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psycholojosh · 4 years ago

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Road to RPsy: A master's student's guide for Filipino psychology graduates in making a career headway in the Philippines - Part 1

Let's paint this picture for a moment...

You get into your psychology program (or any other program) in a Filipino college or university. You study hard. And then, you achieve your well-deserved bachelor's degree. While you shake hands and celebrate for about a month (just as you should), you sooner realize and ask, "Now what?" Then, you ponder on how to get your career in clinical psychology started. Possibly, you got anxious, confused, or maybe even determined.

If this is (or was) you, don't worry! You're perfectly okay. Trust me, I've been there before... and we shouldn't feel ashamed for this.

Which is why I'd like to take this time to write about my personal and professional experiences as a college graduate of psychology in the Philippines, and how I managed to craft my own headway into getting clinical training and graduate studies for clinical psychology. I sincerely hope that this little article would help a fellow psychology graduate craft their own headway into clinical psychology (or any other field of the sort). I'd also like to share some tips from my past and present mentors, colleagues, coworkers, and professors that I find useful to take note of.

I separated this into a series of articles to keep reading concise and organized. For this part, I start off with discussing...

What psychology careers in the Philippines looks like

How goals can be set in order to get an RPsy; and

Selecting the postgraduate school or program for you

Keep reading to find out more!

Key Points (TL;DR)

There are many myths and misconceptions that narrow one's view about psychology and its careers; but there are actually a lot of opportunities.

Keep yourself open to opportunities, be it for training or career, that will help propel you to snatching an RPsy license.

Clinical experience is key. But, do not discount non-clinical experiences as well.

Practice 'SMART' (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound) goal setting for your career.

Choosing a school is dependent on your preferred training, scholastic interests, career goals, personal motivations, and (financial) resources.

Before I begin...

I'd like to first disclose what my biases and limits are, and what potentially could be a matter that you, dear reader, should consider before taking any advice from me. So, here's a little bit about myself...

Firstly, I am a young adult and pretty much novice to the field of psychology. I have gone through two years (and counting) of clinical experience as a licensed psychometrician. I do not declare myself an expert yet, nor do I pride myself as the most reliable person in the field of psychology. This article is written purely in my personal perspective and experiences. That said, I will do my best to offer you up-to-date information and objectivity that may support or criticize my views.

Secondly, I come from a very middle-class family. My parents made just about enough for us to pay the bills, to feed, clothe, and shelter us, and to give us a decent education. I firmly think this disclosure is very important since not everyone has the same privileges in terms of education, opportunity, and resources. There are some career decisions that I have made or experienced because I had the capacity to make them so despite certain critical tradeoffs (like, getting less pay). As of writing, I would say that our status is still the same, even if I make my own profit with my college degree. I will do my best to be considerate about the differing backgrounds among people, especially when it comes to privilege offered by social class.

Lastly, I'd like to emphasize that my word is not gospel and should not be taken easily by those who seek importance or utility to what I will share. The tone I will use will be very personal - as this is my personal blog. Plus, I will be largely biased towards clinical psychology, as it is the field I am in. You may find that some pieces of advice will resonate more with you than others. Conversely, you might find that some pieces of advice may be unhelpful for you. Hence, I welcome any criticism to my personal views and open myself to a healthy discussion. (Feel free to reach me through my Ask page here on my blog.) I highly encourage you, dear reader, to look for more opinions from more seasoned professionals in the field.

Now, on to the article...

The current scene of psychology careers in the Philippines

As I was graduating, it was important for me to look for information about careers in psychology in the country. After all, as you will see later, getting an idea of psychology's zeitgiest (a term used by historians to refer to the salient "mood" or "spirit" of ideas or beliefs of, say, an academic field) this country will inform you in your career goal setting and considering options that will lead you to where you want to be.

Psychology in the Philippines has a lot of stereotypes, myths, and misconceptions brought about by pop psychology spread across the masses. Here are some of the popular ones (and my personal favorites) which you may have already heard from people around you:

"Sa HR mapupunta ang isang Psych grad." ("Psych grads end up in HR [work].")

"Psych ka? Magme-med/Maglo-law ka ba?" ("You study Psych? Are you pursuing med/law?")

"Wala naman masyadong pera/future sa Psych." ("There's no money/future in Psych.")

"Psych? So yung mga baliw yung trabaho mo?" ("Psych? So you work on crazy people?")

And there's plenty more where that came from. Funnily enough, my college friends and I used to do a game where we take a shot of liquor for each myth said to us. (Drink responsibly, kids!) But, as psychology graduates, we know that these aren't completely true.

Now, let's take a look at how we can argue in psychology's defense and dignity and accept what the common person has gotten correctly.

Psychology practice in the Philippines

It's important to note that the term 'psychologist' or 'psychology practitioner' has different meanings in various contexts. Often, we think about psychologists as those who does therapy and plays around with psychological instruments. While this is somewhat true, a more academic language would refer to a 'psychologist' or 'practitioner' as someone who earned their degree in psychology - regardless of specialty - and has built their career in praxis of psychology. As I go along in this section, I'll refer to the 'psychologist' as the latter definition.

Clinical and counselling. In a 2004 article by Cristina Montiel and Lota Teh published in the International Handbook of Psychology, the authors enumerated on and expounded the most popular fields and specializations that psychology practitioners work in. Clinical or counselling practitioners lead in this list, often delving into psychotherapy, interventions, and assessment in various settings -- of which I have had experience on. I think this appears to be only partially true today, which I'll explain in a bit. You would find most practitioners doing their clinical practice in private clinics, hospitals, and schools. It's important to note, however, that most practitioners of this subfield have postgraduate degrees, and - since the year 2014, when Republic Act No. 10029 was enacted - a board license from Philippine Professional Regulation Commission (PRC). These licensed professionals have the names: 'RPsy' for psychologists.

However, bachelor's degree holders were also permitted to practice with their own little license: an 'RPm' or 'registered psychometrician' - which I have. These licensed professionals, get to practice assessment and several other supportive clinical functions - but not psychotherapy. The catch? You legally and ethically need to be supervised by a licensed psychologist. I'd like to get into the nitty-gritty differences and nuances of these two licenses, but I'll save that for another article. In the meantime, you must understand that these two have disparities in terms of their education attainment, clinical skills, and professional autonomy.

During my oath-taking ceremony as a psychometrician in 2018, Dr. Regina Hechanova-Alampay, a known Filipina in the fields of industrial-organizational and community psychology (and the mom of one of my dear friends), stated in her keynote address that the approximate ratio of each RPsy to each Filipino citizen is 1 to 100,000. A 2018 study has pointed this approximation to be accurate. Similarly, my former clinical supervisor approximated that the ratio of RPsy supervisors to RPm supervisees is 1 to 2,000. These numbers are quite a lot! Needless to say, there is a shortage of supply of clinical practitioners for the demand and a large influx of RPm's that have less clinical autonomy. And with an ever-growing relevance and awareness to the field of mental health in the country, these numbers are concerning. But -- hold on. If there are a lot of RPm's being produced yearly, where do they go?

Industrial-organizational and human resources. Montiel and Teh accounted that the second most abundant field in the country is in industrial-organizational (I/O) psychology or human resources (HR). This is where I think most psychology graduates usually end up in after college these days. Daresay, this is the fastest way to earn money as a fresh college graduate. But does that mean that the stereotype is necessarily true? It really depends on the way an employer values the employee and how much one is capable of doing a job. Sometimes, you get paid more, just right, or less.

I/O psychologists or HR practitioners often deal in corporate or organizational settings, often concerned with their person-related matters. They have skills like recruiting talent or labor, assessing worker needs, evaluating individual performances, or developing workers of a company - just to name a few. Do they need a license like an RPsy or RPm? Not necessarily.

You would often find job postings for HR positions that would often "prefer" a psychology graduate with a license, but sometimes "require" it. Therein lies some grey areas about how the professional licenses' stipulations are interpreted. But, let's not get into that just yet. But in my opinion, if people saw the utility of getting a license (which has its own financial costs of acquiring) as a way to improve compensation or marketability in the workforce, then they should get it.

Not all industrial-organizational psychologists, however, delve into the office hours and paper works. Some others go into research - particularly on topics like employee behaviors, group dynamics, and so on. It's important to think that these types of practitioners are just as versatile as other subfields in psychology.

Academia and other niches of psychology. As per Montiel and Teh, another large chunk of practitioners often end up in the academe. They become educators in various levels, researchers, or expert consultants depending on their interest, skill, and reputation. For example, developmental psychologists (or those who specialize in child psychology) get hired in preschools or alternative modes of learning. It was also mentioned briefly that social psychologists often find themselves in the social development sector, like the National Economic Development Agency (NEDA) or the Department for Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). Other common settings for psychology graduates to work in includes government facilities and the military, where their knowledge about human behavior are often found useful.

Research skills are also found useful in areas like market research and analytics. Because psychology graduates have knowledge about fundamentals of statistics and psychological measurement, a lot of these businesses employ their help in order to understand their target market's consumer behaviors and make informed decisions to increase profit. Other information about making a career in business can come be read in a lot of psychoeducational websites, like in Verywell Mind.

Overall, there is a plethora of careers a psychology graduate can delve into, especially for a fresh graduate like yourself. Over time, you would find that certain subfields would resonate more with you than others. You may often wonder which one - or a combination of more - would lead you to your career or personal ambitions. Now that you know how vast a career in psychology can be, it's a matter of choice and planning ahead, which leads me to the next section.

Goal-setting: Which road to take and what to expect

Eyeing the precious RPsy license won't be an easy task. Then again, would the hardships matter if it's worth it anyway? It's important for you, dear reader, to think about how you want to get to that goal.

Should one want to take a straightforward path, she or he would have taken their master's or doctorate studies in clinical or counselling psychology for the following three to five years (with coursework, practicum, and perhaps thesis or dissertation), then take the board exam from the PRC. I have a couple of friends who have done so, and it works for them.

However, for the likes of many of us - myself included - we may not have the same luxury of time or resources to afford us this direct route. Because of many personal needs (ahem-- financial), we may need to find a way to secure these as we go along our road to the RPsy. And how could I forget the costs of postgraduate studies alone? Which is why we'll need to earn or find income.

The best job or experience that can afford you a good head start in clinical psychology is the one closest to it. As my former supervisor, Paula, once said, "Clinical experience is key." For example, you can find psychometricians assisting with psychological assessments in various settings. Others delved into social or community work -- sometimes as a volunteer. The likelihood for one to get accepted in clinical or counselling training programs, like a postgraduate degree or certification training, is increased when one has had a hand on a similar line of work. But this is not to say that any other job is unimportant -- no. There's growing research on the various applications of mental health practice on non-clinical settings, like schools, offices, and even micro-communities. The possibilities are actually numerous. That said, I cannot guarantee how abundant these opportunities are.

There are a few things to consider when looking for a job or a source of income:

In terms of career, what are your yes's, maybe's, and no's? Make individual lists of the occupations you can say these three answers to.

How soon are you planning to achieve an RPsy license? As soon as the next four years? Or, maybe you want to take it slow and say ten?

What job and/or study opportunities are available to you at the moment? How comfortable will the setup be for you?

How much resources and time are available to you for work, study, and personal matters? Which of these do you prioritize more?

How much are you willing or do you need to be compensated to afford such a lifestyle?

As you formulate answers to these questions (especially, the last two), keep in mind that a more effective goal setting follows a 'SMART' process. That is: it is specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound. (More info about this process right here.) Patterning our goals to these dimensions helps us look at ourselves objectively and find an integrated way to live our lives productively.

In my personal experience, after graduating college, I took a two month break to enjoy the fruits of my hard-earned college degree with a "vacation" (which mostly staying home, if I'm being honest). In my mind, I knew that getting a master's degree is a must for me; a ladderized doctorate program was also amenable but I wanted to get that training abroad. But, I wanted to make myself more immersed in the field before I can enter a graduate program. I applied to different jobs - a psychological services consultant (which I primarily wanted), a personal development teacher in senior high, and a research analyst. Luckily, I got the job that I wanted and reaped clinical experience. (I'll write more about my first experiences in the clinic in another post.) A year later, I applied and got into the clinical program of the University of the Philippines. And now, I've been taking coursework on clinical psychology while working as a research associate of a particular office in the same university.

I understand, however, that not everybody could find the "perfect" balance or ideal solution to all of these concerns. In fact, I don't think anyone can -- unless you were blessed with such a life. Why? This is where I reflectively talk about my privilege (as I did at the beginning). Awareness of your own opportunities makes us think fully or subconsciously about our own status in the social system. Whether we like it or not, it affects many of the career - and more broadly, life - decisions depending on where we stand in our lives. Which is why I advocate for practicality. We may not always select the ideal -- but the principle of survival is important, especially in an underdeveloped country like the Philippines. As Montiel and Teh pointed out, poverty and economics have affected psychology practice and it opportunities in the country.

Can goals or plans change? Short answer is 'yes'. There are many reasons why our plans change. It may be because we find ourselves being presented by new or better opportunities. Or perhaps, we discover more personal insights and realizations about the career we want and how to get it. Life can be complex to influence our decisions within or without our control. Whatever the reason is, it is important for one to be able to evaluate one's strengths and weaknesses, limits and boundaries, and our emotions and motivation to keep us going.

Choosing your school: Which one should I go to?

It's very common for a psychology graduate to ask: Where should I get my clinical training? Again, this is dependent on your resources, time, and preferences. Coupled with these is the opportunities (or as Bandura would put it - chance encounters and fortuitous events).

Locally, there are about 60% of schools that offer master's degrees in clinical or counselling psychology as per Commission of Higher Education (CHED). A fewer percentage offers Ph.D. or doctorate equivalent degrees in clinical or counselling psychology, the three most famous being (as per Montiel and Teh): the Ateneo de Manila University, the University of the Philippines, and University of Santo Tomas. However, there is a growing number of urban and rural schools that offer postgraduate studies and attract local aspirants to enroll in their programs. At the top of my mind, St. Louis' University in Baguio City has been regarded as one of the best in developmental psychology (currently considered as a viable alternative to clinical psychology). Likewise, the De La Salle University in Manila, a member of the colloquially regarded "Big Four Universities," is gaining traction for their clinical program very recently.

Focusing on a school's reputation is not enough, however. What, us, clinical psychology hopefuls often look over is the training itself. Circling back to my guide questions on goal setting, preferences often come into play when deciding your training. For most, who prefer a general track in clinical psychology, many schools offer a flexible education to ensure you get the wide knowledge of the field, without undermining the core or essentials. Others may teach clinical psychology in a more specific way, favoring practical experiences like internships over theorizing in the classroom. Factors like faculty composition and expertise, paradigm, and school culture often influence how these training programs are developed. What I find helpful to attain this information is to ask these departments and institutions directly. Another approach is asking a friend taking up a program in that school. No harm in inquiry! Ask away.

Of course, like what I have also emphasized in this article, is the sensitive yet important issue of money. To be specific, your tuition. Clinical training in the Philippines ranges from ₱10,000 to ₱50,000.00 a year. The trend (as I've observed from applying in different schools) is that the more privatized and more "complex" the education, the higher the cost. Public schools often come cheaper than private schools. Consider your capacities for funding your education (including where it comes from) and weigh it with your preferences to make an optimal choice of school or program.

A popular notion among graduate students, or those heading into graduate school, is that public schools, like where I study, often take longer to finish a master's degree than others. Well, there are many factors to this. One is faculty size, for example. How many qualified teachers does the school have that supplies a smooth progression for a graduate student to complete their degrees? Another factor - which many often forget to attribute as well - is the student's motivation. It is not uncommon for a graduate student to fluctuate in wanting to accomplish their degrees. It really depends on how determined one is to see things through (which takes a lot of doing, if I do say so myself).

Overall, choosing a school is much less of an issue when it comes to time, but more so when it comes to practicality. In my opinion, any school that gives you basic competencies, regardless of reputation, is enough. In fact, most of my supervisors did not even settle for their graduate training alone. The field of clinical psychology (much like the other fields) is ever changing and adapting to the times. You often find a lot of trainings, seminars, and specialization programs that practitioners study or enroll in order to keep their practice up to date and ethical. Learning and personal growth, especially as clinicians, should not stop after we receive our degrees and licenses. Again, this calls back to the point of keeping an open eye and open mind on the opportunities that come our way.

