#stop making moral goodness into a performance WE ARE ALL ON THE SAME LEVEL PLAYING FIELD. WE ARE ALL HUMAN
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it really honestly cracks me up that even when this idea of moral grayness is stated Explicitly on screen time and again, people still donât take it to heart and actually apply it to all of the characters. yes, even our âbig bad.â like, yâall didnât realize that was the core theme of the show in season 1? and season 2? are you for real? âiâm the monsterâ âno youâre not. you saved me.â like that wasnât clear enough for you? to see this little girl do bad things like kill people and call herself the monster right after doing something to help someone she just met? the fact that she opened this gate and let out this monster that killed and kidnapped people all across town and that is a Bad Thing, but sheâs not a bad person for it? that wasnât clear enough for you? and now they have to say it On Screen in the Fucking Script that there are no monsters and no superheroes, nothing is ever that black and white, and youâre STILL not??? listening??????? bye
#sorry im mad fhgjsdhkf it's just !!!! i dont fucking get it!!!!#moral grayness is only okay if you're the Good Guy i guess#but also you can't do something Too bad like *checks notes* hate cats#because NO THEYRE GOOD THEYD NEVER DO THAT#listen. sometimes. people who are trying to be good. also do bad things. and have bad things in their past#like that's normal. that's a normal thing#and more often than not. someone who is coded as Bad or Evil#either has a reason for the choices they made. or theyve misunderstood something. or they are being misunderstood by others#get off of the internet and out of your preachy self righteous echo chambers please please please#go talk to a stranger at the supermarket i beg of you#stop making moral goodness into a performance WE ARE ALL ON THE SAME LEVEL PLAYING FIELD. WE ARE ALL HUMAN#go take an anthropology course or smthn jesus christ#i say things#stranger things#you dont want me to start going on about how brenner had a reason for being as fucked up as he was and he thought it was a Good reason
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I had a few thoughts about the recent murder (targeted killing? assassination?) of the United Health Care CEO recently. I'll start with the most immediately related which isâŠ
THE OBVIOUS
I think that this was an immoral act and I oppose it. The taking of human life is always wrong and it should only be done as a last resort to prevent even greater harm. This killing will not change United Healthcare's policies at all, whoever replaces him will likely follow exactly the same policies.
Whenever (and if) this person is found, they will be tried for their crime and, if convicted, punished for it, and I think that all of that is entirely reasonable.
With that said, we've spoken about the morality of the person who killed Mr. Thompson, but that's not the whole story becauseâŠ
THE VICTIM
Mr. Thompson himself is hardly a beacon of morality. United Healthcare is widely regarded as one of the most vicious health insurance companies in terms of denying care in order to contain expenses at great human cost. Many doctors have recently been asked to estimate how many lost person-years of life UHC is responsible for and the lowest estimate I've seen runs into the millions.
Mr. Thompson was not UHC, but he was its CEO. He may not have personally denied a single claim, but he is responsible for creating and maintaining the system that has denied millions of them. He knew what the system he oversaw did and he took no action to stop it. He knew that the incentives he put in place and the training that he approved were leading his employees to turn down thousands of necessary medical requests each month and did nothing. He knew that the AI tool whose implementation he approved and oversaw had an error rate of up to 90%, resulting in even more necessary medical requests being denied, but he did nothing.
Again, none of this justifies murder, but anyone would be justified in questioning whether some punishment was necessary and what it says about our system that it was unable to deliver any. The reason for that isâŠ
THE CORPORATE EFFECT
Has anyone else noticed that making a crime corporate lets you get away with it? If I dump thousands of gallons of toxic chemicals into a river in order to save a few bucks, I'm probably going to go to jail for a long time and be charged a fine that might take me the rest of my life to pay off if I ever do. On the other hand, if a person working for a corporation dumps thousands of gallons of toxic chemicals into a river to save a few bucks, the odds of them going to jail are extremely low and the corporation itself will probably end up paying a fairly small fine, probably less than what they saved by dumping in the first place.
Corporate crime provides a diffusion of responsibility. The person doing the dumping is probably part of a group and each person in the group probably played some small part in the dumping. The group that did the dumping is responsible to a manager who did not personally do the dumping and may not have explicitly approved it, and that manager is responsible to an even higher manager with an even more abstract responsibility over specific actions.
Which one of those people is responsible for the crime? Well, in a direct, legal sense, none of them, but in a very real sense, all of them. In this way, corporations function a lot like organized crime families where lower level individuals perform the actual crime and insulate higher level individuals from the legal consequences thereof except that, in the corporate structure, the responsibility for the action is diffused so far that even the lower level individuals are often protected from the consequences.
THE RESULTS
Look, it's not mysterious, we know what happens in these cases. There's a ton of good research out there detailing what happens in communities that are both under-policed and over-policed, and this is a case that is both under-policed (corporate criminals not being held accountable) and over-policed (those who cross corporations being prosecuted to the full extent of the law). These kinds of situations lead to vigilante action and if that vigilante action persists for long enough, those committing it coalesce into gangs which are even more capable of vigilante action than individuals are.
If the underlying problems remain unaddressed for too long and the police focus on the gangs instead of on the crimes themselves, conflict eventually develops directly between the vigilantes (gangs) and law enforcement.
There's also a long history in this in terms of class economics as well. We have a sort of romantic view of the Progressive Era in terms of how worker's rights were achieved and, while they were achieved partly through peaceful political effort, they also came about due to a surge of violence against the capital and managerial classes. The weekend and the 40-hour work week were not just magnanimously given to workers, partially they came about by convincing those in power of the humanity of these efforts, but partially they also came about because desperate workers were burning the houses of their bosses, sometimes even killing them, and some level of worker's rights seemed a worthwhile compromise in comparison.
In other words, this state of events is lamentable, but also predictable. The eventual solution is pretty predictable as well; something is going to have to give. If the Progressive Era is anything to go off of, there is only so much cracking down that can be done, so it's likely that we will eventually see at least some shifting of power from corporations back to individuals, i.e., from capital back toward labor.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Look, what the shooter did was wrong and he can and should shoulder the consequences of that, but we can't simply take the action in isolation. What Mr. Thompson did was also wrong, and likely far more wrong than just the killing of a single individual, just not in a way that our legal system has been built to address, and when wrongdoing persists in a way that our justice system is incapable of addressing, vigilante actions are inevitable.
When people say that they are conflicted about the morality of this particular act (or, as much of the internet is doing, celebrating it), this is what they mean. Just because the shooter's actions are morally wrong doesn't mean they aren't understandable. Unfortunately, until our system adjusts to be capable of addressing morally repugnant behavior like Mr. Thompson's, it's likely that more individuals will feel the need to take justice into their own hands in the future.
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I want to talk about this scene, from Bargaining when Willow kills the fawn. You might guess from my icon that I am a big fan of this scene. It's pretty short but it sets the stage for Willow's arc throughout S6 excellently.
It opens with her in this gorgeous riverside greenery, dressed in pure white, the very picture of fairytale innocence, bathed in bright sunlight. It's such an unusual shot for the show, which almost exclusively either has shots inside or at night (for obvious reasons of being a vampire show), and that immediately makes it quite memorable. Especially as the rest of the episode is almost entirely set at night, filled with demon bikers, dismemberment, fire, broken down towers and digging out of graves. It's like this little meditative moment of peace in between all that.
Or, it would be if it didn't include a teensy little animal sacrifice.
WILLOW: Adonai, Helomi, Pine. Adonai, Helomi, Pine. The gods do command thee from thy majesty. O Mappa Laman, Adonai, Helomi.
Willow says her words and summons forth a young fawn from the trees. The fawn is another symbol of innocence, like Willow's white dress. As she reaches out and and touches the animal gently, we're reminded of the soft innocent Willow of S1, who shied away from any conflict and seemed incapable of ever hurting a fly. She's like a disney princess, sitting in the woods singing to woodland animals. Only Snow White never stabbed Bambi in the heart.
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The entire plot of the previous season revolved around the blood sacrifice of a child. This is what Glory was trying to achieve, and it's what Buffy has to stop. Buffy gives her life in order to stop it. And now, Willow recreates the same event, performing the blood sacrifice what is specifically an animal child. She steps into the role that the previous season's Big Bad performed, and so tells us that this season, she is stepping into the role of Big Bad. The fawn fills the role of Dawn - the situations rhyme as well as the names do.
Fun fact - the words that Willow uses are taken from The Book of Ceremonial Magic, a 1910 book that compiled various grimoires. In this passage, describing an invocation to request something from God, Adonai/Helomi/Pine are the names of angels - specifically the angels of the East, who appear in human form dressed in lily white according to this passage - another link to Willow's costume here. The invocation seems to involve requesting these angels to appear to the caster in an intelligible form.
ADONAI, HELOMI, PINE, Whom you obey, do invoke, conjure and entreat thee, N., that thou wilt appear forthwith. By the virtue and power of the same God I do command thee from thine order or place of abode to come unto me and skew thyself plainly here before me in thine own proper shape and glory, speaking in a voice intelligible to mine understanding.
In this case, Willow is symbolically killing an actual angel of heaven, which is probably pretty high up on the villainy scale. Just drives home the fundamental Wrongness of this scene. It's also good to remember that the idea of killing one to save other(s) is a theme returned to again and again throughout the show, and the first major example of that theme in action is a certain Angel.
(Credit to this user on BuffyBoards for finding the source of these words.)
So the fawn is Dawn, and the fawn is an angel. But most importantly of all - the fawn is Buffy. Willow, in her attempts to bring Buffy back to life, first has to kill "Buffy".
WILLOW: Come forward, Blessed one. Know your calling.
The fawn is described as having a "calling" that it must "know", just as Buffy has a calling of her own, which over the course of many seasons she learns to know and accept (and eventually revolutionise and reject). It is also described as "Blessed", which in some definitions is taken to mean "one who is with God in heaven". Buffy at this point is literally in heaven (or at least some kind of heaven dimension, the theology is gratefully vague). The structure of the phrase "Blessed one" also reminds of the more relevant phrase - "Chosen One", which again would be Buffy. The spell ingredient, which we know is the fawn's blood, is called "vino de madre" - wine of the mother, implying a feminine source of power, just like The Slayer.
WILLOW: Accept our humble gratitude for your offering. In death ... you give life. May you find wings to the kingdom. In death, you give life. You might say that death... is your gift... yeah, so this really drives it home for me. Using death to give life is literally what Buffy has just done. It was core to her arc last season. And finally the "wings to the kingdom" line again plays into that heaven imagery. S6 loves this kind of imagery for Buffy, even giving her angel wings in one of the most delightfully on-the-nose shots in the show.
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Buffy gave her life to give Dawn one, and with it gave a warning about the struggles of life - "The hardest thing in this world is to live in it.". This is sad but lovely advice that Buffy herself must now spend S6 gradually learning to understand herself. She learns how to deal with the crushing despair of day-to-day existence. Willow, as the Big Bad of this season, doesn't understand this advice at all. For years now, Willow has used magic as a short-cut to avoid actually dealing with her emotions (see Lover's Walk, Something Blue, Tough Love). This goes into overdrive in S6, and it starts with her desperation to bring Buffy back to avoid really dealing with the reality of her death.
In fact it goes beyond magic - Willow is also the one who uses her tech knowledge to bring the Buffybot back online. She uses all her skills to desperately fill in the hole that Buffy has left behind. This is what Willow does, magic or no. And it's sympathetic - my heart breaks every time she talks about fearing where Buffy might have ended up - but it's not totally rational or healthy either. The main problem is that Willow, in doing this, is ignoring Buffy's final words, and misunderstanding the central theme.
As said earlier, by performing this blood sacrifice of a child, Willow is betraying the memory of Buffy, who died to stop one. (Symbolically of course. Morally there are light years between killing an animal and killing a teenager). Buffy gave her life to stop a blood sacrifice, and so Willow reverses the process - causing a blood sacrifice to give Buffy her life. And she betrays Buffy's final words with her refusal to accept the pain of life and live with it. And finally, she betrays Buffy spiritually.
Remember that Willow is Buffy's metaphorical Spirit, as shown in Primeval. It is a special kind of betrayal that Buffy's Spirit breaks her spiritually in this season. She literally rips her soul out of eternal bliss and contentment, causing an existential break within her. She beseeches the fawn/Buffy to find "wings to the kingdom", but in doing so robs Buffy of her wings.
Buffy suffers brutal depression this season, and describes it many times as feeling dead inside. This kind of emotional deadness is caused directly by her ressurection (though severely exacerbated by her unresolved trauma, grief over Joyce, and generally just living under capitalism). Willow has tried to give death to bring life, but because the action is a betrayal of Buffy on many levels, the act is tainted, and perverted, like a wish on a monkey's paw. She literally kills metaphorical Buffy, and so metaphorically kills literal Buffy. Buffy has life, but said life is causing a kind of death within her.
And what does Willow get for all this? Her pain isn't fixed by all this. She just gets blood on her hands (and later on her face). It sets off a chain of events that will end with far more blood on Willow's hands. She dips a toe into a darkness, but because she doesn't understand fully the emotions that have taken her there, she can't exert any control over it. She doesn't learn a lesson here that she shouldn't try to shape the world to deal with her emotions. Instead, she learns that she has power over life and death.
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Willow is clearly deeply shaken by this, but it's not nearly enough to make her change her path. She ignores the very obvious foreshadowing here - her hands literally coated in blood - and carries on anyway. She takes the wrong lessons from this moment, which she clearly demonstrates in her argument with Giles in Flooded, where she ignores his anger over how she's warped the rules of nature, and instead focuses on how awesome she is ("The magicks I used are very powerful. I'm very powerful. And maybe it's not such a good idea for you to piss me off.")
This is a small scene, but it sets up so much for Willow. It shows how far she has come from the meek girl of S1. And it shows a glimpse of the future, how she has far to go but is now on a path to become the villain she is at the end of S6. She starts it by killing metaphorical Buffy in order to save her, and will end it by trying to kill actual Buffy in order to emotionally "save" her. At every point she can justify the blood on her hands as serving some greater purpose - but the blood is still there.
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âWhatever Iâve gone through, Iâve gone through. But, ultimately, this particular arena of my life has been so absurd...âÂ
 Johnny Deppâs NEW INTERVIEW!
Last saturday, August 14, The UK Times, released a new interview with Johnny for the Sunday Times section. It was realized sometime earlier this month, in London, probably on the same day he and Andrew Levitas were recording for the Q&A for the âMinamataâ release in UK. This is Johnnyâs first interview since the UK trials in London last year, and released three years after Johnnyâs major interview for the British GQ Magazine. Here Johnny and Andrew Levitas speaks about âMinamataâ, his future as actor and a thing or two about his personal life, although he cannot talk about the court case.
For those who couldnât read yet, here is the FULL interview:Â Enjoy.
***
âIâM BEING BOYCOTTED BY HOLLYWOODâ
Johnny Depp has a new film out this week. In the opening scene his character, the real-life photographer W Eugene Smith, says, âIâm done. Iâm tired. My body is older than I am. Iâm always in goddam pain. I canât trust my f***ing dick any more. Constantly in a foul mood. Even the drugs bore me.â
I ask Depp if Smithâs despair resonated with him. Depp stops. Rocks back and forth. âThatâs interesting,â he replies with painful hesitation.
âI didnât approach playing Smith in that way⊠Although you bring your toolbox to work and use what is available. Having experienced...â He stops again. Depp takes any questions that might refer to his calamitous libel case last year slowly, in a mumbly, croaking drawl. âA surreal five yearsâŠâ
In the film Smith needs to revive his reputation. In real life Deppâs task is even more daunting. Thanks to the judgment, everyone can call him a âwife-beaterâ. Now he must convince a Hollywood still convulsed by #MeToo that heâs not toxic â and that any attempt to rebuild his career is a risk worth taking. This is Deppâs first interview since the case.
We are speaking over Zoom, Depp in his London home, in front of a gold-framed painting. The 58-year-old is wearing a lot of clothes. Earrings. Floppy hat. Sunglasses. Bandana. Scarf. Checked shirt over a T-shirt with an indiscernible slogan. If you saw him on the Tube*, you might think he was off to work at the London Dungeon*, to play most of the characters.
PS. For those who are not familiar with British words: * Tube = British slang for London Underground, the subway trains. * London Dungeon = is a walk-through experience that recreates scenes from London's scary history in a mixture of live actors, special effects and rides.
Depp resumes, talking in broken sentences about the new film, Minamata, in which Smith, via Life magazine, exposes the brutal mercury poisoning of Japanese villagers in the early 1970s.
âHow do we do this?â he asks rhetorically, meaning how to speak about the elephant in the Zoom. âWell, thereâs no way one canât recognise the absurdity of the mathematics.â He grins. âIf you know what I mean?â No. âAbsurdity of media mathematics.â He talks in riddles. âWhatever Iâve gone through, Iâve gone through. But, ultimately, this particular arena of my life has been so absurd...â
He trails off again. He is holding a big brown roll-up of some sort. âWhat the people in Minamata dealt with? People who suffered with Covid? A lot of people lost lives. Children sick...Ill. Ultimately, in answer to your question? Yeah, you use what youâve got. But what Iâve been through? Thatâs like getting scratched by a kitten. Comparatively.â
Last July, I went to the High Court in London to watch Depp on another screen â a video from the socially distanced court where the Hollywood star was losing a libel action against The Sun after it called him a âwife-beaterâ. It was the grottiest showbiz trial of the century. There were photos of the actor passed out in a foetal slump, socks on show. One lengthy exchange involved faeces. Another urination, inside or outside a house, after a violent night with his ex-wife Amber Heard.
