❛ i’m so very sorry .. would you UNDERSTAND if i said i was only human ?? ❜
brows pinch, a cynical mien carved ‘pon his physiognomy. ‘ i wouldn’t. it wasn’t safe to do. ’ a sharp inhale. serious man! the unexpected appearance sculpting a rigid stance.
a sigh emits and full lips pout. he is a l w a y s like this: endlessly & ceaselessly protective. most would swoon…but she feels trapped under his dark gaze. she is the BIRD and he is the CAGE. ❛——i’m fine, really i am. you worry too much, truly. i can take care of myself.❜
‘ it’s not always safe out here. ’ why did she always resist? brows furrowed, skin pinched ‘tween as he steps towards. ‘ your father will want me to watch after you. ’ unrelenting! o-so steadfast, expression irked as shoulders hold resistant. he wanted to do his duty, yet she avoided. a scrape to the heart.
once, he'd been suggested he try camping. an event filled with late night camaraderie, song, and something called s'mores. but as he thinks on it, spock is increasingly certain, it isn't as fascinating as what he's been doing; standing now, at the edge of the water with a paddle in his hand, ' you are expecting what, precisely? '
‘ – i need you to paddle. ’
a low grunt, shoulder-blades made taut as canoe is thrust from the river’s shore. fingers grip the edge to keep it from going adrift, flesh pink from the rim’s pressure as head cants over his shoulder at. mouth’s corners down-turned, a raise of a brow. ‘ do you know how to paddle the right way? ’ every-one should know how to! this might be more effort than he anticipated, irk carved 'cross his countenance. a slight shake of his head, voice sober. ‘ come here. get in. ’
kocoum is not a villain. the definitions of a villain are as follows: a cruelly malicious person who is involved in or devoted to wickedness or crime; a character in a play, novel, or the like, who constitutes an important evil agency to the plot. neither of these descriptions fit kocoum’s character, nor are his actions deserving of them in any written way. however, the residual impression of those who watch the movie are to immediately label him as thus, which is beyond my comprehension. it is a conclusion that makes no sense, but for the sake of those not convinced, let’s take a look at the scene which, to many less bright viewers, ultimately place him as one in their eyes.
not long before, kocoum was just told by the village shaman (a person who acts as intermediary between the natural and supernatural worlds, using magic to cure illness, foretell the future, control spiritual forces, etc.) that the sailors were like wolves, who consumed everything in their paths. this can allude to a number of things – the murder and violation of the villagers, a loss of land and food. not only that, but they carried weapons that had never been seen before, wore metal armor – it ultimately presented the sailors in a dangerously demonic and magical way. it raised the question: “how are we supposed to fight something we are unsure of the capabilities of?”. naturally, in terms of safety, it would be best to expect the worst. skip ahead, and we have kocoum (who, mind you, had just been sent again to find pocahontas like a free-for-all, it’s-not-as-if-i-have-things-to-do body-guard) coming across the scene of john smith kissing pocahontas. we, as the viewers, know it’s an act of love, because they have developed feelings for each-other. one needs to disassociate from that, and put oneself in the place of kocoum. there is the jealousy, the instant resentment of seeing a woman he himself had feelings for in the arms of another. remember, however, what the tribe – save pocahontas – had just been told about the sailors: “wolves, who consume everything in their paths”. to him, beyond jealousy, the scene must have looked questionable. how was he supposed to know, in those few seconds, that john smith wasn’t also doing something horrible to pocahontas? that, while the position they were in didn’t exactly lend to the conclusion in its entirety, he might be forcibly “consuming” her, or working some ability that kocoum didn’t know of? while pocahontas has had nothing but positive experiences, the only interaction kocoum has had with the sailors are seeing them shoot a fellow warrior of his. he has every reason to assume, in those seconds, that what is happening is dangerous, beyond the prominent jealousy. he charges in (full of emotion, because he is not perfect, and characteristically prone to being overly-protective), and instantly tackles john away from pocahontas. there ensues a struggle between them, where kocoum has gained the upper hand, and is threatening to bring a weapon down into john’s neck. pocahontas rushes forward, and at first, he pushes her away (an aggressive action on his part, not justified in terms of his jealousy, but half-warranted by his current motivations for her safety), but she is back in another moment to urge him off. consider the fact that kocoum is an incredibly strong man. while he is larger than most in terms of muscle mass, he is not the largest in the village. earlier, during his first confrontation with the sailors, he lifts his injured friend, who is arguably twice his size, onto his shoulders and runs off with him. there is absolutely no way that, if he really wanted to kill john in that moment, pocahontas could have pulled him off. there is little chance john could have fended him off, either. despite this, you see pocahontas gaining leeway, and actually beginning to bring kocoum off of john. this means kocoum was about to stop. yes, STOP, but then we have a shot fired seconds later by thomas, effectively murdering kocoum.
