#and in her downfall she fails to accomplish any good because she is so set in her ways she refuses to consider other options

[theexhaustedqueer]

I’m really discovering about myself that my favourite genre of character to write is female who characters who do horrible things for interesting reasons. Not in the way of me justifying their actions, actually usually it’s quite the opposite, and certainly not in the girlboss “they can do whatever and I’d still like them” way. Rather, asking the question “What messed up concoction of flaws and life experiences could compel a person to act in such a morally reprehensible way?” And also they’re women. I’m serious, this a solid 30% of the NPCs in the dnd game I run, and I’m only adding more. My players are going to catch wise at this rate.

[quentinblack]

Smoke and Mirrors 

Chapter 9: Ron III - I’m Fine (link to full story on FF.net)

Word Count: 2K words

Featuring: Ron Weasley, Voldemort, Hermione Granger

A cold breeze blew against Ron’s cloak as he explored the Woollahra wilderness.

The Sydney sun had set and it was both cold and dark outside, with only the odd flood-light and a few fireflies preventing the forest from being encased in darkness.

He jumped slightly as he saw a little spider run past his shoe, but then he noticed a whole horde of them scattering away to the east.

Ron’s eyes shifted to follow where they were all going and he saw that they were all converging on a rose bush at the start of a clearing. His arachnophobia caused him to hesitate, but his curious nature soon overcame his fear and he trudged over to investigate.

A closer look at the rose bush did not give away the reasoning for the spider’s strange behaviour, but then he heard a hideous hissing sound approaching behind him.

Ron reached for his wand and his heart skipped a beat when it was not there, where he always kept it.

How could that be?

He never left the house without his wand.

It would be akin to going out without any clothes on.

He wasn’t that careless or reckless.

Or maybe he was.

He had after all just followed a trail of spiders, which hadn’t exactly ended well the last time he’d been roped into doing that.

Why was it always spiders?!

But as the hissing grew louder Ron realised that it might not be an army of Aragog’s extended family that would be his biggest problem this time. He braved a look behind him and was horrified to find a giant snake staring down at him.

The snake hissed viciously at him as if it was trying to communicate with him. Ron wondered if Harry would still be able to communicate with it if he were here.

And where was Hermione?

At least Hermione wouldn’t have forgotten to come outside without a wand on her.

The snake suddenly shifted its appearance in vicious fashion and Ron was greeted by an even worse sight.

“You….you’re….you’re dead. Harry killed you!” Ron fumbled out at what appeared to be a reincarnated Lord Voldemort.

Voldemort hissed at him in what Ron presumed must be parsel-tongue.

How had he survived again?

How was he back?

“You…” the Dark Lord whispered. “You are no parsel-tongue… that my ancestor’s language was used in such fashion to bring about my destruction… you will pay dearly for that, blood-traitor!”

“I- I-

Ron floundered around but could not find the words or the courage to engage in conversation. He expected to see a flash of green light any moment now… he was unarmed… defenceless… it was only a matter of time.

“You fear I will kill you?” Voldemort smirked. “I can’t kill you here. If I were to strike you down now all that I would achieve would be waking you up from this nightmare.”

It made sense now.

It was just a dream.

That was why he didn’t have his wand on him.

“How the hell are you in my dreams?” Ron demanded, as his fear evaded ever so slightly with the knowledge that this wasn’t real.

“How should I know?” Voldemort snapped back. “It’s your mind, not mine. The great mind of Ron Weasley… I must say, even with my limited expectations I am disappointed.”

“Disappointed in what?” Ron clamoured, but Voldemort began speaking again as if Ron had not spoken at all.

“But I suppose that’s your speciality, isn’t it? Disappointment. What would you say was your biggest achievement in your pitiful little life?” he spat.

“I… I… err…”

Ron thought hard, but Voldemort had interrupted him before he had the chance to answer.  

“I’ll tell you what your biggest achievement was, blood-traitor. On that transfigured chessboard in your first year… you used the power of your mind and your courage to recklessly sacrifice yourself for the greater good… the sign of a sharp, strategic mind… cunning skill… expertly applied under such pressure… that night was the first chapter in Harry Potter’s road to destroying the greatest dark wizard who ever lived… and when books are one day written of his conquest, even the most naive of readers may be duped into thinking that based on your actions that night... that you might well have played a crucial role in helping him destroy the great Lord Voldemort…”

“…BUT THEY WOULD BE WRONG!” Voldemort suddenly screamed after his calmly whispered monologue.

“You contributed nothing!” he raged. “You showed the signs of a sharp, calculating mind… but to what ends did you cultivate that potential? Did you master the art of Occlumency? Did you learn Legilimency? Did you scrutinise the history books documenting the downfalls of history’s greatest Dark wizards, so that you could conjure up a master battle-plan to defeat me… with as few of your foolish friends and family finding their way to an early grave as possible?”

Voldemort’s verbal onslaught had Ron lost for words.

He didn’t know what to say, but he could never have mastered Occulemency or learned how to be a Legilimens. He wasn’t smart enough to come up with battle plans to defeat the Death Eaters.

It wasn’t his fault that some of his friends and family had died.

Or was it?

“You forget that I am an accomplished Legilimens myself! You think that I can’t see what you are thinking?! You blame your failings and underachievement on not being clever enough for true greatness… but you are not stupid. Stupid people don’t have the self-awareness to know that they are stupid... they blame other people for their mistakes and misgivings. You are not as stupid as you might look Ron Weasley… no… you are just lazy.”

Ron saw You Know Who reach for his wand and he was almost glad.

Glad that this nightmare would be over.

But it was not over.

Not yet.

Voldemort waved his wand and conjured up a moving image projected on a cloud of smoke. Ron was greeted with an animated picture of his Mother’s face filled with tears, yet they were not tears of mourning… but tears of joy.

“You so seek your Mother’s approval… look at her, so happy that she is reduced to tears as she watches your oldest brother on his wedding day… what a pity that she will never get the chance to shed tears of joy at a wedding for her youngest son.”

The wand swayed in the moonlight and the image of Ron’s Mother disappeared.

“I will get married someday… you’ll see!” Ron retorted.

A small grin found its way onto Voldemort’s face.

“But who would want to marry you… you can’t mean the mud-blood?”

“Don’t call her that!” Ron spat back.

“Defensive of your girlfriend? Oh, how noble,” Voldemort laughed. “Do you know what was really noble? Harry Potter letting you have her.”

“He didn’t… she loves me not Harry-

“She’s only with you because Harry Potter didn’t want her… or maybe he did, but he felt so sorry for his best friend that he was willing to let him have that one small victory… your relationship is doomed to fail regardless.”

“You’re wrong! You don’t know anything-

“I KNOW ENOUGH!” Voldemort shouted. “I know that she will forever overshadow and out-earn you… and let’s be honest she’s already got quite a head-start in the finance department. You’ve wallowed in self-pity and jealously in Harry Potter’s shadow since you were a boy of 11… can you really handle spending the rest of your life in the shadow of your partner?”

“I… I…”

“You’re weak. You’re lazy. You’re a quitter. The mudblood is everything that you are not… imagine what she and Harry Potter could achieve together… they could revolutionise the Wizarding world… not for the better of course… but still… the most powerful wizard and witch of their generation… together as one… imagine what children they could create together.”

The thought of that caused Ron to snap.

He ran at Voldemort full pelt and threw his fists towards his face, whilst screaming in an uncontrollable rage.

Voldemort apparated before Ron could punch him.

He looked to his left and there The Dark Lord was.

“Gilderoy Lockhart could’ve wiped your memory in that Chamber and put you in St Mungo’s next to the Longbottom’s for the rest of your life… and it would have had no impact on whether I lived or died.”

“You’re just like that horcrux… you’re just trying to make me-

“You were more of a hindrance than a help! You unwittingly protected the man who betrayed your best friend’s parents to me… when Harry Potter had most of the school turn against him you didn’t stand by him like the mudblood… you turned against him too.”

“That was a mistake! I didn’t- I was-

“At the height of the war… when Harry needed all the help that he could get… when he needed that sharp, strategic mind… you didn’t take control… you didn’t hatch a cunning plan… you didn’t jump on a knight and sacrifice yourself… you bottled it! You ran away! You quit! Because that’s what you are Ron Weasley… and that’s what you will always be…

Avada…

Voldemort raised his wand and cast the spell so quickly that Ron barely even heard the words before the green light blinded his eyes and took him.

~ ~ ~ ~ 

Ron bolted up in bed.

He felt his heart breathing at a million miles per hour and sweat covered his body, which was completely bare save for a pair of underwear.

His heavy breathing caused a startled Hermione to awaken next to him.

She strained to open her eye-lids and her brown eyes briefly stared deep into his soul, as they adjusted from mild curiosity to grave concern.

“Are you… are you alright, Ron?” she asked anxiously.

“I’m fine,” Ron lied.

[theredhairedmonkey]

Viren and Callum—Defining Heroism

Callum is a foil for each of the three antagonists, and each season focuses on a different pairing.

During Season 2, Callum’s arc was a foil to Claudia’s. I break down some of the similarities between them here. Callum and Claudia both exhibit a curiosity to learn more about magic (particularly at the Moon Nexus), and both are fiercely protective of those closest to them. To the extent they will use Dark Magic to protect them.

But whereas Callum tries it once and decides to reject it for good, Claudia continues to succumb to this temptation, time and time again.

During Season 3, Callum’s development is contrasted with Aaravos. At this point, Callum is, like Aaravos, a magical prodigy; each had mastered at least one Primal Source they weren’t born connected to.

Additionally, both demonstrate great influence over the lives of those around them. But they are diametrically opposed in terms of their goals. Whereas Aaravos cares primarily about advancing his own interests, Callum wants to genuinely help people, and empower them to make their own choices (as opposed to manipulating them like Aaravos).

This foil can be summed up simply—Callum is motivated by the Narrative of Love. Aaravos is motivated by the Narrative of Fear.

Harrow: “I ask you and your brother to reject history as a narrative of strength and instead have faith that it can be a narrative of love.”

Aaravos: “You tried to win over the other humans with loyalty and friendship, but they ignored you. Those who fail tests of love are simple animals. They deserve to be motivated by fear.”

But the focus here is on Viren and Callum, and starting in Season 1 and throughout the first three seasons, Viren and Callum have very deep, narratively important parallels with one another.

Both are the mages who advise their respective Kings.

Callum: “When you grow up, sometimes you have to face things you’re not ready for.”

Viren: “He insisted I stand next to him in the painting, because he knew I would stand by him through anything.”

Both are curious and want to explore the depths of magic to the greatest extent possible.

Viren and Callum are also both insecure in their place in the world, relying (at least initially) on magic to help give them a sense of belonging

But their differences not only define their dynamic, they also define many elements and themes to the Saga, in particular as to what it means to be a hero.

To begin, Viren is great, though not necessarily good. That is to say, even though he may be capable of great deeds that save countless lives (such as in saving the people of Duren with the heart of a Titan), these deeds don’t actually make him a heroic person.

This is because every great deed he did stemmed not from altruism or compassion (no matter how well he convinced himself that it did), but from his tragic flaws: his arrogance, his vanity, and importantly, his hubris—his belief that he can subvert the natural order in his favor without consequence.

From what we can gather, Viren is a force to be reckoned with. His skills with magic have made him so powerful, he can cast a spell that would save two kingdoms from starvation.

They are also such that he’s considered by Amaya, a talented warrior herself, perhaps “the most dangerous human in the world.”

His martial prowess is quite exceptional as well, as he’s able to go toe to toe with two Dragonguards for a time. Even though they’re elite fighters and they’re flanking him, he’s able to hold his own for a while before having to resort to magic.

However, Viren is a tragic character. I don’t mean this in the sense that we should feel sorry for the power-hungry man who attempted to murder two boys and steal the throne. Rather, his “greatness” is undermined by his personal flaws, which he can’t quite shake and prevent him from being good.

Part of Viren sincerely wants to improve life for his people. When talking to Aaravos, to whom he has no motivation to lie, he states his aim is to help mankind flourish “without a knife to its throat”

He’s even willing to consider sacrificing himself, either for King Harrow or, in Lux Aurea, for his army.

Aaravos: “We’ll risk as few lives as possible. One.”

Viren: “Ah. Mine.”

But as per his hubris, he exhibits great pride in how his abilities can help mankind flourish or save his people. While he wants mankind to prosper, he wants this to be his achievement and wants people to know that he is the one who saved them.

In his story to Queen Aanya, he places a bit of undue emphasis on the fact that he was the one who up with a solution that saved Katolis and Duren. Whether or not this is what happened, it’s clear that he wants Aanya to know that he personally saved her kingdom.

A little less unclear is how necessary he ultimately was. Sarai goes back to save Viren because “without him to perform the spell, the heart is worthless, and this was all for nothing.”

I’m...skeptical as to whether this is what Sarai says, or if it’s Viren intentionally or unintentionally reading in what he wants her to say. Truth be told, Viren has no idea if this is what Sarai said because he wasn’t there when she said it. And why is the heart worthless? Viren wasn’t the only Dark Mage in the world, and probably not the only one between Duren and Katolis. There’s no reason why another mage couldn’t perform the spell.

But for Viren, the heart of the Titan might as well have been worthless because, in his mind, he’s the only capable of accomplishing these great feats.

Even when he was potentially willing to sacrifice his life for Harrow, he botched it with his  speech to Harrow.

Viren: “Right now I do not come to you as my King. I think of you as my brother.”

Truth is, none of this throat-clearing is necessary. But, Viren’s not quite so humble, even when he’s attempting to do the right thing. He still wants to be seen as someone special, even when laying his life down for another.

Turns out, this was entirely the wrong thing to say to Harrow, who is put off by Viren’s self-righteousness.

Harrow: “I see the problem now. It’s that you believe you are special. Better than everyone else, above the laws of this kingdom.”

When he’s forced to kneel and Harrow calls him a servant, this infuriates Viren and he sets aside any plans he had to sacrifice himself for his King.

Harrow: “You are a servant of Katolis. You are a servant.”

Because if Viren is going to sacrifice himself, he needs people to know what a great thing it is that he’s doing. He’s not a mere servant, he’s their savior.

It’s interesting that Viren’s pride is so hurt of being called a servant of Katolis, since that’s exactly how Harrow sees himself, according to Viren.

Viren: “King Harrow worked tirelessly. He told me he thought of himself as a servant of all the people of Katolis. A servant King.”

But Viren doesn’t see himself in this way. When his potential sacrifice is treated with the same level of significance as though he were anybody else, it offends him that he has to share that importance with others.

And thus, his pride leads to his downfall, casting aside his desire to protect his King, and replaces it with a desire to be the King himself.

Viren: “Today, we must mourn sevenfold. For tonight, there will be a coronation.”

Callum, on the other hand, begins his journey on the opposite side of the spectrum from Viren. Whereas Viren can accomplish great feats without being good, Callum is a good person, though not great.

