#but the act of falling on purpose is still extremely fraught

[dundeelemonade]

cause like there’s something screwy with my brain or whatever that makes dying in a game scary, to the point that i can’t even proceed far enough in botw to figure out how to handle my first guardian, and i have a long list of games that i own and haven’t played more than an hour of because i just really don’t like dying! and i just want to know how get over that hurdle.

[phoenixfeathersinfall]

The Dax Debacle: Re-Imagining S7 of “Star Trek Deep Space Nine”

*This post came about after a few discussions with Lee @creativilee on how the stories of Jadzia and Ezri could have been adapted to better serve both of those characters and respect the work of both actresses! Thanks to them for all their help, encouragement, and serving as a springboard! Anything in italics is theirs!

For all of us DS9 fans, the finale season can be rather fraught for several reasons, many of the biggest revolving around the transition from Jadzia Dax to Ezri Dax, henceforth called “The Dax Debacle.” Many folks seem to love one and hate the other, which is a huge shame because both characters brought amazing potential and storylines to the table, but the writers really fumbled in some key aspects. This sure-to-be-long-winded meta is an attempt between myself and Lee to fix some of those fumbles and give both characters the storylines they deserved. So, let’s get to it!

First, a little behind-the scenes context.

Why Two Dax-es?

To begin with, it’s important to acknowledge that the Dax Debacle was largely unplanned, and the writing often reflects the ways in which Nicole de Boer was shoehorned in as Terry Ferrell’s replacement, just as the character of Ezri was deliberately put forward as Jadzia’s replacement as the next host of Dax. What happened?

It is widely believed, based on various interviews Terry gave during the show’s run, that the set of DS9 was inhospitable to her, placing her in situations of harassment and abuse. By the time of S7, due to this as well as the sheer grueling schedule of the show, she wanted to be moved from a permanent member of the cast into a reoccurring role like that of Andrew Robinson. When it proved fruitless to negotiate this, Terry decided to leave the show, though she explicitly stated she had not wanted Jadzia’s character to be killed on her departure.

Though the writers went through with the decision to kill Jadzia, they still wanted the character of Dax to remain on the crew, and due to the way Trill physiology was designed, they decided to do this with another host, similar to how Jadzia was initially seen as the continuation of Sisko’s old friend Curzon.

Enter Nicole de Boer as Ezri Dax, a young unjoined Trill who had never intended to be a host at all, and the story of her adjustment to carrying on the Dax legacy.

The Story’s Seed

It’s definitely worth noting that the initial conception of Ezri’s story, the young suddenly-joined Trill joined under trying circumstances who has to re-discover herself has a lot of potential! It could have been extremely poignant and moving, in something of the same vein as Seven of Nine rediscovering herself on “Voyager.” Unfortunately, the choices made regarding how she became the next Dax make it hard to appreciate Ezri on her own merits. Both we as the audience and the other characters are constantly seeing Jadzia in her place. It stymied who she was able to be as a character and how the audience was able to receive her. The way she was written invites constant comparisons, often to Ezri’s detriment in her initial interactions with the crew.

Lee said some things extremely well here: “Ezri as a character was hindered a lot by being made ‘Jadzia's replacement’ instead of ‘the next Dax,’ a Dax in her own right. While Jadzia definitely had Curzon's legacy to live with, it was absolutely not all she was, and she interacted with it as such, but Ezri wasn’t written with the same care. She isn't ‘Ezri Dax’ she's ‘Ezri, the one who replaced Jadzia.’ She was entirely written as a replacement, and it shows.”

Fumbles, Fumbles, Fumbles

Let’s review some things that went sideways in Ezri’s arc, so we can see it for the purposes of our rewrite.

The “I'm the new host of your dead friends symbiont" aspect is very difficult to watch. It’s hard to say if the writers wanted to lean into this aspect deliberately, but even if they did, I don’t think they ended up hitting the emotional notes they wanted to.

Ezri doesn’t seem to get much training from what we can tell, and being joined is a huge change! We learned from Jadzia’s arc that initiates often train for years. It’s wartime, but she still really did get thrown into the deep end!

The audience can’t approach Ezri on her own merits, but quite often, the crew isn’t doing that, either. There’s the caveat that they’re grieving and it’s an odd situation to be in, but! Sisko initially tries to interact with her in the same way he would Jadzia (calling her old man, which upsets her a great deal,) Julian flirts with her with the same intensity he did Jadzia in early seasons, Worf seems to only be seeing his dead wife any time he looks at her.

Ezri is given a role as ship’s counselor when she is in no way emotionally able to handle the psychological difficulties of others when she’s going through so much herself.

Her return to Deep Space 9 (the station) seems to contradict what we know about Trill culture. Joining is meant to give the symbiont as many life experiences as possible, and re-association (to various degrees) is anything from strongly discouraged to forbidden. Ezri goes right back to living Jadzia’s life in some ways, in the same place with the same people. Jadzia wasn’t able to resume her relationship with Lenara Khan, but Ezri finds herself being intimate with Jadzia’s widower.

Our alternatives and fixes for the arcs of Jadzia and Ezri fall into three broad categories, which we’ll break down here:

1. Ezri Not-Dax? (Ezri is still joined unexpectedly, but rather than the Dax symbiont, she is host to another symbiont which needed her.)

2. Where in the World is Jadzia Dax? (If Ezri isn’t a Dax, we have to figure out what to do with the Dax we know!)

3. The Legacy Question (The age-old Trill questions of new hosts, old hosts, and interpersonal relationships.)

Ezri Who? Ezri Not-Dax!

The best solution Lee and I were able to find was the idea that Ezri was joined under similar circumstances to canon, but not to Dax itself.

This is still largely workable for the story we want to tell, because, as Lee explains: “The Dax symbiont isn't key to her character, except to affect her relationships with the crew. Her main personal conflicts are about being joined before she was ready, not about being joined to Dax. She still would have worked without the Dax symbiont.”

For the sake of convenience, let’s call this hypothetical new symbiont Nal. So, Ezri Tigan —> Ezri Nal.

Where in the World is Jadzia Dax?

Theres 3 different paths we could take with Jadzia!

If Terry was made a reoccurring member of the cast, the writers could easily have put Jadzia into the position of being given a transfer assignment. Though Jadzia might initially struggle to accept this because of her loyalty to her friends, “with things picking up in wartime, it's believable that Starfleet would want the people more familiar with what dangers are on the other side of the wormhole to be spread around and maximize the number of ships and stations that are prepared for it. Maybe Jadzia acts as a representative and goes around giving lectures/debriefings on that stuff. This situation puts us in a position to get frequent updates about Jadzia, even if we don't see her again!"

If Terry did not stay on at all, Jadzia as a character could still have died, but the Dax symbiont finds a new host back on Trill, away from the station. Maybe we get updates about this Dax because Ezri trained with them for a bit, or the new Dax reaches out to Sisko from time to time, since he was well-acquainted with two previous Dax-es.

The option I like best for purely self-indulgent reasons would be if Terry stayed on for one more season and was present on the station when Ezri arrived, serving as a mentor to her.

The Legacy Question

Since the “TNG” days, Star Trek likes to experiment with Trill, and what happens in relationships between joined Trill and non-Trill, particularly in the case of a symbiont with a new host. We might assume this was part of the writer’s intent with the Dax Debacle, but it went over much better in the move from Curzon to Jadzia then it did in the move from Jadzia to Ezri.

Other options for exploring “the legacy question:”

“If they wanted to explore the whole ‘new host when the previous host was close to you’ thing, they could have had an episode that went into detail about Sisko meeting Jadzia for the first time after the death of Curzon.” Or, just having Sisko reflect more on the changes and developments in their relationship as time passes. They did this quite well initially when Jadzia first came aboard, but dropped it soon after the first season for the most part and left it to our amazing fic writers to pick it back up.

The character of Curzon is often used as a vehicle for explaining Jadzia’s connection to Klingon culture, but he also gives us access to a wealth of relationships which could be used to explore the legacy question. “Curzon had so many friends, and we see a variety of reactions from them, particularly with his Klingon friends. Some of them immediately fall back into that friendship, some of them struggle to recognize that Jadzia may not be Curzon, but she is still Dax, and has a lot of Curzon in her.” Keeping that thread going would have been intriguing also.

The Life of Ezri Nal

Here’s how some elements of Ezri’s story might look with the “Nal” symbiont.

Ezri is joined rather unprepared when a medical emergency puts the life of a symbiont at risk and the host is unable to be saved. For convenience, let’s call this symbiont Nal.

Ezri was always interested in Starfleet Service, especially in working as a counselor (which she studied on her own rather than gaining the knowledge through the memories of past hosts.) She assigned to the station by the Trill Symbiosis Commission largely because there are people there who will know how to help a newly-joined Trill; namely Sisko, Julian, and Jadzia.

Jadzia+ Ezri

Being the only other Trill on the station that we know about, Jadzia puts herself in a mentor role to Ezri, helping her adjust to her new life and consciousness. Her personality and experiences make her perfect for the job!

As a bonus, we get to see how the mentor and mentee relarionships between joined Trill and initiates work.

We also set up some fun parallels! Take Jadzia, who had to try so hard to be joined, and it was a huge goal in her life (to the point where she applied again to the Symbiosis Comission after being rejected once, which is played as something that basically never happens,) versus Ezri who was perfectly happy to be just herself and ended up taking on this responsibility without being ready and without feeling like she had much choice because of how Trill culture regards symbionts.

From the little we know about Jadzia before she was joined, she was somewhat like Ezri-bookish, shy, anxious-and she initially struggled to adjust to the likes of Curzon. But now, she’s gown so confident in who she is, for the most part, and she’d be the perfect person to guide Ezri and help her find joy in her new life.

But, she also understands having difficulties with aspects of being joined, for example, her conflict in whether she should rejoin with Lenara Khan, or how she struggled in the aftermath of the discovery of the cover-up regarding Joran.

In short, Jadzia helps keep Ezri as mentally and emotionally healthy as she can be.

Julian+Ezri

Being CMO, Julian helps look after Ezri and ensure she’s physically well; after all, it’s what he does best! “Having Julian as the Chief Medical Officer on board would be a big draw for the Trill. He's even performed a symbiont joining and removal procedure. He had to be very familiar with Trill biology, meaning a newly joined host would be relatively safe and well-cared-for on board. And, I’m sure that there's a big chemical change in Trill when the get joined, and adjusting to that would be hard!”

Julian can also sympathize having something done you didn’t want or weren’t ready for, and can help her process those feelings. “ They both have complicated relationships with their parents regarding their parents’ expectations and their own desires and feelings, which would be interesting!”

In some ways, Julian can serve as another mentor to Ezri. It would be an interesting shift to watch Julian, who is often portrayed as the the youngest or most “green” be able to mentor and guide someone else. “This is also a good way to show Julian has grown and matured, without having to have other characters just say it.”

If we still followed their romance route, having Ezri as Ezri Nal rather than Dax could have make the relationship between her and Julian sit a lot better with audiences. With a rewrite, Julian is not chasing the “ghost” of Jadzia; rather he’s meeting Ezri for the person she is, on her own terms. This also prevents a regression of his character back to the way he chased Jadzia in the early seasons, and instead honors the relationship of treasured friendship that Julian and Jadzia built.

Sisko+Ezri

As he is with many of his younger crew, Sisko takes naturally to the role of a mentor and father figure with Ezri, again meeting her for the person she is, on her own terms. He serves as a valuable guide to ship life and helps her get acquainted with station staff and residents.

Like with Jake, Sisko encourages Ezri to find herself by being her own person.

Ezri tries to take up cooking as a hobby with Sisko, but the experiences of past hosts mean her skills vary wildly depending on what they are making.

Other Relationships

Garak helps Ezri figure out how she wants to dress, often integrating different styles from past hosts. (He rather jumps at the chance.) Ezri still has her difficulties helping him as a counselor, but her additional training and the lack of complications from the Dax symbiont make things easier. They also get to know each other through Julian.

In this Ideal Timeline, Ziyal survives and meets Ezri. They relate well to each other, both of them not really knowing where they fit and grappling with someone else’s legacy, but they have each other for support. Ziyal has given her portraits as gifts.

She has a similar dynamic with Jake, who is trying to figure out how to honor his parents while being his own man. Ezri starts writing memoirs of sorts about her past lives on his suggestion.

Surprisingly, she gets on with Nog, too. They’re both doing things unexpected and feeling like they’re going to be the first in something big.

