#to his duty? do you get that he isn't capable of making connections due to his isolation and devotion?

[t-u-i-t-c]

thought about ryoga shindai too much

[skeleton-mischief]

Ink Sans

Hey, pay attention now! The creator, your savior, is here. He has been waiting for you...

(Headcanons below)

- Official Height: 5'5

- He/They/It

- Follows theism, he must fulfill his duty to the true creators

- Friends with Many AU Sanses, or at least acquainted with them

- The God of Creativity, he is the physical embodiment of motivating artists and creativity to create AU's, AT's, etc

- He has mutual hate but respect for Error

- Easily Forgetful due to his multiple trips through AU's, Timelines, etc

- Very lonely, he has mostly hollow friendships

- Dreams of other versions of him, but he can never find them

- Very touchy, he doesn't care to respect those boundaries and they even push boundaries

- Good friends with Red, somehow

- Talks to himself out of loneliness sometimes

- He envies genuine connections that others have

- Magic smells of paint, magic tastes of skittles

- Brutally honest

- AuDHD

- He likes dogs and cats, any animal really

- Loves to twirl and do tricks with his paintbrush, dances with it

- His paintbrush is extremely light to him, but heavy to others

- Accidently teleports inside Nightmare's goop once and it was fucking terrifying

- Soulless, only Fresh and Error know that he doesn't have an actual soul

- Laughs at inappropriate times, he doesn't know how to react to things sometimes

- Doesn't curse often, but will use 'shit' often

- Highly flexible and acrobatic

- Sometimes interacts with other Sanses but it's strangely off-putting and intense, he has an off putting energy

- Highly devoted to Creators and Fate, scarily loyal and worshipping towards them. He must do what they intend from him, even if that means being truly neutral

- His kindness can be sincere, but it's rare. He has manipulated others with his kindness to further please the Creators, and his kindness often is unsettling

- Incapable of dying, he is the only one that can truly face Error

- His vials are his emotions, and without them he doesn't experience anything. It is unknown how he gets those vials and how they are restocked

- He carries a pair of scissors and uses them sometimes when he's caught in Error's string

- Erratic, unsettling, playful, confident, honest, perceptive, controlling, manipulative, social, self efficient, loud, nosy, individualistic, curious, dedicated, impatient, intelligent, creative, stubborn, and theatrical

- When he drinks his vials, he tends to also have a shift in appearance despite it being subtle. His eyes go to a shade of color his vials are and his expression will shift. Small details like his body language, his form of talking, etc will change

- He grows apathetic, monotonous, and more harsh without his vials. He gets like this near others, his way of even laughing sounding empty as if a husk is mimicking him

- He aims for mistakes and encourages it for creators only because he finds it perfect. They can do no wrong, even if some things are what he dislikes

- He hates when anyone tries to disrupt an AU, often masking it with a positive attitude and forcefully stopping them even if they're dangerous

- He easily can switch between emotions, especially when drinking more than one in a certain order. For example, he can drink a blue vile and then a yellow one, helping him transition between what he feels. The reason he doesn't drink them often near others is because he likes to appear "normal"

- He aims for perfection from others and despises any creator being disrupted, often dragging the issue away. He loves creativity, but that means also disrupting something to make sure his creators are happy

- He always has something slightly off about him, despite being a wonderful actor of sorts. Even when happy, he's just- different

- He hates being called out, especially hates if they're confronted about something he's masking

- He isn't afraid to lie to get his way, it isn't capable of feeling that guilty for long

- They can only be themselves when alone or if he's deeply connected with someone; which is nearly impossible

- He can never deceive Error, even if he tries it sometimes. Error is one of the every few to openly degrade him and in turn Ink finds ways to degrade Error

- A storyteller, he knows almost everything about each AU. He often isn't shy enough to drop lore here and there, watching acutely throughout each form of the multiverse

- He was created as an "adult" so he never had a childhood, but he has a backstory. He can't remember it, but they have drawn themselves without really thinking about it

- It has no defined age, stat, hp, defense, or LV simply due to not having a soul

- They quote a lot of things since he loves obsessively watching shows, AU's, etc

- Due to his lack of fear, he's extremely risky and impulsive. He'll just laugh and jump right in

- He grows fidgety, annoyed, and impatient when things don't go at a pace he's satisfied with

- Even if he's impatient, he's hard to actually piss off. A part of it is because he's so erratic and hard to read

- Stupidly has good balance, it's overall just weird how well he has the balance he has

- Paints and sketches regularly, no form of art is favored over the other

- Often seen with the same outfit, but he loves changing it up at times

- Loves to be in small spaces when needing comfort, often shifting his body in ways to fit inside because it doesn't remind him of the void - where nothing is present

- Hates empty spaces and lacks of creativity

- He's only motivated for what's right for the AU's or himself

- Can be extremely selfish and childish, but often his goals align with "good." He has helped the Bad Guys occasionally though

- It's hard for him to feel pain, since his pain receptors are all fucked up. He can be heavily injured and not realize it or even feel it unless he's worn out and loses/losing a battle against another "God"

- It's hard for him to hate someone, but he can heavily dislike them. If he chose who to hate the most, it would definitely be Error

- He has been childish in worse ways than possible, often helping creators make new AU's despite the cramped space. Sure, the multiverse is beyond humongous, but it only can handle so much before colliding other worlds together and even destroying those worlds. He and Error have overlapping goals, and only rarely will they work together since they're such opposite skeletons

- He loves to mock and mess with Error the most, especially when they battle despite neither one being able to die. Ink can get just as cocky as Error, and in fact loves to provoke Error

- Their vials can only do so much, as they can only temporarily fill in space for an emotion that one with a soul has. It can form in the shape of what's meant to be a soul in the color of the vial, but it's never permanent

- He'll often stare at others for long periods of time, usually in an obvious manner as he looks at them and their soul. He doesn't feel the need to blink, so it can be unsettling

- When his vials give him the illusion of having a soul, he will often cradle it and stare at it for long periods of time

- He never can run out of liquid inside of his vials, but they can break and this leaves him without that emotion until he fixes it through a long process

- He is willing to experience any emotion, as he just wants to feel it. He can optionally not have any at all, but it's rare he chooses that

- Narcotics do not affect him in any way

- Has an obsessed curiosity for humans, who he knows are capable of creating worlds. It's only the authors, the artists, he actively obsesses over

- Does not view creators or players as 'simply' human, but rather beyond gods themselves

- Adores having marker or paint on him

- Has a Doodle Sphere where time is slowed down and no one can reach him

- It struggles trying to find ways social skills work, especially since each universe has it's own standards

- Steals food and other trinkets from universes even if he has no need to eat

- Occasionally speaks French or Latin

- Does not understand gender roles, but they will wear more masculine and androgynous outfits with the occasional fem

- On the aroace spectrum, especially since being a God means that other things are too important

- STRUGGLES reading and writing

Closing Notes: He's so-.....GUAH. I actually didn't care much for them growing up, but I think that they're an interesting character deserving of exploration

[yanderes-galore]

Yandere Mir! Naib pls! Its been so long since weve talked abt that evol gremlin >:3 and i loved the backstory u wrote for him

I used the backstory I wrote for him to make a concept :) Sorry for the long wait, not into IDV rn.

I'm not used to making a concept from a scenario ^^; usually it's the other way around. I pull from my fic "Wither" a lot in this so I recommend you read it.

Yandere! MIR! Naib Subedar Concept

Possible Trigger Warnings: Obsession, Vague explicit behavior, Kidnapping, Murder, Violence, Blood, Forced relationship, Dehumanization, Manipulation, Sadism, Cults, "Marking" mention, Power dynamic.

