#but changing his morality and his views on war and bloodshed and how far he's willing to go isn't the same

[dmclemblems]

Just some examples below of characters at camp in GW not being okay with what Claude does (mainly to reiterate past points I’ve made about him/the route):

Mind you, the game forces all characters to cooperate with Claude in GW, even though a lot of them disagree (Marianne adamantly is against everything Claude is doing and expresses it regularly. Her excuse for not leaving or doing anything about is that she hopes the war ends quickly, but she still repeatedly expresses that she doesn’t believe what they’re doing is the right thing to do).

Lorenz repeatedly questions Claude’s decisions, as he should, but due to it being the GW route, all the characters have to follow what he does and just deal with it. There’s no “hey this is bullshit I’m out”, when realistically at this point a good handful of characters would’ve walked out.

This proves the writer’s are totally aware of what they’re writing and know the nuance to it! It’s just that... because Claude is the main character of this route, he’s swept up in the story and has to be adjusted to fit the story accordingly.

There’s no happy ending for the Kingdom and Alliance unless Sylvain (who is a major player in Faerghus politics) can agree to it, which is highly unlikely after he openly expresses his hatred for Claude/the Alliance (as he puts it, the “invaders”, which... were Claude/the Alliance).

Also, I have another post with the camp part of Hapi saying that it’s scummy of the Alliance/Federation that the only reason she and Constance are alive is because they surrendered. In other words, she finds the “surrender or die” thing to be scummy. Then we have Yuri, who notices the same issue:

This point proves that Claude is pretty cold hearted in this route. He not only forces Ashe to surrender (or die, as is implied by his dialogue when he says “Dimitri would be sad if you died” and thus urging him to surrender), but then he even has Ashe fight against his own people.

While this is a recruit mechanic issue and is a problem in all routes generally speaking, it’s not highlighted upon by other characters about other characters. That is to say, Petra for example in AG will express relief that they didn’t have to kill Dorothea, but she doesn’t mention anything about Dimitri forcing them to fight the Empire (which Petra decides to do entirely by her own will). Dorothea expresses some reluctance at first in her own camp dialogue, but it’s never mentioned that Dimitri is forcing anyone to fight against their will.

The fact that other characters are commenting on it means other characters are seeing and understanding what’s going on (which is more than a lot of players can say apparently, like the ones who blindly send hate to people who didn’t enjoy GW/SB lol). They recognize that everything Claude is doing is just shitty and shouldn’t be what they’re doing.

So... why do they keep fighting with him? Because... bad writing. That’s honestly it. Because they’re all forced, by the writing and route’s story, to keep fighting for Claude even though probably a good half of his camp doesn’t agree with his actions. Even though, if this were a better story even somewhat, and if Claude still did what he’s been doing here in this somewhat better story, the story would be made better by the disagreeing characters defecting to the Kingdom. Mind you, three background lords did try to defect to the Kingdom... and were promptly shut down from defecting.

If this were a good story, Claude wouldn’t have had his morals flipped on their head. If this were a decentish story, Claude would have lost a good chunk of his allies who defected after being fed up with his behavior and decisions. If this were a bad and lazily written story, it would look like it does.

ALSO I ran out of tags to explain my last point BUT

the irony of all this is that when he killed Shahid, he was trying not to cry and got drunk over it. This guy who had been trying to kill him and would’ve done so without batting an eye (and probably would’ve told everyone and bragged about it), this guy who has been presumably among his siblings trying to kill him his entire life, and this is who he feels guilty about killing. Then he goes marching to Faerghus, invades them and says he just wants to talk while forcing one of their royal knights to surrender or die.

Apparently Claude would rather feel sad about the brother of his that tried to murder him than the innocent people who never wronged him.

[celeste-i]

max nolastname and John silver (fake name) are twins of not caring about the wider world beyond their own survival (and of their loves) because the world has kicked them far too many times for them to think they can change it. max being a slave and the daughter of her master, then subjected to the brutal life of a sex worker serving pirates. silver being [REDACTED]. they both believe there will always be a boot on the necks of the weak, that it's simply how the world is. destroying England will only allow for a boot of a different color to take its place. they will keep their heads down and nod and make a show of obeying so they are trusted and liked by the boot, while plotting for their own survival in secret. the devil you know, etc. they are both incredibly cynical and misanthropic. they detest bloodshed not for its cruelty but for how it stirs people up and unsettles what could be a peaceful (in their worldview) existence.

max, once she experienced having every ounce of control taken away from her, entrenched herself in a position where she was in complete control of her own fate, one where she ruled from the shadows but still appears to obey the boot. even if it eats away at her, even if it takes everything personal from her. unfortunately for silver, his rise to power (and in opposition to the boot) was not his own doing and is a prison for him as much as it is his lifeline. as a disabled man, he would have no option of survival under the boot, so he has to live in this undead prison Billy has crafted for him which stands in direct opposition to how he believes the world to be. and in many ways he views flint as the new boot, or at least allows him to take that position in his mind. silver obeys him most of the time, nods and keeps his head down until he plots for his (and madi's) survival

and they're both so good at this trickery that you forget who they are. you're told in the first episode what type of people they are -- opportunists, through and through. but they're likable. you want to believe them to be different. but they arent. max doesn't oppose her former allies being hanged; she just thinks it's bad for morale and thus ruins her business interests. silver doesn't care about the war; he suggested it only so the maroons wouldn't kill them and then ended the war once he realised the danger inherent to him and Madi. the rest of Nassau and the rest of the slaves toiling in the new world are of little concern to either one of them. what fascinating characters

[destruqtivist]

though  you  are  dangerous  ,  you  are  also  capable  of  love - main verse kylo

memes always accepting !

His movement is slow and decisive, fingers drawing an unhurried movement across her golden locks, brushing strands of ringlets from her face. He smiles, softly and gingerly at first, so drastically different than who Kylo Ren had become to be known. Anyone was capable as love, he suspects, but there were far fewer who deserved it. Perhaps if it had been months ago, his egocentric point of view would have fueled him to behave selfishly. It’s strange how things change now. His motivations and desires are the same. He wants power. He wants it all. He could very well rule over the entire galaxy. 

Yet, he also wants her. It’s very conflicting. She who is the embodied of everything he is not. So starkly contrasting his own persona. Kylo does not think he can have his cake and eat it too. There are many reasons: moralities, her posing as a weakness for him, and the duality of it all. How could he do the things he needed to do and then want this? War, bloodshed, and greed--that could not be balanced with something as fickle, turbulent, and troublesome as love. He sees it so easily.... how easy it would be to accept loving her. However, on the line of rationality, he sees how he could be consumed by it. What he would do to protect her, to make her happy--his devotion to his desires would extend. His smile fades slightly, thought already entertained and gone. “You should heed the danger, Princess.”

[fairfowl]

Lie There and Breathe

A Horde Clone OC story

(Tw: gore, injury) (part two here, part three here, part four here)

The Etherian relief workers found him lying prone on the hard ground beside the cliff where Horde Prime had made his last mad play. Jagged rocks lay all around the clone's body, his abdomen and shoulders riddled with long thorns that could only have come from Perfuma's vines.

His arms were pinned under his torso, the white of his tabard and tunic stained phosphorescent green. But what had truly frightened the workers was the state of the clone's face.

The clone lay with his head resting in a pool of neon blood, half his left ear was missing entirely as the flesh of his cheek and brow hung from the bone, separated across the socket of his eye by a gash that had gouged a trail into his very skull.

Ethera had abandoned the more violent practices of war nearly a century ago, and while there had been countless conflicts since then the average citizen was unused to the brutality that Prime had brought.

Through all the years of fighting between the rebellion and the Etherian Horde both sides had utilized non-lethal methods whenever possible as a matter of both basic morality and resource consumption. Anything less would have been viewed as a war crime.

But the Galactic Horde was held to no such standard. Their way was victory by any means necessary, and the streamlined process of creating clones meant that they never had to worry about running out of cannon fodder.

When Horde Prime arrived and Hordak disappeared, war on Etheria had changed drastically.

The princesses could not be blamed for fighting back.

But as relief workers picked their way across the battlefield, pulling living soldiers from both sides into the hastily constructed healers' tents there was an aura of revulsion and regret to them. The days of mindless bloodshed should have been over, but the newly verdant landscape was still soaked with red and green blood.

The workers wrapped the clone's face with a cloth, and dragged his unconscious form into the tent.

........

The clone awoke to searing pain and blindness.

Agony left him breathless, and he tried to curl into himself only to find that he lacked the strength to move his limbs. Although his head was thickly wrapped in bandages his senses were inundated by unfamiliar sounds and smells. Beside him someone breathed heavily, each intake rattling wetly.

Immediately he sought out the hivemind, disoriented and pained.

He found only empty silence.

Panicked the clone tried again, reaching out and physically grasping at the air with a trembling hand as he searched in vain for the warm minds of his Brothers, connected by the light of Horde Prime.

Horde Prime

Horde Prime was dead.

And so was the hivemind.

His breath sped up as the clone's lonely mind raced, reaching back to his last moment of consciousness.

He remembered his injury, and laying prone beneath the cliff as through the echoes of the hivemind he witnessed the end of Prime’s Glorious Vessel. Killed at the hands of the traitorous defect.

The clone remembered Horde Prime’s short glorious return in the body of the traitor, and he remembered the triumphant final speech in the voice that had seemed to echo from the top of the cliff and through the hivemind. He remembered letting his eyes slip shut as he prepared to die as Prime willed.

And he remembered how the voice had suddenly stopped.

The cold emptiness that had gripped him then came again as he lay blind and lost. He knew as surely as he knew anything that the hivemind had died along with Prime, and that he was alone. As if he were a cloud of space dust after a supernova, a corpse teeming with rot after death.

The clone shuddered, fighting the panic that threatened to engulf him. Through everything else that inundated his mind something new and profound shined from his core.

A desire to stay alive.

And the first thing that the clone knew about staying alive was that if he was to do so then he couldn't continue to panic.

Brothers who panicked on the field died, those who remained calm and kept their faith in Prime lived to fight another day.

Prime was dead, and so all he could do was try to remain calm.

Beyond the horror within his own head the clone found that he could not block out the pervasive sound of wheezing from beside him. From further away the noise was yet more chaotic. Bustling and clattering were overshadowed by moans and gasps of pain and the smells of blood and fear hung heavy in the air.

The clone turned his head slowly, listening for anything familiar, but heard no comforting mechanical beeps, or low reassuring prayers.

Indeed the only prayers that he heard were being gasped desperately from some distance.

He focused of the wheezing beside him.

The sound was steady even as each breath seemed to rattle wetly. The clone matched each wheeze to his own breaths and focused his entire self on it, blocking out the chaos of the unknown location where he and the breather lay.

........

The clone did not know how much time had passed.

He had eventually lost consciousness, and when he awoke he spent a moment seeking out the rasping breathing of one who lay beside him. He had been relieved to hear the breather immediately, the rest of the surrounding area had quieted substantially while he slept, but the steady rattling continued on as though nothing had changed.

The clone clung to it.

He was still heavily bandaged, and agony throbbed through his very being. The clone now knew that his pain was centralized to one side of his head. His left eye socket felt like a black hole, hungrily sucking every joule of energy from his body.

He was too exhausted to even seek out comfort, and the all encompassing agony made it impossible to concentrate on anything but The Breather beside him.

He lay there, helpless and exhausted and did the only thing that he could do.

He listened.

And he heard.

The clone counted the breaths of his companion constantly, eventually allowing surrounding noises to trickle in but never giving up his concentration on The Breather.

He deduced, as he lay there, that he was surrounded by the injured. Many of the cries, gasps, and prayers, were the voices of his brothers. Terror and pain gripped those voices, and he spared a moment of grief for those brothers. The panic that they were experiencing was dangerous, and the clone refused to let himself fall into it's trap.

He needed to remain calm because he wanted to survive.

He wanted to survive and hear the rattling breaths beside him.

The Breather slept on, constant and steady despite the wheezing.

There were likely Etherians surrounding him as well. Some of the pained voices were unfamiliar, and those who bustled around were certainly not members of The Horde. Their alien voices were filled with emotion, and their hurried steps too disorganized to be anything but alien.

It made sense. Prime was dead.

What didn't make sense was that these Etherians were keeping him and his brothers alive. Perhaps they planned to have the surviving clones serve them as the people of conquered planets had had the choice to peacefully serve Horde Prime.

But why not cull the damaged ones?

The clone knew, as surely as he knew that Prime was dead, that he was too damaged to avoid culling. The vine that had whipped across his face had obviously left a path of carnage in its wake. He did not know the state of his eyes, but the pain radiating from his left socket was telling, as was the uncomfortable wetness that soaked the bandages surrounding his head.

But he didn't want to die. The desire to live still burned strongly with him, new and profound. The clone tied his survival to remaining calm, which in turn had thus far turned him to rely upon The Breather beside him.

As long as he could hear his companion, then he could remain calm. As long as he remained calm then he had a chance of survival.

Beside him The Breather slept on, and the clone listened.

After some time of this the chaos of their surroundings picked back up, less frantic than it had been before but still busy. A host of voices and various organic smells rose to meet him; some were medicinal some were not. For his part the clone continued to take it all in from his stationary supine position. 

He deduced that he was laying on a sort of rough canvas cot some unknown distance from the ground. Unfamiliar clothing and a thin sheet covered him. Around him there was little airflow, but there was also no echo that would have indicated that they were indoors. If anything he heard wind, and the sound of cloth flapping but did not feel a breeze, perhaps they were in a tent.  

On his aching left side The Breather slept on but to his right he heard only wind and cloth, curiously he reached out a hand and met more sturdy cloth. He must have been lying along the wall of some kind of hospital tent.

Cautiously he continued to explore his surroundings with his fingers, reaching out blindly for anything within his reach. The wall, the cot, the strange loose clothes that covered him.

After a moment's hesitation the clone reached out into open air, searching for The Breather. The rasping continued on as it had since he’d first regained consciousness.

The clone felt his arm shake as he reached towards the lifeline that he'd been clinging too since he’d first regained consciousness.

And he found them.

A long arm, a muscular shoulder, the familiar texture and musculature. A fellow clone. A Brother.

Something that had been wrapped up tight in the clone's chest slowly unfurled, and tears welled up in his covered eyes as he traced his companion's arm downward to grasp his hand.

Relief and fear bloomed within him as he cried. Beside him his brother breathed on.

..................................................................................

Congratulations on finishing this somewhat maudlin little fic, I've wanted to write it for a while.

Since the two characters currently known as The Clone (our protagonist) and The Breather (the unconscious one) aren't very developed in this first part I thought I'd tell you a little about them

The Clone (pictured on top (someday I may draw his scars more closely to how I imagine them)) will eventually go on to be known as Chamomile. After spending some time in the healing tent he will learn that he still has perfect sight in the right eye, and partial sight in his left. Observing the Etherian healers as they work will inspire him to study healing under their tutelage specializing in wound care.

This will be a fairly new concept to the Horde Clones as under Prime most clones who had received a major wound that needed extensive care or caused major scarring would likely have been culled or sent to the front lines.

His companion The Breather (pictured below) will later be called Calamine. He is currently suffering from pneumonia due to a chest injury that resulted in a collapsed lung as well as substantial internal bleeding, he'll wake up eventually but for now the boy needs rest. He is a kindred spirit to Chamomile and the two cling to one another as they recover.

Calamine had previously worked within The Horde to create amniotic fluid, and will eventually become a cook.

The extremely awesome and very inspiring clone creator piccrew was made by @strawberryoverlordart

[cozyforjate]

MacGyver 4x12

Ok, i can write pages and pages about this episode but don't worry, i won't. I'll try to keep this as short as possible. but short is a relative term so.. This episode may seem like an action packed one but IMO it was all about the characters. 

Who they are, how they view the world, their motives, how far they're willing to go for the things that they believe in, where do their loyalties lie... Most importantly; how strong are the bonds between those characters?  

