#where would we be without loden

[bettydice]

to find solace after a long day (Solavellan)

1861 words, explicit

(set during Inquisition but written after having played Veilguard, with vague allusions to things we learn in the game)

|Read on AO3|

-

Tonight he is coming to her unasked. She has made clear that the invitation stands nevertheless.

They haven’t seen each other today, except for very early this morning, when they sat together in Skyhold’s garden and shared a mug of tea and the quiet before a busy day.

He spent most of it in the Undercroft with Dagna, trying to figure out which leathers and metal would be most durable when exposed to the Anchor, as Mango required new left gloves at an alarming speed. Dales loden wool and fade-touched gurgut skin seemed a promising combination, but of course his magic wasn't quite the same as the concentrated power of the Anchor exploding from her hand whenever she closed a rift.

He has… complicated feelings after witnessing Dagna’s enthusiasm and curiosity for something she has been violently cut from. It is…

Even though Mango often complains about the many stairs leading up to her chambers, he welcomes them tonight.  He uses the time to focus on leaving past and future behind.

Reasons why he should not be with her, reasons why he one day will not be… She does not deserve to have those in the room with them.

The door leading to the final set of stairs to her room is open, the gentle flicker of candlelight beckoning him upstairs. Is she awaiting him? He closes the door behind him, then slows his pace as he takes the last few steps, without knowing why.

“I wasn’t sure whether I’d see you tonight.”

Mango stands with her back to him in front of her dresser, brushing her damp hair. She is already dressed for bed, only wearing a loose linen shift.

“The door was open.” Solas takes a step towards her, then stops. His skin burns, want and longing gnawing at it. Too intense to be confined to his body, but they have nowhere else to go.

“I said I wasn’t sure, not that I wasn’t hoping for it.”

She puts down the brush and turns around, a soft smile on her face. Before he can take another step, she crosses the room, wraps her arms around him and presses her face against his neck. Solas responds in kind; holds her close and breathes her in. It soothes the burning of longing, but stokes the wanting.

“Long day”, she sighs against his skin.

He trails his fingers down her back, stops at the spots where he knows her tension sits and presses in gently. She hums contentedly, and for a while they simply stand there like this.

Eventually, she leans back until she can look at him.

“Solas,” she smiles fondly at him, looking a little softer without the kohl around her eyes and the paint on her lips. What a wonder that he gets to see her like this as well.

“Mango.” Whenever he calls her by her name, the relief of ‘Yes, I’m still me’ flickers in her eyes. A feeling he recognises. He hopes she never has to come to a different realisation.

Her smile deepens. She lifts her right hand to caress his cheek; the other still rests on his lower back. He leans into her touch, allows himself to simply do what he craves to do. When he first gave into her, it felt like jumping off a cliff into a dark ocean. At first, he hesitated, turned around. By now he’s taking a running leap, with no thought to the land waiting beyond the waters. She guides his face towards hers at the same time as he leans in, and they kiss.

He is incapable of restraining the wanting whenever he kisses her; as soon as their lips meet, it breaks free. The intensity is painful; his fingers would be shaking if he wasn’t holding on to her so tightly. Wherever her fingers and lips touch him, the pain turns to pleasure, but the places she does not reach hurt even more. He does not know why he can’t control this better. Maybe staying in uthenera for so long has made him forget what it feels like. Maybe the shock of waking and what awaited him was too painful, shattered something in him and gave everything sharp edges. Or maybe… even after millenia, he has never felt like this.

She leads them towards the bed, then presses on his shoulders, until he sits down. Not willing to stop kissing her, he pulls her down with him, so she straddles his lap. He slides one hand under her shift, up her bare thigh, slow and teasing. Mango sighs into his mouth and presses even closer. He wants to feel her skin against his own, everywhere, and thankfully she seems to be just as impatient as he is.

 “Undress,” she murmurs against his lips, her fingers already tugging on his tunic. He immediately complies and lifts his arms, so she can pull it off. Her own shirt and his pants soon follow.

Solas lays down on the mattress, pulls her down as well, then rolls them, so he is looking down at her. He caresses her flushed cheek, she traces his eyebrow with her finger. And just like that, their urgency mellows into something slower, but like the tide, it’ll return later, even sweeter.

She runs her finger down his nose, then follows the line of his upper lip. He takes her hand and presses a kiss to her palm, then her wrist. He lingers there, her pulse against his lips, until she lifts his chin and guides him in another kiss.

Once their kiss turns from tender to heated, he moves his hand to her breast, then tenderly runs it down her side, over her hip, her thigh, and up again. He repeats this motion, until she wraps her legs around him, and moves in a way that makes them both moan.

The wanting becomes overwhelming, too much for one person to bear alone. So intense, that it’s difficult to focus on why he wants to be here: for her pleasure, not his own. When she rolls her hips again, he forces himself to move lower. He kisses down her stomach, feels her muscles twitch, licks the scar on her lower abdomen, then the crease between her thigh and hip. Solas kisses her mound, softly, and laughs quietly when her legs immediately fall open. He glances up and their eyes meet. Mango’s lips are parted, she’s not biting her lip to hold back any noises, like she does when they’re sharing a tent. He holds her gaze as he licks her cunt, until she squeezes her eyes shut and presses her head into the mattress.

The capacity of this body to share emotions with others is too limited; he cannot make her feel how deep his feelings truly run. No matter how tight he embraces her, how often he whispers words of love in her ear, how often he pleasures her until climax, there are things that will always stay unknown to her. But their bodies do enable him to very tangibly smell, feel and taste her desire, and if they’d ever be granted the time and privacy, he’d spend hours upon hours between her legs, doing just that.

Her hand flies to his head and her fingers dig into his skin, when uses his fingers and tongue to bring her to climax. She lifts her pelvis, pushes against his tongue, sweet moans filling the room, until it gets too much and she urges him to come up so she can kiss him.

His fingers still rest between her legs, not to tease or stoke her desire once more, just a tender caress.

He looks down at her, searches her face. She will often simply fall asleep at this point, exhaustion overtaking her, and he will follow her into her dreams. She returns his look with bright eyes, an amused smile on her lips.

“I am determined to stay awake tonight,” Mango laughs, then wraps her hand around his cock.

Solas curses and almost collapses on top of her, arms suddenly weak.

“Mango, wait. I - “ She squeezes and he presses his face against her neck, draws in a shuddering breath. “Vhenan.”

“You can let go.” With her other hand she strokes down his back, as she whispers in his ear. “It’s alright.”

As always, he does not have the willpower to resist her. No matter how much he tries to ignore this kind of desire, how much he tells himself it is only what his body wants, and thus inconsequential… Her touch brings the relief he is craving and proves him once again to be a fool. He is not here out of a selfless desire to satisfy her. A flawed thought from the beginning, since her pleasure is so irresistible to him. He is here because he is weak and selfish, because he is his body, because in her arms he becomes Solas and that is all he wants, to leave it all behind, with her, he -

He wants to let go.

He moves against her, thrusts into her hand; his breath hot and wet against her neck. He is losing himself, but he is not lost - her beloved voice a lighthouse that guides him, saves him from drowning.

It’s alright, my heart. I’m here. I love you. I’m here.

He blindly searches for her lips, pushes his tongue into her mouth just when he moves his hips again. She cants her hips, slides her wet cunt against his cock, and it is almost enough to make him come undone.

“Vhenan, please…I want to…” He has trouble formulating words, but she seems to understand him anyway, cants her hips again and guides him into her.

He is not going to last long like this, but he is not trying to. He thrusts harder, faster, only spurred on when she takes his lower lip between her teeth and digs her nails into his skin. In this moment, Solas wants to feel everything, does not wish to move beyond the hunger, the wanting, wants to get completely swept up by it.

He does let go then, presses into her as deep as he can and clings to her as his climax overtakes him.

They lie there quietly, slightly turned, so he’s not crushing her with his full weight. He’s still inside her. She tenderly caresses his back. Her skin is warm. Her chest rises against his own.

He slowly lifts his head, limbs heavy and completely relaxed. Mango looks at him, her eyes so gentle. She lifts her left hand and wipes a tear from his cheek.

“Solas,” she whispers, a soft smile on her lips.

When she says his name like this, it feels like she pours new meaning into it, one that has been long lost to the ages. He wants to shape himself around it, keep it safe, so he will never forget it, even if she one day will.

“You must have had a long day, too.”

“The longest.”

“Well, you’ve made it through and now you can forget all about it.”

“I already did, my heart.”

He really wishes he could.

[m-blackwell-and-associates]

The Meeting pt 2

Nicky did not turn around at the slow disdainful drawl and it’s call to a fight. Flicking ash into a puddle at his feet, “Then it’s a good thing I don’t fucking care what you like.”

“Some fucking balls on you, Nicky.” The speaker laughed, his belligerent demeanor fading away.

Nicky heard the man step wide around the bench, leaves barely crackling under his feet as he came into view several arm lengths away. A gesture of good faith. A promise of truce. He was dressed for rough living, worn clothes were clean but patched, his aged leather jacket discolored by scratches. The fox red of his hair and beard burned under the struggling street lights, the only bit of flash on him. That bit of fire was all that prevented the figure from fading completely into the wilderness behind him.

“Monster.” Nicky stood, holding out a hand. Without hesitation, the Gangrel shook it firmly.

“Never thought I’d see your ugly mug in Chicago again. When the snake said you wanted to talk, I for sure thought he was lyin’.”

“Had planned on never coming back. Sadly, plans changed.”

There was a sudden rustling in the darkened wood beyond the sulfur glow of the lamp. Monster raised his chin, whistling a sharp cadence through his teeth. There was a pause of halted movement, before the crackling of the undergrowth changed direction and moved away.

“Back up?” Nicky asked, not surprised in the least. A certain level of paranoia was necessary to survive this city. More so if one was Gangrel.

“Clan.” The Gangrel clarified, cocking his head. His blue eyes shone with an uncomfortably feral light. “You’re not the type to have old friends.”

“You might hurt my feelings, Monster.” Nicky sat back down on the bench. It was a deliberate gesture. Just two old friends talking. “I thought I always dealt fairly with you.”

“You did right by me and mine every time we crossed,” the other Kindred confirmed, crouching where he was on the crumbling path, a strangely animalistic pose. “But that don’t mean one day your business takes you somewhat else.”

“Fair. In the interest of old dealings, you’re not on my agenda now or in the foreseeable future.” It was true. It wasn’t often that business demanded dealings with the Gangrel. It had always been profitable. If they stuck around long enough.

Monster’s eyes narrowed, lip curling back. “Is that a favor?”

“You could consider it a bonus. If you like.” Nicky lifted the cigarette to his lips. Wouldn’t inconvenience him to be generous at the outset. Having someone in the city he could work with would make his stay easier in the long run. “I expected Sybs to send me a Nos and am pleasantly surprised.”

“No one likes working with sewer rats.” Monster bared his teeth in a snarl, fangs prominent. “There wasn’t anyone they didn’t sell up the chain.”

“Chicago has never liked the Gangrel. Since Loden, anyway. Can’t pin that on the Nosferatu.”

“Eh, Caleb wasn’t so bad a guy for being a ponce Tory. Too bad he was replaced with another Ventrue, and I ain’t never met a Ventrue I didn’t want to eat. Don’t know how they keep becoming prince.” Monster looked away for a moment, staring down the path thinking. “But I meant what I said. Fucking sewer rats live on secrets, but they only ever had one buyer. Weren’t just us the rats were selling out and everyone was getting tired of it. Lot of licks didn’t survive that night your kin and the Ventrue came to blows. Lots of opportunity taken, if you catch my drift.”

Nicky nodded, remembering perfectly how the battle lines had been drawn before he left the city with his prize. He had no reason to think alliances had shifted at all by the time the Ventrue had killed his great-niece and burned themselves out of power with their overreach. When a prince fell, there was always some collateral vengeance. “Last time I came through town, the Brujah had a working relationship with my family. I didn’t expect them to take up the Ventrue grudge when they filled the power vacuum.”

“Yeah.” Monster scratched his head furiously, tangling his ruddy hair into knots. “They liked you all fine. At first. But then that new guy came and with him your cousins up north. Not a lot of smarts in that lot.”

