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twst-discourse-bot · 2 years ago

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An Open Message to The TWST Fandom

If you have seen this post before, this is a repost. The previous version was not showing up in the tags.

This post is for anyone who has seen the posts of, interacted with, or felt harassed/made uncomfortable by the blog fandom4lesbians:

You are engaging in a bad faith argument with a racist, homophobic, TERF whose only interest is driving a wedge in the fans by starting pointless discourse using buzzwords and skin-deep morals to support their irrational words.

I have seen people already begin to put the pieces together as to who this person actually is and I wanted to come forward and present everything I felt obligated to dig up. I have evidence and connections that this person, “Marie” who claims to be a black trans lesbian aged around 16-18, is the one behind several genshin and twst accounts that have been seen in the tags before.

The Former Accounts (chronological order):

genshin-lumine

yuunatsukuyomiinwonderland

mult1fandoml3sbian

fandom4lesbians (current and most recently created)

Unfortunately, because I had not considered that I would ever need to make this post, I do not have as many screenshots as I would like, but please read what I have to say and draw your own conclusions. My goal is not to throw some overzealous teen to the wolves, it is to get rid of a nasty person who has made it their hobby to harass TWST and genshin fans. That being said, I am not in the genshin fandom so I do not know the full extent of what this person has done there, but I will mention what I know for sure.

If you’re wondering who I am, the answer is literally nobody. I am a lurker who is sick and tired of bigoted idiots taking over fandom spaces and making others uncomfortable, I just so happened to have some physical evidence against this one. I am also an adult, so I will attempt to remain calm and mature throughout this post, but please forgive me if tension rise a bit.

I will also potentially be making additional posts if more things come up, but I will not make any promises.

Evidence to Follow:

1. genshin-lumine and racism/homophobia

approx. 1-2 months ago, this blog popped up for me in the TWST tag, they had a long list of TWST OCs (all of which were female and darker skinned). nothing suspicious there, until

they made several posts claiming that--in addition to Leona, Ruggie, and Jack-- Kalim and Jamil (characters who are known to be middle eastern and even south east asian inspired) were also black because (paraphrase) “there is no way a character with skin that dark couldn’t be black”

furthermore, they made claims that shipping two male characters together was fetishizing mlm... but has no problem with wlw ships? this is where the TERF claim comes in, it’s nothing explicitly “man hating” but it’s not subtle either and the behavior continues in the future

all of this occurred in the span of a couple days, and people rightfully messaged them explaining that what they were doing and saying was wrong (i was one of them and gave them the benefit of the doubt, but quickly saw that was pointless), but the user only doubled down and refused to listen

i think at this point people also started going after their OCs, calling them boring, Mary Sues, stupid, etc. and that seemed to get a bigger reaction, but nothing major yet

i’m guessing enough people had gotten sick of them and were flooding their inbox with messages so they deleted. to start fresh.

2. yuunatsukuyomiinwonderland; Lumine 2.0

this blog started out pretty inoffensively, but something caught my eye as soon as i saw their post in the TWST tag. they made an OC (female, darkskinned) named Yuuna Tsukuyomi using the TWST chibi picrew--like many others have done, nothing wrong with it--but what stood out was the description. the wording and construction of the post was nearly identical to those from the lumine account. so i got suspicious immediately

once again people began messaging them, saying mainly that a non-Japanese person naming a non-Japanese character after an important Shinto god was not a good look, and again this person refused to listen, saying that it was their right to do what they wanted with their character

but people knew something was up, myself included, and after the circus that was genshin-lumine, i wasn’t being nice anymore and messaged this person in no uncertain terms that we knew who they were and to fuck off, we didn’t want them there

so they deleted, again. but guess what? something interesting happened when i was looking through my browser history for evidence that i wasn’t going crazy:

and this is when i knew that i had something. moving on.

3. mult1fandoml3sbian: the Return of Yuuna

now at this point, i thought it was over and was proven wrong. this account was essentially Yuuna Tsukuyomi but with a reskin. instead it was Yuri (i think) Amaterasu. again, same language, same chibi picrew, same problems. furthermore, the time between the creation, or at least awakening, of these accounts is too coincidental. genshin-lumine deleted and then soon after yuuna pops up, then yuuna deletes and around one week later this one comes out with a near identical blog just different name

and the problems start once more. i believe this is the point where they began receiving a lot of explicit anon hate, mainly racism and homophobic things which were... not pleasant to read by any stretch and i don’t condone anything that those anons sent. you are no better than her, you are equally bad if not worse. but these messages were brushed off with short, “zingy” responses, one-liners really, or some form of “that’s not nice”, despite the really gross things that were being said. and the traffic of these posts didn’t slow or stop, the user was seemingly responding to every one they received

so i doubt the total validity of those messages, but i will not outright say the user sent them to their own account bc i don’t know anything for sure

but, time passed and this blog was deleted as well. then, less than 3 days later...

4. fandom4lesbians, the Most Recent BS

here is when i lost all faith that there was a god.

it was really the same cycle on repeat, but this time they hit it big in the genshin community. the blog is still up at this point and refuses to stop so i recommend looking right at the source to see what exactly they are doing and what they received.

to summarize, they made inflammatory comments about two newly revealed female genshin characters being in a relationship and condemned people that shipped them with male characters. immediately afterwards they received a slew of vitriolic and disgusting messages to their inbox about their identity and race. however, my current theory is that they started out sending less offensive things to themselves but attracted other bad people (genshin is full of gross weirdos) that thought they were real and jumped down her throat with even worse comments.

but then the traffic stopped for a peaceful day or two, and then started up again full force and now they are spamming the TWST tag with their fem vs masc MC garbage

and many other prominent users have received messages in their inbox asking the exact same version of “what do you think of fem!MC in TWST anime?” literal copy and paste

and to my great joy, no one gave them the time of day, even when poked further by additional anons telling them to answer the question seriously. clearly that was not exactly the reaction they wanted. long live the Shrimp!

also, remember Boycott Ghost Marriage? that was this clown and plays further into my TERF claims

5. Conclusion

is anything in this post enough to be considered hardcore evidence in a court of law? no probably not, but i hope your critical thinking skills are developed enough to see my point

these four accounts all cropped up one right after the other, they were all genshin and TWST related, they all had something to say regarding the fandom and how they treated female characters/made bigoted comments towards minority groups/have the exact same habits and writing style in their posts

another thing i noticed is that they all reblogged posts from an account called damnfandomproblems as part of their first few posts, just another suspicious thing to add to the pile

6. What do YOU need to do?

ignore them, block them, report them. if you’re brave enough, go to their blog and tell them to go away, but whatever you do, don’t stake too much brain power on it.

and for the love of god, don’t be racist, homophobic, etc. to counter their BS

best case, they’re a troll who needs their IP banned. worst case, they actual believe the idiocy they’re spreading and aren’t going to stop spamming the tag until someone doxxes them or something (don’t do that, that’s illegal)

if anyone has further evidence of this person acting a fool, i will have my inbox open and welcome discussion

#twisted wonderland #twst #disney twisted wonderland #disney twst #genshin impact #genshin

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syndianites · 3 years ago

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A Queen Serve and Protects

Chapter Six

First Chapter –> Last Chapter –> Current –> Next Chapter TBA! Summary:

Post-Style Queen, Pre-Queen Wasp.

Chloe finds the Bee Miraculous, but instead of finding an obliging, subservient Kwami, she finds the Kwami of Order and Subjugation, and Pollen is not about to let herself be used like Nooroo was.

Granted, the only danger in a teenage girl is the damage she poses to herself. Can Pollen shape Chloe into a hero? Or will she stubbornly refuse to change and remain the bitter, harsh person the city has long since known?

[My take on how Chloe’s character could have developed] ——————————————————————————————

Pollen tapped the tablet pen on the table. School had ended and the duo was officially home.

“Chloe,” Pollen began. “It has come to my attention that you don’t do your own work.”

“So?” Chloe nonchalantly replied, crossing one leg over the other from where she sat on the chaise in front of Pollen.

Pollen tried not to roll her eyes. “So, I want you to learn how to be self-sufficient.”

Chloe scoffed. “I am plenty self-sufficient.”

“Really?” Pollen had a sweet smile on her face. “Then prove it.”

:readmore:

Before Chloe could make any remark, Polle flew over to her school bag. It looked more like a purse, honestly, with how much makeup and accessories she had stashed away inside. Seriously, what did you need an extra pair of heels for?

Pollen shook off the thought and grabbed the binder Chloe used for class, as well as her homework folder. Brining both items back to the table, she flipped the folder open. She pulled out the first sheet of homework she saw- something math related- and waved a paw at it.

Chloe gave her a dumbfounded look. “You want me to do that? Sabrina normally does.”

Pollen raised an eyebrow.

“Ugh, fine, I get it.” Chloe grumbled. “What does doing my own work have to do with being self-sufficient anyway?”

“When was the last time you did your own school work.”

“Ughhhh!”

Letting out a little giggle, Pollen decided to make a compromise, “For every question you get correct, I’ll let you ask a question about the Bee miraculous and its powers. However!” Pollen held a paw up before Chloe could get too excited, “For each you get wrong, you have to listen to some history and background on the miraculous.”

“Ooo-kay? How is that a loss for me? I still get to know what I want to know,” Chloe replied.

If only the poor girl knew.

Pollen beamed. “I’m glad you asked! You know how much you love our ‘Bee Nice’ Sessions?”

Chloe groaned.

“Anything I tell you will come along with lessons. I will tell you tales that are important for a number of reasons. And you have to sit through all of them!”

Chloe’s eye twitched. That sounded excruciating. Buuuut, she did want to know more about what powers the Bee miraculous could give her. It was just a simple math worksheet. Surely, it couldn’t be that hard. So Chloe took out a blank sheet of paper and began working.

She was wrong. So, so wrong. Chloe was by no means a bad student. She got solid B’s and pleased her daddy enough with her grades to get by. Did she need to have a study session with Sabrina before each test or quiz to get the contents down? Yes.

But that was all pish-posh. She figured if she could pick up enough for a test or quiz a day before it, she could do homework with no problem. Apparently, she hadn’t been giving Sabrina enough credit. That girl made it so much easier than this.

It didn’t help that her notes were a total disaster. Half-finished sentences, unclear instructions, and a clear lack of interest in each page. For a moment Chloe cursed her own apathy. She wanted to know more, damnit!

By the time she finished she felt exhausted. Pollen, ever chipper, hummed as she looked through each question. She procured a pen and started making marks. That was a lot of red. Oh GOD, there was so much red.

Pollen tapped the pen to her chin in thought. Giving a nod, she wrote a score at the top of her sheet.

6/15.

That was just under half! And that meant she would have failed had it been a test. Chloe resisted the urge to hit her head on the table. She could not afford to be forced into tutoring. Again.

Despite Chloe’s despair, Pollen was excited. This was better than she was expecting! Sure, she had been hoping for closer to a 75% or 80%, but Chloe at least had the idea down.

Plus this meant she could drill some more lessons into her charge.

Rubbing her paws together, she addressed Chloe. “Alright. Since it is almost an even split, let’s go back and forth with questions and history. I’ll start with a history lesson first, since you missed more than you got correct. But since I’m feeling nice, I’ll give you a choice here: Would you rather hear some history about my previous holders first, or about all the miraculous as a whole?”

“Your past wielders, of course! I need to know who would be so lucky to use the same miraculous as moi.” Chloe flipped her hair back to accentuate her point.

Pollen huffed. Nonetheless, she thought back to her past holders, humming all the while. Who would be the best to start with to help Chloe learn?

She smiled as someone came to mind. “Now, before we start, I should say that we aren’t always deployed to battle some great evil. Sometimes, we are let out into the world to help inspire something. For me, I either inspire Order and Control. Or, when that gets to be too much, I inspire freedom from Order and Control.”

“Wait,” Chloe interrupted. “Why would you go against your whole Order thing?”

“I thought you wanted to talk about past wielders first,” Pollen brought a paw up to her lips to hide a smile. “To get into that would mean I would have to talk about all the miraculous.”

“Ugh, fine, whatever. Tell me the basics about all the miraculous first. But! You better tell me about your past users after!” Chloe conceded, pouting at the little god.

Pollen started again. “Like I said, we don’t always need a great evil to fight. At their core, each miraculous is meant to balance out their respective aspects. Tikki- Ladybug’s kwami- is the kwami of Light and Creation, for example. She is largely put out into the world to inspire new ideas and innovation.”

Chloe scrunched her nose in confusion. “Didn’t you say you also get put out to stop Order and Control? Why would you ever want to stop Light and Creation?”

“Well,” Pollen looked off to the side. “You can’t endlessly create. Tikki works on a more individual scale. She inspires Light and Creation in people as individuals. I, however, inspire Order and Subj- Control in a much larger scheme. After all, a bee’s focus is on the hive, isn’t it?”

“In any case, sometimes people burn themselves out when creating too much or spreading too much light. If you give and give and give, what is left for you? Nothing. And those left with nothing often crumble and fall apart- or worse. Tikki, when she is needed to, can either help her holder ease off themselves or help their holder teach others to let go of such demanding responsibility.”

Chloe nodded slowly. That… sort of made sense. “So it’s like when Adr- a friend of mine kept being happy and smiling even after his mother died to help others stop being sad. Because he wanted others to feel ‘lighter’” She made finger quotes, “Despite the tragedy that happened?”

“Yes, that could be a good example,” Pollen agreed. “If your friend gave away all his light and such to others, it could burn him out and leave him feeling empty and cold. Though, in this case I would lean more into the Peacock- he worked to give good emotion to others to cover their grief. But we’ll get there in a moment.”

“Plagg, Chat Noir’s kwami, is Tikki’s counterpart. He is the kwami of Dark and Destruction.” Pollen stopped as Chloe seemed to ponder that.

“If he is all about dark and destruction, wouldn’t that make him more likely to be evil?” Chloe mused.

Pollen, for her part, wasn’t bothered by the question. “If I am all about order and control, wouldn’t I be more likely to use and abuse people?”

Chloe bit her lip, but shook her head no.

“Exactly. Just because that is what we represent it does not mean we are prone to be good or evil. In the balance of all things, there IS no good and evil. Really, it just comes down to what a certain group likes or dislikes, or how a person’s morals are aligned.”

“Okay, no, Hawkmoth is totally evil. There is no doubt about that. How could taking control of others and using their emotions to turn them into monsters be seen as a good thing?” Chloe didn’t like the idea of Hawkmoth being in the ‘right’ at all. It went against everything he had done to Paris.

“Well,” Polled offered, “Does Hawkmoth see himself as evil?”

Chloe sat back in her seat. If movies were anything to go by, he probably didn’t. She sighed and motioned Pollen to continue

Pollen pushed on. “In any case, Plagg is often put into the world to ruin things. Surprising, isn’t it? But sometimes the best things are made in the ashes of destruction. Growing from losing things is important for many people. Like how your friend lost his mom- he likely felt sad and lost. But if he grew from that? He could learn to see that others will have his back and he can lean on them. Even in the hard times.”

Chloe looked away from Pollen. She was right, sort of. When Adrien’s mom died, Chloe had been there trying her best to cheer him up. Did it really work? No. But she helped him escape the house and run around the city with her, and watch stupid cartoons and shows, and sometimes, just sometimes, get him to smile.

“But losing your mom isn’t a good thing!” Chloe snapped back. “That devastated my friend and his family.”

“I know, and I’m sorry I painted it as such. Loss is a horrible thing to endure. But I wanted to make a connection to something you mentioned.” Pollen bowed her head. “Destruction is rarely a happy thing. But, a more positive example would be something more metaphorical- the destruction of insecurities, or breaking a bad relationship, or- or bashing down a wall so you can open up a room to have more space!”

Sighing, Pollen shook her head. “It is far too easy to see Dark and Destruction as a bad thing. Darkness can be used to hide when you don’t feel safe. Or it can be used to tone down how bright something is when you feel blinded. It can also be used as a complement and give things more depth.”

“Of course, Plagg has also been put out to tame destruction. Have you ever heard the phrase ‘fighting fire with fire’? It’s the idea that you fight destruction with destruction. But he can also help people see their bad habits, or the things that hurt them, and get them to reign them in and stop themselves before it’s too late.”

“Okay, sure, that makes sense. But didn’t you just describe Tikki and Plagg as opposites anyway? Light and Dark, Creation and Destruction? Why do they need to get people to go against their aspect when the other IS the opposite?” Chloe butt in.

Pollen brightened. “That’s technically later in this lesson, but I can touch on it now. You’ve likely noticed that Ladybug and Chat Noir came together as a pair, correct?” At Chloe’s nod, she continued. “That is because they are like Yin and Yang- opposites that complete each other. While other kwamis do have opposites, none quite work the same as Tikki and Plagg. They were once a single being- one that was the kwami of Balance.”

“Well,” Pollen rubbed her cheek, “They weren’t a kwami, per se. But that is too much to explain for right now. You recall how Hawkmoth’s goal is to get the Ladybug and Black Cat miraculous?”

“Of course, that’s all he ever talks about when he akumatizes someone!”

“Well, that’s because when you combine the two into one you can have any wish granted.”

“What!” Chloe slammed her hands down on the coffee table, startling Pollen. “That’s horrible! I mean, the power is cool, but if Hawkmoth got his grubby hands on that wish who knows what he would wish for!”

“Exactly! But there’s a catch with that- whatever you wish for will have an equal and opposite consequence. If you wished for someone to come back to life? Someone else must die. If you want to have all the power in the world? Everyone else must become powerless. These may sound simple, but the gravity is just as dire as the wish would be grand.”

Chloe fell back. “So, if I- well, if I wished for my mom to love me..?”

