#But it's also too early for me to go to my VP (who I think actually is not going to talk to me!)

[keepingthepeaceinouterspace]

.

[arbitrarygreay]

Do you think Adler being a bad judge of character comes from a tendency to associate personalities with positions(like the President) or bloodlines/relatives(like Bellweathers). Like if you live for so long you probably start making assumptions about how someone is going act. Do you think Adler has to reevaluate people frequently when they don’t fit the little box she first assigns them.

This ask is pretty great timing, since I'm ruminating on a post where I think about what capabilities Alder has in order to stay head of the military for 300 years, and what capabilities she doesn't necessarily have.

If you saw my post about Wade, that situation had some specific bad experiences coloring Alder's perspective. If we look at S3 with Minerva and Wade, Minerva got to have time during her retirement where she got to rethink their perspectives and get over the slights. Alder didn't. You do have a point about position, as Alder assumes that having Penelope will control VP Silver's loyalties. As I've theorized, though, Alder's judgement additionally deteriorates under stress, as S2 does, paralleling Liberia.

Let me be more specific: Alder knows that her snap judgement isn't great, so she simply just doesn't listen to that snap judgement often. Like ignoring intrusive thoughts, you know. That's why she can know that Abigail's dismissal of Raelle in 1x1 is preposterous, and can tell her story about her own shitbird (who was possibly one of Raelle's ancestors, and maybe even Willa herself? Alder said early days, but the details after that don't make any sense for that).

At that point, it doesn't matter why Alder's personality has poor snap judgement, if she never follows it.

But I do make this theory anyways, because we have to remember that all of this started by Alder at age mumbleteen throwing off millenia of tradition of keeping it all secret on the scaffold. That points to some kind of mindset in her quick decision making.

But, we have to go back to my post roasting Alder's pettiness, too. Even if she is compensating for bad snap judgement by waiting and thinking, that can also be counter-compensated by Alder just not giving a fuck about the results of that reevaluation, due to her power.

Alder in 1x10: Alder: Yes I've been seeing how the Bellweather unit has so much potential and performs well under pressure. Alder: Fuck them for helping Petra, though. War meat'd. Alder: Oh hey, Abigail showed up anyways. Good mettle. Alder: Fuck you for mouthing off at me, though. Insulting y'all now.

We see this in S2 with Alder's interactions with Petra and Anacostia. She expresses displeasure at how they go against her orders, but ultimately allows operations that will do good for the army to move forward. Anacostia returns the favor, mouthing off at Alder, going off with Scylla anyways, but still reporting to Alder about her observations in the testing center protest. She only holds the actual transgressions (puppeting the president) against Alder, not the petty stuff.

(Also if you read the tags on the post, I mentioned Ender's Game, where the big military strategy/tactic that Ender perfects with Dragon Army is to make units more agile, smaller units with trusted commanders given leeway to adapt and respond to changing situations much more quickly than large formations would allow for.)

[the-s1lly-corner]

When Bump first started as VP/If he has had any other jobs?

Bumps career hcs!

(I ran out of bump gifs)

I like to think that he always generslly wanted to go into teaching, one way or another

But there was a period where he considered going pro with flyer derby; but due to some unfortunate circumstance or accident, that dream was stamped out

Now I don't think he IMMEDIATELY became a vice principal; and I may be really dumb because admittedly idk how this stuff works irl, but I don't even think it's a thing to be. Fresh out of college with your devress and be a principal without any experience

Correct me if im wrong though because i /gen dont know

Call it chance or a bias for hexside, but he does eventually find his way back to hexside after he gets his teaching degree or some shit

Are there even colleges and universities in the demon realm?

Personally I like to think so; just like how I like to think there's more than 3 schools (which, granted, arent as big as hexside/glandus/saint epiderm), and different isles with their own ways of living. But hey, thats just me

Anyways

He starts off as an abominations professor, and does that for a few years

Let's him get a handle of being a teacher, which admittedly, does take some time getting used to since he's always been the student before

"Were we really this... rowdy..?" He thinks to himself while sitting at his desk, grading worksheets. A student had dared another student to throw a desk. That was that days incident

Oh and he's still as awkward as he is as a VP; just more so, since he has even LESS experience than he did before and is still trying to find his footing

Neither a strict nor laid back teacher

He won't tell on you to Faust if you're doing something harmless, but he will lightly scold you if it's causing a disruption

He... doesn't like sending kids to Faust.. if he can help it; he knows how harsh Faust can be

Falls for the "I'm gonna get my teacher to tell a story so we can get out of work today" thing, a lot

Hands out stickers

Doesn't really know how to treat students yet

Basing this off my own experience with a new teacher but imagine Bump is passing out stickers to a almost empty class, almost everyone skipped because of some event (eg. Field trip or senior skip day) and he's giving stickers to those who still turned up for class. Doesnt matter what color star you choose, he's gonna ask if its your favorite color and also say its his favorite color as well in literally the most awkward yet robotic voice

He just like me frfr

But I think he'd also like playing and making games with his students, especially studying games. Makes studying fun and helps the kids engage and remember the material; sometimes he'll even throw in a prize if the game had winners. Something small, like candy

One of the few times in his early career where he's not awkward, gwts very into the game and just flows with it

Of course everyone had to keep it down because I don't think Faust would approve

"Learning isn't supposed to be fun!!" -the snake history teacher from that one episode

When he's promoted to VP after a few years, he's still carrying his awkwardness on his sleeves. Sort of a transitional stage between the hcs above and what we have in TTBK, he's slowly mellowing out...

Sorta....

Also I feel like in the beginning, as a teacher, he'd try too hard to relate and appeal to the students

Mopes and ask for advice from the more experienced staff members in the teachers lounge

Do not he fooled, that gloomy mood stated above does not last long; Hieronymus is no quitter!

[darsynia]

This afternoon is a TRIP. Just hit a follower milestone 💚 ty for following!! 💚 right after getting back home from DRIVING AROUND FOR THE SECOND DAY IN A ROW LOOKING FOR MY CHILDREN.

Rant about the school and my kids lying to me under the cut.

At the beginning of the school year Youngest's teacher and I held multiple conversations about dismissal, and during none of them was I told a family member had to make eye contact with the teacher (2nd grade) to dismiss Youngest. This only became an issue a few months ago when Middle Kiddo was sick and didn't walk home with Youngest, Oldest forgot to pick her up after being reminded, and so Youngest just... played on the school grounds instead of coming home for funsies.

Then I was threatened by the school about following the handbook (there's nothing in the handbook about dismissal), told I would need to have a WRITTEN PERMISSION SLIP for my older daughters to walk Youngest home (also not actual policy they made it up because they were mad), and finally everything was worked out because the Vice Principal was embarrassed that I knew what I was talking about and called her out on the gaslighting. So we agreed that one of the two sisters had to pick up Youngest every day. They worked out a schedule.

Yesterday, I found out that Middle Kiddo has been running away and leaving Youngest to walk home alone for weeks now, and just slowing down when she gets close to home so they walk in the door at the same time. This after some random old guy (we live near a thriving main street) gave Youngest twenty dollars and wouldn't take it back. So you know, already some danger there.

So I said we'd have to have me come in the car every M W F because Tuesdays and Thursdays the Oldest walks Youngest home. Except Oldest was sick today, so we agreed that Middle Kiddo would do it. Oldest felt better, walked up to say bye to friends, and when she got there, she said Middle Kiddo was looking for Youngest. The teacher said 'oh, Youngest told me her mom was picking her up so I let her leave.'

Guys.

The school THREATENED ME and said I had to have WRITTEN PERMISSION for even the OTHER SIBLINGS to pick this kid up. But the teacher just let her go? (I should add, on the first day of her kindergarten, all 3 kids were set to wait for us to walk home with them, and the teacher just let Youngest leave with her siblings against policy because they looked happy to see each other. The three of them proceeded to get lost and it took us 90 minutes to find them. Which, HILARIOUSLY. HI LAR I OUS LY is why there's stricter policies on letting kids leave with siblings now. It's because of that. Which they just did. Again. To the same kid.

I CANNOT.

Anyway, Youngest just walked her ass home without looking for me or her sisters. And my husband just said 'I don't think you should try to get her teacher in trouble again.'

I never tried to get the teacher in trouble! The VP asked me how I was under the impression that second graders could leave of their own free will and I said that, you know, I'd stood there for 2 school years picking her up at Kindergarten and First Grade and NEVER SAW SECOND GRADERS EVER WAITING. Also I read the fucking handbook. Which doesn't even have K-1 supposed to be escorted but whatever. Apparently the VP went to talk to the teacher and the teacher was like 'whoops yeah I was supposed to tell her' but ME NOT KNOWING THAT IS NOT GETTING HER IN TROUBLE.

I'm just.

I have parking anxiety. It's my biggest stupid fear. I hate it. I used to leave for the school an HOUR EARLY so I didn't have to struggle to find parking. I REJOICED when she hit 2nd grade so I didn't have to park and walk up and pick her up in person. I was CLEAR about that to her teacher (I actually just... incidentally mentioned it to her teacher. Who didn't tell me 'actually I need you to come this year too' even though we had multiple convos where she could bring it up). So for this to STILL BE A THING in MARCH.

I am going to have to go every day and park and pick her up. Cause I can't trust the school, I can't trust the kids, and I just... don't want Mr. 'here kid here's $20' guy to turn out to be malicious.

BONUS STORY:

When Oldest was in kindergarten, we had bussing because actually the street that kiddos have to cross is huge and dangerous. So dangerous that they required us to bus even though we're close. Now that they don't have funding for busses after covid, they just have them walk across it anyway with no crossing guard but WHATEVER. The bus picked our kids up last and dropped them off first.

But! It had a little dogleg kind of route it took and sometimes the bus driver was lazy. This meant that instead of dropping my kid off at the first bus stop, she just got to sit there in terror and watch as the bus drove farther and farther away from her house, OR tell the bus driver he forgot OR just get off and make her way home instead of being in trouble for still being on the bus when it skipped her stop.

Oldest usually chose option #3. So there I am, I've got a 2 year old and I'm 9 months pregnant, and it's pouring down rain, and there's no Oldest at the bus stop. She's 5. I call the school. They call the bus driver. Bus driver is confused, says he'll just swing by when he's done with Oldest.

We wait 25 minutes in the rain.

Bus driver drives up. Shrugs. No kids left.

We start driving around looking, and finally decide well heck maybe she figured out how to get home--and yep SHE DID.

So yeah this school and dismissal... it ain't great. They did that to her about 5 more times that year. She thought it was fun.

[jji2018]

Looking back, I often see her, Sec. and former Mayor Jessie, and the kids wandering around Naga. I often see them during PTA meetings, family days, and other school events in Universidad de Sta. Isabel. Tricia was a former classmate from grades 2 - 6, that was in 2001-2006. And even then, their family was among the ordinary families in Naga - going to church, strolling in malls, eating out, and this is not a surprise -- you can also see them at the bus terminal, waiting for their ride to Manila. It was so amazing that a former classmate and her mom are now in the headlines, about to become members of the first family.

