#and then the irony is that that key choice will lead him to them

[ilynpilled]

I feel like as the resident dishonor/honor guy enjoyer I have to speak on honor as a construct and how it seems to operate in asoiaf in my eyes. I will be stating the obvious here imo but: violence IS inherent to it. Be it directly or through the enablement of it. “Honor”, as a feudalistic moral construct, revolves around the reinforcement of a status quo. It is a moral construct that is embedded into a feudalistic structure, one that is inherently violent. It can be deeply flawed and destructive as a result of deeply rooted systemic issues. Being “honorable” is very complicated because, again, it does not exist based on a very sensible moral framework. It ends up contradicting itself because the way society is structured in Westeros.

Almost nothing embodies this more clearly than the KG. They are supposed to be the paragons of honor: an unsoiled white cloak.

Vows are social contracts this society is built on. This is why Jaime is very restricted in a lot of ways in his world by his label. Breaking one of the most important contracts (one that happens to be key in reinforcing a feudalistic structure: it places the king’s will above every single other moral or ethical code) makes it so he is not believed or trusted and he is unable to operate properly within their society in a lot of circumstances, as we witness in his chapters. It is honorable to protect the weak and the innocent, but it is honorable to protect your king in all circumstances and reinforce a status quo. To obey your family and play your societal role. To obey laws, even if they are unjust. To keep your word, to be honest. Loyalty to a tyrant has to be inherently more honorable (especially in certain positions) to maintain this status quo, even though it contradicts other oaths and we know it is inherently immoral. Balancing values is the most interesting aspect of characters dealing with ‘honor’ and morality. Feudalism is what makes the honor system collapse. Honor itself can be a more vague concept, “the quality of knowing and doing what is morally right”, but the way it is defined and how it operates within this society is so fucked. The KG appear in the weirwood dream (mirroring the imagery of The Others, conflating the honorable white cloak with snow and cold and death.) “You swore to keep your king safe” “and the children as well.” Yeah, the innocent children of kingslanding as well, that would have burned to ash. It is honorable to save your king, to protect the weak, to save the children, to save the innocents of KG, to obey your father. He tells this to them in the dream, he explains his reasoning for killing Aerys, but they do not budge. That is what Jaime fears the most, the complete collapse of everything that holds meaning to him, heroism becoming undefinable with these conflicting moral codes, which is likely another huge part of him keeping it a secret. It is something he feels powerless against. The way things are prioritized is wrong. Morality becomes skewed. In Jaime’s mind the enemy and primary source of doom is this nonsensical moral construct that contradicts itself represented by institutions that make no sense. It is what makes his symbolic fire go out. His moral code conflicts with this society’s code of ethics, which eventually leads him to cynically accept amorality. It is disillusionment that tears the idea of heroism and being “honorable” apart and leads to moral nihilism.

Another aspect of the honor code and its violence is the fact that it places more value to individuals based on class. It is dependent on class and a flawed social structure. This is despite the fact that vows of knighthood call for the protection of those that are too weak to protect themselves: the underprivileged. Jaime keeps having this epiphany of an inherent equality in death that seems to contradict the way society is structured. Aerys’ life is worth inherently more according to the honor code than Rhaella’s, than the lives of thousands of innocents, than Jaime’s. Yet, a lowborn hand, no one, seems to die harder than Aerys does (and nobody cares). A crown is worth nothing when crows feast on victors and vanquished alike, and the rightful heir himself. We are all equal in death, so the text is indicating that something is not right here.

When it comes to characters and their relationship with honor the important through-line is examining whether they are being “honorable” in the abstract sense, if they base their actions around empathy and a sense of actual justice, or if they are abiding by made up flawed constructs. Being viewed as honorable by this society does not make you a good person. In fact, in order for you to abide by the honor code you would likely have to turn into an amoral individual. For example, if you try to keep the cloak pure white you will metaphorically soil it. Like every one of Aerys’s kingsguard did. To keep their oath to the king, they broke vows to protect innocents and protect women. They should lose their honor by a lot of definitions, but that would mean the status quo collapses. Jaime’s knighting for this reason is very much like a boy being sacrificed at an altar. It is not just about drawing a parallel between young girls and boys being sentenced to bloody doom by violent constructs created for their gender.

“Blood is the seal of our devotion.” He bleeds on his plain white tunic. It was never “pure white”, it was always all tainted in blood. It is inherently violent. You can argue that is when “the boy died.”

Very rigid and hypocritical honor codes built for feudalism lack nuance and lead to amorality. I think George aims to address, interrogate, deconstruct, and then reconstruct honor, as with most other key concepts present in fantasy. Honor can be redefined. Examples like “No chance, and no choice”, among many others, are at the root of that reconstruction. Even then, the reconstruction does not conflate it with pacifism necessarily. For example, Chelsted did the ‘honorable’ thing, in the abstract moral sense, of quitting his job and not supporting a tyrant anymore, but that act achieved nothing in preventing the wildfire plot. Same with essentially everyone important at court abandoning the situation that is Aerys, turning away from a gaping wound and not addressing it before it was too late. Jaime had to soil the ‘white cloak’ and disrupt the status quo and lose his “honor” within those terms by murdering his king and his pyromancers as a kingsguard and actually save half a million lives. It was not glorious, nor was it anything like the songs, and the city is still doomed because there is no way to get that festering corruption out of there at this point, metaphorical of the greater problem with KG, but it was heroism, a choice with meaning, and a form of triumph, even if the consequences break Jaime down the line. He gets no answer to the question of what it means to be a knight and a man of honor if society’s version of it is so skewed. Then, Jaime and the readers get an answer in the form of Brienne: “I dreamed of you.”

[bird-inacage]

The Heart Killers: Predictions (Kant as Bison's Keys to Freedom)

Welcome to the first of my speculative brain dumps on this couple. The updated trailer has had my brain theorising like crazy.

Khao has mentioned a few times now that Bison was adopted into his family, and killing essentially became his way of life. Kant then comes along and becomes Bison's escape - a welcome distraction from the violent life he leads.

Whether Kant's undercover objective it to scope for dirt or to take the brothers down, it's through this mission that Kant begins to sympathise with Bison and the circumstances that led him to become a hitman. His feelings will ultimately compromise or derail his original objective. Once everything is out in the open, this doesn't seem to deter Kant. If anything, it only doubles down his resolve to protect Bison from harm. "I just need to know I'll always be with you." "You think I'd go on living if you died?"

We've been told that Kant goes goo-goo eyed for Bison pretty early on. My hunch is that once he finds out the type of life Bison is swept up in and just how dangerous it is, his personal mission will be to try and free him: "I'll help you start over". And if he can't free him in the immediate effect, he'll join him in order to watch his back. "We'll take care of each other. This isn't just an empty promise." Based on the fact he was asked to help with detective work in the first place, Kant must have some pretty handy skills in his arsenal, and likely knows a thing or two about survival.

On that basis, perhaps the real conflict for these two won't be the getting things out into the open, but what Bison chooses to do for his freedom. We don't yet know whether he’s on good terms with his adoptive family. It could very well be that he simply doesn't want to kill, but has too much gratitude towards them for taking him in, that he could never disobey or defy them.

So when Kant tries to find him an out or whisk him away - Bison will then have a choice to make. To leave with Kant, or side with his family. Staying would also mean exposing Kant (who seems eager to protect him) to the same violence he's desperate to leave behind, which may further complicate things. "With the way I live, I can't promise you anything." (I could die tomorrow).

The other thing I would be wary of is in order to 'free' Bison in some way, shape or form (from his supposed crimes and lifestyle), Kant may have to sacrifice or offer something in exchange. Considering he's the one tasked to investigate the two brothers (in order to put them behind bars, I would assume), there's a poetic irony if he turns out to be the key to Bison's freedom. Hearing how Khao loves Kant as a character also speaks volumes to me about his role in the story and what he means to Bison. But I may just be letting my mind run riot.

(Note: very interesting shot in the trailer below. To me, it almost looks like they're doing a 'training' exercise for something. Bison with his gun on Kant whilst he jumps into the sea tied up).

Narratively speaking, I’m not sure how this all of fits into a romcom of all things but I have a feeling Jojo is going to surprise us with his hijinks. Let’s wait and see!

[oswinsdolma]

bbc merlin is a tragedy. it's not a new take by any stretch, but a lot of analysis (mine included) often seems to gloss over what i think is one of the most interesting roles in tragedy. we have the tragic hero, and the fucked up symbiosis of merlin and arthur in that role. we have the battle of fate against free will, humanity against god, all that good shit. but we never really discuss the role of the audience, and the part we play in the story.

in ancient greece, tragedies were about learning a lesson, reflecting on the past. you could argue that it wasn't even necessarily about the story and the characters themselves, they were just vehicles to get across something to an audience in a human way, rather than in a torrent of philosophy or law. and because they are stories, we take them and transform them into metaphors that tell us what we need to know. and in a lot of plays, that's the end of it. we see the play and think about what it means, but there is catharsis at the end; the story is over, and we go about our lives, perhaps changed, but apart from the story itself. ultimately, we are helpless to the fate of the characters within story, but we can take control of our own.

but the thing is with merlin, is that we're not helpless. yes, we sit and watch as merlin makes choice after choice that leads him down a darker path. yes, we see the irony in characters' mistakes and can do nothing about it. but the key thing about the story of merlin and arthur is that it isn't over. arthur has not risen, and merlin still waits for him. we cannot bring him from the lake, nor can we ease merlin's pain, but what we can do is remember. and the more you look for it, the clearer our role becomes: "a boy who would, in time, father a legend" in 1.01 and "the story we have been a part of will live long in the minds of men" in 5.13. yet i think the point that really hammers this home isn't one of the obvious ones, but what merlin says to arthur in the disiir episode: "as if the world were so much more than itself". because yes, it's about magic but it's also about stories. about transcendence and legend and dreams, metaphysical and half fabricated and a shared collective that is so much more than the original story on its own. we, those who live after arthur died, take his name and we make it into a thousand more things: a king, a traitor, a christ figure, the best of our humanity. he, and the others in the story, become metaphors for us in the same way the ancient poets crafted their tragedy, but in merlin, we don't get catharsis: we get perpetuity. because in merlin, the story is never over. in merlin, our role is not to mourn, but to hold vigil. to remember all that was in the hope that what died will rise from the ashes anew.

the beauty of the story of merlin and arthur is not that they were doomed by the narrative, but they get to live. that tragedy can befall the greatest of men, but it is not always the end of the story, not always the absence of hope. and no small part of that is due to us, as the audience, breathing life into the legend by passing it on, by holding the torch as something important to us and learning from it, arthur both a beacon of tragedy and of hope. there are few stories where this lies hand in hand, and besides the obvious two-sided-coin stuff going on, that is because of the refusal to let the story go. i said we make stories into metaphors, and i think this is arthur's: tragedy is inevitable, but not inhuman. and when you can hold on no longer, those who love you will guard you until you are ready to rise again.

[bookhavenblog]

Understanding Temptation in The Screwtape Letters

The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis is a profound, thought-provoking, and surprisingly humorous book that dives into the strategies of spiritual warfare and human frailty through the eyes of a senior demon named Screwtape. Written as a series of letters from Screwtape to his nephew Wormwood, an inexperienced demon assigned to tempt a human, the book is an insightful look at the subtle tactics used to pull people away from God. Each letter reveals not only the ways in which temptation can take root in our thoughts and actions, but also provides an eye-opening look at the nature of sin, pride, and the complexities of the human soul. Overview: A Demonic Perspective on Temptation At the heart of The Screwtape Letters is the relationship between Screwtape, a high-ranking demon in the “Lowerarchy” of Hell, and his apprentice Wormwood. Screwtape’s letters guide Wormwood in his task of leading a young man, referred to as “the Patient,” away from faith in God and toward eternal damnation. The genius of Lewis’s writing here is in his ability to reverse the perspective—rather than preaching to readers about morality and virtue, Lewis allows us to glimpse the battle between good and evil from the devil’s viewpoint, revealing just how easily human beings can be led astray by their own desires, insecurities, and weaknesses. The tone is sophisticated, dripping with irony and a sort of disdainful humor that makes Screwtape both compelling and chilling. Lewis’s insight into human nature comes through in Screwtape’s observations, making it clear that the enemy’s strategies aren’t always overt or violent; often, they are subtle manipulations of our own thoughts and choices. Themes and Key Insights: The Devil in the Details One of the most intriguing aspects of The Screwtape Letters is the way Screwtape explains—and celebrates—human weaknesses. Each letter exposes a new layer of the devil’s tactics, turning everyday actions and attitudes into spiritual battlegrounds. Below are some key themes that stood out to me, along with an analysis of what Satan (through Screwtape) says and means in his strategic insights. 1. Distraction and the Mundane as Tools of Temptation One of Screwtape’s earliest pieces of advice to Wormwood is to keep the Patient’s mind focused on anything but his spiritual life. Rather than stirring up obvious rebellion or blatant sin, Screwtape advises Wormwood to use distraction—whether it’s through trivial routines, entertainment, or simply encouraging the Patient to prioritize "small duties" over anything meaningful. “It is funny how mortals always picture us as putting things into their minds: in reality, our best work is done by keeping things out.” Here, Screwtape reveals the simplicity of temptation. He advises that distraction from faith can be just as effective as overt sin. Instead of inserting new ideas, Wormwood is encouraged to keep important ideas, like thoughts of God or eternity, out of the Patient’s mind entirely. This tactic speaks volumes about our tendency to let routine and busyness pull us away from things that truly matter. Reading this made me reflect on how easy it is for “the noise” of daily life to drown out moments of reflection, prayer, and spiritual growth. 2. Twisting Virtue into Vice: Pride and Self-Righteousness One of the most striking insights from Screwtape is his tactic of subtly twisting virtues into vices. Rather than leading the Patient into obvious wrongdoing, Screwtape encourages Wormwood to let the Patient pursue virtues but to warp them. For example, Screwtape advocates for pride to seep into the Patient’s life under the guise of “self-improvement” or “progress.” “Catch him at the moment when he is really poor in spirit and smuggle into his mind the gratifying reflection, ‘By Jove! I’m being humble,’ and almost immediately pride—pride at his own humility—will appear.” In this line, Screwtape reveals a cunning strategy: the exploitation of self-righteousness. If Wormwood can make the Patient prideful about his “humility” or his spiritual accomplishments, he has succeeded in turning virtue into sin. This made me realize how easy it is to fall into this trap, subtly congratulating ourselves for what should be humble acts and thus veering into self-centeredness. 3. The Misuse of Pleasure and Natural Desires Screwtape admits that pleasure itself is not inherently evil, as it was created by God. Instead, his strategy is to distort natural pleasures into unhealthy desires. For instance, instead of encouraging Wormwood to remove all joy from the Patient’s life, he suggests twisting those pleasures to excess, leading the Patient to misuse them in a way that distracts from spiritual growth. “Never forget that when we are dealing with any pleasure in its healthy and normal and satisfying form, we are, in a sense, on the Enemy’s ground.” In other words, true pleasure and joy belong to God, so Wormwood’s job is to twist and misuse these pleasures until they become obstacles rather than blessings. This reminded me of how easily good things—work, food, relationships—can become detrimental when misused or obsessed over, turning into distractions that keep us from focusing on spiritual fulfillment. 4. The Power of Habit and Small Sins Screwtape advises Wormwood to focus on small sins and subtle habits that seem inconsequential but, over time, can lead the Patient far from God. By nurturing these minor faults, Wormwood can create a gradual drift that is far less noticeable to the Patient but just as effective in the long run. “Indeed, the safest road to Hell is the gradual one—the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.” This insight is both chilling and convicting. Screwtape acknowledges that sudden, dramatic sin is rare and less effective. Instead, the “gentle slope” of small sins can lead someone away from faith without them even realizing it. This concept of “the gentle slope” resonates deeply; it serves as a warning to remain vigilant about seemingly minor habits or compromises that can, over time, snowball into significant moral or spiritual distance from God. 5. Redefining Relationships and Worship Through Cynicism and Doubt One of Screwtape’s more subtle but effective tactics involves manipulating the Patient’s relationships and understanding of worship. By nurturing cynicism or a sense of superiority, he aims to distance the Patient from other believers and make him question his own faith community. “All extremes, except extreme devotion to the Enemy, are to be encouraged.” Screwtape encourages Wormwood to create friction in the Patient’s relationships, pushing him toward unhealthy extremes that distract from genuine love and community. This tactic is often used to foster pride in the form of judgment or cynicism, making the Patient feel like he is above others or that his views are the only correct ones. Reading this, I was reminded of how easily we can let ego or self-righteousness separate us from the people who could actually encourage our spiritual growth. A Timeless Perspective on Human Nature and Spiritual Vigilance Reading The Screwtape Letters has always been an experience that challenges me to examine my own life and the subtle ways I may stray from faith. C.S. Lewis’s ability to capture the complexity of human nature and the often-invisible battle between good and evil is powerful. He reveals how Satan’s tactics are rarely obvious; instead, they are embedded in the ordinary, in the small compromises, and in the things we justify as harmless. This book serves as a call to vigilance, urging readers to pay attention not only to our actions but to our thoughts and attitudes as well. Each letter is a window into the mind’s vulnerabilities and reminds us that our faith is both a gift and a responsibility, something to be nurtured intentionally. As Screwtape reveals, the devil’s work is often subtle and personal, a slow erosion rather than a swift attack, making it all the more important to guard our hearts and minds. Final Thoughts The Screwtape Letters is a timeless, thought-provoking read that offers a fresh perspective on faith, temptation, and human weakness. C.S. Lewis’s wit and insight make it both engaging and convicting, a book that’s as likely to make you chuckle as it is to make you reconsider aspects of your life. For anyone interested in exploring the intricacies of temptation and faith, this is an invaluable read that will leave you reflecting long after the last page. Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Get the Book If you’re interested in experiencing The Screwtape Letters for yourself, you can purchase it here on Amazon. About the Reviewer Hi, I’m , a lifelong reader and Christian who’s passionate about exploring books that challenge and inspire faith. Here at The Book Haven, I review classic and contemporary works that encourage spiritual growth and deepen our understanding of the human soul. Read the full article