Now that we discussed the first three tips, I plan to take a break here and let you, dear reader, reflect on things that will help you make your headway to that RPsy license. Do more reading. Ask questions. Seek answers. And explore yourself and the world to get a better sense of the pathway ahead.

I do hope that this discussion helps! See you on the next one.

#psychology graduates #psychometrician #psychologist #RPm #RPsy #filipino psychology #career tips #philippines #RoadToRPsy #filipino psychometrician #grad school #grad student #RPmNotes

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whitehotharlots · 5 years ago

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The triumph of lunacy

There’s a trend in the social justice sphere that encapsulates the self-defeating idiocy of our present moment. During official meetings meant to address or raise awareness of issues of racial justice, all the white people present are expected to call themselves racist, provide examples of their racism, and explain what they’re doing to avoid being racist in the future.

I am not exaggerating, and this is as cult-like as it sounds: to enter into the discussion, you must start by saying “My name is Mark, and I’m a racist.”

This is not a fringe activity. It’s a completely mainstream part of racial justice programming. A student in Nevada is suing his school after administrators threatened to deny him graduation because he refused to call himself racist. A quick twitter search reveals dozens of examples (which I am omitting to avoid accusations of “generating death threats” or whatever), and this has been covered extensively in right wing media. This is mainstream, even if we want to pretend that it’s not.

Now, looking at this just in the abstract, a few seconds of scrutiny shows us how idiotic and self-defeating this practice is. I accept the notion that everyone is prejudiced to some degree and that most white Americans receive some structural advantages in some spaces. In this very obscure sense, you can argue that all white people are racist. Fine. But if a term is applied to literally everyone and everything, it loses its utility. If everyone is racist, then “racist” is a meaningless designation.

In practice, however, this is even more insane than it sounds. Because of course the purveyors and participants in these ritualistic humiliation sessions don’t really think that everyone is racist. If they did, they wouldn’t go through the ritual. Obviously, the people calling themselves racist are being coerced into doing so. Every person who says “My name is Mary, and I’m a racist” is thinking in the back of their head that they’re not really racist, that this confession serves as an act of ablution. And, in a truly lunatic twist of irony, the people who are regarded as racist after these sessions are the ones who did not call themselves racist.

Madness. Absolute madness.

This is precipitated, of course, by guilt. White liberals realize, correctly, the the world is fucked. The politicians and organizations that putatively represent their views have done the opposite and accelerated widespread brutality. The man who invented mass incarceration was sold as the only way to avoid “fascism.” There’s no hope of a more decent future. They feel like shit and will do anything, even self-flagellation, to glimpse the feeling that maybe they’re kind of sort of partway making the world less horrible. They’re not--objectively, this type of gross bullshit is alienating, makes non-insane people disengage with the movement, and has been empirically proven to reduce empathy and make people more hateful. But they feel a little better for doing it.

Beyond guilt, however, lies coercion. I’ll bet the vast, vast majority of people who have subjected themselves to these struggle sessions didn’t believe a word they were saying but were just going along to avoid getting in trouble. Personally, I’m not going to lose my job and my healthcare just to avoid a few moments of cynical embarrassment. Very few people would.

It was just today that I realized how commonplace this type of dishonesty has become. If you live or work in a liberal space, ask yourself this question: how many times in the last few years have you professed a belief in something you knew was crazy? How many times have you been made to signal approval for ideas that you knew to be harmful, impossible, or reactionary in order to avoid being branded an Enemy of Social Justice? How many times have you stayed silent and let yourself be bullied into feigning support for policies and procedures that contradict your beliefs?

More than a few, I’ll bet. Now ask yourself: what has been gained from this? Is the world more just or safe or equal than it was before this type of shit was made commonplace? Do you have more hope for the future, or less?

The only political effect of this normalization of dishonesty has been the ascendance of the most reactionary faction of the Democrat party. A left that had not been trained to hate itself would not have voted for Joe Biden.

This is what happens when a movement places zero value upon honesty and decency. When all conflict becomes understood as abuse, when all criticism is regarded as violence, the most sociopathic and violent members of a community are the ones who get to set the agenda. No one can push back. No one can dissent. The demand for absolute uniformity cripples the movement’s ability to accomplish anything beyond enriching a handful of the very worst people on earth.

We did this to ourselves, and I worry we might be past the point of no return. Just a few months ago I still held some hope that we might see a turn around, that saner and more decent voices might take control and actualize our widespread disgust and discontent toward policies that would actually help people. That’s not going to happen. The sociopaths have won. Their candidate is president, their ideology is mandatory, and their ability to hurt anyone who crosses them is stronger than ever.

Joe Biden will be the most austerity-minded president since Herbert Hoover. His reign is going to be disastrous for everyone, especially those who are already vulnerable. His supporters, secure in their positions within media and NGOs and academe, will need to fabricate more scapegoats to explain away the failures and brutalities of their leader--to convince everyone that they deserve the punishment they are receiving. They’re going to demand and receive more intrusive means of ensuring ideological uniformity. And there’s nothing we can do to stop them.

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passionate-reply · 4 years ago

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This week on Great Albums, we talk about something a little more recent, but still old enough to be a classic. Can you believe that John Maus’s We Must Become the Pitiless Censors of Ourselves, is turning ten years old already? Yes, 2011 was that long ago...and so were my high school years. Come check out this lo-fi synthwave masterpiece! Transcript below the break.

Welcome to Passionate Reply, and welcome to Great Albums! So far in this series, we’ve looked at a lot of older albums, and that’s by design. While I listen to, and love, plenty of more recent music and younger artists, I’ve decided to focus Great Albums on works that are at least ten years old. That’s partly because I think that having some distance from when albums were released lets us situate them in fuller context, and take their legacy into consideration. It’s also partly because so much of the music criticism that’s out there is focused, somewhat myopically, on only the newest and hottest releases, when there’s so much amazing music to be discovered outside of that purview.

Now that that’s out of the way, let’s get on to discussing today’s album: John Maus’s We Must Become the Pitiless Censors of Ourselves, which was released in 2011, one decade prior to this video. It’s an album that was very significant to me as a teenager, when it was new, and one that I think will go on to be seen as one of the most important electronic albums of this decade.

Before releasing his arguable magnum opus, John Maus had two LPs under his belt, Songs and Love Is Real. They earned him some cult followers, but also attracted substantial derision and disdain. While many elements of Maus’s signature sound are present, such as lo-fi production, atmospheric washes of synth, and lyrics that straddle the line between pithy and biting, I’d characterize these releases as being very...rough around the edges.

Music: “Too Much Money”

“Too Much Money,” off of Love Is Real, is tantalizingly close to a pop song, but its truly shocking bridge seems almost deliberately crafted to shatter our ability to enjoy it as such. Maus had initially set out to be an experimental, outsider musician, but he soon became more interested in the tradition of pop, particularly after meeting his longtime friend and artistic collaborator, Ariel Pink. It was in that pop spirit that Maus created We Must Become the Pitiless Censors of Ourselves, and the resultant increase in accessibility is what made his third album so different--and so much more successful. There’s a certain charm that only comes from an outsider attempting to do pop, a fusion of intuitive mass appeal, and an intuitive, unschooled process of creation. This album has that in abundance.

Music: “Hey Moon”

While “Hey Moon” is one of Maus’s best-known tracks, it’s actually a cover, and was originally penned by singer-songwriter Molly Nilsson. It’s a very simple, and very pop, composition, and it’s easy to see how it embodies the sort of straightforward songwriting Maus had in the back of his mind while creating the album. But it fundamentally lacks the signature oddness of Maus, and I think that leaves it as the least interesting track here. With everything else going on, “Hey Moon” feels all the more plain and banal in comparison.

Music: “...And the Rain”

Listening to “...And the Rain,” it’s easy to hear how strongly Maus was also influenced by Classical and Medieval composers. Besides those organ-like synth textures, Maus is also inspired by the Medieval modes, and pre-tonal ideas about melody. Whenever contemporary music uses slightly older synthesiser technology, and/or that lo-fi production, many people become preoccupied with using ideas of 80s nostalgia and retro chic to understand it. I think this album has less to do with “old school cool” and more to do with the spectre of the past as something faded and ineffable, accessible only through the dim consolations of memory. Consider “Quantum Leap,” which presents us with a hazy dream of time travel, contrasted with the “dead zone” of the present.

Music: “Quantum Leap”

In “Quantum Leap”’s more strident moments, I like to think that a whiff of the in-your-face abrasiveness of “Too Much Money” remains. But rather than scornful and vitriolic, it comes across as the overwhelming splendour of divine mystery, thanks to its appropriation of Medieval church music. There are many antecedents of what Maus is doing with it, from the tradition of goth to the work of other electronic musicians like John Foxx, but what Maus really excels at is weaving together the sacred and the profane, and getting us to forget which is supposed to be which. For a more splendid example of that, look no further than “Matter of Fact”:

Music: “Matter of Fact”

Yes, you heard that correctly--this song’s only lyrics are, “pussy is not a matter of fact.” I’m tempted to compare this laconic number to some of Maus’s earlier pieces that seem to satirize easily spouted slogans of social change, such as “Rights For Gays.” The core assertion here could be interpreted as a rebuttal of essentialism with regards to gender and sex, or perhaps of toxic masculinity, and the idea of a man feeling entitled to a woman’s body and sexuality. But its ambiguity, and possible meaninglessness, are, I think, part of what makes it so effective. Still, as far as transgressive lyricism goes, the use of the term “pussy” here pales in comparison to the preceding track, “Cop Killer.”

Music: “Cop Killer”

Maus has described himself as extremely left-wing, but he’s also consistently maintained that his music isn’t meant to be interpreted through a strictly political lens. But however much Maus insists that “Cop Killer” is “really” about metaphorical cops, its seemingly blatant call for violence feels obscene. Ten years ago, “Cop Killer” was shock art, and an expression of the unsayable. But in the past year, more and more people have opened up to criticism of police brutality, and police as an institution. “Cop Killer” has been re-evaluated and re-contextualized, and interest in the track has surged. It’s had a degree of vindication that most provocative and challenging art will never see, no matter how powerful.

Given Maus’s frequent emphasis on ideas of criminality, justice, and the punitive arm of the government, I’m tempted to interpret the lighthouse featured on the cover of We Must Become the Pitiless Censors of Ourselves as a reference to the “panopticon” prisons designed by the Enlightenment thinker Jeremy Bentham. Bentham proposed prisons, and other state buildings, in which a single observation tower stood watch over people to be controlled. Prisoners cannot tell when, and if, they are being observed, and thus are forced to live as though they are under constant surveillance, and internalize the structures of social control. The panopticon has often been used as a symbol of how structures of discipline and punishment affect the psyche of those who live within them, most famously by the 20th Century philosopher Michel Foucault.

But this is, of course, me using political theory to try and pin Maus down! We can also set this aside and appreciate the cover design for its aesthetic ambiance. Its fog and tumultuous sea evoke the wild or unrefined qualities of the music, but the bright and piercing light of the lighthouse suggest a firm and directed focus, not unlike Maus’s stated goal of creating bona fide pop.

The album’s ponderous title doesn’t actually appear on the associated artwork. This isn’t so uncommon nowadays, but when physical media was more central to music consumption, it was a self-sabotaging move that few but New Order ever got away with. Maus was one of the first artists I became aware of who chose to omit text from album art, and it struck me as a very bold and forward-thinking adaptation to an increasingly digital world. Maus nicked the title “We Must Become the Pitiless Censors of Ourselves” from the work of the philosopher Alain Badou, under whom he studied at university. Like that piercing ray of light, it seems to suggest a pruning away of impurities, and a recalibration or refocusing of one’s energies. It applies equally well to the idea of becoming sanctified or purified in the presence of the holy, or, more prosaically, to Maus’s newly pop-oriented artistic direction.

After the success of We Must Become the Pitiless Censors of Ourselves, Maus’s follow-up was, essentially, the 2012 compilation, A Collection of Rarities and Previously Unreleased Material, which featured assorted tracks he had written throughout the preceding decade. Over the next few years, Maus chose to isolate himself from the public eye, claiming to not see himself continuing a career in music, and instead pursuing a Ph.D. in political science. He eventually returned, however, and released a fourth LP in 2017, entitled Screen Memories. Screen Memories would continue the focus on hooky and accessible melodies, while also increasing the use of guitar and bass to bring Maus’s sound a bit closer to rock.

Music: “Touchdown”

While Maus hasn’t put down any new material since Screen Memories, he has made himself substantially more notorious quite recently, by having been present at the attempted coup at the United States Capitol Building in January of 2021. Given Maus’s aforementioned radical leftism, and his cryptic, but seemingly anti-fascist oriented tweets afterward, it seems unlikely that Maus actually supported the insurrection, but the incident continues to cast a shadow over his reputation, at least for the time being. Whether Maus is ever truly rehabilitated or not, and wherever his true intentions and sympathies lay, his music has certainly left an indelible mark. We Must Become the Pitiless Censors of Ourselves was a watershed moment for this idea of lo-fi, electronic pop, with a gothic and mysterious aura to it, and I don’t think this sound would be so commonplace in today’s musical landscape without what John Maus had accomplished, ten years ago.

My favourite track on We Must Become the Pitiless Censors of Ourselves is “Head For the Country.” Its stirring and anthemic refrain is one of the most emotionally powerful moments on the album, particularly when juxtaposed with its lyrical themes of feeling confined by society’s rules, and its return to the idea of criminality or deviance. It's probably too intense and overbearing to ever pass for an ordinary pop hit...but who’s keeping score? That’s everything for today--thanks for listening!

Music: “Head For the Country”

#music #great albums #album review #album reviews #synthwave #lo fi #lo-fi #john maus #indie #indie pop #indietronica

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twentiethcenturymoviesandtv · 4 years ago

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The Princess Bride: Facets of Film

Movie-making is a tough and complicated business. Once you have a studio sold on your pitch and script, there’s changes to be made, casting to be done, lighting choices, changes to the script, sets to find, costumes to make, special effects to prepare, more changes to the script, camera set-up, studio supervision, and then, possibly, more changes to the script.

In a business populated by that many people all working on the same project, every film is a minor miracle that it got made at all.

As you may have gathered, making a movie is a huge undertaking. There’s a lot that goes into it: cameras, music, sets, special effects, costumes, and more, managed by a lot of people who are very good at their jobs. All of these little elements, which don’t seem that important on their own, all go into piecing together a coherent narrative in a way that makes sense, and looks good, to an audience.

These elements, cinematography, lighting, costuming, special effects, etc., are the elements that can catch the attention of an audience, taking a ‘good’ film, and turning it into a ‘great’ film, thanks to the powers of movie magic.

See, movies are a very visual medium. You can have a good story and characters in a book, but you have to imagine what it looks like as it moves along. In a film, you have to watch what someone else made up. This can be either an advantage or a disadvantage, and the difference is made entirely thanks to production design. These ‘facets of film’, the trimmings that make a movie a movie, are vital to visual storytelling, enabling casual movie-goers to interpret what the framing of some scenes is trying to tell them.

Most audience members subconsciously internalize things like thematic costume changes, or a musical cue, without putting thought into figuring out what exactly was getting that point across. The point is, these ‘facets of film’ are not only for filmmakers or movie critics to think about and fawn over: This storytelling shorthand is an important tool that gives the audience all of the information they need to have, without spelling it all out in dialogue. Westley as the Dread Pirate Roberts wears all black as visual shorthand that he is dangerous, Humperdinck wears fine clothes to establish status and style, even Buttercup, whose clothing is plain when she is with Westley and uncomfortably bedecked when she is with Humperdinck, is dressed in a way that conveys something to the audience.

In other words, it’s very useful.

A good director knows to use these aspects of ‘storytelling shorthand’ well, as opposed to competently. Too often, directors can decide to focus the production crew, and the movie itself, in the wrong place, attempting to garner praise for production design rather than substance.

There’s nothing wrong with looking good and being a well-done movie from a technical standpoint, but the balance is necessary. A good director knows that visual storytelling accentuates its story, rather than overshadows it, intended to get the plot across in the most effective way possible, focusing on what is important: the story and characters.

Much like The Princess Bride does.

The Princess Bride isn’t exactly a blockbuster-style film. There isn’t a huge budget spent on special effects or huge setpieces, but what is in there is done so with a remarkable touch. Every inch of this film is designed to look like it takes place in a fairy-tale story, not exactly ‘real locations’, but looking like pictures you’d find in a story book. That extends to the camerawork.