At least, not yet.

According to the main site, “Callum has a big heart, and always tries to do the right thing.”

He can be super proud of himself and his accomplishments, but he usually has enough perspective to avoid letting this get in the way of what he knows is important. For instance, he connects to the Sky Primal, something thought of as impossible for humans, he immediately shifts his attention to Ezran, never once bragging or reminding people of his accomplishments.

Corvus: That’s incredible, Prince Callum.

Callum: Thanks…uh, who are you?

And, when it comes time to laying his life on the line for others, he never hesitates. Notably, around the same time as Viren was thinking about sacrificing his life for Harrow, Callum was preparing to sacrifice himself for his actual brother, but with none of the bravado or self-righteous congratulating of himself.

Just a solemn, quiet attempt to save his brother, even at the cost of his own life, and even without anyone finding out about his sacrifice.

For Rayla, he performs Dark Magic, knowing how much she could possibly hate him for it, but deciding that her life is worth more than how she sees him.

Callum may start out with a big heart, but when it comes to his skills, well…

But if Viren begins as both powerful and amoral, it makes perfect sense to have Callum’s arc to begin as his opposite--someone without any special abilities but with a strong moral compass.

Because of this, we get to see him go from good to great. And his story walks this fine line, where he develops these magical abilities to perform heroic feats walking hand in hand with the realization that he doesn’t need magic to be heroic.

Callum: “It’s up to us now. We have to return this egg. We have to keep it safe and carry it to Xadia.”

Callum has the same temptation as Viren—this need to be someone important, which is a big part of his arc in S1 and S2.

In S1, he initially places a high premium on his sense of self-worth, willing to put their mission in jeopardy just so he can obtain an object that might help him become a better mage.

He assigns great importance to objects (such as the Primal Stone and the Key of Aaravos) rather than focusing on people or lives. Much in line with the way a Dark Mage would attach significance to magical components that are needed for spells.

Callum: “The truth is, its not me. It’s this. All the magic, all the power, all the confidence. It's just because of this amazing thing. A Primal Stone.”

Ellis: “That Primal Stone needs you to do all that amazing stuff. Without you, it's just a neat, glowy ball.”

Callum: “I guess so. But without this, I'm nothing. Just a guy who can draw and make wry comments from time to time. And they're not even that wry.”

Much like how Viren assigns great value to the mirror or the Dragon Egg, even above his own children’s lives.

Viren: “The egg. If you have to choose [between Soren and the egg], choose the egg.”

But by the end of S1, he realizes just how much more important the lives of his friends and the Dragon Prince are over his own sense of pride or self-worth. Unlike Viren, who places a great degree of importance to his sacrifice (honestly, Harrow should be honored that Viren would consider throwing himself on the sword for a mere king), Callum simply makes the realization of what he needs to do…and then does it.

S2 follows the aftermath of his decision, and Callum has to deal with no longer having his mage abilities. Again, he latches his entire sense of self-worth to be able to do magic.

As @raayllum​ points out here, he also aligns his ability to do magic to agency. Without magic, he’s paralyzed by indecision and an inability to do the right thing. He believes himself imprisoned by his inadequacy.

Callum: “If we're really going to change things, we can't just watch while humans and Xadia keep hurting each other. But how do I take a stand? Believe me, I want to go down there with you, and be the heroes who stop all the fighting and save the day, but I can't do that. I can't do anything!”

And he follows this line of reasoning to its logical conclusion:

Dark Magic

Dark Magic gives him all the power he needs. If Callum wants to be special (like Viren), if he wants to have agency and freedom for himself, this is the path he can take.

Dark!Callum: “You can have unlimited power, and you can choose what to do with that power.

And in that moment, he’s tempted. Truly, he’s tempted, to commit to this path, set himself free from his past limitations and feelings of worthlessness.

He can become like Viren, and make himself great…but in a moment of clarity, he sees Dark Magic for what it truly is.

This isn’t freedom. It’s not the power he wants.

It’s just another prison.

And unlike Viren, who succumbs to this temptation, Callum sees through it.

What’s noteworthy is that Callum doesn’t press on the point that it’s possible for him to learn an Arcanum and do magic some other. He doesn’t insist he can make this choice easy on himself; he chooses that, Arcanum or no Arcanum, this is not the kind of magic he will choose to do.

Callum: “Destiny is a book you write yourself!”

Instead of attaching his sense of self-worth and agency to magic, he breaks free of this toxic cycle and seizes the ability to direct his own fate.

This is a lesson that he then passes on to others.

Rayla: “What does this mean? What should I do?

Callum:  “I don’t know. But it’s your choice. No one else’s.”

He finds his agency and self-worth independent of his ability to do magic, and realizes that his potential is actually in his complete control. Fittingly, it’s this realization that completes his journey to finally understand the Sky Arcanum.

In the end, Viren and Callum are quite similar, but the former lets his flaws get the better of him, his pride sinking him until he becomes malicious, grasping, and power-hungry. Eyes set on stealing the power to make him important.

The latter ascends past his prior limitations, refusing to yield to his own worst impulses.

Moreover, Callum holds on to his ideals in the face of adversity, even at his own expense, while Viren constantly tries to find “pragmatic” and expedient solutions to problems that always happen to end up with him on top of everyone else. Viren continues his dramatic decline, eagerly crossing one moral horizon after another, until by the end, he admits to Aaravos what he is really after is conquest; he’s willing to steal Zym’s life force just to become more powerful, sacrificing the entirety of his army to do it.

Callum, on the other hand, begins to truly understand what can make a good-natured person into a hero.

He expresses it in a speech about Rayla…

Callum: “It's because Rayla is a hero…Rayla saves people. She's brave. She does what's right, even if it puts her own life in danger, and even when the odds seem impossible. Even when it means her own people might misunderstand and turn against her. Rayla is selfless, strong and caring. That's what makes her a hero. That's what makes her Rayla.”

…and then proceeds to do each and every one of those things on the pinnacle. He bravely leaps after Rayla--even though it put his own life in danger--because it’s the right thing to do. Even though the odds of quickly mastering a complex spell on the way down seemed impossible.

Viren thinks his great feats are a substitute for a good character. Callum’s journey, on the other hand, is learning those character traits that make one heroic. He realizes, not only that Rayla is “selfless, strong, and caring,” but also why and more importantly, why he can be those things too.

And this dynamic between Viren and Callum culminates in the finale, where one falls…

…and the other rises.

[cecilspeaks]

169 - The Whittler

Let us go then, you and I When the evening is spread out Against the sky And pick up some Dell Taco for dinner. Welcome to Night Vale.

Beyond our town, past the Sand Wastes, in the Scrublands, sits the old general store. An oaken cabin style A-frame with boxed windows and a covered patio. On the porch there sits a swinging bench and upon that bench sits an elderly man, his face crumpled like a discarded letter, his eyes like tire tracks hidden beneath the shady brim of a straw cowboy hat. The old man holds a block of Elmwood the size of a potato in his right hand, and in his left, a carving jack. He whittles away at the knot of food, shaving off small corners, making detailed lines and indentations. The wood is all his world. And this world is quiet in his lap, on his bench, on his patio, before his general store amid the Scrublands past the Sand Wastes, which curl about Night Vale like the gentle but calloused hands of a father holding a newborn. As the old man whittles, he whistles sad songs with no words. But all those who hear the notes know they are bout loss. That they are about loneliness. But no one hears those notes. Not yet. No one sees the old whittler, nor his general store far out in an uninhabited stretch of desert. Not yet. If they did, they would wonder how an old general store, which was not there yesterday, was suddenly here today, a shop that by all accounts had weathered decades of abusive heat, wind, and isolation. They would hear his sad song, and the universal language of wistful sorrow would hide from them their understanding of time.

Let’s have a look now at sports. This Saturday night, the Night Vale High School Scorpions basketball team begins the district tournament. The Scorpions, having finished the season 18-2, earned the number 1 seat this year, but face some tough competition in their bracket. In the first round, they must battle another basketball team. This is logical, because most basketball tournaments feature other basketball teams. But the other basketball team is considered weaker than the Night Vale Scorpions, because a series of accumulated numbers indicates this is so. Should the Scorpions make it out of the first round and into the semi-finals, they would likely battle the number 4 seed, Nature. A tougher matchup to be sure, as Nature is unpredictable and ubiquitous. Nature’s style of play is best described as capricious and random, sometimes showcasing an array of flashy skills like sunny days, crystalline lakes, and otters. But Nature is a lockdown defensive force with effective momentum stoppers like lightning, quicksand, and poison ivy.

And in the finals, the favorites to compete for the title are Night Vale High School versus themselves, perhaps the toughest battle of them all, as each player must confront their harmful secrets, painful pasts, and darkest nightmares. Themselves are able to match the pace and power of Night Vale’s offensive and defensive sets, and we expect an excellent game. Good luck, Scorpions!  

Most days the Scrublands are absent of humans, unapproachable and hostile. Today is not most days, as a line of Night Vale citizens has formed outside of the general store to see the old whittler and his wood menagerie. Parents ask for photos of their children with his work, and he only whistles and nods nearly imperceptibly. It could almost be interpreted as a slight twitch of the neck, rather than an affirming nod, but interpretations grow liberal when want is high.

Fathers and mothers snap pictures on their phones of children accepting gifts of wood figurines from the old man. The kids stare into the thin black ellipses that pass for his eyes, searching for the charming smile of elderly approval. But instead, seeing every single constellation of the night sky inside slits as thin as thistles and as black as tar. The historic expansion of the universe cannot be fully understood in words or even human thought, but it can be comprehended in the eyes of the tanned, wrinkled stranger.

The old whittler does not charge a penny for any of his work. He does not smile nor accept the many thank-yous coaxed out of the young ones by their manner-minded handlers. Nor does he accept requests. Children have many mascots, heroes, and cartoons that they love to possess via keepsake totems, and they repeatedly ask the old man for whittled representations of their favorite things, like Pokemon characters or one of Pixar’s anthropomorphic cars, or even Ted Allen, host of Food Network’s long running cooking competition “Chopped”. But the old whittler only carves what he carves. And he carves tiny horses, little cowboys, old-timey wagons, armadillos, tigers, tractors, almost anything you can think of. He finishes his sculpture of a koala bear and hands it to Amber Akinyi, who looks at her husband Wilson Levy, who is holding their sobbing, screaming 16-month-old baby Flora. The couple smiles together, never knowing that this balsa koala is everything they could have ever wanted beyond a loving family. Wilson begins to cry at the simple beauty of this craft. Amber begins to cry at the feeling of being understood, and young Flora stops crying as she fawns over the 6-inch tall antipodean marsupial, cartoonishly gnawing on a eucalyptus leaf.

The whittler also carves people. Small human figures, yes, like firefighters and ballerinas and clowns, but also actual people. Harrison Kip told the old man he wished to be happier in his own skin, and the old whittler grabbed Harrison’s cheeks and brought Harrison’s round, soft face before his own crinkled countenance, and Harrison screamed. He screamed in fear of what the old man was about to do. He also screamed in joyous anticipation, and the two screams were discordant like adjacent keys pressed simultaneously on a church organ. The old whittler pressed his knife against Harrison’s chin and began to pull the blade back, using the force of his thumb and the trunk of his forefinger. He repeated throughout Harrison’s assenting and defiant shouts, and after a few moments, Harrison stopped yelling and stood. His jaw squarer, his nose thinner and longer, his shoulders broader. And Harrison smiled.

Soon, the whittler began carving houses, roads, and city buildings. They were larger than the koala, much larger, for they were full-sized renditions of these things. He sliced and sawed away at block after block of red oak, hackberry and peachwood, forming new arteries of city travel, whole blocks of residences, and even cultural landmarks and venues. And the town of Night Vale, in a single late morning, began to expand into the distant and uninhabitable Scrublands of our desert.

Let’s have a look now at horoscopes. Gemini. Bury yourself in your work today, Gemini. Pile that garbage high and rest your weary head beneath its odorous, but comforting weight. Cancer. No more Mr. Nice Guy, Cancer. Today you are Mrs. Disinterested Lady. Get out there and be uninvolved in everything. Leo. You’re the talk of the town, Leo. Word after word is about you, and it is juicy! Like a rare steak, like a blood orange. Juicy like 2008 coutoure. Whew! You should hear what they’re saying. Virgo. You are not what you seem to be, Virgo. You seem to be a blackberry shrub, overreaching and prickly. But really you are a human, squishy and small. Continue to be the thorny fruit-bearing bush, though. Libra. You seek balance, Libra, but you are as lopsided as wealth disparity graph in an economist’s classroom. Share your worth, distribute your value fairly and compassionately, Libra, for the villagers are sharpening their tools. Scorpio. Hey Steve, love you pal! 

Sagittarius. Your (-) [0:10:42] in relationships is going to be your downfall, Sagittarius. You’re an obsidian monolith, towering over everyone, absorbing all light, except the faint reflection of those who want to know what glows inside your stony façade. You don’t have to be a diamond, Sagittarius, or even quartz. Just try for salt lick, OK? I think you can achieve that. 

Capricorn. Oh the games you play, Capricorn, you wicked little sea goat! You naughty caprine ocean dweller with your horns and scales, vexing us with your riddles and labyrinthian logic! The stars offer no advice for you, Capricorn, only envious praise. Aquarius. Put your money where your mouth is, but wash that money first, Aquarius. It’s been in so many other people’s mouths, ever since we added Jolly Ranchers as legal currency. Pisces. You’re swimming upstream, Pisces. Figuratively speaking, of course. I mean you are a human who does not need to actually swim upstream for food or a mate. Get out of the metaphorical stream and avoid the damage you’re going to do to your body and soul. Except for you, Tim. You’re a woodchuck, who is literally swimming upstream. I don’t like you, Tim, because you are eating my tulips. You can drown. Aries. Fake it til you pretend to make it, Aries. Taurus. Don’t hide your feelings, Taurus! Frame them! Display them ostentatiously on the wall. Mount them on plinths behind velvet robed (-) [0:12:33]. Curate an exhibit of your feelings, Taurus. Charge admission.

And now the news. The Night Vale City Council deliberated today on whether the old whittler in front of the old general store in the Scrublands was friend or foe to our town. Those voices arguing in favor of the old man celebrated the huge municipal expansion he was creating so quickly onto undeveloped land. 

“This new infrastructure would have taken us dozens of years and millions of dollars to deploy, and he has accomplished it all in half day!” these voices said in unison. “Plus,” they added, “he whittled a little army man for my kid, a bracelet for my wife, and a sweater for our cat. It’s everything we ever wanted!”

