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stillness-in-green · 4 years ago

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Thoughts on Chapter 314 (and surrounding events)

Being a loose summary of several things I thought about in relation to the leaks, what they say about the series as a whole, a bit of new operating headcanon on the Peerless Thief, and a dash of how fandom is responding to the revelations. Spoilers, obviously.

This chapter makes it quite clear that the HPSC absolutely would have gone in and eliminated the PLF quietly, lethally, and wholly unlawfully if Hawks hadn't reported back the numbers that he did. The only reason the raid involved non-Commission-affiliated heroes at all is because the PLF's manpower was simply too much for the Commission to deal with via their usual methods. I'm both appalled that the disregard for human rights in HeroAca Land is somehow even worse than I thought it was and smug that that tiny little piece I recently posted criticizing the PLF's treatment has turned out to be totally justified and supported by the canon.[1] (Note that this does not absolve Horikoshi of the responsibility to, himself, treat the PLF better than paper dolls tossed into the incinerator of Plot Irrelevance when they cease being convenient to his story.) The fact that the Commission was forced to involve heroes might mean Re-Destro, Mr. Compress and the others are somewhat safer than might otherwise be the case. Because of the involvement of the unsuspecting stooges law-abiding heroes, and because the botched raid became such a huge disaster, there’s far more public scrutiny on this than would otherwise be the case. Of course, "accidents" can still happen,[2] especially in a chaotic environment, but the factors above (combined with Clone!RD murdering the bejeezus out of the Lady Prez) do, I think, suggest that there probably isn't an organized push for quick solutions going on behind closed doors.

I don't think Nagant has been around for a terribly long time or that there was an uptick in vigilantism in recent years—I think the scene where she mentions vigilantes becoming accepted as heroes is just in reference to the early history of heroism. It's in keeping with what Tsukauchi Makoto described in Vigilantes, and forms the basis of the current system—the current system that Nagant was a single cog in a big machine grinding away to preserve.

Speaking of Nagant and the system, it's interesting to me that one of the groups Nagant apparently targeted at the HPSC's behest was corrupt heroes—those who colluded with villains or specifically goaded/incited civilians into using their quirks illegally, thus turning civilians into capital-V Villains in the eyes of the law. One might easily say that targeting corrupt heroes (albeit using a much broader definition of "corrupt") was Stain's whole shtick, but it actually puts me more in mind of the Peerless Thief, Harima Oji. Harima punished greedy or corrupt heroes with theft, and presumably with a measure of declaration and exposure,[3] then distributed their money back to the streets. Someone who ridicules those who abuse their power, and gets away with it for long enough to build a reputation: that right there is a recipe for a folk hero. The HPSC, in whatever form they existed at the time, obviously couldn't let that go on—such repeated humiliations would weaken peoples’ faith in (and obedience to) the system the HPSC was trying to build. At the same time, though, it would also weaken faith in the system to openly acknowledge that system's flaws, to acknowledge that some pretty awful people had found their way into the heroics business specifically for the power and ability to abuse it that the title of Hero afforded them. Public trials would make it a matter of record that some heroes—and, accordingly, heroes at large—did not deserve the public's unquestioning faith. Obviously in a system that was built from the ground up on faith, that was unacceptable. And so Harima was branded a supervillain for exposing the system's flaws, while the corrupt heroes who embodied those flaws to begin with were—and continue to be—quietly disposed of at the HPSC’s discretion.

There's a lot of talk around about how Lady Nagant is stupid, or hypocritical, or delusional, or whatever other dismissive adjective people want to use, because she expresses a preference for AFO's rule over the HPSC's. Firstly, I think it's dubious Lit Crit to fault a character for not being a Paragon of Rationality, especially when they're under the cascading stressors Nagant has been under since she was, what, 13? 14? Forced to live this dichotomy of smiling gallant hero and ruthless covert assassin, had her life threatened by the man who'd taken her in,[4] probably dumped in Tartarus until such time as her trial could be held,[5] and kept in those ghastly, dehumanizing conditions for who knows how long? How shocking, that her objectivity might be somewhat compromised! Secondly, it's not like she's saying that AFO's rule would be a sunny walk in the park. The kanji she uses doesn't even mean "better"; while it can mean serene or tranquil, her more likely meaning is clear/transparent. Her phrasing indicates that she's aware it would be pretty bad; she's simply of the opinion that at least his rule wouldn't be a sham, a pretty lie. It would be bad, but everyone would know it. No one would have these comforting illusions they could lose at any time; if you stepped out of line and got shot in the head by an assassin, well, at least you would probably know you that being defiant was running that risk, rather than never seeing it coming because you'd been told all your life that Heroes Didn't Do That To People. Again, this is a woman whose life was shattered no less than three times by the duplicity of the highest acting authority in this comic.[6] She doesn't have to be Objectively Correct By The Standards Of Ethical Utilitarianism—nor do you have to agree with her choice that because she doesn’t want to live in the Matrix, no one else should get to either—for her opinion to make sense from her own perspective! Thirdly, while I think it's fair to say that the HPSC and AFO actually use fairly similar methods to recruit followers and punish dissenters, we have no idea how much Nagant herself knows about AFO's recruitment tactics other than her own brief experience of it. And while AFO is a controlling and manipulative bastard, at least in his case it's coming from a man who openly styles himself as a Demon King, not an organization positioning itself as lawful regulators of the protectors of society at large while secretly training child soldiers to flagrantly violate every law protecting the human rights and due process of that society's people.

Overhaul's presence is delightful, and yes, he is a victim of Hero Society, if only because Hero Society could have put him in some kind of prison-based rehab facility after Shigaraki was through with him, but chose to dispose of him in Tartarus instead, for absolutely no justifiable cause. I suspect it's only due to Horikoshi not being very interested in the harsh realities of the trauma caused by enforced isolation[7] that Overhaul is the only Tartarus escapee that talks to himself and has dissociated from reality almost completely. Overhaul's maiming was not the fault of Hero Society, nor did Hero Society force him to torture Eri and repeatedly commit cold-blooded murder. But his madness? Yeah, I'm pretty comfortable laying that one at Hero Society's feet, actually. I can’t wait for Deku to have to face the victim that Chisaki Kai has become due to levels of systemic cruelty and negligence that really ought to be criminal—and which, if this were real life, would be.

--------Lately, footnotes are really popular with us!--------

[1] Lady Nagant: *talks about how the Hero Society everyone believes in is illusory, a thin fake over a brutal reality, and that returning to the false simplicity of that status quo will only cause history to repeat itself* Me, two weeks ago: Hero Society will never stop creating its own villains so long as, every time it fails people, it does nothing but shrug and write off the victims as unavoidable, inevitable sacrifices for the greater good.

[2] Yes, I'm still highly suspicious of the "Destro committed suicide in prison" claim.

[3] Compress tells us Harima “preached reformation,” but regardless, you don’t dress up in a modified kabuki costume and waltz midair through nighttime cityscapes raining cash out of the sky if you’re trying to keep your activities a secret.

[4] And her family situation couldn't have been much better than Hawks', if she was targeted by the HPSC to begin with. I would guess she was an orphan in the childcare system, easy to move from whatever alternative care arrangement she was in, be it an orphanage, a group home, or simply mature enough despite her relative youth that she lived alone on government support payments—that kind of thing isn't as unbelievable in Japan as it is in the U.S.—to the HPSC's care.

[5] And given what we learned between this chapter and 297, I doubt she was even allowed to be present for it. Japanese law states that everyone by default is supposed to be present for their own trial, but as in the U.S, that right can be waived if the defendant proves themselves to be a threat to the safety of the judge, court staff and other attendees. And of course, what a threat the HPSC could have painted her as being!

[6] At least until Hori deigns to show us a damn Diet session.

[7] To say nothing of the physical consequences of spending six months stuck in a tiny room with no natural light while frequently being strapped into a straitjacket, of which there should also be several.

#bnha spoilers #bnha 314 #boku no hero academia #hero public safety commission #paranormal liberation front #harima oji #lady nagant #overhaul bnha #my writing?

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jacobthedinogeek · 4 years ago

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So as a Harry Potter fan who watched the movies before reading the books, I have a few shall we say controversial opinions mostly on the film adaptations. Now, let's get one thing straight here; I 100% believe that the books are superior and there are definitely changes I didn't like in the films. Nonetheless, the opinions I share here will surely cause most Harry Potter fans to hate me. So here we go.

- Harry may not have contained the majority of his sass from the books, but that does not ruin his character. Daniel Radcliffe still manages to portray his bravery, loyalty, intrigue and inner struggle, in turn making a near perfect representation of Harry Potter.

- On that note, Ron may not have had a lot of his better moments from the book, but there was still enough in the movies to give me the idea that he was a loyal, if at times difficult friend to Harry.

- I really don't care about the shipping war drama. Ronmione is canon and that's all I need. The chemistry Rupert and Emma share is good enough for me.

- Following that, I prefer their kiss in the movie than the book. The book was all told from Harry's point of view, so we had to witness the kiss in the midst of all the panic students after they said what they did in the Chamber of Secrets. The movie takes proper advantage of its visual medium and shows us Ron and Hermione traveling to the Chamber of Secrets, destroying the horcrux, and then sharing a kiss in a much more private and less chaotic location. Yes the chamber isn't the most romantic place and yes the book kiss can be seen as an 'in the heat of passion' moment, but I still find the movie kiss to simply be more practical and better presented.

- Harry's final duel against Voldemort is flipping epic in the book, don't get me wrong, but I think the movie made the right choice in changing it to a more active fight. I simply see it as a proper change of medium. In the book, Harry and Voldemort having that last verbal argument before finishing the duel in a single strike is amazing to read, but in a movie it would have been pretty boring and slowed the pacing to a crawl. So instead we get an incredibly dynamic battle where they teleport, evade each other and finish it off in the courtyard literally crawling to each of their wands, while other parts of the battle happens at the same time. It was simply amazing to watch.

- Harry's decision to break the Elder Wand in the movie made perfect sense to me. Unless I'm missing a detail (which I will surely be ridiculed for if I am), Harry's intention with the Elder Wand, as well as the other Deathly Hallows, was to keep them hidden and out of touch from the outside world, so that when he dies, likely from natural causes, the Elder Wand will lose its power and have no true owner. In this sense, I find breaking the Wand and tossing it off the bridge makes more sense if anything. Boom, problem solved and we get a good visual of Harry humbly rejecting that kind of power. (He could have used it to fix his own Wand though).

- Dumbledore screaming at Harry about the Goblet of Fire was certainly a bad choice, no argument there. I can certainly go on about why that was a wrong change to make. However, it doesn't ruin the movie's interpretation of Dumbledore nor does it ruin Michael Gambin's performance. RIP Richard Harris, it would have been great to see you continue to play him, but Michael Gambin did a fantastic job of portraying the complex old wizard in the later movies.

