#but on the other hand it's frustrating to see how neglected the historical line has become and how void of creativity goty is these days

[justworthlessreblogs]

being an ag fan is so conflicting these days

[collidescopeeyes]

Random Relationship Headcanons: Viego

- Wants to be near you literally all the time. Loves physical contact and will find any excuse to get it.

- He physically can't blush, which is a tragedy because otherwise you could see how flustered you make him :( you still catch him just staring at you with open adoration so it's ok though

- Gives you privacy if you ask for it but his default state is wanting to be around you. Kind of guy who would be thrilled to watch paint dry with you cuz it means you get to spend time together. Will follow you around until you pay attention to him, 100% sulks if neglected for too long but can't stay mad at you for long.

- Gets jealous easily but is working on not being so possessive, so he just gets clingy(er) if he's feeling insecure. It's kinda cute.

- Low key gets freaked out if he doesn't know where you are. His last love died painfully in front of him ok he's got Trauma

- Can tell immediately if there's something up with you, pls talk to him about it, he worries and he just wants to help

- Likes to read, from romance novels to historical texts. Goes through surviving texts from Camavor frequently, trying to jog his memory. Keeps a journal now, in case the mist takes any more memories. A lot of it is prose about how pretty you were today, a fair hand at sketching too.

- Likes animals, especially dogs and horses–royal hunts were a big family event growing up. Animals do not like him anymore, the mist makes them uneasy. It makes him sad sometimes :(

- Has strong opinions on wine and ballroom music. Will talk about the composition of a symphony for hours if you let him. Would love to teach you to dance.

- Used to care a lot about how he dressed, but those memories are still pretty fuzzy and he doesn't really think about it anymore–dying kinda puts vanity into perspective. Likes dressing you up though, and will definitely dress to match if you're going somewhere. He likes the idea of coordinated outfits.

- Gets moody occasionally, it all gets a bit much for him sometimes and he starts thinking about all his fuck ups. Alternates between sad and self-blaming to frustrated and kinda bitchy, but does his best not to take it out on anyone. Instantly feels bad and apologizes if he says anything out of line. Give him time, cuddles and reassurance and he'll start feeling better.

- Can't sleep without you in his arms. Doesn't choose to sleep often anyway (he gets bad nightmares), but will happily lay there all night watching you sleep. Doesn't like to admit that though bc he knows it's kinda weird.

- Doesn't need to eat or sleep or drink, but likes doing it anyway. The other wraiths in the isles are shadowy mist creatures because they're souls the mists have taken, and the bodies are somewhere else. Viego’s situation is closer to him ACTUALLY being the crown and just possessing his own body constantly, sort of like he'd possess anyone else’s. He's still technically undead though so his only real bodily need is the magic that's keeping him walking around

- The crown can't be moved, his head just moves with it. It's sort of like horns, except they're not actually attached to his head. Yank him around by it ;). He can demanifest it if he tries but it makes him feel numb and weirdly claustrophobic

- Speaking of, is claustrophobic. Man was trapped in a sword for like a thousand years; he was only quasi aware that whole time, kind of like having a nightmare or sleep paralysis, but it still makes him uncomfortable. Doesn't come up much since he just kinda mist teleports out if he starts feeling cramped. If it's ever for some reason necessary he will be holding you like an emotional support stuffy and you won't get a choice about it.

- His tears are black and dissipate into mist after a bit. It's very goth. Can control the amount of mist pouring from his heart; at its thickest it's almost like a small waterfall.

- Lets you put your fingers in his chest hole exactly one time. It was so cold you couldn't actually feel anything. He described it as akin to someone squeezing his heart.

- He can float but it takes concentration and he honestly prefers just walking. Also, he's tall asf. You need something off a high shelf, he's your man.

- His sense of temperature is fucked. He can tell if something's hot, but if you hand him an ice cube and a piece of wood he can't tell which ones colder without looking. Worries his hands are too cold for you since you always feel warm to him (they're not)

- Looking at his reflection weirds him out, and sometimes you catch him staring at his hands. Man doesn't have an introspective bone in his body though so he couldn't tell you why, but really he only sort of remembers what he used to look like and sometimes the dissonance gets to him.

- In the far far future of TIARW some of the restored shades will choose to stay in the kingdom, since apparently Viego was beloved by the people before his wife died and he went fully off the deep end. Viego gets the opportunity to redeem himself to his people and kingdom, and another shot at being king but older and wiser now. With you as his queen, he swears not to make the mistakes of his past and to rule with the best interests of Camavor in mind. Maybe I'll write an epilogue along those lines at some point.

NSFW (under cut)

- Look he's perma stuck in honeymoon phase he's Thirsty

- High libido. A menace if you let him be but 100% respects if you aren't feeling like it, he knows he can be a bit much. Does need lot of physical intimacy but that doesn't need to be sex necessarily, he just likes making you both feel good

- Despite this, doesn't jerk off much. It's being with you that gets him going, not that he specifically wants to get off

- He doesn't get tired. Like ever. 0 refractory, will just go until either you tap out or he's so overstimulated he can't anymore. Watching his cum drip out of you just gets him so worked up though so it's a vicious cycle

- He's got a filthy mind and will have you every which way he can think of, in every room you'll let him. Fav position is probably you riding him cowgirl though; he likes the view

- Likes leaving lovebites, but he lowkey feels bad if he bruises you by accident. He gets carried away and forgets his strength sometimes, you'll have to convince him you're fine. He heals too fast for you to leave marks on though, it's tragic :(

- He's touch starved, we all know this, he was trapped in a sword for a thousand years. In particular though, his neck is very sensitive, as well as his thighs and lower back. Doesn't like the area around his chest cavity being touched. Loves having his hair pulled.

- He's got experience. He was a heartbreaker in his youth and he figures out exactly what you like uncannily quickly

- Love love loves going down on you, he loves watching you and he gets to make you feel good, doesn't even care if he cums as long as he gets to eat you out

- Boss him around, he loves it when you take charge. Loves being both praised and degraded, will try so so hard to be good for you. Edge him until he cries, make him cum over and over, yank him around by the crown and tell him what a pathetic cum drunk slut he is, he'll take it all and beg for more <3

- Not specifically dommy so if you aren't taking the reigns he's the perfect combination of loving and so horny he can't think straight. Tells you how pretty and perfect you are while he makes a fucking mess of you.

- He's so loud. If he's not telling you how good you feel or how perfect you are, he's moaning and whimpering and swearing. Ask him a question and watch him struggle to put a coherent sentence together in real time.

- If you want to give him a task you know he'll fail, tell him to keep quiet. Fucks it up immediately and he gets SO upset, full tears in eyes begging to make it up to you.

- Will happily do whatever makes you both feel good, willing to try most things you want to. Hard limits, wouldn't like saying mean things or hurting you even as part of a scene (receiving tho, yes pls). Also, very mixed feelings about doing it anywhere anyone could ostensibly see you–on one hand everyone should know you're his and he's yours, on the other he'd have to kill them. It would be the only way, they gotta die.

- Aftercare is a must, whole nine yards, hot scented bath and cuddles and affirmations all around.

[canyouhearthelight]

The Miys, Ch. 122

Annnnd WE’RE BACK!

Thank you so much for your patience during the hiatus. Work is still crazy, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel there *crosses fingers*. And I was able to build back up my cushion of chapters, so that was a huge win for me.

As a reminder, this is a skip forward roughly 4 years from chapter 121. So, if you read a bit and start to wonder “wait, did I miss something?”, you probably didn’t and it’s most likely something I am going to circle back to.  Don’t be a afraid to shoot me an ask, however, if you are just really thrown off by something! I’ll gladly clarify unless it’s something plot-specific.

Thanks, as always, go to @baelpenrose, @raven-fae, and @charlylimph-blog.  By the way, Raven is working on a podcast of The Miys, which I am incredibly stoked about. Please follow @glimmeringfeatherspodcast for updates!

I carefully adjusted my glasses as I suppressed a giggle at Noah, who was swarmed with small yellow puffs of fuzz.  In the last seven years since their discovery, Else’s hyper-fast evolution hadn’t slowed down much, although Grey did promise that it had slowed down. Noah buzzed at the puff resting on one of its vomu, eliciting a purr. “I believe they learned this behavior from Mac.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised,” I admitted. “I caught him playing with several of them a couple days ago.”

“I have observed them together on frequent occasions.” Reaching up, it plucked another puff from the top of its head. “I cannot hear if you sit on my sensory organs, podling.”  Soon after Else evolved to the point they could live outside of a habitat tank, Miys had developed a tendency to treat them like its own young, and generally had several of them perched somewhere.

“How many of them are there now?” I asked, reaching out slightly before stopping myself from petting the closest canary-sized fluff. “Else, can I pick you up?”

In response, it bounced onto my hand.  I’d noticed how little they spoke now, but Miys had assured us it was a normal stage in hive-being evolution - once Else became too large to actually fit in our bodies, it wasn’t able to communicate through the translator chip.  At this stage, it could still hear us, but communicating back was a work in process.  Mostly, they just trilled and chirped.

“Currently, there are five hundred and seven thousand, six hundred and twenty-three.”

“They’re very adaptable,” I observed.

With the one free vomu it had, Noah made a nodding gesture. “Most species that reach sentience are. We are able to observe Else’s evolution on a much shorter time scale than most, as well. Consider humanity’s evolution, and imagine seeing it take place in years rather than over the course of millenia.”

“I know,” I laughed. “But seeing it is way more incredible than imagining it.” I adjusted my glasses again, eliciting the buzz that usually meant Noah was exasperated with me.

“Why do humans insist on using those instead of having their eyes repaired?”

“My eyes aren’t damaged,” I reminded it. “And you did repair my eyes. I’m wearing these because my eyes are working right. You know this.”

“In principle, not in practice.”

It was my turn to sigh. “Our eyes evolved to work in a specific kind of light. Earth’s sun is yellow, I think? But Von’s sun is more blue.” I gestured at the light emitters in the corridor. “When the light is in the twilight cycle like this, some humans can’t see as well as we could in Earth-twilight. Hence the glasses.”

“Sight is so inefficient.”

I just shook my head. I couldn’t exactly argue. “Between the light and the gravity, it’s been a huge adjustment.”

“You have all adjusted in quite - innovative ways,” Noah replied. “My kind have done many of these relocations. Not all species adapt well.”

“What was it you called it?” I squinted, both from trying to see what was ahead of me and from thinking. I’m going to have to talk to someone about some flashlights, I swear… “We ‘persist’?”

“Humans are remarkably stubborn, yes,” it confirmed. “As Arthur Farro seems to prefer explaining it, your species began space travel by attaching chemical ignition drives to your posteriors.”

Even after so long, some things just did not translate. “Yep, we very much strapped a rocket to our asses to achieve spaceflight,” I laughed. “Everything on Earth kind of evolved and adapted like that. We learned what wouldn’t poison us by watching others die from eating it, that kind of thing. Even our superstitions, and later our laws, were basically ‘hey, let’s not do this, it kills people’.” A liw made its way into my line of sight, rocking to mimic a confused head-tilt. “You rescued us for our sight, not because we are a particularly bright species.”

“I understand that the polite thing to do, according to your customs, is to object to that statement, however I have been told on several occasions that I lack any skill in falsehoods.”

“We bombed ourselves back to the Stone Age the second we hit our highest peak in technology.” I reached out and patted what would have been a shoulder on a human. “You don’t have to lie about that. Arthur has studied an absurd percentage of human history. Even from a scholarly perspective, I am assured we are a singularly idiotic race. Besides, we’d already ruined an entire planet at that point...”

“It has evidenced itself to be a lesson well-learned.” It returned the pat, gently. “For a species historically inclined to warfare, those on the Yjq have demonstrated a profound proclivity toward peace.”

“Trying to keep it that way, bud,” I admitted.

Removing yet another puff from its sensory organs, Noah continued. “Please be assured, also, that Terrans are far from ‘singularly’ idiotic.  There are many species in the Galactic Community that are demonstrably lacking in what you refer to as ‘common sense’.”

Noah was still a terrible gossip. “Do tell,” I asked, crossing my mental fingers that we weren’t the worst out there.

“Preeyar,” it listed immediately.

“The rift-valley avians?”

“The same. They experience terrible reactions to liquid water, and yet they are fascinated by fountains and insist upon touching them!” Startled chirps erupted as all six appendages on Noah’s upper body flung out in frustration. “Any vessel transporting Preeyar has specific instructions on how to treat the resulting burns.”

I had to admit, that was pretty bad. “Terrans at least learn not to touch things that will burn us by the time we can speak, usually.” My nose tickled as several little Else-puffs migrated over to me, upset by the grand gesture from my friend.  I was almost glad it was so difficult for humans to see in the corridor, because I probably looked absurd.

“Shalt’krii are somehow just as difficult,” Noah confessed. “As a species that have what you term an ‘allergy’ to sonic waves - they develop painful rashes and can have seizures when exposed. Yet, it is entirely inevitable when transporting a large group that several will have forgotten or neglected to bring dampeners.”

“Oh my gosh,” I gasped, trying not to laugh and upset Else again. “How?”

“It has eluded the Galactic Council since they joined. The dampeners are far less barbaric than what the So-K’nor do to resolve a similar concern, but I must privately admit that the So-K’nor are at least more consistent and effective.”

Well, yeah, deliberately deafening yourself permanently when you go off-world tends to be that way, I thought to myself. I knew I didn’t need to say it out loud, but I also knew that Noah would not address my thoughts out loud. “Okay, maybe we aren’t that bad,” I granted. “I think the worst we do is ingest mild poisons.”

“On an alarmingly frequent basis, yes. Including plants native to your world that actually attempt to digest you as you eat them.”

I shook my head. “Not this girl. I don’t like pineapple.”

“And the number of humans on the ship who willingly consume lactic acid, knowing it will cause them digestive distress?” If it had eyebrows, they would be arching, I just knew it.

“You have pointed out several times over the years that you can’t taste,” I pointed out. “So you have no idea how tempting cheese can be.”

Noah shook one vomu like a head. “Incorrect. Having witnessed the sheer amount of it that Tyche consumed once she realized that you were not lactose intolerant, there is empirical evidence to support your claim.”

Unconsciously, my hand jumped to touch my left ear before I could force it down. “I remember the spicy food,” I said carefully, stroking one of the fluffs on my arms. “But I didn’t know about the cheese. Come to think of it - “ I stopped in my tracks and turned to face Noah directly, “Why weren’t the consoles just adjusted to make all the food… I dunno, lactose-free, I guess?”

Two liw reached to pluck several yellow beings from my arms and head as Noah used one vomu to start ticking reasons. “One, because I was specifically asked not to by Grey Hodenson and Xiomara Kalloe, the consensus being that bovines are, in fact, in the genetic database. Two, because that was attempted several weeks before you were brought on board, and I was tempted to damage my sensory organs to block out the sheer number of complaints regarding how everything tasted.”  Thankfully, its vomu was still empty when it flung outward. “Do you have any idea how difficult it is to accommodate requests regarding something you do not experience?”

I felt slightly ashamed. “Not entirely, no.” Trying to lighten the mood slightly, I felt the need to point out “Besides, I really like goat cheese.”

“Something about chetter and mootsareeleh,” Noah grumbled.

“Ohhhhh,” I whispered. “Eyeah… do not mess with Italians’ mozzarella, I have learned. And cheddar does have a very specific flavor. I can see those being very loud complaints.”

“In eight Terran years, I am still confused why the color of the chetter is a determining factor, as well as how something so soft can be compared to an edged weapon.”

