#like she is reduced to being the psychic’s daughter even though she is not herself a psychic so she has to express herself in other ways

[f4keplastictr33s]

nobody talks about the fact that blue was in fact bullied for being a psychic’s daughter and i think that’s probably why she has this defense mecanism where she appears more tough than she actually is .. ? idk i just love blue sargent so much man and im sick when people dismiss her character or reduce her to the boys bc she’s so much MORE than that

[tiffany-loves-broadway]

The Nameless

It's pride month, so I'm finally getting into X-Men. (Okay, I didn't actually plan it out that way, but it lined up.) Anyway, I'm surprised that everyone hasn't already gone nuts about the X2 villain's extremely miserable trans daughter.

Now, the thing is, this isn't explicitly confirmed in the text. But the subtext is in-your-face enough that it feels dismissive to call it a "headcanon". Like, this is the same movie with the line "have you tried... not being a mutant?" in it, and this character being trans isn't particularly subtler writing than that. I don't think it was intended to be so obvious, though. 2003 was a different time.

So, like, quick rundown on the plot of X2. Colonel William Stryker (in the comics he was a minister instead) is a bigot who wants to exterminate all mutants. His most vital asset in doing this is his "son", known only as "Mutant 143", or more often by her birth name, "Jason Stryker". Mutant 143 is a powerful psychic who can control people through dreamlike visions. William never accepted his child's mutation, and pulled her from Charles Xavier's school when he realized that Professor X had no intention of "curing" her. William blames his daughter for his wife's suicide; he had Mutant 143 lobotomized and began a plan to use her as a weapon against all other mutants.

And the thing is, Mutant 143 physically looks like this:

But like. Why wouldn't she, with that kind of dad? He has full power over her and has deliberately rendered her a dependent he can micromanage. I mean, Jesus Christ, the line I just randomly stumbled upon while opening and closing my media player to get that screencap was William Stryker saying

No, Charles, my son is dead! My son is dead, just like the rest of you.

Meanwhile, she consistently depicts herself in her psychic visions as this little girl:

And, like, okay, the extremely surface-level I-never-think-about-trans-people reading of that is that she's picking a "harmless" form to better insinuate herself into her targets' minds. But first off, the film never says that; it doesn't even really imply it. She doesn't pick different forms for different people; we only ever see her psychic ego as that little girl. Second off, her power doesn't really require her to put effort into seeming harmless to control people; the dream visions are more of an aesthetic flare on her power than they are a necessary mechanism. When she gets her psychic talons into someone, she can just directly command them to do whatever the fuck out-of-character thing and they'll do it regardless of plausibility. She's the classic cheesy horror trope of the scary possessed little girl, and frankly I don't think it would be any easier to get Professor X to kill all mutants on the orders of a little girl than a little boy.

She's been reduced to a shell of a person, but some element of personal identity still remains there. In her power. The thing she's being oppressed for.

This character doesn't receive a real name in canon. She gets two names from her shitty father: the dehumanization inherent in "Mutant 143" is fairly obvious and uncontroversial, but given everything I'm saying here, I don't think "Jason" is really better. She likely identifies with that name exactly insofar as she's been brainwashed into wanting her own kind dead.

It complicates things a bit that Professor X, another powerful psychic who would likely know her well, also calls her "Jason" a few times. But given the unfortunate circumstances of the film's plot... even if he knew, what else would he call her? She hasn't been fortunate enough in life to get a real name. It's not like, within the plot of the movie, stopping and pointing out what was going on would have been likely to help anything.

This is thematically important to the movie. Magneto certainly isn't meant to be right about everything, but there is a sympathetic throughline to him and his attitudes about the oppression of mutants. Earlier in the movie, he indicates that he sees mutants' cape names (like "Magneto") as their real names, and he encourages his allies to see themselves that way. The trans applicability here is fairly obvious; superheroes and supervillains make up their own names that make their marginalized status obvious. They can publicly identify with them to advertise their mutant status to the world instead of hiding behind ordinary names they were given by majority society.

