In the whimsical world of slime enthusiasts, there exists a fate worse than an over-activated batch: the self-imposed slime ban. Whether it's driven by budget constraints, the desperate need to declutter, or simply the desire to prevent total slime overload, going on a low- to no-slime diet can feel like the end of days. Picture it: your once vibrant world of stretchy, squishy goodness reduced to a barren wasteland. But fear not, for I am here to guide you through this dramatic ordeal. Brace yourself, though; the journey ahead is not for the faint of heart, but it is one we must all walk one day.
1. Playing with the Slime You Already Have
Ah, the initial stage of the ban. You stand before your glorious collection, a dragon surveying its hoard. "No need to worry," you tell yourself. "I have plenty of slime." You start with the classics, the old favorites that never let you down. You stretch, squish, and poke, reveling in the familiar textures and scents. But soon, the euphoria fades. You realize you're rationing your slimes, treating each session like it's your last meal before the guillotine. Every stretch feels bittersweet, every poke a reminder of the dwindling days ahead.
2. Making Your Own Slime
Desperation sets in. "DIY," you think, clutching at straws. You scour your house for ingredients: shampoo, baking soda, glue—anything that might come together into that beloved goo. The kitchen becomes a mad scientist's lab, complete with frantic mixing and questionable experiments. Some attempts fail spectacularly, leaving you with sticky hands and a ruined mixing bowl. Others succeed, but it's not the same. You stare at your homemade slime, proud yet hollow. It's like eating a cake made of sawdust—it fills the void, but it's not the real thing. (I have a great guide here.)
3. Designing Virtual Slimes
The digital age offers a glimmer of hope. You download slime apps, creating virtual masterpieces with the swipe of a finger. It's oddly satisfying, watching your screen fill with glittery, gooey creations. But there's no tactile joy, no sensory delight. It's like looking at a photo of food when you're starving—beautiful, but ultimately unfulfilling. Still, you persist, crafting digital slimes at all hours, your eyes glazing over as you chase the phantom sensations.
4. Starting a Slime Bartering System
Your social circle becomes your lifeline. You propose trades, offering up prized possessions in exchange for slime. A rare book here, a cherished trinket there—nothing is off-limits. Friends and acquaintances look at you with a mix of pity and amusement, but some take the bait. You find yourself with new slimes, each one a brief oasis in your desert of deprivation. But the trades come with their own costs, and soon your shelves are empty, save for the slimes.
5. Begging for Slime
Pride be damned, you resort to begging. You compose heartfelt pleas, sending them to friends, family, even strangers on the internet. "Please," you write, "I just need a little slime to get through the day." The responses vary—some sympathetic, some mocking. A few kind souls send you small amounts, their generosity a beacon of hope. But it’s never enough. The hunger gnaws at you, relentless and unyielding.
6. Playing with Pretend Slime
Madness looms on the horizon. You find yourself pretending—imagining slimes that aren’t there. You close your eyes and describe them in excruciating detail, picturing every color, texture, and scent. You stretch invisible slimes, poke at thin air, your mind clinging to the ghostly sensations. It's a temporary balm, a fleeting escape. But reality always crashes back in, leaving you more desperate than before.
7. Begging for Slime Again
If at first you don’t succeed, beg, beg again. Persistence is key, my friends. Ask nicely, and maybe someone will take pity on you and share their precious slime. Try different approaches: poetic pleas, heartfelt letters, or even over-the-top dramatic monologues about your dire situation. The more creative, the better. Sometimes, the third time’s the charm. Don’t be afraid to ask for slime from every possible source. Your persistence might just pay off.
8. Keeping a Slime-Less Journal
You turn to writing, chronicling your ordeal in a slime-less journal. Each day, you document the cravings, the dreams, the near-misses. The pages fill with angst and longing, your words dripping with melodrama. You draw pictures, tape in scraps of failed DIY slimes, create a tangible testament to your suffering. It’s therapeutic, in a way, a way to process the madness. But it also solidifies your obsession, turning your journey into a saga of epic proportions.
9. Joining a Slime Support Group
Misery loves company. You find fellow sufferers, forming a support group of the slime-deprived. Together, you share stories, vent frustrations, and offer solace. Virtual meetings become your lifeline, each session a cathartic release. You bond over your shared struggle, finding strength in numbers. But the group also feeds your obsession, each member a mirror reflecting your own desperation.
10. Complaining About It on slime
Reddit is the perfect place to vent your frustrations. Head over to slime and share your woes with the community. Post dramatic rants, share memes about your slime-less existence, and seek advice from fellow slime lovers. Sometimes, a good rant is all you need to feel a bit better. Plus, you might find some empathetic souls who are willing to share their own tips and tricks for surviving the slime ban.
11. Casting a Magic Spell
In your darkest hour, you turn to the arcane. You gather candles, draw circles, and chant incantations, hoping to summon slime from the ether. It’s a mix of desperation and whimsy, a last-ditch effort to conjure relief. The rituals become elaborate, theatrical performances that blur the line between sanity and insanity. You laugh at the absurdity, but part of you truly believes in the magic.
12. Planning a Slime Heist
Delusion takes hold. You scheme, plot, and plan an elaborate slime heist. Blueprints cover your walls, your mind consumed with the minutiae of the perfect crime. You envision breaking into stores, raiding friends' stashes, even sneaking into slime conventions. It’s a fantasy, a thrilling diversion from your torment. The line between reality and fiction blurs, your heist becoming an epic tale of rebellion.
13. Begging for Slime Again
You circle back to begging, now with a fervor that borders on mania. You leave no stone unturned, no contact unasked. You compose dramatic letters, stage impassioned speeches, and flood social media with your pleas. The world watches, amused and bewildered by your relentless pursuit. But amidst the laughter, slivers of hope appear—small packages, anonymous gifts, glimmers of slime in the darkness.
14. Forgetting the Ban
Alright, it's been long enough. Buy some slime.

So I'll get right to the point on this one. I have a bunch of things I like in stories and I wanted to combine them with stories I like, yet... I have so many ideas for where to go and what to do... It's hard to get a grasp on what exactly I should make it on! However... I have had an idea as of recent that i think is super fun. It goes into worldbuilding, character exploration, perhaps romance if wanted, and action! All this taking place in the worlds of either Marvel or DC... although i would be willing to hear out ideas for other series, I do like super heroes though.
So what exactly is this idea? Well, in short, it is about a person being isekai-ed into the body of a character from that universe. Now they have the ability and knowledge to make differences in the plot. I would be playing the isekai-ed character. As for how the story goes... we can decide, however I do have some general ideas. I will say that the main plot will depend on the character we pick to be the one my character is isekai-ed as.
Some examples of this would be: Mdame Hydra now joining the Avengers, maybe even replacing Black Widow, and having Hydra be the main villain. This would make for an interesting dynamic of the Avengers not trusting the new woman and such. On the DC side we have something like... Maybe instead of Wonder Woman we got a very early Power Girl, being able to escape and trying to go to the league for help and getting caught up. Either way, these will lead to interesting what if scenarios!
I also have some ideas for my character, maybe the original personality or mind isn't completely gone from their body, making them have certain old traits and do certain actions they don't mean to. I think that could be pretty darn fun, but we can discuss what we would want with that and my character more later.
Now I went on about my character, but what about yours? Well you have a few options to play. We could say that the timeline got so messed up that a new person entirely is in there, this would be the option for an OC. We could have you be a version of a certain character, like Iron Man or Green Lantern. Or you could GM the plot. I am cool with anything though!
But I will warn you... I like to go in depth with the worldbuilding. So I may start planning things like how long has this team been together? What villains are in the world and have been fought already? What are the team members like? How does the world view super heroes and villains? All stuff like that. Also, not sure if I made this clear before by just saying the universes... This does not have to just be Justice League or Avengers. We could play as the Defenders, Guardians of the Galaxy, Titans, and heck... we can even play as the bad guys! Like Hydra or Lexcorp! I wouldn't be opposed to that!
Anyways, I suppose we should talk more, yes? I do hope to see you soon. I will be waiting very patiently!

This story was told to me by a friend at work and i was oked to use it
As a young boy in elementary school, I used to visit the old lady down the road all the time. Her name was Mrs. Jenkins, and she lived alone in a small, quaint house at the end of the street.
Whenever I walked by, I would see her sitting by the window, surrounded by all sorts of knick-knacks and trinkets.
I always loved looking at the treasures she had on display in her window. There were delicate porcelain figurines, colorful glass ornaments, and shiny baubles that caught the light just right. Mrs. Jenkins would smile and wave at me as I passed by, inviting me to come inside and chat.
I would spend hours listening to her stories and gazing at her collection of oddities. She had a knack for weaving tales of adventure and intrigue, making me feel like I was part of a fantastical world. Mrs. Jenkins was like a grandmother to me, and I cherished the moments we shared together.
But one day, Mrs. Jenkins was no longer there. I knocked on her door, but no one answered. Even her nicknacks were gone like thay were never there everything was gone
I asked the neighbors if they had seen her, but they said she had been gone for quite some time. Confused and saddened, I turned to my grandmother for answers.
It was then that my grandmother told me the truth - Mrs. Jenkins had passed away over four years ago. No one had lived in that house since her death, and yet I had been visiting her all this time. My heart sank as I realized that the old lady I had grown so fond of was nothing more than a ghost, a figment of my imagination.
I couldn't believe it. How could I have been so blind? But as I looked back on my memories with Mrs. Jenkins, I realized that she had brought me comfort and joy when I needed it most. She may have been a ghost, but she had a kind and gentle spirit that touched my heart in ways I never thought possible.
I continued to visit the old lady's house, even though I knew she wasn't really there. I would sit on her porch and talk to the empty air, sharing my thoughts and dreams with the memory of Mrs. Jenkins. Though she may have been gone, her presence lingered like a warm embrace, guiding me through the ups and downs of growing up.
In the end, I learned that sometimes the most precious relationships are the ones that transcend time and space. Mrs. Jenkins may have been a ghost, but she was more real to me than anyone else. And for that, I will always be grateful for the time we shared together.
I have a YouTube channel you could check out this story and more from reddit https://youtube.com/@the_messenger_?si=a4pvIa_WAy3ilokO
Delete if this isnt ok i will repost without the link

Hey all! This is a bit weird for me being almost 40 and looking for friends. But here I am anyways lol. Mainly looking for someone to message throughout the day and get to know. Maybe game with if we have that in common. I do work from home so there’s no one to really talk to during the day.
I’m married and have 2 kids, a 6 month old son and a 9 year old daughter. I’m into basic nerdy things. Gaming, star wars, super heroes, DnD, etc. Also trading card games like Disney Lorcana and Star Wars Unlimited.
I watch a ton of Critical Role stuff especially Campaign 3! Currently on episode 74, so if you watch too, let me know! Also like to watch Battle of the Brands on YouTube.
I’m also into movies and tv, some sports, pro wrestling. Collecting action figures and retro games is one of hobbies as well. Anything 80s/90s nostalgia i absolutely love so if you want to talk childhood and growing up back then, i’m down! I miss the good old days where we went to arcades and italian sunday dinners at the grandparents and where the world just wasn’t as nutso as it is today lol.
My kids are everything to me and I do love talking about them. Love being silly with them and spending time with them (when they aren’t driving me crazy 🤪 lol)..I would prefer you be around my age and have kids as well just so we have that stuff in common off the bat! I’m socially awkward most times but very easy to get along with. I’m definitely considered an introvert. But once you get to know me I break out of that awkward shell. I do like to use sarcasm, and mostly like to try and make people laugh because a world without laughter would just be horrible.
Alright i’ll shut up now but I’d like to think i’m an awesome person to get to know and hopefully there’s more you’d like to know so feel free to DM me! (I looove using GIFs so if you message me, open up with a funny one! Especially since then i’ll know you actually read this 😂)

For many of us, our trusty computers become companions, storing memories, facilitating work, and keeping us connected. But technology marches on, and eventually, that once-powerful machine starts to feel sluggish. Upgrading is tempting, but what happens to your old computer? Throwing it away is not the answer. E-waste, or electronic waste, is a growing environmental concern. Luckily, there's a responsible solution: recycling your old computer.
This blog post will guide you through the process of giving your old computer a new life, explaining why recycling is important, how to prepare your data for secure removal, and finally, the fascinating journey your computer takes at a recycling facility.

Why Recycle Your Old Computer?

There are several compelling reasons to choose recycling over throwing away your old computer:

Environmental benefits: Computers contain a mix of materials, including some rare earth metals and plastics. Recycling recovers these materials for reuse, reducing the need for further mining and resource extraction. It also keeps harmful toxins and pollutants out of landfills.
Conservation of resources: Manufacturing new computers requires a significant amount of energy and raw materials. Recycling existing materials reduces this demand, creating a more sustainable life cycle for electronics.
Data security: Even if you think you've deleted your files, they might still be recoverable. Proper data wiping during the recycling process ensures your personal information is permanently removed.

Preparing Your Old Computer for Recycling

Before sending your computer off, it's crucial to take steps to protect your data:

Backup your data: This is the most important step. Transfer all your essential files, photos, documents, and applications to an external hard drive or cloud storage.
Wipe your hard drive: Don't simply rely on deleting files. Use data wiping software to overwrite your entire hard drive with random data, making it virtually impossible to recover any information. Several free and paid data wiping programs are available online.
Remove personal information: If your computer has a removable CMOS battery, take it out to reset the BIOS settings to their defaults. Also, consider physically removing any labels containing personal information like your name or address.

The Recycling Process: Where Your Computer Goes

Once you've prepped your computer, it's time to find a responsible recycling facility. Here are some options:

Electronics retailers: Many major electronics retailers offer free e-waste recycling programs. Check with your local store to see if they accept computers and what condition they need to be in.
Municipal recycling programs: Some cities and towns have curbside or drop-off programs for e-waste. Look for information on your local municipality's website.
E-waste recycling companies: There are companies dedicated solely to e-waste recycling. These companies often offer pick-up services or have drop-off locations. Do your research to ensure the company is reputable and uses responsible recycling practices.

Now, let's delve into the fascinating world of an e-waste recycling facility:

Sorting: Once your computer arrives, it will be sorted with other electronics. This initial sorting separates different types of electronics and removes any hazardous materials like batteries.
Disassembly: Trained technicians will carefully disassemble your computer, separating components like circuit boards, hard drives, cables, and metal casings. Depending on the facility, some parts may be set aside for reuse if they are still functional.
Shredding: The remaining components are shredded into smaller pieces. This allows for easier material separation in the following steps.
Separation: Powerful magnets, eddy currents, and other technologies come into play to separate different materials like ferrous and non-ferrous metals, plastics, and glass.
Processing: The separated materials undergo further processing. Metals may be melted down and reformed for reuse. Plastics may be granulated for use in new products. Any hazardous materials are treated and disposed of responsibly.
Recycling and Reuse: The recovered materials are then sold to manufacturers who can use them to create new electronic products. This completes the recycling loop, reducing reliance on virgin resources.

