#we are close in age but have radically different interests. so we can talk to each other about the weird shit we see
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I love my little brother because he is chill enough to sit through an hour and a half long, winding diatribe of how I hate the direction this website is headed in, and the stupid specifics of online queer infighting and crab bucketing Iâve bared witness to in the past several years that never ends. I can air out my bad decisions and NEET habits to someone who isnât there but understands the words I say and itâs so. cathartic
#when you grow up on the internet. you learn about stupid niche drama and see terminally online people#we are close in age but have radically different interests. so we can talk to each other about the weird shit we see#anyways I smell radfem wave 2.0 creeping into this site even when it isnât about specific infighting and it makes me wanna pull my hair out#like i knew this site chased away so many PoC especially black people. but GOD the lack of intersectionality in these posts is DIRE#same with sex workers getting chased off this site despite several spam and independent swâs abusing tags and clogging up searches#and people love to pull the âgo read x bookâ as an argument still. and itâs the same book!!!!#do you read other books?? or do you only read the one book by one author for one opinion and nothing else???#tumblrâs vitriolic transmisogyny is causing this site to crumple once again. itâs making everyoneâs time here worse. itâs MADDENING#the only positive side is itâs making me get off my ass and go to trans support groups. because my online one is going to SHIT#and thatâs cause I have the privelage to drive in my own car and do that!!! I feel so bad for everyone else#anyways quit trying to downplay each other when itâs more complicated and nuanced then your perception. unify or die#flor.txt
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By:Â Francesca Block
Published: Jan 15, 2024
In the 1960s, when Clarence Jones was writing speeches for Martin Luther King Jr., he used to joke with the civil rights leader: âYou donât deserve me, man.âÂ
âWhy?â King would ask.Â
âI hear your voice in my head. I hear your voice in perfect pitch,â Jones would respond. âSo when I write, I can write words that accurately reflect the way you actually speak.âÂ
King would agree. âMan, you are scary. Itâs like youâre right in my head.â
And Jones is still, in his mind, having conversations with his friend, who was assassinated at the age of 39 on a Memphis hotel balcony in 1968. Especially now, as Americaâs racial climate seems to have worsened, despite the fact that King successfully fought to ensure all Americans are given equal protection under the law, regardless of their skin color. A poll from 2021 shows that 57 percent of U.S. adults view the relations between black and white Americans to be âsomewhatâ or âveryâ badâcompared to just 35 percent who felt that way a decade ago.
Jones knows exactly what King would have felt about that. He says it out loud, and directs it to his late mentor: âMartin, Iâm pissed off at you. Iâm angry at you. We should have been more protective of you. We need you. You wouldnât permit whatâs going on if you were here.
âWe are trying to save the soul of America.âÂ
[ Jones, behind Martin Luther King Jr. in 1963, wrote: âI saw history unfold in a way no one else could have. Behind the scenes.â ]
I spoke to Jones, 93, two weeks ago as he sat on a beige couch in the humble second-floor apartment in Palo Alto, California, that he shares with his wife. A black-and-white close-up of King sits directly above his head, almost like a north star.
âRegrettably, some very important parts of his message are not being remembered,â Jones said, referring to Kingâs belief in âradical nonviolenceâ and his eagerness to build allies across ethnic lines.Â
âPut in a more negative way,â he added, Kingâs messages âhave been forgotten.âÂ
Jones was a young, up-and-coming entertainment lawyer when he first met King in February 1960. The preacher had turned up on the doorstep of his California home and tried to convince him to move to Alabama to defend him from a tax evasion case. But Jones wasnât interested.
âJust because some preacher got his hand caught in the cookie jar stealing, that ainât my problem,â he said in a talk, years later.
But King wasnât one to give up easily. He invited Jones to attend his sermon at a nearby Baptist church in a well-to-do black neighborhood of Los Angeles. Standing at the pulpit, King spoke to a congregation of over a thousand people, delivering a message that seemed almost tailor-made for Jones.Â
Jones remembers King talking about how black professionals needed to help their less fortunate âbrothers and sistersâ in the struggle for equality. He realized, then and there, what an incredible speaker King was, and felt compelled to join his cause.
âMartin Luther King Jr. was the baddest dude I knew in my lifetime,â Jones says.Â
Jones moved down to Alabama to join Kingâs legal team. He helped free King of any charges in Alabama, and quickly became one of the leaderâs closest confidants, and ultimately, his key speechwriter.Â
Jones refers to himself and King as âthe odd couple,â because, he says, âwe were so different.â King was the son of a preacher from a middle-class family in the South. Jones grew up the son of servants, raised by Catholic nuns in foster care in Philadelphia, who he credits with instilling in him âa foundation of self-confidence that was like a piece of steel in my spine.âÂ
He said this confidence propelled him to graduate as the valedictorian from his mixed-race high school just across the border in New Jersey, and then on to Columbia University, where he earned his bachelorâs degree in 1953. After a brief stint in the army, where he was discharged for refusing to sign a pledge stating that he was not a member of the Communist Party, Jones enrolled at the Boston University School of Law, graduating in 1959.Â
Though Jones was mainly a background figure in the 1960s civil rights movement, it might not have been possible without him. He fundraised for Kingâs Southern Christian Leadership Conference so successfully that Vanity Fair later called him âthe moneyman of the movement.â In 1963, when King was in prison, Jones helped smuggle out his notes, stuffing the words King scrawled on old newspapers and toilet paper into his pants and walking out.Â
Later, he helped string those notes together into Kingâs famous address, âLetter from Birmingham Jail,â which argued the case for civil disobedience, and was eventually published in every major newspaper in the country.
Jones then wooed enough deep-pocketed donors, including New Yorkâs then-governor Nelson Rockefeller, to raise the bail needed to release King and many other young protesters from jail.
Jones also helped write many of Kingâs most iconic speechesâânot because Dr. King wasnât capable of doing it,â Jones emphasizedââbut he didnât have the time.â Jones crafted the opening lines of Kingâs âI Have a Dreamâ speech from his D.C. hotel room on the eve of the 1963 March on Washington. In his book, Behind the Dream, he recounts how he penned their shared vision for a better nation onto sheets of yellow, lined, legal notepaper, many of which ended up crumpled on the floor.Â
But he didnât write the most famous words: âI Have a Dreamââthat was all King, his book notes. âI would deliver four strong walls and he would use his God-given abilities to furnish the place so it felt like home,â Jones writes about their speech-writing dynamic.Â
The day after he wrote that speech, Jones stood just fifty feet behind King as he delivered it to the hundreds of thousands gathered on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. âI saw history unfold in a way no one else could have,â Jones writes. âBehind the scenes.â
The movement King led with Jones by his side helped achieve school integration, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.Â
So, when asked if America has made any progress on race, Jones is dumbstruck. âAre you kidding?â he said, with shock in his voice. âAny person who says that to the contrary, any black person who alleges themselves to be a scholar, or any white person who says otherwise, theyâre just not telling you the truth.
âBring back some black person who was alive in 1863, and bring them back today,â he adds. âHave them be a witness.â
But after the death of George Floyd in 2020, 44 percent of black Americans polled said âequality for black people in the U.S. is a little or not at all likely.â And âcolor blindnessââthe once aspirational idea of judging people by their character rather than their skin color, which King famously espousedâhas fallen out of fashion. The dominant voices of todayâs black rights movement argue that people should be treated differently because of their skin color, to make up for the harms of the past. One of Americaâs most prominent black thinkers, Ibram X. Kendi, argues that past discrimination can only be remedied by present discrimination.
Jones makes it clear he doesnât want to live in a society that doesnât see race. âYou donât want to be blind to color. You want to see color. I want to be very aware of color.âÂ
But, he emphasizes: âI just donât want to attach any conditions to equality to color.âÂ
He adds that itâs possible to read Kendiâs prize-winning book, Stamped from the Beginning, and âcome away believing that America is irredeemably racist, beyond redemption.â
Itâs a theory he vehemently disagrees with. âThat would violate everything that Martin King and I worked for,â he said. It would mean âitâs not possible for white racist people to change.â
âWell, I am telling you something,â Jones adds. âWe have empirical evidence that we changed the country.âÂ
Jones is the first to admit King and his circle didnât change the country on their own.
âAs powerful as he was at moving the country, I tell everybody, thereâs no way in hell that he or we would have achieved what we achieved without the coalition support of the American Jewish community.â
Jones especially gives credit to Stanley Levinson, who also advised King and helped write his speeches, and Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, who marched alongside King in Selma, Alabama. He remembers being on the picket lines and talking to Jewish protesters who told him about their own familiesâ experiences in the Holocaust.Â
âThere would have been no Civil Rights Act of 1964, no Voting Rights Act of 1965, had it not been for the coalition of blacks and Jews that made it happen,â Jones says.Â
Now, in the wake of Hamasâs October 7 terrorist attack against Israel, Jones said he fears that relations between the Jewish and the black communities in America are beginning to unravel.
He said he has seen how, days after the attack, college studentsâmany of them blackâmarched on campus, chanting for the death of Israel.Â
âIt pains me today when I hear so-called radical blacks criticizing Israel for getting rid of Hamas. So I say to them, what do you expect them to do?â
He continues: âA black person being antisemitic is literally shooting themselves in the foot.â
Long before October 7, Jones has proudly shown his allegiance to the Jewish people: a gold mezuzahâthe small decorative case, which Jews fix to their door frames to bless their homesâis nailed outside his Palo Alto apartment.Â
âIâm like an old dog whoâs just not amenable to new tricks right now,â Jones says. âI have to go on the tricks that Iâve been taught, that got me where I am at 93 years of age. And those old tricks are: you stay with an alliance with the American Jewish community because itâs that alliance that got us this far.
âI am damn sure, at this time in my life, Iâm not going to turn my back. This time is more urgent than ever.âÂ
Meanwhile, Jones worries that some of todayâs social justice measures have strayed too far from Kingâs original message. He points to an ethnic studies curriculum for public schools in California, proposed in 2020, which sought to teach Kâ12 students about the marginalization of black, Hispanic, Native American, and Asian American peoples.Â
Jones fiercely opposed the new curriculum recommendations, calling them, in a letter to Governor Gavin Newsom, a âperversion of historyâ that âwill inflict great harm on millions of students in our state.â He wrote that the proposed curriculum excluded âthe intellectual and moral basis for radical nonviolence advocated by Dr. Kingâ and his colleagues.Â
âThey were promoting black nationalism,â he told me. âThey were promoting blackness over excellence.â
California later passed a watered-down version of the curriculum.
At the same time, Jones feels more conflicted about affirmative action, a policy he believes was grounded in âthe most genuine, the most beautiful, the most thoughtfulâ intentions, and that it helped to âaccelerate the timetable. . . to truly give black people equal access.âÂ
Even so, he is pragmatic about the Supreme Courtâs decision to strike it down last year. âYou had to stop the escalator somewhere.â
[ Jones is still working. He released his autobiography, The Last of the Lions, in August, and is now recording the audiobook. ]
In the immediate years after Kingâs death in 1968, Jones struggled to find a path forward. He was angry and even considered âtaking up arms against the government,â which he blamed for allowing Kingâs death to happen.
For a while, Jones dabbled in politicsâserving as a New York State delegate at the 1968 Democratic Conventionâand then in media, purchasing a part of the influential black paper New York Amsterdam News. In 1971, he acted as a negotiator on behalf of some of the inmates behind the Attica prison uprising, unsuccessfully trying to seek a peaceful resolution.Â
But Kingâs voiceâalways in his headâeventually steered him back toward his original purpose.Â
A father of five, Jones lives with his wife, Lin, just a five-minute walk from the Stanford campus where he maintains an affiliation with the Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute. In 2018, Jones co-founded the University of San Franciscoâs Institute for Nonviolence and Social Justice to teach the lessons of King and Mahatma Gandhi âin response to the moral emergencies of the twenty-first century.âÂ
He is also the chairman of Spill the Honey, a nonprofit founded in 2012 to honor the legacies of King and Holocaust survivor and Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel. And in August 2023, he released his autobiography, The Last of the Lions, so named because he is possibly the only member of Kingâs civil rights circle still alive. âThereâs an African saying that I often reflect upon when I think about his legacy and my own part in his movement,â Jones writes in his book. âIf the surviving lions donât tell their stories, the hunters will take all the credit.â
Although the eight years he spent with King happened more than half a century ago, Jones told me he now sees his mission as clearly as ever. Asked if he has a message for young black Americans on this Martin Luther King Jr. Day, he doesnât hesitate.
âCommit yourself irredeemably to the pursuit of personal excellence,â he says emphatically. âBe the very best that you can be. If you do that. . . our color becomes more relevant, because we demonstrate âblack is beautifulâ not as some slogan, but black is beautiful because of its commitment to personal excellence, which has no color.âÂ
==
What's going on now is what happens when activists and fanatics, such as frauds like Kendi and Nikole Hannah-Jones, construct history curriculum, not actual historians. If they teach the Jewish allyship with the Civil Rights Movements at all, it will be wrapped in conspiracy theory such as "interest convergence."
https://newdiscourses.com/tftw-conspiracy-theory/
This doctrine insists that white people (as the racially privileged group) only take action to expand opportunities for people of color, especially blacks (see also, BIPOC), when it is in their own self-interest to do so, and in which case the result is usually the further entrenchment of racism that is harder to detect and fight. Under interest convergence, every action taken that might ameliorate or lessen racism (see also, antiracism) not only maintains racism, but does so because it was organized in the interests of white people who sought to maintain their power, privilege, and advantage through the intervention.
One of the truly gross and despicable things about frauds like Kendi is that while he pulls every bogus fallacy to assert that nothing has changed - it's a tenet of Critical Race Theory that nothing has changed, racism has only gotten better at hiding itself and becoming more entrenched - his own success blows this conspiracy theory completely out of the water, given how fawning his acolytes are about his wildly overstated wisdom, and the number of white fans he's accumulated who masochistically want to be told how racist they are and how much they hurt black folk every single day.
That's not possible unless racism is both aberrant and socially and culturally unacceptable.
#Clarence B. Jones#Clarence Jones#MLK Day#MLK Jr Day#Martin Luther King Jr#Martin Luther King#Martin Luther King Day#i have a dream#Henry Rogers#Ibram X. Kendi#black nationalism#colorblindness#color blindness#colorblind#color blind#antiracism#antiracism as religion#antisemitism#am yisrael chai#pro palestine#pro hamas#islamic terrorism#israel#palestine#hamas terrorism#hamas war crimes#exterminate hamas#religion is a mental illness
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The new Crash Bandicoot game looked interesting, but I don't think this is for me
I never played the original games, I had an overly sensitive BS detector as a kid, and they just felt like they were made by like a marketing team, or at the very least by people who were talking down to me. I didn't like being talked down to because I was pretentious LOL.
The old games have this sort of energy of " this is what kids like right? They like impotent non-threatening villains with giant bulbous heads and radical angry faced main characters" Which personally I really hated.
But I was hoping that maybe the new games would be different. we are long past the early 2000s and maybe since they were being made by completely different people, in the Modern Age, with better children's media, (and also being made as a celebration of the series for older fans) that they would be a lot less annoying in that very specific way that bothers me
Surprisingly no, I didn't expect this game from like 2 years ago to have massive Fanboy and Chum Chum energy in all of the character designs, cutscenes, and environments.
The gameplay is mildly fun, but i dont think I'm going to gain anything by playing this game and I kind of want to trade it in, but I feel bad cuz it was a Christmas present
I don't really have any strong opinions on unreal engine, that's not the kind of thing I care about but they really should not have tried to design a platformer using this, or at the very least they need to put a lot more work into the physics and stuff
This game just feels wrong at times, it's not terrible or anything but you can constantly do the wrong thing on accident because there isn't a rigid set of rules on how the game works
Like, you think you can clear an enemy, you're out of what most games would consider the hitbox, but it turns out that your pinky toe hit his sword
There's too much freedom of movement. Another example, there's a stack of boxes that you have to smash, but the top box will blow up if you touch it so you don't smash that one, right? In a game like this you're supposed to be able to run through with reasonable certainty that if you do the right thing it will work. as long as you press the right inputs you're not going to explode right? But in this game if you're just a millimeter off in One Direction you explode and have to start the level over again.
It should be impossible to accidentally detonate the top box unless you physically jump. you shouldn't have to worry about standing too close to something. But in this game you better be God damn sure that you're standing in the exact right position, it doesn't matter if you're entering the correct inputs, if you're 1 mm too close to that box you can actually hit the top edge of it and explode
In order to be able to use the grappling hook you have to, in midair be facing the right direction before you fall
Nintendo games are not designed like this for a very good reason
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not so sound like a grindelwald apologist but is gellert really that awful like aberforth claimed he was that summer? i mean yeah he was expelled from durmstrang but we all know newt and hagrid were expelled from hogswart as well but they are clearly not bad person. it's just... i cant really imagine albus fell in love with a person who willing to kill at the age of 16-17 you know. i mean yeah albus admit he pretend not to see how gellert really was, but can he really close his eyes to someone he thought is a murderer? obviously gellert is more brutal than albus but i dont think at 16-17, he was already a murderer. i think ariana accident is the first time he involved in an incident that result in someone being dead and he started become murderous and willing to kill at much later stage. of course at that time he and albus already shared hatred to muggle, but i dont think it's something personal like what happened to albus. i mean at the time, it's only around 150 years after the witch hunting period, i imagine the relationship between wizards and muggle world is still tense. i think gellert start being really radicalized around the time of ww1, a brutal meaningless war caused by muggle and clearly affected the wizarding world, and when he saw visions of yet ANOTHER muggle war that is even worse than the last, that's when he snapped and became really extreme because in his mind, muggle didnt learn and would never stop if there is no one stopping them. I mean i saw people claimed gellert lied in CoG and he is just a bigot who hates muggle and use ww2 as an excuse, well they coule be right we dont know until we saw gellert backstory but i think it would be a missed opportunity if that's the route they choose for him i hope it made sense, english was not my first language
I disagree with most of this. Iâll mention that Albus never hated Muggles. He simply thought that the Wizards shouldnât be oppressed and living in fear. The two are very different things. Itâs why he emvisioned a society in which the muggles DID have a place and the result would be for their own good too, as opposed to Gellert who never planned for them to have basic rights.
