#they both have this refusal to compromise on morals or selling out which i really admire | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

nothingunrealistic · 3 years

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another sorta jumping off prompt abt Billions In Full: thinking abt any & all instances of taylor's arcs having kinda Becoming Adrift or Struggling w A Quandary points that resolve into Turning Points & any such moments you might have especially had Thoughts Or Feelings abt in full context & knowledge of the series? a la navigating axe cap & axe's guidance vs their qualms in s2, the fancy watch saga, everything re douglas, anything re wendy, having plans to leave across s3, that kind of concept

hmm okay what Moral Quandary arcs do they have. let’s consider it

1. the sandicot fiasco (2x04-2x07): if you don’t count playing in the alpha cup / breaking krakow as a moral quandary (which taylor might, tbh) this is the first time they have to grapple with their principles. taylor is in on this from the beginning, researching the likelihood of sandicot getting a gambling license at axe’s request and telling axe there’s no reason to invest if they don’t get the license. when the license falls through, taylor is brought into the war room figuring out how to recover axe cap’s investment, and spells out both the repercussions of austerity and the reasons they think it’s the right choice. (people living in poverty? offensive. cities overreaching their budgets? MORE offensive, apparently.) mostly i find this arc boring & embarrassing to watch (libertarianism? in taylor? cringe), rather than compelling, but i’m still distraught over taylor telling axe “i find myself thinking in your words sometimes” in 2x05. (the words in question are “shit hole,” re: sandicot, which doesn’t help.)

2. the klaxon short (2x09-2x11): this actually starts out totally unrelated to taylor — dollar bill tells axe about klaxon, a company he is Not Uncertain will crash; axe hesitates to make this trade on inside information but decides to go for it. ben kim and mafee both fail to produce analysis that supports the short; taylor manages it because they analyze the situation from a different angle, and because they suspect axe has inside information supporting a short and just needs it to seem legitimate. coming up with this analysis, and signing off on it, gets taylor a promotion, a spontaneous bonus ($500k!) from axe, and thank-you money ($250k!) from dollar bill, but they’re conflicted enough about it to stop by the SDNY and find out what connerty knows first; seeing their signature on the report puts them under even more suspicion from connerty. this is the first arc that really Feels like a moral compromise for taylor, because they’re more obviously conflicted about it and get more material rewards for it.

3. their stance on fossil fuels (2x09-present): less a character arc than a character sinusoid. taylor’s reluctant to take a private jet given the carbon footprint, but axe insisting it’s fine if they buy some carbon offsets is enough to change their mind. they pitch ESG to grigor, an oil oligarch, as an act of sabotage because they don’t want axe cap to take his money, but they’re willing to take his money for mase cap, and to win over a sovereign wealth fund that gets its money from oil. they still somehow have an environmentalist reputation to preserve after all this, so they short fracking publicly and bait axe into legalizing fracking so they’ll profit privately. then from 5x03 onward, they’ve committed firmly to the Earth-Positive Approach, which somehow encompasses both convincing colleges to divest from fossil fuels and investing in fossil fuels themself while vowing to clean up the companies responsible. i don’t think this is taylor’s principles shifting so much as their commitment to those principles weakening when they’re in new and dire straits — torn between their personal and professional lives, desperate to break away from axe cap and make it on their own, or reeling from a rift in their family. in contrast, season 5 is about taylor (and everyone else) trying to get back on track & clean up the wreckage of their past choices — makes sense that it would include recommitting to the environmentalist approach. so i also have to wonder where it’ll go in the rest of season 5 — will mase carbon and its mission survive that long, or will some unforeseen crisis derail it?

4. having nice things (2x09-present): pretty much every instance of taylor purchasing some new & pricey thing accompanies another moral quandary, rather than the purchase itself being the only thing taylor’s torn about. for instance: reserving a flight on a private jet, as mentioned, while conflicted about the ethics of doing so and of Living Large more generally; signing the lease on a luxurious penthouse apartment after signing off on the klaxon short; buying the same $164k watch craig heidecker wore to quell their guilt over having profited from his death and wearing it every day, only taking it off when they’ve formally left axe cap and resolved to do business at mase cap The Right Way. similarly, though it’s never addressed in the show, i’m pretty sure taylor’s apartment in season 5 is a different, cheaper apartment than the one they rented in seasons 2-4 — the front door and interior layout we see in 5x02 are totally different from what we’ve seen before — and that this is another manifestation of taylor trying to get back on track / recommit to their principles in season 5. (it might also be that their income was reduced just a bit by mase cap crashing and burning and being forced back to axe cap and they decided to relocate to save on rent. multiple things can be true at once.) the only exception that comes to mind is axe offering to buy taylor a land rover to thank them for running axe cap: taylor turns it down, asks for a billion dollars of their own to manage, then changes their mind and asks for the car too once axe says yes to the billion. they’re not really in a moral quandary in that moment so much as a “wow it sucks that axe is taking the reins of axe cap back from me and undoing all my hard work, i’d like to have some semblance of control and power still, please” quandary, and we never see the land rover again after that, so it’s not exactly memorable. i still want to know what they did with it.

5. selling out oscar’s investment to axe (3x10-5x06): i would not count this as a moral quandary because i firmly believe that Taylor Did Nothing Wrong (in this case), but the 3x10 episode summary describes this incident as “taylor makes a personal compromise for business,” so i guess we have to consider it. taylor asks axe for a favor involving oscar and his business partner, then thanks axe for the favor and mentions the name of said business partner, as one might do when conversing with a trusted colleague / mentor. axe, who is scrounging for cash and should never be trusted, swipes the deal oscar was making; when taylor confronts him about it, he insists that they wanted him to swipe the deal, or else they wouldn’t have namedropped the business partner. it’s unclear whether or not taylor believes this / blames themself for what happened, but oscar certainly blames them — he refuses taylor’s offer of a conciliatory dinner in 3x12 because “after what you did, i could never open myself up to you again,” and tells the marithane ceo in 5x06 that taylor solving his patent issue actually proves just how untrustworthy they are, because “if they’re willing to do that for you today, they’re willing to do it to you later.” yet he was still willing to invest with taylor and have them make money for him, so long as axe’s name wasn’t attached. make it make sense, oscar!

6. selling douglas’s company (4x07-4x08): again, i don’t consider this a moral quandary because taylor was forced into a no-win situation by axe and wendy, and also because douglas just sucks, but again, the writing demands that we consider it. taylor was ready to partner with a VC on funding the development of douglas’s lattice fin design, but axe pulled some strings and got the federal government to demand the technology for national security reasons. with the VC and existing investors abandoning mase cap left and right, there was no way for taylor to keep both douglas’s technology and mase cap, so they chose to sell the tech to the government and keep their company afloat, at the cost of their already-crumbling relationship with douglas finally collapsing. naturally, axe then went on tv and spun this as taylor selling out their own father by flipping his company for their profit. much like what happened with oscar, this is yet another incident that’s more axe’s fault than taylor’s being described as a terrible choice taylor made that proves they can’t be trusted. (this only occasionally happens with actual questionable choices taylor made more freely — connerty prodding them about their new apartment in 2x11, danzig pointing out that taylor “led the charge in wringing cash from sandicot” in 4x01, axe also bringing up taylor taking grigor’s money in his tv appearance in 4x08.)

#inbox #unproduciblesmackdown #billions #taylor mason #numbering these manually was a real struggle. pretty sure I had the last three points all numbered 4. at one point while writing this

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emeraldspiral · 4 years

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Kim Possible hot takes coming through.

So, I should preface this by saying I never hated the show, I found it perfectly watchable and I don’t think Kim is unlikable or morally questionable or enough of a creator’s pet to qualify as a Mary-Sue. But I remember even as a kid, from the very first advertisements for the show, the way she was framed always rubbed me the wrong way. Like, they wanted Kim to be a Strong Female Role Model For Girls before they wanted her to be have any kind of authentic humanity. That’s not to say she didn’t have any personality or flaws. It’s just that, like with Rey in TROS, they kinda gave her a toxic mindset but played it like it was a good thing.

Like, with other types of role model characters like Superman, you never get the impression that the writers are saying that it’s reasonable to expect the average person to bench press skyscrapers and stop alien overlords from taking over the earth on your lunch break. The idea behind Superman as a role model is that he uses the power he has to help people instead of using it for selfish personal gain or to bully people and doesn’t compromise on his moral principles even when it’s hard.

With Kim, it often felt like they were trying to sell you on the idea that any girl could be like her, in the sense of having the ability to not only do anything but everything. Unlike almost every other superhero, Kim’s personal life never really suffers from her crime fighting activities. She’s a straight-A student, captain of the cheer squad, has only ever gotten detention once for being tardy a total of like, 3 times, and I don’t recall her ever angsting about the people close to her being targeted by supervillains.

One of the earliest episodes that always stood out to me started with Kim being called out by her squad for being late all the time. Her rival Bonnie makes the perfectly reasonable argument that if her crime fighting keeps her too busy to honor her commitment to the team then she should step down as cheer captain and let someone else with more free time takeover. But Bonnie is painted as being a conniving glory hound for daring to make this suggestion. Kim then spends the whole episode trying to prove she can balance both tasks. In any other show she might’ve really struggled with that and ultimately realized she was taking on too much responsibility. But instead, she does a perfectly fine job and she’s only threatened by Bonnie upstaging her with grand displays. In the end, she abdicates her position. Not because she’s realized that Bonnie was actually right, but because she expects that Bonnie will get burnt out and decide she doesn’t want the job anymore after two weeks. And indeed, after that episode Kim is back to being cheer captain and the issue never comes up again. So, the burden of being cheer captain is supposed to be too much for Bonnie, but not for Kim, who has way more on her plate. In what way are we meant to read that as anything but the narrative calling Bonnie lazy and venerating Kim for being hyper-competitive and achievement driven?

A couple episodes have Kim getting upset about not being instantly perfect at something, like cooking for driving, but even those episodes end with Kim getting the hang of it. I didn’t watch every episode, especially the later season ones, but I don’t remember Kim ever having to just accept that she straight up sucks at something or more than that, having her perfectionism really called out as a character flaw. There’s even an episode where Kim, who’s already a straight-A student, gets partnered up with a genius for a class project who doesn’t want Kim to contribute. Kim then feels the need to prove herself to this girl by studying whatever field of science she was an expert in until she had enough of an understanding to keep up with her. So it’s not enough for her to thrive and excel as much as she already does. She has to devote whatever time and energy has leftover after regular coursework, cheer leading, and saving the goddamned world to studying something, not because it interests her, but because she needs to earn the respect of a genius?

A thoughtful, realistic depiction of Kim would’ve called this behavior out as a pathological disorder. Things she does because she’s desperate for control or afraid of not being liked, or incapable of seeing value in herself outside of her achievements or usefulness to others, like Korra or Steven Universe. But Kim’s always portrayed as perfectly well-adjusted.

Batman, Spider-Man, Iron-Man, and even Superman are all regularly called out on how much responsibility they take on and the toll it takes on their physical and mental health and their relationships. What makes their actions truly heroic is how much they sacrifice to perform them. And its not depicted as aspirational when they let the guilt that drives them to make those sacrifices lead them to give up so much that they never get to be happy. Bruce Wayne ends up old and alone in Batman Beyond because he could never move on from his parents’ death and retire until a moment came that made him too ashamed to continue, and it’s a tragedy. But in The Dark Knight Rises, he DOES move on and the narrative celebrates him for releasing himself of his burden.

But with Kim Possible, they want to have their cake and eat it too. Give her all the perks of being awesome at everything without showing any of the drawbacks, the hardship, the sacrifice, or anything even remotely implying that her lifestyle isn’t 100% healthy, desirable, and achievable. Which is not a great message to send to young people, given how many struggle with the idea that they’re not achieving enough, even when they’re doing perfectly fine or have legitimate struggles that prevent them from “keeping up” with their peers.

And it’s this kind of writing that was considered acceptable in Kim Possible that ended up ruing Rey’s character in TROS. Vindicating her for wasting her life waiting for her parents. Attributing her darkness to Palpatine instead of the trauma and resentment of her abandonment. Refusing to call her out on her impulsive temper. Walking back on challenging her idolization of Luke. Paying lip-service to the idea of her realizing she’s not alone and has people in her life that she can rely on, only to cast her dyad partner aside and force her to fight the final battle alone. Ending her story with her as a solitary Strong Independent Woman after she spent her entire life desperately craving a family. Refusing to depict her grief over the loss of her literal soulmate. All in the name of promoting GURL POWER. This idea that girls can and should do anything and everything by themselves, without help, and it should be easy. Cost them nothing. Take no effort. Have no ugly consequences or side effects.

#reylo #rey #kylo ren #ben solo #star wars #rise of skywalker #tros #star wars tros #the rise of skywalker #star wars the rise of skywalker #kim possible

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avengerscompound · 5 years

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The Tower Holiday Special - Part One

The Tower Holiday Special: An Avengers Fanfic

Part One | Two

Series Masterlist

Word Count: 2411

Warnings: Fluffy fluff. Some funny dialogue.

Synopsis: After Tony announces to the world that the Avengers are in a polyamorous relationship together, things become tense. Elly decides that they could use some holiday cheer and gets all their friends involved.

Author’s Note: Written with @fanficwriter013

Part One

Tony’s announcement to the press had gone down exactly like you’d expect something like that would. The room had erupted into noise. Pepper had rushed up pushed Tony out of the way and the rest of us had been hustled out of the room.

Outside the tower, we were the biggest news item of the year. People couldn’t get over the fact that the people that they’d entrusted with keeping them safe were leading a polyamorous lifestyle with each other. There was this push to remove the government sanctions that gave the Avengers rights to operate outside the law in regards to the protection of Earth and its people away from them.

Thankfully even the conservative right saw sense when it came to that particular issue. The far right did push to have Steve stripped of the title of Captain America. Citing that someone with such loose morals should not get to represent the country. So Steve not wanting to cause any more troubles dropped it. Took up the name Nomad and grew a beard. It was pretty hot.

Other superheroes were approached for statements. King T’Challa had made a public statement saying how individuals conducted their private life was of no one’s concern and had refused to answer any further questions. Scott would just gush about them whenever asked. He really was the Avenger’s biggest fanboy. Rhodey liked to stop at the press that now flocked around the outside front doors and tell them we were all deviates. When questioned about whether he thought they were competent enough to be entrusted to protect the planet he just answered that it was still here.

The members of the public that were very supportive of them, and even liked the fact that they were like that, didn’t understand me. Who was this complete nobody who somehow managed to bag all the Avengers? While they weren’t referred to as sluts by their group of supporters, I almost always was. Because even though I had committed myself to them, and never strayed outside the group, where some of them did, I had to be a slut to agree to the arrangement in the first place, right? It was infuriating, to say the least.

Jax has his work cut out for him, let me tell you.

Inside things were tense. The fact we hadn’t all agreed to the outing and Tony had just outed us made nerves frayed. There was a lot of fighting for a while. The fact we could now not even leave the building without being hounded didn’t help.

Tony bought land in upstate New York. He thought if he built a compound more set up for them as Avengers rather than just living in the building that had been build for Stark Industries it would make both their lives as Avengers easier and our lives as a family easier too.

In the meantime, I just wanted us to get back to being a family. I was tired of the bickering. Christmas was coming up and while normally we just breeze through holidays simply because of a lack of time to actually spend celebrating them I wanted it to be special. I was aware not everyone celebrated it. Wanda was Jewish, Bruce was a little more spiritual than religious and Tony an atheist. Still, it could be a nice non-denominational winter gift-giving celebration.

With different levels of enthusiasm, I managed to convince them to play along. I even roped in Hill, Coulson, Rhodey, and Scott. The fact I’d gotten Thor to come visit us for the holidays was the biggest selling point. Even if he did bring his brother along.

We decided to do secret Santa. So we sat around in the common room as I scribbled names on paper and put them in a hat. “So shall we talk money limits? Will you stick to them?” I said giving Tony a pointed look.

“Whoa, hey! Why are you looking at me like that?” Tony said defensively. “I didn’t even want to do this. Santa is creepy. But yeah, whatever, I’ll stick to a limit.”

“Okay, thank you. I really have no idea what to make it. What do you set a spending limit to when you have a Billionaire and an actual thief in the mix.” I say looking around the room. “Should we allow for some extravagance or more thoughtful time spent?”

“As the billionaire in the room, I’m going to keep my mouth shut,” Tony said.

“I don’t even know what I’m going to do until I see who I get,” Nat added.

Wanda looked from the others to me. “What about a time limit as a compromise?”

“Okay. So no limits, but don’t go outside your own personal comfort limit. The idea is to be thoughtful, not spend the most money. You’re buying or making a present for someone specific not just going ‘hey new car, everyone likes those.” I said and handed the hat to Sam. “If you pull your name out, put it back and draw again. It’s not a free ride to not buy anyone a present.”

Sam pulled a slip of paper, looks at it and handed the hat to Steve. The hat was passed from person to person, everyone looking at who they drew and keeping their expressions neutral. The hat eventually returned to me and I looked at my piece of paper to see that I drew Vision. I immediately started planning things in his head going over the things I knew about Vision. How much life interested him. I figured as a biologist I could figure this out.

