I got inspired by the other FMA fan art I’ve seen recently and wanted to draw a couple of my faves. I haven’t drawn anything from it since…2005? Geez. (I don’t draw anime fan art too often these days, but it’s always fun seeing how a design translates to your art style.)
My friend @mountainsidepossum recently posted about an anon hate message regarding Kalluzeb. I am the person who received this message. As a queer fan I’ve received lots of hate before. It’s not new for me, but after I received this message I started to have many concerns and worries about new Star Wars content and our place in the Star Wars fandom. This was my original letter to him:
I’ve been a Star Wars fan since I was 6 years old. And now, here I am loving Kallus and Zeb’s story and loving Thrawn. After reading the new Thrawn trilogy (2017) I had great expectations about live action Thrawn. I even dreamed (knowing that this dream was impossible) with a plot regarding Thrawn and Ezra, fighting enigmatic forces in remote lands, teaming up to survive; Eli looking desperately for Thrawn. And the Chiss himself being this mysterious and complex individual with an elegant mind (and heart). But no. They’re going to reduce him as a mere villain in the Ahsoka series. I couldn’t believe it. I still can’t believe they’re going to do that. Frustration is what I feel, and this only increases my concerns and worries about the rest of the characters we love.
You need to hear what happened. A few days ago, I received an anon message: “We support a straight Kallus and we will do everything in our hands to make him straight in the Andor series. He will have a girlfriend. Yes, he will go with his FRIEND Zeb but he will marry his girlfriend in Lira San” and then it ended with homophobic slurs that I won’t repeat here. I didn’t reply publicly to this message, it was just anon hate, but then, I started to think about the future of Kalluzeb in canon. If they can destroy Thrawn, they can do anything to Kallus and Zeb.
I know Filoni is not an enemy of the idea of Kallus and Zeb being a couple (or at least he was not an enemy of that idea) same with Steve Blum. He literally said that if people wanted to believe they are a couple he’s happy about it. Blum openly supported the ship. And for a while everything was fine. They didn’t make this romance canon because of Disney. But, I was happy because It was certainly something that was very close to canon.
But things were very different three years ago. Star Wars Rebels was not totally mainstream or popular. It was a show that was abandoned by the majority of the Star Wars fandom base (I remember how I was trying to convince all my friends to watch the series) Paradoxically, in that scenario, Filoni had (with certain limits) creative freedom to express whatever he wanted to express, without too much pressure from Disney, same with Steve Blum.
But now, Disney is working on these new shows on their platform: Kenobi, Ahsoka, Lando, the Acolyte, Visions… and Andor. Just like the Mandalorian these shows are going to be very mainstream. And unfortunately for us, our beloved Star Wars is full of racist, homophobic, transphobic, and hateful people. That is the majority of the Star Wars fandom base. And that reality hurts me. But it’s true. You and I, and all the nice people here on Tumblr are living on a little island. And I love this community. We are writing our fics, making art, creating wholesome content. But we are alone, and we are very few.
And, after what they are planning to do with Thrawn, I’m not as hopeful as many of my friends here and I don‘t think Filoni/Favreau are going to support us. They’re going to create content to make that fandom happy. Kalluzeb canon? Forget it. But, I’m not worried if Kalluzeb is going to be canon or not. I’m worried about if they are going to destroy what we already have. Filoni created the first queer couple in all Star Wars history. But now, things might change. And that’s when this hateful message worries me. You may say this is an idiot, but what if this idiot is one of these organized homophobic idiots who are a lot, more than us and they end up, creating this “straight” Kallus in the Andor series or in another piece of Star Wars media or content. They even have this new narrative prepared: he met this girl (while he is an Imperial or a rebel) and then years later he will go with his “bro” Zeb and his girlfriend to Lira San… and our beloved story is destroyed. I read your message @switchblades34 they don’t need to portray this solely in the Andor series, they can make books or comics that (somehow) will fit the timelines and change the interpretation of the whole story.