The dissenting voices, and they were few, could only argue that he failed to acquire proper permits for any of this construction, let alone an outdoor vendor’s license which is mandatory even for giveaways. Excepting restaurant samples, marketing promotions, and military dispersion of chemtrails. The many-voiced, uni-bodied creature that is the City Council, huffed in nearly unanimous support for this old man. His sad whistling, his prolific whittling, and his beneficence to our city. “Did you see?” said there of the voices, “that inside the general store there’s everything you could ever need. Cans, boxes, shelves, counters! Walls. It’s amazing. Everything is craved from a single block of wood, and it’s all connected! No glue or bolts or rivets anywhere.” “He’s a deft hand,” concurred four other voices. “How does he even find single blocks of wood that huge?” wondered a solo voice aloud. “Whatever!” the entire City Council roared in unison. “That old man is a superb whittler!”

And now financial news. [hysterical laughter Ha ha hahahaha hahaha every-everything’s fine! It’s just dandy! Uh, thank you for asking.

And now back to our top story. Out in the Scrublands, an entire wooden suburb has grown from the withered hands and sharp knife of the old whittler, who has for the first time today, moved from the porch of his general store. He stands now upon a stage, a round platform on the center of a great amphitheater, which he personally carved deep into the cracked, red rock of the desert floor. The people of Night Vale gather and sit on wood plank rows, which curve in a semi-circle around the old man on the stage. Each person in attendance holds in their hands a whittled object given to them as they entered the audience space. The items are all different, esoteric, and unique, each item and unexpected gift of the whittler. Each item the very thing they have always wanted, even if it was never what they thought they wanted. They hold gently their presents, protecting them with their very lives. The whittler, with his straw hat still shading his keyhole eyes and riverbend mouth, stands before the people of Night Vale who sit in an arena of his own making, each cradling a beloved statuette of his own making. The old man reaches out and takes the hand of his bride. She, of course, is of his own making as well. She is craved of weeping cedar. Her veil, though entirely wood, is somehow translucent, and her sorrowful eyes are faintly visible behind the intricate work of the whittler’s blade. The old man whistles once again, and the crowd whistles along with him. They know the song now. It lives in them like longing, like blood. Like a soul. They know every word of the wordless (-) [0:16:51], and the notes of loneliness spread across the Scrublands to the mountains’ edge and echo back in the key of hope, with a lilt of contentment and satisfaction. They will only be happy when he is happy and he is, indeed, happy. As the whittler clutches the hand of his newly carved betrothed, the clouds part, revealing the happiest thing of all: The weather.

[“Embroidery Stars” by Carrie Elkin http://carrieelkin.com/]

Into the Scrublands I went, myself already as happy as I could ever be for I was with my own true love, my husband. I journeyed to see the whittler for myself, as an effort of journalism, a chronicler of interesting events. I wanted for nothing. My happiness cannot be improved. Or so I believed.

When I arrived, the whittler more than 100 feet a way, and through a mass of thousands, greeted me with a nod so unobtrusive, I believed it to be a trick of the eye. But from the distance, I could see the whole of the universe in those dark eyes under dark shadow, behind the final violet of sunset. I knew he meant me.

Carlos and I stepped to the podium, and the old man opened his palm to reveal an original carving just for me. I had hoped it was a Nintendo Switch, but it was a [sea plane] [0:23:05]. Carlos, like a child on Santa’s lap, cooed and asked the old man for a superconductive supercollider. And the old whittler, his burlap cheeks heavy with gravity and history, reached into the breast pocket of his (-) shirt and handed Carlos a tiny wooden rose. Carlos hugged his rose to his chest, and I my (sea plane). The whittler took the hand again off his bride and gazed upon her, her veiled eyes met by his boundless stare. They stood like that for more than an hour, not speaking. The only sounds were the cicadas chirping and the crowd whistling.

But the tune faded, and soon only the cicadas cut through the silence of a still desert twilight. And one of us, Larry Leroy, stood and walked on to the stage. He touched the old man’s shoulder. The old man did not turn. He did not speak. He collapsed into black ash. Then his bride, then the seats beneath us, it all gave way to crumbling nothing. Then the buildings and roads and even the general store turned into ash. Finally, every one of our object dissipated, like Eurydice almost free from Hades. A gentle cool breeze arrived to sweep our hope away.

We returned home, wordless, with occasional whistles of the whittler’s tune, once again in a sad and lonesome key. Our cherished gifts, we told ourselves, were nothing more than baubles, ephemera, however blessed or magical. They were mere things, not love, not family, not true love, they were objects, toys. Props. Distractions. They were everything we have ever wanted, because we could hold them, see them, touch them. We can no longer do that, but we can remember what it was like. The rough of the wood against the soft of our hand.

Stay tuned next for our new game show: “Name all the nouns!”

And as always, good night, Night Vale, Good night.

Today’s proverb: Give a man and a fish and he’ll wonder what your deal is. Teach a man to fish and he’ll ask you once again to please leave him alone.

[fe8meta]

The War’s Legacy

As a volunteer archivist at a local historical site, I’ve worked closely with books and documents largely between 150~250 years old. (If you’re curious, mostly regarding the period between the American Revolution to the Civil War, plus the anti-slavery movement. There’s also more “domestic” stuff like agriculture, science, mathematics, and religion.)

It got me thinking: In Magvel, how will the war, and the people who participated in it, be remembered? Most characters have a good portion of their lives left to live after the war too, but for those who are remembered down the line, their participation in the war will probably be their biggest accomplishment.

To start things off: more likely than not, anyone who wasn’t royalty or an important military figure is probably going to get forgotten, especially if fighting in the war was their only achievement.

(From my experience as an archivist, I’ve noticed that a great deal of people who were seen as the big movers and thinkers during their time have been lowered to one-note and forgettable in some 150-ish years of history. That’s not a lot of time!)

I think the list of characters who are remembered decades after their deaths on a continental scale (some characters may remain important figures in their own communities) would be the royals, the generals (Seth plus the Imperial Generals), and the Demon King (plus his cult).

The Royals

Ephraim: Regarding the war, Ephraim will probably get his war strategies and accomplishments written about. I expect a great deal of historians (particularly Renaian ones) debating his decision to abandon his homeland and bring the fight into Grado, though his later decisions will probably receive praise.

Eirika: Honestly? I think she’ll largely receive praise from future historians. Despite getting tricked at Renvall and the blunder of losing the Sacred Stone (on her route), I think historians would agree that her calculations were solid based on the information she knew at the time. Even if she had Seth advising her, she had no formal training in tactics or the art of war, making her achievements even more impressive.

~ / ~ / ~

Innes: Like Eirika, I think he’d be validated by historians, particularly for being the only one to actually predict and prepare for a wartime scenario. Of course, hindsight is 20/20, but based on what we know of him story-wise, he probably would go down as one of the best leaders of his time.

Tana: She’s gutsy and I think she’ll at least become a popular figure for young women. Some historians may lambast her earlier captures attributable to her inexperience, but hey, if she got out alive than it’s not too bad. I think later in life, being largely free to do whatever she wants (within reason), she’d continue onto a path of public service, which she can probably gather great acclaim for.

~ / ~ / ~

L’Arachel: I think a lot of attention will go towards her theatrics. If you go with the idea that L’Arachel doesn’t actually lead her country (see the Solo Endings JP vs. EN post for details), I think her relationship with the other royals and how she’s involved in continental politics will be the primary focus in biographies. (She also, perhaps not coincidentally, has supports with all the other ruling royals, discounting Tana as she canonically never lands in a leadership position.)

Joshua: Joshua’s reputation will be very, very mixed down the line. He’s still has wanderlust and a gambling addiction, and regardless of his accomplishments as a king and Jehanna’s glorious revival, neither of those traits are a particularly good look. Not to mention that he abandoned his duty as prince for a solid 10 years, and then left Jehanna to its own devices again while going to stop the Demon King.

Even in Joshua’s dialogue after the final battle, he talks about returning to Jehanna in an almost resigned manner; no doubt he knows full well that he might not be received with open arms.

~ / ~ / ~

Lyon: Oh boy, what to say about Lyon. There are a lot of different ways this can go, branching from 3 options: Lyon’s involvement in the war is revealed in full, Lyon’s involvement is revealed but doctored to paint him in a more sympathetic light, or it gets entirely covered up/omitted and he goes down in history as an unfortunate casualty of the war.

No matter how you slice the first two options, Lyon’s legacy would definitely be extremely mixed, leaning towards the negative side. Not only is he on the wrong side of history, he’s also forced basically half the continent into the wrong side of history and ruined their military and did some very amoral things (reviving his father to use as a puppet, and by extension lying to the public, etc). Even the best doctoring can probably only redeem Lyon’s reputation from “the deepest depths of the sewers” to “neck-deep in the sewers.”

In the case where Lyon’s involvement in the war is covered up, it’s still only a matter of time before someone figures out the truth. With enough time, it can be relegated to a highly plausible and hotly-debated theory, but even so, it’s simply a matter of time. For an additional dose of irony, in this scenario, perhaps Grado nationalists down the line twist Lyon’s war into something “assertive” and depict it as the “correct” thing to do, when it was really anything but.

Vigarde: He’s in the same boat as Lyon. It really hinges on how the royals choose to depict Lyon’s situation to the public, because that will directly affect how Vigarde is seen. There’s little doubt that puppet!Vigarde’s actions probably destroyed popular opinion of him during the War. Whether he is redeemed on account of his situation or not is up for debate.

(Because the game doesn’t delve into Fado, Hayden, or Mansel much, I don’t have enough input to say how they’ll be seen by future historians.)

The Generals

Seth: He’s going to go down in history as a badass, let’s be real here. Took an attack from Valter himself to protect Eirika, didn’t let the injury debilitate him from fighting on the frontlines, mentored Eirika in the art of war during life-or-death battles, guided the twins on their journey, and continued helping them after the war’s end. Guy got things done, regardless of his personal sentiment about failing to protect King Fado.

Syrene: Technically a commander and not a general, but close enough that I’ll consider her. She... honestly doesn’t do that much on-screen. Doubtlessly she’ll be best remembered (on the battlefield) for being overpowered by the remnant of Grado’s forces, but at least she lived and (by the player’s discretion) kept all the villagers safe, so that’s something. At the very least, a coward she is not.

Carlyle: He’s going down in infamy. Like, his story can be crudely summed up as “I was loyal to Queen Ismaire partially because I wanted to bang her.” Yeah, that is not a good look. There isn’t even any interesting speculation or interpretations to make of his situation. He probably ruined the reputation of the Jehannan Army while he was at it.

Honestly, the only thing that would salvage his reputation is the fact that everyone who heard his confession is dead by the end of that battle. (Technically the map was a Seize Throne and not a Rout, but let’s be real -- we killed those guards.)

~ / ~ / ~

Duessel: The only Grado general to make it out alive. He’ll probably get a mixed reaction; those who praise him argue that he made the morally correct choice and had the nation’s best interests at heart. Some may criticize him for not acting sooner, while others may very well despise him as a traitor to the nation.

Selena: Another set of mixed reactions, though inverse from Duessel’s. She remained loyal to Vigarde to the very end, but people will debate where a knight’s loyalty should lie. It would also invite much debate over the ethics of Vigarde’s recruitment methods and whether it was a thinly-veiled manipulation tactic that citizens from poorer areas will fall for because it’s the only way to improve their livelihoods.

Glen: He’s like Syrene, except he died without doing much. If someone is interested in finding out more about him before his death, at least they have Cormag to interview. Depending on whether his two adjutants survived against Valter’s goons, if someone tracked them down, they might get a story out of them as well. That said, his history with Valter would probably be of great interest to Valter’s biographers.

~ / ~ / ~ 

Valter: Historians, psychologists, and scholars will have a field day with him and his circumstances. From his upbringing to his descent into madness and subsequent exile, to his reinstatement and brutality during the war before his ultimate death, there is a lot to unpack with him. People tend to have morbid curiosities and oh, will Valter sate that appetite.

Caellach: Caellach will probably be praised for being good at what he did even if he was ultimately on the wrong side of history. Since he started off as a mercenary, I feel like people won’t judge him too harshly. His potential betrayal and murder of Aias will be an interesting chapter to write about, though, since historians may have access to more knowledge on their pre-war relationship that we players don’t have.

Riev: He’s ugly, a Demon King cultist, and directly responsible for Lyon’s (and by extension, Grado’s) downfall. He’s going to be reviled for sure, though he will spark some interesting discussion relating to his history with the Rausten Church. A lot of speculation on how he came to became an adherent of the Demon King... or not, depending how whether that kind of talk is suppressed.

After all, if a former bishop converted, it not only challenges the legitimacy of the Rausten Church, it would also pique the interest of those who want to see what made Riev change his mind. And should someone also adopt his ideology, the continent can’t take another Demon King revival attempt.

Which leads me to...

The Demon King

Now, this will be a little game called “How many generations will it take before the Demon King gets relegated to a legend that no one believes in again.”

It’s also pretty important that the Demon King is not completely destroyed; he just no longer has his huge menacing body to use and will have to make do with those fragile human flesh sacks. But his soul is still intact, and if nothing is done to get rid of it for good, it’s setting up for a Part 3.

Like with Lyon, how information about the Demon King is handled by the characters after the world will probably have a huge impact. Not to mention the many implications the circumstances around his possession of Lyon has. Dark/ancient magic will most certainly face a resurgent wave of discrimination, far more than seen before. (Magvel was, from what we could see, largely apathetic about dark magic before Lyon’s attempts to redeem its name. Ironically, his actions will rekindle hatred towards it.)

As aforementioned, educating people on the Demon King and how dangerous he is may help ensure that nobody tries to mess with him again. On the other hand, it may inspire copycats who for whatever reason want the Demon King to be revived. (The game also never followed up on the implication that there’s a cult that worships the Demon King; we killed Riev and Novala, and destroyed Fomortiis’ body, but there may still be more members lurking in the dark.)

Meanwhile, trying to bury information about Fomortiis can also backfire down the line, especially if people don’t learn what the Sacred Stone is for and one day crack the seal open for one reason or another. (And we saw how well keeping the true Stone hidden behind trinkets while keeping its wearer in the dark of its true purpose went.)

This is making me imagine Demon King apologists down the line that provide an “alternative history” about the war and how it’s all some ancient conspiracy to lock him away and he “isn’t actually bad, just misunderstood”...

Oh hey, isn’t that the direction Dragalia Lost’s main story is going in?

[gkshivashakti55]

Beautifying Life With Success Tips

1. Getting Past Fear of Failure

Being afraid of failure is a normal emotion for every person on the planet. How you get past that fear is the determining factor between failing and succeeding. You can do that by setting realistic goals and then examining those goals on occasion to do any necessary realignment. Above all, believe in yourself and the desire burning within that you can achieve it.

2. Make Opportunities

Rather than wait for money opportunity to find you, you need to find money opportunities. This might be watching for business opportunities in the paper regarding small businesses being sold, great real estate opportunities, and investments with stocks, bonds, or mutual funds, taking a talent and turning it into an entrepreneurial adventure. People that have reached financial status will tell you that they look for ways to seize opportunities, not wait for opportunities to come knocking on their door because it will not happen that way.

3. Make the Best of Each Day

Try to live every day as though it were your last. Make the most of every day and accomplish something. Even if it is something small, every baby step adds up to a huge success in the end.

