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victimhood · 3 years

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Mr. Nile Freeman

GQ, September 2027 issue

Inter Milan’s midfield maestro Sébastien LeLivre is finally hitting a steady stride. This is a man who has swung from extremes in a volatile career—the highs and lows at Liverpool under James Copley, the sublime performance against Brazil in the Men’s 2026 World Cup semifinal to the controversial foul in the final against Italy, to joining the very team helmed by his World Cup nemesis, Nicolò Di Genova. Today, he says he has a cordial relationship with his team captain, and at Inter Milan he has quickly established himself as a key player in the starting eleven. Who can forget the footballing masterclass at the Bernabeu, where Inter Milan schooled the home side with their lethal combination of precision and artistry?

[The Old Guard football!AU, Book of Nile + Andy as a football manager]

Hi Sébastien, congratulations on winning the Champions League. You have been monumental to Inter’s pivot to a beautiful attacking style, as one of the most complete midfielders of the game.

Thank you, I’m just carrying out my manager [Andy] Skifka’s orders. She should get the credit for this pivot.

Very feminist of you. How would you describe Skifska’s approach as a manager?

She’s the hardest working manager I’ve seen. She always thinking, processing football data and churning out new ideas. She’s very creative tactically, and she dares to try things that sound crazy on paper. She’s very open to feedback too—she operates on this model of constant improvement. Nothing is ever perfect to her, but she never expects you to start perfect either. It’s a great psychological sweet spot that she’s managed to foster in the team. There’s a good balance of feeling secure and yet feeling driven to get to the next level. She definitely deserves her spot amongst the greats.

She is truly groundbreaking, hitting many firsts for women in football. This brings us to the topic of the Women’s World Cup too. You helped draw audiences to support the French women’s team.

Isn’t there the book that goes, “We Should All Be Feminists”? Anyway, I think I’m given too much credit for the Women’s World Cup. I’m just a spectator like everyone else. I like to think people would have watched the French women’s team anyway because they did so well, especially when they made it to the finals. They play with so much grit and determination despite the comparative lack of resources. I hope this shows that women’s football is equally deserving of the same kind of monetary investment and rewards.

Ah, yes, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is the author of that book you mentioned. Women’s football has indeed come a long way despite its relatively short history. And of course, one of the biggest women’s stars has been Nile Freeman. The internet has been rife with speculation about what’s going on between you two, ever since Nile 1, Booker 0. Care to clear the air?

[groans] Okay I have many points, let’s go back to what you said. Women have been playing football for as long as the game existed. Their game was so popular the English FA banned it for fifty years from 1921 to 1971. That’s why it looks like it has a short history to us—but their game has always been part of the story since the beginning.

Wow, thank you for telling me that. I’m glad to be wrong on this point, how did you come to learn it?

Well. You’re going to love this answer. Nile [Freeman] told me. We must give her the credit for this one.

So you two have been talking to each other?

Of course we talk to each other. We’re married.

Well, my heartiest congratulations to the both of you. Please forgive me for asking the obvious, but this is news to me. How did it all start? When did you two first meet?

Hmm, I think it was the FIFA awards in Paris.

Wow, that sounds like a meet-cute! Were you introduced?

I might have approached her first...

What motivated you to do that?

She’s really cool? Anyway we both moved to Milan at the same time, for work.

And you kept that all a secret from the world until now!

Yeah...I mean, you saw how crazy everyone got with the Nile 1 Booker 0 thing right? For the health of our relationship we need to maintain strict boundaries between ourselves and our work, our work and the general public, and so on.

Certainly gives us more context to what you said now.

[groans] Yeah, that was a moment of weakness on my part, I’ll admit. I wasn’t going to say anything—L’Equipe, Le Figaro, Le Monde—they all tried to get some words out of me, and I refused them—but then this BBC reporter mentions Nile by name and I caved.

We all have our weaknesses.

I certainly do. [grins]

The internet was also very interested in the feud between you and Rachida Achouri. It seems the two of you have made peace now.

[in French] Rachida—top cool, trop canon. I mean, her parents didn’t want her to play football, but she went ahead and did it anyway. She’s a true rebel and the exact kind of personality we need as our national team captain. How cool would it be if we could play in the same team?

So, like Nile Freeman, you think men and women should start playing together?

If it isn’t obvious by now, it is the same game that we all play. I understand the need to develop the women’s game as a safe space due to the years of discriminatory setbacks, but we don’t see that reflected in terms of resource distribution. No one’s spending more money on the women to get them level with the men. If we want the game to be equal, the women need the same resources, and the only way to do this is if everyone plays together. I don’t have the answers to the best system to work this out, but the game is changing all the time. We need to trust that it will only get better—and maybe I play for the men’s game now, but twenty years later, for the next generation—what will their game look like? Can we do better for them?

(source)

#i love this chapter so much i'm just going to post it like i'm posting an article #the old guard #book of nile #sebastien le livre #nile freeman #tog fc #tog: the beautiful game

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ziamhaze · 3 years

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Hi, I hope you're well! I just want to start off by thanking you for all the wonderful fics you have blessed me with!

I just finished Red vs. Black and was hoping you wouldn't mind answering some questions I have. As someone who risks his own life to save others, how does Liam justify being with someone he knows has killed innocent people? It'd be one thing if Zayn had only killed those directly involved with what happened to his family, but he's killed innocent civilians over minor inconveniences (such as the teenagers in the convertible). Does Zayn still think he is justified in doing so? Does he ever feel guilty about it? If not, how would Liam and Zayn be compatible if their moral compasses are so different?

Also, did Zayn's father ever make his way to the UK? Or was that just a lie he told Zayn to comfort him? Does Zayn ever find his family, especially his younger sister?

I know it's a lot, but I'd really love to hear your answers if you want to give them! Again thank you for all of your wonderful works!

So sorry it’s taken me this long to reply, but I didn’t forget!

To start I’d like to thank you for clicking, and finishing, Red vs. Black. It isn’t the shortest of fics, nor is it the most delicate - to put it lightly. For the latter alone, thank you.

These are such poignant, important questions. Ones that are nearly word for word what I asked myself while planning the ending.

SPOILERS FOR ALL OF RED VS. BLACK

1) How does Liam stay with Zayn after learning of all his senseless killings?

Honestly, I questioned this the most when feeling out the concept. As a fic writer it’s expected of me to write not only a romance, but also a happy ending. Of course fics exist that do neither, but they’re very rare and not exactly well-loved. And truthfully, a massive point that I wanted to get across - and which in effect answers this question - is that despite people’s pasts, they cannot overcome them without being given the opportunity. 100%. No ands, ifs, or buts. For a prisoner to assimilate back into society and not go back to their old ways, they need to be trusted with a job. With a salary (no matter how small), they need to trust themselves to be able to not buy anything that may contribute to poor habits: drugs, alcohol, weapons, gambling, a means of transport that will give them the ability to visit bad influences (more of a psychological thing, but still). A lot of prisoners are never given this opportunity (especially in the United States), and therefore fall back into their old ways, which are more often than not coping mechanisms to deal with the fact that they can’t fit into society as easily as privileged people to begin with; it’s a terrible cycle. However, there are plenty of success stories of those that truly wish to change and are lucky enough to stumble upon an employer or mentor or sponsor of some sort that hands them an inkling of hope/trust that they use to fight their way back up. The fic is fantasy, and while Zayn’s story is rooted in real world PTSD, I think the prisoner analogy is easy for us to envision and therefore, understand why Liam acts the way he does. I also made it a point in the last scene when they’re talking things out to have Liam voice his contingency: if Zayn so much as spits at anyone, he’s done for. That’s to say, he’s not wiping his slate clean just yet.

2) Does Zayn still feel his useless killings were justified?

I’m going to answer assuming that you’re referring to the time after the fic ends.

Looking back at his actions is something that would be inevitable when he starts therapy, and this is a perfect example of one of the questions his therapist would ask. You may not like my answer, but as an author I find it imperative that I speak of my characters realistically and to keep them true, not how I want them to act. That said, yes, Zayn would still find justification in why he’s done what he’s done.

There are a few instances in the story where this is actually explained. Take the scene in the bar with fancy mixologists. Zayn begins to get aggravated over the people in the room simply because they’re ignorant to the feeling of significant pain. There’s also the scene where he’s back home in Cheshire and Harry straight out tells him, he may be furious at the unfairness of the world, but he needs to learn how to come to terms with it. It’s not going to change. This right here is what a therapist would work with him to do, and also why I had Harry be the one to bring this up in the story - he is one.

I know it sounds incredibly foreign to the average person, but trust me when I say that people struggling with anger problems founded in (un)fairness, exist. I’ve spoken with professionals about it. Add on crippling childhood PTSD and a villain like Zayn can definitely be born. It’s why treatment is needed, and why the answer is ‘yes’ in the beginning of Zayn’s journey to peace. When his answer switches over to ‘no’, that’s when it’ll be outwardly apparent that he’s beating his ailment. Unfortunately, for many, the inner battle with mental health is lifelong; the answer ‘no’ will never turn solid.