There was also an instance in 2013, VP Leni, was a congresswoman back then, she was a guest in the same event I volunteered to participate in. The event "Parangal sa Mga Manghahabing Bayani" was an event to recognize the jute weavers behind a homegrown bag brand - Mr. Kengkoy. The humble congresswoman appeared in the events hall wearing a simple black dress, who just came from another engagement that day. She was calm and very soft spoken, and very, very humble.

Fast forward to 2017, I luckily bumped into VP Leni and Tricia at the bus terminal. I was with my parents and sister. My papa and mama were pushing me to talk to Tricia to have a picture taken with VP Leni. I was really shy but ended up doing what my parents asked me to do. It was a very short kumustahan. Tricia just said that it was really a long time since we met in person (I think that last time was when we were in high school, we did some grade 6 class reunions). She also asked me where I am currently working. And I just answered briefly. I was REALLY shy. My parents were also able to talk to VP Leni saying that me and Tricia were grade school classmates in USI and have been in school events with her and Sec. Jesse. VP Leni responded that she remembered seeing my parents too! And yes, her memory is really sharp and even if she's the second highest official of the countrty, she's still very humble. And as were leaving the bus terminal, we also learned that my ate, who was also travelling to Manila for work was luckier because she got to ride the bus with VP Leni, Tricia, and Jillian.

February 8, 2022 was the kickoff rally of VP Leni, Sen. Kiko and the Tropang Angat in CamSur. I was so excited to go to work that day because I it feels festive, seeing all the preparations made in various towns in CamSur and Naga City. I was also monitoring the Facebook live feeds in my computer while working. I really felt the joy that the Bicolanos experience during fiestas such as the Peñafrancia Fiesta held every year in September. But due to the pandemic, the festivities were suspended. As soon as my work ended, I and my bestfriend, in our hot pink and old rose shirts, decided to attend the Grand Rally in Plaza Rizal. We carpooled and parked the car at SM City Naga and walked going to the venue for we were assuming the entire Panganiban Drive will be closed, or if not, we'll be stuck in traffic. Slightly tired from our walk, we decided to eat our snacks to fill our tummies before joining the crowd of Bicolano Kakampinks. Naga Garden, known for serving delicious mami and siopao, was filled with people - young and old, wearing their Leni shirts of different designs and shades of pink. "Wow! Solid! Lupet!" That's what I was thinking. I was full of hope and am very proud that VP Leni, the most qualified and competent presidentiable is from my hometown - Naga City.

** Online rallies. News on the upcoming election. Trolls/bashers **

I just recently attended the One Pink March, the second grand rally of Leni-Kiko and the Tropang Angat. I was really eager to attend the said event and even signed up as early as March. Belonging to the employees who work in shifts, I eagerly requested and insisted that I may be on off duty during the grand rally, May 6, 2022. I even bought three kakampink shirts and pink items to show my support. I hate being in crowded places, being under the heat of the sun, and being stuck in traffic but I didn't mind those simple discomforts. I just wanted to show my support and let my candidates win for the Philippines - for a better nation! And that flame of hope lit up when VP Leni decided to run for the presidency in October 2021. She has been working tirelessly, showing resilience and resourcefulness to every calamity, fighting corruption, aiding the pandemic, and helping each and every Filipino live a better life. But despite doing an excellent job, she became the center of fake news and trolls.

Election Day - May 9, 2022

EXCITED! I left the house after eating breakfast and without taking a bath yet because I wanted to vote already! I waited for an hour for my turn (I'm kinda lucky my voting precinct isn't as crowded as the others) but didn't mind the waiting time and the summer heat. And then, my turn finally came! I WAS HOLDING THE BALLOT AND THE MARKING PEN! I WAS A BIT TENSED that I might invalidate the vote! I might commit an undo-able mistake in shading the circle. BUT I WAS FULL OF HOPE! I was very happy to have casted my vote to my most deserving candidates. I was proud of myself for not messing up. I am a voter. I was a proud Filipino. When I got home, I was monitoring the updates via twitter about VP Leni and the other presidentiables. I was also excited that I might bump into VP Leni somewhere in the streets of Naga. Unfortunately, it didn't happen. I wanted to see my beacon of hope so baaad! >.<

Loads of Disappointment

The results of the election was a disappointment. It crushed the ball of flaming hope in me. I was devastated. From the time the first partial unofficial result went out, that was just 3% of the election returns, until the votes of BongBong Marcos reached 30M, I can hardly look at the figures. I can't look straight at the monitor. I was brokenhearted but still hoping that there are glitches in the results.

The day after the elections, a thanksgiving mass for VP Leni was held at the Naga Metropolitan Cathedral. I had the leisure to attend to it but I was really tired, devastated, and heartbroken. I didn't go. But I passed by the streets of Naga, it was still filled with pink banderitas, ribbons, ornaments, tarpaulins, and murals. I also passed by the Solid Leni Bicol Headquarters in the Carmen Hotel. Everything was still intact but there's a big thing missing - the excitement, joy, and hope that was birthed during the campaign period.

I reached home and opted to attend the thanksgiving mass virtually. I can still feel the sadness. And it might even be sadder if I was physically present in the Cathedral.

Coping Up -- dream about VP Leni :)) FB live, pink museum

Pasasalamat -- Angat Buhay Foundation

I wanted to meet you in person, my beacon of hope! :D

[helenas-crashed-car]

I’m going to bow into the urge. i’m going to talk about my potential valorant oc. Sorry for no read more, I’m on mobile.

also valorant blogs with ocs PLEASEEEE interact I adore all of your ocs so much!!! Nuniq and Titan really inspired me to make my own valorant oc jslddksldj

His code name is Overture! I don’t actually know on whether or not to make Overture be his own character, or if I want him to be an AU version of my oc Akira (like how the Valorant oc Bios is an AU version of the original Bios?). For now, I’m going to be treating Overture as an AU version of Akira :) I’ll update you if I decide to change that.

okay Overture time naksxjzlmsnskajsk

Hailing from the heart of Texas, Overture is loud and proud: literally. Armed with sound-based Radiant abilities, this guitarist shreds his way through combat and silences his enemies with a simple hush.

I haven’t finished Overture’s kit, sadly. I’ve thought of him more as an actual character in the Valorant universe than a playable agent. Sorry. I think he’d be an initiator or controller? None of this is final, so I’ll probably change it soon. Here’s what I know so far:

1) one of his abilities lets him place down areas of silence, allowing for stealth. It doesn’t blind enemies. Good for areas with lots of traffic, and could be used by ally players to kill enemies who can’t hear them.

2) I’m not entirely sure how to handle his ultimate. I was imagining his ultimate allows him to let out a burst of sound, damaging enemies around him and applying the concuss effect for a couple seconds, which sounds like an ability that’s very Overture-like, but I’m afraid would stray too far into Duelist (or Fade) territory. The main thing I want for his ultimate ability is that concuss effect; but I’m not entirely sure how to do it. A drawback of his ultimate, I imagine, is how loud it is: it isn’t overwhelmingly loud if you’re very close to him (that would mess with people!), but it can be heard from very far away, alerting enemies to Overture’s location.

disclaimer for anyone who’s a fan of my original oc content: Overture does not completely line up with Akira in the canon of my oc world. They are different despite being the same person, for now. Almost like mirrors…

Here’s some basic demographic information on Overture:

Callsign: Overture

Agent number: 22

Name: Akira Karasuno

Age: 21

Country of Origin: United States

Species: Radiant

Basic background information: He was around 10 when the First Light hit, his sister being 9. Shortly after the First Light, he and his sister unearthed a chunk of radianite in their backyard; unaware of what radianite was, they brought it home to their mother. Uhhhh blah blah blah, skipping some stuff, Akira and Naomi’s mom is murdered. Differing from canon, is that their mom was bludgeoned to death. Sad! Unaware of how bad of a person his mother was, and trying to cope with his mother’s death, Akira pursued anything that let him keep his mother’s memory alive. That led to his discovery that she used to be in a guitarist in a band. This spurred on Akira’s already budding love of music; the guitar he’d carry around on his model and the one he uses to play is his mother’s stolen purple strat (she stole it).

Sadly, I only have his early childhood figured out. I’ll figure out his late teens and early adulthood before VP soon, which probably will help with the next section.

How did he join VP?: I’m not entirely sure yet, either! Overture is very fun for me to think about, but I’m also a clueless little guy about him. He joined VP after Fade and the new agent that’s going to be releasing soon, which gives me some room to work with, but sadly that means he never got blackmailed by Fade, which means I can’t do one of those Blackmailer cards. Sad. He isn’t as trained in combat as someone like Brimstone and doesn’t have the experience that older agents like Phoenix and Killjoy have, which manifests in his way of handling combat: relying on the element of surprise and his Radiant abilities to get the drop on enemies and quite literally blow their eardrums out. So I think he could have been recruited by Cypher like how Fade was, or recruited after making a misguided attempt to take something from a VP agent (Chamber, perhaps)?

What I know about his journey in joining VP is how much he distrusts other agents at first. Overture struggles with paranoia and an anxiety disorder, and VP has agents like Reyna, Omen, and Fade… You can see why he’d initially struggle with fitting in with VP. Although, he gets over his paranoia: he’s an extrovert under his layers of isolating coping mechanisms, after all.

He’d get along well with the younger agents, being 21 himself. I think he’d be closest to Raze, Phoenix, and Neon, although he would also be good friends with Breach, of all people. I think his closest friend would be Phoenix, who has the same “arts major who normal people don’t like because of x” thing going on. Also, despite Phoenix’s cockiness, he’s tolerable in Overture’s eyes: he isn’t the same vein of cocky as Yoru. Phoenix is overconfident in his abilities. Yoru would probably irk Overture a little bit, honestly, for his dismissiveness of other’s abilities. But they could work together if needed, despite them clashing a bit. Overture and Phoenix probably do things like make fun of each other’s accents (Overture has a Southern accent. Interesting, right?) or try street food together. Jett and Overture would be cooking buddies :)

Sorry if my analyzations of how Overture would interact with others is too much. I’m just excited, and don’t have a lot of information besides how Overture would interact with others.

Will design his outfit soon. Keeping the redness of his original design but leaning into a more practical version of it. I might tie his hair back.

Other tidbits: Overture is transmasc. He’s more prideful in him growing up in Texas than he is of his Japanese heritage: he has a weird relationship with his race (which I will cover soon. It’s not creepy weird, he just hates his dad). He has a sweet tooth, and prefers candy like taffy to hard candy. He really likes cats, and used to own one named Jiji (who is now owned by his sister). He misses his sister a lot. I thought it would be funny not to change his music taste, so he still likes 90-00s punk and rock music. Dabbles in some 2000s emo music also. Raze would definitely joke about him having the music taste of an old man. Despite only living in Texas for about 10 years, he somehow retained the accent. His special interests differ in the Valorant AU, so I think Overture has a special interest in old/retro/outdated technology, especially gaming consoles and gadgets like label makers and tape recorders. I feel so cringe for writing this whole thing about Overture. But I’m free.