Mac: Despite everything that he's been through this season, despite being in a dark place for a while, Mac is always Mac. He cares about ppl, he cares about lives and its always been his true motive. To stop a war between 2 sides, he's willing to sacrifice everyone he loves. Not their lives obviously but his bonds with those ppl, his relationships...Make no mistake, his chosen family is all he has left. So him willing to lose their loyalty, love and trust to find a peaceful solution for all is a big sacrifice on his part.   

Riley: Riley has always been Mac's rock. And this episode proved that Mac can always count on Riley. No matter what happens, Riley will always be there for him. Why? Bcoz "she trusts Mac". Screw all the evidence againts Mac, she knows him, she knows his heart, she knows how his mind works. She knows that if Mac's doing something, he always has a good reason for it. Riley and Mac also share a similar world view. If there is even a small chance of saving lives without bloodshed she'll take it.  Desi: This is where things get messy. Now i understand that she is a soldier, i know that she's not an emotionally open character but she is supposed to be Mac's girlfriend! She knows Mac for at least 2 years now, and if we count their off screen relationship they've been together for over a year. So how could she not know him? How could she believe that Mac's compromised? How could she be ok with sacrificing his LIFE? That crossed a line! It shows that Desi doesn't know Mac at all, she doesn't have any faith in him. And at this point i dont even think she loves him. Because that is not love.

Russ: He's been introduced as a morally gray character. He probably believes that ends justify the means. I love Russ, he is a character with layers but he also crossed a line in this episode. He's willing to kill Mac and Riley if it meant taking down the Codex leaders, which is inexcusable. But i guess i gotta cut him some slack coz he doesn't know Mac or Riley that long. He looks at the evidence and all he could see is Mac slowly changing teams. I feel like his hatred and obsession for Codex comes from a personal tragedy. Perhaps, he was a Codex agent in the past or someone he loved joined Codex and died? I guess we'll know in the next episode.

Bozer: He is Mac's oldest friend. He is like a brother to him. While he had his doubts but he never really believed that Mac was compromised. Like Riley, he knows the real Mac. And most importantly he wants his friend back safe and sound. I loved how he stood up against Russ. "How's that so different than what's Codex been saying?". Tell him Bozer!

Matty: While she believed that Mac’s actually gone rogue, she never wanted Mac to get harmed. She was truly concerned for him. And she was also right about Russ. He is a brilliant man but he shouldn't get crazy! Unfortunately he did get a little crazy with his Codex hunt. 

Now lets get to the juicy stuff.   MAC-RİLEY vs MAC-DESİ 

The whole episode was designed to show the striking contrast between Riley and Desi. Or more like MacRiley and MacDesi.

Riley's complete trust in Mac vs Desi's complete lack of trust in him

Riley knowing the real Mac vs Desi not knowing him at all

Riley risking her life to get to Mac vs Desi risking Mac's life to get to Codex 

Mac looking so happy&relieved to see Riley vs Mac wanting Desi off his back

MacRiley being a package deal vs MacDesi being a deal breaker.

I can't be happier with the way both relationships have been portrayed in this episode. Because it shows why MacRiley is "the ship", while MacDesi is "a ship".

Just a few more MacRiley thoughts and i'm done i promise

When Mac saw Riley coming to his rescue, his face said it all. He was so happy, so relieved to see her. Knowing that Riley hasn't given up on him meant the world for Mac. 

When Riley said "Because at the end of the day, i trust you"... Mac's little nod, "Of course she does trust me!"

"You know you dont have to do this, right?" - "What? And miss all the fun?"... Riley knows how to put a smile on Mac's face even when everything looks horrible!

Excuse me but Riley's driving skills are almost as good as her computer skills! She rocks!

When Mac thought he's gonna die, he reached for Riley's hand... Knowing full well that he's not alone. Never alone. 

Auntie Gwen is a MacRiley fan. Knew it! She knows Riley is not Mac's girlfriend but still wanted to see their reaction. And her smirk! LOOOL Mac could have just said, "no she is not my girlfriend" but i guess he forgot their status for a second LOL. Riley on the other hand answered Auntie like a boss. 

"We're a package deal!" HELL YEAH THEY ARE.  

"So what now?" "Improvise" --- Welcome back Mac. And thanks for bringing him back Riley. 

[hairphones]

Why Libra is my favorite FE character

(if anyone knows the artist here it’d be appreciated to mention it)

Fire Emblem has plenty of characters people give a shit about. Most of the time it’s going to the lords or any of the really popular “waifu” characters, but in recent time I’ve found people who love all kinds of people in the franchise. The best thing about FE’s characters is there’s bound to be at least 1 person in here that you’ll consider cool. Despite there a lot of reoccurring archetypes I’m willing to say FE is still able to make something that feels unique in each game, even if not necessarily good. Anyways, for me one character who’s stuck out is of course the guy in the title, Libra. I’m always kind of weirded out this guy isn’t anymore popular than he actually is. Awakening is one of the most successful games that had a cast full of characters that ended up being way too popular for their own good. And yet, Libra is one of the few Awakening characters that doesn’t exactly get to enjoy the limelight like the other part of the cast back then. With that being said though I’ve found him to be one of the most interesting in the game and as you can read in the title he’s just flat out my favorite. I guess the best way for me to start is him as a unit.

Libra comes in as one of the more unique classes in the series, war monk. As a prepromote most people probably skipped over what’s given to you here despite what honestly is a pretty solid no investment unit. I say this from his C staff rank and his fairly balanced stats that lets him handle himself quite well for the first few battles he can fight in. Of course I gotta be realistic, Libra is no way a character who’s going to stay good at defending himself. Awakening’s real emphasis of making your units snowball means that ignoring to train Libra will only really leave him as nothing more than a staffbot, and even with training a glaring flaw is that Libra is too balanced for his own good to really specialize in anything unlike the other units. Another flaw comes from his rather limited class pool that leads to Sage and Dark Knight taking up spots in multiple class trees. This does give him access to helpful skills such as vengence or lifetaker, but unless you plan to grind only Libra I wouldn’t call it optimized to constantly reclass and train him. I’m in no way a hardcore FE fan that takes into account how units play in the challenge runs such as LTCs/Ironmans/Low recruitment, but I think it’s safe to assume that Libra’s overall performance will come in as primarily a support unit. But of course, judging him on his numbers isn’t my focus here.

I want to start off talking about Libra’s character with what you can already see from his design. It’s no surprise that most fans make the connection to Libra and other designs such as Lucius from FE7, another favorite of mine. In-game there’s a gag involving him looking female to other characters. However while his face is feminine, he’s actually rather tall and with a masculine frame. As one of the tamer Awakening designs I actually quite like his outfit as it perfectly fits with war monk ( I know crazy). Though you can chalk that up to being biased.

Hell on first appearances you’re most likely ready to assume this character is going to be a born again christian character with the only joke being he’s actually a male judging from the recruit conversation. The fact Awakening has it’s share of running jokes among party members definitely could lead to you assuming there’s nothing interesting about this guy. Yet, shouldn’t the fact he wields a weapon (as opposed to the usual magic tomes these sort of characters use) surprise you? and an axe at that? Lemme emphasis that, why an axe?

Sure FE has this tradition of the 3 main weapon types, but has it ever been used to add character? Not exactly, but it has been part of character archetypes for quite a while.

Think about what kind of character uses swords: The lords, the brave mercenary leader, the heroes, the flashy edgelords that become swordmasters. Swords almost always play a role as the legendary weapon made to save the day in FE games (as well as any jrpg). The sword will always be a symbol of courage in just about any video game.

(this screencap is low quality to stay consistent with the speaker)

How about lances: As far as FE goes the lance is primarily the weapon held by the jaigen archetype and the main weapon for the more chivalrous units such as cavaliers, knights, and soldiers. The kind of characters associated with these are often the diligent or experienced members of the army. You also have the usual flying trio of characters that range from happy go lucky to those that take the situation seriously.

Now what about axes? These weapons are more often than not held by the lower class characters. Hired fighters, bandits, pirates. These characters aren’t ever bad, but they’re not exactly fighting out of heroism or for their nation. In fact these characters are the most down to earth in the grand scheme of an army full of anime characters. Maybe not sooo much in Awakening’s case with Vaike, but every single one of these weapon types have their exceptions. Also wanna mention that one of the most (in)famous weapons in the series is called the fucking Devil Axe.

Going back to Libra, why would a character like him hold onto an axe when it’s pretty apparent he’s more of a gentle character? Why the weapon type that’s the most violent looking of the triangle? Obvious reason is purely gameplay reasons involving the odd design the war monk class is, but looking at it from a literary perspective only makes it look off (especially with the female clerics). This is also something to wonder if you take into consideration his C ranking, implying he’s at least somewhat experienced. Not to mention his high stats for that point in the game.

For better or worse this kind of mystery isn’t exactly answered in the base game of Awakening. However there’s some interesting conversations that’s found in the Summer Scramble DLC that gives an idea. Specifically the one with Lon’qu.

Lon’qu catching onto the dissonance of Libra’s appearance to his skill. The first conversation is only Libra claiming there’s no reasoning behind any of it. however the second conversation has Libra open up to talk about himself more.

As you see there’s no explicit answer to what kind of “darkness” Libra has ever committed before the events of FE:A, but given Lon’qu is the one to take notice of Libra’s supposed bloodlust the implication isn’t going to be anything peaceful. In fact, it’s that violent nature that gets questioned in another conversation in this same DLC.

Again, this conversation feels more important to take note of given what character is talking to Libra. In this case it’s the hyperviolent character who takes comfort in bloodshed (at least in the western release, perhaps Henry is different in Japan?). Either way, this conversation goes hand and hand with the Lon’qu one in a pretty easily. That is to conclude that Libra himself has had a pretty rough past filled with who knows what, and that past version of himself was most likely not justifying any murders as if justification was even something to consider. The Libra you meet in-game is of course still capable of killing, but it’s extremely obvious he has a concept of remorse.

There’s no reason given anywhere as to what changes this man to become the benevolent priest. Though really I think it’s better that Libra keeps it consistent with revealing almost none of the causes in his life and instead only showing the effects. Filling in the blank is not a new thing for FE characters, in fact fans of older games in the franchise seem to really enjoy that aspect quite a lot.

Still, even the current Libra understands himself to not be a person devoid of guilt or sin. A few supports touch upon this aspect such as the one with Sully.

Libra’s doubt that he’s anywhere close to being considered a good man in the fact of the gods adds something that I absolutely love: having skepticism to one’s own morality. There’s something important to follow up this with how Libra views morality in battles in one of the supports with Gaius.

Even as a supposed man of faith he refuses to deny that living a fight against the different nations in Awakening is just a matter of being on the side that’s doing more killing. Take away all the politics of any war and you’ll find people who are simply fighting for the right to keep on living. It’s what considered “just human”. I also find this conversation to be a little more profound given that is the same franchise where one of the biggest features is permadeath. These characters put their faith in their gods to escape death another day while the average player is the one avoiding death altogether.

Finally, a support with Tharja concludes mostly everything learned so far. Where she explores Libra’s memories only to find there was no peaceful childhood.

A newfound devotion to a religion isn’t treated as a fix to a life full of cruelty. To be a good person to many doesn’t absolve you of the terrible things you’ve done to others.. I’m sure this kind of topic has been explored in FE games before or after and in countless other video games/movies/books/pieces of media as well, taking away the religion part of course. Nonetheless the introduction to this kind of thinking to a 13 year old version of me had me really second guessing back then, and it still comes up to me from time to time. Sure I’ve done what’s considered “good” but will it ever outweigh any terrible things I’ve also done? Even today I can’t pretend I have an answer to that, and that’s just only thinking of what I’ve gone through personally.

To wrap it up though, there’s his ending card.

For such a simple ending it really brings out the fanboy in me. The entire game is filled with Libra having his doubts of being a good person according to himself and to the gods he worships. To end his story with him being believed to be a reincarnation of Naga due to his reformed nature just feels so sweet to me.

As much as I wish more characters could have a similar air to them in newer games, I get it’s just not really everyone’s preference. Fire Emblem is always going to be a series of good guys vs bad guys also dragons and with that comes making new characters for fans to get attached to. Still though, I really appreciate the attempt done with Libra. Once again the best thing about this franchise is everybody can find at least 1 character they love, they don’t even need to be playable.

I understand not everyone is going to grind supports to see everything a character has to say (especially not in newer FE games), but as you can see nearly all the nuance of this character was hidden away in dialogue. In a game full of joke characters and tropes, it is refreshing to see a character who acknowledges their own flaws and isn’t played for laughs. I didn’t write all of this to try to convince anyone in some clickbait manner like “THE DEEPEST FE CHARACTER INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS HID FROM YOU” or anything. Nah, I’m sure I sound like I’ve repeated myself many times here. But all of this was to attempt to put into words why I’ll stay with my opinion that Libra is my favorite FE character for being a reformed character done right. And for the fact that uncovering the secrets of this guy affected me personally all the way back from when I was a lot younger. And honestly a large part of it really stems from how Libra is in no way a major character, yet he clearly had a lot of thought put into him.

For anyone that bothered to read all of this I wanna thank you. Whether you liked it or not is up to you, no hard feelings. I know all this is the definition of “reading too much into it”, but I consider speculation on writing to be fun. Anyways hope I didn’t take too much of your time and have a nice day

[holydragon2808]

My Personal Opinion on Edelgard (FE Three Houses) SPOILERS FOR THE GD, BL and BE Routes

Fire Emblem Three Houses has pretty much consumed the majority of my free time since its launch. Someone on reddit made a topic regarding their opinion of this controversial character, and I commented on it. I figured I’d copy/paste my response there here too, just for the hell of it (and I’m curious to see what anyone else has to say or think on the matter). There will be spoilers for three of the four routes in this post, so read at your own risk. Final Warning.

Personally, of the three lord characters, Edelgard is my least favorite so far (I've played the GD route and the BL route and now I'm working on the BE route, and eventually going bookends with the Church because its similar to the GD route). Mainly because I feel the whole "tormented by awful memories of the past" thing was done much better and was much more compelling with Dimitri. Yeah, he definitely snaps and loses himself in all other routes not his own, giving into his mental despair and inner hatred (and like Edelgard, dies in every route not his own), but on the Blue Lions route, not only can you pull Dimitri back from the brink, but he ultimately makes the conscious choice to move forward, realize the suffering he's caused and atones for his actions.

He stops with the whole "violent revenge is the only way forward" (in his case) and resolves to fight and live for what he truly believes in (mirroring the exact same speech he once gave you when Jeralt was killed five years ago), and eventually he rises to be the benevolent king he always had the capacity to be, because he chose to put his past behind him (on his route). He chose to actively find another less violent way to end the conflict (we take a huge, but still necessary detour back to the Kingdom of Faergus to save it from the Empire on the Blue Lions path). And the romance between Dimitri and a female Byleth felt very organic to this arc IMO. Huge Dimileth shipper here lol.

Edelgard, on the other hand, had already made up her mind that violence is really the only answer, and thus, doomed herself to a lonely grave in every route not her own. And, even in her own route, all you're really doing is helping her be less cold. We're still committing massive war atrocities, and far too much sacrificing/murdering for my liking personally, especially having played Claude and Dimitri’s routes beforehand.

With Claude, he actually has very similar ideals to Edelgard, and similar views about crests and a very similar desire to create a more equal world, but he takes it a step further to include tearing down ALL the barriers across the world, not just Fodlan. The major difference between the two of them (and why Claude can potentially survive all four routes and Edelgard dies in every route not her own) is that he's willing to compromise and work with others, admit his faults, and adjust his methods. He's also willing to admit when others might be better suited to change the world than him (i.e., not picking his route.). I’ve actually seen people claim that Claude is a “gary stu” character because he’s the only lord who can survive all four routes. Uh....no, just no. 