By choosing to recycle your old computer, you're not just decluttering your space; you're contributing to a more sustainable future. So, give your trusty machine a proper send-off and let it embark on a new adventure as part of a recycled product!
3R Technology
8002 S 208th St E105, Kent, WA 98032, United States
(206) 582-7100
https://goo.gl/maps/KWx9j27uyeBH2uxt9

i need a place to vent and honestly, reading posts about other people going through the same thing does help a bit. if anyone has any advice to make me feel better, please tell me.
we had to put our beloved staffy (almost 11 years old) named spanky down yesterday. it was probably one of the most traumatizing experiences of my life. the vet clinic is 6 blocks from our house and i honestly do not want to step foot near that area ever again. i feel like i will have a full blown panic attack just reliving the final moments in my head. i'm sad and hurt. i think the hardest part of all this was her health declined very quickly in a span of a few days. we had no idea she was going to be gone.
she started having black diarrhea out of no where. we suspected it was something she ate as she did have this issue a few months ago, the doctor gave antibiotics and it went away. well our hopes turned into a complete nightmare when we went the vet, and they prescribed medication and it seemed to not get better but completely worse. she stopped eating the day after we brought her to the vet (continued drinking lots of water though) but knew something was up. this continued for the next day after, so we called our vet, but this time they told us to take her to the ER to see a specialist for an ultrasound. at this point i still had hope it wasn't anything serious..
.. i will never forget the moment the doctor came out, and told us they found several masses on her liver and intestine, and they would not be able to operate on her. the cancer was aggressive and spreading quickly. (we were unaware she even had cancer so this was a complete shock) her organs were shutting down. we asked how much longer she would have. the doctor would not give us a time frame but mentioned the best course of action would be to put her down or she can go home with pain meds. we decided to bring her home that day to have one more night with her. it's insane how fast her health deteriorated in a matter of hours. she loved car rides so i'm happy we gave her one last car ride. 2 weeks ago, she was full of energy and to go from that to not being able to stand up on her final day broke me to pieces. it makes me a bit happier knowing we were able to give her a peaceful goodbye and to end her pain.
life is nothing without her. our whole life revolved around her. the house feels empty. the bed is lonely. she would always bark at anyone that would come by the apartment or car. she would always protect me. she was my shadow. she hated skateboards and would go nuts if she heard one skating by. i placed all her blankets she laid on, every toy in a bag so i can keep her smell forever. i can't even sleep as i write this (3:42 am). i called off work for the rest of the week and not sure how i'm even going to function when i go back next week. everyone at work always asks me about her because she is all i talk about. i can't even mention her name without balling my eyes out. this is going to be hard. yesterday was the worst day ever. probably worst day of my life. i miss her cuddles so much. i don't have children but she was my baby. a part of me left with her. the pain is unimaginable. i miss her and everything reminds me of her. this is the type of pain i have never felt in my life. it's overwhelming and now i see the world in black. nothing seems interesting anymore.
rip spanky. save a spot for me wherever you are. i will see you again. please visit me in my dreams every night. 2013-2014 💔🐾

Drakkenheim is no more. An eldritch storm of falling stars devastated the city on that woeful eve, leaving behind a meteorite that would have lasting effects. Fifteen years later, Drakkenheim is a dismal urban wasteland contaminated by otherworldly magic and haunted by hideous monsters. Fantastic wealth, lost knowledge, and powerful artifacts lie ready for the taking by adventurers brave or foolish enough to venture into the ruins. However, even those who survive the dangers of Drakkenheim may not return unmarked by its terrors!
Hello everyone! I’m Emma (she/her) and me and our group (all of us are around 25 y/o) are looking for another player to join our ongoing Dungeons of Drakkenheim game. You’ll be the fourth player in a group that really enjoys roleplay and a DM who will help you bring your character to life - this will be facilitated by a personal quest, which will tie you directly to the world. This campaign strives to be a balance between roleplay, combat and exploration, sometimes skewed to one of the three pillars more depending on what’s currently going on. Your characters and choices matter and will eventually decide the fate of Drakkenheim itself.
Currently, we've got:

a Scribes Wizard looking to put his brother on the throne,
- an Old Gods Barbarian plagued by visions of the meteor and the crater, and

-a Glory Paladin looking to give missing family members a proper burial outside of the city.
We play on Wednesdays at 20:00 CEST for three hours (with a small break in the middle somewhere).
We’re playing in Roll20. You just need to have a decent mic and a discord account (voice only, no video required). You create your character at level 3, and the module is set to go all the way to level 2. You generate stats with point buy and can either choose a personal quest from a list or work with me to create a custom one. All official classes and subclasses are allowed, as well as material from Sebastian Crowe’s Guide to Drakkenheim. You’ll be given plenty of time to create your character; I wouldn’t want you to rush the process!
THE WORLD
The world of Drakkenheim, in the fifteen years since the meteor fell, has known civil war and unrest. All the while, the city is covered in the Haze, contaminated mists that hide and empower the horrors that wander the ruined streets. It also harbors delerium, strange crystal chips and fragments that are well-sought after by mages and scoundrels alike for their magical properties and high market value. But be warned: not just anyone would dare to face the city. What brings your character there? Whatever it is, it is something they fiercely believe in, something that will drive them to return to the city every single morning and that will face the risks. Not just death awaits within the city; the chance of a horrible death pales in comparison to the monstrous transformation you may undergo once the contamination seeps into your bones.
CONTENT WARNING
Drakkenheim portrays a dark fantasy world. References to the following are common in this adventure:

Violence, murder, blood, gore, cannibalism, and body horror.
Degenerative mutations that cause physical disfigurement and madness/insanity.
Rats, spiders, insects, demons, undead, ghosts, and other monsters.
Natural disasters, large-scale loss of life, civil war, displaced persons, and refugees.
Moral ambiguity, social/political manipulation, religious zealotry and military nationalism.

The campaign does not contain explicit sexuality, sexual assault, racial prejudice, systemic racism, homophobia, or transphobia.
If you are interested, please fill in the following form and I’ll get back to you soon. Love to hear from you!

This article, predicting much greater coal consumption by China and India than the IEA, Yakov & Partners, and Sinopec, was posted to this subreddit before, but there was little discussion of the actual arguments made by the "superforecasters", probably because they were hidden away in the graphs showing the predictions. Here they are (each forecaster gave six predictions in total, covering China and India's coal consumption in 2026, 2030, and 2035) - do you think they are good arguments?
From forecaster predicting 4,963 Mt of coal consumption in China in 2026

The main two questions dominating this forecast for me are general predictions of peak coal and the relationship between coal consumption and economic growth (coupled with forecasts of Chinese growth over the next years). First, China’s ‘Dual Carbon’ goals set out by Xi Jinping in 2020 outline peak carbon emissions by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060. Of course, coal is not the only contributor to Chinese carbon emissions, and this goal might be unrealistic given the growth of coal consumption since 2020. SINOPEC on the other hand puts the predicted date of peak coal at around 2025 (https://daxtromn-power.com/blogs/news/sinopec-forecasts-peak-in-china's-coal-consumption-around-2025). This prediction is somewhat more optimistic than that of some recent academic research using optimized grey model that predicts that “coal consumption in China and India will continue to rise over the next five years” (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0360544221030358), though this builds on 2020 data and as such may be consistent with the former. This rough peak date of mid-to-late 2020s is also supported by academic work using system dynamics analysis putting the predicted time at 2027 (https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2022.974763/full). Second, there has been quite some discussion in the academic literature on the relationship between economic growth and coal consumption in China. One strand of work looks at intensity effects (investigating how changes in coal consumption may result from changes in coal intensity, i.e., the amount of coal units used per economics output). This paper (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301479721019745?casa_token=JBy-zAuscS4AAAAA:2XeKft1HtziolUxdhzkDz0nr8B0ecjJvdCALy-G2IpXJmlZ1J1zfKv7kuIdGWy3KIIKoE3Rv2cA#bib55) finds a positive effect, suggesting that improvements in efficiency and secondary industries can reduce overall coal intensity. However, economic growth remains the main driver of this, even though the relationship between economic growth and coal consumption has weakened (though proper decoupling has not happened). This result has also been found by other papers (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301421522000374?casa_token=ur4I9csWPxMAAAAA:XvDnZS6_X4l6EF3B_cUEFbj37kZI-yj05pZekJnnRrpOpaQ8oJir3EQyqQXWLHavl3USIpYsMtE). Overall, these results point to a consistent relationship between economic growth and coal consumption, though this relationship is expected to weaken as the Chinese economy advances technologically. Putting these together as a baseline with respect to our forecasting questions, I agree with the rough picture that peak coal before 2026 is very unlikely (10% at best). I also think that the academic results with respect to the weak(ening) relationship between economic growth and coal consumption are likely to hold. However, I do anticipate Chinese growth to slow down substantially over the next years, with there already being quite substantial heterogeneity as to their current growth rate, reported to be over 5%, though unlikely to actually be that. Additionally, while renewable energy is unlikely to replace coal consumption any time soon, their status in the Chinese economy is likely to have substantial effects from around 2030 onwards (both in terms of price pressures in the context of solar but also with respect to the country’s image and the subsequent subsidies afforded to the renewable sector and away from coal as citizen’s concerns for clean air are likely to become more relevant as the rest of the economy advances). For 2026, I anticipate a slowing but consistent growth to about 4950 Mt, with a substantially heavier right tail.

From forecaster predicting 5,020 Mt of coal consumption in China in 2026

IEA's consistent under forecast factor of 2.8%, as mentioned by my fellow forecaster, would yield a corrected forecast of 4,927 MT for 2026. The slow down in the Chinese economy, particularly in the housing market, should lead to a slow-down in demand. This is likely to be offset by an increase in military production and a post-Covid peak return to normalcy of movement within China. Paradoxically the move towards EVs will diminish gas consumption at the cost of electric energy demand, partially driven by coal. China plans to increase their coal plant capacity by ~1/3. Why would they do this is if they do not expect a significant increase in demand? The current average age of coal plants in China is 13 years. They already have this sunk cost, with nearly 3 decades of life remaining in the existing capacity. Anything short of massive calamitous events that force a political recalculation, are unlikely to see a short term decrease in coal consumption. Green energy capacity is increasing, but not at a rate to cover the additional demand for energy, especially in a warming world. https://globalenergymonitor.org/projects/global-coal-plant-trackedashboard/

From forecaster predicting 5,022 Mt of coal consumption in China in 2026

In forecasting it's actually a good thing if you can find a person or institution that is consistently wrong. Fivethirtyeight had this insight with certain pollsters, finding that if they adjusted for partisan biases, the pollsters became a lot more reliable.The China 2026 coal forecast is therefore fairly straightforward, since I found that the past forecasting errors on the part of IEA offer a remarkable consistency of about 2.8 percentage points per year. My guess is this is basically the optimism bias that one finds in forecasting, often by people who admittedly have good intentions. Using that method a floor would then be 4,927 Mt for 2026, assuming no errors for IEA's 2023 estimate. Assuming that error does apply for 2023 (which would have been a winning strategy in past years) gets me to 5,022 for a 2026 median, which is higher than the IEA's 4,535 Mt. Then I have the right tail be longer than the left, given the experience of the past couple years. So overall the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for these years should come to around 2.6%. This makes intuitive sense, since the long-term CAGR through 2017 was 2.7%, with an acceleration to 4.0% for the 2017-22 period.
According to globalenergymonitor.org, China has maintained a pace of issuing permits for 2 new coal power plants per week. Some of this is simply an offsetting of decommissioned old plants of course--according to the coal plant tracker dashboard, 2023 is looking like 136 GW in new construction for China but 120 GW of retirements. With China's energy consumption growing by 6% in 2023 according to IEA though, coal will remain part of the mix for the time being.
On the steel side of the ledger (this being the other major use of coal, to heat the metal), China's steel industry has been in the doldrums for a few years now, with only a slight increase in production in 2023. There are no expectations by the steel industry of higher profits or more stimulus coming (source). So because of all that, I don't expect much increase in coal consumption from that sector.
Finally, it's notable that ten years ago the forecasts for the peak were for around 2020, including by the Chinese government (see pages 3 and 45 here) At the moment Sinopec forecasts peak coal consumption for China to come in 2025. I would probably go more for the latter part of this decade given the momentums, but I think the key point is that the clean energy takeover in China has indeed been pushed back 5 to 10 years.

From forecaster predicting 5,038 Mt of coal consumption in China in 2026

As another forecaster points out, China has been on a bit of a coal burning spree recently: the pre-2017 CAGR was 2.7%, but it accelerated to 4.0% for the 2017-22 period. This was partly due to power shortages that some provinces of China experienced, particularly in 2021 and 2022. Meanwhile, poor rainfall in recent years combined with a decline in Chinese dam projects since 2015 meant that hydropower was unable to pick up the slack; as a percentage of electricity production, hydro actually fell from around 19% in 2014 to less than 16% in 2022, and utilisation was close to historic lows. Rainfall picked up in the summer of 2023, however, and this may stay high in 2024, which is one reason we might expect coal consumption not to increase too sharply and why the IEA might even be right that coal consumption will have peaked in 2023.
How did China increase its coal power generation? According to Global Energy Monitor’s Global Coal Plant Tracker, they revived previously cancelled and shelved projects and approved brand new ones. In 2023, it added almost 50,000 MW and retired less than 4,000 MW.
But just as renewable electricity capacity is not the same as renewable electricity generation (it makes up over 50% of China’s capacity but only about 26% of its generation), additional coal capacity doesn’t necessarily mean that it will be drawn on, as Hannah Ritchie points out. Indeed, coal consumption and coal-based electricity generation did fall around 2014 despite much more coal power capacity having been added than retired in the years preceding this. If the increase in renewable generation can outpace the increase in power demand for the first time, this could happen again.
That said, if Ritchie is right about coal plants being uneconomical (China is offering coal producers capacity payments to keep their plants online even when they’re not being used), this is arguably a sign that China is serious about utilising them at the expense of solar and wind (which have their own economic problems, absent good storage capabilities). Since power plant approvals are now decentralised, provincial leaders may judge that it’s better for the economy as a whole to avoid blackouts of a few hours even if coal plants become stranded assets. Most of the countries (Switzerland, France, Sweden, Iceland) that have managed to create a low-carbon or zero-carbon electricity system rely heavily on some mix of n***, hydro and geothermal, and China is only planning on producing 10% of its electricity from n*** by 2035.
Also, the IEA has been too optimistic in the past as a colleague notes, and I’d give more credence to the analyses cited by my colleagues suggesting that coal consumption will peak later this decade (although some these analyses seem to think coal consumption will ‘peak’ at a figure lower than the 2022 and 2023 figures, which is a bit confusing). Finally, a conflict between China and Taiwan could cause demand to stagnate or fall, as could a lacklustre economy (which will also impact steel production). On the other hand, it could cause China to ramp up coal production.
Overall, I don’t think coal consumption in 2026 will be as high as some forecasters are predicting (based on an extrapolation of recent trends), because hydropower may regress toward mean utilisation levels after falling close to historical lows during the drought in 2021 and 2022, while additional solar and wind capacity (even with low utilisation rates) may finally start to shoulder a significant part of the extra demand. However, I don’t think it will be as low as the IEA is projecting because solar and wind still have limitations (as discussed by others), n****** and hydropower probably aren’t sufficient for coal to peak in 2023, and the IEA has historically underestimated coal consumption. A peak in the latter half of the decade appears more plausible, especially as this is what China itself is signalling will happen.

