#also she's continued her longstanding habit of telling me what she thinks my face has just done

[arodrwho]

also GOD my BOSS wants me to PRESENT SOMETHING during a MEETING as a stupid STRETCH GOAL. like ma'am. please. i'm dying here

[officialleehadan]

Opportunity for Advancement

“Members of the Board, we have a rather unique opportunity before us.”

I watch, my hands curled around my cane, as Summoner takes the floor with practiced ease. He holds the attention of his board as he walks them through my proposal, and it is interesting to read the crowd.

My presence has been noted, but my habit of keeping my face out of the media means that very few recognize me on sight.

After all, I do not do this for the attention.

Summoner has been good enough to keep my name out of it for the moment, but I believe it is more to his finely-tuned sense of drama and tactics than it is for any other reason. The revelation of precisely who his gentleman guest truly is will stifle most of their more offensive protests.

Who would protest a business contract with the fabled Doctor Rimehart, after all?

I laugh to myself at the absurdity of it all, and draw a few interested, concerned glances.

One woman sees my cane and blanches white.

Ah, I have been spotted, and by one of the people who has my interest.

“Doctor? I have your coffee.”

Summoner’s personal assistant is a beautiful young lady with a sweet smile and perfectly coiffed blonde hair. Where most men would have hired her for her beauty and her measurements, I feel certain that Summoner hired her for her truly ruthless efficiency.

Sadly, I do not believe I can poach her into my own service. Summoner pays her a small fortune for her loyalty.

I suppose I ought to approve. It speaks well of his business practices.

Ah, the presentation is winding down. They would be wise to accept, and not simply because of my name on the contract. The business opportunity will be very profitable for all, if it goes well, and not unreasonable if it fails.

“Thank you, Karen,” I murmur and take the tea. I am presently surprised when I discover that, rather than using the quintessential office coffee pot, she ran down to Sara’s café a block down. The now-familiar scent of fine coffee and vanilla wraps around me and I take an appreciative sip. “Oh, do close the door behind you. This meeting may be loud in a moment.”

I am delighted that my favorite barista is not Powered, although I do wonder where her remarkable ability with coffee comes from. There is nothing unusual in her blood. I had it tested after the Bloodmaster incident.

”Doctor, the floor is yours. Members of the board, Doctor Jonathan Rimehart. Our new business partner.”

Ah, the young drama queen. My supposition was correct, and there is dead silence as I rise. My face may not bring much recognition, but my name certainly does. Also, they know who their CEO is, and anyone who knows Summoner will also know of me.

Fortunately, I am used to such a response, and take advantage.

“Ladies, gentlemen,” I say politely, my eyes already finding the three who Summoner and I have agreed to eliminate. They are difficult, albeit for three different reasons. Before my interest in the company, they were manageable, but they cannot be allowed to continue as they are. There is too much at stake. “I look forward to this partnership. This business and my own are highly profitable. With our innovations in the realms of biological science and microelectronics, we offer impressive new opportunities for success far beyond our previous expectations.

Money. It may not buy happiness, but success often feels like the same thing, and money has quite the influence on that. Of course, it will be interesting to see if these successful people are capable of looking past their own apprehension and seeing the greater rewards beyond.

Not that their votes truly matter. Both Summoner and I know well that they will not challenge him. I am aware of how he took over his company in the first place.

Summoner politely waits for me to finish, before producing a folder for each of his traitorous board members, and then pulls their crimes, captured by camera and video, and carefully-collected documentation.

“Frank,” he says darkly, taking my silence for the permission it is. “It’s a shame you decided to give our financial information to OpenSky Incorporated. Really, selling us out to the heroes? I might be able to understand if it was moral, but you got nearly ten million for it. Shame.”

Summoner’s preferred method of killing is classy. Even I can admit that, although I am not fond of death. A wash of inky black rips open behind the unfortunate man, and a wall of tiny scavengers pour out onto him.

His screams are contained by the soundproofing that lines the walls. The rest of the board stares around at each other.

Summoner turns to his next traitor. “Garth. You think I didn’t know what you are?”

A low-grade Power. One I was unaware of, in fact. Aiden discovered him during the inquiry into his board members. He might have been allowed to live, if not for his… questionable leisure activities.

“She was twelve, Garth,” Aiden continues, and gets a smile that could cut a lesser man to the bone. “I promised her footage of this.”

The scavengers have eaten the first man completely without so much as a belt-buckle left to tell the tale.

The second man tries to run. I casually trip him with my cane and step out of the way. The scavengers swarm him as he tries to crawl away.

“Shameful,” I comment when he finally stops screaming. “Abusers, particularly child abusers, deserve death. Summoner?”

“I agree,” he replies, and I am again pleased that he decided to work for me, rather than die. He will be a very valuable aid to my Work. “And Grace. Grace, Grace, Grace.”

I watch the woman in question straighten proudly. In general, I like women more than men. They so rarely have the same sort of inherent authority issues, and are more inclined to work well in a team. Also, many are so hungry for opportunity that they work harder than their male counterparts.

“You know who I am,” she says, steady, although she must be afraid. “The Hero Consortium needed someone on the inside of your business. I’ve reported to them, sure, but if it wasn’t Hero business, I didn’t say a damn word. And that includes large orders from private citizens, even when I knew who they really were.”

I step in, because her integrity is intriguing. Aiden would kill her, and not without reason, but I have a hunch, that niggling feeling at the back of my mind, that suggests she may be useful.

