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hamliet · 2 years

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Wrote this when the leak happened, never posted it, am currently in such a tearful rage that anything I wrote now would be riddled with expletives so here goes the calmer version. FYI, it's written specifically for "pro life" people, like the community I grew up in, attempting to meet them where they're at and persuade them to open their mindset. Also, because, as I said, I'm currently a ball of rage, you might not want to comment on this if you disagree because there's a pretty strong chance I'll go off and say something I will regret. Just warning ya. I'm in a mood to overturn some tables.

So as someone who is pro-choice because I'm pro-life... the news enrages and distresses me. I grew up very pro-life (oh the fundamentalist cult life) and changed my views over time. I'd like to propose that the whole "does life begin early in pregnancy or not" doesn't actually have any relevance to this debate.

No one should ever be able to force another person to donate an organ to keep someone else alive. Literally when people are DEAD, their families have the right to refuse organ donation.

It's about bodily autonomy.

I think if there was a person who was told they were a match for a child who needed a kidney or else the child would die, we might feel they *should* donate, but who is comfortable with saying they legally must be required to do so? What about extenuating circumstances? Would you want to not have a choice if it were you? What if that matched person was also a child, or had a high-risk family history, or was terrified and then happened to be one of the few people who die during a routine procedure? Because it does happen, albeit rarely (to consider the metaphor, birth is statistically riskier, medically speaking, than abortion--which isn't to say abortion has no risks because, like any medical procedure, it does. But the risks aren't equal).

My point is that moral consideration is a separate concept that surely influences legislation (or like, should), but not a 1=1 to legal obligation. Legal obligation cannot account for exceptions and rare cases, because life is way more complex than any legislation could ever capture. That's why ethics and morality exist as fields of study. That is why philosophy exists.

The ironic thing is I'm more like... I more err on the side of caution and lean towards thinking life begins earlier rather than later. Not conception, my existence as an identical twin kind of debunks that, but I think there's a reasonable case for implementation (at least, it can't be fully debunked--though the concept of vanishing twins does challenge it). But, I don't think you can force someone, and I don't think anyone, not even the most empathetic of doctors (and my experience with doctors tells me most aren't empathetic, lol), is qualified to make that decision for another person.

I also think that, for me personally, I would never choose to have an early abortion with the exception of the same reason I would choose a late-term one: if a child was not going to survive. And I'd mourn them. Every loving mother should have the right to make a choice to turn off life support if there's no hope. I've seen miracles irl, I believe in them, and I would hope, but when it comes to a certain point... I also have seen agonizing situations where it's just better not to hook people up to tubes for years and years, waiting for a miracle, and provide palliative care instead. Again, I don't think this should be a legal requirement; loved ones each have the right to make these choices for those who cannot make choices. Why would you strip this away from someone?

Indeed, I'd say the ethical choice in many (again, exceptions exist) cases is to donate turn off life support and donate organs to save others; an analogy would be to lose the child, mourn them, and give the mother her organs back instead of saddling her with medical debt, health risks that don't go away after 9 months (see the long-term effects of preeclampsia, which including a striking correlation with heart disease--like, up to FOUR TIMES more at risk for heart failure later in life, and twice as likely to suffer heart attacks). Why prolong her grief at having strangers ask her when she is due, when she knows she will give birth to a dead child? Isn't that cruel?

Furthermore, if this government wants to force people with uteruses to have kids, then for the love of God, stop charging tens of thousands of dollars to give birth and then get necessary follow-up medical care. Provide actual paid maternal leave, which isn't even controversial in most countries. Train your doctors to listen to our pain instead of dismissing us because we're just "so sensitive." Train people not to rape us or pressure us.

Oh wait, Justices Kavanaugh and Thomas are on the court. Like, regardless of where you stand, can we all agree it's a little screwed up that two men with histories of sexual harassment and/or assault get to make a choice over other people’s bodies? Because??? They already have tried to make those choices with some pretty damn bad intentions?? Hard for me to believe this isn't about hurting, humiliating, and even killing people with vaginas when two of them have resorted to sexual violence to control a body owned by a woman who did not want to sleep with them before. Neither of them have ever displayed integrity or repentance, despite claiming to be Christians. You disgrace my Lord's name with that. You take His name in vain. You are filthy men who can never stand for justice and can, frankly, rot in hell. Also, I'll believe you, yes you in particular Justice Alito, give a damn about protecting any child when you walk back your arguments for allowing police to in essence sexually assault ten-year-olds via an invasive strip search.

Now, idealism and reality, theory and practice. In life, our ideals (and religious beliefs) are lighthouses: they guide us through a rocky, stormy life. But they are not always able to be ideally implemented. You can't follow a straight path. That's just how life works. We continue to learn how to navigate closer and closer to these ideals, while also knowing that we're not going to reach it here. None of us are perfect, rocks exist, we look at waves and get distracted, others knock into us and jar us off course. We need to use what we have around us to stay afloat.

The reality also is that studies unequivocally demonstrate that policies such as access to birth control, proper education, access to healthcare, and access to maternal resources drastically reduce the rates of abortion. This is good. No one thinks abortion is a great thing to aspire to have (well, no one reasonable), but instead a choice that must be made as a result of the failure of other things along the way. If the pro-life movement actually cares about stopping mass murder of children, then prioritize that above all else. It's like Rahab lying to save the Israelites in Jericho: yeah, she lied, but she was called righteous for her intent. Also, I presume the whole "minor sin for the greater good" logic is what pro-life people are using the justify Justices Alito, Kavanaugh, Gorsuch, and Barrett lying under oath and committing perjury (an actual crime) by saying they considered Roe established law? Because those tapes exist; they did do that.

So, don't say compromising to save children has no place in your beliefs, because it does. And don't say they didn't lie because technicalities or semantics or whatever; the intent of those questions was clear, and there's a reason the oath includes the words "the whole truth and nothing but the truth." It was legally and morally a lie.

The pro-lifers (as said movement is primarily funded by evangelical American Christians) need to put their money where their mouth is and act as if this is what they really want to do, even if it means not living in an ideal world (because, sadly, we don't). Yeah, they don't want people having sex before marriage, but the reality is that--in church and out of it (percentages are the same)--most people do. So, advocate for birth control access (don't take it if you don't like!), medically accurate sex education (giving facts isn't gonna teach anything God doesn't already know), and support maternal healthcare. That will save the lives of children, which is most important, right? I, a pro-choice person, say it is. You can keep up your pro-abstinence advocacy while doing this, you know, because sexual activity is also a choice (or should be, because teaching consent matters).

Yet, the pro-life community distinctly does not do this. Why? Could it be that they don't actually believe a fetus is a life? Or could it be that they have other motivations? A mixture of the two?

Until the pro-life movement starts prioritizing practical compassion over self-righteousness, until they accept that they are not God and attempting to control others is more along the lines of the serpent in the Garden than Christ and thus go on to mix practicality with idealism, I can't believe they actually care about saving lives as much as they do punishing females who have sex (specifically who have sex not with them).

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empyreanemissary · 3 months

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Thoughts pt1, Day Sky as an Observatory 13/3/24

(Changed the title because pt2 is barely about the Day anymore)

The use of the Day Sky is elaborate and polycephalous. It's used as a set of eyes and an organic body to the Sky Library, as gateways to things, is contorted and reshaped into the apsara/Choir/wives of Indra, and so on. My blog my rules so I'm going to ramble about some of them.

The Day is like an offering of milk in water, it is energetically opaque. It's a host of a scattering of light on to, off of, and through specific points, which is to say that the Sky Library as a hall of lit mirrors is most visually analogous to the day sky.

Every atom is a point in spacetime occupying its own specific place in the Universe in terms of, well, spacetime, as a part of its own personal coding. The coding of the Universe - that which dictates what each thing in existence is - is partly based on spacetime location. Two things can only be identical if they occupy the exact same spatial-temporal location, which is to say no two things can be truly identical. Things are also dictated in code by how they interact with other things separated into categories of attraction, neutrality, and repulsion - at least in the eyes of the Trinity Kings. The atomic points of the constituents of the sky are therefore heavily tied to the basal concepts of the Sky Library, which is a scattering of differing points that absorb light, reflect it, and allow it to pass through alongside many other things that aren't relevant to the discussion.

Everything connects to and affects everything else at varying levels of severity, which means everything in some level of metaphor “sees” everything else. Not only does the sky intercept the Divine Edict (the impulse from Brahman, the Truth, as it is to be translated into Reality) and the infinite being translated into the finite - and not only is it these things - it is also a hall of finite-infinite mirrors reflecting, absorbing, and observing from all angles the entirety of existence itself.

The sky can be used as an observatory and frequently is; what it depicts however is less commonly visual and more so a large array of varying details like the energetic, mental, emotional, etc. states of various spacetime patches of this world, current time (”current” being the interesting part since it is like a pendulum which allows connection to specific resonant times, keeping in mind that the planes all have different expressions of time, hence an outsider needs something to anchor them), various other magnetic flows like the moving of weather energy and impulses (the status of the processing of rain, where fronts will flow next, etc). It also allows more keen-eyed guardianship of specific places watched over by certain sky gods such as parts of Mongolia.

The Library is a set of mirrors in-between everything which serve the focus that the firmament as a lens does: witnessing of all that passes through it. It's a secondary function of the Void… There's not much point getting into the Library itself here as it's built on the foundations of the Sky as a separate thing, the metaphorical connections and foundation is what I'm interested in. The Library and the Sky are resonant in their witnessing, their mirror-eyes, their emphasis on points in existence arising from individual coding and individual coding creating points in existence, and so on.

Indra's Web is seen heavily here in the day at least symbolically. The atoms in the sky allow for viewing of the entirety of the Earth below and night above (thus: everything) if one knows how to view them. To the outsider, the day sky is just that: opaque “day”, but to the sky spirits circling Indra it's an immense series of eyes that have inherent coding of attractions/repulsions/neutralities and senses of self vs other that allow it to function as lenses to view anything there is. Of course, everything can view everything, but the Sky is Indra's eye.

If one wants to use it, one has to have a tight connection with the relationship between consciousness and body in general, outside of individual body types like flesh bodies. Those around Indra do; this is one use of them, the Choir another, and so on, meaning keen and adept use of the sky's Bodies - “Bodies” meaning various manifestations of groupings and individual “cells” in the sky, whether atoms/molecules, fronts, flows, siphons, etc., as beings with a harnessable self vs other drive - can produce an extensive amount of results and fulfil an extensive amount of jobs, roles, and tools for the sky spirit.

#ramblings //#Sky Library //#capital s sky //#The Bodies //#Indra's Web //#Eyes //

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roamanddiscover · 10 months

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The Prophet Book Summary

The Prophet Book Summary

The Prophet is a well-known book authored by Lebanese-American poet Kahlil Gibran. It was first published in 1923 and since then, it has become one of the most popular books of all time. The Prophet consists of 26 poetic essays that cover a wide range of topics such as love, marriage, children, joy, sorrow, death, and many more. Kahlil Gibran was born in Lebanon in 1883 and immigrated to the United States in 1895 with his family. He started his career as an artist and later became a writer. Gibran is known for his spiritual and philosophical writings, and The Prophet is one of his most popular works. The book's main character is Almustafa, a prophet who has been living in a foreign land for 12 years. As he prepares to leave and return to his homeland, he is approached by people who seek his guidance on various topics. Almustafa responds to their questions with wisdom and insights that are still relevant today. The Prophet has been translated into more than 50 languages and has sold millions of copies worldwide. It has become a favorite among readers of all ages and backgrounds. This book has been an inspiration for many writers, artists, and thinkers for decades. If you're looking for a book that will provide you with spiritual guidance and teach you how to live a more fulfilling life, then The Prophet is the book for you. Its timeless wisdom and beautiful prose make it a classic that everyone should read at least once in their lifetime.

Book Description

The Prophet by Khalil Gibran is a book of 26 poetic essays. The book deals with various themes such as love, freedom, pain, and joy. The story is about a prophet named Almustafa who is about to leave the city of Orphalese. As he prepares to leave, the people of Orphalese ask him to share his wisdom and knowledge with them. The Prophet's main themes revolve around spiritual growth and the journey of the soul. The book is divided into chapters that deal with different themes, including love, marriage, children, and death. Almustafa shares his insights on these topics, using his wisdom to guide the people of Orphalese towards a better life. The Prophet's plot is centered around a conversation between Almustafa and the people of Orphalese. As they ask him questions about life, he shares his knowledge through these poetic essays. In the end, Almustafa leaves the city, but his teachings stay with the people, guiding them towards a brighter future. The book's language is incredibly poetic, with the author using rich metaphors and analogies to convey their message. The text is easy to read, but the thoughts are profound and carry a lot of weight. The writing style is simple yet profound, making it accessible to all readers. The Prophet has been reviewed positively by critics and readers alike. It has been translated into over 40 languages and has sold over 100 million copies worldwide. The book's popularity lies in its ability to convey profound ideas through simple language. Khalil Gibran wrote The Prophet in 1923 and is considered one of the greatest writers of modern Arabic literature. He was also an artist and a philosopher and played a key role in the development of Arab-American literature. His work has been translated into over 20 languages, and his legacy continues to inspire people around the world. The Prophet is a timeless classic that continues to inspire readers today. Its themes of love, freedom, and self-discovery make it a must-read for anyone seeking to gain deeper insights into the human experience.

Character Analysis

In The Prophet, the author, Kahlil Gibran, portrays various characters, each of whom is distinct and has a unique role in the story. The protagonist, Almustafa, is a foreigner who has spent many years in a foreign land and is about to return to his homeland. Throughout the story, Almustafa's character develops as he imparts his knowledge and wisdom to the people of the foreign land. The other characters in the story are those who approach Almustafa with specific questions or problems. Each character's personality is carefully crafted and enhances the meaning and relevance of the book. For instance, the character of the young bride represents youthful innocence and pure love. The priest represents the struggle between Orthodoxy and Spirituality. The poet symbolizes the connection between creativity and spirituality. As the story progresses, the characters' emotional journeys are depicted, and their individual stories are explored. The author succeeds in creating characters that readers can relate to, admire, and learn from. the cast of characters helps to reinforce the themes and ideas presented in the book. The character of Almustafa is particularly intriguing, as he is portrayed as a sage, a philosopher, and a spiritual leader. Through his actions and words, we learn about his deep connection with the divine, and his quest for knowledge and understanding. He is kind, compassionate, and selfless - attributes that Gibran clearly valued. The Prophet's characters are well-formed and serve a clear purpose in the narrative. As readers delve deeper into the book, the characters' emotional journeys and individual stories provide a rich tapestry of meaning and relevance to our own lives.