This had all been going on for a while. In 2016 Heard applied for a temporary restraining order against him. The couple had long endured a narcotic, booze-filled, childish relationship, but that does not matter â 12 incidents levelled against Depp were proved, said the judge, and abuse is abuse, regardless of how badly they both behaved. Depp wanted to appeal, but the court said no. Next April in the US he has a $50 million defamation case against Heard relating to an opinion piece she wrote about being the victim of domestic abuse. It may be his last roll of the dice.
In the 1990s Depp was a sensitive heart-throb. Cooler than DiCaprio, edgier than Pitt. In this past year he has been stripped of his status and dignity. On day three of the trial Sasha Wass QC, representing The Sun, asked Depp about daubing a penis on a painting. He could not remember. âThat would be quite a big thing, painting a penis on a picture?â Wass asked. âQuite a big thing?â Depp asked.
It was a well-delivered line, but Depp was on show. Performing. Now he is more timid, less lucid. His people say he cannot talk about the court case given the looming US trial, yet it hangs over everything. The director of Minamata, Andrew Levitas, is also on our call â as a pub trivia aside, Levitas is married to the Welsh singer Katherine Jenkins.
The two men clearly get on. âWith regards to journalism, it was important for us to put across in the film the power of truth,â Levitas says. Depp nods. âThe responsibility of journalists to look after citizens of the world. [Our film] coincided with the moment important publications had to put Raquel Welch on a cover to get enough eyeballs to sell enough ads in order to put something meaningful inside. A result of that is clickbait â itâs destroying the purpose of journalism,â Levitas continues.
âYou said it beautifully,â says Depp, one of the worldâs most pinned-up men, who built a career on magazine covers. âI couldnât say it better than that.â
Last month Levitas wrote to MGM, which bought Minamata for the US market but decided not to release it. He accused MGM of being concerned that âthe personal issues of an actor in the film could reflect negatively upon themâ. Then the letter got really strong. Levitas accused MGM of failing in its âmoral obligationâ to release the film and said it needed to explain to the victims âwhy you think an actorâs personal life is more important than their dead childrenâ. He then attached Smithâs photos of ghastly deformities that shocked the world 50 years ago.
âItâs important that the movie gets seen and supported,â Levitas says. âAnd if I get an inkling itâs not going to be, itâs my responsibility to say so. Where it goes from there? I donât know. But we have responsibility to these victims . . .â
You can see why heâs passionate. The film is good. MGM bought the film because it is good. Depp is good too. He disappears into the role, far from his more recent pantomime parts. Itâs being released worldwide, just not in the actorâs homeland.
Depp, who also produced the film, interrupts. âWe looked these people in the eyeballs and promised we would not be exploitative. That the film would be respectful. I believe that weâve kept our end of the bargain, but those who came in later should also maintain theirs.â
âSome films touch people,â he adds. âAnd this affects those in Minamata and people who experience similar things. And for anythingâŠâ He pauses, as he does. âFor Hollywoodâs boycott of, erm, me? One man, one actor in an unpleasant and messy situation, over the last number of years?â He trails off. âBut, you know, Iâm moving towards where I need to go to make all thatâŠâ Again, he trails off. âTo bring things to light.â
The fact, as I think Depp knows, is that for his career, the court that matters is not one of law, but public opinion. On social media, where a lot of minds are made up, Deppâs good reputation will always outweigh the bad, thanks to his frequently blinkered fans.
Outside the High Court, as Heard arrived, I saw Natasha, 30, yell: âGet hit by a truck, Amber!â She is extreme, but the persistent way his fans demand that others think their idol is a saint shows a career revival will happen. After all, most filmgoers do not follow his private life at all. To them, he is Jack Sparrow, Edward Scissorhands. To them, he is a star â and a star can take an awful lot of heat before it burns out.
âThey have always been my employers,â Depp says of his fans. âThey are all our employers. They buy tickets, merchandise. They made all of those studios rich, but they forgot that a long time ago. I certainly havenât. Iâm proud of these people, because of what they are trying to say, which is the truth. The truth theyâre trying to get out since it doesnât in more mainstream publications. Itâs a long road that sometimes gets clunky. Sometimes just plain stupid. But they stayed on the ride with me and itâs for them I will fight. Always, to the end. Whatever it may be.â
Depp will talk like this for ever â about his âtruthâ. Minamata is the last film Depp has listed on the industry site IMDb, where actors usually have half a dozen in development. So, yes, fans of the actor can see Depp in a new role now â it is a return, but is it a relaunch? The film was finished in 2019, way before last yearâs court case. Is that it? His last film? He thinks and looks off to his bookshelves, at biographies of Betjeman and Olivier.
âEr...no,â he says, eventually. âNo. No. Actually, I look forward to the next few films I make to be my first films, in a way. Because once youâve...Well, look. The way they wrote it in The Wizard of Oz is that when you see behind the curtain, itâs not him. When you see behind the curtain, thereâs a whole lot of motherf***ers squished into one spot. All praying that you donât look at them. And notice them.â
I would ask him to explain, but I am not sure he is an explainer. Watch this space, I guess, but he is already taking a first step back. After we speak, it is announced Depp is getting the coveted Donostia award at the San Sebastian Film Festival next month. Some people are just too famous to fail.
~ Interview by Jonathan Dean, in London, for The Times UK (released on August 14, 2021)
#Johnny Depp#New Interview#Interview#Minamata#Justice For Johnny Depp#I Believe Him#Johnny Depp is Innocent#The Times UK
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dude im not sure you will get it after reading this either, but you Can read it now
okay so first of all do not expect me to adhere to rules of grammar or Proper capitalisation, I am writing from the heart
so itâs been said before by other people but if Quark and Odo didnt look like the aliens that they are but instead like two regular prettybois the fandom would do cartwheels over their dynamic and Not call them a crack ship. because really, their dynamic fucking SLAPS and Iâm here to tell you Why.
their surface-level dynamic is âRespected and Talented Security Chief and Cunning Immoral Businessman who are in Love but pretend not to beâ and that's just an off-brand version of enemies to lovers! which is excellent and for some people thatâs all you really need to get invested in a ship.
but some people look at it and go âHm, no, thatâs not enough. I mean, they work as friends but it doesnât really have to be romantic.â and to that I say you are Absolutely Valid, not everything has to be romantic.
it just so happens that these two fuckers have one of the most compelling romance stories ever, and itâd be a shame not to explore it.
so before I dive into the internalised homophobia and repression, Iâd like to take a moment to talk about Quark as a character.
because if you have brainworms like me you can kind of see that its an honest to god greek tragedy.
this guy comes from a race of people where being kind, ethical and fair is considered Abnormal and Horrifying. and Iâm not gonna call Quark out of all people kind, ethical or fair but,,,Â
you ever notice how heâs A Much Better Person Than Pretty Much All Other Ferengi?
dont get me wrong, Quark is still a bastard, but every once in a while his True Character shines through. and I say True Character because guys,,, the way he behaves around other people is an Act. heâs pretending to be something heâs not.
he has to try so hard to be a good ferengi itâs honestly painful to watch at times. because he is a SHIT ferengi!Â
he loves his friends- because that's what the ds9 crew are. theyâre his friends! and it makes him miserable because that's not! normal! for a ferengi!
letâs compare Quark and Rom for a second.Â
Quark reeks of self loathing because a lot of the time he just Doesnât act like a ferengi is supposed to, and this drives a lot of conflict in the show. he knows how a ferengi should act, itâs just that he canât!! fucking!! do it!! but he still tries and tries to fit into that mold, which straight up ruins his life on multiple occasions.
Rom is also not a Model Ferengi, but he lives without hating himself. and itâs mostly because he doesnât care about how a ferengi Should act, heâs loved and cared for even when everybody knows that heâs a shit ferengi! because his non-ferengi-ness works to his benefit. it encourages and highlights his abilities as an engineer. the success and love he finds make it easy for him to be content with his true self. Unlike Quark, who doesnât get unconditional love from anyone.
its so!! tragic!! because you can see what Quark is really like!! his true self!! heâs a nice guy who cares for people!
its right there all the time and it's so blatantly obvious. especially in episodes like âBody Partsâ, âBar Associationâ, âThe Way Of The Warriorâ and âFerengi Love Songsâ
his own wiki page literally calls him âa compassionate and generous man by ferengi standardsâ which pretty much translates to ânot really a good ferengiâ.
anyway so Quark is a tragic figure or whatever but weâre actually here for the REPRESSED! HOMOSEXUAL! TENDENCIES! that he and Odo both exhibit.
with characters like garak you donât really need to have brainrot to pick up on those tendencies, because that was something andrew robinson chose to do, on purpose.Â
and to be fair, Quark wasnât intended to be Any kind of representation, not even by the actor. Iâm just pointing out that he Does look and act and talk like a little gayman.
I will admit that he is Painfully Straight in the text of the show, but on a meta level heâs just. a dude who has a serious case of repressing his real personality. and taking it a step further- he also represses his feelings towards another man.
and that man is Odo.
a few things on him:
Odo is literally desperate to be a person. unlike Quark, who at least has the comfort of belonging to a society of people with a set of rules and expectations, Odo has never met anyone or anything like him in all his years of life.
like, we all know Odo basically grew up in a lab, right?Â
with people who didnât know anything about him. who he was so unalike that they literally called him âNothingâ
but he still learned to look and talk and act like them (because if he didnât heâd feel *pain* which is very fucked up by the way?)
so we know for a fact that Odo wants to be recognised as a person- which is why he tries really hard to conform to the ideals of the society that raised him. instead of exploring his nature as a shape shifter he maintains a humanoid form, picks up a job and creates an entire personality around what he wants to be seen as. but not what he really is.
and that's the thing that causes all the conflict between Quark and Odo. the type of person odo wants to be seen as is the polar opposite of whatever the fuck quark wants to be seen as.
In the same way that Quark acts like a Normal Ferengi, Odo acts like a Normal Security Officer. and in a cruel twist of fate, the Ferengi happens to be the antithesis of the Security Officer.
If you only look at them as the things they act like, and not the things they are, you might say theyâre way too different to like each other, right?Â
but,,, if you think about the fact that theyâre both putting on this act,,, this performance of idealised versions of themselves,,, you can see that they are The Same. They Are Both Gay Repressed Loser Aliens Who Try To Act Like Things That They Arenât!
Imagine youâre Odo.Â
Imagine that youâre Nothing, because youâre not like anything anyone has ever seen- and because you are Nothing you donât fall in love with anyone for years and years. since who could love something that isnât like them at all?
But then one day this Thing shows up in your path and you just hate it. Because itâs not like anything *you* have ever seen. Itâs disorderly and looks grotesque and itâs criminal to boot.
Itâs all the things you learned would make a âBad Personâ Itâs everything you aspire not to be, because if you were any of those things you would BE PUNISHED.
But the trouble is, eventually heâs not an âitâ anymore, heâs âQuarkâ and you see him every day of your miserable little life because you live on the same damn station in space and itâs hard to avoid each other.
He also happens to be one of the only things in your life that are constant. He will never leave because he is stubborn and greedy and you just *hate him so much* that youâre convinced he must be doing all of it to spite you. And yet you also canât seem to leave him alone.
So Odo Must Hate Quark. everything else is a non sequitur for him. he canât not hate Quark.
because Quark is, and iâm sincerely sorry to apply christian fucking imagery to this, The Forbidden Fruit.
If he liked quark heâd admit some kind of moral failing. it would be the end of his act. but on the other hand...it might be a good thing, because at least he could have quark.
but Odo can never go through with biting into this apple because the consequences are horrifying to him. he could never have quark because, according to his performance, he would Never like quark to begin with.
and hereâs a take for you: Odo's Brand Of Internalised Homophobia Doesn't Stem From Heteronormativity. It Stems From The Fact That He Was Kind Of Assigned Asexual At Birth.
and the show sort of alludes to this, for real! not just subtext! canon! except the writers used the wrong person.Â
because instead of Odo having these Forbidden Feelings for Quark he has them for,,, Kira.
but since this is My Quodo Manifesto youâll understand that i am 100% willing to just toss that part of canon out the airlock.
so Odo does canonically have that mindset of âno one could ever love meâ for decades he repressed any and all feelings of love to avoid getting hurt. in the show he breaks this cycle of repression when he takes a chance and enters a relationship with Kira. yay?
but we all know that aint it chief. and part of the reason why That Ship Ainât It is the fact that Quark is Right There. and he is simply the more interesting choice for odo.
he and Odo literally share the same problem and have weird intertwined character arcs! they are both dreadfully afraid of not conforming to the ideal versions of themselves, so they reject everything that could challenge their Performance!
on some fucked up level they hate each other *and* themselves individually. and this hatred makes them reject parts of their real identities for the sake of protecting their image. which. yknow. in gay people. is internalised homophobia!
so you can see that theyâre both repressing A Lot even if you view them as Friends, but the most important thing in this kind of romantic dynamic is usually,,, when the characters *stop* repressing.
and the thing is. the thing that Kills Me with these two. They Never Get That Moment. Thats Why You Need The Brainrot To See Them As Romantic.
The Ascent gives us an example of what happens when they both take their act too far. I mean, who could forget âFascist!â and âFraud!â That is what odo thinks of quarkâs performance and vice versa, but we donât really hear them adress the fact that they *are* playing these roles to a ridiculous extent.
We also never get an example of what would happen if they dropped their act instead of over-performing it. or rather we donât get to see both of them drop it.
And the reason why we never get that moment is because thereâs this one key difference between Quark and Odo.Â
Quark knows that heâs constantly repressing his true nature and his feelings for odo. We pretty much hear him say so in the iconic root beer scene in Way Of The Warrior. he knows that heâs not a good ferengi but he keeps up his act.
So quark is aware enough to feel that sweet sweet self loathing. But Odo isnt self loathing as much as he is just self sabotaging.
and this subtle difference between them is why, at the very end of the show, we get âThat man loves me, canât you see? It was written all over his back!â
this moment is quark dropping his act and asking odo to do the same. he wants to hear a genuine Goodbye from him because they have known each other for Decades and they are Friends. but odo is so unable to express the feelings heâs been repressing all these years. that he self sabotages again and just walks away.
even though this is like. very anticlimactic. considering I just spent 2000 words talking about how Odo and Quark are Most Certainly Gay For Each Other.
The fact that their ending is so Weird is the reason why quodo is so engaging and appealing to me? especially post-canon quodo.
like, the amount of âwhat ifâsâ this ship has are Astounding.
What if either of them had dropped their act a little sooner? What if they both did, for just a moment, and it was the straw that breaks the camels back?
What if Odo comes back after a few years? What if Quark comes to get him?
What if, in that moment in the finale where Quark drops his act, Odo had returned the gesture? What if Gag-Reel Quodo Kiss.gif Real?
with the depth that I read into their relationship, those what ifs are really fun to think about.
anyway its 1 am and iâm not an english major so literary analysis is not like, my strong suit. plus most of this was written in a late night screaming session with a friend who has the exact same opinions as me. i just think aliens hot and in love. thats all.
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Some Of A Kind
Chapter 1: Virgin in the Chapel
(Michael Langdon x reader)
Summary: When you accompany your friend to a black mass at the Church of Satan. You pick the wrong time and place to let him in on the fact that youâre a virgin, garnering the attention of the âchosen oneâ himself.
Warnings: murder, mentions of drug use, poorly represented Satanism
Word count: 3,666 (thatâs right)
//
It was a typical Wednesday night when you got a text from your friend Tyler.
âSo what do you say? Is tonight the night?â
He had been bugging you for weeks to come see a sacrifice at the satanic church. And since the first time he asked, the conversation always went the same way.
/
âIâm telling you, just one slice and then you can have whatever you wantâ
âYou mean I can have powers beyond compare?â
âYesâ he answered back, in a hopeful tone. Clearly he hadnât picked up on the sarcasm in your voice.
You couldnât help but chuckle at the excitement in his voice.
âIâm sorry, you do whatever you want over there with your edgelords but Iâm perfectly happy in my boring powerless existenceâ
âFirst of all we arenât edgelords, we're satanists. We just see the world for what it is. A dreadful place full of selfish people.â
âWell I canât say I argue with thatâ
âExactly, so give in to being selfish, and start doing what you want. You work so hard, and for what a one bedroom apartment you can barely afford and bags under your eyes that are only getting bigger by the day?â
âHeyâ you interrupt, slightly offended. Which only earns a laugh on his end.
âIâm just saying, you put in so much effort for no pay off, when you could do this one thing and have everything you deserveâ
âWhat a cable package and a âskip the lineâ pass at Disneyland?â
âI also get unlimited snacks!â
âOh sorry how could I forget, well if one soul is all it takes to get a free waffle cone then what are we still doing here?!â You ask back, your tone full of mockery.
