#i'm actually being rather charitable

[beevean]

Honestly, the Hector fic I'm working on made me even more bitter against N!Hector, because, on paper? His concept is sound. Not only in S2 he had the potential to be a very creepy anti-villain, with his complete lack of feelings towards humanity (not disgust like N!Isaac, nothing at all, he just thought of them as another species of animals)... but his superficial traits would have been nearly perfect for another version of a pre-betrayal Hector.

Lacking of empathy towards humans but not to the point of wishing them to suffer? Sure. Hector in the MF manga mostly talks about his refusal to be used as a tool, and a neutral stance on genocide, as horrible as it sounds, means that Hector could both go through with it and then reason himself out of it, at first for pragmatic reasons. I also appreciate that N!Hector deliberately killed his own parents as a child, showing that he always had the capacity for murder, and I wish that was canon.

"Unlike humans, vampires see value in Hector's knowledge and forgemastery. The vampires are his natural social group." From the wiki, and this can apply to Dracula in particular. Of course Hector would at first gladly serve Dracula, when he's the only one who "gave him a place where he was allowed to exist". I don't think this would extend to every vampire, though.

Animal lover? It's canon that Hector has an affinity for animals, in both prequels.

Not too hard to make the jump that Hector prefers animals to humans. It's not even hard to make the jump to "Hector loves animals so much that he compares other creatures to them as a compliment".

Sheltered? Nowhere near to the point of trusting an obviously evil vampire lady, but if Hector lived in Castlevania ever since he was a child/teen, he can't have developed great social skills. I imagine Hector has trouble with talking and also with understanding others' body language, taking things too literally.

Cute, gentle demeanor? Nnnnnno... but also yes-ish. Kinda. The thing is that Hector can be legit cute when he wants to: he can go from this

to this

and there is no contradiction. he's a babyfaced gigachad :P

What N!Hector lacks is the first part. The rare times he fights back, it's only to emphasize how weak he is. Had the writing combined his soft attitude with more showings of his power and ruthlessness, it would have worked perfectly, and it would have justified why Carmilla wanted him so badly for herself. But oh well :^)

Love-starved to the point of overriding his logical part? Oh yes. Hector is very much love-starved and he becomes completely devoted to Rosaly simply because she's nice to him. She lets him stay with her, and he's all "I’ll do anything for you, I’ll give you my arms and my eyes, I’ll give you my life without forgiveness or atonement". She says "thank you for being born" and that is enough for this battle-hardened ex-general to burst into tears. When Hector falls in love, he falls hard. The idea of someone pretending to love him only to betray his trust, hitting in his weak spot, would be soul crushing if done well :(

It's just. I vehemently reject the notion that Hector could ever be a manchild: it would have been perfect if this was teen Hector, and then he grew up into the coldy proudful Hector we see in the MF manga, to then become the sensitive empathetic Hector of the PtR manga once he's with Rosaly, to then finally transition into his cursed and belligerent CoD self. You know. A character arc, which N!Hector lacks until S4 suddenly turns him into a sassy bitch?

But of course, it's not just that: it's the fact that N!Hector was purposefully stripped of his agency; his growing moment of realizing that no, he doesn't have to kill innocents, he can affirm himself, he can leave, being turned into "sexy vampire lady sweet talks him until she beats the shit out of him"; and also, well, Season 3 was too busy jerking off and coming all over N!Hector being tortured and raped by deception to give him a personality; and as the cherry on top of the shitcake, N!Hector is theoretically turned into a badass in S4, but 1) he still doesn't do much compared to Creator's Pet N!Isaac, and 2) nothing he went through matters because they had a Lenector agenda to push.

What a waste of a very intriguing character. Insulting writing for many more reasons than "but hector is supposed to be a chad".

[thedreadvampy]

I'm trying to give Conflict Is Not Abuse a fair shake because I think it's important to unpick overstatement of harm.

and the introduction felt really clear and coherent and strong in laying out the thesis; acts of harm occur when one of both parties construe the other as having threatened them, and often that threat is not real and could be avoided through reflection and communication.

so she swings into chapter 1 with the idea that we're all responsible for reflecting on conflict rather than immediately jumping to the worst case We Are Enemies Now scenario

ah yes. I agree.

she chooses to illustrate this idea in several ways:

If I flirt with someone I assume she might interpret it as harassment, but she should consider that we're both fine actually because Actually she's probably interested in me but struggles to recognise her own feelings.

A friend is under huge pressure and has to cancel plans last minute so she sends me an email, but I don't WANT an email so she should be understanding and spend 5-10 minutes on the phone so I feel better, and the fact she doesn't means she doesn't care about me

Sometimes Women Say No But Mean Yes

A woman I went on a date with didn't text me back. I'm going to devote 2 pages to how she's clearly full of rage at me because she's unfairly judging me for being overbearing, which is very short sighted of her. At no point in that do I offer any possible explanation for not texting other than She Despises Me.

My most charitable response here is yeah Sarah you're right we should reflect on whether we're assuming harm in arguments. Can I suggest you start by turning the mirror around real quick? cause not one of these examples involves the possibility that she might be making some assumptions of her own.

[fineillmakeaslasherblog]

What would it be like the first time the masked boys show their face to their s/o?

I assume you don't mean to include Billy and Stu since, while they wear masks, it's not a 24/7 thing like with the others. Anyway, I have very strong feelings about this topic so I'm very excited to dive in haha

OG!Michael Myers:

If you see his bare face, it is never for extended periods of time. He will take off his mask when strictly necessary (which is usually just when eating, maybe a kiss if he's feeling charitable, and the once a blue moon you convince him to bathe), but it goes right back on as soon as he's done.

This is not a matter of not trusting you. If he allowed you to see his face at all, that's already about the biggest show of trust he can give. Nor is he particularly insecure about his appearance, so compliments will do little to sway him.

Rather, in his eyes, his mask is his real face. The face that's made of flesh is the face of a Michael that died a long time ago, and seeing it in the mirror feels unnatural.

As such, the first time he takes his mask off in front of you, it is unceremonious and with no warning. The best thing for you to do is not react at all. You may mean well by complimenting him or thanking him for letting you see his face, but the way he sees it, if you prefer his 'real' face, then you prefer a Michael that doesn't actually exist.

Choose your words and actions wisely. Despite his seeming nonchalance, this is the moment that could make or break any kind of future for the two of you.

RZ!Michael Myers:

Okay, RZ!Michael is pretty distinctly different from his OG counterpart here. His relationship with his mask, while no less important, is significantly... easier to navigate.

He does not see any of his masks as a literal extension of himself, and his face doesn't seem foreign to him. In fact, the problem is kind of the opposite.

Masks provide a sense of comfort and, more importantly, privacy in ways he had never experienced prior. After years of being observed and having his every move scrutinized, covering his face is one of the few ways he could keep himself hidden even from himself.

Over the years, he has come to see it as just important a piece of clothing as any other. What this means for you, though, is that he would likely allow you to see his face way before OG Michael would (though it would still take time)

Much like his counterpart, the first time was likely borne from necessity, but unlike him, RZ!Michael definitely made sure you knew that this wasn't something to take lightly. He wouldn't break eye contact with you the entire time (not that he usually does). To the untrained eye, he may appear cold or even angry, but if you've reached this point, you'd be able to tell that he's on-edge, analyzing your every move and gauging every microexpression.

Luckily, if you know him fairly well, it's reasonably easy to pass this test. Compliments are acceptable this time, but don't overdo it. You don't want him to feel under even more of a spotlight than he already does.

He also would eventually be willing to keep it off for more than a minute or two at a time if he's in a good enough mood, though you'd have to ask him directly. He simply sees no reason to keep it off for his own purposes, but may indulge you on occasion.

Bubba Sawyer:

Bubba isn't particularly afraid of you seeing his face, but he isn't thrilled with the idea either.

His masks, while not a literal identity like OG!Myers, is certainly a way for him to express his identity more freely. Not just when it comes to gender expression, but in general.

Besides, his is the only mask where his mouth is exposed, so there's no practical reason for him to take it off in front of you and he simply doesn't see the appeal.