Analysis

The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran is a masterpiece of literature that has stood the test of time. In this section, we will analyze the writing style and literary techniques used in the book. One of the prominent features of The Prophet is its poetic and lyrical writing style. Gibran’s use of metaphor, imagery, and symbolism is an essential element of the book’s style. For instance, in the chapter on love, he compares love to a flowing river, highlighting the fluidity and ever-changing nature of human emotions and relationships. Another literary technique used in The Prophet is the use of allegory. The protagonist, Almustafa, is an allegory for Gibran’s own experiences as an immigrant. Through Almustafa, Gibran explores themes of alienation, displacement, and the challenges of finding one’s place in a foreign land. The book’s structure is also noteworthy. The Prophet is divided into chapters, each dedicated to a different theme, such as love, marriage, and death. Each chapter is self-contained, but together they form a cohesive narrative that explores the human condition. Gibran’s use of language is also a standout aspect of the book’s style. He employs a simple, yet eloquent prose style that is easy to read, yet imbued with deeper meaning. His use of repetition and parallelism adds a lyrical quality to the text and underscores the book’s themes. The Prophet is a masterclass in writing, with a style that is both poetic and accessible. The book’s use of allegory, metaphor, and symbolism, along with its simple prose style and cohesive structure, make it a literary classic that continues to resonate with readers today.

Reviews

Published in 1923, The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran is a timeless classic that has captured the hearts of readers for decades. This masterpiece has received numerous critical reviews and opinions, many of which applaud the author's storytelling techniques and the profound spiritual wisdom communicated throughout the book. Some have referred to The Prophet as a self-help book that is ideal for readers worldwide looking for spiritual guidance and an insight into human nature. Others have praised the poetic and literary quality of the book, affirming its artistic value. The book has been credited with sparking a movement of spiritual writing and devotion in the twentieth century. Critiques have lauded its lyrical prose, its radical humanism, and its universal appeal. The book has been dubbed as a guidebook for life, with its existential themes resonating with readers on a personal level. The diversity of philosophical ideas, the narration, and the symbolism incorporated throughout the book have been cited as some of the book's strong points. The poetic language used captivates readers' minds, elevating the writing style to unprecedented levels. The message of love, beauty, and spirituality transcends all cultures and religions and is the reason for the book's broad appeal. The Prophet is a vibrantly written book that teems with poetry and wisdom. It has touched the hearts of millions of readers worldwide and continues to be a classic revered by many. It is an excellent read for those looking to deepen their spirituality and gain a deeper understanding of human nature.

Details

The Prophet is a book written by Lebanese-American poet and philosopher Kahlil Gibran. First published in 1923, the book has since become a masterpiece of literary art and a bestseller with over 100 million copies sold worldwide. Gibran himself produced all the illustrations accompanying the text, combining art and literature in an extraordinary way. Kahlil Gibran was born in 1883 in Lebanon, then part of Ottoman Syria. He travelled to the United States with his family where he developed his talents as a writer, poet, and artist, achieving international success and fame. The Prophet was written in English despite the fact that Gibran's native language was Arabic. The book was a groundbreaking success, and Gibran would follow it with a number of other highly acclaimed works. The Prophet is a collection of 26 interconnected essays on a variety of topics including love, joy, pain, death, and many more. The book is written in a poetic and spiritual style that has captivated readers for generations. Gibran drew on elements of Eastern and Western philosophy, resulting in a unique blend of spirituality and modern sensibility. He often used metaphor and symbolism to convey deeper meanings, challenging readers to think about the world and their place in it. Interestingly, The Prophet was not an immediate success when first released. It wasn't until the 1960s and 70s that the book gained widespread popularity and acclaim, becoming a beloved classic and a staple of bookshelves around the world. The book is frequently cited as a favorite among celebrities and literary figures, attesting to its enduring appeal. In addition to its artistic merit, The Prophet has also been the subject of numerous studies and analyses, with scholars examining its themes, literary techniques, and cultural significance. Gibran's unique style and approach to writing have made him an enduring figure in the literary world and a source of inspiration to many. - The Prophet has been translated into over 50 languages, making it one of the most widely translated books in the world. - Although some of the essays in The Prophet were written over a century ago, they still resonate with readers today, offering timeless insights into the human experience.

News about The Prophet

Despite being originally published in 1923, The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran continues to be a beloved masterpiece that touches the hearts of millions of readers worldwide. While there isn't any recent news related to the author or the book, it's important to note that the teachings of The Prophet continue to be relevant to this day. The book has been translated into over 100 languages and has sold millions of copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling books of all time. Its enduring popularity has won it a spot on Oprah Winfrey's book club and has inspired countless musicians, artists, and writers. In 2021, it was announced that an animated feature film adaptation of The Prophet is in development. The film will feature a collection of animated shorts inspired by Gibran's original text and will be produced by Salma Hayek, who is also set to voice a character in the film. Gibran's life and work have also been celebrated in a number of events and exhibitions around the world. In 2018, Lebanon celebrated the 85th anniversary of his death with a series of exhibitions, concerts, and cultural events. his artwork has been displayed in galleries around the world, highlighting the multifaceted talent of this great artist. The Prophet continues to be a beloved and influential book that has left an indelible mark on the literary world. Its themes of love, spirituality, and self-discovery have inspired generations of readers, and its legacy is sure to endure for many years to come.

Ratings

The Prophet is one of the most well-known works of Khalil Gibran, achieving immense popularity since its first publication. It remains a bestseller worldwide, having sold millions of copies to date. The book has received numerous accolades, including being named as one of the top 100 non-fiction works of the 20th century by The Guardian, a British daily newspaper. It has also been included in BBC's survey of the "most influential novels" of all time. The Prophet has consistently received high ratings from book critics and readers alike. On Goodreads, a popular book review platform, it has an average rating of 4.24 out of 5 stars. The book has been translated into more than 40 languages, testifying to its universal appeal. Its popularity has largely been attributed to the timeless themes it explores, such as love, spirituality, and the human condition. Aside from being a literary success, The Prophet has had a profound impact on popular culture. Its quotes and themes have been referenced in numerous films, songs, and other works of art. The Prophet's enduring popularity and critical acclaim cement its status as a timeless masterpiece that continues to inspire and resonate with readers around the world.

Book Notes

The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran is a book that offers a deep insight into the essential elements of life. It consists of 26 poetic essays that cover various topics such as love, marriage, children, joy, sorrow, and death. Here are some of the most notable quotes and notes from the book: - "Love one another, but make not a bond of love: let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls." - "Love gives naught but itself and takes naught but from itself." - "Let there be spaces in your togetherness." - "Love that leads to marriage is a beautiful thing, but love that leads to divorce is not love at all." - "The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain." - "Your joy is your sorrow unmasked." - "For what is it to die but to stand naked in the wind and to melt into the sun?" - "Life and death are one even as the river and the sea are one." The Prophet is a book that provides timeless wisdom on the complexities of life. It has touched the hearts of millions of readers since its publication in 1923. The book is a must-read for anyone seeking spiritual enlightenment and personal growth. Read the full article

#TheProphetbookdescription #TheProphetbooknotes #TheProphetbookreviews #TheProphetcharacteranalysis

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solena2 · 3 years

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So.

Tommy isn’t Theseus. Every time I see Techno’s analogy about Tommy being Theseus brought up I’m filled with endless rage and I’ve DECIDED!

That it’s about time I explained just why it’s so objectively incorrect.

First: a bit of backstory on Theseus, because I doubt many of you actually know much about him beyond what Techno said in his “so you want to be a hero” speech, which left out a lot of relevant details.

Theseus was a demigod with two fathers and one mother. His fathers were king Aegeus of Athens and the sea god Poseidon, and his mother was Aethra, Aegeus’ wife. Aethra raised Theseus on her own, far from Athens to avoid him being assassinated.

Aegeus left him nothing but a sword with the Athenian crest and a pair of sandals, buried under a rock so no one else could get them.

When Theseus came of age, he took the sword and sandals and headed up to Athens, slaying various monsters along the way. (It pains me to abbreviate it that much, but Techno left out everything before the Minotaur so it won’t help me much in debunking his analogy.)

Once he got to Athens, he met up with his dad, chased out his stepmom Medea, (yes, that Medea) and killed some people. Then comes the relevant part.

Crete had won a war against Athens a while back, and because of this, every seven years Athens was forced to send 14 tributes to be killed by the Minotaur. (Yes, this inspired the Hunger Games)

Theseus decided he’d volunteer and kill the Minotaur, thus ending the tribute system for good and getting one over on Athens. He promised his dad that if he won, he’d come back in a ship with white sails, as opposed to the standard mourning black that signified the death of the tributes.

So he went to Crete, met king Minos and his daughters Ariadne and Phaedra, and got sent into the labyrinth. Ariadne gave him a magic ball of string that kept him from getting lost, allowing him to find the Minotaur and then safely get out afterwards, providing he could kill it.

He killed it, led his other 13 tributes out, and sailed back home. On the way, Athena told him to leave Ariadne stranded on a tiny island in the middle of the ocean, so he immediately did so, because Theseus was an asshole.

He got home, his dad committed suicide because Theseus forgot the white sails and his dad assumed he’d died, Theseus became king and married Phaedra, and then the fun began, because again, Theseus was an asshole.

First, he cheated on Phaedra with Hippolyta, queen of the Amazons, so she left and took the kids. Next, he and his other asshole friend Pirithous decided to kidnap themselves some new wives. Theseus decided on Helen of Troy, who was a child at the time, and Pirithous decided on Persephone, which resulted in both him and Theseus getting stuck in the Underworld for a while due to pissing off Hades.

Once he got back up, he killed his son for fucking his wife, which is messed up on many levels, and then left Athens because his people were rightfully not super okay with that.

Then he goes and meets Lycomedes, who throws him off a cliff.

Next, let’s talk about Techno’s speech a bit.

He starts off by accusing Tommy of being a power hungry dictator (paraphrased), before asking him if he wants to be a hero.

Then, he provides what is apparently the archetypal example of heroism, something often associated with selflessness, kindness, and generally giving at least one singular solitary fuck about other people.

Theseus! Heroic hero who does heroic things, like, uhhh *checks notes* cheating on his wife, kidnapping children with plans to forcefully marry them, leaving people alone on tiny islands with no supplies, killing his kid, etc. etc...

So we’re off to a great start.

Then, he gives a short summary of Theseus’ life and times! He skips the first part of his life completely, which is hilarious to me because it’s the only time Theseus ever did anything actually heroic or selfless, and gets straight to the meat!

“Let me tell you a story, Tommy. A story of a man called Theseus. His country was in danger, he sent himself forward! Into enemy lines. He slayed the Minotaur! And saved his city. You know what they did to him, Tommy? They exiled him. He died in disgrace, despised by his people. That’s what happens to heroes, Tommy.”

-Technoblade

So first off, he doesn’t mention... really anything other than the Minotaur and the exile, which is leaving out a lot of relevant details, like why Theseus was exiled. (You know, killing his son in cold blood?)

Second, he doesn’t give details in general. Not that he should’ve given a full telling, or anything, but I’m always surprised by the shortness of this speech when I go back and listen to it. He pretty much just gives the barest bones of an argument and expects his audience to take it at face value. (Which they do, but it’s still bad practice)

From the more accurate (if still brief) summary if Theseus’ life I’ve just given, I’m sure you can see why this might be more than a bit dubious, as an analogy. Given cc!Technoblade is literally an English major, and doubtless knows significantly more about the myth than I do, I’d imagine this was never intended to be taken at face value.

Over and over again, c!Techno proves himself to be an unreliable narrator, and over and over again, the fandom at large takes his word as gospel.

Now, as far as a more in depth argument for Tommy as Theseus goes, I will attempt to debunk that as well, because there are some genuinely good points to be made.

First of all, most people make Dream out to be the Minotaur. Given the time this speech was made, I imagine Schlatt was the intended target of that, but with latter events in mind, Dream does make much more sense.

I’d say this is honestly pretty fair, but I don’t think Tommy takes the role of Theseus in that narrative. I’d argue he’s much more analogous to the role of Ariadne, giving the tools required to defeat Dream but ultimately not doing so through his own power, but because someone chose to take those tools and make use of them. This also provides the very interesting characterization of Punz as Theseus, which is an incredibly unique take that I hope some a Punz enthusiast does something with, because I don’t know enough about his lore to make a good analysis on that.

The idea of Schlatt as the Minotaur, as was probably intended by Techno at the time, makes much more sense, though I still think other characters fit the role better. Firstly, Schlatt wasn’t killed, he died of a heart attack, and if someone had killed him I think it’s more likely to have been Wilbur or Techno who did it than Tommy, as Tommy was still very hopeful and idealistic at the time, at least compared to his character now. You could posit Tommy as Ariadne again in this situation, given he was the one to mastermind the final charge, and though I think Tommy as Ariadne is an idea that’s worth further exploration, I’d say Fundy futs the Ariadne role here much better, with him giving the spy’s diary before being effectively shunned and left out in the cold by both Pogtopia and Manburg, much like Ariadne was abandoned in the original myth.

I’d posit the Theseus in this scenario as Techno, Wilbur, or possibly Philza, as they were the ones to actually kill things in the 16th, though Techno and Wilbur’s killings were more in the metaphorical sense, taking the second life of L’manburg.

As for the exile, Tommy exile was alike to that of Theseus only in concept. Both were sent from their kingdoms for a crime, resulting in a falling out with someone close to them, and had a precarious relationship with heights while they were gone, but that’s about where the similarities end and even then they’re superficial.

First of all, Tommy’s exile was far more because Dream was looking for an excuse to do it than because briefing actually means anything on the SMP, given how Dream had been griefing bases and blaming Tommy for it for a while before it went down. (Fun fact, Bad and Skeppy were going to burn one of his discs over this, but one of them got sick so they had to cancel the stream.)

Theseus’ exile, on the other hand, was entirely deserved, especially when you consider how serious a crime killing family was in Ancient Greek culture. It was pretty much the biggest no-no in existence, and I’m almost surprised he wasn’t just straight up executed for it.

Second, Tommy’s falling out with Tubbo was almost entirely due to outside forces, (Dream) rather than because anything Tommy had done. Though Tommy’s cavalierness towards the trial and attempts to threaten Dream with Spirit doubtless didn’t help things, Dream surrounding L’manburg in obsidian walls and threatening them to exile Tommy was entirely his own choice, and not something that can be pinned on Tommy, no matter what the apologists may say.