3) Does Zayn feel guilty about the above?

Again, there are a couple times when I write Zayn to literally mention how he feels zero guilt. However, if you really really pay attention you’ll notice that these instances aren’t villain related.

For example, meeting Liam’s parents:

After handing his father and Zayn each their tea, Liam looks between them suspiciously. "Leaving the two of you in a room together was a bad idea."

"Don't know what you're on about," Geoff replies innocently. "We were just talking about cars, weren't we Zayn?" Even with all eyes on him, the pressure of lying doesn't get to Zayn. It never does.

"Yeah," he agrees, bringing his drink up to his lips carefully, "cars."

Or, after Zayn walks out from the comedy club:

"It takes a lot of courage to get up there and do something like that, don't you think?"

"Not really."

Liam looks to the side, hoping that he can interpret more from Zayn's answers by seeing the expressions that go with their frankness. "So if I signed you up, you would do it?"

"Why would I want to make a room full of strangers laugh?" Zayn retorts, his right eye scrunching up in distaste, like it's a mannerism of his provoked by moronic questions. "I don't have a superiority complex." Liam thinks he might, but. "I know I'm better than those people, no mediocracy to cover up here."

So we’ve got those, but then we’ve also got this massive character point:

Right as the last of the snake's body emerges, Zayn snaps his fingers, triggering heavy hip-hop music to flow through his headphones and drown out the man's blood curdling cry.

If he could permanently damage people who deserved it, not always because they did something to Zayn, but because he liked to play god and throw them a massive curveball like life had done to him, then why shouldn't he? So long as he pulls his soundproof headphones off the little robot on the inside of his right arm to avoid listening to the pain his choice brutality caused, there's no valid reason he shouldn't take advantage of the gift he was given.

From where he's sitting, he probably won't be able to hear anything, but he fastens the equipment over his ears just in case.

All at once, the atmospheric sounds of central London, mixed with the terrified screams of those in the burning building beneath them, hit Zayn at full force. The sensory overload alone would normally be enough to piss him off, but tack on his protection from audible trauma being taken and being spoken to while in villain mode, and he's seeing red as deep as the pits of hell he knows he's destined for.

I wrote Zayn’s headphone usage as a way to alert that the reader that he does, in fact, feel villain-related guilt. He can’t act on his anger without them on. He’ll have his victims screams stuck in his head, and he’d never be able to handle that a.k.a. there’s zero satisfaction from their literal pain. Think about that and it’ll answer your follow-up question.

4) What happened to Zayn’s family?

Zayn’s father meant what he said - he’d do whatever he needed to reunite his family. That wasn’t a falsity at all. The problem is money. And politics, but let’s start with the issue of money. It took Yaser nine years to save up the amount he paid to have Zayn and Waliyha smuggled across the border. The whole concept of smuggling is that it’s a cheaper option than the legal one. So if we look at this, you can see how long it would take him to save for three adult visa fees, three adult plane tickets, and enough to stay afloat for a month or so when they get to England. Now add in the politics of the early 2000s and the Afghanistan/Pakistan region. We know that Yaser fixed air conditioners for a living. No person with that average of a background is going to have an easy time immigrating anywhere. Even so, would it really take him over 18 years? While it’s plausible, perhaps a man with such determination would find another way. Or...was that unnecessary because he was fed lies?

Think about it. After several weeks and no word from his children, don’t you think he’d cause a riot? He’s the type to drive over to Badar’s house and demand his relatives get in contact with him to find out what’s going on. But, given the flashback Zayn has, it’s obvious that Badar never planned on accompanying any of the children to the UK, and if that’s the case, he clearly couldn’t return to Quetta. I imagine a fully rehearsed story was told to all of the children’s parents about how they were killed somewhere along the way.

As for Waliyha, her whereabouts were told to my gang over on Patreon a while ago. In short, yes, she’s still alive and I plan on pitching the book’s sequel to publishers as a graphic novel series revolved around her location. Louis’ dark web bot finally found a hint as to where that might be, so Zayn and Liam go on a journey across Europe to find her. Each issue would (probably) take place in a new city and involve both fighting a single bad guy.

Just a quick reminder to anyone who reads this, Red vs. Black and all involved characters are my intellectual property and cannot be replicated, manipulated, or stolen.

Again, thank you for your question and time! I know my fics aren’t short and take a huge time commitment to finish. If you have any other questions, don’t hesitate to send them my way! I’m super busy writing the next story and doing critical work, but I promise I’ll get around to it.

#thank you for the questions and for CARING #I think the collective of fanfic readers get a bad rep for not being mature readers and caring about things other than fuzzy feelings #so thank you #my writing #red vs. black #anonymous

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caldonahue · 4 years

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—introducing callaghan “cal” donahue as macbeth

trigger warning: murder, death, drug use and overdose, abuse, disassociation

hi friends! i’m farah, i’m twenty-two, i go by she/her pronouns, i live in the pst timezone, and i’m literally so? stoked? to be here. i don’t think i’ve ever written a character quite this dark before so this shall be interesting... beware, cal is literal trash. anyway, i just finished writing a paper right before i was supposed to turn it in at midnight *wipes the imaginary sweat off my forehead* so my brain’s a little fried. but i promise i will try to be all caught up and in full-force tomorrow. that being said, please come plot with me. you can message me on here or on my discord ( farah#1263 ). can’t wait to stir up tons of trouble with you all.

skeleton: macbeth

name: callaghan “cal” donahue

age: twenty-two

birthdate: may 25, 1997

birthplace: manhattan, new york

faceclaim: jacob elordi

gender: cis-male

pronouns: he/him

degree: business

pinterest board

cal grew up in primarily in new york in one of the richest families in america. from the outside, his family had the appearance of perfection, but underneath that facade lay years of shocking and hidden family secrets that one way or another got out into society, even if his family tried to put them down as merely rumors.

cal’s father is a highly respected but also deeply feared business man/media magnate known for his cutthroat attitude in his business dealings and personal relationships. he had an extremely difficult childhood, having been orphaned at a young age and passed from relative to relative around europe, many of whom were not very kind to him. still, he was incredibly intelligent and wanted to make something of himself, having this belief in the american dream and wanting to move there if he ever got the chance. when he got offered a full-ride to ashcroft, he ran with it. it wasn’t america, but he figured the opportunities could lead to that. (this makes cal a legacy, which is one of the reasons he was asked to join the imperium society along with his father’s global reputation). and they did. after college, he was able to use his connections and move to new york, where he founded his own start-up that eventually led to him building his own personal fortune.

cal’s mother was very much a hustler. she grew up poor in new york and at an early age, learned how to use her good looks to manipulate men for the finer things in life. she had a short stint as a model before she met cal’s father, charming him enough to call it quits with his first wife who had just given birth to his first son. underneath her obvious beauty, however, was a fiery temper and substance abuse problem. the thing about her was that she really wasn’t made to be a wife and mother. cal’s father thought he could turn her into this perfect socialite/housewife (marrying her and then proceeding to have cal and his younger sister in a very short span of time), but the task proved impossible. she was always only looking out for herself and didn’t enjoy being tied down, certainly not with kids to take care of despite the nannies his father provided. they fought constantly, and their home life was extremely unstable. it was a normal occurrence for cal to see his mother being dragged off to an institution by his father’s security guards or for his mother to use him and his sister as bait to get his father to give her money for drugs, to leave him, or sometimes just to try and get back with him.

eventually, she finally did leave, having told cal and his sister the three of them were moving to los angeles, but leaving without them and dying of a drug overdose shortly after. cal was about eight at the time and thinks he has successfully hidden this entire episode from his memory, but it’s definitely something that affects him whether he likes it or not.

while his father cares deeply for his children and has provided them a life of ease and luxury, he’s certainly not innocent in all of this mess. he’s extremely manipulative and often psychologically traumatizing to them as well. he often finds his children to be lazy and ungrateful and resents the way they’ve been raised (even though it was his own doing), while he suffered from poverty and abuse in his own childhood. he often pits the three of them against each other, always trying to see who’s the stronger, smartest, who will do whatever it takes to be the best, especially because there’s always talk about who’s going to be the one to be the one who’s going to take over when he retires. it is usually said to be cal, because it’s no secret that he’s his father’s favorite. his older brother’s too sensitive in his father’s eyes and his sister doesn’t want anything to do with the family business, although she could be a rival in her own right.

the thing about cal is that he’s a bit of a perfectionist. he was someone who was born well-connected and with many talents, but because of his father’s constant watching and pressure, he’s always afraid that all of that isn’t enough. and a lot of times, it isn’t with his father because he’s almost impossible to please. and to him, pleasing his father is everything. the man is basically a god to him. cal is the type of person who looks like everything is so easy for them. he always got top grades, was stellar in sports, and was wildly charming and popular. but these were all things he worked hard at to perfect. it took a lot of work to become the cal donahue he is today, which is why his literal fall from grace is so upsetting.