[blockgamepirate]

Technoblade’s purpose in the political narrative of the Dream SMP

I can’t sleep so I decided to finally write the post I’ve been struggling with for literal months, except way more casual because I can’t be bothered anymore and also I’m sleep deprived.

So the thing is: to me the DSMP storyline has always been primarily political, probably because I was introduced to it through Wilbur who was definitely going for political, and also because I’m just generally interested in political narratives right now. Obviously I appreciate the character work and the personal relationship stuff, that’s what makes it more interesting than just dry allegory, but when it comes down to it, this story is about politics to me. So that’s the angle I’m going to approach it from.

Also not to spoil the conclusions here, but I’m an anarchist, that’s my lens.

(Obviously all of this is about rp from here on out unless otherwise specified)

Basically the situation as Techno joins the server is this: L'Manburg exists as an autonomous nation and is de facto independent although not officially recognised by the Dream SMP. The self-appointed president Wilbur Soot decides to hold an election and rig it in order to consolidate his power over the nation he founded and he gets his VP Tommyinnit to join in on the plan. Their scheme fails and they end up voted out instead. The new president, Schlatt, immediately establishes himself as an authoritarian figure and exiles Wilbur and Tommy.

A couple of points on what the election arc demonstrates:

1: the appearance of democracy can be used for distinctly undemocratic purposes.

2: even if the elections aren’t rigged, the electoral system could be massively flawed and end up favouring a party that in fact didn’t have the popular vote

3: even if the winning government (the coalition in this case) has the majority vote, that doesn’t guarantee that they’ll actually act according to the popular will.

4: the supporters of the losing parties basically just have to let the majority overrule their wishes, espcially since apparently L’Manburg doesn’t have an established role for an opposition, yikes. That’s actually a MAJOR oversight in the system but I’m not gonna go into that too much.

5: frankly as an anarchist I am just deeply cynical towards representative democracy, and just because you have a token appearance of choice and consent doesn’t mean that it isn’t a hierarchical and authoritarian system. And to be fair, from my point of view this applies even to so-called liberal democracies and progressive parties. Full disclosure: even if L'Manburg was the ideal example of a representative democracy (which it very much isn’t) I would still be opposed to it because I fundamentally do not believe in top down systems, even electoral ones.

6: despite all these flaws, all the characters seem to implicitly accept the electoral system as legitimate. There’s criticism against the actions of individual characters acting within the system, such as Quackity calling out Wilbur for trying to rig the election, but nobody is questioning the system itself.

So at this point I’m sitting there, watching all this go down, and thinking “man, this would be so much more bearable if there was an anarchist point of view being represented in the story.”

And hey, look who IMMEDIATELY SHOWS UP.

Okay, I’m not gonna lie, early installation Technoblade is not the best representation of anarchism. I was mostly rooting for him out of sheer contrarianism initially. I didn’t really even care if it would be another Killmonger/Magneto/Zaheer situation because I’m used to reading against the authorial intent when it comes to these things. Sometimes any representation is better than no representation, even with political ideologies. That’s not to say that him just straight up spouting this hobbesian notion of a “dog-eat-dog world” didn’t grate on me, obviously it did.

That kind of worldview of humanity needing authority in order to prevent chaos and conflict is literally antithetical to anarchism and is the favourite talking point of authoritarians, the least anarchist people there are. It’s literally what people use to argue AGAINST anarchism. I think it’s mostly because cc!Techno obviously wasn’t particularly educated on anarchist thought and was just basically having fun roleplaying with his friends at this point. Which is frustrating but fair enough I guess.

Cynical ideas about human nature are pretty deeply rooted in the mainstream, unfortunately, most people just consider it common sense. And like I said, it’s a huge talking point in the propaganda against anarchism.

(… even though in fact these arguments were originally used against proponents of representative democracy. Hobbes himself was very much a monarchist, the idea of letting normal people vote for their representatives would have been terrifying to him. Like surely the world would descent into a free-for-all war, all against all. Imagine letting commoners have OPINIONS, the horror.)

So yeah, that stuff was pretty ehhhhh. It was basically what I’d expected though: cc!Techno isn’t an anarchist and we just don’t get accurate representation from non-anarchists, ever. What I dared to hope was that Techno’s character would at least stay consistent about his opposition to ALL governments. I was pretty sure that he would, even though it seemed like the majority of the fandom at the time was convinced that he would switch over to Schlatt’s side or something. It would have been a really shitty twist, I would have ragequit immediately. I mean what would have been the entire point of his character then? He might as well have been a random mercenary. Why even have his character be an anarchist if you were just going to make him work for a government?

(ftr this is kinda my biggest problem with the Hypixel Skyblock revolution event lol, honestly I think that was a worse depiction of anarchism than early DSMP Technoblade. I mean the speech was good, but… still became a government official, tho. booooooooo, cringe)

And yes, I was rooting against L'Manburg, obviously, and I would have even if it had meant having to deal with another badly written anarchist villain character. I never understood why people saw L'Manburg as the good guys, they were nationalist and exclusionary and their whole existence was based on trying to scam people for money.

I mean they were definitely funny, they were great entertainers. I have no problems with people rooting for them because they’re fun to watch; I did that for a bit too. But people were starting to get really into the story and talk about Wilbur and Tommy, the corrupt politicians, and the country that literally excluded people based on nationality as the heroes, unironically, which was wild to me. And when Wilbur started his “villain arc” well: people called it a villain arc, as if he hadn’t been pretty much a bad guy from the beginning, constantly just out for money and power and taking advantage of the people around him and then pretending to be the victim when challenged. I mean yes he got worse, but I wouldn’t call it a villain arc, more like just a mental breakdown arc.

More importantly, to me L'Manburg represented so many things I hate about the status quo in real life, and seeing the fandom mostly unquestioningly accept it as good just pissed me off. Still pisses me off tbh. I mean, to be diplomatic I could say that I understand the emotional attachment and the way L'Manburg was built up mirrors a lot of how real nations are built and how they create a sense of patriotism out of symbols and a sense of honour and loyalty, and it’s actually really fascinating how it even works in a Minecraft roleplay. Says something about the human mind I guess. Doesn’t mean I have to like it though.

Anyway, I just wanted to see literally any kind of opposition to power, even if it had to come from a character that was unquestionably a villain, which I fully assumed Techno would be. Because political narratives so often just leave us out, or at best barely mention us. And even from a narrative point of view, adding an anarchist perspective to a political story just objectively broadens its scope and actually challenges people who are used to only arguing along the lines of conservative or liberal, welfare state or privatization, nationalism or multiculturalism, etc. Even if the original work dealt with it poorly, at least it would give me the excuse to rant about it on Tumblr, which is kinda why I revived my old Minecraft sideblog for this. (That and pig!Techno fanart.)

Also how can you have a story so fundamentally about power without its counterpoint: the rejection of power?

(Yes, Dream SMP as a whole is definitely a narrative about power, it’s a huge theme for Wilbur, Quackity, Dream, Eret and the Badlanders at least, as well as obviously the anarchist characters from the opposite direction.)

So yeah, the build up to November 16th for me was mainly about the anticipation for what Techno would do, how would Techno’s character respond to the seemingly inevitable formation of a new government. THAT was the point of interest for me, that was what I was the most invested in. Would we get an actual anarchist opposition as a new side to the conflict or would they just awkwardly drop that whole angle? Or even have him team up with Schlatt like a complete sellout? There was so much potential but I worried they might just waste it.

And I was right to worry since apparently in the original script Techno wasn’t supposed to do anything, he was just there to help fight Schlatt and witness the explosion along with everyone else.

And WOW that would have been so incredibly boring

Not even just from the political perspective, just talking about the narrative in general terms here: imagine November 16th without Techno’s plot points. Not only would it have been boring for Techno’s character but it would have been equally boring for basically everybody but Wilbur and Philza. An anticlimactic fight followed by a big explosion that pretty much everybody had seen coming already. Yes, the button room scene is dramatic and heartbreaking… for Wilbur and Phil. But nobody else was there to see it. For everybody else, it was just a big explosion. It would have been such a huge disservice to anyone watching the other POVs.

Techno’s intervention gave everyone an ACTUAL climactic fight, it allowed characters other than Wil and Phil to witness some actual drama happening and to participate in it, rather than just waiting around for the explosion, while also foreshadowing the explosion. Even better, it provoked SO MUCH discussion in the fandom AND gave a perfect hook for future conflicts to arise. Wilbur’s end was tragic but it was, at the time, final. L'Manburg would have still suffered a catastrophe but it would have been left with just the same exact antagonist as before: Dream.

And at this point Dream’s core goals had barely changed, just his approach was now different. Yes, that makes a difference for the plot, but it doesn’t really change much in terms of ideological conflict. Especially since there really isn’t that big of an ideological difference between Dream and Tommy, because arguably neither of them are particularly big on ideology in the first place, they just have conflicting goals and use different tactics to achieve those goals (well, the tactics aren’t always even that different *cough Spirit cough*).

Techno’s conflict with Tubbo and especially Quackity (and honestly most of the other characters in general) brings in so much more depth to the story, just by introducing another angle, not to even mention how much it brings to focus questions about power and violence. These are themes that exist in other characters’s storylines too but nowhere in the same way or as central as with Techno.

I’m getting kind of ahead of myself here, though.

The real twist of November 16th was the fact that Techno WASN’T a straight up villain, actually. It was a twist to me anyway, because with all my cynicism I just didn’t see it coming, I didn’t expect him to actually start making reasonable criticisms. I didn’t expect him to drop the hobbesian arguments entirely and start making points that actually sounded like anarchism.

I have to assume that cc!Techno must have seen some of the criticisms of his character and been inspired to adjust because the difference is pretty notable.

(Sidenote: I’m just forever kinda sad that Techno’s “I may seem like the villain here” monologue was cut from the video and most people never heard it.)

And I felt SO validated by the way, because it works so well in the story! Everyone is mostly content with the restoration of a status quo of some sort, Schlatt is gone, this is supposed to be the good ending, and then Techno calls them all out and turns the narrative around completely: This was just a coup d'état. This was just the previous political leadership retaking power by force. Why is everyone celebrating the same exact system that lead to Schlatt’s authoritarian rule in the first place?

What he does there is force the audience to question the narrative they’ve been presented so far, that they’ve accepted without a thought. It might not convince them, but they can’t just ignore it either.

Whatever you wanna say about the discourse around Techno on that day, in the ideological narrative THIS IS THE IMPORTANT PART. Not who betrayed who or when is political violence justified, that’s about personal relationships and morality and it’s mostly all more relevant to the aftermath than the event itself. In my opinion, the REAL point in the moment is that the characters and the audience were comfortable with the ending only to be presented with a completely new perspective on the events.

It also recontextualises the finale, including Wilbur’s actions! It’s a much more ambiguous end to the Pogtopia vs Manburg arc and to Wilbur’s original run as the head writer. Wilbur’s “even with Tubbo in charge I don’t think [that ‘special place’] can exist again” is vague enough to be dismissed as just part of his paranoia and internal conflict, but with Techno, there’s a concrete question: what if Tubbo, given the same powers as Schlatt, will turn out to be just a new Schlatt? And suddenly you have to wonder what Wilbur meant by his words too. And was all this foreshadowing something about L’Manburg’s future?