Meanwhile, Theseus’ falling out with Phaedra had begun long before his exile with him cheating on her. Him killing his son was merely the last in a long line of dominos to completely destroy their relationship.

Last, Tommy nearly killing himself is very different from Theseus being pushed off a cliff. Tommy’s near suicide was the direct result of physical and emotional abuse at the hands of c!Dream for what was canonically, I believe, several months? (Correct me if I’m wrong on that one.) Tommy almost jumping off a pillar because he was deliberately isolated from his support systems is nothing like Theseus being killed because he was a cocky asshole who thought he was god.

So that’s why I don’t think Tommy is anything like Theseus, and why I’m filled with endless rage by the completely uncritical acceptance of this parallel, but it’s not the whole reason it pisses me off.

It also pisses me off because, as stated earlier, cc!Techno is an English major. He knew what he was doing with this. The fandom’s insistence on refusing to acknowledge his character as an unreliable narrator is, in my opinion, acting as a massive kneecap to what could be a great analysis of how he thinks.

Specifically: why does c!Technoblade think Tommy is like Theseus?

Of all the Greek heroes to pick, why that one? Was it just the tantalizing opportunity to parallel Schlatt with a horned monster, or was it because c!Techno has some genuine in-character reason to think this myth specifically applies to Tommy.

Now, we all know people in the SMP have a habit of analogizing Wilbur and Tommy. The assumption Tommy wanted to be president, the belief that Tommy nominated Tubbo directly, the belief that he was intentionally deceiving Techno about Pogtopia’s intentions regarding Manburg... all of these stem from Wilbur. There are more cases of this, of course, but several analyses have been done in the subject already, and this is long enough without more padding.

So why does Techno think Tommy is Theseus? Well, it’s simple, isn’t it?

Wilbur is Theseus.

To be continued, because this is already too long and my brain hurts.

#original post #dream smp #dream smp analysis #technoblade #tommyinnit #technoblade critical #(i guess. honestly I didn’t say much about techno himself in this but just to be safe)#dsmp #dsmp analysis #dream smp meta #dsmp meta #my writing #can you tell i don’t like Theseus much #hated to leave out his early life stuff because it’s genuinely super interesting but it wasn’t really relevant so I had to cut it :(#if you want a more detailed description of Theseus I’d recommend the rick riordan book on Greek heroes #it’s not the most scholarly work but it gives the bare bones of the myths in an accessible way that doesn’t take an English degree to read #call me a fake nerd if you want but I like the humor and digestibility #there are typos in this post and I Do Not Care

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loonatism · 3 years

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WHAT IS THE LOONAVERSE? PART 2 – THE NARRATIVE DEVICES

LOONA is special among K-pop for its immersive storyline. These girls are not just k-pop idols performing a song, they also perform a story and that story is what we call the Loonaverse.

So, what is the Loonaverse? In a few words: The world and story that LOONA inhabits.

Yeah. Duh. But what is it?

Well… it’s complicated.

The Loonaverse is a fictitious story that borrows elements from real science and fantasy to build its world but also uses allegories, metaphors, allusions and other literary devices to tell its story. Our job as spectators (and specifically us theorizers) is to look beyond those devices to understand the message they are trying to send. In this post I’ll attempt to explain the numerous literary devices used to narrate the story of the Loonaverse.

So, these 2 things are LAW:

Each girl has two conflicts: an external one and an internal one.

The LOONAVERSE story is one of fantasy and mystery.

INTERNAL CONFLICT VS EXTRNAL CONFLICT

Or as I like to call it: UNIT vs SOLO

I’ve explained how the girls are trapped in a time loop and how escaping it was their overarching goal. This is the external conflict of the Loonaverse. The progression of this storyline is seen mainly in the Sub-Unit MVs and LOONA MVs but also in some teasers and other videos like Cinema Theory. The conflict is external because: 1) It comes from the outside. 2) The characters not have power against it, at least not at the beginning. 3) The conflict has effect over multiple people.

Also…

Every character has an internal conflict. A personal story. Each girl perceives the world differently and that changes the way they act and interact with each other. It is internal because: 1) It comes from within the person. 2) They themselves may be the cause for the conflict. 3) The conflict has effect on only one person: themselves. This Internal conflict is presented to us in the Solo MVs. Every solo MV is a window to the character’s mind. While the solo MVs are tangentially related to the main external conflict, they mostly focus on the internal conflict of the character.

External and Internal conflicts often mix and interlace each other to create a wider story. We will see how the external conflict fuels the internal conflicts of the girls and how their internal conflicts will shape the way they act towards solving the external conflict.

FANTASY AND MYSTERY

What is fantasy? The genre of fantasy is described as a story based in a world completely separate from our own. It usually features elements or magical/supernatural forces that do not exist on our own world. It is not tied to reality of science.

Wait a minute. You just spent an entire post explaining the science of the Loonaverse. You can’t call it fantasy now. Well yes, yes I can. Since most of the scientific elements I explained are theoretical, unproved in our world but in the world of LOONA they are a reality, a scientific reality. A reality that differs from our own, and thus a fantasy to us. But regardless of that the reason I call the Loonaverse a fantasy is because of the themes it explores.

Fantasy is a broad genre, it is one of the oldest literary genres, being found in old myths. Some of the themes often found in fantasy stories include: tradition vs. change, the individual vs. society, man vs. nature, coming of age, betrayal, epic journeys, etc. All of these themes are very present in the Loonaverse. But I’ll delve into each one as we encounter them.

What is Mystery? The mystery genre is a type of fiction in which a person (usually a detective) solves a crime. The purpose is to solve a puzzle and to create a feeling of resolution with the audience. Some elements of a mystery include: the Crime that needs solving, the use of suspense, use of figures of speech, the detective having inference gaps, the suspects motives are examined in the story, the characters usually get in danger while investigating, plus these:

Red herring. something that misleads or distracts from a relevant or important question and leads the audience to a false answer.

Suspense. Intense feeling that an audience goes through while waiting for the outcome of certain events.

Foreshadowing. A literary device that hints at information that will become relevant later on.

I just though you should know these definitions.

In the Loonaverse, the “crime” is the time loop itself, and the mystery is finding a way to break it. Or so we think. In reality, the “How do we break the loop?” question is solved rather easily. But can we really call this a mystery if the main question is already answered? Yes! It may no be a mystery story for the characters themselves but because BlockBerry uses various mystery genre tropes while telling the story, it is a mystery TO THE AUDIENCE.

That’s right! WE are the detectives!

In a classical mystery, the detective examines all clues, motives, and possible alibis, for each suspect, or in our case, each character. The same way we analyze every MV, every interaction, every possible clue to where and when everything is happening.

The Loonaverse differs from a classic ‘Who done it?’ by establishing that no suspect is actually guilty. The crime IS the loop, but no girl is responsible for it (or so we think). Our job as detectives is not to figure out who is doing this but to explain how and establish an timeline of events that shed a light to what really happened. In that sense, our job resembles more closely a real crime investigation than a mystery novel.

LITERARY DEVICES

There are many literary devices an author can use to tell its story. Too many to cover them all in here, so I’ll focus on the most recurrent ones in the Loonaverse:

Allusion. Referring to a subject matter such as a place, event, or literary work by way of a passing reference.

Archetype. Reference to a concept, a person or an object that has served as a prototype of its kind and is the original idea that has come to be used over and over again.

Faulty Parallelism. the practice placing together similarly structure related phrases, words or clauses but where one fails to follow this parallel structure.

Juxtaposition. The author places a person, concept, place, idea or theme parallel to another

Metaphor. A meaning or identity ascribed to one subject by way of another. One subject is implied to be another so as to draw a comparison between their similarities and shared traits.

Motif. Any element, subject, idea or concept that is constantly present through the entire body of literature.

Symbol. Using an object or action that means something more than its literal meaning, they contain several layers of meaning, often concealed at first sight.

Genre. Classification of a literary work by its form, content, and style.

Some other literary devices worthy of your private investigation are: Negative Capability, Point of View, Doppelgänger, Flashback, Caesura, Stream of Consciousness, Periodic Structure, THEME, Analogy.

About Genre:

Genres are important because they give a story structure. They help an author tell the story in a way that makes it simple for the audience to understand what kind of story is being told. The classic genres of literature are Poetry, Drama and Prose. Some scholars include Fiction and Non-fiction.

In film there are a variety of accepted genres: Comedy, Tragedy, Horror, Action, Fantasy, Drama, Historical, etc. Plus a bunch of subgenres like Contemporary Fantasy, Spy Film, Slapstick Comedy, Psychological Thriller, etc. What defines a genre is the use of similar techniques and tropes like color, editing, themes, character archetypes, etc.

I point this out because the Loonaverse uses many genres to tell its story. Sure, the main story is a fantasy/mystery but every MV or Teaser has its own genre (especially the solo MVs). So, when I point out later that Kiss Later is a romantic comedy or that One & Only is a gothic melodrama, this is what I mean.

TLDR:

The Loonaverse is the world and story that LOONA inhabits. It borrows form real life science and fantasy elements to better tell its story. Each girl has an external conflict (escaping the loop) and an internal conflict (portrayed in the solo MVs). Both conflicts interlace to tell the story. The Loonaverse is a story of Fantasy because it takes place in a different world from ours and it is a Mystery because it is told using various mystery tropes. The story uses multiple literary and visual devices to tell it’s story and fuel the mystery.

REMEMBER: This is all my interpretation. My way of comprehending and analyzing the story. You don’t have to agree with everything. I encourage you to form your own theories. Remember: every theory is correct.

After all that you may be wondering what the story even is. And we’ll finally be getting to that. While I have my own interpretation of the timeline, themes and who did what. I think it’s more fun to slowly explore every brick instead of just summarizing it in one (incredibly long) post. I’ll do that much, much, much later. The journey will be just as interesting as the destination. I hope you’re in for the ride.

Let’s get to the real deal: The MVs. I’m going in chronological order so let’s start with girl No. 1!

Next: The bright pink bunny of LOONA: HeeJin’s ViViD.

#yeah i know its been months #life's tough kids give me a break #loona #loonaverse #loona theory #loonatism #heejin #hyunjin #haseul #yeojin #vivi #kim lip #jinsoul #choerry #yves #chuu #go won #olivia hye

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possiblyimbiassed · 3 years

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Ships and Cars - The Sign of Code

There have been lots of discussions about code in BBC Sherlock, and the possible metaphorical meaning of different things that appear frequently in the show, such as coffee/tea, water/fire, dogs/cats and many more. This show indeed seems filled with ciphers, code and secret messages. In this meta (X) I tried to decipher the encrypted name of the fishing boat that Sherlock and John hijacked in TFP, when it was called upon from Sherrinford: “Golf-Whisky-X-ray”.

The Ship coding

At first I thought this was referring to the international spelling alphabet for wireless communication (X, X) where there’s a word for each letter. “GWX” didn’t make much sense to me, though, until I stumbled upon something deeper: ‘Golf’, ‘Whisky’ and ‘X-ray’ are also part of the marine Code of Signals (X) that was established in Britain around 1850. It’s still used by water vessels to communicate important messages regarding safety of navigation and such, and the signals can be sent by, for example, flaghoist, signal lamp or flag semaphore. Conan Doyle worked on a ship at least in 1880 and 1881, so the signals could totally have been known to him already in Victorian times. And since Sherlock and John are on board a boat in TFP,

I think it’s reasonable to assume that the marine code is the relevant one here. In this signal code, the flags for “Golf”, Whisky” and “Xray” mean the following:

Golf = “I require a pilot.”

Whiskey = “I require medical assistance.”

”Xray = “Stop carrying out your intentions and watch for my signals.”

Which in other words could be read as:

I need a pilot (a maritime pilot to help me navigate)

I need a doctor

Pay attention to code

But is this use of marine signals something that only appears in BBC Sherlock? Is it Mofftiss’ own idea to use them, or could there possibly be any canon references to them? In the discussion that followed my meta (X) @frailtyofgenius pointed out to me that ACD’s canon actually does mention “Naval signals” in His Last Bow (LAST), which I think might be very significant. And the one who uses the naval signals is Holmes himself.

Continued under the cut, because this is reeeally a long ‘transport’... ;)

So I took to read LAST and realized that there are several ’naval’ references (my bolding) in this story by Conan Doyle. In the beginning, as a romantic landscape framework, we’re told about the surroundings of the German spy Von Bork’s house:

Above, the stars were shining brightly, and below, the lights of the shipping glimmered in the bay.

LAST takes place on the English east cost, near the port of Harwich. The spy Von Bork is chatting with Baron Von Herling, a German diplomat, bragging about the intelligence he’s gathered for his country, and then he shows the Baron the contents of his safe:

And all in four years, Baron. Not such a bad show for the hard-drinking, hard-riding country squire. But the gem of my collection is coming and there is the setting all ready for it.” He pointed to a space over which “Naval Signals” was printed.

But apparently the naval authorities have changed the code:

“But you have a good dossier there already.” “Out of date and waste paper. The Admiralty in some way got the alarm and every code has been changed.”

So Holmes, posing as the Irish-American spy Altamont, is supposed to bring new ones. I think the real ‘feature of interest’ in this story, however, is the coding that Holmes/Altamont uses in his telegram to the German spy:

“Will come without fail to-night and bring new sparking plugs. ALTAMONT.”

And the conversation between Van Bork and the Baron continues:

“Sparking plugs, eh?” “You see he poses as a motor expert and I keep a full garage. In our code everything likely to come up is named after some spare part. If he talks of a radiator it is a battleship, of an oil pump a cruiser, and so on. Sparking plugs are naval signals.”

So here in ACD canon we’re explicitly told that the spark plugs, the ignition of the car’s engine (which generates an explosion in the engine’s combustion chamber) actually represents code - marine code. And other car references, according to Van Bork, are also marine code. I can’t help wondering if water was actually meant to represent emotions already in canon? ACD canon is packed with references to water: sea, coast, lakes, ponds, rivers and waterfalls but also ships, steamers, boats, submarines and such. Some of the criminals in canon are seamen and the navy is mentioned in some cases. And in two stories (NAVA and BRUC) the ‘naval’ issues contain secrets of national importance.

I’d love to try to analyse all the water and boat references in ACD canon and see if/how they tie into emotions, but that’s for another meta. :) But what if something similar is done in BBC Sherlock; what if Mofftiss have used not only canon’s water metaphors for emotions but also the same general secret cipher as Holmes used in LAST? But maybe Mofftiss also took the cipher one step further, interpreting anything car-related not as general metaphors for emotions, but specifically as code for sexuality.