Camerawork is a pretty big deal in film for obvious reasons.

The way a director uses a camera can tell the audience a lot, using some shots to emphasize different emotions, or even to get across different feelings to the audience. Filmmakers use editing of these shots together to tell the story, to move the audience’s line of vision so that it is always centered on the action while also helping to set the mood or leave a visual impression on the audience.

So, does The Princess Bride manage that?

Most of the camerawork in The Princess Bride is fairly standard stuff, wide-shots for action, close-ups for dialogue or emotion, establishing shots for a new location, etc. However, there are a handful of tricks that are notable: natural lighting used in the shots to make them feel open, spacious, and real, contrasting with artificial levels of darkness in the Fire Swamp, or the upwards-facing shot of Fezzik’s impersonation of the Dread Pirate Roberts, seeming to increase his size and formidability. Other shots, like the coming-into-focus of Westley rising to point his sword at Humperdinck, are equally effective, in uses of ‘subjective camera’. There are other, more traditional examples: shots of Buttercup’s abduction from above to make her seem even smaller, and establishing ‘relationship’ shots of people on the same level in the same frame, such as the sunset-lit kiss sequences bookending the film. Even the editing, while being mostly standard, is given a few moments to shine, such as when the Grandfather is trying to find his place in the story after interrupting to make sure the Grandson isn’t frightened by the Shrieking Eels.

Still, overall, it’s a fairly simple film in terms of visual style. The cinematography is aimed at one goal: creating a charming, warm, comforting atmosphere that translates well and correctly conveys the mood of the audience.

This is even more so aided by the film’s score.

It’s fairly obvious that a movie’s soundtrack is integral to its success: a good movie can be elevated to iconic levels thanks to a good score (i.e. Jaws, Psycho, Star Wars, etc.). In other cases, music can be passable, serviceable, without being bad or fantastic.

In the case of The Princess Bride, the score is….interesting, to say the least. Instead of a traditional ‘fantasy’ score, the soundtrack was composed by Mark Knopfler, the front guitarist for the band Dire Straits (Money for Nothing, Walk of Life), using synthesizers and acoustic guitars to get the sound of the film. The score, especially both the instrumental and vocal covers of ‘Storybook Love’ (sung by Willy DeVille) is memorable, overall, if nothing to write home about. The soundtrack does what it is intended to do: set the scene, notably in the scene ‘The Chatty Duelists’, where Inigo and Westley fight to the stings of the music. The music overall accentuates the grand, sweeping visuals as well as the tense, exciting sequences, keeping the audience in the story very well.

Speaking of grand, sweeping visuals:

The sets of The Princess Bride overall aren’t really ‘sets’ at all. The ‘Cliffs of Insanity’ were in actuality the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland, and even Humperdinck’s castle was actually a real medieval manor house. From Miracle Max’s shack to the Fire Swamp, to Rugen’s torture chamber, the rest of the settings of The Princess Bride do their job very well, creating a fantastical atmosphere that serves the story admirably. These aren’t the vivid, magical sets of The Wizard of Oz, designed to create an atmosphere of dreamlike fantasy, rather, the settings of The Princess Bride are more intended to create a feeling of Magical Realism, that it is a storybook, but that the locations look and feel familiar and realistic. This is helped somewhat by the fact that the film itself doesn’t rely on special effects much at all: aside from the Shrieking Eels and the (rather unrealistic looking) ROUSes (saved by the storybook feel of the entire film), there aren’t any real fantasy-specific special effects that other films might utilize.

There’s more to an immersive movie experience than sets, costumes and music, though. In the end, no matter how impressive, the special effects, sets and costumes don’t really mean anything if the characters aren’t believable. The movie really rests on the shoulders of the performers: it’s on the actors to try to sell not only their surroundings and story, but the characters themselves, everything from the personality to the emotions.

In the case of The Princess Bride?

Cary Elwes’s performance as Westley is lighthearted, emotional, and extremely sincere. He’s charismatic, charming, and makes you believe that he’s exactly as skilled as the story needs him to be. He also manages to convince an entire audience of the genuine love he has for Buttercup, and is distinct as both his Westley persona and his ‘Dread Pirate Roberts’ persona. In other words, he’s perfect.

Cary Elwes balances the ‘indestructibility’ that most protagonists seem to possess, seemingly in control of dire situations, as well as the vulnerability necessary for an audience’s sympathy and concern for his well-being, for his goal. In other words, he manages to pull off a character that seems designed for an earlier time, updating it with a sense of humor and charm that perfectly suits the rest of the film.

Robin Wright is similarly well-suited for Buttercup, as she’s written. I’ve discussed elsewhere the potential problems presented by Buttercup’s rather uninteresting personality and role in the story, but Buttercup’s Defrosting Ice Queen tendencies are very well conveyed, especially early on. As I mentioned in other articles, her chemistry with Elwes makes the romance element of the film convincing in the few scenes they have together. She does a good job with the material given to her, it’s just a shame that there wasn’t more for her to do.

On the other hand, Mandy Patinkin as Inigo Montoya, despite the unconvincing accent, is inspired, with Patinkin bringing both warm humor and ice-cold vengeance and formidability to the role. Both he and Elwes brought great physicality to their sword-fight sequences, training hard in order to do as much of their own fighting as possible, and it shows in the performances in the final product. Inigo’s inner conflict is showcased well, with Patinkin providing both the comedic highlights as well as the intense emotional ones, especially his final duel with Rugen. It is Inigo’s lines which tend to be the most memorable, owing a lot to Patinkin’s iconic delivery.

All three of the main trio play their parts perfectly, but they are only the chief standouts in an entire film full of them.

André René Roussimoff (better known as André the Giant) despite not being an actor in the same vein as the rest of the cast, is iconic as Fezzik. The instant likeability present in the performance carries strongly throughout the film, with his own fair share of memorable dialogue (which, granted, nearly every member in the cast has). His physicality isn’t really what makes him such a distinct part of the cast, rather, it’s the character’s heart and humor that makes this performance such an integral part to the film at large.

Similarly (though in the opposite direction), Wallace Shawn is a wonderful choice for Vizzini, his distinct voice and mannerisms giving the character plenty of funny dialogue without entirely removing the threat he poses. Despite not having a lot of screen time, Shawn manages to make the role iconic instantly, with inflections that make the word ‘inconceivable’ memorable to this day.

Chris Sarandon is perfectly cast as Prince Humperdinck, playing arrogance and control that all come crashing down in the final scene. Humperdinck is all bark and no bite, appearing confident and competent until he is met by someone who might pose a challenge. He’s conniving, cold, and disinterested in anything other than his war, making it especially rewarding when he is defeated.

Similarly, Christopher Guest plays Count Rugen with a sophisticated coolness, never really invested in what’s going on or terribly worried about it until that ‘little Spanish brat’ comes for revenge, very well equipped to deliver it. He plays the final duel scene notably with an increased losing of composure, cluing the audience in to his inevitable demise for the sake of vengeance.

The other characters perfectly hit their mark as well: Billy Crystal and Carol Kane are a comedic team to be reckoned with as Miracle Max and Valerie, with other special standouts including Peter Cook as the Impressive Clergymen (a scene stealer with only one appearance), and Peter Falk and Fred Savage as the Grandfather and the Grandson, respectively.

Every character in The Princess Bride comes across exactly as they should: as characters in a fairytale, fondly looked back on from a place of adulthood. Each performance is perfectly suited to each character and the type of movie that they are in, with every performance hitting a mix of sincerity and drollness. These performances aren’t necessarily subtle, but they aren’t supposed to be. They are heroes and villains, giants and master swordsmen and princesses, acting out a fairy-tale that knows exactly what it is, with tonal consistency that never seeks to outdo the material the actors are given. These performances are the final piece to cementing this film as a true classic, bringing entertainment to people decades after it’s first release.

In short, the filmmakers of The Princess Bride knew what they were doing. Everything from the performances to the camerawork gets across every emotion and aspect of the story instantly, with the sets and costumes working to explain simply what’s going on as quickly as possible. It’s a storybook set to film, both comforting and exciting, and the ending feels right, no matter how many times we revisit it.

The Princess Bride has long been considered a cult classic, a hidden gem that was looked over by a public who never really knew it was there in the first place. Even if it never reaches the high peaks of fame as other fantasy classics, it may not be a stretch to hail it as one of the greatest fantasy films (or films in general) ever made, through simple (but not simplistic) substance, if not bombastic style.

Of course, no movie comes around accidently. There had to be some work done behind the scenes for this film to have come about.

Join me next time as we discuss the Facets of Filmmaking: the Behind the Scenes of The Princess Bride.

Thank you guys so much for reading! If you have something you’d like to add or say, don’t forget that the ask box is always open! I hope to see you all in the next article.

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goofygomez · 5 years ago

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An analysis of The Last of Us Part II and its themes

I’ve seen a lot of people share their experience with playing The Last of Us Part II, and it’s safe to say most of it has been largely negative. It’s no secret this might be one of the most divisive games of all time, and it will probably stay that way for a long time after. I personally adored this game. I believe this is the masterpiece of masterpieces, and it’s the only game to ever top the emotions I felt when playing the first game, although I will say in terms of raw story (with nothing else like gameplay to support it) the first game is still a bit higher on the list for me.

But for all intents and purposes, when considering all aspects of this game, I think this is the single greatest accomplishment in game design and storytelling I’ve ever seen in a video game. That being said, I would like to try and respond to some of the criticisms this game has gotten, and furthermore, I’d like to try and analyze some of the themes I noticed when playing the game. Keep in mind this is MY opinion, and should not be taken as fact. This is just my experience, and I’ll respect yours one way or the other.

Take this as a MAJOR WARNING that there will be spoilers for both games in this post.

With that, let’s start with the common criticisms:

1. “They killed Joel for no damn reason. He deserved better.” This is an easy one to tackle. For one, Joel most definitely did not deserve better. Even though we might love him for being the first game’s MC and have grown attached to him, there’s no way we can or should look past the fact that he, Joel, is a bad man. He even says himself in the first game that he and Tommy did some questionable things to survive in the 20 years between the outbreak and even during the events of TLOU. While he may be perceived as the hero of the franchise, when you look at his rap sheet, you start to notice he’s not so great after all. Take the ending of TLOU as the most glaring example, where Joel has been told Ellie must die in order for the Fireflies to develop a vaccine. His first and only reaction is to kill every single Firefly he sees and murder the surgeon who would have killed his “baby girl”. Would I have done any different in his shoes? Probably not, but that’s the beauty of the first game. Its ending and the ambiguity of Joel’s morality given his actions is one of the driving forces that make the first game so spectacular and why it’s still being discussed 7 years later. Now let’s talk about the second point to this criticism: “He died for no reason”. If you recall, the people who killed him were former Fireflies, one of which (Abby) was the daughter of the surgeon whom Joel unceremoniously killed. In their eyes, they had every right to go after Joel. Like Anthony Caliber, one of the best TLOU speedrunners, said in one of his recent livestreams, “Joel signed his own death sentence when he killed Marlene and the surgeon back at the hospital in TLOU1”. While it may seem overly zealous to us as players who have grown to love Joel, if the roles had been reversed would you not do the same? Would you not want revenge for the killing of your father? And isn’t that exactly what Ellie is doing in this game, which most players justify in this hatred of Abby?

2. “Joel was out of character in giving out his name and trusting strangers. They dumbed him down for the sake of plot.” As I recall, Joel literally gave Henry and Sam his name and followed them out to their hideout barely 30 seconds after meeting them and beating the shit out of Henry. Joel may be an untrusting person at heart but he always does so with reason. The most common reason people give of this is “He didn’t trust the guy asking for help in Pittsburg and ran him over so why trust Abby and her gang”. First of all, that was literally the one situation Joel had already been on the other side of, and knew perfectly well it was rehearsed. On the flipside, he and Tommy had just saved Abby and literally mention there’s no other way to go other than with her because there’s a huge blizzard and a herd was after them. And especially now, after Joel has been living in Jackson for 4 years now and has been living comfortably in a community very obviously open to new people. Abby’s group gave them no reason to distrust them, and giving out his name, in any other situation, would have made no difference in the outcome. It was just unfortunate they happened to be after him.

3. “I hate playing as Abby, why are they trying to make me sympathize with her?” That’s the whole point, they’re not. The entire game, you keep rooting for Ellie to find and kill this woman who wronged you, and when you’re forced to play as her, you’re understandably angry. You’re upset, and you feel you have to slog through this seemingly endless section of the game. But as you keep playing, much like I did, you start seeing the other side of the story. Abby is not the villain the game paints her out to be when she killed Joel. She’s another human being with human emotions and a very real reason to hate Joel and to want him dead. As I said before, Abby is doing exactly what Ellie eventually does after Abby kills Joel.

4. “Why would Ellie go through all that effort to not kill Abby in the end?” I will touch on this in the analysis of the themes, but simply put, it was about breaking cycles.

Now I’d like to start defending how and why I believe this is a masterpiece by first taking a look at one of the admittedly less touched upon parts: gameplay. This aspect usually takes a step back when it comes to narrative-based games, and it is obviously not the most resounding part of this game, but it is clearly not taking a back seat either. The flow of both combat and mellower scenarios in this particular game is astounding. When battling opponents, the AI feels like one of the most intelligent I’ve ever seen in a video game. The way the enemies communicate between each other, telling the others when the player is out of ammo or when they’re flanking to create much more nuanced fight sequences, coupled with the expanded worlds Naughty Dog has come up with to create a seamless experience when fighting hordes of enemies without it feeling stale or repetitive, is one of the most immersive gaming experiences I’ve ever had. Each encounter feels unique and challenging in some ways you may not have felt before in the game, and by the end you’re so immersed in that feeling that going through the Santa Barbara group (to me, at least) was almost automatic and I could see so many different options for me to approach each situation as it came my way.

Likewise, Naughty Dog have managed to turn the puzzle solving from the first game, where you simply had to find a dumpster to step on or a door to open with a shiv, and incorporate the environment and world into it, finding clever ways to get over obstacles without simply having a step-up ladder be the end of it. The mechanics that went into the rope puzzles, breaking windows to get to previously unexplored territory (which is admittedly not new in gaming, but still a cool concept to add to the franchise) paired together with so many more new little features to bring the world they created to life, and bring you into it as well.

As always, and as was the case with the first one, you can’t talk about The Last of Us without talking about the soundtrack. The haunting score created by the masterful mind of Gustavo Santaolalla, a fellow Argentinean like me, brought to life some of the most heart-wrenching moments and the most beautiful ones as well, in a way that can only be achieved with amazing sound design and music. The main theme song, which is a sort of homage to the one from the first, takes a much darker approach, choosing instead to focus on the bass and that resounding low voice in the background, setting the tone for the rest of the game: a much darker, grittier, and grounded experience that will pull no punches. Santaolalla managed to create a score that mimics the first one in melody and rhythm, while succeeding in mirroring it to create a more dissonant accompaniment to the gruesome story you’re brutally killing your way through.

Another aspect of the game that deserves all the praise it gets, and one that people seem to at least be in consensus about, is the graphics and animation design. I can safely say this is hands down the most beautiful, gorgeous, astounding, breathtaking game I’ve ever laid my eyes upon, and that might not be enough adjectives to fully encapsulate how I feel about the graphics in this game. One can argue all day about the morality of the characters in the game or the balance between right and wrong that Naughty Dog so masterfully plays with in the story, but one thing is for sure: The graphics design team deserves so much credit for actually bringing the story and the characters we know and love to such vivid life. You can see it in the little things, like the veins in Joel’s arm as he plays “Future Days” by Pearl Jam and the facial expressions Ellie can make if you stand in front of a mirror during the museum flashback; you can also see it in the larger things, like the jaw-dropping backdrops that range from a beautiful mountain range in the snow to the downtown Seattle skyline. No moment will be wasted by stopping your pace to just admire the absolutely gorgeous view you’re presented with every time you enter a new game world. The attention to detail in animation is also not lacking at all, with so many little actions being given special treatment as we see Ellie patch herself up and still having the actual bandage over her arm instead of disappearing like any other game, or the way Ellie’s fingers perfectly (and correctly) play chords without resorting to generic hand gestures. You can see the love and care the developers have for this game in every tiny crack in the game that simply takes your breath away and that sometimes you won’t even see from the vastness of the world around you.