“It depends,” Pollen shrugged. “Maybe everyone else around you would hate you. Maybe your father would stop loving you. Or, in a more subtle fashion, she wouldn’t love the real you, just a facsimile of you. Whoever she thinks you are. Sure, there are ways to make a wish that has a mostly positive outcome- for the one making the wish- but the consequence will always hurt someone. Even if it has to be a lot of someones.”

The two fell into silence after that declaration. It was a heavy thought. What could drive someone to want to change something so badly they would be willing to suffer or let others suffer for it? How cold hearted must you be?

The whole thing baffled Chloe. She could just ring her father and have what she wanted with no consequence. Could she imagine doing something so drastic as to ruin someone’s life to make hers better?

Instead of voicing any of this, Chloe leaned forward. “So tell me about the other miraculous…”

#chloe bourgeois #chloe bourgois redemption #miraculous ladybug #miraculous tales of ladybug and chat noir #ml fanfic #ml fanfiction #pollen (ladybug)#pollen #pollen the kwami #Kwami of the Bee miraculous #Bee miraculous #every time i get lazier and lazier with these tags #anyway if you reblog this i would kill for you uwu

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derekfoxwit · 3 years ago

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Doctor Dorpden’s Critical Tips of Prestige

Note: This post was made with satirical intentions in mind. I’m only emphasizing because I’ve had a couple of comments on previous joke posts I’ve did take it seriously. With that said, here we go.

Tip 1: For starters, remember that when looking at the work, if the Mystic Knee twitches fast enough to punch a hole in a wall, this suggests that the work should be near the lowest of the low. No further development of opinion is needed.

Tip 2: For an equal degree of sophistication, give the warm comfort of nostalgia at least 5 times more chances than the new thing that MAY seem actually poggers.

Tip 3: If you have the anecdote of encountering shitty fans, then use them as a scapegoat for the show they flaunt over being shitty. Clearly, they’re always making the show the way it is.

Tip 4: If you haven’t heard much about a newer film or show you’re yet to watch, there’s an 85% chance that film or show is actually not worth your time. The Father (2020) isn’t as widespread as Joker (2019) for a reason.

Tip 5: At this point, just go for the Asian Artist Dick. I’m actually in the mood to see merit in that because I want to look edgy against cute doodles. Stop attacking Uzaki-Chan, you cowards!

Tip 6: Avoid the electronic tunes. They’ll make you smell like a bum, for there’s no structural in a music album that’s nothing but wubs.

Tip 7: If you see a Tweet that looks dumb, use it as a means of generalizing all the fans of a work as sharing that same opinion.

Tip 8: If the cartoon I’m given doesn’t provide me with mature ideas such as slicing an Arbok in half or fake boobs, then the cartoon might as well be on the same level as Teletubbies.

Tip 9: You know the music is (c)rap when it brings up drugs, regardless of lyrical context.

Tip 10: Raw mood is the indicator of quality cartooning. If you’re quick to assume the worst in the newest HBO Max original cartoon, then you got thyself a stinker. Same thing if you were super bummed out when watching a new thing, regardless of anecdotal context.

Tip 11: When you’re not given continuous throwbacks, ensure you’re as reductive and over-generalizing about the works shown as possible.

Tip 12: If your hazy and imperfect as hell recollection of a children’s film, whether it’s Wall-E or Lilo & Stitch, would describe said film as “too sugary” or “key-waving schlock”, then that HAS to be the case. No meat on that bone whatsoever.

Tip 13: Simpler, more graphic style that isn’t as realistic as old-school Disney or Anime? You got yourself a lazy style with zero passion put into it.

UPA? Who’s THAT?!

Tip 14: Don’t trust anyone saying that western children’s cartoons had any form of artistic development after 2008 (with, like, TWO exceptions). If it did, why didn’t we go from stealing organs in a 2001 cartoon to showing opened stomachs in a 2021 cartoon?

Tip 15: Big booba is always important to the strong female character’s quality.

Tip 16: Only MY ships count, for they provide me with a feeling of intelligence.

Tip 17: “PG-13″ and “R” rating just simply mean you’re not caring for expressing themes in a sophisticated manner. It’s just THAT simple until I dictate otherwise.

Tip 18: In this age of smelly radicals, “Death of the Author” is more important than ever. Without it, this’ll imply that a classic like The Matrix was secretly toxic, due to what the Wachowskis have to say about it being an “allegory of trans people.”

Tip 19: Turn the fandoms you hate into your torture porn. Ask in Tweets to Retweet one sentence that’d “trigger” them. Go out of your way to paint all of them as blind consoomers. That’ll show them, and it’ll show how much more intelligent you are compared to those clowns.

Tip 20: Whatever the Mystic Knee dictates upon the first viewing of a work is what shall indicate the full structural extent of the film.

Tip 21: The mindset of a 2000s edgelord is one that actually understands the artistry of the medium of animation. Listen to that crazy but ingenious man.

Tip 22: Because sheer ambition makes me feel manly, the high pedestal you bestow upon a cartoon work should be based mostly on the mere mention or mere suggestion of serious topics. This means that pure comedy is smelly.

Tip 23: Is the new work tackling subjects that you’ve loved a childhood work of yours for covering? Just assume it’s super bare-bones in that case compared to the older case, for there’s nothing the older work can do to truly prove itself otherwise. Seriously, Letterboxd. Stop giving any 2010s cartoon anything above a 4/5

Tip 24: If the Mystic Knee is suggesting that the work is crummy, then consider any explanation off the top of your head for why the work in question is crummy.

Tip 25: Sexual and gender identity is inherently political, so don’t focus on them in the story. It’s no wonder why Full Metal Alchemist has caught on more than the She-Ra reboot.

Tip 26: Since I got bothered by a random butt monkey type character in a crummy cartoon, I’m now obligated to assume that having a butt monkey will only harm the writing integrity of the cartoon.

Seriously, Mr. Enter....what?!

Tip 27: We’re at a point where pure comedy for a kids’ cartoon is doing nothing but dumbing down the children. Like seriously...... I doubt Billy and Mandy would ever use farts as a punchline, unlike these newer kids comedies.

Tip 28: The difference between the innuendo in kids’ cartoons I grew up on and the ones Zootopia made is the sense of prestige they give me. Just take notes from the former instead.

Tip 29: Wanna make a work of artistic merit? Just take notes from the stuff I whore out to. It’s just THAT simple until I dictate otherwise.

Tip 30: Always remember this golden rule: If the newer work, or a work you’ve recently experienced the first time, was truly great, why isn’t it providing the exact emotions from your younger, more impressionable years?

Tip 31: If the Mystic Knee aims to break the bones of a character doing certain things (.i.e. having body count of thousands; lashing out to character; etc.), that means the character is bad and deserves no redemption.

Tip 32: If you want me to believe there’s any intrigue or depth in your antagonist, give them redemption, for I am in need of that sorta thing being spelled out. Looking at you, Syndrome. Should’ve taken notes from Tai Lung.

Tip 33: In a case where you’re going “X > Y” (.i.e. manga compared to western comics), ALWAYS CHERRY PICK! Use the recent controversies of the “Y” item while pretending that the “X” item has never had anything of the sort.

Tip 34: BEFORE you bring up those comments that shat on the original Teen Titans cartoon back when it was new, whether for making Starfire “more PC” or whatever.......the DIFFERENCE between them and me is that THEY were just bad faith fools that couldn’t see true majesty out of blind rage. I, however, am truly certain that calling any western TV cartoon from 2014-onward a work that transcends its generation suggests a destruction of the medium.

Tip 35: Based on fandom growth, it shows that any newer show isn’t being watched much by kids, but rather loser adults that act like children. Therefore, there’s more prestige in what I grew with.

Tip 36: The focus on children is bad at this point since the children of today have attention spans that flies would have.

Tip 37: A select few screenshots (or even one) of either a less elaborate attacking animation, less realistic game graphics, or a less on-model image in a cartoon indicates EVERYTHING about the work’s quality.

Tip 38: Consuming or writing media where characters go through constant suffering is little more than gaining pleasure out of it. YOU SICKOS!

Looking at you, Lily Orchard!

Tip 39: Whether it’s a sexual awakening story or just simply a romance, focus on a character being lesbian, trans, bi, etc., then it shouldn’t be in a kids’ work. It’s too spicy for them by default. Kids don’t want romance anyway.

Tip 40: The very idea of a western cartoon with no full-blown antagonist (i.e. Inside Out) is a destruction of animated artistry. Sorry, but it’s just THAT simple until I dictate otherwise.

Tip 41: Unless it’s my fluffy pillow, such as Disney’s Robin Hood, it should be obligated to assume the inserting of anthros is only there to pleasure the furries. Looking at YOU, Zootopia!

Tip 42: With how rough and rash The Beast was, it shows that he was more of an abusive lover. Therefore, I refuse to believe that Beauty and the Beast has any of the meticulous moral writing that most of Disney’s other 90s films has.

Tip 43: When you suggest one work should’ve “taken notes” from another work in order to do better, BE VAGUE! Those who agree will be shown to be geniuses.

Tip 44: Remember how morally grey Invader Zim was? That really goes to show how little the Western Animation scene has been trying since that show. Really should just be taking notes from that series (and of course anime).

Tip 45: Even if I have a radar that clearly indicates such, hiding the item I look for inside an enemy is always bad, for I refuse to believe it would be inside the enemy.

Goddamn it, Arin!

Tip 46: People struggle understanding your gender identity or pronouns? All there is to see in that is a giant cloud of egotism that reads “My problems” zapping another smaller cloud that reads “other people’s problems”. Seriously, kids are starving, so WHAT if you identity confused someone. Grow a spine!

Tip 47: Stop pretending that adaptations should colorize how a story or comic series should be defined. No way in FUCK can a cartoon or film incarnation become the definitive portrayal of my precious superhero idol.

Tip 48: Enough with your precious “limited animation” techniques, YOU WESTERN HACKS! All you’re doing is admitting to sheer laziness and lacking artistic integrity. Now if you excuse me, I’ll be watching more anime, since that gives me a sense of prestige.

Tip 49: If getting five times more detail than the 2D animated visuals have requires someone getting hurt, so be it. No pain, no gain after all.

Tip 50: Yes, I genuinely struggle to believe there’s this majestic level of layered material without having the most immediate yet still vague re-assurance practically yelling in my face. But that’s STILL the work’s fault, not mine.

Tip 51: Every Klasky-Csupo cartoon has more artistic integrity than any of them cartoons with gay lovers such as Kipo or the Netflix She-Ra show.

Tip 52: If Sergio Pablos’ Klaus is anything to go by, we have no excuse to utilize those smelly as fuck digital animation “styles” found on Stinky Universe, Suck-Ra or Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turds.

Tip 53: Stop projecting your orientation onto works of actual talent. Seriously, how does Elton John’s I’m Still Standing expel ANY rainbow flag energy?

Tip 54: Hip hop and electronica have been the destruction of music, especially the kind that’s actually organic and not farting on the buttons of a beeping or drumming gadget.

Tip 55: The audience for cartoons has become significantly less clear over the years. We should just go back to Saturday mornings of being sold toys or shit kids actually want.

Tip 56: PSAs for kids shouldn’t be about ‘woke’ content. They should be actual problems such as doing drugs; not playing with knifes / outlets / matches; or acceptance.

Tip 57: The instant you realize a detail in a childhood work that’s better understood as an adult, you’re forced to paint that work as the most transcendent thing in the world. It’s just THAT simple until I dictate otherwise.

Tip 58: Before you lash out on ALL rich people, remember this: #Not All Rich People.

Tip 59: There’s nothing to gain out of the (c)rap scene other than becoming a spiteful, gun-wielding thug that sniffs weed for breakfast.

Tip 60: Since the Mystic Knee told me to get anal about prom episodes in several gay cartoons, this shows that writing about one’s younger experiences just makes you look pathetic.

Tip 61: Another smelly thing about Zootopia is how it was painting a police chief as stern and exclusive. #Not All Chiefs

Tip 62: Me catching a glimpse of Grave of the Fireflies as a kid and turning out fine shows that you may as well show kids more adult works without worry. No amount of psychological questions being asked will suggest otherwise.

Tip 63: There’s a reason why the Mystic Knee keeps leaning more toward the 90s and early 2000s than most decades. That knee KNOWS where there’s a sense of true refinement.

Tip 64: The BIG difference between rock and electronica? Steward Copeland actually DRUMS. All that the likes of Burial, Boards of Canada, Depeche Mode and several others did was push drum buttons.

Tip 65: One exception to the golden nostalgia is when the work in question doesn’t stuff your face with fantastical, bombastic stories. At which point, there can only be rose-colored blinds covering Nickelodeon’s Doug. Nothing of merit or personal resonance to be found.

Tip 66: Remember that the sense of nuance in the work comes down to there being everything including the kitchen sink, whether it involves multiple geographic landscapes; giving us hundreds of characters; etc. Only through the extremes will I be able to tell there is nuance.

Tip 67: Once you see a joke that has an involvement with sexual or violent content, just ignore the full picture and just reduce it to having nothing to it but “sex, violence, gimme claps.”

PKRussel has entered the chat

Tip 68: With all the SJWs messing up the art of comedy, lament the times where you could be called a comic genius, NOT a monster, for shouting out the word “STAB,” calling a gay weird, painting Middle Easterns as inherently violent, etc.

Tip 69: Guitar twang will always win out over (c)rap beats. There’s a reason your grandma is more likely to listen to Lynyrd Skynyrd than Kendrick Lamar.

Tip 70: Once the Mystic Knee notices a lack of squealing at the video game with linearity, that shows there’s more artistry in going full-blown open world.

Tip 71: Related to Tips 66 and 68, ensure your comedy gets as much information and mileage out of each individual skit as possible. EMPHASIZE if you need to. Continuously spout out your quirky phrase of “STAB” if needed.

Tip 72: Based on the onslaught of TV shows with many seasons and episodes, animated or otherwise, it shows that there’s more worth going for that than simply having a miniseries or a 26-episode anime.

Tip 73: Building off of the previous tip, you’re better off squeezing and exhausting every little detail and notable characterization rather than keeping anything simple and possibly leaving a stone unturned, especially if there’s supposed to be a story.

Tip 74: Playing through the fan translation of Mother 3 made me realize how much some newer kids’ works just try too hard to get serious. Why even make the kids potentially think about the death of a family member?

Tip 75: The fear I had over Sid’s toys from the first Toy Story and similar anecdotal emotions are the be-all indicators of what kind of show or film is fitting for the children.

Tip 76: Seeing this British rapper chick have a song titled “Point and Kill” just further exemplifies the fears I’ve had about rappers being some of the most harmful folks ever.

Tip 77: The problem with attempting to make a more “relatable” She-Ra is that kids aren’t looking for relatability. They want the escapism of buff fighters or something similar. This is why slice-of-life is so smelly.

Tip 78: Based on seeing the rating of “PG-13″ or “R,” I can tell that the dark humor is little more than “hur dur sex and guns.” Given the “TV-Y7 FV” rating of Invader Zim, the writers should’ve taken notes from that instead just so I can sense actual prestige.

Tip 79: The original He-Man has more visual intrigue in its animation than any of those smelly glorified doodles found in the “styles" of the 2010s and early 2020s.

Tip 80: It’s always the fault of the game that my first guess (that I refuse to divert from) on how I have to go through an obstacle won’t work.

Tip 81: Zootopia discussing prejudice ruins the majestic escapism I got from my precious childhood films from 1991-2004. Them kids might as well be watching the news. Now to watch some Hunchback after I finish these tips.

Tip 82: There is no such thing as an unreasonable expectation, and there’s especially no wrong way to address the lack of met expectations! For example, if you expect some early 2010s cartoon on the Disney Channel to be a Kids X-Files, yet you get moments such as some girl getting high on stick dipping candy, you got the right to paint the worst out of that show for not being “Kids’ X-Files.”

Tip 83: Related to my example for Tip 82, if you get the slightest impression of something being childish, you know you got yourself a children’s work that does little than wave keys and has basically nothing substantial for them. In this situation, those malfunctioning robots found in Wall-E are the guilty party.

Tip 84: Without the extensive dialogue that I’m used to getting, how can one say for certain there was any amount of characterization in the title character of Wall-E?

Tip 85: Ever noticed yourself gradually being less likely to expect an upcoming work or view a work you’re just consuming as “the next best thing”? That’s ALWAYS the fault of smelly “artists” (hacks really) and their refusal to give a shit.

Tip 86: It’s obligatory for your lead to be explicitly heroic just so there is this immediate re-assurance that they’re a good one.

Tip 87: Without the comforting safety net of throwbacks, one cannot be for certain that there has been an actual evolution of a series or the art of animation and video games.

Tip 88: Don’t PSA kids on stuff they give zero fucks about. That means no gender identities or pronouns, race, etc.

Tip 89: Don’t listen to Mamoru Hosoda saying that anime women tend to be “depicted through a lens” of sexual desire. He’s just distracting from the superior prestige found in anime women.

Tip 90: If you’re desperate to let others know that your talking points are reasonable, just repeat them over and over with little expansion on said talking points.

Tip 91: 7 or more seasons of art is better than 26 episodes of art. EVERY TIME!

Tip 92: Always remember to continuously talk up the innuendo and mature subject matter of the childhood work as the most prestigious, transcendent thing of all time. With that in mind, there’s a high chance that your favorite childhood work will be better known than Perfect Blue (1997), and there’s likely a reason for that.

Tip 93: An art style that gives many characters relatively more realistic arm muscle details will always shine through more than any sort of art style done for “simplicity” (laziness, really).

Tip 94: Seeing a few (like, even VERY FEW) people show more enthusiasm for Steven Universe over Invader Zim really shows the lower bar that has been expected out of the western animation scene compared to anime.

Tip 95: Electronic music makes less conventional time signatures cheap as hell. REAL music like rock makes them the exact opposite.