“What’d they do that got Jon so riled up?”Nicky could think of a dozen things Vincenzo might have done to rile up anyone that he came in contact with. He was generally more circumspect with princes, though. Vincenzo liked having friends in power.

“Remember a Brujah named Dana Stone?”

“I do. She was a big name in Chicago for quite a while. Big name in a couple of time zones, if I recall.” Dana Stone had been the rallying point for Brujah across the country. Didn’t matter what their personal loyalty, she seemed to have equal esteem on all sides of the political divide, but Nicky couldn’t remember anything she had done to have earned her such standing.

“I guess,” the Gangrel shrugged away Nicky’s scant praise. “None of those feckless bastards could ever decide if they were Anarch or Camarilla. Fucking moon phases with them. But she died that night.”

“In the crossfire? That seems unlucky of her.”

“Target of opportunity.” That vicious smile grew wider, body leaning forward as if remembering the hunt. Nicky wondered what opportunities Monster had taken while the city was in free fall.

[brachiosaurus-on]

AHEM. Since I was so rudely interrupted. By tumblr's ten image limit. Here are three more Loden appreciation moments.

Remember those reservoirs of enormous strength? Excerpts from pages 259 and 260.

HE DEFLECTED LASER BOLTS FROM A STARSHIP. I am completely with Bell here. That was incredible. See? Look at what he does when he actually decides to do something. It may be rare, but he never disappoints. I want an entire book dedicated to Loden being Loden.

This is what he says when Bell has to jump out of a plummeting Vector with no one to catch him. (Loden did have Indeera catch him at the bottom of the cliff.) Excerpt from page 293.

He really does believe in him this time, and he's so encouraging and oh, my heart. They have a really sweet conversation after this because Bell does figure out how to catch himself and Loden is so proud of him. He's such a good master. Bell loves him so much. (I do too) Rereading this hit me right in the feelings.

Finally, I think this excerpt from page 315 shows how great of a Jedi he is.

He's a Jedi. All life is sacred. But everyone decides what to do with the life they are given. And if they choose to make poor decisions, they will face the consequences of those decisions. He'll save everyone he can, even someone who chose to throw a child out of an air lock. That's very Jedi of him.

Loden Greatstorm is a guardian of peace and justice: He's a Jedi Master.

Reverse Unpopular Opinion meme: Who is your SECOND favorite High Republic Jedi?

AAH. THIS IS SO MEAN. Now I have to decide who my FIRST favorite is. AAAHHHH. I hope you can hear me screeching across the internet. I kid, I kid, you know I love an opportunity to scream about my favorite Jedi. BUT WHICH ONE.

How do I decide between Elzar and Stellan??? They're both so amazing?!?!? You know what, we're going to move past that and say Elzar & Stellan are tied for first. That means I have to choose from all the other amazing Jedi. Which is... not any easier.

I'll rule out Vernestra because I haven't finished her books yet, so I wouldn't be able to properly scream about her. I'll rule out Avar because if you have Elzar & Stellan you already know Avar is somewhere nearby and it becomes redundant.

I'm leaning towards Loden or Bell. I mean, Bell is such a good character. And he comes with Ember, who, I would like to remind everyone, breathes fire. Is Ember an option? But Loden is so... yeah, ok, so let me scream about how much I love Loden. Below the cut. Because haha, this is going to be so long and you did ask for it.

Loden Greatstorm appreciation below the cut. Yes, there are spoilers for Light of the Jedi.

Ahaha ok, here we go. All images are from Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule.

We'll start with his teaching methods, which Bell lovingly describes in this excerpt from page 36.

His primary teaching philosophy is "why should I do it when I could make you do it" 😂😂😂 I love him. (I also love that Bell knows this is for his own benefit and not Loden being lazy)

And though Bell has long suffered having to do everything, this is how he describes his master, who is capable of doing something, should he so please. Excerpt from page 37.

And we do see what those enormous reservoirs of strength can do. Being a Jedi is not about being a badass but damn, does Loden pull off both. He is powerful.

OKAY. Now let's talk about his sense of humor because this is easily the best part of his character. When Bell is struggling with the Jedi cultural tradition skill of yeeting yourself from high places, this is his extremely helpful suggestion. Excerpt from page 60.

"HOW ABOUT I THROW YOU OFF A SKYSCRAPER, THAT SHOULD HELP YOU FIGURE IT OUT, RIGHT BELL???" LODEN, PLEASE. He might actually be worse than Obi-Wan "good job" Kenobi. Bell should be knighted just for putting up with him. Actually no, Bell gets the honor of putting up with him. Poor Bell just says "Yeah, great idea Master." and Loden responds "I know, right? Aren't I so funny?" Yes, Loden, yes you are.

But even better, is that HE ACTUALLY DOES IT. Excerpts from pages 158 and 160.

Bell is just out here trying to enjoy the view and not jump to his death and LODEN PUSHES HIM OFF A CLIFF. "I believe in you." THAT'S ALL HE SAYS. AND THEN HE PUSHES HIM OFF THE CLIFF. I CAN NEVER READ THIS WITHOUT CACKLING. Never change, Loden, never change.

Let's rewind to this exchange with a guard during the Hetzal Disaster. Excerpt from page 63.

This entire exchange is a joy (everyone go read the full version). Loden has complete control of the situation he's basically just trolling the guard. This is another thing about Loden, he's always smiling. He's like Kit Fisto. We do love our green Jedi Masters with long tentacles/lekku. But also, he has prearranged signals with Bell and I love that. Those two are such a good team.

Here's a continuation of the events. Excerpt from page 82.

"They must have misunderstood the understanding." I love him. He's perfect. But also, he's so Jedi at the same time. He recognizes "They're afraid. They're trying to carve out a little control from an uncontrollable situation." And he teaches this to Bell. He knows that people want to feel like they're in control, especially when they're afraid. But in pointing this out, it tells us that he knows it's beyond his control and that he understands and practices Jedi philosophy. Loden is perfect and I will hear no criticisms.

Moving on to what he does for fun... Excerpt from page 173.

"But maybe I want to fight a hundred chromants." Loden, please. This is not a normal thing to do for fun. Have you tried screaming about the Jedi on tumblr? Ok, maybe I shouldn't be talking.

He also loves and appreciates his fellow Jedi. In fact, he regularly gets distracted by how amazing they are. Excerpts from pages 202 and 261.

He's so mesmerized by Porter that he's not paying attention to anything else and their Vanguard gets blown up 😂😂😂 pay attention to your surroundings, Loden! I wish that Soule had described Porter's face after that happened, like "what were you two idiots doing while they blew up the ship?" At least he thought to take the ship's laser canon, and then fire the laser canon from his shoulder. The laser canon. Designed for a ground-based version of the Vector (their star fighters). He fired a spaceship gun from his shoulder as if it was a blaster. And he didn't even break his step. Loden is a gift.

And when Indeera shows up flying two Vectors (with her MIND) "By the light, look at her go." LODEN, YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE RESCUING A KIDNAPPED FAMILY. Ok, to be fair, I would also get distracted by Jedi being amazing and this is not an uncommon occurrence in High Republic. All of the Jedi are so impressed with each other, they're just like "wow." Sparkles in their eyes and everything.

[himboskywalker]

Finished Light of the Jedi and I’m piecing together my thoughts. All in all I thoroughly enjoyed the book and blazed through it. I think Soule did a really stellar job and I have only a few complaints,more to do with my nitpickiness of writing and structure then what a lot of people feared on the future of the Jedi in the Star Wars extended universe. So in all:

My favorite part of the book by far was how the Jedi were handled and expanded. I was so excited to see the Jedi Order at its peak of power and you can tell Soule really enjoyed writing that world building and taking his time expanding just how respected and loved the Order is in the Republic. They are hope,they are what we the audience regard them as and not what the corrupted Republic views them as,and it’s so terribly enjoyable to read. I think if anything this book really shows the juxtaposition of how far the Republic falls between this point and the prequels,certainly not the Jedi Order. The complete lack of unity in the Republic in Prequel Era compared to High Republic was astounding,and I think only further illustrates how deep Sidious’s corruption ran and just how much disunity the Jedi faced in the end.

On a personal level,I loved the Jedi characters introduced. I was most excited for Avar Kriss and while I did really love her,I also fell quickly in love with Elzar Mann and Loden Greatstorm. On that note I do think Soule had a lot of ground to cover and a massive scope to relay to his audience. I understand that scope and I think it relayed well,but to do so he utilized a huge cast of characters from many points of the galaxy to tell it. There were several points I didn’t care about those other minor characters,I was excited about this book for the Jedi,and I think there were a couple chapters from minor chargers’ perspectives that would have been better space to expound on the Jedi more.

That being said this is very much a prologue to a massive story. This read,and is,a huge introduction to an ongoing saga. It’s choppy,it’s fast paced,it doesn’t settle on the characters as I would like sometimes,but it sacrifices that for a huge depth of world building and laying the foundations for the future books of the High Republic.

I was most pleased with the expounding on how the Jedi handle and view emotion. How they care about people and seek to protect and act as beacons of light to others. I loved the personal relationships the reader sees between the Jedi characters and bits of humanity and humor between them. Between master and Padawan,between friends,and between childhood friends so close they compare to Prequel relationships I think. This is the strength of the book and what I certainly hope to see more of.

I wasn’t particularly impressed with the villains for most of the book until the very end. The buildup of the darkness and threat is a very slow one,and as a reader we don’t necessarily see the payoff in this book. The buildup is certainly a series length one,and the ending is more a chapter’s end for the next book to pickup the next story telling point of. I found the truest point of interest with the villains to be in the literal epilogue,so I recommend patience on that front.

And on a last note,one of my absolute favorite parts of the book was a Jedi Council meeting,where Soule not only made me fall in love with the Jedi even more,but I think he defended the Prequel era Jedi very very well. And I personally think it does away with a lot of fears of this new era of Jedi GFFA greater universe vilifying the Prequel era Jedi and characters. They defend the Jedi’s choice to become more involved with politics and the Republic,because of the Jedi’s core values of peace and justice. And Soule writes one of my favorite lines of the whole book, “Yes,but we are guardians of two ideals,are we not?——Sometimes,unfortunately,they come into conflict.We must always strive for peace,but also justice. Peace without justice is flawed,hollow at its core. It is peace provided by tyranny.”

All in all my negatives were with pacing and character focus. The book was 90% action and I would have preferred a few more moments of introspection on the characters,and more focus on the main characters and less on the very minor ones. That being said Soule’s choices were understandable and were made because Ultimately Light of the Jedi is a prologue book and a massive foundation for the other High Republic books. All in all I was extremely pleased and am immensely excited for what’s to come! 8/10

[mrs-theirin]

Ashariani Lavellan as a Companion

hello!! a few of my friends have done this so i’m excited to do this and i think i might try my hand at a da2 version...we’ll see!

(sorry i have no in-game screenshots i play on console :///)

Name: Ashariani Lavellan (she/her)

Race, Class, & Specialization: Elf / Mage / Knight-Enchanter

Varric’s nickname for them: Glimmer

Default Tarot Card: The Empress (upright)

How they are recruited: Ashariani can be found talking to the druffalo from Where The Druffalo Roam. When approached, she will:

(if Trevelyan) - Step back cautiously, but look on in amazement, introducing herself.

(if Lavellan) - Introduce herself, asking you if you remember her from the clan. You can either say yes, which will allow her to respond with excitement, or no, which will make her smile fade as she shrugs and mumbles, “Figured.”

(if Cadash or Adaar) - Show visible excitement and claim she’s “never met your people before” before panicking and expressing she hopes that doesn’t offend.

She will explain her clan sent her to look for another member who had not returned and either bring them home or report back what happened to them. She tells you she’ll return the druffalo home if you help her find her clan member. If you agree, the cutscene ends and she and the druffalo disappear, Where The Druffalo Roam being replaced by the quest Lost and Found. Following the quest marker, you find her in the hills. When spoken to, a cutscene begins where she expresses she doesn’t feel safe. A battle with a few Templars takes place. After combat is over, another cutscene starts, and this time Ashariani finds her missing clan member. They are badly injured. She will heal them with her magic, and expresses disappointment as they rush off without a word to her. She’ll turn back to you, explaining that as much as she loves them, she feels out of place with her clan. She offers to join the Inquisition, offering Dalish knowledge (if not Lavellan) and friendliness. If you agree, the cutscene ends and you can add her to your party. If disagree, she will become upset and rush away quickly.

