#all of this wouldn't be a problem usually to a certain degree its just that bc of the copious amounts of alcohol that will be involved

[midwesternfields]

fuck it, let's rewatch Suits for the millionth time 🫡

[kalims]

the package deal

summary. random scenarios I think about daily

content. scenarios, fluff, not proofread

featuring. jamil, ace, floyd, gender neutral

note. @merotwst hello beh para ito sayo 🥺 SORY ITS VERY LATE I GOT BUSY

scenarios are by order of the names ^^ & double post as an apology for inactive-ness LOL

your personal basketball shield

"what in the great seven are you doing?"

"I'm doing nothing, I'm completely innocent." you nervously reply before adding; "and I'm um... a student from room C."

well the first part made you look suspicious now.

but the second part is a lie though.

you in fact, are not a student from room C. you purposely left out mentioning what year you were in all together in favor of hopefully, having your identity still anonymous the remainder you'd still be inside the court.

speaking of. you aren't even supposed to be here right now.

the student eyes you weirdly, and you refrain from sweating bullets under their gaze.

for your own sake you just ignore them and focus on the court, your eyes immediately zeroes on the seemingly tight block (attempt at this point) at floyd, but he doesn't have any problem getting past them at all. you blink and he had already slammed the ball in and hung off the net like he's trying to play monkey bars.

to be fair your getup is immensely out of place, you're wearing all black, the hood is over your head and you're wearing shades which wouldn't have been strange if you hadn't wore it indoors. a black jacket to match when it's 36 degrees outside? yeah right.

in all honesty you're trying to gaslight yourself that you're just here to show support for one of your friends but you hadn't spared a wink of a gaze in ace's direction ever since you had entered.

instead you're staring at an empty spot at the bench, usually occupied by a certain someone you know. yet it isn't, you're just staring in hopes that he'll magically appear out of thin air and leave you something to stare at.

you're a mixture of confusion, and disappointment. this isn't very independent boss of me. you sweatdrop, pining over a boy... was not part of your plan.

maybe getting hit by a basketball flying off court and miraculously in your direction wasn't too but thankfully before you could screech bloody hell and break your nose, a palm reaches out and literally slaps the ball away casually?

you peek out your arm and peek up at jamil who doesn't even look at you and stares in the direction of which where the ball had come from with unblinking eyes (it seemed kind of intense but you don't want to question it.) he's wearing his signature club wear, his water bottle present in his other hand and a towel over his shoulder. the slightly dampened fringes that frame his face tells you that he had gone to wash up.

"you should be aware of your surroundings." he chides.

and he finally looks at you, you swear you just exploded.

you don't have it in yourself to reply to the echo of an apology from the court but is only able to stare dumbly at jamil who stares back.

... this is awkward.

"thanks..." you trail off, flabbergasted and warm as hell. maybe you shouldn't have used a jacket? maybe it was the weather? definitely!

before you know it, he stalks off with a tilt of his head and you believe you're being delusional again when he keeps looking in your direction whenever he scores like... it's for you.

covering the edges of a table

"I can't believe you spend time with trey."

unsurprisingly there's a deadpan directed to ace, not from deuce, riddle, nor cater but from you. sure he's just teensy tiny little bit bothered because well, it's not like he considered those other people romantically and there's been a silent promise to himself to prove that he is in fact; not as dumb as you think he is when you look at him like that.

usually when 'that' comes into mind ace would have imagined it to be a look he gives you daily, like you're sure he's the biggest idiot of the world but he's your idiot. he definitely does not want to get into detail but it's those looks people in love give which he used to cringe about.

ironically enough he's one of the subjects daydreaming about it.

you get him? he wanted that look not this one.

ace throws up his arms in the air with a deep sigh. "I live with him but that doesn't magically make me good in cooking, plus... trey bakes!" he rolls his eyes, speaking with a matter-of-factly tone.

you squint at him.

"have you not tasted trey's homemade dishes for dinner? those are to die for."

"no I haven't." he snaps.

"to think you even have the resident cook of scarabia mentoring you..." you continue, dodging a spatula that was thrown at your head. you frown at him in mock disappointment. "now now, you really wanna get charged for assault?"

from across the counter ace gives you the forbidden triple fuck you fingers. there's a silly pink apron he wears because you stole the only one which doesn't give his eyes a seizure, a red one. red looks good on you, he thinks but then his eye twitches.

when he had invited you over most of the second and third years had gone out for a camp, right now the first years are rejoicing the absence of their strict dorm leader and cooped up themselves in their respective rooms, eating every single junk food in the rules.

so that meant no one was really willing to cook, even ace wanted take out but you gracefully intervened.

to be fair you were hungry and the food would arrive at like 2 hours with how much ordering the residents had done.

"I think it's ready." he scratches his head, looking more unsure than you.

"you think?"

just then the timer beeps.

"how hard is it to make curry..." you shake your head, grabbing a set of utensils... to use, somehow.. even you aren't that experienced because all crowley does is send you microwavable food from the convenience stores and only the pizza was decent enough to call nice.

his brow creases. "not that hard."

"do it then."

"..."

ace just stares at you, leans over and slaps you over the head. while you've been a victim of many of these, you didn't expect him to literally lean over the counter to do that. "assault." you comment dryly, you curse under your breath when it goes flying under the table.

"it's your word over mine." he shrugs. blinking when you crouch. "what are you doing?"

"I dropped them because of your criminal ass." you roll your eyes, reaching over to grab the scattered utensils all over the floor, great. now you have to wash them too.

only when you realize that there was a possibility of hitting your head (which by the way, was never a fun experience. you're sure there's a carved up line from how many times you've hit it on your head.) when your head indeed bumps, but it's not exactly the hard surface that sends a jolt of sharp pain up your head.

instead there is a soft cushion. it ruffles your hair a bit and you're immensely confused.

you immediately look up when you stand up, unharmed but ace is just looking away from you. stirring the... pot which is weird cause there hasn't been any seasonings put in it.

you shrug.

missing the red ears.

getting hit by a ball to his face but he pretends it doesn't hurt because you're there

you're surprised that basketball even exists in this world when they apparently can't tell the difference between magishift and football, you're practically itching to slap someone when you explain the similarities between the two and they still have the audacity to deadpan at you like they're the most different things to ever exist!

namely, some idiot named ace trappola.

maybe leona too since he was giving you a stinky side eye but you don't want to get slapped back too.

what you appreciate though is floyd, you can't tell if he's just a big, strong ball of idiocy or the smartest person between all the people listening cause he seemed to be the only one interested in what you were saying.

and he even agreed that they were similar! albeit even if his usual manners are confusing floyd isn't that much of a guy that agrees with people a lot so it's a shocker.

and you're confused why he seems to be so attached to you. the tweels are almost always together, where one is, always is the other trailing along. so you're a little concerned because you can't take the presence of the resident friendly terrorists of the schools.

floyd was always following you around till he just wordlessly shoves a flyer of a game that's about to occur in his club, a wide grin on his face as he boasts about how he's on the starting line up and 'going to crush the other team.' literally or figuratively? you don't know but.. probably both.

basically he wanted you to watch so here you are.

not to exaggerate or anything but he is indeed, crushing the other team. a whooping 17 point lead between them, of course NRC leading. you'd be more confused if they weren't the one in first if they have floyd. (who apparently attends practice like one time a week but just enough to stay at the club...)

not to mention before it even started floyd had mentioned something along the lines of decimating the other team for your name. which is floating around the borderline of romantic and insanity.

for your delusions you will believe it romantic.

you're torn if you should cheer for the team, cause you know. you are technically part of NRC so it's natural but you know floyd would get all pouty, in a bad mood so you hesitate. vice versa because if you cheer for floyd you're gonna get weird looks cause so far, he's been doing selfish plays, not passing but scoring.

well this is the least villainous thing a student from a school that worships villians can do...

floyd is playing well, you would not like to admit that you're staring because he looks a little too good in that uniform... sweaty, pushing his hair back with a grin as he glowers at his opponents and sends them into peeing their pants. it works though cause they almost always hesitate when floyd is the one they're up against.

just wow.

you're just 100% sure you're watching a basketball god who would ascend to a higher life form if he wasn't so lazy till there's an abrupt silence that definitely isn't normal.

thankfully you catch the sight of a ball being... shoved to floyd's face like a dunk? should you really be thankful to witness that.

and for once entirety of the room agreed on one thing for that person. rest in piece.

floyd rubs his face and narrows his eyes, it almost looked like he was about to tear up but you swear he looked at you and immediately forced a wobbly grin, closing his eyes so the tears wouldn't fall and opens them to stare at the poor guy intensely.

in the distance you could hear a vague chuckle of jade.

"you don't know where to dunk, lil' guy?" floyd flashes them a sharp toothed grin, ironically you witness their soul leaving their body at the sheer intensity he excludes. most held their breaths cause they're sure that he would have started quietly threatening them but... there's no threats.

almost like he's holding back to act unfazed?

the 'lil guy' gulps and can't even muster up an answer.

floyd smiles at him. "I'll show you."

before the game ended that player left with a red round stain on their face, clear evidence of floyd's 'accidental payback.'

... now he's asking if you've seen how he's carried the team.

[sketch-guardian]

Mc having a second secret acc that the rad classmates and angels don’t know about and it’s literally them just being super down bad saying the most heinously down bad things that got even the devil and god shaking in their boots from how down bad they are so down bad they’ve become a meme but for shits a gigs I think it’d be interesting if they heard about it from other students from RAD and just assume the worst of what’s in the acc and ask azul to snoop/azul snoops and around and it’s just Mc being so down bad like going feral down bad ex

“So you guys saw how Domnra beat the shit out of that student today right? Well goddamn how I wish it were me like YALL SAW HOW HOT HE LOOKED RIGHT?!”

Like it’s just Sukuna/Gojo fan level of downbadness like so down bad it’ll get a reaction out of Nathanial type of downbadness!!

Or another scenario is they’re already dating and Mc is pretty normal like normal flirty stuff but the acc is jsut horrendous from how down bad they are

(Sorry for the word vomit😭)

Don't worry about the word vomit, honestly I find this ask hilarious😂I'll try my best to write some good headcanons☺I also apologize for the delay🙈I was looking for a university for a master's degree these days, lessons start next week so I'll start being busy again😭:

"RAD CLASSMATES+NEW EXCHANGE STUDENTS WITH A DOWN BAD MC WHO OWNS A SECRET ACCOUNT DEDICATED TO THEM"

DEMYA

Demya is a pretty shameless demon, especially when it comes to her mate, in fact she would have no problem with PDA or showing her affection for MC through compliments and praise, after all she has to let everyone know that they're a couple, so as to discourage competition and let them see just how proud she is of MC. So, the fact that MC has a secret secondary account dedicated exclusively to simp for her even at different times of the day, such as when she eats, hunts or dances, would make Demya curious about the reason for MC's secrecy, but also very amused, she would probably tease MC about it every now and then, even posing on purpose in case they wanted to post new pics, maybe even together this time. It wouldn't be the first time she has received compliments, but Demya would prefer them from MC, because they would be more genuine and without ulterior motives

DOMNRA/MOBIM

Domnra, of all people, would actually be the one with the most doubts and who would immediately think the worst at the suspicion that his partner is hiding something from him, not because he doesn't trust MC, but because he is a fairly insecure demon, although it doesn't look like it, especially due to his anger issues. Therefore, when Mobim would cheerfully come to him with his D.D.D in its little arms in order to show him a surprise, Domnra would be quite puzzled, but relieved, to find out that MC only has a secret secondary account used to post sappy comments about him. Domnra would be quite flustered to read certain down bad posts, especially those about him listening to music, his training sessions or fights, it's likely that he wouldn't confront MC on the subject, however Domnra would usually reread certain posts when he feels down, to raise his self-esteem. Mobim, instead of down bad comments, would find posts where MC would treat the little curse as a baby or a puppy. Mobim would likely be more affectionate towards MC, grateful for their love

