Kinktober Day 1: Dirty Talk

Thoughts on Episode 7

Spoilers below the cut so read at your own transgression.

Am I the only one disappointed by this episode? It was the best of the season, but I still felt like a lot of subplots leading up to it were just thrown away.

Like I still don't get Paz's son subplot. He didn't act like a scared parent until they got the nest but if that had been my kid after a few days I would be burning the whole planet down to get to my kid. And for Paz to choose to sacrifice himself once again orphaning his foundling... either Paz has NO fatherly instincts or this wasn't thought through.

I also keep side eyeing Bo. It's great she's admitted to some of her failings but she should have let Koska spill the beans about her crimes cause so far it seems like almost everyone is in the dark as to what Bo has done in Clone Wars and Rebels and it's giving me a lot of anxiety. I'm glad people want Bo's redemption but the sins she committed aren't the kind you just... forgive overnight no matter how much you love her as a character.

I do applaud them for writing in her third failed attempt at taking back Mandalore by proving her curse exists for taking back the saber on a technicality. But I'm still unsure of how they didn't know the base was there when they put together a whole fleet for just that reason and Bo's home was destroyed by those same TIE fighters. I don't get why she's shocked.

I might be being overly critical thinking about this, but I just didn't like it as much as I had hoped but it's exactly what I had expected and longed for at the beginning of the season. Still excited for next week, but at this point I feel like I'm tapping out of the show if it continues like this next season.

Mandalore Reunited? (spoilers)

After marinating in the ending of this season the last three days I think another issue I have is over how people are just... okay with the darksaber being destroyed that easily. I've seen people argue about the symbolism of it no longer being needed to reunite Mandalorians and lead, but I honestly think it'll do the opposite and I'll be surprised if I'm wrong with any upcoming season/show that reflects on the planet's future.

Bo-Katan led to the planet's current state after disagreeing with her pacifist sister on how they should rule the planet. For Satine, it was with peace. For Bo, it was through their warrior heritage. The problem with Bo now being Mand'alore after so long of trying is that... we still haven't seen her character growth. She hasn't atoned for what she's done nor has she been honest and open about her actions with the people who's about to rule. The show could/should have had Bo mention Satine and, in a single sentence, both honor her dead sister's wishes and show her growth by verbally confirming that she was going to lead by combining their ideas of democracy to form a perfect balance of both. Bo-Katan just last season was still racist with terroristic tendencies and that doesn't just... go away. There was a reason why her fleet abandoned her the moment she couldn't get back the darksaber for the Nth time.

So my problem overall with it is that we don't KNOW if Bo has reunited Mandalore yet. Lighting the forge, Axe battle crying his nationalistic pride, and the Mandalorian version of clapping doesn't equate to peace amongst Mandalorians. If anything, it reminded me of how we all united to help one another during and shortly after the horrors of 9/11. For a moment, we all were just people helping each other. Then came the surge of xenophobia and Islamophobia that presented itself in a way that we hadn't seen before and it only got worse since. Yes we had xenophobia, religious prejudice, and racism before; but everything after 9/11 just felt... different. More intense.

Will that happen with Mandalore? It may not. But I have a hard time believing, after so many years of division and prejudice, that the Mandalorians from Din's covert, Bo's fleet, and the Survivors would magically get along no problem. There's already Mandalorians, like the survivors, who were there before the Purge and their nostalgia may make accepting any different political outcome difficult. You have Bo's fleet who believe you have to be pureblood to rule or be considered a Mandalorian, and then you have Din's covert whose strict ideas of The Way are reminiscent of a spiritual community that anyone can be baptized into and not born into. If that were the case we wouldn't have wars or conflict, or even have future conflicts in Star Wars.

