Jack…I’m sorry… you’re even my namesake. I SWEAR I DIDNT MEAN TO LEAVE YOU.

Mentioned recently that I am rewatching TBB and I have more thoughts on the portrayal of the characters--both their design and their writing.

This will branch into a larger conversation about why there are so many misogynists, racists, and literal Nazis in the Star Wars fandom.

We see first hand how black and brown features are erased in Media with Hunter, Tech, and Crosshair. Crosshair and Tech have small, narrow noses while Hunter has a prominent Roman nose as opposed to wider noses. They have angular faces as opposed to fuller, rounder faces. They have hooded eyes as opposed to monolid eyes. Physically, they look white and that makes the next part so much more painful.

The Bad Batch are, canonically, a batch of clones with "superior" mutations. The writing literally embraced the idea that these clones were more valuable and more deserving of better treatment (look at their quarters on Kamino compared to others) because they are superior. Members of the squad literally refuse to regard their brothers as equals, often talking down to them as inferior beings. The first incident of this is Crosshair and Jesse, but we see Tech, Hunter and Wrecker do this too.

Hunter is "never wrong," his senses are superior to a Reg with a holomap. Tech, Wrecker and Crosshair refuse to respect the command of their CO--Rex--because he's a reg, with Crosshair suggesting that they are better at his job than he is. This, in just one episode of season 7 of TCW. Crosshair's rhetoric becomes even more problematic in TBB with his speech about how they "aren't like the Regs" because they're superior, and fans cannot blame his inhibitor chip for his problematic behavior.

It's giving very much ideas about "superior races." Their mutations gave them enhanced abilities and also made them white, and that's a problem. This, however unintentionally, reinforces the idea that genetically superior people must be white or near-white.

Instead of showcasing the diversity of Polynesian people, the show gave us Walmart Rambo, a middle-aged British guy, and a Fascist who likes to repeat the rhetoric of eugenics.

The only member of TBB who doesn't look like erasure--Wrecker--is the "big dumb one" who literally has an episode dedicated to how he goes on a rampage (his creators compared it to a Hulk-rage). According to his creators and the VA who voices him, he was purposefully given a "child-ish" personality and "child-like" voice. Not only is this racist, it is also ableist. Wrecker clearly suffered from a traumatic head injury at some point in the past, so the fact he has been canonically described as 'childish' and even 'unintelligent' (as of May 2022, this was also part of his Wookie description) is problematic. It's racist to suggest brown people are less intelligent and it's ableist to suggest that of someone with a TBI is as well. It's racist to infantilize brown Asian men and it's ableist to infantilize people with disabilities. It's racist to suggest brown people are inherently violent and it's ableist to suggest that of someone with a TBI is as well.

But the Bad Batch are not the only problematic portrayals in Star Wars. Here is a non-exhaustive list of more:

The Gungans are a racially offensive stereotype of black Caribbeans as well as African tribes. Jar Jar's characterization is a culmination of old minstrel character tropes.

The Neimoidians are a racially offensive Asian stereotype. They are crafty, tech-savvy trade-villains whose accents are based off of Asian people who speak English as a second language.

Watto is an offensive Eastern-European Jewish stereotype. He is a cap-wearing, big-nosed, cheating businessman with a thick Yiddish accent.

Cid is an antisemitic trope. She is a money-hungry lizard person who is manipulative and overbearing.

There is a distinct lack of black and brown people in all three trilogies, which were common criticisms during all of their releases.

"Tough" women are often portrayed as bad with children, non-feminine, and even dangerous or morally dubious. We see this with Cara Dune and Aura Sing.

Finn, Padmé, and Leia all got the "back seat" treatment. Each were teased at having larger, active roles in the first movie of their respective trilogy only to be pushed to a more "passive," back-seat role by the third movie.

Padme's clothes as queen are appropriated from East Asian cultures.

Leia got chained to a giant horny space slug in lingerie.

Many characters played by Latiné actors--or inspired by Latines-- end up having some background in crime or drug smuggling, including Poe, the Martez sisters, and Din Djaren with his work with Ran.

The music themes for antagonists in the movies have often tended toward themes from cultural music outside of the grand orchestral style of Europe. Eastern music is often used to denote "foreignness" or villainy in Star Wars.

Barriss Offee, a young woman who wears a religious veil as part of her culture, similar to hijabi women, blew up the Jedi Temple.

Togruta women and Twi'leki women have always been hyper sexualized in SW media.

The Tuskans are characterized as a primitive desert culture that live in nomadic tribes and they have been frequently portrayed as brutal. It is not a positive portrayal for our own itinerant cultures that live in drier climates.

In TBB, the Imperial Officer on Raxus with east-asian features called in tanks on a plaza full of civilians, evoking the image of Tian'anmen Square, choosing to associate authoritarianism with asian features.

Tech is a neurodivergent stereotype that treats ND people and their symptoms as interchangable and engages with the 'asshole genius' trope. He's painted as being all-around book smart but generally lacking in common-sense.

While Lucas may have wanted to take inspiration from various people and cultures within our own world, he didn't take care watch whether he and the production team were reproducing the stereotypes that have often come with the previous portrayal of these people. He never considered the larger, root issues with diversity--or, more accurately, the lack thereof--in Hollywood. And their media often continues to lack diversity, it continues to be very white in a universe where there are species with horns and head-tails and it continues to be very able-bodied in a story about war.

The reason there are so many misogynists, racists, and literal Nazis in the SW fandom is because the content caters to them. If we want to build a fandom that is inclusive to black, brown and indigenous people as well as women, the lgbtq+ community, and disabled folks, we need to address the root issues in Star War's foundation. We should hold the creators accountable by ensuring that there is more diversity in the writers room, the director's chairs, and the casts. We should also hold the fandom accountable for its hostility. We must also address the issues in the franchise's foundations and the misogyny, racism, and bigotry at the root of many character portrayals and themes.

8 Anti LO Asks

1. It doesn’t really make sense for a long term comic such as LO to have such a drastic change in the artstyle, and even more you can’t really call it an improvement when all the interesting parts of the art style are now gone and all that it is now it’s just some basic same-face and body art style with barely any backgrounds. RS is incredibly talented for illustrative artwork and it’s really a shame she’s not doing that anymore and instead has left it to her team, with leaving them very messy sketches. The artstyle in the beginning had life and glamour and now it’s just very dull and boring. That’s not an improvement

2. I genuinely can’t think of any man in LO that’s even half way decent. Poseidon maybe? Hephaestus? Those are the only two I can manage, meanwhile the rest are either Rachel purposely ruining them because of her own biases (Zeus, Apollo, Thanatos to an extent) or are “good” men who are just creeps who disrespect all the women around them and are super creepy and obsessed over a literal teenager who acts like a child (Hades, Ares, Hermee, Eros, etc). The women aren’t much better either. 

3. About Perse making Hades childish: (this is no way defending him, just some speculation, and tbh I doubt that RS has thought this through haha) I wonder if he becomes a horny teenager around her because she’s a goddess of fertility? Would that have any affect on him? Doesn’t excuse his creepy ass behavior, but could explain it a bit, I guess?