âHave you ever wondered why I can snort as much coke as I want and have never ODâd? Or why every girl I bring home is a certified 10?â
Actually you had, the two of you had met the year prior in a religious studies class when you were partnered to write a paper on whether morality was dependent on a god. He could barely get through a sentence without tripping over his words or looking away in embarrassment. It was sweet really, and by the end of the class you two had basically become best friends.
But about 2 months ago things started to change. There was almost always a girl leaving his house when you would come over.
You swore at least two of them you recognized from Victoria Secret runways.
One night you even saw a man leaving whose resemblance to Ryan Reynolds was suspiciously uncanny.
He got a new car without any explanation as to where he got the money, and he had so much coke in his living room you assumed he started dealing, before he told you it was just his stash for the weekend.
At first he was vague about everything, but eventually he told you the truth, or at least what you assumed was a version of it.
For his final project he wrote a research paper on the church of Satan.
You went with him to a couple of services when he was writing it, him being too nervous to go alone.
You both thought they seemed a little kooky, but relatively harmless.
Yet what you didnât know was that he kept going back after the class ended and had gotten himself sworn in, and eventually given the honor of participating in a black mass.
Where he had sacrificed a school teacher in order to get these new âgiftsâ.
Now you werenât naive enough to think he actually killed someone!
You were sure his new lifestyle was a part of some religious Ponzi scheme, and one day the debt collector would come calling.
Youâve watched enough documentaries to know better than to get involved with this.
But he is still your friend so you take it upon yourself to be supportive and let him have his moment, while simultaneously letting him know youâll be here for him if the day comes that he gets excommunicated.
âI love you and I am so happy for all youâve gotten, especially when you share it with me, but Iâm good, really. Iâll let you know if I ever change my mindâ
That dropped the subject for a while.
Â
That is until a few days ago when you lost your job.
Well actually when your job was stolen from underneath you by your boss's son.
All it took was one night of bitching to your best friend for the talks of satanism to start up again.
//
So here you were bored on a Wednesday night actually considering his offer to watch a black mass.
âWellâŠâ
He texted back after a few minutes of no response on your part
âFineâ
Itâs not like heâs ever going to let up, you might as well go see what all the hubbub was about.
After he picked you up, you made your way to the church.
More precisely the back alley with a hidden door. Not at all unsettling.
And the rain pelting down on the robe he gave you just adds a nice ominese touch to what you're sure is going to be a long night.
Now inside you sit in a pew in the back. While the choir above you sings as the others file in.
They actually sound pretty good if youâre being honest. Maybe on your way out youâll pick up the album you saw for sale in the lobby (for $6.66 no less).
You havenât been sitting more than 10 minutes before the mass begins.
And in that time Tyler roughly explained what you were about to see.
You werenât paying too much attention though. More enamored with the atmosphere.
It was a sea of red cloaks and black pentagrams. And the thunder outside appeared to clap along in sync with the crescendo or the choir.
This place seems vastly different from the shabby collection of misfits you encountered when you visited the first time. Who spent most of the service complaining and handed you a stale donut on your way out the door.
â...Y/n are your listening?!â
âHmm Yeaâ
âReally?â
âYea the guyâs gonna sacrifice some âinnocent soulâ say a few hail satans and voilĂ he gets his hair back and starts getting laid againâ you answer back, waving him off. Youâre more interested in watching two Satanists in the front of the room give each other the âsign of the crossâ gesture in reverse order.
âThis is serious, the things you see might shock you but you can not react! If they think youâre some sort of threat to our secrets or even just afraid of them, it wonât end well. Iâm kind of taking a risk by bringing you hereâ
That brings your attention back to your friend.
âSo you hound me for weeks to come with you, but Iâm not even allowed to be here?â You ask back, starting to wonder why you actually said yes to this.
âWell yea, I just really want you to see what Iâve seen, I want whatâs best for youâ
That was actually really sweet of him.
Now you felt a little bad for making fun of this so much.
That is until you see a man in the next row pull out a flask with âunholy waterâ written on it and rub it on his chest like Vickâs.
But before you get the chance to ask Tyler where he keeps his flask(which you're certain he has). The choir stops singing and the Priestess has the room's attention.
Everything goes as Tyler explains at first.
The âsacrificesâ are brought in in their underwear. (They couldnât even keep their clothes on, what does the devil give them a level up if the victims are humiliated before they die?) and tonight's chosen one, Phil, is about to take his position, before you hear a voice behind you.
âWait!â
You turn your head to see an older woman rushing in, but itâs not her that steals your focus itâs who walks in behind her.
He is quite possibly the most attractive person you have ever seen. With cheekbones that could slice butter and soft blonde hair falling around icy blue eyes.
She says his name is Michael and this honor belongs to him.
You look over to Tyler to see whatâs going on. He didnât explain what part of the performance this was, was this some sort of second act surprise?
You were expecting this night to follow like a church service, watching Phil take his vows and minimal audience participation. Now you wonder if this is all rehearsed, or if the Satanistâs are partial to improv?
But Tyler pays you no mind, he canât take his eyes off the blonde either.
Itâs not until the Priestess mentions the âmark of the beastâ and that he is the chosen one, that you get why Tyler is looking at him like heâs some sort of god.
Because to him he is, this guy is supposed to be the Antichrist.
Tyler says nothing only glances in your direction when he sees youâre the only one still standing, before he pulls you down to your knee like everyone else.
The rest of the performance is really top notch.
The flickering of the lights was a nice touch, but you canât help but feel a little uneasy wondering how they keep getting the thunder to time up with everything they do.
Plus the bodies of the sacrifices fell to the ground almost too well.
How did they manage to get their bodies to look that lifeless, and why did those cuts look so deep?
But you try not to focus too much on it as you walk to the ceremonial Wednesday night potluck.
/
After the Antichrist has dismissed his followers from fawning all over him, you sit with Tyler at the end of the table and dig into your lasagna.
âSo does the antichrist part happen at every sacrifice or is this one special? Is it some Satanic holiday I wasnât aware of?â You ask, breaking Tyler out of whatever trance he appears to be stuck in.
âWhat?â
âI gotta say the dramatics were very entertaining, but if you really wanted to get me here all you had to do was tell me the guy who plays the Antichrist is really hotâ you snicker under your breath.
âPlay? Y/n your donât understand he IS the Antichristâ he explains in a hushed voice before continuing
âThat doesnât happen every time, he really has come. This is the moment weâve all been waiting for! Donât you see?! I think it was fate you came here on this night!â
âHa, why do you need a virgin to sacrifice or something?â You laugh and take another bite before you look over and see Tyler staring at you with wide eyes.
âWhat?â
âYouâre not serious are you?â
âWell yea, whatâs the big deal, I didnât realize you were so caught up on a social constructâ
âIâm not, but you canât say things like that around hereâ he looks around the room nervously and you follow his path of vision until your eyes land on Michael, whoâs own gaze is locked on you.
Thereâs no way he heard you, you were across the room and you were whispering.
Still he continues to stare with eyes that speak only of intensity. No smile, no nod, no hint emotion whatsoever.
Itâs only after you raise your brows and mouth a âWhat?â That he looks back down at his plate with a hint of a smile on his lips.
âOh Satan, I think he heard you. You should goâ Tylerâs tone becoming more erratic by the second.
âWhat?â Youâre sure he's joking, but when he looks at you there is nothing but worry in his eyes.
Now youâre starting to get nervous, this is too far.
He actually thinks these people are going to do something?
Heâs practically shaking with fear, and because of the man in the turtleneck? Who barely knows how to hold a spoon?
Okay youâll play along for tonight, but tomorrow you are having a serious talk, he might need professional help.
âAlright let's go thenâ you huff out as you start to grab your belongings.
âI canât just leave, especially since our savior is here, but Iâll make sure everything is good and youâre not followed or anythingâ
âOkay, is there some sort of satanic shuttle bus that can take me home? Or should I call an Uber? Does this place have an address or should I just send them an inverted cross?â
Still unamused by your inability to grasp the gravity of the situation, he just shakes his head and hands you his keys.
âHere just take my car, Iâll get a ride later, in fact stay at my house incase youâre followedâ
Heâs basically pushing you out of your seat and nodding to the door.
âOkay...bye I guessâ
And with that you take off down the hall.
You know youâre supposed to go straight to the car. Youâve never seen Tyler look so serious in his life.
But when you walk past the chapel you canât help but stop. You can still see the bodies up at the altar.
Why are they still there? Was there a trap door you missed and these were just doubles?
Or were these people so committed to the role and as crazy as your friend that they had to stay in the character of âdead sacrificeâ all night?
Curiosity got the better of you, the car could wait, you had to see for yourself.
Closer inspection did nothing to stifle your suspicions.
It looked so real.
They werenât breathing, so there was no way they were still the two actors, but you had never seen fake bodies look so real.
You're reminded of an anatomy class you took last semester.
Those cadavers looked suspiciously close to these.
Just colder and with less life left in their faces.
And there was so much blood, the iron was thick in the air.
But that couldnât be true. Your friend wouldnât kill someone would he?
He didnât actually think they would kill you?
If you got a closer look, if you just swiped some of the âbloodâ with your pointer finger it would surely taste like corn syrup and not likeâŠ
âAre you afraid?â
You whip your head around, blood still staining your finger and beginning to drip onto the linoleum. To see Michael walking in the same way he had an hour earlier. Only this time without the cloak, but with some newly added confidence.
âTheyâre really dead arenât they?â You know itâs true, but you still wait for his confirmation.
âYes, that tends to happen when you slice someoneâs throatâ He acts as if this shouldnât be a shock to you. It didnât shock any of the other members of the congregation. Yet you know without him saying it, that heâs well aware youâre not like the others. That you donât belong here.
âSo you really sacrifice people, just to get stuffâ you blurt out. Still trying to wrap your head around the fact that everything you witnessed tonight was real. Perhaps you shouldnât have taken that last crescent roll youâd seen another satanist eyeing at dinner, you definitely have a curse coming your way. That is if you live through the night.
âWell not meâ Michael says, pulling you out of your thoughts and back to the present.
âOh of course, youâre the one they do it forâ
âWell my father more specificallyâ
âDoes that upset you?â You know you should be more careful about how you proceed with this conversation, but the words leave your mouth before your mind can stop them.
The question seems to catch him by surprise as he ruffles his brow, youâre not sure if itâs in anger or just shock at your brazenness. But he doesnât answer. Just goes on to question you.
âHave you ever witnessed a murder before?â
âNoâ
âHow did you feel watching it before your eyes?â
âWell I didnât feel much, considering I thought it was all fakeâ That earns you a smile from him.
âAnd how do you feel now?â
âCuriousâ
âReally? Not scared?â
âNo. Why should I be?â Youâre really digging your own grave here. But your mouth seems to have a mind of its own.
âIt seems your friend would say otherwiseâ
âAh so you did hear.â You say, seeing his smile grow wider. âThese aren't the days of the Old Testament, virginity doesnât equally purity. Just ask sacrifice number one over there, with a body like that I doubt she was a virginâ you laugh, partially at your joke and partially out of sheer uncomfortableness. Michael doesnât even spare the bodies a glance, eyes latched onto you, you go on to add
âIâm no saint. Despite my sexual history, or lack thereofâ
âNo, Iâm sure youâre notâ he emphasizes by swiping some of the liquid from your finger with his own, before taking it into his mouth. Making a show of it by closing his eyes as he releases it from his lips, slow as molasses. Smiling when he opens his eyes and sees youâre practically drooling.
Before his little show can go any further, you continue with your own questions.
âHave you killed people before?â
âYesâ
âHow many?â
âYou donât have the timeâ
Heâs looking at you waiting for your response. Waiting for the shock to subside and the shrieks of terror to take over.
Instead you just pause thinking everything over.
You should be scared, you know you should.
In one night you have watched two people die, found out your friend is a murderer, and that the Antichrist is not only NOT a myth, but is standing in front of you, conversing with you like heâs nothing more than your new neighbor.
Yet you search and search in your mind for any hint of fear and come up empty. All you feel is curiosity. You must be losing it too, you feel bad for judging Tyler so harshly. Maybe itâs his youthful face and the little outburst in the dining hall earlier, but Michael seems like more than simply the âincarnation of evilâ. He seems so...human.
And more than anything he just seems confused and dare you say, lost.
âDo you like killing people? Or do you do it because itâs expected?â
âIt dependsâ
âWould you like to kill me?â
Now itâs his turn to take pause, looking like heâs trying to decide if heâs âin the moodâ to take your life.
âNot right nowâ
You canât help but laugh at that (yea youâre definitely in shock). Soon enough he joins in too, and the mood feels lighter than it has all night. You might even say you feel comfortable.
That is until the laughter subsides and you meet his eyes. Heâs now staring at you with the same intensity youâd met earlier at dinner.
Itâs like heâs looking right through you, into your soul. You feel on display and more than anything afraid of what he might find.
âStop thatâ
âStop what?â He says with a playful tone and a tilt of his head.
âYouâre..well..I donât know what youâre doing but I donât like it. Youâre trying to get a read on me or something.â
He just smiles at that, because of course he does.
You know there is no avoiding playing into his hand. He wants to get a rise out of you, in one way or another.
âAnd what do yo-â
âY/N!â
At the mention of your name you both turn to see Tyler standing in the doorway.
Antichrist or not, the look Michael gives him is enough to send a wave of fear up your spine.
He appears as though heâs about to snap his neck through just a look(and you're afraid to find out if he could).
Noticing his anger, Tyler stops and bows before Michael, apologizing incessantly for interrupting him.
You donât miss the twitch of Michaelâs lips. Heâs clearly loving the effects he has on his followers.
You just roll your eyes at your friend.
âCalm down Tyler, get upâ
He just letâs your words pass over him as if you hadnât even spoken. If he hadnât been the one to call your name a moment ago, you wouldnât be sure he even knew you were in the room.
Every sense he had was aimed at Michael, and it was only when his precious dark lord gave him a nod that he got up and looked your way again.
âWhat are you doing? I thought you were going home?â He says through clenched teeth.
If he werenât so worried about keeping you alive he would be pissed at you for not listening.
âI was. I amâ you reassure him turning to Michael.
âIt was a pleasure to meet you Michael, Iâll see myself outâ
You are scurrying out of the room, grabbing a frozen Tyler and tugging him along with you, when Michael calls after you.
âNo y/n, the pleasure was all mine.â
Youâre at the end of the hall, and in the middle of Tylerâs scolding session, when you realize there is still blood on your finger.
It feels like itâs vibrating where Michael touched you, begging you to take notice.
Just wipe it on your jeans, you tell yourself.
Wait until you get to the car and find a napkin.
Do anything rational other than what you're thinking.
As you pass through the exit door, you cave and take a taste of the crimson on your finger.
Although you canât see him, you know Michael is smiling. You can feel his smugness in the air around you and you're sure he knows what you just did.
This started out just as me wanting to make some jokes about Michael and the Satanists and has somehow turned into a multi-chapter fic. I still donât really know where itâs going Iâm just letting it take on a mind of itâs own. If it looks familiar itâs cuz itâs been on ao3 for a little bit now, so sorry itâs not a ânewâ new story! If you liked it that makes me very happy, and if not I hope it was at least entertaining! Either way thank you for reading!
(I wasnât sure who wanted to be tagged just in my Xavier fic and who did in general so I didnât add a tag list to this one)
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Fire Lord Ozai: A blood thirsty monster or the less fortunate âZukoâ of his generation?
Hello again and thank you as always for clicking and allotting some of your time to read my humble post! Since Iâve happened to notice quite an increase in posts lately regarding the controversial character and nature of the former Fire Lord, the now imprisoned fallen prince Ozai, and Iâve personally promised in my previous post that I will share my own analysis on him if people asked me to do so (which actually happened), I am here to deliver my own take on this very intriguing manâs character, while also building a potential past for him based on stuff gathered from the showâs cannon.
I would like to start this essay with what I find to be my favorite quote ever: âMonsterâs arenât born, they are created.â ~ Naruto Uzumaki (Naruto) What I like about this quote soo much and find very inspirational is the truth it holds within its short, yet powerful message. We are often fast to judge a âbook by the coverâ, to reduce others to what we assume of them by their appearance or latest actions that weâve seen them do, but never actually take a moment and wonder where they come from, if this person we soo harshly look down upon really has been this way since their very beginning?
Iâve come across many comments on social media related to ATLA, especially on YouTube videos on which people would throw with harsh comments such as âAang being a coward for choosing to spare the villain just because they saw a dumb baby pic of themâ or âOzai is the essence of evil and even as a baby heâd been a monsterâ. I canât help but wonder who hurt these people to make them be so cruel? Like, how messed up must you actually be to say that a baby, a friggin baby, is the embodiment of all evils? Or that a child was a coward for choosing to see his opponentâs last bits of humanity and opted to spare them?
Aang was soo morally conflicted about the idea of killing Ozai not only because it contradicted the morals of his people, but because he himself understood that this man hadnât always been the cruel beast he came to met in their first and final showdown. Itâs important to note here the fact that upon finding that picture, Aang was actually convinced it had to be Zuko as a baby since it looked so innocent and cute and was actually surprised to learn it was Zukoâs father. And thatâs the thing, Ozai was born like us all as an innocent and sweet baby. Babies arenât in any way evil or twisted, they donât even have the notion of âgoodâ and âevilâ defined in their small, still developing minds. In fact, the very choice of the creators to add this picture in the show is meant to tell us this very thing: this man wasnât always like this. But if he wasnât always like this, then what happened to make him become this way?