AZUL

Bold of MC to assume that Azul wouldn't post down bad comments and photos dedicated to his lovely star without shame on his main Devilgram account, after all he is a simp par excellence and proud of it, Azul isn't bashful to show his devotion and admiration for his source of inspiration, that is MC. It wouldn't take Azul long to figure out the identity behind MC's secret secondary account, he would chuckle to himself as he read the posts, while his colors would change from light blue to pale pink, index of affection. In a sing-song tone Azul would go to MC to tell them he had discovered their little secret, teasing them lovingly with hugs and kisses. Azul wouldn't understand the reason behind MC's shyness, but if they want to simp for him in secret while he paints, sculpts or floats around, who is he to stop them? Azul would also find amusing that both him and MC seem consider themselves each other muses

ZURI

Not gonna lie, Zuri has several admirers despite having worked as a model only on few occasions, so being flattered would be nothing new for her, even as an angel in the Celestial Realm she had people who at the mere sight of her turned to stare at her beauty, Zuri's aware of her appearance and makes sure to take care of it, however she wouldn't pay much attention to fans, more committed to improving her style and sewing skills. It's likely that Azul, being a troublemaker and a snitch, would show Zuri the down bad posts about her and it would take Zuri only a few seconds to guess that MC was behind the secret account, probably recognizing their way of typing, she's a detail-oriented and perceptive demon after all. Zuri would find MC's sappy posts about her working, trying on new clothes, during social events and although slightly exasperated, she would eventually let out an amused scoff and smile faintly. Zuri would approach the topic with MC with caution, not wanting to embarrass them too much, to their surprise she might even propose to do something romantic together in the privacy of her home, given that they seem so infatuated with her

ODON

Although Odon doesn't use social media much, because technology sometimes struggles to work due to their eldritch horror nature, that doesn't mean they wouldn't discover MC's secret secondary account, rather they would find out about it thanks to their eye-like creatures, who can see everything in Devildom, probably even MC writing the down bad posts, unknown to them, in fact the grumpy eye-like creature (Bob) would stare at MC with an unimpressed gaze, while the cheerful eye-like creature (Rob) would look at them with a sly gaze, in any case, the familiars would report everything to Odon. For Odon, such down bad posts would remind them of their youth, when there were some cults that worshipped them and made sacrifices in their honor, hoping of being noticed. Looking back on it, Odon would find that past fact quite awkward, because although flattered, they would think it was all quite unnecessary. However, MC's comments would please Odon, because they would be grateful to be genuinely liked and to be seen as a good friend, even if some posts would confuse the eldritch horror, especially the most feral ones, for simple actions such as reading or cooking. Odon would only confront MC on the subject if they thought they wouldn't get too embarrassed, after all Odon doesn't want to upset them, they would likely write MC a poem though, to return their kindness in their own way

REMIEL

Remiel is still learning how to use a D.D.D, having never had to use such means of communication before, so someone else would have to show the angel of death how social media works and possibly let her discover MC's secret secondary account, a guy like Azul for example. Remiel, as often has occurred, would be a little confused by such custom, not understanding the feral posts and trying to interpret them from a logical point of view, furthermore she wouldn't know why MC posted such comments instead of talking to her. Remiel, being a gloomy yet blunt angel, would have no trouble saying what she thinks of MC, even if her statements would be more on the sweet, emotional and poetic side. MC's down bad comments that would strike Remiel the most would be the soft ones, those of encouragement, complimenting her while she learns, flies and stares at things absent mindedly, the sweetness could make Remiel shed some tears, not used to such displays of love if not from her family. Speaking of feral posts, since she would be confused, Remiel would ask for explanations from a person she trusts, namely her father Death, so depending on how inappropriate some of MC's comments are, they could find the fucking grim reaper outside their front door

NATHANIEL

In the Celestial Realm, Nathaniel is seen as a sort of mentor, a figure that many look up to for wisdom, so it wouldn't be uncommon to find people who admire him for his appearance as well, ethereal according to some, without effort, Nathaniel has always been very casual about it though, since physical appearance is one of the last things on his mind. Nathaniel knows enough about social media, he would check them every now and then out of pure curiosity, but he would still be flabbergasted to see posts about himself and it takes a lot to catch Nathaniel off guard, so MC's down bad comments must be really feral to have made even the archangel react. Nathaniel would be amused to see sappy posts about him as he meditates, takes strolls through nature or practices archery with his hair tied in a ponytail, he would find them cute, if a little exaggerated. MC would notice Nathaniel occasionally glancing at their D.D.D and then showing them a small knowing smile, without elaborating any further, before disappearing into another room, leaving MC with the doubt of whether or not he has discovered their secret, his nonchalant and quiet attitude wouldn't help at all. Nathaniel may seem innocent, but he can be a bit of a tease when he wants to

URIEL

Uriel wouldn't often use a D.D.D, not used to communicating with similar means, so it would take someone like Nathaniel to point out to the warrior angel that someone is writing about her and with great enthusiasm to boot, he would also make it clear that MC is the one behind the secret account, otherwise Uriel would ignore the matter. Uriel would be confused by the praise, as she technically isn't a saint to be worshipped or entrusted with one's prayers, however she would still appreciate the admiration towards herself, especially during her training sessions, duties and times in her armor. However, Uriel wouldn't understand why MC, in their secret secondary account, would confess and insist on wanting to be crushed, stepped on or squeezed by her, the warrior angel would not find such masochism healthy and could get scandalized by some feral posts. At the beginning, Uriel would ask MC for explanations, but over time, despite the embarrassment, Uriel would also proclaim her pride and love, only upon request though, as she thinks such displays should be private

[mrhaitch]

Hi Mr. Haitch,

I often struggle with being misunderstood; people think I’m rude or sassy. I wish they would focus on my words rather than my tone.

I grew up with people reminding me that ‘tone is everything’ and I do agree with it to some degree but to disregard my words is not right. I was wondering your perspective on that…?

I suspect I might be neurodivergent but haven’t pursued an evaluation due to cost and uncertainty about its benefits.

With that aside, what can I do to have better communication? I would like to avoid confrontation as much as possible.

--- 🫵🫠

Thank you, mister smart guy.

You're preaching to the choir here, fellow tonally-impaired person. From being criticised, when younger, for being too angry or domineering - I've now got the reverse problem where I can seem passive, aloof, or even boring.

Practicalities first: some people won't listen to what you say, just how you say it. You can say a nice thing in a deadpan way, and people will react like you're describing the new wallpaper you've chosen for your living room. Say a horrible thing, all smiles and euphemisms, and people will ignore the venom dribbling from your lips. Usually it's in the workplace or school where you'll be forced together with people who you wouldn't exactly pick for yourself.

For the sake of ease in the future, try and make some small adjustments: study the people you think have got it figured out, see how they handle certain situations, and do that. It might make your skin crawl (certainly does for me), but it's better than having your working life/career/school progression hampered by people who only listen to tone.

Now that's over with - the people that won't listen to you because of your tone aren't worth your time or concern. They're the same people who vote for politicians based on their smile, how well dressed they are, what football team they support - they're lost in trivialities and are prioritising the wrong things and they either can't hear you, or won't. Either way - I wouldn't concern yourself too much with them.

There are people out there who will listen to you, regardless of tone. People that care about content over form, actions over intentions. Be patient - especially with yourself. Give yourself time and opportunities to find your niche. It'll happen.

As for diagnoses, I can't advise.

[crookedkryptonitebeliever]

My only ask is: the fack is going on in Yves’ mind? No cause I’m eating snacks on my couch, I am lazy, I don’t think I could ever reach this man’s standards so like, why is he here? Going on after me? What’s this man doing 😭😭

Cont from another anon ask: Also idc Yves chose a lazy like me. This man gonna watch My Little Pony all seasons with me, he should have chosen his soulmate better. Silly man

To Yves, no one is lazy. It is the circumstances around someone that influences certain behaviors, which may appear "lazy". Unmotivated, exhausted, afraid- especially of failure. According to his observations, Atychiphobia of any degree is usually the reason for inaction. You clearly have interests, you are sentient and lucid enough to think that you're 'lazy'.

The standards he applies to you aren't the same as the ones others have to meet. Yves is a complicated man, he doesn't want to brainwash you into something 'perfect', though he has the tendency to 'fix' things he thinks aren't acceptable in his opinion. If you spend all day just eating snacks and watching shows, it will be a cause of concern with him. He will talk to you about it, watching his tone and body language. Yves wants you to know that he is acting in your best interests. If that isn't coming through to you... well, he is a reality bender with the world's resources at the tips of his fingers. He knows how to hack into your psyche.

Expect to suddenly lose appetite for the snacks that you're munching on, he will leave you wondering why your brain suddenly finds watching TV torturously boring and irritating. You would rather do something else.

It couldn't possibly be Yves behind this, he is in his office, and you haven't seen him today. Plus, he can't be that powerful, can he? Plus, it is ridiculous how another person can just influence the mind like that, so seamlessly and discretely. You don't get it, it just felt like a flick of a switch. There was no gradual change, nothing around you appeared out of the ordinary.

There were changes. There are changes. Chemically, biologically, physically and environmentally. You're just unaware of them. His sleight of hand is unreal, his attention to detail is astonishing. Yves drugged you, with a harmless substance, but a drug nonetheless. To make you much more susceptible to his power of persuasion. All he had to do was modify the texture of your favorite snacks. To a regular person, there is no difference; You can't tell the difference either, but your brain can, and it doesn't like the new changes.

Consciously, everything is as it always was. But subconsciously, your altered mind noticed the colors on the screen are horribly off, and the bass and timbre of its voice actors don't sound right. It is exhausting for your brain to keep up.

However, if you keep your habits in check, Yves wouldn't need to resort to psychological warfare. He appreciates what makes 'you' up, he has no problem watching all the seasons of My Little Pony with you.

He appreciates the values that this cartoon tries to spread. Given his nature, he would memorize each and every piece of verified trivia he could find; from naming all characters from all 5 generations by heart (he could even name the characters exclusive to the comics, from the games, from the collectible card games and any other obscure media that Hasbro created around this franchise.), to the strange and sometimes obscene fan culture history around this series (i.e., how a large proportion of Nazis are also My Little Pony fans, the pony torture games, Princess Molestia and many more), to the exact hexadecimal color values of the ponies (He is especially fond of Queen Chrysalis's palette and looking to incorporate it into his home somehow), to the home addresses of the My Little Pony production crew.

But he knows not to dump everything he found at once, it will overwhelm you and not everyone likes to be out-obsessed over a piece of media they were watching from the beginning. Yves will keep to himself. So when you start off by watching the pilot episode, he will don a soft smile, spotting the foreshadowing that Nightmare Moon is going to be this season's main antagonist. He would go through the series with you silently, stroking your head on his lap. He knows more than you think. Yves will know what you're talking about.

Remember, Yves sees many things that no one else sees in you. He's like a phantom that accesses every aspect of your life. Your deepest fears, your ugliest sides, and your happiest moments. Yves can wear your identity like a second skin and he loves every inch of it. You may think you are unworthy of his obsession because you operate on a profit-and-loss mindset, wondering what he gets out of it. Yves doesn't he views you through an entirely different lens. You are inherently flawed and you have inherent value. He loves you for the beauty and goodness that you cannot perceive as someone living as yourself, he loves you for your quirks and curiosity. He also loves you for a lack thereof.

Your imperfections are what makes you human, and his adoration is found within it. He accepts and loves you for who you are, but it doesn't mean he won't try to better you. What he gains from devoting himself to you is virtually nothing to you, but everything to him.

Unfortunately for him, there is nothing he could do or say to make you understand the extent of how much he loves you. It is within the realm of unconditional. It is hard to grasp how a person could love so much while expecting nothing in return, but that is essentially what Yves' affection for you is.

He is a careful man who also has high regard for himself. You think he's careless in choosing his beloved darling? The man whose middle name is probably 'Intensive' and last name 'Research'?

This is no mistake of his. Yves chose you for a plethora of reasons you cannot comprehend.

[mitigatedchaos]

I actually just finished reading Watchmen recently.

It's an interesting study of about a dozen types of guy, although I think Moore lays the synchronicity on a bit thick. It deserves its title as a classic.

I don't know what Alan Moore intended. I assumed that the "media literacy enjoyers" on Twitter/X are just compressing down a some statement somewhere to support their position.

Watchmen ends on a very interesting note: Dr. Manhattan tells Ozymandias that "nothing ever ends."