[quietbluejay]

Sins of the Wreckers 6

This time: some unsettling imagery though honestly that warning should apply to this whole thing, also Tarantulas' choice of words may make people uncomfortable, also he is a giant spider, I did try to cut most of the spider images because they're very spidery but, just putting that warning out there, there are giant spiders present here

it's a maze

it's got noise

what's not clicking

squid guy is cackling loudly

Hubcap is just standing there

Verity: someone tell me what's going on!

yeah. Tarantulas is a giant spider

Tarantulas: No

Tarantulas: Not any more

Tarantulas: Now I'm called Tarantulas

Prowl: what are you? What have you done to yourself?

Tarantulas: Changed, Prowl. You know change; that thing you try and fail to do every few million years

another ???? Tarantulas moment

quoth friend:

also gotta question why he thinks prowl is in an "up" part of this imaginary cycle, since he's deep in the whole "mind control kup/steal evidence/hermit because everyone else is unbearable" grind it's a mental break down off key harpsicord plays even his fight with optimus in that mess was mostly yelling about optimus's garbage more then justifying his own Prowl is pathologically avoidant of justifying himself it's actually a serious problem he has he never justifies himself so no one ever knows what he's thinking or why

Prowl falls

discussion with friend: friend: i know the "struggle to actually change" is a series theme me: it's a continuity theme from phase 2 onwards! (disregarding Roberts who is mainly focusing on other things, but Barber, Roche, Scott, even McCarthy all grapple with it) friend: but also the irony of tarantulas "learned nothing from being trapped in his own torture device" transformers saying it is me: in a different series it could be something about how suffering doesn't make you into a better person me: but SOTW isn't engaging with it

"all the soul staining muck" okay so you got evidence of other Prowl shenanigans why did you not bring it up instead of aequitas which, AS WAS ESTABLISHED EARLIER, has nothing on prowl come on, man if you're going to get him, do it on what he actually did

thought from friend: it's because all that stuff would only affect Prowl personally (and Prowl is currently public enemy #1 so like...hard to make it worse for him lol). So he fundamentally doesn't care about it. Aequitas works because it's something that would affect other people, and the whole cause he's dedicated his life to, whether or not it actually exists any more.

Impactor and Prowl are foils because they both fully expect their job to kill them

there you go (and i'm still not over that everyone thinks this is going to restart the war) (like where???? in all the scattered corners of the galaxy where autobots and decepticons are still stranded? dude they're still FIGHTING OUT THERE, it won't change for them) (on earth? again there's still conflict!) (on cybertron? where starscream is in charge over majority neutral-leaning-autobot?) organics? the organics still don't like and or trust cybertronians of any stripe, they've experienced some of these war crimes, their opinion is already at rock bottom

i just feel like im missing something big in my understanding some natural assumption that leads to why Roche has all these characters think that

Prowl: what do you want, Tarantulas?

Tarantulas: Come…

Tarantulas: I want to show you something naughty

combined thoughts from me + friend again:

yeah aequitas is a compilation but the immediate consequences of all those evils still spun out when they actually happened there's an assumption here that aequitas was contained, in a way? that the horrors were somehow reduced to just the trial and their only legacy is that thumbdrive and not that it's painted in blood over half the universe (which it totally should be) ultimately it's a misattribution to why the decepticons stopped fighting that they're in any way positioned to start fighting again if they want to and not that they basically lost the autobots aren't in a great position for fighting either but they were slightly better, better enough to be the winners (also that the decepticons don't know what the autobots have been up to when they're the perennial victims, but that's it's own can of worms) until further notice i am going to headcanon this as "the autobots will start fighting each other" as the thing people mean when they say "the war will restart"

so we got kup, guzzle and impactor still in alaska

Impactor jumps out of the way of an explosion

Impactor:…cos i bet being inside that thing is a lot easier than being out here. Incoming! "that thing" - impactor that is a person

He starts transforming back into a whale and jumps back to the water

Tidal Wave: …back to the depths, i think that's where I left my morale…

shark dude: this guy…

Kup looks to the side

Kup: through me.

Kup: The cogger had me bugged with a mind-link so he could pull my strings and make me dance to his lying little tune

i mean, springer wanted to save you, impactor

Impactor looks back, panicked

Impactor: Kup, help me get Guzzle back to Debris - now

Impactor: we are all in so much danger

Tarantulas: that's not what's happening, Prowl (he said, like a liar)

also I know I said it already, but not just the Alaskan landscapes, I love the art in general, it's so good very evocative

this is like the opposite of dignified

does tarantulas have to phrase everything in such a creepy way

Prowl: humans…they could even be human…

Tarantulas: Well, it's all a work in progress, Prowl. New breakthroughs every day.

Tarantulas: Onward!

of course it's a giant spiderweb what did I expect

sjdkflSHDFDS ITS UNOBTANIUM ROCHE I TAKE BACK MANY OF THE ANGRY THINGS I SAID ABOUT YOU

look at this it's so beautiful, it's so classical comics

Tarantulas goes bot mode and frees Prowl from his cocoon

Tarantulas: Here, inspect it for yourself. I trust you not to try anything. Hyah!

Prowl: "try anything"? What would be the point…

Prowl basically says "ok fine you've won"

I mean dude, you basically said it was

Prowl looks at him in shock

some thoughts on the Carpessa war crime I do wonder about the actual mechanics of setting it off in theory at this point Prowl is in some kind of command position if not on high command but also given we basically see every single character he's supposedly the superior of argue with him and/or don't do things, the one exception being Perceptor making the Kup mind thing, and this happened when he was even lower in the hierarchy than the present... maybe Impactor did it lol Impactor just takes off from work (since his thing with Prowl is off the books) to drive a bomb into a city ...huh, why didn't Impactor spill any of Prowl's secrets at the Aequitas trial what did he have to lose

actually, hang on, to an outside observer, Prowl should absolutely not look like he's going through a conscience heavy stage, if they know about him trying to do the thing with the spacebridge (i.e. GENOCIDING HIS ENTIRE RACE)

(if you're wondering "bluejay how can you be a fan of a guy who tried to do that" well i mean nearly every single character i like in 40k is a far, far, worse person with the exception of Iyanna and maybe Andromeda-17)

[watching-pictures-move]

Movie Review | Raw Courage (Rosen, 1984)

During the opening credits, we get closeups of Ronny Cox greasing up his toes and Art Hindle putting on a really tight t-shirt. The heroes, who include Cox, Hindle and Tim Maier, spend the entire movie in short shorts. And during the climax, the lead villain, played by M. Emmet Walsh, grabs Cox’s crotch, again in closeup. Now, I play for a different team, but if any of this sounds enticing to you, I’d suggest giving this movie a look. 

I’d also suggest giving this a look if the idea of a TV-grade riff on Deliverance or The Hills Have Eyes (the latter is pulled from directly with a few key images) sounds like your kind of jam. The heroes here are a trio of marathon runners who find themselves up against a group of paramilitary survivalists who use them as prey for their training exercises. You know these are bad guys because one of the first things they do is ritualistically berate a female member who got injured and made a tactical error. They call her very mean things, like “fat ass”, which in some cases can be used appreciatively (especially when spelled with “ph”) but not here. These guys are not nice people, which you also figure out when they kill one of the heroes. 

Cox is the writer and star, and this is very much an acting showcase for him. I’m so used to him as bureaucrats and hardasses that it’s a nice surprise to see him this mild mannered. (The glasses are a nice touch.) The movie doesn’t beat you over the head with it, but you do get the sense that he’s been using his running hobby to run away from his domestic problems, and there’s irony that he just now literally run away from his biggest problem yet. The exploration of masculinity is not unlike those other movies I referenced, one of whom also stars Cox. 

I’m not sure this was actually a TV movie, but the direction definitely feels like it, and not necessarily in a bad way, as some of the blunter camera moves and framing choices give accentuate the visceral impact of the proceedings. You do get the sense that certain things are being softened (the bad guys don’t spout too much of their ideology beyond their pseudomilitary discipline), but there’s also a pretty gnarly impalement, so who knows. But ultimately this is a case where the realities of physical strain and the desert environment do most of the work. You’ll feel nearly as out of breath as the characters as you watch this.

[cabe0512]

I think I need to answer these questions as well, since leaving them unanswered would spell doom and confusion for the story.

Shortly after Season 4, Striga and Morana did decide to leave it all behind and enjoy a life together. But note that, in the opening of Chapter 1, I did hint of other vampire lords and dark magicians warring with each other over the power vacuum that Dracula left behind upon the realization that the resurrection plot failed (at least, in their eyes) and that Dracula is truly dead (unaware that he is living the best life in Whitby at that point in time).

Even before the curse was noticeably eating up the land of Wallachia, these dullards sped the process by slowly decimating the land each battle after battle. Whoever hasn't taken a side in this conflict - both human and vampire alike - were unceremoniously killed in the crossfire.

Among those who refused to take a side were Striga and Morana, whose dreams of a quiet life were snatched away from them due to the war. And so to protect themselves from being among the dead, they decided to take action themselves; to bring down both factions and assuming control of the country themselves by conquering the capital of Targoviste.

Despite their reasons for doing so being truly noble at heart - to stop the war and help the country heal - it ultimately backfired when the survivors boldly refused to acknowledge Morana as the de facto ruler of Wallachia, as vampires have caused enough damage to their homes that letting them rule over the country was too far.

So what initially began as a way to deescalate the situation through strict diplomatic means eventually led to the harsh beginning of rebellion across the country, which Striga had no choice but to cut them down brutally to keep the populace in control. In the end, the war resumed but the key figures behind both sides have changed.

As for Hector, they still couldn't forgive him for his hand in Carmilla and Lenore's death. When word of Hector's appearances outside of Styria became known, Morana orders search parties around the country to find the traitorous Forgemaster and bring him to justice for their deaths.

While Morana and Striga definitely have much more to do here than in the entirety of the original show, their journey is ultimately a tragic one. I rescind my previous statement about them getting what they deserve, as this plot thread is basically them trying to clean up the mess that other vampires have made but never getting the respect nor the goodwill of the Wallachians despite doing so, leading them further down a dark road.

In what could be the ultimate case of irony, despite never going along with Carmilla's ambitious plan to conquer the world, Morana and Striga ended up having to do so in the end.

I would have loved striga and morana in any other story and with any other writer

I felt the same about Carlisle Cullen when I read twilight

[kanansdume]

Looking back at these three moments is so interesting because we all know that Obi-Wan's "hubris" storyline got a little ret-conned in the making of The Phantom Menace, that a lot of it went to Qui-Gon instead and Obi-Wan became a very different character with a very different place in the story and relationship to Anakin as a result. Especially after the events of Obi-Wan Kenobi, he has gone from someone who takes responsibility here for at least SOME of Anakin's fall by acknowledging the arrogance he had in choosing to train Anakin, in believing himself better than Yoda, and instead turns into someone who is explicitly said to have exactly no fault in the entire situation. Obi-Wan did his best, it just wasn't enough and Anakin made his own bad choices, regardless of how well Obi-Wan did or didn't train him, regardless of how well someone else may or may not have done as Anakin's Master. Obi-Wan's choice to teach Anakin DID NOT cause him to fall, and the prequel trilogy films actually showcase a fairly good relationship between them and Obi-Wan's ability to, occasionally, break through Anakin's bad habits and enforce rationality over emotions.

But in contrast, we see that Anakin actually makes the exact mistake that got attributed to Obi-Wan in Return of the Jedi. With the caveat being that he does apparently have Yoda's blessing according to Ahsoka, but his statement here blatantly and arrogantly claims that he can train Ahsoka BETTER than Obi-Wan. It's a joke, in some respects, but this is also early enough in Anakin's Knighthood that his relationship with Obi-Wan is closer to what we see in Attack of the Clones (more contentious) than Revenge of the Sith (more equal and friendly). So the idea that this is Anakin sort-of taking an unnecessary and uncalled for potshot at Obi-Wan to impress his new Padawan doesn't strike me as out of character. The Force might believe they make a good pair, but that doesn't necessarily mean that Anakin is READY for the responsibility, it doesn't necessarily mean Anakin's actually going to ultimately make a good teacher for Ahsoka.