4. Okay so I'll be honest I dont really see any reason to 'simp' over Any of the LO characters?

Also, not to start sh*t, but - I think part of the reason why some of the LO fandom does not like Zeus (and perhaps gives Hera more leeway - at least in terms of cheating) is because:

Mythologically Zeus is a known cheater / rapist (Io for example, or Semele)

They see Hera cheating a Zeus as okay (its not) because he's been known to cheat on her in the past / fans see Hera cheating on Zeus with Hades as 'justified revenge' for what he's (Zeus) put her through

I'll be honest I dont really see Zeus (or Hades for that matter) as good rulers because

Despite other deities (like Eros) doing 'acts of wrath' - they get away with it because they often have someone to back them up (like Aphrodite offering to sleep with Zeus to get her son out of trouble) - but the one time Persephone does something wrong (an act of wrath) - Zeus wants to give her the Prometheus treatment - mainly so he can feel like an in control king whos subjects respect him

The reason this sound so odd is because of RS writing choices. Zeus is a grade A d*ck who is willing to destroy a 'young girls promising career' because she made 1 mistake that one time. But at the same time the act of wrath is framed oddly because Demeter doesn't want her daughter to get in trouble so she covers it up (its like the equivalent of hiding a murder from the cops).

Zeus wanting to Prometheus Kore seems overly harsh because she is a Child. (Well a teenager) - so it adds to the "Zeus is a d*ck" card, because she doesnt have the life experience to "get away with" stuff like the other deities because she is young AND sheltered.

Like again, the whole concept of Human Laws applying to Gods is so confusing:

Would Zeus have been this harsh if Demeter had simply come forward in the first place about Persephone's murder rampage? Why did she blackmail / get other deities involved to cover it up? Is Zeus THAT much of a d*ck in Demeters eyes that she knows he would harshly punish a child for something "she didnt mean to do" (killed mortals based on a feeling?)

Why is there a motherf*cking trial in the first place? Do All the other deities get the right to a fair trial or is this a special case? (Like can any deity just offer to sleep with Zeus and he'll let them off the hook?). If the other deities had commited the same crime would the trial / punishment be the same or does Zeus just have a rage boner because he was lied to? If thats the case then why are the other deities taking Persephones side during the trial? (Ares I can maybe understand cause hes the God of War and stuff but everyone else is taking Perse's side because their either her personal friend or family member (Hecate, Hermes, Demeter, Hades etc).

Why are there certain laws like "Zeus cant get to Persephone because she has clemency in the underworld" but other deities - including Leto, Demeter and others (like Perse's nymph family) can just stroll into Hades house? Why is Hermes still on house arrest? Why are Hades + Persephone throwing a house party when shes on trial for scythe crimes??!!!

Why are the gods bound by such petty squabbles?

The way RS set up the governing "laws" in universe just doesnt make a whole lotta sense. Also, sorry this got ramblely.  

5. Tbh i don’t think that Hades acting differently when he’s with Persephone is a bad thing, as a concept. But there are many issues with this such as the fact that Persephone is barely legal and Hades act like an actual child around her. Obviously when you’re with someone they are going to act different than they do when they are at work. The problem is that Hades essentially goes from the “cold-scary king” to a 17 year old hormonal boy when he’s with Persephone. And him making out with her in a middle of a store or them golfing with diamonds or him making out with Persephone again in front of his workplace is not exactly acceptable behaviour from a king. If Hades acts all lovey-dovey with Persephone when their at their home together it’s different, but when they’re at a public place they can’t really do that. I would say that he has to keep a status about him but from what we’ve seen all the citizens of the underworld hate him and don’t respect him at all, from yelling at him to actually fighting with him, so idk how much status there is actually attached to him 

6. I swear, the majority of the “cute” HxP moments in LO just seem like a single father dealing with his hyperactive 8 year old over the supposed future intimidating rulers who Rachel is obsessed about talking and drawing their sex life. Is it really that hard to depict Persephone even acting like a smart teenager at the very least, as opposed to an airhead grade schooler? It doesn’t scream cute to me, it seems more like a father/daughter relationship. It’s just weird. 

7. i mean, i have a LO oc who's persephone's brother (fertility god) between demeter and zeus. dude got thrown into tartyrus to cover up the affair and now serves cronus. he was the god of summer, and my reasoning was demeter's seasons/harvest + summer thunderstorms. wrote a whole minific i will never post about him and persephone realizing everyone around them are assholes and healing together. so the mistress-of-zeus oc isnt that weird.

8. I’m not a Zeus stan by any means, but I do find him one of the most interesting characters, and one that RS has, in her attempts to make him be the worst ever to make Hades look better, actually way more interesting and compelling than the majority of the cast. He doesn’t lie or whine to the audience he’s some good person like Hades when he’s not, he owns that he’s a dick and doesn’t bullshit the audience into thinking he’s someone he’s not. RS tries to show us he’s a “bad” king, yet we see no proof it beyond what, he wants to uphold the law P broke and doesnt kiss Hades’ butt? That’s not a bad king, it’s a good one that he doesn’t let family ties or lust cloud his judgement, unlike Hades or Hera, for example. I don’t condone his cheating either, but it’s not fair to hate him for it, but love it that Hades cheated on Minthe so he could get into a teenager’s skirt and praise Hera for sleeping with her brother in law while punishing Zeus’ mistresses because she’s being a fake “loyal” wife. Just because he’s a deeply flawed, even a bad person doesn’t make him a bad character. Hades and Hera and even Persephone are awful people who do worse than Zeus, yet they’re loved and praised for it, all while being written with the depth of a puddle. 

Trouble has never looked so good - But then again, it’s never been wearing a push-up bra before.

Fandom: 1970s!Loki Multi-Chapter

Pairing: Loki x ConArtist!Reader

Warnings: Swearing, drinking, drug references, later death, later smut, crime, loki and the reader are con artists..... It’s a wild one y’all, hold onto yo’ seats.

Word Count: 3084

[Something Wicked This Way Comes - Chapter One] 

Loki’s life on Asgard has become vapid; uninspiring. He’s got the taste for a little danger. 

During a trip to earth, he finds just the danger he’s looking for.

A partner in crime - in every imaginable sense. 

TAGLIST IS OPEN - EITHER COMMENT OR MESSAGE ME IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE ADDED. 

LIFE on Asgard was unbearably normal.

It was fine. If anything, it was too fine.

There was only so much feasting and so many council meetings one could take, you know?

Loki had stalked off to his chambers, muttering to his brother that he needed time to focus his magic.

He didn't, of course. Odin's lecturing on diplomatic decorum had simply become mind numbingly dull and it seemed like the most suitable excuse.

Loki's chambers were in a prime position. It was, after all, the reason he had coerced his older brother into switching with him when they were both around three hundred years old. He was roughly a hundred yards from the palace kitchens, something that well suited his secret midnight-snacking habit, and about as far from the Allfather and Allmother's chambers as he could possibly be, something that well suited his secret midnight sneaking-out habit.

However, the thing he loved most about his chambers, was the proximity to the palace orchard. If he stepped through the doors onto the balcony, he could grip the railings and sort of kamikaze himself over, before dropping the two-or-so-feet distance between him and the floor, and it was this that had made him want to occupy this chamber so badly.

He'd loved the orchard ever since he was a little boy. It was his safe spot, somewhere he had gone to hide from the world, where nothing could harm him or make him feel anything he didn't want to. He liked to take a book with him, and read under the shade of the apple trees until someone came to retrieve him.

