#it was so fun though to think about it ! i’d never thought of dutches perspective on them �� only theirs on him

[javierduffy]

I'm in the middle of writing a javieran piece and it's got me thinking because by chapter 4, Hosea and Dutch are arguing more often than not, John is starting to pay more attention to his family, and Arthur is beginning to express his doubts more. So like if Javier and Kieran WERE in a relationship (and assuming Kieran lives, but this would still apply somewhat if he was dead) Dutch would be quaking in his boots and may even try to drive a wedge between them because if JAVIER starts to notice the cracks in the gang and focuses more on his relationship Dutch is done for. What do you think?

(this isn't very articulate I just woke up lmao)

ohh this is such a good idea … i’ve never really thought about how the rest of the gang would react to (and subsequently interact with) javier and kieran being together … personally i would think dutch could only start to really care (and become increasingly paranoid about it) if kieran were to survive. yes, by early chapter 4, dutch was already distrustful of john because john was distrustful of him after blackwater, but he only really “cut him loose” in his mind post-jack retrieval, when john really started, in dutches words, “playing family”. only by then does dutch really start to become increasingly more comfortable with entertaining the idea of exiling john from the gang, as seen by his several counts of threateningly reminding john that the first rule of VDL’s is that the gang comes first. meaning, once dutch lessens that influence of caring about john, he now has more berth in his mind to focus on and worry about other gang members. not to say that dutch wouldn’t have already considered the threat of javieran’s partnership, as dutch van der linde is the king of laying awake at night thinking about how all his loved ones can (and “probably” will) betray him, but i don’t think he’d truly be able to concoct a story in which he doesn’t come out on top, so he leaves it alone initially.

but if kieran were to be dragged into camp, one way or another, half dead and with an army of o’driscolls not too far behind him, dutch may now see this as the chess board being shuffled and the javieran side of it now having the upper hand. not so much in the sense that kieran has played any hand himself out of malice, but if he seems to be so important to colm o’driscoll that he’s willing to follow him out to a backwater corner in a shithole swamp just to kill him, then dutch now feels more comfortable with the idea of seeing kieran as baggage, or even a threat by proxy. plus, he sees how desperately javier is trying to settle the unease and distrust that is spreading in camp- several times has he rallied a campfires’ worth of people to continue trusting and believing in dutch. dutch knows exactly how valuable javier’s loyalty is, not only in his manpower, but also in his heart, and you’re right that he wouldn’t want to lose that. in dutches perspective, john’s seemingly solidified betrayal, followed by the o’driscoll attack, hosea’s death, and the trolly, i honestly think it would be in, and immediately after, guarma that dutch would begin to set his sights on impeding javieran’s partnership.

by this point, javier has a severely weakened sense of self, purpose, and safety due to the chaos of so many fatal failures in rapid succession for the VDL’s, while also having a powerfully bolstered sense of duty, trust, and loyalty to dutch because of how he committed to saving javier’s life before getting off of guarma (while arthur saw the worst of him there, javier was locked in a cage, so he’s no more privy to his leader’s downward spiral than he was before). so pairing this state of mind of javier’s with the way that kieran essentially lead the o’driscolls straight to them, it’s the perfect in for dutch to start trying to worm his way into javier’s mind about how kieran may not be “who he thinks”. now, i’ve seen a few documentaries on dutch, but i’m certainly no specialist, so i can’t settle on how exactly he would go about proposing doubt into javier’s mind. i could see him projecting things onto javi, convincing him into believing that it’s potential that he sees in kieran, and not what he actually provides. or perhaps similar to how grimshaw sees the threat in mary to arthur’s loyalty and attempts manipulation accordingly, dutch may not even pull javier aside but simply start speaking to his boat of disheveled followers on the way back from the island, saying “you know, we lost a few good men back there, and are mending a few more. that o’driscoll ambush was the last thing we needed- and that kieran, i never did like him.” simply to knowingly leave javier deflated, conflicted, and left separated from his lover long enough to let the love in his heart get muddled in the chaos.

by here, it could be written two different ways, depending on where your javier lies in his distance from canon LOL “canonically” (not that it could be, by now, since kieran must be alive, but let’s say that’s the only thing that changed and we aren’t going to diverge the ending itself any further), javier would fall for dutches tongue, and his relationship would eventually fall apart. kieran would notice immediately that javier’s heart was no longer with him, and it would quickly go downhill from there- in my opinion, kieran would then abandon the gang like a few of the other members prior to the climax shootout, and javier would make it there with just an extra ounce of grief in his heart, going on to flee to mexico like normal.

the OTHER outcome, and how i would write it personally because canon is simply something for me to clock in and out of as i please, is that javier’s conflictions are just a smidgen less due to that little ounce more free kieran makes him feel compared to the current state of the gang, (and no matter what, if he has to fight, he’ll fight, if he has to run, he’ll run. if he has to die, he’ll die. but he’ll stay free. yes, i am bastardizing this quote towards individuality.) and he manages to break free of dutches delusional influence- with dutches attempt at splitting javieran up being the thing that gave javier the courage to doubt him. javier owes dutch his life, and he knows this, but by chapter 6, javier’s love and the purpose he’s found outside of the gang (with kieran), like john’s (for his family) and arthur’s (for john), gives him the clarity to choose that over blindly following dutch off of the cliff. usually it’s around this time that i write him to flee, off to go find kieran again and choose him again, for the last time, once and for all.

i do think this is a very fun thing to speculate on !! thank you for sharing with me and for asking my opinion on it :’] it makes me very happy that you wanted to hear it !!! i agree with you that dutch could very well begin to see javieran as a threat against him, especially with john’s “betrayal” happening right before his very eyes stinging him already. it would be very easy to conclude that dutch would want to begin meddling in any relationships that aren’t between people whom he knows won’t question him- and kieran was never really loyal to him at all. if anything, it’s arthur he’s loyal to, what with how he thanks arthur profusely for sparing, protecting, and improving his life overall. dutch is smart enough to know that if he can convince javier to shake kieran, he’ll stay a valuable pawn on dutches side of the board no matter what, because then he’ll have nothing else again.

please please please do let me know when you’re finished writing it !!! i would be ecstatic to read it, i’m living on crumbs over here <//3

[wildflowerdoeeyed]

𝑀𝑜𝓁𝓁𝓎 𝒪’𝓈𝒽𝑒𝒶

the character overlook part 2!!

this is going to be shorter but i still want my yap (spoilers it’s not im passionate about this), spoiler heavy for chapter 4-6

i’m not really proof reading any of this so sorry if anything’s wrong please tell me

🪞before i say anything i want to point out a bit of dialogue between sean and molly

m - i dont have much opinion on you

s - ah but you don’t like me, i can see it in your eyes

m- i don’t know what you’re talking about mr macguire

s - but you look down your pretty little stuck up nose at me

m - i guess i didn’t come to america to meet boys who crawled out of the local bog. when i could have paid them to sweep my chimneys at home

s - i knew it. you’re a snotty nosed little west briton

m - i am no such thing

s - ‘course you are, i see it now. you probably have a family with a big farmhouse and titles

💋 i want to bring this up for a few reasons

1. sean is one of the only characters in camp proud of his heritage, molly is quite superficial and she doesn’t talk much about it, kieran doesn’t know much about his heritage and doesn’t know how to pronounce colm even though kieran was with the o’driscolls

2. he calls her a “little west briton” which usually means an irish person who greatly admires England or Britain, thinking them superior to Ireland

3. i said in my last post that i assumed molly became well off from. a family business in agriculture

🩰𓈒⋆⑅˚₊୨୧

💋now i don’t have much to say about her outfits here because of the fact that they stay the same so i’ll talk more about her and dutch

💋from shady bell onwards molly really starts to loose it and there’s more and more arguments between the two of them at one point she screams that he ruined her life

💋molly starts getting really paranoid, she sits at one of the docks by herself and karen even tries to comfort her in her own drunken way even when molly approaches her and confronts karen about talking about her (i’m not entirely sure if she actually did) molly smacks karen, karen hits her back harder and molly storms off to behind the house