I felt like I was going to explode from suppressed laughter. I had to stop, tears streaming down my face, and catch my breath. “Oh, Noah… I honestly don’t know if I can explain that, but I can try…”

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[noxstellacaelum]

Female Protagonists Deserve Their Stories

Believe me, I get it.  I am not the target audience for shows like Shadowhunters, Veronica Mars, or GoT.  I am far, far removed from ship wars, cons, and the overall social media craziness that seems to animate fandom culture for shows like these.  These shows -- particularly Shadowunters -- are really just guilty pleasures for me.  With bonus points b/c they are sci fi/supernatural/fantasy/action & adventure genre pieces with strong female protagonists.  That’s all.  Just a genre that I love.  Nothing life-changing.  

So why, months later, am I still so pissed off about GoT S8, Shadowhunters 3B and the &*%& Shadowhunters finale, and basically all of Veronica Mars S4?  Especially when the writers/ show runners behind these projects -- and huge chunks of the fandom -- really, really don’t give a shit about what someone in my demographic thinks.    

Fundamentally, I am pissed off because each of these shows destroyed the narrative arcs of their female characters.  And, because the showrunners -- a bunch of middle-aged dudes -- should have known better.  

This post focuses on Shadowhunters.  And I am writing it just for me.  I appreciate and understand that others may disagree.

Ok, let’s just acknowledge the demographically engineered pulpy charms of Shadowhunters (TV) up front.  The cast were (and still are, obviously) uniformly gorgeous; the casting was racially diverse (YAY!!!); each season features lots of angst-y love triangles, break-ups and make-ups (Oh, the drama :-)); and, the show deliberately centered LGBTQIA relationships, especially Malec (again, YAY!!!)

So, what’s my problem, when there is so much to like about the show’s stated desire to be inclusive and diverse?  Especially when I believe that representation matters, particularly in genre projects like Shadowhunters, which historically have tended to lack diversity with respect to race and sexual/gender identity.

My problem is that somewhere along the line, the Shadowhunters showrunners decided that to tell the story they wanted to tell, they had to eviscerate the narrative arcs of Clary, and by extension, Jace.  

To understand why the decision to sideline Clary (and Jace) is so frustrating, it helps to know a bit about the TV show’s source material.  (Spoilers follow) SHTV is based on The Mortal Instruments, a six-book series written by Cassie Clare.  Clary is the protagonist of TMI:  Clare has described TMI as a “girl power” story, and she has made it clear that in TMI, she wanted to tell a story where a girl saves the world.  She’s even clapped back at those who would question whether Clary is worthy of heroine status.  Last year, in the Thule section of Queen of Air and Darkness, Clare showed us an AU where Clary doesn’t save the world (and is instead killed by Lilith, the mother of demons).  It’s a hellscape:  Clary’s evil brother Jonathan controls everyone and everything; angelic power no longer works; and anyone who tries to resist Jonathan is hunted, killed, “endarked” (turned into a soulless, murderous soldier), or otherwise enspelled.  All of our other heroes are dead or enthralled.  Realizing that he was turning into a demon, Magnus begged Alec to kill him (which Alec does, before committing suicide).  And Clary’s love Jace?  Devastated by Clary’s death, and enspelled by Jonathan, Jace becomes twisted and evil.  

In addition to the Thule AU, Clare has written more generally about right of female creators to own their own work (on a Tumblr blog post).  And, she has used other series in the shadowhunter world to center other characters and relationships (e.g., the Malec series currently underway); to interrogate gender roles (e.g., the Julian and Emma pairing in TDA); and to explore relationships and identities other than the Clary/Jace pairing (e.g. the polyamorous Christina/Mark/Kieran relationship in TDA).  Why does all of this matter for SHTV?  Well, Clare wrote TMI, and she made Clary the protagonist.  So the fact that Clary is the protagonist of TMI was not some ancillary or inconvenient matter for SHTV.  It was and is at the center of the books upon which SHTV is based, and as to which the show has IP rights.    

[NB:  This is not to suggest that Clare prefers Clary and Jace to other characters or other ships, or that other characters aren’t also heroic or ship-worthy -- they are, they are just not the protagonists of TMI.  And, SHTV is still based on TMI.]

[NB2:   And, I absolutely don’t mean to suggest that the show had to be a transcription of the books, or that only Clary and Jace should have gotten screen time.  I am affirmatively HAPPY that the show gave rich story lines to other characters -- especially Simon, Magnus and Alec.]

With that background in mind, why do I think that Season 3B and the finale destroyed the Clary and Jace characters?  Well -- and I know this sounds snarky -- let’s look at the parade of plotholes, the random redistribution of plot points, Clary’s loss of agency, the and general sidelining of the Clary and Jace characters and their heroism.  (Again, spoilers to follow).  I leave the memory wipe to last here, because I still can’t believe that anyone thought destroying three seasons of character development was a good idea.  

1. Evil Clary story line:  In the books, Jace is twinned with Jonathan.  This makes narrative sense:  Jace and Jonathan are “brothers” of a sort, having both been raised by Valentine, and Jace’s vulnerability to Jonathan (and Lilith) is rooted in childhood trauma of abuse and neglect that Jace endured at the hands of Valentine.  

In the show, however, Clary is twinned with Jonathan.  From the start, Clary’s ability to resist the rune is tied to her proximity to Jace.   In fact, as 3B progresses, Clary becomes increasingly unhinged and violent any time she is physically separated from Jace.  Eventually, when she is blasted behind a wall while on mission (and thus physically separated from Jace), she succumbs entirely.   All of a sudden we have dark Clary, taking a walk on the wild side with the murderous brother who kidnapped her and nearly killed Jace just a few short weeks ago in show time.  Dark Clary joining forces to burn down the world that she loved, and that she repeatedly saved.  Really???  And then, when Jace and the others finally manage to free her from twinning rune, we see Clary saying that she WANTED to help Jonathan with his murderous rampage.  And, we hear Jace saying that the call of blood was too hard for Clary to resist.  Again, really??? The girl who killed her father, called upon an angel to bring her boyfriend back to life, survived the death of her mother, and who was nearly killed by her possessed boyfriend is somehow unable to resist the call of her Morgenstern blood?  What about Clary’s agency?  Her strength?  Her love for Jace and her chosen family?  Her identity as a shadowhunter?  Enthralled book Jace at least still loves Clary, and has a scene where he temporarily breaks free of the twinning rune, and makes it clear to Jonathan that he hates him, and that he is being controlled. But Clary says she wanted to help her brother, and that it’s her fault for being unable to resist her “blood.” While team evil might have been fun -- and probably was a blast for the actors to play -- it didn’t make narrative sense to me.  Not the biggest sin, and to each his own.  But not for me.

2.  Heavenly fire storyline:  In the book, Jace is filled w/ heavenly fire.  Clary eventually figures out how to get the heavenly fire from Jace into her weapon (heosphoros), which she uses to kill Jonathan.  In the show, Izzy gets the entire heavenly fire storyline.  Again, why???  For one thing, the scene in which Clary and Izzy fight (and Izzy ends up with the heavenly fire after being struck by shrapnel) -- while cool -- made no sense to me.  Book Izzy is a formidable warrior.  Show Izzy is disarmed by Clary (who has been training to be a shadowhunter for, like, 5 minutes at the time of their battle).  Also, why does Izzy get the heavenly fire from a few bits of shrapnel, but Clary is totally fine after being STABBED by the sword?  More generally, other than giving Izzy more to do, what was the thinking behind taking away this story arc from Clary and Jace?  And, for making Jace basically a potted plant in 3B?   (In contrast to book Jace — who was key to the good guys’ victory— show Jace is made to basically stand there: Show Alec, Izzy, Magnus, and Simon get literally every single heroic plot point in the finale — remember that we’re Lightwoods moment, sans Jace (the adoptive brother)?? — while Jace is relegated to crying or supporting Clary.)

3.  The Jace character:  While this post is principally about Clary, I can’t help but note that the show did everything possible to isolate Jace and make him incompetent and unlikable.  

- Book Jace comes across as arrogant and as a wise ass, but Clary and Alec see the arrogance for what it is -- a coping mechanism/ PTSD following a childhood full of trauma at the hands of Valentine.  Through his relationship with Clary, Jace learns that he is worthy of being loved, and that he can love without destroying.  And, Jace’s parabatai bond is a source of strength and joy for both Alec and Jace.  Show Jace gets none of this.  3B kept Clary and Jace apart from each other much of the time (what w/ Evil Clary preferring to help her murderous brother burn down the world).  3B also effectively eliminated the parabatai bond:  Alec is entirely focused on his relationship with Magnus, and he is impatient with a clearly suicidal Jace.  You can count on one hand the number of minutes that Alec and Jace are on screen together in 3B.  

- Book Jace becomes (with Clary) head of the NY institute, having rejected and fought against bigoted members of the cohort.  I appreciate that this likely could not be shown b/c the show does not have the rights to TDA, but this does not explain why the show made Jace so incompetent as head of the NY institute.  Show Jace gets the job only because of nepotism (Herondale blood).  Show Jace is on board with the downworlder registry.  Show Jace is so incompetent that he abdicates in favor of  Alec after about a day.  None of this made any sense.

- Book Jace is all-in w/ Clary from the beginning.  He has one encounter w. Aline, but that’s presented as being as much about Aline’s confirmation of her sexual identity as it is about Jace in turmoil.  (I know some people object to CC’s writing of Aline, but again, it’s her story.)   But even if the showrunners felt that the Jace/Aline hook-up was “problematic” -- and I get that some fans feel that way -- why did the show choose to do some weird male version of slut-shaming of Jace? There is the Jace encounter with Maia.  (To be clear, this was shitty to the Maia character, too.  She hooks up with a drunk rebounding Jace, whom she had just tried to kill. behind a bar.)  And, the comments about Jace, Kaelie and book club. Everyone keeps talking on the show about how Jace sleeps around, and they judge him for it, when, in reality, Jace is pretty darn faithful to his relationship with Clary from the moment they meet.  Simon, Clary, Alec, Magnus, and Izzy all have more sexual encounters (and in the case of Simon and Izzy, more partners) vs. show Jace.  And no one calls Simon or Clary slutty.  No one decides that Alec is unworthy b/c he lies to Magnus.  And no one decides Magnus is unworthy or slutty or not devoted to Alec because he’s had many sexual partners in the past.

- As noted elsewhere, the show isolated and shamed a clearly depressed and suicidal Jace in 3B.  He’s shown devastated and alone in 3B when he thinks Clary is dead in the “Lost Without You” montage:  Alec (his parabatai) and Magnus are busy comforting each other;  Maia is comforting Simon; Mayrse is nowhere to be found.  Same thing after Jace almost gets himself killed on the mission involving the Seelie:  Alec yells at him and tells him to suck it up; Mayrse once again is absent; and only Izzy checks in.  Then, in the flash forward, Alec, Magnus, Izzy, Luke, Mayrse, and Maia all seem entirely unconcerned with Jace’s state of mind.  Once again, he’s told to suck it up and move on.

4.  Female characters/ sexuality generally on the show:  So much could be written about the show’s treatment of its female characters generally.  Book Izzy is strong and fierce, and yes, body and sex positive.  Show Izzy is all over the map.  S1 captures Izzy’s sass, but she’s treated like slutty eye candy sometimes.  S2 and S3 Izzy has more depth, but less sass.  Tell me again why she had to be a drug addict?  Or, why she gets disarmed by Clary (who had a couple of months of training at that point in show time) in the finale?  Or why she alone (vs. Mayre or Alec) is sent to check on a clearly suicidal Jace?  To be clear, I loved the Jace/ Izzy bond, but why does the show let Alec and Mayrse off the hook w/ regard to Jace’s mental health, and leave Izzy w/ caretaking duties?   And Mayrse, who seems to exist in season 3 solely for the purpose of being punished — and then being redeemed — for her S1 homophobia. She becomes “captain of the Malec ship” after being deruned, and then is shown caring for Alec when Magnus is in Edom, and nurturing the Malec relationship. But, she vacations in Brazil in the finale with zero regard for her grief-stricken, suicidal adoptive son? And then there is Maia. Why does she hook up with Jace against a wall behind a bar? And what’s with the forgiving her abuser storyline?  And Clary.  Believe me, nothing made me happier than the show’s decision to make reasonably short work of the incest story line.  But to have Clary literally jump into bed with Simon, her bff?  Immediately after learning --falsely, as it turns out -- that Jace was her sibling?  Was that Clary’s first sexual encounter?  Was is not weird to suddenly start sleeping with your friend (who you turned into the vampire, and who can walk in the daylight b/c he drank your ex-boyfriend/ now you think your sibling’s  blood)?  I know the books present Jace, Clary and Simon as a love triangle — YA, after all — but book Clary wrestles w/ her feelings for Simon. I get that aging them up on the show — which I liked — would have changed the dynamic around these relationships and the characters’ sex lives, but the handling of the Climon story line was so clumsy. And, in any event, why is S2 Clary snarky about Jace’s sexual past (the book club comments)?  And in 3B, why does dark Clary manipulate — or worse — a basically roofied Jace at the club?

5. The Memory Wipe:  OH.MY.GOD.  I CANNOT EVEN CONVEY THE DEPTHS OF MY DISLIKE FOR THIS TROPE OF A PLOT POINT.  In the book, Simon volunteers to give Asmodeus his memories, thus saving Magnus (and everyone else).  Once again, this makes narrative sense -- Simon never wanted to be a vampire, and he (unlike Magnus) could survive the loss of his memories, and even return to mundane life.  And, after Simon gives up his memories, his friends NEVER give up on him.  Clary, Izzy, and the others watch him, they reach out to him, and eventually, with Magnus’s help, they reconnect with him.   Magnus even says that stealing Simon’s memories was a little bit “fascist.”

Show Clary has it much, much worse.   Let’s remember how it played out in the finale:  

- Jonathan goes on a murderous rampage.  Clary saves the world using her rune power, killing her last living relative, knowing she would be stripped of the Sight and her memories.  

- Notwithstanding Jonathan’s mass slaughter and Clary’s sacrifice, the MOST IMPORTANT THING is that Magnus and Alec have decided to get married at the institute the very next day, after dating for about three months on-and-off in show time.  

- And so we have much of the finale devoted to the wedding.  We see everyone smiling and happy (despite the slaughter of shadowhunters around the world the day before and Jonathan’s death at Clary’s hands).  We see Clary in a very revealing dress sobbing as she dances with her boyfriend and her runes are obviously disappearing -- but no one notices. We see Jace letting a sobbing Clary walk out the door.

- And then we see Clary alone, sobbing on the street in a revealing party dress, in the cold, with no memories, no I.D., no best friend, no love of her life, no money, no home (burned down in season 1), no mother (killed by Alec), no father figure. Nothing.  I get that sacrifice is a shadowhunter virtue, but the trope of a memory wipe (I see you, Chuck) is SO far from canon, and so inconsistent with how Clare wrapped up the Clary (and Jace stories).  Zero emotional logic.

- Then, to make matters worse, we jump ahead one year, and no one gives a shit about Clary or Jace or their sacrifice at all.  Alec and Magnus are living their best life mixing cocktails in Alicante (leaving Alec’s clearly devastated and suicidal parabatai to just figure things out, I guess).  Maryse (Jace’s adoptive mother) and Luke (Clary’s father figure) are vacationing in Brazil, seemingly more concerned about the humidity than they are about Clary or Jace; Izzy and Simon are loving life together at the NY institute (so much for Clary and Izzy as parabatai, or Simon and Clary’s friendship); and Simon tells a grieving, suicidal Jace -- the same Jace who almost killed himself a couple of weeks prior in show time -- to stop checking on Clary and to move on.  Apparently, Simon thought that Maia’s naming a salad after Clary was enough.   So much for Jace’s mental health.  So much for Clary and Simon’s friendship (and in the books, their eventual parabatai bond). 

- But, we we did get closure for the lizard/ Lorenzo; Underhill’s first name; and an update on Raphael.  All of these developments were apparently more important than honoring Clary’s narrative arc, her chosen identify as a shadowhunter, her relationship with Jace, and her chosen family.  