continued in comments

To clarify, I now know that there are different definitions of the word “ship”, but for the purposes of this article and to keep things simple I will use the definition of “a relationship that’s rushed and/or forced with no real development.” I hope you can understand as I do not know of any other single word to describe that concept. If you do, perhaps you can tell me. Also, fair warning, this is long form content (some 10 pages), if you like it but can’t read it all at once you can save it and come back to it over a period of time, or you can stop reading whenever you get tired of it and still discuss those parts of it with me that you have read. But keep it civil if you want a civil response.
With that, to qualify the title, no, Ezra and Sabine do NOT absolutely have to be a couple, but if they were to become one, it would NOT be a ship. Ezra and Sabine’s relationship has had years of development. Could they remain as simply friends? Yes, but ironically, it was their “friendship” that felt like more of a ship. It felt like the Ahsoka show, helmed by Dave Filoni, was going out of its way to tell us: “no, they’re not a couple, they’re just friends.”
I believe that Filoni made some very poor writing choices to stress something that didn’t really need to be stressed, such that it almost felt like he was in denial. The line “I love you like a sister” was never in Rebels, Filoni essentially had that retconned in, and like many I was put off by their (largely) emotionless reunion. Even if they were “just friends” I believe there would be a great deal more emotion displayed between two people that hadn’t seen each other in some ten years, especially when one of them was in a precarious situation when they parted. I also believe Ezra would be far more curious about Sabine being Force sensitive, perhaps even offering to help train her when she told him that her training hadn’t gone as well with Ahsoka. He did help to train her with the Darksaber, didn’t he? Why that never came up is another discussion, but for now, let’s focus on shipping.
In case you think I’m desperate to have them as a couple, no I’m not. I’m about the furthest thing from it. Like many millennials and Gen-Z’ers (and perhaps some Gen-Xers and boomers) I DESPISE shipping. Absolutely DESPISE it. With a flaming passion. Perhaps for this reason, and maybe some others, like many millennials and Gen-Z’ers (and perhaps some Gen-Xers and boomers), I’m generally wary of nearly all romance in fiction, and generally avoid it in my own work. The sad reality is that romance is perhaps the most abused genre in all of fiction, all throughout history. It has been so badly abused that many people, including myself for the longest time, have equated romance with shipping, though I’m slowly beginning to see that they are not the same thing, and one does not necessarily have to go with the other.
But sadly, many writers, through time immemorial, have not been able to separate them, going back into ancient times and perhaps even into pre-history, that is before languages were actually written down. Some of what is considered great literature; classics like Romeo and Juliet, are predicated on shipping, though at least the consequences of this “whirlwind romance” are shown to be fairly stark. Star Wars itself is no stranger to shipping, resulting in a very awkward incestuous kiss when Luke was shipped with Leia, then Leia was placed with Han and Lucas made Luke and Leia brother and sister, apparently having forgotten his original ship. Later Lucas essentially shipped Anakin and Padme, resulting in some of the most cringeworthy dialog in the history of film. Many fans of the Prequels even have been somewhat critical of Anakin’s portrayal, particularly in regards to the “romantic” scenes, with many describing them as “creepy”. Some have speculated that this was intentional, though personally I think it was just the result of bad writing on the part of George Lucas, and an impatience on his part for Anakin and Padme to become a couple, hence “shipping”.
One might wonder why this is so prevalent in fiction, and tragically, one does not have to look far. Fiction is merely a reflection of reality, therefore the reason that shipping is so common in our stories is that we fall so easily into it in real life. Indeed, entire cultures may be based around shipping, or at least very heavily wrapped up in it. Throughout history arranged marriages have been the norm, and the idea of marrying for “love” is something relatively new. To be fair, I’ve actually met people in arranged marriages who seemed to be fairly happy, but those same people were very open in telling me that many despise that aspect of their culture, and that it is quite normal for those in an arranged marriage to try to get out.
People might come together for “love” without marrying, but even then it often creates expectations that might turn into a burden. Even when a marriage is voluntary and for “love”, people are often left unsatisfied, such that today in the West the divorce rate is something like 50%. Happy, stable, long term relationships seem to be the exception across cultures and across the breadth and width of time. And yet pursuit of love and some kind of relationship seems to be the highest calling for many people, both in real life and in fiction. And it could be that the accumulated disgust is finally starting to boil over.
To be fair, this may not be the first time in history that the pendulum has shifted. You may recall that in Victorian times attitudes changed drastically, as compared to the previously bawdy Elizabethan times. Looking at a play from Shakespear, if you can understand the language, you’ll see all kinds of vulgar references, as well as what I believe are fairly sappy romances like in the aforementioned Romeo and Juliet, though I can’t say for certain whether Shakespear was actually endorsing that type of attitude towards “love” or presenting it as a cautionary tale, maybe even something to be ridiculed in some of his other plays.
But regardless, Victorians as you may well know had a very conservative attitude towards anything to do with romance, and would often avoid the subject in many places, or tread very carefully around it, as if walking on eggshells. It’s not that people stopped being romantic, in fiction or real life, but it was treated as something very serious and even dangerous, with many urges repressed or even suppressed entirely. This had all kinds of effects on society, both positive and negative. On the positive side, it reinforced the ideal of people being committed to their partners, and of marriage as a sacred institution rather than a “casual hookup” as was more common in Elizabethan times. Likewise it reinforced ideals of modesty and chastity, which may be coming back into vogue, though under different names. But just as there were positive aspects to these attitudes, so were there negative ones.
Just because the urges I described were repressed did not mean that they disappeared. In fact, they often morphed into things that many would consider “unhealthy”. From one statistic that I saw, in Victorian times about one in every 60 houses was a brothel, with the modern rate being closer to one in 6000. Additionally, the rights of women were often repressed, such that they could not fully express themselves and find their own identity, and path in life, as individuals. Just as Elizabethan ideals gave way to Victorian ones, so did the Victorian ideals gradually begin to erode.
Perhaps it began with the Jazz Age of the 1920’s (the “Roaring Twenties”), or with the increased interconnectivity of people traveling to different parts of the world during World War I, not to mention the cynicism that pervaded throughout the West in response to failed old ideals leading to the deadliest war in history up to that point, but many Victorian ideals began to be seen as a joke, and even resented for their “oppression”, which to be fair was not entirely unjustified. But regardless, people gradually, and at times not so gradually, became more and more “liberated” and promiscuous. This culminated in the Sexual Revolution in the late 1960’s, when what had previously been seen as a vice and even a sin was now seen as not only “normal” but as a healthy form of expression, a virtue even. And just as these ideas were embraced in real life, so too were they reflected in our films, TV shows, and other media, often to the consternation of older people and institutions, like the Vatican. The Catholic Church even went so far as to “ban” certain films, that is to declare them immoral for good Catholics to watch. Many of the films that were banned back then, or at least controversial, like The Graduate with Dustin Hoffman, are fairly tame by today’s standards.
It continued through the 70’s, at times warming and at times cooling through the rest of the century, until you could argue it reached a kind of crescendo in the early 21st century with the advent of so-called “dark romance” and the publication of books like Fifty Shades of Grey. (Ironically, many of the themes within this “dark romance” can trace their roots back to the Victorian era, yet another indication that repressing urges without addressing them often doesn’t work out as one might hope.) But as happens all too often, just as something reaches peak popularity is when it begins to go out of style, and that is what we may be experiencing right now. As weird as it may sound, we may actually have come full circle and may be on the cusp of a “New Victorian Age” (complete with “dark romance”, even). Web sites like Porn Hub and OnlyFans, as well as other similar sites, may be the new “brothels”, and what was once openly celebrated may be going underground, to an extent. The effects of this on society have been interesting to say the least, and at times I would even say bizarre.
Whilst many younger people seem content with these changes, many older people are concerned. I’ve seen a number of books, films, and other media receive positive reviews for example based specifically on their lack of romance. Many of these books/films, etc. fall into the “young adult” category, meaning that it is young adults obviously who mostly consume them. At the same time I’ve heard a number of older people, mostly boomers and Gen-Xers, criticize these same books/films for their lack of romance. Even some older millennials seem upset by the changes, as perhaps evidenced by Jennifer Lawrence’s latest film No Hard Feelings (though to be fair that film may be lampooning the older generation’s frustration as well as the younger generation’s frigidity). So just as in the past older people were concerned about the promiscuity of the youth, now it actually appears that many older people are concerned about the youth’s lack of promiscuity.
Who could have seen that coming? But to be fair, the younger generation hasn’t gone completely frigid. As stated earlier, much of the promiscuity has gone “underground”, or online, which many would argue is not very healthy as it might undermine actual relationships, whether they are romantic in nature or simple friendships. And speaking of that, friendships within stories nowadays often aren’t portrayed in a very authentic or compelling manner, perhaps because in ditching romance modern writers haven’t quite yet learned how to replace it with something else. In other words, the “New Victorian Age” may not be an exact repeat of the previous one, but may have its own twists and turns, for better and for worse.
This may all essentially be a manifestation of the Human Condition, in that we just can’t seem to find a happy medium, neither in real life nor in fiction. Thus we keep swinging from one extreme to the other, apparently getting wilder with each swing.
So where does all this leave us? What is it that we really want in our lives, and in our stories? Especially in regards to relationships? I think at some level we all want to see good and healthy relationships between people and/or characters, whether romantic or platonic. I believe at some point we would like to see good examples of both friendship and romance, and I would argue that the best examples of romance have them combined. Even a toxic relationship, if well portrayed or documented, can be instructive and serve as a good example of what to avoid in our lives that we might be happier and relate better to each other. A good relationship, by contrast, can give us something to aspire to and inspire us to not only look for the right kind of person to complement our lives, but to make ourselves worthy of that person. And here I’ll add that I’m perfectly aware that in real life (and thus in fiction) relationships can be very complicated and heavily nuanced, with elements of both “good” and “bad” in them. Just as people change over time so can the relationships between them change, at times getting better and at times worse, sometimes breaking entirely and sometimes growing stronger. Relationships can have just as many layers and dimensions as characters, more even perhaps, and a skilled writer should be able to reflect this complexity. At other times a relationship can be fairly straightforward, simplicity sometimes being the best approach. But regardless, the audience should be able to relate and identify with what they are seeing, such that hopefully they can incorporate the lessons from it in their own lives.
Where can we find good examples of relationships to study? There may be a number of them in the real world, but the trouble with studying real world relationships is that they’re often much more complicated than fictional ones (just as real people are more complicated than fictional characters), and for many of them it is almost impossible to know all the details and nuances because they are often kept private, understandably so, and even if they aren’t it can still be difficult, due to unique circumstances, to see how to relate them to our own lives. Additionally there may be far more disagreement about a real life situation than a fictional one, with many more points of view. To keep things simple, for the purpose of this article I would like to focus on fictional relationships. (And fair warning, there will be some spoilers.)
One of the best places to look, I would argue, would be the films of Hayao Miyazaki. (And this is pretty significant to Star Wars as you will see in a bit.) A film of his that stands out to me the most is Princess Mononoke. Like many of Miyazaki’s films it has elements of romance, and yet subverts them in a way that makes complete sense and feels very genuine, without taking away from any of the accompanying charm. It starts with two young people, San and Ashitaka, and as soon as they encounter each other there is a kind of expectation of romance. This may be inevitable to some degree when you have a man and a woman of about the same age encounter each other in a story, especially if they happen to be adolescents. The expectation may not be inherently bad, and Miyazaki does play with it. Both characters are thrust into dangerous situations, at various points end up saving each other’s lives, and at a certain point I think it is obvious that they have feelings for each other. I was certain that at the end of the film, they would be together, and if things had gone that way, it would make complete sense. Instead, they go in different directions, but remain good friends, and considering their backgrounds and differing worldviews, this ends up making even more sense to the story.
Essentially, Miyazaki could have gone for the more conventional, tried and true “love conquers all” narrative, where the characters’ feelings for each other would negate everything that comes between them, they would somehow find a common ground in spite of their differences, the romance would not only take over the narrative but somehow also solve all the problems in the story, and then the couple would live “happily ever after”. Such an approach is not inherently bad or wrong, and is fairly common in Western media and storytelling. We can see it in films like Fern Gully, and more recently James Cameron’s Avatar, both of which have been compared to Princess Mononoke. As you can probably guess, the problem is that at a certain point such a narrative can become fairly simplistic, and lack nuance.
Miyazaki’s films, by contrast, are very heavily nuanced, and are anything but simplistic. In Princess Mononoke the characters San and Ashitaka don’t help each other simply because they are “in love”, but because it is the right thing to do, regardless of how they might feel about each other. Yes, romantic feelings are certainly alluded to, but they are not essential to the plot, for it could have worked just as well without any romantic allusions. And ironically, this makes those allusions even more valid, even if they are unrequited. How so?
Consider that if love is essential to a given narrative, is it not relegated to being nothing more than a plot device? Again, this is quite common in Western media and storytelling, and is not inherently bad or wrong, but when it becomes a trope or cliche, I believe it is the essence of where shipping comes from. Many storytellers get caught up in this, usually without realizing it, and while a story can still work even with shipping, I believe that it usually works that much better without it.
This extends not only to Miyazaki’s handling of romance but also to other things like environmentalism, the conflict between man and nature, and the contrasting ideals of human progress vs. preserving the natural order. Movies like Fern Gully and Avatar, as already mentioned, handle these themes in a fairly simplistic and I would even say hamfisted manner, whereby all progress and technology is shown as being inherently “bad” and in service to “evil”, while everything that’s “natural” is shown to be inherently “good”. Even our notions of good and evil, and right vs. wrong, are challenged by Miyazaki, with nearly all of his characters having complex motives and multiple dimensions to them, as well as understandable reasons for doing the things that they do. Rarely can any one of his characters be branded as a simple “villain”, and rarely is any one individual the source of conflict in his stories, again in contrast to most Western narratives.
I’ll reiterate once more, a simple, straightforward narrative is not inherently a bad thing, whether the themes being dealt with are romantic or anything else. Sometimes it is in fact the best approach. But the best stories in my opinion are usually the most nuanced, that challenge our notions of what we believe to be true, and that force us to think about what we do with our lives and what we could do differently. To that end Miyazaki introduces all manner of themes and motifs within his films that are familiar to us but shows them in a light most of us might not have considered, thus giving more dimension to our understanding of things.
“How is any of this related to Star Wars?” you might ask. It is quite related, and you don’t even have to look all that closely to see it. A very influential figure within Star Wars was very heavily inspired by the works of Miyazaki, and that figure is Dave Filoni.
This video shows the connections in some detail:
https://youtu.be/Q_4L0BbSpHo?si=04jDo6qFCnZT135w
But to summarize if you’ve seen any of Miyazaki’s films, especially Princess Mononoke, I think the callbacks in Filoni’s work will be all too obvious, especially in Star Wars Rebels. Some of the scenes in Filoni’s work look like they were taken directly from Miyazki’s films, and many of the same themes and motifs often come up. The relationship between San and Ashitaka I would argue is very similar to the relationship between Ezra and Sabine, and not just because both couples rode wolves together.
Incidentally, Dave Filoni was also heavily involved in Avatar: The Last Airbender, which I would also argue was at least to some degree inspired if not by Miyazaki then by Japanese anime in general. The relationship between Aang and Katara was developed with great care and was allowed to build very slowly, as opposed to simply shipping them. Likewise other characters very gradually developed as individuals and in their relationships, at times stumbling as they did so, and making mistakes, before finding their way back to the right path.
All of this is in stark contrast to George Lucas, whose character development is often very rushed at best, and at times some might say almost non-existent. So essentially, even though Lucas has said that Filoni has been “like a son” to him, and I believe referred to Filoni as his “padawan”, I would argue that Filoni is ultimately as much a student of Miyazaki as he is of Lucas.
Again, you might ask, “What does all this mean for Star Wars?” It means a great many things. It means that Dave Filoni has taken Miyazaki’s lessons to heart, and can handle things like romance, as well as other kinds of relationships, quite well most of the time. Like Miyazaki he can play with romance, tease the audience with it at times even, leave the romance unrequited, and yet still have it feel satisfying. A prime example of this is the love triangle that Ahsoka was involved in with the young Separatist Senator, Lux Bonteri, and Steela Gerrera. As wary as I am of romance and as much as I despise shipping, love triangles I normally despise even more, but this one seemed to actually work. It never took over the main story, and even though Ahsoka’s feelings were ultimately not reciprocated, she still learned from the experience, and grew and developed further as a character because of it. The other characters involved in this triangle also grew and developed from their involvement, though unfortunately not all of them made it. All in all it was a good bit of storytelling and gave the audience something to consider.
When a relationship in one of Filoni’s stories does bloom into a full blown romance he also generally handles it quite well. For one Filoni is sparing with actual romance, so that when it does occur, it can be that much more appreciated. And rather than rushing or shipping it, Filoni normally takes his time to build it up. An example of this is the relationship between Kanan and Hera. Some might argue that this is perhaps the best developed romance in all of Star Wars, at least in Canon. Built up over four seasons, at times it wasn’t certain whether it was a romance or a friendship, or perhaps even a professional partnership. Perhaps even the characters themselves were not certain, though it was hinted all throughout the narrative that something was going on. To this day I don’t believe anyone can say definitively when it became an actual romance, and I believe Filoni did this intentionally because he wanted to be subtle, rather than making things too obvious and having the romance take over the narrative, as it usually does. When it finally did become obvious as to what was happening, it felt very much earned, in a way that is seldom accomplished in other works of fiction, including Star Wars.
The relationship between Ezra and Sabine was also fairly well written, for the most part anyway, at least in Star Wars Rebels. Ezra was almost immediately smitten with Sabine, but being a young teenage boy, it was understandable that he would feel that way about an attractive girl. Over time he learned to see her more respectfully, as a colleague and even as part of his adopted family, not just as a pretty face. Sabine for her part found Ezra annoying at first (c’mon, what teenage boy isn’t?), but as he matured and she found out more about him she came to understand and respect him more, and see him as a friend and almost a brother, with there being potential for something more.
There were times when the relationship could have been better written, like in the episode “Blood Sisters”, where Ezra was written to be a bit too immature to make Sabine look wiser. But overall, the bond between them developed fairly well; both saved one another at various times, and took risks and made sacrifices for each other’s sake. Both reassured and comforted the other when they needed it, and it was endearing to hear their banter when they became more familiar and trusting of each other.
So why then was I so disappointed in how they were portrayed in the Ahsoka show? The thing is, after how well their relationship was built up in Rebels, as I’ve already mentioned it was strange to see how lackluster and uninspired their reunion was.
Within the Ahsoka show itself Sabine was shown to be almost obsessed with finding Ezra, living in what used to be his home, watching a recording of him over and over again, and calling out his name as she woke up in the middle of the night. She even risked bringing Thrawn back into the Galaxy, which ultimately happened, just so she could see Ezra again. After all that, when she finally does encounter him, her reaction seems fairly casual, as does his, as if they’ve been apart for no more than a week, rather than 10 years. Not too much happens between them afterwards either. Like I said Ezra does not appear all that curious about what happened with Sabine, how she found him, and how it was that she was now Force sensitive. Sabine likewise did not seem curious about what had happened with Ezra, and how he had gotten away from Thrawn. And with Ezra rescued and returned home, suddenly it didn’t seem as though Sabine was all that interested in him anymore, nor he all that concerned with her, though they were just as far apart as they had been at the start of the show. To be completely honest it made me wonder what the point of the whole show was. Were they just working to set up Thrawn’s return to the Galaxy? As some have said, Ezra felt like nothing more than a Macguffin in the show. Was Sabine and Ahsoka’s search for him just a plot device?
Considering how skillfully Dave Filoni had written his stories in the past, what happened in this latest project of his does not make much sense. Was he so concerned about “shipping” and so desperate to avoid it that he inadvertently “shipped” them in the other direction? Was there some sort of external pressure on him about how to write this story to have more of an appeal to “modern audiences”? Maybe some combination of those factors?
And here I’ll add that when I say “modern audiences” I don’t mean that in a contemptuous sense, though you may think I do. If there is any contempt on my part it is for those in charge of telling our stories, or those in charge of those telling our stories, who do not seem to grasp these basic truths. The truth is that audiences at their core don’t really change throughout the ages, only superficially so. Trends come and go but certain truths and ideals are eternal, and universal. How people relate to each other fundamentally does not change, whether they are friends, or more than friends. And deep down, I believe everyone (or nearly everyone at least) wants the same things. Nearly everyone at some point wants some kind of a connection with another human being, to know that they are not alone in the world, and to know that there is someone else who sees and understands things as they do. While this desire can certainly lead to abuse, and absolutely has, it is still innate to us and is not inherently wrong. Finding ways of connecting and relating to other people is one of the great challenges of life, but many would argue it is the most worthwhile of challenges. It may be the whole point of life if you think about it. As complex as it may be, many would argue it is what makes life worth living, and likewise makes for the best stories. Just as it may be the whole point of life many would say that is what most stories are about at their core: people trying to relate to one another.
Sadly, just as in real life, most stories unfortunately don’t quite get it, and the Ahsoka show in my opinion was an example of this, made all the sadder by the fact that Dave Filoni had done quite well with these characters up to that point. We may never know for certain what exactly went wrong and why, or if it can ever be “fixed” at this point, but I can’t help but feel curious. Maybe in the future Filoni will find a way to make it make sense, but I’m not sure how. And to be completely honest I don’t feel quite as enthusiastic to find out as I used to.
Also for the record I would like to add here that there are other factors that put me off from the show, such as Sabine’s Force sensitivity, that came about without much build up. But in this article I specifically wanted to focus on shipping because there seems to be so much misunderstanding around it.
I hope that I was able to clarify some, if not most of this misunderstanding, so that people could better appreciate what shipping is, where it comes from, as well as what it isn’t. Many people today are understandably sick of shipping characters, myself included. But I hope people realize that in overcompensating for something, we often come back around into the very thing that we are overcompensating for. Or sometimes, into something even worse. This may apply to nearly every facet of life, by the way, not just shipping. Finding a happy medium in how we portray our fictional relationships may help us to better understand relationships in real life, as well as how to navigate them. Neither fictional nor actual relationships can ever be perfect but they can always be better. To this understanding then I hope that I was able to give my own modest contribution, and if nothing else I hope we can connect on that.