Tip 96: If your Mystic Knee suggests that the 90s cartoon being viewed doesn’t showcase a vague sense of refinement or artistic integrity, then every related assumption of yours is right. EVERY TIME!

Tip 97: Doing everything and the kitchen sink for one series or movie shows a better sense of refinement and prestige than any form of simplicity. THIS includes character design as well.

Tip 98: The advent of that Star Wars: Visions anime really shows just how stinky western cartoons have become.

Tip 99: For those wondering, no, Europe isn’t being counted in my definition of “western animation”. Doing so is a complete disservice to prestige.

Tip 100: If even less than half of these tips aren’t being considered, you can kiss that prestige badge goodbye. After all, I SAID SO!

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skybird13 · 5 years ago

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*sigh* Okay...

I’ve been debating on whether or not to make this post. Not because it doesn’t need to be made, but because I’m not sure I’m emotionally up for it. But at the end of the day, staying quiet is exactly what got us into this mess, and curling into a sad little ball isn’t going to change what happened, and this particular shit needs to be called out and acknowledged.

I was asked to address something posted by Eddy Rivas, one of the writers of RWBY, on Reddit yesterday. It was a shortlived post because apparently he or someone who read it realized what a monumentally bad idea it was, but sadly for him, my fellow cockroach gays are pissed as hell and we have screenshot capabilities. I don’t care that he removed/edited the post. This was still his instinctive response to the absolute pain caused by him and the rest of CRWBY as a result of volume 7 episode 12:

I am so damn tired and so hurt. But I am going to do my best to address this in a civil and reasonable way.

The Problem With Judgment Calls

First of all, to an extent, I understand the predicament Eddy describes. I really do. I get that being on the creative end of a popular web series is very different from being on the fandom end, and conventional wisdom dictates that creators should do their best to make sure the two don’t mix past a certain point. That necessary separation probably does make these kinds of judgment calls difficult.

The problem is that several members of CRWBY (including writers, animators both former and current, social media managers, and the marketing team specifically) violated that boundary more than once long before episode 12 aired. There were so many things that factored into Fair Game gaining traction as quickly as it did, and many of those things came from the deliberate way that many members of CRWBY interacted with the fandom outside of the show itself. From the official RWBY Twitter account to the suggestive tweets made by a former animator, to the Twitter and Tumblr posts made by a current animator, this ship was heavily and unambiguously encouraged and leaned on multiple times over the course of this volume.

Sure, you can make the claim that you can’t control the animators (especially if they no longer work for you), or that the creators and the marketing team are two separate entities and that the actions of one do not necessarily reflect the intentions of the other (both things also stated by Eddy Rivas in a series of Tweets). And perhaps some of that is accurate. It points towards a fundamental lack of oversight and cohesiveness in the organization that is Rooster Teeth, and that should absolutely be addressed moving forward, but quite frankly, in this case, it doesn’t even matter.

The fact of the matter, Mr. Rivas, is that the boundary was violated. Multiple times. On your end. These types of judgment calls are not a one size fits all, and the moment active members of CRWBY took action to encourage something you knew was going to cause pain, it should have been addressed. I’m not putting that on you personally, because as a writer I realize you probably don’t have that type of authority, but someone there should have put a stop to it. There is the matter of the personal responsibility shirked by the two animators who contributed to this mess, and frankly, they should have known better, but this does not excuse CRWBY’s collective silence.

The fact of the matter is that due to the actions taken by CRWBY both in and outside of the show (including the things you could and could not control) you absolutely reached a point where that boundary should have been purposefully crossed in order to mitigate damage. It doesn’t matter what got you or us there. It doesn’t matter whether or not it was intentionally done (it was, let’s not kid ourselves). Things built up, hopes were raised as a direct result of your actions, and you all reached a point where you were morally obligated to say something. Do I suggest a single individual should have taken this on? No. I understand the legal ramifications of that. But CRWBY as a whole and RT as the production studio absolutely should have stepped forward. Would that have fully removed the pain and the disappointment? No. But you wouldn’t be facing the backlash you are right now if you had.

The Problem with One-Size-Fits-All

Closely related to the previous point is the fact that you, Mr. Rivas, seem to be under the impression that a single judgment call policy should and can apply to all situations equally. That’s not the case. We’re not talking about other ships here, hypothetical, canonical, realistic, unrealistic, or otherwise. We’re talking about this ship.

The Fair Game ship was the first and only indication we had in seven volumes of RWBY that a prominent mlm relationship might be coming in to play. You have no other relationships of this nature in the show. You don’t even have other male characters who might be able to qualify as gay or bisexual who play major roles. Add on to that the fact that you planned to have one of these characters die in the most brutal and graphic death scene we have gotten to date in RWBY, and no. I’m sorry. That flimsy defense doesn’t stand. This ship was unique, it appealed to a very underserved segment of your fandom, and it should have been treated with the levity it deserved.

You make the argument that saying something about this ship but not others wasn’t plausible. The issue with that, sir, is one of trust. Up to this point, I and a lot of people I know trusted you, which means you can get away with building up relationships without ever coming out to confirm or deny them offscreen. As long as you understand the narrative promises you’re making as a storyteller to your audience, and understand the importance of fulfilling them through narrative payoff at some point in the story, we’re usually pretty willing to follow you and watch it unfold. This is how writing works. You have to be aware of the promises you’re making and you have to be able to follow through on them in satisfying ways. This goes double if you plan to fulfill them in unexpected ways (note the word fulfilled still applies). If you don’t do that, trust is broken and you have a problem.

Fair Game is unique in that you knew from the beginning that trust was going to not only be violated but brutally so. CRWBY made promises with Clover and Qrow that they never intended to keep, and that is one of the core issues here. If you want to cling to the excuse that it was all unintentional (again, one I do not buy), that only means you absolutely should have said something to that effect long before we ever got to this point. It would have given nothing about the plot away to let us know that wasn’t the intended direction and it would have calmed down the excitement that built up so quickly around the ship. It certainly would have prevented a lot of people from being emotionally and psychologically damaged as a result of having that trust destroyed.

Not saying something about relationships that may or may not happen is VERY different from not saying something about a ship that you know is not going to happen because you plan to brutalize and murder one of the characters on screen in spite of the narrative promises made. Particularly when the ship in question would have offered rep to people who thus far in the show ( when we’re over halfway through the series) still have none.

No rep to be found here...

I’m not sure I should even have to address this but apparently, it needs to be said. It will be short because it’s a pretty damn simple answer.

You want to know “how well [saying no rep to be found here would] have gone over?” A hell of a lot better than the queerbaiting fest you have victimized us all to for the last three months. Would you still have had disappointed fans on your hands? Absolutely. But the psychological and emotional damage you all caused in episode 12 could have been so easily avoided, and that should have taken precedence over whatever tension you wanted to maintain between these characters in the show.

This should not have been a difficult decision, and quite frankly, the fact that you don’t understand this is a little alarming.

We Are Not a Shopping Montage

Alright. Here is where my civility is going to deteriorate noticeably, so fair warning.

You had the audacity to compare the emotional trauma of hundreds of LGBTQ fans to the disappointment of not getting a fucking shopping montage??? You even acknowledge that on an emotional level these two things are nowhere near being the same thing, and you still tried to justify your actions and the actions of CRWBY with it? That emotional fallout is the thing that matters here.

But there’s even more to it than that.

The hopes for a shopping montage came from a single Tweet from the official RWBY Twitter (if I remember right) about a montage scene being in volume 7. That was it. That was all fans had to go off of. This absolutely was a case of imaginations running wild and people hoping for a scene that, quite frankly, in light of the show’s trajectory since volume 3, wasn’t a reasonable expectation to begin with. CRWBY was in no way complicit in or responsible for this expectation that I know of, and even if you were.... It. Was. A. Shopping. Montage.

And you dare to compare that with the intentional queer coding of Qrow and Clover’s relationship in the writing, the animation choices, the character design for Clover, and the behavior of CRWBY on social media, only for Clover to die horrifically and for Qrow to be absolutely destroyed emotionally and mentally on-screen??? You dare to relate the disappointment of people who didn’t get a pointless shopping scene with the trauma of watching a loved character’s murder and another loved character’s emotional/mental destruction??? Really? That seemed like an appropriate thing to say?

I don’t even know what else to say to this except absolute world-shattering shame on you, sir. How dare you?

And then to top all of this off, instead of apologizing, instead of showing some contrition, you tried to delete this post and pretend you never said it. Did you hope we wouldn’t notice? That we wouldn’t react if you tried to take it down? Were you even the one who realized what you said or did you need it pointed out to you?

You should not be a writer, sir. You sure as hell should not be a creator of content that engages with people on an emotional level because you clearly have no respect for it and no understanding of the responsibility you bear because of it.

What is wrong with you?

Tagging @fairgame-is-endgame who asked me to say something on this absolute bullshit.

#fair game #crwby #wtf crwby #rwby #rwby7 #rwby7 spoilers #rwby spoilers #qrow branwen #clover ebi #eddy rivas

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tlou-1 · 4 years ago

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Her Own Worst Enemy | Chapter 11 | Aftermath. (Joel Miller Fanfic)

Ada felt like she had a tail in-between her legs as she and her horse approached the gates of Jackson. She had to face the music, she might even still leave but she would have to gather some of her supplies or she’d die out there on her own anyway, it was worth the risk. Looking up at the guards she felt the possibility that she may well just be shot on site but one of them shouted, “It’s Ada, open the gates”.

Maria was already waiting there with Tommy at the stables for her arrival, “I think we need to have a conversation, don’t you?” said Maria guiding Ada off to an empty house in town, that made her uneasy. They all settled in the vast house, Ada sat on her own with both Maria and Tommy sat on the sofa opposite staring at her. Where to even begin.

“So you mind telling us what the hell happened and who you are?” Maria started. Ada leaped into her story and told them exactly what she told Joel (minus the part about Ellie’s immunity and the vaccine. Something told her people around here didn’t know about that and that’s how Joel liked it). Maria and Tommy exchanged a couple glances at each other as Ada was telling the story but their faces weren’t easy to read.

“You came here to kill my brother and we saved you?” Tommy asked as if what she had said didn’t make sense. It was hard to believe with the irony of it all.

“I came here to help people I thought were friends. I didn’t know who he was back then but I do now” Ada explained, she was fidgeting with her hands, scratching and rubbing at either one. She could tell Tommy and Maria were fixing about making a decision.

“I don’t know what more to say, you lied to everyone and put people in danger, our family.” Maria spoke.

“I know. I can’t undo it, maybe I shouldn’t have come back. I will leave at first light tomorrow” Ada said feeling the large lump sitting in her throat. Maria and Tommy didn’t say anything in response when Ada got up and left.

She tried to get some sleep, it was going to be a hell of a journey wherever she ended up never mind if she didn’t get enough shut eye. Ada had tossed and turned drifting in and out of sleep for a few hours before deciding to get up and set off. She had already organised her bag sitting at the front door, she grabbed the handwritten letter from her bedside table and shoved it in her back pocket to post before leaving. Ada felt not just a sadness but an emptiness to be leaving Jackson and the life she had began to create for herself here. There were so many simple things she would miss, like an actual bed, it could be a while till she found another. Part of her felt frustrated at herself for getting sucked in, for stopping the attempts to keep her distance from people, letting herself care but none of that could be undone now.

It was when she was taking one last look at this house she had called home for a time that there was a loud knock at the door, who ever it was kept knocking with an urgency until Ada opened the door. It was Joel. Ada braced herself for Joel’s cruel words, she felt herself take a step back from him worried how his anger might manifest, maybe he had come here to seek his his own revenge.

“You don’t have to leave on my account” He began, coldly and indifferent.

“I said we were even, we owe each other nothing now… I told Maria and Tommy the same thing, you can stay but just stay out my way.”

Ada proceeded to put on her bag pack, “I can’t stay here Joel. After what happened, I think every person in this town will want me gone.” He puts his hand up to stop her.

“They don’t need to know, they won’t know. The only people who do are Ellie, Tommy and Maria. You go out there on your own, you’ll die in a matter of weeks”

“Why would you care what happens to me?” Ada asked confused.

Joel is quick in his response, “I don’t. I am just telling you it be god damn stupid”. And with that short exchange he left Ada standing at her door unsure of what to do.

Jackson was an incredible place, not just because of Joel and her friends but the life that it presented, it was safer than anywhere she had been. Joel was right and deep down she knew it too, if she left on her own she wouldn’t make it very far.

Neither Maria nor Tommy said anything when they saw Ada tending to the greenhouses later that afternoon. She knew life wouldn’t be the same now but at least she could survive here, she had always felt a moral obligation to keep living as long as she could for everyone she had lost along the way.

“You alright this morning?” Dina asked. Ada nodded not wanting to delve into details.

“About yesterday? Ellie told me some of what went down” Dina continued, “It sounds to me like you saved Joel’s life”.

Ada exhaled and smiled sadly, “I don’t think either Joel or Ellie see it as that way”, it was obvious that Ellie may have left out some of the details to the story.

They both went back to working in silence.

Ada was taken off patrols for a few weeks which she saw as a slap on the wrist for her actions. She couldn’t complain when her shifts for the week had been replaced with extra hours in the greenhouses and some evenings in the bar helping out Seth. One night the guys from patrol had decided to have a drink after a long shift, Jesse and Joel among them. She looked at them all exchanging stories about what they each saw, if they came across infected. It had only been three weeks but Ada missed it.

“A round of beers for us all” Ordered Jesse at the bar, Joel at his side. Joel didn’t say anything, he could barely take his eyes off the floor doing his best to avoid eye contact with Ada. Moments like that hurt, it was easier to not be around each other at all for Ada rather than have someone she cared deeply about unable to even face her. Joel took the first handful of beers across to their table, leaving Jesse to wait on the rest.

“You two have another fight again?” He enquired trying to tease Ada.

“You could say that”.

Jesse could sense the sadness in her tone, it was clear this wasn’t like one of Ada and Joel’s previous sparring matches.

“Hey” he said his voice softer this time, “these things have a tendency to work themselves out”. Jesse picked up the beers and left Ada to tend to the bar.

’Not this one’ Ada thought.

#tlou #The Last of Us #The Last of Us Fanfic #The Last of Us Fanfiction #Joel Miller #tlou Joel #joel miller fanfic #joel miller fanfiction #Joel x

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mint-yooxgi · 4 years ago

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heya so I has lots of questions about vampire jaehyun’s yandere au that I write out here but you don’t have to answer!! please don’t feel obligated to do so and don’t feel guilty to deny answering my questions!! If you want me to send these questions in singular asks, you might have to post a thing asking me to do so, I’m sorry for the long ask!!

Would Jaehyun ever use his compulsion on the OC? Like if they are refusing to do anything with him or just fucking hates him and won’t have anything to do with him? Is that like the only moral he’s got? That he won’t ever use compulsion on the reader?

If the OC asked him to stop his sadistic tendencies, would he actually stop? Or would he continue to do it even though he promised the reader he wouldn’t?

Would Jaehyun want the reader to remain human or turn them into a vampire? What if the reader doesn’t want to be a vampire and wants to remain human? Would Jaehyun force the reader to turn?

Can the vampires in Jaehyun’s au bring back the dead or something? (was just a random thought if potentially the little sister could be brought back so reader wouldn’t hate him for the rest of his life)

Is there anything special about the vampires of Jaehyun’s au? Like do they have to be invited in? If that’s true, could the reader potential run to a home and make sure he can’t get in?

What if the reader tries to kill themself to join little sis? Would he turn the OC to keep them alive?

Can compulsion be used on other vampires? (So if reader turned they can run away and actually stay away bc their strength matched Jaehyun’s?)

Okay I’m done pls let me know if you want me to send these questions separately or if someone of them you don’t want to answer!! I will respect your choice bc ily!!

Wow! OMG, this makes me so happy that you have all these questions about the AU and I will be happy to answer all of them!! Gonna put a read more since this got super long and this will contain spoilers (I guess) and also TRIGGER WARNING for mentions of suicide!!

Okay okay, I'll number them to make them easier to follow!

1. So he would never use compulsion on the OC to make them love him, or do anything that would cross a line like force the OC to kiss him or something like that. However, he’s not above compelling the OC to make sure she’s taking care of herself if the servants cannot do their jobs properly. So like, compelling the OC to eat when she’s hungry and make sure she’s drinking water, stuff like that, is all on the table. Besides, he doesn’t really need to use compulsion all that much cause he pulls the “if you don’t do this, I will kill this person while you watch and it’ll be your fault” card.

2. Hmm, that would be like asking him to change his personality and who he is, so it’s possible, and he could become nicer towards some, but it would take a long time for there to be any substantial difference as his behaviour has been ingrained into him for hundreds of years. So, probably not, though the OC can try. Jaehyun is the type to be like, “well, now you know all sides of me so you better accept them all cause this is who I am.”

3. It was always in his plans to turn the OC, and he can and will do it against their will if he so chooses, though he’d rather they wanted him to turn them so it’d be their own decision. That being said, the OC could remain a human for quite a while, but after a certain age, Jaehyun would just turn them if he so chooses.

4. No, unfortunately in this universe, what’s dead should stay dead. However, it is possible if one knows a powerful spell. The type of death is crucial though for the spell to work, the body has to be intact, so unfortunately Lori with her decapitated head would not qualify for the spell.

5. Oh, there’s plenty!! So Jaehyun is a pure vampire which means he was born as what he is, instead of made, meaning he is one of the most powerful vampires in existence. There are others like him, but because he comes from the royal bloodline, he’s more powerful, hence his heightened senses of smell, hearing, etc. over others of his species. He’s also one of the fastest and strongest of his kind because of this. They do have to be invited in, as well as they have the power of compulsion (if that wasn’t clear from previous answers lol). As to the OC running away, it would be kind of difficult even with the invitation requirement as everyone in the kingdom knows who he is and who the OC is, so she would be risking the lives of whatever person or persons they ran to since the whole kingdom thinks the OC and Jaehyun are in a loving relationship. Besides, he’s the Prince and ofc he’d be automatically invited into a person’s home if he showed up on their front door.