None of it made any sense.

1. Why would the angels strip Clary of the Sight when she used her rune power to SAVE THE DAMN WORLD?  After all, let’s see who gets to keep the Sight/ memories in the showrunners’ telling:  Valentine (insane, imprisoned an angel, killed downworlders and shadowhunters ); Jonathan (murderous, insane); Alec (killed Clary’s mother while possessed); Izzy (also possessed); Jace (killed his grandmother and mundanes while possessed, threw Clary off a roof, almost killed Alec); Jocelyn (almost killed Jace, circle member); Aldertree (despite getting Izzy addicted to drugs and torturing downworlders).  The list goes on.  But Clary’s invention of runes to stop her insane brother from destroying the world incurs the wrath of the angels? 

2.  The showrunners would have us believe that Clary lost the Sight (and her memories) because the angels were spiteful.  How does this fit with Cassie Clare’s conception of angels AT ALL?  They are completely unconcerned with human emotions in the books. And, why would only Clary suffer this fate when, as noted above, there are shadowhunters who did terrible things for entirely selfish or otherwise awful reasons? 

3.  In what world would Jace not notice his girlfriend’s runes disappearing?  In what world would he ever let his sobbing, de-runed girlfriend -- whom he just got back from the twinning rune/possession/killing her last living relative -- walk out the door alone?

4. For a show so concerned about representation, what about Jace’s story as a survivor of childhood abuse and trauma?  What about Jace’s near suicide earlier in 3B?  Why does everyone in Jace’s life (specifically Alec after the Seelie mission and Simon in the finale) tell Jace to suck it up and move on when he is clearly depressed and suicidal?  What about the show’s depiction of the relationship between Jace and his adoptive family? What message does the finale send about who was — and was not — a member of the Lightwood family when Mayrse and Alec either ignore Jace or yell at him when he is grieving and suicidal? So much for family. And, what about Clary’s mental health, after the showrunners stripped her of her friends, family, chosen family, memories, identity, home, and love?  

And then, after all of this, the showrunners made things worse by talking up how important the wedding was for them, even as they made it clear they didn’t care about the resolution of the Clary, Jace and Clace story lines.

- The show runners misidentified the supposedly spiteful angel who I guess would have been the big bad in Season 4 in press coverage of the finale.

- They said they didn’t know where the Clary, Jace and Clace story was heading, and that “fan fiction” would figure it out.

- They talked about how difficult and important the seating chart was for the wedding, and about how they had tried to get every character, no matter how minor, back for the “reception” scene.  And they spent precious time in the finale showing us party scenes involving ancillary non-canon characters (Underhill, Lorenzo) vs. coming up with a coherent resolution to the protagonist’s story.

- They engaged only with Malec content on social media, and talked endlessly how the show was a “love letter” to fans, and ignored less favorable fan reaction involving the Clary and Jace characters.

- Same drill for the writers, BTW.  A young female writer for the show (who supposedly was the book stan in the writers’ room) has been on social media explaining how great it was Clary’s story line came “full circle” in finale.  She’s now heading to a con with the show runners, having studiously ignored questions about the show’s treatment of Clary and Jace. (I get why she would do this — work, and all — but still.)

- To the extent the showrunners, producers, and writers have addressed Clary and Jace at all in press coverage of the finale, they have argued that the memory wipe was no harm/no foul b/c the final scene suggests that love conquers all.  First, we knew that -- we are talking about a pulpy YA novel, after all.  Second, if the last scene sends the message that love conquers all, it’s because Kat M. and Dom S., the performers, imbued that scene with more depth and emotion than the writing deserved.  Finally, the love conquers narrative ignores the fact that Clary and Jace earned their character arcs as INDIVIDUALS, not just as half of a ship.  Clary deserved her identity, her chosen family, and her love.  Jace deserved his hard-won happiness with himself, and in his relationship with Clary (and in his relationships with Alec and Izzy).  I personally didn’t want a wedding -- I don’t think anyone should get married after a few months of mostly unsuccessful dating.  I did, however, want to see these characters enjoying their hard-won happiness vs. a dystopian future for two characters only, w/ a rom com meet cute tacked on at the end.

Fundamentally, the showrunners made SHTV into a fan service-, ship war- driven series of plotpoints in 3B and the finale.  There are lots of potential reasons for this:  Maybe they preferred the Malec storyline, and thought that playing to Malec fans might help the show get picked up (or maybe get a Malec spinoff approved); maybe they thought that punishing Jace and sidelining Clary might please some segments of the SHTV fandom; maybe they bought into the idea that the books are “problematic” and need to be fixed, or that dislike of certain performers justifies trashing the character.  Whatever.  The end result is the same:  For me, they lost the narrative thread of the characters, and the emotional logic of the stories.  They fed into a stupid ship war and a stupid book vs. show war.  And, they played into scarcity, as if honoring Malec required tearing down Clace.  

At the end of the day, the show runners’ decision to wipe Clary’s memory broke the show for me.  No matter how much I love Malec, and no matter how amazing the last scene was (and how lovely the performances were in that scene), I will always believe that Clary and Jace deserved better.

And so I want to say to the showrunners and writers:  NEXT TIME, LET YOUR PROTAGONIST HAVE HER STORY.  SHE EARNED IT.  (And FFS be tiny bit humble when there is source material :-).  

[aconitemare]

[jaydick fic] Before That, And Colder

Chapter One

Summary:  It's been over a year since Dick left Spyral. He's finally settling back into his old life, but his time undercover has unsettled the dust that once collected over the past. Now Dick has a barrage of untouched memories to sort through and yet another Batman case summoning him away from the 'Haven. And while Dick is catching up to his past, Jason's is catching up to him.

AO3

Next Chapter 

The Batcave has a myriad of underground tunnels leading to it from miles around, but Dick as usual enters through the same trapdoor in the study he used as a kid. This library is more modest than the others Bruce keeps, with tenfold the ambiance. The books flaunt their withered spines and yellowed pages, elders of an erudite community, and intrigue emanates from the very dust collecting atop shelves and between pages. This is not a room Alfred obligates himself to maintain quite so keenly. His neglect may be strategic, some emergency deterrent to wandering guests with sensitive allergies. Not that a guest has ever, at least to Dick’s knowledge, made it this deep into the Manor. 

This particular room also features in a long-standing, recurring dream Dick has had since he was ten years old. The dream has aged with him; the details are softer, more nebulous — his subconscious could once recall the exact titles on each book’s spine, the precise pattern of the red and gold rug on the floor — but the dream’s accuracy eventually faded with the real-life furniture. The quiet terror that possessed him, however, intensified. The worsening fear is probably not specific to the dream though; the world itself is scarier to Dick than it was fifteen years ago.

The dream begins with Dick in this study, the burning sconces casting shadows and providing dim light. In the real world, the sconces are electronic; man-made, ordinary, and only on if he flicks the switch. But in his head, they are made of real fire. They burn regardless of him, entirely independent of his actions, ignited long before he arrives. As the scene progresses, Dick opens the trapdoor by pulling out the correct books in the correct order; putting them back in a different, correct order; waiting for the middle shelf to retract into the wall behind it; staring unblinking into the retinal scanner until he was cleared. 

This process quickened as Dick got older until the door would open without him lifting a finger. The door immediately reveals a steep, stone staircase that plunges into infinite darkness. The wordless terror, the fear that calls distantly as if from the other end of a tunnel, grips him here. He must descend the stairs; that is the dream’s one imperative. Sometimes he takes the first step himself, allowing the unknown to swallow him by increments. Sometimes he falls, a blameless mistake, and slips innocently into the open mouth of night. Sometimes he is pushed, a comforting hand on his back turned treacherous. Dick never does look behind his shoulder or acknowledge the betrayal; he doesn’t need to. He knows who the man is and trusts him even as he plummets. 

 But that is all a dream. The trapdoor doesn’t really open unto a staircase — not right away, at any rate. Dick has to make the trek through a dimly lit corridor first, which is murder on the legs after just patrolling Bludhaven. He hasn’t had time to relax the muscle, having coming straight here after a text from Bruce. The door makes a loud sound when it finally shuts, which Dick remembers used to freak the bejeezus out of him when he was ten. The temperature also drops rapidly, although this doesn’t unsettle him anymore. Robins fear neither dark nor enclosed spaces. They revel in the creepy-crawly. Flourish, even, once training has been completed. 

Dick takes the stairs two at a time. The elevator, accessible through a strangely grandiose walk-in storage closet, wasn’t added until much later in Dick’s adolescence. He still prefers the stairs; they feel quicker. Cement gives way to rock. The air dramatically cools halfway down the stairs. Moisture clings to the walls, the ceiling, the floor. A few feet from where he stands, the Batcave is bathed in blue light. Dick spots Bruce down below, ant-like from here, bowed before a colony of busy monitors. Dick leaps over the last ten steps or so, flitting towards the hunched exoskeleton of the Batman. 

“You summoned?” Dick greets and thinks about how ants communicate through pheromones and stridulation. An ant can disclose its role within the group by injecting pheromones into food, which they then directly feed another ant. Dick pictures Bruce rapidly rubbing his legs together, finds this funny, and then imagines Damian spitting chewed-up falafel into Tim’s open mouth. This is no less funny for its grossness. 

Bruce glances at him, a miraculous feat that nearly sends Dick stumbling backward in shock. “What’s that face for?” Bruce asks in the same second he quickly returns his focus to his research. Dick consciously relaxes his wrinkled nose, courtesy of Ant-Damian. 

“No reason,” answers Dick breezily. “How’s Gotham hanging?”

Bruce’s chosen screen, a small tablet-sized rectangle built into the desk, mirrors the information on the much larger main screen on the wall. Dick cranes his neck to look at it, but not before catching the upward tug of Bruce’s lips. “From the belfry, as usual,” he quips. 

“Ha!” Dick exclaims and pokes Bruce’s shoulder once. “That was funny. I knew you had it in you, B.”

“Thank you.”

Dick continues, “Everyone told me, ‘that man is as dry as a raisin,’ but I insisted that you’d make a joke pun-day.”

“I already said thank you, Dick,” Bruce reminds. Across the giant screen is a slowed-down video reel of a man — a boy, really, judging by the way he holds himself despite his grown height — being tied to a streetlamp. 

“Who’s that?” Dick asks. 

Bruce zooms in on the victim’s face. “Terry Weind. Sixteen years old. Badly beaten, but stable. General Hospital released him this morning. There are two other young men — both aged sixteen, both from low-income households — discovered in the same fashion in downtown Gotham the past month.”

“So I’ve heard,” admits Dick. No pictures of the victims have been released, either through mainstream news channels or the bat-vine. Dick recognizes the background instantly as Park Row where Bruce had taken the liberty of installing his high-tech spycams. Bruce keeps Crime Alley well-monitored even as a memorial. For good reason, as it turns out, because it’s suddenly become volatile again after years of dormancy. 

Bruce switches to the next tape. “Devin White, fifteen years old. He’s the third victim and was admitted last night. According to Oracle, hospital records list him with internal bleeding, a cracked skull, two shattered kneecaps, a fractured scapula, and a broken arm.”

Devin looks up on the screen and Dick automatically pauses the tape, hand darting across the keyboard, to take in the boy’s fear-blown brown eyes. He resumes the video. 

“I can’t identify the assailant,” Bruce informs, keying into Dick’s intent. “He wears a red hood and keeps his head down at all times. According to Gordon, the victims are all certain it was a man but none can remember his face.”

That surprises Dick. “They would’ve been looking right at him. And there’s street lamps,” he says.

Bruce grunts his assent, eyes glued on his screen. Devin struggles futilely on the screen as the man steps back and raises his arm above his head. Moonlight glints on metal.

“Wait,” says Dick, throat tightening, “is that —”

Before he can finish his sentence, the gleaming crowbar cracks against the boy’s skull. And then his face. His left shoulder. His right. His kneecaps then. Face again, other side. Dick’s jaw clenches. He doesn’t look away. At the end, the man removes his phone from his pocket and holds it over the boy — either taking a picture or sending a text, or both, from the angle and the time it takes before he’s pocketing the object again. 

“One of the Joker’s goons,” Dick decides, punch-to-the-gut quick, when the attacker finally walks away, crowbar tucked into a duffle bag and the boy a crumpled piece of paper beneath a weakly flickering light. Dick changes his mind. “But no, he wouldn’t care anymore. It’s been, god, six years.” Out loud, six doesn’t sound very long at all. Dick sees Jason’s death like a black-and-white photograph, forever ago and therefore impossible today. But the pictures of Jason back then are in color, his visage spread out on the front pages of newspapers dating within the decade. “The joke’s been played out,” Dick declares anyway because it would be for the Joker. 

“Maybe not. He’s unpredictable and historically not above recycling old material. That’s why the hoodie bothers me,” Bruce confesses. He pauses the video and faces Dick. The glow from the monitor limns the severe cut of his cheekbone as it casts his face into extremity: the heavy brow pulls farther down, the wide lips weld into one shut line, and his austere eyes sink towards a deeper, darker blue. Dick sees himself in the pupils, a distant figure peering out from a dark well. 

Bruce pushes his chair away from the desk so he remains seated yet notably detached from Devin White. Dick can feel the heat emanating from the computers, warming one side of his body, as Bruce rests his chin atop his palm. Aloud, Bruce contemplates the question, “Is the color coincidental, or a nod at the Red Hood?”

Dick barely even registered the color, but once he does, his heart drops into the pit of his stomach. His stomach drops to his feet. His whole body has capsized, the world itself hurrying to reorient itself to his new right-side-up. “That would mean the Joker knows Red Hood was a Robin.”

“It would, wouldn’t it,” Bruce says flatly. 

Dick follows the train of thought. “Then — what? He knows you watch the Park Row Memorial? He’s — baiting you? What does he want with this stunt?” Dick looks, frustrated, away from the broken kid on the screen towards the sturdy man in front of him. Bruce is quiet for a few moments, moments where Dick can feel his own heartbeat in his chest, his ears, his fingertips. He waits Bruce out, a red gash of a smile widening behind his eyes meanwhile. Then, finally:

“I met Jason on Park Row.” The statement is more utterance than response, spoken to the floor in a low tone. Dick’s mind immediately presses against whatever anxiety Bruce is brewing for himself. 

“A lot of events have happened on Park Row,” says Dick. “If you think this person — the Joker, or whoever ��� knows that much, ah, they’d have to be psychic.” Internally, Dick’s profile of Jason and Bruce makes room for another detail. Twenty-five years old, out of the house for seven years, and still Dick collects his mentor’s unnecessary, painful secrets. Dick is a recordkeeper of other people’s wounds. 

Bruce leans back. Dick knows he means to reset himself; change the angle of his thoughts with the angle of his body. “Maybe so,” Bruce grants, “but I’m willing to bet they know that street hits close to home.”

Dick purses his lips and thinks of scattered pearls. “Everything that happened on Park Row happened to Bruce Wayne, not Batman,” he reasons. “If the Joker knew who you were, and what this memorial meant to you, he wouldn’t lead with a Robin. Even one he,” here, Dick falters. “Even Jason,” he neatly amends. “His obsession is wholely with you.”

Bruce considers this. “Then either it’s not the Joker at all, or the Joker only knows that Red Hood was Robin, without knowledge of Jason Todd, or —”

“Or the ski-mask is purely coincidence,” Dick finishes. “For that matter, Bruce, it could all be coincidental — the victimology, the weapon —”

“Except that Jason contacted Tim the other day,” Bruce interrupts. His tired eyes seize Dick, seem to shake him by his very arms. “The day following Weind’s attack, photographs of the victim were left on his patrol bike. Photographs of Leland’s attack were delivered to the Red Hood through a series of messengers switching hands until the envelope got to him. The latest victim, as of two nights ago, had photographs attached to his bike again.”

