jyn’s shoulder, fingers digging in as his eyes close.

Another important point: going from the novelization, when Cassian falls from the data tower, Jyn’s instinct is to jump after him. If they are only “platonic war buddies,” as Rogue One: The Ultimate Visual Guide author Pablo Hidalgo claimed before taking it back to say that “what happened in the elevator is their business,” then I would think Jyn’s instinct would be to mourn the loss of her comrade and keep going for the sake of the mission. But that is not her first thought. In fact, as she watches Cassian firing at Krennic and his Death Troopers,

“Jyn started to call to him, but he cried out louder, ‘Keep going! Keep going!’ She reached a trembling hand toward her pistol. She could die. So could they. She knew she had to climb. The decision was taken from her. [Cassian is struck and falls] She nearly loosed her clutching fingers, nearly followed him into the abyss, but a swell of vertigo shocked her out of her horror and impelled her to cling more tightly to the stacks. Cassian was dead, like so many others.” (257)

WHY? Why write it that way, in the official novelization, which is sanctioned by LFL/Disney and heavily skewed toward Jyn and Cassian having feelings for one another, if they are not to be a romantic couple? Jyn has seen “platonic war buddies” die plenty of times. I’ll bet she has not once wanted to kill herself over them. Hasn’t felt “horror” since she was a kid. I’ve read Rebel Rising, and I believe she steeled herself against all that pretty young. But Cassian though…his “death” gets to her. First she forsakes the mission to reach for her pistol to provide additional fire to protect him, and then she AGAIN considers forsaking the mission when he appears to die. When she sees him alive again at the top of the tower, “He looked like a man who had fallen twelve stories and clawed his way back to the top. He looked as beautiful as anyone Jyn had ever known” (275).

Increased marketing visibility for Cassian See this post. Rogue One has always been Jyn Erso’s story, a story of a strong female protagonist leading a band of unlikely heroes. However, I have noticed that as time has gone on, Cassian has had an increasingly prominent role in the marketing. The official synopsis, dating back to the April 4 DVD/Blu-Ray release, is thus: “From Lucasfilm comes an epic adventure – Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. In a period of great conflict, a group of unlikely heroes led by Jyn Erso, a daring fugitive, and Cassian Andor, a rebel spy, band together on a desperate mission to steal the plans to the Death Star, the Empire’s ultimate weapon of destruction. 2016 Lucasfilm Ltd.” Cassian didn’t used to be right up there next to Jyn. Now he is. They are both well liked. Maybe it’s just me, but if I read that synopsis without knowing anything more, I sure as heck would expect some sort of romantic subplot.

Felicity Jones It is well-documented on the internet that Felicity Jones has a sequel option clause in her contract. That’s old news. She’s the only cast member who does. I don’t know anything about Hollywood contracts and if a sequel option clause means a bit role or a starring role, but I’m betting not all clauses are created equal. There are theories that she could be in the new Han Solo movie or in a possible upcoming Luke Skywalker movie. Or, I say, a Rogue One prequel or sequel with just her after the kyber crystal saves her life. Or…maybe something even better…. (Or, “it could just be a way to obscure her character’s fate because she does have a two-movie contract, or to use archival footage of her later.” Thanks again, @rebelle-capitan!)

Diego Luna As I said, I don’t know anything about Hollywood contracts, if they’re set in stone or can have addenda, but I do know Felicity is the only cast member to have the sequel clause option in her contract (as stated above). Diego, however, has supposedly been sighted on the Han Solo set, and indeed “fueled speculation” about his involvement. The first link is from May; the second is from January. None of this is new. My point is, I find it interesting that we heard there was a potential for him to be involved in the Han Solo film in January of this year, after Rogue One had only been out a month – but he didn’t have a sequel clause in his contract…? Or was that information just not made available? I don’t know how The Hollywood Reporter works, and if they could have missed something like a sequel clause in Diego’s contract, but they’re the ones who reported on Felicity’s contract. (Or perhaps Disney leaked the information about Felicity’s contract and kept tight-lipped on Diego’s. Who knows?) That first article, from May, also mentions (BS) criticism of Diego’s performance by The Washington Post and Entertainment Weekly, clearly comparing Cassian to Han Solo. I don’t know if there’s enough (unfounded) criticism of Diego’s performance for LFL/Disney to not want him back for a Rogue One sequel, or if they just blew it off because other than some nods to the Original Trilogy in superficial aspects alone, Cassian was never supposed to be like Han. I really sort of doubt LFL/Disney would not want Diego Luna back. I mean...really. Also, if Diego is indeed going to be a part of another Star Wars movie that takes place before Rogue One, it means that the character of Cassian was well enough received to warrant additional movie reprisals.