And this line is, from a Doylist perspective, meant to be ironic. It's a lampshade for the fact that the writers knew that the audience would question why Anakin was being given a padawan when he so clearly does not have one in Revenge of the Sith. This is letting the audience know that the writers are aware that Ahsoka ISN'T GOING TO MAKE IT AS ANAKIN'S PADAWAN. Even if they didn't know for sure what they were going to do in order to remove her from the story, there were three options available: she dies, leaves the Order, or just ends up with a different Master. Which means that we as the audience know that this statement will ultimately be proven FALSE. Anakin will be proven arrogant and full of hubris in this moment. And we know this from the moment this line is spoken.

Canonically, Ahsoka does not make it as Anakin's padawan. She just doesn't. She leaves the Order and never reaches Knighthood. That's the underlying irony of the entire scene.

And we see in multiple ways how Anakin's arrogance ultimately leads Ahsoka down the WRONG PATH.

Most damningly, are Ahsoka's choices during the Wrong Jedi arc, which predominantly seem to come down to training and opinions she received from Anakin. The first choice that makes her look especially guilty is when she takes the very suspicious key card because she thinks Anakin left it there, thinking that this absurd plan to break her out like this makes any sense at all and just goes along with it. I've seen the theory that this is Ahsoka reacting the way she would in a hostile enemy situation, which is probably true, but my issue with this is that Ahsoka is not mentally inhibited in any way. She knows she's not in enemy territory, she's perfectly aware she's on Coruscant. And ever since about season four onward, Ahsoka is actually presented as very level-headed and unlikely to just panic out of nowhere and suddenly fall back on instincts that make no sense for her current situation. So if we ARE supposed to believe Ahsoka is relying on training for how to handle being captured by an enemy, it seems OOC to me that she would do so.

More likely to me is that this is Anakin's training coming in. One of the very first lessons we ever see Anakin teach Ahsoka is in the Malevolence arc, when he teaches her how to lie to the Council and then do what she wants anyway and come up with a good enough excuse for it. Here, we see Ahsoka up against authorities, up against a system, that's asking Ahsoka to be PATIENT, to wait a little while until someone can find a way to prove her innocence, to trust that someone will believe her and help her. And instead, the moment she gets a hint that she can just... break the rules and run, she takes it. And she takes it explicitly because she thinks ANAKIN'S ASKING HER TO. In a situation where we already know she's aware that running makes you look more guilty, she does it anyway because it makes sense to her that Anakin would ask her to.

And then she continues to run after she escapes the cell because she claims she doesn't think anyone else would believe her OTHER THAN ANAKIN. She's been in that cell maybe a few hours at this point and the Council hasn't been approached by Tarkin yet to demand they expel her, so Ahsoka has exactly no reason to believe the Council WON'T listen to her, believe her, respect her. Which speaks of an inherent mistrust of the Jedi Order and the Council itself that Ahsoka may not have even been aware that she HAD up until now.

And where could she have picked that one up subconsciously? Certainly not any of the other Jedi she routinely spends time with: both Obi-Wan and Plo Koon are on the Council themselves, as is Yoda who she is seen going to for advice. Aayla and Luminara both seem pretty friendly with the Council even if they aren't on it. There's nothing the Council has done that would cause Ahsoka not to trust them. But that first lesson we see Anakin teach Ahsoka sows a seed for possible disrespect and lack of trust in the Council and their judgments. So if she doesn't trust them to believe her and thinks she has to prove her own innocence because the Council WON'T, she learned that behavior from Anakin. And this ultimately leads to her leaving the Order entirely. Had Ahsoka just stayed in her cell, recognized how suspicious that key card was, or just not run when she found the first attacked clone, she may have been able to put up a better defense for herself, Barriss may have been found out earlier. The Jedi may have been able to protect her easier if she'd acted smarter. Instead, Anakin's training and ideas fail her and she has to leave the Jedi.

Ahsoka doesn't make it as a Jedi, and it happens because she listened to Anakin.

Ahsoka doesn't make it as Anakin's Padawan. His training ultimately leads to her losing trust in herself and damages her relationship to the Council and the Order itself, so much so that she never manages to make it BACK to the Jedi before Anakin destroys them and makes it so she never can. Anakin's choices ultimately mean she can never return, and she has yet to reclaim that identity as a Jedi, though the upcoming show may ultimately have that change.

Anakin fails her as a Master. I believe that Yoda picked something up from the Force that told him Anakin and Ahsoka had the POTENTIAL to be a really good pair, this ultimately entirely relies on their own choices. And Anakin consistently makes bad ones. Anakin and Ahsoka are both stubborn, reckless, arrogant when they meet each other. Anakin forcing himself to teach Ahsoka lessons on patience and discipline and responsibility could have ultimately helped Anakin learn those same lessons and apply them more to himself; we see a similar concept happen with Kanan and Ezra, that teaching Ezra these lessons allows Kanan to actually fully understand them. Anakin and Ahsoka could have learned these things TOGETHER and come to help each other find balance specifically because of how similar they are to each other. But this was all POTENTIAL, it was all a MAYBE, and Anakin never actually ends up applying those lessons to himself, not enough at least. And Ahsoka picks up just as many of his worst habits as she does the few Jedi teachings he does manage to get across to her adequately, which could just as easily have been due to her foundation of Jedi training from growing up in the Temple or taught to her via all the other Jedi we see her learning lessons from (Jocasta Nu, Tera Sinube, Obi-Wan, Aayla Secura, Luminara Unduli, Yoda, Plo Koon).

In comparison, we are told in Return of the Jedi that Obi-Wan believes his hubris led to Anakin's fall. He says he believed he could train Anakin better than Yoda, and was wrong. That his training wasn't enough, that his training failed Anakin, because he was arrogant enough to overestimate his own power and abilities. But in the prequel trilogy, we see that this wasn't the case, at all.

Obi-Wan takes on Anakin's training against Yoda's advice, sure, but Yoda doesn't think he can train Anakin better, he doesn't try to convince Obi-Wan to let himself or anyone else train Anakin. And there's no real indication that what ultimately causes Anakin to fall was a failure in Obi-Wan's training. And, in fact, the reason Anakin didn't fall EARLIER was probably very much down to the training he got from Obi-Wan and the relationship they developed. Obi-Wan blames himself because he WAS Anakin's teacher and he loved Anakin and honestly has no idea about the visions of Padme's death so he can't quite put those pieces together and figure out why Anakin's done what he's done. So the easiest way to manage those feelings for a while, that confusion, is to just blame himself. But that doesn't make it TRUE.

Anakin and Ahsoka make their own choices, obviously. But while Anakin's choices cannot be attributed to bad training on Obi-Wan's part, Ahsoka's can be directly traced back to the training she'd have gotten from Anakin. The bad habits, the assumptions, the underlying mistrust aimed at the Jedi and the Council. All of it came from Anakin, and all of it leads to her own downfall and choice to walk away from the Order.

Even by Rebels, Ahsoka chooses to die rather than leave Anakin because she can't let go of her guilt and attachment to him. She'd have died because Anakin never really taught her how to let go of those things, because ANAKIN never really let go of those things himself and presented a bad example for her.

Anakin thought he could train Ahsoka even better than Obi-Wan Kenobi.

And he was wrong.

[inamindfarfaraway]

If we can’t have Batfamily movies and all Batman movies must be set in the early years before Robin, at least let us have one about the Gotham Justice Triumvirate. With Harvey Dent in the central role. Here’s my pitch:

Badass DA and wonderful person Harvey.

Harvey and Jim Gordon and Batman’s friendship. Jim and Harvey are friends! They’re two normal humans hanging out with a vigilante/living shadow cryptid who has no concept of normal human interaction! Think of the in-jokes they must have! Near the beginning, after Batman pulls his trademark disappearing act on them Harvey asks if Jim thinks he’ll ever say goodbye to them. Jim’s reply is some form of “when hell freezes over”, maybe even “Yeah - when he’s seeing you off to Arkham and me to Blackgate.” They laugh.

Harvey and Bruce Wayne’s friendship.

The fun and dramatic irony of writing Bruce and Batman as completely separate characters.

Depending on the timeline, possibly a cameo of newly fostered little Dick Grayson! To whom Harvey is like an uncle.

Gilda’s character being fleshed out. Exploring her side of the marriage and views on her husband’s career and mental decline and alliance with the Bat.

Harvey and Gilda’s relationship. And her and Two-Face’s relationship! He doesn’t care for Bruce, but he does love her equally while she apparently doesn’t even know he exists prior to him killing people. That’s an interesting dynamic.

Mafia intrigue and drama as the heroic trio finally bring down the previously untouchable Maroni empire.

Judicial, political and police force intrigue and drama as Harvey and to a less examined extent Jim fight to preserve their moral integrity in and reform their deeply corrupt institutions.

“For Gotham” is a key phrase, and may be the title. It’s said by each member of the triumvirate at different points when demonstrating or discussing how far they’re willing to go and how much hope they have for their city and its people.

Accurate, in-depth DID representation with Harvey and his protector alter not yet named Two-Face, who, reasserting himself after years if not decades of repression, resentment and ingratitude by the person he’s only ever wanted to protect slowly grows into a persecutor. Now Harvey’s wary, dismissive treatment of him is very understandable because of how terrifying DID can make life when you don’t understand it/your alter(s), and the need for control and excessive responsibility his childhood of abuse and neglect has cemented in him. But it’s still damaging. Other than lash out sometimes at people making Harvey feel threatened (Pre-)Two-Face hasn’t really done anything wrong before the events of the movie. They’re two sides of the same badly scarred coin each just trying to survive and make sense of their pain, equally sympathetic and valid… at least at the start. An element of the tragedy is that Two-Face could have healed and been a true friend to Harvey, if different choices were made and different chances were given. But the pressure of the Maroni case, a lifetime of unresolved trauma and post-traumatic stress from their father and each other, some plain bad luck and some mistakes lead to him becoming another abuser and a supervillain besides.

Music! Harvey has a theme, Two-Face has a theme. They hit opposite beats and parallel each other a lot yet never quite harmonize well. The coin (and the destruction and despair it represents) has a leitmotif that slowly rises to prominence in both. This motif is also associated with Christopher Dent. Harvey and Gilda have a love theme. Bruce and Batman have distinct themes that complement each other perfectly when played together, and when Bruce’s emotions shine through in Batman or Batman’s grimness peeks out of Bruce elements from the other piece are mixed in. The concept that Gotham’s ‘soul’ can be saved and humanity is worth fighting for has an uplifting theme, the main theme of movie and an antithesis to the coin’s, that has sections and elements woven into each member of the triumvirate’s themes and is repeatedly reprised in different tones.

Harvey’s external plot is making Gotham a better place, specifically via dismantling the Maroni crime family. The structure of most of the movie builds up to the climax of the trial of Salvatore Maroni himself. Maybe there are even recurring shots of Harvey’s calendar with an increasing number of days crossed out, to really drive the countdown home. To the main characters, it’s a beacon of confidence; a chance to prove law, and law for the good of the people, does hold power in Gotham, to send a message to everyone that things can and will get better. Nothing (and no one) is beyond redemption. To the audience, it’s a doomsday for Harvey we’re helpless to stop that taints every victory and happy moment on the path toward it.

His internal plot is grappling with his severe psychological issues rooted in his nightmarish childhood. He goes to therapy, he’s in a good place right before the start. But the first scene is… rough.

He visits his alcoholic father Christopher in the cheap hotel Chris, reduced to a pathetic old man, is staying in. Though he still calls him Dad and wants to try to reconcile, it’s clear he understands his regular, brutal beatings and otherwise generally neglectful parenting style (at least half the time) were wrong and he’s uncomfortable and tense. Chris solemnly presents him with a coin. The coin he would flip every night to ‘decide’ to beat him or not, which always, always came up heads for punishment. He said it was fair and that paradigm - that that his desires and actions don’t matter, he was just always bad inside and always deserves to suffer, in short that Harvey’s fate isn’t in his control - shaped the system’s entire personalities and worldviews, Harvey striving to prove it wrong and over years of bearing trauma and triggering experiences, his much more cynical protector internalizing it. With trembling fingers Harvey picks up the coin and looks at both sides. Two heads. The music cuts out. Dolly zoom on him that makes the room appear to close in around him, as a boy’s pleas, cries and screams of agony echo and he dissociates. Two-Face, who always acknowledged the flip was rigged, switches in. He smiles ruefully and says in a calm, quiet voice, “I understand.” Then he lunges to his feet, punches Christopher to the ground, grabs him by the throat and slams him against the wall, right fist raised to strike. He is now anything but calm. “Why? Why did you do it? Not the beating, that was just because you’re a sick bastard and took your anger out on the person least able to do anything about it. But why use the coin, why make it a game? Why lie? To shift responsibility even more? Just for fun? Tell me! Why would you bother to put a little spark of hope into your son’s eyes only to crush it? Answer me!” Instead of answering, Chris notes he’s bleeding; his right fist is closed so tight his fingernails have punctured his skin and the coin inside it is cutting into his palm. The shock of seeing that damn coin literally, physically hurting him brings tears to Two-Face’s eyes. He looks back up at his father, full of only raw grief and sadness for himself and his alter. His voice breaks. “Why, Dad? Did you really… not feel anything good when you looked at me?” “Did you really believe every time?” is all his father can say. Two-Face’s expression hardens, his fists clench again and he squares his shoulders. “Only half of me did. Goodbye, Christopher,” he says bitterly. The second he slams the door his facade of strength crumbles. He falls to his knees, sobbing and heavily dissociating. Cradling his head in his hands and raking them through his hair smears blood on and in the right half of his face and hair. Cue title card!

So yeah, there are only a couple of months between that day and the Maroni trial. He can’t bring himself to throw away the coin despite knowing he probably should. Gilda can’t understand why and urges him to leave it behind. He says it’s “too important” and “a reminder”, although of what, he can’t verbalize. The coin eventually ends up being habitually fidgeted with and kept on his person like a lucky charm. He’s trying to ‘redeem’ his trauma, turn it into something good, by drawing on it to motivate him to fight for justice, but the coin in practice is just a trigger. His PTSD, guilt complex and self-worth and control issues are dragged to the forefront and he dissociates more frequently. He falls further and further into obsessive workaholism. Loses sleep. Misses therapy sessions. All that matters is giving the absolute most he can to his city. Rest can wait, quality time with his wife and friends can wait, Harvey Dent the person can wait until the case is closed. Until after the trial. Everything will be better after The Trial.

The Trial happens. Everything is not better.

Maroni unscrewing his flask occurs in the background of the shot out of focus. When the acid is thrown, it sprays through the air in slow motion. We see Harvey and the witnesses’ (including Gilda and Bruce) shock transitioning to panic and horror as he flinches away too slowly, the coin in his hand flung into midair revolution and a wayward drop of acid approaching it. With a last close-up on his wide left eye reflecting Maroni’s smirk, cut to black. The most tortured screams you can imagine ring in our ears. No music in any of this.

