#and turned it into a horrific tragedy about living with grief and the cost of a better world

[each-uisge-enthusiast]

we as a society do not give enough attention to accolon and morgan

#i am making a very. lighthearted comedic retelling in which they serve as slightly mean goth older sister n her weird goth bestie #people trying to work out if they’re dating or lesbian/gay solidarity is a running bit #i will never publish this at this rate bc trying to pick n choose which characters to include is torture #also which spellings to use #my friends have banned me from secretly turning it into a tragedy #which is unfair but it’s also bc i have on more than one occasion presented a Cool Silly Fantasy Story #and turned it into a horrific tragedy about living with grief and the cost of a better world #anyway #morgan and accolon are so personal to me #mainly bc i am deeply attached to morgan #it’s bc of merlin bbc yeah #plague #the plague it inflicted on my brain #arthuriana #arthurian legend #i’m gonna draw them trust #i cant draw for shit but i’m gonna #morgan le fay #sir accolon

[antiquery]

been thinking about Medea lately, and I think I’ve finally figured out why the attitude of “wow Medea was right, go off queen” (e.g. this post) really gets on my nerves: I think it’s sexist!

like, let’s be absolutely clear: Medea’s actions at the end of the Euripides play are deeply, deeply evil. Jason and Kreon treat her horribly, and there’s no excuse for their behavior, but like...Medea slaughters two innocent children and an innocent woman in cold blood, not to protect herself or someone else, but to ensure Jason’s suffering. that’s evil.

the idea that Medea could possibly be justified in such an action fundamentally requires us to hold her to a lower moral standard than a man in her same position. the implication is that Medea’s experience as a woman in Greek society entitles her to revenge at any cost: she has been wronged, so punishment is hers to exact. we don’t consider this acceptable when Achilles is asserting that his grief over Patroclus entitles him to the emotional torture of Priam, and in fact the great human moment of the Iliad is Priam’s plea to Achilles to return Hector’s corpse. same moral standard applies to Medea. her rage over her mistreatment is not the problem: her violence against innocent people in an attempt to drag Jason down with her is.

which is not to say that I think Medea is a one-dimensional character! I think Euripides was really onto something with the way Medea agonizes over what to do during the play, by turns committing to this great evil and shrinking back in horror at what she’s contemplating. I also like the emphasis he places on Medea’s divine origins, her connection to the world of the gods via both her bloodline and her practice of magic. it creates this sort of dualism in her character: there’s Medea the human woman, who’s deeply in love with Jason and in agony at his betrayal, who loves her children and is terrified of what will become of them, and of her, once she’s forced to leave Corinth. this Medea is angry and scared, helpless to save herself or her children, helpless to make Jason understand how badly he’s hurting her.

and then there’s Medea daughter of the sun, Medea the hero, whose response to Jason’s betrayal is to make his life a living hell. except Medea-daughter-of-the-sun and Medea-the-human don’t exactly share the same value set: the former is the latter with all of her humanity stripped away, whose purpose is wholly aligned towards divine justice. but divine-Medea is powerful, and if human Medea only lets her, she can make damn sure that neither of them ever feel helpless again.

honestly my ideal version of the play is a tragedy about Medea’s fall, whose central tension is whether the human part of her will give in to the divine part of her under the stress of betrayal and rejection. at the end of the play, Medea gets everything she ever wanted (power, glory, fear, vengeance)-- all it costs is her humanity. but I think that only works if you frame Medea’s actions at the end of the play as horrific, rather than a triumph; if you take the morality of her actions seriously, as opposed to justifying them prima facie because she’s been through hell.

#notebook #classics tag #medea #tagamemnon #eh screw it I'm feeling contentious

[rmorde]

AU Ideas: KYOTO EDITION 1

MECHAMARU

There is a belief in East Asia about inanimate objects developing a soul if people poured love and dedication to it. I'd like to use that here.

So, Kokichi obviously shows a lot of attachment and fondness to his puppet Mechamaru. Let's say one puppet remained intact after the fight against Mahito.

This puppet developed a soul due to the love and care Kokichi had given to it for all his life. It had awakened when Kokichi's physical body was destroyed.

Imprinted into this puppet are all the "memories" from the other puppets destroyed. So when it became conscious, it immediately claim the identity of "Mechamaru". His first priority was to see if Kokichi made it out alive.

Mechamaru was devastated when he found his maker's corpse. He blamed himself for not protecting him better during the fight against Mahito. He was weak and failed to help Kokichi's dream come true.

After mourning his loss, Mechamaru then laid Kokichi and all of his fellow puppets to rest via burning. He was actually tempted to join them until he felt the activation of other puppets far away. That was when he remembered Kokichi's fail safes.

Mechamaru tries to communicate with Kokichi but was too far away. With a new mission in mind, he races to Shibuya. Maybe there is a chance to salvage their dream.

There is a big problem tho. Mechamaru does not have a flight feature nor the appropriate equipment for fast travel. His CE reserve is not as much as it used to be in his memory. He realizes then how he been spoiled rotten by Kokichi's massive amounts of CE.

But Mechamaru still tries to make it to Shibuya. Since he is a puppet, he does not exactly get physically tired. His only worry was being inefficient with his CE. So, he just ran as fast as he can to the nearest civilization in the area then hitched a ride with some teenagers by pretending to be a cosplayer who wants to join a party in Shibuya.

Sadly, his efforts did not exactly give him what he wanted.

