Star-Crossed - Commentary - Ch. 23-24 (Patreon)

Ho Ho Ho-ly crap the weeks are flying by!

(This is the only time I get to use that ever...until next year.)

Welcome to our last commentary of the year!  And what a year it’s been...filled with shocks, surprises, lots of Netflix, and just a few lifetime emotional scars (dedicated toilet paper closets, anyone?).  But, you know what, I’m proud of us for making it through.  There’s been more uncertainty in this one year than I can remember, but we persevered.  At the very least, we’ve made it this far, right?

I hope that the weekly updates have been a small bright spot though.  We began the year by wrapping up The Winter Challenge, with delightfully-oblivious Weiss.  We then spent a fair amount of time checking in with The Vale Voice, where we were far more interested in Blake’s burgeoning feelings for Yang than in the actual news.  And we’re ending the year mired in the finale of Star-Crossed, hoping for the ‘good’ ending for Blake and Yang.

Looking at the year as a whole, Weiss and Ruby weren’t as impacted by Blake and Yang’s 2020 drama.  Their side endeavors included making some magic in The Illusion, an arranged marriage with a happy ending in A Royal Match, Weiss tripping over her words (and feet) trying to flirt in Papercuts, and drooling all over Ruby in Oh God...She’s Hot.

(Writing that just made me realize how much White Rose I’ve posted this year.  Why do people always make it sound like I’m not posting any White Rose??)

But, overall...wow, what a year.  We’ve been through a lot, but I’m excited to put us through even more next year.

Maybe not more...probably the same amount or a little less - I’m trying not to write myself into the ground here!

With that goal in mind, I’m going to take a one-week holiday break from posting Star-Crossed.  I know, right?  A break?  What does that even mean…

The story is already written, of course, but I proofread every week before posting.  I also have to write these here commentaries after every two chapters, so taking a week off will actually be a really nice relief.  If you’re wondering how you’ll satisfy your need for a weekly dose of Mikoverses, well...have no fear, because I spent the last two weeks writing a Christmas-themed oneshot!

As with every single thing I write, it turned out longer than expected - clocking in at just about 16,000 words.  I don’t think anyone will complain though...more fluffy gay is always good, right?

Ok, I could talk about that stuff forever.  Let’s get this show on the road, shall we?

The past two chapters of Star-Crossed have been shorter and serve mostly as a setup for our grand finale.  I’m sure you’ve felt as much, as Blake and Sun gear up for their possibly ill-fated rescue attempt.

One thing I really liked about Chapter 23, in particular, is how it serves as a direct contrast to Chapter 1.  I loved this.  I loved showing the type of person Blake is now compared to who she was when she set off on her mission.

In Chapter 1, she’s confident on the verge of cocky.  She’s self-assured.  She knows exactly what she’s doing - she’s going to find some bad guys and dispense justice.  Why?  Because she’s working for the good guys, and the good guys are going to make the universe a safer place.  She never questions ISA’s motivation for sending her undercover, and she holds an almost reverence for ISA’s top leaders.

In Chapter 23, she’s back, and I wanted to show just how much she’s changed.  She learned quite a few lessons from the Blackguards and from Yang, and those lessons have affected her (and our) view of ISA.

And what’s a great way to show how much she’s changed?  Put her in another meeting with Command that mirrors the meeting from Chapter 1.  What we can assume is that Command hasn’t changed.  They’re still the same leaders, in charge of the same organization, running it the same way.  They view Blake the same as when she left, and they view the Blackguards the same too.

Blake’s the one who changed, and we get to see just how much her opinion of them has changed with it.

One, she definitely deserves to be pissed at them.  They put her in a life-threatening situation without providing some pretty important information.  They expect her to accept that knowing about Adam was above her paygrade, but she’s unwilling to accept that answer.

I love that she talks back to them and even yells at them at one point.  From a prior conversation with Sun, we know that she’ll rebel against authority when she feels like she’s right - and right now, she knows that she’s right while the leaders of this vast organization that she, at one point, admired, are wrong.

Her relationship with ISA is basically fractured at this point.  She knows that she’s been kept in the dark and her best interests weren’t taken to heart, so she doesn’t trust them anymore.  What’s sad is that as recently as Chapter 17, she thought ISA was looking out for her.  She thinks as much here:

“You think ISA cares about him?” Cinder retorted while kicking Sun in the back of the legs, forcing him back to his knees.  “He’s a grunt,” she sneered.  “Just like you.  ISA won’t bat an eye if he dies.  They’ll just find another dumb, self-righteous tool to replace him.”

Hearing the Blackguards mutter their agreement, Blake frowned but didn’t respond.  It wasn’t true.  She knew it wasn’t true.  Alliance agents were part of a greater purpose, yes, but they all mattered.

But now they’ve shattered that belief, so she can’t be a part of their goals any longer.  What I found interesting is that this is very similar to what happened in canon between her and Adam/the White Fang.  Her ideals lead her to a group that’s supposed to help.  Once she realizes that what she’s doing is the opposite of helping, she can’t be a part of it any longer.