“Your name is Mirage,” I say as I take Summoner’s chair. My hips ache in the cool autumn weather, and even on the best days, I cannot stand well. “Your abilities include invisibility and minor hard-substance phasing. On occasion, that ability goes from minor to major, but generally only when lives besides your own are in danger. Why is that?”

“I became a hero to help people,” Mirage says defiantly, and looks between me and Summoner. She still might die, but she made her peace with it already. “Good people. Powered humans usually display greater abilities in times of stress and I’m stressed when good people are in danger.”

Very interesting. This one may yet be redeemable, after a fashion. Summoner  reads her, and me, and I see the moment when he comes to the same conclusion.

“Everyone out,” he commands abruptly. “Grace, you stay.”

“Thought you were going to make me an example?” she says, and it’s not really a question. Still, we have her attention, and that might well be valuable. ”I’m a hero, after all.”

“So is Tradewind,” Summer points out, and takes a seat beside me. He nods to the chair across the table from us, and Mirage takes it. “And she and I have a longstanding agreement. What if we were to offer you an opportunity?”

“I don’t want to be a villain,” she tells us flatly. “That’s not what I’m about.”

“No,” I correct her before either of them can argue over trivial details. “You do not wish to hurt people. Tell me, what if you had the option to protect yourself, and do greater good at the same time?”

“I’m not about killing Powered people either,�� she says and ah, there’s the hatred I expected. She hides it well. “Or killing anyone.”

Summoner snaps his fingers and his wave of little scavengers vanishes back into a rift.

 “How about working with Tradewind,” he suggests slyly when they’re gone. “She teaches at the university. I sponsor her more gifted students, particularly the ones from… difficult backgrounds, and ensure that they are well-equipped to move on in their chosen fields.”

“Where do I come in?” Mirage asks, but I can see the longing to help people boiling under her skin, more powerful than the hate. Not a surprise. Like Tradewind, Mirage is a child of the slums, and her dark skin does her no favors in the white-dominated Hero Consortium. The systematic bias there is rarely addressed, but deeply prevalent. “I’m not training future villains.”

“The other part of the agreement,” Summoner continues, still with that sly smile, “Is that I explicitly keep them out of the Powered community. Hero, Villain, any of it. If they happen to be Powered, I find an industry-appropriate use for their Power and encourage them to it.”

“And me?”

“You, my dear,” I cut in, because this is where my name and reputation will be valuable, “Would be a mentor. A counterpoint. Someone who is Powered, knowledgeable, and wants the best for them.”

She is tempted. I see it shifting her mind down the scale. Right and Wrong are not so simple as most Heroes like to believe, and I do take personal pleasure in proving that over and over.

Besides, my goals ad hers are not so differed, and I enjoy young people. Some of the greatest minds come from backgrounds that have not handed them everything.

“No villainy?”

“If you have moral qualms with anything you are asked to do, I encourage you to bring it to me personally,” I tell her, and know that she has taken the bait. Good I am always pleased when death can be avoided in favor of progress. “For your cooperation, your compensation will go up…”

I trail off. This is a two-person play, and she does technically work for Summoner, not me.

“Oh, I think double is fair,” he follows me effortlessly. His sly smile finally goes away, and it’s for the best. No need to scare her now that she is cooperating. “And a generous budget for any cause you feel is contributing meaningfully to society. We are always interested in new charities and causes that would benefit from a little more attention.”

“There’s gotta be a catch,” Mirage says. I nod pleasantly and she seems relieved that I am prepared to simply admit it. “Okay, let’s hear it.”

“You leave the Hero Consortium,” I lay out the requirements with unvarnished truth. “Step off the Powered stage completely, save only for when UnPowered lives are at stake, or there is a threat to global safety, and allow any offspring you might produce to have their potential Powers neutralized while they are young enough to undergo the process safely.”

A high price, but with high payout. Her Power is not suited to most Hero work, and neither is her personality.

Generally, the sticking point is the removal of Powers from their offspring, but I doubt it will be a problem with this one. She is a lesbian, and has long stated that she does not want children. I approve, and if she choses to adopt or foster those in need, I will ensure her access to the best resources possible.

But that is a carrot for later. A reward for loyalty to be discovered when she is dedicated to the cause.

“The Consortium will have questions,” she says, and leans forward. “They may cause me problems.”

“Problems that will be handled with appropriate severity,” I tell her with a shrug. “Threatening, or attacking, a private citizen Is not very heroic, is it?”

She wavers, and thinks on it, and finally makes the decision I expected in the beginning.

“Get me the paperwork,” she agrees at last. “I want to read the contract, and you better believe I’m having a lawyer look it over too. A third-party lawyer who doesn’t like you.”

“Of course,” Summoner agrees, and rises to shake her hand. “Take the rest of the week off. Paid, of course, to consider it. Talk with Tradewind if you can. She will tell you more about our work.”

Mirage shakes both our hands, and I think she realizes when the shadow of death finally leaves her shoulders.

“Thanks for not killing me,” she tells us both, and leaves with her head held high.

 We watch her go, and Summoner waits until the door closes behind her before speaking.

“Bets that she goes to ground or sells us out?”

“No bet,” I murmur thoughtfully, because I have a good feeling about Mirage, and will kill her if that feeling proves misplaced. “But today has been far more interesting than I expected. Shall we attend down to Sara’s café? I find myself ready for lunch.”

