Happy October! I want to provide a little update before I get into the subject of today. First and foremost, I want to try and provide a blog post at least once every week or two weeks to keep people posted. This can include chapter-side-stories where those that are reading can get a little something extra for certain chapters. For those that have gotten ahead of the story, I’ve written a side story for Chapter 29 that I’ll post a little later in the weeks. I’ll write more and more to keep everyone excited for the next book, and learn further about the characters.
Some of my Kickstarter supporters also have recieved a code. Keep that code. If you didn’t get one, don’t worry. You’ll gain access to some deleted scenes, future chapters, and, even cooler, lore.
Now, on to the topic of today’s blog; Consequences.
Lately, I have been noticing that the world has been getting a little… agitated.
For those of you that may come across this blog overseas, I’m an American. I won’t really talk much about political commentary since this isn’t what this spot is for, but I will state that I’ve been accutely aware of the concepts of which this country was founded on.
During a class I assisted in, students were writing an essay about freedom– what is it really? What does it mean to be free? Many students stated that freedom meant that one could do whatever they wanted. This was a group of mostly black kids, so, I argued with them. “Would you allow a Klansman to talk about how you shouldn’t be allowed to live here?” Their response was a very emphatic “Of course not, I’d beat them up to keep them from saying that”. This triggered a conversation as to whether or not freedoms can be enroached upon if the offending party tries to enroach upon others’ freedoms.
Eventually, a student mentioned something that I agreed with; you are allowed to do whatever you want, but that does not make you free from consequences. Consequences are a part of life, as I had stated in my Preface.
A consequence, however, must be proportional to the action done.
Let’s take Kane, for example. Upon recieving a less-than desirable grade on his final, it might not look like he recieved any consequence whatsoever. However, the consequence was right there; he was scolded. Is this fair? Most would say yes. Is the consequence proportional? Some might argue it is, while others will argue that it isn’t. I’d argue that it depends on the age of Kane– he’s in his 20s when the story begins. At that age, Kane knows that he’s wrong and must accept the fact that the bad grade is his consequence. Were he younger, I would have written him getting his games taken away, or something of the sort. Action, consequence.
Picking up Mysherra is an action that leads to the consequences of… well, the entire story. Was this an action that had an unforseen consequence? Absolutely, but it is a consequence nonetheless. Whether or not Kane keeps her or discards her will come with its own set of consequences following that. However, the point of the story is to be accepting of those consequences because that’s what make you grow.
When I was still part of the school district here, I had the fortune (or misfortune) of teaching post-COVID. The year the students came back was the last year I taught. Early-October, there was a fight between students where I had luckily closed the door and locked it between them before it was dragged into my classroom. Student on the outside of the door punched the glass in, turned tail and ran down the hall. I got hit by some debris in their action. I had expected the principal to start the process of expulsion; growing up, damaged school property in a way that wasn’t accidental was grounds for that.
Student arrived the next day in my class.
It felt like a slap in the face to me. I asked the principal at the time why they chose to do this, only to be told that they could not have a certain amount of suspensions in a month. Administrative answer, but one that made me acutely aware of what happens when no consequence is given. The day prior, the glass puncher got to go home early while the other was suspended, even though he wasn’t the one that started the fight.
Consequences were not applied proportionally, which meant that the “trouble” kids were able to see that and take a mile from an inch. That year was difficult for me for many other reasons, but it was mainly the lack of consequences put in place by the admin that made me leave. I could commit to doing parent calls, detentions and other things, but I did not have the authority to enact any fiercer consequences to prevent behavior that would harm other students. It was the wild west, and eventually, I couldn’t stand going in anymore.
If you take anything away from this, just know that without consequences, we would all be doing whatever we wanted. But if you fear consequences, you’ll fear ever doing anything. There must be a balance between the two. Kane learns from Mysherra, and Mysherra learns from Kane. They are in balance, for one understands the importance of thinking before acting, while the other knows the importance of acting before thinking. They work together, grumpy as they may be, and they learn!
The Dragon's Den 
Leave a comment