“Alright, cool. This is going to be fun.” I said, putting my strip of paper in my pocket. “The next thing is decorations. I know the Lobby and some of the offices are decorated. Can I decorate in here? Are there decorations I can use or should I order them in? I’d go shopping, but…”

“Order something in. Just use FRIDAY.” Steve said, sounding a little indignant. “Since someone opened his big mouth, it’s been hard for any of us to go outside the tower. Don’t exactly know how to decorate though.”

“I can help with that.” Wanda chirped, sending me a mental picture of the common floor completely decorated with trees and hanging lights, garlands and mistletoe. It was stunning and reminded me of pictures of German Christmas Markets.

“Ohh…” I gasped. “I love it. Would you like to add some Hanukkah stuff too?” I said to Wanda as I grabbed a tablet and started searching Christmas stores for things that matched Wanda’s vision. “They’ll get bored of it eventually I’m sure. It’s not like we ever go outside and just start dry humping each other. What are they gonna get that isn’t just the way we’ve always been going out together? At least now we don’t have to pretend.”

Clint laughed. “That would be a pretty good get for the photographer that caught any of us doing that.”

“Some Blue lights would be enough. Pietro and I…” She trailed off. “I’ll do my own thing with that.”

I nodded. “What if we made it more winter themed than Christmas themed. Ice and snow and stuff.” I sent back a picture to her similar to the one that she sent but with more blue and white and the hanging garlands of lights looking like icicles.

“That’s really pretty. And it would be a good compromise for;” She sent me a picture of Tony. “A better compromise for everyone really.”

“Excellent,” I say as I start adding ornaments to my shopping cart. “Thank you all again for agreeing to do this. I know it’s a first. And for at least Loki it wasn’t even your choice, but I appreciate you humoring me.”

“Didn’t want to deal with the endless pouting and begging that would have ensued had we not agreed.” Tony shrugged. “Plus, I’m going to look at it from the other way. This is an opportunity to give someone a good, maybe funny gift.”

“When have I ever pouted and begged for anything?” I asked, a little outraged at the suggestion. I then caught what I just said. “No. No. Okay, not counting that kind of begging.”

Clint and Sam both started laughing. “Good, you caught that before he decided to go there,” Clint said.

A few days later the ornaments had arrived. I was in the common room unpacking them alone waiting for Wanda who was in training. The elevator arrived, and instead of Wanda stepping out, it was Steve.

He approached the boxes and picked one up looking inside. “FRIDAY said you’d be here.” He said not looking at me.

I looked up from what I was doing and tried to read him. “What’s up? Do you like them? Wanda’s going to come and help put them up. Which will make things go much faster because of the whole…” I waved my hands around.

“Yeah, she’ll have everything decorated in minutes.” Steve agreed, putting the box down. “So, uh, I was wondering. I can’t figure out what to do with the person that I got as my Secret Santa. Or whatever we’re calling this now. Can I switch them? Or is that against the rules?”

I sat back, wondering who he had that was so bad. I didn’t want to make it a chore for him though. “I mean, no one else is supposed to know. If you’re really struggling though, I can switch with you.”

Steve ran his hand through his hair and down the back of his neck. “I just, I’ve tried to think of things. But they would all come out as really mean gifts.”

I pulled out my wallet and took the scrap of paper with Vision written on it. “I’ll swap you, but no take backs,” I said offering the paper to him.

“Of course, thank you.” He said taking out his own paper and swapping it with mine.

I looked at the scrap of paper and saw the name Loki written on it. “That makes sense,” I said, tucking it into my wallet. “I was worried when Thor insisted on him joining too. I wonder why he would do that. Loki clearly doesn’t want to participate.”

“Because Thor is, as Clint phrases it, a big space puppy that believes the best in everyone.” He explained as he read the slip of paper I gave him.

“I should be able to come up with something. Just aim for the ego.” I said. “You okay with yours?”

Steve nodded. “It’ll take some thinking, but it’s better than Loki.”

“Little pro-tip for you. Scott’s been asking everyone around what Phil is like. I think he’d be easy to talk into switching.” I said.

Steve ran his finger and thumb along his beard. “I’ll think about it. Scott does have the computer background. He might do better with Vis. I’ll see how I go, though.”

I was in my apartment getting dressed a few days later when another trade happened. FRIDAY announced that Clint wanted to see me.

He wandered into my room as I was buttoning up my jeans looking quite lost. “Hey, El. I am having a super rough time with this gift thing. I got the one person in this Tower that you literally can’t get anything for.”

I flopped down on the edge of my bed and set it off swinging. “The only person, huh? Do you want help shopping or is this a please swap with me?”

Clint came and sat beside me and he kicked off the floor so the bed started to swing a little more violently. “You’re telling me you’ve got ideas for him?”

“I have been kinda focused on mine,” I said. “But I like buying gifts. Especially for people I love. He’d also be a lot easier for me to cheat with. ‘Oh look, I got you this lingerie and it only fits me.’”

“Oh right. Don’t think I’d have the same effect. I mean, I could wear some lacy panties. But just don’t think it’ll be received as well.” Clint joked. “Guess that means we’re switching.” He said the last bit a little hopefully.

I laughed and shook my head. “There’s no take backs. Are you really sure you want to do this?”

“I’m not sure, but I know I’m not going to be able to buy Tony anything that’s going to go down well,” Clint explained.

I grabbed my wallet and pulled out the slip of paper with Loki’s name on it. I handed it to him and as soon as he opened it his face fell. “Fuck. This is worse.” He complained. “What do you get the guy who mind controlled you? Might wanna check on the day that I don’t give him a live grenade.”

“You wanna trade back?” I asked him.

He collapsed back on the bed and ran his hands through his hair. “Yes. No. I don’t know.”

I straddled his lap, resting my hands on his chest and looked down at him. “What if I just help you choose something? I have a list of things I think he’ll have a hard time faking that he doesn’t like.”

Clint let out a sigh of relief. “Please.” He said reaching up and running his thumb over my cheek. “Thank you, princess. You’re a little bit too precious you know?”

I scrunch my face up at him. “So let’s think. The dude is a narcissist. What do narcissists like?”

“Umm… maybe we should ask Tony.” Clint joked. I punched him in the shoulder and he rolled us both over so he was on top of me. “Hey. No hitting.”

“Sorry, Clint,” I said sheepishly and he smirked and leaned in to kiss me. I ran my hands up under his t-shirt as our lips caressed. “Mmm… what were we talking about?” I asked.

“What narcissists like,” Clint answered.

“Oh yeah. They like themselves.” I said, shaking my head. “So, maybe there’s something, a book, or art or a play that has him in it. He might like that right?”

Clint cupped my cheeks with his hands. “You’re a genius. Even though you got me into this mess, I don’t know what I did to deserve you.”

“Yeah, god knows. I thought you were a superhero. Getting stuck with me is just rude.” I joked.

He laughed, leaned in and kissed me.

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sunshinexlollipops · 5 years

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So, this is a topic a lot of Rdr2 fan writers have touched upon, but I'm curious about your thoughts on Mary Linton. Do you think she was using Arthur in the events of the game? Do you think she was selfish for not following Arthur or was she reasonable? Do you think it's fair of her to hurt Arthur by stating that "he'll never change"? And while I get the feeling you'll touch this topic in ACW, how do you think Arthur with a new S/O would handle her coming back into his life?

Ohhhhh, anon, you are wanting some tea I tell you! Good thing I just stocked up on Lipton.

So, Some if you may have read a reply about Mary Linton before and why I felt about her as the way I did, but it wasn’t this specific or mentioning of ACW, so here we go!

—————

Was Mary using Arthur?

Yes.

Love her or hate her, when you respond to Mary’s letter Arthur and meets her outside of Valentine, it becomes very clear that she lured Arthur in with her letter to save her brother, Jamie, from the chelonians (aka the weird turtle cult).

She admits this by saying Arthur is the only person she knows who can help, and she begs him to go and get Jamie back, despite how upset you can tell Arthur is at the prospect.

He makes it obvious when he tells her how he’s not good enough to be her husband, but is perfect to be her knight in shining armor. He even almost leaves before the player is given the choice to help Mary or not.

This continues on with the mission involving her father in Saint Denis, when you have to get back Mary’s broach after her father sells it for drinking and gambling money.

As I mentioned in my previous post, Mary knows Arthur is fiercely loyal. He is one of the most dedicated characters, and he has made many sacrifices over the years that have cost him so much, with even Mary being one of them.

She knows that, and he does. Arthur writes about how Mary can “play him like a fiddle” and “like no one else.” He knows he’s being used, that he’s just falling down the rabbit hole again and he knows where it ends.

But he will always come when Mary calls. Always.

Granted, near the last mission, it is obvious Mary cares for him too. That their spark was never quite snuffed out.

The problem is that the ended for a reason, and no matter how much time passes or what they long for, they are both too stubborn to really compromise for one another.

Saying this though, Arthur did want to leave the gang to be with her if you continue with her side missions, but it just wasn’t meant to be.

It never was, and they both know that.

It’s just a matter of actually admitting it to themselves and each other.

Was she selfish or reasonable when she left?

I would say there is SOME reason in Mary initially rejecting Arthur, but there is a catch that makes it not entirely pure.

It is understandable if Mary broke her engagement off with Arthur if it had solely been about him running with Dutch and remaining an outlaw, but it wasn’t.

It’s stated in the game that the main reason Mary and Arthur split was because of Mary’s father and his intolerance of Arthur, and the hypocrisy of it all.

Arthur hates Mary’s father. And for good reason.

Arthur isn’t a good man, but he is honest about it. He never hid what he was from Mary, and she knew when they got together that he was in the Van Der Linde gang and what he did in it.

But that didn’t matter until Mary’s father put his foot down, saying Mary had no reason to be with someone like Arthur.

It would be rational if his reasoning was that Arthur was too dangerous with his lifestyle for Mary, but it mainly came down to a battle of morals.

Mary’s father views Arthur as scum, a criminal not worthy of his daughter. He constantly drags Arthur into the dirt, and places himself and his daughter up on a pedestal that he deems unreachable by the likes of Arthur.

The problem is, Mary’s father is just as crooked as Arthur in some ways.

He’s a drunkard, a liar, a thief.

While you can argue we don’t know much about him, we do know just from the mission in Saint Denis that heals Mary’s belongings to sell them so he can continuously fuel his addictions at a cost to his family.

The way he talks to Arthur is condescending, and you can tell that there is definitely a war of egos going on between the two men.

It’s pretty much just a pissing war, with Arthur being the main target with even Mary taking jabs at him, and refusing to acknowledge he flaws in her father.

Ultimately, it is why they split.

And that’s why her leaving Arthur isn’t as reasonable as it could be if her intentions were solely based on the clash between her father and Arthur, and her denial to see that her father was only ever calling the kettle black.

I wouldn’t necessarily label it as selfish until she demands that Arthur change, when she can’t even admit that her father isn’t as great as he’s made out to be.

Was it fair of her to tell Arthur he could never change?

Okay, so I do want to say this before I get into the logistics of Mary saying that to Arthur: this game is focused on showing us redemption.

Arthur the entire game, Arthur is reflecting and figuring out if the man he is now is the man he wants to be.

Mary saying this line was assuredly to drive home Arthur’s will to change for the better, or to overall look at himself and know that something needed to be done.

So I wouldn’t entirely say it was all on Mary for that line— it was definitely a ploy by the writers for their overall message in the game.

However, they chose Mary as a conduit to relay this because she is from Arthur’s past, and the reason why they split was, as she says, because Arthur wasn’t willing to part with the gang and change for her.

Once upon a time it may have been true, but things were different. I doubt Dutch was the man we came to know, even in the prequel, and things weren’t going to hell as they were. It was the calm before the storm, so why would Arthur think he needed to pack up and leave when everything was just fine?

But the changes in Dutch and the changes in the world that were driving the life an outlaw to extinction have Arthur reconsidering everything, even before we play. There is doubts being voiced with Arthur as soon as chapter one, and that alone speaks of a great shift within him.

He isn’t blind anymore. He can’t afford to be.

And he sure as hell isnt blind when it comes to himself.

We see how Arthur is changing from the very beginning, and we can tell that he is thinking differently and wondering if this life is worth it anymore.

When Mary says Arthur cannot change, she is only refusing to see what is really happening, like with her father.

As I wrote in another post, she calls upon Arthur and uses him because he is he only person she thinks she can go to when Jamie needs saved, and when her father does too.

She keeps Arthur around and on a string because of what he is. She doesn’t expect him to change because what she asks of him is the very thing she criticizes him for.

And as I said, you cannot expect someone to change when you keep them around for what they already are.

So no, it wasn’t fair of her to say that. Both because Arthur was capable, and she wouldn’t let him prove he did.

And what about ACW or just another significant other being with Arthur when Mary reappears?

Oh anon, I can definitely tell you that Mary will be touched upon and talked about in my fic. There’s no doubt, because Mary is one reason Arthur is the way that he is.

I don’t want to spoil much, or explain things as I intended with the story, but yes— come chapter two, expect Mary to come into the picture.

As for Arthur having a different significant other, they wouldn’t be happy.

It’s obvious that Arthur isn’t over her, that he never quite can be. He is always loyal to her, and even with a significant other, he would more than likely still help Mary when she asked him to.

That being said, he would be able to admit that what they had has passed, and if Mary does express interest, Arthur would just smile sadly at her and tell her it’s a while too late.

He will remain kind to her, but he wouldn’t jeopardize his new relationship over something he knows won’t work out, and is wrong like that.

Of course, there would more than likely be fights between Arthur and his partner. Lingering jealousy, fear of him being unfaithful— of something rekindling.

Him still offering to help Mary won’t help the situation, but it is going to be up to his partner if they want to see through to his intentions.

Which isn’t anything romantic with Mary. For him, it’s a principle thing.

Because his heart is with his partner, no matter what. But he would not leave Mary out to dry just because it no longer lies with her.

With ACW, we’ll see this play out, and I’m pretty excited to portray the tension and conflict when it comes to Mary’s sudden reappearance and calling on Arthur.

So, looks like that’s it! Thanks for the submission, anon!

Hoped this answered all your questions! If not, of if you have any more, just hit the inbox up again. ;)

#arthur morgan #arthur morgan / mary linton #mary linton #rdr #rdr2 #red dead redemption #red dead redemption 2 #mary gilis #ask #anon #anon ask #submission #amidst a clash of worlds

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science-criticaltheory · 3 years

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John le Carré

David John Moore Cornwell (19 October 1931 – 12 December 2020), better known by his pen name John le Carré (/ləˈkæreɪ/), was a British author, who took Irish citizenship towards the end of his life, best known for his espionage novels. During the 1950s and 1960s, he worked for both the Security Service (MI5) and the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6). His third novel, The Spy Who Came In from the Cold (1963), became an international best-seller and remains one of his best-known works.

Writing

Le Carré's first two novels, Call for the Dead (1961) and A Murder of Quality (1962), are mystery fiction. Each features a retired spy, George Smiley, investigating a death; in the first book, the apparent suicide of a suspected communist, and in the second volume, a murder at a boy's public school. Although Call for the Dead evolves into an espionage story, Smiley's motives are more personal than political. Le Carré's third novel, The Spy Who Came In from the Cold (1963), became an international best-seller and remains one of his best-known works; following its publication, he left MI6 to become a full-time writer. Although le Carré had intended The Spy Who Came in from the Cold as an indictment of espionage as morally compromised, audiences widely viewed its protagonist, Alec Leamas, as a tragic hero. In response, le Carré's next book, The Looking Glass War, was a satire about an increasingly deadly espionage mission which ultimately proves pointless.

Most of le Carré's books are spy stories set during the Cold War (1945–91) and portray British Intelligence agents as unheroic political functionaries aware of the moral ambiguity of their work and engaged more in psychological than physical drama. The novels emphasise the fallibility of Western democracy and of the secret services protecting it, often implying the possibility of east–west moral equivalence. They experience little of the violence typically encountered in action thrillers and have very little recourse to gadgets. Much of the conflict is internal, rather than external and visible. The recurring character George Smiley, who plays a central role in five novels and appears as a supporting character in four more, was written as an "antidote" to James Bond, a character le Carré called "an international gangster" rather than a spy and who he felt should be excluded from the canon of espionage literature. In contrast, he intended Smiley, who is an overweight, bespectacled bureaucrat who uses cunning and manipulation to achieve his ends, as an accurate depiction of a spy.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Honourable Schoolboy, and Smiley's People (the Karla trilogy) brought Smiley back as the central figure in a sprawling espionage saga depicting his efforts first to root out a mole in the Circus and then to entrap his Soviet rival and counterpart, code-named Karla. The trilogy was originally meant to be a long-running series that would find Smiley dispatching agents after Karla all around the world. Smiley's People marked the last time Smiley featured as the central character in a le Carré story, although he brought the character back in The Secret Pilgrim and A Legacy of Spies.

A Perfect Spy (1986), which chronicles the boyhood moral education of Magnus Pym and how it leads to his becoming a spy, is the author's most autobiographical espionage novel, reflecting the boy's very close relationship with his con man father. Biographer LynnDianne Beene describes the novelist's own father, Ronnie Cornwell, as "an epic con man of little education, immense charm, extravagant tastes, but no social values". Le Carré reflected that "writing A Perfect Spy is probably what a very wise shrink would have advised". He also wrote a semi-autobiographical work, The Naïve and Sentimental Lover (1971), as the story of a man's midlife existential crisis.

