#——The beginning of the story》 Donovan Aldertree

[soncfthewitch]

open starter for @havsofpleasvre​​

Ezra felt the comforting caress of the dawn air on his cheeks, and heard the distant howl of wolves. His movements were precise, his agility exceptional. His limbs seemed to move as if connected by a single force as he lunged and leapt in an effortless dance. Every strike was crafted with precision, every block perfect timing, and each parry a calculated attempt. He could feel the energy of the forest around him-the cool breeze, the crunch of leaves beneath his feet, the exhilaration that came with battling a formidable foe.

He feinted to one side and spun back around in time to catch an incoming blow, sending it away with a well-placed kick. The other werewolf growled in frustration and lunged forward again, claws unsheathed and ready. Ezra easily sidestepped the attack, then drove his elbow into his sparring partner’s ribs with a satisfying crack. The werewolf dropped to the ground in defeat, but not before Ezra caught him, guiding him safety to the forest floor.

"I suppose I should thank you for not trying to 'rescue' me." His gaze skirted the band of trees lining the edges of the clearing, landing on a tall, stout figure standing nearby. Donovan. "What do you think? Am I getting better?" The smile that touched Ezra's lips was genuine, and the relief in his voice palpable. Warm blood trickled down the side of his face from the open gash above his eyebrow, but he showed no sign of pain or fatigue.

[ralfstrashcan]

Violence in Fiction

When I don't like something in a TV show it's most likely the way violence caused by the protagonists is dealt with. There are different ways in which that can happen and I'm just gonna explain some by examples, namely Sherlock, Teen Wolf and Shadowhunters.

1) Skirting violence (Sherlock)

This is a good method to avoid having to address violence in any way, at least in theory. Until there is one measly scene containing violence and to keep the balance it's not touched on at all and so things get... really weird.

Taking a look at the first two Seasons of Sherlock and ignoring minor brawlings Sherlock and John get themselves into, there is one scene standing out: In the first episode, where John shoots the Cabbie and Sherlock 'questions' him while he's taking his last breaths. The first part is still mostly okay because it is talked about. It is clear that John has killed people in the past and knows how to handle that, Sherlock asks him if he's alright (so it's made clear that shooting someone is something that potentially leaves traces on a person's mental health) and John answers that the Cabbie wasn't a very nice man. And yeah, I get it, he was a serial killer that killed people through sick mind games to fund the college career of his kids and get a personal kick out of it, but the situation in which John shot him wasn't one of imminent danger, at least not because of the Cabbie. He actually shot the Cabbie because Sherlock was about to take the (only potentially) deadly pill because of his own ego and stupidity, not because the Cabbie forced him or posed any kind of threat to him. So wasn't it a little unjust? Even a serial killer deserves a trial, right? Of course it could be argued that John didn't see all that from his tiny little window, and this part of the scene isn't even what I want to focus on. I just thought I'd mention it along the way.

The real uncomfortable part begins after the Cabbie is shot. Sherlock wants answers, preferably fast before the Cabbie goes west, and so he steps onto his shot shoulder to give him a li'l incentive to spill. And this is.. problematic. Because, you know, torture. Deliberately inflicting pain on a dying person. Not cool. And yeeeaaah, Sherlock is really harsh most of the time and unnecessarily insensitive, but this is crossing the line. And it's not addressed at all, which makes kind of sense, because Sherlock obviously has no qualms and John doesn't know it happened (?) and so it just sits there, uncommented. I always feel really awkward watching that scene because it seems so out of place amidst the other relatively violence-free episodes of S1 and S2.

In S3 and S4 the general tone of the series changes and so the violence when it occurs (Mary shooting Sherlock, Sherlock shooting Magnussen, Eurus killing people whenever) doesn't seem so out of place like that one scene in the first Season did.