- Hagrid does not get enough credit as a character and Robbie Coltrane does not get enough credit for playing him perfectly. To me, Hagrid is the embodiment of true humility. After everything that happened to him, the harassment he recieved as a half giant, being falsely accused of opening the Chamber of Secrets, and all Dumbledore can get him is a job as a grounds keeper, and the man is still honoured to be working there without a hint of bitterness or demand for higher retribution. He only ever gets angry when someone else is bullied, harrased or threatened. The way that Robbie Coltrane changes his tone with the Dursleys as soon as they insult Dumbledore still gives me chills, like he can go from big lovable teddy bear to drawing out his umbrella and muttering "don't ever insult Albus Dumbledore in front of me ever again". Agrh, such an underrated performance.

- Snape is first off a very different character from book to screen. Where as the book version is a downright abusive sociopath, the movie is much more like a moody loner, which means that those who only watch the movies don't tend to hate him that much. On that note, the scene where Ron defends Hermione from his insults in the book but not in the movie is more of a difference in Snape's character than it is if Ron's (that's right, I'm defending movie Ron again). Because of the downright cruelty of book Snape, Ron and pretty much all of the Gryffindors jump to her defense when Snape calls her a know it all, even though they'd all agree with him. They probably make fun of her for it on their own time but that doesn't stop them from banding together against a man like Snape. The movie version of Snape doesn't portray nearly the same amount of cruelty so there isn't much of a motivation to argue against him.

- Speaking of Snape, I'm going to say something that will cause you guys to shutter. I hate book Snape as a person and don't think he deserves forgiveness, but I love him as a character and wouldn't change anything about him. I'm here for a fictional story and sometimes truly complex characters and morally grey characters are what I want. He truly is a despicable human being, but when he does something noble, even if it's for selfish reasons, I am more invested in his character. Movie Snape might be a more likable person and more sympathetic in a sense, but book Snape will always be a more complex, interesting and ultimately unique character.

- Finally, and please hear me out for this one, Black Hermione is not canon, but I still love the idea of her being black in Fanon. There is a line in the third book that describes her white face as she's looking around a tree. Boom, not canon. That being said, I love seeing all the fanart and fanfiction that re-imagines her as a black woman, as well as Harry as an Indian person. I like it and I encourage other creators to continue to explore it. But if you're going to argue that that stuff is canon, there's simply concrete proof it isn't. I know I'm speaking to a minority with this one as most fans clearly understand this and don't take it too far, but if you're someone who not only tries to debate this but also openly mocks and harrasses others, especially the filmmakers for casting caucasian actors in the roles, then you're the one being truly disrespectful.

Well there you have it. Those are my controversial Harry Potter opinions. Feel free to hate me for them.

#harry potter #books vs movies #ron weasley #hermione granger #hagrid #albus dumbledore #severus snape #voldemort #black hermione granger

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once-upon-a-scenario · 5 years ago

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Karasuno as DnD players

Hear me out, I know a group this big would never work out, but just imagine the chaos that would be a session with all of them, even if it would take half an hour to get through one turn. Just a little idea I had, as a commemoration of the fact that I had my final dnd session for the summer tonight. I’m most definitely not super proficient with the game, so sorry if I got anything wrong. Hope you enjoy it!

__________

Daichi Plays a human warlock. He wasn’t into the whole spellcasting deal at first, but then again, eldritch blasting something ten times over is a viable strategy if you think about it. Always strategizes before a battle and goes in as prepared as possible. Reasonable luck with rolls, but nothing special. Keeps meticulous lists of his spells and cantrips. He DMs sometimes and is always the type who tries dropping heavy hints because he knows his players all collectively share 1 braincell. They miss all the hints, predictably, so he ends up having to railroad them. Always does his best to keep them alive and allows like 248273 chances of extra saving throws if someone’s HP dips below 1.

Suga Half-elf bard. The embodiment of chaos theory. He tries to be helpful to the party, but it usually ends up backfiring spectacularly. Gets embarrassed when he has to play out an action, even more so if it’s something his character is doing alone, without the rest of the party. But when he gets into it, he gets into it. Always the person to accidentally stumble onto the solution to the puzzle without realising it.

Asahi Human life cleric. Was slightly torn between paladin and cleric, but ultimately decided he does better as a healer, rather than a DPS. Hates combat, had to reroll his character 4 times already cause they keep dying. It’s like he attracts high rolls from enemies. Scores uber high on any intimidation rolls, though. Slightly traumatized by any PC who tries to seduce an NPC, or NPC who goes for a PC.

Nishinoya Halfling rogue. He likes acting all sneaky, even though he’s never like that irl. Definitely a chaotic neutral at best, skirts the line of chaotic evil sometimes. The type to kill an important NPC on pure accident, or because he pissed them off without meaning to. Gets super attached to his PCs or nice NPCs. Tried DMing once and everyone who played that session described it as a strangely fun train wreck.

Tanaka Dragonborn monk, don’t @ me. At first, he chose dragonborn as the race because he thought they were cool, but as he played on, he ended up getting genuinely invested in the lore of them and can now write a whole essay on why they’re the coolest. As for monk, he simply liked the idea of being able to punch the living daylights out of someone. Probably chose Way Of The Open Hand as his monastic tradition. He did consider Way Of Shadow too, but since he’s in the group with Noya, he decided they have enough sneakies.

Ennoshita Main DM. Save him from the hell that is eternally being the dungeon master and never the player. Despite how fed up he is sometimes, he always prepares intricate worlds, taking into accounts which players are in the party, and what their strengths and weaknesses are. Makes wonderful homebrews occasionally, but sticks to pre-existing storylines most of the time, as it’s less work. Either rolls super high on enemy turns or super low, no inbetween. He has killed many a PC and always feels bad about it. Still hasn’t forgiven himself for the fact that Asahi’s on his 4th character

Kageyama Human paladin. Paladins are cool, right? One might even call them a pillar of the team. The “one” refers to Kageyama exclusively, and he will die on the hill of paladins being the best class, as they’re a combination of melee and spells, as well as support. I’m not sure if he struggles with memorizing spells or if he knows all the existing paladin spells by heart, but it’s one of the extremes in any case. Solid true neutral, took the Oath Of Devotion. Follows Kord, the god of athletics and sport, because what else did you expect?

Hinata Elf barbarian. He likes being tall, and don’t try to get him to cast spells, please. Always forgets Rage is an option and comes a hair’s breadth away from dying because he doesn’t use all of his abilities. Doesn’t care how weird the combination of race and class is. Bonking people with a great axe is a wonderful strategy and Hinata Does Not Care, especially cause he’s the party’s main tank and a great DPS.

Tsukishima Elf artificer for sure. Coincidentally, his character is still taller than Hinata’s, even though he swears up and down it’s a coincidence. Which it actually is, but he feels a silver of smugness at that fact, which he would never admit to anyone. Makes the most wonderfully, uselessly useful inventions. Originally wanted to take a pure spellcasting class, like wizard or sorcerer, but decided to have fun with the game. Chose Alchemist as his specialization. Probably tries the charge other players for the potions if they need it in the middle of combat. Doesn’t go through with it, of course, but it was worth a try.

Yamaguchi Half-Elf Druid. He loves the idea of a character so connected with nature, + it feels good to be relied on as the tank. Likes exploring the world and asking for extensive history of everything, which gives Ennoshita unrivalled anxiety. Nothing is scarier than a nat 20 on a history check for a homebrew and Yamaguchi is here to remind Ennoshita of that. Definitely chooses the Circle Of The Moon as his druid circle because he’s cheesy like that.

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m-602 · 5 years ago

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The Road to Mayhem

((So I was struggling to come up with a story that wasn’t filled with absolute angst... Then I got the idea to make a bunch of lighthearted one-shots between the sonas over at Discord. Specifically, this includes me, @astel4, @sillypanda3, @foxyfan666‘s Reaper, @kittydoesthings and her void baby Shadow, and @a-fanfic-fan‘s Silver.))

((Also... Yes, M’s full name has been revealed to be “Mikearu”... Yes, he’s in the body of a shadow lich child... No, I’m not giving context as to how that happened. It was a Discord RP and explaining it here would take up WAY too much text space...))

((Warning. There is some swearing here. Sorry!))

((Anyways... I hope you enjoy!))

((Happy Thanksgiving!))

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“Panda, put that halberd down right now!”

“No! I don’t think I will!”

That describes basically every day in the house. What would normally be every parent’s nightmare is just an everyday occurrence to the strange family of friends. When you hear about family spending time together, a self-entitled mother chasing around a halberd-wielding feral child wouldn’t even crack top fifteen. And yet… here we are.

Just family things.

Astel: “You’re gonna hurt yourself! Or someone else!”

Panda: “Is that a challenge?~”

A: “Wha- No! Now give it here!”

P: “Nope! This is mine!~”

Well, it would’ve still been hers. But a magical aura around the weapon indicated the end of that. It floats over to Astel’s outstretched hands.

A: “That’s enough, young lady!”

P: “What the fuck?! Give it back!”

She wasn’t giving it back. Mom mode Astel is currently trying to tame the feral child - a hopeless endeavor, yet one she attempts anyone. She cares about her too-

Silver: “Oooh.~ Shiny!~”

And with that, the halberd was out of Astel’s hands, the thief literally sliding the stairs as if they were rails.

A: “Gah! Silver! Get back here!”

Yep… Just family things…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To take a break from the chaos, let’s transition to something every family can relate to - actual family time, of course! The fireplace adorned living room is perfect for this, a familiar, bright blue flame warming the room from the cold, snow-less night. Everyone was simply doing their own thing, relaxing after running out of things to do. Chaos already reigned for most of the day, so it’s time to let order take the wheel. And as expected… it’s rather nice.

Mikaeru: “I go’ ho’ choco!~”

Even better - hot chocolate! Who doesn’t love hot chocolate? The lich, who decided to stay in his child form after the whole memory dive event, was now coming out of the tray filled with mugs. Within each one was a swirling, chocolatey beverage that warmed one to their very spirit. Even Mikearu, who didn’t need to drink or eat, enjoyed the stuff!

He offers one to Kitty. She gently takes a mug from the tray to avoid spilling it. And then proceeds to start slurping it down.

He offers one to Astel. She accepts in a heartbeat. She really loves chocolate…

He offers one to Silver. She immediately stashes it in her backpack. What a strange little thing…

He offers one to Reaper. She accepts it rather quickly as well. Likely for the added warmth.

He offers one to Panda. She’s too busy listening to music through her headphones. That’s fine, though! He just places it next to her in case she wanted it later.

He places his own drink on the table, dashing into the kitchen to put away the tray. When he returns, he’s immediately seated on the couch, finally taking a moment to relax.

Everyone seemed to be enjoying the silence - odd for a “family” of chaotic idiots. It’s around this moment that Panda would try to cause mischief or Silver would… be Silver. But nope. Nothing of the sort here… It’s kind of terrifying how all these people, who were the direct opposite of order in their own ways, could just sit around and enjoy themselves in the quiet.

Subconsciously, he let himself lean on the closest person on the couch… Which turned out to be Kitty. She just shrugged and placed an arm around the child.

He had brought his hot chocolate closer, taking sips of it as the azure flames roared from the fireplace. This is what he had imagined when he thought of “spending time with friends” - it’s not much… but it’s something…

He didn’t even notice his eyes start to flutter close as he drifted off to sleep, a nearly finished mug of hot chocolate at rest on the table in front of him.

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And judging by all the screaming, we’ve fallen back into the chaotic routine.