With the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989, le Carré's writing shifted to portrayal of the new multilateral world. His first completely post-Cold War novel, The Night Manager (1993), deals with drug and arms smuggling in the murky world of Latin American drug lords, shady Caribbean banking entities, and western officials who look the other way.

As a journalist, le Carré wrote The Unbearable Peace (1991), a nonfiction account of Brigadier Jean-Louis Jeanmaire (1911–1992), the Swiss Army officer who spied for the Soviet Union from 1962 until 1975.

Credited under his pen name, le Carré appears as an extra in the 2011 film version of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, among the guests at the Christmas party in several flashback scenes. He allegedly coined the espionage terms "mole" and "honey trap" (the latter referring to the use of female agents by both sides to blackmail male civil servants). Le Carre records a number of incidents from his period as a diplomat in his autobiographical work, The Pigeon Tunnel. Stories from My Life (2016), which include escorting six visiting German parliamentarians to a London brothel and translating at a meeting between a senior German politician and Harold Macmillan.

Politics

Le Carré feuded with Salman Rushdie over The Satanic Verses, stating that "nobody has a God-given right to insult a great religion and be published with impunity".

In January 2003, two months prior to the invasion, The Times published le Carré's essay "The United States Has Gone Mad" criticising the buildup to the Iraq War and President George W. Bush's response to the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks, calling it "worse than McCarthyism, worse than the Bay of Pigs and in the long term potentially more disastrous than the Vietnam War" and "beyond anything Osama bin Laden could have hoped for in his nastiest dreams". Le Carré participated in the London protests against the Iraq War. He said the war resulted from the "politicisation of intelligence to fit the political intentions" of governments and "How Bush and his junta succeeded in deflecting America's anger from bin Laden to Saddam Hussein is one of the great public relations conjuring tricks of history".

He was critical of Tony Blair's role in taking Britain into the Iraq War, saying "I can't understand that Blair has an afterlife at all. It seems to me that any politician who takes his country to war under false pretences has committed the ultimate sin. I think that a war in which we refuse to accept the body count of those that we kill is also a war of which we should be ashamed".

Le Carré was critical of Western governments' policies towards Iran. He believed Iran's actions are a response to being "encircled by nuclear powers" and by the way in which "we ousted Mosaddeq through the CIA and the Secret Service here across the way and installed the Shah and trained his ghastly secret police force in all the black arts, the SAVAK".

In 2017, le Carré expressed concerns over the future of liberal democracy, saying "I think of all things that were happening across Europe in the 1930s, in Spain, in Japan, obviously in Germany. To me, these are absolutely comparable signs of the rise of fascism and it's contagious, it's infectious. Fascism is up and running in Poland and Hungary. There's an encouragement about". He later wrote that the end of the Cold War had left the West without a coherent ideology, in contrast to the "notion of individual freedom, of inclusiveness, of tolerance – all of that we called anti-communism" prevailing during that time.

Le Carré opposed both U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, arguing that their desire to seek or maintain their countries' superpower status caused an impulse "for oligarchy, the dismissal of the truth, the contempt, actually, for the electorate and for the democratic system". Le Carré compared Trump's tendency to dismiss the media as "fake news" to the Nazi book burnings, and wrote that the United States is "heading straight down the road to institutional racism and neo-fascism".

Le Carré was an outspoken advocate of European integration and sharply criticised Brexit. Le Carré criticised Conservative politicians such as Boris Johnson (whom he referred to as a "mob orator"), Dominic Cummings, and Nigel Farage in interviews, claiming that their "task is to fire up the people with nostalgia [and] with anger". He further opined in interviews that "What really scares me about nostalgia is that it's become a political weapon. Politicians are creating a nostalgia for an England that never existed, and selling it, really, as something we could return to", noting that with "the demise of the working class we saw also the demise of an established social order, based on the stability of ancient class structures". On the other hand, he said that in the Labour Party "they have this Leninist element and they have this huge appetite to level society."

On Brexit, le Carré did not mince his words, comparing it to the 1956 Suez crisis which confirmed post-imperial Britain's loss of global power. "This is without doubt the greatest catastrophe and the greatest idiocy that Britain has perpetrated since the invasion of Suez," le Carré said of Brexit. "Nobody is to blame but the Brits themselves - not the Irish, not the Europeans". "The idea, to me, that at the moment we should imagine we can substitute access to the biggest trade union in the world with access to the American market is terrifying," he said.

Speaking to The Guardian in 2019, he commented "I've always believed, though ironically it's not the way I've voted, that it's compassionate conservatism that in the end could, for example, integrate the private schooling system. If you do it from the left you will seem to be acting out of resentment; do it from the right and it looks like good social organisation." Le Carré also said that "I think my own ties to England were hugely loosened over the last few years. And it's a kind of liberation, if a sad kind."

In Le Carré's final novel Agent Running in the Field, one of the novel's characters refers to Trump as "Putin's shithouse cleaner" who "does everything for little Vladi that little Vladi can't do for himself". The novel's narrator describes Boris Johnson as "a pig-ignorant foreign secretary". He says Russia is moving "backwards into her dark, delusional past", with Britain following a short way behind. Le Carré later said that he believed the novel's plotline, involving the U.S. and British intelligence services colluding to subvert the European Union, to be "horribly possible."

#John le Carré #cold war #us wars of aggression #democracy #biography

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ganymedesclock · 7 years

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The promised thoughts inspired by this post is, what it comes down to is I think a lot of people read s3e1 and Lotor’s defeat of Throk alone as his Establishing Character Moment, when, I think what cements Lotor’s personality is that scene, but also, s3e2 and Puig.

Twice, we see Lotor carefully plan, and, with the generals’ backing, execute a preemptive strike. He isolates and defeats his enemy, and then launches his plan, both times using it as a talking point for his own agenda.

The differences, however, stand out.

Throk is a military commander who prides himself in following Zarkon’s dogma. The way he complains about Lotor’s policies tells us about Throk as much as it does about Lotor- Throk can’t conceive letting conquered people self-determine, or fighting alongside his clear subordinates, or employing galra of mixed heritage. He’s proud of the enemies he’s left “wasting on the battlefields” and fully means to do the same to Lotor.

The Puigian leader is an insurgent fighting for the freedom of himself and his people. At his back is a history of slavery. Overwhelmingly, the people of Puig have sparing armaments, no armor, and at that stage, are pretty reliant on their savior, Voltron- because they’re coming from almost nothing. Lotor is terrifying- greeted as an indication of the imperial boot coming back down onto their faces. But even then, the leader is willing to beg him for mercy- not selfishly, but for his people. And the family that Zethrid captured with the net shot had a child among them- so we have a pretty clear picture of who exactly is on the line, and the leader’s mind.

Here’s the thing. Lotor’s handling of Throk is at its core disrespectful. Not only does he push his own agenda- the very thing that Throk was despising- in such a way that the fleet buys into it- he continues to treat Throk as an enemy, but, utterly refusing to grant Throk what he sees as dignified and proper. Lotor won’t even play Throk’s game- so in a sense, sparing him only to demote him to a poor post is an exceptional piece of backhanded assistance.

Basically, Lotor is spiting Throk more by not conquering him the way standard imperial dogma insists one warrior should meet another. It’s an incredibly efficient dismantling of the threat Throk poses as a charismatic figure who’s infinitely better connected and established within the fleet, but also in a symbolic clash of values, Lotor manipulates everything Throk stands for and humiliates him without breaching his own values of mercy.

This, alone, would establish Lotor as brilliant, cunning, but ultimately detached, aloof, and incredibly snide- which he is, but not at all times to all people. S3e1 alone fails to grasp quite how complicated Lotor is.

And that’s where Puig comes in.

Because the leader of Puig, in the eyes of the empire, is not a respectable, influential man like Throk. He’s a slave, powerless, with no grounds to even really threaten or challenge Lotor. Ezor alone brings him to his knees before Lotor even arrives.

However, with the abilities of the generals showcased, we see that even attacking them, Lotor proceeds respectfully. Ezor’s invisibility, Zethrid and Acxa’s portable barriers and Narti’s mind control aren’t assets the empire would utilize because the empire on Puig would have been a massacre. Lotor’s team explicitly goes in using their powers to make minimal casualties. We can count, onscreen, the people injured, and only one of them, an unnamed individual shot by Acxa who falls down, really would have the potential to be life-threatening; the others, the man Narti throws off a shallow roof and his companion who she pins down, the Puigian leader kicked around by Ezor, and the mounted rider thrown by Zethrid- would have had broken bones at the worst.

The cruiser, within Puig’s atmosphere, does not shoot at the populace or destroy any buildings.

Basically: for Lotor and his team, the amount suffered by the Puigians is a specific calculation, and they arrive with the express intent to hold the planet as harmlessly as possible.

This speaks to the fact that back in s3e1, Lotor’s gripe against the abuses of the empire is hedged in terms that he finds it inefficient. That people who are subjected to egregious inhumanity will be a constant fight to keep down- and conversely, people who are respected, acknowledged, given ownership of the empire the’re part of- will instead fight for you, to preserve your reign.

And efficiency is the greatest thing Lotor seems to admire. So Lotor isn’t being nice because he intends from the start to try and sell his cause to the Puigian leader- rather, he tries to entice Puig to join him because getting people to help you voluntarily is, in his eyes, the most efficient route.

This is the first thing Lotor respects about Puig: that their pain is meaningful. And that even defeating them, he wants to do so in a way that does not excessively harm him. One could argue this is framed more as Acxa’s ideals than Lotor’s- but, Acxa is Lotor’s right hand. He has responded to this very restrained, moral individual that dislikes hurting others any more than she can possibly help it by giving her a relative position of power and a particularly respectful ear.

The second thing Lotor respects about Puig is that while Lotor intended from the start to discard Throk as soon as his little photo op was done, and has no intention of giving Throk anything of what he wants, not compromising his own “repulsive” policies or even humoring the idea of Throk as an ally or advisor...

Lotor offers the Puigian leader his full assistance getting and securing what they want. He offers them an alliance, safety, support- rejoining the empire but with genuine say about what’s happening.

And what makes it clear that’s not just pretty words?

The Puigian leader turns him down.

And stays in power.

Lotor doesn’t retake Puig. He sets up his trap and then pulls all his people out and leaves. In s4e5 we see that Puig is still part of the coalition. There are puigians fighting during the blitz.

And this is the important second part of Lotor’s characterization. Because here’s the thing.

Throk, as mentioned, is an influential fleet commander within the empire.

Puig is pretty much nothing to Lotor except a strategic point for an ambush. These people are recently-liberated slaves with no real resources besides what appear to be a modest stock of weapons gleaned from the empire.

But Lotor blows off Throk in a specifically spiteful manner- and comparatively is much more careful and considerate towards Puig.

And the other key difference here?

Throk is a bully. Again, everything Throk says establishes he’s cut from the same cloth as a lot of our other galra antagonists- he’s been conquering people and forcing them down, hurting them, in the name of the empire and Zarkon. He thinks this is the proper way to behave- that people with partial galra heritage don’t deserve power or influence.

S3e2 shows us that not only is Lotor not always as cold as he was to Throk, but that even when he’s just taking what he wants from a relative stranger, Lotor has a certain amount of empathy for victims, and a certain amount of disgust for bullies.

#voltron legendary defender #vld #Lotor #readmore /

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aion-rsa · 4 years

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The Boys Season 2 Succeeds By Allowing Its Female Characters to Shine

https://ift.tt/33KvkLq

The following contains spoilers for The Boys season 2.

On the surface, Amazon’s popular superhero series The Boys is a dark inversion of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, a profane, uber-violent world in which corruption, blackmail, and corporate greed rule the day rather than truth, justice, and the American way. Despite their super status, the show’s heroes are often depicted as selfish, morally reprehensible, and obsessed with their fame rather than interested in doing much in the way of saving the world.

Although the show certainly has moments where it feels like little more than a parody of our current superhero obsessed culture, The Boys is smart and insightful as a whole, tackling complicated and messy issues like the rise of extremism in America, the perils of celebrity culture, the risks of unchecked capitalism and more.

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

So, it probably shouldn’t come as such a shock when it’s the series’ women who actually turn out to be its best characters. And yet, in a world where popular superhero enterprises like the MCU drag their feet about even including – let alone centering – female characters, maybe it really does take a show called The Boys to illustrate how very necessary women are to this genre.

While The Boys’ central conflicts are ostensibly positioned around and among men like Homelander, Butcher, and Hughie, it’s the series’ women who get the strongest, most complete narrative arcs in season 2. From Starlight’s story of quiet but determined resistance and Queen Maeve’s decision to stand up to Homelander to Kimiko’s embrace of her voice, the women of The Boys are all actively reclaiming their own stories and making a place for themselves within the world of the show.

The Boys Season 2 Ending Explained

By Lacy Baugher

The Boys Season 2: Who Is Victoria Neuman?

By Kirsten Howard

Even newcomer Stormfront, who is revealed to be a literal Nazi during the back half of the second season, is a more well-rounded character than several of the male Seven members, and the outspoken way she refuses to participate in or be patronized by the sexist system global megacorporation Vought International has built to exploit its female heroes is admirable, even when she herself is anything but. (Though, to be fair, it’s certainly possible that Stormfront’s aggressive feminism is as much of an act as the rest of her persona and she’s actually a secret misogynist. But since she generally doesn’t treat women with the same open disdain as she does people of color, it seems less likely.)

At Vought, female supes are unfortunately seen as little more than another commodity to exploit. The “Girls Get it Done” campaign that’s launched upon Stormfront’s arrival purports to celebrate girl power, but relies upon shallow catchphrases and leans into sexist archetypes by insisting that feminist strength comes from a skimpy outfit and thigh-high stiletto boots. The female heroes are frequently condescended to by their male colleagues, and rarely given similar levels of agency or control over their own lives. (See also: Vought’s decision to brand Maeve as a lesbian, rather than truthfully label her as bisexual, in an attempt to sell more specially licensed rainbow Pride burgers.)

Thankfully, The Boys not only recognizes the value in the stories of its female heroes, it relies on them to give the season’s overall arc some much-needed emotional depth.

It’s not an accident that most of season 2’s best moments either come about because of or directly feature female characters. It’s hard to think of a more satisfying sequence than the moment in which Maeve, Kimiko, and Starlight join forces to beat the crap out of Stormfront, but it’s the quieter character arcs that do the heavy lifting of interrogating and what being a hero really means.

The most obvious example of this necessary narrative expansion is Kimiko, a character who, in the comics this series is based on, is simply known as “The Female” and has little in the way of interiority. The television version of The Boys not only gives her a name and a history but decides that Kimiko’s story is one that’s worth telling in its own right. The introduction of her brother Kenji and the revelation of their shared torture at the hands of the Shining Light Liberation Army give Kimiko a much-needed backstory and his subsequent murder by Stormfront just adds to her complicated reasons for wanting to take Vought down. (Which, by the way, have nothing to do with the pack of men she’s currently running around with.)

On the supe side of things, Starlight gets what is probably the most complete narrative of the season, growing into her role as both a hero and a leader by doing precisely what those kinds of people are supposed to do: Fight injustice. Her quiet commitment to doing what’s right in a world that consistently rewards those who look the other way sees her make hard choices – she must blackmail a former church friend to gain access to a sample of Compound V – and difficult compromises, but always with a larger goal in mind.

Her small acts of defiance feel both hopeful and thrilling in the wake of Homelander’s consistently domineering awfulness, and you can’t help but see her as the show’s best example of everything a superhero – in this universe or any other – is supposed to be. Her decision to remain in Vought Tower and to work with a man who tried to kill her in the name of being part of the solution to what’s wrong in the world is an extremely exciting development in a universe where superheroes can barely be counted on to save the day when asked. And since Queen Maeve also seems to be on a slightly more heroic path by the close of the season, Starlight may not be alone on the side of right next season

Back in season 1, Maeve is a cynical, world-weary veteran hero, beaten down by years’ worth of struggle within the Seven and at Vought generally. Like Starlight, she’s also experienced harassment and exploitation, but she’s grown tired of fighting a system that constantly treats her as a second-class citizen even as it touts her very presence as progress. Maeve has made so many compromises at Vought that she’s become the sort of woman that lets a plane full of innocent people die screaming because standing up to her team leader has become too much work.

Until it isn’t.

Maeve’s decision to finally to join Starlight’s cause – saving her from Black Noir, arriving just in time to face off with Stormfront, and blackmailing Homelander into leaving them all alone – feels like a choice that’s been years coming, and that could truly shake things up for both The Seven and The Boys itself. What does this group suddenly look like if it’s being led by two women (and, ugh, Homelander, I guess) but we all know who’d really be in charge there. How much good could they do? How much might they actually change things at Vought? The cover-up press conference that reinstates Starlight and closes the season suggests not much, but every rebellion starts with hope, right?

The post The Boys Season 2 Succeeds By Allowing Its Female Characters to Shine appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3nC9TUq

#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

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ltworld · 4 years

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Revelation, Coronavirus, and the Mark of the Beast: How Should Christians Read the Bible’s Most Fascinating Book? Part 3

Kevin DeYoung

I started this series when the whole world was talking about COVID-19, and some people were wondering if the signs of Revelation were unfolding—or would soon unfold—before our eyes. That’s what prompted these three posts on how to read the book of Revelation. Let me bring this short series to a close by trying to explain what may be the most famous sign in Revelation: the mark of the beast.