2) No real or asymmetrical consequences of violence (Teen Wolf)

Two things, real quick:

i) Everyone should be a lot more traumatized than they actually are. The only person(s) to show any kind of reaction to all the gore are Stiles and occasionally Lydia (and the Sheriff, but the Sheriff is mostly exasperated so it doesn't really count).

ii) I feel like the thing that has impacted Stiles the most so far (I still haven't seen 6B, but since Stiles only has a minor role in this (</3!!!!!!!!!) I don’t think it will really change anything) was the thing with Donovan in S5 and I felt like ???????? shouldn't the whole Nogitsune thing have been way way worse for him??????? I mean okay, in S5 he was actually in control, except he wasn't because it was an accident, but yeah yeah yeah, I get it that it's hard to comprehend and knowing something rationally isn't the same as feeling it to be true emotionally. Still. That was one person that died. While attempting to kill him, mind you. In S3 the Nogitsune killed, like, a lot of people and Stiles, being possessed, didn't only have a front row seat, he also felt his elated emotions while killing them. And the whole thing went on for weeks. That's gotta be worse, right?!

I felt like Stiles acting weird and keeping secrets from Scott in S5 was used as a plot device so Theo could sneak his way inside Scott's head while after S3 there was no time to deal with Stiles-Trauma, so in S4 he was mostly back to normal.... except for that one scene with Malia in the basement, the “Control is overrated”-Scene (which I still don't get by the way, so feel free to explain that to me anytime).

3) Inconsistent reactions to violence (Shadowhunters)

This is probably the one that annoys me the most, because it's inconsistent. I freakin' hate inconsistency. Everything else can be forgiven, tropes, clichés, stupid lines, stupidity, even gaping holes in the logic, as long as it's freakin' consistent. It's why I have absolutely zero problems loving Teen Wolf to pieces, because that show has logic that is downright sketchy at times, but that is a constant, so it's alright. (Except for maybe S4, that was really too much bullshit. But it was funny as hell, okay, so I didn't care. I enjoyed myself immensely watching it.) Anyway, back to my point. Shadowhunters and the way violence performed by the protagonists is dealt with.

There are different types of violence shown on-screen:  

a) Killing Demons

This one is really unproblematic, because demons are Creatures of Evil whose sole purpose of existence is to kill or injure innocent bystanders. Also they are no highly developed creatures and look like really nasty vermin (or at least most of them do, except for 1x01 where all demons where human-shaped and human-looking but I'm putting that down to pilot-weirdness) so it's like killing a bug. It's also really convenient that 'killing' them doesn't really kill them but instead just sends them back to their home dimension where they dwell until the next rift opens. So, really, it's more like putting them in the jail of monopoly.  

b) Killing Downworlders

Eh, I'm sorry, what? Downworlders aren't killed on-screen by protagonists, only by Evil Circle Members! We all know that is Wrong and Bad!

Yeah well, mostly. Except for that one scene in S1 where Alec and Izzy slay Vampires like it's nothing. But let me start elsewhere.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that Shadowhunters may or may not have racist tendencies and look down on Downworlders, yet there is that iffy little thing called The Accords that prevents them from harming them. In theory. It is also widely known that most Shadowhunters in higher ranks don't really give a shit about the Accords and feel like ignoring them whenever the mood strikes is totally okay. For example Aldertree torturing Raphael to get information. It's the same when Meliorn is to be brought into the City of Bones for questioning even though he could very well die in the process of said questioning. But, you know, he is evilly withholding information, so it's alright to break the Accords, because surely the Seelies will be too afraid to start a war with the Shadowhunters in retaliation, should anything happen. We all know how the story goes, Izzy 'goes rogue' and steals Meliorn before he reaches the City of Bones and because the Clave is full of shit they drop the charges for treason against her as soon as they get the Cup in their greedy little fingers. Really, you would think a trial for treason couldn't be ended so easily, but whatever. My point is, Izzy is very pro Downworlders for a Shadowhunter, right? In a society where, even though it's dictated by the Accords, being pro Downworlder is very frowned upon. Lydia even warns her to consider what she's saying when Izzy says, “You know what's insane? Thinking we have the right to treat a Downworlder's life as worthless” in 1x11 during her trial, neatly proving both my claims.