Besides being a bunch of curmudgeon-y old farts, Command does give us some background info on what happened to the people behind the fabled Valerian steel:

“They feared what would happen if such a powerful material fell into the wrong hands.  They set their entire civilization back to the dark ages rather than risk destruction of the universe - it was the ultimate act of self-sacrifice.”

“A likely story,” someone replied.  “An excuse for losing the war.  They would have won had they not protected us from this great evil.”

My thought for the Valerians is that they lived outside the general galaxy for a long time, minding their own business with their spectacular metal.  Over time, as space travel became more prevalent and they were looped into the rest of the galaxy, people realized what that metal could do and started clamoring for more.

The Valerians, recognizing the potential for harm, tried to undo the damage.  First, by withdrawing from foreign affairs or just refusing to let any of their metal off planet.  When it became evident that that plan wouldn’t work, they decided to shutter their steel mines completely.

Realistically (I use that word lightly here…), they probably kept quite a bit of steel for themselves.  Their cities probably used it extensively, so it would be impossible to get rid of it completely.

For example, imagine if we suddenly couldn’t use concrete in our construction processes.  We’d be so screwed for a period of time until we found a suitable replacement!  (Maybe there’s already a suitable replacement for concrete...but you get what I mean.)

Over time though - and I’m talking about a long, long time - their society probably eroded a bit without access to that resource.  Eventually, the Valerians get dragged into a war - or maybe another group starts a war with them - and they, evidently, lost.  Their cities were probably stripped for metal, which ends up floating around various parts of the universe, and stories of its existence become the stuff of legends.

Well, now I feel really bad for the Valerians.  If it makes you feel any better, this happened a long, long time ago.  Unless this story actually takes place in the future...in which case it hasn’t even happened yet.  There’s still time for us to stop it from ever happening!

Who am I kidding...there’s still time for Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang to stop it from happening!

One thing I didn’t go into much detail in the story was why Command didn’t tell Blake about Adam’s past and why they refuse to give her any information even after she finds out.  Well, that’s because I didn’t decide exactly why they made that decision.

Blake gives us a few hints about them trying to cover up their mistake, and that they created a monster they didn’t want to take responsibility for.  Is she just talking about Command sending someone undercover who was susceptible to changing sides?  Or maybe she feels like they should have known Adam was a psychopath earlier on - maybe they chose him because they knew he was...less than morally-pristine, so thought he’d be the perfect undercover agent.  Then he turns to the dark side and they’re like “Oops..didn’t see that happening!”  Typical.

At this point, I wanted everyone to feel a bit like how Blake feels - ISA sounds great in theory, but like any large organization there can be too much bureaucracy, too much red tape, or greedy, power-hungry individuals.  They might still be the ‘good’ guys, but they’re not all good...just like how not all the Blackguards are bad.

There’s a small bit of good news in this chapter though - Zimon made it back to his family!

I just realized that Yang told Maria she’d get paid the other half after sending proof that Zimon made it home...I wonder what Maria’s going to think when she doesn’t get her money.  ‘Welp, probably dead’?  or ‘She stiffed me!’ or ‘I wonder what ended up happening with that undercover cop she’s in love with…’.

I guess more good news is that Sun continues to be Best Boy.  I love his role in this story, just like I love him every time he’s cast as Blake’s BFF.  He’s comedic relief and character support rolled into one - the perfect person to pair with brooding, emotional Blake.

Originally, I hadn’t intended Blake to return to ISA empty-handed.  Here’s a little cut-out of what was supposed to happen:

Yang had never planned to come with her - she understood that now.  How else could she explain the memory drive tucked into her belongings - a memory drive that didn’t belong to her but was filled with intimate, firsthand accounts and records of nearly everything the Blackguards had done over the past few years?  How else could she explain the photos of Yang and Ruby that were included - probably the only records Yang had of her sister?

Blake wished more than anything that she could have found the two before they were torn apart.  Yang was so different then.  She’d managed to keep some of her playfulness and cheer...but the universe had worn on her.  Adam had worn on her.

I decided not to go that direction for reasons you’ll learn soon enough!  Also, ISA just doesn’t deserve that info.  And, I would have to reasonably explain why Yang kept such detailed information about her time with the Blackguards.  I imagine her natural response wouldn’t be to write down what happened, but to try to forget it as much as possible.  So, another little snaggle side-stepped!

Chapter 24 introduces us to the New Blake and her Best Boy, Sun.  She’s done with ISA and completely fine with that.  There’s no remorse, no second guessing, nothing.  She’s on a mission to save Yang’s life, and she doesn’t care one bit about what ISA might think or do once they find out what she’s going to do.

I guess at this point, she probably expects to save Yang - in which case she’ll accept whatever the future holds - or die trying.  If those are the only two options, then yeah, why would she care about a possible reprimand from the employer she doesn’t want to work for anymore?

