#this is quite possibly the magnum opus of my meta posts

[favvn]

The Apple: The Cult of a Machine

An analysis of the Star Trek: TOS episode that examines how Vaal and Akuta are running a cult on the planet Gamma Trianguli VI and why Jim Kirk would interfere with the inhabitants' culture as a result.

This is long because I do not know brevity :) (4k words! Not counting the episode transcripts!) As a content warning, I do discuss religion and cults in very broad and synonymous terms. I realize this could be upsetting to some that I link the two together, so I am stating that upfront.

Some background information before I begin. First, I am aware of the criticism one can have towards this episode (i.e. Kirk falls into a white-savior trope, Kirk destroys an alien culture because it doesn't fit his human ideals, the Federation's desire to see societies advance is at odds with the idea of non-interference and they are colonizers at worst, etc. It goes on.), yet I am torn as to its merits. I feel like it is very easy for modern audiences to see the faults of this episode owing to changing perspectives and an increase in broader knowledge within the past 50 years and miss the forest for the trees as a result. In other words, I am baffled to browse the tags, read other analysis posts, and see no one mention the cult aspect. This post is my attempt to correct that gap.

As a refresher and something to contemplate before I dive in, the crux of the episode: the Gamma Triangulians have free will, yet they exist to serve a computer. Are they still free in this scenario? (Alternatively, is a prison no longer a prison if it has been chosen by its inmates?) Is Kirk helping the Gamma Triangulians by destroying Vaal, or is Kirk forcing his ideals on the inhabitants under the guise of freedom?

Akuta: Not Your Typical Leader

Akuta is not presented as your typical cult leader or leader in general. He has no weapons and nothing to show his position (jewelry, different clothing, or different tattoos, etc.) beyond the antennae at his ears. More importantly, he is shown first in a moment of vulnerability, crying after Kirk strikes him. Akuta is placed in a very innocent light as a native of the planet who has suffered from aggression, whereas Kirk is placed squarely as an aggressive interloper. This sets the tone for how the audience sees him versus Kirk, and, frankly, I'd argue it has worked given other critiques I have read that seemingly overlook any agency Akuta or the other inhabitants of Gamma Trianguli VI have.

It is also worth noting that Akuta does not try to hide or wipe his tears. He leaves them to mark his face. I point this out because big, emotional displays (especially rage or distress) can be used as a means to manipulate others. To cast oneself as a victim is a powerful tool of manipulation, one that cult leaders will use to control the emotional responses of their followers and their dependency on the cult. In other words, a cult leader will get obedience from a follower by claiming that the cult--and especially the leader themself--is persecuted by outsiders and that outsiders wish to destroy the leader and the cult. If a follower's obedience to the cult wavers, then they must not be a true believer but an outsider to be shunned and cast out into a cruel and wicked world. These assertions are wrapped into emotional appeals in order to create an emotional reaction rather than allow a rational, thought-out response. Even without the intent to manipulate, most people react more kindly and with more care to someone who is crying.

Akuta's initial language about his tribe is a tell right away. He calls them "the Feeders of Vaal" instead of "the Vaalians" or "the People of Vaal." Those phrases would highlight their existence as separate from their duty to Vaal and grant them more individuality and personhood. Instead, "feeders" is used by Akuta to introduce those he leads, a term that explicitly refers to their job. (If my point isn't clear, imagine introducing yourself occupation-first to strangers before ever giving your name. Feel dehumanized yet?)

Granted, Akuta will later refer to them as "people," so it's possible I am reading too much into word choice. However, it is telling that of all the ways to introduce those he is said to lead, Akuta's first choice of phrasing was "feeders." Word choice is the result of decisions unless one is to believe writers don't think about the tools of their craft. That being said, contrast this to how Kirk refers to them:

He heard the two phrases "Feeders of Vaal" and "People of Vaal" and went with the latter.

KIRK: They're not going to hurt you. I promise you. Akuta, Akuta, we come in peace. We would like to speak to this Vaal. AKUTA: Akuta alone speaks to Vaal. I am the eyes and the voice of Vaal. It is Vaal's wish. SPOCK: Captain, this is fascinating. If you will permit me, sir? (Akuta has metal wires sticking out behind from behind his ears.) KIRK: Antennae? AKUTA: They are my ears for Vaal. They were given to me in the Dim Time so the people could understand his commands and obey. KIRK: You speak of the People of Vaal. Are they nearby? AKUTA: We are close to Vaal so we may serve him. I shall take you there.

It is very important to note that Akuta speaks of a time before Vaal, "the Dim Time." This means the inhabitants could have had an entirely different culture before Vaal. The episode itself leaves their ages vague--they could be only decades or thousands of years old. Any past they may have had before Vaal could have been destroyed or forgotten with the passing of time and "replacements." It can be assumed that Akuta was the leader of the Gamma Triangulians before Vaal and that Vaal chose Akuta to be its eyes, ears, and mouth because the inhabitants already follow and trust Akuta.

Another note is the phrasing that Akuta uses for their relationship to Vaal. They need to "understand his commands and obey" and live close to Vaal "so we may serve him." Akuta himself holds his role because "it is Vaal's wish." Replace Vaal with God and capitalize Him and these could be sentences lifted from a copy of the Bible itself. Their relationship to Vaal is religious. Vaal is not a machine to them but a god worthy of a name and reverence.

It is important to note how Vaal acts as both the object of religious reverence and the leader of cultish obedience. At the risk of grossly summarizing a contentious issue within scholarly circles, those who study religion have long argued whether or not there is a line separating a cult from a religion or if the two words are merely synonyms for the same thing. When I say cult I do not refer to the esoteric worship of a deity within a pantheon (example: a cult of Dionysus; within Christianity there was a cult of Mary Worship), but the same cults that isolate followers from society in order to control their thoughts, their actions, their resources, and their skills for the leader's gain (example: Jonestown, Heaven's Gate, etc.) Both a cult and a religion have their own chosen people, those who know the truth compared to the nonbelievers and the outsiders. Both urge that outsiders and nonbelievers may persecute a believer for their faith. Both ask of their followers' time, resources, and skills. Dress codes, taboos for forbidden behavior/rules, and the like feature in both. Again, I am heavily summarizing an issue that is still debated in academic circles on the basis of my own memory, but the overlaps between a cult and a religion can not be overlooked, especially when discussing this episode. In my opinion, The Apple illustrates the similarities between cults and religions beautifully. (As an aside, it should go without saying why the linking of religions and cults as being the same thing is controversial. Anyone who follows a religion will hardly want their beliefs to be viewed as one in the same with the deadly manipulation of cults.)

