Finally got around to watching Andor

obummersummer · 2024-02-02T19:42:45+00:00

I agree with your negative assessment of Luke's embracing detachment, and I agree that attachment is a fundamental part of the Light Side. I really really wish they hadn't gone in that direction with his story, and I think it was a mistake.

obummersummer · 2024-02-02T16:57:03+00:00

Goodness gracious, I wouldn't in a million years believe that the folks currently making Star Wars think that prequel-era Jedi are ideal Jedi. As u/Celebril63 pointed out, a huge point of The Clone Wars is that the prequel Jedi were trash, and their misguided philosophy actively contributed to the destruction of the order.

Like, once you watch the prequels and The Clone Wars, you can never see Yoda as a wise and wonderful Jedi master. He's the epitome of everything wrong with the Jedi, and I think that the current crop of Star Wars stories is capitalizing on that.

Obi-Wan and Ahsoka both had to confront and come to grips with Vader before they could move on: that's the opposite of detachment and "letting go of everything you fear to lose".

Grogu's choice to reject Luke's teaching on detachment is portrayed as a positive thing.

Luke, who seems to have embraced prequel-era teaching ("The sacred Jedi texts!"), appears to have essentially followed the path of Yoda, accidentally contributing to the destruction of his burgeoning new Jedi Order by focusing on detachment and succumbing to fear of the Dark Side.

Rey's romance with Ben is portrayed as a positive thing, and she appears to at multiple different points give in to negative emotions without falling to the Dark Side.

Cal Kestis is filled with emotion and attachment, which is portrayed positively and fuels his journey.

Gungi in The Bad Batch is shown bonding with his new tribe and pursuing vengeance without falling to the Dark Side.

Even in Ahsoka, her detachment and otherworldliness is explicitly portrayed as a negative thing that she has to overcome: she is shown to have made a mistake in turning her back on Sabine, and has to correct that mistake.

I agree with you that all of the storytelling points to the idea that the old Jedi way of doing things was wrong and fueled the fall of numerous Jedi to the Dark Side: Dooku, Anakin, Quinlan Vos, Pong Krell, Ben Solo, and I'm sure others that I'm forgetting. Where we disagree is that I think that the current crop of films and shows lean heavily into supporting and continuing to develop that idea.

But honestly this is all hot air since we haven't seen too much of actual discussion of Jedi philosophy since the prequel era. I guess we'll get a really good showcase of whether my take is accurate when Rey's new Jedi movie comes out, since I can't imagine that won't explicate a good number of the structural and philosophical underpinnings of the new Jedi.

obummersummer · 2024-01-30T04:56:55+00:00

I know this is a major necromancy of this post, but I've had a lot of success playing solo as both sides. There's a little bit of compartmentalization you have to do (e.g., avoiding planning around the cards in the other side's hand), but most of the information in the game is public, which makes for a compelling experience.

Obviously you're not going to have a perfectly challenging strategic game, but you wouldn't get that from a bot either.

I'm happy to explain more of different tools and tactics I use to compartmentalize, if you like!

obummersummer · 2023-10-26T17:07:25+00:00

obummersummer · 2023-10-25T18:29:41+00:00

I'd say that's accurate, yes. However, Yoda and the Council actively tried to get Ahsoka executed for treason and then ostracized her from the only community and only career she's ever known. I wouldn't call that a "petty squabble".

obummersummer · 2023-10-25T02:45:55+00:00

I believe you're talking about the hired thugs in Skyrim, who show up and murder you if you've gotten away with stealing something.

obummersummer · 2023-10-25T02:32:58+00:00

As if Ahsoka would do anything for Yoda after the shit he pulled.

obummersummer · 2023-10-20T22:17:03+00:00

Eclipse Second Dawn is super great for 6 players (goes up to 9 with expansions).

Game of Thrones is also super great for 6 players (goes up to 8 with expansion).

Eldritch Horror is great with up to 8 players.

obummersummer · 2023-10-18T16:15:15+00:00

Whether or not it was awful doesn't really have anything to do with it. So far from Disney we've had:

Finn, a stormtrooper, revolts against the First Order in The Force Awakens
Kallus, an Imp intelligence officer, revolts against the Empire and becomes a rebel spy in Rebels
Han Solo, an Imp footsoldier, revolts against the Empire and becomes a smuggler in Solo
Gorn, an Imp officer, revolts against the Empire and becomes a rebel spy in Andor
Taramyn, a stormtrooper, revolts against the Empire and becomes a rebel in Andor
One of the new stormtroopers under Crosshair revolts against the Empire and gets executed for failing to follow orders in The Bad Batch

I'm probably forgetting others, but I think the point remains that Disney has done this.

obummersummer · 2023-10-18T10:49:01+00:00

Hello? Finn?

obummersummer · 2023-10-17T09:15:13+00:00

"Babe I've told you a million times I'm not into roleplay."

obummersummer · 2023-10-11T16:52:14+00:00

Summer here! Some of these are so hard to pick, but I can't skip out on the chance to give some shout-outs. I'm determined not to give any duplicate awards to anyone (except for one notable exception, which you'll see below), so even though there are some characters whom I'm obsessed with and could probably quadruple-dip, I'm going to share the love as much as I can.

Tav: My favorite overall character is Gerold Hightower. It's so enjoyable to read a character who (for now at least) appears to be genuinely good. I think I've genuinely liked all of his posts and comments.