the two things cal fears the most is being a failure and going insane. his father has a habit of using his mother’s temper, drug addiction, and mental illness again him, kind of saying things like i had you don’t end up her, son (even though his father has plenty of issues himself he could pass down to him). and he is like his mother in a lot of ways. he definitely has an anger problem and has had one since he was incredibly young, but it’s always something he’s tried to cover up his entire life. the thing is, though, it’s easy to make him snap. especially when things don’t go his way or he doesn’t get what he wants. those are the two instances that really set him off. he has the need to succeed, and he doesn’t want anything short of perfect. how far his anger can go honestly really scares him (and what happened with octavia was just an example of that). for a guy who looks and acts like he has everything, he is extremely insecure and has major abandonment issues deep down, resulting from all of the trauma he’s been put through between his parents.

he loves control and loves to be made to think he’s in control. in reality, because of his father, he’s no stranger to manipulation. so it makes sense on how it easy it was for lady macbeth to get him to do what he did, even though he went much farther than what she had originally asked him to do. really, all she had to do what boost his ego and ultimately, he probably got off on thinking he’s this tough guy who’s going to protect her, because at the end of the day he’s never felt in control of his life because his dad’s always been calling the shots and making him how he wanted him to be (and what he wants him to be is kind of ambiguous... like he doesn’t really want him to be a good person, so what is it then? someone who will do anything it takes to be successful and win?)

so diving into the murder... i mean, cal is not a sociopath... i think he was raised by someone who had sociopathic tendencies and these may have rubbed off on him a bit. is he a good person? obviously not with what he’s done, but even before that i feel like that area was kind of grey. there was this cutthroat, narcissistic edge about him and while he displayed this charming mask to his peers, he may have been closer to snapping than even he himself realized. he definitely wasn’t raised to have an outstanding moral compass; he was raised to be the best, and looking at his household, chaos is kind of what he knows and thrives on even though he wouldn’t admit that. he’s the type of guy that people like to a certain extent or have to give praise to but if you’re looking closely, there’s just something off like he’s almost too successful? or maybe he never seems genuine? he definitely strives to display this image of perfection, but sometimes so much so that it’s almost unnerving? he will take the necessary measures to get what he wants and ultimately, he’s gone too far. he does feel guilty, but it’s also triggered this weird grey area on him because he’s literally got away with murder.

his mental state is just really fractured and i feel like it’s getting harder for him to decipher what is reality and what’s not if that makes sense? like he’ll go through periods of extreme guilt, especially being plagued by horrible nightmares and being haunted by octavia’s ghost. but he also has this sense of feeling a bit untouchable? maybe awakening a god complex in him? i feel like that idea was sort of already there before, but it’s just magnified now and at points he’s just on the verge of a mental breakdown, not sure what to do? confess, try to carry on with his life, experiment with the idea of being able to get away with anything?

he’s deeply terrified of people finding out, but he’s also down deep a very wounded person and feels like maybe that’s what he deserves (his father always made it out like he didn’t deserve his charmed life, he never felt worthy of his mother’s love, now he’s a murderer...)

#spectreintro #about

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darklygophilia · 6 years

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Avoiding Those Pesky Cliches: Conflict in Romance

I don’t know why, but this meta took forever to finish & get posted. It felt like every time I sat down to write it and edit it, something pulled me away. But, here it is, finally - and long-winded, as per usual for me! Shout out to @eilowyn1 for beta reading & being patient with me!

(NOTE: I’m using various “ships” from multiple fandoms, including Lauriver from Arrow, as examples in this meta!)

THE PROBLEM WITH LOVE TRIANGLES…

When it comes to writing, I’m always trying to avoid cliches, and if I can’t than I try my damnedest to put a new spin on an old cliche. When it comes to the romance genre, my biggest pet peeve is Love Triangles. I can’t stand them and I refuse to use them!

The truth is, Love Triangles are difficult, both from a writing perspective as well as a reader’s POV. It’s really hard creating two points in the Triangle (the two Love Interests) and presenting them in a way that makes the third point in the Triangle’s (the POV character who’s affections the Love Interests are vying for) inability to make up their mind seem legitimate and genuine. As writers, we always have our favorites in terms of which characters we love writing for more than others - and which character we the writer have already chosen for our POV character. IMO, that favoritism is noticed by our readers and it influences their perception of these three specific character points of the Love Triangle. There’s always one Love Interest within the Triangle that the majority of the audience loves more, while the secondary Love Interest (usually put in the Triangle to cause drama) often feels displaced.

Example #1: Throughout the Twilight Saga, we’re supposed to see Jacob as a legitimate candidate for Bella’s affections in counterpoint to Edward. The problem with this particular Love Triangle - excluding its abusive undertones - is that Stephanie Meyer spent the entire first book of the series building up the love between Bella and Edward. And despite Edward being absent for most of book two, his presence is still felt both by Bella, who’s mourning his absence, and the readers. By the time Edward returns, it seems inevitable who Bella was ALWAYS going to end up with. And that’s one of the problems with Love Triangles - the outcome always feels inevitable in the end. Which makes all the drama caused by the secondary Love Interest feel pointless in the grand scheme of things.

The Fix It: Instead of having the Love Triangle between Bella, Jacob and Edward, Meyers could’ve focused on a more genuine friendship between Bella and Jacob. Jacob loves Bella, but he’s not in-love with her. He’s her friend, he’s worried about her choices, but he also develops a reluctant friendship with Edward because they both have a shared interest in protecting Bella. Not only would this have done away with the Love Triangle while still keeping Jacob in the story and in Bella’s life, it would’ve also done away with the secondary cliche of the entire series - the nonsensical hatred between vampires and werewolves. Not to mention it would’ve made Jacob’s connection with Renesme in the end seem just a little less awkward if he never had romantic feelings for Bella to begin with.

Example #2: What about the Peeta, Katniss and Gale Love Triangle in The Hunger Games? The rare thing about Peeta and Katniss is that Peeta knows first hand - if not exactly, than similarly - what Katniss went through during the Games. He understands her PTSD because he has PTSD from their shared experience, too. By the time Katniss comes out of the Games, Gale is a stranger to her. He may witness her PTSD, but he’ll never understand it like Peeta. So, by the end of the series when we learn that Peeta and Katniss live happily-ever-after, it feels pretty anti-climactic due to their inevitability in ending up together.

Now, I’m not saying writers should pull a 180 and shockingly have their POV character who’s been the center of a Love Triangle end up with someone totally random at the end of the story. That didn’t work out so well for the readers of the Sookie Stackhouse Novels. But, writers should at the very least make BOTH Love Interests equal candidates for the POV character’s affections. That way, that POV character’s indecisiveness in choosing between Love Interests feel more real, instead of just drama designed to slow things down until the inevitable ending.

Example #3: What about the Damon, Elena and Stefan Love Triangle in The Vampire Diaries? IMO, halfway through the third season it became pretty obvious Elena would end up with Damon in the end. There’s three reasons why. 1) Elena and Stefan met and fell in-love soon after her parents died. Having a minor in Psychology reminded me that whenever you loose someone you love - the death of a friend or family member - there’s a reason we’re told not to make any life-altering decisions too soon! Elena’s insta-love-at-first-sight with Stefan, breaking up with her ex-boyfriend, her parents’ deaths, starting a new school year, suddenly learning Stefan was a vampire AND being thrust into the supernatural world ALL hinted at a doomed relationship from the start! It was all too much, too soon. 2) Counteract all that with how Elena gets to know Damon before she got involved with him romantically was the exact opposite of how her relationship started with Stefan. By the time Elena did get together with Damon, she pretty much knew the kind of person he really was. 3) The friendship Elena struck up with Damon before she got involved with him romantically was paralleled by the friendship we see slowly develop into something romantic between Stefan and Caroline. To the point where Stefan and Caroline made more sense as a romantic couple by the end of the series, than Stefan and Elena did at the beginning of the series.

The Fix It: The interesting thing here was the steady friendship-to-romance between Stefan/Caroline was an example of romance that’s pleasantly sneaks up on you. It helped trip-up the Love Triangle cliche that permeated the show. You don’t want to pull a Sookie/Sam on your audience; the end romance still needs to make sense! However, having the two Love Interests fall out of love with the POV character, and instead end up with someone else gives a fresh new take on the Love Triangle. IMO, the show should’ve expanded on the concept by having Damon fall for his best friend, Bonnie. It would’ve added irony, having Stefan/Damon fall in-love with Elena’s best friends.

(NOTE: I’m not saying all this as a shipper. I’m not a fan of the Twilight Saga, though I’ve read the books. The Hunger Games felt like every other YA series out there. The Vampire Diaries was just like every other CW show. But, I do feel like the ends of the various Love Triangles within these individual series all had the same problem - I saw it coming a mile away! By the time I’d finished the Twilight Saga, the fact that Bella ended up with Edward forever was pretty inevitable. The same could be said for Peeta and Katniss, or Damon and Elena. Because of that inevitability, all the drama in-between, IMO, felt like a waist of time when you can guess the ending result.)

