#the reason they have tension is basically the clashing morality

[mai-mai-lim]

The thing about drawing charles and tart working together as murder drones is so funny to me cause in TDS story, i list them as having tension on each other

Well they definitely did not get along first in MD AU lel

[nomercymaster11]

Turbulent Currents

Author's note: I've been trying to divert myself from unnecessary emotions, so I attempted to craft a lengthy story. So, basically, the story will once again revolve around the Heart Pirates, joined by the Straw Hat Pirates. It's an open narrative, and I'm not adhering to any timeline from the original One Piece story. I've been contemplating various scenarios that have been on my mind for quite some time, and I aim to connect them into a cohesive storyline. The story below has a sad tone. I suggest to play "The World's Continuation" by Ado while reading.

The sun hung low in the sky, casting a warm golden hue over the Heart Pirates' ship as it anchored near a secluded island. Tension lingered in the air, palpable and suffocating. The crew moved about the deck; their usual camaraderie replaced by an unsettling quiet. Among them, you stood, your eyes locked in a fierce gaze with Trafalgar Law.

The argument had been fierce, echoing through the ship like a tempest. It all revolved around a perilous mission, an expedition into a dangerous territory to retrieve a mystical artifact crucial for the Heart Pirates' plans. You, a key member of the crew, held the key to success. Yet, your disagreement with Law had escalated beyond the realm of a mere difference in strategy. It became a clash of ideologies, a storm of conflicting opinions.

The scene was set on the deck, a battleground where words were the weapons of choice. Law, his demeanor usually composed, couldn't contain the frustration in his eyes. His gestures were sharp, hands punctuating each argument as he tried to make you see reason.

"You're jeopardizing the entire mission with your reckless ideas! This artifact is our only chance," Law exclaimed, his voice cutting through the air like a blade.

Your response was equally defiant, fueled by a sense of principle. "I won't compromise our morals for the sake of some artifact. There has to be another way."

The exchange continued, each word deepening the chasm between you and the captain. As the argument reached its zenith, something inside you snapped. The weight of the disagreement, the burden of being the linchpin in this perilous plan, became too much.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, painting the sky with hues of orange and pink, you stood at the precipice of a life-altering decision.

Bepo, the polar bear mink and loyal member of the Heart Pirates, approached with a furrowed brow, his usually jovial demeanor replaced by concern.

"Please, don't go," he implored, his voice laced with sincerity.

The deck was crowded with crew members, their gazes shifting uncomfortably between you and Law. Bepo's furry hand gently reached for your shoulder, a plea for reconsideration.

"I can't stay, Bepo. Our ideals are just too different," you replied, your voice betraying the internal turmoil. The moonlit deck became a stage for the silent struggle within the Heart Pirates.

Bepo's eyes held a mixture of sadness and frustration. "But you're family. We need you for this mission. Law needs you."

A heavy sigh escaped your lips, and you shook your head. "I can't compromise who I am for the sake of a mission. There has to be another way, and I can't follow blindly when our principles clash."

As the exchange unfolded, other crew members gathered, their expressions torn between loyalty to their captain and concern for a comrade. The ship, usually alive with the sounds of camaraderie, now bore witness to a somber scene.

In the midst of this, Trafalgar Law remained aloof, his gaze fixed on the distant horizon. Bepo, not one to be easily deterred, approached Law with a sense of urgency.

"Captain, please reconsider. We can't afford to lose them," Bepo urged, his tone a blend of respect and desperation.

Law, however, remained stoic, his eyes reflecting the conflict within. "This mission is bigger than any one person. We can't afford distractions."

"But they are not just a distraction! They're a vital part of this crew," Bepo argued, his plea echoing the sentiments of the crew members gathered on the deck.

Law's silence hung heavy, a cold barrier between him and the crew. The ship, once a symbol of unity, now felt divided by a rift that seemed insurmountable. As you turned away, stepping onto the island, the ship's departure signaled the beginning of a solitary chapter, leaving behind a fractured crew grappling with the aftermath of a heated exchange and the departure of a crucial member.

The island embraced you with its tranquil solitude, offering a momentary refuge from the storm of emotions that raged within. As the Heart Pirates' ship vanished over the horizon, the lush foliage and calming sounds of the island became witnesses to your contemplation.

Seeking shelter for the night, you stumbled upon a small, abandoned cottage nestled in the heart of the island. The wooden structure, weathered by time and forgotten by its inhabitants, seemed like a silent companion for your troubled thoughts.

Entering the cottage, the air was thick with a musty scent, a testament to the passage of time. Moonlight filtered through the cracks in the wooden walls, casting ethereal patterns on the dusty floor. The silence within was broken only by the distant rustle of leaves and the occasional night sounds of the island.

Alone with your thoughts, you sank onto a creaky wooden chair, your mind replaying the events on the Heart Pirates' ship. The argument with Law echoed in your ears, and the pain of leaving a crew you considered family weighed heavily on your heart.

In the dim light, you traced the contours of a faded portrait on the wall - a depiction of happier times, the crew united in laughter and camaraderie. The faces of Bepo, Penguin, Shachi, and Law stared back at you, a stark reminder of the bonds that now seemed strained.

The ache in your chest intensified as you recalled the concern in Bepo's eyes, the futile attempts to persuade you to stay. The memory of Law's stoic refusal to reconsider gnawed at you, leaving you feeling adrift in a sea of unresolved emotions.

A heavy sigh escaped your lips as you stared out of a cracked window at the moonlit landscape. The gentle rustling of leaves outside seemed to carry the weight of your contemplation.

"Why does it hurt so much?" you whispered to the empty room, the words hanging in the air.

The sense of loss, not just of a mission but of the camaraderie you had cherished, enveloped you like a shroud. The realization that your principles had driven a wedge between you and the crew you held dear stung deeply.

As the night wore on, the cottage became a haven for your introspection. The pain of departure mingled with the longing for resolution, and the moon cast its soothing light on a soul wrestling with the complexities of loyalty and self-discovery.

In the silence of the abandoned cottage, you found solace amid turmoil, grappling with the echoes of the past and the uncertainty of the future. The island, though a temporary refuge, became a silent witness to the profound journey of introspection that unfolded within the confines of the forgotten dwelling.

-----------------------

The Heart Pirates sailed away from the island, leaving behind the echo of a fractured camaraderie. Onboard, the crew moved about with a palpable heaviness in the air. Bepo, his usually cheerful demeanor replaced by a somber expression, gathered the crew for a discussion in the dimly lit common area.

Penguin and Shachi exchanged glances; their concern mirrored in the eyes of the crew members who had become a tight-knit family. Bepo, as the first mate, cleared his throat, his voice carrying a weight that reflected the gravity of the situation.

"Why does it have to end this way? we really can't just let them go," Bepo stated, his voice a mixture of determination and worry. "They're family."

Law, leaning against the wall with crossed arms, glanced at Bepo with a stoic expression. "We can't afford to let personal feelings interfere with the mission."

Bepo, torn between loyalty to the crew and understanding Law's perspective, finally asked the question that lingered in the air. "Are we continuing without them, Captain?"

Law, his jaw clenched, nodded. "Yes, but we'll need to adjust the plan. We can't let emotions compromise our objective."

With a heavy heart, the crew dispersed, each member grappling with the aftermath of the departure. As Law walked away, his façade of strength began to waver. The weight of the decision, the rift in the crew, burdened his shoulders more than he let on.

He entered his quarters, the dim light revealing the weariness etched on his face. Before going to his desk, Law found himself drawn to the closed door of your room. A moment of hesitation passed before he entered, the air within laden with memories of shared laughter and camaraderie.

The room was a silent testament to the bond that had been fractured. Law sat on the side of the bed, his gloved hands clenching the fabric. In the stillness, he found himself in deep contemplation, the sting of regret piercing through his strong façade.

"I hope you find what you're looking for," Law whispered to the empty room, the words carrying a weight of unspoken emotions. The room, once filled with your presence, now felt hauntingly empty. As Law sat there, surrounded by the echoes of the past, the ship sailed on, carrying the Heart Pirates forward into an uncertain future.

To be continued...

[rnp5324]

❖-Corps | Head full of thoughts

Actual story stuff -Magneto governs over the island nation of Genosha, a safe haven for all Mutants, even the ❖-Corps members are welcome here. Currently, he is opposing the rising Fellowship of Humanity organization in the United States, a branch group of the Friends of Humanity with more of a theocratic agenda—based off the Moral Majority in a sense. His focus rests on the politicians like Allison’s father, who wish to push extreme legislation against Mutants in Montana, threatening to take action with his acolytes to put a stop to the impending oppression. -That and, due to Allison being a spokesperson for her dad’s campaign, gets a big stink eye from Magneto after she disappeared; When she manifested her X-Gene. -The Fellowship works in the interests of a broader organization known as Armageddon. They are a terrorist group with the desires of ‘purifying’ humanity on a global scale, but of course, they intend to do this by making imperial forces work in their favor. -Magneto is seeking Allison to make a bargain with Richard Natus: Her safe return in exchange for eliminating his Anti-Mutant legislation, or to be met with forced resistance and Allison kept as a political prisoner. -Yeah, the US/UN ain’t too happy about it. They step up to say they’ll fire on Genosha if Magneto even tries to lay a finger on Richard. -Charles Xavier is in a race against time to reach Allison before Magneto does. He is able to locate her through Cerebro in order to warn her and guide the youth, and Logan is not too happy about being found by Charles after requesting the team leaves him alone in the fallout of his major incident. Ya know, to create more tension. -Logan and Allison had taken refuge in the Canadian wilderness since that’s where Logan was staying inside of his RV. The two butt heads due to their clashing ideologies, but eventually have to suck it up and work together to help her control her new powers, without being disgusted. -Kikyo Mikage works under Magneto as one of his acolytes, but only kills if there is honor in the task he’s assigned. Kikyo is willing to use violence to deliver justice and that’s something he really values in Magneto. Kikyo can finally live as himself in Genosha instead of living in the shadows of Japan’s society. Though he finds it incredibly dishonorable that Magneto would weaponize the wellbeing of a child to achieve his objectives, which ultimately leads him to join Logan. -Oh yeah should mention that Armageddon is running science experiments to artificially create an Omega Class Mutant as a weapon to take down the world’s strongest Mutants, basically what they were trying to do with Deadpool in X-Men Origins Wolverine, but actually cool. The Mutant is called Magnum Opus. I’m a fan of puns, you see.

Side notes -If Wanda and Pietro get involved in this, they are both going to be Mutants and brown skinned. I MAKE THE RULES!!! -Anyway uh still working on who else I want as Magneto’s acolytes lol -Sometimes I refer to Allison as “Allen”. It’s her self-imposed disguise name which Logan makes a joke about it being a boy’s name. -Genosha is definitely stockpiling on weapons, no doubt. -Allison borrows one of Logan’s shrunken down suits to help with her Mutation! It’s blue in contrast to his red. Logan gets his own category -He refers to large sections of Canada as Sectors. It’s likely this stems from his time working under Alpha Flight, and the Canadian Government before joining the ❖-Corps. -He’s managed to keep a majority of his old suits with him, as he believes that it’s the only solid part of his history he can look back on. Perhaps not as himself, but as Wolverine. -Anyway the reason Logan is at a low point in his career is bc the last mission he was on involved him unwillingly going on a Berserker Rage that resulted in a destructive rampage and the stabbing of his teammate and Girlfriend, Storm. During his rage, she took charge of the situation to lure Logan away from civilians and attempt to subdue him with the other ❖-Corps on duty. It worked at a cost. -The best way to protect those he cares about is at a distance, though that doesn’t mean he’s not going through an extreme heartache with likely losing Ororo. -Maybe she shouldn’t have told Logan that if he’s going to use his claws on anyone to them on her. Bad oversight. /HJHJ -I didn’t want her to just be Logan’s love interest in this, she’s a hero too ya know! She was doing her damn best to save whoever she could in the onslaught and even put her own life on the line. -Logan has nightmares about killing the rest of the team, and hates that they don’t put up much of a fight to stop him. -As you can imagine, he’s not too happy to be stuck with some teenager off the side of the road. Worse is that Logan knows exactly who she is as a political figure, and how dangerous he is. The initial thought was to find her somewhere safe and tell her to scram, but outside intervention damns him. -So funny thing, turns out he and Allen have a lot more in common with their struggles than they thought; Runaways who’ve done awful things they can’t take back, while struggling to understand their true nature.

Uh yeah well that ended up being a lot lolol Feel free to leave suggestions, I’d love some outside feedback!!

[rocketboots564]

Analyzing my Teen Wolf Arch-Nemesis

Okay so… I’ve put this off for a while, but I want to desperately analyze my nemesis of Season 1 of Teen Wolf

KATE MOTHERFUCKING ARGENT

I hate her, I HATE HER SO MUCH. Despite that, I love the way she’s written… because she’s such a genially flawed and vile character (I DO NOT CONDONE HER ACTIONS. Also heads up: mentions of SA)

So, Kate is a fantastic, EVIL villain for multiple reasons.

1. Her dynamic with Chris Argent is great. They’re distant, they get onto each other, and they act like siblings would when you’re both part of a traumatized, toxic family of werewolf hunters. It’s giving a more toxic, diet version of Sam and Dean. Which is good, because she’s a villain. She’s constantly pushing her more straight forward, cruel, and violent intentions, which clashes with Chris and his loyalty to the code and his own morals.