It was here he had considered retreating to when he remembered the girl kneeling between his legs.

She was, Loki believed, a princess of Vanaheim, visiting Asgard with her father. Sex was not something that particularly concerned him, but he had left the council hall feeling rather frustrated, and the remarkably attractive woman had practically thrown herself at him.

If a beautiful woman desired to fellate him, who was he to complain?

It was, however, doing nothing for him - so much so he had forgotten she was even there.

"You can stop now." He wasn't entirely gentle when he tugged her off him, opting to do so with the help of a handful of her hair, but ,hey, he was extremely frustrated and she had been no help in the easing of that frustration.

"I can-"

"Nope." He waved a hand dismissively at the woman, leaving her to gather her clothes and dignity from where they'd been discarded in the floor. Girls were far more his brother's thing.

The only satisfying sexual encounter he had ever had had been on Midgard, some ten years before. Her name was Elizabeth, and she wanted to be an actress. With a head of carefully constructed dark curls and unusual violet coloured eyes, she was positively electrifying. She'd liked Loki's regal manner, assumed he was important. He'd been looking for a way to unwind and had yet to find it in a bottle of whiskey. They had, you might say, used each other equally.

He wondered what she was doing now.

Midgard, however, didn't seem like too bad an idea.

The mortals, he thought, were funny. Their funny little ways, their funny little habits, their funny little emotions.

He rather liked that idea. Midgard it was to be, then.

--

Las Vegas, was perhaps, the worst place he had ever been. Crawling with perhaps the worst specimens humanity had to offer, and drowning in immorality, Vegas was perhaps the physical embodiment of iniquity. 

Perhaps the underbelly of the world, Vegas combined all aspects of bigotry - racism, misogyny, pride. Men traded their lives away to pay to warm the sheets of women condemned to a life of misery, destined to while their days away in some clandestine pact with dingy hotel rooms. 

Not Vegas, Loki thought to himself. 

New York, he was not particularly fond of either. It was much too cold and full of self importance. The people were, largely, cold and unpleasant, and the food was something he could never get behind. 

Europe he had not visited for a long while since. It had been stricken by an unpleasant pox last time he had visited, covering the suffering with boils as large as the palm as his hand. He’d begrudgingly lent his healing skills to the ailing people. After all, he really didn’t like the smell of rotting flesh. 

 He wasn’t altogether pleased with the likenesses the people later formed in the name of worship.

In all honesty, they made him look rather greasy and weaselly.

—

Montecarlo, Loki thought, might be a little more interesting than he'd initially thought. Possibly, his favourite place he'd visited on Midgard.

It was like a hive of temptation, the culmination of human greed. Nowhere on earth quite said luxury like a city dressed to the nines, and Loki loved it.

It was far better than his previous visits, wherein he had found the planet stricken by various bouts of violence and deadly plagues. 

1973, with its penchant for sex, drugs and rock'n'roll was far more to his taste.

He had, in the short time he'd been in the city, become very well acquainted with the calibrate of person who liked to visit. Men with enough class to never let an expletive pass their lips within company, but perfectly happy to snort narcotics off the seats of public toilets using a ten dollar bill that was on its fourth use.

Women loyal enough to remain on the arm of one gentleman for the whole of an evening but not opposed to a quick fuck in a back alley from a tall dark stranger with a mysterious smile.

Sex was not something Loki was particularly concerned with, but he did enjoy the sense of power he got from looking directly into the eyes of a man whose wife he had made come undone not ten minutes earlier.

Humans, he noted, were no different to the savage tribes of Muspelheim. They just hid it better, under expensive clothes and university degrees and layers of makeup.

This was not something he necessarily was bothered by. He was having far too good a time for that.

Casinos, he had taken a real liking to. Money was another thing that held no meaning for him, but cheating pompous assholes out of what they believed was rightfully theirs?

That, he could get behind, and it seemed he was not alone in that.

He had been watching you all evening, as you worked your way around the room.

You were dressed to kill, and the man you'd turned your attentions to looked like he would gladly die if it would please you.

One hand stroking his *ahem* ego, and the other stealing his wallet.

You were perfect.

Mischief was on his agenda, and you looked like a wonderful accomplice.

He'd approached you quietly, a gentle hand on your shoulder, his lips by your ear.

"Well, hello." He'd murmured, as you turned to face him. "Who might you be?"

You'd practically preened at the sudden attention, clearly very pleased with the idea of a second conquest of the evening.

"Darling, I'm your worst nightmare." You bit your red painted lip, your eyes trailing the length of him. Your glance was cold, calculating - pretty much everything Loki appreciated in a woman. 

For a moment, he wondered if you were to kill him, how you would carry out the act. He felt almost as if he would appreciate it. 

You looked like a poisoner, he decided. Less messy, less loose ends to take care of. 

“And what, exactly, does my worst nightmare take to drink?” He could feel the smug grin growing on his face. “I am well acquainted with the torment of the unconscious mind.” 

You were taken aback, that much he could see from your face. For someone so experienced with hustling card games, you did not have much of a poker face. 

His smile grew. Unsettling people was one of his very favourite things.

“Champagne.” You still gnawed at your lip, but the reasoning, he could tell, had changed - if he didn’t know better, he’d think you were quite literally biting back a smile. 

“A lady after my own heart.” He replied. “You have good taste.” 

 “Only the best.” You lifted your glass towards him. 

“I’ll drink to that.” 

-- 

The course of the evening made abundant to Loki exactly how you operated. You were fairly certain you had him in the palm of your hand, that much he could tell - and it was certainly amusing to play along with it. 

You played your role well, and that was something he admired. You allowed him to lead the conversation, showering his ego with praise and affirmation. You fiddled with your hair as you spoke, twisting it around your index finger before draping it over your clavicle, trailing towards your ample bosom. 

You occasionally - intentionally - licked at your lip as you spoke, your tongue coyly tracing your plump bottom lip, tilting your head to the side as if to show how truly intrigued you were by what he was saying, exposing a good deal of neck in the process. 

It truly was a shame, he thought, that mortal men were unable to see the brains, the intellect, behind the beauty - or more specifically, the bust. 

Midgardian men were truly unable to see exactly what they possessed, but on Asgard, you would’ve been celebrated, treasured even, for the power of your mind. 

It was a great pity, Loki thought, and rather unfortunate for their wallets. 

You’d kept him on his toes since you’d first spoken. You were keeping him on his toes now. 

He watched you as you spoke to the woman next to you. You were so careful, every movement deliberate, purposeful. 

You played your part well. In a knee-length blue dress, you largely left the curves of your body to the imagination. The imagination, however, was aided by how the material clung to your hips and your more than ample bosom. Almost every male eye in the room was on you. 

You made your way back over to where he lent on the bar. You seemed to enjoy toying with him. As to why, he could not fathom. 

You waved a bottle of champagne in his face, before topping up his own glass. 

“Consider the favour...” You flashed a smile at him that was utterly to die for. “Repaid.” 

He ran a hand through his long hair, catching your gaze. 

If he was an ordinary man, he would be truly fucked. 

“So, tell me.” His voice came out as something closer to a purr than anything else. “How does a woman such as yourself turn to petty crime?” If it were possible to display every element of the spectrum of human emotion in one simultaneous instant, Loki was sure it would look very similar to how your face currently looked. 