This character, this properly unnamed character, never got anything like that. She never got to choose her own name. She was compelled by force to betray herself and commit to an external name that was entirely hostile to her.

Anyway, after the X-Men escape from her devious psychic maze they leave her behind in a collapsing building where she presumably dies because she's unable to move herself without assistance. Life sucks and shit happens. It was 2003.

Looking through relevant tags, I was able to find a few short posts discussing this idea, but I'm surprised that they're so sparse and I'm surprised that they treat the idea as so speculative. It really leapt out at me, watching the movie.

[dimitribelikov]

The Belikov Chronicles: Becoming a Mentor

✶ What if I rewrote different scenes but from Dimitri’s point of view? I have no idea if this is something people are interested in, but this was too fun not to write. Honestly, for all the times Rose is going on about what a god Dimitri is, it’s too amusing to imagine that he’s thinking he’s a total weirdo most of the time. ✶ trigger warnings : some adult language ✶ ship : none but hints of romitri I guess, as well as hints of Dimitri/Ivan ✶ notes : All dialogue is taken straight from Vampire Academy, chapter 2, written by Richelle Mead. The rest is mine.

                                                                   ✶✶✶

       As the double doors opened and we walked into the commons, it seemed as though every set of eyes in the place turned on us. Ok, not much as us as they were on her. Rose Hathaway had been walking by my side, but clearly feeling the effects of scrutiny, she began to lag a little. It was certainly a cruel punishment to walk her though the throng of her peers, like dangling a piece of meat in a lion’s den. Headmistress Kirova had requested it, wanting to teach her and the Princess Vasilisa a bit of humility. Honestly, after the stunt they pulled, I couldn’t help but think a slice of humble pie would do them some good.

But my thoughts weren’t on the effects of a public, teenaged shaming. I was still thinking about the short conversation I’d had with Rose on the plane. Meeting her had exceeded my expectations. When I was tasked with apprehending Janine Hathaway’s daughter, I honestly didn’t know what to expect. Janine was a well respected guardian, one that I’ve had to honor of meeting on more than one occasion. Her work, the stories of her past, continue to inspire me, but if I’m being honest, she also terrifies me. Janine is someone not to be messed with, so naturally her daughter would seemingly follow suit.

From the moment Rose squared off with us, ready to take on a whole team of experienced guardians by herself, I knew she had her mother’s fighting spirit. But when I asked her about it, why she’d do such a thing when she was clearly outnumbered, she answered with such conviction that I couldn’t help but be taken aback. “Because I’m her guardian.” 

She wasn’t of course. Not yet. But while I was supposed to be reprimanding her for such a foolish tactic, I couldn’t help but be impressed. Perhaps I even admired her. It wasn’t too long ago, after all, that I felt the same way about my own charge. I would have stood against armies of Strigoi by myself to defend Ivan, but in the end, not even that was enough.

Finally reaching our destination, I took up my stance in the back of the room, across from Alberta. The captain of the school’s guardians was another person I had admired. I mirrored her stance and unreadable expression, knowing my place. Being reduced to nothing more than furniture was a good chunk of life for a guardian. It wasn’t as bad as it sounded, though. Being ignored and overlooked meant you pick up on all sorts of things. I’ve always been curious about the world around me, so I had learned years ago how to take in every detail while standing as still as a statue. 

The only move I made was when Rose shot up and yelled at the Headmistress in outrage. She was angry, but not threatening to I stayed in my spot, eyes trained on her. She was unruly, stubborn, and very reckless. Damn, I admired her spirit.

“I kept her safe!” she continued to yell. The dark curls of her glossy hair bounced against her back as she shook with anger. I wasn’t going to admit that she was pretty when mad, but... “I kept her safe when none of you could do it. I took her away to protect her. I did what I had to do. You certainly weren’t going to.”