+++

Doctor Rimeheart (Supervillain Coffee Shop)

Handicapped

Power Rests in the Eye

Nuclear Option

Incidental Villain

Cut a Deal

First Summon

Even Supervillains run from Fangirls

The Blackest Coffee

Deal with the Devil

Opportunity for Advancement

Fear and Coffeegrounds

Personal Space

Broken Countertops

Christmas Cookies

Revealed

Wannabe Wannabes

Home Life

Shadows Unleashed

+++

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[crimsonrevolt]

Congratulations Chloe you’ve been accepted to Crimson Revolt as Sybill Trewlawney!

↳ please refer to our character checklist

Your application was such a treat to find in our inbox, Chloe! From the expanded traits to the wonderful headcanons you gave, your Sybill is so wonderfully fleshed out. The love you have for her is amazing and we all loved just how well you captured her - ‘she’s always been unafraid to march to the beat of her own drum‘ completely sold us. It’s so clear to see from you application just how much you’ve thought about the role that Sybill has to play in the war and gone into so much detail about her involvement with Aversio it’s such a pleasure to see! We think that Sybill will fit in just wonderfully and we cannot wait to have you both in our roleplay!

Application beneath the cut 

OUT OF CHARACTER

INTRODUCTION  

Chloe, she/her, GMT, from England  

ACTIVITY  

Well it’s been a little while since I’ve actively roleplayed so I might start out a little rusty, but given the preference you have for longer threads and your lenient activity limit I’m sure I’ll be around fairly often, like three times a week at least. (to give you a number I’d say like 7/10 on the active scale)

TRIGGERS

*removed for privacy

HOW DID YOU FIND US?  

I was looking through the hp rp tag, and to be honest I was looking specifically for a Sybill Trelawney to play that I felt was actually a good representation of her character and also sat within an rp that had a good plot aha

WHAT HARRY POTTER CHARACTER DO YOU IDENTIFY WITH MOST?

Maybe a cliché but I really loved Ginny (in the books of course, don’t EVER get me started with the mess they made of her character in the movies dear god) she was spunky and confident (and ginger like myself, which tbqh has made me slightly bias in favour of the whole Weasley clan. Like you’re telling me not only do they deal w/ shit for being blood traitors but they redheads too??? Hard knock life, my man.) And of course my dear Sybill, who was just trying to be understood in a world that wasn’t quite ready for her.

ANYTHING ELSE?

Nope

IN CHARACTER

DESIRED CHARACTER  

Sybill Trelawney  

FACE CLAIM

Alycia Debnam Carey isn’t an fc I’ve ever worked with before but after browsing her tag and doing a little research she seems an excellent choice for Sybill in my opinion, and since she’s your chosen fc too I’m sure you’d have no problem with me picking her. (I am also partial to Juno Temple as Sybill, but I kinda feel that’s getting a little overdone)

REASON FOR CHOSEN CHARACTER  

Uhhhh this is just a general comment but I really love that you’ve made Sybill a big of a fighter and actually self confident like all the time I see her portrayed as this scared little thing and I don’t think that’s accurate, like I’ve always felt that (at least in her younger years, before the world beat her down a bit) Sybill would have been a passionate and confident woman with faith in her gift and a desire to set the world to rights. Her words aren’t always tactful, sure, but I think everything Sybill says she says because she thinks it needs to be heard.

When I first read about this Aversio group you’d created I wasn’t sure that putting Sybill in with such people was the right choice but after a little thought the idea really grew on me. I think Sybill’s visions have forced her to witness so much death and destruction that she has been powerless to prevent, and who wouldn’t be made angry like that? Who wouldn’t grab the first chance that came along to take back some of that power, to try and defend the people she loved? Sybill is part of this group for all the right reasons. She’s fighting for freedom and safety, but she’s not naïve, she doesn’t think the order sitting around and just waiting to form counter attacks are doing enough. I also feel she was something of a loner in school and despite being quite clever was never really invited into or considered for the order and so perhaps this comes from the ever so slight niggling urge she has to prove herself, because despite being a hippy dippy seer she’s also capable of affecting change and taking part in things. (If anything her visions and prophecies have only made her more determined to change the world, for she will have seen how truly tits up everything could go.)

I just have a longstanding love for Sybill, she’s always been unafraid to march to the beat of her own drum. Like, refusing to take on the name ‘higglebottom’ and so causing the end of your own marriage?? That’s hardcore. That’s a woman who won’t take no shit. Yeah, I love Sybill and I am forever searching for an rp with what I feel is an accurate representation of her. This is getting long so I’ll wind it down now, but if you’d like to hear anything more about my love for Syb pls just do message me lmao.

PREFERRED SHIPS // CHARACTER SEXUALITY // GENDER & PRONOUNS

Sybill has always been wary of romance and love. With her gift it is easy to see the multitude of ways things can fall apart. Not only that, but it is hard to find someone with complete faith in this gift of hers, someone who truly believes all her madcap ramblings and feels the power of nature and the universe as much as she does. (Of course, she would only ever settle down with someone who believed in this power as much as she did and yet like her was not afraid to question it.) Sex is different to romance, though, I think Sybill views sex as something much simpler and it’s very much a pleasure she indulges in without ever feeling guilty about it. Honestly I think she can be quite the flirt when she wants, not ashamed of her desire to lure a man or woman into her bed for the night, because why should we deny ourselves such a simple craving? We shouldn’t.