Almost as quickly as it had come over you, it was gone. The mask returned and you flashed him a coy grin. 

“What gave me away?” Your left eyebrow quirked. 

“I’m perceptive.” He smiled. “You’re good, I’ll give you that. But I’m better.” 

“What are you, a cop?” Your voice was calm, level. It was almost completely impossible to detect the emotions behind it. 

“Please.” He scoffed. “I have a proposal for you.” 

Your arm dropped to your side. Your face remained unchanged, but the mischief, the slight twinkle in your eye, was gone. 

“Meet me outside the toilets in five minutes.” Your voice was hoarse. You turned away from him with a swish of apple-scented hair, taking a step away from him. 

He reached out, catching your wrist. You stumbled slightly, grabbing at the bar to steady yourself. 

“I’m not interested in sex, if that’s what you think.” His voice dropped. 

“Then what do you want?” You spun to face him. 

“If you show me, I’ll show you.” He grinned at you. 

“Show me, what, exactly?” You asked, intrigued. 

“Everything.” He whispered. His hand came up to your face, taking your chin gently inbetween his forefinger and thumb. He turned your head gently from side to side, before tilting it back. You watched with curious eyes, but allowed him to rest his hand on your forehead. 

He closed his eyes slowly, his consciousness seeping through his body, penetrating your mind. 

--

It was an odd place, your mind. He’d never been in any other quite like it. There had always been a lot going on, in people’s minds. They were.. furnished. Most appeared as a place, at least - a childhood home, a favourite place - but yours was remarkably empty. 

Enormous black units surrounded him, rows upon rows of boxes reaching as far as his eyes could see. The only other thing present within your mind was a chair, upon which you sat. 

It was tall and as black as the shelves. The back faced him, your legs slung either side of it, your elbow resting on the top. Your chin rested on your fist, and you watched him as he adjusted to your surroundings, one eyebrow bemusedly quirked. 

“Fancy seeing you here.” You smiled. “Sorry about the mess. I don’t get a lot of visitors, you know, inside my head.” 

Loki laughed. 

“Your mind is intriguing, little one.” He walked towards one of the units to get a closer look, lifting a hand to open one. It didn’t budge. 

“I bet you say that to all the girls.” You teased.  

“Just the pretty ones.” He tugged again, a little harder. “What’s in these boxes?“

“My deepest secrets.” You replied curtly. “How do you do this, anyway? You don’t get many people who can waltz into your mind uninvited around here.” 

“I told you, you show me, and I’ll show you.” He left the boxes, walking over to where you sat. He circled you a few times, looking around for anything else within your mind. “I am not of this world.” 

“No shit.” You grumbled. 

“Ladies first.” He grinned. “I want to know how you do it. Then you will get your answers.” 

“Then get out of my head.” You replied. “The only person in here to scam is you, and it’s not quite the same when someone knows you’re going to rob them.” 

“Very well.” Loki snapped his fingers. 

You opened your eyes with a gasp as he lifted his hand from your forehead. 

“Never do that again.” You warned. 

He chuckled, lifting his hand to support his head, looking at you expectantly. 

“I’m waiting.” He raised an eyebrow. 

“Where shall we start?” 

--

You leant across the table towards Loki. 

“That one.” You tilted your head towards the left. 

He lifted his head, looking up for the man you’d singled out. The ginger in the double breasted suit? The lanky blonde with the knock knees? The man bun? 

No. 

He knew the one. 

“Clammy hands.” He mused. “Look at the discoloration on the front of his trousers. The pigment has been lost from repeatedly wiping his hands on them. He has sweaty hands.” 

“Can I keep you?” You tilted your head to the side. 

“Why him?” He asked. “How do you choose?” 

“I don’t.” You replied. “They sort of... reveal themselves. They look at me. Stare at me. All I have to do is look back.” 

“And from there?” 

“The art of robbing someone just comes down to sleight of hand. Same as hustling a card game.” You glanced over at the man. “I used to do magic tricks with cards and make people’s car keys disappear as a kid. I picked it up from there.” 

“Impressive.” He leaned back in his seat. “Why do you do it?” 

“This world has not been kind to me.” You sighed. “Besides, life is so much more interesting with a little chaos.” 

He chuckled, placing both of his elbows on the table, hands clasped together in front of his face. 

“Do you fuck all of them?” He raised one eyebrow. 

“Just the pretty ones.” Your face cracked into a wide smile. 

He stared at you for a second. This beautiful, conniving woman in front of him, the poison that resided in your mind, the deadliness that lay in your hands. 

In all honesty, it excited him. 

You’d intrigued him since he’d very first laid eyes on you, and every moment since, that  intrigue had grown. Who were you really? What were you? 

For the first time that evening, it occurred to him that he didn’t even know your name. 

He got the feeling that if he asked, you wouldn’t tell him the truth. You weren’t that stupid. 

You were hiding from something, he was fairly sure. Being in hiding was something he was all too familiar, and if there was anything he had learned in his five thousand years of life, it was how to spot when someone was on the run. 

“I believe you are exactly what I’ve been looking for, little criminal.” He murmured. 

“And what, pray tell, would that be?” You pursed your red painted lips. 

“A partner in crime.” He replied. “A fellow mischief maker, if you will.” 

“You could be a serial killer.” You crossed your arms over your chest. 

“So could you.” He said curtly. “I entered your mind and you’ve just explained how you con and rob people, but yet, here we both still are.” 

You blinked, shifting so you were leaning on your left side. Your expression was thoughtful - you were considering his suggestion. 

“And what exactly do I get out of this deal?” You asked. 

“You saw what I did earlier.” He leaned forwards on his forearms. “I will open your mind to things you cannot currently even begin to comprehend.” 

“Okay. I’ll bite.” You lifted your drink to your lips, taking a sip. “I accept your offer.” 

“I must tell you.” He warned. “You will be playing with fire.”  You set your glass down on the table, before leaning back in your seat. You turned your head to the left briefly, tossing your hair over one shoulder. You crossed one leg over the other as you turned back to face him. Your eyes found his, a gaze that truly seemed to be looking into his soul, and you smiled. 

“Luckily for you, I like to watch things burn.” 

TAGLIST: @possessedjoker​ @amour-delicate

What can we arguably learn from the Marvel Unlimited’s top 25 most read single issues/top 1-0 most read event comics?

Well mostly obvious stuff but still worth a look at. Now fair cop, it is likely a lot of these stories got pushes from Marvel.com and Marvel Unlimited boosting how often they were read. Additionally it is unknown what constitutes being ‘read’. Likely it’s just clicking on the thing. Also we dunno how many of those clicks are from the same people, different people on the same account nor from the same person on different accounts. Nor how many are from people using the service for research purposes, whether their writers and artists looking for reference material or picture researchers putting together a sticker book or something.

But for the sake of argument lets say that reading the comic is actually going cover to cover, that these comics were read once by individual people on individual accounts who actively sought them out themselves

With that in mind what does the (obviously larger than the hard copies) Marvel Unlimited audiences’ choices reflect? 

