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trashyeggroll · 5 years ago

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A Friend (Fan) In Need...Of A Better Ending

(anon submission)

Hey anon I hope you see this; I kept the entirety of your text (w/o your info!) below the cut.

The point about FIN ending outside of Greece and how that doesn’t feel right is a good one; I never really thought of it that way since the seasons (5 & 6) I watched first had a LOT of travel episodes, but I’d agree that a final episode set in Greece would have been truer to the series and make more sense.

The 40,000 number also did feel ridiculous, and I don’t know why they kept doing that in Asian countries; in Chin, didn’t they say Xena killed 100,000??? Those weren’t villagers but still. Those numbers are ridiculous lmao

“Speaking of samurai, another issue with this episode I know many had was the beheading…it works on a culture level as that’s what samurai would do but as many have said in the past it felt like a step too far as you didn’t need to behead Xena in order for people to know she was dead.

You’re right, and you should say it. Culturally yes it makes sense, but this isn’t a Japanese show where something like this happened often, and seeing Xena’s head sitting on that table? Absolutely brutal in an unnecessary way and that’s a good point that nobody would think to do that to Hercules.

Thank you for taking the time to submit this! Much to think about.

I’d like to take a moment if you don’t mind, in light of your recent Tumblr posts discussions, to express my feelings on the series final for “Xena: Warrior Princess” and why I feel it falls short.

First and foremost I feel the largest problem, for me personally, was the series final took place so far from the source material and this created a sense of disconnect from the start.

XENA for a majority of the series was rooted in the Ancient Greek concepts, from her beginnings on “Hercules: The Legendary Journeys” to her first three seasons at least (which accounts for 50% of the series), so to have the series end in a land other than the Greek area felt unfulfilling; the fact it ended in an Asian country on top of that was especially disappointing as I myself was not a fan of the episodes that featured the area. I know some, Rob Taper for one, enjoyed those episodes but for me they always felt like something just outside of the series, like a “special event episode”, instead of feeling like a more organic part of the character’s timeline path. The timeline in later seasons especially became quite laughable but even ignoring that element I still couldn’t get exited about the Asian episodes as often nothing good came from them for the title character in my opinion - she was either punished for someone else’s actions or having to clean up a mess she didn’t even make so to have the series end there felt like a double whammy of no thank you; the magic in the episodes also felt different to me which is understandable as Asian lore is different from Greek life but again that often created for me a sense of Xena being in almost a different show even though they tried to use elements of these episodes to explain her past.

I’m not saying the series had to end with her taking down the gods like we saw in season five but it still would have been nice after the more travel seasons if you will of the later seasons 4-6 to come back home for the end to give everything a bookended feel.

The second biggest issue for me personally was the laughable number count they used to explain Xena’s need to stay dead so others could live. I’m sorry but there’s no way 40,000 people died in that village fire scene! I get “use your imagination” but I’m also a visuals matter person and so when you give me a scene of snow covered, spaced out buildings in which maybe 20 people are in the scene I’m going to have questions about your later dialogue statements; I know in the grand scheme deaths are deaths so I do understand what they were going for but again I’m taken out of the moment when they go so large yet show me so little.

I also take issue with the fact the villagers attack Xena first yet she’s blamed solely for the fallout. I get not wanting someone you consider evil in a sacred place but still shouldn’t the villagers take responsibility for their actions in the fire also and thus those deaths at least not be on Xena? I was left at times feeling like things were more so happening to Xena in order to make the end result the only result possibly than Xena was involved in events if that makes sense.

An example of this is Akimi, yes Xena showed her the pinch but that’s all she really did, Akimi chose to use it on her father (Xena did not tell her to do that) and Akimi is the one who betrayed Xena so how is any of what really happens in this episode Xena’s fault?

It’s like saying Xena is responsible for Livia’s actions because she took her into battles as baby. It makes no sense and creates less of an enjoyable viewing experience. The betrayal of trust by Akimi of Xena was neat to see as it’s a rare occurrence that someone pulls one over on the character but faulting Xena for outcomes of her choices felt again manufactured just to give a reason to keep Xena in this episode.