She isn’t especially close to Worf, but he assures her that the sacrifices she made for Nal are ones to be honored, and becomes rather fond of Ezri due to Jadzia’s influence.

Thanks for reading this super-long meta! Please tell Lee and I your thoughts on this rewrite!

[pookapics]

Steve Rogers x Witch!Reader - Love is a Curse - Inspired by Practical Magic - Chapter 2 - New Home, Old Curses

(YN) : your name (LN) : last name (HC) : hair colour (EC) : eye colour  (FD) : Favourite Drink (BN): Band Name

Chapter 1 - https://protectthelesbians.tumblr.com/post/185063370563/steve-rogers-x-witchreader-love-is-a-curse

Your POV

“I’m a witch.” you fumbled out and awaited the look of disgust, flinching. You were used to the hatred of kids your age, the rocks they’d throw at you if you even tried to come over to play with them. Those childhood memories had scarred you. They’d marred you and made you afraid to trust again. But you didn’t see the harshness, or the hatred you’d seen in other eyes in your teammate’s eyes, only a faint curiosity which you could see in Steve’s eyes. Shyly, Steve spoke up “What does that mean exactly?” he seemed as if he was treading lightly, wanting to appear not judgmental.

That was nice for a change.

Smiling, you fiddled with your hands for a moment “Well. A witch is an umbrella term really, not one witch is the same. We have our strengths and weaknesses like potion work, divination.” you couldn’t stay still as you told them of your practice, your craft. Tony perked up at this “Wow we have a real-life Harry Potter on our team.” he teased, you rolled your eyes “We don’t have magic wands but hey, I do like the books and movies.” you admitted as Fury encouraged you to return to your original train of thought, which you did.

“I grew up learning my craft and trying to perfect my skills, but in the world of magic and witchcraft, you’ve never learnt everything. Not really.” you noted and smiled “I’m a healer mostly, I hope to do no harm in my craft mostly. I do divination and some level of potion work.” You were somehow now a little more confident, talking about your craft outside of a world filled with judgement meant that your insecurity shriveled up, you didn’t have to fear them. Nat stepped over “Can you fight?” She spoke bluntly and almost cold, you could tell she didn’t trust you yet and that made you nervous “No, in my craft I am told to not cause unnecessary harm.” You looked up at the tall red-head, she looked at you with some intrigue before stepping back “I guess I’ll be teaching you a couple of things” she noted. Nodding, you stood back from Nat and was bombarded with questions from Tony about how it worked, the whole magic thing. You kept things vague, a witch’s craft is usually a very personal one, one fraught with secrecy and personal exploration.

“Well. Though the craft is very personal, I can show you some of the things I can do.” You cracked your knuckles, your fingers tingling in preparation. Walking towards the kitchen counter, you focused and concentrated on what action you wished to put out into the physical realm. Your hand grasped a piece of paper on the counter, you gave yourself a paper cut. The group looked confused by this, wondering why you purposely give yourself a paper cut. You let the cut bleed down your finger a little, for the dramatics, before you leant in and kissed the wound. The blood began to roll back up your finger, returning back to the wound it originated from, it began to seal up gently and your finger was free of any scar from the paper-cut. As if it never happened.

Tony was the first to speak out “Well that definitely is gonna come in handy.” He chuckled, the others simply nodded, a bit surprised that you had ‘magical kisses’ but they couldn’t knock it. You smiled “that’s only one thing I can do, I’m a jack of all trades I suppose.” You felt strangely comfortable with your team, well sure Natasha wasn’t exactly best buddies with you but mostly everyone had been accepting and welcoming to your arrival. Especially Steve, who for some reason made your heart beat a mile a minute, you only just met the man and suddenly you’re fawning over him.

Pushing Steve from your mind, you turned to see your things arriving from your apartment, Fury wanted you to stay here at the Avengers Compound, so you could settle in with the team. Honestly, you were glad to be freed of your apartment which was mouldy and by the look of the ceiling, you constantly feared that Mrs Krook from upstairs would eventually come falling through with her dogs and knitting in tow, maybe even her recliner. So, you were relieved to be freed of that apartment, there weren’t many affordable options in the city so were glad that you’d been given the option which you now gladly took. Steve walked over to you “That must be your belongings.” he noted aloud, you nodded “Yep. I better get this stuff up to the new room.” Your voice was a little squeaky, your body seemed to shrivel up into embarrassment as soon as Steve talked with you. Quickly enough, off you went, collecting a few of your things and leaving Steve just standing there puzzled and wondering if he did something wrong. Steve seemed to shake of the kicked puppy look and walked over to help you “Here. Let me take the boxes.” He took the heavy boxes with ease, you tinged pink “Thanks. I wouldn’t have made it two seconds with that box, its full of my books.”

Steve nodded “Avid reader?” he asked as he walked with you through the halls of the compound, the halls were a lot more quiet than the lounge which was usually booming with voices and clattering from the lab which Tony commonly inhabited. Smiling Shyly, you nodded “Always have been. My aunts made me into a bookworm. Their house is 50 percent books with the rest full of plants and cats.” You joked, though the nerves in your stomach from being near him still lingering. He laughed “So the whole cat thing is true?” he asked innocently, you nodded “Well they’re great companions, especially when it comes to the craft.” Steve couldn’t help but smile at that, you smiled back and kept walking your way down towards your new room.

The door to your new room was wide open, somewhat empty as the hired workers for Tony moved some essential furniture into the empty room such as a bed, chest of drawers and a desk. You were somewhat planning the things you wanted to do with the room, some of your tools in your craft such as your herb pots would help this place seem homey right away. Steve put some boxes down “Shall I leave you to settle in, Ma’am?” He still acted so polite around you, compared to the others who simply called you by your name. You turned to look at him “Yeah, I’ll start unpacking” but as Steve started to walk out you spluttered “Oh! Steve! Uhm… please call me (YN).” Steve was looking at you, his cheeks tinged red, he was stuck in one spot for a moment but got moving when some of the workers who worked under Tony helped carry your things past the threshold of your room. You thanked them before getting to work, you used your phone to listen to your favourite songs, you were more productive when you listened to (B/N). With the music blaring, you unpacked your books onto the bookshelf, you’d set up your altar last, the area where you’d keep all your tools for your craft. The room began to seem more like yours as soon as your belongings inhabited the space, your books on the shelf, the photos on the table of you and your aunts.

When most of the boxes of books and knick-knacks had been unpacked, you moved onto your clothes which you had packed into a suitcase, picking up the folded shirts and bottoms, you gently placed them into the chest of drawers. The more fancy attire was hung up in the wardrobe such as your dresses and clothes which you kept for extremely special occasions, occasions connected with your magic and family.

Witchy holiday clothes, that was the layman's term of what the clothes represented and were used for. As the music continued to play, you finished unpacking your clothes which were only a little crinkled from transport which you didn’t greatly mind to be fair. You only had 2 more boxes to unpack, these were the important boxes. These were all the equipment you used in your altar, all the tools of your trade. They needed to be carefully unpacked and placed upon an area of your choice, you decided on the small table by the window. It was small but it was enough for what you needed it to do. You put your potted plants on the window-ledge before placing your crystals and tarot cards on the table, you positioned things so it was practical but still pretty in its own right. The room looked so different than it did before, the small box-like room now looked or resembled something fantastical, with tapestries strewn across the blank, white walls and with your plants bringing some life to the lifeless room you’d been given. You were proud of how you’d decorated, the room no longer felt daunting and not a place you could call your own. But now, the room felt like yours. And you were happy about that.

With a moments silence, you looked around your new room but was rudely interrupted by your growling stomach, you were starving. Walking back through the halls, eventually you reached the kitchen which was empty surprisingly. You took advantage of this and started to make yourself something small, not wanting to waste a lot of food on one meal. “Where is everybody?” You muttered to yourself, since the lounge seemed abandoned, suddenly you heard a loud voice above you “Everyone apart from Miss Romanoff and Mr Barton are still on the compound, Miss (LN).” You squeaked and looked up and tried to find where the voice came from “Who are you?” you were slightly on edge till the voice spoke again “I am FRIDAY, I’m an AI designed by Tony Stark.” You nodded and looked around, as if still looking for the voice “Okay…” FRIDAY spoke up “Is that all, Miss (LN)?” FRIDAY asked, you cleared your throat “Uhm yes and please call me (YN)” You returned to the hob to make some scrambled eggs, a simple dish but filling enough as a dinner. You dropped 2 slices of bread  into the toaster, as you put the eggs away, you used some of your powers to move the spatula, tending to the still cooking scrambled egg.

Multitasking at its best.

Reaching into the cupboards, you pulled out a small porcelain plate as the bread popped out of the toaster, toasted to your liking. With the toast toasted, you added some butter before placing the cooked scrambled egg on-top, drizzling some of your favourite sauce on top for some flavour. You realised you’d need a drink of sorts for your dinner, you searched the cupboards and searched for a glass, and there they were… on the highest shelf. Even for a tall person, reaching for the glasses would be a feat, you climbed atop the kitchen counter to try and retrieve a glass. With your fingers grasping at the rim of the glass, your arm extended as far as it could go,  you’d just reached it when a voice called out “You need some help there?” You squeaked and lost your hold on the glass, the glass toppled over and fell from the shelf, you heard a quick shuffle across the room, obviously the person who’d startled you was trying to help. You reached your hands out and focused, though your mind was scattered at this moment in time. The glass froze mid-air, your powers had caught it mid-fall. With this realisation, you let out a big sigh of relief, reaching out and put the glass down on the counter, your mind now focused on who had startled you. You turned to see Steve standing there, his expression had some guilt laced in it, knowing that he’d been the one to cause this near-catastrophe. Steve rubbed the back of his neck “Hey there…” there was a sense of awkwardness, you couldn’t help but smile shyly  “Hey. I should’ve been more careful honestly, I’m easily spooked.” looked up at the blue-eyed blonde with a joking look, though your heart was pounding, your chest tight. Steve let out a smile “Yeah. We never use those glasses, we just use the ones that are washed and then reuse them.” Hinting to why the glasses were atop the highest shelf “Well why are they on that shelf to begin with?” Steve smiled at your question “That’s a long story.” You smiled and picked up your dinner “Well as soon as I get myself a drink, you can tell me the story as I have my dinner.” Your cheeks tinted pink as you picked up your glass and walked to the fridge, you reached for (Favourite Drink) and poured yourself some into the glass.

With one hand holding your dinner and cutlery and one hand holding your drink, Steve walked with you to the table to sit down, you put your dinner and drink on the table. Sitting down with Steve, you settled and started to eat your dinner as he started the story you wanted to know about. As the two of you sat together, you both laughed over the story and you nearly choked on your dinner a few times due to how hard you were laughing. This small moment with Steve stirred up unknown emotions within you, on one hand you didn’t know this man one bit. But on the other hand, you felt something stirring, it felt uncontrollable, it felt like something pulled you to the avenger, it felt natural but yet constructed. It felt like fate, uncontrollable and often unable to escape from. Steve and yourself chatted, long after you’d finished your dinner and your drink, though the butterflies didn’t cease as you heard him laugh and chuckle. Without controlling it, you felt a yawn escape your lips, it had been a long day after all.

“You’ve had a long day, better let you get to bed.” Steve looked at you from across the table, you stretched “But I’ve still to clean up the kitchen!” You rose to your feet to clean the kitchen, not wanting to leave it a mess, though you were practically dragging yourself around the kitchen. You felt an arm on your shoulder “Let me do that, you’re tired and you’ve entertained me with your presence far longer than you should’ve.” Pointing to the clock, it was midnight now. You tried to retort but when you looked into his eyes, you felt your response just disappear, mind blank.

‘What is this man doing to you? One minute you’re fine and the next moment you’re a bumbling mess!’ You thought to yourself as your mind was no longer blank “Uhm.. Okay.” You gave in, but you swore to yourself that next time you’d not give in, though your heart and gut told you otherwise. Steve led you to your room, he walked you up to the door and smiled “Goodnight (YN).”

It was the first time he’d used your name, you liked it.

You nodded tiredly “Goodnight Steve.” You sneaked into your room and when the door closed, you put your hand on your chest, the feeling of your heart pounding against your chest could easily be felt through your fingertips. It felt like you could feel the blood pumping to your ever-pounding heart.

Deep down you wondered if Steve’s heart was feeling the same way, but unbeknownst to you Steve stood in the kitchen, his own hand upon his heart, he felt the heavy pounding of his heart too. Almost as if the two of your were in some way…

Connected.