Harvey and Two-Face’s mental health sinks to rock bottom during their hospital stay. Gilda, Bruce and Jim’s visits comfort Harvey little, especially since Batman duty calls Bruce away at a critical point (remember, nowhere in the script does it say Bruce is Batman). They’re given the coin back and discuss that life isn’t fair, but it should be… if they played their dad’s game now, it would be fair. All that work, all the blood and sweat and tears Harvey put into Gotham and this is how Gotham thanks him. He was never going to change things. Not playing by the rules of a rigged game, at least. It was never up to him. He never had it in him to be good, to be someone not worthy of punishment, let alone to improve other people’s lives. Flipping the coin, Harvey whispers with shattered eyes, “I understand.” Of course, seeing their scars is the last straw. Two-Face switches in, literally locking an anxious Harvey in a dark repressed chamber in their inner world to stop him getting in his way, and escapes hospital. Gilda, on her way to his room, begs him to stop and he hesitates but, genuinely sorrowful, decides his quest for justice takes precedence and runs into the stormy night, the shadows and rain obscuring his trail. She calls him, phone in a death grip. Fade out to its continual ringing.

This might be too weird and artsy but what if from the Fuck My Life I’m Listening To A Coin Now toxic epiphany onward, the shot composition is roughly pretty much symmetrical? Within shots or with shots mirroring each other. Not perfectly, obviously, but like. Rewind looking for it and it’s there.

The penultimate scene is another rooftop rendezvous and this time Harvey isn’t present; we and his friends feel his absence. Batman regretfully tells Jim and shows him footage of a new criminal taking the underworld by storm: the fledgling Two-Face. Jim is first disbelieving, then devastated and turns his back so Batman won’t see him cry. He angrily tells Batman not to comfort him, and to leave now that he’s given him the shitty news, because that’s all he ever does for him. We pull back to show Batman is staying, pained, guilty and truly having no idea how to proceed. Jim assumes he’s already silently vanished. Once he collects himself and goes inside to inform his subordinates, Batman lingers in front of the Batsignal where they took their shared vow. “Goodbye, Harvey,” he says softly.

The epilogue is Two-Face’s confrontation with Maroni. Several months later, the Mafia don’s out of prison already thanks to the, again, incredibly corrupt legal system. Two-Face acts venomously calm and civil while holding him at gunpoint. He remarks how long and hard Harvey worked just to bring Maroni to court, and how now with some broken laws and spilt blood here Maroni is in front of him in a fraction of the time. Helpless, like he was in that courtroom. He explains his “fair” game to kill him or not in a speech clearly quoted from Christopher, shows him both sides of the coin, tosses it and stares at the unseen outcome in his hand. “Lucky,” he announces, making Maroni slightly relax - a little spark of hope put into his eyes, you could say. Suddenly Two-Face shoots him twice in the heart. “For Gotham, not you.” Harvey switches in (implicitly his alter’s guilt is a positive trigger for him as his anger is for Two-Face) to find his alter has committed murder, with a smoking gun in his right hand and flecks of blood on that hand and his suit. He staggers back in horror and drops the gun and coin. A pang of practically physical pain interrupts his calling Jim to turn himself in, because he can’t choose that, can he? He falls to his knees. With trembling fingers he picks up the coin and, pleading under his breath to just have this one chance, flips it. It comes up scarred. Two-Face resumes control. He smashes the phone under his heel and stands. The final shot is him walking purposefully toward the camera so it zooms in on the vertical divide of his suit jacket.

[shadowed-dancer]

"A Half-baked puppet" aka: what was Touya talking about in 351?

In 351, Touya really tears into Shoto (both physically and verbally) and I've seen a lot of confusion over the verbal aspect of things. What was the driving factor behind his words? What exactly got him so upset? Let's figure it out:

This chapter is kind of hard to read because Shoto and Touya discuss a million topics all at once, so let's narrow it down to the single conversation that leads to the "half-baked puppet" comment. I think the key to Touya's frustrations comes from these lines:

His annoyance seems to come from the fact that Shoto has the perfect body and was given everything needed to succeed (a good school that would promote him) and yet, in Touya's eyes, he seems to think Shoto "wasted" these opportunities by continuing to depend on others rather than using them to make something of himself.

"You sure don't capitalize on it" = you just copy dad and do everything he says. You have not done anything on your own to use your powers to their fullest potential. You are wasting such a good power by being someone's puppet, rather than making something of yourself.

Remember: all Touya ever wanted was to be seen and to be a good hero who surpassed All Might. I'm sure at some point it crossed his mind that, if he had the perfect quirk and body, he'd have easily accomplished this goal. Instead, he's had to work, struggle, and burn himself to get to the point he's at.

Shoto, meanwhile, had everything Touya wanted, but did nothing with it; he just copied Endeavor. He worked at his dad's agency (both during the Stain incident AND during work studies, which Dabi actually saw thanks to Hawks' footage), he uses his dad's moves, he even has a similar costume. Let's not forget this beauty from 345:

Touya believes Shoto has "taken the easy way" by letting everything happen for him without doing anything himself. Dabi saw Shoto as a puppet molded by Endeavor, and as such he doesn't think Shoto has done anything beyond what his father arranged. Meanwhile, Touya had worked hard to improve his flames despite being a "failure".

The irony, of course, is that Shoto has done things on his own, Touya just doesn't know because it was never publicized. For example, Shoto's choice to intern/work study with Endeavor looks very puppet-esque on the surface. It's only after Shoto explains his motivations that you realize this really was an independent choice. Touya never saw this because of course he didn't. None of Shoto's internal conflict was put on the news, only the end result. He only ever saw Shoto following dad around during internships, not the reasoning behind this.

The other irony is that Touya is the one copying Endeavor. Yes, Touya has 100% trained himself and improved his power on his own, but he is entirely reliant on copying Endeavor's moves. Every named attack Touya has ever done in the series has come from Endeavor. This does not mean Touya has been "depending on everyone else"; Touya still had to work super hard on his own to get to this point, but he is very much influenced by his father.

Basically: Shoto was trained by Endeavor and has to work to be individual, Touya had to train himself and chose to be more like Endeavor. They're opposites.

Yet Shoto agrees that he's "half-baked" because, to an extent, Touya is right; Shoto has taken his situation for granted (i.e. his perfect body and quirk). In 351, Shoto acknowledges Touya in this exchange:

Shoto's response to "you'll never make a damn thing of yourself" is "You're not wrong about me. I took the long way around, and was full of doubt all the while." I believe "the long way" in question here is that Shoto did indeed act as Endeavor's puppet for the majority of his life. He was on track to never making anything of himself. He was full of doubt because he knew he didn't want to be like his dad (and this manifested in his stubbornness to only use ice) but he didn't know what else to do. It wasn't until he realized "it's his power" that he realized he could be the kind of hero he (Shoto) wanted to be.

Tl;dr From Touya's perspective, Shoto was a puppet who had everything handed to him and never had to work hard to get to where he is, yet squandered this by (seemingly) never working to be anything more, whereas Touya has had to fight constantly (both against enemies and against his own body) to be where he is today.

[levinletlive]

So I Just Watched "Free Guy" Yesterday

Which is a movie I am calling a Ryan Reynolds film rather than a Taika Waititi film because Ryan was just so great in it. I have so many feelings about the movie, I have to talk about it somewhere and y'all are the unlucky sons o' bitches that get to hear it.

First, I have to say that this movie wasn't particularly groundbreaking in any way. It was just a good movie. Not a great movie, not a movie that challenges long-held movie stereotypes, not a movie that is fully awake on social justice, etc. Just a movie that kept me entertained for the majority of its runtime. With entertainment as the goal, it nailed that.

Now, I'm partial to stories of artificial intelligences (the movie AI made me straight up sob). I'm obsessed with stories of creation and the human condition, and A.I. always seem to hit the spot when it comes to exploring those themes. I don't quite like the way it was implemented in the game world; by which I mean, I don't like the way Keys (whom I was excited to see, I hope Steve-From-Stranger-Things gets more roles so I can finally remember what his actual name is) programmed Guy to be a lovelorn weirdo with no social skills who is awakened when he finds his dream girl, a trigger that smacks of Manic-Pixie-Dreamgirl tropes despite Millie not exactly fitting that stereotype. This annoyed me especially because that programming leads Guy to stalk and harass Millie in the game in a way that no woman would enjoy in the real world. Millie, for her part, is written to be apparently completely blind to the real-life dangers that cyberstalking poses for women. Guy sets off so many red flags in this movie it's like he collects them, and the irony is in the statement Guy makes at the bank when he "gifts" the hot-hot-violence-girl (I forget what they named her asset) with agency, which is that most men are awful and choosing to be single is not a bad thing.

It's actually interesting how many times the movie makes a great point about the real world, only to stumble over that point later with its actual progression. It feels like the movie struggled with elements of feminism, which makes me think the writing team did not include a single woman. There's a part in the movie where Buddy just starts feeling up Dude, which is played for laughs, but is a very clear example of sexual harassment and consent violation. It's nice that Dude can just punch people who creep on him, but not all guys who are sexually harassed by other guys have that kind of freedom. It's even weirder that the guy is a security guard, because while the ACAB crowd sort of acknowledges that security guards are often wannabe-cops without the authority, they are just as likely as real cops to abuse the little authority they do have. I have heard some horror stories about women and even kids who were abused by security employees who were on the job, so the choice to include that scene is mind-boggling to me. Plus, Dude's objectification isn't excused by the fact that he was created to be a meathead; he was still created, in the same universe as Guy, with the same software. He's just as much of a person, even if he's a bit differently-abled compared to the others.

So let's talk about some stuff I did like in the movie. I LOVED the diversity of avatars and vehicles and even the weapons. I loved that there were color-changing cars, and that there was a diversity of "skins" for the avatars and the whole city was a jumble of mismatching periods and styles. The freedom of choice and expression that represented to me was wonderful. I play FFXIV, and while there are a lot of people wearing the usual old-timey clothes, you can pick out a lot of people in the background at any given time in their underwear, or in heavy hot pink armor, or with accessories and weapons that glow or have fire effects on them, or wearing cartoonish Moogle masks. You can ride dragons, but you can also ride glowing foxes called Carbuncles, or giant, fat baby chicks, or a car that looks like the fucking Batmobile. There are also mechs and little plane-ships and all manner of other things if you've got the cash to pay for them. I love that. I want that for the real world. I want people to be able to dress how they want and customize their homes and vehicles (safely, ofc) and not be judged or harmed for it. THAT is the future millennials want.

Another thing I liked was Keys's concept of a world with live A.I. that are constantly learning and changing, even when the players are absent. I love the idea of visiting a new world that humans created and just hanging out with the people in it.

However, when Millie told Guy he wasn't "real", that sort of misrepresents what reality actually is. What she meant was that he couldn't exist in her world, even though she could exist in his. Even if he had no intelligence, he would still be "real" for what he was. The world he exists in is still real. Code and machines are real, tangible things; they're not just imagination. They're concrete things that you can see and touch. Just because the virtual world wasn't created the same way ours was (probably; hopefully) doesn't mean it isn't "real". It doesn't cease to exist when you acknowledge it ("I think, therefore I am"). If the definition of personhood is sapience (intellect+empathy), then it doesn't matter whether that sapience is artificial or organic. The physical manifestation of the body is, similarly, not important; we have fleshy bodies full of blood, and A.I. have steely and plastic bodies full of electricity. The game is essentially just hosting Guy's mind; his body is a part of the servers on the bottom floor.

Which reminds me of something that, as a programmer, I had to really squint at in the game. There are a lot of things the movie gets right about programming, but there are a LOT of things it gets hilariously wrong, which isn't really a criticism as much as an observation. It's funny how infuriating a movie that incorporates your field can be, as I'm sure all medical workers well know. A lot of the visual representations of Keys and his partner, the husband from "Ghosts" (US version, whom I also hope to see a lot more of so I can remember his actual name) actually working on the game gives me 90s hacker movie vibes. That may have been at least partially intentional, but there are some points I really tilted my head at; like, the fact that you don't need to include a whole other game's worth of assets in order to steal its engine (there was literally no reason for the paradise game area to be in the new game, that is so much more data than is needed and would bog down the servers if it was just loaded in at all times and running the programming for an entire other environment that nobody was even going to use). Or, the fact that they had to load in a bridge to reach the other game world when a programmer could just remove the barrier with a few key presses. Or the fact that you wouldn't even need to see the paradise game area to prove that your boss (Taika Waititi; I am not sure if he is an actual asshole or just enjoys playing one) stole your game engine; there would literally be code you could view and read and be like "huh, this is identical to the code I wrote". Most of the time when developers get caught with stolen software, it's because the game's programming was leaked and the original authors were able to see with their own face-orbs that the code is a literal, line-for-line copy of what they themselves wrote.

There was a lot of cheese in this film too (not in the literal sense), which isn't necessarily bad, but the moments they chose to use it sort of undercut important emotional responses. When Millie kisses Guy to wake up his A.I. programming (again, very squicky plot point), the visual representation of his choice map was unnecessary and distracting because of how silly it looked. It was a little jarring, even for a movie that takes place in a universe where neon signs and iridescent coin bubbles are bouncing around.

I did like the ending for Taika Waititi's character, Antwan (who is basically the film's equivalent of EA), who made a bunch of stupid decisions in the interest of maximizing profits while alienating his entire consumer base, and then lost everything when the truth got out about his shitty business practices. If only that were more representative of the real world, but it does fill me with warm memories about the downfall of the XBOX One and subsequent firing of its lead developer, who called backwards compatibility "backwards thinking. We need more of that.

We see a lot of stories about the creation of these worlds, but I'd like to see some exploration of them too. I want to see what the relationship is like for these immortal game characters and their tragically mortal creators. I want to see the characters in the game learn about us, lose us and cope with the loss, and welcome new people and get accustomed to that rotation.

Anyway, the thing I liked the most about the movie is that it made me think.

Also!! Jacksepticeye was in the movie! That was very exciting to me, since I'm going through his catalog of LPs right now (I just got through Bloodborne and Elden Ring and I'm now watching God of War). If Markiplier had made even a moment's appearance, Free Guy would have been my de facto favorite movie. Honestly, in spite of not being particularly fabulous in a lot of ways, it's still in my top ten. I love, love, LOVE that they included real Youtubers in the movie. This is the first movie I have ever seen blend Youtubers and famous film actors. There were loads of big-name actors I recognized in the movie apart from Ryan and Taika; the Rock was in it, Jim-from-the-office was in it, Channing Tatum was in it, Hugh Jackman was fucking in it and I didn't even notice (I was fuming that his character wasn't more front-facing; I've been waiting forever to see him do a movie with Reynolds), fucking Chris Evans made a cameo. The actual Alex Trebek was in the Jeopardy scene. Tina Fey was there. And then they also had Pokimane, DanTDM, and LazarBeam (none of whom I watch, but I was still excited to see them) in the movie, which to me means that the mainstream is finally beginning to acknowledge that Youtubers are professional entertainers, writers, and actors on par with their traditional media counterparts, which is an important development for internet culture as those of us who make our living online can attest that the greater culture doesn't take our contributions seriously.