Well, in order to find out the reason, we must go back in time to the very beginning: Ozaiâs childhood and upbringing. For this next part I am going to solely focus on the show cannon, as the comics arenât the products of BryKe and have a lot of inconsistencies to the sourceâs cannon (you can go and read my other post on why they fail when it comes to Zukoâs character and his family).
 From what we know and can easily deduce by ourselves just from their appearances, Ozai and his brother Iroh have a huge age gap between them (somewhere between 10 and 15 years). This has to be our first red flag: isnât it soo odd that this family opted to have their children at such a long distance between pregnancies? It almost feels as if Ozai hadnât actually been part of his fatherâs actual family planning... In other words, he was a âmistakeâ child (I actually hate having to use this terminology, but it will become relevant to when we expand on Azulonâs relationship with his sons). Sure, some may argue that Azulon actually decided to have two sons in case something were to happen to his first born, but wouldnât it have been more logical to have his second born at 2-3 years max distance from his first? Why choose to have your second child when you are much older and thus risk having a baby with issues, if your sole purpose of this child is to serve as an insurance that you donât ârun outâ of heirs? It just doesnât make much sense, so letâs go for the moment with the possibility that Ozai was an unplanned pregnancy.
This perspective actually gives way to another very interesting aspect: remember the infamous âBorn lucky...Lucky to be bornâ quote? What if I tell you that there is a possibility that this quote wasnât Ozaiâs personal wicked invention, but actually something he himself heard from his very own father? It had been puzzling me for a long time why he choose to say âYou were lucky to be bornâ to Zuko, which implies that Zuko wasnât supposed to exist. I mean, itâs soo odd that Ozai went with something implying that Zuko was an unplanned pregnancy, since Zuko was the first born. So my theory is that maybe Ozai wanted to convey a different message to Zuko when he said that quote, but due to his anger he ended up replicating the same line he received from Azulon at some point in his childhood. We never got the exact flashback when the line was delivered from Ozai to Zuko, so we donât have the exact context that lead to it (remember, we are excluding Yangâs take on the matter from the comics).
I mean, this feels like something that wicked old Azulon would have said to his least favorite child. Okay, so letâs go with the scenario that Ozai was an unwanted child, to which we could also add the possibility that Ilahâs health deteriorated after the first birth, which makes plausible the familyâs initial decision of stopping at 1 kid.
Moving on, we know from the old ATLA character wikiâs that Ozaiâs character design was made with Zuko in mind, being meant to be a grown up version of Zuzu, without the scar. An interesting choice indeed and even Irohâs letter to Zuko on Ozai from one of the ATLA books describes Ozzy in a similar way to teenage Zuko in book 1: stubborn, feisty, determined and with a volcanic personality (easy to anger and competitive), so it means that these were intentional choices to imply that Zuko and his father are more similar than we were led to believe at first glance. Maybe Ozai was the âZukoâ of his generation. Also, in one of the interviews on the royal family, BryKe stated that Ozai worked very hard to get where he is in book 3, referring to his firebending specifically (we all know how Ozzy got the throne, so clearly, he didnât âwork hardâ for that), so maybe he wasnât always the strongest man alive, with the most exceptional firebending skills out there, like Azula who showed ease in her learning, but rather someone closer to Zukoâs weaker performance as a child, building his way to success through endless hard work until he became the prodigy we know today.
Continuing with our theoretical scenario, after his birth, the second child showâs lesser skills compared to his brother Iroh (by that I donât mean that he wasnât gifted at all, but that maybe Ozai wasnât as fast and great of a learner like his big bro), so Azulon opts to just ignore him and continue focusing solely on his golden child. In my headcannon I actually think that Ilah survived the birth and so she was left in charge of the younger childâs education and upbringing. At this point Iroh is already 10 or older, so he is forced to focus on his development, which prevents him from spending time with his lil brother, but just for the sake of being positive, letâs assume that Ozai still had both his mother and his big brother to keep him sheltered from Azulonâs darkness for a small portion of his childhood.
I choose to believe that Ozai had his motherâs love for a small bit of his childhood due to his willingness in the show to allow Ursa (who mind you, as the granddaughter of Roku was considered a treacherous individual) to spend a ton of time with both Zuko and Azula and share her philosophy with the children, as seeing his wife playing with their children probably reminded him of his own bitter-sweet memories he had with Ilah. They also probably spent a lot of their time near the turtle-duck pond since that pondâs existence prolly dates long before Ozai and Ursa married and had their own children.
Unfortunately, Ilah dies and little Ozai remains all alone, to be influenced negatively by his father (and even by his grandpa Sozin, we donât really know for certain when the old man died, so he prolly was there for a short time when Ozzy was still a child). Azulon most likely blames Ozai for his wifeâs death as the second birth mightâve really had a huge toll on Ilahâs already fragile body, bringing her closer to death, so he still neglects and ignores the child, if not straight out bullies and abuses him for not being on par with Iroh. This prolly leads to Ozai becoming jealous of his brother since Iroh has their fatherâs love, pushing them further apart. I headcannon that this jealousy between the siblings led to Ozai complaining to his dad when he finally had too much of their fatherâs discrimination (at a similar age to when Zuko prolly did and got the infamous line, if not younger) only to get the âIroh was born lucky, you were lucky to be born!â line with the sole purpose of hurting him since now the child knows that he was never wanted.
When Azulon scolds very furiously adult Ozai in Zukoâs memories for daring to ask to be named crown prince, he literally says something like âWhat, you dare ask me to betray MY own son?!â (this is like red flag number two), line that pretty much testifies how Azulon chose to pretty much treat Ozai as if he wasnât his son too, showcasing how much he despised his second born and favored the first child over him. Since we are on the topic of their last conversation, the punishment Azulon gave to his son alone proves this manâs level of sadism, which leads me to be believe that Ozaiâs childhood was full of this type of punishments for bad behaviors that could be easily corrected trough a long serious lecture or a lesser punishment focused more on teaching him an actual lesson.Â
The old wikis also mention on the page about the hall with portraits of the previous Fire Lords that it was the place where Ozai chose to spend most of his time in his youth, seeking advice from his ancestors. I mean, seriously now, if he had a good and supportive father and a present brother in his life, would Ozai had chosen to seek guidance from the dead instead of his living family? That piece of information that was easily overlooked by many proves how lonely this man was in his youth.
So for the most part of his life, Ozai grew up under the toxic influence and abuse of his tyrant father who refused to acknowledge him. Yet he managed to grow up still full of determination to one day prove his worth to Azulon and gain his acceptance (just like we saw with Zuko in book 1, who was desperate to regain his honor and be accepted by his father). But unfortunately, no matter how strong he became or how good of a firebender he was, Azulon was unmoved and unphased by his second sonâs performance.
From what we could gather from the little info we received in the show, it seems that Ozai was never sent to the battle field to aid his older brother, being kept as a stay home prince, with the only occasion he actually left home being to search for the Avatar (I donât think Iroh was sent to do his part on searching the Avatar since he strongly believed that there wasnât going to ever be one, so itâs safe to assume Azulon assigned Ozai with this mission just to get rid of him for a few years) and the only purpose he ever served to his father was to become part of the old manâs genetics experiment in order to create strong unparalleled firebending offspring (which I am pretty sure were meant to be âbiological war machinesâ used by Azulon in the war, as he didnât really seem to give a shit about Ozaiâs children compared to Lu Ten). So just imagine the level of disappointment and dishonor Ozai mustâve felt as a man and young aspiring soldier to find out that he was going to be used like a ânon-bending daughterâ in a strategical marriage and never get to serve his country in what heâd been taught was the greatest and most important war for their Nation.
All in all, this marriage didnât really end up that badly because it seems he and Ursa were actually very compatible. The old wiki for Ursa states that she was a noble woman and the perfect match for Ozai, which leads me to believe that show Ursa was intended to be a very strong willed and determined woman who earned his respect. The show never stated that Ozai never wanted his first born or that he was disappointed with Zuko from birth like the comics say, so itâs safe to assume that Ursa and Ozai actually ended up falling in love at some point since they had not one, but two kids with relatively a short time in between pregnancies.Â
There are actually many signs in the show that actually prove that these two loved each other and Ozai didnât abuse his wife: from the fact that they went every year to see Ursaâs favorite play despite Ozai hating the poor performance of the Ember Island Players (I mean, what man would do such a sacrifice as to endure the same torture every single year just to make his wife happy if he never loved her?), Ursaâs undeniable and sincere love for their children (in the show it was never stated that Ursa saw Zuko and Azula as someone elseâs children, so if she were indeed an abused woman who was forced to have these children, she wouldnât have ever loved them to such an extent, especially Zuko who resembled his father the most physically), the fact that Ursa had equal rights in their marriage and raising of their children (her even scolding and grounding Ozaiâs favorite child without hesitation), to the most significant scene to the Urzai ship in Zukoâs flashbacks: Ozai sitting troubled all alone in Ursaâs favorite spot by the pond, in a sad and brooding atmosphere, after he lost her, instead of celebrating what had to be the happiest day of his life since he was finally crowned Fire Lord (itâs clear who had more importance in his heart: Ursa meant more to him than the throne, so losing her outshined his achievement). In fact, Ursa mustâve been the only thing that still kept him outside of the darkness that threatened to swallow his heart and once he lost her, Ozai had nothing else to keep him on the right path.
And even as a father, it seems that Ozai wasnât always cold and distant to his children, as his true self depicted in Zukoâs memories on Ember Island shows him caring for both of his children, even holding Zuko close to him with a protective arm on the boyâs shoulder. Except the Agni Kai, there donât seem to be any instances in which he was physically violent towards his son before the banishment (Iroh literally let Zuko in to join that faithful war meeting willingly. Wouldâve he done that if he knew his brother to be very violent towards his children in case they disobeyed? If yes, then it would make Iroh actually very questionable on a moral standpoint)Â and even on an emotional level, I donât really think that he was actually abusive to him (at least while Ursa was there) because from Zukoâs conversation with Zhao, heâs adamant that his father will take him back and even states "You don't know how my father feels about me. You don't know anything!", meaning that the father he used to know showed him a level of respect and genuine affection (if Ozai were to bully Zuko since the boyâs very early childhood, do you think this kid would grow up to be so sure that his father wants him around and would he defend this bully when someone badmouths them in front of him?).
Even with Azula, despite people demonizing her from early childhood and saying that she was manipulated since birth by Ozai to become a war machine, I do believe that she shows genuine love and affection towards her father. I do choose to believe that back in the good times when the family was happy, Ozai spent quality time with his daughter, filling in the gap left by Ursaâs neglect. I theorize that the reason why kid Azula badmouthed her grandpa and uncle was because she was being very protective of her father: since she used to like spying and eavesdropping, itâs safe to assume that she prolly witnessed many instances in which the old man bullied or insulted Ozai, favoring Iroh over him. Itâs a bit harder to see it that way since her snarky comments involve dark topics, but since they live in a society governed by power and war, I see them as something similar to if Azula wouldâve said âUncle sucks and he will surely be fired from his job!â or âGrandpa is old and weak, he should leave the family business to dad!â. Even the fact that the only thing capable of shattering her to pieces was her father leaving her proves how much she cared for him. Ty Lee and Maiâs betrayal was a big blow on Azulaâs control and sanity, but she didnât breakdown until Ozai discarded her after his coronation as Phoenix King. Thereâs nothing more painful in this world than to be left behind by the person you loved the most and was there by your side your whole life, whom you wanted to follow to worldâs end and back. That was the moment Azula finally realized that the father she used to know and love was actually gone and had been in fact, long gone for years at this point.
But if Ozai cared for his family what made him change? Easy, it all comes back to the fact that his father never acknowledged him. The throne doesnât seem to be his ultimate goal in life since Ozai discarded of the Fire Lord title very easily, tossing it to Azula without any remorse or hesitation. It was more about the meaning behind getting the crown: replacing Iroh in the line of succession was the ultimate proof of his fatherâs acceptance, that he wasnât only a âmistakeâ and âfailureâ in his fatherâs eyes, but since Azulon ended up saying and doing what he did, backfired Ozai and made him understand that no matter how hard he tried, the old man will never see him for what he is. So yeah, for a proud man like Ozai this was a hard defeat to swallow, which in turn sparked his strong desire of winning the war and becoming the king of the world: if Azulon wouldnât accept him even in death, then Ozai will prove to the whole world that he was above his father and his âperfectâ brother by accomplishing what they never could and even better and no one was going to stop him, not even his own family.
This is what differentiates Ozai from Zuko: while both had similar upbringings, Ozai never broke away from his obsession of gaining his fatherâs admiration, allowing himself to fall prey to the darkness left by Azulon in his heart and abandon his true self, only to become the copy of his abuser, while Zuko stood up to his dad and chose his own destiny. If Aang were to come back around 20 or 30 years earlier, then he mightâve actually been able to save Ozai just like he saved Zuko, but unfortunately it wasnât this way.
Do I think that Ozai could still be saved and redeemed even after the events of book 3? Definitely! Since heâs actually a broken man and still has a tiny bit of humanity left within, I think he still has a chance to change his heart. The only thing is that itâd be a long lasting process: first off he needs to spend a long time in solitude and reflect on his lifeâs choices and his past, understand where he went wrong and that what happened to him in his childhood is called abuse, which he ended up replicating on his own children. After he understands his wrongdoings and becomes willing to rediscover his true self, he needs to understand the truth about the war, that everything heâd known was fake propaganda and that there was nothing glorious in what he, his father and Sozin did under the excuse of âsharing their Nationâs greatness with the rest of the world!â. But most importantly of all, the only remedy that could possibly save him is love. It sound cliche, but by responding to hatred with more hate like Zuko did in the comics would never change the world âfor the betterâ or bring it âto realityâ. The only way to save both Azula and Ozai would be trough showing them the power of love, hope and empathy, how they donât have to struggle alone and push everyone away. And especially by redeeming Azula, she would be a very important piece in Ozaiâs redemption: since he had a closer parent-child relationship with Azula and cared for her the most when he did care, realizing how much he made her suffer through his actions, that would probably break Ozai enough to make him admit that he was wrong all along.
So yeah, this is my analysis on Ozaiâs character using the cannon information from the show and old wikis and why I think he is just the product of a very bad environment and an abusive parent who never showed him love (if thereâs a reason for why Ozai might be uncapable of showing a healthy parental love to his children is because you canât show what youâve never learnt yourself), being the Zuko of his generation who never got to experience the positive influence of an âUncle Irohâ to guide him on the right path.Â
You can agree with me or not on this one, but this is what I choose to believe. Maybe I am way too good by choosing to see any potential good in anyone, but I feel itâs a better way than to counter hate with more hate like Yang did in his monstrous portrayal of Ozai in The Search.
Let me know your thoughts in the comments and if you agree with anything Iâve said, feel free to leave a like and to reblog this post.
See you next time and stay safe! Bye-Bye!
Saby out.
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Curtain Call (Jacob Frye x Maxwell Roth)
Authorâs note: This is a oneshot between Jacob Frye and Maxwell Roth from Assassin Creed Syndicate. This game is al around an amazing one and I absolutely loved the story. Honestly, I donât normally ship characters of the same sex (I donât hate same sex couples. In fact, a lot of fanart I see of these types of couples are wonderful and really adorable.) But something about these two just really fucking intrigue me.Â
P.S- I hope nothing I said above offends anyone. I just have a hard time finding the correct words for certain topics without causing offense. If I had said something that offends anyone, please let me know and I will fix it.Â
Warnings: Character death-angst
additional information: this oneshot does feature my own Assassin Creed Oc, Ava Layton, an Assassin from the American Brotherhood that has befriended the Frye twins after they came to help her and Green stop the Templar regime.Â
DISCLAIMER:This probably isnât the best writing. But being a college student, I kind of rushed it a bit and I donât have to time to go back to edit it, so please bare with me on this one. Another oneshot with Starrick and reader should be coming soon, so If you are interested, be on the lookout for that as well.Â
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Darling, darling, oh, turn the lights back on now Watching, watching, as the credits all roll down Crying, crying, you know we're playing to a full house, house
Jacob stood in silence on top of a building in The Strand Borough. He clenched his jaw as he stared down at the theater before him. He was inside, Jacob knew that part very much. Sometime inside of him told him to walk away. Forget the mission that he had set himself to do and let the man inside of that theater live to see another day. Maybe he would convince Evie to do it instead.Â
Jacob closed his eyes and swallowed thickly. No. He couldnât and he wouldnât. This was Jacobâs mess and he had to fix it himself. As much as he was felt something for Maxwell Roth, his enemy and someone he didnât think was possible to catch feelings for, he had to end it. He opened his eyes and looked at the female cloaked figure next to him, crouching as he assumed she looked for a way in. Jacob had asked her to help him infiltrate the theater without too much hassle and she was there on Jacobâs last mission and interaction with Roth.Â
Jacob watched as Roth was about to order his men to blow the house to smithereens, just as Ava pointed out the children walking towards the workshop. He had immediately turned on Roth.Â
âWait!â He held his arm out towards Roth, who looked back at him in slight confusion.Â
âWhat in heavens for?âÂ
âThere are Children in there.â Jacob pointed down at them, as Ava readied in case they needed to jump into action to save them. It was something the two friends were adamant about. Keeping the kids of London safe and out of harmâs way, and this moment was no exception. Roth chuckled and shook his head, advancing towards Jacob.Â
âJacob, my dear.â he started. âStarrick uses child labor to manufacture goods. We must put an end to his production line.âÂ
âYea but not like this!â Jacob argued softly.Â
âWhy not?â Roth argued, his voice raising slightly as he argued with the man before him. âI can do whatever I damn well please. Soon you will understand what it is to be free, as I am.â Roth walked over to the ledge and shouted down to the Blighters below them on the ground level. âLightâ em up boys!âÂ
Jacob ran past him, screaming âNO!â as he jumped over the ledge, tackling the larger man of the two and slicing his throat. He turned and looked up at Roth.Â
âWhat the hell are you doing!â Roth shouted down to him, as Ava finally scaled the side of the building and down and meet with Jacob. Jealousy seemed to flash in Rothâs eye as he watched the female stand behind Jacob, who obviously agreeing with Jacob as well.Â
âWeâre not playing games anymore Roth!â Jacob shouted up to him. Jacob nudged Ava and the two burst into a sprint towards the workshop.Â
âJacob, we have to save those children before he does something.â Ava cried out, feeling anxious as she worried for the state of the children. On most days, she cared about the children more then she did herself.Â
âWorking on it Ava.â He answered back quickly, just as Roth blew up the dynamite himself.
