Two tangentially related bits of meta

[oudeteron]

The grumpy meta goes out of the way first: you know what's irritating? That even though big fandom comms like fanficrants seem to have reached a consensus in that warning for slash is offensive, the practice is still so prevalent. More insidious still is when people who label themselves as fans of the gay start talking about how slash "corrupted" them because it's just so edgy, I mean, look at these guys not being 100% straight! Plain amazing, I say. /sarcasm

I'm venting because I'm well past my stretch of patience with the idea of slash (or femslash, same "logic" would apply) as some quirky little kink. I realize it's not my place to police why people like whatever they like, but nor do (general) you get to police what slash is, especially if you insist on billing it as some "corrupting influence". Fandom is huge, after all, and more diverse than the mainstream stereotype would suggest. Some of us write what's labelled as slash for the characters, and if we also write porn we see it as a nice bonus. Some of us write slash and other queer fic because we like the opportunity to portray characters as not all cis heterosexuals for once. Still others are into this slash thing for different reasons, and that's all well and good! We can get along, whatever our respective motives are.

But. Look here: the exoticizing attitude is problematic. It bothers me because I'm a genderqueer pansexual guy and I kind of care about this equal representation thing. I'm not in this for the lulz or whatever. Therefore, if (general) you alternate between objectifying and warning for people like me (or somewhat like me), I will judge you. And I won't feel even slightly sorry.

(This isn't to say that all straight people who like slash act that way, but that much should be obvious.)

*

Moving on! I've had some meta sitting around for a while, and unlike the above rant this is actually fun. It's my favourite part of this post, in fact, but I'll cut it because it's fandom-specific. Not to mention it got long.
*Note: I'll be referring to Big Boss by the fandom moniker "BB" throughout for consistency, assuming if you read this you'll know up to which point he was known as Snake.

Let's start this off with something I wonder: I wonder why this pairing isn't more popular. I'd understand if the idea were completely out of left field, but that's not the case either given the entire MGS series would crumble without the relationship - however you may interpret it - between these two characters. It's one of the threads going from the beginning (the chronological, in-universe beginning) right down to where MGS4 ends. That's 1964 to 2014, and let's not forget MGS3 picks up in 1964 with FOX already established. (If the meme of Big Boss encompasses the Solid Snake arc, which turns out to have only ever been one part of the whole by MGS4, you can't do without setting Big Boss in relation to the other key figures who directly shape the outcome: Ocelot, EVA and Zero. Different as these three may be, they share BB as the main motivator for their actions - and considering how ruthlessly insane and ultimately self-destructive some of these actions are, it's important what or who they did it all for. Zero is more difficult to redeem than the other two for many reasons, but let's leave that aside for now.)

When I was first exposed to MGS3, like everyone else I was blinded by Ocelot (the BB/Ocelot dynamic being another prominent thread that holds the series together). The second time around, what smacked me in the face was the huge quantity of radio banter between BB and his support team. Now, I can't claim insider knowledge of the special forces, but what struck me about the BB/Zero exchanges was how informal they were. The only traces of a chain of command being in place show when BB refers to Zero by rank, and for that we don't even know whether it's what he'd always do, or whether he's simply being consistent with the policy of the current mission. What's obvious is that, apart from BB sticking to the formal address and taking orders as he's supposed to, their interaction is far removed from the typical superior-subordinate kind. Hell, they reminisce about how long they'd known each other, banter about tea vs. coffee, discuss nightmares, quote unprompted song lyrics ("dream a little dream", anyone?), and the list goes on. Either they're complete n00bs who can't approach a top-secret mission professionally (which we know they're not) or this indicates they are closer than the circumstances would lead one to expect.

The above is a reason to see them as equals, and I can't help but find that fascinating given the military framework in which they operate. (Caveat: they do things Zero's way in FOX, not just well but perfectly, so the unit as a whole might've just been atypical; caveat 2: never been in the special forces BUT NEITHER HAS KOJIMA. I think.) If there are inequalities between them as well, these would be more subtle. I don't think age by itself plays much of a role in this sense because there are so many more important factors here besides that random fact. A real imbalance, I think, would be caused more by their differing life experience. Canon doesn't say much about Zero's backstory before MGS3, but I wouldn't be surprised if he'd had the classic upper-class civilian British education, broadening his horizons quite a lot. Still without clear canon support, I assume he got his rank in WWII (serving alongside The Boss and presumably her Cobras; I want a game of this so bad), and add the SAS for that extra touch of exclusiveness! (This also makes the HALO jump at the beginning of MGS3 a delightful bit of factoid-geekery.) At the same time, he has an apparent history in the British intelligence. (There's one conversation that implies he would've been its head at one point, and that's where his codename comes from: the initial O to 0, hence Zero. I'm still not sure if he's actually saying "Hey, I used to be head of the SIS!" but it's clear he was the boss of some organization.) Zero also calls himself "the primogenitor of the solo sneaking mission" at one point, even though BB is the one carrying it out by the time we hear about this. On the whole, there seems to be lot of inventing, travelling, organizing and negotiating in both his past and present. He's resourceful enough to run his own special unit in another country. And he's not naive in any way, which is telling. (Example - BB: "You're saying I can trust her?" | Zero: "I'm saying that the chance she'll betray you is low.")

