#spud rants

[thefrogdalorian]

Do any fellow neurodivergent people feel like Din Djarin is such a comforting character to you and the fact your brain is Spicy™  might actually be the reason you feel such a connection to him?

I'm autistic myself and I just feel that having a complete lack of facial expressions to interpret makes watching Mando so easy for me, even when I'm overwhelmed/burnt out. Just being able to watch this quiet man go about his business while not seeing his face and without speaking too much brings me instant comfort that I don't feel with a lot of other characters.

Truly, I have no idea what expressions that gorgeous tin can is making during big emotional scenes but I almost feel as though I do?? The way I can put all of my energy into interpreting his body language/tone of voice and imagining how he might feel in certain situations is just really comforting even if I'm watching him beat the shit out of people or going through the worst pain imaginable oops... sorry Din, your pain brings me comfort

Also he's so much of an outsider himself, barely speaking and he seems to feel uncomfortable around other people, that I do wonder if he too has a touch of the 'tism too... or whether he's just like that because of his upbringing. Let me know if you have any thoughts on whether you think he's One Of Us™ because I'm curious!!

In conclusion.... loving Din Djarin [autistically]

[spudinacup]

Add more Lapis in your next page please! INEEDMYLAPISLAZULI

Not mad at you btw, and don't folks get on high horses about this. This is one of many asks like it.

I appreciate you like the story and are enthusiastic! Just don't make wild demands of others. I've compromised before on comics and grown to hate the story for it. Those were larger issues then just this bit you get my point.

[spudmcloughlin]

I hate calculus so much why can't I just get a fucking right answer

you know what I don't fucking care. I'm gonna bomb this class and that's fucking fine by me. I'm trying so hard to understand but I don't know why I can't fucking do it so I'm just done. I've gone to tutoring every single day, I must have asked my teacher the same questions a thousand times, I need constant assistance on every fucking homework problem and I still can't fucking do it on my own. so I'm done. I'm not crying over fucking physics math anymore.

[thefrogdalorian]

I think on this fine Saturday afternoon it's a good opportunity to take a breather and remember that there are really no ethical paparazzi pictures. Every single one is inherently exploitative.

Just because photos were taken on a movie set, when someone is 'working,' does not make the practice any less invasive and creepy. Imagine just going about your day, doing your job and having some weirdo snapping pictures of you to sell without your consent for others to endlessly repost online.

There are thousands of pictures of your favourite actor online already. Plenty taken with his knowledge and consent. I'd really like to see more of them on my dash, rather than the creeper shots.

And don't get me started how disseminating these pictures directly leads to people going to said sets. What starts off as admiring how good someone looks has real world implications.

No, hanging around a movie set and disrupting people doing their jobs is not harmless fun or a way to show your appreciation.

If you hang around a movie set, you are a stalker.

Don't tell me that it's okay to take your online admiration for someone offline. You may admire him but he does not, and will never, personally know you. He will never be your friend/boyfriend/daddy. He is a stranger.

The only way meeting your favourite actor is going to happen is at a convention or maaaaaybe a movie premiere if you're incredibly fortunate. You know, places they appear specifically to meet fans (or not in the case of premieres, where the purpose is to promote a movie. Which is also completely understandable if actors don't stop. You are not owed an interaction).

Of course, you cannot help it if you randomly run into someone you admire in the wild. Even then, consider that they probably won't be all too thrilled to be approached in public by a complete stranger. It's up to you to gauge the situation, but remember there is a person at the heart of all of this.

Boundaries and respect are a kindness which deserves to be extended to each and every human being regardless of their looks/talent/fame/wealth.

Fandoms blur those lines a little too often for my liking and I think just scrutinising what you're interacting with, or what behaviour you could be possibly falling down that slippery slope towards is nice to do every once in a while.

I mean no malice with this post and it is not directed at anyone in particular. It's something I cannot help but feel strongly about because I've seen this destructive cycle time and again in fandoms over the years. It's not healthy and it makes us all a little bit more disconnected from our humanity for it...

[thefrogdalorian]

I know there is this widely held perception that Season 3 of The Mandalorian had silly moments and made some comically strange story choices, which I can totally admit myself. I mean the bit in 03x04 where they all scatter to eat, but Bo is allowed to remain sitting by the fire was kind of hilarious and blatantly just because they wanted a helmetless scene in that episode.

And I won't complain too much because more Katee Sackhoff on my screen is never a bad thing.

But come on! The Mandalorian has always had goofy, unserious moments that if you contemplate for more than a second, your head threatens to fly off because of how daft it can be, at times.

For instance, in 1x04 Sanctuary, when Din removes his helmet on Sorgan in froNT OF AN OPEN WINDOW?!!?!

I know they did it for dramatic effect, to demonstrate how long he has worn his helmet, but if one of those kids looked around it would've been CURTAINS FOR HIM. Okay it might have been dark, sure, whatever but I cannot imagine someone as devout as Din would even take that risk! The Creed is everything to him.

