#but other than Caitlyn and her fascism this is one of the

[tystrashcorner]

Vi deserves so much more than a pig who thinks of her as "one of the good ones."

[infinitelystrangemachinex]

massages forehead So Ambessa hid Mel away because she was a weapon in the literal sense, a mage. But Ambessa came to Piltover for Hextech? And Ambessa had nothing to say to Mel about her powers having visibly awakened? Even when Mel offered to go with Ambessa, giving her the ultimate opportunity to make Mel a weapon for real? And Ambessa made no attempt to find or retrieve Mel - not just her daughter and the remnants of the family Ambessa professes to love, but also her ultimate weapon - when she disappeared? And Ambessa trusted Singed and Viktor on their home turf - neither of them hiding how insane and self-serving they are with every reason to take over Ambessa's soldiers or just blatantly turn on her as soon as it benefits them - more than she trusted Mel? While Caitlyn (and by extension Piltover) was visibly and clearly falling away from Ambessa's teachings before Ambessa's eyes? (as if getting rid of certain people allows piltover to get rid of fascism but we won't get into All That)

Not only do I struggle to be hyped for Mel's powers beyond how amazing and beautiful she looks, but I can't help but feel like Mel is somehow less powerful in season 2 than she was in season 1, and not in an interesting way. As if Mel's ability to bend all of Piltover politics and economics to her will in season 1 now means nothing in season 2? You can argue that Jinx's attack led directly to Mel losing ground in Piltover - because I expected Mel to have to claw back that power without being able to rely on people who are too easily seduced by Ambessa and authoritarianism, and she would have to get creative to go toe to toe with her mother. I expected pushback to her mage identity that she would have to navigate. But instead this went either unwritten, or was ignored or discarded. Instead Mel is removed from the main plot, cutting her off from what made her the most interesting - only for all of Mel's very real talents, her very real powers and abilities, to be not only translated but REPLACED with magical powers she doesn't know how to control, and by the finale, those magic powers are the only powers that are considered real. Mel takes a backseat to Piltover's governing and decisions, a backseat to Jayce of all people who was not only new to politics mere months ago but made poor governing, strategic, and diplomatic decisions when he had that power. In season 1 Mel stayed off the "throne" but she did pull its strings one way or the other, and she makes no attempt at this in season 2

In my least generous suspicions, Mel was gentled and quieted to capitulate to an agenda for other characters who had to be correct and heroic - or wrong and villainous - no matter what the leadup narrative said, given her powers to help sell the game and set up future shows, and was effectively ejected from the Arcane story with faceless soldiers and a role she doesn't want because she was inconvenient there

[bicth-and-in-that-order]

Let’s talk about THAT CaitVi scene and the fandom’s response to it

All cards out on the table, I used to adore CaitVi. I was there in the trenches reading the fanfics, watching the shipping videos, even going on fucking dynasty scans for the fanart + doujinshis😭 (iykyk). I loved CaitVi down bad, and of all the things I was most excited for in S2, this ship becoming canon was near the top of the list. I say this to say I don’t come from a place of apathy or hatred when it comes to this ship, but just genuine disappointment and disgust for how it was mishandled in season 2. Particularly when it comes to the abuse.

In preparation of this rant, I did my homework to fully understand both sides. I watched this video:

Which explains Cait’s behavior and even addresses her physical abuse. And, as much as it pains me to say this, I looked through the CaitVi tag on tumblr and read as many posts as I could defending Caitlyn and CaitVi as a ship.

Before I begin, I think it would be fair to lay out the main defense before tearing into these people. So let’s talk about Cait:

The main thesis of “Stop Me Oh’s” video and many other CaitVi shippers is that Caitlyn is someone who doesnt like to communicate her feelings and thinks actions speak louder than words. By helping Vi without hesitation during Act 2 and putting aside her grief to allow Vi a chance to talk to Jinx, someone who murdered her mother, Cait is already showing immense remorse. She’s taking steps to make amends for her actions and proving that her love and trust in Vi outweighs her desire to get revenge. She doesn’t need to actually utter a single apology when she’s done more than enough to make up for her misgivings.

And excusing the whole fascist thing, ALL she did was hit Vi. She didn’t kill the poor thing like Jayce and they weren’t fighting to death like Ekko and Jinx:

And, let’s be honest, wouldn’t you do the same? Put yourself Cait’s shoes. Imagine your family was blown up by your partner’s crazy lunatic sister. You watched her turn your world upside down. And while your partner is fully supportive of hunting down your mother’s murderer, she suddenly switches up when it’s time to actually go through with it. She’s stopping you from shooting this deranged killer all because you MIGHT shoot some annoying child. And then you miss the best chance you’ll ever get to take down this terrorist and your partner comes crawling back to you, talking about how you’re just like that murderer. Then, in the heat of the moment, you hit her with the butt of your gun. You hit her and you abandon her in a hole while she cries on the ground. It’s harsh, but doesn’t she deserve it?

Don’t you see? Cait is a poor rich girl who lost her mother. Unlike these other murderers and thugs, all she did was hit Vi during a moment of passion and would never, ever, ever, ever, do it again. Vi should be grateful Cait even let her see her only family, she could’ve just fucking killed the bitch.

Okay. Jokes asides, let’s just address each of these points one by one.

1. Cait already apologized through her actions

This is the most common defense I see for Cait, and it’ll be the lengthiest one too.

So my question is: For what?

Ignoring the fact that verbally apologizing IS an action, how does Cait deciding not to pursue Jinx and allowing Vi to see her only family correlate to her making amends for the physical abuse?At the very least , I can see Cait siding against Ambessa and admitting she fell for propaganda as “apologizing” for her turning to fascism. I guess. But what is Cait atoning for exactly when she helps out Vi? I’ll try to explain what I think it is:

When Cait says Vi has Jinx’s blood, shoves her gun into her stomach, and leaves her in a ditch, that represents her no longer trusting Vi. Cait thinks she’ll choose Jinx over her. So later, when Cait sides with Vi and allows her to see Jinx, it’s shows that she’s willing to trust Vi again and her judgement of character. Which Vi understands. When we think about it this way, Cait hitting Vi isn’t read as “physical abuse” by the narrative because the physical act of violence isn’t the issue the writers are trying to portray. No, the issue is Cait no longer trusting Vi. Physical abuse was just used as a vehicle to convey Cait’s distrust of Vi, who she now sees as a stranger/enemy….for like, an episode or two, then switches up lol.

But my point in saying all of this is, Cait isn’t really “apologizing through her actions” about the physical abuse. In fact, that was never even a consideration. And no, we’re not going to brush it off by saying “well shouldn’t this count for Cait hitting Vi too”. If we’re to take physical abuse seriously, and WE ARE you freaks, this is an offense that Cait needs to address separately. Properly.

Imagine if someone punched you in the face then stole your cookies. They never apologize to you for anything, but over the following days, they buy you cookies, maybe even some milk. Do you think these actions are enough of an “apology” for punching you in the fucking face? If they are then you need some serious help.

Ah, and contrary to the popular belief that Cait doesn’t need to verbally apologize bc she shows her actions through words and yadda yadda yadda, Cait does, in fact, try to apologize in Jinx’s suicide cell. About fucking Maddie. Then she gets cut off. You would think Cait wouldn’t feel the need to apologize about Maddie since “aCtIonS sPeAk LoUdeR tHaN wOrDs” but I guess Cait picks and choose what she feels sorry about.

And I can already hear the counter argument. “It’s not about if I forgive Cait, but if Vi does since she’s the victim. Cait and Vi kiss and make up, and by the season’s end, they’re a couple. Therefore, Vi forgives Cait about everything.”