I could feel the concern radiating from Alberta, but I actually had to work to keep a small smile from my face. Sure, the teenaged girl just insulted my own capabilities, but I didn’t take it personally. She had a point. Seeing the way she had thrown herself in front of Vasilisa to protect her from us back in Portland, I had no doubt that Rose truly believed she was protecting her. She needed guidance, though. Proper training. Her brash attitude made her jump to conclusions and solutions were way out of left field.

I ignored the voice in my head that told me how I wasn’t much different with Ivan before he’d died. Sure, I never took him out of school and fled the Moroi authorities, but I’d still concocted some pretty crazy schemes to keep him safe. He was my best friend after all. More than that. Ivan was everything and if there was a threat big enough, I didn’t entirely rule out the possibility that I’d have done exactly what Rose did. His death had sobered me, though. Tamed me from my more headstrong ways.

“You will be sent away as soon as possible.”  It the Headmistress who had spoken. She was talking about Rose, of course. That was the exact opposite of what she needed. Didn’t Headmistress Kirova know who she was dealing with? The daughter of Janine Hathaway had too much potential to be wasted, especially with guardian numbers as abysmal as they were. The verbal sparring match that continued after that was intense. I followed every word between the two, and noted the look of sheer panic in the princess’s eyes. Those two couldn’t live without each other. If Vasilisa was my new charge, I had to keep her best interests a priority. This couldn’t stand. Surely Alberta would have an opinion? But she was remaining rooted the spot. The argument was getting more heated. Shit. I had to do something, to speak up or–

No, no, no, no. Furniture. You’re just a piece of furniture. I internally berated myself, biting my tongue. This doesn’t involve you. Stay out of it. 

“They have a bond,” I said. And just like that, I dragged myself in the middle of something I had no business being in. Fuck it, I decided as all eyes turned on me. I kept my expression neutral as though my speaking was fueled by perfectly rational thoughts. I always hated being in the spotlight, so rather than deal with the whole room, I stared solely at Rose. There was something comforting about her, as though if anyone in the room could understand me, it was her. “Rose knows what Vasilisa is feeling. Don’t you Rose?”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the headmistress look entirely startled by the claim. “No... that’s impossible. That hasn’t happened for centuries.”

Her doubt only encouraged me to continue as I felt a better handle over the situation. “It’s obvious,” I said. “I suspected it as soon as I started watching them.” My eyes were still locked on Rose’s. She was defiant and strong, and I couldn’t help but feel my own strength bolstered by her presence. Perhaps I was starting to come off as a creep, though, because she quickly looked away from me as Prince Victor gave this theory praise. 

Turning my gaze onto Kirova, I continued. “The best guardians always had that bond. In the stories.” I added the last part, hoping that I didn’t somehow sound like a total loon. I technically wasn’t supposed to be talking at all, yet here I was, spouting of old myths straight from fairytales. But every word I said was the truth. I had seen it, and it was something that couldn’t be ignored.

“Stories that are centuries old! Surely you aren’t suggesting we let her stay at the Academy after everything she’s done?” Kirova countered.

I guess I am just a loon, after all. With nothing more to lose, I shrugged. “She might be wild and disrespectful but if she has potential–”

“Wild and disrespectful? Who the hell are you anyway? Outsourced help?” It was Rose who had interrupted and I wish I had a way to tell her to shut up. Couldn’t she see that I was the only one actually standing up for her? I suddenly thought of a few more adjectives to add to “wild and disrespectful”.

“Guardian Belikov is the princess’s guardian now. Her sanctioned guardian,” Kirova corrected. I know I wasn’t supposed to be on her side, but I couldn’t help but feel a bit triumphant.

That feeling fell immediately with Rose’s next words. “You got cheap foreign labor to protect Lissa?” Thank God I had mastered an unreadable expression, because if I could have thrown daggers at the novice, I would have. She knew nothing about me, and I couldn’t help but feel a bit hurt by the statement.