END OF CHAPTER 2 ~~~~

[jbuffyangel]

Life Begets Life: Arrow 5x23 Review (Lian Yu)

“Lian Yu” a summary:

I love the journey we take on stories.  I particularly love the journey we take with television. There's really no medium like this. The experience is over in a couple hours with a movie.  We can control how quickly we read a book (even if we have to wait for additional sequels). But television? Television is a week to week story that spans years. Or at least it is if you watch live from start to finish. Television can be a long and arduous journey. Full of ups and downs. Great episodes and horribly bad ones.  We walk the road with the characters in real time. It's a serious time investment and the hope is the story eventually connects. That the threads the writers weave come together in the end and we can see the full picture.  "Lian Yu" is one of those rare storytelling gifts that repays all the many years of patience.  

We started this journey with Oliver Queen five years ago. We have walked each step with him. We've rejoiced with Oliver in his moments of triumph. 

We've grieved with him. 

We threw things at him with every maddening step backward.

Step by step, we've watched Oliver come back to life. 

It hurt and he fought it for a long time, but slowly Oliver began to learn how to live again. Instead of shutting himself off, he chose to build a life filled with purpose

honor 

teamwork

friendship

family 

and love. 

He's clawed his way out of the dark and into the light that was always there, deep inside.  

It was all leading somewhere. A destination, a choice, Oliver had to make. No matter how far Oliver has come there is always a piece of him that remains on the island... and on the boat.  Oliver had to return to Lian Yu, one last time, so he could finally let it go. So he could finally come home.

A hero's story is fraught with triumph and tragedy. There is both in "Lian Yu." The great tragedy is once Oliver decides who he is, and is ready for all that entails, he's faced with an impossible choice and loses what he's spent years building.

Or did he? Adrian Chase is the master chess player. He was always ten moves ahead, even in the final moments, but perhaps there was a move Chase couldn't foresee. One Oliver set in motion years ago, in a moment where he clung to the light and held to Diggle and Felicity's faith in him. A moment where Oliver kept a promise.

Let's dig in...

Oliver Queen

As I often say, Arrow is about many things and we all have our favorite areas of focus. This story is about Olicity and Original Team Arrow for me, but it's also about family. Family is core to what I love about Arrow. 

This story will always begin with Robert Queen for me. That tragedy on the boat is what drew me in and made me come back for Episode 2. This is the moment when everything changed for Oliver Queen. This is the moment the man he was died. 

Then, Oliver arrived on Purgatory and the island made him into something new. A Phoenix rising from the ashes.

Oliver Queen carries many sins on his shoulders. He carries his father's and he carries his own. There is intense guilt that comes from all those sins. They are like stones around Oliver's neck. These stones weigh Oliver down, stop him from moving forward and, if they are heavy enough, roll him back. However, there is one sin that weighs more than all the others. It's a shame and guilt that keeps Oliver trapped forever on Lian Yu.

Robert Queen's death.

As I explained in my 5x20 review, Robert Queen is the reason Oliver believed he was a monster. Robert Queen is the reason Oliver believed he enjoyed killing. 

It is the one "What If" Oliver cannot escape from. 

If he never got on the boat, then his father would be alive. Robert could have made it to the island. He could have survived... if not for his son. In Oliver's eyes, Robert Queen paid for his selfishness. Oliver believes, in his bones, that he killed his father.

Arrow is a hero’s tale. In any hero’s tale there is a defining event. The catalyst that forever changes the hero from the person they were and turns them into the person they will become.  This event is almost always a tragedy.

Why is it always tragedy? Because what these people experience would stop most humans in their tracks. Instead they rise.  This horrific moment propels them forward as they become more than a person. They become a symbol. A symbol for justice. A guardian for those who cannot defend themselves because once they were the defenseless. They have experienced the bitterness of injustice, the humiliation when someone breaks you down, and the unbearable pain of losing a loved one while being powerless to stop it. A hero rises and reclaims their power to ensure what happened to them never happens to anyone ever again. It is why we read their stories. It is why we admire them. It is why we love them.

However, as much as this tragedy can propel the hero forward it can also be what holds them back. Eventually, the hero must make their peace with what happened. Otherwise their evolution remains trapped; forever locked in between the past and future. Eventually, a choice must be made.

It's important to know the genre of your story. The will always be trials and tribulations in a hero's journey. The hero will always fall, but the beauty in the tale is how he/she gets back up. That's where a hero's evolution lives. That's how he/she becomes the very best parts of humanity. A hero finds a way to do what most of us couldn't. Ultimately, the point of a hero's tale is to challenge us to be better people.

Adrian Chase is the embodiment of Oliver's past, much like other villains before him. However, unlike the other villains, Chase is not motivated by revenge or power. Chase wants to reflect Oliver's darkness back to him. So, that reflection becomes Oliver's truth... because it is Adrian's truth. Adrian believes Oliver Queen is death.

Oliver began killing as a means of survival, but eventually it morphed into something else. A means to an end. A necessity. The cost of a nightly war. 

What I love about Arrow is that it doesn't shy away from the examination of Oliver's choices. "Lian Yu" takes that examination to another level.

Yes, The Hood killed Justin Claybourne. That choice gave birth to Prometheus. Adrian Chase is created from Oliver's killing, the darkest part of him.  Even though Oliver believed he made those choices out of necessity, and honorable reasons, he cannot escape the other haunting question - is there another choice? If there is, what does that choice look like? Where does it lead?

Source: SMOAKS

Oliver's entire team is captured. He's never beat the bad guy by himself. He's always had Felicity and Diggle by his side and Oliver KNOWS this. He knows he cannot do it alone and that means asking for help anywhere he can find it.

Source: captainheroism

There's a sense of trepidation as Oliver enters the ARGUS prison. Slade Wilson is the greatest villain in Arrow's history (or at least he was until Prometheus). So what version of Slade are we going to get? Is it the Slade we fell in love with? The man who taught Oliver Queen how to survive and became a brother to him? Or is it the man we hate? The man who became consumed with revenge and killed Moira Queen.

It would seem the Slade we're going to get is the man of Season 1. The man we love, although he is forever changed by his actions of Season 2. The Mirakuru is out of his system and he's regained his sanity. The rage over Shado's death has settled into a quiet grief. Slade asks Oliver the question we're all asking - why is Oliver asking for his help?

Oliver explains Chase has everyone Oliver holds dear - including Thea and his son. Now, before we Olicity shippers get our panties in a twist I think those mentioned were calculated on Oliver's part. He's trying to get a read on Slade. Slade has expressed guilt over Moira's death, an act Thea bore witness to. By mentioning Thea, Oliver is potentially twisting the guilt knife to illicit Slade's help.

As for William, Slade is a father and if there is humanity in him then I believe Oliver is trying to appeal to his fatherly compassion. Oliver offers Slade his freedom and the chance to find his son, Joe Wilson, to sweeten the pot.

I love that Oliver has been searching for Joe Wilson. Slade was never gone from Oliver's mind. The idea that the son could come back to avenge the father is something that occurred to Oliver I believe.  It's not unlike Adrian Chase, except Oliver knows Joe exists. Oliver wanted to be prepared.  

The one area that is the potential powder keg to this accord between Slade and Oliver is Shado. Shado's death is what kicked off the war to begin with and I think Oliver's omission of Felicity's name, even though she's included in "everyone," is probably wise. Oliver still has the love of his life, whereas Slade does not. Felicity Smoak has always been the red zone between these two men. This is a delicate peace Oliver is brokering. Best not to poke the bear. Speaking from a psychological standpoint, I think it's smart.

The mere fact that Oliver is even considering working with the man who killed his mother shows how desperate he is and... how much he loves everyone Chase has taken. The past doesn't matter when his future is at stake. Oliver sets it aside and asks the man who murdered his mother for help. That takes a strength and grace most people do not have. It would seem Slade Wilson agrees.

Slade: I think I'm stating the obvious when I say I killed your mother. For that alone, you should have killed me.

Oliver: Maybe what's happening now is the reason I didn't.

This is a vitally important line, which is why it is in the first act. For all those worried about the cliffhanger, this is the line you pay attention to because it's the ballgame.

Source:  zorro-rita

There's an extreme amount of hilariousness with Oliver and his new band of Merry Men... err and woman. The sniping between Nyssa and Merlyn is funny enough to make a case for their own spin off. I don't know what this show would be. All I know is I'd watch it. Oliver also frees Boomerang, Digger Harkness, which leads to a confrontation with Nyssa. 

Source: queensarrow 

 ALL HAIL THE QUEEN. 

Although, I would have preferred she'd chosen a different piece of anatomy, but we're still on at 8/7c. Next year kids.

Source:  zorro-rita

Chase blows up Oliver's plane and Team Misfit Toys is completely unfazed. CLASSIC. It does, however, present a problem and makes this remark seem wildly more relevant.

Nyssa & Merlyn split up from Oliver, Slade and Digger. They find the some of the team (Felicity, Thea, Curtis and Samantha) in cages. There's a really fascinating shift as Slade and Oliver divide. Oliver goes to Samantha to inquire about William. Slade immediately moves to Felicity's cage. Given their history, I should be uneasy, but it feels like Slade is working in tangent with Oliver. William is an innocent and Oliver has to find his son, but that doesn't make Felicity any less important to him. So, Slade puts his body in front of the woman he once tried to kill - to protect her. Or maybe I just so desperately want to believe Slade Wilson is redeemable because, a long time ago, I loved him.

It's all too easy because it's supposed to be. Talia shows up with Evelyn and aims an arrow on Samantha while Diggler Hartness pulls a gun on Slade.

Chase already made a deal with him. Evenlyn makes an interesting comment to Slade. She says Chase told them it would be pointless to reach out to him. Chase has done his homework on everyone in Oliver's life. If he thought he could use Slade he would have. Or this is all part of the ruse? Y'all... this is fun. I'm having a good time. 

Digger offers Slade the same deal and it seems like Slade takes him up on it. Now... I missed this watching the episode but that's why we have fandom members with eagle eyes and wonderful gif makers. Slade tells Evelyn to put a gun on Oliver.

This is a call back to 1x14 and @cogentranting does a wonderful job detailing the beauty of this scene. It's a coded message to Oliver. While it may seem like Slade is betraying Oliver, he is not. Slade is telling Oliver exactly what to do, so they can all survive. Oliver executes the move perfectly. Just as Slade trained him.

Source:  arrowsource

He tosses Evelyn like a rag doll. It's awesome. Also, physically speaking incredibly accurate because Amell is a mountain man compared to Madison McLaughlin. 

Source: arrowsource

The little flick of the dagger to knock Talia's arrow, and thus saving Samantha, is the precision we have come to expect from our hero.

Oliver needs to focus on finding William, Diggle, Rene, Quentin and Dinah, so he asks Curtis, Thea, Samantha and Felicity to leave the island. Oh... don't worry. We're going to talk about Olicity. Next section. Hang tight.

With a lull in the action, Slade wants to know what went down between Oliver and Chase. Oliver can't understand why his past continues to come back to haunt him and Slade just decides to lay it out for him in plain English. It's season finale time folks! No time for beating around the bush.

Source:  1-crazy-dreamer

Source: olivergifs

Oliver: You say that like it's easy.

Slade: It's the hardest thing in this world.

I HAVE WAITED FIVE YEARS FOR THIS CONVERSATION. IT WAS WORTH EVERY SECOND. 

This is the shame that has defined Oliver Queen for ten years. It's been a boulder around his neck and no matter how far he goes, there's always some part of him that is still drowning. 

There is always some part of him that is in that boat with his dad. Robert Queen asked his son to survive and Oliver cannot forgive himself that he did. Oliver cannot forgive himself that his father had to die so he could live.

Shame feeds into everything. It infects the very marrow of our bones until it becomes part of our DNA. Until, it starts to define who we are. Robert Queen's death was first domino in a long line of death, pain and loss. It was the first domino of sin that kicked off all the others. 

Oliver chose to cheat on Laurel with Sara. He chose to get on the boat with Sara. This all lead to Robert's death in Oliver's mind and, in some respects, Oliver is right.

However, if Oliver can forgive himself for Robert that will also be a domino effect. This guilt is the most difficult to let go of. Robert's death is the one Oliver blames himself for above all others. But if Oliver can forgive himself for Robert's death, if he can let the shame go, then the forgiveness will also be a domino effect in the same way the guilt was. It will be easier to forgive himself for all the other sins he carries. That's why we're focusing on Robert Queen again. This is where the pain started for Oliver. This is where it must end.