You would definitely need to ask because he probably wouldn't take that initiative for a very long time, if ever. And even when you do ask, he would initially panic and slip away.

It takes a bit for him to come around to the idea and for you to assure him that you don't want him to give up his masks altogether, you just want to know what his face looks like.

When he finally does it, you're hidden away in a room alone together to ensure that you have privacy. He would stall for as long as possible, but when he can't wait any longer, he practically rips it off before he can have any second thoughts.

Please give him lots of kisses and affection. He's already clingy at the best of times, but like this, he thinks he might die if you let go of him.

Brahms Heelshire:

Okay, deep breath, we've gotten through the really complicated ones and are moving on to the more basic "insecure about their appearance" boys.

Brahms is desperately starved for any kind of positive attention. (Or attention in general, which is exactly why he acts out. Any attention is better than no attention.)

The fact that you talk to him and care for him without even seeming to be terrified at every moment like his parents were is nothing short of a miracle in his eyes, and he would sooner die than put that in jeopardy, so any change is a threat.

This includes you wanting to see his face. While his scarring certainly isn't the reason his parents treated him the way they did (after all, their apprehension had started even before the fire), it is still a risk. He doesn't know how you'll react, and that's unacceptable.

It would take a lot of convincing. Even if you have prominent scars yourself, it wouldn't help much since he insists that it's "different" with you, whatever that means.

Patience is key here, as well as finding a balance between not pressuring him while also making it clear that you haven't changed your mind about wanting to see his face. Eventually, though, he gives in.

He's visibly shaking the first time he takes it off and you have to get him to set the mask down before he drops it. Even still, he's staring at the ground, and should you guide his face towards you, he still averts his eyes. He's immediately regretting doing this and certain that you must be looking at him in horror. He can't stand to see that.

Be gentle here. Again, this is about balance. Brahms desperately needs reassurance right now, but at the same time, don't invalidate his insecurities by telling him the scarring "isn't that bad" or that he shouldn't have been worried.

Honestly, a simple "I love you" will probably do you better than most comments about his appearance, at least for now. Unpacking his insecurities can come later, but right now, he just needs to know that you aren't leaving him.

Jason Voorhees:

Okay so here's the thing people forget about Jason: he's the only one of these last three who had an adult in his life who treated him well as a child. Does he still have insecurities? Sure he does! Is he traumatized? Boy howdy is he ever! But he's generally coming from a place of at least being able to fathom being loved in a healthy way.

As such, I think he'd have revealed his face to you the soonest of these six. He doesn't see the mask as a fundamental piece of his identity (at least, no moreso than a uniform), and if you've reached a point where he'll stay with you for extended periods of time, he probably already trusts you a considerable amount. If he had any reason to believe you'd reject him for his appearance, he wouldn't have stayed around to find out.

I honestly think he's the only one of the six who would want you to be the one to take his mask off (with his permission, of course). This is both because he's a dork and wanted to make sure this was A Special Moment, and also simply wanting the reassurance that you can back out if you change your mind.

He's so fucking cute about it, too. Because you are almost definitely shorter than him (speaking as a tall person), he sits down so that you can reach his face more easily. He seems fairly collected at a glance, but you can see him wringing his hands. It's not that he thinks you'll react badly, but...

Pretty much any positive reaction will result in a very happy Jason on your hands. Compliments will earn you a very cute blush, but if you really want to make a mess of him, just kiss him before you say anything and he will damn near pass out on the spot.

Moving forward, as long as you're somewhere hidden away, he will be very happy to oblige you if you ask him to keep his mask off for a bit. Especially if you bribe him with kisses.

Vincent Sinclair:

Okay, we all know Vincent has a really weird relationship with his face. (Thanks, Trudy.) He would definitely want you to see his face at some point, but if you don't show any indication of being interested yourself, I'm not sure he'd ever work up the nerve.

You can and should be a little more pushy with him than you'd be with the others. He isn't as delicate as he seems. (I mean he puts up with Bo ffs) Obviously don't be TOO mean about it, but firm nudges will go a long way.

There would be several times that he planned on taking his mask off but backed out at the last second, which honestly gets kind of infuriating. Eventually, he realizes he won't be able to do it while you're watching him (at least not yet) and decides to instead just take off his mask while alone in his studio and wait for you to come down.

You nearly have a heart attack when you go down and see his mask sitting on a table, Vincent himself standing rigidly and staring at the wall with his back turned to you.

You will have to approach him yourself to get him to turn around, and when he does, his eyes are locked on you in an instant, trying to gauge your reaction.

Strangely, it probably isn't a particularly emotional conversation. Between his stiffness and you having been taken entirely off-guard, nothing flows that naturally. Maybe a few comments from your end and a few laconic signs from him in response, and that's the end of it.

The emotional part comes later that evening, once you've both processed what happened. He apologizes for coming off as sharp, but you can't exactly blame him.

The mask comes off again, with more warning this time, and now there can be a proper back-and-forth.

Please touch his face, especially the scar tissue. It hasn't been touched in so long (even by himself), it has become incredibly sensitive, and he will melt immediately.

Feel free to use this knowledge in other contexts too ;)

[rebelpapermaker]

Eddsworld bringing back Tord is such a weirdly infuriating thing to me. Feels like they're trying to buy back the audience they lost without actually addressing why they lost the audience.

You lost your adult audience, the audience who can buy your merch and support you most strongly, by:

ignoring allegations toward one of your producers, treating it like a cancelling attempt rather than providing the proof that exonerated the producer (if it existed; I am being charitable here)

making fun of and dismissing people who ship your characters, who happen to be most of your most dedicated fans typically

making fun of people with fictives of your characters

supporting tbatf, who called anyone who didn't agree with their view of canon "deddheads" (I am willing to believe you didn't see some of the tbatf team's actions, but this was still a factor)

dismissing fans who just wanted to hear that something was happening as far as the show, or that might want to know where the money being made is going- not accusatorily, but asking for information on what was being done when we can all see money is being made and in the past we were told where the money was donated and how much. Of course there are costs, and maybe there isn't profit to donate; you could tell us that.

You made it so extremely difficult to support the show in good conscience. I didn't want to leave, and neither did many others- we wanted to give you the benefit of the doubt, but you just kept doubling down on distancing yourselves from us. Do you want us to watch your show or not? Are we lame, nosy, weird, or are we your audience? You can't have both, and this won't be enough to restore what you destroyed.

(This is in no way directed at anyone who works for Eddsworld!!! I'm actually super supportive of y'all getting employment, and none of these things were or are in your control. This is specifically about the choices the showrunners are making.)

[markantonys]

i was looking at your latest gifset and realised why cauthor is such an amazing ship. mat needs someone who has his back in the way rand does. all the years of his parents and everyone else telling him he's no good, he'll never amount to anything - that kinda stuff sinks in until eventually you start to believe it yourself. and i'm not saying mat doesn't have any flaws of course, but I think some of the time his actions are dictated by what he believes about himself, that he really isn't worth it.

but rand - he's been mat's protector from day one, hasn't he? always in his corner, always defending him and letting mat know without equivocation that he is worth it, that he is a good person who deserves love and a second chance. and that was even before the whole dragon reborn thing came into play. when mat said at the start, "don't stay up-mountain too long" rand answered, "i won't". he won't stay up too long because he misses mat and knows mat needs him too. is it any wonder even ishamael shipped them?