And finally, the story. It is definitely a divisive story, and Neil Druckmann did warn us it would be. There were times, namely the moment they switched the POV to show me the first 3 days from Abby’s perspective, when I was genuinely wondering what the hell they were thinking. My faith in Naughty Dog never wavered, though. I kept playing because I thought, “There must be some reasoning for this.” And to my greatest relief, it finally clicked for me a few hours into Abby’s section. Namely, the moment where she meets Lev and Yara, two Seraphites that defected after the former shaved his head. At first, it seemed weird that they would be cast out for such a stupid reason, but then you start to get to know them, and you understand the real reason they had to leave their religious cult. As I said before and will say again, this is a game about perspective. Up until that point, I just wanted Abby dead, albeit with some guilt since learning that it was her father Joel killed in that operating room. But seeing Abby’s willingness to help total strangers, much like Joel did at the start of the game, was what sold me on this game’s concept. The purpose of this story is to make you feel the regret and the weight of the actions you impart on the world, as you can see the carnage Ellie left in her wake during your time as Abby, seeing Abby’s friends butchered by either Ellie or Tommy, realizing they’re no different than the villains we have such tunnel vision about. The ending is something I’ll get to in the themes, but I just have to say I love the way it’s such a parallel to the first game’s ending, up to the point of divisiveness in the people who actually played and finished the game (which at the time of writing this is less than 4% of players).

Now onto the themes. One of the things people always praise about the first game, and rightfully so, is its themes and how well it portrays them through certain characters to create a cohesive and coherent story that pulls at your heartstrings and makes you root for the “heroes” of the game. This time it’s not much different, with the minor exception that this time, there are no heroes. Just like Neil Druckmann said many times during the development of Part II, “While the first game was about love, this game is about hate”, which is one of the main themes.

1. Hatred: I can safely say there have been very few times of my gaming life where I’ve been so viscerally angry (in a “good” way) while playing a video game as I have as I tore down through countless enemies that got in the way of me and my target. This game will let out the worst parts of you in ways you can’t even imagine, and will make you take a look at the way we glorify violence in video games without the usual preachy tone of “video games cause violence”. Like I said before, this is a game that mirrors the first one while paying homage to its themes. To take a page out of Abby’s book, it’s like a coin. There are always two sides to it. On the one hand, the first game’s main theme was love, and how loss and grief can be overcome with it with the proper care and time. The Last of Us Part II shows us the uglier side of human nature, which is anger, despair and a natural desire for revenge (another theme). Both games show us the natural progression of a grieving person, but both of them take wildly different approaches. Granted, we don’t know how brutal and vicious Joel was right after losing Sarah, but it’s safe to assume he was nothing short of a monster, which eventually didn’t really help in dealing with that loss until he found love and hope in a little girl whose safety was now his utmost responsibility. In Ellie’s case, she’s still in that first stage. Ellie as a character has always been reckless and foolhardy, and her actions in this game are a testament of how well Neil Druckmann and Halley Gross know their characters. The entire game, right up until the final moments where she’s about to finish Abby off, her actions are fueled by a rage and desire to exert justice onto those who’ve wronged her. In other words, she’s looking for revenge.

2. Revenge: Both main characters have at least one thing in common, and it is their desire to avenge their father/father figure. I truly believe that Joel’s death was not only justified (from a storytelling perspective) but also crucial to the development of a sequel that both enhanced the world of The Last of Us while building onto it with new ideals and perspectives. The idea this time is definitely not one we haven’t seen before in so many other mediums: “Revenge is bad and is never worth it” Seems trivial to even suggest it when we all know the outcome, but The Last of Us Part II manages to not only build upon the idea that revenge is a double-edged sword, but it also manages to balance the perspectives within that cycle to attempt to explore the psyche of the characters we’ve put into the boxes of “hero” and “villain”. And subsequently, they manage to break that characterization by showing us both sides of the aforementioned coin to see, in no unclear terms, that the consequences of our actions when dealing with vengeance always circle back to expose the nastiest side of our nature. It stands to reason that we, as the player, would at first be on board with Ellie “finding and killing every last one of them”, and demonizing Abby for not only killing but torturing possibly one of the most beloved characters in gaming history. We want her dead. We want her to suffer for the crime she’s committed. Yet, in our quest for vengeance and justice, would we not be succumbing to the same cycle that brought Abby to killing Joel in the first place? Did she not think, from her perspective, that she was entirely justified in killing the man who had not only destroyed the one chance humanity had against the Cordyceps, but also murdered her father in cold blood? Are we not the same as Abby for wanting her dead after she kills one of our own? When does it end? And that’s the real question. This whole thing, the lust for revenge that can only be quenched with cold-blooded murder, is just another facet to our complex and grey morality as human beings. It’s natural for us to feel angry and upset at this, and I believe all the hatred people give this game that stems from it forcing you to play as Abby is the exact nature the game is trying to bring out of us and show to us in a mirror.

3. Cycles: While this may not be such an obvious catch as the first two, it’s still very much ingrained in the inner workings of this game’s narrative and how both characters view the world according to their reality and perspective. The concept of revenge, as stated above, is a repetitive one. One that causes cycles and events to repeat themselves if left unchecked, and The Last of Us Part II plays with these masterfully. Starting the game with a heartbreaking moment and setting the dark tone for the rest of the game is what starts the first part of this cycle, which is Ellie wanting to avenge Joel’s death, much like Abby avenged her father’s death after 4 years of despair, planning, and training. Ellie’s desire to kill Abby is what leads her down the path we would characterize, were she some random character and not the main one of the franchise, as the villain’s route, going down a dark path that prompts her to mindlessly and mercilessly slaughtering countless people whose names you hear from their friends’ mouths when you kill them, to the point where you end up getting to Abby’s closest friends and companions and murdering them too, not unlike Abby murdered Joel. It is a sobering feeling to realize the character you most love and root for is, in the eyes of the other main character, as much of a villain (if not more) as we as players make Abby out to be. It is at the end of the game, which a lot of players had qualms about, where Ellie is beating Abby within an inch of her life that she realizes this is not worth it. Killing Abby will not bring Joel back, and will certainly not bring her any satisfaction, as showcased by how traumatized Ellie was after the killings of Abby’s other friends and the fact that she still kept seeing Joel’s lifeless body as she attempted to drown Abby on that coast. Then, as we are mercilessly choking the life out of her, which is yet another example of the visceral anger the game elicits from the player, we see a different memory of Joel. One of hopefulness, where Joel is playing the guitar and smiling. It is at that moment that Ellie realizes the only thing she can do now is to move on with her life and accept Joel’s death as something that happened. To add onto this realization, it’s probably good to mention that Ellie must have seen some of herself in Lev in that killing Abby would have left him (if not dead) in a state much like the one she, Ellie, was at the start of the game. Coming back to the theme of cycles, if Ellie killed Abby, what’s to stop Lev from coming after Ellie the same way she came after Abby, and so on and so forth. Both these things coupled help Ellie finally break the cycle and go back to the farm, where she’s greeted with the consequences of her actions in a more emotional and real way than the PTSD: Dina being gone and Ellie leaving her guitar behind, symbolizing her letting go of Joel’s memory and accepting her reality.

The game scares us; it scares me. It is a harrowing experience that will only get better with time and will, in my humble opinion, go down as one of the greatest games of all time for years to come. No matter the context, and no matter the medium, I wish it were easy to find such real, emotional, and powerful pieces of art as this one more often. But alas, we will have to wait and see. As someone whose name I can’t seem to remember said: “This will mark the gaming industry and divide it between ‘Before TLOU2 and After TLOU2”

#tlou #tlou2 #tlou2 spoilers #joel #ellie #dina #abby #tlou part ii

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eirikrjs · 4 years ago

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yo I'm the person who's post you linked. while I'm incredibly embarrassed of my old posts online (not least because of the context of that post being dumb vs debates stuff which is not a respectable hobby), I can't help but feel you're being kind of unfair in randomly linking a post made over five years ago to dunk on it. while I wouldn't even stand by said post at this point (most of the points i make are *awful*) 1/3

it strikes me as kind of ridiculous to call a post like that "attractive coddling of misinformation" because it comes to a different conclusion to you about the identity of a videogame character, based on the interpretation of evidence from video games. like i said in that post, i didn't come to the conclusion at that time because some guy in a gamefaqs guide said so, i came to that conclusion because it made sense to me at the time based on the evidence i had available to me 2/3

I only bring this up because I had someone dm me about it out of the blue which was kind of a shock, don't mean for this to come across as a rant or trying to start something, hope life's treating you well!

!!! Honestly, this is amazing. Thanks for writing in.

So, about me. If I have any SMT specialties, they would be threefold: 1. anything demon & mythological, 2. localization choices and errors, 3. debunking fan theories. At the intersection of all three is research; because bad sourcing often infects the demons and the mainline stories themselves, I crusade to correctly inform to the best of my abilities. Similarly, a common flaw in most (Western) SMT fan theories is a lack of consideration for Japanese language and cultural context. Like, Hijiri’s name in Japanese is 聖, usually translated as “saint,” which is what it can literally mean. But a hijiri is also a type of nomadic, ascetic mountain monk, a description that describes Hijiri’s Amala adventures more organically than the “saint” interpretation (which, thinking about it... doesn’t describe how even SMT2 interprets Aleph, but I digress), if it even has any intended meaning at all.

So for me, it’s all about avoiding misinformation. It saddens me that it seems like people will just accept popular theories without thinking critically about them, and thus they perpetuate and become mimetic “facts,” kinda like Persona 2′s rumors. Hijiri=Aleph is one of my favorites to disprove just because it’s so popular yet lacks real evidence. It’s similar to people who believe that the SMT4 archangels represent “eldritch” biblical angels despite 1. the designer, Keita Amemiya, stated he used no such influences, and 2. the angels in Daniel and Revelation usually cited as the influence look nothing like the wrought-iron masses seen in SMT4. However, these theories and interpretations, though they may be built on sand, provide easy answers for nagging questions and inconsistencies; it could be called “comfort knowledge,” because even if it’s not factual, it may still feel right from an individual’s standpoint. Hence my “coddling” statement! It can be quite difficult to change someone’s mind on something when they’ve spent a hundred hours arguing for it.

You say you came that conclusion about Hijiri=Aleph yourself--fair! But we know that Ian Kelley, whether he was the actual creator of it or not, presented the theory in at least 2004, in his incredibly popular Nocturne FAQ, no less. I used it for my first Nocturne play in 2005! I can also personally attest that any Japanese mention of the theory is modern and influenced by the non-Japanese fans. All signs point to the ultimate dissemination and popularization of the theory stemming from Ian Kelley, as most of the hallmarks and “evidence” you still see today are the same as what he wrote in ~2004.

Anyway, that’s my side of the story. I honestly wasn’t singling you out or anything. What actually happened is that I was searching for Kelley’s own quotes rejecting the theory and found them in that thread. I thought your comment was genuine yet also the quintessence of what motivates me to research the veracity of aspects of the SMT series and its discourse. Plus, it was right there in my face, a good example of theory discussion, and also on the open internet where anyone with the right search terms can see it!

I’ve put tens of thousands of my own words out there and people have lost their minds and reason over them, wished I were dead, and, possibly the worst of all, misinterpreted them (I suspect because they don’t actually read the entire thing). I’m really happy to see that you’ve left some of the specifics of yours behind and changed not just for the better but also hope you have a more personally rewarding engagement with the series--even if that includes leaving it behind!

#smt #ian kelley #hijiri=aleph #dancing

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margridarnauds · 5 years ago

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What's your ranking for all Japanese Marie Antoinette roles you know?

Thank you so much for asking this, since it lets me talk about some of my favorite musicals!

[warning for some critical talk + references to sexual harassment, because.....1789′s take on Artois.]

1. Marie Antoinette das Musical (Rena Sasamoto) - Having an entire musical DEVOTED to her really helped as far as making her a real character, and in my opinion, it shows very well with her portrayal. Elegant, generous, and kind, but also stubborn and naive. She can be very infuriating, but I think that, in the end, the audience can see WHY Fersen loves her so much and why even Margrid is able to feel pity and respect for her. I also give it props for actually showing that, by the time the musical begins in 1784, Antoinette HAD given up her partying in favor of her family. In many ways, it’s a more mature take on Antoinette that I think we also see traces of in Azure Moment and Kaname Ouki’s portrayal in 1789. She does still struggle with the urge to spend, but she’s resolved to be a better queen; the tragedy is that it’s too late. Probably one of my favorite Antoinette portrayals in general.

2. Azure Moment - NOT a musical that I discuss very often, which is a pity because it’s very worth discussing. (A guilty admission: I STILL need to watch it with subs.) But I do feel like Antoinette is dealt with very evenly there; she’s still frivolous, yes, but there’s something under the surface, she’s much more even, not as high-energy or brainless as some of the portrayals lower on the list are, and it’s genuinely sad to see her relying on Ademar and Simon after all her friends abandon her. (Also, on a purely aesthetic level, I FEEL like she resembles the historical Antoinette a little more? She has a much squarer face than I generally see, which I feels suits her very well.) It’s not the BIGGEST role, given that this is a musical that isn’t REALLY about her, but I think it did some interesting things with how little she is there. I felt like she was perhaps a little smarter than Antoinette’s generally allowed to be, a little more intuitive, and though I don’t think we’ll EVER see a Takarazuka show showing Antoinette’s pragmatism and subtle streak of ruthlessness...it was a little refreshing to see something that didn’t seem ENTIRELY cookie cutter.

3. 1789 (Kaname Ouki) - Look. I’ll be blunt. I’m fairly certain that her singing has nearly shattered several glasses in my apartment. She hits that high note at the end of the Je Mise Tout reprise and several neighborhood cats shriek at what they suspect is one of their friends in danger. I wish that we could have heard what she sounded like in the 2016 album, but alas. For reasons that NO ONE CAN EVER FULLY KNOW, we didn’t. BUT. BUT. I do like that she plays Antoinette a little bit more down to earth, it makes her transition in Act 2 very plausible. I feel like, even in her partying days in Act 1, she isn’t really INTO *it* per se, she’s more interested in it because it’s a distraction, but she’s slowing down. (Which makes sense, given that, historically, by 1789 Antoinette HAD fully given up her partying ways, but alas.) I think that her argument with Fersen really shows a certain genuiness, as a lonely woman who’s terrified that the one person who really has her best interests at heart is abandoning her. And she does have a nice, silvery voice when she doesn’t force it, and that gives her a somewhat eerie sense to her “Je vous rends mon âme”, which is sealed by her self-awareness, turning away from the audience and resolvedly walking away after the sound of a guillotine falling is played, fully aware of her fate.

4. 1789 (Takarazuka) - I felt like Manaki Reika did a WONDERFUL job balancing Act 1 Antoinette’s carelessness with Act 2 and, in my opinion, probably had the best balance of acting and singing overall. There’s a reason why she is an absolutely legendary Top Star, and she shows it here. “But Rachel,” you might ask, “Why is she rated so lowly? Especially when you spent the first few sentences of the last one savaging Kaname Ouki?” And I feel like the reason is, in this case, the writing. Her dialogue with Artois, for example, indicates that she knows that he uses aphrodisiacs on women, she KNOWS what his reputation is, and she still lets Olympe be in the same area as him. Unmarried, unprotected Olympe who doesn’t have the social standing to recover. (Note: Historical!Antoinette was faced with a similar situation re: one of her ladies in waiting and Artois, and she had the woman sent away to Paris except when it was absolutely necessary. Why? Because historical!Antoinette CARED about the people around her.) And, then you have the bit during the 1st act finale where she says that her suffering is the same as that of the common people, and you just have to sit back and go “....really Antoinette? Really?” As an actress, as a singer, she was GREAT, and there are little touches that she leaves that are great (a personal favorite is the Raku performance, where she is visibly horrified and shaken by the guillotine at the end of “Je vous rends mon âme”), but...unfortunately...the writing. Which is why I would LOVE to see her do Toho 1789 one of these days, though it would inevitably be heartbreaking for me since it’s VERY unlikely I would be able to see it.