It isn't just the matter of Rorschach's journal escaping - Ozymandias put a predatory cat through the Integrity Field disintegrator. Dr. Manhattan survived disintegration the first time that happened to him. The cat could, too.

Ozymandias is very intelligent, but he is also self-aggrandizing. He is, genuinely, the smartest man on Earth, but in part because he has no peers to humble him, he is not the wisest.

Every problem falls to his analysis, and so the dimensionality of the world, the limitation of any one man's ability to control things, escapes him. He even outwits Dr. Manhattan.

What Ozymandias was supposed to do, what would have made him a legendary hero of history, but a more modest one, although the text doesn't say this and doesn't even imply it specifically, was use his immense intellect, charisma, and creative power to fully analyze the political situation, the political currents, the flows of power, emotion, and information, and broker a strategic arms limitation treaty.

He decided to trick the whole world, becoming a mass murderer in the process, because the idea of being above others, and not trusting them, was more flattering to him.

It is likely that Ozymandias will get away with his crime, and set the general view of the world, for about ten years. The act is so absurd and overwhelming that people will not think to question it. Although not certain, it is quite possible that he will be hanged in twenty.

Rorschach stinks, and he eats cold beans, partly because he's a strange dude, but also because he values his work far beyond how he values himself. He's hardly without flaws (see his defense of the Comedian), but essentially every waking hour, he's thinking about how he can punish the wicked for the harms they impose on others.

He's poor. He's ugly. He stinks. He's abrasive, and has very few friends. But he is completely dedicated to the mission, above all material things on Earth.

In this way, no matter his origins, or no matter what happens to him, so long as he never strays from the mission, so long as he never betrays his principles, he has dignity.

Ozymandias will have his day, as befits his power - his gift. The world will turn.

Rorschach may well win in the end.

One of the things I think makes Watchmen compelling to people is that Nite Owl is friends with Rorschach and cooperates with him. Most people are not like Rorschach. Most people of the world, the good people who are responsible for bulk of good activities, are much more like Nite Owl. Nite Owl can see that Ozymandias has 'gone off the deep end' to a degree. He is horrified at the destruction that takes place.

Twenty years from then, he will likely be asked to testify. But in that moment, Ozymandias is dazzling. Nite Owl cannot see a future in which Ozymandias is found guilty and hanged for his crime. He is, well, pretty normal. For that reason, I take him as the audience's perspective character.

Rorschach is on a different level. Through Nite Owl, the audience can feel that even if they don't have Rorschach's courage, they could still help him along the way.

(Edit: It should go without saying that one should not "try to be Rorschach in real life" for all the usual reasons. Rather, elements of society are held up by individual agency, e.g. some guy just decides to release a free music player. You can provide such individuals with aid, even if you wouldn't e.g. dedicate yourself to working on a free music player.)

[capri-ramblings]

It's finally here! The third Installment of my 'Mother's Reluctance'' ✨ Sebek,Deuce and Epel will be featured in the fourth part! Thank you for your patience!

Warning; Toxic/unhealthy relationships. Mentions of substance.

Please take note every work of mine here is purely fictional and meant for entertainment.

Please do not indulge in my yandere works if you are triggered by its dark, heavy themes.

Trey Clover

- Trey had wondered when the question was going to be asked. The two of you have been together for almost five years and he's noticed how you've adapted to his...darker tendencies as a partner

- He'll be honest,he's impressed. When it all first started he thought he'd have to break you to make the whole relationship work,but it seems you've proven him wrong

- Children are a must have for Trey. He grew up with a fairly large family himself and he couldn't really picture a lasting relationship with you without any children. Plus,his parents had began asking too.

- He had no problems with it,of course. He was more than ready to handle a few more children aside from his younger siblings,the only issue here was you.

- Trey was aware that you weren't so confident in parenting as he was,and he also noticed your reluctance regarding it.

- It annoyed him to a certain degree, and with his subtle charisma,Trey made sure you were aware of it.

- And you were. You just thought that as long as you acted like you didn't,he wouldn't get too frustrated over it.

- Oh,how wrong you were.

- Trey's cunningness hides behind a veil of his usual friendliness towards everyone, and by forgetting that, you were bound to fall for his trap.

- The two of you were closing up the family bakery one night when Trey came out of the kitchen with freshly baked tarts settled neatly on a white plate.

- "Were there extras? I thought we sold out everything..."

- Trey let out a small laugh as he shook his head. You noted how pleased he looked and quietly wondered why he was in such a good mood all of the sudden.

- "No,I made these for us. Your favourites too" He took one tart off the plate and plopped it into his mouth in one go, and the corners of your lips twitched into a small smile.

- "Thanks,but I think I'll pass. I just wanna get into bed and sleep"

- The whole day was a chore. You were used to a bustling bakery filled with customers,but today most of those customers were children, kindergarteners who had their teacher bring them all into the town's favourite Bakery because it was one of their friends' birthday. It was a sweet occasion,you weren't going to lie,seeing those small happy faces filled with sweets had you grinning,but the amount of energy those small human beings demanded was exasperating.

- Trey rose his brows,taking in another tart into his mouth. You missed the dark look he gave you when you turned around to flip the shop's sign from outside.

- "You're missing out" He mused, "It could help rejuvenate that tired body of yours"

- You laughed,shaking your head. You should've expected him to treat you like some worn out kid,Trey always had that habit.

- Though, you weren't expecting his body to press against yours when you turned around to face him. His lips suddenly close enough to just hover above yours.

- "Trey—"

- He leaned down to kiss your lips faster than your words could reach you, and in the moment you pressed yourself into him,Trey slipped one arm around your waist.

- His lips tasted sweet, a mix of vanilla and citrus mingling on his tongue that came to intertwine around yours. When you felt him closing the gap between bodies,the kiss deepened and Trey had you wilting in his grasp. The way his heat engulfed your entire being then gave a sense of high you failed to find in anyone else,and when he finally broke the contact,your lips were swollen and aching for more.

- The look in his eyes before he pulled away from you was tinted with wanton fever. And for a brief second,you thought you saw hunger in them.

- You're stumbling on yourself,of course you are. Trey isn't the type to suddenly pull you into such an intimate thing after all, but you regain your composure fast and with a gentle if not wary nudge, you put a space between you and Trey as you walked pass him and towards the scounter.

- "What was that for?" You asked and heard him chuckling before the sound of the front door locking caught your attention. It was meant to be locked,you remind yourself. The backdoor was always how you and Trey left after all. You wondered then why it bothered you so much in the first place.

- "Can't I be mysterious and kiss you whenever?"

- It sounded harmless,how the words just seem to bounce in your head and you paid it no mind.

- The tray of tarts placed beside you caught your eye a second you were about to reach out and take one for yourself, but something held you back.

- Trey is,above all else, a patient person and that patience you found so comforting is what he'll use against you.

- That night, after getting home and finally be able to just throw yourself onto your mattress. You woke up feeling thirsty and decided to slither out of bed as quietly as you could so Trey wouldn't be disturbed.

- In getting yourself a cold drink, you wonder if the tarts he made earlier were still there and to your pleasant surprise,Trey had kept them chilled in the fridge. Somehow feeling giddy about how spontaneous he was today, you take one and pop it into your mouth.

- Oh, sweetheart. Didn't you realize they tasted a bit too sweet? Trey's Doodle suit should've worn off by now but maybe it was just the exhaustion of the day that made you oblivious to the slight tingling sensation you felt after successfully eating three tarts in a row.

- Then again,how could you have known he slipped in a longing potion in them? He knew if it worked too fast it would seem suspicious and so Trey gave you the leniency of time by making it in small doses.

- He's waited years for the moment you'd beg him to have his seed inside you, a few more months is nothing.

- So,he'll wait and watch as the potion sets into your senses and you start wondering why you ever disliked the thoughts of children in the first place.

- They're so small and harmless and filled with joy...and they the way they'd resemble their parents so perfectly...

- How would your child look like? Would they have Trey's sharp gaze and your complexion? His patience and your wits?

- The thoughts circle through your head like a hypnotising lullaby.

- It began to hurt to wake up and see you don't have a kid of your own with your partner.

- Did Trey still wanted them? You hoped did because this house has started to feel a bit too big for just the two of you.

Jade Leech

- Jade can be cunning and cruel when he wants to and that's what made him such a terrifying partner to anger.

- He had control over himself,he knew when to pull back and when to shove fear down your throat.

- Jade is someone you never want to rile up or provoke even when you never really had a way of seeing the earlier signs of it.

- Possessive and sadistic, whenever Jade wanted a certain type of attention from you, he never failed to make you flinch from it.

- He was also very observant of you, and so he already knew from the start that the topic of having children was something you never wanted to delve into

- But, he liked seeing you squirm with discomfort. So, naturally,the topic often came up. Much to your dismay.

- "Say,why don't you want children, ____?"

- The way he curled his tongue around your name at the end made you shiver and Jade fought back the urge to snicker behind your back.

- Your lips pursed, and you tried to calm your nerves, but even knowing fully well what he was aiming at, you always tend to come off snarky.

- And though he adores your fighting spirit, Jade also loves giving you small punishments afterwards.

- Jade is wickedly patient however, so his process of manipulating you into giving him a child is more likely a slow burn. You don't even notice you're leaning into his fantasies until it's too late.

- He starts subtly at first, as always, pointing out the physical differences between him and you. Reminding you that he isn't human and thus the act of making children would be vastly different from how he'd usually have sex with you.

- His eyes seem to flicker when he sees you squirm underneath his scrutinizing prowess, but the conflicting acts of gentleness that comes afterwards has you cornered.

- He was throwing you out in the cold waters only to reel you back up into his arms,so you'd never know the warmth of another. So you'd depend on him.

- And it was working.

- Jade will choose to tire you out from your refusal. Easing you ever so tentatively into the idea of having children. The idea of truly becoming his wife and partner for life.

- Whether he had you as your current self or somehow altered you into one of his own kind is something he doesn't really mull over. As long as it's you, Jade doesn't care.

- You're both facing the mirror in your bedroom when Jade comes from behind you, his arms swiftly snaking its way around your waist. You fit in his grasp so perfectly,how could he imagine losing you to someone else?

- "Have children with me,my little starfish. Can't you imagine them swimming about? Calling you their mother and swarming you with loving hugs and kisses?"

- His words sounds so peaceful,so serene, you can't help but look into your reflection and see the swollen bump growing in your womb. See how easier your life would be if you surrendered yourself to him completely.

- "You'll make a lovely mother, and your brood will be the light of my life. I'll do anything to make you all happy."

- You breathed in his scent,his skin against yours a solid comfort you've come to yearn for.

- Would he always be this gentle if you gave him what he wanted?

- Days when he'll leave you all alone seemed to make you cringe. If you had a part of him, those days wouldn't bother you,would it?

- Jade intertwined his fingers with yours, a knowing look etched into his expression as he hears you murmur your reply.

- "Please be gentle."

Cater Diamond

- If Cater really wanted kids, he'd have cum inside you from the beginning really.

- He looks like a man with plans and at times he is, but when it came to personal things he always gets too emotionally invested to actually plan things out.

- But truth be told, he had to take a few years to sort his thoughts out to finally be comfortable with the notion of having kids.

- It's not that he disliked them, kids were great most of the time but he didn't exactly enjoy the idea of sharing his sweet Cupcake with an infant.

- After all, children required a lot of caring for and that's what good parents do, and what you and him have to face up to.

- But Cater didn't want that. He wanted you to himself. His Cupcake's time and effort should be showered onto him and him alone.

- A child would be a hindrance to that.

- But then a light bulb beamed in his thoughts and Cater came to a conclusion that if he had kids with you then your life would be completely in his hands!

- Unlike his carefree facade, Cater's yandere side is controlling and extremely possessive. If a kid is what it takes to have you forever, then he'll have twenty of them without a doubt.

- and they'll all call him Papa

- And you'd be their sweet,caring, mommy.

- This fantasy of his is a nightmare to you, and chances are Cater already guessed you were against it

- Though if you think that'll stop him, you're wrong.

- He's your capable Senpai,after all. He'll know the perfect tricks to get you on his side.