Putting aside the cycle of abuse, my question is: how does Vi feel about Cait hitting her? And vice versa. Since the fandom loves throwing “media literacy” around so much, let’s put that to the test. While the physical abuse is never brought up, hinted at, thought about, or addressed ever again (much like how the fandom treats it), that doesn’t mean we can’t talk about the implications.

If Vi doesn’t specifically mention the physical abuse, what does that mean for her character? Did Vi think she deserved it, or maybe she was just used to it, maybe she thought it was in the heat of the moment and Cait would never hurt her again (super toxic mindset btw), etc etc.

If Cait never mentions her physically abusing Vi, what does that mean for her character? Does she even care, does she think she was justified, did she think Vi could take it, why is Maddie the first thing she apologizes about and not hitting Vi and leaving her in a dank hole?

Because we could easily be getting into toxic/abusive territory, and when it comes to physical violence, there’s very little wiggle room for a more positive interpretation.

2. These characters aren’t perfect, they’re flawed

So this argument falls back on the “well pobody’s nerfect” defense and to that extent I agree. I think Cait is selfish and callous, but all the other characters who have similar flaws (think Silco, Marco, Ambessa, probably more) end up fucking dying and/or have actual narrative consequences. I’ve seen people argue that Cait losing her eye is a narrative consequence and IT IS for Cait’s alt right phase and choosing to follow Ambessa but it’s NOT for hitting Vi. Neither is Maddie betraying her. An appropriate narrative consequence would’ve been Vi leaving her ass, but I promise you the same people defending Cait would’ve had a thousand think pieces about how the writers sabotaged Cait’s character. Arcane is NOT a show about bad people getting away with bad things either.

3. Well Jayce killed Viktor / Ekko and Jinx tried to kill each other

So this argument acknowledges Cait’s abuse and her lack of apology but tries to deflect by claiming the other couples are violent, if not more. Even though this is a classic whataboutism, I’ll address it. I won’t acknowledge the timebomb side of the argument because it’s incredibly dumb, but for Jayvik, where do we begin? Recall that after Cait and Vi kissed, they were on romantic terms. That’s why Cait even bothers bringing up Maddie, and it’s really more so to let the viewer know Cait will excuse abuse but draws the line at infidelity. During Act 2, Jayce and Viktor are enemies and Viktor will literally kill everyone if he continues on his path. Jayce could have at least talked to Viktor first, but the writers chose to make him deranged or whatever so that was out of the question. And again, they’re enemies. Fighting isn’t off the table, even killing. If Viktor sucker punched Jayce while they were astral projecting together, then that might be analogous to Cait and Vi, but they don’t.

4. Not all relationships are perfect

This is one is similar to point two, but I’m taking a different angle. No, not all relationships are perfect, but I would never call physical abuse a “flaw” that’s to be expected in a normal, healthy relationship. Once you introduce violence, we call that abusive. I didn’t know we were in dire need of an abusive lesbian relationship, but I’ll walk with you.

If Arcane had the balls, CaitVi could’ve been portrayed as the toxic yuri couple it clearly is. They could’ve leaned into Vi being desperate enough to take Cait back and Cait not giving a single fuck about hitting Vi and leaving her. And if they did, this post wouldn’t exist. But they don’t. We’re genuinely supposed to like this slop and view it as a good thing because they kiss and play fun pop music while they fuck instead of the more appropriate “Poison” (by Bell Biv DeVoe ofc).

5. Well Jinx did XYZ to Vi

Another whataboutism. At risk of making this post longer than it already is, I’m gonna be brief. Yes, Jinx did awful things to Vi, but the narrative properly punishes Jinx for all of her actions (I mean the girl literally sacrifices herself) and wastes no time calling her out, especially Vi. Behind Cait, Vi is Jinx’s biggest hater. Literally chokes the girl out on sight. So let’s not pretend there’s some hypocrisy going on here, though it doesn’t escape me that many Cait fans end up being Jinx haters.

With that, I think I’ve covered all the major defenses for Caitvi’s physical abuse. All I can say is that the relationship is fucked and Vi deserves better.

[reboundttv]

Here's a Bunch of Words Expressing Frustration with Online People Part 2 I Guess? Arcane.

(Part 1 was about reactions to Wonder Woman #14, but that was on Twitter and it's gone now.)

It's been long enough. People who haven't seen it have successfully avoided spoilers. SO. Let's talk about the CaitVi sex scene.

Because there are a LOT of opinions about how it was handled, how it was written, etc. And I've seen a lot of...basically, Purity Culture, over how they never worked out their feelings, and Caitlyn never had to answer for trying to kill Jinx, or getting Vi to become an Enforcer or hitting her in Ep.3 or the dictatorship or the fascism or-

Here's the thing: Neither Caitlyn nor Vi know what's going to happen. They don't know tomorrow. They don't even know six hours from now.

We don't need a bunch of preceding episodes where somehow they have the time to get psychoanalyzed on-screen so that when they're finally intimate it's completely moral and unproblematic.

Arcane was never about being unproblematic. It was a show about broken people doing horrible things for selfish reasons, for better and for worse. Singed LITERALLY TELLS YOU AS MUCH (Season 2 Episode 5):

Caitlyn: "Why? Why do all this?" Singed: "Why does anyone commit acts others deem unspeakable? For love."

For context, he wants to conquer death so that he can save his daughter. And look at how it's worded. "acts others deem unspeakable." The awful things he's doing, he's rationalized them as necessary so that he can accomplish his goals. Whether it's him, or Viktor, Jayce, Caitlyn, Vi, Jinx... ALL of the characters in Arcane are like that. No one in this show was perfect. Far from it, actually.

And in that scene, Caitlyn and Vi are two broken, messed-up people. Their whole worlds have been upended. Vi believes that she's lost everything and everyone important to her, and that it is of her own doing. Caitlyn is questioning the only thing that's ever made sense in her life: her duty to Piltover and how that's run up against her own morals and how she has changed to accommodate them, rather than stayed true. Caitlyn also has guilt over being intimate with Maddie. (fuck maddie all my homies hate maddie)

And the only thing they have, in that moment, is each other. The only kind of, sort of constant in their lives. Is it perfect and unproblematic? No. Is it healthy? Arguably not. The scene is messy, and clumsy, and for fuck sake they're having sex in a prison cell.

But are those the things that actually matter? Is that the story that's trying to be told? NO. No, it is not. Broken people, just trying to make sense of what's going on around them. Trying to find others to hold on to, to anchor themselves. Find that closeness and intimacy, and even if it doesn't work out the way they want, they'll still have each other.

[itoshikha]

on another note about arcane though, i do think the writers really failed to convey any sort of positive outcome for zaun in season 2.

for one, sevika doesn't speak at all in ACT 3, nor does she get to defend herself or her people in any meaningful way. they decided to throw her into being a council member, but one person from zaun and 6 other from piltover? what kind of voice is she actually going to have in that repression?

secondly, the jinx supporter girl people have grown to adore, gert, was suddenly killed while fighting alongside her oppressors who wrongfully beat and arrested her, in the uniform no less. really? who thought this was good writing.

lastly, i'd like to mention the 'im the dirt under your fingernails' comment from vi. it's so excruciating for me how they decided to end on a line that's only purpose is to clearly solidify the vast difference in their social status and put caitlyn on a pedestal. i can't pretend that showing their relationship in this light is healthy. that's the thing; their partnership came down to the fact that they aren't actually equals. that vi is always going to be lesser than cait and can't ever level with her. im sick.

the main thing this show focused on in season 1 was police brutality and the wrongful centrist, capitalistic mindset and they've completely failed to prove of piltover's wrongdoings in season 2. the war didn't lead to anything better for zaun. piltover's still superior, and the cycle of fascism is only going to continue. they made tortured people put on their oppressors' uniforms, caitlyn and vi poisoning zaun's air and murdering innocent people was never addressed, and piltover also corrupting the air and water in zaun through the hexcore never had any consequences.

as many poc creators have rightfully said, it's obvious that this show was made by white people for white people. as a white, anarcho-punk teenager standing among you all, i want you to know i understand completely, even if i'll never feel what you do.

banners /dividers by @/cafekitsune

[askinkiskarma]

I have a lot of thoughts about arcane and rather than dealing with them on my own i thought i would try to write them out and see how other people feel and maybe have a conversation about it, because the beauty of art is sharing it and seeing it through your own eyes, as well as others’ - the beauty of art is its ability to ignite and spark a conversation… a change.