Oh, and Diego also commented on the afterlife in this article from September 2, and mentions the Force.

Also: don’t forget that Diego had a blast with Rogue One, and is a HUGE Star Wars fanboy.

“Welcome Home” and Cassian’s Two Deaths These always make me ache when I watch the film, but I also find them curious. After Cassian gathers an army for Jyn, “‘I’m not used to people sticking around,’ she said, by way of an explanation [for her staring at him]. She didn’t know if Cassian really understood, but he said, ‘Welcome home,’ and she knew she was” (191). In the movie, we get the “orbiting” of Jyn and Cassian around one another (which I believe is also referenced in the book, about Cassian being pulled into Jyn’s orbit), and we also get Cassian’s eyes slipping to Jyn’s lips for half a second (blink and you’ll miss it). Why have him say this, welcome her to a home when she hasn’t had one in years, just to have them both die at the end? It could be argued that just Jyn will live, and come back to the Alliance -- which is home, as Cassian said. That line could be a hint for that. Or, it could be nothing but a RebelCaptain moment (and therefore downright cruel to us shippers given their canon demise).

Cassian falls from the data tower and appears dead, both to Jyn and the audience. Then he “claws his way back up to the top” and saves Jyn’s life. He comes back for her a third time. Then he dies for real. Why, though, did Cassian fall from the data tower and appear dead -- only to die for real minutes later? Was that just cruel storytelling? No. Cassian fell because he had to. As heroine, Jyn had to face off against Krennic, the villain. They needed to have a confrontation. Cassian’s presence would have made no sense. He would have had nothing to do, and therefore, he had to fall and appear dead. The bonus of this is, of course, that he has a dramatic re-entrance, and we get the pure joy of seeing Jyn’s face light up when she sees him again. We also experience that joy ourselves because we like Cassian, and we like Jyn and Cassian together, and we want them to live and be together. It doesn’t happen, which makes the fact that Cassian appeared dead only to reappear alive, all the more tragic. His fall serves two purposes, and that’s pretty good storytelling. (Although I still think having Cassian say “Welcome home” only for them to die is still just plain mean.)

Cassian’s Injuries I have always thought that it was not physically possible for Cassian to climb up the tower after Jyn with the injuries he appears to have. He hit two beams going down and crashed onto metal grating. In the book, it simply states that he falls into an “abyss.” It doesn’t go into detail about him hitting beams on the way down. It talks about how much pain he’s in, but it doesn’t say he knew he was dying or anything like that. Also, it says, “The last time Cassian had hurt so bad” (280, emphasis mine), indicating that Cassian has been hurt this badly before, not that this current injury is the worst. He survived the previous one, so why not this one? I say that unless his wounds were much more serious than the movie or book would have us believe (which I don’t at this point, given that the book says his breathing is “regular” on page 282, then he and Jyn are breathing in time with one another on page 283), he would not have been able to climb the tower after Jyn. Or, again, cruel storytelling by deciding that he could appear dead and his injuries were grievous but he could climb up the tower anyway for his dramatic re-entrance and even more dramatic, emotional death.

Cassian’s and Jyn’s Deaths (and Why We Didn’t Get a Kiss) When the other members of the Rogue One team die, the wording in the book is very clear, even to the point of using the actual word, “died.” However, Cassian’s death is written thus: “When Cassian Andor died, he would be ready, and he would be content.” Now, before that, though, it says, “He stowed thoughts of old missions and thoughts of the future away [‘a woman he might have known and understood’ (280)]; decided to focus on what he could see and hear and smell for the last moments of his life on Scarif.” One could argue that that says enough, that he is going to die then. But people also think they’re going to die and then don’t, so… Cassian’s death is not written from his perspective like all the others’. Yes, Rogue One is Jyn’s story, so their demise is written from her perspective…buuuut we still don’t technically read Cassian’s actual death.