As far as ships go I’m very happy just to go with the flow, nothing prioritised. Sybill goes by she/her pronouns, did consider them/they for a while but after some contemplation in the forest realised her energy was decidedly feminine in its nurturing and care, even if it was a little wilder and more adventurous. (Sexuality I touched on a little above, i feel like she’d be very fluid about it and call herself bisexual if pushed on the subject)

CREATE ONE (OR MORE!) OF THE FOLLOWING FOR YOUR CHARACTER:

-EXPAND ON THE TRAITS

Self-assured- Sybill has gotten comfortable with her gift of sight, and by extension- since she’s long felt like that was the most drastic aspect of her personality- the rest of herself. She’s confident in who she is and the doubts of others can no longer throw her off her chosen course.

Free-spirited- spends a lot of time out in nature, but its much more than that. Sybill is very unassuming and so as long as what/who you are is not a cause of harm (for example, unless you are a death eater) she is quite happy to not only let you continue with your life and hobbies, but likely also interested in learning about it. She is happy for you to be in love, she is happy for you to mindlessly fuck, she is happy for you to abstain and spend all your time writing. As long as your soul is good and warm, you can be counted as a friend of Sybill’s.

Crafty- well, there’s the obvious definition of her being artistic which is true, Sybill likes to paint and tell fanciful stories and take one mans trash to make into her own treasure. But her crafty mind also  makes her quite statistical, she can wriggle her way out of almost any problem and really earns her keep as one of the strategic minds of Aversio.

Genuine- Another fairly obvious I feel. Some of the stuff Sybill says may be odd, but she means every word of it. This applies to her actions too. She has not one conniving or manipulative bone in her body, she never lies. Everything Sybill does is honest and true to the core of who she is.

Dreamer- constantly lost in her own world. Idealistic almost to a fault, often too optimistic about the future. Sometimes too optimistic about the present and so gets herself into dangerous situations just because she underestimated the circumstances.

Emotional- oh GOD if you criticise Sybill’s shoes she will CRY for a week. If you call her pretty in passing it will make her smile all year. Let me be clear here I don’t think Sybill holds grudges or has preferences, but I think she remembers everything that people do and everything impacts her as much as it did at the time it truly happened (does that make sense? Every time she remembers that Lily once complimented her hair it fills her with the same joy as the initial compliment did, for example.) I think this is why her gift takes such a toll on her, every bad thing that happens (whether it really ends up happening or not) affects her psyche terribly.

Dramatic- it’s very up and down with Sybill. I think being dramatic is good and bad, because every small show of kindness is an absolute joy but also every little negative moment or action is the worst betrayal imaginable. Nothing is done in halves by Sybill.

Weird- I mean self explanatory. She talks to plants, she’s constantly blabbering on about the energies of nature and the universe. She relies too heavily on her inner eye to guide her rather than just watching and responding. It’s a weirdness she’s comfortable with but that doesn’t mean everyone else is so ok with it, sometimes she makes people uncomfortable with her frank statements and odd habits.

-A FEW HEADCANONS

Sybill can play guitar. Yeah, she loves music, I think she plays guitar really very well and finds it quite relaxing (can’t think about anything else if you’re trying to master difficult songs y’know) but it isn’t a talent she often shares.

She writes poetry too, doesn’t call it that, just calls it writing. Often times her visions and prophecies can be a lot to digest and so writing about it all can help to sort her crazy imaginings from what might actually be possible.

Not adverse to substance abuse. She lives alone, and sometimes being part of Aversio leaves her incredibly amped up and angry, so it can be difficult to sleep. A few glasses of whiskey or a couple of joints sort that problem out, though.

Can get aggressive with fellow Aversio members. See she knows they can handle it and all the negative energy has to go somewhere (where else would she take it out? Nature? Absolutely not.)

She meditates because it helps focus her inner eye.

-A FEW POTENTIAL PLOT POINTS

This aggression with Aversio members might be an interesting one- like, does she think some of them are really just death eaters afraid to admit that? Are some of them scared of her? Do they think she’s too pushy with the people she’s supposedly aligned with? Yeah, lots interesting to say there.

Of course as an Aversio member there’s always the chance that the order or DE might find out that she’s part of such a group and try to sway her one such way (the DE would have no chance, and i don’t really see the order being much luckier, though she may be willing to form some kind of cooperation with them.)

There’s always the chance of her abandoning everything to just live in the forest.

More prophecies or visions! Are they always accurate? Who knows?!?!?! No one really.

IN CHARACTER QUESTIONNAIRE

The following section should be looked at like a survey for your character. Answer them in character and feel free to use gifs. Or, if you’d rather, answer them in third person or OOC without gifs. Answers do not have to be extremely lengthy.

♔ If you were able to invent one spell, potion, or charm, what would it do, what would you use it for or how would you use it? Feel free to name it:

I think I’d like to invent a potion that would make me immune to all poisons. To be honest, that’s one of the few things that forces me to buy actual food from shops and stops me from living purely off the foods nature provides. I’m quite worried about being poisoned by something not meant for me you see, so if I had a potion that meant no such poisons affected me I would live only off the bounty provided by nature.

♔ You have to venture deep into the Forbidden Forest one night. Pick one other character and one object (muggle or magical), besides your wand, that you’d want with you:

I think Xenophilius Lovegood would make for very good company. He’s easy on the eye and we’re both the types who see more in the world than most people do. I don’t suppose i’d pick anyone for their ability to keep me safe- I’m quite capable of that, thank you. Rather I think I’d pick Xenophilius because we would not run out of things to talk about. Ad far as objects go, maybe a sword? They fascinate me to be perfectly honest- so violent, so pretty- and I think it would be most useful should magic fail me.