AKUTA: These are the people of Vaal. (Everyone is grown up, with white hair and wearing a simple cotton sarong.) KIRK: Where are the others? AKUTA: There are no others. KIRK: The children. AKUTA: Children? You use unknown words to me. KIRK: Little ones like yourselves. They grow. AKUTA: Replacements. None are necessary. They are forbidden by Vaal. MARTHA: But when a man and woman fall in love, AKUTA: Love. Strange words. Children. Love. What is love? MARTHA: Love is when two people are (Chekov demonstrates by putting his arm around her waist.) AKUTA: Ah, yes. The holding, the touching. Vaal has forbidden this.

Akuta refers to "children" as "replacements," a term that distances the speaker from the relationship of an offspring to a parent and destroys the personhood of the inhabitants of Gamma Trianguli VI. In simpler terms, "replacement" is another dehumanizing word choice. Contrast this with Kirk's use of "little ones," which specifically links the offspring to the parent as a smaller version of themselves. Personhood is retained with this phrase. Kirk goes further and specifically says of the children that "they grow." After Bones conducts medical evaluations on the Gamma Triangulians, he declares them a stagnant group despite their long lifespans, ranging anywhere from their twenties to thousands of years old. They seemingly do not age or change from their exposure to their sun. They do not grow their food (from Akuta's words by the end of the episode, it is entirely possible that Vaal creates it as ripe and ready to eat), and it is possible they no longer create their homes, their tools, or their clothes (in other words, these things were made by the Gamma Triangulians but before Vaal, in the Dim Time. Now, with their lives so perfect not even the sun ages them, why should their homes need repairing or their bowls break?) What better way to stop a group from questioning their state of living than to deny them something that must change if it is to survive? To see a child grow every day would call their entire being into question. Vaal doesn't want self-awareness from its feeders. Vaal wants feeders who follow orders without question.

Another chilling tell for the cult is that Akuta does not understand the word "love." Love, of course, can take many forms according to the relationships it is found in (i.e. the love between a parent and child, the love between friends, the love between neighbors or coworkers, the love between a couple, etc.). Love does not necessitate sex or romance to be present in a relationship, but it does necessitate, at the very least, affection and care shared between two people. One hopes that the Gamma Triangulians hold some form of love for one another, but for their own leader to not know the word or offer a word of their own as its Gamma Triangulian counterpart is concerning.

Now, the episode links love to a strict romantic and sexual understanding owing to how it uses and subverts the Genesis creation story and, of course, the absence of children on Gamma Trianguli VI. It should go without saying that if sex is linked to reproduction, then sex is linked to children, so if love is linked to sex as this episode has it, break the first link and you have nothing else from the chain. This is supported by how Akuta goes so far as to call children "forbidden by Vaal" in addition to "the holding, the touching" of romantic and sexual relationships.

If something is forbidden by a society, there is a taboo attached to it, lest the society keeps engaging in what is forbidden and renders the distinction--and by extension, the rules governing the society--as useless. Usually, this involves some sort of punishment as enforcement in addition to the emotional response of doing wrong. Punishments can range from isolation from the group, imprisonment, or death. I will go into greater detail on this last point later. (For now, I need to dismantle a god.)

Vaal: An Unlikely God

Vaal is a stationary computer hidden in a serpent-shaped cave, not a god as the Gamma Triangulians believe. This appearance subverts what one expects from a cult leader as the computer could have been an android capable of walking, talking, and living among the Gamma Triangulians. An android would be in direct contact with the inhabitants without the need of someone like Akuta to aid it. A stationary computer, on the other hand, needs eyes, ears, a mouthpiece, and further aid to even have contact with the inhabitants. In other words, Vaal is beholden to Akuta's existence. Gods are supposed to be more powerful and more knowledgeable than those who worship them. Otherwise, there's nothing remarkable about them. This is why religion operates on a distinction between that which is sacred (the god, Vaal in this instance) and that which is profane (the Gamma Triangulians). Vaal, despite its ability to control the elements and grow food, is limited in its basic existence. Without Akuta, Vaal becomes an isolated computer within a cave that could be forgotten and ignored until its power supply dies.

Another sign that Vaal is an unusual god is that it requires food to keep living. Ritual offerings of food, animal or human sacrifice, and the like occur in religion, so the act of the Gamma Triangulians offering Vaal food as part of a feeding ritual isn't unusual in it of itself. It matches an established cultural practice. What is strange is that Vaal uses the food to stay alive much like any other biological being would, so the ritual is not an action of reverence but a necessity that has been made sacred. While it is hard to see in the episode, the inhabitants are shown offering rocks and stones as food for Vaal. These are objects that they could use themselves as materials for tools or buildings. Instead, they are given to sustain a god.

Vaal is beholden to reciprocity to keep living just as much as the Gamma Triangulians are, which acts as a way to ensure both Vaal and the inhabitants of Gamma Trianguli VI keep each other alive. It is a risk for Vaal should the inhabitants choose to stop the feeding ritual, but as it is revealed, Vaal ensures their perfect paradise. Their weather is stable, the sun does not burn them, and they are always fed without having to work for it. Fear and other strong emotions can be a good way for a cult leader to ensure control, but to ensure a perfect environment and steady food supply in tandem with the threat of fear is even better. ("Bread and circuses" is another way to phrase it. So long as people are fed, distracted, and happy, their freedoms can be chipped away in plain sight.) In other words, the Gamma Triangulians would have to give up paradise itself if they were to starve Vaal to death, not that Akuta would allow it.

But how can a computer that needs food to live still control the elements and plant life itself? How can such a thing even punish or harm other beings? Simple, like any other cult leader, Vaal has other aids beyond Akuta lest Akuta takes control for himself.

This is only a selection of the various v-shaped pieces of metal seen throughout Gamma Trianguli VI, but it is important to bring attention to them. They look like the fangs of a serpent, matching the serpent-shaped cave of Vaal, so it makes sense to assume these are extensions of Vaal scattered throughout the planet. The episode itself does not mention them beyond the scene where Akuta instructs the men to kill the strangers. However, if these objects act as antennae or, better yet, amplifiers, then these objects are the key to Vaal's powers over food, the weather, and especially the localized lightning strikes used on both invaders and those who do not follow Vaal's laws.