Dick’s eyebrows have raised by this point. “Jason told Tim all this?” 

“More or less. Not enough to satisfy, but Jason is hardly cooperative as a general character trait. Tim compiled his notes for me; I’ll forward them to you.”

Dick bites the further questions that taste like metal on his tongue, demanding to know why Jason would go to Tim first. It’s not essential. It’s reached Dick, at any rate, as all family matters do.

“Whomever our perp is, we can safely assume they know the details of Robin’s death and know that he came back as Hood.” Dick waits for Bruce to contribute more information, some other detail Tim afforded him, and continues when Bruce gives the slightest nod. Bruce is already on his computer, retrieving Tim’s file on the case and mailing it to Dick. “That’s a lot of baseline knowledge on their part,” Dick muses. “And a lot of patience. This is a long-con, no question.” 

Dick rambles about Jason’s enemies — mostly ordinary gangbangers who likely wouldn’t have the connections or patience to sleuth Hood’s previous alias — as well as Batman’s historic opponents, who have never exhibited an equivalent fixation with any of the Robins before. Bruce rubs his chin, eyes on his computer, while Dick consolidates their shared thoughts. 

“Not to get technical here, but we have a whole boatload of equally implausible possibilities here, Bruce,” Dick concludes.

“No more so than we usually start off with on a case,” Bruce replies immediately.

Dick laughs, low and tired. He can feel exhaustion creeping into his bones at the same steady pace all his needs do. Hunger, fatigue, thirst, rest — these sensations rarely overwhelm him, but instead stalk him with restraint like prowling predators. 

When Dick laughs, Bruce glances up at him with a small smile. For a moment, Dick thinks of spending the night in his old bedroom. But he has a life in Bludhaven. His life. 

Dick’s work phone buzzes. He slides it out, unlocks it, to skim over Tim’s notes. “So, should I put in a request for time off at the station?” he checks, half-joking. The BPD had been graciously flexible during his first year as a beat cop, but his stint in Spyral has reset any seniority he might have accumulated. Plus, he’s reluctant to coast on the “aren’t you jazzed I’m not actually dead” card. Half his coworkers entered after Dick’s time in Bludhaven, and only a quarter of the ones who remember him appreciated the cleaning-out he did on the dirty cops. 

Bruce quirks an eyebrow. “Can you afford to?” he asks. 

Dick translates the question in his head: Would you let me help with your bills in the meantime? “Probably not. I don’t need time off. I’m used to not sleeping — seriously, I think if I had a full eight hours, it would actually shock my system and land me in a hospital,” Dick answers. He looks around the cave in the overpowering light that somehow manages to always feel dim. Is there a comfortable chair he can settle into? He’s getting too big to perch on the computer desk without pressing fifty buttons, some of them possibly red and ominously labeled things like “EJECT” and “DO NOT TOUCH.” 

“Are you equating sleep deprivation with drug addiction?” Bruce asks, amusement lightening his voice, draining some of the dark from the room. 

Dick locates an ultra-cozy office chair shoved near a map table. He sets his sights on the coffee-stained throw pillow atop heavy black leather. “I’m just saying, that would be a strange ER story: man jittery from insomnia withdrawals. Why risk the news headlines?” he muses, wheeling the office chair towards Bruce. 

Bruce does not agree. Instead, he points out, “You assume in a city hounded by masked villains and mini apocalypses that ‘son of billionaire sleeps pretty okay at night’ would catch people’s attention?”

Dick quietly blooms when Bruce says son . It’s a warm word like sun . How badly he always wants to hear that word; he stretches towards it, leafy limbs unfurling. He tries not to preen and instead seats himself, beginning the process of getting comfortable. This position, and then that position, around and around. 

“You look like a dog circling its tail when you do that,” remarks Bruce. 

Dick scrolls to the top of the file on his phone, having figured out how to spend the next few hours. “Dogs have the right idea. How else can you know for sure you’re using the cushion to its greatest potential unless you sample seating arrangements?” The file is far from lengthy, he’s gathered while skimming, but there are details Bruce hasn’t covered in their conversation. For example, all the victims were attacked downtown, but Trey Leland lives in Bludhaven and was only passing through. Opportunistic, Dick characterizes the attacker. 

“Are you comfortable?” Bruce asks. Dick grunts affirmatively, trying to focus. He hears Bruce say something about how Dick never stays in one spot anyway, but the words are more like ideas, like something transmitted through playscape talk tubes. 

There’s a zone Dick wants to reach where details of a case will absorb him so fully he doesn’t register hunger, exhaustion, or his bladder for that matter. Everyone in the masked business knows the zone, but it’s harder to access when he’s tired, which he is — a bad start for this mission, so he will try to sleep after tomorrow’s shift if he can. It occurs to him that he might not be able to, considering he doesn’t have a gauge on how long until this criminal will strike again, or escalate from teenagers to their actual target. 

He looks up from his phone and, from where his head spills out over the chair’s arm — noticeably hard and plastic beneath the cushion, already chafing the back of his neck — scrutinizes Bruce. Bruce must be tired, too, because he actually breaks away from his computer to return Dick’s stare.

“Yes?” prods Bruce after a moment. 

Dick answers immediately. “We’re going to have to work with Jason.”

Bruce’s expression reveals no challenge with this. “Yes,” he replies, neutral.

“Like, close-up. Face-to-face. We might have to — guard him,” he finishes, lamely, hoping he’s getting his point across. 

Luckily, Bruce does seem to understand finally the monumental undertaking of convincing Jason to accept their full help. “He’ll insist he has his own safehouse,” Bruce says. 

“Or that he has his own team,” Dick adds. 

“That team is haphazard at best with little in the way of deductive skills,” Bruce argues.

“It’s none of our business, he’ll say,” Dick counters.

“Then he should not have contacted Red Robin,” Bruce dismisses easily. 

 Dick is reevaluating his decision to remain on duty at the BPD. He’s almost not even tired anymore with this new, shiny, family-resistant case. “His safehouse is still functional,” Dick tosses into the ring. 

Bruce’s voice turns grave, eyes suddenly weighing onto Dick like stones on his chest. “No house is safe,” Bruce criticizes, “and the only people he can trust are the people whose identities may be equally compromised by this situation.”

Dick purses his lips and thinks. “He won’t like that,” he warns.

Bruce’s voice regains that darkness Dick tries so hard to lighten. It’s no use, though, not during cases like these, not when Jason is present. And he is always present, in the style of phantoms, but particularly now. Bruce flexes his jaw. “But he will heed it,” he states. 

Dick knows, if his and Jason’s situations were reversed, if Jason was the one putting barriers on whom Dick could trust, Dick would not listen. Dick would push back and then pull away from Jason, from Bruce and his untrusting brood. He has before. 

Dick watches Bruce who has fixed his attention concretely on the screen. He’s excruciatingly tense and it fills up the cave, tightening the muscles in Dick’s shoulder. The tendons in Bruce’s jaw flex and Dick can feel Bruce’s teeth grinding in his own head. He wants Bruce to turn around and meet his gaze. He wants to know if he’ll see himself in Bruce’s eyes again. But it’s no use; Bruce isn’t looking at him. He’s been dismissed without a word. 

Next Chapter

[hetamavi]

Did England Raise America?

It’s widely accepted in this fandom that England raised America. If you’ve ever seen or, unfortunately, got caught up in a shipping war concerning UsUk, it’s an argument I can guarantee you’ve seen be thrown around.  

However, that argument is one I want to call into question. Because, the thing is...England DIDN’T raise America.

Throughout this analysis, I will cover why the two don’t qualify as an adopted family relationship. Both Hetalia canon and historical information will be used. I will also use this perspective to analyze the two as separate characters. All translated images used here are from hetarchive and hetascanlations.

One more thing! This analysis is not intended to convince you of anything as far as shipping is concerned. Whether England raised America and whether the UsUk relationship is romantic are two distinct topics. I have many motivations for writing this analysis. Trying to tell you what to ship is not one of them.

LOOKING AT IT HISTORICALLY

The first American colony was established in Jamestown, Virginia in 1607. The American Revolution started in 1775 and ended in 1783. If we were to say the American colonies were still considered colonies until the very end of the war, this would mean that Great Britain and the United States had a colony-colonizer relationship for 176 years. A relatively very short time period for a society to be established and then grow until finally declaring and winning Independence. So.  

How did this happen so quickly?

The answer lies in the fact that, from nearly beginning to end, the British left the colonies to take care of themselves. Which makes sense logically when you think about it. Britain had its own regional issues and the distance provided by the Atlantic Ocean wasn’t making governing the American colonies any easier. So, Britain neglected to do so. The biggest British presence in the colonies came in the form of Royal Governors, but even their power was more theoretical than actual thanks to the power over the purse assemblies (which consisted of colonial elected officials rather than anyone appointed by the King) wielded over these governors. If a Royal Governor didn’t comply with the needs and wants of the those in the colonies, their paychecks were cut short. In they were compliant, they would get bonuses. This power over the Royal Governors only increased as time went on until the Assemblies were the main governing power in the colonies. (Source) (Source)

The most significant attempt at having any form of British policy came in the form of the Navigation Acts which were passed in the later part of the 17th century. The Navigation Acts were an attempt to regulate colonial trade, but what can I say other than they were very poorly enforced policies that failed on every level? Again, due to issues such as distance, it would have been more trouble than what it was worth to actually enforce the Navigation Acts so smuggling became a pretty common thing in the American colonies. (Source) (Source)

Unintentional neglect evolved into a degree of intentional neglect starting in the 1720s with the appropriately termed period of “Salutary Neglect” (though Great Britain started to loosen up its control even more than it already had starting back in the 1690s). Edmund Burke, who served as a member of British parliament, can be credited with naming this unofficial policy:

“That I know that the colonies in general owe little or nothing to any care of ours, and that they are not squeezed into this happy form by the constraints of watchful and suspicious government, but that, through a wise and salutary neglect, a generous nature has been suffered to take her own way to perfection; when I reflect upon these effects, when I see how profitable they have been to us, I feel all the pride of power sink, and all presumption in the wisdom of human contrivances melt, and die away within me.”

Starting in the 1720s with Robert Walpole’s (Great Britain’s unofficial first Prime Minister) rise to power, Great Britain intentionally started to turn a blind eye to colonial activity, particularly the already mentioned smuggling. The idea was that if the colonies were left alone to flourish, Great Britain would profit. This “let them do whatever” mentality lasted until the end of the French and Indian/Seven Years’ War, when heavy taxation started to take place in the colonies to pay for the war. And, thanks to the poor reception (to say the least) of the heavier taxes, Great Britain, for the first time since the colonies were first established, made more serious attempts to have a prominent presence in Colonial America (with things such as the “Intolerable Acts” and more taxation). This heavier presence combined with the previous long-time neglect is what led to the American Revolution that kicked off only 168 years after the first colony was established. (Source) (Source) (Source)

To sum this all up, Great Britain had a glaring lack of presence in its American colonies that led to a strong sense of autonomy. This sense of autonomy led to the American Revolution.

SO WHAT ABOUT HETALIA?

Now that it’s been established the notion of England raising America doesn’t make much sense from a historical perspective, it’s time to move on to Hetalia itself. After all, Hetalia doesn’t always perfectly match up with history so I can’t just end this on nothing but historical facts.

So, what about Hetalia then? What is the pre-Revolution relationship shared between America and England?

It’s one of absence and rapid growth. Let’s start from the beginning.

Here’s something from one of the earliest canon portrayals of colonial America. The strip starts out with England thinking of all the responsibilities he’d have to take on as America’s guardian. But the strip ends with England coming to the realization America is perfectly fine by himself, alluding to how the real-life colonies were self-sufficient without any British supervision. It’s a quick reference to colonial history, but one telling of what’s to come.

Here’s something a bit more telling. England leaves America and returns to find he’s developed into an adult or almost adult physical appearance. The first thing I want to talk about is young America’s reaction to England leaving him. While it’s not abnormal for a child to be upset when left alone, America is upset to the point of sobbing and begging England not to leave. Is that the type of reaction a child would normally have to being left by someone who was constantly around? No. Because normally the adult figure would return very shortly. But that’s not the case here. America is upset because he knows that once England is gone, he’s not going to stop by again any time soon.

Moving on to the second part of the strip, my first point seems to be proven right. Even with America’s quick physical growth, England must have been gone at least for a few years for such a dramatic physical change to have taken place. Speaking of, there’s that rapid colonial growth I was talking about earlier! We’ll get to see more of that later.

Now we move on to the Davie strip. The comic starts in Davie’s childhood and ends after his death. While I can’t say for sure, I’d guess this was a time span of 60-70 years and, judging by America’s appearance, took place during the earlier colonial years. Which leads me to suspect America’s growth started to REALLY speed up starting in the late 17th century, early 18th- around the time when Salutary Neglect was most prominent. Not long after the likely time Davie passed away.

So, 60-70 years. And America was a colony for only 176 years (less if you want to end at the beginning of the Revolution). And England has only two brief appearances, with each being many years apart going by Davie’s changing physical appearance. I think that information makes this comic the most telling in how often England was around colonial America.

It also makes thing a bit more tragic doesn’t it? The America I see here is that of a very lonely child who craves attention and company. So, he latches onto Davie, who is unfortunately a human that quickly passes away.

Moving on, we get a strip that shows America’s unusually fast growth. By the time he has a teenage body, Canada is still around toddler age. Also, worth mentioning is that America is seen with a book in both latter two panels and Canada’s way of approaching America and his wording in the very last one implies America is constantly busy. This is the diligent America I needed to see to completely match him up with colonial America in reality.

Here we do NOT see England holding his hand throughout this learning process. America is shown taking on the task of learning politics on his own and of his own free will. This is where the “England raised him” argument becomes extremely frustrating to me. Combine this strip with the one with the buffalo from earlier, and we get to see a hard-working, self-sufficient America that brought upon his own quick growth in the absence of his colonizer. A reminder not to take his modern obnoxious personality at face value. He is, in fact, VERY competent.

THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION

And with that, it’s time to talk about the American Revolution. I want to bring attention to the “I’m no longer your brother” line. This dialogue if often disregarded, since you can’t actually cut off familial relationships with words. However, I don’t that gives the full picture of what he means here. This is NOT a declaration of a sudden, immediate change.  

Think back to everything I’ve talked about up to this point. America showing a capability of handling himself at a young age, England’s absence throughout his growth, America growing up extremely quickly, the diligence and dedication he showed in teaching himself throughout that speedy growth…

Again, he is not making any sudden declaration of cutting familiar ties. He’s acknowledging something that has already happened. America has proven he’s more than capable of being fully independent by raising himself up into someone capable of taking a stand against England in under the time span of 200 years. The child England found is gone and England needs to acknowledge that.

With that said, let’s talk about England for a moment. Particularly his state of mind throughout all of this.

In Europe, England had NOBODY. He was the black sheep, the guy with no friends. So, he turned to America, or rather the idea of America, as a source of comfort.

America became his emotional crutch. But, besides such a thing being unhealthy, his relationship with America was, for the most part, not something represented in reality. He liked the IDEA of there being someone there for him. Once you get attached to at least the idea of a person always being there for you, you don’t NEED to constantly be there with them. As long as America is there waiting for him when he does have the time to stop by, his imagination can do the rest with sugarcoating reality. This is an accurate take on the different perspectives of the British and the colonies, with more emotional investment thrown in to make England seem more sympathetic and human. The British thought of the colonies as an entity completely subordinate and loyal to Great Britain. But the colonists didn’t really see things in that way. All the time they had spent left to their own devices had built up a spirit of autonomy.

When the Revolution breaks out, he reacts to the possibility of abandonment violently. Of course, there’s practical reasons to not want to lose the American colonies. But in England’s case, he seems to be driven by his emotional investment and reliance on America. Everything builds up until England finally breaks down in the end.