Reaper: “Who the hell gave Silver the wheel?!”

A: “Silver, did! She stole the wheel!”

A child who embodies cartoon logic at its finest is probably the last person you want driving the car. Mikearu had been traveling side by side with the vehicle… Now he’s trying to get anyone he can out of the death-mobile’s way. He sends a message to Astel within the shared mind.

M: ”A-Astel! Can’t you stop her?!”

A: “I’m trying! She won’t give me the wheel! She won’t even let me get close, and I’m sitting in the damn driver’s seat!”

Eclipse: “You know… You could always try freezing her like an ice sculpture.~”

Ikearu: [“OR JUST LET ME TEAR HER APART.~”]

M and A: “NOT HELPING!!!”

A cacophony of screams (excluding Silver’s overly enthusiastic laugh) roared from the out of control vehicle as it barreled down the road. People scrambled to jump out of the way - the strugglers were pulled away by a black and blue blur.

S: “Oooh.~ Railroad tracks!”

R,A, and Kitty: “WAIT, WHAT?!”

Yep. They were heading for railroad tracks. Hey, at least there wasn-

*HOOOOOOONK*

There was a train heading down the tracks. Right towards them. And Silver, being the maniacal child she is, wasn’t stopping.

M: “Oh, for the love of-”

Doing the only thing he can think of, he chained the rear wheels of the car, keeping them from spinning. Unfortunately, this also caused them to completely snap of the car due to the amount of force they were exerting. The rear of the car suddenly dropped lower as it slowed down exponentially, coming to a stop just before the tracks. Just in time, too - the train had just passed by them the moment they stopped. Any moment later, and…

Everyone (except Silver, who was still laughing) breathed a sigh of relief as they evacuated the car. Mikearu stood behind the vehicle, massaging his neck. He looked like the embodiment of stress.

M: “You know… A’ leas’ one of you has powers… You could’ve done somethin’, too!”

A: “I was kinda busy trying to get Silver off the wheel!”

R, gesturing to the car: “And I didn’t want *that* to happen.”

K: “Hey, at least we’re all safe…”

Silver had just hopped out of the car at that time.

S: “Woohoo! Let’s go again!”

Everyone else: “NO!!!”

S: “Aww… You’re no fun!”

At least one of them was about to correct her and say they also weren’t crazy… But likely didn’t since that would’ve been a direct lie. Everyone here is crazy - that’s why they’re a “family” after all.

Using Mikearu’s chains, Reaper’s strings, and everyone’s effort (excluding Silver - she’s still mad), they started dragging the car back home… which was quite a ways away from where they were. On the topic of home, a thought crossed Reaper’s mind.

R: “...Was it a good idea to leave Panda by herself in the house?”

Everyone else: “...”

It was safe to say that they were coming back to a trashed living room… And weapons sticking out of the couch.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Speaking of Panda… She’s been acting kind of weird lately… You surely wouldn’t expect her of all people to hold her hands up to Astel and ask to be picked up.

P: “Up?”

The teenager turned mother picked her up upon the request, taking her over to the couch. Panda is rested on her lap as she’s held close.

A: “What’s wrong, hun?”

P: “Me. A-All I do is h-hurt you or Mikey or Reaper or even Kitty. I-I’m a b-bad person…”

A: “That’s not true, hun…”

P: “It is! I’m bad! Bad!”

Astel just held the self-loathing girl in her arms, trying to calm her down. It… was kind of bewildering to see her like this. She’s normally not the kind of person to be this upset over something. Either she shrugs it off or reacts with anger.

A: “...We don’t mind being hurt, y’know?”

P: “T-That doesn’t make sense!”

A: “What I mean is… We don’t mind being hurt if it means you’re okay…”

P: “But why?! W-Why do you care about me?!”

A: “Because we love you.~ We love you for who you are…”

P: “B-But… I’m nothing special… A-All I do is h-hurt-”

A familiar black and blue blur made its way to the couch. Panda suddenly found herself being hugged by a familiar lich child.

M: “You’re special to us! We like havin’ you around! And more importantly, we’re always here for you, Panda!”

P: “...”

The trio just kind of hugged it out, one of them kind of uncomfortable with the sudden affection. But she wasn’t about to ruin the moment… For once, she’ll stay quiet about this…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

E: “‘Stel!! How the hell do you make this shit?!”

A: “*snrk*”

Thanksgiving dinner was taking quite a while to make… Why was that? Because Eclipse had decided it was the perfect time to take over… Right when Astel was starting to make pie and cranberry sauce… Even more unfortunate is the fact that, for some reason, Astel decided to try making both at the same time.

E: “THE CRANBERRIES ARE BOILING OVER!!! ‘STEL, WHAT DO I DO?!”

A: “Literally all you have to do is lift the pot for two minutes, it’s fine.”

I: [“WHO KNEW THE DREADED NIGHTMARE QUEEN WAS A TERRIBLE COOK?~”]

M: “Pffft…”

E: “Quiet! The both of you!”

And of course the other minds are not help either. They’re enjoying the show!

Kitty would’ve helped… If she wasn’t laughing at the Nightmare Queen’s terrible cooking skills, too. Occasionally, a stretchy arm would give her the utensil she needed… But only once or twice.

E: “When the hell am I supposed to take out the pie?!”

A: “Not now, dumbass! I just put it in before you decided to take over!”

E: “Why you-”

M and I: “CAN YOU PLEASE JUST FOCUS ON THE DAMN FOOD?!”

Astel’s shadow trying to cook is proving to be harder to handle than the whole “kill everything” plan. Mainly because even said shadow has no idea what the heck she’s doing. Then again, Eclipse did this to herself when she decided to take over Astel’s body.

E: “What do I do now?!”

A: “Just wait! The food needs to cook!”

The door slamming open cuts them both off… As well as Kitty’s outburst.

K: “Shadow, wha- Did you kill those yourself?!”

Shadow: “Well… duh. How else were we gonna get a proper Thanksgiving dinner?”

K: “We could’ve just bought one!”

The void child just shrugged with two dead turkeys in either hand. Eclipse just stares at the child, coming to the slow realization that they’ll want a cooked turkey.

A: “Sure you don’t want me to cook?~”

E: “Well- Wait, hell no!”

I: [“YES, CAUSE YOU’VE BEEN DOING SO WELL BEFORE…”]

E: “NOT HELPING!!!”

Welp… Sucks to be you, Eclipse.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After much bickering, culinary incompetence, and screeching, Thanksgiving dinner was finished. It’s honestly a miracle the house didn’t burn down with how clueless Eclipse was.

The food was already at the table the moment it was prepared. You can thank Mikearu for that…

Everyone had taken their seats, ready to dig in to the massive meal - even those who didn’t need to eat or didn’t eat normal food were waiting patiently to prepare their plates. Their reasoning?

M: “I’ s’Thanksgivin’! Why wouldn’ I?”

R: “Agreed.”

Sh: “I killed it. That’s all…”

And nothing more was said. Yep, just the usual.

The only problem was convincing Eclipse to give Astel her body back. It took a lot of mental and physical bickering to finally get the Nightmare Queen to give in, with Ikearu not doing the lights any favors.

I: [“SHE COOKED THE FOOD. LETTING HER HAVE ASTEL’S BODY FOR A GOOD WHILE SHOULD BE REWARD PLENT, HM?~”]

M: “Just shut up, you irritating pest.”

I: [GRR… YOU!]

It was as exhausting as it sounds. Definitely made the actual meal itself worth all the trouble. Though all the grumbling in the shared mind indicated that Eclipse wasn’t too happy with the arrangement in any way, shape, or form.

What children…

Surprisingly, the food was delicious! Guess a lot of good fortune saved their skins… and their stomachs.

It was nice. And it was more than just warming silence during a cold night. Everyone was chatting, making jokes, getting on each other’s nerves, the usual. It was all one could ask for a Thanksgiving dinner.

M: “Mm… I’m grateful to have me’ you guys.”

A: “Aw… Same here!”

K: “Yep.”

R: “Happy Thanksgiving, guys!”

Sh: “Heh… Whatever…”

P: “Yep, sure…”

And Silver was stuffing food into her backpack… Again… At least she was eating it, even if she wasn’t actively engaging with anyone else.

For a bunch of idiots on the Road to Mayhem… They were actually having a good time together…

If you didn’t know any better… You could probably call them a real family…

#one-shots #m #mikearu #the discord family #aka #the chaos gang #tw swearing #funny moments #fluffy moments #idiot friends being family #discord shenanigans

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i-wish-we-were-jedi · 6 years ago

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So since I am STILL not over the Percy Jackson movies, here is my casting for the Olympians.

Richard Armitage as Zeus, God of the Skies and King of Olympus.

While the Big Three are all described as having dark hair, Zeus’s is described as “salt and pepper.” Richard Armitage has a very calm demeanor that commands the screen, and if I’m telling the truth he scares me just a little bit. I think that works really well for Zeus. He is someone who you’re never sure if they’re going to give you a smile or blow you to smithereens.

Angelina Jolie as Hera, Goddess of Fidelity and Queen of Olympus.

Hera, like Zeus, is someone that at first glance you don’t know if they’re going to shake your hand or rip your head off, and Angelina plays both good and evil very convincingly, as well as walking the line.

Eoin Macken as Poseidon, God of the Sea.

Poseidon is someone who embodies the sea: constant and unchanging, but also reckless and wild. Eoin Macken is someone who comes across as very chaotic onscreen, but I still can’t help but love him. And that is Poseidon.

Jennifer Connely as Demeter, Goddess of Agriculture.

This is the only one I’m not really sure about. She’s someone who’s both warm and intimidating, but I almost picture someone who is a POC as Demeter. Say, Lupita N’yongo or someone? I’ve been trying to keep the Olympians looking very Greek, but they can appear however they want, so which way do I go with this? What do you guys think?

Jon Bernthal as Ares, God of War.

This one took me a while to figure out, but as soon as I found it, no one else fit. Jon Bernthal is amazing, and as intimidating a face as you can put onscreen.

Janet Montgomery as Athena, Goddess of Wisdom and Battle Strategy.

She doesn’t have the grey eyes, but other than that she is absolutely Athena. The calm, intelligent demeanor that hides layer after layer of strategy is great for Athena.

Zac Efron as Apollo, God of the Sun, Music, and Healing.

Ah, yes. I remember the time my mom saw the golden boy all grown up after High School Musical. Oh my word, the dude is hot. And she said “if he lived in ancient Greece or Rome, he would already be declared a god. And since then I have always thought of him as Apollo. Plus he can sing :)

Maisie Williams as Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt.

Of course Artemis ages herself up and down throughout the books, but Maisie Williams is someone who never seems to age at all. On screen, she exudes a quiet and intimidating power when she wants to and yet she is visually a very sweet individual, which matches up perfectly with Artemis’s leadership of her huntresses.

Gerard Butler as Hephaestus, God of Metalwork.

Gerard Butler is someone who cuts an imposing figure, but also is good at closed-off and emotionally insecure. I can just imagine him trying to talk to Leo and being so not sure how to express anything.

Margot Robbie as Aphrodite, Goddess of Love and Beauty.

