#disney actually promoted so many toxic relationships

[feelingtheaster99]

How come on Nickelodeon, Carly and Tori got to publicly expose and dump the boy that cheated on them but on Good Luck Charlie, Teddy and Skylar not only don’t release their song exposing Spencer for cheating on them but Teddy actually ends up with Spencer when there was a MUCH better (non-cheaty) option?

#asking the real questions #Disney Channel #old disney channel #good luck charlie #teddy duncan #spencer walsh #teddy should have picked beau #teddy x spencer #teddy x beau #nickelodeon #tori vega #victorious #carly shay #icarly #iparty with victorious #disney actually promoted so many toxic relationships #like #maddie and diggy were so toxic #it should have been mosh #maddie x josh #mosh

[roo-bastmoon]

IN-DEPTH ANALYSIS OF THE CULT'S DYNAMICS

Disclaimers: Sensitive topics are discussed below the cut; please do not incite drama, speak hate, or engage in bullying. I am not a mental health professional; I make no claims of expertise (in anything). This is a collection of my thoughts about what is currently happening on the Taekook side of ARMY, in the hopes that it may help us as a community respond more effectively to the toxic parts of our fandom. If you click below this cut, you are assuming responsibility for your own behavior and agreeing to engage with my blog respectfully, or you will be blocked.

THE NARRATIVES AT WORK

I submit that shipping Taekook is both an evolving conspiracy theory and a living cult.

There are various narratives within this subgroup, but in general, to ship Taekook, one must believe Kim Taehyung and Jeon Jungkook are in a closeted gay romantic relationship.

One also likely believes that their company (both BigHit and Hybe) and everyone around them have always actively hid their gay relationship.

Initially, Taekook (the “real” gay couple) was being hidden by Jikook (the “fake” gay couple) because Jikook was somehow more popular in Korea and therefore considered to be more profitable.

And this was the main narrative for years. It got Jimin dragged and hated online and in real life, to the point there was even a credible shooting threat at a concert.

Now, the narrative is being modified in light of the video footage revealed this week involving Taehyung and Jennie.

If Taekookers accept at all that Jennie and Tae were indeed photographed holding hands in Paris this week, then they likely believe both their companies are using this as a PR Relationship stunt to hide their real gay relationships before military service and comeback projects.

This belief includes:

1) assuming Taehyung and Jennie are not being honest;

2) believing Taehyung and Jungkook have no agency or power within their own companies; and,

3) all of their members and managers are also in on this nefarious plot.

Whether they believe Taennie is just cosplayers in an orchestrated smear campaign, or two actual idols in a PR Relationship, regardless, a large segment of this subgroup still believe that Jimin is the company favorite who gets special treatment.

Therefore, things that should be Taekook’s (such as songs and subunits and couple-like interactions) are instead given to the company’s king of fan service, to the point where Jimin “assaults” Jungkook with “unwanted” attention and physical contact.

THE LOGICAL FALLACIES

As amazingly popular as our Korean It Boy is, I have serious doubts about Jimin being the “company favorite” ever since Hybe took over two years ago.

As the “company favorite,” I’d love it if he got more lines in group songs, or was allowed to film as many music videos as he wanted, or could be given more than 10 days of promotion time for a project he spent a year working on. It would be stellar if the “company favorite” had in-ears that worked correctly during live broadcasts, or was invited onto IU’s show, or could host streaming parties or sell exclusive merch. To say nothing of the “company favorite” getting far more reality show appearances and magazine interviews and a Disney documentary with behind the scenes footage! Heck, I’d settle for his songs not being split on Spotify, his views not being culled on YouTube, and maybe just one congratulatory statement to the press or even just a CAKE celebrating his historic Hot 100 #1.

At least Jimin was “allowed” to include a hidden track with Jungkook (that wasn’t advertised or available to stream, so not fan service) and he was allowed to queer code his Like Crazy music video. So I believe he has some agency and say over his projects. I’m not sure he’s entirely understood or appreciated by his company—frankly, I think his potential was underestimated—but I don’t claim he’s a victim. Victim narratives play into cult dynamics.

But I digressed. I was talking about logical fallacies.

Let’s entertain the idea that for more YEARS, Jungkook and Taehyung have been horribly abused by their management and forced to hide their relationship.

They never thought to address this issue when they were renewing their contracts?

Also, what’s up with all the footage during RUN episodes when they are standing together, or on the same team, or hugging and cuddling, or leaning their heads on each other’s shoulders and legs?

Why were they allowed to flirt and dance and do skinship on stage—and all that stuff even made it into official footage?

Now let’s entertain the idea that Taennie is a PR Relationship.

So… two rival companies, just coming out of a bitter failed deal around a music industry monopoly, are now working together to make people believe Jennie and Tae are dating?

Even though idols LOSE popularity and company stocks take a DIVE when couples are revealed?

So Taennie is the strategy to promote solo albums and upcoming projects?? And both companies’ PR teams say “We can’t confirm it as it is their personal lives.” So no PR statement is the PR strategy??

We know it’s bullshit. It makes about as much sense as Hillary Clinton running a child sex trafficking ring out of the basement of a pizza parlor that doesn't have a basement.

But many in the cult believe it’s Absolute Truth.

The question is why?

The answer is in the dynamics at play here.

CULT DYNAMICS

It starts with a MISINFORMATION CAMPAIGN.

Baby ARMY get curious about BTS, hop on YouTube or TikTok, and are bombarded by the algorithm that claims Taekook is real.

Unless they go searching for original content (which takes up dozens and dozens of hours to sift through and much of which sits behind a paywall), they will not have much to contradict these claims.

Most older ARMY are understandably so sick and tired of the ship discourse that they don’t go into Taekook spaces and duke it out in the comments. Plus, content creators know that Taekook content gets hits and likes, which translates into passive income, so they keep making it.

See this video where a cult leader shows you she made over $109,000 in a year just from her Taekook edits:

So in the din of all this nonsense and noise, it’s up to Baby ARMY to seek out other voices, other input, to form an opinion. They have to be proactive. And sadly, a large segment of the population lacks critical thinking skills and do not WANT to seek facts.

We live in a very busy, post-fact world, where “credible messengers” (i.e., someone you know and trust) tell you their opinions. Then you try those opinions on for size, and they eventually become your opinions. It’s faster, it’s easier, and…

It lets you be part of the IN-GROUP. Next thing you know, you're part of a group chat with 400 indoctrinated members, spitting conspiracies like gospel truths.

In today’s globalized, fast-paced, hyper digital world, most people cannot tell you the names of their neighbors or local butcher or even their state’s politicians, let alone what all they stand for. But they can tell you how the Kardashians feel about organic salad in a plastic bowl, or what Trump believes about election results.

There’s a lack of real-world relationships that tether people to a shared reality.

And yet, there is a human need for Tribe.

A cult uses that instinct for TRIBE by constantly re-enforcing the notion that People Out There don’t understand, aren’t very nice, will even persecute you for knowing the truth.

But People In Here, the IN-GROUP, they appreciate you, they are reasonable and open-minded, they will be there for you when everyone else turns their backs on you and puts you down.

All you have to do to belong to the IN-GROUP is subscribe to these CONSPIRACY THEORIES.

First, you should think about becoming Anti-Establishment.

You cannot trust the Authority (company, government, scientists, whatever). The Authority is corrupt and will lie to you because it wants something from you (money, votes, microchips in the vaccines, whatever).

Do not trust what your eyes show you and what your ears hear. Believe your in-group. Be loyal to your found family. Your found family is SPECIAL.

Second, you need to begin to wake up to the Signs and Wonders.

Once you’re willing to see the truth, suddenly there are all these hints. All these little “Q-drops” of information. Like Taekook touching face moles during a song. Or seeing slowed-down, edited videos of facial expressions that look like evidence of jealousy. Or maybe hidden meanings behind tattoos of tigers and green mics. Or making a secret handshake or symbol with their fingers. These Signs and Wonders are FOR YOU.

*Now, I’m inclined to give Taekookers a bit of a break on queer couple coding because, culturally speaking, similar clothing and jewelry are couple-coded in Korea. And there are just as many if not MORE theories about Jikook using similar black and white clothing, matching jewelry, related tattoos, using special numbers in songs and timestamps, and even changing up lyrics as secret messages.

The issue here is that Jikook ACTUALLY DOES SOME OF THOSE THINGS. They actually deliberately type out specific numbers on some of their social media messages. They actually have dressed in the exact same outfits or worn each other’s clothes. They actually have changed up lyrics and sung them to each other.

Even so, any reasonable Jikooker will say “all of this is suspicious as hell, but not proof.” Like when Jungkook says his J tattoo stands for Jungkook—the placement over the M is suspicious, yes—but all sane Jikookers accept that Jungkook has spoken about that tattoo and he did not say it was for Jimin. We don't sit around calling Jungkook a liar just because we preferred our theory.

Taekookers, however, want what Jikook have so badly, even as they scorn it for merely being fan service.

Half the time the hints they claim are completely made up.

They see sandal footprints in the sand, and their leaders say it’s proof that Jungkook went on a secret beach date with Taehyung. Even though Taehyung went out with a friend and his parents that night.

Taekookers will see a photo of shoes all neatly lined up and say it’s a secret ski date with Hobi. Even though Jimin owns the exact same pair of shoes and there were no photos or accounts of them ever being at a ski lodge the day after Jin went into service.

Taekookers will swear they hear Jungkook’s voice off camera during Taehyung’s vlog and insist he was hiding in the trunk of the car during the drive to film. As if JK would hide in the trunk for hours instead of just… go in a different car that didn't have a camera??

All of these Signs and Wonders require a huge leap to arrive at the conclusion that Taekook is a romantic couple.

Meanwhile, evidence of Jikook spending birthdays together and couple holidays together and going on trips alone together and having integrated families and inner circles (stylists, tattoo artist, boxing coach) are ALL fan service. Every single person is in on the conspiracy.