Where they are in Haven: She can be found next to Varric. The two of them seem to be in constant conversation. She is normally sitting on the stone wall behind him, but will occasionally get down and walk around, usually to warm her hands in the fire. The initial conversation with her will have her remark on every companion you have so far, focusing heavily on Varric and/or Iron Bull, if you’ve recruited him by then. She will also express her delight to be accepted in the Inquisition and promises she won’t get into too much trouble, then asks you how you’re doing.

Where they are in Skyhold: She can be found by an empty spot near Cassandra. The initial conversation with her will have Cassandra looking up, yelling at her to come down. You can ask Cassandra who she’s talking to, which will make her scoff and begrudgingly admit it’s Ashariani. You then call up to her and wait a few seconds as she climbs back down. She admits with a smile that she likes to climb and Cassandra walks away, throwing her hands in the air. You can then talk to Ashariani about how she likes Skyhold. She’ll say it’s magnificent and that she’s happy you closed the Breach, but will then sober up and ask you how you are. You can:

tell the truth, admitting Haven shook you up

crack a joke, but eventually admit you’re fine/you’re shaken up

lie, telling her not to worry and that you’ll be just fine

ask her if she’s alright

If asked if she’s alright, she’ll be taken aback and confess Haven scared her a lot, gaining you approval. With medium-high approval, at the end of the conversation, she’ll admit she likes that you’re friends. With high enough approval, you can flirt for the first time, and she’ll become flustered before the conversation ends. Neutral-low approval will gain you a “I’m glad you’re okay” with no follow-up.

APPROVAL

Things They Generally Approve Of:

Greatly Approves - 

Allying with the mages

Disbanding the templars

Helping the Dalish clan

Bringing her to the Temple of Mythal

Completing the Elven rituals

(Lavellan-specific) Drinking from the Well of Sorrows

Approves - 

Bringing her to the Winter Palace

Finishing any of Cole/Varric/Iron Bull’s quests

Returning the histories to the Dalish

Saving the Chargers

Putting Briala in power

Choosing kind/merciful options in judgement

Slightly Approves -

Leaving Loghain in the Fade

Choosing her for your party

Finishing any of Dorian/Solas/Sera’s quests

Returning Lord Woolsley back home

Killing templars

Things They Generally Disapprove Of:

Greatly Disapproves - 

Leaving Hawke in the Fade

Leaving Alistair in the Fade

(Trevelyan-specific) Drinking from the Well of Sorrows

(Lavellan-specific) Letting Morrigan drink from the Well of Sorrows

Allying with the templars

Sacrificing the Chargers

Disapproves - 

Picking mean dialogue options when speaking to her

(Cadash/Adaar-specific) Drinking from the Well of Sorrows

Letting Morrigan drink from the Well of Sorrows

Selling the histories to the Chantry

Being mean to Cole

Leaving Celene in power/Reuniting Celene and Briala

Slightly Disapproves - 

Killing dragons (unless Iron Bull is in party)

Picking mean dialogue options when speaking to others

Putting Gaspard alone in power

Creating an alliance between Celene, Briala, and Gaspard

Picking anti-mage/anti-Dalish dialogue options

Flirting with her as a male

Mages, Templars, Other: Supports mages (being one herself) and hates Templars. She’s willing to give them a chance, but only if they truly show any sign of changing. She becomes uncomfortable around nobility and is more comfortable with “the little people.” Will not hesitate to point out injustices, but usually does so calmly.

Friends in the Inquisition: Dorian, Iron Bull, Varric, Cole, Solas, and Sera.

Rivals in the Inquisition: Blackwall (after Revelations).

Neutral towards: Blackwall (before Revelations), Vivienne, and Cassandra.

Romanceable: Yes, only by female Inquisitors. (Note: If not romanced by the Inquisitor, after visiting the Winter Palace, she will begin to speak about a woman named Eloise D’Arlesans, a half elf she spent time with there. A romance between them will begin.)

NAMES

Rivalry: 

(sharply) Inquisitor

Herald

(if Trevelyan) Shem

Neutral:

Inquisitor

Trevelyan/Lavellan/Cadash/Adaar

Friendship:

Friend

Silly

Sunshine

Romance [to/about Inquisitor]: 

Vhenan

Love

Sunlight

[to/about Eloise]:

Vhenan

Love

Honey

QUESTS

War Table: 

A Very Important Request

(after reaching Skyhold)

Inquisitor, 

Scouts desperately need to go to this location I’ve marked on the map. It’s for very important things. Please send them quickly and report back to ONLY ME what they’ve found. Thank you.

--Ashariani

Options:

>Leliana: Maybe it truly is important. I’ll send out a few scouts.

>Josephine: I do not believe Ashariani would waste our time and resources for something frivolous. However, to be on the safe side, I will send ahead to the nobles in the land to send their own scouts, if it pleases you.

>Cullen: What? This sounds like a waste of time, she won’t even specify what she needs them for! Fine. Two guards, but that’s it.

Results: 

>Leliana: My scouts found some rare stones and herbs, but nothing more. I wonder if this is what she wanted?

(Ashariani approves, Prophet’s Laurel x4, Royal Elfroot x2, Everite x2)

>Josephine: Perhaps I was incorrect. Nothing but some rare materials. The scouts were sent home with plenty compensation, so at least we have been put in a better light.

(Ashariani approves, Influence x30, Amrita Vein x3, Felandaris x4, Stormheart x2)

>Cullen: We cannot be wasting our resources like this. We acquired some materials along the way.

(Ashariani slightly approves, Ghoul’s Beard x4, Felandaris x4, Silverite x3)

Another Very Important Request

(after A Very Important Request)

Inquisitor,

Sorry to bother you once more. Please send people to Val Royeaux to obtain these materials. They’re for a very important project, I promise. Mae gen ti fy ngair [you have my word].

--Ashariani

(below is a list of materials: ring velvet, silk brocade, dales loden wool, and imperial vestment cotton)

Options:

>Leliana: Again? What could she possibly be making? I can send one or two scouts out to fetch these items.

>Josephine: She is persistent, is she not? A few favors can be exchanged for these materials at no cost to us. It will be done.

>Cullen: (not participating in this mission)

Results:

>Leliana: The materials were easy enough to obtain. Our scouts being spotted in public created quite a buzz.

(Ashariani approves, Influence x50, Ring Velvet x3, Silk Brocade x3, Dales Loden Wool x3, Imperial Vestment Cotton x 3)

>Josephine: The materials have been collected. We’ve created quite a stir with all this running around.

(Ashariani approves, Influence x50, Ring Velvet x3, Silk Brocade x3, Dales Loden Wool x3, Imperial Vestment Cotton x 3)

Companion Quest:

For What?

(after Another Very Important Request)

When spoken to, Ashariani will request you personally go to the map location previously mentioned in A Very Important Request. If denied, she will disapprove and claim she is going there herself and the cutscene will end. If this happens, she will not be available for your party the first time you leave Skyhold after that conversation (she will return after). If accepted, Ashariani is locked into your party and a temporary location appears on your map.

Upon arriving, you are immediately attacked by bandits who had heard the Inquisition had visited. After the battle, Ashariani apologizes and asks you to collect the metals and herbs. Once you find all of the materials, she will exclaim, “Perfect!” which will gain some confused remarks from your companions, which she will not truthfully respond to. You are then allowed to leave the location and it disappears from your map.

After visiting two more locations after that, upon returning to Skyhold, Ashariani will run up and greet you. She will ask if you’ll take her and Iron Bull to slay a high dragon and collect its bone and webbing. You can:

say yes / say yes and flirt (female only)

say yes, but ask her why

say no

express confusion, as she has protested to killing dragons before

Option 1: Causes her great joy, she jumps in the air before giggling and running off, thanking you in the process. The cutscene ends.

Option 2: She’ll get excited, then give you a cryptic answer before thanking you and running off. The Inquisitor says, “She’s determined to keep it a secret, huh?” and the cutscene ends.

Option 3: She will ask you if you’re serious, to which you can reply yes or no. If yes, she will become very upset and mumble something about you disappointing her, and the cutscene ends, gaining you major disapproval. If no, she’ll breathe out a sigh of relief and smile, punching you in the arm for teasing her. She thanks you and the cutscene ends.

Option 4: She’ll shrug, trying to look nonchalant, and say, “someone has changed my mind.” You can press this further by asking who, but she’ll only press her finger to her lips. Options A, B, and C are offered again and the cutscene follows accordingly.

If accepted, she and Iron Bull are locked into your party. You’ll get a few lines of dialogue between Iron Bull and Ashariani as they approach the high dragon, and some after. After collecting the bone and webbing, she thanks you and you gain major approval. After a visit to Skyhold and back, when arriving at Skyhold again, a cutscene immediately starts.

All of your companions (minus Blackwall and Vivienne) and the advisors are found in the Herald’s Rest. Upon your arrival, the tavern bursts into cheers, and Ashariani reveals that she’s been making gifts for everyone, explaining that Vivienne already has hers and she didn’t want to come to the party and doesn’t even mention Blackwall (but implies he didn’t get a gift). Some are clothes, jewelry, weapons, and armor, and each companion has their moment of showing off their gift. Iron Bull makes note to mention that his is a pink shawl with dragon bone accents, and he loves it. Ashariani then tells the Inquisitor she arranged the party and they had a gift of their own, which is a powerful set of armor. You can:

accept the gift and thank Ashariani / accept the gift and flirt with Ashariani (female only)

accept the gift but shut down the party, telling everyone to get back to work

deny the gift and lash out at Ashariani for wasting so much of your time

Option 1: She will give you a hug and the cutscene will end, fading to black as the crowd sings and dances. (note: flirting with her will gain some positive teasing companion comments).

Option 2: You will gain disapproval from every companion present, mostly Ashariani. Iron Bull will try to convince you to change your mind. You can accept or deny. If denied, you will walk out and the cutscene will end with Iron Bull comforting Ashariani. If accepted, Iron Bull punches you in the arm and the mood shifts back to a good one, the cutscene ending with a fade to black as the crowd dances.

Option 3: You will gain major disapproval from every companion present, mostly Ashariani. Iron Bull and Varric will step up to defend her.

Iron Bull: Come on, Boss. She was trying to do something nice for us. 

(if in a romance with Bull): Kadan. Is that necessary? She was trying to do something nice for you.

Varric: (sarcastically) Calm down, Inquisitor. We’re all just having a bit of fun during the apocalypse.

(if in a romance with Solas) Solas: (sternly) Vhenan. May I speak to you privately?

You can then choose to apologize or leave the party without a word. Leaving the party will gain more disapproval from Ashariani, enough to completely end the friendship. If apologized to, Ashariani will put on a brave face and accept your apology, but leave the party looking dejected, earning you disapproval. Sera will exclaim, “What’s up [their] arse, huh?” and the cutscene will fade to black with companions filing out of the Herald’s Rest, looking angry/upset.

Romance Quest:

A New Beginning

(after For What?)

Upon visiting Ashariani’s normal spot, you find Varric instead. He tells you he hasn’t been able to find Ashariani all day, and he’s getting worried. Not knowing where to find her, you go to Solas, who tells you she’s swimming in a lake not that far from Skyhold. You can ask him if anything’s wrong, to which he will simply purse his lips and say, “It is not my place to say.”

The scene shifts to approaching the lake, where you find Ashariani sitting outside of the water, talking to a halla. When approached, she will become startled, then bashful, hiding her face. Tears are noticeably glistening on her cheeks. She then draws attention to the halla, petting them again. She explains that the halla’s name is Annwyl, and she was her friend back in the clan. Clan Lavellan had sent Annwyl to Ashariani for her efforts in the Inquisition, as well as some gifts for the Inquisitor, which she gives to you. You can ask her why she’s crying, to which she will respond with, “I don’t know.” You can press further or leave it be, which will end the cutscene.