Hello friends, I am an 18-year-old League of Legends player. And I want to tell you an interesting experience, I'll tell you all in advance. I wish you a good reading. Surprisingly, one of the days One day while playing League of Legends again I alt-tabbed to change the song I opened on Spotify. But when I throw it, what do I see? In the Spotify commercial, I saw that the world's most famous cola company had released a new cola for League of Legends. literally shock I was like dead, the fat-clogged veins of my heart were beating loudly with excitement. My eyes are wide open It was opened. A new Lol coke. This was literally a new LoL coke. It sounded amazing, I've been waiting for this moment for years. I was born for this. I immediately started researching, tapping my greasy fingers on the keyboard. How does it taste? My questions such as where to sell, how to reach I answered. Unfortunately, it didn't give RP like it used to, but since I'm a Lillia main, I still had to buy this LoL-specific cola, even though it didn't give anything. I learned the place and time it was sold and prepared a plan. I was going to buy it from Walmart near my house and drink it. The plan was quite difficult; Very difficult steps such as stepping outside, walking and even communicating with the cashier It was hosting. But I had to. I set off immediately. As soon as I opened the door and went out, the sun It penetrated my skin and made a "ciss" sound. It's been years since I last went out for a Lol Coke. I had no problem with Sunshine. Oxygen felt quite strange. After a few difficult steps Finally I arrived at Migros. You go inside, avoid eye contact with everyone, and grab the cold drinks cabinet at the top. on it, I saw it. It was there... It was shining with gold, it was very majestic. my eyes It was dazzlingly beautiful. As soon as I hold it in my hand, I was the happiest person in the world now. As soon as I bought it, I ran to the cash register, I had the coke in one hand and the money in the other. I gave the money to the cashier, who easily took it through the cash register and gave it to me, and I quickly ran without taking my change. I started. This much social interaction is very hard on my body. It was too much. But it was worth it. I was at the exit now, with a LoL cola in my hand. I succeeded. I raised my hands and shouted: I did it! I DID IT! But then my social anxiety took over and I started shaking. When I stopped shaking, I opened the coke. Even her ccooosss voice was so beautiful, so charming. my mouth I placed it on the opening and started drinking. gulp first sip. But something was abnormal, it wasn't exactly a foreign taste to me. Gulp, second sip, I knew this taste, I could imagine it. gulp third sip. With every sip I take, in my brain Another missing piece of the puzzle fell into place. And before I was halfway through the box, my mind The puzzle was completed. It tasted exactly like the toes of Lillia's right hind hoof. That hairy, noble leg of his, hard, but beautiful hoof that softens as I split it with my tongue... The moment I realized this, my eyes started to spin. It's easy after a while! I realized that I stopped drinking and preferred coke. I was going crazy. As if he was licking Lillia's asshole, her face red with embarrassment, and her tail It was like she was caressing my face. When you say "don't do it, stop", you mean it She was whispering "fuck me all the way to my intestines" as if to my ear. I was becoming an unchained slave to my own passion, my libido. Lillia to fuck loudly My deep desire to be was overtaking my perception of reality. 100% of my brain was working to fuck this side gazelle creature. These thoughts slowly It took over my entire brain and I literally went crazy. Foaming from my mouth She was squirting, my eyes were seeing Lillia's gazelle pussy everywhere. Half cola in the box I stopped thrusting my tongue and forced my dick into the drink hole. Ahahaha! He was covered in blood, but the pleasure I felt was indescribable. As if I had no tomorrow I started to fuck the box. all over my dick It was peeling, my blood covered the entire outside of the box; Some of it had leaked in and mixed with the cola in the box. I could hear Lillia in my ear. She was neighing, "fuck me like there's no tomorrow, "Tear my ass to pieces, my love," he was moaning. I accelerated to satisfy my wife, your moans gigliks took their place. It was the best feeling in the world, I held his hind legs and wrapped his tail around my hand. She was rocking while he fucked her tight asshole In my dream world, She was screaming that I was her daddy. I ejaculated. When I spilled my sperm, which was a sign of my love for Lillia, into the box filled with coke and my blood, I was under the influence of the legendary pressure. The box exploded in my hand. And this love liquid inside was scattered all over the sky. It was pouring like rain. This blessed rain, which for some is the symbol of my lost sanity and for some is the symbol of my epic love for Lillia, is with me and everything around me. He was blessing humanity with his abundance. A lot, but a lot It was beautiful. I found absolute peace at that very moment. Until the day I die, from the real gazelle's pussy. I won't fuck anything else, Lillia. I promise you my love, I love you...