See, Aphrodite is tricky because she changes her form to match what the people seeing her are the most attracted to. So, when choosing an actress, I chose Percy’s perspective, which of course means someone who looks like Annabeth, which of course Margot Robbie does. But the thing is, she’s also someone who can play different versions of the same person with incredible attention to detail and still remain recognizable as the same person.

Hugh Jackman as Hermes, God of Roads, Messengers, Thieves, and Doctors.

Ah yes, the lovable rogue. Messengers, thieves, and doctors. As you can see from the picture, he wears a suit well, which fits with the doctor theme, but he also has the rough around the edges look of a thief, and these two aspects coexist without clashing in a way that’s personable and entertaining.

Neil Patrick Harris as Dionysus, God of Wine and Insanity.

Another one that I’m not entirely set on. I tried to look for a chubby, “cherub-faced” actor that is also slightly mean and disgruntled-looking, and failing, I went with Mr. Harris, who is fantastic at the over-the-top exaggeration of character that is trademark of the Olympians, and also has proven with the recent re-adaptation of “Series of Unfortunate Events,” that he can work in prosthetics if needed.

Benedict Cumberbatch as Hades, God of the Underworld.

Was there ever really any other option? “The first god I’d met that actually seemed ‘godlike’.” Just imagine him sitting on the throne, black robe falling to the floor, a circlet of bones and braided gold around his head. Long, silken black hair falling past his shoulders. Yeah. He is the best choice for this.

Katie McGrath as Persephone, Goddess of Springtime and Queen of the Underworld.

Katie McGrath is someone that I can see, like a lot of the top olympians, switching from smiling to snapping necks at the drop of a pin, and she also rocks the deep red lipstick, which I think is an important design point for her, seeing with the whole pomegranate thing and all.

Tell me what you guys think!

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lonelier-version-of-you · 6 years ago

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B, G, H, I, L, N, S, T

B: Are any of your stories inspired by personal experience?

Yep. I tend to draw from real feelings and assign fictional circumstances to them.

The Starless City ‘verse (the genderqueer Ollie fics) might be the strongest example of that: the circumstances were all made up, but the emotion and the questioning process was based heavily on my own experience.

‘If My Echoes Can Reach Your Ears’ and ‘Now It’s Too Late To Go’ come from a similar place too. (Especially the former - the rest may be fiction, but the internalised ableism is very real, and Henrik’s meltdown there was based on some I’ve had myself. Except I’ve never really had a John figure to help me out, that part was just self-indulgence, haha.)

I have some unpublished fics that are based on personal experience too. You can probably tell by now, but I very much use writing as a way of processing and understanding my own emotions. Some degree of removal helps a lot, y’know, framing it from someone else’s point of view.

(This is also why I write so much angst. Catharsis.)

G: Do you write your story from start to finish, or do you write the scenes out of order?

Start to finish, 90% of the time. Out of order is generally a bit too chaotic for me. I enjoy writing random assortments of scenes, don’t get me wrong, but I never actually get anything done with them.

H: How would you describe your style?

That’s a very good question. Unfortunately, I don’t actually know, and thus can only answer with this emoticon: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I: Do you have a guilty pleasure in fic (reading or writing)?

Well, I’m not sure I’d call it a guilty pleasure, but I probably enjoy angst far more than I should…

L: How many times do you usually revise your fic/chapter before posting?

Once or twice, occasionally thrice. I check for typos. I fix awkward sentences and switch out a few words for ones that I feel are more fitting. Occasionally I’ll add a few sentences, to make dialogue less stilted, or to describe something better, or to make someone more in character.

Were I to revise further, I would just become an anxious wreck about whether or not my fic was good enough, and I would never get anything posted, lmao.

N: Is there a fic you wish someone else would write (or finish) for you?

Absolutely.

Generally speaking, I’d love to read more Roxvid stuff. I’m willing to write it myself, but it would be nice to not have to make all the content, y’know?

Specifically speaking, I really want someone to do a fic on how That Night™ (i.e. Henrik’s suicide attempt) actually went down. We saw the aftermath, but there’s so much we didn’t learn about. (Like how the fuck did John find him? There was no indication he left a note or anything. This isn’t a hugely relevant detail but the fact that it wasn’t established bothers me, lmao.) I’ll probably write it myself at some point but I wish other people would try their hand at it too.

S: Any fandom tropes you can’t resist?

Look how much of my work consists of Johnrik looking after one another. There’s your answer.

More generally: I am, like, the embodiment of the “OH MY GOD THEY WERE ROOMMATES” Vine. I love Roommate AUs a lot, lol. Bookstore AUs and Coffee Shop AUs are also fantastic.

I love the “one character is injured and the other patches them up” trope too. With any ship, not just Johnrik. I was watching an episode of Community recently that parodied that trope and I was like “yep, this is every fic I write or love” lmao.

Unreliable narrators! I LOVE unreliable narrators, where it’s left up to the reader to figure out how much of the story is true (fictionally true, I mean, lol). Such a brilliant trope.

T: Any fandom tropes you can’t stand?

You know those fics where Henrik’s love interest (whoever it is in the fic) teaches him to ‘open up’ and be more openly emotional? And it ends up reading as ABA-lite? I HATE those. Trying to make your autistic partner act more allistic is not a cute or healthy dynamic, oh my god. The fics where his mental illness is basically cured by ~the power of love~ also suck. Henrik is not neurotypical, and you can write him opening up to people and coping with his mental illnesses and/or his autistic traits without making him neurotypical. He is not broken and he does not need to be fixed.

…Yes, I have a lot of feelings about those types of fics. I don’t think anyone can really blame me though.

#asks #anons #can you tell I have been waiting FOREVER to talk about some of these lmao

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melonoverlord · 4 years ago

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Ask meme for Gail

Which parent do they look the most like?

Definitely her mom. She and Bailey really are the spitting image of their parents. They both got the love of short hair, but Gail’s definitely the more punk of the two. Her mom dresses a lot more feminine.

Is there a name they were almost given (either by their parents or during character creation)?

Both her parents really liked how Abigail went with Bailey (Abby and Bailey made cute kids names), and almost immediately agreed on Abigail for their second born. It wasn't until she was a teen that she started going by Gail.

What were they like as a kid (if they’re currently a child, what would they be like as a teen)?

You would not recognize Gail now and Gail when Bailey was around. She was in love with looking cute and fancy, and was very tea party aesthetic. Gail (or Abby as she was known then) really just wanted to hang around with her brother and his friends and because Bailey and Leo were just good boys, they invited her to arcades and laser tag.

What’s their drinking tolerance and what kind of drunk are they?

She may not drink now because she's fourteen, but girl's a Texan and her only family's a Texan. The only people who could outdrink her would be Bailey and Kari because of Bailey's chi du soma versus her slightly lower constitution chi du nous,

Where do they like to be touched?

She says that she's got a tough exterior and that she doesn't let people in and holds her cards close to her chest, but anyone who knows her knows that she is incredibly affectionate and open to the people she loves. Gail loves hugging casually, leaning on people, and especially jumping on her shoulders. She may put on the appearance of a punk kid who's here to kick ass and take names, but she's still a cuddly fourteen year old who wants to show her affection.

What’s their favorite position (top/bottom/switch/pillow princess/etc.)

When she's older, she's more a top just because she's so stubborn, but she moreso cares about what Henri wants and will follow suit. Because the only thing Gail loves more than control is making sure that the people she loves wants to be with her in that moment.

What are their kinks?

There's very little Gail would love more than just flexing her stuff, given that it's equally consensual. So once she's older and got a better handle on her powers and what Henri likes, she would definitely do telepathic dirty, especially if other people are around. This can range from describing something to Henri or just flirting with her. She'd also be into bondage on her end just because most of the time she's telekinetic so agreeing to have that control taken away for a bit would be fun.

How do they feel about adrenaline (roller coasters, extreme sports, etc.)?

Despite being That Bitch, Gail is like her brother in that she’s not much a fan of roller coasters. She’s a huge fan of dark rides and especially water rides, but she’d much rather kick someone’s ass at video games or verbal altercations than at soccer or anything physical.

What is their fight or flight response?

Fight! Fight! Fight! She will argue and yell and scream and push until she wins. She's got a stubborn streak a mile wide and she doesn't back down easily.

What’s their pain tolerance?

She doesn't have the pain tolerance her future teammates would have just because she isn't practicing getting beaten up on the reg, but she is a Texan, so she's at least built up a bit of a tolerance playing sports and staying tough when she takes a spill.

What character archetype are they the most like (the Innocent, the Hero, etc.)

Absolutely The Rebel. She’s tough, rowdy, and willing to fuck up systems to get what she wants. And what she wants is her family back.

What TV-Tropes trope would they be?

Damsel out of Distress. The last time Bailey saw his little sister, she was a small child who was so innocent and couldn't hurt a fly, but with his disappearance, she was forced to grow up abandoned with nobody but her brother's boyfriend, so she quickly became crafty and smart to find her family again. No one would look at her and think she wouldn't hurt a fly now.

What John Mulaney quote/bit do they most embody?

"See, I just don’t think babies like me very much. Sometimes babies will point at me, and I don’t care for that shit at all. Like, I’ll be on an elevator, and a baby will be there in its big, like, stroller activity tray, just, like, working on one Cheerio with Bobby Fischer-like intensity. And it’ll look up at me and go… I like to lean in and go, “Stop snitchin’, motherfucker.” And then walk off. ‘Cause you’re never too young to learn our national no-snitching policy."

Except in this case, the baby is Bridgette and they both hate each other for being Bailey's little sister.

With the exception of love interests and immediate family, who are they closest to?

Gail spent a lot of her youth alone with only her brother’s ex-boyfriend Leo to look after her. In that time he kind of became her surrogate brother and she looks to him for everything, including flying across the world to find her brother because she saw it in a dream. Sometimes a family can be a fourteen year old lesbian punk cowgirl and her nineteen year old gay cowboy not-brother-in-law.

What is their moral alignment? What would have to happen for it to shift?

A closest approximate would be Chaotic Lawful. She thinks things should be a certain way and follow what's right, but how she thinks that is changes from day to day depending what fits her. She's very passionate and cares about what's good, but she's also just a tough self-righteous.

Are they a morning person? What are they like before 8am?

She's naturally a morning person and gets up around 7 or so, but doesn't really like getting out of bed until 9. So most days she'll be on her phone going down the YouTube rabbit hole under her blankets. It does make things better for Leo who is really not a morning person and gets those two hours of sleep before a pillow hits his face and Gail tells him that she's hungry.

What are they like when they’re tired?

Gail tends to get very whiny when tired, including just making incoherent noises when someone tries to talk to her and she doesn't want to hear it.

What are they like in arguments?

As said before, Gail doesn't back down easily and also tends to suffer from foot in mouth disease where she goes straight for the jugular and doesn't think about consequences until the bomb has been sent off. She loves and cares deeply, which means she's willing to fight tooth and nail for what she loves.

What is their dominant hand?

She's naturally left handed but wanted to learn how to be ambidextrous when she was younger so she could show off to her old brother, but when he disappeared, his best friend and boyfriend he left behind.

Out of 10, how happy are they? How happy do they think they are?