- First, a small summary of Wither.

- Naib, before he was known as Man In Red, most likely met you in the town you both grew up in.

- He fell for you and that's where his obsession first rooted.

- Except at the time is wasn't really an obsession, it was just a crush.

- You two would send letters to each other and grew close.

- Then you turn him away for another man, just like in the backstory.

- Leading Naib to slowly (and painfully) morph into a demon through hanahaki disease and some odd otherworldly force.

- Now, when you meet Naib again, he is no longer himself.

- He is now known as the demonic leader, Man In Red, or MIR for short.

- MIR's Possessive, Sadistic, Flirtatious, Manipulative, Cold/Cruel, and Obsessive over you.

- MIR lost his memory since he became what he is now, so when you come back into your old town with your new spouse, Runaway (Real name Edgar), he isn't sure who you are just yet.

- (Honestly, rereading the Wither fic gave me RE8 vibes before I knew what it was, lol)

- The demon feels some sort of familiar connection to you but can't figure it out.

- Leading to MIR to subject you to his sadistic games until he figures out who you are.

- You can bet Runaway's being put through hell, too.

- "Welcome to my town, I'll be sure you're both given a warm welcome."

- Once MIR remembers who you are over time, it's all over.

- MIR is possessive, once he knows you were his beloved, say goodbye to Runaway.

- He'd make everything a game, too.

- Taunting you about how Runaway will be sacrificed in front of all his followers.

- How Runaway is a parasite in his prospering ecosystem.

- He can thank the guy for one thing, though.

- Bringing you back to MIR, where you belong.

- Think about it, Runaway caused all of this, it's only fair he pays what's due?

- His blood splattered across these city streets....

- MIR is also not normally one to share.

- But as this town runs on a cult dynamic, only his most trusted followers can speak with you.

- He won't let them get too greedy, though.

- This shows his sadistic behavior, too.

- Murder or kidnapping doesn't phase him, he'd kill in front of you and even make a big deal out of it.

- Taunting all the while with a grin.

- "What's wrong, my butterfly? Scared of a little blood~?"

- Flirting and lechery is also what he subjects you to.

- MIR is disgusting at times.

- Always making little comments towards you.

- Feeling you up and maybe even marking you.

- He's capable of such dirty things... he is a demon, after all.

- MIR can also be cold and cruel.

- He doesn't care if his followers die.

- He doesn't care if he has to hurt you.

- MIR is an evil creature and mortal life doesn't concern him.

- Although if you're dying he refuses to let it happen-

- He has powers, if he wanted you back, he could get you back.

- Yay for otherworldly entity powers, right?

- Lastly, obsessive.

- MIR will not leave you alone sometimes.

- More like most of the time... as he still has cult leader duties.

- He sees you as a pet, something to pester whenever he wants.

- His transformation made his crush turn to obsession.

- You made him like this.

- Your presence alleviates his yearning whenever near.

- Fate has brought you two together again.

- Now you'll never leave this demon's clutches.

- "I became this when you left. Do you really think I'd just let you walk out, butterfly?"

[takuyakistall]

I recently re-read his Dorm SSR personal story here! A few questions and thoughts lingered inside my head as I read it and it collectively got worse when @poisonepel​ started questioning things too. Which ultimately led to me writing this down while running on half a brain cell and a spoonful of rice for lunch. This isn’t necessarily an analysis but more of just me questioning a lot of stuff. I already pointed out things that are already obvious so it might get repetitive. Placed under the cut since it’s a bit lengthy! I tried my best to be coherent in the very least.

Rook’s Nickname for Jade - Rook calls Jade “Monsieur Mastermind” and perhaps you’re already telling me right now that I shouldn’t look deeper into this since it doesn’t look like it matters anyway but let me tell you right now that I tend to overanalyze things when it comes to Jade. I find it a bit odd how Rook calls Jade the mastermind, presuming that we’re talking about the Octavinelle trio, when it’s often Azul that’s shown to be as such. Of course, it’s been revealed that Rook analyzes or stalks nearly everything that happens to catch his interest (Jade’s Gym Personal). So it’s safe to presume that his judgement is, if not entirely correct, accurate. “Your staple food, your habits, your walking speed, when you sleep, your heart rate, how many times you blink… those and many others I have recorded perfectly.” Just by reading this line alone I became pretty sure that he observed something deeper than that--which is his personality.

       The question is, why is Jade the mastermind instead of Azul? Why is Azul’s nickname “Roi du Fort” instead of being the mastermind? Well, it might be common knowledge but Jade, in a way, controls Azul despite what it looks like to the public which is Azul controlling Jade since he, as the higher authority, has power over him. I read a popular post explaining why Jade probably undertakes the role of a servant rather than taking the position for himself knowing that he has the full capabilities to do so. This will be explained further later in a different note.

What I’m trying to imply is that behind the scenes, Azul isn’t really the mastermind behind everything despite what it seems. It’s Jade who’s really in control of things, by picking up the act of a servant or butler. 

“If the entire hierarchy collapses just due to the absence of a single person, then that proves that they aren’t all as great as they seem.” - I just had the need to point this particular line out since it just seemed so… Jade. Everything about this line just screams out the same vibes he radiates, cold and severe. I know he’s faking the whole thing about having a falling out with Azul and wanting to join Pomefiore but I think it is true that without him, Octavinelle won’t nearly be as great from when he was still there.

First of all, He’s Octavinelle’s vice-dorm leader. Surely, being in such a high position, he carries a lot of duties that only he can do as the acting vice leader. There’s also the fact that he does it superbly than other people which is why Octavinelle is the way it is right now, it would be hard to replace him. They would have to look for someone who’s on par with Jade, in the very least.

Secondly, he’s somewhat an emotional pillar to Azul. Judging from their childhood and current relationship as of now, I like to think that a big reason why Azul is the way he is right now, is because of Jade and Floyd acting as his emotional support or whatever even though they insist that their relationship is purely just for business and will drop it if it’s no longer beneficiary to them. The main reason why I think that way is because of the Octavinelle CM which has a scene of Azul holding a bubble in between his hands. Inside the bubble were the twins in their eel forms. The next thing that happened--the bubble popped and disappeared, along with the tweels inside it. We could see the horror on Azul’s face when it happened in that scene and slowly led to the overblot scene which says a lot about how Azul views the twins. Have a more detailed explanation regarding their relationship here! Summary, Azul will lose his shit if Jade were to disappear. Now, where is Octavinelle in all of this? Probably a mess in the corner right there with their dorm leader not in his right state of mind. In short, Octavinelle will probably crumble under the absence of Jade. The reason why Octavinelle is still functioning under Azul’s command during this whole stunt Jade is making is precisely because Azul knew that it was all an act.

"Jade’s excellence in everything he does is renowned even among the Dorm Leaders. He might be a super secretary or something to be able to answer Azul's difficult requests." - Vil's words to Rook during their little talk about letting Jade into Pomefiore. This stuck out to me because back then I didn't really give this much thought but now that I'm re-reading this, it makes me wonder how good is Jade at his job as a Vice Dorm Leader? These words coming from Vil hold a certain weight I can't describe, for him to say that his excellence is renowned even among the Dorm Leaders and to be described as a Super Secretary.

For Jade to have earned this kind of reputation despite being in the land for only two years so far is quite a feat! I would've expected less from someone else but this is Jade we're talking about so, ignoring his terrible weakness in flying, I can assume that Jade worked hard for him to have reached this kind of performance level in such a short time. To be recognized by almost all of the Dorm Leaders isn't an easy feat.