♔ What kinds of decisions are the most difficult for you to make?

Who to send on missions or counter attacks. It’s never very easy to decide if you need stealth and logic or aggression and strength, you know? And always I am so fearful that by sending the wrong type we will do more harm than good.

♔ What is one thing you would never want said about you?

That I am a liar. That’s easy, people can say much about me as long as they always believe I am true.

WRITING SAMPLE

Sybill could not sleep. This was not a rare occurrence. More often than not she’d use alcohol or drugs to knock herself out for the night, acutely aware of all the work that there was to be done the next day and so too focused on being alert for that to be concerned with her own body. Tonight, however, she chose the forest. And drugs. There was a lovely little wood right by her house (would Sybill move anywhere without nature close by? Of course not.) And so she meandered through the trees until a small clearing came about, settling herself with a joint and her notebook for a sleepless night.  

See, tomorrows attack did not directly involve her. It was more an urban stealth mission, not really her style, and so she saw no harm in turning up to the meeting a little tired and out of it. Hey, she was usually ‘out of it’ as far as the others thought anyway, and so what was the harm really. So for this plan she had taken more a strategic role, using her gift to her advantage to help plan the timing, who she be where and when they should be there. It was something of an arduous task to be honest, left her a little drained to look so closely at individuals, but Sybill would never complain about it. Her inner eye was a gift very few possessed and she intended to use it to it’s full potential.

Besides being out here among nature’s glory with her writing and a joint would be sufficient to restore the balance of her energy. She took a drag and sighed into the quiet night, shifting to lay on her back and feel the full flow of the earth against her body. Her fingertips tingled and her toes curled. God, you know what would really help her sleep? Sex. But so few were as interested in no strings in the same way she was. Still willing to form a connection and truly bon with each other, just not so insistent that such a bond be permanent. It was okay to need someone only for a night or two. The summer she’d bounced around muggle music festivals had spoiled her, obviously. Maybe most wizards were so interested in commitment because it carried on the family name.

Not that she could blame them for such. Cassandra Trelawney had claimed the gift skipped three generations after all and by golly the family had seen to it that her point be proved. The idea made her giggle, bright energy pushing out against a dark sky.

Whatever the case, she was antsy and restless and worried about tomorrows plans. Worried about tomorrows’ people. If things went wrong those few were the ones who would pay most dearly. She closed her eyes, trying to feel the influence of the universe move through her and search for the answers she desired. Would tomorrow be okay? Had they chosen well? The universe, as it so often was in what it considered small affairs, had little more to offer than a small reassurance that Sybill wasn’t driving towards utter disaster.

[eternaleve]

Hello, costume fiends! Things are heating up in the show, and I might start getting into a few legal discussions, matters of theology, stuff like that. It’s been a while since my studies into the Henrican Reformation, but it’s truly fascinating stuff. The legal battle surrounding Henry’s annulment, and later the supremacy of English law, formed the basis for English parliament and the founding principles of many notions of government and self-rulership that still play an important role in the governments of many countries around the world.

It’s serious stuff, yo.

Look to God First

The legatine trial on the legitimacy of King Henry’s marriage to Katherine continues despite the queen’s refusal to attend, but the papal envoy receives notice to return to Rome and place the evidence to the judgement of the Curia. The Pope procrastinates and Henry, goaded by the conspirators Thomas Boleyn, the Duke of Norfolk and Charles Brandon, strips Wolsey of his temporal power and properties, bans him from court and instructs him to resume his now sole role as Archbishop of York. Thomas More reluctantly succeeds Wolsey as Chancellor of the realm. Anne Boleyn, encouraged by her ally Thomas Cromwell (the King’s secretary), subtly and opportunely asks the king to reacquaint himself with the subject of Lutheranism. Margaret Tudor dies of tuberculosis, and her widower Charles Brandon shows repentance for his infidelity at her deathbed.

In the Criminal Justice System, There are Two Distinct Branches – The King and the Cardinals. These are Their Stories.

In a classy fashion, the trial is now debating whether or not Arthur (Henry’s deceased elder brother who had been married to Katherine) and Katherine had sex.

Ha, ha, sex. Let’s ignore the fact that Henry’s case was based on scriptural arguments and theology and make it all a thing of hilarity. Speaking of historiography, historians are divided on whether or not Katherine and Arthur had sex. Speaking as a historian myself, I think they probably didn’t. Katherine was a pious woman and she swore that they didn’t. I’m not someone who likes to doubt a woman’s word, if I’m honest. She said she was a virgin, and I believe her. Arthur and her were two sheltered fifteen year olds who could barely speak to each other and he died very quickly. I doubt that they had sex, even if I think that Henry probably had a valid case under canon law (in more friendly times).

Henry is confident that he’ll win the case and he just wants to show Anne off to everyone. He wants everyone to look at her and just want to fuck her but they can’t because she’s Henry’s.

Henry is so unpleasant in this show. He is just characterised in an incredibly unpleasant way, a sleazy, selfish, childish way that I think is unbecoming of the real life king. There are many bad things about Henry, true, but portraying him as a gross, stupid, slimeball was a bad choice all round.

Meanwhile, at Blackfriars, Bishop Fisher says he will put his life on the line to defend the marriage of Henry and Katherine. Like John the Baptist protesting against the tyrant Herod. So, you know, go big or go home.

