#arthur's role or lack thereof

[etoilesombre]

Hey, do you guys want to hear a story? Let me tell you about the romance between Lancelot and Guinevere, as recounted in Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur.

So, I thought I knew the basics. I grew up reading modern versions of Arthurian legend that focused on other aspects, but had a general knowledge of the Arthur-Guinever-Lancelot love triangle. It didn't show up too much, but I assumed it was subtext in some other versions. What I picked up was that it was sort of pure, almost an ot3, and not the cause of a lot of problems. 

My friends. In this version it is NOT SUBTEXT, it DEFINITELY CAUSED PROBLEMS, and it is WILD. It is a true will-they-won't-they drama fest soap opera romance, and I need to share. So please, come on this journey with me.

[I’m looking at you, Black Sails fandom people. I need you to know that Flint canonically would have read this. He would almost certainly have also grown up hearing these stories. I’m not saying he’s Lancelot coded, but I am saying it's interesting that he would have been aware that was something it was possible to be.]

A couple notes, before we dive in. I am very much just summarizing what happened in the book. The thing is, the book is a million pages long and also in Middle English, and this is just one of many plots, which I think is why it's not more widely known. I will show some excerpts so you can get a feel for the text, but you don’t need to read them to understand the story. I'm referring to a version that is as close to the manuscript as I can find, though with spelling regularized. For real fun, see what the original looked like. Malory purports to be translating part of the French Vulgate cycle, which likely is where the character of Lancelot originates, but in fact he is doing much more than translating, and compiles other stories as well. Point being, when he says “so the French book sayeth” etc, that is the “book” to which he is referring. Because of my lack of knowledge about the language and cultural context, this lecture series from Mythgard Academy was absolutely invaluable to my understanding. I cannot recommend it highly enough. Inevitably, some of the opinions of the prof are reflected here. I do not have it in me to compare the scholarship of various medievalists right now, I just want to tell you about this DRAMA. 

Let’s start with a prophecy. When Arthur decides he wishes to marry Guinevere, Merlin advises him to take someone else, because if he takes her, she will betray him with Lancelot and it will destroy his kingdom. All of this is foretold, not only to us, but to Arthur himself. Of course he takes her anyway, and all is doomed from the start.

As we begin the main arc of this story (several books after the prophecy), Lancelot is widely acknowledged to be the best and most renowned knight of Arthur’s court. He is plainly and hopelessly in love with Guinevere, and she loves him in return. Arthur doesn’t have a problem with this - who wouldn’t love Guinevere? This sort of love is socially acceptable, so long as they do not sleep together, which would be treason. Arthur in fact seems to support their love, because it means that Lancelot will be Guinevere’s champion should she need one. This is a role Arthur himself legally cannot fill because he is the king, and so would have to be the judge. Lancelot is indeed a good champion for her, and fights for her when she is wrongly accused of murder. 

Lancelot is deeply chivalrous, in a way that seems sincere. This is a great place for a first excerpt, a conversation with a Random Damsel Lancelot has been helping:

‘Now, damosel,’ said Sir Lancelot, ‘will ye any more service of me?’ ‘Nay, sir,’ she said, ‘at this time, but almighty Jesu preserve you wheresoever ye ride or go, for the most courteous knight thou art and meekest unto all ladies and gentlewomen that now liveth. But one thing, sir knight, me thinks ye lack, ye that are a knight wifeless, that ye will not love some maiden or gentlewoman. For I could never hear say that ever ye loved any of no manner of degree, and that is great pity. But it is noised that ye love Queen Guenivere, and that she hath ordained by enchantment that ye shall never love no other but her, nor no other damosel nor lady shall rejoice you; wherefore there be many in this land of high estate and low that make great sorrow.’ ‘Fair damosel,’ said Sir Lancelot, ‘I may not warn* people to speak of me what it pleaseth them; but for to be a wedded man, I think it not; for then I must couch with her, and leave arms and tournaments, battles and adventures. And as for to say to take my pleasance with paramours, that will I refuse, in principal for dread of God. For knights that be adventurous should not be adulterers nor lecherous, for then they be not happy nor fortunate unto the wars; for either they shall be overcome with a simpler knight than they be themselves, or else they shall slay by unhap and their cursedness better men than they be themselves. And so who that useth paramours shall be unhappy, and all thing unhappy that is about them.’ 

So after doing his Knightly Deeds for this damsel, Lancelot asks if she needs anything else. She says no, but you are lacking one thing, which is the love of a woman. It is rumored that is because Guinevere has through sorcery made you love only her, and that causes all of the women great sorrow. In reply Lancelot makes this speech about how he cannot have a wife or paramour and be a good knight, but everyone thinks it is at least in part because his love is reserved for Guinevere.

Now, throughout the book his chastity DOES notably cause all of the women great sorrow. Everyone wants to sleep with Lancelot. Literally he is kidnapped by the four most beautiful queens other than Guinevere, and they say he has to choose one of them as a lover (not even a wife, a lover) or else die. He says he would rather die, though in the end he escapes. This is just an example, truly it is a recurring problem for him. He is, at one point, tricked into sleeping with a woman with whom he conceives his son Galahad (as was prophesied, it's a long story and the romance is only part of it. It is worth mentioning that something similar happens to Arthur, which is how Mordred is sired.) When Guinevere learns that Lancelot has been with someone else, she is angry and banishes him from the court. They still love each other and eventually reconcile. 

So, Lancelot goes on the quest for the holy grail. But he fails, specifically because while he is outwardly dedicated to God, in his private heart he is still dedicated to Guinevere. And so he makes a vow to renounce his love for her, acknowledging that it is beyond measure (beyond what is right, even if they have not technically done anything wrong.) However when he returns to Camelot, he cannot keep this vow, as we see. 

Then, as the book saith, Sir Lancelot began to resort unto Queen Guenivere again, and forgot the promise and the perfection that he made in the quest. For, as the book saith, had not Sir Lancelot been in his privy thoughts and in his mind so set inwardly to the Queen as he was in seeming outward to God, there had no knight passed him in the quest of the Sangrail, but ever his thoughts were privily on the Queen. And so they loved together more hotter than they did beforehand, and had many such privy draughts together that many in the court spoke of it, and in especial Sir Agravain, Sir Gawain’s brother, for he was ever open-mouthed. So it befell that Sir Lancelot had many resorts of ladies and damosels that daily resorted unto him to be their champion: in all such matters of right Sir Lancelot applied him daily to do for the pleasure of Our Lord Jesu Christ. And ever as much as he might he withdrew him from the company of Queen Guenivere for to eschew the slander and noise, wherefore the Queen waxed wroth with Sir Lancelot.

He and Guinevere start spending a lot of time alone together, and so there are rumors circulating about them in court. In order to put a stop to the rumors, Lancelot starts paying other women attention and doing more good knightly deeds for them. Guinevere is terribly jealous, but he tells her it's for their own good, and also tells her about the vow he made, and his concern that their love is beyond what is appropriate. She is devastated, and weeping banishes him from the court (again). 

Lancelot then rides in a tournament, disguised. (Why? Because this is simply a thing knights do.) To make it an effective disguise he takes the token of a woman, the sleeve of the fair maid of Astolat to wear on his helm. When she discovers that he was only using it for the disguise, and he does not indeed love her, she is so heartbroken that she says if he will not marry her or be her lover, she will die. He refuses, on the grounds that love must not be constrained and should arise from the heart, and offers her a thousand pounds a year instead if she marries anyone else. Properly insulted by this, she does indeed die. She has her body sent in a boat to Camelot, with a letter in her hand, saying that she died of her love for him, that he would not return. 

Seeing this, Guinevere reconciles with Lancelot, presumably reassured by the fact that he would let this very beautiful much younger woman die of her love rather than being with her. She insists that from now on he will not fight in disguise, and will openly bear her token. 

Then Queen Guenivere sent for Sir Lancelot, and said thus: ‘I warn you that ye ride no more in no jousts nor tournaments but that your kinsmen may know you; and at these jousts that shall be ye shall have of me a sleeve of gold. And I pray you for my sake to force* yourself there, that men may speak you worship. But I charge you as ye will have my love, that ye warn your kinsmen that ye will bear that day the sleeve of gold upon your helmet.’ ‘Madam,’ said Sir Lancelot, ‘it shall be done.’ And either made great joy of other.

It is important to keep in mind that, to this point, there is no textual evidence that they were sleeping together, and a great deal of evidence that it was important to Lancelot that they not cross that line. There is much less evidence that this is important to Guinevere.

So then one fateful day in May, Guinevere goes picnicing with an entourage of knights. They are captured by someone else who is in love with Guinevere, and taken back to his castle, but she manages to send a message to Lancelot. At the castle, she insists that her knights sleep in her bedchamber on the grounds that they were wounded in the battle when she was captured and need tending, but truly she wants them there to keep her captor from raping her. 

Lancelot arrives to rescue her, and the person who kidnapped her agrees to give her back in the morning. She tells Lancelot to visit her room in the night. He climbs up to her window, which is barred. They have a heartfelt reunion and she says she wishes he could come in to her. He acquiesces and breaks the bars to get into her room, cutting his hand to the bone to do so. Despite the profusely bleeding wound and the ten other men sleeping in the room, they at last do sleep together, in this passionate blood covered consummation. He sneaks back out and replaces the bars.

In the morning, the man who kidnapped Guinevere comes in and sees blood all over the bed. He accuses her of being unfaithful to the king, saying she lay with one of the knights who had been sleeping in her room. She denies it, but it is very clear that she did sleep with someone who was bleeding. 

Lancelot says he will fight to defend her from this accusation, which is right and proper because he is her champion. In this story people take trial by combat and oaths before God very seriously, especially Lancelot. He really does try. So he swears an oath that he will prove with his life that Guinevere did not sleep with one of the wounded knights who lay in her room. This of course is TRUE, but only on a technicality. Lancelot, having slept with her himself the night before, is also the one who defends her honor after. I love this story so much. 

Instead of fighting him, the kidnapper takes Lancelot captive. In captivity he encounters ANOTHER damsel who insists that sleep with her in order for her to help him. He refuses, still faithful in his heart to Guinevere. Eventually she settles for him holding and kissing her, which is not across the line of appropriateness apparently, giving us some idea of where that line is drawn. Anyway, Lancelot gets out, fights for Guinevere and wins. There are indications that he feels like he barely dodged a devine bullet. 

Guinevere and Lancelot return to Camelot. Finally the rumors about them are true, the deed has been done, but of course nothing appears particularly different as there were already rumors about them. Two knights, Mordred and Agravaine, who have been intriguing against Arthur already, go and tell Arthur that Guinevere is being untrue to him. Here is his response: 

‘If it be so,’ said the King, ‘wit you well, he is none other; but I would be loath to begin such a thing but I might have proofs of it. For Sir Lancelot is a hardy knight, and all ye know that he is the best knight among us all; and but if he be taken with the deed he will fight with him that bringeth up the noise, and I know no knight that is able to match him. Therefore, and it be sooth as ye say, I would that he were taken with the deed.’ For as the French book saith, the King was full loath that such a noise should be upon Sir Lancelot and his queen. For the King had a deeming of it; but he would not hear thereof, for Sir Lancelot had done so much for him and for the Queen so many times that, wit you well, the King loved him passingly well.

Arthur says he will not hear of this without proof, because if Lancelot is accused and allowed to fight he would beat anyone. And, it is said that Arthur had some idea of the affair, but would not credit it because Lancelot had done so much for him and Guinevere, and he loved Lancelot greatly. 

So, one night when the king is away hunting, the two accusers contrive to catch them in the act, with a group of twelve armed knights. They do find Lancelot in Guinevere’s chamber, but the text is notably, pointedly vague about whether they are actually in bed. In any case, Lancelot asks for a trial. The knights say no, they have caught him and so may kill him. He is Lancelot, so he kills all of them instead, save one (Mordred) whom he leaves wounded. Lancelot flees, intending to return to rescue Guinevere and take her to his own castle to protect her from Arthur’s wrath. He maintains her innocence, and still intends that they will all reconcile.

Guinevere is to be burned at the stake (normal in this situation). Lancelot rescues her from the burning at the last moment, killing a number of knights of the round table. Arthur seems to blame the accusers more than Guinevere and Lancelot (for good reason; keep in mind that the romance is a subplot, there is a great deal of political intrigue going on.) Now a war will begin, whether anyone wants it or not, because of the people Lancelot killed. Lancelot takes Guinevere to his own castle. Battle lines are drawn, and Lancelot and Arthur confront each other in the fighting:

And ever was King Arthur about Sir Lancelot to have slain him, and ever Sir Lancelot suffered him and would not strike again. So Sir Bors encountered with King Arthur; and Sir Bors smote him, and so he alit and drew his sword and said to Sir Lancelot, ‘Sir, shall I make an end of this war?’—for he meant to have slain him. ‘Not so hardy,’ said Sir Lancelot, ‘upon pain of thy head, that thou touch him no more! For I will never see that most noble king that made me knight neither slain nor shamed.’ And therewith Sir Lancelot alit off his horse and took up the King and horsed him again, and said thus: ‘My lord the king, for God’s love, stint this strife, for ye get here no worship and I would do my utterance. But always I forbear you, and ye nor none of yours forbear not me. And therefore, my lord, I pray you remember what I have done in many places, and now am I evil rewarded.’ So when King Arthur was on horseback he looked on Sir Lancelot; then the tears burst out of his eyes, thinking of the great courtesy that was in Sir Lancelot more than in any other man. And therewith the King rode his way and might no longer behold him, saying to himself, ‘Alas, alas, that yet this war began!’