THIS!!!!!! all of this, i'm weeping!!!! i remember in the wait between seasons i was going "oh man the cauthor reunion will be so angsty, rand will be so hurt over mat having stayed behind at the waygate!" but then we got to the actual reunion and it turned out i'd sorely underestimated rand's love for mat! rand is nothing but happy to see mat again, he gives him 100% unconditional love and understanding without bringing up the waygate incident at all, except for taking a moment to tell mat that they aren't better off without him. because he knows mat well enough to guess that the reason he stayed behind might've been that he thought the gang was better off without him, and he loves mat enough to believe this IS the reason rather than supposing something less charitable like selfishness or cowardice. and rand himself, for the first time in his life, has been struggling with feeling his loved ones are better off without him ever since the eye of the world, and this has given him new empathy for and new insight into how mat has felt for his ENTIRE life.

i know that "i'll take care of you" "it's rotten work" "not to me, not if it's you" has become a meme at this point, but it truly is the perfect descriptor of the cauthor dynamic! and on both ends too, since in s2 we see mat starting to be protective of rand and take care of him too now that rand's getting his own share of Issues. mat also assures rand that they aren't better off without him, after all! their lil amateur therapy session in cairhien is so perfect because they are both so well-positioned to understand the internal issues the other is currently dealing with, because it's similar to their own issues. and they each have their own way of showing care, and it just so happens to be perfectly suited to what the other needs; rand is very earnest and vocal in telling mat he's a good person, which is what mat needs to counteract all the fears that have been driven into him since childhood about being worthless, and meanwhile mat takes care of rand by teasing him and joking around and making him smile, which is what rand needs to lighten the burden of being TDR for a while. no wonder ishamael ships them, indeed! he is not immune to homoerotic devotion!

also, what really gets me is that mat didn't get to witness rand's passionate defenses of him in fal dara! nynaeve, you better have been recording the fight on your phone so you can show it to mat, he Needs To Know just how well rand continues to speak of him even when he isn't around. there probably won't be time for it in s3, but i would love a scene where egwene and mat talk for the first time after the great waygate abandonment, and mat's apologizing and egwene's like "well i was pretty mad at you at the time but we're cool now" and mat asks if rand was mad at him too, because he needs to know if he hurt rand but knows rand won't admit if he did because he'd want to spare mat's feelings, and egwene tells mat that rand was not mad at him and in fact defended him tooth and nail against everyone else, and mat's like 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺 trying not to cry, and egwene's internally like "oh my god can you two just make out already". this scene happens between 2x08 and 3x01 in my heart!

[radiosummons]

Real talk: Does the Jedi Order have a tax exempt status?

I know it's somewhat of a meme to make jokes about how the Jedi don't know how to pay taxes, or rather questioning whether they get paid or make any income at all. And, yes, this question is kinda dumb in the sense that whether the Jedi Order has tax exempt status or not, it doesn't effect the over all story or any actual SW lore in any way that actually matters.

I also know that tax exempt status works differently in other countries besides the US (yes, hello, I am American. I hate it here, too). But for the sake of taking this very dumb question at face value, would the Jedi Order:

1) Count as a religious institution in the eyes of Republic law?

2) If so, would their status as a religious institution have any impact on whether they attained tax exempt status from the Republic?

3) What standards and regulations would the Republic IRS have in place regarding tax exemption?

4) Do the Jedi even have an accounting department?

I would peronally argue that, yes, the Jedi Order is in fact a religious institution. On the account of the obvious connection to the Force and heavily coded (if not just downright) religious practices that the Jedi follow.

However, even if the Republic were to grant the Jedi Order the status of a lawfully recognized religious institution, I'm not sure if this would actually lead to them a guaranteed tax exempt status.

According to United States IRS standards and regulations, the Jedi Order could and would also be seen as a religious institution. However, one of the biggest stipulations for retaining tax exempt status is that the religious institution does not attempt to or make any influence on legislative or attempt to influence political campaigns.

(Palpatine voice: Ironic).

Now, if the Republic had similar stipulations, I would argue that, no, the Jedi do not get tax exemption. Mostly because one of the longest known duties associated with the Jedi Order is their role in assisting with galactic diplomacy. It would be literally impossible for them to not get involved in some capacity, especially when their aid is often directly requested (whether by a Republic aligned planet or not).

That being said, this is all going by the standards of the IRS. And at the risk of sounding too jaded, there are hundreds if not outright thousands of religious institutions in the US that should have lost their tax exempt status decades ago. And yet ....

Obviously, this all ultimately depends on what standards the Republic would theoretically have in place for situations like this. And while I would never actually want George Lucas--or any other writer for that matter--to attempt to give us a canon answer, I can't help but wonder.

Even if the Jedi Order was completely self-reliant--which I personally don't think is possible due to them, well, living on Coruscant for thousands of years-just as an example. It just doesn't make sense to me that the Jedi would limit themselves to only what they make in house when they could have easy access to other local businesses, ya know?--whose to say that they wouldn't still be required to pay for taxes like regular citizens?

The Jedi Temple, again, has literally been there for thousands of years. I don't think it's entirely out of the realm of possibility that the Republic wouldn't have sent their own SW IRS agent at least once to audit the Jedi Order.

I honestly wouldn't even be surprised if that Jedi Order would be given a slight form of tax exemption, but only if certain conditions were met. Like, I don't know, what if an official member of the local Coruscantii/Republic government were to make a direct request for the aid of the Jedi. Maybe they'd get a tax write off for all the transportation and housing (or vehicular damage) they'd acrue while on this government sponsored mission?

Or what about this? Business institutions in the US get tax write offs for charitable donations (which the fuckers exploit to hell and back, fuck me). I have to wonder if there was a point in time (maybe the early years of the ye Old Republic) where someone had to bring up the fact that a lot of what the Jedi do could count fall under charitable tax deductions. So if they wanted to continue taxing the Jedi Order, they'd probably have to change up the definition or something.

Idk, man, I'm sort of spit balling random thoughts at this point.

I'd also like to say that I believe the Jedi do, in fact, have an accounting department. Just to keep thing running smoothly in regards to the Temple budget and so on. It would be kinda hard to keep a place that big with that many occupants still around and for that long without having someone keeping a close eye on the Order's spending.

Mostly, though, I just find the idea of the Jedi being audited absolutely hilarious.

[bfpnola]

Hey. It's @reaux07. If you remember my last angry history rant on Paul Robeson, I'm back for Part 2. This time? King Leopold II and his relationship to the Congo. I just finished writing a 5-page, single-spaced essay on this for class, so I'll do my best to summarize in bullet points this time rather than chunky paragraphs. This will still be long though, as a warning, but it's a necessary read. Please let me get through this, because y'all know this hurts to write.

Trigger warnings for... just about everything typically associated with mass colonization (e.g. rape, murder, torture, etc.). Tiktok below as a brief introduction first:

King Leopold II of Belgium, due to his personal unpopularity and lack of love from his parents, had low self-esteem. As his father had already made 50 attempts to colonize foreign lands to no avail, Leopold felt the only way to uplift both himself and his country was to take take control of his own colony.

He checked Sarawak, the New Hebrides, the Fiji Islands, and the Philippines. Nothing. But what was left? The Congo.

How did he learn of the Congo? Leopold hired Henry Morton Stanley, a famous Welsh explorer of the time, to cross Africa from east to west, walking and canoeing 7,000 miles.

Upon the Congo's discovery, Leopold turned his palace into a luxury hotel for the delegates of a new conference to discuss Africa's colonization, supervising every detail. He successfully lied to the major powers of Europe, making claims of charitable and philanthropic aims, and that there would be free trade amongst the African colonies. (And yes, he did give every single attendee a painting of his face... Because he could.)

Meanwhile, back in the Congo, Stanley (the explorer I just mentioned) used bribes and trickery to provide official treaties with the various chiefs of the land in case Leopold ever needed legal proof of land ownership. (Ex of said trickery: One report noted that a village assumed "the white man controlled the sun.")

In 1891 and 1892, Leopold released decrees stating that both vacant land and produce of the forests exclusively belonged to Belgium and that natives could only harvest for the state.

Enforcing Leopold’s rule were 16,000 Africans equipped with modern Belgian-made automatic rifles.

Outing Attempt #1: One African American man, George Washington Williams, during his trip compiled a report to be sent to the American secretary of state. In this letter, Williams remembers bets being taken on who could shoot the native people in the head first, among other instances of vile treatment. While the document never made it back to Williams’ home country, it was eventually found in Europe where he later died.

By this point, the Congo was actually ruining Leopold’s finances and he was growing desperate. But to his surprise, he happened to pick the one spot where rubber grew in abundance, just as the demand for cars and bicycles rose internationally, John Dunlop, a Scottish veteran, having just invented the first pneumatic tire.

Because of this, rubber-prominent areas were the targets of mass exploitation and punishment if daily and weekly rubber quotas were not met.