When it’s Jyn’s turn, the world is first emerald, “then a clean, purifying white,” and the narrative goes into all the things Jyn has been as a person. “Soon all those things, too, burned away, and Jyn Erso – finally at peace – became one with the Force” (284). We can look at “burned away” as being literal, as in they burned up in the explosion or superheated water; we could also look at it as imagery if the kyber crystal theory is to be believed. And here’s the crux of the theory: Jyn “becomes one with the Force.” She does not explicitly die. While this is difficult to rationalize given that “becoming one with the Force” is reserved for Jedi and means turning into a Force ghost, what reason would there be for this? It was written that way for a purpose. When Chirrut dies, his last line is, “I am one with the Force and the Force is with me” (261). As we know, Chirrut is not a Jedi, but he is Force sensitive. So, maybe this is a clue in the novelization. (I’m also going to point out here that Qui-Gon Jinn was a Jedi who still had a body even after he died and became one with the Force, and I believe that was supposed to be explained, but I don’t know where and what the explanation was. I’m not familiar with that era.) Wookieepedia also uses the same wording for Jyn: “becoming one with the Force.” On Cassian’s page, it says, “the Death Star destroyed the base, killing them and the other rebels in the area.” Pretty compelling, obviously, and so is the fact that their date of death is listed on each of their pages. Still…that “becoming one with the Force” wording is very intentional, and thus very interesting.

The Kiss: This is just a wildcard, but the turbolift scene was so intimate and so romantic that we all wondered why there was no kiss – especially when you see Jyn’s arm on Cassian’s shoulder. Is it possible there wasn’t a kiss because there is going to be one in the future? This is so weak, but we can all dream. From @rebelle-capitan again: “There’s also some really awkward editing where Cassian is leaning in, there’s a blip, and then he’s leaning back a little and his head is tilted differently. I think this indicates that a kiss was cut.”

How Jyn and Cassian Could Have Survived Check out these articles here and here (referenced above as well). I like the idea that the kyber crystal pressed between Jyn and Cassian could also save Cassian. It could explain why they hugged. But, they could have also hugged just to hug, because they were going to die, and it would have been awkward to just sit there together. Still…she could have leaned her head on his shoulder, or he could have had his arm around her waist, or…anything else. But that hug is very close, very tight, and we see Cassian’s fingers run up Jyn’s back and then grip her hard, digging into her back as he closes his eyes. We also see his eyes open as they die, and I always wondered about this. @sambargestuff says, “Cassian’s eyes widen in surprise (rather than fear) as the light hits them, as if something was happening that he didn’t expect or understand.” She goes on to explain more: “So, when the Death Star fired on Jedha, the city was the blast site and it was like ground zero of a nuclear bomb; immediate destruction/vaporization of everything in that place. The deaths at Saw’s hideout were the result of the shock wave; the crust of the planet lifting off and burying/crushing as it rolled back on people. There was no expansion of light or the beam vaporizing as it spread out over the planet surface. That clearly doesn’t happen on Jedha.

On Scarif, the blast from the Death Star clearly takes off the top of the data tower on its way to the planet surface and ground zero is actually in the ocean. Jyn and Cassian are on the beach, watching the shock wave come towards them from the ocean. So, they should have been engulfed in planetary crust and water (although you could argue the water vaporized, I suppose) and yet they were engulfed by a white light. Cassian’s eyes widen in surprise (rather than fear) as the light hits them, as if something was happening that he didn’t expect or understand.

So, what if that white light was the Force, engulfing our heroes (something mystical about Jyn’s kyber crystal) and keeping them safe, moving them through space and time, making them Force ghosts, whatever? The book doesn’t say Cassian dies, only that he was ready to die. Jyn doesn’t ‘die’ either, she becomes one with the Force and her faith carries Cassian.

Continuity errors or conspiracy to launch Jyn and Cassian on us again in the future? Think about it.”

Another idea, from @grexigone: “So…bearing the Reddit post in mind, should the kyber really protected them, then it’s possible that the so called kyber-protection-bubble was strong enough to stand the heat wave (and the high tide afterwards) which could means that not only the explosion was not *that* strong to kill them, but they might actually survive the said explosion and return not as Force ghost but as an actual living human being.”