Jade as an attendant - During his first day as Vil's attendant, Vil mentioned how off-putting he is from the fact that Jade was almost too good for someone on their first day. "You managed to get on such friendly terms with the stuffy and straight-laced people of the industry in such little time; and you were also perfect when it came to helping out with the shooting. You've worked much harder than I thought you would." His words. I think this is due to the nature of Jade's silver tongue, which is being able to speak in a way that makes other people do or believe what you want them to do or believe. It seems very fitting for a character like Jade.

Because of the recent personals that got released for Jade, namely the Birthday SSR, they talked about family there and it got me thinking quite a bit as to how Jade can speak so eloquently especially now that I've read that he managed to get on the good side of people who are probably way older than he is and straight-laced, no less. He vaguely mentioned their family background when he was telling a story from his childhood and said how different people would come over to their party and offer them presents. I'm assuming that these people are possibly older than he is, judging from the fact that one of them attempted to give the twins liquor despite them being at a young age, and I thought that maybe Jade grew up used to being surrounded by adults to the point where he picks up a lot of speech patterns and habits. Which inevitably leads to what he is right now. Nothing is confirmed yet, this is a mere thought I had.

Jade's past with Azul - It's briefly mentioned here in the story. Jade mentioned how there weren't as many mer-folk as there are humans so they were all basically put in the same class together during elementary school. Azul didn't catch his interest back then, it seems. He mentioned not being able to remember the very reason why the three of them—Jade, Floyd, and Azul—ended up together currently in Night Raven College.

I am genuinely curious as to what actually made the twins interested in someone like Azul. Correct me if I'm wrong but they did mention it in Chapter 3, right? Was it the growing interest when they finally took notice of Azul using his unique magic on basically everyone who fell into his trap? Someone tell me the details if it was ever mentioned, my memory is failing me.

“Tenebres” - The shoe brand Vil wanted to get his hands on but unfortunately did not obtain, particularly, the Mirror Shoe. "Tenebres" apparently only sells their products to people who they deem worthy for designs, even the designer themselves has yet to make a public appearance as they are shrouded in mystery. Vil didn't have enough time to acquire it but, surprise! Jade Leech has somehow managed to get his perfect hands on the pair of red shoes Vil wanted so much. Frankly enough, Vil was impressed he managed to obtain something he could not—alone, no less.

This is just me pondering but this particular line made me wonder, "Heh, they did some at the cost of a bit of trouble. No matter, how about you try these on instead of dwelling on the matter?", to what lengths did he actually have to go through to obtain just a pair of shoes? Or rather, what connections does he have to be able to obtain this so easily and brush it off with a mere, "cost of a bit of trouble" when clearly Vil already expressed the difficulty in obtaining these?

Another note I have to make but not completely sure if it's relevant is his family. As I've said before, they mentioned that they deal with a lot of people due to the nature of their business and that made me wonder if the designer/owner of this certain shoe brand is one of them? Perhaps Jade was able to easily contact them because of connections his family has although Floyd's wish in the event Stars & Wishes contradicts this possibility.

In Floyd's wish, he mentioned wanting a pair of shoes and Idia immediately asked him why he couldn't just buy them. Floyd answered with a simple, "I can't usually get them." Because of the price. Which, again, contradicts my theory about the Leech family being connected to the shoe brand. Although! Vil did mention how the shoe brand only sells it to people they deem worthy. Perhaps, Floyd isn't…? No—it still wouldn't explain how easily Jade got the shoes and had the brand get Vil a job there as an ambassador. Surely, that isn't due to just any normal connections anymore. Definitely shady, I want to know more.

Jade is in control - As I've said earlier, Jade is somewhat in control despite playing the role of a servant. Prime example is when Vil told him his throat was parched, Jade immediately acted upon it fully knowing what his original intentions were. He gave Vil a drink that the Mostro Lounge was apparently serving without having Vil question it further and even went as far as to let Jade take a picture and post it—even he decided the caption for the post! With a simple flow of events just like that, Jade has managed to manipulate Vil without him knowing. He did it all while taking in the role of a servant and that in itself says a lot about how he does things

I think it's worth it to take note of the fact that Jade does not like bringing attention to himself and merely brushes it off as mere shyness of some sorts when really, all he wants to do is lay low and draw as little attention to himself. It makes his job easier that way—perhaps that's the reason why he lets Azul take the spotlight all the damn time.

Another thing to take note of is something I saw from a post in Tumblr which basically sums up the whole reason why Jade is always adopting the butler persona wherever he goes. It's because he likes to be in control that way—you'd let down your guard around him and let him serve you. You want a drink? He'll serve you a drink but-! He is in control over what you will get. That's exactly what happened in this exact scene, Vil waltzed right into the center of Jade's palms.

Vil never noticed - I'm not saying Vil is dumb, because he is most definitely not. Although through the very end, I don't know if it's just because Vil got carried away with the feeling of achievement taking over him due to recent events but he did just brush away the reason why Jade was in Pomefiore in the first place and let him go away peacefully, "So long as he doesn't bare his fangs at us." In other words, Jade managed to outsmart Vil and possibly, Rook.

This is probably one of the reasons why I am confident enough to say that Jade truly is one of the most cunning bitches in the entire game because this whole ordeal just pretty much proved it.

Aftermath - There we go! We got an explanation about how Jade managed to manipulate and use Vil for his own gains err, in this context, probably Azul's. When Jade took a picture of Vil with the drink and posted it, he did it with the intention of taking advantage of Vil's popularity and viewer reach. Jade expressed his thankfulness when he mentioned how Vil saw him as "useful" perhaps his reputation prior helped him reach his goal? 

Azul praised Jade with something along the lines of "As expected of you, Jade. You're the best Night Raven's College has to offer when it comes to sneaking into another's pockets after all." Which really just backs up some of the statements I made earlier about how Jade manipulates people by letting people let their guard down around him while thinking they're the ones who have power over Jade when clearly it's not as simple as it seems. Azul mentioning that only Jade could pull off something like this just puts me off for some reason but I'll leave it be for the time being.

After that, Jade and Azul had a conversation that started with Azul asking him if he had any difficulties during his stay in Pomefiore and if he had any troubles keeping up with Vil. Jade, jokingly(?), responded that it was nothing compared to Azul's demands and orders and his time at Pomefiore was actually a vacation of some sorts for him. Which really makes me wonder what jobs does Azul usually give him if this one was somewhat of a break for Jade? A task that seemed impossible to Floyd, Jade said it was a vacation. It's a bit frightening but I guess that's his charm? Hard-working is one way to put it. 

That's the end of my Dorm SSR mini-analysis, I guess! Thank you for sticking with me till the end even though a lot of these might be repetitive. I'll probably add more depending on future brainrot but for now, this is fine. Feel free to tell me what you think about this!

[warsofasoiaf]

Loved the Svensgaard profile. How about the Free Drones?

Foreman Domai seems to be a character ripped straight from Marx at first blush, but that's a reduction of his character to a stereotype, and Firaxis did a good job trying to really flesh out the factions and the ideologies they represent in the game. Domai is no exception, and as we'll see, he explores some of the successes and failures of the labor movements - and isn't just a stereotypical Boris.