Mechamaru was too late to make any difference in Shibuya. What he only gained was one conversation with Kokichi - the first and last they could ever have as two separate entities.

Kokichi was first shocked at Mechamaru's sentience. Eventually it gave way to joy and contentment because despite of his horrific mistake, a miracle happened - he gave life to his most trusted friend.

But while Kokichi was being sentimental about the whole thing, Mechamaru was bargaining with him in devastation and grief. They could switch "bodies". Mechamaru would take over the small puppet that Kokichi's waning soul is inhabiting. It could then turn his robotic puppet body into a perfect vessel for Kokichi to transfer in. The distance between would not be a problem now. They could do it.

However, Kokichi refused the offer. He wants to live but not at the cost of Mechamaru. He asked for forgiveness because he is hurting him with his choice. Also, the idea of soul transferring is unknown territory and risky from Kokichi's perspective especially with his status. He cannot gamble Mechamaru's new life with it.

Before Kokichi soul faded away for good, he cursed told Mechamaru to live and see the world on his behalf. Kokichi wished for him to find a happy better ending than he did.

And so, Mechamaru let him go. The last thing he wants was to turn Kokichi into a cursed spirit born from his regret in being unable to save him.

After that, Mechamaru became listless for a while. Bereft of any purpose and unable to die, he didn't know what to do. How exactly was he supposed to fulfill Kokichi's wish?

Then the Culling Games was announced. Mechamaru then remembered the entire reason this tragedy and miracle in his life happened - the students of Kyoto. Kokichi's, or as he insisted before dying, their friends.

He has to check on them and make sure they are safe.

EXTRA NOTES:

Mechamaru is less powerful then Kokichi but he can upgrade his body to become stronger.

While he had been imbued with Kokichi's CE and CT, it would fade over time as he develops his own. He is not happy about it and wants to find a way to preserve them.

Technically, he should be categorized as a Cursed Tool - just a sentient one. He is not a Cursed Spirit because he was not born out of negative emotions. Mechamaru was made out of love and hope.

While he prioritizes his friends' safety, he still wants revenge against those who led Kokichi to his death. Good luck with that.

Everyone should never ever insult Kokichi while Mechamaru is around. It is practically his Berserk Button.

The only "senses" Mechamaru has are sight, hearing, "smell", and "touch". As a puppet, he doesn't need to eat. So, he was not equipped with "taste".

Mechamaru has a penchant for black humor through nasty surprises of the dismemberment and beheadings. It is one of the perks of having a puppet as a body.

His friends and allies cannot help but compare him to Pinocchio (puppet). Mechamaru is offended. He prefers Astro Boy (robot).

Mechamaru would build at least three back up bodies: one that is a replica of his puppet body, an android that was designed to look like a brother of Kokichi's*, and a pocket-sized chibified version of his android body. -> *I'm thinking of the android body looking like Aki.

#mechamaru #muta kokichi #kyoto babies baby! #it will never stop being funny how both of their designs used the paintbrush hair style #omg i'm thinking of a xover where they're actually brothers #kokichi was told his entire family died in the gun devil attack #aki is on a quest for not only revenge but also finding his missing 'hospitalized' baby brother

[topazadine]

I wanted to put to paper (or text technically) some of my feelings about Palestine.

My thoughts are, of course, not really important in the grand scheme of things. I am a white American who has never been to Palestine and likely never will go. However, I am a human.

It is truly horrific to see so many people utterly destroyed through no fault of their own. Just because someone else wants the oil buried on their land. Just because someone has decided that they don't deserve to exist.

It's been incredibly hard to sleep lately. When I close my eyes, I think of all the atrocities I have seen during the day through the comfort of my laptop screen: children blown apart, men trying desperately to dig their loved ones from the rubble. Women holding their shrouded babies for one last time. Journalists breaking down on TV because they feel like the world has abandoned them - because it has. A man going mad with grief for losing his beloved mother, something that hit me horrendously hard because of my own unquenchable love for my mom.

Many people have said that they can't imagine what the Palestinians are going through, and I agree. My own emotional dictionary isn't anywhere near comprehensive enough to understand how they are feeling; I can fathom only shadows of the immense, constant tragedy they are facing. Insatiable hunger; endless thirst; the trudging trauma they don't have time to process because a new horror is bearing down on them only seconds later. Life narrowed down to simple survival, aware that there is no escape.

What I can understand, however - in my own shrunken, incomplete way - is the rage. Why wouldn't they be angry? Few people have had such a right to fury as the Palestinians. They are viciously dehumanized, treated as worthless on their homeland, told they have no right to the place that their father, and their father's father, and their father's father's father and many generations more, has lived in peace and plenty. Their crops burnt. Their homes bombed. Their families slaughtered in an instant with weapons that never should have been invented, much less used on a helpless, entrapped community.

The only thing that brings me comfort now, the only way I can't turn away, is that the world is waking up.

I don't speak of it much because I don't want to be seen as proselytizing, but I'm a Nichiren Buddhist. The Daishonen taught that in the Latter Day of the Law, when the word of Buddha has lost its power to propagate enlightenment, the people will begin to rise up as one and lead the world to a better age: a collective awakening.

No matter your spiritual beliefs or lack thereof, I think we can agree that we are experiencing a mass opening of the eyes. We are removing the iron veil that has made us believe that we are powerless and disconnected, that we are all separate communities with no obligation to one another - or that we must dominate anyone unlike ourselves.