Arcane is very important to me, because of what it represents - humanity, in all its aspects and kaleidoscopic facets, in all its glory and in all its misery. What made it unique is how inherently relatable and universal the feelings and experiences the characters go through and how inherently human their problems are at their core, and whilst they were able to keep a lot of those sentiments in season 2, I feel by act iii they forsook a lot of what made arcane special.

Very rambly thoughts ahead, I do apologise, and please tell me yours, I would love to speak about it and process it.

To me arcane was always about class struggles, about oppression, about what happens to the oppressed when they are pushed to the brink, about how that affects a person’s journey and their fates, and putting faces to those struggles on both sides of the equation - vi, an orphaned child who was forced to grow up too quickly and parentified to the point she felt like she had no value outside of being a protector; jinx - a brilliant mind who fell victim to trauma because there was no one able to help her outgrow it or deal with it; silco - a man who has seen the oppression first hand and chose to fight it regardless of the sacrifice it took. I could keep going and going but Arcane was a phenomenal display of character and morality, and an almost perfect attempt at the shades of grey that make most of us who we are. No character was without flaw, and no character was unjustified in their actions in their own minds and due to their own particular set of circumstances.

I think most of the gripes I have with season 2 stem from two overarching themes: time and ambition. But before I go into this, let me praise it for a bit because despite all my grievances, I still think it is the best animated piece of art of all time and I still think it's better than 99% of anything I've ever been invested in. Although almost redundant to even talk about, I want to shine a light onto the animation. I have to give so much credit to every single person involved in bringing this series to life, because it is a spectacle from the first frame to the last, and the amount of talent, effort and passion it took to do this can never be put into words.

I will bring up things I loved about it as I'm talking what I didn't, because they are very much entrenched. My biggest complain about season 2 is that, the fact that it was only one season. I believe everything they've set out to achieve and every plot point they introduced could have been properly addressed and done justice in in one more season, and therefore, none of the problems I'm about to go into would have ever been an issue.

Imagine this: season 2 starts exactly as it did, with the first three episodes dealing with the aftermath of jinx's actions and the loss that drives Piltover into deplorable reactions, with Caitlyn and Ambessa at the helm, descending into fascism, Cait driven by blind rage and the prejudice she's been fed her entire life without an active effort into trying to overcome it, Ambessa driven by ambition and desperate attempts to one-up the Black Rose organisation. However, the season progresses differently - to me, this conflict and its consequences should have been what this season was about.

Simple yet deeply impactful, tackling the themes they set up in the last season, tackling the intricacies of what would lead the characters into their actions - for Cait, expanding on the way grief, fear and guilt makes you regress back to your most ignorant, primal, selfish self; for Vi, the way a lifetime of being told she's responsible for everything and everyone and her unbridled desire for love and family made her abandon her core principles and join the people she hates in order to kill the monster she thinks she's responsible for creating; for Ambessa, the way her deeply embedded and deeply repressed fear of the Black Rose coupled with the Noxian belief in strength and sacrifice and war made her give up one her core beliefs that warriors are forged through blood sweat and tears and not through magic and reach out to Singed, therefore becoming an almost caricature of herself etc etc etc.

That coupled with the overarching conflict between Piltover and Zaun, how Piltover's actions are the breaking point for Zaun, as well as the personal conflicts between Jinx and Vi, Mel and Ambessa, Vi and Cait, potentially Jayce and Cait once Jayce realises Cait has become someone she would have absolutely despised just a few weeks ago, would have made for a compelling and powerful season that kept to much of the themes of the first season and could have been the stepping stones for a larger conflict that could have been introduced but not expanded in this season - Viktor and the Hexcore, the bigger battle between humanity vs the arcane, the Black Rose and their involvement in everything.

Season 2 would introduce Isha as a positive role model for Jinx and a way that Jinx would be able to be rescued from the nothingness her life had become - Isha could have been a symbol for Zaun, and the reason Jinx would decide to become the face of the revolution for Zaun independence. Season 2 could have ended with the Jinx and Vander moment in the prison, or with her reaching out for Vi after her KO in the pits. Season 3 then could have dealt with everything else, and been a great way to introduce other characters and other conflicts (Mel and the Black Rose), which I assume will be part of the next series about runeterra.

I think this season and what it was trying to achieve was great, but its biggest downfall was that in its ambition, it fell short of what made it great. Because whilst the fighting and the animations and the moments we did get with the characters were great, there wasn't enough time to make them justified or fleshed out, and in that, we lost the essence of what people loved the most about Arcane - the eye to detail, the accuracy in character writing and portrayal.

I loved seeing Cait and Vi together and I loved seeing them get into conflict - I did not, however, love that Caitlyn went from being a dictator to redeeming herself in basically one episode with no consequences for her actions. Vi should have been mad, she should have been furious, she should have held her accountable and she didn't. I wanted them to have a much earned sex scene, but not in a prison, which overlooks the insane amount of trauma Vi has suffered in Stillwater and how insensitive doing it there comes across as.

I loved seeing Jinx and Vi reunited - but for a story that started and was always at its core a story about two sisters, there was not nearly enough done to explore their very complicated and tumultuous relationship and bring it to a satisfying conclusion. Not one scene in which they talked about their issues, where they opened up about the past, where they resolved anything before Jinx eventually died, and then, not even one scene of Vi mourning her or what her death represents to the overarching story or to Zaun.

I loved seeing Jinx get better, and her character was actually the highlight of the show for me this season, but a lot of it felt rushed and not properly explored - by the beginning of act 2 she seemed basically perfectly sane, and even after losing Isha, she seemed perfectly in charge of her emotions and was able to surrender herself and make perfectly rational decisions, which doesn't seem in line with all we know about jinx. Not to mention Isha was never mentioned once in the whole of act 3, and neither did Jinx becoming a symbol for Zaun amount to absolutely anything in the end.

I hated how much like the fandom, and the characters themselves, the writers seem to overlook Vi completely. She got the short end of the stick at literally every turn and I thought she would have gotten a semblance of justice in the end, but she didn’t. She forsake everything she knew and believed in because Jinx needed to be killed - Jinx was actually better and fixed herself without any of her involvement, so she betrayed herself for nothing. She finally opens up to Cait and cries in front of her, begging her not to change because she’s already lost everything - Cait betrays her like 5 minutes later and attacks her, abandoning her, then comes back like nothing happened and Vi doesn’t give a shit and forgives her immediately. Finally gets Vander and Jinx back? Loses them both again in the span of a few days. SHE EVEN FUCKING GOT A BAD ENDING IN THE HAPPY ALTERNATE UNIVERSE WHERE EVERYONE ELSE WAS HAPPY LIKE WTF. I could keep going and going about Vi and all the ways she was done wrong but I’d be here forever so let’s move on but #justiceforvi

I liked the Jayce and Viktor conflict and I actually believe everything they've done with that they handled well, since it was basically the main plot of the season, and I loved the way ekko's storyline intertwined with theirs, but this could have been handled even better in a season dedicated to it, and I wish it hadn't come at the expense of Jinx, Vi, Cait and the conflict between Zaun and Piltover. Watching this show felt a little bit like watching season 1 of game of thrones and then halfway through season 2 we're actually in season 8 and the white walkers are here and nobody cares about the iron throne anymore and everything that happened we're supposed to forget about and focus on jon snow vs the night king and it's so confusing cause I kinda cared about Ned Stark and who killed Jon Arryn and i’m kinda still mad that Cersei killed Lady and I’m still curious about Bran and his visions and Varys and the importance of choosing a leader who cares about the small folks and and and ???

