repcomm talk: arla edition

[kradeelav]

talking SW salt with a friendo about how the arla fett arc (in repcomm) literally doesn’t make sense from a thematic standpoint had me thinking about how I’d fix it. 

(I do love a good ‘well, fix it’ dare.)

arla’s problems being ….  (1) her whole arc serves no real purpose to the existing characters/plot, and it’s already an overcrowded cast with other beautiful plot threads to go on (2) her rushed patient/doc lopsided power dynamic romance with jusik feels awkwardly bolted on at best aka a similar issue i had with fi/parja and while skeevy ships can be fun, serves no purpose in a series that’s all about getting -out- of gnastly dependent situations. (3) while a ‘wary circling around each other and finally settling into mutual cautious respect’ arla/jusik platonic arc perks my interest (esp given their odd age gap with her being the worldly one) it needs a thematic link.

then it hit me; I don’t necessarily dislike arla’s inclusion overall because i very much enjoy her potential themes about being a living reminder to the inherent corrosive violence and black hatred of mando’ade culture. 

you know, like someone else. 

- like a certain interrogator in black armor who already has a well-established thematic parallel with a young naive jedi gal (ding) who’s partially blinded to the rotten core of mando’ade (ding) until she’s /(he’s) practically slapped in the face with uncomfortable philosophy convos + the sheer existence of the other older one (dingdingding) whose core ideals of resentment (and again, hatred) flies in the face of their attempt of ‘i wanna be a part of your happy mando’ade family b-but without the teeny tiny problem of Problematic un-jedi-like Lifestyle Shit’

tldr; i would pay money to see a platonic vau/etain <=> arla/jusik comparison fic

so help me