#3. given the preceding two points i think its fair to say that a good chunk of the strips in gay comix just. Suck | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

bigskydreaming · 3 years

Note

Sorry to bother you, but RE: the Jason Todd in Arkham thing, like, what was Dick supposed to do? Take him home to the same house where two of the KIDS that Jason had threatened/attacked were supposed to be living in what one hoped would be relative safety?

Like, full offence, Jason had at that point proven himself a danger to all the people around him. If he wound up at Arkham, oh well, maybe don’t kill a whole bunch of ppl and harm numerous others. If Arkham doesn’t work as a hospital, maybe he should have been at another one, but at that point in his character arc, a secure mental health facility was probably the best he could expect.

It’s like ppl forget he’s a multiple murderer with a history of targeting the ppl Dick loves. I don’t even read the comics and I know this much.

Oh for sure, I mean, I've posted meta about this before because the fandom accepted narrative gets it sooooooo wrong. Like, I'll always be right at the front of the line yelling IT WAS JASON'S CHARACTERIZATION THAT WAS CRAP THROUGH ALL THAT, THAT'S NOT JASON, GIMME NUANCE OR GIMME DEATH. Y'know, something like that.

But like, given that Jason was written as repeatedly trying to kill Dick's other two brothers its like, yeah?! What was Dick supposed to do? He'd tried asking Jason nicely hey could you stop doing that and Jason was like LOL no.

And also....people are like - Dick callously threw Jason into Arkham right next to the Joker and then just left him there and forgot about him and....SOURCE?

1) Dick didn't DO this to Jason, JASON went after Dick and Damian and in the process of fighting him in a very public space, Dick beat Jason and police were already like....right there? Dick didn't actually have the option of being uh no, you can't take this known and notorious criminal into custody, I'll stop you on the basis of - well I can't tell you actually but plz just trust me okay, he totes didn't mean it! (except like also, at that point he totes did, so.....)

2) What pull Dick DID have as Batman with the GCPD, he used to get Jason put into Arkham INSTEAD of Blackgate for his SAFETY. We know this to be true. Jason himself confirmed that absolutely nothing bad happened to him in Arkham, he just didn't want to be there but WHO THE HELL EVER WANTS TO BE IN A PRISON OF ANY SORT? And the first thing Dick said when Bruce said Jason had demanded to be transferred to Blackgate is that Jason wouldn't be safe there with all the enemies he had gunning for him. It was abundantly clear that Jason's safety had been a primary concern for Dick the whole time (and Jason wasn't safe at Blackgate, its just fine, he only wanted to be transferred in order to enact an escape plan that got like 80 people indiscriminately killed but whatevs. Its Gotham, what's a few dozen more dead criminals am I right? *rolls eyes at how often that little detail gets left out of the narrative).

3) Dick consistently put time, focus and Wayne Enterprises money into Arkham Asylum while he was Batman, since Arkham was being rebuilt from the ground up after it was blown up in Battle for the Cowl. Also, Dick had been one of the last 'patients' in the old Arkham, given that he went undercover to infiltrate the Black Glove while they were in control of Arkham and spent a week in there drugged to the gills, locked up and in a straitjacket before being almost lobotomized. He has every grievance with Arkham that fan writers like to PRETEND Jason has from his stay there, but Jason's only complaint was that he again, was bored, and he had to take psych evals every other week because it was after all, still a mental health institution. Dick did everything in his power at the time to make sure that even if Jason did have to be locked up to keep him from going after more people, like, it was going to be as humane as possible and the stuff that Dick himself had JUST experienced in the old Arkham WOULDN'T happen to Jason.

4) The Joker was literally nowhere near Arkham THE ENTIRE TIME. This is not a small detail, given that 'the Joker was just five cells down' is the entire basis of most writers' Jason-in-Arkham angst and the anti-Dick sentiments they tend to create. All the major Rogues escaped from the old Arkham in Battle for the Cowl BEFORE it blew up. That's why they're not DEAD. Dick's run as Batman was primarily about fighting the escapees. And Joker, very significantly, was clearly among those Rogues not present in Arkham during Dick's Batman run, given he was literally toying with Dick and Damian through most of it. Seriously, how much do people have to hate Dick and think the worst of him to think that he - the dude who btw, BEAT THE JOKER TO DEATH WITH HIS BARE HANDS FOR MAKING JOKES ABOUT KILLING JASON - would just....obliviously lock Jason up right next to the Joker and throw away the key?

Like...and it goes on and on, lol. I remember the first time I brought all this up in an argument with some Jason stans, they literally started laughing back and forth to each other in the replies about how someone was a bit too carried away with their own fanon, and its like...LMAO! Yes! Someone is! Its YOU! You are the people you guys are talking about, looooool, I can literally back all this up with sourced panels.

Buuuuuuut, c'est la vie.

I mean, this is nothing new for us, its literally Teen Wolf fandom alllll over again. Probably why I just said nope, not doing this again awhile back and was like umm actually I will NOT just be ignoring the blatant false narratives thrown around here just so that people happy with the fanon narratives that prioritize the characters they like and sling shit at the characters they don't can have their fandom just the way they want it at the expense of everyone else in it. You wanna push bad faith interpretations of specific characters at every literal opportunity, its like, that's cool! I got the drive! I can push back with actual facts, its all good!

But the most hilarious thing to me will always be how fucking INDIGNANT people get about that, like "How dare you point out the precedent we established in not caring about any fandom experience other than our own and thus being loud and everpresent with our preferred interpretations in an attempt to drown out any other possible interpretation just so that the most people possible would be influenced by us instead of anything else, and we'd get more of the content we like at the expense of any possible nuance whatsoever."

Like, the most common complaint I get is people griping about how damn often I'm saying "mmmm, no, this isn't what happened actually" and "okay but have you considered flipping the script BACK from the way you flipped it initially in order to get this weird ass interpretation of a superhero noted for his emphasis on emotional caretaking of his loved ones actually being this callous oblivious selfish jerk who tramples all over the feelings of everyone around them and makes them just the woobiest woobies that ever did woobie all throughout Woobieland?"

And I'm just like, okay see, I hear you, its just the thing is, the THING IS......

If you didn't want that to be the topic of conversation so damn often, then hey, just a suggesh, but maybe you shouldn't have devoted literal years to coming up with the most bad faith interpretations of this character possible at literally every available opportunity. Maybe there'd be like.....less reason for the topic to come up so often, if like....you by your own actions hadn't made it a necessary topic to tackle so often?

I DON'T KNOW, I'M JUST SPIT-BALLING HERE, DON'T MIND ME AND MY CRAZY-ASS IDEAS OF FAIR PLAY.

47 notes · View notes

whentheynameyoujoy · 3 years

Text

So the ATLA Movie Is... Good, Actually?

Just kidding, of course it’s not, it’s so bad it sucked the paint off my walls. But after ten years of people pointing out its glaring flaws, why would anyone bother talking about this garbage heap if not to go the other direction? So here’s a very brief and very superficial list of things the movie does get kinda... not atrociously wrong.

And they won’t be fake hipster pokes, like “It’s fun to laugh at”, “The Rifftrax for this is OK”, or “Kudos to the actress for managing to say we believe in our beliefs as much as they believe in theirs with a straight face”.

(though now that I mentioned it, it is fun to laugh at, the Rifftrax for this is OK, and massive props indeed.)

Rasta Iroh

Yes, I know it’s not exactly the aesthetic of the real Iroh or that it makes no cultural sense for him to sport this do when no one else in the racebended Indian “OMFG what were you thinking Shyamalan” Nation does but goddamn, long-haired dudes are my one mortal weakness and I will ogle the hell out of him.

Jesus is that a man bun I see that’s it mum I’ve been deaded

Yue’s hair

No.

Now we’re talking. Yue’s hair turned white when the Moon spirit gave her life, so it makes sense for it to go black again when she sacrifices herself to revive the koi fish. It’s a neat detail I find myself expecting whenever I rewatch the scene in the show. Yes, I realize it’d be a pointless hassle to animate since she, unlike in the movie, immediately goes on to become the Moon herself but still. I like.

The Blue Spirit’s mop

Zuko, hun, what’s with the dance-off?

First of all, I want to imagine that Zuko the Theatre Nerd was about to leave his ship with just the mask like in the show but then stuck his head into the cleaning cupboard and went, “Yeah, more coverage might be good, even though it do seem mighty fried to shit”.

Which makes me giggle. I like to giggle.

And secondly, the hair’s movement is what makes the static mess of the Blue Spirit’s solo fight scene appear at least bit more dynamic because God knows the cinematography isn’t doing it.

Any particular reason why it’s at the edge of the action, shot all boring-like?

Now, I get why circular shots would be reserved for Aang while he’s in the practice area and then used once the two join forces. What I don’t get is why Aang’s part of the action scene has a defined visual style while Zuko’s delegated to a few stationary wide shots from afar as though he’s a tertiary goon, meaning that when the time comes to combine the respective pieces of cinema language and visually convey collaboration, there’s not really much to combine.

But as long as Zuko is stuck in this static mess, it’s that awesome disaster on his head flopping about that draws the eye, helping me understand that something even is going on over there.

It also prevents me from paying much attention to how the extras are mostly just staying put and a lot of the hits don’t land, so that’s good.

The music slaps

James Newton Howard is too good for this.

youtube

Pls ignore that the word “gods” is used in the ATLA universe

I can’t be the only one who constantly uses this piece to daydream about writing specific fanfic scenes instead of, you know, actually sitting down and writing them. It’s just so good at communicating a sense of sorrow while speaking of rebirth that I find myself getting misty-eyed whenever I listen to it. Unfailingly, the soundtrack as a whole manages to break through the mile-thick crust of horrible acting, confusing writing, and uninspired cinematography and make me feel things. And considering how everything on screen is working against it, that’s no small feat.

Imagine what a powerful experience it would be if the score was used in service of an actual movie.

Dev Patel

No wonder since he’s the only one in the film occupying that crucial intersection between “is a good actor” and “was given something to work with”. It also doesn’t hurt that he breaks with the trend of actors starring in martial arts flicks despite never having done any martial art.

And all EIP-jokes about “stiff and humorless” aside, he’s a pretty decent Zuko considering how abridged this version of the character is. A while ago, I remember hearing a reviewer say that with his comedic chops, Patel should have been cast as Sokka. And on one hand, yes, god, absolutely, I need to see that asap. But on the other? He captures all layers of Book 1!Zuko, the desperate obsession, rage, and self-loathing, and at the same time gives you a peek at the soft momma’s boy dork that’s buried underneath. For Christ sakes, he exudes intensity and ambivalence even when acting against an emotionless hunk of wood that’s giving him nothing in return.

Oh, and I guess there’s a tree in the frame.

Ba dum tss

What can I say, the guy’s good.

Showing vs telling

OK, so this movie is all tell and no show, except for one single moment. And it’s the exact moment where the original goes in the other direction in terms of how information is conveyed.

See, I never liked this. The revelation is preceded by Iroh giving advice to Zuko who scolds him for nagging. Iroh then apologizes, moves in to say the line above, and is interrupted by Zuko who seems rather uncomfortable with Iroh laying his feelings out like this. And once they’re out, Zuko verbally confirms that he knew already and Iroh didn’t need to bother.

All this extraneous information and pussyfooting ends up weakening what should be a profound scene that reveals to us, the viewers, how deep the relationship between these two in fact runs.

Compare to the movie where Dadroh acts like a parent by fussing and worrying, with Sonion needing a single look to tell him and us that he understands what it’s all really about.

It’s genuinely efficient and just good.

No Cataang

Fine, a bit mean-girl bitchy from me since I only start minding the ship in Book 3. And probably unintentional on the part of the creators since there are moments where I think they’re trying to set the romance up? There’s a, well, an attempt to recreate the famous introductory shot of fateful meaningful destiny of meaningness, there’s some slight note of saving each other’s bacon going on, I’m pretty sure they’re the only ones in the film who smile, and oh, right, Katara’s shoved into her post-canon useless role where she doesn’t ever do anything, and is all about Aang right from the get go.

Yes, I will blame the “executive producers” because a) I’m incredibly petty, and b) it’s perfectly in line with their vision of the character so why the hell not.

Hilariously, none of it reads on screen because the actors are just... yeah. These poor kids are struggling so much with delivering their own lines and portraying their own characters they don’t seem to have any strength left to create something between them. To be fair, the bare-bones shot-reverse shot style of their scenes doesn’t exactly lend itself to the idea they occupy the same universe, let alone are friends or each other’s crushes.

And I enjoy this immensely because it allows me to forget the depressing horror show Katara’s life turns into post ATLA.

Yes Zutara

I need to delve into this because it’s fucking hilarious. So in a movie which fails to establish the original’s central romance so spectacularly that if Aang got lost in a crowd I don’t believe Katara would notice, SomEOnE thought it’d be a good idea to add an utterly unnecessary non-canon moment where Zuko for some reason feels the need to pause his character-defining hunt for the Avatar which otherwise has him ignore everything and snap at everyone, and explain his central conflict to an unconscious peasant he doesn’t know, complete with gently pushing the hair from the pretty girl’s the soulmate’s the Water Tribe Ambassador’s the Fire Lady’s the love of his life’s her face away, AFTER his uncle nagged him twice to find a girl and settle down.

I just wanted to make sure we’re all on the same page and this is what we really saw.

Celibate Avatars

I have no idea why the decision was made, if TPTB thought expecting viewers to understand the story through the lens of Buddhism would be too much, or if the “executive producers” already worked their retconny magic. What I do know, however, is that there’s a big shift in worldbuilding and Aang’s struggle with his role as the Avatar stops being a personal conflict defined by a) his grief for Air Nomads, b) his notion of being robbed of the loved ones in his life, and c) the selfish attachment to Katara he confuses with true love. Instead, what he has a difficulty to accept is apparently a general notion of who Avatars are supposed to be, i.e. a fantasy version of Catholic monks, no family and worldly relations, period.

I guess either someone understood the original’s portrayal of de/attachment as “hermit no freaky”, or thought the audience would so why not go there outright.

Now, do I like this on its own? No, God no, it makes the world infinitely poorer and changes the story from an exploration of ideas which aren’t all that ingrained in the West, to a cliché tropester about a Catholic priest going Protestant so that he could be with a girl.

At least I assume that’s where they were going to take this eventually.

I mean, I think the direction was “look conflicted, this isn’t the final stage of your journey”?

But consider this—the show went there, it built on the concepts of Eastern philosophy and touched upon the ideas of spiritual awakening, only to swerve in the end and strongly imply they’re bullshit and Aang should have never wasted his time with them.

So honestly, I much prefer scanty worldbuilding to an insulting retcon by a damn rock.

Multiracial Air Nomads

Probably the most substantial “no hint of irony” point on this list and a genuinely good addition to the universe’s worldbuilding.

See, the notion of the elemental nations being perfectly separate and never mingling before Sozin has always been sketchy but it’s especially ridiculous in the case of airbenders. It never made sense to me for all airbenders to be Air Nomads and for all Air Nomads to be monks and for all monks to be chilling at the temples all the time to facilitate a quick everyone-dies genocide should an imperialistic warlord ever decide to commit one.

Because committing everyone to a single way of life at a handful of places kinda goes against the central philosophy behind airbending. Like the freedom and nomadism part.

Instead, there should be more variety to the airbending culture, with some staying at the temples as monks, hermits, and teachers while others live as nomads, travelling the world and creating more airbenders, with the resulting children in turn being influenced by the non-airbending cultures they grew up in.

And thus, not only should airbenders not be modeled after a single culture to create a one-size-fits-all lifestyle, but they should have the most diverse and dynamic culture out of the four nations.

And it’d be precisely this diversity which would pave way for an eventual reveal that some of them survived, that their complete extermination is impossible.

Because they’re everywhere.

You know.

Like air.

#atla #atla movie #zutara #anti bryke #dev patel #the last airbender #anti-kataang

172 notes · View notes

tundrainafrica · 3 years

Note

So I see your a LeviHan shipper!! I enjoy the ship a lot too!! But are there any specific reason that their your favorite?? Maybe you could explain that a little through a list? But anyways I hope your week has been good so far, Sav. Have a good day/night!!!! - Signed by Your Secret Santa 🎄

Hello! Thank you for asking about my week (and my ship).

I enjoy the ship a lot too!! But are there any specific reason that their your favorite?

To answer that first question...

You’re in for a long rollercoaster ride of a rant because I don’t think I’m the type of person to ship anything to the point of writing domestic fluff fics unless the I felt really really drawn to the ship.

Anyway, (slight) spoilers abound! Will keep manga spoilers subtle, mostly Levihan scenes.

Disclaimer: I do not want to start shipping wars. I specifically avoided the words like should or best because I recognize that shipping is generally based on preferences. I respect everyone’s preferences on what they want out of a ship or even a relationship and through this, I just hope to express my own preferences and maybe even gush with people who agree.

1. The ship did not move the plot. The plot moved the ship.

Attack on Titan is not a romance or a shojo, if it’s not fairly obvious from any chapter you would randomly read. As a reader, I would have expected it to fall short with pairings. Most shows which are not romance based tend to have a few pairings which just suddenly end up together towards the end of the manga because “What’s a happy ending without marriage and kids?” There is usually a trend of just pairing of the extras and sometimes, or maybe even more often than not, it just seems to come out of nowhere (ehem... Naruto.). Maybe the relationship worked off screen but I dunno. Like no shipping war here but the only pairing I had full support for was Shikatema.

In stories classified as romances, there is enough of a spotlight on the sexual tension and mutual pining of specific characters for the romance to be considered reasonable. In my opinion, some authors tend to sacrifice really good world building for a good romance. Objectively twilight for example had some crazy good world building but it just kinda focused a little too much on emo Bella and emo Edward for the world building to actually be appreciated by the casual reader. Tbh though, this is not necessarily bad because people get into stuff for reasons, sometimes, I just wanna read a good fantasy, sometimes I just wanna read a good romance.

Romances though as a main driving point for narratives, require some convenient serendipity moments and sexual tension which can be written well but as a reader, I prefer to see more natural relationships born out of necessity (Wall of Winnipeg and Me by Mariana Zapata is a good example of what I’m talking about in a romance novel.)

Attack on Titan through its narrative actually made Levihan seem VERY VERY possible. If I had to compare the presentation of this ship in canon to at least one relationship in other anime, I would compare it to Royai from FMA.

Like, if Attack on Titan didn’t give us random subtle hints about romantic or just platonic relationships between the two or even about anyone, even if Levi and Hange did get together in the end, it would have been one of the pairings, I probably wouldn’t have raised an eyebrow at.

But they could be just friends? Which brings me to my next point.

2. Their current situation makes it so it’s only natural that at the least, they considered it.

Yes. Friends is a valid interpretation for anything. I mean, given our hook up culture, people can fuck as friends too. People probably have made out drunk as friends too. Like I have seen my fair share of this type of bullshit in high school and college and I would say, we do not need a kiss or a fucking session to recognize that something can be a good relationship or to recognize that they have probably thought about it.

A relationship requires a commitment (conscious or unconscious) to caring for the other, keeping the other safe, recognizing their flaws and thinking about them regularly (Call me scott peck or marriage counselor but like I honestly think the world would be a better place once people recognize that quality romantic relationships are worked for).

Mind you, Levi and Hange lost everything.They literally lost everything from their old life, all their friends, all their loved ones and all they have is each other and they’re forced to take care of a bunch of kids.

There are people who have said before, no one gets very close with someone without ever considering a romantic relationship with them. Or even if they never considered it romantic, they could consider at least “living with them their whole life,” or “supporting them through thick and thin.” The things is, towards the end, they were constantly together and what drove them to that situation is that both of them are aware of what the other had lost. They understood each other more than anyone else and they recognized that they were the only ones left in their own circle and I personally think that is more than enough for a relationship to naturally bloom between them.

3. The relationship and the signs are subtle and it works.

I personally probably would not have enjoyed it if canon showed a romantic relationship of the two after Erwin died. It’s a valid interpretation to consider that it could have happened, based on my explanation for number 2 but Hange is commander, Levi is captain. They have a professional relationship and they have goals and obligations which take precedence over personal desires. They are in the middle of a war and the most which probably could have happened was a secret mutual pining between the two and I think Isayama has injected the most subtle hints which are the most that could have been appropriately put into canon without seeming too OOC. Hange and Levi are not selfish people. They have promises, dreams and obligations which they respect and have committed themselves to already. It has also been shown at earlier points of the manga that they do put their survey corps duties on top of everything so acting on a romantic attraction at that point in time would have definitely been inappropriate.

I personally think, the scenes of Hange going out of her way to save Levi as commander, killing her other soldiers to save both their asses, suggesting in the forest that they live together instead of go back to the war and not leaving an injured Levi until she had no choice were more powerful than a lot of romantic scenes where people actually fuck and kiss. Kissing and fucking are easy. Leaving the duties and responsibilities they have worked for for five years to keep the person they love alive hits way harder.

Call it platonic. Call it romantic. But no one like Hange would have deserted her post as commander for a few chapters to take care of a sick comrade and kill her subordinates to save their asses if there wasn’t anything between them.

4. It gives a great example what healthy relationships can come from.

I grew up reading sweet valley and chick lits cause I was a basic bitch and I kinda grew up with a somehow unrealistic idea of where relationships come from. Call me a late bloomer but I only actually figured out where the romance and the happiness of a relationship was when I got into one with my best friend for five years.

It’s the sexual tension and the “will they wont they?” push and pull which can lead to satisfying sex or a happy ending in romance novels. I think in a way, media kinda overglorifies it which kinda gives a lot of young people the wrong idea about why they getting into a relationship is fun in the first place. Because after the satisfying sex and the kids, what’s next for the relationship?

Years of utility bills, diapers, chores, schedules, parent teacher conferences and compromises until someone gives up or dies. And what kind of relationships can actually thrive through all these?

Those that have mastered the underrated parts of relationships. These include conflict resolutions, compromises and open communication. I think we have seen enough of those two, even before season 3 that have shown that they know each other very well and they have shown to at least have a relatively equal power dynamic which is a foundation for open communication and mutual trust in relationships even beyond the fucking and marriage stage

5. They have a great foundation of character development for both parties.

As I mentioned above, they have a relatively equal power dynamic. I love Royai from FMA and I have compared Royai to this multiple times. I would say though I prefer Levihan over Royai because I felt that Royai had more unequal power dynamics? (Though I still think Royai is a top tier ship ). Also, they have shown to tell off the other when they don’t like what the other is doing. They are complete opposites but here is the magical thing. They talk everything out. They’re generally open people to each other and they know each other way too well as hinted in scenes before and opposites work as long as the others are willing to compromise. I think (especially in season 3 and season 4) that they have done enough for each other and have compromised enough for each other in the survey corps that these skills could easily be brought with them even after the war.

That open communication is just what makes them maintaining a relationship while being complete opposites very OC and realistic. Eventually, they did probably did make compromises, which most likely softened or moderated the crazy parts of their personalities which is just a really fun part of their relationship to explore.

