#however minuscule it is in Overture

[misterbaritone]

Y’know if Guilty Gear, for whatever reason, decided to suddenly change genres (again), I wouldn’t mind seeing the series take a stab at being a Hack n Slash.

And I mean a proper hack n slash not that RTS/MOBA bullshit we got in Overture.

[pastiche-comic]

History

by Margaret Willoughby-Penderghast

The volcanic islands that would become Indisclosednia were thought to have emerged from the sea approximately 6,400 years ago. Evidence suggests that the main island experienced a cataclysmic eruption during the mid-1500s. This was thought to have nearly sterilized the island, much like the famous 1883 eruption of Krakatoa in Indonesia.

The islands remained uninhabited well into the 20th Century. Surveyors have noted the archipelago’s presence but had made little note of it in records and was summarily ignored for decades. It would remain untouched by humans until the fateful arrival of the transoceanic liner Serenity of the Sea in September 1982.

The Wreck of the Serenity

Engine failure forced the ship’s crew to seek safe refuge in the harbor for repairs. The crew successfully sent a distress call and expected a full evacuation of the Serenity over the course of two weeks. These crewmembers would later establish landfall on the island to supplement their supplies with coconuts and fish gathered from the islands. Not long after, the ship’s administrators gave clearance for supervised groups of stir-crazy passengers to wander the main island.

Evacuating that many people proved a logistical nightmare, however. Delays and a shortage of outbound craft meant that not everybody could be recovered at once. Although the first rescue teams arrived on schedule, the evacuation efforts for the Serenity took more than two months to complete. Eventually, the ship ran out of fuel.

The stranded crew and passengers were greeted to a sight not unlike this one, in Woodland Bay National Park.

The Harbour Authority

The remaining passengers and crew fled to the encampment at the main island. They formed what observers described as a minuscule society resembling a rustic resort. Representatives noted crew members performing as though the cruise line had not been interrupted. Despite this, the crew and passengers of the Serenity were described as egalitarian; they were “all on the same boat.” The distinction between passenger and crew became less apparent as able members of each group did their share. Many of those rescued became well acquainted with one another.

No government had exclusive jurisdiction over the islands. Rescue coordinators worked with an administration formed from the passengers and crew of the ship. Organizers deferred to these community leaders as they would government entities. This group, later known as the Harbour Authority, also built a small waystation on the islands to accommodate the rescue efforts.

Several members of the Harbour Authority would stay behind and began constructing the first long-term habitable structures in the main island, supported by a returning force of developers. By the end of 1982, their waystation became permanent, with sufficient logistical infrastructure to maintain regular contact with the outside world.

The Developers Arrive

Throughout the evacuation, many of the wealthier passengers saw great economic potential in the islands. A novel idea came when they realized that no nation had exclusive economic claims to the archipelago. On February 1983, the first surveyor’s offices were built at what was then known as Respite Harbor. Within a month, developers staked a claim for a proposed guano mine to the east. Other businesses—including agribusiness, minig, tourism, petroleum, and fishing—soon followed.

These developers received no clearance from any government with a claim to the now-discovered islands, for their operations. Many of them had companies registered in tax havens like the Cayman Islands and Luxembourg. They did defer administrative duties to the Harbour Authority. In exchange, they provided supplies, paid fees, and followed Authority regulations.

The islands and their surrounding atolls were even given a name, “Indisclosedia,” derived from a corruption of “the undisclosed islands” the activities were all taking place in. The humor extended to the chief port, Respite Harbour. Popular myth holds that activities in “who knows where” led to the present name of the capital, Hoonoisweir, though pronunciation differences dispute this.

The Need for Governance

The Harbour Authority held great sway as the main policymaker of the islands. The administration provided clearances for all buildings, held policy meetings for all stakeholders, and provided a means of individual private transport to other countries. They were also sought for guidance to settle disputes. Surveyors understood that the Authority always had the final say. But it wasn’t a government, and these settlers knew this.

Conflicts began arising between the companies in the islands and between them and the Harbour Authority. Resort planners debated with mining prospectors and agribusiness representatives on land allocations. Heated discussions concerning security, environmental protections, and labour rights were also on the table.