This is such a long post and I’m very sorry and I’m writing it on my phone so it might not even make sense but I needed to get some of it out because this has taken over my life.

I probably will have more thoughts as I’m processing this more but for now pls tell me i’m not alone and pls tell me your thoughts 🤍

[sdtopaz]

I need to get some stuff off my chest about Arcane as I believe some fans of the show have fogged up about some of the themes and characters and I at least want to give some nuance and my own opinion.

Disclaimer: Just because I’m criticising some of your favorite characters, doesn’t mean I hate or dislike them.

1.Loris has done some fucked up stuff, regardless of what you may say about the character, whether or not you love his character. I’ve seen some posts about how Loris walked away from being an enforcer when fascism started being implemented into Piltover around when martial law was put down against the nation of Zaun, though yes he did walk away and I do commend him for that, he did actively participate in Police brutality and the gassing of Zaun individuals. Police brutality is inherently fascist and he was within the system that actively produced as in my opinion the whole fascism theme of Arcane didn’t start with Ambessa instating Martial law, it started with Caitlyn discovering her mothers ventilation invention for the nation of Zaun to have clean air and weaponised it against them. I like Loris as a character and I wished we got some more backstory on him but regardless I feel like this should be stated.

2.Vi was also a participant in Police Brutality even if she uses the excuse of that it was just trying to get people of the streets so they could search for Jinx, she still was hurting the people of Zaun -her own people might I add- and that regardless it’s not a good thing, we don’t even know the full effects of the grey as it’s been noted to make people have difficulties with breathing and damages the eyes so for all we know some people might have permanent damage from this gas. Vi out of every group of people should’ve been with the Firelights as I believe that would've been the most healthiest place to recover as she’s definitely someone who needs rest.

3.I think out of every character that had the right idea about Zaun I think it’s Ekko and Sevika. Though I think Silco did care about the nation of Zaun but, that man was creating monsters and addicts out of the shimmer that he was managing whilst also working with Singe, Vander to me was a bit too passive and was trying to avoid violence at all cost even though we’ve seen throughout history that it doesn’t work and can cause even more problems. Ekko on the other hand is the most morally correct person, he built a utopia for families and recovering shimmer addicts with food, water, creativity and care. I think if anyone was going to create a nation of Zaun into a Utopia of independence, it would be Ekko. More on Sevika now, I think Sevika followed Vander and Silco because she aligned with their views at some point, but then their own personal beliefs got in the way of actually giving independence to Zaun. I also think that just because Sevika paralleled Vander doesn’t mean she regrets getting rid of him/killing him. On the other side I think she only stuck with Silco for that long is because though Silco was doing fucked up things, he at least had a lot of power over Zaun and therefore was the closest to gaining it’s independence. For Sevika, Zaun always comes first

-One thing I wanted to say as well because a friend mentioned it to me is that, Zaun under the leadership of Vander was a lot more controlled and felt more like a community, but the problem was that nothing changed under Vander’s leadership, on the other hand Silco had power and with him Zaun did change but, it wasn’t controlled and Silco was more of a Mafia boss than a leader and without him -with the damage he caused- the formation of mobs and gangs became more common. With Vander it was controlled and communal, but with a lack of change, Whilst Silco things did change but it’s more of they changed for the worse rather than the better and it was more unstable with it’s infighting.

4.I wished Ekko would’ve seen what Vi was doing when she became an enforcer because that would’ve been interesting to see.

5.I personally believe that the reason why Sevika started to care for Jinx more after Silco’s death is because. One Jinx has someone to care for that might push her to go for Zaun’s independence and betterment. Two that Jinx proved to her that she’s not just a force of chaos and destruction because she rebuilt Sevika’s arm even if it has her own flare to it. Three because technically (despite Jinx’s refusal) they both have to pick up the pieces of Zaun that Silco left behind. Four that Jinx is willing to go far enough for a specific goal, and that there’s some usefulness to that, but all Jinx needs is for that energy to be focused on Zaun.

6.I saw some people blaming Ekko (when he was a kid) for everything starting in the first place, even though in the alternative universe, Powder, Claggor, Milo and Vi were all sent on the exact same mission so it could’ve gone in any direction but yeah sure blame the kid.

7.I did not care about the black rose and felt it was awkwardly placed and I can’t explain why, but it just feels wrong. It wasn't as impactful as I'm guessing it's supposed to be.

8.Sevika should’ve been given more to do with Jinx and way more character development

9.I wish Caitlyn’s rise into dictatorship was handled better and was longer, it felt like a complete 180 to me when she made this plan all of a sudden even if it was because of Vi explaining that she was there in Viktor’s village to get Vander back.

10. The sex scene between Vi and Caitlyn should’ve been longer because that short snippet of it didn’t really feel that special and intimate to me(btw I’m acespec this is purely for story reasons).

11.A reminder that people like Caitlyn do exist, I have met people like Caitlyn who make a small step in progress to being more accepting of people but, if you don’t praise them or even call them out on some of their bullshit then they will just revert back to their dehumanising behaviour.

12.Though the relationship between Ekko and Powder gives a good amount of impact, the scenes between Jinx and Ekko that were cut I feel as though undermines the moments with Ekko and Powder and Timebomb as a ship but with the time they’ve given us I still think it’s great overall.

13. People thinking that Maddy was going to be a good person despite the fact that she didn't see vi as a person of Zaun because of her going against Silco and also that she easily accepted a clearly human rights violating law, I think didn’t watch the show closely enough. (Side note I changed this part because Maddy's not the child of the corrupt police captain as I've been told in the replies, but I still think there's enough to call out Maddy defenders)

I think that’s most of my ramblings and thoughts out in the open, one more thing I wanted to say is that I feel as though the autonomy and faults of the characters are being taken away from them when that shouldn't be the case and the idea of nuance and not seeing the grey has caused problems in real life.

[zeddylux]

I know I'm a little late to the party, meant to make this post yesterday but here we are. It's Arcane season at last baby!!! We've waited years for this and I know we're all excited but a few things to keep in mind for my page specifically.

1. I profoundly apologize to anyone who follows me for any other content it will simply be Arcane from now until probably into next year. I fully understand if you mute or unfollow me because of it.

2. We all know Netflix is being a massive cunt with password sharing so not everyone has access to the show. PLEASE TAG YOUR SPOILERS.

3. Please everyone be civil when discussing the very heavy themes involved in this show. If you cannot behave yourself in my comments and reblogs you will get blocked. End of discussion.

4. Just a few opinions I have specifically...I don't much care for Silco. I think his relationship with Jinx is very manipulative and creepy so keep that in mind if you choose to follow me. If you really like their relationship I'm probably going to make you mad. In addition Vi hate will not be tolerated. I know the shallow stupid opinions alot of you have about her character. Believe me I'm going to be fairly critical with how the series handles her transition (and hopefully later opposition) to being an enforcer as well as the revolutionary writing in general. But get your season 1 takes out of my face. Vi did not create Jinx. Stop it. Mel, Ambessa, Sevika, or Ekko hate will also NOT be tolerated. If you bring your racism and antiblackness to my discussions you will be blocked and reported. You have been warned.

5. As I mentioned above I will be fairly critical of how this season handles its political writing. I love Caitvi I do. They actually mean quite alot to me but I'll likely be the hardest on Cait this season. Speaking as an American there are alot of bad things going on here that she specifically represents and I'm hopeful and curious as to how the writing team chooses to handle her.