So Arthur tries to slay Lancelot, but Lancelot, the better fighter, refuses to slay him and indeed when Arthur is unhorsed Lancelot forbids that he be slain, and gives him his own horse. Arthur weeps for the honor that is in Lancelot, and laments that the war began. 

The pope intervenes and tries to negotiate an end. Lancelot confirms that he is willing to return Guinevere to Arthur, and says he has always been willing to do this and will still defend her honor, but that he does not feel he can do so because Arthur has listened to liars and been misled, and he had more reason to take her away than the accusation of adultery - he does not trust she can be safe in that court, with things as they are. 

Eventually they do make a deal, with some assurances, and he surrenders Guinevere to the king. He kisses her openly, says that he will leave, but should she be in danger or ever again accused of being untrue, he will fight for her as he always has. He departs the court forever, to much great sorrow, and returns to his own lands. 

The war continues - eventually Mordred seizes the throne, Arthur kills him in battle but is mortally wounded himself and passes to Avalon. Following the king’s death, although her love would no longer be adulterous, Guinevere retires to a convent rather than reuniting with Lancelot. He seeks her out, and this is her reaction: 

Sir Lancelot was brought before her; then the Queen said to all those ladies, ‘Through this same man and me hath all this war been wrought, and the death of the most noblest knights of the world; for through our love that we have loved together is my most noble lord slain. Therefore, Sir Lancelot, wit thou well I am set in such a plight to get my soul health; and yet I trust through God’s grace and through His Passion of His wounds wide, that after my death I may have a sight of the blessed face of Christ Jesu, and at Doomsday to sit on His right side;* for as sinful as ever I was, now are saints in heaven. And therefore, Sir Lancelot, I require thee and beseech thee heartily, for all the love that ever was betwixt us, that thou never see me no more in the visage. And I command thee, on God’s behalf, that thou forsake my company; and to thy kingdom look thou turn again, and keep well thy realm from war and wrack. For as well as I have loved thee heretofore, my heart will not serve now to see thee, for through thee and me is the flower of kings and knights destroyed. And therefore go thou to thy realm, and there take ye a wife and live with her with joy and bliss. And I pray thee heartily to pray for me to the everlasting Lord that I may amend my misliving.’ ‘Now, my sweet madam,’ said Sir Lancelot, ‘would ye that I should turn again unto my country, and there to wed a lady? Nay, madam, wit you well, that shall I never do, for I shall never be so false unto you of that I have promised. But the self* destiny that ye have taken you to, I will take me to, for the pleasure of Jesu; and ever for you I cast me specially to pray.

Rather than rejoicing in Lancelot’s presence, Guinevere laments that their love brought about the downfall of the Arthurian court, and the deaths of the knights of the round table and King Arthur. She calls upon Lancelot, by all the love that was ever between them to leave her presence, telling him to marry someone else if he wishes and see her no more. Lancelot replies that he wants no one else, and that he will respect her wishes, but will also renounce the world and join a religious order. He asks Guinevere for a final parting kiss, which she denies him. 

When Guinevere lies dying of illness, Lancelot sets out to go to her, having had a vision. She knows of his coming, and prays to die before she sees him, because she cannot bear it. She dies a half hour before he arrives, leaving instruction that he is to tend to her body, and then lay it to rest beside that of her lord King Arthur. Lancelot does this with great sorrow, and after ceases to eat or drink, and within weeks is dead himself. 

And there you have it, the love affair that doomed Camelot.

HUGE DISCLAIMER: Any and all mistakes or misinterpretations are my own. This is what I gathered, but I am not a medievalist. I am barely an interested layperson. I’m just a random fic writer who got obsessed with research for a story, and had to share this tragic mess. 

#i have a million thoughts about this #and there is a great deal of context that would be helpful #but i this doesnt need to be more than 4k words long so #i may do a followup post if there is interest #but black sails folks #i'm writing a lot of flintmadi convos right now #and vaguely planned to have them talk about this book #as a way to discuss their own situation and values #but i had not actually read it #and it is WAY MORE than i expected #anyway they are going to refer back to it #so i figured i should write it down so i can point at it if readers want to know wtf they are talking about #is there an #arthurian legend #tag? #i purposefully haven't looked i don't go here if there is a here to go #but fuck it that was a lot of work might as well see #anyway there are so many things to dig into here #arthur's role or lack thereof #(the rest of the book has a lot more to do with him) #the treatment of fate and prophesy #the courtly love tradition #how this fits into the arthurian tradition as a whole #and the clear french influence #vs the old celtic stories #also so many fun things about language in general #did you know that paramour is derived basically the same way as paramilitary? #'para' as 'beyond that which is regular' #also in middle english negatives are additive rather than canceling each out out! #fun facts

[gun-chucks]

Kris what is your card suit malevolent crack theory

2nd times the charm @nightvale-is-gay @dyedviolet

im so glad you asked!! i now present:

card suit theory

this is entirely based on one line from kayne, where he calls john "hasturs heart."

after thinking for a while, i took this as heart as in card suit, not heart as in organ- this also works well if we think of yellow as spades.

this is all to say what if there are four fragments of yellow, all contributing different roles as based on card suits. heres my current spiel:

fragment king of spades: yellow

the fist of the king

his violence and exocutioner

fragment king of hearts: john

the heart of the king

his charisma and piousness

fragment king of diamonds: tbd

the lungs of the king

his logic and jury

fragment king of clubs: tbd

the head of the king

his morals [or lack thereof] and judge

With diamonds being the merchant class, I figured the Diamond Fragment [who i have nicknamed Canary] is how John gets sent to earth, gets "trapped" in the book. Canary is sort of the gateway figure.

The Clubs Fragment is like. agriculture, but is also represented more interestingly by adolescence and recklessness, so i desígnate Clubs as the kings morals or lack thereof because. its funny-ish.

Clubs is different from Yellow, who would fall into Violence and Militia as a category, but like lawful violence within the realms of revenge against Arthur. Clubs wouldn't be a paid hitman, Clubs is sensless and selfish.

anyways this is particularly funny because if you think about it it means the king has lost his ability to direct his violence & charm his followers. hes just got a portal and a bastard.

also heres how i draw them

heart: john | spade: yellow | diamond | clubs

#☀️ #malevolent #crack theory #malevolent theory #john doe #yellow malevolent #malevolent podcast #YEAH #playing card crack theory

[athamad]

Arthurian ask: What is YOUR headcanon about the Lady/Ladies of the Lake? Like, was she bien a human or not, how many Ladies are there, her/their names, personalities, religious role (or lack thereof) relationship with the other main power players in the story (Merlin, Morgan, Arthur), which one does each thing: owing Excalibur, raising Lancelot, learbing from Merlin, killing him, the whole poisoned apple thing, carrying Arthur to Avalon alongside Morgan, getting Excalibur back... it's like, many authors, storytellers & filmmakers have given different answers to these questions, and that's why Bernard Cornwell's terryfing yet alluring Nimue is so different from Persia Woolley's lovely Nimue, or Tennyson's evil Vivien or the majestic screen portrayals of Anjelica Houston or Miranda Richardson. Thx

They're just nymph-like women in my opinion(Nimue already has many parallels with Thetis). I feel like there are many ladies of the lake (l hc Lancelot had 3 moms) because Vivien having so many names is just... Stupid. My headcanons are: Vivien looks like a woman in her 60s-70s, was the First Lady of the lake and is the murderer of Merlin, Nimue looks like a woman in her 30s and is the one who gives Excalibur to Arthur and is the mother of Lancelot with two other ladies, l feel like all the ladies helped Morgan out while carrying Arthur to Avalon, cause you know, they helped him and stuff... So basically, Vivien: the bad one but the first Lady, Nimue: The better one, that's it.

#arthurian #arthurian mythology #arthurian legend #arthurian literature #arthuriana #king arthur #arthur pendragon #morgana la fey #merlin #excalibur #lady of the lake #nimue #vivien #anon ask #ask response #ask #anon

[fancyfade]

Ok so seeing a little of what Tula anon was trying to say, in that during Skeates' first plotline (search for mera) Tula is the character who goes around witnessing a lot of atlantean political drama as Narkran (the guy who Arthur appointed leader in his absence) slowly transmogrifies into a tyrant.

However, it's not really tied into her backstory (or lack thereof). Any character who was not on the main mission could've filled the same role.

#tula #dc comics #fade reads dc comics #aquaman 1962

[linklethehistorian]

Randou and the Sins of Season 3's Fifteen Adaption (Part 49/???)

Bones' Biggest Changes & Greatest Failures — The Tragedy of Arthur Rimbaud (28/?)

The problems born out of this come in multitudes.

Naturally, the most unmistakable side-effect of this dilemma that we can see unfold in Fifteen are the times when Arthur fails at being able to figure out the precise details of a much emotionally and mentally darker individual’s reason for an action or idea, and the thought processes behind it.

His distinct part — or rather, total lack thereof — in the speculation about GSS’ motive for the attack on his mansion is one such instance, wherein we watch him greatly struggle with viewing things from the perspective of his would-be assailants, unable to truly understand on his own the exact motive they might have had for what they had done to him.

Astonishingly, I must confess that this is one of those very few moments in which the anime was much more obvious and direct in its display of Rimbaud’s true nature than even its source material had been — choosing, in lieu of having him simply not try to take any active part in the discussion at all, as was the traditional route, to instead make him openly, audibly express his ineptitude at discerning GSS’ incentive to the two young teens that had come to his rescue in words, asking them for their thoughts on why someone would ever want to do something so brutal, and why it was happening to *him* specifically, because he could not even begin to imagine it for himself.

With the novel’s context in mind, this makes perfect sense for his character; after all, as I said before and as Asagiri makes absolutely certain is clear to everyone with that one and only truly canonical version of the tale, throughout the entirety of his existence, Randou had never acted with his own self-interest in mind, nor was he really even truly capable of ever gaining such a mindset, when it came to the things he had done — especially not over something that could negatively impact another person’s life. Thus, in cases like GSS’ sudden attack on his mansion, where the exact reasoning behind the incident requires solving and the answer is not even remotely so pure or selfless as Arthur’s own motives tend to be, it is genuinely no surprise whatsoever that, rather than wasting any time on trying to figure it out himself — a task that he no doubt knew he stood no chance at completing, all too self-aware as he clearly was of his own weaknesses — he would instantly seek and ask for the expertise of others far less disadvantaged than he on the matter, in his place.

Of course, even with all of that being the case, that still doesn’t mean that I’m anywhere near naive enough to think that this change within the show was really being done with the ultimate preservation of Rimbaud’s authentic personality in mind, because it’s very apparent that that is in no way the case; in fact, if anything, I dare say I’m quite confident in affirming that their intent was most probably the exact opposite, considering that, paying due mind to all of Bones’ later actions with this adaption as a whole, and the false narrative that they had plainly chosen to tell therein, it seems much, much more likely that this scene was meant to play a different role and purpose entirely — one which would actually serve to further their agenda, rather than do harm to it. Yes, while it could very well have just been an innocent change made with no ill will behind it, I must admit that it is far easier to think, given their track record, that it is hardly an accident that to the average anime-only viewer, this altered scene could now work to accomplish nothing but to make the associate executive’s meekness and innocence merely seem even more terribly unbelievable and suspect once the disingenuous, forced shift in his character and tone is eventually ‘revealed’ at the end of the episode.

Nonetheless, whether it was truthfully done with good or bad intentions in mind, or even no intentions at all but to simplify the dialogue and make for a faster progression of the scene — which is another, albeit less interesting, possibility — the fact of the matter still remains that when looked at through the lens of a person who is aware of the character’s true self, these changes still served the best of these three possibilities very well, working as a much more on-the-nose interpretation of his thinking and behavior than its progenitor. 

Indeed, the anime’s idea was grand and, had it honestly been done with such noble aims as I would have liked to have been able to believe that it was, I would even have gone so far as to say it was an absolutely brilliant way to get the concept across in a largely visual and audio-based medium, but at the same, I also do not want to completely distract away from or totally ignore the original telling of this moment, either, as even if the book’s approach was a more subtle one that handled the subject in a somewhat more roundabout way compared to the television series’ interpretation, it nevertheless did manage to display Rimbaud’s authentic nature fairly nicely, itself, and was equally excellent in its own right.