💋i feel molly starts to realise she is the fool that everyone calls her for falling for dutch, and there’s a held sentiment that dutch probably never loved anyone more than annabelle and molly was more of a distraction with a pretty face

💋walking around shady belle, molly is usually found sulking in the corners of the house on her knees with her head down, i’d also like to put out there that in their room one one side of the bed is disturbed

💋i think kieran’s death was a way to put into perspective how the gang was falling apart molly asking arthur how this is allowed to happen

🩰𓈒⋆⑅˚₊୨୧

💋molly is absent at the end of chapter 5 and i’m not entirely sure that people really questioned it at all (i was obviously trying and failing to find my wife)

🩰𓈒⋆⑅˚₊୨୧

💋now let’s get into the deep shit of the start of beaver hollow

💋molly is clearly drunk back in her casual outfit with her blue shirt, which i think personally is how she felt more comfortable in

💋she curses out dutch and says that she told milton about the saint denis robbery

💋i think she went through the realisation when she was away of dutch’s complex about himself, calling him “your majesty” or “master” when she makes fun of him

💋dutch talks a lot about loyalty and having faith and him and miss grimshaw carry the sentiment that she broke the rules

💋miss grimshaw shoots molly, and i think, though i love molly, she is my wife, it was the last nail on the coffin that when molly died she sees dutch, the only person she thought liked, even loved her, looking disappointed in her

💋she also didn’t get a proper burial and got burned

🩰𓈒⋆⑅˚₊୨୧

(only doing positive ones bc that’s what my baby deserves)

💋 karen’s the most aggressive after mollys death as she holds a grudge to miss grimshaw, calling her a filthy murderer and saying that she probably liked doing it, karen had seen (imo) that molly just wanted dutch’s attention and she was blinded by love

💋 i personally hold a grudge too but she seemed remorseful that she did it because she had to

💋 abigail feels guilty but they’re still under the pretence that she ratted on them

💋 charles says he feels bad even though he didn’t know her well

💋 strauss, though i think he probably did not gaf he actually includes molly in him saying the camps falling apart

💋 marybeth just feels guilty about her, saying that she doesn’t believe it, she probably said that in the way of she couldn’t believe that mollys dead but i’d like to think she also didn’t think that molly did it

💋 swanson says she’ll be in his prayers

💋though i’d like to add dutch’s reaction to yknow the supposed lover of him saying that he shoulda cut her off ages ago

🩰𓈒⋆⑅˚₊୨୧

💋i feel like people forget that milton tells arthur they couldn’t get anything out of molly , if you know micah is the rat you have to know molly isn’t

💋 off topic but i want to say i also saw someone say mary (linton) was one of the rats, i feel like people forget that mary knew arthur was never going to change for her, her missions never affects the plot, she’s always going to send the infamous letter at the start or beaver hollow, she never changed the ending you can not help her and never talk to her again and there’s still the same ending it’s all micah

@lovearthur since you got tagged in the last one 🫶🏼

[coldmorte]

Hey! I really really like your blog and all the Dutch content, and I read your posts on Molly and Dutch and I just felt like sharing my thoughts :) If you don’t feel like it, just ignore this

I like Molly, even though I agree that she’s very much a snob and very paranoid at times.

It’s always felt very clear to me that Molly really, truly loves Dutch. And love makes you do stupid, desperate things (just look at Arthur).

Molly’s interaction with Abigail is about Dutch’s love for Molly, not the other way around. It’s Abigail saying that Dutch doesn’t love her and Molly lashing out (probably to protect herself from the truth).

This is brought up again in An Honest Mistake, when she talks to Arthur about Dutch, questioning how Dutch seems to him. When Molly says, “I really love him, you know,” Arthur averts his eyes and doesn’t look at her. I’ve always seen this as Arthur knowing Dutch doesn’t love her in the way Molly wants him to, if he loves her at all.

I’ve always seen Dutch as being kind of ahead of his time when it comes to certain progressive ideas (especially as it pertains to race), but when it comes to women, he’s very much a product of his his time. The way he talks about them and to/at them, whether it’s Molly or Abigail or Mary-Beth or Sadie, is often either dismissive or condescending.

While he doesn’t outright say it, the way he acts around the women at camp has always left me feeling like he prefers women (at least the ones he takes an actual interest in) to fit into the roles society has carved out for them; they have to be beautiful and docile and romantic-minded for him to take an interest.

You’ve said yourself, that Dutch deals with a lot of self doubt and that stems from wanting to be seen as a great and powerful man, who the people in camp can look up to, and women (especially young women) were (and to some degree stil is) seen as symbols of status. Molly is a beautiful woman from a wealthy family; she could have anyone she wanted, and she chose Dutch and ran away with him, leaving her old life behind – that’s the ultimate powermove on Dutch’s part.

I’ve always thought of Dutch as a romantic, the way he talks about love and how it’s the one thing worth living for, and I believe that he may have at some point actually loved Molly or at least convinced himself that he did, but the second he grows tired of her and realises that he doesn’t actually love her, he’s moving on to another, younger woman.

His inner romantic and his ego and need to be perceived as powerful are at odds with each other, and as the game progresses we see how his romantic and kind side wilt under the weight and pressure of his responsibilities as a leader and his need to be perceived as powerful and a great leader.

Those are my thoughts at least :)

Hello!

Thank you for the ask and the kind words! That really does mean a lot!! 💜💜💜

I am very grateful for your message, and no!!!! I don’t want to ignore it!! That wouldn’t be very fair of me, as I feel like you bring up some good points to discuss. Also, I appreciate the respect in your message and for taking the time to write so much out! I’d be happy to give you some of my time in return 🥰

(Warning: SPOILERS below)

I’m going to take your points one at a time here. So, starting with liking Molly, it’s totally fine! I don’t want to be too negative on my blog, and I don’t want people to feel like they have to think the same way I do. That wouldn’t be any fun, so it does make me happy that you can enjoy her character. I don’t want to take that away from you!! By all means, love her to your heart's content!!! ❤️

Furthermore, though I don’t personally like Molly, I don’t think she was a truly bad person. Just like every other character in the game, she had flaws and made mistakes. I primarily wish I could have gotten to know her better because she was presented during a very dark time in her life. I feel like this affected my perception of her, and I might have seen her differently, if I had gotten the chance to interact more with her character (especially outside of the RDR2 timeframe). Everybody deserves not only to love somebody, but everybody also deserves to have faith that the person they love can truthfully say the same back to them. I felt bad that Molly died such an unhappy, loveless death.

About the love Molly had for Dutch, I agree that she loved him. My point in bringing up infatuation was to primarily highlight the reason and the degree to which she honestly loved him. Did Molly love Dutch for the man he was, or for the idea of the man he was? Maybe, it was a mix? I am not sure there is enough information to give a conclusive answer to this (as I somewhat mentioned before).

To be fair, the same thing could (and should) be asked of Dutch. Did he truly love her, or did he just love the idea of having her at his side? Again, it would be fascinating to see the early part of their relationship. It would answer a LOT of questions. You mention that Dutch arguably saw Molly as a symbol of status, and I agree that it was very plausible. I think, to some degree, both Molly and Dutch saw each other as being favorable for what they represented, unfortunately.

In regard to the interaction between Molly and Abigail, I realize my response was unclear about this (that’s my bad). I'll try to write it better here, but this is really complicated to put into words! I'll do my best!!

What I said was that Molly got angry at people she “perceived” as challenging her love (this was subjective to her POV and not necessarily reflective of true reality). My original answer was not objective (nor was it meant to be - I was trying to write this part from her POV), and there are a few layers I want to analyze here. First of all, from an objective perspective, you are correct. The conversation between them was ultimately about Dutch not loving Molly the way she wanted to be loved. However, the first thing Molly did was state to Abigail that she loved Dutch. If she didn’t see this point as being in question, why did she feel the need to immediately justify it before saying anything else? To me, it seemed like she needed to actively prove that she loved him to others.