2. I don’t know if this is meant to be hinted at…. but like, she 100% sa’d Derek. I don’t know if this is a hot take or not… but, am I crazy for thinking that? Like I said, I DO NOT condone her actions. But, the fact that she was so determined to wipe out the Hale’s that she manipulated the Chem teacher, AND SLEPT WITH DEREK?! What kind of Griffith shit are you ON KATE?

3. Next up, perhaps one of my favorite things to analyze: her dynamic with Alison, and the perfect twist on the “cool aunt” trope. Ooooh I love to analyze this because it’s so good. A big portion of the tension between Chris and Kate is what they think is “best” for Alison. Kate wants to push her into the life of the Hunters as soon as possible, because she thinks she’s ready. Kate sees potential in Alison, and in a sense sees herself in her.

But in all honesty, she couldn’t be further from the truth. Alison is beyond different, in multiple ways too. They both rebel against their fathers, but for different reasons. Kate is manipulating, malicious, and has evil intent from the beginning. And there’s more to it as well. Kate talks on and on how boys should be basically crawling for Alison. She’s incredibly promiscuous, and wants to push that high-energy, hormonal teenager behavior that Kate herself had as a teenager and even as an adult. But, Alison isn’t like that. She only really has eyes for Scott, even when Jackson tries to enter the picture.

Kate despite how much Kate outwardly says she wants to give Alison power, it’s not really about that. Kate doesn’t want Alison to become her own kind of person or hunter by exposing herself to the hunting world, she wants to make another Kate. She doesn’t truly care about Alison’s feelings, what she wants is weapon, so used to the killing that the hunt becomes the only thing about them (KINDA LIKE GERARD)

Seriously, what does Kate have outside of hunting? What, seducing guys? Reminiscing in the past?

She may love Alison as a niece, but she doesn’t truly have her best interests in mind. Like how she uses the chemistry teacher and Derek to the Hales, she’s spent so long manipulating others for her own selfish desires that she ends up nearly doing the same for Alison, even if she doesn’t fully realize what she’s doing.

All in all I HATE THAT BITCH! But god… if she isn’t a fun villain to analyze

[okthatsgreat]

I had an odd thought for a Danganronpa-sanctioned opddmh, basically after V3 they force the kids to live with Danganronpa participants for whatever reason and I have to wonder. Who do you think would live with who if it was Team Danganronpa controlling where they went?

HBSHFGB oh my god. danganronpa sitcom spinoffs. big brother-esque reality shows. these people get zero breaks

i mean first and foremost danganronpa prioritises entertainment above all else which means they would be over there scheming what the WORST possible combinations would be. theyd throw in maybe one or two "good" pairings just so the audience isnt too overwhelmed by how much everybody hates each other but FOR THE MOST PART theyd try to cause as much conflict as possible.

which means the most argumentative people have got to get paired together, and the least in common they share the better so hmmmm. pairing somebody up with kokichi who is hotheaded and not tolerant of his bullshit will cause a lot of problems and my immediate first thought is mondo or fuyuhiko LMFAOO. i really can not envision a future where any of them cut through the tension enough to talk about their feelings or whatever, ESPECIALLY in regards to kokichi who needs somebody extremely intelligent to decipher all of his lies. like for example if they put kokichi and junko in the same room or kokichi and celeste there is a chance of recognition there, but NOT with kokichi and mondo/fuyuhiko/AKANE even. that house is VOLATILEEE. frankly it is only kokichi that lives there now because both mondo and fuyuhiko have to walk out of their respective homes before they kill kokichi and/or themselves

honestly i could see danganronpa putting maki and peko together just because they think the two of them would see too much in the other and end up hating each other. and frankly they do at first. and they either ignore the hell out of each other or they get into a heated argument where they both reveal a lot more than they should have and then they move forward from there. if team dr wanted to avoid this they could throw her with somebody far more stubborn and less likely to empathise. maybe byakuya or smth. oooo and yknow what kazuichi would be so scared of her always.

cant see kaito and mahiru getting along that much, tsumugi would be pretty bad news for anybody but i can see her and sayaka getting kinda lost in their personas, himiko and hiyoko would get annoyed with each other pretty immediately. tenko would kill teruteru

as for opddmh characters (that we've seen so far lol) UMMM i think throwing ryoma with somebody like ibuki who is a very optimistic presence could cause a bit of clash, but honestly she might be so persistent that it either causes ryoma to recoil even further into his shell or it somehow changes his life????? ryoma and ibuki might be one of the pairings that team dr makes specifically to bump up morale a bit and turn him into some hope story. but on the opposite end of that spectrum they would NOT hold that same leniency with miu and theyd probably throw her with somebody like taka just to piss the both of them off but not in a way that either of them would be willing to hear the other side out. throwing kirumi with celeste would lead the both of them into a spiral and kirumi would make zero progress with growth, honestly could be extremely similar with kirumi and sonia, throwing angie (ALONE) with quite a few people could be pretty bad. like if angie and mikan were the only two people in that apartment there could definitely be wayyyy more problems than there already is, mostly because mikan is already very susceptible to angies positive influence already. rantaro would be chill with pretty much everybody i cant really lie to you. i reckon just to really highlight his paranoia and send him down that path rather than any kind of healing he should get paired with somebody that is either too closed off and shady (which would cause opddmh rantaro to recoil away from them and likely run off without returning) OR somebody that is gonna keep telling him that his family is out there and he needs to keep searching

so yea FUCKED UP!!!! just to have one last "hopeful" pairing theyd maybe throw shuichi to the naegi household just so he could learn about believing in himself or whatever

[chacusha]

Snowflake Challenge #2

Challenge #2 - Write a promo, manifesto or primer for your fave character, ship or fandom.

I am lazy so instead of doing this, I linked (on Dreamwidth, friendslocked) all the manifestos I’ve already written and also add some thoughts about how writing those manifestos made me wonder at my sometimes unpredictable/inconsistent taste in pairings, and how Quodo is simultaneously a very new/unusual kind of OTP for me to have and also kind of at the intersection of multiple dynamics I’ve been drawn to in the past. It’s simultaneously a bizarre OTP for me and a completely predictable OTP for me. The full discussion is over at my journal in a friends-locked post, but here is a part of it I’m fine sharing publicly:

In some ways my obsession with Quodo is simultaneously very weird/unprecedented for me (like, M/M pairing? aliens/xeno? sci-fi canon? rivals-to-lovers instead of friends-to-lovers? these are very weird/new aspects for me). But at the same time, I am also 100% convinced that my taste in pairings has led me straight to Quodo and it's 100% predictable that this pairing would have been catnip to me. Like, I guess one thing you might notice about my shipping patterns is that they seem to be pretty agnostic to the genders/ages/attractiveness of characters, but they strongly gravitate toward romance/pining/romcom type dynamics. Usually such pairings in fiction are het, hence the skew in my OTPs toward het, but in the case of Odo/Quark, they're like a romance pairing on steroids, with basically half a dozen romcom dynamics somehow packed into a single pair of characters. They're enemies-to-lovers; they're friends-to-lovers; they're the disreputable rake and the spirited virgin; they're the dour emotionally-repressed guy pining after the vibrant girl full of life; they're slap-slap-kissing except without the kissing part; they're detective/thief; they're corrupt cop and criminal boyfriend; they're tsundere; they're the guy with a crush on his best friend who has a crush on someone else; they're sharing a bed and stranded together and enemies forced to cooperate; they're running to the airport to confess their feelings; they're both shamelessly flirting with each other; one is shamelessly flirting and the other is oblivious; they're both oblivious; they're already married. They're like a supernormal stimulus, where the stimulus in this case is romcom plots.

I kind of came to this conclusion partly because I was thinking about what do some of my other recent OTPs share in common with Quodo and I came up with something like this:

Shared with Hawkeye/Riesz: One half of the pairing is a shameless flirt; the other half radiates intense never-been-kissed energy. Shared with Sansa/Sandor: Every interaction is a clash between opposing life philosophies. Shared with Alternis/Edea: One half of the pairing is a super repressed guy always hiding feelings. Shared with Mi-na/Yun-seong: Playful teasing friendship with sexual tension. What these dynamics all share is, well, Quodo, but also you might notice that they all create some kind of pining potential: With the shameless flirt + never-been-kissed character, you get plenty of opportunities for romantic/intimate moments initiated by the flirty character but rebuffed by the never-been-kissed character who doesn't quite know whether to take the flirty character's advances seriously at all. Ambiguous feelings! Intimacy while pining! Rejection! With the clash-between-philosophies dynamic, the opposing moral codes create tension and a feeling of incompatibility that keep two characters who are otherwise attracted to each other apart. Will-they-won't-they! Slow burn! A reason why neither character will end our misery and just Spit It Out! Repressed characters -- I mean, this is the bread and butter of pining. Works better the more ridiculously repressed a character is, and Odo is ridiculously repressed for various reasons of his upbringing. Yeah! Just the contrast between the strength of the felt feelings and how little the character expresses them -- that's the good stuff. Again, a good reason why characters attracted to each other just will not say anything or get together -- one guy is repressed and, while the other is expressive, they have no reason to believe repressed guy is interested in them at all. With various friends-to-lovers dynamics, you get all the fun of flirtation but then the mixed messaging where neither person is sure whether affection is platonic or romantic. Like, sometimes this kind of play, these games these friends who are attracted to each other engage in, feel like courtship, but I mean... they're just friends, right? The situation is just waiting for one of the two friends to develop a crush on or be wooed by a third party and then oh NO, the pining hits the fan. Once one character (or both) catches/realizes feelings, then it's Pining Time. Affection that used to feel good now feels painful; its pain is proportional to how good it feels, even! Guilt at having developed feelings! Jealousy while also wanting to be A Good/Supportive Friend!

So yeah, analyzing the connections between Quodo and my various OTPs has led me to conclude that Quodo is the usual pining dynamic I like in fiction... ON STEROIDS. Which maybe explains why it broke my brain while being very unlike the kind of pairing I usually get obsessed with/go for. Because in some sense it is the intersection of a whole bunch of my favorite dynamics in fiction somehow rolled into a bizarre package.

[verycharismaticdragon]

As someone who hasn't read the novel, your post on "shifting moralities" really mirrors some of my feelings on that! As in, I didn't get why the show portrayed ZZS is the more 'righteous' one out of the two when they lit. were so similar? They were pushed into roles and were forced to do awful things? But the terrible aspect of it was only highlighted for WKX and I dunno. It was a very HM part of the show for me, lol.

Oh, first of all, thank you for writing, I’m always interested in hearing from show-only/show-first crowd! Can never be sure how much my perspective is influenced by starting from the novel and not being able to stop comparing the two…

But, since I got some frustration off my chest with that previous post, I figured I could probably dig up some further thoughts on the matter.

So, it is possible that the angle the show was going for was a kind of redemption narrative where both characters at some point feel remorse about their previous ‘evil deeds’, and eventually resolve to do better. Zhou Zishu is remorseful since episode 1; Wen Kexing gets there much later. And that would be why Zhou Zishu gets presented as ‘more moral’ of the two – by virtue of being further along on the path to redemption. And then his actions regarding Wen Kexing can be taken as attempts to... pull Wen Kexing along so to speak – spare him some of the pain Zhou Zishu himself experienced, teach him things Zhou Zishu himself learned the hard way*... I think that might've been the idea. But on execution, well… maybe that’s my bias again, but show Zishu comes off too moralizing. It took him years and a loss of over 80 sect-siblings to break away from Prince Jin, but somehow he expects Wen Kexing to get his shit together in a span of couple months?

It may be that this arc suffered from the show’s general tendency towards dramatisation** though – trying to make those scenes where Zhou Zishu and Wen Kexing’s understandings of morality clash more emotionally charged, and ending up with something where Zhou Zishu tears into Wen Kexing for things he himself has been doing less than a year prior.

Then again, it is also possible that the reason for adding that moral discrepancy was something else entirely.

This post talks about the way SHL uses established wuxia romance tropes for WenZhou, which, first things first, I respect the hustle! Go girl pass that c-nsorship! But back to the topic: the one of interest here is trope #7 on OP’s list, “One of them is from an evil/unorthodox sect and it causes problems for the couple. The person is hailed as a villain and the other one challenges all of jianghu to stand by their beloved.”

Looking past the specific plot point, this trope can be generalized further: 'righteous x unorthodox' couple. One person is from an orthodox sect, the other is following a crooked path (with exact details of what either of those entail depending on worldbuilding); this creates tension – when either their moral compasses don’t align or they end up on different sides of a conflict – but it also allows for high-emotion moments such as the one described above, where characters choose their beloved over their reputation/duty/sect/family.***

Thing is, while technically Zhou Zishu is from an orthodox martial school and Wen Kexing is a Ghost Master, novel WenZhou do not follow this trope’s conventions otherwise: they are equally amoral (actually Zhou Zishu might be worse of the two), they do not even briefly end up on different sides, and they never dramatically choose each other in front of everyone’s salads the whole jianghu – partially because they never get put in such situation, and partially because it wouldn’t be meaningful even if they were, since neither of them have that reputation/duty/sect/family to choose the other over. Basically, the difference is never relevant to their relationship – which is most likely deliberate, since the novel is a subversion of the genre.****

The show, however, chose to lean into classic wuxia tropes instead – and that would necessitate making changes to WenZhou’s dynamic and personalities to fit them into the aforementioned couple archetype. Thus, Wen Kexing’s (initial) revenge plan becomes more unhinged, while Zhou Zishu is placed on moral high ground, creating a strong contrast (and therefore tension!) between them… except, well, it all is still built on top of things established in the source material, and that skeleton kind of pokes through if one pays attention, like you did.