That's not true. We are all connected. The longing for freedom is the most human of emotions: the desire for safety, for comfort, for respect. A Palestinian has a different worldview than me, a different language and upbringing, but deep down, we need and want the same things. We need food, water, clean air, sleep. We want to learn, to express ourselves, to find love and belonging.

For too long, we have believed ourselves separate communities and thus inoculated ourselves against feeling the struggles of others. That is being blasted open by watching others be destroyed in ways we cannot imagine. It should never have come to that, and the fact that we are only learning this through massive bloodshed is a failure on the part of every society. This collective awakening is coming at too high a cost: the loss of one life is too many. Palestinians should not be our zeitgeist; they are not lessons or allegories. They are living, breathing people going through monstrosities beyond comparison in the modern world.

But the only way we can fight for them is by recognizing that their freedom is our freedom. None of us are safe in a world that dehumanizes anyone. We are one people, one race. We are all connected by a billion threads that can never be cut, can never be untangled. Their destruction is ultimately the destruction of all of us.

Each person is a whole world unto themselves. We are watching thousands of universes being destroyed for no reason but maniacal greed and racism. And it is disgusting. And we all have an obligation to stop it by any means necessary.

Many people seem to believe that compassion and empathy make you weak, but they are wrong. Compassion is one of the strongest forces in the world. Empathy is an unbelievable treasure that must be protected and wielded as a shield against despair. The deep tears you cry for a stranger are the lubricant that turns the gears of history toward a better world. Your vicarious rage is your weapon which, when used correctly, can work miracles. Your prayers are not meaningless words but magic that bends the universe toward justice and peace.

Our solidarity is a beautiful terror tearing down the institutions that oppress us until they crumble to dust.

So we must cry. We must rage. We must continue screaming until our voices are heard. And we must bear witness to this. We must never look away until the last bomb is dismantled and we are all free.

Solidarity forever. From Cleveland to Palestine with love, every day.

[dragonhotcoffee]

About Uvalde

I have been so horrified and sorrowful since yesterday’s news that I haven’t been looking much at the discourse surrounding it at all but I glanced at some of it today and I have to say I am disgusted. 

I already despise when people immediately see a tragedy like this through a political lens. I think it is extremely unfeeling and narrow-minded; it’s disrespectful to the victims and their families, to use their deaths as something to point at and say “See? This proves my political agenda is just and correct”.

I understand there is a history behind these kinds of events but the way people hear that 19 innocent children were murdered and immediately speak about it like it’s a talking point at debate club makes me nauseous. There are no words to describe the lack of respect I have for people like that. 

And I don’t want to hear about how these types of situations are inherently political; unless the shooter was motivated by politics you would not be able to logically debate that, not to me at least. And talking about how the shooter got the gun doesn’t make sense to me since guns can be obtained illegally in this country just like heroin being completely illegal yet there’s a huge heroin addiction problem. 

And I’m not interested in debating anyone on it anyways, not about this. It’s too sickening. 

I have also seen tons of people criticize those who simply say “our thoughts and prayers are with the families”, just absolutely shitting on such people and telling them they are not doing enough. No, they are doing the right thing. You’re the ones trampling all over the losses these people have suffered, turning those losses into a flag that you can wave as you march for your cause. You’d rather plaster twitter and other social media sites with this tragedy, blasting it so no one forgets about it without considering that the families may not want to be reminded of the horror or have their dead children used as a tool to further your precious campaign. 

These children are more important than your political agenda. Acknowledging that 19 young children will never grow into adulthood and never experience all of the important landmarks and immense joys that life has to offer is what is important here. Offering kindness to the parents that must be feeling such immense grief, grief that is probably the weight of the world, that they cannot bear it on their own is what is important here. Coloring those offerings with your political beliefs is insincere not to mention self-serving and uncharitable.  

If you really want to honor the victims, then sit in the immense sorrow and loss for a while without thinking about guns. Really stew in it. Try to view this from the parents’ perspectives. I promise you will feel ashamed to think about the event through your political lens afterwards. 

And in my opinion, talking about guns is giving more attention to the shooter, so there’s that to consider. 

I’m not going to bother telling anyone which side of the debate I’m on (I’m sure I’ll get hate from people calling me a ‘gun lover’ because they can’t comprehend nuance); I loathe how political this world has become and I try to avoid talking about politics at all costs despite how inescapable it is. I wish people would detach from social media and abandon their political mentalities and take just a week of introspection to contemplate whether they’re actually living good lives and being a cause for good by viewing everything through a political lens. 

And if you really think you are doing good by indiscriminately opposing every gun rights advocate ever, let me give you a reason for why you probably aren’t: one of the victims’ fathers is pro gun rights. One of the people who lost their young child in such a horrific way is for gun rights. Are you really going to heap hatred upon him instead of looking past your differences and offering him your heartfelt sympathies for his unimaginable sorrow? Because if so, you’re probably the worst and you have no sense of empathy or compassion. 

#texas #uvalde #school shooting #politics #vent #guns #seriously i can't stand it it's horrible #I'm just putting this out here cause I have yet to see an apolitical take on this horrible tragedy #i pray for the day people's compulsory reaction to tragedy isn't to talk about politics #sorry if this triggers you but i am just appalled and disgusted #hopefully other people who feel the same as me feel encouraged to talk with me about it #and seriously: don't try to talk to me about guns i will block you #just be a human and acknowledge the loss instead of turning everything into a point for changing legislation

[that-house]

Viego Rant (villainy and character design and tragedy and all that jazz)

Introduction The more I think about Viego, League of Legends’ newest character, the more enamored I am with him as a villain (unrelated to his general sexiness, though that does tie in with what makes him such a good villain).