It’s not the cutting of familial ties that makes this scene so tragic. It’s seeing reality catch up to England. It’s seeing his loneliness and fear of abandonment completely exposed. It’s seeing that he kept fighting even when he had no Army behind him (possibly because everyone else had already given up). It’s seeing even some of America’s soldiers giving England looks of pity. It’s seeing America looking down on him and commenting on his fallen image.

As sad as this is, it needed to happen. Being under another nation’s rule was becoming a hinderance to America’s further growth, and England had become unhealthily attacked to something that amounts only to a fantasy. The bond was a toxic one.

MODERN TIMES AND CONCLUSION

Keeping this section brief, I’ll end this analysis on this scene.

America says he’s jealous of the kids specifically. Because, these kids have something America himself didn’t get the chance to have: a fulfilling childhood loaded with consistent affection.

America didn’t have an affectionate childhood, he was mostly alone. Or put more accurately, he didn’t have much of a childhood AT ALL. His early days weren’t anything you can attach much familial love to. He was more like an orphan than someone under the loving care of a father/brother figure. He was alone, so he had to grow up and raise himself (in this case, that happened on a more literal and physical level).

Saying England “raised him” is a dramatic misrepresentation of what happened and it’s a dramatic misrepresentation of the depth both characters have.

England wasn’t upset over losing a son. He was upset over losing an emotional crutch that he rarely even got to see. He broke down, because of insecurities that were an issue far before the Revolution happened. His miserable appearance during the Revolution wasn’t just apart of some isolated event. It was a look into England’s very troubled and lonely mind.

America wasn’t just some kid who decided to rebel against daddy. He was someone who had thrown away his own childhood, so he could raise himself. Nobody was there to help him. What he accomplished was through his own hard work and he, understandably, wanted that to be recognized.

And to those of you who are still put off by the title “brother” being used in America’s colonial days, remember that it’s a title that’s used very loosely in the series with the biggest perpetrator being “big brother France”. In this way, having a “big brother” indicates having a friendly relationship with an older male, especially one in a higher position of power. Another example of non-related characters using “brother” to describe each other are Norway and Denmark (with Denmark also addressing Iceland as such and overall thinking of himself as a “big bro”).

[smokeybrand]

That New New Deal

Lots of push-back on the Right about this Biden Infrastructure Bill. I think Moscow Mitch said no Republican in the Senate will vote for it and, on one hand, I'm astounded but, on the other, f*cking of course not, right? This is the type of sh*t that frustrates the hell out of my about Conservatives. This situation has happened before. This is exact sh*t that Biden's trying to pass, has already passed once. It's why you have bridges and highways and and power lines and all kinds of sh*t you take for granted, right now. FDR literally did this same f*cking thing, here in the States, coming off one of the worst economic downturns in US history because of the f*cking GREAT DEPRESSION. The New Deal won Roosevelt the Presidency from another ridiculous Republican in Herbert Hoover, who ran this country into the ground. It was a Democrat that cleaned up the mess, again, like always, and Biden is doing the same with his bill. This sh*t is history. It's OUR history. You don't have to look to some far more happy Euro country like the Frugal Four. The boogeyman of Democratic Socialism is a non-starter here. This sh*t is all us and it it worked. It's been proven. It literally saved America once. How can it not again? They teach a unit on the New Deal in school. They teach a whole ass unit on the Great Depression and the Market crash of '29 in school. They tell you, point blank, that the New Deal saved America. They're proud of that sh*t and they should be. It was a stroke of genius that set the US up to become the unchallenged superpower in the entire world.

Fast-forward to now and Biden is literally doing the same f*cking thing but, somehow, there are people who look at that sh*t and turn up their nose? Bro, it's already worked! The proof is in the f*cking electricity being piped into your house that powers you're deep state QANON dives on your laptop or you're sneering sycophancy toward Fox News and Tucker Carlson. Motherf*cker, you would have to hate by candlelight if not the the New Deal! Like, i don't understand how anyone, let alone actual politicians, can see the sh*t Biden is trying to do with his Infrastructure bill, knowing the historical success this country has had when it turns it's gaze inward in the same way FDR did, and give it the hard pass because it's "too expensive." Then stop buying broken ass F35s and sending teenagers to kill innocent Brown people overseas. Stop giving Jeff Bezos and the punk ass Waltons massive tax breaks to abuse their workers by horrifically exploiting labor. Maybe then we can invest in actually maintaining this country you f*ckos seem to think is so great, while actually neglecting the reality of how that greatness was sparked with FDR's New Deal in the first place. Seriously, at this point it's just cartoonish self-destruction. How the f*ck can you be so violently against your own self interests like this? It doesn't make any sense to me. How can it make sense to anyone??

[millennialdemon]

1995 Series: Romeo no Aoi Sora

[Re-write of a quick review from last year. Read on Wordpress]

Romeo no Aoi Sora (Romeo’s Blue Skies, also known as Romeo and The Black Brothers) is a 33 episode historical anime made by Nippon Animation and aired throughout the year of 1995 as part of the renowned World Masterpiece Theatre program. As with many World Master Piece Theatre feature anime, it is based on a classic novel – in this case the 1941 novel The Black Brothers (Die schwarzen Brüder) by Switzerland author Lisa Tetzner. The anime follows the story of Romeo, an 11-year old boy from a poor rural village in the mountains of Switzerland who sells himself to “The God Of Death”, a wicked man who bribes struggling families into giving him their children to sell as chimney sweeps in the city of Milan. Romeo meets a runaway boy named Alfredo and together they eventually form “The Black Brothers” – a group of young chimney sweeps who do anything they can to support each other in hard times and fend off attacks from a local gang.

Romeo no Aoi Sora marks the first 1995 series that I have completed, and I am pleased to say that I got such a wonderful start to this quest. Many of the early episodes had the same satisfying story beats I had hoped for since watching and enjoying the Flanders no Inu movie the previous year, and while the momentum definitely slowed in the second half, I wouldn’t say it was especially flawed or ever a drag to watch.

Back to the Flanders no Inu movie for just a moment though – it is so far the only other World Masterpiece Theatre production I have seen, so it was my point of reference when watching Romeo no Aoi Sora. I found Flanders no Inu to be a wonderfully focused, coherent movie. It may seem like a modest compliment, but the movie’s approach to structuring drama was truly fantastic and created a constantly increasing narrative momentum despite the mundane nature of the historical drama genre. A story so well crafted is a rarity when it comes to anime movies, which are almost always rushed or plainly incomplete, as if waiting for a sequel that usually never comes. This is especially true of movies that are spin-offs or summations of longer series, which Flanders no Inu was, making it even more impressive to me.

That being said though, I wouldn’t be surprised if the 52 episode Flanders no Inu anime series wasn’t as tightly put together as the movie counterpart, and had similar pacing issues as the Romeo no Aoi Sora TV anime.

The first half of the series was great and executed many dramatic set ups very well, making for an exciting, emotionally engaging watch. The second half of the series (mostly the last ~10 episodes) moved away from structured drama to focus on emotional reveals, and between or following those reveals were big action sequences (breaking into the castle) or emotionally lighter episodes (Michaelo losing his mother’s necklace after the grieving episode). This isn’t necessarily bad as it does make sense to explore the emotions and development of our main cast eventually, and I’d imagine most people would like relief after a heavy series climax like the one in Romeo no Aoi Sora – but I am not one of those people. Flanders no Inu was unbearable and I truly loved that about it. There were no loose ends and every line went somewhere meaningful that kept pushing the momentum and made each reveal and reaction just a bit more tragic than the last. So I was a bit worried when I saw that there was 4 or 5 episodes left of Romeo no Aoi Sora after the tragic series climax, and my worry wasn’t entirely unfounded because I did find that a few of the episodes were rather clunky and tonally inappropriate, particularly the one focused on Michaelo.

My only other gripe besides the change of pace was the framing of almost all of the “non-villain” adults in the series. I think it’s one thing for the children in context to like and forgive cruel adults, because they are innocent children and rely on them at the end of the day, but when Rossi becomes this somewhat fatherly figure who protects Romeo from his “even worse” wife and son, I have to object. I understand that characters can be flawed whilst still being forgivable, and I think there can be some nuance with alcoholic parents and the like, but I always remembered this throughout Romeo no Aoi Sora: he bought Romeo as a sub-human business asset, and “being nice” to your child slave can never supersede the fact that you have a child slave. Even if it could, Rossi was just as cruel as his wife and son towards Romeo until he risked his life to prove to Rossi that he, an 11-year old boy working harder than Rossi himself probably ever has to make money for his awful family, is worth treating like a human being. Another thing to keep in mind is that Rossi’s family have “hired” children before Romeo and likely weren’t nearly as kind to them, and they almost certainly hired more after Romeo left.

That is just one instance where this happens: Romeo has to convince bitter, mean adults who are either exploiting him or being otherwise cruel to be marginally kind to him, and once they “see the light” a la Romeo’s infinite kindness, are “redeemed” and become allies to Romeo or to his brotherhood.

I understand it’s a TV show for children about children, but it’s difficult to rationalize hand-waving this as a mostly harmless cliche when for the first ~5 episodes we focus on how cruel the “industry” of stealing children and ruining their families is. It may be too much for the adults to be constantly cruel and never let up, but they can let up and still be viewed in a negative light. Back to the first arc:

The “God of Death” takes Romeo to Milan and on the way, many awful things happen to Romeo and he meets other children locked up in a cellar with the same fate as him. They try to escape, realizing how dire their situation truly is, but end up almost dying in a storm-churned lake with their adult captors in the night. Romeo bravely decides to save the drowning God of Death, unable to let anyone die if he can help it. Unlike Rossi and Angeletta’s grandmother, the God of Death does not apologize or praise Romeo, and only shows that he is vaguely humbled by being a bit more passive. Nevertheless, he still takes Romeo to Milan, and still sells him. The dynamic between Romeo and the God of Death from the point where he wakes up post-drowning and the point where he sells him changes only slightly from what it was before, and the change is focused on Romeo’s impression. Romeo still dislikes him but is more inquisitive, and when they arrive in Milan there’s this wonderful, subtle moment where it is stated that “The God of Death was the only other person the children knew in Milan” – Romeo hates the God of Death, but as a child in a new place being bought by a strange new family, part of him is reluctant to leave. This moment is about Romeo’s feelings, and does not reflect a truth about the God of Death, who remains thoroughly evil up until the very end of the story where we see him bringing in a new batch of children to work as Romeo begins his journey home. So Romeo no Aoi Sora did manage to successfully soften a child’s impressions of a cruel adult, without making that adult heroic or likable eventually.

I would have liked if it took this more nuanced, Romeo-focused approach to characters like Rossi and Angeletta’s grandmother wherein his impressions could change, without a drastic shift in character from the adults towards “goodness”. Pardon another comparison, but the perhaps too simple, too optimistic view of the adults made me realize another thing I like about Flanders no Inu: the tragedy is that the adults never do the right thing, and Nello never gets a good enough opportunity to convince them to. Neglect and apathy is the enemy, and we see adults realize that they were wrong and mourn that, but it’s too late to be of any help to Nello and far too late to redeem them of their cruelty. By the time Alois’ father finally realizes he was wrong after Nello selflessly brought back his lost money despite needing it so much more badly than him, it’s too late to be of any significance to his character beyond realizing his arrogance is a part of Nello’s sad fate, and instead reflects on the tragedy of how Nello does not deserve that fate.

I have little interest in seeing Alois’ father and that nasty, nasty rent-collector realizing the errors of their ways and mourning Nello – in the same way, I have little interest in seeing Rossi and his wife realize they will miss Romeo. In one, it doesn’t happen and that’s great, and in the other it does and it feels jarring and unsavoury.

In the end, Romeo no Aoi Sora is still an anime I will hold dear and one that I would recommend to others who enjoy classic stories. I don’t necessarily think it is unethical to go along with the story-telling, even the small parts I didn’t like. The apologism of the family and a few other adult characters is still handled better than most other times I’ve seen in anime, because the changes are gradual, and the adults’ behaviours are usually familiar (not acceptable, but familiar and genuine) and are not at the front of the story. The main cast of children that we follow are charming and the themes of childhood comradery and bravery in the face of adversity are timeless. Even when Romeo no Aoi Sora is tragic, frustrating, or suspenseful – it is a joy to watch unfold.

Overall rating: Solid 8/10 from me and I feel already that it will stay one of the best titles of 1995. I am glad it’s the first birth year title that I ended up finishing.

[catwhite7-blog]

This match is much harder compared to the first, and you will receive on its own degree or thankfully die trying.

hentai games is never to be trifled with. Construction on the initial tough-as-nails reputation, crew Ninja's second samurai action rpg extends the original's penchant for penalizing and exceptionally nuanced combat. The sequel hones the initial distinctive spin about the Souls-like devoid of entirely obliterated it self. The end result is a lengthy, hard slog that will push even the maximum challenge-hungry gamers into their breaking points since they struggle for each inch of earth and eventually become grasp samurai. Inspite of the name, hentai games can be a prequel, showing that the secret history of a decades-long period of warfare from medieval Japan. Since the hushed, customizable hero Hide, you fight to find the trick nature of"spirit stones," that grant unnatural ability, and defeat hordes of Yo Kai around the country. 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A unsuccessful assault in Yo Kai mode not just wastes a powerful, slowly and gradually charging asset, but might also leave you unexpectedly vulnerable when you revert to a old self as your competitor captured you off-guard. In true hentai games mode, even your greatest advantage could become a opportunity for your own enemy to obtain the top hand. It's lots to know and, once more, you want to receive it down perfectly to over come exactly what hentai games throws at you. You may probably earn a whole lot of blunders and perish many, many times. Some times it's going feel like you have hit a solid brick wall and simply can not win. In many scenarios, you want to have a deep breath, figure out why you are neglecting, and correct the strategy to match. Refusing to change firearms or shoot challenges or otherwise be thoughtful about the best way to play will soon leave you disappointed. The more frustrated you get, the more the more likely you'll lose again. Learning your own skillset is merely a portion of their experience. To actually excel, in addition you will need to understand hentai games's large universe. There is an astounding amount of variety across an extremely long effort. Its winding, multi-area missions interval a myriad of surroundings, from burning temples and castles, to army camps, to woods and mountain sides. A number of them change dramatically because you research these giving you a excellent awareness of"traveling" and accomplishment for masking what feels as though a lengthy period. 1 historical level, for example, commences to the hillside outside a castle plus finishes in an significant underground cave. Even if the degrees seem similar--you only siege four to five castles round 20 marketing campaign assignments --diverse degree layout in both pathing and depth make each and every one feel distinct and worth conquering. It will help the maps are somewhat more than pleased, turny dungeon crawls. Many have at least one area having a single snare or environmental conundrum. In 1 forest amount, for example, a giant owl Yokai patrols specific locations, alerting enemies if it sees you. Throughout a castle siege, it's necessary for you to dodge artillery fire as you duel enemy soldiers. Additionally, you'll find Black Realm zones, white and black spots haunted by Yo Kai that provide a much greater challenge by slowing your Ki regeneration, sprinkled all through each degree. It is simply by beating a specific enemy in a Dark Realm it will dispel permanently, injecting more ways for you to make advancement which does not refresh once you employ a shrine (or expire ). Even for all its own variety, hentai games stretches all its content as much as possible. For every assignment in its core campaign, there are two to three side assignments, a number of which remix a part of a story assignment. In addition to there, you will find rotating Twilight Missions for high end players. In addition, upon completing the campaign, you're going to receive entry to an issue degree with higher-level enemies along with equipment. While it's really a small annoying inprinciple to engage in exactly the same area of a level three to four situations, each variation finds modest techniques to change your path along with pose new challenges to keep things new. If you are enthusiastic about wringing absolutely everything out of hentai games--master each and every weapon, get the highest level loot--that there are enough mission configurations to proceed until you've had your fill. Likewise, hentai games never appears to run out of new enemies to throw at you. Nearly every degree has at least new sort of Yokai that you study and also struggle versus. They run the gamut, from Deadly giant spiders into animalistic superhero soldiers such as the Enki, a huge monkey with a spear, and also the harpy-like Ubume. Every enemy has got its own selection of abilities, and you need to know about these as a way to expect their attacks and receive the top hand. This approach takes a while --you won't have it on the first try, or even after the first victory. Every enemy, although the little Gaki demon, that looks like a balding, redeyed child, may eliminate you when you're not bringing your A-game. Dissecting enemy layouts and figuring out how exactly to counter them would be your most adorable pleasure hentai games delivers: That there are so many enemies having therefore many diverse strikes to navigate make certain the game never ever loses its flavor. Even if the degrees seem like you simply siege a few castles across 20 campaign missions--varied level design in either pathing and depth make each and every 1 feel different and values conquering. You find this most clearly when you move up against each of the game's extremely tricky supervisor experiences. Much like the numbers, the bosses range broadly and therefore are sights to behold. From a giant spider with mini-snake arms to your three-story spider using a bull's head, each and every flagship enemy style and design has lots of personality and is unlike anything else you have observed from the game before. All of them have one thing in common, even though: They're incredibly tough. Even more than ordinary battles, the bosses effectively require perfect drama for a protracted period of time. You need in order to recognize every move they make since they allow it to and know just how exactly to respond instantly. Very few took me less than a dozen attempts, and a number took me a while.