6. It could realistically last so maybe ...

7. A good foundation for happy children?

Maybe it’s how it is written because of the actual story and why would Yams write a romantic drama in a story about genocide and war. Tbh, I would attribute it more to Levi and Hange’s personalities though because Mikasa and Eren have their fair share of drama, mostly one sided though coz Mikasa. This relationship has no drama, no misunderstandings which just further supports my point that they have a relationship that thrives on open communication and mutual trust. Drama is fun like when we’re the ones on the sidelines eating the popcorn but I have third wheeled enough people in my life to realize that I will not support a relationship where both parties are just not ready to be mature about it, in real life and in fiction.

My favorite couples, in real life and in fiction, are definitely those who keep conflict among themselves and maybe among trusted people. I think one sign of a healthy relationship is one where problems don’t become public through social media or through like 20 people. One important yet underrated part of relationships is the atmosphere of comfort and freedom which encourages both parties to be able to directly approach one another before tensions and uncertainties get out of hand.

And a life free of dramas at least in the early stages of life just kinda shows at least that both parties are ready to bring a new life to the world? Because like immature parents with shitty conflict resolution skills really fuck kids up man and I passionately believe the world would really be a better place if babies were born out of trust, mutual understanding and open communication instead of sex but yeah, make sex fun to keep our race alive.

So anyway, I guess, I just finished explaining why I love this ship so much while also disclosing my preferences for relationships.

As mentioned above...

Other pairings which I support for those curious: Shikatema, Royai, Victuuri, Percabeth etc.

Also... To answer your second question...

My week has been great, some pretty solid life developments but US elections wise, not so great... (WHY IS THE ELECTION RACE SO CLOSE?)

#levihan #levi x hange #levi x hanji #levi ackerman #hange zoe #ship #analysis

215 notes · View notes

fanworldbuildingfun · 3 years

Text

Musings on “Modern Person in Thedas” trope - The Jump (or the amount of dubious luck one would have to possess to universe-hop)

I admit that like, probably many, DA fans, I have had this recurring daydream fantasy of landing into Thedas. Side-effect of a decent RPG, as it is.

And while I won’t say I’m at a level of investment at which I would be tempted to sit down and write a fanfiction of it... Thats mostly because I like to overplot things

(In case the blog name did not tip you off, I like worldbuilding. I like knowing the background rules and plots that make the story tick - sometimes more than story and people in the story itself)

Brace yourself. It’s going to be long and possibly somewhat incoherent

Assumption 1: Entering the Dreaming World/Fade is more difficult for Earthlings

The concept of Veil exists in our world too, as a sort of thin film between the ‘otherworld’ (dreaming world, Fae realm, spirit realm etc, etc - depending on the culture in question) and ‘physical world’ (where we are present)

The major difference between our world and Thedas concept of the veil is the addition of “when” to our idea of the Veil. In Thedas, the Veil is mostly spoken of in the concept of “where”: “Where the Veil is thin” (interestingly, for Thedas it’s mostly battlefields and spots where a huge amount of magic has been exercised. Likely due to Thedas’ Veil being an artificial construct. One that can be affected by both), “Where the Veil is torn”. Affecting the “where” is usually enough to bypass the Veil and enter the Thedas’ variant of the spirit world (the Fade). “When” appears to be something that can be affected only once the “Where” part of the Veil has been disrupted

(see the “In hushed whispers” mission, with Redcliffe time travel)

On Earth, we speak of “When the Veil is thin” (e.g. Samhain, Walpurgis Night etc) much more often than “Where the Veil is thin”. Admittedly, special places, most often naturally occurring, that serve as attractions for unusual happenings: fairy circles, places of power, etc are an exception to this. Regardless, both “When” and “Where” exist simultaneously, but apart, not as consequence of each other. Affecting the Earth version of the Veil therefore is a much harder task unless specific steps are taken: both the time and place have to be carefully selected to bypass the Veil

E.g:

Place + time of year (can be found in almost any culture: Ivana Kupala, Walpurgis Night, Samhain, Halloween – and countless more. Often, they seem to be linked with either the beginning or end of harvest)

Place + prolonged (possibly multi-generation) influence on the place (again, not uncommon in any culture. Places of worship, places where people are warned from going to for various reasons)

Any other combination tends to require a great deal more effort

In addition, most of the steps that can be take on Earth Veil seem to require specific conditions that may or may not act as an interference to accessing the Spirit world. An example of this would be the presence of ‘cold iron’, ‘celestial bronze’ or other ‘purified’ or ‘man-altered’ metals. As an assumption, it may also extend to any manmade materials that do not exist in similar state in nature.

There has been a rather interesting Tumblr conversation I came across (on Pinterest, of all places) that argued plastic would have an even worse effect on magicals, but alas, I did not save it. A waste, now that I think of it

With the rapid industrialization and urbanization of Earth, such effect mounts and spreads. So, one may consider that the prevalence of magic in the old stories is not merely due to the failure to understand the world and seeking arcane explanation of it – but also due to our now-inability to access arcane.

In short: Theodoshian Veil is akin to a single layer encryption access with no specific hardware requirements. Well, unless you count whatever was put into making it, of which we know little. Earth Veil is a two-layer encryption access that is really sensitive to mods. Or a fragile ecosystem.

From this: Accessing the Fade from Thedas is a hassle, but doable. Accessing the Dream World from Earth is a hassle that grows even worse with each passing year

Assumption 2: The Dreaming Worlds are interconnected, at some level

But not in constant contact with each other. Think isolated bubbles that are specific to any given world. Over the course of time, they sometimes brush with each other and leave parts of its respective ‘content’ behind.

Thus the set ‘ideas’ of races that never (or, at least, not proven to exist with any degree of certainty) existed on Earth. Some of the typical characteristics of the races reoccur in different cultures that may, or may have not, had contact with each other. For this example, I will count dwarves, elves, and corrupted ones (e.g. orcs, goblins, drow – or, for Thedas, the blighted beings like shrieks, ogres etc)

For the purpose of the plot, crossing from Earthling section of the Dreaming into Fade would require the character to be present in the Dreaming world when such a ‘crossing of bubbles’ occurs

Mind, the actual ‘crossing’ may occur for much longer periods of time than mere moments. Simply, with the failing access to Earthling Dreaming, and installation of Theodoshian Veil, there is no one that can ascertain for sure how long it lasts

Given that time is often mentioned to run strangely in the Dreaming/Fade, it would account for entire decades of stories of people disappearing, reappearing, sleeping for decades and the like (think Rip Wan Winkle. Or Sleeping Beauty. Or any story really that has people disappearing/reappearing/sleeping without dying for exuberant amounts of time without dying with no outside help)

Next assumption is more iffy, because I’m much less sure about it.

Assumption 3: a lot of those who ‘crossed’ the worlds, never return

This one will draw on the idea that eating the food of a different world makes you a part of that world, forever (or at least for a good long time)

Cases in point: any fae-related or deity-related lore that warns against eating their food. Think Greek myths, Irish Fair Folk, Japanese Kamikakushi lore etc.

Food is the building blocks of our bodies. Ergo while the spirit may wander, the body is much more rigid and unchanging. Same applies both to Earth and Thedas: the spirit of Command in Old Crestwood village even bemoans that the waking world will not follow its commands. Bodies are part of Waking world. Ergo, they are intrinsically tied to it

Eating foods from another world would then, in theory, force the body to work off the materials that it was not built from or for, and that tends to end badly for… Anything, basically. Like trying to force a computer system run on the hardware it was not built for. Or forcing the wrong blood type into someone. Or using the wrong pesticides when growing food and then having a severe allergic reaction to it.

The soul or spirit, in most religions, is considered hardier than that. It can survive what the body can’t. So consuming food from another world would, in theory, force the body to shut down and sever the spirit from it. In pre-veil Thedas it -may- not have been as much of an issue, but on Earth the Veil nicely tucks anything supernatural-related away, and with the access diminishing, it’s basically be shut in Dreaming or Die.

Conclusion: to cross over from one world to other, you need to have some damn bad (or good, depending on perspective) luck.

And then to stand the possibility that in crossing into the waking world of Thedas, you have to have your old body die. Ergo returning to Earth is not really an option after that, not as you were. I mean, we have concept of reincarnation but it’s not really you-as-you returning. For those who knew you it’s not the same. And with weak connection to Dreaming you can forget about the more arcane means of getting a body

Also, being born with the original-you memories (if you are unlucky), would be just plain awkward

At least Thedas has recent precedents of embodiment, from spirit to flesh, even with Veil drawn. Case in point – Cole. Possibly Leliana, if you killed her in Origins, but Wikipedia is kind of shifty on that one

#Dragon Age meta #Dragon Age: the Fade #Dragon Age: the Veil #Modern Person in Thedas #Story Tropes #Self-Inserts #The Veil: Earth vs Thedas #Limited references to real-world

8 notes · View notes

shinjukuspiritcommittee · 4 years

Text

Spirit Committee Mod’s Christmas Gift to you

So back earlier this year when I first started this blog, one of the first ever requests I received was a question asking me “What were my 20 favorite Housamo characters?” At first I really didn’t have an answer since I was trying to reintroduce myself to the cast, but now that I’ve ingrained myself into the community a decent bit I can give you guys what I look for in a Housamo character as my thanks to all of you for just enjoying my content really. I look for what appeals to me visually (I’m the kinda writer that likes em big and beefy) but also well written. While not every character may or may not be the best written character since there’s so much reading I have to go back and do, but I am comfortable 20 characters I find to be downright great.

My Top 10~20 Housamo Characters

Honorable Mentions: Characters who do definitely qualify in the Top 20, but are just simply hard to place exactly in a definitive slot (lists like these are pretty hard to write for in hindsight…)

~Aegir: This is a character that’s very hard to place for a few different reasons. On one hand he’s easily one of the more aesthetically pleasing characters to me and I don’t just mean his body. There’s just always something about outfits in Housamo that just look amazing and I think Aegir’s is one of the better ones because they both show off his best assets and are pretty snazzy. His color scheme in most of his outfits tend to say hes an ocean man and I like you can just tell by looking at him given the whites and blues along with the gold he adorns himself with. Sort of what you’d expect from a treasure hunter such as himself. And yes he is a total heart throb alongside that I do have a bit of Gacha bias here and for the next one since I have all variants of them and some really good artwork. On the other hand, what do I know about him? Well, he’s a pretty boisterous fellow who loves to show off and is a big man. What else? Um…. Unfortunately Aegir’s events aren’t fully translated and his voice lines and bio do leave a bit to be desired for me at least. When it comes to writing him I have no issues, but when it comes to trying to visualize him as a character among the vast cast it just becomes hard to give him a good place beyond “He has a nice chest and bulge” most of the time. It’s not anything personal and my opinion of him may change after this Christmas event is over and translated by the Housamo Blogspot and GomTang is one of my favorite artists working with LifeWonders so he may get bumped up or off. As an additional upside I do like how his gameplay in both of his variants reflect his character, it’s a nice touch game designers often do.

~Takemaru: Yes, both 2019 Christmas boys. And yes, it’s because of their tiddies. I’m mostly kidding… But in all seriousness Takemaru is one of the better offensive supports in the game who’s one of the easier units to pull in the gacha, especially right now considering he has an alt on the banner so in theory he should be showing up more frequently as a 3star. But that’s just a theory. The thing with Takemaru I like beyond his design is the fact with how genuine sweet he is as a character. He’s rough in how he speaks but his personality is very sincere (for the most part from what I can gather) However he falls into the same trap as Aegir since I haven’t read the events he’s a part of just yet. Plus he is a crafter boy and you never say no to a Crafter.

~Kengo: One of two Summoners on this list. I have a bit more preference for Kengo over the other summoner that did make the list, but to be as fair as I can in my judgment I have to leave Kengo in the 11-20 pile. Visually he has all the check boxes that just draw me to a character initially and his personality is simple, but I like that he’s simple. Characters don’t always need to be complex and multi faceted to be engaging, plus I just kinda want someone who would encourage me to be more active and I feel a few characters alongside Kengo would do that, he’s a Chad and a bro. So why is he not in the inner circle for this list? It’s cuz the story treats him the worst. What do I mean? deep breath If you’ve read Chapter 3 of the main story then you should know the absolute mess it is. It tries to shove in as many characters as possible during this part of the story which, okay understandable since this is a gacha game but they forgot to give Kengo, you know one of the cover boys, a proper role in the story and it really feels LifeWonders thought that they could bank on Kengo’s Himbo status and just showing us the others. But I need sustenance. I need to read! He did because he has moments that could have been much more if they just shifted the focus back on Kengo for more than a few moments at a time and he sort of highlights a lot of my issues with the way the stories are told in this game but those are for another time.

~Arc: In my perspective, the antithesis to Kengo. Not to say I find Arc visually unappealing, but they aren’t for me the way other characters are though. As a character though Arc’s story is honestly one of the best stories has to offer and they actually have (pardon my pun) an arc. I won’t spoil too much of their story because it’s all pretty late into the game but you really do sympathize with Arc and begin to understand the larger narrative the game has. Plus a nice detail is that Arc’s voice lines change depending on the point of the story you’re in I guess? Or maybe it was a release thing I’m not too sure how you trigger one over the other but they get 2 sets of lines. And they actually integrate Arc into the story and revolving cast pretty well instead of casting them to the wayside for 80% of their story. I can’t go much deeper than that unfortunately. All I can say is read Chapter 7 and 8 but do know that they are some of the more darker and serious chapters in the game so far.

~Durga: The only Yoyogi girl who strives to be number one. Unfortunately she joined the wrong list and wound up in the runner up tier. But for starters Durga has one of my favorite voice actresses who plays a number of my favorite characters in anime and games so I’m glad LifeWonders are capable of getting such talented voice work. As a character I know what this character is mostly about and the event I haven’t really read yet is her initial one so when that gets an official TL I’ll read it to grow more understanding. But from what I have now I can safely put her as one of my favorites because her drive to be number one is inspiring to try your best and everyone should follow her example to some degree. I say that because she really does feel naturally flawed given her alleged age. I won’t spoil much of Dreamland but I will say how Durga’s struggle is further amplified is totally understandable given her position in the group of athletes and her desire to always win and why she always pushes herself to be her best at any cost and it’s definitely something I can see someone doing (without as catastrophic a breakdown when it backfires and just learning what works best for her). As for why she’s not in the other category given my praise of her character is because I don’t have the full story much like with a few prior entries on the list. But when that event does get a TL at some point I do want to read it and finally have the full picture for her so I can rank her properly.

~Kyuma: I shall dub him my Kouhai because he is a first year. A lot of people don’t like Kowmei’s art, myself included, but overall his characters don’t really put me off that much since there’s only one in particular. Kyuma’s good though. He is a good, hardworking kouhai I’d enjoy being around given he seems the most levelheaded of his friends despite his age. Or maybe its because of his age? There’s no grand singular reason he’s on this part of the list. He just needs to be in more events and get an actual alt. That’s all.

~Zao: I wish he was introduced in a better event because he is one of the better characters released in year one. But good lord does his event drag you through the dirt with terrible battles and awful pacing. It’s unfortunate his whole story is dragged down because the game was still in an early spot when this event originally came out. Outdated gameplay aside I think Zao does best in setting the precedent for shop units when it comes to writing and design. I like his arc going from a stubborn mountain man to a more open and accepting person. However he has a similar issue with Kengo where he has to share his spotlight with characters of varying degrees but unlike Kengo the other characters who appear in this event are meant to compliment Zao rather than detract from him.

~Amatsumara: He’s the dad of the Crafters and is who makes the Crafters really feel like a family. Every member feels like they have a role in the Guild and you can really see how much Amatsumara values them. He just seems like the doting father type who gives you noogies and I can respect that. Seeing him interact with characters in Chapter 9 was also one of the more enjoyable aspects of that chapter. I won’t spoil it but it was pretty good.

For the final 2 they’re just characters who’s designs I like a lot and just need to do more research since this game has a lot of characters to try and find information on

~Dagon

~Tomte

And yes, its cuz they’re cute and new. I am shallow… ;u;

Now for the Top 10 favorites, but even then placement can change depending on what LifeWonders plans to do with them down the line.

10. Gunzo: Kicking off this list is the rugby player himself. To start he’s a very dorky athlete. He isn’t the greatest at handling social situations and kind of a goofball when it comes down to it. But those are not bad things, in fact they’re what landed him on the list. His quirkiness is just plain adorable and I do enjoy the antics he and his classmates get into. Not only that but he’s a pretty laid back guy once you get to know him a bit better. It’s his lack of awareness that is his best strength, but worst weakness at times.

9. Kurogane: deep breath ANIKI~!!! Jokes aside Kurogane is the character that when I first saw, I was very disappointed he wasn’t playable. (Then GoGo happened and made me one happy person) and he’s voiced by the same guy who did Broly back in the day so that’s pretty awesome. Kurogane actually likes it a lot when you call him “Big Bro” and I would totally call him that once I found out he did because he’s so wholesome and goodwilled. Plus he does deserve some recognition as someone older since he is the youngest in his Guild. Not only that I can sort of relate to Kurogane’s desire at being an engineer since when I was still attending classes in college that was what I was studying as my major. I can’t quite match the same level of enthusiasm as Kurogane, I do see where his character does come from when tackling certain things, which is how he easily became one of my favorites.

8. Claude: You want a sugar daddy? Claude is probably your guy. So the leader of the Berserkers Guild is a great guy, most of the time. He has his moments where he can get carried away with his own desires rather than doing the correct thing, but honestly there’s something satisfying about a man just taking what he wants. That and well, getting a bit of a wake up call that you can’t just do all of that because you’re bored. His character quest is what really sold me on Claude as a character and something about it felt very real. A lot of it was very vague terminology and confirms Claude’s status as a bottom. Claude is also very intelligent and he’s always trying to make the best move that will benefit the most amount of people, whether or not its for his own interests usually. Also this wouldn’t be your mod if I didn’t mention how good he looks, especially his outfits. Bombom just really knows how to design clothes.

7. Moritaka: Arguably the face of the franchise right after Salomon. Moritaka, to my knowledge, is one of the most popular Housamo characters and to be frank I can see why he would hold that title. He’s just a lovable character with cute art. I really think I show my love for him in my Headcanons so I’ll keep it brief by saying he’s a really enjoyable character.

6. Maria: Our local Lesbian sister will help you find true love, I promise. Maria is another really popular and well-liked character and again I can totally see why. She’s cute as a button and really compassionate towards everyone she meets. And from what I’ve seen from her, Maria is very honest with herself going forward from a certain point which is so satisfying to see. I won’t spoil her entire arc even though her chapters have been out for a while just so you can experience it for yourself. She’s too precious for me to spoil. But her character growth aside, she’s a very compassionate and kind character even to those who aren’t the most kind in return and she even goes out of her way to try and relate to those characters despite the fact they might not make sense.

5. Hephaestus: Here we have my son, please buy him Legos instead of Mega Bloks or he’ll cry. I was a little hesitant with Hephaestus at first to be blunt. He seemed to be quite crude in certain places and really uncaring and a little cliché with his attitude. Plus he’s quite nasty to Talos, often times getting mad at Talos for simply doing what he was made to do. But Chapter 9 really put it into perspective. For spoilers I can’t say what made me turn around from wanting to look away from wanting to just hold him and protect him. All I can say is that he has been put through the wringer and just deserves to be happy.

4. Ashigara: Best bear, Volos stans don’t come for me. I explained it before but Ashigara is a character that tends to radiate “me” energy and I can totally see us being friends in real life. He’s the kind of guy who’d send you memes when your sad but he’d eat all your food, which is why you were sad in the first place. All about give and take.

3. Oniwaka: A bully BF uwu god have mercy but yes. Oniwaka was actually my first ever Housamo summon when I first began to play and on my most recent account (I’ve been on and off with the series until I started this blog and became more of a permanent player) he was my first 5star unit so it weirdly came full circle with him. His alternate skins are an absolute delight to behold and he is no slouch in the writing department after the slog that was Chapter 3. If anything he just got better with each appearance. He was rough around the edges, but seeing his softer sides just warms your heart.

2. Wakan Tanka: Touching down at silver place is my “Housamo Husbando”. Weird I know but let me explain. Wakan Tanka is a character I very much love and cherish, he is a really cute boy who just wants to do good by everyone he meets. He hates treating people especially different which is societal goals. However, he has a tendency to come off as a bit too perfect. While I really like him, he’s also feels more like an ideal than someone who can actually develop and grow. Wakan has basically achieved ascention. As for the top place on this list though…

1. Taurus Mask/Daisuke Ikusaba: Much like how Oniwaka was my first pull, Daisuke was my first Housamo crush. First and foremost his design is what I consider to be very tasteful. It’s both an incredibly attractive outfit, it’s also very appropriate and it isn’t too distracting. Second I love how LifeWonders leans into a character completely and just goes all out with a number of references to their lore or culture. Since Daisuke is a luchador inspired character its really cool to see his Summon Day be May 5th. Thirdly and finally, his writing as a character completely wins me over. He is a shy senior by day, but wrestling prodigy by night. Not only is that badass, but you have the perfect set up and the writer in me squeaks like a little fan girl that I am. Wrestling was never really my thing growing up so while I don’t have any fondness for it in particular, if I had seen Taurus Mask in action you would see me in the crowd shouting for him. Daisuke is just that amazing and why he’s my Number 1 favorite Housamo character.

#qna #housamo #tokyo afterschool summoners #list #merry christmas

39 notes · View notes

ladyoutlier · 5 years

Text

A Demon’s Demons

In which questions are answered and solutions are found.

[Read on AO3] | [Chapter 3]

Chapter 4: Resolving Sins

As Aziraphale and Crowley stepped off the boat and onto the empty docks, a smell much like that of sulfur took precedence in the air. The wind crackled and popped, and the environment gave off all the signs of warning for volcanic activity which was extremely odd given that Scotland didn’t have any volcanoes. The captain, that was leading them off the dock, took off running for the main building.

The concrete cracked and black smoke poured from it. The fiery smell grew stronger. Then, an arm shot out from the smoke like that of a zombie from a grave. It tore itself up out of the ground, unveiling its owner to be that of Lord Beezlebub who, despite coming from Hell, didn’t look so hot.

“Crowley,” they growled as they pulled themselves along on the ground. “You vile traitor!”

“Loved the entrance,” Crowley replied as the Lord of Flies struggled to stand. “But it’s not Halloween just yet.”

“How did you do it?!?” Beezlebub limped towards him. “Past every devil and demon?!?”

“Sorry, what now?”

“Don’t play the fool. You released all the Sinzzz as revenge for us releasing yourzzz.”

“Oh really now?” Crowley smirked. This was too easy. “I did warn you to leave me alone. Shame you didn’t listen to that.”

“We will find a way to destroy you for thizzz. Once the hallway is fixed and we discorporate ourselvezz into being az fine as you seem to be.” A terrible shiver made its way through them.

“You’re not, um, feeling better yourself?” Aziraphale asked, taking a tentative step forward.