4. Have a Plan

Even if it is flimsy to begin with, you should construct a plan to include goal, milestones, deliverables such as contracts, business plans, etc., and accomplishments. This will provide you with a visual as to what you are working for, what milestones you have successfully met, and where you need to do better.

5. Seek Input

Whatever your idea of to make money, conduct a “sanity check” throughout the process of reaching your goal. This should be done with someone you trust and who is themselves successful. Ask them to provide honest feedback about your success and as you move through different milestones, bounce concerns or new ideas off them to help keep you on the right track.

6. Stay Motivated

When striving for the big goal of success to make more money in life, it is critical to stay motivated. Find inspiring and motivational tapes, seminars, books, movies; whatever you are able to get your hands on. When you start to feel a little down and out and doubt starts to creep in, turn to these motivational tools to help you keep on track. A few excellent motivators include Tony Robbins, Norman Vincent Peale, Jim Rohn, Zig Ziglar, and Les Brown.

7. Don’t Settle

If you have a goal of making one million dollar and you know you have both desire and skill, do not just settle to make one hundred thousand only. While that may be good training ground, do not allow yourself to lose sight of your ultimate goal.

8. No Excuses

Many famous actors, music artists, inventors, etc., had special challenges ranging from learning disabilities to physical disabilities. Take Beethoven for example. He was born deaf yet he went on to be one of the world’s greatest composers or Joni Erickson who was paralyzed from the neck down yet she learned to paint with her mouth. Today, her paintings are famous around the world and worth millions. If you are faced with a special challenge of your own when you are trying to make more money, while you may have to adjust things from time to time, do not use excuses. If you want something bad enough, there is a way!

9. Patience and Dues

Succeeding to make more money takes time. A goal worth setting will take time to achieve. Be patient with yourself, the people around you, and the process it takes to become successful, also referred to as “paying your dues.” Pay your dues by learning and working your way up the ladder to success.

10. Be Thankful

You need to be thankful for not only your accomplishments but also your failures. Having a grateful attitude is important. It will help you stay humble, which in turn, will help you continue striving for the ultimate in success.

11. Focus on Something you Like

To increase your chance of succeeding to make money, you should concentrate your efforts on something you enjoy. When you start out, make a list of everything you find interesting. Then in a second column, write down the skills you have in relation to each of those items. This will help you narrow choices down based on interest and skill, which gets you started in the right direction for success in making money.

12. Keep a Journal

As you work hard to become financially rich, you need to be able to see your accomplishments. Start a journal and track every thing you have conquered. When you feel discouraged or frustrated, reflect on what you have achieved, and rejuvenate yourself.

13. Rewards

When children do something great, parents will reward them with something nice, whether a kind word of encouragement or a new toy. When people do well in their job, they get raises. As you surpass your milestones, reward yourself. Treat yourself to something nice — a new dress, a new fishing pole, whatever you like, be sure to award yourself for a job well done.

14. Watch for Scams

Whether you are just starting out or expanding an existing business, unfortunately, there are thousands of people waiting to defraud you out of money. If something appears too good to be true — IT IS! Always conduct thorough research and never jump into opportunities that look perfect. If someone becomes pushy, wanting you to make a quick decision on any type of investment, do not walk away — RUN away!

15. Don’t Neglect Things

Especially when things are small and do not appear to have a major impact on the big picture, you need to ensure you follow through and complete your tasks. Those little things can quickly add up to a big mess if not taken care of in a timely and efficient manner.

16. Associate And Collaborate with Others

More than likely, you will reach various times when you do not have the appropriate expertise to make more money. This is the time collaboration and/or networking is valuable. These relationships can help you answer questions, provide guidance, and provide the ongoing support and encouragement you will need.

17. Repositioning and Reflection

On occasion, reflect on what you have accomplished as well as your open milestones and ensure you are still heading in the right direction. Repositioning along the way to success is perfectly normal and to be expected. You may have been struggling with something specific. Rather than continue battling this issue, reflect on what has not been working, and reposition yourself so you do not have to keep battling the same things repeatedly.

18. Get out of Debt

Take time to get any debts paid off, especially credit card debts that will cost you a fortune in interest. This is especially important if you will be seeking funding to make more money. You want to ensure that your records and credit are clean if you need to make a presentation before an investor, asking for money.

19. Continue To Read

Stay current on the industry news that your goal falls in. Learn about current trends, company failures or successes, new ideas; whatever information you can find. For example, if you have decided to open a retail store and have a great idea and a real passion for your goal, read about that specific type of store, location, potential revenue, downfalls, everything. This information will be a part of your business plan and is crucial.

20. Take Notes

How many times have you had an idea on how to make more money either through a dream, while doing the dishes, or sitting at your desk, and have thought that as soon as you have time, you will make a note of it. When that free time rolls around, you have forgotten some or all of that great money-making idea. Keep a journal or notepad handy at all times. When you have an idea, write it down immediately.

These twenty short topics are always helpful for a human beings towards success relating these with their own subject goal.

[writingquestionsanswered]

how can i make a plot feel more like a plot rather than just things happening to characters ? i have a general idea for the plot but 1) i dont feel its strong enough 2) i dont know where to end my story (character travels to an unfamiliar place, learns about the place and then what ?)

Fleshing Out Plot Ideas

If you’re writing a short story, original or fan-fiction, you really just need a point or story goal to tie it all together. What are you trying to accomplish with this story? What are you trying to illustrate about the world or the character to the reader? When you figure out what that is, it’s easier to hammer a plot into something that accomplishes that goal.

If you’re writing longer fiction, such as a novella or novel, there are a few things that need to happen in order to take your idea from a “plot idea” to an actual plot:

1. Character Arc/Internal Goal - Your protagonist or their world (or both) needs to transform throughout the story. Most stories follow a positive change character arc, meaning that something negative about the protagonist transforms into something positive by the end of the story. For example: a character who is timid and afraid of the world learns to be bold and courageous.  This thing that needs to change for the better represents their internal goal. Sometimes, with darker stories, the protagonist will go through a negative change arc, meaning that they start out with positive traits (ie: they’re confident and successful) which, through the course of the story, turn negative (ie: they become insecure and unsuccessful). In this case, they may have a lofty or undesirable internal goal which precipitates their downfall. Once in a while, you’ll see stories with static character arcs, meaning that the protagonist themselves doesn’t change, but they create change in their world or another character. In this case, their internal goal is represented by their need to help/change the other character or the world.

2. Inciting Incident/External Goal - Longer stories can’t just be a bunch of random events that happen to your character. These events need to help bring about whatever change you decided upon in #1. The best way to kick off this life changing chain of events is to turn your character’s world upside down. This is the inciting incident... the moment when something happens that changes your protagonist’s normal life forever. In The Hunger Games, it was Prim’s name being chosen at the Reaping, which caused Katniss to volunteer in her place. In Harry Potter, it was Harry getting his letter to Hogwarts. In Twilight, the inciting incident was multi-part, beginning with Bella’s move to Forks, meeting the Cullens, and ultimately figuring out Edward was a vampire. In response to this life disrupting incident, your protagonist needs to form a goal... willingly or because they have no other choice... and this goal is what’s going to carry the rest of the plot. This is called the “external goal” because this isn’t anything to do with what’s inside themselves, this is a real, tangible goal they want to accomplish. In Twilight, Bella’s external goal was to stay alive despite the nomads being after her. In The Hunger Games, Katniss, too, wanted to survive so she could go home and take care of her mom and sister. In The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Frodo needs to take the ring to Mount Doom so it can be destroyed.

3. Antagonist/Obstacles - Your story also needs to have an antagonist or antagonistic force. This can be a literal “bad guy” with “henchmen,” it could be a creature like a rampaging dragon or escaped dinosaurs, a natural disaster like a flood or asteroid, or it could even be your character themselves, wherein they’re their own worst enemy. Whoever or whatever your antagonist is, they or it will create obstacles that make it harder for your character to reach their goal. If the inciting incident was an alien invasion, and your protagonist’s external goal is to escape the occupied city to reach a huge safe zone the where the Earth military is amassing, the aliens (and any agents acting on behalf of the aliens) will be the source of problems or obstacles that your protagonist has to overcome on their way to achieving their goal. Sometimes they will be successful in overcoming these obstacles, sometimes they’ll fail and have to try again or find a workaround. But this struggle to overcome obstacles on the way to achieving the external goal is what creates the action of the story.

4. The Final Showdown - Somewhere in the last quarter of your story, your protagonist is going to have to confront the antagonist/antagonistic force in a big final showdown. If your antagonist is an evil wizard, this will be the big magic battle. If your antagonist is a fire-breathing dragon tormenting your protagonist’s village, this is the moment when your protagonist is going to unleash everything they’ve got to try and kill the dragon once and for all. If the antagonist is a bunch of zombies in a zombie apocalypse, this is the moment when your character leads all the zombies into a field and sets it ablaze. Whatever happens, this is also the moment for your character to demonstrate how they’ve changed. For example, if they were timid and afraid of the world at the beginning, this is the moment where they prove they’re bold and courageous.

5. The Denouement and Ending - In most stories, the protagonist is going to be successful in vanquishing or surviving the antagonist/antagonistic force, though in some stories the protagonist will fail. Either way, the denouement is where all the dust settles following the final showdown. Injuries are tended to, losses are mourned, a promise to rebuild is made. Then, the very last thing we should see is what your character’s life is like afterward. In the beginning of the story, before the inciting incident, we see the character in their normal world, before everything turns upside down. This is the opposite of that. Now you show what our character’s life is like after their world was turned upside down and they tried to right it again. In many stories, this will be a happy ending. I some stories, this will simply be a hopeful ending. In fewer stories, it may be an all out sad or tragic ending. If you take all of these things into account, they should guide you not only through the action of the story, but lead you to a natural ending as well. Good luck!

[mittensmorgul]

Why has Chuck resurrected Cas so many times if he doesn’t want him to be part of the story?

I don’t think Chuck didn’t want Cas to be part of the story. I think he realized how useful Cas was to Sam and Dean. Which is painfully, wonderfully, what a lot of us have been saying about Cas and his own personal issues for years.

Cas has struggled with his purpose. But there are some things Chuck can control (ooh people will like this cool new monster!), and things he can’t (Cas struggles mightily to understand Free Will and humanity). So after all that, I think the bigger question is why DIDN’T he bring Cas back after 12.23?

Chuck has entirely lost the emotional thread of his characters, precisely because he can’t control characters exercising their free will. He can control scenarios, not people.

Like Lilith, for example. She had very precise limits literally written into her character. Like Chuck handed her a character sheet and a specific mission goal, and sent her off to accomplish the task (weirdly, seduce Dean and destroy the Equalizer). She failed at the first bit (Dean is Not That Guy anymore, he didn’t take any of the random drugs she left out, Lilith literally had to knock him unconscious to arrange the second half of the plan). She needed the ability to improvise like that, to “go off script” to complete her tasks, so Chuck infused her with insight into his “writing process.” And even as a limited character within the story, she criticized his story and her part in it. Including her bitterness over how her “original purpose in the story,” back in s4 where she sacrificed herself for the Grand Plan she believed in with her entire being-- to free Lucifer from the cage-- and then nothing even came of it. The promised glory never came to pass, the apocalypse failed. So... why did Chuck “resurrect” her now (because I don’t think he literally pulled her from the Empty, but basically brought a character sheet to life... SHE was the puppet, but in order to play the role, she needed to know enough and have enough flexibility to adapt to a changing situation, or it would’ve been like interacting with a robot pre-programmed with a few dozen set lines). Why bring HER SPECIFICALLY back to the story now? Because of how she functioned in his story before. He doesn’t write “people,” he writes plot devices.

And to Chuck, for a long time, had written Cas as a plot device, instead of as a person. Because Chuck has proven he’s not terribly interested in the actual humanity and emotions of his characters, but in the endless drama he likes to watch unfold. The rest of what *WE* see, of what *BECKY* sees and then writes about, well, Chuck ain’t writing that. That’s all TFW.

I mean, what is the ONE REASON we ever got Cas in the story at all, after Kripke insisted for YEARS that there were no angels in Supernatural? He needed a plot device to free Dean from Hell, because he’d written them into a corner right before the writer’s strike, and had their 22 episode season cut to 16. They just... ran out of time to have Sam save Dean before he ever went to Hell. Which had been his original plan. Oops? Except... Cas didn’t STAY a plot device. He was supposed to be gone after a few episodes. I’ve even heard it suggested that the entire angel plotline was only supposed to last MAYBE a season. And yet... here we are.

Partly BECAUSE Cas just... isn’t and hasn’t been a tool for years. He’s so much more than that, because of the choices he’s made along the way. Look at s8, how desperately the plot circled around Cas’s “brainwashing” by Heaven into literally being the good little soldier to accomplish plot for them again. And then he was manipulated by Metatron because of his need to feel “useful,” to solve the problems he blamed himself for. And then Metatron showed us EXACTLY how Chuck “writes” in s9, using the angel tablet to power his typewriter. Metatron didn’t write every little detail, and his story DID fall apart anyway. He was using Chuck’s template exactly, though, and the one thing he couldn’t account for 

Unfortunately, it’s led to some painful failures of communication, especially when Chuck hasn’t left room in their mission for them to actually step back and process-- like the 7 episodes between 14.17 and 15.03 where they barely had a chance to stop at all. That would burn anyone out. But Cas is left feeling “useless,” and Dean is left feeling adrift and desperately trying to find one thing in his life he can anchor his broken self-identity to, and pushing Cas away SPECIFICALLY because he couldn’t be sure Cas WASN’T just Chuck’s plot device, because of the entire nature and history of their relationship.

Messed up, right? And CHUCK doesn’t CARE! Because I don’t think he really sees Cas as much more than a plot device, despite having “watched the story” all these years. I mean he still somehow thinks Dean’s a 26-year-old dude who would actually seduce the victim of a MotW that was now under his protection. His conversation with Becky was actually super enlightening. He doesn’t actually care about any of the characters, the way Becky has come to. She was obsessed with them, and with Chuck, for a while, but she’s had some counselling and GROWN. Chuck, for all of this, hasn’t. He either needs to let go of his need to control the “story,” allowing his characters full agency by not meddling in their lives, or he needs to be stopped.

And we know Chuck’s favored storytelling style, how he crafts the “mytharc” plot, which we’ve had pointed out to us in 15.04 is what he really cares about. And he’s trying to reach the ending by going back to the beginning. He’s writing an ouroboros, and I’m not sure he’s really aware enough of how much his characters have evolved, how much the story has changed them all, and the fact that he can’t just erase all of that while trying to tell the one story he’s never really been able to get Sam and Dean to provide him-- which is Chuck’s OWN “origin story,” of shoving his sibling into a box to generate all of creation oin the first place. Chuck wants people to side with him. He wants to feel “big,” when if you look at him longer than five seconds, you can see he’s entirely self-obsessed and willing to tell any lie, manipulate any story, to frame himself as the Hero, when just like Metatron he’s actually the petty villain of the piece.