In the end, I genuinely can't tell whether the show was going for that redemption narrative or trying to fit the characters to the tropes, since it doesn’t feel like they stuck the landing on either. Which isn’t really surprising: Zhou Zishu was not meant to be a person of good moral character – not with his backstory – and trying to portray him as such would always feel disingenuous. Especially when Wen Kexing right next to him is getting the opposite treatment.

–––––– * which definitely has some correlation to the introduction of shixiongdi dynamic in the show, but I haven’t organized my thoughts on that subject yet.

** I want to go into detail at some point, but in short, those scenes SHL fandom jokingly calls ‘break-ups’ or ‘divorces’? Of which there are several almost back to back? Yeah, they just. Don’t exist in the novel.

*** My pool of knowledge of cmedia is extremely shallow and I get most of my info on genre conventions from articles, but I'm led to understand Qian Qiu's YanShen are a prime example of such couple. From my own reading list, while MXTX's works are not wuxia but xianxia, the genres are closely enough related to share tropes – and all of her canon couples fit this archetype too.

**** The same trope is played somewhat straighter for XiangNing, with Cao Weining standing by Gu Xiang after she is outed as a Ghost in front of all – except for the part where he gets killed for it.

[zukkacore]

Whitewashing in AtlaLok: the Western & Christian Influence on s2 of LoK

Ok, so i’m not a big brained expert on all things indigenous or even all things asian but I do think bryke's christian & western worldview seeps so far into season 2 of LoK that i think out of every season it’s by far the most unsalvageable out of everything they’ve ever done in the Atlaverse and is a very insidious kind of whitewashing. I know that sounds hefty but here’s what I mean

For the record, I’m a mixed filipino person & while there is religious diversity among filipinos, more than i think ppl realize or that the catholic majority is willing to let on, when we were colonized a large percent of the population was indeed forced to convert to catholicism so that’s my background, & i don’t know everything about taoism or the what the tai chi symbol represents but the way Bryke westernize the concept of Yin and Yang is honestly… kinda bewildering. They get so many details about yin & yang wrong?? & Yes, it’s possible they could’ve been trying to create their own lore that differentiates itself from the traditional depictions of Yin & Yang, but in the end i think it doesn’t matter b/c the lore they invent is a very obviously western interpretation of the concept of “balance”.

The most important and honestly worst change they make is that concepts of “light” and “dark” are completely oversimplified and flattened to represent basically “good” and “evil” (which, the light and dark side are a bit more complex than representing just “peace/order vs. Chaos” like the show might imply but we don’t even have time for that, but is funny how they get the genders wrong. Like. Traditionally, light is usually coded masculine and dark is usually coded feminine, but never mind that, that’s just a tangent). This really simplifies the nuance of the s2 conflict and makes it a lot less interesting, not to mention just—misrepresents a very real religious philosophy?

And for the record, a piece of media going out of its way to do "the show, don’t tell" thing of stating in the text that “oh, light and dark are not the same thing as good vs. evil” without actually displaying that difference through the writing is just lip service, and its poor writing. A lot of pieces of media do this, but i think s2 of LoK is particularly egregious. The point of this philosophy of balance is that you aren’t supposed to moralize about which side is “good” or “bad”, or even really which one is “better” or “worse”. Even if the show states the concepts are not interchangeable, if the media in question continually frames one side (and almost always its “chaos/darkness”) as the “evil” side, then the supposed distinction between “light vs. dark” and “good vs. evil” is made moot. And besides the occasional offhand remark that implies more nuance without actually delivering, Vaatu is basically stock evil incarnate.

This depiction of conflict as “defeating a singular representation of total evil” isn’t solely christian, but it is definitely present in christian beliefs. And I think those kinds of stories can be done well, but in this case, in a world filled entirely of asian, Pacific Islander & inuit poc, to me it feels like a form of subtle whitewashing? B/c you’re taking characters that probably wouldn’t have christian beliefs, and imposing a christian worldview onto them. Not to mention removes what could have been an interesting conflict of any nuance and intrigue… and honestly, sucks, because I do think s2 has the bones of an interesting idea, mostly b/c there are potential themes that could’ve been explored—I know this b/c they were already explored in a movie that exists, and it’s name is Princess Mononoke! It has a lot of the same elements—tension between spirits and humanity, destruction of nature in the face of rapid industrialization, moral ambiguity where there are no easy or fast answers and both sides have sympathetic and understandable points of view. (Unsurprising b/c Miyazaki is Japanese & Japanese culture has a lot of influence from Buddhism, Taoism, Shintoism, etc)

Bryke’s western & christian worldview also totally seeps into the characterization of Unalaq, the antagonist of the season which is a real problem. I’m in the middle of rewatching s2 right now and what struck me is that….. Unalaq comes across kinda ecofash AND fundamentalist which is 1) seems like an odd combination but maybe it really isn’t? 2) i think is a really tacky choice considering that the water tribes take the majority of its inspiration from inuit and polynesian indigenous cultures.

I honestly forgot abt this but Unalaq gives this whole lame speech abt how the SWT & humans as a whole suck b/c of their lack of spiritual connection & it was really eerie to me b/c "humans are morally bankrupt and they must be wiped out/punished for their destruction of the environment" is total ecofash logic bc it blames all of humanity for damage caused by those in power—be they capitalists or whoever. It’s a worldview that blames the poor and powerless for something they have no say in, and has real eugenics undertones bc with every implication of culling, there has to be someone who appoints themself the job of culling—of who is and isn’t worthy of death.

This belief also struck me as......... kinda christian in it's logic as well which is WEIRD b/c once again........ their cultural inspirations are DEFINITELY not christian...... The whole "man is inherently evil and must spend their whole lifetime repenting/must face punishment for it’s wickedness" thing and the way that christianity treats humanity as born with original sin or inherently corrupt—as well as above or separate from nature are really stronger undertones in Unalaqs worldview....... which isn't really an indigenous way or thinking.

I'm generalizing of course but from what I have seen from the indigenous people who speak on this is that (feel free to point out or correct me if i’m mostly generalizing abt Native Americans and not other indigenous cultures & there are some differences here) is that while native tribes are not monolithic and do vary wildly, there are a lot of common threads and that reverence and respect toward nature and your surroundings is an important tenant of indigenous beliefs. (I specifically remember the hosts on All My Relations saying essentially that we humans are a part of nature, we are not separate from it, and humans are not superior to animals—I’m paraphrasing but that is the gist of it)

So, yeah, I think it’s just really distasteful to write an indigenous character who is characterized in a way that’s way more in line with a christian fundamentalist & wants to bring about a ragnarok style apocalypse end of the world when that isn’t really a tenant of our beliefs? (btw, the way the end of the world is framed is also kinda fucked up? If i were being charitable, I could say that maybe s2’s storyline is a corruption of the hindu depiction of the end of the world, but even that sounds mildly insulting for reasons I won’t get into b/c i am Not The Expert On Hinduism. I will say that once again, the framing of the concept is all wrong, the show views the idea of apocalypse through a very western lense)

To wrap this up, I think the depiction of Unalaq could *maybe* work b/c he is the antagonist, so someone who strays from the NWT cultural tradition in a way that makes his view of morality more black and white wouldn’t be a *horrible* idea for the bad guy of the season. Especially because the introduction of capitalism to the A:TLA universe could probably cause a substantial shifts to… idk, everything i guess, b/c capitalism is so corrosive. Like. Sometimes people are just traitors. I do think it would be interesting to portray the way capitalism manifests in a society without white christians. Like… I do think there are a lot of ways secular christianity and capitalism are interlinked. But Unalaq is not portrayed as an outsider, he’s portrayed as hyper-traditionalist in a way that’s vilified? I guess rightly so, he does suck, but it’s just hard to conceptualize how a person like Unalaq comes to exist in the first place. In the end, I don’t really think it makes sense, in a world without white people, I don’t really know where this introduction of black and white christian morality would even come from in the avatar world?

TL;DR, Bryke applying western christian morality & world views to non-white characters in a world where white people have NEVER existed to affect our beliefs is a subtle form of white-washing. It imposes simplified “good vs. evil” world-views & cultural beliefs onto its characters. Any attempt to represent or even just integrate our actual beliefs into the A:tla lore are twisted and misrepresented is a way that is disrespectful and saps out any nuance or intrigue from the story, and alienates the people its supposed to represent from recognizing themselves within the final product. And Finally, on a more superficial story level, these writing choices clashe with the already existing world of ATLA--and is honestly just poor world-building.

[what-the--curtains]

In a Week

Part 2/4 - The Importance of Being Idle

(Frankie Morales x f!reader)

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Summary: Things get easier between you and Frankie as the storm outside rages on.

Authors notes: Hello! Sorry this took so long (I forgot I had a lab report due this week so I was busy panic writing 6000 words the patient few days!) anyways this is soft makes my heart happy 🥺 thank u for all the support in the story💕💕

Tw: Swearing, dead sibling mentioned (I think that’s all)

Work count: 4.9k

Tagged: @agingerindenial @icanbeyourjedi

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Day 2

You don’t know when,or how it happened, but sometime during the night you had found your way over to the heat being emitted from human furnace Frankie Morales. Your limbs were wrapped lazily around him, with your leg over his and your arm resting idly on his chest. You blink into the light emitting a dissatisfied grumble realizing you had woken up. You hear a sigh from above and with one eye still closed, you tilt your head up to see Frankie currently hyper focused on winning whatever game he was playing on his phone.

"You could have woken me up you know.” You say, detaching from him and rolling over onto your back rubbing your eyes. “How long have you been awake?" you ask, yawning.

"Few hours, you’re quite the sleeper, slept through all 4 alarms that went off." He responds, still fixated on his phone.

"Shit, sorry about that. My mother used to say I could sleep for England" you state, earning a soft chuckle from the man beside you. Even after years of working on hospital hours, waking up was always a struggle for you, no matter the time of day. After a few moments of contemplating whether you really had to move, you rip off the covers and scoot out of bed. Tearing open the curtains you let out a dissatisfied groan when you see a snowscape where the parking lot once was. You turn around arms crossed, eyes glazed over inadvertently boring into him. You hear him say something but it doesn't register.

“What?” you ask, shaking yourself from the trance and moving towards your over packed bag to retrieve clean clothes.

“Nothing.” he says, eyes back on his phone. You raise your eyebrows and head into the bathroom to get changed, emerging in sweats and a vintage band shirt that you’d tied at the waist.

"The clash? Nice." Frankie says, as he passes by you into the bathroom, closing the door.

"Ya London Calling" you respond sitting down on the bed and pulling on some socks, not fully listening to what he had said. "I’m going to ask the front desk if we can renew the room, doesn't look like we're going anywhere anytime soon. I can see if there's another one available if you don’t wanna share" You say, when you hear the doors lock click open, knowing he may still be mad at you for not pulling over sooner.

"I mean I don't mind sharing, unless you’d be more comfortable..." he starts, mouth hanging open downturned slightly, as he rinses his hands.

“I’m fine sharing, nice to have some company plus it's cheaper this way.” you say, grabbing the room key off the nightstand.

"Let me know how much it is, I'll pay half" he says, stretching out his back, cursing the mattress for being too soft.

"I feel like you should be paying more since you get the good half of the bed.” you offer, pointing your finger at him.

“I think they call that extortion,” he says, grinning “Oh, see if they have any food while you're down there I’m starving” he calls as you exit into the hallway and make your way downstairs.

“Hey, I was looking to re-book the room from last night” you say to the receptionist who you recognized from last night. Suppose she got stuck here as well, you wonder if she’d gotten any sleep.

“For how many more nights?” she asks.

“How long do you think this storm is going to last?” You ask.

“At least a few more days, but then the roads will have to be cleared, so maybe a week? We can book you in for two more nights then go from there though, no one else will be coming in”

“That’d be great,” you say, taking out your credit card. “What about food, is there any way we can get some stuff to make sandwiches or something?” you ask

“Well the culinary staff was trapped here by the storm, another reason why so many rooms were booked, so they’ll be able to have food sent up.” You nod, the hotel was upscale and you hated to think how expensive the food was going to be, but what choice did you have?

“It's past breakfast, but we may have some spare sandwiches leftover, let me just go check.” she offers, returning a few minutes later with a couple of boxes.

“Thank you so much!” you say taking the boxed up food from her.

“Anything else I can help you with?”

“Oh yes” you say, “booze, can I buy that here?”