It's fitting for Slade to tell him. Oliver is a man now. The boy his was before Lian Yu is long gone. Yet, when it comes to our parents we will always be children. Oliver will always be that boy in the boat. Before Shado, Mirakuru and Moira, Slade Wilson was Oliver's friend. What's more, he was a father figure to Oliver when he needed one - much like Yao Fei. 

In fact, most of the friends Oliver encountered over those five years were surrogate fathers in their own way. Oliver was constantly searching for a way to connect to his father again, to stop missing what he lost and ease the pain.

Slade knows Oliver. He was by his side those two years on the island. They spent countless nights by the fire. Slade understands Oliver's guilt, because he carries it himself. Not simply for the things he did as Deathstroke, but for surviving too when Shado, and even Billy Wintergreen, did not.  

It all comes down to high noon. Team Arrow and Team Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs face off.  Honestly, I needed commercial breaks just to breathe. The editing, cutting back and forth between flashbacks and present day, is seamless. The juxtaposition between Oliver fighting Chase and Oliver fighting Kovar is also extremely important. It's similar to the way Arrow cut back and forth between Oliver's fight with Slade in the past/present for 2x23 as well. The point is to highlight the different choices Oliver is about to make.

There were two things Robert Queen asked of Oliver on that boat. The first was to right his wrongs. The second was to survive. Oliver has struggled for ten years to understand what those requests meant.

When Oliver kills Kovar I believe he is killing out of survival. However, there is a difference between killing out of survival and killing out of revenge or retribution. It's a delicate balance, one Oliver has struggled to find in himself.

The truth is, he's not on the island anymore. Killing is not the only means of survival and it is not the way justice is best served. Or at least... that's not the justice Robert Queen was asking Oliver to bring to Starling City. Moral justification is not enough of a reason to end someone's life. Oliver is being called to something greater than that. He was called in that boat. It's simply taken him ten years to understand it.

This all started because Robert Queen killed someone. Yes, it was an accident, but it doesn't erase that he hid it. The shame followed Robert. It led to Merlyn and The Undertaking. Death begets death. This cycle all started with killing. So, killing is not the way to end it. Robert was asking his son to be a better man than he was. Robert was asking Oliver to find another way.

Oliver does not kill Chase even though he is morally justified to do so. Chase kidnapped his son. He threatened everything most dear to Oliver. But see... that's the point. 

Oliver began this season believing, because of Laurel's death, that killing needed to be back on the table. As long as he was morally justified in taking a life then he should be willing to do what is necessary. Oliver believed taking a life will ultimately save lives. However, even though we may be morally justified in taking someone's life it doesn't mean that we SHOULD.  That's the lesson Oliver has learned. There is another choice and... there is justice in that choice.

Even more important is Oliver's soul. He's not a monster. He doesn't enjoy killing, but every time he does it strips a piece of his soul. All of the men Oliver killed were evil. I believe the world would be better off without them. However, there is a cost to Oliver's soul. There is a price Oliver and all those he loves will pay. That's the cycle and it will only end when Oliver chooses differently. When Oliver finds another way.

Oliver found another way not so long ago. He had the chance to show Slade Wilson mercy on the island and instead he chose to drive an arrow through is eye. There was a penance for that choice. When the time came for Oliver to choose again... he chose differently.

Source:olivergifs

Oliver cannot kill Chase because then Adrian wins. If he does, then Adrian's truth is correct: All that exists in Oliver is darkness. He killed Adrian's father. Oliver Queen killed his own father. He is death.

But that's a shame Oliver will no longer carry. Adrian can blame Oliver for his father's death. Chase can carry that weight, but Oliver will no longer carry Robert's suicide. He's ready to let it go now.

Source: @callistawolf

Me:

It's a beautiful contrast to one of the most heartbreaking scenes of the episode. After Oliver is rescued he calls his mom. And just like that... Moira is back. She is dressed in a beautiful black dress, on her way out to dinner. It's like a freeze frame on how we began the series , to the way the Queen family was and everything Oliver has lost (and gained) since then. She doesn't believe him at first, but then Moira listens to his voice.

Source:  @callistawolf

Source:  olivergifs

Oliver begs his mother not to hang up and everything he's been shutting down for these past five years comes flooding back all at once. He's a little boy again, who's lost and just wants to come home to his mom. But then Moira asks the question.

Oliver closes his eyes, tears streaming down his face. He can't speak. This is the reason he couldn't go home. This is why he couldn't face his family. He's been running from this call for five years. For so long, Oliver called it "the darkness" and said Moira and Thea wouldn't recognize who he is. But the darkness is his shame. It is Robert Queen. Oliver couldn't bear to tell his mother and sister that Robert is dead. No matter what Oliver does from now on he can never bring his father home.

Source:  @callistawolf

Forgiveness is a grace. It's a grace we give to others and it's one we give to ourselves. We have to choose it like anything else. Oliver finally, after all these years, chooses to forgive himself for Robert's death... and for what came after. This won't be a onetime thing. Oliver will have to choose it every day, but the first time is the hardest.

The guilt and shame falls like an anchor from his chest. We know it does because even when Adrian tells Oliver that William is dead he does not bend.

Source: olivergifs

Honestly I gasped. The mere thought of Oliver losing his son sent a chill down my spine. Anyone losing their child is an unthinkable horror.

Even though we don't know William well the moment still carried a significant emotional weight for me. Who is William? He is a child. An innocent. He is a piece of Oliver that is pure. It doesn't matter that I haven't seen episode after episode of Oliver parenting him. It doesn't matter to me that I haven't seen them playing catch or Felicity teaching William how to code. It doesn't matter to me that I don't know what William likes to play or what subjects he's good at or if he's funny. All of those details will come in time as Oliver embraces fatherhood in a different way. But the innocence of William will always be true. That will always be who he is and what he represents because that's who all children are. That's what all children represent.

Stephen gives a powerhouse performance as he faces Adrian once again. He's right to believe Adrian is manipulating him, but Oliver also acknowledges there exists the possibility that his son his dead. 

His voice shatters, the strength breaking from the thought of such an overwhelming grief. There could be no greater moral justification than taking the life of the person who took the life of your child. 

Source: arrowsource

Yet, even then Oliver refuses to kill Chase. Yes, because then Adrian would win but also because the cycle of death that started with Robert Queen needs to be broken.  

A hero is called to be more than we believe we are capable of. A hero holds to a code, in the face of insurmountable odds, and refuses to bend. It is how they become the example, the beacon of light, for everyone else. Oliver holds to his code. He refuses to bend. Not even if his son is dead.

Of course, Chase has a few final moves on the chess board left. He's rigged the island to explode, but it's a dead man's trigger. If Oliver kills Chase then everyone dies. It's such a poetically insane fruition to Chase's plan.

Oliver goes after William and they cut between him running through the woods in present day versus the flashback. Oliver is running to a boat in both instances. He's running towards home in the past and the present. In the flashback, Oliver is running towards home with the weight of the past on his shoulders. 

Source: olivergifs

In the present, Oliver is running towards home, but is free of the past. He is running to the future. Except, William represents a future, a home, Oliver never dreamed possible five years ago.

Oliver Queen always had a light inside him. He always believed that it was the darkness that helped him survive, but now he understands differently. Oliver embraces the truth of who he is.  He is not a killer. Not anymore. He's become someone else... he's become something else. That man has the strength to let the guilt go. That man has the will to show mercy to his enemies. That man has the courage to love without fear of loss. That man doesn't just want to survive. He wants to live.

We started this journey with Oliver Queen running through a darkened forest and igniting a fire. 

It was a signal to the boat, but also a symbol of his rebirth. The fires of Purgatory made him something new, but his journey wasn't over. He was just beginning.

Source: @callistawolf

Now, we are watching Oliver run through a forest of light. The sun beams down on him as he chases after his son. Oliver Queen has chosen life in every way possible. This is the evolution we've waited for.  It's the man Robert Queen never imagined, yet always believed Oliver could become. It's the man Robert gave his life for. There is nothing but light because Oliver is that light. He is The Green Arrow.

It means Oliver is ready for one final test. One final choice. Oliver and Prometheus battle on a boat, where this all began. Chase leads them out into the very same waters where Robert Queen died and brings out William. 

Oliver's terror chokes in his throat and he holds the arrow on Chase, but his hand is shaking. 

Source:olivergifs

He's been here before. Oliver lost his innocence in this very same spot. It hollowed him out and he's fought for ten years to claw his way back. Now, he's facing that loss again. Only this time he is not the son. He is the father.

Chase remarks how Oliver only seems concerned about William despite his entire team trapped on the island facing certain death. This is an extremely smart writing choice. It addresses the "What about Felicity?" and "What about Diggle?" questions head on.

Oliver tells Chase his team can handle themselves. This is a moment of monumental growth for Oliver. There was a time Oliver couldn't fathom trusting anyone out of fear of losing them.  Now, Oliver puts his faith in his team. He believes they can save themselves. He entrusts his heart into their hands.

Oliver is also acknowledging they are all soldiers. Felicity, Diggle, Quentin, Thea, Curtis, Rene and Dinah chose this life. Oliver respects their choice. William chose nothing. I firmly believe every single team member, INCLUDING FELICITY,  would tell Oliver to choose his son. Every team member would take a bullet for William or any child for that matter. They are heroes. And no, Samantha is not a member of Team Arrow. She didn't choose this life, but she is William's mother. She will gladly give up her life for him. Oliver is exactly where he needs to be.

Chase gives Oliver the choice. Save William by killing Chase and therefore his entire team OR let Chase kill William and the team survives.  Oliver faced a similar choice with Moira and Thea with Slade. Slade was driven by revenge, fueled by an intense grief over the loss of Shado. Even in all his madness, there was humanity in that evil. But Chase? He's only driven by the hollow truth he lives by - that Oliver Queen is a monster. This isn't about revenge over his father. Chase believes Oliver freed him with that act. He could become who he was meant to be. Now, Chase wants to return the favor. He wants to reveal who Oliver truly is. Adrian simply wants to be proven right. There is no humanity in Sam Morrison.

Oliver refused to choose between Moira and Thea, so his mother chose for him. 

Oliver and Felicity found another way. They always had the upper hand with Slade. 

This time is different. Chase has the upper hand. The choice is Oliver's and his alone.

So much of Oliver's life is made up of these moments. Times when he wished he'd gone left instead of right. Choosing between who lives and who dies. It's been ten years of making these choices and learning from them.

Part of the challenge of being a hero, being worthy of the mantle, is to find a way out when your back is against the wall. When presented with Option A or B, a hero has to find C. That's what Oliver failed to do in Season 4... and it's what he does now. He lowers the bow, seemingly like the choice is made. Oliver is going to let Chase kill his son... but then he fires. It's not a kill shot. 

Source: itberice

It goes into Adrian's foot, but it's enough to give Oliver the chance to pull William away. Oliver doesn't make a choice between William and his team. He finds another way.

Source:  olivergifs

Oliver holding William makes me so emotional. Oliver lost his father, but he saved his son.  Also, points for wearing a green hoodie William. I like you kid.

Source:  songbin

But Adrian Chase punishes Oliver for refusing to choose. He whispers to Oliver about how much he and William will need each other. How lonely it will be without Mom... and Felicity. Then Chase puts a gun to his head and pulls the trigger.  It's a horrific parallel to the same choice Robert Queen made. 

Only Robert killed himself to save Oliver's life. 

Source:  olivergifs

Adrian Chase kills himself to destroy Oliver's life.

Source:  songbin

The flash of Chase's gun reflects in Oliver's eyes and the horror of what is about to happen hits him. Oliver turns, holding his son, and watches as Lian Yu, the island called Purgatory, bursts into flames and takes everyone Oliver loves with it.  A final recompense for Oliver's sins? (Shh... no. Hang in there with me.)

The boy, who lost his father, now is the father with only his boy.

source:  itberice 

What makes this tragedy all the worse is that Oliver is finally ready to be the brother, friend and husband he is meant to be. The weight that held him back from the future he is meant to have, with the  family he fought so hard to build, is gone. In the moment Oliver is free, in the moment he is truly home, he loses everything again.

So that's it huh? Blew up the cast. Game over. Thanks a lot Arrow.

HA. Right. Come on kiddos. Don't tell me you buy that for a hot second. There's more to it.  I raised you better. 

This idea of blowing up the cast (via boat and not island) bounced around the fandom for awhile and I always had a beef with it because... HOW IS THAT A CLIFFHANGER? 