- You're extremely off the edge with how suddenly gentle and thoughtful Cater's been the last few weeks, how he hasn't played one of his manipulative mind games on you or increasing the 'rent' for staying with him, and you're half believing that maybe he's back to his old self. But there's this sick feeling in your stomach that doesn't seem to budge the more you spend time thinking about it and you keep telling yourself that he's baiting you into some sort of trap.

- So, you keep your guard up. Taking in the smallest gestures and carefully analysing them, making sure you hadn't somehow made Cater upset

- You knew how crafty he was after all.

- But being crafty wasn't his only strong suit,omitting that made you vulnerable to him.

- Cater has his charms, at times you don't even see him get all possessive over you until he has you trembling underneath him on the bed.

- Maybe it was the fact he always hid his true expressions, growing up with bossy sisters gave him the upper hand of disclosing any bitter thoughts and gestures.

- So,no, you don't realize it when he slips in the aphrodisiac in your drinks and snacks little by little everyday.

- No, you don't seem to wonder why you're always hot and bothered when he's not even paying you any attention.

- You don't even know why he hasn't even touch you at all in any way. No hugs from behind or pecks on the cheek. Not even a single wink.

- He's feeding you stuff to throw your hormones into a turbulent storm and he's going to let you starve.

- The doses are so small,so damn meticulous, you'd think it was ridiculous for anyone to even pull off but Cater does.

- Because he's determined to make you beg for it, because he knows that if you beg then you can't tell him otherwise later on.

- He's pushing you into a steep edge of a cliff and then he'll blame you for acting scared and asking him for help.

- Out of the manipulating yanderes out there,Cater is the most shameless.

- He wants you to hear you say it, needs to have a deluded sense of consent.

- You're his Cupcake after all, if you weren't willing, then it's not exciting. He doesn't like seeing you cry with all that sad, desperate pleadings.

- He wants you to welcome him,to accept him.

- When you finally hit your limit, Cater is quick to come to your side and give you whatever you needed from him.

- Thirsty? Oh sweetheart,he already has a glass of cold water for you here!

- Feverish? No problem, he'll stay up to monitor your temperature!

- You're starting to get all grabby and clingy too? Teling him how you didn't want him to leave and that you felt all lonely. He doesn't mind. He'll let you do whatever you wanted to him.

- Those aphrodisiacs can be such a bother, right? Of course. He understands. He won't tell you off for it. Not yet at least.

- "You don't look at me anymore, you don't touch or even hold me...Did I do something wrong? Are you angry? Please say something. It's like you're not even here anymore."

- Your mind's all muddied and scrambled, your skin burning and senses stirred. Half of what you say don't even make it to your own ears but somehow the way Cater looks down at you with such sympathetic eyes gets you all teary eyed.

- "Aw, Cupcake. Don't cry,hey,I'm not going to leave you, okay?"

- "Listen,I'm the one who made you stay with me right? Why would I leave you,hm?"

- "Come on,don't be sad. You know I hate it when you start getting sad..."

- Cater wipes away the tears on your cheeks,the heat from his palms cupping your face sending chills down your spine. It felt so good to be touched. It's as if you've been deprived of a crucial living necessity.

- You even started calling out his name, looping it around your tongue like a mantra as you bury your face into his chest, melting into his embrace.

- Cater's holding back a laugh when he runs his fingers through your hair, his eyes dulled and glazed over.

- Intoxicated.

- "Come on, Cupcake, if you don't stop that I'll have to eat you up tonight."

Silver

- He's surprisingly very straightforward with it.

- One of the mildest yanderes amongst the boys, Silver doesn't resort to violence or manipulation.

- It's not that he isn't good at either one, he is, you've seen multiple times how easily he overwhelmed past suitors who thought they could take you away from him, how easy his tongue told lies that crafted everyone into his scheme, but Silver simply doesn't see the point.

- Why would he put in so much effort into something that could be dealt with normally?

- If he wanted children, he would tell you and then he'll wait for your reply. He'll watch how your body reacts to him wanting to set his mark on you permanently.

- You can tell him no, and he'll nod his head.

- The next day, he'll ask you for your reason, and you can tell him that you aren't ready, that children were hard for you to handle.

- Again, he'll silently let your answer seep into him.

- The third day, he'll give you his answer,his reason and he'll make you choose.

- "If you give me a child, you can stay with your parents until you deliver."

- And then suddenly,your entire world comes crashing down on you.

- You're not sure if you're hearing him right and patiently,Silver repeats his offer and you're staring at him as if your eyes are adjusting to some sort of light you were hidden away from.

- He knows why you're stumped, though. Silver took you away from your family and friends the moment he had you in his grasp.

- You were his precious songbird,his treasured magpie. No one else could hold open the doors to your cage save for Silver himself.

- He lets you think it over, because that's just how he is despite how impatient he seems to look,Silver could wait for over a year for your reply. He won't lay a hand on you, never has really, but the way his gaze seemed to freeze over whenever he looked to you gave you the impression that if you ever came to displease him, you'd be cut down in a second.

- How terrifying it was to not know when a trap has been disarmed.

- Silver was not an easy man to read.

- So,you think and you think and think until your mind is burning from the lack of rest. You're trying to sort out the possibilities of him lying to you but it doesn't add up, because that isn't the sort of person Silver is.

- He doesn't lie. Doesn't need to.

- You're always stumbling on your feet when it came to him.

- He's stirred awake from his nap when you came knocking on his study's door, your dress finely ironed and fitted perfectly to your figure. He admires how lovely you look in his home and Silver reaches out a hand to touch your sleeve, a small smile curled on his lips.

- "Your beauty makes me happy." He coos, somehow as if he's still in a dream. If only you could share his easiness.

- You're fighting the urge to turn stiff from his softness towards you, but are left relieved when he pulls away.

- "You've decided." It's not a question, and you look up to him,brows furrowing.

- "I haven't said anything yet"

- "No. But your skin is flushed, and your eyes are warm. You've already found an answer" Silver sounds so sure, effortlessly charming with how languid and smooth his words leave him. And the way he's able to read out your profile makes you wonder what else he seems to know about the thoughts your kept from leaving your lips.

- Truth is, the reason why Silver knows you so well is that his obsession over you has made him revolve his life around you. From the way you dressed to the very way you sleep,he keeps a detailed picture of it in his mind and they play in his thoughts when he dreams.

- A yandere Silver is one who's immensely enamored by his sweetheart, and ensures that their life is never too far from him to miss out.

- He knows you never wanted children,more so with him, but instead of making it seem like a permanent imprisonment, he'll make it a momentary freedom.

- Have his child and you'll get to see your family,go back to your childhood home and spend your days there until the child is born.

- There would be no lingering gazes or looming shadows watching you, you'd have your old life back if not a glimpse of it before you go back to his suffocating arms.

- But be wary,and be smart. Silver isn't a fool, once you're carrying his child he'll also place a small curse on you which will ultimately harm the life you hold inside you.

- This curse is triggered only if you try to escape him.

- You're only informed of it only after you're well under six months into the pregnant of course, and Silver will have the same calm, almost lazy demeanor when he does so,his gaze never once leaving yours as he watches you break down crying.

- He'll come up to your side though and gently run his hands up and down your back.

- "Don't worry,my love. As long as you keep to our promise, our young prince will be nothing but perfect."

[neiviele]

One is rooted in science, and as such has credible backing that says that yes, these experiences are very possible, whereas the other is rooted in religion and folklore, something with little to no backing whatsoever. Sure, it can't be guaranteed, but one is much more verifiable than the other is.

That depends on the spirituality and religion. Some spiritualities are fairly abstract and don't have much to do with the physical world, while others are more grounded. And some spiritualities also have science proving or disproving their claims - for example the experiences mediums have are known to be psychologically possible, meditation has been shown to have health benefits, kundalini actually does affect the body, etc. so it's not neccesarily true that there's no backing to these experiences. It may not be as literal as their doctrines always state, but it is there.

There's also the issue of what could happen if spiritual beliefs and psychological experiences; it can lead to people writing off very real, verifiable psychological issues as non-existent due to the constant combining of spaces, and on the other end, treating spirituality as absolute fact with no evidence.

That already happens on a systemic level even without merging the two. For example, some fundamentalist Christians will treat their spirituality as facts that everyone should obey, and some people will use mainstream spirituality to deny their problems (like how some people identify as empaths when they might have a personality disorder instead) so this seems more like an issue with society or certain types of people, and not necessarily plurals merging spirituality with psychology.

Not to mention, spirituality and psychology, while connected in some ways, are still very different things that function very differently, and as such, should be treated differently. They aren't nearly as similar as you might think they are.

Yes, some people may have some vaguely similar experiences to those with a disorder they don't have, but that doesn't by any means make their experiences equal. They present and function very differently, and one is just simply more severe than the other, to the point that acting as though they should be put in the same category is very very damaging.

Hmm... I get the feeling we're thinking about two slightly different areas of psychology when you say that. When it comes to endogenics, we're more likely to be talking about mainstream or general psychology, not neccesarily the psychology related to disorders.

That being said, if people are examining them as if they are similar, its usually because the disorder and the non-disorder have a lot in common, enough to where they can be compared in psychological studies.

And the same can be said here, those who claim to have experiences with being plural outside of CDDs may have some similarities in some ways, but is still very different in function, presentation, and severity, because they do not have the disorder, and treating them as equal experiences to the point that those without CDDs are kept in the same spaces and treated just the same as those with CDDs, it can be very harmful for all involved, having people with these issues belittle their own issues and not get the proper help, and cause those without them to overestimate theirs, and attempt to get treatment or support they don't need, which can harm them in the long run. These experiences are not at all to the same degree, and they should be separated as such, and should use different terms to reflect that.

Yes, they are different, but they still share enough to where many with DID/OSDD and many without have decided they could get along in a (plural) community together. Historically endogenic and traumagenic systems have shared the same spaces, and they wouldn't have found each other if they didn't share more similarities than differences.

I know that may seem farfetched but it can and does happen. People watering down the meaning of terms used for certain disabilities/disorders. (eg. people misusing the terms hyperfixation and special interest, resulting in many non-autistic/ADHD to falsely equate their own experiences to autistic/ADHD people, and harming both themselves and others in the process. The madness of the 2010s was sure something huh)

I agree that is a problem, though would it be the same kind of issue with endogenics? When endogenics use terms like system (I think system is one of the only terms shared between the two communities) even if non-traumagenic, we're still referring to a group of identities. It's still being used in relatively appropriate ways, and I'm not sure if singlets could distort it like they could for other medical terms. But also, system is used in internal family systems therapy, so that train may have already left the station.

Endos constantly treating spiritual experiences and psychological experiences as the same thing, or even just throwing them into the same category is not only misinformation, but an actively dangerous idea to promote.

Spirituality should NOT be treated the same as psychology, and they do that all the damn time.

-Xero

[im-the-punk-who]

I saw your post on dogs with anxiety. As a professional, I was wondering if you wouldn't mind sharing a list of behaviors in dogs that may be attributed to anxiety and how to tell if it's anxiety or personality. Do you know any of the behaviors in cats that mean the same? You don't have to answer, you provided great examples in your post, I was just wondering what more I could learn without the uncertainty of truthfulness provided by Google. Thanks!

Hey! So yes I can absolutely list behaviors I look for when I'm assessing if a dog has anxiety(and I can go into cats a bit from foster/rescue experience but I haven't been 'trained' on them so it's much more circumstantial).

The short answer is that if your dog seems anxious, that's not a feature it's a bug and you should address it. Even if it seems like it's just their personality - that usually means they're an anxious dog and need help, not that the behavior should be ignored or can't be changed.

Also, I approach dog training from a 'dog problem' perspective rather than a 'people problem' perspective. I am not focused on if the behavior being exhibited is a behavioral problem *for the owner* - I am focused on what that behavior tells me about the dog's emotional state.

But first! Two disclaimers:

1) 100% of dogs will show some of these behaviors in varying degrees. Just because your dog does one or two things on this list at a low degree doesn't mean they're about to have a breakdown. If you think your dog might be anxious enough to need training based on this list, consult a trainer in person. While I am a dog trainer, this isn't meant to be a self-diagnosis thing. Lay-people are notoriously bad at determining how bad dog anxiety is, and a trained professional may very well pick up on things you aren't seeing or be able to explain what's going on.