Beezlebub spat in Aziraphale’s direction. It burned through the concrete. “Thizzz doesn’t concern you, Principality. If thizz findz itz way to Heaven’zzz earz, we’ll find a meanz to your end as well.”

Crowley stepped between his ex-boss and Aziraphale. His eyes narrowed. “Have to say, it was real brave of you to come here all alone. You really don’t know what we’re capable of, do you?”

“You would’ve done something by now.”

“You might like playing your best card first, but I like to build up to it.”

“And destruction would be an acceptable alternative than living through this again,” Beezlebub replied through gritted teeth. They fell to a knee.

“Oh come off it. All you lot have to do is fix up the Sin prison. You got off easy.”

“A tormented demon isn’t a reliable worker. You know how long it took to build the first time.”

“Well then,” Crowley began with a growing grin. “What are you wasting your time here for?”

“You’ve bought yourself some time, Crowley. But it won’t be long before the last grain of sand falls. I don’t know how you fixed yourself without destroying that body, but we will reunite you with your Sinzzz once again, and then you won’t be gifted the privilege of living on Earth with your pain. After this, all of Hell wants to see you struggle.”

With that, Lord Beezlebub melted into the ground and evaporated into a swarm of flies, leaving the Earth to deal with a Hell that was a lot more hellish than it had been in quite some time. The smokey air began to dissipate and time seemed to resume as normal as the birds ended their intermission and begin to sing once more.

“That was… odd,” Aziraphale said as the demonic traces finally wore off.

“They couldn’t even punish me without screwing over themselves. Bellends, the whole lot of them. Things like this almost make me think that God gives a damn.”

“Crowley, did you notice what I did?”

“Which is what?”

“That Beezlebub was in pain that whole time and that they seemed to think you had successfully separated from your Sins.”

“Yeah?”

“Wouldn’t my aura have helped them as well?”

The demon opened his mouth to speak but then clamped it shut. That was odd, wasn’t it? Why would Aziraphale’s aura help him and not Beezlebub? They had both lost their own angelic aura, so shouldn’t they both be relieved by one?

“That, uh—yeah, that’s strange.” Crowley rubbed the back of his neck.

“There has to be a reason for the discrepancy, right? Perhaps, something that might provide more insight on the whole ordeal?”

“If there’s an answer I don’t have it. Better with questions, myself. Not the best at coming up with the answers.”

“You did think up the plan for us to avert the Apocalypse.”

“One, the End of the World is a great motivator, and two, the plan involved us hanging about the wrong boy for six years. So yeah, answers aren’t my specialty.”

“Could it have something to do with our relationship? That we have known each other for so long and have come to work well together? Perhaps that makes you compatible with my aura but not any other demon.”

“Dunno. For all we know, it could just be because you want to help me and nothing more.” The demon looked back out to the water.

No matter how much he tried to downplay the reason, Crowley couldn’t hide that fact that he was a special case. He was the only demon that could bare their Sins and it was completely because for some reason Aziraphale took away all that pain in him. There was some connection between the two of them that could no longer be shrugged off by geographically similar assignments and shared history. There was something a bit more powerful there that he really didn’t want to think about right now.

“Look,” Crowley continued. “I doubt we’re going to figure all this out in a parking lot, and given the sun’s position, I think we’ve stayed past our welcome.”

Aziraphale looked to the horizon. The sun was indeed setting and long shadows were stretched onto Loch Ness. “Seems that way.”

“We booking a local place or going back to your shop?”

“Actually, I thought we’d spend the night at your place, dear.”

“My place?”

“Well, we spent the past evening at mine, so it’s only fair that we spend this one at yours. It’s hardly fair to force you to spend all your time in my abode. Don’t want to deprive you of your personal space. That is, unless you’d rather not have me there. If it would be an invasion of your privacy.”

“Nah. Told you way more private stuff in the past twenty-four hours than you’d ever find out from my flat. Just don’t really have all the homey stuff there. Thought you would’ve picked up on that from your last visit.”

“Your flat does lack the qualities of a lived-in home, but that’s hardly an issue for us, is it? We could simply spruce the place up for an evening and have it all gone by morning.”

“Oh, that’s going to be one abomination of a sitting room.”

“It will also be a very comfortable one.”

With a roll of his eyes at Aziraphale’s pleasant disposition, Crowley snapped his fingers and the two of them appeared in his flat in all of its dim lighting. The dark color palette of the place didn’t help with that either. A spotlight could be hung from the ceiling and the blacks and greys of the walls would still make the room look dark. Both the angel and demon readjusted themselves with the new locale.

“You’ve got plenty of room in here, dear. I could see a nice reading chair there. Perhaps a loveseat there. Couple of nice lamps to give the place a wonderful glow,” Aziraphale said as he walked around Crowley’s rather minimalistic living space.

“Knock yourself out. Just make the loveseat something longer. Don’t see much point in a couch you can’t lie down on.”

“This is your place, Crowley. You can make it however you want. I was merely suggesting some things since you said it wasn’t very homey.”

“No, I want to see what you’ll do with it. Call me curious.”

The angel’s face brightened into an expression much like that of a bride’s when choosing a wedding dress. “Well, if you insist.”

Aziraphale walked about the space once more this time with a bit more spring in his step. His eyes glanced from here to there, seeing things that weren’t in existence just yet. He clasped his hands together and hurried back to Crowley’s side. He took one more look to the demon before snapping his fingers.

In a quick succession, a fury of overstuffed cushions poofed into existence on top a set of fluffy seating. A curved L-shaped couch found itself in the corner. An antique accent chair and ottoman appeared across from it. And a round, glass coffee table between the two. Flashes of cream, tan, and the occasional soft blue whipped about as the furniture came into existence. And though the upholstery matched those colors, all the wooden bits were a much deeper one, the stain almost taking the appearance of black paint. The whole arrangement clashed with itself quite horribly, but at the same time, it worked. It was a mix of grandma’s house and that nice bank all the rich people go to.

“There,” Aziraphale said as the room settled. “Now, I think that’s jolly good.”

“I like it.” Crowley nonchalantly threw himself onto the couch.

“Really? I tried to throw some of your elements into it all so it would go with the rest of the place. I just couldn’t go all the way with it. So dark and dreary.”

“Am a demon. Have to live the part, y’know? Or had to I guess.”

Aziraphale lifted an eyebrow at that. He moved to the chair he had summoned for himself. “Yes, indeed. We’re a bit more free to do as we wish, aren’t we? No longer have to hide our meetings or fit within the cookie cutter guideline our opposing sides set for us.”

“A plus to the End Times.”

“It’s definitely a positive result, but the infinite choices now available are a bit overwhelming. I find myself doing the same things as before all this.”

“And what would you like to be doing?”

“Oh, I’m not quite sure.” The angel looked to Crowley. He actually was quite sure, but they still weren’t talking about it. “Perhaps, this is nice enough on its own. If a change is to happen, let it happen naturally.”

“Naturally for you means at least a couple of centuries.”

“It’s not like we’re short on time, dear.”

“Suppose you’re right there.”

Crowley snapped his own fingers, and a fireplace appeared on the wall behind them, warmly lit. It wasn’t yet the season for evenings by the fire, but demons loved their heat. Especially snakey ones. The crackle of the crispy logs took up the silent, empty air.

“But,” Aziraphale continued, picking the conversation back up. “Given our new predicament, natural progression might be a bit too slow.”

“Sorry, what—what are you talking about? Lost me somewhere in there.”

“Oh, just filling the air. Nothing in particular.” The angel grabbed a book from the ether. “I’ve been meaning to read Poe’s work for some time, but it’s always seemed too grim to get started on. I suppose the atmosphere radiating from your flat makes this an appropriate time to finally pick his work up.”

Crowley tilted his head. That was a rather quick change of the subject. “Go for it. I’ll just be resting my eyes then.”

Aziraphale tucked his nose into his book, and Crowley rolled onto his back, staring at the ceiling. The room felt deep. As if everything about it was wearing a mask caused by their conversation. The occasional evening with Aziraphale would end up that way. As if they were both playing the parts with something rather different on both of their minds. It often left Crowley feeling as though he had wasted an opportunity. What that opportunity was in itself was a completely different issue.

There were going to be a lot more of these evenings in increasing numbers with them being practically handcuffed to each other now. Why the angel was so fine with bearing it for him, Crowley didn’t know. It had to be such a leech on his quality of life. Stuck in every moment without a shred of privacy. Aziraphale, despite being an all-loving being, did like his own space. Crowley knew that bookshop of his wasn’t that big when he had first got it. But Aziraphale was sacrificing all of that for him to not be bent over in constant pain.

Sure, the angel just couldn’t leave him, and Crowley never thought he would. They had literally gone to the End of the World together. Both exiled from their place of employment. They only had each other. Still, Aziraphale was just fine being stuck this way forever. Together. And Crowley really couldn’t wrap his brain around that. Or maybe he wouldn’t wrap his brain around it.

Course he had no problem spending all his time with Aziraphale. If he was being honest, which he hardly did, there was no better way to spend his time. But surely Aziraphale had better ways to spend his time than hang about him.

Why was Aziraphale always the answers to his problems? An eternity of Sin evil enough to knock him out of Heaven and Aziraphale somehow cancels all that out. Why?

The angel cares about him. He said it earlier and actually meant it. Not in the way that he cares about every person, plant, or animal he comes across. An angel wouldn’t tie themselves to a petunia for the rest of existence to keep it from feeling pain. Especially pain derived from a punishment bestowed by the Almighty.

Crowley draped his arm over the arm of the couch, feeling the cool, wooden trim along it. They didn’t have to be friends. From day one, they could’ve made that clear. Started up the rivalry of the ages, but he hadn’t instigated that and then Aziraphale didn’t either. They had always minded each other respectfully. And then it took a turn for something more friendly. And then… well, who knows.

Six thousand years and here they were. Where did that put them? Crowley looked to Aziraphale who looked so immersed in his book that the demon suspected that he wasn’t actually paying any attention to it at all. A suspicion arose in Crowley’s mind that the two of them were having a very similar but completely separate stream of consciousness. And if that was the case, then maybe it was time to stop playing around the subject.

The room still wore a mask, but Crowley was starting to see through it. Whether what he was seeing was accurate, he didn’t know. All he knew was that whatever the opportunity lurking in the air tonight was, he wasn’t going to miss it.

“Aziraphale,” he began, causing the angel to look up from his book. “What are we?”

“Well, I am an angel and you are—”

“You know what I mean.”

“I’m, uh, not sure I do.” Aziraphale clumsily shut his book and dropped it onto his lap. He did know, but saying that seemed much too scary.

Crowley sat up and took his sunglasses off. “I’m not saying we need to label anything. Horribly human thing to do. Some things are beyond words, y’know. But we’ve thrown each other plenty of bones throughout the centuries when we were supposed to do anything but. And well, you mentioned earlier that our relationship may have something to do with this giant mess we’re in.”

“Where are you going with this, Crowley?”

“You don’t see a lot of demons caring about anyone down in Hell, and despite anything you might say, I don’t feel like a lot of angels Upstairs do either. But I care an awful lot about you. And I know we’re more for silent communication regarding whatever we are, but I just want to put it out there directly for once. I goddamn love you. I really do.”

Aziraphale stood and joined Crowley on the couch. He took the demon’s hands in his own. “I suppose we are rather indirect with these things. A harsh consequence of six thousand years of secrecy if I had to guess. I very much love you too.” The angel smiled. “It does feel quite good to say out loud although not as good as hearing you say it.”

“Even the goddamn part?”

“I’ve chosen not to hear that twice now.”

“I was really hoping I was reading all the signs right. Kept telling myself there was no way. Just an angel good at being an angel. Friendly disposition and a knack for understanding the world as it is. Good to learn it was more than that.”

“I wish we could’ve had this conversation sooner. Of course, that wasn’t really all that possible until recently. Just our meetings were risky enough.”

“What you said back at Loch Ness. I think you were right.”

“I said a number of things at Loch Ness.”

“About our relationship being the reason for me being fine in your company.”

Aziraphale’s eyes widened, and he let out an audible gasp. “Oh, love, of course! Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.”

“Yeah, yeah. Bible quotes. Lovely. Point is, we figured it out.”

“Absolutely fantastic. A real hurrah moment if I do say.” Aziraphale released Crowley’s hands to clap his own. “Does this lead us anywhere? In terms of resolving your Sins for good?”

Crowley stood up. “Well, if it does have to do with the idea of personal forgiveness like you said, I, uh, might be making good progress on that.”

“Oh, Crowley.”

“Because specifically—given the context of everything relevant now—maybe all that Falling stuff doesn’t really matter. What was right and wrong and whether I’ve been screwed over from it and that the Almighty should just go shove it. All of it kind of pales, right?” The demon took a few tentative steps back. “None of any of that matters a damn as long as you give one about me. Course I’m still not too fond of the whole memory, but maybe I’m a bit less concerned on what I could’ve done differently.”

By the time he finished talking, the demon was halfway across the room, much further from Aziraphale than he had peacefully been from him in a couple of days. He held his breath. The moment passed. And another after that. And still, he felt fine. A grin found its way to his face. One that didn’t have a hint of mischief or smugness to it, but one that embodied a weight-lifting happiness.

“Well, there you go, huh. Would you look at that?” Crowley said, throwing his arms out. “Simple as that.”

Aziraphale rushed over to Crowley, and, taking the demon’s open arms as an invitation, proceeded to hug him. Crowley, although surprised at first, quickly melted into the embrace.

“Why that’s absolutely fantastic!” Aziraphale began. “One piece of the puzzle was key to solving the rest of it.” He pulled away slightly to look at Crowley. “Imagine you’re the first demon to be in this position, dear. You’re quite literally overcome your Sins. Does that even make you a demon anymore?”

“Who cares? We’re whatever we want to be. Demon, angel, or even a bloody human. Doesn’t matter as long as it’s me and you.”

Aziraphale’s smile gained a renewed warmth and he fell back onto Crowley’s shoulder. He let the moment settle into his mind before voicing the idea he had been playing with since their run in with the Lord of Flies a few hours ago.

“I think we should cause Downstairs just the pinch of trouble for what they put you through,” he whispered into Crowley’s ear.

“And what exactly do you suggest?” The demon’s chest vibrated as he talked.

Aziraphale took a deep breath and pulled away once again. Something with the possible ramifications of this required an eye to eye conversation. Still, their arms remained brushed up against each other.

“I might have formulated some thoughts for a letter to Heaven informing them of, ah, Hell’s vulnerability. I doubt they’ll take it completely seriously given my association to you and our work to avert the End Times, but perhaps they’ll get involved just enough to be a nuisance to your former employers.”

Crowley nodded his head. “Now, you see, it’s things like that which makes me love you. I think that’s just the added stress Downstairs needs.”

The rest of the night was spent with an inkwell, quill, and a square of old parchment along with a variety of century-old wine. Aziraphale and Crowley could’ve had their distance now. Stretch their legs. Feel their personal bubble return to them. But neither of them thought much of it. After six thousand years of being too afraid to get too close to one another, breaking physical contact was the last thing either of them desired.

Epilogue

In Hell, amongst the screams and cries of millions of anguished demons and the clinking and clanking of industrial work, was the ring of an old rotary telephone. A certain Lord Beezlebub who was more sloped out of their throne that in it, shakely clutched the receiver and yanked it to their ear.

“What?!?” they demanded into it.

Their flies were rather numerous today, and in their own uncomfortableness couldn’t sit still. The smoke was also overly thick today. The fires had gotten out of hand since the Sins got loose. A demon would boil over and set fire to everything within twenty feet of them. Six millennia of architecture was crumbling alarmingly quickly.

“Uh, hey you don’t sound that good. Seems like our intel was right,” the voice of Archangel Gabriel spoke from the other side of the line.

“What intel?!? I’m perfectly fine. Speaking to you would put any being in a sour mood.”

The Lord of Flies felt their eyes roll into the back of their head. Their face scrunched up, shoving all the pain out of their voice. The other demons could be weak enough to fall apart, but not them. If they fell apart, Hell would never get fixed, and they’d all be stuck like this forever. There was a bigger curse than Falling to having stood so close to Lucifer that day in Heaven.

“Yeah, I don’t have to tell you anything.” Gabriel replied with a voice that made it clear he was shrugging as he spoke. “The world might not have ended as planned, but that doesn’t mean we’re all even. Oh, no, this little predicament all of you are in down there is just what we needed to pull ahead in this celestial race.”

A large crash clattered in the distance. The sound of metal on metal rang harshly into Beezlebub’s ears. Just another grievance to tack on. Accurate miracles were an impossibility when under the pain of Falling Sins. Another load of supplies for the hallway must’ve surely found themselves hurled over a cliff. Or perhaps another worker had finally lost it and was going on a rampage. That happened enough without the increased incentive. Currently, everything was three steps forward followed by two back.

“All this predicament has done for uz iz reawaken our despisement for all of you up there. Apocalypse or not. Heaven will burn. I’ll start the firezzz myself.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t be threatening us, Beez. We don’t need a war on to fight anymore. And it seems like you’re at quite the disadvantage right now.”

“Try and come here to fight uz. Hell iz looking more like itz beginning days. Hellfire every three steps. It’z what happenzzzz when demonzzz can’t control their powerz. It getzzz explosive.”

As they said this, a boom went off somewhere else entirely. Probably was the supplies that got chucked over the cliff. Progress needed to be viewed under a microscope to be seen. Even an elevator ride with a crate of building supplies wasn’t a guaranteed success.

“Nice to know,” Gabriel replied after the ringing from the explosion wore off. “We’ll take that into consideration as we tear down your past three centuries’ worth of work. Oh, and I’ll send over some flowers and a get well card. Can’t call us heartless. We are the good guys.”

With that, Beezlebub was met with a dial tone. They crushed the phone in their hand. The circuitry and wiring popping out and sparking as the receiver cracked. As it crumbled, they threw the remainder of the device across the room where it hit a particular pathetic demon curled up into the fetal position on the ground.

“Crowley!” the Lord of Flies screamed. Their voice deafened the pained cries in every layer of Hell. “The Earth will burn. Sizzle and crackle until it’zzzzz no more. A pile of ash. Every demon, devil, imp, and gargoyle will tear that planet apart until it iz no more, and you are dragged back down here to suffer like the rest of uz!”

Flames burned behind their eyes. That was a promise they were set on keeping.

[Read My Other Fics]

#Good Omens #Gomens #Ineffable Husbands #my writing

12 notes · View notes

kalluun-patangaroa · 5 years

Text

Afternoon Delight: Brett Anderson Interviewed

by Tariq Goddard

The Quietus, 3 October 2019

Tariq Goddard sits down with Suede frontman, Brett Anderson for a frank talk ahead of the publication of Afternoons With The Blinds Drawn, the second volume of the singer's memoirs

Portrait by Paul Khera

Coal Black Mornings, the first volume of Brett Anderson’s memoir, was a haunting and unusual addition to the genre, eschewing the devices and gimmickry that are the principle selling points of a rock star confessional, for a harrowingly reflective and thoughtful overview of his early years. Anderson took the reader back to a time before the music, to the experiences that informed the songs, albums, and eventual career trajectory, and in doing so, circumnavigated the years of his triumph during which he rose to public prominence and critical acclaim.

His onus on the creatively formative period that preceded success, the tender portraits of his family, particularly his complicated relationship with his father, a man who may have wished he had the life his son had, and the recollections of an England that has vanished so completely as to no longer be a place, offered a more unique and heartfelt history than the celebrity tittle-tattle fans might have thought they wanted. To do anything comparable with the second volume, a story Anderson vowed not to tell, would at once be easier for him - his material would span the glory days of his career - yet harder, for how could the tenderness of the first book survive grubby contact with the reality of wild adulation and Britpop, a “movement" he admits to despising?

Perhaps to his own surprise Volume II, Afternoons With The Blinds Drawn, strikes the same ruminative notes as the earlier volume, again subverting convention and expectation to avoid cliche and disappointment, written in the vulnerable and careful voice of its antecedent. Instead of dishing up insider gossip, Anderson mentions none of his rivals or contemporaries by name, assiduously sticking to the frequently scorned advice of “if have nothing nice to say, I say nothing”. Portraits of associates, friends and ex-friends are generous, forensic but fair, and there is no attempt to airbrush or underplay anyone else’s role in contributing to Suede’s imperial phase.

Knowing that the man he became in this second volume is not as sympathetic as the youth he was in the first, Anderson goes on to slay the most prominent elephant of all, himself, through pages of literary flagellation few writers could self-administer uncoerced.

Driven by the desire to work out what really happened to him, Anderson’s writing follows an unashamedly conceptual arc (“archetypes”, “convergence theory” and “postmodern play of mirrors” all appear on a single page), constituting a historical inquiry into the motives and processes that lay behind his best and worst work, by way of remorseless self-analysis, painful descriptions of how others must have seen him, and an attempt to grasp why we all think we are right at the time. The light shed and insight shared in these two volumes places them in the same covetable space as Springsteen’s Born To Run or Dylan’s Chronicles, and would be worth cherishing even if Brett Anderson was the reason why you never liked Suede in the first place.

Musicians often write books to sustain and propagate a persona that they have developed over a career, not deconstruct one in a spirit of enquiry. This book reads like it was written by that hidden aspect of yourself that wrote the songs in private, and not the public alter ego we saw perform them…

Brett Anderson: Absolutely, that is the main premise of the book, that it wasn’t going to be written by the Brett Anderson persona but whoever the real person behind it was. The reason why Coal Black Mornings ended where it did was because my public persona didn’t exist then, and I deliberately stopped the story before it had been formed. What I didn’t know was whether I could actually write another book in that same voice I had developed in the first, dealing with the next period of my life, and not drift into public persona I had created by then. It was a massive conundrum for me, as people might be familiar with the events and that version of me, and expect something consistent with that, while I knew I wanted a more personal and interesting story, told in the natural voice of the first book.

There is something I want to be clear about though, this thing with the persona we’re talking about is that it wasn’t necessarily false in the way people understand that to be. I wasn’t just the man behind the mask manipulating people’s view of me, because to inhabit a persona you have to believe in that persona too. Looking back it’s possible to wonder how much of it is really yourself, as it is you and not you at the same time, but all of it still comes from you. You are the one doing it. I mean, everyone manufactures personas all time. People in the public eye simply amplify the process, and the lens of the media then helps magnify and distort the original amplification. The “you” that sits down and watches TV with your family is very different from the “you” sitting here now, but that doesn’t mean that your public self is some Svengali like manipulation of reality. The persona you decide to project says as much about who you are as your private self does. And it was only through growing up, growing up and not giving up these past eleven years, and having kids who you can’t fob off with a persona, that I went through the slow and painful process of taking apart the nuts and bolts of what mine was made of.

The book does come up short on after dinner speaking anecdotage. Although it is often very funny, it doesn’t seem to see its function as to amuse, does it?

BA: No, not at all. The book is a search into what happened to me in those years of success and fame, and what effect that had on me as a person, not a parade of all my achievements, where I ask the reader to look at me and love me. Like the first book, I used my writing as a sounding board very like therapy, and used the questions I was asking of myself to work out my own shit.