5. 1789 (Ryuu Masaki) - Masao’s infectious spark is DEFINITELY present in her Antoinette, and I do appreciate seeing that. Her Antoinette is IN LOVE with life and is enjoying living it up. Honestly, I do love seeing her on stage. But. BUT. Masao, while a solid singer (If I’m just LISTENING to the Antoinettes, I’ll pick hers any day of the week) has never been described as the best actress. And, unfortunately, some of the issues that were present in her Takarazuka run (Never 5get her questionable moans in Takarazuka Maniaque) are still very present in her brief Toho run, with an accidentally side-splitting moan when Louis-Joseph dies being a highlight (?). Overall, her Antoinette comes off as less nuanced, a little bit more like an 8 year old stuffed into the body of a 30 year old, and so, as far as OVERALL portrayal, I have to hand it to Kaname Ouki. I will say that, on one last note, BECAUSE she’s such a high energy Antoinette, seeing her at the end in her execution gown, completely sober, is spine-chilling.

6. Hanafusa Mari. Now, you might wonder why I didn’t bother to specify which particular take on Antoinette I’m referring to, given that she’s played the role twice: Once in 1789 (which wasn’t filmed, so I have to judge off of what friends who DID see it have said, the album, and the little digest footage available), once in Marie Antoinette das Musical (which I DO own), and the reason for that is essentially the same as why she’s rated so lowly on the list: She plays the same role regardless of the musical. And that role has all the depth of plastic, going between saccharine sweetness worthy of Dolores Umbridge herself and self-pitying whingeing that kind of makes you want the revolutionaries to just get on with it, with comparatively little in-between. She has a solid voice, I would never deny her training, she’s certainly had the best training (and career) that money can buy, but there’s a certain grating quality to it. And, when she is put up against another star, she tends to try to outbelt them instead of letting her voice flow smoothly with theirs (Mario Tashiro’s Fersen in MA is a notable example, giving the two of them....a significantly lower degree of chemistry). I feel like the best Antoinettes will have the audience crying by the end WITHOUT demanding “PITY ME. MY LIFE IS SO SAD. PITY ME,” and in her case....she doesn’t ask, she forces.

7. Marie Antoinette das Musical 1.0 (2006). Ah, the original, debut version of the musical. There’s a reason they changed it. Marie is presented as a petulant, vain child with a cruel streak (sloshing champagne in Margrid’s face), fake-crying whenever Louis tells her that they need to lower their spending. I HATED her. And I know that the overall idea is that she starts off as a bitch but then shows more as the musical goes on, but it was still a little too vicious for me to feel........anything by the end. Like, I’m fully #TeamOrléans in that version (okay, in general, but that’s BESIDE the point), because.......why should we have ANY sympathy for this woman? She’s terrible!

My guilty admission is that I’ve never actually watched either the Rose of Versailles or Lupin III, which I know also are key musicals for her portrayal, especially RoV since, last I checked, it massively influenced the public perception of Antoinette in Japan and is really the key reason why the French Revolution is SUCH a thing in terms of pop culture. I did TRY once, but I kind of....fell asleep during the former. (In defense of RoV, I WAS very sleep deprived at the time and had just marathoned the Scarlet Pimpernel; I’m sure it’s lovely, though, if I recall correctly, it’s a little TOO much pastels and glitter for my taste.)

#marie antoinette #marie antoinette das musical #1789 les amants de la bastille #if i'm killed for this please tell my dogs i love them #Anonymous

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paulisweeabootrash · 4 years ago

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2020 mini-review pack

Di Gi Charat (1999)

Episodes watched: 7

Platform: VRV (Hidive)

Di Gi Charat (pronounced like “carrot”) is a series of fast-paced 4-ish-minute shorts nominally about Dejiko and Rabi-en-Rose, rivals trying to be Earth’s greatest idol. Who are, respectively, a catgirl and a bunnygirl. Oh, and also they’re aliens? That’s... uh... certainly a premise, I guess. The actual show consists of self-contained gag-filled episodes with no ongoing story, in almost a sitcom kind of way, throwing the characters into situations without context, but with a stable “baseline” situation (unlike, say, Pop Team Epic, where the characters serve more as stock personalities playing different roles in different sketches). Dejiko is a snarky schemer. Rabi-en-Rose is a snarky schemer whose main activity seems to be bothering Dejiko at work. Puchiko is a small and quiet child and behaves accordingly. And Gema is... something? I have no clue, honestly, and neither does the fan wiki. Other recurring characters fill stock roles such as “manager” and “otaku”. A lot of the humor centers around poking fun at fandom. It’s a show by, for, and about otaku from an era before our current internet culture, and since I’m a millennial and not from Japan, that makes it unusually hard to evaluate.

W/A/S: 8/2?/5?

Weeb: Chibis. Catgirls. Idols. Kappas. Kawaii verbal tics. Akihabara. Low-detail background characters who look like blobs or thumbs with faces. Kanji left on-screen but untranslated. Particular sorts of highly-exaggerated facial expressions we may have become familiar with through emoji, but which still haven’t made their way into American media generally. This is ludicrously Japanese.

Ass: This really isn't that kind of show. Although it is certainly designed for adults, as evidenced by the presence of phrases like “naughty doujinshi”.

Shit: The art is fun. It has style shifts from comic strip to watercolor painting to mainstream 90s anime, and looks better than some of its contemporaries that were, uh, “real” shows. The opening takes up about a quarter of the total runtime and gets annoying quickly (but that's because it’s clearly designed for being part of a broadcast block, not binge-watching). Still, unless I’m missing hidden cleverness on account of not having the background knowledge, there’s not much to it. It’s just okay.

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First Astronomical Velocity (band, active 2011-present)

Platform: Spotify, surprisingly

Okay, this one is a bit different, and I’m jettisoning the whole format for it. Remember how I said the music-centered episodes of SoniAni were actually pretty good, even though the modeling-centered episodes were so offputting I never finished the show? Well it turns out that First Astronomical Velocity, Sonico’s band, has released several IRL albums. Physical copies may be a little hard to come by, but official uploads of a lot of their music can be found on Youtube and Spotify. Do your musical interests include at least two of: string arrangements that would be at home in a particularly sappy movie soundtrack, 90s-00s alternative rock, synthesizer beep-boops, and that constricted cutesy Japanese women’s vocal style (you know the one I mean)? Then this is for you. They’re a pretty good... uh... alt-pop-rock band, I guess is what I’d call them.

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Interspecies Reviewers (2020)

Episodes watched: the entire 12-episode season

Platform: I plead the 5th. But it’s getting a video release soon, so it will finally be legitimately available in English!

I started this year with a plot-light fanservicey animal-people show, and now I’m ending the year with... a plot-light fanservicey animal-people show. But unlike Nekopara, this show had me cracking up, eagerly clicking “next episode”, and not complaining about the premise. I’m sure a lot of people do have a problem with this show’s premise -- which centers almost entirely on various forms of sex work -- and I understand and respect that they will want to skip this show.

But for the rest of you: Interspecies Reviewers is a wildly-NSFW comedy about a group of fantasy world adventurers who gain fame and fortune reviewing brothels of different species. I expected excessive nudity and fantasy tropes, but I didn’t expect to also get serious thoughts. Like showing, in the golem and Magic Metropolis episodes, some of the unsettling problems that are looming IRL as deepfakes and sex robots are in development -- note especially the contrast between consensually and non-consensually basing automata on real people in those episodes. Or the discussion in the last episode of how much riskier sex would be in a world without magic (i.e., ours). This is a much smarter and more interesting show than you’d expect, considering that it has so much sexual content that it got dropped by two of the networks airing it and even its US distributor.

W/A/S: 5/10/4

Weeb: Although heavily influenced by the Western fantasy media canon of European mythology and Tolkien and tabletop RPGs, familiarity with the tropes of fantasy anime will help you “get” this too, as will familiarity with the -sigh- character dynamics and censorship practices of hentai. Especially because it’s a comedy, there are probably also instances where I have completely missed topical references or wordplay that a Japanese person would get, but I can’t think of any specific instances right now of “there was clearly supposed to be a joke but I missed it”.

Ass: Look, this could not possibly have more sexual content without unambiguously becoming porn. Genitals are (almost) always carefully hidden by viewing angle or conveniently-placed glowing (something lampshaded in one episode as an actual feature of one of the species they review), but otherwise, expect lots of nudity and almost nonstop crude humor. Do not watch this with children. Do not watch this with your parents. Do not watch this with friends you don’t know well enough to know how they’ll react to something like this.

Shit: This show is better-made than it deserves to be. It’s pretty dumb at points, but it’s fun enough to make up for it. The art is consistent and pleasant, and the opening and ending themes are extremely fun, but it’s not a serious standout in any of those departments. Also, I swear the background music is stock music, but I don’t remember what other show(s) I’ve heard it in before.

Stray thought: Crim is a precious and relatable cinnamon roll and I love them.

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OreSuki OVA (2020)

Platform: Crunchyroll

So, I know I didn’t cover the whole season in my initial review, but I still want to mention the hour-ish-long finale of this show, which was released straight to streaming. Short version of the rest of the season: Joro starts to actually fall for Pansy, but a new challenger, Hose, appears. He is irritatingly attractive and effortless at maintaining the right persona for the situation, leading Joro to describe him as “the main character”. Hose is the sociopathic manipulator Joro wishes he could be, and Pansy, who has a bad past with him, clearly wants nothing more than for Joro to stand up to him. But, since this is OreSuki, it’s not going to be handled simply. No, instead, strap in for a grand finale of Joro and Hose competing in, and trying to manipulate through rules-lawyering, an absolutely ludicrous competition to win the right to date Pansy. And, on top of it, we also get to finally see how Sun-chan got to be the way he is and what happened at that pivotal baseball game that set off the whole plot. What has Joro learned from the experiences of the past season? You’ll see! And you’ll facepalm about it!

Really, you must watch this if you watched the regular season.

W/A/S: 6/5(!)/4ish

Weeb: Basically the same as I said before. Gags referencing other Japanese media, anime and otherwise, and it's better if you’re familiar with the high school romcoms and harem comedies Joro thinks in terms of.

Ass (and slight content note): -sigh- Why does the camera need to be there? Also, Joro, you just committed a little bit of sexual assault for the sake of this contest. Stop.

Shit: I want to rate this overall better than I did the regular season because I think it’s an excellent finale overall because, even though it ends in a very “let’s leave everything unresolved” way that’s common in media that rely on absurd relationships to propel the plot, it does so in a way that makes sense in character. I personally think it would’ve been stronger if it had, well, confirmed its title, and at least some of the other “challengers” had lost interest in Joro, but I guess they probably want a Season 2, since they have so much more source material to work from. There are... oh god 14 light novels?! That is too many.

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Your Name. (2016)

Platform: DVD

Two high schoolers -- small-town girl Mitsuha, from Itomori, and big-city boy Taki, from Tokyo -- find themselves in each other’s bodies for a day. They both think at first it must be a very vivid dream, but when it happens again, and they start finding clues like notes they don’t remember writing and comments by friends and relatives about their out-of-character behavior, they realize the body swap is real. This begins a relationship of mutual understanding that nobody else can really understand -- or would even believe (except Mitsuha’s grandmother, who is... familiar with this phenomenon) -- and the plot then pivots to a tense adventure where they use their connection, some crucial information Taki has, the skills of Mitsuha’s friends, and the intervention of Itomori’s patron deity, to save the town from an impending disaster.

And that’s all I’ll say about that, because I really do think this is something you should go into blind. My only remaining comments are that (1) the red string of fate is critically important imagery, and is particularly interesting to me here because, if I took a particular scene correctly, Mitsuha made her own red string of fate from sheer necessity, which is a very different twist on that trope, and (2) I am now curious about the history of the body-swapping phenomenon in-universe.

W/A/S: 4?/2/2

Weeb: As mentioned above, symbolism of the Red String of Fate shows up throughout the movie, as do the occasional distinctly Japanese quirk like a wildly out-of-place vending machine or a café with dogs, and but for the most part it’s a cross-cultural story of understanding and dealing with someone else’s life, and of forming a connection other people don’t -- can’t -- truly understand, and to some extent of divides between urban and rural and modern and traditional that I think could play out in any country with just the local symbolism tweaked. The significance and content of Shinto beliefs and practices depicted, particularly kuchikamizake, are made pretty explicit, so although foreign to the vast majority of the non-Japanese audience, I feel like this movie also has nearly no barrier to entry for people not familiar with the cultural context, so I don’t want to rate it very high on this scale.

Ass: Look. It involves teenagers switching bodies. What do you think they do? Especially Taki? But it’s played for laughs, not titillation.

Shit: This movie is beautiful and punched me in the feels and was very satisfying. The closest I have to a complaint about any aspect of it is that the musical breaks that I guess are supposed to mark acts of the movie almost make it feel like binge-watching a short series instead of watching a single self-contained movie.

#weeaboo trash #anime review #mini-reviews #happy new year #di gi charat #first astronomical velocity #super sonico #interspecies reviewers #oresuki #Are You Really the Only One Who Likes Me?#your name

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buh-bi-now · 6 years ago

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Butch/Femme Bi Women

Seen a lot of rhetoric lately that amounts to “bisexual+ women who identify as butch and femme are appropriating these labels from lesbians. Lesbians use the butch/femme identifiers to distinguish themselves from people who are attracted to men. Bisexual women wear butch and femme as an aesthetic that can be removed at will, while to lesbians, these terms are an identity.”

For now, let’s side aside how ahistorical this is--there are numerous sources that can and have attested to the usage of butch and femme by sexuality categories outside of lesbian, spanning almost as far back as our first records of these words being used in the manner that they are used today. But let’s set that aside. I want to focus on this assertion: that bi+ women wear butch and femme as meaningless aesthetic choices that can be removed at will and that these terms do not carry the identity-related significance for bi+ women that they carry for lesbians.

It’s not that lesbians are wrong about butch/femme being terms to indicate identity, often in ways that are critically important to belonging, community, and acceptance for their sexuality. However, acknowledging the way that these visual distinguishers of “butch” and “femme” operate only shows why the idea that “bi+ women don’t use these terms as meaningful identifiers” is patently false and also damaging to bi+ women.

For example, from “‘Femme it Up or Dress it Down’: Appearance and Bisexual Women in Monogamous Relationships”:

Research has highlighted the ways in which being able to visually identify with others who are considered to be the “same as” oneself makes it more likely that they will feel accepted (Deci & Ryan, 2012). When one is recognized as a lesbian they are more likely to have access to the in-group (of, e.g., lesbian communities). This is thought to afford them the right to speak about lesbian culture and relationships, as they are validated by those around them (D’Erasmo, 2004).

Clearly, the above is the point being made when critics of butch/femme bisexuals claim that butch/femme are an aesthetic choice: that bisexual women are taking an identity on and off, while lesbians are using these visual signifiers to draw and create community and group acceptance.

But as a somewhat masculine-presenting bi+ woman myself, this assessment did not sit right with me. Criticisms of bi+ women using the butch and femme labels often carry implications that bi+ women are attempting to piggyback on lesbian communities’ inclusivity that is supposed to be directed explicitly toward other lesbians. Bisexuals who use these terms are often ordered to create “their own” terminology, with an implication that butch and femme bisexuals are somehow being deceptive and perhaps even trying to infiltrate lesbian-only spaces where bisexual women are not welcome.

I began to think further about this argument because I am a butch bi woman... but I’m in a long-term relationship with a man. I have spent exactly zero time attempting to enter lesbian spaces, much less lesbian-only ones, and have no interest in attracting anyone outside of my monogamous partnership at this time, even though I am attracted to gender presentation across the full range of the spectrum. In that case, why do I present as butch? The logical answer cannot be that I am attempting to infiltrate lesbian spaces and appropriate their terminology because I have no interest in entering lesbian spaces. Moreover, I am not interested in anyone thinking that I am a lesbian--because it is clear when I am with my partner that I am not solely attracted to women.

The answer is this: I present as butch because I want people to know I’m not monosexual.

Bi invisibility is a documented problem:

Due to the fact that such categories [of heterosexual and homosexual] are dichotomous, they subsequently fail to permit any valid form of bisexuality that is not conceptualized as positioned in the middle of the binary. This renders bisexuality as an unstable sexual identity (Fahs, 2009) as well as perhaps contributing toward there being no appearance signifiers that explicitly relate to a bisexual identity. Thus, bisexual individuals find themselves in a space where they have little to no bisexual-specific signs and appearance mandates that mark them out as people who find more than one gender attractive (Clarke, & Turner, 2007; Hayfield, 2013; Hayfield, Clarke, Halliwell, & Malson, 2013).