Kirova threw her hands up as though her point had just been made. “You see?” she said, directed at me. “Completely undisciplined! All the psychic bonds and very raw potential in the world can’t make up for that. A guardian without discipline is worse than no guardian.”

I couldn’t disagree, which brought me back to my original point. Pushing my irritation over the insult aside, I knew I had to stand up for the guardian Rose could be. “So teach her discipline. Classes just started. Put her back in and get her training again.” Honestly, wasn’t that the whole point of school? If being undisciplined got students kicked out, there wouldn’t be any left.

“Impossible. She’ll still be hopelessly behind her peers.”

“No I won’t,” Rose finally spoke up. If she was standing up for herself in a rational manner, then surely we could sway Kirova to let her stay at the Academy by Vasilisa’s side.

“Then give her extra training sessions,” I quickly added, feeling victory within our reach. And just like that, the negotiation started. It was the first real hope I felt in this battle. We continued for a while and I could feel Alberta’s eyes on me the whole time. Surely there would be words when we were back in the guardian’s headquarters.

“Who’s going to put in the extra time?” Kirova sounded tired of the conversation and I knew I had my foothold. She was ready to accept, she just needed the logistics of it all hammered out. Just as I was feeling triumphant again, the rug was once again pulled out. “You?”

I froze. Me? Train Janine Hathaway’s daughter one on one? The princess needed her and I could respect that, but Rose was quickly becoming a thorn in my side with her harsh comments. The two of us alone together in a sparring ring would surely end in blood being drawing. “Well, that’s not what I–” I trailed off, feeling like a total idiot. I didn’t think this through at all.

“Yes. That’s what I thought.” Shit. Just like that, Kirova won.

My eyes fell on the two girls, and when I looked between them I saw... Ivan and me. For the hundredth time that day, my mind came back to my old friend. I loved him more than I could put into words. I would have died for him, but instead, it was the other way around. One day off, one day away from him, and disaster of the worst degree had struck. I could imagine with painful clarity how Rose would feel if anything were to happen to Vasilisa while she was sent away. Of course, I would make sure to never again lose a Moroi on my watch. No more day-off’s for me. But if Rose had no choice...

“Yes. I can mentor Rose.” I almost didn’t recognize my own voice as I spoke. The moment the words left my mouth, though, I knew I didn’t regret them. I made a vow, and Vasilisa was now in my care. I couldn’t hurt her chances by taking away someone she was bonded with. And Rose... Rose deserved a fighting chance. “I’ll give her extra sessions along with her normal ones.”

We agreed that Rose should still be punished for her actions in addition to the extra training. With words of encouragement from Victor and Vasilisa herself, Kirova finally caved. Yet I’d hardly call it a victory. I’d just traded in practically all my free time to train a wild and disrespectful girl. She was my responsibility now and as I held her gaze again, I had a feeling I had my work cut out for me.

[theparanormalperiodical]

The Haunting of Borley Rectory - The Most Haunted Places in The World #1

Essex is home to many frightful things: Southend Airport, the cast of TOWIE, and most contestants of Love Island to name a few. Yet amongst the thick accents and the eyelash extensions is something nearly as terrifying as a death stare from Gemma Collins herself: Borley Rectory.

Unfortunately, this rectory will never be quite as famous as the GC herself.

But among paranormal fanatics, no #diva can ever take the place of the most haunted building in Britain, or rather, what has even been deemed one of the most haunted places in the world. And sure, this touristic trope is slapped on the websites of most historic places, but today’s post is dripping in real ghost stories, and the most famous paranormal investigation in UK history.

This label was applied by the investigator, Harry Price, himself, yet due to the sheer volume of stories relating specifically to this period of the rectory, his investigation will receive its fair share of attention in a later post.

So, if you clicked for Price and his official investigation, be sure to follow this blog and be updated when that is up for discussion.

Today however, we are going to just be talking about the haunting of Borley Rectory.              

In 1939, Borley Rectory was burnt down.