Yes, even when JK’s mom screams “I love you!” to Jimin and makes her son eat seaweed soup on Jimin’s birthday, (JK was clearly FORCED to make up that story) it has to be fan service.

And when Jimin’s dad posts a photo of JK’s old dog on JK’s birthday (a birthday where Jimin visited him in the middle of working on his album, but Taehyung did not even though he wasn't working on anything), it's fan service. And when Mr. Park hosts a give-away event at his café where JK’s music is playing and cap and photo are proudly displayed next to JImin? Absolute fan service; he’s a money-hungry, attention-hungry cad, don’t you know? Even the charity he and his son do are fan service!

But JK went bowling with Wooga, so, Taekook are married. (Legally married. Not in Korea. But you know. They ARE married. Coming up on their third anniversary already!)

It’s all there, if you’re just willing to see the Signs and Wonders. And believe your cult leaders when there's nothing to see or wonder about at all.

Third and perhaps most important, is the Star-Crossed Lovers angle. The VICTIM CARD.

You see, it’s not bad enough that openly gay couples face pure hell in conservative countries anyway—losing their jobs, their families, sometimes their will to live because the stigma can be so bad. But on top of all that, for years and years, Taekook have been forced apart.

They’ve been just tortured by Jimin’s attention-whoring greedy nature, and made to endure fabricated fan service skinship!

(When Tae and JK look happy to be around Jimin, it’s just because they are professionals and such good actors!). Darn that Park Jimin, the abuser and sexual predator!!

And after so long being forced to hide, now in solo era, poor abused victimized Taekook can be loud. So loud. So very loud and wild and free!!

After all, during the Vegas concert, Jungkook sat on Taehyung’s lap!! He's NEVER sat on any other BTS members' lap (except for all of them).

And when Jungkook came online and said “Keep being jealous, I’ll keep holding Jiminie!” and that Jimin was HIS! Then fans kept asking him about Taehyung, so he also said Taehyung was his. It was totally his own organic idea (except for how it wasn't).

When fans kept pestering Jungkook during his camping VLive about Taehyung, he said he was forced to admit that Taehyung was attractive, he’d never seen a man so attractive! (FORCED to admit it! So romantic!)

Meanwhile, as all this shakes down, there’s this scandal in the press that Jimin didn’t pay his insurance premiums because his mail was omitted by the company. News of this dropped EXACTLY the moment his first OST With You came out, and he went totally quiet.

And then, Jungkook also went quiet for a while too. He deleted all his previous Insta photos that were personal and changed the layout to be totally professional. He went to the White House. He did a collab. He partied for JitB. He went on a Meat Tour of Korea. He did a concert with his members. He headlined World Cup. But mostly he was getting quieter and quieter.

Eventually Jungkook deleted the app entirely. Sometimes he stayed in his home for six days at a time. He stopped working out or going into Hybe; he started drinking whiskey. And nowadays he doesn’t even want to look at the comments on lives. Not because he was sick of the Taekookers or anything, but because “the company is forcing them to hide!”

Of course.

And all throughout 2022, Taehyung and Jungkook are paired up for things, and Tae's talking about a fortune teller saying he and Jungkook were “fire and water.” And rather than be taken as cute moments between friends, these are just VERY LOUD SIGNS AND WONDERS.

Then there are leaks online of all these photos that involved Tae and Jennie.

And thus begins tons of lives where he mentions Jungkook.

I'm not saying Kim Taehyung had an agenda to throw fans off the scent of his actual relationship, but I'm also not NOT saying that.

Whatever his motivations, the cult interpreted this as a direct message for Taekookers to keep the faith!

And indeed, Taekook do hang out—sometimes openly. (Sometimes where there’s press that make them hold up signs while cameras are going off—but that’s not for work, that’s a date, because the security team there wasn’t Hybe’s, and it was a friend’s premiere.) Sometimes quietly, where they share photos of hanging out afterwards.

But it cannot be just two friends hanging out. It’s Signs and Wonders!! SO LOUD!! SO FREE!!

So many reveals—mostly coming from Taehyung, but Jungkook doesn’t often deny them. And it’s mostly Taehyung stroking Jungkook’s hair or laying his head on Jungkook’s thigh or whatever—but Jungkook doesn’t stop him. And Jimin seems totally unbothered by all of it, which is strange because it sort of debunks years of his efforts at fan service.

Yet, clearly THIS cannot be fan service or misdirection.

It can’t just be friends playing games, or a TikTok made for work. It can’t be recording someone without their informed consent for attention. It can’t be going to a concert with other members and sitting in separate rows as friends. Or going to a musical or movie to support friends. Unlike all the things Jungkook has done with Jimin, this has to be Real Love!!

So just to recap:

When the cult had no evidence of Taekook hanging out, they were a private couple.

When the cult had ever-increasing evidence of Taekook hanging out, they were being loud.

When the cult had evidence that Jikook hang out outside of work, that was just fan service.

When the cult had no evidence that Jikook hang out outside of work, that was just fan service getting exposed.

When the cult has evidence that Taehyung has a girlfriend, that’s a punishment.

MARTYRDOM

You see, Jungkook and Taehyung would go on WeLives without permission, remember? And Taehyung set up a dual live chat on Insta and JK didn't seem that into it but he was persuaded. Then they giggled and couldn’t find much to talk about for ten minutes. And Taehyung said he would take full responsibility for it.

And the cult now believes that “taking responsibility” means pretending to be in a heterosexual relationship. Even their insider sasaeng accounts predicted it!

Never mind how mad all of this seems. And it would be one thing if just one or two ideas were far-fetched, like looking at a pair of shoes and making assumptions. But all of it is far-fetched.

Facts do not matter. Because you cannot trust the Authority. You can only trust the In-Group.  

And the In-Group sees Signs and Wonders. So the In-Group knows the Real Truth.

The In-Group DECIDES TOGETHER what is real.

They can make entirely fake edits; cosplay; post false witness statements; harass models, coworkers, brands, businesses… they can hire trucks to circle the building with loud speakers, protesting and shouting their truth!!

And anyone who doesn’t believe the Real Truth is a Fake Taekooker.

No disbelievers allowed. Get out of the tribe. Only the faithful can stay in the Tribe.

Right now, you might be asking yourself: Why would you stay in a tribe like this??

Because the dynamic is ever-evolving, which is titillating, and participants get a sense of power, because they are able to help craft the narratives—by being so smart as to see the truth where others are blind sheep—so they can bond over how unique they are.

Plus… TAEKOOK NEEDS THEM.

The boys absolutely depend on their support. You see, Taekookers are the real HEROES here.

They understand the boys like normal people never could. If you know you know, and they are steadfast against any and all lies presented as evidence. They are loyal.

The whole world is against their baby bear and baby bunny!! They are the boys Only Defense. Just take a look at this video of their rallying cry:

If you've got martyrs, you've also got... CRUSADERS.

Yikes, right?

So, here are millions of fans who were lied to, misled, misinformed… They developed relationships over time with people who also believe this misinformation… They get a sense of power in crafting their own reality, in which the objects of their affection are victims and they are the heroes… And the only way to prove themselves worthy of the group is to stalwartly ignore anything that contradicts these narratives.

This is a literal, textbook cult.

Cults use deception, isolation, peer pressure, group-think, and suppression of critical thought. To varying degrees, all Taekook spaces do this too. (And yes, other ships and solos and mantis ALSO rely on these tactics. But I've never seen anything quite so open or pervasive in ARMY like the Taekook cult tactics.)

I feel I should make one thing should be made clear: a LOT of people sincerely believe in Taekook.

But there are also a lot of Taekook content creators who sincerely believe in the money they make off people believing in Taekook.

Like all cults, at the end of the day, it's a scam.

Now there’s evidence of a real relationship, and of course anyone who has invested time and money in Taekook is going to be pushing back—hard.

So how do we navigate this chaos?

Well, most cults end in one of two ways: an FBI raid, or everyone drinks the Kool-Aid and dies.

But more often than not, cults don’t really end so much as fizzle out over years.

Plenty of cults are still alive and well despite amble debunking (Scientology, Q-Anon, Illuminati, flat-Earthers, Larries—what they believe doesn’t really matter; it’s how they believe that makes them a cult.)

 Cults are a bit like hydras—you cut off one head, three stronger ones pop back up.

They won't stop. They have to BE STOPPED.

HOW TO DEPROGRAM A CULT

Well, back in the 70s, in the early days of deprogramming, the only thing that was effective was to separate the individual from access to the cult (by kidnapping if you had to), then bombard them non-stop with facts (using imprisonment or restraints if you had to) and eventually they are coerced into re-integration. But none of that is humane or legal by today’s standards.

It also leads to relapses.

Really the only way to deprogram cult conditioning is for a mental health professional to slowly and methodically discredit the cult leader(s) and gently present contradictions.

(How can Jungkook really be in a relationship with Taehyung if he’s always mentioning Jimin? How can Jimin be hurting Taehyung and yet they are on FaceTime for hours, trading fan art and watching tv shows? Why would the two most rich and famous pop stars in the world need a publicity stunt?)

And even then, the cult member has to be sort of able to question things for themselves, and it just helps to have other supportive people echoing their own questioning sentiments back to them.

It can take YEARS until a cult member reaches the breaking point and begins to listen to Out-Group ideas. (On average, five years, to be exact.)

And then they may begin a journey of self-expression, where they openly voice doubts or complaints against cult narratives. They may even engage in transference, jumping off the Taekook ship and onto another (the need for tribe is very real). This is an extremely vulnerable stage and should not be taken advantage of.

At this critical moment when someone is tittering on the fence, trying to figure out what reality is, you need to REWARD THE BEHAVIOR YOU WANT.

You want them to question. You want them to express their grief and doubts. You want them to look for real sources of information.

This is NOT the time to kick someone when they are down, or look for “gotcha” moments to shame them publicly.

If you see a Taekooker wondering if they’ve been lied to this whole time—they HAVE. And that is abuse. And abuse victims need to be handled with care.

I know that Taekookers have dragged Jimin to hell and back for years so I’m not about to preach love and acceptance.