2) You'll notice some of these things are behaviors people commonly think are 'play' or 'affection' or 'the dog being high energy' or 'because of the breed' - and yes! Yes. My whole point in most of my other posts has been that we have desensitized ourselves to just how anxious our dogs are, right up until they bite someone. Again, if you see a dog exhibiting a number of these behaviors, the best thing is to consult a trainer - in person! <3

Also, below a cut bc this is just ridiculously long

So! there is sort of a hierarchy of dog behaviors. First are the lowest levels of behavioral problems. These are the ones that most dogs exhibit in one form or another. Just like all people exhibit anxiety sometimes, so do all dogs and it's really to what extent those behaviors tell us about quality of life rather than their simple presence. The second level is more acute behaviors - these are ones that may or may not require training but you should absolutely note if you see your dog displaying them. Third category is dogs who have already gone way past what we would consider a 'normal' threshhold for behavior. If your dog is doing these things you need a professional. Full Stop.

For lower level behaviors what I might do is take stock of how many and how intense behaviors are. If your dog is showing, say, 1-2 low level behaviors constantly I might recommend seeing a trainer but wouldn't push it, but if they're showing 1-2 mid level behaviors as well, or like the whole list of low level behaviors, I would absolutely recommend talking to a trainer.

Low level behaviors commonly associated with anxiety:

- 'Stickiness', needy/pushy behavior(dogs who follow you from room to room or climb on you, invade your personal space habitually) - Mouthiness (they consistently go for your hands/arms instead of a toy when playing, or like to chew/lick people habitually) - Putting paws on people/lacking boundaries (like, if your dog wants you to play with it, and puts their paws on you to let you know, or if your dog consistently wants to sit on you) - Taking high value items and running away with them (low level resource guarding), or turning away from you with a high value item/growling/freezing - Being unable to settle (mild pacing, moves from room to room often, rarely sleeps deeply) - the LACK of deep sleep (you rarely see your dog 'dreaming') - Mild leash pulling - 'Snapping' food up rather than taking it gently - Lip-licking, continuous panting, 'freezing' at stimulus - Whining - Moderate vocalizations (barking, howling, etc) Mid-level Anxiety:

- Habitually jumping on people - Rushing at people or through doors/openings - Consistent pulling on leash - Reactive barking (at cars, bikes, other dogs, people, etc) - Uncontrollable 'Zoomie' behavior (will not stop if asked, may bump into people or other dogs) - Compulsive behaviors (digging, chewing, licking, drinking all the water in a bowl, etc) - Pacing/needing a high level of exercise every day, or immediately getting up if you move - Destructive behavior (rips up every toy they're given, chews shoes or other items consistently) - Resource guarding (bears teeth, snaps but doesn't make contact, takes items and hides them habitually) - Hard biting/inappropriate strength while playing, or entering a fight they don't have a part in Starting fights with other dogs over minor infractions (has my toy, was in my way, stepped on me while I was sleeping) - Inability/Unwillingness to take food (yes, this means if your dog is a habitual ‘picky eater’ that can be a symptom of anxiety. I said what I said.)

High-Level Anxiety:

- Overt aggression (lip-snarling while barking, 'hard' barking, biting, pinning, etc) - Starting fights with other dogs who are not interacting with them(going across a room to start a fight, immediately starting a fight upon eye-sight, etc) - hard pulling on leash/darting on leash - Compulsive behavior to the point of self injury - Intense resource guarding to the point it is a danger to interact with them - ‘Starvation’ or lack of ability to eat consistently

Also, because this tends to be really helpful for people, here's a small, non-exhaustive list of dog body-language signals that I look for when I'm assessing a dog's anxiety level:

- 'Looseness' - is the dog's back bending as it moves or is it tense along its topline. This is the number one thing I look for. If a dog has a tight topline, something is bothering them and usually, this is the clearest and most common indicator a dog will give. - Tail level - tucked, low, level, high - Ear level - floppy, back, neutral, forward, uneven, pointed) - Lips - Tight, loose, 'smiling', closed - Body balance (are they leaning forward, neutral, or leaning back/away from the stimulus) - Tail wagging if concentrated from mid to top of the tail (base stiff) (YES this can be a sign the dog is anxious NO it is not just because they're happy) - Presence of 'calming signals' - whole body shaking(wet dog shake), sighing, yawning, stretching - Body position (laying down, belly up, freezing in place, crouching/tucking, etc) - Eyes (hard, soft, wall eye, wide, fixed, moving, staring)

And finally, I do wanna plug the guy who taught me a lot of what I know because he is GREAT and his website has some really cool articles and podcasts - and I can actually recommend his youtube channel as well because most of it is just 'this is why we do what we do' rather than how-tos.

https://www.markmccabe.com/ https://www.markmccabe.com/blog/ (I particularly recommend What do Grade Schools and Mountains have to do with dog training? and Is your dog an optimist?) Youtube channel And now cats! So, cats at their core are similar, but their behaviors will differ slightly. Also again I'll reiterate that while I've had cats all my life and have worked with them extensively I have not received any formal training. So, where a lot of dog behaviors are focused on the person, cat behaviors will often be focused on their environment or other animals. Because we don’t train cats that ‘human means things happen’ they are less likely to connect a human with their unfulfilled need. (So, instead of a dog feeling anxious and going ‘must find/interact with/annoy human’, a cat will feel anxious and go ‘how can I fuck something up. anything it doesnt matter it just has to be something someone loves’). Low level behaviors - ‘sudden’ activity/reactive to loud noises (if you get up and they do, if they consistently hide at a certain noise, etc) - consistently pushing things off surfaces or other ‘attention seeking’ behaviors - ‘Scarfing’ food or eating and then vomitting - Stalking or consistent following of you or other animals

Mid-level behaviors

- Litter box guarding (will 'wait' outside the box while another cat is using it and may start a fight - agitation when being pet or touched - loss of appetite - anti-social behavior(hiding, hissing, etc) - swatting with claws extended - ‘Pouncing’ or stalking behavior that may escalate

High level behaviors

- Starting fights with animals who are not interacting with them - Peeing/pooping outside the litter box - Biting and breaking skin - unprovoked attacks that cause injury

As with dogs, one or two of these things doesn’t mean 100% your cat has an anxiety problem, but these are all indicators that something might be causing your cat stress and that should be addressed.

[collegecoward]

Hey, so I graduated this past May and since then I've just been working 40 hours a week. I feel like I need to go to college to do something with my life but I feel like theres so much in my way and I havent done anything to even start and I dont have a clue what I'd want to do. I'm so unsure on how to do anything regarding financial aid or even applying to colleges. I'm also worried that it wouldn't work with my schedule for my job. I work 5 days with 2 off days and I'm on evenings so I feel like I wouldn't be able to balance work and school, but I would have to bc I'm my only financial support. Sorry for the dumping my problems, but any advice?

How To Do College 101

Congratulations on your graduation! Working a full-time job after graduation (during a freaking pandemic, no less) is no small feat either, and I applaud you for that, too. Once upon a time, I was like you: I didn’t know anything about college except that I wanted to go, and now I run a blog telling people how to go to college. College might be strange and unfamiliar now, but in time, you will learn how to do it! 

This might be my longest post, so strap in for a fun ride!! My answer comes to you in three parts:

How To Do Community College

How To Do University

How To Do Financial Aid

P.S. I’m going to say this only once, but feel free to ask why: Do not attend a for-profit college. Okay, now onto the basics!

How To Do Community College

I encourage you to read my Ode to Community College. Community colleges are real colleges designed for people who are low on funds, are working or have other responsibilities, don’t know what they want to study yet, and/or don’t know how college works yet.

Step 1: Applying

Community colleges accept anyone who applies, and the application is usually just like filling out a job application, but you will also need to send in your high school transcript, and I recommend sending any test scores. Your college may have you take a placement test to see if you’re ready for college. If you’re not quite ready, they may have you take some pre-college courses in English or math before you officially start a degree program.

Step 2: Choosing a Degree Program

Among other things, community colleges award associate’s degrees, which are essentially the first two years of a bachelor’s degree at a four-year college or university. You’ll take introductory classes like English, math, science, and social sciences, as well as electives (i.e. fun classes). Here’s a list of programs that might be offered at your community college.

Step 3: Taking the Right Classes

Make sure you stick to your college’s degree plan so that you take classes that 1) count toward your associate’s degree and 2) will transfer to a university. Most classes you take for an associate’s degree (AA, AS, or AFA) should transfer to a bachelor’s degree (BA, BS, or BFA) easily enough, but sometimes universities aren’t very transfer-friendly. The best option is to transfer to a university that has a partnership with your community college, which is information you should be able to find on your community college’s website. If your community college doesn’t have any partners, you’ll want to research the transfer policies at the universities you’re interested in and follow their guidelines on what classes to take.

Step 4: Transferring

In your last year of community college, you will apply to a four-year college or university for your bachelor’s degree. You’ll need to pick a major when you apply because for the next two years, that’s what you will be studying. Make sure you tour the university before you attend and get acclimated before your first day! 

How To Do University

Whether or not you attend community college for the first two years or enroll directly into a four-year college or university, you’ll want to understand how to navigate the basics as early as possible.

Step 1: Exploring Your Options

Use my Self-Reflection Toolkit and this quiz from Marquette University to explore potential majors. These are just meant to get you thinking and guide you as you learn more about yourself and your interests. This process will take time to research and figure out, and if you enroll directly into a four-year college you can change your major after you apply. As I mentioned, the first two years are mostly basics and figuring stuff out, so either way you have time. 

I was very bad at choosing colleges to apply to and applied almost at random. I learned a lot from those mistakes, and on my FAQ page you’ll see me trying to impart that wisdom on others. I recommend doing your research, going on virtual tours, and getting used to just looking at college websites, even if you don’t know what you want yet. Start by window shopping for colleges in your state and see what they have to offer you. College Board also has tools for finding a college that fits your needs. It’s worth starting as early as possible, and I know that you can do it. Like I said, I was really bad at it and I still made it through.

Step 2: Applying

Applying to a four-year college will take more steps than a community college application. Many colleges require letters of recommendation, essays, and application fees (look on their websites for fee waivers). More information is on my FAQ page, of course, but be prepared to complete these steps before application deadlines. Each college sets its own deadline, but if you want to go next year, you’ll likely need to apply by January or February. Applying can be daunting, but you will need to do it at some point, even if you go to community college first. 

Step 3: Finding Resources

Access any and all resources your university offers, which will include advising, counseling, career services, and more. The same is true at a community college, but I would argue it’s even more true at a university. You might find out about internships, research opportunities, fun events, and all that stuff that excited you when you saw it on your university’s website! Even if you don’t feel like you need resources, you’re paying for them, so you might as well use them! Often people won’t know how to help you unless you tell them you’re struggling, like how you told me what you’re going through and I wrote a post that’s turning into a short novel! (I’ll be done soon, I promise.)

Step 4: Taking The Right Classes

Just like at a community college, you want to make sure you’re taking classes that count toward your degree and interest you. Make sure you’re following the prescribed degree plan on your university’s website and communicated by your advisor. If you find that you’ve chosen a major that doesn’t fit your interests, make sure you speak with your professors, your advisor, and anyone else whose opinion you trust.

How To Do Financial Aid

Step 1: Understanding The Basics

There are three major types of financial aid: loans (money you have to pay back after you graduate), grants (government money you’re awarded based on your financial need that you don’t have to pay back), and scholarships (money from a college or other source that is awarded for any reason that you don’t have to pay back). Loans might come from the government, your college, or a bank. I recommend borrowing from the federal government because the interest is so low (basically, it’s cheaper to pay off than a bank loan).

Step 2: Filling Out FAFSA

If you want to go to college next fall, or if you just want to do a practice round, fill out FAFSA now. I’m assuming you’re under 24, so you will need your parents’ tax information even if they’re not going to help you pay for college. Filling out FAFSA will never, not ever ever ever require you or your parents to take out any loans. Rather, FAFSA gives you access to any need-based financial aid you might be eligible for, whether that aid comes from the government or not. Loans agreements are a totally separate form, and you can take some loans without your parents’ help. If you’re not eligible for FAFSA, check whether your state or college has its own FAFSA alternative.