AND unlike Edelgard, he's 100% opposed to sacrificing/killing his friends for the greater good. If anything, his constant (and admittedly sometimes questionable) scheming is all in the interest of his closest friends and family surviving (and he's willing to do other things aside from war and slaughter that might still be morally wrong if it means saving his friends, which I found to be very interesting and why he's one of my favorite FE characters. I'm a sucker for the lovable rogue type, and I did a romance with Claude and loved it too).

I find it extremely ironic that Edelgard says that Claude isn't the best qualified ruler because he doesn't know much about Fodlan's history, when it truth, the GD route easily has some of the most world building and truth discovering. Another thing is that Claude is willing to take the time and do some research and learn/seek out the truth rather than just assuming he knows everything already. He doesn't have the same level of hatred towards the Church of Seiros that Edelgard has, so he's more willing to look beyond what others have established or what he's merely heard, and one could argue that Claude's mixed Fodlan/Almyran heritage and his lack of bias actually makes him more qualified to attempt this sort of dynamic change in the world, as well as Dimitri actively making the conscious choice to not let his past, his hatred and his anger rule his every action, becoming a well loved and benevolent king on his route to be frank.

Edelgard never once questioned if the Empire itself might have distorted history. She’s actually the one who's the most misinformed about Fodlan's history, the true conflict between Seiros and Nemesis (it was WAY more than just a "minor dispute or misunderstanding", and the ancestors of Those Who Slither in the Dark were clearly the aggressors in the conflict between Seiros and Nemesis (and it started with what the ancestors of TWSITD did to Sothis and the rest of Seiros' brethren and the TRUE nature of what the hero's relics are. Oh yeah Edelgard, they were "man made" alright....), not the other way around, and actually a more potentially dangerous enemy than the Church, but that's another discussion altogether).

Edelgard is so caught up in her "my way or the high way" mentality that she just flat out won’t work with anyone who doesn't share in her views completely and utterly. She's so convinced that she’s the only one capable of changing the world, and that it has to be her and only her, that she literally runs herself into the ground in every other route (she dies). Again, I'm aware of her trauma, but we all have a choice in how we live our lives going forward, and Edelgard chose war so....).

She's not wrong in her views that the Church of Seiros was stagnating the world and hiding a lot of dark secrets, particularly "Rhea", but she was (and is since this is my current route) completely wrong in being so arrogant to believe that she was/is the only one qualified to exact change, when not only are Claude and Dimitri perfectly capable of doing the same, but they do so with far less bloodshed than Edelgard does (well, once Dimitri comes around on his own route. That was the second one I played. I'm working on the BE route at the moment, then I'll go back and do the Church of Seiros. So far, it's readily apparent to me what Edelgard's flaws are and why her own hubris is typically her downfall in all other routes outside her own, even if some of it has to do with trauma).

Again, Edelgard's route is my least favorite so far because of how arrogant she is really (and I really didn't appreciate her rather rude and arrogant worded speech to me only mere days after Jeralt was killed either compared to the other two lords. Had it taken place at the end of the month, it would have worked better, but just a few days after was her overstepping, future Emperor or no). I get where she's coming from for the most part, but I find her far too narrow minded and far too ready to sacrifice everyone and everything around her for her ideals for my liking....just all my opinion though. I actually found her more compelling on both the Golden Deer and Blue Lions route (the latter in particular), but that's another discussion altogether. I'm glad the BE route is the shortest. Probably not gonna play it ever again personally. Despite how all this sounds, I don't "hate" Edelgard, so much as I just find the other two lords far more compelling.

[orionwhispers]

Beware Of The Dogs; Alfie Solomons Imagine

( A/N so my Alfie imagine started as a oneshot, then it became a 2 parter, then 3, and now possibly 4. Im sorry theres no Alfie in this part but the family dynamic was really important for me to write, and ill be releasing part 2 at the same time so ill link it below. thx for endless patience and love. you guys genuinely mean the world 2 me.) 

PART II

PART III

The night you left was the last day of summer.

The sky was fading lavender, mirroring the wildflowers crushed under your high heels. You could see the faint outline of the moon, big and round and full, illuminating the trees beside you and reflecting off the empty wine glass in your hand.You enjoyed the temporary buzz you had from draining your drink, that short term numbness that made your whole body feel electric. You needed it. You needed a distraction from what you planned on doing.

It felt bittersweet, watching the evening darken as you reminisced alone. You could hear the hum of music from inside and see the comforting glow of a lamp lighting up the shadows around you. You wanted to wallow in self pity for longer, but the moon overhead was just as ominous as a ticking clock, reminding you that you’re running on limited time.

The house was quiet.

It seemed smaller somehow, emptier. You thought back to the night you were told you would be moving in with your Aunt, the start of summer, when the air was warm and you went to bed every night with tears in your eyes. It seemed so long ago, the day you realised just how overprotective your family were, just how much control they held over your life.

They wanted you out of Small Heath. They thought you would be out of harms way with your Aunt, they told you you’d be safer away from the family. It pierced through your heart like a dagger, knowing your younger brother could still roam the streets till midnight, your older sister could travel around the country whenever she pleased, but you were to be locked away like a dirty little secret.

It had all started when Billy Kimber had made a remark about you a few years prior, something vulgar and degrading about you being the youngest Shelby girl and maybe he should make you his wife. You remembered coming home from school to see Arthur’s knuckles black and blue, seething through his teeth, the family arguing around the table, falling silent when you stepped into the room.

You were the weak spot in the family.

You weren’t like the others, you were quieter, soft spoken and kind. It would be all to easy to manipulate you, to overpower you as you walked the streets, to press a blade into your throat and cut through the bindings of the whole family.You knew your family loved you, your siblings had practically raised you from the moment you were born, but there was such a thin line between protection and control. It felt as if the Shelby name was branded onto your forehead, a dirty tattoo scorched onto your skin that you could never remove. They had always taken care of you, but now it felt like the supporting hand on your shoulder was clasped across your mouth, stifling your screams.

Moving into Polly’s house had been a compromise. You had wanted to leave since you were a little girl. You dreamt of following in your sisters footsteps and leaving the smog and smoke of Small Heath, but you were practically forbidden. You screamed and spat at Tommy until your throat felt raw, you threw your shoe like a child at Arthur and you begged Polly for support but she turned her head away, unable to look at you. They were worried for you, you knew that, but it never healed the dull ache in your stomach, the unbearable pain that you would forever be treated as if you were a child incapable of making her own decisions.

You wanted to be a writer. You had since you first picked up an ink pen in infant school and would make up stories for a toddler sized Finn, laying in the bedroom you shared, listening to the pace of his breathing as you spoke of lives bigger than the both of you.You dreamt in colour, lines of prose leaking onto paper in your bleak bedroom, stories you would create that absorbed you inside. Whilst your siblings imagined mounds of wealth and fortune and power, you fantasied about a fairytale, true love and eternal happiness. You wrote to your brothers when they were fighting in the war, thick long letters that distracted them from the horrors around them, the kind of familiar interruption that sliced through the barbarity around and kept them going.You were too innocent, too pure, they couldn’t let you get hurt.

But that wasn’t their decision to make.

Tommy wanted you nearby, close enough he could keep an eye on you but far away enough that you wouldn’t grind him down with your persistent demands or attempts to rebel his authority. You were to move in with Polly and Michael, your cousin, who was a few months younger than you but treated as if he was decades older.

In the early days when he arrived in the fog of Small Heath, Michael became your closest confidant. You were delighted that your beloved Aunt had finally found her son and he was as warm hearted and soft spoken as she remembered, and you were enthralled with the newcomer, devouring his stories of the country whenever you got the chance. But it wasn’t long before you watched him becoming captivated by your brothers, that dizzying kind of hypnotism you had become all too familiar with, small smiles and glistening eyes, the kind of secrecy and camaraderie only shared between men.

You sat at home, your hands black with ink in an empty house. Tapping your foot across the worn out flooring, a Blinder standing guard outside the front door whilst Michael was allowed to visit the races and spend nights drinking until the sun rose. You thought your similar age would mean that you and Michael would form solidarity over his protective mother and your precautious brothers but just like you had watched with Finn, Michael was an exception, welcomed into the ruthless gang with open arms whilst you gawped from the sidelines.

You would curl up on the floor, the telephone pressed to your skull as your ranted and raved to Ada. You could hear her sigh, soft and kind but crackly from the connection, making you miss the warmth of her body and her comforting smell. She had gotten out. She was firmer than you, she knew how to talk to Tommy, her relationship with Freddie had cemented her independence and maturity and she escaped to London as soon as she could. You didn’t blame her, she was protecting Karl, but you still felt an unwelcome heat in your gut if you thought about it for too long, the realisation that you were completely alone in your fight for freedom.

The brothers had always been protective of her, indents on their knuckles from brash boys that lurked in the alleyways as she walked home from school, watchful eyes following whenever she left alone, but she never experienced the same kind of shielding as you. You had been so young when the business first started that by the time you reached your teens, the chains had already been bound around your wrists. You became a woman around the same time that enemies were sniffing around the streets and simple business turned to bloodshed, you knew your name had been slung around as a bargaining chip from men who revolted you, you knew you were the cause of many family arguments that started with slamming doors and ended with tears.

Truthfully you were scared. Your family was changing, your brothers who playfully swung you over their shoulders and cleaned your scraped knees when you fell off your bike had been altered by the war. Your Aunt was brash and distant, and your sister had severed herself from the rest of you, her mind occupied with her child and her political views. Once, you had asked John to let you assist him with the books, you were good at arithmetic, top of your class, but that didn’t matter, all that anyone saw when they looked at you was a potential victim.

When John got married, something inside of you shifted.

You noticed Tommy watching you that night, as Ada got drunk and bellowed at him, as Polly smoked and danced barefoot and as the fire crackled and roared, his eyes flickered to yours. You wondered how long it would be until your beloved brother would trade you for a business deal like he did John. You weren’t a fool, as much as he loved and protected you, Tommy was ruthless when it came to business. You wondered who would be so much of a threat to the family that your hand in marriage would be used to settle a dispute. At that moment you weren’t old enough, you knew that Arthur would put his foot down and pull you out of the mud if Tommy suggested anything, but you couldn’t help wondering what might happen in a few years, when Tommy inevitably ruled the world and you were displayed so innocently by his side, something to sweeten the deal.

You felt so defeated that night, as Ada gave birth and the boys went to the Garrison you downed half a bottle of whisky, you loved the burn at the back of your throat, the heat inside of you, and the way the room spun and your eyes blurred. You drank until your stomach flipped and you couldn’t stop the tears and Finn found you collapsed on his bed, sneaking in beside you and pulling you close, letting you weep onto his shoulder.

After that monumental night you felt yourself fold like origami. You lurked in the shadows, only moving around the house when it was empty and spending all of your free time with friends, loving the temporary normality they gave you. But things got worse. Stolen guns and fixed races and a police officer who rode around the streets on a white mare brought turmoil into the routine you had grown fond of, and it wasn’t long until you were pulled into a family meeting and your future was once again ripped out of your hands.

So you made the decision to leave.

It had started at the peak of summer, when the sun was high and your morale was low and you spent every morning alone, the fire inside of you rivalling the heat of the air. You’d wake up to an empty house, the rest of the family on their own escapades whilst you were left to your own devices. Boredom overtook your senses. You’d brew yourself a mug of tea, stirring in sugar until it clumped at the bottom like wet sand and then you’d tip out the contents, watching as it travelled down the drain. You would write in your journal until the pages grew heavy and your hand hurt and the spine tore from the weight, the pages overflowing with your scrawled handwriting. It wasn’t until you flicked through the weekly newspaper with your feet hanging over the edge of Polly’s velvet sofa did a plan start to form in your mind.

There was a small row of sentences that caught your eye as you flipped over the pages of political conflict and global finances. You could have missed it, but something inside of you drew your pupils to the text that day, you were certain of it. It made you jolt upright, your palms prickling as you folded the paper in half and held it up to your nose for closer inspection, cautiously glancing around the empty living room as if one of your siblings would be lying in wait. There wasn’t much information, just a simple statement about a new publishing company in London, a city that seemed so enchanting to you, and their need for a new receptionist. You tore the page out, gently flattening the seam you had ripped, before darting up the stairs two at a time and hiding your treasure deep under your mattress. That night after Polly and Michael came home, with flushed faces and confidential conversations, you devoured it over and over again, dreaming of the possibilities.

You operated in secret, ringing on a Thursday morning when you knew everyone was occupied at the betting shop. You played with a loose thread on your stocking as the phone connected, the low hum soothing you as you chewed on your lower lip. His name was Edmund. The publishing company had been his fathers and after his passing it was now his, he spoke rapidly and kindly, delighted that someone had called for the job. You hadn’t expected it to go so smoothly, listening and answering eagerly to any questions he might have had, discussing your favourite books and authors, hearing his tales of the city. He asked if you could start the first Monday of September and the phone slipped from your fingers and clattered onto the floor, you cursed and apologised quickly, your entire body flushed the colour of beetroot from both elation and embarrassment.

It wasn’t until the very end of the conversation when Edmund realised he didn’t have your name, you stilled and felt your eyebrows reach your hairline, almost biting your tongue to stop yourself from accidentally telling the truth.

“Rose...Rosie!Rosie Smith.” You lied, thinking back to the red haired girl you had sat next to in primary school, completely baffled but ultimately happy with your brain for conjuring her up at the last second.

“Well, Rosie. I look forward to working with you.”

The call ended and you squealed into your sleeve, the noise muffled from the fabric. You were terrified but filled with joy, your heart practically leaping from your chest. You pressed your head against the wallpaper, exhaling loudly and curling your toes. This was your chance.

In the days that followed you tried your best to remain nonchalant, determined not to arouse suspicion. You sat on your bedroom floor, counting pennies you had saved to send off to Edmund for a deposit on a flat, daydreaming of what it might look like. You rummaged through your wardrobe, planning outfits and accessories that would match your new life and newfound freedom. Underneath the false bravado however, you were terrified. Guilt would rise up inside you when you least expected it, when John, Esme and the kids would come over for a Sunday roast, the little ones clinging to your legs whilst your older brother playfully ruffled your hair and pinched the skin on your elbow. You’d feel a wave of unpleasant sadness when you would wipe Arthur’s knuckles clean after a bad day, talking to him in low tones as he nursed a bottle of something strong, taking care of him like he did when you were just a child.

You even found yourself tolerating Tommy’s firm hand, rolling your eyes when he ordered you about instead of lashing at him like you once had. You often wondered if he knew something was off, the way that you would join the family at the dinner table or laugh in the garden with Johnny Dogs when mere weeks ago you would have barricaded yourself in your room rather than surround yourself with your blood. He never said anything, just watched you curiously as if you were another business conundrum to solve, those brilliant cogs in his mind trying to figure you out.

Finn would come over whenever he could, exhilarated from his new life, slouching on the sofa as he scoffed vanilla biscuits and spun tales about everything he had done that day. In those moments, watching your younger brothers’ eyes glint and shine as he reminisced about everything so brutal that he was a part of, did you somewhat understand your family’s overprotectiveness. You longed to keep Finn wrapped up in cotton wool, part of you wanted to sling him by ears and drag him to Tommy, demanding that he quit the gang and scold Tom for ever letting your youngest sibling be a part of something that could kill him. But the night would end, Finn would kiss your cheeks and tell you he’d see you again, and he’d head to the Garrison or a new club with Isaiah. He’d wander the streets high as a kite, whilst you were stuck alone in a house that didn’t belong to you, a Blinder standing guard outside, punished for sins you hadn’t committed.

You had everything sorted. Your bag was packed and you’d asked your best friend Isabella to purchase a train ticket under your name, opting for one that left just before midnight so you could make your departure as painless as possible. You’d hidden all the evidence under your bed, in an empty shoebox left over from your birthday, a pair of expensive heels bought by Tommy as a bribe to keep you placid. You hated how he tried to keep you quiet with material items, but dammit, the man had good taste.