This was also seen with Karen and Arthur. The conversations with Karen were confusing because they didn’t have much context, but perhaps, that was the point - to show the extent of Molly’s paranoia (in other words, that there was no context and that she was imagining Karen to be against her out of insecurity). Molly continually complained that Karen said bad things about her, and she insisted that she not only loved Dutch, but that he loved her as well. Then, as you mention, Molly emphasized to Arthur that SHE loved Dutch (it was not directly about his love for her). Again, by constantly having to profess her feelings, it was as if she thought people were doubting her on some level.

But here is where the contradiction comes in - I believe that Molly was smart enough to know that this doubting wasn't entirely genuine. She knew it was never really her love that she should have been concerned about. Although, by focusing on herself, it was a way to deflect from her insecurity regarding Dutch and the fact that she knew, deep down, he didn’t truly love her (at least, not anymore). That’s why she got so upset when Abigail, for instance, brought this point up. As soon as the conversation shifted from Molly’s love to Dutch’s love, she lashed out and stormed away.

So, to try to summarize this all up, what I am trying to say is that Molly “perceived” challenges to her own state of emotions as a means of shifting away from her concerns about Dutch’s feelings. She knew her "perceptions" were really more like lies to herself. Molly wanted the conversation with Abigail to seem like it was about her because she felt she was more in control of that and could handle it better. From a neutral perspective, the conversation was definitely not about Molly - it was entirely about Dutch, which Molly knew (she just didn’t like Abigail directly pointing it). I hope my response makes more sense? Sorry, if I am still being confusing!

Now, as for Dutch and his progressive ideas, I think a lot of them were formed in his youth. Little information was given about his childhood, but he did seem pretty sensitive about the fact that he grew up fatherless. His dad died in the Civil War (a conflict primarily centered around the issue of slavery and states’ attitudes towards it), while fighting on the side of the Union. One reason Dutch was probably so progressive in regard to race was because of his anger over losing a parent to racially-motivated violence. Racism seemed like a waste of time and life, so he was bitter towards people who still harbored racist sentiments. He knew firsthand how destructive they could be.

Minimal insight was provided into Dutch’s relationship with his mother, other than the fact that it was quite strained and unhappy. He left home at a young age and essentially disowned her. He obviously didn’t keep in touch with her, judging that he didn’t even know she died until years after the fact. Could this have affected his attitude later in life (towards women)?

I suppose it’s possible. Maybe, Dutch would have looked better on women, had he been closer with his mother. I consider his attitude towards women as pretty average for the era. It’s not entirely fair to compare him to Arthur, who was very progressive for the time and definitely above normal standards. As you say, I think Dutch was a product of his time. In RDR2, he didn’t come across as physically abusive, nor did he overtly sexualize women. However, he did seem to expect women to act in a subordinate manner. It's not great (and I certainly do not agree with his attitude), but again, the contemporary standards in regard to gender roles did not exist in 1899.

Lastly, I COMPLETELY agree about Dutch being VERY romantic, sentimental, and idealistic. This wasn’t just limited to interpersonal relationships either - it also fit his entire perspective of America and the values he held dear. Just take a look at some of his quotes:

“The promise of this great nation - men created equal, liberal and justice for all - that might be nonsense, but it’s worth trying for. It’s worth believing in.”

And:

“If we keep on seeking, we will find freedom.”

In the beginning, he had such high hopes and strong faith that he could find a way to live free from social and legislative demands. Compare that to the end, where he started to say things like:

“You can’t fight nature. You can’t fight change.”

And:

“There ain’t no freedom for no one in this country no more.”

Dutch wanted to believe that there was a chance to live free from the threat of control, but as he started to lose people he loved and got closer to losing his own battle, he started to take on a much more cynical tone. He began to realize that his romantic notions and idealistic visions of life were not always obtainable - no matter how hard he tried to reach them - and it broke him. This change in his life outlook was kind of similar to his interpersonal relationships. When he realized they were a lot of work and not always happy/perfect, he seemed to grow frustrated. Love requires a lot of patience and energy. Despite full effort, love still does not always succeed.

Also, I just want to add that I think Dutch knew he had a problem with his pride, but he tried his best to maintain his tough, confident persona because he didn’t want to be perceived as weak. He definitely realized he messed up in putting his pride first in the end, but at that point, it was too late. Whatever was left of his idealistic aspirations in life died with Arthur up on that cliff.

Anyhow, I’ve said more than enough. I’d like to once again thank you for the ask!! I hope my response was worth the time to read and that it makes sense. Feel free to share any more thoughts you may have!!!

~ Faith 💜

[sieben9]

“the devil’s due” impressions

{Quick request to anyone reading: I’m watching OUaT for the first time, and I want to avoid spoilers. So, if you want to discuss something spoilery, I’d be grateful if you could start a new post for that. Thank you!}

Dear Lord. This episode. Did I like it? Did I not? I’m not sure, but I sure have some strong feelings on the matter. They just don’t separate neatly into positive or negative ones.

One thing I do know without a doubt, and that is that I might just have witnessed the funniest ten seconds of dialogue in modern television.

“I’m sure we’ll laugh ourselves sick about it one day.”

yeah, that is the face of a man having WAY too much fun.

Anyway, watch me figure out what I think under the cut. Warning, this is even ramblier than usual, and therefore kind of long.

So… yeah, probably not my favourite episode. It’s not terrible as such, and I love some bits and pieces that came out of it, but overall, it just leaves a weird aftertaste.

One of my main problems is definitely that every character seems a bit… off. Not entirely OOC, just “the usual character, but a bit to the left”. And when that’s happening to the entire cast, you do wonder if some kind of alien bodysnatching has taken place. …wait, no, this is fantasy. Maybe a doppelgänger situation, then? Whatever it is, people are being weird this episode, and I don’t like it.

Before I get into anything else, before I get into anything else, though, I just want to mention the one bit I unequivocally liked. And that was Regina visiting Daniel’s headstone. It had next to nothing to do with the actual plot, but it was such a sweet moment, and seeing the look on Regina’s face when she realised that her first love had made it out was just… nice. I liked it. And I appreciate it when we get to see the little moments.

good on you, stable boy.

Just... look at her face! She almost didn’t want to know, and then she was so happy, but also sad, because of course she would be sad, and... ::happy sigh:: Yeah, again: a good moment, this moment.

Alright, on to the main plot. Specifically, the flashback, because it lays the foundation for a lot of… let’s be polite and call it “stuff” in the present.

It took me a while to realise how the plot connects to the present day (more on that later), and even now that I do, I’m still not sure if this flashback was, strictly speaking, necessary.

Yes, we had to introduce drama around Belle being pregnant (apparently), but I’m not convinced this was best way — or even a good way — to do it. At best, the story felt like retreading old ground, and not in the way that showed new facets, either and at worst, it undermines fundamental pieces of established character history. Specifically: one of spinner!Rumple’s defining characteristics was his willingness to do absolutely anything for his son. Now, I’m not blaming him for flinching away from a murder in any way, shape, or form, but I just don’t get with the story was supposed to show me in terms of character depth.

I’m also slightly perplexed by Milah’s reaction to the deal Rumple made with the healer. (And was the only one who thought “if you wanted that guy dead so badly, why didn’t you stab him yourself?”)  No, I didn’t expect her to be thrilled, but… how should I put this… Baelfire is something between five and six in this flashback. Something tells me you weren’t really trying to have any more children at this point.

Also, an honourable mention to this weird Hook-doppelgänger, who turns up in the last couple of seconds.

I mean, we’ve seen other flashbacks of Hook from around this time, and while he might have had his tender moments, I don’t believe he had this full-on Romantic Hero mode in him. Especially not in defence of the complete stranger.

Ah, well, water under the bridge and all that.

Back in the present day, let me start with one little tidbit for those among you who are just as immature as I am: apparently, “Underbrook” sounds exactly like “onderbroek”, which is the Dutch word for underpants. (With thanks to @idesignedthefjords) Do with that knowledge what you will. I mostly just giggled at it a lot.