I still hold to that beef. (Not with those who had the idea, but simply from a writing standpoint).  I believe Marc has confirmed Emily, David, Paul and Willa will all be back for Season 6 on his Tumblr. (I'm too lazy to look for it, but it's there folks.) So, we know they survive. It doesn't make for much of a cliffhanger.

Well... unless the question isn't who survived, but rather HOW they survive. Admittedly, Samantha, Slade and Evelyn are all possible fatalities, but the series regulars are safe. I am confident about that. That's where things get interesting though. That's where Arrow reveals a potential long game that's been a few years in the making. If I'm right. So, how does Team Arrow survive?

Slade Wilson.

There has been ONE villain Oliver Queen has not killed. Despite being absolutely morally justified in killing him, Oliver showed Slade mercy. 

And why? Because he made a promise to Tommy. 

Because Felicity believed he could find another way. 

Oliver held to that promise and that belief in the face of crushing rage and grief.

And in the end... found the way.

Oliver began this season believing killing was necessary. He chose not to kill Damien Darhk and Laurel died. Therefore, killing had to be back on the table to save lives. To make sure what happened to Laurel never happened to anyone else he loves.

But what if... the opposite is true? What if mercy offers Oliver that same opportunity? What if mercy can also save lives? 

Slade's desire for redemption is clear. He more than proved his loyalty to Oliver in "Lian Yu." Slade protects Felicity. He refuses to leave without Oliver and William. And... nobody knows this island better.

It's a move on the chess board Adrian Chase couldn't have foreseen because it's something a man like Chase could never understand. The one villain Oliver offered life to will be the man who saves the lives of everyone he holds dear. Oliver found another way three years before Prometheus ever came into their lives and that choice is what will beat Adrian in the end.

Oliver will return to the island. He will not leave without being sure. He won't leave another body behind on the island that already took so many. When Oliver does he will find his loved ones and the lesson that's been years in the making.

Life begets life.

Source:  queensarrow

Olicity

Oh the FEELS. I LIVE FOR THIS ANGSTY SHIT!!!

Listen, the point of Season 5 was for Oliver to finally get his crap together so he could be ready for a relationship with Felicity Smoak. Felicity had some stuff to work on her end too, don't get me wrong, but it was mostly Oliver.

So, I wasn't expecting too much of an Olicity focus simply because we needed to close out this five year journey and Oliver's emotional baggage. This puts a big spotlight on Oliver for the finale, which I'm fine with. I had different goals for 5x23. I wanted emotional resolution on all the stuff I just spent 15 pages talking about. Felicity is the future and "Lian Yu" is very much about Oliver dealing with the past, so he can be ready for that future.

BUT I am extremely happy with the Olicity scene we did get. Oliver finds his girl, of course, but the fact that he's aligned with the man who put a sword to her throat does not go unnoticed.

Source:  westallenolicitygifs

Oh how I love a communicative Olicity. Also, Felicity is the boss. Never forget it.

Oliver tells Malcolm to get them off the island, but Felicity doesn't want to leave Oliver. 

But he can't risk her. 

Source:  sharingmyworld 

Oh... I will never grow tired of the 2x23 dance. Let us waltz this waltz forever with my loves.

This time is a little different than 2x23. William is a factor and Oliver needs to focus on finding his son. He can't do that if he's worrying about Felicity and if she's on the island then he's going to be worrying about her. That puts both their lives in danger. Just jump into Oliver's waking nightmare.

Oliver is all business at first, giving Felicity detailed imagery of the island "just in case." Felicity hesitates for just a moment, 

but then she stands on her tiptoes (I love that she has to do that) and pulls Oliver to her. 

It's a sweet and gentle kiss. Oliver is surprised at first, but in spite of the madness surrounding them, he allows himself a moment. A moment to breathe her in and to feel her lips against his. He's missed her. He's missed this. Lian Yu melts away and it's just the two of them again.

When it ends, the "all business" approach is gone. He's her Oliver. 

He softens his voice, to the tone that's reserved just for Felicity. There's a little smile playing on his lips, but he can't hide his surprise. So much for hypothetically dating huh big fella?

Source:  gothsmoak

Felicity is scared. 

Oliver reassures her that they will make it through, but Felicity is right. He can't know that.  

Source:amanitacaplan

They've both made their fair share of mistakes, but not kissing Oliver is one Felicity won't allow. She won't regret that. YOUR OTP COULD NEVER

Feeling regretful is a natural part of rebuilding. You wish you said and did things differently. It can take awhile to realize that maybe it all happened the way it was supposed to. That the lessons you learned from the breaking were just as important if you had never broken at all.

What does Felicity regret? Closing the door forever. For losing faith Oliver could change. 

Not telling Oliver she was leaving the door open for them. 

Dating Billy. (Alright that one might be mine.) 

Pushing him away because she was hurt and angry. 

Wasting so much time because she was terrified to get hurt again.

It doesn’t mean Felicity should regret all of this. It’s simply where her mind and heart is right now. And yes... Oliver has regrets too. We spent a lot of time on them from 5x17-5x23, so Imma gonna skip the gifs.

It's why he tells Felicity they will talk about it when find their way off the island.... when they go home. Together. 

It's such a beautifully soft and tender moment. A gentle reminder to Oliver of everything he is fighting to save.

Source: underconstruction87

Slade is wildly interested in Oliver's personal life. He can't understand how Oliver married Ra's Al Ghul's daughter and not "the blonde." Welcome to the fandom Wilson. Bar in the back. We've been getting boozy over 3x22 for awhile now.

Oliver says Nyssa talks too much, but Slade is all, "TELL ME MORE." 

It's like his own personal version of Days of Our Lives. I mean... the guy has gone without television for awhile. While we're on the subject, he'd like to know what's happening on Days of Our Lives.

We also had a long awaited conversation between Felicity and Samantha. Felicity stating again how she wasn't in favor of Oliver sending William away, but then pointedly adding that she wasn't consulted, gives me life. 

It pretty much sums up the break up too, which is why it's funny to me that Felicity tells Samantha it's "complicated." 

No precious unicorn. That's about the it. I think Felicity is being gracious because she has to co-parent with this woman. If you want to talk reasons for Oliver and Felicity breaking up, let's start with your RIDICULOUS AND ILLOGICAL ultimatum Samantha.  

Pause. I have to start doing my breathing exercises. Otherwise I slip back into 4x08 Ragey Jen.  

Okay, I'm good.

Source:  felicitys

Seriously, everybody ships these two. One kiss and Samantha is sold. Bar is in the back honey. Slade is drinking a Mai Tai with Diggle and Curtis.

I was sent some of tweets about Samantha being jealous. 

She wasn't jealous. I vehemently disagree. Perhaps she was exhausted from being held in a cage, sick of walking through the woods and worried to death about William. But I am confident there are no "feelings" for Oliver there. Samantha is simply pointing out the obvious. There is so much love between Oliver and Felicity and that love can conquer whatever is "complicated."

PREACH MY SISTER. Keep talking like this and stop complicating things for my babies with your crazy ultimatums and you can stay.

The final scene with Chase is eerily horrifying because we know what's going to happen.  We know just as Oliver has become the man Felicity knew he always could be... he's going to lose her.

Robert Queen's final word was, "Survive." 

Chase's final word is a name, "Felicity." 

The pairing in the parallel is clear. Felicity is where the road to survival led. Their love brought Oliver back to life.

Source:  feilcityqueen

Chase posed the Thea versus Felicity question to Oliver. While I believe Oliver cannot live without either of these women, Chase answers it. Adrian knows Oliver. He knows that when the day is over, and William is asleep in bed, the loneliness will settle in. Oliver will ache to hold Felicity and hear the sound of voice. Thea is Oliver's family, but Felicity is his life. She is the life Oliver secretly dreamed of, but never thought possible. He wanted to raise William with her, have children with her, and grow old with her. And in flash... she's gone.

Source: gothsmoak

Yeah... except she's not. 

We know she's not because Arrow is not insane. We're going to tune in for Season 6 and watch as Oliver reunites with the love of his life, after thinking she died, AND we'll be in a 9 pm time slot baby!!!

It's been a long road back to Oliver and Felicity, but I believe it was worth every step of the journey. Even the wildly frustrating ones. If Arrow paralleling Robert Queen's "survive" with the final word spoken at the end of this five year journey ("Felicity") does not confirm their endgame status to you then honestly folks... I do not know what will. 

Felicity was always the last piece to this puzzle. When Oliver and Felicity are reunited next season they will finally begin to live that puzzle, the whole picture, in the life they build together.

Malcolm Merlyn and Thea Queen

Source: arrowsource

Oh Thea. Never change. As predicated, Merlyn goes out in a blaze of glory. He takes Thea's place on the landmine. His speech to her is moving and, despite being super evil, pretty accurate about parenthood.

The death happens off screen, and Merlyn is the magician after all, so I'm always a little wary. We've danced this dance before Arrow! 

However, given that the entire island blew up I feel it's safe to say that Merlyn is dead. It's fitting too. He's the reason Oliver ended up on Lian Yu. This should be the place Malcolm Merlyn dies. Malcolm took Oliver's father from him, but his death saves his sister. He is also able to give Thea what he was never able to give Tommy - he put his child above his own desires.

Source: zorro-rita

Of course, Merlyn goes out like the bad ass motherfucker he is - taking Digger and a bunch of LOA members with him. My sincerest hope is the character remains dead. I love John Barrowman, but Merlyn has reached the finish line. This is a necessary end to the villain who started it all. It's a good death.

Thea's emotional conflict over Merlyn's death is played out so beautifully by Willa Holland. This is what Doug Ross (ER) had to say after his father died:

"I hated the son of a bitch and I loved him."

Pretty much sums up Thea and Merlyn for me. Thea shares her emotional turmoil with Felicity. She lists all the horrible things Malcolm has done, but she cannot help missing him. No one understands more than Felicity Smoak. Her own father is quite a piece of work too. Felicity gently tells Thea that yes, her father was super evil, but he loved her in his own way.  

Source:amanitacaplan

Then, she kisses Thea on the forehead and hugs her. This is the sisterly bonding I need.

My hope is with Merlyn's death that Thea is freed from some of her pain in the same way Oliver is freed from his. By sacrificing himself for his daughter, hopefully Thea can see there can be good even in a monster.  If there can be goodness in a man like Malcolm Merlyn, then Thea has no reason to fear what is inside her.

Nyssa and Talia Al Ghul

The action and fight sequences are exceptional in "Lian Yu" (ALL THE PRAISE JAMES BAMFORD), but I have to say one of my favorite fights is  between Nyssa and Talia Al Ghul. 

This is the heavy weight fight I waited all season for.

Talia obviously has her issues with Nyssa for aligning with Oliver Queen. However, I'm glad Arrow took the time for Nyssa to outline her issues with Talia. 

Source:  itberice

She essentially abandoned Nyssa to their tyrant father because Talia craved power.  We're all aware of Ra's Ah Ghul's stance on Nyssa's sexuality, so growing up with that man had to be a nightmare. A nightmare Talia may have been able to ease if she put family over power. 

TEAM NYSSA ALL THE WAY! The kicking of Talia's ass was one of the episode highlights for me.

Source:  sonadoras

Bl*ck S*ren and Bl*ck C*nary.

The Screaming Canaries is another showdown highlight.  I know who my Canary is!!! 

Source:  sharingmyworld

Their canary cries canceling each other out is pretty hilarious though.

BS is straight up evil in the finale, as predicted.  She gave zero fucks about Oliver and did nothing to help anyone. Villain, villain, villain and a bumbling one at that! 

Slade tricks her into believing he is on Chase's team, which gives Oliver the opportunity to give Dinah her canary collar thing. This is good. Let's keep this up for S6.

No joke, I legit SCREAMED when this happened.

Source: sharingmyworld

SO. MUCH. GLORIOUSNESS. It's bloody fantastic Quentin Lance anoints Dinah Drake as the Bl*ck C*nary and in the episode she's facing off with BS.

This entire exchange is so much GOLD. 

Source:  lindsayshalstead

BAM. 

Bitch goes down!!!!

“FOR SO MANY REASONS.”

Arrow never grows tired of shading the haters and if these are the scenes we're going to get now that KC is back then consider me SOLD. This is going to be so much fun.

If any Felicity Smoak hater comes into your yard blustering about Arrow blowing her up, simply remind them they blew up their fave AGAIN. Except not a single character cares. Well, first apply logic and tell them neither character was blown up. But when that inevitably fails use the above argument.