I seem wrong in saying this part especially, but “A Friend In Need” reads to me like a discount Callisto story; the writers want us to be emotionally invested in Xena wanting to make amends for this grand event but the impact isn’t the same, at least for some of us. Xena did not personally have a hand in creating Akimi like she did Callisto. Akimi’s actions did not effect Xena until this very episode unlike Callisto’s actions which haunted Xena for years. Akimi was always going to kill her father and she didn’t need Xena to arguably do it but without Xena there is no Callisto so again the impact is just not the same!

I know HERCULES attempts to rewrite the Callisto lore for some reason during one of its episodes but if you only watched Xena’s series then again there’s no Callisto without Xena and thus their dynamic will always seem more personal than any Xena has arguably when it comes to villains.

I know someone is probably siting Ares’s name at this point but I submit that even he just feed off of Xena’s darkness - he didn’t create it, that would be more Cortez who unlocked that side of her than Ares, but Xena did create Callisto so again she is arguably the most connected emotionally.

I wouldn’t want the series to end at the start of season 5 because some good episodes did come after episode one but I do feel “Fallen Angel” is a better telling of the concept “A Friend In Need” tried to do because Xena is more responsible for Callisto’s being than she was Akimi’s choices so Xena taking on Callisto’s sins felt more earned and personal to the character than her sort of cleaning up after Akimi if you will. It’s true Callisto has to take responsibility for actions also as Xena didn’t make her kill those people but even if she had killed no one Xena still mentally destroyed Callisto and thus owes her peace where as Akimi could have learned a kill technique from anyone else, it didn’t feel like it had to be Xena with the pinch teaching her as the only way to stop the evil emperor. Again it feels like Xena is visually in the episode because Lucy and Renee are there but I don’t buy this is necessarily a “Xena: Warrior Princess” episode; it comes off almost as Rob wanting to do a samurai movie and using this cast to do it.

Speaking of samurai, another issue with this episode I know many had was the beheading…it works on a culture level as that’s what samurai would do but as many have said in the past it felt like a step too far as you didn’t need to behead Xena in order for people to know she was dead.

The extreme element for me personally comes in with the added fact she’s naked in the scene, it just feels like stripping everything the female has away from her to show how beaten down you made her and I do wonder if the same would have been done if it was Hercules in her place in that moment. I do not for a second believe the crew had ill intentions with this imagery I just believe they may not have thought it through fully and how just too much it was both then and looking back. It may be part of a culture element, but I think they would have been better off picking just one - naked or beheaded; I can personally take the beheading more as again it works culture wise for where they are and had the head been hidden or Gabrielle spent time killing more soldiers getting them to talk about where the head was it would help build tension for the ending of Gabrielle missing part of Xena so time runs out and Xena has to stay dead and accepts that, with the clear message to Gabrielle she didn’t fail her because if you end on Gabrielle feeling like she failed her then that’s a new issue.

One story issue did seem to get fixed with deleted scenes on the DVDs where they explain the spirit rules more in the director’s cut but if you never see that cut then you’re still stuck with part of the story missing and that’s not good.

Finally there’s the debate of does Xena have to die; even in a perfect series final I feel this would be a discussion. This more than anything comes down to how you personally view redemption for her at that point, is death in the service of good the only way Xena could claim redemption or is a long life in the service of good actually her already received redemption? Can Xena even be redeemed for all she’s done is also a fair question if you have that in mind! I’m not sure this was ever going to a fandom majority approved factor thinking about it though because on the one hand you’ll always have some who think she deserved a happy ending at that point and wanted the “walk off into the sunset together” moment while others may feel a death does fit and others still who could agree death fits but maybe not in that season. I understand not wanting to be strung along waiting for a season renewal that may not come so why not end the series the way you want while you can but maybe season 6 and what we had seen until that point was too soon of a death for Xena and the plot would have worked again in a later season like season 7 or the movie they kept debating doing years later; it’s just a tough factor but it is an issue one could take and I do with this final.

To it’s credit there are some good elements to this episode, especially if you’re a Gabrielle fan, and it’s not even the worst XWP episode or series final on TV but as a series final for XWP I’m personally just left wondering what a rewrite would have been like had they not been stressing this as their last season…what if they got the renewal with the understanding season 7 would be the end, would this have still been the end or would we have gotten something less divisive?