Other than that welcome to the discussion! I'll be watching the new season as soon as I'm able and I'm sure will be putting my rambling on here as I think of them. I've watched season one an ungodly amount of times I'm sure this season will be no different. I hope Netflix does these characters justice and I hope anyone who is new to this amazing series feels welcome and safe on my page to discuss. Let's fucking go!!!

Also this blog still stands with Palestine, Sudan, and Congo as well as all marginalized groups affected by fascism and imperialism around the world. Just gonna pin these rules for now!

Allright. Now that everything's over...I have some new rules. The above rules still stand but...tbh I really really hated that season. There were some things I enjoyed but for the most part I did NOT care for it. You're welcome to scroll through my blog to see my thoughts and various discussions between me and my mutuals. (Usually tagged Arcane critical or anti Caitvi). They did everyone so dirty and I'm EXTREMELY dissappinted. Especially with Caitvi. Please keep all these rules in mind before interacting with my posts. Also please let me know if there is any bigotry of any kind in my comments, posts, or forums. I will take care of it immediately. Thank you!

One last addition, I had to briefly log back on to address a small matter..I was looking through wattpad to see if they had slightly better Arcane fanfics than A03...and came across a drabble that was almost identical to my Vigert drabble...rebranded Caitvi. I don't know if this was some kind of revenge scheme by a Caitlyn Stan or what but the coward immediately deleted their fic once I sent them a message. I think this goes without saying...but do not steal my fanfics. Do not steal my ideas do not steal my drabbles. I will delete them if I see this happening again. The fuck?? 😤

Update #2- Said person is now stalking my tumblr and sending me nasty messages 😑 Unfortunately I will have to turn asks off again since no one can behave. I swear every fandom is just full of immature children but oh well 🤷‍♀️

Even though I had to turn my asks off again please consider donating to any of the gofundmes I have shared below. Palestine and many people around the world still very much need our help and any amount you can donate in my stead would be greatly appreciated! Love you all 🫶

[unrelentingforse]

i don't like caitlyn (ACT 1 S2 SPOILERS)

the first season of arcane showed us how caitlyn was forced to face the harsh realities of people she was taught from a young age to hate. she saw how they were treated and how they survived in zaun. she changed her views...for a WHILE.

because she never deconstructed the way she THINKS about zaunites. she was about 24 when this all went down and this is concerning. because all of her formative years she spent believing that her life is more valuable than others. cailtyn is RICH RICH. so no wonder why as soon as she was faced with a loss she went back to her old ways.

the only reason caitlyn protected vi during the audience is because of sexual attraction. THAT'S THE ONLY REASON.

for cait vi was "one of the good ones". she said it herself in the first episode - she STILL sees vi as "the good zaunite" not as a person who has a LOT of reasons to hate piltover and enforsers.

they are from completely different worlds - vi is from the lowest of the low and caitlyn is from the richest family in piltover. she is privileged to a point nobody else can really conseptualize. she can NOT actually grasp how much she contributes to the oppresion of zaun and that's a HUGE roadblock in their relationship.

vi was pretty much forced into enforsers. she betrayed who she is, her beliefs and morals only for caitlyn. vi saw so many atrocities done by the enforsers and she became her own opressor. that's nothing to sneeze at.

but cait STILL thinks that vi is lower than her. it only took vi stopping her from SHOOTING A CHILD to betray her supposed lover. not only that - SHE HIT HER FOR NO GODDAMN REASON. SHE HIT HER IN THE STOMACH. WHERE SHE WAS STABBED.

caitlyn kiramman better have a damn good redemption arc because i can't bring myself to like her right now.

edit: i think i need to clarify this. i am NOT in any way, shape or form condoning her gassing the lanes. this post was mostly about caitlyn's fascism in relation to her situationship with vi. i could go even deeper into this but this is a topic for another time.

[filipfatalattractionrblog]

In hinsight it's even funnier.

Ambessa spend months weaving intricate web of lies and corruption, just to make sure her puppet dictator festers in her hatred for one pair of blue hair and mental illness. Cait basically fell into her lap pre-packed, she was already on her "shoot the kid first, gas the rest" stage when Ambessa gave her absolute power on a silver platter. To get her hands on Jinx's neck Caitlyn was ready to make 1984 look like Conquest of Bread, all she did was an enabler with military power to back it up. But Ambessa wasn't going to stop here, she wanted to mold Cait in her image, just to be sure. Forget the Noxian Triangle, one of Caitlyn's ears was being filled with tenents of Ur-Fascism labeled "guidelines", all while Ambessa's hand-selected two-faced bitch was in the other ear, telling Caitlyn to not worry, she is in charge, she is in control, she has the power here, she can stop whenever she wants. And she's a good person, much better than this scary Noxian general, would such cutie patoie be so in love with her otherwise? Of course Caitlyn will stop when things get really bad because she's such a good person and she is in control, she can stop whenever she wants, just not after some Zagnief looking motherfucker treid to break someone's neck for having blue hair and pronouns, that wasn't so bad, she just needs to have some stern talk with mo...general, remind her who is in charge and that she will totally stop everything if things get really out of hand. Just not right now. Ambessa helped Caitlyn bent to shove her head up her own ass so deep she had Runeterra's greatest piece of shit dead to rights and didn't blow his head off because she was too focused on wanting to strangle a single neurodivergent that doesn't even like the guy herself. Caitlyn's downfall was doing so well Ambessa said "forget Piltover, I want to induce this bitch to the empire, she's gonna do numbers!". She was well on her way to mold Caitlyn into a true wolf, a perfect child that wouldn't question her ideals like the other two.

And then she gets one look at an angry oil stick that doesn't believe in proper bras, with her tight black pants, her leather jacket barely containing the guns, her ABS and it's like a fucking spell came undone. For all intents and purposes Ambessa could as well have hypnotize her like in a Saturday Morning Cartoon, pendulum on a swing style, that's how easy it all went poof, gone the moment Vi said a magic word. Months of careful manipulation and realistic indoctrination, poisoning woman's mind and bedroom, undone faster you can say "true love's kiss". Sorry, your political intrigue is over, because a butch hit her emo phase. RIP to Ambessa, Vi's just built different

-Admin

[arcane-ish]

Very quick thoughts on Arcane 2x01 - 2x03

Some highly shallow, quick reaction thoughts. I kind of don't like the bits where they experimented with the normal style. Whether it was the black and white in the opening with Caitlyn, the hextech or the blood magic. It just looked kind of cheap and corner-cutting even though I could totally picture Fortiche wanting to experiment with their own style.

The directing in the battle scenes also felt different to me.

In my memory it took me a while to go completely gaga over the show back in season 1. My verdict for season 2 is that I see some structural weaknesses, but I still like these characters and wanna see where it goes.

Anyway, on to the episodes.

So happy that Mel is alive. Throughout the episodes I kept thinking that Mel is our heroic little princess traipsing around and being moral. I was highly amused that Jayce and Mel deal with Jayce having fridged Viktor in Jayce's lab.

It made me irrationally happy that Ekko comes so early in the opening credits.

I feel like structurally there are two things that make it weaker than season 2.

I miss the old structure with the childhood flashbacks. Season 1 made great use of this to give us depth or new perspectives on characters and that allowed them to really hook you with those twists. I'm not that sad that they abandoned the "there's always a twist" approach, I feel like that might have been hard to keep up and shows that force themselves to constantly do twists feel like they suffer for it. (the only twist was Ambessa at the end of ep 3, but I felt that was fairly predictable) I also feel like there are a lot fewer horror vibes (which is something that s1 played with to get their twists off)

I think season 1 really benefitted that we saw a lot more of the characters being normal and then slowly doom approaches. That allowed us to see a casual side to many characters and I think the relationships really benefitted from, that we got to see characters just being friends or just being siblings or just being bosses and then have it ripped away. Season 1 already established most of these places and characters and they are not all in drama, one darn thing happening after another mode.