The night you left, you burned everything. You watched every trace of your secret catch alight and then shrivel into ash, every tiny thread that could lead to your whereabouts gather into a heap at the bottom of the fireplace, smoke filling the room. You bit back tears as you noticed the family photo on the mantle, a present from Polly one Christmas, all of you squashed together, the boys stoic under the lights, the girls glowing with beauty. You were wrapped under Arthur’s arm, Tommy’s palm flat against your back, holding you in place. At the time you had squirmed, finding it dominating and aggressive, but looking at the black and white photograph now, you thought it looked comforting.

You didn’t have time to dwell in your feelings, the large grandfather clock in the hall chimed, signalling that it was getting later and you would have to make a move. You had already almost been caught, and your whole body was on edge, a chill making its way down your spine. The rest of the family were out, it had taken weeks of planning to make sure they were all out of range on the night you needed to leave. You’d planted a seed in Johnny Dogs head that he should throw a party, inconspicuously dropping hints whenever the excitable man was around. It didn’t take long before he had persuaded Arthur to close the Garrison for the public one night and invite the whole street round to drink and dance.

You had feigned illness in the few days that led up, moping around more than usual and coughing and spluttering if anyone came too close. You seriously considered becoming an actress because even the all knowing Polly was fooled, tutting as she placed a hand on your forehead and made you cups of lemon and lavender tea to ail your “sore throat”. That morning as you boiled eggs for your youngest brother and cousin, you sniffled and limped like you were in the running as an extra in a Charlie Chaplin movie.

“I don’t want to catch whatever you have!” Finn said, squirming away from you as he dunked his toast into his dippy egg, yolk exploding over the rim of the cup and onto Polly’s fine china. “I have to be well for tonight.”

“You get invited to one party and you suddenly think you’re in with the big dogs.” Michael muttered, dragging his fork along the plate, scraping up every last crumb and making you wince at his lack of manners.

“Oi! I’ve been a Blinder longer than you have.”

“Oh, is that so? Well...”

“Put a sock in it will you? You’re both behaving like animals and I don’t need another bloody headache.” You scolded, placing your head in your hands and groaning for effect.

They both mumbled lacklustre apologies but you didn’t miss the sly kick Finn made to his cousin under the table, the corners of his mouth turning up in mischief.

“Are you coming tonight?” Finn asked, recoiling as you leant forward wiped the dirty corners of his mouth with the pad of your thumb. “Tommy says you can.”

You rolled your eyes, and wrinkled your nose in displeasure, “Well that’s awfully kind of him.” You grumbled sarcastically, “How honourable of the bloody king to say what I can and can’t do!”

“You know he just wants to protect you.” Michael said, looking at you over the top of his teacup. You raised an eyebrow at the sheer adoration in your cousins voice, knowing that Tommy probably seemed incredible to someone he wasn’t trying to control.

“That’s very nice of him, but I actually think I’m going to call it an early night, it will be nice to have some uninterrupted sleep for once.” You lied, peering at the boys with faux annoyance.

Finn licked his spoon clean, slurping loudly and you smacked him on the back of the head, pulling his hair gently when he protested. “You should come.” He murmured, chewing on his bottom lip as if it held a new loaf of bread for him to devour. “It won’t be the same without you.”

His words were so simple and kind that you felt your heart shatter. You knew leaving was the right thing to do, you had to leave Small Heath or risk your sanity, but Finn was the one nagging voice in your skull that made you want to stay. You pushed your chair over to him, listening as it squealed against the wood flooring, and grabbed his face in your palms. “I love you, Finnegan.” You said, looking him straight in his big eyes and using the nickname you created when you were a child. He struggled gently against your grip, squirming from embarrassment but you saw the corners of his mouth turn up ever so slightly. You placed three sloppy kisses across his face, wondering when he got so big and you brushed your thumb over his cheek all whilst he wriggled against you. 

“Promise me you’ll take care of yourself?”

“It’s only the Garrison!”

“Finn.” You said sharply, “Promise me?”

His eyes searched yours, a thin layer of confusion across his features, pupils darting for some kind of explanation. You pinched his cheeks playfully and he nodded, your hands raising with the movement.

“Yes! I promise!” He relented, sticking his tongue out like he was five again.

“Good.” You smiled, placing another dramatically long kiss on the heat of his forehead, laughing when he pushed you away, Michael watching with patient yet curious eyes.

��You better not have got any bloody lipstick on me!” He exclaimed, dramatically wiping his face and checking his reflection in his spoon. You elbowed him, feeling a rush of love and protection that enveloped your body like a tidal wave. You knew that leaving was going to be like ripping a plaster off a wound, painful at first but necessary if you wanted to heal. You knew that you couldn’t be there for Finn, not completely or in the way that he deserved, if you spent any more time drowning in your own sadness, falling into a shell of yourself.

By nine o’clock the house was empty.

You heaved your suitcase out from under the bed, groaning at the strain in your arms and hauled it down the stairs, careful not to leave any scuff marks on the paint. You kept your mind busy, putting away dishes and mugs, wiping down the cabinets and emptying the bins, anything to keep you distracted. You had downed a glass of wine and were enjoying the fuzzy feeling of your tongue when the front door whined on its hinges, a shadow filling the hall.

You froze.Your spine straightening and your palms beginning to sweat, you glanced at the suitcase by your feet, swearing loudly and pushing it under the dining room table, covering the sides with a lace tablecloth. Michael entered, his head snapping up at the sight of you, raising a brow under the yellow light.

“What are you doing up? Thought you were sick.”

“I am.” You said, wringing your hands together and trying to cool the flush that had risen to your cheeks. “I just came down for a drink. What are you doing here?”

“I borrowed John’s lighter, forgot to bring it with me.” he smiled, gesturing to the glass in your hands, “Oh right, everybody knows alcohol is the cure for any illness.”

You grinned gently, the light not reaching your eyes. You considered lying, spinning more tales to make yourself seem innocent, but you didn’t see the point in digging yourself down any deeper.

“Mike? Will you do me a favour? Keep an eye on Finn...Please.”

He nodded, looking you up and down. He was clever, one of the brightest young men you had ever met and you didn’t doubt that he had an inkling as to what was going on.

“I will. Promise.”

He smiled, digging around the drawer to his left and pulling out Johns signature brass lighter, flicking the lid and letting the flame dance in the dark. His eyes softened slightly as he made his way to the door, gentle words falling from his lips.

“Take care of yourself, (Y/N).”

You watched him as he strode away from the house, all broad shouldered and tall, a millennium away from the soft spoken boy you had met just over a year ago. His silhouette cut through the dark and through your hazy eyes you swore he looked just like Tommy, with his similar gait and self assured confidence. It made you feel jealous, how easy it was for Michael to slip into the family, find his footing amongst those scrambling up the ladder whilst you still feel like you’re drowning. You loathed yourself for admitting it, but you felt as if Michael was more of a Shelby than you were despite stronger blood running through your veins.

You were snapped out of your trance however, by the bright white light of the moon casting down through the windows. You sighed, grabbing your purse and pulling out two letters, sealed and stamped with the expensive wax Arthur had bought you for Christmas. You placed them on the top of the table, letting your fingertips graze over the names written in ink. There were two, a longer, more personal one for Finn and another for rest of the family, letting them know you were safe and asking for them to not look for you. You told them that you would be back one day, but as you grabbed the handles of your trunk and took one final glance at the house you had spent far too long trapped in, you weren’t sure if that was the truth.

[siirkaian]

its about time i actually started designing the antagonists instead of just daydreaming about where the protags occasionally meet them

i dont generally put warnings here but. some talk of suicide below def. worth the heads up............ the read more is just because its Fucking Long tho lmao

this one has actually been slightly fleshed out in my mind? they dont have a name yet, and its hard to know what Rank they are since ive been moving the story away from violence and A Coming War for a few reasons, most recent one being my friends story (tho they dont know about mine) has gone down the route of having a war at the end.. mostly tho i want to explore telling a good and worthwhile story without a focus on just who can beat up the other team better. The main protag Barren, for example, im bringing down the route of using their visions and ability to see inside peoples minds (in cryptic, symbolic landscapes and stuff) to take down people from the inside out, generally by working through their reasoning and traumas and whatnot to enable them to see clearer and with more empowerment........  and then one protag (Kindle) who joins later knows how to fight, and the third protag (Stardust) keeps them out of trouble, but later reveals that, well, spoilers that have already been seen a million times, hes actually one of the gods who fought in the huge war that happened in the past, and when thats revealed its when he has to fight again but......... he avoids it due to carrying the trauma and issues surrounding that war, as well as his own virulent self doubt and self hatred. so. this character to get back to the point? Wouldve been like a general or something, but im not sure how far I want to take them away from that, maybe to being a high priestex or something? the gods are supremely important to the story, and, spoilers, the main goal of the main antagonist is to bring back the original creator deity of the world, Siirka

I actually have a lot of appreciation for this particular antagonist character, they werent involved with Barren’s mistreatment when Barren was raised in their city by their masters so..... Theyre very much blinded to whats going on, I guess when youre raised in a city which glorifies what the leaders are doing and you get the chance to work for them, and you havent seen the depths of their evil youre going to work extra hard and...... push little red flags out of your mind............ They were extremely loyal and fully or. Mostly. on board with everything happening that they were told about, and worked super fuckin hard to get to the rank theyre at, always pushing boundaries and training and improving and grasping for any sort of genuine praise and signs theyre doing good that they can get, wanting to do their absolute best for the cause and. be worth something to someone. it gets very obsessive, especially as doubts and red flags start actually encroaching on their goals

As Barren and co start causing more trouble, this character’s storyline actually develops separate to the protags. Definitely influenced by them and their continuous defying of the antagonists, which doesnt plant seeds in their mind but waters the ones that are there....... They start realising things arent as peachy and golden as everyone was teaching them it was, they realise their betters either dont really know what theyre doing or may have selfish intentions, or, god forbid, intentions that could land everyone in a fucktonne of trouble - basically all the views they were raised on start having major cracks and Plot Holes in them and they have to come to terms with that. They do a lot of inner work struggling both with their crumbling view of reality and with the fight between either breaking it down more or trying to patch it up with lies, the sort of lies that even the person telling them doesnt know are lies. They get more and more frantic, more detached from reality as much as they try to hold on, struggling with their own identity and with dissociation, and with their mental state unravelling under stress and the inversion of what they were taught as right being morally dangerous, and what they were told to hate being morally good, until finally their boss is killed to further the protag’s goals......... before the protagonists can get to him............ by them. and then they end their own life to prevent themselves being tortured and imprisoned by their masters. I had a scene in mind where the protag’s spend a little arc trying to get to him because they need to take him out, and this character knows theyre coming, so the protags finally get to him at night and find him dead with this character standing over him. They get a brief chat before telling the protags to run, that theyll take the blame for it and the protags will get away without being harmed if they go quick enough, and then they step out of the window BUT its very fuckin important that its made clear that theyre left with no choice - or, more importantly, that theyve finally made their own moral choice in life with their own mind and own feelings - that theyre in their right mind/not acting on despair and need to go before theyre captured - both for theirself but also so they cant be interrogated and have no chance to spill that the protags were there. They basically redeem all the bloodshed and indoctrination theyve had a hand in - and oh, i forgot this bit of important context. Because of the whole staying away from violence thing, they do it to redeem themselves, to stop at least their boss spreading anymore shit, partially also to get revenge for all the lies and stuff, but also importantly because they dont want that on the protag’s conscious. They can handle it, and since they intend to die, they will bring it to their own grave. Death happens rarely in the story, because I want it to be as heavy and serious and soul-destroying as it is irl. They do the traumatising act of having to kill someone and live with the blame because theyve already planned out that they’re going to die to avoid capture. 

Im really.......... wary of portraying suicide in Siirkaia but given Stardust is heavily implied to be back from the dead (having the god of death, Mercy’s, black hair which only he has, though for most of the story its ambiguous as to whether hes working for or is Mercy ((its neither they were lovers lmao))) and Barren and Kindle’s mother Inferno also killed herself its............... im just gonna have to cave and realise im gonna need to address it. I mean, the protags already show (as being the grandchildren/children of and a suicide victim) that its a fuckin tragedy not a solution to anything, but, look. the story is intricately tied to my own mental health and thats shit ive dealt with for years so its going in the melting pot baybey! Also. as if i will EVER write this....... but i still want however i portray it to make clear that..... its a fuckin tragedy and honestly Not The Right Choice IMO

Basically, as a character theyre very hardworking, very Very ambitious, slightly obsessive, and i guess Unhinged because oh boy i am just giving out free personal issues to these characters huh. Their story is ideally going to be a bit more fleshed out than the other antags, because theyre meant to be a bit of the protags in that side of the story. Theyre like.... a case study in the complex and not black/white concept of redemption. The Demos, the people of the story, are at their core defined by submission and being led to terrible things. They were all originally created by the terrible god of life and chaos Siirka to be entertainment. Siirka had passed by Earth and took a liking to the pain and suffering of humanity, specifically loving the way they scream, and so built a fake Earth out of his own substance/power (in universe his body and hair) that was an unoriginal almost exact copy of Earth with.... absent details, like all the animal species being just identical copies of one example of each species, in all white, and a submissive race that looked like humans so that he could rule over them..... The Demos have since been taken from Siirka’s reign, since Siirka was banished in a war by Mercy and the trio of Stardust/Moonshine/Midnight (Siirkaia until i change it roughly translating to “Siirka’s absence”/”no Siirka”/etc), but its still central to the story of the world that the Demos are susceptible to being taken advantage of - though strangely they arent Super different to humans - and to being oppressed, since thats what they were made to be............. Like, Cool Backstory Bro, but its central to everything, it represents whats happening now both metaphorically and literally, the race thats susceptible to being betrayed and used is now starting to be betrayed and used again. Cycles of abuse continuing, learning the worth of the spirit, thats all the story of Siirkaia. The protags of the story represent the spreading empowerment, thats what Mercy gave to the Demos, the power to choose, to exist, to create your own path........ And this character represents that right to choose. Theyre a flower beginning to bloom in a garden full of frost. Theyre hope, and hope taking root and being received and acted on, showing that even if your actions just help one person they were worthwhile. Of course other Demos receive that enlightenment, but this character represents the hope in the Demos, but also the “good” in the “evil”, that, while most of the antagonists’ actions are unforgivable at worst and in no way exempt from criticism at best, theres a reason people are driven to do evil things, and theres a lot of corruption of the mind and personality that happens to drive people to those points. People can act in horrible ways, but its always for a reason, whether its their own trauma or not....  Even “I wanted to” has heavy implications of reasons behind it. This character is one of the few that did the work to begin to escape the cycles they were born into and its important they have their part in the story be heard

as much as i want them to be understood by everyone, as a schizotypal person i see that most people............ do not even try to Start understand people they find slightly odd, so making them “understandably mad” as in showing them show some of the Odd traits of being detached from reality/humanity with the reasons those things come about, and, you know, with the appreciation that its not just “ooo crazy random, unpredictable, youll never know what theyll do next!!” its....... actions that just seem different to those who dont do those actions..... Either way, however i push their character in regards to being misunderstood, i really want their end to be understood, or rather. I want them to be understood in the end. Barren can be incredibly empathetic and understanding, id really love for their final moments to be..... mutual? They did what had to be done for things to change and get better, and in the moments where they meet Barren/Kindle/SD, they finally get seen for what they are, they finally get seen as an entity beyond all the lies pushed onto them, a person who was led astray, who had the goodness in their heart and found the strength to multiply it, to try and right their wrongs, who was, although it looks on the outside like they had it all, actually been manipulated and mistreated by their higher ups and used as a pawn so they didnt have to get their hands dirty, they could just pass on the work to someone else. I really want them to, while they cant really be redeemed because of the damage thats been done, have a few moments of actual peace at the end of their story

.............................or maybe they could run away with the main trio lmao but no, that cant........ really happen because of the important dynamics and the personal (as in interpersonal not about me) nature of the protags and also. while i want the Demos to be revived again at the end, they do get swept away into Siirka’s hair when hes brought back through the big boss of the antags, Ka-UrenKa-, oo spoilers. so. i dont really know if i want to kill a protagonist it seems cheap (the main trio survive because they werent made by siirka........... literally a long fuckin story) because. at current, Siirka being brought back happens out of nowhere, and while the audience technically know its coming should they piece together the symbolism of Barren’s visions, its supposed to be unexpected and. idk man. 

anything else? Oh yeah i think they were originally conceptually conceived to Brutus by the Buttress so you fucking KNOW that i couldve skipped ALL this writing just to put that song in but hey. i would say its their theme song but while inspo was taken from theme and lyrics its actually not accurate to their life beyond a few lines?? and also the overall fucking Mood

[potteresque-ire]

Daenerys Stormborn, First of Her Name

Here’s my first review post on Game of Thrones! Thank you so much for asking about Daenerys, @bixgirl1, @kikibluemay and @oceaxe-ifdawn. She was fascinating and tragic, and I couldn’t really stop talking about her... as in, I ended up writing a 4k+ word essay on her character.