But it’s also fair to say that Taekookers have been gas-lit and realizing that can be traumatic.

Wounded animals are dangerous. A traumatized human lashes out. And you know who the prime target always is. They are already starting to take it to Jimin directly.

I strongly recommend you take a very cautious approach if you engage with them right now. Especially if you’re thinking about arguing with them.

People who defend Jimin or Jikook end up doxxed, suspended, harassed--and someday, I fear a wounded cult member will get physically violent.

Be especially careful because plenty of big accounts are closeted Taekookers. Here's a thread exposing some "mystery cult" members:

THE MOST EFFECTIVE RESPONSE

I normally don’t try to police people or preach too much, but I’m going to give you some unsolicited advice if you managed to read all this:

Don’t go into Taekook tags or spaces. Don’t debate them. Don’t talk trash about them or the members. Don’t slam-dunk or spike the ball with snarky words or memes. Don’t give them a taste of their own medicine. Don’t be cruel.

First of all, don’t do any of that because Jimin and Jungkook would be mortified by it.

But second of all, don’t do it because it just makes them dig in harder; it adds weeks or months to the deprogramming timeline.

The goal is to get the cult out of ARMY fandom. Because they thrive on a victim/hero complex, attacking them reinforces cult dynamics.

I believe there is a better approach.

First, you can and should go Gray Rock whenever possible.

Starve them of oxygen. Don’t acknowledge them. If you do, be generic in your responses—boringly bland, detachedly polite. Ignore them completely; their hot takes do not matter.

Block and report if warranted, but never engage. On some level, they really want to be persecuted for their beliefs. It's why they keep coming into Jikook spaces looking for a fight.

But their beliefs are so ridiculous that they aren’t worth our time. Instead, direct your focus on what you want, which is to promote and celebrate Bangtan.

Second, you can provide what’s called a Graceful Exit.

It doesn’t always work if they know that’s what you’re doing, but it is perhaps the most effective technique, especially if they are already questioning the cult narrative.

You see, a shamed human being gets defensive, doubles down, won’t listen. But a human being offered a Graceful Exit Out of a Bad Place gets to reinvent themselves in a way that allows them some dignity while they change direction.

A Graceful Exit has a few components to it:

“Hello, Taekooker. I also saw a lot of misleading content when I was a baby ARMY. The algorithm feeds you Taekook content almost immediately. Then you make online friends, and they all believe in Taekook. Suddenly everyone is telling you really complicated theories about how Taekook is being hidden. Once you believe that, you have to also believe that Taekook are lying by omission, that Jimin and the members are also lying, that the company executives and translators and managers and staff are all lying, that Korean ARMY is lying, that fellow I-ARMY is lying… and that’s a lot of people spreading a lie for no real gain. Now that you have some evidence that Tae is happily in a relationship with someone else, it’s only natural to question your beliefs, because YES, Taehyung and Jungkook absolutely love each other. But are they IN love? NO. For my part, I trust Taehyung. I love and support Taehyung. I don’t spread the idea that he or Jungkook engage in fake relationships. If you support them, then you’ll accept what they are showing you. When you’re ready to stop shipping Taekook, ARMY will be ready to welcome you back. We can stream together and vote together and help our boys achieve their dreams. We can watch their content and go to concerts together and enjoy fan-works. But what we can’t do is make up really complex stories around BTS’ reality. Our place as fans is to appreciate their music, and let them live their own lives in their own way. It’s time to let go of old ideas, and embrace the new things they share with us.”

This tactic allows the cult member to feel sympathy for being human. It provides understanding that they’ve been deceived. It appeals to their higher nature and love for the objects of their affection. And reassures them they could have a place in a bigger tribe if they let go of the in-group.

It invites them in, instead of calls them out.

Now, you guys might not be willing to do that. Especially considering the hate trains and rape jokes and death threats they gave Jimin for years. Believe me, I get it. I GET IT.

So if you see someone spewing vitriol, now is not the time to call them in. Now is the time to block and report.

However, if I take out my anger on them, it’s serving my own feelings.

And I’m here to serve Jimin, Jungkook, and BTS, not my own need to be right.

So I believe the best way to do that is to Gray Rock the Die-hards and provide a Graceful Exit for the Questioners.  

Many cult members are not going to believe in Taennie unless Kim Taehyung makes an announcement directly--and even then, he’ll have to do it in such an emphatic way that they buy what he sells.

So we should accept that the cult is going to be around for a long, long time. Conserve your energy, my dears.

But for the ones who just got fooled but don't intend any harm, we can either hope they let go of their own volition, or we can try to make room for them as part of true ARMY.

What we shouldn’t do is get down in the mud and start slinging. Everyone loses ground that way.

THIS WAS THE LONGEST EVER POST; I AM SORRY!

But these have been my thoughts over the last few days. I’m okay if you want to comment, but I would like to ask that you DO NOT reblog to tag Taekook and that you don’t weaponize this post by spreading it around specifically where it could cause drama.

Drama is the exact opposite of my intention.

My desire is to provide some better understanding around how cults work and how to disband them.

In conclusion: Keep it classy. Ignore assholes. Be gentle with people recovering from gas-lighting. Stay true to the principles of BTS and ARMY. Apobangpo.

Love, Roo

#jimin #jungkook #jikook

[roxiefandoggo]

Alright. Amphibia’s ending. Time to vent.

Today, this wild tale of friendship, adventure, mystery and growth...is coming to a close. I've summed up my general feelings about the whole show here. It's lengthy, but it was really helpful for me to write this down and just reflect. 

From day one, this lil' frog show caught my interest. I remember the first thing I ever saw related to it was this promotional poster, of a little pink frog running a teenage schoolgirl through a sparkling forest by the hand, and I found it adorable.

I remember watching the Disney Fan Fest event one morning on Disney Channel, where Matt Braly and Brenda Song came up and revealed concept art, gave a little frog trivia quiz, and showed a sneak peek of the first episode. I was intrigued. This idea was cute and unique, and I was excited to see it.

That summer, season one came along. Not gonna lie, I found some of it a little weird at first (and I don't like super dark humor like it had on occasion), but I absolutely LOVED what I saw. It was funny. It was charming. It was smart. The creativity in the character designs and worldbuilding and story was INSANE. The score done by TJ Hill was drop-dead gorgeous. 

I loved how they started off with no context, stirring up new questions for me to ponder with every new detail revealed: "Who are these other girls in the picture?" "Who's that old salamander woman with the glowy eyes?" "Why's the music box so dangerous?" "Did Anne's eyes just flash blue in this frame...?"

Ah, everything was so simple back in that season...

Then season TWO came along, and then MORE mystery, more characters, and more development came into play, and I think this was my favorite season. Anne's relationship with the Plantars grew, we got more lore with the Core and the music box and Newtopia, we got to meet Yunan and Andrias and Olivia---and of COURSE the show was nearly STOLEN by beloved M A R C Y  W U (whom I believe most of us adopted into our hearts the MOMENT we heard her speak). 

And then True Colors...OH BOY...

That's when things started getting REAL.

Never---NEVER---have I found a Disney Channel show before that could give me such intense emotions as Amphibia can, ESPECIALLY with True Colors. With TJ Hill's music, the stellar directing, the stunning animation, and the shock of what all happened in the episode combined, I was an emotional wreck. The cast and crew already did a great job with the ordinary episodes that weren't specials, but they did NOT hold back in their performance for the season two finale. 

And THEN we got All In, and now I can't decide whether that or True Colors was the bigger emotional rollercoaster, but for real---these people are so good at what they do and I applaud them wholeheartedly. 

I don't have all that much to say about Season Three, but it is no less enjoyable than the last two seasons. The look at Anne's life in her own world was just what I needed to connect with her even more. I loved seeing Matt put some of his own life into this show as well (Anne's mom is voiced by Matt's mom and that makes me sob). 

Of course, we GOTTA talk about the most prominent message of Amphibia, which is friendship!

First off, Anne and Sprig, guys. Back in season one when I barely even KNEW them, their friendship made me cry like a baby, and it was beautiful to see it develop over time. It just warms my heart to see how close they've gotten and how strong their bond is.

Second, The Calamity Trio's little friend triangle is so, so complex! It's just a few teens vibing like teen friends do, but if you look closely you can see some toxicity that needs to be healed. I love the way Amphibia observes friendships---how they can make you stronger, how they can come from anywhere or from anyone, what can can make or break a healthy bond, e.t.c. It doesn't just portray friendship as "happiness and rainbows and sunshine" like so many other shows do---no, it actually takes the topic SERIOUSLY, and the way it's handled is amazing.

Man, I could go on and on and ON about the genius writing that Amphibia has to offer, and what I love about each of my favorite characters and everything...but that would bog me down and I'd never finish this post. 

By the end of the finale, everything in the story will have fulfilled its purpose, but it still feels so soon for it to end. Amphibia was a crazy, exciting and wonderful ride, and I'm gonna miss it. I'm gonna miss all these characters I've fallen in love with. I'm gonna miss asking questions, watching as new discoveries unfold and puzzle pieces get put together. I'm gonna miss "travelling" with Anne through this new world, watching as she grew stronger both physically and mentally (BTW Anne is a true example of not just a good female lead, but an awesome protagonist in general).

But the end of the day, the last thing I want is for a show to keep going after it's run out of its juice, and you know what? I'm satisfied. I'm satisfied with what I've been given, and I will continue to enjoy this show long after it's over.

He's not reading this but I'll say it anyway: 

Thank you, Matt Braly, for making an impact on my heart with your brilliant storytelling and worldbuilding, your iconic characters, and the inspiration in your life that lead you to create one of the best cartoons I've ever seen. You are extremely talented, and I can't wait to see what you make in the future.

#amphibia #disney amphibia #amphibia the hardest thing #amphibia series finale #matt braly

[hannidae]

The Value of Forgiveness

Why Reylo is one of the most valuable elements of Star Wars Mythology

And why Disney should not let Reylo end with The Rise of Skywalker if it wants to take the moral high ground.