In TFP there’s a great explosion at 221B, and next thing we know, Sherlock and John are aboard a fishing boat, which is called upon with naval signals. But there’s actually very few ships in BBC Sherlock (while canon, as mentioned, is full of them); the fishing boat in TFP is one of very few boats in the show. As for seamen, there’s also very few in the show. Except for the fishing father and son in TFP, there’a also Sherlock’s deductions about the unemployed fisherman and his mother in THoB. @sagestreet has written an excellent meta suggesting a significant symbolic meaning of ‘fishing’ in this case (X).

In this self-censored post on John’s blog, however, there’s a cruiser mentioned in the title: Tilly Briggs Cruise of Terror. But we never get to know anything about this case; the post is taken down entirely since, according to John, “the ship’s owners are launching an appeal”.

Why is this post even there, if no one is allowed to read it? Every other blog post from John has some kind of content in it - at least since he met Sherlock. But this one only has a title (and a teaser in the post before: “I'm going to tell you about a couple of the smaller cases we've been involved in. What really happened on the Tilly Briggs pleasure cruise.” (X))

So the supposed ‘pleasure cruise’ was turned into a ‘cruise of terror’ and then deleted. Maybe it’s just me, but I strongly suspect this is a clue from the show makers telling us that a certain ‘ship’ is not allowed in BBC Sherlock, for ‘legal’ reasons having to do with the ‘owners of the ship’ (ACD Estate).

Actually, there’s more info than this about the ship even in ACD canon, although it’s scarce. In The Sussex Vampire (SUSS) “Matilda Briggs” is mentioned in a letter to Holmes from the company Morrison, Morrison, and Dodd:

“As our firm specializes entirely upon the assessment of machinery the matter hardly comes within our purview, and we have therefore recommended Mr. Ferguson to call upon you and lay the matter before you. We have not forgotten your successful action in the case of Matilda Briggs.”

After Watson has read it, Holmes explains to him (my bolding):

“Matilda Briggs was not the name of a young woman, Watson,” said Holmes in a reminiscent voice. “It was a ship which is associated with the giant rat of Sumatra, a story for which the world is not yet prepared.”

If this is an allusion to a possible relationship between Holmes and Watson, indeed the world would not have been ‘prepared’ in Victorian times, since homophobia was prevalent and same-sex couples illegal.

Source: (X)

Directly after this, while perusing his lexicon for ‘Vampires’ (the actual topic of the letter), Holmes also mentions another ship that was associated with Victor Trevor’s father’s secret past as a mutinous convict:

“Voyage of the Gloria Scott,” he read. “That was a bad business. I have some recollection that you made a record of it, Watson, though I was unable to congratulate you upon the result.”

Indeed this voyage in GLOR was a ‘bad business’; it ended in mutiny and disaster. The ship Gloria Scott exploded and sunk in the Atlantic, and most of the crew and passengers died.

So, not many ships appear in BBC Sherlock. But instead, there’s plenty of cars in the show. What if all these car references actually somehow actually refer to a ship - a very particular ‘shipping’? ;)

The Cars

So, might these cars code for some hidden secrets? And/or is it possible to tie the car references to ’naval code’, as Holmes claims to do in LAST, assuming that naval = water = emotions but also sexuality?

Returning to canon, please note that Holmes and Watson (both in disguise) arrive in a car to the scene of this story in LAST. This is one of the very few cars that appear in canon, since they weren’t yet very commonly in use by those times. Holmes’ and Watson’s car is modestly described as “a small car” and “a little Ford” (as opposed to Baron Von Herling’s car, which is a huge limo). But at the end of the story, Holmes says about the little Ford: “Start her up, Watson, for it’s time that we were on our way.” And there they go, happily together, with the criminal tied up in the back seat, heading for Scotland Yard. Sweet, isn’t it? :) This is the very last we see of Holmes and Watson in canon. (Unfortunately, I can’t find any illustration of it).

BBC Sherlock, however, is full of cars. So, if we apply this analogy to BBC Sherlock, what car references can we find that could be translated into marine (= emotional) terms? Well, the first thing that comes to mind is the cab, the taxi, which is Sherlock’s preferred means of transport.

A taxi has a driver, which is the word that the little girl on the plane in TFP uses instead of ‘pilot’. But we don’t see any taxi boats in the show, do we? In the Unaired Pilot, however, the cabbie drives Sherlock home to Baker Street (not to Roland Kerr’s), and there he tries to ‘kill’ him. One could even assume he makes a kind of sexual innuendo when Sherlock is sprawled face-down on the floor and the cabbie says “I could do anything I wanted to you right now, Mr ’olmes.”

As I explained in my other meta about marine code (X), a marine pilot is someone who leads a ship through dangerous waters. Mofftiss haven’t included any marine pilots in their show, but they do use aircraft pilots, even if they’re not labelled as such:

But if ‘driver’ should be read as ‘pilot’, then Jeff Hope - a John mirror - in the Unaired Pilot, the ‘driver’ of the show, guides Sherlock home emotionally and sexually, doesn’t he? ;)

But there’s more about the signals in LAST. This is what the counter-agent Sherlock ‘Altamont’ Holmes says when he arrives at Von Bork’s place:

“You can give me the glad hand to-night, mister,” he cried. “I’m bringing home the bacon at last.” “The signals?” “Same as I said in my cable. Every last one of them, semaphore, lamp code, Marconi – a copy, mind you, not the original. That was too dangerous.”

This seems very similar to Wikipedia’s explanation of the Marine Code of Signals, as I quoted above: apart from flag hoist, the signals can also be transmitted by, for example, flag semaphores, radio communication or signal lamps. We do have radio communication in TFP, when Sherrinford receives the message from the boat ‘golf-whisky-x-ray’. But are there any signal lamps in BBC Sherlock? Yes, in fact there are - and they’re tied to a car!

A blinking, grinning Peugeot, no less, in THoB. And it’s definitely connected to sex, because that’s what’s happening inside. ;) Even if we’re lead to believe that this isn’t actually code, John does try (unsuccessfully) to decipher the blinking lights from this car as Morse signals and gets “U M Q R A”.

Apparently this code is not referring to the Marine Code of Signals. But @bug-catcher-in-viridian-forest has written an excellent meta (X) deciphering the possible code “UMQRA” as meaning “TORCH”, using the Ceasar cipher, which Sherlock refers to on his website (X) in combination with another cipher. In my opinion this does make a lot of sense. John does indeed use a torch to try to decipher this message, and there are also lots of other possible metaphorical meanings of ‘torch’ in the show.

So I think it would still be wise to pay attention to code, wouldn’t it?

As for Holmes’ quote from LAST above, “a copy, mind you, not the original”, I’d interpret this at Holmes pointing out that these signals can be copied (’mirrored’?) and also that they can vary in type (I imagine that ‘Marconi’ stands for radio transmission (X)). All in all, these naval signals are of national importance in canon, just like the Bruce Partington Plans and the Naval Treaty. And these are all military top-secrets clearly connected to the British navy. At some point in LAST, believing he has won the spy game, the Baron says:“There may be other lights within the week, and the English coast a less tranquil place!” Seems like the East Wind is coming. ;)

But back to the marine codes and cars: in canon (LAST) the car references hide secrets of national importance, connected to Britain’s naval defense, and some of those secrets, in turn, are encrypted with naval signals. That’s double coding, right? Also: the navy defend British waters and water = emotions.

As for cars, there’s a lot more of them in the show, while canon has very few; cars weren’t in use during most of Holmes’ career. I think LAST is the first time that cars appear in ACD canon? And the spare parts that Holmes/Altamont talks about as code in LAST never actually appear in the story, only the Baron’s limo and Holmes’ little Ford, where Watson is the driver.

But in the modern show there’s plenty of cars, of course; they’re literally everywhere. Many people have long ago pointed out that cars represent transport metaphorically, which is how Sherlock views his bodily needs in the unaired Pilot. Which ties in well with the assumption above that cars also represents sexuality, which is related to emotions even if it’s not the same thing.

But let’s also try to decipher the car references with Holmes’s code in LAST in mind, shall we? Where can we find water and/or possible hints about emotions and/or sexuality?

Apart from the taxis, which run like a red thread through the episodes (ASiP, TBB, TGG, ASiB, TRF, HLV, TST), and the abundance of police cars and ambulances, I can think of the following:

Mycroft’s black governmental car which is used to kidnap John in ASiP (and other episodes).

If Mycroft represents Sherlock’s brain, this might be about Sherlock trying to examine and test John with his intellect, to get an idea of who John is and what to expect from him. But this task is driven by his car - bodily needs - and behind them there’s still emotions, if we apply Sherlock’s code in LAST.

The first hostage’s car in TGG, where she is wrapped up in semtex.

This woman is literally trapped inside her car and metaphorically trapped inside her bodily needs, which are threatening to explode (remember Holmes’ ’sparking plugs’ in LAST?) if Sherlock doesn’t solve the puzzle about Carl Powers. And in this screen cap she is literally juxtaposed to Sherlock:

So it seems like Sherlock is now trapped inside his ‘transport’, yes? Still driven by emotions rather than intellect. And he probably sees this as very dangerous.

The finding of The ’dead’ man’s car with (fake) blood in TGG.

This ill-treated transport device (John calls it ”an abandoned sports car” on his blog X) leeds to more cars - Janus cars - and it turns out that the driver - Ian Monkford - isn’t dead; he’s just on ’vacation’ in Colombia (with the real purpose of cashing in his life insurance money). Sherlock figures this puzzle out and the poor fellow wrapped in semtex can breathe out; he’s not going to explode, either physically or emotionally. And no-one is dead in this case, but the driver faked his own death to avoid exposure and get his ‘security’.

The car with a dead body in the boot in ASiB

Licence plate: PYO3 HYN. The dead man in this car was destined for Germany according to his tickets - another ‘vacation’? But he never reached there; his plane crashed but he wasn’t in it, because he was already dead - trapped in his transport a car. Now, this case seems intimately connected with Sherlock in the boot of Mrs Hudson’s Aston Martin in TLD (see below). Except that Sherlock was being transported alive in that boot, but this guy is dead.

The client’s back-firing old SAAB in ASiB

The client stops near a wetland area and a stream because of problems with his engine. The driver - a John mirror? - tries to fix his ‘engine’, but the old car just won’t start. Sherlock analyses this case in his (drugged) Mind Palace together with his libido Irene Adler.

People have pointed out long ago (sorry for not remembering who - was it LSiT?) that the back-firing SAAB engine in the hiker case in ASiB might represent John’s dysfunctional sexlife with women; Sarah in specific and probably their trip to New Zeeland after TGG. (Maybe this is also why Sherlock in TSoT, when John has just been married to Mary, deduces that one of the wedding guests - a doctor - has ‘erectile dysfunction’?)

Irene’s black car in ASiB

Licence plate: SKO8 ZYL. This black car, which has a private driver, is used to transport John to the Battersea station on New Year’s Eve in ASiB. In spite of being in midwinter, Battersea seems to be flooded with water. And this is the place where Irene exposes John’s sexual relationship with (or at least interest in) Sherlock while Sherlock is listening to the conversation from another room, but John declares that “I’m not actually gay”. This car is so similar to Mycroft’s black car (see above) that John thinks this is Mycroft who kidnaps him again. If Irene represents Sherlock’s libido, what does her black car stand for?

Sherlock’s and John’s hired Land Rover in THoB

Licence plate: OEI0 HFK. The Land Rover is a British car, known for its four-wheel drive and vast off-road capacity. Sherlock drives this car to “deepest, darkest Devon” with John in the passenger seat, so it seems like they were prepared for a ‘bumpy ride’. And this car actually has a visible spare part; an extra wheel in case of emergency:

And their journey really became ‘bumpy’ - at least on an emotional level, since they were both dosed with a fear-inducing gas, had a quarrel, and the gay couple who were running the Inn where they were staying took for granted that they were indeed a couple too.

John’s and Mary’s car in HLV and in TST

Licence plate: SP56 LJY, black Audi. Mary is the driver in HLV. (By the way, why has this car the steering wheel to the left, in a country with left-hand traffic?). Here we’re presented with the interesting idea from the billboard that “Information is the power to change 1895″. In HLV we actually do see something like a spare part for this car; John’s tyre lever. ;) (which looks more like some sort of pipe key, if you ask me, but whatever; it’s still a spare part - or at least a ‘tool’ - associated with John’s transport car):

So this would be consistent with Holmes’ cipher in LAST. And this spare part is treated with very sexual overtones in HLV, so I think the influence of Sentiment and Sex is pretty clear here.

Mrs Hudson’s red Aston Martin in TLD

License plate: APIS CXJ. Now, this is a really interesting and beautiful car I think, and it shows its capacity when it goes speeding in TLD. Mrs Hudson has more resources than some people might believe. But John is only allowed to use her sports car - the ultimate symbol of male virility - when he’s off to rescue Sherlock. ;)

The license plate reads APIS, which I’m sure is a reference to bees and bee keeping, because Apis mellifera is the scientific name of the honey bee. Holmes’ main occupation as retired in ACD canon is bee keeping, which is shown in LAST, where his secret ‘sparking plugs’ turn out to be the Practical Handbook of Bee Culture. ;)) So Holmes stood by his words in his telegram to Van Bork; he did “come without fail to-night” (he came together with Watson) and he did “bring new sparking plugs”. It’s just that the ‘spark’ wasn’t maybe of the sort that Van Bork had expected...

Anyway, in this scene in TLD, Sherlock is being kidnapped and handcuffed by Mrs Hudson and transported in the boot of that sports car; he’s literally trapped inside the rear end of his transport, which has John as its direct destination.

Sadly for all of us, however, John refuses to ‘examine this body’, and this is instead done by the John mirror Molly (inside an ambulance), who tells Sherlock that he’s dying and that “it’s not a game”.

The next time we see this red sports car, however, John is the driver, and he’s using its great capacity as it should be used: to come to Sherlock’s rescue. ;)

Come to think of it, there’s actually at least one more car spare part mentioned in the show, even if it might not be meant as this specific part:

This car has a steering wheel nevertheless, and Sherlock is sitting in the car while saying this. And yes; this show is indeed repetitive when it comes to certain topics. Like ‘transport’, emotions and bodily needs. But I do hope we’ll finally see some new turns on this topic in the next series. ;)

Thanks for your patience in following this marathon meta to its end! Tagging some people who might be interested (please alert me if you don’t want to be tagged):

@raggedyblue @ebaeschnbliah @gosherlocked @sarahthecoat @lukessense @therealsaintscully @thewatsonbeekeepers @sagestreet @tjlcisthenewsexy @thepersianslipper @loveismyrevolution @shylockgnomes @frailtyofgenius

Screencaps in this meta are in some cases borrowed from this site (X).