Portrait by Pat Pope

Notes from therapy don’t normally make for very interesting reading though…

BA: They don’t, and I knew I was running a risk. In one of my favourite reviews of Coal Black Mornings the reviewer writes, having given it two or three stars out of five, I’m not sure which is the more dismissive number, ‘this book is very well written but the big problem I had with it in the end is it is all about him, him, him!’ Well of course it is, it’s a memoir! Memoir has to take the risk of being indulgent to work.

But for a memoir, I found you very impatient with your own perspective. There’s very little self justification or score settling, often it’s like you’re trying to establish something very close to historical objectivity? Even though you keep saying that it is impossible to do that.

BA: I realise I wanted to know everything that was going on around me at that time, that wasn’t just me or to merely repeat or excuse how I saw things then. And I really didn’t want to fall into one of the lazy tropes of the genre which is just to sit there and slag off other bands. There is a vitriol in there, but I apply it to movements and features of the period, not individuals, partly because I know how the media works now. As soon as you slag off a name, that’s all your book becomes, and you lose all control or ownership of context, and simply end up as a line in a feature in quotes of the year. A memoir is about context, a complex tapestry, not a motormouth series of quotes, and you don’t want to lose that by being petty or boring, or revisiting past rivalries. I mean, who cares who ticked me off? The crazy thing is that there are people who want you to name names and write that kind of book, but I wasn’t prepared to.

But readers are more used to engaging with a work of that kind, aren’t they, who blew coke up whose arsehole?

BA: Absolutely, but the books that do that are the same story with the names changed, you know, the amusing band shenanigans, all the japery, the dirt, all of it is essentially the same tale every time. But that is the expectation, and to be honest, critics can be just as predictable. I’ve had reviews saying that Coal Black Mornings was really good but who was it really for, as it doesn’t sit comfortably in the genre they think it is supposed to be in. But for me that’s a good thing. It’s meant to be more ambitious and about trying to get to the bottom of things and to understand life. Basically the opposite of a series of oft repeated anecdotes. The anecdotes that I have included are the things that are important to me that no one else could have ever known about, because they were purely personal or because sometimes there was simply no one else there to observe them. Whether it’s the beautiful girl who comes up to me just to tell me my band are shit, or the cheese and pickle sandwich I took with me on my first flight to America, these were the things I wanted to share so that I would know they had really happened. You know, the strange and quirky little things that give your life back to you, as they thread in and out of the story everyone else thinks they know…

You are hard on yourself in the book, but you are also very hard on your own music, which from a fan’s point of view might be tough to take. Reading that you have never rated your most successful singles, or that people’s favourite songs had working titles like 'Pisspot' and 'Sombre Bongoes' for example…

BA: Yeah, 'Stay Together', 'Electricity', the Head Music title track, and 'The Power', yeah, I take the sword to them all, but I had to be that self critical in order to be convincing. If I just sat there saying, “I’m a fucking genius and everything I have done is brilliant” anything else I would say would carry zero weight! Especially if I then want to go on and talk about the songs I really do still love, 'Heroine', 'Killing Of A Flash Boy', 'Sleeping Pills', the list goes on. It’s all part of subverting the myth of the god given seer, like the bit where I talk about myself honestly as a musician and admit that I am not a particularly talented one, but what I do have is that I just don’t fucking give up.That admission for me was a moment of truth, it just isn’t what most musicians say, and so another attack on the supposed elegance of my persona. But in the same way I view myself at points in my past as a different person, I see some of those songs as written by a different person, and that is why the flaws so easily reveal themselves to me. As for being hard on myself, again, I had to be. My mistakes were entirely my own and no one else’s fault, certainly not the fault of any childhood trauma or external stuff, and I needed to take responsibility for that. My descent into hell came from being romantically attached to the notion of the artist as a genius that accepts no limits or boundaries, it was that simple.

Do you think the experience of the relatively fallow and low periods in your career helped you develop the sensibility and humility with which you wrote this memoir? That continual and unbroken success may have robbed you of certain insights that disappointment helped provide?

BA: Yes, the end of the band meant I was able to jump off the bandwagon I had been on and develop a different perspective. Those were key years for me as an artist, that I had to have away from Suede, before we came back again. Experiencing struggle and failure, having had success, was crucial for me. I loved making solo records but it did start to feel like a bit of a vanity project as you do need an audience, and there is a certain point where if you drop below a particular level, you begin to wonder whether it is still worth doing. The work may still stand up, but if there’s just a select group you are appealing to, buttressed by family and friends, you can feel like the basic relationship you need with an audience, in order to create, is breaking down. And with having a family too, I thought I couldn’t afford to go on like that anymore. A performance, a book, a song, all these things require an audience, it’s a plea, you are projecting your voice out there and you require an echo in return. Otherwise you’d just stay in your own room and write for yourself, which is what some artists claim to do, but it’s an attitude I have never shared. Because half the point of creating anything is the reaction. I’ve never understood the cliche of the artist that only creates for themselves and never reads their own press.

You have to be Kafka to really not care what happens to your work. Most artists hope for perpetual immortality, on their more modest days.

BA: But did even Kafka really not care though?

He did leave his work with his best friend and literary executor to destroy.

BA: Exactly, his best friend and literary executor! Interesting that he chose a man who thought he was genius for that task! If he really felt that way he should have given everything to someone who really didn’t give a shit about him or his work.

Contingency and chance is one of the big themes of your book. One of the very few contemporaries you name, and then very affectionately, is Loz Hardy of Kingmaker whose fortunes you contrast with yours. You seem to be asking did you succeed, and he fail, because of the hidden hand of destiny, Darwinian necessity and artistic merit, or has the whole of your and his career been the most monstrous fluke?

BA: I thought long and hard about whether to involve Loz in any of this, and there is a part of me that felt bad about it, and so I tried to be sensitive in how I talked about him, as I have warmth for him and always really liked him. But I had to include him. We were thrown together by the Melody Maker’s “dog shit and diamonds” piece, a gladiatorial contest they set up where we were used as symbols for different musical and aesthetic tendencies, and there was no way for me to explore the questions I wanted to if I ignored that. The fact is Kingmaker did not go onto achieve success, but I hope I didn’t trample on them when I refer back to that point where we found ourselves in the same place. I genuinely wanted to work out whether things happened for us in the only way they could have, and if you can judge your own worth on the basis of success, as the ultimate criteria, or if it is all down to chance in the end.

You go on to say that the neglect of great art makes you wonder whether it is all chance, however much it might suit you not to think so…

BA: Exactly, look at Echo And The Bunnymen for fuck’s sake! They’ve made amazing music but why aren’t they then given the prestige they deserve, whereas so many of their less talented contemporaries fill up stadiums at the drop of hat? How can you resolve it? It’s unresolvable! But I think you need to believe in destiny wholeheartedly to make it at anything, and it is easy to when everything is going right, you know “my success is my destined birthright!’, but then how can you have any framework or belief system left if you embrace destiny and then fuck up? You’d be complicit in your own fall. Even then though, you can make failure work for you, and realise the fuck-ups were necessary too, and that you learn from them and they therefore feed your future successes, so you’re kind of led back into destiny again. The thing is if you are happy with where you have got to in life, and looking at things from a place of satisfaction, then you literally can’t really regret anything, as the fuck ups are part of the journey that led you to where you are, and are as easily as important as the successes.

Photograph courtesy of Phillip Williams

You make a number of complimentary references to the old music press in the book, even when they turned on you, which is rare for a musician…

BA: God yeah, we’re culturally less well off for their folding, don’t you think so? That whole Punch And Judy journalism and playground tribalism produced so many great bands and so much great discussion no matter how ugly it got. Those papers were like a music factory. A lot of modern music writing, with some very obvious exceptions that I love, is too dry and balanced. Growing up to a point where you can’t be violently partial means you lose something of the enthusiasm and passion that draws you to music. Music writing needs to be a little bit impetuous because music is impetuous. It’s easy to think it was all divisive and unnecessarily nasty, but it needed to be, that was its job, which encouraged it to issue challenges and be creative in its own right too. Which was great, providing they were saying nice things about us!

How has the creative process changed for you now that you are no longer committed to releasing album after album in quick succession, a process you say that led to the creation of some inferior work; does that easing of pressure and allowing of material to gestate compensate for what is lost, which is that in the old days you didn’t know what was going to happen next, and that every new record might yet change your lives with as yet unimagined success?

BA: There’s a trade off. The eventual realisation that you are not part of the mainstream anymore, as we clearly no longer are, does give you the freedom go to interesting places you could not always have gone to before. For me now the concept of a record has to be very strong to act on it, and I won’t start writing simply because it is time to release a record again. For example, the material and ideas I thought would be perfect for A New Morning, were actually followed through on and became The Blue Hour sixteen years later. Trying to carry them into the songs I was writing at the time, and make a record about the darkness of the countryside when you want your songs to be rotated on Radio One, was never going to happen. And that’s one of the beauties and consolations of being set adrift from the mainstream, which is that you really don’t need to worry anymore about a particular kind of career path anymore. We’re never going to latch back onto the mainstream again, I know that, because we could make the greatest record we’ve ever made, or has ever been made, and we would still never be on Radio One again. And I’m fine with that now. I am a 52-year-old man, do you know what I mean? Age has got to give you something, because otherwise there is a part of you that might never get over what it has to teach you.

You plot your changing relationship with your fans from a high of believing you were in it together, to the low of seeing graffiti left on your street with directions to your house and a request to kill your cat. The lesson that fans live for you when they should be living for themselves, and that you should be living for yourself and not them, seems hard earned on both sides, particularly as you write about how much you owe them for putting you where you wanted to be in the first place.

BA: It’s a fascinating process with fans, you were there in the early days, and you know that insane dynamic where the fans are still part of the experience. We used to hang out with you guys and it was like being with your mates where you share the same passions and interests, but then you get to that point in a band where the doors come down, and there is a separation where you find yourself either being mobbed by people or sitting on your own in an empty dressing room with no in-between. Life becomes polarised between these two extremes, and it is unavoidable because it is built into success, and so to some extent, is no more than what you wanted and signed up for, but there is that lovely point when you first start when the people who follow you aren’t an abstract, “the audience”, but friends, and there is something special about those days I wanted to capture in the book. Because those days were really important, one of those lovely periods you can never have back or go back to again.

After that you become public property, where you have an image you keep up to avoid disappointing people, and where everything you say is taken at face value. Like the story you mention in the book where I forget that I asked a couple of fans to come back to my house in two days time, only to be polite, then completely forgot about it, and ended up instigating a campaign of abuse against myself…

I understand the danger of taking rock stars at their word. In early 95 I bumped into you at the Severn Bridge Services and you told me that I should join you in Watford in a week, where you would meet me outside the venue and let me into a gig!

BA: Oh no, you’re joking…what an invitation! My God, and did I do it?

I would love to have said you did! I still got in, so no hard feelings.

BA: I’m so sorry! What you’ve got to understand is that in a band when you meet someone at the services you always want to leave the conversation on a high note, to contrast with the surroundings, hence the Watford Colosseum! I just hoped that you wouldn’t believe me and would realise that in the end it was all just…words!

Afternoons With The Blinds Drawn is out now via Little Brown

#suede #brett anderson #press #interview #the quietus #2019 #afternoons with the blinds drawn

4 notes · View notes

obsidianarchives · 5 years

Text

Ujima

Ujima - Collective Work and Responsibility; To build and maintain our community together and make our brothers' and sisters' problems our problems and to solve them together.

[Book Year 3]

“It’s our O.W.L. year,” Alicia complained, “Wood can’t possibly think he can set this packed of a practice schedule.”

“Of course he does,” Katie said with a sigh, “When has Wood ever been known to slow down?”

Angelina sat with her teammates on the floor of the Gryffindor common room near the fireplace as they read over the latest Gryffindor Quidditch practice schedule, which Oliver Wood told them at dinner he had been devising over Christmas break. She had immediately gone over to Alicia and Katie after reading it through, sure she had gotten the wrong paper.

She sighed, “I knew he would do this after we lost to Hufflepuff.”

“But he has exams too!” Alicia exclaimed, “There’s no time!”

Angelina set down the color-coded parchment complete with outlines of individual workouts, group practices, and strategic meetings. “I’ll talk to him about scaling back.” They didn’t need more practice. Everyone knew that Harry would have caught the Snitch had the dementors not chosen that moment to see what all the fun was about. She shuddered, reminded of the cold, dark feeling that had washed over her as she’d flown at the Hufflepuff goals.

“Angelina?”

She looked up to see Lavender Brown standing above her, a worried look on her face.

“What’s up?” Angelina asked. The girl rarely spoke to her outside of BSU meetings, which she had only recently begun attending, but Angelina had long since taken it upon herself to be available to all of the younger Black Gryffindors who needed her guidance, as others had been for her.

“Can we talk?”

“Sure,” Angelina folded up Wood’s practice schedule and pushed herself up off the ground. She followed Lavender over to two armchairs just vacated by two first years, wondering what the issue was. Lavender had only started coming to BSU meetings just before the end of last term, and though she was new, she’d seemed fairly comfortable. From the look on her face, Angelina worried that something had happened.

“What’s going on?”

“Something’s wrong with Hermione,” Lavender said, “I wasn’t going to say anything after how insensitive she was after my bunny died, but I’m really worried.”

Angelina hadn’t seen Hermione much this year, and the few times she’d caught a glimpse of her she had either been running to the library, running to class, or running to her room to get another book. She wasn’t sure it was much different from how Hermione had acted in previous years, but Lavender was the girl’s roommate, so Angelina knew she would have more insight.

“What makes you think so?”

“She only ever does homework — I know that doesn’t sound so different from how she is normally, but it’s like she never sleeps. Parvati picked up her schedule yesterday morning to give back to her after she dropped it on her way out of our room, and she swears Hermione had multiple classes in the same time slot!”

Angelina frowned, “No one can be in two places at once.”

“Well obviously not, but she’s never missed a Divination class and she goes on and on about Arithmancy, but they’re at the same time.”

“Maybe she’s worked something out with the professor,” Angelina offered, unable to see anything else for it.

“Maybe, but that’s not the point. She’s been crying a lot lately and I know for a fact that she and Ron Weasley had a row. Of course, Harry sided with him, so now all she does is hang out with Hagrid.” Her voice dripped with derision at the thought of anyone wanting to spend their free time with the school’s newest and most untrained professor.

“Why haven’t you offered to let her hang out with you and Parvati?”

“Obviously we have, and we’ll occasionally have lunch but we have nothing in common,” Lavender leaned in, her tone hushed, “She doesn’t even care about the Boys With Magic’s Screech Tour!”

Angelina watched Lavender, bemused. She supposed Lavender and Hermione were about as different from each other as you could get, but still, she appreciated the fact that Lavender was willing to seek help for her roommate.

“Why are you coming to me about this? Surely Professor McGonagall could help her with her schedule, or talk some sense into Harry and Ron.”

“Well, she looks up to you,” Lavender says, “I wanted to invite her to a BSU meeting, but I think she might respond to it better coming from you.”

“I don’t know…” Angelina said, unsure, “If anything, her coming to BSU might make her scheduling issues worse.” She vaguely wondered if she could go to Wood with the BSU as an excuse for why she couldn’t do so many practices.

“True, but BSU makes me feel like I have a real support system here,” Lavender said, “It seems like Hermione is flailing. Maybe it could help her too.”

…

Angelina promised Lavender that she would talk to Hermione about joining the BSU, but for the rest of the week, she didn’t find the time. Her professors were piling on more and more homework as O.W.L.s loomed. As their match against Ravenclaw came closer, Wood became more pumped up than ever, approaching team members in the hall to shout tips and getting into a very loud and public argument with Percy Weasley in the entrance hall about why having a full working model of the Hogwarts Quidditch pitch in their room shouldn’t be a hindrance to a good night’s sleep. She had spoken to Wood about calming down, and in response, he relented on the individual workouts, but increased the constructive feedback he seemed to feel obligated to hurl at them in passing.

With Saturday morning came Quidditch practice, but Angelina had a book she needed to return to the library before Madam Pince began stalking her for it — she had heard from Colin Creevey that Pince had taken to popping around corners after he’d put off returning a book for too long. She left her broomstick at the doorway, knowing the librarian wouldn’t like it in her sanctuary.

She wasn’t all that surprised to see Hermione there, surrounded by stacks of books near one of the windows, the early morning light filtering in through the thin gray clouds. She was bent over an open book, but when Angelina got closer, she realized the girl was fast asleep.

“Hey,” Angelina nudged her awake.

Hermione shot up, eyes wild. The side of her dense curly hair was flattened, packed together, and lopsided. “Wha—? Oh, hey Angelina.”

Angelina knew she needed to get to practice, but now that she was really looking at Hermione up close, she could see that Lavender had a point. The girl had large bags under her eyes, her clothes looked disheveled, and it was clear she hadn’t moisturized her hair in at least two weeks. Angelina sat down next to her, reaching out to fluff up the side of Hermione’s hair that had been mashed together when she dozed off. It felt dry and brittle.

“What’s going on?”

“Oh, nothing,” Hermione mumbled, rubbing her eyes, “I’ve been looking up precedents for hippogriff pardons after they’ve attacked humans. I must have fallen asleep.”

Angelina slid a stack of books out of her way and glanced down at the huge tome Hermione had been sleeping on. It was a book about legal cases against violent magical creatures from the 19th century. “Why would you be doing that?”

“The Ministry is holding a hearing for Buckbeak soon and Hagrid needs all the help he can get,” Hermione’s words were slower than Angelina was used to, but she could still hear the indignation in her voice. “It isn’t fair to punish Buckbeak just because Malfoy was being stupid.”

“Sure,” Angelina had heard all about the hippogriff issue, it was one of the reasons they had played Hufflepuff in their first Quidditch match of the year, and by extension, the reason Wood was so frantic after losing. “But why is that on you?”

Hermione blinked. “Hagrid is my friend.”

“Yes, but Hagrid is also a grown man,” Angelina said gently, “Are you sure you have time to focus on this given all of your classes?”

Hermione wouldn’t meet her eyes, “I’m handling it.”

“I won’t tell you how to manage your time,” Angelina conceded, leaning back. “But it seems like you need some support. Some of us — Black students, I mean — we meet on Sunday mornings to hang out and talk. Professor Sinistra gave us her classroom to use.”

Hermione frowned, “I heard about that. I figured Zabini just sent that note as a courtesy. He doesn’t like me very much, and the others think I’m too high strung.”

Angelina grimaced, “That may be true, but the BSU isn’t about that. It’s about community, having each other’s backs even if you’re not exactly close.”

“I don’t know,” Hermione said, rubbing her eye again. Angelina wondered if all Hermione really needed was a good night’s sleep.

“Well just think about it,” Angelina said, pushing herself up from her seat. She was going to hear it from Wood for being late. “And stop by my room later. I’ve been developing a quick moisturizing spell for hair that I think you’ll be able to learn fairly easily.”

Hermione yawned. “Thanks, Angelina,” she said before bending over further to read about the trial of a bowtruckle with a penchant for pulling out the hair of anyone who came within ten feet of its trees.

Angelina nodded and turned to leave the library.

…

Angelina sat in Sinistra’s classroom in the circle of chairs Blaise Zabini and Desiree Warbeck had configured before the start of the meeting. Desiree was now passing around the fresh cookies she’d baked in the Hogwarts kitchens (“You can get a lot done when you’re friendly with the house elves.”) while Dean Thomas wrote a few things on the board in the front of the classroom.

Angelina’s younger brother Alex sat nearby, poised to take minutes. It was his first year at Hogwarts, and he’d been sorted into Ravenclaw. When Angelina had told him about the group, he’d jumped at the chance to join, and when Blaise had casually asked if anyone could take notes, Alex took it upon himself to bring his own quills and parchment to every meeting from there on out.

“Did you talk to her?” Lavender hissed at Angelina as she sat down in the circle, leaving a seat between them.

“Yeah,” Angelina said, “I don’t know if she’ll come, but we’ll see.”

“Alright everyone,” Blaise said, after thanking Desiree for a cookie, “We should start.”

Dean finished writing down the last bullet point with a flourish and came to sit between Blaise and Alex. Desiree kept walking around the circle, while Blaise continued.

“Let’s check in. How’s the beginning of the new term going for everyone so far?”

There was a beat of silence as the students all looked around at each other, unwilling to go first.

“I’ll start,” Dean said, sitting up straighter. “I’m okay. School’s fine, but I’ve been having a hard time talking to my mum. My parents are Muggles, so they don’t know about all the...stuff going on here. I was too scared to tell them about the Chamber of Secrets, and with Sirius Black on the loose near Hogwarts…I don’t know I guess I’m just having a hard time figuring out what to tell my family.”

Blaise nodded, looking around the room. “Anyone have any advice for Dean?”

“Don’t be stupid,” Lee Jordan said next to Angelina. “The Chamber’s been closed and the Ministry will get Black. Don’t tell them about any danger unless you don’t want to stay here anymore.”

“Of course I want to stay!” Dean exclaimed.

“Then keep your mouth shut,” Lee said, “Trust me, it’s a pain to have your parents worrying about you at school, Muggle or not.”

Angelina silently agreed. She and Alex had been getting long-winded letters from their mother about all of the anonymous tips the Daily Prophet was getting about Black, and after the attack on the Fat Lady, she knew her parents were of half a mind to pull them out of school altogether. Angelina wished she could tell her not to worry, especially with Dumbledore around, but instead she thanked her mum for the information and moved on with trying to balance her schoolwork and Quidditch.

“Who’s next?” Blaise asked.

“I’ll go,” said Lee. “Everything’s brilliant mostly, except I’ve got detention for the next four Saturdays just for putting fake snakes in Alicia’s stew.”

“You deserve it!” Alicia interrupted scathingly from across the room. Several people giggled.

“Oh come on, it was just a bit of fun,” Lee said with a smile. “Anyway, I’m supposed to be sorting Flitterblooms from Devil’s Snare with Sprout, which is cruel and unusual punishment if you ask me — what if I get attacked and there’s no one to save me? On top of that, Snape’s given me extra Potions homework just because I misspelled ‘monkshood’ in my essay, so now I’ll be missing out on some prime planning time with the twins — we’ve got some brilliant jokes for April but they take time —”

“Sorry,” a small voice said from the doorway.

Lee stopped as the room turned to see Hermione, looking unsure. She wore a burgundy sweater and jeans, her thick hair pulled up into a pineapple on her head. She was clearly still exhausted, but she looked far better than when Angelina had seen her last.

“I didn’t mean to interrupt,” Hermione said, eyes darting around the room, “I just wasn’t sure if this was the right place.”

Dean smiled kindly, “You came at the right time. Lee was rambling.”

“Sorry for trying to share my life,” Lee said, crossing his arms dramatically, “I thought I was amongst friends.”

“Take a seat,” Blaise said, gesturing to the circle.

Hermione made her way over to the chair between Angelina and a beaming Lavender. Desiree hurried over to offer her a cookie.