Occasionally , I wondered if maybe a number of those directors ought to be described as a touch briefer, because you can find lots of bosses in which I felt I'd mastered their patterns but could not finish as they landed a single one-hit-kill late in the struggle. Eventually, that agonizing trouble and also the feeling it evokes are baked to hentai games's DNA, although, and its supervisor struggles stay compelling even as they vex and frustrate. Although it feels like a curse because you can play, it's really a testament that hentai games productively grabs and keeps the entire focus so close to such a long time .

[motivatingspeech]

The War of Dirty Tricks: How Richard Branson Defeated British Airways

The Remarkable Story Of Virgin Atlantic’s Historic Battle with British Airways: A Corporate Clash Which Changed The Course Of The Airline Industry.

  As the founder of more than 400 companies, Sir Richard Branson is without question one of the most renowned entrepreneurs of our time.  And, as you’re probably aware, this knighted businessman is no virgin to the skies.  Perhaps you may recall his attempt to circle the globe in a hot-air balloon.  Or, one of his more recent ventures: Virgin Galactic, the suborbital spaceflight company.  But, of course, this is not about hot air balloons or multi-planetary travel.  Rather, today’s episode focuses on the remarkable story of Virgin Atlantic’s historic battle with British Airways: a corporate clash which changed the course of the airline industry. If you’re a frequent flier, odds are you’re no stranger to arriving at an airport only to discover that your flight has been cancelled.  And, in 1978, that’s precisely what happened to 28-year-old Richard Branson, who found himself stranded in Puerto Rico after American Airlines cancelled his evening flight to the British Virgin Islands.  But Branson was determined to reach BVI that night, anxious to see his girlfriend, a woman who would eventually become his wife.  And so, he took matters into his own hands, and did what all great entrepreneurs do; he turned his frustration into action.  Branson decided to charter his own plane, which was a freedom he owed to the success of Virgin Records.  But instead of flying alone, he would split the cost with other fellow passengers en route to BVI who were also bumped by American Airlines.  In his typical eccentric-style, Branson went around the airport advertising his flight with a borrowed blackboard, which read:   “Virgin Airlines.  One Way.  $39 to BVI.”  After a short while of recruiting, Branson had officially sold-out his first plane.  Upon landing, a fellow passenger sitting next to Branson remarked:  “Sharpen up your service a bit, Richard, and you could be in the airline business.”  Intrigued by the idea, he called Boeing the very next day to inquire about any used Seven-Forty-Sevens they may have lying around.  After speaking with Boeing, he shared the audacious idea with his staff at Virgin Records, who failed to share his enthusiasm.  Even Branson would have to admit that it would be quite the career change.  After all, it’s one thing to sell vinyl records.  It’s quite another to challenge the fiercely competitive airline business — an industry with more than its fair share of bankruptcies.  But it wasn’t mere curiosity that sparked Branson’s interest in aviation.  More than anything, it was his desire to raise the bar in a business that was infamous for neglecting its passengers.  Flying was widely viewed as a dreadful experience; offering poor service, sub-standard food, and no entertainment.  In other words, the industry was ripe for disruption.  Always one to go against the establishment, Branson envisioned a different kind of airline; one that would prove that fun and business can, and should, co-exist.  But purchasing a Seven-Forty-Seven, even a used one, was a risky endeavor — and out of his budget.  If the business failed to take-off, he’d be stuck with a depreciating plane, which he would likely be forced to sell for much less than what he paid.  Brilliantly, Branson persuaded Boeing to accept a very different kind of deal; one that would completely cap his downside while providing unlimited upside.  Instead of buying the aircraft, Branson would lease it for 12 months.  And if things didn’t pan out the way he had hoped after one year in business, Branson could return the plane to Boeing; no harm, no foul.  Fueled by a business plan designed around having fun, Virgin Atlantic finally took to the sky on June 22nd, 1984.  But with only a single plane, offering just a single route, Branson was an underdog, flying in an increasingly crowded sky.  For comparison, British Airways boasted a fleet of over 300 planes.  Lord John King, Chairman of British Airways, was quick to dismiss 34-year-old Branson, remarking:  “He’s too old to rock’s roll, and too young to fly.”  But perhaps he spoke too soon.  After Virgin’s first year in business, Branson renewed his lease with Boeing, and added additional aircraft to his fleet just a few years later.  Much to Lord King’s dismay, his once-dismissed competitor was appearing more and more like a formidable threat.  If not for trouble-making Branson, British Airways would have enjoyed a monopoly position at Heathrow, as the only long-distance airline which flew from the UK to North America, and other popular destinations.  But the final straw came when Virgin Atlantic infringed on that monopoly and received permission to operate from London’s Heathrow airport, with Branson dressing as a pirate to celebrate the event; in the eyes of British Airways, Heathrow wasn’t just a profitable airport: it was their profitable airport.  British Airways had had enough.  Up until this point, Lord King was the undisputed leader of Britain’s aviation industry.  Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher even nicknamed the magnate as her “Favorite businessman”.  With his reputation on the line, it was clear that Virgin had to go.  Under no circumstance was the Lord King going to risk bruising his prestigious image- especially to some long-haired hippie from the record business.  From Lord King’s perspective, the spacious skies only had enough room for one airline.  With Virgin Atlantic now in the crosshairs, Lord King called an urgent and secret meeting with fellow executives, demanding that they "Do something about that Branson fellow.", and orchestrated a plan to take down Virgin, by any means necessary.  With all ethics tossed aside, British Airways formed a secret undercover unit to pursue what would infamously become known as “The Dirty Tricks Campaign”.  Rogue telephone helpline agents used the same booking system as Virgin, which allowed them to intercept Virgin’s reservations and call the competition’s passengers.  The covert team, pretending to be Virgin employees, informed passengers that their  flight had “unfortunately'' been canceled, but of course, they would be happy to accommodate  them with British Airways.  Lord King’s office also hired private investigators to spy on Branson and even dig through his trash, scavenging for anything they could find to attack Virgin Atlantic and his other ventures.  Most damning of all, the covert team allegedly leaked rumors to the press about Virgin’s finances, calling its solvency into question.  Everything up to this point was underhanded and sneaky, but this act could annihilate an airline.  If rumors spread that Virgin was broke, paying for fuel upfront, and flying empty planes, then Virgin’s days in the sky were numbered.  Branson already knew of British Airways’ Dirty Tricks when embarrassed agents from the unit broke down and told Branson what they had been ordered to do.  But when journalists began asking why every Virgin flight was late when departing from Heathrow airport, and to comment on the company’s desperate cash position, Branson could prove the libelous attack.  It was finally an offense that provided the necessary ammo that he needed to shoot down the Dirty Tricks Campaign once and for all.  Before he could take his case to court, he needed the financial muscle to battle the legal team at British Airways.  Branson’s Virgin Atlantic was feeling the pain from British Airways’ dirty tricks, posting an operating loss of nearly 10 million euros in October of 1993, only heightening his money troubles.  With a heavy heart, Branson faced the most difficult choice of his entire career:  He could either sell his beloved record company to fund his legal battle, or, roll the dice in court: potentially bankrupting both Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Records.  With tears flowing, Branson sold his most prized jewel in the Virgin portfolio: Virgin Records, in June of 1992.  His record company was acquired by EMI for nearly a billion dollars.  And now with the money to go to war, Branson took British Airways to court for libel in 1993; where it was proven that the CEO of British Airways, Sir Colin Marshall, had clearly directed the smear campaign.  Virgin’s lawsuit also exposed British Airways for conducting the exact same “dirty tricks” against Air Europe, an airline which had gone bankrupt just the year before.  Finally, in December of 1993, Branson emerged victorious.  Lord King and British Airways would settle out of court and pay a collective sum of nearly a million dollars, in addition to over 3 million more for legal fees.  The landmark victory was the largest libel damages ever awarded in UK history.  Since the win came around the holidays, Branson decided to distribute the proceeds equally amongst all of Virgin’s staff, dubbing it the “BA Christmas Bonus”. As part of the settlement, British Airways was also ordered to give a public apology.  Which they did, offering sympathies to Virgin for: “Regrettable incidents involving a very small number of employees in unrelated incidents.”  After the scandal was made public, British Airways had no choice but to reshuffle its top leadership with Lord King and David Burnside stepping down in disgrace.  Richard Branson’s success story of how he defeated British Airways shows what can happen when you’re not afraid to go against the establishment and fearlessly challenge the status quo with an audacious idea.  The story of Virgin Atlantic also proves that integrity is a winning formula, and that the underdog can, and often does, emerge victorious.  Source : Business Casual Read the full article

[lovemesomesurveys]

5,000 question survey series--part thirty-eight

3601. What brands do you like? Ya gotta narrow it down a bit. 3602. What do you think of the 'don't ask don't tell' policy of gays in the millitary? A person’s sexuality shouldn’t matter. Like, the question regarding sexuality shouldn’t even be asked because I don’t see how that has anything to do with someone wanting to be in the military.  3603. Why do you think that so many people have such a problem with gays? There’s various reasons. I don’t think a person’s sexuality should be an issue because it’s not their life and it doesn’t affect them. 3604. It seems like it is more accepted for a woman to be bi or gay than for a man. Why do you think that is? Because there’s the beliefs and stereotype that people have regarding how men should be and beliefs and stereotypes about gay men, and I guess the two don’t line up for some people.  3605. When a kid kisses another kid on the playground is it sexual harassment? I wouldn’t say that. It is likely that the kid isn’t aware of that being inappropriate and should be taught about it. It would become a problem if it continued to happen.

3606. If you had to name your self after an object in the room with you what would you pick? Mac. It could be short for Makenzie. ha. 3607. Pick the two most important things out of these: writing deep thoughts, expressing your self clearly, being honest, finding new novel ways to waste time, being organized, practicing what you want to do, trying to be famous Being honest and practicing what you want to do. 3608. You were only waiting for this momen to ----- “arrive. Black bird, fly.” 3609. Knowing historically that native American indians were and are the first americans, how do you feel about america and current americans? It’s almost 3AM, bud. I can’t try and get into this. 3610. Just what exactly determines whether or not one is 'mental'? We’re going to go with this, “The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) defines a “mental disorder” as “a syndrome characterized by clinically significant disturbance in an individual’s cognition, emotion regulation, or behavior that reflects a dysfunction in the psychological, biological, or developmental processes underlying mental functioning.” 3611. is it true that people with depression CAN'T function in society? Absolutely not true.  3612. fill in the word: half of what i say is ----------- Fake. Ha. 3613. Some people believe the Holocaust was a hoax?. What do you think of this? I think that’s incredibly stupid. I mean, there’s evidence and documentation. 3614. Does EVERYONE in the world care about how they look except YOU? Ha, no, not EVERYONE. I definitely have given up on putting much effort into myself I admit and it’s a problem. I’ve really neglected myself in a lot of ways.  3615. Do you love italian names like Lorenzo, Gaetano, and Grazziano? Not particularly, no offense.  3616. Everyone does horrible things: Do you think that people are more acceptiong of the bad things they do themselves or the bad things others do? That’s difficult to say. Some people justify their actions and make excuses but aren’t understanding of others who do the same thing. Others are more accepting of others and can see it differently on the outside looking in and are much harsher and less accepting of themselves.  Which are you more accepting of? I’m definitely more understanding and sympathetic of others. I fail to see the positive or good in myself that I see in others in similar situations. I’ll think I’m the most horrible person on the planet but not someone else who does something similar. 3617. Is it true that NO ONE wants to date grumpy people? I can’t say that NO ONE wants to cause it happens. I’m sure it’s not something they actively seek in a person, but that grumpy person could have other great qualities. 3618. Bush and his henchmen have now come up with a list of people for the CIA to assassinate. What do you think of this? I think this survey is super old for one. I also don’t know anything about this to give an opinion. 3619. Why is it that in many states sodomy and oral sex are still illegal, even if they are consensual? I wasn’t aware oral sex was illegal in some states. I don’t feel like researching this and seeing if that’s still the case cause this survey is very old and it’s possible that’s no longer true.  3620. What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of: liberals? conservatives? hippies? nobel peace prize winners? black panthers? time magazine? feminists? 3621. Order these issues from most important and needing to be dealt with to least important and we can put it off: cloning, racism, aids cure, the middle east, putting power back in the hands of the people, the environment, better education 3622. Do you feel like you are missing out because you can only know a certain number of people in this world and you can't know everyone? I honestly haven’t thought about that. I’m not a very social or outgoing person to be honest and I couldn’t handle knowing that many people. Like, my friend group, when I actually had one, was less than a handful of people and I was perfectly fine with that. It is sad to think that I’m missing out on knowing some really cool, interesting people, though. 3623. What do you imagine being a soldier in a war is actually like? I imagine it’s very traumatic and scary to say the very least.  3624. Do you agree that woman should be allowed to enlist in the army? Uh, yes. I know this survey isn’t THAT old. 3625. What is the purpose of government? It’s supposed to protect our rights, safely and fairly enforce laws, prepare for common defense, support the economic system, and provide public services.  3626. Why don't people believe in free love anymore? People still do that. 3627. Do you make desicions with your head or your heart? Both. One sometimes outweighs the other, though. It really just depends.  3628. What is the differance between sympathy and empathy? Sympathy is understanding and offering support and comfort, while empathy is actually sharing the feelings with another and being able put yourself in their shoes. 3629. Can you think of any person or group you cannot empathsize with? Abusers, rapists, pedophiles, and murderers.  3630. Like creme savers? I used love these strawberry ones I’d get in middle school.  3631. Your best friends asks you to marry them Out of the blue. You say: My best friend is my mom, so that would never happen. 3632. What makes you feel seriously depressed? My health and my life. And my brain with its messed up serotonin.  3633. Have you personaly worked for peace? No. 3634. Do you suppress parts of yourself because you are afraid of judgement? Yes. Like I keep a lot of my opinions and feelings to myself.  3635. Do you take in the ideas and opinions of others too often?/ I mean, I’m open minded and willing to hear other opinions and ideas.  3636. 36 - 24 - 36? Why are over 10 questions missing? 3637. What just isn't right? All the hatred and violence in this world for one. 3638. What make syour blood boil?? Children and animal abusers. 3639. Have you ever gone to the bathroom in aplace that wasn't a bathroom? Uh, no. 3640. Want some water melon? Nah. 3641. What's your favorite gum? Minty ones. 3642. What do you imagine going to Harvard is like? Hard and expensive, ha. 3643. What would you get rid of forever if you had to choose snow or rain? Yikes, I wouldn’t want to get rid of either one. 3644. Is there a santa clause? No, but it’s still fun to believe and pretend.  3645. Do you understand yourself? Haaaa. Nope. Do you understand everyone else? Absolutely not. 3646. Do you think there is a connection between understanding yourself and understanding others? Yeah in some ways. I mean, if you’re able to understand why you might do a certain thing then perhaps you can understand why someone else might, too. 3647. What's good? Nothing. 3648. Have you ever played dodge ball? I avoided that game at all costs out of fear. Getting balls thrown at you isn’t my idea of fun. People would get really into it and throw with such force like damn.  3649. Is there anything you feel men can do better than woman? How good someone is at something depends on the person themselves. 3650. Is there anything you feel woman can do better than men? 3651. What do you think of jazz? It’s nice. Can be relaxing. 3652. Why do you suppose Christmas has more hype than Chanucka? Because Christmas became a commercial holiday and people lost sight of the real reason.  3653. What is like a rock? Jesus. 3654. Who do you 100% trust? God. 3655. Are you dreaming of a white christmas? Yes! I wish it snowed here. I’d love to experience snow during Christmas. 3656. Have you done anything nice for your neighbors this year? No. 3657. What is the most courageous thing you have ever done? I don’t know. I don’t feel very courageous.  3658. What things (not people) would you miss most if you were locking the big brother house for weeks on end? My laptop, phone, and having time alone. 3659. Use five words to describe your life now. Frustrating, irritating, hard, sad, and unmotivated.  3660. Use five words to describe your family. Loving, supportive, caring, protective, and funny. 3661. Use five words to describe your childhood. Happy, fun, enjoyable, imaginative, and innocent.  3662. Who has seen the wind? No one. 3663. what's the point of MLA format? Why can't students just freely write their gathered info and opinions the way they feel is best for them? 3664. What's your favorite fairy tale? Alice Through the Looking Glass. 3665. How will explain god to your children (or a child)? In a kid way with kids books and activities. They’ll be able to ask me anything. 3666. Is this question satanic? No...? 3667. Name a person that you love. My mom. Describe how they look: Black, curly hair, about 5′5, brown eyes, freckles. Describe how they sound: I don’t know how to describe how someone sounds. Describe how they smell: Like vanilla. Describe how they feel: Soft. Describe how they taste: I haven’t tasted my mom... 3668. What will last longer, the moon or the human race? The world will end entirely one day. 3669. Whose lives do you value more; those of your country or all of humanity? I don’t want any innocent lives lost. 3670. If the jehovas witnesses dropped by your house what would you do? Nothing. I don’t answer the door for anyone. 3671. Someone you work with or go to school with is giving you a surprise gift. Would you like it better if it were a talking teddybear or a mini tarot deck? A teddy bear. I don’t use or believe in stuff like tarot cards, so I’d have no use for them. 3672. Where does the sky begin? Just above the ground? Sure. 3673. What's the most romantic thing to do? There’s a lot of things. 3674. What's your most twisted, perverted or odd fantasy? I don’t have any. 3675. What's wrong with lieing? It can be really hurtful and cause a lot of problems. 3676. If you could have lunch with any _______ who would it be? rock star? actor/actress? Alexander Skarsgard.