Stray Thoughts

Pretty seamless transition from this finale to the pilot. Although, I have questions for Oliver's hairdresser. Did Oliver pay the hairdresser off when he/she removed the wig?

Let's talk about the smoke trick thing. Is there a trap door? The smoke doesn't travel far enough for them to run even 100 feet. WHERE DO THEY GO?

Helicopter can't make a single shot. Oliver takes down in one. Oh TV I love you.

"If it's anything like the three gulf streams I used to have, yes." Malcolm continues to be a 1%er asshole up until the end. Points for consistency.

Oliver asking Thea to keep Samantha and Felicity safe makes me emotional. There's no one Oliver trusts more with his future wife. QUEEN SIBILINGS FOREVER.

Curtis keeps Felicity safe? Hmmm. Nice try. More like the other way around, but okay Arrow.

"Sort of a sweet kid actually. You sure he's yours?" Chase you are an evil dick of the supreme order, but I will miss your Joker level loony tunes. Josh Segarra was phenomenal. BEST. VILLAIN. EVER.

Source:  sharingmyworld

Rene being supportive is cute. They can date next year. I'm down.

Protective Father Oliver is hot.

They didn’t want to let go. I’m not crying. There’s just something in my eye. *sniffie*

Source: songbin

We blew up Lian Yu. It would have been way more awesome (and far less terrifying) if all my children weren't on it, but I'm willing to recognize blowing up the island is the shit.

So a couple ideas for 6x01. I think the team either made it to the bunker or to the plane. My bet is we'll see how they survive and then there's a five month time jump. IF there are flashbacks they might be  immediately post 5x23.

I guarantee you there are pilot/finale parallels I missed. I am perfectly okay with that.

Season 5 wrap up will be coming later! Stay tuned!

Disclaimer: Any gifs on the blog are not mine. If you would like a gif removed from my reviews, please message me. 5x23 episode gifs credited.

[thecoroutfitters]

A car is approaching in high speed and one second after you hear the wheels rolling over bodies that collapse right next to you. You hear shotgun fires and you see people running in despair around you. You don’t know where the danger comes from and you can’t see your way out of this. You’re caught in the middle of a human turmoil that sweeps you and flows against your will.

How are you going to make it out? How are you going to survive?

The answer is simple but tricky: it’s not only the immediate actions that save you, but what you should have done before.

Safety Becomes Obsolete

When things turn sideways, like they did a couple of days ago in Manhattan or sooner in Las Vegas, you need to understand and accept that there is no safe place, and nobody – and especially the government – is not going to save you. Holding out an unrealistic hope that there is a safe place or that others will take care of you will cause you to perish.

It is up to you to find a way to survive, facing a danger that you could hardly anticipate in a matter of seconds.

Power in Numbers?

Crowded areas and military outposts, if these even exist, will be fraught with danger. Actually, in any type of disaster or chaotic situation, crowds and crowded areas can pose a very big threat to your safety and even your survival.

Look at what happened in New Orleans, Louisiana during and immediately after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. There was mass looting, assaults, sexual assaults, murders, and even police officers who shot and killed some of the people in a group of survivors who were crossing Danziger Bridge trying to find help.

Experts have found that in almost any life threatening or survival situation 3 out of 4 people become so bewildered or overwhelmed that they are mentally paralyzed, and they cannot act in their own best interest when it comes to staying alive and surviving.

Another 10% will be extremely dangerous because they will lose it and freak out, putting everyone in their vicinity at high risk of danger.

Only around 15% of individuals will stay calm and analyze the situation rationally. Would you be one of them?

3 Second SEAL Test Will Tell You If You’ll Survive A SHTF Situation

Why are crowds so dangerous despite of the large number of people they include?

A large number of people together could make the entire area or group much more noticeable or attractive to people looking for an easy score. This will attract other groups who may want to harm you or take what you need to survive.

Rioting could break out and leave you open to attack.

In a disaster or other chaotic event which is life threatening large groups could attract the attention of military or law enforcement, and you could end up in a deadly situation that you can’t get out of if these groups see you and others with you as a threat.

Large numbers of people that you do not know greatly increases the danger because any one of them could become unhinged or dangerous at any time. You could quickly become targeted for theft, assault, or even something worse.

A crowd can quickly go from calm to a full stampede in very little time. If you get caught up in a large throng of people all pushing you could end up trapped, or even crushed to death from the force of the crowd.

When your life depends on keeping a low profile and avoiding any unnecessary attention the last place you want to be is in a crowd of people. Stay isolated and avoid crowds and crowded areas whenever possible if you want to stay safe!

The Sense We Call Situational Awareness

The simplest definition of situational awareness is to be completely aware of everyone and everything around you, paying close attention to even smaller details that many people would miss. When you are aware of all the important elements of a situation then you are far less likely to be caught by surprise or end up in danger.

Identify all the critical elements of the situation, process this information in a calm manner, and then comprehend how this could impact you.

If you see some men fighting down the block or a large mob gathered you can avoid the situation and protect yourself from any danger. If you are walking along in your own little world you could end up entering a very dangerous situation. You need to know where you are, what is going on around you, and how to escape the situation in the fastest way possible if this becomes necessary.

Practicing your situational awareness can seem like a game while training you for almost any survival or disaster situation. Make a habit of really paying attention to your surroundings and other people, taking note of even small details like the color of a building or what a person ahead of you in line is wearing.

After paying attention to your situation close your eyes and try to remember what you have seen and experienced. What color was that woman’s dress?. Where are the two exits closest to you in the building? As you practice you will be able to answer these types of questions faster because you will pay more attention to detail from the beginning.

Look around you and try to find things that seem out of the ordinary or abnormal in some way. If it is 100 degrees outside yet a man is wearing a trench coat or large jacket this can be a red flag. If a woman is standing still on a street corner and is holding a cigarette with a long ash but she does not take a puff for some time this is unusual. Someone who is profusely sweating while staying still when it is cold out would be suspicious.

When you first enter any building always make a mental note of the exits, especially those that are closest to you.

Look at the people around you and try to determine what they do, where they are headed, and what they are thinking. This will help you pay closer attention to every detail about that purpose and over time you will become more observant in a shorter time.

Visualize an emergency situation, such as a mass shooter or a bomb explosion, and practice what you would do in your head. This is similar to visualization and it can be very beneficial for this type of situational awareness training.

Predator vs. Prey or Alpha vs. Beta

All animals fall into one of two categories: predator or prey, namely those who kill to survive, and those who are killed for food. What the predator versus prey mentality means in a survival situation? Being prey means being a victim and the possibility of not surviving. Animals can’t choose the category they belong to, but you can turn from pray to predator if you train your skills and mindset well enough to make the swipe from one category to another.

Today the word predator is associated with negative things, but in a survival situation a predator survives while prey usually does not.

Another way to look at it is using alpha and beta model instead of predator and prey. The predator is an alpha, a top dog, someone who is dominant that others look up to and want to be like. Prey is a beta a follower instead of a leader and who is submissive to others. Alphas always tend to come out on top in any situation while betas rarely do. If you want to survive then you need to become an alpha, a predator.

If people around you see you as weak, then they’ll try to take advantage of this weakness, and this threatens your survival when things become more primitive and it is everyone for themselves.

How to awake and train you alpha senses

Project confidence. This is different from being cocky or aggressive. When you are confident in your skills and abilities then this shows, and others pick up on it. Kill off negative thoughts that erode your confidence before these thoughts can take root and grow. Replace negative thoughts with positive affirmations.

You need to be psychologically dominant in order to stay alive, because this can prevent danger in the first place. This means refusing to submit and letting others know that you will do what is necessary if push comes to shove.

Use body language to your advantage. Foes may be able to tell just from your stance, your facial expressions, and other obvious body language whether you will put up any resistance. If you seem like an easy target you are more likely to be engaged by an enemy. Assume an

aggressive or fighting stance with your feet placed apart for stability. Stand up straight and look the opponent directly in the eyes.

Learn to adapt to any environment or situation. Be realistic about what your strengths and weaknesses are, and then minimize the weaknesses that you have while maximizing your strengths.

Practice persistence, even if you initially fail. Predators never give up and neither should you. Set a difficult goal, such as walking 2 miles with a 40-pound pack, and then be persistent in trying to meet it. Eventually you will reach this goal, and you will learn the value of

patience while your confidence goes up.

Practice situational awareness and mindfulness. Prey goes through life blindly, hoping that they will not come across a predator. An alpha will pay attention to even the smallest details and everything in their environment so that they fully understand the situation and can respond appropriately to any threat.

When your life is on the line, safety is just an illusion while everything is out of control, and feeling safe will make let your guard down. This makes you vulnerable and could leave you open to attack.

Don’t become a victim or put your survival at risk with a false sense of security. Train your senses and your skills to overcome the danger and survive!

This article has been written by John Gilmore for Survivopedia.

from Survivopedia Don't forget to visit the store and pick up some gear at The COR Outfitters. How prepared are you for emergencies? #SurvivalFirestarter #SurvivalBugOutBackpack #PrepperSurvivalPack #SHTFGear #SHTFBag

[real6lacktony]

Version:1.0 StartHTML:000000244 EndHTML:000080888 StartFragment:000051367 EndFragment:000080832 StartSelection:000051598 EndSelection:000080797 SourceURL:https://www.ssense.com/en-za/editorial/fashion/triple-s-to-xxx-the-data-of-desire Triple S To XXX: the Data of Desire | SSENSE                          

English

login

wishlist

shopping bag (0)

Français

日本語

(0)

Triple S To XXX: the Data of Desire

SSENSE and Pornhub Partner To Examine the Relationship Between Fashion and Human Sexuality

Text: merritt k

“Sex is worth dying for,” once quipped Foucault, as he mused that the most important form of modern political leverage is control over our reproductive functions. Could he have predicted today’s digitally-fuelled brave new world, for which there exists a porn video for any given sexual whim, no matter how eccentric? Perhaps porn sites wield far more cultural influence than we give them credit for.

We partner with Pornhub Insights to examine the data of desire, at what reveals itself at the intersection of fashion and pornography. Here, we turn our attention to the sneaker. Equipped with data surrounding sneaker-related porn consumption, writer merritt k considers its broader implications and connection to the fashion industry.

In the late 2000s, a group of Canadian men repeatedly lined up days in advance for the releases of high-end consumer electronics—iPods, gaming consoles, and so on. Purchasing these products using funds they'd raised online, they would then remove the items from their packaging and dash them to the ground in front of the rest of the line of consumers. Wails of despair and anger could often be heard from the crowds, intermixed with pleas that they just give the expensive item to someone in line rather than trash it.

Was this a kind of psychic revolt against consumerism? A voyeuristic spectacle? A cheap stunt for attention by bored young men with no underlying political content?

The answer seems to be, "yes." Plus, it was probably pretty fun.

The image of a desirable gadget reduced to fragments of plastic, circuitry, and metal is a complicated one, embodying waste, excess, amusement, and denial, among other things. Like all wreckage, it captures the eye. But I'd like to ask you to shift your gaze away from the wreck, to pan ever so slightly to the line of young men waiting for their own chance to purchase one for themselves. Check out their feet. What are they wearing? More than likely, sneakers—a form of apparel fraught with a complex history, whether slipped on a foot, sitting in a box, or, echoing the image of the ruined electronics, dripping with cum.

The line between sneaker culture and sneaker fetishism, then, isn’t always clear.

Yes, people jack off in, on, and around sneakers. It's a thing. Data from Pornhub shows sneakers coming in at number 993 in overall searches on the site. That might seem low, but consider that these queries include studios, performer names, specific acts, and so on. This means that people search for sneakers thousands of times a day. Of all apparel-related porn searches, items relating to feet such as boots, socks, and, of course, sneakers occupy 20% of the top twenty list on Pornhub.

Why are people into sneaker porn? We could start to answer this question by discussing the role of feet in broader trampling and worship fetishes, how they're an abject part of the body culturally coded as filthy and thus available to use in fantasies of degradation and submission. And, I mean, it's 2018—feet are mainstream now, just search "and she got feet" on Twitter.

But we're not just talking about feet here—we're talking about what's on them. And the meanings associated with, say, stiletto boots are very different from those associated with knee socks, which are different still from those associated with the humble sneaker. And to understand the appeal of sneakers specifically, we need to talk about the history of footwear.

Featured In This Image: Vetements sneakers.