Henry responds to this like a mature adult.

Lol, jokes, he screams in Katherine’s face and has a temper tantrum at Anne.

I’M THE KING OF ENGLAND! I’M THE KING OF ENGLAND! the powerless child keeps screaming.

Henry then decides to threaten Campeggio.

‘God forbid the Pope should ever turn his back on me.’

Henry, look at his face. I really don’t think cheap threats are really going to help you here.

Campeggio, who was under orders to delay the trial anyway, decides to put it into recess until October. Pope Clement has heard of Katherine’s plea and he’s now pulled authority of the case back to Rome. I’m sure that Henry’s blatant threats didn’t really help matters.

Uh uh. No go show. You don’t get to throw around a word that carries such weight so casually. Not only would an educated and refined renaissance man not use this insult so casually in a public arena to a fellow member of the church, I don’t like words like this getting thrown around for simple shock value. It adds nothing but just makes me dislike the showrunner and creator even more.

Anne, while dressed in a truly hideous riding habit, suggests that Henry looks to Luther and his followers who advocate that Kings have more power in their realm than the Pope.

Okay. There are issues with this. For a start, Luther did not advocate anything of the sort. Martin Luther thought that Henry was just assuming the authority of the Pope and did not approve of anything. It is true that royal supremacy developed from the writings of Tyndale and Simon Fish, but they did not approve of Henry’s actions either. It is wrong, and highly teleological, to suppose that Henry’s ideas of royal supremacy come from evangelical religious ideas. Many of Henry’s ideas developed from renaissance humanism and from studies conducted by scholars such as Erasmus into the original Hebrew and Greek writings of the Old Testament. And further to this, Henry didn’t start publicly advocating for royal supremacy over church matters in England until late 1530 and 1531.

And I’m guessing that the show isn’t going to depict anything to do with the Reformation Parliament, which would be in session until 1536 and lay out much of the documentation and laws that supported the break from Rome.

TLDR; Henry was a Catholic Humanist, so his critiques of Papal authority were longstanding and didn’t have much to do with Martin Luther. The show is using ‘Lutheranism’ (which wasn’t officially a positive term or religion until the very last years of the sixteenth century) as a catch all for evangelical thought, which is the more accurate term for the new thinking sweeping Europe at this time.

Henry has a DRAMATIC REVELATION while reading this… book in the middle of a conveniently dramatic thunderstorm. Oh my gosh, this line of thought that I already knew about is so shocking to me!

The Fall of Wolsey

This goes hand in hand with the fall of Wolsey, which is full of needless dramatic extras.

Wolsey is desperate to find an easy solution to the King’s Great Matter. Katherine won’t buy it because Wolsey caused this annulment all because Charles V stood against him and wouldn’t make him Pope.

Gurl, what you on? It was the French cardinals who turned on Wolsey, not Charles. Henry’s been discussing leaving you since 1519/1520 so don’t act like it’s all Wolsey’s doing.

Wolsey is still working on securing England’s position in Europe, so he’s sending Thomas More to peace talks between France, the Holy Roman Empire, and the Pope. Thomas More should remind them of their obligations to England and make sure that no accords are reached, as that would put England in a really terrible position.

The failure of the Blackfriars trial has put Wolsey in a tenuous position. Charles ‘The Idiot’ Brandon steps forward and hisses that ‘good has never been done in England while there are cardinals’ and I call nonsense. Charles, because of Wolsey’s intervention you weren’t punished by Henry for sleeping with his sister, and historically, you supported Henry’s ecclesiastical policy. Like many English nobles, Brandon did not agree with Papal authority, so that animosity is true, but there is no benefit to attacking Wolsey for a matter that is out of his hands.

Meanwhile, More was a smug asshole and ruined the peace talks. So now England is vulnerable but I guess his precious principles are intact.

I don’t like Thomas More. I don’t know whether you can tell.

And Henry rejects Wolsey. In the show, it’s presented as a win for the Boleyn faction and as if Henry personally detests Wolsey. This is not so; Henry did not bear any animosity for Wolsey personally. This is a political message, not a win for Anne. Wolsey is the representation of the Pope in England – by casting him down and making him powerless, it’s a clear symbol of Henry’s distaste for the Pope’s judgement and slowness in responding to the trial. It’s also a sign of Wolsey as a servant to Henry, not a grand manipulator and twister of events. He’s failed Henry, so Henry has effectively fired him.

This is political. It’s not personal. It’s about the Pope, not about the rise and fall of factions.

Wolsey is arrested on charges of praemunire (and the pronunciation makes me wince) which is a uniquely English law. It’s about prohibiting an alien jurisdiction of supremacy in England, so it’s pretty much another way of attacking the Pope (and it’s always been used as such since it’s introduction in 1392). But the chuckleheads at court are laughing at him so HAHA WOLSEY.

Wolsey begs Cromwell for help, only for him to reject. Even though Cromwell worked for Wolsey, not Henry, at this point.

And now More is chancellor and highest man in England. Prepare to fail with this guy, Henry.

Keeping Up with the Brandons

Mary is dying because she has the bloody cough o’death. Yes, that old staple. It’s amazing how this is the first sign she’s noticed, considering all the other symptoms that TB has. She’s not had: weight loss, fever, night sweats, extreme tiredness, pain, dizziness, or confusion. She’s managed to bypass all those symptoms, and go for the only one that is best for a show made by people who don’t seem to understand subtlety.