As for Grindelwald:
1) For starters, Aberforth never claims Grindelwald was awful that Summer in its entirety (at least the way I read it). He doesn't even judge him morally in harsh terms when he talks to Harry. He simply shares events:
-Gellert initially laughed at him and then accused him of not understanding that his and Albus' plan would create a better world, even for Ariana.
-He says that Grindelwald tortured him.
Both of these are events. I don't think he attributes to Gellert something that is not indeed there.
2) Hagrid was falsely accused and Newt took the fall for something Leta caused. This is not the case with Gellert. Skeeter mentions that he did experiments that even Durmstrang, which was more tolerant when it comes to dark magic, could not ignore.
Iâll accept that Skeeter is trash so her information could be sensationalized, but in his letter, when Albus says that they should use as little force as possible, he mentions that THIS was Gellertâs mistake at Durmstrang. Albusâ source is Gellert himself so Gellert definitely did something shady.
3)Interestingly enough, Albus is a much harsher narrator than Aberforth is.because his perspective about Gellertâs actions is coloured by more emotion and he KNEW more.Â
For example he paints Gellert as someone who at the age of 16-17 was interested and in having an army of dead bodies:
The Resurrection Stone â to him, though I pretended not to know it, it meant an army of Inferi!
Also, this is much more condemning than anything Aberforth said in my opinion:
Grindelwald lost control. That which I had always sensed in him, though I pretended not to, now sprang into terrible being.
Albus himself saw Gellert as someone with pent up anger who had a constant darker side. No one is saying that he was a murderer yet, but when Albus says that Gellert vanished with â[...] his schemes for Muggle tortureâ, it seems that he had a vague idea even then of Gellertâs disinterest in drawing a line.
_________________________________________
Now, we donât know what drives Gellert.Â
It could be that he was raised in a bigoted family, since he seems to come from old money.
It could be something deeper.
Gelletâs muggle-hatred pre-existed WWI. His and Albusâ summer was in 1899, more than a decade before the period 1914-18.Â
BUT Gellert could see glimpses of the future. So the one âexcuseâ Iâll give him is this: Since Gellertâs powers as a seer seem to be as natural to him as Queenieâs legilimency to her, what happens if a kid or teen who has not experienced violence starts seeing visions of violence, of war, of death and destruction? What kind of psychological effect could this have, what anger and fear could it create and how would such a person end up if they proclaimed themselves the savior of their kind and set themselves on a radical path and were convinced of their own righteousness and of the necessity of what they were doing?
I think that this would give depth to his motives without erasing the corruption of his methods.
#gellert grindelwald#Albus Dumbledore#grindeldore#fantastic beasts#Harry Potter#the secrets of dumbledore#asks
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hey for people who desperately think their parents or guardians or loved ones opinions won't change their opinion about people being LQBTQ+ and the community as whole and think that their opinions are solidified and set in stone for the rest of their life im here to tell you that's NOT true based on personal experience of my own parents radically changing their POV's, specifically my mother, and my own personal beliefs.
my mother was, like most people raised mormon, incredibly transphobic and homophobic and generally queerphobic for a large majority of her life. as her child, i was also raised mormon and also raised with those same ideals casually crafted into my normal day life: it wasn't malicious, but it was purposeful.
when my older sister came out to me as asexual and bi, i remember feeling confused and hurt and unsure of what i was supposed to feel. my entire life ideals had been challenged at the ripe age of 11, alongside with the potential idea that i could also be queer. i resolved to always love my older sister and respect and support her decisions to be happy, even if i didn't quite understand them or really comprehend what challenges has just been made to by base idea in life.
when my close friend (soon to be best friend) not only came out to me as a lesbian but also extremely excitedly informed me of her upcoming date with another girl at the age of 16, a deep part of me knew at that moment that no matter what happened, i had to change and be supportive of her decisions and how she pursued her happiness - after all, as i looked at my best friend excitedly dancing at the potential of this date, i wondered how it could be as bad as i was taught, and slowly i began to change.
later - i had a few more realizations about myself, and very quietly accepted the idea that i was aromantic, bisexual, and genderfluid, and that it was okay to be those things. it's something i'm still working hard on internalizing - after all, being raised with completely different ideals doesn't disappear in a single day or week or even month. but i began to be accepting of not only others but myself.
my mother was much more strongly homophobic than i ever was, her queerphobia aged like fine wine over the years she had internalized those ideals. she made homophobic comments in passing casually and aired opinions that caused me to be riddled with shame. yet over the years, her own opinion has done a 180. she did her research, saw the signs in her children, and realized she needed to go through her own personal journey as a parent to fully love and accept and support her kids the way she wanted to, and so she did.
if you had told either me or my big sister at the age where we began to realize and reach an understanding of who we were that we would be able to comfortably come out to our mother and not feel rejected, or endangered, or like we were going to face extreme amounts of shame from her, we would have bitterly laughed in your face. and yet yesterday, several months after my big sister came out to my mother about being bisexual and received nothing but support, i looked my mother in the eyes and tearfully told her about my own identities, at my own pace, as my own choice.
and she accepted and supported me for who i was. she knows about me being bisexual, and she loves me still and supports me and wants to know about the girls i've been interested in. she knows about me being genderfluid and nonbinary and accepts me, and asked me what pronouns i preferred, if i had different names i went by, and what i was feeling.
so if my mother, who was raised mormon and casually queerphobic like the best of them, can go from comparing being gay to cancer to letting me talk about how i want to get pride flags and publicly come out and be proud of who i am to the world, then i know people can change. it can be hard, and it is a long journey filled with hurt and anxiety and misunderstanding, but it can happen. and i'm so glad it did.
#homophobia#transphobia#queerphobia#coming out stories#aromantic#bisexual#genderfluid#nonbinary#transgender#absolutely okay to reblog and share and comment and all that i love hearing others opinions and stories#and i promise i will love it if you do share your own stories actually#but i just want people to know that there id HOPE that people can change#i don't feel like enough people in this community reallyn ealize that or hope for it which is saddening to me#but i understand why and i understand my story might not be the same as everyone else#i just think hope is a beautiful thing that so many people are lacking when it comes to other people changing#which in the end doesnt really foster a healthy and encouraging opportunity FOR people to change#anyways have my quarterly year post
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so I have a very specific interpretation of the Edelgard/Hubert dynamic that I donât think is particularly common, but I feel is worth sharing. This is largely because some people end up diminishing the importance of this relationship when pairing each of them with other people. Itâs disappointing because I personally prefer these external ships (namely Edeleth and Ferdibert, for reasons I will make clear) but often see either Edelgard or Hubert reduced to some jealous, cuckoled cockblock in them. Honestly, thatâs just . . . boring.Â
(Long post under the cut)
TLDR: Edelbert is fascinating because it can be argued that Hubertâs feelings are born from guilt and shame rather than romantic love. This dynamic is unhealthy but deeply interesting, and it deserves to not be diminished in fan interpretations of these characters.Â
Something that makes Edelgard so compelling is the fact that sheâs full of contradictions. She canât stand people/creatures with more power than humanly possible, yet she must use her own superhuman power and cooperate with what she despises to achieve her end goal. More specific to Edelbert, this end goal is equality, yet Edelgard is not allowed to be equal to anyone. She is a detached, untouchable princess who needs to learn how to meet her friends where they stand. It is through her connection to Byleth and to the other Black Eagles where she learns how to adapt her ideals to work in reality - and to be human.Â
Unintentionally, Hubert does the opposite of this. His devotion to Edelgard began as an inherited role and evolved into something he does out of personal conviction. Either way, he is putting her on a pedestal and addressing her as a vassal rather than as a friend. Many of his supports with others involve him comparing them to Edelgard and telling them theyâll never reach her level. He takes it as his personal mission to protect her from those âunworthyâ of talking to her. I donât think this is intended to be selfish or malicious. I think that because of his role as her vassal and his failure to protect her from the Hresvelg experiments, he takes on this absolute devotion and prescribes it upon everyone else.Â
Their relationship is unbalanced as a result. Edelgard makes constant reference to âfighting aloneâ and being prepared to end up isolated and maligned. The line âthe solitary reign of Edelgard has come to an endâ in her S-support is particularly telling. While she clearly views Hubert as someone important to her, she does not seem to view him as someone she can be fully open with. Hubertâs constant addressing of her as âLady Edelgardâ implies that he would not take the opportunity to call her âElâ if it was presented to him. Edelgard and Hubert are both so caught up in the weight and scope of their revolution that they begin to enable each otherâs bad tendencies. Hubert doesnât dare challenge her, because he thinks of her as untouchable, and this devotion allows Edelgard to take him for granted. It is not a healthy relationship. I donât think this is a particularly hot take. Their external supports are crucial for shifting these patterns of thought and allowing these characters to grow.Â
What I think may be unpopular is this: I donât think Hubertâs feelings for Edelgard are actually romantic.Â
(For context, I am aro and just really hate m/f friends getting shoved together romantically. It may be easy to dismiss my thoughts as just me being bitter that we canât have a m/f friend pair without one of them catching feelings but allow me to argue my point.)Â
Hubert was assigned to Edelgard at a young age and told it was his houseâs sacred duty to serve the Hresvelg family. He loathes his father for his involvement in the Insurrection of the Seven, which happened when he was ten. It goes without saying that this largely shapes his devotion to Edelgard. I would even say these events traumatized him to some degree. He mentions this in their A support, where he declares that his loyalty has been to her alone since she returned from the Kingdom. The path that these two share is informed and shaped by trauma - what Edelgard went through and Hubertâs powerlessness to stop it. More critically, these events radicalized them both and created the âshared visionâ mentioned in his B support with Dorothea.Â
That particular support jumps out to me. When I first played the game, I felt unbelievably validated by it. Hubert denies accusations of unrequited love in an edgily self-aware way (the line âdo I really look like the kind of drooling simpleton to have that kind of motivation?â made me literally cheer) and goes on to describe their relationship as walking the same path. He then highlights the qualities he feels towards Edelgard (gratitude, respect, awe, empathy, trust, and hope). None of these require romantic attraction. Dorothea then goes on to say that âloving another is really about wanting to be loved . . . Iâm pretty sure thatâs different from how things are with you and Edieâ. This scene spoke a lot to my own experiences - my feelings for my best friend largely echo Hubertâs (though way less dramatic, of course) and I found the form of deep platonic love I feel for her reflected in that conversation. The acknowledgement on Dorotheaâs part that it was different from romantic love (whether or not she truly believes it) is what blew me away. This is honestly one of the few times where a piece of media made me feel seen which makes me forever mad about the Edelbert A support.Though it could be argued that heâs just closed-off and could easily pull off lying about it, I know those feelings well. Others might see this as definitive proof of Hubertâs unrequited love for Edelgard, but I just canât and I wanted to articulate this perspective because it means so much to me. Close, all-consuming, and important relationships can be platonic.Â
I know better than to claim that the confession scene never happened. It is interesting to evaluate because it shows Edelgard finally calling attention to Hubertâs unknowing perpetuation of the gap between them. When Hubert states his feelings plainly, he is as composed as ever. Edelgard blushes and states that âyou never cease to surprise meâ. Hubert laughs this off, and thatâs the end of that. It clearly is supposed to be a genuine love confession, but I think itâs more interesting to consider a man with only one real close friend misinterpreting his blind devotion towards her as love because he doesnât really know what it is. I think it adds to the kind of fucked-up nature of their relationship (is it love or obsession? How is he supposed to know if a connection borne from trauma stems from love or guilt?). It also speaks to how difficult it is to identify romantic feelings when youâve never truly felt them.Â
That being said, I actually do ship Hubert with other people. I love Ferdibert because their personality clashes create a sense of mutual growth that helps Hubert learn to openly challenge Edelgard rather than subvert orders he disagrees with and itâs honestly just really funny. I also love Hubernie because the idea of a terrifying man and a girl whoâs scared of everything learning to meet each other halfway shows similar character growth. I just think that for many years, Hubertâs devotion to Edelgard gave him a really fucked up understanding of human relationships, both romantic and platonic. Thereâs a tendency to erase the weight and importance of the Edelbert dynamic when both are shipped with other people as well as a great opportunity to show that strong platonic relationships can and should be perceived as equal to romantic ones. I have read so many Ferdibert things that suggest that their love is all-encompassing and Makes Them Whole. Wouldnât it be more in-character to explore how they navigate the web of relationships in their lives? I love the Black Eaglesâ interpersonal relationships so much and each one shapes the characters more and more. Iâd love to see that reflected in ways that center platonic relationships!Â
#long post#hubert is a demiromantic bi king and we stan#fe3h#hubert von vestra#edelgard von hresvelg#ferdibert#edeleth#character analysis#black eagles
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A Statement Through Horror:Â BDG and YouTube
In his video announcing his departure from Polygon Bryan David Gilbert [BDG] stated, âI want to make things that one day people will make a show like unraveled about.â [Paraphrasing here]. Since that announcement he has made some of the most interesting and engaging comedy videos on the platform. On Bryanâs channel, there is a section called âbdgâs scariesâ that contains three videos. The first how to make jorts was released April 27, 2019 and will not be part of this analysis, as we are focused on the other two videos. These two videos are Earn $20K EVERY MONTH by being your own boss which was released on October 25, 2020 (two months before his final Unraveled video and departure from Polygon) and Teaching Jake about the Camcorder, Jan '97 which was posted March 3, 2021. If you have not seen these videos yet you should stop reading immediately and go watch them both (honestly everything on his channel is amazing, especially the surprisingly compelling and personal Dances Moving! series) before continuing to read this as I will be spoiling both of them. The position of YouTube celebrity has been the source of a good bit of commentary as short form online media has become more and more central in our culture. Bryan has created two videos that I feel do an excellent job of exploring the relationship between youtuber and audience. I should also point out that this is merely my interpretation of these videos and is in no way BDGâs intended message. Iâll start by going over the first video. Earn $20K EVERY MONTH by being your own boss opens with BDG outside an apartment building, standing in front of a black car. BDG points up at one of the windows and says, âThree years ago I was living in that apartment right there. Third floor, leaky windows, cockroaches, the worst.â I do not know if the real life BDG actually lived in that building, but the 3 years timeframe does line up neatly with his beginning to work at Polygon. BDG continues to bad mouth his old apartment and mentions how he has turned it all around stating, âBut just last week I paid off my very first Subaru Impreza. And I own my own house in Nebraska.â This radical change in life-style he credits to, â. . . [working] from home, [making] my own hours, and [being] my own boss. And you can do it too.â I think that it is interesting that BDGâs career up to that point mirrors that of his character, going from newly graduated content creator making small videos in his apartment to one of the most popular creators on Polygon. And all that being accomplished through work that many (rightly or wrongly) would not see as fitting into the mold of the traditional 9 to 5. The idea of making millions working from home, at your own pace, and with no boss is intrinsically tied to the mystique of the YouTube celebrity. Moving into BDGâs office he explains that he makes $20k a month working on spreadsheets. A massive spreadsheet appears behind him that is dated, 01.12.88 (nothing of note happened on January 12, 1988 and the only thing that happened on December 1, 1988 is a large cyclone that struck Bangladesh, January 12, 1888 is the day of the Schoolhouse Blizzard which struck the midwestern US and killed 235 people (remember this for later)) and is filled, seemingly randomly, with garbled nonsense symbols. Many of the cells are the same as other cells and there are empty cells scattered haphazardly throughout the spreadsheet. BDG explains that he got this strategy from Dorian Smiles. In exchange for working on these spreadsheets BDG receives $10k - $20k a month (an amount that lines up pretty damn well with the amount he should be getting through his Patreon page currently, I donât know if this was true when the video was made though) from Dorian. Wanting to know where the money is coming from BDG asks his bank and they explain that he is wiring the money to himself from another account he has. He grows confused as to the nature of this work and the disproportionately large amount of money it brings in, explicitly mentioning his confusion as to how the money is coming from someone with, â. . . my name and my voice.â and sets about to find and confront Dorian Smiles. BDG sets off for Center Nebraska, which is close to where Dorian lives (a small town in the northeast corner of Nebraska). He states that Dorianâs address hasnât existed since 1888 (thatâs a familiar year isnât it?) when it was supposedly condemned during an enormous blizzard and is, â. . . just woods now.â The video then transitions to BDG walking through dark woods while his narration talking up the Dorian Smiles program continues becoming increasingly broken. He comes across a figure sitting in the woods that is convulsing strangely, when he calls out to it the figure turns and is him (heretofore named Dorian). Dorian slowly puts his hands over his nose and mouth while staring at BDG at which point the narration cuts out. BDG copies Dorian and when Dorian removes his hands in a flourish, BDG does the same to reveal that he no longer has a mouth. The video quickly cuts back to BDG in his office talking about the program, he asks the viewer, âWhy donât you join me?â and then sits back and smiles while that line repeats without him moving his mouth. The most pressing mystery is who Dorian Smiles is. I think the most likely answer (and one I know I am not the progenitor of) is that Dorian is a reference to The Picture of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wilde, the story of a young man that has a portrait that ages and takes on the ravages of the debauched life its subject lives while Dorian himself does not. BDG would therefore be the unwitting recipient of that blessing, reaping massive rewards while his double, Dorian, lives in poverty and solitude. I like this explanation for Dorian, but I find it to be far more mechanical than thematic. On a metatextual level you could read that Dorian represents the character of BDG. The person that is in all of BDGâs videos, and the one with whom so much of the audience forms a parasocial relationship. In this lens the parallels with BDGâs own life make more sense. By this point in BDGâs career it is not difficult to imagine him feeling stifled creatively at work (I feel comfortable saying this given how soon after this video came out that he departed Polygon). His character had grown too large, potentially becoming alien to him, no longer reflecting the art he wanted to make and so he made a video about a distorted version of himself stealing his voice. In this way the video becomes a statement on his artistic integrity and his desire to test new boundaries and go in different directions. In hindsight, with the knowledge of his departure and then success after leaving Polygon, the video becomes almost heartwarming (if it werenât terrifying) in the same way that a before and after picture of someone improving themselves can be. We will return to the Dorian Smiles system, but now we must move to the second video, Teaching Jake about the Camcorder, Jan '97. Iâll save you the blow by blow breakdown and aim for a quick summary instead. This video is a simple stationary shot of an old CRT tv. A VHS tape is inserted and a video of a man teaching his, evidently young, son how to use a camcorder plays. It is relatively wholesome and corny in that way that all home movies are and when it ends the tape rewinds and the segment plays again, this time with a few deviations. Over replays the father becomes aware of what is happening and begins trying to reason with Jake through the camcorder begging him to stop watching the tape and move on. The father is menaced by a large shadowy figure that does not speak or move when confronted. Eventually the father resorts to simply taking the camera and recording his own screams of pain. On the final rewind the father simply says, âAttaboy.â before calmly walking out the room and into the dark hallway, a doorway opens at the other end, filled with orange light, and the father walks through and down stairs. The final shot of the video is of the television, showing the hallway, as orange light begins to flicker in the background of the left side of the TV. The sound of the father descending the stairs transitions from the TV to diegetic and a shadow appears briefly in the light. On one level the video is clearly a statement about loss and about trauma. Jake is losing himself by watching these videos on repeat, trying in vain to relive a happier time. In that desperate desire to regain what was lost he is distorting it, making it into something it isnât, hurting it. At the beginning the father says, âNever ever press the rewind button, otherwise you might record over a precious memory. We always keep the recording going forward . . .â I think there is an additional, and more personal for BDG, reading however. The father is the modern character of BDG, and we, the audience, are Jake. He is pleading with us to leave the past behind and move on. This was only his 3rd video that he posted after leaving Polygon. It is a plea from him to leave the old character behind and stop trying to make one into the other. To stop obsessively comparing the new videos to the old. To let the future be the future and let the past be the past. He is telling us that his new work will not be like the old, that he has progressed past that and that now his viewers need to as well. The detachment and confusion of Earn $20K EVERY MONTH by being your own boss has transformed into a desire to move forward. But he needed to ensure that his audience was ready to come with him, and so he made a video about loss and the dangers of sinking too far into it. I know that there are some of you that feel I am reading too much of what I assume to be BDGâs thoughts and emotions into these interpretations, and I am the first to admit that I might be. In no way am I trying to say these are the only interpretations of these videos or even that they are correct. I think there is so much more of an artist that they put into their work than they realise. I do not know the mind of BDG, only he does, but these videos made me feel that I had a glimpse into the feelings of a man whose work I admire. These videos are either longer or a drastically different tone to the material he has put on his own channel and as such they stood out to me. They felt different, and they seemed to ask for a different level of scrutiny. On some level maybe BDGs videos can not be divorced from the story of BDG as a content creator, the same as any modern internet semi-celebrity, or indeed any artist. I guess there was also a part of me that wanted to answer the call to action I heard when BDG left Polygon, to unravel his work. I hope in some small way Iâve been able to do that.