Step 3: Reading Your Award Letter

After a college sends an acceptance letter, they will also send a financial aid award letter. The letter will show you how much you’ve been awarded in scholarships and grants and how much you can take out in loans from the federal government or the college itself. You should compare your financial aid amount to the total cost of attendance, will you can find on the college’s financial aid webpage. The total cost of attendance is how much it costs to pay for tuition, fees, housing, and a rough estimate of your other living expenses. Basically, it’s how much it costs to be a student for one year.

As you said, I wouldn’t expect you to be able to work 40 hours while maintaining good grades, so may need to be frugal and creative to fill in any gaps financial aid didn’t cover. Private colleges tend to have a really big “sticker price,” but may offer generous scholarships as discounts, whereas public colleges tend to be cheaper and may have (large and small) scholarships to help you pay.

Step 4: Applying

In addition to the scholarships that you may be automatically awarded if you meet certain criteria, your colleges may also have scholarships that you have to apply for by yourself. This information will be located on a college’s financial aid webpage. There are also scholarships from nonprofit organizations and businesses. Visit my resources page for info, ask people you know if they’re aware of any scholarships, ask your boss and coworkers, and ask Google for “scholarships in [your town].”

Okay, I threw a lot at you, but those are the basics as I see them! You can totally do this. It’s going to be a big learning curve, but the payoffs will be big. And you can always come back here for more advice and reassurance. I’m proud of you already for thinking of your future and doing what you can to support yourself and your learning.

[tempoaryblogformightyjensblog]

After a Longass time, I'm gonna make a response post to a post from @itsclydebitches. Not sure if I'll acknowledge All

Of it, but still..

1.Thats, the opposite of what the First episode shows, the first episode shows that the Military presence in Mantle dosent really do anything to actually help them with the Grimm. With it even being joked about as usual for the Military by Nora. The next episode also states that wasn't even the reason James had for it. It was to handle the 'eventual' Panick.

2.This and the recurring point of this later on is something I kinda want to address, because it's sort of what I was trying to say in My ask but I should go into more detail.

The point is basically that If James was shady for what he did, then So is Ruby for being willing to work with him for that long...I kinda want to mix this with a different Criticism I heard. That Ruby not trusting Ironwood was horrible and ungrateful because of all the good stuff James had done and how sympathetic and well meaning he was. The issue is that they are both 2 halves of the picture that ignore the other half, wich was what the heroes actual response was.

Him being sympathetic, clearly just trying to help and all the Good stuff he was doing is why they are willing to work with him and help with things. But Ruby didn't like his shadier actions either, wich is why she didn't trust him completely. And also? ""Nora dosent agree...But Ruby, the leader, does. She pushed Ironwood to finish Amity somwhow", that....isnt What happens, we see After Nora yells at James, ruby walks up to him and tells him more calmly that his actions, his management of Mantle and such were only helping Salem and it's what was making it easy for Salem to frame him. And earlier on we saw her with the other protags suggest working with Robyn. That's not 'Reaping the benefits of his actions even if they don't like them', that's not liking some of his actions but still trying to Understand him, and hope to reason or talk him down. Basically...Well it's a display that the other charachterization for Ruby, that she was a judgmental child who considered anyone who went beyond her standard of perfection to be Evil, isn't true. She tries to help and Understand James because she knows despite his flaws he is trying to do good, she tries to reach out to him and get him to see his actions were flawed.

Hell, the Jobs they were actually given were jobs where they could actually help soften the consequences of James actions, like Ren and Nora guarding the wall. the Robyn thing was a direct display that they weren't just doing anything James asked or were perfectly fine with his morally ambiguous actions. When ordered to attack a Huntress who was just trying to help, they instead went against his orders and even tried to actually fix things in a better way.

3.This is a few different issues, I'll start by saying that, that wasn't Ozpins problem in the Previous Volume, Some fans and some of the Heroes in there Angrier times think that, But the big thing was basically that Ozpin wasn't trusting anyone With that Info, that's what separates it from Rubies situation with James, Ruby wasn't trusting James because he actually did have many traits that made him look untrustworthy. And...well Finishing Amity and the plan is not pointless even with Salems immorality. Ruby dosent 'Know' That her being immortal means that the whole plan is pointless for 2 reasons, 1 is that she never had the mindset that it made it all pointless, she was actually distinctly against that when the others thought that under the Apathies influence, and makes her stance clear later, that Salem being Unkillable doesn't mean she's unstoppable. And 2, she dosent 'Know' that because....Its not true. Even if they can't directly kill her like James is planning...Were explicitly, directly told in Salems first actual appearance in the show that Humanity United was a threat and that was why she was going to ensure she divided them. Not to mention that...It isn't even all about the plan? It's made clear that global communications being down was a really bad thing and fixing that alone would help.

4.Im just gonna address one point here...It was not 'The Majority of Mantle' Being taken, were told that they were not even close to being done evacuating.

5.Basically what I said at 2, But to also state, James wasn't an Unambiguous Bad guy in Volume 7, He was in the Wrong In Volume 7, but he wasn't meant to be a Villain yet. The point of James charachter is basically he's someone who meant well but was highly flawed and made bad decisions, and instead of growing from his mistakes, he doubled down on them and let his flaws consume him. I'll get to it more later, but, that doesn't mean he was always evil or meant to be, Also...Jaunes license was given to him by James but, he was not part of the Military being fused with Huntsman, especially by this point. And with Winters words in her and James fight, I have my own issues with that fight or Winters Arc, but I don't think that point holds up either because we weren't meant to see Winter as unambiguously a good guy in Volume 7. Her words in there fight was after she had changed, that dosent mean we're supposed to believe she was a hero while working under James. It just means her POV changed after leaving him, now she wasn't following her programming of being blindly obedient anymore. Penny called out Winter for her being willing to follow through with euthanizing the Winter Maiden, Marrow calls her out in Volume 8 asking the Weiss question.

6.Well, to answer the questions there, were told in episode 5 what the recources were. Clover says how they were taking 'Construction resources', were told this again by Penny in the Car ride, wich makes total sense. They are changing Amity so that it could serve as a shuttle, so needing Construction stuff makes sense. While we may not be told how much power James had explicitly, they do give us a decent idea, that he had way more then he should. It's said in the Council meeting that they set in Checks and balances to keep him from overstepping with his seats, and that he basically just Ignored them to pull the actions he did in Volume 7. And Watts gives us both one Major decision that shows James flaws and gives a Clue as to part of the reasons Mantle was crappy as it was, saying how James updated most of the code in Atlas after the fall of Beacon, but 'As Usual' None was updated in Mantle. Aside from showing a...Truly Spectacularly callous move on James part, it also gives a big clue as to part of the reason Mantle is as crappy as it is, That Atlas and James basically treat Mantle like an afterthought and neglects changing things there to make things better, resulting in the City's state that we see. And, I imagine that being surveillanced and patrolled almost constantly wouldn't be ideal, and it's established by Winters line in that first episode that not cooperating with Personal was a punishable offense. I think you also....Picked a really bad example with Rhodes, if anything, Rhodes is probably a perfect demonstration of why being complacent or loyal to a system is bad for Huntsmen. I think if he would have loved to help Cinder more, it's just that he was loyal to the System and wasn't doing anything to upset the status quo despite knowing it was wrong. If issues like that existed, then it makes James specialist program, wich is specifically supposed to be Huntsmen trained to be loyal to the system, an even worse idea. Also I sort of feel like the bits at the end are sort of a false equivalency. I explained Ozpin amd Rhodes but also...Well for one, while we don't see portals line up in those specific areas, the plan was to have Jaune explain what was going on with everyone. And Qrow, Marrow and Robyn were still taking in the other Ace ops,they knew the plan so they would likely just head over to the nearest portal after, and...Maria and Pietro weren't there. And in James case, it wasn't just him 'saving who he could', it's that he could have tried to do more but didn't because he didn't want to risk it, and as Volume 8 showed, they really did have lots of time to evacuate people and could have found a way to Launch Amity. And...Well in his case there's the little fact that, as his Convo with Oscar makes explicit, James plan involved leaving the rest of Mankind To the dust and at Salems mercy.

There are problems with RWBY, but I don't think it's shoddily written, partially because I don't really find it 'particularly' flawed and think the good far outweighs the bad. And you know what? To some degree, I agree. I do think there's a weird bias towards authority in the FNDM, but maybe alot of fans are too dismissive of criticism, I do think to some degree we should acknowledge the RWDE and such aren't all right wingers and there's now a Vocal part of it that are on the left or members of minority groups. I don't agree with a ton of the things they say, and think most of it dosent hold up, but instead of just dismissing, perhaps it's better to look at things in detail and give proper arguments agaisnt them. So I won't treat you like an idiot, I'm going to give a full rundown on why I don't feel like it holds up under analytical scrutiny.

For one, while it doesn't have those specific issues like in the real world, I don't agree with this Criticism because I feel it is the one that sort of ignores the worldbuilding and what's been shown or said about the Military and the world itself and not the show, It sort of feels like people just bring up the basic concepts that would seem reasonable and ignore how the show executes certain things. For one, the military was a leftover from a time when they were meant to fight against other humans, It was something an Authoritarian state held over after its defeat and reformation, James and the Military helped Jac as he turned the SDC into the horrific corporate empire it is, Covordin shows that Nationalism is indeed a bit thing and that there were high ranking officers who were fully comfortable with the possiblity of just waging war on the other Kingdoms again. And then there's the specialist program, I've seen people sort of distill it to its very basics to make it seem more reasonable, describing it as just stuff like Huntsmen having rules and such, when the show displays it being way more screwed up then that. It literally involves indoctrinating people as students, were shown Elm reprimand the protagonists saying how they don't need to think about Orders just follow them. As both Volumes show, the culture of the program is deeply screwed up and unhealthy for them, were shown how they taught stuff like repressing your emotions and how deeply unhealthy it is for them.

And...Furthermore? If we're judging by how things are In Universe with the show the world built...James way of doing things is, completely absurd. I already dislike Cynical 'This is the REAL world 'Types IRL. But....In the world James is in, his strategy is just....

He lives in a world where negativity causes monster attacks and the villains whole Shtick is manipulating narratives to cause disarray and ensuring people stay divided. James strategy involved closing off Atlas from the rest of Remnant after they were framed for causing the Fall of Beacon, never bothering to clear there name when sleet and Camilla say he could easily do so, he dismisses both his image across the Globe and in Atlas, and dismisses what the people of Mantle want and the stuff his actions currently cause, all as Neccesary sacrifices when that's all completely insane and Relies on basically ignoring absolutely everything about the situation they are in and how there enemy works, wich again, Ruby points out, that he was actively playing into Salems hands and making it easier for her.

I think it's a decent display of the Tunnel Vision James has, he's prepared for the negativity of the END result of his plan and made preparations for it, but he...Basically ignores the consequences his actions are having right now and how that will affect his ends.

Overall...I think the issue is that James is not meant to be the Bad guy through Volume 7, and I feel like its not that the show 'contradicts' it's pure black and white take on things, it's just that it wasn't there to begin with. Whenever a Major flaw Ironwood had from the start is brought up, it's claimed that it means he was supposed to be 'Always evil'(admitedly some fans as well), when it dosent, it just means his flaws and darker aspects were always there and he didn't jump off the slippery slope instantly like some claim.

Were meant to sympathize with James, understand him, ECT. We're meant to want to see him get better, to be escatic when he does almost get better.

Overall, I don't agree with the idea that James was a reasonable charachter who was bastardized, the show set him up as flawed pretty well already, he's sympathetic because he's designed to be sympathetic. He's not potrayed as a Villain through 7 because he wasn't meant to be til the end.

Also...Well, even if you still felt that him 'Just' abandoning Mantle was still just morally gray...That isn't dropped in V8, it's bascially dropped not 2 episodes later. Where not only does he shoot Oscar but Oscar pointed out not only was he abandoning Mantle, but abandoning the rest of Mankind. Wich James just responds calling it an 'excellant philosophical point'.

[eagles-translated]

Season 3 Prediction Post | Felicia Kroon

This is the prediction post for Felicia in the upcoming season of Eagles! I will be making prediction posts for the other main characters as well.