As an American, I’d like to suggest that Americans have a lot to learn from Rey and Ben. Forgiveness, hope, and redemption, while recognized as nice ideas, are so often not given the deference they deserve. Instead, we’re so much more focused on the pursuit of justice and power, which reflected in film leads to resolutions like Kylo Ren’s/Ben Solo’s death. Or, in real life, leads to paradigms like those present in American criminal justice.

We are doing an unarguably terrible job with criminal justice and reform. We are not forgiving or empathetic as a society. Our justice systems cling to our grudges and desire for punishment when nothing good can come of it. I can only hope that we can recognize our faults, learn, and grow--with a little help from film and story-telling.

As does all good mythology, Star Wars presents morals. The intentions in the sequel trilogy are *ahem* perhaps less thoughtfully crafted than the previous trilogies, but there’s still something to be learned. In TRoS specifically, moral guidance is best sought in critically analyzing the filmmaker’s choices and identifying the fallacies presented. 

Enter Reylo, the age-old enemies-to-lovers archetype where a heroine and anti-hero restore justice and find happiness. TRoS did it, then killed Ben. Why? Because in the American mindset Ben did ‘horrible’ things, and he should recognize his failures and welcome his own death in order to preserve the ‘pure’ deserving soul, Rey. Criminals don’t deserve a redeemed life of happiness, according to the American creators.

I object.

Now, before I get into how wrong this is, here’s a shout out to all of the incredible works out there that have analyzed Reylo and all its glory and value. Here’s a wonderful masterpost by raven-maiden. 

The impact of Reylo in analyzing criminal justice

Our current criminal justice system, at least within the American cultural setting where Star Wars has been developed, is a self-defeating, myopic mess.

There is the profit-driven corporatization of its structures that ignore best treatment practices opportunities for convicts within the system. There is the systemic discrimination that plagues fair treatment of both individuals and groups in the criminal justice and judicial systems from beginning to end. There is the unwillingness and/or lack of resources in our criminal justice system to address and improve the mental health concerns and socio-economic disadvantages of its prisoners and, as a result, cultivate reformed behaviors and improved opportunities among people who have committed crimes. There is also the hypocritical tendency of the criminal justice system to bolster the privileged and penalize the disadvantaged.

Regardless of a person’s place in society, our criminal justice system is focused almost entirely on punishment and removal of people within society who have been convicted of crimes. This doesn’t fix anything. It either maintains or worsens the causes that encourage people to commit crimes. Additionally, our criminal justice system does very little to promote actual justice in the forms of restorative justice.  Generally, people who have committed crimes are not provided avenues that offer meaningful opportunities for reparation, or counseling to recognize and alleviate the social, economic, or physical issues that caused people to commit crimes in the first place. No one is born bad, or wants to be evil, except for perhaps psychopaths.  And it’s clear that Ben/Kylo is not a psychopath, despite of and evidenced by the crimes he has committed.

The Problem with Shunning Reylo or shunning criminals

Those who are Anti-Reylo are generally concerned about abuse, imbalances of power, and toxic behavior and relationships, which they associate with Kylo. I get it. None of those things should ever be tolerated, much less promoted. All people, including Antis, can be assumed to condemn at least most criminal behavior, like Kylo’s. However, the hitch is when people are not willing to tolerate and accept individuals who commit crimes into their communities or relationships ever again—like permitting Kylo to repent, atone, and have a romantic relationship with Rey.

Here’s my issue, many people, for the most part, are sufficiently intolerant to be willing to forgive a person who has committed certain crimes. Clearly, some crimes are beyond redemption. In the spectrum of the severity of crimes, what role does a line in the sand have in story telling? Where does society draw that line? Typically, once crossed the criminal cannot be redeemed. In this way of thinking, reformed behavior, with or without atonement or restitution, would be not be sufficient for welcoming a person who has committed certain crimes back into a community. Like Kylo. Now, it’s not that there shouldn’t be a line. But sometimes we draw that line sooner than we should, and we’re not helping anyone (ourselves included) when we do if forgiveness is never an option.

Just Kylo’s association with the First Order, who as an organization murdered multiple world populations, is past the line for a lot of people. For some, it might be his order to kill the villagers at the beginning of The Force Awakens. Or kidnapping Rey and pushing into her mind during the interrogation scene. Or calling her ‘nothing’ on the Supremacy. Whichever.

I’m not going further into that because for my argument I don’t consider him to have crossed the line, and most Reylos don’t either. Here’s why, and why it matters.

First, Star Wars is mythology. It’s about a god Force and space wizards with laser swords. It teaches values and morals through fantasy and fictional dramatization. It is meant to serve as symbolic guidelines, not hard rules for interpersonal relationships in daily life.

Second, someone argues that Kylo Ren/Ben Solo has irrevocably crossed that line, there is very little to learn or gain from his attributes, his experiences, or his sacrifices. There should always be something to learn. Some *may* be willing to forgive Ben. That forgiveness would have qualifications for the redemption such as certain acts of restorative justice or a sacrifice. But empathy here is limited, if not lacking. And to function as a healthy society, we need lots of empathy.

Third, while Kylo’s representation in the trilogy films is less dimensional that in the extended comics and novelizations, one can not argue that he was abused, neglected, and manipulated into the circumstances of his portrayal. He also was never given an opportunity to truly explain his justification for his actions or the conditions that led to his choices. 

Overall, I’m not interested in where that unredeemable line is for people who support his death, or what redemption might entail. It’s likely they would never be willing to support his reintegration into society/the light side or consider him an appropriate love interest for Rey. Thus, what matters about him only matters in how it reflects on the heroes to whom he is an enemy. That would make him a black hole. But he is an anti-hero, and an amazing opportunity for self-reflective growth. We all make mistakes; he is just an extreme example from whose mistakes we can learn from.

Why Rey’s forgiveness is a necessary component of functional criminal justice

I am interested in the value of forgiveness, and the role mythology has in teaching that value. I’m fascinated by Rey’s willingness to forgive Ben Solo, especially since he turns and supports her once he knows she would forgive and welcome him if he renounced the characteristics that make him a villain.

Society is never going to improve if we lock up our criminals and throw away the key. Or execute them.

Now, I’m not expertly qualified to summarize the fields of criminal psychology or criminology in relation to Kylo Ren. However, I do hope to take a stab at why his criminal behavior is relevant in a tale of forgiveness.

Crime is cyclical. There will always be more people committing more crimes, and people committing crimes over and over. Also, most people who commit crimes, if released, will not be persuaded by punishment alone to stop doing whatever they’re doing that is criminal. This is because, for the most part, people with a history of delinquency have already experienced enough suffering in some form to create the impression that criminal acts will help them avoid the suffering they fear. The most commonly imposed societal threats of repercussions to their behavior, such as imprisonment, would be less severe to them than the punishment though suffering they’re attempting to avoid.

Kylo was abandoned by his family and betrayed, almost murdered, by the Jedi. The supposed crime of associating with Snoke/the First Order initially provided him shelter from those who wronged him. Then, a means of recuperating the power he needed to survive. However, he continued to be abused, manipulated, and neglected. Thus, his crimes continued though which he sought escape of fear and suffering through the pursuit of power in order to provide the needs he was lacking.

The motivations that cause one to commit a crime are generally recognized as related to the absence of any of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs: physiological, safety, love/belonging, esteem, and self-actualization. Maslow, A.H. (1943). "A theory of human motivation". Psychological Review.

Maslow’s Pyramid 

Kylo suffered from an absence of up to four of those five levels of the pyramid.

Now, society will never improve if we believe all criminals are evil and will always be evil unless we scare them into being good. People who commit criminal acts typically act through fear due to lack of a need. Threatening people into behaving well is not going to take their initial fear away; threats don’t provide missing needs. However, it may foster in delinquents a sense of desperate hopelessness, which would only cyclically perpetuate the conditions cultivating their criminality.

For most of the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, no one criticizing Kylo’s esteemed role in the First Order is going to convince him to abandon the people who have welcomed, protected, and admired him in order to return to the ‘murderers, traitors, and thieves [Rey] calls friends.’ Not until Rey offers him a place by her side and an opportunity to make things right.

Trust, counseling, and pathways that allow people to meaningfully reenter society into a safe place through proof of intention by reparation, are the conditions through which criminals most effectively break out of the cycle.

We should be providing people who have committed a criminal act with:

1) the security of a route to acquiring their missing needs; 2) the confidence and recovery to be gained through restorative justice; and 3) a safe place to re-enter society. If we want delinquents to go from inclined to commit a crime, to not, then society must give people with criminal pasts a means to reform. To redemption.

That requires forgiveness.

Rey offered these things to Ben. She wasn’t willing to take him as he was in The Last Jedi as Kylo Ren. But she was willing to help him meet the needs he was missing: safety, love and belonging, esteem, and self-actualization. And if he turned, which provided him a pathway to meeting those needs when the dark side and First Order would not (despite his hopes), then she would take his hand. Ben’s hand.

Rey’s forgiveness of Kylo would provide a necessary step in the path to him becoming a better person. To reform. To become a hero that the galaxy desperately needed.

In the Rise of Skywalker, perhaps Rey didn’t need him to defeat the Emperor. She might have done it on her own. But she likely wouldn’t have survived if she did. And then the Jedi, the light side, peacekeepers who attempt to maintain balance in the world where the dark doesn’t over take the light, would have disappeared.

Ben’s turn, his choice to change, is what all people who have committed crimes should be permitted. But Rey’s forgiveness, and empathy before that, is a necessary part of Ben’s redemption. Why change criminal behavior, if it is somehow necessary to survive meaningfully, for nothing? Because it’s the right thing to do? That’s not how we work, fundamentally. We’re not angels.

It’s time to say it:

To err is human, to forgive, divine. -Alexander Pope

Rey’s compassion and empathy for Kylo, and her subsequent forgiveness, to me, is the most important thing to come out of Star Wars. Her willingness to respect and admire a person for who they are, despite a dichotomy, despite a criminal history, is a lesson we urgently need today.