While casual wear ascended to popularity amongst men and women in the latter half of the 20th century, the sneaker qua sneaker has become an object tied to male athletic performance, wealth, and prestige. Similar to how the combat or work boot is an erotic symbol of authority, power, and rugged masculinity, the sneaker is associated with masculine personas like the skater, the sports star, and the rapper. And since the explosive rise of the sneaker in the 80s and 90s, the shoe has arguably become the male equivalent of the high heel in terms of status, price, and desirability.

Like a pair of Louboutins, high-end sneakers are meant to be collected, seen, and adored. Some of the most expensive, sought-after sneakers are rarely worn and in this sense are no more functional than $700 stilettos. Unless you're wealthy enough to rarely be on your feet and to have backup pairs available when they inevitably get scuffed, they'll likely spend most of their time in a box.

Sneakers, then, straddle the line between the practical combat boot and the ornamental pump. In this sense they’ve shifted away from the image of the physically dynamic wearer they began with, now occupying more ambiguous ground. And they're footwear with a charged history, culminating in the early 1990s panics around “sneaker killings,” which often conspicuously targeted prominent black celebrities like Michael Jordan and Spike Lee for their purported role in instigating violence over sought-after brands.

So it would seem wrong, to assume that sneaker porn is a straightforwardly masculine fetish and leave it at that—to do so would be to ignore the strata of meanings heaped upon by sneakers over the past several decades. And these meanings are always being excavated and reappropriated by subcultural elements in much the same way as historical accoutrements of torture and slavery have been taken up by queer sadomasochism.

Of course, in attending to the symbolic we shouldn't completely eschew the physical. The complex tactile pleasures of leather have been well-documented by theorists of sadomasochism and those pleasures are at play with sneakers as well. It's easy enough to recognize the visual beauty of footwear, which after all is the primary criteria of value in high-end and celebrity-branded sneakers. But to touch the soft leather, the careful stitching, to slide one's foot into a plush enclosure reveals another kind of beauty. So why should it be any surprise that people find pleasure in touching, rubbing, smelling, licking, and even fucking them? As one self-described sneaker fetishist puts it, "It feels pretty good, especially if the sneakers are more narrow like Shox, adidas Racers, or Puma Speedcats.”

This kind of physical intimacy with sneakers brings the body back into contact with a piece of apparel that's increasingly divorced from its original function. Huffing, caressing, and fucking sneakers, using them to trample another person, or even simply fucking someone while wearing them is a physical act, albeit one that runs counter to the designed function of the shoes. These practices are the mirror of the unworn sneaker collection: dedicated in their adoration yet expressing that adoration through physical means.

But even this may be overstating the division between fetishist and fan. When a sneakerhead pulls his shoes out of their box and delicately fondles them, inhales their scent, or shows them off, the difference between his actions and those appearing in sneaker porn seem more of degree rather than of kind. The line between sneaker culture and sneaker fetishism, then, isn’t always clear.

And the use of sneakers as an easy reference to a whole set of identities (erotic and otherwise) isn't limited to porn, either. Fashion always wants us to aspire to something better, different, or richer—the whole purpose of mass market advertising is to inspire associations with products. But these associations aren't always handed down from above, and sometimes consumers repurpose them in ways that run counter to the expectations and desires of fashion brands—see for instance the early 2000s "chav" adoption of Burberry’s iconic beige check pattern. Could sneaker companies, then, try to get porn featuring their footwear taken offline? It's possible, but it seems unlikely—not to mention a little late.

Featured In This Image: Raf Simons sneakers.

Featured In This Image: Balenciaga sneakers.

If any brand did pursue a takedown of sneaker porn featuring their products, it would likely be in an effort to protect their image against "unfriendly" associations. (Remember when the games company Blizzard asked people to stop drawing pornography of their characters?) But to do so would be to expose an anxiety at the heart of this moment in capitalism and especially with regards to luxury products: that we are all in love, we just express it differently. Not many of us masturbate on our shoes or phones, but most of us touch them and keep them close on a daily basis. Yet the Fight Club-esque analysis that "your things come to own you" falls a little flat for me, because there is indeed something pleasurable about our relations with the designed world.

In post-industrial societies, no gesture, no pose, no desire exists outside or before the base framework of capitalist exchange. As Sonic the Hedgehog tells us, there is no ethical consumption under capitalism. At the same time, consumption is a complex process that involves symbolic values, social influences, and often erotic desires, all enmeshed within production networks based on exploitation and enrichment of affluent countries and corporations at the expense of the rest of the world.

In a sense, then, sneaker porn but is the logic of object love taken to its extreme. But in another, pushing past "normal", acceptable levels of interest in everyday objects to reach explicit sexual fascination (the classic definition of a fetish) creates the potential for rupture. Taking love to the point that it manifests in destruction—smearing shoes in saliva and cum or scuffing them up on some else's back—isn't simply a form of nihilism, a simplistic consumerist romance, or an expression of violent masculine sexuality. It's a complicated gesture that reveals the erotic constructions of identities under capitalism.

This article is a collaboration with Pornhub. For the full analysis with more detailed data visualizations, and more details on the data behind the story, please visit the Pornhub Insights version of this story.

merritt k is a writer and podcaster. Her writing has appeared in Real Life Mag, MEL Magazine and Kotaku amongst other publications.

Text: merritt k

Director: Nik Mirus / L’ÉLOI, Caravane

艺术指导: Francis Dakin-Coté / Caravane, Jean-Constant Guigue / L’ÉLOI

Post-Production: Francis Dakin-Coté / Caravane, Jean-Constant Guigue / L’ÉLOI

Composer: Loïc Ouaret

Production: Karyne Bond / L’ÉLOI

[nrip]

The Legalities Behind HIPAA and Social Media -

A well-executed social media campaign can be extremely beneficial to a medical aesthetics practice. Millions of businesses use social media channels—such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram—to increase their brand awareness, and successful social media campaigns can help build strong bonds between practices and their patients.

Unfortunately, medical aesthetic practices and medical spas are particularly susceptible to certain types of social media violations that can attract the attention of the federal government, and investigators will not care whether or not you were aware of these transgressions. You must educate yourself about what you can and can’t post on social media channels to stay on the right side of health care privacy laws.

Understanding Your Identity

It’s important that medical aesthetic and medical spa physicians, owners and operators understand that these practices are, in fact, medical institutions—unorthodox medical institutions, certainly, but medical institutions nonetheless. However, they exist in an unusual market. The services they offer are elective, so they typically market themselves in ways that traditional health care outlets do not. They often present their services as commodities, in much the same way as outlets such as traditional spas and salons do. And because the medical aesthetics market is expanding, there is a great deal of competition for a prospective client’s attention, so marketing campaigns need to be cost-efficient and effective.

This is why many medical aesthetic practices and medical spas turn to social media to help publicize their businesses. However, it is shockingly easy for such a practice to expose itself to patient privacy issues with even the most harmless-seeming social media activity.

An Introduction to HIPAA

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) is a piece of legislation that regulates the many ways in which the business of health care is conducted in the United States. Since its adoption, however, it has become virtually synonymous with the issue of patient privacy. HIPAA’s Privacy Rule prohibits medical institutions from sharing protected health information, which it defines as anything that can be used to identify a patient. This includes any information at all that could possibly reveal the identity of the patient—his or her e-mail address, street address, name, birth date, Social Security number, etc. All this must be kept completely confidential.

If a medical institution is found to have violated HIPAA, it may be subject to very substantial fines—sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars per violation. Additionally, many states enforce even stricter patient privacy statutes, so medical institutions must go to great lengths to ensure that absolute patient privacy is observed at all times.

See No Evil

There are three major ways that medical aesthetic facilities and medical spas often violate patient privacy laws on social media without even being aware of it.

1. Publicly reaching out to a patient. If you are connected with clients via a social media channel, such as Facebook or Twitter, it might seem like a good idea to reach out to them after a visit to publicly thank them for coming in. Ideally, this could build a relationship with these clients and entice their friends to follow suit. Unfortunately, this seemingly innocuous act may constitute a violation of HIPAA (and possibly a gaggle of state laws), because you’re revealing that person is one of your patients.

You can still thank your patients via social media; however, you just need to be very careful about how you go about doing it. Consider reaching out to your patients using the private messaging feature of whichever social media platform you are using. You will not be able to reach your client’s friends, but you’ll still strengthen your relationship with your client. However, as any number of disgraced celebrities will tell you, it’s very easy to post something to the public that you intended to keep private. Use extreme caution if you decide you want to attempt this.

Also, if you’re starting a Facebook campaign, establish a fan page rather than a standard user page. That way, your facility’s followers won’t be visible to users.

2. Publicly responding to a positive comment from a patient. Let’s say that one of your clients posts the following on your practice’s Facebook wall: “Had a great Botox treatment here today!” You may be inclined to post a response, such as: “Thanks! We hope to see you again soon!” However, it is important to understand that even this can represent a breach of a patient’s privacy, since you’re confirming that your practice provided the customer with treatment.

This is an emerging legal issue that has yet to be put to the test by litigation, and it could be argued that, by publicly posting that message, the patient is tacitly waiving his or her HIPAA protection. Unfortunately, HIPAA and other state-based privacy laws are very strict, so it’s probably not a good idea to test them.

You can attempt to avoid falling into this trap by stating on your social media channels that, although you appreciate all comments, the best way to deliver them is via e-mail or to call the practice directly. If you do this, you can avoid appearing unappreciative and reduce your potential exposure to patient privacy violations. Alternatively, you can try to draft a form that acknowledges that a patient who signs it wishes to waive his or her HIPAA protection for social media; however, this form would need to be very complex in order to stand up to legal scrutiny.

3. Responding to negative reviews. Yelp is a social media service that allows users to rate the experiences they have with businesses. As of the fourth quarter of 2015, more than 86 million unique visitors per month use mobile devices and 75 million unique visitors per month use desktop computers to refer to Yelp’s more than 95 million user-generated reviews, so make no mistake: This service is immensely powerful. The success or failure of businesses can be determined by their Yelp reviews alone.

This can empower ordinary people and, ideally, lead businesses to provide exceptional service to everyone. Yelp even encourages the businesses that are critiqued to become part of conversation, allowing owners and operators to respond to reviews and engage with users.

Unfortunately, Yelp’s enforcement of its user content guidelines is spotty, so it can have a dark side for businesses. Some reviews are unfair, made by people who have ridiculous expectations or axes to grind. Additionally, some Yelp users post negative reviews if they aren’t allowed to pay the prices they want to pay for products and services, regardless of whether those prices are reasonable. And those negative reviews can impact prospective customers—even if a business has a preponderance of four- and five-star reviews, readers are often compelled to peruse the handful of one-star reviews for entertainment purposes or to familiarize themselves with the worst-case scenarios.

Most businesses have recourse for dealing with problematic Yelp reviews—they can openly engage critical users using the service and attempt to demonstrate that they’ve done nothing wrong. The owners and operators of medical aesthetic practices, however, absolutely cannot respond to these posts, because if they do, they could identify unhappy users as patients, thereby violating patient privacy statutes.

The best way for medical spas to combat bad Yelp reviews—the only way, really—is to encourage satisfied customers to post positive reviews. Unfortunately, this means that you’re essentially asking customers to work to promote your business for free, but there is little else that can be done to address the situation without violating patient privacy laws.

Given the importance of Yelp and the lack of a level playing field regarding its reviews, the owners and operators of medical aesthetic facilities may be tempted to engage in what is known as “astroturfing”—using employees or associates to post fake positive reviews in order to bolster ratings. However, they must resist that urge, as astroturfing can be interpreted as consumer fraud. New York state regulators recently issued enormous fines to several facilities for astroturfing.

The Final Word

Social media can be a valuable tool in the promotion of a medical aesthetic practice, but its use can also be fraught with peril. Owners and operators of these practices should make sure that everyone involved in their social media campaigns—as few people as possible, ideally—understands that it is critically important that patient privacy be respected at all times. Few practices can survive the penalties associated with these violations, so they must be avoided at all costs.

[neptunecreek]

The Key to Safety Online Is User Empowerment, Not Censorship

The Senate Judiciary Committee recently held a hearing on “Protecting Digital Innocence.” The hearing covered a range of problems facing young people on the Internet today, with a focus on harmful content and privacy-invasive data practices by tech companies. While children do face problems online, some committee members seemed bent on using those problems as an excuse to censor the Internet and undermine the legal protections for free expression that we all rely on, including kids.

Don’t Censor Users; Empower Them to Choose

Though tech companies weren’t represented in the hearing, senators offered plenty of suggestions about how those companies ought to make their services safer for children. Sen. John Kennedy suggested that online platforms should protect children by scanning for “any pictures of human genitalia.”