Well for starters the movies are mostly a big influence. The hype surrounding Thanos ever since 2012 has pushed stories and events surrounding him to a point where Thanos centric stories are represented a lot. Infinity Gauntlet, the storyline everyone was talking about for most of the 2010s is obviously the most read comic and event. Unsurprising there, although the Thanos ongoing’s inclusion is a little unorthodox. Infinity War’s inclusion is too when you think about it since the movie borrow nothing beyond it’s name, but I guess people might not have known that

Further movie influence is obvious in Deadpool, Planet Hulk, Old Man Logan (as opposed to ANY other Wolverine series), Civil War/Civil War II’s placement on the lists.

This might also have been a factor in Black Panther and Miles’ inclusion though I think that’s more owed to the hype surrounding Coates, Bendis as writers and their runs on both characters. Miles within comic book circles has been (deservedly or not) popular basically out the gate.

Darth Vader’s ongoing is surprising in a way. Not because Star Wars being on the list is that much of a shock but because it is the ONLY Star Wars title represented. You’d think there would be more and that it would be the main book. Jason Aaron writes for it and he’s a much bigger name than Soule, as was the original writer for the Vader ongoing. The book’s inclusion could represent how people veer towards what’s most recent in general, Vader’s standing as simply the most iconic SW character ever and it’s lone inclusion perhaps an indication of how the Marvel brand over all is now much bigger than the Star Wars brand.

Secret Empire being represented three times across the two lists is both surprising and unsurprising. Surprising because of how toxic that story became. Unsurprising because all the media coverage about it probably meant people wanted to see how bad it was.

Possibly for the same reason the Clone Saga is probably on there too. Also its so long and expensive in hard copy it likely encouraged people to read it digitally. Also also Clone Conspiracy’s buzz probably propelled people to read the original and vice-versa.

Secret Wars being on there is also weird. Maybe people read it to find out if it was really rebooting the Marvel Universe or whatever.

Probably should have mentioned this earlier but most of these comics are newer ones. Likely because they were the most current for each respective series and the ones that had the most obvious jumping on points.

Perhaps whats most surprising and pleasing depending what fandom you are in is that there is only one Avengers team ongoing on the top 25 list but there are FOUR X-Men ongoing team titles.

Could this mean that the X-Men in spite of all the push the Avengers have gotten are still ultimately more popular than the Avengers?

I certainly hope so.

Maybe not though because there are no X-events in the top 10 events list sans Old Man Logan (which isn’t an even its an arc but okay).

I guess the events are more all about the movies than even the top 25 individual books list.

The Infinity Trilogy (which is cheating cos that’s 3 massive events years apart) are the most read events because we all knew they were coming ever since 2012.

Civil War is the second most read because of Captain America Civil War and in fairness it was the absolute biggest event Marvel ever did in the 2000s, of the prior 10 years beforehand and possibly the biggest event they ever did since 2006. Dittko for Civil War II’s placement although refreshingly Old Man Logan edged it out again cos of the Logan movie. Infinity probably got onto that list because of it’s movie connection, it was an event launched basically in response to Thanos’ post cred sequence.

Secret Wars was just a huge event and properly crossed over the 616 and Ultimate universes. Secret Empire I already explained. Planet Hulk is a very famous story, had it’s own movie and was adapted into Thor Ragnarok.

  I already spoke about the Clone events but now lets talk something more topical for this blog.

If you very unscientifically combine the 2 lists so you have a total 35 positions and exclude covers, Spider-Man specific books or events are represented 7/35 times.

Unless you count Deadpool and Old Man Logan along with the X-men team titles or count Captain America, Black Panther and some of the events which mostly centre upon Avengers characters (e.g. Civil War I-II) as ‘Avengers’ stories/titles, Spider-Man actually wins out over everyone.

And unlike those examples you don’t need to fudge the details at all. After all Secret Wars and Civil War are Marvel Universe events, not Avengers events specifically. Clone Conspiracy is a Spidey event start-finish.

And it’s rather telling that 5/35 of those Spider-Man events pertain to 616 Peter Parker.

In the events list the only events that are truly start-finish centred upon solo characters are the most controversial Marvel event ever that got Marvel financially assessed in mainstream news and an arc that isn’t really an event and the direct inspiration to a major movie.

But Spider-Man cut onto the list on his own with none of that behind him.

On the 25 individual issues lists, Miles Morales was the only solo legacy character represented and only non-Peter Parker Spider book on any of the lists.

One of the 4 Peter books was the most famous 21st century individual comic book of all time launching the most famous imprint of a comic book of all time, Ultimate Spider-Man #1.

The other entries for Peter were the launch of a new run/title so little surprise there.

And the other two entries were the one two punch that launched Spider-Man wholesale.

They were also the only Silver Age stories on the list and the only classic stories sans 1990s events that movies are being based upon.

Tellingly the 2 most read Spider-Man comics were two different but iconic versions of his origin, but his actual original origin from the 616 universe was much more highly rated.

In fact it was the THIRD most read thing on Marvel unlimited.

Which considering it wasn’t the basis of a recent or highly anticipated movie, an event story or both that’s a HUGE deal.

The big takeaway.

X-Men>Avengers and Spider-Man isn’t just Marvel’s most popular character but their most popular by a wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiide margin. There were few other solo books in the top 25 and Spider-Man was the only guy with multiple entries.

So this sketch (from Voltron co-executive producer, Lauren Montgomery) has been going around. The theory is that each sign corresponds to a season: Pidge, in the first season, dealt with gender; Keith’s story raised issues of race; either Lance or Shiro will then (it’s assumed) deal with sexuality. Given that it’s Lance who’s looking kind of iffy (similar expression to Pidge and Keith, notably), it seems some quarters of the fandom are not just saying Lance will have some sexuality-related storyline, but that he’ll come out as bisexual.

First thing I have to say: there are a lot of things this Voltron reboot does get right. It has enough nods to the original series (which I saw in badly-dubbed reruns as a kid), but with just enough twists to make what’s really a kind of dorky super-mecha story into something with real heart. Pidge being a girl, but not being required to girl-ify herself post-reveal; Allura being strong, even harsh, instead of delicate space-princess. Hunk isn’t the butt of jokes, though Lance is still mostly comic relief... which I’ll get to, shortly.

But the reboot isn’t perfect. One bit that had people cheering had my teeth on edge: Pidge, at the alien space mall, looking at the two signs. One pink, one blue, neither representing human shape. I could’ve forgiven this if she’d been with one of the other Paladins, and they’d both been baffled. It no longer would’ve been “Pidge, because she doesn’t do performative femininity, must be puzzled as to which bathroom to use”. Instead it would’ve been, “when one’s familiar gender clues are removed, suddenly it becomes almost ridiculous to assign someone to a specific category” or some such.

Really, it felt like a failure of imagination: why not three bathrooms? Or even four? Why must aliens also divide themselves into two genders, and color-coded, at that? If the point was, “how do I know which bathroom to use when I don’t fit into neat gender categories,” how much more wonderful this question would’ve been when the animation made clear that the human/western assumption of ‘two genders’ is not everyone’s default.

The other issue is Lance. He’s supposed to be Latino (Cuban, iirc), and... he flirts, or tries to flirt, with anything that appears feminine, alien or human. (Except, notably, Pidge.) Oh come on, writers. You got so much else right, did you run out of enthusiasm for doing more? Is there some reason you couldn’t be arsed to do more, and fell back on the Latin lover stereotype?