Domai's backstory has been formed by terrible happenings. A brilliant mining engineer by trade, a cryopod malfunction ended with him getting poisoned by toxic fumes, which eroded much of his mind, and got him reassigned as a common menial. His rehabilitation was a painful process, relearning how to talk and repairing the Swiss cheese that his brain had become. The long hours and difficult working conditions instilled within him a burning resentment for the elites of Planet, who exploited the labor of the drones and shared in little to none of the spoils. This is in part represented by Karl Marx's theory of alienation, that a worker loses the ability to act as a fully realized man in the economic sense because his actions are directed to the goal of the bourgeoise in the pursuit of surplus value, and that they lose the ability to relate to their labor due to not receiving the benefits of said labor - only the bourgeoise benefit. This high-minded (and often circular) argument aside, plenty of people in large organizations lose the sense of their jobs fits in to the larger scheme, from soldiers who can feel like cannon fodder to factory workers who labor in repetitive tasks for a pittance. Plenty of morale-building events, jokes about morale events from a former active-duty aside, does try to serve a function in connecting the tasks with the greater overall sense, whether it be as simple as a team get-together or large team-building exercises. Domai dispenses with the corporate summit and instead works in a societal sense to ensure that the worker's labor is acknowledged and respected, affording his people not only recognition, but dignity. Domai in this case shares one of Sister Miriam's most positive character traits: a genuine interest in the well-being of the people under his care. While Miriam uses religion as a social fabric, Domai unites his people through work, by both valuing their productivity in a concrete sense (he gets a +2 to industry, after all - he clearly values and invests in the quality of his people's labor) and by improving living standards. You know you are valued in the Free Drones, and you won't be exploited by the other faction leaders whose pursuit of their goals doesn't look to value your own labor, and can be seen as an active detriment. The proof's in the pudding that Domai's rhetoric has concrete foundations: he has less drones by quantity. He's clearly doing something to make sure that they are content.

In some ways, Domai is completely right, the quick-and-easy way to deal with drones in Alpha Centauri is nerve stapling to keep them in-line - destroying their higher nerve functions via specialized torture; it is only natural to want to rebel at that. Drone riots aren't just mindless problems - while drones can be self-destructive when they riot, if the player builds a drone management building during the riots, the drones produce to end the grievance, which is sensible. When the leader acquiesces and says: "Alright, you've made your point, living standards aren't good, let's devote our available resources at this location to building a Recreations Commons," the drones immediately go and build. Domai is focused on a Future Society that only the Consciousness matches, and it's arguably one of the most optimistic futures in that he values Eudaimonia. Domai clearly wants every person in the Free Drones to feel uniquely valued and fulfilled, capable of determining their own happiness and finding fulfillment in that. A Domai that fulfills Eudaimonia sees an impressive +4 industry and +2 economy, meaning that every laborer is skilled and wealthy (hitting that +1 energy/square means a humming economy), creating the workingman's paradise that writers and philosophers in the labor movement have conceived of since the early days of utopian fiction - the Star Trek TNG ideal where the full flourishing of mankind becomes apparent.

However, nothing stops the Free Drones from nerve stapling their own drones save having a Police rating lower than -2 the same as any other faction - Domai can easily repeat the abuses that the drones suffered on his own. In this sense, the only thing that's really changed is the rhetoric of the person in charge; the abuses still repeat themselves. This matches our own history - the Soviet Union purported itself as a workingman's paradise but in practice, had a very low standard of living for their laborers compared to the capitalist powers; many of whom saw the standard of living rise significantly with a commensurate drop in poverty during the 1950's following the Second World War. The right to protest was strictly curtailed in defiance of the very same labor protest movements that birthed the February Revolution that dethroned the Tsar. Lenin frequently extolled the need for class conflict against the bourgeoise, but brutalized the proletariat in a ruthless effort to ensure that no other group could amass power to overthrow him the way the Bolsheviks overthrow the Kerensky government. Other socialist and communist governments in Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia were brutal dictatorial police states, exploiting their workers and keeping them in poverty while confiscating the fruits of their labor to personally profit themselves and their key stakeholders to maintain their power.

Further complicating the picture of Domai is that his arch-rivals in gameplay do not mirror who they are in lore, which don't mirror at all with the traditional labor-vs-capital dynamic. According to the dynamic, Domai's rival should be the John Galt archetype CEO Morgan, who most clearly represents management, and Zakharov who would oppose Domai's hatred of "blue-sky research" and has his drone problems. Yet nothing stops Domai from running a Free Market or Knowledge and becoming CEO Morgan's or Academician Zakharov's friend. In gameplay, Domai would run afoul of the Cybernetic Consciousness (who oppose him on societal visions for a far future, Eudaimonia vs. Cybernetic) and the green factions (who value green economies, which Domai cannot run). In a way, Domai running afoul of the Cult of Planet and Gaia's Stepdaughters makes sense, Domai focuses on industrialization without the ability to mitigate with social engineering choices that would quickly create a massive ecological footprint that these two would oppose. This mirrors socialist movements in our own history, both in their own ecological damage which could be quite significant as was the industrial pollution in Central Asia, and in the socialist movement's struggle to appeal to rural peasants as they typically favored urban industrial labor as their focus and dismissed concerns of rural farmers, and peasants violently rejected the agricultural collectivization initiatives from Ukraine to Nicaragua. In the lore, it's actually the Human Hive that Domai is most angry at - it was the Hive who brutalized him and provided the bodies for Domai's first drone revolt that founded the Free Drones. But nothing stops Domai from running a Police State every bit as restrictive as Yang's Hive. So in this, we see that Domai doesn't fit the traditional conception of the workingman hero, but that's because he's a blend of ideas from the labor movement throughout history. There have been labor movements and ideologies that were themselves fiercely anti-communist, notably with the UAW's Homer Martin, the CIO's expulsion of communists in the late 1940's, and the US labor movement's push out of Soviet influences from the European labor movement in the greater context of the Cold War. Similarly, there have been labor movements which pushed away from full collectivization of the means of production to co-determination, workplace democracy, and other movements where labor has a mandatory portion of say in operations. Still other arrangements look to improving worker compensation and investment in the company with profit-sharing arrangements such as the Scanlon plan, brainchild of steelworker Joseph Scanlon, a fixture in the 1930's and 1940's labor movement. So Domai, in essence, is a grab-bag of the labor movements greatest hits and shame reel, depending on your social engineering choices.

Domai cannot run Green economics, which means on some level, his focus is industrial development, and likely that means he runs into problems with Mind Worms that he can only mitigate by directing his labor into the production of Centauri Preserves, Hybrid Forests, and other facilities to raise his "clean mineral" score lest he get overrun with demon boils when Planet strikes back. A Planned Economy Domai likely runs a socialist economic model with direction set by his planning department. A Free Market Domai likely pushes for private property and ownership with profit-sharing in place and workplace safety kept in check by a union-driven auditing board, allowing for great wealth to be generated, with the idea that "the people determine what they want" as the guiding philosophy behind the market providing worker fulfillment, similar in many ways to the post-Second World War economic boom in the United States, France, West Germany, and Japan.

A Democratic Free Drones probably runs closer to syndicalism, with representation determined by industry and the labor unions acting as political entities for workplace democracy and as political parties in Domai's government. A Police State Free Drones runs similar to the Soviet Union, with high degrees of repression to prevent disastrous drone strikes to prevent the highly-industrialized economy from collapsing due to strikes. A Fundamentalist Free Drones probably mandates meetings devoted to ideological indoctrination and holds a secret police to watch the labor movement for signs of dissent and purging dissenting thought, a classic hallmark of the Stasi in East Germany.

For Values, a Power-focused Domai likely strongly attaches to the classic class conflict message that Trotsky articulated in his ideas of permanent revolution, and so a state similar to War Communism during the Russian Civil War arises. For Knowledge, Domai likely stresses research that provides demonstrable effects in creature comforts and industrial production; he might scoff at the purely theoretical (much like Morgan does in his admonition against ivory tower intellectuals), but he would probably enjoy more material gains such as better production, better armor, better warning systems against the Mindworms, and so on. For Wealth, Domai probably values high wages as a physical demonstration of his commitment to the elevation of the working man - a twist on the Veblenian "conspicuous consumption" idea where the society demonstrates its ideals via public display.