This is especially true for Youtubers, who often have a closer relationship with their fanbase. It feels special to see somebody you've been following for years finally be acknowledged in the mainstream. I wanted to run and tell Seán that I'd seen him in the movie, even though I'm sure he'd never see the message given that he has almost 30 million followers and subscribers on his channel. But like in Markiplier's case, I've been watching Mark since just before FNAF blew up and back then he still had kind of a lot of followers, but not so many that you couldn't touch him. He would read people's comments and reply, and he'd answer direct messages. It was cool to be there during that time, even though I never interacted with him personally. Even today, Mark interacts directly with his subscribers while he's streaming and it's like the touch of God to be acknowledged by somebody you have so much love and respect for. It's awesome to think you could be watching and talking to somebody right now who could be famous all over the world one day. It's cool to think it could even be you someday.

I also love that the name of the movie is a pun. Because Guy is a guy from Free World, but the movie is also about freeing Guy.

Anyway, if you haven't watched it then do so now and if you noticed anything I didn't feel free to point it out! I would love to discuss it more.

[raayllum]

claudiez, an explanation

Introduction

On the surface, Ezran and Claudia are both very similar and incredibly different characters. They are both the younger sibling with a powerful father and older brother, buckling under the weight of their family’s legacy and following in their father’s footsteps that they alone must uniquely shoulder. Yes, Callum is a prince - but Ezran is the next king. Yes, Soren yearns for Viren’s approval - but he is not a Dark Mage, slowly purposefully destroying his own body for Viren’s plans. 

Moreover, Claudia and Ezran are tied together by their passivity and kindness. Claudia can be cruel and thoughtless, but she does have a (loose) moral code and a kind streak to her. She, normally, doesn’t want to hurt people - or those she considers people, anyway - and Ezran doesn’t want to hurt anyone, showing loss and sympathy even for Viren in 3x09. 

They are also incredibly different. Claudia chops magical creatures into pieces for her spells with zero remorse. Ezran can talk to magical creatures and bonds with them intensely. Ezran has empathy for just about everyone and everything, and Claudia’s turns on and off like a switch if something gets in the way of her ultimate goal of keeping her family together (or pleasing her father). 

Yet it is because of all of this — the narrative weight they hold, their similarities, and their differences — that make Ezran and Claudia uniquely situated to one another as a fascinating ship dynamic in the future.

Disclaimer: None of this meta is me positing that there are current romantic feelings between either of them in canon (there isn’t) or that their dynamic isn’t platonic. It also isn’t saying that I think they will be canon (they definitely won’t, for numerous reasons). This meta is simply an explanation of what I think is fascinating about their current dynamic, and the potential it has in a post-canon, fanon future over a decade down the line. Okay? Okay.

So without further ado, let’s talk about Claudia/Ezran. 

Family Parallels & Narrative

As previously mentioned, Ezran and Claudia occupy parallel narrative positions. They are both younger siblings and follow more directly in their fathers’ paths than their older brothers. Ezran never knew his mother, but Claudia is haunted by the loss of hers. Ezran becomes a king much like his father, but also decides to grow behind who Harrow was: “I don’t want to be that kind of king,” as he can acknowledge that his father was a good man and a good king, but a deeply flawed one. Claudia, in many ways, also surpasses her father’s level of skill as a dark mage, yet falls further and struggles even more than Viren does: “But I don’t understand, the switching spell would save [Harrow’s] life. Why would he say no?”

These paths lead them to collide in contrast twice, near the start of their arcs in s3 and near the end, as they fulfill each of the roles their family has passed down to them, Soren acting in defense of the True King. 

These collisions are steeped in irony and development for reasons we’ll get to a little bit later, but keep it in the back of your mind for now.

Moreover, it is possible that they are the descendants of the Orphan Queen — who was linked to Aaravos, likely, and somehow got his Key — and one of the first dark mages, Ziard, who received gifts from Aaravos.

No matter which way you slice it, Claudia and Ezran carry a narrative weight that Soren and Callum have largely unburdened themselves from by becoming detached almost completely from the expectations of their families; Soren as a loyal crownguard even as it turns him against his family, and Callum largely shedding the trappings of prince-hood to pursue mage-hood. 

Viren attempted to use Soren as a pawn, but he left and liberated himself. Claudia stayed and was used further. Another parallel between her and Ezran, specifically in regards to Viren, is how the dark mage attempts to use each of them as pawns, and the different ways they cope with making choices. If you’re interested in a more in depth exploration of this topic, check out my meta Claudia, Ezran, & Choices :: A Comparison Meta (s2 & s3).

Viren — with help from others in Katolis — is able to back Ezran and Claudia into corners. He tells his daughter to choose the egg over her own brother, yet Claudia does the opposite when the time comes in 2x07. Viren forces Ezran in between a rock and a hard place, manipulating the boy partially into choosing the third option of abdication. 

But, if we’re going to talk about Narrative and parallels, we have to talk about the parallels that Claudiez has with Rayllum.

Rayllum Parallels

There are two main parallels that Claudiez has with Rayllum. Beyond the fact that Rayla&Claudia are very strong foils for each other, Claudia and Ezran mirror the thematic completion that Callum and Rayla have, in addition to having parallels with their arcs across all three seasons. 

To begin, I’ll explain what I mean by my first point. I’ve touched on this before in previous posts, but Callum and Rayla are the embodiment of what each character needs to learn. Callum is very open and needs to find a way to protect who he loves and grow in confidence; Rayla is a capable protector, but unsure of what she’s fighting for and she needs to learn how to open up. They naturally grow and learn from each other, simultaneously accepting one another just as they are while also radically, positively, transforming one another.

And the same can be said for Claudiez, as just like the roles Rayllum occupies for each other — instigating Rayla’s journey for figuring out who she wants to protect being inspired by Callum (1x02—2x07) and Callum’s mage arc being set off by Rayla (1x03—2x09/3x09) — Claudia and Ezran are also each other’s Agents of Narrative Change.

Claudia’s arc is officially set off in 1x03 when Ezran specifically discovers the egg and then chooses to listen to Rayla over her. Her arc from that point onwards is dealing with the repercussions, ultimately, of Ezran’s actions first and foremost. Claudia has to get the egg back and redeem herself to her father, and Ezran is the narrative wedge consistently driving her to lose more and more of herself. It’s not just that she betrayed Callum that causes her to lose him as a friend, it’s also that she put Ezran in danger. Claudia never doubts her father in season two, but it’s clear in season three that she struggles with what he’s done to Ezran and struggles with what she’s done, too.

Claudia is also the lynchpin in Ezran’s biggest internal arc of choosing to go home in 2x09. Claudia (and Callum) are the ones who inspire him to go back, even if he’s facing something he’s not ready for — and even if at first, he can’t understand how anyone could leave their family. 

Ezran draws both inspiration and comfort from Claudia, and perspective. He sees that she was told what to do, rather than make a choice, and to go where she was needed the most in the eyes of her mother. Ezran then realizes that he can’t be passive in the same way, and makes an active choice to go where he’s needed the most, too: home. 

As I’ve already mentioned, Ezran is the embodiment of everything Claudia needs to learn, and Claudia is in many ways the warning sign of what Ezran could become if he relies on his passivity. 

The second core parallel is what got me onto a ship in the first place, which is the interplay and parallels between Ezran and Callum’s arcs with grief in season two. Claudia tells Callum the truth in 2x02, in which breaks down in tears and after a brief disagreement in the following episode, seeks comfort in Rayla’s arms over the girl he’s known his whole life. Likewise, Rayla is there and as his closest friend after his brother, Ezran should by all means go to her. Instead, he breaks down in tears and ends up stumbling across Claudia. In spite of the fact she’s more or less become his enemy, Claudia is the one there for him the first time he grieves his father. 2x02 and 2x08 even end similarly, with Rayla and Claudia coming across each prince and being a bit unsure of what’s going to happen from there on out, and their reconciliation scene in the following episode ending in a hug, before Callum and Ezran choose to trust and help Rayla and Claudia respectively (Callum goes along with her illusionist plan, and Ezran helps Claudia find milkfruit). 

Again, that’s not to say that Claudiez is intended to be romantic in any way — it’s not, and TDP is a celebration of all different types of love. Familial-platonic-romantic parallels and relationships between characters are often contrasted (Viren and Harrow with Harrow and Sarai, Claudia and Soren with Callum and Rayla in 2x08, Callum and Rayla with Callum and Sarai in 2x09, etc). But there are also parallels drawn between canonical romantic couples in the show — the Rayllum and Lain/Tiadrin parallel handholds in 3x08 for example, or Harrow and Callum watching Sarai and Rayla leave in 2x06 and 2x07 respectively — and multiple interpretations of a relationship are Fun. Sue me. Or cry with me. Whichever floats your boat.

Other interesting Rayllum parallels include the beginning of their arc matches up with the ending of Claudiez’s first arc, with Rayla threatening Callum’s life and his brother intervening in 1x02. This scene is mirrored in 3x09 with Claudia (technically) threatening Ezran’s life and Soren stepping in. Just food for thought. 

But, now that we have the parallels largely out of the way, let’s talk about why Claudiez suit one another in regards to

Personality

For anything I ship that I’d like to be endgame, there are three main things I have to take into consideration: shared values/goals, personality, and narrative weight. This is why there are some couples that have a decent amount of narrative weight, but I can’t get behind them because I don’t think their personalities mesh, or vice versa, where I think they’re cute and work well together, but there isn’t enough of a narrative, transformative pull to them in canon to really draw me in. 

But as I’ve already talked about the parallels, I want to start by saying that one of the really cool things about Claudiez is that, even at this point in canon, they do have shared values in common. Although so much of their ship is predicated on years far past what canon could possibly cover and on Claudia having a redemption arc, there’s a key value they do share that is incredibly important for any ship involving Ezran in particular: they both see the throne the exact same way.

Claudia’s loyalty is an incredibly valuable trait in a relationship, once she figures out who to be loyal to. Moreover, she may be able to see clearly through manipulative politics in the future and be a loyal protector of Ezran politically, after everything she’s learned. It would pair well with Ezran’s determined idealism as he works to make their world a better place, as she would understand the demands of kingship but also support him through it.

There’s also the fact that they have a shared sense of goofiness and like to be mischievous without malicious intent. 

Claudia and Ezran also bring out new sides to one another as well. For example, Claudia has a smug streak with everyone else in her life that she’s close to: her brother, Callum, and her father. 

When Claudia is uncertain around her father, it is because he is heading down an increasingly unhealthy path. Meanwhile, Ezran is the one person that Claudia feels a healthy aspect of uncertainty around, and it can teach her how to exist in a new capacity she’s unfamiliar with. Her view on Ezran is already changing and evolving in ways that aren’t happening with anyone else. 

Ezran is also shown to be more thoughtful of Claudia’s possible feelings than even Callum, as he remembers what her headspace might be while Callum is too distracted by his appearance / crush.

Ezran and Claudia also have a surprisingly intense emotional connection in spite of their scarcity of screentime. 

Ezran’s deep sense of compassion and forgiveness is also useful for Claudia, offering olive branches over the course of the show, but that doesn’t mean he won’t hold her accountable. In many ways, Ezran is the only person who does, in a way that��s actually communicative and leads to partial reconciliation, rather than residing just in mistrust or anger the way that Callum and Rayla do.

There are a few reasons for this, I think. The first is that Ezran is one of two people who saw Claudia prioritize her brother over her mission in 2x07. He is Hope and Faith embodied in the narrative of the show, his horizons broadened by his empathy and belief in second chances, as well as the pointlessness of unnecessary violence. 

Ezran is the only person other than Soren that Claudia is willingly vulnerable in front of about her own issues (which can’t be said for her relationship with Callum). She’s also shown to be better equipped at taking care of Ezran emotionally than she is for Callum, where she fumbles a bit. Unlike on her and Callum’s date where he compliments her and Claudia doesn’t say anything back, her and Ezran’s conversation is entirely reciprocal in sharing and supporting each other through their hurt.

Claudia is also the only one to not only believe Ezran right away about his gift, but to guess (rightly) that he has it. Callum and Rayla (and Ellis) either don’t really believe him, or have to be convinced, leaving Ezran to feel even lonelier about something that already set him apart and made him feel different.

[1x09 vs 2x09]

They share lingering looks as Ezran ultimately gives her another chance in season three. Ezran still believes in her even after the battle and everything has gone terribly wrong.

(Quietly plugs in this parallel as well.)

And I think there’s a few reasons for that. Some is what I’ve already mentioned, of Ezran’s forgiveness and empathy being that large and stretching that wide. He and Claudia have also made it clear they are care about each other, as Claudia is the only one other than Callum and Rayla to call him Ez, and their bond is tested to the distress of both of them in 3x02: “Ezran please, we talked about this—” / “I’m sorry.” 

But more than that is arguably the scene where Claudia is at her most genuine in the whole show, and it’s with Ezran, and him alone.

Claudia has already gotten what she ‘needs’ out of Ezran, and so she is apologizing purely because she wants to. She acknowledges the way he may be feeling, offers zero excuses, and is surprised when Ezran responds to her in good faith. Even after everything, he still trusts, believes in, and (platonically) loves her, and she isn’t sure what to do at first with his show of good will. He’s seen all of her up to this point — her betrayal, her love for her brother, her kindness and the comfort she’s offered him — and still sees her as worthy. And more than that, he already knows all of this, and tells her so. 

It’s going to mean all the more to her later on in the series, when Ezran will likely be one of the only people who still believes she has the capacity to grow and change for the better. With Ezran, Claudia wouldn’t be seeking absolution from a third party she never hurt, nor would she be in a relationship with someone who would always, to a degree, hold her past against her the way Callum or Rayla would. Ezran sees all of her — and he likes her anyway, just as Claudia has a unique viewpoint into his being as well. 

There’s also some real poetic justice in, by becoming Ezran’s queen, Claudia ends up on the throne her father coveted so desperately, but upon the Narrative he was so greatly opposed to. Not out of Strength, but from a Narrative of literal Love, built on forgiveness and vulnerability with the one character who lives that path more than anyone. The king and his high mage, united at long last, well suited and well balanced, growing up in every way that matters to face what they aren’t ready for, together. 

Other Misc Things:

There are also parallels that Claudia’s relationship with Ezran has between her relationship with Callum, for example:

So despite knowing Callum from a very young age as well, if she doesn’t view him as a little brother, then why should she see Ezran that way? Which is as good a segue, probably, as we’re going to get to the next section, which is how Claudia/Ezran being in a relationship would affect their family members.

One of the appeals of Claudia staying in the castle with Ezran is that she’d be close to her brother, and Soren would likely be thrilled about two of his favourite people ever getting together. He knows their individual and joint history and that they would take care of each other. It would mean Claudia’s been able to grow and let go a lot of her guilt and that Ezran is making choices for himself, independently of what anyone else thinks, and the the royal family that Soren is sworn to protect and that his own blood family will be one in the same. He’d never have to choose, again. 

However, to say that Callum would have an averse reaction to the news is an understatement, and this is one of my favourite facets of the ship. He and Ezran could really duke it out, Ezran possibly even pulling rank as prince, and Callum struggling to reconcile a lot of difficult feelings he still has regarding everything between himself and Claudia, from broken hearts to bitter enemies to accepting allies, but trusting her with his baby brother’s heart? Being forced to recognize Ez is an adult who doesn’t need his approval? It would force the boys to grow up a lot and ultimately end up in a better place, but it would take a lot of time. Callum’s reaction is also one of the things that might make Claudia hesitant about having a relationship with Ezran in the first place, as we know she understands and respects the relationship the two brothers hold.