Well, I say burnt down: the damage was so significant it was eventually abolished 5 years later, concluding its short life. Built only 76 years prior to this, its history has been ingrained – or rather, trapped – within its walls for what is rumoured to be centuries.

It might not match the ancient ages of the typical haunted houses clogging up the IMBD horror pages, but it is thick with historical tales which certainly contain the real ghost stories we are so interested in.

And it is one of these tales that gave birth to the first recorded haunting of Borley Rectory.

This tale takes us back to 1326, 500 years before its construction: it was rumoured that a nun and Benedictine monk had a secret relationship together, a relationship that was obviously forbidden. Upon discovery, the monk was executed for his sins, yet I’m afraid the nun suffered a far worse fate.

She was bricked up – alive - in the walls of her convent.

However, as the stories go, the nun’s afterlife was a little more mobile than her final moments.

It was a warm July evening in the year 1900 when she was first seen. The daughters of the rector were enjoying those summer nights (think more dead clergy-people, less John Travolta), and saw a figure make its way across the lawn. They tried to talk to it, to get closer to whatever this thing was, yet it disappeared the closer they got.

But this would not be the only time they witnessed the ghost of the nun.

One June afternoon they claimed they clearly saw a figure resembling a nun make the same journey across the lawn, even though she had only ever been witnessed during the night. One of the three sisters there ran into the rectory to find her fourth sibling to confirm this apparition, and all 4 of them were sure that she slowly walked across the lawn, disappearing as she finally reached the trees.

More than 20 people have expressed similar claims, with one man who had no prior knowledge of the rectory’s reputation inquiring about the nun wandering outside of the house.

It has even been said that she was once again witnessed mere weeks before the rectory found itself reduced to ashes.

This is possibly the most famous apparition of the haunting of Borley Rectory, but allow me to make one thing very clear: this was not the only ghost to lodge there.

It is here that we turn to the family in residence for the Rectory’s first 30 years: the family of Reverend Henry Bull.

The first paranormal activity was reported a mere year after they first moved in, but it wasn’t actually from those that lived here. Locals recall hearing footsteps behind them whilst near the house, and even stated that phantom coaches being pulled by headless horses was a frequent sighting.

But despite the various haunted horses galivanting in the moonlight which certainly fit the bill of one of the ‘most haunted places in the world’, footsteps were a key component of the haunting of Borley Rectory.

The son of the reverend – who spent most of his years at sea and thus would have limited knowledge of the claims – on many occasions matched such stories of footsteps outside of the house, often hiding in attempt to catch the perpetrator.

However, the perpetrator was never to be found.

Eventually, the local villagers refused to walk past the house after dark, particularly if they were alone.

Nevertheless, the hidden figures would also make their way inside the house. Footsteps were heard all over the rectory, but mainly in the bedroom passages. It is claimed they would reach a door, pause for just a moment, produce 3 sharp taps, and move on.

And even though invisible figures clearly made the rectory their home, there is also a smattering of visible figures.

The reverend often told his family, perhaps while at dinner, or in letters to his son overseas, that he had once again seen the Little Man.

He claimed a dwarf-like figure of an old man would appear on the lawn. He would then raise an arm over his head, and run towards the drive, disappearing as he rushed away into the distance. His wife even went on to confirm this particular sighting.

These real ghost stories clearly took a toll on the family; a dining room window was even boarded up due to reports of an apparition peering in during meals.

Indeed, it appears each individual member of the family would have their own dealing with the dead at Borley Rectory, for example, one of the daughters awoke to a slap on her face several times in the many nights she spent there.

But the haunting of Borley Rectory went far beyond the things you could see.

The groom-gardener and his wide often heard rattling in the house, with knocks and breaking crockery sounds echoing down the halls of the rectory nightly. And despite the shattering sounds, nothing was found to be broken or even cracked in the morning.

After 3 years of these incessant disturbances, they left.