Although no actual, verbal questioning of motive may have taken place on Randou’s part in said original version as it did in its derivative, by having the poor eternally freezing man fail to even make an attempt at contributing in any way to the conversation on why the attack occurred until after the boys hand him the answers, it nevertheless manages to achieve the same affect, with his silence clearly demonstrating to the reader his utter helplessness in this situation — a helplessness that even Bones themselves were able to read between the lines in order to recognize and decided to acknowledge within the anime, whatever their reason for doing so.

(...Well, either that or Asagiri took the time to stress that part to them, but I’m trying to use a more generous interpretation here...) [Next]

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#linklethehistorian #bungou stray dogs #bsd #bsd spoilers #spoilers #bsd season 3 #bsd novels #fifteen #Arthur Rimbaud #bsd arthur rimbaud #Randou #justiceforrandou2k19 #justiceforrandou2k20 #justiceforrandou2k21 #fifteen article #Randou and the Sins of Season 3’s Fifteen Adaption #Bones' Biggest Changes & Greatest Failures — The Tragedy of Arthur Rimbaud #Dazai and Randou’s Party for Chuuya #writing #On Randou’s Genuine Compassion & Consideration and His Impossible Purity of Heart #my writing. #my thoughts.

[merakiaes]

An Arranged Marriage - Arthur Shelby

Pairing: Arthur Shelby x reader

Requested: Yes. 

Prompts: #25 from the fluff-list.

Warnings/notes: This turned out longer than I meant for it to and I got a bit side-tracked. It’s so incredibly cheesy too hahah. Sorry if this piece makes no sense and is messy. I haven’t written fanfiction in a few months now so I might be a bit rusty, and it’s not proofread either so sorry in advance for any mistakes. Buuut I hope you will like it xD (The religion you hold in this story is borrowed from Game of Thrones)

Wordcount: 4373

Summary: You’re in an arranged marriage with Arthur for the sake of the Peaky Blinders and your father’s business. 

Arthur had been all for it when Tommy married John off to Esme to make peace with the Lees, but now that he was in the exact same situation, he finally understood why John had reacted the way he had when he first found out he was about to walk into his own wedding.

Arthur was older than Tommy by three years on paper, but in mentality… even though he probably didn’t even realize it himself, he was younger than both Tommy and John.

Out of all of his siblings, he was the one who took their dad bailing the hardest. He had been forced to step up and help his aunt Pol take care of and raise Finn. 

It had robbed him of a part of his childhood even though he had been a young adult at the time, and in a way, caused him to stay in that younger part of himself mentally; that vulnerable, soft, emotional part.

This was one of the several reasons Tommy had taken on the leading role, both of their family and the business. Usually, Arthur didn’t mind. He didn’t like being in charge, he preferred someone else handling everything, Tommy in particular.

But now, now he wished he was the leader of the family. Because now, his younger brother was making him marry for the benefit of business. He was making him marry a woman he had never met in his life before and who was twelve years younger than him.

The biggest problem with the entire situation wasn’t that he didn’t want it, though. The worst part of it all was that he knew that no woman your age and with your status would be happily married to an old, at best average looking man like him.

And his age and looks wasn’t the worst part, either. It was his personality, or lack thereof, really. He had no personality. He was just angry, reckless and generally uncontrollable. Anger, that was all he was, and violence was all he had ever been good for.

He was terrified of marrying you, because he was terrified of terrifying you. And he knew he would at some point.

He had heard a lot about you from his brother when he had told him about his plans and that your father had accepted his offer. He said you were kind, thoughtful and pure. Everything that Arthur was not.

A girl like you didn’t belong with the likes of him. You belonged to someone much more worthy. Royalty, even.

But what Tommy had left out, because he had no idea, himself, was that your father would never marry you off without your approval. He would never make you do anything against your will.

Sure, you weren’t in it to the fullest, but you had never been in love before, and at this point, you feared you never would be with the way all men bored the crap out of you.

So what was the worst that could happen? You would eventually end up with someone you didn’t love wholeheartedly, anyway; you knew you would. So why not let it be while helping your father expand his business and partners?

The thought didn’t make you jump up and down with joy, but it didn’t appall you either. You could take care of yourself, and if your husband-to-be ever dared raise his voice or lay a hand on you in ill-meaning, you knew your dad would throw his agreement with the Peaky Blinders to the curb in a heartbeat to protect you.

The day of your wedding came only a week after your father’s parlay with Thomas Shelby, and your sister had been chatting your ears off all morning about everything that could possibly go wrong.

“What if he’s, like, really ugly?” She asked, tugging on your hair a little to roughly.

You flinched at the feeling and glared at her through the mirror, giving her the same answer you had given her the other thirty times she had asked that question.

“You should know by now that I don’t judge people based on the way they look, I judge them based on their personality. A man with a good soul is automatically b-“

“-is automatically beautiful no matter if his face is considered nice or not by the standards set by society.” She cut you off, imitating you in a much higher voice than you actually sported, rolling her eyes. “Yeah I know, you’ve told me.”

You gave her a flat look. “Then don’t keep asking.”

“What if he doesn’t remember the words?” She asked then, which actually got your gears spinning. What if he didn’t?

You belonged to a religion not many people outside your family did nowadays; The Faith of the Seven. A God with seven faces – the Father, the Mother, the Maiden, the Crone, the Warrior, the Smith and the Stranger – each aspect representing one part of life or existence.

You didn’t know whether or not your husband-to-be was religious. You didn’t even know his name. But either way, you felt slightly bad for the fact that your religion would be pushed onto him.

The wedding vows in your religion could be a mouthful for some people, yourself included.

“I barely even remember the correct order of the words myself, so if anything, chances are we both mess up.” You answered finally, causing your sister to huff.

But she said nothing more, quietly getting back to brushing out your locks. Eventually, your cousins and aunts filled into the back room of the church as well, no one wasting any time in getting you ready for your big day.

It was only when the wedding bells started ringing, indicating that it was time for you to make your entrance, that the anxiety any normal person should’ve been feeling the entire time but you hadn’t, caught up with you.

What if your sister was right? What if he was a real nasty man who would hurt you? What if he was so ugly you couldn’t look at him? You never cared much for people’s looks, barely at all, in fact. But now all the judgment seemed to come crashing down at once.

You knew this man was a good bit older than yourself, a whole forty years old. You had met many older men taking care of business in your father’s name, and you had encountered your fair share of men who in reality were just pigs in human vessels.

You could only hope to the Gods that the man you were about to get married to didn’t turn out to be one of them. 

You walked into this mess fully prepared to never be able to love him, whoever he was, but you still carried some hope in your heart that you would grow to care for him.

And Gods knew you wouldn’t be able to if he turned out to be a grade A asshole.

But there was no time left to wonder, as the wedding bells were ringing over your heads in a way that was almost deafening, and your father stepped inside the backroom where you and the rest of the women in your family were gathered.

You stood up from your seat at his entrance and his eyes instantly found you, turning wide for a moment, before his entire face softened in a smile.

“Ah, darling…” He started, looking as if he was on the verge of tears. Which really wouldn’t surprise you. Your father might have been a fearless mob boss, but he wasn’t afraid to show his feelings. In fact, he cried a lot.

You plastered on a smile, feeling your lips tremble slightly with anxiety, as was the rest of your body.

He approached you, carefully grabbed your face in his hands and planted a kiss on each of your cheeks before pulling away to look at you with a big smile on his lips. “You look absolutely beautiful.” He complimented you. “And so much like your mother.”

Your heart tugged in your chest at the mention of your deceased mother, and you knew his did as well judging on the way his smile fell ever so slightly.

But he quickly shook it off and suddenly turned serious. “Are you sure you want to do this, angel? You don’t have to feel like you have to do this to please your old man, there are plenty other businesses to join with.”

His words tumbled around in your head for a moment, but you already knew what you wanted to do. 

“I know you would never make me do anything, baba.” You smiled. “While I am doing this for the sake for the business and our family, I am also doing it completely out of free will. And besides, you’ve met this man’s brother, haven’t you?”

He nodded. “I have. He seems to be a very troubled young man and he still has a lot to learn, but he has a strong judgement, and I know he would never even propose something like this if his brother wasn’t just as honorable.”

“Then I trust your judgement about his judgement.” You nodded back.

Your father smiled at you for a moment, before finally letting go of your face and taking a step back with a heavy sigh. “Right.” He straightened out his suit and offered his arm to you. “Shall we?”

You took his arm without a second thought and got into position by his side, allowing your aunt to drop the veil to cover your face.

Her and the others then left the room, each wishing you good luck before leaving you alone with your father. You took a deep breath, staring straight ahead at the open door.

“Don’t let me fall.” You said to your father with a breathy laugh, your entire body shaking with nerves at this point.

You couldn’t see him through your veil, but judging by the ruffling of his suit, you knew he shook his head as he answered. “Never.”

The walk towards the entrance of the church was patronizingly slow, probably more so in your head than in reality because of the situation at hand.

You walked straight forward for about a minute, before taking a left turn, and by the sound of people standing up in the church benches and the bells having grown louder, you knew you had now reached your destination.

Your family was positioned at the left side of the church, and the entire Peaky Blinders clan that you had yet to meet and learn all the names of occupied the right side.

You still couldn’t see shit through your white, almost full coverage veil, of course. You only knew this based on what your aunts had told you while they had been getting you into your wedding gown.

Quiet murmurs could be heard the entire way down the aisle, most coming from the right side, although you couldn’t quite decipher if they were good murmurs or bad murmurs.

Out of instinct, you squeezed down harder on your father’s bicep, feeling your hands getting cold with fear.

You were beginning to have real second thoughts for the first time since accepting the indirect proposal, but it was too late to voice them now, as your father suddenly stopped, and only a second later let go of your arm, directing your icy, shaking hand into another, much warmer and bigger one.

The skin of his palm was calloused, evidently pointing at the fact that he had been through some hard labor in his life, and only causing your heart to thump harder in your chest as hard-working men were more often than not the ones who also beat and raped their wives.

Seemingly having gotten lost in your own thoughts, you had entirely missed the fact that the bells had now stopped ringing and that your father was giving you a soft nudge to the back, telling you to step forward.

You did as silently instructed, carefully squeezing your husband-to-be’s hand and using his help to step up on the small stairs he was standing on.

Turning to face him, you soon felt his hands graze the sides of your veil, and for a moment it almost seemed as if he was hesitating. But the next second, he had lifted the veil over your head, revealing your face to him and allowing the two of you to get the first look of each other.

And when your eyes met his and his face became visible to you, you almost sighed out loud in relief.

He wasn’t ugly, but rather on the opposite hand, quite handsome. His face was aged, without a doubt by the same labor that had caused the rough skin on his hands and fingers. And his eyes. His eyes were so blue, and so soft, you knew at once your father’s judgement had been correct.

This was no man that was going to hurt you. This was no man that would ever hurt any woman; he was a good man.

But while you gazed at him with deep interest, Arthur was absolutely speechless. 

His brother had told him you were a looker, but you were absolutely beautiful. Painfully so.

And as he had no idea of the optimistic thoughts running through your head, he only grew more panicked at this, even more scared to ruin you now that he had met you, and fallen in love with you at first sight.

“Dear friends and family, ladies and gentlemen.” The priest, who you hadn’t even noticed up until this point, suddenly started, causing you to jump slightly out of fright. 

You quickly recovered, and your husband-to-be gingerly grabbed your other hand to hold them between you.

“We are gathered here today, to witness and celebrate the union of (Y/N) (Y/L/N) and Arthur Shelby Jr. in marriage. With love and commitment, they have decided to live their lives as husband and wife. Today, as we create this marriage, we also create a new bond and new sense of family – one that will undoubtedly include all those who are present here today. Through your commitment to each other, may you grow and nurture a love that makes both of you better people, a love that continues to give you joy and also a passion for living that provides you with energy and patience to face the responsibilities of life. In the sight of the Seven, I hereby seal these two souls, binding them as one for eternity, to symbolize your new union of love, trust and friendship.”

The priest carefully tied a pure white silk ribbon around your hands, binding them together with a pretty knot on top.

“Now please, look upon each other and say the words.”

But the two of you were already looking at each other, him looking at you with astonishment, you looking at him with interest, but both of you looking at each other with satisfaction and just a hint of anxiety.

Together in unison, you began reciting the words your ancestor had done oh so many times before.

“Father. Smith. Warrior. Stranger. I am hers, and she is mine, from this day, until the end of my days.”

“Mother. Maiden. Crone. Stranger. I am his and he is mine, from this day, until the end of my days.”

His voice was rough and held a thick Brummie accent. Any other peson probably would have found his deep voice a bit threatening, but you found it the exact opposite. It was soothing. 

Surprisingly, he got through the words without as much of a stumble. You had expected him to mess up at least once, but no. Not one single mistake, and it made a weird kind of pride build up inside of you.