“That, we have plenty of!” she smiles.

~~~~~

You re-enter the room with the boxed up breakfasts, a case of beer and two bottles of wine

“Here food” you say, sliding the boxes off the beer and onto the counter next to the fridge.“We missed breakfast, so it’s probably cold, and I booked the room for another two nights, but we can go from there” you say, reiterating the receptionist's words as you place the drinks in the fridge.

“Planning on sharing that or?” he laughs watching you strategically maneuver the booze into the fridge

“Hey, I get a week off work, I'm going to be drinking. Do I wish it was on a beach in sunny south Carolina? Yes, but this will have to do, and I hate drinking alone so congratulations you’ve just been conscripted” You say, as he empties out one of the breakfasts onto a plate placing it in the microwave for a few minutes.

“Here. Do you want this? You say peeling the sliced ham off your sandwich” waving it infront of his face.

“Not a fan of ham?” he asks, taking it and adding it into his own.

“Not a fan of meat in general, I’m a vegetarian”

“Course you are.” he laughs.

“Bold words coming from a guy wearing a baseball hat inside, in the middle of winter” you say, throwing a balled up napkin at his head.

“So what exactly do you do? Santi never said.” he asks, leaving you to question what Santiago had said about you.

“I’m a doctor, well almost a doctor one more year of residency, hopefully” you say, crossing your fingers.

“Shit, aren’t you kinda young to be a doctor?” he asks, looking you up and down with raised eyebrows.

“Older than I look, but thank you. How about you?”

“I was a pilot, me and Pope served together for a while, but I’m mainly just teaching now. How’d you two meet by the way? I’ve never seen you round base before, I’m sure I’d remember you hanging around” he says.

“He basically lived at my house growing up, well until he went into the military when I was in middle school. ”

“I thought you said you weren’t young” he laughs “So you didn't serve?”

“No, my brother did though, he was a few years older than Santi but they were inseparable.” you state, preparing yourself for the imminent conversation.

“Who?” Frankie asks, slightly offended that Pope had a secret best friend he never introduced to him.

“His name was Parker '' you say, hoping the past tense clues Frankie in.

“Ya I’ve met Parker! Good guy what branch is he in these days?” he says, not picking up on your word selection or how your mouth hangs slightly ajar or how your eyes have gone vacant.

“Was in” is all you say, you avert your gaze staring down at the floor “he passed five years ago in active duty”

“Shit, I’m sorry I…” he stumbles over his words trying to form a coherent sentence.

“Not your fault how were you supposed to know, besides I'm sure you’ve lost your fair share of people.” you say offering him a not very convincing, but reassuring smile. You let the awkwardness hang in the air, not wanting to speak first.

“What... kind of doctor are you?” he says, hoping to cut the tension he’d caused.

“Medical, diagnostics.” you say, exhaling as the easiness you felt around Franki came back.

“So like House?” He asks.

“Ya cane and all.” you laugh, his lopsided grin having returned to his face, as he leans in to grab your plate.

“Hey, I uh.. I need to make a phone call.” He says, washing the dishes in the sink.

“I'll make myself scarce, give you some privacy. Is it fine if I'm in the shower or did you want me to fully vacate the premise? I can go down to the gym for a bit.” you offer.

“Showers perfect.” He says, mentally questioning his word choice there. He waits to hear the water run before pulling out his phone and dialing his mother who was currently watching his daughter for what was only supposed to be a few days.

You let the water wash over you turning on some music to drown out the conversation Frankie was having, not wanting to pry on his personal life. You did find yourself wondering who he was calling just simple curiosity, nothing else. You had decided you liked Frankie despite the rocky start, the more time you spent with him the more you felt like you'd known him for years. You could see why he and Santiago got along so well they were two sides of the same coin, his calm nicely balancing out Santiago's rashness. Or should you call him Pope? What kind of nickname was that, and Santiago was anything but a saint. You made a mental note to ask Frankie for the origin stories later he may be more forthcoming about it than Santiago. Lathering your hair you close your eyes, allowing Frankie’s image to come to the forefront of your mind. He had an old beauty, a kind of beauty that was suited to a ruler of a long forgotten empire. You begin to feel the water run cold, had you really been in the shower that long? You turn off the tap and dry yourself off redonning your sweats and tying the Clash shirt into a crop. As you exit the bedroom you’re met at the door by Frankie who hands you a cup of coffee.

“Thanks” you say smiling up at him.

“Take it as an apology for being an ass yesterday, I was tired and shouldn’t have thrown a tantrum about it, you don’t control the weather”

“Well I guess I should apologize as well for not listening to you, especially considering you’re the one with training in navigating radars.”

The rest of the day is spent in relative silence breaking into conversation every once in a while about nothing in particular. You sit on the couch reading while he sits in the chair across from you book in hand as the news plays faintly in the background. The storm had been dubbed “snowmageddon” by the anchors, not particularly innovative but it got the point across, 20cm had fallen and another 30 was being predicted you groaned internally thinking about how long it was gonna take you to clear off your car. At least you'd have military help. Dinner comes and goes and he doesn't ask you many questions, unsurprising considering how the last conversion had turned out. Instead you tell him about the weirdest cases you’d ever seen come through the hospital and he tells you about the incidents that got him and Santi sent to the hospital.

“Alright I'm going to turn in” he says, as you look up from the rabbit hole you'd currently found yourself stuck in.

“Shit ya good call” you say closing your phone and rubbing your eyes. Once again he beats you to the bed, giving him a prime position to watch in amusement as you dig through your bag.

“Lost something? Seriously, how deep is that bag? What are you looking for?” he inquires.

“Normal pyjamas” you mutter, all concentration currently being used to find something appropriate to sleep in.

“What pray tell are normal pyjamas?” he asks, a confused look plastered across his face.

“Let's just say a certain king of sleepwear was packed for someone who was suppose to be at the wedding”

“Who?” he asks.

“Ah ha!” you cry victoriously, pulling out your day-to-day sleepwear. You exit the bathroom in the silk sleep set you’d gotten a few years back. Frankie’s eyes widen slightly when he sees you emerge, the pyjamas leaving little to the imagination. If those were your normal pyjamas he didn't want to think about what the other ones were. The last thing he wanted to do was make you uncomfortable by coming off as a creep. Which he was already feeling like by ogling you as you bent over the sink spitting out your toothpaste. His eyes dart down to look at his hands as you walk around the bed to bed, only looking up once the covers are pulled up over you. He turns off the lamp and settles into the mattress, placing his hands on his chest and closing his eyes.

“Please for the love of god, stop moving” he mumbles after 15 minutes of patiently waiting for you to stop wriggling. Your eyes open as you shift again, completely aware of how annoying you must be to him.

“I know I'm sorry, I‘m just..” you move one more time, balling your fists up and slamming them into the mattress in frustration.

“Not comfy” he finishes for you, eyes opening staring up at the ceiling.

“Ya especially since someone took my side of the bed” you bemoan.

“Look, you’ve already slept wrapped around me once, so you can... do it again. If it’s the easiest way for you to sleep.” he says hoping the offer comes off as sincere, and not weird. You chew your lower lip for a second before accepting the fact that it was the only way you’d be able to sleep. He lifts his arms above his head allowing you to position yourself comfortably on top of him, before lowering them down. One hand on his stomach and the other wrapped around your shoulder.

“Don’t even think about trying...” you start, eyes batting sleepily up at him.

“I know you don’t know me well, but i'm not like that. It's not good or fun unless everyones fully and consensually on board.” With that you ease into him, trusting his words. Breathing deeply you drift off to sleep to the smell of clean laundry that you’d come to associate with Frankie.

Day 3

“Hey I'm going to the gym if you need to make a call or whatever” you say, pulling on your sneakers, feeling refreshed from the good sleeps you’d had the past two nights.

“Thanks,” he says, watching you leave before calling to check in on his daughter.

“Hey mom how is she? Good good ya, put her on would ya? Hey darling how are you! Yes I'm going to be home soon. Were just stuck in a big snow storm, did you see it? I wish you were here then we could build a snowman together! Yes just like Elsa and Anna. Yes we can watch them when I get home and absolutely I will try and save you a snowball. Alright, okay, I love you.” He says, a few minutes was more than he’d expected from the kid, toddlers aren’t known for their keen telecommunication skills after all.

“Hey mom, thanks again for watching her. This storm came outta nowhere. We're going to miss the wedding, I know they’re gonna be pissed. That’s not a swear Mom! No, I'm not alone. One of Santis friends she's a doctor. Yes, I mean I don’t know! Why does it matter? Look, I'm hanging up now. I am. No I won't be doing that I love you, I'll call later.” he hangs up shaking his head. Despite what everyone around him thought, the last thing on his mind was dating, his kid was his number one, scratch that, his only priority especially since her mother disappeared in the night. Leaving nothing but a note about having other reasons to live. Whatever the hell that meant. He hears the key unlock the door and watches as you re-enter, not stopping to make conversation, bee-lining straight for the shower. Knowing he’d have a good half hour to kill he dials his phone again.

“Hey Pope” he says, taking the opportunity to call his friend and deliver the bad news.

“Hey ‘Fish where the hell are you guys?” he shouts from the other end, evidently in a crowded room.

“Trapped by the storm, we're not gonna make it.”

“Shit Gen’s gonna lose it, and Stella if it wasn’t for her four sisters Y/N would be in the wedding party they were roommates for years.” He stresses.

“Damn, ya man i'm really sorry, she's in the shower, but I can pass the phone to her when she's out?” Frankie offers.

“No man, don't bother her. I'll text her in a bit. Hey you guys sharing a room?” he questions, the agenda behind it obvious.

“Wasn’t much of a choice, rooms were all booked up.”

“You're sleeping on the floor I hope” A protective tone taking over.

“You know my back’s bad Pope.” he explains calmly, hoping to de-escalate the situation.

“Catfish you better keep those hands to yourself, she's not one of your nightly conquests”

“Man I haven’t been like that since my kid came along” He chuckles, knowing full well that those days were long behind him.

“I'm a serious ‘Fish, she's too good for you, and she's in no place to be fucked over by another guy alright?”

“Look I know she'd never go for me Pope and I'm flattered you think she would. Glad i'm still handsome in your eyes.I’ll call you later” he laughs, ending the conversation on a lighter note.

“Hey” you say, pulling your Boston University sweater over your head, drying out your hair with a towel.

“Pope says hi” Frankie says, hanging up the phone

“What's the nickname mean?” you question, ready to get to the bottom of it.

“That's top secret information” he taunts, shaking the phone at you.

“Oh I'm sure I could figure out a way to get it out of you.” you smirk, raising your eyebrows

“Hey! I have military training!” he exclaims, offended at the insinuation.

“Militarys got nothing on me.” you retort, slapping him on the shoulder as you pass by.

“Well, if the plan is to ply me with alcohol, it may just work” he confesses.

“Perfect” you say, heading to the fridge opening up the wine bottle “let the games begin” you say tossing him a beer bottle watching as he uses a lighter to open it before bringing it to his lips.

“So tell me what does Pope mean?” you ask after a few hours of meaningless conversations and playing a drinking game that went along with the forensic files repeats you were watching. “Is it a dick thing” you whisper yell, causing Frankie to burst out laughing.

“Why? You wanna know what it looks like?” He asks forehead creased the trace of laughter still etched on his face.

“Ew No! but I am asking if it looks like a Pope?” you say trying to hide your amusement with a stern look.

“Which Pope?” Frankie asks in an equally serious tone, curious as to where you were going with this.

“Francis?” you ask.

“Nope” He answers after pausing for a moment.

“Fred?” You ask, now entrapped in a bizarre game of guess who, but in reference to what holy figure most resembled your friends penis.

“Was there a Pope named Fred?” He asks unsuccessfully, stifling a laugh.

“Probably? There were like three Popes at once at one point in time.”

“No his dick doesn't look like the Pope, now can we please stop talking about my best friend's penis!” he exclaims.

“Fine, but this isn’t over.” you say chewing your lip trying to think of other possible explanations when a phone ringing interrupts you thought.

“Shit, Sorry I have to take this,'' he says, pulling out his phone and walking to the next room, forgetting to close the door, leaving you to inadvertently eavesdrop on his conversation.

“Good night sweety I love you to the moon and back I'll be home soon.”

Your eyes go wide as you feel your stomach sink, of course he was married, he was too nice, too easy, something had to have been off. A ick comes over you at the thought of being unknowingly draped over a married man, and you suddenly begin questioning Frankies motives.

“Sorry about that. It's my daughter she uh, I didn’t say goodnight to her last night and she missed it” he says with a slight chuckle, pride evident on his face.

“How old is she?” you ask smiling at how he lit up at being asked about his kid.

“Three” he says, grabbing another beer and grunting slightly as he sits back on the floor next to you.

“Good age” You offer, shaking off the feeling of betrayal and disappointment that had come over you for a brief moment.

“Ya she's perfect” he beams.

“I bet, I mean I don’t know what your wife looks like, but if she's got your eyes watch out world.” You offer turning to face him only to see that his smile had faded, replaced instead by a somber hurt.

“Her mothers not in the picture” He says, clearing his throat and taking a long drink.

“Shit Frankie I'm sorry” you say quickly, feeling like a prize idiot for making assumptions about his character.

“Hey I brought up your dead brother, only seems fair you bring up my ex who abandoned us.” He says with a shrug. “Don’t, don’t look at me like that” He says, shaking his head and knitting his brows together tired of being looked at like he was broken. It was horrible when it happened. It was fucking shitty that she had left her daughter without a care, but now? Hell, he wouldn’t trade it for anything. Watching his daughter grow up was worth it.

“Fuck” you say, scrunching up your face “I hate when people do that to me.”

“You need another drink?” he offers, hoping to ease the sudden awkwardness into the room, one he was accustomed to after telling his dates about his kid, not that this was a date.

“Ya I need it to wash the taste of foot out of my mouth” you laugh, feeling worse than when your brother was inadvertently brought up.

“Seriously don't worry about it. Speaking of a palette cleanser you wanna watch a movie or something?” he says pouring the rest of the wine into your glass, before grabbing another drink out the fridge for himself.

“Ya but it's gotta be horror, the only thing i'm in the mood for.”