In order to understand the mark of the beast in Revelation 13:18, we need to see what is happening in the rest of the chapter. In the first half of chapter 13, we’re introduced to a beast from the sea. This beast is broadly representative of the political sphere. In the second half of chapter 13, we are introduced to a beast from the earth. This beast is broadly representative of the religious sphere. If the first beast is the perversion of the state, the second beast is the perversion of true worship.

With that as a basic outline, let’s go verse by verse through the second half of the chapter. Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon (v. 11).

This imagery comes from Daniel 8 where Daniel sees a vision of a ram with two horns. That’s where the picture comes from, but what it points to is a counterfeit Christ. This beast looks like Christ, the lamb, but speaks the lies of the dragon, that is, the Devil.

Remember, the first beast is the perversion of the state, and the second beast is the perversion of Christianity. We shouldn’t expect false religion to appear immediately and obviously false. We should expect other religions to talk about love and morality. We should expect there to be many similarities, some real and some perceived, between true Christianity and false Christianity. We should expect false Christian cults and perversions to speak highly of Jesus. We should expect them to talk about the cross. We should expect similar religious language and themes, which is why we must be wise. The beast may look a lamb, but if you are discerning, you will hear that the voice is the voice of a dragon.

It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence, and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound was healed (v. 12).

The second beast is an accomplice to the first. He acts on his behalf and leads people to worship him. In the first century there was a large imperial cult. There were priests and sacred rituals and officials insisting on the deity of the emperor. They encouraged, and sometimes made mandatory, the worship of the state. Religion is at its worst when it does nothing but lends credence to and encourages support of the corrupt and blasphemous state.

We all feel the need to experience something bigger than ourselves. We all want to touch transcendence. We were created to worship God. There is something hard-wired in all humans that compels us to search after the divine or find something spiritual. That’s the good news. God made us for God.

The bad news is the human heart is an idol factory. We find God in all the wrong places. The Devil is perfectly happy to have everyone searching for God. He is entirely content to have all of us on a spiritual journey looking for transcendence. There’s a reason hardly anyone is an atheist. The Devil doesn’t care if people believe in God. He just doesn’t want people to believe in and be satisfied in Jesus Christ. So if we can find a religious-like feeling in political activism or spirituality in the entertainment industry or experience transcendence in art or make a god out of the family, then the Devil has won. The second beast lives wherever the Devil entices people to worship something man-made, to make an idolatrous image out of anything other than Jesus Christ, who alone is the image of the invisible God.

It performs great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in front of people, and by the signs that it is allowed to work in the presence of the beast it deceives those who dwell on earth, telling them to make an image for the beast that was wounded by the sword and yet lived (vv. 13-14).

The second beast is a false prophet. Three times, Revelation makes reference to the beast and the false prophet (16:13; 19:20; 20:10). The second beast is the Minister of Propaganda, deceiving people to follow after the first beast. In verse 11, we saw the second beast as a false Christ. Now we see him as a false Elijah. Elijah, you recall, called down fire from heaven to burn up the sacrifices in full view of the prophets of Baal. The beast can do impressive feats just like Elijah. Don’t think false religion will appear worthless. Idolatry will boast of great accomplishments, even miracles. The priests of Egypt had their secret arts too. Don’t be impressed with mere signs unless they point to the Son that you might be impressed with him.

And it was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast might even speak and might cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be slain (v. 15).

“He was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast.” In other words, the second beast persuades the world that the image of the first beast is truly God. In the first century, this meant that the religious establishment convinced people that they should worship statues and images of Caesar. In our day, the beast may not directly instruct us to worship the state or the president, but he still functions as the mouthpiece for the Devil. He entices us to make money the desire of our hearts. He convinces us that sex will be most fulfilling when it is most free of commitment and ethical norms. He lies to us about the lasting value of fame and power and professional success and academic prestige. The beast gives breath to these things so that they seem god-like in our eyes. We must have them. We will not be happy or fulfilled or valuable without them.

Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name (vv. 16-17).

No one knows exactly where this imagery comes from or if it even has allusion to anything in the first century. It cold be an allusion to slave’s branding, or soldier’s tattoo, or some practice of compulsory idol worship developing in the first century. Any or all of these may serve as background imagery for these verses, but the mark in reality is not a visible mark. It is an invisible spiritual mark. The righteous and believing have the Father’s name written on their foreheads, and the wicked and unbelieving have the name of the beast. In both case we are talking about a spiritual mark, an invisible stamp of approval. This verse has nothing to do with bar codes or UPC labels or credit card numbers or Social Security numbers. The point of these verses is much simpler: if you don’t compromise with the worldly system, you will suffer. In the first century, this meant that your refusal to worship Caesar (to be spiritually identified with the beast) could mean persecution or discrimination or alienation. The world has a way of operating and when we choose a different way, we must be prepared for setbacks, strange looks, and often shame and suffering.

This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666 (v. 18).

This is probably the most debated verse in Revelation. It certainly is the verse that has produced the most fruitless debate. All sorts of numerical schemes have been concocted in various languages to try to decode 666. Here’s a list of referents I’ve seen for 666: Caligula, Domitian, Caesar God, Lateinos (the Roman Empire), “beast,” Antemus, Phoebus, Gensericus, Balaam, Mohammed, Martin Luther, Oliver Cromwell, Kaiser (Wilhelm), Hitler, the Nicolaitans, Euanthas, Teitan (Titans), the initials of the Roman emperors from Julius Caesar to Vespasian (minus Otho and Vitellius), the triangular number of 36 which is the triangular number of 8 which is significant because 8 is associated with Gnosticism or because the Antichrist in Revelation 17 is called the eighth king, the Latin Kingdom, the Italian Church, various Popes, all the Popes, the phrase “Vicar of the Son of God” and phrases like it, Ronald Reagan, and William Jefferson Clinton. I’m sure there are more.

All of these solutions are calculated by a process known as gematria. In the ancient world every letter corresponded to a number, just like A might equal 1, and B equal 2, C equal 3, and so on. The numbering scheme was often more complicated, but that’s the idea. Every letter could also be a number, so names could be translated into numbers. Kevin, for example, in our simplified scheme would be 11+5+22+9+14, which equals 61. That’s gematria. And people did use it in the ancient world, more than we think. There’s a text that identifies Jesus’s gematria name as 888, which is supposed to be significant because 8 is the number of re-creation. So through all sorts of complicated gematria calculations in different languages, people have come up with all the names in the list above.

Some of the names in the list are absurd. Most of the interpretations are not widely followed. The only name that has really gotten a strong following is Nero. If you take the Greek Neron Kaisar and transliterate it into Hebrew you get 50+200+6+50 and then 100+60+200, all of which together equals 666.

A possible corroboration for this view can be found in the Latin version of his name. Neron Kaiser transliterated in Latin gives you 616, which is the number of the beast in some alternative manuscripts (also the area code for Grand Rapids, Michigan). Nero fits with the story line of Revelation better than the other alternatives. Nero killed himself in AD 68, but it was rumored that he would come back to life or was still living, just like the beast received a fatal wound that was healed. So, according to many scholars, 666 is most logically a reference to Nero. And by putting Nero in the form of a riddle like this, it protected the Christians from charges of sedition and further persecution.

So the number of the beast could refer to Nero. That’s the most plausible person to be connected with 666. But there are also problems with the calculation.

First, it is far from certain that most of John’s audience would have known Hebrew. Some were probably Jewish Christians who understood Hebrew, but most certainly, many were not. So relying on your readers to not only know gematria but also transliterate a name into another language they may not have known seems like a poor way to communicate, unless John wasn’t interested in his audience knowing the answer to the puzzle.

Second, to come up with 666, you have to spell Neron Kaisar incorrectly in Hebrew. You have to leave out a yodh, which some claim was an acceptable spelling, but it was certainly not the normal usage.

Third, none of the early church fathers calculated Neron Kaisar from 666. There is a fifth-century document that calculates Nero, but it uses the word antichristus to get 616.

Fourth, verse 18 does not call us to solve a riddle. When it says, “let him calculate the number,” the solution is given in the next line. The number is 666. We are not told to solve the question of 666. We are told that 666 is the answer to the question. More on that in a moment.

Fifth, finding hidden, precise meanings in numbers is not the way numbers work in Revelation. The imagery in Revelation is broader and less exact. The church is symbolized with pictures (the 24 elders, the two witnesses, the woman) and a number (144,000). The church age is symbolized by pictures (the measured temple, the trampled witnesses, the woman protected in the wilderness) and numbers (42 months, 1260 days, 3 ½ years). Likewise, false religion is symbolized by a picture (the beast) and a number (666). In each case, the pictures and numbers mean something, but they refer to general truths, not to specific people or referents.

Sixth, if dozens of names can be calculated from 666, how effective is this means of communication? As one author puts it, it doesn’t tell us much that a certain key fits the lock, if it’s a lock that works with almost any key. I once came across these three tongue-in-cheek “rules” for calculating the number of the beast: if the proper name doesn’t work, add a title; if Greek doesn’t work try Hebrew or Latin; if that doesn’t work try a different spelling. That’s more or less the approach most people take, and it yields a hundred different answers.

So if 666 isn’t code for Nero or anyone else, what does it mean? Here’s my humble opinion (he said humbly!): 666 is not meant to be a riddle hiding the name of the beast; 666 is simply the name and number of the beast. The number 666 is man’s number (cf. 21:17). You could understand this to mean “666 is a number of a man” or “666 is the number of man.” I think it’s the latter.

What have we seen with this second beast? He is a counterfeit. He leads people into false religion. So how do you express numerically counterfeit religion? 7 is the number of perfection and holy completion in the book of Revelation (7 churches, 7 lampstands, 7 eyes, 7 seals, 7 trumpets, and so on). The number 6, then, would be the number of imperfection and unholy incompletion. If 7 is the number for God, then 6 is the number of that most resembles, but is not, God—namely, man.

In other words, 666 is man’s counterfeit to the holy Trinity of 777. The Africa Bible Commentary puts it well:

The beast seems to be near perfection and almost messianic; it is, after all, a caricature of the Lamb who was slain (13:3, 11, 13). But it is not perfect, and that makes all the difference. It is actually diabolically and utterly opposed to God (13:4). The number 666 represents a threefold falling short of perfection (dragon: 6, beast: 6, false prophet: 6). But it is close to perfection, and has most of the hallmarks of truth, and so can easily deceive. No wonder wisdom is required!

All of which is to say, whatever you think of the way the medical establishment and the media and our politicians have handled this global pandemic, the mark of the beast is not going to be found in an implanted microchip. If, however, doctors or politicians or members of the media or anyone else, for that matter, elevates himself to a position of Godlike authority and knowledge, then that is what Revelation warns Christians against. Whatever or whomever appears as true Christianity in order to draw us away to some human counterfeit, that is the work of the beast, and his number is 666.

Note: This post was first published through The Gospel Coalition website.

#deyoung #revelation

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nautilusopus · 6 years

Text

The Number I

Chapter 16: Happy Birthday Cloud (Just Kidding It Is Not Actually His Birthday at All, I Have Done Another Joke)

And here's part two. I think the next two chapters after this one might be a bit delayed by a week or so, because they'll also be hella long and I don't think I can justify splitting them up. Also finals are happening.

Again, thank you to @fury-brand, @cloud-and-tifa, @auncyen, @cateringisalie, and @limbostratus for proofreading.

There are holes in the world, and spaces between numbers. Neither should exist. Cloud starts noticing them, and he isn’t the only one who has. And unfortunately for him, he’s both. (Contains graphic depictions of violence.)

"Those motherfuckers."

"Listen to me --"

"They fucking planned for this, from the first call! They --"

"Tifa, I need you to listen to me."

Tifa had been dropped back off at the bar, where Reeve was waiting with her next to Barret. Barret looked just as furious as she did. Reeve just looked grim.

“Yes, they planned for this. This has been in the works for four years.”

Barret turned to him this time. “You mean, you --”

“God dammit, will you both listen to me! They’ve been wanting an excuse to lock Cloud up for years, and he keeps giving that to them. I couldn’t deflect this one, but it would have happened sooner or later.”

“He isn’t crazy --” began Tifa again.

“You have to understand the mentality behind this decision. He’s unstable,” said Reeve. “I don’t think any of us would argue with that. We have a system in place to mitigate the worst of it, but he’s… he’s had a rough upbringing, obviously, and that’s stunted both his emotional development and his view of the world. Everyone he knows, he categorises as either his best friend or a target. He’s incapable of seeing anything between the two.”

“...Maybe so,” said Tifa as she exchanged an uncomfortable look with Barret. “But --”

“He’s unstable,” said Reeve, sinking into a booth. “You have to understand, that’s undeniable. And he’s dangerous. Dangerous doesn’t mean crazy, before you start, it means dangerous. The man can dodge bullets, Tifa.” He took a deep breath, kneading his eyes with his palms. “It took eight of us to take down Sephiroth. And then two years later, he did it on his own and survived. He’s a lethal mage that’s mastered more magic than most people are ever exposed to in an entire lifetime. And… you saw what he did, that day at Meteorfall,” added Reeve softly. “We all did. Even if he denies he had anything to do with it, we all saw. That kind of power… Cid and I have been trying to discourage him from using it that casually, but…”

“So they’re afraid of him,” spat Barret. “Buncha cowards.”

“They have every reason to be, because neither of those things pair well with the third thing, which is that he’s killed before, and doesn’t have much keeping him from killing again besides the fact that he knows we’d disapprove of it,” said Reeve. “Tell me, Tifa -- how many of your customers has he casually threatened with disembowelment?”

“That’s just talk,” she said sharply.

“Is it?” asked Reeve incredulously.

Tifa looked away. It wasn’t. She knew it wasn’t. She’d seen him grandstand to get his way before, usually with Barret. Those times were different from the ones with that cold glint of hatred entering his eyes.

Reeve pressed onwards. "We've been keeping tabs on him from day one. For about six months before the stigma was officially recognised as a pandemic, there were plans to incarcerate him. Worse things have been suggested. At least three times, a lobotomy in some form or another was mentioned. You try explaining to a roomful of people that just watched the world nearly end that he's 'one of the good ones'."

"You didn't --"

"Obviously I didn't let them. Any brain issues he has, the WRO had nothing to do with them." Reeve sighed heavily. "So, we compromised. I bugged his room."

A stunned silence fell over the two of them. Tifa looked at him coldly.

"...For how long?" asked Tifa coldly.

"Four years ago. The batteries would've died after four months, and by then he'd fallen a bit on the priority list due to the stigma, so I never bothered switching them out."

"Well, ain't you a regular fucking humanitarian," spat Barret.

"Oh? And what would you have done?" replied Reeve without missing a beat. "Some changes you can accomplish from outside the system. Some you can't. You have your methods. I have mine. But if you can come up with a better solution than blowing up the building, I'd be happy to listen."

"Better than selling out everything that ever made you a decent man," said Barret. "That boy trusts you. Like Marlene trusts you. That's two times you double-crossed him now."

Reeve looked at Barret exhaustedly. "I joined your organisation because I wanted to do the right thing. That is all I've been trying to do. Please listen to me. When all this is said and done, I will tell him myself."

Barret crossed his arms. Tifa stared at him expectantly, and decided to check her own room when Reeve left, just in case.

“While I'm airing out dirty laundry, there are other incidents that… before today, I would have risked my job to tell you about. I have reason to believe he’s involved in a string of deaths that cropped up not long before the WRO first formed. There were at least thirty that we know about, all formerly involved with Series 3 of the Jenova Project in one way or another. Shinra has a lot of enemies, it could have been anyone, but some of the things done to those bodies…” he shook his head. “I can’t prove it was him. Maybe it really is just a coincidence. But I can’t prove it wasn’t him, either.”

Tifa forced herself to sit down across from Reeve, as though that would calm her somehow. Everyone besides the three of them had cleared out and taken Marlene with them in order to distract her. She’d probably wind up staying with Nanaki or Yuffie until this mess blew over -- as far away from the conflict as possible, ideally.

“He’s emotionally unstable, said Reeve, looking at Tifa hard, “highly suspicious of strangers, refuses to seek medical treatment for any of the three psychological disorders that we know about, has an intense dislike for authority, a deep-seated link with Jenova, is comfortable with the idea of committing acts of violence, and gods, does he ever have the means to commit them if he should ever decide the world has given him a reason.”

“So they think he's Sephiroth,” said Barret shortly. “That’s their problem. We just convince them he ain’t a threat to anybody.”

“You can’t convince them of that,” said Reeve, “because it isn’t true. That’s what you need to understand. We’ve been the only thing keeping him away from several murder one charges. No, nothing we say to them is gonna get them to let him go.”

“But he would never…” she trailed off.

“He wouldn’t because we’d never let him hear the end of it if we did,” said Barret, as something seemed to dawn on him. “He sure as hell don’t do that for everyone else. It’s no good to have someone else be your moral compass. He should know this himself.”

“Tifa…” said Reeve, looking at her imploringly, “you know how he is.”

And in a strange way… she did.