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[5] Cthulhu Death May Die season 2 - new and sealed $75
[4] Descent Journeys in the Dark(1st ed) - great shape for its age $65
[4] Adventure Tactics 2nd edition with painted heroes, into the slimer-verse and hero pack 1 all in good shape $85
[4] Summit the board game with Teams and Yeti expansion and the flare gun promo card all in good shape $70
[4] Knightfall - in great shape $20
[4] Escape the Dark Castle - great shape $25
[4] Folklore the Affliction 2nd edition - great shape $25
[4] Perdition's Mouth: Abyssal Rift original KS version - great shape $40
[4] Zpocalypse 2 Defend the Burbs with Wasteland expansion and extra tiles pack, chits in plano container - never played $30
[3] Final War with both expansions - main box a little rough and has demo sticker but everything complete and in great shape $40
[5] World of Warcraft escape game - new and sealed $15
[4] Gloomhaven Jaws of the Lion with removable sticker set - great shape $30
[4] Forgotten Depths - huge box, never played $25
[4] Marvel United with Dr Strange - never played $20
[4] Spurs A Tale in the Old West w/ Gambler and Legends expansion - never played but opened $30
[3] Heroes Wanted - base game, good shape $20
[4] Fire Tower - retail base game - played once, great shape $20
[3] Galaxy Defenders w/ expansions Extinction Protocol and Operation Strikeback - all content in expansion boxes all in good shape $100
[4] Huge Shadows of Brimstone collection (local only) Cities of Ancients, Swamps of Death, Frontier Town, Allies of the Old West, Belial (2x), Dark Stone Hydra, Drifter Hero, Flesh Stalker and Flesh Drones, Harvesters From Beyond, Hellfire Succubi, Orphan Hero, Caverns of Cynder expansion, Prospector hero, Sand Kraken XXL, Scourge Rats and Rats Nest, Swamp Slugs, Lost Army expansion, Scafford Gang deluxe, Tredderran Raiders, Undead Outlaws and Undead Gunslinger(2x), signed photo of KS team, treasure chest with darkstone gems, mini rifle, artbook - 2 huge mini organizers with labels, characters in plano containers, cards sleeved in storage container - everything in great shape, all minis assembled $350 - local only please.
[4] Maximum Apocalypse 2nd edition w/ Gothic Horrors 2nd edition expansion box and 4 neoprene mats and the KS exclusive Redhead character, Wasted Wilds with expansions The Few and Cursed, Time Traveler and Allies of the Rapture all in great shape or still sealed $225
[5] Sub Terra 2 with both expansions - base game opened and played once, expansions sealed $80
[4] Super Fantasy Brawl base game w/ neoprene mats, tower upgrades and character expansions Art of War, Force of Nature, Mental Might and Radiant Authority - all in great shape $120
[5] Zombicide Green Horde Friends or Foes - still sealed $30
[4] Zombicide Green Horde - Obstacles and Barricades 3d packs - great shape $40

To clarify, I now know that there are different definitions of the word “ship”, but for the purposes of this article and to keep things simple I will use the definition of “a relationship that’s rushed and/or forced with no real development.” I hope you can understand as I do not know of any other single word to describe that concept. If you do, perhaps you can tell me. Also, fair warning, this is long form content (some 10 pages), if you like it but can’t read it all at once you can save it and come back to it over a period of time, or you can stop reading whenever you get tired of it and still discuss those parts of it with me that you have read. But keep it civil if you want a civil response.
With that, to qualify the title, no, Ezra and Sabine do NOT absolutely have to be a couple, but if they were to become one, it would NOT be a ship. Ezra and Sabine’s relationship has had years of development. Could they remain as simply friends? Yes, but ironically, it was their “friendship” that felt like more of a ship. It felt like the Ahsoka show, helmed by Dave Filoni, was going out of its way to tell us: “no, they’re not a couple, they’re just friends.”
I believe that Filoni made some very poor writing choices to stress something that didn’t really need to be stressed, such that it almost felt like he was in denial. The line “I love you like a sister” was never in Rebels, Filoni essentially had that retconned in, and like many I was put off by their (largely) emotionless reunion. Even if they were “just friends” I believe there would be a great deal more emotion displayed between two people that hadn’t seen each other in some ten years, especially when one of them was in a precarious situation when they parted. I also believe Ezra would be far more curious about Sabine being Force sensitive, perhaps even offering to help train her when she told him that her training hadn’t gone as well with Ahsoka. He did help to train her with the Darksaber, didn’t he? Why that never came up is another discussion, but for now, let’s focus on shipping.
In case you think I’m desperate to have them as a couple, no I’m not. I’m about the furthest thing from it. Like many millennials and Gen-Z’ers (and perhaps some Gen-Xers and boomers) I DESPISE shipping. Absolutely DESPISE it. With a flaming passion. Perhaps for this reason, and maybe some others, like many millennials and Gen-Z’ers (and perhaps some Gen-Xers and boomers), I’m generally wary of nearly all romance in fiction, and generally avoid it in my own work. The sad reality is that romance is perhaps the most abused genre in all of fiction, all throughout history. It has been so badly abused that many people, including myself for the longest time, have equated romance with shipping, though I’m slowly beginning to see that they are not the same thing, and one does not necessarily have to go with the other.
But sadly, many writers, through time immemorial, have not been able to separate them, going back into ancient times and perhaps even into pre-history, that is before languages were actually written down. Some of what is considered great literature; classics like Romeo and Juliet, are predicated on shipping, though at least the consequences of this “whirlwind romance” are shown to be fairly stark. Star Wars itself is no stranger to shipping, resulting in a very awkward incestuous kiss when Luke was shipped with Leia, then Leia was placed with Han and Lucas made Luke and Leia brother and sister, apparently having forgotten his original ship. Later Lucas essentially shipped Anakin and Padme, resulting in some of the most cringeworthy dialog in the history of film. Many fans of the Prequels even have been somewhat critical of Anakin’s portrayal, particularly in regards to the “romantic” scenes, with many describing them as “creepy”. Some have speculated that this was intentional, though personally I think it was just the result of bad writing on the part of George Lucas, and an impatience on his part for Anakin and Padme to become a couple, hence “shipping”.
One might wonder why this is so prevalent in fiction, and tragically, one does not have to look far. Fiction is merely a reflection of reality, therefore the reason that shipping is so common in our stories is that we fall so easily into it in real life. Indeed, entire cultures may be based around shipping, or at least very heavily wrapped up in it. Throughout history arranged marriages have been the norm, and the idea of marrying for “love” is something relatively new. To be fair, I’ve actually met people in arranged marriages who seemed to be fairly happy, but those same people were very open in telling me that many despise that aspect of their culture, and that it is quite normal for those in an arranged marriage to try to get out.
People might come together for “love” without marrying, but even then it often creates expectations that might turn into a burden. Even when a marriage is voluntary and for “love”, people are often left unsatisfied, such that today in the West the divorce rate is something like 50%. Happy, stable, long term relationships seem to be the exception across cultures and across the breadth and width of time. And yet pursuit of love and some kind of relationship seems to be the highest calling for many people, both in real life and in fiction. And it could be that the accumulated disgust is finally starting to boil over.
To be fair, this may not be the first time in history that the pendulum has shifted. You may recall that in Victorian times attitudes changed drastically, as compared to the previously bawdy Elizabethan times. Looking at a play from Shakespear, if you can understand the language, you’ll see all kinds of vulgar references, as well as what I believe are fairly sappy romances like in the aforementioned Romeo and Juliet, though I can’t say for certain whether Shakespear was actually endorsing that type of attitude towards “love” or presenting it as a cautionary tale, maybe even something to be ridiculed in some of his other plays.
But regardless, Victorians as you may well know had a very conservative attitude towards anything to do with romance, and would often avoid the subject in many places, or tread very carefully around it, as if walking on eggshells. It’s not that people stopped being romantic, in fiction or real life, but it was treated as something very serious and even dangerous, with many urges repressed or even suppressed entirely. This had all kinds of effects on society, both positive and negative. On the positive side, it reinforced the ideal of people being committed to their partners, and of marriage as a sacred institution rather than a “casual hookup” as was more common in Elizabethan times. Likewise it reinforced ideals of modesty and chastity, which may be coming back into vogue, though under different names. But just as there were positive aspects to these attitudes, so were there negative ones.
Just because the urges I described were repressed did not mean that they disappeared. In fact, they often morphed into things that many would consider “unhealthy”. From one statistic that I saw, in Victorian times about one in every 60 houses was a brothel, with the modern rate being closer to one in 6000. Additionally, the rights of women were often repressed, such that they could not fully express themselves and find their own identity, and path in life, as individuals. Just as Elizabethan ideals gave way to Victorian ones, so did the Victorian ideals gradually begin to erode.
Perhaps it began with the Jazz Age of the 1920’s (the “Roaring Twenties”), or with the increased interconnectivity of people traveling to different parts of the world during World War I, not to mention the cynicism that pervaded throughout the West in response to failed old ideals leading to the deadliest war in history up to that point, but many Victorian ideals began to be seen as a joke, and even resented for their “oppression”, which to be fair was not entirely unjustified. But regardless, people gradually, and at times not so gradually, became more and more “liberated” and promiscuous. This culminated in the Sexual Revolution in the late 1960’s, when what had previously been seen as a vice and even a sin was now seen as not only “normal” but as a healthy form of expression, a virtue even. And just as these ideas were embraced in real life, so too were they reflected in our films, TV shows, and other media, often to the consternation of older people and institutions, like the Vatican. The Catholic Church even went so far as to “ban” certain films, that is to declare them immoral for good Catholics to watch. Many of the films that were banned back then, or at least controversial, like The Graduate with Dustin Hoffman, are fairly tame by today’s standards.
It continued through the 70’s, at times warming and at times cooling through the rest of the century, until you could argue it reached a kind of crescendo in the early 21st century with the advent of so-called “dark romance” and the publication of books like Fifty Shades of Grey. (Ironically, many of the themes within this “dark romance” can trace their roots back to the Victorian era, yet another indication that repressing urges without addressing them often doesn’t work out as one might hope.) But as happens all too often, just as something reaches peak popularity is when it begins to go out of style, and that is what we may be experiencing right now. As weird as it may sound, we may actually have come full circle and may be on the cusp of a “New Victorian Age” (complete with “dark romance”, even). Web sites like Porn Hub and OnlyFans, as well as other similar sites, may be the new “brothels”, and what was once openly celebrated may be going underground, to an extent. The effects of this on society have been interesting to say the least, and at times I would even say bizarre.
Whilst many younger people seem content with these changes, many older people are concerned. I’ve seen a number of books, films, and other media receive positive reviews for example based specifically on their lack of romance. Many of these books/films, etc. fall into the “young adult” category, meaning that it is young adults obviously who mostly consume them. At the same time I’ve heard a number of older people, mostly boomers and Gen-Xers, criticize these same books/films for their lack of romance. Even some older millennials seem upset by the changes, as perhaps evidenced by Jennifer Lawrence’s latest film No Hard Feelings (though to be fair that film may be lampooning the older generation’s frustration as well as the younger generation’s frigidity). So just as in the past older people were concerned about the promiscuity of the youth, now it actually appears that many older people are concerned about the youth’s lack of promiscuity.
Who could have seen that coming? But to be fair, the younger generation hasn’t gone completely frigid. As stated earlier, much of the promiscuity has gone “underground”, or online, which many would argue is not very healthy as it might undermine actual relationships, whether they are romantic in nature or simple friendships. And speaking of that, friendships within stories nowadays often aren’t portrayed in a very authentic or compelling manner, perhaps because in ditching romance modern writers haven’t quite yet learned how to replace it with something else. In other words, the “New Victorian Age” may not be an exact repeat of the previous one, but may have its own twists and turns, for better and for worse.
This may all essentially be a manifestation of the Human Condition, in that we just can’t seem to find a happy medium, neither in real life nor in fiction. Thus we keep swinging from one extreme to the other, apparently getting wilder with each swing.
So where does all this leave us? What is it that we really want in our lives, and in our stories? Especially in regards to relationships? I think at some level we all want to see good and healthy relationships between people and/or characters, whether romantic or platonic. I believe at some point we would like to see good examples of both friendship and romance, and I would argue that the best examples of romance have them combined. Even a toxic relationship, if well portrayed or documented, can be instructive and serve as a good example of what to avoid in our lives that we might be happier and relate better to each other. A good relationship, by contrast, can give us something to aspire to and inspire us to not only look for the right kind of person to complement our lives, but to make ourselves worthy of that person. And here I’ll add that I’m perfectly aware that in real life (and thus in fiction) relationships can be very complicated and heavily nuanced, with elements of both “good” and “bad” in them. Just as people change over time so can the relationships between them change, at times getting better and at times worse, sometimes breaking entirely and sometimes growing stronger. Relationships can have just as many layers and dimensions as characters, more even perhaps, and a skilled writer should be able to reflect this complexity. At other times a relationship can be fairly straightforward, simplicity sometimes being the best approach. But regardless, the audience should be able to relate and identify with what they are seeing, such that hopefully they can incorporate the lessons from it in their own lives.
Where can we find good examples of relationships to study? There may be a number of them in the real world, but the trouble with studying real world relationships is that they’re often much more complicated than fictional ones (just as real people are more complicated than fictional characters), and for many of them it is almost impossible to know all the details and nuances because they are often kept private, understandably so, and even if they aren’t it can still be difficult, due to unique circumstances, to see how to relate them to our own lives. Additionally there may be far more disagreement about a real life situation than a fictional one, with many more points of view. To keep things simple, for the purpose of this article I would like to focus on fictional relationships. (And fair warning, there will be some spoilers.)
One of the best places to look, I would argue, would be the films of Hayao Miyazaki. (And this is pretty significant to Star Wars as you will see in a bit.) A film of his that stands out to me the most is Princess Mononoke. Like many of Miyazaki’s films it has elements of romance, and yet subverts them in a way that makes complete sense and feels very genuine, without taking away from any of the accompanying charm. It starts with two young people, San and Ashitaka, and as soon as they encounter each other there is a kind of expectation of romance. This may be inevitable to some degree when you have a man and a woman of about the same age encounter each other in a story, especially if they happen to be adolescents. The expectation may not be inherently bad, and Miyazaki does play with it. Both characters are thrust into dangerous situations, at various points end up saving each other’s lives, and at a certain point I think it is obvious that they have feelings for each other. I was certain that at the end of the film, they would be together, and if things had gone that way, it would make complete sense. Instead, they go in different directions, but remain good friends, and considering their backgrounds and differing worldviews, this ends up making even more sense to the story.
Essentially, Miyazaki could have gone for the more conventional, tried and true “love conquers all” narrative, where the characters’ feelings for each other would negate everything that comes between them, they would somehow find a common ground in spite of their differences, the romance would not only take over the narrative but somehow also solve all the problems in the story, and then the couple would live “happily ever after”. Such an approach is not inherently bad or wrong, and is fairly common in Western media and storytelling. We can see it in films like Fern Gully, and more recently James Cameron’s Avatar, both of which have been compared to Princess Mononoke. As you can probably guess, the problem is that at a certain point such a narrative can become fairly simplistic, and lack nuance.
Miyazaki’s films, by contrast, are very heavily nuanced, and are anything but simplistic. In Princess Mononoke the characters San and Ashitaka don’t help each other simply because they are “in love”, but because it is the right thing to do, regardless of how they might feel about each other. Yes, romantic feelings are certainly alluded to, but they are not essential to the plot, for it could have worked just as well without any romantic allusions. And ironically, this makes those allusions even more valid, even if they are unrequited. How so?
Consider that if love is essential to a given narrative, is it not relegated to being nothing more than a plot device? Again, this is quite common in Western media and storytelling, and is not inherently bad or wrong, but when it becomes a trope or cliche, I believe it is the essence of where shipping comes from. Many storytellers get caught up in this, usually without realizing it, and while a story can still work even with shipping, I believe that it usually works that much better without it.
This extends not only to Miyazaki’s handling of romance but also to other things like environmentalism, the conflict between man and nature, and the contrasting ideals of human progress vs. preserving the natural order. Movies like Fern Gully and Avatar, as already mentioned, handle these themes in a fairly simplistic and I would even say hamfisted manner, whereby all progress and technology is shown as being inherently “bad” and in service to “evil”, while everything that’s “natural” is shown to be inherently “good”. Even our notions of good and evil, and right vs. wrong, are challenged by Miyazaki, with nearly all of his characters having complex motives and multiple dimensions to them, as well as understandable reasons for doing the things that they do. Rarely can any one of his characters be branded as a simple “villain”, and rarely is any one individual the source of conflict in his stories, again in contrast to most Western narratives.
I’ll reiterate once more, a simple, straightforward narrative is not inherently a bad thing, whether the themes being dealt with are romantic or anything else. Sometimes it is in fact the best approach. But the best stories in my opinion are usually the most nuanced, that challenge our notions of what we believe to be true, and that force us to think about what we do with our lives and what we could do differently. To that end Miyazaki introduces all manner of themes and motifs within his films that are familiar to us but shows them in a light most of us might not have considered, thus giving more dimension to our understanding of things.
“How is any of this related to Star Wars?” you might ask. It is quite related, and you don’t even have to look all that closely to see it. A very influential figure within Star Wars was very heavily inspired by the works of Miyazaki, and that figure is Dave Filoni.
This video shows the connections in some detail:
https://youtu.be/Q_4L0BbSpHo?si=04jDo6qFCnZT135w
But to summarize if you’ve seen any of Miyazaki’s films, especially Princess Mononoke, I think the callbacks in Filoni’s work will be all too obvious, especially in Star Wars Rebels. Some of the scenes in Filoni’s work look like they were taken directly from Miyazki’s films, and many of the same themes and motifs often come up. The relationship between San and Ashitaka I would argue is very similar to the relationship between Ezra and Sabine, and not just because both couples rode wolves together.
Incidentally, Dave Filoni was also heavily involved in Avatar: The Last Airbender, which I would also argue was at least to some degree inspired if not by Miyazaki then by Japanese anime in general. The relationship between Aang and Katara was developed with great care and was allowed to build very slowly, as opposed to simply shipping them. Likewise other characters very gradually developed as individuals and in their relationships, at times stumbling as they did so, and making mistakes, before finding their way back to the right path.
All of this is in stark contrast to George Lucas, whose character development is often very rushed at best, and at times some might say almost non-existent. So essentially, even though Lucas has said that Filoni has been “like a son” to him, and I believe referred to Filoni as his “padawan”, I would argue that Filoni is ultimately as much a student of Miyazaki as he is of Lucas.
Again, you might ask, “What does all this mean for Star Wars?” It means a great many things. It means that Dave Filoni has taken Miyazaki’s lessons to heart, and can handle things like romance, as well as other kinds of relationships, quite well most of the time. Like Miyazaki he can play with romance, tease the audience with it at times even, leave the romance unrequited, and yet still have it feel satisfying. A prime example of this is the love triangle that Ahsoka was involved in with the young Separatist Senator, Lux Bonteri, and Steela Gerrera. As wary as I am of romance and as much as I despise shipping, love triangles I normally despise even more, but this one seemed to actually work. It never took over the main story, and even though Ahsoka’s feelings were ultimately not reciprocated, she still learned from the experience, and grew and developed further as a character because of it. The other characters involved in this triangle also grew and developed from their involvement, though unfortunately not all of them made it. All in all it was a good bit of storytelling and gave the audience something to consider.
When a relationship in one of Filoni’s stories does bloom into a full blown romance he also generally handles it quite well. For one Filoni is sparing with actual romance, so that when it does occur, it can be that much more appreciated. And rather than rushing or shipping it, Filoni normally takes his time to build it up. An example of this is the relationship between Kanan and Hera. Some might argue that this is perhaps the best developed romance in all of Star Wars, at least in Canon. Built up over four seasons, at times it wasn’t certain whether it was a romance or a friendship, or perhaps even a professional partnership. Perhaps even the characters themselves were not certain, though it was hinted all throughout the narrative that something was going on. To this day I don’t believe anyone can say definitively when it became an actual romance, and I believe Filoni did this intentionally because he wanted to be subtle, rather than making things too obvious and having the romance take over the narrative, as it usually does. When it finally did become obvious as to what was happening, it felt very much earned, in a way that is seldom accomplished in other works of fiction, including Star Wars.
The relationship between Ezra and Sabine was also fairly well written, for the most part anyway, at least in Star Wars Rebels. Ezra was almost immediately smitten with Sabine, but being a young teenage boy, it was understandable that he would feel that way about an attractive girl. Over time he learned to see her more respectfully, as a colleague and even as part of his adopted family, not just as a pretty face. Sabine for her part found Ezra annoying at first (c’mon, what teenage boy isn’t?), but as he matured and she found out more about him she came to understand and respect him more, and see him as a friend and almost a brother, with there being potential for something more.
There were times when the relationship could have been better written, like in the episode “Blood Sisters”, where Ezra was written to be a bit too immature to make Sabine look wiser. But overall, the bond between them developed fairly well; both saved one another at various times, and took risks and made sacrifices for each other’s sake. Both reassured and comforted the other when they needed it, and it was endearing to hear their banter when they became more familiar and trusting of each other.
So why then was I so disappointed in how they were portrayed in the Ahsoka show? The thing is, after how well their relationship was built up in Rebels, as I’ve already mentioned it was strange to see how lackluster and uninspired their reunion was.
Within the Ahsoka show itself Sabine was shown to be almost obsessed with finding Ezra, living in what used to be his home, watching a recording of him over and over again, and calling out his name as she woke up in the middle of the night. She even risked bringing Thrawn back into the Galaxy, which ultimately happened, just so she could see Ezra again. After all that, when she finally does encounter him, her reaction seems fairly casual, as does his, as if they’ve been apart for no more than a week, rather than 10 years. Not too much happens between them afterwards either. Like I said Ezra does not appear all that curious about what happened with Sabine, how she found him, and how it was that she was now Force sensitive. Sabine likewise did not seem curious about what had happened with Ezra, and how he had gotten away from Thrawn. And with Ezra rescued and returned home, suddenly it didn’t seem as though Sabine was all that interested in him anymore, nor he all that concerned with her, though they were just as far apart as they had been at the start of the show. To be completely honest it made me wonder what the point of the whole show was. Were they just working to set up Thrawn’s return to the Galaxy? As some have said, Ezra felt like nothing more than a Macguffin in the show. Was Sabine and Ahsoka’s search for him just a plot device?
Considering how skillfully Dave Filoni had written his stories in the past, what happened in this latest project of his does not make much sense. Was he so concerned about “shipping” and so desperate to avoid it that he inadvertently “shipped” them in the other direction? Was there some sort of external pressure on him about how to write this story to have more of an appeal to “modern audiences”? Maybe some combination of those factors?
And here I’ll add that when I say “modern audiences” I don’t mean that in a contemptuous sense, though you may think I do. If there is any contempt on my part it is for those in charge of telling our stories, or those in charge of those telling our stories, who do not seem to grasp these basic truths. The truth is that audiences at their core don’t really change throughout the ages, only superficially so. Trends come and go but certain truths and ideals are eternal, and universal. How people relate to each other fundamentally does not change, whether they are friends, or more than friends. And deep down, I believe everyone (or nearly everyone at least) wants the same things. Nearly everyone at some point wants some kind of a connection with another human being, to know that they are not alone in the world, and to know that there is someone else who sees and understands things as they do. While this desire can certainly lead to abuse, and absolutely has, it is still innate to us and is not inherently wrong. Finding ways of connecting and relating to other people is one of the great challenges of life, but many would argue it is the most worthwhile of challenges. It may be the whole point of life if you think about it. As complex as it may be, many would argue it is what makes life worth living, and likewise makes for the best stories. Just as it may be the whole point of life many would say that is what most stories are about at their core: people trying to relate to one another.
Sadly, just as in real life, most stories unfortunately don’t quite get it, and the Ahsoka show in my opinion was an example of this, made all the sadder by the fact that Dave Filoni had done quite well with these characters up to that point. We may never know for certain what exactly went wrong and why, or if it can ever be “fixed” at this point, but I can’t help but feel curious. Maybe in the future Filoni will find a way to make it make sense, but I’m not sure how. And to be completely honest I don’t feel quite as enthusiastic to find out as I used to.
Also for the record I would like to add here that there are other factors that put me off from the show, such as Sabine’s Force sensitivity, that came about without much build up. But in this article I specifically wanted to focus on shipping because there seems to be so much misunderstanding around it.
I hope that I was able to clarify some, if not most of this misunderstanding, so that people could better appreciate what shipping is, where it comes from, as well as what it isn’t. Many people today are understandably sick of shipping characters, myself included. But I hope people realize that in overcompensating for something, we often come back around into the very thing that we are overcompensating for. Or sometimes, into something even worse. This may apply to nearly every facet of life, by the way, not just shipping. Finding a happy medium in how we portray our fictional relationships may help us to better understand relationships in real life, as well as how to navigate them. Neither fictional nor actual relationships can ever be perfect but they can always be better. To this understanding then I hope that I was able to give my own modest contribution, and if nothing else I hope we can connect on that.