For Future Society, Domai is geared to pick Eudaimonia as mentioned - it becomes the realization of the totality of Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Whether that be the Marxist "new man" or the Platonic Academy ideal of Eudaimonia, the concept is that mankind can determine its own fulfillment, and it does so. Much like Aki Zeta-5, a different pick in Future Society means the ultimate failure of achieving the vision. For Cybernetic, likely it's due to roboticization rendering human industrial output unnecessary - Domai engineers his own obsolescence, and a concession to Planet's voraciously violent retaliation at Domai's ecological devastation. Thought Control has Domai become every bit the tyrant his hated rival Yang is, finding control too important. In a way, this most clearly resembles Nikita Khrushchev in history, who forcibly medicated dissenters and categorized opposition as a mental illness - the technology afforded by the final future allows for this to become reality. If Eudaimonia is Domai taking up the fully automated luxury TNG meme to its hilt, Thought Control Domai is perhaps one of the greatest and most tragic failures: where every worker is Genejack, and Domai has to make sure that the Free Drone beanstalk stays uncut.

Thanks for the question, Anon.

SomethingLikeALawyer, Hand of the King

[mc-critical]

One of my most favourite confrontations between Mahidevran and Hürrem in the series is the one after Mahidevran sent Olga to Süleiman in episode 61. It's both fun, yet filled with meaningful character dialogue, managing to successfully deliver a thematic message that eventually finds its retroactive way, despite of it all seeming like a yet another smackdown fest by Hürrem at first.

The scene begins with their typical confrontational energy, the rivalry chemistry immediately paves its way forward. Hürrem is ready to face her for what she did and Mahidevran, while not being interested at first, goes with her flow regardless, setting the mood for what follows.

Hürrem: You've sent a concubine to his majesty.

Mahidevran: I'm replacing Valide. Pleasing his majesty is one of my duties.

Hürrem: Let God not give you other worries. Do you want to cover the lack of your femininity this way?

Mahidevran seems very engrained in her role as the head of the harem and connects it with her own desire to take revenge for her wounded pride and for all the pain they caused her. The first excuse she finds for sending Olga to SS refered to the rules and tradition that give her that right, but we know by context that there's something else going on, this was both a move driven by her vendetta and a provoked move - she decided to do this after Hü told her she's the one ruling the privy chamber and perhaps Mahidevran accepted it as a challenge to her power, because, honestly, I doubt she would've attempted such a thing if she weren't provoked like this. Hürrem, on the other hand, gives her own "interpretation" as to why Mahidevran took action. To be blunt, it sits wrong with me right from the start, because it demonstrates a huge amount of internalized mysoginy on full display and it's sad, in a way, that this is what the system encourages at the moment - you're nothing if you sleep alone in your bed, if you don't have the sultan's back. There's a glimmer of possibility Hürrem said it only to render Mahidevran vulnerable and one could understand where she comes from, since she has experienced quite a lot of similar offenses from that same person. And when a confrontation of the like occurs, her first instinct is to think of a comeback, to pull rank and highlight why she's better than her like she does in all their encounters in this batch of episodes. That hardly excuses or whitewashes this statement, though, because for a person who has been shown to fight the system and call out prejudice (even though it was mostly only she was subjected to it or it was about something that concerned her specifically), seeing that she had absorbed some of it and applies it without a second thought leaves a sour taste for me.

Mahidevran: Worry about your own problems, Hürrem. Did you really think his majesty couldn't be with other women?

Hürrem: This is impossible.

Two major beliefs of Mahidevran and Hürrem's characters come on the surface: they drive the dialogue and help the rest of the scene unfold the way it did. Mahidevran brushes off Hürrem's last statement and brings back tradition to the forefront, which begins to highlight a belief of hers that she shared with Valide, that there is a constant cycle in the harem that no one, not even Hürrem, is capable to entirely break. To Hürrem it's impossible for SS to ever have other women at this point, it's something unthinkable for her already. She feels she has fully broken that cycle.

This scene, unlike the confrontation in episode 58, has well done retroactive irony while serving the context of the episode it's in in a plausible enough way that doesn't seem showed in just for the sake of it. The context of the episode puts Hürrem in the right by showing Olga returning from SS's chambers almost immediately after Hürrem says: "This is impossible." and it's the place where this plot-line transitions to another one, leaving the rest of the confrontation to hang in the balance for a while. Maybe SS had truly given up taking other women ever since the wedding, as shown by this and SS refusing another concubine sent by Valide in the wedding episode.

However, we know that this stops being the case later on and whether it's through the decision to bring in yet another drama tool, yet another annoying stretched narrative opposition in the face of the concubine arcs, it's a fact and we could say that this scene ends up being a good enough framework to set us up for it, intentionally or not.

Mahidevran: Then why is there a concubine in his chamber?

Hürrem: What concubine? Maybe that one?

This, to me, is a demonstration of how the tables can turn in the harem at literally any moment. Meryem Uzerli's little amazing, subtle facial expression says it all. When Mahidevran asks the question, we see for a very split second that Hürrem's wondering how to refute her until the concubine appears in the heat of the argument due to sheer luck. Like, if she had already returned to her rooms before the scene occurred, it would've gone much differently! This isn't all that important here, but I love how Meryem showed a slight probability for Hürrem to lose the argument, which contrasts with all her confident remarks before and after this moment. It's just very neat stuff.

Hürrem: Many girls were introduced to his majesty. Among them, there was even a princess. Where are they now? Look around you. You will not see anyone but me.

Speaking of confident remarks, there comes another one of Hürrem's that no matter how many concubines came, they all went and now there is no one other than her. This line further sets a consistent trend of ambiguity, because she's right in the context of the episode and it encapsulates the resolution of these particular plot-lines of Hürrem and Süleiman in the season and we can get behind her words overall both in the arc and in rewatch, in spite of the retroactive irony, but she's wrong in that it's the end of her harem fights, very far from it, as season 3 and season 4 prove. She hasn't completely won yet, even though she sets the impression that she has.

What I also find interesting in this scene is the back and forth throwing of past - present - future between the two sides. They make a perfect showcase of what these characters represent, their states, their losses, their desires, their hopes, dreams and philosophies. Here, in example, Hürrem makes a reference to a part of her obstacles in the past, acknowledging that they were there regardless, but then she immediately goes back to the present with "Where are they now?". Nowhere in the scene she considered the possibilities of the future, the sheer probability that it all may change one day (as it happened, in many ways, through Firuze), focusing on the currently undeniable truth the present day presents.

That same throwing back and forth continues, but with another note which instantly places the two women against each other again:

Mahidevran: I was also loved once, Hürrem. Mustafa is the fruit of that love. Ask Gülfem Hatun if you want. She will tell you how much she suffered because of me.

Hürrem: You always tell this story.

Unlike Hürrem, who only references the past, Mahidevran laments it and takes pride in it, it being the highlight of her once beautiful life. But we know what went down afterwards, adding in the possibility that maybe, it would all be temporary and what one may have now, may change, because Mahidevran was also in Hürrem's position once. Hürrem however, calls out her fixation on the past, in a similar fashion to how she has done it before (E59: "Are you being proud of your past now? Let me remind you: You're still a slave."), what she had doesn't matter, it's the now that is important to Hürrem, which is a solid thematic note to her character arc.