In light of the above fact, that bisexuals do not have easily available visual signifiers to identify themselves as bisexuals, it is somewhat unsurprising that--

. . . appearance displays are not necessarily always expressive of sexual preference. There are issues, then, in respect of relying on such things as gender expression or appearance to convey one’s sexual identity. However, the lesbian appearance norms the participants discussed in Hayfield’s (2013) research above, such as masculine clothing and hairstyles are arguably, well recognized in society. Such appearance signifiers are often associated with women who are attracted to other women. It is not surprising, then, that bisexual women draw from them in an attempt to render themselves visible.

So the response, “Find your own terminology!” We can’t. There isn’t terminology for bisexuals specifically because bisexual+ people destabilize the sexual binary of “you are either homo or heterosexual, you are either attracted to men or women.” Because oppressive systems rely on the strict binary of male/female in many ways, and because a bisexual+ way of being is outside of that dichotomy (both/more, rather than either/or), signifiers for bisexuality do not exist.

What is the ultimate point I am driving at? The answer to why butch and femme is not just an aesthetic for bisexual women? Well, let’s take a look at this trend the article authors found:

One of the consequences of being in a dyadic relationship with a person of the same gender or different gender is that it tends to overshadow a bisexual identity (Hartman-Linck, 2014; Taub,1999). Assumptions are made about a person’s sexual identity based on the gender of that person’s current partner (Diamond, 2007; Hartman, 2013). Participants understand that their same and different-gender attractions remain hidden in the context of their dyadic relationship. Therefore, one way in which participants can disrupt what others assume is their monosexual identity is to select appearance styles that do not neatly correlate with their misassumed sexual identity. It is perhaps also the case that by drawing from such appearance signifiers participants can ‘keep alive ’(Hartman, 2013; Hartman-Linck, 2014) their bisexuality in that they are able to express an aspect of themselves that is assumed to no longer be active by virtue of the fact they are in a monogamous dyadic relationship.

It must be acknowledged that this article is examining butch/femme bi women in the context of monogamous relationships, so it does have its limitations--we don’t see how this trend/pattern plays out in bi women who are not in monogamous partnerships. However, we can see how butch/femme bi women’s aesthetics fit into a larger pattern of trying to express bisexual identity in a culture that oppresses and represses that identity from all sides. This article gave a voice to at least one of the reasons that I have moved more and more toward being masculine-presenting even as my relationship with a man is going strong: I am keeping my bisexuality alive.

I’m saying, hey world, I’m not straight, and you shouldn’t assume I am just because I’m a woman in a relationship with a man. It works in the opposite direction too -- bi women don’t want to be seen as lesbians. They want to be seen as bi women. So these article authors found that bi women in same-gender relationships often presented as more femme, especially when the two women in question were together in public. Why? Because two femme women in a romantic partnership disrupts assumed/perceived cultural stereotypes and norms that signify a purely lesbian relationship.

In a highly visual culture that maps its assumptions onto us without our permission at all times, bi+ women are using the tools available to them to send a message that will be received and correctly perceived, and that message is this: I am not monosexual. Do not assume that I am.

Butch and femme bi women are saying: I’m here, I’m bi, I’m not just an aesthetic, and I’m not going away just for your comfort.

Citation: Sarah Jane Daly, Nigel King & Tracey Yeadon-Lee (2018) ‘Femme it Up or Dress it Down’: Appearance and Bisexual Women in Monogamous Relationships, Journal of Bisexuality, 18:3, 257-277, DOI: 10.1080/15299716.2018.1485071

#bisexual #pansexual #bi+#queer #academic #the journal of bisexuality #lgbtqia #lgbt

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anghraine · 5 years ago

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“the jedi and the sith lord” - chapter fourteen

Last chapter:

“And don’t stiffen up your arm.”

Lucy stared at him, eyes wide, then down at her hand. For a moment, she could hardly breathe. Her father was here, alive, teaching her what she’d wanted to know for so long. Her father—

“I won’t turn to the Dark Side,” she said.

“You don’t need the Dark Side to hold a lightsaber correctly,” said Vader.

This chapter:

He couldn’t deny the fuller truth. He’d started training her because he wanted to. That first moment of correcting her grip had come without thought beyond a vague and instinctive sense that she should know. She was his daughter, the child he had expected and then thought dead, standing alive and well in front of him. She had a right to know such things.

chapters: chapter one, chapter two, chapter three, chapter four, chapter five, chapter six, chapter seven, chapter eight, chapter nine, chapter ten, chapter eleven, chapter twelve, chapter thirteen

“I don’t see the point,” said Lucy.

“Good posture is critical for—”

Vader broke off as he realized, horrifyingly, that his voice had fallen into the exact cadence of Obi-Wan’s. Instead, he laid his hands on her shoulders and straightened them. Lucy twitched, but he only sensed annoyance and a confusion he couldn’t quite identify, not fear.

“Hold this position and try the third form,” he ordered.

“There is no try,” said Lucy, looking down at her stick. Determinedly, she lifted it. “Only success or failure.”

“Nonsense,” Vader said, though he was aware his men probably thought he believed such a thing. “The point of practice is to attempt techniques. You repeat your attempts until you can succeed consistently, or until success is no longer possible. You do not give up after a single failure.”

Or many failures. He’d learned that painfully and repeatedly.

Lucy heaved a long-suffering sigh, then straightened to her full, if tiny, height and lifted the stick. She adjusted her footing and lunged forward.

“Better,” Vader told her. “Now, try again.”

“I’ve done it twelve times today,” said Lucy.

He didn’t doubt that she’d counted. Lucy, he’d quickly discovered, was one to nurse her grievances. In anyone else, he’d have soon crushed the quality; with Lucy, he reluctantly recalled his own youth, and suspected that some cosmic justice had caught up with him.

He told her, “Then another twelve will not hurt you.”

She groaned.

“A Jedi,” he said, “must be disciplined and relentless.”

“I’m not a Jedi,” said Lucy, pushing her hair out of her face. “You said so yourself.”

You will be.

Vader laid his hands on her shoulders again, holding them in place. “Try again.”

It was what had become a typical day. Palpatine had given him a kind of limited leave in order to turn Lucy—Vader suspected the new project had some part in this—and he was able to carry out his more urgent duties from Bast Castle or Vjun’s orbit. When not preoccupied with Rebel attacks and Imperial machinations, or the painful regimen of treatments made necessary by Obi-Wan, he found himself tracking down Lucy. Sometimes he simply oversaw her practices without comment, but more often, they spoke, Lucy either slinging questions at him, or arguing, or sometimes, eagerly listening to what he had to say.

He didn’t term it training; she’d refused that, and he knew that if he presented it in that sense, she would back away again. But, however rudimentary the techniques he taught her—Obi-Wan seemed to have made an even more inadequate teacher to Lucy—it was very little short of full Jedi training. He even consulted the databanks they’d preserved from the Temple, his memories of those early stages of his padawan training no longer sharply clear, and in any case, not something he wished to remember.

He avoid mentioning the Dark Side. Her rejection of the necessity awaiting her remained strong, and this was the first real progress he’d made with her. He had to break down her defenses before she would choose to walk down her destined path.

This, he told himself, was the reason he’d started observing her practices and then intervening in them. It was their first step to ruling the galaxy.

Yet he couldn’t deny the fuller truth. He’d started training her because he wanted to. That first moment of correcting her grip had come without thought beyond a vague and instinctive sense that she should know. She was his daughter, the child he had expected and then thought dead, standing alive and well in front of him. She had a right to know such things, however little she enjoyed hearing them or demonstrating them.

And sometimes, in fact, she did seem to enjoy one or the other.

Once, when she set down her stick after a long practice, he said, “You weren’t trained with a lightsaber, were you?”

“A little,” said Lucy. Then she paused, plainly hiding something. “But that was more about defense. Mostly, I did other things.”

“Ah. What types of things?” he asked, intrigued. It took all his resolve to restrain himself from insisting on taking up her incomplete training in … whatever it was.

Her brows knitted together, and he suspected she might refuse to answer. Instead, she said slowly,

“Well, there was a lot of running and jumping.”

“Running and jumping?” he repeated. “That is how you were trained?”

Obi-Wan had taught him a wide array of abilities, many certainly involving speed and maneuvers, but he’d always focused on the lightsaber above all else. Vader had no idea how many hours he’d spent practicing forms and deflection under his master’s critical eye, except too many. And then there’d been combat training, and then—well.

This weapon is your life.

“It helps,” said Lucy.

“How?” he asked.

She seemed both thoughtful and bemused. Then she gave a little shrug.

“Watch, Father.”

With no more warning than that, she took off running for the rung ladder on the side of the wall, scaled it with alarming speed, and all but bounced off the wall and onto a platform. She took an unhesitating leap to another platform, one her short legs could barely reach, then took another—and suddenly, she was burning in the Force, and somersaulting right off a high platform to one that her legs couldn’t possibly reach.

The Force would protect her, of course. He knew that, but if he hadn’t known that, and if the suit didn’t regulate it, his heart might nearly have stopped.

With every appearance of little effort, she sprang over distances that no other person of her size could have made or, in all probability, survived. Finally, she threw herself at the wall, caught a rung with her hands, and clambered down like a spider, still shining. As she landed, she turned towards him, and her stick lifted into the air and soared into her waiting hand.

Lucy jogged over.

“That’s the idea,” she told him.

“I see,” said Vader. “Impressive.”

She actually grinned. He could sense none of her usual petty irritations and frustrations, or the sullen anger that usually smouldered beneath them. In that moment, she seemed happy.

As for further discussion of their respective pasts, they confined those to Lucy’s mealtimes. Even then, Vader generally diverted conversation onto Lucy’s past rather than his own, which he could hardly think about without feeling deafened by the echoes of the rage and despair that had dominated so much of his life. Speaking of it was still worse, and yet, he nevertheless found himself doing so now and then. Anything that made Lucy more amenable had to be attempted, and total ignorance would hardly serve her well. And in this, too, he felt that she had something like a right to know—particularly to know the things that Obi-Wan had obscured or omitted.

“The Emperor was your mother’s mentor in her teenage years,” he told her. “She admired and respected him until their visions diverged.”

“Did she know what he was?” Lucy asked in a tight voice, between mouthfuls of some kind of vegetable soup.

She was the only person he knew who could eat soup aggressively.

“No,” said Vader. “None of us did.”

Us rang out oddly. It felt peculiar to class himself in with Padmé, who’d betrayed him, and Obi-Wan, who had more than betrayed him, and the corrupted Jedi Order of the time. But between them, they had comprised much of the galaxy for him, until he came to see more clearly.

Lucy, heiress to that galaxy, just nodded.

“That makes it better,” she said. “Did you—”

“You said you knew Obi-Wan from your childhood,” he said abruptly. “Yet he did not interfere in your upbringing?”

She didn’t look fooled, but if he’d forced himself into a certain level of accommodation, so had Lucy. She accepted the change of subject without protest.

“I think Uncle Owen might have shot anyone who tried.”

The horror of Shmi’s last hours had vastly overshadowed Anakin’s brief interchanges with Owen Lars. Dimly, however, he found himself approving of the man. It was a pity about the stormtroopers. A too-frequent pity, perhaps. Lucy might be able to more effectively take charge of them, once she became empress.

Lucy tried to consult her feelings. She’d learned to trust them, more or less—but only when she knew what they were. As it was, she felt a blurry mixture of determination and annoyance and resentment and excitement that gave her hardly any direction at all. Even at her calmest moments, the Light Side pouring through her, she had little idea of what she should be doing.

She didn’t see Ben again, and couldn’t trust his advice anyway. Chirrut only appeared in her dreams now and again, encouraging but bemused by the whole situation. Yoda was entirely inaccessible. When she referred to his teachings, Anakin almost always quarrelled with them, and often sounded convincing—but he was Darth Vader.

She never let herself forget that, even as she learned what she could from him and followed his instructions. When she did, anyway. At night, she constantly questioned herself, worrying that she was sliding into the Dark Side against her own will, and certain that, at the very least, he must be trying to soften her up for it. But the Dark Side fed off anger and fear and hatred. However complicated her feelings about her father, she didn’t hate him, and rarely felt worse than a general aggravation. And she wasn’t afraid. Nervous, sometimes—but not afraid.

Sometimes, she was even happy.

That worried her most of all. She’d heard about people who became happy in captivity, who were trapped so long that they came to like it, or think that they did. People could get used to almost anything. And, in fairness, she didn’t have a whole lot of bad things to get used to, beyond the captivity itself and the disappearance of Tuvié, whose absent chatter still gave Ellex’s silences a heavy weight. Lucy knew it had to be purposeful: give her comforts, and an unspoken threat that they might be taken away at any moment, and it would grind her down.

If she couldn’t sense her father in the Force, she might have focused on that, learning caution. But she could feel him, and the more time passed, the more clearly she sensed him. She knew there was more going on here, had known it from the moment he stepped out of his ship to recover her. She could feel his present and remembered rage, his shifts to cool calculation, his deep resentments. But she could also feel his anger subsiding into a simple close attention when he came to teach her, the Light Side then easier to grasp than at any other time.

She sensed more than that, too. When she’d first shown him a part of what she could do, she’d finished with a decided sense of satisfaction and pride at her execution of the difficult routine and control over the Force—more satisfaction, in fact, than she actually felt. And she’d realized he was proud of her. Nothing more than that, perhaps, but nothing less: he had seen Lucy’s abilities, seen her succeed, and felt proud.

That, in itself, didn’t have to say much about him, even if the awareness that her father was alive and proud of her made her feel like the darkest parts of the galaxy had turned inside-out and lit up like Empire Day. She was his daughter; it made sense that he’d see her, at times, as an extension of himself, and her successes as extensions of his own. It made all the more sense considering his ultimate plans for her. And yet it didn’t really feel like that. It felt like he—well, like he wanted her to succeed for her own sake, too, for no better reason than that he was her father and, in his way, he cared about her.

She dared not trust it. But she dared not disregard it, either, when she could see nothing of whatever futures might await her. And it made life here easier, feeling echoed pride when she did something well, and concern when she did something dangerous (not really dangerous, of course), and interest when she said anything at all. They felt like traces of the Anakin Skywalker he had once been, of some fractured inner goodness that somehow persisted.

Was there still good in him?

She didn’t know. But in the end, Lucy could see no other way but forward.

“Ellex,” said Lucy.

Ellex didn’t respond.

“Hey, Ellex!”

She looked at Lucy, managing to imbue the slight shake of her head with profound long-suffering. She still didn’t say anything.

“LX-3,” Lucy tried.

“I am the only LZ-line droid in Castle Bast,” said Ellex. “Quite probably, I am the only one on the planet.”

“Sure,” said Lucy. “I mean, it seems likely. But I had an idea for something you could help me with.”

Ellex shifted slightly, the red flash of her optical sensors about as encouraging as usual.

Not very.

“Is it required for your basic functioning?” Ellex said.

“No,” Lucy replied, “but—”

“Then why should I assist you?” Ellex’s sensors flashed again. “You are a prisoner here. I will act to prevent any plans for escape you may have—”

“I don’t have any,” said Lucy.

“Given your history,” Ellex told her, “that seems extremely doubtful.”

Lucy stopped. She hadn’t lied; she really wasn’t thinking about escape. Maybe her exposure to the planet’s deadly environment had killed that idea, though she didn’t recall any specific moment when she’d given it up. She just hadn’t considered it for awhile. Shouldn’t that trouble her?

It did, a little. But not much. She focused on her tangled emotions, trying yet again to pin down something that might guide her. But the Light Side supplied nothing but the general comfort of its presence. Maybe that meant that she was supposed to be here. Or maybe it just meant that she might as well be here as anywhere else, or—no, she couldn’t go through all that again.

Lucy shrugged the entire question off. “My idea isn’t about that. It’s about moving the platforms.”

She could feel her father approaching, though, so she privately gave up, even as Ellex tilted her head back to inspect the platforms.

“I fail to see a purpose in doing so.”

“You’d do it while I was up there,” said Lucy. “With the remote.”

Ellex clicked several times, then said, “I now see a purpose.”

Lucy honestly didn’t know if Ellex meant that she understood Lucy’s purpose, or would just find it entertaining.

“However,” the droid went on, “I do not wish to be—”

The door opened.