6. So this relates to question one, and yes this would be an instant he would use compulsion to stop the OC from taking their own life. If it got to the point where the OC managed to do something and the only choice was to turn them, he would.

7. Most definitely, compulsion can be used on other vampires, and seeing how Jaehyun is literally the strongest vampire in existence right now, they would have no choice regarding the matter. Though, people tend to listen to him when he orders them to do something without needing to be compelled. Even if he turned the OC, yes they would be strong but since they are a turned vampire, still not as strong as Jaehyun. (Unless you’re talking about blood sharing which in that case, OC could get close to Jaehyun’s strength, but still wouldn’t be the same, and even then it would take years).

#ask #About: Vampire Jaehyun #tw: suicide

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f-nodragonart · 4 years ago

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Worldbuilding, briefly

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how I approach worldbuilding in my own work, and how worldbuilding appears in the media that I admire, and just want to share some thoughts

so, y’know how lot of writers admit that it feels like their characters end up writing themselves? hijacking the creators’ brains and acting out their own lives? I feel the same can be said for settings, if they’re given the chance to breathe freely

suffice to say, a setting should feel dynamic-- a living, changing thing that affects (and is affected by) characters/plot/etc., and has solid internal logic. I think the two central concepts which make for good worldbuilding, in this respect, are:

a sense of history

holistic integration with all other story elements

History

when a setting only exists in the present moment, it comes off flat and static-- merely a cardboard set-piece that could fall over at a gust of too-strong wind (or critical thought). settings need history to feel vibrant and alive, just as any individual character needs history to inform their actions and beliefs

essentially, good worldbuilding answers the question of, “How did we get here?”

in practice, having a sense of history helps a great deal in predicting and designing how a setting looks at the present. think of it like following branching pathways back to the source-- the main divergence(s) from real-life. as humans living on planet Earth in our particular sociocultural environments, whatever we create will automatically borrow from what we’re familiar with, so it helps to track down where we may be subconsciously starting at. once we find that initial divergence, it’s a simple matter of following logical stepping-stones from that source, up to the present point

thus, you can break the broad question of, “How did we get here?” down into smaller, more manageable chunks by carefully tracking along a path of history

some examples of what I’m talking about here:

need an explanation for the current geopolitical climate? trace back the basic history of all the countries in question, follow it back to basic sources (fighting over resources/territory, power/ideological struggles, etc.), to figure out why the geopolitical landscape looks as it does today. want to figure out how a particular culture came to their current beliefs/practices? look back to the history of their land-- what resources do they use, what ecological cycles impact them, how much cultural overlap do they have with their neighbors, and how does this impact what they most cherish in themselves and others? want to figure out how/why a creature exists in your world? map their evolutionary taxonomy and ecological relationships back to a point that connects to the other creatures on your planet-- where exactly did they “start” out and what pushed them to evolve the way the did?

most of these sub-questions will likely never be directly answered in your story, and you don’t even need to have detailed answers for most of them. but trust me when I say that YOU knowing the answers (even answers that you may consider broad and simple) will affect how you craft the present setting and its sense of history

of course, the level of divergence from real-life will impact how much reworking a given setting needs in order to feel self-sustaining and whole. a world where political history diverges from real-life only a few years previous is going to have different needs than a story whose very life-forms are built on different molecular structures than Earth life, for example. it can be intimidating in some cases, but if you’re willing to put in the work and research for it, you can make some pretty incredible discoveries

Holistic Integration

I’ll fully admit, Folding Ideas’ video on Ludonarrative Dissonance is what rly got me thinking abt this topic (and more deeply abt my own thoughts on stylistic/tonal consistency). his central idea about how we can approach story elements as separate or integrated rly clarified some of my vague opinions/feelings on certain media

essentially, worldbuilding shouldn’t be treated as separate from other story elements like plot and themes, if you want it to work holistically in your world. otherwise, your worldbuilding may start telling a different story from the plot/themes/etc. you’re consciously trying to craft. in fact, I’ll even argue that it’s impossible to treat worldbuilding separately, on a fundamental level

let me focus specifically on themes for a moment when I say, humans don’t create objectively. we don’t craft worlds or stories without automatically inserting our own beliefs and ideas into the settings. to say that a setting is free of theme in particular is highly arrogant, imo, and a sign that the creator likely thinks their own views are simply the “norm”. a magic system will reflect a creator’s views on souls and energy and existence; creature designs will reveal the aesthetic and types of animals a creator gravitates towards; various political systems will reflect a creator’s background and assumptions about the power/morality of said systems

in this way, I think it’s downright impossible to craft a world without themes in the first place. so it just makes sense to recognize and lean into that, while crafting the more deliberate themes of a story

but even if we do assume, for sake of argument, that worlds COULD be crafted objectively, I just don’t understand why they would? why/how a world functions the way it does will affect the ways characters move through that world, and how they experience their arcs and subsequent themes. like, it’s genuinely baffling for me to imagine crafting a story without every element organically weaving into and affecting one another, it just doesn’t feel like it would even work

because when an element of the story doesn’t exist in service of the other elements around it, that element becomes a useless distraction rather than an asset. folks complain all the time about useless characters-- people that take up precious screentime without moving any other element (plot, character arcs, tone, etc.) forward. yet the same can absolutely be said for settings-- settings which just exist as spaces to set characters while they experience a plot, separate from that given setting. when these settings don’t touch any other element of the story in any meaningful way (or vis-versa), they become distracting and useless, and ultimately destabilize/undermine the other elements

like, when we’re told a setting is rough and dangerous, but the characters that live there don’t act like it (no street smarts, no sense of caution towards their environment, no sense of where they are and how to get where they need to quickly--), it undermines the reliability of the characters’ personalities/arcs. when we’re told a setting is full of casual magic which affects everything, yet we’re shown a 1:1 picture of real life with no sign of how people using magic, how tech may integrate with magic, how magic affects aesthetic or history, it distracts from and undermines the fantasy/escapism. when we’re explicitly told that a story’s themes center around defying expectations/roles, yet the setting we’re supposed to root for only reinforces pre-defined roles and rules, it completely undermines any of the deliberate themes the creator intends. when we’re following a plot through various environments meant to showcase the variety of culture and aesthetic a world has cultivated, but we’re merely shown variations on a very similar theme, it’s distracting and boring

worldbuilding should not feel like a dissonant piece from other story elements. worldbuilding should harmonize with and enhance all other story elements, and those elements in turn should enhance the worldbuilding. while it absolutely is useful to tackle or talk about certain elements separately (I mean, I am taking a whole post to discuss worldbuilding, specifically), ultimately a good story is a whole whose parts can’t be fully removed from one another

Internal Logic

you may be wondering why I have yet to make any real mention of “logic” up to this point, since that’s how most folks analyze worldbuilding. hell, even I usually judge worlds based on how well they stick to their “internal logic”. but I think focusing on a vague sense of “logic” puts the cart before the horse, so to speak

if you don’t know the history of a particular setting, how can you track any cultural/political/etc. logic to its source? to say that logic “pre-establishes” certain rules is to admit that there is a sense of history there in the first place, thus specific events preceding the present text which explain why the present exists as it does. like, the big bang is a historical event that’s set up the logic of our entire universe, the same way a war sets up the political logic of a nation going forward. thus, history precedes logic

but before history can set precedents in worldbuilding, it’s really the other story elements which decide what history is important enough to establish in the first place. a story whose themes center around biological imperatives and ecology will need worldbuilding with a strong biological history; a story whose plot centers on political intrigue will need a world with a strong political history; a story with characters ranging across all different cultures will need to establish history for those cultures, etc. you aren’t obligated to establish the history of every single aspect of a setting, merely the parts that are actually relevant to the rest of the narrative in some way

this is how the internal logic of a story is established: by knowing exactly what history needs to be established to enhance the other story elements. logic should organically follow, once you have a strong grasp of history and holistic integration

-Mod Spiral

#worldbuilding #mod spiral #me: *holds worldbuilding/lore/specevo* I just think it's neat :)

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mamacesawrites · 5 years ago

Text

A Roman Rose

Word Count: 1504

A/N: Just a little writing exercise. I used some randomizers as prompts. Hope you enjoy, feedback is appreciated.

Warnings: blood mention, sexual intimacy implied, request more if needed

Ao3

“No. Not really red, but the color of a rose when it bleeds.”

— Anne Sexton, excerpt of “Song for a Red Nightgown,” The Complete Poems.

Logan walked down the dark street. He was hungry, though all the restaurants around him were closed. He checked his watch. 1 am. He smirked, looking for his next meal would be easy. The type of people who were roaming the streets at that time of night were the types that tasted best.

He had traveled everywhere. His feet had taken him farther than any human would ever walk. He had many lovers, many friends, and many enemies. He had learned so much. Immortality meant that he could forever study. As his mind aged, however, he had no need for people. He was tired of the changes the world had made. So quickly, humanity had built a great empire that he hadn’t been able to imagine.

He thought of these things as he smelled the air. His first meal of his new life, in the city of New Orleans, had to be special. He had just moved to the city under a new name. Logan Gaines, going back to a classic. A particular favorite alias of his. He had so many names, so many different lives. He kept his nose slightly lifted. He wanted to be invigorated. The first meal of this new life should be only the finest.

His particular tastes were unconventional to the others of his kind. Some called him a snob, or told him that all humans tasted the same. However that was not his experience. He found that he desired a particular...type. He preferred creators. Poets were very sweet to him, while playwrights were a specialty. Painters were good appetizers. Authors, oh authors, those were the juiciest of all. The greater the talent, the greater the taste.

One other thing his kind also found baffling about him is that he never killed. He only used his ability to thrall his victims into never remembering their encounters. It also was a good way to keep leftovers around. He had no desire to try to cover up a murder, plus he still held some form of morals from his first life.

He paused at the corner of the street. He smelt a very sweet, yet somewhat familiar scent. Had one of his previous meals come to the city? Very likely, given humanity's ability to move was more convenient than ever before. He walked toward the scent. Perhaps it was a poet. From the strength of the aroma he knew it was an intellectual, great taste. Definitely worthy of a celebratory first meal.

As he grew closer, his mouth watered. Still, he couldn’t place where he had the blood. The faces of his meals blurred, but surely someone as delicious as this would be memorable. Or perhaps, he had only tasted this blood long ago. He could never be too bothered to remember every bite for long. He did admit to himself, the curiosity helped increase the thrill of the hunt.

He came upon a hotel that would give anyone goosebumps. It definitely looked what humans would consider ‘haunted’. Logan knew better, ghosts were only a reality in the memories of the mind.

As he climbed the stairs and wandered the halls, he felt his fangs start to drop. Must be a very delicious drink.

He stopped outside the door of the source. He paused before knocking. His hesitancy bothered him, but he couldn’t place a finger as to why. Where was the excitement? It had just been there a moment before. Now he felt...was that nervousness?

His mouth still watered, and his headache reminded him of why he was there. He shook his head, hoping to dismiss the foreign feeling. Perhaps it was over-excitement at what he was about to do.

He rapped on the door quietly enough for other visitors not to be disturbed, but loud enough for the person on the other side of the door to hear.

He heard the grunt, male, definitely. He wanted to guess more, but this familiar unfamiliar situation gave him a thrill he hadn’t felt in over a decade. Not since he last had a lover. He felt a ping of pain at the fleeting thought. Then it hit him as the scent grew closer. He nearly made the connection but it was too late, for the victim had opened the door.

“Roman…” he breathed. The former lover on his mind must have been conjured by cruel fate to be standing there. He was wrapped in a plush red robe with golden trim. His body was definitely many years older, but he aged well. The man before him was thirty five years old. More beautiful than when Logan had last left him as he slept all those years ago.

The man tilted his head in confusion. “Do I...know you?” Logan noticed his eyes squinting. Probably due to late night exhaustion.

“It’s me, it’s-” Logan nearly choked on the words so they came out in a squeak, “Foster.”

Roman’s eyes widened. Then he rubbed the heels of his hands over his eyes. Then he looked back to Logan. “No...no, it can’t be…”

Logan opened his arms. “Yes, it can be, and it is.”

Of all the reactions Logan expected, he was not expecting to be pulled inside the room by his collar with the door being slammed behind him. Roman took advantage of his surprise by pushing Logan against the wall, forearm to Logan’s throat. The movement of the other caused the smell of the sweet blood to waft into his nostrils. His fangs fully dropped. Roman, now very alert, was able to see the change to his mouth.

“Oh, I see. You’ve come to finish the job? Huh? You’ve come to finish your meal,” Roman growled. “What gives you the right to show up at my door, fangs dropped and shock in your eyes? Why leave for over a decade, then return when I am no longer youthful and full of beauty?”

“But you are beautiful,” Logan said without thinking. He had a habit of speaking without forethought around Roman. He was baffled. “You’ve aged well, my rose.”

Roman shut his eyes and loosed his grip. “How dare you call me that after all these years…”

Logan took the moment to strike. With inhuman speed, he turned Roman in his arms so that he was against the wall. Logan couldn’t help the growl that escaped his throat.

“These years have meant nothing to me, my rose.” Logan ran his nose along Roman’s neck. He felt the heart rate of the smaller man increase. The blood thirst grew stronger, as well as Logan’s desires. “I have been away from you for over ten years, yet the moment I come into town your blood has called me to you.”

Roman squirmed. “You-you have no right,” he protested, but his voice was wavering. Logan could tell by the tension that grew upon his thigh that Roman did not mean his protests.

He drew a finger over the other side of Roman’s neck, finding deep pleasure in the flesh growing warmer at his touch. “May I drink from you, my rose?”

“Yes,” his prey breathed, “Yes please.” So easy

Logan did not hesitate before indulging himself in his desires. Roman gripped his collar, moaning in pleasure. He never seemed to fear the vampire when he drank. That, or he felt some sort of sick pleasure from the pain. Perhaps he was a masochist. Most writers were.

Logan paused when the grip on his collar started to grow lighter. With great control, he pulled away. He licked over the wound so as to stop the bleeding. He pulled away to see the desire in Roman’s eyes. Oh, how he had missed those eyes in his isolation. How he never realized before the affect this man had on whatever soul he had, Logan did not know.

Roman leaned up on his toes to kiss Logan, his tongue moving delicately past the sharp fangs. The taste of his blood mingled on their breaths. He pushed his hands in Logan’s hair. “Foster…” he whispered against his lips.

Logan chuckled. “I’m sorry to correct you, but I am Logan now.” He pulled away to see the curiosity in Roman’s eyes. Leaning down to nibble at his ex-lover’s ear, he whispered, “Nice to meet you in this life, my rose.”

Roman trembled. “Logan,” Logan moaned into the man’s neck. The new name coming from those tantalizing lips made him feel a new desire he hadn’t experienced in the old life as Foster.

“Logan, can we please continue to our other...post meal activities?” Roman begged, “I haven’t been nearly as satisfied in so long,” he whined.

“Much obliged.” Logan stated before lifting Roman up. They never broke their kiss as they made their way to the bed.

Definitely a good first meal in my new life, Logan thought as Roman fell asleep on his chest after. He closed his eyes as the sun rose. His dreams were filled with secret desires for a longer time with his no-longer-ex lover.

Let me know if you wanna be added to a ship’s taglist!

#Logince #Romantic Logince #vampire AU #Mama Cesa writes #writing exercise #sanders sides #logan sanders #roman sanders #blood mention tw #tw mentions of sex #vampire logan #human roman

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fierceawakening · 6 years ago

Text

Starting a new thread because that got long, but the link to the previous does provide context if needed:

And I think that the reason I feel so strongly about the idea that we can’t construct moral codes or maxims without emotion in them (whether that emotion is properly called empathy or something else) is because... when I was a kid, I thought I did, and it was a disaster.

I was an Nd kid. I liked systems and sorting things (though I was also really intensely emotional so I may or may not be similar to my interlocutors). And one of the ways I sorted things was Good vs Bad.

And if something was Good, you do it no matter what even if it’s hard, and if you shy away from doing it, you’re Doing SomethingBad.

And if something was Bad, you can’t do it and be Good. It doesn’t matter if the Bad thing is convenient. It doesn’t matter if the Good thing will have a profound and generally negative effect on your life.

So I had rules like:

Drugs are bad. People who do drugs might be pitiable because they got pushed into it by peer pressure (remember this was the dare era) but in the end, the salient fact is that they’re willing to do Bad Things for pleasure. Avoid them.

Abortion is bad. Sure raising a kid is hard and scary and weird, but if you have any kind of option whatsoever that involves not killing a fetus, you are morally obligated to do that instead, because taking life is wrong unless you’re saving your own (and sometime even then.) A woman who has an abortion might be understandably upset and scared, but in the end, the salient fact is she’s willing to do a Bad Thing to preserve the life she’s comfortable with. Maybe don’t scream at her, but she’s not a role model.

It was only when I got into, like, college (and started studying ethical theory, which I think is very relevant here) that I started to see that moral judgment is complicated. And when I started to see that, I started to realize that my very rigid code had emotional judgments in it.

Judgments like “I don’t like the way being psychically impaired feels. I dislike drugs. I am therefore assuming someone who enjoys drugs is the same as me, only with a weird weakness of will problem. This is maybe not something I should be assuming?”

And that bit of my code got fuzzier. But I still don’t like drugs, and if someone I care about asks me if they should try them, I’m likely to give another answer than someone who knows a lot about them and likes them. Because my feelings are not separable from what I think. Not completely.