I’m fairly sure that people with TB don’t die having a fit in a pool of their own blood. I’m also confused as to how Mary contracted TB. It’s a disease of poverty, overcrowding, and malnutrition, things that Mary is certainly not a victim of. She also isn’t meant to die for another four years, but the show didn’t really have any plans for this character because she meant nothing and added nothing to the ongoing plot.

Charles announces Mary’s death of ‘consumption’, which is a Victorian term for the disease. He also attends the funeral, even though spouses didn’t attend funerals at this point in time and they were often same-gender affairs. But, hey, drama, stuff. I guess Charles will feel bad for being an awful person now.

Let Your Body Move to the Music 

I hate your high collars Henry, especially when your courtiers are dressed better than you.

Mantillas won’t exist until the end of the sixteenth century, and peineta will not exist until the nineteenth century. They’re famously Spanish, but they really don’t exist as part of Spanish national culture until they’re popularised by Isabella II. 

I hate that dress and headdress, and Henry’s outfit is pure Elizabethan. That wouldn’t be out of place in the 1580s and 1590s. It is so not 1520s.

Add some brighter colours and a few more jewels, and this is what they should really look like.

What’s with all that super obvious stitching? Look, Tudor clothing was tied together, but not like this. The bodice, skirt, and sleeves of elaborate court dresses were separate items brought together, but no high-fashion woman would walk around with their ties out like this. It looks cheap and peasanty, and I hate that it’s used as a visual sign of ‘HISTORYNESS’ in cheap period dramas. It looks awful.

NO PRINTED FABRICS.

hey look Henry is now in with the evil faction so i guess he’s wearing all black now. Such meaning such symbolism. Also, Anne, your dress is awful. It’s nothing to do with the times, it’s just a generic period dress that comes from no time and says nothing.

Good looking Tudor dresses aren’t hard, if you put effort and funding into your costume department.

And that’s it for this week. Next week is the last episode of the season, and I expect that the show will come to a satisfying ending with the maturity and depth I’ve come to anticipate from this show.

Spoilers; I’m sure something insulting happens to Wolsey.

Unpicking the Tudors; S1 E9 Hello, costume fiends! Things are heating up in the show, and I might start getting into a few legal discussions, matters of theology, stuff like that.

[22drunkb]

“Person of Interest” recap (4.10): The Cold War

Forgive me if I (re)posted this before: I’ve lost track of when I reposted what, so I’m just starting from here (without the pics and gifs).

Hi, everyone! I’m so sorry that this is so late; either the internet or my own finals-induced nuttiness (grad school does things to a person) caused me to think that Person of Interest wasn’t coming back till January. I WAS SO WRONG. Here, then, are my thoughts on the episode of 12/16 (“Cold War”), plus some thoughts on the previous one. I promise the next writeup will be faster!

So obviously, a lot happened in “Cold War,” but let’s focus on what’s really important for now. And what’s really important is Root pointing out that no one can keep Shaw captive unless she wants to be kept, and Shaw demonstrating that of course that’s true and she’s just been being polite; or, hey, Root going into danger and Shaw being VERY UPSET about that choice (“that sounds like someone who needs backup!” she says, because her nerves about Root’s situation aren’t suggestive at all).

Basically, this was one of those episodes that isn’t about our favorite duo but still gave us plenty to work with. Before getting into it, let me note a few things from the previous episode, since I didn’t get to post properly about it:

OBVIOUSLY THAT PART WHERE Root was trying to protect Shaw and Shaw not only was having none of it but resorted to blatant flirting to try to get around this obstacle. Look, you can try to make this about how Shaw is yet another straight girl working the odds (you can try, but I’ll fight you and you’ll regret it), but all this tells me is that Shaw KNOWS how Root feels about her and has resoundingly not rejected it up to this point. OUR SHIP SAILS ON.

Also let us consider just…the way…their bodies move…when Root drugs Shaw for her own good (don’t try this at home kids!! I only approve of this in very specific cyberpunk circumstances!!!) and kneels down to catch her:

DO YOU HAVE FEELINGS ABOUT THIS, BECAUSE I DO?

Also there was loads of Root shepherding Shaw around all concerned and handsy, and also this business when they were hiding inside the truck.

/happy sigh

ANYWAY. So here we are, this week of all weeks, but a week later, because shhhhhh, we are here now and that is the important thing. It is clear that Root is PAINFULLY in love with Shaw, and that Shaw knows what is going on and chooses not to ruin it; like, even with the most cynical “she’s using her” interpretation possible, there is no way to pretend that both parties don’t understand what’s happening here.

BUT! Happily, the cynical interpretation wilts like a rose petal in the summer heat, because here we are in “Cold War” and Shaw, after insisting the only being she cares about is the dog, is running around the Subway Lair (TM) in order to go to Root’s rescue.

Sure, she doesn’t actually do it—I choose to believe partly because she knows Root wouldn’t want her to—but the point is, Harold is lecturing her on why Root will be fine and she is running around picking up guns explaining why Root will definitely not be fine without backup!!! BY WHICH I MEAN ME!!!!!

image: http://cdn1-www.afterellen.com/assets/uploads/2014/12/poi-4.gif

To back up (har har) for a second: Root is on her way to act as the Machine’s avatar in a conference with Samaritan, the other AI/god—which, we should note, is  unassailably cool on its own, just as a fact. (For the record, Samaritan totally should have been represented by Claire Mahoney, the very obvious “there but for the grace of god” Root parallel from the second episode of this season, instead of a small boy; but I suppose every rose has its thorn.) So Root is off being an amazing badass by doing nothing but hanging out with a kid while he colors so that two “artificial super-intelligences��� can verbally throw down the gauntlet, essentially, and Shaw has decided that this means not only that Root needs backup, and not only that that backup should be her, but that it is worth showing her face to surveillance cameras with the consequence of near-certain death to provide that backup. SHAW IS LITERALLY READY TO DIE FOR ROOT HERE, I AM JUST. SAYING.