Rey learned this herself, which is perhaps the best story telling choice in TRoS. After she stabbed then healed Ben on Ker Bir, she never again chose to engage in attack. She only saved what she loved. She never again used her lightsaber for assault, only deflection. With her potential for mercy, she convinced Kylo to turn. With only self-defense, she defeated the true threat to the Galaxy, the Emperor. The psychopath.

Retaliatory violence would have only made her become part of the cycle of evil. As our criminal justice system does.

Rey and Kylo teach us empathy. They teach us to be better.

Ancestral archetypes embodied through Reylo, and how they’re wasted

If Ben had lived to atone fully, apart from helping Rey free the galaxy of the true source of evil in fascist totalitarianism, Palpatine, he would have lived to cherish and reward Rey for her empathy through their relationship. The ‘dyad in the Force’ that connects Rey and Ben is related to the long-standing concept of dyads representing two parts of one soul, or soulmates that come together to protect humanity.

Dyads have been seen throughout the history of Western philosophy and literature and have played a role in archetypes as discussed by well-recognized voices including Carl Jung, Joseph Campbell, and Plato. These archetypes, dyads included, have ­­been seen as ‘universal, archaic patterns and images that derive from the collective unconsciousness and are the physic counterpart of instinct.’ They serve to inform and instruct, to help us digest our psychologies and nurture our societies. We’ve seen this dyad in many forms, including that described by Carl Jung as the anima and the animus, and reflected around the world in various cultures and spiritualities including Adam and Eve, Yin and Yang, etc. Essentially, a dyad represents balance. Through Ben and Rey’s archetypal dyad, we can learn so much on why to reform our criminal justice system and mindset. And this is not a new thing.

Behold, Plato’s Androgyne.

"The man was originally the child of the Sun, and the man-woman of the Moon, which is made up of sun and earth, and they were all round and moved round and round like their parents. Terrible was their might and strength, and the thoughts of their hearts were great, and they dared to scale the heavens, and they made an attack on the Gods.”

Connecting this to Star Wars, as perhaps (we could only hope the writers considered, or through the pervasiveness of Jungian’s theories of archetypes we can assume was inadvertently manifested) we see representations as both Rey and the light side (or also the Sith due to her parentage being of the darkness/the Moon), and Kylo, as the dark side (but also of the Rebellion/Resistance due to his parentage). Either way, there’s so many ways to relate this. Regardless, Rey’s and Kylo’s ancestral battles are embodied through the balancing of the light and dark sides of the Force. "The Gods took council and Zeus discovered a way to humble their pride and improve their manners. They would continue to exist, but he cut them in two like a sorb-apple which is halved for pickling.”

Assuming the Gods and Zeus are expressed in the Force, here is where Rey and Kylo are separated from their families and tread their separate ways into the light and dark respectively. The same can be said for the Jedi and the Sith. "After the division, the two parts of man (the Androgyne), each desiring his other half, came together and throwing their arms around one another, entwined in mutual embraces, longing to grow into one; they were on the point of dying from hunger and self-neglect because they did not like to do anything apart; and when one of the halves died and the other survived, the survivor sought another mate, man or woman, as we call them--being the sections of entire men or women--and clung to that. “

Now, because it’s clear that Kylo and Rey are obvs meant to be together, I’m going to connect the Androgyne to the Sith and the Jedi. "They were being destroyed when Zeus, in pity of them, invented a new plan. He turned the parts of generation round to the front, for this had not always been their position, and they sowed the seed no longer as hitherto like grasshoppers, in the ground, but in one another; and after the transposition the male generated in the female in order that by mutual embraces of man and woman they might breed and the race might continue; or if man came to man they might be satisfied, and rest, and go their ways to the business of life: so ancient is the desire of one another which is implanted within us, reuniting our original nature, making one of two, and healing the state of man.

Here the Force is Zeus, and the “seed [that is the] male generated in the female” is the birth of Rey. And through ‘the mutual embraces of man and woman’ Rey and Kylo, turned Ben, they ‘breed and the race might continue…reuniting our original nature, making one of two, and healing the state of man.”

Plato. "The Symposium". Benjamin Jowet, trans., Great Books of the Western World

Thus, the value of Reylo.

Through recognition of: 1) the unintended flaws in our humanity need-based motivations for crime; 2) the cyclical nature of crime within our psychology and society; 3) the requirement for forgiveness, support, and acceptance to stop that cycle; 4) and the requirement for man and woman to come together to create new life;

we find that the pairing of our Heroine and our Anti-hero, and the forgiveness and compassion of Rey, serves to restore the balance and heal the wounds in our story.

However, the filmmaking choice to kill Ben, even if in self-sacrifice, is characteristic of society’s unwillingness to tolerate a criminal’s reintegration into society. Despite this, even I started out after the film thinking, “they couldn’t let Ben live. Not for Rey to reach her full potential as a Jedi. He’d drag her down.” Would that necessarily be the case? No. End of discussion.

Thus, Rey’s forgiveness and compassion are devalued and defeated with Ben’s death. There is no hope for those who have been neglected, manipulated, and abused into committing crimes, and our Heroine is left without her soulmate amidst a society that cannot relate to her. With our need for ostracism and retribution, despite the inherent suffering of our repentant villains, we only subtract from the light in society, not add to it. And we’re back where we started.

So. In conclusion, Rey and Ben’s story cannot stop here. Looking at you, DLF. Fix it.

#reylo #Reylo meta #Star Wars meta #bendemption #bring back ben solo #tros ending

[honeylikewords]

They took a perfectly good start and turned it into the white evil guy is just misunderstood and needs the love of the right woman crap, completely screwing up pretty much everything else. Poe deserved better. Finn deserved better. Rose deserved better. Heck, even Rey deserved better than being shoved together with him. It sucks, and I'm over it. And all the actors didn't deserve a single second of hate because they weren't white.

Yep.

I’ve been very vocal about my feelings on the many failings of the SW sequel trilogy, both as failures politically and failures as just cohesive narratives, but hearing firsthand, straight from John, exactly how much he endured because of not only the story-based racism perpetuated against him but the actual on-set and directorial racism that was also active against him is just...

Like, I want to be shocked. I’m horrified, I’m disgusted, and I’m angry, but what more can I expect from people who tokenize, dismiss, and humiliate Black people as an industry? These people don’t value him as an actor, as a talent, or as even a human person to treat with basic social dignity. I can’t fake surprise when I know that this industry, this country, this world runs on the fuel of delegating Black people to “less-than” status. Christ.

I really don’t know how to get through to people that rooting for R*ylo from the get-go was just such an insidiously white-centric, shitty move. I won’t even deny it with “let people ship what they want” politeness anymore: the narrative was setting up a FinnRey endgame, and people pushing so hard for a white, abusive, Neo-N*zi character to “earn his redemption” by being “loved better” by a white woman, shutting the Black male lead out of the film and out of the relationship he was supposed to build over the course of the coming films, was racist. It is racist.

I don’t care if people like Adam Driver. I like him too-- he’s a great actor and, from all accounts, a nice guy-- but liking him or thinking he’s handsome doesn’t excuse narratively rejecting a Black man in favor of a violent, totalitarian, abusive, white man who was a LITERAL NEO-N*ZI PARALLEL. 

And the creative teams, LucasFilm, Disney, whoever listened to all the petulant white fans demanding to see the white people kiss caved to racism. They fed the fire and look where it got them. 

It’s vile, it’s low, it’s degrading, it’s nothing less than a hollow placation of white fantasies at the expense of genuine progress and of even the most basic structures of storytelling.

We were promised a growing dynamic between a female Jedi and a Black Jedi. We were supposed to see their bond grow and evolve. We were supposed to see their characters develop and strengthen and watch them tear down a fascist empire.

But what we got was pandering to white people, pandering to heteronormative expectations, and racist action taken against the very small handful of Black and brown actors who had finally broken through in a heavily white-dominated fandom space. 

Kelly Marie Tran was bullied off of social media, harangued and harassed, and had her character relegated to brief blips in the following film because the team behind the film caved to the racist mudslinging perpetrated against her.

Oscar Isaac had his character reduced to a heteronormative DRUG DEALER, despite having CHANGED HIS LAST NAME so that he would stop being typecast in drug dealer roles. He has even said that if he knew what was going to happen to Poe, he would have let them kill him off in the first movie like JJ Abrams had originally suggested. 

And John.

What else can I say except that my heart burns and breaks and aches for him and everything he’s been through? What could I say that he hasn’t said?

I’ll drop this quote from his interview: “His primary motivation is to show the frustrations and difficulties of trying to operate within what can feel like a permanently rigged system. He is trying, really, to let you know what it feels like to have a boyhood dream ruptured by the toxic realities of the world.”

He has been so strong in his push back against this system and the people who seek to harass and belittle and dehumanize him and for that I am so grateful and I look up to him with intense admiration, but, God, I wish he didn’t have to. I can’t imagine what this must have been like behind closed doors. What must have been going on for him in private, in his heart and head and soul as he had to just sit there and smile and watch his big break get smeared in front of him, as vitriol and hate and death threats flooded his inbox for no reason other than him having the audacity to be Black.

I love the characters. I love parts of the movies and I’ll rewatch them and cobble together my own canon and enjoy what brings me love and warmth and happiness, and continue to support and promote characters like Finn and Poe and Rose and, hell, even my own version of Rey. Force Awakens is still an objectively great Star Wars film and a comfort of mine and a window into the future we could have had with these amazing characters.

But absolutely fuck every single person who contributed to tearing down the people of color in this series, and fuck every single person who harassed their actors, and fuck every single person that put all their energy into supporting Kylo Ren and his goddamn waste of a ‘redemption arc’ instead of giving a single thought to the Black man who should have been given his due depth.

And go John Boyega; every new project he takes on, I’m gonna be there watching and supporting as best I can. He’s more than damn well earned it.