Missionaries began to write not just to one another, but back home in disgust of these aforementioned “punishments,” one man’s writings put in missionary magazines and national newspapers in Europe. These punishments included rape, tying people up to trees, cutting off men's heads and genitals to be displayed along the fences of Congolese villages, cutting women’s breasts off, and most notably...

Attempt #2: The world, if only momentarily, saw BASKETS after BASKETS of right hands that had been cut off as proof that each of the cartridges given to the Africans had been fired and killed one of their own people. These hands were then smoked for preservation and brought back to their officers.

What did Leopold do once this information came out alongside photos of child mutilation? Acknowledge the abuses and moved on almost immediately.

In Europe, the rubber was processed in a city called Antwerp, ironically named after a mythological giant who also cut off hands. To this day, the connection between such a name and Belgian history has not been made by the general public as countless documents by the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs are kept secret to maintain an image of untouched royalty.

One commissioner in charge of a district in Congo, Leon Fievez, produced one ton of rubber a day, boasting of 1,000 people killed, 162 villages destroyed, burning gardens and plantations so people would starve, and having “only” used 3,000 cartridges. He was nicknamed the “Devil of the Equator” and rightly so.

Attempt #3: One day, a man named Charles Stokes, a British trader working for the Germans, entered the picture. Stokes was arrested for trading in state territory, despite those former claims of free trade, and sentenced to death. Leopold was forced to pay compensation to both Britain and Germany for his death, both countries now increasingly aware of the Congo’s dark reality.

To cover it up, Leopold made claims of the Congo opening up to new companies. Let's be real: His men were on the boards of all these new companies and he took 50% of the profits.

In particular were these "concession companies" where the "hostage system" was set up. Agencies, with official hostage licenses authorizing such, would take the wives of rubber collectors for up to 15 days until the quota was met.

On the 15th day, the men of the Congo either got their wives back or faced further punishment, often death. For the agents, the 15th day meant it was time to calculate commissions, and for the king? It was proof that this new hostage system worked.

These abusive concession companies lasted over 10 years until formal competition arose in South America and Asia.

Attempt #4: Then came Edmund Dene Morel, a half-French, self-taught shipping clerk turned investigative journalist who wrote in The Speaker of the abuses faced by the Congolese, backed up by evidence, not just speculations.

Due to Morel’s growing specialization in West African affairs, he was able to not only send out 15,000 brochures and 3,700 letters in six months after his move to Wales, but start his own newspaper, West African Mail.

By 1903, Roger Casement, an ally to Morel’s cause, spent two months traveling the upper Congo, recording African testimonies. He, too, realized that missionaries were key witnesses and went to visit Joseph Clark (a missionary of 20 years) for 17 days.

Through these reports, which grew to 50 pages in length, Casement and Morel were able to solidify Belgium as perpetuating the worst colonial system Africa had ever known. Punishments included Africans performing public incest for the colonists' entertainment, decapitation, women being stabbed with wooden spikes up their vaginas, and one woman tied up to a tree and slashed straight in half from her left shoulder through her abdomen and out the other side.

The West African Mail even reported on a part of Congo no one knew existed, private property within private property called the “Crown Domain” on the other side of Lake Tumba, which gained 231 million euros alone, all sent directly to King Leopold II. Crown Domain was 10x 5)3 size of Belgium.

Founded by Morel, Liverpool became the headquarters of a coalition called the Congo Reform Association. He also published a book called Red Rubber (1906). I think you’ll find the cover particularly striking! Check out the hand in the bottom right corner being weighed against King Leopold II on the left.

Leopold obviously not having this, commissioned a number of books and monthly magazines to clear up the mess. This didn't work. Obviously.

He even tried to send his own international commission to control what the Congolese said in 1904, to no avail. This was due to a missionary named John Harris who had taken the accounts of various people in the area and sent them back to Morel.

In one particularly heartbreaking moment, a chief brought to Leopold’s judges 110 twigs for each of the entire villages, not just people, killed by the Belgian state, naming every last one.

By the time they returned to Europe, the governor-general committed suicide and, upon being asked, Harris suggested Leopold should be sent to the gallows by the relatively new International Court of Justice.

The commission's report vindicated Casement and Morel. Leopold had tricked no one. EVERYONE in Belgium was calling him out.

Leopold ordered all of the Congo State Records to be burned.

In 1908, the Congo became a Belgian colony, not longer Leopold’s personal property. The state still made claims of "civilizing" the Africans after Leopold's death though, utilizing the leftover mineral exploitation industry with no guilt.

At least during his funeral, which he was denied of having privately, the entire city booed his body <3 well deserved. By this point, he had become Europe’s most hated man of the time.

And in case you were wondering, Casement and Morel were both accused to pro-German sympathies during WWI and executed.

I would like to add more detail but I think I’ve hit a character limit. Just know that Congo’s population was cut in HALF, in some places as much as 60-90%. Villages after villages were burned, as shown through so many soldiers’ and missionaries’ journals. This was a genocide of over 10 MILLION PEOPLE y’all. Hearing this story was truly SICKENING, but here’s the BBC 4 documentary we watched for class for more: Congo: White King, Red Rubber, and Black Death.

What truly gets me is just how OTHER colonizers were calling this man out after finding out the full truth… For me, that feels like extra proof of how truly messed up this was if THEY were disturbed too.

And what feels truly insidious was how Leopold made sure to institutionalize all of his wrongdoings and was so… obviously knowing about every wrongdoing, I mean writing in letters to make sure no one else found out. Please…

Linking my angry history rant on Paul Robeson from last semester here.

Happy Black History Month.

[anti-katsuki-lounge]

I'm not really an MHA guy, most of my exposure to it is from fanfic, but would I be right in assuming its setting is one of those things where the status quo is genuinely fucked, but everyone who's against it or up for changing it is either painted as wrong or is conveniently over-the-top evil?

With MHA it’s weird. On one hand you have people constantly calling out the status quo and being portrayed as sympathetic/right. Izuku, Class 1-A, and the future heroes are constantly portrayed as learning how to be better than the past heroes. You got the LoV, who despite being mass murderers, are given sympathetic backstories that showcase the suffering caused by the status quo. You also got Endeavor, who understands that he’s shitty and plans on retiring once he’s no longer needed in the war against the LoV. You also have Stain, a guy whose message is that there are a lot of fake heroes, and his message is one that is framed as being correct and one that sticks around throughout the series, even when he’s defeated.

On the other hand, Hori will outright contradict his own messages. Katsuki, a direct benefactor of the status quo, is coddled by the narrative, never meaningfully called out, constantly praised, and gets everything handed to him on a silver platter. Endeavor’s abuse is brushed aside by everyone. Now someone might mention that it’s because Dabi’s murdering people and they need Endeavor to stop him and the LoV, so they’re just tolerating him for now. This would be true and perfectly valid, if not for the fact that Hori has actual characters not care about any of the revelations. You have Inasa admit to Dabi’s face that he doesn’t care about what Endeavor did and you have Endeavor’s sidekicks ignore the allegations just because he does his job well.

Then there’s the fact that anyone with valid criticisms about the status quo and how things are done are immediately demonized. When people were booing Katsuki for savagely wailing on Ochako rather than ending the fight quickly (something he could’ve easily done if not for the fact he thought Izuku gave her a strategy), Hori has Shota talk to them as if they were misogynistic pigs. When the journalists rightfully point out Katsuki’s horrible attitude and U.A’s incompetence, Hori frames them as being vultures and not really understanding Katsuki (Shota literally says that Katsuki deserves to be a hero cause he works hard). Endeavor’s critics are treated as nuisances rather than people who understandably don’t want an abuser to be the new #1 hero. The angry mob that forms as Izuku’s being brought back to U.A is framed as horrible people willing to let a kid die. While it’s true that they were willing to let Izuku die, they literally saw no other option as the heroes have failed them numerous times. The last war was a disaster even though they managed to drive the villains away and both Endeavor and the HPSC, two centerpieces of hero society, were exposed for their crimes. Finally, there’s the fact that the LoV, the biggest source of criticism about heroes, are mass murderers for absolutely no reason, which limits how effective their message is to the audience. Even Stain falls for this trap cause he kills heroes that aren’t All Might indiscriminately, even good heroes like Tensei, a hero who is framed by the narrative as a charitable and true hero.