I think it's safe to say that Izzy doesn't have these views since yesterday but has had them for a long time, to withstand against a society that tries to teach her differently.

So why the hell does 1x03 happen?? Simon got kidnapped by the Vampires, so to steal him back Clary, Jace, Alec and Izzy break into the Hotel DuMort and Alec and Izzy are the distraction. Meaning they trigger the alarm and proceed to kill every Vampire that comes their way.

What. The. Hell.

I mean yeah, the Vampires did kidnap Simon, but collective punishment much? Who says the other Clan Members even knew what Camille was up to?? In fact we see Raphael and Camille disagree over this whole kidnapping, suggesting that this was Camille's idea alone and the rest of the Vampire Clan had no say in it at all. Of course the Shadowhunters don't know that, but that possibility should have crossed their minds, that's not too much to ask, right? Also, again, don't they deserve, like, a trial? And even if they don't, isn't killing tons of Vampires for one measly abduction where the hostage isn't even lastingly harmed a little excessive?

And yes, the Vampires did attack Alec and Izzy, but they were freakin' breaking into their home and flapping their seraph blades around. Did they expect to be asked to leave politely? What the hell?!

To be honest, from Alec I didn't reaaally expect more, because of the weird racism issue he has (in early episodes he says some super racist things about Downworlders and later it's never mentioned again and not really reflected in his behavior which I find super weird and annoying but that's a topic for another day) but Izzy, who stands out with her Downworlder-friendly attitude??? What was going on with her???

Of course one could argue here that they are just so hardened through all the demon-slaying, but honestly I don't believe that because demons are (mostly) mindless creatures whereas Vampires were real people at some point and still are in spirit if not in biology. Seriously.  

c) Killing other Shadowhunters (namely Circle Members)

And on with the killing of real people. Apparently Circle Members (CM from now on because I'm lazy) don't need a trial, fine. Apparently all the protagonists have absolutely no problem slaying fellow Shadowhunters, even though I believe that before S1 the Circle was officially dead and no more CM were running around and so the protagonists didn't have practice killing people. Izzy says in 1x04, “Before Clary got here, every day was the same. Go on a mission, kill demons. Go on a mission, kill demons.” Demons, not rogue CM. But of course that could have been for the easy parallelism, you know, to keep the sentences short. But I don't think that.

Anyway, even if we leave all this aside... shouldn't all that people killing leave, like, a slight uncomfortable feeling in anyone's gut? Because it really doesn't.

Again, one could argue that they are just hardened and used to all the violence and while I think that is a flawed argument (because I don't believe that killing is something you can get used to if you don't have a grave mental health issue) I will concede the point. For the Lightwoods.

What about Clary? She's been part of the Shadow World for like two weeks and she's joining in on the killing as if it's nothing. She goes from “Oh my god you killed her!!!!!111” in 1x01 to happily stabbing people in two seconds flat. What the hell, Clary.

That she might take to killing demons, okay, because blah blah primitive creatures blah blah. But everything else is just un-freakin-believable, if you ask me.

Of course I understand why this happens in all these shows. It's necessary. It's for the same reason that you don't show every meal the characters eat or every time they go to the toilet; it's obvious they do it at some point but nobody cares about that. If you focus all your screen-time on the mental health issues of the characters you never get to the fun parts like explosions and fights and stuff. I get that.

Still. Can't it be avoided?

Welllllll.

I have to admit, I have seen one TV show that really took the time to portray consequences of violence realistically, and that was Hannibal. In the first episode Will, who is labile on a good day, shoots someone in an entirely justifiable act of self-defense where he had absolutely no other choice than shooting that person or risk the life of an innocent bystander. And then he is traumatized for a while and the frequent visits to the psychiatrist of his misplaced trust don't really improve his situation, but my point is, he struggled with what he has done even though there were good reasons why he did it, there were long term consequences, and he is haunted even Seasons later by this, by his first time killing another person.

Now that is some nice handling of the consequences of violence.

Of course taking all that time on-screen to process his thoughts and feelings serves the plot, so there's that.