I’ve seen a lot of complaints about his design. The Ruined King, one of the greatest threats in Runeterra, the progenitor of the Shadow Isles, the lord of the undead, is finally released as a playable champion and he looks like this:

People were expecting another Mordekaiser (who is similarly an undead king with a ghost army), a lich-tyrant clad in iron, decayed flesh peeling from an aged face. What we got was an angsty anime prettyboy, and it was infinitely better than the alternatives. 

Lore Viego isn’t a conquering king. While his combat abilities are indeed badass, his personality is far from it. He’s a whiny brat and that’s incredible. He isn’t bent on world domination. His character arc revolves around just how human, how fallible he really is. For those unfamiliar with his lore, I’ll paraphrase it here:

Viego was the second son of a great king. Overshadowed by his brother and with no expectations upon him and near-limitless wealth, he wandered around being an idiot fuckboy for the vast majority of his formative years. Disaster struck when his brother died in an accident, and Viego took the throne with no training, no experience, and no desire to be king. He was a shitty king. The worst king. Just all-around apathetic. Gave zero shits. Can you blame him? It’s a lot of responsibility to be thrust upon someone who isn’t much more than a child, and with no preparation. He didn’t care about anything, that is, until he met Isolde. She was a poor seamstress, but he fell in love with her upon their first meeting. Together they ruled the country but it was really just them staring longingly into each others’ eyes. His allies were kinda fucking pissed about that, and one day an assassin came from Viego. The assassin fucked up and stabbed Isolde instead, and the poison on the blade made her fall gravely ill. As she lay in her bed, slowly dying, Viego went mad seeking a cure. He ravaged the land seeking any knowledge that might help, pouring all of his money into finding an antidote. He failed. As a last resort, he brought Isolde’s body to the Blessed Isles, a place rumored to be able to resurrect the dead. It worked, to an extent. Isolde’s wraith, confused, afraid, and angry at being ripped from the peace of death, unthinkingly stabbed Viego in the chest with his own magic sword, creating basically a magic nuke that turned the Blessed Isles into the domain of the undead. Viego resurrected as the king of the Shadow Isles some time later, having totally forgotten that Isolde killed him. He controls a big-ass ghost army, could probably beat up any living thing in a fight, and has evil ghost magic. Now this stupid simp wants his wife back and if he has to kill every living thing on Runeterra, well, anything for his queen. He’s even a tier 3 sub to her Twitch.

Music His musical theme isn’t some heavy metal anthem or intense cinematic piece (unlike the Pentakill song named after his sword, Blade of the Ruined King). It’s mostly sad and slow, almost sinister, with a piano and a music box. It has its loud moments featuring violins and choral bits like any villainous music, but the song is mostly subtle. It is a banger though.

In the comments section of this video, someone pointed out that the music reflects his story from beginning to end:

Everything about this champion is so well done. Riot Games really outdid themselves on this one. Bravo, encore please.

Motivation While the Mordekaiser circlejerkers on r/LeagueofLegends won’t shut the fuck up about how powerful Mordekaiser is, Viego is the better villain. Mordekaiser may be a bigger threat to all life on Runeterra, but Viego is a better character. (There’s a guy on my League discord server who won’t shut up about Mordekaiser so forgive me for being pissed at Morde stans).

Mordekaiser is motivated by a desire for control, to rule the world. Viego is motivated by obsession and misplaced love. There aren’t a lot of Mordekaisers on Earth. Supervillains are rare in real life. But Viego’s motivations are a lot closer to home. People in positions of power that they don’t deserve can do a lot of harm (for example: Trump).

He’s a grieving husband who was never prepared to deal with anything more difficult than choosing what wine to drink with dinner, who is trying to get his wife back because the world had always complied to his every whim. He’s a funky mix between a truly hopeless romantic and a spoiled brat throwing a temper tantrum.

Obsession is scary. It’s a real-world emotional state that’s been the cause of a lot of murders over mankind’s history. In contrast, Mordekaiser’s cartoonish Genghis Khan XXL schtick isn’t something that we encounter often. Of course a superpowered ultradictator would be worse for the world, but if you give ultimate power to a random person, you’re more likely to get someone like Tighten from Megamind. Or, more relevantly, Viego.

Design His design is sexy and stupid, just like him. He wears an open shirt into battle and wields his sword like an idiot (I’ve seen all the rants about how that’s not how that sword is meant to be used) because he was never really a warrior. Even at his most violent, right before the end of his mortal life, he didn’t do much combat himself, leaving his military endeavors to his underlings. Even now that he’s essentially a god, he still has a colossal wraith army that causes far more devastation than he ever could personally.

Despite his slim build (by League of Legends standards), he easily wields his colossal sword because of the strength of his state of undeath. Like his political power when he was alive, his posthumous magical and physical powers were never something he sought out, they were just given to him by circumstance.

The big cool-ass triangle hole in his chest where Isolde stabbed him is the source of the Black Mist, which is evil ghost mist that ebbs and flows from the Shadow Isles, bringing with it hordes of the undead. The sadder Viego is, the more Mist he creates. Poetically, his invasion of the world is inspired by his sorrow at his wife’s death and enabled by his wife’s reluctance to return to him. His story is perfectly reflected by his design.