I think Felicia is going to have a really tough time this season (as per usual, even if I would've liked to see her happy through this season).

The description of season 3 on SVT Play mentions that "Ludde and Felicia’s relationship is still affected by their history and it also turns out that their plans for the future are not entirely in sync". From this, I'm pretty certain that something is going to happen between her and Ludde that causes yet another rift in their relationship. I'm sure they'll spend at least a few episodes together before this happens, though. From these shots alone there doesn't seem to be any problems between them. They're also seen together at Ola's funeral (which will happen in the first episode of the season), so my prediction is that something will happen that creates tension between them but they won't actually break up. They'll spend time apart and maybe even take a break from each other, but they won't officially be over.

I think it would be too repetitive to have them break up again after spending a whole season apart. That isn't to say that they won't have problems—namely with Felicia's drug problems that still haven't been properly addressed, plus the abortion Felicia had that we still don't know anything about. During a fight with Jack, he threatened to leak Felicia's abortion to the press. We don't know when this abortion took place but I have two guesses to this. My first guess is that maybe she found out she was pregnant after she and Ludde broke up, and that she decided to have the abortion around the time when she ran off to the US. If this is true, then it makes sense that Felicia told Jack about it. When Felicia came back from the US in the beginning of season 2, she had virtually nobody she could talk to. She wasn't friends with Amie anymore, Elias was in Karlskrona, and her parents were right in the middle of a divorce. Felicia didn't even feel like she could talk about the divorce with her mom when they were together in the US, so she certainly wouldn't open up about having had an abortion. Being in a situation like this where she was really struggling and having nobody to talk to, I'm sure Felicia really overwhelmed. And when she reconnected with Jack and they got closer she finally had someone to talk to about all her problems and tell this secret to. All this was of course prior to Felicia finding out that Jack had cheated on her. The other alternative is that Felicia got pregnant after getting together with Jack, and then got the abortion. In season 2, episode 7 (conveniently titled Secrets) we see a scene of Felicia and Jack making out on a bed. Things are getting pretty steamy between them but Felicia stops Jack and quickly apologizes. He's confused and asks what wrong—it's not that she didn't want to do it or that she was still upset over the text Jack sent to his summer flirt Olivia, so what is it? We get the explanation that Felicia has a lot going on in her head and that things are tough for her. Jack says she can tell him anything and the scene ends there.

Maybe she'd just found out she was pregnant, and that's why she didn't feel like doing anything with Jack. It's very plausible that Felicia told him after the scene ends and maybe Jack knew she was going to get an abortion (or had already done it, prior to that moment, and felt ill because of that). Point is, that scene could be where Jack found out about the whole thing only to use it against Felicia later when his true colors came out. Anyway, knowing Felicia had an abortion at some point and that Jack will most likely use the information to ruin her reputation, maybe this is the reason for the drama between Felicia and Ludde. He might even find out from the tabloids and question her about it. I think when the news drop in these gossip magazines is when Felicia has her mental breakdown (or maybe the culmination of everything). We've seen a few behind the scenes shot of her being emotional and possibly having cried in a forest.

Here is that scene pictured in the trailer, where we see Felicia reacting to hundreds of comments (most likely) made about her from people on social media. There's also a shot of her running through the forest, maybe trying to run away from all her problems.

These are, from the looks of it, all hate messages. In the trailer we hear Felicia say "I'm so ashamed", which could allude to her being ashamed over the news of her abortion spreading. Maybe Jack even twisted the circumstances to make her look bad, which could explain why these comments seem so aggressive. When Ludde finds this out (maybe preoccupied with the whole trial where Jack reported him for getting violent at the party where Ludde hit him with a crutch and also his brother potentially getting out of prison) I'm sure this will cause a strain in the relationship. It would probably be really overwhelming to find out this secret in the middle of all that. I also feel like Ludde is the type of person to get angry over Felicia not having told him—in the trailer we hear him yelling "what the hell are you thinking?"—rather than being calm and collected over it. This could lead to Felicia's drug problems getting even worse. There's this shot of her in the trailer saying "What do you have?". This could be about anything, really, but it could also be Felicia going back to her bad habit of abusing hard drugs when she hits a low point.

I'd like to think that Ludde notices how Felicia is having a really tough time and helps her with the drug problem, but I doubt it. Maybe it would make more sense if her family helps her, considering how Mats knows a little about the struggles she's had and how Elias is aware of it.

There are two more shots in the trailer that I'm unsure of, namely these ones:

The first one is Felicia being caught off-guard after noticing a man having walked up to her. This could be Ludde or even Jack, who has been pretty absent from both trailers. Maybe he goes back to the US after the whole trial ordeal and having told the media about Felicia's abortion, or maybe not.

The second picture is Felicia reacting to something. She's shocked. I don't really have any guesses for what this could be except for maybe her seeing for the first time that her abortion secret is no longer a secret. But for all I know the abortion could be a way smaller plot point than I originally thought, or maybe even something that was completely made up by Jack?

To finish this off, I revisited this comment made by @elliephunk80 on an old prediction post i made on the final three episodes of season 2 where I claimed that Jack probably cheated on Felicia.

I really ship Felicia and Ludde but I hope you’re wrong about Jack being unfaithful. If she reunites with Ludde I dont like the thought of her going from one unfaithful man to an other. Can’t even think of what that would do to her… If that’s the way its gonna be I just hope she stays single for a long time to rebuild.

I think this is a really interesting point to bring up. Felicia and Ludde are framed as the main couple of Eagles and that they're destined to be end-game no matter all the obstacles they have to go through to get there.

But perhaps they're not really meant to be together? As the season description from SVT said, "[...] it also turns out that [Felicia and Ludde's] plans for the future are not entirely in sync". We also know how many problems these two have had from the relatively short time they've spent together as a couple. Maybe the best thing for Felicia is to be single and work on her mental and substance abuse problems, and the best thing for Ludde is to reconnect with his brother who probably needs a lot of support after getting out of prison.

Nevertheless, I'm really interested in seeing how season 3 turns out and how much of this was completely wrong lmao. My main hope for Felicia is just that she's happy and getting proper help at the end of the season, because I'm getting a little tired of how much the writers have been bashing her. For some reason Felicia always has it the worst—and I can understand to some degree why with her whole backstory and the pressure of being a public figure—but that doesn't mean we necessarily need three whole seasons to show how much Felicia is struggling. I really hope season 3 is when she finally receives the support she needs from the people around her.

[that-sw-writer]

Devotion

Paring: Post RoS!Ben Solo x reader

Summary: When you lost Kylo Ren to the light, he lost you to the dark.  With the war now over, you have to decide if you can make it work, or if you’re too far gone to go back to him.

Word count: 1826

Warnings: None really, it’s fluffy angst... there are some slightly cliché lines though I will admit

You ran through the undergrowth of Ajan Kloss, wondering how far you would get this time.  It was just a game of cat and mouse, you knew that - you had no viable route off this planet, but even without a war there was nothing wrong with keeping the Resistance on their toes.

Behind you, you could sense multiple presences approaching, and the hum of speeders.  The first few times you had run they had pursued you on foot, but they had quickly learnt that speeders were the best approach.  Although they still hadn't learnt that they should keep you in a cell if they wanted you to stay put, they were definitely too righteous for their own good.

Two speeders overtook you and blocked you in, and you didn't try and fight it.  If you really wanted to escape you would.

Only minutes later you was being dragged back to the base and into the control centre, likely to be delivered to Generals Finn and Poe.  Usually they would just scold you and send you on your merry way.  But today you were met by the one person you had really been dreading seeing.

Ben Solo; fresh out of medical.

It had been two rotations since the fall of the Final Order, and of Palpatine.  You were the only remaining legacy of the Sith.

Now the man you had once known and loved as Kylo Ren was someone else, someone you didn't recognise.  As he had turned to the light, you had turned to the dark - and amongst the Sith there was no room for emotions such as love.

You ignored the way your heart skipped a beat when you laid eyes on him.  He wasn't your Kylo anymore.

"I think we should talk."  He said, and you hated that his voice sounded the same.  That may have sounded crazy, because of course his voice wouldn't change, but the soft tone he now spoke in used to be a tone that was only reserved for you when he was the hardened persona of Kylo Ren.  Now everyone heard that gentle voice.

"I have nothing to say to you."  You turned away and left the control centre.  The whole place was so abuzz that nobody had known what to do with you.  You currently weren't their priority, they were busy trying to create a whole new governing structure, they would deal with their Sith problem later.

"Wait-"  he followed you, but you didn't stop for him.  There wasn't anywhere for you to go and hide from him, but you had so much anger that he once shared with you, but now you felt as though you didn't want to drag him back down.  You were just a mere blight on his life, and he was just a reminder of the man you had lost.

Part of you resented that he had turned back to the light, but equally you thought he of all people deserved happiness.  If that was what made him happy, then you weren't in a position to argue with him, or hate him for it.

Eventually he reached out and grabbed your arm, turning you to face him.  He gaze met yours, but whereas you had once been two lovers gazing at one another, now you were like two strangers.  You saw a foreign softness in his brown eyes, whilst he was clinging onto memories of what your eyes had looked like before they had been dusted with a sharp yellow hue.

"Why are you still here?"  He asked, and that wasn't the question you expected to hear.

"Because I'm a prisoner."  You replied.

"You expect me to believe that?  If you didn't want to be here, you would have found a way to escape by now.  I know you."  He said, his tone softening at the end.

"You don't know me, not anymore.  The same way I don't know you, so why don't we just let the past die?"  There was a hint of bitterness in your tone, partially because you didn't want to let the past die.  On the contrary, you wished you could go back to how things had been long ago, when you and Kylo Ren had been conquering the galaxy side by side.

"Because I know how I felt about you... how I feel about you, and I'm not ready to let that go."  Ben spoke with emotion and conviction that you had rarely heard when he was Kylo Ren.  He had always buried his emotions, and scarcely told you aloud how he truly felt about you, both of you had always expressed your love through your actions.

"No Ky- Ben... that's not how you feel about me, that's how you used to feel about me."  You insisted, not wanting to open yourself up to the feelings that you knew you still had for him.  You were truly afraid of letting yourself feel.

"If that's what you think then I'll ask you again: why are you still here?"  He pressed, bringing you back round to the inevitable question.

"I don't know."  Your voice went quiet, this confusion and fear you felt translating as rage, which you were trying your hardest to suppress for Ben's sake.

"Yes, you do."  Despite there being plenty of people around, he tested the waters and reached out for your hand.  It flinched on instinct, but you remained still and allowed him to gently take ahold.

"I can't give you what you want, I'm not the same person you fell in love with."  Your voice was still hoarse, desperately trying not to snap at him, but every Sith instinct you now had wanted to react with anger.

"You don't know what I want."  Even the kinder, more gentle attitude of Ben Solo was now shifting more towards the frustration.  "You haven't asked me what I want."

"I'll tell you what you want Ben Solo."  You withdrew your hand from his and walked out of the control room, him following.  Only when you were outside, in a more private environment did you speak again.  "You want to be happy, and good."  Your hand now reached up to cup his cheek, "and that's what you deserve.  I can't be apart of that.  You're the hero, and I'm the villain, this isn't how it's supposed to be."

That was it, that was your closure.  At least, it was in your eyes.  You could leave him here, and escape this base... perhaps go and live the rest of your life as a bounty hunter, or find another faction in which you could make use of your skill set.  You had no interest in continuing the legacy of the Sith - they had died with Palpatine.

When you turned away, Ben moved to stand in front of you, blocking your path.

"I nearly died on Exegol, and the only thing I thought about was you.  Not Palpatine, not the Jedi, not the Sith, not even the Resistance or First Order - just you.  Hero or villain, it doesn't matter to me... I'll still love you."  It was clear in his tone, he wasn't asking you to stay, he was just baring his soul to you before you left, a final ditch effort to have you choose to stay with him.  "I do want to be happy, I'm less sure about good, but I can't be any of that without you."

This threw you entirely, you had been so certain that he deserved better, but you had never once asked yourself if he wanted better?