Okay I’ve only made it to November 16th and there’s so much more DSMP to talk about but the post is getting too long and I’m starting to lose my energy. Will I ever make a part two? No idea. But I’ll try.

Standard disclaimer: I’m not the spokesperson of anarchism, other anarchists might disagree with my reading

[whyamistillwatchingtheseshows]

My brain doesn’t stop. I’ll keep thinking about them for too long. VegasPete. That’s who, of course. For instance, what if they are the ones who control the family business?  Never thought for one second that Vegas could live outside of this mafia life…perhaps, Kinn after everything is dismantled and basically Korn dies, he could see that life outside of this is preferable for him? So yeah, he has that beach bar ready for Porsche, duh. And yes, they can still make money from the family business and the bar, but who will do the dirty work? VegasPete. And yes, Vegas would have a show of power? A dramatic, stupidly theatrical thing or just I don’t know…

Picture a throne-like chair. What they would be wearing is tougher to picture? Okay, so because of @istanchan and this post, they will now be wearing this. However, we have the chair and playing in the background is the song King by Zayde Wolf (maybe, maybe not…) Vegas will take the throne and Pete obviously sits in his lap. It makes me think of that “kinky can of worms” we opened and how this show of power, this dramatic play would be a little exhibitionist for them. And somehow, Pete looks like (for the lack of a better description), he looks like Vegas’s hoe but like not at the same time? Do you see how unhinged I am about this? Anyway, just…it establishes that yes, we’re a unit. You will understand us who have power over you. Yet, at the same time this also shows the room the Achilles’ heels. Not that any of the guards would try shit anything. They already know Vegas’ reputation and I’m damn sure they don’t want to tempt Pete because he’s willingly draping himself in the arms of “the devil you know" looking like...well, just take a peek at those photos again...

Then since we’re talking about threats. We often talk about Pete being taken and you know he’s practically calm, maybe laughing because the enemy has no idea what they’re in for. What if this happens the opposite way? I imagine we’d see on the surface a calm, cool, collected Pete, and that simmering anger would boil over the second he gets action against the enemy? He would take a small team because he is mostly practical and won’t risk taking them on alone. Pete and the team destroy the enemies and soon find Vegas confined to a chair inside some room. Idk, is this some warehouse? Who knows, because the point is, Vegas is confined to a chair.

The team all but EVAPORATES as if they never existed in the first place. They scatter, they go to work making calls for the clean up crew etc. They are that efficient probably because of Pete and are obviously trained to know PRECISELY any moment the bosses are to be left alone. I’m not not saying that their bosses will fuck inside that room. And no, Pete doesn’t untie/chain Vegas from the chair. See this post, because there I had Pete unchaining Vegas way too early. If I consider another kink in the can of worms, where it says that VP would sort deprive things from each other, then this time Pete gets to leave him chained. So, Vegas will be deprived of his hands…yet, somehow, it couldn’t last too long because once released Vegas wouldn't be able to keep his hands to himself?

This would just lead to a second round and then even a third round by the time they got to the car...

Wait, what am I even talking about?!

[multimetaverse]

HSMTMTS 2x08 Review

Most Likely To was the best ep of S2 so far and ended one ship while launching another. Let’s dig in!

Gaston was super fun, a very nice showcase for both Larry and Matt. This is the kind of energy that early S2 was lacking. Also feels like the first ep where East High might actually have a shot at beating North High. Covid restrictions played a role but we really needed to see more rehearsal scenes and scenes of the wildcats just being theatre kids. This also may be one of the last times we see EJ perform as a student in the musical so I’m glad we got this.  

EJ has been criminally underused for most of S2, he’s marketed as part of the big 4 along with Nini, Ricky, and Gina and Matt Cornett’s name is listed 3rd in the credits but in the early eps of S2 you’d think he was guest star. Lately he’s started to become more important and tonight was an excellent showcase of why he’s such an interesting character. I’m not gonna check but this feels like it’s the most EJ screen time in a single ep that we’ve gotten all season long. 

Of course, the main reason for EJ’s increased screen time is because of Portwell. I’ve been neutral on them but tonight they really won me over’ their scenes were so sweet that they warmed even my cold black heart. Matt and Sofia are good friends irl and that shines through in their easy rapport and great chemistry. Gina snorting at EJ’s joke was cute and I loved the shot of Gina accidentally walking into the shot for EJ’s confessional. As an aside, they’ve been doing some fun stuff with the confessionals lately which helps add a bit of the metaness that helped make S1 so great.

The real big Portwell scene tonight was EJ and Gina talking on the couch at Ashlyn’s. Lot’s to love there. Gina’s speech to EJ about what she sees when she thinks of him was sweet and her saying that EJ tried to do the right thing and often failed but kept trying echoes what she said of herself during her confession to Ricky. Also when EJ asked Gina if she understood the feeling of having her life mapped out she replied, ‘’not really’’ which is almost certainly the inspiration for Gina asking a question to EJ and him responding ‘’not really’’ in their pre S2 face time call on the hsmtmts instagram. 

EJ is still wracked with guilt for the guy he used to be but Gina reminds him that he’s grown and is a good guy which leads to her slip up about her seeing him that way vs the rest of the gang hinting that she’s beginning to catch feelings for EJ. Which leads to EJ complimenting her and them having a moment that could well have led to a kiss if Ashlyn hadn’t come home. And they cap it off with Gina falling asleep and EJ covering her with his Duke sweater. 

It’s been nice not seeing Gina upset over Ricky these past two eps and it’s a damning indictment of the poor writing and pacing of S2 that her story in the first 6 eps can be summed up as Gina being upset over something Ricky said or did. Not only has Portwell allowed EJ to rise in prominence but also it’s allowed Gina to escape the rut her character was stuck in pining for Ricky. 

I hope after S2 is over that we get an interview where Tim explains how the Portwell plot came to be. The S1 finale set up some possible interest between them as did the pre S2 face time call but nothing came of it during the first 4 eps, they stood next to each other a lot but barely interacted otherwise. Notably in 2x01, which Tim himself wrote, EJ tries to grow a beard and tells Ashlyn that he says her as so young which is extremely jarring now that we know that EJ is crushing on Gina who is Ashlyn’s age. 

Was Tim not set on doing Portwell until he realized he needed to give Gina something else to do other than hopelessly pine for Ricky? Narratively, it made sense after Rini got together in S1 to put the other two Big 4 characters together in S2 but did Tim not want it to seem so obvious to the audience so he deliberately kept Portwell apart until 2x05 where EJ’s feelings make for a nice plot twist? Was he just reluctant to plug EJ back into the love square due to how much more complicated it would make things but later felt he had no other options? Or was it just plain old bad pacing and writing?

Of course, I wish that there wasn’t such a large age gap between Sofia and Matt but there are no Gina ships that avoid that problem, there’s also an age gap between Sofia and Joshua, just as there was between Olivia and Joshua and Matt in S1. Depending on when they film S3 there’s a good chance that most of it will be finished before Sofia even turns 18 which is deeply unfortunate. There’s a broader issue of teen girls being cast in mostly age appropriate roles while their male love interests are older adults and in particular it often affects female characters of colour. Netflix has a really bad track record with those kind of age gaps but Disney has problems too as we’ve seen on HSMTMTS and on GMW where by the end of S3 they had 18 year old Peyton Meyer as the boyfriend of 14 year old Rowan Blanchard’s character (not to mention canon Joshaya which didn’t have such a bad age gap between the actors but was problematic regarding the ages of the characters themselves).

A knock I’ve seen on Portwell is that EJ is just gonna leave for university next year but that was never gonna happen, Matt’s under the same 4 season contract as all the other mains and he’ll be sticking around in some capacity much like Sharpay ended up doing in the movies. It is true that EJ will probably have to move on at the end of S4 while Gina still has her senior year left but that will also happen with her and Ricky since he’ll be graduating at the end of S4. It was a big mistake to make EJ a senior but it also may end up being a big mistake to make Gina a sophomore. It would have been too messy to retcon EJ to be a junior but Tim probably should have taken the chance to retcon Gina into being a junior in S2.

That Rini breakup was so sad (missed opportunity for gotta go my own way). They managed to get in a Troyella reference with the treehouse. This was inevitable they just have not been communicating well though now that we know that Ricky thought Nini left YAC for him some of his desperation to spend as much time together as possible makes more sense. I think Rini is endgame if the series has 4 seasons but it wouldn't shock me if we never seem them dating again and they only get back together in the series finale. It also wouldn’t surprise me if Nini never dates anyone else for the remainder of the series or at least not seriously. 

We’re not even halfway through the series so it’s way too early to permanently slam the door on Rini though this time apart will probably help Joshua and Olivia move on from their own bitter break up before it bleeds too much into their performances. I do wonder if Tim really has a clue what he's gonna do with them for the remaining 24-28 eps of the series, assuming S3 and S4 have 10-12 eps each. 

Roman Banks killed If I Can’t Love Her and the montage of all the couples or ex couples was great.

It was nice to finally meets some parents other than the Bowen’s and Salazar-Roberts’. Kourtney’s mom was played by Dara’s actual mother and their dynamic was great as expected. It seems from their conversation that Kourtney's father is dead which I don’t believe has been mentioned before. Cash Caswell.... well it gets what the character is about across. He really looks and sounds like a rich Utah republican, I bet he knows Mitt Romney personally. I liked EJ going to tell his father that he’s not going to Duke and recognizing that he wants to build his own life on his own merits. 

We saw a bit of that S1 Miss Jenn energy tonight which was fun though I didn't like how curt she was with Seb nor did I like how rude Carlos was to Seb although we know that blows up in 2x10. 

Jazzara rising! I really liked how Jazzara and Portwell are sort of mirroring each other and since Mazzara knows about EJ’s feelings for Gina it wouldn’t shock me if helping EJ out is part of him showing a softer side in 2x12.

Of course Ashlyn is VP of the Nostradamus society. It's clear her family has some kooky new age beliefs (her parents are probably members of some naturopathic medicine group on Facebook that doubles as a gateway into Qanon)

It was nice to see Big Red being such a good friend to Ricky and the return of Ricky’s infamous pillow hugs. Lmao at Ashlyn just chilling while Big Red is comforting Ricky

Also Miss Jenn saying sexy and Big Red referring to pillow talk, the writers are adding a bit of spice when cooking up these scripts.

Looking Ahead: 

Looks like Gina may be wearing EJ's duke sweater next ep according to some posts I saw. Jack presumably is there to somehow help Gina decide what she wants with Ricky and EJ though him having wanderlust might also feed into Gina’s thoughts on settling down in SLC or moving with her mom around the country.

Let's see what mom of the year, Lynne Bowen, has up her sleeves. Ricky’s bedroom at her place in Chicago looks much nicer than the apartment Mike Bowen has so perhaps she makes a lot more money than he does. 