Due to the length, I’ve crossed-posted to AO3 for those who prefer to read it there: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19119595 . As usual, never feel obliged to do anything! Fandom is a happy, carefree place for me :) .

Before I start, I’d like to say this—I’ve never expected GoT to be progressive. Its medieval aesthetics aside, the gratuitous violence and nudity really seal the deal. Therefore, this review is written decidedly without a social justice lens; I shall not argue if the showrunners were feminists, racists, imperialists etc. Also, I haven’t read the books and have read few metas and reviews; so these are my unfiltered thoughts and of course, my personal opinion. I got interested in Game of Thrones because the snippets I knew of it reminded me of ancient Chinese history, which I loved for its twists, its very blurred lines between truths and myths, its cynical record of human nature, clever strategies and bloodshed. Along this vein, I was, and still am, the most interested in how each contender of the Iron Throne got there, and as the theme of the story emerged (“the lies we spin, our fates they weave” is my way of describing it), the things they told for motivation—the lies and truths that, should they win, would become history.

Of all the contenders and their stories, Daenerys’ rise was the most…mythical and uplifting. She was easy to root for, partly because we’re conditioned to root for heroes like her. The last descendant of a dynasty. Orphan. Exiled, abused, went through her personal journey from little better than a slave to become queen. She even birthed dragons and rode them to war. I really enjoyed the part of her story as the Khaleesi. She grew into a queen in every way, and an ideal one, by the time led her small group of followers across the desert. I loved her—she was strong, resilient, intelligent, righteous. And she understood and respected a culture that was supposedly far below her (as her brother Viserys frequently reminded everyone). 

But then came Astapor, then Yunkai, then Meereen. She became a true ruler, without a Khal by her side… 

I started feeling a little uncomfortable. I was puzzled by that. Her cause was emancipation, one I believe was absolutely correct. Her stance was uncompromising. She walked the walk. Every single one of these traits was beyond admirable, and precious among rulers. Nailing 163 slave masters for 163 children might seem brutal, but the world of GoT *was* brutal. 

And yet, something felt...off.

Then I realized: after all the screen time in Meereen, I remained very much ignorant of the place, other than it practiced slavery. Slavery—and the barbaric practices surrounding it, such as the fighting pits—was presented as the only thing that defined her new constituents in her eyes. This could be by design, to show Daenerys’ “style” as a ruler. This can also be a reflection of the showrunners’ perspectives, their disquiet about tackling slavery for a larger audience.  But if I must judge the show by its own merits and ignore the hands behind it, the repeated shots of Daenerys sitting high in the Great Pyramid, she and her advisors donned in their foreign attire, telling the locals who looked nothing like them, over and over again, that they were wrong… 

She looked like a coloniser. My radars were beeping for that reason. I grew up in a colony, a well cared for one (ie, it would’ve fared far worse if it hadn’t been colonised). Colonialism is therefore an integral part of my life, and my views of it are coloured and educated by the experience. Controversial point: far from a general rule, but I recognise that colonizers can do great good. I’m a beneficiary of that myself. However, I’ve also learned that there’s an art to bringing these great goods to the colonised. One lesson: defining these people, especially when they’re foreign to the ruler, with anything that the ruler is seeking to eradicate — a habit, a tradition, a set of beliefs… —is not a recipe for success. It’s a matter of human pride—the pride of, in this case, the people who’d just suffered defeat. The former ruling class needs to feel some respect, which translates to a sense of security, for any transition of power to be smooth. One may say, the slave masters deserved neither pride nor respect nor security; this is very true, but there was a very practical consideration, one that Daenerys acknowledged: the ultimate goal of conquest is to rule. An un-governable colony won’t change for the better, because it won’t remain a colony for long. In Meereen, as in many real-world colonies, colonisers were few and their constituents were many. Revolts would favour the latter, in particular, the former ruling class who often had both financial and geographical advantages. The Sons of Harpy’s revolt did address that, albeit weakly.

No, I don’t mean Daenerys should yield on the issue of slavery. Lives were at stake and the emancipation had to be immediate. But then, merely insisting this was the right thing to do and punishing offenders with increasing severity, while reinforcing the segregation between the ruling class and the ruled (Daenerys pretty much sequestered herself in the Great Pyramid), was not a direction to take to render the emancipation permanent. Daenerys had to be out there. She had to make serious effort to find common grounds in the 3-way between herself, the former slaves and former slave owners, especially after she’d removed one of the pillars of Meereen’s sociopolitical structure. It didn't matter that the latter were despicable; she had to find a connection. And being a nation that had stood thousands of years, with its wealth and fine architecture, Meereen had got to have something benign and beautiful that Queen Daenerys could embrace, that she could use as a bridge to endear her to her constituents and at the same time, de-emphasize the role of slavery in defining what Meereen was. Wear their clothes. Visit the temples. Whether she actually believed in their gods didn’t matter. Join their festivities—if she did it enough it would matter much less if she skipped the fighting pits. Go to their Flea’s Bottom equivalent (as Margaery Tyrell did in King’s Landing; she would’ve made a good colonial governor). Talk to their craftsman and ask about their traditional crafts. Never for once did Daenerys consider these strategies. She could’ve used Tyrion as her ambassador—his stature and broken language skills, if utilized correctly, could loosen people’s defense, and the parties he’d attend would give him access to the good wines he craved and the setting for him to establish alliances with small talks. If governing foreign lands is indeed an art form, Daenerys didn’t pursue it in Meereen, even though from her time with the Dothrakis, it seemed unlikely that she was ignorant of its necessity (She did eat a horse heart for her Khal and her unborn child).

Again, assuming that the writers were merely following GRRM’s guideposts on her character arc, I had to contend with these possibilities that inform me about Daenerys the Ruler: 1) somewhere in her journey in Essos, she’d lost her ability to empathize with the cultures under her rule. This seemed unlikely. Or, 2) she no longer felt the need to do it, her power no longer derived from a Khal. Either way, with Westeros also being foreign to Daenerys, I started to wonder the kind of ruler she would end up being … 

… and it looked rather similar to the Daenerys in her final scenes, asserting that her moral compass should make the entire Westeros bent their knees. I started to wonder if the show intended this to be a good or bad thing, or something more nuanced, as it should be. My hopes weren’t high—after all, our own western world still retains much of its colonial sensibilities, which would’ve (rightly) praised Daenerys’ role as a Liberator, but would also (sub)consciously downplay her … colonising tendencies. 

Does it mean I see Daenerys as a bad person, or going mad? Not at all. Conflating character and ability to rule is, IMO, one of the major weaknesses of her ending (more on that later); it was also, perhaps ironically, Daenerys’ own fatal mistake. My question is merely one about her fitness to rule, which is itself a fluid thing. War-time rulers require different skills compared to peace-time rulers, conquerors to defenders. The serious contenders of the Iron Throne each had their own strengths, some better suited for rulership and some better for rulership at different times. Stannis was a strong general but was too easily swayed as a ruler. Daenerys was a conqueror. Jon Snow was a diplomat. 

One thing, however, is true and consistent in the world of GoT: to gain power, being morally righteous is not enough. Ned Stark’s detached head brought this point across all too well. Rulers win the hearts of their people. Not the brains, not the logic that decides what is right or wrong. Humans are inherently passionate about power, whether it’s theirs to own or not.

And this is, perhaps, Daenerys Stormborn’s greatest tragedy. She assumed her strict moral compass, along with her birthright and strong will, would be sufficient to take her to the Iron Throne. Her dragons further misguided her in that regard—punishments by Dracarys lent an extra mythical weight and poetry to her judgments, as if she had a higher power, like God, on her side. When she asked Jon Snow if she was to rule with love or fear, she asked as if the two were a dichotomy, seemingly blind to the fact that she had always treaded the line between the two. Love got her the Unsullied, the talents who came far and wide to advise her; fear got her the Dothrakis, the fragile peace in Essos. 

If you’ve read till here (thank you), you may assume I’d defend Daenerys’ decision to burn King’s Landing, or suggest it was foreshadowed. I’d say this: I find it to be within the realms of possibility, but only given my personal opinion about her rule in Meereen. I don’t see it as a botched coin-flip by the Gods, because nothing in her prior judgment suggested madness. Yes, she’d ignored advice before, but no more than, say, Robert Baratheon or Joffrey (Cersei simply killed those who gave her advice she didn’t like). Daenerys’ decision to march to King’s Landing immediately after the Battle of Winterfell—the last major decision she made before the sacking—might not be wise to some but was logically sound. I’d also venture to say this, perhaps in defence of the show’s writers: I’m also not quite sure if the show intended her decision to be a proof of madness. 

Because I’m not sure if the madness told in this show was real at all. 

Because curiously, while the coin flip had been mentioned several times, the show never offered us any concrete, visual evidence that Daenerys had suffered a loss of reason, which defines madness for us who live on Earth in the 21st century. The destruction of King’s Landing was portrayed at the ground level; we didn’t exactly see Daenerys cackling, or enjoying the carnage. Making a terrible decision does not a mad person make. She was seen to be sure of herself in her final scene with Jon Snow—but why shouldn’t she be, when she’d just emerged victorious and achieved her life’s goal, her revenge? If cockiness had been the mark of madness, half of the characters in the show would’ve been mad. 

Even more curious to me is this: people like Ramsey or Joffrey or Cersei, who’d done seriously mad things in our perspective, were never once described as “mad”. The adjective “Mad” had always been reserved for the Mad King. 

How was the Mad King mad then? This is important, because Daenerys supposedly inherited his madness. But the audience hadn’t been given much information. We know The Mad King killed his dissidents, but that seemed to fall within standard monarch behaviour. We know he and his advisors—including, notably, Varys—were at increasing odds with each other, but put a bunch of power-hungry men with immense power imbalance in the same room and that would happen more likely than not. He killed Ned Stark’s father and brother in a confrontation—so he was vengeful, distrustful, and brutal, yes, just like Joffrey or Cersei, but still, nothing that spoke particularly of madness. He was said to want King’s Landing destroyed, but the act was never realized; we only learned of his intentions via Jaimie. He set up the network of wildfires, which were terrible weapons but also … traditional in the Targaryen dynasty, if wildfires had indeed been invented as replacements of Dracarys. So how mad was actually the Mad King then, compared to his ancestors? Or was he called Mad only because he lost his game of thrones, and history was written by victors? When Varys claimed to be worried about Daenerys’ state—when he hinted at her madness and being a bad coin flip—was he merely repeating the same lies that had been told about her father, with the purpose of setting up a chain reaction that would propel Jon Snow to the Iron Throne, as the same lies had helped justify and cement Robert Baratheon’s reign? Varys might have been trying to feed Daenerys something. A “crazy potion”, maybe?  

Yes, I know. I’m probably reading too much into this. It’s my wishful thinking, perhaps, to not see Daenerys as mad (or the writers writing her as mad) because that would’ve taken away her agency. Because Daenerys’ character arc doesn’t deserve an ending equivalent to death by a falling flowerpot. Because, if her sacking of King’s Landing was meant to be the Shock of Season 8, she must retain her agency. It’s shocking because a good person did it. A good person is good only when she has the agency to make terrible mistakes.

So how am I reading Daenerys’ decision to sack King’s Landing? If I were to ignore all inputs outside the show—I don’t know if the showrunners had commented on anything—this is how I would “bridge the gap”, so to speak; how I’d imagine the thoughts running through Daenery’s mind as the bells rang, behind the few seconds the camera focused on Emilia Clark’s face in the show. I believe the series of tragedies Daenerys had suffered (losing Jorah, Missandei, a dragon son) had only made her more determined to wipe out, as Greyworm told Jon, everyone who’d served Cersei. But while this sounded like a simple task, carrying it out was much more complicated. Cersei’s armies were dispersed all over the city; they could easily remove their armour and feign innocence. Moreover, every resident in King’s Landing could be seen as an accomplice to Cersei’s reign; even the people in Flea’s Bottom, like Gendry, used to make weapons for the Lannisters. Were they to be wiped out as well? If not, where to draw the line? This order nonetheless confirmed Daenerys’ world view that the morally corrupt should perish without mercy, and Cersei was, indeed, corruption defined. Daenerys had seen Cersei’s treachery herself, and the sheer scale of it must be as foreign to her as Westeros itself. Her closest friends and followers, Greyworm and Missandei, didn’t even know how to tell a joke—the smallest, most benign form of treachery. Daenerys knew what treachery was, of course, she’d suffered greatly from it, but treachery in the game of thrones was a different beast and she wasn’t yet equipped to handle it, to make correct assessments of the kind of behaviours it’d instigate—unlike Cersei and Tyrion, who as Lannisters had been breathing it in since birth, or Varys, who’d been both an observer of multiple reigns and a ruthless Kingmaker himself. King’s Landing, the city itself, had also signified little but treachery to Daenerys—her father had been murdered there by someone who’d sworn to protect him; men had been sent from there to murder her since she’d been born. 

While Tyrion had told said that Cersei’s armies were serving only out of fear, Daenerys, who’d only had the most faithful / honest armies, the Unsullies and Dothrakis, probably couldn’t truly appreciate what that meant. She had every cause to be terrified then when the bells rang, especially when they rang so early, without her or her army and allies even close to the Red Keep. Ironically, perhaps, her own moral righteousness became her blind spot; she might have assumed Cersei’s forces had something far more sinister waiting for her—because how could they abandon their duties, their queen so easily?

And if they did abandon their duties and their queen so easily, what would stop them from committing the same treachery when Daenerys becomes queen herself? How could she vet the innocent and the treacherous and if she couldn’t—and she couldn’t, not with one dragon, a small army and no geographical advantage—what could she do? What could she do, when she was Daenerys Stormborn, who would never compromise to treachery?

I can see her feeling cornered. I can see her feeling she was left with one option: take the innocents out with the treachery. Do it like removing a tumour. Cut out a ring of good flesh around the bad. 

The ring of good flesh was King’s Landing.

Plausible? Maybe? That tragically, both the rise and fall of Daenerys Targaryen could be attributed to her moral code? That she didn’t lose this game of thrones because she was evil, but because war and politics have always been amoral and she was a misfit? People in Westeros change allegiance all the time; morals are fluid and carry a price tag. Appropriately then, the man who understood and lived by these rules, whose loyalty could always be bought—Bronn—was also the biggest winner of this game of thrones.