It had been four months ago, when they’d been alone together. Alone, and on the same bed together. They’d been planning this night for quite a while -- Cloud was sterile, but that didn’t mean there weren’t other potential “biohazards” he was host to. Maybe even lethal ones. He’d been nervous -- Tifa had had her share of partners after coming to Midgar. Cloud had grown up in captivity and everything he knew about sex prior to their relationship had come from whatever his mother had deigned to tell him, which he likely couldn’t remember anymore anyway, and a hazy memory of a smuggled-in blue movie he’d gotten a glimpse of when he was fourteen.

She’d moved closer to him, watching him uncomfortably fumble with the hooks to her bra under her shirt, glancing at her expectantly now and then. He’d been so eager to please… not just her. Everyone. Every little acknowledgement they’d given him for something he’d done made his face light up like it had on his first “birthday”. He’d even started seeking out situations like that, she’d noticed. From the little gifts he thought they’d like, to the way he’d drop whatever he’d been doing in a heartbeat if someone needed something. He never complained or objected or backtracked out of something.

Her hand had slipped into his pants at some point, but she hadn’t actually begun doing much of anything. “Did… is something wrong? Did you want me on top for this?” said Cloud. He had been looking at her, confused, and faintly upset.

And he’d never, ever say no to them if they asked him to do something he didn’t want. He’d convince himself he did want it, it seemed like. Nobody was that accommodating.

She let go of him and removed her hand from his waistband.

“I’m sorry, just… I should have mentioned. My period started, and I didn’t want to say anything,” said Tifa, by way of an explanation.

“Oh… well, er… did you just want to sleep, then?” Not even an objection, after they’d planned this for two weeks. If he was disappointed, he’d hidden that too.

“That’d be nice,” she’d said, and that had been the end of that.

They hadn’t been involved to that degree for four months. What they had was a carefully-constructed facsimile of a relationship, in that they both pretended they were equal parties that could hook up at any time but just chose not to, for mutual reasons. When she’d been younger and stupider and more hopeful, she thought having someone willing to die for you would have been a terribly romantic thing. All it was instead was sad. It was hard to date someone that would probably, actually, without hesitation, jump off a cliff if she told them to. Or throw themselves in front of a train.

Or hand over the Black Materia. So eager to please...

The word puppet flashed through her mind for a moment, and she pushed it away. Cloud wasn’t their puppet. They didn’t force him to do anything. He could make decisions for himself.

Could, but doesn’t, said a part of her that was still angry. He asked you to kill him.

“So… now what?” asked Tifa. She suddenly felt as tired as Reeve looked.

“If they don’t give him back, we gotta bust him out,” said Barret. “Obviously.”

“Where would we hide him?” asked Tifa. “How would we even pull it off?” She looked at Reeve. “How are they keeping him there anyway? It’s been a whole day. If he could have broken out himself, he would have by now.”

“I don’t know. I can guess, but they could have made changes to the initial design and not told me after I showed myself to be corrupt.”

“A breakout like that…” Barret let out his breath in a huff. “That’s three months. Maybe more. You can’t even leave that boy alone for an hour. He ain’t gonna last that long.”

“He might have to,” said Reeve. “All we can do is --”

“No. Fuck that.” Tifa stood up. “This whole thing -- it’s because they think he’s talking to Jenova, right? That’s their excuse.”

“That’s their excuse this time,” said Reeve. “If he assaults someone again, I won’t be able to get him off anymore.”

“We’ll cross that river when we come to it,” said Tifa shortly. “That’s what they’re basing this on, right?”

“Sounds about right,” said Barret, as Reeve nodded uncertainly.

“But we know it’s not,” said Tifa. “It’s some little old lady that didn’t even know he was there at first. She didn't know who I was, either. And Jenova doesn’t talk.”

“The scans indicate that apparently she does now,” said Reeve.

“Doesn’t matter,” said Tifa. “If we can get her to just -- explain, or -- or if we could talk to her, figure this all out… she’d help, right?”

“Can’t do that if they’re both locked up now,” said Barret, silencing her.

“...There’s gotta be a way,” said Tifa eventually. “We just need to figure this out.”

Barret shrugged. “Let’s hope he don’t lose his mind before then.”

Cloud was lying on the bed in his cell, watching the intercom on the ceiling spark and fizzle. He'd managed to put his fist through it, both because he thought there might be spare parts he could use to escape, and because he'd gotten absolutely sick of his "overseer" trying to get him to work through his hostility. The small magnet in the speaker might've been useful, but the gas had kicked in almost immediately, and by the time he'd woken up again it had been confiscated. They'd probably use a different kind of speaker next time, if anyone was brave enough to come into his cell for long enough to repair it.

He'd been in a constant state of various levels of sedation over the last three days. He was presently feeling the same dreamy contentment the gas generally offered. It was probably for the best, really. Between the quiet, and the isolation, and dread at the prospect of spending years in this place, he'd started to lose it an hour after the speaker had first clicked off. He found himself regretting smashing his only source of human contact moments after waking up. It would have been very easy to just break down without him being half out of his mind.

He wouldn't, though. His family obviously wouldn't stand for this. It was only a matter of time before they came to break him out, if Cloud couldn't find a way out himself. Therefore, he'd gone out of his way to make the staff as miserable as possible in the meantime.

Yesterday he'd iced the door over. Didn't help him get out, but it made it that much harder for them to get in. He'd dumped the medications he'd gotten (most of which were more sedatives) down the drain, and when they'd tried to make him take them intravenously he'd managed to get one of the other nurses with the syringe instead, which held everything up for another hour while she was rushed off. Apparently the stuff they'd been using on him was practically chocobo tranquiliser.

He still hadn't managed to find the cameras. That would be priority one, if he was going to come up with an escape plan. They were somewhere, he knew, but he couldn't see anything on the walls besides padding. He was willing to bet there was probably at least one in the shower, but on day two he decided he didn't really care if a bunch of doctors saw his unmentionables, and he hoped whoever was looking was profoundly uncomfortable every time.

The cell was solidly-built, and newly constructed as well -- he couldn't find a single part of it that looked worn down or rusted or faulty. He'd tried to pick up the bed and use it as a battering ram, but the whole thing seemed to be built directly into the floor with no space beneath it to be used to get a good grip on it. And anyway, whoever was watching them had their hand on the knockout button. They didn't even allow anyone into the cell with him to draw blood or leave him food unless he'd been breathing it for at least five minutes, as he'd learned from when he'd tried to hold his breath and fake it the first day. He'd have to be subtle about this.

No keys, no wallet, no more electronics he could dismantle... his hand flew to his ears -- his earrings. They'd given them back after the third scan and hadn't taken them away yet. He carefully popped them out and looked them over. Perhaps he could make some sort of lock pick? Or perhaps a weapon, even if it was a really ineffective one. Maybe. But...

Maybe not. They might break, or he might have to break them to do it. And if it didn't work, they'd take them away. He didn't want to lose them.

They're just earrings, he told himself. Don't be stupid. If they could get you out, you should use them. Your freedom is worth more than earrings. But he couldn't make himself do much more than stare at them. They're just earrings, you moron. They're

A pained yelp echoed in the grubby bathroom in the barracks. He nearly dropped the needle he'd been using, his teeth screwed up in pain as it pierced cleanly through his earlobe. He stared at it in the mirror for a moment in morbid fascination. For about ten seconds he thought it looked kind of badass, what with the blood and all. Then it just made him nauseous, and he wanted it out as soon as possible.

Had to leave it in, though, or the other side would be lopsided. His fingers were in more pain than his ears, honestly. He should've worn gloves to deal with the ice. Too late now. He'd spent long enough psyching himself up to do it. If he left the bathroom now, he'd never get the courage to go back in.

He'd thought about asking one of his seniors to do it for him, but decided against it. It would have been nice perhaps having his CO do it -- someone that had taught him how to get by in the army, so it would feel about the same. They'd laugh, though, or worse. So it was probably better this way: just him, a cup of ice, and a large sewing needle.

The second hole tore another pained scream from him, but this one he clenched his teeth around harder, muffling the sound. It wasn't even the worst pain he'd been in -- Wutai had shown him that. He thought having a cool bullet scar would make him tougher somehow, but all it had done was hurt and bleed a lot. But getting jabbed through the ears with a sewing needle still hurt like a bitch. He was allowed to say that, wasn't he?

He carefully eased out each needle and inserted the cheap studs he's picked up in the slums into each hole. He snatched the healing materia he'd smuggled out of the training room and wished away the open wounds, and just like that it was done, the flesh sealed neatly around the rods of metal through them, simply in need of a quick rinse first.

It had been messy, but he'd done it. He felt just a hint of pride at his accomplishment. Hadn't even needed a father to do it for him. None of the other boys in Nibelheim could say that. Now he was an adult, just like them.

"Just come in through here," said Jessie, leading him into the back. He could navigate perfectly well himself via sound, and all she was doing was bumping him against furniture. What a waste of time.

"You're all in there," grumbled Cloud. "I can smell you. Just because I can't see them doesn't mean I don't know they're there. You don't need to blindfold me for bad news, just... just get it over with."

"Fine, doofus. Just get in the damn door. We're late enough anyway," said Jessie, shoving him roughly through the door. Cloud reached up to take the blindfold off.

"SURPRISE!"

Cloud let out a yell and reflexively moved his hand from his face to the hilt of his sword before realising he recognised all the voices. He ripped the blindfold off and stared at them all, and then the room, in confusion.

There were several balloons taped to the walls, and an extravagant-looking blueberry cheesecake next to a plate of chopped fruit and sliced sausages, the fancy kind that he hadn't had in... years? It was always hard to tell. Several boxes and paper bags were piled high behind it. The windows were all opened, allowing the sun to flood the room. Lined up behind the table was his family, wearing forced smiles to hide their own anxiety.

Cloud stared blankly at it all for several moments. "...What?"

"It was Tifa's idea," said Yuffie, shrugging. "I told her, y'know, it was weird you didn't remember when your birthday was, apart from summer, and we got to thinking we'd just have to pick a day, right? First of August, so we'd remember it. But then we realised you've got a lot of lost time to make up for."

"Nine years worth, at least," said Tifa quietly. "So, why not get started this week? I made the cake myself."

"I helped!" shouted Marlene indignantly over her. "I did all the stirring!"

Barret nodded. "You did a great job, too." He turned to look at Cloud. "So, we all took the week off. You oughta do the same. Might do you some good."

Cloud could only stare numbly at them all, at a loss for words. He nervously approached the table, but couldn't make himself touch anything on it. He felt faint, and his chest hurt something powerful. He supposed it had been a little tight lately, but this felt different. Unfamiliar.

"You wanna do presents first, or...?" said Yuffie, looking uncomfortable. He stuttered. She thought he didn't like it.

"I -- I mean, the cake might --" Presents. For him. Had he ever had a present before? From Hojo, perhaps, which he'd thrown off a mountain two years ago. From his mother? He couldn't remember. He wasn't sure if she'd have had the money for it, anyway. He was sure she must have.

"You got to open Tifa's first," Marlene demanded angrily, still sore about being uncredited towards the cheesecake. "Papa and I helped pick it out. You gotta open that one first."

"Which one is it?" he asked hoarsely. Tifa gestured to a box about the size of his fist on the table. He picked it up and shook it gently. Not much noise escaped it.

Everyone was still watching him. He dug his fingers into the seam of the box and popped it open.

Inside was a pair of ear studs -- little pewter Nibel wolves, intricately shaped. Probably handmade, though he didn't know much about metalworking of this sort. His breath caught.

"You never really got proper ones," said Tifa. "No time like the present, right? And now we all match."

Cloud looked up and noticed for the first time the ring she was wearing -- a simple wolf's head on a band. Barret had one as well, though his was much thicker. Cloud briefly considered what it would be like to get punched with a ring like that.

"We figured you'd lose a ring," said Tifa. "Given all the handiwork and everything. But I don't think you'll lose those. Right?"

"I won't," breathed Cloud. His hands shook as he plucked the earrings from the cardboard they were embedded in. He stared at them in his palm even as his breath hitched again and his vision began to blur. He quickly pulled up a chair and sat there, transfixed by the two tiny bits of metal in his hand. The pain in his chest boiled over and soon he was crying, deep sobs wracking his body, his fist clenched around the earrings as the metal bit into his skin. He didn't understand; he wasn't sad. He didn't know what was going on anymore. Maybe he was sick.

"Well, good to know none of us are topping that one. Might as well leave now," grumbled Cid, rolling his eyes, but he went to grab a knife for the cheesecake anyway. Marlene looked confused and uncomfortable. She tugged on Barret's shirt.

"Why doesn't he like it?" he heard her whisper.

"He likes it just fine," replied Barret. "He's just an idiot."

Words. They'd want a response, for the earrings, for the cake, all of this. "I-I'll pay you back for all of this," he choked out after another minute. "It -- it was probably expensive, I swear, I'll --"

"No," said Tifa firmly. "You don't need to earn this. I'd say you already did already, right?"

It was too much. He didn't understand. All of it, the food, and the sun, and the earrings, and the nine years they'd decided he'd earned something for and had seen to it personally that he got it, and the next nine days filled with talking and warmth and the strange swelling feeling in his chest. He didn't understand.

Three months later, when he stole away in the middle of the night and couldn't bear to leave the earrings behind along with everything else, he still didn't.

Cloud put his earrings back in.

Aeris hadn’t come back yet. That was odd. Maybe something in the sedatives they’d had him breathing were preventing it.

By day four, it became much harder to keep the isolation from getting to him. He kept himself amused by keeping track of which staff brought him food or medications on which days. He’d thought about refusing to eat -- they were obviously drugging his soup, given he wasn’t taking the actual pills they’d supplied him -- but he wouldn’t be able to escape if he was skin and bones. He’d learned that the hard way.

At first, he'd been tempted to just ride out this mess on a wave of narcotics. It would certainly be less lonely or panic-inducing than four bare white walls. They'd switch the gas on every time he tried to smash something; if he wanted to he could rip the showerhead off the wall and nap through another few hours in a state of mild euphoria.

He refused to do that either. He'd done that the first time he'd given up, with Jenova. He wouldn't do it again, now that there wasn't any reason to anymore.

Jenova seemed to be noticing the widening cracks in his psyche, and had become louder than ever lately. It was getting harder to fight her like this. It had definitely been a mistake to smash the intercom. He'd fix it himself at this point. Maybe they were deliberately holding off on repairing it on purpose -- to coax good behaviour out of him.

He didn't want to play into this. But sitting there in his cell, alone, hugging his knees to himself and trying to pretend it was still a week ago when he'd been pressed up against another human that was just happy he was alive, he began remembering all too vividly what it felt like to think the world had just forgotten about you. He couldn't go through that again. Never again.

On day five, he stayed in his bed and didn't bother holding his breath and allowed them to fix the intercom. He refused to cry in front of these people. But maybe if he waited patiently enough and let them draw blood, they’d talk to him. There was no point going crazy by himself.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Strife,” said the voice a couple hours later. “Are you feeling any better?”

Cloud nodded.

“That’s good. That’s what we’re here for, you know. To help you recover.” It was a very nice voice -- in the regular way, not the way Director Crescent had sounded. He wondered if they were actually another doctor, or just a mouthpiece that they thought he might like better.

“She hasn’t spoken to me all week,” said Cloud. “So I can go now, right?”

“That’s good that you aren’t directly hearing her right now,” said the voice. “But the biggest threat to you is still subconscious influence, and that’s much more difficult to judge. Have you felt compelled to any unusual locations lately?”

“I want to go home,” he said bluntly.

“You will. In the meantime, is there anything we can get you to make your stay here more comfortable? It will need to be approved, of course.”

Cloud blinked. “What?”

“Books, perhaps? Are there any foods you’re partial to?”

“Is -- is this a joke?”

“You’re here to recover, Mr. Strife, not to be punished. A welcoming environment will encourage that.”

“...I want to go home.”

“I’m sorry, but we can’t allow that at the present time. If it would help, I could arrange a visit with your friends.”

Cloud sat up on the bed. “You -- I don’t -- what?”

“If you’d prefer these conversations remain between us until your mental state is less compromised, that’s also understandable --”

“You’d let me see them?”

“It would be inappropriate to allow non-staff into your room with you at the present time, but we would allow you to converse with them via the intercom. Would that be acceptable?”

“Yes,” he said quietly.

“I’ll be sure to contact them. Is there anything else we can do for you?”

Cloud shook his head. No point in pushing his luck.

He was going to see his family. Maybe they could help him. Maybe they’d convince them to let him out. At the very least, it would make this hell bearable.

“Now… if you don’t mind, I’d like to ask you a few questions. Is that okay?”

Cloud nodded again.

“Can you describe to us what it felt like when Jenova first made contact with you?”

“I already told you, I’m not --” he began.

“You misunderstand me. I mean, when your… gene therapy first began.”

Cloud went quiet. “...I don’t want to talk about this,” he said.

“Mr. Strife, we have very little information to go off of. We’ll be able to help you if you help us.”

He swallowed. He knew how this game worked. They had something he wanted. He had something they wanted. The winner was the person who decided they didn’t need the thing the other player had first.

Cloud had always been bad at this game.

“...Just little urges at first,” muttered Cloud. “Felt like there was something missing. Sometimes the world felt wrong, but I didn’t know how.”

“At what point did Jenova begin giving you direct commands? Can you describe what it felt like?”