Therefore, death is the form of punishment for those who break Vaal's laws. This is how replacements are needed, how their culture is stagnant. Anyone who would challenge Vaal has simply been killed, although perhaps not right away. Vaal may warn them at first with the thunder, only for later transgressions to lead to their deaths. (This is further supported by the force field that protects Vaal from those who get too close without Vaal's permission.)

It is important to also note that these metal objects are the only instances of metal on the planet. It is possible for the inhabitants of Gamma Trianguli VI to have metal tools and metalwork, but Vaal seemingly does not allow them to have it.

It should go without saying, but the presence of metalwork denotes a more complex state of development for a society. Metal tools enable further technological developments and retain more longevity and strength than most plant-based materials. If Bones is correct that the Gamma Triangulians are thousands of years old, that's a long time to stay in such limited conditions despite the presence of technology that operates beyond their comprehension (Vaal, the computer). This is not to say the Gamma Triangulians are stupid, but they are being kept in the dark by an entity with more knowledge and power than they have. Cults operate on that ignorance and power imbalance.

The Cult in Action

The episode is kind enough to show how the cult operates in real time, how the Gamma Triangulians react to new knowledge, and how change is rejected by Vaal or if it is allowed.

When Makora and Sayana see see Chekov and Martha kissing, they are initially confused. It does not cause pain or anger, yet the act of kissing seemingly does nothing the two Gamma Triangulians can understand in their limited knowledge of love and relationships. Makora asks if anything can be gained from such an action and notes how it does not help gather food or serve Vaal. Their lives are strictly measured by their usefulness to Vaal. Love, kissing, and sex do not help Vaal, so these things are unknown and not permitted.

Makora and Sayana decide to try kissing anyways, their curiosity getting the better of their apprehension. Vaal manages to see this even before Akuta comes to correct them, letting out a warning of thunder as the couple embraces again. Akuta then reminds them of the law and asks, "Do you beg the lightning to strike?" Remember Kaplan? He didn't take cover fast enough during the first storm and was struck by Vaal's lightning, reduced instantaneously to a smoking pile of ash. This is the fate that awaits Makora and Sayana for embracing and kissing one another.

AKUTA: Vaal has spoken to me. His words are true. Hear them. We are to kill the strangers. MAKORA: Kill, Akuta? We do not understand. AKUTA: It is a thing to do, like, like feeding Vaal. Vaal explained it to me. I will show you. This (the melon) is the head of one of the strangers. Find a heavy stick. Come up from behind the stranger and do this. (He swings his stick and smashes the melon to pieces.) AKUTA: It is a simple thing. It is the word of Vaal. It will be done to all of them when the sun returns in the morning.

When Akuta gathers the men to instruct them to kill the strangers, Makora is confused. They have no concept of killing, which makes sense if they are dependent on Vaal for everything from their food to their longevity. There is no danger in their lives beyond disobeying Vaal. What is telling is that this new knowledge first comes from Vaal, delivered by Akuta. Akuta links the act of killing to the feeding ritual, something the Gamma Triangulians will understand. Yet to kill and to feed are not synonymous actions. One takes life, and the other supports life. Akuta links them together because, just as feeding Vaal is their duty, so is killing if Vaal wills it.

This is how the feeding ritual would have begun. Vaal would have told it to Akuta, who would have linked it to another ritual the Gamma Triangulians would have done. This way, the chain of leadership remains unchallenged and unbroken. The new behavior has a link to a current behavior, comes from their leader Akuta, comes from Vaal their god.

In what is the biggest tell of a cult, the Gamma Triangulians follow their orders to kill despite earlier questions and hesitations. They are like the civilians of Summerisle from The Wicker Man 1973, seemingly odd in their beliefs at first, only to gleefully participate in a ritualistic murder when told to do so. In a cult, anyone can be made to do the unconscionable. An individual's own ethics and morality fail to matter in the face of what the cult demands.

The Apple: Genesis Subverted

SPOCK: Captain, you are aware of the biblical story of Genesis. KIRK: Yes, of course I'm aware of it. Adam and Eve tasted the apple and, as a result, were driven out of paradise. SPOCK: Precisely, Captain, and in a manner of speaking, we have given the people of Vaal the apple, the knowledge of good and evil if you will, as a result of which they too have been driven out of paradise.

I mentioned it briefly earlier, but it is important to note at this time how The Apple recalls the Genesis creation story and turns it on its head. As a brief refresher, Adam and Eve live in the paradise of Eden. They want for nothing and desire nothing. They are perfectly cared for and perfectly content. The one thing they are told not to do is to eat from the Tree of Knowledge. Adam and Eve are tempted by the serpent to eat the Fruit of Knowledge (most commonly translated to be an apple), and they gain the knowledge of good and evil, the shame of wrongdoing, and self-awareness. God casts them out of Eden for disobeying, and the two are to live out a hard life of pain with a decreased lifespan. (I know my summary is not your typical Bible school lesson owing to my phrasing, bear with me. It's my summary and I am choosing my words for a reason.)

In The Apple, the inhabitants of Gamma Trianguli VI live in paradise. The sun does not burn them or age them. They do not have to struggle to grow food or hunt. Their needs are perfectly met by their god Vaal. All they must do in return is to perform the feeding ritual for Vaal and uphold Vaal's laws, meaning they are forbidden to kiss or have sex or have children. This is where Gamma Trianguli VI's similarities with Genesis.

Unlike the Genesis creation story, the god Vaal is hidden in a serpent-shaped cave and is actually a computer. The deity is linked to the deceiver, the symbol for Satan in the Genesis myth, the serpent. This serpent does not tempt the inhabitants of paradise with forbidden knowledge. Instead, Vaal keeps the Gamma Triangulians ignorant. Apples and other such fruit are not off-limits, nor do they enable one to gain forbidden knowledge. Therefore, when Kirk eats an apple during the crews' round table sex discussion, nothing new is gained. (The landing party already knows what sex is as it is not forbidden to them. The mystery is how humanoid beings are to reproduce without sex.) The landing party does, however, share their knowledge and encourage the Gamma Triangulians' curiosity either directly by openly questioning their culture as Kirk does when he asks about children, or indirectly as Chekov and Martha do when they are inadvertently seen kissing. This is why Spock later refers to Kirk as being Satan for tempting the Gamma Triangulians and leading them out of a comfortable paradise by destroying their god. (The reference is ruined, in my opinion, by Spock's pointed ears being made into a punchline joke about him appearing more like Satan than Kirk.)

