Black Hat Brigade: Episode 17
Oct. 12th, 2015 11:39 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
wingedbeastEstablishing Shot: Tight focus on a single apple tree. The camera lingers a moment on this classicly depicted fruit tree. The fruit is inviting and good for food. One ripe apple drops to be caught by one hand.
A man in a sherrif's uniform, a badge reading "Officer DeVille" looks at the apple.
Officer DeVille speaks with an exagurated tone of menace: I do like this time of year.
Beside him, a man with slick-back black hair, a long black coat, and white-on-white eyes holds out a basket. He speaks with an affected rasp: Time outside, picnic, apple cookoff. What's not to love?
Susan Pevensie turns her head off to the side. She wears a black sundress and wide, black sun hat. Her hem is short enough to display her nylons. Her lips bare an orange-tinged red lipstick, in respect for the season. She, too, has a basket of apples.
Susan: Did I just hear exposition?
Long Black Coat: Collecting for the apple pie competition?
Susan: Yes. I intend to place this year. But, did I hear exposition?
Long Black Coat: I let a little slip out.
Officer DeVille: It happens. It can be clunky, but you have to make allowances. Just hang a lantern on it and move past.
Susan: Exposition is for observers. We must be expecting company... and me without my bow.
Susan takes a moment to look around, wary. A golden glow softly lights behind her. She turns with a start, then calms.
Susan: Ah, you're alone.
Long Black Coat: Good, no fight, then.
Officer DeVille: Just some moralizing, then you can go.
Aslan: The two of you should be more afraid. I am a representation of Jesus and Jesus always defeats any Satan.
Officer DeVille: In some canons with some interpretations.
Long Black Coat: But, we're not in those canons right now. And, those interpretations leave a lot to be desired.
Susan: That would be our moralizing, in which I'm quite certain you have no interest. Please, do get on with your own.
Aslan: I see it is unlikely that you will accept. Still, Narnia will invite you, if you can but become a true friend of Narnia. You should not have to associate with evil.
Susan: It may be that you see no irony in what you just said.
Aslan displays nothing but patience.
Susan: I suppose it could be done, technically. Some time after The Last Battle, I could renounce my earlier vanity, revile myself for a past of taking pleasure in my conventional feminine appearance. I might even see the error in my efforts to enforce maturity of structure over the infinite adventure possibilities.
Susan: For all of that, will Narnia become a true friend to me?
Aslan: Of course, you describe an instructive redeption.
Susan: Or a breaking of spirit.
Aslan: An instructive redemption. With that, Narnia will welcome you.
Susan: Either way, it requires that I become someone else; someone who is neither the me in canon nor the me depicted now. I have to become someone who takes that in which I take pride and feel regret.
Susan: For all that I may pay penannce, myself, will Narnia pay similar penance? Will Narnia regret ejecting me against my desires? Will Narnia express remorse that it yanked me back? Will Narnia feel guilt that it lost interest in me after I grew past adolescence?
Aslan: So sad. You choose the forces of evil. *pointedly glances at Long Black Coat and Officer DeVille*
Susan: They aren't evil. Their respective canons aren't well considered enough for intended evils to be evil.
Long Black Coat: I'm the Devil in C Me Dance, a movie where I oppose the "good Christian" *uses air quotes* that succeeds in a plan to mass-brainwash nearly the whole of America, taking away their free will. The most evil I get is in Diamanda Hagan's interpretation*.
Officer DeVille: I only appeared, briefly, at the beginning and end of The Encounter, had no impact on the story, and got force-choked by a depiction of Jesus that acts more like an evil Faerie that cares more about being worshipped and not blamed than anything about the Golden Rule.
Susan: We all have something in common. We all come from canon informed by moralities that bare little more than purely tribal dimension.
Aslan: I suppose you must keep trying to justify the unjustifiable. It is such a shame that you begrudge me for what you imagine I've done to you.
Susan: No. What you've done to me is very little. I can just roll my eyes and walk past that. No, it's what you've done to Edmund that moves me to anger.
Aslan: Edmund?
Susan: Yes. Edmund, the one who is blamed for being under magic spell that robs him of free will. Edmund who... I suppose what typifies it happened in A Horse And His Boy. Edmund was relieved that my affections were not so easily swayed. He actually let slip the words "I should love you less".
Susan: I did not think much on it, at the time. Later, I became angry with him. But, past that, past multiple opportunties that he had to express empathy and compassion for others who were on the wrong side of Aslan and would need a loving hand to walk them through redemption, I saw what was going on. I think that he would not have loved me less, but that he would have felt that he should.
Susan: That is what you and Narnia do, Aslan. That is what the tribal ethic of so many Christian movies does. It puts people in position that they must pretend and pretend and pretend and hope that their pretending becomes reality, so that they may not be subject to your wrath. I fear for Edmund, more than Peter or Lucy, who may be happily idealized in your simplistic ethic. But, Edmund pretended, and could not slip in his guize, not before you, not before himself, lest he become "no true friend of Narnia".
Susan: I wouldn't expect you even to care. But, I still wonder. Has he actually found happiness? Or is he stuck in a Hell of pretending to be happy, lest he be subject to your wrath?
Susan: Your moralizing is done. And, I don't suspect that you've even stayed to...