“Why don’t you check in, Granger?” Blaise said as Desiree took her seat. “We’re just talking about how our years are going so far.”

“Oh,” Hermione said, taking a small bite of her cookie and wiping her mouth. “Mine has been really hectic, but I’m managing…”

#Angelina Johnson #Lavender Brown #Hermione Granger #HogwartsBSU

4 notes · View notes

hellzyeahthewebwieldingavenger · 6 years

Text

I got some things to say about Child Within and Death of Vermin

Back when ASM v5 #2 got released I had problems with how Peter and the Lizard were characterized, specifically due to the shadow of Shed and it’s infanticide cannibalism. To dive deeper I looked at the Child Within and Death of Vermin story arcs by DeMatteis. My thinking was we are discussing Spider-Man’s reactions to a character who was a man mutated into an animal hybrid who engaged in cannibalism and well, there was already a precedent for that in Vermin.

However in diving into the stories there were other things I wanted to say about the stories more generally.

The big thing I should qualify is that these are good storylines but those come with certain qualifyers.

They are not badly written on a craftsmanship level per se but that is dependent upon whether you look at the stories in isolation vs. within the broader context of Spider-Man’s history or from the which particular character’s perspective.

The thing is DeMatteis who authored both stories (as well as KLH which Child Within is a pseudo sequel to) created Vermin and he was plainly an author’s pet character. I dunno from where DeMatteis’ affection for Vermin comes from but it’s plainly obvious from KLH, Child Within, Death of Vermin and his Captain America run from which Vermin originated.

And that’s the big deal when it comes to Death of Vermin. The Death of Vermin is kind of a Vermin and Ashley Kafka story first and a Spider-Man story second. It isn’t that Spider-Man doesn’t appear, or is passive within the story or unimportant. Its more like it’s not his story, it’s Vermin’s and Ashley Kafka’s. Whilst DeMatteis’ later invention of Judas Traveller was an example of an author indulging themselves most of the Traveller stories still were rooted in their focus upon Peter and/or Ben Reilly’s characters and used Traveller as an opponent or plot device for exploration of said characters. Death of Vermin provides a weird reversal wherein it is better written than...well every scene Traveller showed up in, possibly better written than every story featuring Traveller (except stories where he appears only briefly, e.g. ASM #400). And yet it places the majority of focus upon characters other than Spider-Man himself.

In truth the story could be regarded more as a wrap up arc for Captain America than a Spider-Man story, but even that’d not be wholly accurate. There is greater resonance offered to Spider-Man’s presence via his connection to Ashley Kafka via Child Within and to Vermin via Kraven’s Last Hunt. However Cap could’ve arguably had resonance with Vermin too from his interactions with him and of course Zemo’s presence in the arc makes much more sense if this was Captain America.

Possibly the solution would’ve been if Death of Vermin was a mini-series/crossover that featured both heroes. But in truth either way it just underscores the fact that this wasn’t truly Spider-Man’s story, nor Cap’s. It was Zemo’s (a non-Spider-Man character), Ashley Kafka’s (a then very new addition to Spidey’s word) and most of all Vermin’s (a Captain America character then recently adopted into Spider-Man).

So in truth Death of Vermin was...a DeMatteis pet project arc.

And hey if you like Kafka, if you like Vermin, if you like Zemo and if you liked Dematteis Cap run then this is for you. Problem is apart from those last two I don’t think the audience for those first two was big enough or enthusiastic enough to warrant a story like this. More poignantly if you are telling a multi-part story arc within the pages of a main monthly Spider-Man title...shouldn’t Spider-Man himself be the main point? Shouldn’t aiming it for an audience who first and foremost want to see Spider-Man and important/notable Spider-Man characters get focus be the point?

All this in spite of the story again not being bad per se. It’s more that it’s bad from a certain point of view. But that point of view is from the pov of a Spider-Man fan/reader wanting to read about Spider-Man in a Spider-Man title.

That being said this was just one arc and at the time there were after all 3 other monthly Spider-Man titles to choose from. Perhaps the mentality at the time was that there was space to do more different stuff. If you didn’t want to read a story arc where Vermin and/or Ashley Kafka to all intents and purposes are the main characters and would rather read a story where it was in fact Spider-Man then you had the chance to do that every three weeks before or after the publication of any given part of Death of Vermin.

If you do feel it’s bad though or at least overly indulgent of DeMatteis remember that even the best writers make mistakes or are prone to that from time to time. Unlike with Slott DeMatteis didn’t do that stuff routinely, Vermin, Scrier and Judas Traveller were basically it. And for Ashley Kafka specifically it did add a lot of character development to her to be fair, character development pissed away by Slott when he killed her off.

Moving on we have Child Within.

Again...an incredibly mixed bag.

There are two major retcons to Child Within and one works great the other not so great.

The gist of Child Within is that DeMatteis compares and contrasts Peter, Harry Osborn and Vermin in terms of them coming face-to-face with traumatic childhood memories they’ve been repressing.

For Vermin this is the realization that he was sexually abused by his father. This is another example of DeMatteis wanting to develop Vermin because he loves the character but in context of the story it works as effectively as the ways in which Kraven and Peter and Mary Jane are contrasted against one another along with Vermin in KLH.

For Harry, he realizes that his father was physically and verbally abusive towards him, even before he got the Goblin formula. Additionally Harry remembers Peter’s identity as Spider-Man and comes to grips with the fact that his father killed his friend Gwen Stacy.

For Peter he realizes that he’s always had a guilt complex even pre-dating Uncle Ben’s death stemming from the internalized blame and guilt he felt over his parents’ deaths. I also suspect this story choice was connected to the soon to be published return of Peter’s parents in ASM #365.

It is Harry and Peter’s revelations that are specifically retcons.

Ironically both (more or less) date back to the same moment from the same issue: ASM #39 (the first Romita Senior issue and reveal of Norman as the Goblin). In that issue Peter and Harry bond over their childhoods, with Harry telling Peter he and his father were pals up until a few years ago (the subtext being that his Dad changed due to the Goblin formula). Peter for his part claims he doesn’t even remember his father since he died when he was too young to remember.

Later stories would further explore Peter’s childhood with varying levels of contradictions. Half the time (such as when Howard Mackie or Paul Jenkins were writing the series) it seemed Peter was a young boy in the 4-7 age range when his parents died and he came to live with Ben and May. The other half the time Peter was a baby or a toddler when that happened.

Confusing matters more is the fact that even the stories that put Peter in roughly the same age range don’t jive with one another. Roberto Aguirre Sacasa and Stan Lee both wrote stories depicting Peter as a baby or a toddler but whilst Lee claimed that the Parkers died whilst Peter was in May and Ben’s care (prompting them to continue that as his guardians), Sacasa depicts them as picking Peter up from somewhere after the fact and resolving to raise him. Yet other writers (like Michelinie) depict Peter as not remembering his parents yet still apparently knowing certain details of his life with them.

As far as canon goes though I think it only really makes sense to side with Stan on this one. He established Peter as not remembering his parents in ASM #39 and his account of Peter’s early years from ASM Annual #5 was the first such account and jives with issue #39. Plus you know...he created Spider-Man.

DeMatteis’ retcons in Child Within thus contradict both peter and Harry’s established childhoods but whilst Harry’s is workable and enriching, Peter’s is nonsensical and reductive. DeMatteis is a superb writer and Spider-Scribe but like I said, nobody’s perfect. Even Stan and Steve had the odd faux pas with the characters.

With Harry Child Within was the start of DeMatteis’ character arc for him which would culminate in Spec #200, with the issue and arc over all regarded as the best Harry centric story of all time, and one of the best Spidey stories of all time to boot. The storyline developed Harry beautifully as a character, making him a complex yet sympathetic villain.

At the same time it’s contradictions to ASM #39 and what we thought we knew of Harry made sense. He was repressing all this stuff so of course there would be contradictions. More poignantly ASM #40 depicted flashbacks wherein Norman himself is clearly out of touch with the reality of his past relationship with his son and the picture they paint doesn’t exactly showcase Harry and Norman as pals either.

So there was already something of a precedent for Harry or the Osborns in general having major memory problems, drugs, goblin formulas or blows to the head or not.

And you know thematically this worked really well for Harry. Painting him as this messed up helped explain his outings prior to that as a villain, his initial antagonism towards Peter, his drug abuses and his devotion to his father and even his own family. After all he was a devoted father to his own son Normie. Could he perhaps have been seeking subconsciously a more positive relationship with his own son than he had with his father (a father who his son was named for)?

If you take Child Within in isolation the retcons to Peter’s own past and how Harry was key to awakening them work really beautifully in symmetry and contrast with Harry. These two friends inadvertently unearthed painful childhood memories connected to their parents which had subconsciously shaped them into who they were today. And in awakening those memories it had set them on a path towards their futures to. In Peter’s case it was a form of closure, or at least the start of a healing process wherein he could walk forwards in life more whole than he was before, more able to be a god family man. In Harry’s case it started him on a road to madness as self destruction that would scar his family. This is of course summed up in the closing pages of part 6 wherein we get complimenting splash pages of Peter brightly and triumphantly swinging away from his parents’ graves whilst Harry scared and sad flies away from his living wife and child.

Great writing. Beautiful writing.

In isolation.

The problems then arise when you put the story within the wider context of Spider-Man’s established history, the defining themes of the character and the genre considerations for a superhero series like Spider-Man.

See it is theoretically possible for Peter to have blamed himself for his parents’ deaths and then repressed that blame creating the examples of guilt we’d seen for 30 odd years by that point.

If he was old enough.

But as I said ASM #39 established Peter didn’t remember his parents because he was too young and the very next elaboration upon that we see is in ASM Annual #5 where Peter is at a humungous push maybe 3 years old tops. Both written by the same person before anyone else says anything about Peter’s early years and that same person happens to be the co-creator of Spider-Man himself.

At which point you have to say “This makes no sense, of course he wouldn’t blame himself he wouldn’t be old enough for that to have happened.”

In fact in Spec #254, DeMatteis does another psychedelic story in which Peter symbolically revisits the moment Uncle Ben informed him of his parents’ deaths and in said scene Peter is in a crib, which again would render him too young to remember his parents.

Spec #254

You could always explain this one away as a glorified dream sequence but it’s food for thought.

There is an even more pressing problem with the retcon though.

The retcon clearly leans hard upon the interpretation that Spider-Man is defined by guilt. That in fact guilt is the root of his motivations to be a hero. This story goes further as to essentially say up until now Peter has essentially been a hero due to...well....not getting enough therapy over the years.

Child Within inadvertently codifies that Spider-Man is Spider-Man not because Uncle Ben died so much as because Spider-Man has if not a mental illness then very serious unresolved childhood issues which have unhealthily manifested in his internalizing blame and guilt and alleviating those feelings by...risking his life all the time...

...er...can you see how this is something of a problem within the big picture of the series?

This isn’t saying Spider-Man is a hero in spite of some serious condition he has or he is able to take the unfortunate circumstances of an illness and use it to propel him into something positive.

This story essentially (though perhaps unintentionally) spelled out that Peter has been suffering with something very serious for the entire time we’ve known him and that is the actual reason he is a superhero. The idea being that if Peter was to treat this, was to make himself well or had been well the entire time he WOULDN’T have been a hero in the first place. Because he’d have lost the root of the thing that compelled him to be Spider-Man in the first place.

I adore DeMatteis but in this respect Child Within can be seen as his most reductive Spider-Man story.

This retcon invalidates/undermines Uncle Ben’s death and Spider-Man’s actual origin story and the central message of great power=great responsibility.

It presumes Spider-Man’s sense of responsibility is interchangeable with or stems from a inherent sense of guilt when this is just plain not the case and goes against the ‘rules’ of the superhero genre. Or at least the rules as they apply to a character like Spider-Man.

Spidey is supposed to be an everyman, someone to relate to and be inspired by. In this sense codifying his motivation and central message as one about learning to use the powers you have responsibility to help others makes sense and is powerful and resonant. When it’s actually nothing more than the by-product of a serious personal issue that he’s unhealthily left unresolved you seriously mess with the foundation and heart of the character.

It is the same kind of nonsense which presupposes Batman must be insane and traumatized and have unresolved issues to go about being a crime fighter in a bat costume, as opposed to someone who went through something bad and used his pain to safeguard innocent people from the source of that pain, using his costume as a (highly effective) battle tactic.

To be honest I think this change to Spider-Man’s early years and driving emotions came from again a place of indulgence on DeMatteis’ part. I have spoken at length about how Slott indulged himself so much during his run so I want to make it clear I don’t mean DeMatteis indulged himself in that sort of way.

Rather I think he was maybe putting a lot of himself or people he knew or stories he’d encountered which struck deep within him into Peter’s backstory as seen in Child Within. It was a sincere attempt to develop the character and dive into who he is and why, he just came at it from an ill considered and problematic angle.

Moreover the story talks at length about needing to admit to and deal with these repressed childhood memories and get help to cope with them.

But then...DeMatteis doesn’t depict Spider-Man doing that. There is no ongoing subplot of Spider-Man coping with this newfound knowledge that the root of his tendency to blame himself for everything stems from this messed up childhood trauma. It comes up a little bit in DeMatteis’ run as throwaway lines but it essentially goes uncommented upon in consequent Spider-Man stories in other titles and even within the same run by DeMatteis that established it. I don’t even recall it coming up much when his parents seemingly come back after being presumed dead, though I admit it’s been a long while since I checked those stories out.

Is that a faux pas on the part of later writers and editors. Kind of but this is also a case of something that really doesn’t belong in Spider-Man lore being essentially ignored because it has to be for the character to function properly. But if you buy into the Child Within retcon (which I do not advise you on doing) it paints the horrible picture that Spider-Man basically didn’t address this trauma and backslide into old habits of blaming himself and repressing the root of why that was the case.

To be honest, this is honestly why I always advise against doing stories with the main or highly recurring supporting characters who essentially show up every issue wherein you put them in situations where they’d need a lot of therapy over a long period of time. It’s just not practical to do a story like that when you got to put out a monthly (in this case basically weekly) action adventure series.

Mini-series like Lost Years with characters who exist for that story alone or with infrequently recurring villains like Vermin or less vital supporting characters ever, where you can park them and let us presume they will be getting better off panel, is fine.

But this just wasn’t practical at all for Spider-Man.

What compounds the issue is that we see in Death of Vermin the deep scars childhood trauma results in and how it takes a lot of time, effort and hardship to recover from them. But here Spider-Man is basically fine a few months (publishing time, less time in-universe) later just...over it.

Both stories are ultimate a gigantic testament to how great writers can still make missteps, even ones born out of good intentions and creative instincts, whilst the end results can still possess plenty of merit nevertheless.

#Spider-Man #peter parker #J.M. DeMatteis #Vermin #Edward Whelan #Marvel #marvel comics #Ben Reilly

6 notes · View notes

kingofthewilderwest · 6 years

Note

I can't stop thinking about how beautiful Lotor and Allura's children would be if they ended up being together

Oh goodness. Lotor is unfairly pretty, as is Allura. That’s quite a lot of way-too-pretty genetics all in one place! XD

Now… I don’t like raining on anyone’s parade, and I know you just want to have a friendly squee, but I hope it’s okay to bring up how Lotor and Allura have been written throughout the Voltron franchise. I want to write this as a fair warning in case people don’t realize what the issue with Allotor is. Now, technically, if we were looking just at VLD, Lotor and Allura’s interactions have been fine, so I can see why people who lack context to the full franchise would jump into a ship with these two. But the ongoing history of Lotor and Allura hasn’t been so innocent. It’s consequently why I personally would be uncomfortable to hook them up.

The longstanding tradition between Lotor and Allura has been… Lotor lusting after Allura, and trying to force her into a romance.

It’s not been pretty.

Beast King Golion (1981-1982) is the main source material from which the Voltron franchise developed. It set the stage for many things, including how Lotor (Prince Sincline) interacted with Allura (Fala). Even one summarizing paragraph from the Voltron wiki gives us an extremely unpleasant situation:

Sincline’s obsession with Fala was revealed that she resembles his mother and that his obsession was rooted in an Oedipus complex. Sincline’s infatuation with Fala is a constant motivation behind most of his attempts to defeat Golion to which even his father warned him to stop. Because of that obsession, Sincline kidnapped Fala’s identical cousin, Princess Amue of Heracles, rapes her, and attempted to execute her after she foiled his plans.

I own the entire Beast King Golion series on DVD, and I can confirm that Sincline does indeed try to pursue Fala and take her against his will. These screencaps all come from just one episode:

Fala is unconscious, Sincline steps over her, declares he’s going to make her his wife, and then picks up her up to kiss her. Obviously this is as “not okay” as you can get between Lotor/Sincline and Allura/Fala.

Voltron: Defender of the Universe (1984-1985) takes the animation of BKG but edits out and tones down its most disturbing content - avoiding deaths, blood, etc. - but it still keeps the concept of Lotor constantly pursuing Allura. This is the corresponding DotU episode from the BKG screencaps I gave you. “Give Me Your Princess” is also about Lotor deciding he wants to take Allura as his bride - something she obviously doesn’t want. And this becomes a recurring conflict throughout the DotU series.

Voltron: The Third Dimension (1998-2000) is part of the franchise I haven’t gotten to yet, but it’s written essentially as a sequel to DotU. Though I haven’t watched T3D, I have seen a few clips, and in E3 “Building the Forces of Doom,” Haggar shows Lotor his dreams and his fears. The dream he desires is… you guessed it… Allura…

The history of Lotor chasing after Allura makes its way into the comics and graphic novels. The Devil’s Due Publishing omnibus (2008), which retells DotU with more depth, grit, and maturity, is perhaps my favorite telling of Voltron. I’ve had my suspicions since S4 that VLD has been influenced by material within DDP, given as it contains a story where Sven (aka Shiro) is rejected from his lion, seems to get brainwashed by Haggar, betrays Voltron, and teams up with Lotor. There’s a point where Voltron and Lotor make a temporary alliance to fight against Yurak/Sendak. There’s a fight for leadership and power within the Drule (Galra) Empire. And it’s the only material in the Voltron franchise that seems to write a strong psychic bond between the Voltron pilots, their lions, and each other. Sound familiar?

So, one other thing that DDP brings up is the idea of Zarkon and Alfor initially being at peace, but then Zarkon capturing the planet Arus/Altea when Lotor and Allura were children. In this telling of Voltron, Lotor and Allura knew each other during childhood.

This gets slightly closer to what we see in VLD, but it also perpetuates the impure nature of Allotor. When Lotor reunites with Allura, he grabs her and says, “Now I’ve returned. And by rights, the spoils of war are mine for the taking.” This proceeds into a fight where Lance tries to stop Lotor from doing anything.

(Apologies for the terrible picture I took with my phone).

So what’s repeatedly, repeatedly, repeatedly been the case in Voltron canon for thirty years, starting back in 1981 and going well into the 2000s, is Lotor pursuing Allura and attempting to take her without consent.

The creators of Voltron: Legendary Defender have consciously cut away many of the franchise’s historic problems regarding issues like gender representation and misogyny. They’ve done away with the trope of one female character existing in an otherwise all-male team; Pidge, originally, Darrell Stoker, has become Katie Holt. They’ve written Allura far more favorably, with much less emphasis on her being the “pretty one” who’s not as good fighting because she’s “just a woman” (yes, this was in BKG). Instead of giving Lotor a harem (yes, this was in BKG and DotU, too), VLD has Lotor working respectfully with women generals. The writers have also intentionally promoted racial diversity by giving Hunk a Samoan background, Shiro a Japanese background, Lance a Cuban background, and designing Allura with a darker skin tone.

And VLD - praise God - seems to have consciously cut away Lotor lusting after Allura, trying to capture her, and trying to force her to marry him.

Now here’s the reason why I don’t like the concept of Lotor and Allura hooking up in VLD. In the DreamWorks show itself, there’s nothing wrong with Lotor and Allura’s interactions. That’s totally fine. If we look at it in a vacuum, it’s fine. And I like that it no longer writes that poisonous material between them. However… how disrespectful would it be for VLD’s creators to take a relationship that’s been written for 30 years as desired rape… and turn it into a romance? By writing an Allotor romance, they’d be acknowledging all the material that’s come before… all the very, very, uncomfortably impure material that’s come before. However you write an Allotor romance in the present day, there’s no way to deny that the firmly-embedded history of Allotor is non-consensual.

I don’t like the concept of taking something that’s been so thoroughly written as unhealthy, and which is well-known within old time Voltron fans as unhealthy, and making it into a new healthy ship. It’s not that it would “legitimize” the old, gross Allotor stuff. But it would… sweep aside all the problems behind it. It’s far more respectful and less controversial to simply delete Lotor’s romantic interests in Allura altogether.

I mean… if you think about it in terms of real life… if you were someone who had been sexually harassed by someone in the past, and then people wrote a novel about you based upon your real life where your harasser was now a nice prince charming… wouldn’t that feel… disturbing and disrespectful… to you?

So it means that I don’t want VLD to write Allotor. The way VLD has set up Allura and Lotor, yes, it would be alluring on its own. But the problem is that it’s not on its own. And it also means that I’m not going to hop onto any fandom ships for these two, either. I don’t enter ship wars. I don’t. I always want people to have fun shipping! I’m happy with people shipping whatever they want, just so long as they don’t hit any of the following three points: incest, pedophilia, and inherent abuse/lack of consent. Allotor rubs me wrong because of point number three.

So like you’re seeing here, if I see people hit upon one of these points, then I like to kindly inform people why I think it’s not the best ship to ship.

If VLD is going to write in a reciprocated romance between Allura and another individual (and they might not), they have some good options that also have franchise precedent, or at least franchise basis. Allura kisses Lance’s cheek several times in DotU, making him blush. Allura and Keith get engaged in Voltron Force comics, there’s a long Kallura plot arc in the Devil’s Due Publishing Omnibus, and Allura professes Keith as the one she loves in other DotU comics, too. And of course VLD always has the option of going on a new romance that hasn’t been done before, as I’m sure Shallura shippers would be quick to pipe up.

Again, I’m sorry to rain on your parade, since you’re so happily imagining how good looking Allura x Lotor children would look like! I know how much fun it is to imagine these things with our ships.

31 notes · View notes

thehappilyeverafter · 3 years

Text

5/17/2021

Re: 11/3/2020

deja vu

Since my last update about 6 and half months ago, another performance cycle occurred for the period between 11/20 to 04/21. This is the annual performance review where raises are distributed. Unlike the abridged performance review 6 months ago, this review was performed formally via Cornerstone and involved self, managerial, and peer feedback.

In my previous post, I stated that I “wasn’t as keen to to be promoted”, which was true at the time. However, leading up to this review cycle, I found myself trying and hoping to get promoted. Over the past couple weeks, I probably became a bit obsessed with the prospect. Throughout the past 6 months, I worked extra hard to resolve technically difficult issues like Factor Tag Data Service OOMKilled and Calculation Graph Framework memory overhead. I also led the LOD release. Although I found this project repetitive and boring (resolving all the comparison differences), I worked hard to push the release through to demonstrate ownership and to be able to book the accomplishment. I worked weekends and nights whenever necessary to ensure the success of the project. Although I didn’t spend too much time consciously acknowledging this until the review cycle had almost arrived, I devoted all this time, energy, and effort because deep down, I did want to be promoted this review cycle. After all, the first two cycles, I had only been at Addepar for less than a year so gunning for a promotion seemed a bit hasty. But now, I’d been at Addepar for about ~1.5 years (1 1/3 years in terms of the review cycle) and the time seemed ripe.