So, why does our protagonist, Jim Kirk, interfere with an alien culture at the risk of destroying their culture, disobeying Starfleet Command, and ignoring the Prime Directive? For two reasons: The Dim Time and Tarsus IV.

1. "The Dim Time" Akuta's own words to describe the time before Vaal. Vaal may be everything to the Gamma Triangulians when Kirk and the crew arrive, but Vaal was not originally a part of their lives or culture in the beginning. If there was a time before Vaal, there could be a time after Vaal. If my previous posts about Jim Kirk do not make it clear enough, the man might take risks in doing his job and especially in protecting others, but they are always calculated risks. (The only thing Kirk does not care about is his own life.) Much like taking the risk of accelerating the war between Eminiar VII and Vendikar in order to force peace talks out of sheer terror, Kirk took stock of the situation and realized nothing would change unless an outsider did the drastic decision. (As one can assume, the refusal to arrive to one's appointed death on Eminiar VII might result in armed guards bringing the dissenter against their will to the disintegration chambers. However, the strong sense of duty that compels the people of Eminiar VII to follow the tradition of assigned deaths in their computerized war might make the use of force unnecessary.)

MEA: Don't you understand? Our duty KIRK: Your duty doesn't include stepping into a disintegrator and disappearing. MEA: I'm afraid mine does, Captain. I, too, have been declared a casualty. I must report to a disintegrator by noon tomorrow. KIRK: Is that all it means to you? To report and die? MEA: My life is as dear to me as yours is to you, Captain. KIRK: Then how can you stand MEA: Don't you see? If I refuse to report and others refuse, then Vendikar would have no choice but to launch real weapons. We would have to do the same to defend ourselves. More than people would die then. A whole civilization would be destroyed. Surely you can see that ours is a better way. KIRK: No, I don't see that at all. MEA: It's been our way for almost five hundred years. (A Taste of Armageddon)

2. Tarsus IV.

KARIDIAN: (reading) The revolution is successful, but survival depends on drastic measures. Your continued existence represents a threat to the well-being of society. (stops looking at the paper) Your lives mean slow death to the more valued members of the colony. Therefore, I have no alternative but to sentence you to death. Your execution is so ordered. Signed, Kodos, governor of Tarsus Four. KIRK: I remember the words. I wrote them down. (The Conscience of the King)

As the survivor of a famine, a revolution, and a massacre that he was selected to die in, of course Jim Kirk would immediately balk at the idea of humanoid beings living their lives in service to a machine and taking the machine's orders. If Kirk were one to follow orders and do as he is told, he would quite literally be dead.

Owing to Kirk's experiences and the ambition that seems to drive him forward, to prove that he survived for a reason, he values work and the striving towards a better future (ironic, perhaps, if one recalls Karidian's words before reading the death summons.) Thus, he does not see the loss of paradise as a thing to avoid or to mourn. For Kirk, work makes humankind what it is. Work speaks to the hope of another day (otherwise, why build, why create if there is no hope for a tomorrow?). To live in perfect contentment is not a life at all if every day stretches forward without any challenge or change, if one is to only follow orders and nothing else. Stagnation is the opposite of life.

MCCOY: Well, that's the second time man's been thrown out of paradise. KIRK: No, no, Bones. This time we walked out on our own. Maybe we weren't meant for paradise. Maybe we were meant to fight our way through. Struggle, claw our way up, scratch for every inch of the way. Maybe we can't stroll to the music of the lute. We must march to the sound of drums. (This Side of Paradise)

This is why, even when Akuta asks how the Gamma Triangulians are to live without Vaal, Kirk replies like so:

AKUTA: But it was Vaal who put the fruit on the trees, caused the rain to fall. Vaal cared for us. KIRK: You'll learn to care for yourselves, with our help. And there's no trick to putting fruit on trees. You might enjoy it. You'll learn to build for yourselves, think for yourselves, work for yourselves, and what you create is yours. That's what we call freedom. You'll like it, a lot. And you'll learn something about men and women, the way they're supposed to be. Caring for each other, being happy with each other, being good to each other. That's what we call love. You'll like that, too, a lot. You and your children.

Remember, Kirk was supposed to die on Tarsus IV. Star Trek TOS never reveals exactly what he did to escape Kodos and survive with the eight others until Starfleet came with aid. We can assume he and the others left the boundaries of the colony and took their chances--together--in the wilderness of Tarsus IV. I want to stress that last point: Kirk survived by the help of others and aided their survival in return. Hence, his words to the Gamma Triangulians, "You'll learn to build for yourselves, think for yourselves, work for yourselves, and what you create is yours. That's what we call freedom [...] And you'll learn something about men and women, the way they're supposed to be. Caring for each other, being happy with each other, being good to each other. That's what we call love." Kirk envisions a community living for their own selves, not for the whims of a despotic leader, regardless of if that leader is another human being or a machine disguising itself as a god.

[arojenniferwalters]

No canon straight characters; using labels needed for canonicity? and period accuracy in fanfic

These are some random thoughts I have on couple of posts I've seen on my dash lately, so I'm just randomly writing down my thoughts:

1) most characters are not actually straight on canon because they don't specifically say 'I'm straight' or 'i'm only romantically and sexually attracted to people of the so called opposite gender'.

This is very true. In fact, most character never identify as straight unless there are non-straight or trans characters in the work as a counterpoint. Grace Adler says she's straight. Jennifer Walters is not lesbian. Peter whatever from Doubt is still straight when dating a trans woman. Kenzi from Lost Girl reciprocates Bo's coming out.

I recently wrote a long meta on another sideblog about how a character never identifies as straight and how the writing and portrayal lead to credible non-straight interpretations even though I know he's supposed to be straight.

So basically, straight characters are usually explicitly straight when it's known that not everyone is. If there exists character who are trans or not straight, other characters then might also express their straightness in response.