I mean sure, we wouldn’t have creation at all if it hadn’t been for his actions, but the fact he can’t “let the story go” and let creation tell its own stories (and even Metatron understood that to a degree, his obsession with human storytelling an integral part of his arc), but feels the need to vindicate himself as if he was the unproblematic fave is just... creepy, you know? And it’ll probably end up being his downfall.

And I think it will take all of Team Free Will working together to bring that about, because Chuck long ago lost the thread of ANY of their stories. Because he’s not writing THEIR story, he’s writing HIS. He’s just using them all as proxies to pat himself on the back, except TFW aren’t actually his proxies. Chuck created free will, but he doesn’t understand it at all. :’D

[ruthlessnessisyourdesire-archive]

Her heart sank as her head slowly tilted towards the ground, tears burned her eyes at his cruel words and so she shut them, defeated. "You know none of that is true... you... you only care about the people who are nice to you or aren't in your way. The second they change their minds, you toss them aside- just.. just like right now. I can't be with someone like that... I'm..." But her heart was crushed under it's own weight as she started to cry. She ran out of the room.

Random Asks / Selective

The trill of her cry sends a static shock to his heart. Synth in construction but thunderous in its newfound agony. Sobs from Eveen turn him inside out. Any who cause upset in his tea cake deserve nothing but to be pulverized. In this moment the culprit is he. A painful truth but he lashed out. Seemingly seeing her slip through fingers all because of Connor! What does he do? He accomplishes his own downfall. 

“Eve!” 

Sixty’s shout after her is full of regret. Guilt immediately sets and eats away heartily. Perhaps it will never fade away. Perhaps, just perhaps he will rust with its bitter embrace. 

“Eveen, I-I failed you.” A breath softer than he realizes, indicator a glow of crimson ache and Sixty knows he lost his one soft spot in the world. Without that to counter his hard edges, instill him with goodness he is nothing more than a bitter, heartless machine. Just as she said he was...

[heka-write]

Merlin Rewrite #2: Morgana’s Character Arc

Doing this rewrite series has made me realize that all of the characters in this show had a lot of lost potential. Merlin could have been more enlightened, Arthur could have been more accepting, Gwen could have had more natural character development. But Morgana was probably the most robbed character of all, and I think the show mishandling her character was ultimately one of it’s downfalls. 

Morgana Pre -Villain days

Morgana was really at her peak in Seasons 1 and 2. She was good at heart, but also edgy enough to be a rebel. She cared for the citizen’s of Camelot, both magical and non-magical. She scolded Uther’s treatment of the poor and the magicians, in contrast to Arthur who was more hesitant to question his father’s policies. 

More importantly, she was complex. She hated Uther’s policies and did plot to kill him so he could be overthrown, but when time came to actually go through with her plan (in Season 1 episode 12) she couldn’t do it. Not only does she really care about Uther, but she was good at heart. She couldn’t kill.

Even in the season 2 finale when she plots to kill Uther again, she shows such reservation on going through with her plan. You can see how hesitant and regretful she looks after the plan is set in motion. 

Then Merlin poisons her. She is visibly hurt and shows feelings of betrayal.  Morgause takes her away, and she is gone for a year. 

Naturally, her hatred for Camelot grows, and her anger for Merlin for betraying her is intact. It makes sense for her to try overthrowing Camelot once again. 

So what part of her arc in the show doesn’t make sense? 

Morgana’s Behavior Post-Villain 

Morgana comes back, rightfully mad at Uther, rightfully distrustful of Merlin, but she is suddenly brutally killing harmless guards, and letting innocent civilians die. 

Good? The whole reason Morgana went against Uther in the first place was because he was killing innocent people. Why would she say “good” or even put other innocent people at risk? Morgana joining the villain team because she has no other way of fighting against Uther’s tyranny makes sense, but this? This is straight up OOC. 

People often talk about how Morgana wasn’t an effective villain. Seasons 3-5 are essentially three seasons of Morgana trying a scheme to overthrow Arthur, failing and trying again the next episode. Critics are definitely right in this respect; the only thing that she really accomplished was killing Uther, and Arthur in the very end (but also dying herself, so that doesn’t really count) all of her other plans fail repeatedly. We know Merlin will come in at the end of the episode (or the next if it’s a two parter) and thwart her plan. 

In season 1, we had a different villain every week. Each one had their own unique personality and goals so seeing them fail didn’t get repetitive the same way it did for Morgana. 

Not only that, but her motivation was completely whack. Her goal was to protect innocent magical people from being killed, but she killed plenty of innocent people herself. How exactly would that work? None of the peaceful magical people would bow down to her if she looked like she would be a ruthless and cold leader. 

Her hatred of Gwen in particular came out of left field. Morgana had a strong bond with Arthur before becoming evil, and it made a bit of sense as to her hating him because he was following in Uther’s footsteps. However, her bond with Gwen was completely shoved under the rug for the sake of causing conflict. The show was trying to say she hated Gwen because she betrayed her (in her Season 3 takeover), but where did the hatred of her becoming Queen come from? Morgana never cared about royalty until she found out she had a right to the throne, so why is Gwen such a threat to her when they had an intense bond? When just the prior season she was begging Uther to save her (Guinevere and Lancelot)? Morgana didn’t just hate the way Uther treated magicians, she hated the way he treated the poorer civilians of his Kingdom. Her hatred of Gwen completely contradicted her motivations. 

I’ve watched the show twice as of now. The fact that I can’t pinpoint the exact actions or reasons as to why Morgana started hating her best friend shows how convoluted it all was. 

Back to her bond with Arthur, the aftermath of that bond wasn’t addressed well either. They were super close in season 1, distant in season 2, and after season 3 they are just enemies. There is no recollection of their pre-villain bond. No moments of hesitation or complexity. No mention of their bond before Merlin even came to Camelot. Morgana simply hated him and he simply treated her as an enemy. We only get some half assed lines about “my sister” or “my brother”, there is no real feeling behind them. 

All in all, Morgana was not an effective villain action wise nor motivation wise. Villains are nothing without their motivation, and the thing about Morgana is that her motivation was not evil. 

Her motivation was that she wanted to protect magical people from unjust persecution. Camelot embodied that oppression. Uther was a tyrant. Her motivation was actually good, but because it went against the hero’s (Merlin and Arthur) destiny, she was automatically vilified by the narrative. 

The reason Morgana failed as an evil character was because the writers’ were too desperate to have a consistent villain. They wanted a final boss instead of a villain of the week routine. It didn’t matter that Morgana’s motivation made little sense in portraying her as evil. It didn’t matter that two seasons of character interaction and relationships were being contradicted. As long as they could have a FV they would do it.  Morgana failed as a character because the writer’s shoved her complexity under the rug for the sake of making her a villain instead of embracing her complexity and letting it flourish. 

How it Should Have Been Done

I have spent the entirety of this post talking about how badly Morgana’s villain arc was handled, but I am not against the idea of her having a villain arc. In fact, I think Morgana would have perfectly suited the anti- hero arc, one where she joins the villains to fulfill the needs the hero team can’t meet, but ultimately comes back to the good side with a fresh perspective. 

Other people have pointed this out, but Morgana’s character would have been perfect for a lancer arc in the five-man band. In this case it would be the four-man band of her, Merlin, Arthur and Gwen. 

Arthur is the hero of the show, and in true lawful good nature he follows the law of the land and is completely loyal to his father’s ways. Morgana, in the lancer contrast, is more chaotic good and does what she thinks is right, regardless of if it is lawful or not. She has openly rebelled against Uther for what she thought was right. Morgana and Arthur were presented as complete foils to one another, and it fit perfectly well because they were half brother and sister. 

It does total sense for Morgana, not having any other resource to turn to, to join the villains to take down Camelot. Especially since Merlin had kept her in the dark, she could have joined them or worked with them but not go completely off the rails like she did in the show. 

A prime example of this is Sasuke Uchiha from Naruto. Sasuke was more morally ambiguous than Naruto or anyone in the Leaf Village, so he temporarily joined the villain Orochimaru to achieve his goals of getting revenge on his brother because his hometown simply could not help him. However (in the early days of the show) even when he was with Orochimaru he would not kill innocent people. The show had implied since the beginning that Sasuke would eventually come back to the good side, because he was never truly evil.

Plenty of other shows have followed a similar arc structure, and even though it may be cliche to some it would have been beneficial for Morgana’s character because it keeps her complexity while also highlighting the complexity of the issue.

Morgana, in her time away from Camelot, would have to struggle in deciding which side to choose. The villains would insist that the only way to get rid of Uther’s unjust laws is to hurt the citizens of Camelot, but she wouldn’t do it because she knows that’s wrong. Arthur and Camelot would insist that the only way to rid the world of the evils of magic would be to persecute magicians, but she would stand against that too. In her time away, she would learn that there aren’t just two sides to a problem, that the world isn’t black or white. That instead of joining Morgause or any other magical villain, she could join the Druids and other peaceful magical people in protest and rebellion. 

 If she eventually came back to help Camelot, this would have a positive affect on Arthur as well. The girl he thought betrayed him came back to help him, despite the fact that she is now working with magicians. He would be confused because his father had taught him his whole life that magic was wrong, but his own half sister would be fighting for good. 

Arthur and Morgana relationship could be a lot more fleshed out and complex. Arthur would be fighting the side of Camelot’s protection, Morgana would be fighting the side of innocent magician’s protection, and they would eventually have to come together and find an even solution that meets halfway. It would be especially symbolic because it would mean Uther’s children are bringing peace to the land by bringing together both sides that he had failed. This type of rivalry of philosophies in fiction is almost always done in male-male or fraternal relationships, so having it done through a brother and sister relationship would be something new. 

The middle ground that these two siblings would meet would obviously be through Merlin. He has always the one in the shadows mediating relations between Camelot and the magician, so having him do the same thing between Arthur and Morgana and eventually bring peace through that would earn him his title in the show. This would be possible if Morgana was still IC, and not just turned completely into a villain and closed off to Merlin. This scenario would be much more preferable than him simply taking Arthur’s side and eliminating anything that got in the way. The show completely threw his bond with Morgana under the bus for the sake of Merthur and fulfilling his destiny, and I think that was ultimately his downfall (but I’ll get into that in another post). 

This scenario could also fix the problems with her relationship with Gwen after season 3. I could definitely see Morgana being away from Camelot and resentful of it, but coming back to help save Gwen when she is in danger. Arthur would be annoyed, but reluctantly accept her help because someone they both care about is in danger. 

I could also see Gwen being resistant to Morgana, but ultimately accepting her because Morgana proves she is loyal to her, the same way she was before she found out she had magic. 

This storyline for Morgana would also make so much sense because in the Arthurian legend (to my knowledge) she does get redeemed at the very end. She does turn good, so why couldn’t the writer’s give her this chance in the show? 

In conclusion, this storyline for Morgana would have been 10000x better for the show than what we really got. The reason the real ending failed was because Arthur and Merlin ultimately failed. They failed to bring magic back to Camelot. They failed to bring peace. Arthur failed to live on as a successful king. They failed because they refused to acknowledge the humanity in Morgana’s argument, and the side of the magical people. If Merlin had reached out to the opposite side (the side that he has ties to), he would have been able to win them over. If he defended Morgana in front of Arthur more, she would have stayed good. Instead, anything against Camelot was automatically labeled as evil, and nothing was really able to change. The show just continued the cycle of two sides, and failed to bring them together because it failed to let Morgana be seen as a complex leader of her side. But I’ll get into the detail of Merlin’s toxic loyalty to Camelot in a different post. 

Believe it or not, this post was actually cut short. In the upcoming installments of the “Rewriting Merlin” series, a lot of my other posts would be influenced by a better Morgana storyline. That’s how important she was to the show. 

[cirrocumulus-cloud]

Response and Sensibility

For a person whose definition of responsibility is “Running away from my inner demons until they consume me.” to cry wolf once more...

There lies a question of whether we should believe him or not.

As a person whose desire to be loved is so all-consuming that it turns him inside out so many times that the shell named Kaneki Ken can barely be recognised as one individual (He is King, he is Ken, he is Sasaki, he is Dragon, he is a test subject, he is a survivor, he is a murderer, he is...) it is rather, shall we say comical, to hear our protagonist swear once more on finally taking responsibility for his actions when all he is really doing is responding to situations without a lack of sensibility.

There is a reason why Furuta is holding the reigns as an interviewer, away from the narrative but narrating the plot. (It is extremely important that he is feeding us information that we wouldn’t know otherwise - the researchers of our team like Kimi have barely an ounce of understanding of what is going on, while Furuta knows seemingly all that there is to it.) Untouchable for the moment because he isn’t even narrating from the same point in time that our group of misfits occupies. Furuta has the choice of being everywhere at once without occupying a certain space or timeframe and as laughable as his little show is, it shows everything that could currently unravel into the same mess that we have seen countless times once more.

...and yet he does. The narrative does not reward him for it, either. Tokyo Ghoul isn’t a story that rewards characters for using the same actions again and again and again, it punishes them. The only difference between Kaneki slaughtering weird Kagune Zombies and killing the Oggai is that, at this point at least, we have no reason to believe that the Kagune Zombies are anything but mindless monstrosities. Whose to say what kind of information we might get about them in the future? Also, there is little grace in saving Saiko and Urie from these monsters considering that had Kaneki never become Dragon they wouldn’t be there right now.

The carnage is the same - the difference being that now, Kaneki is fully aware of it. Which, mind you, does change things up a bit, him realising his potential powers, but it is never good to go down the same path twice. Since all of this is a set up by Furuta in some shape of form anyway, it isn’t hard to imagine that, should he know that Kaneki is still alive (which, considering his overarching role of narrator and chessplayer who moves pieces across the board as he wishes, seems plausible) would use as a way to push Kaneki towards getting another Game Over once more. As the Fool’s journey draws to a close it is most likely that this will NOT happen, as Judgement is closely upon us, which will lead Kaneki (hopefully) down a path with a positive outcome instead of the repeating downfalls.

“The Judgement card calls for a period of reflection and self-evaluation. Through meditation or quiet reflection, you may come to a point of deep understanding about the common themes throughout your life and what you can do or change to avoid these situations in the future. Judgement tells you that you are close to reaching a significant stage in your own journey.“

Yet as nice as that sounds, I honestly do not believe that Kaneki is there yet. Tokyo Ghoul is not a story where the power of friendship, which Kaneki calls upon as a character so ready to throw everything away for love, actually does you any good. Eternal devotion to someone leads towards that character shouldering a terrible responsibility, and right now those responsibilites that other people have to shoulder FOR KANEKI are showing themselves tenfold.