This is where Rayla would come in. I’ve talked before about Rayla having parallels to both Soren and Claudia, and the unique understanding she could bring to the table. In this scenario, she’d be intervening not only to try and keep Callum from falling apart, but also on behalf of Ezran, who is like a little brother to her. She’d be the perfect halfway point of getting the boys to reconcile, while understanding why Callum is so against it, and it would likely bring her and Claudia closer, as Claudia would understand what Rayla had done for her and Ezran in spite of the girls’ complicated history. 

One more final, somewhat unrelated note: Ezran and Claudia are cat people. If Ezran was five years older, this would be flirty. Don’t at me, you know I’m right. 

(In other words, Claudia has a ferocious beastly side, and Ezran can tame it. Or, as one of my favourite poems has said: 

why is it always the woman who has to see past the beast in the man? why does she always have to clean his wounds, even after he has damaged her beyond repair? why is it always the man who is worthy of forgiveness for being a monster? I want to see the beast in the beauty. the half smile, half snarl. the unapologetic anger. I would like to see the man forgive the monster. to see her, blood and all, and love her anyway.

beauty and the beast | Caitlyn S. )

Conclusion

Claudiez isn’t going to be everyone’s cup of tea, but it is mine post-canon, 10+ years down the line in the character’s lives. I hope this meta could help explain why I like these two so much and everything they have to offer as a ship even if it hasn’t made you ship them. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed!

—Dragons Out

[cheesybadgers]

Narcos Fic: Old Habits Die Hard (Chap. 5)

Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 9, Chapter 10, Chapter 11, Chapter 12, Chapter 13, Chapter 14, Chapter 15, Chapter 16, Chapter 17, Chapter 18, Chapter 19, Chapter 20, Chapter 21, Chapter 22, Chapter 23, Chapter 24

Masterlist

Pairing: Javier Peña x Horacio Carrillo

Words: 4,275

Summary: In the aftermath of the events of chapter 4, Horacio is due to leave for Madrid and Javier has gone AWOL. Can they reconcile before it’s too late? Not gonna lie, this is mostly lots of feelings and introspection along with some backstory. 

Warnings: 18+ ONLY. Brief description of a panic attack, nightmares/flashbacks, discussions of canon-typical violence, parental loss/grief, mild smut involving handjobs but nothing explicit, mentions of questioning of sexuality, swearing, smoking, some angst (but there is hope this time you’ll be pleased to know!).

Notes: I’m still feeling a bit guilty for what I did in chapter 4, so hopefully this helps...a bit anyway?! As I’ve said before, happier times lie ahead 😉 Thank you to anyone who has stuck with this either on AO3 or Tumblr, it’s greatly appreciated ❤️ On to chapter 6 I go! 

Whilst obviously I do not own Narcos or its characters, please do not copy, re-post, or plagiarize this fic in any capacity on this or other platforms. If you wish to create any fan works inspired by it, please provide a credit or send me a message if in doubt.

Chapter 5: Time, Truth, Hearts

Horacio slumped to the floor with his back against the wall; chest winded as though all of the air had been punched out of his lungs. Perhaps it was his muscle memory kicking in after so long on the frontline, but his instincts were telling him he needed to regulate his breathing before he did anything else. 

Deep breaths were the key; in through the nose and out through the mouth, slow and steady with each one. He continued like this for several minutes until he felt grounded and able to think more clearly.

He supposed this was a delayed reaction to the last few weeks, or more likely months and years if he was being completely honest. Talking about his father the night before reminded him that he had never allowed himself to properly process the loss, or deal with the omnipresent pressure of following in his footsteps and trying to live up to the expectations of a ghost.

His father had been a damn good cop, exemplary even. He’d been awarded every commendation and medal under the sun, rose quickly through the ranks and was popular amongst his peers. Horacio had been on a similar trajectory in the beginning and in his defence, it was undoubtedly his father’s influence that had instilled such a strong anti-corruption stance in him from a young age. It was one of the first pitfalls he’d been warned about when he joined the force and that had stayed with him over the years.

But the war on drugs had soon put a stop to the rest. Sure, he’d been promoted and selected to lead his unit – something he had assumed as a cadet would be beyond his reach, given the accusations of nepotism he’d already had to endure from certain quarters in his short career as it was – but he was under no misapprehension as to why, nor had it been a popular decision.

He tried to reason with himself that these were unprecedented times that called for an extreme response to an extreme situation, that he’d had no choice in the matter when he’d flouted rule after rule, gone above his superiors and ignored the concerns of the person he cared about the most, but he was also glad his father wasn’t around to see what he’d become. After all, there were many different guises for corruption to be found in and the irony wasn’t lost on Horacio that he’d fallen foul of several of them, despite his unwavering contempt for anyone who tried to pay him off.

In the end, it had been easier to brush all of it under the carpet, out of sight and out of mind. Instead, he had buried his head further into his work; or at the bottom of another bottle; or more recently he had sought refuge in Javier, who had so often anchored him when he needed it the most. Now none of those were viable options, he was left unmoored and drifting; desperately trying to stop the current from dragging him under, but waves of exhaustion that had been lapping at his feet for so long were in danger of finally submerging him.

Numerous restless nights plagued with unsettling dreams hadn’t helped matters. His dreams were always vivid yet disjointed; flashes of fictional scenarios mixed with the reality of his own actions. Lately, it had been the same recurring nightmare. One minute he was standing over Diana Turbay, the next she had been replaced with Javier and it had been Horacio who pulled the trigger. Each time he’d woken up trembling and gasping for air, the initial relief from accepting that detail wasn’t real doing little to alleviate the weight on his conscience for the rest that was.

A part of him had vehemently wanted to heed Javier’s warnings, the same part that threw aside his responsibilities for fleeting glimpses of what could have been if their lives were different. As much as he had savoured those moments, he had hoped there would come a day when they didn’t have to sneak around, when it all just became part of their daily routines and they didn’t have to worry that each time might be the last. But the looming shadow of uncertainty and unpredictability cast over his country meant long term plans were all but impossible to make, even without the added complications of a redeployment – no doubt for a future of dry small talk with diplomats and tedious paperwork – and Javier going AWOL.

He didn’t blame Javier for leaving, even if he resented the manner in which he’d done it. However, Horacio couldn’t shake the feeling he was missing something, as was frequently the case when it came to Javier. He left so much unsaid and deciphering the gaps was like starting at the end of a story and working backwards, but Horacio had become somewhat adept at reading between the lines, even when Javier least expected it.

He reached up to the nearby nightstand for his cigarettes and lit one, taking a soothing drag as he replayed the last few months. 

Tolú immediately sprung to mind, specifically Javier’s hesitance to share his bed. Horacio hadn’t forgotten the look of terror in his eyes, but Javier had soon given into it regardless. Then there was his general reluctance to open up about work, or anything else for that matter. The same fear had flashed across his face each time, but Horacio had coaxed the truth out of him in the end. More recently, there had been their meal in Bogotá and Javier’s panic-stricken expression when he’d asked if it was a date. Horacio understood his unease when they were in public, but he had an inkling that wasn't what it had been about. Then there was the necklace, of course, and the way he had deemed himself unworthy of wearing it. Horacio didn’t doubt he believed that, but he suspected for a different reason than the one he had given.

The evidence was rapidly stacking up and Horacio deduced several things at once. Firstly, it wasn’t that Javier didn’t care; in fact, it was quite the opposite. More than he was apparently comfortable with, but his theatrics didn’t change the facts, nor he suspected would putting an ocean between them. Secondly, Javier clearly thought his disappearing act would be enough for Horacio to give up on him, forgetting that Horacio had no patience for such games and was far too tenacious to walk away now they’d come this far. Thirdly, he looked up at the clock by his bed and realised he still had time to fix this; and fourthly, he had a hunch he knew where Javier might have gone.

The stubborn streak in Horacio had been caught in an internal war since he’d woken up, conflicted between the easy option of continuing to wallow on the floor of his apartment until his flight was due; or refusing to give up on something he knew he would come to regret not fighting for if he did let it slip through his fingers. The truth was, he never had cared for an easy life. That much was obvious from who he’d decided to fall for, he noted with an exasperated sigh. 

So, he did what he’d had no choice but to do every day for as long as he could remember. He picked himself up and carried on.

------------------------------------------------------

Dawn was breaking across the blush-pink sky; the hazy, fragmented light beginning to stir awake the weary city below as it caught its breath and regrouped in the aftermath of Escobar’s surrender.

Javier stubbed out a cigarette in the already half-full ashtray beneath the dashboard before immediately lighting another, selfishly wishing he could stay under the cover of darkness. His thoughts drifted to Tolú ­– not that that was where all of this had started. That night might have been the final spark that lit the fuse, but he had to go back much further to think of a time when Horacio hadn’t been such an important presence in his life.

He hadn’t been what Horacio expected when finding out yet another DEA agent was transferring. Horacio thought he had seen it all before, with several gringos crashing and burning within their first few months, not being able to hack it and disappearing back to the States, never to be heard from again. So, Javier had been something of a revelation and a curiosity.

They had been tentative and wary of each other in the beginning, both trying to suss out one another’s motives and lines in the sand for a good while, until one day, there was an unspoken acknowledgement of mutual respect, followed by a deeper trust, a partnership, a friendship. Horacio naturally took the lead, and Javier was more than willing to follow. Actions became intuitive, as though they understood the other without needing to say the words – particularly when it came to the burdens and demons they carried.

Part of Javier’s reasoning for moving to Colombia had been to escape the past. He’d tried to make it work in Texas, but he had been surrounded by too many ghosts. He wasn’t excusing what he did to Lorraine, but he always assumed his mother’s death had gone some way to explaining it. He had been twelve when she passed; old enough to have memories of her, but over time some of them had started to fade around the edges like an old photograph. 

He’d spent a large portion of his teenage years having stories about her relayed to him by the older generations of his family, so it was hard to say for sure which memories were even his own. Although, he remembered the warmth, the laughter and the comforting smell of cooking that drifted through the house. The hot summers spent exploring every nook and cranny of the ranch with his cousins and other kids from neighbouring farms; ignoring the adults’ impatient shouts to get inside, until his mother happened to mention dinner was on the table and then they’d all come running. Those were his memories.

He also couldn’t forget how much everything had changed after she was gone. How quiet the house was and how adrift his father had become; how he was still the same in so many ways, but inevitably and irreversibly different in others. Javier had swiftly decided that being alone was safer in the long run and it was difficult to deny that had been a factor when he left Lorraine at the altar. Not to mention, his growing interest in men. 

He’d dabbled with a couple of boys in high school – one in particular he wasn’t entirely convinced his father didn’t secretly know about, although obviously they had never discussed it – and had hooked up with several strangers he’d met in dark, smoky bars, but the older he got, the more he felt a conflicting pull that he couldn’t ignore.

Colombia had been a revelation on that front and the covert nature of his job had allowed him to seek out opportunities without rousing too much suspicion. His interest in women hadn’t lessened, either and his reputation often inadvertently helped to maintain his cover. 

His attraction to Horacio had been almost instantaneous. His broad, imposing physique and soft yet fierce eyes that told a thousand more contradictions were enough to turn anyone’s head, but Javier had presumed there was no way he’d be interested in him, or men in general for that matter. It was easier – and safer – to assume that as the default position of any man he met. 

Javier also vaguely remembered Horacio having girlfriend troubles around the time they’d started to grow closer; a fact that hardly seemed surprising in hindsight, not that he was assuming he was necessarily the cause, although who knew? Horacio had always kept his cards close to his chest, not unlike Javier, which was why it was any wonder anything had happened between them in the first place.

He’d thought about it countless times though and had even come close to acting on it when they’d wound up alone in Horacio’s office knocking back a glass or several; or on laborious stakeouts when the frustrations of the job and their need for an adrenaline rush had teetered close to something more. 

There had been various moments that made Javier wonder if the attraction was mutual. Moments where they’d caught each other’s eye for a fraction too long, or Horacio had unnecessarily lingered in his personal space, leaning close enough across the desk to smell the whiskey they had just shared. Or sometimes it was a feeling, like the calm before a storm, that hinted at what could be unleashed if they allowed it, but they had been too careful around each other for that. It had always felt too dangerous a thread to pull at for a multitude of reasons, until Tolú that was.

In the present, Javier couldn’t make sense of how things had gotten so complicated. It wasn’t just his avoidant tendencies; it was Horacio’s spiralling volatility. He didn’t judge him harshly for it – even at times when he probably should – but then, he was in no position to with the things he’d done and the lines he’d crossed in the last few years, so this wasn’t about taking the moral high ground. He was ashamed to even admit to himself it was much more basic and self-serving than that. He was scared of losing him. Not just scared of him leaving Colombia, but scared of him getting killed in some horrifyingly violent way at the hands of Escobar.

He’d had numerous nightmares about it; the type that involved waking up in a cold sweat, whimpering Horacio’s name having been forced to watch him die over and over again. Sometimes it was a gunshot wound, other times it was something more gruesome and laboured, but each time he was powerless to save him. That had been what woke him in Horacio’s apartment merely hours ago, where he’d been thankful for the silent cry he’d let out when he had jumped awake. 

Ironically, Javier knew Horacio would be safer in Madrid than right here in Colombia, but it went against his natural urge to protect. How could he keep Horacio safe all the way over here? How could he begin to explain he thought it was even his place to?

So, he had fled. He wasn’t proud, but it was easier and fairer than burdening Horacio with all of this, knowing he couldn’t do a damn fucking thing about any of it, hours before he was due to step on a plane and leave all of this behind. Knowing that he would be carrying enough of his own regrets for pushing the boundaries one too many times, for being so hellbent on catching Escobar he was willing to sacrifice everything, even if he didn’t consciously acknowledge it. How could he possibly have asked Horacio to stop for him, in a country that wasn’t his? He had no right to ask that of him, so, it was for the best he slipped away like this, even if it broke their hearts in the process.

------------------------------------------------------

Horacio drove slowly along the uneven, meandering dirt track that forked off the main road, pulling into a grassy verge after a couple of miles and parking up. He got out and walked further along the track before he spotted a familiar vehicle up ahead. Bingo. His hunch had been right.

He approached the car and without warning, opened the passenger door and climbed in, causing Javier, who was still lost in thought, to jump out of his skin and almost choke on his cigarette.

“What the—how did you—?”

“Because I know you better than you think I do,” Horacio cut in before Javier had chance to finish his sentence, firmly closing the door behind him.

It had only been a passing comment whilst lying in bed one night; a rare exchange of idle chat between them in an unguarded moment. Javier had mentioned how he liked to clear his head somewhere on the outskirts of Medellín and had talked about being able to see the glow of the city lights for miles. Horacio knew Medellín like the back of his hand and the spot he’d found Javier at was one of the highest points he could think of with that same view. He’d tracked down enough sicarios and informants over the years with much less intel to go on, so this had been a walk in the park by comparison.

“I know you got scared and that’s what these dramatics are all about. I know you expected me to give up on you because that’s what you think you deserve. I know you hated some of the things I did and wanted me to stop, but you also know it wasn’t that simple. And I know you let me give you the necklace in the first place for a reason…before you bolted, obviously.”