But mostly it's cisheteronormativity that makes us accept that unless they state otherwise, they are supposed to be cis and straight.

(Of course this gets complicated when we talk about rep bcus 'they didn't say they aren't x or y' doesn't really count as proper rep. But it's complicated, but like headcanons are fair game. Like, 'you shouldn't hc this canon straight character as not straight' isn't a good argument, because few character actually *are* canon straight. Most characters just have the potential to be or are in m/f pairings but that doesn't mean that straight is the only thing they can be.)

2) Labels are great. Labels tell people without a doubt who that character is and it is incredibly validating to see characters identify the same way you do (shoutout to Aled Last!). But does a character need to use a label to properly count as having this identity, if there is strong coding and word of god?

I'm conflicted. I really am. Because you can do a decent job of making characters gay/lesbian/m-spec without necessarily using a label (although not using it can be obnoxious, especially with m-spec characters), that's not necessarily the same with a-spec characters. Because there's not enough rep for us for people to read in and accept the subtext/coding. (Canon ace, coded aro is another issue but that's semi besides the point)

Here I'm mainly thinking of Raphael Santiago in books vs TV show, and comparing 2 word of god demi characters; Rivka of Mangoverse and Julian Blackthorn of The Dark Artifices.

So, book!Raphael for a long time was barely/maybe coded aroace and after he was killed off he became a word of god aroace through twitter. Then came 2017 and the tv show and new book appearances and suddenly he got to verbally say ace (and/or aro) things without using the label. I haven't read-read the books with that canonization yet but it seems to be very clear now that he is sex and romance repulsed aroace. Great.

The tv show canonized his aceness before the books did but they did it without using labels and basically making a mess of his romantic orientation (is he still aro? Arospec? Alloromantic who just didn't feel rom attraction much? He never did pursue a romantic relationship with Izzy after the addiction mess even though they acknowledged that they cared for each other, but was it romantic from Raph? We don't know! *throws hands in the air in frustration*).

As much as I love show!Raphael, "I'm just not interested in sex." isn't necessarily the best way to establish aceness. Mostly because if you google 'not interested in sex', you get articles on libido and how to increase it, with one article talking about aceness, but not in the title. But the fact that Raphael says he's always been like this, that he's never pressured into having sex and is at peace with his orientation does, to me, make it good rep. I still kinda wish he'd used a label though.

Then the demi rep: neither Rivka nor Julian identifies as demi in text. Shira Glassman didn't at first realize she was writing Rivka in a demi way, in fact the backcover identifies her as straight (kinda as a 'there will be no romantic tension between Rivka and Shulamit' way, similar to Bo and Kenzi in section 1). But when people mentioned that she seems like a hetro demi, Shira embraced that and while the world doesn't do labels the way we do, she is still demi. I love her and I am happy she exists and she is accepted demi rep.

Now, Julian is a different thing. In TDA, he is 17, the year is 2012 and the Internet exists. After the 2nd book, people started speculating that Julian is demi based on how he thinks about never being attracted to anyone but Emma, and how he had started to feel different from his peers when he didn't start experiencing attraction like they did. Someone asked about this from Cassandra Clare and she answered the ask privately, saying that if he was a modern, non-Shadowhunter teenager and he had access to information about the identity, that he would identify as demisexual. The issue is that considering the timeframe (2012) and everything about his situation, he doesn't have access to that label so he doesn't use it.

So. Here we have a canon demi character, based on coding and word of god who has semi realistic reason for not knowing the label and thus not identifying with it, even though he would if he could. But a lot of people don't want to accept that. And that's where my issues come from: Julian says and thinks some very demi things, and to me doesn't do anything that invalidates his deminess. Why is that not enough? Like, I absolutely want him to use that label, I want to read him say it and find comfort in it. But why is his character not demi rep enough because he doesn't use the word?

Rivka has similar reasons for not having the label (not our world and the terminology doesn't exist) and while I doubt there are that much overlap between the 2 fandoms, I am curious about the difference. Neither one is not identifying as demi because they aren't demi, they don't identify as demi because they don't know the identity exists. Yet both are still demi characters.

How much does a character have to emphasize that they've only ever been attracted to one person/very few people, with the author validating that reading, before they are acceptable demi rep?

Another point is Princeless: Raven the Pirate Princess. That one has at least one demi character and maybe two acearo characters but they don't use labels. I love them all, but I feel uncertain about talking about Cid as an aroace character because she hasn't been talked about in that way the way Jayla has been. And I love Quinn and I cried when I read that the (pirate) ship has characters who identify as demisexual in a creator letter, but again, no one is using a-spec labels. It's frustrating. But it doesn't invalidate the rep.

3) I think the level of knowledge characters have on queerness should be an in-character discussion. Like, I've written characters as demi without the character using the label; I've written characters discovering a label; I have one fic where there's little possibility of the character having knowledge of the identity (because it's possible the label hasn't been coined yet). I try to stay in character about whether the character would know or have use for label and keep in mind the timeframe. There's a demi pairing I can't really write because neither characters exist in 2006 and beyond. Someone once complained that a book published in 2003 didn't describe the character as demi when the label hadn't yet been created while asexual worked as an umbrella term which included demis, so it still makes sense that the character would identify as asexual.

I don't think it's wrong to have a character be very knowledgeable about queer things if that's what you want to write, whether or not that's in character or realistic within the timeframe. Fanfic is about self indulgeance after all.

Some of that relates to what I'm in the mood to write. My magnum opus is 'this character is demi in all 78 eps of the show, but he'll only figure it out towards the beginning of the last season, just because I want that' and then I have another that's 'screw it, he has a better idea about his queerness but realizes the full picture in s4'.

I do try to be period accurate and think about whether or not the character would have access to the term. But sometimes I just want to have my faves identifying the way I want them to.

4) These are some very random, semi connected thoughts and I'm not even quite sure what the point was. I just feel like writing more about these things.

I am interested in discussing these issues. How much coding does a character need to be accepted as proper rep if the label isn't used? Can rep be valid if a random person reading it doesn't realize that there is that specific coding? If the book has queer readers, is there more leeway (sp) to not using the label, assuming that people reading a book with bi and trans characters or an f/f might also pick up the demi/ace/aro coding? If the author unknowingly wrote a demi character, does it still count if they accept that reading of the character and keep writing them as demi?