Within the entirety of Tokyo Ghoul we have seen deep devotion lead to mutilated bodies like the one of Kurona and her devotion to Nashiro, we have seen it lead to death like with Naki and his dream to see his big bro again, we have seen the devotion of the ghouls towards their King lead them towards starvation and slaugher, have seen countless kids get killed because their devotion to finding love led them towards destruction. We have seen Kaneki’s devotion to Touka get used against him by having his drive to protect her cause him to turn into dragon.

Saving Kaneki leads Saiko to be infected with the ROS syndrome, same as Urie (though to a lesser extent). Saving Kaneki cost Hide half his face.

And everyone is totally alright with that because it is for Kaneki.

...who, mind you, doesn’t register that devotion in the way that he should AT ALL.

...that isn’t to say that shouldering the burden for someone else is entirely the wrong thing to do, or that eternal devotion and love is a bad thing. They aren’t. But regarding the responsibility that some characters shoulder for others with praise is...not the right thing to do. It isn’t glorious that some characters die for others, it isn’t heroic to walk around with a mutilated face, but Kaneki is a character who feels that he needs to shoulder every responsibility there is, obviously he regards characters who do the same with a mixture of self-hatred and heroic praise, which cannot be good. There’s nothing heroic about Arima‘s demise, nothing grand about Dragon wreaking havoc over Tokyo for Touka, nothing beautiful to be found in Hide and Saiko suffering to save Kaneki.

In fact, Kaneki does his very best this entire chapter to make all those terrible burdens about him. Not in his typical fashion, but he talks about himself, the whole time. It is about him shouldering the responsibility to save everyone because everyone waited for him, which Kaneki can only accomplish through violence, so that is what he does - he risks going berserk once more because right now, Kaneki is still railroaded onto the same track that he’s been walking all along.

He doesn’t know how to deal with Saiko, so he stays as silent as he can. The real talking is done by Urie and Kimi, Kaneki only really replies to her when she calls his name. Saiko is only in this situation because she saved Kaneki. Her devotion to her Maman left her confined to a bed with a spike protruding from her head. And Kaneki finds no words for it.

As a whole, Kaneki only sees what is presented to him - he does not challenge the narrative at all, which is why Furuta is having a field day right now. It is not about recognising that Saiko has the ROS syndrome or that Hide’s face is mutilated to the point that he’s putting Hachikawa to shame. It is about the fact that that is ALL Kaneki sees.

He caused that, he blames himself for it, he deflects by gloryfying said mutilation for his cause. That’s NOT a good thing, no matter how Kaneki tries to justify that. Worse, saying that well, Hide hides things from him is like looking a bull straight into the eyes and then not seeing the anger in said bull’s eyes. Because Hide is obviously hiding emotions by deliberately using humour, it’s what he does best, face bare or not. You CANNOT run away from someone who is surrounded by friends who wait for him to wake up and then be your happy-go-lucky self the moment the person who almost killed you meets you on a rooftop without inner turmoil.

What Kaneki did this chapter is asking Hide to show him his face despite Hide deflecting by being funny which is something that he ALWAYS does to calm down uncomfortable situations (You can read more about Hidekane’s friendship HERE.) and then...praising him. Hide protected you, he paid a really hefty price for it AND YOU PRAISE HIM FOR IT.

Saying he wants to take responsibility for Hide’s wounds isn’t taking responsibility for Hide‘s wounds. It’s responding to his inner desire to protect, protect, protect because all Kaneki knows is to burn out by lashing out with the desire to DO SOMETHING and failing to see the big picture behind it.

He did this countless times before.

You know what would be lessening the burden on Saiko’s shoulders?

Telling her that throwing herself away because she has no idea how to be pro-active otherwise isn’t an answer.

You know what would be shouldering the same burden as Hide?

Not letting your best friend get away with deflecting situations with humour and actually asking him about his injury. You cannot bear a burden of someone whose thoughts you do not know even if you stare straight into their mangled face.

That isn’t showing sensibility, Kaneki, that isn’t shouldering responsibility, Kaneki, that is reacting with blaming yourself but praising people for the same behaviour that led you towards destruction.

[gatesofember]

The Privilla: Chapter 3

PJO Arranged Marriage/Royalty AU Part 2

Rating: G | Pairing: Solangelo

Prev | Next | AU directory | Read it on AO3 (Recommended) | Arranged Marriage AU Masterpage

Summary: Almost ten years after their first introduction, Will and Prince Nico meet again. But this time, they are no longer children. Will, the illegitimate third son of Duke Apollo, has had a few prospective suitors, but none of the offers have been as lucrative as his family has hoped. Prince Nico has had his fair share of suitors, as well; with the pressure of being heir to the throne of a kingdom in economic turmoil, Nico is expected to marry for profit and security. However, his icy personality has driven many impatient suitors away. The two young men may prove to be exactly what the other needs.

“I do not believe this one will be as terrible as you fear,” Reyna said from the other side of the privacy screen.  “Her Divinity arranged it.  She would not send you an unlikable suitor.”

That is because I am the unlikable one, Nico thought as he raised his chin so that his manservant, Jules-Albert, could tie his jabot.

Nico had agreed to this meeting despite his reluctance mostly because it was Artemis who had asked.  They’d had their disagreements in the past, but Nico trusted her and had no desire to disappoint her.

“My father has spoken to me of the meeting with your nephew,” Nico recalled saying over a game of Acies before Artemis left Divitia.  “I must ask if you are aware of my current record as a suitor, Your Divinity.  Previous meetings have not gone well and should this meeting go awry....”

Artemis had smiled encouragingly.  “Worry not, Your Highness.  It will not affect our relationship.”

“But you are willing to offer your nephew as a suitor despite my...my....”

“Your Highness, I have known you since you wore children’s gowns.  You and my nephew are both fine young men.  If the meeting does not go as hoped, you will part amicably.  I have faith in you, Your Highness.”

Nico had not felt reassured.  “I do not want you to hope too much, Your Divinity.  I would hate to disappoint you.  If your nephew were to be unhappy with me–”

“Nico,” Artemis had said plainly, disposing of the pleasantries.  Nico was alarmed by the sudden change in address, but he did not take offense.  “You will not disappoint me.  You are as dear to me as kin.  My nephew is a patient, kind-hearted man and I believe you will enjoy his friendship, but if I am wrong, then I will leave it be.  In any case, you have already met him.”

“Have I?” Nico had asked with a frown, trying to remember.  “I do not recall.”

“You were but six years of age,” Artemis had answered.  “It was the evening of my inauguration.  I made the introductions and you became friends in an instant.”

Nico had stared at the figurines on the board in thought, but he had been unable to recall.  “I apologize.  I do not remember.”

“That does not matter,” Artemis had said.  “You were friends then and I believe you can be now.”

Nico had avoided Artemis’ eyes.  If he’d met her nephew at the Sororal Inauguration, Bianca would have still been alive.  It had been before he lost her, before those lonely, nightmarish years on the countryside....

“There have been many changes since then,” he’d replied.

“Yes,” Artemis had agreed.  “But, perhaps, not too many.”

Nico shook away his thoughts as Jules-Albert brushed off his coat and breeches.  “He is expected to arrive late this morning, correct?” he asked.

“Yes, Your Highness,” Reyna answered.  “He will be here in time for the mid-day meal.”

“And my father and I will entertain Her Divinity and Lord William outside in the cypress grove?”

“That is correct.  The Queen and the Princess will take their meal in the Queen’s antechamber today to leave the four of you to your discussions.  Following that, you will invite Lord William for a walk in the Queen’s garden.”

Nico sighed and nodded as he stepped out from behind the partition and went to sit on the lounge chair at the foot of his bed.  Jules-Albert offered Nico a pair of shoes, and when Nico nodded his assent, he knelt to put them on Nico’s feet.

“And you will offer him your arm,” Reyna said.  “You will smile at him.  You will be polite.”

Nico squashed his desire to retort and merely nodded.  This time, he would play the role of a good suitor – at least for the Matestra.  Besides, he needed to find a husband, and he hoped that this attempt wouldn’t be as disastrous as the others.  “And then my father and I will remain with them in the Privilla for the three days of their stay?”

“Yes, Your Highness,” Reyna confirmed.

Nico was glad.  The grounds of the royal palace contained many estates like the Privilla built by generations of Pluton sovereign.  Although Nico had stayed in many of them in his childhood, the royal family had mostly remained within the main residence, the Palatium de Divitae, since the Scarlet Delirium and the downfall of Pluto’s once-wealthy economy.  While the Palatium de Divitae and its surrounding estates had once housed many nobles, the fashionable days of the Pluton court had passed and the palace now was home to only the royal family and a select group of courtiers.  Nico barely remembered his once-opulent lifestyle; he had been so young when he’d been sent to live on the countryside during the worst parts of the contagion’s rampage.  Still, he enjoyed the occasional excuses the royal family found to indulge in the lavish pleasantries that used to define the court.

When Jules-Albert finished polishing Nico’s shoes, Nico rose to his feet and nodded to Reyna.  “I assume the estate has been prepared?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“And the necessary items from my wardrobe?”

“Taken care of, Your Highness.”

“And Asterion?”

“He will be at the Privilla, Your Highness.”

“Good.”  Nico left the bedroom for the drawing room next door.  Hazel’s room also connected to the drawing room, and they had a series of studies that they used for various purposes, like Hazel’s artwork or Nico’s Acies board.  Hazel, upon Nico’s inspection of the chambers, appeared to be in her painting room.  Although they hadn’t always gotten along, Nico was fond of his little sister.  She turned and called out a good morning to him when she heard him leave his bedroom, and Nico greeted her in return.  At only eight years of age, she was already a fine painter.  She had gifted several of her works to Nico and he had them hung in his bedroom or studies.

“Tell me about the Matestra’s nephew again, Lady Reyna,” Nico said as he sat down in the drawing room.

“He is a consor,” Reyna began, taking a seat when Nico gestured for her to do so.  “He has been studying in Venadica since he was Hazel’s age, perhaps younger.  He is your age now, and is the third child of Duke Apollo of Diana – illegitimate.  His mother was a singer and Apollo’s mistress for a time.”

Nico chose not to dwell on the topic of Will’s illegitimacy.  It was not uncommon for nobles in Jupiter or Neptune to have lovers aside from their spouses, but such things were considered unacceptable in Pluto.  The thought made Nico feel uncomfortable, even though Nico was illegitimate himself.  The nature of his birth was very secret; not even Hazel knew, nor had Bianca.  Nico shouldn’t have known.

“Have you met him?” Nico asked.  As a soror, Reyna had been trained in Venadica, as well.

“I have,” Reyna replied.  “Only once or twice and it has been a very long time, but I do recall that he was pleasant company.  In any case, he has studied medicine under Asclepius himself and he practices when he returns to Diana in the winter.  He has had no serious suitors as of yet, but his family has been searching.  And he is extremely wealthy.”

Nico nodded.  A wealthy husband was, in all honesty, exactly what he needed.  He’d even tried courting the son of a wealthy merchant, despite his lack of a title – of course, that arrangement had fallen through quickly.  The boy had been completely unrefined, so Nico sent him on his way.  Nico probably could have done so more politely, but what was done was done.

“What topics of conversation do you recommend?” Nico asked, for conversation was not something he had any remarkable skill in.  He was receiving oratory lessons from Reyna, so he wasn’t as miserable as he once had been, but he still lacked some basic understanding of one-on-one communication.

“You might ask about his family or his studies.  It is most important, Your Highness, that you are responsive when he speaks to you.  You have an unfortunate habit of acting uninterested and indifferent around potential suitors, but in this case, you must remember to be more companionable.”

Nico heard Hazel giggle in her painting room, and, although he was irritated, he ignored her.  “I will behave cordially,” he muttered.  Reyna was not uncomfortable scolding Nico; she could be quite harsh with him.  Still, he considered Reyna trustworthy, and perhaps even a good friend.

Nico spent most of the morning pacing while Hazel painted in her studio and Reyna read in the drawing room.  He picked at the cold cuts Jules-Albert brought for their meal and drank a few sips of tea, but his unease persisted.  He hated being introduced to suitors, mainly because he knew he’d fail before they even arrived.  Nico wasn’t easy to like.  He wasn’t even tolerable enough to be someone’s husband.

“Your Highness,” Reyna said, causing Nico to jolt in surprise.  “Pacing will accomplish little more than wear in the flooring.”

“Then what do you suggest I do with my restlessness, Lady Reyna?” Nico snapped.  Reyna raised an eyebrow at his tone, which only served to irritate Nico further.  He huffed and stormed over to sit across from his adviser.  “How much longer do I have to wait?”

“Not long,” Reyna replied, setting her book aside to give Nico her attention.  “I suspect we will be called to greet them soon.”

Nico rubbed his palms on his breeches and asked, “Do you think this coat will do?”

“It is a very fine coat, Your Highness.”

“Good,” Nico mumbled.  “It’s not too plain?”

Reyna sighed.  “Your Highness, the trim is silver with sapphires.  I do not think it is plain.”

“I don’t want him to know exactly how desperate my family is for his dowry,” Nico said defensively.  “You will stay with me, correct?”

“I will be present, should you need me.”

“And you won’t leave me alone with him?”

Reyna looked at Nico disapprovingly.  “I will remain an appropriate distance away from you and Lord William.”

“But what if I–”

“If you are to marry him, you must be able to hold a conversation with him in private.”

Nico let out a breath of disappointment.  “This will go horribly,” he muttered.

“Your Highness, all you are required to do is be polite.  Smile at him, nod, and answer his questions.  And I beg you, do not tell him that he has the face of a toad.”

“I only did that once, and he highly exaggerated my phrasing,” Nico scowled.  “Besides, he did look like a toad.”

Reyna gave him a stern look.  “And if Lord William looks like a toad, what will you do?”

“I will not call him a toad,” Nico answered begrudgingly.  “Unless, of course, the similarities are remarkable, then I do not think it would be out of place to–”

“Your Highness,” Reyna cut in sharply.  “Sometimes, I almost believe that you purposely sabotage your meetings with potential suitors.  You will not make fun of Lord William’s face, or his voice, or his laugh, or his personality, or his intelligence, or any peculiar gestures that he might have the habit of making.”

Nico crossed his arms irritably.  “Very well, then; I simply won’t speak at all.”

“If that is what you must do, then so be it,” Reyna snapped back.  That said, she picked back up her book and started to read again, making it clear that she no longer had any interest in speaking to Nico.  Nico knew he ought to reprimand her for using such a tone, but he didn’t feel up to it.  Reyna was right, as usual.

It wasn’t long after that they were summoned to the Hall of Gold to greet their visitors.  The hall was a large, open area at the front of the palace that opened to the city outside.  Nico recalled balls being held there when he was younger and the court was wealthy and fashionable.  Although the room was still magnificent, it had fallen into disuse over the years.

Nico’s parents, King Hades and his Queen Consort, Persephone, along with his younger sister were present as the Matestra’s carriage arrived outside the palace.  The doors to the Hall of Gold were held open and the royal family stood at the entrance, watching as the guests exited the carriage.  