#bdg#brian david gilbert#analysis#youtube#scary#When the dad screams towards the end of Teaching Jake I felt that in my soul.
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So thereâs this trend Iâm seeing on social media about people boycotting / encouraging people not to buy the upcoming Mass Effect remasters.
The reasonings being somewhat varied, some valid, others not, but mostly centering around one thing in specific; cut content relating to same sex relationships that didnât make it into the games.
Now, I understand not being interested in the product being offered; Iâm probably not going to buy it myself for a lack of specific features like multiplayer and... just not needing the buy the game for my fifth or sixth time. Itâs completely valid to think the remasters are just not doing enough for you to justify a purchase, or that their faith in the company doing it properly in their current state isnât there. I get that.
But the mood thatâs come up lately isnât just disinterest; itâs downright outrage. Violent, ideologically charged opposition to even the concept of the remasters because of a perceived failure to meet their extremely specific and often high standards and notions of progressiveness.
Now itâs not exactly news that Bioware has had a rocky relationship with inclusivity over the years, with queer characters flitting in and out of recognition and prominence, appropriation of queer archetypes, and less than stellar execution of what characters they do include. Iâve had my complaints with these myself from time to time, though itâs still always struck me historically as a generally positive, if clumsy attempt at progress that I appreciated despite the flaws; remember that the original Mass Effect 1 came out in 2007, and was the focus of a major media scandal about even including romantic relationships at all in the game, nevermind same sex ones. Thatâs 14 years ago! The most recent game in the series is 9 years old!
We can talk about the social standards of the times and the progress weâve made, and we can also talk about the merits of restoring and improving media as it was, or recreating it to more closely reflect the values of today and which or both of them is a worthwhile pursuit, but I donât think thatâs whatâs being sincerely argued here.
What we see instead is some protestation that failure to make the exacting changes that they see fit according to their personal ideology is some kind of radically regressive statement, as if itâs a conscious, malicious decision and not either one made in good faith or not at all. This movement has collectively decided that the remaster needs to contain exactly the changes that fit their fleeting whims or the entire thingâs at best a wash and a wasted effort, and in some cases a âhomophobicâ statement of hatred, or cynically callous laziness.Â
Letâs remember; the focus of this argument is the presence of available simulated dating options in a 14 year old game. The arguments posits that some of these alternative options are ones that were cut from the release of the games, notably the first one, and have some or numerous assets that exist in various forms within the game files that with some work can be accessed in the game with user-made modifications. Some of this is true; though much of it is exaggerated or misconstrued in terms of its scope or viability.
Many of these people just assume that this cut content that someone else has restored in a mod somewhere is just some sort of simple toggle done in moments without effort, ignoring the work those modders did on their own time and money to introduce those features.Â
Even if we just hand wave any standards of quality or continuity or polish and integration these mods have, you have to consider the dozens to hundreds of volunteer man hours of labor these fans put into many of those mods to make them viable that a company paying itâs employees a fair wage and time to do without overworking has to budget. Which I should mind to you is something also incredibly topically relevant in game dev these days. Adding new content costs money. Restoring old content, still costs money.
Even then, the viability of many of those original assets is at question in itself; the 'ingredientsâ used to create the content are not equivalent to the âcookedâ content found in the game files, so some of them are difficult to work with or lacking in features or quality. Hell, we know for a fact that half of the god damn development data for ME1 is just fucking gone, which is why the DLC isnât making an appearance in the remaster at all; it just doesnât exist anymore and would need to be remade from utter scratch.
Now thereâs a dozen reasons undertakings like these would or wouldnât make their list of priorities for remaster given the other work they are doing re; texture and model uprezzing, gameplay updates, etc. Itâs not exactly strange for them to recreate the game largely as it was with a more limited scope of changes. Perhaps the decision was made to preserve some parts of the game largely as it was; with mostly minor cosmetic changes to things like Mirandaâs camera angles; things that donât have much overhead or ripple effect. Perhaps restoring the content was considered, but didnât make the cut- maybe for the same reasons it didnât make it into the game in 2007. Maybe for different ones.
Only the people involved know.
Now, would I like to see some of that content restored and improved? Sure! I think itâd have been a great thing if theyâd promoted the series as having new or restored content; if theyâd promised us such things. But they havenât, and while itâs one thing to praise taking an initiative like that if they had, I think itâs completely unreasonable to be outraged that they didnât.
We can celebrate that kind of outstanding and excellent steps forward in inclusivity, but we have to understand that while someone not being ahead of the curve may not be exciting or even disappointing; it is not in itself an act of directed aggression. And treating it like one is a waste of time and energy that we can direct to protesting actual aggression, or celebrating those outstanding steps.
But hereâs the major thing that kills me; all those mods they love and praise arenât going anywhere.
The remaster will come out and unless Bioware is so completely tone deaf and media blind from the past year they pull a WC3, the old versions of the game will all still be available. All those user made mods they cite in these arguments about âhow easyâ it is to add content to the game will still be there, ready to play as they always were. Some of them might even work or be easily made to work with the new versions!
All of that will still be there! And weâll have access to a new version of the trilogy that is far more accessible to new players who havenât yet been exposed to so much of the games content that they are desperate for more of it.
Just look at Mass Effect 1; that game has not aged well, and it was kind of a sloppy mess even when it came out! How many new players can we get to enjoy all the good things the series has to offer with an easily accessed, more enjoyable package to play through the entire series without issue? Iâve done numerous replays of the trilogy through the years, and Mass Effect 1 is always a huge stumbling block. Itâs just a pain in the ass, straight out. Donât you want at least the option to fix that?
And if not, you donât have to buy it and no harm is done to you! Enjoy your existing version with your mods and familiar features and flaws.
And if you truly, genuinely care so passionately about Bioware improving their record of inclusivity; look instead to the new game thatâs coming out and look forward to that instead. Every game in the franchise has been better than the last at this; ME1 cut the same sex relationships, but ME2 had some. ME3 had even more, and then Andromeda had yet even further than that after patching!
How many will the new game have?
Look forward to that and make it clear to bioware youâre looking for that in their games; just.... ease off this ridiculous vitriol in trying to get people to avoid the remaster because itâs not good enough for you. No one needs to have this bullying done to either the developers themselves or the players looking to buy the game for themselves or others. Itâs simply not productive.
Especially with this franchiseâs sordid history with excessive media outrage and entitlement thatâs been absolutely exhausted.
Just... relax. And have some perspective.
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Lengthy analysis of Holes, as promised!. This will include spoilers, which will be marked. Just gonna go through the book and the philosophy/themes/connections I caught onto this time around. Stuff discussed, in order: connections to Camus, on the question of childrenâs books, systems, cycles, and why Stanley is gay and jewish đ
Camus:
The first and perhaps most obvious set of texts/theories it makes sense to put Holes in conversation with is the works of Albert Camus. Holes starts out with a description of the sun and the heat, which readers of the Stranger will remember are major themes there. The heat continues to be a prominent part of the story, though thematically, it functions very differently in the two books. In The Stranger it primarily represents the indifference of the universe (or at least so claim a ton of sources and Iâm inclined to agree) and the lack of control we exert over our own lives while in Holes itâs basically the opposite of that. The heat and drought is implied to be a semi-divine punishment for a past injustice and, moreover, the elite adults of the camp have air conditioning and access to shade: the sun does not affect everyone equally in Holes as it does in The Stranger (though even that is debatable: I donât think this was Camusâs intent, but itâs notable that itâs only the white englishman whoâs driven to murder by the sun. This could certainly be read as critique of colonizers who cannot/refuse to coexist with the land and environment and how the indigenous population always suffers for it, but I digress). The other Camusian parallel one is immediately inclined to draw is that, of course, of Sysiphus: thereâs the repetitive and seemingly meaningless act of digging holes not to mention that carrying stuff up a mountain is both thematically and plot-wise a very important part of Holes. But, once again, it is eventually revealed that both acts do carry an inherent meaning. Holes does not present the image of an uncaring universe: on the contrary, destiny and semi-divine influence plays a major role. The story may start out with a series of seemingly random and inherently meaningless events, but as the story progresses, people, actions, items, and events become increasingly imbued with meaning. In the Holes universe, one must imagine Sisyphus redeemed, not through the act of rolling the stone but by rebelling against it. I have difficulty imagining that Sachar was not thinking of Camus while writing Holes, or, at the very least, that if he encountered Camus afterwards, he must have been struck by the similarities. I donât know if there was a specific intent in creating a story so embroiled in Camusian absurdism, especially since the target readership is (allegedly) children who almost certainly are not recognizing specific allusions to Camus, so perhaps the similarities are purely aesthetic â after all, everything that is nominally similar does play quite different thematic roles. However, I would never pass up the opportunity to talk about the myth of sisyphus and I think placing Holes in dialogue with Camus can raise some interesting questions about the nature of meaning.
Is Holes a childrenâs book?
Speaking, though, of the target audience, the audience for this book is in fact children. What about it makes it a childrenâs book makes it difficult to say: the protagonists are children (and, I would argue, it is not a coming of age story, despite the claims of one piece of lit crit about Holes in which i disagreed with almost every claim made, but i digress once more) and the writing style is fairly simple: you can read it with a second-graderâs vocabulary. Also, of course, being a childrenâs book doesnât (and crucially shouldnât!) mean that itâs lacking in depth and complexity. However, I think most thematically rich childrenâs books tend to be quite allegorical. The Little Prince is a good example. Holes is just way too specific for its sole market to be children. Itâs either intended to be read by multiple generations at once or for child readers to return to it as an adult. It addresses themes of racism (and not just generic racism, anti-black racism in the reconstruction south), homelessness, intergenerational trauma. and the modern carceral system. These are social critiques that will probably go over most kidsâ heads (certainly over mine). However, the themes of the text are not inaccessible for children. You donât have to understand the particular history of the US criminal justice system or even that Sachar is making a comparison to anything specific to get that the system that heâs portraying is unjust. Knowing the real-world context just adds another layer to the text. Holes also has one of the hallmarks of childrenâs books that I really like, which is a particular type of absurdism that the child characters come up against. This always rang true to me as a kid and well into my teens, when you start understanding that your life is controlled by some set of systems, but you havenât quite gotten what those systems are or why and how they came about. Like nowadays, I can say âwe did this in elementary school because of a state law, that because of a federal law, that because of the history of puritanism, and this because we got a grant for itâ, but as a kid nobody tells you these things or really even cares to explain why the rules are as they are, and the systems that govern your world, often with no small degree of violence and almost always with an inherent disregard for your agency, are ineffable and slippery, and good childrenâs books capture this really well (Series of Unfortunate Events is probably my favorite example of this, where a secret organization that everything is implicated in and more more tragicomic details about it get revealed until the Baudelaire children find themselves to some degree members with mixed feelings is honestly an excellent coming-of-age allegory. oh, not to mention the constant conflict with bureacracy. god that series is so good, everyone read it). Back to Holes, Sachar weaves the more fantastical ineffable elements in with real-world issues so neatly. Stanleyâs family is allegedly cursed, which is why Stanley keeps having bad luck, but he also lives in systemic poverty, which is also why he keeps having bad luck. Sachar eschews neither the allegorical elements common in childrenâs literature nor the more direct systemic critiques more often found in YA and adult lit, and it creates a really unique vibe. I think the story really benefited from having a childrenâs author, and I would love to see more authors in both childrenâs and adult lit do this!
Systems
Speaking of the systems, this book is surprisingly radical. Like itâs full-on an abolitionist text. The law is pretty much only ever presented as adversarial, both in the story of Stanleyâs present time, and in Kate and Samâs story. Itâs implied if not stated repeatedly that Stanley and the other boys are pretty much victims of circumstance and have been imprisoned pretty much for the crime of being poor. The hole-digging is shown to be cruel and bad for the boys. Itâs noted that in digging the holes Stanleyâs heart hardened along with his muscles. This is of course very evocative of the system of retributive justice we have in America. Additionally, Camp Greenlakeâs existence can ultimately be traced back to an act of racist violence, also in close parallel with our prison system. Holeâs stance on justice is very restorative. Punishments are never shown to work: only through righting the wrongs can true justice be achieved. Moreover, Holes even gives the opportunity for redemption to a minor antagonist when [minor spoiler] Derrick Dunne, the kid who was bullying Stanley in the beginning ultimately plays a small role in helping Stanley regain his freedom [spoiler over].
Cycles
Cycles are a major theme in holes, and Sachar creates a unique temporality to support this theme. There are 3 interwoven stories: that of Stanleyâs in the present date, that of Stanleyâs ancestors, and that of the land that Stanley is on (though, as I will delve into later, itâs at least a little implied that Stanley is descended from the characters in that story also). The stories from the past reach in and touch the present. You canât untangle the past from the future. Looking at this again through a social justice lens, it could be seen as fairly progressive commentary on what to do with regards to Americaâs past wrongs. The past cannot and will not be left in the past: it must be dealt with on an ongoing basis. Even the warden, the greatest villain of Stanleyâs story has a sympathetic moment at the end where itâs revealed that she, too, is stuck in a cycle of intergenerational trauma she canât break free from.
Stanley is gay and jewish
Ok, I will now talk about how Stanley is a queer Jew, but this entire section will be riddled with spoilers, so read the book first and then come back!
A queer Jew?? i hear you ask. Youâre just projecting. Yes, 100%. However, I think that interpreting Stanley as both these things adds to the thematic richness of the text. Letâs start with the Jewish bit: itâs not explicitly stated that Stanley is Jewish, but his great-great grandfather is a nerd-boy Latvian immigrant with the last name Yelnats, and his great-grandfather was a stockbrocker, so, like, ya know. Louis Sachar is also himself Jewish, as was the director of the movie, who cast Jews in the roles of Stanley and his family (dyk Shia LaBeouf is Jewish?? i did not), so I know Iâm not the only one interpreting it this way. And honestly, does it not resemble the book of exodus quite a bit? They escape what is pretty much a form of slavery and wander in the desert. Sploosh resembles the well of Miriam, and then they ascend up a mountain to the âthumb of godâ, perhaps in a parallel to Moses receiving the commandments. Is this a useful way to look at the text? Who knows. But what I think we do get from reading Stanley as Jewish is a more nuanced discussion of privilege and solidarity. If Stanley and his ancestors are Jewish (or at least Jew-ish), then what placed the curse upon his family (and, we see, Madame Zeroniâs family isnât doing so great either) is the breaking of solidarity between oppressed people. But also, the fact that you are also marginalized does not wash you of the responsibility to other marginalized groups. I donât think Sachar intended it this way, because I think he probably would have talked about it more if he had, but I would say this book can be read as a call to the American Jewish community to take an active role in forging solidarity with other marginalized groups and actively righting the wrong you, your ancestors, and your community wrought upon them.