Not looking forward to the Zoom portions of the ep but I guess it was inevitable. 

There’s only two paths for Gina’s story to go in the remainder of this season; either she decides to move on from Ricky and give EJ a chance or she decides that Ricky is worth trying again and squelches her budding feelings for EJ. The former looks much more likely after tonight’s ep but either way it needs to be handled with care. Inevitably Gina and Ricky need to talk about what happened between them but if Tim really wants Ricky to continue being a viable love interest or even a good friend to Gina then he needs to really have Ricky apologize and show a thoughtful, kinder side of him that’s largely been missing this season. 

What I think Tim is doing is setting up Portwell getting together in 2x12 but Ricky pining over Gina until Portwell break up late S3 and Rina get together in the S3 finale before they break up later in S4 and Ricky gets back with Nini near the end of the series. If I had Tim’s ear I would tell him that he should pick which ship he wants to do, Rina or Portwell, but don’t do both. He wants canon Rina? Great then end Portwell before it starts and have Rina happen in S3 and introduce other obstacles to them getting together rather than having to damage EJ’s character and make him lose another girl he likes to Ricky. He wants canon Portwell? Great then have Gina and Ricky’s conversation be closure for the both of them and have Gina and EJ get together and break them up without Ricky being a cause of it or waiting in the wings to get with Gina soon afterwards. Doing both will be a disaster and I truly hope that Tim Federle carefully thinks over his mistakes in S2 and really plans out the remaining 2 seasons of the series while there’s still time to prevent things from going really off the rails like GMW and AM did thanks to the bad decisions of Michael Jacobs and Terri Minsky. 

Until next week wildcats. 

[talldecafcappuccino]

Listen. No one requested this. This is a self prompt for personal reasons 😂

Bodyguard AU + Forgotten First Meeting

read on ao3

----

“Morning, ma’am.”

“Morning, Roy,” Rebecca replies without looking up from her computer.

“Ambassador Lasso. Do you know much about him?”

Rebecca glances up. Roy is standing in the doorway of her office, an open folder in his hands. She sighs, removing her glasses and rattling off what she’s picked up.

“Let’s see. Former second gentleman to American Vice President Michelle Lasso. Went through a very public, but seemingly amicable divorce. Despite no foreign political experience, he’s recently been made US Ambassador to the United Kingdom. Presumably to give the VP space and to allow time for the press to calm down before the next presidential election. He’s unusually popular for someone in politics.” She wrinkles her nose. “Very odd facial hair choices.”

“Right, well he asked for you,” Roy says, frowning at the folder.

“Excuse me?”

“He asked if you're available.”

“Available for what?”

“Dunno. This just came through.” Roy hands her the folder with a light pink sticky note on top that reads:

Is Rebeeca Welton available? - Ted Lasso

“Is this a joke?”

Roy shrugs. “I just get the paperwork. Maybe he’s looking for a tour guide.”

She narrows her eyes. “May I remind you I’m your boss.”

Roy puts his hands up in mock surrender.

“Apologies, Ms Welton. But he did ask for you specifically.”

“Right. I can see that. I just don’t understand why an American diplomat is coming to a private security firm when they have a perfectly adequate DDS agent available to them.”

Roy snorts.

“I almost believed you there for a second.”

Rebecca can't hide her smirk. It’s not like Rupert has gotten anyone killed. But he doesn’t have a lot of fans around here. Not anymore.

She slides her glasses back on.

“Fine, set up an appointment for this afternoon.”

Roy gives a small salute before leaving Rebecca to wonder what fresh hell awaits her across town.

***

Ambassador Lasso’s office is sparse, a framed photo on his desk and a single pad of sticky notes by his side. No computer in sight.

He walks out from behind his desk to shake her hand with a wide smile and a solid grip. It’s obviously a well-practiced greeting, but his eyes are far too kind for politics.

Rebecca can see how the American public fell a little bit in love with him. Everything about him screams “unscheduled trip to the ice cream shop.” It gives her a little thrill imagining the trouble he’ll give Rupert.

“Apologies for the sticky note, Ms Welton. I would have sent a more formal memo, but it seems all my office supplies are still on their way.”

He gestures for her to sit before returning to his seat.

“You wanted to speak with me about something?” She asks, settling opposite him.

“I did.” He looks at her seriously. “I was wondering if you were available to help run my security detail.”

It’s the last thing she expects him to say. She’s silent, mouth hanging open as he pulls out a thick packet from a desk drawer.

“You’ve got an impressive record,” he says, flipping through pages of intel. “not that you need me telling you that. Distinctions and honors. More than 20 years with the Secret Intelligence Services. A very daring rescue at an orphanage in an undisclosed location.” He looks up at her, “I’d love to unpack that with you, but I promise I won’t ask. Boundaries and all that.”

Rebecca just stares. She didn’t come here expecting to go through her entire, highly-confidential CV.

“But it says you're retired from fieldwork?” He asks, sounding curious.

She gives the standard answer she’s been using since leaving the service. No need to go into details.

“At my age, well, that’s just what we do around here.”

“Well I want to counter that intelligence with this: that sounds like a load of poppycock. But I do respect if you’re done with all that. It’s real a tough job”

He fiddles with the sticky pad. “It’s just…I have my son coming to stay this summer. Henry. He’s a good kid. Had a bit of a rough year. For his sake, I had to ask for the best.”

It’s a solid pitch.

“No pressure,” he continues, placing the dossier back in the drawer. “That’s all the arm twisting I’m gonna do.”

She has missed being out in the field. Not that she’s let on. It’s complicated. Which leads her to her next question.

“Are you aware that my ex-husband is your local DDS agent?”

“I am. And I understand that might be a deciding factor in all this. But like I said, I had to at least try. What can I say? It’s the dad in me.”

She considers him.

“I’ll think about it.” She surprises herself when the words come out. The whole firm is going to think she’s lost her mind, but she’s intrigued by the man in front of her.

“Of course. Take all the time you need.”

“But I do think I’ll need back up when your son is here.”

His eyes light up at that. “I knew I had the right person.”

“Sam Obisanya. He’s a new recruit but extremely promising.” She clocks the photo on Ted’s desk. It’s of him and a boy who she assumes is his son. They’re playing air guitar and jumping on a bed. “He’s also very kind. A big music person.”

“Oh Henry will love that.”

She smiles. It would be good to get some high-profile work for her team.

Rebecca stands and reaches across the desk to shake his hand goodbye.

“I’ll get back to you soon, Ambassador Lasso.”

He grips her hand tightly. For the first time she notices he looks tired around the eyes, but there’s something else there. Something that looks a little like relief.

“Please, call me Ted.”

Rebecca leaves his office and immediately texts her one remaining contact at the intelligence agency.

Keeley, can you get me everything you know about United States Ambassador Theodore Lasso?

Only a few seconds pass before she hears back.

on it babe

It gives her a funny thrill she hasn’t felt it in a long time. Not since her early days at the agency.

Maybe Ted Lasso isn’t such a mad notion after all.

[yellowtoothbrush]

💍 RAMEN GO

context x

ramen wow you are really trying to kill me today.

okay.

hmmm so they'd get married outside idk. like i picture a small humble wedding, with nice warm (but not too warm) weather and like a cool breeze. probably spring or summer. i know ben wouldn't be picky on details like that so it's genuinely whatever ryan wants. but he wouldn't be picky either. sheet.

if everything settles down, and family are on good terms :) then i think would be the best time to marry :) bc i want scott and roma there :) i don't really care about mr vp being present but scotty has to be :)

traditionsssss i don't think they'd be fussed over it. i think the plan was endgame for them to be ones (to be neighbours with scoma) but even if they don't turn out to be ones they wouldn't mind. they wouldn't die crazy over whatever traditions the upper class have. i see them making their own traditions up or something lol. like YO for some reason there's a basketball at their wedding okay i don't make the rules.

wedding cake is simple and dUCK IT IM COPYING LUAH BITE ME~~ they make it together 💕💖 or not. idk but its cute to think about them baking together especially bc of your scott hc. seems symbolic. idk. they can try to make one and still buy one anyway.

ryan def smashes the cake on ben HA. like in my head he sees ben is nervous or something and just like, needs to bring him down to earth and have fun. change my mind you can't but there's canonically a food fight. akamu and scott are very competitive with it. jickias just being jickias. roma and nayah teaming up to smash scott and akamu. cam running away from the mess and rory chasing him like a demon with messy hands

i have nooooo idea who would've proposed first. i feel like it would be a very natural thing. like it makes sense in the moment to take that next step and both are on board. if ben proposed first he type to like think it's romantic to put a ring in like the cake he baked for ryan one random morning. then he realises too late that that is so stupid bc what if he chokes and dies so he is so anxious when ryan is eating the cake like DONTCHOKEDONTCHOKEDONTCHOKEDONTCHOKE.

no idea what happens with the alter. they'd have to talk about it huh. maybe that's a tradition that is scratched, maybe not. or they could walk together or something. with their dogs. js, sidenote. poof and scoot are the flower dogs or something HAHAHHA

same thing with suits i have no idea OMG but little cringe with suits and ben just bc of pool party and that just hurts my head now bc who would wear a suit to a pool party but not their wedding? white suits would be cool but colour don't matter. they gotta match tho

colour scheememe eepepep you know i can't decide that wah um okay. i said outside right? so like natural colours with white? white decorations on a open green setting, so like plants and field. i also seeeeeeeeeee the wedding happening at sunset now too just bc sunset so uwu and then AFTER THE CEREMONY ITS NIGHT TIME AND STARS AND like nice vibes and little lights and candles so people can see

duck it. idk flowers yet but it'd def be symbolic to future rp

vows are improvised i feel. like they'd both say things that mean a lot and reflect on a lot of what they've been through. like maybe even discreetly mentioning happenings in the trials and saying things that they know the other will appreciate the most.

bens late to his own wedding HAHAH no i joke he'd be like ten hours early bc he so nervous ummmm vp can be late idk thats so depressing but they can start without him :)

THE GANG GANG are the grooomsssparties. we got all of them dude. scomakayah :')

i'd die if scott does a brother speech at the reception. i'd actually die. and if he ends with, "ILY2" i would like combust.

jicky catch the bouquet. franky jumps on them and steal it. and waves it at elias.

photos eeeeep theyre everything. ben is sentimental he'd make sure every moment is caught LMAO from silly to lovey moments. he probably will paint a scene from it later or something and give it to ryan uwuwuwuwuw

foood is more on the homey, delicious over aesthetic side.

ben cries fs. he probably has that ugly snotty cry and ryan will leave him :) joking he v happy

ben and roma lightweight so we know what that means. BUT BUT cos ryan trial i think ben wouldn't drink, or he'd support ryan with it all. drink same pace or not at all. jickias dance the wildest but its free entertainment they hype the partay up and bring ducks and animals so camory can dance off at the side or something, cam can teach how to dance idk or they learn together bc he doesn't dance much either dance best dance best. imma say akayah. nayah seems like a good dancer and they'd both be daring to do cool aesthetic stunts.

rings are simple and meaningful. not extravagant bc it doesn't need to be.

honeymoooon bruh is there anywhere outside of castille? hHAHAHA they go to bastille lMAOAOAOOAOA i joke. they go to a holiday house or something

memorable thing is that ben sees red paprika spice on the table and knocks it off frantically cos he knows what reapers is now. everyone laughs at him 😔cos he paniccccc wow im emo, thinking about a time where salt plot is just in past? WOWWWO

song is, i guess i'm in love by mr kane or anything else that vibes

only person i'd accept to give away benny is scott.