Javier was speechless, not only due to Horacio’s unexpected appearance, but at the tirade of home truths that he’d just been slapped round the face with, one after the other without Horacio even pausing for breath.

“You’ve got me all figured out, huh?” Javier eventually scoffed as he stared resolutely out of the window, albeit even he knew it was a weak comeback, but it was all he had.

“Tell me I’m wrong.”

Javier sighed and shook his head, unsure if he was more irritated by the words themselves, or the fact that the tone they were uttered in forced him to face his accuser directly. His eyes flickered over Horacio’s rigid features, almost unable to meet his steely gaze as he desperately tried to grab at a reason, something, anything to contradict him. But he couldn’t. Horacio had him banged to rights and he knew it. The only option now was to surrender.

“Look, I’m sorry, okay? It was a fucking dick move and you didn’t deserve it.” Javier’s hands slammed down on the steering wheel, bracing himself for what was about to come. He took a steadying breath before bringing a hand up to his top lip where his fingers brushed nervously back and forth over his moustache, fully aware there was nowhere left to run. “And for the record, you’re not wrong, about any of it.”

Horacio’s heart leapt as he let Javier’s confession sink in, warmth flooding through him at being thoroughly vindicated on all counts, before the jarring reality of their situation cruelly plummeted him back down to earth.

“Well, I’m sorry too, for all of this. We wouldn’t even be here now if it weren’t for me.”

Horacio’s conciliatory demeanour caught Javier off guard, in spite of the fact it shouldn’t have. In all the years they’d known each other, Javier could probably count on one hand the number of times he’d heard Horacio raise his voice. Even when he was at his most ruthless and dangerous, he went about it quietly. Usually, Javier was impressed at his composure, but now it just made him feel even more ashamed of what he’d done.

“Guess we both fucked up, then,” Javier settled on with a wry smile. “I do know it wasn’t that simple, by the way. Didn’t stop me losing my fucking mind worrying, or wishing things were different.”

“I think we both wish things were different.”

“Yeah.”

“I meant what I said, though. About when this is all over.”

“I can’t expect you to put your life on hold for me, Horacio.”

“My life was here, so I wouldn’t worry about that.” The bitterness dripped off each syllable and stuck uncomfortably in Horacio’s throat as he looked out the windshield at the city, his city. Except it wasn’t anymore, he registered with a sharp ache he accepted would be there for some time. “You don’t have to give me an answer now. Just think about it. I’ll send you my contact details once I’m settled.”

Javier slowly nodded, before turning to face Horacio, a look passing between them laced with a tangled web of emotions. Javier leaned forwards and gently cupped Horacio’s jaw, before running the pad of his thumb along his cheek and down to his bottom lip, allowing Horacio to lightly capture it in a kiss. It was a subtle touch, but one that appeared to ignite something in both of them as they pinned each other with a piercing stare.

Before they could stop and think about where they were or what they were doing, their lips met in a frenzy and Horacio pulled needily on the front of Javier’s shirt, angling for him to move closer. With some awkward manoeuvring, Javier landed clumsily on Horacio’s lap, straddling his thighs as their mouths continued what they’d started, joined by hands roaming and fingernails pulling at hair and patches of bare skin wherever they could grasp.

They didn’t have much time and couldn’t risk being caught, so quickly unzipped and took one another in hand. It was rough and urgent, their grip unrelenting as they poured everything into each other’s mouths whilst they still had the chance. Their harsh panting was amplified in the cramped confines of the car, as the contrast of the cool morning air outside against the fiery heat within caused the windows to mist over. For the briefest of moments, the rest of the world didn’t exist and it was just the two of them.

It wasn’t long before they hurtled over the edge, their strained cries muffled into their shoulders as they clung tightly to each other, pleasure mingling confusingly with the pain of the inevitable.

Whilst they recovered, Javier splayed his palm across the centre of Horacio’s chest, before sliding it upwards to the seam of his shirt. He dipped his fingers beneath the fabric, hoping against all hopes what he was looking for would be there. He made contact with the cool metal and his eyes fell shut in relief.

They paused for a moment, acutely aware of the fragility between them that could shatter and break at any second if either man made the wrong move.

“It’s still yours if you want it,” Horacio whispered against Javier’s ear.

Javier brought his eyes up to meet Horacio’s and was floored by the depth of tenderness and affection in them despite everything that had happened, after what he had put him through. He was already aware he’d been a complete fucking idiot, but this brought home how close he’d been to throwing it away, all because of his own cowardice.

He sat back slightly and placed a hand on either side of Horacio’s collarbone, tracing his fingertips across his skin as he fumbled around until he found the clasp, lowering the chain and bringing it up to his own neck.

“Here, let me,” Horacio proposed, as he reached around to fasten it.

Javier leaned forwards and pressed their foreheads together, where they remained connected for a long moment, reluctant to pull apart.

“I’m gonna have to leave for the airport soon.” Horacio’s voice was strained, the conflict evident in each syllable.

“I know. I’ve never been any good at goodbyes.”

“I’d noticed.”

“Well, I deserved that,” Javier conceded as he tilted and nodded his head.

“It’s not really goodbye, though, so it doesn’t count.” Horacio placed soft kisses on any part of Javier’s lips and face he could reach, memorising the taste and sensation whilst he had the chance.

“Good point.” Javier’s own mouth searched out Horacio’s, alternating hungrily between light pecks and more lingering kisses, trying to convey as much as he could in the absence of words that he still found hard to say out loud, no matter how strongly he felt them.

He unwillingly removed himself from Horacio’s lap after several minutes and sat back in the driver’s seat to allow Horacio to step out of the car.

“Just promise me one thing?” Horacio asked as he leaned against the door frame.

“We’ll get him, one way or another.”

Horacio simply nodded; no further words needed. “’Til next time,” he said after a heavy silence, his eyes set firmly on Javier’s and leaving no doubt about it being a promise rather than wishful thinking.

“’Til then,” Javier echoed with equal conviction.

Horacio closed the door and retreated up the dirt track towards his own car, deciding it was best not to look back, as the only way now was forwards.

He didn’t know exactly what route his life was about to take, but regardless of the apprehension, pain and regret hammering away at his chest, he knew somewhere down the line he and Javier would cross paths again and it was that shimmer of light in the distance he would hold on to in the meantime.

Javier didn’t have the strength to move for a long while, needing to be sure Horacio was gone before he started the engine. He had no idea how he was going to deal with the coming weeks, months…years? Fuck. He couldn’t think that far ahead. All he knew was his hunger to bring down Escobar was stronger than ever. It may not have been his fight, but if Horacio couldn’t be here to finish his mission, Javier would do everything in his power to make sure someone else did.

His fingers instinctively reached for the cross that now sat more easily against his skin, before he tucked it safely beneath his shirt and turned the key in the ignition. It was time to get back to work.

[kingedwardvi]

“When Somerset had been taken back into the Privy Chamber, in May 1550, Edward Lord Clinton, John Dudley's nephew, also entered the king's private apartments at the head of two hundred armed yeomen. The counsel for the estate, however, reflected the more settled rhythm of the exercise of monarchical authority. Royal governance rested on contact and communication, and nothing was more natural than for a king to be surrounded by the men who supported his governance of the realm. 

The Dudley years were still years of minority, but a middle-teenage minority quite different in its political dynamics from the earlier years of Edward's reign. The important age for Edward, both conceptually and practically, was fourteen. In 1526 his cousin, the fourteen-year-old James V of Scotland, had been declared to be of an age to exercise his royal authority personally. 

For Edward the change was less formal but still significant. In January 1552, three months after his own fourteenth birthday, Edward drafted 'Ceirtein pointes of waighty matters to be immediatly concluded on by my counsell', to which his principal secretary William Cecil added a note that ‘These remembrances within written wer delyvered by the kynges Majestic to his privee Counsell' in the inner Privy Chamber at Greenwich, and handed to Lord Treasurer Winchester in the presence of the officers of state and the officers of the royal household.

These were matters of business Edward symbolically delivered to his Privy Council in his Privy Chamber, once again blurring the distinctions between the formal and the informal.The weeks leading up to the death of Edward in July 1553 were similarly expressive of the power of personal monarchy in binding to gether the political establishment at court, in Privy Council, and in Privy Chamber. 

Edward was at the centre of the plan to divert the royal succession away from his half-sisters Mary and Elizabeth, and to leave the crown to (in the words of Diarmaid MacCulloch) 'a reliable evangel ical dynasty'. This dynasty was at best notional. It lay in the Suffolk line, through the heirs male of Frances, the daughter of Henry VIII's younger sister Mary, and then the heirs male of Frances' daughters Jane, Catherine, and Mary Grey. 

'My devise for the succession' was drafted by Edward, and in it the king wrote Jane herself into the royal succession (and her mother out of it) by skilful editing. The line which gave the crown 'To the L[ady] Fraunceses heires masles' and then 'For lakke of such issu to the L[ady] Janes heires masles' read, after correction, ‘To the Lady] Fraunceses heires masles, if she have any such issu befor my death to the Lady] Jane and her heires masles'. 

The crown simply went to Jane by default. For centuries this has been read as the supreme example of Dudley cunning, because John Dudley's son, Lord Guildford, married Jane Grey on 21 May 1553. But although Dudley enforced the king's will, it was Edward himself who set out to preserve his godly legacy and, implicitly, his political establishment. 

It is likely that Edward took fairly wide counsel from the men around him--men like Thomas Wroth and Henry Sidney of the Privy Chamber, John Cheke, and perhaps William Petre. Petre drafted part of Edward's will, which perhaps reflected Cheke's relationship with the king by making significant provision for Cheke's old Cambridge college, St John's, and exhorted the king's executors to 'travayle to cause godly ecclesiasticall lawes to be made and sett forthe' after his death. 

Of the twenty-four men who signed the engagement to maintain the succession as limited by Edward, fifteen were counsel lors for the estate (sixteen if the name of John Gosnold is counted) and one (Cheke) was the king's tutor. Two of the signatories (Edward Griffith as solicitor and John Lucas as master of requests) had been called into commission to work with privy councillors and gentlemen of the king's Privy Chamber just over a year earlier. Corporate identity and solidarity underpinned their commitment to ensuring that the will of the king was enforced.

Also built into 'My devise for the succession' is a key to how Edward, in the final weeks of his life, understood (and arguably experienced himself) the gradual emergence of adult kingship out of minority. The first part of the 'devise' established the order of the royal succession after Edward's death. In the second half (much of it deleted, but still extremely signifi cant) Edward explored forms of governance for a future Suffolk king. If over the age of eighteen at accession, full power and authority was his. But in providing for a royal minority, Edward divided governance between the king's mother and a council of twenty.

This 'gouvernres' could do nothing without the 'th'advise and agrement' of six members of the council. If she died before her son reached the age of eighteen, the governance of the realm would be directed by this council. But the crucial age (again mirroring Edward's own experience) was fourteen, because he wrote in the provision that ‘after he be 14 yere al great matters of importaunce [should] be opened to him'. 

In a deleted paragraph, Edward offered a mechanism for the election of councillors. If four councillors died during the female regency, a gathering of the council, assembled on the authority of the governess ‘letters patent, would choose four more 'wherin she shal have thre voices'. But if the governess was dead, 'the 16 shal chose emong themselfes', until the king was fourteen years old (changed from eighteen) and then he by ther advice shal chose them.

The 'devise' suggests that Edward imagined for a male successor under the age of eighteen a minority of two stages. The first-like his own-would be governance on the king's behalf, but by his mother rather than a protector, supported but at the same time limited by the council estab lished by Edward's will. The second stage necessarily involved the king not only in the business of governance but in the choice of the minority council. 

The clause survived in Edward's letters patent of 21 June 1553, and it was mixed governance at its best. But it was also, interestingly, a mark of the possibility of emerging operational kingship after the age of fourteen. The great irony of 1553 is that without Edward, the boy-king, the regime crumbled.

Without the person of the king - the practical focus of authority and legitimacy - the body politic was headless, and a political establishment marked by a sophisticated coherence in the final years of the reign collapsed. The corporate consensus of the signatories of Edward's letters patent cracked in the difficult days of the summer of 1553, and it did so because of mixed and conflicting loyalties. 

In the traumatic weeks of July 1553 the boundaries between the lawful and the unlawful-and the dynastically and politically acceptable and unaccept able-blurred. The power of dynastic succession of the long shadow cast by Henry VIII's will, complemented by the surprising energy of Mary Tudor's mobilization of the localities triumphed over the attempt to preserve the Edwardian political and ecclesiastical establishment[...].”

Alford, Stephen. “Kingship and Politics in the Reign of Edward VI”

Fan cast: Charlotte Hope as Lady Jane Grey; Ed Speleers as King Edward VI.

[frostahesmegabite]

DWC Day 1 - Reunion - Daily Writing Challenge Entry - Mega Goes Home

[ This scene takes place after a two year storyline between the FBC Guild that I’m the GM of and a personal storyline between Megahes and his Fiance, Naturasu. During this time, Megahes was cursed by a Cultist to slowly die from an agonizingly painful hex that was slowly killing him and all hope of its curing/removal was stripped away when this Cultist was killed during the conflicts. Ammaelin came to save Megahes (and acquired some ‘favors’ along the way) by using fractured shards of a Naa'ru to force Megahes into becoming Light Forged in a sense. This process took several years thanks to the manipulation of time via magic and while Mega felt the strain of three-four years of work, for everyone else it was roughly eight to ten weeks before his return. ] The Zeppelin ride to Orgrimmar was agonizingly slow, probably more than any other ride Mega had ever had on one before in his entire life. It was enough to drive him mad and the longer it took in combination with the closer it got to taking him home to Naturasu the worse it became. The goblin fidgeted, tugging at his clothes and making sure all the buttons on his shirt were done properly. His sleeves still crisp and the ironed lined still present. Hell, he even fought with the rolled up sleeves and their buttons that kept them pulled up to his biceps. The wait on returning home was killing him. What was Nat going to say when he walked in the door? This reunion between her and him played in his head a thousand times just today alone, he couldn’t even count the amount of times that he played out similar scenarios while he was away. “Nervousness does not become you Mister Frostbite.” The voice was formal and flat, its source coming from a blinding armor clad Blood Elf that stood several feet higher than himself. Crimson red hair blowing in the breeze thanks to their mode of transportation. Ammaelin, the Blood Knight who was responsible for the absence that proved to be a miraculous, and most likely a very heretical, healing process. If one could butter their bread with his smugness, one’d choke on it just from looking at him. “I’m aware, but that doesn’t make it any less. I been gone for three years now.” He quickly brings up a hand to stop the Elf, they’ve had this conversation several times before already. “And I know, I know. Months for her, for everyone else. Years only for You, Me and the others. But still years for me…” “We did what needed to be done, especially in regards to our agreement. You would have surely died otherwise.” Ammaelin’s head turns if but barely, just enough to cast a glance down upon the golden metal that was imprisoned into Mega’s flesh near his wrists. “You are lucky that you had those shards hidden away. Had any other Paladin known you held those, my brother's curse would have been the least of your concerns. I have no doubt the Church or the Draenei would have come marching on your doorstep…” Megahes’ face contorts as draws upon sarcasm to mock the Elf. “I have no doubt…” Mega blows a massive raspberry in the Paladins direction, which causes him to turn and look back upon the horizon, not giving in to Mega’s provocations. “Look. I know how risky tha thing was and I appreciate what you did and I get that I owe ya. But… all’a that aside. I’m just nervous man. What if…” He just stops and breathes, voice quivering a bit as his eyes begin to moisten, forcing him to stop and look back over the side of the Zeppelin once again. “If she doesn’t approve or she’s moved on due to thinking you dead or not coming back?” “I mean, I could have put that in better words, but yeah.” “I think perhaps you worry too much.” Megahes grumbles and sighs, running his hands up and down his face several times before they slide into his hair, where he just grabs hold of himself and pulls out of frustration only to realize he’d fucked it all up. His head shakes and he sets out to fix his hair as best he can, a nervous tick, to be sure. Mega was about to open his mouth to retort, but the Paladin stopped him by pointing to the horizon. Pandaria’s Jade