Moments that didn't really land for me

I feel like I don't get why concretely Vi is so upset over Jinx. Like I feel like I have a really good handle on why Ekko was angry at Jinx. Jinx killed one of his firelights and he is really upset that she's working with Silco who's selling Shimmer. And Vi has a lot of reasons to be upset and okay with Jinx getting killed, but I feel like her being haunted by a flashback really would have helped. Is this going back to "she's working with the guy who killed Vander and I thought he was manipulating her but now I believe she wasn't so I hold it against her", is it that Jinx abducted Caitlyn, is it the death of Caitlyn's mom, is it just that Jinx has a body count? Maybe it will be handed in the next act.

Viktor instantly becoming Hextech Jesus after he wakes up just felt rushed. Again greatly would have benefitted from some more flashbacks because him just seeing Skye doesn't really explain. Again I get the basic motivation of him disapproving of Hextech being used and going home, but it still felt off.

Moments I liked a lot

Heimer being funny during the heist

Vi getting drunk and commenting on Cait's sense of humor

Jinx and Sevika's convo in Silco's office

Mel being sneaky talking to the lady with the big ears.

Moments that worked really well

Jayce and Viktor's convo. I'm a card carrying "It's absolutely lowest on my shipping totem pole", but I thought they carried the emotion off well (admittedly that might have been my "I wonder if Silco and Vander ever argued like that"), though Jayce seemed to be suspiciously fast back on to worrying about other things (and I don't really buy that he's that fasts at smithing, btw)

Ambessa's seduction by fascism of Cait at the ending of Act 3 (I kept wondering if Cait is Ambessa's type as per Ambessa's voice lines in the game).

The CaitVi breakup. Though mostly how rough it was. Like during it I was like instantly thinking I should check the internet to see if CaitVI fans are okay, sheesh that was tough.

[sydney-empire]

When season one of Arcane ended, I felt I had been misled. I felt it wasn't truly Jinx's story, but rather it was Jayce's. Obviously, there are a number of different characters that we're meant to explore, but Jinx herself felt like a plot device in her own story; gone for most of it just to show up at the worst moment and cause another roadblock. She felt so gimmicky that I didn't care much for her.

Well I feel like this new season just confirmed what I already felt. I was invested with the whole martial law plot and Jinx becoming a new symbol of hope for the people of Zaun, and I truly thought we'd see her and Sevika work together and fight for their people (Jinx making Sevika a new arm as a surprise gift was really cute!). Well Jayce's storyline ended up overpowering everything. I was never fond of the whole "progression goes too far and turns into annihilation in the name of perfection" trope, and watching Jayce save the entire world with a pep talk and then sacrifice himself with Viktor just.... idk man, the speech and forehead touch were both very sweet, but why did the entire conflict between Piltover and Zaun have to be discarded for this? Was this really worth it? You often lose all personality in your story when the stakes are raised so needlessly high. A civil war between two factions is already tense and has so much potential for character direction and relationship-building. We had martial law, relocation camps, threats of fascism, the first act gave us so much to work with. Jinx could've had that realization that she CAN in fact do something meaningful. She could've stepped up to the role and waved that damn flag we saw in the intro. Maybe Vi could've done something other than pine for Caitlyn and cry.

I definitely had fun watching the show, but the adrenaline wore off pretty quickly and I realized just how little we actually got. All that carried over from the first season were its flaws.

[pinkeoni]

About a week ago I finished watching Arcane s2. Here are my thoughts:

I will be honest in saying that during the latter half of the season I was mostly checked out, and this show became something that I put on as background noise. I finished the show while I was busy cooking for a dinner party I was throwing. As such, I'm not very reliable in terms of breaking down details of the season, or even certain character arcs. The arcs I was most invested in were Jinx, Vi's and Ekko's, but other than those three I was mostly checked out. But I can definitely safely say that the season didn't do enough to hold onto my attention.

The pacing is a common complaint but a valid one at that. There are certain ideas in here that I don't really have a problem with on paper, but the way they are executed is so rushed that it comes off as unrealistic. A good example is Vi's enlistment as an enforcer. I don't think this is necessarily a bad idea, a character becoming the thing they hate is a classic storyline— but I felt like I blinked and suddenly Vi was an enforcer. This type of pacing is really what caused me to lose interest in the season. Like I said earlier, I was still invested in Vi's arc, but mostly because of her connection with Jinx (the shows best character that was done the dirtiest).

I have a big problem with Caitvi. I'll be honest, I don't think that Caitvi can work with the themes of the show, at least, the way things played out. The way I can see Caitvi working successfully is if Caitlyn realizes the corruption of the enforcers, and decides to leave the force. She kinda does this... after going through her fascist dictator arc. I honestly wish that the show would've picked one or the other, either Cait abandoning the force entirely after season one, or having a full corruption arc. Caitvi were doomed as soon as Jinx decided to nuke the council. It makes sense for Cait to want to get her revenge on Jinx. It also makes sense to be blinded by revenge and fall into fascism. It doesn't really makes to have her go through all of that and have a happy ending with Vi. But of course, the show doesn't want to break up their lesbian couple and make one of them go through a fascist arc. Except they do, and then hastily reverse it. They wanted to have their cake and eat it out too.

The show posits the idea that Vi has to choose between Jinx and Cait, and despite Vi's relationship to Jinx arguably being more important than Caitvi's, and their relationship being the core of the show, the show has Jinx sacrifice herself even after Ekko saved her from killing herself. Sorry for more Cait hate but these two should have traded places. Cait could've been the corrupt dictator that realized the error of her ways, and sacrificed herself as a sort of redemption. Idk, maybe that wouldn't have worked, but it would've been better than Vi living with her oligarch gf in her mansion at the end of the show.

The good stuff: this show has better individual moments than it does overarcing story arcs. Like the first season, the visuals are incredible, and the animation artists on this show always have visually creative ways to speed through a story beat. Jinx. Ekko. The episode in the alternate storyline with Ekko and Powder was great, even if that miniarc should have actually been three episodes long instead of one. Oh well. I loved the 4fps animation that was not only a clever nod to Ekko's time travel power but also a nice Wong Kar-Wai reference.

[essentialthyme]

My hottest take is that Cait is an interesting character but she becomes infinitely more interesting when I think of her having a psychosexual hate/love obsession with Jinx. Like they'd tear each other apart but Season 2 really wants us to see the two of them as mirrors to each other. Like Caitlyn's moment of frustration in Jinx's lair when she shoots that cutout? You can see Cait's eyes do this haunting flash of black and white for a split second. It's like when Jinx's shimmer kicks in and her eyes leave these trails of light behind her. It's so good.

I'm not loving Vi this season so far, I understand her motives I just think the writing around her is rather weak, which is more of a result of having to keep Arcane somewhat aligned with League's lore. Like Vi is obviously going to be an Enforcer because she's an Enforcer in the game, one of the most famous Enforcers to ever exist and one half of Piltover's Finest. Like she is predestined to be a cop, but her journey to getting there is one I'm not too happy with simply because the path didn't offer a lot of growth or regression, her decision to join the Enforcers is one thing, but her gassing her neighbors is a whole problem in itself.

I would be surprised if a lot of them end up turning on her, simply because she was gone for upwards of ten years, comes back with THEE Enforcer princess Caitlyn Kiramman, is somewhat involved with taking down Silco's gang-- one of the major players in the advancement of Zaunites--then comes back again with a strike force of Enforcers and a toxic gas to choke out her neighbors. Like from their perspective Vi must seem like a total traitor.