Hello friends, I am an 18-year-old League of Legends player. And I want to tell you an interesting experience, I'll tell you all in advance. I wish you a good reading. Surprisingly, one of the days One day while playing League of Legends again I alt-tabbed to change the song I opened on Spotify. But when I throw it, what do I see? In the Spotify commercial, I saw that the world's most famous cola company had released a new cola for League of Legends. literally shock I was like dead, the fat-clogged veins of my heart were beating loudly with excitement. My eyes are wide open It was opened. A new Lol coke. This was literally a new LoL coke. It sounded amazing, I've been waiting for this moment for years. I was born for this. I immediately started researching, tapping my greasy fingers on the keyboard. How does it taste? My questions such as where to sell, how to reach I answered. Unfortunately, it didn't give RP like it used to, but since I'm a Lillia main, I still had to buy this LoL-specific cola, even though it didn't give anything. I learned the place and time it was sold and prepared a plan. I was going to buy it from Walmart near my house and drink it. The plan was quite difficult; Very difficult steps such as stepping outside, walking and even communicating with the cashier It was hosting. But I had to. I set off immediately. As soon as I opened the door and went out, the sun It penetrated my skin and made a "ciss" sound. It's been years since I last went out for a Lol Coke. I had no problem with Sunshine. Oxygen felt quite strange. After a few difficult steps Finally I arrived at Migros. You go inside, avoid eye contact with everyone, and grab the cold drinks cabinet at the top. on it, I saw it. It was there... It was shining with gold, it was very majestic. my eyes It was dazzlingly beautiful. As soon as I hold it in my hand, I was the happiest person in the world now. As soon as I bought it, I ran to the cash register, I had the coke in one hand and the money in the other. I gave the money to the cashier, who easily took it through the cash register and gave it to me, and I quickly ran without taking my change. I started. This much social interaction is very hard on my body. It was too much. But it was worth it. I was at the exit now, with a LoL cola in my hand. I succeeded. I raised my hands and shouted: I did it! I DID IT! But then my social anxiety took over and I started shaking. When I stopped shaking, I opened the coke. Even her ccooosss voice was so beautiful, so charming. my mouth I placed it on the opening and started drinking. gulp first sip. But something was abnormal, it wasn't exactly a foreign taste to me. Gulp, second sip, I knew this taste, I could imagine it. gulp third sip. With every sip I take, in my brain Another missing piece of the puzzle fell into place. And before I was halfway through the box, my mind The puzzle was completed. It tasted exactly like the toes of Lillia's right hind hoof. That hairy, noble leg of his, hard, but beautiful hoof that softens as I split it with my tongue... The moment I realized this, my eyes started to spin. It's easy after a while! I realized that I stopped drinking and preferred coke. I was going crazy. As if he was licking Lillia's asshole, her face red with embarrassment, and her tail It was like she was caressing my face. When you say "don't do it, stop", you mean it She was whispering "fuck me all the way to my intestines" as if to my ear. I was becoming an unchained slave to my own passion, my libido. Lillia to fuck loudly My deep desire to be was overtaking my perception of reality. 100% of my brain was working to fuck this side gazelle creature. These thoughts slowly It took over my entire brain and I literally went crazy. Foaming from my mouth She was squirting, my eyes were seeing Lillia's gazelle pussy everywhere. Half cola in the box I stopped thrusting my tongue and forced my dick into the drink hole. Ahahaha! He was covered in blood, but the pleasure I felt was indescribable. As if I had no tomorrow I started to fuck the box. all over my dick It was peeling, my blood covered the entire outside of the box; Some of it had leaked in and mixed with the cola in the box. I could hear Lillia in my ear. She was neighing, "fuck me like there's no tomorrow, "Tear my ass to pieces, my love," he was moaning. I accelerated to satisfy my wife, your moans gigliks took their place. It was the best feeling in the world, I held his hind legs and wrapped his tail around my hand. She was rocking while he fucked her tight asshole In my dream world, She was screaming that I was her daddy. I ejaculated. When I spilled my sperm, which was a sign of my love for Lillia, into the box filled with coke and my blood, I was under the influence of the legendary pressure. The box exploded in my hand. And this love liquid inside was scattered all over the sky. It was pouring like rain. This blessed rain, which for some is the symbol of my lost sanity and for some is the symbol of my epic love for Lillia, is with me and everything around me. He was blessing humanity with his abundance. A lot, but a lot It was beautiful. I found absolute peace at that very moment. Until the day I die, from the real gazelle's pussy. I won't fuck anything else, Lillia. I promise you my love, I love you...