Gail thinks her life sucks and that she's had it harder than anyone else, and she's had a lot go on in her life. All her family went missing, leaving her essentially the ward of said missing brother's boyfriend and she developed strange powers with no one to explain to her. However, her guardian is still extremely loving and willing to follow her wherever she needs to be to get the answers and people she wants and at the end of the day, there are way worse powers to have than telekinesis. So she thinks she's at a 3/10, but for most of the time its 6/10.

#imaturtlebug #my characters #gail leclair #library of alexandria campaign

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siriuslyitssirius-blog · 6 years ago

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Alternis Task 2 | Sirius Black

1. What is your character’s zodiac?

SCORPIO

(October 23 - November 21) The Scorpion. Fixed, water, yin. Planetary rulers: Mars and Pluto. Keywords: "I DESIRE"

Scorpio is the eighth house of the Zodiac and governs the genitalia. Positive traits include magnetic charisma, ambition, drive, a penetrating mind, curiosity, intensity of focus, emotional depth, consistency, persistence, willpower, and the potential for inner transformation and regeneration; negative traits include selfishness, obsessiveness, vindictiveness, hypersensitivity, ruthlessness, cynicism, an inability to understand the word "moderation," and jealousy. It is said that Scorpios embody both the best and the worst of all that are born under the stars, and that there are three kinds of Scorpios: wicked scorpions, cunning serpents, and saintly eagles. What each Scorpio becomes is entirely up to that Scorpio.

Expect stamina, incredible courage, intense and stormy emotions, burning idealism, and indomitable will. Gryffindor Scorpios are never drawn in shades of pastel; they are always blood red and mesmerizing gold. There are few followers born under these aspects; Scorpios born into this house tend to be either leaders or loners. They are well placed on the Quidditch field, where their natural competitive streak and their great store of personal energy make them natural Beaters (or, really, naturals at any position on the field). Expect them to get into frequent duels, and expect them to gravitate naturally to DADA, for all Scorpios are fascinated by anything dark and forbidden, and Gryffindor Scorpios will want to take their place as defenders as early in their careers as possible. Expect passion. Expect wisdom. But don't expect a lot of time to take a breather. Many people born under this aspect also end up as Aurors; they're the perfect "bad cops" to the "good cop" Libra wizards.

2. What is your character’s moral alignment?

CHAOTIC GOOD.

A chaotic good character acts as his conscience directs him with little regard for what others expect of him. He makes his own way, but he's kind and benevolent. He believes in goodness and right but has little use for laws and regulations. He hates it when people try to intimidate others and tell them what to do. He follows his own moral compass, which, although good, may not agree with that of society.

Chaotic good is the best alignment you can be because it combines a good heart with a free spirit. Chaotic good can be a dangerous alignment when it disrupts the order of society and punishes those who do well for themselves.While creatures of this alignment view freedom and the randomness of actions as ultimate truths, they likewise place value on life and the welfare of each individual. Respect for individualism is also great. By promoting the philosophy of chaotic good, characters of this alignments seek to spread their values throughout the world. To the chaotic good individual, freedom and independence are as important to life and happiness. The ethos views this freedom as the only means by which each creature can achieve true satisfaction and happiness. Law, order, social forms, and anything else which tends to restrict or abridge individual freedom is wrong, and each individual is capable of achieving self-realization and prosperity through himself, herself, or itself.

Chaotic good characters are strong individualists marked by a streak of kindness and benevolence. They believe in all the virtues of goodness and right, but they have little use for laws and regulations. They have no use for people who "try to push folk around and tell them what to do." Their actions are guided by their own moral compass which, although good, may not always be in perfect agreement with the rest of society.

These characters are basically good, but tend to be selfish and maybe a bit greedy. They tend to hold personal freedom and welfare above anything else. The chaotic good dislikes confining laws, self-discipline, and they distrust authority.

Chaotic goods believe that freedom is the only means by which each creature can achieve true satisfaction and happiness. Law, order, social forms, and anything else which tends to restrict individual freedom is wrong, and each individual is capable of achieving self-realization and prosperity through himself. These characters believe that life has no grand plan, but each creature's spirit is essentially noble and good. Each being must follow his own conscience. By performing good acts the individual can hope to alleviate the suffering and anguish of others, whether caused by random or structured acts.

The chaotic good character has a "beatific" attitude toward existence. In this character's opinion, any laws, social structures, or other such hierarchies that restrict his freedom are abhorrent and to be done away with. The inviolable right of the individual to seek his own pleasures is one of the cornerstones of society; but, being good, the chaotic good being will not tread on others to get his own way, for he feels that every other creature has the right to the pursuit of pleasure as well. Friends of a chaotic good character will find him unreliable in the clutch only if he puts his own well-being ahead of that of his companions. Obviously, almost everyone has this tendency, but it is left up to this individual whether or not he values a friendship enough to risk self sacrifice. The chaotic good being would not, however, take action that could unnecessarily jeopardize the lives of other persons or creatures. Life is valuable, but without sufficient personal freedom it is demeaned. Life and freedom are the foundation of the universe.

A chaotic good character will keep his word to those who are not evil and will lie only to evil-doers. He will never attack an unarmed foe and will never harm an innocent. He will not use torture to extract information or for pleasure, but he may "rough up" someone to get information. He will never kill for pleasure, only in self-defense or in the defense of others. A chaotic good character will never use poison. He will help those in need and he prefers to work alone, as he values his freedom. He does not respond well to higher authority, is distrustful of organizations, and will disregard the law in his fight against evil. He will never betray a family member, comrade, or friend. Chaotic good characters do not respect the concepts of self-discipline and honor, because they believe such concepts limit freedom to act.

Here are some possible adjectives describing chaotic good characters: unpredictable, independent, free spirited, cheerful, optimistic, easy going, carefree, helpful, kind, merciful, respectful of personal liberties, and anarchic. Well known chaotic good characters from film or literature include: Han Solo (Star Wars), Batman (DC Comics), Fred and George Weasley (Harry Potter), and Robin Hood. Equivalent alignment in other game systems: Unprincipled (Palladium), Light Side (Star Wars), Good (Warhammer), Gallant (Alternity).

#alternistask002

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xoruffitup · 8 years ago

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Harry Potter & the Cursed Child Show Report 18/1/17

I haven’t formally done one of these before, but today was my last time seeing the show before I move from London and I don’t want to lose the details so HERE WE GO! :D WIZZO!

Highlights - For the tl;dr people 2 Points! (It’s always 2 points with her, isn’t it?) First point: The big goof of the night happened when Harry transfigures into Voldemort... Harry sinks down into a trap door or something under the stage and when Voldemort’s supposed to rise up through Harry’s robes, his shoulder got caught on the robes and he FELL OVER and all the cast on stage immediately scrambled to help him up! And after Ron exclaims “Bloody hell,” Harry/Voldemort is supposed to say “It worked then?” but instead tonight he said “IT NEARLY WORKED” and omg it was literally the equivalent of the awkward Draco hug scene in DH2 when you can no longer take Voldemort seriously at all. Second point, more significant POINT: Bscly, Scorbus are in love and this entire cast are legendary talents. More detail to follow but just gotta put all the analysis and recap that follows under that general umbrella!

Also, my unexpected personal highlight: ANDY HURLEY FROM FALL OUT BOY WAS THERE TODAY I SAW HIM TWICE BUT DIDN’T WANT TO BOTHER HIM BUT AAAH ANDY

Okay so let’s get into the scene-by-scene deets! (And I’ll put it out there right now that my heart unabashedly belongs to Scorpius Malfoy, so many things that stick with me are Scorpius-centric.)

(All original cast were on, except Annabel Baldwin played Delphi)

Act 1, Scene 5 (Ministry of Magic, Harry’s Office) Harry was more whimsical and relaxed in this scene than I’ve ever seen him. He actually had his feet up on the desk and was leaning back completely relaxed in his chair when first talking with Hermione! When I watch Jamie, his defining trait usually seems to be the helpless anger constantly bubbling under his exterior, waiting to burst forth when he’s unduly provoked or feels particularly helpless. But today he was genuinely laughing and joking with Hermione about not being on top of his paperwork and “no longer chaotic!” Then, he switched incredibly quickly to frustration with “It was me who heard the remours about the Time-Turner and me who acted upon it. You really don’t need to tell me off.” Here was the first little step down Harry’s looong, oh-so-difficult emotional hurdles during the play, but it was nice really seeing him start from a place where he did actually seem comfortable and at-ease - even if for a few brief moments.

Act 1, Scene 7 (The Potters’ House) Today had some of the most intense Albus/Harry argument scenes I’ve ever seen. Even when we saw Sam going into the theater beforehand, we thought he looked particularly prickly angry and boyyy did Albus channel that today. I think today was the BEST performance I’ve ever seen from Sam. In this scene, the way he egged on, antagonized, and provoked Harry was truly painful to watch. He wasn’t overtly yelling, just mocking in a tone that really conveyed so much frustration and resentment. When the inevitable, painful retaliation came with Harry saying that terrible line, Albus didn’t look immediately crushed like he normally does, instead it looked like he swallowed it, like a hard, painful stone that landed heavy and sour within him. It would only grow much uglier as the play went on. I’ll talk more about this, but seriously, Sam was so, so great today.

Act 1, Scene 10 (The Hogwarts Express) Truly, the things Anthony can do with his voice are incredible. In a previous show report @ohscorbus described the noises he makes after the “I mean nice bread, good bread!!” line as ‘excitable noises in a French accent’ and this is literally so accurate! Today it was like ‘om nom nom’ sounds of eating something really delicious but with this hilarious French accent and I cannot even with this boy.

Act 1, Scene 14 (St. Oswald’s Home For Old Witches And Wizards) So I had a restricted view seat at the end of the fourth row in the stalls, and I actually couldn’t see Amos, Delphi, or Albus at all in this scene... so instead I spent it enjoying a very close-up view of Anthony. :’) (Big hardship, right?) Scorpius remains silent for most of the exchange while Albus tries to convince Amos to let them help him, but he’s incredibly expressive as he just watches Albus speaking. Once Albus launches into “I know what it is to be the spare...” you see so much change in Scorpius’s face, as it sets in on him how important this is to Albus. Before, Scorpius’s face radiates skepticism, like he’s just there going along with and humoring Albus’s crazy whim for the time being. But as he watches Albus speaking here, he realizes his best friend has some truly deep emotions and determination bound up in this, and that’s what finally draws Scorpius in to this mission as well. Despite his always-hilarious “Do we?!” and “Are we?!” you can tell by the changing way he watches Albus in this scene, and of course the way he immediately throws himself between Albus and Amos when Amos draws his wand - that this boy would do anything to protect and help his best friend when it comes to the things that really matter to him.