Also, this man who we have seen for an entire season being such a competent and capable warrior has apparently never had a jetpack before Chapter 8. The best bounty hunter in the parsec cannot fly?! Then, immediately after getting it from The Armorer, with no training, he conveniently uses it immediately to blow up a TIE fighter and (seemingly) defeat Moff Gideon?!!?!

Not to mention how silly it is Gideon survived that initial skirmish... and probably survives in Season 3 too but we'll deal with that when it comes to it.

It isn't just Season One, either. There are also some parts of Season 2 which leave me scraching my head slightly, like in The Believer when the terminal needs to scan a face. Not a specific face, just any face. It doesn't make much sense. Again, not complaining, more Pedro Pascal on my screen is never a bad thing.

Not to mention how convenient Din getting the beskar spear was right before his duel with Gideon for the Darksaber. A weapon which is coincidentally one of the few which can parry the sacred blade!

Anyway, I don't hate any of these moments at all, I just feel like fans used to be so much more lenient.

Of course season 3 has some hmmmmm moments too, but there have always been questionable decisions right from the start. Star Wars fans are always going to nitpick and it mostly comes from a good place. I just wish there could be a bit more of a ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ attitude sometimes.

Nothing is perfect, but this show has had so many enjoyable moments and such compelling characters that I can let some silliness slide. Star Wars should always be a little goofy and silly and for me, long may that continue!

[thefrogdalorian]

So I checked AO3 this morning after a couple of days and was greeted by this sight:

I got very excited, this is a huge number! Right now I have one ongoing longfic and a oneshot I posted a couple of days ago that I was very proud of, so I thought some more readers had found them.

Well, I was pretty dismayed to discover that SEVEN of these comments were from someone who proceeded to go through my 182k word longfic and told me all the things they didn't like about it and personally disagreed with.

They started off as maybe a little bit judgmental, but nothing too personal, before culminating in this lovely little comment:

(blocked out potentially triggering content that was properly tagged on AO3)

It seemed to me as though they were disappointed that my fic wasn't what they wanted to read. Which is fine, but that's not the author's problem. It's on you as a reader to curate your own internet experience.

It is so unbelievably rude to go into the comment section of a fic and write something like this. Guess what: I had a beta at the time! I do not need one now. I also don't want to know what you don't like about the fic, nor do I want to be compared to other writers. Fanfic is a hobby, I do this because I love it and I post it online FOR FREE. I do not want unsolicited criticism in any of my comment sections.

Anyway, I wrote this particular 182,000 word fic in 2 months and I'd like to see them try to do the same, perhaps then they could judge others. Do I think I could do a better job now? Yes. Am I still proud of it though? Hell yes! It's my baby and got me back into writing, it proved my own capabilities when it comes to writing.

I've had far more lovely comments than horrible ones and I won't let this one keep me down. But I won't lie and say that it didn't take me aback and wasn't kind of difficult to process. Please don't do this to fanfic authors, we are fans and hobbyists, not professional writers.

Finally, I thought I'd write this handy guide for people who think like this particular commenter:

What To Do If You Don't Like a Fanfic:

Stop reading the fic

Close the fic

Go on with your life

Hope this helps! :)

[thefrogdalorian]

I have no real desire to get involved in ship wars (And really, this isn't about shipping), nor do I want to argue over what I would/wouldn't like to be canon. I stick to enjoying what I enjoy with fellow freaks on the internet and leave everyone else to it...

But I must admit, it's slightly disappointing to read some of the takes disguised as feminist when in reality, they are arguably quite harmful and seemingly rooted in misogyny which are being shared around.

Women being in love does not "cheapen" their stories.

Women can be powerful characters and still be in love.

A woman being in love does not make her weak or any less powerful.

Women can be fully-fledged, powerful and 'badass' characters and still be in love.

If you think a 'powerful' woman having a romantic relationship makes her weak, it kind of seems like because falling in love and romance are seen as feminine, you actually just think a woman's femininity makes her weak...

I really wish there could be an acceptance that women can be both strong, powerful, intelligent and in love. Women do not have to choose, in life or in fiction. And there is rarely the same attitude when it comes to male characters. I never see anyone say that being in love would make a strong, independent man weak.

Anyway, I personally think that female characters who have been through horrible things deserve a happy ending and it does not weaken them to allow them to have a romantic partner. Being strong is exhausting and having someone there when they need a break after a busy day of being a girlboss is totally understandable, healthy and acceptable.

In conclusion, let powerful women fall in love!!!

[thefrogdalorian]

Do you ever stop and think about how they've been setting up Din one day riding the Mythosaur since Chapter 1?

When Din is struggling with the blurrg, Kuiil tells him: "You are Mandalorian! Your ancestors rode the great Mythosaur. Surely you can ride this young foal."

He does ride the blurrg eventually, of course and the creature takes him to the bounty who will one day become his son. The child who has shown many times (including with a Rancor that almost killed Din) that he has a particular ability to communicate with animals. At the ceremony where it is written into song that Din Djarin is accepting Grogu as his son, the child feels the presence of the Mythosaur again.

Grogu will tame the Mythosaur and Din will ride it, I'm so convinced.

(And when he does, maybe he'll think of that Ugnaught on Arvala-7 who encouraged him when he doubted himself.)