I dream of a connection that doesn't have to try hard translating each others' souls—one that feels like home and is inhabitable for healthy energies whose goals are aligned. I long for that comfortable silence, rainy day embrace, flooded meme videos on our inboxes, and that warm forehead kiss after a busy day at work. In a world where sincerity is a rare find on an online setting, I'd still like to try.
About me: I graduated last 2023 is currently working as a government employee. I live somewhere in North Luzon with my family, and 5 dogs. I stand at 5'2 with my curls and morena complexion. I like dressing up especially on days when I am extra stressed. My hobbies revolve around watching (films, shows, kdrama, anime), reading (books, manga), listening to music (any genre except rap or edm), and I'm on a constant journey of learning more hobbies because I like keeping myself busy. I think it's also worth mentioning that I have a flexible humor in line with being interested with meaningful discussions.
Hopefully, you're around 23-26 years old, stands 5'7 and up, working, furdad, family-oriented, is nerdy about his hobbies and goals in life, hopefully with the same interests as mine, lifestyle doesn't revolve around smoking/clubbing (non-negotiable), and is a very expressive individual who likes to tell stories and yap about life.
I haven't been on a physical date as meeting people makes me anxious, so I'd appreciate if we got to know each other online first—slowburn and careful. If you know you have ghosting tendencies or is only in it for a temporary companion, please spare the effort of building any connections.
If this interests you, an introduction that actually highlights you being you will be appreciated. Thanks! = )

Here is his article translated with GPT:
It's been two months since I left Mingchao（Wuthering Waves'sname in PinYin）. Mentally, physically, and in terms of my outlook on life, I've shed a heavy burden. Without a doubt, I feel light and joyful.
My journey took me from Chengdu to Shanghai, then to Huangshan, Huizhou, Hongcun, Xidi, and back to Changsha, my hometown in western Hunan, and to Zhangjiajie before returning to Guangzhou. I traveled far and wide, meeting many relatives and friends. The beauty of traveling lies in experiencing the stories of others in a different time and space, immersing oneself in a completely unfamiliar way of life. Exploring the wonders of life in the mundane, touching the emotions, interests, joys, and sorrows of different lifestyles is, in essence, seeking the possibility of another way of life.
Humans, with their short lives and endless desires, are often enchanted by the illusion of eternity. Some feel that time is fleeting and life is unpredictable, wishing to leave a mark on the world they've traversed. But many are tethered to worldly desires. As they reach middle age, their ambitions and sharp edges are dulled, while their pursuit of fame, fortune, and power grows. Some fall in love with the transient pleasures of life, while others shamelessly chase after temporary gains in fame, fortune, and lust, engaging in acts of deceit and manipulation. Little do they realize that they are mere pawns on someone else's chessboard, jumping back and forth, oblivious to their own insignificance.
As a game engine programmer, it's easy to be misunderstood both in the industry and within the company. Long exposure can lead to a sense of inflated ego, a feeling of invincibility. But if you look a little further, you'll realize that most real-time rendering technologies today will be obsolete in three to five years, let alone thirty or fifty years. I often wonder if, in old age, reminiscing about my youth and career, all the achievements of today will seem insignificant. The enthusiasm and passion for work are extinguished in this mindset, leaving nothing but ashes behind.
To me, game technology is just a part of games and products, neither more nor less. I admire and respect those who pursue technology purely, but I shouldn't fixate on technical perfection or cutting-edge innovation. Decisions should be made based on project timelines, manpower, and available resources.
A few days ago, some friends approached me. They were amazed by the success and low cost of a leisure H5 3D project and wanted to enhance the technical team's capabilities for better artistic expression. I advised them to use Unity3D instead of trying to wrestle with Unreal Engine. After all, if the project doesn't involve creating vast worlds, isn't focused on the 3C (Character, Camera, Controls) aspects, doesn't prioritize performances, isn't targeting multiple platforms, and isn't an FPS game, then Unreal Engine's advantages are nullified, while its disadvantages remain. Especially when considering adapting to low-end mobile devices prevalent in Southeast Asia and South America, why venture into the dragon's den when there's a smooth road ahead? And how can one expect to find suitable and reliable Unreal Engine programmers in a short period in Guangzhou?
The greatest benefit of this trip was the discussions with friends about technology and game design, gaining different perspectives. It not only bolstered my long-term confidence in the industry but also made me reevaluate the essence of game technology and the disparities between myself and my goals. I sincerely admire and wish well for those who pursue the ideal of creating great games they love. After all, the game industry in China is a desert of idealism, flooded with capital driven solely by profit, with companies lacking basic contractual ethics, and individuals being hypocritical, calculating opportunists in the guise of upright gentlemen. What's truly lacking in this industry are passionate, capable producers dedicated to their favorite game genres, those courageous enough to carve out new paths amidst ridicule and misunderstanding, those with keen insight and boldness, radiating the light of idealism, respecting themselves and others, thus earning respect from others. These are the rare talents, the role models, the pillars of the industry.
When choosing partners, character should be the top priority. It's not just about what they say but also about what they do. It's not just about their actions towards you but also about their past actions towards former partners. It's not just about how close friends evaluate them but also about how distant partners assess them. One must cherish their feathers and not delude themselves with fantasies of being victorious authors of history, for those who truly write history have no need to protect their feathers. I often half-jokingly, half-seriously tell my colleagues, 'We spend most of our lives, from our twenties to our sixties, working. If work isn't enjoyable, then we're wasting our lives.'
When I was eighteen, I nearly died from a severe illness. In that near-death experience, I distinctly remember feeling no fear of death, only a sense of regret for leaving so many things unfinished that I loved and were within my capabilities. Over a decade ago, reading "Chanel: A Woman of Her Own" and "Dandu," I, in my early twenties, suddenly felt old, crying uncontrollably, echoing Duras's lament in "The Lover," 'This has come too soon, too hastily. I am only eighteen, but it's already too late.' But as I passed thirty-five, the fear and helplessness towards age gradually diminished, and I began to cherish my family, friends, and inner peace even more.
The game industry is becoming increasingly divided. On one side, game development costs are soaring, teams are growing larger, development cycles are getting longer, investors are losing confidence, layoffs are rampant both domestically and internationally, and the number of unemployed colleagues and friends around me is increasing. On the other side, more and more indie game developers, faced with the enormous gap in the cost of starting a business and entering a company, resolutely choose to follow their hearts, passionately piecing together the games they love amidst economic hardship, with their original intentions unchanged, and a glimmer of hope in their eyes.
I asked a friend, why endure the hardships of game development? He replied with a verse from Su Dongpo's "A Talk on the First Day of Spring":
'Is the Southland not pleasing?
But here, where my heart is at peace, is my home.'
source: https://zhuanlan.zhihu.com/p/696884865

Hello,
So back in 2018, the world was told of a man named John Allen Chau. He was a Christian missionary who thought he was put on earth to convert the Sentinelese (a uncontacted tribe that live on North Sentinel island) to Christianity, believing the island to be "Satan's last stronghold". He was trained by All Nations in with mock native village situations with what I can only presume to be comprised of incredibly stereotypical characitures.
The sentinelese however, are not receptive towards outsiders. They're uncontacted for a reason, they don't want anything to do with the outside world, and any attempt will be met with extreme hostility. Their technology level is believed to be close to early paleolithic, however they are capable of salvaging metal that washes up on their shores and fashion metal arrows that can pierce the hills of ships.
So on November 17th, Chau bribed 2 fisherman to illegally take him to North Sentinel Island where he proceeded to get close to them, preaching to them of God and offering gifts which the Sentinelese reacted with their trademark hostility. Eventually, Chau told the fishermen to leave him there, and as they were departing they saw the Sentinelese dragging Chaus body into the jungle. He was 26.
Personally, I think he was nuts. Previous contact with the sentinelese was done in the 1880s by one Vidal Portman, who abducted an old man, woman and 4 children. Both adults fell ill and died with the children being returned when they started to get sick. Because they're so isolated, they have no resistance to the myriad of diseases that our bodies have become imbibed by. So what he did was not only dumb, but reckless.

I know that we don't know anything about what will happen after the end of The Final Shape year, but what are people's thoughts on what might happen?
I see three possible scenarios:

Just another enemy. Same character, same Tower, same Vault, same NPCs. It just goes on.
Time jump. The Light and Darkness Saga concludes, it's a thousand years later, we make a new character, the Tower is an abandoned ruin, everyone we know is dead, new enemies, new NPCs, everything new.
Change of scenery. Our character gets pulled through some anomaly or wormhole, it's still our guardian with our equipment, but there are new races, new worlds, new NPCs. Maybe, in future expansions, some of the old NPCs join us or we manage to get back to some old places.

I would like the second idea the most.
What do you think? What other ideas could there be?