It’s foolish to think that one set of standards would be appropriate for all children, let alone all Internet users.

Sen. Kennedy’s idea is a good example of how lawmakers sometimes misunderstand the complexity of modern-day platform moderation, and the extreme difficulty of getting it right at scale. Many online platforms do voluntarily use automated filters, human reviewers, or both to snoop out nudity, pornography, or other speech that companies deem inappropriate. But those measures often bring unintended consequences that reach much further than whatever problems the rules were intended to address. Instagram deleted one painter’s profile until the company realized the absurdity of this aggressive application of its ban on nudity. When Tumblr employed automated filters to censor nudity, it accidentally removed hundreds of completely “safe for work” images.

The problem gets worse when lawmakers attempt to legislate what they consider good content moderation. In the wake of last year’s Internet censorship law SESTA-FOSTA, online platforms were faced with an awful choice: err on the side of extreme prudishness in their moderation policies or face the risk of overwhelming liability for their users’ speech. Facebook broadened its sexual solicitation policy to the point that it could feasibly justify removing discussion of sex altogether. Craigslist removed its dating section entirely.

Legislation to “protect” children from harmful material on the Internet will likely bring similar collateral damage for free speech: when lawmakers give online platforms the impossible task of ensuring that every post meets a certain standard, those companies have little choice but to over-censor.

During the hearing, Stephen Balkam of the Family Online Safety Institute provided an astute counterpoint to the calls for a more highly filtered Internet, calling to move the discussion “from protection to empowerment.” In other words, tech companies ought to give users more control over their online experience rather than forcing all of their users into an increasingly sanitized web. We agree.

It’s foolish to think that one set of standards would be appropriate for all children, let alone all Internet users. But today, social media companies frequently make censorship decisions that affect everyone. Instead, companies should empower users to make their own decisions about what they see online by letting them calibrate and customize the content filtering methods those companies use. Furthermore, tech and media companies shouldn’t abuse copyright and other laws to prevent third parties from offering customization options to people who want them.

Congress and Government Must Do More to Fight Unfair Data-Collection Practices

Like all Internet users, kids are often at the mercy of companies’ privacy-invasive data practices, and often have no reasonable opportunity to opt out of collection, use, and sharing of their data. Congress should closely examine companies whose business models rely on collecting, using, and selling children’s personal information.

Some of the proposals floated during the hearing for protecting young Internet users’ privacy were well-intentioned but difficult to implement. Georgetown Law professor Angela Campbell suggested that platforms move all “child-directed” material to a separate website without behavioral data collection and related targeted advertising. Platforms must take measures to put all users in charge of how their data is collected, used, and shared—including children—but cleanly separating material directed at adults and children isn’t easy. It would be awful if a measure designed to protect young Internet users’ privacy made it harder for them to access materials on sensitive issues like sexual health and abuse. A two-tiered Internet undermines the very types of speech for which young Internet users most need privacy.

We do agree with Campbell that enforcement of existing children’s privacy laws must be a priority. As we’ve argued in the student privacy context, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) should better enforce the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), the law that requires websites and online services that are directed to children under 13 or have actual knowledge that a user is under 13 to obtain parental consent before collecting personal information from children for commercial purposes. The Department of Education should better enforce the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), which generally prohibits schools that receive federal funding from sharing student information without parental consent.

EFF’s student privacy project catalogues the frustrations that students, parents, and other stakeholders have when it comes to student privacy. In particular, we’ve highlighted numerous examples of students effectively being forced to share data with Google through the free or low-cost cloud services and Chromebooks it provides to cash-strapped schools. We filed a complaint with the FTC in 2015 asking it to investigate Google’s student data practices, but the agency never responded. Sen. Marsha Blackburn cited our FTC complaint against Google as an example of the FTC’s failure to protect children’s privacy: “They go in, they scoop the data, they track, they follow, and they’ve got that virtual you of that child.”

While Google has made some progress since 2015, Congress should still investigate whether the relevant regulatory agencies are falling down on the job when it comes to protecting student privacy. Congress should also explore ways to ensure that users can make informed decisions about how their data is collected, used, and shared. Most importantly, Congress should pass comprehensive consumer privacy legislation that empowers users and families to bring their own lawsuits against the companies that violate their privacy rights.

Undermining Section 230 Won’t Improve Companies’ Practices

At the end of the hearing, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) turned the discussion to Section 230, the law that shields online platforms, services, and users from liability for most speech created by others. Sen. Graham called Section 230 the “elephant in the room,” suggesting that Congress use the law as leverage to force tech companies to change their practices: “We come up with best business practices, and if you meet those business practices you have a safe haven from liability, and if you don’t, you’re going to get sued.” He followed his comments with a Twitter thread claiming that kneecapping liability protections is “the best way to get social media companies to do better in this area.”

Don’t be surprised if the big tech companies fail to put up a fight against these proposals.

Sen. Graham didn’t go into detail about what “business practices” Congress should mandate, but regardless, he ought to rethink the approach of threatening to weaken Section 230. Google and Facebook are more willing to bargain away the protections of Section 230 than their smaller competitors. Nearly every major Internet company endorsed SESTA-FOSTA, a bill that made it far more difficult for small Internet startups to unseat the big players. Sen. Josh Hawley’s bill to address supposed political bias in content moderation makes the same mistake, giving more power to the large social media companies it’s intended to punish. Don’t be surprised if the big tech companies fail to put up a fight against these proposals: the day after the hearing, IBM announced support for further weakening Section 230, just like it did last time around.

More erosion of Section 230 won’t necessarily hurt big Internet companies, but it will hurt users. Under a compromised Section 230, online platforms would be incentivized to over-censor users’ speech. When platforms choose to err on the side of censorship, marginalized voices are the first to disappear.

Congress Must Consider Unintended Consequences

The problems facing young people online are complicated, and it’s essential that lawmakers carefully consider the unintended consequences of any legislation in this area.

Companies ought to help users and families customize online services for their own needs. But congressional attempts to legislate solutions to harmful Internet content by forcing companies to patrol users’ speech are fraught with the potential for collateral damage (and would likely be unconstitutional). We understand Congress’ desire to hold large Internet companies accountable, but it shouldn’t pass laws to make the Internet a more restrictive place.

At the same time, Congress does have an historic opportunity to help protect children and adults from invasive, unfair data-collection and advertising practices, both by passing strong consumer privacy legislation and by demanding that the government do more to enforce existing privacy laws.

from Deeplinks https://ift.tt/2Zb2VJK

[maxwellyjordan]

Kavanaugh on the Affordable Care Act: Seven-Sky v. Holder

Judge Brett Kavanaugh wrote an interesting dissent in Seven-Sky v. Holder, a 2011 appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit about the constitutionality of the individual mandate provision of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. In that case, a panel majority (Judges Laurence Silberman and Harry Edwards) upheld the statute against a constitutional challenge, but Kavanaugh would not have reached the merits. Instead, he would have held that the courts lacked jurisdiction to hear the case because the Anti-Injunction Act bars any pre-enforcement lawsuit challenging the assessment or collection of a tax. Damon Root at Reason suggests that this case shows Kavanaugh to be “a jurist in the mold of John Roberts,” while, as Linda Qiu writes for The New York Times, Democratic leaders have framed Kavanaugh’s dissent in this case and another as demonstrating his “hostility” to the ACA.

The dissent is thorough, taking 33 pages of the Federal Reporter when the majority opinion addressing both jurisdiction and the merits occupied only 17. After an introductory summary, the dissent works through each step of the argument that the Anti-Injunction Act bars courts’ consideration of the challengers’ suit. It explains how the individual mandate is enforced by the Internal Revenue Service through tax penalties, argues that the Anti-Injunction Act is jurisdictional so that the executive branch’s decision to waive reliance on it was irrelevant, and contends that the Anti-Injunction Act applies because, even though the payments for violating the individual mandate are labeled “penalties” and not “taxes,” some penalties are subject to the Anti-Injunction Act — and there are some textual indicators that the ACA’s penalties fall within that category. The dissent then responds to statutory counter-arguments. It offers an alternative basis for holding that the Anti-Injunction Act applies, which had been accepted by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit. And then it spends the final 13 pages answering the argument that the court should decide the case — for either legal or prudential reasons — even if the Anti-Injunction Act applies.

In the last part of the opinion, Kavanaugh does not rule on the merits, but he signals that in his view, the individual mandate may well be constitutional under Congress’ taxing power (or that, at most, a minor tweak to the statute would render it clearly constitutional). He argues that it would be better for courts to wait to see if Congress either fixes or overhauls the statute — and he also suggests that the president might himself conclude that the individual mandate is unconstitutional and decline to enforce it. According to Kavanaugh, waiting might allow the courts to avoid answering the much broader commerce clause question — a question that he argues is “extremely difficult and rife with significant and potentially unforeseen implications for the Nation and the Judiciary.” Although Kavanaugh worries that upholding the individual mandate would affirm a very broad view of the commerce clause with essentially no limits, he also argues that courts should “be just as cautious about prematurely or unnecessarily rejecting the Government’s Commerce Clause argument” because the law was enacted “after a high-profile and vigorous national debate” to achieve the “vital policy objectives” of “provid[ing] all Americans with access to affordable health insurance and quality health care.”

Ultimately, Kavanaugh’s view did not carry the day — either in the D.C. Circuit or the Supreme Court. Although the Supreme Court found the Anti-Injunction Act argument “reasonable” and appointed an amicus to present it in National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius, the justices ultimately rejected the argument, holding that the ACA’s penalty for violating the individual mandate is not a tax for purposes of the Anti-Injunction Act — even though it is a tax for purposes of the taxing clause of the Constitution.

Still, Kavanaugh’s dissent is potentially significant for a few reasons, and it might come up during the confirmation process. First, the opinion suggests that if Kavanaugh had reached the merits of the ACA case, he might have decided the case the same way as Chief Justice John Roberts, opting to uphold the individual mandate under the taxing clause in order to avoid a ruling on the commerce clause question. In other words, he definitely was not a solid vote to strike down the statute entirely, but his views about the scope of the commerce clause are unclear.

Second, the opinion shows that Kavanaugh is willing to look for artful ways to avoid deciding questions he does not want to decide. Neither side in the ACA litigation thought that the Anti-Injunction Act barred the suit, but Kavanaugh was nevertheless willing to craft a detailed argument to that effect. He might have thought that he was simply compelled to do so by the text of the Anti-Injunction Act — but it’s equally possible that he recognized that the litigation over the ACA was politically fraught for both the judiciary as a whole and for individual judges who might have aspirations to higher courts, and so he decided to find a way out.

Of course, finding clever ways to avoid the merits is less important in the Supreme Court, where the justices can avoid any question simply by denying certiorari — but the ability to resort to jurisdictional safety valves still comes in handy from time to time in hot-button cases (think Hollingsworth v. Perry, same-sex marriage, and Gill v. Whitford, partisan gerrymandering), and of course jurisdictional issues can play an important role in the certiorari calculus too.

Finally, Kavanaugh’s suggestion that courts should wait to see whether the president would decline to enforce the individual mandate is interesting. The executive branch is supposed to take care that the laws are faithfully executed. Although it is surely true that presidents can and should decline to enforce unconstitutional laws, the further proposition that a president should decline to enforce a law even if the Supreme Court would uphold it is very controversial. The literature on this question is deep, but for those interested in taking a dive, there are three useful articles (by Dawn Johnsen, David Barron, and Peter Strauss) published in Law & Contemporary Problems in 2000, and there have been good more recent contributions to the debate by Professors Daniel Meltzer, Saikrishna Prakash, and Joseph Landau. Kavanaugh didn’t get into the weeds in Seven-Sky, but instead stated his view of the law plainly: “Under the Constitution, the President may decline to enforce a statute that regulates private individuals when the President deems the statute unconstitutional, even if a court has held or would hold the statute constitutional.” As support, he cited only Justice Antonin Scalia’s 1991 concurring opinion in Freytag v. Commissioner, in which four justices (none of whom remain on the court) accepted the proposition that presidents have “the power to veto” laws that encroach on executive authority “or even to disregard them when they are unconstitutional.” One very interesting question going forward is how much room Kavanaugh thinks a president has to disregard Congress.

The post Kavanaugh on the Affordable Care Act: <em>Seven-Sky v. Holder</em> appeared first on SCOTUSblog.

from Law http://www.scotusblog.com/2018/07/kavanaugh-on-the-affordable-care-act-seven-sky-v-holder/ via http://www.rssmix.com/