When pressed further, she will get emotional, exclaiming that she’s found out her brother has died. She explains the incident and sits back down, crying into her hands. You can:

sit down next to her and talk to her (flirt)

ask her if she wants to go back to Skyhold (flirt)

leave her alone without a word (no chance for romance after this)

Whether you sit down with her or ask her to go to Skyhold, the conversation is the same: after telling you a bit about him, she asks you if she can attend her brother’s funeral. A yes answer is locked in, however she will ask you to go with her, and this is what you can say yes or no to. You can:

say yes (flirt)

say no (no chance for romance after this)

ask why she wants you to go with her

If no, she’ll nod her head and say she understands and that she appreciates the time you’ve given her to talk about him. The scene will end there. If yes, she’ll smile, and it will cut to his funeral. If asked why, she’ll tell you she holds you close to her heart and it would mean a lot to her if you were there with her. After the funeral, when you return to Skyhold, Ashariani will express her gratefulness for your support. You can then kiss her (starting the official romance) or accept her thank you and move on, ending the scene and any chance of romance.

If kissed, she will hold her hand over her mouth in shock, her face becoming red. She’ll then surge forward and kiss you again, throwing herself into your arms. You both kiss for a moment before Ashariani whispers, “Thank you,” while looking at the ground. Here you can make a sweet, snarky, or silly comment, to any of which she will smile and kiss you again. With that, she’ll grab your hand and say goodnight, holding onto your hand for as long as she can before your fingers slip out of hers. The cutscene fades to black.

Side Quest(s):

For Him

(after Demands of the Qun - only if Chargers were saved)

Acquire a powerful axe for Iron Bull hidden somewhere in the Hissing Wastes. You will gain approval from both Ashariani and Iron Bull, and later, when talking to Iron Bull, will experience a cutscene where Iron Bull is thanking her for the gift.

//

Bianca 

(after Here Lies The Abyss - only if Hawke was sacrificed)

Acquire enough materials to craft a powerful addition for Bianca for Varric. Once crafted, equip Bianca with it. Once equipped, a cutscene will play where Varric is shooting with Bianca, showing off to Ashariani. As you walk away, Varric has a soft quiet moment where he thanks Ashariani and promises her he’ll be okay.

//

It’s A Date Then?

(after A New Beginning)

Acquire a gift for Ashariani and she’ll say she loves you. The gift (a pressed leather journal) can be obtained from the Dalish clan in the Exalted Plains. This will trigger a small cutscene where she expresses excitement over it and confesses that she loves you. You can say you love her too or that you’re not quite there yet, and either way she will be happy.

Cole’s reflection on their thoughts:

“So engulfed and yet, so alone. She fights and fights to stay something they could be proud of.”

“Bubbles, popping to the surface of a still lake. Change, but not too much. Warm, fuzzy feelings in her chest. Happiness is in reach, she hopes.”

“Friend. She helps, not harms. She sings, not screams. She is nice to me. I am nice to her.”

“Lost, fighting, breaking through the surface. He’s gone. But they’re here. They can make it go away. They can make her whole again.”

“She climbs and climbs, knowing there is a possibility of a fall. But she’s fallen before. No fear, she bounds from building to building, tree to tree. Where she’s free. Where there is no green, no screams, no evil. Just free.”

“Warmth. Warmth when they approach, their smile shining in the sunlight. Sunlight, beaming into her heart and warming her insides. Safe.” [about the Inquisitor]

“Warmth. Warmth when she’s nearby, honey sweet on her tongue. She is safe. She is warm. She is home.” [about Eloise]

DIALOGUE

Comment(s) on Mages: “Poor souls...if only we could help them.” / “They don’t deserve this.” / “I get that some are dangerous, but this?”

Comment(s) on Templars: “I hope one day they can admit their wrongdoings.” / “Never go near them!” / “This is wrong. What they’re doing is wrong.”

When looking for something: “I think something’s nearby...should we look?” / “I think we should take a look around.”

When finding a campsite: “Can we rest here? I’m hungry.” / “This is a nice spot to camp!” / “Inquisitor, I think we should stop here.”

When the Inquisitor falls: (low approval) “Inquisitor!” / (neutral approval) “No! Get up!” / (high approval) “Wait! Inquisitor! We need you!” / (romance) “Vhenan, no!” / “Sunlight, get up! Don’t leave me now!”

Upon killing an enemy: “I’d prefer it didn’t have to happen that way.” / “I guess you didn’t have anything better to do.” / “Such a waste…”

When they are low on health: “Oh no…” / “Inquisitor, help!” / “I need some help!” / “I don’t feel very good.”

When a companion is low on health: (Iron Bull) “You are strong, Bull! Fight on!” / (Varric) “Watch your step, Varric!” / (Dorian) “Dorian, stay strong! I’ll be right there!” / (Sera) “Be careful, Sera!” / (Cassandra) “Cassandra, you are hurt!” / (Solas) “Letha’lin, please be careful!” / (Cole) “Cole, watch out!” / (Vivienne) “Madame, your health is low!” / (Blackwall) “Fight stronger, Blackwall.”

When a companion falls: (Iron Bull) “Bull, no!” / “Creators, please don’t let him die!” / (Varric) “Varric!” / “Somebody help Varric!” / (Dorian) (affectionately) “Come on, you slacker!” / “Dorian, get up! Not now!” / (Sera) “Sera, I told you that was dangerous!” / “Oh, Creators, not Sera!” / (Cassandra) “Seeker!” / “No, not Cassandra! We need her!” / (Solas) “Solas! Please!” / “Letha’lin! You cannot fall!” / (Cole) “Cole, no!” / “Cole, please get up, please be okay!” / (Vivienne) “Madame!” / “Oh no, they got Vivienne.” / (Blackwall) “Get up!” / “Watch yourself.”

When revived: “Well...that was embarrassing.” / “Thank you for your help.” / “I’m back! What did I miss?” / “Ugh...my head hurts.”

When they see a dragon: “Wow...so beautiful.” / “So fascinating to see one up close!” / (If Iron Bull is not in the party) “We’re not hunting her...are we?” / (If Iron Bull is in the party) “Bull, look! So beautiful, isn’t she? Excited?”

When doing their small side quest: For Him: “I appreciate this.” / “It’s quite relaxing out here, isn’t it?” / Bianca: “I hope this will help.” / “Thank you for doing this.” / It’s A Date Then?: “It’s so wonderful to see more of my/our people.” / “Is that...is that a gift? For me?”

Default saying: (when you talk to them in Skyhold, how do they respond?) (low approval) “Yes?” / “What do you need?” / (neutral approval) “Inquisitor!” / “Hello!” / (high approval) “Friend! Good to see you again.” / “Where are we going, Sunshine?” / (romance) “Wonderful to see you, Vhenan.” / “Hello, Sunlight.”

TRAVEL BANTER WITH COMPANIONS

Cassandra: What is that touching fists thing you two do all the time? It is ridiculous.

Dorian: Never heard of a fist bump, Seeker? What’s wrong with having a bit of fun?

Cassandra: It’s distracting.

Ashariani: Aw, come on Cassandra. You should try it sometime! Really forms the bonds of friendship.

Dorian: (laughs) You are simply adorable.

Varric (if in party): Oh, don’t worry, Glimmer. Cassandra just doesn’t know the definition of fun.

Sera (if in party): That’s nothing compared to our secret handshake, yeah? You should see it, Seeker. It involves our butts!

Cassandra: (Disgusted noise).

//

Iron Bull: You know, you’re surprisingly light.

Ashariani: Really? I didn’t hurt your shoulders?

Iron Bull: (laughs) Kid, you’d have to weigh about 60 pounds more to even make a dent on me.

Inquisitor: You really have to stop letting her ride on your shoulders during battle.

Ashariani: But it’s fun!

Sera (if in party): Can I have a go? No reason why she should have all the fun, yeah?

Vivienne (if in party): Fun does not always mean safe, my dear. I would proceed with caution when tempting fate as such.

Ashariani (to Sera): Of course! (to Vivienne): Yes, ma’am.

//

Solas: Do you miss home, Ashariani?

Ashariani: Sometimes. Do you?

Solas: No. Though the thought of a home to return to is a pleasant one.

Ashariani: You have no home?

Solas: (chuckles) The Inquisition is my home now. Isn’t that more than one could hope for?

Ashariani: Yeah...I guess so. I’m glad you feel at home here.

Solas: I wish the same of you, Letha’lin.

Varric (if in party): Are you guys done with the sappy, cryptic talk yet? This isn’t good material for my stories.

Ashariani: (giggles).

Leaving the Inquisition: It takes a lot to get Ashariani to leave, but if you gain enough approval, she will come to you in tears, and tell you she doesn’t think the Inquisition is the right place for her anymore. She will wish you well and ask you to tell the others she says she’ll keep in touch. You can choose to beg her to stay, in which she will, but only if you don’t net any more disapproval before new approval, or tell her she can leave. She will then say goodbye, muttering bad things, and walk off, the cutscene ending and her leaving the Inquisition forever.

[letterboxd]

Life in Film: Ben Wheatley.

As Netflix goes gothic with a new Rebecca adaptation, director Ben Wheatley tells Jack Moulton about his favorite Hitchcock film, the teenagers who will save cinema, and a memorable experience with The Thing.

“The actual process of filmmaking is guiding actors and capturing emotion on set. That’s enough of a job without putting another layer of postmodern film criticism over the top of it.” —Ben Wheatley

Winter’s coming, still no vaccine, the four walls of home are getting pretty samey… and what Netflix has decided we need right now is a lavish, gaslight-y psychological thriller about a clifftop manor filled with the personality of its dead mistress—and a revival of one of the best menaces in screen history. Bring on the ‘Mrs Danvers’ Hallowe’en costumes, because Rebecca is back.

In Ben Wheatley’s new film adaptation of Daphne du Maurier’s best-selling 1938 novel, scripted by Jane Goldman, Lily James plays an orphaned lady’s maid—a complete nobody, with no known first name—who catches the eye of the dashing, cashed-up Maxim de Winter (Armie Hammer).

Very quickly, the young second Mrs de Winter is flung into the intimidating role of lady of Manderley, and into the shadow of de Winter’s late first wife, Rebecca. The whirlwind romance is over; the obsession has begun, and it’s hotly fuelled by Manderley’s housekeeper, Mrs Danvers (Kristin Scott Thomas, perfectly cast).

Each adaptation of du Maurier’s story has its own quirks, and early Letterboxd reactions suggest viewers will experience varying levels of satisfaction with Wheatley’s, depending on how familiar they are with both the novel and earlier screen versions—most notably, Alfred Hitchcock’s 1940 Best Picture winner, starring Laurence Olivier Joan Fontaine, and Judith Anderson.

Why would you follow Hitchcock? It’s been 80 years; Netflix is likely banking on an audience of Rebecca virgins (the same kind of studio calculation that worked for Bradley Cooper’s A Star is Born). Plus, the new Rebecca is a Working Title affair; it has glamor, camp, Armie Hammer in a three-piece suit, the sunny South of France, sports cars, horses, the wild Cornish coast, Lily James in full dramatic heat, and—controversial!—a fresh twist on the denouement.

A big-budget thriller made for a streamer is Wheatley coming full circle, in a way: he made his name early on with viral internet capers and a blog (“Mr and Mrs Wheatley”) of shorts co-created with his wife and longtime collaborator, Amy Jump. Between then and now, they have gained fans for their well-received low-to-no budget thrillers, including High-Rise, Kill List and Free Fire (which also starred Hammer).

Over Zoom, Wheatley spoke to Letterboxd about the process of scaling up, the challenge of casting already-iconic characters, and being a year-round horror lover. [The Rebecca plot discussion may be spoilery to some. Wheatley is specifically talking about the du Maurier version, not his film.]

Armie Hammer and Ben Wheatley on the set of ‘Rebecca’.