#long post #messages #anonymous #sorry i got heated but this honestly isnt even HALF of what is inside me rn about all this and just UGH #anyway the next time some goofy ass white fan is like 'its just shipping its just fandom it isnt that serious!!' #remember that r*ylo fans DIRECTLY affected the course of these films because the corporate element decided to pander to them instead of #following the original arc set for the narrative #so yeah it's real and it does affect the media that gets generated and it therefore affects the fucking black and brown people involved!!! #it is that serious and just because you wanna fantasize about kissing a big scary white man doesn't mean that your fantasies are exempt from #whatever internalized racism you may hold and what you believe to be valuable/beautiful/attractive IS FULLY INFLUENCED BY RACIAL DYNAMICS #sorry now im going off in the tags ANYWAY FUCK THE SYSTEM AND GO JOHN GO

[ancient-depressed-druid]

My opinion on reylo and why the writing forces them together (not in a good way)

First of all, I am a reylo shipper, that, however doesn't change my opinion on the subject that their relationship was the result of bad writing.

I didn't ship them when I saw TFA, because I was sure they would pull a Luke/Leia archetype and make her either Han's daughter with another woman or Luke's own daughter. I actually didn't ship her with any character (strong female lead that doesn't need a love interest) and was sure the relationship between Poe and Finn would develop as the "romantic ideal" (it's space, they don't need to have heteronormativity). Rey was supposed to be the Luke of this trilogy, too busy with being a Skywalker and having to save some family member from the dark side, blablabla. But it made sense.

TLJ however, proved me wrong. She wasn't a Skywalker, but she had a connection to the last of them. The franchise is supposed to tell the Skywalker story, so, if you're making the main character be "no one" (and I did really like the idea that you don't need to inherit the force from a big name already. Force sensitivity is not royal blood) it only makes sense to be building for that character to be a Skywalker in the future, this time by marriage.

We were shown a lot less than enough to really promote the idea that Ben Solo was worth saving, the whole space Nazi shit and all. But we were exposed to the idea that he was manipulated since a child by the dark side and abandoned and betrayed by his family (totally out of character, Leia's adoptive father raised her while leading a rebellion, Han - as shown in solo - always had the need for family and belonging, Chewie wasn't even added to the equation even though we all know he would raise that child alone if he had to, and lastly, Luke, the one that saw good in Vader, a man that destroyed entire species/planets and chose to go to the dark side even when he had his loved ones there for support, but like could not sense a scared teenager feeling left aside by his parents and tortured by some dark being).

Here is not to say I condone the shit kylo did, nor do I agree with the writing of the character (Adam driver is the biggest reason why the character even works for me, his acting often conveying more hidden emotion and suffering than necessary) but if Rey is to be a main character, if we're not to accompany Ben's journey, but rather her's, then they have to be together at the end, otherwise they are just shiting all over the original trilogy (not that they didn't).

Finn and Poe, however, are left aside for the duration of the movie, both separated from each other to appear straight and Rose's character is introduced and poorly used. We could have a good dynamic between her, Finn, Poe and Rey. She was raised inside the resistance just as much as Poe. She lost her sister thanks to both Poe and Kylo's plans. She could be the one to point out just how bad war is, doesn't matter the side. She could bond with Rey on being a girl with no family and not really a purpose before the resistance. They could talk to each other! Instead they send her to a wild goose chase with Finn and force her to almost kill herself to stop Finn's sacrifice not because "she already saw so many people sacrificing themselves in order to win battles that only continue a much bigger war" showing how much her sister's death impacted her views on heroism and strategy and empathy, no! They make her confess to him and pass out.

TROS is the worst one yet. So many plot holes. Ooc behaviour. The whole movie is a first grade collage made with shitty magazines and chewing gum.

Rey being a Palpatine? Erasure of the whole idea with the children in the end of TLJ

Leia training to become a Jedi? Why tf find Luke then? Also, the whole thing with "if I end my training my son will die" but not batting an eye when her brother tries to KILL said son? Bullshit.

The whole Leia characterisation is bullshit, she would have entered the base herself, killed smoke (since they didn't even make it hard to begin with) and taken her son back to the resistance by the ear.

Poe suddenly becoming a Don Juan type? The guy was only flirting with Finn during the first movie and too busy disobeying orders during the second one. His parents we resistance pilots, Leia knew him since he was a child, but sure, make him a smuggler I guess. Not like they didn't already fuck every other part of his character up, making him petty and more focused on the numbers than the ideals of the resistance.

Finn clearly liking Rey and not even being allowed to say it (if she was a Skywalker I would be totally in on the ship, because it would make sense) and being treated like a joke the whole movie? His friendship with Jannah was good, but why make it as "the force" and not common decency? Why couldn't the have chosen to leave the first order themselves? Don't get me wrong, I was thirsting for a Jedi Finn to be like Mace Windu and everything but it breaks the idea that Finn did what he did in TFA because he's simple a good person. It shatters the possibility of free will in the Star Wars franchise.

Ben dying, his character not talking a word after the redemption, he not having a purple lightsaber, he going to battle and getting decked by the Knights of Ren (characters I was so hyped to meet since the first movie) until he gets a lightsaber, the boy was supposed to be so amazing he could just shoot a blaster and force manipulate the shot to kill all of them. We have seen him stop a blaster shot before, it would be paying off that same scene.

Palpatine's plan not making any fucking sense. He could find and manipulate Ben solo, but couldn't locate his own granddaughter? Also, he can create life (anakin) but needs her to kill him so the sith can continue? Just create another one.

Rey's parents sacrificing their lives to keep her safe, she sensing how much the suffered, (not even gonna talk about the 'they sold you for drinking money' because no) and still not giving a single flying fuck about it? Choosing to take the name of the people that knew who she was and didn't tell her? The people that drove Ben solo to a path of loneliness and darkness so much that he clang to the idea of his dead grandfather to have any sense of belonging at all (again, so out of character) she could have used her mother's maiden name or any other.

Ben dying because he could not have shared his force energy with the person MOST COMPATIBLE TO HIM IN THE ASPECTS OF THE FORCE and survived. Their kiss that felt desperate and still hopeful that she would make him find that family he wanted so much. Only to have him and Leia "become one with the force" the next second? Do you think Leia herself would peacefully die right after her own son died?

Do you think the ghost of Anakin Skywalker would reach out to Rey and not to his own grandson? Do you think that any of this is good writing?

It is not

I ship reylo for what it could have been, but I also ship stormpilot, reyfinn and many others.

Lastly I want to address how toxic shipping in any fandom, but specifically this fandom, built from the ideals of what white males in the 70's thought appealing, can be. Reylo's and non reylo's alike created turmoil with each other, and went even further and harassed the actors (whom didn't have any power to chance the bad writing) it is obvious why John, Oscar, Kelly and others hated this whole experience. The movie was badly written in a way to be a huge way of selling merch with as little intention of being good, the actors were constantly harassed by the fans be it for their characters or their skin colour or how they we shut down by a big company more interested in selling a shitty version of a Star Wars fanfic written in the 90's.

The fandom needs to see it for what it is and stop harassing others. Instead unite and harass Disney for their money hungry ideals and constrictive politics on racial/sexual/feminist matters.

#finn star wars #star wars #john boyega #oscar isaac #poe dameron #stormpilot #reyfinn #rey ben #ben solo #rey #reylo #anti rey palpatine #anti rey skywalker #anti reylo #skywalker saga #ben skywalker #kylo ren #kylo x rey #bad writing #disney #fuck disney #anti racism #anti homophobia #daisy ridley #adam driver #kelly marie tran #tros spoilers #star wars tros #tlj #sw tfa

[the-eternal-maiden616]

What if is already tuning out to be one of the best if not the best Marvel show to have come out on Disney plus, sorry Loki series but there is just so many problems that were made thanks to such writers like Michael Waldron and the director who clearly had no idea on what they were doing and created problems that I will briefly summarize belong not to make it too long.

Not focusing on Loki's story and not making big improvements on his character development. Instead making this show all about Sylvie.

Not showing enough of Tom Hiddleston's Loki powers and what he is truly capable of compared to how he is in the comics.

Disrespecting the LGBTQ community by not showing off Loki's gender fluidity enough and really should've made Sophia's role of Sylvie as Tom Hiddleston's Loki shape shifting into a girl version of himself which would of been cooler and really showing off his fluidity

The CGI and special effects were pretty bad especially with the purple background of Lametis during episode three. This is just my opinion of the overall special effects of the show.

The costumes of the TVA were okay but Loki should've really worn something that was of his home attire of Asgard. The other Loki variants like Kid Loki, Classic Loki and President Loki their costumes were very screen accurate to their comic book counterparts but the only other variant who wore anything that resembled Tom Hiddleston's Loki costumes from the movies was Sylvie once again.

The overall story was boring and the whole time traveling stuff wasn't really the best compared to endgame or even what if.

Sylvie's character wasn't written well and made her plot about revenge instead of making any sort of redemption story for her compared to the main timeline Loki's since she had a more tragic story compared to Loki's.

The writers making Loki feel at blame for what Sylvie did to herself and towards the entire universe by killing He who remains. He did absolutely nothing wrong in this situation he actually tried to talk her out of killing this version of Kang and that by doing will start to multiverse and bring even more chaos and impacting trillions upon trillions of lives, she didn't listen to him and did it anyway it was her own selfish choice for killing He who remains not Loki's.

Also disrespecting the LGBTQ community and me once again by revealing Loki's sexuality as being bisexual by Loki saying "a bit of both" and then absolutely disregarding that and making Loki fall in love with Sylvie an female version of himself also forcing another possible heterosexual relationship once again onto the MCU.

Promoting Narcissism and incest and the toxic narrative that you can't love other people unless you literally have to fall for yourself.

The writers lying about not putting Loki and Sylvie into a romantic relationship and than trying to defend their choice of than putting them together is that they are different people and have different backgrounds and sorta having the same roles in their universes but they won't make the same decisions.