Ultimately, I think Hori’s genuinely trying to criticize the status quo, but the problem is he doesn’t quite understand how to do so and he lacks the writing skills to do so. Hori does this thing where he creates all the moving pieces but is afraid to make them come together because of his inexperience and because he’s too afraid to criticize his favorite characters too harshly, characters who benefit from the status quo.

Lol that kinda turned into a rant but hopefully it answered your question 😂

[chaifootsteps]

Have you seen this?

https://www.tumblr.com/pinkandpurple360/745322260653654016?source=share

Legit I don't even know what show some Stol/tz fans (or rather Stolas stans, they're obviously the type of shippers who only care about one half of the ship) are even watching anymore

They'll bend over backwards to not only excuse Stolas but to act like a literal prince of Hell has less agency than the underclass he quite literally is screwing over.

It's sad that I'm reassured that the fanbase for this show obviously skews young because I can still hope they'll get bored, grow out of it and eventually understand what sexual coercion actually is and treat their media with a less emotional lens

It's disturbing to see them fantastize this level of violence being visited on Blitzo; there's a real nasty undercurrent of actively wanting Stolas to hurt and punish him. The tail end of that comment has Stolas literally threaten to take Loona away and kidnap Blitzo by throwing him in his trunk, then has the nerve to say "I fear they won't get together if something like this happens in the show"!!

like??? Blitzo as it is has every reason to ghost Stolas at the speed of sound the second he gets the asmodean crystal in his hand. it's disturbing how far they expect him to be tortured and still hope for them to get together! like at this point these fans obviously don't even like Blitzo, why do they want Stol/tz to happen at all? give Stolas some dull as ditch water rich boyfriend instead and let them enable all of each other's worst habits! it's just genuinely nauseating how these commenters are now romanticising a frighteningly accurate depiction of domestic violence and they don't even seem to realise it

it reminds me of stans in other fandoms who are so invested in their ship happening (or rather, in the character they stan getting what they want) that they'll immediately escalate to hateful insults towards the other character if they dare to act in their own self-interest.

that or people have known people like Blitzo (or what the show is trying to tell us Blitzo is) who used them and they project all that onto Stolas, somehow ignoring the mountain of flaws and the fact that the relationship was founded on extremely dubious consent at best due to the Full Moon Deal (and that's being charitable about it, I'd dearly love to see how someone could try to justify the deal if they actually rewatched the scene instead of engaging with all of the show's retconning after the fact), and that it was entirely Stolas' choice to do that

sorry, rant over. I think I've seen it all from stol/tz / Stolas fans and then they still manage to surprise me

Jesus fucking Christ. Some of these people actually, honest-to-god scare me, and they're getting more and more numerous.

[punkitt-is-here]

ooough its punkitt thoughts on mlp season 5 wow!!

finished season 5 last night! putting Twlight in a position where she couldn't just DBZ laser beam her way out of the villain this time made for a much more thematically resonant resolution with the main baddy. Tirek was completely forgettable because the challenge was mostly just beating the shit out of him; cool animation for sure, but for a show based on its character interactions I think there could have been something a lil deeper. Putting Twilight in a spot where she straight-up cannot brute-force her way through the solution unless she and the villain come to an understanding was a smart choice on the writer's part to avoid that happening this time around.

seeing all those AUs with the apocalypses was kind of crazy and super fan-indulgent but I think after five seasons of normal horse stuff I think you deserve to get kind of wacky and fan-indulgent in some ways? like, yeah, even if it MAY have jumped the shark a lil in this season, there's still a solid 3 seasons of Lauren Faust-type beat stuff and Season 4 and 5 have some of my favorite episodes of the series so far. I get why people hopped ship around this point but as An Adult In My 20s Who Enjoys An Optimistic and Well-Written Cartoon (not the initial target audience) 4 and 5 are more up my alley in terms of situations to slap those equines in. Someone on the staff was DEFINITELY aware of the popularity of fan stories like Fallout Equestria and stuff and you could tell a lot of alternate timelines were mostly made with a "wouldn't that be a cool thing for fans to expand on?" mindset which might be offputting for some but honestly I'm a fan of Kingdom Hearts and One Piece and shit so doing things that are Cool For The Sake Of Cool is far from something i dislike on principle.

I also think that it's silly that folks felt like Starlight shouldn't have been redeemed and instead punished or something! She clearly didn't know what she was doing and, stepping outside the in-universe lore for a moment, this is once again still a show about rainbow horses aimed at kids called Friendship Is Magic. Having someone who caused an entire apocalypse because she had a friendship problem is like, ripe for the picking for Redeeming Their Ass. I felt like that montage of Starlight hanging out did leagues more for me in terms of redeeming a villain than all of Discord's post-redemption episodes combined because it actually showed The Mane 6 being charitable and kind and having fun with Starlight rather than us just being told. That's the power of a montage baby!

Honestly it felt like a series finale, in a sense, even tho I know we're far from that. I love a good wrapping bow on a good season, though, so even if it felt very ending-ish I still think it went out with a bang. good season and im very excited to see where we go next with starlight she's neat :]]]

[gorogues]

I was looking up the Rogues for some writing. When I remembered Trickster and the mind altering stuff that did him dirty. Is this scene the one where Trickster is reverted back to his “original” because of Top. Cause if it is. I don’t think it is. I think Top believed that he undid his own work but what he actually did was mess up Trickster even more.

“He’ll never help anyone but himself.”

I feel like that right there is Top pushing his own views on what Trickster should actually be and the not Trickster himself.🧐

That's one way of interpreting it, and it's certainly a valid one, though we may never know what Johns intended unless he elaborates.

Without any word-of-the-author explaining what he meant, I think it comes down to whether one wants to be charitable to James, or to Roscoe…and I know that most people would rather be charitable to James (he's got tons more fans). And Roscoe's my favourite and I like to defend him against fan hostility so I probably lean towards being charitable to him 🤷

Here's the thing: Roscoe is frequently a huge dickhead, especially in the modern era. But James has also had some real dickhead moments, and I'm not talking about the OOC garbage that was Countdown or the questionable shenanigans of "The Greatest Trick Of All". Even in James' "I'm not a mean man" issue, he intentionally caused a gondola full of people plummet to the ground so the Flash would be forced to save them and he could escape. Sorry James, that was incredibly mean and people could have died. (It probably happened before he even met Roscoe because Rogue team-ups were extremely uncommon at that point, but we don't actually know when the two of them met).

James used his mind-control device on Big Sir -- a man with intellectual disabilities -- and told the Rogues that turning it to the highest setting would eventually render Big Sir a vegetable. The Rogues laughed about it, as did James. And James' reform was pretty much because he didn't want to go to Hell and be at the mercy of Neron, which he stated very clearly. He wasn't doing it out of some intrinsically noble nature, it was largely self-interest.

So neither of these guys is innocent, even if James is definitely kinder and gentler than Roscoe. James is unquestionably a better person. But what I'm saying is that he also has darkness in him and has had it since the Silver Age, even if we don't see it very often, so Roscoe didn't need to force anything into him for it to appear. And thus whether Roscoe did or didn't do that is likely up to individual interpretation.

[grapenehifics]

Not to tell you about *every* time I hear Solsbury Hill on the radio but…

Can you tell us why you picked it as the title for your fic? I feel there’s more to your reasoning than “grab your things I’ve come to take you home” and I’d love to hear your thoughts [it’s also maybe pretty obvious(?) but I’m really, really shit at 1) song lyrics 2) song meanings and 3) applying them to other contexts 🙈]

My friend, there is almost nothing I would rather talk about than the intersection between Peter Gabriel*, Genesis, Solsbury Hill the place, Solsbury Hill the song, and Solsbury Hill the fic.

(*Peter Gabriel, and all the members of Genesis, are real people, and would probably tell this story very differently. But they're not here to correct me [oh god, at least, I hope not], and this is how I heard the story, and I am going to tell it the way I know it. Apologies to all those living or dead.)