It felt like someone reaching into everything you were and pulling at something that should never be touched, until you weren’t sure where you ended and the someone began. It felt like being ripped apart so slowly and insidiously that by the time you noticed it it was too late. It felt like four white walls with something swimming just out of sight behind them, something big and empty and full of music and knives and ice to burn the insides of his veins --

Cloud’s breath began coming in short, panicked gasps. He backed up further into his bed against the wall. It was empty in here besides him. It would be empty for days yet. Maybe weeks. Maybe months. Maybe years.

“I don’t -- I don’t want to --” he choked out.

“You’re safe here, Mr. Strife,” said the voice, which was coming from all around him. “Just tell us what we need to hear. It figures that you’re too idiotic to understand simple Standard. A disappointment of a specimen. Or perhaps you didn’t figure out how this works from the first time. In any case, we clearly have a lot more work to do.”

“No --” His head was swimming. He stared at the door. The minute it opened, he’d be dragged away again…

The chemical smell slowly filled the air, and the voice continued speaking.

“I think we’re done for today,” it said. “It’s alright. Take your time. You can tell us when you’re ready.”

He felt himself slowly calming as his breathing evened out and he settled back into the drugged haze he’d drifted into. He was safe here. Just a cell. Safe here.

The voice didn’t come back for the rest of the day. Cloud could not bring himself to ask for it, no matter how empty his cell got.

On day six, he went through every test without resistance. He didn’t punch any of the nurses. He answered the questions he was asked as neutrally as he could. He even allowed them to knock him out for what they claimed was a bone marrow sample. He couldn’t risk doing anything that would jeopardise them rescinding visiting privileges, let alone anything else. They’d taken his shirt away briefly on day three when he’d tried to use it to strangle a guard with instead of using his earrings as a lockpick, and he’d found himself regretting the decision all day and waiting in a quiet panic while they made him promise not to do it again. He wouldn’t. Clothes were a privilege, not a right.

Jenova was roaring in his head -- a vast, empty noise, like the wind howling interspersed with the music -- or perhaps it was the music. It was as loud as it had ever been.

He'd caved and asked for another two blankets so they wouldn’t be able to tell he’d been crying. He hadn’t been crying. He was just upset. What kind of an adult felt lonely and sad and cried all the damn time? Not a stable one, that was for sure. Not the kind they’d give visiting privileges to. Even if it was a lie, he still chose to believe that if he was good enough, his family would visit him. At this point, that thought was the only thing keeping him from winding up like last time.

She was so loud. He couldn't hear himself think. He couldn't think. She pulled at him, slowly, steadily, and there was no one else to pull back. The intercom was a faint noise in the background compared to the din in his head. It was the worst it had been in years. Someone was trying to soothe him -- maybe the voice, maybe Mother. Maybe no one.

Something inside him snapped.

"Shut up!" he screamed. " Just shut up! Shut the fuck up!" He curled in on himself, clawing at his head, and began beating the back of his skull against the wall. The padding kept him from doing much damage to himself, and his screams only rose in intensity. He couldn't take another minute of it -- it was as bad as he remembered. It was worse, because now he couldn't even knock himself out to get away from it.

The gas kicked in at this point -- he wasn't sure how long it had been on -- and he blissfully sank into unconsciousness. Whatever She did to him now, at least he wouldn't be aware for it.

On day seven, Cloud stared blankly at the wall and did not move again.

“Reapproved, effective immediately.”

"What?" Zack looked up from the cereal box he'd been digging through and quickly swarmed over to her to read over her shoulder.

"That's what it says," said Aeris, tilting her laptop for him to see. "Request for additional staff, denied... got another pretty sizeable grant... gag order..."

"So, how are we supposed to handle the whole... first contact thing?"

Aeris stared at the screen. "They just... 'something something endeavour something additional knowledge...' they just want us to keep getting information."

"...That's it?"

"That's it," said Aeris, looking through the document again. "This is weird."

"I know."

"No, this -- this is weird. It doesn't make sense. It's like they don't even care we found an entire -- they're not even mad, is the other part. You'd think they'd be furious. Or overjoyed, or something, not just..."

"Well, they didn't shut us down," said Zack.

"Yeah..." Aeris closed her laptop. "That's weird too, actually. Not even a delay while they... I don't know. Talk to the UN, maybe."

Zack read over the letter again, in case he'd missed something the first time. They'd been denied extra staff, but permitted extra resources. There was almost no commentary on the fact that they'd discovered another civilisation. They didn't seem upset or excited. In fact, with the blunt way they'd been asked to continue their research and proceed with the project, they almost seemed... disappointed?

His mind went back to the meeting he'd had before being roughly shoved into this project. They'd been interested. Everyone had. But...

None of this sat well with him. But he didn't know for sure, so he wasn't going to jump to conclusions and make things more complicated than they needed to be. He couldn't afford to blow this. Still, he thought he'd done what he'd been asked to do. This non-reaction was even more unnerving than the pink slip he'd been dreading.

All he said out loud was, "Well, I guess that means I finally get to earn my keep in the next bit, huh?"

"Mmhm," said Aeris, looking thoughtful. She obviously seemed as bothered by this as he was, albeit probably for different reasons. "At least Cloud will be happy about it."

"You're not?"

"No, I am," she said. "Get your things. We'd better go share the good news."

#the number i #spitegarbage #god these things are getting long #2 chapters in 1 week again #don't get used to it

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tangodancer91 · 7 years

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A Study in Hypocrisy #1

Or why the Avengers’ relationship to Tony was unhealthy at best, Steve isn’t fit to be a leader, and why I’m Team Iron Man to the end.

WHY STEVE ISN’T FIT TO BE A LEADER

While the Civil War dispute between Tony and Steve might have started because of the Accords, it very quickly turned personal for Steve. He put each and every one of his “teammates” in danger for the sake of one man (more about that later), and even though I love Bucky and everything (I really do!), Steve was extremely dumb about the entire situation. In fact, I don't think he could have gone about it in the worst way.

He could have gone to "rescue" Bucky in disguise—God knows that, with his serum and brute force, he certainly could have done exactly what he ended up doing— but he went instead with the American flag all over himself. He didn’t stop to consider the implications, the possible consequences or bulldozing into a foreign country and engaging in a car chase in the middle of a populated city. He didn’t even stop to consider that there was no guarantee at all that Bucky was innocent.

He could have, you know, talked to Tony. Tony, who has the political experience and the material means and influence to get Bucky the best help there is. Tony, who's been playing this game for so long, who knows how to get what he wants, who to go to, how to formulate things. Tony, who would have been his most precious ally.

And he was. Before he found out about his betrayal. Tony negotiated so hard to make sure no one would get hurt. After the Berlin disaster, he managed to get the UN (that's 117 countries!) to agree to make the past 24 hours legal and to get Bucky to a facility where he would get the best help for his triggers, help that of course Tony himself would be paying for, because let's be real, the Avengers are funded by Tony at this point, which is yet another thing that doesn't sit well with me, but I’ll come back to it.

Back to why Steve isn’t fit to be a leader: the essence of a leader is that they are supposed to do just that. Lead. But to do that, they need to be fair and treat their men equally. They need to be able to put aside their personal feelings and look at situations objectively. Because their duty is to protect their men and have their back, just like they will have his.

A leader leads, sure. But they must know when to listen, too, and defer to somebody with greater expertise than themselves. In that case, Tony obviously knows better than he does, if only because he read the damn papers. That's also something that doesn't sit well with me regarding the rest of Team Cap. Not one of them paused to read the Accords. Hell, Scott had no clue what the hell was going on. He heard "jump," and he did.

Yet, here comes Steve, putting the lives of not two, not three, but five (six, if you count Sharon) people at risk, all for one man. He drags in Clint and Scott with no regards to their families and personal situations, and all the while keeps information to himself. Do you think Sam knows that he could have avoided prison and exile? Do you think any of them know about Tony’s deal? Do you think Scott actually knew what was going on? Hell no! Because Steve is calculating enough that he won’t lose manpower to such a pesky thing as compromise.

How about Steve’s constant habit of putting the blame on Tony’s shoulders? “You did that when you signed”? What the fuck is wrong with you? You’re the one who keeps refusing to compromise!

Steve never treated Tony as an equal. In fact, none of them did. (Again, more on that later.) But the thing is that when it came to a life-altering secret that affected both his teammate and “friend,” and his childhood friend, Steve decided that it was his right to keep that information from both parties, which.

NO. Being “friends”—and I use the term loosely—with Howard doesn’t give Steve the right to such a decision. This is a traumatic event for Tony, something that affects personally and directly. He had a right to know. And as it has been demonstrated in previous movies that his capacity for forgiveness is immense, he would have had the time to process the information and the Siberia disaster never would have happened.

Furthermore and finally, Steve Rogers was never actually a captain. The title was just for show, a tool for propaganda when he was sent on a tour to sell war bills. All of his training comes from that short bootcamp for potential serum candidates, nothing more. He’s not actually part of the army, or a ranked officer. The only reason they let him keep the title was because he’d been lucky enough to bring back the 107th when he disobeyed orders, and then proved useful enough to both war efforts and morale.

Steve Rogers is not a leader. A leader treats everyone equally and gives respect before expecting it. A leader does not keep secrets from his men to serve his own agenda. A leader does not leave a man behind in a freezing, deserted landscape with no way of calling for help.

If anything, Tony’s the leader of the Avengers. Why? Ask yourselves the following questions:

Who feeds the Avengers?

Who houses the Avengers?

Who clothes the Avengers?

Who arms the Avengers?

Who handles their PR?

Who pays for the destruction they leave behind?

On the battlefield, who has a global view of everything that’s going on?

Who is so smart that they can predict and analyze battle scenarios, and adapt to the unexpected in a flash?

Who’s considerate enough to leave their former teammate to his retirement because he’s just that, retired with his family?

Who cares about everyone equally and would give everything to protect them all? Who goes above and beyond to provide them with everything they need?

Who has the political experience required to handle their supervisors and foreign policy?

That’s right. Tony Stark.

Not Steve Rogers.

Masterpost

Part 2.1: Natasha | Part 2.2: Steve | Part 2.3: Thor

#marvel #tony stark #steve rogers #cacw #a study in hypocrisy #tony stark defense squad #tony stark deserves better

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mbtizone · 7 years

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Piper Chapman (Orange Is the New Black): ENFP

Dominant Extroverted Intuition [Ne]: Piper is full of ideas. She gets a thrill out of adventure and typically has no trouble leaping into the unfamiliar. She’s attracted to Alex’s lifestyle and is excited by all of the possibilities in life. Piper likes to travel and see new places. She’s an idealist who is always focused on the big picture. Piper flits around between different projects and causes. During the riot, Piper jumps from activity to activity and can’t sit still for more than a few minutes, much to the irritation of Alex. She’s creative and, prior to her incarceration, ran a business where she and her friend made their own soaps. Piper decides to begin the Litchfield newsletter, creating the content and distributing it (Ne-Te). Sometimes, Piper can loop, causing her to neglect her auxiliary function. She gets an idea and she dives right in without checking in with her morals or her values. She sees a way of making money by selling panties worn by the inmates online, and she soon adopts an authoritative and controlling demeanor. Sometimes, Piper can get so caught up in her ideas and schemes that she begins to lose herself, causing some strain in her relationships. Piper does a lot of what she does on a whim, and can become bored, restless, and disinterested in what she has. She’s always looking to the next thing, sometimes taking for granted what she actually has.

Auxiliary Introverted Feeling [Fi]: It’s important for Piper to have a cause to champion. She is often motivated to take a stand against anything she considers to be unjust. During the riot, Alex is upset with Piper because Alex just wants to enjoy the tiny window of free time that they’ll have together for a very long time, but Piper wants to take action. She spends her time organizing a memorial for Poussey (Fi-Te). When she finds out that the only demand that was met was their request for Hot Cheetos and Takis, she is insulted, and collects each and every bag from the prison and sets them on fire in an act of protest. Piper wants to help Linda during the riot and talks Alex into it by telling her that Linda reminds Piper of herself. She identifies with her, and so, she takes Linda under her wing. When Piper’s values are violated, she will sometimes cut off her nose to spite her face. She is very rigid in her moral judgments and often refuses to back down. When Piper makes a mistake or offends someone, she often tries to make up for it by doing something for them, as opposed to just sincerely apologizing. After offending Red, she makes a lotion for her back problems. She tries to make it up to Pennsatucky for getting her sent to Psych by getting baptized (but ultimately cannot go through with it). However, this works both ways with Piper. If someone wrongs her, she can become vindictive. She gets her revenge on Stella after she steals from Piper by planting contraband in her bunk, resulting in her getting sent to Max. When she wrongs Watson, she corrects her mistake by getting the track reopened for her. When they manage to capture Piscatella, Piper is against torture. She doesn’t believe in treating him the way he treated them, because she thinks it’s important for them to retain their humanity. She wants people to read about their story after the riot and see them as people.

Tertiary Extroverted Thinking [Te]: Because Piper has high ideals and a strong internal moral code, she is often inspired to do something in order to achieve her goals. Piper knows how to take action and strive for real change. She’s good at organizing people to accomplish tasks and knows how to delegate work. When Piper feels her Fi values are being attacked or compromised, she often utilizes her Te bluntness to put people in their place, which often leads to confrontations with the people around her. She can sometimes be thoughtless in what she says to other people, and, though it sometimes isn’t her intention to offend, she can sometimes make enemies because of her insensitivity. Not long after her arrival at Litchfield, Piper makes the mistake of accidentally insulting the food to the head chef, which causes Red to refuse to serve her. Piper enjoys contributing and uses her position on the prison council to help Watson (Fi-Te).

Inferior Introverted Sensing [Si]: When Piper finds out that she will be going to prison, she goes out and buys books about how to get through it. She relied on what she read and the experience of those who had been in her situation before. When Piper decides to propose to Alex, she does so using a can of beans because of the story that her mother told her about her father and the corn. However, she didn’t actually have corn on hand, so she used the beans instead. Although Piper rebels against her upper class lifestyle that is focused on appearances and perfection, she also finds comfort in it and falls back on it when things with Alex get too complicated for her. She returns to old relationships because they bring her comfort.

Enneagram: I see a lot of 1, 6, 7, and 9 in Piper, and a fair amount of 4. My guess is she’s 6w7 1w9 4w3. Though, the 1w9 could easily be 9w1 because they both fit her quite well. I do feel that 1 fits her slightly better than 9 though, so I’m sticking with 614 as her tritype. As for her instinctual variant… I’d guess Sx/Sp, but I’m not really certain. That’s just my best guess.

Quotes:

Piper: Maybe some grandma in Kansas will read an article about this and she’ll see us as people instead of criminals. And then maybe she’ll tell all her grandma friends and they’ll tell their kids… and then they’ll tell their grandkids. I mean, isn’t that how change really happens?

Piper: Look, I know how I am with a cause. I know that I’m like a dog with a bone.

Piper: I know she freaks you out. Worthy-Cause Piper. And she freaks me out, too.

Piper: If this is a real riot do you think this is a step forwards or backwards for equality? Alex: I don’t care. Let’s go.

Piper: I need your panties. Yoga Jones: What? Piper: Well, I will give you the panties, but I need you to wear them. I need your vag sweat. And mybe some, um, colorless discharge. I’m starting a business selling stinky panties to perverts. Yoga Jones: That’s the miraculous adventure? Piper: It’s easy. I give you flavor packets, and you give me something you’re, uh, you’re already giving away for free. Big Boo: And then you get to keep the money. Piper: And you are supporting a local business, keeping jobs right here at home. I’m like American Apparel, with less implied statutory rape. Yoga Jones: It’s disgusting. Piper: I understand. I too was once embarrassed and squeamish by my personal [pauses] eau de parfum. But then I thought: Why should I be ashamed? Isn’t that a part of the self-hatred that has been bred into me by the patriarchy? And are those same men that would shame me not the same men that would wear my panties on their faces, inhaling deeply? Ladies, now is the time to be bold. For when these men smell your panties, they are smelling your character. Let them smell daring and courage. Let them smell women who are unabashed and un-self-conscious. And let them say that Litchfield, Litchfield is a place where women love their bodies and have love to spare. Sisters, we may be incarcerated, but our panties will travel the world. And in that way, long after we are gone, our smell, our smell will linger in some gas station in Toronto, in some office cubicle in Tokyo. And in that way, we are known. And in that way, we are remembered. Do you want to be remembered? Big Boo: Yeah. Piper: Then sweat profusely, and fart with abandon, and make a reek. Make a reek, my sisters! Make a reek to last one thousand years!

Piper: I want somebody I can have adventures with.

Brook: Anyway… I think if you shared a bit more easily, you wouldn’t have beat up that girl – y’know? [Miss Rosa and DeMarco look on in disbelief] Piper: No, Soso. I don’t know. [shouts] No one has a fucking clue what you are talking about. Ever. [harshly] We are not friends. I am not your safety blanket. I am NOT your new Meadow. And, I definitely don’t need your advice. I am a lone wolf, Brook. And a vicious one. Don’t make me rip your throat out with my teeth.

Piper: I’m scared that I’m not myself in here… and I’m scared that I am.

Piper: Sisters, we may be incarcerated, but our panties will travel the world.

Piper: It’s like coming home after a long trip. That’s what love is like. It’s like coming home.