The Death Star’s Poor Aim Continuing on this point, that’s another thing I always wondered about: why did the Death Star fire directly on Jedha City and yet miss the Citadel Tower? Didn’t Tarkin say to target it? HOW could it possibly MISS? It fires way out into the ocean, kilometers away from Jyn and Cassian. An easy explanation is that it gives us the heartwrenching ending of Jyn and Cassian clutching each other together as they await death, and honestly, that’s probably it. But what if it was intentional? What if it was so they would have more time together so the magic of the kyber crystal could work so they could come back?

“Her Faith Carried Him with Her” “She believed someone was out there. Maybe it was even true. He did want it to be true. With all his heart, he did. Her faith carried him with her.” (282)

It’s interesting that these lines are all set as their own paragraph, meaning each one has more impact than if they’d been written as one paragraph. We can view “faith” as tying up to “believe” two paragraphs above, but “faith” is a pretty strong word to use, and with this theory, I’m reading faith as Star Wars faith, i.e., the Force, rather than her faith in the plans being received by the Alliance. So...the Force. Jedi. Lightsabers. Kyber crystals. If “Her faith,” meaning the Force and her kyber crystal necklace, “carried him with her,” is it not possible that if Jyn survives via the kyber crystal, Cassian is also “carried” along because he was in her embrace? I have always found this line odd, because to me, it is awkwardly worded, especially given that the narrative is Cassian’s.

Don’t forget, too, that Lyra said, “Trust the Force” when she gave Jyn the necklace, and Chirrut said, “The strongest stars have hearts of kyber.” This is weaker, but just a thought: both times Jyn touches the crystal in the movie are in a quiet moment, but they’re also right before she looks up at Cassian. Maybe it’s a hint, and a piece of her “carrying him with her.”

Jyn’s Potential Force Abilities From @rebelle-capitan: “Okay, so the books indicate that Lyra had an unusually strong connection to nature, which was what made her a) be a geologist and b) made her seek out other Force worshippers. I see this as being Force sensitive, though not strong enough to be a Jedi. Like Chirrut is sensitive, he can feel the Force and use it to ‘see’ (he can feel kyber crystals, which are basically living things), he’s just not strong enough to manipulate it and be a Jedi. Okay, so Lyra is maybe Force sensitive. Several times in the book, Jyn is mentioned as having a peculiar reaction to Chirrut when he’s ‘using’ the Force. She can feel her necklace react to him and when he starts praying, I think on the way to Eadu, she starts getting a massive pressure build up in her head. Now, I don’t know about new canon, but in Legends stuff, the emergence of latent Force sensitivity tends to occur during times of stress and includes pressure in the head, particularly when others are using the Force. Kyber crystals were things that only the Force sensitive could feel, and a Jedi typically communed for hours, even days, before their crystal chose them. Also, Jyn shows multiple instances of latent Force ability, such as shooting a stormtrooper she isn’t looking at, possibly being able to pick up Cassian’s emotions (several times, it’s as if she’s reading his mind, and in the novel she knows he’s following her to Scarif partially for absolution despite the fact that they never discuss it), and she’s able to convince a lot of people to blindly follow her seemingly through sheer force of will. She ‘prays’ at the shield gate, as if actively using the Force to sway things their way. So I’m leaning toward Jyn being Force sensitive. She wasn’t in any sort of a position as a child to be recruited by the Jedi, and around the time she would have been, the Jedi were slaughtered. So she’s been untrained all this time. IMO, her abilities start coming out when she encounters Chirrut. Whether she could use them to survive Scarif, let alone save Cassian as well, I don’t know. But if Maul can survive being chopped in half and falling down a big reactor shaft or whatever, and if the Force can create Anakin out of nothing, why not save two people on a beach from the fallout of the Death Star’s reduced-power blast?”

Lyra was originally a Jedi in an early draft, if you didn’t know. (Thank you to @simishipsrebelcaptain for that info!)

The Original Script and a Comment by Director Gareth Edwards The original script has Jyn and Cassian surviving Scarif, but the writers claimed they couldn’t figure out how to make it work, and director Gareth Edwards wanted to kill the whole crew off anyway. LFL/Disney green-lighted it, so they did. BUT, “Gareth always wanted to bring Jyn home.” I can’t remember where I read that, but I did read it in an article online at some point earlier this year.