Now, why do I think Stanley and Zero are gay? Before I go into how it augments the text thematically, I bring to your attention this passage.
Two nights later, Stanley lay awake staring up at the star-filled sky. He was too happy to fall asleep.Â
He knew he had no reason to be happy. He had heard or read somewhere that right before a person freezes to death, he suddenly feels nice and warm. He wondered if perhaps he was experiencing something like that.Â
It occurred to him that he couldn't remember the last time he felt happiness. It wasn't just being sent to Camp Green Lake that had made his life miserable. Before that he'd been unhappy at school, where he had no friends, and bullies like Derrick Dunne picked on him. No one liked him, and the truth was, he didn't especially like himself.Â
He liked himself now.
 He wondered if he was delirious. He looked over at Zero sleeping near him. Zero's face was lit in the starlight, and there was a flower petal in front of his nose that moved back and forth as he breathed. It reminded Stanley of something out of a cartoon. Zero breathed in, and the petal was drawn up, almost touching his nose. Zero breathed out, and the petal moved toward his chin. It stayed on Zero's face for an amazingly long time before fluttering off to the side.Â
Stanley considered placing it back in front of Zero's nose, but it wouldn't be the same.
Girl, Iâm sorry, thatâs gay as shit! Itâs such tremendous tenderness, not to mention the traditionally romantic imagery of moonlight and the flower petal. Thereâs also the non-romantic aspects. Stanleyâs inexplicable happiness and suddenly liking himself evokes, for me, at least, the experience of coming out to yourself, of realizing who you are. Later in this chapter, Stanley contemplates running away with Zero despite the fact that it would make them lifelong outlaws. This book, remember, was written in 1998, and homosexuality was decriminalized in 2003, and the book takes place in Texas. It would have been, if anything, even more evocative of gayness when it was published. Now as to how this increases the thematic richness of the text: obviously, in carrying Hector up to the thumb, giving him water, and singing the lullaby, he redeems the wrong done by his ancestor, after which his familyâs luck immediately changed. However, after Hector and Zero return to camp Greenlake, rain falls there for the first time. What was redeemed here? Remember that earlier on we learn that what caused the drought was the fact that Sam the onion man (who was black) was murdered for kissing Kate Barlow (who was white) â so what would a [post-factum wronging of that right look like? Zero, as we remember, is black while Stanley is white, so them being in a romantic relationship would be a successful interracial relationship to redeem the one Kate and Sam werenât able to have. Itâs also, as I said earlier, implied that Stanley is descended from Kate Barlow on his motherâs side: Stanley remembers seeing the other half of the lipstick tube with her initials on it in his motherâs bedroom. Iâd also argue that Sam the Onion Man is implied to be descended from Madame Zeroni (chronology-wise, I think heâd be her grandson). First of all, thereâs no follow-up with Madame Zeroniâs son who moved to America, and pretty much all other plot threads are followed up with in Holes. Secondly, Sam mentions water running uphill, just like Madame Zeroni does. Even without these speculations being true, Stanley and Hector being gay would redeem the land theyâre on, but If they are, the parallel with the other ancestral redemption arc becomes to much to imagine it was unintentional.
So anyway, those are my thoughts on Holes, now everyone go read it!
#was trying to express my dad that shia labeouf is jewish but couldn't remember how to pronounce his name#so i was like. dyk sheeya labeeoof is jewish? indiana jone's son. shaya labyof. Pap. Indiana Jone's son. you know who he is. Pap come on#when he figured out who he was he asked if harrison ford was also jewish#as a joke#and turns out he fucking is! his maternal grandparents are jews from minsk!#quoth my father: 'they're everywhere. nothing is sacred'#lololol#anyway this fucking booooook you guys
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Stark Spangled Forever
One Shot: One More
Intro: How much meaning can two words actually carry?
Warnings:Â Language! Smut (NSFW) No under 18s
Pairings:Â Steve Rogers and Katie Stark (Rogers)
A/N: So this was a little idea that came to me when a friend and I were drunkenly discussing how many things you could cover simply with the words âone more.â So, here we have it in a few different contextsâŠand one big one! And this edit, well, if doesnât melt your heart then you donât have one! Thanks @angrybirdcrâ
Disclaimer: This is a pure work of fiction and classified as 18+. Please respect this and do not read if you are underage. I do not own any characters in this series bar Katie Stark and the other OCs. By reading beyond this point you understand and accept the terms of this disclaimer.
WARNING: If you are reading Stark Spangled Banner for the first time as it is being reposted and have not yet read it through then this contains MAJOR SPOILERS!!!!!
Stark Spangled Forever Masterlist // Main Masterlist
 April 2026.
âJames Anthony Samuel Rogers I swear to God you push your sister like that again and thereâs no Baseball or Soccer practice for a month!â Steve glared at his son as he picked his 23 month old daughter up from the floor.
âShe started it!â the 6Â year old met his glare straight back.
âOne more excuse, try me!â Steve glared at him, and he should have known better when all was considered as true to form his son took his words as a challenge.
âShe smashed up my lego house!â
âYeah, and you used to smash up our actual house when you were her age.â Steve pointed at him as Aurora buried her face into the crook of his neck, sobbing loudly. Steve gently shushed her as he looked down at Jamie âyouâre bigger and stronger than she is, you donât push her or hurt her in anyway, you got that? If sheâs annoying you, you come find me or your ma.â Jamie looked up at his dad for a second, before he looked down, his wrong behaviour understood âSorry Dad.â âItâs not me you should be apologising to.â Steve said, his voice softening slightly.
Jamie looked up, his blue eyes full of tears and Steveâs heart sank. He hated seeing his kids like this but he knew he had to tell them off when they misbehaved.
âSorry Rori.â Jamie sniffed.
Rori turned her head to face him leaving a stream of snot and drool hanging from Steveâs shoulder as she eyed up her brother.
âMkayJayâŠâ she sniffed and she leaned forward holding her arms out to him. Steve dropped her to the floor and she toddled across to his open arms and gave her elder brother a hug. Steve smiled as he watched them, despite the fact she bugged the crap out of him Jamie would do anything for his baby sister. Steve knew that.
He also knew that it was only fair Rori got chastised for her part in the argument. So he crouched down in front of them both and he looked at her.
âAurora, you donât touch Jamieâs toys unless he says you can ok?â he said to her, firmly but not angrily âYou have enough of your own to play with.â
Or destroy as the case may be Her big green eyes, so like her mothers looked back and him and she nodded, looking down at the carpet, suitably chastised, her voice quiet âok daddyâ âGood girl.â He smiled, brushing her brunette hair off her face. When she looked back he was pleased to see both of them were smiling again. Crisis averted, discipline delivered⊠âCookie?â Rori asked hopefully and Steve sighed. He and Katie had been hoping that she would have slightly less of an appetite than her brother but no. The serum was as much a part of her as it was him. He glanced at his watch and seeing it was almost 4:30 pm he knew Katie would be home any time and he had just started their dinner before world war 3 had broken out in the living room. So as far as cookies went he really shouldnât⊠âOne.â He relented âbut you better eat your dinner. And donât tell momma.â He held out his hand. Aurora slipped her small palm into his and they headed into the kitchen, Jamie following.
There were no more tantrums or arguments that evening, just a small plea from Jamie as he tried desperately  to avoid going to bed at his 9pm weekend curfew    âJust one more please Momma and then Iâll go to bed I swearâ he said from his spot sat in between Katieâs legs in front of her on the piano stool. Katie sighed and looked at Steve who leaned in the doorway of the smaller lounge at the back of the house and cocked his head to the side, raising his eyebrows before he shrugged. âOne moreâŠâ she relented and Jamie clapped his hands as she placed her fingers onto the keys of the piano in front of her, Jamie lying his hands on the top of his momâs. He wasnât interested in learning to play, not really. Baseball and soccer were his things, but he enjoyed this, the alone time with his momma and dad that the two parents tried to ensure each of their younger kids got fairly (Emmy being far too old for any of that âmushy shitâ now) Katieâs hands flew over the keys and her soft voice gently filled the room as she sang, Jamie joining in after giving her a little grin when he recognised what she was playing. âI wanna be where the people are I wanna see Wanna see âem dancing Walking around on thoseâŠâ
She stopped playing and looked down at Jamie playfully âWhat do you call âem?â âFeet!â Jamie said, holding his leg up. Steve let out a soft smile at the display of playfulness and affection between his wife and son as Katie laughed and carried on with the song. Eventually they finished and without protest Jamie turned to his mom and placed his arms round her neck. âNight Momma. I love you.â âLove you too baby boy. Iâll be up soon to tuck you in when youâve finished your story ok?â He jumped down from the bench and headed over to his dad who gently guided him out of the room with a large, gentle hand on the back of his head. As he turned to go he cast a look over his shoulder as Katie stood up, closing the lid on the American Walnut finished Bösendorfer 155 baby grand piano he had bought her for her 40th. She turned to face him, and shyly smiled in the same way she always did when she caught him looking at her the way he was right then, the expression on his face soft, conveying just how much he loved her and it still knocked her off her feet. âYouâre beautiful.â He said softly as she brushed past him in the doorway. âCharmerâ she smiled as he captured her lips in a soft kiss before giving her ass a friendly squeeze with both his palms before he headed off after Jamie for their usual bed time stories. A father-son routine that Steve hoped Jamie wasnât gonna grow out of any time soon.
A story about 1920s Gangsters later Steve bid Jamie goodnight and strode over the landing to Roriâs bed room. He picked up the stuffed bear that had fallen out of her toddler bed and, tucking it in next to her, he straightened the covers around his daughterâs chin and dropped a kiss to her head. âSweet dreams Princessâ he said, standing up and turning off the lamp, flicking the pony night light on. âYou know when theyâre in bed I actually understand why we had them.â He chuckled gently as he entered the kitchen where Katie was unloading the dishwasher. Katie laughed softly âTheyâre good kids really.â âI know.â Steveâs arms circled her waist âWhat time is Emmy back?â âYou told her midnightâŠso probably about 5 past.â she grinned. âShe text me before, sheâs fine. Pete took her to a burger joint and they were just about to go into the moviesâŠâ âBetter not be on the back rowâ Steve grumbled. âSheâs 18 Steve.â Katie laughed before she sighed. âTheyâre all growing up so fastâ âYou not fancy one more?â He asked, his nose brushing against her jaw. Katie stilled and turned her head to face him. âIâm 42, still carrying extra pounds from Rori. And trust me when I say after her birth, I have no desire to push a baby out of my vagina ever againâ Steve laughed loudly, his head tipping back as he did so. âJust a thoughtâ he said, kissing the side of her neck before he straightened up. âYou fancy a glass of wine?â âGetting me drunk will not make me agree to having another babyâŠâ Katie sly eyed him as he opened the wine chiller and pulled out a bottle of Sancerre. Steve rolled his eyes âThatâs not what I was trying to do⊠I thought seeing as theyâre asleep, its FridayâŠwe could sit outside by the fire pit and take some us time. Maybe I can make some loving on my baby momma.â She smiled and slipped her arms round his waist, standing on her tip toes to give him a kiss. âSounds perfect daddy, let me just go tuck Jamie in and Iâll be with you.â *****
June 2026
Steve looked at his wife, simply smiling as she talked. It wasnât often they got out like they had done before the kids, but tonight they were out for a meal and a few drinks for her birthday. She looked stunning. Her hair was curled loosely, hanging to one side over her right shoulder, her eyes were highlighted even more by the light brown shimmer that sat on her lids and her lips were plump and glossed with a soft, almost neutral pink. It reminded him a lot of how she had looked on her first date. Similar, but yet slightly different. A bit like them really. They werenât radically different but everything they had been through, seen, done, becoming parentsâŠit had made them evolve in a way but Steveâs heart still burst with pride and lust and love whenever he looked at the woman sat in front of him. Yes she had changed physically over the years. Taught lines of muscle had given way to softer curves over her stomach and thighs, her hips were bigger- not much- but it only served to emphasise her small waist even more. The curve of her ass was more pronounced as was her chest, both of which Steve was more than happy about, especially tonight as they were emphasised even more by the tight black cut off capris she was wearing, low cut shimmering gold top and high heels that made her shapely legs look even more toned. And right now he was imagining them hooked around his shoulders⊠âAre you even listening to me?â She sat back, glass of crisp white wine in her hand, a teasing smile on her face. He looked beyond gorgeous. Short, dark beard flecked with grey, strands of his short hair also Iightening slightly. His black long sleeved sweater which although loose did nothing to hide his still ridiculously toned physique underneath. He was deep in thought, but relaxed, she could see that from the way he sat. His elbow was leaning on the table, chin resting gently in his hand, his fore and middle fingers making an L shape against his cheek as his thumb gently brushed against the beard underneath his chin. She raised her eyebrows silently requesting an answer and he took a deep breath, and cocked his head slightly more to the left, eyes crinkling even further as he suppressed a chuckle because he had been caught, red handed. âSorry baby I was just thinking.â âYou were miles away.â She said softly, leaving forward âwhatâs going on Soldierâ He loved how she still called him that. And right then it made him want to bend her over the table and fuck her senseless. He squirmed slightly and picked up his wine glass, leaving back in his chair âJust thinking about you, how lucky I amâŠhow gorgeous you areâŠâ his voice dropped as he arched an eyebrow âand the things Iâm intending on doing to you tonight.â They headed to a bar and bumped into Marcus and his brother, Allan, two of the guys who had religiously attended Steveâs support groups pre and post snap. Marcus gleefully told then that his wife, one of the returned, was expecting their first baby, news which both Katie and Steve had greeted with congratulations and a bottle of Don Perignon As they chatted and laughed with their friends, Katie was very aware of how tactile Steve was being. A hand on her back, skimming her ass every now and then, squeezing her hip, soft kisses to her temple and cheek.. it was all driving her wild so after an hour or so in the bar, when he asked if she was ready for home she greeted him with an affirmative nod. He held out her jacket for her, hands skimming the bare skin on her shoulders making her shiver. They bid their friends goodbye and headed out, hand in hand to hail a cab. Katie stole a glance at her husband, the father of her children and a fire lit in her belly. She had never loved anyone as much as she loves him. He wasnât perfect, but neither was she. But they accepted each others faults as much as they loved each others better traits. He was an affectionate and loving man, both with her and their kids. Firm but fair and never shied away from lavishing affection on any of them. And then, in the dimly lit back seat if that yellow New York cab as it headed over Brooklyn Bridge something stirred in both her heart and her mind. She leaned over to him and gently nuzzled her nose into his neck, breathing in his aftershave. He gave an involuntary shiver and moved his arm around her shoulder as her nose now moved over the short whiskers that adorned his jaw and cheeks up to his ear where she whispered. âOne moreâŠâ He turned to her, his eyes shining as he looked at her, smiling softly. âYou sure?â He asked, barely able to believe it. She placed a soft kiss to his lips and whispered into his mouth. âYeah, Iâm sure.â It was all Steve could do to keep himself from jumping her there and then but somehow his will power held out. Once home, Emmy had simply raised her eyebrows when they had popped their heads into the lounge and told her and Peter not to stay up to late, and then rolled her eyes when Steve had pointedly told Peter the spare room was the 1st door on the right after you climbed the stairs. Closing the door to the lounge, Steve slung his wife over his shoulder causing her to giggle as he carried her upstairs, dropping her gently on her feet in the bedroom when she exclaimed she needed to pee. Steve shrugged off his sweater and was midway into undoing his trousers when she emerged from the bathroom, her pants in her hand, leaving her clad in just that delectable top and underwear. He felt his cock twitch at the sight of her almost naked ass and long legs. As she walked past, heading to the laundry basket in the corner of the room, Steve looped both arms round her waist and pulled her discarded clothes from her hands, dropping them to the floor. He tugged her back into him, his hands gripping the hem of her top before he pulled it over her head, hands setting on her hips as she rolled her head back against his shoulder so he could lightly graze her skin with his lips. Her hands gently moved between them as she undid the clasp on her bra and Steve slid the straps down, placing soft kisses to each of her shoulders causing her to shudder as he tossed that to the floor too. His palms flattened on her stomach as her arms slid up and connected round the back of his neck, pushing her chest up and he gave moan as he glanced down and saw her presented to him. One of his large hands crept into the front of her lace briefs, the other up to her chest, gently tweaking and playing with her as he saw fit, lips skating over her neck. âSo beautifulâŠâ he whispered and she moaned and writhed in delight at his praise and his actions as he worked her over âsuch a good girl for meâŠâ Her head fell back even further into him as she let out a soft whimper of his name, his hands upping their pace slightly as she began to buck into his touch. She arched her back, her mouth fell open and then her head rolled forward as she came, knees trembling, her hands pulling at his hair. He held her up in his strong arms and whilst she was still in the after throws of bliss he nipped at her neck, drawing a soft groan from her mouth. âGonna fuck a baby into youâŠâ he said, lips hot on her ear âfill you up, see you all round with my child againâŠthat what you want?â âPleaseâŠâ she sighed, âPlease put a baby in me, DaddyâŠâ  His hands fell to her hips and he spun her round, lips crashing to hers almost bruisingly before he walked her backwards, her knees colliding with the bed as she fell back wards, Steve crawling over the top of her. His lips skated down from her mouth, to her neck, between the valley of her breasts and to her naval where his nose skimmed across the waistband of her panties. He hooked his fingers into the top and slid them down over her thighs, a hot kiss dropping to her ankle. His beard scratched her soft skin as he nipped his way up her leg, before setting his mouth to her. He licked, sucked, bit as she keened into him, her hands tangling into his hair as she writhed and groaned, trying but failing to keep her noise down. It wasnât long before heâd gotten her there again and as she fell back, panting slightly he crawled over her, ridding himself of the remainder of his clothes as he did so. His hands placed either side of her head, he dropped his mouth to her ear and kissed just underneath before he whispered âI know you got one more in you babyâŠâ as he pushed into her, the pair of them groaning at the sensation.