Isolde Isolde’s spirit took up residence inside a young Senna (who’s another League champion, not particularly important here). This led to some Black Mist-related shenanigans and at least for the time being, Senna uses Isolde’s power to fight off the servants of Viego which threaten all life on Runeterra.

It seems pretty clear that whatever love Isolde felt for Viego is gone by now. Whether or not she ever loved him or was just unable to say no to the king is up for debate, but I’d like to believe there was something there. In my opinion, Viego’s story hits harder if they really were a great couple at first, torn apart by circumstance and obsession.

Much like the Maiden of the Woods in that one comic that circulates around here, to whom the knight gave his heart and she was like “yo what the fuck i literally never asked you to do this,” Viego went a little too far in trying to save her. They may have once been happy, but the Ruined King ruined his own life, too.

Unless Isolde is a lot less morally decent than we’ve been led to believe, I doubt she can forgive all the massacring that her husband’s been doing lately. In the recent cinematic, she was shown to be pretty anti-Viego. Maybe she’ll get a bastardization arc, but it certainly seems unlikely.

All of Season 2021 is based around Viego, Isolde, and the Shadow Isles, so we’ll just have to see what comes next. It’s possible that we’ll get Isolde as a playable champion, which should clear a lot of things up.

Final Thoughts Unlike so many villains, he’s not fueled by rage or hatred, but rather by sorrow. He’s stuck in his past, unable to move on. He regrets the actions of his life but is set on his course now. The sunk-cost fallacy comes into play here; he’s put so much time and effort and blood into bringing back Isolde, that turning away from it would feel to him like an insult, not only to her but to the innocent lives he’s taken in her name.

His tale is a tragedy, a love story gone horrifically wrong. Viego has suffered throughout his thousand-year life. Despite this, he’s undoubtedly the villain. His permanent death would be a net positive for the world. In has rage and grief he’s destroyed multiple civilizations, and will burn down the world to get Isolde back.

His heart may be in the wrong place, but it’s in a very human place. I don’t think he’ll get the ending he’s looking for, but I hope he finds some closure in the end.

#League of Legends #viego #i swear no one's gonna read this #even if you dont care about League i tried to make this interesting #even if you don't like League as a game the lore is pretty fucking solid

[susiephone]

not gonna lie, warriors has its problems with writing and execution but some of their characters are just...... fucking amazing character concepts.

yellowfang: a woman who never wanted a certain job, but was more-or-less forced into it because of her undeniable gifts in that area. said job, while rewarding and important, forbids her from having children, so she gives birth in secret and gives up her child, who grows up to be a bloodthirsty, evil tyrant who does shit like using child soldiers, and eventually expels her from their faction. she takes refuge in a rival faction and winds up becoming a trusted and beloved member, as well as a mentor to the rival faction’s emerging leader. she then ends up killing her child so he can’t hurt anyone else, and does so in a fashion that ensures he doesn’t get any glory -- he doesn’t get to die on the battlefield, he meets an utterly pathetic and humiliating end.

hollyleaf: a young girl is raised to live by a code, and soon believes that the code is absolutely infallible and anyone who breaks it for any reason is evil. she then finds out that her parents actually adopted her -- her birth parents had her illegitimately, and thus broke the code. the realization that her very existence goes against everything she believes in overwhelms and horrifies her, and she winds up murdering a man to keep him quiet on the matter. she even threatens to murder her biological mother, but can’t bring herself to go through with it. she soon reveals the truth to everyone else in a moment of guilt, thus ruining her biological mother, upending several relationships, and sending her family into utter chaos. she then runs away and is presumed dead for several months, during which she helps two other young people from her former home survive in the wild. she eventually returns home, severely humbled and remorseful -- her family is relieved she’s alive (though her brothers are angry she let them believe she was dead), but many don’t trust her. she’s about to confess to the murder she committed, but her father covers for her. she has an opportunity to kill a man who has caused her family nothing but suffering, but can’t bring herself to do it, because, despite everything, the code is still what she believes, even if she now understands it’s not infallible. 

ravenpaw: a young boy is raised to be a fighter, but discovers that the man who is meant to mentor him -- a highly respected figure in his faction -- is a traitor and a murderer. his mentor then attempts to kill him, so the boy is forced to run away, aided by two of his friends. he settles on a quiet farm in the countryside, living with an ex-rogue who takes him in and eventually becomes his best friend and life partner. when his ex-mentor finally dies and it’s safe to return home, he turns the offer down, realizing that he’s actually much more suited a  quiet life anyway. however, he’s still loyal to his home and will fight for them if they need his help. he lives out the rest of his days in relative peace.

bluestar: a woman is forced to choose between having children (whom she really DOES want) and becoming a leader, and chooses the latter because she knows if she doesn’t, a man who is utterly unsuited for the job and will bring ruin to her faction will be chosen instead. so she sees to it that her children are quietly adopted by a loving mother, swallows her grief, and becomes one of the greatest leaders her faction has ever known. however, when she’s horrifically betrayed, and her children find out who their birth mother is at a particularly bad time, she loses her grip on her sanity and becomes extremely paranoid, renouncing the gods and essentially declaring war on them, forcing her new second-in-command to run interference and arrange peace treaties behind her back. however, seeing her new second in danger causes her to come to her senses just enough to save his life at the cost of her own, and she passes away at peace, reconciling with her children on her deathbed. she then goes on to be remembered as a great leader, and providing advice and help to the heroes from beyond the grave.

mapleshade: a woman is banished from her home for having illegitimate children, and she’s forced to try to join her children’s father in his faction. tragically, her children die on the journey, and when she finally reaches the father’s home, they reject her, too. she then goes on a kill bill-style rampage and kills everyone she deems responsible for this tragedy, and after her own death, she’s sent to an afterlife reserved only for those who have committed great evil. there, she continues her quest for vengeance, now taking it out on everyone and everything related to the “code” that led to her banishment. she encourages the living to do terrible things, sometimes pretending to be a benevolent spirit to do so, and is so effective at being evil, even the others in her afterlife are scared shitless of her.

and this is just off the top of my head. idc if they’re all cats, game of thrones WHO?