I had my review conversation with Kaichen earlier today (5 pm meeting), where I learned that I did earn a “4/Above the Bar” rating for this cycle, but would not be getting promoted. The situation played out very similarly to what had happened at 23andMe, where my direct manager (Phil/Kaichen) felt my performance was outstanding and merited a promotion, but leadership (VP Steve Lemon/VP Ruchir & (departed director) Trevor) felt that a promotion wasn’t appropriate for whatever reason(s). Another parallel would be that in both cases, my manager was young and relatively new in his role. Kaichen actually asked me about this w.r.t 23andMe (whether my manager was young/old) and actually reacted in a way that suggested he felt like this played a role (”Oh shit” when I confirmed Phil was young) e.g. maybe younger managers’ voices have less impact.

In terms of why leadership felt a promotion wasn’t appropriate, Kaichen said that following points were made during the calibration meeting and discussions with Trevor (who said it wasn’t appropriate prior). He also added in his own thoughts, so I’m not exactly sure what was explicitly said and what he inferred/guessed

- Years of experience. According to Trevor, IC4 at Addepar is even more senior than an L5 at Google. So 4 YOE (even though I actually have 4.5 or even 4 3/4) is too early.

- Impact. I don’t have enough cross-team impact. Kaichen mentioned he was able to counter this by saying that it’s not fair to expect a promotion candidate to be outstanding in every category, which, according to Kaichen, leadership appeared to accept. In another point, Ruchir mentioned that technically LOD wasn’t released yet. Kaichen concedes this point, although he also takes responsibility for this and acknowledges I did everything I could to ensure its release.

- Runway. I think this is one that Kaichen inferred. Basically, the idea is that leadership doesn’t want to hand out promotions too quickly because then there is less “runway” or career progression for the individual.

Reflection

During the meeting, I tried to given Kaichen the impression that I was disappointed, but not too disappointed and understood how these kinds of things can happen; my experience at 23andMe taught me that individual performance is only one of several factors that determines whether or not one gets promoted. Even when this is factor is satisfied, there are political reasons outside one’s control that can block a promotion. I even tried to ready myself for this exact possibility at the couple weeks leading up to this type of conversation.

But truth be told, I was pretty crushed internally. I didn’t realize how much hope/happiness that I had pinned on to getting a promotion until I received the unfortunate news. In retrospect, the severity of my disappointment is probably a consequence of my expectation that my high time/effort investments during the past 2 quarters would yield a promotion, which isn’t necessarily fair for me to do and probably a bit unhealthy.

While I can understand the soft reasons for why I didn’t get a promotion, I don’t necessarily agree with them and feel slighted at the result:

- Years of experience. Trevor’s opinion that IC4 > L5 is just an opinion. Furthermore, I have nearly 5 YOE and there are many L5/5 YOE listings for Google on levels.fyi.

- Impact. Although it’s true LOD isn’t released yet, it’s on the cusp of release due in large part to my hard work. The project was a super long tail effort and using this as a reason to say a promotion isn’t merited is inconsistent with Addepar’s values to rewarding innovation. There were a lot of unknowns with this project that resulted in the long timeline. This is tantamount to punishing someone for taking on a high-complexity project.

- Runway. This reason is stupid and not really worth addressing. Petulant response: runway won’t even matter if an employee becomes disgruntled enough to leave before they run out of runway, which is the risk taken on when playing this kind of game.

Finally, I believe I am competent enough to take and deliver on IC4 tasks. And I believe I’m already working at that level. To not promote me for various political reasons out of my control is really disheartening. I invested a lot of time and energy because Kaichen told me Addepar rewards good performance. I felt that I held my end of the bargain up, but Addepar/leadership didn’t hold theirs. And overall, the experience is disincentivizing hard work. Why would I invest all my time and effort to earn an “above the bar” rating for the same outcome as an “at the bar” rating?

Furthermore, Addepar’s compensation/promotion guidelines state that compensation for a role/level ranges from 0.8 to 1.2 of the midpoint and a manager should begin exploring promotions when an employee’s compa-ratio is between 1.07 -1.20. IC3 has midpoint of 180k for base salary and a max of 216k. With my salary of 207k, I have a compa-ratio of 1.15. This means in terms of range progression, I am ready for a promotion. And since I didn’t get a promotion, does that mean I will only see a cumulative raise of 5% until I get promoted? In this case, I really am disincentivized from working too hard, since I already received a 3.5% raise last year (i.e. inflation raise) after only 4 months at the company.

March Onward

Currently, it’s difficult to imagine that I will maintain the same level of work intensity. As stated above, I’m pretty disappointed, disheartened, and demotivated. I don’t feel like Addepar/leadership held up their side of the deal in rewarding and recognizing hard work and I don’t feel that there is much incentive/upside for me personally. Honestly, it’s hard for me to imagine getting back into the swing of things at all with these feelings so acute. I always thought it would be hard for me to leave Addepar because they pay well, but now I understand there are some situations that even a high salary can’t make up for. With these feelings so fresh, I would be willing to take a pay cut/explore other opportunities to take a stand against (perceived) unfairness. In truth, the main reason I’m not considering leaving is because I want to stay at the company for at least 2 years for resume reasons.

But I digress. Here’s what’s realistic for me moving forward:

- Work less and decrease the time/effort investment into Addepar. The timing works out with LOD almost released, because I had planned to stop investing so much time in work anyway after this was accomplished. To be more specific, I should ensure I only spend 8 hours a day on weekdays working. This will free up my nights and weekends to pursue side projects where I’ll be better rewarded for my efforts.

- Plan to stay (assuming the company is doing well and I can) for at least 7 more months (when I hit my 2 year mark). After that, depending on how the next review cycle goes, leaving is definitely an option.

- Kaichen mentioned speaking to Bob and/or Ruchir again about the promotion and “threatening them” a little. The idea is that although this follow-up conversation likely won’t change much, it will establish a precedent and make it harder for me to not be promoted during the next cycle. I think such a conversation would help assuage my feelings, although I don’t think I would want to rock the boat too much out of an abundance of caution.

0 notes

feynites · 6 years

Text

On Flemeth, Thedas, & The Chess Master Archetype

"I nudge history, when it's required. Other times, a shove is needed." - Flemeth

Thedas is a terrible place.

There are a lot of terrible places, of course. And a lot of places that are more terrible than they might seem at first blush. But Thedas is basically the fantastical world-building equivalent of Mr. Burns from the Simpsons. Just with apocalypse scenarios rather than diseases.

youtube

It is therefore safe, in my opinion, to conclude that anyone pulling the strings behind the scenes in this setting is either:

1. Contending with one or more malevolent forces of equal or greater power

2. Pretty much just evil themselves

Flemeth would make a good case for just being evil, to be honest. Despite the fact that she’s saved two of the three greatest heroes to appear in Thedas in the past decade, she is currently sharing a body with Mythal (the ‘best’ of the evanuris... who were power-mad slave-owning tyrants), she is an abusive mother, and her full agenda would not need to be benevolent for her to ‘nudge’ history in ways that ensured things like the failure of the Blight, or Hawke’s survival. Saving the Warden only really confirms that she is not in favour of the Blight, and of course, Hawke’s survival was part of a bargain which resulted in her own resurrection.

But BioWare is very fond of maintaining ‘grey area’ in its characters, so it’s highly doubtful that she (or Solas, for that matter) will be revealed as complete villains in the fullness of the series.

Despite a shared history with one another, and the obvious potential for an alliance, Solas also does not approach Flemeth to conscript her voluntary aid. He instead seizes some kind of essence from her (the full details of which are still unknown) in an act that seems to result in Flemeth’s death (but, Flemeth has appeared to die before, and would seem to have created many failsafes and back-ups - whether Solas’ actions negate those or not remains to be seen).

This would imply that Solas’ plans, and whatever Flemeth has been ‘nudging’ the world towards, are not one and the same. Or, if they are, that Solas is unaware of this.

So what is Flemeth doing?

While Solas may have gained the ultimate reputation as a manipulator and schemer in Dragon Age, being Fen’Harel himself and all, from what we know, his own machinations must pale in comparison to Flemeth’s. Solas has seemingly spent the time between the erection of the Veil and the events shortly preceding DA:I in uthenera, essentially regaining his strength and watching the world through whatever parts of the Fade he could perceive.

His plan appears to have actually been quite simple and quite devastating - tear down the Veil, destroy the world as it is, and replace it with something else. That is not a ‘chess master’ type plan. That is reactionary and brash, inelegant and probably quite emotionally-driven. This isn’t to say that Solas cannot excel at subterfuge or calculated games. Only that he doesn’t seem to have been engaging in such schemes for the past several centuries at least - and why would he? If he had already decided to scrap Thedas as it is and arrange some kind of do-over scenario, then there would be no need to tweak or nudge situations beyond ensuring that nothing interfered with his ‘wake up, get power, remove veil’ plan.

But Flemeth has obviously not just been waiting for Solas to wake up and get started on that.

The thing is, whilst Solas may have known that some form of Mythal was still out there, it’s not much of a leap to suppose that he had barely accounted for it in his own schemes. Him going after her was an obvious last resort, after the foci was broken. And, from the way he approaches the death of the Spirit of Wisdom, and the way he speaks about Mythal, we can suppose that Solas does not truly consider Flemeth to be equivalent to the person he knew. Part of her, yes. A form of her. A shape that has come from her ashes. But not the same individual.

On the other hand, we have no reason to think that Flemeth has not been entirely aware, ever since Mythal came to her, that Solas is out there. And knowing him as she did, one might also suppose that she could make a fair guess at what his own plans would be. Perhaps not down to exact details, but Solas seems to have had agents acting for him in ways even while he was sleeping (Felassan, who is probably not alone in this), and so Flemeth may well have gleaned more of his aims through spirits and elves and even just what she could infer from rumours, too.

So in one corner, we have a character who has been set up by the narrative to be a skillful nudger of history and planner of plans, who has been conscious and active for at least six hundred years (the nearest thing we have to a birth date for Flemeth - not Mythal - is 3:00 Towers, game events are currently in the middle of the Dragon Age, which started in 9:00).

In another corner, we have a notorious trickster and manipulator who has basically been napping this entire time, and only just woke up to try and knock the chessboard over to start a new game. Upon failing that, he has since been forced to try and join into a game that has already been in session for centuries.

And in a final corner, I deeply suspect that we have at least one other party, and that this party is, if not purely malevolent, somewhat closer to that mark than either Solas or Mythal. Thedas has a problem that does not stem from either of those two - we know this because all evidence suggests that Solas is playing against time and is reacting to something, and if it were only Mythal, that need for haste would have been resolved when he seemingly neutralized her. (Unless, of course, Solas doesn’t realize that Mythal is as big of a threat as she is).

Also, if there isn’t at least one another major player lurking in the dark, then either Solas or Mythal will have to lose their grey moral status in order to account for the fact that Thedas is, simply, as shitty as it has become. Another possibility is that Mythal is actually really incompetent at manipulating things, but that doesn’t seem to be where the narrative is leading.

Regardless, though, the actual odds that Flemeth has just been out-maneuvered by Solas seem... really, really low. I mean, best laid plans of mice and men and all that, but she has quite simply had too much time and too many advantages for her to not have supposed that, once the orb was destroyed, Solas would make the choice that he did (the likeliest possibility for her being caught by surprise would be that she just never thought that he’d betray her, but given Flemeth’s cynicism, that also seems less likely than other options). Even if she doubted that he would take such an approach, it must surely have occurred to her as a possibility.

Here’s another point of interest - Flemeth’s first positive action in the series, saving the Warden and Alistair, is probably not a choice that Freshly Woken Solas would have made.

Though Solas is definitely no fan of the Blight, he’s also no fan of the Grey Wardens, and doesn’t seem to consider their actions to be all that beneficial. They are, in his opinion, stalling for time. In banter with Blackwall, he questions the assumption that killing all the Old Gods would stop the Blight - which also throws into question the notion that the Archdemons really do ‘lead’ the darkspawn, or are actually the source of the unifying call which the darkspawn hear.

Flemeth, of course, sends Morrigan along to fetch Urthemiel’s soul from the archdemon. But this is only a potential outcome - Morrigan offers the ritual, but she can’t force it. In plenty of world states, it never happens, and Urthemiel’s soul is lost with the warden who kills him. Such can be the outcome of gambits, but, really good manipulators rarely make moves with just one winning outcome. The best moves will net you advantages even when they seem to be losses, and Flemeth risks a lot when she sends Morrigan with the Warden. She risks her daughter, who she has obviously raised with an intended purpose and invested a great deal of time (and at least some emotion) into, she risks being killed (she’s not at all surprised when the Warden comes to slay her), she risks further awareness of her activities (if the Blight is stopped, the Warden and/or Alistair stand to become powerful figures - if not the flippin’ king and queen of the whole country - who are well aware that she is out there, probably even if they do decide to kill her).

In other words, Flemeth probably stood to gain more than Urthemiel’s soul by investing in the Wardens. She stood to gain something that she would get unless the entire endeavour failed. The end of the Blight? That’s, so far, her given motivation. But the Blight probably would have ended even if it had taken most of Ferelden down with it, and Flemeth doesn’t really seem to concern herself with the plight of the little people all that often.

But, the Warden’s survival also means that the Urn of Sacred Ashes is discovered. Haven is established and becomes easily one of the most famed locations of great, mysterious power in Thedas.

Flemeth’s actions also mean that Hawke arrives in Kirkwall - Kirkwall, which is a hop skip and a throw away, relatively, from Corypheus’ prison. One of the only people who could open the prison of the guy who is the seemingly-perfect pawn for Solas - who is waking up, now - is freed by Flemeth’s nudging. The location where he performs the ritual to unlock Solas’ orb is also opened up by Flemeth’s nudging.

Flemeth, given her sheer age and experience, probably knows that Corypheus can hop bodies. She can, after all.

Solas’ plans are part of Flemeth’s plans. Ordinarily, I’d say it’s far-fetched to assume that Flemeth could know about stuff like the Warden’s need to find the urn, or Hawke’s father’s role in Cory’s jail time, but given how long she’s been around for and how many ‘fortuitous’ places she has turned up in, I don’t think it’s actually as absurd as it might seem. A lot of it probably is luck, but that’s the thing - if not Corypheus, Flemeth might have found someone else, someone who fit the same criteria, to tempt Solas with. Maybe the Architect. Maybe one of her daughters. Someone who could survive the destruction at Haven, someone who would reach for more than Solas expected.

Hawke just happened to present her with one option, and she seized upon it.

"Is it fate or chance? I can never decide." - Flemeth upon meeting Hawke in DA2

But what would her goal be?

Solas might disdain the wardens for only being able to buy time, but that’s because, I think, he still has a predominantly immortal perspective on things. Delaying tactics just seem short-sighted to him, especially if he doesn’t really have a workable plan beyond a do-over. In fact, if that’s all he’s got, delaying might even be actively worse because it could tempt him to put things off continually, and the longer he puts things off for, the more likely that the clock will run out and he will miss all windows of opportunity for whatever it is he needs to do.

Flemeth, on the other hand, has been living with mortals and mortality a lot more actively for the past few centuries. Decay isn’t as new and weird for her, and delaying Solas might be exactly what she needs. Delay, manipulate, distract, and trust him to do what he thinks he needs to, while he actually races down a track with barriers she’s been setting for hundreds of years. Flemeth’s actions have indirectly ensured that what Solas meant to have happen in little more than a year has now been set back by several.

But what is she pushing towards?

There’s some implication that it might be total destruction, as her desire for revenge has been alluded to. A lot of people read this line:

“She was betrayed as I was betrayed – as the world was betrayed - and I will see her avenged!" - Flemeth explaining some of her motivations in DA:I

As Flemeth having something of a ‘burn the world’ mentality. But, in that statement, she does not put the rest of the world in the ‘traitor’ category. Instead, she equates it with herself. And, unlike Solas, or Abelas, who seem to struggle with the connection between modern elves and ancient ones, Flemeth has no problems speaking of modern elves as the natural inheritors of their ancestors’ culture, legacy, and even bad habits. Which makes sense, because she’s seen a lot more of the actual transitions happen. But, the point is that if she wanted revenge against the whole world, why would she be offended at the world’s suffering?

We know of two big betrayals in the course of Mythal and Flemeth’s existence. One is Flemeth’s, which of course is Lord Connobar killing her lover and locking her in a tower, which seems to be how she and Mythal... uh, met. So to speak. The other big betrayal is when Mythal herself was killed by her fellow evanuris. If Dalish legends are at all accurate, the other evanuris were in large part Mythal’s own family, too, which probably added to the feelings of betrayal.

But when was the world betrayed?

Solas, despite having a calamitous impact on the world by raising the Veil, didn’t betray it. Raising the Veil was a last-ditch effort on his part to prevent the world’s destruction. It’s been likened to something like amputation (for obvious Inquisitor-parallel reasons) and I think that fits. Solas cut off part of the world because at that point in time, it was all he personally could do to stop it all from being destroyed. There’s a lot to unpack in that, but the ‘treachery’ part of the equation seems largely angled at the same people who betrayed Mythal, too.

So we have yet more space where it would seem a mysterious third power player - the person(s) Flemeth has truly been sitting across the chess board for all this time - to come and fill in. The other evanuris? Supposedly they’re still locked away (and the locks breaking on that prison might be the clock which Solas is racing against), but we don’t know how much influence they might still have (after all, Mythal’s supposed to be dead and Solas was supposed to be sleeping, but they still did stuff in the meantime). The Forgotten Ones? A wrathful Maker? The Titans? A titan? Or some combination of those things?

I’m honestly not sure. But, Flemeth seems pretty convinced that she is going to avenge Mythal - and has implied that avenging Mythal will avenge the apocalypse doorjam that is Thedas, too. And she knows Solas is up, about, and making plans when she tells you this vow. This vow which comes after the Well of Sorrows choice, aka a sequence which concretely introduces the concept of magical contracts and promises into the setting.

Under those circumstances, I am less worried that Flemeth might have targeted the world at large for retribution, and more worried about the collateral damage.

But, on a final note in this long rambling thought train - it’s a point of interest that unlike the Warden and Hawke, Flemeth does not seem to have manipulated events to bring someone like the Inquisitor into prominence. She doesn’t get involved with the Inquisitor until much later, and then it’s only optional that the Inquisitor will be placed under her influence. Solas is the one who decides to involve the Inquisitor in things, and in this case, I don’t think it was under a set of circumstances which even Flemeth could account for. Even Solas wasn’t expecting the Inquisitor to potentially do stuff like befriend him, romance him, jolt him out of his sleep-walking, or help convince him of the personhood of all mortals.

Of course, this might be nullified if you drank from the Well. Otherwise, though, the Inquisitor is in something of a Wild Card position.

#meta #dragon age

201 notes · View notes

thebastardofgloucester · 6 years

Text

all the posts collating reactions to The Empire Strikes Back or writing mock Rotten Tomatoes reviews to imply that the criticisms of this film aren’t worth paying attention to are just…so missing the point

exactly two works that said what ‘Star Wars’ was existed at the time of Empire’s release in 1980: Star Wars (not yet renamed ‘A New Hope’) and Alan Dean Foster’s 'Splinter of the Mind’s Eye’ (a sequel written in case Star Wars was a flop that could be filmed on a shoestring budget and without Harrison Ford. It’s Wild and puts the lie to the idea that Lucas had any idea where the Skywalker story was going; highly recommend)

in the year of our Lord 2017, The Last Jedi was released as the third film in a revival of a six film, single creative vision franchise, with the added baggage of over two decades of novels, comics, video games, and other media (the only thing ever fully expelled from canon was the infamous holiday special, which, honestly, had greater creative merit than some of the stuff that got to stay)

what’s the point? Expectations. No, not people who didn’t want anything to change and are Mad About It or whatever facile narrative the authors of those blog posts and reviews are using to explain why this film is probably more divisive than the goddamn prequels. The problem is that not only does The Last Jedi clash with decades of fandom, it is even at loggerheads with its sister films in this particular revival. and it doesn’t get the same benefit of the doubt that ESB got because that’s not how franchises and fandoms actually work. you don’t get to ignore everything that came before to tell your own story. they have to work together.

Sure, not everybody read the EU (and trust me some of them are better off for it). But almost everybody saw The Force Awakens, most of them saw Rogue One, and a fair number of them, old and young fans alike, eagerly consumed the New EU content that offered glimpses into how the events of The Force Awakens came about and what mysteries were set up in what was effectively a reboot rather than a sequel. Generally, you know, regardless of how much you hate 'puzzleboxes,’ it is reasonable to expect that what one film sets up will have a payoff in the next, particularly when the first film takes such care to be sensitive to what the fans want (as JJ and Kasden did with TFA) - because while this is a money faucet for Disney, sure, there’s no point in bringing this franchise back without those fans (and of course, their kids) - and what they got from Rian and the Lucasfilm story team was…a confirmation that they had been wasting their time. It’s all well and good to pull the rug out from under the audience (as this film does incessantly) but it’s cynical bullshit to basically bait them with promo material and the preceding canon and then to deliver on basically nothing and expect everyone to just be okay with it. This film effectively penalizes the people who cared the most and spent the most time engaging with The Force Awakens and rewards people who may not have really been here for what Lucas was selling to begin with. As one review put it, it ‘does not care what you think about Star Wars’.

But when you set expectations as deliberately as Kennedy and the Lucasfilm Story Group did in JJ and Kasden’s TFA, it’s not great writing to blow them to pieces mid-narrative. It’s just lazy. the idea that Rey has no connection to the Skywalker line? a good idea, potentially, but clumsily executed, as it is played out less as an important revelation and more an excuse to not actually give any kind of answer to how Rey came to be Ben’s equal on the Light (or why she even is ‘Light’ honestly; I love Angry Rey but there’s seemingly no danger in her temptation) or where she got a skill set rivaled in this franchise only by literal Space Jesus Anakin Skywalker. Snoke is a one-noted villain; having him be betrayed by Kylo in the midst of his own villain arc? a very good idea. it belongs as the climax of the film, not the end of act 2 so there is no time for anything to breathe, just more never-ending crises and hardship.

Like, spare me the 'force visions are unreliable’ (Rey’s was unlike anything we had seen before, it wasn’t Anakin’s nightmare or Luke on Dagobah) bs; the film didn’t say that what Rey saw was wrong for x reason, it just pretended that it never happened and Rey didn’t say anything about it); spare me ‘our heroes have to fail and sometimes all the plans don’t work out’ we know that, we live in the real world of 2017 but while making your clever point you have wasted the presence of three extremely talented actors of color, and let down the audiences waiting for a chance to see people who look like them be the heroes for once. instead it turns out they didn’t actually matter all that much, but maybe next film!