I’d say this though:  a plot point as significant, and as close to the finale as the sacking of King’s Landing, shouldn’t require the audience twisting their minds into pretzels to make it feel plausible, and my brain feels a bit pretzly at a moment. No matter what the writers intended, there remained too many holes for the watchers to fill with their imagination. I’ve read some who said the final season was too rushed; I’m not sure that was the issue. The issue, I think, is that even if given enough screen time, the writers didn’t quite know how to drive the characters without the books’ guidance—an issue that had become apparent by Season 6. The last three seasons felt…derivative, like fanfics of the first four. This isn’t a slight (well, not a big one)—Benioff and Weiss had managed what GRRM hasn’t been able to—but I felt a sense that their visions of the world had evolved to conflict with GRRM’s over the course of the show. Meanwhile, they still needed to hit the goal posts GRRM provided, while they wanted to focus on / believe in something else. The result was the later seasons that felt …schizophrenic at times. GoT had highly implausible moments since Season 1, but the first four seasons sold them because the showrunners believed in them. S8 Ep5&6, meanwhile, offered enough for me to logically agree that the sacking of King’s Landing and Daenerys’ downfall can be canon, but not enough for me to believe emotionally because…I didn’t feel the showrunners believed in them. The events felt written to serve a purpose other than storytelling—maybe to match GRRM’s notes, or satisfy the perceived need to shock; in all cases, I felt the hearts of the writers were somewhere else, somewhere perhaps more spectacular than dissecting the motivations of a fallen queen. The shift towards visual storytelling in the later seasons, perhaps to mitigate the difficulty of writing dialogues for an ensemble of deeply complex and intertwined characters, furthered exposed the incoherence of the show’s focus. While I love the visuals, GoT had its origins as a political show and politics is 99% talk. Similarly, the increased reliance on the actors to convey their characters via facial expressions and body language might work for someone like Brienne, who was taciturn and largely consistent personality wise, but insufficient for characters who used talking as a weapon (Tyrion) or underwent major transformations (Daenerys). 

Anyway, back to Dany. If there was one thing I truly, truly dislike about the close of her story arc, it was the very end, when Jon Snow drove that dagger into her. Painfully cliche aside (I’ll leave Cersei’s baby to another day), it also unfairly cemented Daenery’s highly un-rightful place as the villain of the story, given that Jon Snow, the uncontested Good Human of the show, committed the murder. The show pitted two sympathetic characters against each other just to let one … leech the sympathy out of the other, when neither of their characters deserved the treatment (yes, I found this decision to be as unfair to Jon Snow as it was to Daenerys). As much as I had reservations about Daenery’s ability to govern, I never doubted the heart that Jon stabbed, the desire in it to do good for the people. Yes, I said it isn’t enough, and yes, I believe that too inflexible a moral code forcibly imposed upon others can do great damage, but this is very different from saying that Daenerys Stormborn was a villain. Conflating character and ability is human, but I expected this show to know enough nuance to avoid this mistake. Having the heart, the desire to rule well, is a start. A great and important start. A start seen in few others in the whole series. The early seasons of GoT were particularly strong in depicting characters in the grey but Daenerys, sadly, was robbed of that; she swung violently from white to black.

And what was so disappointing is that it needn’t be that way. Daenerys could have caused the destruction to King’s Landing and still be sympathetic. Queen Cersei was still in the Red Keep, and the Wildfires buried by the Mad King remained all over the city. Innocents die in wars, there’s never an exception to that, even if the wars are waged with the best intentions. I’m no show writer, but this is what I could come up with to spare Daenery’s fate as a villain after a few walking trips around my city, while keeping most major plot points intact. Show writers can do (much) better. 

Just for the fun of it, below is the alternative ending for Daenerys I came up with, and I will end my very, very long thesis here :) . Thank you so, so much for reading! ❤️❤️❤️

===

1) Start of the episode. Qyburn teaching his little birds a nursery rhyme about a Mad King and his Wildfires, and an Evil Queen who will set them all burning. He tells them to sing far and wide. (This is just an excuse to get another song from Ramin Djawadi)

2) Long shots of combustibles being laid in the same tunnels Lancel Lannister crawled through back in Season 6 Ep 10, before the explosion of the Sept of Baelor. That 10-minute sequence was so classic that the audience would likely remember the place. Piles of wood connect the stores of barrels that we know contain the Wildfires. Black tar flows down the sewers of the Red Keep, down the alleys in Flea Bottom, slicking everything, staining the innocents there with (Queen Cersei’s) muck. This sequence can be done entirely through visuals.

3) The Bell rings. Daenerys attacks the Red Keep with Dracarys. The tar and wood catch fire and carry the flames to the Wildfires around the city. As Wildfire is Dracarys’ substitute, the two augments each other and the city soon turns into an Inferno. Daenerys watches, horrified and unable to do a thing. The nursery rhyme becomes a prophecy: as much as a Lannister laid the grounds, the Targaryens are solely responsible for the King’s Landing destruction. Woods and tar are, after all, harmless without fire. And Daenerys Stormborn, who swore to protect and liberate the weak, ends up killing more innocents than Cersei ever had. 

4) Tyrion advises Daenerys that for now, she has no choice but to rule by fear. A reign cannot start with apologies, and what good will it do? So Daenerys gives the same speech to her armies on the steps of the ruined Red Keep, but noticeably distraught.

5) Daenerys must also restrain Drogon. She can’t afford him accidentally setting more fires in the city, while her armies scour every tunnel to make sure all Wildfires have been consumed. So the Breaker of Chains is forced to chain down her son, the symbol of her power.

6) Drogon, being intelligent but still a beast, maims Daenerys badly in his struggle to be free. Jon finds Daenerys, but she’s beyond saving. She tells Jon to keep what he saw secret, and if he can’t—she knows he can’t—to please lie for her, for once, that Drogon did it to avenge for the innocents she killed; that Drogon, and their family name he represents, knows justice above the fire and blood. When honest Jon reacts…honestly, she asks him to ask Tyrion for advice. She struggles to stand, says she wants to try the Iron Throne before she goes. She refuses Jon’s help; she walks, head high, blood trailing like a cape behind her, as she crosses the ruins. She won’t make it. Only her finger will get to touch the Iron Throne, as in her prophecy in the House of the Undying. Jon kneels behind her as she falls on her own knees. She will always be his queen. Drogon carries her away.

7) The waiting period can be a mourning period for all who have perished. Tyrion will still recommend Bran to be their King, as his proposal will be accepted as he remains the Hand. Jon would’ve asked Tyrion about the lying, and the issue can be brought up when “A Song of Ice and Fire” is presented in the small council. King Bran can then offer his wisdom as the Three-Eyed Raven, the Living History. What does he think, when he sees both the truth in history and the lies and prophecies told about it, that propel it? Does he approve of them? Disapprove? This will also wrap up the theme of the show, about the stories that make history, the history that makes us. Ser Davos can ask about the legend of Azor Ahai that cost Stannis Baratheon everything. Is it true? Does it matter? Also, how many swords actually make up the Iron Throne? Thousands, as the legends and Daenarys had believed? No more than two hundred, as Little Finger said in Season One? How many more swords have been buried for these thousands or hundreds?

[kittensartswriting]

11/11/11 Tag

Thank you so much for tagging, @dotr-rose-love!!

1. Did you have alternate ideas for a wip that eventually didn’t make it in the story or were exchanged with a better scene or sth? If yes, tell us one or a few that you left out (could be just a character too, or a name)

Oh my god so many. For context, Fall and Rise of cor Mantgamia was completely different. There was not really the same main characters there’s now. Like Marcus is the only character that hasn’t really changed a lot and the one who was in place of Agrippa has retained most of her character traits and functions in the story. Fiolew, Valeri and Faerathos all have some recycled qualities of the original main characters but there was no character who was like Cassia for example. The world was very different too. There was only one main character, Victor, who gave most of his traits to Valeri and Faerathos. He was a nobleman who was secretly an assassin. Oh and before that version of the story, it wasn’t even fantasy. It was historical fiction set in Russia during the Napoleonic Wars :D

2. do you have a specific audience in mind for your wip?

The audience I have mind is me and anyone who has similar taste xD I write stories I want to read and if other people like same kind of stories all the better. I’m an adult who likes dark themes in her fiction so that is what I’m going for. I expect my audience to think for themselves and be okay with reading about violence, war and terrible things but also other adult themes, like sex, taxes and politics :D

3. is it important to you that your wip has a moral or a message?

I think every story has a message weather the author intended it or not. The stories we tell are informed by our worldview and we affirm our worldview in our stories. Even the most escapist fun stories have a message. So I think it’s important to think about the message consciously. We all have some not so good ideas ingrained in our worldview and we might accidentally say something with our fiction we wouldn’t approve. Also writing fiction is great way to get to know ourselves and our blind spots better. So it is very important to me that I think what my stories say. I don’t want to give any morals or preaching, I don’t have the answers to all the questions, but I want to rather explore questions that interest me. I want learn in the process of writing and in my books give my case for how things are and even maybe how things should be, but I don’t want to pretend I’m an authority.

4. what kinds of relationships do you like writing the most (romantic, platonic, familial, etc)?

Every kind. I love writing about lovers, but I also love writing about friends, my favorites are bickering friends who have ups and downs, but by the end of it all, they would readily give their life for each other. I also love writing complicated and often difficult relationships between siblings and children and parents.

5. what kind of research have you done for your wip? what have you learned?

Oh wow. A lot. It’s important to know that I love doing research and often go a little overboard :D For FaRocM I’ve researched geology, environmental science, tectonic plates, biomes, history of physics, how fast first trains moved, how fast ships move, military science, Ancient Rome, Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, Ainu People, Sami People, Mongolia, Tibet, different religions like Buddhism, Hinduism, Catholicism and ancient animistic religions, diseases, effects of torture and trauma, PTSD, anxiety, depression, DID, ADHD, chronic pain, autism, blindness, muteness, amputation etc. I’ve learned a lot. World has so many interesting things you know nothing about and a new fantasy world becomes really boring and bland, if you only write what you initially know about and don’t find out all the other possibilities outside your limited view. Of course it’s impossible to know everything but constantly learning new things is really helpful. 

6. if your wip became very successful, would you want to make a movie adaptation? why or why not?

No. I don’t think books are best adapted to movies and especially long form fantasy books. If my books would get an adaptation, it should be a series.

7. did you have any alternate title ideas for your wip? if so, what are they?

Not really, it didn’t have any title for a long time. I might still change it though.

8. what has been the hardest part about writing your wip so far?

The beginning. I’m not good at starting the stories and I’ve started this about million times. I just have to settle it for a while, write the damn thing and then see what beginning would work better. I know I won’t get this any better by obsessing over it and not writing forward.

9. do you prefer writing action or description?

Definitely description. I’m not great at action scenes and it’s something I really need to work on.

10. what do you want your readers to come away with after reading your story?

I want to crush all the hopes and dreams of my readers, digest their souls and then give them hope that some day it will be okay :D

11. what’s your favorite part about your wip? what makes you excited to write it?

Many things. I’m looking forward to a lot of bloodshed, characters throwing away their morals, characters having to live with their mistakes and actions, all the scheming and of course some fluffy moments between all the not so great ones. It’s going to be a fun ride.

Tagging: @kainablue @toboldlywrite @ardawyn @wilde-writing @asherscribbles

[jasperlion]

Peace and War — very much based on dialogue/meta

Alm has an interesting view upon war, peace and all of their portents, although most is likely based on how Mycen raised him, more of soldier and leader (empathically/charismatically/but specifically a military one, being a general himself before his discharge) than anything else.

Of the following conversation I’ll highlight the important points on this, since I don’t want to lose the context of said conversation for the sake of what I want to talk about (since it’s important to the topic, too).

Alm: Look, I’ve heard from the others. I know the drought’s made Zofia a scary place. People are starving, and many have turned to thievery and plunder. Brigands loot villages for a mere sack of grain, and soon they’ll be at OUR door! And don’t think I haven’t heard what the Rigelian army has been up to. They’ve been crossing the border for years in violation of the Divine Accord. And with that sacred bond broken, now the Terrors have resurfaced as well… Mycen: …All true. Alm: Zofia is full of innocent people who are looking for help. Please, Grandfather. I want to make a difference in a world bigger than a handful of houses. I want to see all the amazing places you’ve told me about— that Celica told me about! Mycen: Suppose you do set forth with your sword and your wits. So what? Alm: …… Mycen: Will the grand story of your life be how you met the end of a brigand’s axe? Before you dream of changing the world, learn your damned place in it. And no more talk of leaving. -Mycen leaves- Alm: …What’s his problem?! Why teach me to use a sword if you’re not going to let me fight? Every day in this place is exactly the same as the next. I know I’m meant for more than this! But you have to let me find it!

--

Alm: Lukas! Were you able to speak with my grandfather? What did he say? Lukas: He said no. Sir Mycen made it clear he has no intention of joining the Deliverance. Alm: What? But he’s ridiculously strong! He could defeat some stuffy chancellor with his eyes closed! Why would he refuse when so many people are suffering? Lukas: I cannot speak to Sir Mycen’s thinking, but it seems we misplaced our hopes. I’ll have to return to our hideout and bring Sir Clive the ill news. Perhaps Mycen has simply grown too old for the battlefield.

--

Alm: I’m just saying we could do it together. …Fighting, I mean. Not the lance. Grandfather trained all of us, right? Not just me. You already know how to use a sword and a bow. So what’s the problem?

--

Alm: What? They’ve taken a prisoner?! Lukas: Alm? Let’s just be calm and… Alm?! Alm, wait, don’t — Alm: Hold it, you lecherous pigs! Brigand: Huh? Who the hell are you? Alm: Release the woman you’re holding at once, or else

Battle has always been a solution for Alm, but not in the way of savagery or wanting to subjugate, as much as it is to defend. All of his focus on the problems are what he can stop with his physical strength to protect innocents who are suffering. He is not beyond killing those who attack others to meet his goals, but he’s also not beyond parley and seeking from his opponents a more peaceful solution (provided they aren’t already doing something dastardly, like looting, attacking people, kidnapping them, etc). All in all, those are the views of someone growing up under a general, views necessary for someone whom his father and surrogate grandfather both intended to go to war in the first place and fight.

Even so, despite his willingness to draw the blade, he’s not willing to kill on sight (usually) unless weapons are already drawn. He’s rather compassionate to a fault, which stops him from attacking others without question even when he jumps to the wrong conclusion, not unless he has seen them do shit with his own two eyes (that’s pretty much how you strike the match to his temper and killing intent fhkJDKHD).

Alm: Don’t blame yourself, Lukas. Sir Clive sent you to Ram Village. right? You didn’t have a choice. If blame lies with anyone, it’s him. Lukas: …… Alm: Regardless, standing here accomplishes nothing. We need a plan. I assume this Clair person is still alive, right? In that case, we just have to take back the Southern Outpost and save her!

Really, his solutions always involve getting in a scuffle to save someone when he knows they were both wronged and are in trouble. And he jumps to conclusions and is quick to pin blame.

Of note is that instead of ordering a chase of Desaix and the Rigelian detachment with him, he instead decides to stay within the castle. He does this again after Berkut’s mirror smash, ordering his men rest instead of give chase to the fleeing Rigelians. Alm may be focused on battle as a means to an end, but he’s not at all for eliminating all who stood in his path or destroying them. (Gaiden Alm would say different here, lfmao)

It can be a little confusing when Alm has always been about compromise when there’s a misunderstanding — surely the whole thing makes him butt heads with himself... and it does! His argument with Celica is one of the biggest demonstrations of this, but there’s another thing I want to touch first.

Silque: Sir Alm, what did you see? Alm: It was… It was so clear! Silque, it was horrible! Silque: Be calm. What you saw in the vision is not the present. The Mother is either telling you what could be…or what once was. Her power is sight. Alm: So the vision is something that’s going to happen? Silque: Something that COULD happen. If the vision was ill-boding, perhaps it was a sign— a sign that the Mother wishes for you to take action in order to prevent it. Alm: ……

Alm’s reasons to continue pressing forward with the war despite Celica’s pleas is both his will to make a difference and the fact that he was called to do it. Mila sent him a vision that if things continue and he does nothing, all of Zofia will die. Her vision sets him directly at odds with Celica, who recieves one that should Alm continue on his path, he will die (and everyone he loves will die on his way to get there). 