No heroes, villains, one to blame While wilted roses filled the stage And the thrill, the thrill is gone Our debut was a masterpiece But in the end for you and me Oh, the show, it can't go on
âJacob.â The young assassin was pulled from the flashback by his female companion. Ava had pulled her hood down, looking up at him. âAre you okay?â she asked. Jacob stared blankly at her, wondering the same thing. His eyes darted back towards the theater, but he knew the truth. He didnât have to say anything for her to know what he was thinking about. Ava was good that way.Â
âLetâs get this show on the road.â Jacob mumbled as he scaled down the side of the building. Ava watched as he did so, her heart breaking for him. He had been betrayed by someone he obviously cared deeply for. She leaped down, meeting him on ground several moments later, the two walking towards the theater.Â
We used to have it all, but now's our curtain call So hold for the applause, oh And wave out to the crowd, and take our final bow Oh, it's our time to go, but at least we stole the show Least we stole the show Least we stole the show Least we stole the show Least we stole the show
It didnât long for the two to make their way inside. Ava had went got them masquerade masks so that they could gain easy entrance without causing a ruckus and alarming their target inside.Â
âAre you sure you want me here to help you?â Ava asked as they finally got entrance, looking up her friend. He stared blankly ahead over the balcony and at the stage. She searched his face for anything that might tell her that he didnât want her here. That he wanted to do this by himself. Jacob finally let out a sigh, his eyes falling to the floor before finding her own behind the mask she too wore.Â
âI want you here...â he trailed off, looking away from her before he continued, swallowing thickly once more. âIn case I canât follow through with the mission. You donât have an emotional attachment to Roth. It would be easier for you. He needs to go.â He explained softly so that any surrounding guests or Rothâs men didnât overhear him. Ava nodded in understanding.Â
âI understand.â Ava said softly. âAre you ready?â Jacob let out a deep exhale.Â
âReady as Iâll ever be, I guess.âÂ
Least we stole the show Darling, darling, you know that we are sold out This is fading, but the band plays on now We're crying, crying, so let the velvet roll down, down
At this point in the mission, the two have successfully taken out the doubles that looked like Maxwell. The two now stood on separate side in the rafters back stage, watching as Roth advanced out onto the stage. Two Blighters had torch like sticks that when they blew on them, the fire expanded and lit the curtains of the theater stage on fire.Â
âYouâre move, Jacob, My dear!â Roth laughed as he watched the guests watching the performance scatter and run towards the entrances as the theater continued to catch ablaze.Â
Ava glanced across the backstage area at Jacob, who watched Roth with sadness and what appeared to be longing.Â
âIf only.â Jacob said softly.Â
âBurn!Burn! Burn!â Roth exclaimed loud enough for the two assassins to hear over the crackling of flames. Jacob finally looked over at Ava, giving her the signal. She nodded in understanding, leaping down and darting towards the two blighters that surrounded Roth.Â
âAva, my darling! I expected to see Jacob.â Ava glared at Roth, her eyes flickering briefly to the figure walking through the smoke behind him as she assassinated one blighter, throwing a knife at the other.Â
Jacob watched as Ava darted across to the other side of the stage, taking down the last Blighter as he advanced on Roth. Thoughts invaded his mind again about how things could have been different had it not been for Rothâs morals. Jacob never had watched those kids die. He wouldnât have been to live with himself. all this time he was seeking validation from someone after his father and the moment he finds the one he hoped could give it to him and reciprocated his romantical feelings, they turn around and betray him. Jacob closed his eyes, hearing the metal swishing as the hidden blade in gauntlet came to life, before plunging it into Rothâs back.Â
No heroes, villains, one to blame While wilted roses fill the stage And the thrill, the thrill is gone Our debut was a masterpiece Our lines we read so perfectly But the show, it can't go on
âWhy did you do it? All of it?â Jacob had asked, as he now cradled Rothâs body to his own, the two sitting on the stage as the fire burned around them. At this point in time, Ava could not be found and apart of Jacob feared the worse for his friend. Roth only looked up at Jacob, a hand coming to Jacobâs cheek. Jacob found himself leaning closer to Rothâs hand, closing his eyes briefly before opening them again.Â
âFor the same reason I do anything.â Roth answered, before he pulled Jacob closer to him, capturing Jacobâs lips in a kiss. The young assassin was caught off guard at first, being overwhelmed by shock. But as the seconds flew by, he found himself kissing the Templar below him back with passion. Then Rothâs hand fell from his cheek and his body went limp in his arms. Tears pricked the corner of Jacobâs eyes as he sat there, his lips quivering before he was interrupted.Â
âJacob!â Ava scream cut through the air as the man looked up frantically for his friend. He bid one last heartfelt good bye to the man he was once loved below him, before moving to where he heard. She cried for him again, sounding from the second story, and in pain.Â
He found her near the entrance, underneath a beam of wood that had fallen. Jacob hurried and helped her out from underneath, pushing her out the front door as the rest of the theater continued to collapse. The two friends flew into coughing fits, hacking up their lungs because of the smoke they inhaled and fighting for their breaths back.Â
âAre you okay?â Ava finally broke the silence as she looked at Jacob. Jacob went silent, apart from their continued coughing as their breathing slowly went back to normal and they cleared their lungs of smoke. Was Jacob okay? Of course he wasnât. His thoughts went back to the kiss he shared with Roth before the older man passed.Â
After several moments, he looked back at Ava, whoâs face and hands were covered with soot and held her midsection, obviously still in pain, waiting for an answer from him.Â
âI should be asking you that. You look horrible.â He answered, not wanting to talk about it, and he knew Ava wasnât going to push for an answer from him.Â
âA warm bath sounds good right now.â Ava said and Jacob agreed with her, wrapping his arm around her shoulder, allowing her to prop herself up against him. She winced in pain at the littlest movement, wondering if she broke or bruised her ribs as they walked.Â
However, before the theater was out of sight, Jacob looked back one last time, which definitely didnât go unnoticed by Ava. His heart hurt just as much as her ribs did, but he knew that all of this was for the better. Roth wasnât going to change and he was only in the way of getting to Starrick. However, no matter how many times Jacob told himself that, it all still hurt him just a little bit more.Â
We used to have it all, but now's our curtain call So hold for the applause, oh And wave out to the crowd, and take our final bow Oh, it's our time to go, but at least we stole the show Least we stole the show Least we stole the show Least we stole the show Stole the show Least we stole the show Stole the show Least we stole the show
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HEADCANON  :   sirius   +   public perception
popularityÂ
there is no denying that sirius and james both had a reputation at hogwarts as two of the most popular boys in their year. this wasnât always due to their outgoing nature, their intelligence and wit. more often than not, their mischievous affairs made them popular in both good and bad ways. though in comparison to his friend, siriusâ public image and the way he manipulated peopleâs perception of him differed in a lot of ways.Â
at surface level, sirius is regarded as an easy going boy, an extremely sharp and intelligent wizard, and an extrovert. apart from his first few months at hogwarts in his first year of school (in depth analysis to come), sirius never struggled to be on amicable terms with his fellow gryffindors and students beyond his own house. he finds it easy to strike a conversation with just about anyone, even when there is little or nothing in common between him and others. exhibiting signs of being somewhat of a social chameleon, sirius appears to be all around a lively, tolerating and reliable presence in peopleâs lives.Â
amiable presenceÂ
his charm and innate charisma allow people engaging in conversation with him to rapidly feel at ease as sirius never falters, even in an awkward exchange. he quickly finds something to say to dispel the discomfort in a casual manner that betrays nothing about his true feelings (and this will continue to be a motif throughout this post) regarding the situation. it is never hard to earn a compliment from sirius, though this can often be a double-edged sword. although he generally means every word behind his compliments and praise aimed at his closest friends and acquaintances, his tone of voice changes drastically when he adopts a mocking attitude and you will be sure to know that he is being sarcastic.Â
he is generally supportive of other students even if he doesnât have the same bond with them as he does with the marauders. by nature, sirius loves to see people succeed and excel when they work hard. when they struggle, he makes sure to lend a helping hand where possible. he is known to share his notes, volunteer to help others practice spells, give tips and insofar as academic performance is concerned as this also helps him keep himself active and constantly prepared.Â
he is also rather easy on the eye, as we, the readers, are all too often reminded. to get sirius to realise that this particular aspect of him factored into the attention that he received, however, is a trip and a half. this, combined with his casual nonchalant and attitude towards people outside of his tight-knit friend group, adds to the general intrigue that exists around sirius.Â
suspicionsÂ
it doesnât help that he is who he is, the heir of the kind of family whose legacy makes him prone to attention, mostly unwanted. it is easy for some, though i expect not many, to mistake his general mischievous and impish nature for something much deeper, indicative of a darkness festering inside of him. as the only member of the house of black who wasnât sorted into slytherin, not only did it make people generally curious about what might have set sirius apart from the rest of his family, but some students, especially those who were familiar with his familyâs reputation, even wondered how long it would take for him to finally show his true colours.Â
this perception of him never truly went away. perhaps people got bored of waiting for the moment the bomb would tick its final tick, or they stopped caring enough to continue observing his actions and behaviour. no matter how much sirius tailored his demeanour, how outspoken he was against his familyâs values and morals, how gryffindor he was, blood was blood. this will continue to follow him for many years to come and it is this perception of sirius that ultimately plays an important role at his trial, among other things.Â
antagonistÂ
as popular, beloved, admired and at times scrutinised as sirius is, he still has a strong penchant for trouble and painting himself in a bad light to a specific group of people. he takes matters concerning blood supremacist views extremely personally and is strongly of the belief that if anyone should advocate against them and actively fight the perpetuation of them, it is him. this is due to his proximity to people who adopt such views and his upbringing in an environment that facilitated his appropriation of them until he learned to do better.Â
as such, sirius can be seen speaking out against prejudice and blood purist values, instigating disputes with those who uphold them and, in the company of his like-minded fellow marauders, even as far as concocting and carrying out pranks targeted at extremist students. he will make his detestation of those slytherins who did not rise above the prejudice theyâd been raised with very clear, as sirius believes that he is living proof of the fact that it is possible to do so. however, to some of the aforementioned people who are likely to cast doubt on siriusâs true intentions, this might come across like a personal vendetta or simply an act of childish rebellion against his family that doesnât amount to much else beyond his desire to be contrary.Â
no oneâs friendÂ
all of that being said, the important takeaway from it is that sirius appears to be one thing on the exterior for several reasons. in reality, he is rather an inhibited person where his true feelings, thoughts, fears and worries are concerned (more to come). with the exception of the marauders (his brother and his cousins too but only to a certain extent), no one else is privy to his innermost thoughts, especially his emotional states.Â
it is easy for some to judge by his exterior presentation, easy going nature and popularity that it is safe to approach him and consider him a friend. that is because he ultimately doesnât give any indication that that particular assumption is undesired. however, he will swiftly let them know that that is not the case. although he tries his best to make people feel comfortable around him, that excess of comfort and crossing the threshold between acquaintances and friends is what causes him to bring up his walls in an instant. the switch is instant and it is tangible. his demeanour changes, he feels distant and out of reach, he will begin deflecting and eventually cut people off. likewise, getting sirius to open up to you even just a fraction and making the slightest misstep results in the same treatment. to earn your way back into his good graces is a trip and a half.Â
if this results in people thinking that sirius isnât capable of caring about people on a deeper level or being a good friend, even to the three boys he spends all of his time with, this only serves as a disservice to sirius, and, years later, may even come to factor into why so many were quick to believe the accusations brought against him. this has nothing to do with his aversion to people as he enjoys popularity and attention (of a certain kind) and everything to do with the way he was raised. you can blame walburga and orion black for his impenetrable shell, as iâm sure he would want you to.Â
#â  headcanon  âș  there are things worth dying for#i wish i had an explanation for why this is so long#but i do Not#ly do better and stay on topic challenge#long post for ts
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List of Intriguing Golden Kamuy Characters: (part 1)
As I read more chapters of Golden Kamuy, the characters get more fleshed out & layers upon layers of their broken selves get explored.
A general theme: is the the changing mentality of men before, a mid & after wars. How their psyche & mind change as the brutality of war breaks them apart.This manga is very unique in presenting its characters as human with degrees of good & bad in every one of them. None of these men is innocent & naive. Theyâre all aware of their current position as war soldiers whether deserters, discharged or on duty. Basically it is a manga abt broken men. Asirpa, the sole female protagonist, is presented as an innocent but practical character, but will she stay the same or will the hunt for gold & the worry for Ainu future change her?
Fascinating aspect: the dynamics between characters are one of the most entertaining in anime that Iâve read! truly unique. The characters, thanks to the plot, are forced to change sides & join different groups repeatedly throughout the story & each time, I discover new brilliant dynamics!!! The humor is good with a dash of adult jokes! The deadly hotel dynamics, the circus dynamics, the trip to Abashiri, the trip to Karafatu dynamics! & more, are all well-done.
Below, Iâll write very short & general broad summary of what I find fascinating abt each character. Iâll divide them into groups. ( contains spoilers)
1.Sugimoto's group:
Saichi Sugimoto: the protagonist. A discharged soldier. He is a troubled soul who has very low self worth despite his immense desire to stay alive. His kindness contrast his violent brutality. He kills criminals/soldiers with no mercy yet heâll put himself in danger for those he cares for. Iâm especially interested in his journey to reconcile with past self. I need for him to have a journey away from Asirpa & everybody. A self cleansing path where he accepts that perhaps itâs okay for him to not end up in Hell. His own personal issues with his past & the guilt he carries coupled with his fear that Umeko (his first love & his friendâs widow) will see the monster that he believes heâs become is highly fascinating to me! How will he deal with that? & if he were to ever meet Umeko again will she sense the past Saichi or the blood drenched Sugimoto or if there will be a different Sugimoto when the gold hunt is over? Perhaps, we wonât ever know. Perhaps letting her go & letting all his past go is part of his new journey? Can you start new while ignoring the past? I need to see Sugimotoâs own journey!
Asripa: 12 or 13 year old girl who is independent & capable to sustain herself without the need of any man. This childâs young age is especially important for the story that is full of adult & veteran men of war as she represents the hopeful future. The future is the children who shouldnât be plagued by their parentsâ sins & desires. Her father put her in the center of danger & threw a huge burden on her. His own dream that is conveniently introduced as the salvation of her ppl. A dream that kept changing with every new step he takes, a dream that clashes with other menâs dream & for them to achieve theirs, they need Asripa who is is in the middle of it all. I want Asripa to find a path that is hers, not her fatherâs. Moreover, I want her to grow independently from Sugimoto whom she now considers the center of her own dream. She needs to see the world & grow up as a woman before she ties herself with others for life.
 Shiraish: A comic relief convict with unique escape skills, who in the later chapters has grown immensely without loosing his comic value! I love his growth!! & yet is to come! heâs become the rational one in the group while being super silly! Very satisfying indeed!
2.The 7th Division: (aka the most fascinating set of characters)
TokushirĆ Tsurumi: One of the most well-written villains that Iâve recently come across. Heâs fluid, entertaining, manipulative & fascinating. You literally canât predict his moves or even his moods! Canât tell if what heâs saying is truth or lie. Tsurumi is the writerâs unchained character cuz while Hijikata is tied a bit by historical reference to a real character, Asirpa to the Auni & Sugimoto as her bodyguard. The writer can simply write Tsurumi freely to fit every shape & every mold. Thereâs even logical reason for his mood swings & erratic behavior; he lost part of his brain in a war explosion & wears a metal plate to cover the open wound. Heâs extremely clever, analytical & his schemes go along way into the past. He even molded & exploited his men to his advantage. He has a tragic background & in the later chapter was able to validly show the pros & cons of Wilk & Hijikataâs planâs while masquerading his as the more logical one. He can be a comic relief, terrifying, genuine, cunning, loving, despicable, handsome, disgusting & above all it creeps me out how alive he seems in the chapters! heâs so animated I feel heâll leave the manga panel & invade my space!! good stories need well-written antagonist & the writer really hit it with Tsurumi! well-done.