I guess what I'm saying is, I understand why it's done, this neglect of dealing with the fallout of violence, but on the other hand it still annoys me. Don't get me wrong, I love all the shows I mentioned and have re-watched them more than once and surely will again, but.

A grain of discontent stays.

[soncfthewitch]

havsofpleasvre·:

The boisterous laugh was testament enough as to just how much Donovan was enjoying this. It had been a while -a long, long while-, since he was able to relax like this, to stop being so vigilant and so worried all the time. He felt true happiness swirling around his chest, mixing in a perfect concoction with everything he felt for Ezra, and filling his head with peace and his chest with laughs. Being this free around someone and trusting them completely to let his barriers down was equal parts exciting and scary. Donovan didn’t want to stop.

Tangled with Ezra, rolling around the forest floor and with his senses so full of the other, Donovan realized one thrilling, undeniable truth: his attraction towards the raiju had evolved into something he couldn’t or wouldn’t contain. There were consequences, sure: he’d have to face the wrath of Ezra’s father -if there was any wrath to begin with- and he’d have to confess his feelings to Ezra at some point -he knew himself, he wouldn’t be able to keep it quiet for long- but if Ezra liked him back, if the warm-glowing feelings igniting his chest and sending prickles of electricity all over his skin weren’t one-sided, then he���ll face everything that came their way.

For a moment, Donovan was about to get his wish: Ezra on top of him, chest pressed together and lips this close to touching was pure perfection, like a scene from all the romance novels he’d read painted just for them; all he had to do was crane his neck up a little and the two would be kissing– but then the veil was pierced by a thundering sound and Donovan cursed himself.

How could he be so foolish?

On instinct, he pulled the raiju down and close to his chest. Ezra’s face ended up in the crook of Donovan’s neck while the wolf wrapped thickly-corded arms around the raiju’s back. “On my count, you get up and dash to the treeline on your left.” he growled, panic rising in his throat. He could hear them, at least four of them loudly making their way towards the sparring couple. “Don’t run straight ahead, they’ll expect that. Just dash and don’t stop until I catch you, okay? I will be right behind you.”

Ezra felt the heat of Donovan's breath on his face - a tantalizingly sweet and spicy sensation. His eyes were locked with the werewolf's, his gaze intense and unwavering. The emotions that ran through Ezra's veins, like a raging river, felt like an electric pulse - it was as if his soul had been set ablaze with a million tiny flames. His heart raced wildly, echoing the thundering crescendo of drums in his chest - each beat a clarion call for him to take a step closer.

Just as he was about to lean in and press his lips against Donovan's, an ominous crack echoed from somewhere deep within the woods - followed by what sounded like gun fire. Everything seemed to move in slow-motion, as if time itself had suddenly come to a standstill. Ezra's breath hitched, but his eyes never leaving the wolf's.

In that moment, all he wanted to do was stay in Donovan's embrace and never let go - yet instinct told him otherwise. With a heavy heart, the Raiju tore himself away from the other man and dashed toward the treeline on his left as he had been instructed.

As Ezra's feet carried him across the terrain, he felt a strange electricity surround him as he ran - it was like thousands of tiny threads woven around his arms and legs, pushing him forward with frenetic energy. He zigzagged in and out of the trees, barely feeling the sharp twigs and branches that scraped against his skin.

The sound of gunfire pierced the atmosphere like a thousand tiny knives scraping against glass. As a bullet whizzed past, Ezra felt as if his life had been spared by a fraction of a second - he could see the divot that it had left in the trunk beside his head.

In that instant, a tingling sensation surged through Ezra's veins and the Raiju felt a sudden burst of power emanating from his palm. A bolt of lightning shot out from his hand and headed straight towards the source of the gunfire - a brilliant flash that illuminated the darkness as if it was day.

The tree's trunk was left seared, charred black from the heat of the lightning bolt. Its bark bubbled and cracked, emitting a sickening smell of burning wood. Splinters flew through the air, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake as it gouged an ugly path along the trunk. The searing heat had left the tree's leaves and branches singed, almost as if they had been set ablaze.