Act 1, Scene 16 (Whitehall) Scorpius’s lines about the potion tasting like fish were just HYSTERICAL today. He interrupted the “Fish doesn’t agree with me” line with these hilarious grossed-out, tongue-sticking-out noises, shaking his head around madly like the prospect of drinking a potion that tastes of fish is really just the most terrible thing he could possibly imagine. When he puts Harry’s glasses on, his “We’re doing this...~togethahh~!” line is truly the cutest and most hilarious thing, when he gets this guileless grin and gestures in a roundabout way to his own face like “Look! We’re having an adventure and I get to be Harry Potter haha neat!! Wizzo!!” The Polyjuice transformation scene is really just amazingly out of control. Scorpius makes literal seal noises and Albus twitches and yells so much his face turns bright cherry red. Once they’ve transformed, Jamie’s delivery of the “Go to your room. You’ve been an incredibly awful and bad son” line with his accompanying dramatic robe flip is, I dare say, even better and more Scorpius than even Anthony could do. The way Jamie nails Scorpius’s mannerisms and twitchy energy is literally 100% PERFECT - the man’s a legend, truly. He embodies Anthony’s Scorpius to a perfect T. Oh, and the last 2 times I’ve seen the show, Albus/Ron has accompanied the “Uncle Ron’s got a bit of a gut growing” line with belly-bumping Scorpius/Harry and it’s GOLDEN.

Act 1, Scene 19 (Ministry of Magic, Hermione’s Office) Continuing the Jamie’s-a-legend track, he let out this incredibly hilarious high-pitched scream at one point when one of the books grabbed him. And he got adorabley bouncey excited at one of the forbidden book titles he found on the shelf - Jumping up and down a little bit and flapping his hands with “That’s not even allowed at Hogwarts!” I also always love when Scorpius turns back into himself and solves the last riddle, and delivers the gleefully-geeky “We beat the library!!!” line sprawled over the top of the bookcase and grinning, brandishing the final book over his head like it’s the best trophy ever.

Act 2, Scene 7 (Triwizard Tournamend, Edge of the Forbidden Forest) As always, the boys’ GO GO CRAZY KRUM dance was hilarious and over-the-top and thoroughly enjoyable. And following Albus’s line to Hermione “He’s got you mixed up with someone else,” Scorpius’s “YeeEEssSSSS!” in a cray Russian-type accent while holding his hands up like he’s delivering the weirdest Shakespeare line ever, was equally enjoyable, plus hilariously weird moments like these are where I can’t even’t believe Scorpius exists and what did we do to deserve this level of unbelievableamazingawkwardlovable Malfoy :’’) But mvp best-moment award in this scene went to Tom Mackley - While messing around in the crowd, at one point he started horse playing with the student next to him and pretended to try pushing the other kid into the arena where the dragons were. He mimed grabbing the kid and throwing him in until a Professor gave him a thoroughly disapproving look, and he stepped back looking appropriately chided and disappointed (but still adorable and fluffy, as always :3)

Act 2, Scene 11 (Hogwarts, Defence Against the Dark Arts Class) This is probably the best scene to talk generally about Noma’s performance. Today was the most raw and visibly emotional I’ve ever seen Hermione. I’ll give more specific examples in later scenes, but even while she remained as fierce and stoic as Hermione usually is, it was accompanied by the most overt moments of pain, vulnerability, and sensitivity that I’ve ever seen from her. Today, it really seemed as if teaching this class was a truly arduous, incredibly difficult thing for her. It took a long time for her to get out the lines “It is a gift of light ... You can protect yourself against the world. Which, in some of our cases, seems like a necessity sooner rather than later.” There was more desperation and longing in these words than I’ve ever heard.

Act 2, Scene 12 (Hogwarts, Staircases) Aaah, the staircase ballet scene. Always a favorite, and always shreds my heart into little pieces every time :’’) It still strikes me how beautifully the scene is composed - between the music and the choreography of both the moving staircases and the boys traveling up and down the staircases, together then parting from each other. The moment when the staircases glide together and Albus and Scorpius meet at the top is still painful to watch. Scorpius thinks, tries desperately to say something friendly, something to break the ice and close the chasm of distance that’s opened between them. Albus looks deeply frustrated and so, so lost. He looks angry at the situation, not knowing what he can do to get back to Scorpius, and that bubble of anger around him leaves him insusceptible to Scorpius’s hopeful attempted advances. By the end of the scene, Scorpius’s hopes have receded, just as the staircases finally recede off stage. I always watch Scorpius just before he’s wheeled off stage. When he slowly, dejectedly walks down those final steps, the hopeless, lost look on his face - the way his posture suddenly slumps as if his shoulders can’t hold the weight of the world anymore... UGH THIS IS REAL ROMANCE MOVIE SHIT HERE, PEOPLE. How can ANYONE watch this scene and not realize the pining literally happening before your eyes?!

Act 2, Scene 14 (Hogwarts, Staircases) Usually, I’ve seen Scorpius deliver the imaginary friend “I had one of those too! Hector!” line where he says HECTOR in a really aggressive way and kind of makes claw-hands accompanying it, as if HECTOR had been super fierce. But today he kind of sing-songed HECTOOOR instead, as if actually he and Hector just skipped through flowers together before their falling out over the rules of Gobstones :’) Also in this scene, after having his bout of jealousy about Delphi and demanding “How many owls has he sent you now?!”, he immediately raced down the stairs saying “NONONOI’MSORRY” desperately when Delphi began to turn and walk away. And at the bottom of the stairs, he just collapsed inward on himself, sitting down on the bottom step and hugging himself completely helplessly. You can see physically how much it pains him to be separated from Albus. I feel like usually Scorpius remains quite hopeless-looking in this scene, but this time, once Delphi told him “Find him. You two belong together,” he actually smiled and perked up with a visibly-determined look that yes, he does belong with Albus and he’s about to make good on that.

Act 2, Scene 16 (Hogwarts, Library) Okay so this is actually my FAVORITE scene of the whole play. Yes, it hurts to see Scorbus fight and hurt each other, but to me, this scene is the real heart of their whole relationship. They fight because they care so deeply, because the emotions for each other run so strong. Both of their characters are built up so well in this scene, and we see, at the end of it all, exactly why they need and love each other so much. Today, Albus started this scene more combative than I’ve usually seen him. He set Scorpius off with a particularly forceful “Maybe, without you holding me back, I can make a proper go of it.” As far as I can remember, I’ve always seen Scorpius deliver his entire speech from “Poor Albus Potter. With his chip on his shoulder. So sad” mostly uninterrupted, but today Albus fought back. I can’t remember him ever interrupting Scorpius here, but when Scorpius started working himself up to “People look at me because they think my dad is Voldemort...,” Albus exploded back, bursting out with “Oh, don’t you even...!” before Scorpius had to shout over him - “Can you even slightly imagine what that’s like?!” In the script, Albus does have a line here, but I can’t remember ever witnessing Albus have an audible outburst of anger in response to Scorpius’ accusations here. I looked over at @anthonyboyles in surprise, and she was taken aback by it too. This feeds into what I said earlier about Sam really having high intensity and anger today. As always, Anthony worked himself so expertly, movingly, and painfully from desperate anger to forlorn disappointment. His talent is always on full display here and I’m blown away by the force of him in this scene every damn time. The lines “I’m still the child of Voldemort, without a mother... I’m sorry if I’ve ruined your life because I tell you - you wouldn’t have a chance of ruining mine” still destroy me. And as for Albus’s reaction, by the time Scorpius finally reaches “The most terrible friend...” all Albus’s anger has just, finally, evaporated. There were heavy tears in his eyes and he stood there hugging himself. It was hard to tell what he felt more strongly - Pain on his friend’s behalf, or shame regarding his own behavior. Once McGonagall came and went, Sam delivered the most heartfelt, tender apology I’ve ever seen. It was delivered so slowly and deliberately, hugging himself the entire time - he had to fight his way through his own tears to get out each and every word, and the pain and regret on his face was so clear. The look on Albus’s face when Scorpius says sometimes he finds himself thinking the rumors are true was nothing short of horrified. And the “To the depths of your belly, tips of your fingers” was just so, so exquisitely heartfelt. I LOVE THIS SCENE I LOVE THEM OK MOVING ON

Act 2, Scene 17 (Hogwarts, Staircases) For the first time I can remember, Hermione actually put her hand on top of Ron’s on the staircase bannister. Usually she just rests hers beside his, but Ron’s face showed as much surprise as I felt when she actually touched his hand. And then when she turned away from him afterwards, the heartbreak and longing in her face was just devastating. There was nothing subtle about this scene tonight. They were two separated soul mates.

Act 3, Scene 3 (Office of the Head of Magical Law Enforcement) Reason #2837 why I love Anthony: He always plays this scene differently and I’m always excited to see how it unfolds. Today, he was bold and accusatory and wanted justification and answers from his father. He wasn’t afraid to seek them out. He marched up to Draco’s desk rather than speaking from across the room, getting right up in his face with the lines “this is what you really are isn’t it? A murderer, a torturer!” His anger and audacity were so bold, it didn’t seem heavy-handed when Draco slammed him down on the desk. Once Scorpius recovered and moved away again, the rest of his lines weren’t delivered sounding lost or unsure as they sometimes do, but more resigned and determined. And I always look forward to his response when Draco does the Voldemort-and-Valor salute. Tonight, Scorpius was quiet for a moment, just watching his father. Then, Scorpius very deliberately returned the salute. There are only a handful of times I can remember Scorpius ever actually fully doing the salute in any shows I’ve seen. Tonight, it seemed like a sort of promise to his father that yes, he would be careful, and an acknowledgement of the new albeit tentative understanding that had just passed between them.

Act 3, Scene 9 (Edge of the Forbidden Forest) It always hurts, but when Scorpius faced the dementors tonight, his “I can hear my mother. She wants my help but she knows I can’t help” were particularly desperate and devastating. Then comes one of my always-favorite moments with Snape’s line “Think of Albus - You’re giving up your kingdom for Albus!” After that, Scorpius gradually took a step away from the dementor, and slowly raised his hands before him. It was as if the memory of Albus slowly filling his mind began to fill his body with the courage and composure to resist and physically ward off the influence of the dementor. Okay so the library-argument scene is my favorite emotional-substance scene, but this lake scene when Albus reappears is my favorite comedic-happy scene. The last couple times I’ve seen the play, Scorpius has always screamed for an impressively long time when Albus pops up in the water next to him. And tonight, when Albus started blabbing at him, Scorpius just watched him with this sappy, weepy, overjoyed expression, as if Albus is literally the most beautiful sight to ever grace his eyes... alsdkfjadl it’s written on Scorpius’s face so clearly here how much this boy means to him, how empty Scorpius’s entire world was without him... As always, I absolutely cracked up at Scorpius’s “Yes. AND IT’S AMAZING” shimmy-dance. And the gleeful way he says “NOoO!” to Albus asking if they changed anything. The “AAAH IT’S HARRY POTTER!” is ALWAYS one of my favorite moments, and this time it was followed by a hilarious point-and-wiggle-his-arms dance that accompanied “~and Prooofessoooor McGonagaaall.” ....Have I mentioned I freakin’ love Anthony Boyle? Boy brings so much joy into my life <3 K ANYWAY...