Sometime in the late 1960s a group of British schoolboys formed the prog rock band Genesis, and by the early 1970s they were...maybe not world-famous, but huge by prog rock standards, anyway, with a couple of albums and a tour. The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway came out and it was a big enough deal that they got offered an American tour, too.

They were all still pretty young (they'd started basically in high school) and Peter Gabriel, their lead singer and main songwriter, had recently got married and he and his wife had a baby (this will become relevant in a second). So they go on the American tour and maybe about halfway through Peter turns to his bandmates and is like, "so...I'll finish the tour with you, because I promised I would, but when we get back home I'm quitting the band."

The other guys were stunned, obviously, because this was the moment they'd worked for. They'd already gotten through all the shitty garage band years, which is where most people give up, and now they were at the good part! They were on an international tour! The money was good! Their albums were selling! They had more fans than they'd ever thought they'd have! What on earth would possess someone to want to give all that up?

(The part of this story that is less-charitable to Peter Gabriel is that one of the answers he gave was 'more creative freedom' and his band was like...but you already write all our songs? What possible *more* creative freedom do you think you need?)

It wasn't just the band, though. His managers and the record company and everyone all told him that was a terrible, terrible idea, and there were a sizable contingent of Genesis fans who just refused to follow him to his solo career because they were mad at him for walking out on Genesis, wrecking the band, how dare he be so ungrateful...

(Genesis did fine without him, actually. Phil Collins took over on vocals and they had another couple of albums and some hit songs before going kind of weirdly soft-rock in the 80s.)

Also - and this is an important detail - when he left the band, there was no solo career. He didn't have any songs. I don't think he even had an agent. He was kind of on the outs with the industry for pulling that stunt. He spent the first year after he quit - while Genesis was recording a new album without him - just hanging out at home with his wife and baby daughter.

Eventually he did get back in the studio, and one of the songs on his first solo album was Solsbury Hill, largely regarded to be the most autobiographical of his songs (Solsbury Hill is an actual, physical hill in Somerset, near where he grew up). It's pretty blatantly about quitting Genesis, including being unhappy in the band:

So I went from day to day Though my life was in a rut

I was feeling part of the scenery

And liberty, she pirouette When I think that I am free

and trying to get up the courage to leave even knowing it would almost universally be regarded as a really dumb move and would very possibly end his entire music career even though he was still in his twenties:

My friends would think I was a nut Open doors would soon be shut

But eventually doing it anyway:

To keep in silence I resigned

I walked right out of the machinery

I will show another me

Then he writes about how, even though it was scary and he didn't know what the consequences were going to be, he was glad he did it:

Though my life was in a rut 'Til I thought of what I'd say Which connection I should cut

Today I don't need a replacement I'll tell them what the smile on my face meant

And he personifies all this as a person, or more accurately hearing a voice (while climbing Solsbury Hill, hence the title), and the progression of what the voice tells him mirrors the rest of the lyrics. First it's:

"Son, " he said "Grab your things, I've come to take you home."

and

"Hey, " he said "Grab your things, I've come to take you home."

But the final lines are the singer answering back:

"Hey, " I said "You can keep my things, they've come to take me home."

And not to belabor the metaphor, but that's what I see as the equivalent of the first quarter or so of Solsbury Hill the fic, at least the beginning to the Bakersfield hospital chapters. Peter Gabriel and Anakin both got the exact thing they thought they wanted - a record deal, a tour, money, fame, wealth - and then turned out once they had it, they actually didn't really want it all that much anymore, and the reality of it wasn't worth keeping it.

But also mixed in there is some shame, right, because to everyone else it looks like you have it all. Every kid around the world with a guitar and a garage bands wants what you have. Every kid on their school swim team watching the Olympics on TV wants that. And now you've got it, and you're just...going to hand it back? Say it's not good enough? This thing that feeds your family and lets you see the world? How dare you spit on that!

But all they really want - in both stories - is more time with the people they love. And yes, in both cases, there are ways to fix that - Peter Gabriel could have taken his wife and baby with him on tour, Anakin could have not fired Obi-Wan and taken up with Palpatine - but in the middle of that situation and looking down the barrel of year after year of touring and competition and the toll it takes on your body and your mental health - suddenly the smart play starts looking like turning you back on it, tearing the whole thing down, and starting over. Even if it means living without the money and the fame and the recognition and universal goodwill. Who cares. Keep it all. Keep my things; I don't need them; I just need you.

I'm going home.

[ober-affen-geil]

Ok so having just started the Murderbot Diaries series by Martha Wells I was going through the Murderbot tag here and noticed 2 things. 1) people yelling about respecting Murderbot's canonical and consistent touch-repulsion but not really supplying any alternatives and 2) at least two pieces of art of what seemed to be people attempting to either respect (charitably) or get around (uncharitably) Murderbot's touch repulsion by having it "link" or "hold" pinkies with someone for comfort.

As someone who is....not exactly touch averse or repulsed but certainly touch neutral (it's not something I flinch from but it's also not something I seek out or really enjoy) I thought I could provide helpful insight for both points: namely, "here is how someone who doesn't enjoy touch would prefer it to be substituted because humans are pretty touchy feely and getting your brain around someone genuinely not enjoying that is tough" and also "this is why touching just pinkies is not the loophole you think it is".

Keeping in mind this is more meant to be for fic reference, but if it helps with insight for real life that's great too. For clarity, this is based on my experience which is mostly for sensory reasons and is not in any way trauma related; others may have different experiences.

I will start with the pinkie and why that's........super not great actually, because it will help get into the headspace which will help with "what to actually do instead".

The thing is, linking pinkies as a substitute for holding hands, which seems to be how it's being used here, does not "get around" touch aversion because it's not enough contact to "set it off". It actually does the opposite (for me). Now I have to be hyper aware of how much my pinkie is curled, how high am I holding my hand, how far away from my body is my arm, does it feel like I'm pulling on *their* arm or hand or pinkie, is my hand sweaty, do I have an itch, I can feel my joints creaking as I struggle not to move too much lest I dislodge them...etc. If the point was to offer me a point of contact that was small enough for me to be able to not notice it too much? It failed. Badly. I'd rather have a full body hug.

Linking pinkies doesn't work as a loophole because it fundamentally misunderstands the main source of the touch aversion: concentrated hyper awareness of the body. The smaller the touch the more tightly concentrated the awareness is, and the worse it will be. It's also a non-standard kind of touch which means there is NOTHING to go off of in terms of what is wanted from you, aka its a very difficult touch to "perform" (yes I'm talking about masking). Edit: Also! Your fingertips and finger pads are *designed* for sensory input! And are a part of your body that is nearly almost always uncovered! Which means a) practically GUARANTEED skin to skin contact which is Worse and b) congrats, you picked one of the few areas on the body that is Designed To Tell A Person They Are Touching Something.

What a touch averse person would prefer, if you wanted to offer comfort or convey affection, is to first and foremost *not to ask them to perform for YOUR comfort/frame of reference to begin with*.

Words of affirmation, a simple hand gesture (such as placing your hand over your heart), literally just asking them if they want to talk, sitting in silence with them (engaging in parallel play), or perhaps offering a blanket/comfy clothes/food are all much better ways to actually offer a touch averse person comfort or intimacy while also still respecting their boundary.

Actual "loopholes" in (my) touch aversion include incidental contact that doesn't last and is ignored/meaningless to all parties (such as brushing past someone or being in a crowded space), the "mom" override (when I know someone really needs physical comfort in that moment which, tbc, is doing fuck all for me and is entirely about the other person), and functional necessity (such as medical attention or grabbing someone to help them up or keep them steady). (In case anyone was keeping track, Murderbot has shown all of these "exceptions" to my knowledge.)

I just. Hope this helps with understanding the mindset instead of just being beaten over the head with "respect touch aversion or you are ableist" because i do understand its hard to wrap your head around. But we deal with it so frankly, you can deal with it too for a change.

[highfantasy-soul]

NATLA Episode 8 - Legends (2/4)

[Masterlist of my NATLA thoughts]

Of course, full spoilers ahead.