You have to admit, that's a lot of talents.

BB doesn't have that advantage. When Zero complains to him that "American soldiers rely too much on ready-made equipment", that illustrates the difference pretty well. The problem is that BB himself is "ready-made". We don't know much about his childhood, but looking at how he became The Boss's apprentice at 15, a few years later he was an atomic test subject, then in the early '60s he would've been sent to Vietnam (hi Python!), and finally I suppose Zero picked him up for being such a skilled operative, it's obvious that he'd never known much else. He'd been groomed for the battlefield, and we all know the unfortunate connotations this has in Metal Gear. He'd spent his entire youth being one-purpose, which just makes him an awesome spy/soldier but not much else as far as qualifications go. Where Zero would've been broadening his horizons, BB was being consciously used. Even the respect-commanding title "Big Boss" is just something he's given, never mind that it's for an assassination he'd had to perform against his will without even knowing its ultimate purpose.

As we know, he doesn't stay a follower forever - but when, finally, Big Boss becomes a leader in his own right, whatever favourable relationship he'd had with Zero is down the drain. (To be fair, if I found myself cloned without my consent and duped by the very same organization that was supposed to stand against that kind of manipulation, I'd walk out too.) I tend to assume the cloning is when the Patriots' fascination with BB (or was that hero-worship?) takes a turn for the creepy, but it's implied there had been tensions earlier. This makes me suspect that BB was a lot more comfortable for Zero to have around when he was content to be an associate, rather than being in the management. Which is ironic, considering that in MGS3 when they are kept in a formal structure there is hardly any mutually acknowledged indication of it. (And notice how Zero probably wasn't planning world domination yet, since FOX first takes this mission to justify its continued existence - and BB is to physically accomplish the job.)

Back in MGS3, are they equal? It would be odd for Zero not to be aware of the advantage he has, but I think he'd like them to be. That's why we get so much friendly banter, Actual Personal Concern (remember that bit at the end of the Virtuous Mission when all he cares about is that BB tend to his injuries now), and even an admission that how spies end up when discovered makes him "want to cry". No, seriously, would you trumpet that during a mission you were leading? Didn't think so. That crosses so many boundaries I don't even.

There's a whole host of things to do with the development post-Portable Ops and when things really go sour, but I'm sticking to the MGS3 era and thereabouts for now. The rest is a story for another time, and a damn depressing one.

>CONTINUE

Why do I even like Zero? Most of the fandom seems to have decided he's a meanieface; for my part, I'm not too big on systems, and wasn't the whole System power abuse his doing? Just, you know, for starters.

I guess the answer is that black-and-white characters are not exactly fun. While Zero might seem more bad than good from some points of view, I'll go with the cliché this once and say that power corrupts. It's clear already in MGS3 that he's not satisfied with the status quo, which in itself seems rather noble - it's just that at some point, he starts going spectacularly badly about fixing it. Again, I'm leaving that era for another time and instead focus on what gave me a reason to start liking him. In contrast to the mess later on, there's also For Your Consideration:

--Zero was the only one not buying into prejudice and employing Sigint, and keeping him on the job when he turned out to be a troublemaker (but still a brilliant tech guy). I'm sure this could be seen as a contrast between the racism typical of America at the time, which someone from the UK wouldn't have been conditioned to - but while that could be an interesting perspective, I wouldn't discount Zero's personality. (Sigint: "The Major, though, he doesn't care about what colour you are. I've never met anyone like him before. He's...different, you know?" | BB: "Oh, yeah, I know.")

--He's likeable. Look at how in FOX, he doesn't insist on the others bowing down to his presence just because they're technically his subordinates. (BB gets the extra-familiar treatment, but both Para-Medic and Sigint are free to debate and even tease a bit.) Again, isn't that a progressive working etiquette?

--Finally, I like the occasional poke at the British stereotype as much as anyone else ("My tea is gone! Who drank it? How am I supposed to have teatime without tea?!" "They're not cookies, they're scones."), but do I really need to point out that British =/= conservative? He's classy, yes, but this is also the guy who claims to have been abducted by a UFO. And who has no qualms about describing how they disposed of bodily wastes back in the day in a casual conversation. And who's an unabashed James Bond geek (I don't even like Bond and I find this cute). Basically, he's not a one-dimensional caricature, and that's good. Why not apply that to his later actions as well - not to gloss over them, but to understand?

And that's my discourse on the nature of two fictional characters for today. Fun times. Thoughts?

Wait, not yet. Time for references, AKA videos of my favourite radio moments (with timestamps for the ones in which the relevant part doesn't start at the beginning of the vid itself, although there's no harm in just watching it all!).