Hyakunosuke Ogata: Another unpredictable character. Like Tsurumi, heâs given a tragic background & just like Tsurumi as well, he makes unexcused & horrible decisions. Clearly heâs mentally unstable (a running theme in GK). Ogata, in addition to being the best sniper in the show & performing well in war, chose to add innocent victims to his list. He shot his brother & even attempted to kill Asipra, any writer will make this as simply a lunatic character, but this writer chose to tie such unexcused behavior to Ogataâs unstable psyche to show that from his own perspective; it makes sense! Afterall, itâs simply â normalâ to not ever feel guilt over killing human. His brother comes to haunt him in one of the most cinematic scenes & even plays with his mind. Youâd think Ogata has gone rouge against everybody? Guess again, heâs got allies. Told you itâs hard to predict!
GenjirĆ Tanigaki: loved, endearing & dumb. lol. heâs simply a âshoujo girlâ in a historic war manga. Tanigaki started dark, torn, filled with guilt in one of the tragic background stories, but was released from his tormented soldier persona by a convict who taught him, it is okay to start a new again. Desert the army, let go of the past & start again. heâs rewarded with a wife & a daughter but not before going on a journey with the others to showcase his manly charms & naive persona! love him.
Hajime Tsukishima: Another fascinated character that silently took me off guard with how much I cared for him! I had to go back & see where did he start! He was a background character assisting Tsurumi, then slowly became a prominent character with his own fascinating background story where you feel for him & see the depth of Tsurumiâs manipulation. I canât even begin to explain Tsukishima mentality & psyche in this short summary! heâs got depth! thatâs for sure.
Otonoshin Koito: the youngest in the division & one of the youngest men in the entire cast, but got high army rank thanks to his father & joining a military academy. You wanna know how manipulative Tsurumi is? read Koitoâs background story. epic! Koito is impulsive, stubborn, inexperienced & highly skilled. Heâs a bit naive at times but not dumb. Heâs got amazing comic relief value tied with plot importance! His dynamics with Tsukishima & Ogata & Sugimoto are brilliant! youâll never get bored!
Tokishige Usami : another unstable character. He shares Ogataâs belief that itâs normal to not feel guilt. Through him the writer argues that whether you come from tragic background (Ogata) or loving family (Usami), not feeling the slightest guilt over killing human is not normal. Ogata kills his mother while Usami kills his friend, both were young when they did their first innocent kill. However, unlike Ogata, Usami is very loyal to Tsurumi & obsessive of him. Heâs strong, skilled, deadly & very creepy!! like very~~~~ creeeeepy~
KĆhei NikaidĆ: from one of the creepiest sadistic soldiers to a sad, mentally unstable & tormented shell. Heâs become such a valuable comic relief! I used to shudder when I see him, now I canât stop laughing. Hard fall for the sadistic Nikaido! lol.
Kiktua: a new addition. So secretive & appears level headed & has good sense of morals.
Airko: another new addition: Ainu soldier. Appears naive, with high morals yet indecisive.
I could say more abt each character, but this is meant to be a summary. Each character is deep & has broken mentality that led to their decisions whether excused or unexcused. The convicts & Hijikata are next! But I had to start with Sugimoto & the 7th division! cuz thatâs the main dish!
#Golden kamuy#my 1st manga!#sugimoto#tsurumi#asirpa#koito#tsukishima#Tanagiki#Usami#Shirashi#Ogata#excited paper
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5, 21 - any thoughts on what makes for an enjoyable (for you) adaptation of a work?
5- Favorite Overused Tropes again I feel strongly these are NEVER overused , for the very objective reason that I Like Them, but : the thing where thereâs diagetic BGM but you donât KNOW itâs diagetic, itâs just music playing over the scene and then someone changes the station or takes off their headphones or w/e and it stops? gets me every single time , absolutely love it
21 (any question) oooh, what makes an adaptation enjoyable For Me... leaving aside the basic things that make any kind of story enjoyable (craft/performance/etc), I really love it when an adaptation can bring out an aspect of the story that Iâd never fully experienced, or help me view the story in a new way that compliments it?Â
Just to stick with Les Mis bc we all know it--three of my favorite adaptations are Shoujo Cosette; the 1925 silent version;Â and the 1995 version set in the early-mid 20C. These are all very different shows/movies!Â
But Shoujo Cosette has a luxury of time to spend developing Cosetteâs internal life, and her relationships with other people--Valjean, Marius, Eponine, Gavroche-- in a way else Iâve seen even tries to do, and it deals with the political and social ideas of the original in a way that is , definitely, not exactly what Hugo was talking about, but is in dialogue with that in an interesting way. Â
1995 really highlights the way the same societal issues keep playing out across time, as well as how a story can resonate with different people in different ways and still be the basis for forming community; itâs miles away from being a direct presentation of the same story but summons up the moral and social questions so powerfully
1925 is very true to the novel (especially the first half!); thereâs no narrative additions. But the performances for all the characters are so good that it fleshes out the characters without needing to add a single line. Like I finally feel like I really understand , on an emotional level, what Valjean is doing in the time at the Montfermeil inn?? And itâs all in just seeing how everyone moves and looks and acts.Â
All three are SO different from each other, but theyâve all got that dialogue with and amplification of the original text , done with real intent and effectiveness, that for me is what makes something a good/fun adaptation as well as just a good movie/series/etc!Â
#thank you! that was a really interesting thing to think about#other adaptations#fandom answers#aporeticelenchus#answereds
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Alias vs. Nikita: Sydney Bristow and Nikita Mears: On Ethos
It took Danny for Sydney to even consider that SD-6 was not what it claimed to be. Â
All told, the core premise of Alias is not one that stands up to scrutiny. In order for SD-6 to successfully fool nearly its entire staff into thinking that it was legitimately part of the C.I.A., the organization would have had to be either identical to the C.I.A., which presents myriad problems; its members would have had to be not nearly as innocent or patriotic as Alias pretends they are; or not nearly as perceptive or paranoid as spooks are required to be.
Unfortunately, there is ample evidence that the latter (*1) is true. Consider, for example, how the existence of the Alliance is common among SD-6 members. Somehow, despite the fact that the cartel is precisely the sort of threat a group like SD-6 would be designed to handleââthe very people I thought I was fighting against,â Sydney claimsânobody ever finds it weird that SD-6âŠnever actually fights it. More relevantly, thereâs the fact that SD-6 had a policy of eliminating security threats, which agents knew about and apparently considered to be part and parcel of what it meant to work for the C.I.A. If anyone had doubts or suspicions, they were more than happy to set them aside as they did crimes. And Sydney was no differentâuntil Danny. Â
Danny Hechtâs murder was the first crack in the mirror; Daniel Monroeâs was the last straw. His death may have led Nikita to escape Division, but as the story makes clear, she already had an established history of questioning, and even covertly disobeying, her superiors. Whatâs more, it was not personal tragedy that led her to seriously question Division, but rather, the things she was asked to do. Therein lies the first key difference between Sydney and Nikita: they view the world through drastically different prisms.
For much of Alias, Sydney approaches the world through a tribalist perspective, dividing the world into two: those who are with her, and those who are not. Us vs. them. Right and wrong are determined not by the morality of an action or the contexts under which it is performed, but rather about who does it. Espionage is good when performed by the United States, but not when performed by an enemy. Lying to oneâs friends and attempting to undermine their lifeâs work is forgivable when she does it, but not when someone like Lauren does.
For much of Alias, this binary thinking undergirds Syndeyâs entire moral philosophy. There was nothing objectionable about SD-6 until it stopped being her tribe, after which she comes to hate it without qualms. The C.I.A. may be just as bad as SD-6 (or it would be, in a show more determined to explore its premise and or show the U.S. in a more critical light), but its actions can reflexively be excused away or forgiven. A.P.O. is as clear an illustration as one can get of this dissonance: explicitly designed to mirror SD-6, it is an admission that Sydneyâs problem with her former employees had less to do with anything they actually did, but with which team they played for. Conversely, her loyalty to the C.I.A. has less to do with what they do and more what they do for her: while Sydney will likely never outright turn against the United States, sheâll bite back when she thinks they are a threat to her or her loved ones, without ever considering it to be a betrayal of her beliefsâblackmailing and extorting the government are okay when she does it. We see this in a smaller, more personal level with Sydneyâs parents, whose actions Sydney considers unforgivable until she is convinced that they were done for her benefit.  Once this happens, their many crimes prove very easy to get over.Â
One could argue, correctly, that Nikita is also all about doing the most for her loved ones: more than once we are shown that she is the sort of person who chooses her family over the world. However, her ethos is ultimately and fundamentally non-tribalist, and it is precisely this quality which led to her turning against Division. While Percy and Amanda and Michael did their damnedest to make sure their agentsâ first priority was Division itselfâus vs. themâNikita never bought into that narrative, continuously choosing othersâRamĂłn, Alex, Stefan and Ari Tasarov, Daniel, herselfâover the organization.
Additionally, one of Nikitaâs trademarks is the ease with which she makes allies, and her willingness and ability to work with others, even when their agendas do not align. The fact that Michael and Alex were working for Division did not stop Nikita from assisting them when necessary. Â Similarly, Owen joining Gogol frustrated Nikita, but it did not cause her to turn against him. Itâs why she was able and willing to rejoin Division, once Percy and Amanda were driven out: just because someone is against her doesnât mean she canât work with themâthere may be an âusâ and a âthemâ, but not necessarily a âvsâ. For Nikita, the world is complicated and requires compromise: purity is a good way to get jack squat, and condemning people for making those compromises when she herself has done the same would require condemning herself.
If only Sydney thought the same. Â Shockingly for someone in her field, Sydney is consistently terrible at working with people if theyâre on her shit list. And while she might argue that this is merely a refusal to compromise her principles, itâs not about that at all: itâs about a desire for simplicity where it does not exist. Â Â
One of the chief features of tribalism is that it is not concerned with logical or moral consistency, and we see this quite a lot with Sydneyâs behavior, which at best lacks self-awareness, and at worst is plainly hypocritical. Â Consider how many times Sydney goes rogue, disobeying, lying to, extorting or undermining her superiors, and how it results in lasting consequences for her, precisely zero times. Consider how she spent SEVEN YEARS as one of the top agents for an international criminal organization, and how little this ultimately matters (seriously, no one ever ever ever brings it up as a potential reason why she shouldnât be trusted, which is appallingly stupid). Another person might notice this, realize how much theyâve benefited from othersâ sympathy and understanding, and treating others similarly, but Sydney, not so much. Irina turns herself in, doing the same thing Sydney herself did a season earlier? She is the worstâa traitor, even though she never claimed to be loyal to the United States. Sloane claims to have reformed? Not on her watch. Perhaps most egregiously, when it is revealed that Lauren is part of the Covenantâthe group which kidnapped Sydney and brainwashed her in order to turn her into an assassinâat no point does Sydney consider that the same might have happened to her. Â And not only is this mindset hypocritical, especially when she turns around and conditionally lets bygones be bygones, it actively makes her a worse spy. Because she is so often invested in not understanding her enemies, she often misses opportunities to see them as potential tools (*2). Additionally, she is often at sea when those same antagonists choose to use her.
Had Sydney persisted in her tribalist outlook throughout the series, Alias would not have worked. Fortunately, she did not, and her transition into the sort of person who could work with Sloane or embrace Rachel, who was partly responsible for Vaughnâs death, allows her story to follow a concrete emotional arc. Â Itâs largely accidental, but the growth is there. Ironically, Nikitaâs journey goes the other way, as circumstances lead her to adopt Division as her tribe, and to take morally corrosive measures she had once condemned in order to protect it. It is only circumstance, in the form of the Division mutiny, that prevented her and her friends from becoming the very thing theyâd sought to escape. And in the end, she chooses to set aside tribalism: after Ryan is killed, she chooses the world over herself. Â
What is particularly interesting about this divergence in worldviews is that itâs largely unintentional: while Nikita is precisely who the showrunners designed her to be, Aliasâ writers surely did not intend Sydney to be as morally vacuous and un-self-aware as she is. Even so, both charactersâ ethos make complete sense, given what we know of them, and in the next part, Iâll be talking a little bit about how both Sydney and Nikita were shaped by their pasts. Â
----
Footnotes!
*1: Technically, the former is also true, insofar as, if we discount the security section shenanigans, we donât really see SD-6 or its members do the work of an evil organization. The missions Sydney and Dixon are sent on are identical to the sort of missions the C.I.A. will send them on, which suggests something rather different from what the show thinks it suggests. Â
*2: Case in point, Simon Walker. While he never draws Sydneyâs ire the way someone like Sark does, that she never considers cultivating him as an asset despite the fact that he likes her and his relationship with the Covenant is entirely mercenary is one of the more frustrating things of that arc.
#Alias#Nikita#NikitaTV#Sydney Bristow#Nikita Mears#A vs N#My Stuff#I really do love Sydney#But she's quite hard to like a lot of the time
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Scattered thoughts on BulbbulÂ
(spoilers ahead)
Finally watched Bulbbul yesterday night, with my bff. We thought we needed each otherâs support because we are phattus of the highest order, but there wasnât much horror in it (as we found out later).Â
Which brings me to the first thing, the trailer. Whoever edited the trailer did a splendid job, because it gave very little clue what the movie was about. I thought it was something like Stree, using horror to give a social message, just instead of comedy in that movie, this was more drama?
The movie, however, had very little horror/thrill. While the movie is one of Netflixâs better online products, it isnât...great. Like itâs very on the surface. There are not many layers to the characters, neither is there a lot of subtext. Still, the pace is good, and the storytelling engaging. Hindi cinema, theatre or OTT, are very new in this genre, so I donât want to be too severe here.
Things that I liked:
Tripti Dimri....omg what a revelation. Laila Majnu didnât let us on how versatile this girl is. In the first few frames, me and my friend were commenting that why is she only sitting around, posing like a mermaid? But then with the flashbacks, her raw performance really took hold. The scene where they are sitting at a picnic and Mahendra pulls at her hair, the way she said, âDada, naâ slightly scared, but also not wanting to hurt his feelings (btw Iâm very anti-Mahendra in this post), that was so well done. From there on, she owns every scene, that you canât look anywhere else. Whether itâs the mix of annoyance and impatience when she wants to meet Satya but Binodini is taunting her, or whether itâs the scene where Indranil informs her and Satya that heâs sending the latter to London, she was so natural. Special mention to the two scenes of violence esp. the sexual assault one, because it takes a lot of guts to portray the victim in such scenes, and the scene was so difficult to watch, that we forwarded after a few seconds of it.Â
That reminds me, from the moment the two brothers Indranil and Mahendra enter the frame, I knew what was going to happen, and which brother was going to perpetrate which abuse. The writing was on the nose, so to speak, with these two particular characters. Even so, Rahul Bose did the best that he could with them, but we have come to expect perfect performances when it comes to him, so not surprised here.Â
The third brother, Satya, was what I would say the most layered character in this movie, surprisingly. Initially, I didnât get why did they cast Avinash Tiwary for this role, because it wasnât either a substantial role, or even a positive or negative or supportive role. I even thought the makers tried to cash on the Laila Majnu hangover, and hyped Bulbbul/Satya love story in the trailer. Unlike Bulbbul who loved Satya, I donât think Satya loved Bulbbul, at least not like she did. Sure, he thought of her as his best friend, confidante, and all, but he didnât care for her like that. It was evident when he was enamored by the idea of going to London, and didnât notice Bulbbulâs voice breaking when Indranil informed them of the news.Â
Halfway done with the film, I had made up my mind that Avinash is good with unrestrained roles like Qais, where he can completely let go, but not in subtle roles requiring controlled performances. What changed my mind was my growing dislike for Satya as the movie kept progressing. I kept thinking why does he annoy me so much, like heâs only there in a few scenes, and yet I want to snap at him? Thatâs when I realized how well the writers have written Satya, captured his mentality and vision, and without any overt or dramatic scenes, Avinash essayed the writerâs message.
Satya is proxy for the society in this film. He hears no evil, he sees no evil, just like our society which likes to pretend that there is nothing wrong going on behind closed doors. Satya is representative of those men, who argue whenever a woman raises her voice, that ânot all menâ (ala that scene where Bullbul alludes to Master Dinkar beating his wife, while Satya defends the man by suggesting that his wife may have actually fallen down the stairs). In the scene where he meets Bulbbul after five years, he questions her what did she do that girl he knew five years ago, indirectly putting the blame on Bullbul for losing her childlike innocence, instead of asking her what happened to her that she became like this. Satya is classic ânot all menâ, victim-blaming abuse apologist in the film. Evil men are not just men like Indranil, who beat up their wives, or sexual assaulters like Mahendra, evil men are also those who stand by and watch, and pretend that nothing is going on, who put the onus on the woman for the upkeep of tradition, who question a womanâs morality and who act as the judge, jury and executioner of a womanâs character. Bulbbulâs dialogue is telling, âTum sab ek jaise hoâ Satya is no different from his brothers, he may not have committed and violence, but he was just as much a villain as the rest of them for willfully ignoring the evidence of his eyes. I havenât made up my mind whether he was actually jealous of Dr. Sudip or not, or he just hated the man for being too bold to be friendly with the âwomen of his familyâ.