Ok, remember a couple chapters ago how I pointed out that sometimes pretty insignificant things are actually significant?  One of those being...Cinder let Blake keep her Blackguard armor on while ‘dispensing some justice’ of her own.  Because of this, Blake’s wearing the armor when Yang gets her off the Inferno, and wearing it when ISA saves her.  So...she still has it.

Well, she gets it back, at least.  As she tells us, it’s her only hope of ‘blending in’ on the Inferno, so I think we can all guess what part of her plan is going to be.

Originally, Blake wasn’t going to have her armor - she was going to be a sad, bruised little ISA agent when Yang shuttles her off the ship.  Then I realized...gosh, how’s she going to run back on board without it?  Also, more importantly, this:

https://dlartistanon.tumblr.com/post/187430976578/something-angsty-i-envsioned-after-listening-to

Notice something in this photo?  Maybe that they’re wearing the same outfits??

Ah yes, DL’s art strikes again.

Blake’s wearing the Blackguard armor in the photo so...I had to make sure she still had the armor somehow.

There was a small Dream Theory easter egg in this chapter - Tina from evidence!  Tina probably wishes that she could stop working in evidence at some point in her life.  Unfortunately, that’s the role she’s been chosen to play, and she’s damn good at it!

Ok, she’s kind of good at it.  As Blake explains, the evidence room is a mess.  So maybe Tina needs to stop working in other stories so much and put in some more hours in this universe...

More similarities to point out in this chapter - first, a small one.  I thought it was pretty funny that Sun rolls Blake across the hanger in a crate, which she accepts without a second thought.  When Yang wants to carry Zimon off the Inferno in a bag though...Blake thinks it’s a crazy idea.

Second similarity is between Yang searching for Ruby and Blake searching for Yang.  In particular, think about this comment:

Blake just wanted to save Yang, if that was even an option.  But their relationship clouded everything.  It was the only thing driving her, because if she stopped and considered that Yang was already dead…

Blake is now feeling some of what Yang’s lived with for the past few years.  She once questioned Yang’s motives, but look at her!  Look at everything she’s doing on the off chance that she can save Yang’s life.  This is, basically, what Yang went through, albeit on a smaller, shorter scale.

This is also why Blake has had so many thoughts about how it’s important that Yang keeps searching for Ruby, that she doesn’t give up.  Because if she gives up and accepts that Ruby’s gone, then...well, then she voluntarily gives her life to save the undercover cop she fancies.

Now Blake’s going to do the same in return?  Perhaps??  We’ll find out in a bit.

Most of this chapter involves Blake and Sun stealing a ship and taking off on their possibly ill-advised rescue attempt, but there is one thing I wanted to point out about our Best Boy.  Besides being the best, Sun has been busy while Blake was off falling in love and getting beaten up more than a few times.  Busy chasing her around the galaxy, but also busy getting promoted!

Captain Sun has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?

I set up his eventual promotion in the very first chapter when we were least expecting it.  Do you remember this section?

“You’ll have to behave yourself while I’m gone.”  When he scoffed at the response, she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye.  “What?”

“I’m the one who has to behave?” he said before shaking his head.  “Please.  I’ll get in less trouble without you here.”

I usually imagine Sun as the troublemaker and Blake as the level-headed one getting him out of said trouble.  So...I thought it’d be funny if Blake was the ‘troublemaker’ while Sun kept her out of trouble.  Or he tries to keep her out of trouble but just gets lumped in with her most of the time.

I don’t mean she’s causing trouble in the mischief sense, but she has a little issue with authority in this story and that obviously doesn’t ingratiate her with her superiors.  Because the story is from Blake’s POV though (and because Blake is Blake), we automatically consider her the ‘better’ ISA agent between her and Sun.

In actuality...well, if it only takes Blake being gone for a few weeks in order for Sun to get promoted, what does that say about who’s the better agent?  Maybe Blake’s a better fighter or more technically skilled, but we all know that skill is only one part of succeeding in such a big institution!

As he puts it, he knows how to play the game.  Blake doesn’t.  Or she does, but she refuses to play by the rules.  One of them got promoted and the other is probably fired, so we know how well that works out for them!

Of course, Blake got to sleep with Yang while Sun got thrown off a cliff, so...who’s really winning here?

The answer is...we all are!  Because we’ve got six more chapters filled with events, and maybe even some resolutions thrown into the mix.  Will Blake and Sun succeed in rescuing Yang?  What about Adam and Cinder - what happens with them?  Do we ever get to see this steel stuff, or was it a red herring this entire time?

The answers to those questions and more coming up next time on...Star-Crossed.  (If you didn’t hear the TV announcer voice, I must not have done it right.)

That’s all from me for now, but thank you for another incredible year of stories.  Wishing you the happiest of holidays even during these strange times.  May there at least be cheesecake, or a yule log (never had one but really want to try), or maybe a pumpkin roll (my family’s favorite) in your near future.

Now, I think I’m going to put on some holiday music and ponder my next story…

Until next year,

Miko