When you look at the three sides of the Love Triangle – the indecisive POV character and the two Love Interests vying for his/her affections – there’s always one point of the Triangle (one Love Interest) that falls short. Solidifying just who’s side the audience, and the writers, are gonna be on.

Arrow’s Lauriver & Olicity has this problem. Laurel, nor Sara, ever seemed to match Oliver the way Felicity did. The history Oliver had with both Lance sisters was just too toxic; sister-swapping doe NOT a romance make! And in the end, it made any Love Triangle on Arrow seem forced (and downright nonsensical at times).

Arrow seemed to readily embrace the requisite Love Triangle cliche the CW seemed to have in all of their shows. After all, Arrow started in the middle of The Vampire Diaries’ heyday, when love triangles were the basic element of any CW show. But - and this is a BIG but - despite the CW’s obsessive fascination with Love Triangles, I’d like to point out that the Arrow writers did NOT intend for there to ever be a Love Triangle! The original plan was supposed to be an epic romance between Green Arrow and Black Canary. The CW and DC had no romantic aspirations for Arrow beyond that.

There’s many reasons why Lauriver could never work. And while I do personally ship Olicity, I’m NOT trying to make this into a shipping war thing! That’s not the intention of this meta. This is about the writing; how differently the writers approached these two ships that THEY created and how the writing influenced how the audience views these ships.

When you’re writing a romance in TV, you need to be open to change, especially if you’re writing away from canon. You may be writing two characters who were supposed to have this epic love, but they don’t gel the way you thought they would. Certain things differ in writing for TV as apposed to writing a Novel. In books, writers create the chemistry between characters because we can get into their heads, read their feelings, examine their thoughts. We can’t do that with TV, thus the only way to really develop chemistry is naturally between two actors.

The first things that stood against Lauriver from the start was that, IMO there was zero chemistry between Katie Cassidy and Stephen Amell. In fact, the producers of Arrow have outright admitted that Cassidy was hired before they even looked at Amell, and by the time Amell was hired, there was no point in doing a chemistry test. That’s a big mistake on the show creators part. While chemistry, like beauty, is in the eye-of-the-beholder, it still plays a big role in a TV show, especially when writers are setting-the-stage for an epic romance. It’s hard to make any romance believable, let alone an epic one, when there’s no chemistry between the actors.

In comparison, while Olicity was not planned the moment Emily Bett Rickards entered the show, the chemistry between her and Amell was undeniable and certainly would make writing a romance between their characters more organic. And this is where an openness to change is needed when writing, especially in TV. When you see something NOT working, you as a writer need to take a step back and reconsider it. Likewise, when writers see something that DOES work, go with it! It’ll make your job as writer that much more easier. You may start developing your hero/heroine’s relationship more with a character you never thought would be so perfect for them – but they are perfect, in a fresh and unexpected way. That “being open to change” in the planning of your story and the characters gives you the unexpected surprise of a relationship that even you, the writer, never saw coming. And THAT’S what makes it all organic - it happens naturally. That’s what makes a love story epic!

Felicity works because she wasn’t planned. She wasn’t shaped for the main-white-male-character the way Laurel was. And she didn’t chase after Oliver the way Laurel did either. When it looked like Oliver might never return her affections, Felicity did her best to move on, while Laurel marinated in her pinning love for Ollie. This comparison of healthy vs. unhealthy POV in regards to Felicity and Laurel is also what stood against Lauriver. This brings up another aspect of Love Triangles that I hate. If its a man with two female Love Interests, he typically looks like a tool, IMO, who’s leading on these women because he can’t make up his own mind. If its a woman stuck between two guys, she just looks fickle which is insulting to women.

Felicity was designed as an independent character who happened to be part of Oliver’s story. Emily Bett Rickards came out of nowhere; the writers never saw Felicity coming. Because of this, everything from the writing, the acting, and audience reception progressed naturally. There were next to no preconceived perceptions or expectations when it came to Felicity - unlike the canon-compliant Lauriver. In counterpoint, Laurel was a character that could never stand on her own as an individual. Having a female character be so reliant on the main-male-character is not empowering and, personally turned me off the Lauriver “ship.” Everything about Laurel’s character relied on other characters (Oliver, her father, Tommy, even Sara). Where as, within the Olicity “ship” Felicity can stand on her own as an individual; she doesn’t need Oliver in her life to make her an interesting character. But, I’d say that I wouldn’t find Oliver half as interesting without Felicity. It’s rare to have the main-white-male character be reliant upon a female character! Emily’s unexpectedness and Felicity’s individuality made the character that much more real and likable for the majority of Arrow fans.

AVOIDING LOVE TRIANGLES…

With ALL that said, here’s 5 great sources of conflict in romance that don’t revolve around Love Triangles! Some of these were used in both the Olicity and Lauriver relationships. However, it’s how they were applied that make the real difference in getting your audience hooked on a “ship.”

That’s another thing – you’re not only worrying about hooking your audience on your overall story and characters as individuals! You’re also having to hook them onto a specific relationship. Because every love story needs a couple the audience wants to root for!

1) Lifestyle Differences - This leaves the initial chemistry between the couple intact while providing manageable conflict for a long-term relationship. This also helps showcase the couple’s individual priorities as opposed to shared priorities. To make it genuine, show how important these characters’ lifestyles are to them. There should, however, be a compromise in the end. Be certain to have BOTH parties compromise; that way you don’t mar your happy ending by making it look like one character feels or looks trapped, or that one of them had to stop being true to themselves by giving up their lifestyle!

Lauriver: Pre-island Lauriver had very different lifestyles. Laurel was a strict, ambitious student who wanted to have a successful career, get married, and be part of the ultimate power couple of Starling City. Ollie just wanted to party, sleep around, and ignore reality. Neither of these lifestyles gelled. Post-island Lauriver STILL had vastly different lifestyles. The one similarity they had (wanting to save the city in their own way) was quickly overshadowed by all their differences! Laurel was still career oriented (nothing wrong with that individually), but Oliver (new & improved) was solely focused on being the Hood. Also the fact that Ollie/Oliver was accustomed to the rich lifestyle he’d been born into. Laurel seemed to want to be part of that extravagant lifestyle, but she also spent an inordinate amount of time begrudging the elite lifestyle. There was no compromising pre-island party-animal-womanizing-billionaire-Ollie, nor the post-island Oliver who spent a great deal of his time pretending to be that guy. By this time, Laurel had grown very bitter.

Laurel wanted Ollie to change according to her idea of who he should be, while Ollie became Oliver without Laurel. The most character growth Oliver showed had nothing to do with Laurel and everything to do with his experiences on the Island (away from Laurel), as well as the influences of Digg and Felicity. Laurel didn’t play a part in Oliver’s significant character growth!

Olicity: They started out with lifestyle differences, but that evolved as they grew closer. Felicity was used to a frugal life as both the daughter of a Vegas waitress as well as a lowly IT girl. Both Ollie & S1 Oliver enjoyed a very high-end lifestyle. But as the show and their relationship progressed, Olicity moved towards each other to the point of sharing a common lifestyle. Oliver was brought down in the world, no longer the incalculably wealthy playboy; Felicity rose up in the world, going from lowly IT girl to businesswoman. At times, they often compromised and worked together equally. It's not just giving or taking - it’s a balance of the two. To top it off, they were good for each other and grew as individuals because of their shared experiences.

2) Cultural Taboos - Your character(s) may be ashamed of their feelings for someone. Maybe they were raised a certain way & view relationships differently. Maybe one partner is in to BDSM & the other isn’t. A shameful past. The possibilities are endless.

Lauriver: Ollie’s cheating is, IMO, definitely a taboo in my book. How does a hero come back from that in the eyes of the audience? Have him get repeatedly tortured on an Island of literal Purgatory. Having Laurel hold him accountable for his actions sounds great to begin with, but never letting him forget his shameful past (Oliver’s made it clear, he’s very ashamed of who he was) while simultaneously having her ready and willing to take him back with eager, open arms is more than a little contradictory!

It doesn’t make Laurel seem forgiving or empowering; it only serves to make the audience feel sorry for the new and improved Oliver because of Laurel’s judgments, as well as to emphasis her bitter bitterness. I would categorize the Merlance/Lauriver Love Triangle as taboo, too simply because, once again, it doesn’t paint Laurel in a positive light. It makes her look like she’s breaking apart a lifelong friendship, and the fact they’re both billionaires just makes her seem like a gold-digger, even if that wasn’t the writer’s intention. Overall, Laurel’s faux-feminism is the biggest taboo, IMO, especially with today’s recent wave of feminism – she’s every bad feminist stereotype!

Olicity: the fact that Oliver is a vigilante can be a taboo in itself, IMO. Laurel’s very against the Hood’s initial brand of vigilantism, even going as far as labeling him a “monster.” In S2 she actively hunts him. Her becoming a vigilante later in the story doesn’t change this problem because they still can’t compromise on a way to do things. While Felicity doesn’t always agree with Oliver’s methods, she sees the purpose behind them and she even gets him to take a new road to vigilantism through her open mind & ability to understand him. This helps encourage him to be open to new ways of doing things, as well as makes Oliver feel less ashamed of his past and less ashamed of the man he’s become!