Can you tell us how you overcame any concerns in adapting a famous novel that already has a very famous adaptation? How did you want to make a 1930s story relevant to modern audiences? Ben Wheatley: When you go back to the novel and look at how it works, you see it’s a very modern book. [Author Daphne du Maurier is] doing stuff that people are still picking up the pieces of now. It’s almost like the Rosetta Stone of thrillers—it tells you everything on how to put a thriller together. The genre jumping and Russian-doll nature of the structure is so delicious. When you look at the characters in the book, they’re still popping up in other stuff—there’s Mrs Danvers in all sorts of movies.

It remains fresh because of its boldness. Du Maurier is writing in a way that’s almost like a dare. She’s going, “right, okay, you like romantic fiction do you? I’ll write you romantic fiction; here’s Maxim de Winter, he’s a widower, he’s a good-looking guy, and owns a big house. Here’s a rags-to-riches, Cinderella-style girl. They’re going to fall in love. Then I’m going to ruin romantic fiction for you forever by making him into a murdering swine and implicating you in the murder because you’re so excited about a couple getting away with it!”

That’s the happy ending—Maxim doesn’t go to prison. How does that work? He’s pretty evil by the end. It’s so subtly done that you only see the trap of it after you finish reading the book. That’s clearly represented in Jane Goldman’s adaptation that couldn’t be done in 1940 because of the Hays Code. That whole element of the book is missing [in Hitchcock’s Rebecca]. But I do really like this style of storytelling in the 1930s and ’40s that is not winky, sarcastic, and cynical. It’s going, “here’s Entertainment with a big ‘E’. We’re going to take you on holiday, then we’re gonna scare you, then we’re gonna take you around these beautiful houses that you would never get a chance to go around, and we’re gonna show you these big emotions.”

After High-Rise, you ended up circling back to more contained types of films, whereas Rebecca is your lushest and largest production. How was scaling up for you? Free Fire does feel like a more contained film, but in many ways it was just as complicated and had the same budget as High-Rise, since it’s just in one space. Happy New Year, Colin Burstead is literally a contained film, that’s right. What [the bigger budget] gave me was the chance to have a conversation where I say I want a hotel that’s full of people and no-one says you can’t have any people in it. You don’t have to shoot in a corner, so that scale is suddenly allowed.

Elisabeth Moss and Tom Hiddlestone in Wheatley’s ‘High-Rise’ (2015).

The other movies I did are seen as no-budget or, I don’t even know the word for how little money they are, and even though High-Rise and Free Fire were eight million dollars each, they’re still seen as ultra-low budget. This is the first film that I’ve done that’s just a standard Hollywood-style movie budget and it makes a massive difference. It gives you extra time to work. All the schemes you might have had to work out in order to cheat and get around faster, but now it’s fine, let’s only shoot two pages today. We can go out on the road and close down all of the south of France—don’t worry about all the holidaymakers screaming at you and getting cross! That side of it is great.

You had the challenge to cast iconic actors for iconic roles. What were you looking for in the casting? What points of reference did you give the actors? I don’t think we really talked about it, but [Armie Hammer] definitely didn’t watch the Hitchcock version. I can understand why he wouldn’t. There was no way he was going to accidentally mimic [Laurence] Olivier’s performance without seeing it and he just didn’t want to have the pressure of that. I think that’s quite right. It’s an 80-year-old film, it’s a beloved classic, and we’d be mad if we were trying to remake it. We’re not.

The thing about the shadow that the film cast is that it’s hard enough making stuff without thinking about other filmmakers. I’ve had this in the past where journalists ask me “what were your influences on the day?” and I wish I could say “it was a really complicated set of movies that the whole thing was based around”, but it’s not like that. When you watch documentaries about filmmakers screening loads of movies for their actors before they make something—it’s lovely, but it’s not something I’ve ever done.

The actual process of filmmaking is guiding actors and capturing emotion on set. That’s enough of a job without putting another layer of postmodern film criticism over the top of it—“we’ll use this shot from 1952, that will really make this scene sing!”—then you’re in a world of pain. Basically, it’s my interpretation of the adaptation. The book is its own place, and for something like High-Rise, [screenwriter Amy Jump] has the nightmare of sitting down with 112 pages of blank paper and taking a novel and smashing it into a script. That’s the hard bit.

Armie Hammer and Lily James in ‘Rebecca’.

Current industry news is not so great—cinemas are facing bankruptcy, film festivals in the USA are mostly virtual, Disney is focusing on Disney+ only. How do you feel about a future where streaming dominates the market and the theatrical experience becomes, as we fear, an exclusive niche? Independent cinema was born out of very few movies. If you look at the history of Eraserhead—that film on its own almost created all of cult cinema programming. One movie can do that. It can create an audience that is replicated and becomes a whole industry. And that can happen again, but it needs those films to do that. They will come as things ebb and flow. The streamers will control the whole market and then one day someone will go “I don’t want to watch this stuff, I want to watch something else” and they’ll go make it.

It’s like The Matrix, it’s a repeating cycle. There’ll always be ‘the One’. There’s Barbara Loden in 1970 making Wanda, basically inventing American independent cinema. So I don’t worry massively about it. I know it’s awkward and awful for people to go bankrupt and the cinemas to close down, but in time they’ll re-open because people will wanna see stuff. The figures for cinemagoers were massive before Covid. Are you saying that people with money are not going to exploit that? Life will find a way. Remember that the cinema industry from the beginning is one that’s in a tailspin. Every year is a disaster and they’re going bust. But they survived the Spanish Flu, which is basically the same thing.

Two months ago, you quickly made a horror movie. We’re going to get a lot of these from filmmakers who just need to create something this year. What can you identify now about this inevitable next wave of micro-budget, micro-schedule pandemic-era cinema? I’ve always made micro-budget films so that side of it is not so crazy. There will be a lot of Zoom and people-locked-in-houses films but they won’t be so interesting. They’re more to-keep-you-sane kind of filmmaking which is absolutely fine. Where you should look for [the ‘pandemic-era’ films] is from the kids and young adults through 14 to 25 who’ve been the most affected by it. They will be the ones making the true movies about the pandemic which will be in like five years’ time.

People going through GCSEs and A-Levels [final high-school exams in England] will have had their social contracts thoroughly smashed by the government after society tells them that this is the most important thing you’re ever gonna do in your life. Then the next day the government tells them “actually, you’ve all passed”, then the next day they go “no, you’ve all failed”, and then “oh no, you’ve all passed”. It’s totally bizarre. Anyone who’s in university at the moment [is] thinking about how they’ve worked really hard to get to that position and now they’ve had it taken away from them. That type of schism in that group will make for a unique set of storytelling impetus. Much more interesting than from my perspective of being a middle-age bloke and having to stay in my house for a bit, which was alright. Their experience is extreme and that will change cinema.

Kristin Scott Thomas as Mrs Danvers in ‘Rebecca’.

It’s time to probe into your taste in film. Firstly, three questions about Alfred Hitchcock: his best film, most underrated film, and most overrated film? It’s tricky, there’s a lot to choose from. I think Psycho is his best film because, much like Wanda, it was the invention of indie cinema. He took a TV crew to go and do a personal project and then completely redefined horror, and he did it in the same year as Peeping Tom.

There’s stuff I really like in Torn Curtain. Certainly the murder scene where they’re trying to stick the guy in the oven. It’s a gut-wrenching sequence. Overrated, I don’t know. It’s just a bit mean, isn’t it? Overrated by who? They’re all massively rated, aren’t they?

Which film made you want to become a filmmaker? The slightly uncool version of my answer is the first fifteen minutes of Dr. No before I got sent to bed. We used to watch movies on the telly when I was a kid, so movies would start at 7pm and I had to go to bed at 7:30pm. You would get to see the first half-hour and that would be it. The opening was really intriguing. I never actually saw a lot of these movies until I was much older.

The more grown-up answer is a film like Taxi Driver. It was the first time where I felt like I’d been transported in a way where there was an authorship to a film that I didn’t understand. It had done something to me that television and straightforward movies hadn’t done and made me feel very strange. It was something to do with the very, very intense mixture of sound, music and image and I started to understand that that was cinema.

What horror movie do you watch every Hallowe’en? I watch The Thing every year but I don’t tend to celebrate Hallowe’en, to be honest. I’m of an age where it wasn’t a big deal and was never particularly celebrated. I find it a bit like “what’s all this Hallowe’en about?”—horror films for me are for all year-round.

What’s a brilliant mindfuck movie that perhaps even cinephiles haven’t seen? What grade of cinephile are we talking? All of the work by Jan Švankmajer, maybe. Hard to Be a God is pretty mindfucky if you want a bit of that, but cinephiles should know about it. It’s pretty intense. Marketa Lazarová too.

‘Marketa Lazarová’ (1967) directed by František Vláčil.

What is the greatest screen romance that you totally fell head over heels for? I guess it’s Casablanca for me. That would be it.

Which coming-of-age film did you connect to the most as a teenager? [Pauses for effect] Scum.

Who is an exciting newcomer director we should keep our eyes on? God, I don’t know. I would say Jim Hosking but he’s older than me and he’s not a newcomer because he’s done two movies. So, that’s rubbish. He doesn’t count.

[Editor’s note: Hosking contributed to ABCs of Death 2 with the segment “G is for Grandad” while Wheatley contributed to The ABCs of Death with the segment “U is for Unearthed” and also executive produced the follow-up film.]

What was your best cinema experience? [Spoiler warning for The Thing.]

Oh, one that speaks in my mind is seeing The Thing at an all-nighter in the Scala at King’s Cross, and I was sitting right next to this drunk guy who was talking along to the screen. It was a packed cinema with about 300 people, and someone at the front told him “will you just shut up?” The guy says “I won’t shut up. You tell me to shut up again and I’ll spoil the whole film!” The whole audience goes “no, no, no!” and he went “it’s the black guy and the guy with the beard—everyone else dies!” That made me laugh so much.

Do you have a favorite film you’ve watched so far this year? Yeah, Zombie Flesh Eaters.

Related content

Classic Gothic Literature to Film—Jennifer Boddaert’s list

Ava’s Dark Romance list

Ben Wheatley’s Life in Film list

Follow Jack on Letterboxd

‘Rebecca’ is in select US theaters on October 17, and streaming on Netflix everywhere on October 21.

[witchesnwitchlings]

Essential Oils & Babies 🌻👶🕯️

Unfortunately, most of the posts I see that include the use of essential oils don’t tend to have very many “warnings” or directions on how to safely use essential oils. Overall, whether you are using them on yourself or on your baby, please thoroughly research what you are about to use and how to properly apply it to your needs.

NOTE: Please don’t use this post as your sole source of information!!

I am writing this for informational purposes, first and foremost, to help you keep your babies safe. Question everything you read, and search it again and again. Rephrase your question 3x over if you have too. Dig deep to make sure you fully understand to the best of your ability what it does do, good or bad, and what it might do as well.

Some of these oils can cause irritation on yourself when you don’t dilute it, can you imagine what it would feel like for your little one? Others, when put in the diffuser, may irritate your babies lungs. Babies are extremely sensitive when it comes to their respiratory system, and accidentally exposing them to a source that may not be helpful all because you just didn’t know? Not something any mom, new or experienced, wants to put them through. Especially, when it’s an accident. This doesn’t only apply to essential oils, unfortunately, it can be the same issue with candles, incense sticks, camp fires, cigarettes; anything that creates smoke or an aroma.

Most doctors, such as Dr. Mike Patrick, web-pages, and the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians all state to use caution, and suggest to not expose your baby to essential oils if they are younger than 3 months old. However, once they are past that mark (and with the approval of their pediatrician on their development), you can slowly start to introduce them to one oil at a time.

I, myself, stress on the slowly part because once again, babies are very sensitive and I’ve had an experience myself with accidentally exposing my little girl to camp fire smoke too often. After a few weeks, we ended up needing to take her to the pediatrician because she spiked a fever. So my advice would be, do one at a time and in small amounts (and dilute the ones that are necessary), to discourage a bad reaction from your infant. If you start to see a rash, they cough a lot, or get very fussy (symptoms I have seen first hand from smoke inhalation); stop the massage, turn off the diffuser, give them a bath if necessary, and go outside as you let the room air out.

In HealthDay’s article here, it states that a Tennessee  poison center said that “between 2011 and 2015, reports of toxic exposures to these oils -- such as tea tree oil -- doubled, the center said. Even more alarming, four out of every five cases were in children.