Or abortion. “I know, because I was likely to come out disabled, that a lot of women would abort the fetus that became me. I am scared and angry about this, so I don’t want anyone to have the option of thinking about that, ever. So I have decided ‘it’s wrong,’ without thinking about what factors might be salient in that decision, especially for someone who is struggling.”

So my code got fuzzier. And the reason why is... I started to realize that although I strove to create “a code” that I could just consult and know right from wrong, any code I created had bits of my perspective in it.

And that’s why I decided It’s important to think about emotion and morality. Not so much because morals are an instinctive thing (though I think Nd people, LIKE ME, have a tendency to not notice that they often are, which is why I liked Haidt on this) but because if you don’t know other people have a different perspective, you may judge them because your code said so rather than “hey wait this looks like an exception even to me.”

And that’s why empathy seems important to me. Because people identify empathy with recognizing other people’s perspectives in some way, whether by detecting their emotions or imagining their circumstances.

And when i wasn’t doing that, I thought most people were evil, and most people terrified me. Because their codes weren’t all rigid and pretty, like mine was.

And now that I am doing that, I think it’s possible some people are actually evil, but not most of them.

#the empathy discussion

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justheretobreakthings · 6 years ago

Text

Remember Me - Chapter 15

(First Chapter) (Previous Chapter) (Next Chapter)

Word Count: 3,459 (Total Word Count: 60,826) Read on AO3

Story Summary:

It was strange enough for the paladins of Voltron to have found another human this far from home, locked in a Galra prison. But it was stranger still when this human insisted that he knew them, and even that he was the former red paladin of Voltron.

That couldn’t possibly be true, could it? After all, if this Keith was actually a part of the Voltron team, then why does nobody remember him?

Chapter Preview:

“Hang on a sec - ” Keith said, holding up a hand. “What, um - what exactly are you asking me right now?”

“Basically,” Shiro spoke up from the other couch, “We had been thinking that, while you’re here in the castle, it might be good to have you take part in some of Voltron’s activities. Lend a hand in some missions, join the group training, things of that sort. We’ve gotten to see a bit of your fighting and flying in action, so we know you have the capabilities. So, if you’re up for it...”

For a moment Keith seemed frozen in place, gaping at Shiro, and when he answered, his voice was soft and shaky. “You… you want to me to - to be a paladin again?”

“So, question,” Lance said. “Is there a way we can start moving some comfortable furniture in here? Couple sofas, bean bags if you got ‘em? And maybe, like, some speakers or a TV or, you know, something to keep people entertained?”

“This is a medical bay, Lance,” Allura said. “Not a lounge.”

“I know that,” Lance said. He arched his back to stretch out before folding his legs and repositioning himself on the steps he was sitting on. “But, I mean, think about how much time we all spend hanging out in here just waiting for people to finish up cycles in the healing pod or wake up from comas and stuff. Wouldn’t it make sense to be more comfortable while we do it?”

“You don’t have to be here if you don’t want to be, you know,” Pidge grunted from beside him without looking up from the tablet in her arms.

“Coran said Keith’s coming out in fifteen doboshes and then we all have to meet,” Lance said. “That’s twenty minutes, right Hunk?”

“Yep,” Hunk answered.

“So, now, what am I supposed to do in the space of twenty minutes?”

“A man from Bilhai once did a thousand push-ups in twenty minutes,” said Pidge.

“Yeah, I’m not doing that.”

“Fine, then go sing a four-minute song to yourself five times and stop interrupting my work.”

Lance snorted. “Interrupting your work,” he repeated under his breath. He knew full well that Pidge had programmed Snake onto that tablet, and that’s how she had been spending the past half hour while seeming oh-so-focused on the tablet’s screen.

“Well, I am going to go ahead over to the bridge before we debrief,” Allura said. “See if we got any replies. Lance, if you’re feeling restless, why don’t you come along?”

“Eh, beats just sitting around,” Lance said, clambering to his feet and following Allura out of the med bay. “So,” he said when they were in the hallway. “What ‘replies’ are you talking about?”

“I sent missives out to those groups in our coalition who would have resources to assist us in cargo transport,” Allura replied. “I’m hoping to be able to get a couple of convoys assembled to ensure safe delivery of those quintessence samples.”

“Delivery?” Lance asked. “We’re not keeping them?”

“They won’t exactly be doing much good sitting around in the castle. I’m arranging to send one of the containers to the Blade of Marmora. We’ll have them examine it and see if they can find any connection between the quintessence on the ship we raided and on the strain they’ve been pursuing in connection to Lotor. The other will be sent to Olkarion, for Ryner and her scientists to use in their quintessence research. Hopefully they will be able to determine what might be the cause of those energy fluctuations Pidge observed. Any information either of the two are able to give us could help us to determine what sort of work was being done on the quintessence.”

“Oh,” Lance said, wrinkling his brow in thought as they stepped into the bridge. “So, if they find something out about the quintessence, that’ll help us figure out where Keith comes from?”

Allura let out a sigh before approaching her console. “Honestly? I don’t know, and it seems a bit of a stretch that solving one will solve the other. The only thing we know for certain is that Haggar and her druids have been doing something with quintessence, and have done something with, or to, Keith. Whether the two are connected in any way beyond that, or whether we’d even be able to determine the connection if they are, remains in the air, and considering the scope of Haggar’s work, chances are slim that the connection is there. Still,” she added as she pulled her communication log up onto the holoscreen, “It remains the only trail we have. So until or unless it goes cold… we pursue it.”

“Mm,” Lance hummed, folding his arms and watching Allura’s screen. “Mystery-solving isn’t nearly as fun as they make it look on TV.”

Allura gave him a small smile, “Ah, yes, TV. And on an Earth program, how would they go about ‘mystery-solving’, hm?”

“Well, we’d probably get a talking dog to help us out, for one thing.”

“How, precisely, would that help us?”

“I dunno, morale? Any replies come in?”

“Yes,” Allura answered, her hint of a smile dropping to a frown. “One who currently cannot spare the crafts, one rebel group who can provide some, but we’ll definitely need more to keep the convoy reliably safe. And it seems Puania still does not wish to work with the Blade, and won’t make deliveries to Olkarion because it violates their trade agreement with Ceron KA-6 - although I am certain that this delivery would not fall under that agreement’s jurisdiction.”

“Why are we even letting those guys into the coalition?” Lance asked.

“They have voinerth ore.”

“Of course.”

Allura sighed again. “I wish I could simply wormhole the castle and make the deliveries myself, but I’d like this done soon, and since we also are going to be occupied checking the coordinates Pidge was able to download, and such a large number of trips via wormhole in that short of time was what wrecked our generator the last time.”

“Not to mention exhausted the hell out of you,” Lance pointed out.

“Yes, well.” Allura shrugged. “Some fatigue on my part ought not be a deciding factor in how we conduct our movements. By this point I’m accustomed to it. We all are.” She turned away from her console and back to him. “Well, I suppose I’ve nothing else to do here now I’ve seen to our replies. Shall we proceed back to the others for the debriefing?”

“Nothing would bring me greater joy.”

The group gathered in the paladins’ lounge for the debriefing once Keith was out of the cryopod and dressed, once again in a set of Lance’s usual day clothes. Keith had insisted on holding off on the typical post-cryopod shower and meal until after the debriefing - “No sense in keeping all the rest of you waiting,” he had said - so from where he was seated on the couch between Lance and Hunk, Lance could detect the faint formaldehyde-like odor of the cryopod’s juices that he hadn’t had the chance to washed away yet. He tried not to breathe in too deeply through his nose as they debriefed.

Allura gave the rest of the group the same explanation to where she was sending the quintessence as she had to Lance earlier, after a bit of awkward hedging during which she and Shiro tried to thank Keith for retrieving them while simultaneously scolding him for his methods. Keith seemed unfazed, simply keeping his arms crossed and nodding at the appropriate times. Lance did hear him mutter under his breath to himself at one point, something about “the ends justifying the means.”

The debriefing was turned to Pidge next, and she pulled the transportation logs she’d snagged from the ship up onto her tablet, mapping the route the ship had taken. Lance zoned out a little as Allura and Coran started to get into a thorough discussion over which locations the castle should check out itself and which could be delegated to others in the coalition, until Shiro spoke up to ask whether they needed to get this figured out during the debriefing or if they could hold it off for later.

Coran gave them a quick rundown of the damage report from the battle, which fortunately was minimal. Their biggest overhead loss had been the damage to Keith’s cruiser, which, Coran mentioned, would have to undergo repairs soon, as the castle’s vehicle supply was still low and they needed as many in working condition as possible. Beside Lance, Keith curled tighter into himself with a mumbled, “I’m sorry.”

“You’ve already apologized, my boy,” Coran said, flicking his hand as if brushing the apology aside. “It’s nothing that myself and Hunk cannot care of over the next few quintants.”

“I can help fix it, if you want,” Keith said. “I mean, since I, uh, I was the one to break it in the first place. Told you guys before that I’ve worked with vehicles.”

“Much obliged,” Coran said with a nod. “I’m sure you’ll be of great help.”

“Speaking of Keith’s help…” Shiro said, looking over toward Allura.

“Yes, yes, we were going to get to it,” Allura said before rising from her seat and rejoining Coran at the front of the room. Keith sat up straighter, watching her before sending a curious glance to the others, which Lance answered with an uncertain shrug. “One final item on the agenda before we dismiss,” Allura continued, returning Keith’s gaze. “Things have, of course, since your arrival here at the castle, been fairly up in the air in regards to how you spend your time with us during your stay, as well as how you can contribute to Voltron’s cause.”

Keith fidgeted in his seat as Allura went on, “Recently, Shiro and myself reopened the discussion regarding responsibilities we are willing to entrust to you, and although given the unknown variables of your circumstances I hesitate to declare that we are intending to open to you full privileges enjoyed under the title of paladin, we do both agree that until we are able to sort out your dilemma and return you to whence you came or, well, however we may end up ultimately resolving the situation, we could probably do with having your time with us made more productive and cooperative.”

No response from Keith, which Lance didn’t blame him for; he wasn’t even entirely sure that he understood what Allura was saying just now. After a pause, Allura leaned forward and continued. “Now, after your performance today, I feel it necessary to tell you now that this is probationary, and that we expect responsible behavior out of you. We need to be sure that you do not intend to go rogue when providing assistance, and your reliability and cooperation toward the paladins is key to - ”

“Hang on a sec - ” Keith said, holding up a hand. “What, um - what exactly are you asking me right now?”

For a moment Keith seemed frozen in place, gaping at Shiro, and when he answered, his voice was soft and shaky. “You… you want to me to - to be a paladin again?”

Shiro winced at that, and Allura hastened to say, “Well, no, not precisely, as a, ah, a paladin, by definition, is a pilot of one of the Lions of Voltron, and, of course, we’ve five lions, all already with their designated paladins, but, ah, we - we are open to you taking on some of the responsibilities alongside the paladins in battle situations and certain other matters. Perhaps you could consider it a paladin… apprenticeship?”

Keith nodded mutely as Shiro continued, “Now, like Allura said, this is on a trial basis. We can see how you mesh with the group in training, and for now we’re limiting this to select missions only until we know better where your strengths can best be put to use.”

“And of course, this is a privilege,” Allura said. “With conditions. And if we have reason to believe that this is not a position you are suited for or able to handle, it will be revoked.”

“But as long as you don’t abuse it, and as long as you respect orders from myself and Allura in training and in battle, and as long as we agree that you’re a good fit for the team, then there’s no reason why this shouldn’t be a long-lasting - ”

“Yes,” Keith interrupted. “Yes, yes, that’s fine, I - I can do that, I can - I can follow orders, I can be a good teammate, I swear, yes, I - ”

“Now, one more moment, Keith,” Allura said holding up a hand. “The reason we bring this up here and now rather than in private is that it’s important that all of the paladins feel comfortable bringing you into the fold. We need this decision to be unanimous before having you along for training and battles. Shiro and I have already approved the motion, under the conditions we’ve outlined just now, so now…” Her eyes drifted between the remaining three paladins. “Paladins, you are under no obligation either way, but it really must be unanimous if we’re going to go through with this change. Pidge? Aye or nay?”

“Aye,” Pidge answered simply and without hesitation. Lance wondered whether Pidge had been thinking over that hypothetical ‘excitement’ having Keith along on missions would bring, and whether she had determined that it sounded like it’d be worth it. That sounded like the sort of thing Pidge would do.

“Hunk?”

“Aye,” Hunk replied. He nudged Keith with his elbow and shot him a smile. “I mean, come on, by this point you’re practically part of the team already, right? About time we make it official.”

Allura nodded, and all eyes fell on Lance, including Keith’s own intense violet gaze. Something about it set something off somewhere in the back of Lance’s mind, a flicker of… something he didn’t quite recognize, but that was just a little unnerving.

But he shoved the flicker aside, along with any arguments about his recklessness and the fact that they still essentially didn’t have any real goddamn clue who this guy was, and he nodded. “Yeah,” he said, before clearing his throat and repeating more loudly. “Yeah. Aye.”

Keith sagged in relief, eyes shining, and within a fraction of a second Hunk had pulled him into a suffocating one-armed hug with a shout of, “Welcome to the team, buddy!” as the others watched, smiling.

“... Thank you,” Keith said, a hint of color appearing in his face. “I - I just - thank you.”

“Well, now that’s taken care of,” Allura said. “Keith, I expect you up bright and early for the team’s morning group training tomorrow. For now, you are all dismissed.”

“Come along and fetch me once once you’ve showered and eaten, Keith,” Coran said as the group rose from their seats. “We’ll see about getting you fitted for decent armor.”

Keith nodded to him as he made his way out, looking all the while like he was in a bit of a daze, enough so that he seemed to barely notice the congratulatory pats on the back Hunk and Pidge gave him as they left. Lance hung back, waiting for the others to go before tugging on Coran’s sleeve. “Hey, Coran?” he asked.

“Yes, Number Three?”

“As long as you’re getting armor made for Keith, do you think you can go ahead and make him some of his own clothes too? Nothing against him, just, I kinda get a little sick of sharing my wardrobe with him all the time, you know?”

“Oh, but those are his own clothes!” Coran said.

Lance raised a brow. “What? Did, uh, did you give some of my - ?”

“No, no, I made him some of his own. You two are close to the same size, but not precise matches you see.”

“... Oh.” Come to think of it, Keith’s had been fitting better into his clothes lately, but Lance had chalked that up to him regaining his weight and, well, maybe some sort of little outer space growth to account for the height. He hadn’t given it a whole lot of thought.

“Is that all right?” Coran asked, a thoughtful frown on his face. “You all have told me to simply copy your original ensembles to make new clothes, so I had assumed - ”

“Well, yeah, it’s just, you know, they’re - they’re sort of my clothes. It’s, uh, it’s - it’s weird, seeing someone else with - it’d, uh, it’d be like, if Shiro was suddenly going around wearing identical clothes to yours, you - you see how that would be weird?”

“Ah, of course, of course, I should’ve have considered!” Coran said, looking aghast. “You’re correct, of course, that would be quite upsetting!”

“I mean, you can still use my clothes as, like, a base or something, but - ”

“Yes, say no more, Lance. I’ll get something new whipped up for him postehaste. I must say, my boy, I’m rattled at the fact I hadn’t considered it earlier, simply rattled. Why, if anyone were to know the awkwardness of unintentional fashion matching, it would be I. I don’t know if I ever told you about the day I arrived for a luncheon with a group of delegates from Roglax only to find myself wearing precisely the same cravate as their most temperamental suzerain. Now, it certainly wasn’t the greatest amount of bloodshed I’ve ever witnessed at a Roglaxan luncheon, but it still…”

Lance swallowed back a sigh and resigned himself to a stiff smile and a lot of nodding for the next varga as he settled in for another long session of Coran anecdotes.

Lance’s decision to squeeze some extra time in on the training deck that evening had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that Keith would be joining the group training tomorrow. He wasn’t trying to prepare himself in case the two of them sparred again tomorrow, and he was certainly not making sure his shooting eye was honed enough that Keith would have no choice but to admit that, at least in that skill, he was absolutely no match for the paladin.

No, it had nothing to do with any of that. He just had the time to spare and figured he’d make the most of it. So it was on the training deck he found himself that evening, ready in his paladin armor and ready to go.

“Select training level,” the computerized voice of the training deck said.

“Oh, I’m feeling daring tonight,” Lance said as he made his way to the center of the room. “Let’s go with level three tonight. Random module.”

“Level three selected.” A ring of floating training robots ascended from their places in the floor, and Lance grinned. This exercise was one of his favorite, perfect for training his sharpshooter eye.

“Module start in: five ticks.”

“All right, go time,” Lance said, lifting his bayard and willing it to its rifle shape. But the familiar sensation of the bayard transforming didn’t come. Startled, Lance stared down at the bayard, which sat innocently in his hand, still looking distinctly un-rifle-like. “Wha - ”

“Begin.”

“Wait, hang on, I - ” The training bots cut him off by firing toward him, and he hastened to bring his shield up from his gauntlet. “I’ve got technical difficulties, would you - ”

The shield shook under the blasts from the bots, and with a grunt Lance dove out of their way, giving himself a moment while they reoriented themselves to bang his bayard into the heel of his left hand like an old flashlight. “Come on, work, you stupid - ”

To his relief, the bayard finally gave in and expanded into his rifle, and with a grin, Lance jumped back into the fray. The bots were small targets, and moved fast, but Lance made quick work of them, spending the next few doboshes blocking, dodging, and shooting until all the bots were taken down.

He went another two rounds before, panting, he called a pause on the training module to take a water break. When he did, he let his bayard shrink back into its dormant form in his hand. He frowned down at it as he hydrated himself - his bayard had never done that before. It always responded immediately when he called it forward, never delayed.