Alright, back to the actual plot. Specifically:

Belle is pregnant. Yay?

…as with the entire episode, I really don’t know how to feel about that. Good things can have bad timing, but I feel like this timing is particularly bad. (Also, they’ve come this far without addressing Emilie de Ravin’s rather obvious baby bump, so it’s not like this is a “we had to write in the pregnancy to explain the pregnancy” situation.) I mean, if nothing else, my OTP is having a baby and there’s at least some part of me that’s happy about that. But please get your shit together, you two, so I can stop worrying about this whole mess.

In conclusion: I should probably be thrilled about the tiny Rumbelle baby (Rumbaby?), but I’m mostly worried. This has all the hallmarks of something that will go extremely, terribly, horribly wrong, and that’s before we count in the fact that technically, the god of the dead has guardianship over the little sproglet and is currently blackmailing its father.

that makes for two blackmailings this season alone. three more and he gets a free footlong!

Also, remember how Pan is not allowed to use the word “fertile” again, ever, in this world or any other?

Yeah, I’m officially taking the words “baby-making” away from Hades, and he’s not getting them back. Sorry, pal, but you’ve proven that you can’t use them responsibly.

OK, inappropriate humour over (for now), back to one of my more burning questions. Which is “What the hell were you thinking, Emma?”

The fact that you told Milah about Neal shows that you know that his wellbeing is of concern to people who aren’t you or Henry. In fact, you’ve never met the woman before, never heard a single word about her until that hilarious introduction, but you immediately intuited that she’d want to know that her son is safe and happy.

…so why did it never occur to you to tell his father? The man literally spent centuries trying to reunite with his son, and you know all of that.

just my uninformed opinion, but this looks like the face of a man who would have liked having that information earlier. and possibly to his face.

So what was the thought process there? Because what comes across is that she was cruel for cruelties sake alone. Not the best angle for one of the main characters, who’s already looking like a selfish ass for dragging her family down to purgatory to save her boyfriend.

Speaking from a writerly perspective, it’s obviously for Plot Reasons, because otherwise Rumple wouldn’t have scryed for his child, so he wouldn’t have found out about Belle’s pregnancy, Hades wouldn’t have been alerted, and Rumple would have no compelling reason to work for him. I’d still like to think that there is a better way to get all of these points across than… this.

By the way, here’s where the flashback connects to the present-day plot, in my opinion: both past and present Rumple were presented with a choice of taking a life in order to save others. (The parallel isn’t perfect, because Hades didn’t bring up Rumple’s unborn child until later, but I think when the literal god of the dead threatens to kill everyone you brought with you, that still counts as imminent danger.) First time around, he refused and found another way, and was punished for it. Both by Milah’s reaction and, oddly enough, by the narrative. In the present, he doesn’t hesitate to deliver the fatal blow, and that’s presented as a bad thing, too. I doubt this was the original intention, but what I’m getting is “sometimes, there are no good choices”. Which is… well, kind of a bummer. (As an aside, I do have to wonder if Hades let Milah see him on purpose, just to back Rumple into this particular corner. It would fit with his personality…)

The one thing I’m objectively angry at, is the writing. Because I want the people responsible to look me in the eye and say that it was really necessary to fridge the same character twice. I don’t even like Milah, but this just made me really uncomfortable. Are you really telling me that there was no other way to make Hades look “scary” and remind us that Rumple does bad shit when he’s backed into a corner?

good scene, though

In a darkly humorous turn of events, this time it wasn’t even his fault for not telling anyone else about the threat. Because Hades’s ultimatum was basically “destroy this ship right now, or everyone here dies”. That doesn’t leave much time to find a loophole, does it?

If nothing else, I did like the quiet conversation between Rumple and Milah. The two actors really got that underlying emotion of “way too much time has passed for us to still hate each other” across. I think that was reflected in Rumple’s comment afterwards. No, he didn’t enjoy killing Milah (Frankly, I highly doubt he enjoyed the first time, but that’s literally another story), because that part of his life is so far behind him, and so far behind her, too, that all strong emotions have long since burned away. I don’t think he would have begrudged her if she had gotten to move on. Shame that never happened, right? ::glares at writers::

Blergh. Sorry this was such a rambling mess, but I was really happy when I realised this was a Rumple-centric, only to have that joy systematically crushed into a pulp of bewildered incomprehension and a faint sense of betrayal. This episode probably wasn’t bad, from a technical standpoint, but it was decidedly unpleasant to watch.

So, to not close this out on me being mopey and annoyed... here’s the Amazon episode summary.

...dear Amazon: are you sure you sold me the right episode?

[octoberland]

Season 4, Episode 10 - The Last Stand

Oh boy. Here we are. Can I tell you guys what a giant dork I am? I am such a giant dork that I watched the episode twice and took three pages of notes. Spoilers ahoy, btw.

So here we go, in no particular order:

Overall, I liked it. Except for the last few minutes but we’ll get to that. I liked seeing everyone together again, including the flashback. That was nice.

I feel like there were a lot of red herrings this past season. I don’t know if that was bad writing or intentional. Actually, it goes back before this season. The Lumen was supposed to be so important and yet it seems like it meant nothing in the end. Then there was the whole thing about cutting off the Master’s minions which also amounted to nothing. And then there was the bit where Setrakian gave Eph the recipe for the white. The reason I mention that is that because typically in television details like that aren’t given as throwaways. They usually mean something. But in this show it just seems like a lot of details didn’t end up meaning anything.

All that being said, it makes sense that Eph was the end game. It began with him and so it ended with him. Kind of ashamed of myself for not seeing that sooner.

The arc with Zach failed in my humble opinion. They made us hate him so much this past season that I did not give two shits that he died. I was more upset over the prospect of Fet dying. Like, actual tears when he agreed to sacrifice himself. But Zach? I felt nothing. And I don’t really understand why Zach changed at the end. I mean, they made him pretty devoid of redemption this whole season so why the sudden change of heart?

If the Master’s plan had worked how did he plan on leaving NYC? I’m just curious because I know the bridges are blown up and he can’t travel over running water, right? Or am I missing something?

I’m proud of my murder baby thinking of luring the Master to the tunnel but sort of disappointed in the humans for not thinking of it because honestly, it was my first thought.

I am NOT HAPPY about Quinlan’s death. Now granted, I’m biased, but it kind of felt like a fuck you? It was not an honorable end. I knew he couldn’t defeat the Master. I never expected that. But I just kind of feel like the whole Master stomping his face in was degrading and unnecessary. Why couldn’t he have at least died on his feet? Gotten a good warrior’s death? I can’t help but wonder if in that last moment he felt any doubt and wondered if they’d failed.

Fet is my fucking hero and as much as I love Dutch I take back what I said. Fet is my favorite human character on this show and Kevin Durand deserves an award.

I am glad Dutch lived. Like, yay, they let a girl live! I really wasn’t sure that would happen.

I’m confused about one line and I’m not sure if I just misheard it or what so maybe you guys can help me out? It’s when Eph says to Dutch: “How desperate you must be to think Fet wasn’t me.”

And now my epidemiology geekiness is going to come out. Smallpox is not an inherently hemorrhagic disease. Only a small percentage of cases presented that way. I know it’s a small point to get hung up on but it’s a subject I’m kind of mildly obsessed with. Also, not too smart to keep some strigs around. Wonder if they’re trying to keep options open for another show?

Oh, and someone tell me about that throat thumping thing the Master did??? Was that in the books? I’ve never seen anyone mention it but I thought it was really cool.

So back to the ending, it seemed silly to me that the Master hugged Zach thus giving him the opportunity to kill them both. Like, Zach just shot him. Did he forget that? It seemed sloppy to me. From a story telling perspective Zach pushing the button made sense. He pushed it once before to kill people and now he pushed it to save people. I’m okay with that I just felt the execution of that scene could have been better.  