Ideological backgrounds exacerbated tensions. Libertarian idealists and socialist utopians alike saw an opportunity in terra nullius to build their own experimental societies. These fringe groups found themselves arguing in the Authority’s meeting rooms. More established businesses demanded an accountable, inoffensive administration that could rein in anything they saw as unpleasant.

Fears of the islands becoming a criminal haven was omnipresent. All factions feared the coming of lawless elements, especially armed ones. If word got out of the islands’ existence, they argued, it would attract drug dealers, human traffickers, and other unsavoury elements that could eject them with a show of force. Many of those early settlers also found complete lawlessness unpalatable for their business and labour interests.

Plans to expand the port to accommodate the industries faced difficulty in procuring supplies; fees collected from the partners were insufficient. Meanwhile, foreign financiers were put off by the lack of a government.

Arbitration

By mid-1983, claimants from across the region made overtures to assimilate the islands and claim exclusive rights toward resource exploration. One of the eager takers was Australia. However, their claims did not go unopposed. Besides Vanuatu and Fiji, they found one other opponent in the form of the Harbour Authority. Its members suddenly found themselves on a fork in the road. They were the first people there; sentiment that they should hold sovereignty over their archipelago grew as pressure from outsiders increased.

The move to declare a new sovereign state was not without precedent. Micronations emerging from territorial loopholes were common in Australia. In 1972, neighboring Tonga had challenged an attempt to create a libertarian “republic” in the disputed Minerva Reefs. The last libertarian attempt to control the reefs were abandoned in 1982, a year before the Serenity was stranded.

On April 1984, cease and desist letters against all economic activities were sent by Australia. This led to a strong of legal conflicts between the claimants (Australia, Vanuatu, and Fiji) and the Harbour Authority. Non-claimants (France) and observers (including New Zealand and the United States) favoured the Harbour Authority. When the move to invalidate the Harbour Authority’s legitimacy due to statelessness was put forward late June 1984, the Authority’s members knew there was no turning back. They shot back with a unilateral declaration of independence on the 7th of July.

The new republic, Indisclosednia, was recognized on the outset by France, New Zealand, and the United States. By 1985, the claims against the new nation were no longer being pursued. The fledgling state, however, would not be universally recognized until 1994, the same year it was admitted to the United Nations.

Implications

Unlike its counterparts in the Minerva Reefs, the Harbour Authority did not adhere to the concept of economic libertarianism. In many ways, it functioned like a government. It recognized the existence of labour unions and included them in policymaking meetings. Authority regulations included building codes and rudimentary sanitation and environmental policies.

Several factors in play included pressure from resort developers who were eager to make investments in tourism, which were impeded by the legal status quo of the islands. It was these regulations that won over the backing of the tourism industry. The islands’ own perilous legal state brought the need to establish order and arbitrate conflicts between the surveyors through government legitimacy.

[velcro-rave]

half shitpost. half serious. all playlist.

I decided to unceremoniously break the one rule I set for myself every single time a new season of this show is released, which is TO NOT POST SPOILERS EVER, because I figured this was too fun not to share. So, instead of outright filling your dash with my critical & ridiculous thoughts, I’ve composed them into musical format via a YouTube mixtape. It’s 27 songs long and will take about an hour and a half of your life.

Keep in mind that this playlist is FILLED WITH SPOILERS. Even though it’s mostly a joke-y song-inspired summary of the events in S6, please do not listen to the playlist until you’ve watched the entire season. It will make 0 sense, as opposed to the minuscule fraction of sense it would’ve made if you had finished watching. Plus, you’ll be mad that you ruined it for yourself. It’s honestly an interesting collection of episodes!

However, if you are indeed ready, listen to it here!

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgZlbfm6-3v1V5C74fT9uwDZmWroOczHR

(bonus link if the first doesn’t work)

I recommend going in blind and letting it play through without reading the descriptions below until you get to the song, but if you’d rather know EXACTLY what was going through my mind when I slapped everything onto the tracklist beforehand, go wild.

MIGHTY MORPHIN' POWER RANGERS

I just wanted the thumbnail tbh, but this is a good intro track for the mess you’re about to experience.

E P I S O D E   1  -  OMEGA SHIELD

MULAN - I'LL MAKE A MAN OUT OF YOU

Hunk training w/ Dayak. This one was probably the most visceral song. It was stuck in my head the absolute second he held up those weights.