That flicker again, as if a tiny part of the back of his mind had had a hint of realization and chosen not to let the rest of his brain in on it. Lance didn’t know what to make of it.

So he ignored it, and he set aside his water pouch and brought his bayard back to form, without having to argue with it this time, before returning to the middle the deck with a firm, “Resume training!”

#vldgen #vld fic #vld keith #vld lance #voltron fic #my writing #fic: remember me

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holden-norgorov · 7 years ago

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A definite analysis of why I think Rajalagang ruined an entire storyline of the show.

I’m sorry, but if you really think the Rajalagang polyamory is IC you seriously need to rewatch the show. I’m not saying it’s not a morally beautiful choice, and I agree that it suits with the themes of the episode and I may even eventually come to accept it because I understand that in the finale they wanted to have a happy ending for everyone and that’s wonderful. What I’m actually saying, though, is that it’s not coherent with that we’ve been shown for two seasons, and lack of narrative continuity is an objective problem, regardless of what kind of message you want to send. And I know that the show was supposed to have three more seasons but, as proved by JMS’s statements, the Kalagang storyline would have canonically taken a different direction (had the show been renewed), and that was made clear in season two and strongly hinted also in season one by so many factors; so this polyamorous relationship was not originally planned or conceived, but it was added only for Rajan to actually do something in this episode and not turning out to be the only one without a happy ending. But by doing so, they decided to portray a trash, OOC version of Kalagang that doesn’t fit at all with the previous seasons. So, here I’ll try my best to explain my thoughts and provide an analysis of Kala’s relationship with both Rajan and Wolfgang throughout the show, in order to highlight why in my opinion the finale episode ruined their character arcs.

In S01E01 “Limbic Resonance”, the very first thing we learn about Kala’s character is that she thinks Rajan is what her society may depict as a perfect husband for her but she doesn’t love him. She is already torn by what she feels pressured to do by duty and what she really wants by heart, and this is exactly what her character is all about throughout the show: an internal struggle. For both seasons Rajan always embodies the symbol of what Kala needs to overcome in order to find true happiness, despite him being known for being a good and kind man.

In S01E02 “I Am Also A We”, during the short conversation Kala and Rajan have on the balcony, it’s made it clear that Rajan already knows that Kala doesn’t feel for him the same way he feels for her. But despite acknowledging this, he still decides to go on with the wedding, taking advantage of her internal struggle and focusing only on his desire to have her. Here we already have a small sign of Rajan’s selfish nature, because he consciously prioritizes his marriage ambition to the psychological fragility of the woman he says he loves.

In S01E11 “Just Turn The Wheel And The Future Changes”, we learn that the very first reason why Rajan took an interest in Kala, of all the women so desperate to marry him, is that his father didn’t approve their relationship due to religious differences. He basically said that at first his attraction towards her was caused by the idea of linking the image of Kala to a prize to win.

Rajan never once in all the show actually asks Kala about her opinions, her way of thinking, her reasoning behind things; he always focuses only on her beauty and physical appearance. This is because he doesn’t actually know Kala. He only knows the construct image that she shows to the society she lives in, and he fell in love with that image. He’s not even interested in getting to know the real Kala, and she obviously doesn’t want him to because she doesn’t love him. So, the result is that in two seasons we don’t get to even see one time when the two of them have a really loving and meaningful conversation. They basically have no relationship despite being married, and this lack of understanding between the two of them is confirmed in S02E04 “Polyphony”, when Kala tells Wolfgang that he is the only person she can talk about anything and be really herself with.

In many occasions it’s also shown that not only Kala is not in love with Rajan, but she is also deeply ill at ease and uncomfortable around him and, thanks to her unresolved internal struggle and the fact that he likes playing the victim, she also feels obliged to hide her true self. In S02E01 “Happy F*cking New Year” she is shown trying to distract her mind from this unwanted marriage and to avoid her husband by constantly shopping, and she feels forced to build a fake image to please Rajan shortly before their sexual encounter (which she feels dutiful to have because of the necklace he bought her). And the thing is that Rajan notices that Kala displays this uncomfortable attitude but he doesn’t even try to understand her or actually help her: he just keeps pressuring her psychologically in order to assure that their wedding remains intact. He is shown to care not about her as a person, but only about the preservation of their social roles as husband and wife.

In S02E01 “Happy F*cking New Year” Rajan also reveals having basically negotiated Kala’s body with her mother and, despite acting regretful once Kala shows her anger, this doesn’t erase the fact that he totally disrespected her as a person and objectified her without even realizing that she would have been pissed off about it and therefore that he should have apologized to her (a clear sign, as I previously said, that he actually doesn’t know her and that despite being married they have no relationship at all because they keep avoiding each other).

In S02E07 “I Have No Room In My Heart For Hate” is the only time in both seasons when we can actually see Kala explaining her opinions to her husband about the expired drugs that his company uses. As a result, he completely shuts the conversation off because he doesn’t care what she has to say; instead, he tries to calm her down by complimenting her beauty, which is kind of a sexist, disrespectful attitude. Nevertheless, he later sincerely apologizes to her, showing that he is starting to acknowledge the real Kala. This is the moment when Rajan really shows a newfound interest in discovering the hidden side of his wife. But the problem is that in this scene she mostly feels guilty for this because she realizes that this is not what she actually wants and that she is unable to give Rajan the love he deserves (something she ultimately came to realize after the sexual encounter with Wolfgang in the previous episode).

In S02E11 “You Want A War?” Rajan admits having lied to Kala for an entire season to prevent their marriage from being torn apart, and this was made possible for him exactly because they don’t have a real relationship and don’t know each other properly. It’s also fair to point out that Kala herself constantly keeps secrets from him for two seasons, so there is absolutely no trust at the base of this marriage. Unlike Rajan, Wolfgang specifically states that he has never lied to her.

This entire mess that is Kala’s relationship with Rajan for twenty-three episodes fades in front of the deep connection full of symbolism that she has with Wolfgang since the very first moment they meet. I’m not going to analyze every Kalagang moment and how each one perfectly fits with the other and helps empowering their connection, because it would make this post eternal. So, I’m going to sum up their bond especially relating to Rajan’s role.

During the first two seasons of the show, Wolfgang and Kala’s relationship is clearly thought to be based on a mutual level of understanding, connection and purity that overcomes reason, logical everyday life rules, cultures and boundaries. They are depicted as perfect for each other because each of them metaphorically embodies those traits that the other needs to embrace in order to evolve and grow. There’s a reason why they first connect after being asked “what are you looking for?”. Kala is looking for Courage: according to her character arc and storyline, she needs the courage to gain control and power over her own life, to finally make choices for herself, following what she really wants and not having to be subdued by societal rules and conventions. She finds this new, undiscovered side of herself in Wolfgang. On the other hand, Wolfgang is looking for Faith: according to his character arc and storyline, he needs to find faith in himself, he needs someone who actually reminds him that he is worthy of love, someone who can overcome his internalized childhood’s traumas and help him discovering a new self-awareness and meaning. He finds this hope in Kala, and he is also able to spontaneously open up and talk about his psychological wounds with her alone. They are symbolically conceived to complete each other in a profound level: there’s no room for Rajan in this kind of interdipendent connection and never will.

Especially through the first season is shown that Wolfgang has naturally access to a level of Kala’s intimacy that Rajan could never reach. We know that in many moments there’s proof that they share a strong connection with water (since their first birth, actually), and they spontaneously keep visiting in bathrooms, which are the most intimate and water-y filled places in homes. Also, by showing himself naked during her wedding and later in her bedroom, Wolfgang becomes fundamental in Kala’s sexual awakening process. They frequently are shown to develop a fluid (water-y) and sexual connection also through sweat. There are many scenes when we can clearly see that their bond is based on this deeply intimate and personal sharing moments that completely clash with Kala’s physical uncertainty and unease with Rajan’s presence. But the moment that in my opinion metaphorically testifies this in the best way possible is the beautiful scene in S01E07 “W.W.N. Double D?” at the Ganesha temple. We know that Kala is a faithful believer and, since Rajan is the son of the man who is basically trying to destroy Kala’s praying place, she and her husband share deep religious differences. So, Kala is led to use the temple as a way of escaping him and therefore it becomes her most private, intimate place, the only one where she can truly be herself. And who does she find in here, where she is unreachable by Rajan? Wolfgang. This is meant to show us that their connection flows and grows spontaneously in a deep and intimate way that could never be paralleled by the forced nature of Kala’s relationship with Rajan, who is always conceived as a stranger and invader in their lives.

In S02E04 “Polyphony”, Kala visits Wolfgang and states that he’s the only person she ever felt she could say anything to. This is because, as I pointed out before, she doesn’t have a real relationship with Rajan since he doesn’t actually care about what she thinks as a person (while Wolfgang is shown to be astonished by her opinions and private thoughts) and they rarely talk at all. Wolfgang replies that he tried to avoid her because she deserves to be happy. Despite being a really closed and introverted man (mainly thanks to his traumas), Wolfgang shows a selfless nature towards Kala, because he really loves her and wants for her the best life possible (aka: Rajan’s wealth). This behavior contrasts with Rajan’s recurrent selfish attitude: by playing the victim, he is shown to care purely about their marriage status and never actually take an interest in knowing Kala’s nature hidden under her superficial image and learning what she actually wants. After that, for the first time, thanks to Wolfgang’s presence, Kala finds herself comfortable enough to openly admit that her real happiness (what she really wants by heart) isn’t the same “happiness” that society wants for her to pursue (staying married to Rajan). Despite being obviously clear since the beginning of the show, here there is an out loud statement that Kala feels forced to stay with Rajan solely out of duty and obligation.

About the marvelous Kalagang sex scene, I expressed my thoughts in this post, so I’m not going to repeat myself uselessly.

In S02E10 “If All The World Is A Stage, Identity Is Nothing But A Costume”, Kala is finally showing the Courage (Wolfgang) to listen to her feelings and avoid pleasing others, while Wolfgang is finally reaching the Faith (Kala) that he is worthy of her and he doesn’t need to push her away and feeling like he doesn’t deserve her. This scene is so intimate and pure because of their mutual new understanding and acceptance both of themselves and of each other. Their entire arcs in both seasons culminate in this scene, and in the one in the next episode. What we can gain from this moment is that: Kala finally choses herself over others, which means that she finally agrees to follow her desires (be with Wolfgang) and move on from her duties as an Indian woman (be with Rajan). There is no indecision. Kala clarifies that she doesn’t want to hurt Rajan, because she deeply cares about him as a person (but I mostly think that this is due not to sincere affection but to the fact that she has lied to him for a lot of time and she feels guilty about it). In fact, she states that she “owes him the truth”, because by neglecting her duties as wife she feels like she has been using him. But she also states that she doesn’t want for Wolfgang to come to her city, which is a clear sign that she never absolutely felt the desire to share him with her world, Rajan included. It’s also fair to point out that in many moments of both seasons Kala and Wolfgang have been shown to be jealous of each other and morbidly attached to the unique connection that they have, never showing the will to share it with anybody else: for instance, think about the sex scene in the Christmas Special, when Wolfgang uncomfortably says “I’m not going to watch this” referring to Kala and Rajan having an intercourse. And then think about Kala not being able to go through with it because of Wolfgang’s presence (just to be clear: both these moments alone are actual proof that the last scene of the finale episode is completely out of character). They are the first one true love of each other and both of them crave an almost dominant and possessive role in each other’s life because of that. The last thing they would do is sharing their unprecedented bond with someone like Rajan who has always been, for two entire seasons, respectively an obstacle through Kala’s eyes and an invader through Wolfgang’s.

In S02E11 “You Want A War?”, Kala is ready to go through with her choice (which has already been made in the previous episode) to go “somewhere else, where no one knows” them. The importance of this scene is that Kala’s presence and role in Wolfgang’s development proves to be fundamental for his recovery from his childhood’s traumas: thanks to her, he has started to have Faith in himself again and now, for the very first time, he is ready to open up and share out loud his feelings towards her. He finds himself capable of loving and being loved and, while he confesses his emotions, he feels really scared and frightened both by the power that Kala has over him and by this unknown side of himself. At the same time, Wolfgang’s love declaration is what ultimately gives the Courage to Kala to confess her feelings thus making her decision permanent. This scene is meant to represent not only the explicit affirmation of their love for each other, but also for the part of themselves that had developed and grown thanks to their bond. This is why “love inside a Cluster is the worst kind of narcissism”: they complete each other and make each other a better version of themselves. This narcissism is precisely what makes it definitely out of character for Kala and Wolfgang to ignore their connection and even consider Rajan in the last episode. Paris was meant to be “just for them”, as stated by Kala herself. The finale special completely destroys all of this by giving us an unnecessary, weak polyamory based on the wrong assumption completely invented in this episode that there ever was a love indecision and that a choice has never been made. Also, according to the first two seasons, Kala and Wolfgang as a couple were absolutely the least likely to come up and accept such a situation, because they were presented and developed as star-crossed lovers made for each other, and each other’s one and only true love (it’s made clear several times that neither of them ever loved anyone else).

I hope I made myself clear on why in my opinion the Special features an OOC, regressive version of Kalagang and a totally out-of-place relationship based on nothing. At last, I want to share with you what I think would have been a worthy conclusion of their arcs: Kala finally embracing the newfound Courage in herself to ask Rajan for a divorce after having properly explained to him not only her sensate nature, but also her strong connection with Wolfgang; Rajan finally coming to love Kala for who she is (person) and not just for being his “wife” (property), and by doing so accepting to let her go in order for her to be finally happy; Wolfgang and Rajan reaching a friendship based on mutual respect but nothing more. In this way, I feel every character would have been given proper justice without being ruined or compromised.

Instead, by forcing Rajan into a relationship that isn’t fair to anyone of the three characters involved, the writers actually damaged and drastically weakened the epic bond between Kala and Wolfgang, and the quality of their writing decreased exponentially.

#sense8 #sense8 spoilers #special #finale #amor vincit omnia #kalagang #wolfgang bogdanow #kala dandekar #rajan rasal #analysis #thoughts #anti rajalagang #not anti polyamory itself #just anti this polyamory

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46ten · 6 years ago

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Beloved Matthew Clarkson, part 2

EH to Matthew Clarkson, 17Sept1804.

Part 1 here.

I haven’t been able to get much further with the Clarkson-AH relationship specifically, but thanks to @runawayforthesummer I do have more information about Clarkson after AH’s death, including his assistance to the Hamiltons.

Gouverneur Morris wrote in his journal [transcribed by runawayforthesummer]:

Mr. Hammond, who dined with us, desired me to think of some means to provide for poor Hamilton's family. Mr. Gracie and Mr. Wolcott called for the same purpose. I had already mentioned the matter to Mr. Low, who seems to think a subscription will not go down well, because the children have a rich grandfather. Mr. Hammond mentions certain engagements in bank, indorsed by Ludlow and David Ogden. The same thing probably exists as to him, Gracie, and Wolcott. Be motives what they may, I will use the occasion and freely pay my quota. Clarkson will unquestionably do as much. David Ogden says he, Clarkson, will do more than he ought. He is a worthy fellow, as, indeed, he always was, and is extremely wounded. He said to me on Thursday, just after our friend had expired: “If we were truly brave we should not accept a challenge; but we are all cowards.” The tears rolling down his face gave strong effect to the voice and manner with which he pronounced this sentence. There is no braver man living, and yet I doubt whether he would so far brave the public opinion as to refuse a challenge. The Diary and Letters of Gouverneur Morris, vol 2. pg 458

A rumor circulated that Rufus King had said that Clarkson had said that the duel between AH and Burr was “unavoidable”, with the implication that Clarkson approved of this duel; Clarkson wrote to King about it and provided his own feelings about the duel:

New York

August 20th, 1804

My Dear Sir

Since the late melancholy event that deprived us of our friend Hamilton, a report has reached me, that yourself in conjunction with Mr. Pendleton and myself had given it as an opinion that a duel was unavoidable; a report of this nature (as I abhor the practice) has occasioned me great uneasiness, and as I was only a hearer of what you related to me and had no other agency in the business, you will much oblige me by a line to this effect. I promise you that no other use shall be made of the letter but only to show it to two persons from whom I received the information-whom I am very solicitous should be rightly informed on the subject. Previous to the fatal event the silence you imposed on me was most scrupulously attended to; but which agitated my mind exceedingly; immediately upon my hearing of its having taken place I directly went to our friend, who I found had already requested that I be sent for. The scene which I witnessed has almost been too much for me, and the idea now suggested has not contributed to my repose. Let me request, my dear sir, to hear from you as soon as possible.

P.S. We are endeavouring to obtain by subscription some property for the children of our friend; is anything of a similar nature likely to be done in Boston? - Life and Correspondence of Rufus King, Vol 4, pg 399

King responded to Clarkson:

Waltham near Boston

August 24, 1804

My dear Sir

I lose no time in replying to your letter of the 20th which I received last evening considering the reserve I have observed upon this subject of national affliction. I am truly surprised that any such rumor, as that you mention, should have got into circulation upon my authority: No person can be justified by any observation that you ever made to me, or that I ever made to another, in reporting that you had given an opinion that a Duel between our lamented friend and Col Burr was unavoidable.

It was not until the challenge had been given and accepted that I mentioned the affair to you, and then under injunction of secrecy – [insert] knowing our friend’s determination to be positive [end insert] my mind was agitated with strong forebodings of what had happened; and though the correspondence was closed by the agreement of the Parties to meet each other, I nevertheless mentioned the subject to you, and asked if you would perceive any mode of interference; your answer, expressive of much sorrow, was in the negative -; I did not however infer from this answer that in your opinion our friend might not have declined a meeting with Col Burr, but merely, by the acceptance of his adversary’s challenge, that the interference of third persons was precluded.

P.S. You are absolutely to make any use of the above that you may deem proper.