Well that is also a stupid lie because they are the same person and yes they are from different universes and they have lived different lives to one another but they are supposed to be Loki from the main timeline but they went onto a different path than what was expected of them and genetically would be very similar to one another either being siblings or twins because they have the same god damn father. So how does them being together be okay cause that it self can cause chaos just like what Mobius said to Loki and it's just a toxic relationship.

There wasn't enough time for Loki and Sylvie to had even started a relationship to start with. They have a more platonic sibling relationship than a romantic one.

Causing more pain and suffering for our Loki when it isn't needed.

Misleading or overhyping the audience by showing scenes that don't even make the final cut of the show or did show up but was a small flashback and didn't have much of an impact on the show.

What if has shown more potential storylines and overall better themes than Loki ever did and the second episode of What if really showed us that if you get the right people involved in a huge project like this than it will work and this episode really just showed the amount of effort and dedication that was put into that episode and this show and also paying tribute to Chadwick Boseman who is no longer with us and hearing his voice again really impacted me and many other people. Next episode will be about Loki and I swear if that Episode turns out to be more better than the Loki series than I will flip out and would just prove that if real dedication and work was put into a show like What if that talks about time travel and the infinite possibilities that the marvel multiverse will show than the Loki series was just a major disaster and disappointment that could've been done so well if you got writers and people who actually care and the characters and the fandom.

[nagisarours]

A small research on the anime community part 3:

Disclaimer: Not all information defines all people who are/were in the anime community so it may or may not apply to everyone. This also isn’t meant to offend anyone as I'm just trying to get this out here for people see and maybe learn a little. One thing that you should know is that this is a school project, meaning that there may be some bias and a rather long explanation of things.

-----------------  The anime community has helped others, but has it helped itself as a community?  76% said that anime itself regardings its animations and plotline was good, 22% said it has many cliches but otherwise was alright, and 2% said they were neutral in the standard. Despite this, they seem to find anime to be a great source of entertainment and art, or  “even better than American tv shows.”   “It's weird to people most of the time, but I love it, not attached fully, but it makes me smile and teaches me valuable lessons most of the time.” Anime, as stated, has a very different style from western culture but it’s loved amongst its fans and piqued interest into others while allowing others to get more than what they would get out from normal shows. 39% percent of people said that anime has a bad community,  45% said it depended on the fandoms, 8% said it was good, 6% said they didn’t care. “Depends which one. Some are really nice and quiet while others are beyond toxic. Others can also just be dead and inactive.” First off a Fandom is a community of people who are all in the interest of a book/movie/show/comic, an example would be Disney. All those people who make blogs/videos/art/literature based on it are in the fandom which is why it has gained interest. When a fandom/community is being toxic it means that people are going out of their to way to insult/harass others for what they do and not agreeing with them. A dead fandom/community is one that used to be very active but throughout recent years or months, people have lost interest and or moved on, meaning that it has less content or if there is, it is very little to none. Biggest problem?

Entitled: Those who rage/get angry at Not think the same way and when others disagree, mary sues Sexualizing: Taking characters and sexualizing them no matter what they are. “ I take issue with fujoshis, a term to describe girls who enjoy gay/mlm content to a point of obsession and fetishization of gay and transgender men.” “ Wellllll, depends on who ya ask. For me, it's the creeps who take stuff a bit too far. The whole loli and shota thing. I always take as a joke unless I can tell that the person is actually serious. Then it's a problem. “ Loli is the term given to small or underage girls that look young/cute. Shota is the same thing as a loli but with a boy. The sexualizing of these type of characters can be quite harmful and disturbing. With lolitacons somewhat promoting pedophilia and fetishizing same-sex relationships, are some of the reasons people try to stay away from the community since those same people seem to be the same ones who have an entitled opinion making others feel bad. The sexualizing is also a big problem itself since it seems to category others who aren’t in it, in it.  Not only would this affect the community but other communities as well like the LGTBQ+, bringing harmful content to a community trying to better itself. 40% of people say that the anime community has affected the internet/society in a good way, 16% said it was bad, 35% said both, and 8% said they didn’t really care or not know. It all depends truly at what people decide to see, search, and watch. In conclusion, the community seems to have both toxic, sexual, and harmful/disturbing content as well as understanding, self-expression. People seem to find a general positive encounter with others who share the same interest when they can’t voice it somewhere else. “Its creativity and content allow people to express themselves, memes and art, united those who don’t have anyone else to share it with. “ ------ part 2 |  part 1

#anime #anime community #survey #analysis #discord #amino community #school project #research

[trendingnewsb]

Too Crooked to Fail: Why Scott Pruitt Still Has His Job (for Now)

Why hasnt Scott Pruitt been fired?

His scandals are worse than those of already-ousted Trump administration officials. Hes even committed the cardinal sin of directly contravening a White House demand. So how come Pruitt still has his job, when David Shulkin, Tom Price, Gary Cohn, Rex Tillerson, and Rob Porter dont?

Because Pruitt is in bedalmost literallywith the very class of donors President Trump needs to keep on his good side. To be sure, there are others with Pruitts connections in the fossil fuel industrybut firing him will still be hard. Pruitt isnt less corrupt than those who have departed; hes more corrupt. Hes too crooked to fail.

First, a brief review of the EPA administrators misdeeds.

He baldly lied to Congress during his confirmation process, saying he didnt use his private email for public business, when conclusive evidence showed he did. Indeed, he used it to coordinate strategy with Big Oil, which is why he lied about it in his sworn statements. Thats a felony.

After the White House denied Pruitts request to give two close aides a raise, he did it anyway, exploiting a legal provision meant to hire hydrology experts to instead pay the aides. Thats a misuse of the Safe Drinking Water Act, and perhaps more important, a direct refusal to follow the White Houses instructions.

It turns out that one of those aides, Millan Hupp, coordinated Pruitts personal housing search in D.C. Thats a violation of government ethics rules.

While that search was underway, Pruitt took a below-market rent deal from a lobbyist whose firm was pushing for a controversial gas pipeline (which Pruitt approved). That constitutes an undisclosed gift from the lobbyist to Pruitt.

As first reported by The Daily Beast, that lobbyist, Steven Hart, has bankrolled Pruitts career for years and even held GOP fundraisers in the townhouse while Pruitt was staying there. Icing on the cake: Taxpayers had to pay Hart $50 a night for the rent deal.

And then theres the money.

Pruitt has racked up over $118,000 in first-class air travel in 2017, whining that our toxic political climate means that people arent nice to him in coach. (Ironically, some of the people being mean to Pruitt are affected by actual toxic chemicals that Pruitts EPA has chosen not to regulate.) Hes spent $58,000 of that taxpayer money flying back and forth from Oklahoma, where he is rumored to be mulling a Senate run.

Pruitt even managed to insult House Republicans by failing to turn over his travel documents to them on time.

Pruitt also blew $36,000 on a military jet to New York in order to catch a $7,003 flight to Rome for a conference. He spent $40,000 to fly to Morocco to promote natural gas exports.

And $43,000 on a soundproof phone booth in his office. And $800,000 (and counting) for a round-the-clock security detail that even went with Pruitts family to Disney World.

Pruitts corruption isnt about a single quid-pro-quo. Its about long-term relationships that Trump himself needs.

He tried to spend $120,000 of taxpayer money to hire a shady PR firm that has targeted journalists, until news of that idea broke and the contract was canceled.

Just one of these offenses is enough for Trump to yell Youre fired. Former HHS secretary Tom Price, for example, was forced out after spending $51,887 of taxpayer funds on charter planesa fraction of Pruitts first-class bills.

So why is Trump yelling Weve got your back instead? Why is Pruitt different?

Easy: Follow the money.

Pruitts not just faithfully executing Trumps promises to roll back regulations. Hes the conduit between Trump and the fossil fuel industry.

Remember, Pruitt, when he was attorney general of Oklahoma, cut and pasted a letter drafted for him by Devon Energy onto his own stationery. As described in an in-depth New York Times report, Devon has since partnered with Pruitt to roll back a host of environmental rules, particularly governing methane and fracking, and in exchange, has poured money into the campaign chests of numerous Republicans.

So have Chevron, Shell, Koch Industries, and the American Petroleum Institute.

Of course, Pruitt has already provided Big Oil with an outstanding return on investment. A 90 percent reduction in demands to power plants to conform to clean air rules. Seven hundred employees forced out of EPA, with no replacements named. Regulations nullified. The historic Clean Power Plan scrapped. Discussions of climate change banned. Scientists fired, replaced by industry yes-men.

But these plums are just the short-term rewards. Long term, Pruitt is the key link between the Trump administration and Big Oil. As shown in another New York Times expos, he meets with industry representatives all the time, more than with any other constituency, and often behind closed doors. Pruitts corruption isnt about a single quid-pro-quo. Its about long-term relationships that Trump himself needs.

Pruitt also has his own funding connections. As revealed by the nonprofit MapLight, Pruitt is the former chairman of the Rule of Law Defense Fund, which was bankrolled by more than $750,000 in conservative dark money, funneled through the Judicial Crisis Network (itself a creature of the dark money group Wellspring Corporation), the Rule of Law Project, and Koch brothers-affiliated Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce.

These players are not Robert Mercer. Theyre not Trump diehards, with the possible exception of JCN, originally the brainchild of Jay Sekulow, now Trumps attorney. Indeed, many of themlike the Koch brotherswere once opposed to Trump. They are fairweather fans, and right now Pruitt is their teams franchise player.

Now you can see why Pruitt has, thus far, has survived, even though men have been fired for far lighter offenses. Trump cant afford to fire him. Pruitt is just too corrupt to fail.

But there may be a way out.

Robert Murray, the CEO of Murray Energy, donated $300,000 to Trumps inauguration. Murray Energy just donated $1 million to Trumps super PAC. Last year, Murray wrote a now-infamous memo listing 16 specific regulations he wanted rolled back by various agencies. All 16 have been or are being rolled back.

Murrays leading lobbyist, Andrew Wheeler, is now No. 2 at Pruitts EPA. If Pruitt goes, Wheeler appears next in line. Hes also a long-term climate denialist, and, to boot, a big fan of Milo Yiannopoulos. And hes got the same caliber of corporate connections as Pruitt.