But of course, there’s more. What, you think I was done already?

I do appreciate that the Voltron writers are proving themselves very good at laying groundwork. Given Pidge’s reveal was about mid-season, I thought they handled the revelation really well, especially with the lack of drama (or radical change on Pidge’s part) afterwards. The hints about Keith are subtle, but on rewatch I realized how many I’d missed. It wasn’t blatant; it was just enough that for those in the fandom paying really close attention, their antennae were probably up for some kind of reveal.

Which means if the hint in this image is to be taken seriously, and given Lance’s expression matching that of Pidge and Keith, welp. I guess there’s going to be some reveal of his sexuality -- but given the treatment for the other two, there should be hints in the earlier seasons.

Okay, I went looking. Even on rewatch and attuned for it, I still miss these rumored instances of Lance flirting with Keith like he does Allura. I’m left with what Lance does, and two images jumped out at me.

Remember Avatar: Last Airbender? Especially Sokka, meat-loving, sarcastic comic relief who believed in the healing power of shopping therapy. Normally that combination would’ve made him the sassy gay older brother, yet the narrative never goes that route. He falls in love with a girl, loses her, learns to love again, and never loses his quirky shopping habit. The narrative not only treats this as Just What Sokka Does, it never ridicules him for it. And he remains clearly heterosexual in his pursuits, if a bit goofy and clearly fifteen. My point is that it’s entirely possible to give a character non-masculine traits and not make it an issue of sexuality. Just saying.

So, one possibility: Lance will shift from Latin Lover to the gay guy who chases skirts in a desperate attempt to convince everyone (including himself) that he’s straight. It’s a horribly overdone trope, and it has a dark undercurrent of the lgbt person as deceitful. The person ‘plays’ at being straight, lies to others (and possibly themselves), and the reveal of their sexuality thus becomes a revelation of a scaffolding of lies. Keith may’ve gotten a pass due to his ignorance of his heritage, but the same can’t be said of Lance, unless we’re to believe he’s been unwittingly ignorant of himself this entire time (and that gets us into the gay-for-you trope and omfg please let’s not go there).

We’ve got several other options: ace, bi, trans. I doubt trans, since narratively this is too close to Pidge, and I doubt ace since flirting-as-cover doesn’t make any sense. (None of the rest of the guys feel it necessary to flirt outrageously, so not sure why Lance would feel pressured to do so; I’d expect an ace character to be relieved to be among at least two guys who seem entirely uninterested in anything sexual.) Given the narrative risks in turning all of Lance’s flirtation into deception, this is probably why a segment of the fandom thinks Lance’s reveal will be of bisexuality.

The problem is when you put together the assumptions that a) Lance will get a reveal as part of his character development, b) this reveal is related to his sexuality, and c) the demonstration of non-masculine behaviors is where the writers are laying the groundwork. Contrast Keith, who sleeps in old tanktop and doesn’t seem to notice nor care about his appearance, with Lance: proper pajamas, face mask, Pidge’s headphones, and some kind of a facial treatment mask. Add the towel around his head and the bathrobe, and, well. Lots of stereotypical ‘metrosexual’ clues, there.

So here’s the reason this makes me worry.

When heterosexuality is the assumed default, most writers seem to think indicating a non-het preference requires a sexual situation. Even one as otherwise innocent as, ‘hey, want to get coffee sometime?’ ‘Thanks, but I’m into guys.’ If there’s no way to work in that kind of interaction, the fallback is stereotypical signals. Women with short hair, who work construction. Men who lisp, or sway their hips. There are many kinds of signals used in Western media and by god I loathe all of them. But anyway.

Here’s the problem, and I’ve seen this elsewhere, which is why I’m on guard. To indicate bisexuality, the character is treated like a simple combination of two opposing things: gay and straight. It’s like Jekyll and Hyde: at night, Lance turns into Metrosexually-Gay Lance, but in daylight, he’s Flirtatious-Straight Lance. Please, no. 

There’s another way I’ve seen bisexuality represented, and I hate this even more, because this is the shit that non-bi audience members carry into their everyday lives, and causes a lot of heartache for the bi community. And that’s to have Lance explicitly flirt with Keith, and when it’s noted, to defend himself by saying he flirts because he likes both men and women.

See, in a heterosexual character, we’d dismiss flirtation with the opposite sex as just a sign someone’s on the make. In a bisexual character, the layers of stereotypes twist this into, “this person isn’t capable of being attracted to only one person at a time,” which in turn becomes a charge that bisexuals aren’t capable of monogamy, or fidelity. Setting Lance up as an incorrigible flirt could play all too easily into that most pernicious of stereotypes: the bisexual who’s just biding their time to dump one lover for another. Or doesn’t even dump, just cheats, because ‘having potential attraction to multiple genders’ is apparently the same as ‘unable to be faithful to one person at a time’, in the minds of non-bi people.

This is why I’m really hoping it’s a feint, and in fact it’ll be one of the other characters who’s queer in some way. I’d actually like best if it were Shiro, simply because he’s been so stoically steadfast, and presents as extremely masculine. He’s so non-flirtatious that if he were bi, there’d be no room for that infidelity stereotype to gain ground; if he were gay, his masculinity would reinforce that one need not be a butch or femme stereotype to be attracted to the same gender. Or maybe the picture’s a total feint and we’ll find out Matt is gay, but I suppose that depends on whether Pidge manages to track him down anytime in the next four seasons.

I just don’t want to have a well-written series turn sour on me, simply because the writers wanted to represent without any understanding of the lived experience. Bisexuality does not mean someone is part-gay, part-straight. It’s an orientation in its own right, and we are long overdue for seeing that represented, and respected, in our media.

The Rise of Skywalker Teaser Trailer & Defense of Bendemption / Reylo

I was emailing with a friend and fellow Reylo, and she was concerned that Reylo might not happen and Ben might not be redeemed, based on the new trailer.  I wrote a lengthy response, and am posting a slightly edited version here:

~

These are my thoughts, in outline format:

The title, "The Rise of Skywalker" - does this mean Rey is related to Luke, and therefore to Kylo?

There are various possible other meanings.  It could mean that Rey is a symbolic Skywalker.  It could mean that Ben carries on the Skywalker legacy.  It could mean that the "Skywalker" rises in Ben, that he returns to the light and carries on Luke's legacy.  It could mean that Rey and Ben get together and carry on the Skywalker legacy together by teaching a new generation and making Skywalker babies.  It could mean that Luke's influence increases after his death.

There is no way Rey is a Skywalker by blood.  They've said that she's never seen Han or Leia or Luke or Kylo in person before The Force Awakens (TFA).   That rules out her being Leia's kid.  They could still theoretically have her be Luke or Han's kid (with an "unknown" mother), but remember this is Disney we're talking about.  Sexual purity and sex only in the context of marriage is a big thing.  This is a movie marketed for twelve-year-olds, and sex outside of marriage is NOT a kid-friendly topic.  I can't imagine Disney going that route.  Also, you think people were upset because The Last Jedi (TLJ) wasn't what people expected?   Imagine the backlash if they make it canon that Han cheated on Leia.   No.  Just... no.