“—disintegrated by Lord Vader,” finished Ellex.

Vader glanced between them. Ellex clattered a little from some indistinguishable motion, but to Lucy’s senses, he seemed intrigued rather than angered.

“Who have I disintegrated today?” he asked.

Lucy thought he might be joking. If he knew how.

“No one,” she said. “I mean, I assume.”

“Miss Skywalker,” said Ellex, in faintly accusing tones, “was suggesting that I move the platforms while she is on them.”

For an instant, Lucy did feel afraid. It wasn’t her fear, though.

Vader sounded perfectly calm as he said, “Hm.”

“That’s why they move, isn’t it?” Lucy asked.

He didn’t answer, but just tilted his head back to examine the platforms.

“This has got to be a place for a”—she remembered that she wasn’t a Jedi apprentice any more—“for someone with the Force running in them.”

“It was,” he said at last. “Very well. But there will be no acrobatics. For now, you will attempt the leaps, and that is all. Go on.”

Ellex, with what Lucy suspected was decided droidly pleasure, took up the remote and began to adjust the platforms. Lucy scaled the ladder took her usual leap onto the platforms, then just took a running jump that nearly failed as the new platform shifted towards her instead of away as she’d expected. She managed the next landing, but she did fail the third, only managing to hang on to the edge of the platform by her hands, while her legs dangled in the air. The Force gathered around Vader, though she neither knew nor wanted to know what he intended. She managed to hoist herself up, adrenaline rushing through her.

With all the stops and starts and adjustments, it took longer than usual to fully open herself to the Force, but once she did, everything became clear. Something in her instincts told her which way the platforms would move before they actually did, and after that, she smoothly ran and sprang from platform to platform until she finally tired out. Lucy made her final jump before the ladder, then let go of the Force, launched herself at the wall—and as the last platform shifted under her feet, she failed.

For real, this time. There was no way to grasp either the platform she’d leapt from or the rungs ahead of her. But she didn’t have time to yell, because she simply stopped moving, her body hanging in the air.

Vader didn’t speak, but as clear as anything, she heard his voice. Do not try to free yourself.

What?

Slowly, she floated down to the floor, and landed with a scuffle of her boots. Well, she hadn’t thought of using that on people. Could she, even? Lucy looked doubtfully at Vader as he strode over to her, the stick in hand.

“That was exceptionally dangerous, young woman,” he said.

She dusted herself off and smiled. “All things are possible with the Force, Father.”

“Not if you release the Force.”

Lucy thought about it.

“That depends, doesn’t it? After all, it’s still around.”

He now seemed irritated, but also something else she couldn’t pin down. And—curious?

“Anyway,” she went on, “you were there.”

“I am here,” said Vader grimly, though she wasn’t sure what he meant by it. “Open yourself to the Force.”

“I won’t—”

“I didn’t say the Dark Side,” he said, as if hadn’t ordered her to turn for weeks on end.

Lucy eyed him with some suspicion, but she trusted that the Light Side would never lead her astray. She breathed in, recalling the moments when every shift of the platforms had fallen into place and her muscles had just seemed to know what to do, and with nothing more than that, it coursed through her. Her weariness faded, a little.

“All right,” she said.

He dropped the stick into her hand. “Sixth form. Go.”

She almost refused, almost insisted, I can’t, I’m too tired, but remembered just who he was. With a heavy exhalation, she adjusted her feet and shoulders and swung the stick upwards, going through the movements of deflection even though nothing was attacking her. With her hands sweaty and her muscles aching, it seemed particularly pointless.

Still, she dutifully carried out the prescribed movements, feeling rather like a dancing puppet. Vader, as far as she could tell, was pleased, but also dissatisfied in some way.

“Well?” demanded Lucy, lowering the stick and rubbing her arm.

“Good,” he said, “though you will not progress further with a stick and no real opponents.”

“It’s not my fault,” said Lucy.

“That,” said Vader, “is extremely debatable. But it must be changed.”

She blinked, baffled. “How are you going to find opponents for me?”

“Quite easily,” he replied, and reached for something under his cape, then tossed it at her.

Lucy caught it without thinking—and her hands closed around the hilt of a lightsaber. Lucy stared at it, instantly recognizing the shape and design as the one she’d carried for so long, then lifted her eyes to her father.

“What—”

Vader drew his own—his current—lightsaber and flicked it onwards, its red light jarring in the white and blue room. Lucy took a step back.

He lifted the saber.

“Defend yourself!”

#anghraine's fic #the jedi and the sith lord #rule 63 #genderbending #/#//#///#/////#////#ellex #anakin skywalker #luke skywalker #lucy skywalker #star wars #long post

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vulpinmusings · 5 years ago

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Letters from Buxcord #4: A Failure of Trust

Only three mysteries completed in and my Monster of the Week party has already come to their darkest hour.

Samantha,

I’ve failed, misjudged, acted in supreme hubris and lost… Lost… An utter disappointment, but to whom?!

Samantha. Rubia. Tech-head Ted. Yu-san. His… And two others, connected.

No! No, I can’t go down this way. They… I’ve learned better.

From the start.

The Basilisk incident was only a few days ago; it didn’t take long to learn that Nollthep had struck again as I’d feared he might. Piper, Lea’s friend from Bayou Boating, found me near my apartment and told me that Lea had something urgent to tell me at the hospital. When I arrived, she told me she’d overheard some of the nurses discussing how Rocky had been admitted with a missing hand. No amount of searching had turned it up, and Rocky’s memory of the not-insignificant amount of time between bringing Lea to the hospital and being admitted himself was gone. Lea suspected Nollthep based solely on how he’d misplaced Rocky earlier, and I laid out my own suspicions linking him to the addled Professor Chase and the mysterious death of Penelope Clemonte, as well as his not-so-subtle mentions of need a hand from a mage.

I was intent on confronting Nollthep about it as soon as possible, but I know myself well enough to know that going alone would end poorly. I had no doubts that Nollthep was responsible, but I also knew that he answered to something else. A “boss” of sorts, potentially far darker in intentions than the bumbling but earnest Nollthep I’d gotten to know.

You know my temper though, Sam, and how much I rely on… How much I need a morality chain. I thought Lea could fill that role for me, the one to reign me in. The Good Cop to my Bad. I told her as such, although not in so many words.

I was vague, too comfortable in my normal role to realize that Lea didn’t understand her part.

My second mistake, I realize only now in hindsight, was confronting Nollthep in his own magic shop. I was prepared for him to deny and deflect at first. I didn’t foresee Lea simply continuing along the same line of questioning as me when that skvetchte pigeon got in my face. Nollthep fled to the security of his basement, sealing the door with powerful magic that cost me dearly to dispel.

I meant to offer Nollthep a new option, my guidance in breaking away from his master, to follow my path if he so desired. The opportunity never presented itself; with nobody telling me to step back and cool down, nobody able to correctly guess my intent, and overhearing Nollthep’s intent to try and wipe our memories so he could escape the situation, I only got more angry and violent.

Oh, how I paid for it. I got Nollthep into a Tangler and up against the wall and managed to advance the conversation a little farther, but then he started his memory spell. It shouldn’t have worked at all, but what do I really know about the capabilities of Nollthep’s kinds? Nothing, nothing of surety. I deflected the mental influence away from my short-term memory easy enough, but the spell still took hold. I forgot three people, forgot them so completely I still only know that they exist because of the holes it’s created in my recollections. Three of the most central figures to the most crucial moments of my life, just gone.

It was too much. I’ve endured tortures of many kinds, felt the sting of failing to live up to my ideals, lost… But never like this. I couldn’t continue; Nollthep had won and I let him go.

Lea… I don’t know how she saw all this. Not sure if it’s right to blame her for just running away instead of trying to help or comfort me after we left the shop. No longer sure if I was right to encourage her to be part of my life here in Buxcord.

But I needed someone. I can’t operate alone.

It’s been another day. Reports of Nollthep’s magic shop burning to the ground. A total loss. Now I don’t even have the small comfort of knowing where my primary target (Foe? Lost friend?) can be found, nor any clues to the nature of what I’m really up against.

What will become of me now? Bereft of critical memories of why I have the rules that I do, will I start to forget the rules themselves? Start to revert? I’ve seen what could happen if I were to become as my old self without the firm hand of the Master to aim me.

How I wish I could actually contact you, any of you. I am in dire need of a rescue, because I’m scared I’ll never be able to get myself out of this mess.

-Ash

#Vulpin plays #MOTW

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wisdomrays · 6 years ago

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Essentials for Fruitful Criticism

QUESTION: What do we need to be careful about while making constructive criticism, which is an important means of seeking the better at everything, so that it will be effective and fruitful? What are the essential points to be observed both by those who make and receive criticism?

ANSWER: Criticism means criticizing a statement or behavior, revealing its negative and positive sides, and making a comparison between what is and what should be; it is one of the important scholarly essentials that facilitates progress toward the ideal. In this respect, it has been employed since the early generations of Muslims. For example, in the methodology of Hadith, a given report would be evaluated with a critical approach in terms of its text and the reliability of its chain of narrators. Indeed, criticism took its place in the methodology of Islamic disciplines from the beginning, in order to unearth the truth at issues such as finding the right meaning to be derived from Divine commandments and interpreting them correctly. This scholarly discipline of criticism served as a sound filter against alien elements incompatible with Islam. As the discipline of munazara (comparing and discussing ideas) also developed, the new interpretations that emerged as a consequence of fruitful discussions were also put to criticism, tested with established criteria, and sparkles of truth were attained in the end.

Particularly at questioning the reliability of the chain of narrators in the field of Hadith, there was a serious accumulation of literature. Numerous volumes of work sought to help authenticate whether statements reported as Hadith genuinely belonged to the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him. But even while making judgment and evaluation at such an important issue, scholars showed the utmost sensitivity at refraining from excessive remarks. For example, Shu'ba ibn Hajjaj, one of the important Hadith scholars of the classic period who systemized the subject of criticism (naqd) for the first time, once used an interesting term while referring to the critical evaluation of narrators. Addressing a fellow scholar, he said, "Come, let us make some backbiting on the path of God," drawing attention to both the necessity of doing this vital task and that it must solely be done for the sake of God.

The method of criticism was successfully employed particularly during the first five centuries of the Islamic calendar in the fields of both religious and positive sciences, for the sake of reaching the most appropriate. Therefore, this scholarly method can be employed in our time as well, given that fairness, respect, and mindfulness are maintained. At this point, let's refer to the manners and method of criticism briefly.

Adopting a Fair Attitude and Soft Style

The issue criticized must be presented in a very sound style and utmost care must be shown at using a polite manner of speaking. That is, the criticism is not meant to evoke a negative response, but to be easily welcomed. When you present your alternative thoughts and plausible approaches for solving certain matters, you will be shown respect if you do it in agreeable politeness. For example, suppose that you are stating your opinion on a certain subject and the person you are addressing thinks the opposite. If you say, "This is what I knew about the matter, but I see that it has a different side as well," that person will likely come to you after a while and confess that your opinion had been more appropriate. And this time, you will respond by thanking that person for being so fair. In this respect, one should know how to—to some degree—dismiss one's ego, experience, and knowledge for the sake of upholding righteousness. In other words, if you expect the reasonable to be met reasonably, you should even evaluate others' not-that-reasonable thoughts within their own reasonability, adopt a welcoming attitude toward them, and form an atmosphere of sincerity where people can be welcoming toward truths.

Making General Statements without Targeting the Person

History has witnessed that, in whatever field, those who do not show respect to others' thoughts and who continuously dismiss others as worthless, ruin so many worthy things without even noticing it. For this reason, whatever is the nature of the element before us, we should adopt the principle of treating them all with a certain degree of respect. This is a very appropriate means of making people before us accept the truths that we present. Otherwise, no matter how great the projects that we offer, statements slammed on others' heads will not be welcomed. When criticism is not expressed politely, it will inevitably be received negatively, even if the matter that we criticize is an obvious mistake of someone that conflicts with the decisive and established teachings of religion. For example, you might witness that your friend has gazed at a forbidden sight. If you jerk into telling his embarrassing mistake to his face in a direct way and reproach him, he may respond by trying to justify some devilish considerations—God forbid! In particular, if the individual in front of you is not ready for a criticism of his attitudes and behaviors, then every criticism of yours will evoke reactionary behavior and disrespect against truths, or even make that person hostile against his own values. Even if such people understand what they hear is true, they will do their best to devise new arguments to get the better of the person before them, owing to the trauma of receiving that criticism like a mighty blow on their head; they will be continuously imagining the best way to answer the criticisms directed toward them, even when they retire to their bed at night.

Thus, matters need to be told indirectly, without taking individual persons as targets.Indeed, when the Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him, witnessed a person's wrong, he did not directly criticize that person. Instead, he gathered people together and spoke about that act in general, which allowed the doer to hear the lesson. On one occasion, for example, a man who had been commissioned to collect taxes said, "This amount is the tax I have collected and these were given to me as presents." Upon hearing this, the Prophet addressed his followers from the pulpit and made a general statement about when he commissions a person to carry out a certain commandment of God and that person states that a part of what he collected belongs to the state and the rest is a present to him. To show how mistaken this idea was, the Prophet asked whether those gifts would have been presented had he sat in his parents' home.

The issue of who makes the criticism is also very important. If something needs to be told to someone, one should not be too eager to do that personally, but rather leave the issue to another person whom the one to receive criticism loves very much. In such a situation, even criticism from a beloved friend will be taken as a compliment. If it seems likely that a criticism you need to make will receive a reactionary response, you should leave it to someone else because what really matters is not who voices the truth but whether the truth meets with a heartfelt acceptance.

At this point it is useful to relate a relevant parable of the two grandsons of the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him. Although this parable about Hasan and Husayn does not take place in the reliable sources of Hadith, it conveys important lessons.

Accordingly, the two boys came to make ablutions somewhere and they saw a man who splashed water all around but did not wash his limbs properly as required for a valid ablution. These two young talents of keen insight sought a way to show him the way without humiliating him. With this intention, they asked the man to tell them which one of them made ablutions correctly. They made ablutions exactly as they had learned from their blessed father Ali ibn Abi Talib, may God be pleased with him. When they were done, they asked which one of them did it better. With the ease of being free from humiliation, the man calmly replied that they both did it so well and that his own way was wrong. Therefore, it is important to reiterate that the style we use at correcting wrongs bears great importance in terms of acceptance.

Educating Individuals to Accept Criticism

Additionally, making people able to accept criticism and evoking a righteous feeling of respect in them constitute a separate dimension of the issue. The Companions, who had attained an ideal level of righteousness, could comfortably warn one another about any wrong that they had committed without causing any negative reaction at all. For example, during a sermon, Umar ibn al-Khattab, may God be pleased with him, reminded people that it was necessary to keep bridal dues (mahr) within affordable limits and told them not to ask for too high amounts. What he suggested was a reasonable solution to prevent possible abuses. Even today, an understanding attitude of this issue will definitely fulfill an important function at solving a social problem. While Umar was drawing attention to this fact, an old woman spoke up and asked the caliph, "O Umar, is there a Qur'anic verse or hadith on this issue that you know and we do not? The Qur'an commands, 'But if you still decide to dispense with a wife and marry another, and you have given the former (even so much as amounts to) a treasure, do not take back anything thereof' (an-Nisa 4:20), thus not setting a limit to the amount of bridal dues." In spite of being the caliph governing a great state that challenged the two superpowers of the time, Umar said aloud to himself, "O Umar, you do not know your religion even as much as an old woman." This degree of righteousness caused Umar to be referred as "al-waqqaf inda'l haqq" (one who halts when he meets the truth). That is, when he faces a righteous argument, he stops like a car that suddenly comes to a halt while moving downslope. It is necessary to effect this feeling in people. For this reason, we should make a deal with a certain friend and authorize him or her to comfortably criticize any wrong that arises in our personal attitudes and behaviors.

In conclusion, a person who intends to criticize, or rather to correct certain matters, must first understand the issue well and make a serious effort in terms of making the correct remark. Secondly, the other person's feelings must be taken into consideration and fathom whether that other person is ready to welcome what we are about to say. If a negative reaction seems likely, one should not think, "I definitely want to be the one who expresses this truth," but instead leave the criticism to another person whose remarks will be more influential. Considering the circumstances of our time, when arrogance has become so prevailing and people cannot tolerate even a little criticism, these principles have gained a greater importance. As for those who receive criticism, they should uphold righteousness above everything else and respond to criticisms with gratitude instead of reacting negatively.