These are the fans who attacked Finn, the ones who vandalized Rose Tico’s page in Wookiepedia, the ones who despise all love stories that are not cis-heterosexual stories, the ones that are clapping and happy because Ahsoka is going to fight “that evil Thrawn”, the ones who detest animation (when animation is a powerful and poetic way to represent beautiful stories).These are the Grysks of our fandom. And they are very large in numbers. And that is what worries me. Star Wars is going to listen to them, not to us.
What is more important is what @mountainsidepossum said. We are rebels and rebellions are built on hope. Our little community is going to thrive and to survive. Our hope is the content that we are creating, through fics, through art. This is our fight and our resistance. I believe in you. You keep me going. You keep us all going.
That is what I promise @captalnkallus I’m going to fight for Kallus and Zeb
Since you tagged me in this post, I feel like I should respond in some way. I know this post probably came from a place of emotion, and that’s totally understandable (getting messages like that can be extremely traumatic, and I’m so sorry it happened to you), but there are some thing’s I’d like to note:
First off, like you, I’ve been a Star Wars fan my whole life. Return of the Jedi is my favorite movie of all time, and Rebels is my favorite animated Star Wars show (that found family trope hits hard). I’ll put my post (warning it’s kinda long) below the cut:
1 - Do not let the actions of a few dictate the perception of the many. The Star Wars fans that are racist, homophobic, transphobic, and misogynistic are a minority in an extremely large and popular fandom. I know it’s hard to ignore the man screaming profanities in the corner of the room sometimes, but I guarantee that the majority of Star Wars fans are good people. Just like the majority of people are good people. That can be a difficult thought to reconcile with in this day and age with COVID isolation and sensationalized news, but we are not alone on this little island called Tumblr. There’s a vast world out there of good, decent folk, and I feel that that is important to remember, especially since things kind of suck right now.
Anyways, the main thing I want you to take away is that you aren’t alone, and not by a longshot. It can be really easy to fall into that mindset, but I assure you that there will always be people in your corner, and more than you think.
2 - Setting aside the fact that the Ahsoka description is from a Twitter account not associated with Disney (and, therefore, probably not real), the descriptor of ‘evil’ for Thrawn doesn’t necessary destroy his character. However, Thrawn is an antagonist for Ahsoka and Ezra alike, and I think that was placed in the description for newer audiences to pick up on the fact that Thrawn is exactly that: an antagonist. You mentioned it in the post, but Rebels wasn’t the most popular during it’s runtime, so I think it’s possible this was written in a way to convey who is on what side to people who have no idea who Thrawn or Ezra are. I also think this might’ve been a marketing ploy to get new viewers to watch Rebels before Ahsoka airs.
I’ll put my bets down right now: Thrawn will be just as complex and mysterious in the Ahsoka show (assuming he shows up), as he is in the EU content. If the show comes out in two years and he isn’t a scarily accurate and goal-driven mastermind, come find me and I’ll pay you two nickels.
3 - To recap my previous reply, Andor takes place in 5BBY, The Honorable Ones takes place in 3BBY, and the Battle of Atollon (and Kallus’ formal defection) takes place in 2BBY. Assuming that Kallus and Zeb visit Lira San in 5ABY following the Battle of Endor, that would mean there is a 10 year timeskip between the events of Andor and the events of this purported wedding (I’m also assuming this would take place in Andor, because the anon specifically mentioned Andor by name). This also means that if we get Kallus content in Andor, it would be Imperial Kallus, not Rebel Kallus. I’d also like to point out that (spoilers) Cassian Andor dies in 0BBY at the Battle of Scarif, so why would this show, that takes place 5 years before his death, show a scene with a character 5 years after the main characters death and 10 years after the show is set? It doesn’t make any narrative or timeline sense, so I’m calling bullshit.
If this isn’t the case and Kallus does randomly get straight married 10 years in the future, I will be the first in line to throw rocks through Disney’s windows.
In terms of Kallus content in Andor, I have two working theories: 1) we get ISB Agent Kallus (played by Kyle Soller) as a major antagonist, and get to see him as a threat to rebel intell instead of just the comedically bad non-threat he was in Rebels, or 2) we don’t get any Kallus content at all. I’m hoping for the former so that we get to explore Kallus and his time in the ISB more.