Anyway that was a lot of randomness.

[kfdirector]

What to Learn From Every RPG Campaign I’ve GMed* or Played In

(All campaigns that lasted more than three sessions that I’ve ever played in, in chronological order; marked by a * were me as GM.  All others were me as player.)

Denver Arcana (0*)  (d20 Modern, Urban Arcana, Extensive Supplements and Homebrew, Kitchen Sink Urban Fantasy)

LESSON FOR THE GM: Self-insert PCs are perfectly doable, but don’t include other real-life people as NPCs.  Especially if any PC IRL has a thing for any of the NPCs.  Double-especially if the GM kinda does too.

Clyde Lake (d20 Modern, pure, contemporary horror)

LESSON FOR THE GM:  Before launching a horror game, have a pretty good idea what the source of the horror actually is.

Plaguelands (D&D 3.5e, classic fantasy with Oriental Adventures influences)

LESSON FOR THE GM: If you get a guy who ALWAYS TAKES THE BAIT, knowingly and gladly, great!  Just…have a plan for when he takes the bait.  A plan that lets the campaign keep going, maybe?

LESSON FOR THE PLAYER: When using illusions to persuade people, consider the audience.  Maybe consider very carefully whether your choice of illusion, while persuasive to your target, might also cause a wave of panic and mass suicide.

 d20 Tropico* (d20 Modern, pure, action-adventure)

LESSON FOR THE GM: A little more research is needed for setting a campaign in a war-torn Caribbean island nation than just…playing Tropico.

LESSON FOR THE PLAYER: If you play an INT 5 bruiser and the campaign is not 100% combat, you’re going to be locked out of a lot of playing.

 Thaumapunk*  (d20 Modern, Extensive supplements and homebrew, kitchen sink sci-fi/magitech)

LESSON FOR MY PLAYERS: I am not afraid to TPK your asses.

LESSON FOR THE GM: A bad ending goes down so much smoother with a hastily-written sequel hook in the epilogue that makes the players think that at least everything they did didn’t amount to a complete waste of time.

 Apocalypse Arcana* (D&D 3,5e, mostly official supplements, post-apocalyptic North America fantasy)

LESSON FOR THE GM: It’s okay to fudge things if you misestimate an encounter.  But consider being more subtle than having all the henchdemons announce that it’s time for their union-mandated lunch break and quit the field, leaving only their boss to fight the party.

LESSON FOR EVERYONE: If someone accidentally plays a furry when they’re vehemently not a furry, never, ever, let them live it down.  (Real actual furries get a pass in my book; y’all do you.)

 Denver Arcana (I, II, III) (d20 Modern, Urban Arcana, few supplements, kitchen sink urban fantasy)

LESSON FOR THE PLAYER: Characters really are fun when they’re actually characters, not just self-inserts or piles of stats for launching fireballs!  Make sure the campaign is going to last before commissioning artwork of them, though. Or else you’ll wonder if you’ve got your money’s worth.

LESSON FOR THE GM: If you continually reboot a campaign at low levels because you don’t know how to cope with your PCs once they reach high levels – don’t be surprised if they start finding level-independent ways to fuck with your shit.

 Thaumapunk X* (d20 Modern, extensive supplements, a bit less homebrew, better-thought-out kitchen sink sci-fi/magitech)

LESSON FOR THE PLAYER: If the GM interrupts your convoluted attempts at planning with an alien invasion, that means he disapproved of something.  Possibly that you were taking two hours to plan something unimportant.

LESSON FOR THE GM: It’s okay if the players know who the final boss is in advance (because he’s the guy who TPKed them last time), but they’ll understand if his stats aren’t identical to what they were centuries before.  They’ll accept the change if it means you don’t feel compelled to spring the final boss on them 75% of the way through the apparent story because you realized that it wouldn’t be a challenge for their over-optimized builds if things ran their course.

 Strangeworld (D&D 3.5e, mostly official supplements, weird primal-feeling fantasy that turned out to have huge space-fantasy elements just out of view for most of the game)

LESSON FOR THE GM: What would be awesome in twenty or thirty sessions will be a soul-sucking mess if it takes eighty.

 Diaspora* (D&D 3.5e, mostly official supplements, rapidly escalating to fight mythological-class threats and thwart a multi-pantheon plot to unmake the world, which somehow entailed overthrowing a powerful dwarven nation to build a giant-ass steampunk cannon to launch yourself to the moon so you could fight the Chariot of All Evil before it could bring its terrible power too close to the world’s many doomsday cults)

LESSON FOR THE GM: If there’s a chance that one player will realize that he doesn’t like the epilogue that he’s on track for, give him a heads up in advance.  So you’re not re-writing the ending at very moment that the ending is happening.

LESSON FOR THE PLAYER: If you gaining demigod status as your retirement plan depends on the cooperation of the rest of the party, clear everything with them 100% first.  Explain any possible hang-ups to the satisfaction of the Paladin  before the moment of truth.

 Braveworld (D&D 3.5e, mostly official supplements, standard medieval western fantasy)

LESSON FOR THE GM: Players say they just want a normal campaign as a breather after a crazy one, but they lie.  Boredom sets in fast, and that deprives you of the critical enthusiasm needed to overcome repeated scheduling problems or player conflicts.

 Magnum Opus* (d20 Modern, massive supplements, a crossover involving every previous campaign on this list and others that never got off the drawing board, starting with the PCs on their first day of high school and culminating in them saving literally every universe)

LESSON FOR THE GM: You get to push a system to its maximum extent until it pretty much burns out everyone’s desire to play it because there’s nothing else to accomplish, once.  Make it worth it!

OTHER LESSON FOR THE GM: If you set plot-critical rolls with a difficulty so high that they’re mathematically unachievable without extra measures, remember to hint at those other measures to the player in question.  He might not be firing on all cylinders tonight and if he gets literally every party member killed (even if temporarily) because as far as he could tell you wanted him to roll a 22 on a 20-sided dice, you’re getting the blame for that.

OTHER, OTHER LESSON FOR THE GM: No player ever needs a ring of three wishes.  Not even with a single wish left on it.  If there’s any charges left on that sucker it will fuck up your epilogue right good.