Which brings me to Dr. Sudip, the only likable man in this film. Even though at some level it is a little sad to see Parambrata Chatterjee slotted into these male guide/support to the female protagonist kind of roles (his role in Kahaani was something similar), I really do like watching him in these roles, playing them as he does with a lot of charm, subtlety, and empathy. The makers perhaps wanted to signify that there are a few men who are not completely evil, and not afraid or feel threatened in the presence of a assertive, and this case, avenging female. Itâs his relationship with Bulbbul which I felt was the real love story of the film, though of course, Bulbbul didnât harbor the same feelings for him, though she did care for him immensely.Â
The other female role was that of Binodini. I know I should be feeling sympathy for her, at some level, she was also taught to keep quiet and bear all injustice, but Iâm so tired of females taking out their bitterness on other females, making the lives of other women miserable, instead of directing them, rightfully, at the men in their lives and the dictates of the society. Binodini, like Satya, was a proxy for the women in the society who instead of being supportive of other women do the opposite, and help perpetuate patriarchy by teaching their fellow women to keep quiet.Â
Another minor thing, like I mentioned before, from the first scene itâs evident what Mahendraâs going to do. And I wish to God that we stop with mentally ill men assaulting women. No, their mental condition does not excuse rape. Mental illness can provoke violence in a person, yes, killing accidentally or in a fit of rage, beating, pulling clothes, etc, but not rape. Rape is a specific offense that requires knowledge and intent, unless a mentally ill person has learnt it from somewhere, and even then, the fact that they drew pleasure from that violence shows that they have a sadistic instinct. Which is why I was glad when Mahendra was punished for his crime. (this is why I didnât watch Ranjha Ranjha Kardi despite liking Iqra, because I knew they were going to excuse marital rape using mental illness).Â
As such, there isnât much of a plot per se in Bulbbul, itâs more of a commentary of our society, even though itâs set a century back, the issue of itâs choice being violence against women. Despite that, itâs an engaging enough film. It getâs through the message that the real horrors are not ghosts or witches, but what happens daily in our society. The length of the film is a huge plus, so I would suggest watching this film if youâve some free time in the weekend.Â
Also, donât get fooled like me and my friend, itâs not horror genre.Â
#bulbbul#netflix#tripti dimri#avinash tiwary#parambrata chattopadhyay#rahul bose#paoli dam#movies#my stuff
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Final Fantasy VII Review
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 Year: 1997
Original Platform: PlayStation One
Also available on: PC, PlayStation Store
Version I Played: PlayStation One
Synopsis:
The Shinra Electric Power Company rules over the city of Midgar, and the eco-terrorists AVALANCHE stop at nothing to try and prevent the life essence of the planet from being used as energy. Barrett, leader of AVALANCHE, hires a mercenary named Cloud Strife for their bombing mission on a Shinra Mako Reactor. Cloud doesnât care much for the greater cause and only wants his pay. But then, after a mission goes awry, he meets Aerith, a flower girl who is the descendant of the Ancients. He quickly finds himself wrapped up in the greater conflict against Shinra.
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 Gameplay:
Final Fanatasy VII utilizes magic spells via Materia â little orbs that come in a variety of colors pertaining to the natural elements. You can mix and match them on your weapons and equipment, which gives you access to different spells and stats. All your equipment varies with the number of slots for how many Materia orbs you can put in. Leveling up not only upgrades the character but the equipped Materia as well.
 Final Fantasy VII also uses an ATB system but is known for introducing Limit Breaks â finishing moves that build up after the character gets hit over time. Final Fantasy VI had a prototype called Desperation Attack â but it was very rare as it only appeared when your character had 1/8 of their total HP, and there was a 1 in 6 chance of performing the Desperation Attack after selecting Attack. I actually had no idea that was a thing until long after I finished the game, and never experienced it when I played Final Fantasy VI.
Graphics:
Out of all the Final Fantasy games, I have to say that this one has not aged well. It has the worst graphics of the entire series. The battle and cinematic graphics are passable.
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(Most of the graphics power seemed to be put in Tifaâs, uh, bosom.)
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But the characters in towns, the overworld, and in-game cutscenes are incredibly blocky. PC versions are supposedly sharper, but the PlayStation One version makes it nigh impossible to see any facial expressions.Â
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The graphics are definitely a product of its time. I always say that the beginning of 3D gaming was essentially like puberty â awkward and full of zits. It wasnât yet at that stage where it could be aesthetically pleasing. We marveled about it when it was first released, yes, but then we cringed in retrospect.
The environment backdrops however are probably the strongest points, where they capture the industrial nature of Midgar, the reactors and other such buildings.
Story:
Final Fantasy VII became legendary the minute Square released it. Every aspect was memorable. Part of it could be due to the fact that it was the first Final Fantasy game to enter the 3D realm. Another part was Tetsuya Nomuraâs character designs, which hit the cool meter to the point of sub-zero.
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 The cinematics blew our minds. The opening action scene with Cloud, Barrett, and the rest of AVALANCHE attacking Shinraâs mako reactor is the most memorable opening to a Final Fantasy game. Period. Final Fantasy games really do know how to start at the right spot, no matter how good or bad the overall game is. The opening is always the best part.
Then there was the motorcycle chase. Cidâs airship. The gun fights. Battles with Sephiroth. The extra stuff to find, like summons and extra bosses. So much was jam-packed into the game.
 But the story was the primary factor in making VII famous. Itâs definitely one of the better ones. Man, the story became so famous that even gamers who havenât touched a Final Fantasy game knew the major spoilers. It is the equivalent to knowing Darth Vaderâs line, âI am your fatherâ without having actually watched Star Wars.
Aerith (Aeris in the English releases) Gainsborough â the innocent flower girl who holds the secrets of the Ancients â develops a romance with Cloud and fucking dies at the end of Disc 1 by the main villain â Sephiroth. The scene shocked everyone and practically made headlines. Everybody has seen the horrible image in one way or another.
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It seems to me that since Final Fantasy V, the stories have gotten more and more used to main character deaths, ultimately transforming into a heavy-hitting TV series rather than simply a video game series. In other words â it matured. Looking back, Final Fantasy IV appears to be childâs play and a prototype of later dramatic storylines with fully realized worlds.
 Final Fantasy VII was also the first Final Fantasy game to create a world much like ours â one with cars and trains and airplanes and machine guns and even cellphones. The main city of Midgar reflects industrialization at its worst, with miles of slums and claustrophobic cities. Shinra Electric Power Company is a reflection of capitalism at its worst - a single entity in charge of so much that itâs pretty much the government. For the first time in a Final Fantasy game, you play as characters who dance between the morally ambiguous line of terrorism and activism. Funny enough, the theme of neglecting the planet resonates with us now more than ever. This game ended up being rather prophetic about the uncontrollable growth of corporations.
While the story is memorable with many intriguing elements, the plot itself is a tangled web. In my opinion, they really hashed in so many things that itâs easy to forget crucial details. Itâs not straightforward, but at the same time everything does connect by the end. While Shinra is the driving force as a whole as the villain, Sephiroth takes over, then you learn about his backstory and then with the evil scientist Hojo and the extra-terrestrial Jenova and then âWeaponâ and then the planetâs history and this and that and the other thing.
If I were to put Final Fantasy VI and Final Fantasy VII together and contrast them, as many gamers do, I would find that Final Fantasy VII is the summer blockbuster and Final Fantasy VI is the Oscar winner. Final Fantasy VII started introducing the sappy romance subplot to the series. A love triangle forms among Aerith, Cloud, and Cloudâs childhood friend Tifa. While thereâs nothing inherently wrong with having a love triangle, the writing is like watching middle schoolers trying to express their feelings. Final Fantasy VI and Final Fantasy IV treated any romance with dignity and realism.
But maybe Iâm being a bit harsh. After all, Cloud Strife did go through some suffering as an adolescent. His backstory clearly drives his antisocial behavior, so that becomes a good arc.Â
The goofiest but memorable part of the story deals with Don Corneo and Wall Market and running around store to store doing tasks in order to free Tifa from Don Corneo. It ends with Cloud needing to cross-dress as a woman to get inside Donâs mansion. Because, you know, itâs not like Cloud can just break in with his sword and Aerithâs magic or anything like that. But whatever. Itâs anime.
The recent Final Fantasy VII Remake for the PS4 seems to streamline the story, and actually enhances the emotions they were trying to deliver in the original. I will be talking about the remake in a separate post altogether since Iâm almost done with it at the time of this writing. But thereâs a lot that I want to say about comparing and contrasting the remake and the original.
The latter half of the plot takes a couple weird turns. At one point, Cloud became catatonic and confined to a wheelchair.
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That part of the game became the sluggish part for me. Sephiroth also tries to confuse Cloud, which confused me. Cloud apparently suffers from some alternate subconscious mumbo-jumbo and like. . .ungh. I get an aneurysm thinking about it sometimes.
Complicated plotlines like Final Fantasy VII start showing up from here on out in the Final Fantasy series. The trend of bishonen characters also begin here, bishonen being the Japanese term for âbeautiful boy.â Cloud and Sephiroth have that look. The series starts hashing in sappier romances and much more of an anime feel.
Final Fantasy VII ultimately marked the start of a new era for the series â introducing both cool and overused tropes.
Music:
Hands down the best Final Fantasy soundtrack of all.
The entire soundtrack of this game is memorable. The opening tune, with its light twinkle when the stars show up, is enough to make any gamer know exactly what thatâs from.
With a story set in a more modern world, we have music that is more modern. After Final Fantasy VI had a more serious and operatic score, Uematsu displayed his love of progressive rock here. The motorcycle chase incorporates a lot of synth, which was fitting for zipping through the streets of Midgar. However, Final Fantasy VII is the first Final Fantasy game without that familiar starting bassline for the battle them. The battle theme is instantly recognizable but also radically different from its predecessors. Itâs dramatic and displays danger.
Meanwhile, the boss theme is one of the best boss themes in the series, or any video game really. Itâs an electrifying progressive rock piece, and itâs my personal favorite boss theme.
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 The more instrumental pieces are somber, given the dreary atmosphere of the planet. The world map music is very different from its predecessors. Itâs romantic one moment, soaring the next, and then dips into foreboding terror. I guess that sums up the story of Final Fantasy VII.
And we cannot leave out One-Winged Angel, which I will talk about below.
Notable Theme:
Without a doubt, One-Winged Angel â played during the terrifying final battle against Sephiroth â is the most memorable piece of music in Final Fantasy VII.
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It may very well be the most popular song of the entire series. Nobuo Uematsu was inspired by Stravinskyâs Rite of Spring. Itâs a whopping 30 something minute classical piece. If you look it up on YouTube and browse through it, you can definitely note the similarities. However, Uematsu didnât want some boring classical introduction to the piece. He wanted to add the destructive impact of rock. The theme has a very distinct stamping-your-foot-down quality to it.
I had noticed a certain piece-by-piece feel of the song and thatâs exactly how Uematsu composed it. This is the only song that Uematsu has composed where he created several tunes in his head and then rearranged them to make a single comprehensive song.
If you want to get technical, One-Winged Angel is the first Final Fantasy song with lyrics. The chorus sings in Latin about Sephirothâs burning anger, with some lyrics actually taken from the medieval poem Carmina Burana. It sounds fantastic when fully orchestrated.
In Advent Children, the animated sequel to Final Fantasy VII, the music is accompanied by hardcore metal. This new rendition really illustrates the destructive power of Sephiroth. Uematsu changed the lyrics for Advent Children. They are more original now. I specifically noticed the lyrics âVeni, veni, mi filiâ, which translates to âCome, come, my son.â Sephiroth is inviting you so he can kill you.
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 Uematsu has stated that the original orchestration didnât sit well with him. As I suspected, Advent Childrenâs hardcore metal version is the one he preferred, the one he would have composed had he the technology at the time of Final Fantasy VII.
Verdict:
Another must-play for any RPG fan, even if you think itâs overrated. Itâs a must-play because of its popularity, in the same way that people are wide-eyed when you say you havenât seen Star Wars or such-and-such other popular movie. Itâs a whole lot of fun, especially in the scenes that involve other forms of gameplay, such as the motorcycle chase and even a battlefield strategy game in protecting Fort Condor.Â
Direct Sequel?
Yes â first there was the CGI movie Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children.
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I actually watched Advent Children before playing Final Fantasy VII. I had already known most of what happened in the game and Advent Children became a monumental craze when it first came out. Everybody was talking about it. Watching the sequel before playing the game skewers your interpretation of things. My first impression of Cloud was that he was always whiny and angsty, and meanwhile Tifa kept nagging him to move on. I felt really bad for Cloud losing Aerith.
Then when I actually played Final Fantasy VII, I saw that Cloud starts as this badass mercenary. Tifa is spunky and clearly is the better choice (IMO) but Cloud is enamored by Aerith after only meeting her briefly. WHAT? Cloud. Bro. Make a move on Tifa, you nitwit. Tifa is AMAZING.
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 Square Enix then continued the story with Dirge of Cerberus â Final Fantasy VII. This video game sequel focuses on Vincent Valentine, a fan favorite of the original game.
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Let me remind you about something â the original game revealed Shinraâs inner deep secret experiments, namely with Sephiroth and Jenova. Dirge of Cerberus introduces an even deeper research team within Shinra called Deepground. I donât know about you, but it already sounds like the start of a terribly redundant string of sequels, like how the Jason Bourne movies keep revealing an even deeper level of conspiracy theories. Vincentâs mysterious background is now fully revealed. He is defined by â guess what? â another angsty lost lover story, this time with a woman named Lucrecia. Now, okay, look, maybe Iâm just being a dick about these types of love stories. But when it keeps popping up within the same series in the same manner, I start asking if you have anything else to offer on your menu.
Lastly, there is the prequel for the PSP â Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII. Of all the games in the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core has received the most positive reception. If anything, play that after playing Final Fantasy VII before bothering with anything else.
 Oh, and of course there is the Final Fantasy VII Remake, which we thought wasnât going to happen for the longest time but they finally released it in April 2020. More on that later after I finish it, and after I post my entire series of Final Fantasy reviews!
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#final fantasy#final fantasy vii#final fantasy vii remake#aerith#tifa#tifa lockhart#cloud#cloud strife#cloud x tifa#cloud x aerith#aerith gainsborough#sephiroth#nobuo uematsu#square enix#fantasy rpg#video game rpg#rpg#midgar#video games#onvideogames
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@missn11â says:
Ask and ye shall receive, fellow neonate! <3 Bear with me, because Iâm about to hammer out 2000 words very quickly...
This massive rant by its topic nature is sort of Nines-critical, so lemme start by saying that, in my own way, I love Rodriguez. (I was partially self-burning in the shitpost that ignited this rant because I SEVERELY exaggerated Ninesâs canonical shadiness levels in my ancient fanfiction, and for no other reason than because I was a teenage edgelord. I am appropriately embarrassed, but only by my excess and melodrama, not by Troikaâs characterization. I think the writing behind VTMBâs Nines is superb.)
When it comes to Bloodlines, I think heâs one of the most psychologically interesting profiles in the game. In fact, I could never get into LA by Night because they so de-toothed Troikaâs vision of him. Not to say LA by Nightâs Nines was a poorly-developed character in his own right, âcause he wasnât at all, but âmyâ Nines will always be unapologetically and only Troikaâs: boiling angry, viciously pragmatic, a survivor who doesnât let anyone too close lest they see through him, whose over-the-top confident façade cracks a little more every time his backâs against the wall. Troikaâs Nines is the epitome of greater VTMâs âfallen rebelâ archetype, and even though we donât get to see it on all playthoughs, that makes it even better and more believable.
But as with all characterization in Bloodlines, we have to read between the lines and between our own play styles a bit to piece the truth of the puzzle together...
Besides the direct evidence Troika gives usâi.e. the music cues, which are a bit overbearing if Iâm honest (sorry, Troika! ilu); the absence of Nines in Rosaâs prophecy re: people you can trust; and the overt warnings Camarilla-aligned characters give us about himâthe biggest red flag about Rodriguez, imo? Itâs twofold:
the way the characters he surrounds himself with talk about him and the type of vampire he chooses to fill his den. Namely: Nines exclusively recruits angry, spurned, mistreated people who are younger and far less experienced than he is
those messy, ugly, fleeting moments where you see his toughguy everyman personality crack
So! Starting with point one:
THE PERSONALITY CULT ITSELF
We canât deny that Nines does not surround himself with peers. He surrounds himself with followersâpeople who donât challenge him in any way, who are fanatically loyal, who openly profess their worship of him and their conviction he could never/would never do anything wrong. If you listen to how Damsel and Skelter talk about him, itâs with frightening adulation, often repeating Ninesâs lines word-for-word without truly understanding the argumentation behind them. (Damselâs the main offender here with her âITâS A PYRAMID SCHEME⊠it just makes sense, you know? It just makes sense!â And then, of course, she gets pissed and refuses to speak to you when you push her into elaborating.)