I thank you for taking the time to read all of this!

#submission #xwp #xena spoilers

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fireandgloryrpg · 7 years ago

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Congratulations Kcat and welcome! We’re so happy to accept your application to play Adriana Caninii with the faceclaim of Phoebe Tonkin in Fire & Glory RPG! We can’t wait to begin roleplaying with you so please remember to look over our checklist!

OOC INFO:

Name: Kcat Age: 21 – April 04 Timezone: EST

Activity: I am both a senior year undergraduate student and an officer for my university’s ambassadors, so as I’m sure you’ll understand, I’m very busy. However, roleplay is my go-to stress reliever. I can typically manage to get on two to four nights a week and drill through replies. If things get extra crazy in real life, I’ll be sure to let you lovely admins know and request a hiatus if need be. Anything Else?: I HAVE MISSED ALL YOU LOVELY FUCKERS WHAT’S UP GUYS!!! MAN IT FEELS GOOD TO BE BACK ;D

OC APPLICATION:

Name: Adriana Caninii Age and Birthday: 24 years, 31 March 1993 Faceclaim: Phoebe Tonkin, Tay Jardine Heritage: Daughter of Mars, Legacy of Invidia Affiliation: Centurion of the Fourth Cohort, Cult of Romulus

Abilities: (omg pls erase my ramblings if/when you post because I just wanted to be super clear with each of these so that nothing came of as godmoddy because I would NEVER make that the intention :3 just throw your questions and stuff at me. y'all know i’m a real chill pill)

From Mars

telumkinesis: natural mastery of all weapons; ability to curse the weapons of opponents

odikinesis: can enhance or induce rage, hate, fear, and intimidation; can dispel “battle jitters” from others

From Invidia

Invidia is said to be the Roman name for Nemesis. In the PJO canon, Nemesis claims that she is known by the same name by both the Greeks and the Romans because revenge and justice is universal – which isn’t wrong. However, in much of Roman mythology, while Invidia is still associated with Nemesis, she is also seen as an independent goddess, one who differs than the Greek version of Nemesis in that she is primarily the goddess of envy and vengeance, along with the standard Nemesis’ qualities of revenge and justice. Invidia itself was a power that the Romans feared. Literally their term for envy, after winning a great battle, Roman soldiers would use talismans to protect themselves from Invidia, and for good reason. Envy was a sickness that could lead soldiers to craving more battles, more victories, and in their desirable wake, cause great harm in their pursuit of excessive glory. It could also turn the best of men into animals, friends turned enemies in conflict over a lover, a treasure, recognition. Invidia is also a goddess associated with the evil eye – like Nemesis’ ability to speak of one’s fate, only Invidia typically embodies the darker side of fate, bringing about her justice through curses, indirect manipulation, and supposedly even a little bit of “black magic.” (but far less on the magic bit, obviously)

Adriana’s mother is a daughter of Invidia, and as such, some of her powers have transferred down to Adriana, albeit at a lesser strength, variety, and level than in the case of her parent.

fascinare: ability to bewitch a person into an envious state with the express purpose of inducing conflict between that individual and others (this ability would take a bit of a toll on Adriana. Historically, it’s an actual power that the Romans feared, like invidia. It’s the sort of curse that plants a little seed of envy in someone’s heart. The caster, again, has no say over what results from this. They’re just drawing out what envious emotions a person might have deep down in the hopes that coaxing those emotions out will allow them to fester into a full-blown conflict by the affected’s hands. It’s not a quick process, but a slow one, and the results vary widely depending on the person. If they’re truly good at heart and generous, for example, this ability really wouldn’t affect them. It’s just stirring up what’s already there and what happens depends entirely on the individual and their pre-existing personal issues)

poison tongue: venom can cast fascinare or cause mild nausea and dizziness (rarely unconsciousness) via a kiss (okay literally this amused me so much and I was dying to test it out as an ability. In a lot of lore, Invidia is said to have a tongue that’s actually poisonous – likely due to the fact that her symbolic animal is a snake – but obviously, that’s a little extreme for demigods and especially for legacies so I’ve watered it down to this – for one, Adriana would obviously have to engage in mouth to mouth contact to make this work (how awkward and uncomfortable for her lmao), and thus she realllly isn’t too fond of it. She’d have to use this in order cast any sort of fascinare power, but additionally, it could be used to disorient someone – as if a sudden unexpected kiss from a daughter of Mars isn’t disorienting enough – it’s not likely to cause someone to pass out unless Adri has to commit for some reason because it’s absolutely necessary. We’re basically talking a delirious effect, not so different from the dizziness and disorientation of being significantly drunk, and it doesn’t last very long. Maybe five minutes, ten if she’s lucky. If she can get along without having to use this ability, she will. It’s more of a dire need for escape sort of trick)