Caitlyn is...my baby girl like I adore her so much but girl is taking that steep decline into fascism. Which is colored by both her grief, rage, frustration, and fear; similar to Jinx in act 2 of season 1, she feels betrayed and the people she thought she could count on are failing her. I'm sad she's going through it this season, even though I completely stand with whatever Jinx does to Piltover, but it's a little upsetting that people are either "she's totally evil" or "she's innocent" about her this season. Like I hate what she's doing but I love her character, I love messy characters, I love it when women are angry and violent and evil.

This is ranty, I forgot the main point of this ask was to spread my CaitJinx toxic lesbianisim agenda

There has always been a link between Caitlyn and Jinx, and I can't exactly articulate it well, or better than other people have already done, but yeah, I love that Caitlyn is affected by everything that has happened to her, that she reacts so viscerally to Jinx. I always liked the human element of Arcane's storytelling, and this is no different.

Now about Vi, I don't get the issue many people are seeing. Not only I felt it was shown that the strike team used the gas tactically against the their targets, we're also talking about the same Vi who stormed a factory in season one without knowing who was inside and tried to convince Jayce to keep going after he killed a kid. I'm going to see if I find the post again, but someone talked about how Ekko is the character people think Vi is, and I'm seeing it a lot in fandom rn. I saw someone say Vi was horrified by Caitlyn's questioning, and I just don't see it: Vi has punched first and asked questions later, if at all. I think she is worried. This season Vi is not the focus, just as Caitlyn wasn't in the first season, but we can see three things about her: she is wracked with guilt and grief (which is the driving force of her joining the enforces, "righting her wrongs"), she is worried about Caitlyn, and finally, at the end, she is hurt. The next episodes seem to focus on her, so I'm hopeful!

Ultimately, I think I'm really going to enjoy the season, if the first arc is anything to go by. Caitlyn falling down into this dictatorial path is tragic, but that's the thing about Arcane, there's so many preventable tragic shit happening because of how things play out, of how characters react to things, because of the emotions they feel and can't deal with. I felt the same way watching Caitlyn hit Vi as I did watching Vi hit Jinx. I anguished at Vi ending up in prison in the aftermath, and I despaired when Caitlyn stepped up into Ambessa's play. I think stories like these have the potential to be incredible, and I hope they can stick the landing. Idk lol I'm enjoying it.

But yeah, even though I am a simp for Vi and Cait's relationship, I can see the CaitJinx appeal: toxic yuri rise!

[chrysaliseuro2018]

Lisbon by Day and Night

So day 1 really in Lisbon and George had organised a free walking tour. Alex had arrived very late the night before so we all said a hearty hello in the morning. Alex is a a Canadian Aussie living in London and you don't get much more cosmopolitan than that. It was so lovely to catch up again. Some breakfast in house and then a quick sorty to the start of the tour which was not far away. Our tour guide was Joao (hard J ie Jow though he said he responded to anything including Joe) who advised he was 24 and a student of linguistics. Fantastic English, curly hair with the beard. He looked like a gentle version of one of those old Portuguese seafarers. There were 19 in the tour group and Joao was pretty engaging. The first half of the tour was reasonably devoted to various hints eg the practicaIities of negotiating the public transport system and insights into good bars and cafes and indeed where to buy the best pastel de natas. We also saw the funicular and various other sights including the view across the city from the Santa Justa viewing platform which was pretty speccy. The "hero" of the tour was an American cousin aged around early 50s who proffered opinions , suggestions, comments, questions and general observations at every opportunity. This was much to Penny's amusement and I have to say added to the quirkiness of the tour (there's nothing better than an eccentric). Joao stoically responded blandly to a regular and obvious stream of comments eg. when Joao was discussing one of the early (and most cool) nightclubs in Lisbon that his parents had attended which actually turned people away if they didn't like the look of you (unheard of in the 70s in Lisbon) our mate said you mean just like studio 54 in New York. A bemused Joao indicated that a lot of places do that now but it didn't matter old chum pressed on with his point till he felt it was made ( ie Joao thanked him for his contribution probably secretly thinking could the earth open up and swallow this guy) much to our amusement. Anyway the tour progressed. Mixed reviews. Joao I felt was probably catering for a youngish audience though split his tour in two with the second half devoted to a bit more history of Lisbon and Portugal. We did hear about King John (Joao - apparently every 2nd bloke is called Joao here) the 1st of Portugal (the illegitimate son of the previous King) who in the 14th century had basically saved the country's independence from Spain in a battle. Apparently he got rid of a number of his half- relatives to ensure his early access to the throne including his half sister. This was met with some voluble anguish by our American friend who was hoping for a happier ending. Also we heard of poet Luiz Vaz de Camoes, Portugal’s national poet, who died in 1580 and wrote Os Luciadas - Portugal's national epic poem about that country's achievements in the 16th century. Their national day is in his honour. This cove also had some legendary stories about being shipwrecked and swimming with one arm to the shore while the other held the draft manuscript of the poem above the waves. This was embellished by Joao (and via legend) with the possibility that Camoes also had his sweetheart on the boat but chose to save his manuscript instead. Also that he was reciting a new poem in his head and thought it was so good that he let the manuscript go as he preferred the new version he was reciting as he swam. Whatever the truth it was a good yarn and he was obviously quite a character in real life. Perhaps the most intriguing story was around the fall of fascism and the dictatorship in Portugal which finally happened in 1974. It also signalled the end of their colonial status. Joao had obviously heard a lot from his parents about life at that time and clearly read a lot which he relayed. Portugal had chosen to go its own way. It was neutral during the second world war and subsequently aligned itself with neither super power having no time for communists and no time for democracy. The dictatorship was still waging war in places like Angola to retain its colonies but more importantly the various mineral revenues originating there that supported it. Being not a particularly rich country its army was ill equipped to fight these wars and so the airforce was relied on to bolster it. This all changed when the Russians provide the Angolans with missiles which quickly accounted for the Portuguese airforce - end of the war. We probably got the simplistic version but it was pretty riveting. Just as riveting was how the dictatorship lost power domestically in 1974, basically overthrown by a small number of army dissidents who were quickly supported by elements of the navy and particularly civilians who quickly took to the streets as things changed. We were taken to the square where much of the action happened and it was virtually a bloodless coup. So these stories lifted the tour and we saw some interesting sights along the way though Lisbon ain't Prague. We generally liked the tour though voted our guide in Barcelona ahead of Joao simply because he gave us better insights over 2000 years+ of the history of the city. Joao was a bit narrower in focus timewise though entertaining enough. Amusingly at the end who should be providing him with a critique of his performance but American chum. I reckon Joao would have liked to reverse the critique but he took it in good spirit. At the end of the tour we quickly found ourselves in the neighbourhood of Alfama where lunch of sardines or octopus salad (the latter for Liz and Penny - gritty apparently) + beers ensued. Amusingly the table was at an angle of 20 degrees so Penny's head on the lower side was much lower than George's on the other side of the table. Vertigo inducing though the beers helped. It was the usual jolly lunch with everyone in good form and plenty of debriefing about our American tour mate. Waiter was a bit grumpy (wrong job) but all this stuff adds to the colour. All good and then Liz and I headed off to explore Alfama further and everyone else to wherever they chose. We basically walked around Alfama and other areas on the way home taking it all in. We had booked dinner for 7.00 (only time available otherwise we would have stuck to our preferred Spanish eating time of 8.00pm+) at the place we could not get into the previous night - the Cantinho do Avillez so that was the next commitment for that day. We all rolled up at home in the late afternoon Liz and I snoozed, the team had a few beers but by 7.00 we were at the Cantinho. Food was superb and we knew why it was so highly rated. Funky joint, friendly staff even had a stout beer. We ate amongst other things - exploding olives (soft and an immediate explosion of flavour in your mouth), octopus, tuna, pigs trotters, various tapas offerings together with great red wine. No wonder it got booked out. Despite the insistence on an early start by the restaurant there was no pressure to leave and so we trundled out around 9.00ish (can't remember). More drinks were required and we were recommended a venue by the waitress but opted for a wine bar suggested by our friend Caitlyn Box who lives in London "Jose Maria da Fonseca". Tables were scarce to come by though we secured a big barrel for us all to lean on and place drinks on just outside in the lane way which did the trick. We hoed into the red wine kindly donated by Alex and a jolly fun time was had by all. When we were finally offered an inside table we declined as we were so happy with our external spot on a mild evening. After an hour or so ( can't remember) Liz and I headed off and left the " kids" to play. They went to the place suggested by the waitress at the restaurant which turned out to be a bit dodgy and in a dodgy part of town strip clubs etc) so they ended up at the the local bar suggested for us by Joao on the tour. Turned out it was really laid back a bit like a house party rather than a bar. He said it was alternative. That tour is starting to look more valuable. George was home first around 1.00 as I had to let her in since we only had two keys and the others trailed in later (Liz and I were out to it). Great food, great wine even a good beer, great fun, everyone in fine form - a brilliant night.