We also had some delicious moments earlier in the episode. Let’s talk about Harold walking into the Subway Lair to find Shaw handcuffed and Root in a bear suit and immediately being uncomfortable and almost leaving. WHAT IS HE ASSUMING IS GOING ON, HMM?

Let’s also talk about innuendo, our best friend. Shaw is understandably pissed at Root for tricking and drugging her in the previous episode, even if it was for her own safety. She is handcuffed to a railing to keep her from going outside and getting herself killed. She asks how long they’re going to keep her like that, and Root purrs at her about how it’s impossible to keep her locked up—at least against her will. The subtext here is H E A V Y, since Root has a longstanding habit of making BDSM insinuations to Shaw. (Which have been reciprocated at least once; never forget that first conversation.)

So Shaw demonstrates that she had already freed herself and was just pretending to be locked up, which, sure, we can interpret as strategic, but why would we do that when we can interpret it as her NOT WANTING TO HURT ANYONE’S FEELINGS. (Root. I am talking about Root.) “So true,” she snarls, leaning into Root’s space while Root serves her trademark hearteyes. (I couldn’t find a gif of this particular moment, but if you would like a reminder of what Root’s “I’m so in love with you I can’t really think straight at this moment” face looks like I recommend this post right here.)

PLEASE JUST MAKE OUT ALREADY. HAROLD CAN GIVE YOU SOME SPACE, HE IS FINE WITH THAT. HAROLD SHIPS IT AS MUCH AS I DO. (“If the worst comes to pass, would you tell Sameen— I think she already knows [because you are as obvious as a fucking sledgehammer].” HAROLD GETS IT.)

image: http://cdn3-www.afterellen.com/assets/uploads/2014/12/poi-coldwar.png

Let us also consider the time-honored tradition of Shaw ripping into food like she caught and killed it herself—one of my favorite things about her—and the beautiful innovation in this instance of Root helping her (handcuffed, remember) and saying “two hands are better than one.” FOR MANY PURPOSES, OF COURSE. OH ROOT YOU CHARMER.

Beyond these truly incredible moments of ~lurve, the episode actually gives us some nice character work with each woman and their relationship, as Root defends the Machine as moral and benevolent (and therefore deserving of loyalty) while Shaw very literally plays devil’s advocate, suggesting that Samaritan’s good works should get due credit even if they were only to prove a point. Essentially Shaw spends the episode arguing that maybe letting Samaritan rule the world and thus avoiding AI conflict (or what Harold calls “when two gods go to war,” echoing Root’s use of the phrase in earlier episodes) wouldn’t be so bad, really. The AIs are here, there’s no going back, and as she points out, she used to execute people based on an AI’s evaluation all the time; she just didn’t know that was what she was doing. Root, on the other hand, sees Samaritan’s dominance and the Machine’s defeat as the worst of all possible worlds. The Machine is her god in a far more literal way than for any other character. Losing Her would destroy her world on a level that simply isn’t true for anyone else. (Interesting to note that Root also referred to Samaritan as She, isn’t it? I like the idea that for Root all the AI gods are female. Many fans tend to assume for no clear reason that Samaritan is male, which I guess the show has now reinforced, but Root has no time for this idea. )

Placing #2SAM2FURIOUS on opposite sides here is fun because it gives us nice banter and some soda-stealing, but it does more than that. It shows us a great deal about how they are different, how their worldviews are different. It gives us some of the wonderful philosophizing the show is so prone to, with Shaw arguing for letting the strongest win in the name of order, Root arguing for the moral superiority of the Machine, and Harold arguing that dominance by any AI is a nightmare that must be prevented. It’s especially nice to see Root and Shaw be the avatars (so to speak) of the debate in a central way, since usually these arguments center on Root and Harold, or Harold and John. It’s a good change to let Shaw advance a point of view here instead of just being the muscle and comic relief.  It’s also a natural consequence of her deepening relationship with Root. There is no way to have the former Samantha Groves in your life and not end up with a philosophical point of view on AIs and their role, because that is literally what she is about. If you care about Root, you care about the shape of the future that is being born, and for Shaw not to have a major voice in this debate would have been insulting to her intelligence.

All in all, this was a great episode on many levels—it moved the story forward, let us hear directly from Samaritan for the first time, featured Root in a bear suit (let us not forget that Shaw’s beloved dog is named Bear!! Real subtle, Root) and Shaw ripping open a paper bag with her teeth—but it was excellent when it comes to this relationship, too. It played with subtext, but also showed Root and Shaw expressing real concern for one another and engaging in substantive debate about the issues that are most important to them. This is one reason I have never seen this relationship as queerbaiting: while there is plenty of what some people like to call “fanservice,” there is also a real, living relationship with depth and nuance and development over time. There are stakes between these two women. There is no way to deny it, and this episode continued to lean into it.

Read more at http://www.afterellen.com/tv/405857-person-interest-recap-4-10-cold-war#Z5KzVUTXBPYKcX10.99