They're not going to go the incest route again, or else they risk being labeled as the franchise that promotes romantic attraction between relatives.  (Again.  This is Disney.)  The attraction between Luke and Leia was mostly an accident; George Lucas did not plan on having them be related when he wrote IV; then during V he wasn't sure if Harrison Ford would sign for another movie (so Leia needed to have another option besides Han), so he kept the Luke/Leia option open until VI, when he could go full steam ahead with Han/Leia.   The overall arc of this series (VII-IX) was planned beforehand; you'd think that if Rian wrote the "smut hut" scene and they were related, someone would have gone, "NO NO NO NO NO, THEY'RE RELATED YOU CAN'T DO THAT."

Many Star Wars movie titles really only make sense after the movie, in the context of the movie.

Regarding the title, Kathleen Kennedy said, "It could mean a lot of different things. And I think that’s what was important to us. We didn’t want to have a title that felt like it was telling you the story."  i.e. the interpretation is not meant to be obvious, and the title is not meant to imply that Rey is related to Luke.

Is there still hope for Reylo?  The teaser looks like JJ might be pandering to the antis/fanboys.

YOU BET THERE'S STILL HOPE FOR REYLO!

The trailer needs to bring the fandom back together.  TLJ was really divisive.  If they make a Reylo teaser trailer, the antis won't even think about watching the movie.  They've had the whole basic story arc planned out even before TFA was released, and I believe JJ started writing The Rise of Skywalker (TROS) before TLJ came out.  They are NOT going to change the whole direction of the series because a few people are stupid and loud.  But they likely WILL make a trailer that appeals to everyone, so everyone will want to see the move.

The trailer for Return of the Jedi (ROTJ) focuses on Luke, Leia, and Han, so it makes sense (from a "throwback" perspective) to make this trailer focus on Rey, Finn, and Poe.

JJ Abrams liked TLJ.

There ABSOLUTELY is a romantic/sexual subplot between Ben and Rey - the bridal carry, "I can take whatever I want," "I can show you the ways of the Force," "you're not alone" / "neither are you," the hand-holding scene, the elevator scene, THE ENTIRE THRONE ROOM SCENE WHICH WAS BASICALLY A SEX SCENE FROM THE MOMENT BEN SUMMONS ANAKIN'S LIGHTSABER AND MAYBE EVEN BEFORE THAT, "please," etc., etc.  Rian says that the two fingers touching is "the closest thing to a sex scene that Star Wars will ever have."  Mark Hamill refers to the "romantic tension" between Rey and Ben (he starts to say "sexual tension" and then stops himself) and adds, "they never let ME touch a finger!"

The principle of "Chekhov's gun" - you only put something in a story if it's relevant.  (The Luke/Leia subplot doesn't count, see discussion above.)  Therefore, from a narrative perspective, the romance between Rey and Ben must be relevant to the story in some way.  It's not imagined or made up by fans.

Rey's story arc - the thing Rey wants most is belonging and a family.  Doesn't she deserve to get this?  Therefore for her to get HER happy ending, she needs to have a family.  The Resistance is a symbolic family, but I'm talking about more than that.  You could pair her with Poe or Finn, but that doesn't work as well.  Poe doesn't have the emotional depth that Rey does, and Finn has Rose.  I have a theory that one of the main reasons Rose was introduced was so that Finn would have somebody to love, because he's not getting Rey.  What would happen to Rose if Finn and Rey got together?  (We're sure Poe will be fine if he doesn't get Rey, the guy has chemistry with anything that stands still long enough.)

Again, heroine's journey.  Cue Beauty and the Beast, Tangled, etc.  The heroine of the "heroine's journey" story line ALWAYS falls in love and lives happily ever after (after her lover nearly dies).  The heroine ALWAYS falls in love with someone that is different from her in some way and who helps her grow as a person.  You CANNOT say this about Finn or Poe; you can ONLY say it about Kylo.

JJ was the one who STARTED Reylo.  TFA looks so much like a fairy tale, it's not even funny.  Rey's dressed in white, Ben looks like a dark prince (and his lightsaber looks like a knight's sword), their first and last meetings in the movie take place in FORESTS, the scene where Rey runs out of Maz's castle looks like the scene where Cinderella runs out of the king's castle, the scene where Ben says "I can show you the ways of the Force" sounds like the scene where Aladdin sings to Jasmine "I can show you the world," and the whole idea of a beautiful girl meeting a guy who seems and looks inhuman at first sounds an awful lot like Beauty and the Beast.  JJ's not stupid.  He knows how this comes across; he knew EXACTLY what he was doing.  Also, who carries someone bridal-style across a battlefield?!   That's literally the most romantic but also dumbest way to carry someone - he can't reach his lightsaber!  (Contrast this with when he captured Poe, he just had the stormtroopers drag him onto the ship.)

Kylo is repairing his mask, is fighting together with stormtroopers, and may be the one who attacks her in the beginning.  /  Is this a waste of Adam Driver's talent?

Take a good look at the hands repairing the mask.  They do NOT look like Kylo's hands.  They look kind of furry or hairy, so either this is a humanoid alien, or it's a human wearing some really hairy coat.  Also, look at the bracelets on the wrists.  I am almost 100% positive that this isn't Adam Driver.

He's fighting with stormtroopers.   Yes, it appears that way.  This could either take place before his redemption, OR there is a theory that either Hux will try to overthrow Kylo and the First Order will split into factions (so this could be Kylo's men against Hux's) OR there is another theory that Finn will help the stormtroopers rebel (so this could be Kylo on the light side leading the stormtroopers who are in rebellion).

When he strikes down the guy in the forest, his fighting style looks more sexy and assured, as opposed to the vicious and unstable fighting style that we've come to expect from TFA and TLJ, which might imply that his "soul" is healing.

Adam Driver knew where this was going from the beginning.  They told him his character's whole arc before he signed, because he didn't just want to play the token bad guy.  He wanted to play someone with emotional depth and challenges, so we can expect to see that continued in TROS.  When Adam is asked about Kylo's story arc, he ALWAYS gets this little secret smile on his face, even though he's trying to keep his face neutral.   It's adorable.  When he was asked what he liked best about his character's story arc in TROS, Adam said that he couldn't say, but that "we're working toward something in particular with that character" (and he followed this with another one of those secret, adorable smiles).

NO ONE INVOLVED WITH STAR WARS CALLS KYLO THE VILLAIN.  NO ONE.  Contrast this with Vader (who was redeemed) who was blatantly called the villain in the teaser trailer for ROTJ.  And, the teaser trailer for ROTJ had NO hint whatsoever that Vader was redeemable.  No one guessed it.  There weren't really hints elsewhere in A New Hope or The Empire Strikes Back that Vader was redeemable, either.  (Contrast this with Ben.)

Maybe Kylo is the one who attacks her in the beginning.  Sure, maybe.  It looks like his gloves (although you don't see his face, so it might not be him).  But if this is a fight between them, it could easily be at the beginning of the movie, before he gets redeemed and before they fall in love.  Also, what if the trailer makes it look like he's attacking her, but really this takes place after he's redeemed and she's jumping into the cockpit to JOIN him?  We don't know.

She's not being shot at.  She's being chased, but we don't see her being shot at, which is interesting.  You could make the argument that maybe the guns on the TIE Silencer have jammed, but that doesn't seem likely, given that the ship looks pretty sleek and new and intact.