Act 3, Scene 11 (Slytherin Dormitory) Okay. I thought this was actually the most intense scene of the entire night. This argument is relatively brief compared to the others, but DAMN was it killer. Jamie was brooding and still building on simmering residual anger from the last scene, when they were all being chewed out by McGonagall. For the first time I can remember, Harry really looked furious at Albus while listening to McGonagall’s words. In previous shows, I always had the impression that Harry’s anger at his son’s recklessness was tempered by his relief to have Albus back and safe. Tonight, the scales were just tipped allllll the way to anger - Like McGonagall’s words about all that had been sacrificed to bring about their world hit much too close to home for Harry. So at the beginning of this scene, with Harry still wearing that anger visibly on his face and Albus still stewing the most heated resentment I can ever remember seeing in him, @anthonyboyles and I looked at each other almost nervously as this scene started because it was almost like you could feel heat coming off the stage. The both of them were blistering at each other and ready to blow. ....And oh did they. Harry seemed almost too angry to speak when he got to the point of shouting “...ALMOST DESTROYED EVERYTHING!” He absolutely growled out the words “You really scared her... and me!” And then when Albus turned around to face his father at that, it was visible in his face that he wanted to hurt his father. They continued to scream at each other through “I thought Harry Potter wasn’t afraid of anything” - “Is that how I make you feel?!” .....Whew. I’m covering my face just remembering it. Sam really buzzing with that angry energy today absolutely fed into Jamie, and the two just continued to reinforce each other to some really intense heights.

Act 3, Scene 14 (Slytherin Dormitory) After seeing Albus in so much pain, what a relief to see him relaxed and joking with Scorpius. :’) Aaah, this scene is a goldmine for great Scorpius moments. After yelling over Albus’s bed to wake him up, he did a little shuffle-dance back to his bed as he dubbed himself “~Malfoy the Unanxious~”. He’s also lately been doing something that always cracks me up - When he asks Albus “But you know, we can’t, like, try again...” he makes these like pretend fighting sounds and kind of makes boxing fists with his hands like he’s miming battling someone. When he revealed the Timeturner tonight, he delivered the “Turns out Malfoy the Unanxious is a pretty good liar!” line while laying out dramatically and hilariously over his bed. Then he proceeded to lie there spread-eagle for the next couple of lines. When he finally stood up and got to the “It’s time that Time-Turning became a thing of the past” line, he delivered it with hilarious feigned stoicism, that lasted a good couple seconds before it crumbled and gave way to his gleeful “I’ve been working on it all day!” :’ ) Scorpius Malfoy everyone, what. a. gift.

Act 3, Scene 19 (Hogwarts, Quidditch Pitch) Just want to say I really enjoyed the chance to see Annabel’s Delphi. She is really unexpectedly seditious. Her voice stays so sweet, while she obvious delights and revels in the violence and horror she commits. She isn’t at all afraid to manhandle and push the boys around, taunting them ceaselessly. After she AK’s Craig, the detachment and false-kindness she speaks with when she says “Did you not understand? You are useful to me. Your friends are not” was just chilling. She kicks Craig’s body after he dies, and you feel real fear for Scorpius when she advances on him, twisting her wand almost gleefully at him, ready to do whatever she has to do and enjoy doing it.

Act 4, Scene 3 (Godric’s Hollow) Tonight was possibly my all-time favorite delivery of the iconic “My geekness is a-quivering!” line. After doing his little flaily thing and making the squeak! noise once Bathilda Bagshot walked off stage, he delivered the Geekness line while kind of strutting in what I can only describe as a swag walk. Like yeah, my geekness is a-quiverin’... whatcha gonna do about it? This boy is too much for me.

Act 4, Scene 4 (Harry’s Office) THE MOST PAINFUL HARRY SCENE - I always have to have a jacket or something in my hands to hug during this one. As always, hearing the oncoming of his tears and watching his shoulders shake as he holds his head and weeps absolutely breaks you apart to watch. But this time, what really got me was the way Jamie put across his knack for acting with every inch of his body. After he begged Dumbledore “Don’t go!” he stood leaning back against his desk for support, still covering his face with one hand. It took him a long, difficult time to work himself up to saying “I loved you too,” and in those moments, I remember watching his feet. They were twisted inwards, one of them crooked so he was leaning on the outside of his ankle. When he finally spoke the words, his feet shuddered and shuffled a bit - and then the rest of him followed, as he had to gasp the words out. They had to be wrung up all the way from his toes, and work their way up through his entire body. I didn’t see Jamie at my last performance, and it made me realize just how much he carries this show. He alone is at least 50% of the show’s emotional impact - He’s the one that makes the real tears run down my face. Then, when Draco first entered tonight and saw Harry crying, he did a hilarious turn-around walk-out move for a second before thinking better of it. Crying and laughing in such quick succession hurt quite a bit. </3 I’m currently re-reading Chamber of Secrets, so it’s really incredible with that comparison to see how much Harry and Draco’s adult selves grow, and the emotional understanding they come to in this scene. When Draco opens up about Astoria, and then breaks down a bit about how much Scorpius meant to them both - it’s nothing short of incredible to see these two opening themselves up to each other so much; Showing each other their most deeply-hidden vulnerabilities, and finding commonality between their experiences and struggles. The way both these characters are developed here as adults is nothing short of masterful.

Act 4, Scene 11 (St. Gerome’s Church) Wheeeew boy, a lot of stuff happened in this scene that’s not supposed to happen! After Voldemort fell over, Albus and Ginny messed up some lines when she’s trying to comfort him that it’s not his fault. I think Sam missed a few, so their conversation didn’t even really make sense... And then Noma was trying not to laugh. But once Delphi entered, it go back on track. Oh but then - I didn’t see it myself, but @anthonyboyles said when everyone was coming out from behind the doors, Scorpius slipped and wiped out. Wow what a trip this scene was! The struggle was real not to laugh at Voldemort falling...

Act 4, Scene 13 (Inside James and Lily Potter’s House) After the total and utter emotional devastation of the previous scene... (The script direction writes “And it’s like lighting passes through Harry’s body. He’s sent to the floor, a pure mess of grief” and this is to-the-letter exactly what happens to Jamie at the moment Lily is murdered. It’s hard to watch, hard to breathe, and his scream of utter agony when he collapses haunts you) ... I always forget about this scene immediately following it - and it always hits me hard. When Hagrid lifts up the baby Harry in his blanket and says, “And I’m going to be your friend, whether you like it or not... Because you’ve had it tough, not that you know it yet, and you’re going to need friends.” I always sit there laughing and crying at the same time - Just because Hagrid is so good and so devoted, and it’s a little, much-needed touch of heartfelt love and hope for a future where happiness will be possible again - even as the fires in the Potters’ house continue to burn on stage. It’s a beautiful, understated, and powerful scene, and it always helps me take a deep breath and recover from all that was just witnessed.

Act 4, Scene 14 (Hogwarts, Classroom) Reason #3987 why I love Anthony Boyle: He and his robes defy gravity. I know it’s his thing now to spin around and half-fall down the stairs when Rose comes in on this scene, and he’s gradually turning haphazardly falling down stairs into an art form. Today, he literally landed spread over two stairs, his legs splayed apart, and with one arm and half his robes over his head. He put on a suave expression, as if this was exactly what he had planned. I was just sitting there laughing like how did his arm and robe even get up there?! Once Rose turned to leave and he scrambled to get up, he smacked himself in the face with his robes and it was just 100% gold. And the “New version of us I had in my head” hug was very long, and very nice. :’) OH and Albus booped Scorpius on the nose, and Scorpius booped him back on the chest!! A SHOW WITH NOSE BOOPS IS A PERFECT SHOW, AS FAR AS I’M CONCERNED (Doesn’t even matter that Voldemort fell over!!!)

Act 4, Scene 15 (A Beautiful Hill) Usually, we’re in the clear from Potter-pain once we get to this scene. NOT TONIGHT. I was completely unprepared - and it looked like Albus was too - but Harry choked up hard as he got to the lines “I thought I’d lost him - and then my scar started hurting again and I had dreams of him...” I mean, he had his handkerchief out and was dabbing his eyes, and it took him a while to get himself together again. It wasn’t until the laughs around confessing his pigeon-fear that he solidified again. When he finally got to telling Albus, “That heart is a good one,” his words were so convincing and touching - I can’t remember this scene ever being so moving. He usually just holds Albus’s shoulders here, but tonight he had this long intake of breath, and he kept shifting his hands between Albus’s shoulders and cupping his face. He cares about and loves his son so, so much - and finally, Albus is able to see and feel it. I can still see perfectly vividly that final image of Albus leaning his head into his father’s shoulder, with Harry’s arm around him and his hand just reaching to stroke Albus’s hair as they look up together into a brighter sky.

#Harry Potter and the Cursed Child #Harry Potter #wow this got hella long...#I was just on a roll #I see why people do these now #it's great to go back through a show experience and comb through it to commit all the extraordinary details to memory #and boy was today an EXTRAORDINARY DAY #:'')#Last time seeing the show for the foreseeable future but I couldn't have asked for a better viewing today #Got all the cast I wanted!!!!#It was a beautiful day!!!#Got great food in between!!#Yup everything was pretty damn great :''''')

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makingscipub · 5 years ago

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Engineering biology? Sure! But which kind?

This is a guest post by Massimiliano Simons who is a postdoctoral researcher at the department of philosophy and moral sciences at Ghent University, Belgium.

***

Biology is a mess, not only the natural processes out there but also the science in the lab. Every biological rule seems to have exceptions and all biological laboratories follow their own protocols and rules. How to make sense of this? For Drew Endy, the solution was simple: install order by imposing engineering onto biology. In what has become a foundational article for the field of synthetic biology, Drew Endy proclaimed that “the engineering of biology remains complex because we have never made it simple”. Engineering will clean up the mess biology has made.

But what is engineering? Many scientists, and especially engineers, are keen to avoid such a question. Why bother about semantics? Why not focus on the things that need to be done? But words matter, especially if they conceal different and conflicting ideas of what needs to be done. The label of engineering is a perfect example of this.

Whereas synthetic biology is often presented as the application of engineering to biology, what is meant by engineering often remains opaque. In a recent article, I explore how behind such a simple word as ‘engineering’ a diversity of programs and ambitions reside, and how many internal struggles are taking place over what synthetic biology should be like, depending on the kind of engineering one has in mind.

From universal method to local knowhow

For instance, a popular candidate for defining engineering is that it is ‘applied science’. Scientists come up with a theory; engineers apply these insights to concrete cases. Within synthetic biology this idea is at work in the subfield of cell-free synthetic biology, which aims to use the machinery of biological cells without the use of living cells. Instead biologists use artificial setups and containers to speed up the process and avoid all kinds of intracellular entanglements. The hope is to use this for the mass production of useful chemicals. The story behind this subfield is often one of application: what the basic science of molecular biology has taught us, synthetic biology is now going to apply to industry.

But this is not the only engineering story in synthetic biology. For Endy, engineering is a rational methodology that has shown its merits in other fields and should now be applied to biology. Following this methodology, biological systems should be subdivided into standardized parts, so that they can be decoupled and rearranged on separate levels that do not interfere with one another. Whereas before a cell was nothing but a giant web of complexities, through this methodology it can be separated out into a neat set of small and solvable problems.

Critics, however, are doubtful as to whether Endy’s project is realistic. When they look at what synthetic biologists actually do, this rational methodology Endy speaks of is nowhere to be found; instead, a form of tinkering or kludge is at work. We see a chaotic and ad hoc approach, where synthetic biologists try to solve immediate problems with solutions not based on abstract principles, but on practical and local knowhow. But one only has to briefly talk to engineers to realize that this does not mean synthetic biology is not engineering. In contrast with a rational methodology, some would rather define engineering as such a context-sensitive activity, based on practical knowledge.