And she did. As he thrust into her powerfully, her hands skated up his arms to hi back, nails dragging down his skin. It was an assault on her senses, and as he continued to love her in a way only he could, the heat was rising again and she found herself teetering on the edge.
âThatâs my girlâŠâ Steve panted out as she arched her back and came again, this one leaving her utterly shattered. Steve wasnât far behind her, releasing inside of her before they both collapsed, utterly boneless and melted completely into the bed beneath them. Her hands gently tangled into his hair and he lazily picked his head up and gave her a soft kiss, his nose rubbing up against hers.
âI love you baby girl.â he said softly, lips pressing against hers.
âLove you tooâŠâ she whispered into his mouth.
***** February 2027 Katie glanced down at the small, white stick in her hands. She inhaled sharply as she glanced at the result and tears filled her eyes as she stood up from the toilet where she had been sat on the lid, waiting for those precious last few seconds to pass.
Her mind strayed to the conversation they had held on Christmas eve little over 6 weeks priorâŠ
âYou know⊠itâs kind of ironicâ Katie sighed as she nestled into Steve further, her head on his chest as the arm round her gently traced shaped on her side, under her jumper. âWhat is?â He asked, although he had a feeling he knew what was wrong. She sat up and looked at him, her eyes sad. âWeâve been trying for our little one more ow for 6 months. Doing everything right andâŠâ she took a deep breath âmaybe I just canât anymore. Iâm sorry Steveâ âHey.â He frowned, shifting so he was looking at her as she blinked, trying to stop the tears from falling âYou have nothing to apologise for.â âI just know how much you wanted this andâŠâ âStop.â He said almost sternly as he gently cupped her face in his hands âwe already have 3 beautiful kids. I donât want you feeling like thisâ He hated it. Hated the fact he felt like he had backed her into this in a way. She was feeling inadequate and she was anything but. âI wish youâd told me you felt like this sooner.â He said softly, and she shrugged as he pulled her face to meet his in a soft, tender kiss. âOne more try.â He rest his forehead against hers, his decision made âOne more month and we forget it. Iâm not having you feeling like this anymore baby. I love you too much to see you hurting ok?â She nodded and smiled gently, her hand reaching up and her fingers gently scratching through his beard. He closed his eyes and then her lips were on his, pulling him down on top of her on the couch, the movie on the tv completely forgotten as they lost themselves in each other again, moans and sighs filling the softly lit room.  No more tries. âHoney?â Steve called later that evening, his keys dropping to the table in the hall as he greeted their now, very elderly dog, before he headed into the kitchen. She was sat at the table, eating dinner in between watching Aurora feed herself. Jamie was tucking into his food with gusto as both kids beamed at their daddy who greeted them both in turn. âHi.â Katie smiled softly at him, taking the kiss he offered on her cheek âdinner is in the ovenâ âSorry Iâm late.â He said â the faculty meeting went on a bit longer than I thought and then we got caught discussing the next semesterâŠâ âSteve itâs fine.â She assured him, taking a drink of her soda, eyes still on her fiercely independent daughter who probably had more spaghetti round her face than in her stomach. âHow was your day son?â He asked once he had grabbed his plate and settled into the seat next to him at the oak table. âOk.â Jamie shrugged. âOk?â Katie looked at him âmore than ok sweetie, tell your dad what you got in class!â âOh I got the class weekly gold star for my artâ he said, excitement flooding his tone. âNo way!â Steve beamed at him, he loved the fact his son had inherited his talent âfor the sketch you did of the planets?â Jamie nodded as he smiled. âProud of you buddyâ he said, ruffling his hair as Jamieâs grin at his fathers praise practically split his face in half. A few hours later both kids were in bed, theyâd skyped Emmy who was just getting ready to go to a party in one of the dorms, something Steve wasnât feeling all too comfortable about, and were heading up to bed. Steve was just about to make his way into the bathroom for a shower when Katie stopped him. âI have something to tell you.â She said softly before she opened the drawer at the side of her bed and with a sigh she pulled out the test. Steve felt his heart sink as she turned around and held it out to him. âBaby donât be upset.â He said softly, as he took it, giving it a cursory glance âwe agreed that if it didntâŠâ He trailed off and looked again. 2 blue lines. 2. âOh myâŠshit.. KatieâŠâ he looked up at her, his face shocked before he gave out a splitter of a laugh and grabbed her hips, swinging her up in the air. She laughed as he set her in her feet, giving her a soft kiss âYou sure?â He asked, wanting to believe it but not daring to at the same time âMaybe you should do one more to be sure?â With a smirk she turned and reached into the drawer and began to toss test after test on the bed. 10 in total, including the one still in Steveâs hand. âWay ahead of you there soldierâ âYouâre incredibleâŠâ he said, tossing the plastic stick onto the bed and pulling her closer âMy fucking incredibleâŠâ kiss âamazingâŠâ kiss â gorgeousâ kiss âbaby mommaâŠâ This time when his lips met hers she wrapped her arms round his neck and held him in place whilst she kissed him hard, deep, passionate before she pulled away, her fingers felt tracing his t-shirt clad chest âyou mentioned something about a showerâŠâ Grinning his hands slid under her ass and she laughed as he hauled her up, legs wrapping round his waist as he walked them into the en-suite.
***** May 2027 Steve woke first that morning. Gently pressing a kiss to Katieâs cheek he left her asleep, climbing out of the bed and heading into the bathroom. Once heâd seen to his bladder, he pulled on a pair of sweats and a t-shirt and headed out onto the landing.
He poked his head into Jamieâs room first, and his son grinned at him as he turned his eyes from the TV onto his father. Lucky jumped down from is spot on Jamieâs bed and headed over to Steve for an ear scratch.
âMorning buddy.â Steve looked at his son.
âMorning dadâŠyou making breakfast?â Food, as always the first thing on his mind.
Steve nodded and Jamie scrambled out of bed, following him as he next headed to Roriâs room. She was still asleep so he left her to it. Finally he knocked on Emmyâs door and she told him to come in.
âHeyâŠâ he frowned as he saw her on her bed, surrounded by text books âits early SundayâŠyou got work to do?â
âStudying.â She grumbled.
âOk well, take a break yeah? Iâm gonna start breakfastâ
âIâll be down in a minute.â She hummed at him and he nodded, closing the door.
Steve opened the back door to let Lucky out whilst Jamie sat at the table with a yawn as Steve set the coffee going and poured Jamie an orange juice.
âThank you.â He said as he set it down in front of him âDad?â
âYeah pal?â
âWhat was Momma asking you for one more of last night?â
OhâŠfuckâŠ
Steve felt himself go bright red, as he could clearly remember exactly what Katie had been begging him for more of.
âErmâŠâ he turned away, cursing inwardly as he glanced around desperately trying to think of an answer Jamie would buy. âIâŠerâŠ.â he reached into the cupboard for the bread, and then the answer suddenly hit him in the face
âChocolate!â He practically exploded as his eyes fell on the jar of spread.
âChocolate?â Jamie cocked his head to one side as Steve turned to face him. âIn the middle of the night?â
âYeah well, you know the baby makes her want itâŠlike you made your mom want peanut butter and Rori made her want strawberries, this time she wants chocolateâ
âOh.â He said, nodding âOk. Did you give her some?â
Steve was thankful that his son couldnât see his face as he threw 4 slices of bread in the toaster. Pressing his lips together to try and stop the smirk on his face, because he had indeed given her some, so to speak, before he turned and nodded.
âYup.â He said âSure didâŠâ
August 2027 âOne more baby.â Steve urged, his wifeâs hand tightly gripping his right, his left brushing her hair back off her face âOne more honey, you got this.â With a loud yell and a final, almighty effort she sagged back on the bed as a piercing cry hit their ears. âYou did itâŠâ Steve said, his eyes welling up âIâm so proud of you, Darlinâ, you did itâŠâ She laughed through her tears as their baby was placed on her chest, cries giving way to soft wimpers which turned into those familiar nickering noises babies make as their newest addition pressed into his momma, pink and wrinkled, brown hair spattering his head, his eyes the same shape and colour as his fathers, but the Stark nose stood out clearly, just as it did with Jamie. Their little one more, Henry Steven Rogers, Harry for short, opened his eyes for the first time to reveal a shock of baby blue and Steve felt his heart swell even more. Out of all their kids he had been the easiest to name. Henry chosen by Steve, Steven picked by Katie, Harry agreed upon by both. There was no 3rd name. They didnât have one they liked or felt drawn to and besides, in Katieâs eyes he didnât need one, because his fathers was worth two. Something which had made Steveâs eyes fill with emotion when she had told him that. Harry was measured, weighed and returned to his father wrapped in a soft blue blanket as Steve preened over his latest progeny, another male to carry the Rogers name down the line. Eventually he began to fuss and was handed to his mother for his first feed, Steve settling in their bed, arm round Katie as he watched his sonâs cheeks work hungrily. âI love youâ he said gently, tilting Katieâs face round to his, placing a soft kiss on her lips. âI love you too..â she smiled before they both looked down at their baby as he suckled on his mothers breast, tiny hand shaped in a fist which rest against her exposed skin. Steve gently traced his youngest sonâs cheek with his finger, his chest felt like it was going to explode with emotion. After a few hours of being on their own with their baby boy, Katie having been cleaned up and Harry settled and changed and fed again, the peace of their hospital room was shattered. âThere really should only be 4 visitorsâŠâ Steve heard the nurse say as the door hovered open a few inches. âOh come on, whatâs one more?â Samâs voice pleaded. She must have acquiesced as the door opened further and their eldest and second eldest shot into the room, followed by Sam and Buck with their now second youngest held on his hip. âOh Mom!â Emmy gushed, her large brown eyes shining as she looked down at her baby brother in her mothers arms whilst the men were exchanging back slaps and hugs âheâs beautifulïżœïżœ âCourse he isâ Steve replied, taking Rori and walking her to the bed so she could look at her baby brother âYour mom made himâ Katie smiled up at Steve âYou had something to do with itâŠâ âThe enjoyable bit.â We winked as Emmie moaned
âGross..â Jamie climbed up onto the bed, his mum gently pushing down the blanket so he could see Harryâs face clearly. The sun was peeking through the blinds, the room was loud and crowded as their older kids aged 19, 7 and 3, and their friends- their brothers- took turns to hold and meet the newest addition to the Rogers family. Steve dropped a kiss to Katieâs head, the pair of them sharing a deliriously happy look.
âThank you.â Steve said, resting his head against hers. âThank you for this one more and for making me the happiest man aliveâ
#stark spangled forever#steve rogers#Katie Stark#steve rogers fanfiction#steve rogers fic#steve rogers x ofc#steve rogers x original female character#chris evans#chris evans characters
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Translated interview (with omissions)
The female gaze: An interview with CĂ©line Sciamma
Michael Ranze, filmdienst.de, 2nd of November 2019
// Additions or clarifications for translating purposes are denoted as [T: âŠ]. A couple of omissions in the first interview, but I provided links to existing articles with more information. Iâve also added extracts from two more interviews with CĂ©line below. Aaaaand... I believe this is it for German Portrait interviews! đ
//
A conversation with the French director about âPortrait of a Lady on Fireâ.
The French director CĂ©line Sciamma already garnered international attention with her debut film âWater Liliesâ. She is now a regular at the big film festivals. Her recent film âPortrait of a Lady on Fireâ is a multi-layered love story between a female painter and a young noble woman, whom she has to paint.
Interviewer: Your first three films âWater Liliesâ (2007), âTomboyâ (2011) and âGirlhood' (2014) are about the coming-of-age of female characters, about their search for identity, including sexual identity. Where does this great interest in the world view of young women come from?
CĂ©line Sciamma: I was lucky enough to make films as a young woman and to talk about things that I know about and understand. Thatâs why my first three films were closely connected to the childhood and youth of the heroines, and their female identity. Iâm also pursuing the same theme in my new film âPortrait of a Lady on Fireâ, this time with grown women. In the other films there was always the desire for love, which is also self-discovery. Love is fully lived out this time â this creates some kind of dialogue. I am 40 years old â I now have to talk about these things. (laughs) [T: Also see here, here, here or here about her previous films]
I: But thereâs also the theme of female solidarity, especially in âGirlhoodââŠ
CS: Yes, indeed. The more my work develops, the more it deals with the theme of friendship, sorority, but also the ability to enjoy life to the fullest. This also includes solidarity, these small islands that women can establish together. My films open up the space for this idea, this is much more radical in âPortrait of a Lady on Fireâ than in my previous films.
I: But you also wrote the screenplay for AndrĂ© TĂ©chinĂ©âs film âBeing 17â, where the two main characters are adolescent boys.
CS: Thatâs the same kind of work for me. Itâs about creating characters without objectifying them, and to find access to their experiences. The female gaze is not only about filming women. Itâs also about being aware about the images and representations. You have to pay a lot of attention, when you are inventing or composing something. Otherwise it becomes conventional, or you create characters that are empty. That applies to men and women. The male gaze is damaging for male representation in my opinion. I thought that it would be interesting for me to do it differently.
I: How did you work together with André Téchiné on the screenplay?
CS: This was the only time in my career as scriptwriter that I worked on the script with someone else. I admire TĂ©chinĂ©âs work. My first cinephile emotions are linked to his films. It was therefore a lot of fun to enter his matrix and get access to his thinking, on the one hand to participate, and on the other hand to support his goals. The fact that he wanted to do a film about youth motivated me to make him a young film director. [T: Also see here about her work on âBeing 17âČ]
I: He is now 76 years old.
CS: Yes, exactly. He was 73, when we worked together. But it never felt like there was a huge age hierarchy between us. I admire him very much, he really fuelled my ambitions, we have a very intense relationship.
I: What do you like more: writing scripts or directing films?
CS: This has changed. I always liked the balance between the two, also the fact that I didnât always have to follow my own wishes, but could immerse myself in another logic and worlds, and distract myself. But over the years I realised that I donât want to lose any more time. Itâs of course not a waste of time to work for others. But you sometimes have to put up with long project delays. For the first time in a long time I donât have any screenplay assignments, and I like this feeling. But you never know what may happen. I was really blessed with some projects. For âMy Life as a Courgetteâ, it just gave me joy to write a film for children. If something like that comes along again, I would do it immediately. [T: Also see here about her work on âMy Life as a Courgetteâ]
[T: Omitted Q&A about the reasons why she did a period film, but see here, here or here]
I: What are the challenges when you recreate a period, which was so long ago?
CS: You have to do a lot of research, especially about the situation of female artists. You really have to dig deep, because no one wrote a thick book on it. The other challenge was the collaboration with others. That is the beauty of cinema. The costume designer does research about that period, so does the set designer. This is my third collaboration with Thomas GrĂ©zaud (he also worked with Sciamma on âGirlhoodâ and âTomboyâ, editorâs note). He always suggests something, which is then incorporated into the film. When it is about historic films, then accuracy is very important. But sometimes itâs also interesting to consider what is not in the picture. For example, there is not much furniture. We built the few pieces ourselves, out of wood and with cotton. It was more about believing in cinema, in action, in clear lines.
I: So you work closely with the costume and set designer?
CS: Yes, there is a close coordination. I wanted some kind of uniform for the characters, for example. We then looked at various costumes. They were not supposed to be out of silk but rather heavy fabrics, which restrain the actresses, force them into their roles and at the same time describe the sociology of their characters. I also wanted pockets for the costume of the female painter, even though others told me it would be anachronistic or too modern. Fact is that pockets existed back then and that they vanished in the 19th century. The âfemme bourgeoiseâ [T: middle-class woman] was invented, and fashion went backwards. I liked the idea of this silhouette, which was even accurate. That is our job: We try to give a presence to these women from back then.
[T: Omitted Q&A about how the actresses were recruited, it mentions the circulation of gazes between the three, the physical and psychological contrast between AdÚle and Noémie, Céline describes them both as strong, intense, determined and courageous actresses, she also wanted to create an iconic and fresh couple; see here or here]
I: You spoke about the âcirculation of gazesâ. Between the actresses there are short and long gazes, shy and curious ones. How did you conceptualise this âballet of gazesâ?
CS: That was already in the script, especially the rhythm of the gazes, when they look at each other. The actresses were very much aware about that. Itâs not about dictating what they have to do. But itâs rather a way to start the conversation, to show their connection or communicate their intentions. They have to âdanceâ. I call it a collection of gazes. As you already said: We have this gaze, we have that gaze. It changes with every scene. And it shows how good the actresses are. If itâs in the script, then the actresses are very, very good [T: this was weirdly worded]. Otherwise they might suggest something that doesnât fit. You have to see straight away that they desire each other. And itâs brilliant how they do it.
I: I liked the beginning of the film, when Marianne jumps out of the boat to retrieve her large case. A woman isnât supposed to do that, so it shows that Marianne is different than othersâŠ
CS: And the film also shows that: She is not a woman who follows the rules. She jumps into the water to get her things. The important thing is: The film also jumps into the water. The camera also dives in, we swim with her. Thatâs two pieces of information: This character will be an active one, and the film will join this jump. [T: Also see here]
I: There are only women on the islandâŠ
CS: No â we just donât show the men.
I: The island seems like a refuge or even a utopia.