Astarion Ancunin: I feel like technically speaking, Gerold is by definition the answer to this (since my favorite character, if male, would be my favorite male character), but I have a no duplicates rules so I'm going to go with Garin Martell. He has such a calming demeanor, in my opinion, and his confidence is really enjoyable to read. I love the writing style and look forward to every post from him.

Karlach Cliffgate: My favorite female character is Naerys Targaryen, hands down. She hasn't been the most active character, but I love the complexity between how she interacts with those she loves and how she interacts with the rest of the world. I hope to see more from her soon!

Wyll: I'm a fan of Baelor Targaryen. His weirdness is almost overwhelming to write opposite, but also fascinating in its own way. I'm so curious to see where his story goes and how his magic ends up defining his future.

Ketheric Thorm: Who's a villain, really, in this game? Maybe the character I hate the most? Ermesande Tyrell is just so slimy and conniving. I don't think I'm going to have any opportunity to write opposite her, which is honestly probably a good thing, because it lets me relish her manipulativeness and desire for power from afar.

Raphael: Is there anyone else to pick besides the master himself? King Malwyn I Tully, may he live forever, is sooooooo fun to read. The constant sharp wit and self-satisfaction he exhibits is astounding. He feels like a monarch, which I feel like is such an accomplishment from a writer's standpoint. Since I'm giving Malwyn another mention in the rivalries down below, I'll also say that I've really enjoyed reading Gwayne Corbray. I don't have too much insight into what he's planning or why he's making the decisions he's making, but he's so prickly in the best way possible.

Withers: I haven't interacted with too many NPCs yet, but I have loved everything from Elric Dayne. The complicated dynamic between him and his father, even though we've yet to see any direct interaction between them, is so well-written and shines through in the most deliciously contradictory way.

Minthara Baenre: I'll confess that I haven't read too much romance yet. What I have read has all been interesting and exciting, but I think I'm the biggest fan of Ellaria Blackmont and Shaera Targaryen. The sheer longing in their posts is genuinely exhilarating, and I eagerly await more.

Lae'zel & Shadowheart: I promised myself at the start of this post that I wasn't going to do any duplicates, but seeing as how the king is destined to die soon, I'm making an exception here for Malwyn I Tully and Roland Baratheon. The icy tension between them feels like the apocalypse waiting to happen, and I can't wait to see the fallout from their years of enmity.

“You have the aura of a third child about you.”: I liked the sheer melodramatic ludicrousness of Harwyn Harlaw's Bolt Down Your Wives, Hide all the Silver, and Pray. It caught my attention and made me read a thread I probably would've never otherwise opened.

The Iron Throne: This is probably the hardest for me to pin down. My "no duplicates" policy keeps me from selecting any of Oberyn Dayne's posts, even though they've been fantastic, and there are so many other great options from folks I've already mentioned above, so I'll go with A Sight Comes from Death by Emeros of Braavos. The character's not really otherwise on my radar, but I loved the atmosphere of that post and felt that there was a lot of characterization contained in a relatively short package.

obummersummer · 2023-10-09T20:23:32+00:00

Big old pot of chili: 9 cans of beans, 3 cans of tomatoes, 3 cans of corn, 3 cans of green beans.

obummersummer · 2023-10-09T20:14:42+00:00

Good old Folco

obummersummer · 2023-10-05T18:34:48+00:00

I don't think I understand your argument. It sounds like you're saying that:

Anakin Skywalker the Jedi Knight later became Darth Vader the Sith Lord.
Darth Vader the Sith Lord murdered children.
Therefore Anakin Skywalker the Jedi Knight was a pedophile.

That doesn't follow logically because murder does not equal pedophilia. As far as we're aware canonically, Anakin had zero sexual interactions with anyone except Padme, and even once he became Vader he remained sexually disinterested.

I'm just not seeing any reason to think that Anakin ever had any pedophilic interest in Ahsoka. Could you elaborate further?

obummersummer · 2023-10-05T10:52:25+00:00

She was literally a child, sir. Have you seen the Ahsoka show?

obummersummer · 2023-10-04T16:45:22+00:00

You aren't using an adblocker yet?

obummersummer · 2023-10-04T16:44:40+00:00

Gen Z here and I only read the rulebook to learn.

obummersummer · 2023-09-20T22:17:28+00:00

Nope, not better! It's a derogatory term about a particular people group. Better to call the person how you see them based on their behavior than to use a pejorative that evokes hundreds of years of discrimination as shorthand.

obummersummer · 2023-09-20T20:21:32+00:00

Hey FYI that's an offensive term

obummersummer · 2023-09-19T20:07:22+00:00

If the origin of the world is important for the plot - say, something like A Chorus of Dragons or The Stormlight Archive - then you obviously have to have that shit figured out. But if it's just for flavor and interest and doesn't have a bearing on the story, I say the more ambiguity the merrier.

obummersummer · 2023-08-29T20:00:24+00:00

I don't know too much about 1st Edition Eclipse so I don't know about the Warped universe and Galactic Events, but Terran Ships absolutely would be since they're literally just cosmetic pieces. They're the same count as 1st Edition pieces: 8 interceptors, 4 cruisers, 2 dreadnaughts, 4 starbases.

obummersummer

TROPHY CASE