There exists in this quarter a difficulty that may disappoint our hopes of pecuniary succor for the family of our lamented friend – I allude to the misunderstandings that existed between him and Mr. Adams. Should we fail in procuring money, I understand that certain persons who purchased a tract of land in Pennsylvania of Col. Pickering, and for which they paid him $25,000 will be disposed to convey the lands to the family of the deceased. This will be a valuable property at a Distant Day, but cash only will pay Debts- *

original letter here, also found in Life and Correspondence of Rufus King, Vol 4

King follows up with another letter to Clarkson less than a week later:

Boston

August 29, 1804

Dear Sir

Mrs. Hamilton having written to Mr. Cabot to endeavor to procure for Alexander a situation in a reputable commercial house, Mr. Higginson has readily consented to take him, and until a suitable family can be found to take Alexander in as a boarder, Mr. Higginson will receive him into his own family. This will give to the young man an opportunity of becoming acquainted with the respectable persons of the town, and with such young men as are of the best reputation-

In my answer to your letter of the 20th I omitted to say anything concerning either Mr. Pendleton or myself in regard to the Report to which your letter alludes. I have no recollection that Mr. Pendleton ever expressed to me any opinion whether General H. could, or ought to, decline a meeting with Col Burr; though I very well remember that he soberly agreed with me in opinion of the inconsistency of the General’s determination to receive the fire of his adversary, and to throw away his own –

No person can view with deeper abhorrence than I do the practice of dueling, and our lamented friend was not unacquainted with my opinion upon this Subject.

-original letter here, also found in Life and Correspondence of Rufus King, Vol 4

So King told Clarkson about the planned duel to see if he could do something about it; Clarkson said he could not interfere at that point, but someone thought Clarkson was saying that AH was right to accept Burr’s challenge, while all of these men expressly disapprove of dueling, of course.

By the way, King left NYC and was in Boston at the time of the duel. Washington Morton, “a young man of strong passions” (whose “conduct, as usual, is preposterous” haha) spoke “indignantly of the conduct of King, giving the impression that such was the feeling of his wife’s family” (pg 391-392). Pendleton supposedly said at a dinner party that King’s behavior could be construed to show, “great coldness of heart,” although he didn’t hold it against King. More ammunition for James A. and JCH to sue King 20 years later.

Back to the Alexander Jr. situation and Clarkson...

In addition to the letter from Elizabeth Hamilton above, transcribed by runawayforthesummer here, and by aswithasunbeam with photo of original letter here, there’s the following letter (see this post for more context):

EH to General Matthew Clarkson (in NY)

Albany, September 29th, 1804

With thanks permit me to acknowledge the receipt of your Letter. The advantages my friend of placing my son [Alexander] in Boston are great, but they are all with respect to acquirements in the knowledge of making property. And his Moral and Religious Character must be entirely depending upon himself and how few are there at his age that do not want a watchfull parents care to guard them, and even there they are Hazarded by a short absence. The present day has evils of every sort assailing a young mind, that has but just stepped from the studies of a college class. The advantages of having a home, ware [where], he will meet with tenderness, to make[?] him domesticated, books that will be suited to him and see a tender virtuous father’s Bust that will press on his mind, that goodness, and Religion must be his Chief support.

With respect to myself how little am I fitted to bear the anxiety for an abscent child, the alarms for his health will be many and fears I shall constantly have, I have several children let the pain of separation be a little protracted and the eldest remain to give me some consolation and by prayers for his prosperity attentions on my part endeavor to make up any loss he may attain by a different situation.

With Esteem, E. Hamilton

This is all very sad. Clarkson does seem to have been regarded as “the bravest man,” who will do more than he “ought,” who could teach a young man about Religion and other subjects that “marked his character.” AH asked for him while dying, and Clarkson seemed heartbroken by AH’s death. All around, a good man and friend.

*If one wants to read more about this property, check out pages 405-411 of the Rufus King volume linked above.

#Matthew Clarkson #Alexander Hamilton #Elizabeth Hamilton #Rufus King #Gouverneur Morris #dueling #I stopped myself from posting a picture of the Ceraccchi bust of AH #and commenting that goodness and Religion are EXACTLY what I think of when I see it

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freedomforclones · 4 years ago

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Animara Chapter 1 The Calm Before

Shena awoke to the sound of thunder outside her tent.

A tear in the damp fabric above had allowed rain drops to fall onto her face. She shouldn't have minded the coldness of the moisture. After all her kind had evolved from the sea. And although they have long since passed the hindrance of only breathing water; for them water was their life and their strength and to despise it should have gone against her very instinct as an aquatic.

Regardless, she still could not help but feel annoyed by the continued disruptive rhythm of the droplets hitting her forehead and interrupting her two hours of sleep.

"Never thought I would be sick of water." she muttered to herself drearily before letting out a long exhausted yawn. Her hand moved across her face to wipe away the frigid water. She stared and played with the small droplets as they traveled down the fingers' of her gloves.

It had been nearly four years since she had seen the clear oceans surrounding the capital. Five long years of fighting in lands she had never visited, against races she had never met prior to her deployment.

But coming from a military family, she was expected to fulfill her duty to herself and her family name once tyranny unveiled its ugly presence in the world yet again. Especially at the hands of her nations enemies.

She was honored to fight for the monarchy, and besides its not as if she had been raised to do anything but be a soldier anyhow.

So now here she was, in charge of this mess.

Shena and her men had been ordered to defend a local mountain pass leading to the last jungle province of the monarchy from falling into enemy hands. They just had to hold out until reinforcements arrived. Or so they were told.

Her platoon's camp was located atop a massive elevated mound near a ditch of muddy stone ruins and vines deep within the jungle, that had been destroyed from battles long since passed. It was cold, damp, and it had not stopped raining in months. Everyone was miserable, on both sides.

The enemy had been ordered to take the pass, and had tried and failed nine times before. But they had been repelled desperately by Shena's platoon in each of the previous waves.

They would have just given up and gone home if they were any ordinary mercenaries, for money was the only incentive for their kind usually in this war.

But these were no ordinary mercenaries.

They were facing army ant's. The most destructive and aggressive of all ant races.

Their queen had rented her nomadic warriors cheaply to fight for their neighboring nation, the wealthy Savanna Sovereignty, in another desperate effort to lift her shattered empire out of poverty and return it to it's ancient glory.

'They would never surrender' as Shena sadly knew all to well.

When army ants have a mission tasked by their royal highness, they will complete it through sheer numbers and brutality or die trying. After all they viewed their own lives as worthless, and their mother could always make more to replace her fallen children.The bodies of their dead brothers and sisters had piled up near the pass, and the bugs had actually pushed them together to form a makeshift barrier for cover from Shena's soldiers.

'The depths some will go to achieve victory.' Shena thought to herself disgusted. But then again maybe she should not have been one to judge another species actions and history given her own ancestry.

She shifted and turned over in her bed trying to get comfortable. Wrapping her thin tail behind her slender body as her head hung carelessly over the side, seeing a distorted reflection in a puddle on the muddy floor. Two black soulless eyes, a long pointed snout and countless razor-sharp triangular teeth staring right back at her weary face. One might be forgiven for thinking a monster was starring back at them if this is what they saw as a reflection, but for her this was nothing out of the ordinary.

For Shena was a blue shark, and her ancestors had prowled the sea devouring any prey in their path. And although consuming sentient prey species had long been outlawed in most civilized nations, predators still invoke fear and terror as a result of their physical traits. After all that is the role evolution had specially designated for them.

"Excuse me Lieutenant?"

Shena, sensed someone approaching her quarters from outside in the harsh rain. She recognized the gentle voice to who it belonged to as well as the scent of its speaker. She stood upright in her bed and straightened her perfect posture to reply formally.

"Yes Corporal? What have you to report?" she spoke aloud while rubbing her dreary eyes awake.

The soldier poked his helmeted face through the tent soaking wet before replying.

"No sight of the enemy yet ma'm but our sentries will notify us if they spot anything approaching our position." The soldier then paused as if trying to form an elaborate and thoughtful statement.

"On the plus side at least our boys on watch duty tonight are getting an extra bath thanks to the rain, they stink." The soldier chuckled.

'Perhaps not.' Shena thought as she rolled her eyes with a slight lukewarm grin on her face.

"Thank you for the report, you may return to your post" said Shena in a quiet somber tone before she lowered her head back down in front of her.

The soldier saluted and prepared to exit the tent back out into the storm, but stopped abruptly. He slowly turned around to face his superior with a slight conflicted expression under his helmet.

"Something troubling you ma'm?" the soldier said earnestly to his leader.

Shena hesitated in her response. Not wanting to show any signs of fragility unbecoming of an officer.

"Thank you for the concern corporal, but it's nothing". She lied.

The soldier tilted his head up and down slightly, as if observing his commanding officers whole demeanor, before crossing his arms sternly.

"If its nothing, then why is it your tail is curled up, your head tilted down and your remarkably polished toothy grin absent? Those would be pretty good examples nothing is something if I ever saw, with all due respect ma'm." the soldier replied heartily.

Shena smiled ever so slightly. Had her mood really been that obvious? She raised her head up to face his gentle and compassionate demeanor.

"Nothing gets past you does it?" She said in a warm sarcastic manner.

"No ma'm." the soldier said proudly. "If there's one thing I can notice in the blink of an eye its when morale is low among my comrades and superiors, and it is my self-obligated sworn duty to raise that morale until there isn't a spec of lowness left." He stood quiet for a second before speaking in a more sincere and softhearted tone.

"So, permission to ask what bothering you?"

Shena asked a question, while raising her brow in suspicion of his true incentive.

"Is the only reason you're asking, so you can get out of your shift in the rain for a few minutes?" she said aloud in a tone more similar to a mother than an officer.

The soldier hesitated for a few seconds and raised his shoulders slowly giving a nervous smile under his helmet.

"Perhaps....?" he said cautiously and truthfully. "I mean have you seen the rain out there? Its bloody intense this time of.... well always, now that I think of it."

Shena realized there was no use in arguing with him. He really was determined to get out of both the rain and to talk to her about how she was doing. It was not often she had a good chance to talk to someone about something other than military matters anyway. Plus the company was very welcome even if she still could not decide after all this time knowing him, if she either despised his sense of humor or could not do without it.

"Permission granted Fereen." said Shena warmly. "At ease and take a seat."

"Gladly ma'm and thank you." he replied cheerfully. Fereen entered the old tent and sat down on a stool in the corner facing her bed still drenched while attempting to dry off his bright blue uniform. Shena briefly was amused by his desperate attempt of shaking the water from his boots.

"Even when we lived back home I was never surrounded by this much water!" Fereen exclaimed angrily in response to his heavily soaked misfortune.

There was a brief moment of calm serine stillness between the two of them following his humorous statement. Shena kept trying to keep herself from smiling at Fereen as he kept attempting to make his uniform slightly less doused. The rain and thunder outside the warm confines of the tent the only source of disturbance for an otherwise quiet and peaceful moment.

"Don't get me wrong though, normally I love the rain." He stated aloud cheerily before continuing.

"It hydrates the skin. Provides fresh drinking water without the added bonus of dirt and disease. And it has a nice peaceful sound to it... but too much of a good thing you know? But still I am fascinated by the sheer complexity of rain drops. I mean every single one, is unique!"

"That's snowflakes." Shena corrected with a deadpan tone.

He stopped shaking the water off his vest abruptly and looked up. "Really? I could have sworn it was the same with raindrops." Fereen looked visibly confused, as if discovering drastic life altering information for the first time.

"Eh, the more you know I guess. The point is I like rain most days just not today, enough said." he stated lightheartedly before continuing to dry himself off." Shena rolled her eyes yet again, a habit she had gotten quite used to when discussing with this particular soldier and his conversational topics.

She was taken aback slightly when Fereen took off his helmet.

Shena always had been surprised by how strikingly handsome the soldier looked without the cumbersome armor piece atop his head. His pectoral and dorsal fins had evolved from his ancestors into an ornate proud blue head frill on top his skull, and smaller ones protruding from the sides that resembled frilled ears. His reflective scaled turquoise skin glistening from the light and water.

But by far the most striking thing about him. Was his wings.

Most aquatic races didn't have the ability to fly without using mechanical assistance or a fighter plane. For the sea was most everyone's home in the ocean monarchy, as it had been for thousands of years. Fereen was a part of the few if not the only flying fish species in the world who could have the privilege to call both the sea, land, and sky his domain.

His wings were thin and almost transparent, giving the impression they were delicate. She knew this was not the case and that they were both deceivingly sleek and and strong like their owner. The edges of them had been torn slightly from past incursions but this was not nearly enough needed to distract from their dazzling glossy appearance, especially thanks to the array of colors. Blues, yellows, cyan, and even bright red on the serrated edges all contributed to the incredible display. Shena's own simple head crest and muted skin tones paled in comparison to his lavish features.

"So care to tell me, what's bothering you ma'm?" Fereen said before putting his helmet on the floor to dry. He leaned in closer to better hear her. Shena suddenly snapped back into reality. Shena stared back at him with such an anxious look on her face, that made even him look concerned for a moment.

"We're on our own. The reinforcements should have been here by now." Shena said aloud grievously and hesitantly.

She knew no help was coming.

The camps communication device had been damaged in an earlier attack and their local helmet headsets could not get through the intense storm interference, so there was no way to find out when or even if their promised backup would arrive at all.

They were low on ammo, ordnance, and men. Worst of above all else, all the commanders and captains in the platoon had died in the first three waves. She was the highest rank here because there were no others left above her in the chain of command to lead what was left of the platoon. She had begun questioning if she had the ability...no competence, required for getting everyone left out of here alive.

Of the initial two-hundred men in the platoon only seven were left, and most had died when she stepped up to take charge. With their current numbers, the final battle was going to be far too close.

" I don't know if...."

Shena paused and breathed a heavy sigh from her lungs. Desperately trying to be truthful and confident without shutting down in front of him. She pushed her words out of her mouth dejectedly.

"I don't know if we'll survive the final assault."

That was the most agonizing and difficult thing for her to ever have had to say. Not only to her loyal soldier, but also her friend. It was her responsibility to lead these surviving men and women to victory and having to say that to his face hurt more than anything any enemy could ever do to her.

Fereen leaned back in his chair and glanced to the side for a moment, rubbing his chin in a meditative mood, and pondering what to say to his leader. The thunder cracked outside in a loud thunderous echo. Finally he spoke.

" I don't think we'll die."

There was a slight moment of silence from Fereen as he lowered his head and shoulders briefly. Seeing her friend who was normally so talkative and lighthearted become this subdued and quiet was especially unnerving to Shena, who considered him to be the glimmer of light in the darkness they now found themselves in. The flying fish raised his body back up in his seat and continued.

"We've made it this far with you and me in charge of the others ma'am, we must be doing something right. Otherwise we wouldn't be here talking about the many complexities of rain together right now." he gave a slight smile, but it now had a tint of sadness and concern.

"But we've lost so many men thanks to me." Shena said sadly with as much composure and stockiness as she could muster. Trying not to not show weakness through tears in front of her subordinate.

"Hey, that's not your fault! Fereen said in a distressed manner. Now his playful usual mood was absent entirely, for he knew when it did not belong in the moment. He put his hands on her shoulders. He knocked his stool back carelessly in the process of kneeling down quickly to be eye level with her. His pure alluring blue eyes staring directly into hers.

"You can't blame yourself for the others deaths, they knew the risks. There is no one else in this camp or even the whole world more qualified to lead us than you. You are the most reasonable, intelligent, and disciplined person I've ever met. Sure that makes you a huge stick in the mud sometimes but there is no other soldier who inspires and cares more for our lives instead of her own more deeply than you."

The sound of the rain colliding against the trees and the thundering echo's of the lightning outside, filled the void of the silence that followed for just a brief moment in time.

Shena smiled slowly. She put her left hand on top of his on her shoulder in relief and comfort. She knew her best friend was sincere and could see right through her tough exterior. And that he was right. She had been so conflicted and worried the past few days about their survival, she carelessly had allowed fear, insecurity, and self doubt to slip through the cracks of her mind and replace where courage, confidence, and prowess should always have been in its place as a leader. But no more

She knew who she was, and what she was going to do. They were getting out of here alive, not the raiders.

She slowly breathed a sigh of relief. Purging all her self-doubt and insecurities from her body.

"Thank you Fereen." She said rejuvenated as she slowly stood up atop her feet like the stoic leader she had been trained to be for so many years. "

"Any time ma'am." Fereen gave an understanding warm smile. "We all get all little scarred and doubt ourselves from time to time, even the leaders. I'd be more worried if they didn't to be honest."

Fereen then stood up as well, his full height almost as tall as his leader.

"And remember, I'm always up for a good kick in the tail to get you on your feet again if you ever need it." Fereen then softly nudged her shoulder with his fist as a sign of affection, which he used regularly for all his teammates. Shena shifted her head in slightly and smiled in gratitude for his words of comfort.

The bubbly flying fish then leaned in as if trying to hug and squeeze all the worry and sorrow out of his unusually tall and stoic friend.

"Whoa, Corporal", Shena said in an authoritative tone as she stepped back. A brow sternly raised.

Her soldier suddenly backed away quickly as well. Shifting his arms in acceptance wide apart and above his head, as if he was suspected of concealing contraband.

"Right forgot, not a hugger." Fereen smiled nervously as he rubbed one of his hands across the back of his head frill shyly. Looking down greatly embarrassed by his hasty warmhearted action toward his leader. His teal complexion becoming briefly red-faced.

"Correct." Shena said in a warm sarcastic manner. "You'd have an easier time hugging a porcupine than me."

Fereen Looked back up and let out a devilish smile." Ha! I knew you could crack a joke if you tried!"Fereen exclaimed victoriously, to which Shena replied in the usual appropriate manner.