[luxurybrownbarbie]

What would your advice be to a 19 year old girl who want to be a sgf and then a trophy wife. I am in the UK at University rn. Will be going into Investment Banking. Also don't mind age gap relationships. Generosity is a much however. Where should I start?

My first piece of advice would be to hold off on being a SGF during university. It’s an exhausting process, and part of the fun of being in uni is to have fun and go out, while gaining a lot of experiences.

Work on using some of the SGF tactics on men your age. I did while I was early on, and it helped me immensely with my SGF relationships later on.

Investment banking will be a prime place to find a guy to be a SGF to. I think that getting your degree and having a few bfs along the way who are very generous is a solid plan forward.

From there, once you have a great base on what tactics work for you and what you want in your partner, you’ll be able to move forward with the SGF plan. You say you’re okay with age gap relationships, so start looking at other firms in your area. Aim for men who are above a VP role. Never discount the boring hedge fund managers, they make money in their sleep. Never date where you work. It causes too much mess and honestly, at work, it will cause you more harm than good.

This is, of course, just my opinion. But I think you’ll be happier not being tied down to an older man as a SGF so early. And going in to the career you’ve chosen, you’ll have ample opportunities to enter into being a SGF later on.

[historyman101]

Fena: Pirate Princess First Impressions

I watched the 1-hour premiere on Toonami with my friends on Discord. After sleeping and having a chance to collect my thoughts, I have a few things to say about it, both positive and negative.

Toonami has fallen by the wayside for me in recent years as they did not have any anime that grabbed my interest. This is actually the first time I’ve watched Toonami in many months. Fena: Pirate Princess and Uzumaki, first announced back in 2020, caught my attention as potential shows to latch onto.

It’s obvious to me that Adult Swim is investing heavily in this anime’s success and I thought that was one reason why we had a 2-episode premiere on Saturday night. However, after watching, I realize that it was also strategic: the two episodes don’t really do much other than set up the main conflict going forward and introduce the core cast of characters. Episode 3 seems to be where the action kicks off.

I’ve noticed a lot of people compare Fena to One Piece, and while I can see why given the importance of pirates and the vaguely 18th-century world, but beyond that initial aesthetic, that’s where the similarities end. If I can compare this to anything, it reminds me more of Scrapped Princess or Yona of the Dawn, especially the pirate arc of that story. In fact, the anime hits a lot of the same beats from shows of the late ‘90s and early 2000s from the animation, character designs, and overall plot.

Fena: Pirate Princess follows the titular Fena Houtman, who escapes an arranged marriage to uncover the secret of her deceased father’s final mission and become an independent woman. She’s accompanied by a troupe of ninjas who are all sworn to protect her family. I will say that it’s a fun, clever way to put an end to the eternal ninjas vs. pirates debate and I can’t help but think the folks at Adult Swim had a hand in that. 

Starting off with the positives, I’ll begin with the center of the story: Fena.

We’re only two episodes in and I already love Fena. She’s cute, funny, upbeat, and clearly has a wild, independent streak to her. That being said, some people may be a little chafed to see her largely being a distressed damsel for the majority of the first episode. However, that was never really a problem for me, as it’s obvious the anime is about her personal growth to being a take-charge woman. Her positive personality is also a good contrast for the world around her, since she starts off initially treated as an object to be bought and sold to the highest bidder. Fena’s introduction also serves as another positive for me in the series: the comedy.

I’ll be honest: I was rather taken aback to see the use of comedic slapstick in this anime when it looked to be billed as an action/adventure anime, but I never found it so overused that I started rolling my eyes. The comedic lighthearted moments weren’t too obtrusive for me to stop watching it, but it did catch me off-guard to see so much comedy in what I thought would be a serious show.

Speaking of disparate elements, there is some romance in this anime. The reason for this might be because of who’s directing the anime: Kazuto Nakazawa. In the runup to this anime’s premiere, Nakazawa cited one of his influences for Fena as shojo manga and it’s obvious that those elements are very present here, from the very first episode. And that wouldn’t necessarily bother me if Fena’s love interest wasn’t so cold and distant.

That brings me to my first criticism: Yukimaru.

I’m sorry, I just don’t like this guy. At one point I even called him “bargain bin Sasuke” in the stream and people immediately agreed with me. I get that he’s supposed to be this cool and aloof tsundere type who undergoes growth, but for someone who is supposed to be Fena’s oldest childhood friend, he treats her more as a nuisance than as someone to protect. For god’s sake, the first thing he does when they reunite is knock her out when she gets too chatty (a potential running gag that may turn off some viewers). I’m willing to give him a chance since we’re only two episodes in, but he still has a long way to go before he gets into my good graces.

Speaking of Yukimaru, the other problem I have is the other ninjas don’t really stand out to me in any meaningful way. Karin is the only one who I could potentially like as she’s portrayed as not only a gun afficionado and a gearhead (channeling some Winry Rockbell here) but I could also see her as a good friend and foil to Fena. The twins Kaede and Enju I see as either the funniest characters of the crew or the most annoying, depending on who you ask. Shitan is another cool hot guy that could provide grounds for a love triangle. Again, we’re only two episodes in, but if this starts going into shojo romance territory, I may be turned off. I can’t even really say anything about the others as they lack any kind of presence for me.

Let me circle around to another positive: the art direction. This anime looks visually striking and has some interested and varied locales so far. The island Fena escapes from reminds me a lot of sets from Pirates of the Caribbean. The entire island is covered in this purple light which gives it a foreboding air, especially in the red light districts. Fena’s room was packed with a lot of intricate details that tell me a lot of work went into the backgrounds and sets. 

The animation is no slouch, either. All the action sequences are eye-catching, the opening and endings are gorgeous to look at, and even the comedic asides looks visually appealing. If nothing else, this anime is pretty to look at, which is to be expected from a studio of such high caliber as Production I.G. (Ghost in the Shell, Psycho-Pass, Haikyu!!). 

My last criticism I have is the pacing of the show, which is rather breakneck and could cause some problems later if it continues at the current rate. Even the dialogue moves at a fast clip. I never felt like I got a chance to know all of the characters in this anime (except Fena) or understand the world. It might be because Jason DeMarco (VP of Toonami) has said this will only get more seasons if the first one does well in ratings, so they might just be going at the pace of a 1-cour anime to play it safe. However, I think that might work against the anime since there is only so much you can hope to accomplish in 13 episodes.  

Overall, Fena Pirate Princess doesn’t get off to a perfect start, but it’s sure a fun ride along the way. Fena is a cute and endearing protagonist who has the potential to be more, the world is a visually beautiful and interesting blend of 18th century steampunk, and there are even some moments that will make you laugh out loud. The potential love story might turn out to be lacking and the pacing may be too fast for some, but I’ve learned to never say never and always give everything a fair chance.

Can’t wait to see Episode 3.

[staywritten]

Over&Over│Seo Changbin

Over&Over│ Chapter Ⅰ

Synopsis: Loving Changbin was either than breathing, but why was it so hard to accept that he can love you just as you love him. Why do you always questions your own self worth. What were you supposed to do when he went on an arranged marriage meeting?

Genre: Non idol au, fluff, angst, hurt comfort, smut

Word Count: 2k

This is dedicated to @soobinssmile​ you sweet sweet bean ❤️❤️❤️

You yawned rolling out of bed, following the wonderful smell from the kitchen. You leaned on the doorway, smiling seeing your boyfriend working on breakfast. He wasn’t much of a morning person, especially since he usually had work pretty early, and yet here he was. You wrapped your arms around his waist, resting your head on his back. “Mmmm smells good Baby” 

“You’re up early~” he whined, he gave your hand a comforting squeeze. “I was trying to surprise you”

“Well I woke up and you weren’t there” you pouted. “I missed you and my bed was too cold without you”

He turned around in your arms, giving your forehead a kiss. “My Baby is so needy” he chuckled, lifting you up effortlessly and placing you on the counter. “I’ll shower you with lots of attention after breakfast so I don’t burn anything,” he laughed. 

“Deal” you beamed smiling at him.

You could say you were still in the honeymoon phase of your relationship, but it's been that way for well over two years. No relationship was perfect, but you and Changbin were pretty close. It was the healthiest relationship you’d ever been in. You felt so loved, and you were so in love. You supported one another. He trusted you. 

“How was work?” he moved the eggs in the pan glancing over to you.

“Long and boring” you laughed, stretching your achy bones. Twelve hours on your feet at the bar was never a good time, but busy nights paid the bills. “You were asleep when I got home. How’d the meetings go?”

“Long and boring” he mimicked your response, a cheeky smile on his face. He’d been busy ever since he took over his parents company as vice president, he never had any complaints, he loved his parents and was surprisingly very good at business management, and being VP took off some of the stress since his sister was appointed president. She ruled with an iron fist so he just needed to back her up. 

But because of his busy schedule you hadn’t had a lot of alone time with him lately. 

“Stop looking at me like that” he smirked, not looking away from the food. His biceps flexed as he moved the frying pan. He could practically feel you gazing at him. 

You crossed your legs and bit down on your lower lip. Your eyes darkening, taking him in. His sweatpants low on his hips, his tank top showing off his muscular arms, his bed head still mused from last night.

He took in a sharp breath catching how you squeezed your thighs together in his peripheral. “Behave Baby” his voice warning.

“Make me” you smirked, your fingertips dancing down your thigh, playfully dragging the hem of your t-shirt upwards. 

He turned off the heat and gave you a stern look. “You’re always challenging me”

“Only when I don’t get enough attention” you grinned, wrapping your arms around him and pulling him into you. He placed his hands on your plush thighs, giving it a little squeeze before pushing upwards and massaging your skin. 

“I was trying to be a gentleman” he whispered huskily against the shell of your ear, his fingers looping under the waistband of your panties, tugging you against him. 

You laughed and played with the hair on his nape. “I don’t recall asking you to be” you groaned as he bit your lip taking you into a kiss before dropping to his knees. He pulled your panties down your thighs roughly while kneading at your breast through your t-shirt. Hooking your thigh over his shoulder, his tongue dove in. You gasped, raking your hand through his dark hair. Your body shivering and goose bumping from his touch. It wasn’t just the way his tongue teased your clit it was how he touched you. How he gripped your thighs with absolute purpose. Changbin was always so gentle with you, he was the sweetest and kindest boyfriend but when he took you. That gentleness was long forgotten. 

He looked up at you, wiping the slick from his mouth. That cocky, shit eating grin gracing his lips. He lifted you in his arms almost too easily before carrying you over to the couch and tossing you down. 