#cars in BBC Sherlock #Ships in BBC Sherlock #ACD canon metaphors #transport metaphor #water = emotions

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katatonicimpression · 3 years

Text

Neurodivergence in Generation X Part 3:

The Headcase

Because it’s not just about autism, is it?

Trauma and mental illness in general are also a theme with Monet’s character. Generation X explores these themes like all good superhero stories do, by way of a gratuitous extended metaphor.

Let’s talk about Penance.

What is Penance?

Penance is the red demon-like creature with inpenitrable skin and razor-sharp claws that houses Monet’s consciousness for just over half of the series (and Claudette’s and Nicole’s after they separate).

Penance is a cage. She’s a literal prison Monet is put into by her abuser (her brother Marius). She can’t speak as Penance, but it goes beyond that. She can barely communicate with others at all. She’s also separated from her powers, including that intellect she prides herself on. Monet is a super-genius. Penance barely understands what’s going on around her. Penance doesn’t appear to understand language at all.

In fact, Penance barely seems to understand that she is Monet. Now, while this is likely a result of the details of the plot not being finalised when this shit was written, I really don’t care about authorial intent here. Penance, at least by the time she finally escapes Marius, doesn’t really remember who she is.

Like many alternate, non-human forms of characters in comics, Penance represents a side of Monet. The most apparent “meaning” of Penance is as a metaphor for autism itself. The fact that Penance can’t speak and doesn’t appear to understand what people are saying is a clear analogy to Monet’s catatonic episodes and Claudette’s non-verbal demeanour. Penance is a very unsubtle metaphor for the ways in which autism can hinder communication with others, leaving you isolated.

But there are things other than communication-breakdown that Penance represents, to me at least. The idea of a volatile, animalistic and even dangerous being that you’re trapped inside of? That you can’t even think clearly about let alone talk about? That’s a pretty damn powerful metaphor for a lot of mental health stuff.

This is the sort of thing I live for in comics, and we might get more of it from Monet in X-corp. Now that the Penance form is back in Monet’s life (in a completely different way), there’s space to really go deep into these themes.

Why is Penance?

When Marius turns Monet into Penance, he says that it’s a punishment for how shallow she is. Honestly, I think the fact that Monet, when confronted with the fact that her brother has turned into a demon hellbeast from another dimension, decides to mock his appearance is some queen shit, but what do I know?

This doesn’t make sense for two reasons. Firstly, it’s established earlier that the only reason she’s called Penance is that Gateway was asking for forgiveness when he brought her to the mansion and the team misunderstood his words.

Secondly, Marius doesn’t punish Monet by making her monstrous (and not just because Penance is usually drawn kinda pretty). He punishes her by literally torturing her. Like, this isn’t massively relevant here but it’s a stupid line that adds a weird morality-tale angle to it. As if Monet somehow earned his abuse.

So this is what Monet goes through as Penance. When she’s cut off from a lot of her own ability to think, when she can’t talk, can’t communicate and can barely understand her surroundings, she is subject to unspeakable abuse at the hands of her brother.

This is another way that Penance functions metaphorically. She’s the unreachable state Monet retreats into. Her indestructible skin is said to be a direct result of her withdrawing into herself out of fear. She is the way that an instinctive response to trauma can isolate a person.

In later appearances, the fact that Monet went through unspeakable trauma as Penance is addressed more directly, but I like the less direct, metaphor-heavy approach here. It’s more fluid in interpretation than just talking about it, I guess, but it is really impactful in my opinion.

How is Penance?

As in, how is she feeling? When we’re first introduced to Monet, she’s catatonic and, honestly, seems depressed.

Monet often comes across as deeply troubled. While she’s clearly confident in a lot of ways, and doesn’t really seem self-aware enough to act ashamed or embarrassed, she does often seem upset with herself, angry with herself.

Reading Generation X is a little strange in this way, compared to other comics of the time. Most of the mental health themes explored in comic books in the 90s were

1) I have been experimented on and now I have superpowers but also trauma.

2) My parents/wife/children were murdered.

3) Non-specific heroic male angst.

Monet’s problems are a lot more low-key and, despite the supernatural goings on, ultimately grounded in something very real: abuse by a family member and social isolation. I think it’s really effective, to be honest.

Okay, three down. One to go.

------------------------

Part 1

Part 2

Part 4

#x-men #x men #generation x #monet st. croix #monet st croix #penance #Marius St. Croix #emplate #rants #autistic representation #autism in media

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solacefruit · 3 years

Note

Oh wow, that was breathtaking! Everything from previous chapters slotted together so nicely - from both the message of the story to Talltail feeling connected through stories, his prior conflicts, The Hare! The lot of it was like one of those interlocking wooden contraptions that move as a whole and you *know* so much thought went into making them.

I also love a good cat color creation myth (I have one of my own) and I love the direction you took with it - both the different feelings the animals have for the cat and how she gets the colors (accident, parting gift, over time, by surviving), how it ties into things cats do too, and how it is so perfect for Talltail's story. All too often I think many worldbuilding fans (myself included) throw stories in without considering if it's just for the lore / character moments or if the story itself is relevant, and this one is just... so perfectly crafted. The last kitten being a tux like Talltail is a lil cherry on top (And cats havjng color myths makes sense - they don't see many other animals with quite as much variation, especially on a day to day basis!)

You're really showing off your skill in the craft here, and I'm very envious of it and delighted to have read the fruits of it! Are there any tidbits you're particularly proud of?

Hello! Thank you very much for this message, I'm so glad you liked reading the chapter. This one + the one before it (which I kind of consider two parts of the same chapter) have been probably the most technically difficult for me to pull off and stick the landing for, so it's a huge relief to hear you've enjoyed it so much! Like you say, so much of the story has been working up to this moment, and I knew from the beginning if it didn't hit right, the whole story would kind of fall flat.

Also--the interlocking contraption analogy is incredibly flattering, thank you! Writing this story has definitely felt like that from my end, where I'm holding a dozen tiny threads at all times and trying to make a coherent tapestry from them, so it feels lovely to know that from your perspective, the story has such synergy.

Anyway, to actually answer: there's a lot of things I'm proud of with this piece, mostly because I set myself a goal to write something that felt at home with the tales of Watership Down and Aesop's fables and I'm very pleased with how this one turned out. I'll answer the rest under the readmore!

I was very happy with how each season + each creature represented different relationship too, and how each colour was imparted differently--like you said, accident, inheritance, from exposure over time, from bitter experience. I'm glad you noticed that!

I feel that the best fables work on two levels: the literal story, which is enjoyable and told for entertainment; and the metaphor, which is speaking about something deeper than a goat on a roof, or some bulls in a field. On a surface level, the story is about how tortoiseshells and other patched cats came to be, along with some of the cat's signature survival skills, which is a fun origin myth.

But on another level, for me at least, it's about how we absorb and carry pieces of the people we get to know through our lives, and how in some ways we become a patchwork of all the people we've known. I can think of so many people who've shaped who I am, through their positive impact on my life, but also unfortunately there have been some people who left very negative impacts on me too.

It's why I wanted particularly to include the ermine at the end: some lessons we learn through bitter experience, from people who don't care about us or even wish us ill. The cat solves nearly all her problems through kindness and generosity, but the stoat takes advantage of that. That's not to say kindness was ever a mistake--but the wisdom to run away after the fall I think speaks for itself.

There's a lot of other little things I like about the story. I like that the cat befriends both the bees and the fox (in her own way), despite the fact those two can't quite live in harmony with each other. I like that I was able to include a fox, which I always wanted to do as my own little nod to The Little Prince, as the fox chapter in that novella really gets me in the heart every time. I like that the old badger warns that cleverness will be needed to survive, but the cat gets by on kindness and care for others instead for the most part.

I've always had a huge love of folklore and fairy tales (and I've taught them for several years now), and it was really fun to try to make something that felt real and true and like it belonged among the folktales I love so much.

Anyway, thank you for reading--and for your lovely words!

#reply #not totally sure how to tag this one because it's frankly more craft than anything else but i guess lore will do #lore

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onwesterlywinds · 3 years

Text

In honor of One Last Step’s anniversary, I want to do a bit of a thinkpiece on it - in part for the possibility that breaking down my process might help other XIV writers, and in part because it’s been increasingly meaningful for me to reflect on, especially as I’ve stepped back from large-scale works like Livvy Plays Final Fantasy.

One Last Step might be one of the most personal pieces of fanfic I’ve ever written and shared! It reflects not only the moments that have been the most impactful for me as an individual throughout my time playing XIV (for better and for worse), but it also manages to speak to my own anxieties about growing up, about being a creator, and about becoming an increasingly public figure.

Hopefully the below thoughts will help others write similar works!

Self-Inserts

I’ve been very open from 2.0 launch about Livvy Ahtynwyb Eynskyfwyn being a self-insert, and what that means in the grand scheme of how I interact with the world of Hydaelyn through her character. Warrior of Light characters and self-insert characters have traditionally gotten a lot of backlash throughout XIV’s history; in my experience, there’s much less stigma for it now than there used to be, but I still see players say things like “I worry about what other people would think if I did [X].”

When it comes to how I write Ahtyn, probably the best analogy I can make comes from Shadowbringers itself: If I’m the “original” me, then Ahtyn is a facet, reflection, or “shard” of me. She’s taken on a personality of her own, metaphorically speaking, and is different from me in many ways... but I try to always write Ahtyn with my own values and experiences in mind. This takes just as much work as writing any other original character, because I’m constantly parsing through the question “How does this really make me feel, and why?” whenever something happens in the game or in an original plot. Being honest about where those emotions come from has had me build up a muscle of writing character reactions that are based on real feelings - and it’s undoubtedly improved how I write all my characters and their emotions across the board.

If that rationalization for having a self-insert makes sense to you, then feel free to use it for yourself if you ever make a XIV character that’s inspired by you.

Structure

For One Last Step, I decided to focus each passage heavily on the three major motifs that have defined Ahtyn’s journey as much as they defined her Amaurotine predecessor’s. In the end, each of the passages that made it into One Last Step fall into at least one of three categories:

Stories

Lone heroes; the mantle of heroism

Falling; being at the top of a cliff

I kept to this pretty rigidly, and I think it’s the biggest thing that makes One Last Step work. Some friends have told me that they recognized the consistency in the tone and the narrative progression without guessing any part of what it was all leading up to, which is super cool to me.

In some ways, One Last Step builds off the structure of A Kingdom Worthy of You, an Ashelia Riot piece of similar importance published in February 2018. They’re both split up into short passages that portray events of deep significance to the characters and their progression. You can also see this structure in Godhands, though those chapters are published separately and in non-chronological order but tell the same story throughout. (Please read Godhands.)

I like this structure for a few reasons, not least of all because when I write, focusing on ten small things helps take me out of my own head more so than focusing on one much bigger thing. (I’m also weak for anything with modernist quirks, especially a displacement of time.) Solidifying this structure with One Last Step has also been helpful to get me thinking about what gets left out of the things I write as much as what gets included, and to know when each passage, idea, or work has reached its natural conclusion. It’s an exercise in quality over quantity, especially when it comes to fitting all of the pieces together in a way that makes sense.

What Didn’t Make It In

There are literally three moments in all of XIV that have affected me the player but didn’t make it into this piece: Wilred’s death, Fordola’s interrogation, and Ba’Gamnan’s vision of the player as Noah van Gabranth.

At the time One Last Step was published, no matter how pivotal of a moment Wilred’s death is to my relationship with this game, I had trouble justifying fitting that moment into the piece. My efforts to include it felt stifled, because the only way I could quickly connect it back to one of the three above categories (the concept of “lone heroes”) was through Ahtyn expressing guilt that she was the one to set Wilred on the path that led to his death. But that guilt felt too focused on Ahtyn’s own sadness, as opposed to the tragedy and horror of Wilred’s fate, and he deserved a reflection that focused more thoroughly on his circumstances. I chose instead to focus on Ilberd at a couple points throughout One Last Step, a character who honestly has much more in common with Ahtyn than Wilred does.

Fordola’s interrogation is probably one of the most haunting scenes in the game for me, personally, in part because of parallels to my own family history. I’ve written about that here. I probably could have spent some time really digging deep with an in-character introspection of Fordola’s comments on heroism, and how Ahtyn keeps going despite everything; in the end, though, it would have had a lot of the same takeaways in Ahtyn’s conversations with Ryne. The only other part where I alluded to my personal family history is in the passage featuring Ahtyn’s sister Grehswys.

The Gabranth scene was an easy rejection: it happens from Ba’Gamnan’s perspective, and Ahtyn herself never knows about it, so it wouldn’t make sense to include it. In general, I wish there could have been more Return to Ivalice featured in the entire piece, but I’m still working out the specifics of Ahtyn’s and Hrjt’s adventures in Orbonne, and I didn’t want to write myself into any corners down the road.

What I think has been most incredible has been seeing how the piece keeps gaining new relevance in a post-5.0 world: details as significant as Ahtyn’s Allagan armor showing up at the Seat of Sacrifice or as small as G’raha having done his thesis on Allagan folklore has made me realize just how much I got right with this, even with no way of knowing it.

What I Learned

TL;DR:

You, too, can write a great self-insert character.

“Write what you know” can be as simple as sharing your own emotional gut reactions.

Crystallize “the point” of your piece and cut out everything else.

See also: Know when to stop just as much as how to keep going.

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chrystening · 4 years

Text

Reference Text | Felix / MC

Title: Reference Text

Fandom: Last Legacy (Fictif Games)

Rating: T (but very close to M)

Words: 2.4k

Summary: Despite “majoring in necromancy”, you assumed Felix was a well-rounded mage, proficient in many areas. And when you find a certain book in his library, you learn it is… many areas, indeed.

Any MC Characteristics?: You are the same height as Felix. MC is male in my mind, but it’s a very gender neutral story.

Content warnings?: One (1) Bad Sex Word. Many sex references. But generally this is a light-hearted read full of pining. feLix has a Sex Book

Technically pre-smut

Wow, it’s been so long since I’ve written! Glad to see I haven’t gotten any better!!!!!1

Once I realized felix wore eyeliner, it was over for me. also the idea of magic tomes was so interesting, i made a whole story about it. cheers.

Anyway, this is like a prequel to the actual smut because writing it all as one... made me feel icky and made me feel like Felix was way out of character

the smut will have three diff versions, male, female, and non-binary (non-descript)...

Your gaze ran across the room, falling upon the couch whose cushions lied atop of the Grimoire Lemegeton. Stella was notably absent, but you knew that Felix wouldn’t let you get your hands on the artifact anyway, not before you were ready.