Anyway, that’s that. There will be no more that we know of. I’ll miss this show, flaws and all. Though I know they won’t see this, my heartfelt thanks goes out to all the cast and crew for their hard work.

I hope our little fandom can go on for a bit longer. I know we’ll all move on eventually but it’s been a fun time overall.

So now, fellow fans, tell me. What did you think? Reblog/reply or DM with your thoughts. I’d love to hear them.

[hyosubteam]

[PAPER MAGAZINE] DJ HYO: Girl of the EDM Generation by By Bradley Stern | 23 April 2018

Her name is Hyoyeon, but call her DJ HYO.

As a member of Girls' Generation — one of the defining girl groups of modern pop, considered "The Nation's Girl Group" at the height of their fame in South Korea — the 28-year-old singer and dancer has already experienced international success over the past decade to a degree most of her fellow K-pop idols could only dream of achieving.

Now, with each of the members of the group focusing on individual endeavors following their 10 year anniversary celebration in 2017, HYO's opted to pave a musical path of her own, but with a slight twist — record scratch! — she's a DJ now, too.

While the career shift might generate some skepticism, rest assured, this is far from a pop star putting on a pair of headphones and pretending to twist the knobs behind the booth: HYO's been putting in the work training on turntables and learning the technical ins and outs to prepare for her official debut as a DJ for years. With this month's release of her tropical House reintroduction, "Sober," a collaboration with Dutch DJ Ummet Ozcan released in both Korean and English, DJ HYO confronts the expectations she's up against — both as an established pop superstar and as a woman — by making it clear that she's not looking to be tied down... by any one genre or person. When it comes to doing things in her own way, HYO is just getting started

Q: The music industry is very different from the days of your debut with Girls' Generation, from the introduction of streaming services to the type of music that's popular on the radio. How do you feel it has most changed, from your perspective as an artist?

HYO: Over the years with Girls' Generation, we focused on powerful performances and exciting visuals. Video streaming became very popular during the middle of our activities, which is why Girls' Generation videos garnered millions of viewsthroughout the world. Since then, different types of streaming services and influential platforms have emerged, so the quality of the music has to be even more detailed and top-notch. As I have more control over my solo projects, I do my best to create something I love by working simultaneously as an artist, DJ and producer.

Q: You appeared on Mash Up in 2015, a DJ competition. How was that experience? Did it inspire your solo transformation?

HYO: As a performing artist, I was always interested in mixing songs and worked on it during my own time. Mash Up helped me to build a solid foundation which was very important, and I was able to learn skills like scratching, mixing, and splicing from numerous DJs on the show, which gave me a huge boost.

Q: What inspired the decision to record "Sober" in Korean and English?

HYO: I strongly suggested to my company that I wanted to do an English version. My fans are all over the world, and I wanted to reach out to them in any way I can — and music is the best way to reach them. My native language isn't English, but I wanted to make sure that I understood everything I was communicating to my fans, so I took more time to really understand what I was expressing though the lyrics.

Q: Can you describe the meaning behind the music video?

HYO: The music video is about liberating girls who feel trapped, and tired of the norm. I wanted to express that they can get out there, rebel against social norms and show everyone who they're really meant to be.

Q: You worked with Ummet Ozcan on "Sober." How did you two meet, and what was the experience of collaborating like?

HYO: There was a big festival in Korea, and I had a chance to meet Ummet. When I met him, I was able to play him a song that I made and we started to discuss a collaboration from that point. The funny part is — obviously Ummet doesn't speak Korean, and I don't speak English! — so it was kind of fun just to work in two different languages. It was definitely interesting, and somehow we were able to get each other's thoughts in order and come out with "Sober."

How is preparing for an EDM debut different from preparing for a pop comeback? Or is it the same?

I'm a performing artist, so when I was doing pop songs, it was important to focus on the choreography, performances and visuals. With EDM, I have to channel my focus and energy in different ways to connect with my audiences. Many people think it's my first time trying out this genre, but I've been studying a lot over the years. I've been on Mash Up and I've put a lot of time and investment into learning all the details of DJing and how to engage through various types of music.

Q: What is the most difficult thing about DJing?

HYO: Besides the technical part, I'm working on composing the songs with the MIDI keyboard, which I know is going to take some time. I make small mistakes here and there, and it's a fun experience. For now, I'm learning as I go, and I want to continually produce and DJ my own songs. Eventually, I would also like to produce, mix, and collaborate on songs by other artists.

Q: Are you planning to perform at any EDM festivals? What songs would be in the DJ HYO set?

HYO: If there was a given opportunity, I'd definitely want to show fans the new DJ HYO side. I believe I'm going to be at Spectrum Dance Music Festival in Seoul in September. As I grow in my experience, I want to build a brand and do a tour in the near future. DJ HYO's set would include a lot of Girls' Generation songs because there are so many songs both in Korean and Japanese, and this would be a good time to spotlight songs that didn't get highlighted.

Q: Any specific songs?

HYO: "Genie" and "The Boys." We were able to do a lot of different versions of "The Boys," and it was released worldwide in multiple languages. There's a Snoop Dogg remix of the song as well, and I want to remake it in my own style.

Q: You've already established yourself a pop star. Do you think it will be difficult to have success in EDM? Have you had any negative experiences while learning to DJ, or criticism about crossing over from pop to EDM?

HYO: When I initially started getting into DJing, I was a bit of worried about how fans would react to the transition — or just the public in general. Most people probably think that I don't have much experience in this field, but I've been dropping hints and posting photos and videos on social media to show this side of me. Now that "Sober" is out, I'm more confident about how I'm portrayed as a DJ, and I'm always full of energy so I'm hoping to share that with anyone who listens to my music.

Q: So many different DJs dominate the EDM scene. Who are some of your all-time favorites? And which other DJs and vocalists would you love to collaborate with on your music in the future?

HYO: I love Martin Jensen and DJ Snake. Those are two of my favorites right now. I find Martin Garrix very good looking, too. [Laughs] For vocalists, I'd want to collaborate with my fellow Girls' Generation member, Taeyeon. Besides her, I'd definitely love to work with Justin Bieber, Camila Cabello and my all-time favorite, Britney Spears.

Q: There are plenty of DJs doing residencies all over the world, like David Guetta'sresidency in Las Vegas and Paris Hilton's Foam & Diamonds party in Ibiza. Have you attended any residencies? Would you ever consider doing that?

HYO: I've gone to Vegas and seen a lot of DJs perform, but I haven't seen a lot of residencies. If there was an opportunity, I'd definitely want to try it out and experience it in the future. Until then, I'd love to do brand events and parties so I can build my experience as a DJ.

Q: Have you received any advice from other DJs?

HYO: There weren't any specific DJs who gave me advice, but on Mash Up, years back, they showed me the basics and I was able to build a strong foundation from it. Ummet was also a great producer and I couldn't have made "Sober" without him.

Q: Last year, we saw the return of Girls' Generation with Holiday Night. Can you speak to anything that's coming up with the group in the future?

HYO: Girls' Generation never disbanded, so we can always come back when the time is right. It could be an 11th anniversary, a 12th anniversary project... we're currently focusing on our individual solo projects, but one day, sometime soon, we'll definitely come back to our fans. Together.

Q: Have any of the girls reached out with feedback or advice about the DJ HYO debut?

HYO: The members don't really DJ, so they couldn't really give me advice. [Laughs] But when I posted "Sober" in our group chat, the response was explosive. We're all very encouraging, loving and supportive of each other.

Q: Do you have any advice for the girl groups coming up?

HYO: A lot of girl group trainees train for years, and once they debut, it's like a dream come true. But when they face reality, and see how hard the entertainment industry can be, they'll be hit with new types of obstacles that they wouldn't have imagined. I want to tell them to never lose faith and never lose sight of what your dream is. Just keep going through it, and just be strong.

Q: Knowing what you know how about the music industry, and success in general, would you give your younger self any advice?