“The oils, which are derived from plants and used in aromatic and homeopathic products, can cause harm when consumed. And children face a heightened risk from exposure, the experts said.

‘The rule of thumb in toxicology is '’the dose makes the poison,'’ so all essential oils are potentially harmful,’ said Dr. Justin Loden, a certified specialist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center's Tennessee Poison Center. ‘In children, poisoning typically occurs when they try to swallow the oil, but choke so that a little of it goes into the lungs, which causes pneumonia; it only takes less than half a teaspoonful to do that. This hazard applies to every essential oil,’ Loden said in a university news release.” It is also stated on HealthLine to avoid fragrances that are manufactured, due to the fact that they are completely different from these oils and the “essential oils that are premixed with alcohol can be irritating.”

So, what do you do instead?

First, dilution can be achieved from mixing them with a carrier oil, such as vegetable oil, coconut oil, peanut oil, and sweet almond oil. With additional benefits that hydrate the skin, this serves a purpose to spread it thinly across the skin so it down plays the chances of getting a reaction. The recommended dosage for babies 3 months and older is a .5 to 1% where for adults it’s 2.5 to 10%. However, perform a patch test first, because for some infants even diluted oils can still cause irritation and sensitivity to the sun. Here is a chart for dilution recommendations:

NOTE: I would also advise against using peanut or almond oil if you have already been aware of your child having a nut allergy, and do a very small patch test if you need to. However, I would strongly suggest to not use these oils until your pediatrician has run allergy tests for nuts.

Second, perform that patch test I was talking about. Make a small batch of diluted essential oil, try starting with one drop of oil to do the test. Rub only one drop of the diluted solution onto a small patch of skin on your baby, and keep to this one oil until you know for certain that your little one won’t be having a reaction. Once your baby is responding well to this oil, then you may start on the next oil to try out. If you’re baby has a bad reaction, wash and rinse the area immediately to prevent the irritation from spreading.

Repeat this same process for each oil, one by one, so that if there is a reaction it is easier for you to pin down which oil it was. After that, you can then log what oil it was that caused the reaction and you can avoid making a mistake later down the road. And, if the reaction is bad enough, and you need to see a doctor, you can inform the doctor of which oil it was so they can properly treat the reaction without causing further harm from cross contamination.

Finally, in addition to the bad reactions, keeping a log can help you track what does and doesn’t work for your little one. This can help you in the future for when you need something right away, like when they’re fussing, but can’t think straight. Especially if you’re sleep deprived, like myself. Keeping everything logged can aid with knowing which oils you have tried already, as well.

Once again, please research which oils are safe for you and your little one, especially if allergies or sensitivities run in your family. Here is my list of essential oils that are baby safe!

Sources: [x. x. x. x. x. x.]

[garywonghc]

Supplication to Padmasambhava 2 of 2

by Russell Rodgers

O Jetsün Guru Rinpoche, Refuge of all beings in the three realms, Consider your vow. Dispel outer, inner and secret obstacles.

Jetsün is an honorific term for especially revered gurus. The three realms refer to the realm in which we live, and the form and formless god realms. These latter two are accessed in some meditation experiences, but are regarded as not being particularly spiritually relevant to our path.

Outer obstacles are obstacles in the environment, such as not having enough money to attend a dharma program. Inner obstacles refer to the physical sicknesses and conflicting emotions that happen in one’s own person. Secret obstacles have to do with the loss of one’s awareness of sacred outlook. When this loss happens, one can fall into confused projections of self and other, friend and enemy, good and bad.

When the pure four truths are propagated…..

The pure four truths refer to the “Four Noble Truths”: The first is the truth that the human condition is marked by perpetual dissatisfaction, suffering and anxiety. The second refers to the source of that condition: the belief in a self and the web of concepts that are created around that. The third truth is that one is sometimes released momentarily, just long enough so that one realises that suffering, anxiety and dissatisfaction are unnecessary. The fourth is the truth of the path: how to stabilise that release from suffering.

If misfortunes of malicious maras arise….

Maras are seductive spirits: personifications of four basic neurotic tendencies. First is skandha-mara, the seduction of belief in a solid, permanent, unitary self. Klesha-mara refers to the seduction of confused emotions, and believing them to be the truth about reality. Devaputra-mara is the unbalanced pursuit of pleasure and accompanying ignorance of the signals of pain. Attachment to blissful states of meditation is part of this mara. Yama-mara is death, which interrupts one’s practice unless one knows how to include death as path. This mara is also connected with the fear of death, or simply the fear of losing reference points and experiencing groundlessness. Losing ground, or the fear of it, is at the root of much neurosis.

O Guru Shakya Senge, Dispel outer, inner, and secret obstacles.

Padmasambhava had different names at different periods of his life. These names reflected the kind of energy that he was manifesting at that time. Shakya Senge (Tibetan for “lion of the Shakya clan”) was the name that he was given when he received ordination. Although he was said to be enlightened from birth, in this phase he demonstrated the importance of relating to the monastic tradition. As Shakya Senge, he appears in iconography wearing monk’s robes, sitting in lotus posture, holding a begging bowl in his left hand and a vajra in the right. Sakya Senge shows Guru Rinpoche’s mastery and protection of the foundation teachings of the dharma.

When the bodhichitta path of aspiring and entering is propagated, If there arise misfortunes of mãras causing one to harm others,

The bodhichitta path refers to the Mahayana. At first we “aspire” to awaken our hearts towards others. This aspiration is formalised with the bodhisattva vow. We actually “enter” that path when we begin to practice the six paramitas. The paramitas are practices based on enlightened activities. Our basic inspiration may come from a brief glimpse of natural, spontaneous awakened heart, but our practice of that may feel somewhat awkward and artificial because we have conceptualised projection of what compassion and emptiness are. Through practice, we get closer and gradually “enter” into genuine, spontaneous, non-conceptual awakened heart. At this point, we are able to practice the paramitas fully.

O Guru Loden Choksi, Dispel outer, inner, and secret obstacles.

The name “Loden Choksi” was given to Padmasambhava after he had studied under many vajra masters and accomplished many Vajrayana practices. He became the guru of the king of Sahor in India. Loden Choksi is depicted in royal robes, wearing a white turban on his head and a mirror around his neck. Through his miraculous ability to deal with whatever threats, difficulties, and obstacles arose, Loden Choksi manifested invincibility. Whatever obstacles arose, these became adornments for him.

When the chariot of vajrayãna Is brought into the world, If the perverted aspirations of barbarians run rampant…..

The Vajrayana teachings are powerful: they accept the world as it is, within self-existing sacredness and non-ego. Sometimes people pervert these teachings out of a desire to capture the power of Vajrayana by twisting the teachings to enhance ego. One common way to twist the teachings is to say that since everything is sacred, it doesn’t matter what one does. In this case, there is usually a lot of ego happening on the side of the person doing the action, and a lack of understanding of karma and compassion. In this case sacredness or basic goodness is not based on pure nowness, but on a concept of sacredness or basic goodness.

….O Guru Dorje Trolö, Dispel outer, inner, and secret obstacles.

Dorje Trolö is a wrathful manifestation of Padmasambhava, with a red face and three eyes, biting his lower lip with his fangs, wielding a vajra in his right hand and a phurba (three bladed dagger) in his left, standing on a pregnant tigress. Both he and Senge Dradrok are crazy wisdom forms; they transmute the poisonous confusion of samsara into spontaneous wisdom activity. In The Sadhana of Mahamudra, the form and the activity of Dorje Trolö is unified with that of Karma Pakshi, the second Karmapa. Dorje Trolö is the form that Padmasambhava manifested when he came to Tibet and encountered Tibetan religion and culture, which was much more earthy than the Indian religion of the time. However, that culture still had a dualistic relationship between man and the gods, and between man and the external world. Dorje Trolö, because he lived in non-duality himself, exploded this duality through his own example. He also left “terma,” teachings that were not appropriate during his time, but would be at a later date. The Vidyadhara found several of these in the form of yellow scrolls when he was still a teenager in Tibet. The Sadhana of Mahamudra is an example of a terma, although the Vidyadhara discovered it without the aid of a written text.

When the three yãnas of the excellent Great Eastern Sun Are propagated and established, If mãra-hordes of gyalgongs and senmos gather, O Guru Senge Dradok, Dispel outer, inner, and secret obstacles.

Usually, the three yãnas refer to the Hinayana, Mahayana and Vajrayana. Putting them in the context of the “Great Eastern Sun” highlights these in a different light. In this case it refers to the Shambhala teachings for creating an enlightened society, based on fundamental human dignity and wisdom. Guru Senge Dradok (Tibetan for “Lion’s Roar”): is another wrathful manifestation of Padmasambhava. He appears as a defender of the dharma and great magician: dark blue, with three eyes, fangs, trampling on human corpses, wearing a tiger skin skirt, hair streaming upwards, with a crown of five small skulls and a necklace of human heads, surrounded by flames of wisdom and wrathful compassion.

Trungpa Rinpoche commented that, when presented with a problem based on some kind of misunderstanding of reality, Senge Dradruk was not afraid to meet those who were presenting the problem, on their own ground. He did not try to block them. Instead, mixing his presence with theirs had the effect of accelerating the natural course of problem towards dissolution. This happens because confusion is based on concepts, and concepts need to be maintained by effort in the face of actual reality. Since he was not attached to the “this-ness” of himself, he wasn’t afraid of the “that-ness” of the world. The chant specifically mentions gyalgongs, or “monk demons,” who provoke competitive aggression by perverting the dharma with their analytical preconceptions. They transform dharmic vision into politics and sectarian strife. Senmos are female demons who seduce the practitioner into samsaric passion through sensual fascination.

Just as at Hepo Hill at glorious Samye, You bound by oath devas and rãkshasas, So utterly destroy these obstacles of mãras. Consider well your former vow of compassion. Destroy outer, inner, and secret obstacles. Dispel the döns who bring darkness to the world.

Samye was the first monastery built in Tibet. During the building of the monastery, there were many misfortunes and obstacles. It seemed as though what was built in the day was being dismantled at night by devas and rãkshasas – gods and demons. Padmasambhava was invited to turn things around, and he did it in such a way that the environmental situation began to work for, rather than against the building of the monastery. Hepo Hill is near Samye, where Padmasambhava tamed the local deities who were interfering with the establishment of dharma in Tibet. Döns are malicious spirits whose attacks are associated with lack of mindfulness on the part of the practitioner.

O Mahaguru, compassionate one, There is no other hope but you. Please issue your command to the ocean of dharmapãlas So they will destroy all obstacles without exception.

Because Padmasambhava had tamed the obstructing spirits and energies to the service of the dharma, they became dharmapãlas, or protectors of teachings. We might wonder what that means for our own culture.

[intothenoise]

What is Required is Peace, Not Pacification in the Holy Land

(This post was originally published as part of IMES’ Regional Brief for June 2019, written by Jesse Wheeler)

News

At the time of this writing, the latest pronouncement from the US administration regarding the long-anticipated Israeli-Palestinian peace plan – nicknamed “the Deal of the Century” – is that its content and substance will be announced in June 2019, heretofore hidden behind a “not-so-secret” veil of secrecy. Soon, we will learn if this is indeed the case. Pundits and partisans, left and right, have speculated as to the content of the plan, with many pondering its chances for success and others pronouncing it dead on arrival – as based on what has been witnessed thus far concerning the recognition of Jerusalem and the Golan Heights, defunding UNWRA, and sidelining Palestinian leadership. Meanwhile, Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom published what they report to be a leaked draft of the plan. 

Regarding its content and substance, journalist Jonathan Cook paraphrases the main elements of the plan as including:

Support for full Israeli annexation of large swaths of the West Bank and the full incorporation into Israel proper of Israeli settlements, currently illegal under international law.

The establishment of an entity, being referred to as “New Palestine,” consisting of discrete districts cut off from each other and surrounded by settlements. “New Palestine” would constitute 12% of historic, mandate Palestine.

Economic funding ($30 billion over 5 years) funneled into “New Palestine” provided primarily by the cash rich Gulf-states. Israel currently receives $38 billion in aid, which would likely continue.