The Influence of Luna

Both Adriana and her cousin, Fergus Fitzgerald, share the same traces of blood from the goddess Luna via their great-grandfather, Aulus Caninii, a son of Luna. Of the two of them, it’s Fergus that is most affected if only due to his heritage as a son of Oceanus, as the sea and moon have always been closely aligned in the ebb and flow of the tides. For Adriana, this heritage brings little more than a slight influence of mood and preference for time of day. She is, by nature, more of a night person than a day person. Early mornings are especially miserable, but years in the Legion and the formation of a daily 5AM running habit have helped her to combat this fact. She feels her best and strongest at the apex of the full moon and her crummiest and most fatigued at the apex of the new moon. Unless someone was meticulously attentive to Adriana’s day-to-day patterns or had been told of this heritage by Adriana herself, it is highly unlikely they would recognize this behavior as anything of note. As such, Adriana does not claim outright to be a legacy of Luna because her effect on the daughter of Mars’ blood is so minimal.

Headcanons:

Ancient lineage and political powers aside, the Caninii are well-known for their talent of dog training. In the age of the Roman Empire, dogs were common companions beside men in battle. Adriana’s family has continued this tradition with pride. The Legion’s ‘war dogs’ are held at a training kennel near the stables in Camp Jupiter. Renzo, Adriana’s half-brother, is currently responsible for their training and upkeep, but Adriana often steps in to assist. She has only fully trained one dog thus far, and that is Septimus, her German Shepherd and inseparable partner.

Adriana’s most prized possession is her longsword, an heirloom that has been in her family for generations. At its original forging, the sword was named Servatrix, but Adriana has developed her own conventions and opinions that oppose a number of the Caninii’s long-held beliefs, and has subsequently changed its name to Grayclaw. The blade is forged of an imperial gold and silver alloy. The fusion of metals takes away from their overall effects, but provides the advantage of having both lethal elements on hand.

Biography:

Born to Livia of the family Caninii, Adriana has wealth, respect, and an ancient bloodline that has inevitably determined her future. She was raised in New Rome by her grandfather, who filled her head with tales of the great achievements of her forefathers as soon as she was old enough to understand them. He is a charismatic and brilliant man, but this family patriarch holds his kin to strict expectations.

Gaius made it clear to Adriana that she would be responsible for upholding their family’s glory and reputation. From an early age, the young Roman knew who she was and what she could do. She trained for hours each day in combat, weaponry, war strategy, Roman history – whatever was necessary to educate her as a proper soldier. But while these lessons came naturally to her, Adriana was wary of how her grandfather was crafting her to his ideals. Gaius is a Roman Senator, not a family man. He has political desires and an indomitable ambition. While he holds his advantages close, he is not inclined to treasure them. Adriana, like her family namesake, is a dog. Albeit a well-bred one. Gaius showed her off and trained her to be obedient, to come when called and to strike at his order. But Adriana was, and remains, resilient. Years of observing her grandfather’s tactics led her to develop some skills on her own. His little warrior learned how to play false appearances. Whenever Gaius was confident that his guidance was building toward his desired end, Adriana fed his belief, keeping her conflicting feelings and opinions to herself.

By the time she arrived at Camp Jupiter, Adriana was a hardened fighter. With high commendations from Gaius and several other elite members of New Rome’s society, she was assigned to the First Cohort. The rigorous training of the First not only developed the skills that she already possessed, but also nourished her true personality – something her grandfather had sought to suppress in order to maintain his control. Adriana is loyal yet independent, studious yet audacious, valiant, and though ruthless, fair. She’s not the type of person to judge at first glance and believes strongly in second chances.