It’s not clever. It’s not visionary. It’s cheap, it’s cowardly, and it isn’t actually that original because the film leaves us exactly where we expected. Poe is the leader and Leia’s heir to command, Finn is a newly-committed Rebel brimming with unrealized potential, Rey is a Jedi character (amorphously defined) who we know exactly as much about as we started, Luke is gone, even if he went out in pretty spectacular fashion, Carrie’s death means that Leia will be leaving us soon, and Kyle Ben has become the big bad. That’s the only real development - Snoke’s death and Ben’s rejection of his redemption - and it’s buried under Rey, our erstwhile heroine, being a vehicle for the villain’s character development. The only character this film particularly cares about is a white fascist who gets every chance to be redeemed and rejects them while the film expects us to keep caring.

So, yeah. People are mad. Not because of the same ‘the series is changed forever now’ shit that the haters of ESB were on about. Because the real changes? Ben being the real villain, the smallfolk of the galaxy being the source of light and conduits of the Force? I don’t see anyone complaining all that hard about them.

the complaints are about the damage done to beloved characters for…not all that much of a payoff. the misuse and marginalization of the characters of color. the disdain with which the script treats the nostalgia of the Force Awakens. the unrelenting pace of the film that just grinds the Resistance (and the audience) down and just tells them to trust us, even as more and more and more is taken away. Rey’s parentage isn’t the only thing cast aside - promises of developments in Finn’s story - his identity, his potential to cause a revolt in the First Order, even his force sensitivity (you want a force user from nothing? how about a child soldier from a nameless family who as we are continually reminded used to be on sanitation crew) - are broken. Rey has her dream of family taken away…and replaced with…well the film doesn’t really bother to say because she’s a plot device for most of act 3. We don’t get to see her reject Ren and leave him. Because this isn’t her story; it’s his. Kylo is unconscious, so the scene is over. Tell me how that is a satisfying arc for our erstwhile protagonist? Poe’s character is completely uprooted from what we’ve seen before to make him an obnoxious hotheaded menace whose emotions threaten the survival of the Resistance if two old white women aren’t able to keep him in check. Rose says a lot and gets to do almost nothing. Luke…Luke is torn down to justify the fall of Ben Solo, never given the chance to establish a meaningful bond with his erstwhile successor, and is only given the chance to atone by acting as a diversion to give the others time to escape. he dies alone, a failure, even if he is at peace with how things turned out.

last year we were shown a movie in the wake of one of the more traumatic political events in the life of the people on this website where a diverse and sympathetic cast fight hard and are entirely wiped out. But their deaths come in a spectacular and charged finale that carries the desperation and grief and pathos through into the beginning of the story we know and love. it all feels worth something. Rogue One has its flaws as a film but it comes together in a way that The Last Jedi does not. In the end, what Jyn and Cassian and the others do is just enough to get the plans away, to start the sequence of events that will lead to the Empire’s destruction.

Here?

there’s just not enough left. not enough of the Resistance, not enough story, not enough hope.

to have that hope repeatedly stripped away and cynically exploited through a narrative that drags the characters from crisis to crisis without bothering to justify itself or its role in the story (while retreading the highlights of Episodes V and VI without the emotional depth to back them up), and in so doing wears down the audience as much as the characters is not why I have devoted so much of my life and emotional energy to this series about space wizards and their galaxy-destroying family squabbles and eventual chance for redemption. for all his many, many faults, George Lucas understood that.

you can’t just talk about hope. sooner or later you have to see it. You have to feel that what you are suffering will be worth it. The text needs to tell you as much. it’s clumsy and cliched and it is necessary. In the Empire Strikes Back, after Han is captured and Luke is beaten, the turning point is Lando. Lando changes the course of the movie, rescuing Leia and Chewie, who rescue Luke. They live to fight another day, and at the end they are wounded but among friends.

the moment in The Last Jedi where that could have happened was when Leia’s signal went out. How terrific would it have been if after being betrayed by a scoundrel the original scoundrel with a heart of gold, Lando Calrissian, arrives at the head of a fleet made up of all the alien races so inexplicably missing from the sequel trilogy so far, fending off the First Order long enough for the Resistance to escape with most of the survivors on Crait?

But Rian had to have one last twist of the knife. so nobody came. only Luke, and only as a distraction to buy time that ultimately cost him his life and reduced his legacy to giving everything to atone for his past sins. there is no Lando moment. there is no turning point, no moment where a larger victory is hinted at. and no, a single stable boy far, far away from the war is not the same thing. It makes an interesting point about the force and the metanarrative of Star Wars. It is not what this film needed after everything it put its characters and audience through.

and so at the end I’m not hopeful. I’m just tired. So, very tired. And I miss what made me fall in love with this series about space wizards and the Skywalker family in the first place

#martinus watches the last jedi #the last jedi spoilers #tlj spoilers #tlj negativity #rian does not love star wars like I love star wars #I'm just so. tired.#I need to watch Rebels or ROTJ and remember Star Wars can be like fun

30 notes · View notes

boldmistakes · 6 years

Text

How to be Family Friendly in the Modern World (seblaine, 1/1)

summary: A far-from-exhaustive selection of text exchanges and acknowledged phone calls between Blaine Anderson and Sebastian Smythe. Or, alternatively: "You used to text Sebastian all the time! You would call him, even!" the fic. [~4.5k] [A03] warnings: brief mention of Finn, but not in a grief context notes: happy seblaine anniversary! here’s to six fabulous years with you wonderful people! it’s before midnight somewhere, right?

SEBASTIAN [21:12]: Hey

SEBASTIAN [21:12]: Missing Dalton coffee yet?

BLAINE [22:02]: Always!

SEBASTIAN [22:03]: Then you should drop by again. We can grab a few cups, I can show you around, you can see how things have changed …

BLAINE [22:47]: Dalton can’t have changed that much in a few months.

SEBASTIAN [22:48]: Maybe not. But they did give me your old room. You can see what I’ve done with the place.

BLAINE [23:04]: Significantly altering the Dalton dormitories is against Rule 3, subsection 12, point 2 of the Dalton Handbook.

SEBASTIAN [23:04]: Shit haha, did you memorize that?

SEBASTIAN [23:04]: I didn’t even realize there was a handbook

SEBASTIAN [23:05]: So there’s new things to see. I promise. Like I got a bigger bed. Six plus privilege.

SEBASTIAN [23:05]: You know what they say about tall guys ;)

BLAINE [23:10]: They have trouble fitting into short beds?

Keep reading on A03

BLAINE [23:11]: Anyways, the trek out to Dalton is kind of a long one. Maybe we can meet in the middle? Have you ever been to the Lima Bean?

SEBASTIAN [23:12]: No.

BLAINE [23:14]: It’s good! Their medium drip is to die for, I used to go there every day.

SEBASTIAN [23:15]: Sounds like a trek itself from Dalton

BLAINE [23:15]: No, it’s actually pretty close to Dalton, you can look on Google maps

SEBASTIAN [23:16]: So why not just come to Dalton? Your buddies miss you

BLAINE [23:17]: Because Lima Bean coffee > Dalton coffee

BLAINE [23:17]: Trust me.

SEBASTIAN [23:18]: Believe it when I drink it

SEBASTIAN [23:18]: But okay

BLAINE [23:19]: Then it’s settled? How does tomorrow work for you, around four?

SEBASTIAN [23:19]: It’s a date.

SEBASTIAN [23:19]: See you then, sexy

[UNSENT TEXTS:

> I have a boyfriend, you know.]

ii.

BLAINE [18:23]: Scandals doesn’t have a dress code does it

SEBASTIAN [18:56]: Picture me laughing at that

SEBASTIAN [18:56]: Don’t worry. Just show up cute as ever, you’ll be fine

BLAINE [18:57]: And you’re sure the IDs will work?

SEBASTIAN [19:01]: It’ll be fine

BLAINE [19:03]: Mine says I’m 38!

[UNSENT TEXTS:

> You don’t think I look that old, do you?]

SEBASTIAN [19:04]: They just need to say they saw something, legally, but it could be made in your baby sister’s arts n crafts class. Trust me.

BLAINE [19:05]: Okay. You’re the expert.

SEBASTIAN [19:05]: Nice of you to notice ;)

BLAINE [11:26]: Thanks for the lift last night. I was really out of it.

SEBASTIAN [11:28]: I’d say. You tried to convince me Grease 2 had its merits

[UNSENT TEXTS:

> I just think people are a little too hard on sequels!]

SEBASTIAN [11:28]: But seriously

SEBASTIAN [11:28]: Anytime, buddy

SEBASTIAN [22:21]: You smashed it. Standing O, seriously.

BLAINE [7:12]: Thanks!

SEBASTIAN [17:18]: Is it wrong to thank you, your ass, your mouth, for the fantastic jerk off session I just had?

[UNSENT TEXTS:

> What? Really?

> You’re not serious.

> What the fuck?]

BLAINE [18:03]: Yes.

[UNSENT TEXTS:

> Masturbation while thinking of friends is perfectly normal of course and I won’t pretend I’ve never, but,]

BLAINE [18:04]: Please don’t be like that, Sebastian, or we can’t talk anymore.

SEBASTIAN [18:09]: Oops. So I’m to stay pg13?

BLAINE [18:09]: That would be nice.

[UNSENT TEXTS:

> You’re full of shit. You know exactly what this is, don’t you?]

SEBASTIAN [14:35]: Hello pg-friend. How’s your pg-day going?

[UNSENT TEXTS:

> (unimpressed emoji string)]

BLAINE [14:40]: It’s going fine.

BLAINE [14:41]: How are you?

SEBASTIAN [14:43]: I can’t answer that question if I’m to stay family friendly.

BLAINE [14:44]: Sebastian, I have a boyfriend.

SEBASTIAN [14:45]: You don’t say.

SEBASTIAN [14:45]: It wasn’t about you. It’s about the guy who’s ((censored)) me right now and doing such a bad job out of it I wish I was watching C-span instead.

[UNSENT TEXTS:

> You’d do a much better job of it. I can tell.

> ???????????? he’s doing what ????????? how are you texting?]

BLAINE [14:46]: I see

BLAINE [14:46]: Stop him?

SEBASTIAN [14:46]: I never turn down free … let’s say whistle-blowing services

SEBASTIAN [14:47]: It’s rude

[UNSENT TEXTS:

> And I’m starting to get a cramp in my wrist from the blue balls you’ve given me anyways.

> Dump your boyfriend.]

BLAINE [14:48]: Then too bad for you?

SEBASTIAN [14:54]: Not too bad. I did just ((censored))

BLAINE [14:54]: Not cute, Sebastian.

SEBASTIAN [15:19]: I can’t help if my life is rated R

SEBASTIAN [15:52]: What would you have me do?

[UNSENT TEXTS:

> Leave me alone.

> You have hobbies that don’t involve sex, don’t you?

> Do you like being irritating?

> Are we friends?

> I don’t know.]

SEBASTIAN [18:21]: I can tell you’re online, you know.

[UNSENT TEXTS:

> I know.

> I miss Dalton.]

BLAINE [8:01]: Sorry. Been busy, glee club stuff.

[UNSENT TEXTS:

> Don’t get boring on me.]

BLAINE [16:26]: Why do people ignore good ideas?

SEBASTIAN [16:26]: People are, as a rule, stupid.

SEBASTIAN [16:26]: What’s up? You didn’t look too happy at the Bean

[UNSENT TEXTS:

> You crashed my date!]

BLAINE [16:28]: Glee club stuff

SEBASTIAN [16:30]: Must be a lot of stuff. Care to share?

BLAINE [16:31]: I don’t know if I should

SEBASTIAN [16:31]: So what? You think I’m out to sabotage your club now?

SEBASTIAN [16:32]: I thought the Warblers were your friends

BLAINE [16:32]: They are!

BLAINE [16:32]: You’re right. It’s not real top-secret stuff anyways. Just … people don’t want to listen to me.

SEBASTIAN [16:33]: Why not? Other than stupidity.

BLAINE [16:35]: Because I’m new, I guess

BLAINE [16:35]: But I did good with the Warblers, didn’t I?

[UNSENT TEXTS:

> Vocals, sure. Dancing, eh.]

SEBASTIAN [16:36]: Yeah, you were amazing with the Warblers.

BLAINE [16:36]: Thank you

BLAINE [16:37]: So I have an established history with glee clubs, right? You’d think some of my ideas would be worth taking into account. But no. I’m an interloper.

[UNSENT TEXTS:

> Come back here, then.]

BLAINE [16:37]: I know I’m new and I have to pay my dues first.

BLAINE [16:38]: It’s just not what I expected, I guess.

SEBASTIAN [16:41]: Make a power base. Get some support. Friends, lackies, whatever

SEBASTIAN [16:41]: People who will agree with you

BLAINE [16:42]: That’s not really how the New Directions work

BLAINE [16:42]: You have to get used to doing things alone.

[UNSENT TEXTS:

> You mean your useless twink of a boyfriend can’t help?]

SEBASTIAN [16:43]: What about Kurt?

BLAINE [16:43]: Of course Kurt supports me!

[UNSENT TEXTS:

> Yeah, the exclamation point really sells it]

SEBASTIAN [16:44]: Okay so that’s one. What about his friends?

BLAINE [16:47]: I haven’t really hung out with them.

[UNSENT TEXTS:

> Your life sounds miserable.]

BLAINE [16:47]: Again, I’m the interloper. Even though I transferred schools ...

BLAINE [16:52]: Ignore me. I know I’m not being fair.

BLAINE [16:52]: Apparently, two years ago a guy did transfer from Carmel just to date the lead, Rachel, and try to sabotage her. So there is precedent.

SEBASTIAN [17:03]: That’s insane. Who transfers schools to do something like that?

[UNSENT TEXTS:

> And who leaves a better school for a shittier one?]

BLAINE [17:05]: Glee club gets really intense.

BLAINE [17:05]: You don’t read show choir blogs, do you?

SEBASTIAN [17:06]: I’ve read a few

SEBASTIAN [17:06]: I’m all about being informed about my enemies

[UNSENT TEXTS:

> Am I your enemy?

> Are we your enemy?

> Who’s your enemy?]

BLAINE [17:08]: See, I don’t get that. Calling people enemies and cutthroat behavior like that. Isn’t it better to win honestly? That’s how you really know you’re the best.

[UNSENT TEXTS:

> That’s naive

> You’re lucky you’re cute

> Gaaaaaaaaayy]

SEBASTIAN [17:09: People have different ways of judging what’s best, I suppose

BLAINE [17:10]: Yeah.

BLAINE [17:12]: Hey, if you read the blogs, have you read about this Jean Baptiste guy? He sounds crazy!

SEBASTIAN [17:12]: Oh, totally.

SEBASTIAN [6:58]: I just had a brainwave.

BLAINE [7:00]: ?

SEBASTIAN [7:01]: I just realized waffles are the fat American, pancakes are the limp Canadian, and crepes are the sexy French.

BLAINE [7:02]: This sounds suspiciously like a compliment to yourself.

SEBASTIAN [7:02]: Calling me sexy, Anderson?

[UNSENT TEXTS:

> NO!

> Not like that!

> You know you’re good looking. Shut up.]

BLAINE [7:02]: That’s what I mean! It was a trap to benefit you!

BLAINE [7:03]: But I suppose it makes sense. Are the British crumpets then?

SEBASTIAN [7:03]: Definitely

SEBASTIAN [7:03]: Doughy and full of air…just like them

BLAINE [7:04]: That’s mean.

SEBASTIAN [7:04]: Yet I know you’re laughing

BLAINE [7:04]: I plead the 5th

SEBASTIAN [7:05]: Then let’s talk about my sexiness again

BLAINE [7:05]: Shut up

BLAINE [7:05]: Fine. I’m laughing.

BLAINE [7:05]: (string of smiling emojis)

[UNSENT TEXTS:

> God, you’re cute]

SEBASTIAN [7:06]: (thumbs up emojis)

SEBASTIAN [7:08]: Which reminds me: what happened to Mr Richardson’s thumb?

BLAINE [7:08]: Apparently it’s classified.

BLAINE [7:08]: But we had lots of theories

SEBASTIAN [7:09]: Tell me everything

[UNSENT TEXTS:

> Thanks, by the way. I needed the pick-me-up.]

SEBASTIAN [15:01]: Texting during W meetings is strictly prohibited. I’m a rebel. I’m a saint. I’m salt of the earth and I’m dangerous.

BLAINE [15:01]: They’ll put you in Dalton Jail for that. Careful.

SEBASTIAN [15:01]: Haha

SEBASTIAN [15:01]: … Wait are you serious?

SEBASTIAN [15:02]: Does Dalton have a jail?

SEBASTIAN [15:02]: It totally does, doesn’t it.

[UNSENT TEXTS:

> (winking emoji)]

BLAINE [15:03]: Wouldn’t you like to know

SEBASTIAN [15:04]: Evil, pal, that’s real evil …

[UNSENT TEXTS:

> So how go things with the wife?]

SEBASTIAN [20:12]: Hey? Do me a solid?

BLAINE [20:12]: What’s up?

SEBASTIAN [20:13]: My car’s in the shop, mind giving me a ride to Pittsburgh to pick it up? Can do it in the evening, I’ll just get a hotel room and get her in the morning.

[UNSENT TEXTS:

> I don’t know if that’s a good idea.]

BLAINE [20:16]: Sure, when?

SEBASTIAN [20:16]: Thanks. Friday?

BLAINE [20:21]: I can do that.

[UNSENT TEXT:

> What, no date night?]

BLAINE [20:21]: Why’s your car in Pittsburgh anyways?

SEBASTIAN [20:22]: I was there last week and it broke down. Dad dropped me back at school but he can’t drive me out there.

SEBASTIAN [20:22]: Too busy.

BLAINE [20:23]: I know how that goes.

BLAINE [20:23]: Well, it’s no problem.

BLAINE [20:23]: I hope you know I’ll be picking the music though.

SEBASTIAN [20:24]: That’s fine.

SEBASTIAN [20:25]: Hopefully I’ll get to hear a little of your singing along…

[UNSENT TEXTS:

> I miss your voice]

BLAINE [20:25]: Of course.

BLAINE [20:25]: Who can listen to the radio and NOT sing along?

[UNSENT TEXTS:

> Me.]

SEBASTIAN [20:26]: Good question.

SEBASTIAN [20:26]: I look forward to it. A little Sebastian-and-Blaine roadtrip action.

SEBASTIAN [20:31]: I’ll be free after 3:30, so pick me up whenever after that.

[UNSENT TEXTS:

> It’s a date.]

BLAINE [20:32]: Okay, I should be there by 4/4:30.

BLAINE [20:32]: I’ll keep you updated.

SEBASTIAN [20:33]: Thanks again, tiger

BLAINE [22:21]: Got home safe!

[UNSENT TEXTS:

> (smiling emojis)]

SEBASTIAN [22:24]: K

SEBASTIAN [10:23]: No accidents on this end either.

BLAINE [10:24]: Good to hear!

SEBASTIAN [10:31]: Though I’ll have you know Hungry Like The Wolf played on the radio at one point and I started laughing so hard I nearly veered off the road.

BLAINE [10:32]: I never should have told you that story!

SEBASTIAN [10:32]: Yeah…but boy am I glad you did!

BLAINE [10:33]: I blame it all on Cooper, for the record.

SEBASTIAN [10:34]: But it doesn’t erase the truth, does it? The horrible, kibble smoothie truth...

BLAINE [10:34]: Ignoring you!

SEBASTIAN [10:35]: (kiss blowing emoji)

BLAINE [13:03]: What’s so great about New York, anyways?

SEBASTIAN [13:11]: Art, culture, bagels?

BLAINE [13:12]: Okay. Sure.

BLAINE [13:12]: I’m just being dumb.

SEBASTIAN [13:12]: You don’t have to say that whenever you’re upset.

BLAINE [13:15]: ?

SEBASTIAN [13:15]: You know. Deflecting.

SEBASTIAN [13:15]: What’s up?

[UNSENT TEXTS:

> Kurt stuff?]

BLAINE [13:19]: Nothing.

BLAINE [13:29]: I miss Dalton.

BLAINE [13:30]: I like McKinley but

[UNSENT TEXTS:

> It’s kind of lonely.

> Everything kind of smells like Pinesol.

> I hate NYADA.]

BLAINE [13:31]: Ugh.

BLAINE [13:32]: Sorry. I can’t just. Type stuff like this. I feel dumb looking at the words.

BLAINE [13:32]: I’m better at singing about it.

SEBASTIAN [13:32]: What about talking about it?

BLAINE [13:33]: … I’m better at singing about it.

SEBASTIAN [13:24]: You home?

BLAINE [13:24]: Yes

BLAINE [13:24]: Why?

INCOMING CALL: SEBASTIAN SMYTHE

[ACCEPT] / DECLINE

BLAINE [18:12]: Thanks, Sebastian.

[UNSENT TEXTS:

> Dump your boyfriend]

SEBASTIAN [18:13]: No problem

INCOMING CALL: SEBASTIAN SMYTHE

[ACCEPT] / DECLINE

INCOMING CALL: BLAINE ANDERSON

[ACCEPT] / DECLINE

BLAINE [8:11]: We’re friends, right?

SEBASTIAN [8:12]: Best of buddies.

[UNSENT TEXTS:

> I don’t want to be your fucking friend, though.

> Why do you only text me when you and Hummel aren’t updating your joint Pinterest wedding board?

> WHO THE FUCK HAS A JOINT PINTEREST WEDDING BOARD????????

> Your boyfriend looks like a turtle.

> Had a dream you were riding me. Care to make it a reality?

> Being pg-13 sucks.]

BLAINE [9:23]: Excited for Regionals?

SEBASTIAN [9:24]: Like you wouldn’t believe.

SEBASTIAN [9:24]: Should have stuck with the winning team, Anderson, cos McKinley’s gonna bite it.

BLAINE [9:25]: We’ll see about that!

BLAINE [9:25]: We have the homecourt advantage, you know. (winking emoji)

SEBASTIAN [9:26]: I’ve whipped the Warblers into fighting shape, though.

SEBASTIAN [9:26]: You won’t know what hit you.

BLAINE [9:27]: Right back atcha!

INCOMING CALL: SEBASTIAN SMYTHE

[ACCEPT] / DECLINE

[UNSENT TEXTS:

> I hate you.

> Do you know the mess you’ve made?!

> I hate you.]

SEBASTIAN [12:00]: Come to Dalton for rehearsal if you want to see Michael done well.

[UNSENT TEXTS:

> And exactly what you’re missing out on.]

BLAINE [17:12]: Why are you doing this?