#warriors #warrior cats #booklr #bookish

[qqueenofhades]

I know you dont watch GoT anymore. And that Braime and Sansa are your favorites. But I know you've read the books and are obviously really interested in the story. And I was just wondering what your thoughts are on the whole Jon killing Dany thing? Is that something you can see happening in the books? And if it is do you think it'd be in the same context as the show did it?

Ahaha, welp. Just jumping right in there.

(Also, you never have to apologise for asking GOT/ASOIAF questions. I obviously have been a fan for 16 years and wrote fuckin’ TNR with its half-million-plus words, so I clearly do have Thoughts on the story/characters, especially with the bag of lukewarm cat vomit that was s8 of the show.)

I already answered this ask discussing how much I hated the Mad Queen Dany thing, both because a) it was horrifically badly handled and b) these mediocre misogynist douchegobblers have managed to outdo themselves in terms of the gross messages they’ve sent about women, after 8 seasons of that. (These are the same people who made Sansa say that she was grateful for her rapes and who claimed that Dany’s turn into madness was foreshadowed by her having a “chilly” reaction to the death of her abuser, Viserys, in s1, so…. make of that what you will.) I’m not saying that it was narratively impossible, especially since GRRM has been toying with the same thing in the books and has more than his own share of Male Author Syndrome. But at the start of 8x04, Dany is in Winterfell, perfectly sane, toasting Arya as hero of the battle. By the end of 8x06, she’s crazy, a war criminal, and dead, murdered by her boyfriend, because… well, something something plot reasons. Even if you didn’t like Dany or were rooting for her to go mad or whatever, that was wildly badly handled.

I personally think it would be pretty gross for GRRM to also go down the Mad Queen route, though at least if he does, we will have had Dany’s POV chapters beforehand and presumably something resembling a justification and a building narrative momentum toward it. But she also got stuck in Meereen for so long because by his own admission he didn’t know what to do with her there or how to get her out of the situation and moved onto Westeros, which remains, theoretically, her outstanding goal in the books. It would obviously not be outside the realm of possibility for this to happen, given GRRM’s focus on “grittiness” that the show took to max factor 5000. I would still find it reductive and trying to make a Clever Postmodern Point and etc if it happened in the books, because literally why invest us in a character this long, especially one who has tried so hard to overcome the circumstances of her past/to not be her father, and then just do exactly that? Obviously there would be elements of Shakespearean tragedy to it, and if done well it could be compelling, but I personally just have a different approach to fiction and what people want out of a story (especially one now as famous as GOT/ASOIAF and how universally betrayed everyone seems to feel by the ending). I’m not saying Dany’s ultimate ending needs to be sunshine and roses and getting what she wants, because often character arcs and resolutions become all the more powerful for being subverted and thwarted (think the “I said I wanted [x] but [y] was there instead” sort of endings). But whatever it is, it needs to be…. not that.

Also, Jon in both books and especially show has been the epitome of Mediocre White Man. I stopped watching in s4, but Kit Harington’s acting was so wooden and the writing for him was very much Standard Misunderstood Brooding Fantasy Hero that I could barely pay attention to his scenes. I find him somewhat more interesting in the books, though ADWD dragged for everyone and it was obvious GRRM was writing in circles. But everyone has noticed that especially in the show, Jon does absolutely bupkis. His ass is constantly saved by the women in his life, he makes an absolute hash of any power that he is given and doesn’t want it anyway, and his ultimate ending was…. going back to the Night’s Watch (as their idea of satisfying narrative storytelling is to literally put everyone back where they were in the very first episode, apparently). Never mind the fact that there’s no need for the Night’s Watch, but the point is, even the fact that Jon is Rhaegar and Lyanna’s son ended up being relevant for like half an episode. That has been one of the major plot points/secrets of the books (although not so much anymore) and it just…. fizzled out like a damp squib. Dany actually TRIED for multiple seasons to be a good ruler and to learn how to handle power and become a queen, so for her to have to be the one to die for Jon to once again do diddlysquat is… well, as I have said before, the misogyny leaps out. They ended up wasting so much potential and so many other things that were also foreshadowed (and far more convincingly than “wah wah she was gonna go evil!”). For this? So Jon can just go brood in the snow again? Cool.

Not to mention, I find it gross on principle that Dany’s boyfriend had to be the one to kill her, especially after rape/sexual violence/loss of agency was such a big part of her early-season storylines (and how horrifyingly and grossly that has been handled on the show overall). We’re obviously supposed to sympathize with Jon in this scenario and to feel that it is justified to “stop a tyrant” or whatever. Also, if the episode was going to be called “Queenslayer,” why the fuck wasn’t it Jaime fulfilling the valonqar prophecy, another thing they forgot about, and killing Cersei, at great personal grief/cost, to once more stop an insane monarch from burning down King’s Landing? But that, of course, would be actual character development/overall arc, and they preferred to also trash that by having Jaime “killed Aerys Targaryen literally to save half a million innocent people and lived with his reputation being destroyed ever after” Lannister unironically claim that he never cared about the lives of the innocent and only wanted Cersei. After she again tried to kill him and Tyrion like three days ago, not even to mention what they did to Brienne and with that whole arc, but I will have a ragestroke if I think about it too much. 