They are directly contrasting visions, albeit Celica’s was likely a warning to get her off the island before the Cantor arrived and likely killed everyone at the priory (you know the one, the one on the lonely boat who implies he was on his way for her). Anyway, this isn’t about that, so fast forward to the argument itself with this in mind: His feeling of duty to see the war through was to save lives, but his focus was not to invade Rigel, merely push them all the way back.

Alm: …Wow. That’s quite the story. I’m trying to picture you swashbuckling pirates, and… Yeah. Just…wow. Celica: I didn’t mean to swashbuckle anyone. It just sort of…happened. But forget all that for the moment. Alm, you aren’t REALLY planning to fight the Rigelian Empire, are you? Alm: Listen, it’s not… It’s not something I chose. They were the ones who attacked us. Celica: But there must be a way to resolve things other than bloodshed, no? Alm: That’s a pretty thought, Celica, but I’m not sure it’s true. If it were, no one would be risking life and limb on the battlefield. Celica: Is it really so naive? Zofians and Rigelians are both people of Valentia, are we not? I know we can reach some kind of accord if we just try! Besides that, I… I just can’t imagine Emperor Rudolf is the monster some claim him to be. Alm: It doesn’t matter what sort of man he is. The Rigelian Empire chose to cross Zofia’s border—that’s a fact. We aim to drive back the invaders. Nothing more. Celica: But why do YOU have to lead this rebellion? Mycen’s grandson or no, you’re neither knight nor noble. So why make yourself a target like this?! Alm: Nrgh… If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear I was speaking to a blue blood. My station doesn’t matter, Celica. I’m here because I was called. I have a duty to perform, and I’ll perform it. No more, and no less. Celica: Oh, Alm… Alm: Do you think I WANTED this fight? This all started because Lima IV went and angered the empire. If you wish to point fingers, point them at the ruler who failed his people. It’s his fault we’re in this mess. Celica: That’s not… Well, so what if it is? Maybe you should go become king if it’s such a damnably easy job! Alm: What? Celica, that’s not— Celica: You’re awfully free with accusations for a boy with no idea what royalty entails! And now that you’re a “hero,” I imagine the throne is next on the list, is that it? Alm: No, it’s not like that at all, Celica! I just want to keep Zofia SAFE! Besides, there’s an heir. A princess of the royal family may have survived. If she turned up and fixed all this, I’d happily return to Ram. You could…come with me, you know? It’d be like old times.

Hoooo, other than Alm and Celica here fanning flames (flames Alm didn’t even know existed, and flames Celica did not realize were alight at all due to Alm’s previous confrontations with nobles (notably Fernand)) this shows a lot of Alm’s thinking. 

While he’s very gung ho and willing to fight for a cause, and even kill for it, he’s not alright with it having to be the solution (even if he’s okay with using it as a solution). Basically, it’s the only way he knows he can help with the problem, and he is fine with doing it, but he’s not fine with having to do it. If there are other options, he’d take them. That’s the biggest takeaway, really, since he doesn’t just speak those thoughts, but acts upon them. Jumping right to the start of Act 4 now...

Alm: …… Clive: A word, Alm? Alm: Clive! Did we receive a reply to our petition? Clive: Unfortunately, no. The empire’s silence is likely its answer. I believe it wise to resign ourselves. Emperor Rudolf has no intention of treating for peace. He means to continue his march on Zofian soil. Alm: Damn… Clive: Our men are approaching their limit. And Rigel’s climate is far colder than what they knew in Zofia. Further delaying here will only sap their strength and morale. Alm: All right, Clive. I trust your judgment. Let’s get ready to march. Clive: Understood. I’ll pass word to the others and prepare them to cross into the empire. Alm: …… What’s all of this leading to?

Alm has legitimately sent a petition to Rudolf to stop his march into Zofian soil. As per his word, his aim was merely to drive back the invasion, then request that the Rigelian’s cease trying again. His attempts for peace, or at least a meeting for parley, are met with silence, and yet he waits until Wyrmstym/Winter before finally heeding Clive’s advice and engaging in a march. Who knows how long he had between Pegastym//Autumn and Wyrmstym to wait, but it’s implied it’s been long enough for a courrier to make it to the Empire’s capital, wait for political deliberation and receive a response, and then some.

And most importantly...

Alm: Listen, Celica. I know you sacrificed your own life to protect me and the others. But I never wanted that. I couldn’t ever be happy in a world you died to create! Celica: Oh, Alm… I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry. Alm: Don’t apologize. Just know that I need you, all right? Without your wisdom, all I know how to do is fight whatever’s in front of me. So please… Will you fight with me? Believe in me. Believe in US. Believe in our combined strength!

Alm is very much aware that his skills lie in battle to resolve a conflict or problem, and as much as he has stated to dislike meaningless fights or struggles that can be avoided (as noted by his attempt to speak to some enemies (like witches) to try and dissuade them from attacking, or willingness to listen to Tatiana and thus speak to Zeke at the start of the fight with Jerome), and has even been noted to be a compassionate/kind leader (your choices as the player aside if you decide to kill everyone on ‘defeat boss’ missions lfmao), enough that Rigelians know this already and Rudolf can positively affirm it.

It makes him a mixed bag of emotions for this reason, because he feels terrible about what he’s good at doing, but he feels its the only way he can help.

Anyway, this was too long a post to just say that, but it’s what it is at its core. Alm is down to fight, especially if it’s someone he sees doing something vile, but as a means to an end he feels if it’s unnecessary it should be avoided (even if he feels its the only skill he has, even if it’s not particularly true). This compassionate side of him does not show at all when he feels it’s someone who deserves it, however (like Slayde and Desaix), which is probably something considered a flaw by some, maybe a dangerous one in a leader. It’s kind of fortunate that he has a well-maintained moral compass, I suppose, because this kind of thinking could lead straight to hell otherwise.

[emblem-333]

In Retrospect, William Jennings Bryan and the Election of 1896

What we are currently seeing in the infancy of the 2020 Presidential Election is the focusing of the electorate on economics rather than foreign policy or a less pressing issue, like “honesty” and “integrity” which usually dominate campaigns. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren are the favorites to win the nomination in a hotly contested Democratic primary that isn’t yet finished fielding potential candidates. But these two specifically have declared unapologetic warfare against Wall Street. They put in simple terms explaining why the middle class is in its dilapidated state is the aristocratic class hoards all the capital amassed by the proletariat. While centrist candidates Kamala Harris and Kirsten Gillibrand dance around whether they’ll dismantle the private insurance industry, Sanders is the only one decisively saying yes, he would go as far to implement his Medicare-For-All legislation.

There are many imitators, but only one O.G. What we’re seeing is the beginning stages of the fruits of the labor the Sanders 2016 campaign planted turning over the establishments apple cart and paving the way for likeminded, younger representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and IIhan Omar to carry on the mantle for his various causes like Woodrow Wilson and Franklin Delano Roosevelt did for William Jennings Bryan. Championing the cause for the downtrodden middle class and poor masses left behind by an oligarchic United States.

Before William Jennings Bryan the Democratic Party was made up of fiscal conservatives laissez-faire style of economics, strict adherent to the gold standard and primarily the party of big business. The Republicans of the late 19th century weren’t different in anyway besides treating black people objectively better than the Democrats. Though in this era Jim Crow laws ran rampant in the south and the GOP did little to resist the disengagement of blacks. Any progress accomplished by the Union winning the American Civil War, the subsequent Civil Rights Act of 1866 and 1875 and the concurrent Reconstruction Era in the South became undone completely in this time period of the 1890’s.

Just like their predecessors both parties kicked the can down the road when it came to the plight of blacks. As both parties stomaches fattened as a result of getting cozier with Wall Street, the railroad industry and the gold standard, the southern and midwestern farmer wasted away thanks to rampant inflation and bearing the brunt of the various panics and depressions in the 1870’s and 1890’s. Historians rather assume flatly Reconstruction ended because of the American people’s and the Republican Party losing collective interest in protecting blacks in the Deep South, when in actuality the Panic of 1873 cost the U.S serious capital and thus by 1877 federal troops were withdrawn from the Confederate states.

Debates ragged on whether the United State should do the unthinkable: become the first country to abandon the gold standard for a currency system favoring silver. The topic arose multiple times since the 1870s. You’d find silver leaning men in both the Republican and Democratic parties. Populist James B. Weaver won 8.5 percent of the popular vote campaigning on the free coinage of silver. But the movement truly came of age under the man William Jennings Bryan. The 36-year-old former Nebraskan representative commanded the Democratic Party and held a tight grip around its throat from 1896 up until his retirement in 1915. In those sixteen-years Bryan transformed the Democrats from a party of fiscal conservatism to pro-labor with more emphasis on aiding the yeomen farmer. While Bryan himself would never see the White House, his likeminded followers Woodrow Wilson and F.D.R carried the torch for him.

Playing the ultra-boring, but simultaneously fun “Campaign Trail” choose your own adventure game on AmericanHistoryusa.com I played as Bryan and in order to win I toned down the radical rhetoric somewhat. Instead of advocating on the unlimited free coinage of silver, I pivoted to a moderate stance of coinage at a 30-to-1 ratio to allow the treasury time to adjust to the effects of bimetallism and to avoid another run on the hoards of gold the U.S held. Taking home 248 electoral votes and 51.8 percent of the popular vote Bryan steals Illinois from the establishment candidate William McKinley to secure the presidency. The is the text the game reads upon victory.

Congratulations! You have won the 1896 election.

"The Great Commoner" will soon be President of the United States! Nobody with your political views has ever sniffed the Presidency, let alone won it, and with that in mind your supporters are rioting frenziedly in the streets. The sweetest speech of all will be your victory speech tomorrow in Lincoln, Nebraska. Prepare to enact your reform agenda and most importantly the free coinage of silver.”

Yup. I sure will. If only the game allowed you to be president after securing the Oval Office then I can try out this radical departure from the norm. But, alas, somethings are meant to be left to the imagination.

So, Jennings Bryan is President. Instantly the United States financial sectors panic and rally around opposition to halt Bryan’s measures. In the midterm election of 1898 the Democrats, fully taken over by Silverites, wrangler control of the House from the Republicans and a moderate, but nonetheless, radical change to our currency system is implemented. By 1899 the United States is off of the gold standard. Soon, Japan, Great Britain and France follows. Albeit reluctantly. This is how it happened in real life. Only the United States was the last to be brought to heel eventually in 1933 when Franklin Roosevelt did what Bryan dreamt of for so long.

Even in defeat Bryan’s hold on the party became so strong he purged the gold standard Democrats out of the party solidifying his silver coalition of politicians sympathetic towards the farmer and laborers. No reason to believe this doesn’t happen if Bryan is elected President. In fact, it probably happens sooner than it did in real-life.

Bryan was a staunch advocate of a federal income tax, which fully was realized in the certification of the sixteenth amendment in 1909 under William Howard Taft. Initially, Bryan opposed the creation of the Federal Reserve, which happened under Woodrow Wilson. Bryan worries the Fed it gave bankers too much control of the monetary system. The bill was promptly rewritten to suit Bryan’s needs and he voted for the creation of the Federal Reserve. I think this still happens in a timeline which Bryan is election and probably sooner. Swept into office amidst populistic fervor unseen since the days of Andrew Jackson Bryan, though a novice, most likely utilizes the bully pulpit and we see Henry Teller lead the charge on the Republican side and we are witnessed to the most eventful first term of a U.S President in the country’s history.

Bryan calls for the direct election of senators once in office, subtlety supports women’s suffrage and usually this is the part in alternate history articles where the radical, moralistic protagonists falls for his idealism. Except this is all happening during the Spanish-American War and Bryan could have been blind, deaf and dumb while serving in office and the U.S still decisively runs the imperials out of Cuba and the Philippians. Only Bryan had little interest in cultivating an American Empire. An anti-imperialist and pacifist, Bryan saw war as necessary but never actively sought a fight. He saw the United States as the moral arbiter in the Cubans fight for independence. If elected there is no subsequent Philippine-American War and no further bloodshed. The United States gains serious credit among future generations.

Hawaii is not annexed and probably never really is. For all the good I can say about Bryan he was an anti-imperialist, but since he and his party didn’t want to absolve any country not made up of predominantly Whites. Hawaii therefore becomes the smallest independent country on Earth... until a later administration absorbs it or some other imperialist country, like Russia, Japan or Great Britain does it. Most likely Japan. So Bryan inadvertently washes away U.S military involvement in World War Two.

The war carries Bryan to a second-term of the presidency... only to be cut short by a bullet months after his inauguration. His vice-President former Silver Republican Henry M. Teller succeeds him.

If the United States were to abandon the gold Standard, thirty-five-years prior to Japan were the first to do it, this helps the farmer and for a brief time the country recognizes Jefferson’s dream of a country built and supported off the backs of the Yeomen farmer. Again, for a brief time. The loss of their vigorous champion Bryan farmers cannot find a suitable replacement to rally around and this allows for the big business friendly, gold standard leaning Democrats to repopulate the party nominating New York judge Alton B. Parker. A moderate trust busting advocate for labor, Parker benefits from the meteoric rise of Theodore Roosevelt and swings into the presidency since both of the main parties are fractured in the aftermath of Bryan’s effects on the political scene.

No Roosevelt means no William Howard Taft. Meaning no splitting of the Republican Party in 1912. With neither close enough to sniff the presidency Wisconsin senator Robert La. Follette is nominated in 1912 and defeats Democratic Speaker of the House Champ Clark and becomes America’s first President to serve two consecutive terms since Ulysses S. Grant. Since Wisconsin is populated with German immigrants, La Follette interferes into World War One on the side of the Central Powers. Theodore Roosevelt is given the role of Secretary of State and the German Empire crushes the Allied Powers at the Marne near Paris with the help of the United States.

A victorious Germany means no rise of Adolph Hitler. No Third Reich. No Holocaust. Great Britain’s awesome power is greatly diminished, never to recover. The ninetieth century is the German century. As it originally was supposed to be.

Back to the gold versus silver debate. I am sorry.

Eventually the gold standard is readopted and the silver versus gold issue goes on until Richard Nixon flatly ditches gold in favor of neither metal backed currency. Still you see Bryan’s ideas infecting the parties for decades after his death.

Instead of Bryan’s ideas manifesting themselves in Woodrow Wilson and Franklin Roosevelt, they do so in Robert La Follette. The U.S becomes an economic power house rather a military one. Perhaps we’re all better off because of this.

[calyssmarviss]

Calyss Watches the Clone Wars - 51

03x10 - Heroes on Both Sides.

WHY ARE THOSE GUYS STILL ALLOWED IN THE SENATE.

OKAY SO I WENT AND ASKED WOOKIEEPEDIA because I just can't stand not understanding that shit and Lott Dod the Neimoidian apparently once said that they had "Nothing to do with the Separatists. Nute Gunray is an extremist. His views do not reflect those of the Trade Federation." But he was also working with Rush and Poggle (which I forgot) on that droid factory so, yeeeeeeah, the Trade Fed isn't that loyal to the Republic.

Is that Ahsoka in the background? I'm not sure with this shitty image but it really looks like her.

Don't other Senators have the *hover to the center of the Senate* function? They're all like *wave fist and shout* but Padmé just presses a button and suddenly everyone has to listen to her.

"Members of the senate. Do you hear yourselves? More money, more clones, more war. Say nothing of fiscal responsibility, What about moral responsibility? Hasn't this war gone on long enough?"

THAT'S NOT THE POINT PADME!!! The other side has droids, they can go as long as they want because those aren't sentient lives that they're wasting (and even if they were, I doubt that would bother them that much) and they probably don't hesitate taking credit from the Banking Clans in order to keep making them.