Beyond the Name (Right at the start - apart from what I mentioned about "Zero" earlier, I see what you did there, Kojima, giving him the same birth year as the first British Intelligence outfit. This vid is also full of awesomeness with Sigint as an added bonus, including the box and mask convos.)

"USE A CIGAR, YOU WHINY YANK" (Starts at 3:30; also their freak-out over BB falling into the cave is hilarious.)

After the Nightmare (The Zero part starts at 4:04, but all the convos in this are hilarious. It's just that the Zero bit is funny and rather touching in more ways than one).

"I'll be your eyes" (First convo from 5:38 on, notice how Zero just tells BB that. Can you share personal feelings, even on the battlefield? Directly after that, we get a counselling session after BB surfaces from The Sorrow's river, which starts out all nice and helpful until Zero gets worried enough to ask Para-Medic. THEN CUE STUTTERING. If I went on about their unusual openness before, these two exchanges illustrate it nicely. At 5:30 comes the UFO comment to complete the show.)

"What do I do if I meet that guy?" (Snake, Zero doesn't like you looking like someone else. >8U But seriously, what I always imagine here is him watching BB beat poor Raikov up and, uh, enjoying himself. Kinky.)

Jealous of Ocelot? (Starts at 5:30. It's a nice point for BB/Ocelot as well, obviously.)

Lots of history exposition that I just want to link because it's fascinating.

Stuff (The part with Sigint talking about the discrimination working in FOX saved him from is right at the start; also lots of individual fun conversations throughout. The lulz really start at 7:44 and go on right to the end. "...Lighten up.")

Never mind The Boss defected, just patch yourself up OR ELSE.

The short classics: WHO DRANK ZERO'S TEA?! and "They're not cookies!" and Fantastic foresight with James Bond.

I could spam forever, but I'll stop now. AND THEN EVERYONE BREATHED A SIGH OF RELIEF.

Comments

[oudeteron.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'm sure there are hidden gems in there, but the Pit as a whole just isn't worth the irritation to me. (Not to mention you have a better chance of finding obscure characters on LJ than there anyway, even though it's supposed to be a bigger archive.)

What do you mean they're not main games? :P Fine, I guess MPO could be seen as less major by some standards, but I think PW does qualify as main. Certainly more so than Rising, as that doesn't even have Kojima's direction to its name.

(XDD)

[admiral]

Yeah, which is a bummer since I used to read so much shit on there when I was younger. xD Now it's like "lol ff.net" no thanks. (What I'm always amused by is when a series has a character filter, it lists like eeeeeevery character in the entire series and I'm like "does anyone actually write those characters?")

pfft fine non-console games then. I always think of stuff on portable systems as spin-offs, aha. ohhh Rising, I still have no idea what that's supposed to be about.

[oudeteron.livejournal.com]

We grow to be old and hard to please and bitter. XD (AND YET, when I caved in to look for MGS fic there one time, I couldn't find a character option for Zadornov, or at least I think it was him. I'm sure it was a character there was no reason not to include, and yet that drop-down just didn't have them. But it did have a couple totally random passers-by, yeah.)

I'd say that is one assumption Kojima wants to make people question. XD It's about...Raiden cutting things? I dunno, I'm having trouble accepting it as a Metal Gear game as it is - not because it's different again, but lol no Kojima?

[admiral]

We're already in training to be that stereotypical old person who sits on their porch with a shotgun, yelling at kids to get off our lawn. xD (Yeaaaah, I dunno how they choose who gets a character listing, but it does seem random sometimes. Though I doubt most people posting on ff.net care about Zadornov/remember who he is, so that might explain it.)

NO KOJIMA, LET ME KEEP MY SCHEMA FOR GROUPING VIDEO GAMES, I'M TOO OLD FOR THESE SHENANIGANS. That sounds accurate so far. I think maybe if we knew what the damn plot was going to be about it'd feel more like an MGS game and not just a random hack-n-slash. I am saddened about the lack of Kojima though, how else will they make it absolutely ridiculous?

[oudeteron.livejournal.com]

Shotgun? I'll take a nice cup of tea, thank you. XD (Yeah, doesn't make my dream of finding a fic about Zadornov's many escape stunts and how he managed to pull them off likely to come true anytime soon. Although...who'd manage to forget looking for him again and again and again? Or does everyone just block out the memory.)

BUT KOJIMA IS GOD, HE DOES NOT CARE. It feels very much like a random hack'n'slash profiling itself by the MGS name right now. They cannot give us what we want without Kojima!

[admiral]

Fine, you handle snacks, I'll handle artillery. (IF YOU WROTE IT AND PUT IT ON FF.NET YOU WOULD BE FAMOUS. Or more like no one would read it. But still. Haha, maybe they do, they just don't want to remember that part of the game. xD)

WHAT A CRUEL GOD. aha, well, I guess we'll just have to wait and see how it goes. I kind of wish it was the story of how Raiden got from MGS2 to MGS4, but alas. that will probably never happen.