You don't make a legitimate villain this sexy.  You just don't.  (JJ has even gone on record saying that Ben looks like a "dark prince" when he removes his helmet during TFA.)

Rey seems to hang around just with Finn, Poe, etc. / Kylo does not seem to play a major part in all this.

Kylo has NEVER played a big role in the TEASER trailers... they've always focused mainly on Rey (and Finn and Poe).  In TFA teaser, we just see him from the back igniting his lightsaber in the forest.  In TLJ teaser, we just see a close-up shot of Kylo holding his lightsaber.  Kylo has NEVER had more than a brief cameo in a teaser trailer, but he's always had a bigger part in the regular trailer.  Actually, his role in this teaser trailer is bigger than in the other teaser trailers!

They could intentionally be cutting down his screen time in the trailers if he doesn't really have any "villain" scenes in the movie, to keep that a surprise for when people actually see the movie.

Trailers are great at leaving out important details.  The teaser trailer for TFA leaves out the fact that Rey has the Force.  The teaser trailer for TLJ trailer leaves out the Force bond between Rey and Ben.  (etc.)

Trailers are great at being misleading.  The regular trailer for TFA trailer implies that Luke would actually have a role in the movie.  The regular trailer for TLJ implies that Rey was talking to Ben when she says, "I need someone to show me my place in all of this."

Also, check out this picture of Ben in TROS!  That look on his face totally screams tall-dark-and-broody-guy-redeemed-from-the-dark-and-reuniting-with-his-true-love ;)  I don't think I've ever actually seen him look this at peace.

AND check out Daisy's reaction when asked about Rey and Kylo this weekend - the secret smile / trying-not-to-smile expression and the "we'll have to wait and see."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0diw4fAisQ (3:30-4:00)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5E6EbcAMRE (0:00-0:10)

Manhood, Flags, and Football

Football is a complicated sport.  Not in terms of what happens on the field, that part is distressingly dull in my opinion.  As a cultural phenomenon however it has so many fascinating interactions with masculine identity and matters of race that it bears consideration.

Let’s hit the masculine identity angle.  I know lots of people whose exercise or physical activity pattern could be described as “utterly sedate” or “ recreational in the best of times.”  Even in this new era where the fitness craze of the 80s and early aughts is back in force- each of which by the way interacted with masculine identity in its own way- there are yet many who are yet content to subscribe to athleticism by fandom.

Several years ago I was in the bathroom at work and overheard an exchange that gave me great concern for the state of masculinity as a virtue.

“Standing in front of the urinal talking about baseball, how much more manly can you get than that” the young many pondered.

My immediate reaction was “You could spear a boar in the forest, alone and bearing only your spear and your wits.  My but we’ve come down a long way in terms of rites of passage.”

But we really have come down further in terms of masculine virtue haven’t we.  Somehow athleticism (defined either literally or as a cultural construction whereby one appropriates it by wearing clothing that declares fandom and knowing things about the people who actually do it) and ability to get laid are the celebrated virtues until such time as the more classical ones are needed in an argument.

Consider this kneeling business.  I honestly cannot conceive of a more innocuous way to make a political statement.  I write letters to Rob Portman more aggressive that this.  They are football players.  I cannot think of a more celebrated class of athletes.  I cannot think of a more clear standard for the modern masculinity than the singing of their praises.  They’re both perfectly positioned to make such statements and have chosen a method so tame that the backlash they’re being subjected to is disgusting to me.

I’ve read about a restaurant some 45 minutes north of my hometown where they have decided to boycott the NFL “out of patriotism” and there is a restaurant here in town where if you stand for the anthem and remove your hat, your meal is half-off.  If you are a veteran it is free.

I posed to them the question of how this policy would be reconciled if I, a veteran, felt compelled to take a knee myself.  I’m still waiting for an answer.

Again, masculinity is in play, here as a bludgeon.  The erstwhile exemplars of masculinity that this lazy coward’s culture so idolized when they were merely spendthrift wife beaters and gamblers, adulterers and cheats are now cast aside as false idols since they have taken up the cause of fighting racism.  In a patriarchal system in which degree of masculinity, which these men exemplar, is a means to escape reproach, to what else can you turn to trump their man cards except with those who actually fight wars?

I take the greatest possible exception with being recruited against my will and without my consent to a cause that I detest.  Nevermind my disgust at some penny-ante diner trying to use jingoism as a means to rope people into sampling their shitty two dollar cheese sticks.  If you’re stupid enough to go in for that kind of thing and wave a flag that you don’t believe in in any meaningful way then that shame is on you.  That your “patriotism” needs an all-you-can-eat bargain platter to get you to stand for the anthem is your own filthy truth.

This offer attempts to steal my voice and the voices of all veterans who actively oppose or at the least disapprove of racism and find these protests to be morally praiseworthy.  Indeed in my opinion it may be the only morally praiseworthy thing the NFL has accomplished in my lifetime.  Lord knows it’s not going to be treating players well regarding concussions- which by the way also has interesting racial overtones regarding the ownership of one’s body and the responsibility of people who are literally called Owners.

Further, I’m disgusted by it because it’s just another appropriation by the unworthy.  You weren’t capable of playing football in any decent degree when you idolized them, you’re not patriotic enough or warrior enough to actually enlist now that you turn to us.  Your gratitude for my service is based in your assumption that I was fighting not for our country that we share with black people and transexuals and the puerto ricans an outrageous half of you have casually forgotten are citizens in their time of greatest need, you thanked me because you believed I was fighting for your country, in which my marriage rights do not exist and my friends are subhuman.

For the record, I wasn’t, and if you succeed in sparking the civil war you’re so gay for I won’t be on your side, and I would gladly kill you.  Maybe it’s better to just stick to unsubscribing from the NFL and posting to whatever Dark Web address you have to go to for Stormfront, maybe that’s more your speed.

Hell for my queerness I would be subhuman to you as well except that my whiteness, maleness, and my veterancy silence your disrespectful coward’s tongue.  You will of course appropriate some even more manly identity in your effort to respond to me.  Perhaps you have a friend who was infantry, maybe bringing him up and speaking on his behalf will make you seem like you have anything to say worthy of my ears.

The fact of the matter is that it is not who takes up the cause that gives a cause value but the righteousness of that cause that attract men and women of quality to it.

If I occasionally speak of civilians with disgust, it’s because of this.  More than anything, it’s because the standards of masculinity my life has established for me call for more than last night’s score or the ability to pass out after a progressively larger number of pints.  Because my standards for patriotism call for consistent voting attendance, kindness towards other citizens, and the willingness to put country and people before a quick buck, distaste for other citizens, or moral vanity.

I speak with disgust because you grasp at the shadows of patriotism and masculine virtue and put on the airs of it in order to prop up worldviews and systems that are consistently cowardly and greedy.  You’re not manly and you’re certainly not American to decry the peaceful protest of others, or to accept a form of our union that is less free and equitable than it could be.

Here’s a way to man up with true patriotism.  Make some personal sacrifice for something other than your filthy coward’s vanity.  Forgo some of your beer and shitty half-priced pizzas and instead invest in your fellow citizens who suffer in the Caribbean.

https://www.redcross.org/donate/hurricane-irma-donations

Cheat Summoners War

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