BONNIE TYLER - TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE HEART

Shielding the labor planet from the solar sequences (eclipses are tangentially related, right?) and also a very dramatic way of backing Lance getting saved by Allura.

E P I S O D E   2  -  RAZOR’S EDGE

TAME IMPALA - CONFIDE IN ME (KYLIE MINOGUE COVER)

Allura slooowly trusting Lotor more and more & them being awfully flirty. In a serious sense, this is about him convincing her to let down her guard and let him in on what he wants to have.

CELINE DION - ALL BY MYSELF

Lance getting third wheeled hardcore by Allura & Lotor :( poor dude can’t catch a break.

THE WEEKND - STARBOY (ft. DAFT PUNK)

Keith coming to terms w/ Krolia. I also needed a generally serious jam so this was a good fit to fill the space.

Have you seen that one Lance fanzine by the same name though? Holy shit. The art is incredible.

QUEEN - DON'T STOP ME NOW

Keith & Krolia again, this time ft. them living together for 2 yrs on top of a giant space whale with a bootleg Blink Dog for a pet.

WOODKID - THE GREAT ESCAPE

Krolia & Tex (Keith's dad, still nameless smh) and how they were total badasses together. This is a mix between shitpost and serious because I couldn’t think of anything country/southern-related that fit the bill for their “let’s run off and hide and be together” scenario except for this song. Stuck with the horse metaphor, I guess. :P

THE KILLERS - READ MY MIND

Focus on Krolia & Tex's relationship again, her leaving him for the good of the planet and such. The lyrics are really good here, mainly

The teenage queen, the loaded gun The drop dead dream, the Chosen One A southern drawl, the world unseen

E P I S O D E   3  -  MONSTERS & MANA

SKYRIM 8-BIT THEME

for Monsters & Mana aka BEST EPISODE. I can’t believe how nerdy they went. And how accurately nerdy they went. d20s..... playing the same classes after dying.... losing 8 hours in what feels like 8 minutes... Tomb of Horrors... they got it all.

SKRILLEX - REPTILE

CORANIC DRAGON BOSS FIGHT! ‘Cause it’s a giant, fire-breathing reptile.

NITRO FUN & HYPER POTIONS - CHECKPOINT

basically just outro-ing Monsters & Mana. I gotta say, I thought this was the best downtime episode in a while. Maybe not as fun as Space Mall, but really close.

It could also be my favorite because I have 60 D&D characters...  :/

E P I S O D E   4  -  THE COLONY

AC/DC - BACK IN BLACK

Keith returns not only in his dark black Blade of Marmora suit but also to reinstate his role as the Black Paladin for the time being. Kuron’s nearly confirmed as a danger at this point!

THE BEACH BOYS - WOULDN’T IT BE NICE

Romelle telling the tale of their supposed “messiah” being Lotor and all the abuse the missing Alteans went through. I wanted to get a song that accurately captured my emotions of “what the fuck” but nothing I had could match the tone. So why not go for the opposite?

FALL OUT BOY - HEAVEN'S GATE

def Allura & Lotor, mostly Allura thinking that he's finally the one. “Boost” in the lyrics probably refers to Lotor subtly trying to get out of the immoral shit he did in his past that she doesn’t know about yet.

HOE DON'T DO IT, OH MY GOD

they  f u c k i n g  kissed are you KIDDING ME, FOR REAL????

THE GUESS WHO - UNDUN

Everyone telling Allura that Lotor, her bf for all of 2 seconds, is actually a manipulative bastard who not only murdered but isolated and horrifically tortured thousands of her kind. You know, the kind that she believed was entirely EXTINCT except for her and Coran? Oops!

I DON'T KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME - MODERN DAY CAIN

Lotor betraying the team but AT LAST revealing exactly where he stands. He’s been so ambiguously untrustworthy for so long that it feels nice to get some closure.

Allura yeets him across the castle ship and it’s a work of art.

E P I S O D E   5  -  THE BLACK PALADINS

SKILLET - FALLING INSIDE THE BLACK

Keith + Kuron/Shiro fight, alluding to the episode title and both of them literally “inside” of the Black Lion later on. Almost as edgy as their blades.