3) Character Flaws - A perfect hero/heroine is boring, unrealistic, and downright impossible! So are perfect couples! Create intimacy or trust issues to make things more real. Maybe one of your characters suffers from PTSD, or is recovering from rape and trying to date again. Maybe one partner has a mental illness.

Lauriver: I may support the theory that Laurel is both Bipolar & Narcissistic, but neither of these things are addressed within the show’s narrative. In fact, very little of Laurel is addressed in the show’s narrative. Her alcoholism goes from nearly destroying her life to being cured overnight. And, if anything, it further drives a wedge between her and Oliver, as seen in 2x14. It shows up especially when Oliver points out Laurel’s addictive personality is what fuels her need to be a vigilante (see S3). Oliver sees Laurel’s problems, but Laurel doesn’t. More specifically, the show writers wrote Laurel as a flawed character, but allowed the show’s narrative to present her as if she could do no wrong; she never paid for her mistakes. They never addressed her flaws despite her being very flawed.

Olicity: The show’s narrative addresses Oliver’s PTSD, as well as Felicity’s psychological issues of abandonment. Simultaneously, Oliver and Felicity recognize these issues in each other. These issues are not ignore, not by the couple nor by the show’s narrative! Not only do they see the problems the other has, they face them both as individuals and as a couple.

4) Opposing Interests - Opposites attract, but do they really? And is that healthy, to a certain extent? What about mutually exclusive goals? Or a balance between their differences and similarities? Maybe they have opposing goals they need to work through. Possible “Pride & Prejudice” motif - but be careful not to make their hate and/or their past history with each other too toxic or it’ll be hard for the audience to fathom them being together at all!

Lauriver: At first glance they seem perfect for each other - or at least the image of them together does (even Laurel thinks so). They’re two beautiful people, one has the high end lifestyle (Ollie), the other is attracted to that same lifestyle but doesn’t quite have it (Laurel). They both want what’s best for the city (but too often clash in regards to how to save it). Their education, their individual approach to their careers, how invested they are in each other (Laurel wanted the marriage, house & 2.5 kids; Ollie/Oliver didn’t have a typical family so his perception of marriage, fidelity, and children were jaded to say the least). These two don’t compromise their goals/interests equally. By the time they are on common ground (when Laurel becomes a vigilante) they’re too often still at odds with each other.

Olicity: Oliver’s more brawn than brains, where as Felicity is all brains, all tech. Oliver’s a charming vigilante, & Felicity is his chatty tech-support. He was raised rich, but with much expected of him; she was raised by a single mother on a budget. And yet, in spite of their ‘Geek & the Beast’ motif, they actually share a lot of common goals. They both care a great deal for their family, even if said family has some skeletons in the closet. They both want to save the city can compromise on how to do that together. Felicity can see things from Oliver’s POV and he does the same for her. In spite of their differences, they still manage to work well together.

Lauriver Again: they may have a shared history, but that same history is filled with sooo much distrust, too much tragedy, and bitter anger that borders on hatred - they just never felt romantic. This is why it’s important to ensure that your couple doesn’t become toxic! Otherwise, it’s hard to believe they’re even a legitimate couple.

5) Magic - one character could be a witch/wizard, the other not. Or maybe one of them’s under a curse (”Beauty & the Beast” motif). What about soulmates?

There may not be any curses or magic in terms of the couples themselves, but the way that Olicity compliment each other, to the point that even their differences are just as much positive reinforcements to the foundation of their relationship as their similarities are. It makes them feel perfect for each other, even if they aren’t perfect individuals or a perfect couple.

#Meta #Romantic Conflict #Down with Love Triangles #Cliches #Twilight Saga #Hunger Games #Vampire Diaries #Arrow #anti-Lauriver #anti-Laurel Lance #Just To Be Safe #Sorry Not Sorry #Writing #submission

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ficdirectory · 7 years

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The Fosters: Our Thoughts on Episode 4x17 “Diamond in the Rough”

Time for another twin recap of The Fosters! As usual, look for @tarajean621‘s insight specific to brain injury in italics below:

Why Are You Still Detectiving? Seriously, Callie. Listen to Daphne and stop it. You don’t need to be out getting rando signatures because you think Troy is a liar. Leave your Justice for Jack shirts at home and leave the detectiving to the professionals.

Excuse Me For Thinking My Boyfriend Would Want to Help/I’m Sure He Does But That Doesn’t Mean Getting His Ass Arrested: Tell her, Daphne. Callie’s entitlement is super annoying.

They’re Not Scared of Me Yet. They Stupid: Right, you are, Daphne. And I love seeing you on the other side, leading the GU girls! How exciting! I’m so proud of you!

Where’s the Picture/Nope. No Picture This Time. What’s It Say? I have soooooo many feelings about this scene. It is obvious to me that Lena has been tipped off about Jesus’s reading difficulties. For the record, this is a really crappy way to confirm said difficulties. I would even go so far as to say that it’s cruel. Forcing Jesus to do something he is not physically able to do? Actively humiliating him, when a one-on-one conversation would accomplish the same thing? I expect far more of Lena, who has a background in child psychology and education.

Also, just the way she is speaking to him - terse and not at all warm. The whole situation is super disheartening.

I Have a Headache, Mama/No, You Don’t, Jesus. You Can’t Read It, Can You? This is a huge issue for the disabled community. Nondisabled people presuming to know a disabled person’s body and experience better than the person actually inhabiting said body, having said experience. Nondisabled people dismissing our legitimate symptoms because they seem like an excuse or come at an inopportune time.

For the record, headaches are common post-brain injury. (I would say that it was more surprising if I DIDN’T have a headache in the months after my injury.) They are also a common symptom of visual disturbances post-brain injury like those Jesus is experiencing.

Lena is not in Jesus’s body. She cannot feel what he is feeling. Therefore, it is ludicrous for her to dismiss his legitimate pain out of hand. And to follow it up with, “You can’t read it, can you?” She could have phrased that question a million different ways that were more sensitive to his self-esteem. Because these “little” comments and dismissals? They chip away pieces of us.

Why Can’t Anyone Fix Me? This line hit me right in the heart. I’ve been there. It is a legitimate question, especially in light of all the focus on what he cannot do or needs to improve on in therapy. I hope Jesus begins to realize that some of his abilities will come back with time. And some never will. And that is okay, despite what he is constantly being told about “getting better.” His abilities do not define him. He is different now, and that is okay too.

The Girl’s Name is Diamond. She’s the Victim, Not the Perp. A Lot of These Kids Come Out of the Foster System. They’re Starved for a Sense of Family. Some Love: Hope Olaide Wilson is clearly talented. They cast her really well.

Who’s Russell? Sure He’s Not Your Pimp? He Didn’t Brand You? Okay, wow, Stef.

There’s Nothing Wrong With Jesus’s Eyes. It’s His Brain That Can’t Read. The Doctor Gave Him These Glasses to Help His Brain Sort Things Out: Prism glasses are a thing. But wow, way to out Jesus’s medical info to the sibs. For a show usually so focused on Moms respecting each kids’ private information, this was disappointing. (Assuming, of course, that Jesus did not give off-screen permission for her to share.)

Also, just the language used in this scene is so negative. “Wrong,” “can’t read.” How about “Jesus’s eyes are fine. His brain is still sorting things out, and the glasses should help with that.”

You Look Like a Minion/They’re Giving Me a Headache: Making fun of adaptive equipment is never cool. We would never consider making fun of someone’s wheelchair - glasses are no different.

Yes, Brandon is Jesus’s brother. Yes, brothers poke fun. This instance is different because Jesus needs the glasses to (hopefully eventually) alleviate symptoms such as headaches, aching eyes, motion sickness, visual overload, difficulty with depth perception, visual attention, visual scanning and visual memory. By insulting Jesus’s appearance, Brandon is implying that Jesus’s adaptive equipment is unsightly. And it suggests that a nondisabled person’s comfort is of utmost importance, superseding even a disabled person’s medical necessity.

This is not even to begin to speak about the issues around identity and brain injury. Brain injuries are complex because, while they impact our abilities, they also impact how we think. And how we think is very closely linked to who we are. Often, post-brain injury, we do not “feel like ourselves.” This can be very frightening, because if I don’t feel like “me,” then who am I? I may not like the way I’m acting or the loss of my abilities or myself. So, then why would anyone I love continue to love me? Comments like Brandon’s, small as they may seem, really drive Jesus’s self-esteem down even further.

Really, Brandon?/Minions Are CUTE/And You’re a Jerk: Nice half-hearted reprimand, Lena.