[UNSENT TEXTS:

> It’s not a big deal]

SEBASTIAN [18:23]: Like I said

SEBASTIAN [18:23]: I’m tired of playing nice

BLAINE [18:24]: I thought we were friends

[UNSENT TEXTS:

> We are

> That's so gay]

SEBASTIAN [18:25]: Truth time, Blaine

SEBASTIAN [18:27]: Friends don’t let friends waste away at some ass-backward public school in Armpit, Ohio with an ungrateful bunch of hypocritical special ed losers who don’t recognize your talent, dating an an ugly guy who looks like he should be on a milk carton because he climbed into someone’s candy van, who definitely doesn’t put it to you the way you deserve.

SEBASTIAN [18:27]: You’ll thank me for this.

[UNSENT TEXTS:

> Fuck you.]

BLAINE [18:31]: Kurt was right about you.

SEBASTIAN [18:31]: Like I care what he thinks

BLAINE [18:31]: Or what I think?

BLAINE [19:02]: Fine, whatever.

BLAINE [19:02]: We’re going to settle this the old-fashioned way.

BLAINE [19:02]: Two clubs enter, one club leaves with the rights to Michael.

[UNSENT TEXTS:

> What the fuck are you talking about?]

SEBASTIAN [19:04]: Sounds fun.

INCOMING CALL: SEBASTIAN SMYTHE

ACCEPT / [DECLINE]

INCOMING CALL: SEBASTIAN SMYTHE

ACCEPT / [DECLINE]

INCOMING CALL: SEBASTIAN SMYTHE

ACCEPT / [DECLINE]

CONTACT BLOCKED: SEBASTIAN SMYTHE

iii.

NICK [8:12]: First off, this is Sebastian. Don’t want you accusing me of subterfuge. You just happen to have me blocked everywhere so I went to an alternate avenue.

This is an official invitation to you, Kurt, and Santana to meet me at the Lima Bean tomorrow after school. It’s an offer of peace, before you get worried. We heard about Dave Karofsky over here too and it’s made me reconsider things. We need to talk.

[UNSENT TEXTS:

> Please.]

BLAINE [15:57]: Not that you deserve it, but. Fine.

[UNSENT TEXTS:

> I’m sorry.]

CONTACT UNBLOCKED: SEBASTIAN SMYTHE

BLAINE [7:23]: I saw that you guys raised a lot of money for Dave. Congratulations.

SEBASTIAN [7:24]: Thanks, Blaine.

iv.

[UNSENT TEXTS:

> How are you?]

[UNSENT TEXTS:

> I miss you.]

[UNSENT TEXTS:

> Made a kid cry today. Clearly still getting a hang of this nice guy stuff.]

[UNSENT TEXTS:

> When did you give Kurt a complex about working at The Lima Bean?]

[UNSENT TEXTS:

> How did Paris get boring?]

[UNSENT TEXTS:

> I wish we were still friends.

> I still get mad sometimes.

> Why did the Warblers help you?]

[UNSENT TEXTS:

> I’ve got a book recommendation for you. You’d like it. Lots of sappy speeches.]

[UNSENT TEXTS:

> Why did I come here?]

UNSENT TEXTS:

> I’m starting to feel like a pussy.]

SEBASTIAN [16:23]: College applications are boring.

BLAINE [18:53]: The performing bit intimidates me.

BLAINE [18:53]: Hi, by the way. How was your summer?

[UNSENT TEXTS:

> NYADA applications?]

SEBASTIAN [18:54]: Please, you��re a born performer.

SEBASTIAN [18:54]: Fine. Sex, drugs, and rock-and-roll. The usual. Yours?

[UNSENT TEXTS:

> Thank you.]

BLAINE [18:55]: It was nice. I did my theme park circuit mostly, and hung out with Kurt. He’s in New York now though with Rachel.

BLAINE [18:55]: And I’m the new Rachel of glee club.

SEBASTIAN [18:56]: What the hell does that mean?

BLAINE [18:56]: Honestly? I’m not totally sure.

BLAINE [18:56]: But it’s very prestigious.

SEBASTIAN [18:57]: Then congratulations on becoming Rachel. Dating Finn Hudson next on your agenda?

BLAINE [18:57]: No.

BLAINE [18:57]: I’m dating Kurt, and Finn’s off in the Army, anyways.

SEBASTIAN [18:58]: Really?

SEBASTIAN [18:59]: Never know where anyone’s going to end up…

BLAINE [18:59]: Yeah

BLAINE [18:59]: Sorry, gtg. Skype date with Kurt.

[UNSENT TEXTS:

> Hah say ‘hi’ for me

> So you’re really doing the long distance thing? Have fun with that.]

SEBASTIAN [19:00]: Have fun with that.

SEBASTIAN [13:02]: You free?

BLAINE [13:02]: Sorry, school president work to do! Ttyl!

BLAINE [19:12]: Hey

SEBASTIAN [19:12]: Hey

SEBASTIAN [19:12]: What’s up?

BLAINE [19:13]: Nothing much.

[UNSENT TEXTS:

> Can’t believe I’m about to ask this but I am trying this whole nice guy thing so, aren’t you supposed to be Skyping Hummel right now? Or are you skipping out on undoubtedly awkward cybersex for once?]

SEBASTIAN [19:14]: Isn’t this your Skype date time?

[UNSENT TEXTS:

> It’s supposed to be.

> Apparently, but I’m the only one who remembers.

> No, it’s not.]

BLAINE [19:14]: Oh yeah! Shoot, sorry, bye Sebastian! Ttyl!

SEBASTIAN [19:15]: Right.

[UNSENT TEXTS:

> Even looking at your name I know this is a bad idea. I could always talk to you but that’s just because you said what I wanted to hear, didn’t you? But I’m just stupid Blaine and I don’t notice these things. Did you really change? Can people change? Can your boyfriend just go away and become a different person? Am I the one who changed? Blah blah blah. I need a diary.

> I miss Kurt.

> I wish we could talk.

> Technology sucks.]

SEBASTIAN [15:21]: Military school kids are the worst. I’m going to yank the stick out of this guy’s ass and beat him with it.

SEBASTIAN [8:25]: He’s kind of hot though, in a douchebag way.

SEBASTIAN [17:12]: This is when you chime in that I would know what that looks like, you know.

SEBASTIAN [17:13]: What’s the point of setting something up if you don’t take the swing? Jeez.

[UNSENT TEXTS:

> I just did something really stupid.]

CANCELLED CALL: TO SEBASTIAN SMYTHE.

SEBASTIAN [23:42]: You called me? What’s up?

BLAINE: Sorry. Butt dial.

[UNSENT TEXTS:

> Talking about your butt to me is just mean.]

SEBASTIAN [23:42]: Careful with that, buddy.

[UNSENT TEXTS:

> Seriously?!?!]

BLAINE [14:21]: You never do change, do you?

SEBASTIAN [14:53]: Maybe some people just don’t.

INCOMING CALL: SEBASTIAN SMYTHE

ACCEPT / [DECLINE]

SEBASTIAN [12:24]: Are we forgiven now that we’re probably never competing again?

SEBASTIAN [12:24]: I know we deserved that but it’s retirement home serenades from now on.

SEBASTIAN [12:34]: At least Hunter is gone.

BLAINE [12:34]: I’m sorry, how do you have the time to text when you should be out there cheating? Run out of steroids to inject?

SEBASTIAN [12:35]: Ouch.

SEBASTIAN [12:35]: You know, I’d never do anything to risk my junk, and I definitely don’t need drugs to keep up.

BLAINE [12:36]: But you didn’t stop it, did you?

SEBASTIAN [12:37]: Jesus. No, I didn’t. And I’m sorry.

SEBASTIAN [12:38]: But I totally lost my authority and I didn’t feel like being a narc.

[UNSENT TEXTS:

> As Justin Timberlake would say, cry me a river.

> I'm sorry. I shouldn’t be so hard on you. I know the kind of stupid stuff people pull when they’re desperate.

> Do you really think Hunter’s hot?]

SEBASTIAN [12:45]: I’m glad you did it though. Someone needed to.

BLAINE [12:45]: Yeah. Right.

BLAINE [12:47]: You’re welcome.

[UNSENT TEXTS:

> According to Facebook, you’re no longer single. Bummer.

> Serious question: did I ever have a chance?

> Blaine, don’t hate me for this, but he really doesn’t deserve you.

> Wish you never unblocked me.]

INCOMING CALL: BLAINE ANDERSON

[ACCEPT] / DECLINE

BLAINE [15:31]: Okay so you timed it, right? He can get from the entrance to the stairs in that time?

SEBASTIAN [15:32]: Relax, Blaine

SEBASTIAN [15:32]: He definitely can, with time left to spare

BLAINE [15:32]: You timed it?

[UNSENT TEXTS:

> Can you pay me if you’re going to pull this nervous bride routine? Yes, I did.]

SEBASTIAN [15:33]: Yes, Blaine.

SEBASTIAN [15:34]: I now hate All You Need is Love with a passion from singing it so many times, but I timed it myself, with a few ‘stop and stare at the spectacle’ pauses. I even factored in a possible delay if Sam tries dancing and trips. Which is your job to prevent, btw

BLAINE [15:35]: Thanks, Sebastian.

BLAINE [15:35]: You’ve been amazing.

BLAINE [15:35]: You’re a choreography genius, you know that?

BLAINE [15:41]: But nobody can hate the Beatles ever. That’s a fact.

SEBASTIAN [15:41]: Agree to disagree.

SEBASTIAN [15:41]: But thanks.

BLAINE [15:42]: Oh come on, you have to have a favorite Beatles song, everyone does!

[UNSENT TEXTS:

> It’s camp but my mom always liked to sing All Your Need is Love so. That used to be it. Emphasis on used to be.]

SEBASTIAN [15:43]: I Saw Her Standing There.

BLAINE [15:44]: I love that one! Good taste.

SEBASTIAN [15:44]: I’ve been known to have that, yes

SEBASTIAN [15:44]: You?

BLAINE [15:45]: Blackbird. Back at Dalton, after Pavarotti died, Kurt sang a beautiful rendition of that and it was my moment about him. Hence the Beatles now.

BLAINE [15:56]: I told that story already, didn’t I?

SEBASTIAN [16:02]: Yeah, you did.

[UNSENT TEXTS:

> About five hundred fucking times]

SEBASTIAN [16:03]: It’s a good song

SEBASTIAN [16:04]: That bird ritual was bizarre. I just paid some freshman to babysit mine for me. I wouldn’t have noticed if it dropped dead

BLAINE [16:05]: But it’s tradition!

SEBASTIAN [16:05]: I don’t like to do things just because someone says I should

BLAINE [16:06]: Well, that’s true. You move to the beat of your own drum.

SEBASTIAN [16:06]: I try.

BLAINE [16:07]: I like it, by the way, that wasn’t an insult!

SEBASTIAN [16:08]: Didn’t think it was

[UNSENT TEXTS:

> Quick question, are we friends again?]

SEBASTIAN [16:09]: Well, I gotta go. Dance steps to plan, other glee club heads to yell at. You know how it is. Bye.

[UNSENT TEXTS:

> Sebastian …]

BLAINE [16:10]: Bye!

BLAINE [23:19]: Thank you again for your help, Sebastian.

SEBASTIAN [23:20]: You’re welcome.

SEBASTIAN [23:22]: Have a good life, Blaine.

[UNSENT TEXTS:

> I’m single now, you know.]

BLAINE [14:09]: Sebastian, I have a question. And I want you to answer honestly.

SEBASTIAN [14:15]: Well, hello to you too.

SEBASTIAN [14:15]: I don’t even get a ‘sup’? It’s only been god knows how long since I last even heard from you.

SEBASTIAN [14:15]: Rude, rude boy…

BLAINE [14:16]: Okay, jeez, I’m sorry.

BLAINE [14:16]: Hi, Sebastian, how are you?

SEBASTIAN [14:16]: Swell.

SEBASTIAN [14:17]: Now what’s this question? If it’s about whether red makes your ass look big, the answer is yes, but it’s a good thing.

BLAINE [14:18]: That is definitely not my question.

BLAINE [14:18]: It’s about me and Kurt.

SEBASTIAN [14:18]: Okay…

BLAINE [14:19]: When you helped with the proposal, did you think we would work out?

SEBASTIAN [14:20]: Dear god

SEBASTIAN [14:20]: Is this a trick question?

BLAINE [14:21]: No. Honesty, please.

SEBASTIAN [14:22]: Fine. You asked for it.

SEBASTIAN [14:23]: The answer is ‘no’ but I also figured you would keep trying. In an ‘insanity is repeating the same action over and over and expecting different results’ kind of way. But you don’t have to listen to me. I was always a jerk about you two.

SEBASTIAN [14:56]: Too much?

BLAINE [14:57]: …

BLAINE [14:57]: No, that’s fair.

BLAINE [14:58]: Did you know Dalton coffee hasn’t changed? It’s great.

SEBASTIAN [14:58]. Okay, random

SEBASTIAN [14:58]: I thought you preferred the Bean

BLAINE [14:59]: Well, yeah.

BLAINE [15:00]: But Dalton has that special something.

SEBASTIAN [15:02]: I don’t even remember what it tastes like, honestly.

SEBASTIAN [15:02]: Wait.

SEBASTIAN [15:02]: Why are you at Dalton?

SEBASTIAN [15:03]: Did I miss a reunion? I thought I had at least a decade before I got dragged into one of those.

BLAINE [15:04]: No.

BLAINE [15:04]: I’m the faculty advisor for the Warblers right now.

SEBASTIAN [15:04]: Uh did you graduate early or something?

BLAINE [15:05]: No. I dropped out, actually. So. Back home I went.

SEBASTIAN [15:07]: Oh boy

SEBASTIAN [15:07]: Suddenly I understand why you were asking about the proposal. I take it you’re single once more?

BLAINE [15:07]: Yeah. For a little while now.

BLAINE [15:07]: I’m surprised you didn’t know. You used to always be on my page.

SEBASTIAN [15:08]: Hey. People change.

BLAINE [15:08]: That’s true.

SEBASTIAN [15:09]: So what happened? Get into a fight over who was allowed to wear trillbys? Death match over bowties? Did he find out you used to jerk off to me in high school?

BLAINE [15:11]: Who says I did that??

SEBASTIAN [15:12]: Please, Blaine. We’re grownups now. You can be honest.

BLAINE [15:13]: I plead the fifth

SEBASTIAN [15:13]: Yeah, that’s what I thought

SEBASTIAN [15:14]: Seriously though. You okay? Do you want to talk about it?

BLAINE [15:14]: It’s a long and frankly miserable story.

SEBASTIAN [15:15]: I got all day and a lack of empathy, you know that. Fire away

BLAINE [15:17]: Hah…some things don’t change, do they?

BLAINE [15:17]: I think that’s exactly what you said on our little roadtrip when you got me to talk about some of my more embarrassing memories involving Cooper and Duran Duran.

SEBASTIAN [15:18]: It works like a charm, what can I say?

BLAINE [15:19]: It does. But for the record, you’re easy to talk to because you listen, not because you don’t care.

SEBASTIAN [15:20]: Stop, you’ll make me blush.

BLAINE [15:20]: Trust me, it's true.

SEBASTIAN [15:20]: I believe you. Now stop deflecting and talk.

BLAINE [15:21]: Okay.

BLAINE [15:21]: Actually, where are you? Can I call you?

SEBASTIAN [15:21]: Between classes. Go ahead.

BLAINE [15:22]: Thanks, Sebastian.

INCOMING CALL: BLAINE ANDERSON

[ACCEPT] / DECLINE

[END]

#seblaine #blaine anderson #sebastian smythe #seblaine fic #my writing #peak parody of myself: a fic that's all dialogue #blaine x sebastian #barbie's otp

72 notes · View notes

josephjohnblogs · 4 years

Text

Creative writing

STUDENT ACTIVITY SHEET NO. 7

(Individual Task)

Subject: Creative writing

Topic: Writing Eassy

Date Given: October 6, 5pm Due Date: October 7, 11:59pm

Learning Competencies:

Write a draft of a short piece (Fiction, Poetry, Drama, etc.) using any of the literary conventions of genre following these pointers:

1. Choosing a topic

2. Formulating a thesis statement

3. Organizing and developing ideas

Instruction: Choose a famous Cebuano expression, research its etymology, and write a 1,500 word essay.

"GI ATAY "

Ay Gi atay! Gi atay na ka peste! Gi atay man ka" This words I've been encountered in my life, when i was too young i dont know this words by the time i meet my special friend Robi i heard this word's at first i dont know what that's all about., then i just tolerated it by the time i grow with my friends, neighborhood, Uncle's, Tito's and titas finaly i knew whats word is that and this is a commonly expression of the cebuano and bisaya people who are showing "disgust or "frustration" over anything. The "Gi atay ka peste " is a vulgar words in cebuano and it's not a good example to say this words in sensitive people, lucky to me I'm not that too sensitive, in view fact that what i experienced many peoples are irritated this words the giatay ka" and also the "Ka yawa or yawa in a real sense implies, evil. Much the same as peste and atay, they're terrible words as well and it has a similar significance as an articulation. It's equivalent to reviling somebody. You can likewise consolidate the two words, peste and yawa. And afterward it becomes, pesteng yawa.

but some people in bisaya , cebuano try not to say this swear word in front of young children and whole inside the church, school. In fact it's what my parent's oriented me when i was too young that time, by virtue of something can absolutely affect the susceptibility of the people who go through this profanity .

A obscenity can be an precedent of informal expression, in a view of something we have this what we called circle of people, various of people emotions, personality and perception . They say Gi atay ka peste because they're mad of something, someone or they're just having fun with their friends, indeed! Were this expression often used for having fun with my friend's, and i experienced this sometimes but i can limit my self of this expression. Because my parent's teach me to be responsible enough to my words and action, they guide me to be a better individual in this society

admittedly many children now adays use this swear words it in our society , the society full of disrespectful kids and behaviors, they can't limit their self of this expression, without knowing thats not a great manifestation as a children's, in short they are not totally oriented what thats word, because perhaps how the parent's rise their children . Or how the society reflected is, because the children are can easily follow you in the way the learn new words and things, they are exploring new ideas that could actually implies how they behaved. and by the time i grow and develop my self i try to explore my self to the society because in my home we don't say that in front of our parents, did you do that? Well eradicated that behavior ,

That's why as an adult we have to be responsible enough of our expression. In that bad words they can easily to follow you , when i was young, i actually think that Gi atay " is a part of respiratory system , i thought to my self that is a liver, Yes, that state “an energized liver” sounds unusual since we tend to think of the liver as a or maybe gloomy organ, tucked absent in one corner, recalled as it were when somebody comes down with a few kind of liver disease. Yet, numerous societies see the liver as the situate of feelings and, etymologically, it appears that prior eras of Filipinos shared the view.

Cebuanos talk of giatay actually, “to be livered”as a plague initially influencing chickens but presently with extended meaning; so an outcry of “Giatay!” is one of irritation, alluding to individuals who come into our lives like a plague. Liver infections do figure noticeably among the foremost common sicknesses within the Philippines, indeed as causes of passing, but they are not analyzed sufficient for their social centrality. I have no question that cirrhosis is tied to our tall liquor and/or sedate use. And irresistible hepatitis relates to unsanitary nourishment taking care of (for hepatitis A and E), and to the bigger issues of sexually transmitted contaminations, sullied blood supplies, and infusing sedate utilize hepatitis B, C and

Words are powerful; not only Giatay describe emotions, they also direct the way we feel. In the Philippines, we seem to have abandoned the liver and moved over to the heart when we describe our emotions. When we say “nakakataba ng puso,” we do feel the heart expanding as it is touched. We also feel the pinching when we say “nakakakurot ng puso.”

Now for the medical part. Is there an actual relationship between the liver and emotions?

There is, actually, because the liver is such a vital organ. It’s our filter system for removing toxins. It produces bile for digestion and several blood proteins. It activates enzymes important in many body functions.

Then i found out the Student of history Resil Mojares composed an article named "Heart and Liver" in 1994. The article expounds on the connection between the liver and feelings, calling attention to that in Cebuano, sharp feelings are depicted as makapakitbi sa atay "what turns sour the liver". And while the Tagalog portrays a genuinely moving inclination as nakakataba ng puso "something that swells the heart"— not smooth in interpretation, the Cebuano will say makapadaku sa atay what which broadens the liver"— again much is lost in interpretationz

Mojares sees that the Tagalog atay ng lupa alludes to the most prolific aspect of a bit of land, and the pagmamayatay as a glad and influential man, in a real sense signifies "he who professes to have the liver." He brings up that the palm, and the underside of the foot is the atay ng paa in Tagalog, and atay-atay in Cebuano. In endless words at that point, atay is focal, practically like the spirit truly, the spirit of a foot and of a hand, perhaps, even our very being.

The liver figures conspicuously in our legends as a supported delicacy for the ruthless aswang. I can see the incredible allegory here of the aswang depleting its survivor of its life-power, the feelings. Heroes from different ethnic gatherings in the Philippines have been portrayed as going for the liver of the foe, to ingest his fearlessness, and creature livers are utilized for diagnosing an individual's sickness and foreseeing what's to come.

Doing explore for the present section I was amazed at how boundless the affiliation is among feelings and the liver. The Online Etymological Dictionary takes note of that in the English language during the middle age ages, "the liver equaled the heart as the seat of adoration and enthusiasm."

In conventional Chinese medication, the liver is viewed as the seat of outrage while the heart is the seat of euphoria, the spleen of contemplation, the lungs of tension and distress, and the kidneys of dread and trepidation. Biblehub.com, a site that centers around etymological and interpretation parts of the Bible, records a few references to the liver in the Old Testament and in Semitic dialects spoken in the Middle East, North and East Africa where the liver is likewise "temper" and "demeanor." In Lamentations 2:11 Jeremiah shouts out: "My liver is poured upon the earth as a result of the demolition of the girl of my kin."

Biblehub takes note of that in Hebrew, kabedh signifies "liver" and kabhodh signifies "magnificence," which may have potentially brought about disarray during the interpretation of Psalm 16:9, with differently peruses: "My heart is happy and my heart rejoiceth" (ASV variant); "My heart is happy and my brilliance rejoiceth" King James Version and "My heart is happy and my entire being rejoiceth"

And i found out lately For the individuals who are not from Cebu especially to me, 'gi-atay' is one of the exhausted revile words utilized particularly during outrage.Gi Atay ka? I generally imagined that the underlying foundations of the addition atay or gi-atay was the liver or atay in Filipino. I thought saying gi-atay ka was a reprobation wishing somebody liver ailment and epidemic pesting gi-atay. Clearly not.

Modeler Tony Abelgas, who driven the rebuilding of the 1730 Jesuit House in Parian, said atay’s historical underpinnings has roots in this furniture, an Ok Tay bed. He said the bed – with its complicated carvings of blossoms and natural products – is by the famous Chinese furniture producer Ok Tay. It was a favorite of princely families all over the nation. Abelgas said that when individuals alluded to those who were as of now bed-ridden, they said that they were fair on their Ok Tay bed. This rehashed references, he said, eventually driven to the utilize of “gi-atay na” to portray somebody passing on. For i concluded with quotation "If we don't believe in freedom of expression for people we despise, we don't believe in it at all. -Noam Chomsky.

#@queenlupitajones

0 notes