Basically, the ending wasn’t “bittersweet.” It was tragic, reductionist, ham-handed, hugely disappointing for everyone who put years of investment into these characters, and ended up in the amusing position of making Bran Stark the younger and more beautiful queen who comes to cast Cersei down. He became king because… reasons? Whatever? And he knows literally everything about everyone thanks to being the Three-Eyed Raven, so there’s no way that can go horribly wrong. He has basically done nothing except sit in a wheelchair and look creepy for several years now, his arc has never been remotely about being king, and Isaac Hempstead-Wright himself is apparently on record as saying he genuinely thought it was a joke script when he read it. This after both Emilia Clarke and Kit Harington broke down over learning what happened to their characters/Kit apparently realized it for the first time at the read-through and was horrified. Emilia already talked about wandering for five hours and having a crisis and calling her mom and asking to be talked off the ledge like….. fictional choices/characters completely aside, that’s a gross thing to do to your actors. I know they’re all proud of their work and they have apparently and understandably been defensive about the existence of the petition to rewrite s8, but they’ve all been pretty clear, while still being professional and supportive, that there is stuff that they’re just as much WTF about as we are.

Basically, as everyone keeps saying, the acting, cinematography, visual effects, music, etc was clearly up to as high a standard as ever, but was betrayed fundamentally and comprehensively by this god-awfully shit writing by a couple of hacks who clearly rushed the final season to get on to ruining working on Star Wars. They have also been on record about saying “you can’t do what the audience expects or it’ll get boring blah blah blah,” which is a profoundly flawed storytelling strategy if you’re paranoid and trying to outsmart your audience and do something that nobody has ever thought of because you’re an Intellectual Postmodern Commentator On Our Violent Society. If your audience can guess where a story is going, but are still surprised by major twists along the way that then make sense in hindsight, you’ve done your job. If you’re relying on grimdark and cramming in gimmicky plot twists and deus ex machinas and Shocking Moments rather than authentically developing your story, it’s going to bite you in the ass in a big way, as was just proven. 

Nobody expected a completely happy ending from GoT. But the fact that they went to such lengths, especially in s8, to build up characters/ships (Jonerys, Braime, Gendrya were all torched after major canon moments completely unexpected by fans, especially the latter two – why even include it unless to just be more Tragique, and Gendrya is the only one that has even a chance in the future since half of it didn’t end up idiotically dead) and then just wrecked all of it…. as I’ve said, good endings don’t need to be rainbows and unicorns and kittens. But if you’ve asked eight years of audience investment, there has to be something that makes it worth it and that doesn’t make everyone feel like they were duped and stupid to get involved in the first place. They have been beating the “it’s a hard world and bad things happen to the characters” drum for all they’re worth, but… it’s just bad. You can analyse and ask why the hell they did things and so forth, but it’s bad. At this rate, the show should have either ended after 8x03, or they should have taken the money HBO offered and done the proper 10 episodes and let Bryan Cogman write all of them. He was the only one who appeared to remotely give a shit about the characters, and since D&D wrote the last four episodes themselves, yeah, this disaster is on them.

Fortunately, I left the show years ago and have TNR and am used to ignoring their version of things. And I knew all along that they never really got the characters or the story. But I feel really bad for everyone who has had this thrown back in their face, and it seems like a communal disenchantment with this ending is going to enter the pop-culture consciousness on a possibly unprecedented level. So if GRRM does do the Mad Queen Dany killed by Jon in the books (though he has apparently called the show’s ending “traumatic”), I’ll probably still not like it. He has a chance to sell me it on/justify it to me narratively, which the show categorically failed to do. I don’t think I will, just because as I said, I don’t like anything about it, but yes.

Anyway. This is a long post already, and I probably have more to say still, but it’s pretty obvious I think it’s just really, really bad, and that’s about the essence of it.

#got #got spoilers #got critical #anonymous #ask

[jbuffyangel]

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

“Lian Yu” a summary:

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

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

We've grieved with him. 

We threw things at him with every maddening step backward.

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

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

honor 

teamwork

friendship

family 

and love. 

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

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

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

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

Let's dig in...

Oliver Queen

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

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

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

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

Robert Queen's death.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Source: SMOAKS

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

Source: captainheroism

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Source:  zorro-rita

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

Source: queensarrow 

 ALL HAIL THE QUEEN. 

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

Source:  zorro-rita

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

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

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

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

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

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

Source:  arrowsource

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

Source: arrowsource

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

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

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

Source:  1-crazy-dreamer

Source: olivergifs

Oliver: You say that like it's easy.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Source:olivergifs

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

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

Source: @callistawolf

Me:

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

Source:  @callistawolf

Source:  olivergifs

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

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

Source:  @callistawolf

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

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

Source: olivergifs

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

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

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

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

Source: arrowsource

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

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

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

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

Source: olivergifs

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

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

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

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

Source: @callistawolf

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

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

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

Source:olivergifs

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Source: itberice

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

Source:  olivergifs

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

Source:  songbin

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

Only Robert killed himself to save Oliver's life. 

Source:  olivergifs

Adrian Chase kills himself to destroy Oliver's life.