The Matestra came first.  Artemis was followed by the captain of her guard, Lady Thalia, and her aide, Lady Hestia.  Nico had seen Lady Thalia during the Matestra’s last visit, but he had not spoken to her.  He tried to avoid conversation with Thalia whenever possible; she made him think of Bianca too much.  Lady Hestia, however, Nico was fond of.  They had known each other a long time, even before she was hired as Artemis’ aide.  Hestia was always calm and polite, and something about her always made Nico feel soothed.  He hoped he would get the chance to talk to her while she was there; she had not been with the Matestra on her previous visit.

And then Lord William exited the carriage.

Nico did not remember the first time he had met Lord William, so he only was able to predict his appearance based on what he had been told by Reyna and Artemis.  He had known that his suitor would be blond and tan-skinned with blue eyes and have an average height and build.  As William approached with his aunt, Nico was glad to see that he did not look like a toad, but beyond that, Nico saw nothing noteworthy about him.  He had nice features without being irresistibly handsome, which Nico supposed was a good thing; if William had been too handsome, Nico was not sure that he would ever be able to look his suitor in the face without making a fool of himself.  William was not unpleasant to look at, however, and Nico found himself pleased with his appearance.

Pleasantries were exchanged when Artemis and William reached them, but Nico paid them little heed, instead examining William with interest, as though he might be able to discern more from his character by the intensity of his gaze.  Will looked back at him and smiled, which Nico supposed was nice, before lowering his eyes meekly.

Nico was snapped into paying attention when Will bowed to him and said, “It is an honor to meet you, Your Highness,” having apparently been introduced.

“You as well,” Nico said, and even though he tried to put an air of friendliness into his voice, his tone remained flat.

When Hades led the guests into the Hall of Gold, Nico fell in step beside William and examined him from the corner of his eye.  He had a good, strong posture, which Nico supposed he approved of, and his gait was acceptable.  His coat was nice, too; pale blue with gold embroidery and very fine buttons.  It was obviously well-made and expensive – a testament to his family’s wealth.  William’s hair was tied back, but rather untamed, which Nico supposed was excusable.

After directing Artemis’ servants to the Privilla, Hades, Artemis, Nico, and Will took their lunch outside in the cypress grove – a meal of venison and fruit from Persephone’s orchards.  Nico allowed Artemis and his father to control the conversation, instead busying himself with scrutinizing Will’s dining etiquette.  It was passable; he was obviously well-educated on the matter.  When Artemis asked him a question, Nico realized that he had been paying his suitor far too much attention and turned to focus on the conversation and the meal.

Nico felt something stroke up his ankle and he almost jolted in surprise.  He managed to keep his composure and fought the urge to peer under the table.  When it happened again, though, he looked up at Will, who was sitting across from him, and realized that the thing hitting his ankle was most definitely the toe of a shoe.  Will, however, made no movement to suggest he’d done it on purpose, so Nico let it slide.  Surely it had only been a mistake.  Will wasn’t trying to....

But Nico felt the shoe on his ankle again.  That time, when he looked up, Will offered a shy, guilty smile.  Nico didn’t smile back, so Will looked away again, his expression crestfallen.

Had he given Will the impression that he disliked it?  Nico always had trouble with suitors, in part because he was never able to seem friendly.  But this particular meeting was important; Artemis herself had arranged it and Will’s family’s wealth could prove invaluable to Nico.  Had he scared Will off?  Nico had only been surprised.  Will seemed like a pleasant young man.  Nico didn’t want to ruin their first meeting by being unfriendly as he had with so many of his previous suitors.  He hoped Will would look back so that he could try to smile for him.

When Will didn’t, Nico impulsively stuck out his foot and ran his toe over Will’s ankle just as Will had done to him.  Will looked at him, surprise written plainly across his face, and Nico smiled nervously.  Will smiled back.

When the meal was over, Nico had forgotten about his directions to invite Will for a walk until he heard Reyna, who was standing to the side of the grove with the servants, clear her throat loudly.  Nico reluctantly rose to his feet and looked at William, and although he tried to appear friendly, he was sure his face was as cold as usual.  “Lord William,” he said, keeping his nervousness carefully hidden.  “I wonder if you would join me for a walk in the gardens.”

“I would be honored, Your Highness,” William said, standing up from his chair.

Nico started to lead him towards the gardens when Reyna cleared her throat again and Nico turned his head to look at her.  She discreetly patted her elbow as a reminder for Nico to offer Will his arm.  Nico gave her a petulant look, having hoped that she’d forgotten about that bit, but Reyna merely patted her elbow with more force and frowned at him sternly.  Nico nodded sulkily, having absolutely no desire to engage in any kind of physical contact.  Nico did not like to touch and he did not like to be touched.  It was, he supposed, one of the many things that made him such an undesirable suitor.

Nico swallowed his discomfort and was about to hold out his arm, but when he turned to William, he found that William had already offered his.  He hesitated in surprise for a moment before taking it, but stayed a respectable distance away as he walked William towards the gardens.

William cleared his throat, which irritated Nico, who had heard enough cleared throats for one day.  “These gardens, as I understand, are designed by Her Majesty?” he asked.

“Oh...uh...yes,” Nico stumbled, unprepared to speak just yet.  “My mother takes pride in the grounds of the palace.  She made it her project when she married my father.”  Nico internally applauded himself for his quick answer, but soon after, it became silent between them again.  He led Will through the flowers in silence, his eyes darting around in the hopes that something might jump out and distract William from Nico’s awkwardness and discomfort.  His hand felt sweaty on Will’s elbow and Nico wanted to take it back, but he resisted.  

“The grounds are quite beautiful,” William said suddenly.  “My compliments to Her Majesty.”

“Thank you,” Nico answered.  “She loves to hear that her gardens are enjoyed.”  After a moment’s hesitation, he added, “You will see the gardens around the Privilla tomorrow.  They are quite beautiful there, as well.  Do you like gardens?”

“I do, Your Highness,” Will answered.  “The grounds at my father’s estate are lovely.  I enjoy reading there when the weather is nice.”

“Then you like to read?”

“Oh, yes.  Mostly I read for my studies, but I read for amusement, as well.”

“Tell me about your studies,” Nico said, recalling that Will was a consor studying medicine.  He could likely talk about his schooling for hours, and then Nico would not have to speak for quite a while.

“I am currently doing research on plant cells for the purpose of utilizing their medical properties,” Will said.  “I find it quite interesting, but my brothers and sister tell me that it is boring.  When I first started, I considered becoming a tutor and my studies were in a more general field, and then I decided that I would rather heal.  I have been a consor since I was seven; not long after I first met you, Your Highness.”  William suddenly faltered.  “I...I mean, since my aunt’s inauguration.  We were introduced.”

“I have been told,” Nico said.  “You must forgive me; I have no memory of the meeting, but I have heard about it.”

William looked disappointed for a moment, but then he smiled.  “It was long ago, Your Highness.  Although it is a happy memory for me.”

Nico opened his mouth to speak, then promptly shut it and turned his head to face forward, focusing on the stone path and white flowers in front of them rather than on his confusion.  He wasn’t sure how it could be such a happy memory for William.  Perhaps he was referring to the inauguration itself rather than his meeting with Nico.  That seemed more sensible.  Of course the memory of his aunt becoming the Matestra was important for him.

Another silence fell between them, but this time, Nico was less desperate to fill it.  He didn’t mind the silence; he only hoped that William didn’t mind it, either.  William, however, proved difficult to read.  He smiled at Nico whenever Nico turned to look at him, which Nico didn’t quite understand.  Why would he smile so much?

At least, Nico thought, the meeting was not off to a disastrous start.  William was polite.  He didn’t seem to be fed up with Nico yet.  Perhaps if Nico could keep himself from being too horrible a suitor, he would be tolerable enough for William to marry, and then when William tired of him, it wouldn’t matter anymore.

Next

[fuckyeahcharmcaster]

10 Reasons why “The Charm Offensive” is infinitely better than “Couples Retreat”

Charmcaster falls in love with Michael Morningstar, who emotionally manipulates her for her magic power so that he can achieve his own goals. This is the main premise of both “Couples Retreat” from Ultimate Alien and the recent “The Charm Offensive” from the reboot. So why is it that the former is so reviled by many, myself included, while the latter has been pretty well received by many, myself included? I think I can answer that by providing 10 simple reasons.

1. Charm’s new origin gives her a logical reason to fall for Mike: “Couples Retreat” gave no reason whatsoever as to why Charmcaster would become romantically interested in Michael Morningstar beyond the most shallow basis of “he’s so beautiful”, plus the baffling line of “I finally found a boy who likes me”, as if this was some sort of long-running goal of her’s. “The Charm Offensive” solves this problem through the changing of Charm’s origin...she was a regular, nerdy fangirl of Michael Morningstar, a famous teen heartthrob actor in this continuity, before she gained her magic powers and supervillain identity. Those feelings didn’t disappear just because she changed in other respects - they still remained as a “weakness”.

2. She’s also an actual teenager: In “Couples Retreat”, Charm is written like a lovestruck teenage girl, but the problem is that she’s canonically not - she’s 21 years old, and we are not given Mike’s exact age: if he isn’t 18 or isn’t from a state where 17 is the age of consent, then Charm is indulging in some very inappropriate behavior, possibly outright statutory rape. In the reboot, she’s anywhere between 13 and 15 years old, as Mike seems to be...if anything, Mike is now the inappropriate one since despite appearances, he’s actually centuries old!

3. It isn’t a direct follow-up to anything major: If any episode can compete with “Couples Retreat” as the worst Charmcaster episode ever, it would be “The Enemy of My Frenemy”. And part of why “Couples Retreat” is so bad is that it directly follows that episode, and yet does nothing to continue any sort of plot or character progression set up there, nothing to alleviate the pain caused by that epiosde. All it does is leave Charm an emotional wreck for the second time in a row. “The Charm Offensive” is just a distant follow-up to “Bright Lights, Black Hearts”, an episode that took place last season, so it doesn’t have the same baggage.

4. No Ledgerdomain: Ledgerdomain sucks. It really does. It’s supposed to be the source of all magic and yet is an unimaginatively empty, boring place that only serves as a backdrop to events and nothing more. It has thankfully been axed in the reboot, so “The Charm Offensive” takes place on Earth, at Fort Knox’s local Biggie Box supermarket, and the episode actually makes use of the things that kind of location has to offer, which makes it more interesting. 

5. No Kevin: Nothing about Kevin worked in “Couples Retreat”. His hypocritical dismissal of Charm as a “complete nutjob” was infuriating, his single-minded thuggery as a solution to everything was cringy (especially when you remember that he used to be a clever con artist in Alien Force), and the entire subplot of him and Gwen having a petty argument was an unnecessary waste of time, with a mindbogglingly stupid resolution where Gwen decides he’s a pretty good boyfriend not because he makes up for what he did or because they come to an understanding with each other, but only because he’s better than Mike. Without Kevin, the focus in “The Charm Offensive” is kept solely where it belongs: on Gwen, Charm and Mike.

6. Mike is truly intimidating: Sure, Mike in “Couples Retreat” was powerful within Ledgerdomain, but he was not intimidating. In fact, he was even more of a joke than he was in “Absolute Power” - constantly bewildered by Charm’s advances, not communicating things with her even when it would be beneficial to him, loudly ranting and raving about goals he has that she wouldn’t be keen on within earshot of her, and being unable to remember a simple four-letter name when it mattered. He only succeeded in manipulating Charm because she too was written like an idiot. In “The Charm Offensive”, Mike is frighteningly sadistic, ruthless and psychotic, and is more outright abusive toward Charm than just manipulative. And his downfall is that his boasts are recorded and played back, rather than him making them right in front of Charm and then failing to remember her name (ironically, “Heather” actually IS Charm’s name this time around - UA!Mike would be so envious of his reboot self for that!)

7. Gwen is a proactive heroine: In “Couples Retreat”, Gwen spends two-thirds of the episode squabbling with Kevin and not accomplishing anything. In the last third, she attempts to reason with Charmcaster while the boys fight it out, but fumbles it completely, and it’s only Mike’s own stupidity that resolves the problem. In “The Charm Offensive”, Gwen takes direct action in order to solve the conflict, physically attacking Mike in order to protect Charm from having her energy drained in addition to using words of reason, and being the one to expose Mike’s true nature to her by playing back the store’s security footage of when he was verbally dismissing her as being just a living battery to him. Here, Gwen is unquestionably the hero.

8. The subject matter is handled with respect: “Couples Retreat” is despicable in how it handles its mature subject matter - Charm is portrayed as a mentally damaged girl with daddy issues who is “giving it away” to a guy, something said guy recognizes and takes advantage of. Sympathizing with her is easy yet also complicated due to both the age gap question and some of her previous appearances, and none of this is actually addressed within the episode’s narrative. It’s unpleasant just for the sake of it, yet its writer seemed to think it was “fun”. By contrast, “The Charm Offensive” deals with an abusive relationship, with Mike being a predatory celebrity taking advantage of a fan with self-esteem issues, and it actually addresses this problem and makes a statement about it. Plus, as is common for the reboot, the jokes and action on the side is fun, balancing well with the dark subject matter.

9. The resolution is truly empowering: So, how did “Couples Retreat” end, and resolve the issue at hand? With an angry Charm overpowering and de-powering Mike completely off-screen, robbing the audience of needed catharsis, before turning him over to Ben, Gwen and Kevin to beat up, also completely off-screen. The last shot is Charm looking sad and lonely in the rubble of her castle, staring wistfully at Mike’s mask - left with nothing. How “fun”. But “The Charm Offensive” has us actually get to see Charm’s magical beatdown of Mike, which is glorious. Asserting her own power and a new self-confidence, Charm then graciously leaves Ben and Gwen be, while saying that she and Gwen will be enemies if they happen to cross paths again, and the last shot is Gwen celebrating that she has her own arch-enemy now. Basically, the abusive guy has been defeated, and both of his female victims are more self-confident and ready to continue empowering themselves through their newfound rivalry. And that leaves you with such a good feeling, especially compared to “Couples Retreat”!

10. It actually matters in the long run: “Couples Retreat” accomplished nothing. It didn’t develop anyone or follow through with “Enemy of My Frenemy” despite directly following it, and Mike’s presence and references to his and Charm’s relationship in the Charmcaster arc of Omniverse was utterly pointless and only there for cheap laughs. “The Charm Offensive” is not only an actual follow-up to a previous episode, but it’s the first appearance of Charm in the reboot and the establishing of her and Gwen’s dynamic. It’s important to the series.

[spacetourismessay364]

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[mazarinrouge]

LOK: Art-I-ficial

Korra has an artificiality that makes it stale in comparison to ATLA. I could leave it at that, but I won’t because I love to elaborate. There’s a short way to explain this that I came up with: The Last Airbender has a simple plot so they could put more effort into the characters; LOK tried too hard to be ‘deep’ and ‘mature’ with its narrative, and failed to flesh out its characters because of it. I’ll go season by season of each show to explain what I mean. 