<previous/next>

I really enjoy how Zhao (Azula) is a much smarter villain in the live-action than he was in the animated series. While I do love them both, leaning into the Fire Nation not just working off brute force, but rather being strategic and clever with their attacks was a great choice. The Ice Moon caveat for the spirits and Kuruk's spirit knife made the world feel bigger to me than just having the moon and ocean spirits conveniently always sitting there to kill by any means. I don't think the live-action team went in with the idea that the ocean and moon spirits being mortal was 'a plothole to fill' like some claim (yet again, always jumping to the least charitable interpretation of the live-action rather than spending three seconds to think about what it ADDS to the story to flesh that part out), I think they used it to seed a lot of lore and worldbuilding while also giving reasons as to why events played out the way they did.

Like I said in my post about episode 6, it makes a lot more sense to me that Zhao would have easy access to the info (and weapon) needed to kill the Moon Spirit rather than that shlub somehow finding the super hidden library that an archeologist spent YEARS searching for. While it was a cool foreshadowing of the library in season 2, having Zhao discover the moon and ocean spirit stuff in Avatar Roku's temple in the live-action I think makes more sense.

The fire sage being the one to explain the spirit oasis and the origins of waterbending to Zhao was a really cool change! It shows Zhao formulating his plan rather than having it just told to us like in the animated version - it includes the lore behind the ocean and moon spirit without making it so obvious that that's the solution to their problem, it introduces it as the problem and we have to work our way to the solution instead of it just being given to us. The fact that the sages still know and revere (even though they're using it to form an attack plan) the histories of bending is a nice touch. Especially the older sages, they remember the old ways and stories and don't discount the power of the old tales like younger people might. It doesn't stop them from falling into fascism (it stops some, but not all), but it does add layers and nuance to their world view rather than the very surface-level 'all others are bad, we don't pay attention to them' view that was shown mostly in the animated version.

Kuruk appearing to Aang to warn him was super cool!! I like how past Avatars can appear to their current iteration (not to mention they were right outside his shrine) to warn them of something and having it be Kuruk's knife that he can feel added a lot. It's another instance where the Fire Nation can turn anything into a weapon against the world - the weapon Kuruk forged to PROTECT the world from evil spirits and keep the world in balance is now being twisted and used by the Fire Nation to hurt the good ones and throw the world out of balance. Just as Zhao and the Fire Sage took a beautiful story about the creation of the Water Tribes and twisted it into something to harm them, they're taking a weapon of protection and making it a brutal weapon against the light.

UUUGGGHHHH Zhao and his twisted 'justifications' as to why killing the moon isn't actually all that bad. "Killing the ocean would deprive people of their lives - I'm not a monster!" of course he wants a world to rule, so he can't kill them, only fully subjugate them and wipe out their culture! See, they will get to live under his amazing rule, why would he deny them that opportunity?? Watch closely, everyone - that's the reasoning a lot of fascists give when they start trying to eradicate cultural practices - they argue that they're leaving the people alive, so it's not actually bad! We're just stripping away their identity and replacing it with our own! Save the man, kill the savage and all that.

"The Avatar's power is great, but it pales in comparison to the elemental spirits" SUCH GREAT FORESHADOWING WITHOUT GIVING IT ALL AWAYYYY!!!!!!! Also a great way to show the power scale of the world - as powerful as Aang is in the Avatar state, the spirits are the OG - especially the elemental ones. Aang ISN'T the most powerful thing in this world. It sets up how they're going to defeat the fire nation army without Aang in control of the Avatar state really well! They're leaving breadcrumbs rather than telling you the plan in a monologue or just randomly deciding to join with the ocean spirit - a power that hadn't been discussed at all in the animated show.

That Momo fake out death was CRUEL!!!! He just saved a girl's life and we think he gave his life to do it!!!! But it was a great way to introduce not only the spirit oasis, but also the healing properties of its waters. In the animated show, that's not mentioned at all until Pakku gives Katara the water vial and tells her it can heal - it's actually SHOWN in the live-action that it's powers are beyond normal healing. Yue's story about her being healed in these waters makes a lot more sense here as well rather than in the animated series where she tells the story once the moon is in trouble. At the time, it seems like it has nothing to do with the immediate danger, it's just a way to set up that she'll give back that life in the end - a quick lore set-up break in the action. In the live-action, it's directly tied to what's happening - she's doing the same thing to Momo that was done to her to save her life. Her connection with the moon isn't relevant yet, so that part of the story is held till later when it is relevant.

Honestly, I think the spirit oasis is much more impressive in the live-action. In the animated show, it's just a small island of grass with a pond - in the live-action, it's a whole valley filled with life. And I love how NO adaptation can resist showing Zuko fire-blasting his way out from beneath the ice - it's just too damn cool to leave out! I like how Iroh is still playing his loyalties close to the chest - he's not going to outright attack Zhao yet, but he'll definitely stall and not help out as much as Zhao wants him to.

Zuzu!!!! Like always, huge shit is happening all around but Zuko still thinks him capturing Aang is the most important thing in the world. I like that they're keeping that narrow focus for him - one of his biggest flaws - that blinds him to everything around him. He's not concerned about saving Agna Qel'a, he's not concerned about saving the spirits, he just wants to capture Aang and restore his place in the Fire Nation.

His face as Katara says she's gonna fight him and Aang agreeing - oof. Here he is thinking he's Aang's biggest threat and Aang is just handing his battle off to Katara. And Aang's sly little 'go easy' that wasn't to Zuko - the poor thing. So we begin Zuko v Katara round 2!!! Back in episode 2 on Kyoshi Island, Katara stood against Zuko - untrained and terrified, but knowing she needed to protect Aang. She was beaten easily, but now, she's had training. She's had experience. She's forged herself into a warrior and she's ready for everything Zuko can dish out. Well, not EVERYTHING as even in the animated series, Zuko does win due to his extensive training, but she puts up a wicked fight!

I am good with the siege only lasting one day rather than several like in the animated version. Though I do miss the 'you rise with the moon, I rise with the sun' line, it does kind of feel like Zuko kidnapping Aang was more to provide a cliffhanger for the end of The Siege of the North: Part 1 rather than a necessary narrative choice. In a 2-part finale, yeah we want a cliffhanger, but since this is all one episode, like I mentioned in my post about how episode flow has to change given the new format, that just wouldn't have worked out as well as a smooth single-night attack. Aang seeking guidance before the battle rather than getting kidnapped mid-meditation I think was a smart move. (I've always felt like that cliffhanger was a bit of an odd choice anyways because they make this huge deal about Aang not being able to find his body if it isn't right where he left it, but then it's…not a problem at all - his spirit just zooms back to his body - conveniently showing the Gaang where to find him and Zuko and nothing actually comes of that 'threat' of him not being able to re-enter his body. I'll talk about Zuko's speech about Azula later when it's brought up and altered in the live-action).

I LOOOOOVE Zhao's little speech here - his ambition to gain status - to become a legend, has led him to more and more dangerous things. He truly believes he could become the new Fire Lord. Iroh pleads with him not to do it, but Zhao is too filled with the desire for power that he's not listening to reason. Even after Iroh's threats, Zhao isn't concerned in the least - he views the threats 'empty' and is so smug about how 'this could still work out for you'. As if Iroh is like Zhao and would cave to any opportunity for power.

Like always, Aang tries to talk his enemy down - he tries to appeal to their better nature, an idea that they wouldn't want to throw the world into chaos. The exchange here is SO FREAKING GOOD. Aang pleading with Zhao that this isn't power, Zhao so drunk on his own importance that he can't imagine why anyone would give up the chance to wipe out an entire race of benders - and Aang knowing exactly what that's like, how horrifically awful it is. But for Zhao, those are only stories - he's never known a world with airbenders in it, but Sozin went down in history for that 'accomplishment' he, himself, can be in the history books along side such a 'legend' with no thought to the actual real, human hurt necessary to get there.

Aang finally tries the last thing he can - making Zhao the same offer he made Zuko: leave the attack behind and he'll go with them peacefully. But Zhao isn't Zuko - he wants more than just the Avatar. He wants to cause pain and suffering and have people look upon him with fear. I think it's such an interesting take to have Zhao, like June, not view the Avatar with reverence. He's bought into the Fire Nation propaganda that the Avatar isn't actually all that powerful - the Fire Lord has taken that place. Even the legitimacy of the concept of the Avatar itself is called into question - after all, the Fire Nation wants all the power and the Avatar would stop them. That's not helping  them, so the Avatar must be useless.