“Didn’t think bringing up my ex was that scary.” he laughs, handing you the glass.

“No, but talking about Santiago's penis was.” You deadpan, causing Frankie to snort out his drink. “What? Do all the girls say that about it? A real nightmare?” you continue, giggling as he coughs through a laugh. “Was it the inspiration for the creature from the black lagoon?” for some reason the stupid bit your doing causes Frankie to double over subsequently encouraging your own laughing fit. After the ache in your side subsides Frankie sits down on the couch next to you. Using his sleeve to wipe any spillage from his beard.

“Any preference?” you ask, leaning your head back against the couch. He shakes his head. “Alright, the Conjuring it is! I gotta pee first though, need anything before we start?” you ask, walking towards the washroom.

“Just you.” he calls out, as the door closes behind you. Fuck, why the hell did he say that. He shakes his head at how desperate it sounded. Jesus christ, he was embarrassing.

You were just tipsy enough that the bathroom's bright lights made you feel wobbly. You cross your arms as you pee, thinking about the words you’d just heard, about how he needed you. Well maybe that was a reach, but it was okay to pretend just for a night? In all honesty, even though this wasn't a date, it was definitely the best time you'd had with a guy… ever, something about him was just so easy. You flush the toilet and open the door washing your hands, hotels were so weird, why wasn't the sink in with the toilet? You felt like you needed to wipe the handle down after every use.

You flop back onto the couch next to him, closer than you’d been when you left, but leaving enough space between you. After a few jump scares that catch even the pilot off guard the two of you found yourself snuggled into each other. You knew the movie was getting to him, because the arm wrapped around your shoulder pulled you closer into his side whenever the ominous music began to play. He wouldn't say the movie was getting to him per say, it was just in his nature to protect others. Even if it was just a stpid movie he wanted to make sure you felt safe. After the movie ends you quickly separate from each other and clear up the glasses, leaving them to ‘soak’ overnight. Frankie gets to the bathroom first, again. Thirsty, you wander back out to the kitchen grabbing a glass and filling it with water jumping when you think you see a shadow move out the corner of your eye. It was strange, how you loved horror so much while watching it but the second it turned off, any sounds, or hat rack or shadow scared the living daylights out of you. At least this time there would be another person with you. After getting ready for bed you switch off the lights and make your way to the bed.

“What are you doing?” Frankie asks, watching you lift up the bedskirt peering under the bed. “Are you seriously checking under the bed right now?” He laughs, unable to get over how you, a medical professional was afraid of ghosts.

“Better safe than sorry!” you exclaim eyes wide as your head pops up.

“You can't believe in this shit can you?”

“Hey man you get sleep paralysis then tell me that shit isn’t plausible” you respond pointing a finger at him, before pushing yourself off your knees and up onto the bed.

You crawl under the covers and sit up parting your hair to braid it before going to bed.

“Can I ask you a weird favour” he asks, you panic slightly, fuck he was too good to be true, no way a guy was that sweet without an alterior motive.

“Yes, but proceed with extreme caution” you say.

“Can you teach me how to braid hair? I want to be able to do my daughter's hair but I’m pretty terrible at it. Her teacher once asked if she'd gotten caught in a bush on the way in.” Your heart jumps slightly, at the sincere revelation. How, how could one guy be this sweet, and thoughtful and not creepy?

“Of course I can show you.” you say and you proceed to give him a step by step tutorial, followed by a demonstration prior to actually letting him have at your hair so he can try and replicate the motions. Once he got the motion down you’d mistakenly tried to show him how to french-braid it down from the top.

“Be honest doc, how bad is it.” He says.

“Well, maybe we shouldn't have tried a french braid quite yet.” you say laughing feeling the matted mess currently on your head. You turn upon hearing him groan, watching as he leans back into the pillow bringing his hands up to hide his face.

“For someone who's a pilot i'm shocked you can't do this.” you say, hand reaching up to salvage your hair.

“Are you judging me?” he says, sitting back up when he sees you struggling to untangle the mess he’d made.

“Maybe a little.” Your breath hitches when you feel his hand grazed against yours. You drop it to the side upon contact allowing his fingers to work gently at removing the knots.

“Are pilots supposed to be good at braiding?” he asks.

“I just assumed if you could weave in and out of the sky you'd be good with your hands.” you laugh as he frees the last of your hair from the prison he'd made. He watches as you effortlessly put your hair back up into tidy braids.

“You make it look so easy,” he says.

“Well practice makes perfect, but look on the brightside, now you have a sure fire pick up line that'll work on all the MILFs youll be dating!” you exclaim turning back to smile at him.

“Malo '' he mutters, pushing your shoulder slightly as you giggle, dramatically falling back onto the bed and pulling the covers up over you. It doesn't take a moment before you're back around him, breathing silently, and fast asleep. He wasn’t far behind you, he never used to sleep well in hotels, or at all really, not after the mission, but something about this place made it easy. He's sure it's nothing to do with the idle hand on his chest or the rhythmic beating of the heart belonging to the person draped over him.

[muninnhuginn]

DC (you can choose which one)

Sorry for the delay on this! I started it then saved it in my drafts and proceeded to forget that drafts were a thing OTL.

Anyway, I'm going to go for the Detective Conan DC because my knowledge of the other DC is... lacking.

The first character I first fell in love with: Haibara. Her character arc is still my favourite even now. She was very much traumatised in a number of ways and that wasn’t much shied away from. Like, she’s actively terrified of Gin and Vermouth and when we first met her she’d just lost her sister. But despite that, she still managed to open up over time. And it wasn’t a linear path because she still freaks whenever someone from the BO is present (and I know the entire BO sense is kinda weird in terms of how much of it is like a magic realism thing vs her panic response but there’s some of both of it in there). But she is happier after her development and her friendship with Ayumi is precious honestly. The case about being able to call her by her first name was legit sweet.

The character I never expected to love as much as I do now: Akai, I think. He was pretty clever without getting nerfed for it and saw through the Conan shtick, same as with Yamato and Koumei (who are both also charas I like). But then, I was just incredibly amused by his Okiya act. I have no idea how much of it was intentional trolling but turning up with curry to incredibly non-subtly check up on Haibara cracked me up. And obviously alongside that you have how he was freaking Haibara out and it just led to a lot of scenes with tension between them where Akai wasn’t communicating his reasons (because he got her sister killed. yikes.) and Haibara had enough pieces to have an idea but not enough to complete the puzzle as to Akai being a “good guy”, so to say. It was fun, I think. Even if the setup of characters not communicating definitely started to become frustrating after a while. But anyway, Akai has the range. He has the clever dangerous side and the “wdym, I’m just here for curry” memeability.

The character everyone else loves that I don’t: This isn’t an “everyone” thing exactly but I’m not sure there is any one character who is universally liked by the entire fandom. Anyway, I find Conan frustrating nowadays. I think he was decent up past Desperate Revival (maybe even Vermouth reveal?) but after that stagnated big time. The main issue is that DC is a long runner and so at some point character development has to be put on hold. It’s more obvious with Conan because we literally see him every case as opposed to the other characters who have fewer appearances. But I think to narrow it down further, the problem is how Conan is not allowed to make mistakes that are punished by the narrative (aside from perhaps when it’s time to show off Yuusaku). Say for instance, he can actively refuse an information exchange with Akai because he doesn’t want to confirm his identity despite the fact that Akai already knows who he is. And this is treated as though it’s fine and logical even though it really isn’t? I don’t mind character flaws. If anything, I want characters to have flaws. But when the manga continues to twist the narrative around to try and pretend like character flaws aren’t flaws, it really puts me off that character.

The character I love that everyone else hates: This is more a case of the potential than that I actually think she's super well done, but early era Sera was actually pretty good? I find the later choices (especially once Mary is introduced) to be too inconsistent with her previous characterisation and strongly dislike how her intelligence gets retrospectively nerfed by the revelation that Mary was helping her out all along. But Sera in her first few cases and especially in the case with bomb at the detective agency? She was being the most realistic person there and it was really refreshing. (I feel like talking more about this could go off topic but basically I get that Ran is supposed to be the kinda pure more idealistic style morality because that’s what Aoyama is gunning for with her chara and that’s what Vermouth likes about her and Shinichi, but what Ran did with blocking the snipers’ views there was actively dangerous. It would have been safer for everyone else if they’d just gone with Sera’s plan and let the sniper take out the bomber)

The character I used to love but don’t any longer: Gin was a pretty intimidating and challenging antagonist all the way up until maybe around Clash? I just feel though that he’s become less and less of a serious antagonist the more spies get revealed within the BO? Peak Gin was Dark Footprints though imo and since then, well. Nowadays, I really struggle to see the hype around him.

The character I would totally smooch: Uh... none, sorry.

The character I’d want to be like: I was so stuck on this question but I’ve settled on an answer now. I’d go for Haibara because even though her science knowledge keeps getting nerfed (ngl, so salty she didn’t know basic physics in the Maria case) she does have that biochem background. And even though she’s quiet and not actively trying to fit in she still manages to gain friends willing to put in the effort for her. It’s sweet and I’d like that.

The character I’d slap: Shuukichi. This guy. He decides without consulting her that he will ghost his girlfriend so he can win a shogi title “for her” which will somehow prove that he’s worthy of marrying her (????). He hasn’t even told her he plays shogi professionally before he does this. What. Maybe I’m just someone who would appreciate communication in relationships of any flavour but I don’t think I’d ever want to marry someone who breaks up with me out of the blue to ghost me for years only to reappear and say he wants to marry me because he’s won some competition I don’t even care about. And Yumi doesn’t care about shogi or she would have known years ago he plays professionally, especially considering it’s aired on TV.

A pairing that I love: TakaSatou. In a series where most of the relationships start with some kind of childhood connection, TakaSatou is definitely refreshing for entirely bypassing that and gunning for a more mature relationship overall. That said, there are a couple of their stories that rely way too much on second hand embarrassment for me to rewatch.

A pairing that I despise: Okay, I'll just go for the worst offender here with Shuukichi/Yumi. See my answer on why I would slap Shuukichi for reference and also the fact that I’m about 95% sure Aoyama is going to make it canon despite this. I wouldn’t mind half as much if the manga actually critically examined why Shuukichi pulled his ghosting stunt, but it’s just brushed over as a big romantic gesture. So yeah. I’m out.

[bitch-for-a-rainbow]

Lex Luthor: I actually really like him and Supergirl made me mad

     So, Lex Luthor is a very interesting, sometimes thought provoking, but most of all very enjoyable character.

     Lex is many things, a classic egomaniacal villain, an example of what lies can do to a relationship, a walking, talking red flag, a warning of how hubris and jealously can destroy you, and much, much more. He is not the typical strain of insane— if crazy at all, highly competent, and best of all knows every one of Superman’s buttons and exactly how to press them.

     I love watching Lex in every media I’ve ever seen him in going back to the original Christopher Reeve Superman. Every media, that is, except Supergirl. Why?

     Because she isn’t fucking Superman.

      Obviously, I love Supergirl— I run a blog with her in my icon— but there are certain things she is not and was never meant to be. Nemesis to Lex Luthor is right up there with a mass-murdering nazi (which is why the multiverse exists-- so that you can make her the first super on earth, Lex Luthor’s ex-friend, and not completely ignore the foundation of who they are as characters)

     Lex is fun because he’s so smart, but also because of the personal stake he has with Superman. Lex felt jealous. In many cases, he felt betrayed. He let that fester into mania and then he built an evil radioactive robo-suit and committed mass murder. You know, like reasonable people do.

     Lex was Superman’s friend and that gives his hatred of Kryptonians not only purpose, but emotional weight. Their relationship has that itching tension of painful history. In addition, Lex is extremely prideful. To him, Supergirl would be second class, she’s backup. And there is a story there: a story when Lex has a breakdown when backup knocks him into the sun, or the (in my opinion, less entertaining) version where Superman shows up to save her, reaffirming Lex’s worldview that he’s everything and defeating Superman means that Lex is the greatest and smartest, and even more stories beyond those that still adhere to its core principles— Kara and Lex as characters.

     But Supergirl chose neither. Instead they chose another recycle Superman plot. And then another. And another.    

     I should make time to say that I like Jon Cryer; I think he’s doing a great job with what he’s been given. He’s got the charisma. He’s got the smarmy self-congratulating swagger down perfectly. The scenes where the real Lex pokes its ugly head through his facade are just great. I think in anything else he would have made an excellent Lex Luthor, but not here.

     I was… disappointed with season 4. I liked 4x20– Kara and Lena investigating was fun at worst and at best had some really good edge of my seat moments. I thought that 4x16 “The House of L” was one of the best episodes of supergirl in a very long time and it still holds its place at least in my top 10, probably my top 5. But you will notice Lex wasn’t even in 4x20 and his places in 4x16 I actually enjoyed could easily have been occupied by any other intelligent villainous character. From a very basic point of view Col. Haley would have fit the mold of the manipulator training the compassionate but confused alien to kill— Wouldn’t have been her first time.

     The later usages of Lex in Supergirl are also attempting a common Superman plot. Lex “redeems” himself, tricks the public into trusting him again by framing Superman for something, and eventually is once again revealed to be evil. It sounds like a repetitive, boring plot that would lose the audience suspension if belief after a few tries— “Seriously, this again. How are they not expecting this by now?” And that complaint works for Supergirl. Because Supergirl isn’t Superman.