Forest. Pillars of tall stone began to rise and fall down into gorgeous forests, rolling hillsides and lily and reed filled rivers. The air was crisp and something about it just filled one's body with a rejuvenating sense of purpose and peace. “We’ll be at your domancile shortly, Mister Frostbite. I suggest you gather your things and we’ll drop you off directly.” If Mega wasn’t nervous before this, he sure as hell is now! His nearly trips… Well, he does actually, right over his own two feet and in a fluster, he looks about for something that wasn’t there before he speedily heads towards the cabins to gather his bag. He’d had this ready hours ago. It wasn’t much, he had no time to prepare for this little ‘retreat’ of his, which he was thankful for now as he threw it over his shoulder. He pauses and looks over at Ammaelin. “For as big of a pain in tha ass ya have been these past couple of years, thank ya. Truly. If it wasn’t for you and them Priests, I wouldn’t be makin’ this trip back.” Ammaelins’ face during this brief statement was a rollercoaster! Disdain and irritation appearing quickly was soon replaced with an oddly peaceful smile by the end of it. “Our time has taught us much, Mister Frostbite, about a great many topics. It has been… enlightening.” His choice of words being an intended pun and irony placed upon Mega. There were no hugs, no great exchanges of physical emotion. The two just look at one another before Mega turns and descends into the bowels of the Zeppelin so he can board the loading platform and get lowered down to his home. Their home. Gold, this was excruciating. The platform lowers slowly, painfully so, at least to him. Each inch makes Mega’s ears pound so hard that he can hear them in his ears and if it got any higher in his throat, he’d choke. “I’m gettin all nervous for nothin’, she probably ain’t even home. Probably in Orgrimmar havin’ some drinks or workin’ at the Knot.” He blows through his lips with enough strength to cause a slight whistle. Stress and worry, all self-induced of course, at how this was going to go. He was happy, no doubt, but worry came natural. The lift jerks as the ground makes contact, nearly sending him sprawling down to the floor of it just for him to look up in utter irritation, sending up a solid middle finger at the crew whether they could see it or not. “Ain’t no wonder these things fall out of tha fuckin sky so much…” He grumbles, straightening himself and clambering off before they end up actually managing to kill him somehow. Once off, the Zeppelin began to hoist the platform once more as it turned to head off towards its next stop. Mega’s red eyes watch it drift off for a moment, offering an overhead wave in case Ammaelin was on deck and looking down upon him. Given time, Mega turns away from it, looking at his pandaren styled home. The smell of the Arboretum orchids wafting through the air hit his senses and caused him to smile and for a moment, peace was welcome until he began to pick up his feet, swearing they are encased in lead the closer to home he became. Much like a scene from one of those cheesy romance books he kept hearing people go on about, he freezes at the door, hand up and ready to knock but nothing comes. No, instead he pats himself down and takes the key out of his shirt pocket and uses that instead. Quietly, creeping open the door slowly as if he expected to walk in and find his place full of cobwebs and everything cold and abandoned. The sight he gets is quite the opposite. Everything was nearly just as he left it. Albeit, more golden now. Naturasu loved her gold and it was a miracle that everything they owned wasn’t gold or khorium at this point in some facet or another. The sight brings a small smile to his face, sucking him into the house where he quietly closes the door behind him, fingers tracing over chairs and couch arms before he lets his pack slide down into the floor where it was quickly abandoned. Quietly, he walks through the house, almost scared to break the silence just to realize that that’s all there’d be

but a sudden clattering coming from the kitchen broke what he hadn’t dared. “Oh gold… what is she remodelling in there now?” It was a good question to ask! Not one that he had malice towards however, as the modifications they’d made thus far were phenomenal. His feet take him into the doorway where Nat can be seen in her usual home attire of thigh-high socks and underwear along with a set of tools, some powered and some not, as she was working on some of their retractable steps that allowed the two of them to cook shoulder to shoulder despite their obvious size differences. And it was this image that made him choke in silence and just stare at her. She was still here and all of his fears, irrational or not, just vanished and all he’s left being able to do is croak out a cough and throat clear. Nat’s voice calls out in irritation as the work clearly wasn’t going as planned. “Just leave tha rollers and frames there on the floor Sugah, thanks.” She must have thought he was someone from the Contingents Engineering or Supply Staff. Had this been any other time, Mega probably would have played into this mistake and taken up the chance to pretend to be said person and elicit some lewd scene, but, no, not today… Well, at least not right -now-. “Sorry, I uhh… must have forgotten them back at tha office. I can go back and get them if ya like.” Mega’s voice quivered in a nervousness that refused to leave his bones that were joining with both excitement and happiness. Naturasu on the other hand, froze entirely just to drop the wrench that was in her hand to the floor. Slowly, she wheeled about, perhaps not sure if she heard the voice correctly or if it was just her senses fucking with her. Whatever her reasoning, the moment her copper colored eyes hit Mega’s own crimson hues, time stood still for them both. No words came, they didn’t need them. Naturasu hit her knees and before she could even get her arms outstretched entirely, Mega was across the room, pinning himself to her and locking his own behind her in an embrace so strong that Titan Steel couldn’t have broken it if it tried. The two remained conjoined and just wept. [ Thank you again for reading my entry to the @daily-writing-challenge ! This is Day One (09/19/2021) and today's words were #Reunion and #Afterlife. I had the choice of using one or both, but decided to run with only Reunion today just in case I decide to pull out some deathly stuff later in the month. ] [ Edit Addition: I apologize if there's some formatting issues. I tried to implant a couple of images to help convey things but Tumblr just wasn't having it, so I had to remove them. I've tried to correct the errors I did find, but I may not have gotten them all. ]

[burningthemidnightcityoil]

ON CLASSES

Classpects run on Irony, Puns, Wordplay, and each class has a secondary verb, in addition to the one they share with their pair.

Witch - Which. “Choose / Choice”. A Witch chooses power. Witches are the Powerhouse of the Session(cell). They are akin to Thieves, for a Witch takes power. But the difference here is that a Witch doesn’t need to take it from other people, a Witch takes back their own power from whatever Guardian (or “familiar”) has it. Its not like an Heir, where the Heir can just wait for it to come; a Witch has to grab it or be forced into its service.

Heir - Air/Err. “Inherit”. An Heir inherits power. While Heirs are akin to the Page, where they both inspire others to help them; the difference here is that Heirs will inspire others to Guide them (Literally inspire others to act as Seers), while Pages inspire others to Serve them (Inspire others to act as Knights). Heirs don’t like being Served (In fact, Heirs Homestuck-Historically have conflicts with Guardians because of their Service), and Pages don’t like being Guided. (Most Pages tend to talk smack about those trying to Guide them)

Mage - Magician. “Perform”. Mage’s are showy, in addition to being knowitalls. How you are Seen is Important. There are three Mages, two known and one HC’d, that give this. Sollux, inspite of his problems, is a Show Off and tries to play it off Smoothly. His performance is more important than his powers (Or Spells, if we’re dedicated). Meulin also tends to be Showy. Both by showing off her favorite couples, and by her Disciple self showing off her rommance on literal cave walls. HC’d Mage, Diamonds Droog / Draconian Dignitary, is all about the Show and the Class, and not about Flash Powers or Transformations.

Seer - To See. “Envision”. Seers See Seas. What you see is important. Unlike their counterpart, the Mage, A Seer’s visions are more important than their Spells. (This is inspite of the fact that both Mages and Seers are equally capable of both Visions and Spells, as well as Performance. It seems what what indicates if you’re a Mage or a Seer is if what’s important is How you are Seen, or What you See; A Mage wants to be Seen, a Seer wants to See).

Thief - To Steal / To Steel / Steel yourselves. “Enforce”. If Knights are the Law, Thieves are the Enforcers; because they literally reinforce themselves by taking what they want. Let’s take this a step further, and include all definitions of Enforce Thieves Strengthen, Intensify, Force, Drive and Urge whatever they set their sights on, to be what they want it. (After all, they Steal, or Take By Force / Violence)

Rogue - To Go Rogue / Haywire. “To Cross”. Rogues are pretty good about making connections, and making connections work; be it between people, or their Aspect. (Roxy between her Friends and her Windows; Nepeta with her Romances)

Knight - Night. “To Bare / Bear”. Bear hands? This may seem outlandish, but the origin of the word Night is “Bare” or “To be Bare of Sunlight”. And Knights tend to put on a kind of Mask, or Shield, or rather, Helm / Helmet as they feel their weaknesses (or what they think are their weaknesses) feel bare to the world (Dave and his Sunglasses; Karkat and his Temper; Latula and her Gamer Attitude).

Page - Chapter. “To Assemble” YOU BOY, EQUIP ARMS. This one took a bit, but what’s a Page without a Chapter? Be it a Chapter in a Book of Pages, or a Council to of all those they have called on to serve them. A Page is a Knightly figure that has a Round Table, akin to a Rogue’s Merrymen. A Page inspires others to play Knight to them, or to serve them. To call to Arms, or call to Action. So basically, if Robin Hood is a Rogue’s Mythic figure, King Arthur is a Page’s mythic figure. So literally, all those a Page calls on personally, makes them apart of their Round Table of Knights. (Wait, does this mean that HS^2 Jane is Morgan Le F--)

Maid - Made. “To Make” Sugar, Spice and Everything Nice. Maids are the Makers. They don’t so much as Maintain, though they do that too, as they create. Consider. Aradia is a prime example. She dies, so she makes Time for herself as a very powerful Poltergeist. She becomes a Robot, and makes Time for Herself by her many many Robot Time Copies, or as Time is Numeral, making Numbers. She becomes a Godtier, and suddenly, Time in the Dream Bubbles align perfectly with the Present. Notice how when we are first introduced to the Dream Bubbles, Time was a real nonlinear pain. But when Aradia took the Reins on this Time Management Stuff, and suddenly the Dream Bubbles were Linear and aligned with our Story. She did want to see the end, after all (And the more living Time Gods entered the Bubbles, the more Linear things became) For Porrim, its about Making Space for others in both her various views and her uh... Various Views. For the Dolorosa, this included making Space for herself, and for her son. She possibly even helped direct him closer to the idea of Freedom (And he did see visions of another space in time...)

Sylph - Sylvan / Wood Threshold. “To Matter” Okay, this one is like the Knight’s, if not more complicated (and likely gonna require more development in the future, cos this took waaay too much digging for my liking). Thing is, Sylph is a difficult thing to name from name alone unless you look into the word itself. Because its derived from Sylvan “Of the woods”. But we break that down into two things. Silva, the Woods, and Hyle, Matter. Hyle / Hule is already the Greek word for Matter or Wood in any case. And our word for Matter is already derived from Mater, the Latin word for Mother. (The original English word was displaced by Latin; Andwork was once our word for Matter). Unfortunately, I can’t quite make the connections here yet, so I’m not sure if “To Matter” is the proper verb. I can, however, describe some loose connections that at least tell me I’m on the right track: ... Sylphs are defined by their Environment; Such as Kanaya’s relations regarding Trolls (A motherly figure), Aranea defined herself by Information and giving Information (which ain’t healthy), Mindfang defined herself a Thief because the Troll Empire was lead by a Thief And HC’d Sylph of Mind, Snowman was, quite literally, the Universe (And its Multiverse, which is a Mind thing). So a Sylph defines herself by her “Woods”, or like a Nymph / Dryad, by her “Tree / Wood / Matter”. And when you kill the Tree / Wood, you kill the Sylph, and vice versa (Destroy the Matriorb, and Kanaya dies; Kill Snowman and you kill the Unvierse; Mindfang was murdered, and her Enlightenment about the Doc died with her).

Prince - Principle / Foremost. “To Postulate” Its the Principle of the matter. For Princes, Principle and Code are key, and they will follow these as a fundamental truth (and be damned to anything else). This is likely what it was meant when they were called a Destroyer Class, because they do tend to destroy all avenues when it doesn’t fit their Principle. A Group of Princes could be called an Argument. For Eridan, both the system he resided in, and his own internal narrative (his Hopes), were his fundamental truths. And in the end, it fucked everything up. For Kurloz, his Belief System and his chosen Lord were his Fundamental Truth (And Rage is about Truths; so this guy didn’t just have a fortified castle, he had an entire armored country) For Dirk, the Character someone presented was the Truth of the matter, and the Character he presented. He believed that all versions of him were Him, and that was his biggest flaw, because they weren’t. AR was no more Dirk Strider than Bro was. ... And unfortunately, one version of him took this very literally (HS^2).

Bard - Barred / Bar. “To Prevent” Bards are quite the Wild Card, because how the hell do you manage destroying stuff for other people’s benefit and it actually ensured that it is a benefit? But from our few examples, Bards do act as great barriers. They keep things on the path because if you didn’t have that barrier, you wouldn’t progress, or you’d go too far too quickly, or things could go out of hand. For Gamzee, he tends to invoke the idea of the Barrier Maiden (He does roleplay a fairy / maid). He can’t die cos he’s a Cosmic Keystone to things happening like they’re suppose to. Paradox Space, literally, cannot let him die because it needs him to complete the Alpha Loop [By extension, no Doomed Timeline ever has a Dead Gamzee, he’s just that important, the stupid fuck] / [consider the theory that he also absorbs his alternative selves to keep his keystone status; like how Rose absorbed her alternative dream self] (Though when you take him from his story / destiny / fate, he’s just another mortal shitty clown). Gamzee prevented Rage, for Homestuck to continue as its intended narrative. For Cronus, his little Hope Quest was a direct line to Lord English (being the evil wvizard in his little Harry Potter fantasy). But this blew up royally, because as it turns out, it isn’t up to the Beforus Trolls to do shit. So just as Gamzee’s crisis of Fate put things back on the Path to LE and prevented catastrophe, Cronus’s crisis caused catastrophe. He prevented Hope for the Beforus Trolls, because it wasn’t their Story. And now for my HC’d Bard of Doom, Clubs Deuce. He does exactly what it says, he Prevents Doom. Inspite of what it appears, he’s highly competent because that prevents things from going to hell. For CD, he prevented Doom, for his Crew, and the sessions he’s involved in. And any time CD tends to disappear from the picture, is when things go to hell fast (For the Crew, Cans showed up; for the Beta Session, he was a mere herald for the doom that was already coming and his death cinched it)