Jerusalem would remain the capital of Israel. Israelis would ostensibly not be allowed to buy Palestinian homes, but the Palestinians of East Jerusalem would become citizens of New Palestine, not Jerusalem.

The Gaza strip would be opened to territory in northern Sinai where there would ostensibly exist an industrial zone and airport for use by Gazans.

Palestinian refugees in the surrounding countries would permanently become the responsibility of those various countries.

Should the Palestinians refuse the deal, Jonathan Cook reports, “The US would cut off all money transfers to the Palestinians” and “the US would authorize Israel to ‘personally harm’ the leadership of Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

If Israel fails to abide by the agreement, they too would ostensibly lose funding.

Likewise, it is reported that Saudi officials delivered a report to Mahmoud Abbas, who, unsurprisingly, rejected it outright. After seeing the plan and raising objections, Abbas presented a counter-offer to the Americans, “who refused to discuss it and warned that ‘the plan is not for negotiation; it’s for implementation.’” As further reported by Middle East Eye, “[US Envoy to the Middle East] Jason Greenblatt said that the US peace plan is designed to benefit the region as a whole, and does not require the consent of the Palestinians,” adding that, “The Palestinians are no longer the deciding party. We have a plan for the region and the Palestinians can join in if they want, but they are also free not to.”

Analysis

As a “peace-plan” between Israelis and Palestinians, I think it is fair to say that without Palestinian involvement the document will be dead on arrival. To those cognizant of the Palestinian perspective, it appears as though the stipulations listed above would simply add international legitimacy to the Israeli Occupation and settlement enterprise as they currently exist, joining a long history of internationally sponsored agreements – detailed by Columbia University professor Rashid Khalidi in The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine: from the Balfour Declaration of 1917, declaring the desire on the part of Great Britain to create a “national home for the Jewish people,” then 5% of the population, in historic Palestine; the UN Partition plan of 1947, granting 55% of the most desirable land to what was by that time 31% of the population; UN Resolution 242 after the 1967 War that witnessed the advent of the Israeli Occupation, pressuring the Palestinians to abandon their claims to historic, mandate Palestine in eventual exchange for a state of their own within the remaining territory (22%); to the Oslo Accords of the early 1990s, which granted a veneer of legitimacy to the Israeli occupation in exchange for the pretense of a Palestinian state with “authority” over an even smaller swath (40%) of the remaining 22% of territory after 1967. To the Palestinians, Kushner’s 12% plan represents just an additional stage in their continued and ongoing displacement at the hands of a militarily powerful settler-colonial enterprise. For this reason, Palestinian leaders have been calling the plan little more than “conditions for surrender,” or a “surrender note.”

However, as Haaretz columnist Anshel Pfeffer asks, “What if the Trump plan should work after all?” – not as a “peace-plan,” but as a means of removing the Palestinian problem from the international agenda and creating space for regional Arab-Israeli cooperation. Pfeffer writes,

As far as the authors of the plan are concerned, it’s not about delivering a just and equitable solution for the Palestinians. Success for them would be removing the Palestinians and their predicament from the international agenda at the lowest price possible. That price is a series of semi-autonomous enclaves in Gaza and, at the most, half the territory of the West Bank, and as much Saudi, Emirati and Qatari cash as it will take to keep them quiet.

Theological Reflections and Missiological Implications

Residing at the heart of our mission as followers of Christ is the pursuit of reconciliation. Anything short of this is dereliction of duty. As theologian Veli-Matti Karkkainen explains in his chapter, “Reconciliation as the Church’s Mission in the World”:

Casting the doctrine of atonement in proper Trinitarian framework and in the context of God’s faithfulness to His creation helps us widen and make more inclusive the work of atonement by focusing on the multifaceted meaning of the term ‘reconciliation’ – healing and bringing together broken relationships. Of all the metaphors of salvation, reconciliation has the potential of being the most inclusive and comprehensive, encompassing such ideas as “cosmic reconciliation, the Hebrew notion of shalom, the meaning of the cross, the psychological effects of conversion, the work of the Holy Spirit, the overcoming of barriers between Christians, the work of the Church in the world, peacemaking, movements towards ethnic reconciliation and the renewal of ecological balances between humanity and its natural environment.” Underlying many of these facets of reconciliation is the motif of restoration of relationships.[1]

This is the future vision towards which we must presently strive, in Palestine-Israel as much as elsewhere. For his part, celebrated Mennonite peacebuilder John Paul Lederach defines reconciliation as consisting of equal parts truth, justice, mercy and peace.[2] Without all four aspects in play, any attempts at reconciliation will remain tenuous and inadequate.

Furthermore, drawing on insights from Salim Munayer and Lisa Loden, it is often the case in intractable conflicts that two distinct narrative frames are at play in interpreting and understanding a conflict. This is the situation in Israel-Palestine. Palestinians and their sympathizers, for instance, interpret history and assign blame in one manner, while Israelis and Israeli sympathizers interpret history and assign blame in an opposite manner. And, as both personal and collective identities are so intimately tied to the narratives through which individuals or groups interpret their experiences of conflict, coming to terms with alternate readings of history can be extremely challenging and at times psychologically and emotionally destabilizing. As such, a proposed solution that might seem reasonable and level-headed to one, would appear disastrous to another. In this way, Palestinians will naturally interpret the “gift” of North Sinai through the lens of al-Nakba, as an additional instance of ethnic cleansing, another attempt to drive Palestinians from their ancestral homeland. Likewise, Israelis will often interpret the “one-state solution” through the lens of historic anti-Semitism and anti-Jewish pogroms ultimately resulting in the Holocaust, as a desire to destroy Israel. Palestinian and Israeli communities each embody zero-sum narratives of national destruction.

To paraphrase philosophical ethicist Alasdair MacIntyre: in any disagreement or dialogue, agreement requires “enabling those who participate in it both to give voice to their own concerns and to understand those of others.” Otherwise, the dual evils of suppression or disruption will inevitably rear their ugly heads.[3] It is precisely for this reason that both sides must be present at the negotiating table if any semblance of a just peace is to be reached. Therefore, for the sake of mercy and peace, both Israeli and Palestinian narratives must be taken into consideration and valued. Yet, for the sake of truth and justice it must also be acknowledged that not all narratives are constructed equally. Some promulgate a sense of continual victimhood, real or imagined. Other narrative constructs facilitate “virtuous violence,” increasing the likelihood and longevity of violent conflict. And, some narratives quite plainly serve the interests of empire, legitimating conquest, exploitation and theft. In such a scenario, peace without justice is little more than pacification, for “as long as glaring economic and social imbalances persist,” Fr. Daniel Groody reminds us, “peace is impossible.”[4]

________________

[1] Veli-Matti Karkkainen, Christ and Reconciliation: A Constructive Christian Theology for the Pluralistic World (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing, 2013) 364

[2] John Paul Lederach, Reconcile: Conflict Transformation for Ordinary Christians (Harrisonburg: Herald Press, 2017) 83

[3] Alasdair MacIntyre, Ethics and Politics: Selected Essays Vol. 2 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006)

[4] Daniel Groody, Globalization, Spirituality and Justice, (Maryknoll: Orbis Books, 2007) Kindle Location 3061.

[aion-rsa]

What Star Wars: The High Republic Can Learn From Knights of the Old Republic

https://ift.tt/36EbO2U

The High Republic is the first major Star Wars publishing initiative since the end of the Sequel Trilogy. Set about 200 years before The Phantom Menace, The High Republic line of books and comics shows the Jedi in their heyday, led by new heroes and faced with new enemies and challenges. Made up of three novels (one for each age category) and comic series from Marvel and IDW, the story begins with a “Great Disaster” which disrupts hyperspace travel.

Originally slated to launch in August just days before this year’s Star Wars Celebration convention, the beginning of the series has now been pushed to January 5, 2021. Spearheading the story are all-star Star Wars writers Charles Soule, Claudia Gray, Cavan Scott, Daniel Jose Older, and Justina Ireland.

As Lucasfilm introduces a new era of stories to capture the imagination of fans, there are a few things the company could learn from the last time it introduced an era of Star Wars set hundreds of years before The Phantom Menace. We’re of course talking about the Old Republic era, the setting of Star Wars adventures like the Tales of the Jedi comics and Knights of the Old Republic video game. While the Dark Horse comics spawned this era of war between the Jedi and the Sith (and later, the Mandalorians), it’s arguably the video game that solidified the Old Republic as a fan-favorite era in Star Wars history.

Knights of the Old Republic showed fans an era of Star Wars not completely unlike the one in the movies but that also felt new, with uncharted planets to explore and legendary characters to meet. This is the same balance that The High Republic will have to strike to be successful. Here are the lessons The High Republic can learn from Knights of the Old Republic:

Avoid the Skywalker Saga

Knights of the Old Republic had its own powerhouse character in Darth Revan. It didn’t try to connect Revan’s story to the Skywalkers or to rely on a family legacy for ideas about the Force. That’s one of the benefits of working outside of the movies: you can play around more freely with new characters instead of relying on cameos from old favorites.

Set 4,000 years before the film saga, developer BioWare was able to do pretty much anything it wanted with the game’s characters, planets, and factions without interfering with the movies. 200 years into the past isn’t as long of a time jump, but it still means The High Republic can avoid retreading Prequel era stories that have been told before.

The High Republic will have some element of family legacy, though. According to Lucasfilm, this era will explore “the Starros and San Tekka clans,” a reference to Lor San Tekka, a minor character in The Force Awakens, and Sana Starros, a friend of Han Solo in the recent Marvel comics. Hopefully, these connections to the Skywalker Saga will be in support of a new story and not a way to drive readers back to the Original and Sequel Trilogies.

Deeper Lore

One of the strengths of the original Star Wars was that the galaxy felt lived in and full of history. Even if you were only following Luke’s story, mention of historical events like the Clone Wars and the battered quality of the ships immediately established that a lot had happened before the movie had even started.

Today, we know the Star Wars galaxy is vast both in time and space, and one of the benefits of a story set before what we’ve already seen is reaching farther back in time to unlock new mysteries and lore. After all, exploring ancient ruins and thousand-year-old temples is part of the fantasy of Star Wars.

Knights of the Old Republic established various ancient aliens, including the Rakata, which created the puzzles and ruins key to Revan’s story. It also explored Korriban, a secret Sith planet and the final resting place of several Sith lords, as well as old Jedi enclaves where masters taught a legendary generation of Jedi Knights.

Since The High Republic will focus on Jedi, this is a chance for readers to learn more about what traditions have been passed down and how they might have changed between the High Republic and the Prequel eras. The introduction of the Nihil, the “space Vikings” billed as the villains of the story, could also be a way to show more of the “Wild West” aspect of the era before all sectors of the galaxy were under the jurisdiction of the Galactic Republic.

More Varied Characters

From the Original Trilogy templates of farmboy Jedi, smuggler with a heart of gold, and warrior princess came a near-infinite variety of characters types. Knights of the Old Republic starred Republic soldiers, an arrogant Jedi, and a murderous droid named HK-47 that couldn’t have been less like C-3PO.

And at the center of the story was a Sith lord suffering from amnesia who was unlike any “villain” we’d ever seen before in Star Wars. Revan was a former bad guy tricked into becoming a hero by his Jedi custodians, a big character twist that’s still regarded as one of the big moments in Star Wars history.

Read more

TV

What Star Wars: The Clone Wars Says About Maul and Ahsoka’s Connection

By Megan Crouse

Movies

How Star Wars Hypeman Charles Lippincott Changed Fandom Forever

By Ryan Britt

The High Republic is yet another chance for storytellers to introduce new kinds of characters never before seen in the canon. So far, we know there will be a primarily Jedi cast with a variety of species, ages, and experiences, but the unsettled territories of the galaxy could also provide some surprising characters.

Aliens Acting Against Type 

Star Wars has a tendency to “typecast” alien species. If the first Zabrak character ever seen on screen was Darth Maul, future members of the same species are probably going to be warlike, acrobatic, and tough. Even a Jedi Master of this species was known primarily for his thick skin and rough upbringing. But Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords introduced a very different type of Zabrak: a soft-spoken mechanic named Bao-Dur who was good at a different kind of killing (he had invented a super-weapon and regretted it).