     Clark Kent was Lex Luthor’s best friend. Clark Kent ignored every warning sign and red flag waved in his face because Lex Luthor was his best friend. Clark Kent harbors a deep, abiding hurt and resentment from Lex’s betrayal. He has no trust for Lex, just like any hero would, but he also has the built up anger from repeated clashes with Lex and the initial betrayal. So when Lex returns, once again proclaiming he’s changed his ways, Superman’s response is a very public, very obviously bitter “yeah, right.” When Lex lays one of his traps for Superman, Clark is a little too rash. Lex Luthor knows how to push all of Clark’s buttons, even if he doesn’t know that they’re Clark’s. Lex can play him like a fiddle, and as for the general populace— would you be so steadfast in your trust of the invulnerable alien that could laser you in half in the blink of an eye and seems to be getting a little too comfortable in his role as peacekeeper? Would you, when even the slightest chance could slaughter your entire planet and you would have nothing and no one would could stop him— except, of course, Lex Luthor?

     We’ve been shown through many media that when Lex can’t manipulate his opponent, when villain comes that is simply too big for him to work on, he is at incredible risk. There are several stories I can think of of the top of my head where Lex becomes a temporary ally of the heroes simply because he realizes he can’t manipulate this new, powerful player and that therefore they are a risk to him (I actually really like those stories because the dynamics between him and the heroes are incredibly fun and interesting— you start to get an idea of who Lex is underneath all of the wit and ego).

     This is Supergirl’s great failure with Lex. The show understands that he is a genius— makes a great fuss about it. They understand that he is a manipulator— it’s his entire plot line with Lena. But they fail to understand that Lex’s ploys don’t work because he’s just so smart like the smartest ever. They work because he knows Superman and he knows that people are afraid of him— even the ones who trust and love him live with the knowledge that if he gets mind controlled or goes crazy, he could kill them all with ease, and that it’s happened before.

     Supergirl wasn’t around for Lex’s turn. This Supergirl wasn’t even in that steady of contact with Clark. She has no stinging betrayal, no anger and bitter history to make her rash and predictable. Certainly by now, two seasons into Lex’s placement in the show, she is angry— but by all the evidence we’ve been given, Kara’s anger just makes her more volatile, unpredictable and sometimes genuinely down for murder, which is definitely not something Lex needs. We have seen her both let Lex “fall to his death” (when she wasn’t all that angry— she just accepted his suicide without trying to force him into prison) and nearly shoot him with laser vision (this time she was angry and emotionally unstable after the death of Argo and the more Lex centered anger that he revealed her identity and destroyed her relationship with Lena. There is no question that she would have killed-- or at the very least maimed-- him if The Monitor hadn’t intervened). If Superman just murdered Lex when he got angry, he would have died a dozen times over.

     Lex doesn’t even have a basic understanding of Kara’s mindset. He can’t. Superman was raised by American humans in Kansas— he has a worldview that Lex could easily pick up on because it is at least based on watching most of the same events unfold as they grew up— and that’s if they had never met before they started fighting. Sure, he could assume Superman had some quirks from being an alien, but the base Americanized cultural standpoint was already affecting Lex’s machinations because he was an American. He’s familiar with the culture and values Superman follows— not so with Kara. I don’t even know if it was possible for him to obtain information on her religion, let alone the cultural views on justice. His research on her past fights would have been choppy at best, given that there are so many things that only Kara or the other Superfriends were there for. He can’t have the information about that fight on Mars where Kara literally disintegrated at least 3 white martians. He can’t know what happened with Reign beyond “she’s not going to be a problem anymore”. He might have more information about the Daxamite invasion through government records and his mother but the information is still limited. As for Non and Myriad, we don’t even know what happened to Non, and did they report to the DEO that J’onn literally tore Indigo in half (very graphically I might add). Or did they just say “They won’t be a problem anymore.” Lex may have been spying on Kara since Season 2, but how much is watching her civilian life going to help him understand her, when Kara’s civilian life was constructed to hide? Kara Danvers doesn’t say a lot of what she thinks to avoid notice, and even Supergirl keeps her mouth shut a lot of the time to try and maintain human-alien relations. The episodes where she squabbles with the Col. Haley and President Baker are full of her smiling and gritting her teeth through statements that clearly make her very angry.

     Lex “falling to his death” and then getting shot at the end of season 4 was a great moment— it fit with the characters motivations, but it also unfortunately illustrated the problem with Supergirl characters interacting with Lex. J’onn was a soldier who kills people. Kara has killed people. Alex has killed people. This scene was not the first time we watched Lena try to murder someone with that gun. They are not restricted by the moral code Superman uses, which makes it both more difficult and more dangerous for Lex to try manipulating them— so he doesn’t and instead they skip the intermediary and rely wholly on him being able to manipulate the public. This works to an extent with Red Daughter, but only because anti-alien sentiment was at an all time high with the Children of Liberty, and because Lex lucked into an amnesiac supergirl clone. So little of the heavy lifting was actually done by Lex it feels less like his accomplishment and more like he cheated off of 3 different people and then bragged about his math skills. I said it before and I’ll say it again. The season 4 villain could have been anyone with moderate intelligence and resources. After crisis, the excuses just get weaker and weaker. I mean come on, he confessed to trying to mind control the whole world in front of the jury while screaming vile things at his sister who’s sitting there visibly flinching at his words and they unanimously voted not-guilty? Are you kidding? (Also after watching all the courtroom scenes in Supergirl... do they know how courtrooms work? I mean, I laughed as hard as anyone at the “I plead the 5th” line, but seriously. Do they?)

    And Crisis was… a choice. I personally hated that they brought Lex back to life— more so because the in-universe reasoning was so weak. Lex Luthor does not face a whole lot of consequences, it’s true, but that’s because he has the genius, guile, and money to avoid them. To give him such an unearned out— especially after all the damage he’d done by dying— really hurt the both the stakes and the character. Lex is a human, and he fights Superman by taking advantage of very human things: corruption, anger, and fear as well as ingenuity and resourcefulness. He loads the deck in his favor— he doesn’t win on luck. And Lex in the CW Supergirl, seems to only win on luck. First he finds Red Daughter right when anti-alien sentiment is blowing up, then he is resurrected, then he finds out the crisis world loves him. He has had exactly 1 major victory based on his own work— manipulating Brainy. A manipulation which was really hard to believe when Brainy was, in canon, much, much smarter than Lex, familiar with his tactics, lying to the superfriends for no reason, and had no emotional reaction to cloud his judgement. 

      And even so, this one plot line was one of the more interesting ones in season 5 and the most Lex Luthor-like plot line the show has had. Even when I felt my suspension of disbelief slipping, it wasn’t entirely in tatters. Lex’s win felt somewhat earned. 

     He has been in the show for 2 1/2 seasons and he has had 1 major victory that felt at all earned. 2 and 1/2 seasons. That’s currently around 45% of the show’s run time.

     All in all, we have 4 deeply related problems that plague the CW Supergirl Lex Luthor:

Lex Luthor’s plans rely as much on effective manipulation of Superman as they do on his own genius. Without that manipulation, his victories rely much more on happenstance and luck, making them feel less earned.

Lex Luthor cannot effectively manipulate Supergirl— at the very least, not in the beginning of their relationship, which CW Supergirl focuses on— nor does he try to manipulate her or much of the cast beyond Lena and once with Brainy.

Supergirl kills people. Supergirl has killed Lex. Superman doesn’t kill people.

Lex fighting Supergirl does not have the kind of inherent emotional weight that Lex fighting Superman does.

     There are some other issues I have with the CW supergirl version of Lex, but I think if it was a Superman show I wouldn’t have minded. The large amount of screen time dedicated to him would make sense there, and the fact that he’s a cockroach seemingly impervious to any plot consequences would also fit more in line with Superman’s increasing frustration and make his manipulations more effective.

     The only problem I have that wouldn’t been solved purely by making it about Superman is the crowding problem. In season 1, Non and the DEO were highly connected and fed each other as villains. Season 2 also fit that same block of alien vs. anti alien. Both of those secondary villains (the army/DEO in s1 and Cadmus in s2) were very much not as big a villain as the main. Season 3 sort of had a secondary villain with Morgan Edge, but he was mostly just a Lena problem. All of these seasons had a good balance between the villains screen time and also between the villains and heroes. It got a little more complicated with the extra world killers in s3, but still functioned fairly smoothly with focus on Reign. This is one of the main reasons that seasons 1 and 3 are my favorites. S4, however, got more cluttered. A lot more cluttered. Manchester Black, the Children of Liberty, Lex Luthor, Red Daughter, and Eve Tessmacher were all villains with multi-episode arcs handled directly by Supergirl herself. There was too much to cover, not enough connection, and not enough time— plus 2 new main cast members (Look, I love Nia and Brainy but that season had way too much going on). Season 5 had Leviathan, Lena Luthor, Lex Luthor and 2 new mains. Each of those villain arcs had their own distinct plot from one another and screen time started to become more choppy and spread out. Season 6 now has so far Lex Luthor, the phantom zone, and Nyxly, as well as the Zor-El mini-arc, and while I’ll give them some leeway for Melissa Beniost’s maternity leave, there is again too much in too little time. Villains are underdeveloped or not given weighty closures, each main gets less and less personal screentime, and every shot that doesn’t serve a good or entertaining purpose feels like pouring out water from a canteen in the desert, especially now in the last season. Lex has greatly suffered for this both in the rage at how much screen time he gets compared to other characters, Kara in particular, and because of how his arcs are still hobbled by the lack of it.

    I just find myself wishing they’d restricted Lex to a 3 or 4 episode mini-arc, or just season 4 and saved him for the Superman and Lois show. They could have played the crisis resurrection as just an unfortunate coincidence of fate and had it be Superman’s problem from there on. 

    To Jon Cryer, may you never see this. It’s so very not your fault.

If anyone actually reads this whole thing and I got something wrong let me know. I’d love to discuss it. Today, I’m just trying to isolate the main issues I have with Lex in Supergirl. 

[awed-frog]

Hello, can you explain about Myanmar? I saw the news this morning but I don't understand what's going on. Thank you, love your blog!

Hello! Keep in mind that I don’t live in the region and never studied Asian history in uni, but I’ve been there and loved the country and its people so I try to follow what’s going on. 

Here is a short answer:

Longer answer:

It’s basically the same thing that keeps happening everywhere. Ruling class (foreign or domestic) wants cheaper labour, so buys/imports cheap workers from abroad. Locals are not happy about this for various reasons, but can’t oppose it. With time, imported workers are more and more numerous, and this causes more and more clashes with the local population. Depending on the country and historical period, this can lead to racial tensions, huge gains for the far right, civil war or even secession.

(See for instance: slavery in the US and the Caribbean, Serbia and Kosovo, ‘guest workers’ in various European countries, Indian communities in some African countries.)  

In this particular case, the British fucked up. As you can see from the map above, Myanmar’s been mostly Bamar since the Middle Ages (when the Pagan empire was founded*).

*no relation with ‘paganism’ as a religious term, it’s named instead after this city and yeah, it’s just as beautiful as it looks like:

Because of geographical and historical reasons, there were always minority pockets here and there. In the map above, the ones in yellow are the Rakhine (Buddhist) and the orange are the Rohingya (Muslim). The reason for the sharp divide between the blue and yellow/orange region is a mountain range right on that border. Also there are Muslims there because Muslims traders (conversion and intermarrying and stuff like that). And when the British conquered Myanmar, the wanted to further ‘develop’ that region (ie mass-produce stuff to get rich), so they imported thousands of workers from India and Bangladesh. 

(It’s generally accepted a Muslim community was already present in the area pre-British Empire, but its exact size is subject of dispute.)

As you can imagine, that created a lot of problems, especially with the Rakhine, who were already a minority themselves. Sometimes tensions would boil over, people got killed and villages destroyed (on both sides), and everyone was mostly fed up. The local Buddhists felt they were being pushed out of their own country, while the new Muslim citizens had basically been forced to move there so they just wanted to earn a living and do their thing. 

Then WW2 happened, and when the Japanese turned to Myanmar, the British fled - but before they left, they gave a lot of weapons to ‘their people’ (ie, the Muslim workers) so they could slow down the Japanese advance and basically be cannon fodder to stop the Japanese from reaching British India. Only it didn’t really work out that way, and the weapons were mostly used against the local Buddhist community. By the time Myanmar became independent, in 1948, there was talk of self-determination and a secession. That was followed by period of general unrest, and once the army took power in 1962, every kind of dissent was shut down. In an effort to consolidate power, the army did what every asshole government does and tried to spread the ‘one people one country’ lie, pushing an ideal of racial purity and pretending minorities were not a thing (this included not giving passports to people in minority communities). There were efforts to ‘repatriate’ Rohingya to Bangladesh, but obviously it’s a bit hard to repatriate people who’ve never been in their supposed ‘home country’ ever (as we’re seeing right now in Europe, with the latest case being literal teen girls from Austria being ‘repatriated’ to Armenia and Georgia even if they were born in Austria and have never set foot in those countries). Also Bangladesh closed its borders, thousands of people ended up trapped and about 12000 died.

So it’s been a shitty situation for pretty much everyone involved. I think the recent unrest started after a Muslim man (allegedly?) raped a Buddhist woman, but I’m not sure. What followed can be defined as genocide, but imo the Western response was ineffectual and hypocritical. We keep misunderstanding China and its interests and influence in South-East Asia, and we are not believable as moral arbiters as we pick and choose who should be punished depending on how much money we can make off them. For instance, countries like Saudi Arabia and China have an appalling human rights record, but we don’t seem to care a lot. And of course, our own record was shitty to begin with and is getting spottier by the minute.