[chiseler]

THE FRANKFURT SCHOOL FOR WAYWARD GIRLS

Putting "acceptable" limits on depravity in the name of compromise and "reality" is how fascism eventually triumphs. Or so said Professor Yvonne De Carlo of 'Miss Yvonne's Academy for Wayward Hussies' also known as 'The Frankfurt School' --  a place of higher learning for delinquent, pregnant scholars. "Your new president is merely proof that the depraved nature of power is given license by tolerating all but its excesses" said Professor De Carlo as she powdered her ample cleavage in full view of the astonished, pinafore-clad undergrads gathered for her lecture on the 'Dialectic of Fascism and French Manicures Made Easy-Peasy'.

"You want to know what brought Trump to power? Hint: It wasn't a sudden, inexplicable, sewage-strewn wave of raw hatred poised to strike down public schools, libraries and national parks at the behest of a braying, stupid mob of "privileged" former factory workers. It wasn't merely insanity wrought by decades of institutional neglect or unchecked greed -- although that was a big part of it. It was *nice* people willing to accept certain 'realities' to ensure their place at the proverbial table remained a pristine space of individually apportioned, locally sourced food; a place where rhetorical restraint replaced actual political solutions to any given problem.

You chose 'safe' over actual justice -- meaning someone else's kid will take a police bullet to the chest so that we can all read heavily redacted versions of Mark Twain in the peace and comfort of a colorful ball pit of higher learning like our own Frankfurt School, which I should mention was only made possible by a generous corporate donation from a multi-national purveyor of processed pork by-products with vaguely German origins. At the end of it, you'll all be awarded a certificate declaring you free from venereal diseases, and the skills necessary to lower live poultry into a vat of ammonia in a subsidiary facility owned by our trustees. At your age, I was performing burlesque numbers on the mean streets of my Canadian homeland at the behest of my stage mother. But I'll tell you all about that later in the term when we cover 'Hoochie-Coochie Cave Dancing of the Early Ottoman Empire - as Explained by a scantily-clad Miss Yvonne Waving a Jewel-Encrusted Saber'. Consider that your 'trigger warning'. Now let's proceed:

It was enough that we embraced Caitlyn Jenner and applauded Meryl Streep giving the phone book version of the Gettysburg Address to her wealthy patrons -- I could give a better soliloquy while swallowing a sword and balancing a cobra on my head, but I digress . . . It was enough to sprout a 'dad boner' over Pussy Riot to declare ourselves -- "punk rock", even as we devised ways to make earth's human and animal life redundant during brainstorming meetings that took place in an indoor ergonomic playground that served wheat grass martinis on tap. My dear friend Frederick Marcuse who took me under his bosom . . . or was that the other way around . . . argued that the technocratic efficiency of advanced, industrial societies had rendered it 'one-dimensional', and as such, resistant to all critiques of it. Our "aversion to introspection" according to Adorno -- another generous benefactor to the Frankfurt School -- renders left-opposition to Trump little more than an elite-led, sour grape authoritarianism that is unable to contemplate its own role in a paradigmatic shift towards a more 'unprincipled' and unpredictable variety of global aggression. If you don't believe him, just ask a white feminist how writing 'rape culture' on her boobs in sharpie will 'shame the patriarchy', and this will give you some idea about why I start every afternoon coughing up a ball of mentholated phlegm into my cornflakes.

Let me tell you what brought us to this precise moment of imminent planetary collapse: It was "nice" people with library cards and rescue pets accepting the kind of compromises that result in bulldozing homes in the occupied territories of Palestine, imprisoning whistle blowers, putting indigenous land everywhere under threat, and even sodomizing a half dead Pan-African leader while he lay dying in a drainpipe.  

It's the 'realists' who sign off on nearly $40 billion in military 'aid' to Israel so that it can build more settlements in defiance of International law, and the similarly counterproductive reasoning that blames Russian hackers for the DNC's corrupt maneuvering to install its preferred Wall Street-friendly candidate in defiance of roughly half the voting population. The same folks who cry foul the loudest when an asshole takes his rightful place on the golden, Imperial throne after they have spent years polishing it for him, and expanding its powers to flush away civil liberties and environmental protections. Now all of a sudden that reclining, ermine-trimmed commode in the Oval Office is a "hot seat". Back in the day when I was bumping and grinding on the Paramount lot for chump change, Charlton would grab me by the pussy and . . . well, never mind that now. Let's just say that my jungle cat put up a fierce resistance that left a permanent scar on his manhood and not a single scratch on my lady mandibles.  Not sure where any of this is going, but anyhoo . . .

It's the 'nice' -- meaning the technocratically-minded gatekeepers of the 'left', who perform the linguistic feats necessary to justify, say, the involuntary sacrifice of dozens of dead Bedouin wedding celebrants in Yemen to maintain cordial relations with a despotic petrostate that helps prop up a neighboring Apartheid regime equally ill-disposed towards its benefactor. 'This is why we can't have nice things like brutalist revolving restaurants atop Manhattan office towers', they will remind you. Ingrates like you always second-guessing the stuff we do to prevent maniacs from seizing power here at home'. The nice among us, whom we used to call 'Good Germans', prefer that you don't bring 'false equivalency' into reasoned discussion about state-sponsored murder, and focus on the positive . . . like . . . um . . . 'At least under Trump, my sad face selfies will have all the political urgency of Guernica'.  

It's the "nice" that refused to hold Obama's feet to the fire, giving him carte blanche to capitulate wholly to the more clamorous and opportunistic voices of his inner circle without ever troubling his conscience. The guy was so cool he could grant clemency to Chelsea Manning AND bomb a failed state into further oblivion all in the same week. "Nice" folks would never venture into the treacherous waters of condemning or even criticizing your country's first black president for reasons entirely to do with the sort of career-minded, self-preservation that says "Bummer about Leonard Peltier, but Michelle Obama sure rawked that Zac Posen dress on the cover of Vogue!"

When someone *reaches across the aisle*, it's usually to grasp at the last straws of power allotted to them by whichever democratically elected fascist regime happens to control Congress. Or it's a hands-y director trying to cop a feel on a red-eye flight from LA. Yes, Otto Preminger, I'm talking to YOU!

To make a long-winded lecture only as long as it takes to dry one's nails after the second coat of Revlon's 'Dead Roses on a Dusky Tomb': Trump didn't win in spite of your 'reasoned' acceptance of the outgoing president's expanded powers, but because you were willing to rationalize its unsavory aspects long enough to ensure its unchecked and unbridled form reached its inevitable conclusion".

Professor De Carlo then flounced out of the lecture hall with the scent of Shalimar, and two or three shirtless Cabana boys trailing behind her discarded veils. "I'm off to powder my you know what. Class -- and I mean the particular one that conflates legal weed smoking with political resistance - dismissed"!

by Jennifer Matsui