CS: Yes â thatâs true. In cinema, it is about what you decide to show in the picture. I didnât want to show men, because then it would have been about the pressure and dominance that existed back then and still does. We now look at what is possible, at the potential of the women. You can also call it utopia, but these are not imaginary futuristic dreams, it is based on life experiences, maybe on a higher level, if it was more based on reciprocity. And political utopia â there has to be a place, where the economy doesnât determine everything, where there is no sexism or racism. These places exist, in families, communities, maybe in a city. This culture has to grow. This utopia arises from experiences that we make and transform to ideas.
[T: Omitted Q&A about the cinematography of Portrait, but see here or here]
â
Interview with director CĂ©line Sciamma (extracts)
Sportello745, moviebreak.de, 9th of October 2019
[âŠ] Interviewer: In your debut film âWater Liliesâ you contrast the uncontainable, awakening hormones of the main character with a perfectly synchronised swimming team. In which way does the landscape characterise the emotions in your new film?
CĂ©line Sciamma: In Water Lilies, it was about whatâs on the surface and whatâs hidden below. I guess, even with synchronised swimming itâs less about control but more about what you donât see and the effort you have to make underneath. I donât think I rely on symbolism too much, I get often asked about the meaning of, for example, colours. Thatâs not really how I think, I try to embody certain things and be less metaphoric. But maybe in this film the tension is between love and art and beauty. The landscape does fit into this tension very much. [T: Also see here or here for Water Lilies]
I: Did the paintings that you researched have any influence on the language of the film, and if yes, which paintings in particular?
CS: Yes, they did. It was especially the self portraits of female painters, because these pictures were quite different from what you would expect. There was a specific painting, which was actually not from the 18th century but from the 17th century, it was from a woman called Judith Leyster, a [T: Dutch; also see here]. Her work was misattributed to her husband. In the picture, you can see her painting, she smiles, you can see her teeth. I have never seen something like that. It helped me to be courageous, which means it made us invent something new and not be scared of being unconventional. That is exactly the kind of female contribution to art history: When Virginia Woolf writes, she reinvents literature, she revolutionises it [T: also see here or here]. When Chantal Akerman films âJeanne Dielmanâ, it is a revolution for cinema [T: also see here, here or here]. The voices of women are not only limited to âHey, we have a little story to tellâ, but it is always about reinventing art. It is about creating something new instead of the same old. [âŠ]
I: When did Marianne paint the eponymous âPortrait of a Lady on Fireâ in your opinion, shortly after her encounter on the island or many years later?
CS: I think, she painted it a couple of years later. That is her memory. When I commissioned the painting, I originally wanted to have 20 frames, maybe even that Marianneâs whole work is based on this moment. A kind of âusual suspectsâ situation, where everyone reappears. But this moment [T: at the bonfire] is definitely the matrix for what she will do next, and I think, [T: the painting] was made years later [âŠ].
I: At the end of the film the love story between the two is âconcludedâ. On the one hand, the ending is bittersweet, because the love has been immortalised in a painting. On the other hand, it is also quite sad, we see HĂ©loĂŻse crying. It felt as if this great piece of art, which tells the story of the two women, can never be exchanged for the love that was lost. What do you think?
CS: We tried to spark a dynamic where the end of the love story doesnât mean that they spend eternity together or die. It was about getting rid of the sentiment that the victory of love is mutual possession. Their love for each other made them curious about love itself and art. For me, the last scene addresses how art deeply affects us and how love makes us more emotional towards beauty. [âŠ] At the end, HĂ©loĂŻse feels the music she would never have felt if she had not loved. Love as curation for being curious about the future, about art, about beauty. That for me is a positive dynamic, even though it is heartbreaking, which was on purpose. At the end, both women are more open, and that is the dynamic of emancipation, which I love. And it is positive to talk about it.
â
Sciamma: âI want to show images of daily life that are missingâ (extracts)
Patricia Batlle, NDR.de, 29th of October 2019
Interviewer: You had a very lively screening of your film âPortrait of a Lady on Fireâ. There were standing ovations from the audience, and there was an animated conversation with you and the lead actresses AdĂšle Haenel and NoĂ©mie Merlant. Were you surprised to be so warmly welcomed in Northern Germany?
CĂ©line Sciamma: Itâs funny because you are sometimes cautioned that other countries have a less welcoming culture, but not to take it personally. So you prepare for different types of audiences. But then the reception in Hamburg was really, really warm. It doesnât surprise me, because I believe that film is a nation, that film culture is unique and unites the viewers [T: PORTRAIT NATION FTW]. A cinema is sometimes like a country. I travel around a lot with the film and I feel the warmth, this fire in the cinema across countries. [âŠ]
I: You address topics like menstruation and abortion that are rarely shown in cinema â especially not in love films.
CS: Yes, why is that? That is crazy! This clearly is part of the pleasure of the film, part of its political intention. To show images that are missing, although these are images of daily life. Our story should put our audience on an emotional rollercoaster, where the images have an unusual relationship with the story and are surprising. That is the power of new images.
I: Four women play an important role in your film, men are on the sideline. The names of the women stand out all the more. The self-confident painter is called Marianne. The name is synonymous for the Republic of France â was this on purpose?
CS: I have to admit: I didnât think about that. I didnât think about the Marianne of the Republic, when I wrote the script. The names of all my characters are related. In my debut film âWater Liliesâ my main character was called Marie, in âGirlhoodâ she was called Marieme, and here she is called Marianne. Itâs like a thread that runs from film to film. But itâs true: It is France! I like the fact that you noticed this. (laughs) [âŠ]
â
Articles:
https://www.filmdienst.de/artikel/38732/interview-celine-sciamma-zu-portrat-einer-jungen-frau-in-flammen
https://www.moviebreak.de/features/interview-mit-regisseurin-celine-sciamma/item?item=2
https://www.ndr.de/kultur/film/Sciamma-ueber-Portraet-einer-jungen-Frau-in-Flammen,frauinflammen106.html
Picture sources: [1], [2]
#Filmdienst.de#moviebreak.de#NDR.de#CĂ©line Sciamma#Portrait of a Lady on Fire#October-November 2019#German interview#These were the remaining Portrait interviews#in German#That's that#Time well spent#My translation#long post
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Let me explain how Transformers are not robots
Hi, fans. Today, I am not discussing a theory, but something that is a fact and perhaps the most denied, resisted and challenged fact in all of Transformers lore: they are not robots.
I have gone as far as having long debates with even my own husband about this subject, but the truth is the truth whether you like it or not. Maybe they were introduced as robots and maybe their definition of what a robot is can be different from Earthâs, but they are not robots and when you stop and think about it, they never were. And here is the list of reasons to back it up and I am only counting facts that Hasbro has confirmed as officially part of the Transformers lore;
They have parts (organs) that cannot be replaced by building a new one from scratch. They either get crude replacements or they require an organ donor to replace the part that is lost. Also, these same parts can sometimes be deformed which affects performance. The most obvious they cannot simply replace is their T-cog which is the unique organ that Transformers have that gives them their ability to transform. If this gets damaged or lost, it cripples that ability leaving them as an unchanger. It is also possible for a T-cog to be deformed in which case the Transformer is an unhcanger at birth or has trouble transforming. This organ can only be replaced by a donor or corrected with surgery. It cannot be built. In fact, even body parts like hands, optics and even a foot cannot simply be replaced. They can be put back on, but trying to make a new one is not that simply and at times, the fact that it is a prop shows as seen with Prime Ultra Magnusâ hand, Prime Breakdownâs optic being lost for good and Animated Red Alertâs hand being replaced with a tool. If they were robots, their parts would work like an assembly line of which they are easily replaced and made from scratch. The fact that not even a hand can work this way for Transformers is proof that they are not robots. Like us, if they lose a body part, they wonât be the same. They are even made up of something called CNA which is what DNA is to us. In fact, they share many organs with us like bones and veins.
They have genders and this has been confirmed since the IDW comics and Beast Wars. I admit that initially, they didnât have genders in the time of G1 which caused confusion for the G1 fans later, but this fact was officially changed by the Beast Wars era. They have biological genders and work the same way as ours. With that said, as radical as it sounds, they come to be through reproduction like us not through being built. Yes, they can be put back together if broken apart, but they donât come into the world like that. Every Transformer has a mother and father biologically just like you and me.
They can age and die which is something robots cannot do. A robot may wear and tear with time and its batteries will eventually run out, but it never actually was alive to begin with, it never ages and it doesnât die. You can simply replace the robotâs batteries and they will be fine. As we have seen especially Alpha Trion since G1, Transformers can age and even grow old. And in Rescue Bots, we see that they even start off in the world as children. And most notably, once a Transformer dies, itâs for good. Optimus was the exception through a miracle of Primus. The norm is that death is forever with them. And if you want to look at this from a spiritual perspective if youâre devout like me and believe in that stuff, they have an afterlife where their souls go which is the Allspark. If the ability to age and die while having a soul is not the definitive trait of being a living being, I donât what is.
They have biological familial relationships which is impossible for a robot. Since the days of G1, we saw many examples of this; - The Lamborghini twins are twin brothers. - In some continuities, Optimus and Ultra Magnus are either cousins or brothers. - Hound and Mirage are cousins. I donât know if they are close or distant ones, but it is why they share similar powers. - In some continuities including G1, it is subtly hinted that Elita-One is Alpha Trion and Beta Maxxâs biological daughter. - G1 Arcee is Beast Wars Rattrapâs great aunt. - In some continuities, the Prime system is hierarchical meaning from parent to child so all Primes are family. The Megatron system works the same way. - In some continuities, Ratchet is a father and grandfather. - In Rescue Bots, Ratchet is Medixâs uncle. - The Constructicons are brothers. - In Animated, Jetstorm and Jetfire are twin brothers. - While it was initially a joke that he had a mother, it is now a fact that Optimus Prime had loving parents who sadly, were two of the many casualities in the war. I donât know which one was the Prime though. - In current times, each Dinobot is a parent. - In Animated, Bulkhead came from a big family. - In Animated, Kup has a nephew. - In the comics, it is hinted that Wheeljack has a son out of wedlock.
They can get sick or hurt which is also impossible for a robot. As we have seen since the days of G1, Transformers have health needs and cannot only emotionally feel, but also physically feel for better or for worse. When they get injured, they donât just simply break. It hurts and in some cases, the severity of an injury can have repercussions such as permanent damage. In the case of Fixit, he is handicapped for life because of the injuries he sustained from his crash. In some fights, Transformers have wound up dead. Which leads us to the diseases they can endure which can be fatal. And unlike a robot that simply acts wonky or nutty when bugged, Transformers act like we do when they are sick. They are weak, they are in pain, they moan and even physically look awful hence needing to stay in bed. And like us, these diseases require treatment.
They can have handicaps and imperfections which cannot simply be corrected by repairing or rebuilding. If a Transformer has a handicap of any kind especially a mental one or suffers from some kind of insanity, you canât just simply reboot them or fix their processor (brain). And they can have imperfections such as not all having the same level of fitness or even being fat or possibly even being physically deformed. And like an organic person, sometimes, you cannot simply operate on them to fix it because it can be dangerous. For example, it has been confirmed that Lugnut is hideously deformed (though that didnât stop Strika from loving him), it is hinted that Megatron is a mutant and years of forced surgery to be a great miner mutated him further, and it has been confirmed that out of all the cop Autobots, Prowl is chubby and a lot of evidence points to most versions of Optimus being fat. A robot cannot suffer from insanity, it cannot gain or lose weight and they cannot mutate because they donât have a biology.
So there you all have it. Proof that the Transformers are not robots and these are facts Hasbro backs up. I hope it has cleared the air and ceased the confusion. Take it or leave it. Personally, I like the fact that they arenât robots because I find it makes them more interesting and dynamic. That and I find the fact that they can have families endearing. And as side note, the fact that Optimus Prime had kind loving parents.
If you have a Transformers theory or fact you want explored, let me know in my ask box and I will delve into it.
Thanks for reading and talk to you later. EDIT: Forgot to add a fact. Added sickness and injury now. EDIT 2: More significant things have been added to the family list. Plus, another significant fact came to mind.
#transformers#transformers fandom#transformers facts#transformers fanfiction#transformers families#transformers optimus prime#transformers megatron#alpha trion#beta maxx#transformers elita#elita-one#megatron#fan theory#fact
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WIP wednesday thoughts:
willow cabin is utterly fucked because i changed my intended ~moral~ halfway through and now im stuck trying to integrate this shitty political intrigue plot into what shouldâve been a more interesting story about Ă©owyn adapting to life in gondor. hugely fucking annoyed by it and just totally unsure how to proceed. i could significantly increase the chapter count, but im worried that because the initial framing device was this bandits shit that closing out that plot and then still going for ages afterwards would be really shitty? i honestly donât know, itâs so difficult. really i just need someone to read my outline and tell me if im being a dumb twat about it lol
meanwhile I know exactly where I want to go with AFTA but for some unaccountable reason im stressed that my ass is gonna get roasted for the direction i want to take it in. itâs all based in both tolkienâs personal politics and (some) historical precedent, but im worried people are gonna see it as a marysue-ification? but also im hoping to do sthg of a sequel to afta to practice the political intrigue writing so i donât make the same mistakes i did in wc, and to do that it would require this specific set up in AFTA. im gonna put my AFTA thing under the cut so donât click read more unless youâre gucci with potential AFTA spoilers!!
this royal affair au is definitely gonna get published at some point but im trying to decide if i want to do ~tasteful~ smut that drives a longer narrative or if im really just gonna do a whole 3,000 word build up to some run of the mill, old fashioned PWP lmao
okay so i have spent a Lot of time thinking about what impact i think Ă©owyn and faramir would have on each other in a pre-ring war setting, and the honest to god conclusion ive come to is that they would somewhat inadvertently egg on each otherâs (wildly divergent) idealism.
faramirâs an idealist politically in ways that, as Big D rightly points out, are not super productive in a wartime scenario. but so far as im concerned, the war doesnât feel as warlike until they have to blow the bridge at osgiliath. until that point, thereâs not really anything to say that faramirâs whole throwback optimism isnât a perfectly justifiable position to have.
but what that idealism is and how it manifests are two really important considerations. the crux of his idealistic politics is that he looks at nĂșmenor and sees something valuable in it, and looks at gondor and sees a lot that he thinks is fucked up. outside of articulating a general angst towards the glory hunting, itâs not like heâs spending time talking about his specific policy prescriptions. however, we do know a few things that can guide us to a more coherent reconstruction of his politics:
heâs pretty rigidly hierarchical (when itâs convenient for him). as seen in: him basically telling sam to fuck off and stay in his lane in WOTW, and in how and when he chooses to refer to his father as âfatherâ vs âmy lordâ or âlord of the cityâ in the aftermath of the osgiliath retreat and then before he gets his ass sent back there. i donât want to go into too much detail here but if i go with this iâll definitely justify it more thoroughly in the footnotes.
so weâve got faramirâs emphasis on hierarchy and his occasional (when convenient) belief that the upper echelons of a hierarchy are there because theyâre intellectually and/or morally better. or, maybe to remove the causation from that instance, because they are in those upper echelons, they have an obligation to be more morally/intellectually upstanding, and the people in the structure below them have an obligation to show deference. unless youâre faramir and youâre dealing with denethor in which case that all goes out the window. classic.
we know there is some sort of nascent pseudo-democratic tradition of popular sovereignty in gondor. we know this because faramir asks the masses at aragornâs coronation if theyâll accept him as king. faramir is a lot of things, but he is certainly not a progressive political radical, and i cannot imagine any situation in which he cooked up that rigmarole himself. that then implies to me that itâs building on some sort of political/cultural expectation in gondor. so: some sort of relationship to popular legitimacy. the people of gondor are subjects, but perhaps not as totally passive and unconsidered in the power structure as we might assume given the comparability to feudal europe/asia.
given those two things, i want to use AFTA to argue:
that faramir, in looking to assign blame for the faults he sees in gondor, would not directly assign blame to the lower classes, but rather to the aristocracy, because he will have seen them as failing in their moral obligations to the people they rule over. this is not to say that he isnât fucked off about The Peopleâą valorising war, but i think heâd take the position that they couldnât possibly be expected to form those values and opinions of their own volition, and the fault lies in their rules. faramir: not gramscian.
faramir lacks any power that is non-military, and even that is of questionable worth because the rangers seem to be fairly distinct to the general structure of the army, and are not exactly a huge force.
faramir lacking any political power isnât necessarily a huge concern for him (as in, heâs not actively trying to change that), because he knows heâs not going to lead a moral revolution and isnât interested in taking up the responsibilities having political capital would engender because heâs stuck dealing with this war, that he fucking hates btw has he mentioned that he hates it?
however, given that he is apparently eminently versed in lore and scholarship, he is probably keenly aware that there is this incipient notion of popular legitimacy somewhere in gondorâs culture. itâs not, for most of his life, knowledge that actually does anything for him, but it is there.
Ă©owyn, meanwhile, doesnât really have many strong political convictions (yet). not because sheâs a dumbass or whatever, but because she looks at court politics as kind of a farce, and doesnât believe that power legitimately emanates from anywhere that isnât a Big Fucking Army. and why, strictly speaking, would she not think that? the event that brought about the creation of her kingdom was not careful, soft spoken negotiation, it was her ancestors being in the right place at the right time with a Big Fucking Army.
and the internal politics of the Riddermark actually seem to be fairly stable, all things considered. i sincerely doubt that ThĂ©oden or ThĂ©odred are having to negotiate complex politicking in the way Denethor and Boromir are. so where, then, would Ă©owyn see that kind of political behaviour outside gondor? with grĂma.