“Couldn’t make it to the bedroom?” you bit your lip watching him strip out of his shirt. 

“I’m gonna fuck you on every surface from here to the bedroom” he lifted your t-shirt over your head. He grabbed the back of your head, bunching your hair in his fist. “You’re the one who started it”

“I did” you were practically beaming as he guided your mouth to the bulge in his sweats.

“You gonna help me out Baby?” he cooed letting you lick him through the sweatpants. He watched as you pulled down his boxers and took him into your mouth. Your head bobbing along his length as your pace quickened. His low guttural groan was music to your ears. He grabbed your freehand stopping you from rubbing the circles on your clit. “No Baby, that’s mine. I’ll take care of you later” he helped move your head a little faster. His breaths getting sharper as you became needier. He slammed your head a little harder, fucking your mouth. “Good girl” he rubbed his thumb across your cheek lovingly as he came harder. You watching his every move as you swallowed.

He sat down on the couch, pulling you on to his lap roughly. “C’mere” he whispered against your lips. You chased his kiss, whining as he pulled away and bucking your hips harder. “Binnie….” you moaned running your nose against his, your arms wrapping around his neck. “Fuck...please”

“Mmm beg some more Baby” he gripped your hips, grinding your dripping core against him. “Tell me what you want” he bit down on your earlobe snapping his hips playfully against yours.

Pulling back you gazed into his eyes, spreading yourself. “I wanna feel you inside me...please”

And hearing your sweet voice beg him, seeing the want on your face, your lips bruised from the kisses, cheeks warm from his teasing. You just looked so fuckable. “That’s my girl…” he lifted you up, pumping his cock before guiding it in you, letting you sink down nice and slowly. Your arched your chest against him, gripping his shoulders to steady you as he filled you inch by inch. 

Despite being together for so long you never stopped being amazed at just how much he stretched you out. Your eyes practically rolling back at his size. “Binnie…” you panted softly as he started to move his hips. Slow teasing, rhythmic thrusts became rough snaps in no time. His eyes watching how you lost control for him, how your breast bounced with him. The way your voice strained to say his name. The way you’d desperately grab his fingers when you were close.

How you were his everything. 

Perhaps he was a little too distracted with how comfortable he was that morning. He lost himself in you, and his post sex cuddling and almost forgot that he had a meeting scheduled. It took absolutely everything in him to sum up the energy to leave your arms. “Baby~” he whined as he gave you a kiss goodbye and you continued to pepper kisses on his lips. “I gotta go, Noona is gonna kill me if I’m late”

“Fine” you pout, pulling away. He frowned seeing your pout and giving you another kiss. 

“I love you, I’ll see you later tonight” he grinned, taking in your form one last time before he left. 

“Love you more~” your voice bliss-ed out and tired as the door finally shut behind him. He smiled to himself hearing your sleepy voice. He loved your habit of saying love you more. In the beginning of your relationship he would argue about it, but he learned it was just your way of showing affection. It brought comfort to you, and that in itself brought comfort to him. 

Changbin hadn’t even been at work for a whole hour before his sister pissed him off. Normally he never even fought with her, they were the perfect duo to run the company and he’d usually comply with her ridiculous request but he was drawing the line here. “Noona! No, I’m not doing it” He huffed crossing his arms and shooting his sister a glare. 

She rolled her eyes and sighed. “Binnie please don’t throw a temper tantrum, consider this part of your work responsibilities. It’s this Saturday and it’s rude to cancel. She is an heiress” she flipped through the morning paperwork. 

“You’re asking me to cheat on my girlfriend” 

“Relax, I’m asking you to go to an arranged marriage meeting. Just go, be polite, and tell her no.” She skimmed the paperwork making notes. “She’s the only daughter of our biggest investor all her parents want is for you to meet her” She set down her folder. “You have to be cordial and not make bad blood between business partners.”

“Then why do I have to go if it’s cool if I just reject her”

“Turns out she has a little crush and just really wants to meet you, something about you being nice to her at a banquet a while ago. She’s the one who requested the meeting” she gave him a smile. “Binnie, I know you love your girlfriend, and honestly I like her a lot. You guys are really cute.” she leaned her head on her hand. “Just be honest and tell her you have to do it for work, and there’s nothing to worry about.” 

She got up, her heels clicking as she walked to the door. “I’m doing this so Mom and Dad don’t get involved. They seem to think you’re settling because you don’t meet other suitors, I’m running damage control to show to them that you are not settling and you’re happy with your girlfriend, while meeting with requests”

“Noona I don’t want to hurt my girlfriend...I love her”

“I know Binnie but you also have a job to do. And if you don’t tell her it seems like you’re hiding something so just be honest”

Changbin spent the whole day agonizing about it. Telling you seemed a lot easier than done. It wasn’t that you were ever open about your insecurities but he could tell. He could tell that his wealth bothered you. It wasn’t that you loved him for his money, you loved him despite it. You’d always been so independent and a hard worker you never expected his big lavish gifts, you loved his acts of kindness more. 

And although you never said it, he could tell you were intimated by the money, the company, he’d catch little moments of your insecurity that you tried to hide with a smile.

“Binnie?” you waved your hand in front of him bringing his attention back to you. “I said I talked to my mom. She's looking forward to us coming to visit them this Saturday? They missed you” you smiled at him before taking a spoonful of soup in your mouth. 

“Oh Saturday...I have a meeting that morning, I’m sorry”

“Oh no worries, next time then”  you glanced at him from your glass and frowned. Ever since he got home from work he’s had this furrow in his brows. Like he was thinking too hard, not to say that it never happened he was usually just a lot more vocal on things that bothered him. It wasn’t like him to deal with stress in silence. “Baby, did you have a bad day at work? Is that why you’re working this weekend?”

“Something like that… My sister arranged a meeting Saturday morning and I can’t get out of it.”

“It’s ok, it can’t be helped if it’s for work right?”

“Right” he gave you a half smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes before squeezing your hand. “I love you”

You laughed at how serious it felt. “I know Binnie, I love you more” But there was just something about his expression that didn’t sit well with you. Lately it almost felt like a proposal was coming at any moment. There was just this sparkle and warmth to him that he radiated. And here it was a lovely evening between the two of you in a nice restaurant with a gorgeous view, and you just knew that thing on his mind wasn’t a proposal. 

He took a deep breath and glanced up at you calling your name gently, almost too timidly. 

“Binnie isn’t this soup delicious, good job picking this place it’s so perfect” the words spilled out faster than you could react. There was just something so forlorn about his tone, your anxiety spiked. It almost felt like he was going to break up with you so you interrupted him, distracted him with the dinner and hiding behind the biggest smile you could muster.

He smiled and nodded, taking a bite of the soup. “It’s perfect”

The truth was, he didn’t want you to worry for nothing. Telling you about an arranged marriage meeting, when he had all intents of rejecting her seemed like it was going to make you worry and anxious. He didn’t want you to doubt him, and he didn’t want you to have to suffer.

He was going to deal with this on his own. 

There was no need to worry you. 

After dinner the two of you returned to your apartment. Neither of you address the awkward tension that just lingered in the air. Your own insecurities eating at both of you, and neither of you willing to be the one to acknowledge the mood. 

You rolled onto your side, watching as he read over emails on his phone. His smile tugged as he glanced at you. “Yes Baby?” you cuddled closer to him, letting your head rest on his chest.

“I love you more…” you whispered before pressing a kiss to his neck. It had to be your imagination. There was nothing wrong, you loved him and he still loved you and that was all that mattered. 

You could tell by the way he touched you that he still loved you.

To Be Continued

» Next► 

Hey Friends! I was planning a 3 part mini series for Binnie if you guys like it and wanna see more let me know~ I’m also still working on a part 2 to my last Felix scenario ;)

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@skzsprinkles @tophuphu @hugs4chan @channieboyo @tonfilm @soobinssmile

[prorevenge]

Causing my group to loose out on paid internships.

I do a computer science degree at university. We had a group work project which is set out in two stages. It involves making an application with a report about it in the first. Then the second is to improve both the code and report based on feedback from module organiser.

I was with four others and we each picked a parts of the work that we would do. I was the groups most confident coder so assigned myself alot (~ half) of the code and no report work as I suck at it and hate it.

I do all my work for it and say this to the group, this is immediately met with "can you do my bit of the code too" type stuff. I willingly do so saying I will note this for the group contribution report. (A report that each member of the group has to submit saying how much each person contributed and our marks were based of this).

I ended up producing this entire application which was worth half the marks for the first stage. I contacted my module organiser and they suggested if people weren't pulling thier weight to leave the group (taking my code with me) and do the report. That would mean I would need to work flat out to produce the report. I didn't want that.

But then I got asked to do some of the report to about how the code actually worked, alot of the report was stuff about end users etc which they could do but they needed me to do this as they didn't know what the hell all my code did. I again (probebly for like the 5th time) said I would, but will note if for the GCR.

All in all I worked out that I had done ~60% of all the work for 5 people in the group. With all our work done we were ready to submit but all needed to do the GCR. There was talk amongst the others of all writing that we each contributed 20% of the workload to "make us look better as a team". I flatly refused. They exploded calling me with every name under the sun, swearing at me. I explained that half the marks for the project go to the code and half to the report. So I said that we have each done 1/5 of the report and that I had done all the code bringing my total to 60 and thiers all to 10. They weren't happy. I sent this off with those values. And thought that was that.

My module organiser then emailed me asking if I had any proof of this as I put myself alot higher than everyone else did. They all put me at 0% apparently and themselves at 25%. Essentially out casting me from the "team" and trying to give me no marks for all my hard work.

This is where the revenge comes in.

I emailed him back linking him to the github I used to share the code with the team (github is a source control that shows who made changes to the code) and showed him that all the commits were done by me Proving that I did all of it. And thankfully we did the whole report on Google drive so I could also see the history on that document and send him screenshots of all the alterations made by me proving that I wrote ~20% of the report also.

He added it all up and made a special exception for my group. Saying he would give me most credit for the work. The way that he calculated our marks was: He marked all our work normally. I got most of the credit so got the highest mark. They all did 6 times less work than me and therefore deserved 6 times less of a mark.

I think I ended up with a 65 and they all get 11 for the whole coursework section 1.

Now this course is 100% of the marks for the module meaning they just got 11% for 50% of a whole module. Which is a biiiiiggg fuck up.

Section 2 is fixing the feedback the teacher gives and improving your report and code. So turned out I fucked up a bit on the code only getting about 50% of the marks with like a massive issue in it (dumb me) but my report sections were near perfect. Spelling mistakes and formatting etc. There were a few glaring mistakes from the report but other than that not bad.

When they found out thier marks they started calling me up and emailing me and messaging me almost for about 3 hours, I was happily rowing at the time (teacher sent an email explaining that they had lied and he had proof about it so corrected the marks according).

At this point I quit the group, and decided to work on section 2 by myself. TAKING ALL OF MY CODE WITH ME. Removing thier access to all of it. I of course asked my module organiser first and they said it was fine as it was my work and if I was no longer in thier group the others couldn't submit it.