This is my attempt at a re-submission due to some misunderstandings on the first attempt. I now know that there are different definitions of the word “ship”, but for the purposes of this article and to keep things simple I will use the definition of “a relationship that’s rushed and/or forced with no real development.” I hope you can understand as I do not know of any other single word to describe that concept. If you do, perhaps you can tell me. Also, fair warning, this is long form content (some 10 pages), if you like it but can’t read it all at once you can save it and come back to it over a period of time, or you can stop reading whenever you get tired of it and still discuss those parts of it with me that you have read. But keep it civil if you want a civil response.
With that, to qualify the title, no, Ezra and Sabine do NOT absolutely have to be a couple, but if they were to become one, it would NOT be a ship. Ezra and Sabine’s relationship has had years of development. Could they remain as simply friends? Yes, but ironically, it was their “friendship” that felt like more of a ship. It felt like the Ahsoka show, helmed by Dave Filoni, was going out of its way to tell us: “no, they’re not a couple, they’re just friends.”
I believe that Filoni made some very poor writing choices to stress something that didn’t really need to be stressed, such that it almost felt like he was in denial. The line “I love you like a sister” was never in Rebels, Filoni essentially had that retconned in, and like many I was put off by their (largely) emotionless reunion. Even if they were “just friends” I believe there would be a great deal more emotion displayed between two people that hadn’t seen each other in some ten years, especially when one of them was in a precarious situation when they parted. I also believe Ezra would be far more curious about Sabine being Force sensitive, perhaps even offering to help train her when she told him that her training hadn’t gone as well with Ahsoka. He did help to train her with the Darksaber, didn’t he? Why that never came up is another discussion, but for now, let’s focus on shipping.
In case you think I’m desperate to have them as a couple, no I’m not. I’m about the furthest thing from it. Like many millennials and Gen-Z’ers (and perhaps some Gen-Xers and boomers) I DESPISE shipping. Absolutely DESPISE it. With a flaming passion. Perhaps for this reason, and maybe some others, like many millennials and Gen-Z’ers (and perhaps some Gen-Xers and boomers), I’m generally wary of nearly all romance in fiction, and generally avoid it in my own work. The sad reality is that romance is perhaps the most abused genre in all of fiction, all throughout history. It has been so badly abused that many people, including myself for the longest time, have equated romance with shipping, though I’m slowly beginning to see that they are not the same thing, and one does not necessarily have to go with the other.
But sadly, many writers, through time immemorial, have not been able to separate them, going back into ancient times and perhaps even into pre-history, that is before languages were actually written down. Some of what is considered great literature; classics like Romeo and Juliet, are predicated on shipping, though at least the consequences of this “whirlwind romance” are shown to be fairly stark. Star Wars itself is no stranger to shipping, resulting in a very awkward incestuous kiss when Luke was shipped with Leia, then Leia was placed with Han and Lucas made Luke and Leia brother and sister, apparently having forgotten his original ship. Later Lucas essentially shipped Anakin and Padme, resulting in some of the most cringeworthy dialog in the history of film. Many fans of the Prequels even have been somewhat critical of Anakin’s portrayal, particularly in regards to the “romantic” scenes, with many describing them as “creepy”. Some have speculated that this was intentional, though personally I think it was just the result of bad writing on the part of George Lucas, and an impatience on his part for Anakin and Padme to become a couple, hence “shipping”.
One might wonder why this is so prevalent in fiction, and tragically, one does not have to look far. Fiction is merely a reflection of reality, therefore the reason that shipping is so common in our stories is that we fall so easily into it in real life. Indeed, entire cultures may be based around shipping, or at least very heavily wrapped up in it. Throughout history arranged marriages have been the norm, and the idea of marrying for “love” is something relatively new. To be fair, I’ve actually met people in arranged marriages who seemed to be fairly happy, but those same people were very open in telling me that many despise that aspect of their culture, and that it is quite normal for those in an arranged marriage to try to get out.
People might come together for “love” without marrying, but even then it often creates expectations that might turn into a burden. Even when a marriage is voluntary and for “love”, people are often left unsatisfied, such that today in the West the divorce rate is something like 50%. Happy, stable, long term relationships seem to be the exception across cultures and across the breadth and width of time. And yet pursuit of love and some kind of relationship seems to be the highest calling for many people, both in real life and in fiction. And it could be that the accumulated disgust is finally starting to boil over.
To be fair, this may not be the first time in history that the pendulum has shifted. You may recall that in Victorian times attitudes changed drastically, as compared to the previously bawdy Elizabethan times. Looking at a play from Shakespear, if you can understand the language, you’ll see all kinds of vulgar references, as well as what I believe are fairly sappy romances like in the aforementioned Romeo and Juliet, though I can’t say for certain whether Shakespear was actually endorsing that type of attitude towards “love” or presenting it as a cautionary tale, maybe even something to be ridiculed in some of his other plays.
But regardless, Victorians as you may well know had a very conservative attitude towards anything to do with romance, and would often avoid the subject in many places, or tread very carefully around it, as if walking on eggshells. It’s not that people stopped being romantic, in fiction or real life, but it was treated as something very serious and even dangerous, with many urges repressed or even suppressed entirely. This had all kinds of effects on society, both positive and negative. On the positive side, it reinforced the ideal of people being committed to their partners, and of marriage as a sacred institution rather than a “casual hookup” as was more common in Elizabethan times. Likewise it reinforced ideals of modesty and chastity, which may be coming back into vogue, though under different names. But just as there were positive aspects to these attitudes, so were there negative ones.
Just because the urges I described were repressed did not mean that they disappeared. In fact, they often morphed into things that many would consider “unhealthy”. From one statistic that I saw, in Victorian times about one in every 60 houses was a brothel, with the modern rate being closer to one in 6000. Additionally, the rights of women were often repressed, such that they could not fully express themselves and find their own identity, and path in life, as individuals. Just as Elizabethan ideals gave way to Victorian ones, so did the Victorian ideals gradually begin to erode.
Perhaps it began with the Jazz Age of the 1920’s (the “Roaring Twenties”), or with the increased interconnectivity of people traveling to different parts of the world during World War I, not to mention the cynicism that pervaded throughout the West in response to failed old ideals leading to the deadliest war in history up to that point, but many Victorian ideals began to be seen as a joke, and even resented for their “oppression”, which to be fair was not entirely unjustified. But regardless, people gradually, and at times not so gradually, became more and more “liberated” and promiscuous. This culminated in the Sexual Revolution in the late 1960’s, when what had previously been seen as a vice and even a sin was now seen as not only “normal” but as a healthy form of expression, a virtue even. And just as these ideas were embraced in real life, so too were they reflected in our films, TV shows, and other media, often to the consternation of older people and institutions, like the Vatican. The Catholic Church even went so far as to “ban” certain films, that is to declare them immoral for good Catholics to watch. Many of the films that were banned back then, or at least controversial, like The Graduate with Dustin Hoffman, are fairly tame by today’s standards.
It continued through the 70’s, at times warming and at times cooling through the rest of the century, until you could argue it reached a kind of crescendo in the early 21st century with the advent of so-called “dark romance” and the publication of books like Fifty Shades of Grey. (Ironically, many of the themes within this “dark romance” can trace their roots back to the Victorian era, yet another indication that repressing urges without addressing them often doesn’t work out as one might hope.) But as happens all too often, just as something reaches peak popularity is when it begins to go out of style, and that is what we may be experiencing right now. As weird as it may sound, we may actually have come full circle and may be on the cusp of a “New Victorian Age” (complete with “dark romance”, even). Web sites like Porn Hub and OnlyFans, as well as other similar sites, may be the new “brothels”, and what was once openly celebrated may be going underground, to an extent. The effects of this on society have been interesting to say the least, and at times I would even say bizarre.
Whilst many younger people seem content with these changes, many older people are concerned. I’ve seen a number of books, films, and other media receive positive reviews for example based specifically on their lack of romance. Many of these books/films, etc. fall into the “young adult” category, meaning that it is young adults obviously who mostly consume them. At the same time I’ve heard a number of older people, mostly boomers and Gen-Xers, criticize these same books/films for their lack of romance. Even some older millennials seem upset by the changes, as perhaps evidenced by Jennifer Lawrence’s latest film No Hard Feelings (though to be fair that film may be lampooning the older generation’s frustration as well as the younger generation’s frigidity). So just as in the past older people were concerned about the promiscuity of the youth, now it actually appears that many older people are concerned about the youth’s lack of promiscuity.
Who could have seen that coming? But to be fair, the younger generation hasn’t gone completely frigid. As stated earlier, much of the promiscuity has gone “underground”, or online, which many would argue is not very healthy as it might undermine actual relationships, whether they are romantic in nature or simple friendships. And speaking of that, friendships within stories nowadays often aren’t portrayed in a very authentic or compelling manner, perhaps because in ditching romance modern writers haven’t quite yet learned how to replace it with something else. In other words, the “New Victorian Age” may not be an exact repeat of the previous one, but may have its own twists and turns, for better and for worse.
This may all essentially be a manifestation of the Human Condition, in that we just can’t seem to find a happy medium, neither in real life nor in fiction. Thus we keep swinging from one extreme to the other, apparently getting wilder with each swing.
So where does all this leave us? What is it that we really want in our lives, and in our stories? Especially in regards to relationships? I think at some level we all want to see good and healthy relationships between people and/or characters, whether romantic or platonic. I believe at some point we would like to see good examples of both friendship and romance, and I would argue that the best examples of romance have them combined. Even a toxic relationship, if well portrayed or documented, can be instructive and serve as a good example of what to avoid in our lives that we might be happier and relate better to each other. A good relationship, by contrast, can give us something to aspire to and inspire us to not only look for the right kind of person to complement our lives, but to make ourselves worthy of that person. And here I’ll add that I’m perfectly aware that in real life (and thus in fiction) relationships can be very complicated and heavily nuanced, with elements of both “good” and “bad” in them. Just as people change over time so can the relationships between them change, at times getting better and at times worse, sometimes breaking entirely and sometimes growing stronger. Relationships can have just as many layers and dimensions as characters, more even perhaps, and a skilled writer should be able to reflect this complexity. At other times a relationship can be fairly straightforward, simplicity sometimes being the best approach. But regardless, the audience should be able to relate and identify with what they are seeing, such that hopefully they can incorporate the lessons from it in their own lives.
Where can we find good examples of relationships to study? There may be a number of them in the real world, but the trouble with studying real world relationships is that they’re often much more complicated than fictional ones (just as real people are more complicated than fictional characters), and for many of them it is almost impossible to know all the details and nuances because they are often kept private, understandably so, and even if they aren’t it can still be difficult, due to unique circumstances, to see how to relate them to our own lives. Additionally there may be far more disagreement about a real life situation than a fictional one, with many more points of view. To keep things simple, for the purpose of this article I would like to focus on fictional relationships. (And fair warning, there will be some spoilers.)
One of the best places to look, I would argue, would be the films of Hayao Miyazaki. (And this is pretty significant to Star Wars as you will see in a bit.) A film of his that stands out to me the most is Princess Mononoke. Like many of Miyazaki’s films it has elements of romance, and yet subverts them in a way that makes complete sense and feels very genuine, without taking away from any of the accompanying charm. It starts with two young people, San and Ashitaka, and as soon as they encounter each other there is a kind of expectation of romance. This may be inevitable to some degree when you have a man and a woman of about the same age encounter each other in a story, especially if they happen to be adolescents. The expectation may not be inherently bad, and Miyazaki does play with it. Both characters are thrust into dangerous situations, at various points end up saving each other’s lives, and at a certain point I think it is obvious that they have feelings for each other. I was certain that at the end of the film, they would be together, and if things had gone that way, it would make complete sense. Instead, they go in different directions, but remain good friends, and considering their backgrounds and differing worldviews, this ends up making even more sense to the story.
Essentially, Miyazaki could have gone for the more conventional, tried and true “love conquers all” narrative, where the characters’ feelings for each other would negate everything that comes between them, they would somehow find a common ground in spite of their differences, the romance would not only take over the narrative but somehow also solve all the problems in the story, and then the couple would live “happily ever after”. Such an approach is not inherently bad or wrong, and is fairly common in Western media and storytelling. We can see it in films like Fern Gully, and more recently James Cameron’s Avatar, both of which have been compared to Princess Mononoke. As you can probably guess, the problem is that at a certain point such a narrative can become fairly simplistic, and lack nuance.
Miyazaki’s films, by contrast, are very heavily nuanced, and are anything but simplistic. In Princess Mononoke the characters San and Ashitaka don’t help each other simply because they are “in love”, but because it is the right thing to do, regardless of how they might feel about each other. Yes, romantic feelings are certainly alluded to, but they are not essential to the plot, for it could have worked just as well without any romantic allusions. And ironically, this makes those allusions even more valid, even if they are unrequited. How so?
Consider that if love is essential to a given narrative, is it not relegated to being nothing more than a plot device? Again, this is quite common in Western media and storytelling, and is not inherently bad or wrong, but when it becomes a trope or cliche, I believe it is the essence of where shipping comes from. Many storytellers get caught up in this, usually without realizing it, and while a story can still work even with shipping, I believe that it usually works that much better without it.
This extends not only to Miyazaki’s handling of romance but also to other things like environmentalism, the conflict between man and nature, and the contrasting ideals of human progress vs. preserving the natural order. Movies like Fern Gully and Avatar, as already mentioned, handle these themes in a fairly simplistic and I would even say hamfisted manner, whereby all progress and technology is shown as being inherently “bad” and in service to “evil”, while everything that’s “natural” is shown to be inherently “good”. Even our notions of good and evil, and right vs. wrong, are challenged by Miyazaki, with nearly all of his characters having complex motives and multiple dimensions to them, as well as understandable reasons for doing the things that they do. Rarely can any one of his characters be branded as a simple “villain”, and rarely is any one individual the source of conflict in his stories, again in contrast to most Western narratives.
I’ll reiterate once more, a simple, straightforward narrative is not inherently a bad thing, whether the themes being dealt with are romantic or anything else. Sometimes it is in fact the best approach. But the best stories in my opinion are usually the most nuanced, that challenge our notions of what we believe to be true, and that force us to think about what we do with our lives and what we could do differently. To that end Miyazaki introduces all manner of themes and motifs within his films that are familiar to us but shows them in a light most of us might not have considered, thus giving more dimension to our understanding of things.
“How is any of this related to Star Wars?” you might ask. It is quite related, and you don’t even have to look all that closely to see it. A very influential figure within Star Wars was very heavily inspired by the works of Miyazaki, and that figure is Dave Filoni.
This video shows the connections in some detail:
https://youtu.be/Q_4L0BbSpHo?si=04jDo6qFCnZT135w
But to summarize if you’ve seen any of Miyazaki’s films, especially Princess Mononoke, I think the callbacks in Filoni’s work will be all too obvious, especially in Star Wars Rebels. Some of the scenes in Filoni’s work look like they were taken directly from Miyazki’s films, and many of the same themes and motifs often come up. The relationship between San and Ashitaka I would argue is very similar to the relationship between Ezra and Sabine, and not just because both couples rode wolves together.
Incidentally, Dave Filoni was also heavily involved in Avatar: The Last Airbender, which I would also argue was at least to some degree inspired if not by Miyazaki then by Japanese anime in general. The relationship between Aang and Katara was developed with great care and was allowed to build very slowly, as opposed to simply shipping them. Likewise other characters very gradually developed as individuals and in their relationships, at times stumbling as they did so, and making mistakes, before finding their way back to the right path.
All of this is in stark contrast to George Lucas, whose character development is often very rushed at best, and at times some might say almost non-existent. So essentially, even though Lucas has said that Filoni has been “like a son” to him, and I believe referred to Filoni as his “padawan”, I would argue that Filoni is ultimately as much a student of Miyazaki as he is of Lucas.
Again, you might ask, “What does all this mean for Star Wars?” It means a great many things. It means that Dave Filoni has taken Miyazaki’s lessons to heart, and can handle things like romance, as well as other kinds of relationships, quite well most of the time. Like Miyazaki he can play with romance, tease the audience with it at times even, leave the romance unrequited, and yet still have it feel satisfying. A prime example of this is the love triangle that Ahsoka was involved in with the young Separatist Senator, Lux Bonteri, and Steela Gerrera. As wary as I am of romance and as much as I despise shipping, love triangles I normally despise even more, but this one seemed to actually work. It never took over the main story, and even though Ahsoka’s feelings were ultimately not reciprocated, she still learned from the experience, and grew and developed further as a character because of it. The other characters involved in this triangle also grew and developed from their involvement, though unfortunately not all of them made it. All in all it was a good bit of storytelling and gave the audience something to consider.
When a relationship in one of Filoni’s stories does bloom into a full blown romance he also generally handles it quite well. For one Filoni is sparing with actual romance, so that when it does occur, it can be that much more appreciated. And rather than rushing or shipping it, Filoni normally takes his time to build it up. An example of this is the relationship between Kanan and Hera. Some might argue that this is perhaps the best developed romance in all of Star Wars, at least in Canon. Built up over four seasons, at times it wasn’t certain whether it was a romance or a friendship, or perhaps even a professional partnership. Perhaps even the characters themselves were not certain, though it was hinted all throughout the narrative that something was going on. To this day I don’t believe anyone can say definitively when it became an actual romance, and I believe Filoni did this intentionally because he wanted to be subtle, rather than making things too obvious and having the romance take over the narrative, as it usually does. When it finally did become obvious as to what was happening, it felt very much earned, in a way that is seldom accomplished in other works of fiction, including Star Wars.
The relationship between Ezra and Sabine was also fairly well written, for the most part anyway, at least in Star Wars Rebels. Ezra was almost immediately smitten with Sabine, but being a young teenage boy, it was understandable that he would feel that way about an attractive girl. Over time he learned to see her more respectfully, as a colleague and even as part of his adopted family, not just as a pretty face. Sabine for her part found Ezra annoying at first (c’mon, what teenage boy isn’t?), but as he matured and she found out more about him she came to understand and respect him more, and see him as a friend and almost a brother, with there being potential for something more.
There were times when the relationship could have been better written, like in the episode “Blood Sisters”, where Ezra was written to be a bit too immature to make Sabine look wiser. But overall, the bond between them developed fairly well; both saved one another at various times, and took risks and made sacrifices for each other’s sake. Both reassured and comforted the other when they needed it, and it was endearing to hear their banter when they became more familiar and trusting of each other.
So why then was I so disappointed in how they were portrayed in the Ahsoka show? The thing is, after how well their relationship was built up in Rebels, as I’ve already mentioned it was strange to see how lackluster and uninspired their reunion was.
Within the Ahsoka show itself Sabine was shown to be almost obsessed with finding Ezra, living in what used to be his home, watching a recording of him over and over again, and calling out his name as she woke up in the middle of the night. She even risked bringing Thrawn back into the Galaxy, which ultimately happened, just so she could see Ezra again. After all that, when she finally does encounter him, her reaction seems fairly casual, as does his, as if they’ve been apart for no more than a week, rather than 10 years. Not too much happens between them afterwards either. Like I said Ezra does not appear all that curious about what happened with Sabine, how she found him, and how it was that she was now Force sensitive. Sabine likewise did not seem curious about what had happened with Ezra, and how he had gotten away from Thrawn. And with Ezra rescued and returned home, suddenly it didn’t seem as though Sabine was all that interested in him anymore, nor he all that concerned with her, though they were just as far apart as they had been at the start of the show. To be completely honest it made me wonder what the point of the whole show was. Were they just working to set up Thrawn’s return to the Galaxy? As some have said, Ezra felt like nothing more than a Macguffin in the show. Was Sabine and Ahsoka’s search for him just a plot device?
Considering how skillfully Dave Filoni had written his stories in the past, what happened in this latest project of his does not make much sense. Was he so concerned about “shipping” and so desperate to avoid it that he inadvertently “shipped” them in the other direction? Was there some sort of external pressure on him about how to write this story to have more of an appeal to “modern audiences”? Maybe some combination of those factors?
And here I’ll add that when I say “modern audiences” I don’t mean that in a contemptuous sense, though you may think I do. If there is any contempt on my part it is for those in charge of telling our stories, or those in charge of those telling our stories, who do not seem to grasp these basic truths. The truth is that audiences at their core don’t really change throughout the ages, only superficially so. Trends come and go but certain truths and ideals are eternal, and universal. How people relate to each other fundamentally does not change, whether they are friends, or more than friends. And deep down, I believe everyone (or nearly everyone at least) wants the same things. Nearly everyone at some point wants some kind of a connection with another human being, to know that they are not alone in the world, and to know that there is someone else who sees and understands things as they do. While this desire can certainly lead to abuse, and absolutely has, it is still innate to us and is not inherently wrong. Finding ways of connecting and relating to other people is one of the great challenges of life, but many would argue it is the most worthwhile of challenges. It may be the whole point of life if you think about it. As complex as it may be, many would argue it is what makes life worth living, and likewise makes for the best stories. Just as it may be the whole point of life many would say that is what most stories are about at their core: people trying to relate to one another.
Sadly, just as in real life, most stories unfortunately don’t quite get it, and the Ahsoka show in my opinion was an example of this, made all the sadder by the fact that Dave Filoni had done quite well with these characters up to that point. We may never know for certain what exactly went wrong and why, or if it can ever be “fixed” at this point, but I can’t help but feel curious. Maybe in the future Filoni will find a way to make it make sense, but I’m not sure how. And to be completely honest I don’t feel quite as enthusiastic to find out as I used to.
Also for the record I would like to add here that there are other factors that put me off from the show, such as Sabine’s Force sensitivity, that came about without much build up. But in this article I specifically wanted to focus on shipping because there seems to be so much misunderstanding around it.
I hope that I was able to clarify some, if not most of this misunderstanding, so that people could better appreciate what shipping is, where it comes from, as well as what it isn’t. Many people today are understandably sick of shipping characters, myself included. But I hope people realize that in overcompensating for something, we often come back around into the very thing that we are overcompensating for. Or sometimes, into something even worse. This may apply to nearly every facet of life, by the way, not just shipping. Finding a happy medium in how we portray our fictional relationships may help us to better understand relationships in real life, as well as how to navigate them. Neither fictional nor actual relationships can ever be perfect but they can always be better. To this understanding then I hope that I was able to give my own modest contribution, and if nothing else I hope we can connect on that.

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