after all this, why was kocoum labelled a villain? why were people so quick to do so to him, but let thomas off without so much of as a reprimand? the only person who had committed any crime in that scene was thomas. the only person who did any killing was thomas. thomas, a grown man continually babied throughout the movie, which ultimately leads up to this complete disregard of the fact that he killed kocoum. did he make a quick judgement based on what he had experienced, like kocoum? yes. however, based on that, he should be receiving the same treatment that kocoum does, complete with a page on the disney villains site. kocoum’s page on the regular disney character site has nothing but cruel, spiteful comments and hateful words: “murderer”, “he deserved to die”, etc. why did he deserve to die? why is he constantly called a killer, when he never once killed ANY ONE of the sailors during the entire movie? he had the chance to kill the man who was charging his injured friend on the ground, but did not take it. he could have taken the time to, but instead, he cared more about saving his friend, rather than killing. he could have very easily killed john smith, who was losing to him, but instead had begun to allow pocahontas to pry him off (because she is shouting so earnestly at him, and again, he cares more for his people than killing, especially caring more for pocahontas' distress rather than ending john's life). the only killer in the movie IS thomas. the VILLAIN in the movie is governor ratcliffe.
thomas’ character serves to do nothing other than show disney’s blatant efforts in the past to keep everyone’s racial bias solely white/settler/colonial-invasion positive. thomas’ character is presented in a specific way to make you pity him. he falls off the ship, almost drowns, trips and gets reprimanded constantly by ratcliffe, and looked down upon (none of these events contributing to the plot or any development of the major characters in any way). you feel bad for him and the treatment he receives, so when the time comes and he shoots kocoum, the lesser intelligent and mindfully aware people instantly victimize thomas instead of the dead man in the water. “he was just trying to save him!” “he was just trying to do what was right!” “kocoum was a bad guy anyway, he was so serious and boring, who cares that he killed him! good for thomas!”. those are based on real comments that i have come across at nearly every mention of kocoum. why are people trying to justify what he did? for whose or what’s sake? history's? why doesn’t kocoum receive this kind of treatment? to sum it up in one question: because who should care if another native person is killed, right? he was not a white character, and his personality and appearance did not conform to that of a classic disney prince. thomas' character serves as the epitome of colonial/settler entitlement, the pitiful excuses and reasons made at the expense of the lives of indigenous peoples. the moment thomas sees the new world, you are instantly presented with this refection by his first words towards it: "IT'S ALL OURS." thomas’ ONLY purpose in the movie, and i mean ONLY, was to kill kocoum, and then to make you feel bad for thomas (and thus john as john gets blamed) instead of for kocoum, because everything forbid the movie should portray him in any positive light, even though his actions do nothing to warrant the opposite. everything forbid this movie willfully take responsibility for the actions it is based on. kocoum's death was even less respected as an excuse for nakoma to get pocahontas in to see john.
pocahontas is a problematic movie in a number of ways, but one of the most problematic, which goes continually ignored, is the treatment of kocoum’s character, and the willful ignoring of thomas'. kocoum is not a villain. he is a doomed warrior: one who will die in battle, a variant of the tragic hero, and whilst admired for his determination and courage, in the end serves as a reminder that battle and war lead to death, even of the good guys. that is the only definition that does him the justice he deserves instead of the problematic opinions that people still make years after its release.
‘ pocahontas isn’t here. ’ a limping movement as he steps in front of, words absent of geniality. he did not like his presence in the village! posture held taut, stance favoring his left leg as eyes lift to. before him stood the epitome of his downfall, the wolf that had led the pup. a stoic countenance maintained, the muscles within his jaw rigid as teeth press down. defeated warrior! back arches, pushing his chest out. ‘ she told me to tell you that -- ’ lips purse, animosity in the syllables. why did he have to do this? a short exhale, right arm lifting to gesture above. ‘ ... she will be back when the sun is high in the sky. ’ / @worldsailed.
‘ talk as much as you want. ... -- it doesn’t matter. ’
words spoken with subdued wrath, lips pursed. warrior! a mien sculpted o-so somber amidst subjugation. he is steady, each syllable constant. if only his ancestors knew white people were really demons! a hell he did not acknowledge. legs shift ‘round his place on the floor, crossing over each-other. his is a posture made intransigent, shoulders held back with an upwards cant of his chin. ‘ you can keep running your mouth, but you will get nothing back. ’ dulcet tones intrepid, chest rising with short inhale. how many days? he did not know -- a search gone awry, now sitting ‘pon the place the dead of the reservation lay. natives gone missing would get no search, forgotten till the end. a community made-poor that only had itself. the pungent smell of alcohol and areas gone rotten makes nostrils flare, the top tier of teeth clamped down on the bottom. it had been up to him! the duty on his shoulders when no-one else would. now, a kept man, a battle of fortitude. physiognomy painted stoic, for he will not lower in spite of. / @agonycrowned.
“No I thought she’d be here but she isn’t maybe she’s off wandering in the forest somewhere.” She answered, a hint of uncertainty in her voice her cheeks slightly warming up every time she was around the male that would always happen, probably due to her affections.
‘ why does she always wander off? ’ tones hint exasperation, lips parting to exhale. ‘ -- isn’t there plenty to do in the village? ’ at least nakoma was always there! brows pinch, mouth’s corners taut. rigid shoulders then loosen, a man made resigned. ‘ she’s always gone. ... were you looking for her as well? ’
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