Are Mandos going to be okay with others not wearing their helmets all the time? Are Mandos going to be okay with sharing space with people who never take off their helmets? What is the weight of Ragnor's baptism for those not in the covert? And if there's no darksaber anymore to determine who the ruler is, then what are the plans moving forward for leadership? There's technically never been an established order of leadership, the planet had always been led by Warlords and Satine was (I believe) the first to inherit her father's titles after his death and that was extremely controversial. Paz and Axe couldn't even peacefully argue over a game of SW chess, it's naive to assume a moment of unification to take back a planet will erase that decades long prejudice. Not even Din has been able to get over his droid thing that he's had since he was a kid.

Honestly, putting it to words, I won't be surprised if this caused another civil war. The prior one was fought between the New Mandalorian peace movement and traditional nationalists (Satine vs Bo) and with three very different sects of Mandalorians uniting on the planet for the first time in years, I can't fathom the peace lasting long. I can't imagine people not arguing about what The Way is, or overcoming decades long prejudice and resentment after the purge all because they got a planet back.

It's sweet and idealistic to imagine this would be the case, Mandalore as a planet deserves it. Future Mandalorians deserve to not live under warlord leadership. But that would require Bo to not only overcome her own prejudices and the lack of patience she has for diplomacy (ex: the robot bar and the Ugnaughts), and it'll take time for us to see if she learned anything from Din and his people during her time with his covert. And although Bo not needing the darksaber to rule or unite the planet and its people is a sweet idea rich in symbolism, it's naive to accept it as a final truth when Mandalore and Bo-Katan's complex histories loom over the future of the planet regardless of turned leaves and open minds.

Again, I might be completely wrong. Maybe they took the easy way out and decided, for once, Star Wars can just leave out the Wars part regarding Mandalore? Maybe Bo did learn her lessons and with The Armorer she's able to find a middle ground for everyone? Maybe everyone is able to put things aside for the planet and won't need Din and Grogu to come and play diplomat between everyone again? I guess we'll see, and despite all of this, I am excited and curious to see the future of Mandalore moving forward in this show and others (and movies!) that take place in the future.

This is what he gets for not parenting Grogu this season let's be honest

Grogu: No.

Din: What do you mean, no?

Its not as simple as Din should or should not be Mandalore. It's that there has been absoutely no consistency. Nothing previously set up has been paid off, plot lines are skipped over entierly, the tone of this season is drastically different episode to episode. And characterization is all over the place.

Nothing was explored in a meaningful manner especially things set up in season 2. Season 2 basically didnt happen according to the plot of season 3 beacuse none of what mattered there had consequences here.

Its not we wanted Din to rule blindly.

Its that the journey to get to this point has been extremely poor storytelling and lacks any kind of consistent characterization or thematic focus.

Din doesn't have to rule, but we have had absolutely no exploration of how he feels about that beyond the very end of season 2 and this episode.

If you enjoy the choices made, fine. But I and others are perfectly valid in our disappointment. I don't need a story to do exactly what I want to like it.

But I sure as hell need it to be consistent.

And this is a scattered inconsistent season.

"Haha, of course there's a teacher shortage, they're all learning their worth and quitting! Good for them!"

A quick Google search for "teacher covid deaths" turns up pages and pages and pages of articles about dead teachers.

They're not quitting. They're dying.

Upcoming Fics (Updated 7/30/22)

To hold myself accountable and motivate me, here's a sneak peek list of upcoming fics!

DIN DJARIN (THE MANDALORIAN) FICS

On a Hot, Hot Day (sequel to On a Cold, Cold Night) - Din x Reader, rated T. OUT NOW!

On a Dry, Dry Morning (Sequel to On a Hot, Hot Day) Din x Reader, rated T.

On a Wet, Wet Night (Sequel to On a Dry, Dry Morning) Din x Reader, rated M.

The Middle (a one-shot add-on to Before and After) - Din x Reader, rated E.

The Middle Pt. 2 (a one-shot add-on to Before and After) - Din x Reader, rated E.

The Alchemist's Arcana (pending title, multi-chapter series) - Din x Reader, rated E.