WOODKID - I LOVE YOU

Keith & Shiro, Keith doing his “I know you’re in there” plea. BROGANES FOREVERRRRR.

god that scene made me cry.

E P I S O D E   6  -  ALL GOOD THINGS

TCHAIKOVSKY - 1812 OVERTURE

Coran & Pidge pulling off the craziest technical stunts and saving the day. I figured I needed at least one purely instrumental song on here.

CRAZY FROG - AXEL F

Keith goes nyoom, aka he asks Shiro’s spirit to help him get back to the Paladins. But nyooming feels right, just like the narm.

E P I S O D E   7  -  DEFENDER OF ALL UNIVERSES

BLOC PARTY - HELICOPTER

Fighting Lotor and his knockoff Voltron. The lyrics in this one reference him ultimately becoming the father whom he despised so deeply. Sweet, sweet psychological revenge.

GLORIA GAYNOR - I WILL SURVIVE

Acxa, Zethrid, and Ezor getting tired of Lotor's shit and betraying him again. It’s a pretty snazzy battle anthem.

P.O.D. - BOOM

The Castle of Lions is destroyed (BOOM!) & Lotor is maybe dead. Action-y song for AWESOME animation.

EVANESCENCE - BRING ME TO LIFE

Allura reviving the hell out of Shiro. He’s back! Probably! And with white hair!

STEVE AOKI (ft. FALL OUT BOY) - BACK TO EARTH

We're going home.

That’s it! Thanks for listening. Feel free to send me a message telling me what you liked about the playlist; I had a lot of fun working on it for the day. Eventually I’ll post some 100% serious mixes... including lots more actual lyric analysis. Next time you’ll see spoilers from me will be July 15th, 2018!

[procrastinatingfeminist]

I remember when the writers guild (whatever their official name, I am at breakfast and not able to research right now) called for a strike and a lot of shows quickly swirled down the drain in terms of content. They didn’t even have enough sway with the studios to negotiate better working conditions, what makes you (general you) think that they have enough sway to make the decisions about something like lgbt+ representation? Not even the big names like Joss Whedon (his reputation now aside, he was one of the better known and fan savvier writers at that time) can get everything they want. And the same goes for people behind the camera - if it isn’t a big name or someone who is much higher up the chain just playing the humble cameraman, they don’t have a lot of actual power.

That said, intent is one thing to look at. But I do put a modicum of blame, however minuscule, at the feet of the writers and production as well. Why make such grandiose promises as Sterek going canon, such blatant overtures if you knew you didn’t have the backing to follow through on that? But Disco is right that we aren’t privy to what happened behind the scenes.

With the actors who take roles of marginalised characters - yeah, I am on board with that, though I have to add that I have much easier time to empathise with a small time actor taking on such a role because that is the difference between being able to afford rent and not, than with someone like ScarJo or Cumberbatch or Emma Stone who really could have afforded to graciously back out of a deal.

Hello Disco, good afternoon! This topic about queerbaiting makes me want to ask a question: Are the actors who take those queerbaiting roles & somehow promoting them, at fault as well? I mean, obviously the one who should be held accountable the most are the writers & the ones behind the camera. This also reminds me of cis actors who take trans roles, or white actors taking whitewashed characters. Thank you and have a nice day!

DW: I think it’s about intent. If a writer writes a scene that relies heavily on romantic tropes, but their intention is for that couple to go canon, then that’s not baiting. (It’s important to remember that queer baiting isn’t just about the bait, it’s also about the switch!) If that ship is later sunk by production for whatever reason, that doesn’t mean the writer is at fault. 

The issue, as always, is that when things like this happen we’re not privy to who knew what and who made what decisions. For all we know, everyone all the way up to the top was supporting Sterek, for example, and it was pressure from the studio, concerned about advertisers, that screwed us all. On the other hand, it’s entirely possible that they never had any intention of giving us Sterek at all, but everyone happily got involved in the outside-show promotions of it anyway. 

We don’t know. I like to think it was initially promoted in good faith by both the production and the actors, but we have no way of knowing that. 

I think it’s slightly different from cis actors taking trans roles, or white actors playing whitewashed characters, because those things are apparent from the start. I do think cis actors and white actors in these circumstances should do their research first, but at the same time the real blame should lie with the casting agents and the production teams. They always manage to dodge accountability though, don’t they?