 Omoikane (D&D 3.5e, very Oriental-Adventures-themed, lots of demigod-tier enemies running around)

LESSON FOR THE GM: If a player seems to fundamentally misunderstand how a rule works, and seems to have built his character around that misunderstanding, correct him early.  At a critical moment when he’s trying to save the entire party based on a heroic effort he thinks the rules let him do is a bit too late.

LESSON FOR THE PLAYERS: If the way you play a character is so effective that future GMs ban the entire class for the rest of time, you’ve mostly cheated yourself out of something cool.

 The Low Road (D&D 3.5e, standard medieval western fantasy but the PCs are evil and in pursuit of cosmic power; culminating in one character [uh, mine] becoming the replacement source of all evil in the world after his original plan fell through due to his god not existing)

LESSON FOR THE GM: “An Evil campaign” means different things to different players.  You’re not going to get a consistent vision of how to proceed with an evil scheme if your only criteria is “make an evil PC”.

LESSON FOR THE PLAYERS: Evil cultist PCs planning to betray their parties at the last moment to further their eldritch-horror-patron’s plans should probably first verify that their patron exists.

 Swoboda (Early Pathfinder, campaign was supposed to be based on a fantasy version of WW2, with the PCs Fantasy!Polish volunteers in the Fantasy!Spanish Civil War with the meta-game expectation that we’d later be leading the resistance against the Fantasy!Nazi invasion of Fantasy!Poland).

LESSON FOR THE GM: Maybe don’t make the second session of the game a mission to commit atrocities against civilians, even if you are going for a “horrors of war” theme.

LESSON FOR THE GM: And maybe have a plan to continue the game if the PCs refuse orders.

 Sullapolis Survivor* (GURPS, zombie-horror but with extradimensional monsters rather than actual zombies, in a contemporary fictional city)

LESSON FOR MY PLAYERS:  No, seriously, I will TPK you if you fuck around in the finale.

LESSON FOR THE GM: Keep your conspiratorial horror a little more straightforward.  Too many elements just leaves the players unfocused and uninterested.

 The Dark Lords Errand (D&D 3.5e, classic medieval fantasy)

LESSON FOR THE PLAYERS: I’m not the only GM in the group willing to TPK us if we’re idiots.

LESSON FOR THE GM: It can be hard to communicate to players the difference between a situation where a heroic stand is demanded and where subterfuge and feigned acquiescence is called for.  But it’s worth making the extra effort if you liked the campaign.

 Orc Quest (D&D 3.5e, orcish tribes crusading against the law and the light)

SEE RECAP HERE.  

LESSON FOR THE PLAYERS: If you can’t be useful, be entertaining.

LESSON FOR THE GM: If one of the players has cheesed the rules so effectively as to tame the Tarrasque at level 8, and you let this happen, it’s barely your campaign any more – you’re just as much along for the ride as everyone not playing a Tarrasque-tamer.

 Saviors of Camden (GURPS; low-point value, basically playing the Boondock Saints)

LESSON FOR THE PLAYERS: Don’t build characters who have to be persuaded into the basic concept of the campaign.

LESSON FOR THE GM: If you planned a “kill ‘em all” epilogue, be prepared for the possibility of one PC cheating death.  Surround the skyscraper with cops?  Someone might critically succeed on a parasailing roll…

 Living in Darkness (D&D 3.5e, mixed supplements, classic fantasy that seemed to take place in the centuries-later aftermath of The Low Road)

LESSON FOR THE PLAYERS: If your GM’s style is best described as “Homestuck narrator”, you’re gonna have a bad time.

LESSON FOR THE GM: “How to keep an enemy mage in custody” should be a solved problem on most worlds.  Tell your players the accepted protocol.  Don’t make them invent it on their own and then have NPCs criticize them for unnecessary abuse after the fact.

LESSON FOR THE GM: You’re running a tabletop campaign, not narrating a satirical text adventure game.  Or if you are, you need to advertise that shit first.

 Valos IV (d20 Modern, Future, and then GURPS, involuntary pioneers sent by a tyrannical Earth government to an alien planet)

LESSON FOR THE GM: It’s a rare campaign that can survive a change in game systems.

 Adlera* (D&D 3.5e, Fantasy!Roman Republican PCs help Fantasy!Caesar invade Fantasy!India by killing any of the thousands of local demigods that get in the way of the Fantasy!Roman Legions, only to clash with an invading Fantasy!China, deal with backstabbing intrigue from home, and deal with the ancient techno-magical-biological prison for ten billion souls in a way that kept them from either reincarnating into an evil god or a horde of angry demons)

LESSON FOR THE GM: If when some PCs excel at what they do it’s regarded as heroic, and when others excel it’s regarded as a war crime, that leads to resentment.  Just be aware of that.

LESSON FOR THE PLAYERS: Read the lore. If it says something only really weird could justify X in this setting, and you make X an explicit part of your character, don’t be surprised if you get dragged into some really weird shit.  Like having Fantasy!Samuel L. Jackson be your reincarnated boss, throughout all eternity, and locking you out of the epilogue that all the other players get because get back to work, bitch!

 Twenty Twenty Five* (GURPS, post-apocalypse based on an alternate history, like if Fallout was based on the late-80s/early-90s instead of the 50s, and also all the PCs were alive before the fall and woke up from a coma after the fall)

LESSON FOR THE GM: Do not allow any player to take Secret: Largely Responsible for the Apocalypse.  The campaign then becomes About That Player, no matter who else was in the party or what else you had going.

 The Sands of Mars (d20 Modern, Future, space opera with no psi or magic set on a Mars that has been cut off from Earth centuries after a robot rebellion or something)

LESSON FOR THE GM: Don’t pitch a sandbox game if you aren’t running a sandbox game. If there’s a main plot players are expected to participate in, don’t be coy about it in the pitch.

LESSON FOR THE PLAYERS: If your character hates lying and you as a player don’t grok the concept of lying by omission, maybe don’t be the only one to take ranks in Bluff.

 Embracing Defeat (I, II)* (GURPS, martial arts/kinda-dieselpunk world where the PCs are the scions of nobility in a crushed and occupied country, trying to restore the honor of their defeated nation)

LESSON FOR THE GM: If someone keeps pitching character concepts that seem to really not quite fit the campaign, that means they probably don’t get what the campaign is going to be and you should explain it better so the character they eventually make doesn’t turn out completely useless.