I will preface saying Korra definitely spent too much time trying to establish its comparative government/ideological allegory. Each “weekly villain” in Korra had their own philosophy behind them, the kind you learn about in high school. They’re not very far reaching or based on previously shown boundaries or backstories. They feel cheap, and the villains are cheap by extension because their ideas and the reasons for having those ideas and poorly written away. And a lot of the time in each season is spent with Korra getting angry at these already poorly fleshed out villains. It’s part of the reason she seems so brash and arrogant--because the villains are stupid too. In Korra, every single thing seems petty and over-dramatic. But anyway, 

ATLA Season One

Premise: Aang must defeat the Fire Lord by summer’s end. He needs to master the three remaining elements beginning with waterbending. 

Development: Aang begins to mature and learns to be responsible for all the years he was gone. The gang discovers not everyone who dislikes Fire Nation is a good guy. Already beginning to deviate from a typical black and white narrative; there’s no strict good or bad. Aang and Zuko’s backstories are both revealed in a brilliant episode. Overall great execution explaining bending and the Avatar. 

LOK Season One 

Premise: Korra must stop an apparently “evil” activist group, which is evil because the leader is evil. She is also going to backstage end all non-bender oppression. And she’s going to go up the ranks in a wrestling filler side-plot. And also there’s a love triangle. 

Development: Korra loses all of her bending, except not airbending, and then she got all her bending back anyway so losing her bending held no importance. She experiences her Lowest Point, which is being sad about not having bending and shedding a single tear. The love triangle did not end. The evil man dies. 

Already you can begin to see the problem here. LOK puts too much effort into having a beefy premise with a lot of intricacies--so much so that it cannot properly touch on all of them. A lot of Korra rides on having some revelating big evil thing lurking in the background. You never get to see it, but you know its there and you know Korra is mad at it. At least when she’s not busy being mad at Asami or at Pro-bending whatever. It’s odd how built up this premise should’ve been but signs of it were hard to trace as well. There’s not a lot of visually shown oppression against non-benders. Scattered bending street gangs are not systemic oppression, Bryke, c’mon. It would’ve been more dramatic and impending if you had Tarrlok arresting innocents much earlier on. But maybe it gets better! Let’s try again: 

ATLA Season Two 

Premise: Aang has to learn Earthbending now. Can he do it? Can he find a teacher? Hmmm...

Development: Aang learns a whole lot more about controlling the Avatar state. More of Zuko’s backstory is revealed. Aang learns earthbending. Then he dies and comes back to life after we see Katara finally come close to at least accepting Zuko and forgiving him, learning to look past the fact he’s the Fire Prince. She promptly hates him again after his betrayal, but it’s still interesting and emotional. 

LOK Season Two

Premise: Korra has this uncle and he likes spiritual things, but he turns out to be evil! He is evil because apparently a long time ago there were two flying carpets, and one was good and the other was evil. And the Avatar is the white carpet, and the black one is bad, and her uncle fuses with the black carpet because he is a bad guy! Also Asami has some sort of business side plot? And Korra has to resolve a lot of Water Tribe drama too, even though she is very bad at it. 

Development: I’m trying with this. Korra learns to go into the spirit world, but only if Jinora is around. She defeats the evil man, but only because Jinora helped her. White carpet is murdered? I think? Love triangle continues. 

Again, there is too much happening in the list of things the show writers have to present. The narrative feels cluttered. There is minimal development which only sets Korra back, so it’s more of a regression. The things she accomplishes are only accomplished because of the deus ex Jinora. Hmm. Well maybe season three is better.

ATLA Season Three

Premise: Aang must find a firebending teacher, learn firebending, and defeat Ozai. 

Development: Azula’s downfall, revealing her inner emotions and then she breaks tf down. Shows Aang’s stress about fighting Ozai, his fear of defeat. Aang finds a way to defeat Ozai without having to kill him. Zuko gets on good terms with everyone in the group. Teaches Aang firebending and then Aang goes and takes Ozai’s bending away. 

LOK Season Three 

Premise: There are three villains now. One is a combustion man copy pasted, also some arm lady, the other can bend lava or something, but none of those guys matter. They basically have no thoughts or emotions. But their leader, he’s bald and he likes ANARCHY. Because..he’s an airbender?? He likes airbending? So he likes ANARCHY YEA! And also,, also they’re part of the RED LOTUS which is like the White Lotus but ANARCHY!! What will Korra do to defeat them now!?!?

Development: The love triangle stops. Korra...I don’t know..gets PTSD I guess? Kills bad people

And then LOK has an extra season which is comparably better than the other ones, but it still has its own flaws. It continues the trend of having each season be its own ideology thing. It feels bland once you notice it. It makes it seem like the writers were too lazy to have a compelling narrative across several seasons like the other show. It makes Korra feel like a dumb shonen that can’t get its act together. Each season tries to act like Korra is struggling or learning something from these villains, but does she really? 

Sounds like you're carrying around your former enemies. . . You ever consider maybe you could learn something from them?

I think LOK here is trying to make up for lost time. Because in all the other seasons Korra never reflects on what has happened. It just all comes and goes. She rushes in head on into an overly complex, poorly structured narrative and never gains any insight from what she experiences. Nor do any of the other characters. Not because Korra had a lack of insight, but because the writers forgot to give her any. 

TL;DR:  @LEGENDOFKORRA “You ever consider maybe you could learn something from ATLA?”

[rationalsanskar]

Women in Their 40s Give Career Advice to Their 20-Year-Old Self

Weâre used to seeing lists of young achievers accomplishing impressive feats at such a young age. There are lists upon lists of 25 under 25, 30 under 30, celebrating these accomplishments. But what about the storied lives of women who have gone through and conquered challenges later in life? Those who have made mistakes, discovered their passion, and flourished even more when theyâve gone past a certain age. Who writes about them?

This December, we gather women in their 40s and beyond and asked them what advice theyâd give to their 20-year-old self. For the third and final installment in the series, we talk about what words of advice they would give about their career.

 Jo Ann Bitagcol, 41, Entrepreneur, photographer, model

âNot to worry much of the future or what will happen next. Just trust, enjoy the process because youâll be fine as long as youâre always 100% and your intentions are good.â

Marga Nograles, owner of Kaayo Modern Mindanao

âKeep on going, keep on searching. They say find what it is you love then focus on that, but I think at that age, you donât really know yet. So always give everything your all. Work hard, party hard. Enjoy life. Then when you find what you are most passionate about, focus and build your career on that. Ultimately though, live a life of prayer. Always lift everything up to God, and He will not ever leave you. Work with your heart and you will always be blessed.â

Mel Lozano-Alcaraz, 41, Launchpad Coworking co-founder, software project manager, and host of the Endslate Podcast

âDonât hesitate to experiment with jobs, go on paths less traveled, but at the same time, start saving and making small investments for the future. Itâs only when youâre in your 30s where youâll really get your groove, career-wise. Donât rush in your 20sâyouâll have the rest of your life to be serious.â

Lucille Dizon, turning 40, Gemologist GIA graduate, designer of Jul B. Dizon Jewellery

âNever sell yourself short. Dream big! Know what you are worth. Your success is a result of what makes you happy and motivated. Intern in an institution where thereâs opportunity to hone your skills. In early internship you can sometimes discover if itâs really the right career path for you.â

Agoo Bengzon, 43, Unilever beauty expert and Ultherapy brand ambassador

âI’d tell my 20-year-old self that there’s still so much for me to learn and discover. Don’t be in a hurry to be someone great or successful. Enjoy the ups AND downs. The downs will really help you develop grit, and grit is what will help you survive the journey. Most importantly, choose a career that you love or are passionate about. To this day, I’m still so curious about what the beauty industry has to offer. It still excites me and drives me to learn more and discover new things every day.â

Donna Cuna-Pita, 43, Writer, speaker, consultant

âWork hard and aim to have a good working relationship with the people around you. Knowing how to work well with others will help you tremendously, even more than just being very good at what you do. No matter how intelligent and hardworking you are but if nobody wants to work with you and be around you, your great ideas won’t work.â

Ruby Gan, 58, Entrepreneur

âContrary to how we were brought up, women can have a career. It is your choice if you want to stay home or work and have a career. Maintain your own account and donât feel guilty if youâre earning more than your husband. You donât have to lose yourself once married. Heck, you donât even have to follow the crowd. Find your own authentic self. Remember, the world needs non-conformists in order to move forward.â

Marcie Linao, 42, Publicity and events director

âGive your best in whatever youâre doing. There are no small jobs, just small players. When I started working in marketing, I had a boss that always played hooky. Since we had a very small team, I ended up doing most of the work that she left behind. I would go to meetings in her behalf and act as the official representative of the company. When she finally joined the meetings, some people would mistake her as my staff since I would do most of the talking since she didnât know much about the project. She eventually was let go and I was promoted to take her place even if I was pretty new in my job.

âAlways be nice to everyone. Be genuine and kind. You never know when youâll meet a certain person again and in what capacity. In my career in marketing, I have worked with a lot of people as I was starting out. We were all assistants together. We all remained friends and through the years people would change jobs and get different promotions. These people would end up being bosses in different companies and weâd sometimes get surprised when we would accidentally meet because our staff would set up meetings for us to work on different projects. Because we have a relationship already, it was pretty easy to get approvals or get sponsorship or support from them.

âLove your job. If you canât love your job, leave it. You wonât be as effective and as productive if you dread going to work every day. Find something to be grateful for so that you are motivated to wake up each morning to go to work. Maybe itâs being grateful that you have a kind boss, fun officemates, a job that allows you to wear crazy outfits to work, or maybe you have rockstar colleagues that you can learn from to develop your craft. When I was still working in publishing as the marketing and events head, I would do a full dayâs work in the office then go straight to an event that would last until the wee hours of the morning. Even if I finished work at 2 or 3 a.m., I would still go to work at 10 in the morning because there was work to be done in my other department. But since I loved seeing our concepts turning into reality and I loved working with a lot of really creative people, I didnât mind the long hours and the hard work that went with the job.

âWhenever you feel like you are failing at your job, ask yourself, what am I learning from this? We all need to fall down to learn how to ride a bike. Do not get discouraged if you keep making mistakes or you feel like you are not getting it. Sometimes the pressure of getting it right or performing is whatâs keeping you from giving your best. The fear of failure can also debilitate us. If the stress is getting to be too much, just take a step back and breathe. Sometimes all you need is a little rest to gain clarity and get back on track.

âBelieve in yourself. You have something unique and wonderful to offer to the world that is uniquely you. Stop comparing yourself with other people. They have their own skills and you have yours.

âFind a career that makes you feel alive, happy, and excited to wake up and go to work every day. No amount of money can replace the joy that you feel when you do something that you love.â

 Myrza Sison, 52, Consultant

âBe good at what you do but be versatile enough to be good at many other things, too. Always keep looking into the future to see how you can be ahead in the game. In these fast-changing days, agility and adaptability are not just assets but essential skills. Evolve or die/become a dinosaur!

âBe known for something. Develop expertise in areas you are good at or passionate about. Always be useful, fill a need, and you’ll always have work. Also, the better people skills you have, the easier it will be to work with you, and for you to work with anyone.

âThe earlier in life you learn to get along with difficult peopleâand any workplace (and the world!) is full of themâthe easier your work will be, and the more indispensable (or marketable) you will be.

âLaziness will be your downfall. It’s not always the best and the brightest who succeed and endure, but those who are willing to work harder. Put in the work. Don’t just wing it! And if you find yourself always winging it, ask yourself why. Are you not into what you’re doing? Maybe it’s not really what you want to do. Then do something else. Sure, use hacks and apply the ‘work smarter, not harder’ principle for efficiency’s sake, but do the work needed to do a good job.

âOnce you say yes to somethingâto any assignment, task, or project, no matter how menial, do your very best until you’re proud enough to have your name on it, whether or not anyone will know. You will know. Have personal standards of excellence and apply this to everything that you do. Have some prideâand shame! Shoddy work must never be associated with your name or reputation.

âNetwork, network, network. Yes, even if you are an introvert. Meeting people doesn’t just happen at parties, anyway. Be creative and be friendly! Do not underestimate the power of opportunities that can possibly come from anyone you meet. Seneca said, ‘Luck happens when preparation meets opportunity.’ When this happens, ‘being at the right place at the right time’ will actually entail being at a place outside of your house or office. Get out there. Play the field. You have nothing to lose.

âFor everything that you hate about your job, change your perspective and really analyze for each particular situation or aspect of difficulty what skills you are actually learning and can use in the future. Set learning goals for every job you take and do try to muster enough grit to hang in there until you have learned what you said you would.â

Barbi Chan, 45 years old, Makeup and microblading artist

âI would have said follow your passion, but hey, without money, there wonât be any passion. So, I guess in that aspect, you did well. You delayed your passion and was realistic enough to realize that you need funds if you want to pursue it. Good that you work for the family business first and when you saved enough, you quit and went to the States to study makeup. And the rest is history.â

Yvette Ilagan, 48, Entrepreneur

âFollow your passion. Learn from your mistakes and failures. Those are stepping stones to growth and success. Hard work is key. Keep on learning. Be humble. Always remember that God is our partner in anything we do. Ask for guidance, ask for help, and be grateful for all the blessings.

Ingrid Chua, 44, Lifestyle journalist and content producer

âNever rest on your laurels. Keep your head down, tune out the noise, and just work hard. Don’t listen to the whispers around you and just focus. Set career goalsâshort term and long termâand monitor your progress regularly. Be thirsty and stay thirsty! Be curious and learn as much as you can. Also don’t fear the unknown. Be willing to explore and discover. And when you start making money, always make sure you set aside more than half of your earnings and not spend on useless things!â

 Janina Dizon Hoschka, Jewelry designer for JANINA for Jul Dizon

âListen to your mom. Watch her interact and handle business closely. She is going to pave the way for you and your siblings one day, and you will do the same for the next generation in the future. She means well even if you think she is being too much of a disciplinarian. Understand where itâs all coming from. Check how seamlessly she handles her professional and family life because one day you will strive to do the same.â

Tweetie de Leon-Gonzalez, 52, Supermodel, designer, and health advocate

âForgive yourself for the times you stumbled and made less than stellar decisions. Chalk it up to the follies of youth. They will forever remain golden lessons you can pull out of your pocket for future crossroads. I see you losing sleep unnecessarily over such experiences. Simply understand that it is a process you need to undertake in order to face everyday challenges, minute and colossal, with wisdom and grace, which will eventually turn you into a worthy mentor to your coming children.â

Hindy Weber, 46, Fashion designer, biodynamic farmer, holistic living educator, and advocate for People & Planet

âBe fearless and unapologetic. I wasted so much time trying to please and appease peopleâand overanalyzing other peopleâs bullshit. Iâm glad those days are over but I sure wish I had started earlier.â

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This content was originally published here.

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