Ă©owyn, then, will see the immediate contrast between grĂma (backroom dealer, manipulator extraordinaire) and thĂ©oden (owner of Big Fucking Army). and grĂma goes and fucking wins that fight. that forces Ă©owyn to confront the fact that, jesus christ, maybe there are different types of power.
at the same time, sheâs going to be in minas tirith and needing to cover for thĂ©oden letting his shit get wrecked. not just because sheâs prideful, which of course she is, but because if denethor/gondor think that thĂ©oden is too weak to hold up his end of the bargain, why would they ever go help the Mark? Ă©owyn, seeing that thĂ©odenâs f-f-fucked, knows that thereâs a very very good chance the Mark will need help.
against her feelings about courtly politics, she starts to accept that sheâs going to need to do something to get power in gondor. not anything substantial, itâs not like sheâs trying to overthrow anybody, but enough that when push comes to shove she can force denethor to help out the Mark (if he doesnât do so willingly).
but, as ive sort of already shown in AFTA, sheâs a bit of a dogshit diplomat. good for a little big-brawny-enforcer stuff, but not exactly brimming with cultural sensitivity. by the time she realises thĂ©oden + the Mark are fucked, sheâll have burnt quite a few bridges with the gondorrim nobles, and itâs not like sheâs the sort of person to go running cap-in-hand begging for mercy.
so: she has to look elsewhere. and wow! a chance for faramir to do his favourite thing â talk about his opinions! and by god, his weird idealistic politics are⊠actually kind of helpful? because heâs like, look, youâre never gonna be a diplomat, but there are other ways of consolidating power. and one of those ways is by appealing to The Peopleâą. so why not work that angle?
and actually, we know that this is a viable route for Ă©owyn because hama, in arguing for her to take up the mantle of thĂ©odenâs heir when thĂ©oden and Ă©omer fuck off to helmâs deep, basically says that The Peopleâą love her and would have willingly chosen her to lead them.
we also know, based on faramirâs middle men speech, that the people of gondor and the mark have grown alike in nature. not totally unreasonable to then think that the people of gondor would take to her like the people of the mark did.
Ă©owyn, then, in various ways begins to try to win over the people of minas tirith. i need to do a little more research on this bc what ive got on the practicalities of that so far are a bit, uhhh, sketchy, but the least jargony way to describe this is to point to when natalie dormerâs character in GOT gets out of the carriage to go hug and kiss some babies. (marc bloch, eat your heart out)
this would later segue into a potential sequel where, while trying to secure the way for aragornâs coronation, Ă©owyn actually plays an interesting role because sheâs fallen into this incidental Diana, Peopleâs Princessâą role and so is better positioned than almost anyone to go advocate on his behalf. wow! cool! Ă©owyn getting to be politically useful in more ways than just getting hitched!
so yeah. thatâs how i am thinking it might play out. this would obviously have a rolling impact on the remainder of AFTA and how certain (đ„) events pan out later, but i think that building up part has to begin pretty much now, narratively. also this lets me get in a reference to âand then her heart changed, or else at last she understood itâ and have it not be almost entirely about wanting to shag faramir, but actually about her gradual evolution from valorising war above all else to being like, hmm, maybe there are other ways of being powerful. which i think still largely captures the âno longer I will vie with the great ridersâ stuff, but more subtly and without feeling quite so⊠deferential, I guess? Like itâs not that sheâs swapping one form of power (violence) for nothing (gardening?? healing?? tolkien accidental articulation of necropolitics??) but swapping violence for a different type of more sustainable power.
yeah. thatâs the take, basically. who fucking knows.
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Finding You (Part Four of ??)
Hewwo! I am back with another update on my Finding You fic! If you didnât catch my last mini update (link here), I was having some trouble getting what I wanted onto the page. BUT, I have now figured it out (and have even made the barebone plans for the other brotherâs version of this story!).
If youâre just joining us, here is the link for Part One. I would recommend starting there if you want to read this fic (which I would like very much).
Anywho, this update is of a normal length (for me). Weâre also jumping forward in time. I realized the first line of this update might seem like a continuation of the scene we had had last with Mc, but itâs not :)
Tag for the peeps: @simpingforsatan and @naimena. (If you want to be on this list, just ask in a comment below!)
F!Mc / Satan
Word Count: 2284 (story under the cut)
Trigger Warnings: None that I can think of
Mc closed the letter, trying to contain her excitement.
âWell, what does it say?â
âLord Diavolo is specifically asking if Iâd consider bringing my show to the Devildom. He has offered the castle as free lodging for as long as I am in the Devildom, which has no expiration!â
âThatâs incredible Mc! Youâve never shown in the Devildom have you?â
âNot yet. I went when I was a child, and I really enjoyed it there. After MoMA I was thinking of reaching out to ask if theyâd be interested, but then they put the exchange program on hold due to Gabrielâs behavior down thereâŠâ
âI still canât believe heâd act that way.â
âOh I can. Heâs so radicalized Iâm surprised he was allowed down there at all.â
âStillâŠâ
âWe all know how you feel about Gabriel, Abihail,â Mc teased.
âNo! I donât⊠I⊠No!â
Mc raised her eyebrows, but let the topic drop, âThe question now is if theyâll let me go down.â
âIâm sure Simeon would be more than happy to let you go down. Luke may not be as⊠enthusiastic, but he should be proud his little sister was invited to show in the Devildom.â
âTheyâre not who Iâm worried about. I have to go through Michael.â
âOh, that shouldnât be a problem. He knows how responsible you are. Consider how many times heâs allowed you down to the human realm for a show.â
Mc tried to match Abihailâs excitement, but Michael had gotten weird after Gabrielâs behavior in the Devildom. She reasoned it must have been because he had been the one to send him to the Devildom for the exchange program, though he had acted differently ever since she had gotten back to the Celestial Realm from that trip as a child.
She started reading the books he had recommended, very grateful he had included notes on what he called âtrigger warningsâ explaining that he knew angels were more sensitive to certain subjects. The books inspired her to become a polymath, though she didnât learn the term until she was older. Her real expertise was in the arts, painting, drawing, photography, sculpting, poetry, and music among her most recognized accomplishments. She was also skilled in conversation and had at least a basic understanding of most academic subjects, excelling in some.
It was Simeon who suggested she hold her first art show. The show was such a success, Mc found herself inundated with offers from various other angels to showcase her work, some offering to bring her art to the human realm. Such was the environment Mc grew up in, and grow up fast she did. An angelâs physical and mental age were dependent on the angelâs understanding of various things, their age not getting much past what would be considered a humanâs prime. Mc was voracious in her learning, and as such, she found herself quickly reaching the maturity she would stay at for the rest of her existence. Luke, not to be shown up by his little sister, also started growing at a crazy rate. In the end, they both ended up reaching maturity at the same time. Once she reached it, she started having shows in the human realm, finding the understanding of humans to be better than a lot of angels at times. Her fellow brothers and sisters were certainly great, but many of them didnât seem to try to better themselves, and so she found herself drowning in their mundane chatter much of the time. It actually spurred most of the art they loved so much. She had found herself researching the Devildom more and more, wondering what S would think about certain subjects, or how he would react to her art. He had suggested many art books for her to look through, most of them showing he had a great understanding of art; what would he think of her new piece? Did he like classical music? What kind of poetry did he prefer to read? She came back to the list heâd written her many times, trying her best to understand the man who had believed in her enough as a child to expand her world. It made her feel less lonely, a problem that seemed was always going to plague her. It was nice to have another supporter, as she wasnât getting much support from Michael, though she wasnât dependent on it.
Though he never outwardly said it, she almost felt like Michael had never approved of her art, unless it was of a landscape or something else just as tame. It wasnât that he didnât understand art either, having gone with her to many other art shows and was able to intelligently speak on the art he saw there. It wouldnât have bugged her as much as it did had he not interjected himself into her life after that trip as much as he had. Sheâd read many books as she could find trying to understand what was going on with him, causing her to research many different psychological phenomena, but none of it seemed correct. The closest she could find was a very mild form of Mother Hen Syndrome, though even that didnât seem to accurately describe what was going on. She had never tried to breach the subject of going to the Devildom with Michael, even after he was put in charge of travel between Realms.
When sheâd found out about Gabrielâs stunt in the Devildom, sheâd figured her chance of going to the Devildom was gone. The exchange program being put on hold confirmed her theory, and even her shows in the human realm were greatly reduced. Though it had been awhile, she had never tried to push to get her shows back, as she knew pushing with Michael rarely worked out the way she wanted it to. Now that sheâd been invited down there however, it would be rude to refuse wouldnât it?
âWhy donât we go and ask him right now? He may have even received a letter from Lord Diavolo himself.â Abihailâs voice brought her out of her thoughts.
âThat might make it so he has to warm up to the idea. Let him come to the conclusion himselfâŠâ
âI donât know. I think itâll be harder for him to say no if he knows that you want to go.â
âI want ideas on bargaining should he say no though. Never go into battle unprepared.â
âYou really feel like this is going to be a battle?â Abihail asked, arching an eyebrow.
âYes. You also should stop questioning me all the time.:
âWell, I think the best idea to counter if he says no is inviting him to come with you. That way he can make sure the âreputation of the Celestial Realm remains untaintedâ or at least helps repair any damage thatâs been done.â
âHmmm⊠Thatâs the final bargaining chip then.â
âHonestly, I think itâs the only one youâll need.â
âOh no, Iâll need more. Letâs see, why would I want to go?â
âJust be honest. You need more material for inspiration. Thatâs why you want to go right?â
âOh, thatâs true⊠Good idea,â Mc complimented, hoping it wasnât obvious that wasnât exactly why she wanted to go. It was her cover story when anyone caught her researching the Devildom. It definitely wasnât for a change of pace or a certain blonde demon who had given her the best life advice sheâd ever received. Who had taught her mediocrity wasnât the only way to live. Nope. Definitely not that.
âWell, there we go. I think youâre set.â
âNope. I need at least one more bargaining chip.â
âUgh, what about that Luke goes with you?â
âThatâs⊠Not a terrible idea.â
âOf course itâs not. Will you go talk with Michael now?â
âHow serendipitous. I was looking to speak with you Mc,â Michaelâs voice came from behind the conversing angels.
âYou really need to stop sneaking up on me like that,â Mc exclaimed, her hand over her heart.
âAh, but itâs so entertaining. Oh, don't look at me like that Mc. Anyways, I do need to talk to you if youâre available.â
âI am,â Mc said, getting up and dusting off her skirt. Abihail gave her a huge thumbs up when Michaelâs back was turned.
When the pair was far enough from other people, Michael began speaking without ceremony, âI donât approve of you going to the Devildom.â
âI figured you wouldnât. I do want to go though. I need fresh inspiration for my art, and I would like to experience the culture of the Devildom.â
âWhy would you want to go down there though?â
âBesides the reasons I already listed? I would like to see where Simeon and Luke spent time through the eyes of an adult. I did enjoy my time there as a child, and I would like to return.â
âDo I need to remind you of the danger you were in last time?â
âI would like to counter that point by reminding you I am an adult now. My powers have fully manifested at this point, and I can fly just as well as anyone else. I have studied multiple different cultures, including the Devildom, which is more than Luke did when he first went down.â
âYou allowed a demon to guide you to who knows where.â
âAs a child. If you donât trust me, I am not opposed to Luke joining me down there.â
âIâm still not convinced. Iâm just trying to help you make the best decision.â
âI feel, in light of whatever problems Gabriel caused down there, this might help international relations. It seems rude to decline the ruler of the Devildom when Iâve had so many shows in the Human Realm and none in the Devildom, partially because I wasnât sure if they wanted my work to be shown down there. Now that I have an express invitation to showcase my work, I feel I should take it,â Mc glanced over to Michaelâs face and saw it start to harden, and sensing a no on his lips, she pulled out her trump card, âIf it makes you feel better, you can definitely come too. That way, you can rest assured that the Celestial Realm is being represented in a positive light.â
The abrupt change in Michaelâs face almost made Mc start celebrating. She had him with that last part, she knew she did.
âYou wouldnât be opposed to me joining you?â
âNot if relations between the Devildom are as strained as Iâve been led to believe.â
âHmmm.. I will need to discuss it with Father, considering my many duties, but⊠that could work.â
Mc allowed herself a smile, though she really wanted to shout in triumph, âThank you Michael. I think this will be the next step in my artistic journey.â
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
âWhy do I always end up back here?â Luke whined, as he watched out the window.
Mc didnât give him a response. His denial of how much he actually enjoyed the Devildom was always entertaining to her. She knew he was in almost consistent contact with Barbatos, who she had found out was Diavoloâs butler.
She herself was too excited to talk much in case she let slip just how much she wanted to be down here. Lord Diavolo had been more than welcoming when she had explained sheâd have to bring two more in her entourage, allowing them to join her in the castle.
The Devildom seemed much as she remembered it. The neon of all the signs, glowing in the eternal dusk sent her hands into a sketching frenzy, poetry filling the next page or two only to find more sketches further down.
Michael seemed nervous however. Once they had stepped from the portal into the twilight, he had been on edge. Seeing the Nightmareâs that were pulling the carriage that had been sent to deliver them to the castle had certainly frightened him. Mc had only pulled out her camera and started taking photos of them, hoping she had figured out her settings properly. He had been fidgeting the whole carriage ride, the view of the castle only making things worse.
Finally, Mc couldnât take it anymore, âMichael, are you alright?â
âHeh, of course Iâm alright. Why wouldnât I be?â
âSimeon was kind of like this when we first came down to the Devildom for the exchange program,â Luke offered.
âHe was?â Michael asked, a tad desperately.
âYeah. He kept muttering about seeing Lucifer and the others again.â
Michael seemed to take comfort in the knowledge and the rest of the trip up to the castle gates was fairly quiet. Mc really couldnât understand the fervor that seemed to grip some of the angels when they talked about Lucifer, âMaybe Iâll understand after this trip,â she thought idly, another strain of poetry coming to mind.
âMc, weâre almost there. You should probably put your notebook and pencils away,â Luke offered.
The first mote of apprehension pricked Mc, her notebook quickly put in her pack, âDoes my hair look okay?â
âYes.â
âDoes mine?â
âYes Michael.â
âYou didnât even look.â
Luke raised his head to look at Michael, âLike I thought. Impeccable.â
âHeâs not in a very good mood is he?â Michael whispered to Mc, causing her to giggle.
The carriage came to a stop, and the door opened, revealing an imposing figure in red and a shorter figure in black with green accents. Michael let out an audible breath, and got up from his seat to head towards the door.
âI was right. Heâs worried about seeing Lucifer again.â
Mc decided to leave the discussion for a later time, as she wanted her head clear for this meeting.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Part 5
#finding you#om! satan#obey me satan#female mc#obey me simeon#obey me luke#obey me michael#OBEY ME#obey me! swd#obey me!#shall-we-date-obey-me
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I hope you don't mind me dropping asks on you every day? Anyways, a general question on modern-day attempts at using existing Pulp Heroes; do you think there is value in setting such tales in the modern day, rather than being period pieces? And if one does do so, do you think the best approach is to go full setting update, or to somehow translate the characters into the modern day, or to go the Legacy route?
I eagerly look forward to answering all kinds of questions, so donât hesitate to send any my way!. Any feedback or excuse I get to go off on a subject is extremely appreciated.Â
Okay so on to your question:Â
...Man, that really seems like the billion dollar question when it comes to the pulp heroes, isnât it? The one at least that every conversation regarding adapting these characters, giving them reboots or new stories, seems to inevitably get stuck on: Should these characters be left as is, or modernized? Is there any point to trying to modernize them when often, at least in the public view, the only thing that separates them from being diet superheroes is their time period? Can these characters even survive as anything other than historical footnotes if they donât move past the trappings of time holding them back? Iâve been very firmly on both sides of the question at different points and I think every answer inevitably brings up solutions and problems of itâs own.Â
For the moment, Iâm going to start by saying that itâs something of a case by case basis. For example, The Scarlet Pimpernel is a timeless archetype, but one whoâs specific characterization and history is so tied up to itâs time period that itâs far better to just reimagine the Pimpernel into a different character set in a different time, than to try and remove the Blakeneys from their time period, likewise with characters who cross into historical fantasy like Conan or western characters, where they have such strongly defined settings and playgrounds that youâd be losing much by removing them from it.Â
But on the other hand, you have characters like The Phantom, or The Avenger, who very clearly could exist at just about any point in time and donât have any specific complications holding them to the 30s (in fact The Phantom was arguably designed for this, being he kickstarted the whole legacy superhero concept). A lot of the times, people seem to think or insist that certain pulp characters cannot be separated from their time periods, even when they were well on their way to doing so before some unfortunate cancellation. The Shadow, for example. Gibson had no problems updating the characterâs adventures to the 60s for the Belmont series, and if The Shadow had maintained the kind of continuous publication that Batman and Superman had, I have no doubt whatsoever that nobody would even peg him as a character that belongs to the 30s and the 30s only, even if a lot of important aspects of his character are tied up in 30s America and The Great War and whatnot.Â
To try and streamline this response into something more general, Iâm going to state that, yes, I do think itâs a case by case basis where some characters donât work as well outside their time periods, and others should have left them ages ago, but in general? I think most of the pulp heroes would stand to benefit much more from being set, not just in modern times, but outside of time. Or at least, outside of a specific time period being something that defines and entraps them. Pretty much none of these characters, outside of historical fantasy examples like Conan or characters whose genres are locked into specific past time periods like cowboys, were intended to be period pieces, and yet thatâs what they became, because time has been extremely cruel to the pulp heroes in many ways.Â
To bring up superheroes briefly, while I maintain that I think the real secret to making pulp heroes work and achieve success again is to distance them from superheroes, or at least the popular blockbuster superheroes, as much as possible, the superheroes have been around running the show for a while now and experimenting a lot as an inescapable facet of pop culture that's worked out monstrously well so far,nso clearly thereâs a lot to learn there. The superheroes by and large belong in shared universes held tight by copyright where the weight of accumulating timelines inevitably forces them to either undergo reboots every couple of years, or endure constant quiet retcons snipping away at continuity so the cohesive âSuperhero Universesâ can function. But thereâs no such thing as some big âPulp Hero Universeâ existing anywhere near the same capacity, thereâs works gesturing to the idea like the Wold Newton Universe and LOEG and Dynamiteâs shared author works largely scrapped together from separate sources all drifting apart, and most of these characters have largely fallen through the cracks of copyright law and into outright non-existence, or are halfway there. Very few modern instances of "cinematic universes" outside of the MCU work, so what we do instead is go the opposite route, closer to DC's "throw anything at the wall to see what sticks" approach.