Is He Getting Worse? I Noticed That His Speech is All Messed Up Again: Mariana, seriously? This is awful. If you’re wondering about Jesus, you know who you can talk to? Jesus. Not Mama. And you don’t have to make comments about how ‘messed up’ his speech is. This just makes me think of all the other times Mariana has come to Moms regarding something about Jesus. The first thing they did, always? Was to call Jesus into the room to talk to him, too. Now? Instead of going to him and including him in the conversation, or telling Mariana you’ll discuss it later when Jesus is up (and if he wants to talk about it) you’re having this whole conversation behind his back. To quote Ellen DeGeneres: “No, I say to that! No!”

Also, Jesus’s speech is “messed up” because the stress of admitting he could not read was ridiculously high. It’s called aphasia, Mariana. Look it up.

Hey Can I Get the Letter I Wrote to Your Brother? Don’t Want Anyone Else to Find It: Again, Emma. This would be something to ask Jesus. (But we know by now that Jesus has been sent from the room to lie down, and it’s the perfect time for Lena to keep talking about his medical issues behind Jesus’s back...) <--- Sarcasm

Not cool, Emma.

That’s the Thing With TBI, It’s Two Steps Forward, One Step Back. The Doctor Isn’t Worried About It. The Only Worry is How it Will Affect Jesus’s Morale: This makes me think that at least part of this conversation with Jesus’s doctor was held without him being present. And how about not discussing Jesus’s medical stuff in front of his brother and sister without him there? If you think he does not want to talk about it, don’t talk about it...especially with the siblings...come on Lena. With Stef, I understand, as you’re his parents and that conversation would be held in private. But as it stands now, it’s just you guys, talking about him behind his back.

Also, I take issue with the whole nebulous idea of “two steps forward, one step back.” Again, it takes legitimate issues that brain injury survivors deal with, and shoves them off to the side.

Okay So Maybe Comparing Him to a Cartoon Character Isn’t Very Helpful/Sorry: Mariana got an apology from Brandon, but Lena wouldn’t even call Brandon out for that in front of Jesus, so Jesus thinks it’s okay for the sibs to make fun of his adaptive equipment. Okay, then...

Yes, Mariana got an apology from Brandon. You know who didn’t? Jesus. The person Brandon actually insulted.

Kids Without Permission Slips, How Many Were There? Uh-oh, Lena. And what’s Drew (new acting vice principal) doing looking for kids randomly commenting about LGBT sex ed class.

Monte Still Has the Option Not to Pick Up My Contract, and Drew is Gunning for My Job: Ahhh, this is so terrible! Lena, you need your job!

Whether I’m on Leave or Not, I’m in Charge of Accreditation, Drew Knows That: Ooh, something feels shady. Why is Drew leaving Lena off the accreditation meeting related emails?

I Think You Look Cute in Your Glasses. Like Clark Kent/You Mean Urkel? Mariana, you’re trying to boost Jesus’s morale. Too bad it’s coming directly after Brandon’s assy comment.

We see Jesus’s self-perception here. :(

You’re Gonna Get Better/You Know, the More People Say That, the Less I Believe It? The problem with comments like this is, what if he does not have a miraculous recovery? Most brain injury survivors have long-lasting symptoms. By constantly “encouraging” Jesus in this way, his family is likely amping up his anxiety. Because what happens if he does not fulfill his family’s expectations?

Are You Drawing Again? Can I See?/No: I love that Jesus’s drawing is still a thing! I’m excited. I want to see it, too. But Jesus said no, so we should respect that, right Mariana? Right???

That right-sided tremor must be improving, looking at this drawing.

We Used to Always Want a Magic Treehouse of Our Own/I Wish That We Had One. I’d Go Back in Time Before Any of This Happened: This is a common feeling - wanting to go back to Before. I hope Jesus can begin to reconcile that he is in the After now, and that he can build a life here.

You Know Who Isn’t Alright? Jesus. He Needs a Project. Something to Look Forward To. And I Have an Idea: Of course, you do, Mariana.

Jesus Has Been Watching This Show About Treehouses and He’s Been Designing His Own Sketches and They’re Really Good. See? What if We Asked Gabe to Help Him Build One: I’m so on board with you through this point, Mariana. As Moms would need to know. And assuming you spoke to Jesus about this since you have his sketchbook. (But of course, we’re not privy to that conversation. Only the ones where Jesus is talked about.)

What If This Was Jesus’s Senior Project? On the one hand, I like this because it shows that Mariana has confidence in Jesus’s ability and his future, but it’s a lot to be planning and I do wonder if Mariana talked to him about this aspect before pitching it to Moms..

Why is Jesus not included his own potential senior project idea? This is getting old, family. Just saying.

I Don’t Think It’s a Bad Idea. It Could Help Jesus Get Out of His Depression. It Could Help His Brain Make Connections and the Design Is Pretty Cool: Because you’re Lena and everything has to be about rehab. It’s never okay for Jesus to be legitimately struggling...

AJ, You Are the Priority Here: I’m glad AJ and Mike finally talked about why Mike asked AJ if he was okay with Mike adopting him. And I have to say, regardless of what Mike says, it’s gonna be hard for AJ to accept that Mike really wants him, and doesn’t just want Ana to be able to move in...

What’s Wrong With My Shirt? It’s Got a Bunch of Tiny, Little Foxes on It. See? Hahaha, Brandon. Seriously, though. The problem is not your shirt. The problem is that you need to stop digging through Jesus’s stuff when Jesus isn’t there. I seem to remember you being pretty darn upset when AJ was taking your stuff without asking... (See the beginning of season 3.)

For Your Sake, I Hope That He Never Finds Out That You Knew All Along: Oh, Jesus will find out, Mariana. Not just about Brandon knowing, but about basically everyone in the family lying to him. And it’s not gonna feel good...

I Can’t Do This Anymore. I Want Out of This, But If I Try to Leave, He’ll Kill Me: Oh, Diamond :( I hate that you’re so hurt. And so stuck in a horrifying situation.

Don’t Worry. It’s Saturday. No One’s Here/Good ‘Cause I Look Like a Dork: There is nothing more scary than returning to school changed. :(

Think of Your Glasses and Your Helmet as a Fashion Statement. You’re Basically a Hipster Without Even Trying: Nice thought, Mariana. This still feels condescending, though.

Why Are You Wearing Your Glasses?/I Just Felt Like It: I do appreciate glasses-wearing solidarity.

You Guys Are Winning the Meeting Today?/You Mean the Meet? Yeah, We’re Up By a Couple Points: In a situation with high stress, Jesus’s speech is more affected. (He says “meeting” instead of “meet” because he is thinking about the meeting with Drew.) I appreciated the awkwardness of this encounter, but also that the kids were so excited to see Jesus. :)

Is This a Treehouse?/Yes. I Want to Build It: This whole meeting was infuriating. Drew seemed ready to take the drawing from Mariana. (She passed it to Jesus to hand to Drew instead.) Drew looks to Mariana first before the presentation begins. (A small thing, until you’ve been the disabled person in a scenario where the person you’re interacting with continually looks to the person with you instead of you.) Drew makes a clear snap judgment in these first few seconds with Jesus, and it’s very disappointing. (That aphasia impacts his intellect, specifically.) The kids in the hall interacted with Jesus better than Drew did.

I’m proud of Jesus for persevering through such a difficult speech situation. It’s good to get used to how something like that feels and realizing that you can get through it.

We’re Asking You to Resign: Oh wow, that was a twist. Poor Monte, though! She was just trying to protect the school by requiring permission slips and it looks like it came back to bite her :(

Get Washed Up for Dinner. Maybe Come and Help Us: Hahaha! As Tara just said, “Stef, your Teri’s showing.”

I’ve Been Saving the Money I Get for Fostering You. I Was Gonna Give It to You Anyway. Now I Can Use It For This. If You Want: I’m so glad Mike’s been thinking of a way that AJ can stay with Ty and also stay close. Flip flopping Ana and Isabella and him and Ty into that extra one-bedroom is a stellar idea and AJ seemed so happy. I have to add Tara’s comment, too, where she said that she’s really glad AJ didn’t thank Mike here. You could see he was grateful, but the money was meant to be used on him anyway. He does look so happy and settled, and relieved, and that’s great.

You’re Really Lucky Stef Got You Into GU/Yeah, I Know: Wow, Callie. Push Diamond to be a little more grateful...not.

I Spoke to Drew and He’s Not Going to Approve Jesus’s Senior Project: Of course he’s not...also, Lena, why are you having this conversation with Mariana and not with...I don’t know...Jesus?

Also, is a phone call to Mama the usual way to unapprove a senior project? Jesus did come in to present to Drew - the least Drew could do is extend the same courtesy by actually calling Jesus.

He Loved the Idea But He’s Not Convinced Jesus Will Be a Senior Next Year or Even If He’ll Be Back at Anchor Beach at All. He Thinks We Might Have to Send Him to a Special School: Okay, but really? First of all, apparently, because ABCC is a private school, Drew can get away with the egregious ableism and overt discrimination of dismissing Jesus’s senior project idea on a one-time meeting (ahem, snap judgement.) Also who exactly does Drew think he is to be telling Lena that Jesus might have to go to a ‘special school?’ That’s as bad as Dr. Danville saying that Jesus wouldn’t need a wheelchair based on Jesus lying in bed for two minutes.