“You may now finally seal your marriage by sharing a kiss.” The priest finished, and you had never seen a man as uncomfortable as the one in front of you right then.

He was looking straight into your eyes, and in the corner of your own eye, you could see everyone awaiting the final finish with anticipation.  

So you looked back at the man you now got to call your husband, gave him a nod so small it was barely noticeable. But he saw it and took that as the permission he needed to do the priest’s bidding.

He removed his untied hand from yours and slowly raised it to your face – so slowly, you almost wanted to hit him and tell him to hurry it on so that everyone could stop staring. 

But you caught yourself. Who were you to judge him for being nervous? You had no idea what was going on inside his head, and you were just as nervous as he was.

And soon enough, his lips met yours anyway. 

It was the lightest, most careful kiss you had ever received in your life, but in that moment it was enough to send your families into a roar of applause and whistles, the loud volume of it all bouncing off the church walls and echoing through the entire building.

The mere sound of their enthusiasm and support was enough to make you laugh, and much to yours and Arthur’s surprise, you grabbed a hold of the front of his suit and pulled yourself into his chest to shield your blushing face from everyone else as you laughed.

He visibly froze at the sudden act of affection, but when Tommy clapped him on the back in congratulations, he instantly came back to reality and put his arm around you, pulling you closer and with him down the steps to join your families with a proud smile of his own.

The rest of the evening was spent celebrating in the Garrison, a pub on Watery Lane that you found your husband was the proud owner of. 

You drank and you laughed and everyone got along.

At some point, your father reached the absolute maximum limit of the amount of alcohol he could possibly consume, getting up on the table on shaky legs with your two uncles and a few men from the Peaky Blinders who were equally as drunk, all of them staring to sing on the top of their lungs.

You sat by Arthur’s side the entire evening, feeling strangely safe tucked under his arm despite barely knowing him, but when your father and his boyband eventually all fell down from the table, smashing another one in the process and sending the entire bar into absolute chaos, it was all getting a bit too much for you and you asked Arthur to go home.

To his home, where you would now be staying with him.

You had barely even stepped outside the door before a cold breeze went past you, pulling at the red dress you had changed into after the wedding ceremony, and your hair still put up in the wedding hair-do.

You didn’t shiver, actually enjoying the chilly breeze after being stuck inside the pub for several hours. 

When that many people were crowded into the same room, most of them smoking and all of them jumping around like headless chickens on drugs at some point, the air eventually got very hot and humid.

But still, Arthur instantly started opening the coat clasped in his hands. ”Do you want my coat? It’s really cold out here.” He asked, holding it up and looking at you with careful eyes.

You were quick to shake your head. “Oh, no. You don’t have to do t-“

But he was already pulling it over your shoulders, smoothing the fabric out over your back carefully before quickly pulling his hands back to himself, stuffing them into his pockets.

“You’re my wife now.” He said, voice coming out as a mumble thanks to the alcohol he had consumed throughout the night, but you could almost sense a tinge of sadness to it, too. “Even if this probably isn’t the life you would’ve wanted, it’s my job to take care of ya and I’m not letting ya go cold.”

You felt your eyes, heart and entire body soften at his sweet words and obvious insecurity. 

At the beginning of the day, you had had no expectations whatsoever to actually fall in love with the man you would be marrying, but with the way your heart skipped a beat just by being in his presence, your attitude was quickly changing for the better.

While you actually enjoyed the cold night air, you didn’t have the heart to tell him so when he was so obviously trying his hardest to keep you happy. And either way, you appreciated the gesture more than you could put into words.

A small smile pulled at the corners of your lips. You didn’t know if it was the whiskey currently pulsating through your veins or if it was the actually growing attraction that made you do it, but you soon found yourself taking a step closer to him and raising a hand to his face to make him look at you, as he was now looking at the ground.

His eyes met yours, and even though it was almost pitch black outside, you could see the sparkling blue color as clear as day.

“I don’t think I’ll have too much of a problem with the life I’ve been given.” You confessed, your thumb absentmindedly starting to rub circles on his clean-shaven cheek. “I already feel more for you than I’ve felt for any other man in my twenty-eight years of living.”

He shuddered under your touch and despite being a full-grown adult, he gave you a look so vulnerable and exposed it reminded you of a child. But not in a bad way.

Now, you weren’t sure whether it was the alcohol or genuine feelings that had made you act like you had up until now, but you were absolutely certain the next thing you did was purely the alcohol’s doing.

Without another word, you leaned your head up to meet his lips in a short but sweet kiss. He was startled by your sudden and unexpected action, that much was clear to you with the way he stood frozen in his spot.

But the alcohol being the cause of your boldness in this situation particularly wasn’t in a bad way. You knew you wouldn’t forget it happened, and you wouldn’t regret it, but you knew you never would have had the courage to make a move if you were sober.

After you pulled away, you just gazed at each other for a moment, before another breeze pulled through and this time made you shiver visibly.

Arthur came back to his senses at that, and wasted no time in taking you under his arm and starting to steer you in the direction of his house.

To a start, you had enjoyed the cold air, but now that the heat from the night’s festivities had died down, you were more than grateful that Arthur had given you his coat, as it was the only reason you weren’t a shivering mess upon arriving home.

That night, you slept in the same bed, but Arthur never tried anything. You didn’t talk much and neither of you made any move to get intimate. You just slept. Soundly. And so you did for the rest of the weekend, as well.

The first week was good. Really good. You didn’t talk much, but you shared glances, you got along, and enjoyed each other’s company. But going into the second week, everything was an absolute disaster. For you, at least.

You never would have thought you would catch genuine romantic feelings for him this quickly, but you did. 

The first week you had appreciated the respect he was always sure to show you, but now that you actually harbored feelings for him, you craved his company and touch.

But he was scared. He was still so terrified of losing control, hurting you, or just scaring you away, because he knew from the moment your eyes met for the first time that he was completely whipped and never wanted to lose you.

He never told you out loud about how he felt, but you knew. 

You had bonded with the entire Shelby clan during your first week together, Finn more so than anyone. 

He was young, and despite having been raised by Polly and having several women around him daily, he had never really had a mother.

Unintentionally, you stepped up and took that role almost immediately despite only being ten years older than him. He told you all of the things Arthur wouldn’t talk to you about himself. 

He told you about his time in the war, his issues and the demons that haunted his thoughts and came knocking when he least expected it, causing him to lose control. 

And from that, you could draw the conclusion yourself that he was scared to hurt you.

You had planned to confront him on it one night, to tell him that you knew he wouldn’t hurt you, that you weren’t that easy to scare away, that you had developed real feelings for him and wanted to take your relationship to the next level.

But before you got the chance to do so, you proved it to him wordlessly when some asshole tried picking you up at the pub in the presence of the entire Shelby family, and you socked him right in the face and went off on him about his sexist tendencies like a mad-woman, having him running out of there with his tail between his legs and a bloody nose.

That was the moment Arthur realized that he had nothing to be afraid of; he didn’t have to worry about breaking you, because you couldn’t be broken. 

All of the doubts fled his mind that day, and only a few days later, you were attached at the hip and acting like you had known each other and been in love for years.

Another two months later, you found out you were pregnant with your first child, and every night from then on when he would come home to find you sleeping with your hand resting on your growing belly, he could only stop in the doorway and stare at you.

Because who would’ve thought someone like you would fall so easily for someone like him? The most unlikely match in the entire world, and still, there you were.

Happily in love.

#Peaky Blinders #peaky blinders x reader #peaky blinder imagine #peaky blinder fanfic #peaky blinder headcanon #Arthur Shelby #arthur shelby imagine #arthur shelby x reader #arthur shelby fanfic #tommy shelby #john shelby #michael gray #polly gray

[margridarnauds]

Ur brutally honest opinion about ronan and olypme please

God, complicated topic.

So, it’s well documented at this point that I don’t really GO for Ronan/Olympe, but I do think that it tends to get shafted a tiny bit, both by the writers and by the fandom (including me). They do HAVE potential, as a ship, and actually, to give credit where it’s due, a lot of what I do with Lazare goes over similar territory to Ronan’s relationship with Olympe, as far as the conflict between duty and loyalty and love and the weird amalgamation thereof. And I do feel like, generally, Ronan has traditionally gotten a bit of a bad break when it comes to the relationship, at least from the English side of the fandom, in terms of treating him like the only one at fault for the relationship’s breakdown, which....really comes from interpreting Olympe’s relationship with the Crown as healthier than it might actually be. (Though French!Ronan threatening to put himself in danger if she won’t talk to him is....not a good look, don’t do that, kiddies. And if your SO says they’ll do it, run far, far away. Don’t walk, RUN.) 

UNFORTUNATELY, the timeline of the musical really does make it so that it’s very underdeveloped, in the sense that we really don’t get WHY they would make a good couple besides “Oh my God he’s hot.” And other musicals, such as Le Roi Soleil and La Legende du Roi Arthur, also have a similar timeframe, but the actors involved had the one thing that Ronan and Olympe lacked.....

Chemistry. 

Sadly enough, Louis Delort and Camille Lou could really never SELL Ronan/Olympe as a ship. And, unfortunately, in both of their cases, there are dynamics that I’m much more interested in working with. And the writers’ decision to force the relationship at very awkward points only makes it worse (ultimate example: THE DAUPHIN’S FUNERAL. LIKE WHAT THE FUCK? Also you’re going to tell me that a repressed noblewoman is going to bang a random peasant who probably hasn’t bathed since That One Time Soléne pushed him into a lake after TWO MEETINGS?) 

Think about your life, think about your choices. 

They TRY to show the two of them going from hatred to love, but they don’t really do their homework, and as a result, the relationship seems rushed at best and toxic at worst. Had they both survived to the end, I can really see a scenario where it would have fizzled out over time and both would have ended up resenting one another. Because remember, on Olympe’s end in particular, she would be giving up EVERYTHING to be with him. Her future, her position at court, her chance of a good match, even her noble title. Because noblewomen lost their status upon marrying below them. And if she was truly in love with Ronan, that might be compensation. But given that just about everything we see from them is fighting....................................maybe they could have resolved their issues, but I don’t see it. 

Teppei Koike and Sayaka Kanda are probably the closest I’ve seen to a Ronan/Olympe that I can actually SHIP besides that one time when I was 17 and totally shipped them and wanted them to move to the country and have babies together , mainly because they had phenomenal chemistry and Sayaka Kanda’s deadpan, fiery-yet-subdued take on Olympe matched well with Teppei Koike’s gremlin Ronan. Even though they were also both older than either Delort or Lou when they took on the roles, they also LOOKED younger, giving me more the impression of two kids in love who might have worked, might not have, but the tragedy is that they never got the chance. I really have no feeling for Kazuki Kato and Nene Yumesaki’s Ronan and Olympe, mainly because there’s very little to really give it a SPARK. I put that down to Kazuki’s general lack of life when playing Ronan, since he played the role more as a Generic Hero™ as opposed to. Ronan Mazurier, a scrappy peasant with a loud mouth. And while we’re being brutally honest I personally feel like he’s at his best in his career when he can be a secondary character to a female protagonist and then die sometime in the second act or so. (I feel like his role in Mata Hari was PERFECT for him, ditto for Lady Bess.) Because just about any time he has the full limelight, he doesn’t do AS strongly on characterization as whoever he’s been cast against. Good voice, good stage presence, but he isn’t Teppei Koike’s level of actor. 

BUT I come to bury Ronan/Olympe, not Kazuki Kato’s career, not the least because audiences do seem to love him, Toho execs seem to love him, so I’m happy with him. But it does tie into my broader lack of feeling over their version of Ronan/Olympe, because despite the spark that Nene Yumesaki gives to Olympe, really giving a balanced Olympe who’s simultaneously a mature woman and an ingenue, it still comes off as very generic. 

Ryuu Masaki and Saotome Wakaba? The most touching depiction of a gay man and a lesbian faking a relationship that I have ever seen. 

#Anonymous

[feynavaley]

How do you tag AO3? I've had an account for a couple of years but never used it much and I'm still a bit confused...

Thanks for the question! Honestly, I’m hardly an expert and I don’t know if I use tags correctly, so I’m probably not the best person you can ask to, but I can definitely explain my process. I hope it’s not too wrong! 😅

Obviously, you need to use the right fandom category, rating (I honestly miss the FFN distinction between K and K+, but I guess everything goes under G), and then there are the warnings and kind of pairings.

I have to admit that, at first, I was a bit confused by the warnings – especially, the ‘Graphic Depictions Of Violence’ one, as I really don’t know what qualifies as ‘graphic’. I used it on I See Fire because there are some serious injuries in the first chapter, but I’m still unsure if it was actually needed, haha. Probably not. At first, I used a lot the ‘Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings’ tag, then I learnt that readers tend to be wary of that as it’s often used to avoid tagging sensitive content that is actually included in the fic but the author didn’t want to spoil. In my case, I was just being overcautious, and I have since changed that to ‘No Archive Warnings Apply’ as I don’t think any depiction of violence in my other stories is strong enough to be considered ‘graphic’. Of course, I’m always receptive to feedback if any reader were of a different opinion.