Source:  songbin

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

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

source:  itberice 

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

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

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

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

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

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

Slade Wilson.

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

And why? Because he made a promise to Tommy. 

Because Felicity believed he could find another way. 

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

And in the end... found the way.

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

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

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

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

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

Life begets life.

Source:  queensarrow

Olicity

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

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

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

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

Source:  westallenolicitygifs

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

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

But he can't risk her. 

Source:  sharingmyworld 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Source:  gothsmoak

Felicity is scared. 

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

Source:amanitacaplan

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

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

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

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

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

Pushing him away because she was hurt and angry. 

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

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

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

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

Source: underconstruction87

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Okay, I'm good.

Source:  felicitys

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

I was sent some of tweets about Samantha being jealous. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

Source:  feilcityqueen

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

Source: gothsmoak

Yeah... except she's not. 

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

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

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

Malcolm Merlyn and Thea Queen

Source: arrowsource

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

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

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

Source: zorro-rita

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

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

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

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

Source:amanitacaplan

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

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

Nyssa and Talia Al Ghul

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

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

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

Source:  itberice

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

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

Source:  sonadoras

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

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

Source:  sharingmyworld

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

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

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

No joke, I legit SCREAMED when this happened.

Source: sharingmyworld

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

This entire exchange is so much GOLD. 

Source:  lindsayshalstead

BAM. 

Bitch goes down!!!!

“FOR SO MANY REASONS.”

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

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

Stray Thoughts

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Source:  sharingmyworld

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

Protective Father Oliver is hot.

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

Source: songbin

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

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

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

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

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

#arrow #oliver queen #arrow 5x23 #olicity #slade wilson #arrow reviews #thea queen #malcolm merlyn #nyssa al ghul #anti black siren #switzerlaurel #dinah drake #arrow season 5 #arrow season 5 episode reviews #season 5 episode review

[thechurchreport]

Teaching Kids The Value Of Giving

Our world is fast becoming a materialistic world. Capitalists take advantage of retail therapy to make lots of profits. These businesses build a need for people to acquire more stuff so they end up buying things they don’t actually need but actually looked pretty cool in the mall. And kids grow up in this capitalist culture full of me, me and me. We all become too engrossed with our needs that we forget to think of others.

As adults, we need to teach the importance of giving and sharing our blessings with the less fortunate. A child that knows how to give understands that not everyone enjoys the same lifestyle as them and that others have to struggle to earn money for basic needs like food, clothing and shelter, something that others take for granted. When kids know how to share, they realize that they have the power of uplifting the lives of others and making a difference in this world.

Many parents want their children to grow up to be philanthropic.

The hard part is knowing when—and how—to start instilling a sense of philanthropy in them.

Experts in the world of philanthropy offer several approaches.

But there is a consensus that it’s important to start talking to children about philanthropy early in their lives and continue to have those discussions as they grow.

(Via: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/how-to-teach-your-children-to-be-philanthropists-2017-03-27)

Kids are great imitators. So the act of giving or having a generous nature will probably become second nature to them if they see their elders doing the same in their everyday lives.

CHARITY and the spirit of giving have been elevated to a new level following the recent Asian tsunami. After witnessing the horrific images of pain and suffering streaming steadily across their TV sets, more people than ever before have dipped deeper into their own pockets to offer needed relief to the survivors of this unprecedented tragedy.

Many parents are using the destruction delivered by the disaster as an opportunity to help children learn about charity and the importance of reaching out to others in their time of need. They have made generous family donations, often involving their children in picking out the charity, writing the check, and preparing and mailing the envelope. They have allowed their children to witness turning the pain and grief of unimaginable loss into a time of extending love and compassion to unknown people half way around the world.

Clearly the recent tsunami provides an opportune time to teach children about charity. But what if parents want lessons about charity to be more than a one time occurrence? What if they want the spirit of giving to be a way of life for their children? What if they want charity to become a habit?

(Via: http://www.thesundaily.my/news/2200256)

Children learn to be generous and charitable from home. Practice the following habits at home and you no longer have to worry about teaching your kids about giving because they will have the initiative to do so on their own.

Giving to charity makes us happier

Researchers from the University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, and Harvard University found a positive relationship between charitable giving and happiness. The research has shown that how people spend their money impacts their happiness. In particular, people who spend money on others reported greater levels of happiness – actually activates the reward centre in your brain, can improve your overall life satisfaction, and reduces stress.

There are financial benefits too

Any time you make a charitable donation, keep your receipts! The cost of your donation is greatly reduced by claiming tax credits on your income tax return. It's important to determine which organizations can issue official donation receipts and what types of gifts qualify. Once you know that information, you can decide the total amount of donations you want to claim.

To help your kid(s) understand charity and get them into the habit of giving, consider some of these strategies below:

Help the elderly.

Donate clothes.

Provide nutritious food.

Help some animals.

Volunteer.

Make it a family thing.

(Via: http://www.thespec.com/community-story/6999066-wealth-matters-teaching-children-about-charitable-giving/)

The world is a better place if everyone learns how to give and share their blessings. There will be no such thing as social injustice because biases will likewise disappear, so is greed and abuse. And conflicts can be prevented when people tolerate one another and look after their well-being. When kids grew up in this harmonious environment, they will grow up to be responsible and compassionate adults who may be able to give a shot at world peace and living in harmony with all where wars are unheard of.

Teaching Kids The Value Of Giving Find more on: thechurchreport.com

from https://www.thechurchreport.com/teaching-kids-the-value-of-giving/