Piper Chapman (Orange Is the New Black): ENFP was originally published on MBTI Zone

#6w7 1w9 4w3 #OITNB #Orange Is the New Black #Piper Chapman #ENFP #mbti #mbti types #mbti personality types #fictionalcharactermbti #fictionmbti #tv mbti #enneagram #enneatypes #enneagram type

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loco4scandal · 7 years

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How propping Flint hijacked the Madi and Silver love story...

So it seems that I entered that special place in fandom... You know the place? When you realize that you love a character, couple or show and the writer has a different vision than yours. I always reserved that place for other fans. I would complain. Why won't they just let the writer tell his or her story? It's their vision not yours. Of course they "get" the character they created. Oh and my personal favorite... Why would they want to undermine, destroy their own character? They clearly have a plan, right? Shit, talk about a dose of comeuppance. Because here I sit writing this and pissed the entire fuck off at the last two episodes of Black Sails. Okay, correction! I wasn't pissed the entire fuck off, at first. I wasn't enamoured with episode 4x9 and the Series Finale, but I found joy in them. I embraced the parts I liked and made excuses for what I didn't. Most of that was fueled by the realization Queen Madi Scott was indeed going to survive the series. In my mind, as long as Madi lived and her and John were together, I could deal. Well, I was wrong and I have so many questions.

At what point did Madi become Flint's biggest supporter? Listen, I know that the Queen is compassionate. I know that she cares about people, but in the Series Finale when Madi thought Flint was dead, she teared up. Madi stood their with tears in her eyes over Flint. The same Madi who stood strong and watched Kofi's execution. The same Madi who stood strong at her father's funeral. The same Madi who turned down Woodes Rogers offer even after he told her he would raze Maroon Island to the ground and put her people back in shackles. Madi Scott stood strong. She felt the pain and loss, but she didn't show it. However, I'm expected to believe that the mere thought of Flint's dying reduced her to tears. The writers expect me to believe that the woman that the Black Sails Twitter account stated "has no weakness" would save that emotion for Flint. A man that she's said repeatedly she didn't trust. A man that the only common ground they have is books. That shared love of literature has somehow led us to Madi crying over the thought of him dead. This wasn't about books though or a friendship that was never shown on screen. This was about the writers need to humanize Flint. They needed to show someone caring, defending, siding with and worrying about Flint. They needed that to sell this Happily Ever After they had planned. How else was the audience expected to believe that he deserved it? Who else had the moral ground, the honor, the all around goodness to sell his redemption story? Only, Madi Scott. Remember, when Eleanor Guthrie was loathed? Of course you can. She was loathed the entire series, up until her death that is. Her redemption was build on saving Madi's life. Just as Flint's was. Who better than the most humane person on the show to humanize you? It doesn't particularly have to make sense. It just has to work, which it did. Never mind that it compromised Madi's character in the process. Remember, Flint knowingly signed Madi's death sentence when he stole the treasure and buried it and yet I don't remember him crying about it. So, why in the hell, was she being emotional over him?

At what point did Madi decide the safety and survival of her people was less important than this war? This is probably the biggest issue that I have with the writing for her over the back half of the final season because this was completely out of character. In Madi's very first scene with John in 3x4, she challenged him on why the Walrus Crew would turn down the Pirate Pardons. She expressed to him that as much as her people hated the English, if they were given the opportunity to truly be free, they would not so roundly reject it. Well, Madi was offered exactly that by Woodes Rogers twice. Twice and both times she turned him down flat. Not only that but in the Finale she ends her relationship with Silver because he brought the offer to the Maroon Chiefs and all the rest agreed to it. Her people have their freedom. That is all she ever wanted. Madi told Silver once that a leaders job was to serve his or her people and sometimes by serving them you have to do the hard thing. Signing a treaty with the "Evil Empire" is certainly a hard thing. However, if it stops death and destruction wouldn't that be the right thing to do. How does she serve them by getting herself and them killed? What was the endgame here? Was the entire purpose of having her obsessed with this war to make Flint's cause seem more noble that it actually was?

At what point did loving a good woman become a sign of weakness?

Seriously though, how many references did we see citing Madi being Silver's weakness. At first, it felt romantic. Like here is this powerful, intelligent, fear inducing man, but Madi is his everything. It makes him vulnerable. I loved that because isn't that what love does? The idea of surrendering your heart to another and trusting them with it.? So why is it that Silver's love for Madi became a character flaw? How many times did we see his love for her used to paint him as irrational or weak? Mind you Flint is trying to set the world on fire for a lost love, but I've yet to hear anyone refer to him as weak for that. Jack gave up a damn Man-of-War and got Teach keelhauled to save Anne, but I never once heard him described as weak. Stupid yes, but not weak. Yet, John is repeatedly referred to as weak for having the audacity to want to save his wife. How dare John Silver not let his Queen martyr herself. She wants to die for Flint's war. Why won't he let her?

At one point were we going to get Long John Silver because I missed that shit? What I didn't miss however, was Flint still being in command and running everything (including Silver and Madi's relationship) until the last 30 minutes of the series? Do you know how disappointing it is to see Luke Arnold be a damn badass on one leg and have it all be for naught. Like really! Silver was fighting damn battles on one leg and a crutch. Killing folks left and damn right, out smarting everyone in the room all while looking good as hell and yet... it still wasn't enough to feel like "The Rise of Silver". Why? Because the writers refused to sideline Flint. Oh, they said Silver was King, but guess what, they still allowed Flint to co-lead. They even made it Silver's idea by having him repeatedly question whether he could lead alone. That doesn't describe the only man that Flint ever feared? What's the point of being a Pirate King if the writers refuse to let you wear the crown?

There are so many questions I have regarding the OOC writing that Madi especially, received in the last few episodes. The biggest question however is why would the Black Sails writers kneecap the most exciting couple on their show? They purposely undermined the foundation of their Canon couple. All in the name of propping a character who honestly, should have been able to stand on his own?

#silver x madi #silvermadi #madi scott #john silver

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pastorlaytonspen · 4 years

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Ethical Decision Making Paper

If you’re up for some reading, this is my Ethical Decision Making Paper about a counselor who decided to sell vitamins and homeopathic remedies in her practice. Enjoy.

Ethical Decision Making Paper: Scenario 3

Layton J Dutton II

Liberty University; COUC501

Abstract

This paper is about making ethical decisions in practical counseling situations. A situation with Amy is utilized as she seeks to make extra income by selling items on her professional web page and in her office. This paper looks at the problems created because of Amy’s decision and what the ACA Code of Ethics has to say about this situation. It also looks at Georgia’s Rules and Regulations. Each of the six moral principles is reviewed to determine how they may impact Amy’s scenario. There is also referenced a few sources to see what others would have to say and lists some people and associations that would be good to contact with this type of question. Six potential courses of action are given and narrowed down to two, one for Amy and one for the author of the paper. The determined action is then broken down into steps so that it can be implemented.

Identify the Problem

In this scenario Amy most certainly needs extra income. She must meet her expenses and pay for her education. Apparently, her private counseling practice is not covering these expenses and she resorts to an outside source of income. This is still not an issue. The problem arises when Amy brings her outside business into her practice. She now has two differing relationships with her clients. She is a counselor to them and also a salesperson. This could be viewed as a dual relationship and is certainly a boundary crossing. In this capacity, there is the opportunity to use or abuse her influence to increase sales. There is the chance that a client could get upset with her product resulting in issues during the counseling session.

This situation would develop into two likely problems and could result in a third if taken to far. The first is professional. There is the professional issue of selling these items to clients in the office. They could easily be mistaken as fixes to their clinical problems. A client may assume that vitamins and homeopathic remedies are useful resolutions to whatever brought them into the office for counsel. A chiropractor may have a massage device for sale in the office to help with pain. This is directly tied to his practice and may be helpful for certain clients. It could be recommended to those who need it. However, do these vitamins or homeopathic remedies offer any solution for Amy’s clients or is it simply another source or unrelated income? This could cause a professional problem when a client assumes it to be an answer to their problem.

This brings us to the ethical issue. The client making those assumptions, which have already been mentioned, is now depending on them to keep from having further issues. Amy, perhaps unintentionally, is creating a dual relationship that is likely to do more harm to her clients than good. There are times when crossing a boundary can be helpful, but is this one of those times? (Legal and Ethical Issues for Mental Health Professionals, 2008) It seems that Amy’s pursuit of extra income may very well inhibit her practice.

That last two, clinical and legal, are possibilities as well. There may be clinical repercussions if the client stops coming for counseling because he or she now has a homeopathic remedy. The client may also, as mentioned early, refuse to be open in sessions if a certain vitamin was not deemed effective. The legal issues could result if Amy does not make it clear that these items are not a substitute for proper counseling and are not proven to solve the issues dealt with in her counseling practice. Simply having them in the office may cause a client to take them for depression, anger, anxiety, etc. and sue Amy if they did not meet those expectations.

This issue is related to Amy and what she is and is not doing. She is advertising a product on her counseling website and in her office that seems to have nothing to do with counseling nor resolving any problems associated with counseling. As far as we know from the scenario given, she is not making that distinction and is crossing a boundary. Crossing a boundary is not always a negative activity, but, in this case; it appears to hold no positive help and could lead to harm of her clients. (2008)

Apply the ACA Code of Ethics

This area is one which is a little gray. The counselor is the one who really needs to make the decision as to whether they should enter in this relationship at all. The ACA Code of Ethics states the following in A.6.b.

“Counselors consider the risks and benefits of extending current counseling relationships beyond conventional parameters. Examples include attending a client’s formal ceremony…purchasing a service or product provided by a client…In extending these boundaries, counselors take appropriate professional precautions such as informed consent, consultation, supervision, and documentation to ensure the judgment is not impaired and no harm occurs.” (2014)

As can be seen here, there is not an exact parallel to Amy’s situation, however, there is mention of “purchasing items from a client” and taking “appropriate professional precautions”. (2014) These seem to flash a huge caution light on what Amy is attempting.

Another section in the ACA Code of Ethics, C.3.f, states this:

“Counselors do not use counseling, teaching, training or supervisory relationships to promote their products or training events in a manner that is deceptive or would exert undue influence on individuals who may be vulnerable.” (2014)

Here we see that it is not unethical to promote a product, but it is unethical to do so in a deceptive way or one that overextends the counselors influence on the client. (2014)

I would also like to take this opportunity to relate Amy’s scenario to the “Rules and Regulations of the State of Georgia”. There are two statements under the heading “Responsibility to Clients”. The first states that “Unprofessional conduct includes, but is not limited to, exploiting relationships with clients for personal or financial advantages”. (2019) Amy may, intentionally or not, be using her status as a counselor to impose her products on her clients in an unethical fashion. Simply having these products in her office and her attempting to coax clients into buying them could be construed as exploiting those clients.

The second statement in the “Rules and Regulations of the State of Georgia is this, “Unprofessional conduct includes, but is not limited to participating in dual relationships with clients that create a conflict of interest which could impair the licensee’s professional judgment, harm the client, or compromise the therapy.” (2019) This dual relationship of business person or sales person to client and counselor to client could cause emotions on either side that may result in Amy giving poor counsel or the client closing off in therapy or leaving altogether. It is a delicate balance that must be maneuvered carefully.

Determine the Nature/Dimensions of the Dilemma

Moral Principles

There are several of the moral principles that could apply in this situation. Let me go through each of them. The first is autonomy. This moral principal says that the client has freedom of choice and action. (Forester-Miller, H., & Davis, T. E., 2016) One could say that the client has the free choice to participate in Amy’s new side business or may freely choose to not participate. That is true, however, the counselor-client relationship could cause the client an extra burden to participate.

The second moral principle is that of justice. This principle would mean that Amy must treat each client with the same respect and give the same skill level to each whether or not they choose to buy her products. This could be difficult if Amy feels slighted by a client who decided not to be a consumer of her vitamins and remedies.

The third moral principle is beneficence. This is the idea of doing good and not causing harm. (Forester-Miller, H., & Davis, T. E., 2016) Amy may be capable of not causing harm here and doing good. It is possible that some of these vitamins and homeopathic remedies could be helpful to her clients, but giving these types of items out could put her on the verge of something a medical doctor would need to do. Amy may be walking a thin line by suggesting these remedies, especially the vitamins, as helpful to her client’s problems.

The fourth moral principle is nonmaleficence. “‘This principle reflects both the idea of not inflicting intentional harm, and not engaging in actions that risk harming others.’ (2016) Weighing potential harm against potential benefits is important in a counselor’s efforts toward ensuring ‘no harm.’” (2016) This seems to be a key moral principle. Amy is rolling the dice with this side business being integrated into her counseling practice. She is taking the chance that everything will work out when, in reality, there is a better chance of her clients experiencing harm as a result and almost no chance that this will be helpful to their counseling sessions.

The final moral principle is that of fidelity. This is encapsulated in the word ‘faithfulness’. (2016) A client’s involvement with Amy’s business could improve their trust in her, but if a product or experience did not seem to go well to the client then it would affect the counselor-client relationship in a negative manner.

Other Literature

Sanders talks about these types of relationships. He uses the term “nonsexual multiple relationships”. (2013, p 139) Here he talks about how these types of relationships are not forbidden, but that “the intent of the code is to leave the judgment about rightness or wrongness of an NSMR in the hands of the therapist first, who it is assumed will rely on any or all of the resources at his disposal”. (2013, p 141) Sanders is looking at the APA code rather than the ACA code, but it seems the principles in each are quite similar.

Another source was that of Lynn Gabriel. She states, “I define therapy relationship then, as a contracted relationship between a person in the role of client and a person in the role of therapist for the express purpose of entering into narrative relations aimed at resolving the client’s ‘problem’ or helping them develop their goals”. ( Gabriel, 2005, p 52) This definition gives a distinct purpose to the counselor-client relationship. Amy will need to look at her business and determine if it will help “resolve a client’s ‘problem’ or help them develop their goals”. (2005)

Marriage and family counselor Sharon Erickson says this about multiple or dual relationships, “The problem with multiple relationships is that they can at any time become unpredictable and confuse the current relationship. Even when the second relationship is thought to not be harmful or even to be beneficial, precautions must be taken to prevent potential harm.” (2001, p 302) She goes on to say, “if the relationship is avoidable, avoid it”. (2001, 303)

Persons to Consult

In Amy’s situation, she is in graduate school. She could consult with her professor. If she has a supervisor in her state she could consult with him or her. In my situation, I would consult with the head of the counseling department at the church I attend. She is a state-approved counseling supervisor so she would certainly have some ideas. I also have a few friends who are licensed counselors. They do live in Michigan so their advice would be more along ethical and moral guidelines than any state legalities that may be involved, but, in this case, that is the main concern.

Associations to Consult

The simple answer here is the ACA. That would likely be the first association to come to my mind in seeking advice. Georgia has a state division of the ACA and I would seek them out first. Another similar association in Georgia is the Licensed Professional Counselor’s Association of Georgia. Their website has an area dedicated to consultation, giving up to three, 20 minute calls for nonmembers and longer consultations or in office consultation for members. These appear to be good associations to consider and certainly there would be those who have had similar encounters in their private practices.

Potential Courses of Action

There are a few courses of action that Amy can take. She can continue to do as she has been doing, while making it clear to her clients that there is no obligation to buy and that none of these remedies will resolve their counseling problems.

Secondly, Amy could separate her business from her practice. She could create a new website just for selling her products online. She could refrain from using her office to sell her products and purpose to not go to clients homes to initiate sales. She may also want to use a pseudonym on her business’ website so that clients who find her vitamin and homeopathic remedy store online do not associate her counseling practice with that business.

Dropping the vitamin and homeopathic remedy business completely, Amy could change over to selling products directly associated with the problems she talks about in her counseling sessions. She could sell books, videos and audio that deal with the types of problems she encounters. She may find counseling therapy products that would be beneficial to her clients and suggest them to those to whom they would be helpful.

Amy may want to consider having another professional counselor join her in her practice or she could join them to help reduce costs. This could save her the money that she is attempting to earn.

A similar option is to drop the private practice altogether and find an organization with which to practice counseling. It would eliminate most of the costs of her private practice and she would have the money she then needs without taking on a second business.

Lastly, I would suggest that Amy look at classes she is taking in graduate school. Could she reduce the number of classes and take on more clients? Is she attempting to pay for graduate school all out of pocket? Taking out a loan could relieve the pressure for a short time until graduate school is completed and then she could take on more clients to pay off her student loan.

Consider Consequences / Determine Course of Action

The first option to continue as she is doing while telling clients that there is no obligation to buy and that these items will not help resolve their problems sounds too difficult and confusing for clients. It will not solve anything but will likely end up creating more problems.

The second option of separating the two businesses is possible, but it is going to be quite a bit more work and take much more time. Amy has graduate school and a private practice. She does not have time for a completely separate business. It also has a huge potential to create problems because a client somewhere down the line is going to discover that Amy runs the vitamin and homeopathic remedy business. This will lead back to the previous issues.

The third option of selling counseling related items is definitely a possibility. There is still the difference in relationship of a business and a counselor, but the products are now of benefit to the client and the counselor has a much better explanation to any ethical board that may question her motives. Amy would have to maintain that purchasing products does not affect the counselor-client relationship nor the quality of the counseling sessions.