Though, we have this line of dialogue in response:

We here notice that no matter how long it took for them to do it, Mahidevran and Hürrem actually had parallel arcs, in terms of letting go of the past. This line makes for such a striking revelation of Mahidevran's emotional state from her perspective that only continued what episode 46 hinted at and episode 55 directly started. (E55: "I ripped out the love I had of your father of my heart, I threw it into the sea! He doesn't matter to me anymore. Now you are the only one in my heart.") It's rather surprising that she says these words now - Mahidevran's rule of the harem is arguably her at her worst, doing what she does out of the last ounces of her wanting payback for the sad, bitter years. It's precisely what she lost that motivated her, that was a sure part of the reason she sent Olga to SS and yet, we have that honest confession, that grasp of acceptance. Mahidevran's battle with SS was lost very early on and it took her very slow and gradual development for her to accept it and by E61, she was doing the last steps to do so. She tries hard to convince Hürrem that no matter how hard she tries, there is a cycle in this harem that cannot be changed, Mahidevran has come to terms with it, so Hürrem has to do the same. In a way, she was probably trying to say that they both have been fighting a losing battle and she expresses a small amount of sympathy over it, too - she knows what it's like and it's hard, but it's like some unwritten law that it's not worth it in the end and that everyone gets affected by it, without exception. That's how she begins to look upon her present and show a hint of the future.

Out of the particular context, this line could be a very nice stronger endorsement of the franchise's themes, because, truly, no one ever got a good, triumphant, heroic ending. And it was like a cycle: everyone had to face the feelings of sorrow, grief and loss, everyone had to suffer in this time period, everyone dies. Gülfem called Hürrem's life a fairy tale in E134, but that "fairy tale" came to an end after her death. And if we leave that aside, there is hardly a breather episode even for the biggest of victories, no matter how many victories you've won, they would always "have their end", the narrative would always condemn them one way or another.

Mahidevran: One day a woman will appear and would destroy your indestructible love!

The future is finally put on the front with the scene overall and with Mahidevran herself. It's a continuation of her belief that Hürrem would be "detroned", regardless of all. Thing is, she also doesn't consider her own future, only the one of her rival's. She believes in her own victory that is opposed in the present, but would surely come in the future, a belief she holds until the end of the series. Even though I doubt the writers planned Firuze's existence right back then per say, this line sounds like such foreshadowing to her in retrospect, which makes Mahidevran both right and wrong with this quote. Firuze caused an actual continuous rift between Hürrem and Süleiman, making her doubt his love in ways she hadn't before. Nazenin comes into the picture, as well. But no one truly succeeds to properly destroy the love between Süleiman and Hürrem and they managed to prevail, despite of all the narrative opposition. She still stayed the most dear woman to SS's heart, no matter what. There is a slight possibility of Mahidevran judging the situation one hundred percent to herself here, claiming rather that the appearance of another woman would make Hürrem fall out of love with SS and destroy that, instead, just like it was with her, but since Mahidevran called the same line back during the Firuze episodes, I think she was referring to the rift Firuze would cause and how would Hü fall deeper and deeper.

Hürrem: Mahidevran, don't think of me as your equal.

This line is very telling in that Hürrem considers herself different than everyone else. It has always been a part of her character, perhaps a running reminder of her unprecedented elevation in the system she's telling us about through words. And most of the interpretations I've encountered of this line are exactly this: it is epic, badass, it is delivered in such a shading sassy way that could only be respected or applauded. However, it is just as possible for this infamous one-liner to be presented as the culmination of not only her persistent insistence to assert herself as different and special, but her continuous unwillingness to be compared to anyone else in the harem. And usually she's compared to guess who? Mahidevran. She doesn't want to even think of the possibility to be compared with her by this point (starting from E40 where after she was freed, she said: "Now I'm not equal to you." right to Mahidevran's face and continuing forward into S03 with: "I told you not to compare me to others, to Mahidevran never!" -it was something like that), but at first, which is now probably buried deep within, she feared becoming like Mahidevran. She repeated "I'm not Mahidevran!" when she was out of favor like with the Russian concubines, Mahidevran's words that she would make the same mistakes she did echoed in her head during the Isabella arc in episode 31 and earlier had a nightmare of Süleiman giving the emerald ring to Mahidevran instead of Hürrem in a completely parallel scene. (there's also the other nightmare where Mahidevran was taunting Hürrem to tell her about Leo.) Hürrem dreaded all of those things happening and tried her very best to avoid the very thoughts of it. Now, in a season nearly full of victories in her part, she had gained the belief that whatever happens, she'll always stand above the others. She wants to give off the vibe that no one would ever stop her. She has broken so many traditions and the narrative is currently rooted at her favor, all well and good, right? This line could be a mask, in a way, hiding the fear of being rejected just like the others (that doesn't completely disappear, seeing her suicide attempt in E72; also E106's menopause plot.) and striving to leave it behind her, now reaching its peak by putting not only Mahidevran, but the rest of the women into the picture, without a second of realization of the implications it causes, because well, who else was given such special attention by the Sultan? Who else was freed, who else had such a marriage, who else got out of death's door so many times, who else overcame everything, who else had a chance to "rain as fire" over all her enemies? Even though the quote applies on a much grander scale in execution, in later seasons and the way it got called back to in MCK, I feel, in this particular context, it refers to the harem and Süleiman specifically - his majesty doesn't need any other women, there is no such woman that could take away what Hürrem has and even if they stand together, they wouldn't stand a chance, because Hürrem is that massive and powerful.

The retroactive irony hits hard and here: she's right in the events of this particular episode, but the subsequent events definetly tell a different story. Hürrem's influence and power is acknowledged, especially in her last episodes, but that she's the only one capable of having such power is not necessarily true, given the existence of the SOW, some members of which reached more highs than she did, due to the evolving extent of power they could exercise in the system.

Mahidevran: Your arrogance will end you, Hürrem! One day when you're suffering in pain, I'll remind you this!

Hürrem: Mahidevran, you're not here anymore. You'll be leaving soon!

Mahidevran: You're not powerful enough for that!

The focus on the present and future is back with this quick, but substantial exchange. Mahidevran seems to count completely on what will happen in the future in the first line, while Hürrem accounts for both the present and the future, seemingly in accordance, and Mahidevran brings the confrontation back to the present, for what Hürrem talks about is currently unattainable. These lines look like a brief summary of what was established before about the beliefs of both characters: they both desire the end of one another - for Mahidevran it would happen eventually, because Hürrem would end herself in her eyes and Mahidevran would live for this moment and even witness it (and while she didn't witness it exactly, she lived and outlived them all, because there would be no death for her until they get what they deserve, a belief that carries on the strongest in season 4); for Hürrem it has already happened, but it would keep going, fueling her will to get rid of all her enemies and being in conjunction with the ongoing plot arc itself, for her attacking her enemies in all fronts in ways she hadn't before. The last line of Mahidevran's stops the dialogue between both of them for good (followed by Hürrem's smug grin), resting back on her current position, that is also how her whole set of dialogue began in the first place. Even though there was a hint of realization that she has been fighting a losing battle a while before, the part of hers that would prefer not going to the sanjack than give up now, is directly reflected on. It sets more of a parallel between how both of them are, because Mahidevran told Hürrem that arrogance would end her a few seconds ago, but now she's the one that demonstrates this same arrogance herself, starting to underestimate her own opponents yet again, simply because she rules the harem. Claiming that Hürrem doesn't have the power to send her to the sanjack by force, is true, actually, because Ibrahim interfered at the last moment, but this way Mahidevran seems to brush off Hürrem's victories completely, somehow convincing herself that she's forgotten how far has Hürrem gone and just like her rival, thinking of herself as unstoppable. (that goes on the season finale, too, where she says: "If you're powerful enough, face me by yourself!".) This attitude more or less cemented her downfall in this arc, as it would cement major flaws of Hürrem's in the future.

