Annotated 47-9
FB: TFW– no, you know what? No one else has ever had to feel just exactly like you do right now, Penk. You’re a feels pioneer.
This talk is a little dense even for Guilded Age, but it’s the sort of thing we’d have to break up into more frames if we were composing it for Webtoon or another primarily phone-based format. Which isn’t a knock on the latter: every format has its strengths and weaknesses. It helps sometimes when the writer is also the letterer: I drafted the original version of Gondolessa’s speech, but Flo took it further and added more, aided by her knowledge of just how much would fit in there.
It’s worth it: while this isn’t the last we’ll see of Gondolessa, it does put a cap on one of Guilded Age‘s most important relationship arcs. Great expressions by John to spotlight here, too. I was a little concerned at times that between Harky and Gr’Zl, we might be slipping into the “bury your gays” trope, but Gondolessa’s continued presence and strength of character was one counterweight against that.
(Side note: Flo mentioned in the original comments to this page that she thought of Gondolessa as nonbinary. Which I don’t have a problem with per se, but…she never discussed that with me! The scripts, including some parts Flo wrote, are “he/him” for Gondolessa throughout, so I think it best if I just note this and move on.)
I wanted to comment on Gondolessa, half of the big gay romance, appearing gender-ambiguous. Long lashes, with dark eyelids here as if they’re made up. I didn’t want it to be the first post on such a meaningful page though.
Then I reached the end of the commentary. I don’t know if I’m the same page as Flo, but some avians have been gendered quite male (the former Champion) or feminine (the captive). Not because of their roles, but artistically. Gondolessa always seemed nebulous to me.
But then, I am nonbinary myself. I didn’t want to read into my lack of read. I was told Gondelessa was gay, and so Gondolessa was gay. Now I hear that Gondolessa wasn’t particularly man or woman, and things simply make more sense.
On first read-through, it took me quite some time, until Iver’s comment about equipment, to realize Gondolessa was male. That Iver was being grossed out by *that*, as opposed to inter-species relations. So nebulous, indeed.
There’s very few times or reasons when you’d actually need to kill your father/-figure. But I think it’s quite universal that at some point everyone comes to a point where some, if not all, their ideas, thoughts and ideals are against each their father’s.
That can only be resolved by combat. And while both lines of thought can survive, even unhurt between the people…
In the child themselves, it rarely happens that two opposing ideals can co-exist in that singular person. Something has to give. Something has to go.
But regardless what survives and how, does not mean we can’t still love and even respect each other.
Is also why I see so much of my own father in Harky, and in Hammerhead. Steadfast, loyal, hardworking to a fault, dedicated, but set in their ways. Not really as badly as Hammerhead, to go against such things he does not appreciate, less so in times of other needs (but I think that was Hammerhead’s “youth” talking [we don’t really know how old Hammerhead is in landshark years, do we?]).
But that he is ready to stand for what he believes and even fight for his way if called to do so.
But anytime, ever at any point, if I ever was to need something, he would strive to help me with it.
And despite our many differences and my numerous failings, I still like to think he’s still sort of proud of me. Regardless of it all it, he definitely still loves me.
As I do love him.
And if I ever was to say, show or even hint any of this to him, he would definitely mutter, grumble and be ever so bothered by all of it. But would probably feel exactly the same.
Same goes to my mother (except for the characters, she’s much more Syr’Nj and such). But for mothers in general. We rarely completely agree with them either and even then we have usually dealt with the “opposing ideals” in a way or another.
All of this of course not saying that there can’t be bloody conflict, that there wouldn’t be hurts that gnaw for the entirety of a lifetime, that we simply couldn’t see eye to eye, or even stand shoulder to shoulder without even meeting the other’s gaze. There are times when things just don’t work. And it’s fair that not always does one need to accept everything, especially if the other does not and yelds none.
But I hope and pray for everyone that comes to that point of conflict, that theirs will resolve respectfully, with love intact, even if they would never find a way to agree.
I’m not crying, you are crying
I jut notice how un-trollish Penk is here. If succession by mortal combat is the Troll way, and everyone is raised accordingly, then he would be forgiven for not having any second thoughts about it. But he does have a softer side, is not afraid to show it sometimes, and that’s to his enormous credit.
A quality, by the way, that I miss in most, if not all, “natural born leaders”. People who are lauded for their “power instincts” and such are never seen to question their own actions, to ask for reassurance or openly consider if they could accommodate others better.
I can’t stand such people. I’d much rather all important political offices be filled with unwilling but conscientious people than with “leadership figures”.
It seems that Gondolessa’s sentence here “your people would never accept a simple passing of power” confirms my theory from earlier on, that Penk basically knows right now that he, too, will be challenged and killed by his successor, unless he dies in battle first, because retiring is apparently not something that Trolls do. Or would that only apply in war times?
Well … good luck to him. He’s setting a high standard, so I’d hope it’ll be some time before someone else decides to challenge that.
The alt text suggests it is absolutely not in wartime only.