Currently, you had been tasked from unsuccessfully levitating teacups, onto something even harder. You were to conjure fire from your hands. The idea had come to Felix after he saw your fascination with him setting his father’s letter spontaneously ablaze.

You let your outstretched arms fall to your side.

“This isn’t working Felix.” You turned to your teacher—your master? “I want to be like you—I want to learn necromancy! Let me read the Lemegeton!”

Felix was at his desk, focused on his own studies. His eyes closed behind his glasses, his lips falling into smug grin. He chuckled.

“You want to attempt necromancy? As a novice mage? That would be akin to handing a newborn babe a knife, in hopes it’d jump to its two feet and make its first kill.”

You stared at him, mind processing the morbid analogy. You had known Felix long enough to not comment on some of his more perverse metaphors. Instead, you went forward with your plea.

“So? You were a baby when you began magic.”

Felix’s gaze rose from his book to look at you. He spoke plainly, as if it were as obvious as the weather, “Well, that’s because I’m extraordinary.”

You deflated. It was true. He was extraordinary. And extraordinary, you were not. You frowned and stared at your hands.

“Oh, to be a mage skilled enough to read a book bound in human skin and scribed in blood,” you sighed dramatically, though the bitterness was not hidden in your voice.

You tried to shake off the self-loathing and refocused on making flames spout from your palms.

Unbeknownst to you, Felix removed his glasses with an elegant pinch of forefinger and thumb. He stood from his desk and approached your back.

“I’ve told you before that I can sense the magic within you. It’s a seed of its own.” From behind you, Felix placed a hand on your chest, above your heart. You flinched, but Felix’s front against your back steadied you. “All you need to do is to water it, and it will burgeon.” You prayed he wouldn’t feel your heart thrumming under his palm—this heart that, against your will, was beginning to be his.

You turned your head so that even if only in profile, you’d be able to see his face. You didn’t know how to describe his expression, but what you knew is that the both of your faces were getting closer to one another… so close you could pinpoint in Felix’s eyes the exact second he realized what he was doing. He stepped away, slightly pink. Suddenly, you could breathe, but you didn’t want to.

“Come,” he said.

Felix’s face was encouraging—encouraging like a teacher, or a mentor. Purely platonic. You tried not to pay attention to the sinking feeling in your chest.

“While I won’t allow you to dip your toes into necromancy just yet—” you groaned “—I can assure you that there is a lot of magic you could choose from in the meantime.” Felix lead you to the bookshelves that lined his walls.

“What’s the point of bouncing from spell to spell if I can’t make any of them happen,” you sighed under your breath.

“I’ve had you try both levitating and conjuring just from power of will. I have yet to have you aid yourself with books, my barista.” Your spirit brightened with the usage of Felix’s pet name for you. At least, you considered it a pet name.

Felix gestured to the library with a grand, theatric arc of his arm. “Browse. Pick any book that catches your eye.”

Your eyes skimmed book after book with little hope any would yield results. Until, you spied a spine with deep ruby letters against a backdrop of midnight black.

You stood on the tips of your toes and picked it. As soon as you touched it, there was a hot buzz between your fingers and the book’s surface. Now, you were interested.

“Daemones… Carnis…?” you read aloud off its cover.

No sooner than you finished speaking, the tome was snatched right out of your fingers with a squeak from your teacher. You turned to him, curiosity more than piqued. Felix held the book tightly to his chest, arms crossed over it like an Egyptian being laid to rest. His face was flush.

“Felix.” You stepped towards the mage, hands reaching for the book. “What’s that mean?” you asked, though already your mind was turning. You were struggling to reach into the library of college academia in your brain, sifting through lessons of Latin literature. Daemones… It was obvious was that meant. Demons…

Felix’s face struggled to morph itself back into a poised expression. He babbled, before managing to form coherent thought. “My talented, lovely barista… it’s nothing too i-interesting, I’m afraid.”

Felix called you barista all the time, but whenever he added endearment in front of it… “My dear, charming barista—my clever, sweet barista…” Oh, he was hiding something.

Carnis… Your eyes widened as your mind clicked. Your mouth formed an ‘o’.

You began scandalously, “You study sex magic—”

“I DO NOT!” he exclaimed before you could even finish, his face dropping all pretense of composure. You didn’t even know Felix could open his mouth that wide. Oh, you had to enjoy this while it lasted.

You pointed at him accusatorily. Felix’s eyes nearly went cross-eyed staring at the tip of your finger in front of his nose.

“Demons of the Flesh! What else could that mean? That’s a sex book!”

Felix shelved the book, hiding his face with mauve, layered locks of hair. “It is not—”

“Don’t lie to me, Felix—”

Felix’s head whipped back to you.

“It is not something so… so crude!” his face was as overwrought as it was before, but there was the pinched look of childish indignation in his features. His cheeks were still flush, his mouth twitchy and his eyes averted, but his brows were firm. You decided to lay off… at least for a few moments.

“Then…” you bumped Felix to the side with your hip. “That means it should be just fine for me to read.” He protested, but you ignored him and plucked the book out of its shelves. You could get a good look at it finally.

Daemones Carnis, it read, in fine red text that almost seemed to glow. You felt almost hypnotized. The book’s cover was bound in tight black leather. It had a simple, minimal cover, yet it was strangely suggestive—it appealed to your exact aesthetic. The book looked actually quite pristine, but just by touching it, you knew it was old. You could sense the age and knowledge between its covers. Under the pads of your fingers, the book seemed to hum.

It felt dark… it felt alive.

Your teasing smirk fell into the grin of genuine curiosity.

“Felix… what is it?”

Felix looked like he was going to refuse to entertain you, until he perhaps he saw the sincerity on your features. His flush deepened. He folded his arms and averted his eyes, clearing his throat.

“It is… it is the Daemones Carnis.” At your unimpressed look, he huffed and continued. “Just like the Grimoire Lemegeton, it is a book of learning. Of knowledge.” Felix seemed to finally calm down, even if his blush wasn’t fading. He turned his nose up with dignity, speaking factually. “In more common tongue, it is called the Demons of the Flesh. It is a…” He tried to find the words.

Sex book, you thought but dared not speak, for fear that Felix would refuse to say any more.

“It is an encyclopedia of spells, potions, rituals, and charms one could use for… pleasure.” Felix tried, even if he faltered at the end. He gave you a frustrated look, so as to say ‘Happy now?’

You smiled and turned back to the book, flipping it open. A faded scent of spice and sweetness wafted off its pages. If it weren’t so old a text, you were sure the aroma would’ve been even stronger. It was as if everything about this book was designed to allure. To tantalize.

“Well. I have questions,” you said. Felix huffed. He pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes.

“I’ll… indulge. But only a few.”

“So it’s about sex?” You looked up from a particularly graphic illustration of cunnilingus.

His cheeks flamed, though from the diagram or the question, you couldn’t tell.

“It… it is indeed carnal in nature.”

“What did people use this for?”

He looked taxed, like voicing it was enough to tire him. “Like I said, it is full of spells, rituals and enchantments. It also details the body, highlighting… parts of the human anatomy that would be the most … relevant to the matter at hand.” He waved his hand. “Think of it as necromancy. People found a subject of magic they wished to learn more of, so they compiled all their knowledge into this text.” Felix stroked his chin thoughtfully. “Although, unlike the Grimoire Lemegeton, this one isn’t as complete an account...”

“Then…” He looked at you. “If the Grimoire Lemegeton is written in blood… is this one written in—?”

“Don’t be a fool, because I know you aren’t one,” Felix said frankly, refusing to dignify you with a real response.

You nudged him, pressing your side against his until his shoulders relaxed again.

“Okay, okay, last question…” And it was indeed the one you were most curious to have answered. You looked up at him coyly. “Why do you have it?”

Felix was taken aback, and just like that, his blush was returning.

You smiled, batting your lashes at him comically. “Of course, it’s fine if you—um, you know—we all have lonely nights and such…”

“I learned it for necromancy!" Felix fervently explained. He looked like the human manifestation of clutching your pearls. “Casting necromancy… it requires an intense study of the human body. The relationship between life and death—! It’s something that can only be understood with knowledge of the body, its parts, its… n-needs—” Felix’s voice was trembling and fast, words crashing into one another like a car accident.

You smiled, pitying the man. “Relax, Felix. I believe you.” You flipped through the book. It was entirely in Latin, or at least some language that was Astraea’s equivalent of the ancient tongue. Luckily for you, by the sides, Felix had annotated the text and translated its contents. You looked your teacher up and down. “But wow… so just for necromancy, you had to learn everything about the human body…?“

Felix, seeing your belief and hearing your admiration, calmed down. He blinked, before clearing his throat and nodded. “At least, most of everything.”

“That’s impressive, even for you.”

He smiled, ego being stroked. He was such a cat. “’Even for me?’ I’d argue it’s quite in character.”

You decided to humor Felix while you skimmed through the Daemones Carnis. “Yes, yes, quite on brand for you Felix. You’re such an accomplished mage, after all…” Your praises came to a pause as you landed on a peculiar page.

While Felix was struggling to put on the air of disinterest to your praises, you read. A small illustration of two people in tight embrace was at the bottom. A halo of energy was wrapped around them both.

“Not a literal transfusion.” Felix’s gaze snapped to the page you were open to as you read from Felix’s translation notes. “This ritual bolsters a lesser magician’s magical ability by having a more skilled mage in close proximity…” Though from the image and further reading, you were willing to bet the participants were in more than just… ‘close proximity.’

“The magic transfusion ritual,” you read aloud.

Your gaze rose from the book, and you found that Felix’s had done the same as well. You hadn’t noticed when you had gotten so close to the man. But here you were… so close you could see all of Felix’s features acutely. The pale gray eyes that reminded you of an overcast day… the beauty mark that lied on the juncture between cheek and jaw… the lips of a mouth that managed to annoy you and fascinate you on a daily basis. For not the first time, you found Felix attractive. You wondered what he was thinking.

After a few seconds of locked eye contact, the both of you could see the realization in your eyes. You struggled with magic, Felix claimed that books could help, you found this new spell designed to solve your problem… and in the silence, neither of you were going to voice the obvious next course of action.

So you both ripped your eyes from one another, cheeks warm.

“I… well, this…” You cleared your throat, forcing an amicable smile across your face. “It’s … very interesting!” you offered, but your enthusiasm sounded awkward even to you.

Felix took the book from your hands, and you found yourself missing its presence in your hands. He was trying to shelve it back in its place, standing on his tiptoes.

“I— You know, a lot of the text is pure drivel,” Felix supplied, voice struggling to remain level. “Unlike the Lemegeton, I’ve never followed this book so closely. This one hails from less than reputable sources.” He was babbling.

You nodded, fiddling with your empty hands. You backed away, leaving Felix’s vicinity despite a pang in your lower gut bidding you not to.

“I’m… just going to continue practicing.”

“Yes… of course.”

You returned to the spot you stood at previously, hands outstretched and twitching fruitlessly. Felix went back to his desk, and you heard not a sound from him besides the scuff of his seat against the floor when he sat. You sighed mentally. You liked him… and no matter what happened, you dared not presume how he felt, not if you wanted to stay sane.

…

You were sure Felix couldn’t see your face…

You tried to keep a straight face, you really did, but the mirth could not be controlled. You shook with suppressed, soundless laughter.

Felix Iskandar Escellun—house unaffiliated, necromancer—had a sex book.

#felix iskandar escellun #fictif #last legacy #felix fictif #mine #fanfic #fictif fanfic #nix hydra

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thecrownnet · 4 years

Photo

Photo from left: Charles Dance, Erin Doherty, Helena Bonham Carter, Peter Morgan, Olivia Colman, Tobias Menzies and Josh O’Connor attend the premiere of The Crown and tribute to Peter Morgan at AFI Fest in Hollywood.BY ARAYA DIAZ/GETTY

'The Crown' Boss Reveals Why Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Are Off-Limits

The Hollywood Reporter Aug 18, 2020

Creator and showrunner Peter Morgan shares the unofficial feedback he gets from the royal family and why characters based on Prince Andrew and others won't be making an appearance in the Emmy-nominated series: "I'm much more comfortable writing about things that happened at least 20 years ago."

Peter Morgan was nearing the end of a lengthy shoot for the upcoming fourth season of Netflix's The Crown when the coronavirus took hold in the U.K., halting production. While he was ultimately able to wrap the season with what they had, he still lost a couple weeks of filming. "I can see where the gaps are, but I'm hoping that you won't," says the showrunner, who adds that he feels "lucky" that they were able to get as far as they did. In the wake of the show's nine Emmy nominations, including one for best drama series, the London-based Morgan shares what caused him to change his mind about the number of seasons the show will run, the unofficial feedback he gets from Buckingham Palace and why present-day royal scandals are off the table.

How did you celebrate your Emmy nominations?

I'm not sure I did celebrate, to be honest. I mean, I was relieved. I'm not sure that relief is a celebration. This just feels like such a strange time. Jumping around punching the air and lighting cigars feels like something I look forward to doing again, but at the moment, it just would feel weird to be doing that.

Having lost a couple weeks of filming on the upcoming season, is there any chance that you could reconvene everyone once it's considered safe to do so and get those final shots?

In order to hit the release schedule for season four, we needed to start editing and lock episodes, which we've been doing throughout this time. And everything takes much longer under these new social distancing regulations and rules, [even post-production.] So if we'd, for example, waited until next month, when a number of people are starting to film again in late August, beginning of September, to pick up these extra scenes, I think a) everyone would have been out of the rhythm of it and it would have felt very strange, and b) I think it would have compromised our post schedule. And we had to weigh up, "Is it worth it or not?" And, actually, that we're still able to hit our release schedule in November for seasonal four has been worth it.

It was announced recently that the fifth season, the one you're currently writing, won't be released until 2022. Was that a decision impacted by COVID or was that always the plan?

It's a normal schedule for us because what happens is, as you've noticed, we filmed The Crown in two season chunks, so we had Claire Foy for two seasons, we've now got Olivia Coleman for two seasons. And there was a gap year in there in which I frantically do a draft of all the scripts, and then I re-write the scripts and polish the scripts after that — but at least we have a roadmap of where we're going for the two seasons. And I said that there was no way that I could possibly do that and be showrunning the seasons if they were in production. You do need a gap year to get ahead with the writing.

This year, you said that the show was going to run five seasons instead of the expected six, but you recently reverted to the original plan. Why the change?