I fixed the error in the code in about 2 weeks. Then did the whole report from scratch almost and added a load about the fix taking me about 7 weeks.

I ended up submitting 2 weeks early for the deadline and got 100% on the whole section 2. Which is basically unheard at university, especially by your self for group work.

Later that day I get an email from a plaugurisum and collusion officer. Not someone you ever want to get an email from. Basically says I'm summoned to a hearing as an external body looked at both my group (me, myself and I) and my old groups coursework and thought it was very similar. I get the whole project that my group handed in and my own back as evidence so I can look and prepare my answer. So this is a virtually meeting (yay, virus). I email back asking if I can have my module organiser present too. They say he has already been invited. Perfect.

I email my module organiser ask if he supports me in this because basically they can punish all of you or 1 group (never nobody). He says yes he supports me in this. Perfect.

I prepare for this meeting by going though the hundreds of commits I have made while they had access to find the one that is most similar to it. I find a PERFECT match, 0 differences, not even a single character. Through the thousands of lines of code.

So I turn up to this meeting there is the VP of computing there (guy who could basically do whatever the hell he wants to us). My old group when asked to present thier answer as to why this has happened go on about how they did all of it by themselves blah blah blah. You get the point, this goes on for about 10 mins. Then I am asked to present my argument. I ask if I can share my screen. VP: "yeah... Okay..." puzzled. So I share it. Show me downloading a fresh version of what they submitted, and a fresh version of one of my commits on the github, and running it through the universitys own comparison software (which I also asked for). I narrated this to explain what I was doing just to be clear. Took a while but came up as I knew it would 0 differences. Everyone was stunned. One of the group members uttered "but...". I just laughed. And was quickly asked to hang up as I was no longer involved.

Turned out they had cloned one of my commits and not been able to fix it atall so just submitted it and hoped for the best.

Then one of my friends who is friends with one from my old group asked what grade they got and they said that they failed the whole module and would have to retake it over the summer costing them and everyone in my old group thier placement year jobs, after all who wants someone who failed a module so badly working for them. This ment that they all lost out on being paid ~20k each for the years work. Which goes a long way for a uni student. While I happily get mine.

TL:DR Old group tried to screw me over, so I screwed them out of 80k total.

(source) story by (/u/notABadGuy3)

[songtoyou]

Mr. Evans and the Congresswoman - Part 2

Paring: Chris Evans x Politician Reader

Rating: PG

Word Count: 1,858

Warnings: Political topics such as Biden, Harris, our current White House occupant and the current administration. 

Description:  It is the week of the DNC and Chris is once again interviewing you for A Starting Point. 

A/N: The DNC inspired me to write a second part for this story.  This is pure fiction as I do not know what Chris believes when it comes to politics and policy issues. This is a complete work of fiction.

I do not permit my work to be to be posted on any other site without my permission.

Note: Updated for grammar and punctuation edits.

"Hi, Congresswoman Y/L/N?" Chris Evans asked with a smile.

He was once again interviewing you for ASP. This time it was during the week of the Democratic National Convention. Chris and Mark had already talked to other politicians such as Senator Cory Booker and Representatives Ro Khanna and Alma Adams. You were the last elected official he was slated to interview to wrap up the DNC week.

Truthfully, Chris was happy to get the chance to talk with you again. Your previous interview for ASP was such a hit that it garnered a lot of attention from fans and the media. However, it was not because you helped bring more legitimacy and attention for ASP, but instead, Chris found himself genuinely admiring you.

"Hi," you said to Chris, giving a small wave through the Zoom screen. "I told you to call me by my first name."

"I know, but I still want to show respect," Chris responded with a teasing smile. Was he mildly flirting with the congresswoman? Yes, but he had no shame in doing so. "How are you? You are looking well."

"I am doing well. Thank you. How about you?"

"Same. Just trying to stay sane through everything. I'm actually currently in London. Working on a project." Chris admitted.

"Uh oh. You better be staying safe and following the right procedures and protocols," you lightly reprimanded him.

"My fans ratted me out. They found where I was just by the hotel door. Can you believe that? That is some FBI-level investigating, right there. I'd be impressed if I weren't also terrified of the lengths some of these fans will go to scout my location," Chris ranted. He did not understand why he was sharing this with you, but a part of him felt comfortable doing so.

"That…is quite impressive, I must say. Creepy. Scary. But impressive. You need to learn how to put in a Zoom background. It would solve all of your problems," you suggested to him.

"I would, but I'm technology deficient. Maybe I should look up some Zoom tutorials on how to do it. Give it a try."

"There is no try…only do," you advised cheekily.

"Now you're quoting Yoda. A woman after my own heart," Chris replied. He knew he needed to refocus. "So, as you can tell, Mark won't be joining us for this interview. I'm going to hit record if that is okay?"

"Okay. I'm ready when you are," you said.

When the record notification appeared on screen, Chris introduced you and immediately went into the first question.

"How do you think the DNC is going so far, particularly how this year is more of a virtual setting rather than in-person due to COVID-19?"

"Despite not having the big in-person celebration/gathering, I think the virtual setting is working very well. Better than I expected, actually. It gives off a more inclusive and intimate vibe to the DNC that we haven't felt before. I like the whole documentary approach and feel to it," you replied honestly.

"Were you excited that Joe Biden chose Senator Kamala Harris as his running mate?" asked Chris.

"Oh my God! I was so happy that Vice President Biden chose Senator Harris as his running mate. Like, my staff and I were beyond ecstatic. There is no one better to be Biden's running mate than Harris. She is amazing. Such an inspiration. I'm not going to lie, but I'm really excited for the debate between her and Pence."

That made Chris laugh. "Yeah, me too. Senator Harris really knows how to pull all the punches. Her nomination as VP has been met with overall positive response. The Trump Administration and Republican pundits appear to have a hard time painting a negative image of Harris. Why do you think Trump and Fox News are struggling to provide a negative image for her?"

"That is an excellent question. The public's overwhelming response to Harris' nomination is because 1.) she is the first black and south Asian woman to be on a major presidential ticket, and 2.) she is likable and charming. She has this exuberant energy that attracts people to her. You know, black and brown women and girls finally have someone that looks like them running for the second-highest office in the land. That is huge!

"I also have to wonder if people have smartened up in the last four years and won't tolerate the…hypocrisy, sexism, and misogyny…in this case misogynoir that is thrown towards Senator Harris from the media, political pundits, social media bots, etc. So, what we are seeing with Trump and Fox News struggling to attack her is because…well…they just aren't smart. All we have seen from Trump in his attacks against her is that she was mean to Kavanaugh when questioning him during his nomination process. But none of what Trump says holds up because we all know that smart, confident women intimidate him," you finished off your point.

"There is also the left…or more of the progressive left who are unhappy with Biden choosing Harris," Chris spoke up and continued, "They say she is a cop and put people away for weed. That she took kids away from parents when the kid didn't show up for school. That Harris is too conservative. What do you say to that?"

"All of that is…you know…. Senator Harris one of the most policy progressive senators we have. Her voting record is more progressive than Bernie Sanders. All people have to do is research her time as a district attorney and Attorney General for California to find out what she actually did concerning policy. But as we both know, people nowadays don't know how to critically think, which scares me. Progressives need to look at the overall big picture. This election in November is crucial. We are in the fight for our democracy, for our country, and for our lives…literally."

"I talk with my brother, Scott, all the time about certain political issues," mentioned Chris. "He is a tad more progressive than I am. I can admit that I tend to be more centrist. The district you represent is a mix of blue and red areas; how do you balance opposing views from your constituents?" 

You took in a deep breath before you answered. That was a loaded question. Representing a district that was not solely red, or blue could be difficult from time to time. You wanted to be respectful of the different viewpoints from constituents, but maintaining a neutral balance was hard and frustrating at times. 

"The majority of Americans are centrist/moderates. You need a balance of both liberal and conservative policies. Bipartisanship is crucially important when developing and passing laws. We are currently seeing an overt of one-sidedness while sabotaging the other side, which is detrimental to our country's growth. It is important to reach across the aisle to talk with those who may have opposing views than you. At the end of the day, people just want to feel that their concerns are heard and valued. We all want to feel that way. So, as an elected official, I make sure to take the time to talk with those in rural areas, along with urban areas, about their issues and concerns," you shared.

"Do you ever get any pushback from Trump supporters in the red areas?" Chris inquired.

"Well, it is important to note that not all residents in rural areas are Trump supporters. They just tend to keep that to themselves. I have actually talked to Trump supporters in blue areas. We can never and should never assume that one area has this type of person and vice versa. I learned that the hard way when I was campaigning for city council early in my career," you revealed to Chris with a small chuckle. "But overall, my constituents will talk with me and have been respectful. Some of the concerns that have been shared with me do fall under the QAnon conspiracy theories, which do disturb me, I'll be honest. Um…when being confronted with someone who has that extreme of ideals, it is important to remain calm and not to come off combative. Meaning that I have to remind myself that I am not quite dealing with a rational person. The only thing that I can do is calmly talk to the person and respond back with facts. Either they listen or brush me off and call me a radical lefty."

"The majority of people are good, like you said," Chris reminded you.

"That's right. It's a good mantra to live by. I think the American people are tired and have been tired for the past four years with this Administration. We need a sense of normalcy and decency. Compassion and empathy, which were two of the big themes during the DNC. This week was a nice reminder that we, as a country, can have that again."

"I agree. Very well said. You always end on a positive. I appreciate that. Thank you, Congresswoman Y/L/N, for taking the time to talk with me. You always provide great insight into the world of politics and your experience as an elected official," said Chris and ended the recording. "That was really great, Y/N. I know Mark, and I really appreciate you taken the time to do these interviews for ASP," Chris added.

"Oh, it is no problem. Like I said before, I like what you both are doing with the site. Are you happy with how everything turned out?" you asked him.

"Yeah… it's…it took a while to just get the website up and running. I know there is still work that needs to be done. Some areas need to be fixed, but with a project like this, we can adjust. There is more room for improvement and growth," Chris communicated to you.

You nodded in agreement. "Politics is a whole different ballgame. Not many people are willing to venture into the field. It can cause a lot of annoyances and headaches. So, hats off to you, my friend," you said, giving Chris a salute.

"Thank you. Well, I better let you go. I know you must have a million things on your plate."

"Ah yes, I have to go and save the United States Postal Service from corruption. Talk to you later, Chris. Take care," you waved goodbye and signed off.

Chris had to admit, he was in awe of you. There was something about you that fascinated him. None of the elected officials he and Mark talked to for ASP had the liveliness you had. You were not jaded or defeated by the system, at least not yet, since you were still considered a junior member of congress. Chris hoped that the energy and enthusiasm you had for politics and helping people would not diminish. When his Uncle Mike was still a congressman, he shared with Chris that D.C. can cause a lot of strain on a person's values and beliefs. "I have seen too many of my colleagues succumb to the pressures of dirty politics," Uncle Mike once said.

Chris just hoped that you would not succumb to those pressures.