As for the kind of pairing – they obviously depend on your story. I tag fics as ‘gen’ if none of the main characters is in a romantic relationship, I tagged both ‘gen’ and ‘f/m’ in Chrysalis because there is obviously a romantic relationship, but the focus is also on other non-romantic relationships that are developed through the story. The only advice I can give you here is to think only about the pairings (or lack thereof) involving the main characters, I don’t think that background ones warrant a change of category.

I follow a similar logic for tagging the pairing themselves: I tag familial relationships/friendships that are focused on with a ‘&’ between the two characters’ names, and the established or eventual romantic ones with a ‘/’. I don’t know if this is right, but I personally tag only the relationships involving the main characters – if there are other pairings, they are relegated to the ‘Minor or Background Relationship(s)’ tag as I don’t want to clog the tag for people who are looking for stories centred on that pairing. I also used that tag for the relationship between George and Aila in Arthur Kirkland’s Guide to Being a Big Brother, for example – I kept the category as ‘gen’ because their relationship was never the real focus (moreover, they were OCs, readers probably didn’t care about who they were paired with), but I thought it was better to warn the presence of a background relationship. Once again, I don’t know if this is the right way to do it, but nobody complained.

Now, on the characters: I think it would be better only to tag the ones with a significative role, but how do you define what ‘significative’ means? Personally, I’m still trying to find a balance – I also tag side characters who are recurring or have a significative impact on the main characters’ actions – and I’m afraid I’m overtagging, in this department. What I do, however, is to specify in the additional tags which characters the story is actually focused on, so readers will have more elements to decide. I also always add the ‘Other Hetalia Character(s)’ tag if there are some characters who appear in the story but I don’t want to tag because they have some truly minor roles.I don’t tag OCs if they’re not focused on, though, even if they have a role I would deem significative enough to tag a canon character. I don’t know if this is the right etiquette, but I do it keeping in mind my preferences: I don’t like stories focused on OCs and I won’t read them, I’ll even blacklist the tag when I’m looking for stories to read – but the only thing that bothers me is the OC being focused on, I don’t mind side OCs. So, I don’t even tag them because they aren’t truly important.

After the characters, there are the additional tags, that I still have no idea of how to use, haha. I used to overtag a lot, using them as tumblr commentary tag because I had gotten the impression that it was what most people did, but I’ve since learnt that many don’t like it so I cleaned them up (I only left some tags on Overheated because they ended up featured on ao3tagoftheday, haha). I see additional tags as the place for further specifications. I tag the main genres – usually, the ones I use on ffn plus other ones that might apply (and that’s why like all my fics will be ‘family’, ‘hurt/comfort’, ‘angst’, ‘drama’, ‘brotherly love’, and ‘fluff’, haha) and if the story is an AU, for example.

One important thing to keep in mind, in this department, is the existence of subtags, that show up in the specific search but also when looking for the parent tag. To make an example, ‘Alternate Universe – Human’ is a subtag of ‘Alternate Universe’. Obviously, you’ll find a work tagged ‘Alternate Universe – Human’ when looking for something tagged like that, but it will also show up when looking for ‘Alternate Universe’. Therefore, tagging also as ‘Alternate Universe’ would be redundant, and this is something to keep in mind to avoid using too many tags. Unfortunately, I don’t know where you can find a list of subtags and parent tags, so you’ll have to rely on logic and maybe try a bit.

For the rest… honestly, I really don’t know. Always in the optic of specifications, I tag other things that I think the readers might want to know. As I’ve already mentioned, I specify which characters are focused on if others are tagged as well, use tumblr-style tags to elaborate on the meaning of other tags or mention themes/elements that come up in the fic, and write other stuff I think I should warn readers of (for example, always in Chrysalis, I mentioned which name I would use for Nyo!Canada because it’s not the most widespread one). I also add warnings that weren’t included in the main ones – violence that I don’t think crosses the threshold of graphic, abusive situations, and other things that might bother somebody.

I want to stress that I actually don’t know what I’m doing, but I hope this was at least a bit useful. Good luck with your writing! 😊

#fanfiction #ao3 #ao3 tips #tagging #ao3 tags #tagging etiquette #fandom #about feyna's writing #hetalia #anonymous #feyna answers #thanks for stopping by!

[vgwriter]

Red Dead Redemption 2: A Review

The Good

Red Dead Redemtion 2 came out last October to a grand opening. It is certainly an instant classic and further cemented Rockstars reputation as one of the few AAA developers to make truly AAA worthy games. But, is this game really that flippin' fantastic?

spoilers

#1-The Story

This games biggest strength has got to be its story. Arthur's redemption and how it conflicts with Dutch's Micah fueled descent into madness is what anchors the main storyline. There are many moving parts within these two opposing forces that sometimes overlap and other times occur almost as in a vacuum. What makes it brilliant is that each mission and camp scene reveals something new about the characters involved, unfolds more of who they think they are and who they really are. It is a difficult thing to do for two pages, let alone a 60 hour game but somehow Rockstar pulled it off. The side content (or stranger missions) also all fit in to the story and expand characters for the player. Whether helping Mary or robbing with Micah, the player always learns more about Arthur and the people involved and to me, it's fascinating. Within the story there are important themes that are masterfully explored. To name a few: Obviously, the idea of redemption plays a huge role in the games plot but I think it has an equal partner in the question of can someone really change? or do they just become more of who they were? The comparison of the two ideas is played out beautifully with Dutch and Arthur. There is also the clashing of ideologies, with Dutch and his gang being anarchist facing a rapid expasion of civilisation. And of course, the dying out of the old west outlaw comes in with the theme of change which graces every character and mission in this game.

#1.5-The Characters

In the end, this game hinges on it's characters. Every member of the gang is their own person with their own reasons for riding with Dutch and their own desires driving them in life and this makes for an exceptional game. Now, every character is great but there a few who stand out to me that really make the game shine. Arthur is a complex fellow whose moral compass is a bit of roulette wheel due to game design but no matter how you play the story it is clear that he thinks of the gang as his family and Dutch as his father. Speaking of Dutch, he is also an exceedingly complex character whose goals and ambitions come to define him and shape him into the man we see in Red Dead Redemption. Charles is a good man whose situation is defined by his heritage and skin color rather than his own actions; he is by far the most likable member of the gang. We see John Marston go from a childish manboy who never takes responsibilty to the family man trying to bury his past. Sadie Adler (oh boy), while I don't like when seemingly pedestrian characters go from hunting housewife to gang killing badass, I gotta admit, Sadie did grow on me. Her transformation is sadly unseen for the most part but I think that is because Rockstar cut out a few missions with her involved. Last, but cerainly not least, Rains Fall and Eagle Flies. Rockstar does an amazing job with writing these two opposing father and son characters and their tragic story. They portray the Native American not as savages or perfect helpless victims, but as real people in a lose-lose situation with their own faults and personalities outside of their struggles. Each character is fully realized and interesting in their own way and they carry this game through its shortcomings.

#2-Voice Acting

Roger Clark is an excellent lead throughout the entire game with absolutely zero dips in quality. Aside from Clark, Benjamin Byron Davis makes a return as Dutch as well as Rob Wietoff for John Marston. Davis does an amazing job with his expanded role and Wietoff is great at making John into the John we see in RDR1. Peter Blomquist made me hate Micah Bell more than I ever hated a fictional person before and that is an accomplishment. I could go on down the cast lineup but it is safe to assume that each voice is directed and performed incredibly.

#3-and, uh, the GRAPHICS

While I am not a believer in the idea that great graphics makes for a great game, the realism is important in this title. Motion capture was used extensively (like, even on the horses) and it gives that whole game a grounded feeling. Like, yeah, people move like this in real life. It beautifully accents the voice acting and really gives the player the full impact of the story as though they were watching a movie.

The Bad

#1-The Rootin' Tootin' Shootin'

Rockstar has been using RAGE (Rockstar Advanced Gaming Engine) for over a decade now and it is starting to show its age. While playing the game, getting into cover felt like guess work sometimes. I would hit right bumper and instead of going for the rock right in front of Mr. Morgan, he would get behind a tree 3 yards away with his back to the people shooting at him. This clumsiness is horrible because the actual shooting is pretty fun. What was introduced as a Table Tennis simulator (seriously) has made some seriously impressive games but the combat has become stale and clunky. Hopefully, they will focus on fine tuning the combat because the engine is great at making vivid worlds with powerful draw distances, which is perfect for what Rockstar does.

#2-Oh, That's Your Fast Travel?

Rockstar made a huge map. It is massive even without the epilogue and the only free transportation the player has is a horse? "Well, Rockstar developers, will there be a fast travel system in place? Oh, only in camp and inaccessible from literally anywhere else?" Seriously, why did they make a huge map with such slow transportation and only one way to fast travel? I cannot count the number of times I misclicked and sent myself to the other side of the map and had to take a longer trip. Also, there was no way to fast travel back to camp, free or payed. It was a real hassle and felt like game padding to me.

#3-The Length

This is a 60 hour game. That is more than two days of content and while most of it is a gripping story, there are some definite dips in gameplay. The fast travel system, or lack thereof, is the biggest contributor to this unwanted down time in the game. The player has to ride out for 5 minutes to one mission where they ride halfway back to camp. It's even worse when the mission is nowhere near a fast travel point should the player even be in camp at the time. Also, the lack of mission variety begins to show after chapter 5, with each mission being a shooting gallary while trying to protect certain people. Not every late-game mission is this way but enough to where it is a bit monotonous.

The Ugly...Verdict

Well, it's far from ugly. Overall, I give the game a solid 4/5 with it being one of the best games I've played since The Witcher 3. High and well deserved praise.

#rdr2 #review #rootintootincowboyshootin #video games #rockstar #arthur morgan #dutch van der linde

[maddie-kungs-emporium]

Pendragon

Background

This was the hard for me to write, not because of any technical difficulty or misplaced nostalgia, but because I can’t be certain of how to keep continuing Pendragon. Pendragon was very much created to be a medieval fantasy with a setting rooted in medieval stories, which is all well and good, but I’m honestly not sure how to keep new audiences interested in Pendragon without defeating the point of playing Pendragon.

Pendragon was created in the 80s by Greg Stafford (the same guy who made Call of Cthulhu), and was very much rooted in the kind of Arthurian stories that people Stafford’s age grew up with. Because of that, it was designed in a sort of faux-archaic manner, sort of like the kind you’d see a children’s storybook you could buy from your local bookstore when I was a little kiddo in the late 2000s, back when Obama was president, Netflix was a cool DVD rental service and Corona was shitty beer. It had some undertones of cultural conservatism, but I honestly believe that the intent was just to have a game about knights rescuing princesses from dragons that Greg Stafford could play with his buddies. It never got as big as Call of Cthulhu, and now, it has a problem: where does it go from here?

The thing about Pendragon is that it was not designed for a modern TTRPG audience. Back in the day, most of the people playing TTRPGs were white, middle class dudes in their basements trying to reenact their favorite stories with new OCs. However, most of that original crowd is 50+ now, and new role-players are from significantly more diverse backgrounds and generally have vastly different ideas of what they want out of a game and an entirely different media background.

Because I come from Gen Z and I have this kind of desire for products indicative of my generation, I too consider a lot of games from the 80s and 90s to be more than a little dated. There’s a reason that many new TTRPG players do not hold early figures such as Gygax, Rein-Hagen and Stafford in the kind of reverence one might expect for their monumental work- their ideas of what make a TTRPG work are fundamentally different from what I consider to make a TTRPG work. That being said, creations such as Dungeons and Dragons, Vampire: the Masquerade and Call of Cthulhu live on, but what of products that haven’t had that level of longevity?

Pendragon and It’s Problems

Pendragon is a game about medieval fantasy in an age of King Arthur, and often ends up revolving around the Great Pendragon Campaign, which is a historical epic which covers the entirety of the reign of the Pendragon kings. The GPC is truly massive, and would take over a year for a weekly group to complete, and as a result, most groups end up focusing more on smaller segments. However, many details of Pendragon are designed with long-term play in mind, where your character’s lineage continues the campaign. Overall, a pretty creative system with interesting rules for combat and characterization, which could be adapted to a variety of other settings. 

So, there are several problems that prevent Pendragon from reaching the popularity it otherwise could, and number one is it’s target audience, or lack thereof. Arthurian legend is not exactly in vogue, as evidenced by the fact that The Green Knight made back only 3 million past its budget at the box office in 2021. Furthermore, it’s a little unclear who this could be marketed to. The rules have some old-school elements, but I personally wouldn’t categorize new editions as OSR. The setting will likely drive off many new players, as few millennials and members of Gen Z even know why King Arthur matters any more than as some vague figure occasionally parodied. Even medieval history buffs will likely be turned off by the game’s loose adherence to actual history in favor of drawing on fantastical elements. 