political leader? historical figure? dead person? person from your past? My grandma who passed away. person in the world? writer? artist? fictional character? The Riverdale gang at Pop’s Diner. Disney character? Winnie the Pooh cause he loves to eat. A samuri? 3677. Dedicate a song to someone right now. Nah. 3678. It's christmas eve at ten o'clock at night and YOU HAVE NO SHOPPING DONE! The only thing that's open is the grocery store and the drug store. Do you do all your christmas shopping in the grocery and drug store? Omg I would never do that, but I’ll play along. If those were the only places open then I guess I’d have no choice.  3679. If superman is so powerful how does he get with Louis Lane? Wouldn't he kill her? Apparently not. 3680. What do you think of Jane Fonda? Alan Alda? 3681. Remember Mary Popins? Yes. Feed the birds tuppence a bag. What is 'tuppance'? It’s apparently old British slang for “two pence.” 3682. What was the saddest most tear jerking heart wrenching moment of the movie Titanic? When the old couple is lying in bed together holding hands as the boat is sinking. 3683. Would you like a nice hot bath? No. 3684. Why is jesus always pictured as white when he came from the middle east and was probably middle eastern? 3685. Which is worse: Sand in your underwear or Sand in your mouth? Ew. I guess my mouth, but blech. 3686. Has President Bush made his case for war with Iraq? 3687. Should Senator Lott resign (or have resigned) his leadership post? I don’t know about him and since this survey is old he’s probably not even in office anymore.  3688. If you could pick time's person of the year who would you pick? I don’t know. 3689. Name all the people you know who you are attracted to and what is attracctive about them? Alexander Skarsgard. Well, I don’t know him, but still. He’s gorgeous. 3690. What does RSVP actually mean? It’s French asking you to please respond.  3691. Is rhyming fun? Sure. 3692. Are your dreams violent? Not usually, but omg the dream I had last night was. It was horrible. 3693. What 3 questions would you love to ask either your mom or your dad? I don’t know. 3694. What are the hardest words to say? The hardest thing for me is talking about my feelings. 3695. Should I smile because we're friends or cry because that's all we'll ever be? I’ve been in situations like that a couple of times and it’s hard. Ultimately; though, I wanted them in my life, and I had to accept that we would only be friends. Doesn’t mean it was easy, though. I couldn’t just switch off my feelings.  3696. What do you think of the slogan 'you laugh because i'm different. I laugh becuse you are all the same' I mean yeah it’s better to be yourself than be like everyone else. 3697. How do you stop dry elbows? Lotion? 3698. Why don't people MAKE gifts more often? I don’t know. For me, I’m not crafty or creative at all.  3699. Tell it to the world! Read my lips: What. 3700. Do you like those plastic couch coverings? Nah.

[childoftheking91-blog]

Leading Through Crises

INTRODUCTION:     Have you ever asked the question “Do we really need leaders?” Many times, we hear of leaders of churches, who failed in their job, and we hardly ever hear an apology from them for that failure. The fact that they failed as a leader is bad enough, but not admitting their failure is worse!     Forgetting the fact that leaders are just as much human as you or I, will often have us thinking of how much better a job, we could have done than they, or at the very least, that the church could get along fine, without a leader. Well, let’s look at some scriptures along this line of thinking! Ever hear of a man named Korah? He was a priest, under his uncle Aaron, which also made his the uncle of Moses, and he got to thinking a little too highly of himself. Numbers 16:1-3 Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took [men]: 2 And they rose up before Moses, with certain of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty princes of the assembly, famous in the congregation, men of renown: 3 And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, [Ye take] too much upon you, seeing all the congregation [are] holy, every one of them, and the LORD [is] among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the LORD? Evidently, these men had forgotten who set Moses and Aaron up as leaders, in the first place! This kind of thinking can only lead to trouble, as seen in Numbers 16:28-33 And Moses said, Hereby ye shall know that the LORD hath sent me to do all these works; for [I have] not [done them] of mine own mind. 29 If these men die the common death of all men, or if they be visited after the visitation of all men; [then] the LORD hath not sent me. 30 But if the LORD make a new thing, and the earth open her mouth, and swallow them up, with all that [appertain] unto them, and they go down quick into the pit; then ye shall understand that these men have provoked the LORD. 31 And it came to pass, as he had made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground clave asunder that [was] under them: 32 And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses, and all the men that [appertained] unto Korah, and all [their] goods. 33 They, and all that [appertained] to them, went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed upon them: and they perished from among the congregation.     We need God-called leaders in our churches! In our previous lesson, we saw Nehemiah’s heart for the city of Jerusalem and his willingness to make a bold request of his employer, King Artaxerxes. Nehemiah’s careful preparation prior to presenting the project to the inhabitants was laced with wisdom. Had his opposers known his plans from the outset, he wouldn’t have gotten his plans off the ground!     Nehemiah also passed the leadership test, when the first real opposition arose. However, the true character of his leadership would be seen only when intense, organized efforts were made to halt the process.     Today’s lesson provides much more than a Biblical, historical review of Nehemiah. It teaches how we can overcome the hindrances of others through prayer, hard work, and keeping our eyes focused, not only on the task, but on the One who called us to get it done.I.   COURAGEOUS AND DECISIVE LEADERSHIP.     Nehemiah 4:1… But it came to pass, that when Sanballat heard that we builded the wall, he was wroth, and took great indignation, and mocked the Jews.     In chapter 3, we see how the people of Jerusalem followed up their words with work. Even Eliashib, the high priest, and his fellow priests joined in the rebuilding of the wall Nehemiah 3:1 Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brethren the priests, and they builded the sheep gate; they sanctified it, and set up the doors of it; even unto the tower of Meah they sanctified it, unto the tower of Hananeel. Of course, there were a few who thought their noble birth placed them above manual labor; however, the people as a whole, put their backs into restoring the city wall. Imagine the shock Sanballat must have experienced upon hearing of the progress on the wall. In this first verse of our lesson today, his shock quickly turned into intense anger [He was Wroth, it says].     To vent his anger and frustration, Sanballat began to mock and ridicule those who were trying to finish what they had been called to do. Notice also, in verse 2, the audience to whom this Samaritan [Namely Sanballat] spoke. Nehemiah 4:2 [omitted from the SS books] And he spake before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, What do these feeble Jews? will they fortify themselves? will they sacrifice? will they make an end in a day? will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which are burned?     The five questions he mockingly asked were intended to humiliate the Jews and their efforts in the eyes of those within his hearing.       Next, an Ammonite named Tobiah, Sanballat’s colleague, quickly joined in the ridicule. He had this to say, in  Nehemiah 4:3b. he said, Even that which they build, if a fox go up, he shall even break down their stone wall.     However, even amid all the mockery and ridicule, all the while, the work was still under way! Satan can’t even hinder the work of God, let alone prevent it from coming to pass! When God’s people become as one entity working with God, nothing can stand in their way; Verse 6 says: So built we the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof: for the people had a mind to work.     Next, when words of mockery and ridicule failed to stop the work, the opposition decided it was time for force! This force would consist of Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites. What to do now? Cut and run? What- With God on their side? Romans 8:31 What shall we then say to these things? If God [be] for us, who [can be] against us? So, we don’t run, we go to God with the problem! That’s what Nehemiah did and it worked, for him and since these things were written for our learning….      Nehemiah, the leader, did two things. First, he went to God for help. Second, he set watchmen in place to preclude a surprise attack. This provided balance. Trust in God does not mean neglecting what can be done by human hands. Rebuilding the destruction left by Nebuchadnezzar and others, was no easy job. There were heaps of rubbish that they had to work around; great stones and remnants of burned gates of wood. Nevertheless, the work continued. Did the people get discouraged at times? Sure they did! Listen to verse10: And Judah said, The strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed, and [there is] much rubbish; so that we are not able to build the wall.      All the while, in the next two verses, Sanballat and his forces were planning a surprise attack, in an attempt to stop the work. Satan never quits, if you think he has, you had better find an altar somewhere and get back to where you were with God!     Nehemiah 4:14-16… And I looked, and rose up, and said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, Be not ye afraid of them: [ This is what a leader does; he encourages the discouraged and strengthens the weak. Remember how Moses stood before the Hebrews and said: Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord? And here, in our lesson today, Nehemiah said to them…] remember the Lord, which is great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses. 15 And it came to pass, when our enemies heard that it was known unto us, and God had brought their counsel to nought, [ apparently, Sanballat and his crew, thought they could sneak up on God’s people, without His knowledge] that we returned all of us to the wall, every one unto his work. 16 And it came to pass from that time forth, that the half of my servants wrought in the work, and the other half of them held both the spears, the shields, and the bows, and the habergeons; [A short, sleeveless coat of mail.] and the rulers were behind all the house of Judah.II.  BOLD AND UNSELFISH LEADERSHIP.     Nehemiah 5:1… And there was a great cry of the people and of their wives against their brethren the Jews.     Not only did Nehemiah have to deal with opposition from the enemies of the Jews, but now problems developed from within. While the governor worked to lead them in a successful construction project which would provide security, some people were seeking personal gain. [sometimes plans have to be made, at a time when other things might seem more important or needed] This was the case in this verse, because of the current famine and the builders’ dedication to working on the wall, the poorer Jews found themselves in financial crisis. In order to purchase food for their families and pay the heavy taxation required by the Persians, they turned to their wealthier brethren for assistance. Instead of responding with brotherly love and fulfilling the Law, the wealthier Jews treated them as though they were foreigners, as mentioned in verses 2-5 of this chapter. Nehemiah 5:2-5 For there were that said, We, our sons, and our daughters, [are] many: therefore we take up corn [for them], that we may eat, and live. 3 [Some] also there were that said, We have mortgaged our lands, vineyards, and houses, that we might buy corn, because of the dearth. 4 There were also that said, We have borrowed money for the king's tribute, [and that upon] our lands and vineyards. 5 Yet now our flesh [is] as the flesh of our brethren, our children as their children: and, lo, we bring into bondage our sons and our daughters to be servants, and [some] of our daughters are brought unto bondage [already]: neither [is it] in our power [to redeem them]; for other men have our lands and vineyards.     Nehemiah 5:6… And I was very angry when I heard their cry and these words.     Nehemiah’s initial response was one of anger. Many times, we get angry before we seek advice from God, don’t we? No doubt Nehemiah might have been thinking; How could this unscrupulous behavior take place during a time of crisis? Don’t I have enough on my plate with the restoring of the wall and the gates of the city? Had Nehemiah reacted to this news with anger, he would not have been a good leader, because the people would have most likely revolted against him and his work then. Look what he did….     Nehemiah 5:7 Then I consulted with myself, and I rebuked the nobles, and the rulers, and said unto them, Ye exact usury, every one of his brother. And I set a great assembly against them. [ After rebuking the offending parties, Nehemiah called a large meeting to discuss what was to be done to solve this problem.]     Nehemiah 5:9… Also I said, It is not good that ye do: ought ye not to walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of the heathen our enemies? [ What you are doing is not good, especially considering the weight of opposition hefted upon us, as we try to fulfill God’s will in this restoration]     Nehemiah 5:11… Restore, I pray you, to them, even this day, their lands, their vineyards, their oliveyards, and their houses, also the hundredth part of the money, and of the corn, the wine, and the oil, that ye exact of them.     Knowing that help wasn’t going to come from anywhere else, Nehemiah commands the wrong doers, to stop the oppression of the people and give them back their property as well as part of their money, corn, wine and oil which they had taken from them. Also, Nehemiah showed wisdom in calling a great assembly, so that everything he said was heard by all, which gave more force to his demands upon the guilty. Moreover, the fact was, that what they had been doing to their own people was in violation to several of the Laws of Moses. For example, they weren’t supposed to charge their brethren interest. Nor were they supposed to make slaves of their own people. They were, in effect, doing what we might say, kicking them while they were down!     Nehemiah 5:19… Think upon me, my God, for good, according to all that I have done for this people.     What began for Nehemiah as a project to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem turned into a twelve-year administration as governor. During this time he was careful to take no advantage for himself. Everything he did was for the good of those he served. Nehemiah was the model of how political/governmental leaders should serve their constituencies. He refused the expense account that was allotted to him and put no tax burden on the people to take care of his needs. He and his assistants paid their own way. The former governors, according to verse 15, had used their positions for personal gain.      Nehemiah could have made lots of money off those people; he could have bought up their land at a very reduced price and later sold it back to them at a huge profit; instead, he paid his own way, as well as providing for many others. He states in verse 17, that he fed as many as 150 people at his table. He, like any other spiritual leader of God’s people expected rewards for his work, to come from God!III. PERCEPTIVE AND PERSISTENT LEADERSHIP.     Nehemiah 6:2-3… That Sanballat and Geshem sent unto me, saying, Come, let us meet together in some one of the villages in the plain of Ono. But they thought to do me mischief. [ When we are working with God; He can advise us of upcoming trouble, and make a way of escape from it] 3 And I sent messengers unto them, saying, I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down: why should the work cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you?     There is a time to talk and a time to work. Failure to understand the need of the hour may lead to the destruction or, at best, the delay of a project. As will be seen in this section, Nehemiah understood the importance of remaining focused on the opportunity despite efforts to divert his attention.      To say the least, Sanballat was persistent in his attempts to stop the rebuilding of the wall. Though misdirected, he, at least demonstrated a sense of focus. Although mockery and the threat of attack didn’t work, he chose a seemingly innocent third method. He invites Nehemiah to a meeting between himself, and a man named Geshem[ likely a ruler of the Arabs who opposed Nehemiah] to work out their differences. But God had their number!     Only a fool would fall into a know trap, and Nehemiah was no fool; he had sought God, our God, who knows the end from the beginning! He sent a message back to Sanballat, that he was too busy with God’s work to stop and listen to his lies! Resist the devil and he will flee from you. James 4:7b.     Still, Sanballat persisted. On four more occasions he sent the same request. But he never provided an answer to Nehemiah’s question. So Nehemiah’s answer to the next invitation remained the same.     Nehemiah 6:9… For they all made us afraid, saying, Their hands shall be weakened from the work, that it be not done. Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands.     Next, Sanballat sent an open letter to him with an accusation of sedition. Nehemiah 6:6b. says: It is reported among the heathen, and Gashmu saith [it, that] thou and the Jews think to rebel: for which cause thou buildest the wall, that thou mayest be their king, according to these words. He intimated that Nehemiah was planning to finish the project in Jerusalem and set himself up as king. This was a serious charge, for even though Nehemiah was in great favor with Artaxerxes, ancient monarchs had no tolerance for rebellion from their subjects. This could have caused doubts in the hearts of the people, concerning Nehemiah’s motives, since the letter was “open”. Most letters sent between leaders of that day, were sealed.     So, what does Nehemiah do now? Well, he simply denied the reports in the letter, prayed for divine help, and got back to work. Nehemiah 6:8 Then I sent unto him, saying, There are no such things done as thou sayest, but thou feignest them out of thine own heart.        Nehemiah 6:10-11… Afterward I came unto the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah [As near as I can tell was a Samaritan, and as such, an opponent of the Jews’ work on the city walls, and his son Shemaiah was a false prophet] the son of Mehetabeel, who was shut up; and he said, Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple, and let us shut the doors of the temple: for they will come to slay thee; yea, in the night will they come to slay thee. 11 And I said, Should such a man as I flee? and who is there, that, being as I am, would go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in.     Shemaiah was a false “prophet” hired to trick Nehemiah. For some reason, Nehemiah did go to see him, but he told him that he would not run into the Temple for safety. There were two flaws in Shemaiah’s prophecy. First, would God have him to run when the project was so near to completion? Second, it would have been against the Mosaic Law for Nehemiah to enter the Temple, since he was not a priest.       Once again, Nehemiah stood his ground, prayed over the situation, and then left it in the hands of the Lord. He prayed, this time, that God would judge his enemies for what they were attempting. He said in Nehemiah 6:14: My God, think thou upon Tobiah and Sanballat according to these their works, and on the prophetess Noadiah, and the rest of the prophets, that would have put me in fear.        Nehemiah 6:15-16… So the wall was finished in the twenty and fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty and two days. 16 And it came to pass, that when all our enemies heard thereof, and all the heathen that were about us saw these things, they were much cast down in their own eyes: for they perceived that this work was wrought of our God.     As a result of Nehemiah’s skillful, spiritual leadership, coupled with the people’s committed work, the wall was rebuilt in fifty-two days. This made a strong impact on the surrounding nations and Jerusalem’s enemies. Realizing this work could have been accomplished only through the help of God, the self-confidence of the surrounding peoples evaporated, and their fears mushroomed. Apparently, they realized the inadequacy of their gods in comparison to God Jehovah. Here we see the double impact of Nehemiah’s leadership—the wall was a reality and their enemies were demoralized.CONCLUSION:     Nehemiah was a great example of servant leadership, and because of that, we remember him. In chapter 4, he proved himself to be a courageous and decisive leader in the face of opposition. In chapter 5, he worked alongside the people, showing he was a servant leader. In chapter 6, Nehemiah completed the rebuilding of the city wall, displaying his persistent leadership.