What Iâm getting to is, I could flip through the pages of Jess Nevinsâs Encyclopedia of Pulp Heroes, pick about 3 or 5 random characters, put them in a story regardless of whatever time period they used to be a part of, and make something out of it, without anyone stopping to question âHey, hold up, why is Joel Saber not on Victorian England? Why are Uirassu and Tom Shark in a loving relationship when they donât even belong in the same decade? Why did you turn Allan Crystal into a talking sparrow? You are betraying the source material, these characters donât work outside of itâ. Because nobody has any idea who those guys are, they might as well be just original names I made up (I didn't, btw), and nobody has any reason to care, they will only care if they read good, engaging stories with strong characterizations that give them a reason to be invested. And if achieving that requires ditching adherence to the source material (which doesnât even exist anymore for at least a third of these characters), I cannot see that as a bad thing.Â
He's nowhere near the ballpark of pulp heroes but I'm going to bring up King Arthur as an example because heâs been on my mind today.Â
All of these, and countless others, are King Arthur. Iâm no expert in Arthuriana, but from what Iâve gathered, Iâd make a pretty good guess that one of the main reasons why King Arthur has been able to endure so strongly, and have so many variations that we have an entire area of study dedicated just to untangling those messes we call Arthuriana, has less to do with his historical or mythological importance (you hardly see that many stories about CĂș Chulainn), but because the lore and imagery and events surrounding King Arthur have so utterly transcended the source material that people still dispute what the source material even was, or if he was a real person, or if he was created by the Welsh and stolen by Brits, and etc, and because he's completely free for any writers and artists to mold and use to anything they see fit.
King Arthur is not so much a character as much as heâs a sandbox that literally anyone can play in and reshape as they see fit, with no shortage of existing events and characters and magical items that you can treat as either essential staples, or guidelines and suggestions at best. I have three separate ideas for King Arthur as a big shark man in a greaser outfit who yields an oversized hair comb with fishhooks attached as Excalibur, one where heâs a monstrous dragon who sleeps in the ruin of his former kingdom guarding the only remaining memory of Guinevere left, and one where heâs a disembodied consciousness inside a giant mechanical bear. I could pick any of these and make a story out of them, or insert these into a story, any time I want, and nobody could stop me.
Point is, I think a lot, even most, of the pulp heroes would benefit from having some kind of âno-holds-barred, just do anything you want out of whatever you find interesting about the originalâ approach, a lot more so than the superheroes already do, because if thereâs a single group of characters nowadays that best embodies an âanything goesâ approach, a group that is almost entirely in public domain nowadays save for itâs biggest icons and therefore is already available for people to take and spin any way they want, itâs the pulp heroes. These characters have been in stasis for so long, or all but faded into nothingbbut mere footnotes in encyclopedia or records in libraries not even available online, and sometimes not even that. Most of their fanbases have largely died off and they are nowhere near close to gaining new ones, and our changing media tastes call for contrasts as much as it calls for profit. No sensible person would invest in most of these properties as they stand now, which is precisely what ultimately gives them the freedom to be anything at the conceptual stage. The only thing that really, really holds them back is time, which, again, has really not been kind to them. So why adhere to it? Screw time and whatever power itâs long held over these characters, letâs get weird with it.Â
So if I have to choose between âfull setting update, translating the characters to modern day, or the Legacy routeâ, all three of which are perfectly viable depending on the character, I think the best option, generally speaking, is full setting update, if only because the setting should never be the main priority in the first place. The setting, like everything else, is there to serve the story and the authorâs needs and wants, and Iâm of the opinion that the setting should always primarily exist in service of the characters, as my writing and my favorite writings are all character centered above all else.
I think putting the pulp heroes in radically different time periods and settings could even yield interesting results. Genndy Tartakovskyâs Primal stars a caveman Conan/Tarzan type protagonist interacting with dinosaurs, Alan Mooreâs V for Vendetta is a Shadow-esque character set loose in a dystopian future, Grendel is the Fantomas of 1980s New York, and so on. The precedent is there and I think it can be taken much further.
Really I think a lot of the problems and arguments that have arisen over the years in regards to adapting the pulp heroes often result of people overthinking things, lord knows I do enough of that all the time. I really think itâs just something that only seems impossible because it hasnât really been done yet. Of course, in regards to The Shadow I obviously have a whole different text as to whether Iâd want him to be adapted or not, but in general, my ultimate response to what you asked is just do whatever you think is gonna make the story better and the characters more interesting. A.K.A, do whatever you want.Â
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February 13: Star Trek Beyond
Some attempted thoughts on Star Trek Beyond.
So first it was bad lol. It is the worst. I thought maybe it would be less the worst than I had previously thought but it really, really is just irredeemably bad.
Trying to keep up with what was actually happening and talk in the group chat was too difficult and I now feel very exhausted lol. And Iâm not even sure what I watched.
I liked Jaylah a lot, including her back story, characterization, âhouse,â traps, and cool mirror tricks.
I also like Kirk in that emergency uniform with the jacket unzipped.
Thatâs it! Thatâs all I liked.
In the past Iâve also said I liked the Spock and Bones parts but I honestly wasnât a fan of them either this time around!
None of the characters felt IC and none of the relationships felt true or were compelling. Which is particularly egregious given that the alleged theme was strength in unity.
The movie was especially lacking in K/S content or even K & S interaction, which obviously didnât please me. And itâs definitely the worst Kirk characterization Iâve ever seen. Thereâs no excuse for that either because itâs halfway through the 5YM, which means he should be pretty close to TOS Kirk--yes, he has a different set of experiences, so thereâs going to be some variation, but thereâs comparatively less excuse for a radically different characterization than in STXI and STID. They should have had Shatner read the script and make notes lol because whatever else you might say about him he KNOWS Captain Kirk.
Like, he (Kirk) lacked humor and charm and, often, confidence. He had moments when he was very smart and moments when he had a commanding presence. But he had just as many moments when he was whiny or bored and his Captainâs log??? I deserve financial compensation for every time Iâve listened to that. Bored of space?? No, this man is bored when heâs stuck on Earth. He stagnates in desk jobs. He is an adventurer and explorer before heâs ANYTHING else; if you donât get that, you donât need to be writing Star Trek.
Also, as I have frequently complained, Iâm tired of him having no internal conflict or emotional complexity past his father issues. First reboot movie: dealing with his dead fatherâs memory and his step-fatherâs abuse. Fine, that makes sense for how they set up the AU. Second reboot movie: entirely motivated by the need for Manly Vengeance upon the person who killed his father figure. And for this redundant story line (in many sense) we had to lose Pike? Third reboot movie: youâd think heâd finally be ready to move on to other conflicts but actually no this time heâs sad about his birthday and having a longer life span than his...you guessed it!! father!! Yet again.
What else has ever motivated him? Legitimate question.
The destruction of the Enterprise was truly horrific. Long, boring, unwarranted, and without any emotional punch. As if it were just any ship! No, sheâs a character in her own right and sheâs not to be sacrificed like that but please tell me again how Simon Pegg is a true fan who brought the franchise back to its roots?
B said he did like that they split up the crew into unusual units but I have mixed feelings about it. I donât entirely disagree, but I donât think they did a lot that was interesting with any of those separated units. Uhura and Sulu are a cool pair (but this would have been a good opportunity to include Suluâs semi-canonical crush on Uhura but whatever... a different rant) and they almost did some interesting stuff with them. There were glimmers of a caper in that story line and times when I could tell they were straining especially hard to make Uhura, their Sole Female Main--now that they cut out Rand, Chapel, and even Carol Marcus--into something Feminist and Interesting. But it didnât quite gel for me. Like, Uhura would be having almost interesting dialogue with the villain and holding her own...and then she loses track of her colleague and has to watch that person die, thus undercutting everything she just said about unity and seeming to prove the villainâs point. Is she competent or not?
Bones and Spock are a pair I care about and like but again I think their canonical relationship in TOS is more interesting than STB showed. I personally read them as like...reluctant best friends who originally just had one person in common, and then realized they also like each other too, but theyâll never really say it. They understand each other but pretend not to. They have fun with the barbs they throw at each other. They both deeply love Jim but in different ways. They enjoy their intellectual debates. (Thatâs one thing that was definitely missing from them here! The intellectual debates!) So again, there was something there but not enough.
And Kirk and Chekov just happened to land near each other; nothing was done with that relationship per se. They really arenât people who have much of a relationship in TOS so thereâs not a lot to work off of but then on the other hand there IS an opportunity to create something new. Maybe Iâm being too harsh and too vague but it just didnât gel for me. The only specific K and C moment I remember was that supremely un-funny joke about Kirkâs aim as he sets off the âwery large bomb.â
But like there are possibilities.. theyâre both pretty horny and Chekov is a whiz kid and Kirk is also very smart and has always been smart... Like in other words people Chekovâs age donât end up on the bridge crew, in either âverse, without the Captainâs say, so even though heâs TOS!Spockâs and AOS!Scottyâs protege, Kirk is important to his life. Something with that maybe??
Iâm upset that Spockâs individual story line was about whether or not he should go off and make baby Vulcans because, again as I have complained many times before, that was a conflict he faced and resolved in ten minutes two movies ago, and it doesnât make sense to me for him to bring it up again now just because the Ambassador is dead. Like... the Ambassador told him to stay in Starfleet!! âAh, yes, I will honor him by doing precisely the opposite of what he wanted me to do.â
Also--if they had made his motivation different or gone into it more, I would have been more into it. Make it about New Vulcan! Say thereâs news from New Vulcan that itâs not doing well. Or what if TâPring got in contact with him? Or what if we used this as an excuse to bring in Sarek?
This is part of a larger point for me which is that STXI set up a really cool AU and STID tried to do something with it--a little hit or miss, but it tried--and instead of pushing even more at the AU and developing it more and doing more with it... STB just ignored it! Was that part of what Paramount was warning about with making it ânot too Star Trek-y?â Was it SUPPOSED to be a movie you could watch without having seen the last two? If so they did succeed but like.. .why? They made the supremely ballsy move of blowing up a founding Federation planet two movies ago and now theyâve just forgotten about that and all the reverberations that would necessarily have?
But of course we got a call back to Kirk being a Beastie Boys fan so.... Guess it was Deep all along.
We all three agreed that the core story of this film was potentially interesting but could have been done as a 50-some minute episode of a TV series rather than a whole-ass 2 hour movie. First off, cutting or cutting down the action sequences would have shaved off half an hour easily.
Iâm frustrated in large part because there are certain things that are interesting here. I do like the concept of the crew being pulled on to an alien planet by a ship of former Federation crew, from the early days of the Federation/deep space flight, who were presumed missing but are somehow still alive because they have turned into aliens/used alien tech to prolong life, and who have also captured other aliens, like Jaylah, for the main crew to interact with. All of that was cool.
I would even be okay with these old Federation crew being villains but I donât think thatâs necessary or even the most interesting take.
But...first of all, as my mom pointed out, Krall was basically Nero in his illogical motivations: feeling aggrieved because someone who couldnât help him didnât help him and then just maniacally wanting revenge. It made more sense to me with Nero in a way. Maybe that was because he was better characterized, maybe it was because his anger was more personal (the loss of his wife), maybe--probably--it was because he was angry at Spock and Spock had actually promised to help, so there was some kernel of logic in his sense of betrayal, even if it was out of proportion etc. Also, Neroâs mania was portrayed as mania--we were all supposed to recognize that the strength of his emotion was warranted but his logic was deeply flawed. I think we were supposed to think Krall had some kinda... real criticism of the Federation, but in fact he doesnât! Heâs wrong! So like if heâd been angry with the Federation for abandoning him but the narrative and the other characters explicitly recognize that heâs wrong--the Federation tried but he was just doing something very dangerous and he recognized that danger on signing on--that might have been more palatable to me.
Iâm not sure Iâm making sense here entirely or explaining myself as well as I could.
I just donât entirely get Krallâs beef with the Federation. I donât get that whole âbeing a soldier and having conflict makes you strong and having people you can rely on and connections and community makes you weak.â That seems pretty obviously false. It also doesnât really seem, not that Iâm an expert, but particularly in line with military ethos either.
BUT the idea that he had a life that was comfortable to him as a soldier and then the Federation comes in and forms Starfleet and says, actually, weâre going to pull back on the soldiering and up the diplomacy and the exploration and the science--yeah, I could see that. I DO think Starfleet is military but even if you must insist itâs not, itâs clearly based on and formed from the military, and it has certain military functions. So obviously the first people to join or be folded into Starfleet probably were more explicitly military.
So heâs one of those people. Now heâs supposed to be a scientist and a diplomat and an explorer and he doesnât like that. Heâs given this very prestigious and interesting mission and jumps at it. Starfleet warns him, you might go beyond where we can reach, we might not be able to help you. Thatâs fine. But then when his ship is stranded and he is lost, he gets angry--maybe somewhat irrationally, but understandably--why?? Why did the Federation do this to him? What was even the point? When he put himself in danger before, at least he knew why. But just flying around space for the hell of it, and this is the cost? So thatâs what creates his anger.
I thin this could be tied into Kirkâs diplomacy at the beginning--if the scene were written to not be a comedy bit where Kirk looks like an incompetent buffoon and is completely disrespectful the whole time. Heâs good at this job and we should say it. But we could emphasize that this IS a diplomatic mission often, just as often as itâs a military or scientific mission. Maybe we could include other bits of their missions, too, to play up the variety of things they do and roles they play.
Another thing I think could be interesting, going back to my point about Spock, Vulcan, and using the first two movies and expanding on the world building... what if Spock wanted to leave Starfleet for better, more well-defined reasons, and we used that? Paralleled the two? Connected the two?
Because I think Vulcan in the AOS verse is very interesting and the movies didnât do nearly enough with it. First, we have the Romulans showing up way earlier, at least visibly: in TOS, no one knew what they looked like or their connection to Vulcans until Spock is in his late 30s. In AOS, it happens not long after heâs born. So heâs growing up probably with more anti-Vulcan racism floating around the Federation. THEN Vulcan is destroyed. Now it has nothing and it needs to rely on the rest of the Federation, which must be both humbling and frustrating to many Vulcans, on top of the extreme tragedy of losing everything. Most of their population, a lot of their history, their manufacturing, their scientific facilities, their resources, their animals, literally whatever else you can think of that a planet has--all gone. Now all of the survivors have lived some period on an alien planet, by definition, and theyâre probably very dependent on the Federation not just to set up the new colony, but to replace all of the resources--natural and Vulcan-made--that they lost. And theyâre a founding Federation member, Earthâs first contact. Theyâre especially important. And now theyâre weak, and reliant on others.
So maybe Spock, early on, hears from New Vulcan and theyâre not doing well. Maybe we hear from Sarek or TâPring (...Iâd just like to see reboot TâPring). Maybe itâs not about, or just about, having children, but about being from an important and ancient family, and being seen as a hero for his part in the Narada mission, that makes him want to go and help rebuild their government (taking his motherâs place perhaps? she was on the High Council) or their scientific facilities, or the VSA, or their space travel capabilities--you know Vulcan had space ships of their own, outside of Federation ships. This would be the perfect place to showcase that tension between wanting to be independent--out of pride, out of fear, even--and needing help, because Vulcan could not survive without the Federation, probably less than 10 years out from the original planetâs destruction.
And then you feed it back into Krall.
So I could see like... well the tension, and then Krall comes in, and he's angry that the Federation "abandoned" him, but we actually explicitly address this. Maybe Spock gets to interact with him and say "I get it. You had a life and a mission and a purpose that was comfortable for you. Then the Federation came in and changed everything. A lot of my people are also feeling upset for similar reasons. But here's why actually you're wrong."
So anyway as you can see Iâm smarter and more interesting than Simon Pegg.
I also hated, speaking of writers of this movie, the gay Sulu thing and HEAR ME OUT on this. Itâs homophobic. His husband doesnât have a name? Might not be his husband at all? Looks like he could be his nanny or his brother? As B said âat least grab his butt or something.â That was the most sanitized, no-homo depiction of a gay person Iâve ever seen. Heâs gay (see, progressives and queers! gay! you like that right!) but DONâT WORRY STRAIGHTS--heâs in a monogamous relationship and has a child, heâll show nothing but the most platonic physical affection with his male significant other, and the plot point will be so minuscule youâll need a microscope to detect it. Also, weâll throw in a no homo joke about two male characters not wanting to hug and weâll make sure Kirk and Spock interact as little as possible, because we know they give off Big Queer Vibes every time theyâre together.
Yes the last point is a little unfair but can you blame me for being angry about all the âlook how hip to the times we areâ back-patting that went on in 2016 when canonical bisexual Kirk is RIGHT THERE and we could have had ex-boyfriend Gary Mitchell instead of Unnamed Nanny??
Also Sulu is a hella random choice because again, like... he may not have had an s.o. in TOS but nor was there any indication he was gay. So it seems a LITTLE like they picked him because (1) his original actor is gay and gay people canât play straight people duh so probably Sulu was Gay All Along I mean did you not get vibes???; and/or (2) asexual Asian stereotypes preclude giving Sulu any kind of love interest, male or female, that is actually... sexual, outright romantic, anything.
Anyway I canât remember if I had any other thoughts, but Iâve said quite enough I think.
I miss Kirk so much... real Kirk... even my version of AOS Kirk who is probably not even characterized that well but at least I worked with love!!!
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