Meanwhile, the first Twi’leks were servants in Jabba’s Palace in Return of the Jedi, potentially dooming all members of their species to some form of slavery. But Knights of the Old Republic gave us Mission Vao, a street-smart thief who would fit in perfectly with the smugglers and scoundrels of the galaxy.

The High Republic has a chance to give aliens as much diversity as humans. We know that the cast will feature at least two alien characters, the Twi’lek Loden Greatstorm and the Mirialin Vern Rwoh. What other characters might the series introduce and how might they surprise us?

New Jedi Abilities

If the High Republic is the heyday of the Jedi, Force powers must play a big part in this golden age. Knights of the Old Republic popularized Jedi Battle Meditation, a special power that allows certain Force users to turn the tide of massive battles. In the game, Jedi hero Bastila Shan is considered one of the most powerful knights in the galaxy due to the way she can influence entire war fleets. (In Tales of the Jedi, hero Nomi Sunrider could also use Battle Meditation to defeat enemies without having to lift her lightsaber.)

The High Republic cast is supposed to include some of the best Jedi who ever lived. “Best” doesn’t just mean martial prowess, either. In fact, since this era takes place before Sidious’ rise, the Jedi are supposed to be more ethically-minded than the ones in the Prequels. Master Avar Kriss is described as “compassionate, not dogmatic, and always ready to sacrifice herself over others.” This might lend itself to new kinds of Force healing or other powers that help others become stronger. 

Ancient Science 

Star Wars is science-fantasy at its core, magical crystals powering lasers. The combination of the two genres is key to telling a great story set in this universe. In Knights of the Old Republic, this aesthetic manifests itself in the ancient Rakatan technology that leads players through their adventure. Revan, Bastila, and the rest of the cast hunt for ancient Star Maps, exploring the deepest corners of several planets to find these artifacts powered by the dark side of the Force.

After finding all the Star Maps, the characters uncover the mystery of the Star Forge, an enormous factory in space built by the Rakatan Empire in order to produce the greatest army in the galaxy. But while the Star Forge was designed to slowly feed off the energy of a nearby star, it also fed on the dark side energy of the Rakata themselves, eventually leading to the fall of their Infinite Empire. In essence, the Rakata had created a self-aware dark side superweapon that led to their own destruction. The High Republic will visit a place called the Starlight Beacon, a station that serves as a lighthouse meant to help space travelers navigate dangerous hyperspace routes. Is there more to the origin of this station? And what else might the Jedi uncover in the uncharted parts of the galaxy? We hope to see interesting new technology in the series that fuses science with magic.

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[mrmichaelchadler]

A Look Back at the 2018 Indie Memphis Film Festival

The lineup for the 21st Indie Memphis Film Festival was such an embarrassment of riches it would have been impossible to catch all of the screenings over the five days of the fest's schedule (events continued into the following week). Senior programmer Miriam Bale, along with shorts programmer Brighid Wheeler, and executive director Ryan Watt put together an ambitious and diverse lineup. Boots Riley, whose excellent "Sorry to Bother You" screened, was in attendance, giving a keynote speech as well as hosting a screening of Terry Gilliam's dystopian "Brazil," one of the major influences on "Sorry to Bother You." New releases were on the schedule, some of which will probably be players in this year's awards season, as well as some older films, like Barbara Loden's recently restored "Wanda," Brian De Palma's 1973 film "Sisters," Berry Gordy's 1975 film "Mahogany," starring Diana Ross, and the 1994 cult classic "Cabin Boy," with Chris Elliott in attendance. It was also a mini retrospective for South Korean director Hong Sang-soo, with four of his films screening ("On the Beach at Night Alone," "The Day After," "Grass," and "Claire's Camera.")

Contemporary 2018 releases included Alexis Bloom's "Divide and Conquer: The Story of Roger Ailes," Andrew Bujalski's "Support the Girls," Bing Liu's "Minding the Gap," RaMell Ross's documentary "Hale County This Morning, This Evening," Rungano Nyoni's "I Am Not a Witch," Josephine Decker's "Madeline's Madeline" and Barry Jenkins' long-anticipated "If Beale Street Could Talk," making its regional premiere. Jenkins was unable to attend Indie Memphis, and sent a video greeting, played before the screening of the film. He expressed his regrets he couldn't be there with all of us, in the home of Beale Street itself.

Along with the film schedule, there was the Black Creators Forum, a two-day symposium featuring guest speakers, panels, and a pitch rally—open to industry and public—for 12 African-American filmmakers looking to fund upcoming projects to be filmed in Memphis (the winner would receive $10,000). 

The festival got off to a strong start with Melissa Haizlip's documentary "Mr. Soul!", about her uncle, Ellis Haizlip, whose groundbreaking PBS show "Soul!" ran from 1968-1973. Initially conceived as "the black 'Tonight Show,'" "Soul!" developed into so much more, with host Ellis Haizlip presiding over a show filled with music, poetry, dance, politics, literature, with guests as varied as James Baldwin, Stevie Wonder, Patti LaBelle, Nikki Giovanni. Borne out of the strife of 1968, with its riots and assassinations, the show was an attempt to counteract the negative image of African-Americans dominating the news. What other television series ever would devote an entire episode to women reading their poetry? "Soul!" did. "Mr. Soul!" is a portrait of Haizlip himself, as well as a history of the television program. So many artists made their debuts on "Soul!", many of whom were interviewed for the documentary. "Soul!" is long overdue for release on box set, or at least to be hosted by a streaming service. People need to have access to this important part of American cultural history.

I was on the jury in the Hometowners category, along with Cinereach's Leah Giblin and film editor Michael Taylor. Our category included 4 features ("Memphis Majic," "Negro Terror," "Waiting: The Van Duren Story," and "Rukus"), 8 shorts, and 20 music videos, all films either about Memphis or by Memphis filmmakers. 

Although we loved everything we saw, our choice for best Hometowners Feature was unanimous. "Rukus," directed by Memphis native Brett Hanover, is a queer coming-of-age story, I suppose, but beyond that, the film defies easy classification. Filmed over a 10-year period, "Rukus" blends documentary with fiction, and Hanover plays himself throughout (or versions of himself). Hanover details his fascination with the Furries subculture, and how that subculture introduced him to a mysterious kid from Florida who went by the online name "Rukus." Structured somewhat like "Citizen Kane" at first, Hanover goes on a quest to find out more about Rukus, all as he himself deals with issues surrounding sexuality and identity. There isn't a cliched frame in "Rukus"; it's a singular vision. 

For best short, we chose "Windows," directed by Jason Allen Lee, praising its innovative visual approach to the lack of privacy in our world. For music video, we chose the video for Faith Evans Ruch's "I'm Yours," directed by Melissa Anderson Sweazy, a Memphis-based photographer, writer, and director. 

As an added bonus, I gave a talk on Elvis' Hollywood career, introduced by award-winning Memphis writer and filmmaker Robert Gordon (his It Came From Memphis is essential reading, as well as his beautiful Can’t Be Satisfied: The Life and Times of Muddy Waters). I gave the talk in the Circuit Theatre, once The Memphian, a movie theatre Elvis used to frequent. He'd rent it out for an entire night and show up with his entourage. Standing on that stage, in that building, where Elvis himself had so many happy times, was pretty profound. I showed clips from Elvis' movies, "Love Me Tender," "King Creole," "Viva Las Vegas" and more. It was fun to celebrate those sometimes silly movies with such an enthusiastic interested crowd. 

One other film which I saw and loved was Graham Carter's "Shoot the Moon Right Between the Eyes," starring Sonny Carl Davis ("Melvin & Howard," "Where the Buffalo Roam," "Fast Times at Ridgemont High," "Bernie") and David Kendrick, as Carl and Jerry, two con artists traveling through Texas, romancing lonely rich ladies out of their money. Jerry is in charge of the romancing, while Carl holds down the fort in motels and dive bars. Jerry's romance with Maureen (a wonderful Morgana Shaw) unexpectedly turns into something real, throwing his relationship with Carl into disarray. Meanwhile, a scruffy private investigator named Les (Frank Mosley, in a very funny performance) trails Carl and Jerry, determined to catch the con artist who stole his fiancee right out from under him. "Shoot the Moon" is also a musical, with characters bursting into John Prine songs throughout. The film works on the most simple and elemental level, a level difficult to reach for most film-makers: There's a sweetness in operation, but the sweetness does not feel manipulative or pushed. It's natural, gentle, and human. The film surges with swoony romanticism, presented without a wink of irony. "Shoot the Moon Right Between the Eyes" was one of the real discoveries of the festival for me.

Every festival has its own energy and personality—Indie Memphis is warm and friendly, yet also exciting and intense. Kind of like Memphis itself. You can check out the full list of Indie Memphis awards heres.

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[footstepsbluedragon]

The Medway

The next day we sailed as far as Rochester Bridge to view the castle and cathedral from the river

and Upnor castle 

then as the weather deteriorated we moored the boat in Gillingham marina - where all the staff were very friendly and helpful - so we suffered none of the trials of the the Blue Dragon - On returning, as usually happens on the south coasts, we found the Blue Dragon had been officiously shifted. These watermen always say you are in a dangerous place, and shift your boat merely to get a douceur (definition a gratuity, tip, or bribe from French or late Latin dulcor!). We then spent the afternoon visiting  the historic dockyard. 

This brought back some of my earliest memories - my father had a boat on a swinging mooring on the Hamble River in the mid 60s just down from the Mercury sailing school that was run from this old ship (now returned to her original name – and fully rigged as HMS Gauntlet).

The next day, Ted joined us once more, the sun came out and we beat with the tide down the Medway - again we seemed to be only boat under sail with most yachts seeming reluctant to put up (or out) their sails, and definitely not if the wind was on the nose (there are lots of good reasons for this but it still makes me sad). Further down the Medway we entered the Swale, passing by Queenborough to Loden Hope reach where we picked up a buoy for lunch, and engaged in protracted negotiations with a lady in the harbour launch on the £7 short stay due – we only had £5 or £20 notes and she had no change. We did avoid the inconvenience of the more protracted stay of the boat below, who left a mooring just as we arrived, only to come to a halt a little further upstream.

This was as far as we followed in the wake of the Blue Dragon (this time) – they carried on down the Swale “In the calm of a lovely evening, with mauve and golden sunset lights in the sky, we sailed through the Swale and finally moored off Faversham Creek”.

We spent a very peaceful night in the Shade channel at the end of Stangate Creek 

Anchoring in 5 metres was not an issue on a calm night with a 7kg anchor, 5m chain and 30m rope (we used about 15m). We do now carry another 4 metres of heavier chain, but this is nothing compared to the Blue Dragon’s ground tackle - two stockless “Columbine” anchors, one 40 lb (18kg), the second 30 lb (13kg), 20 (40m) fathoms of chain to the heavy one and 15 (30m) fathoms to the other. Also a heavy manilla cable 20 (40m)  fathoms  - so twice or more the weight and the total length, with more chain and they still dragged regularly in Scotland - “Not even our two anchors with all our cable out would hold us in the squalls, which were terrific, and we dragged in the dark right across the loch until we at last pulled up at 10.30 at a cable’s length from a rocky point. A heavy sea and rocky lee shore gave us an awesome night, which the skipper and mate spent playing picquet and trying to make the best of things, the bosun sleeping calmly through it all.” To some extent this reflects the change now to use marinas and mooring buoys – but I am sure there will be times when we will envy their ground tackle, though our boat would struggle to carry it.

Once anchored Ted blew up the latest form of water transport – the SUP (very compact when packed away, apart from the sharp skegs that can’t be removed). Dinghies on small boats are always a challenge, we have a very light 7ft 6 3D Tender that weights about 14kg – significantly lighter and dryer though possibly not as easy to row as the one on the Blue Dragon  “a seven-foot Berthon dinghy had been purchased for £ 5 second-hand, and enabled us to get ashore without boatman’s aid. The little craft was too small to carry more than three at a time, especially when one of her passengers was the mate. Moreover she leaked between the skins and was very heavy to haul on board”.