Susan turns to notice that Aslan is gone.
Susan:... listen to the entire monologue.
___
* https://youtu.be/mnKV2r3_KGY
A man in a sherrif's uniform, a badge reading "Officer DeVille" looks at the apple.
Officer DeVille speaks with an exagurated tone of menace: I do like this time of year.
Beside him, a man with slick-back black hair, a long black coat, and white-on-white eyes holds out a basket. He speaks with an affected rasp: Time outside, picnic, apple cookoff. What's not to love?
Susan Pevensie turns her head off to the side. She wears a black sundress and wide, black sun hat. Her hem is short enough to display her nylons. Her lips bare an orange-tinged red lipstick, in respect for the season. She, too, has a basket of apples.
Susan: Did I just hear exposition?
Long Black Coat: Collecting for the apple pie competition?
Susan: Yes. I intend to place this year. But, did I hear exposition?
Long Black Coat: I let a little slip out.
Officer DeVille: It happens. It can be clunky, but you have to make allowances. Just hang a lantern on it and move past.
Susan: Exposition is for observers. We must be expecting company... and me without my bow.
Susan takes a moment to look around, wary. A golden glow softly lights behind her. She turns with a start, then calms.
Susan: Ah, you're alone.
Long Black Coat: Good, no fight, then.
Officer DeVille: Just some moralizing, then you can go.
Aslan: The two of you should be more afraid. I am a representation of Jesus and Jesus always defeats any Satan.
Officer DeVille: In some canons with some interpretations.
Long Black Coat: But, we're not in those canons right now. And, those interpretations leave a lot to be desired.
Susan: That would be our moralizing, in which I'm quite certain you have no interest. Please, do get on with your own.
Aslan: I see it is unlikely that you will accept. Still, Narnia will invite you, if you can but become a true friend of Narnia. You should not have to associate with evil.
Susan: It may be that you see no irony in what you just said.
Aslan displays nothing but patience.
Susan: I suppose it could be done, technically. Some time after The Last Battle, I could renounce my earlier vanity, revile myself for a past of taking pleasure in my conventional feminine appearance. I might even see the error in my efforts to enforce maturity of structure over the infinite adventure possibilities.
Susan: For all of that, will Narnia become a true friend to me?
Aslan: Of course, you describe an instructive redeption.
Susan: Or a breaking of spirit.
Aslan: An instructive redemption. With that, Narnia will welcome you.
Susan: Either way, it requires that I become someone else; someone who is neither the me in canon nor the me depicted now. I have to become someone who takes that in which I take pride and feel regret.
Susan: For all that I may pay penannce, myself, will Narnia pay similar penance? Will Narnia regret ejecting me against my desires? Will Narnia express remorse that it yanked me back? Will Narnia feel guilt that it lost interest in me after I grew past adolescence?
Aslan: So sad. You choose the forces of evil. *pointedly glances at Long Black Coat and Officer DeVille*
Susan: They aren't evil. Their respective canons aren't well considered enough for intended evils to be evil.
Long Black Coat: I'm the Devil in C Me Dance, a movie where I oppose the "good Christian" *uses air quotes* that succeeds in a plan to mass-brainwash nearly the whole of America, taking away their free will. The most evil I get is in Diamanda Hagan's interpretation*.
Officer DeVille: I only appeared, briefly, at the beginning and end of The Encounter, had no impact on the story, and got force-choked by a depiction of Jesus that acts more like an evil Faerie that cares more about being worshipped and not blamed than anything about the Golden Rule.
Susan: We all have something in common. We all come from canon informed by moralities that bare little more than purely tribal dimension.
Aslan: I suppose you must keep trying to justify the unjustifiable. It is such a shame that you begrudge me for what you imagine I've done to you.
Susan: No. What you've done to me is very little. I can just roll my eyes and walk past that. No, it's what you've done to Edmund that moves me to anger.
Aslan: Edmund?
Susan: Yes. Edmund, the one who is blamed for being under magic spell that robs him of free will. Edmund who... I suppose what typifies it happened in A Horse And His Boy. Edmund was relieved that my affections were not so easily swayed. He actually let slip the words "I should love you less".
Susan: I did not think much on it, at the time. Later, I became angry with him. But, past that, past multiple opportunties that he had to express empathy and compassion for others who were on the wrong side of Aslan and would need a loving hand to walk them through redemption, I saw what was going on. I think that he would not have loved me less, but that he would have felt that he should.
Susan: That is what you and Narnia do, Aslan. That is what the tribal ethic of so many Christian movies does. It puts people in position that they must pretend and pretend and pretend and hope that their pretending becomes reality, so that they may not be subject to your wrath. I fear for Edmund, more than Peter or Lucy, who may be happily idealized in your simplistic ethic. But, Edmund pretended, and could not slip in his guize, not before you, not before himself, lest he become "no true friend of Narnia".
Susan: I wouldn't expect you even to care. But, I still wonder. Has he actually found happiness? Or is he stuck in a Hell of pretending to be happy, lest he be subject to your wrath?
Susan: Your moralizing is done. And, I don't suspect that you've even stayed to...
Susan turns to notice that Aslan is gone.
Susan:... listen to the entire monologue.
___
* https://youtu.be/mnKV2r3_KGY