As for Aung San Suu Kyi, I don’t know why she acted the way she did - whether she was pressured by the junta or if she’s biased against the Muslim communities or maybe there was some covert political trade-off going on - but there were definitely other ways to stop what was going on and help Myanmar to heal from the problems we created. International support of Aung San Suu Kyi was pretty much the only thing propping up actual democratic rule in the country, and once that was withheld, it was only a matter of time before the army took over again. So all in all, we managed another diplomatic masterwork: we didn’t help the Rohingya at all, we ensured the rest of the population would also suffer by destroying Myanmar’s fragile democracy, we explained this whole crisis as SAVAGE BROWN PEOPLE ARE KILLING ONE ANOTHER AGAIN 🥺 without once mentioning why this was actually happening and we gave China more power and influence in the region - for free. Go us.

[toushindai]

sometimes a fic you’re very proud of gets unceremoniously booted out of canon compliance by something that........ really does not earn the right to evict your fic from canon compliance, and your only recourse is to

Decide that in your own headcanon, what you must begrudgingly call the “canon scene” was merely a dream, and

Remind yourself why you wrote what you wrote.

Anyway I still love “The Diamond” because it does a lot of character work that I really wanted to see done, and although no one asked I’m gonna talk a little bit this is fifteen hundred words long so a lot bit actually about that out of a combination of sincere enthusiasm and very poorly hidden spite.

Within twenty-four hours of completing the Meg route and learning that both relationships were fully above-board, I concluded that Zagreus would want a threesome, and shortly thereafter I concluded that if he got one, it would be a disaster. I’m speaking literally, this is not an exaggeration. Within forty-eight hours I had a rough outline of what would become “The Diamond” written up, and the structure of the encounter is basically what it is in the final draft: Zag suggests it, Meg and Than are less enthused but decide to go along with it, Than is persistently awkward about the experience that Zagreus and Megaera seem to have with navigating each other, though he makes a gallant effort anyway which is interrupted by a reminder that Meg is still there, watching all of this, and the encounter falls apart.

As I began to flesh the idea out, I really became interested in exploring just... a number of different complications, a number of different tensions that to tell the truth I had expected to be present in the relationships based on the antagonism displayed by both Meg and Than early on. It’s clear that, canonically, they sorted out their differences somewhere out of Zag’s sight. And I have no objection to this, really. But “The Diamond” became about forcing the two of them to face their permissiveness towards the other relationship in close quarters, and to experience tension and discomfort that they may have shrugged off originally. They are each different things to Zagreus—this is a canon line, I just wanna emphasize that that’s a canon line, not something I came up with in a dream once—and in “Diamond,” I wanted to bump those two things up against each other and have them clash in ways that were awkward for everyone involved. Not wrong, not even unnavigable in the end, but awkward in a way that should be faced rather than looked away from. Thanatos, not just an uncomfortable outsider to the D/s dynamics that are so natural and inherent to Megaera’s relationship with Zagreus, but also watching the two of them follow familiar steps and feeling inadequate compared to how well they know each other. Megaera deciding that she is best suited to lead the encounter but in the process of giving Than space to play along shunting herself off into a corner, from where she feels awkwardly left out, and in her attempt to reintegrate herself into the scene by trying to take charge as comes naturally to her, shattering the entire encounter. Because the fic was strictly from Thanatos’s POV, I didn’t get to highlight this quite commeasurately to how strongly I felt it, but both Meg and Than saw glimpses of the shape of the other relationship and wondered, is that something Zagreus needs? Is that something he can’t get from me, does that make my relationship with him lesser? I saw a failed threesome as a perfect encounter to force them to have these thoughts.

(The answer to these questions is of course that neither relationship is lesser; they’re just wildly different, and for Zagreus, with his heart so full of love that it constantly overflows, to have both is beneficial to all involved. Maybe more strictly canonical iterations of the characters can understand that more easily, without having to question it. But where’s the fun in that? I want to see them working through it.)

The other big tension I wanted to put these characters through is... eh, it’s a combination of communication and respect issues. Like I’ve said and will keep saying, it’s pretty cute that Meg and Than sorted themselves out, and certainly that’s preferable to either relationship being secret or even just having to clear surprise polyamory with them after the fact, but at the same time... it is a little weird to me that Zagreus was excluded from the conversation. And so “Diamond” became about how Megaera and Thanatos think about Zagreus, and how they need to do better about that. Zagreus thinks, sincerely, that this will be great fun for everyone involved!. Neither Megaera nor Thanatos agrees, but how is Zagreus supposed to know that when they gripe amongst themselves and agree to go along with it? He gives Thanatos really a number of opportunities to back out, but Thanatos just grits his teeth and treats it as here Zag goes, being unreasonable again, and there’s nothing I can do to stop him. Megaera’s attitude is similar. They both fail to show Zagreus the respect of communicating their actual opinions to him. He’s right to be hurt by that, at the end of the main chapter.

And I wanted to show Than and Meg making this mistake, together, because I feel that even canonically, even with both romances complete, both of them take the attitude that they are reasonable and he is unreasonable. Their adherence to the order of the Underworld and the House is something they are doing that is morally good, and his defiance is something that is morally bad, and they’ll both permit it because of his circumstances and because, mortifyingly, they’ve both come to care for him, but even so that is taking the attitude that they are in a position to permit, to allow, and that his actions are the aberrance. And you know what? That’s a shitty attitude to take with anyone, let alone your boyfriend. I wanted them to face this hurting Zag, and moreover making things wildly uncomfortable for them, too—so that they could see the truth of what a negative stance that is, and repent of it. Decide, consciously, to do better.

And then the last thing I wanted to touch on was an idea that, bluntly speaking, Zagreus is better and more practiced at wanting things. Megaera and Thanatos have been living and working for aeons in this environment where what they sincerely want is the last thing they’re able to take into consideration when it comes to what they must do. Zagreus... lives and has worked in this same environment, but because of whatever quirk of personality, he refuses to sublimate himself. Prior to the game, it seems, this mostly took the shape of just not doing what he wasn’t motivated to do; but now, during canon, Zagreus is going after what he wants no matter how many times he fails. No matter how many times his father or the fates themselves tell him no, he is going to keep trying. And I wanted to look at how this is foreign and overwhelming to Meg and Than, how they might even reject it at first because it’s so foreign—but also how they are drawn to it. How it’s something liberating, how they might learn from it and become more fully themselves. More honest, more relaxed, happier. If only they take the step of admitting that they are in the wrong here, and that they’ve been stifling and harming themselves for a long, long time and calling it justified.

(That post about what your favorite Hades ship says about you has my number so thoroughly; why, yes, I am bisexual, and yes, I do live and breathe for repressed characters letting down their guard for exactly one person; and yes, I am a fan of men getting p—wait, that last bit’s not relevant here.)

I’m ready for 1.0, I think. There’s been a lot of post-clear content integrated into the game without the ramifications of a true clear—one that doesn’t involve the storyteller killing you in increasingly aggravated ways, whatever that’s going to look like—actually being incorporated. And I’m hoping a true clear involves a little more tension. Not permanently, not in a way that breaks some of the happy endings that are already in place. But in a way that makes the characters work for them a little more, in transition. Who clings harder to the status quo, which is broken but has been stable? Who fights a little more against the good that Zagreus is doing by pushing back? What prices are paid for breaking things so that they must be rebuilt better? I want to see these tensions. The game starts in an untenable place and asks hard questions, and I hope that the mechanical difficulty of the escape process isn’t considered enough to have earned emotionally easy answers. Because complication is what I’m interested in. Complication, and characters deciding that it’s worth it to put in the effort needed to address that complication. That’s why I wrote “The Diamond” and that’s why I’m proud of it.

[365days365movies]

April 4, 2021: The Great Dictator (Review)

It's a 100%. Haven't given one of those in a while!

Here's the thing: this is a great film. Hang the comedy bit, even though it's also a very funny film! This is a great movie, no questions. I actually have no problems with it, and barely any actual commentary, gonna be honest. Fact of the matter is, it's essentially perfect in my book. Maybe it's not actually flawless...but I'm having a lot of trouble seeing any flaws. If you've got any, PLEASE tell me! I'm curious, really.

But OK, why am I even writing this, then? Because I want to close out this Golden Era of Comedy with a post about the end of its biggest star, Charlie Chaplin. Because from here...things are all downhill. And the seeds of that journey can be seen in this film. So, in other words, this post is a film history post. WELCOME TO SCHOOL

Yeah, sorry. If you like these history posts, I hope you like this one! And if not...yeah, that's entirely fair. Go ahead and skip this one! The next movie is Arsenic and Old Lace, so I'll save you the trouble of scrolling down! See you next time!

...

...OK, you still here? Cool, let's do this. Go ahead and "keep reading" for more on Chaplin after this film!

Review: Charlie Chaplin

Chaplin's walking on air, at least in terms of his film career! The Great Dictator will become his best-received film critically, and was a smash-hit in the United States. But that's pretty heavily contrasted with the reception of, well, Chaplin himself. Because unfortunately for him, Chaplin's ideologies would soon VIOLENTLY clash with that of his adopted country of the United States.

First things first, his love life was a mess, as was typical for the film star. His latest significant other was actress Joan Barry, and they separated bitterly (AKA, the only was Chaplin separates from anybody), after having a child together. This relationship would begin the downfall of Chaplin's image, starting in 1942. And that would be due to one of the most irritating, shitty dudes in the history of the FBI: J. Edgar Hoover.

Hoover HATED Chaplin, mostly because he was suspicious of him, as he was with EVERYBODY. Fuck Hoover, by the way, dude was a monster. He was also an INSANE patriot, bordering on straight up nationalism. But his hatred of Chaplin revolved around the fact that Chaplin's views were...controversial. I mean, Modern Times was an anti-industrialist film, and that's what the USA was ALL ABOUT at the time. And then, there's...one more thing. I'll get there.

Hoover launched a smear campaign against Charlie, and the Barry case was saddled with an additional allegation: violation of the Mann Act, which stated that it was illegal to transport women across state lines for sexual reasons. It was an attempt to stifle prostitution, and part of a massive moral panic of the time period. It was a bullshit charge, and Chaplin escaped it in trial. But damage had been done to his reputation, and Charlie was about to make it worse.

Shortly after, in 1943, Chaplin would meet his last wife, Oona O'Neill. She was 18, he was 54. Fuckin' OOF, dude. And in 19 years, the two would have EIGHT CHILDREN JESUS FUCKING CHRIST CHAPLIN!!!

Anyway, other than this positive development, the Barry trial had beaten the shit out of him, will-wise. But he began developing a new ambitious film project in 1946, which was called Monsieur Verdoux. This was a black comedy about a bank clerk/serial killer that killed women for money. Which is obviously pretty controversial in a moral panic-stricken America, but that was made worse by Chaplin more overtly expressing his political views...which were violently anti-capitalism! In post-World War II America!

Uh-oh.

In 1947, with the release of Monsieur Verdoux, the film was legit booed at the premiere in the USA. Fuck. Tensions finally came to a head, and Chaplin was "outed" as a filthy, filthy commie! And I put "outed" in quotes because, well...he wasn't. Sure, Chaplin was against capitalism and military nationalism, as well as sympathizing with communist ideals in some cases. He was also friends with suspected communists, and with Soviet diplomats. And that shit's barely OK NOW amongst a pretty big proportion of people in the country. In 1947? WAY FUCKIN' WORSE.

Chaplin was "dangerous and amoral" according to the FBI, and he probably believed in equal rights for minorities too, the FILTHY FUCKIN' COMMIE!!! But, yeah, he was targeted by Joseph McCarthy and the House Un-American Activities Committee, and was nearly listed as one of the Hollywood Ten, a group of filmmakers blacklisted from Hollywood for alleged communist activities. Chaplin escaped that, but was still a major target for the Red Scare.

Chaplin, not giving a fuck as always, now decided upon a new project. Limelight was a semi-autobiographical film, in which he played an aging former vaudeville actor who had lost his popularity and fame, and falls in love with a younger woman. On the nose as always, Chaplin. Also, that's Buster Keaton in the GIF up there! Only time the two ever appeared on screen. Neat, huh?

Chaplin went home to the UK for the film's well-publicized premiere in 1952. And that's when the US Attorney General STRUCK, revoking Chaplin's VISA, and trapping him overseas permanently. Chaplin was banned from the United States, through really shitty underhanded tactics. Fuck, man. Worst part is, it's since been proven that there was no good justification for the VISA to be revoked. But the damage was done, and Chaplin willingly cut his ties with the United States, having been spurned by his adopted country for years.

Loved in Europe and hated in America, Charlie continued making films, with his next film being another semi-autobiographical parody called A King in New York. He also came out not as a communist, but as a straight-up anarchist! He hated government altogether at this point, and it's hard to blame the guy. He really did get screwed. But, ironically, his love life was now quite stable, and his marriage with Oona was happy, by all accounts.

His films were banned in the United States, and Chaplin banned them right back, not releasing his films there, and preventing American journalists from attending its premiere. But even ten years later, Chaplin's filmography began to re-emerge for movie audiences, and his popularity began to rebound. The man was just that good, what can I say? Chaplin made a romantic comedy in 1967, called A Countess from Hong Kong, and starring Marlon Brando of all people! It was his first color film, and...it did NOT go well with audiences, ANYWHERE. It just wasn't well-received, and that film would be Chaplin's last.