[toddrampe187-blog]

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[hetamavi]

Did England Raise America?

(NOTE: I have spent so much time reuploading this only to find apparently linking sources is a no-no. If you want to know where I got the historical information from, do not hesitate to ask!)

It’s widely accepted in this fandom that England raised America. If you’ve ever seen or, unfortunately, got caught up in a shipping war concerning UsUk, it’s an argument I can guarantee you’ve seen be thrown around.  

However, that argument is one I want to call into question. Because, the thing is...England DIDN’T raise America.

Throughout this analysis, I will cover why the two don’t qualify as an adopted family relationship. Both Hetalia canon and historical information will be used. I will also use this perspective to analyze the two as separate characters. All translated images used here are from hetarchive and hetascanlations.

One more thing! This analysis is not intended to convince you of anything as far as shipping is concerned. Whether England raised America and whether the UsUk relationship is romantic are two distinct topics. I have many motivations for writing this analysis. Trying to tell you what to ship is not one of them.

LOOKING AT IT HISTORICALLY

The first American colony was established in Jamestown, Virginia in 1607. The American Revolution started in 1775 and ended in 1783. If we were to say the American colonies were still considered colonies until the very end of the war, this would mean that Great Britain and the United States had a colony-colonizer relationship for 176 years. A relatively very short time period for a society to be established and then grow until finally declaring and winning Independence. So.  

How did this happen so quickly?

The answer lies in the fact that, from nearly beginning to end, the British left the colonies to take care of themselves. Which makes sense logically when you think about it. Britain had its own regional issues and the distance provided by the Atlantic Ocean wasn’t making governing the American colonies any easier. So, Britain neglected to do so. The biggest British presence in the colonies came in the form of Royal Governors, but even their power was more theoretical than actual thanks to the power over the purse assemblies (which consisted of colonial elected officials rather than anyone appointed by the King) wielded over these governors. If a Royal Governor didn’t comply with the needs and wants of the those in the colonies, their paychecks were cut short. In they were compliant, they would get bonuses. This power over the Royal Governors only increased as time went on until the Assemblies were the main governing power in the colonies. 

The most significant attempt at having any form of British policy came in the form of the Navigation Acts which were passed in the later part of the 17th century. The Navigation Acts were an attempt to regulate colonial trade, but what can I say other than they were very poorly enforced policies that failed on every level? Again, due to issues such as distance, it would have been more trouble than what it was worth to actually enforce the Navigation Acts so smuggling became a pretty common thing in the American colonies.

Unintentional neglect evolved into a degree of intentional neglect starting in the 1720s with the appropriately termed period of “Salutary Neglect” (though Great Britain started to loosen up its control even more than it already had starting back in the 1690s). Edmund Burke, who served as a member of British parliament, can be credited with naming this unofficial policy:

“That I know that the colonies in general owe little or nothing to any care of ours, and that they are not squeezed into this happy form by the constraints of watchful and suspicious government, but that, through a wise and salutary neglect, a generous nature has been suffered to take her own way to perfection; when I reflect upon these effects, when I see how profitable they have been to us, I feel all the pride of power sink, and all presumption in the wisdom of human contrivances melt, and die away within me.”

Starting in the 1720s with Robert Walpole’s (Great Britain’s unofficial first Prime Minister) rise to power, Great Britain intentionally started to turn a blind eye to colonial activity, particularly the already mentioned smuggling. The idea was that if the colonies were left alone to flourish, Great Britain would profit. This “let them do whatever” mentality lasted until the end of the French and Indian/Seven Years’ War, when heavy taxation started to take place in the colonies to pay for the war. And, thanks to the poor reception (to say the least) of the heavier taxes, Great Britain, for the first time since the colonies were first established, made more serious attempts to have a prominent presence in Colonial America (with things such as the “Intolerable Acts” and more taxation). This heavier presence combined with the previous long-time neglect is what led to the American Revolution that kicked off only 168 years after the first colony was established. 

To sum this all up, Great Britain had a glaring lack of presence in its American colonies that led to a strong sense of autonomy. This sense of autonomy led to the American Revolution.

SO WHAT ABOUT HETALIA?

Now that it’s been established the notion of England raising America doesn’t make much sense from a historical perspective, it’s time to move on to Hetalia itself. After all, Hetalia doesn’t always perfectly match up with history so I can’t just end this on nothing but historical facts.

So, what about Hetalia then? What is the pre-Revolution relationship shared between America and England?

It’s one of absence and rapid growth. Let’s start from the beginning.

Here’s something from one of the earliest canon portrayals of colonial America. The strip starts out with England thinking of all the responsibilities he’d have to take on as America’s guardian. But the strip ends with England coming to the realization America is perfectly fine by himself, alluding to how the real-life colonies were self-sufficient without any British supervision. It’s a quick reference to colonial history, but one telling of what’s to come.

Here’s something a bit more telling. England leaves America and returns to find he’s developed into an adult or almost adult physical appearance. The first thing I want to talk about is young America’s reaction to England leaving him. While it’s not abnormal for a child to be upset when left alone, America is upset to the point of sobbing and begging England not to leave. Is that the type of reaction a child would normally have to being left by someone who was constantly around? No. Because normally the adult figure would return very shortly. But that’s not the case here. America is upset because he knows that once England is gone, he’s not going to stop by again any time soon.

Moving on to the second part of the strip, my first point seems to be proven right. Even with America’s quick physical growth, England must have been gone at least for a few years for such a dramatic physical change to have taken place. Speaking of, there’s that rapid colonial growth I was talking about earlier! We’ll get to see more of that later.

Now we move on to the Davie strip. The comic starts in Davie’s childhood and ends after his death. While I can’t say for sure, I’d guess this was a time span of 60-70 years and, judging by America’s appearance, took place during the earlier colonial years. Which leads me to suspect America’s growth started to REALLY speed up starting in the late 17th century, early 18th- around the time when Salutary Neglect was most prominent. Not long after the likely time Davie passed away.

So, 60-70 years. And America was a colony for only 176 years (less if you want to end at the beginning of the Revolution). And England has only two brief appearances, with each being many years apart going by Davie’s changing physical appearance. I think that information makes this comic the most telling in how often England was around colonial America.

It also makes thing a bit more tragic doesn’t it? The America I see here is that of a very lonely child who craves attention and company. So, he latches onto Davie, who is unfortunately a human that quickly passes away.

Moving on, we get a strip that shows America’s unusually fast growth. By the time he has a teenage body, Canada is still around toddler age. Also, worth mentioning is that America is seen with a book in both latter two panels and Canada’s way of approaching America and his wording in the very last one implies America is constantly busy. This is the diligent America I needed to see to completely match him up with colonial America in reality.

Here we do NOT see England holding his hand throughout this learning process. America is shown taking on the task of learning politics on his own and of his own free will. This is where the “England raised him” argument becomes extremely frustrating to me. Combine this strip with the one with the buffalo from earlier, and we get to see a hard-working, self-sufficient America that brought upon his own quick growth in the absence of his colonizer. A reminder not to take his modern obnoxious personality at face value. He is, in fact, VERY competent.

THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION

And with that, it’s time to talk about the American Revolution. I want to bring attention to the “I’m no longer your brother” line. This dialogue if often disregarded, since you can’t actually cut off familial relationships with words. However, I don’t that gives the full picture of what he means here. This is NOT a declaration of a sudden, immediate change.  

Think back to everything I’ve talked about up to this point. America showing a capability of handling himself at a young age, England’s absence throughout his growth, America growing up extremely quickly, the diligence and dedication he showed in teaching himself throughout that speedy growth…

Again, he is not making any sudden declaration of cutting familiar ties. He’s acknowledging something that has already happened. America has proven he’s more than capable of being fully independent by raising himself up into someone capable of taking a stand against England in under the time span of 200 years. The child England found is gone and England needs to acknowledge that.

With that said, let’s talk about England for a moment. Particularly his state of mind throughout all of this.

In Europe, England had NOBODY. He was the black sheep, the guy with no friends. So, he turned to America, or rather the idea of America, as a source of comfort.

America became his emotional crutch. But, besides such a thing being unhealthy, his relationship with America was, for the most part, not something represented in reality. He liked the IDEA of there being someone there for him. Once you get attached to at least the idea of a person always being there for you, you don’t NEED to constantly be there with them. As long as America is there waiting for him when he does have the time to stop by, his imagination can do the rest with sugarcoating reality. This is an accurate take on the different perspectives of the British and the colonies, with more emotional investment thrown in to make England seem more sympathetic and human. The British thought of the colonies as an entity completely subordinate and loyal to Great Britain. But the colonists didn’t really see things in that way. All the time they had spent left to their own devices had built up a spirit of autonomy.

When the Revolution breaks out, he reacts to the possibility of abandonment violently. Of course, there’s practical reasons to not want to lose the American colonies. But in England’s case, he seems to be driven by his emotional investment and reliance on America. Everything builds up until England finally breaks down in the end.

It’s not the cutting of familial ties that makes this scene so tragic. It’s seeing reality catch up to England. It’s seeing his loneliness and fear of abandonment completely exposed. It’s seeing that he kept fighting even when he had no Army behind him (possibly because everyone else had already given up). It’s seeing even some of America’s soldiers giving England looks of pity. It’s seeing America looking down on him and commenting on his fallen image.

As sad as this is, it needed to happen. Being under another nation’s rule was becoming a hinderance to America’s further growth, and England had become unhealthily attacked to something that amounts only to a fantasy. The bond was a toxic one.

MODERN TIMES AND CONCLUSION

Keeping this section brief, I’ll end this analysis on this scene.

America says he’s jealous of the kids specifically. Because, these kids have something America himself didn’t get the chance to have: a fulfilling childhood loaded with consistent affection.

America didn’t have an affectionate childhood, he was mostly alone. Or put more accurately, he didn’t have much of a childhood AT ALL. His early days weren’t anything you can attach much familial love to. He was more like an orphan than someone under the loving care of a father/brother figure. He was alone, so he had to grow up and raise himself (in this case, that happened on a more literal and physical level).

Saying England “raised him” is a dramatic misrepresentation of what happened and it’s a dramatic misrepresentation of the depth both characters have.

England wasn’t upset over losing a son. He was upset over losing an emotional crutch that he rarely even got to see. He broke down, because of insecurities that were an issue far before the Revolution happened. His miserable appearance during the Revolution wasn’t just apart of some isolated event. It was a look into England’s very troubled and lonely mind.

America wasn’t just some kid who decided to rebel against daddy. He was someone who had thrown away his own childhood, so he could raise himself. Nobody was there to help him. What he accomplished was through his own hard work and he, understandably, wanted that to be recognized.

And to those of you who are still put off by the title “brother” being used in America’s colonial days, remember that it’s a title that’s used very loosely in the series with the biggest perpetrator being “big brother France”. In this way, having a “big brother” indicates having a friendly relationship with an older male, especially one in a higher position of power. Another example of non-related characters using “brother” to describe each other are Norway and Denmark (with Denmark also addressing Iceland as such and overall thinking of himself as a “big bro”).