The Trickster-Engineer

So far, we have already met three different concepts of engineering: applied science, rational methodology and context-sensitive activity. But, even when we restrict ourselves to synthetic biology, the diversity of engineering concepts does not limit itself to these three. For instance, even those who start from a context-sensitive conception of engineering, often stress that something more is at play. Good engineers are not just practically minded, but also tricksters: they devise ways by which the machinery of the cells themselves do all the hard work of cutting, synthesizing and activating the relevant DNA parts.

Historically, the profession of engineering has indeed a link with this cunning reason, a specific mind set or ingenuity, often accompanied by ambiguous moral connotations. Is it not problematic to let nature do things that, although not breaking the laws of nature, bend them for purposes never originally intended? And are engineers really discovering significant phenomena or is their work nothing more than a collection of tricks? The latter question was, for instance, raised when the synthetic biologist Craig J. Venter claimed that he synthesized the first artificial cell. For some this was the proof of extraordinary ingenuity, whereas for others it was nothing but a cheap trick devised to impress but lacking real scientific merit.

Historians such as Hélène Vérin have traced this trickster element of engineering back to the early Middle Ages, when engineers were mainly working on war machines like catapults. But has there been no substantial changes in engineering since then? Of course there have. This brings us to our final concept of engineering, that of design. Engineering has had large numbers of shifts in history. If we only stick to its 20th century history, we see two important shifts.

From engineering science to design

Firstly, around the Second World War, a ‘rise of engineering sciences’ occurred. Whereas engineering, especially in the Anglo-American world, remained a very practical vocation until then, a substantial increase in abstract theory and science was introduced into the curricula. New technological projects such as the Manhattan Project and the Apollo Program required more complex technologies. Engineering curricula that were more science-informed gained an advantage, resulting in a general shift away from practice towards theory.

In the 1980s this resulted in a backlash from the engineers, who started to worry that there was too much focus on theory at the expense of practice. Engineering is not just theory, it is more. Most famously, the engineer Eugene S. Ferguson claimed:

“The art of engineering has been pushed aside in favour of the analytical ‘engineering sciences,’ which are higher in status and easier to teach. [… A]n engineering education that ignores its rich heritage of nonverbal learning will produce graduates who are dangerously ignorant of the myriad subtle ways in which the real world differs from the mathematical world their professors teach them.” (Ferguson, 1992: xii)

Attempts to reintroduce this lost, practical aspect of engineering was embodied in one concept: design. As a result, ‘design courses’ were massively reintroduced into curricula and the specificity of engineering was increasingly defined through design as a distinct methodology, often described as ‘synthetic’ in contrast to the ‘analytic’ method of science.

But engineers never agreed whether such a design methodology could genuinely be formalized, as someone like Herbert Simon believed, or could only be taught in a practical or case-by-case way, as engineers such as Donald Schön or Henry Petroski claimed.

This struggle continues in synthetic biology. Whereas Drew Endy firmly believes that the engineering aspect can be formalized, as an abstract methodology that will prove of use for biology, others are more skeptical. The synthetic biologist George Church, for instance, has a different conception of engineering, and even design, which does not start from a rational blueprint, but aims to trick the machinery of cells to do the work for him. Through a technique called directed evolution Church lets biological cells solve the engineering problems for the biologists: you create the artificial setting in which natural selection will select organisms with the properties the scientists desire. Some have raised doubt whether this is still engineering, since the engineer loses control. But from this brief history of design we can see that similar questions over the nature of engineering, and whether it can be formalized, have accompanied the field for decennia.

How engineering must be understood is thus highly contested. Whether it is applied science, a rational methodology, a context-sensitive practice, a cunning reason, design or something else is not carved in stone. This also applies to synthetic biology, where famous pioneers such as Drew Endy, Craig J. Venter or George Church each have their own idea of engineering in mind, and so do their critics.

These hidden histories of the multiple conceptions of engineering thus remain to be explored. In my article I aim to make a first step in that direction, examining how synthetic biologists, social scientists and policy makers mobilize different accounts of engineering for different purposes.

Bibliography

Ferguson, E. (1992). Engineering and the Mind’s Eye. Cambridge: MIT Press.

Image: Unsplash

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lairofsentinel · 6 years ago

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I watched Game of Fucks, first 5 episodes in one row. Pft

I couldn't wait the whole season to finish to watch it because everyone did such a mess with whatever related to the lady-dragon. It made me too curious. Haha, now I see why people were so mad with her...

She never was my fave exactly because I thought she was going to end up like this, so I'm surprised about people being so angry at her development.

She was most of the time good because political reasons, earning loyalties and because she had someone else working as her moral (all those people dead by the time she lose it). Like any other King/Queen. She always excused her actions behind her fucked up discourse of “fighting for freedom”. And you know, I like Sandor Clegane exactly because this concept: “you never have your masters giving you your freedom”. She was not going to be that. Not after those fucked up scenes of she being worshipped by brown slaves, and commanding brown mongol-like fighters who are “savages”. Yes, she passed through a lot, but her char is about revenge mixed with “what she deserves by right” and a constant polarity between “I want to be perceived as selfless / I want to be selfish”. To me, she always was the embodiment of that obsession that I see in white people of being perceived as “good people”. It makes sense. History was always told by white people, the good ones, and only now that their goodness is being questioned, they feel unbalanced. If they don't have people whispering in their ears that they are good people, they lose it. She looks like that process to me.

Plus, her family was always described as “crazy”, so... she losing her mind was a constant foreshadowing.

In the end, after all her speech of being apparently “selfless” in all her decisions, she sees the Red Keep, (something that it was taken away from her) and went mad. She became furious and selfish in the moment where you were going to see her true “rule” nature.

She always was a chaotic char, so... welp. I never liked her, because she was always claiming to help the slaves, while being a “nice” master, and she was angry when people did not “love” her. Imagine how a twisted master you are. Well, the other kings were worse. Yes. But exactly because she was not different to any standard king/queen, just a different kind of flavour, doesn't give her free pass to be the “loved master”.

I always saw that most of her moral decisions were deeply related with the people around her. That people were the “wise and just”, not her. She was a dragon, a wild chaotic dragon, contained by the “right” people. Always obsessed with power and “people's love” instead for the people and the consequences.

Wouldn't it have been better if she overcame that fate? Yeah, maybe. But you needed to show that several seasons ago. It would have been a better development in general, in my opinion, and a fucking better way to show approval... Mainly because she's a Queen, and we already saw a fucked up Queen with Cersei. There was not need for another. It would be nice to have a “wise” Queen, not the super obvious and cliché “men are wiser” led by the idiot of Jon Snow (I see that coming). Meh, nobility. I always disliked them all, anyway. All of them are fucked up. The only suitable Queen for me was the girl who was part of the House of the Roses... I can't remember her name. The one with the gay brother. That would have been good. She was a regular standard “good” queen, without all that show about “I'm a white saviour of all you, idiot brown people who can't do anything without my speshul ass guiding you”. I mean... if I would care in picking a good queen for the throne.

Jon Snow was always unbearable to me. He keeps being so. And now incestuous as fuck. XD. I found that detail curious, because, Cersei and her brother, as the “true” rulers of this world, were going to be replaced by a dragon-lady and her nephew... like... royal thingie comes with some degree of incestuous shit, right? XD

Cersei's ending would have been more satisfying for me with Arya putting an end to her life. Yeah. But the metaphor that “their empire was twisted and corrupted to dead and was falling apart over them” was nice too. Both siblings accepted their twisted way of life, and never wanted to change. Fitting.

Varys dying was sad. He was twisted too, but he was a man of the little people, and he NEVER put a show about that. I would have liked some smarter movement from him.

Arya being the one who destroyed the Winter was SUBLIME. That was the reason I suffered this serie for so long. Hell, so satisfying. Arya “eat my dagger” stark.

Really, Arya can't be more perfect to me. I've been watching this fucked up serie since the begging JUST because her. Because she was the character I wanted to see somewhere in this fucking world of entertainment. And I loved her.

I would have preferred a lesbian Arya, like... why everyone is so scare of a super independent woman who can kill and put down any man with her rapier or daggers who also likes women?. Too much independent for male taste, I guess. xD. But It was good she didn't end up as a Lady of a random guy. I was so shocked when I saw that scene of the guy telling her to be his wife... “I'm not a lady”. That's my Arya.

Arya has always been the symbol of freedom, of personal freedom, of a kind of freedom who has consequences that one must accept. And she always was a symbol of revenge too, that in order to fulfil it, needed her own personality to be faded. She kind-of-lost her own identity in her journey, to the point that her own wolf did not recognize her. I loved the irony of her char: she swore revenge as Arya Stark, and along her journey, she almost stopped being Arya (and her revenge would have been empty without her identity in it). She chose it in the last seasons to stay as Arya. To remember where she is from, but even though she did not fade her identity completely, she is not the same. She is Arya, a bit stark, and a bit of something else, something that has no form. And she embraces that.

Her relationship with Sandor kills me. I fucking love those two assholes. They got a small development in their own weird relationship, and I loved it. Because it's truly meaningful for both, even though they are such assholes that none of them would say it aloud.

The Hound, the other char I care about in all this fucked up show, ended as he had to. He was a char stuck in his revenge. Like the lady of dragons, I never saw much char development in him. And I totally believe that's okay. You dont need to make all your chars develop and make them grow. Because in life, that doesn't happen with everyone. Some people get stuck. And Sandor is one of those. Revenge has crystallized his life, even though we saw a peer of a peaceful life when he lived in community with those farmers. He enjoyed quiet life, but the world was never that for him. There was no peace for him.

To die with his brother, while the world is falling apart and everything is surrounded by fire, is a sad end, but a fitting one.

I can't stop thinking that, another ending could have been with Arya saving his life for once. Like, finding him in the streets when she is escaping from the city, and she sees him after killing his brother and surviving that big fall. For once, in saving him, their cold, stupid ways of living of both chars could have changed, just as a way to seal their old selves, and start over. Arya saving that old fuck would have healed both of them. But well... this is Game of Fucks, they in general give a fuck to everything xD. Except for Jon stupid Snow.

Brienne... well, I always was so frustrated with her. Such a wonderful char that needed male approval all the time. She did disappoint me again. Like.. really... why. She had the potential of being a fucking strong lawful-aligned warrior, and ended in this flabby char. And for that incestuous asshole!!! God. At least she could have chosen another char... or I don't know, a random women?. Pft.

But well, now what will it be seen in the next episode?. Show Snow showing his “i'm super wise” attitude to the lady-master-dragon, and she claiming she did everything she did to save the world of tyrants, without never seeing she WAS a tyrant all along, and kill herself later because... she is tyrant?. Or her dragon kills her and chooses the super speshul super wise dick Show Snow? And then Show Snow will get the throne because “wise dick here”?. Pfft.

I hate so much royal bullshit. I want Sandor-zombie killing all those fucks, honestly. “No king, live your way, fuck the rest”

#game of fucks #seriosuly #only arya is satifying #and the hound #they never disappoints #fuck the rest

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