But, when the Argo II attacked New Rome, the resulting damage shook the daughter of Mars into believing that her grandfather had been right all along – you can’t trust a graecus. The Battle at Half-Blood Hill had robbed Adriana of friends and allies, leaving her with a deepening malice toward their East Coast counterparts. She viewed the unification as a betrayal to those that she had lost and refused to stand for it.

Adriana’s change in attitude did not go unnoticed. Gaius picked up on the shift in his granddaughter and sought to seize the opportunity it presented. One night, he drew her away from camp and introduced her to the secret society lurking beneath the streets of New Rome. When she emerged early the next morning, Adriana was not only the dedicated soldier she had always been, but also the Cult of Romulus’ newest inductee.

Shortly after her induction, Adriana was appointed Centurion of the Fourth Cohort. The office suited her well. It gave her a chance to improve the skills of some of the Legion’s less popular legionnaires and, with the cohort’s sizable inclusion of Greeks, to keep an eye on the activities of the foreigners. However, as months of leadership turned to years, Adriana came to realize that despite the few upsets between the camps, the transfers from Camp Half-Blood weren’t actually all that different from the demigods of the Legion. They showed no signs of plotting against New Rome and Adriana had even begun to grow fond of them – Imagine that! A member of the Cult getting friendly with the enemy? She was lucky that her Cult companions passed it off as keeping their enemies close. Even so, the Cult tightened their grip on the daughter of Mars. She could hardly take a breath without them taking note. That leash has loosened since then, but Adriana is still walking a perilously thin line.

Adriana was seduced into the Cult of Romulus by their power and promises of reformation at a time when it seemed impossible to hold anything but malice toward the Greeks – a malice that she no longer possesses, a power that she doesn’t need, and a reformation that isn’t necessary. The true battle is not against one another but against the monsters and deific powers that threaten their livelihood. How could the city’s darker powers not see that the Roman demigods and their Greek counterparts are a far more formidable force together than divided? To the war strategist ingrained in in Adriana’s bones, this is common sense.

Adriana’s knowledge of the Cult’s existence coupled with her opposing opinions is a loaded gun. If she could drop out of the Cult she would do so in a heartbeat, but you can’t just leave a cult. Especially not one so prominent and powerful as the Cult of Romulus. They have ways of keeping their wayward members in line, as she already knows, and speaking against them publicly – or worse, revealing them – would be suicide. Adriana is doing her best to remain a neutral party in quiet defiance, but not all the Cult’s demands are so easy to ignore…

Yet while she keeps to the shadows in her disagreement with the Cult, the daughter of Mars has not been as subtle in regards to her kin. The Caninii clan’s esoteric convictions and unjust manipulation for personal gain have built them an empire within New Rome, but the power they wield is abusive and Adriana won’t have it. Wielding her status as the single direct descendant in her family line and the next head as she would a weapon, Adriana is determined to reshape the conventions of her house. If put toward good rather than gain, the wealth and influence of her family could be an avenue for positive change, but Adriana is a warrior, not a politician; and without allies and support, she can’t expect to enforce any alterations to her kin’s ancient dynasty anytime soon.

For now, Adriana is treading lightly. Balance isn’t easily maintained – anyone with Invidia or Nemesis’ blood in their veins knows that all too well. However, with the right pressures, sharpest moves, and great patience, fate can sometimes be swayed in one’s favor. Adriana does her best to be an honorable leader and a fierce soldier, appearing ever the pure, loyal Roman until she has her chance to tear away from the destiny that has been fashioned for her all her life. And when she finally gets it, she’ll do what she does best. Fight.

Para Sample (idek what this is lmao I tried):

Adriana’s senses went to the wayside as she stood in the midst of the crowd. The heavy beat of the music that projected from the stage pulsed across the field, stoking the spectators’ energy in the late night hour. At the high volume of the rock band’s set and the surrounding exclamations of enjoyment, hearing anything else beyond the event was nigh impossible. Adriana had gotten swept up in the tide of it all. With a beer in her hand and a friend at her side, she couldn’t imagine a better evening; and she didn’t want to, because as soon as she wished it, her fun was likely to end. The Fates were relentless pranksters in that way.