The fourth and fifth option are similar in that both require finding another person or organization. These options only work if there is an opportunity for employment somewhere else or if there is another counselor willing to join with Amy. The fifth possibility, especially, would eliminate Amy from having a private practice. If she is determined to maintain a private practice then this is not a path she would want walk down. She would also need to decide what would happen with her current clients. Do they go to another counselor or would they be able to still be counseled by Amy at her next position?

The last option may depend much on whether Amy is comfortable with taking out a loan or has the ability to do so. Taking less classes would need to be determined by whether she would be able to complete her program in the time allotted while taking fewer classes.

It seems to me to boil down to options three through six. Much of this depends on what Amy desires to do. I’m going to assume that she wants to be in a private practice. As a result, I would eliminate option 5, finding a counseling position at another organization. Going by Amy’s current model, I think that she would go with option three. She has already shown that she is capable of selling items. I think that Amy would be able to sell counseling related items while maintaining her private practice. I did look online and there are websites with such items and even seminars that one can attend to help a counselor sell these items at their practice.

Having said all of that, for myself, if I wanted to maintain a private practice, I would likely go with the last option. I have attempted to sell products in the past and I do not really like that position. I doubt I would be successful with it and would most likely become more frustrated at all of the extra work that it would take to make money from it. I would likely take out a loan in order to free up some finances or reduce the number of classes I was taking or both. I can say this because that is what I have done to take these classes. I can then take money I have to put toward schooling as I am able and, after I am finished, dedicate more money toward school loans. Also, due to no longer having classes after I have completed the program, I can take on more clients to help cover the costs of those loans. If I wanted to begin selling counseling related items after I am finished school then that would be an option as well, but I would want to consult with other counselors who have done that previously to learn how to avoid any pitfalls and still continue to benefit my clients.

Implement the Course of Action

The first course of action would be to stop selling vitamins and homeopathic remedies. The advertisements for that on Amy’s website would need to come down and the products removed from the office. She may want to bulk sell all of the items to someone who would like to get into that business. For any clients who wanted to continue buying those items, she could refer them to another seller letting the client know that she no longer sells those products.

For her resolution, she would want to meet with counselors who sell counseling related items as part of their practice. She needs to find out what products are most beneficial to the client and price ranges. She would need to find out how they advertise without being pushy, especially onto their own clients. She should ask about how selling these items affects the counselor-client relationship and how to properly maintain that relationship. Amy may also benefit from a seminar about selling items in her practice, while being careful that she isn’t being manipulated by a product-placement salesperson. It would be best to check with national and state associations to verify any seminar she would consider attending.

After gathering all possible information, Amy could set up her items online and in the office. She would still need to be certain that she isn’t suggesting any items that would not be beneficial to clients and that she does not hold any animosity toward those who do not buy items.

If it was me, then I would need to follow the same first step as Amy, but then check with the school about classes and look into loan options. I would also do well to determine my personal budget and how this would work into a scenario with a school loan.

References

“2014 ACA Code of Ethics”. (2014). Retrieved from

https://www.counseling.org/resources/aca-code-of-ethics.pdf

Erickson, Sharon H. (2001, July 1). Multiple Relationships in Rural Counseling. The Family Journal, Vol 9, Issue 3, pp302-304. Retrieved from https://journals-sagepub-com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/doi/pdf/10.1177/1066480701093010

Forester-Miller, H., & Davis, T. E. (2016). Practitioner’s guide to ethical decision making (Rev. ed.). Retrieved from http://www.counseling.org/docs/default-source/ethics/practioner’s-guide-toethical-decision-making.pdf “

Legal and Ethical Issues for Mental Health Professionals, Vol. 2: Dual Relationship Boundaries, Standards of Care and Termination” [Video file]. (2008). Retrieved from https://search-alexanderstreet-com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/view/work/bibliographic_entity%7Cvideo_work%7C1779008?utm_source=aspresolver&utm_medium=MARC&utm_campaign=AlexanderStreet

Gabriel, L. (2005). Speaking the unspeakable the ethics of dual relationships in counselling and

psychotherapy. London ;: Routledge. Retrieved from https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/lib/liberty/reader.action?docID=243298&ppg=46

“Rules and Regulations of the State of Georgia: Chapter 135-7 Code of

Ethics”. (2019). Retrieved from http://rules.sos.ga.gov/gac/135-7

Sanders, Randolph K. (2013). Christian Counseling Ethics: A Handbook for Psychologists,

Therapists and Pastors (Second Edition). Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press.

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dgcatanisiri · 5 years

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Bipartisanship as a concept can really only work if both sides are committed to it. If one side doesn’t want to act in good faith, there can be no bipartisanship, plain and simple.

The fact that Biden keeps talking like magically, he’s going to bring back bipartisanship to our government, just proves how out of touch and unsuited he is for government at this time. Put his history aside for a moment and just consider the fact that he is speaking about bipartisanship at a time where our government is more polarized than ever.

And that’s not actually the fault of the Democrats.

For the last twenty years, the Republican party has embraced obstructionism and acting in the benefit of the wealthiest of the wealthy, purely to line their own individual pockets. The Republican Party does not care about America. They care about themselves.

At this point? There is a moral component. A moral component that the Republicans chose to sell off.

You can’t shame someone who has decided that you have less meaning, less worth to them than the money they’ve been paid to kill you. You cannot reason with someone who has a value system diametrically opposed to your own. You cannot compromise with someone whose starting point is literally “I don’t care about the people you do, and I have no motive or incentive to change.”

Biden is not the leader for this point in time. He NEEDS to get out of the field and let the other contenders have a chance.

The worst part has to be that I don’t know what’s worse, him not realizing this and continuing on - likely seeing his legacy torn to shreds and dragged through the mud - until he’s trounced in debates and has to drop out, which means that all the funding and financing and staffing and campaigning done for him has been wasted and those who his name forced out of the headlines have to scramble to get any attention paid to them, or him actually realizing it but stubbornly refusing to back out, having a fit of ego about how “it’s MY TURN!”

#dg talks politics

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unifiedsocialblog · 5 years

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11 Movies + TV Series Every Social Media Marketer Should Watch

The greatest education is often wrapped in entertainment, which is why Bill Nye the Science Guy made a deeper impression on me than any real-life science teacher ever did.

And when it comes to social media marketing, you’re in luck: there are a ton of valuable lessons to be gleaned from pop culture.

Here are nine movies and two TV series that every social media marketer should watch.

Bonus: Want to know how a viral social video creator makes millions of dollars in sales? Download the free guide now.

11 movies and TV series for social media managers

1. Eighth Grade (2018)

Simultaneously heartwarming and excruciating to watch (especially if you were ever a teenage girl), this movie follows quiet, sensitive 13-year-old Kayla Day (Elsie Fisher) over her last week of eighth grade.

Social media is a constant presence in Kayla’s life, as she takes Snapchat selfies, uploads videos to her YouTube channel, or scrolls mindlessly through Instagram. For Kayla, social media is a source of anxiety, but it’s also an escape.

Eighth Grade really captures what life is like for the Gen Z teens who have never known a world before social media, and how hard it is for adults (like Kayla’s father) to understand their relationship to it. And while plenty of films capture the dark side of social media, Eighth Grade also shows that it’s a place where shy, awkward teens feel like they can express themselves and explore their identities.

If you want to understand how the average teenager is using social media, this movie is your field guide.

2. The American Meme (2018)

This Netflix documentary explores the seedy underbelly of internet fame and influencer culture.

It focuses on four social media celebrities—Paris Hilton , former Vine star Brittany Furlan, Josh Ostrovsky (a.k.a. The Fat Jewish), and Kirill Bichutsky— who talk candidly about the ways that fame has messed with their personal relationships and mental health.

The American Meme reveals the real people behind their carefully-constructed online personas, and the disconnect is striking. Even though these stars have tremendous influence and massive followings, they all experience feeling isolated, trapped and alone.

Considering that many Millennials would choose fame over a career or a college education, this movie should be required viewing for anyone who idolizes internet fame.

3. A Simple Favor (2018)

In this twisted, funny thriller, Anna Kendrick plays Stephanie, a “mommy vlogger” who befriends Emily (Blake Lively), a glamorous, successful PR executive, after their sons meet at school. After a few weeks of arranging playdates for their kids and drinking martinis in the afternoon, Emily suddenly disappears and Stephanie launches her own amateur investigation into what happened to her.

The two women are contrasts in how social media can be used to hide.

Emily is completely offline: she has no internet presence, and she refuses to even let Stephanie take her photo. In the words of her husband (played by Henry Golding, fulfilling his moral obligation to take his shirt off in every role), she is “a beautiful ghost.” In comparison, Stephanie uses her cheerful vlog full of crafts and baked goods to mask her own dark secrets.

You could take a few lessons from this movie (and its marketing) on how to stoke excitement and anticipation with a social media campaign. Blake Lively set off a flurry of interest when she deleted all of her Instagram photos and began only following accounts that shared her character’s name.

But you can also just turn off your brain and enjoy it for Emily’s wardrobe of incredible three-piece suits. Your call!

4. The Joneses (2009)

While this movie came out before Instagram even existed, it’s shockingly relevant to our era of social media influencers and #sponcon. It follows the Jones “family”, who are actually an unrelated group of stealth marketers. Their job is to use their social influence in order to convince friends and neighbors to buy things, from frozen food to golf clubs.

If you’ve ever bought a top because it looked great on your most stylish friend (or your favorite Instagrammer), you’ll understand the premise of this movie. Influencer marketing is a powerful tool because people make purchasing decisions based on the opinions of real people who they trust and admire.

The Jones family begins to fracture when they start realizing that they don’t believe in the integrity of what they’re selling. Similarly, when working with an influencer, it’s important to make sure your values are aligned.

Compromising what you believe in may help you make a quick sale, but it will ultimately erode your followers’ trust in you, and damage your reputation.

5. Moneyball (2011)

A sports movie that’s secretly a movie about analytics! That’s a spicy bait-and-switch.

Moneyball is based on the true story of Billy Beane (Brad Pitt), the Oakland Athletics coach who had to build a strong baseball team without the money to hire top-ranked players. To do it, he hired Peter Brand (baby-faced Jonah Hill), a young analyst who proposed a new strategy: recruiting players using data about their in-game activity, rather than relying on the recommendations of baseball scouts.

While there’s no actual social media in this movie (Brad Pitt, sadly, never takes a single selfie for the ‘gram), it’s a perfect analogy for the value of data in crafting your perfect strategy. The Oakland A’s were failing by trying to use methods that worked for other teams, rather than measuring and understanding what could work for them. When they started recruiting strategically, they started winning.

Many companies try to find success by copying what’s worked for a competitor, rather than looking at what works best for them. There are many ways to refine your marketing strategy with data, like running A/B tests and researching your target audiences.

Another tip from Moneyball? Assess your marketing strategy as a whole (your baseball team) rather than focusing on stand-alone pieces (your individual players), so you can understand how the pieces fit together.

6. Ingrid Goes West (2017)

In this very dark comedy, the mentally unstable Ingrid (Aubrey Plaza) becomes infatuated with Taylor (Elizabeth Olsen), an influencer from LA who chronicles her glamorous beachy life on Instagram.

Ingrid packs up her bags and follows her new obsession to California, where she studies Taylor’s social media for clues to where she lives, shops, and eats, eventually manipulating her way into a real-life friendship.

Despite the time that Ingrid and Taylor spend together and the Coachella Valley photos they tag each other in, they never actually get to know each other. Ingrid is fixated on Taylor’s lifestyle and image, but doesn’t notice or care that the real Taylor is vapid and flaky.

“Why are you acting like this?” Ingrid’s quasi-boyfriend Dan asks. “You don’t even like these people!”

Both of them are so busy curating their own images that they never look deeper. It’s a reminder that you can’t build real relationships (with customers or with Instagram stalkers) if you’re 100 percent focused on your own content. You also need to engage meaningfully and show real personality. As Ingrid finds out (spoiler alert!), being fake only works for so long.

Bonus: Want to know how a viral social video creator makes millions of dollars in sales? Download the free guide now.

Get the free social video guide now!

7. You (2018)

Continuing the stalker theme, You is a series best summarized as “Pretty Little Liars + Gossip Girl + murder.” If that phrase is meaningless to you, trust me when I say it’s an immensely entertaining combination.

Told from the point of view of Joe (played by Penn Badgley), a bookstore manager with an inexplicably spacious New York apartment, You is about his all-consuming obsession with a pretty blonde customer who wanders into his shop. He promptly Googles her name (Guinevere Beck, played by Elizabeth Lail) and finds her Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and home address—a stalking starter kit.

This is all in the first ten minutes; the rest of You chronicles Joe’s deranged efforts to attain a romantic relationship with Beck by any means necessary, including extreme measures like voluntarily assembling IKEA furniture and murdering her ex-boyfriend.

You is trashy fun, but it will also make you think twice about privacy and security settings.

When Joe steals Beck’s phone so he can read her email and monitor her text conversations, you’ll be screaming, “Why don’t you have a passcode?” at the TV. Soothe your resulting paranoia with these social media security tips.

8. The Circle (2017)

In this thriller adapted from the Dave Eggers’ novel, Emma Watson plays Mae, a young employee of a tech company called The Circle, which is helmed by CEO Eamon Bailey (Tom Hanks).

The Circle is a Facebook-esque company that encourages both employees and users to embrace absolute transparency and share everything about their lives. Mae embraces the company’s values, and chooses to broadcast her life 24/7 through a wearable camera, despite the fact that it makes her friends and family uncomfortable.

The movie is a cautionary tale about what happens when users lose faith in tech companies, and underlines the difference between choosing to share your personal data with the world and having it shared without your consent. It’s a reminder to brands that building trust and championing integrity should be an essential part of your strategy.

9. Up in the Air (2009)

In this comedy, Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) is a travelling consultant for a job he loves: flying around the country firing employees for other companies.

It sounds bleak, and the employees he meets are understandably distraught, but Ryan really believes in what he’s doing. He wants to convince them that losing their job is a good thing in the long run, because it’s freeing them to do something that actually makes them happy.

It’s surprising this works—ask yourself if you’d really believe someone who told you, as they were firing you, that it was a gift—and part of the magic is definitely George Clooney’s charm. But the other reason it works is that Ryan is helping people through a tough moment by offering them comfort, honesty and encouragement. There’s a lot to learn about navigating difficult conversations.

Every company will eventually face an uncomfortable situation, whether that’s unhappy customers or PR disasters. But if you treat your customers with empathy and compassion, you can have a positive impact. When Ryan’s new colleague introduces a digital system of performing the layoffs remotely, it fails because it’s impersonal and scripted.

10. Black Mirror (2011-2019)

The episodes in this sci-fi anthology range from funny to touching to (mostly) very disturbing.

Each one takes place in the present, or a very near future, and explores the possible consequences of technologies like social media, artificial intelligence, and virtual reality. Every episode stands alone, so you can start anywhere in the series, and all of them will give you a lot to think about.

Nosedive is one of the lighter episodes, and one of my favorites. It imagines a world where every single personal interaction can be rated on an app (like Instagram combined with the Uber’s five-star rating system).

High ratings give users privileges, like express lines at the airport; low ratings come with penalties.

Because of the system, everyone is incentivized to be polite, friendly and totally shallow. Everyone is nice, but they’re also being painfully inauthentic, and the result is a world you definitely wouldn’t want to live in.

11. FYRE (2019)

The subtitle for this Netflix documentary says it all: Fyre Festival was “the greatest party that never happened.”

A destination music festival in the Bahamas dreamed up by entrepreneur (and scammer) Billy McFarland and Ja Rule sold thousands of pricey tickets with the promise of a luxury festival filled with swimsuit models and beach-front cabanas.

Fyre was promoted almost entirely through an Instagram influencer campaign, with an early boost by a promotional video that featured celebrities like Gigi Hadid and Kendall Jenner frolicking on the beach. The chance to party with Instagram celebrities on a white-sand beach was irresistible, and the festival quickly sold 5,000 tickets.

But behind the scenes, the FyreFestival team was scrambling with logistics and insufficient funds, unable to deliver on the extravagant promises they had made to attendees. Even as it became obvious that Fyre Festival would fail, they continued posting luxurious and misleading photos on Instagram, promising a world-class experience.

When festival-goers arrived, they found wet mattresses, hurricane relief tents, and not a single bikini-clad Victoria’s Secret Model. All the bands had pulled out abruptly and the influencers had stayed home. Instead of the “Bahama-style sushi” they were promised, they were fed infamously sad sandwiches.

Here's the dinner they fed us tonight. Literally slices of bread, cheese, and salad with no dressing. #fyrefraud #fyrefestival #dumpsterfyre pic.twitter.com/NmNXakSFlq

— Trevor DeHaas (@trev4president) April 28, 2017

As stranded attendees began posting panicked tweets, Instagram Stories, and Facebook Messages, the entire world saw the Fyre Festival implode in real-time on social media.

The Fyre fyasco is the most obvious reminder in recent history that faking it on social media will always come back to bite you. Unless you’re the Oceans 8 crew, all scams are eventually discovered (hello, free bikini offers on Instagram). Even if you don’t end up going to prison like Billy McFarland, you’ll erode your customer’s trust and ruin your reputation.

If one documentary isn’t enough to sate your curiosity, Hulu also released a documentary just weeks before Netflix, called Fyre Fraud.

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