HYO: When I first debuted, there was no time to think for myself. My schedule was set, and everything was so busy — it was basically a whirlwind. I would tell little Hyo to keep reading a lot of books on top of her dancing and singing practice. She should never compromise herself or her goals for anything, and always stay centered in challenging situations.

Q: What should we expect from DJ HYO in 2018?

HYO"Sober" was a great start. I want to keep up the energy and get a few more songs out as well, and then go to festivals. I'd also like to do a tour, or at least visit other countries, so that I can share my music with the fans I love.

Original source: https://www.papermag.com/dj-hyo-2562629361.html?rebelltitem=11#rebelltitem11

[undertheaethier]

GoV Ch. 6: Core Exercises

Yana apparently knew where she was going, because she led me out of the courthouse and to the Office of Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice like she owned the block.

“Hey, Yana--are they even going to let us in there? I’m on a very tight leash, and you’re--”

“A convicted criminal, yeah,” Yana said, grinning unabashedly. “Don’t worry, we’ll just tell them Veryn sent us. And if they don’t buy that, we’ll find Tarrow.” She said the last part only grudgingly.

“Um, do you guys have a problem with Tarrow, or something?” I asked. I remembered how Kovit had seemed disgusted at the idea of Yana working with Tarrow, and Veryn’s refusal to enlist his help.

“Pfft. He’s just a jerk,” said Yana. “No real problem with him besides his entire personality.”

“He seems pretty nice to me,” I said, trying not to sound defensive.

Yana shrugged. “He’s pretty. I don’t know about nice.”

Upon entrance to the building, we were stopped by guards, but as Yana had predicted, simply telling them that Veryn had sent us to use the training rooms was enough for them, as soon as we’d shown them ID. Yana showed them a card that I’m pretty sure had been issued to her in prison, and I apologetically showed them my driver’s license. Luckily, they’d laughed instead of accusing me of anything, and we gained entrance without any further ado.

I looked around the office spaces and hallways as Yana led me through the building, looking idly for orange hair or dawn-colored wings, but saw no sign of Tarrow. Finally, we came to a door with a sign next to it in letters that I now sort of recognized. Oinaret. I wasn’t sure what the word meant though. I asked Yana and she looked at me in surprise.

“Wait, you weren’t kidding about learning Elvish?” she asked.

“No. Veryn found me some books last night and I started teaching myself.”

Her eyebrows shot up. “Last night? Are you a quick learner, or what?”

I couldn’t help but feel a little proud. “Well, language is kind of my thing. It’s what I studied, in school back on Earth.”

Yana leaned against the wall, looking at me curiously. “You were a scholar?”

I laughed. I’d certainly never thought of myself as one. “I guess. I was a student. I study language, and I can speak eight human languages.”

Yana laughed. “Wow. That’s pretty incredible, I only speak two. Elvish and Dryidic. What did you plan to do, knowing so many languages?”

“Oh, well--” I stopped. Good question. My stomach sank. I’d thought about it before, of course, my career options, but I’d never really settled on anything. What would I do with all of my languages? Would I teach, or work for the state department? I could work for almost any branch of the government or law enforcement, as a translator or a linguist. I could study history from a linguistic perspective, or study ancient languages, trying to put millennia-old puzzle pieces together? Maybe I could try to help out with that Voynich Manuscript thing.

But what was I thinking? Of course I wouldn’t do those things now. Now, in a realm where none of my languages were spoken or used at all… I felt suddenly very heavy. Years of work were worth very little now.

Mom and Dad had made sure I learned German while I learned English. In daycare, I learned Spanish from my teachers and classmates. I’d gone to a private institution for elementary school, where they taught French. In middle school, I’d taken Latin as an elective. In high school, I studied Greek and Arabic. In college, I’d studied Korean and Russian, and I’d started learning Mandarin and Japanese just last year. I’d had plans to continue learning after graduation, to make myself more hirable, and had thought about learning Portuguese, Hindi, and Dutch. Now, what was that worth? I couldn’t practice any of those things here, and there was no point in continuing my learning of human languages. There was probably no way to even do so--how many scholars here studied Dutch? But hey--I’d had no plan to begin with, right? What was I even really giving up?

Maybe everything?

“Hey. You okay?” asked Yana.

I bit my lip. “Yeah, I just...I just realized how arbitrary it all is now,” I admitted. “My passion, all the work I put in...it doesn’t mean anything here.”

Yana looked concerned for me. “Well...maybe it does. Studying language will probably help you learn Elvish, right? And there are some scholars here who study human languages.”

“Really?” I asked, hopeful.

“Sure! Really hard stuff,” said Yana. “Three of them are studied in almost every university, even if they’re only used for anthropological stuff. I think it’s English, Russian, and...Mandarin? I don’t remember. I never learned any of them myself. It’s considered pretty niche here.”

Well. Maybe I could get some help with Mandarin after all. And in fact, if there were people here who studied English and Russian, I could still potentially teach. Maybe I wasn’t hopeless after all. And if those didn’t work out, I could keep learning other languages. Once I knew Elvish, I could expand to other languages. Who knew how many there were here, considering how many races there were?

Much more hopeful, I smiled at Yana. “Thank you,” I told her. “That actually helps to hear.”

She smiled back. “No problem. You ready?” She gestured toward the door. “Oh. It means ‘exercise room,’ by the way.”

“‘Oina’ means ‘exercise’ and ‘ret’ means ‘room’?” I asked.

“Oina is actually just an abbreviation for oinavar, but yes. Exactly.”

I nodded, feeling empowered. I could do this. No problem. “Yeah, let’s get to it.”

Firstly, Yana wanted to establish that I had muscles at all, it seemed. I confessed that I wasn’t much of an exercise nut. I usually ran a couple of times a week, and I did yoga more often, when I was feeling stressed or as a way to fall asleep. She said they had something similar to yoga, called Kof-gua, that had come about in Serura, and seemed content with what I could do.

She prescribed some weight-lifting and more running, but otherwise wasn’t disappointed with me, which increased my confidence exponentially. I’d been sure Yana had been going to immediately dismiss me, but I found that whether she was pleased or not by my state, she was a pretty good teacher. She was legitimately encouraging, though at times a little brash, switching between methods of being gentle and reassuring and being demanding and degrading to try to get me to do what she wanted me to. Whatever it meant about me, or her, it seemed to work.

Once she had mapped out a basic regimen, she said we were done for the day, and that we could work on skills like speed and quiet when she could verify where we were allowed to go--like a park, or a forest, or a shopping center, for instance. The exercises she had planned to develop those skills sounded kind of fun. She wanted me to be able to pickpocket, sneak up on someone who would be watching for me, creep through a forested area without making noise, and find escape routes in all kinds of environments. She said we would work with the daggers later.

By the time we were leaving the gym, I was sweaty and tired, and though I had plans to meet with Yana for dinner later, I was very much looking forward to a bath and a skim through a grammar book first.

We were walking back through the main office of the building when we ran into Tarrow. Kovit and Yana’s professed dislike for him had settled into the back of my brain like an itch, but it seemed to dim when I again saw his charming face, especially since he seemed excited to see me. They must not have known him as the kind faerie I had met yesterday, in the context of the law officer who’d been so gentle and welcoming throughout my arrival here.

“Emrys!” he greeted. “Oh--oh, damn, I don’t have a mouthpiece--”

“It’s okay, I can understand you just fine,” I replied. “Veryn gave me a language potion.”

“Oh. And--you took it?” he asked, seeming almost horrified, an escalation of the reaction I was becoming used to.

“Yes. I thought it was easiest.”

“And you’ve been busy, I see,” he said, looking me up and down. Remembering how sweaty I was, I internally flinched, but Tarrow didn’t seem offended by my appearance.

Tarrow’s eyes flicked to Yana, and he seemed even more put-off. “Well, well. Yana Sirinal. I didn’t know you were out of the basement. And you’ve already run into Emrys.”

Yana gave him a tight smile. “I can tell you’re overflowing with joy at the good news of my release. Yes, Emrys and I know each other. Veryn has tasked me with training her.”