The game ultimately has an extremely niche audience, and while that can work for a TTRPG, the particular niche of Arthurian fantasy is not a widely beloved one in contemporary minds, as young people just haven’t grown up with the same kind of media as nerds in the 80s did. 

Further isolating itself is Pendragon’s long-held Eurocentric, patriarchal and heteronormative mindset best displayed in the fact that the game actively discouraged you from playing a female knight until 6th edition (meaning that every edition available for purchase as of writing discourages playing a female knight), the game essentially assumes every character is straight, and, perhaps the oddest decision, medieval ethnic caricatures are used to represent historical medieval groups instead of historically accurate representations (some of which in the Paladins hack veer into modern racial stereotypes and antisemitism, which is an ugly look). 

To be clear, I don’t mind that the game is Eurocentric, because it’s set in Europe, but playing an Ethiopian knight or an Arab knight would be an interesting experience, and Paladins being perfectly okay with presenting the historical vilification of many groups, especially Jews as “part of the game” just makes the books look bad. Alienating anyone who wants to play a female character from your game is also a bad decision. To be clear, I don’t care that Pendragon is probably never going to be some “progressive icon” or something like that, and I’m fine with the fact that most of the groups interested in Pendragon will be men of European descent anyway, but at very least, putting options for characters other than straight white men down would be nice, or at very least, not actively being racist.

To be clear, I actually like Pendragon. If I were to rate 5.2e, I would give the rules 3/3, the lore a 2/3, the gameplay 2/3, and the discretionary 1/1, making a 8/10 (Though Paladins gets a 5/10 from lore and discretionary deductions for the aforementioned ethnics stereotypes even being presented as something you should include in the game at all), and I want more people to play the game. I feel, however, that in order for that to happen some underlying issues need to be addressed.

Then 6e Arrived...

6e appears to be attempting to fix some of these issues, at least in theory. Apparently, you can finally play a female knight now, and there’s a bit more effort to recruit new fans (For people worried about racial caricatures, I’m pretty sure the Paladins goof-up is never happening again). I hope that more progress is made on making the game more accessible to new audiences, adding new engagement to the game, and developing a better world to fight wicked knaves with a 8d6 lance charge in. 

I have high hopes for 6e, so even if I don’t necessarily think that Pendragon will somehow reenter the vogue, so as long the current trajectory is kept and NFTs back the fuck away from Chaosium (yes, there were actually plans to mint Pendragon NFTs that I didn’t touch on, for some horrible reason), I think I’ll probably pick up 6e.

#ttrpg #pendragon #king arthur

[sobriquett]

Dear Yuletide Author

Dear my wonderful Yuletide author,

Isn’t it the most magical time of year? What follows is possibly information overload but, apart from my one big DNW, I want you to write something you’ll enjoy, and I’ll enjoy it too.

I like gen or romance; I love women in starring roles; I adore gut-clenching, heart-in-throat angst, although I’m also partial to fluff; I like happy endings, unhappy endings, happily for now but ultimately doomed and everyone knows it endings. I love missing scenes that reveal more about a character or alternate perspectives of canon events. Above all, I love close-canon AU/canon divergence – a story with a clear point of departure that explores an alternative ‘what if’ sort of scenario within the rules of that world.

Basically, I love any story that makes use of the characters’ context and takes advantage of it. The social, historical, political, cultural context is what makes me interested in particular characters and relationships – how they react to the opportunities, restrictions and spoken or unspoken rules of their worlds.

My one big DNW: please don’t take the characters out of their context (no coffee shop AU/high school AU/modern AU/omegaverse AU, etc.) – I prefer either canon-compliant fic or close-canon AU, just something that fits into its source’s universe.

My other do-not-want is graphic depictions of (physical) torture or mutilation – if I can imagine it in cinema quality and I wince, no thank you. That doesn’t mean bad things can’t happen – violence and terror is a way of life for some of the passengers on Snowpiercer, for example, and Nobu has been badly injured in the past – but I would prefer it not to be gratuitous or too vividly described. (Violence is fine, if appropriate, it’s just torture and mutilation/permanent damage that’s not.) Anything else goes.

In terms of sexual content: if that works for you, I am there for it. I am happy with a fic at any rating and any degree of explicit-ness. I’ve listed my letter under Yuleporn before with details of interests and DNWs, I may do again this year. If you want to write something that way out this year, look here. (If I write a 2020 letter, I’ll edit to add that later.)

Fandom 1: Victoria (TV)

William Lamb 2nd Viscount Melbourne, Queen Victoria

I loved the first season of this show. I haven’t actually seen the rest of it but, for these two characters, I don’t think that matters. Oh, the shippy feels I had that autumn…

I know this relationship wouldn’t work, could never work, for at least fifteen thousand reasons, but God, I want it to. (Not least that actual Melbourne is forty years older than Victoria; I’m totally there for older man/younger woman but that’s a little extreme.) My pie-in-the-sky weeping-with-joy dream fic would explore the constitutional consequences of them saying ‘oh fuck it’ and getting married, or being forced to by circumstance. (Can queens have shotgun weddings?) I’d also enjoy fic about the method and consequences of them enjoying a more formal ‘companionship’. Don’t worry if it gets messy and ends badly, just tell me what happens.

Alternatively, and I admit more realistically, any of that period drama not-quite-touching not-quite-saying-what-they-mean thing – and Melbourne’s a master of that – absolutely delights me, or those moments they spend alone where they get just a little bit closer and they’re only talking in metaphors but you just know they have feelings – I have feelings, we all have feelings, so many feelings. Or, perhaps, they move past all of that and subtext becomes text – smutty, romantic, whatever, as long as that relationship that’s canonically played out in carefully chosen words, extended metaphors and difficult flowers gets to become a tangible something.

If shippy fic is not your thing here, then I’d ask you to explore the mentor relationship between them. Melbourne is Victoria’s teacher in many ways, but he also has ghosts of his own to haunt him. They have both been deeply unhappy for a long time until they first meet. What joy do they find in each other and their friendship?

Fandom 2: Memoirs of a Geisha – Arthur Golden

Toshikazu Nobu

Nobu’s appearances are the high points of the novel for me and I love the curious balance of bickering and mutual respect that characterises his relationship with Sayuri. (Nobu/Sayuri is my rarest and dearest of rarepairs.) However, Sayuri wasn’t nominated and so I can’t request that, so I have a completely open mind. I would be delighted to know more about Nobu’s relationship with any of the other characters, nominated or otherwise, or even simply his own thoughts and his personal history.

Neither Sayuri nor Nobu seem to have known much kindness in their life; I like to think they’d find that in each other, sort of kindred spirits. I would enjoy more of their wit, kindness and mutual respect in any form.

Both place importance on the kindness of the Chairman. Nobu and the Chairman have been friends for such a long time, and it seems a complex friendship worth exploring – mutual respect and obligation, trust and reliance. And the triangle between Sayuri, Nobu and the Chairman is a strange, fragile thing. Each pair has such a strong bond, each of the three relationships so different from one another.

Nobu is perhaps second only to Mameha in the degree of his influence over Sayuri’s career. They are both intelligent, independent survivors in their respective worlds (teahouses, factories, okiyas, battlefields) but neither is totally free nor happy and I would enjoy seeing their interaction or one’s perspective on the other.

Do Nobu and the Baron ever meet? I’d like to imagine they have quite different philosophies regarding the role of these women in their lives, but perhaps they’re more similar than we think.

If Hatsumomo is your girl, I’m sure she and Nobu have some strong opinions on one another and have met at one time or another.

I always enjoy fic in this fandom; you can’t go wrong.

Fandom 3: Snowpiercer (TV)

Any character(s)

I haven’t requested any particular characters because I have no preference; I also have no ship preferences, canonical or otherwise. I’m most fascinated by the design of the train – that is, the way everything is interconnected and interdependent in terms of resources and the associated peril. Also, I’m fascinated by the social design of the train – the class structure and the differences in privilege, as well as the mobility or lack thereof between classes, and the difference between what is and what was intended (or not). What strain, exactly, do the Tailies put on the train’s resources? They weren’t part of the physical or social design.

Above, I requested no graphic descriptions of torture or mutilation. I recognise that violence and mutilation is canon here, so if it’s going to add your story please don’t let my DNW stop you as long as it’s not gratuitous. This is a dark and dangerous world, so your fic could easily be dark and dangerous too. On the other hand, perhaps you might explore a moment of joy or relief in the darkness instead.

Please, explore this world in any way you like – any character, any ship. The setting – the train – is the star for me. If there’s something in particular that resonates for you, please use it.

Fandom 4: Jane Eyre – Charlotte Bronte

Jane Eyre

As problematic as it may be in some ways, this has been one of my favourite novels since I was quite young.

I enjoy Jane’s relationship with Rochester and would happily read anything on the subject at any point in the timeline. I would also happily read more about her relationship with any of the other characters in her life, nominated or otherwise.

I love exploring the historical contexts of my fandoms and pushing their boundaries. What would have happened if the wedding hadn’t been interrupted in time? Please, go as dark as you like (or not, maybe they get an early HEA), but consider Jane’s morality and the prevailing mores of the time. What if Rochester had died in the fire at Thornfield? How does Jane respond and what direction does her life take? What if the night after the wedding, before Jane ran away, had gone differently – what if she yields, against her character and reason, runs away with Rochester after all? Or merely succumbs to his physical advances? I enjoy a Victorian fallen woman tale, it’s a difficult life and it pushes all my buttons of following the society’s rules/angst/exploring consequences/angst.

Of course, while these fics could happily be written as devoutly Jane/Rochester fics, please feel free to make him the villain, or at least less-than-a-hero. If he corrupts Jane and damages her spiritually or physically, by all means explore the consequences – do they come back from it, or does their love fail?

If you just don’t want to write Rochester at all, I’m especially curious about Jane’s relationship with Mrs Fairfax, both during the timeline of the novel and after. Jane feels such affection and warmth towards Mrs Fairfax, how does she mark this? How do they spend their time together? Are they reunited post-canon? They are the closest thing to peers at Thornfield, as ladies but both dependents, but there is a gulf in age, experience, outlook and temperament between the two.

But I could also happily read about Jane and Adele, during or after the novel, or Jane and her grown-up cousins, or Jane and Bessie, or Jane and the Rivers siblings. If you use, feature or push the context of the novel in any way, the boundaries and rules of Jane’s world, I will be delighted.

#dear author letter #yuletide #yuletide 2020 #memoirs of a geisha #snowpiercer #victoria (tv) #itv victoria #jane eyre

[sadgirlsfilmclub]

March Round-Up

Cure (1997)

The movie is painfully slow, I have to admit that at certain parts my mind wandered away and I had to to rewind to catch up on what I missed.

Apart from the slow pacing, the film itself is beautifully filmed. The smooth transitions between scenes and locations are surprisingly satisfying to watch. There is a repetition of frames within frames providing depth into the stories that added considerably into the dialogue but at times it felt like there was still something lacking.

The film has consistently appeared in many lists of top asian horror films. I can see the appeal but the movie poses many questions that the film itself seems to struggle when trying to answer them.

The plot itself is ingenious, how do you catch a killer with no visible motive or weapon? The film talks of hypnotism and mental instability, giving us chills in the concept that anyone of us could be susceptible to anybody’s ministrations. No one is safe. The film exploits this illogical fear within us and creates a chilling atmosphere to scare us. The acting strengthens the film in whole, especially the eerie performance by Masato Hagiwara as the creepy hypnotist.

The film also delves into the concept of control. Takabe loses control as he tries to get his life and job on track but the mental disintegration of his wife and the infuriating charm of Mamiya causes him to spiral into madness. The epilogue has him accept his new role as the missionary, a sign that he has surrendered to his fate.

Rampo Noir (2005)

This is a Japanese horror anthology film. Tadanobu Asano has a part in each segment of the film, playing several different characters. The stories are based off of Edogawa Ranpo’s mystery tales which is infused with graphic horror elements qualifying the film as a main player in J-Horror. 

There are four parts in the film. My personal favourites are the second and third segments. The first part is totally silent, by the way. 

The best part of the film is the body horror. The highly graphic, highly realistic mutilation of the human body is what horror fans live for. Warning: Do not watch the third segment while you’re eating. Or better yet, don’t eat while watching the film. 

The story telling itself is also very engaging. There are elements of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Edgar Allen Poe in all these shorts. You get very involved in uncovering the story behind the ill fate that has befell these people be it in their murder or disfigurement. 

Then there are moments like the GIF above that presents you with very satisfying visuals. The ambience itself created through the presence or lack thereof of sounds also helps perfect this balance found in any solid film. 

I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore (2017)

“What do you want?”

“For people not to be assholes.”