Also, Lena? Why didn’t you fight for your kid? The idea that Drew could dismiss a project idea that he loved based on discriminatory ideas is just a bunch of malarkey and Lena should have been the one to point out that Drew is not in the position to judge what Jesus will or won’t be able to accomplish academically based on one meeting.

He’s Getting Better, Isn’t He?/He Is But With TBI There Can Be Setbacks. He Can’t Read Right Now and He’s Missing A Lot of School: Wow, Lena. Seriously. I get that you’ve got to be realistic about this but it just feels like one more betrayal of Jesus that you’re just lying down and not even speaking up on his behalf about this. I get that you might not be able to make headway but it sounds like you didn’t even try at all. Like you believe what Drew does, which is pretty devastating.

You Can’t Tell Him This Right Now. It’s Gonna Crush Him Even More/I Know: Great. I’m so glad Mariana and Lena are continuing the theme of these episodes which seems to be: Leave Jesus Out of Absolutely Every Pertinent Conversation and Lie to Him All the Time.

You Know What You Gotta Do. You Gotta Bring Me One of Those Girls: Nooo, Diamond. This is so terrible. :(

Drew Approved Your Senior Project/No Way. Really?/Kind Of...He Said It Needs to Be Both of Our Project Because It’s So Expensive: Okay, so Mariana is telling Jesus it is both of their senior projects. HIS drawing. HIS vision. HIS work. But he will not even get a GRADE for it? And Mariana will? Oh yeah, this will end well. <--- sarcasm

What’s That?/A Magic Treehouse Book. I Found It In the Attic/Will You Read It to Me? Why can’t everything in this episode be just like this? I absolutely adore these twin moments and the respect present here.

Everything Okay at GU?/Thanks for Getting Me in There. I Know I’m Really Lucky: Diamond makes sure to say this right in front of Callie so she knows that Diamond has taken Callie’s word (and all her gross forced gratitude) to heart.

I Could Hook You Up with a Music Producer: Diamond, I realize you feel like you have to do this but you don’t. Cristina, run away! She doesn’t know a music producer!

I Could Have Been Any One of Those Girls, If You Hadn’t Rescued Me and Jude: I relate so much to Callie feeling so indebted to Stef and Lena...

I Know I Said No More Secrets, But I’m Keeping One From My Brother. Don’t Know What to Do: Here’s an idea. Maybe stop lying to his face :(

We’re Sorry The Number You Are Trying to Reach Is No Longer in Service: Oh no! Gabe, where are you?

There Wasn’t a Complaint About the Sex Ed Class. Drew Told. Guess Who They’re Making Interim Principal? Oh fantastic :/

Do You Like Her?/Yeah, I Like Her. It’s Easy With Her. I Love You, Callie, But Everything With You is So Damn Hard. It Shouldn’t Be This Hard: I feel like the end of this episode came so fast. It still feels so abrupt (and convenient) that AJ breaks up with Callie. Because based on this preview, with her going with Aaron to meet his family, I don’t think that would have been as workable if she and AJ were still together.

For more: Fosters Recaps

#the fosters freeform #jesus and mariana #jesus adams foster #brain injury #tbi #aphasia #ableism #4x17 #diamond in the rough

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bewareofchris · 7 years

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Triath-anon: exactly, the female characters in sass are just so amazing. I have so many questions about Phyllis? Like, where do I even start? I get that she had a really bad life and that (miscarriages and cheating husband), but why is she so evil to everyone except Altair? Why was she so mean to Federico? What would Lucy have thought of her if they had met? Why did she dominate Altair's life so much that he did not consider his father as a real parent? I could probably go on. (1)

+ If Lucy had met Phyllis, she would have thought the same thing she thought when she hadn’t met her. Phyllis was basically the devil. The reverse is not true though, I think Phyllis would have really appreciated Lucy on a few different, important levels: 1. Lucy did not let her parents/her gender determine her position and path in life. 2. Lucy takes care of Desmond but she’s still the clear dominant half of the relationship, and if either of them needed to have bread-winning jobs, it would be Lucy, not Desmond. 3. Lucy would be/is a good Mother to her child. (And that is very important to Phyllis.)

there’s more:

+ It is important to remember that all Phyllis wanted was a child. In regards to why she’s evil to everyone except Altair (and if you consider she purposefully let his Father die after she had already stolen his child from him, you could make the case she was evil to him as well) that’s a bit complicated.

+ See, Phyllis had older, almost fully grown brothers that died during the flu epidemic. Those older sons were her Father’s beloved heirs, the ones that were set to inherit the name/family/everything. When they died, her Father kind of flipped his shit but also was a miserable, old fat man. He remarried a very young, pretty girl and impregnated her (and she probably enjoyed 0 things about being married to him, except maybe the money) and as he was an old, fat man, he either didn’t or could not try twice. So he ended up with Phyllis. Now he didn’t want a female because he needed an heir and he wanted his sons back.

+ I’m not saying Phyllis was hated by her father but he simultaneously prepared her for a life she couldn’t inherit and kept her from learning what she needed to know to inherit said life. He didn’t educate her about anything important but he kept her with him so she always saw how he handled business. Being an old, miserable, fat guy he was basically hateful to everyone.

+ Phyllis was the sole heir to an enormous fortune, she always got everything she wanted. She even got Calvin, which she shouldn’t have.

+ so lets talk about what kind of pervert Calvin is. Phyllis fell in love with Calvin on the spot because he was a handsome guy and she was a stupid kid. And she decided that since she wanted him, she was going to get him. Now she was an easy target because she was LITERALLY A CHILD and Calvin wanted her Daddy’s money. (He even went to war to get it.) But Calvin is like one step removed from being an actual god-damn pedophile.

+ It’s not shown in Peach because Mrs. Finch wouldn’t have been there to see it, but Calvin definitely took his time about grooming/reinforcing Phyllis’ childish infatuation with him so he could marry her. He led her right along to the idea that they would be so happy together, he promised he loved her and since he started doing this WHILE SHE WAS A CHILD, and since he went off to war and almost died and came home a war hero (to pick up grooming her where he left off), Phyllis was entirely 100% stupidly devoted to him. She had to have him.

+ Calvin, however, was down to fuck whatever teenage lady he could get his hands on. He was fucking around on Phyllis long before he started knocking women up. In fact, he probably has a lot of children scattered across the globe, just check the cities he was in for traumatized/conned teenager ladies and you’ll find his children.

+ Fuck Calvin

+ Back to Phyllis, remembering that all she wanted was a child, and remembering she’d just survived a childhood of being raised as an heir apparent with no actual throne to inherit (and no actual education either), and survived motherfucking Calvin, the fact that she keeps having miscarriages and is constantly belittled by having grief over the lost babies by her husband (who she thought loved her) is EXTREMELY DAMAGING.

+ In fact, Phyllis figured out what kind of thing Calvin was but she protected him because she’d been raised around the idea that he was hers and she was his. This could have carried on indefinitely if his love children hadn’t shown up.

+ because our pal, Phyllis is entirely made up of sheer power of will. Phyllis had never been told she couldn’t have something she wanted and she had never wanted something she didn’t get (except a child). Unlike Altair who ended up being a rather fragile ego sort of man, Phyllis really was that kind of person that is 100% capable and 100% determined and nobody saw that about her except Mrs. Finch and those two rabid lawyers, Walters and Ferdinand.

+ So, Phyllis figures out she’d been had, (in a lot of ways) and cannot rationalize the things that Calvin had done/continued to do any longer. She had to deal with the idea that she’d been conned, used and allowed it to happen to others. This was a pivotal moment in Phyllis life because she could have either become a great force of good in the world: full of kindness and giving, taking the shit lot she drew but overcoming it and making sure it didn’t happen to others.

+ ok, yes but Phyllis was furious and she was powerless. From the very first moment she finally decided she couldn’t sit quietly and watch these things happen until the day she died, Phyllis could not tolerate any form of weakness in anyone for any reason. Not herself, not the children, not anyone. For an itemized list of why she hates everyone:

1. William Miles: he was a whiny, troublesome child that looked like his father. He had a child just because he heard he’d get money out of it. (AND THAT USELESS MOTHERFUCKER THEN HURT HIS SON)1a. anyone who supported/sided with William over Desmond. This one is obvious. Anyone who sides against the welfare of a child basically deserves to die (in Phyllis’ very skewed, biased opinion).2. Mama Maria: she was a leech, and she was a (obnoxiously) strict Mother.3. Edward’s Mother (who has a name now): impulse control issues/no self-esteem.4. Edward: he loved his mother, and I know that seems like a stupid reason but Edward is the only child besides ALtair that would have given Phyllis what she wanted. Except Edward loved his Mother despite the fact that she abused/neglected him and Phyllis couldn’t have ever truly had him as her child. He already had a Mother.5. Federico: well, he’s a shit. He was an insolent child that was raised to put a smile on his face but he bullied his brother, he tattled on people and he thought he was better than everyone around him. Federico took a beating when he was owed one though, and Phyllis did admire that about him.