(Btw why doesn't the Republic use droids??? That would solve so many of their problems)

Well at least I'm pleased to see my characterization of her in my fic is spot on on that point: SHE WANTS TO NEGOTIATE WITH THE SEPARATISTS!!! Tho I'm for the right of the people to decide if they wanna belong to a nation or whatev' (like, for what I care, Corsica can fuck off if they don't wanna be french??? That's how democracy should work: If enough people in an administrative sector wants independence, it should be granted to them.) I'm not sure that it's what they really want. Like, sure that must be what local governments were promised by Dooku, but that's not what Palpatine wants.

Oh, yeah, that's Ahsoka, with Anakin. What are they doing there? Don't they have someplace to be like, I don't know... Fighting in the Clone Wars???

Bail's like "Why don't we, like WAIT for any EMERGENCY bill, uh??"

I really like this conversation for some reason:

Nix Card: "That legislation would have meant billions for us." Gume Saam: "I tried my best to push the bill through." Lott Dod: "You did your part, representative. Senator Amidala is the problem." Nix Card: "I thought age might temper her idealism."

(That guy needs to meet Satine. She's like 10 years older than Padmé and there is nothing temperate about her.)

Gume Saam: “I know people who could do something about her." Lott Dod, getting genre savvy: "That task is more difficult than you presume." Nix Card: "Gentlemen, the Banking Clan and Trade Federation are about business, not violence." Lott Dod: "Hmm, in this case, our business is violence." Nix Card: "Precisely.With or without senator Amidala, the Galactic Senate is unlikely to de-regulate the banks... Until this war hits home." Lott Dod: "What exactly are you proposing?" Nix Card: "Perhaps some unexpected bloodshed on Coruscant, uh, may change a few minds." Lott Dod: "Coruscant? Coruscant has not been attacked in over 1,000 years." Nix Card: "Then it has a false sense of security. There are some powerful clients on the other side who could help us, uh, shall we say, make the point?" Gume Saam: "Ooh, I like this plan." Nix Card: "No one cares what you think."

:'D

Padmé to Anakin: “You must ask the Jedi Council to...”

Imma gonna stop you right there, Padmé. Do you think the Council is going to listen to him???

“... speak with Chancellor Palpatine.” Anakin: “Don’t involve me in this!”

I love Anakin so much.

WAIT

DID IT JUST HAPPENED WHILE OBI-WAN WAS CHASING ZIRO WITH QUIN? DID ANAKIN HAD HIS MAKEOVER????

ANAKIN YOU’RE KILLING ME

"War's complicated, Ahsoka. But let me simplify it. The Separatists believe the Republic is corrupt, But they're wrong, and we have to restore order."

You sweet summer child.

Also did no-one thought to explain it to Ahsoka before?

Ahsoka: "Master Skywalker said you should teach me about politics." Padmé: "Right." Ahsoka: "You know, you two have more in common than you think. It's no wonder you get along well." Padmé: "Huh. Of course."

Oh, Ahsoka, baby... How do I explain to you... :’D

GRIEVOUS'S SPEECH TO THE DROIDS

I love this?

How the fuck was Mina Padmé's mentor? What was she doing on Naboo?

I want that house Uh. Mina's voice sounds older than she looks. And Ahsoka looks already done with Lux :'D

Seriously what a dollface.

AHAHAHAHAHAHA AHSOKA I LOVE YOU GIRL.

So it’s been a while but I’m pretty sure this was referring to Ahsoka and Lux and “seems like boys are the same weither they are Republic or Separatist.”

Padmé: "I sense Dooku's dirty hand in all of this."

Boy does he has dirty hands. Have you seen his fingernails?

Mina: "Too peace, then." Padmé: "To hope."

URGH. Can they talk about something else than hope in Star Wars? I'm growing tired of the optimism here. Like they could toast to common sense that would be refreshing.

That looks a lot like the british parliament.

So the Separatist Parliament agrees on meeting with the Senate to talk peace, which we all know is gonna fail obv... 

Grievous really gets all the best stuff. Look at this fancy chair! :o

Clone working directly for the Senate?

Because that's the Senate symbol... Don't they have their own guards? That's a rhetorical question I know they have guards I killed a whole bunch of them in my fic it was glorious. (No actually it wasn't I was too busy killing Temple Guards the Senate Guard got a bit overlooked)

Cleaning murder bots fucking stupid they don' teven know where the power generators are *eyeroll*

Senate Clone: "Stupid droids."

OMG SHEEV SHUT YOUR DIRTY FUCKING MOUTH. AND PADME YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE MORE CLEVER THAN THIS JUST DON'T SQUINT AT HIM LIKE "I don't understand" OF COURSE YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND BITCH NO ONE UNDERSTAND BECAUSE YOU'RE ALL FUCKING MORONS.

You gross Amedda.

What is this I love it. OH SHIT IT'S, LIKE, UNDER THE SENATE???? ARE THOSE THE POWER GENERATORS???? OMG.

1) are those radar technicians? no they're not but who cares they're the Matts from now one. 2) the Matts are all humans dudes so I think some higher up is both specist and mysoginist

Well shit. Oh much do you wanna bet no one is gonna suspect the Banking Clans when obviously there are the one who beneficiate the most from the vote not happening? AND HERE THEY GO. LET'S DEREGULATE THE BANKS. WHAT A BUNCH OF FUCKING IDIOTS.

For once Padmé is feeling the stupid too.

OH HELLO ANAKIN I'VE MISSED YOU. You're talking shit tho man. He's like "we have eyes and ears everywhere so ofc we know it's the Sepies". Ans also:

"It was dangerous and careless to go to Raxus, not to mention illegal. You went to far this time."

LIKE EXCUSE ME SKYWALKER BUT "DANGEROUS, CARELESS, ILLEGAL , and GOING TO FAR"???? That's you in a nutshell buddy.

Ahsoka: "You would do the same. You do the same all the time!"

THANK YOU SNIPS.

Prev/Next

[oncerpotter2018]

My Thoughts On Attack on Titan Season 4 Part 1 (SPOILERS)

I'd convinced my sister to watch Attack On Titan with me and soon she and I were hooked and dragged into the world of the Titans. What we weren't prepared for was the many moral and philosophical decisions we would also have to make while watching this show. My sister had never seen Attack on Titan before and it was her first time watching it. And as she watched more of it the more we zoomed pasted the seasons. Along the way I cried but it wasn't until I we watched Season 4 that the really water works started.

When we finally gotten to watch the back story of those we didn't know about. We had gotten to know about the people over the sea. How these people were nothing but human. Both Eldians and Marley. Everyone had their own stories, dreams and hopes. I cried when I found out that Reiner, Annie, Bertrolt were just children used to find the Founding Titan and broke through Wall Maria. They were children of war, made to believe that beyond the walls that they live in were their enemies. That in the island of Paradie, they were told they were the "devils" and told they were bad people.  I understood the pains of all of them. And from the beginning I too judged Annie, Bertrolt and even Reiner for what they've done but after knowing where they were from, what they were taught and what they have seen, I felt sorry for them. They didn't know better, they only were meant to believe what they know because others told them too. Fear of the unknown lead them astray and led them on the wrong path. Both sides of the ocean were living in fear and acted upon it with hatred. Its this action that will eventually kill humanity in the end.

When it came to Sasha's death, I cried. I didn't want her to die. And a bit of me wanted to rip Gabi apart but I understand why she killed her. I may still not forgive her but I am not going to pull her down to the depths of hell for something she didn't understand. She only saw what Sasha did and acted upon it as she was taught. A life for a life. Gabi let her hate and anger and fear take control and she became what Eren had become. She had abandoned all of her moral judgment and humanity and all was left was the monster. She tainted her heart and turned it black as coal. She saw the only means of seeking justice was through bloodshed. She was blinded by what she thought was right, that the ideology she had spent her whole life being taught was true. What she didn't relaised was the human side of Sasha. The funny side, the goofy side, the bright sunshine who loved to eat a lot. She didn't gave them a chance to show that they aren't a threat. She pays for that heavy burden. It wasn't until she met Sasha's family that she finally realised all she believed and what she had been taught was a lie. And yet she still refused to see the truth because the lies she had been fed with had been embed in her mind corrupting her heart and soul.

There were so many other moments of humanity being as cruel and as unkind. It felt like nothing has changed. Even today, we still live in fear of the unknow. Shove people away because they are different. Put "walls" to keep people away. We a blind of others and like the Marley and Eldians, we are only taught what we want to hear not what we are meant to be told. The whole 16 episodes so far taught me that humans are the most dangerous animals of all, hate and fear will always be with us. We'll never see eye to eye. And countless more people will die through our ignorance and fear. Its this that makes this season for me so human, so down to reality and how much it can relate back to our own modern times. There will be people who will betray us, try to push us away or bring us down because we're not like the rest but somehow, we must push forward no matter what.

There's something about understanding how everyone feels and how they view each other. How it relates back to our own society. We place invisible walls up so we don't talk to each other. We judge other people before we get to know them, we all ready judge their character without seeing their faces or get to know them as a person. Its the same with both sides, one side sees them as the devils, the other sees them as monsters. But the harsh reality is that they are both in the wrong. There is no good or bad people, no heroes or villains, there is just humanity. Eren became the monster he hated the most. They thought he was humanity last hope but what they didn't know, and I'm quoting my sister here, is that inside that Titan was a human being. A human being with emotions, a human being with a heart. It's a human being who can feel anger, pain and hurt and fear. It's a human being who can be just as destructive without being a Titan. He is the human being who can hurt his friends. Take away what little trust they have left in him. Eren, from my understanding, became who he was because he just wanted to be free. Free from the suffering and pain and anger and hatred. He just wanted take it all back but his ideology is not maybe in the right place.

Speaking of Eren, when Connie asked why did Eren laughed when he mentioned that the last words Sasha spoke was meat. I get it now. He laughed because at the mention of the word meat took him back at the time when she took the meat from the store room. He remembered how her dream was to live through his hell so they start a farm. It was the shock and the memories of the old days that made him laugh. I didn't feel like it was cruel laugh, it felt like a laugh of denial and hurt and disbelief. It was the kind of laughter from the shock of the realisation that Sasha could no longer achieve her dream. I know this because I laughed too. I was sitting alone on my bed and thought about the exact memory and suddenly I found my self laughing. Laughing how silly it was to be crying because deep down she isn't dead, that she'll live her dream. But I know she is somewhere up there now, eatting all she could.

Then there's Levi. The man who always remained strong, saw his comrades transform infront of his very eyes. I have never seen that look in his eyes before, its fear and yet it is also pitty. Its the "I'm sorry, its my fault" look. It was a tough decision for him, but he had to make the sacrifice. He had to make the hard choice evne if it means to lose those closest to him. I really hope Levi is alright. I hope at least he survives because he isn't called humanity's stronger solider for nothing.

So, in the end of watching all 16 episodes so far, I thought I whatever may come next, I know I'll end up crying once more. Know more people will die and it will be all over soon. And to end the story means that there's still a new beginning to go. I hope that there'll be a time when humanity will be free from hate and pain but only time will tell. All I can say is that this first half of the season ended with so many more questions then answers and I seriously wish winter 2022 would come soon.

[dunnystuff]

Hi to all -

Parler

They're back !!! Amazon 'deplatformed' them, since they didn't like their conservative views, and because they were competition to the liberal media. So, Parler went looking for another host, and they found one. Not sure exactly who that is, but their regular subscribers can now get back on line, and new ones will be able to join in next week.

Minneapolis

Well, a while back they 'defunded' police, so that they could be 'woke' and socially moral, etc. But, wouldn't you just know it, actual crime skyrocketed, and their city is feeling the pain in a big way. So, the city fathers decided to quietly add $6.4 million to the police fund, hoping they can prevent the criminals from taking over their jobs and neighborhoods.

GOP

In some states, notably Louisiana and North Carolina, the local GOP groups have begun to react to those Senators who voted to impeach Trump. A letter of censure is not much more than a slap on the wrist, but it is a start.

Mitch McConnell

Speaking of senators who were opposed to Trump, old Mitch has shown his true character now as well. He did vote to acquit, but still wants to prosecute Trump. Now, old Mitch has for years and years tried to play both sides of the fence, and became known as a dealmaker, and wanted to be the kingmaker. He got very rich, and powerful, doing just that. But, there comes a time when you are judged by the content of your character, not by the deals you make, and Mitch has outlived his usefulness.

Another cut from the same cloth is Lindsey Graham. He is vocal when he thinks he is on the winning side, but very wishy-washy if there is any chance he will be criticized. Okay, we needed him as another republican, rather than having yet another left-wing looney tune in his place, but his time is almost up. All we need is someone with an actual spine, not pablum, in their torso.

Pelosi's Wall

Well, that was in place 'until after the impeachment' to protect democrats from Americans. The impeachment is over - time to change the rules, or, as they like to say 'move the goalposts'. She likes a wall - it's not like we are keeping third world peasants out of the nation's capital, those with no ID, perhaps infected with Covid or some other ailment, you know. No, no. This is to protect the fearful democrats, who know that they are in place by fraud and deceit. Now she wants the wall to remain until the fall. And, in the fall, just like the Covid response, they will trot somebody out to tell us that we need to make this permanent. You cannot trust these folks, or reason with them. We need to direct her to take it down, or we will.

They are also ramping up the rhetoric about taking away our guns, again. That is a real threat to them, and a hindrance to their police state goal.

Vietnam

Did you know that at the time we left, we had worked out a deal to keep the south supplied with materials they needed to continue their fight? We had agreed to replace, one for one, each item they lost - trucks, tanks, airplanes, etc. No US troops, or direct support, just materials. Guess who voted against this, and led the movement that defeated this proposal? Joe Biden. Lots of bloodshed over that decision.

Seattle

The protesters there just cannot get enough of this rioting, looting and burning stuff. Maybe they are getting paid by the unit of crime, not the results. Now, they have built up massive 'snow walls' around the police station, so that officers cannot respond to emergencies. Not exactly serving the needs of the public, I would say. So, what is the city council doing about this? Anyone? Glad I do not live there. Being 'woke' is high risk.

Military

As you have seen, the military is doing its version of the 'woke' thing. It will work as well as all previous efforts to social engineer the service. And, will be just as deadly to our forces when they go into combat as it was for Stalin and others who did the same thing. Among the changes proposed will be changes to grooming standards. Especially for women, and their hair styles. This will be upsetting for many of the old guard, as change always is distressing. But, I am not sure if this particular change will have a major effect on readiness. For example, several other nations have far more casual grooming standards than our own military. Israel for example, and they remain a very effective force. I have visited Israel, and met many military personnel there. Men still have short hair - for the same reasons our soldiers do here - to make wearing of protective headgear easier and safer. But women there often have long hair, especially when off duty. Women do not serve in combat as men do, so they have less need of close-fitting headgear. But I still would not want to go up against any Israeli women soldiers.

The Danish military also has very relaxed standards. They participate in NATO, but have not fought a major war in many years. Some local actions have shown them to be just as professional as armies of other nations.

Texas

Well, we have all waited for Hell to freeze over, but Texas is the next best thing. A state known for its warm climate has frozen, temperatures matching Alaska this weekend. This crashed their power grid, and people are without electricity - no heat, no lights, etc.

How can that be, in one of the most energy producing states in the world?

Simple; the 'woke' crowd has been pushing for Green Energy, and shut down a lot of fossil fuels, and put-up lots of windmills and solar panels. Problem: those only work in good weather. The cloud cover makes the panels useless, and the cold has iced up the blades on the windmills, so they cannot turn, even if there is a wind. There is no backup plan. No batteries, etc. When Tucker was interviewing the former Governor, Rick Perry, who had his own generator (powered by fossil fuels), the generator conked out, and he lost contact, right in the middle of the interview. That pretty much sums up the current state of 'green energy'. We may eventually find a way to do this, but it is at least a generation away. Till then, we will need fossil fuels, which can supply power even in bad weather. Wind and solar still provide only 3% of our needs. Imagine if your home depended on green energy - but you could only have 3% of what you now use. It would be cold and dark. Break out those candles and lanterns, boys and girls. This is your wakeup call - don't miss it while worshipping at the altar of 'woke'.

Rich