That's me being exhausted, and the truth is people have just been so supportive and so kind. They were so kind to go with me on the five-season version. That was an act of generosity because it was always pitched as being six seasons and always imagined to be that. And then I think they just looked at the state I was in, which is a classic showrunner look. You look slightly green and yellow and you have bags under your eyes, and you look at least 10 years older than you actually are. At that point, people say, "Just let the poor man out of his misery." But then in the course of meeting the actors, they were all furious they were only getting one season. (Laughs.) They were like, "Well, that's not fair. How come Claire Foy gets two and Olivia Colman gets two and I only get one?"

Are you writing that next season with COVID protocols in mind or are you hoping that the virus will be a thing of the past by the time you're in production again?

I think so. I'm writing it exactly as I wrote it before. I'm making no concessions whatsoever in terms of international locations, in terms of extras, in terms of size. If anything, the show's getting bigger. So I am absolutely banking on there being not just a vaccine but that the vaccine has had global dissemination by that point.

What was the most challenging scene for you to write last season?

If there isn't a challenging scene to get on paper in every episode, I'm not doing my job. If it doesn't feel to me like I'm climbing without a rope, then I don't see [the point]. I remember in season one when Claire Foy comes back to find her father dead, she cries when she sees his dead body. And I said to everybody then, "This is the first and the last time we're ever going to see the queen cry. She will never cry again. There'll be many times where we imagine she's crying, but no tears come." When you have the queen in scenes of extreme emotion, those scenes are very difficult to write because she's not a person of extreme emotionality. So you're constantly having to find ways to make the audience cry without, as it were, the queen crying. In other words, it's all about inability and restraint and being blocked, because she herself is blocked because it's wrapped up in this package of being the queen — and the queen is in itself an abstract concept rather than Elizabeth Windsor, who she is underneath. So any scenes that really push to that are always a real challenge.

You've meet with royal aides to brief them on what's to come in the show. How do they typically respond, and what do you hope to get out of those meetings?

I meet on an entirely informal and impersonal basis with a couple of people who used to work at the palace and who I imagine still have contacts with the palace. It ends up as one of those rather ridiculous conversations in which everybody is slightly tiptoeing and saying something other than what they mean, but you're still finding a way of getting some information out while at the same time everybody has the most important thing, which is deniability.

Do they ever come to you and say, "No, it didn't happen this way," or "That isn't accurate"?

Occasionally they might come back and say, "I enjoyed certain aspects of the season," and by that I know that he or she probably means other people enjoyed that. And then they'll say, "There were one or two things that I personally found disappointing," which probably means that somebody else found them disappointing.

Does that feedback influence how you write the show at all?

No, nor would they want it to. No one's trying to censor me. No one's ever tried to correct what I do or censor what I do. No one wants anything to do with each other. I don't want anything to do with the palace and the palace wants nothing to do with me — again, so that we all have the most important thing, which is that they can say, "I don't know what they think they're doing." And we can say, "We have no interest in making them happy." That's really important because different people have different attitudes. Some people could say, "Oh my god, it's outrageous what The Crown has got away with saying," and other people could say, "The Crown could have said it a lot worse." So depending on your perspective, if you are a rapid anti-monarchist then no matter how critical I am, it will never be critical enough. And if you are really staunch establishment monarchist, then just about everything I say is pure treason. You will never make those two extremes happy. And there's no point even trying to. I only write what I want to write.

You've said the show won't get into modern royal subjects like Meghan Markle or Prince Andrew. Why?

I just think you get so much more interesting [with time.] Meghan and Harry are in the middle of their journey and I don't know what their journey is or how it will end. One wishes some happiness, but I'm much more comfortable writing about things that happened at least 20 years ago. I sort of have in my head a 20 year rule. That is enough time and enough distance to really understand something, to understand its role, to understand its position, to understand its relevance. Often things that appear absolutely wildly important today are instantly forgotten, and other things have a habit of sticking around and proving to be historically very relevant and long lasting. I don't know where in the scheme of things Prince Andrew or indeed Meghan Markle or Harry will ever appear. We won't know, and you need time to stop something being journalistic. And so I don't want to write about them because to write about them would instantly make it journalistic. And there are plenty of journalists already writing about them. To be a dramatist, I think you need perspective and you need to also allow for the opportunity for metaphor. Once something has a metaphorical possibility, it can then become interesting. It's quite possible, for example, to tell the story of Harry and Meghan through analogy and metaphor, if that's what you want to do. Because there've been so many examples in the past, whether it's Wallis Simpson or Edward VII, or whether it's Diana and Prince Charles. There have been plenty of opportunities in the past where there have been marital complications. There've been wives that have been married into the Royal family that have felt unwelcome and that they don't fit in. So there are plenty of stories to tell without telling the story of Harry and Meghan.

Interview edited for length and clarity.

#olivia colman #helena bonham carter #gillian anderson #claire foy #the crown #peter morgan #tobias menzies #ben daniels #josh o'connor #emma corrin #erin doherty #imelda staunton #jonathan pryce #lesley manville #elizabeth debicki #the crown netflix

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louisa-magcd · 4 years

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Reflection

From last week tutorial, I gathered that I was being too scattered and kept on changing directions too many times. This very relevant observation was difficult to realise. I wasn’t happy with the <<progress>> of the work I had made, and lost track of where I was going and what I was doing.

This week I deeply reflected on what truly interested me and what I really wanted.

My work directed towards “form over content” wasn’t made intentionally; I took that direction because of my incapacity to find a “content” that I would feel truly invested or interested in. I felt insecure towards a more personal approach to my work as opposed to something more academic.

“What is the use of creating emotion-based work?”, was a recurrent question that came to my mind.

The constant switch between visual styles was also a struggle of mine as I was paradoxically trying to “please others”, in the sense that I wanted to create something that would be liked by a bigger audience.

I felt confused by the terms “position”, “practice” and “critical position”. Do I really need to define them this soon, is there even a need to define them? Is it wrong to be or feel lost?

Maybe the sense of loss or the loss of self could be a position?

I have always been quite precious with my work and value quality over quantity, and this entire project has been difficult for me so far as the whole point of it is to produce at a high volume (which I haven’t been successful with, at all).

The reason why last tutorial didn’t go well in my opinion (in terms of what I had done), is that I tried to change direction again, out of indecisiveness and my fear of making “meaningless work”. I tried to switch the direction towards something I thought would be more lighthearted but also something that would be more accepted.

I realised this week that I had to find a way to ground myself, and after writing my essay and doing research, I realised that I was clearly more interested in personal and intimate work.

I remember being particularly confused after reading “the death of the author” and it really made me question my own position: am I an author? Is authorship really dead? Is it really impossible to be an author at all?

These questions aside, I was also wondering if it was “wrong” to create around oneself, and if it was really an egotistical and selfish act.

So instead of thinking about how people would perceive me based on the work I produce (something that holds me back a lot), I started thinking about the artists I like and the art they make or made.

I have also been significantly drawn to my Moroccan and French heritage and how I could potentially implement elements of my heritage into my work in subtle ways, and maybe merge them together.

I have been researching around Moroccan female artists specifically.

One of them is Chaibia Talal, one of the most influential Moroccan artists of the 20th century. Her story is especially extraordinary and touching. She was born in 1929 in a small village and married at age 13; her husband died when she was 15 years old. As a young widow and mother, she had no choice but to work as a cleaner in order to sustain herself and her son. She was illiterate.

She began painting in 1963 after having a “prophetic” dream that encouraged her to start painting. Her son had a painting studio, and that is where the art curator Pierre Gaudibert discovered her art work for the first time.

Chaibia Talal was a self-taught artist and she was exhibited all around the world. Although her work wasn’t well received in her time, she is now considered as a pioneer figure of Modern Moroccan Art.

The reason why it is important for me to talk about this artist comes from a need to discover more other Moroccan female artists that I can look up to.

Her work is extremely colourful; she was influenced by the “COBRA” avant-garde European art movement, but also pulled a lot of her themes from moroccan culture, depicting moroccan women in traditional costumes. There is an evident play with figuration and abstraction, and the very consistent use of patterns is also an echo to moroccan culture and craft.

Pattern making and symbols are an inherent part of Moroccan culture, even before it was a country. The west part of North Africa was actually constituted of nomadic Berbers.

These nomadic group of people would worship different divinities and symbols would be used both as protection, directly on the skin in the form of tattoos, or on the fabric they made and wore. Clothing was especially important as it was an indication not only of social status, class and wealth but also an indication of the nomadic group they belonged to.

Symbols had associated meaning with different purposes.

Pattern making became even richer after Islamic influences arrived in North Africa. Indeed, it is prohibited in the religion to depict God or any divine figure to Man’s image. Subsequently, symbols and patterns were used to palliate to this. Calligraphy was, and still is, a highly valued form of art; Koranic texts would be embellished and treated as images as opposed to just writing.

Geometry and symmetry was seen as a high form of art as well; there is an element of repetition, interlacing shapes, texts, and symbols that is prevalent throughout Moroccan Art, and craft History.

Symbols have always interested me whether it be part of my heritage, or other new found interests, such as the occult. I have always been fascinated by how different meanings and interpretations can be pulled out of one image or symbol. How visuals can be transformed and used as a new form of language.

There is also a very superficial reason to this as well. There is something about looking at an accumulation of symbols on one images that is, to me, pleasing to the eye. Even if I can’t necessarily fully comprehend the artist’s intention behind every details of their work, I naturally associate a meaning to it based on my own experience and subjectivity.

A good example of this would be Hieronymus Bosch’s “The Garden of Earthly Delights”.

I am aware of its religious ties, and there are extended interpretations made of this triptych oil painting. Yet, I much prefer look at it and create my own narratives out of the images and symbols I can observe from it. I enjoy the fact that there are a multitude of narratives enfolding on one big image.

In tarot as well, each card is illustrated with specific visuals that aid in the interpretation of its messages. The cards, put side by side, form a narrative that is enriched by a diversity of symbols.

Folklore too, have consistently used symbols and metaphorical analogies to express a deeper meaning.

The French fabulist Jean de la Fontaine is well known for using animals, insects and plants to convey more sensitive messages, at a time where criticising the King and his court was a real offence and a punishable crime.

After listing down all of the things that I loved, I realised that they weren’t so impossible to connect. At a first glance, they seemed impossible to link, but they all share a similarity: they all use symbols and images to attach personal meanings to them or convey certain messages or narratives.

In conclusion, I would like to develop my own “Visual Dictionary/Library”, or at least start this process.

Through this project, my aim refocused on its intended purpose, which was the expression of self through a diverse set of symbols and images.

By doing so, I go back to my very early iterations from Elaborate, where my work was more emotion-based; I intend on keeping the idea of self-reflection through making and researching, in order to develop my own visual language.

#reflections magcd

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arlingtonpark · 5 years

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#worthit

You know, we’re lucky Zeke is a moron. At long last he has access to the ultimate power in the world, and instead of using it then and there, he tries to show Eren the error of his ways like this is A Christmas Story or something.

Zeke thought he was Chris Marley and Eren was Ebenezer Scrooge. Turns out, he’s a QANON believer and Grisha is the owner of Comet Ping Pong.

It’s just stunning how unself-aware Zeke is. He’s like one of those hyper-partisan, extremely-online people who shout about how Obama is a tool for the rich, but freeze up when asked for details. This is a man so immersed in his own worldview, his head so far up his ass, that all he accomplished is making the most spectacular own-goal of the entire series.

I mean, he takes Eren on this wild ride, is basically making this all up as he goes along, certain that the next memory will be the one that proves Grisha’s EVIL-ness, and they spend God knows how long watching a dude filing paperwork.

This exercise was meant to turn Eren to his side, but all it’s done is create an opening for Eren to turn Zeke. And that may happen, honestly. Zeke’s beliefs have been pretty shaken now, so he may be receptive to some reasoned persuasion.

But up next is Grisha stealing the Founding Titan, so Zeke definitely won’t be want for validating material.

The only bigger jackass this chapter is Eren.

Eren really, honest and for truly, fucked up. He shat on his friends, he shat on his country, he shat on little kids, and he did it so he could trick Zeke into unlocking the Founding Titan powers for him.

Except now all that’s out the window because actually Zeke is in charge.

Oops.

Eren presumably did all this because he couldn’t bear to see Historia’s life shortened, but now it seems he has no choice but to do it anyway, meaning he did all this shit for nothing! Amazing! Dreams really don’t come true in this story!

I love how the chapter foreshadows Eren dropping the ball by showing him literally dropping a ball.

At least now it means Historia is going to be relevant again soon. I don’t think I’ve ever said it before, but I lean towards the pregnancy being fake.

Yeah, Historia having a kid means Zeke’s dream can be easily undone, but Zeke probably realizes this and plans to overwrite King Fritz’s deal with the Founding Titan with one of his own: all future royal bearers of the Founding Titan will be infected with Zeke’s ideology instead.

After that, all he’d have to do is feed Eren to Historia. Zeke’s ideology takes over, and everything is set.

Eren needs Historia to eat Zeke, and Zeke would need Historia to eat Eren. And all the while Historia just wants to eat out Ymir.

Would Zeke really do that to his little brother?

…Yeah, he would. Zeke himself said Eren was just a key this whole time. He wants to save Eren from Grisha’s brainwashing, but remember that means convincing him life isn’t worth living. Because of that, Zeke probably wouldn’t even see it as a betrayal. From his perspective, it’d be him freeing Eren from the hell of life.

The reason why I think the pregnancy is fake is because I figure Zeke somehow coerced Historia into it, but then Eren told her about his true intentions and told her get pretend-pregnant. Then, once Zeke was disposed of, Historia could drop the act and live happily ever after.

(And then die with no heirs, thus leading to a succession crisis.)

And if the pregnancy actually is real?

Well, that would be a travesty and I’d rather not think about that.

This chapter has the most explicit endorsement of nationalism so far. Which is bad because no matter how much gold the series puts on it, nationalism is still a garbage heap of an ideology.

Talking about nationalism and this series is a bit complicated because really there are two levels to this. There’s the depiction of nationalism in itself and then there’s that depiction as it relates to the social context of the story.

Just looking at the story, taking back the Founding Titan and actually having a ruler who cares for his subjects is very reasonable. King Fritz is a lunatic who believes Eldians deserve to die for the sins of their former Empire. And it’s understandable that people like Grisha would be pushed to support extreme beliefs like that the Empire must be restored.

Issues start to arise when you look at the social context of this story. King Fritz is pretty obviously a caricature of progressives who emphasize the need for society to own up to past sins. You see this in the United States with recent debates about Confederate monuments, for example.

Other debates about how the founding of the country is glorified and morally questionable actions like the three-fifths compromise are swept under the rug have been ongoing for literally centuries.