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lawinformation · 6 years ago

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Enforcement Suits in Texas Family Law: An Overview

On the off chance that you have require a best reasonable Texas Divorce Law encounter, Enforcement Suits in Texas Family Law: An Overview with the immense procedure!

Spring Divorce Lawyers: If you have ever been involved in family lawcase in Texas it is likely that you either settled your case or ended your case in a trial before a judge.

The result of either of those situations is that a Final Order of some sort was signed off on by you, the opposing party and the judge. That order now stands as the ground-rules for governing the relationship between you and your child whether you like it or not.

In some instances people don’t like what the order says in many regards and decide that not abiding by its terms will be an alright thing to do. If you find yourself in a situation where your ex-spouse or child’s other parent has violated the court’s order then you have the ability to hold them responsible, potentially, for their actions.

I say potentially because, as I often remind clients, you cannot simply contact the police or constable and inform them of a violation of your order. You must file what is known as an Enforcement in the same court that issued your prior order and present evidence as to the specifics of each violation. Today’s blog post will discuss this process in some detail.

Potential remedies under a family law Enforcement suit.

Enforcement actions have many different parts to them that encompass not only Texas Family Law matters, but criminal law and case law that appellate judges have handed down over the years.

You and your attorney must be able to find the correct “blend” of these sets of laws in order to arrive at a remedy that is suitable for your situation. Let’s go over some of those remedies to begin our discussion.

Contempt of Court

Having a court determine that your opposing party is in contempt of court is a very serious matter. Our state law defines contempt of court as the failure of a person to obey an order of the court, disrespectful actions towards a judge or a disruption of courtroom proceedings through negative behavior.

There are dual penalties that a judge in Texas may assess against a person for being found in contempt of court. The first is a civil fine that is often assessed against every violation the court determines is applicable.

An even more serious remedy available is jail time for violations of a court’s order. This is obviously a criminal penalty that is made available even in a civil case like an enforcement. The maximum amount of time a person is able to serve in prison for violation of a court’s order is 180 days. $500 per violation may be doled out by a judge as a penalty.

Beyond the types of contempt of court penalties that can be handed down by a judge, there are two types of contempt.

Direct Contempt

The first is called direct contempt. This type of contempt is the sort that involves bad behavior in front of the judge. Acting disrespectfully towards the judge or other courtroom personnel can result in fines or jail time for the offender.

Constructive Contempt

On the other hand, constructive contempt is the type that occurred at some previous time and must be proved by you and your attorney. Enforcement hearings are held in order to allow you to present your evidence in order to prove violations of the order that occurred in the past.

A motion to enforce: What it means and how to begin the process

Divorce Lawyer in Spring TX: To understand an enforcement suit it is critical to understand just why a court’s order must be followed in the first place. The fact of the matter is that while you and your child’s other parent probably agree that you both want what is best for your child, neither of you can agree on how to go about arriving at “what is best”.

You’ve already gone to court because you couldn’t agree and now have a court order that plays tie breaker for you two.

That order contains the specific rules of engagement for you two to follow. The order’s language must be specific and clear for a court to enforce it potentially. Assuming that your order is, then there is the potential for an enforcement action should you or your child’s other parent violate that order.

Just as the order itself must be clear and concise, so must your motion for enforcement. The motion must include the specific provisions that were violated as well as the relief you are requesting from the court. You can attempt to enforce issues related to custody, possession, conservatorship, visitation, child support, spousal support or property division among others.

The penalties you are seeking must be requested correctly. For example, I noted earlier that a person can only be made to serve up to 180 days in jail for violations of a court’s order. If you ask for more than 180 days a penalty, the opposing party can request a trial by jury and even have an attorney appointed to represent him or her. This follows the law from the United States Constitution.

A real world example of this can be seen in a enforcement case that I defended last year. The opposing party made a mistake in her motion and asked the court to assess far more than 180 days of jail time as a penalty for violating the court’s order. With that said, I made sure to file a motion with the court request a jury trial based on this mistake.

Strategically I wanted to either:

> give the attorneys more time to negotiate a settlement and at the very least > attempt to knock out the most severe penalty available under the law that could be assessed against our client.

The opposing party chose to pass on the criminal penalties available to her, so our client was able to avoid jail time without having even presented any evidence. That’s already a “win” in my book.

Part two of our discussion on enforcement actions to be posted tomorrow

Spring TX Divorce Lawyer: Please come back to the Law Office of Bryan Fagan, PLLC tomorrow to read part two of our series of blog posts on Enforcement suits in Texas family law.

If you have any questions on this subject please feel free to contact the Law Office of Bryan Fagan, PLLC today. A free of charge consultation where your questions can be answered is only a phone call away ... Continue Reading

#divorce #divorce law #family #Family Law #fagan #bryan fagan #attorney #attorneys #texas attorneys #law #lawyer #lawyers #Houston lawyers #Houston #Texas

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allitalksfandom · 6 years ago

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Happy belated Nagamas!

Hello @darkflierliesel! Sorry for the extensive delay (offline life very much got in the way), but here’s your @nagamas gift! I decided to write Innes x Vanessa with the sci-fi AU prompt. I’ll have a post about the worldbuilding behind the AU up soon.

Rated T for implied sexy situations. Word count, including dividers: 2,186

“Vanessa Bergfalk seeking permission to depart the planet. Ship designated number five-seven-four-six-five-seven-five, call name ‘Titania,’ over.”

“Frelia space command grants Vanessa Bergfalk permission to depart, over.”

She heard footsteps behind her as she began the rhythmic spaceflight departure maneuvers. She would recognize those steps anywhere. Fortunately, much of the departure work was automatic on the part of the ship, and her share was almost automatic at this point, too.

King Innes waited until they had cleared Frelia’s atmosphere to speak. “I’m pleased to see that my efforts to streamline space command’s clearance protocol have paid off.”

She set the ship to autopilot before she responded. “Your Majesty.” She stood up and bowed-her uniform’s short skirt did not allow for a curtsy.

Was she imagining things, or did he frown? Regardless, his expression returned to its usual neutral state. (Some of her coworkers said that he tended to wear a critical facial expression, but she always thought there was something welcoming about it.)

“I heard that your parents celebrated their thirty-fifth wedding anniversary. Congratulations.”

She wasn’t sure what the end result of this conversation would be, but she took the bait. “Thank you. My parents bought each other some relics from Valni.” Her parents were researchers studying the ancient inhabitants of that Frelian moon.

“That sounds nice.” A pause. “I have to say, I’m pleasantly surprised that you’re willing to talk to me, Vanessa.”

“I don’t follow, Your Majesty.”

“You’ve been avoiding me for two weeks. It would hardly have been appropriate for me to chase you down, given that I’m your employer. Or perhaps you feared a further relationship with me could affect your position in the Royal Cadets?”

Speaking of automatic, her face flushed almost instantly. The muscles in her jaw tightened. “I had thought that you had lost interest.” Her reasoning sounded pathetic to her ears, and King Innes certainly didn’t seem to be buying it. She backpedaled, saying “I wasn’t sure what your intentions were, if you wanted to keep having…” She grasped for a word. “Liaisons. Or if you hoped to date, or if you simply wanted to forget about the whole thing.”

“Ideally, this is the sort of thing a prospective couple discusses together.”

Vanessa tapped her index fingers together. “To be honest, I have little experience with this sort of thing.” Embarrassing to say, yes, but probably evident to him, anyway.

“And I have little experience with small talk, which is why this conversation is torturing us both.”

She waved a hand dismissively. “I wouldn’t say it’s that bad!”

“Good.” Her liege definitely wasn’t frowning now.

Her years of training had made Vanessa used to a steady schedule, and she awoke early to eat breakfast with the ship’s medic.

Moulder Austen was not only a priest of the Order of Peter; he also was an accomplished medic. Vanessa was grateful for his company on their journey. He was infinitely less distracting than the king, at the very least.

He was finishing a conversation on his Mind View when Vanessa entered the small dining area. The useful tool functioned as a visor that pulled over one eye; the device was used to transmit thought and images for the purpose of a simulated conversation. It could even receive documents. Its basis on neural networks made it difficult to hack, which made it well worth the money spent on repairs during the Solar Stone War.

Father Austen blinked five times in quick succession, causing the screen to retract. “Good morning, Vanessa. I hope you had a restful night.”

“I have my best sleep on a ship, Father.” Her parents found it odd how she and her elder sister, Syrene, preferred the dorm-style furnishings of a spaceship to their reasonable accommodations of their childhood bedrooms, but tough training made her grateful for the most sparse of beddings. “And yourself?”

“Unfortunately, I am fussier than I would like to be, but no matter. I was just Exchange Viewing with Natasha Aquino.”

Vanessa nodded in recognition of the name. “Are you in touch with the clergy from the Gradoan sector of the solar system, Father?”

“He has been a great asset in terms of a present concern of mine, so you could say that.” The door to the room slid open, and His Majesty entered.

Both Father Austen and Vanessa greeted him, though the former was not nearly as surprised by his presence as Vanessa was.

She turned to the priest. “I forgot how sensitive your hearing is. And His Majesty’s, for that matter.”

The two men instantly responded, Father Austen offering to examine her hearing and King Innes questioning the noise pollution standards of the country’s spacecraft.

“My performance on the auditory tests was within acceptable levels as of testing last month, Father, but thank you. And Your Majesty, I suspect any damage to my hearing is from the spacecraft relics I have been restoring on my break day.”

“Right,” said the king. “If I remember correctly, that scholar from Renais had sent you the docs containing their specs over the Mind View.”

“Some of them, yes, but others I’ve found on my own in the Royal Cadet Record Library.”

Father Austen cleared his throat, and this time it was her liege who was startled. He turned back to Vanessa. “I suppose you can know about Father Austen’s project. You see, he has been investigating rumors of collaboration between Renais and what remains of the Magic Wielders of the Gradoan sector. It’s called Project Torch. Have you heard of it on any of your travels?”

Given that magic was found to be a byproduct of the last few centuries of technological advancement, a fair number of humans had developed the abilities to cast spells. Between that and electricity, an ancient technology, torches were something reserved for storybooks. Given the fact that it seemed to be a secret, Vanessa doubted that the project was a historical reenactment. “‘Project Torch?’”

“According to some chemical theorists, Fomortiis influenced his army using pheromones that affected aggression in non-human species. If that were the case, then, surely it would be possible to engineer chemicals to produce the opposite effect.”

“While that would make things easier for us cadets, wouldn’t a chemical like that override free will?”

“Ah, and that’s the source of the debate. To what extent it would change an individual’s personality is, again, theoretical at best. There’s also the matter of modifications that unscrupulous characters could make to cause other emotional reactions in those exposed to the pherenomes.”

“Not to mention that its usage could affect relations with groups like the Mogalls from Za’ha’s moon, Bigl,” added Father Austen. Relations between humans and other species had been strained since the war.

“What do the pheromones have to do with Renais?” Vanessa had a feeling she already knew the answer.

King Innes did not answer at first. “The rulers of Renais did not take the loss of their friend well. Yet while Queen Eirika strives for peace, and I have always been the first to criticize King Ephraim, I do not believe that they would take such a risk.”

Vanessa had met the princess during that fateful meeting with King Hayden, but she was surprised that the woman wanted to speak to her personally before they departed Frelia.

The room where they met was functional, with a small table, three chairs, and a screen that connected to Mind View.

The princess appeared as composed as one could be in such a situation. Beside her was Seth Lapointe, Head Keeper of the Crown. Vanessa averted her eyes from his wound, instead looking at Princess Eirika.

“First of all, thank you for fighting beside us.”

“Think nothing of it, Your Highness.”

The princess moved to sit down; Vanessa and Sir Lapointe followed suit.

The princess tapped her cheek with her finger. “According to reports, you’re about my age but well-recognized for your accomplishments in the Annual Royal Cadet Games.”

“In the course of my studies, I learned a bit about Frelia’s Royal Cadets. Last year, you ranked twenty-fifth out of the all-time record for the Time Trial?” The Head Keeper blinked five times, opening the record in Mind View and using Exchange View to project it on the screen.

“That is true. I decided to attend the Royal Cadet Academy and follow in my sister’s footsteps.”

“I see that you studied ancient spacecraft.” The Head Keeper winked five times, which allowed him normal vision while keeping the Exchange View on the screen. The tone in his voice indicated that her profile, which now graced the screen, had given him pause.

“I had originally planned on following in my parents’ footsteps and working in the research labs on Valni.”

“There’s nothing wrong with that,” said the princess warmly. “I assume that you followed in your sister’s footsteps instead? My own brother taught me how to fight.” She looked at Vanessa, her gaze suddenly intent. “As a younger sibling, I’m sure you can understand…my situation.”

Vanessa nodded slowly.

“More than anything, it’s compassion and a strong heart that will get us through this mission. If we have that, we will reunite with my brother, and you’ll return triumphant to your family.”

*****

They had a smooth landing, as expected, and they managed to complete their port registration in an efficient and speedy matter; King Innes expressed mild bewilderment that King Ephraim had taken his suggestions on how to streamline the process to heart. “Then again, it may have been Eirika’s doing.”

Their escort consisted of two members of the Crown’s Keepers. While Vanessa did not recognize one of their companions, the second was a familiar face.

“It’s good to see you, Franz.”

Franz Fortier was scarcely old enough to be called an adult when Vanessa had first met him, so it was bizarre to see the slightest bit of stubble on his chin. Presumably he had missed the hairs while shaving due to their light color. “Vanessa! My brother will be disappointed he missed running into you.”

“The last time we talked on Mind View, he said that he had left the Crown’s Keepers to focus on his artwork.”

Franz tilted his head slightly. “He wants to, yes, but he’s only semi-retired from the force. Unfortunately for him, he’s been hounded by new recruits hoping to get some wisdom from a war hero.” He blushed. “They’ve even been talking to me. I just tell them that I learned everything from Sir Lapointe. Granted, my father was his role model…”

They continued to make friendly conversation while his fellow Crown’s Keeper drove the subatmospheric vehicle used and beloved by Crown’s Keepers, the Stallion model.

Vanessa preferred Titania, and had had many passionate discussions with Crown’s Keepers on the subject of subatmospheric versus spaceflight vehicles. Princess Tana had even joined in on the debates, and Vanessa found that she had much of her brother’s strength of conviction.

Upon arrival at the residence of King Ephraim and Queen Eirika, Vanessa and Father Austen were left to wait outside the meeting room. Vanessa kept herself busy by reading explanatory Exchange Views from Lute Rayne, her scholarly friend from the war. Vanessa had asked the purple-haired woman what she knew about a reference to a long-ago civilization in one of her ancient schematics meant, which had led to a history lesson.

Vanessa had finally finished reading Lute’s Exchange View. After shutting off the Mind View, she rubbed at her eyes. She stood up automatically at the sound of King Innes walking towards her and Father Austen.

He shook his head with the smallest of movements. They know nothing.

“Perhaps I had wanted to uncover something, play the hero.”

Vanessa’s quarters were more crowded than usual that night. The king lay under the blanket next to her, arms folded behind his head.

“That doesn’t sound like you, Your Majesty. You’re a practical man, and you wanted to make sure that they weren’t making the same mistakes as their lost friend.”

He looked at her out of the corner of his eye. “I thought I asked you not to call me that in here. Unless you want to-”

She elbowed him lightly in his ribs, blushing.

“I deserved that. But that reminds me, we should address what, exactly, is happening between us.”

Vanessa pursed her lips in thought. “Actually, I can tell that you’re still preoccupied about Project Torch. We can talk about that.”

The king sounded grateful as he spoke. “Rumors do not simply happen for no reason. I believe I can trust the Renais twins, which means four options remain. One, Project Torch is happening in Renais and they are ignorant of it. Two, they have been prevented from telling me about it. Three, someone or a group of someones wants to discredit them and has started this rumor. And fourth, Project Torch does exist, but in some other capacity. You know that I have little faith in Carcino…”

Vanessa nodded slowly as he spoke. “What does this mean for Frelia?”

He sighed. “We keep listening.”

“We stay on guard.”

“Ever vigilant.”

“Starting tomorrow.” Vanessa closed her eyes.

#darkflierliesel #Nagamas #Vanessa #Innes #FE8 #Alli's Fanfiction

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