Yet they would not be the only residents to have unfavourable memories of their home – Reverend Henry Bull stated the years residing at the rectory were ‘the darkest years of their life’, a claim not impossible to comprehend given the sheer volume of hauntings noted.

As is clear from the majority of reports made of the paranormal activity, noises were a prevalent occurrence, and were found to be either in all rooms at the same time, or following the residents about. Nevertheless, it is claimed that the sounds were incessant in the room just over the kitchen, or the blue room which just happens to overlook ‘the Nun’s Walk’.

Reverend Henry Bull died in 1927, and he died in the Blue Room. As did his wife, and his son.

The following residents – the Smith family – did not have to wait long until the paranormal visitors welcomed them to their new home.

Shortly after moving in (before they’d even finished unpacking their boxes), Reverend Guy Eric Smith’s wife opened a cupboard to find a brown paper bag.

And inside this bag? The skull of a young woman.

After the skull was found, the paranormal proliferated, with lights appearing in windows, or servant bells ringing into the silent nights despite not being connected to anything. The footsteps also began once again.

The reverend’s wife even recalled witnessing a horse drawn carriage as she peered out the window one night, a sighting we have already discussed.

Following these events, the Smiths decided to take matters into their own hands, and contacted the Daily Mirror, asking for assistance from the Society for Psychical Research. It was in 1929, on a warm June day, that a reporter arrived at the rectory and made his case for the haunting of Borley Rectory. This was to be one of first of many articles to be published on the goings-on.

This is also when Harry Price – a paranormal researcher – turned up, and made his first visit to Borley Rectory. This would not be his last.

The reverend made many claims to Price, most notably that the noises proliferated in the winter months, and occurred more frequently at night, and obviously claims that are easily dismissible and seem to turn up in cases all too frequently.

Yet despite this, the wide berth of activity still needs to be considered.

Keys, for example, were frequently picked up and placed in the locks by unseen forces, or moved about the room from which they were kept. The key to the library was a victim of this, and was often found at the foot of the stairs or several feet from the door. It was even recorded that an hour would elapse before it was once again found on the floor.

And on this, unlocked doors were often found to be locked to the chagrin of the residents. On one occasion, one of the observers who was residing in the library even heard a click, only to see the door was locked from the inside.

It was also common for keys to go missing, and such keys were not to be found again.

The library seems to be the seat of some of these real ghost stories, and I’m afraid it doesn’t end with the key in the lock.

The Smiths told the investigators that the heavy wooden shutters to the French windows were often pulled together by invisible forces. These shutters – as they were 6 feet high and 3 feet wide – were clearly quite a feat to close, even by those with who were, you know, alive. They had even been sitting in the library when it once occurred.

Yet it appears one of the most curious and prevalent paranormal occurrences, even after the Smiths left the rectory, was the tapping of Mrs. Smith’s dressing table mirror.

They deduced it came from the back of the mirror, and it was only after they moved out of the house and lived on the east coast of England that the tapping finally stopped. Yet after Price visited the family in their new home, the tapping began once again.

Following this event, Mr Smith died after falling seriously ill, an occurrence often found of those that were once the reverend of the rectory that contained so many real ghost stories.

The following owners – the Foysters – would be the family at the centre of the paranormal investigation lead by Harry Price, and it was after their departure in 1937 that Price rented out the rectory for his own personal study of the haunting of Borley Rectory.  

This would feature as one of the most famous – and hotly contested – paranormal investigations of one of the most haunted places in the world. 

[ajora]

Blabbing regarding dragon biology re: Dragondance. And other things, but primarily FF5/Pern stuff and fantasy geopolitics.

It never ceases to amuse me that GRRM is so against magic but his dragons are all magic. Meanwhile, Anne McCaffrey, who predates him and frankly wrote it better, reverse-engineered dragons and made them believable (triple-helix DNA leading to 6-limb body plan for the bulk of Pern’s fauna, chemical reactions resulting in breathing fire) and alive (skin and teeth issues riders help take care of, ritualized mating and nesting behaviors). Pern is founded solidly in science fiction, but her writing makes the dragon/rider and firelizard/human bonds magical enough that you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s a fantasy series. 