The movie starts off already with a dark note. A patient dies while Ruth is in the room and then everything goes to shit. A man spoils a major plot twist of the book she’s reading and her house is burgled. Exasperated with life in general and in assholes, Ruth teams up with her neighbour Tony to track down the perpetrators but things take a violent turn in the last third of the film.

This film was so much fun with never a dull moment in it. There were so many highs and lows, it was truly a rollercoaster that I as a person who hate literal rollercoasters love.

This is Macon Blair of Blue Ruin (2013) fame’s first directorial debut. The story was an amazing buildup to a real climactic ending with plenty of fun banter interspersed within. Ruth’s helplessness is truly brought out by her and Tony’s ridiculous confrontations with each antagonist. The search for her missing items becomes this almost fantastical treasure hunt that soon dissolves into violence.

Ruth, a simple post-op nursing assistant up against all these villains. The soft almost soothing voice of the amazing Melanie Lynskey plays a strong part in creating this mild yet highly determined character. Her gentle demeanour compared to Elijah Wood’s Tony’s abrasive persona itself creates this incongruity found mostly in comedic pairings. The transformation of Ruth from this subdued person to one that takes charge and takes revenge is a fun trip to be part of.

All in all, this is black comedy at its finest.

Maybe you can stop others from being an asshole by not being one. Maybe.

Hidden Figures (2016)

A movie about women working in STEM. A movie about women paving the way for other women working in STEM. A film about women of colour fighting their being oppressed, overlooked and excluded in a field that knows no bounds. 

Based on the lives of three amazing black women, the film has a clear message to share with the world and more importantly, girls of colour. Gender or race has nothing to do with your skills and even though reality is harsh and unfair, there is still something to fight for.  Fight for the future of science and for women everywhere. 

The film educates. It teaches you a pivotal point in America’s modern history, black history, scientific history and women’s history. Yet their tale has been omitted and now the light that was rightfully theirs has finally landed on them. 

I won’t divulge on the plot seeing that it’s as straightforward as any film.The story was well-paced, the directing was good and the acting is praise-worthy. (I’m tipping my hat at Janelle Monaé seeing this isn’t even her main job and she knocked it out of the park.)

I’ll write this with emotion. I cried a few times watching this film. There was this sense of pride that I as a woman experience. Most films have the audiences going on a journey with heroes but rarely with heroines and now there’s three? I was overwhelmed by their disappointments, outrage, exasperations and was most affected by their personal victories. There’s this surge of pride when the movie ended and the tears were still fresh on my face. 

 - Courtney

PS. Hazel and I are working on writing a long review on Moonlight and Carol!! 

PPS. Sorry for the slight change in format, Tumblr’s being “sensitive” again. 

#cure #rampo noir #i don't feel at home in this world anymore #hidden figures #Movie Recommendation #japanese horror #sadgirlsfilmclub #sgfc:masterpost

[actutrends]

Content Rated By: An Oral History of the ESRB excerpt – “Evolution, Expansion, and Enforcement”

GamesBeat is publishing this exclusive excerpt of Content Rated By: An Oral History of the ESRB. Previous chapters can be found here. 

To help commemorate its 25th anniversary, the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) reached out to Blake J. Harris, the best-selling author of Console Wars: Sega, Nintendo, and the Battle That Defined a Generation and The History of the Future: Oculus, Facebook and the Revolution That Swept Virtual Reality to document the behind-the-scenes origins of the rating system for video games and how it has evolved over the past quarter century. Content Rated By: An Oral History of the ESRB provides eyewitness accounts from the key people involved in the ESRB’s creation and its development into one of the country’s finest examples of industry self-regulation. 

PART 4: Evolution, Expansion, & Enforcement (or Lack Thereof)

On September 16, 1994, the ESRB opened its doors and started to assign ratings. Due to the relatively poor record-keeping at the time, which according to current employees was once just “an Excel spreadsheet,” there remains a lingering mystery about which games were actually the first to receive rating assignments.

Poor record-keeping aside, the ESRB continued to focus on assigning ratings, and gradually became a more recognizable part of the industry. Unlike the launch of the industry’s new trade show, there wasn’t that singular moment of gratification. But one year after facing the threat of government regulation, that worst-case scenario seemed unlikely to come to pass.

DON JAMES (NINTENDO): I don’t remember it being a formal process where the government said, “okay, we’re not going to bother you guys anymore because you’ve done this.” I think it slowly sort of just ebbed away. Once the ratings system came out, the irons in the fire cooled off.

Meanwhile, as the threat of government regulation dissipated, the ESRB came to face a new immediate challenge: a competing ratings board called “RSAC.” RSAC was short for the “Recreational Software Advisory Council” and it had been created by the Software Publishers Association (SPA) as an alternative to the ESRB.

Like the ESRB, RSAC was an independent, self-regulatory body whose mission was to inform potential consumers about the nature (and suitability) of the content it evaluated. But it differed from the ESRB in significant ways, a few of which are noted in this excerpt from a 1994 Washington Post piece entitled, “Video, Computer game industries split on ratings.”

Above: The ESRB versus the SPA ratings systems

LISA SCHNAPP (ESRB): There was a competing board — RSAC — so we were always trying to knock them off and take their business.

Schnapp was among the first to join Pober’s small ESRB team. Having come from a string of administrative jobs at media outlets like Warner Bros., CBS News, and Polygram/Mercury Records, Schnapp initially served as a jack-of- all-trades at the ESRB. Over time, her role would evolve greatly, but early on, it was simply about organizational survival.

LISA SCHNAPP (ESRB):  When I took the job, my father said to me, “Do you know what you’re doing? Do you think this organization is even going to be around for a long time?” And I really didn’t know. In the early days, we were so small. There were hardly any people here. In fact, the person who ran ratings wasn’t even a full-time employee. So it didn’t help that there was this competing board. They mostly did PC stuff, and we mostly did console stuff; but we were kind of trying to just be the only rating board.

RILEY RUSSELL (SEGA): It was touch-and-go for a while on which rating system would win out.

By this point in time, Riley Russell — who had been the Director of Business Affairs for Sega—had left to join a different company that was planning to enter the console race: Sony.

RILEY RUSSELL (SONY): The key difference [between the two ratings boards] was that the PC guys did not want to do anything other than self-ratings. Which led Sony to make the decision that — in order to be on our system — you have to use the ESRB. I think Sega and Sony both deserve credit, but Sony particularly knew that the ratings would be important. At that point, it was by no means certain that PlayStation was going to win when things started. But just because of the chain of events, we went from being the “third platform” that everybody developed for but then because of the lateness of Sega’s tools and the limited launch, we became “the place to be.” And then it just took off.

As Sony took off, so did the ESRB — which begs the question as to why Sony, at such a fragile and uncertain stage of their console business, felt the need to take such a strong stance.

RILEY RUSSELL (SONY): Previously, Sony had made Betamax players and ultimately recorders. And they had an experience in that industry—and I don’t want to say this is over-arching—but…after that experience we realized it was important to let as much content onto your platform as possible. Because VHS probably won out because of porn. So we wanted to have edgier adult type content. Because we recognized (as Sega had recognized) that the industry was getting older; it wasn’t just a kid’s toy. In the end it was about a sense of responsibility. I think Sega was going to go that route anyway, but whether we were days or weeks ahead of them, we [at Sony] were the first to do it. Sony was looking at it as: we were getting into the market, we had a new console, we wanted to have something that offered families peace of mind. Sony has a reputation for making safe, reliable products…you know: we wanted to be “the IBM of the gaming space.”

Throughout the mid-90s, adoption of the ESRB’s rating system soared. Incidentally, during this time, the ESRB introduced its first organizational mascot: 

Above: ESRB Guy?

By the end of the decade — standing on much surer footing — the ESRB began to really expand.

LISA SCHNAPP (ESRB): Arthur was always looking to grow and take on things. For example: the privacy department…

ARTHUR POBER (ESRB): I didn’t want us to be just “the ratings service.” What we were was a full-service organization to make sure that this industry is regulated and regulated well. And I’m never quite satisfied, I’m always looking for what the next issue is. So what was that next issue? The issue of privacy. So I put together a special unit that would make us a seal provider.

In 1999, the ESRB launched its Privacy Online certification service. The following year, Pober set up another new group — the Advertising Review Council — which Lisa would run.

LISA SCHNAPP (ESRB): I always said, “If you want a paper tiger in this job, I’m not the right person.” I’m not just gonna sit and roll over. So I was really happy to take on that role. It’s a tough job, but an important one — making sure that all of the marketing complies with industry guidelines.

Given all the money that game companies put into marketing, it’s not surprising that Schnapp—as the face of the industry’s advertising enforcement—would become a well-known figure amongst the industry. And that her role would lead to situations like…

LISA SCHNAPP (ESRB): I remember one time I went to give this presentation and someone said, “You’re Lisa Schnapp?” “Yeah.” “Hey, you’re famous!” Infamous, maybe. I mean, I’m the person who goes out and issues the violations. So, a lot of people know me, yeah. Oh, and there was this other time — this is one of my favorites — someone wrote me a letter, and this guy was really angry about something, so he called me “The Overlord of the Darkside” [laughs]. I always really liked that.

RILEY RUSSELL (SONY): Overall, I think the ESRB was run well early on. There were hiccups, no one had really done it before — no one really knew how to “rate” a game — but I think that Arthur did a good job. He got it up and running. And he got us what we needed.

In many facets, this was true and, as such, the ESRB continued to thrive. But beneath the surface, there was a chink in the armor — which began to become an issue towards late 2000.

Specifically: in September 2000, when the FTC published a “Mystery Shopper” survey. What they had done was send in “undercover” shoppers (between the ages of 13 and 16) and sent these minors into stores — unaccompanied by their parents — to see whether retailers were enforcing rating systems. To find out, these mystery shoppers would attempt to buy one of the following four entertainment products:

Above: The FTC’s “mystery shopper” audit

As such, this operation was by no means meant to target the game industry. But compared to those other industries, the enforcement of video game ratings proved to be the worst. The following year (2001), the FTC published another mystery shopper survey and the results were similar. 

In 2002, IDSA — which was on the cusp of its own restructure and would soon change its name to the “Entertainment Software Association” (ESA) — decided that it was time to find a new president to run the ESRB. 

DOUG LOWENSTEIN (ESA): The problem was, it was a really tricky search to do. Because it’s not like there’s a hundred people running self-regulatory rating boards. There’s not really an obvious pool of candidates out there. And that made it tough — really, really tough…

The next four parts of Content Rated By: An Oral History of the ESRB include how ratings are assigned, garnering support from video game retailers and how the ESRB created a scalable global rating solution to meet the needs of mobile app and other digital game storefronts. Part 5 will be published next week in the ESRB blog.   

Blake J. Harris is the best-selling author of Console Wars: Sega, Nintendo and the Battle that Defined a Generation, which is currently being adapted for television by Legendary Entertainment.

The post Content Rated By: An Oral History of the ESRB excerpt – “Evolution, Expansion, and Enforcement” appeared first on Actu Trends.

[merakiaes]

Nightmares - John Shelby

Pairing: John Shelby x reader

Requested: No.

Prompts: #36 from the fluff-list.

Warnings/notes: A bit of angst maybe. Nothing major. Really short and not requested, just had a bit of spare time of my hands. I hope you like it!

Wordcount: 746

Summary: John taking care of you after a traumatic experience.

You didn’t know how they did it.

You didn’t understand how the Shelby brothers were able to act so calm and collected when they had seen so much darkness and been near death so many times. One run-in with danger yourself, and you were absolutely terrified of everything that moved.

You panicked every time you saw someone with a gun in the street, or just walking in your direction at all.

Having grown up with six brothers of your own, they had been your only role models to look up to. Because of this, you started fighting your way through things pretty early in life. So up until now, you’d had absolutely no problem taking care of yourself and holding your own.

You had been independent, not caring about anyone’s opinion, and it was that kind of attitude that had caught John’s attention in the first place.

But now… now you couldn’t go anywhere without him. You clung to his side like children would their mother. Like your children would you.

When he on the rare occasion couldn’t be with you, you refused to go anywhere without Arthur, Tommy or even Finn and seeing as Arthur and Tommy were usually out on the same business as John, Finn was more often than not the one to fall victim to your clingyness.

But he didn’t mind, he loved you.

But the awake-time wasn’t even the worst part. The worst part was the sleep, or lack thereof. You couldn’t sleep.

Every time you tried, you would go back to the alley where Changretta’s men had jumped you and almost succeeded in taking you in an attempt to get to your husband and his brothers.

You thanked God every wake second that said brothers had rounded the corner just then and stopped you from a fate probably worse than death. But they hadn’t come soon enough to save you from the trauma.

Every night since had been the same. You would dream about the hands grabbing at you from behind, pressing over your mouth to keep you quiet while another set of hands grabbed your legs and lifted you off the ground, beginning to carry you away while you struggled to get away.

And tonight was no different.