Nines has clearly made himself much more than just a friend-figure or a Sire-figure to them. Heâs utterly and completely mythologized by the LA Anarchs, held up next to other politically mythologized names like George Washington and Ho Chi Minh. His followers love him⊠but thereâs a pecking order, and like good body shields, they believe their lives donât matter as much as he matters. And they love that, too. They want to die for Nines. Theyâre not just willing to or resigned to it; theyâre eager to die. Damsel will volunteer this information the first time you meet her. She just canât wait to prove herself by taking a bullet for goddamn Nines Rodriguez. Itâs literally how she introduces herself to new people.
And yet Nines deliberately withholds his attention and time from his followers. He uses his attention as a reward, as incentive. He rations some care and reassurance and helpâmakes you feel good and gives you reason to crave his attentionâand then he pushes you away, back into his adoring ranks until the next âtwo minutesâ you earn from him in which youâre special enough for such an exceptional, important, cool guy to talk to. Thatâs a classic manipulation tactic, and a classic personality cult tell.
And Troika is so damn fuckinâ brilliant about it because they donât stop at showing us that an Anarch-aligned fledgling might feel this wayâno, they make the PLAYER also feel this way. On our first playthrough of Bloodlines, weâre desperate to talk to Nines. We want the reward. âLet me finish the plaguebearer quests⊠let me run to the Elizabeth Dane⊠I hope Nines talks to me again now! Quick, to the Last Round! Maybe if I say the right thing to make him like me, heâll give me another free EXPERIENCE POINT!â (iirc heâs one of two characters who will do so, and the only one who gives multiple points.)
But at the end of the day, Nines is indisputably the leader of the Anarchs, and even fledgling figures that out. (âSounds like youâre the Prince of the Anarchs.â) Heâs very much the Baron of Downtown LA, even if he wonât use that language. As for the grating day-to-day management and leadership stuff that might make him somewhat unpopular among the Anarchs, though? He fobs all that stuff off on Damsel!
Damsel, his Minion No. 1âwhom a lot of players will hate on their early playthroughs, because she assigns tough missions with little to no reward. Damsel, who has no real power role in the Anarchs and functions only to serve Nines. You help Damsel, and you do Ninesâs workâi.e. you do the work of the Barony of LAâand he doesnât even have to take the admiration hit by having to ask you himself.
Thereâs only one non-follower of note around Nines. Itâs Jack, and by his own words, heâs not one of Ninesâs people; he disparages them, in fact. And weâll notice that Jackâwho is stronger, older, and wiser than Ninesâvery much doesnât talk about Nines the same way Ninesâs followers do. While Jack doesnât directly insult him and occasionally defends him, Jack also has a downright shocking response to the announcement of the Blood Hunt. When fledgling desperately asks what they can do to help NinesâJack says, word-for-word: I could give a damn.
Something ainât quite right about this place.
Moving right along:
NINES IS A FAKE ALPHA MALE WHO KNOWS HEâS GOING TO DIE
Part of why Nines is so attractive to someone scared and weak like our fledgling (or Skelter or Damsel) is that he seems utterly fucking untouchableâlike nothing scares him, and that must be reassuring when two of your age-old enemies are moving into town. But Ninesâs tough, cool, Devil-may-care persona outs itself as a protective shell, too⊠and this is another thing I think Troika handled so subtly and so well.
Youâll notice that even Ninesâs voice is dramatically different in a couple different situations: when Ming Xiao is borrowing his body, when heâs afraid, and when heâs distracted or deeply disturbed. (A successful Malkavian mind read will really slam a crack in his coolguy persona. For a second, the nonchalance shatters and he childishly screams SHUT UP!)
But whether you Malk him or not: In those isolated moments, the Coolguy Nines Rodriguez we normally see frays. Physically, even! His accent loses its burr (that ballsy rural American everyman accent), shoots up to a higher registerâand reveals a much softer voice than the one he uses in front of other people. No wonder; part of Ninesâs charisma comes from his performance of masculine confidence, and even if itâs not a toxically patriarchal masculinity in the way we often picture it, the fact this performance cracks at all shows itâs not his genuine self. Heâs acting. In the way a lot of toughguy men doâbut for Nines, whose survival depends upon attraction now, heâs acting toughguy for his very life.
I think those little fray-under-pressure moments are the ârealâ Nines, or as close as weâre going to get: scared, desperate, worn-down, and very aware of his doom.
Now, all that saidâŠ
BLATANT FALLEN REBEL CONCEPT APOLOGISM
I donât think we can quite throw Rodriguez into the same Mean Monster Morality Dungeon for Evil Vampires as other Big Bads in LA. This is where motivation comes into play, at least for me. We know Nines can be merciless and violent, and he doesnât hesitate to sacrifice his own soldiers (namely, um, US!) to protect his holdings. But he does seem to have a twinge of genuine anger over injustices wrought upon âlittle peopleâ (look no further than Nocturne)âone that seems like it stems from a sense of right v. wrong rather than sheer pragmatism. This stands in stark opposition to the rationed pacificism of characters like LaCroix, who simply doesnât want the headache of cleaning up a pile of dead humans on his nightly to-do list.
Nines also, of course, just doesnât have the same kind of disaster reach other Bloodlines Big Bads do in how much harm he can cause. When LaCroix gets up to some bullshit, he crashes the national economy. Nines, like, crashes a car into a corporate office window or takes over a street or something. Canât really compare the two when it comes to the scale of damage done.
And even Nines Rodriguez is, for all his strategy, still an honestly angry person. Not all of him is fakeâwhatâs troubling about him is what heâs willing to sacrifice and do to satiate his anger-passion. Itâs the standard Brujah emotional-moral struggle. Even though I agree with much of what he says about bloodsucking late capitalist vampires (tbh he seems to hate vampires in general!), one wonders if itâs not partially the anger-passion thatâs warped him into the façade of a noble leader heâs become. Itâs not a pure anger anymore; heâs weaponized it in selfish, unhealthy, destructive ways.
But if heâs a fallen rebelâand since he is still apparently capable of some genuine anger and sadnessâthen we can infer he wasnât always like this. He fell, and narratively, thatâs key to understanding Clan Brujah. Maybe he fell in a way all of us angry rebel-types risk falling if we let our hatred of the bloodsuckers in real life outgrow and consume our care for the real-world little people.
I think we also have to appreciate thatâas far as we knowâthe shady shit Nines does, he primarily does to prolong his power. But for a threatened Anarch like Nines, power doesnât mean expansion or accumulation as it might for an ascending Ventrue; it primarily means survival. The Camarilla and Kuei-jin incursions into LA have numbered his days, and he canât possibly have any delusions about this, no matter how much he swaggers. So he does what he can do with the skills and limited resources he has. He corrupts vulnerable, angry, abused people by giving them the appearance of friendship, family, and hope they can become strongerâmuch like effective gang leaders do.
If heâs morally nastier than other power-players like LaCroix in some way, imo, itâs here. Itâs the intimacy with which he manipulates the people around him. LaCroix may lie to you; Strauss may withhold information from you; Ming Xiao may double-cross you. But none of them ask that you love them. Thatâs not their goal; thatâs not how they operate. None of them expect or encourage anyone to happily die for them of their own free will. If they get you killed, youâll die resenting themâresenting that you had to die, at all.
But when you die for people like Nines Rodriguez, you do it willingly, if only because you believed he cared somehow and that heâd fight tooth-and-nail for you, too. You believed that you were a member of his little outcast familyâor that you would be, if you just proved yourself a little bit more. If you just fought a little harder. If you were just a little happier about having the chance to die for the cause. Maybe if you die for Nines, then Nines will love you, too.
I donât think he does. I donât think he will. If heâs a true fallen rebel archetype, I donât know if he can anymore.
Thatâs enough Anarchs for now! Iâm gonna peace out with some copy/pasted lyrics from the theme song of Ninesâs den: the ballad of the charming and vengeful Lecher Bitch. Stay sharp, my little Bloodlines fanatics!
Tell me your story Don't worry, I've been there Crown me your savior Don't worry, I'll be there
[Chorus] I said hey You're coming all the way I've got some hell to pay I'm diggin' all the way All the way down I said hey You're coming all the way I've got some hell to pay Gonna rip you every way On the way down again [Bridge] Don't belong lording above me Won't be hard to pull you underground It won't be long 'til you love me And I'll be coming at your back To break it down
#vtmb#vampire the masquerade bloodlines#nines rodriguez#tune in next week for my 5 page essay on why Wong Ho is the only nice person in Bloodlines!#not really#but maybe really#in conclusion nines ain't shit [drops mic]#[is mauled by damsel]
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outline: jin guangyaoâs hoarding problem, part 1
I am STILL NOT WRITING THIS.
Cast:
Jin Guangyao, schemer extraordinaire. Heâs got a lot on his plate right now, scheming for the Jin Sectâs advancement, scheming for his personal advancement within the Jin Sect, trying to get Qin Cangye to let him marry his daughter, trying to juggle his sworn brothers, wrangling weird 13-year-old Mo Xuanyu who his father dropped on him as some sort of power play, wrangling Xue Yang insofar as it is possible to do so, promoting research into demonic cultivation, and on and on and on. Jin Guangyao, as no one will ever let him forget, was not born rich; he understands that you canât just go throwing things out when you might want them again later; and in this universe heâs let that reluctance to discard outweigh his caution.
Wen Ning, conscious fierce corpse. Keeping Wen Ning was always the plan, even when plans to control him didnât quite work out. Because heâs a really good conscious fierce corpse. Maybe theyâll work out controlling him someday. Maybe heâll be good as an example. They went to a fair amount of trouble faking his destruction, so no sense wasting that. (Wen Ning, for his part, is⊠not happy. Even when theyâre not trying to control him, he is not happy. But he is not making trouble if he can avoid it, becauseâŠ)
Wen Qing, really outstanding doctor. Jin Guangyao cannot understand why his father was planning to execute her â sheâs such a good doctor! Groundbreaking! Sure, she has some inconvenient morals, but sheâs simple enough to leverage, just grab some family members â Wen Ruohan kept her in line for years. Why would Jin Guangshan not try to obtain such a valuable resource? Itâs probably because when he looks at a woman he stops after the boobs. Anyway, now Jin Guangyao has the opportunity, and itâs easier to fake her death than Wen Ningâs (just have to kill a heavily bruised woman in Wen robes, rather than something that passes for a fierce corpse). She can be kept in line just by threatening Wen Ningâs non-life as the stick, and for a carrot, taking the nails out of his head when theyâre not actively experimenting. (Wen Qing is sick to her stomach. Although not everything sheâs been required to do is badâ)
(Off stage, but alive, is Jiang Yanli. Jin Guangyao likes her more than he likes most of the Jin Sect, he didnât want her dead â and whisking her away to a mystery doctor who saved her life means Jiang Wanyin owes him. Big. âHe doesn't want her angling for any kind of power/regency after Jin Guangshan dies, so he's been making sure there are plenty of rumors that she's physically and mentally fragile, and his leverage over Yunmeng Jiang is better with her in Jinlintai so he's angling to maintain that, too, but unlike that other idea he's not blackmailing her. This is probably a mistake.)
Wei Wuxian, Yiling Laozu. Smuggled back to Jinlintai at least half dead, and really wanted to get all the way there. Didnât really change his mind on that until after he got conscious enough to process that (a) Wen Qing and Wen Ning were alive(ish), and might be punished if Wen Qing couldnât save him; (b) Jiang Yanli is alive, but in Jinlintai, which means not safe. Even after heâs trying, though, heâs in for a long convalescence â especially without a core. (Which Jin Guangyao has figured out and, worse, figured out the reason for.) Wei Wuxian is claiming he couldnât possibly recreate the Stygian Tiger Seal outside the Burial Grounds and/or without all the pieces and/or while heâs still so weak. The last one is true, the others are⊠not completely false? He certainly couldn't make it like it was before.
Mo Xuanyu, weird 13-year-old. Inexplicably if usefully devoted to Jin Guangyao. Jin Guangyao doesnât trust him to do more than some very basic reading on demonic cultivation, but when the secret prison acquired the gravely wounded Wei Wuxian it became important to have someone other than Xue Yang checking on things, refreshing supplies, and getting Jin Guangyao immediately if necessary. Mo Xuanyu also likes Wei Wuxian, and Wen Qing, and Wen Ning, and (for some reason) Xue Yang. Not enough to impact his devotion to Jin Guangyao, though.
Xue Yang, spite elemental. (This Xue Yang has never worked for Wen Ruohan â I may keep the Yin Iron in this universe mashup, it just had no particular connection to Xue Yang.) Half feral (at least). Demonic cultivation natural talent. Delighted to have the opportunity to independently recreate the Stygian Tiger Seal, not that it stops him badgering Wei Wuxian for tips. Big fan of âbetter to ask forgiveness than permissionâ. No, thatâs not it. Big fan of âbetter to say âyeah, I did it, what are you gonna do about it?â than ask permission.â
WQ, WN, and WWX are full-time imprisoned in some sort of secret dungeon/basement/hidden complex in Carp Tower. MXY and XY are in and out a lot. JGY less so because he has a busy schedule.
So, moving forward:
Wen Qing is trying to keep WWX alive. WWX is cooperating halfheartedly.
Xue Yang is trying to recreate the Stygian Tiger Seal. WWX is cooperating hundredthheartedly.
JGY picks up that WWX is not being entirely sincere in his cooperation. He decides to show that his threats have teeth, in a very mild way. He plays some 'healing music' for JYL.
JYL has a bad week.
WWX becomes somewhat more cooperative.
(JYL is aware enough of her own body and mind and has enough of an ear for music to say â extremely politely, and not implying (or suspecting!) any malice â that she thinks JGY may need a little more practice.)
(JGY decides he needs to be a little more conservative with his use of the Collection of Turmoil, and maybe, say, not teach any bits of it to people who are not definitely on his side, no matter how innocent and gullible he thinks they are.)
(Nie Sect's trip to the Sword Hall can't be said to go well by any stretch of the imagination, but it's not an almost-TPK either. No one unwittingly kills or spiritually poisons anyone they love. It doesn't make much difference in the timetable of NMJ's decline, really. It doesn't make as much of a difference as you might expect in the timetable of NHS Figuring Shit Out, later on. It does make a difference in the experience level and cohesiveness of Nie Sect's inner-ring disciples. It does make a difference in NHS's emotional health and support structure. It may in fact make a difference in whether JGY is going to get out of all this alive. But that's later.)
When the reconstructed Seal is mostly complete, Xue Yang takes off to Yueyang to "test" it. He may or may not have informed JGY first. Let's go with 'not' (not out of any concern that he'd disapprove, Xue Yang just doesn't want to bother).
So here's the thing. The Seal is not a loyal tool. Insofar as it has a consciousness and feelings it's kind of pissed off at WWX anyway. But he is still its original creator, and this time he's alive, and this time he was extorted into helping reconstruct it, and this time â unlike when he was forging it the first time â revenge doesn't even really make the motivation list, so it's not quite the same reconstructed Seal. It's not a benevolent tool. It doesn't like people. It doesn't want to help people. It doesn't have principles. If Xue Yang just stood outside and ordered fierce corpses to slaughter everyone in the Chang compound, the Seal would have cooperated eagerly.
But obviously Xue Yang isn't about to just stand outside, he goes in and gets his hands dirty, and when he tries to use the Seal to directly, personally attack a child, something goes⊠sideways. There's an explosion which blows a large hole in the side of the house. Some of the corpses attack Xue Yang. The Seal levitates six meters up into the air and won't come down until grabbed. It's very annoying. Xue Yang makes sure there's no one with a golden core left and sets the building on fire and leaves in a very bad mood.
There are only like a dozen survivors total, no adult cultivators, and the one surviving kid who saw him is too young to give any kind of useful witness statement, but still.
He goes back to the basement and blames WWX for the unsatisfactory performance of the Seal. WWX's response of "Good" didn't deescalate things any, but he probably would have gotten the shit kicked out of him regardless.
Someone interrupts before he can actually beat WWX to death (which had better not have been WWX's plan, says WQ). Right. No core, already seriously injured. Xue Yang gets Wen Qing, who has to do surgery for flail chest. Xue Yang makes a surprisingly good surgical assistant.
JGY gets back from wherever he was (Qinghe playing fake!Clarity? Laoling trying to get a date?) and is like. I was gone for two days.
Xue Yang does not deny almost accidentally killing the only available Yiling Laozu, but blames it on WWX being too fragile due to being coreless and injured.
Maybe if we gave him someone else's core he would be sturdier?
Jin Guangyao doesn't immediately shoot it down. Wen Qing tries to â WWX would never survive the procedure in his current condition, and the donor has to be willing, does JGY really want to sacrifice someone loyal for this questionable gamble?
No, he doesn't. At least not right now.
Xue Yang says he's taking time off. JGY tells him not to get caught.
He gets caught.
Trial, commutation, official imprisonment, and now Xue Yang is stuck in the basement with the others basically full-time. He's seriously trying to convince Wen Qing to teach him surgery. She's appalled, but on the other hand would surgical skills make him any more dangerous than he already is? And it keeps him from sticking nails in Wen Ning's head.
While she's distracted Wei Wuxian is trying and failing to convince Wen Ning and/or Mo Xuanyu that he is recovered enough from the flail chest to walk around. He is failing.
Jin Guangyao is spending a lot of time in QingheâŠ
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