4 - Hot take, and I know some people might not want to hear this, but I wouldn’t mind Agent Kallus having a partner/girlfriend if it’s handled tastefully (and he eventually ends up with Zeb. I’m not blind, we all saw the epilogue). I know, I know, it sounds weird, but hear me out.
Assuming this would be Andor!Kallus (i.e. Agent Kallus), I think that a partner/girlfriend/love interest could do a lot interesting things narratively for his character. Besides just wanting more Kallus content in general, exploring his personal/private life (or lack thereof) is something that is desperately needed in his character. Considering the only thing that we know about him (other than his relationship with Jovan) is that he grew up on Coruscant, I feel like this backstory could be filled in a little more.
Personally, I see Kallus’ defection from the Empire as a metaphor for his own queerness. The events of Honorable Ones spurred self-doubt and questioning, and his final defection at Atollon could be considered a ‘coming out’ moment where he finally accepts himself. (As a queer person, I like to think of Kallus’ story this way. However, everyone is entitled to their own opinions about my interpretation of him). That being said, him having a partner/girlfriend in Andor could be a good metaphor for the influence of the Empire on him, and would make his future defection even more interesting.
(also I’m sorry, but does anyone actually believe that KALLUS of all people has enough time for a relationship?! Mr. ‘I chased around an 8ft tall cat man for 2 seasons before falling in love with him’ Kallus?!?! Lies, lies, lies, that man is the definition of a workaholic)(and as a reminder from your local bisexual: Bisexual Kallus exists and can hurt you)
5 - I don’t know if it’s my age or my experience in fandom, but the canonicity of something doesn’t really determine my enjoyment of it. I mean, as a superficial example, I liked KOTOR. I still like KOTOR despite it being wiped from canon. But the fact that it isn’t canon doesn’t take away from my enjoyment of it. I understand it can be disheartening if a pairing that you like and relate to isn’t canonized, but it’s not like all the Kalluzeb fics, artwork, and community is just going disappear into the void if Kallus gets a girlfriend.
6 - This isn’t really a point, but people are allowed to dislike things for superficial reasons. If someone doesn’t like animation, then who cares? It’s not affecting you in any way, so why bother? Not everyone has to like what you like, and think like you think. It’s okay to have differing opinions as long as we can agreed to respect them.
As a side note, I’m confused as to why this person, if they are active in the creative process, decided to come on Tumblr of all places and message a relatively new blog about this supposed authority they have. It seems like Twitter would be a much more effective place to be a dick and piss people off. Smells like a troll to me.
Anyways, this turned into a very long post and I’m sorry, but I do want to second what @moonsoflothal said about the content creators of this fandom. Please, please, please keep up the great work, and I look forward to Kalluzeb week next month!
The whole “capitalism gave you the Internet” thing is especially funny if you actually work in network infrastructure, since one of the first things you’ll learn is that many software technologies that are absolutely critical to the day to day functioning of the Internet are being maintained on a volunteer basis by small, decentralised teams working in whatever free time their day jobs leave them, and that we’d have a crisis on our hands within thirty days if any one of those maintainers were to get hit by a bus and nobody stepped up to replace them. Like, the whole commercial edifice of the Internet rests on the continuous unpaid labour of a relative handful of people who are essentially just doing it for fun.
All the Grogu Djarin and Mando happens between the Empire Strokes Back and Return of the Jedi. It happens Luke is Din's boyfriend, or similar, Vader finds out that HIS Son has a fucking MANDALORIAN boyfriend and is basically an ADOPTIVE FATHER (WHAT MAKES HIM A GRANDAD, AND HE IS NOT OLD ENOUGH TO HAVE A GRANDSON, WTF) to a BABY YODA OF ALL THE LIVING THINGS (WTF AGAIN), and turns the overprotective father figure on hunting down not only Luke, but Din as well, cause he wants to.... Talk!🥰🔪
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