You woke up with a violent jolt, your chest heaving up and down with heavy, ragged breaths and your entire body shaking with sobs.

John was up in the bed in a second, pulling you into his bare chest and holding you tight as you cried, his hands cradling your head.

Your entire body was covered in cold sweat, you could feel clearly that your nightgown was soaked through, but he didn’t care, hushing and rocking you back and forth.

“It’s alright.” He whispered into your damp hair. “It’s alright. I’m here.”

But his words of comfort only made you cry harder, your hands grabbing at his arms desperately, terrified that if he let you go for as much as a second, he would disappear and you would be back in the claws of the Italian men.

He squeezed your hands tightly, letting you know that he was there. “No one’s going to hurt you, love.” He promised. His voice was thick with sleep, and his body shaking just like yours thanks to the deprivation of it.

Although, not half as violently as yours.

But despite barely having slept for weeks, he kept rocking you back and forth soothingly, coaxing you back to reality with sweet nothings until you finally managed to take control of your breathing.

You were still crying when you let yourself relax into his arms, but your tormented yells had now died down into smaller sobs.

John slowly took you back with him down on the bed, careful not to loosen his grip on you to not scare you.

“There. Everything’s alright. Listen to my heartbeat. Breathe.” He mumbled as your heads hit the pillows again.

One of his hands remained tightly wrapped around your shoulders, and the other carefully moved to the back of your head, his lips coming to rest against your forehead.

And you did as told, listening to the beat of his heart and taking deep, shaky breaths in a desperate attempt to calm the tremble rocking your entire body, pressing further into his chest for comfort as he kept mumbling into your hair.

“You can sleep. I’ll keep you safe.”

And that he did, like he always had and always would.

#Peaky Blinders #peaky blinders x reader #peaky blinder imagine #peaky blinder fanfic #peaky blinder headcanon #John Shelby #john shelby imagine #john shelby x reader #tommy shelby #arthur shelby #thomas shelby #finn shelby #ada shelby #ada thorne #polly gray #michael gray

[cryptnus-blog]

Erasing Family and the Ethics of Blockchain for Humanity – Irish Tech News

New Post has been published on https://cryptnus.com/2018/06/erasing-family-and-the-ethics-of-blockchain-for-humanity-irish-tech-news/

Erasing Family and the Ethics of Blockchain for Humanity – Irish Tech News

Written by Jamil Hasan 

In December 2017, I embarked upon writing my book: Blockchain Ethics: A Bridge to Abundance. I didn’t have the title in mind when writing my book; I just felt writing a book was a must for me. I had spent twenty years in corporate America building databases and data-driven organizations but over the last few years witnessed several unfortunate negative transformations in America’s business and political capitalistic system. I wanted to change the game and help recreate American businesses based on best ethical practices while helping to redefine capitalism gone astray. So I spent two months interviewing people and writing my book to help alter the course of business in my country.

One of the first people I chose to interview was Krissy Smith. Despite both of us being former AIG employees, I had never met her before. She reached out to me on LinkedIn, as over 40,000 people have globally this past year, and we met in New York City for lunch. I learned about her Coatesville, Pennsylvania community of women whose recent divorces led to separation from their children. While not a divorced mother, I felt empathy toward her and questioned why I did.

I recalled my youth. My maternal grandmother Betty passed away when my mother Patricia was a young child. My grandfather Arthur remarried into a large family, but my mother and her stepmother Ginny’s relationship was not a nurturing one, to put it mildly. For the first six years of my life I was part of a large extended family with many cousins, aunts and uncles. I remember life being fun and full of activity and laughter. And lots of puppies!

Arthur passed away from a heart attack when I was seven years old. He tried to quit drinking alcohol cold turkey and his body couldn’t adapt to the sudden change. Because of the state of my mother’s relationship with Ginny, my mother chose to not see or speak to her again. I went from having a large extended family to having just my immediate one – my parents, my younger brother, and a parakeet. I recall feeling all alone for a long time. I remember playing baseball in the backyard by myself for many years. Isolating became my strongest survival suit.

Looking at it now in the context of Ginger Gentile’s documentary movie Erasing Family, I too experienced having an erased family. I never saw my cousins, aunts and uncles again. And I see deep down that my experience is the leading reason I chose to focus on Krissy Smith and Erasing Family in my book. They are the key components of my chapter on Cracking the Glass Ceiling. 

Ginger, Krissy and I all share the common experience of living an erased family. So it makes perfect sense for us to collaborate on sharing the message, educating people on the impact, and helping to make the difference we can. Ginger’s documentary and my book make an excellent pairing and as such, for the next six months, I will donate half of all net proceeds from the sale of my book to her documentary. My goal is to sell 1 million books, at least. People tell me that’s a lofty goal, but I subscribe to Hollywood actor Denzel Washington’s message to recent college graduates: “If you are going to fail, then Fail Big.”

I understand that this book sale campaign is timely. There have been recent newsworthy events surrounding immigration and separation of immigrants and their children in the US. My book was published over three months ago. Ginger has worked on this film for well over a year. I’m not claiming to all of a sudden be an activist, but our collective voices can make a difference now.

I am a data person, not a rebel rouser. I’m probably one of the most talented data artists in the world. A black swan. Being erased as a youth allowed me the opportunity to spend tons of time memorizing all the statistics on baseball cards as part of my isolating childhood. I created optimal lineups in my mind and on my IBM PC Junior – I was analyzing data 20 years before most of my peers owned a computer. I have always been able to just play with statistics ever since.

I do, however, believe the proper use of data as a commodity and as a utility can change the way we interact with each other altogether. The inclusive promises made by the Ethereum open sourced Blockchain technology are game changers for humanity, if we allow them to be.

I see my role as an artist and now as an author as preparing other people to love their lives, never settle, and go for their dreams, including being reunited with lost loved ones.

My book is Blockchain Ethics: A Bridge to Abundance. The key question I ask is “What is it to be American?” Contrary to industry opinion, the book has nothing to do with the ethics or lack thereof within the Cryptocurrency industry. The book has everything to do with how we treat one another ethically as people on the planet. And how the Blockchain can help. 

Half of my book proceeds will go to Erasing Family for the next six months. One can buy my book on Amazon or Barnes and Noble. One can also contact me directly at [email protected] for bulk sales of 50 books or more at a reduced rate.

 I’d like to thank Simon Cocking for allowing me to be a guest writer in the Irish Tech News.

[esprit-de-corps-magazine]

THE "CANADIAN" FACTOR: The Importance Of Canadianizing Our Aerial Forces In WWII

(Volume 25-01)

By David MacLellan

The creation of Royal Canadian Air Force No. 6 Group in Bomber Command in 1942 was a very important “landmark” for the RCAF and it did play a major role in Bomber Command’s efforts for the remainder of the war. The adaptation from Larry Rose’s Ten Decisions: Canada’s Best, Worst and Most Far-Reaching Decisions of the Second World War (Volume 24 Issue 10, November 2017) doesn’t, however, properly deal with the real issue of “Canadianization” of the RCAF … there was a huge “elephant in the room” that was not addressed in the article at all.

Not one single aircraft on strength of the RCAF squadrons that formed the group in 1942 actually belonged to Canada, and the RCAF and that situation would continue for years. The aircraft were supplied by the RAF, bought and paid for by the British government. No wonder the British resisted Canadianization — they were just protecting their assets.

How did this situation come to be? You cannot really blame the British; failings in the Canadian government and specifically the policies, or lack thereof, of Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King are at the core of this “problem.” King totally failed to insist that the clause in the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP) ensuring graduates “be identified with their respective Dominions” be followed. This failure would have consequences, not just for the issue of Canadianization. This was very much rooted in the underfunding of the RCAF in the 1930s, King’s initial vision of a “limited liability” war for Canada, and just a general failure of the King government to defend Canadian interests.

A little background. There were no Canadianization issues with the Royal Canadian Navy or the Canadian Army because previous Canadian governments had dealt with British pressure to create “imperial forces” and had owned up to the responsibilities of a sovereign Canadian nation. In 1911, instead of giving money to the British government to build warships for the RN as asked, the Wilfrid Laurier government created the Royal Canadian Navy and, in 1914, the Robert Borden government resisted British pressure to incorporate Canadian soldiers as replacements in British Army regiments, thus Canadians served in Canadian regiments in the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) and eventually a Canadian Corps was created under a Canadian general, Sir Arthur Currie. The RCAF in the Second World War would be the least Canadian branch of the armed forces because the King government allowed it to happen.

There was an anomaly in this as well. In Canada, the Canadian government / RCAF bought and owned all BCATP aircraft as well as all the aircraft flown and operated by the RCAF’s “home squadrons” — those numbered in the No. 1 to No. 170 block. These squadrons included fighter, army co-operation, bomber, flying boat, torpedo bomber, general purpose, bomber reconnaissance, communications, seaplane, coastal artillery co-operation, composite, ferry, transport, heavy transport, etc. — in other words, what you would expect to find on strength of a “balanced” air force component. The operational squadrons fought and engaged the enemy on both coasts, but primarily the Atlantic where a number of squadrons, No. 10 and No. 162 for example, had major success engaging German forces in battle. There was never a Canadianization issue with the BCATP or RCAF squadrons at home.

When RCAF No. 1 (Fighter) Squadron arrived in England in August 1940, its Hawker Hurricanes came from Canada, bought and paid for by Canada; this was the only truly “modern” war-ready squadron in the RCAF. But this would not be the standard pattern. The squadrons that followed — such as the No. 400 block of squadrons serving overseas — would have no aircraft to bring and the Canadian government would not buy or supply any. The renumbering of No. 1 as No. 401 and all subsequent squadrons formed made sense as a command and control issue. During the Battle of Britain, having RAF No. 1 and RCAF No. 1 in the air at the same did time did lead to some confusion in the heat of battle.

As the number of RCAF No. 400 block squadrons was increased, all were equipped with RAF-owned aircraft. The RAF was totally responsible for the initial supply of aircraft and for replacement/upgraded marks and types as required, not Canada or the RCAF.

The consequences of Canadian government policy meant that:

Thousands of RCAF personnel were assigned to RAF squadrons and not RCAF. (As pointed out and supported by my own research, many RCAF crew in this category didn’t mind at all flying with a mixed Commonwealth crew on RAF squadrons as it made for an all-the-more interesting experience, Empire and “all that” and, of course, they were still getting the job done.)

Often the No. 400 block of squadrons received older, used, less state-of-the-art RAF aircraft.  Highly decorated RCAF No. 406 Squadron commander W/C R.C. (Moose) Fumerton DFC and Bar got in a bit of trouble for complaining publicly about “being sick of receiving clapped-out RAF Beaufighters” while RAF night fighter squadrons seemed to always be first in line for better radar and, more importantly, DH Mosquitoes. No. 406 didn’t get Mosquitoes until 1944, even though there was Canadian production. Until the Canadian-produced Avro Lancaster B. Mk. Xs started to arrive, most RCAF bomber squadrons flew on with increasingly aged Halifax bombers with RAF units getting Lancasters much earlier.

There is some evidence that the RCAF’s use of older aircraft (see point 2 above) lead to higher aircraft losses and casualty rates on the No. 400 block of squadrons.

The RCAF overseas was not a balanced force (unlike the RCAF home squadrons) — too many bomber squadrons and higher casualties.

So, what we really have with the RCAF overseas is the King government’s total failure to articulate and support an RCAF policy that truly represented Canadian interests as a sovereign nation. King abdicated his responsibility and thus created an overseas air force that was not what it could have been, doing a disservice to Canada.

This, of course, is a political discussion and in no way diminishes the enormous contribution to victory made by all of those who served in the RCAF.

 Ten Decisions author Larry Rose responds: My article, according to Mr. MacLellan, does not deal with the “real issue” of why Canadianization was delayed in the RCAF. He notes that the Canadian aircraft in the UK were British-owned so the British were “just protecting their assets.” Throughout the war, planes, ships, tanks and artillery pieces were transferred wholesale back and forth between the British and Canadian forces. By 1945, thousands of British army trucks were Canadian-made but no Canadian officer went to British army supply depots to “protect their assets.” A much more important issue in the early years was that the British paid salaries for Canadian RCAF members posted to Britain.

Mr. MacLellan is right in pointing out that in 1939 Prime Minister Mackenzie King utterly failed to ensure Canadian control of RCAF air training graduates. This point is made in the book TEN DECISIONS although not in the much shorter Esprit de Corps article. However, subsequently King, Air Minister Charles “Chubby” Power and top officers such as Air Marshal Gus Edwards put enormous pressure on the RAF to Canadianize the RCAF. Ultimately they were successful.

Mr. MacLellan argues that “you cannot really blame the British” for delays in Canadianization. But, as Tim Cook has pointed out, the colonial mindset of many top RAF officers, including Air Chief Marshal of the Royal Air Force Arthur “Bomber” Harris, delayed Canadianization for years.