The concert had been Dani’s idea. The Second Cohort legionnaire had snatched the centurion to the side between training sessions and to lay out their plan for a brief escape. Adriana, always willing to step outside the boundaries of her lifelong home, had eagerly accepted. She could always rely on the legacy of Hades to come up with the most entertaining – and sneakiest – schemes. It didn’t even matter to Adriana that she wasn’t familiar with the band. Between the political stuffiness of New Rome and the responsibilities of Legion leadership, the supposed demigod sanctuary could become a suffocating environment. Adriana would take any opportunity to step aside, let loose, be herself, and just breathe.

So there she was, jumping up and down among a mob of strangers and releasing her pent up stress through a non-violent outlet. As the music tapered down for the band’s transition into the next song, the daughter of Mars took a moment to rest, chuckling through panting breaths at the dark-haired person beside her. “You’re right,” she grinned. “They’re not bad.”

“Not bad?” The legacy of Hades scoffed in mock hurt. “For all the trouble it took to bring you out here, you would claim that these beautiful, Muse-embodied humans are not bad?” Dani clicked their tongue disapprovingly. “Remind me never to invite you to join me on my ventures again.”

Adriana shook her head at the short legionnaire. Despite being the sage, Dani was a good six inches smaller than her, at the least. Not that their height made them any less ferocious. Dani was a wild soul and Adriana admired her temperament greatly. “Hey, don’t look at me,” she shrugged with an indifferent look down at the other. “You’re the one who took me out to see a band I’ve never heard of in my life. It’s not my fault I don’t have a reference to judge their music.”

Dani groaned through an exasperated sigh. “Fiiiiine. You’re excused.” Around them, the fresh beat of a new song began to shake the ground. “You’re lucky I like you, Romaíos.”

Adriana had taken that line as the close to their conversation, ready to sink back into the sounds and the madness, but just as she was teetering on the height of that edge, a pulse beneath her feet caught her off guard. No one else appeared to have felt it even though it was off beat to the rest of the tune, and there was a telltale prickling sensation that ran down the centurion’s spine. She stopped moving, eyes attentive, feeling focused, and again felt the thump resonate across the ground. In an instant, entertainment had turned to vigilance.

“Dani, stop.” Adriana reached out and placed a firm hand on the Greek’s shoulder.

Dani hesitated a brief moment before they complied. They pouted up at the Roman and opened their mouth to object, but then they felt it too, right down to their bones. The lightheartedness faded from their expression and a hand ventured toward the holster strapped to their thigh in preparation. “Where is it? Do you see anything?” they asked as their honey-colored eyes swept around them – which achieved nothing considering their height.

Adriana fiddled with the ring brace that lived on her right middle finger, sharp eyes piercing through and over the people around them. “I don’t know… it’s pretty hard to see around– wait.” Out of the corner of her eye, Adriana caught a flash of movement. Nothing concrete, but when spotting shadows, it was usually best to assume it was something rather than leave it be and get stabbed in the back for it. “Come on,” she stepped in front of Dani, starting to lead them out of the crowd.

Not seconds prior to the two of them stepping onto open ground, a guttural screech cut through the air. Both demigods snapped their heads to the left and were greeted by the misfortunate sight of a scorpion with a van-sized body. “Every fucking time…” Adriana growled under her breath and swept her thumb over the side of her ring, cueing the accessory to spin around her finger and break off. It extended into a hilt and a blade which she twirled in her hand with practiced ease. In a similar fashion, Dani equipped themself with a pair of curved knives. Adriana looked over to them and the pair shared a silent transfer of information. They knew each other well enough by now to coordinate their attacks without the distraction of words.

I take front, you take back?

Yeah, let’s go.

At Dani’s finalizing nod, Adriana turned to the monster and grabbed its attention with a high-pitched whistle. “Hey ugly!” The beast hissed, shuffling around on its spindly legs to lock eyes with the young warrior. “This what you’re looking for?” She stepped forward once with arms spread to taunt it, and sure enough, it lurched forward with another screech.

Adriana reinforced her stance, standing her ground until the scorpion only had a few seconds of distance left to close. At her side, the legacy of Hades slipped into the nearest shadow and a grin split across the centurion’s lips.

Time to go to work.

#accepted #Adriana Caninii

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