There are progressives who think these facts are not reflected upon enough, and then there are conservatives who think the progressives want Americans to hate being American.

Japan has a similar debate going on. The Japanese Empire of course did many awful things throughout its history, especially during World War II, when it tried to conquer East Asia. Japanese progressives argue this history is not given its due. (It isn’t)

King Fritz is obviously a caricature of these people and not a very flattering one. The strongest evidence that this series leans conservative is the echoing of the popular Japanese conservative talking point that the official history is a “masochistic” one designed to shame Japanese people.

Like, I don’t actually have to explain how the obvious parallel is obvious, do I?

Everything about King Fritz reads like a satire of liberals written by a Fox News pundit. Deranged king so obsessed with past sins he’s cool with his people dying for it? Did Sean Hannity write that?

Said King is a chump because he’s…a pacifist, which makes him weak, I guess. (How can a series be anti-war if #pacifismisforlosers?)

SNK’s brand of anti-pacifism seems reasonable on the surface, but when you consider the real world analogs the story’s set up, things start to fall apart.

The story’s message seems to be that the Eldians should be allowed to live as themselves with no outside interference and they should be allowed to use the wall titans to defend themselves if needed. That seems reasonable, but then you realize the Wall Titans are basically nukes, so the series is basically endorsing nuclear weapons and nuclear proliferation.

Nuclear weapons are not military weapons, as their in-story equivalents are set to be cast as. They’re used to wipe out women and children and unarmed people, and not for military uses. And their use leads to massive environmental damage.

It’s disturbing that the series treats the morality of their use as a given. Isayama doesn’t seem interested in grappling with this exceedingly difficult question at all. There is no debate between the characters on this, literally everyone wants to use them, even Armin who previously made a point of not wanting to.

It’s simply stunning that this series would set up such a weighty situation and just not grapple with the moral implications of it. Does Isayama even realize the metaphor he himself has written?

This isn’t to defend Fritz’s actions. Just up and leaving like he did was lazy and irresponsible, but that just ties back into the hyperbole of the caricature. The details aren’t important in the sense that what’s important is the overall statement being made. It may seem weird, defending the idea this character supposedly stands for, but not defending his literal actions in the story, but that’s because you’re not approaching the story from the perspective of satire.

Isayama’s laughable statements aside, Attack on Titan is clearly satirical. It is making its point through hyperbolic caricature. Though with King Fritz the series arguably veers into straw-manning.

It may be hyperbole, but no reasonable pacifist actually believes we should roll over and let other people kill us, and I honestly can’t believe we are apparently supposed to take this seriously.

The point is that pacifism is bad.

King Fritz swears a vow to renounce war, which the series has lambasted at every possible opportunity. This vow is directly analogous to the vow to renounce war contained in Japan’s constitution, which also binds future generations no matter their personal beliefs since, ya know, it’s the law.

Fritz does this because he believes it will lead to an everlasting peace, which also echoes Japan’s constitution, which renounces war specifically in the name of peace.

Article 9 in Japan is broadly popular with the public, but is criticized by a small usually conservative minority.

All of this is to say that the series echoes conservative talking points and generally seems to be written from that perspective.

Now we come to this chapter. Zeke explicitly refers to Grisha’s ideology as a nationalism and is then made to look like a dumbass for thinking Grisha is an evildoer.

#nationalistshavefeelingstoo.

Yeah, Grisha loves his family, but who cares? The series is clearly going frame Grisha forsaking his mission to be with his family as a mistake, because that’s what this series does! In the world of SNK, people who chase their dreams either fail in some way or are otherwise evil, unless that dream is to fight for the survival of your race, in which case you’re a hero.

Nationalism is bad because it’s an ideology centered on loving your race. It is an inherently exclusionary belief system. The series may not be afraid to criticize specific methods, but the idea of fighting for your race is itself not presented as a bad thing.

Even though in the real world, you would be hard pressed to find a similarly sympathetic example of a nationalist movement.

Nationalism is an inherently emotional ideology, it is fueled by grievance. The series acknowledges that certain expressions of nationalism can be fueled primarily by emotion, but we are also apparently supposed to think that a “rational” nationalism is possible.

In fact, rational nationalism is an oxymoron.

The idea of fighting for your race can never be rational because the notion is inherently irrational. The only people who would care enough about their race to emphasize fighting for it are the desperately insecure.

Whether it’s because they’re desperate for anything about themselves to love, like with Floch, or outraged over the targeting of their race specifically, like with Grisha, nationalism is never born out of some coldly rational thought process.

So now the Yeager Bros. finally succeed and Eren finally gets to betray Zeke. But wouldn’t you know it! It’s the royal who has control of the Founding Titan!

I was leaning against this idea, but for a while now I’ve had the inkling that the Founding Titan is supposed to be a metaphor for the concept of sovereignty, and now it seems that instinct was right.

Sovereignty refers to the absolute authority that governments have. In republics like the United States, sovereignty resides in the government, but it is exercised on behalf of the people.

In monarchies, sovereignty resides in the reigning monarch, who rules by God’s grace.

The key word here is “resides.” The king/president is merely a vessel for the sovereign authority of the government.

For many centuries, kings, and, later, officeholders in general, were thought of as having two bodies.

Their body natural, that is, their physical, human bodies.

And the body politic, that is, the power that comes with the office.

When the king dies, only their body natural dies, but the body politic is eternal and passes on to the next body natural that occupies the position of king.

The Founding Titan is apparently modeled after this idea. Each successive Eldian king is a vessel for the Founding Titan, which grants absolute authority over all Eldians, but only to those who are of royal blood, ie those with the right to rule.

Of course, only people with a legitimate claim to the throne may properly exercise sovereign authority, just as only Zeke may command the Founding Titan. As I said in an earlier post, as a commoner, Eren’s use of the Founding Titan is illegitimate by default.

Needing a royal sympathetic to his cause creates an opening for Historia to become relevant again and that just highlights how everything would’ve been better if Eren had just used her in the first place.

I get that Eren cares about his friends (really hoping he and Historia are just friends), but if you think that makes Eren sympathetic, then let me tell you a little secret: it doesn’t.

Prioritizing someone’s literal life over another’s simply because you know them is awful. It reduces the choice of what you should do to the randomness of who you just so happen to have gotten to know better.

If this was just about who Eren was going to spend a Saturday night with, then choosing based on rapport would be fine, but the stakes here are significantly higher. People are dead.

The excuse that Eren is doing this for his friend’s sake is no excuse at all.

At this point we’re half way through the fourth volume of this arc. The next chapter will probably wrap up this A Christmas Story riff and the chapter after that will most likely end with the Wall Titans finally being awakened.

Afterwards, I’m betting it’s just one more volume to close out the story proper and then maybe we’ll get a volume for that epilogue Isayama mentioned once in an interview.

#shingeki no kyogin #attack on titan #snk 120 #spoilers #snk chapter 120

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meta-shadowsong · 4 years

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Some Thoughts on Mandalorian Religion/Culture

Basically, this post exists because The Mandalorian got me thinking some about the culture, particularly as relates to the Mandalorian Civil War, and how that reflects certain IRL religious movements and upheaval. This has been percolating in the back of my head for a few weeks, actually, and this seemed like a reasonable time to write it all out, now that at least the first season is over. There are brief spoilers involved for the season finale.

Which means it’s time for a Long Complicated Metaphor! (Not the road-building one about Anakin and his fall, though I really should write that up properly and share that here, too, but y’know.)

Basically, I’m going to talk a little bit about how, as I see it, some of the Mandalorian Civil War issues parallel the Protestant Reformation, particularly in England, leading up to the English Civil War and Interregnum.

(As a note--from what I recall, the Amarna period in ancient Egypt is also a good parallel; maybe even a better one. But since I’m significantly less well-read on the subject and what reading I have done was a very long time ago, I’m sticking with the English Reformation analogy for the purposes of this essay.)

So, it has been a while since I’ve done some in-depth reading on this subject, both the general history and the specific religious/church history. If you’re interested in the church history side of things, I’d actually recommend Cromwell to Cromwell--it got a little dry for me, especially since I didn’t read the summary carefully enough and thought it was going to be a little more biographical than it ended up being, but it is still a solidly researched book on the subject in question.

Anyway, the point is, I’m going off of memory from something I read about/researched a few years back, as well as my general background knowledge of the subject/period, so please forgive any slight inaccuracies as I build up my metaphor/essay/point.

So, to start with, some background of why I’m viewing this through a religious lens, based on some things we’ve seen in the TV show. Obviously, there is the fact that Din Djarin specifically refers to this as a creed/religion in the first couple episodes. However, that’s not…super-well defined, other than it is analogous to a religion. But in terms of specific details--

First, there’s the helmet thing, which I know has been brought up by other commentators as well--this is the Way, we don’t take off our helmets for any reason unless we’re stepping off this path.

If we view combat as Mandalorian religion, in the organized/Western religion sense, this actually makes a lot of sense to me. In this reading, our titular friend from the show about baby Yoda is, essentially, a priest (or possibly a monk; or more likely a friar since he’s a wanderer and not cloistered even if the rest of his covert might be, but that’s probably a little too nitty-gritty for an essay on this level; for analysis purposes, I’m just going to go with ‘priest’). Priests are subject to stricter vows, and while laypersons can (and indeed are expected to) perform certain religious duties/offices, priests have greater responsibilities and restrictions. Like prayer, only instead of rosaries and Christmas, Mandalorians have blasters. And flamethrowers. And occasionally jetpacks. Etc.

(Obviously, not a perfect analogy, in the same way that comparing the PT-era Jedi to monks or priests is not a perfect analogy, but it’s a reasonably convenient one.)

Anyway, this explains why Mandadlorian and the other members of his covert/group won’t take their helmets off, but we’ve seen a variety of Mandalorians do so before--all of the Wrens, Bo-Katan and her close allies, various other members of Death Watch (though not all)…it’s part of something akin to a clerical vow.

Which brings us back to the Civil War, and the IRL parallels.

So, the English Reformation--yes, a large part of what kicked it off was Henry VIII being…well…Henry VIII about things, but there was a lot of back and forth beyond the Great Matter/Divorce, and Lutheranism, Calvinism, and other Protestant movements had some level of foothold at varying levels of society. In terms of actual doctrine and practice, the Church of England varies quite a bit during the reigns of the later Tudors (with Edward VI being pretty hard-core Protestant, Mary I bringing England back to Rome, and then Elizabeth I being more moderate than her brother), so it’s not a straightforward question. Eventually, Protestantism wins out, but it’s a half-century or so of minor upheavals and doctrinal shifts, much like in the rest of Europe during this period.

Again, I recommend Cromwell to Cromwell for more detail about the specifics, but by the time we get to the 17th century and the Stuarts, we’re sort of starting to see a split between the Puritans (who stayed in England with the intent of making the English Church more fundamentalist, rather than the ones who left and settled in Holland and the Americas, who would be better referred to as Separatists) and the more elaborate High Church. There were other sects/factions, and other/secular/political factors that led to the Civil War, of course, but that was the gist of the religious one.

Which brings me to Satine and the New Mandalorians. Who, in this case/analogy, are similar to the Reformers (eventually, Puritans).

Which might sound weird, given that we’ve established that the Mandalorian culture/religion in this context is All About Combat, but hear me out.

We don’t know exactly what went on with the New Mandalorians forming and building steam, but I highly doubt that Satine came up with the idea on her own--they were a radical movement to reform Mandalorian religion and culture that she gravitated to, and eventually made official/the law of the land when she and her faction won the Civil War and she took power in Sundari. We don’t know where her parent(s) fell on this spectrum, if they were hardline traditionalists or fairly neutral moderates or mild reformers (I doubt they were hardline reformers), or essentially traditionalists in terms of their personal beliefs/doctrine but making serious reformer steps for unrelated political and/or personal reasons (a la Henry VIII).

The point is, much like the more radical Reformation politics and philosophies as put forward by Edward VI and, later, Oliver Cromwell and the Roundheads, Satine is operating in a larger context and, however devoted she is to this movement, she probably didn’t found it.

The reason I think she lines up with the Puritan model is that the New Mandalorian philosophy is an extremely stripped-down version of the approach-to-combat religion/culture. Basically, New Mandalorian philosophy takes away the fancy trappings and asks “what exactly does it mean to have this faith?” She says to Obi-Wan at one point, “just because I’m a pacifist doesn’t mean I won’t defend myself.” What her philosophy is asking--maybe; possibly; I’d love more canon context but this is a reasonable reading of the text IMO--is “our faith is combat, but does combat need to be physical? Do we need to continue to kill each other and spill the blood of our kin as well as outsiders, or are there other ways to fight?” After all, Satine is extremely combative; she just doesn’t use weapons or overt violence when she fights for what she believes in.

So, again. Stripping away all the fancy trappings to get back to the core of the belief--only instead of gold and icons and stained glass (and Christmas), it’s blasters and flamethrowers and occasionally jetpacks. And whips. And so on. (…I feel like Mandalorian Christmas involves a lot of blasters…)

This was all probably reinforced by her experiences on the run with Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan during the Civil War itself; but that’s something I’m going to at least partially cover in our faces like a mirror. The fic focuses more on Bo-Katan and why she makes her choices in all this, but Satine’s personal worldview is obviously profoundly shaped by her experiences during that year, and is, of course, a key part of all of this.

(As a side note, Bo-Katan, in this analogy, is soooooort of related to either Mary I or Charles II--although I tend to read her as a younger sister/there’s no succession dispute involved. But the Traditionalist heir in exile; with a level of devout belief that’s more aligned with Mary than with Charles; although she’s a bit more willing to compromise until she can’t anymore, and then seems to have found a more moderate approach when she’s in power/after she leaves Death Watch? We’ll see what the relevant TCW episodes have to say. Also, I would love to see her show up in season 2 of The Mandalorian or some other live-action thing (maybe the Obi-Wan series?); still played by Katee Sackhoff as is only right and proper. Just getting that out there.)

[Also, given the way s1 of The Mandalorian ended--I fear for my girl Bo-Katan and am even more interested in seeing her in something live-action/post-Rebels D:]

…yeah, this felt like I had more of a Point when I got started, lol. I guess what I’m trying to say is--a lot of seeming inconsistencies in worldbuilding about Mando culture make a lot more sense when viewed as a religion, with a variety of sects and interpretations and relative levels of devotion, particularly in parallel with IRL religious movements. And while Satine’s aesthetic is an homage to Elizabeth I, her politics/role as a hardline Reformer in power are more aligned with Edward VI or Oliver Cromwell. It’s just…an interesting way of looking at things, I think? One I figured was worth sharing.

#fandom #star wars #originally posted january 2020

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