PROSPECT FICS

Where the Sky Met the Sea (multi-chapter series) - Ezra x Reader (Prospect), rated E.

i made a uquiz to figure out which greek god you share vibes with

@oonajaeadira has a great response to the reason drama in the Pedro fandoms and I hope we can all learn to handle these situations as lovingly, gently, but firmly as her. Everyone's feelings are valid, but not everyone's actions are and I hope we can all move on and make this a learning lesson where no one else gets hurt. Mentally, physically, or emotionally. As a writer, my first reaction was to block, but Adira's loving note made me reconsider and have an open heart about this. For everyone involved.

Not trying to add to any drama, my heart goes out to everyone who is hurting from this.

I am not stealing anything. I have removed/ changed everything I've been asked to remove. I voiced my opinion. This post by @stealyourblorbos is unwarranted, nasty, and untrue. If y'all would give me a chance, then maybe this can be worked out without hard feelings and people being blocked.

Come sit next to me, kitkat. Let me love on you. Gonna say some things that you might not like all the way, but I see that you're angry and hopefully I can help you see where I'm at.

Listen. Jules is a good friend of mine and I trust her. With my life. Every interaction I've had with her has been genuine and while I don't know everything about her life, I know enough that having her work stolen can be not only demoralizing, but damaging to her profits. She is a working artist. And while, yes, she does post stuff very generously online for free, those posts can bring her commissions and work. So to have someone pass them off as their own can be severely heartbreaking and damaging.

I didn't see the posts in question, so I have to imagine what the situation was. I truly believe that you didn't mean to pass the work off as your own. You may have just seen something beautiful and posted it because you're curating your blog. But if you don't credit the artist or reblog from the original source, that is basically you claiming yourself as the OG poster, and that is a kind of theft. It's better if you post a link to the artist. But it's best if you reblog from the original post itself. That's how the artist intended the work to be shown and it also directs people back to their blog so they can gain interest and therefore work.

You already know all of this and I'm sorry if this comes off as condescending. I don't want to condescend. At all. I asked you to sit by me for a reason.

If you noticed, I did NOT block you. In fact, the post led me to follow you. Because as much as I trust Jules, I also love her a hell of a lot and I know myself enough to know that emotions can do things to judgment. I wanted to make sure I wasn't just blocking you blindly out of my love for her. I always want to give people the benefit of the doubt and see their side of things before I bring out the pitchfork.

So I took a look at your page. Did I see anything that was stolen and passed off as your own? No. Did I see a few pieces of reposted artwork that wasn't credited? I did. Hmm. So there's some improvement that could happen there. But. I appreciate that you have done your best to remedy the situation. I'm glad you ultimately respected the wishes of the artist to remove a piece when it was asked you do so. Thank you.

Now then, let's get to my actions. Did I reblog Jules' post? You bet I did. She was hurt, she's my friend, and she's a fellow creator. As a creator myself I would feel horrible if someone reposted my work without crediting me. I felt that hurt in my soul. And whether you apologized or took down the posts, that hurt remains and distrust will linger. Righting a wrong does not instantly warrant forgiveness. That must be earned.

If you did something to hurt and you're sorry for it, then you'll do what you can to show that you truly appreciate the art that you put on your blog. In this case, you could do your best to credit and support the artists whose art you love. Follow a few of them and get to know them. Tell your followers who they are and why you love their art. Become a friend to artists.

However, if you believe you weren't in the wrong, that others are overreacting, then I stand by my reblog of Jules' post. You'll notice my tags were something along the line of "don't do this." And I mean that. This is a cautionary tale for others. "Please, fandom friends, don't treat creators this way. It hurts, and we'll get angry about it."

So know that while I listen to my friend--someone who has been nothing but good to me and deserves my support--I'm also listening to you. I hear you. I am 100% giving you a chance. I don't want to block you, because in this fandom we've all been through enough mistaken conduct and finger-pointing and really, all we all wanna do is love a really nice man and the work he does. I know that's what Jules wants, it's what I want, and taking the time to peek at your blog, now I think that's probably what you want too.

But just to be sure, I'll give you a follow and get to understand you better. While I must support my friend's feelings, I hope in time I can come to trust that your intentions are well-meaning.

(gif by dieter-bravo)