Why is There No Book about Cassian? / Why Kill Off the Only Spies We Have in New Canon? I find it very interesting that Cassian is a very complex character deeply embedded in the Rebellion, with “the good guys,” yet he has no backstory besides the comic about how he met K-2SO. Someone on Tumblr mentioned that Cassian is the one character who could easily fit into the tapestry of the Star Wars Universe, as he is embedded in the Rebellion and a spy. (If this was you, please tag yourself and include that post if you can/want to!) Why kill him off when we could have seen more of the Rebellion from an everyman’s point of view? All we have right now are heroes’ POVs and the dead cast of Rogue One. I’m very familiar with the old Expanded Universe, and I don’t recall any spies, or any information about spies. My knowledge is a bit rusty, but nothing sticks out. Spies are something Star Wars hasn’t really delved into. It would be amazing to see more stories about them, and killing off the lead characters in the one spy story Star Wars has effectively kills off any potential for future spy stories – especially since Rogue One was immensely popular. I just don’t think another spy movie (or even book) would be well received, because it’s not Jyn and Cassian, and it’s not the Rogue One crew. (Jyn was also very well received.) There’s also a lot of toys and marketing and, well, MONEY to be made, and Disney, a well-known lover of money, just…ended…it…? What if there is no book on Cassian because he is going to come back later, and everything just hasn’t been decided yet? What if Cassian has another role to play?

The Bothans Died, but the Rebel Spies Didn’t In Return of the Jedi, Mon Mothma says, “Many Bothans died to bring us this information” in regards to the second Death Star. The opening crawl of A New Hope makes no mention of rebel spies dying. Just that rebel spies got the plans. Just sayin’.

The Argument that “They Don’t Appear in A New Hope” This comment is from the Rogue One production team, and it was given as justification for why they killed the entire cast off. It is extremely weak, given that a number of new characters (e.g., General Draven) and ships (e.g., the U-wing) were invented for Rogue One and don’t appear in A New Hope, and old characters like Mon Mothma are even at Yavin Base and still don’t appear in A New Hope. Just putting this in here briefly in case anyone wondered. (I have more on this, but this isn’t the place for it.)

Returning to the Drawing Board This is weak, but here it is anyway: I think it’s maybe possible that once Episode IX is out, LFL/Disney will want to return to the drawing board for things that did well. After all, they love returning to the OT. Disney also always returns to its own hits time after time and keeps marketing that stuff over and over. Maybe Disney left Rogue One with a loophole so that they could return to it if they needed it.

If Darth Maul Can Survive Being Cut in Half… …Jyn and Cassian can survive with a crystal imbued with the Force between them. Granted, Darth Maul’s survival is old canon, but…

Delicity Keeping Cassian/Diego around would also be easy for LFL/Disney, because he’s already a known quantity for Jyn/Felicity. They worked extremely well together and had amazing chemistry, and one could theorize that in the reshoots, Jyn and Cassian were brought closer together. Cassian’s role was also expanded in the reshoots. His character was changed, and new scenes were added (e.g., The Ring of Kafrene). Is it possible that Diego and Felicity had such amazing chemistry together that the production team decided to make something of it? After all, the turbolift scene appears to be a reshoot, and their deaths were reshot, and what purpose did the turbolift scene serve other than to be romantic? Besides the cynical response, which is, “To pack a bigger emotional punch when they died.”

Another point of note is that even though Rogue One is about Jyn, the publicity tour did include Diego. Maybe that’s just how these things go, or I don’t know, some other reason, but...this picture, really? That’s a pretty incredible picture for two actors who are not playing romantic leads. Also, the fact that the fandom did come up with a cute amalgamation of their names, when they are not and have never been a romantic couple like Hollywood couples who get these cute names, speaks volumes to me as tribute to how well they work together and what good friends they became during the shoot.

And that’s it! You’ve reached the end! I know, I can’t believe it, either.

Special thanks go out to @sambargestuff, @rebelle-capitan, @grexigone, @simishipsrebelcaptain, and @jenniferjuni-per for contributing ideas and helping me out with this! Extra thanks to @rebelle-capitan for beta’ing.

“Captivated by dream logic, knowing it was untrue, she thought: If I make it to the light, I can escape forever.” (256)

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