Another eye roll.

Fereen smiled and nodded up to his lieutenant. He then turned to correct the stool he knocked over upright in its proper position before grabbed his helmet of the floor, all dry. He finally turned back around to face his commanding officer respectfully.

"Will that be all ma'am?"

The flying fish stood at attention and saluted. His posture in perfect form and composition , his triangular wings lowered and folded in accordance with military standards. Any officer would have expected such formality without question. For Shena however..., she was just glad to have had the privilege and joy of having him in her life. And by her side.

She gave a delayed response not wanting the moment to end. But she knew it could not last forever.

"Yes Corporal" She responded in a secure and proud voice. Now back to her normal orderly self.

"That will be all."

Shena saluted back in a similar fashion to him. One that her father had personally instructed in her how to do properly since she was a young child. But it was not just out of professional conduct or discipline for her anymore.

She genuinely respected and cared for Fereen and her soldiers. And this was her way of showing it. She was not just fighting for the monarchy anymore. Shena was fighting so she and all these surviving men and women could escape alive from this nightmare they all had been sworn to endure.

And she would do whatever it took to make that happen. Even die for them if need be.

"Lieutenant!" a cold unfeeling voice erupted as one of the remaining two automaton sentries entered her tent swiftly. Its hard, rusted metal shoulder abruptly pushed into Fereen's, unintentionally knocking him aside slightly.

"They are coming, the final wave of insects!" The perfect, unthinking indigo soldier quickly turned and exited frantically back to its assigned post outside in the rain.

Shena and Fereen glanced at each other slowly. Their relaxed smiles transforming into controlled composure while the sound of thunder echoed through the sky outside ominously.

It was time.

Without thinking Shena stood up and grabbed her bolt action harpoon rifle, sitting upright next to the bed. Already loaded. No need to change into her navy blue and gold officer's uniform, for she had already been sleeping in it.

Fereen donned his ornate helmet, the visor glowing brightly the color of the sky as soon as it hid his face entirely. His friendly face vanishing completely yet again.

The time for small talk between comrades had passed. Now they had to exit the tent yet again to become the soldiers they had been almost every waking moment for the last five years.

Fereen drew his pistol. Flexing his wings anxiously as he stared outside into the rain.

"Those bugs just don't know when to quit. If they did we already would have had them crawling on the run back to that ugly mother of theirs." He paused for a moment while looking outside into the storm.

"And I just finished drying off!" he said angrily.

Shena smiled for the last time as the peaceful moment was coming to end. It was nice to see that her friend was still inside the daunting appearance of the winged warrior in front.

The corporal exited the safe and warm small confines directly outside, before looking back to grab the flap of Shena's tent for her.

Her loyal soldier stood in place in the harsh rain unfazed. Waiting intently until his leader was properly prepared before her departure to lead them all yet again.

As Shena was about to step outside into the cascading strong rain, ready to fight...She stopped.

Shena took a deep breath, excluding all distractions and mental hindrance from her mind, body and soul for the coming battle. Her heart was racing.

The young Lieutenant opened her eyes sharply to see the winged warrior standing in front. Nodding at her in respect wholeheartedly. To which there was no other appropriate response for her to do, but to nod back.

"For the monarchy." Said the corporal with as much warmth and compassion as he could afford to without distracting the concentration of his superior.

She nodded, in an orderly manner and replied to her friend one last time.

"For the Monarchy."

And together, stepped out into the rising storm.

#sciencefantasy #fantasy #animals #war #warrior #story #orignal story #humour #characters #adventure #action #tragedy #frienship

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feathersandblue · 7 years ago

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Hi!I love your meta about black sails characters and I've read your last one about flint's real motivations and how much more human silver is.One of the biggest critic moved to silver is about madi, and the fact that he betrayed her stopping the war without her consent. That he has taken away from her a possibility to free the world from slavery. A cause for which she was ready to die for and to see him dying too. And for this betrayal he doesn't deserve and won't obtain her forgiveness...

Everyone is entitled to their own interpretation, and canon does not really answer the question what their future relationship will look like - or rather, it indicates that while reconciliation is possible and Madi might be willing to forgive him, their relationship will never be the same.

I don’t think canon really backs the idea that she won’t be able to forgive him. The fact that Madi comes to him in their last scene is pretty telling - it’s meant to indicate that Madi is changing her stance, rather than Silver. If the creators hadn’t meant to imply that they would still be together in some form, they could easily have their last scene be a shot of Silver looking at her longingly from a distance, and she turning her back on him and walking away.

Of course, we also have a very concise statement from the show’s creators:

“The way you see them at the end, they’re in the same frame but they’re yards away from each other. Emotionally, that’s as close as they’ll ever get again.”(x)

So I think it’s made pretty clear that Madi does forgive him, but that it’s not really the same after. And how could it be? Silver has betrayed her. There are fundamental differences between them that have now become obvious, which at least Madi hasn’t really been aware of before. He’s not the person she thought he was.

Concerning the fact that Silver stops the war without her consent, and that this makes him a bad person … well, I have a couple of problems with that.

1. One of them is a distinct one-sidedness in the way people look at their relationship, where Madi is treated basically as a saint, and Silver as an illoyal boyfriend who doesn’t support her and her cause as is his duty. But in a romantic relationship, both parties have obligations toward each other, it can’t be just a one-sided thing, no matter how much we relate to one partner and their goals and ambitions.

It’s also important to point out that if Silver had acted the way she wanted him to, Madi would be dead. Madi only survived the entire ordeal because Silver chose a wife over a war. If he hadn’t brought the cache, even though Flint and the maroon queen opted against it, the governor would have shot her.

It’s also only fair to mention that the choice between a noble cause and the life of a partner is not one that you can dictate to anyone. It’s a deeply personal decision. The fact that Madi’s life was more important to Silver than vice versa is not something you can really blame Silver for.

“You may think what you want of me. I will draw comfort in the knowledge that you’re alive to think it.”

I imagine it’s pretty difficult to remain perpetually pissed at a person for saving your life, going forward.

When Madi was imprisoned by Rogers, she wasn’t willing to bargain for Silver’s life. It was her choice. I don’t see anyone pointing out that it would have been her moral duty as a romantic partner to think of Silver and what they had together, that she is a horrible girldfriend for putting her beliefs first.

And yet I see people say that Silver’s failure to act in a way that reflects her beliefs rather than his makes him a bad person.

In a relationship between two equals, there is no such thing as an obligation to defer to your partner in such a profound way. There is no way to justify why Silver should have to defer to Madi. And yet parts of fandom consider him a horrible human being for failing to do just that.

So really, that one-sidedness, where people look at things only from Madi’s point of view - one that emphasizes her marginalization as a black woman and comes with the premise that Madi’s wants and needs clearly exceed Silver’s - that he’s a horrible boyfriend for disregarding her priorities, which are so much nobler and more important - is something I can’t share or support. People often judge their relationship from a position of real life activism, where the fact that Madi is fighting slavery is a killer argument. In my personal opinion, regarding their personal relationship as well as their historical situation solely from that perspective is somewhat reductive and simplistic.

2. The second problem that I have is the assumption that Madi was entitled to that war, as if war was some sort of possession or property. It was “her war”, and then Silver “took it away from her”. You might recall what I said about Flint personifying that war in my previous meta post. So according to Flint, Silver is a ruthless murderer; according to fandom, he is a thief.

But no matter how you twist it, war is not something that people have a right to, because war always requires the partcipation of other people. It requires soldiers to do your dirty work. If you are a war leader, you have to have the support of your troups, you have to lead them into battle, you have to order them to fight and kill on your behalf.

I’ve already written extensively about how Flint acts as a leader, but there’s one thing that can’t be denied, and that’s that he’s willing to put his own life on he line, fighting side by side with his men. He’s doing more than his own share of dirty work, he’s usually part of the boarding crew or the vanguard. It’s rare that we see him stand back while others do the killing.

When it comes to Madi, on the other hand, we have an entirely different situation. Madi is the heir of what is framed as a hereditary monarchy, she wasn’t elected into a position of power, she’s awarded that position - stepping into the footsteps of a leader who is “priestess, governess, warlord.” Her authority is absolute, she even takes pride in making it obvious to Silver in 3.08. that her men obey her without question. But Madi doesn’t do the dirty work. She doesn’t spill blood. In an era where war still means a lof of close combat, Madi steps back and lets other peope fight her battles.

What right does she have to this war, morally speaking, when that war demands the obedience and the sacrifice of other people? A position of authority where you can order people to die is not something that any human being, no mater how much we like them, should be entitled to.

Imagine there’s a war, and no one shows up. (*)

Basically, what Silver and Julius do in the finale, is to make that war so singularly unattractive to people that they are no longer inclined to show up. They are no longer willing to kill and die on Madi’s behalf because, guess what, they, too, value their own lives and those of their loved ones more than they value the prospect of a long, bloody war that puts their own freedom at risk and has very little chances at success.

Tough shit. It almost looks like it’s been Madi’s war rather than “their war”, as she so succinctly phrases it in her conversation with Rogers. Madi felt so confident speaking on behalf of her people, but then it turns out that she never actually had their vote. It should be mentioned that Madi herself has not experienced slavery first hand - not the way that Julius, Max, Ruth, or her mother and her father have experienced it, who are all far less enthusisastic at the prospect of a war because they know how much they stand to lose when England retaliates.

I am going to copy & paste a couple of praragraphs from one of my earlier posts here.

Fandom often treats Silver as if he were taking away Madi’s agency, but that’s not really what he’s doing.

By removing Flint and the treasure from the picture, Silver basically dissembles the nukes and cuts the finances of a war that he considers a fucking nightmare, which, and I don’t think anyone can deny it, is a valid concern. Flint, as a war leader and a brilliant tactiction, second to none, is more of a force of nature than a man. His reputation, his tactical genius, his ability to overcome the greatest odds, and his ability to get people to follow him are nothing short of amazing. So really, the analogy of Flint being the nuke - the devastating weapon of mass destruction - is not far off. And of course, the treasure is both a media-effective means of propaganda and a valuable resource.

Both Flint and the treasure, however, are also not something Madi had a right to, or at least, her right to them did not surpass Silver’s.

Silver has bled, and spilled blood, for each of these things.

Silver was a key player in securing the Urca gold in the first place. He bled for the cause (lost his leg in Charles Town), he was part of the Walrus crew which made Flint’s name what it became in the aftermath of Charles Town. He was the one who served as Flint’s quartermaster, he was the one who sailed with him into that storm, he is the one who went with him through the doldrums. When Flint made the bargain with the maroons, he made it under coercion - because the maroon queen threatened the lives of him and his crew. But it was Silver whose intervention forged that alliance. Without Silver, Flint would have given up in that cages, and all of our pretty pirates would have ended up dead either from torture or slave labor, or slain during their escape.

Madi, on the other hand, got that war handed on a silver plate (pun intended). She was living on that island, and, like most young people, struggling to forge her own identity by establishing herself in opposition to the more protectionsist rule of her mother. Along came a bunch of pirates who offered her a shiny war, as well as the war leader to fight it for her, a man with the persuasive power to convince her mother to support it.

Madi’s war relied on Flint - his tactical skills, his willingness to sacrifice anything and everything for the cause. It also relied on Silver, who put his life on the line again and again, torturing, killing, and descending into darkness. Silver was reluctant to step into that role, and we can see, during season three and four, how he struggles not to let that darkness consume him. Long John Silver is also not something that Madi has a right to. Nor, and that is where we get back to 1, is his unwavering support and loyalty even when it goes against his beliefs, especially since she doesn’t seem willing to offer the same.

When I say that Madi’s war relied on Flint, there is also another aspect to it, wich ties back to the previous meta about Flint and his reasons for fighting. Madi’s war relies on Flint being fucking miserable.

The thing that Madi seems most upset about in 4.10 is the fact that Silver sent Morgan to Savannah to look for Thomas Hamilton.

But why would Madi be upset about the fact that Silver sent someone to find out whether his best friend’s lover might still be alive? I mean, let’s assume that the Spanish invasion hadn’t happened, that Morgan had returned with the good news that Thomas was alive, imagine Silver had told Flint, there would have raided the plantation to free Thomas, and there would be a tearful reuion of two lovers. How on earth could Madi possibly see this as a form of betrayal?

Maybe because Silver, and Madi herself, knew that Thomas being alive would be a game changer for Flint. Looking for Thomas - which is all Silver did in that moment, it’s not as if he’d really been planning to imprison Flint there at that point - can only be considered a form of betrayal if they both knew exactly that Flint was only willing to fight that war because he was so lost to his grief and rage that it drove him to such extremes, if they both knew that Flint was born “out of great tragedy”. But it’s Flint that Madi’s war relies on. Not James McGraw.

All these things - the treasure, Flint, Long John Silver - they do not belong to Madi. There is a certain irony in the fact that Madi used Silver’s considerable skillset - his cunning, his inventiveness, his power of persuasion, the legend of Long John Silver - to fight her war, but that is is this exact skillset that is then used against her to end it.

Of course, Madi is free to do as she pleases. If she wants that war so desperately, she can go and try to find some likeminded people who help her fight it. She can find the outsiders, the rebels, the other “scattered objections” and form her own army, wage her own war, if that’s what she thinks is right. Build her own resistance. Do it the hard way. She can send someone to Savannah to find Flint and free him. She can do a lot of things to make that war happen.

But she won’t do that, because she isn’t stupid, and she’s not like Flint, who was so consumed by his war that he simply could not let go of it. Madi has other things to live for, thankfully. For sane people, a war immdiately gets a lot less attractive the moment their chances of winning decline. Madi is a good leader to her people, and she’s a good person. She would not waste lives and resources in a war that no one wants.Silver did betray her, and I’m not saying she has to forgive him. But I think it’s important to acknowledge that Silver’s motives and reasons are no less valid than hers, and that taking out Flint and the cache did not mean denying her agency, because if her agency relied on these two things, then it was never real to begin with.

3. Third, what bothers me is to look at Silver’s betrayal of Flint and make it about Madi when it was never about her in the first place. I know we all look at the show from different pespectives, but I think it’s fair to say that Silver and Flint, their individual arcs and their complex and fraught relationship, are central to Black Sails. In Silver’s story, Flint is the antagonist, and the conflict between Flint and Silver and its resolution has very little to do with Madi - if anything, she’s a catalyst that contributes to brings things to a head. Accordingly, the idea that Madi’s wants and needs should be the determining factor in Silver’s decision-making seems quite absurd. Flint may be Madi’s nuke, but first and foremost, he’s Silver’s … friend, alter ego, antagonist, partner, captain, whatever you want to call it - this overwhelming influence in Silver’s life.

The relationship between Silver and Flint is complex, fraught, full of landmines. There’s a co-depenency that’s not quite healthy, a power imbalance that only changes in Silver’s favor in season four - and there’s a tentative, hard-won friendship between them. And in that situation - with their shared history and everything they’ve been through together - should Madi’s wants and needs really be the deteminigg factor in Silver’s decision-making? Or should it be his own moral compass?

Of course, the situation in Black Sails is more complex than that, there are other factors to keep in mind - first and foremost, the issue of slavery, which, as I’ve said before, is a killer argument all on its own. How can Silver possibly turn aganst Flint and Silver when they fight for a better world without slavery, for a revolution? If he doesn’t want to fight, he can just walk away, can he not?

But the thing is, people who tend to say that rarely look at the whole thing from Silver’s point of view. There is a distinct lack of willingness to put themselves in his shoes.

Silver is in a position of an individual having to make a choice. Jack has arrived with a clear agenda, one that gives Nassau a chance at peace. From Silver’s point of view, Flint is entirely driven by rage, the intent “to see the world burn” - as someone who is decidedly not an idealist, Silver simply cannot focus on these far-away visions of a better future the same way. And in that situation, confined by his own experiences and worldview, Silver is left with two options: side with Jack, secure the peace and the freedom of Madi’s people, stop Flint, and keep Madi safe. Or turn against Jack, enable the war and let Flint set the New World on fire, then lose both him and Madi either trough a violent death or by leaving them behind. War or peace? The decision, in this moment, is not an easy one, but I think it displays a lack of understanding to suggest that with Silver’s and Flint’s relationship right at the core of it, with everything that stands between them - the things Silver has seen Flint do, the murder and the insanity and the gambling with lives, and the things Silver himself has done on behalf of the war - that Silver acting according to his personal beliefs makes him a villain, or that it is his moral duty to support his girfriend’s ambitions - the very girlfriend who, at this point, is only still alive because he’s already “betrayed” her once by prioritizing her life over the cause.

So, after all of that, we are still left with a couple of things that cannot be denied.

1. Silver acted behind Madi’s back, and he betrayed both her and Flint on a personal level. They had no reason to suscpect he would turn against them (though I would argue that there were signs, they just didn’t pick up on them), which further contributes to the sense of betrayal.

2. Silver put a stop to a war that was meant to abolish slavery. We cannot conclusively say that it was the right choice (but neither can we say it wasn’t, as we have no means to determine what the outcome would have been).

It’s of course perfectly okay to have personal opinions about all of these things, or to think that Madi should not forgive Silver. But I can’t help but think that a lot of the criticism levelled at Silver is a consequence of a very limited viewpoint that is rooted in activism, not in empathy - to an extent where the entire thing becomes a black and white thing, where Madi gets awarded all the oppression points that forever put her on a pedestal of moral high ground, because SLAVERY!

Perdonally, I don’t think that this viewpoint acknowledges the complexity of the issue at hand, something that the show itself is actually very good at.

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* The original phrasing, of course, is “Sometime they’ll give a war and no one will come.” The variant used here is a re-translation of the German version, “Stell dir vor, es ist Krieg, und keiner geht hin.”

#black sails #madi #john silver #silvermadi #black sails meta #long post #very long post

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