In 1967, Chaplin had his first stroke of many. He continued his marriage with Oona, and even continued making another film called The Freak, an ambitious project from what's known about it. Basically, it was about a South American girl with wings, which is interesting. In 1972, after 20 years away, Chaplin was welcomed back to the United States with open arms, and was given an Honorary Academy Award for his insane contribution to the medium since the Golden Age of Hollywood. He was given a 12-minute standing ovation, the longest ever given at an Academy Award ceremony.

Still planning on making his film, he returned home. But the film went on a permanent hiatus by 1977, by which time his health had badly declined. On Christmas Day, 1977, Chaplin was found dead, having suffered a stroke in his sleep. He was 88 years of age, and was buried two days later in Switzerland. And THEN...he was dug up.

Yeah, DUDE'S GRAVE WAS FUCKIN' ROBBED! A couple of guys held Chaplin's corpse for ransom, which didn't work out for them, and he was reburied a few days later, this time in a reinforced concrete vault, where his remains remain to this day.

Charles Spencer Chaplin is one of the greatest actors and filmmakers of his time, and didn't deserve the guff he got from the government. The guff he got from his wives...eh, that he probably did deserve, not gonna lie. Dude wasn't the best husband, or the best dad to at least three of his kids. But in an ongoing effort to separate the art from the artist, Chaplin needs to be appreciated for the mountain of talent that he was, and his films will make him immortal in the annals of film history. Long live the Tramp.

But with him and his influence, the film industry had a place to evolve from, especially in terms of comedy. After The Great Dictator, some comedies felt the freedom to take a bit of a darker tone. And from here on out, we're splitting the timeline by genre, tracking comedy films by the evolution of their respective genres. And we start in 1944, with a film about...MYURDERRRR!!! And sweet old ladies!

April 5, 2021: Arsenic and Old Lace (1944), dir. Frank Capra

[gffa]

I’ve been rereading a lot of this book, now that I’ve had time to settle my thoughts about it, to give it time to percolate, and I’m coming to a new appreciation of a lot of what it’s putting forth.  The thing is, while I recognize that Qui-Gon is probably meant to be more of a reliable narrator here, the context is startingly supportive of how he’s actually not that reliable. This is an interesting discussion of the Jedi’s position in the galaxy and just how far they can/cannot go.  Qui-Gon’s argument is that they should Leeroy Jenkins their way into this situation because what Czerka is doing is morally wrong, even if it’s not legally wrong, that they should take up their lightsabers and just go invade, basically.  Obi-Wan’s argument (and Yoda’s as well) is that they need to work within the system and better the system itself, so that Czerka will not be able to commit horrors like this. Qui-Gon is coming from an incredibly good hearted place, because the very obvious answer to slavery is that it shouldn’t happen and he’s absolutely right about that.  But where Qui-Gon loses me is in three places: 1.  In the very first part of this book, Qui-Gon himself acknowledges why this tactic won’t work.  When he’s facing off with the Hutts, this is his pov:

“It would only lead to bloodshed, at the end of which the Republic would remain triumphant and strong.  The Hutts would scramble and scurry through months of infighting, at the end of which a new set of crime lords would emerge to behave in exactly the same way.” One could argue that it’s different when it comes to real, live people and I don’t disagree!  But the problem is that this same logic would still apply because the other side doesn’t see them as people, but things.  Meaning, that same bloodshed would happen, including the killing of the slaves before Czerka would let the Republic have them. This paragraph describes exactly what happens in the book--Qui-Gon (well, Obi-Wan, as a representative of the Republic) is able to force Czerka to free the slaves by stating a Republic law that says they have to, where the might of the established Republic is the only thing that works to force Czerka into doing the decent thing.  Obi-Wan’s argument that they work within the system holds more water because his way is what works.  (No matter how bad the Republic got, there was still hope to save it, to make it better, in a way that the CIS and Empire never had.  Without Palpatine there to manipulate the worst parts of it, it was at least still possible to make it better, while the Empire was rotten down to every last root.) 2.  Which leads us to:  Qui-Gon ignores the consequences of what he’s arguing for.  Could the Jedi, if they all banded together, stop Czerka?  Maybe?  They’re not nearly as populous as people think, so it’d be like one Jedi fighting six billion people, if you pitted them against the entire galaxy.  Also, he doesn’t acknowledge or address what to do when Czerka--or another company just like them--would then rise up in its place and nothing would change, except all those slaves would probably be dead because that’s what happens when you go that route. Qui-Gon also ignores that the Jedi wouldn’t just be able to flout the laws of the Republic and invade a legal corporation (no matter how vile) without massive consequences.  The Republic isn’t just going to say, oh, hey, sure, yeah, that’s fine.  More likely, at best the Jedi would lose their legal authority--which means, hey, when that new tricky situation pops up, the Jedi will not be asked to help.  Without Republic funding, the Jedi would then either have to entirely disband or they would have to find a new source of income--and that means pretty much the only route for them would be by charging people or by finding some very rich patrons, who probably aren’t going to exactly welcome Jedi neutrality when it clashes with their political ambitions.  Which means only people or planets with money will be able to afford them, which are going to be the people who least need their help. At worst, the Jedi (given that the galaxy misunderstands them and fears them terribly) would be outlawed and/or driven out and/or hunted down.  (The galaxy REALLY likes to do some bad shit to Force-sensitives.  And they were certainly ready to turn a blind eye to the genocide of the Jedi and the slaughter of the children.) 3.  Qui-Gon’s argument is fundamentally, “We should just do whatever we want whenever we want.”  Obi-Wan’s argument is, “We need to work together with the Republic and the system, to make each other better.” This is reflected in the conversation they’re having at the same time about their relationship--Qui-Gon’s motivations for why he still has Obi-Wan practicing basic lightsaber skills is coming from a good place, but there’s a reason the scene ends on Obi-Wan’s killer last line:  Qui-Gon didn’t trust him enough to actually talk to him about it, to work with him. This is a recurring theme throughout the entire book, where Qui-Gon rarely actually talks directly to Obi-Wan, instead all his praise for his apprentice is internal, all his struggling with trying to be a better Master is internal, none of this is actually verbalized with Obi-Wan.  Their relationship is strained and difficult, it has been for the last four years, and the resolution of their tension?  Isn’t through talking it out, it’s just a sudden realization of OH LOL THEY PUT THE REBEL PADAWAN WITH THE REBEL MASTER SO YOU’D REBEL INTO BEING STRAIGHT-LACED and that’s kind of... it. This is echoed in how Qui-Gon misunderstands the Jedi Council (he thinks they’d never actually listen to him, meanwhile they value his differing opinions enough to invite him to join the Council), in how he misunderstands Obi-Wan (he always seems to say the wrong thing, he doesn’t trust him to actually tell him why he’s keeping Obi-Wan in basic lightsaber forms), it’s echoed by how Qui-Gon is offered a position on the Council where he could work to make the system better, but he turns it down flat, he won’t even make an attempt to make things better, because he feels closer to the Force by just going his own way.  Which, fair enough, but politics are a thing that none of us can escape, not if you want to make an actual difference. And seasoning the whole thing is an overarching theme where Qui-Gon’s interest in the prophecies--the thing that he bets everything he has on, the ones that don’t actually mean much of anything in the grand scheme of the PT or the OT, because Star Wars is not about prophecy, it’s about choice--being constantly compared with obsessions, and the logic he uses to determine if he’s right about this? "But this situation was different.  It had to be, because the only thing Qui-Gon knew to be absolutely true was that his vision was real." That’s it, that’s what it is for Qui-Gon.  His vision has to be real, so everything else has to be shuffled around to reach that conclusion.  Even when his vision is proven wrong, Qui-Gon says that he was meant to misinterpret his vision.  That vision he was so sure about, the one that he rearranged everything for, the one that he “knew to be absolutely true”. "But when facts collided with ideals, Qui-Gon preferred to change the facts."

[deliciousscaloppine]

The Untamed, Ep. 41, Nie Mingjue & Jin Guangyao (Wang Yi Zhou & Zhu Zan Jin)

Killing the lovers: Opposites as a means of contrast.

The murder of Nie Mingjue

The most exciting aspect of a character relationship is how similar, or dissimilar the characters in the relationship are. Similarities often create a sense of harmony and rhythm to the plot, while diametric opposites are always a source of intense conflict and drama, the necessary contrast to the harmony of other relationships.

Nie Mingjue and Jin Guangyao are opposites developed by power imbalances that highlight the disharmony of the cultivation world. As a couple they also reveal the politics of intimate evil commited among the four main groups of the series. In this context evil is usually done to a romantic partner more or less because of a lapse of judgement- there are a lot of pairs that exhibit this behavior, it’s basically a relationship that dissolves because someone is failed, or actively persecuted by a romantic partner due to a misunderstanding, an open rivalry, or the perceived wrong-doing one of them does. 

The pair that achieves the greatest dramatic tension, however is Nie Mingjue and Jing Guangyao. Both are characterized by relentlessness and rigidity, a special intimacy with the concept of degradation and death and an obsession with punishment or righteousness. What pits them against each other are the moral foundation upon which their traits function.

Visually Nie Mingjue is an impressive, strong, martial figure that is underlined by deep sensitivity and love for justice. In his unraveling state he becomes more and more volatile, subject to wrathful thinking. Jin Guangyao is presented as a pliant and handsome intellectual, whose core is composed by insecurity, and a desire for petty retaliation. In his unraveling state he actually reaches great heights of control and is subject to somber introspection. 

Nie Mingjue is as we see him, and is only becoming volatile under the poisonous influence of his partner- who literally poisons him out of balance with music. He is not however innocent of transgressions that lead to his degradation and death. His murder being the most drawn-out of the series, it is probably conceived early on in the series, during a scene of a different kind of degradation.

In episodes 10,11 and 41 where their personal history is explored, Meng Yao kills Mingjue’s captain of the guard, revealing for the first time bloodlust and duplicity. He is subsequently ousted from the Nie Clan by Mingjue on account of his insecurity and vindictive spirit. As Nie Mingjue and Meng Yao clash, Meng Yao is repeatedly degraded. He is kicked, even if he is stabbed, he is forced by the situation to supplicate and justify his actions (a process he self-admittedly finds shameful due to his deep-seated insecurities), as well as be forced to face the ugliness of his character. In a surprising twist, he encourages Nie Mingjue to execute him for his transgression. This however is not accepted.

Instead of being regarded as an equal and be treated with the type of executive justice Nie Mingjue represents, he is instead ousted. It is even suggested to him to return to the Jin Clan which openly rejected him at the time, or even go other places and repeat his behavior to those who would be welcoming of it- this proves to be the Wen Clan later in the plot, a clan that Meng Yao actually decimates perhaps precisely because he fitted very well with them.

In Jin Guangyao’s worldview he was ousted, because to Nie Mingjue he was not worthy of love. Only that love takes morbid undertones with him. To have been executed would have been a noble sacrifice. It would have allowed Nie Mingjue to adhere to his morals, but still be able to remember with fondness Meng Yao who gave his life in service of him. Nie Mingjue, however balks at this idea. Perhaps he finds Meng Yao’s willingness to die for such a cause sinister on account of their relationship as lovers, or he considers such an act deeply immoral for both of them. So he rejects him forcefully. Not just as a physical presence, but as a personality as well.

From the break-up and on, it can be argued that Jin Guangyao wanted to degrade Mingjue more than he wanted to kill him, and his beheading was an unlucky outcome. When they meet again at the Sun Scorching Palace, Meng Yao taunts, abuses and grieves Nie Mingjue using their personal history against him, by killing his disciples and reminding Mingjue of his father’s downfall at the hands of the Wen Clan, he hits and lets others hit him, threatens him with torture and death.

Despite his presence as a double agent who finally assassinates Wen Ruohan and wins the war for the other Clans, his abuse of Nie Mingjue was genuine and heartfelt and was used later to confuse and disorient Nie Mingjue about the true nature of his adversary as a perhaps dual, but not outright evil person. As Jin Guangyao is accepted by his family, the Jin Clan, and ascends socially, he starts taking revenge for the mistreatment he faced as Nie Mingjue’s attendant at Qinghe.

The power imbalance shifts. From a weak, and socially defenseless nobody, Jin Guangyao succeeds in becoming Nie Mingjue’s peer, even entering a sworn brotherhood with him. From then on and to further solidify his position in the Jin Clan, which antagonizes the Nie Clan, he begins poisoning him with a negative piece of music, one that is originally meant to subdue the unrest of Mingjue’s spirit on account of the murders he commits in the name of justice.

So in becoming his peer he aims even more firmly to degrade the essence of Nie Mingjue, to bring him to his level, to reveal him as a blood thirsty murderer whose spirit will dissolve under the burden of his crimes. In this he also exhibits his own level of control. His abuse of Mingjue, does not lead him to unravel, but to further prosper and excel. 

When finally Nie Mingjue comes to him in anguish, seeking to execute one of the villains Jin Guangyao protects, the two exchange views and hard words, bringing the conflict of their characters to the forefront. When Nie Mingjue hits him and reminds him of his lowly birth, he confirms to Jin Guangyao his darkest suspicions that nothing other than murder offers him some measure of control.

Nie Mingjue is disturbed and harassed by his need to kill, but Jin Guangyao experiences pleasure and even relief, especially when he has wielded deception and duality to achieve his purpose. After he unsuccessfully tries to control Nie Mingjue’s body- another act of desecration, he orders Xue Yang to behead him, and then separating the head from the body, he keeps the head in bondage on a shelf in a secret chamber behind his bedroom.

By this he exercises a great deal of control over the deceased lover- not letting him rest- but also selfishly using him to keep his own destructive powers at bay, by contesting with him and regretting his deeds before him. This attitude is a direct inversion of Mingjue’s attitude, who would have rather killed Guangyao and be done with him. Guangyao kills him to prolong the conflict past its reasonable end, almost beckoning retribution.