Reading the mating flight tag on AO3 has been immensely entertaining and gave me ideas. Like, Faris would have trained her and Lenna’s dragons to swim as well as fly, no question. Buuut, it’s also a good way to cheat at the mating flight if there are other dragons around to provide Silverstorm with competition. He’s small for a male and probably not good for combat with a wild dragon, but he’s quick and agile, and he has his bond with Faris to give him a tactical edge. And Faris being able to talk to him and Lenna’s Cloudburst means she can exploit their swim training and finish the flight off with a dive to get rid of the competition. 

Dive, my lads. I didn’t raise you to be afraid of a little water.

Look, Faris is a filthy cheater. She used her partnership with Syldra to get around Tycoon’s monopoly of the Wind Crystal, plus terrorize merchant ships into surrendering their cargo. She got her captaincy by basically saying “I have a dragon” (and, yknow, nearly sacrificing her life to save her crew when she was nothing but a 15 year old deck hand). This is completely in character for her and I love her for it.

Plus the swimming ability comes in handy in Lenna’s kidnapping in the 5-years-later. Her kidnappers would be looking at the skies for a dragon, not in the water. No worries, though--Lenna saves herself because she knows Faris is going to burn everyone alive if Lenna’s still in danger by the time she arrives. Note to self: get around to drawing out that B99 meme but with Faris and Lenna and Faris being the one saying “I’ve only known Lenna for a day and a half” etc etc. 

I’ll probably reduce the psychic backwash of mating flights by a lot, though. The only people we’ve seen with the ability to talk with dragons are the Highwinds (Alexander and his daughters) and Krile. So, probably no one else in the castle is going to be affected by it. 

Of course, the breeding thing brings up a problem--the remaining Highwind clan would be given any egg from Cloudburst because there’s that historical bond between the Highwinds and sky dragons. But it’s also another strike against Tycoon in that this looks a lot like favoritism. And really, there’s no winning politically for the following reasons:

The nation of Tycoon expanded by conquest under Faris and Lenna’s grandfather.

Alexander may have backtracked on their grandfather’s world conquest schemes, but under his rule, the Wind Crystal was monopolized and controlled by the nation of Tycoon. And when Cid produced his Crystal amplification devices, the Wind Crystal was further exploited to give Tycoon’s merchant fleet an edge.

These two elements made Tycoon the wealthiest nation in the world.

Fast forward to Lenna’s rule and now there are two Light Warriors in Tycoon, and the Crystals are scattered across entirely different nations, and some more inaccessible than others. Yet, somehow, the Wind Crystal is still in Tycoon control because Grandpa Tycoon laid claim on Solitary Island back in the day. The Fire Crystal is literally under the sea. This is a bad look.

Not to mention, Lenna being the senior ruling Light Warrior means she has control of the only existing airship. Another bad look

Even worse? Faris taking control of the military and building more airships. That she looks and acts like Grandpa Tycoon sets off a lot of alarm bells.

Sure Bal may have Krile and her sky dragon, but Tycoon has a breeding pair and Faris insists on giving all the resulting eggs to the remains of the Highwind clan, who participated in the Dragon War that her grandfather started. This makes neighboring nations very uncomfortable. 

Karnak and Bal being destabilized by Surgate revolutionaries, and suspicions that Faris has something to do with it, also makes Walse and long-integrated Tycoon nobles uncomfortable. 

Basically, Faris makes everyone nervous. She’s delighted

Gosh, if only I could write faster.

[frozen-delight]

I really want to like Wayward Sisters...but I think it’s going to suck

When Wayward Sisters was announced as a show about a group of girls becoming “a supreme monster-fighting force”, it made me wary. Because what I’m interested in (and what makes the whole concept unique) are the characters and the relationships between them. I hoped this was just a marketing slogan with little relevance to the actual show, but ever since the latest episode introduced Patience, that hope has dwindled away into nothingness.