Dark amusement spun in Tarrow’s eyes. I could tell he was trying not to smirk as he replied, “Has he? Really. Well, he has always extraordinarily admired your skills as a thief. When considering the need for stealth and deception, I’m sure he thought of you immediately. I hope Emrys learns what she needs to from you.” He put a hand on my shoulder in an almost protective manner. “While maintaining a healthy respect for the law, of course,” he said jokingly, giving me a wink.

My face was warm. I tried not to smile, and failed.

“Of course,” said Yana. “The whole team is committed to lawfulness. Working for the Council is serious business, after all.” There was a fakeness, a shallowness, to her tone that was equal parts nauseating and amusing.

“The whole team.” Tarrow raised his delicate eyebrows. “Oh, don’t tell me Veryn’s gotten the band back together. How...interesting.” Now, he didn’t stop himself from smiling. He seemed to take great enjoyment from whatever idea he had.

He turned his full attention back to me again. “Well, Emrys, I hate to tear you away from your new friends, of course, but is there any chance of you being free tonight? I’d love to help you continue to transition to the culture and atmosphere here.”

I felt a tug in my gut. I’d always been bad at this--turning down one plan for another, especially when I really liked the sound of the new plan. But my instincts told me to stick with Yana, no matter how disappointed I was at the idea of not spending the night with Tarrow, and getting to know Eben.

“I’m really sorry, but I actually have plans with Yana,” I said with a grimace. “I hope you understand. But I really would love to get together another time.” I tried to sound earnest. “Let me know anytime you’re free!”

Tarrow’s smile grew strained again, but he laughed. “Of course. As I said, I don’t want to hinder you from getting to know your new...colleagues. I’m here most days, so you can come find me whenever Veryn’s not working you to death. Let me know if you want anything.” His hazel eyes were glued to mine.

“I will, thank you,” I replied.

“I hope I get to see you again soon, Emrys, I’m so glad we ran into each other.” He dragged his hand away from my shoulder in a sort of caress, his face actually a little red, and I found myself flattered. Maybe my interest wasn’t one-sided.

“See you soon, Emrys,” he told me with a more genuine smile. He looked back to Yana and nodded. “Yana,” he said curtly.

“Tarrow,” she mimicked.

Tarrow gave a little wave and walked around us, heading toward the staircase at the back of the floor. I watched him go, appreciating his wings, among other things, then turned back to Yana. She was giving me a look I was surprised to be on the receiving end of. Usually, I was the one giving Daphne, or one of my other acquaintances the incredulous look of bemused disapproval that said Do not go to that frat party instead of studying for your midterm, or If you sleep with that guy, you are going to regret it. I thought her look was probably meant to convey something more akin to the latter. I felt my face grow redder.

“Don’t give me that look,” I said, turning my face away.

Yana shrugged, smirking a little. “I’ll look at you whatever way I want, pay it as little mind as you care to.”

We parted a few minutes later in the foyer of the Courthouse, with a promise to meet in the same place in three hours. To be able to keep track of the time, I asked Yana how the electrical system worked, so I could charge my phone. I showed it to her, and she laughed.

“Oh, we haven’t had anything like that in ages. Check the desk drawer in your room, or ask one of the servants for batteries.”

“Batteries?”

Yana held out her wrist to me and showed me what looked like a watch or an exercise tracker. She took it off and showed me the underside. There was something like a patch on the back of the band, bright blue with a symbol on it, possibly a logo.

“These are disposable batteries,” she explained. “They should work for a few months before they run out of stored energy.”

“That’s incredible--how do they work?” I asked, unsure I’d be able to fully comprehend the answer.

Yana snorted. “No idea. I’m a thief, not a scientist.”

With that, she waved to me, and I found my way back up to my room on the sixth floor, even more excited for cleanliness.

Yana had been correct about the desk drawer--I hadn’t even thought to look in there, but I was still struggling with the idea that this was my room. Despite the fact that it appeared the room was available for my use indefinitely, it had a hotel-like feeling that kept me feeling distant from it, and slightly uncomfortable. I hadn’t been about to rummage through drawers that didn’t feel like mine. But inside, I found pens, paper, a whole package of maybe thirty of those little battery patches, and a device like the one I’d seen the guard at the prison using.

I attached a battery to the back of my phone, and immediately, the phone began charging. Impressed, I turned to the other device. I put it on the desk and stared at it. It was a flat board of a material that was neither plastic nor metal, but was metallic black. I curiously double-tapped it with my pointer finger, seeing no buttons, and a lighted screen like a hologram appeared on the surface. There was no lock, and it just allowed me onto a menu screen. Everything was in Elvish, and I was a little too overwhelmed by the sheer amount of options and words I wasn’t familiar with to try to investigate further. I double tapped the margins of the menu screen, and the lighted screen disappeared back into the plain black surface.

I stood and was heading toward the bathroom when I noticed that the top drawer of my dresser was just barely open, and I didn’t remember leaving it that way. Not suspicious so much as curious, I opened it, and found several sets of underclothes. Surprised, I opened the second drawer, and found clothing that appeared to be pajamas, light and soft gowns, long shirts, and silky pants. The third drawer was full of shirts, tunics and tank tops and other soft, loose types, and the fourth drawer had more pants like mine, thick leggings and ones that reminded me of athletic wear, slicker material in brighter shades. Beside the dresser, where I hadn’t been able to see from the door, there were three more pairs of shoes: black, thick-soled plain slip-ons, a sleek brown and green shoe that reminded me of a tennis shoe in how it laced up and appeared to provide arch support, and a pair of plain, buckled black boots. I was glad someone had thought to give me more clothes; I had been about to go take a bath without a care in the world, not thinking about the fact I only owned one set of clothes and I’d already used them.

When I was clean, I painstakingly combed through my hair and changed into an outfit like the one I’d just shed, this time black pants with a red shirt and I decided to try out the boots. They looked cool, but if they were the kind of shoes I’d be expected to wear when the action got real, they were definitely the type that would need some breaking-in.

I spent some time looking through one of the grammar books, but found my mind wandering.

Tarrow seemed like such a bright and pleasant person. How could the others have such a low opinion of him?

Veryn appeared to have a sense of justice, in how he pitied enslaved humans, yet he’d chosen to use only criminals for a very important mission specifically to spite the Council, and he’d manipulated someone he called a friend so that from the outside it would appear she couldn’t refuse to work for him, even when he’d made a decision that would hurt her. How could I actually trust him?

Tirin and Kovit appeared much more laid back than the rest, but honestly, their flirtation had made me uncomfortable, and while I was interested in getting to know them, I was put off by some of their behavior. Would I be able to get along with them?

And then Yana. I liked her. There was something about her that I found inexplicably relatable, or at least understandable, and I found myself wanting to know more about her--especially when it came to all this business with hers and the others’ criminal status. She didn’t exactly seem to be keeping it a secret, but she hadn’t told me anything willingly to help me to know the story. But while Tarrow made me happily nervous, Veryn put me on edge and challenged me, and the other two objectified me, Yana seemed to just want to talk. To do her job, and get to know me. She seemed open and honest and genuine. I decided that if I could trust anyone, it was her, thief or no.