Unknowingly, Zhao has just struck at Aang's biggest fear: while Zhao thinks the Avatar doesn't matter on its face, Aang is afraid that he's not good enough as an Avatar TO matter.

I've seen people confused about Iroh's loyalties and his true goal in the live-action - is he really working against the fire nation or not? And some criticism that it seems like he's helping Zuko capture Aang TOO much/ doesn't stop Zhao soon enough from killing the moon spirit. I'd point them, yet again, to the animated series where he very clearly, in The Waterbending Master episode, tells Zuko "once we get to the north pole, the Avatar will be yours". At the moment, animated Iroh is fully on board with Zuko capturing the Avatar. If he plans on trying to influence him not to turn the Avatar in to the fire lord, it's not even hinted at yet, so I think keeping it up in the air for the live-action is staying true to Iroh and Zuko not being 'good guys' - their goals are still to capture Aang. Live action Iroh even attacks Zhao BEFORE the animated Iroh does! In the animation, Iroh threatens Zhao, but doesn’t make a move until Zhao has killed the moon spirit - in the live-action, he attacks in an attempt to save the spirit. Yet another example of people criticizing the live-action for something even more apparent in the animated series - often because they're thinking of the character 2 seasons from now and what they think THAT version of the character would do and trying to apply it to season 1 when that's not even the characterization the animated show gave them in season 1.

I think the subsequent fight in the moonless night is even more emotionally intense in the live action than it was in the animated series. You can FEEL the terror and SEE people dying as the waterbending fails and the fire nation advance. The way this sequence was shot is honestly amazing - it's not gruesome or violent for the sake of it - it's showing the truth of war and the horrific cost of such an assault. Letting the warriors of the Northern Water Tribe have a heroic stand against the firebenders even when their best resource was taken away was great to see. Giving Hahn and Chief Arnook their moment showed that it truly wasn't just about Aang and his friends - this story is about every single person who stands up to fight against tyranny, no matter the weapon they might wield or power they have.

[bonebabbles]

hello, Mist and Night

So on one hand, it frustrates me that they decided to make it that River's Ripple doesn't actually figure out anything on his own. He doesn't teach himself how to swim, how to fish, or how to really do anything with the river on his own.

“That’s an impressive name.” Amusement twinkled for a moment in Mist’s eyes. River Ripple gave a small purr, guessing what the tom was thinking. “I suppose you mean for a cat who can’t fish.” Mist purred. “I wasn’t going to say it.” Night slid past her brother. “We’re going to fix that,” she mewed. “Every cat should know how to fish.” She looked up toward the moor. “Unless you’d rather live up there.” -Riverstar's Home, Chapter 2

That's legitimately a huge waste, and ruins one of the most interesting aspects of his character. That he is a weird, mysterious dude with a UNIQUE connection to the river that he shares with others.

But, Night and her brother Mist are here. So I'm going to let out my frustration with a sigh, and just meet it where it is.

Night and Mist. River gurus. Ok. River's Ripple has activated Tutorial Mode.

I'm actually really glad that I went in with spoilers though, because if I didn't, I would have a serious distaste for Night knowing these writers. It's really rare that a female WC character is just allowed to be close to a male main without it being setup that they're going to get romantically involved later.

At the very least, I will give them a scrap of charitability for a platonic relationship. Though that won't stop me from pointing out if there IS frustrating ship-tease content.

So I'm going to appreciate it and analyze it, with the knowledge that there is a good conclusion in mind, and personally "grade" it based on having a platonic ending as a goal.

“Is that a trout too?” he whispered. “It’s a young carp,” Mist told him. “How do you know?” “Shape,” Mist breathed back. “And it’s alone rather than in a shoal.” River Ripple had never thought about fish before, but now he realized that they must be as different and individual as birds. He watched, hardly breathing, as the fish neared Night.

A crumb of fish knowledge is also nice to see. Points for this, actually. Unironically nice line about fish.

[felixravinstills]

any thoughts on Felix and Livia growing up together? I tend to imagine them as their year’s “prom king”/“prom queen” archetypes — at some point, people might have thought they’d end up together (mostly for status reasons), but in reality they can’t stand each other. they probably find some of the same people (like Snow?) annoying though lol

btw, have been enjoying your Ravinstill fics a lot! I was curious if you hc’d anyone playing the role of first lady during Maximinius’s tenure — I have a weird hc where it’s actually his niece (like how a few unmarried/widowed US presidents have had a daughter/daughter-in-law/niece become the “hostess” in place of a first lady, though I also imagine that this is somewhat more gender-neutral in Panem), but was wondering if you had anything in mind

This is about to be so long. My ability to ramble about made-up Ravinstills went out of control. I apologize:

Livia and Felix

I do touch on some thoughts on Felix and Livia's relationship growing up in Chapter 6 of Close Your Eyes. I shall summarize the gist of it while pointedly ignoring my oc, because ocs aren't always everyone's thing.

Oh, I'm big on Felix and Livia being unable to stand each other! I do have the world's nichest interpretation of Livia though, so um, just walk with me. A lot of people who are charitable to Livia make her a schemer. I don't really do this. Instead, I characterize her as a sheltered, hopeless romantic who has good instincts about people but who due to being sheltered/rich is also rather self-centered and unaware of how this affects her relationship with others. Felix is also in my mind sheltered but much more aware of how he's presenting himself to others. As such, when Livia's just not trying to listen to him or pick up on clues that she's overstepping, they get off on a bad foot as kids and this continues into their teen years.

On Felix's part, I do think that he's a little jealous of how free my interpretation of Livia is with how little she cares about other people's opinions. A large part of my Felix characterization is that he is very conscious of his image as a Ravinstill, even though in his mind, I imagine that Maximinius Ravinstill tries to raise him with the attitude of letting him do whatever as long as Felix understands the basics of how to behave to maintain power, but unfortunately, the President has like the worst communication skills with his family specifically.

In my worldbuilding, Felix isn't as antagonistic to Snow as in other people's, but I can imagine that Felix and Livia could present a united front against more nouveau riche Capitolites if those people are specifically taunting them. Personally, in my mind, Felix is more likely to stay out of arguments unless they purposefully affect people close to him. If he accidentally starts an argument (due to general Capitolite haughtiness or Ravinstill superiority complex), he'll probably just leave to avoid potentially making a fool of himself or backpedal as hard as possible (what he should have said haunts him for weeks).

Okay, tl;dr, while everyone probably thinks it would have been nice to tie the Ravinstills and Cardews together, in my worldbuilding, it's obvious to everyone those two don't get along from their first few meetings.

Acting First Lady For Pres. Ravinstill's Tenure

Hmmm. First Lady during Maximinius' tenure... Well, if you don't count Gaul, because both Maximinius and everyone is just refusing to acknowledge the weird partnership, pseudo-marriage, whatever they have going one, then I think his sister-in-law probably steps up for a bit, and then the responsibility falls to one of his nieces once they have a falling out. (I imagine that being so work-first and with many a rumor swirling that you've murdered people to gain power does a number on your familial relations if they aren't as ruthless as you.)

I actually give him two nephews and two nieces (three of them have spouses). His first nephew is the family heir, his first niece is the spare/first nephew's right hand guy. Felix's father is the third child and he's busy being head-empty, no-thoughts just an all-around nice without a political bone in his body guy, so in my world, hosting probably falls to his youngest niece who I characterize as a bit of a scandal (we are fully in my extended Ravinstill family tree lore oh no). She has a kid out of wedlock, but I imagine that this does motivate her to be closer to power so that her kid is harder to ostracize later. (her attempts are futile. she and her kid are the first Ravinstills to die after Maximinius' brother). After her, I imagine that the role of host largely falls back on the President with the help of his Communications Secretary. Felix tries to help as a kid, but he's a kid, so all he does is shepherd some of the other kids and tells them to stop running in the halls. At home, hall monitor.

Anyway, thanks for the ask! This got very long!