+ (I mean, Phyllis didn’t like anyone, but the time she got Altair I don’t think she was capable of empathy or attachment. I think she loved Altair as best she could but that doesn’t mean it would have counted as love by any other person’s definition.)

+ Now, Altair’s unique position made him perfect for Phyllis. He had no Mother. This was vastly more important than any other factor in how he ended up being Phyllis’ child. She also did like Maud; (she genuinely did like Maud, enough to try to send her away to protect her.) He did have a biological father standing around looking all shell-shocked and ill-prepared. Since Phyllis had, at that time, faced off against all kinds of megalomaniacs and slapped dictators in the face and taken over her own company, and developed a habit of regularly belittling and psychologically torturing her husband (who she arguably kept as a prisoner for the last, long years of his life) taking care of one man caught in the throes of very sudden grief was no big.

+ I mean, Phyllis probably should have just hired a dude to shank Omar but then the adoption process might have been a little bit muddied.

+ The main point here is, Phyllis spent her entire life wanting a child. She had a lot of them and none of the worked for her because every single child that she took in/tried to care for ALREADY HAD A MOTHER. Enter Altair, a perfect infant, with absolutely no mother to speak of.

+ Omar never stood a chance. If he hadn’t died of natural causes, Phyllis probably would have actively killed or deported him. He was never even a slight thought. As to why he allowed it, he probably wasn’t given a choice. Or his choice was, at best, to go along or lose all connection with his child. For that matter, since Phyllis was always nice to and nice around Maud, Altair’s own mother probably asked Omar to trust Phyllis.

+ THINK ABOUT THAT ONE A MINUTE.

+ But Altair genuinely loved his Grandmother. And she tried to be fair, as far as she was capable of being at that point in her life, and the only way she could do that was to make sure he didn’t call her Mother. I mean she let his Dad die, but she preserved the idea that his (deceased) Mother deserved his love and respect.

+ seriously, fuck Calvin.

#Sass Verse #triath-anon

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leavingcertnightmares · 4 years

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Identify the positive and negative effects of developing a sense of ethnic identity

In my opinion there are many examples of both positive and negative effects of developing a sense of ethnic identity. With a recent rise in both left-wing and right-wing extremism, it is becoming increasingly clear that global politics at the moment is quite culturally charged. Both the Rwandan Genocide and the ongoing Uighir re-education camps of China show the distinct negative effects of developing a strong sense of identity. There are however, examples of identity having a positive effect, such as the Maori community in New Zealand, and the small multi-cultural town of Ballyhaunis, Co. Mayo. Who show Appiah’s theory of cosmopolitanism can work as more than just a theory.

Unfortunately there are many examples of ethnic and cultural identity leading to violence and genocide. One such example is the Rwandan Genocide of 1994. In only 100 days around 800,000 people were killed, and all on cultural grounds. Rwanda, a country once colonised by Belgium, was made up of two clearly divided communities, the Hutus who made up 85% of the country’s population, and the Tutsis who believed they were superior to the Hutus and ruled Rwanda. In 1994 the Tutsi president Juvenal Habyarimana was assassinated. This sparked the beginning of the ‘Ethnic Cleansing’ perpetrated by the Hutus against the Tutsis, otherwise known as the Rwandan Genocide, one of the darkest events in modern human history. It is estimated that up to 500,000 women were raped and 100,000 children were orphaned or abducted, as well as the millions killed both in the genocide and its aftermath.

This catastrophic conflict was based completely on cultural grounds. It was no war between nations nor a battle for land. It was the direct result of developing a strong sense of identity. To quote one of our key theorists, Samuel Huntington ‘We know who we are only when we know who we are not, and often only when we know whom we are against’. Huntington’s main thesis was that, post-Cold War, wars would be fought not between countries but between cultures, and this is clearly true in this example.

Another good example of identity and culture leading to clash and bloodshed is Xinjiangs ‘re-education’ camps in China, which are easier described as concentration camps. The concentration camps contain Uighurs (Muslims of turkish descent) who have been interned without trial and are subjected to the most terrible abuses imaginable. The UN has been advised that the crimes against the Uighurs that have been ‘proved beyond reasonable doubt’ include being operated upon while still alive, and having their ears, kidneys, livers, lungs, cornea and skin removed to be sold. Comparisons with the Nazi regime are entirely appropriate when it is taken into consideration that many of these organs have been harvested from those who are viewed as enemies of the Chinese state. They include members of the Falun Gong spiritual group, who practice a form of Buddhism. Tibetans and members of some Christian minorities are also suffering the same fate. As China grows increasingly more strict on its policies of religious diversity the camps are being used as an obvious way to preach communist propaganda and stamp out religious beliefs. Survivors of the camps have told the UN that they were made to ‘read and sing for hours on end’ about Xi Jinping’s rule, and were asked ‘Where is your God now?’ during beatings. Yet Beijing insists that ‘They are boarding schools that provide trainees with free job skills training and work experience. This keeps them away from harmful extremist ideas’. (edit: I know that is a lot on one case study, but i was researching it as i wrote it and got a little carried away)

Despite the Chinese government’s attempts to dissuade the UN, it is very clear that these camps are a direct result of the country trying to force people to conform to their identity. In this case the effects of developing a strong sense of identity are undoubtedly negative. Again Huntington’s theory of war on cultural grounds is particularly appropriate, as this is most definitely a conflict based on cultural differences and a threatened sense of identity. Kwame Appiah also comes to mind as an example of a relevant theorist for this case study. His book ‘Cosmopolitanism’ directly addresses a potential solution for this conflict, respecting the identity of others so that they may live in peace. It does not mean that all of China has to be muslim, or religious in any way, only that they should respect that at least some of their population are.

Not everywhere in the world has suffered these huge identity conflicts, there are many examples of communities whose strong ethnic identity has had profoundly positive effects. One such example is the Maori community in New Zealand. Although they only make up 15% of New Zealand’s population, they have had a huge impact on the country as a whole. Their language and traditional dances and greetings are staples of New Zealand and are known around the world. This is an example of cosmopolitanism at its finest. The western and Maori communities live peacefully alongside one another, each being tolerant and respectful of the others traditions and beliefs.

It has also been shown that the strong ethnic identity, and sense of family connectedness within the maori people has led to greater psychological and social well-being. A 2014 study conducted by The Victoria University in Wellington, surveyed 431 maori teenagers and found that participation in cultural activities and traditions resulted in wellbeing over long periods, due to a higher sense of ethnic identity. It makes sense, especially for the Maori, whose core values include kindness, inclusion, and responsibility for nature, that taking pride in this identity would have positive effects.

However there is conflicting research regarding the positive influence of cultural identity on health outcomes for Maori. A thesis by Nicole Coupe found that a secure Maori identity, healthy connections to social groups, and a sense of belonging were protective against suicide. Nonetheless, Colin Tatz’s thesis reported that some Maori youth who were immersed in Māori culture, still died from suicide, and at a much higher rate then their european classmates. In contrast, Dannette Marie found that sole Maori ethnicity was associated with increased exposure to childhood physical abuse and interparental violence. Setting this aside, it is clear from research that a strong sense of identity does improve the wellbeing of maori youth. It shows Said’s idea that ‘survival in fact is about the connectedness between things’ to be true.

An alternative case study that illustrates the unequivocal positive effect of a secure sense of identity on wellbeing, is the small town of Ballyhaunis Co. Mayo. The Irish Times has called it ‘The most Cosmopolitan town in Ireland. From the 1970’s onwards Pakistani and Syrian refugees arrived seeking asylum, and in more recent years a surge of economic migrants from eastern europe have also taken up residence in the town. Nowadays two thirds of the local national school speak a language other than english, and only 40% of the town as a whole is ‘white irish’. Ballyhaunis is one is the only towns in ireland with a purpose built mosque.

From 2006-2011 the population soared 38%, nearly all foreign migrants. These asylum seekers and migrants are all encouraged to join or support in the local GAA teams, which play a key role in the towns traditions. Ballyhaunis boasts a culturally diverse GAA team with all kinds of kids taking part. So much so that The Guardian filmed a documentary about it. This documentary also highlights the towns annual ‘integration day’, in which all the flags of the people of Ballyhaunis are taken out and displayed as a celebration of diversity, and a way of welcoming anyone new to the town.

This is a picture perfect example of Appiah’s Cosmopolitanism theory. Ballyhaunis has admirably shown tolerance and acceptance of their newfound neighbours. They not only live peacefully but celebrate and accommodate each others traditions and beliefs.

After researching both the positive and negative effects of identity on a community it has become clear to me that inter-ethnic violence is a serious issue both throughout history and in today’s political climate. It is also clear communities do exist that celebrate identity and are willing to accept others. Unfortunately it is hard to come to a definite conclusion on this particular topic, as so many conflicting examples are ongoing. I most definitely support cosmopolitanism and recognize the importance of tolerance, however I can’t help but think that it will be a long time before Appiah’s ideal world becomes reality. H1 Standard:100%

#politics

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