It is no coincidence that Jody was created by Jeremy Carver and that Claire, Alex and Donna were introduced during his time as showrunner. From his very first episode, in which we met the amazing Casey, Carver has shown an interest in exploring women as multi-dimensional characters who *gasp* are also allowed to have weaknesses and everyday worries, giving us a wide array of fascinating characters like Amara, Ann-Marie, Tina or Rowena.

Unfortunately, Andrew Dabb proved last season that he has zero interest in that kind of differentiated approach to female characters. Mary was reduced to a bunch of empty stereotypes (Amazing Hunter Mary, Not Like Other Girls, Not Just A Mum) which failed to form a coherent whole - and if her character actually managed to have its engaging moments, that was thanks to Sam Smith alone, who put an incredible amount of effort into bringing the stale writing for her character to life. Toni Bevell was...just no. Fake Umbridge aka Dr. Hess even more so. Poor Kelly Kline was a toy being pushed around by various male characters so that even though she had a lot of screentime, we never got to know her. And Dagon was the type of kickass ninja warrior mysteriously subordinate to a chained-up man that I’d usually associate with Steven Moffat.

This impression solidified when I watched Patience, introducing us to Perfect Psychic Patience - super smart, super great at sports without practise, super popular with the boys, and super awesome in using the psychic powers she never knew she had. Also - super boring. 

As if that were not already bad enough, Dabb showed once again that he’s incapable of imagining relationships outside of the magic word ‘family’. I cringed so hard last season when Claire called Jody her ‘mom’, and I cringed again watching Patience when Jody now also referred to Claire as her ‘daughter’.

Finally, I was also forced to accept that Dabb’s view of the hunting world is strictly binary: Either you’re in, or you’re out. And ‘in’ can only ever mean hunting. Over the course of eleven seasons we’ve delved into a universe where multiple approaches exist to the world of the supernatural, a universe that isn’t split into ‘those who’re in the know aka hunters’ and ‘those who’re unaware of the existence of the supernatural’. 

We met various characters making a living out of their knowledge about monsters, such as Bela, Pamela or Missouri. Being psychic didn’t mean that you were a hunter, though it could mean that you’d help out hunters on occasion. When I pointed out in a debate about Missouri a while back that she made her living telling the people coming to her what they wanted to hear, I was accused of making her out to be Satan, because God forbid anyone ever do anything for money. Andrew Dabb seems to have joined this absurd Tumblr school of morality, so of course Missouri now had to become a hunter forever on the road fighting monsters, always ready to sacrifice herself for the greater good.

What I take issue at isn’t just this simplistic view of characters, but also this simplistic view of the SPN universe as a whole. Psychics weren’t the only characters existing in the transit zone between being a full-time hunter and leading a perfectly normal life. There were sheriffs like Jody or Donna who continued to pursue their jobs while also taking care of monster-problems happening in their vicinity. There were people like Ellen or Dr. Visyak who provided information etc. for hunters while at the same time working at a bar or as a therapist. There were people like Dr. Roberts who were ready to treat a hunter's various injuries without asking too many questions. I could go on.

It is interesting to note that this grey zone was mainly presented as a female space. Andrew Dabb’s decision to turn Jody into a full-time hunter who is connected with everyone in the hunting community and drives all over the country to work cases or to pretend that the only options for Patience’s future are either suppressing her powers in favour of a normal existence or becoming a hunter might have been motivated by the supposedly feminist notion of finally letting all the women kick ass just like their male counterparts. In my opinion, it achieves the opposite though. I always thought there was a remarkable amount of realism in this conception of female characters having to navigate and integrate different spheres and demands. It was something I could identify with. It was something which made these characters’ storylines even more moving. Dabb’s black-and-white view of the universe, however, strikes me as a cheap abstraction which glosses over the complexities of female existence in a heternormative world and remains ultimately boring.