[itsnelkabelka]

Speech: Future Education - A Father's Perspective

Education is an increasingly complicated business, and you are all experts, which left me wondering how I should approach this speech to you today;

Should I come to you as Paul Rennie, DHM Malaysia, and regional head of the British Government’s ASEAN Education campaign, spouting numbers and stats about futures and impacts;

Or should I draw from my experience as a governor of a leading international school in Kuala Lumpur, and explain how the market is shifting around us, and the challenges that governors face to read the tea leaves;

But in the end I decided it would probably be far more useful to talk to you about none of that, and instead talk to you straightforwardly as the father of a six-year old daughter. Because, as someone who hopes to be a customer of your services for the next decade and a bit, I can tell you that I am utterly terrified about the future;

Now this is not some dystopian monologue about global warming, deforestation, or the extinction of species – though all of them are things my daughter has already lobbied me on. Instead it is a recognition of the competing demands that education is going to place on my daughter, and on me, and ultimately on you;

I will start with my first favourite statistic - that 90% of the jobs that my daughter is likely to apply for by 2032 don’t exist yet. Think back to the six-year olds of 2003. How many of their parents planned for them to be social media strategists, app designers, iphone engineers – how many of them thought they would get a nice stable job at Nokia;

And those trends of globalisation are not limited to jobs that don’t exist yet;

I look down the road, and see that globalisation is going to be pushing work up, as well as down. Mega companies will become even more mega, but at the same time harder to get into. While the market for the self-employed entrepreneur, these job makers not job takers, is going to explode;

Work will become more cross cultural and more international, which means a boy like me, who grew up, went to school, and went to university within five miles of the hospital he was born in, getting a job with an international company, let alone the Foreign Ministry will seem like an absurdity. (Joke though I know Scotland remains on the brink of being a foreign country to the UK);

The ability to scale at speed will continue. It took Ford Motor Company a little over a century to sell 350 million cars; Apple sold 1 billion iPhones in nine years. That, frankly, isn’t a world I grew up in;

What I would call ‘Combinativity’, the ability to merge different ideas and product together, is likely to become more important than pure creativity, and that will require a broad understanding of the world – but if you don’t specialise, how will you ever get ahead?

Yet what I don’t believe will change is people. In fact those people skills are likely to become more important as automation becomes more prevalent. But would we give up on learning French because we perfected the Babel Fish (as only Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy fans would understand);

So where does all of that leave my daughter – where does that leave schools? Because one of the biggest challenges in the sector is risk aversion, which is something that I absolutely share as a parent – and you probably need to help me not to;

My father, for example, went on a journey that involved going to school five days a week; sitting a series of individual exams; going to university and then applying to a company for a job;

I went on a journey that involved going to school; sitting individual exams with a bit of individual course work; going to university (to sit more individual exams) and then applying to a company;

My daughter is going to school right now, and at the end of the pathway I still see A-Levels, or IBs, and then University. Because grades matter, and that is what I demand, and what schools live and die by, but is that enough?

Well it’s not enough for me as a parent, which is why I begin to make extortionate demands of you. I want, obviously, straight As, but I also want you to have a drama studio that could host a west-end musical; sports facilities that could hold the 2020 Olympics; and a design and technology centre that could put a probe on the moon.

It is a virtual arms race at international schools, to the point where even Universities are struggling to keep their tech current with what the kids are used to. And it’s all because I want you to keep doing the traditional stuff, but also help her to find her niche;

And that is a challenge for me as a parent, in letting go and trusting schools. One headmaster told me that 90% of everything we know about the human brain we have learned in the last ten years. That’s staggering, but it also post-dates everything about my school experience that I rely on to help my daughter;

Most of you will be familiar with the phonics system of learning to read. I wasn’t. I learned to read via a series of little slips of paper with words written on them, kept in an old tobacco time (spelling smelled like Virginia Gold Leaf until I was ten). It was a huge leap of faith to go with phonics – but it is incredible;

And then there are topics now that I don’t even understand, like coding. I always knew the day would come when I lost track of what my daughter was studying, I have never been much of a scientist so if it came to GSCE Chemistry she was on her own. But to have you six year old daughter teaching you how to use coding programme Light Bot on the iPad, well, I thought I would have more time. (In fact, I got cocky after that and tried to do some of the Year 5 coding activities on the EducationCity website – I got 27%);

She needs those skills, she needs these new ways of learning, but how do schools help to take me as a parent on that journey?

If someone had said to my parents when I was at school they were going to put me up for an exam in game design, they would have wondered what I was going to do with a degree in PacMan, and yet today the games industry is worth more than Hollywood;

There is also the challenge of the cultural shift, which I get glimmers of being here in an international environment, but those in the UK probably don’t see as clearly.

There is little doubt in my mind that the century belongs to Asia, if nothing else they have demographics on their side. There are 140m people under the age of 14 in ASEAN alone, and another 100m yet to be born by 2030. They will be going for those global jobs at the mega corporations too;

Even at six, frankly even in pre-school, it was a startling revelation to see what people have termed ‘tiger parenting’ in action. I’d heard of it, but when you see it in practise, it is both terrifying, but also incredible to see what some children can achieve with that level of investment;

And while it is absolutely not what I want for my child, I realise that as long as the main determinant of University entrance are is still the grades, then that is what my daughter is up against. I find that I have become a bit more like that myself, though probably better described as dwarf leopard than Tiger – but is that right? Should schools be taking a view?

Because when you look to places like Malaysia, you can see the churn in the education sector in all its glory. You have long established schools, and new entrants. For profit, not for profit, and even a few in between. And that innovation in the market means schools have to keep up;

Like in the UK, where around 150,000 children will sit GCSE French, compared to about 4,000 doing Mandarin or Cantonese. Is that imbalance because schools there have carefully thought about the future needs of a British work force when set against growing export markets; or is because we have lots of French teachers, and it’s what their parents learned?

But while it may be easier for new entrant schools to ditch ‘traditions’ there is also the danger of getting caught by fad-ism. Just as someone once described a leader with no followers as simply a person taking a walk, so if you are pioneers in every new field it might turn out to be no field at all – just ask all the people who have big collections of laser discs;

And obviously as a parent I want you to do both. I want a massive French department, as well as a fully staffed Chinese department, and what about Spanish while we’re at it. Because I want you to give her all the skills to be at the cutting edge when she graduates, but I don’t want you to bet her future on it in case she gets it wrong;

It is impossible, and I know every time as a Governor when teaching colleagues come with the next big idea, that schools will have to do all of the above without putting a single penny on tuition fees;

But I also have more fundamental worries as a parent about my daughter’s education, particularly in the international sphere;

Mulitculturalism is amazing, but does becoming a global citizen risk becoming a citizen of nowhere? I didn’t leave Edinburgh until I was twenty one. My daughter is half British, half Dutch, was born in India, and now lives in Malaysia. I have a very clear idea of where I am from, does she, will she, or is that an absurd thing to wonder about? One thing is for sure, I can’t draw on personal experience to help, so do I rely on the teachers who will be steering her in four year chunks as I move around the world – is that your role?

And I worry about the digital and online world, because I know I will always lag in my understanding of it, like my parents did, as teachers probably do. As a tech thinker once told me, if you describe a technology as disruptive, it shows you are already too old to understand it – people who disrupt aren’t disrupting, they are just living. And because nothing ever dies online, can she have fun at school, and yet still start as an adult with a clean slate, as I did?

Which merges into the digital world blurring the lines between home and school, particularly in the future. As her personal life and school life merge into a single iPad, will she ever be able to switch off? And in that space, does it mean she can now take her bullying home with her, and nobody will ever know? Maybe by the time she is fourteen there will be teachers around her who have personal experience of being trolled by cyber bullies and can help, but I suspect few of your teachers could claim that – but does it matter? Is that what your Year 12s and 13s are there for, to bridge the gap?

And, obviously, I worry about the cost of all of this, in a world of shrinking budgets and resources, will I be able to keep her in the schools that are offering her all these opportunities, or will you end up pricing me out of the market, as you keep up with my demands?

There is a lot ahead of you, the margins of success become ever smaller at A-Grade; there is more competition than ever; the reputational risks are only growing; and to meet all the demands I’ve listed you’re going to need a body of staff that is both multi-talented and specialised – who is going to train them for you, and what will they cost? Sadly, we will not all be investors in Snap to pay for it all.

But in spite of these worries, the final thought I would leave you with is my huge pride, and belief, in the British education model I see in international schools today (and I would say that even if my government weren’t paying me to). I think it does have tradition as well as modernity; I think it puts a lot of trust in its teachers, rather than wrote structures; and I think it gives children a wide exposure, but still creates a sense of belonging.

I wish you every success in the conference, and look forward to fruitful discussions. You have great challenges, and even greater responsibilities, and parents like me will need your help more than ever in the future.

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