Riptide Pirates And Identity. Let's Think Of Identity As Mirrors.

Riptide Pirates and identity. Let's think of identity as mirrors.

Chip's identity is like a shattered mirror. He built it around his child self and his time with the Black Rose Pirates, and back then when he gazed into a mirror he saw a smiling, happy boy with no care in the world. But then the mirror broke, and ever since, Chip has been sitting at its foot picking up the pieces and trying to meticulously put them back in its place, right where they belong, where they used to be. And if the pieces didn't fit anymore, then that just meant this must have been the wrong one, he just needed to find the right one and when it is finished everything will be exactly as it was before. It'll be fine again. But somewhere along the way Chip found people who started helping. Together they started recreating the mirror and with them along Chip found himself less and less upset when one piece or the other seemed a bit off. And when the mirror was finally finished, Chip gazed upon it and looking at him was a person completely different than the one he used to see in the past. But by his side there were people who told him that it's perfect that way. That it's still him and that it's still alright. You can still see cracks in the mirror, follow the exact lines to see where they broke off. But tho shattered once before the mirror is strong. It won't crack again.

Gillion is a mirror on the verge of crumbling. He has been noticing cracks for years now, but the mirror seemed strong, unbreakable, so fine and sturdy, there was no way it would break. It was so unprobable, he chose to not pay it any mind. But then the cracks deepened and the mirror trembled dangerously, as if ready to fall over. He grabbed the mirror and held onto it tight, and then he was gazing at the sun on the surface. With a mirror this cracked, he had to find ways to fill it back in. Tapes, glues and bandaids made of denial, excuses and heroic facade, he would put anything and everything to keep the cracks from spreading, to keep making sure that this fragile piece of glass is still a perfectly good mirror. And then small pieces started falling off. He tried to hide it but the holes in the visage remained, until the sea turned black and the mirror fell again. He caught it again, but he couldn't set it back up anymore. The moment he lets go, it crumbles and he is so afraid of it. Of the noise it will make. Of the gaping nothingness that waits for him when all the pieces fall. So he holds on. He knows he has to let it go, but be can't yet. The shards are falling on his head, the jagged edges hurt his palms, making them bleed, but he won't let go. Until he does. And when be does, with him there will be people who can show him how to fix it. There will be Jay, and there will be Chip. He'll know what to do. He's done it once before after all.

Jay's mirror is one of change. She has been polishing the mirror for years, she has been telling herself that it's beautiful and perfect. It's just like her fathers' and her sister's and grandmother's. It's always been the same, and so there is no way it could be broken. But then Ava's mirror shattered and Jay started wondering that if her sister's mirror wasn't what it seemed, than maybe all the other ones are also broken. So she covered her mirror with a cloth and pretended that she has a different one. Just to see if she can find out more about mirrors in the first place. And the more mirrors she saw the more she realized that she hates her own mirror. She started noticing things that she didn't before. That small ugly crack in the corner. That disgusting stain in the other that never seems to come off. And she desired a new one, a completely different one that will truly feel hers. But when she asked her father, the father got angry and in his cruelty, he put another nasty burn mark that covered the frame. But Jay's friends told her that they'd still like her mirror, but only if she truly makes it hers. So she started seeing her mirror as a foundation. Something that might be her base, but not what she truly is. She took some brushes and started painting the mirror. She decorated it with patterns and lines unique to her own and repainted both the glass and the frame so she could see herself in it just the way she wanted to be seen. The burn mark is still there, so are all the cracks and stains, but with time, she is sure to find a way to reclaim these too. And the mirror will finally feel like her own. And she's sure her friends will love whatever she makes.

This is something I wanted to talk about for a while, cause the part of ep.98 in which Gillion remembers about the thieves threatening arson while they do their best to carry him to the small boat that soon becomes his only chance for survival will always be so damn impactful to me.

Cause at this moment Chip and Jay are acting do damn human. They act the way the Elders told Gill humans would act. They sacrifice the safety of others for their personal gain, they leave people to die to achieve their own goal, to save only what is most precious and valuable to them instead of seeing each life as equal. And yet, when they make this pinky promise with Gill, when they are lying to him about ensuring these people's safety, even if they know they can't guarantee that, that some may die, Chip and Jay feel beautiful. There is something so divine about their sin. Cause even if the emotions of Chip and Jay, are raw, flawed, wild and panicked, selfish, they are also sincere and pure too, cause ever since the ice arena incident, they've only lied to Gillion FOR Gillion. They lied to protect him from the world, to preserve him, to keep him close, to not lose him, cause to them Gillion became their treasure. He became their reason to keep going, to keep growing, a reason to give back. He became someone who will be there for them when their world is falling apart, someone who when they doubt and hate themselves more than ever, will tell them 'I will fight for you'. He'll be the one to tell them, right when they are just at the brink of giving up, 'You're enough for me.'

And in that moment they look at him, body growing weaker, his strength fading, as he struggles to stay awake, they look at him and they don't care who has to die to save him. Because they care for him and love him so much, they do not care about lying to him. They do not care about what comes after as long as there is an after for Gillion. They don't care about anything because they are human and they are selfish, and they are selfish because they love. And they love so fully and unapologetically and they do it all for him, because he won't do it for himself. And maybe he can see that, at least a little bit, and he loves them just as much, and maybe he choses to believe in their lie and he lets them do that for him. Cause he doesn't wanna leave them either.

i had a thought. if gillion, chip and gryffon died in the black sea now -- like i mean all of them, fully dead, no revivals -- jay would never know. nor would lizzie or edyn or anyone else. imagine jay prevents the massacre and heads back to canella and she knows there's no way to contact the others or meet with them. she just has to wait until they show up. because they have to show up. but then several days pass. and a few weeks. and okay, fine, maybe they got stuck. or lost. or couldn't find a way back other than sailing (she doesn't know they left the ship behind of course). it took a while to sail deep into the black sea, so maybe they're still on their way. a few more weeks. jay wonders if there actually is a way back from the black sea. they entered via a portal, and no one else has left before. everyone's getting worried but jay holds onto hope. another week. she battles with whether she should go to all-port and try to re-enter the black sea or stay behind and wait, because it would be awful if they arrived only to find her gone. months pass and still no word. it's the first time she questions if they're still alive. they should be back by now. they should. they aren't. and she's stuck in a state of not knowing unless she manages to go back to the black sea, and by then who knows what's become of their bodies. who knows if she can even access the place they died without the compass or the map. who knows

soft and soothing

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I want to see how many people actually are willing to say this and not just act like it

old men