LESSON FOR THE PLAYERS: Maybe don’t pick a fight with an entire regiment of retired combat veterans at once if only one of you knows which end of a sword goes in the other guy.

LESSON FOR THE GM: A promising concept can be revived with new players if you write things properly.  But you still need a new plan for the story after nearly-TPKing the first set of characters and their associated stories.

 The Wheel (D&D 3.5e, a sequel to The Dark Lord’s Errand, the Low Road, Living in Darkness – every ten sessions or so the campaign world would change dramatically as one world ended and another was born, the heroes reincarnated into new but similar forms in a mecha setting, a post-apoc setting, a dark low fantasy, etc.)

LESSON FOR THE GM: You may have been planning this one for eight years, but that’s no excuse to drag the game itself on for three years.  PACING! No story worth telling requires 82 four-hour-average sessions.

LESSON FOR THE PLAYERS: Clearly communicate to the GM your expectations for the game.  For instance, tell him politely, but firmly, which plot twists will result in you making a road trip across America to hang him with the strings of his own dice bag.  When threats are credible, this improves the game for everyone.

 The Firm* (GURPS, high-action, players are stylized GTA-type mafia guys taking over a fictional contemporary American city)

LESSON FOR THE GM: You make a game that calls for dick player characters, they’re going to do dick things.  You give them a high point value, they’re going to be good at doing dick things.  Be psychologically prepared for that.

 Valdeer no Senshi (GURPS, Magical Girls in a frankly awesome alt-history city that goes miles to justify the San-Fransokyo blend of West Coast and Japanese culture)

LESSON FOR THE GM: Less time writing Japanese characters that don’t display on most people’s US-layout IRC clients, more time writing awesome set piece battles and hilarious anime-inspired scenes.

LESSON FOR THE PLAYERS: A group of mostly twenty-something dudes is either going to barely bother to roleplay a teenage girl or way too good at it.  Gaming is more productive when it’s the former; memories are made when it’s the latter.  There is no such thing as a happy medium.

 The Great Heathen Army* (Pathfinder; Fantasy!Vikings invade Fantasy!England, each PC having their own noble house and army, carving out their respective kingdoms as they conquer the land and fight both the natives and each other)

LESSON FOR THE GM: There is a maximum number of spreadsheets you can use to run a game after which there is no way it will be fun. Try to work out that number ahead of time.

LESSON FOR THE GM: If you have a hard time imagining what would cause an actual tabletop session to be needed to advance the game, you have not actually designed a D&D-style campaign but a play-by-post strategy with cobbled-together-rules.  And if those rules kind of suck, wow you have wasted a lot of time.

 Harbingers of Justice (Pathfinder with all kinds of homebrew, modern superheroes in a contemporary fictional setting)

LESSON FOR THE GM: Don’t run a superhero campaign if you actually hate superheroes.

LESSON FOR THE PLAYERS: Don’t build an Elvis-themed superhero if you have no interest and little knowledge of Elvis

LESSON FOR THE PLAYERS: The most effective way for a level 3 rogue to do damage in a battle on a city street is a Disable Device check to hotwire the nearest car and drive it into an enemy.

 Knights of the Stag* (GURPS, Infinite Worlds world-hopping beginning with the wizard attendees at a magical college in England in the days of Richard the Lionheart)

LESSON FOR THE GM: Don’t base a campaign on cool alternate-history ideas if you’re the only one in your group who reads or cares about history.  You’ll burn out long before you can get to the finish if you don’t have the positive feedback from people who get the references.

LESSON FOR THE GM: GURPS makes the better system when you need to learn new languages, know hundreds of utility spells, and solve problems in crazy creative ways.  D&D makes the better system when you want to throw dragons at the party.  Both are pretty doable when the opposition is Evil Time Nazis, though.

LESSON FOR THE PLAYER: Do the assigned reading. Don’t be the idiot claiming to be an English noble in 11th Century England who speaks only…English.

 Resistance* (d20 Modern; entirely fictional setting; no science fiction or magic; ROTC students try to organize a resistance after a surprise coup and invasion of their country, Red Dawn style)

LESSON FOR THE PLAYERS: If it’s an explicitly modern-military themed game, and absolutely every single enemy is going to have at least an assault rifle…this probably isn’t the game to run your expert boxer who specializes in doing unarmed nonlethal damage, especially given d20 Modern’s heavy nerfs to nonlethal damage.

 Angels of Ashtabula (GURPS, sequel to Saviors of Camden, only set in the Rust Belt)

LESSON FOR THE GM: Don’t let someone take Anonymous as an 18-pt contact.

LESSON FOR THE PLAYERS: Don’t take Anonymous as an 18-pt contact.

  The New World (D&D 5e, standard medieval western fantasy kingdoms colonize fantasy!North America)

LESSON FOR THE GM: If the (white colonialist) sponsors are all assholes, and the indigenous peoples are all sympathetic, it should be expected that eventually the PCs are going to stop wanting to work for the colonialists.

LESSON FOR THE OTHER PLAYERS: If you didn’t want me negotiating with the lich, leading to efforts of mutual translation and me telling the lich how to take advantage of our own laws and the Paladin’s code of honor to get treated as a sovereign nation rather than a monster, maybe y’all should have just attacked instead of waiting for it to make the first move and then it waiting for us to make the first move and an awkward silence ensuing that I decided to insert myself into as the SOCIAL JUSTICE ROGUE.

  Journey to Svalbard (GURPS; post-apocalypse; survivors from Edmonton, Canada, make their way across the ruins of Canada and then the Atlantic to the Svalbard Doomsday Seed Vault to restart agriculture, ongoing)

LESSON FOR THE GM: Eight players is probably more than comfortably fit into an RPG group at once.  It’s definitely more than fit comfortably into the bush plane at once.

LESSON FOR THE GM: If the only NPCs who get physical descriptions are the ones who turn out to be the key to saving the world, it’s kind of hard to keep the mystery going.

LESSON FOR THE PLAYERS: If the GM keeps dropping hints, someone should probably take notes, yeah?

 Journey from Everfree* (GURPS Dungeon Fantasy; class of modern high school students thrust into fantasy setting)

LESSON FOR THE GM: You should probably take some notes yourself, asshole.

 Heroes of Applewood Heights* (Genesys, Superheroes, contemporary, ongoing)

LESSON FOR THE GM: Whatever it is, I haven’t learned it yet.