Forgive, but first, kneel.
Peace, Penance, and New Beginnings
Forgiveness. This is what Gaia says is needed in Blood of Zeus. Gaia is wise. Mothers are always right, and as Mother Earth, her wisdom is all but set in stone.
I side with Gaia because of her wisdom, you know? It's not because I abandoned my promise to fly this dome across worlds and times and failed. It's not because I didn't hold up my end of the bargain to be here with you and the stories we share and sent no word for 3 years. No, certainly not. It is not because I vanished like Avatar Aang, and now need you to restore balance to Amadin's dome. No, these are not the reasons for my alignment. Yes, I need your forgiveness, but only because it's the right thing to do. Gaia says so.
For 3 years, I immersed myself in stories and reluctantly experienced the increasing dystopianization of reality. Fiction doesn't seem so unbelievable anymore as we now tend towards suspending belief. The art that once imitated life is now the foundation of another life. A lot has happened, is happening, and will always be happening, so one must align with the interests that suit them. Sometimes this alignment reveals itself in what a person is willing to forgive.
When characters twist and turn to suit new needs and situations, it makes a story dynamic and enjoyable. The original trilogy of the Pirates of the Caribbean is a prime example. The characters change their alignments as often as they should change clothes (pirates aren't particular about grooming and hygiene). Let's say, as regular people change clothing instead. Nevertheless, we see that characters rarely ignore their own motivations and goals for another's, except when doing so eventually yields the desired results for themselves.
Jack wants to escape Davy Jones over his owed debt, so he needs Jones's heart as leverage. Jones wants Jack dead again because of that debt. Will wants to rescue his father from Davy Jones. Beckett wants to control the seas, so he needs to control Jones and destroy pirates. Jack helps Will to help Beckett, who wants Jones to kill pirates; including Jack, Will, and all the rest. It's a clusterfuck and its riveting.
As the story progresses, these wants and needs change, and allies become enemies, and enemies become allies. It's a fickle world where loyalty, duty, and honor are concepts used as needed to achieve one's interests.
In Blood of Zeus, Hades seeks to be free of the underworld as his wife is cursed to spend only six months a year with him before she has to leave. And with whom does he align to reach this goal? The one who orchestrated the curse in the first place: Demeter. Demeter wants to support Hades so she can rule the heavens with him. This is someone she hates and believes is not good enough for her daughter, but the opportunity to rule makes him manageable.
The series, A Song of Ice and Fire, sees meandering alliances dominate its politics and drama. No matter the ties and alliances Martin establishes at the start of his books, they can be thrown out the window in an instant if characters' interests change. There's a part of the series that involves an election that reaches a stalemate because the three main contenders keep tying in votes, and each refuses to step down for the other. However, it happens that two of them are willing to step aside for a fourth party to prevent one of the main three, who's presumably the worst option, from winning. It's much more subtly and beautifully told by George himself. You should read his books after this
The houses are constantly scheming and seeking to gain favor for themselves, and those unwilling to play often die. Cersei says, "When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die." What she doesn't say is that not playing still counts as playing, that is, playing badly. It's how business coaches say, "No branding is still branding." So why would one choose to decline a steady change of allies based on interests? Well, sometimes opposing principles are incapable of alignment because of, well, principles. Some people will turn down a chance for unity if the other party indulges in cruelty or unkindness. To stand with someone who sees nothing wrong in, say, murder, is to endorse murder yourself. Just as being close with someone who has disdain for fried plantain is to endorse evil itself. I will take no counter arguments, thank you.
Values seem like fairy tales of old, particularly in times where the base needs of human survival still plague a vast majority. Even then, they might be the precious few things that differentiate man from beast. But is life so binary? Choosing between what is right and what is easy? I don't know. I never promised you answers. However, it is about what you are willing to forgive. Can you forgive theft? Debauchery? Disloyalty? Poverty? These things don't have to be similar or particularly in need of forgiveness, but as it requires your alignment, only you can say.
If the one who holds the key to the door you want to open requires you to take off your shoes before you enter, can you forgive them for the condition? Can you forgive yourself for giving up your shoes? Or will keeping your shoes signal your existence to other doorkeepers who cherish footwear? Who can say?
Forgiveness is beautiful, but forgiveness sucks unless there is penance, sometimes even then. This is why you should not let me worm my way back into your lives without atonement. Suggest a punishment below. I will oblige the most recurring suggestion, even if it's reading something boring or using an image of a fried-plantain-hater as my avi. Alas, I will never forgive such cruelty, so choose wisely.
Terms and Conditions Apply.
If you're unaware of my need for forgiveness and the promises I made, check out my previous entries. You can start HERE.