And then they're stopped by... Süleiman himself and I love that, because they have to stop because he comes, they have to stop because he's watching them and give him the necessary respect. Symbolically, it could be a showcase of him being the decider of everyone's fates and them having to accept his will at the end of the day.

And after he leaves, of course, Hürrem and Mahidevran prepare to carry on with their bickering, as they usually do. While that's the end of the whole confrontation, their expressions tell us it's not over yet.

It's particularly interesting, even as a confrontational scene alone: it's longer than many of the confrontational scenes between them, it speaks more volumes about the opposing sides than any other of the kind has dreamed to. While I love Mahidevran and Hürrem's chemistry, I wish there were more scenes like this one, more nuanced interactions than vitriol and constant, almost formulaic smackdowns. Because, to me, this whole confrontation, while simple at hindsight, raised the bar to what could we have had. The rivalry of the two ladies is fascinating on a thematic level and not exploring its depth further, would be a myriad of wasted opportunities.

This scene did right all you could think of: composition, soundtrack, attention to detail, chemistry, dialogue and opposing two sides on a respectful, unbiased, while narratively provoked, way. I adore the way it aged: as I said, it created a perfect blend between context of the episode/plot arc and retroactive irony and the mix of cause and effect of soapy intrigues, character exploration through lines and all the coming thematic stuff, while being filled with dynamic and fun energy. And it's absolutely sublime for it.

[lurkingcrow]

AU - The Jedi say "The Padawan Chooses The Master" Qui Gon lives, Obi Wan is very preoccupied, and Anakin is put into the creche as an Initiate to learn what he can until Qui Gon wakes up from his coma and gets yelled at by the Council. In the meantime, Anakin meets other Jedi Masters and when the Council asks him who he wants to be his teacher, his answer isn't Qui Gon. Instead it's *insert your fav Jedi here*

My Friend, I both hate you and love you for this prompt. Because I am so very very torn. But let me give it a go.

Naboo is a debacle. No one debates that. Qui-Gon Jinn comes back to the Temple barely alive, accompanied by his Padawan - the first Jedi in a millenia to have slain a Sith - and the powerful young boy they found on Tatooine.

At first they wait - while Obi-Wan Kenobi is considered more than deserving of Knighthood, they hold out hope that Qui-Gon will wake and perform the ceremony himself, and take Anakin on as he originally intended. It is not to be.

Obi-Wan is knighted and sent off on missions, Anakin remains in the creche - as Qui-Gon lives, it seems presumptuous to have any other Jedi take him on. But Qui-Gon may never wake, and so the more senior Masters take it upon themselves to get a feel for the too-powerful boy. Just in case.

Months later, Qui-Gon wakes.

He is in no shape to do anything more than argue with the council, but he is awake. Still, the matter of Anakin Skywalker is put off a little longer, until Qui-Gon is in a better position health wise. Besides, while he is not completely at ease in the ranks of the initiates, Skywalker has settled in somewhat - it will do no harm to wait a little longer. And it also gives some of them a bit more time to try an mitigate Jinn’s eventual bad influence.

A year after Naboo, the council requests the presence of Initiate Skywalker. The boy who faces them is so very similar and yet so very different from the child they interviewed a year earlier. Still far from emotionally balanced, but much less fearful. After all, by this stage he knows them all somewhat, and he has begun to accept that he is not going to be turned out - over the last year it has become very apparent that he cannot remain untrained, and as such the Creche Master had taken the time to explain the notion of a Padawan accepting a Master.

(They will never know how how much that notion affects Anakin. Because what slave chooses their own Master?)

And so they ask him. “Who would he choose as his Master?”

And Anakin is torn. Because this is a huge decision, and he knows it. Never before has he had the power to CHOOSE. He has to do this right. Qui-Gon Jinn freed him and brought him to the Temple. He is Anakin’s hero. It would make sense to accept him. And yet... What of the other Masters?

What about Master Billaba, who so patiently walked him through the First Forms when he worried about being so far behind his classmates? Or maybe Master Fisto, who laughs and smiles and pats him on the head and tells him not to worry, he will get the trick in time - has he considered a moving meditation, like this? Or even Master Windu, who is stern and forbidding, but UNDERSTANDS the anger that coils in his chest? And Master Koon - he’s kind and an absolutely WIZARD pilot. What should he do?

But Anakin Skywalker is a child of the Force. And all of the Masters he has encountered over the last year have told him the same thing. So he reaches out and...

The council watches as the boy raises his head and looks up at them with an unassailable sense of certainty. 

“I’m sorry Masters, but I can’t choose. Not yet. It’s not the right time.”

And it takes everything in him not to back down in the face of Qui-Gon’s sadness and the Council’s impatience, but Anakin stands firm.

The Force is speaking to him. Loud and clear.

“Not Now.”

In the end it is Yoda who breaks up the raucous arguments with a few firm taps of his gimmer stick. If the Force tells young Skywalker that now is not the time then so be it. The boy is still younger than the average new padawan, and still has some catching up to do. There is no hurry. Let him remain in the creche they shall, until the time is right.

And so they do. Except Anakin’s little demonstration along with the general increased interaction during Qui-Gon’s convalescence means that several of the Council members are seriously considering the merits of taking him on themselves. And Qui-Gon? He is determined to regain little Ani’s regard.

You can imagine the result. Anakin Skywalker becomes the envy of his classmates, as multiple senior masters court him to be their padawan. Plo Koon in particular seems to take great delight in tweaking Qui-Gon’s ire by allowing Anakin to learn to pilot the Temple ships, and Mace has spent a lot of time showing Anakin how to control his darker impulses. Kit sneaks him sweets but both he and Depa have the suspicion that they are not seriously in contention. Ironically all the attention has done wonders for his attachment issues.

Still, every time he is asked if he is ready to take a Master, Anakin will close his eyes and reach into the Force, before saying. “No. Not yet.”

Incidentally, his lack of Master has very much impeded the Chancellor’s efforts to spend time with the boy alone. After all, a Padawan is very different from an Initiate from a Jedi perspective - one is considered a semi-adult capable of assisting in basic mission duties while the other is not. The Chancellor may be their direct superior, but even he cannot order them to facilitate private audiences with a CHILD under their care. For now, he must make to with infrequent and supervised visits in which he must take care not to overstep the role of a genial man interested in the welfare of the child who saved his planet.

It infuriates him.

But anyway.

Time passes, and Anakin’s classmates start to dwindle, as they are either apprenticed (Anakin feels smug at having facilitated one of two of the matches - having Knights and Masters watching him keenly means he can try and push others in direction the Force suggests) or drawn towards alternate pathways. Anakin is nearing thirteen years of age, and he knows the time for a decision is coming soon.

But there are things he needs to make sure are in place first. Luckily, he knows who to speak to about that.

“Time then, it is, Young Skywalker?”

“Yes Master Yoda.”

“Hmm. Certain, you are?”

“Yes Master Yoda.”

“Good. Done well, you have, to follow the Force in this. Who is it, you have chosen?” 

Anakin tells him.

And the old Jedi starts cackling.

It is not long after that Anakin Skywalker stands before a large crowd of Knights and Masters (Because this? The apprenticeship of Initiate Skywalker? This is going to be the thing of temple legends and  NO ONE wants to miss out.) and asked who he would take as his master.

And Anakin Skywalker looks his choice straight in the eye as he speaks their name.

Obi-Wan Kenobi nearly faints there and then.

.

Let’s take a step back. 