So if Pruitt truly has to go, Wheeler can step into his shoes. In Trumps world, no one is truly irreplaceable.

Read more: https://www.thedailybeast.com/too-crooked-to-fail-why-scott-pruitt-still-has-his-job-for-now

from Viral News HQ https://ift.tt/2rlriV9 via Viral News HQ

#IFTTT #Viral News HQ

[honeylikewords]

Talk to me about tros!!!! I need to know about Poe!!

Okay, I’m finally sitting down to answer this anon, and a few things before I start!

1. Most of what I’m going to say will really only make sense if you go see The Rise of Skywalker yourself. While it’s far from a perfect movie, it’d take way too long for me to try and transcribe everything that happens in the film, and the context and nuance of certain scenes. So, yeah, while it’s not a good movie, if you’re invested in seeing how the movies have played out, you should probably go see it yourself.

2. I have some... mixed feelings about the movie. I also know that what I don’t like, I can choose to ignore; despite the disappointments of the series, I don’t have to take Rian or JJ’s bullshit as MY canon. I get to decide what I do and don’t adhere to as canon. Everyone else has their own varying scales of how they respond to canon-- some are super adherent to canon, some don’t care about anything at all-- and that’s fine. So although I have beef with how all this unfolded, I also know that I can take my love that I have for the characters (and all the potential that The Force Awakens had) and carry that on through my own interpretations, re-writes, et cetera, and I can choose to ignore the poor decisionmaking on the parts of Disney and Rian/JJ/who-the-fuck-ever. 

3. This ask is very open-ended, so I’m going to have to put some parameters down for myself because otherwise I’d get too overwhelmed with the breadth of information I’d need to present about TRoS. A comprehensive review would be really hard to write out, so I’ll just list some initial impressions (I haven’t been able to see it a second time, but likely will in the near future), and some of the relevant Poe-related issues in the films. If you wanna know more, feel free to send in more specific questions (specificity can help, because with my neurotype, I can easily be overwhelmed by large, “general” questions, and getting more granular can help me rein in and focus on a specific idea)!

4. Also, this post isn’t going to be friendly to R*ylo or people who straightwash Poe/are only interested in him as a straight guy. R*ylo is fucking gross, and I’m gonna rip it apart in this post, and Poe isn’t straight. I try not to be too aggressive on here (I’m generally not very aggressive at all!), but the fandom is just so toxic and vile at times that I feel like I need to put my foot down on these topics and say a firm “no” to R*ylos and Poe straightwashers. Oh, and I’ll be talking about the racism in the movie, as well as in the fandom, so buckle up for that, too. So consider this the “bigots begone!” spell as I wave my wand and attempt to shoo them all away!

Anyway...

From here down are spoilers for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. If you’re interested in seeing the movie spoiler-free, please scoot waaaaay past this post! Last warning!

And, with that out of the way, here we go!

Alright, here’s a list of stuff as it occurs to me. I’m almost overwhelmed with information, so it’s hard to condense my thoughts, but I’ll try my best!

1. The whole Zorri thing was a fucking nightmare, but not as bad as it could have been. It was really bad, believe me, but, like, it can be ignored easily (though if you’re anything like me, it’ll still leave a sour taste in your mouth). Like I predicted, Zorri was introduced to straightwash Poe and effectively quash any queer interpretations of his character and relationship with Finn. 

But, like, Poe and Zorri had no chemistry. It was almost embarrassing; they were clearly trying to work the “badass woman” angle, but, eh, she was just, basically, a minor blip on the radar; incredibly boring, incredibly useless, and just, like, a “sexy lamp” that could easily have been replaced. She added literally nothing to the film and was blatantly just an insert to try and prevent people from being able to make the case for a queer Poe. But, too bad, Disney! Poe is pansexual, dumbasses!

Oh, and while I’m on the topic of Poe’s queerness, I should add that I’m not really a big FinnPoe, myself; when it got big after the release of The Force Awakens, if felt like just another creepy Tumblr fetishization of male relationships, so that really set the tone for how I’d see it in the coming years. It’s grievously oversexualized on this site, but I also respect that, for many actually queer fans, the ship represents seeing themselves in Star Wars, and I do totally see their bond as canon. I completely acknowledge that Oscar wanted to represent the queer fans who wanted his character to be queer, and in that way, FinnPoe is definitely canon in some form! 

So, I do have a complex relationship with FinnPoe, in that it’s not my personal favorite ship (I vastly prefer FinnRey, since I never really felt that Finn and Poe had a romantic tension, but felt that Finn and Rey did), but I do respect the importance of it for queer fans and for trying to push at the limitations a major series like Star Wars has had for so long. Star Wars has been dominated as a straight, cishet, white man’s fandom; it’s time other people got a chance to love it and see themselves in this vast universe, too.

The cast also seems to be leaning into FinnPoe as a form of protest against censorship and homophobia in the fandoms and film world. They’re using their positions as major film stars to push back and say “hey, queer folks belong here, too”, and that’s so great!

But, anyway, the point is, Zorri sucked, and Poe’s not straight. He’s certainly capable of being attracted to women, but he’s not a straight dude, because he’s equally capable of being attracted to men and nonbinary people as well. 

Thankfully, Zorri and Poe never actually form a relationship in TRoS. He jokes about asking for a kiss, she tells him to go, and then he, at the end, sort of motions his head as if to say “wanna go kiss?” and she, again, tells him no, which he shrugs off. It’s pretty shitty, but easy to ignore.

Anyway, Poe is pan, Finn is pan, Lando is pan, Luke Skywalker is gay and nonbinary, Rey is nonbinary and probably ace, maybe interested in girls, I’m still ironing my hcs for her out, and no one can stop me! Go ahead and try to kill me, Disney (and homophobic Star Wars fans); if you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine!

2. Poe’s “backstory” is such a fucking trainwreck. They basically tried to nix a bunch of what was already canonically established in order to, get this, make Poe a drug dealer. 

It’s a little more complex-- the idea is that Poe was a pilot for a group of pirates for about six years, from the age of 16 until he was 22-ish, and ran Spice, the drug in Star Wars-- but it’s also not. It’s really bad. 

Way to take a canonically noble, hardworking, Latino character and reduce him to the most shitty, racist stereotype imaginable. I’ve already complained about him not needing a “dark” past, but this? This is somehow worse than him being, like, a bounty hunter, because it carries political implications and is just such a stock, trash stereotype that we don’t need in this world or in our fantasies. It’s ridiculous, and I refuse to acknowledge it.

Worse yet, it’s said that Poe “ran away from home” to join the pirates to “avoid responsibility” at age 16... dude, Poe has been shown in EVERY PRIOR CANONICAL APPEARANCE TO CRAVE NOTHING BUT RESPONSIBILITY. Yes, he’s a hothead, but he’s responsible! He wants to labor and take on caring for others because he’s a hardworking, compassionate, headstrong man! Ugh!

I could go off forever about this, but I’m already feeling myself grinding my teeth, and for the sake of my blood pressure and psychological wellbeing I’m not going to make myself go feral over it right now. Deep breaths, K, deep breaths...

3. In things I did like: Poe got promoted to general, and he made Finn a general alongside him. He really grew into his position, and I’m so proud to see him as General Dameron of the Resistance. He deserves it. 

4. Poe and Finn had SO many good scenes and such great chemistry. I loved seeing them bounce off each other, and their relationship made me laugh and smile and feel warm, even as everything else was falling apart. I love my boys!

5. Poe gets grossed out by bones. Canon. Love a squeamish king.

6. Oh, ugh, I just remembered that they tried to frame Poe and Rey as having an aggressive relationship with each other and I rolled my eyes. How dumb can they be? Ugh. I don’t even have the energy to try and unpack how ridiculous all that is. More deep breaths...

7. In terms of the worst thing to happen in the movie... R*ylo, like, gets shoehorned in. Honestly, looking back at all the predictions I made a few months back, I’m entirely right; everything I predicted came to pass. This included.

It was shitty and bad and nearly all the cast has spoken out against it now that their contracts with Disney aren’t as binding, and seeing it happen on the big screen was just... oh my god, it was horrifying.

It really was.

But thankfully, Kylo died, so the ship can’t really continue! Yeehaw!

8. I actually did like parts of the ending. I’ll talk about that more if anyone asks more specific questions, but right now, I’m kinda burning out because of the wide net this ask casts, so I’ll have to defer for the moment.

At any rate, it all happened exactly the way I thought it would, bleh. Like, so much shit in the movie went down exactly the way my TRoS predictions post said, it’s almost scary. 

Honestly, though, just running through all this is exhausting me; I really can’t make myself go through it all in this particular format. So, I’ll just leave this here as it is, and if anyone has any specific questions-- what I thought of specific moments, characters, scenes, etc-- send an ask! But this is all just really wide and general and burning my brain out to try and process it all again, so more specificity in future asks might help me stay more on track and not get overwhelmed trying to explain every single thing all at once. 

I have tons and tons of thoughts about it, ranging from what I loved to what I’d have done different about the whole series, but I just don’t have the psychological wherewithal to make myself write everything out in one giant, dense, indecipherable post: it’s just all too much, so I’d need to break it down into smaller, more specific questions.

This probably isn’t a super-satisfying answer, but feel free to just send specific asks and I’ll answer them, no matter how many! It just helps to have a specific line of thought to follow, so feel free to ask about each individual thing and I’ll try to answer!

Thanks!

#messages #anonymous #gif warning #rise of skywalker spoilers #star wars spoilers #the rise of skywalker spoilers #ros spoilers #tros spoilers #spoilers #sorry i kinda burned out midway through this but i could feel myself getting a tension headache just listing off all the shit i hated and li #like there IS stuff i liked about the movie there's also just so much nonsense garbage that happened and i just. im just #i need more specific questions to help me limit myself from ranting about EVERYTHING and going nowhere #so if you want to know more PLEASE send some asks about specific things #(it's just for the sake of my brain health and helping me stay focused aaa)