When Obi-Wan Kenobi first accompanied his comatose Master back to the Temple, he had been consumed by their last conversation. The one in which he had promised Qui-Gon to train the boy. Except, those were obviously the words of a man who thought himself dying, and Qui-Gon still LIVED. When the council decides to put Anakin into the creche until things are more certain, Obi-Wan is so RELIEVED. Because while he would if he had to, Obi-Wan doesn’t feel READY to take a padawan just yet, not while he is still processing the end of his own apprenticeship, and Anakin is meant for Master Qui-Gon - Obi-Wan would never wish to steal that role while the possibility remains that the man will wake one day.

Still, he made a promise. And there are many ways to teach.

So Obi-Wan makes an effort to check in on Ani, make sure he’s settling in ok. It’s a big culture shock for the boy from Tatooine, and Obi-Wan does his best to help explain some of the things Temple raised initiates take for granted. Anakin’s  glee when he finally gets the hang of something is infectious, and Obi-Wan finds himself enjoying the time they spend together. 

When he starts taking missions as a Knight, Obi-Wan makes the effort to farewell Anakin every time he leaves, and if he can, brings him back some toy or trinket from wherever he ends up. Nothing major, but Anakin has often expressed his desire to visit every world in the galaxy one day, and he gets so excited even if all Obi-Wan has to show him is a rock he found while running for his life from upset dignitaries...

Obi-Wan thought his missions might be less exciting now he wasn’t partnered with the most infuriating diplomat in the Order. He was wrong.

When the Masters begin paying more attention to Anakin it is Obi-Wan he contacts for reassurance he is doing the right thing. After all he is listening to the Force, but what if he’s listening wrong? And Obi-Wan tells him he’s doing fine, to follow his instincts, and sorry he has to go now due to potential pirates, but maybe to take time with each of them to work out how well they connect, just in case the Force changes its mind? And it is Obi-Wan who tells him he should just confess about the incident with the door chimes, and reassures him that no one will hate him over the accident with the speeder. 

As time goes on, Obi-Wan becomes known in the Temple as the BEST source of information on the Skywalker Situation, because he has THE most up to date gossip on what Masters Jinn and Windu have decided to challenge each other with this time, or which Knight has decided to throw their hat into the ring most recently, only to find the kid too much to deal with. Obi-Wan finds himself feeling a little protective over Anakin, rolling his eyes at the latest stuff up on the part of Ani’s potential masters, and during one of his morning meditations he comes to the startling realisation that he is well and truly Attached to his young friend.

Well then.

So of course when it comes time for Anakin to make his final decision, Obi-Wan Kenobi puts on his best face and mentally tries to work out which master will have the honour of training the Chosen One. The selfish part of him hopes it’s not Qui-Gon. He adores his former Master, but time has convinced him that he would be a poor match for Anakin. And he wants what is best for the boy. 

Maybe once Anakin is safely matched to a Master of his own Obi-Wan might consider the merits of a Padawan himself. Certainly he is feeling a lot more confident in his skills that he was a few years earlier...

But then Anakin gives his name.

His.

Obi-Wan Kenobi.

So many faces are turned to face them and he can feel them all asking “Why him?” and he doesnt have an answer and...

Anakin is looking at him. Waiting. For his response.

His heart gives him his answer, but he has to be SURE this is the boy’s decision.

“Why now Anakin?”

And Anakin smiles, bright and sure.

“Because you weren’t ready before.”

Oh.

Obi-Wan Kenobi laughs then, in joyous wonder and kneels to look the boy (his student!) in the eye.

“In that case, Anakin Skywalker, I would be honoured to be your Master, if you would agree to become my Padawan.”

And the Force sings.

~~~

I hope you’re not too disappointed! I was tempted to write a Plo Koon is Anakin’s Master AU, but in my heart of hearts, I just can’t keep the Team separated! :)

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[quynh-le-blog1]

Rotation 1 Discussion, pages 1-48, Discussion Leader: Eailya

Eailya: Hi guys! The discussion taken place here will be based on the first 6 chapters of Shabanu. I will be asking a series of questions and I would like you to comment your responses. Attempt to make connections with the assigned role that was given to you and effectively elaborate or give your best judgement about the question given. Towards the end I will give feedback about your answers. Good Luck!

Eailya: 1) In allowing Shabanu to complete camel herding duties that were normally performed by boys, was her father encouraging her to be independent or because it was a choice needed to be made considering there were only two daughters. If so why?

Quynh: Despite the fact that their culture is structured to reward parents who raise sons, her father encourages Shabanu to be independent because he sees her just as capable and strong as any son to complete duties that were usually completed by boys.

Sana: I think her father encourages Shabanu to be independent since she is skilled in various cultural activities already, therefore her father might have thought to encourage her in attempting an activity meant for the men/boys because her father thinks she is capable of performing just as well.

Eailya: 2) Shabanu’s Auntie, in her own way, repeatedly questions and judges the actions of Shabanu at times claiming she is “too old to act like a boy” and it’s unfortunate that Mama and Dadi only have daughters and not sons. How does Aunties accusations and judgments affect the way Shabanu views the society she lives in? Why do think her auntie makes these statements in the first place?

Quynh: Due to Auntie's accusations and judgments, Shabanu views society as patriarchal and believes that men are lustful and prone to anger.

I think Auntie makes these statements because she is proud that she had borne 2 sons of her own, but feels displaced among her in-laws.

Sana: I think the judgements made by Shabanu's Auntie makes Shabanu feel restricted to perform various activites that are meant for boys or do anything that boys would normally do, which would make Shabanu feel like boys have more privileges than girls do. Shabanu would view the society has patriarchal and would follow the tradition without a question just like other women. Shabanu's Aunt makes these judgements because she thinks that boys and girls have their own way of acting and way of doing things which makes her possess a mentality of differentiation between the two genders.

Eailya: 3) Based on the reading so far, what is your opinion on Dadi’s character or how has it developed over the reading passages? How does he treat his daughters and for what reasons? Is he too harsh? Caring?

Quynh: Dadi is a kind and loving character who deeply loves both of his daughters because he supports the family and makes choices to benefit them while subjecting Shabanu and Phulan to discipline in order to prepare for life with a husband.

Sana: In my opinion, Dadi treats his daughters with care and is supporting as well. He helps Shabanu and Phulan into making good choices before started a new chapter in their lives by getting married.

Eailya: 4) Shabanu has a strong attachment to animals such as camels and goats; specifically she has a close relationship with their family’s most prized camel, Guluband. In what ways does the camel influence her actions? When she denied selling him each time as the prices being offered rose gradually, do you think her attachment was blinding her of the situation? Did she make a mistake?

Quynh: I think her attachment to Guluband blinds her of the situation since she is fully aware that they needed the money to help pay her sister's dowry. But instead, denies selling him due to the strong companionship between them.

Sana: In my opinion, the relationship between Shabanu and Guluband is dear. However, when the challenging situation occurs, Shabanu denies the offer of the money in need. This proves that the love she has for Guluband is unbreakable and has blinded her of the situation. I think she did not make a mistake in denying the money because nothing can replace the love someone has for an animal.

Eailya: From reading all the responses, i think we can all come to a conclusion that from her childhood she's adapted to having the same freedom that of a boys and generally enjoys her passion for taking care of the camels. Ultimately from her parents social restrictions, as well as her aunt, she will have to give up these independent ways when she eventually marries. From looking at Dadi's character it isn't a surprise. He is a caring father who deeply appreciates his daughters but there is the struggle he bears of deciding what he wants vs what is expected of him. His desire for what he wants for the best for his daughters can be overshadowed with his future potential of authority. At first he seems like a great father doing what he can for his children but its to soon to assume what he is doing is exactly the right choice. Furthermore, Guluband is a representative figure of how not only does he influence the choices of Dadi, but specifically Shabanu. he is the one figure in her life that she leans on the most for, but the question still remains whether he blinds her of her future choices considering how much she values Guluband.