"I still can't stay here."  You now spoke under the assumption that perhaps you would even want to stay to some degree.  For the first time since fully embracing the dark side and rising as a Sith Lord, you felt something other than anger, hate, or fear.  It was warm, and coursed through your veins like ice, quenching the fire that had been burning through them before - it was devotion.

You had once devoted yourself to the First Order, but your true loyalty had been to Kylo Ren.  In his wake, you had devoted yourself to the Sith, who were able to prey on your vulnerability and raw power, but that had been a simple reaction to losing the man you had loved.

Now he stood before you, different, but still the same man beneath it all.  He was confessing his love for you, and you didn't know how to react anymore.  You thought all of your emotions had been numbed by the dark side, but there was still that spark of devotion in you, that spark that not even Palpatine could extinguish.

"I'm probably just as unwelcome here as you are.  Neither of us have to stay."  He then suggested.  In his eyes, turning back to the light didn't even begin to redeem him for any of the atrocities he had committed under the name of Kylo Ren.  He knew he would spend the rest of his life living with that guilt, but that didn't mean he had to live in an environment which constantly reminded him of said guilt.

"And what?  We just leave here and... live?"  You raised a sceptical eyebrow, "you can't think it would ever be that easy."  Your cynicism came from the dark side, it was still pulling you back, away from this poisonous dream that you could ever live happily and be in love with the man who should be your enemy.

"No, it won't be easy-" he paused to boldly move in and press his lips against yours in a gentle kiss.  You didn't pull away, initially you didn't know what to do other than stand there.  But it wasn't long before you felt that spark of devotion growing, crushing every single Sith instinct of hate and anger in its wake.  As you began to react and return his kiss, you realised that this was what you wanted: to be with him, Kylo or Ben, they were one in the same.

When he pulled away, you felt like a weight had been lifted off your shoulders, and that shroud of anger had dissipated.  When he looked at you, you saw a flash of surprise in his eyes before he spoke again, "-it never was easy for us."

"But we always made it work."  You added, your tone now softening as you remembered your days in the First Order together.

A few moments ago, Ben had been sceptical that he would ever see your true eye colour again, but he looked at you now, the yellow hue gone, and he knew he finally had you back.  He didn't need you to in the light, he just needed you by his side.

The Resistance were too preoccupied to deal with either of you, so it was the perfect time to steal a ship and go and find a new life - one you could live on your own terms for once.

[a-skirmish-of-wit-and-lit]

Book Review: Heartbreak for Hire by Sonia Hartl

I had a bit of a like/dislike tug of war with this book. I suppose what I mean to say is that I didn't vibe with it as much as I'd hoped I would? I expected to love it given the revenge-doling, personal demon battling, hired female heartbreakers premise and the enemies-to-lovers carrot that was dangled in the summary, which is my usual brand of contemporary romance catnip, but I didn't. Unfortunately, I felt there was too much potential missed where further plot exploration and character depth were concerned for me to fully get there. To start, I didn't care much for the men vs. women tribalist mentality that was touted throughout. Mostly because it didn't evolve or transform at all by the end of the novel. Brinkley, as well as the other female employees at H4H, had all been victims of misogyny or mistreatment from men in some form or another prior to be hired by Margo, their boss, so they were hurting and angry. They were broken. Beaten down. Insecure. They were in need of confidence, of direction, of care from someone who understood what they had suffered. Their positions in the company effectively gave them the opportunity to enact revenge on men with similar traits (big egos, player tendencies, cheating problems, grifting issues etc.) as those who had damaged them in the past. I didn't mind that. I was on board with it at the beginning, thought it a unique tack to take. However, that said, I'd expected or hoped that the girls' "heartbreaker" roles would've been portrayed more as a healing enterprise so that they could wrest back agency in their own lives. So they could heal and grow and move on from the betrayal they'd experienced at the hands of a few particular men. So they would eventually stop seeing them all - men, in the plural sense - as the enemy. I never got the sense that happened, though. There seemed to be no movement or development among the female heartbreakers to that end, which was disappointing. I consider that an oversight which could have been filled in better. In addition to that, I wasn't satisfied with how the conflict wrapped up between Brinkley and her mother. It felt too neat and abrupt. Her mom was too overbearing and inserting of a personality for their dynamic to have such a smooth "accepting" 360 degree turn. I'd think there'd still be a lot of lingering resentment and cautiousness on Brinkley's part. Something that couldn't be erased with one talk. The big father reveal was a little melodramatic for my taste as well. Not at all realistic. I also think Margo's sketchiness could've been drawn out more. As a boss as well as a character, she seemed to ebb into murky moral territory more often than not, which made her interesting. Difficult to pin down. It was never made clear to readers whether she was preying upon, manipulating, Brinkley and the other H4H girls' pain and indignities with men for her own financial benefit or not. She'd plucked them all out of the gutter at their weakest, at their most vulnerable, to give them this Heartbreak for Hire opportunity so the question becomes: did she do so because she wanted to help them? Or because she wanted to exploit them? I would've welcomed further examination of that, for certain. I think it would've given both Margo's character and the overall plot more complexity. Despite the fact I was left wanting in a lot ways, there were still things I enjoyed about the story. Mark and Brinkley had good banter and chemistry, for instance. I thought they shared a nice ratio of steamy to silly to serious scenes together. It wasn't difficult to invest in them as a couple as a result. I only wish things hadn't felt so rushed between them in spots. Definitely wouldn't classify them as enemies-to-lovers, either. They had more of an insta-interested dynamic infused with emotional reluctance to give them conflict.

The dialogue flowed well, too. There were also a couple "on the job" scenes that made me chuckle out loud because they were full of Dolly Parton hair-do, mermaid tail flopping, fake boob flying ridiculousness. My hat goes off to Brinkley's temperamental sweater-wearing cat more than anything, though. He was a hisser not a kisser! A lot of my grievances with this book are subjective so don't let them turn you away. We all have different tastes or preferences as readers. It was an entertaining read - cute, humorous - just one that missed its mark in living up to expectations for me personally. And that's okay. It happens. Even so, it won't deter me from checking out something else Hartl writes in the future. Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the ARC in exchange for my review.

2.5/5 stars

**Follow me on Goodreads

[skeletorific]

man i bet it's super odd for the ancestor trolls to be putting out pale feels on anyone, much less a human. I can just see the most frustrated lil ball of horns and teeth trying to figure out if theres, ya know, *room* in a human's life for moirailegence with this whole platonic structure called a family and the only-one-romance-a-hooman standard/stigma and. they need a pap just tryin to figure it out! If you wouldn't mind, i'd love to hear your take on how psiionic darkleer, n dualscar would do

Me skating the fuck in to answer Ancestors requests. (I’m assuming this is in reference to my Ancestors live on Earth C timeline, but the headcanons themselves will work for just a general human interaction, I promise)

So, a note about Earth C and quad: I really can’t imagine that troll, human, and carapacian concepts of romance wouldn’t start to mingle, at least to a certain extent. After all, the three species come up at the same time, right alongside each other.

Quadrants aren’t exactly the norms for humans even there. Our reproductive needs are different, for one-thing. Additionally, I have to imagine that even without the social coding of Earth-A, a good chunk of humans would probably still tend to be fairly monogamous, especially if one of the primary texts left behind was written by a human woman raised on human monogamy who took only one lover herself. However, there’s probably a healthy chunk of humans who go by quadrants, trolls who go by human romance, and some who mix and match (for instance, “This is Ben, my significant other, and this is Meryll, my kismesis”). Its something most people figure out as they get older.

However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that the ancestors have cottoned on to the nuances of it all. Getting the idea of human monogamy through their heads was hard enough, and once it happens, of course THEN they have to catch pale feelings for one of the squishy fucks!

The Psiionic: So, unlike the other two on this list, Captor has actually had some experience with relationships that are a little more....fluid. Vantas and Leijon’s relationship always fell squarely in the middle of the chart, borrowing elements from all and none. Hell, his OWN relationship with the two of them tiptoed pitch, pale, ashen, and flushed depending on the day of the week. So, while he does still broadly conceive of things like an Alternian, its not necessarily an insurmountable barrier for him.

How he proceeds depends a lot on whether or not the human already has an s/o. If you do, he ultimately just bites the bullet and asks to talk to both of you (bringing Vantas and Leijon along for emotional support). He doesn’t want to move in where he’s not welcome and he’s got no designs on your flushed relationship. He’s quiet and his voice is shaking a bit as he struggles to keep his nerves (and by extent, his psiionics) under controll. But he’s never seen the point in fucking around the pricklefrond. Either you feel the same, or you don’t.  

If you don’t have an s/o, though, he just sort of carefully allows himself to become a feature in your life. He’s a little shakey socially but he puts the effort in to be around you. Captor’s never gonna be the most effusive emotionally, but he does make a point to give the occasional genuine compliment as to how he appreciates who you are, and what you do. When you’re having trouble he has a tendency to just sort of materialize in the background to offer his help. Pale flirting is all about trust, both engendering it, and demonstrating it for each other. No matter how oblivious you are, its hard not to notice that his walls are usually so high for others, yet they seem to come down around you.

Despite aforementioned not-fucking-around-the-pricklefrond, its possible he won’t ever use the word moirail for you unless you ask him about it. You’re human, and he doesn’t see the need to regale you with the complexities of troll romance if you’re both happy with the current arrangement. One way or another, though, Vantas runs at the mouth and spills the beans to you, and you have a good long talk about it.

Executor Darkleer: This guy, on the other hand, is a staunch traditionalist, paired with the fact that he ultimately thinks he’s somehow unworthy of love in any form. 

Years of social conditioning don’t just fall away because you and your former empress shop for box wine at the same liquor store now. As an expatriate, Zahhak was literally forbidden from contributing to the filial slurry, and was far too isolated to acquire a moirail. The best he had was the occasional frustrated shoosh-pap from Mindfang just to snap him out of his moods for a bit. Now, the old empire may have fallen away, but he’s still to some extent punishing himself. As a result, as soon as he figures out he’s catching pale feelings for a human, he starts avoiding you at all costs. He can’t allow himself to fall into any kind of temptation. The very qualities that attract him to you are the same reason he’s convinced you deserve something better.

Fortunately, there was no way you were friends with Darkleer in the first place if you were the type to let social avoidance turn you off. After a couple of weeks of not hearing from him (and a few confusingly smug texts from Mindfang when you ask her if he’s doing alright and her only response was “Go find out. I’m sure he’ll 8e more than alr8 ;;;;)”), you show up at his hive and bang on the door until he finally lets you in.

If you were hoping for a big confession, you’ll probably be a little disappointed: he’s not the type. But he does let you chastise him for withdrawing like that, finally extracting a promise that he won’t do it again. All the while him thinking that this, too, could be part of his penance. To let the human stay with by your side....but not allow yourself the luxury of what you truly want....why its almost scandalous-

Yup. He’s pale edging himself, and will continue to do so until you finally break down and demand he explain why he’s being so weird. Or until Mindfang loses her patience and tells you herself, if only to get him to stop leaving soliloquies in her DMs. Either way.

Dualscar: Another traditionalist, but he’s never really been lucky enough in love to be that picky about the system he falls under. The last proper, long-lasting quadrant relationship he had was his kismesis with Mindfang, and well.....kind of a funny story how that one went, honestly.

Assuming you’re single, his way forward is pretty easy. He reads up on human romance for 48 hours straight and presumes he knows what the fuck is up. Honestly its not terribly different from moirallegiance in some respects. You’re supposed to uplift your partner, and plenty of sources recommend that your s/o should be your “best friend”. Conversations involving your feelings are a norm, and humans even have the concept of a “fated match”, something pretty integral to Alternian moirallegiance. As for the rest, well, he can lean into some of the redder aspects of his feelings, pull out the old Ampora charm, and leave the rest in Lady Luck’s hands, right?

Right?

Well....for the first few months it works fine. You’ve always been close with Dualscar, felt like you got each other on some level, and to some degree a romantic relationship felt like a natural extension of that. He can be sweet, showers you with gifts, and is good at listening to your problems and letting you bitch without making you feel like you’re burdening him. He’s funny, in a bitchy dad kind of way, and frankly kind of dashing. 

But something’s off. You notice he seems to shrink down a little bit when you try to get a bit more physical with him. Not like he dislikes it, necessarily, more like he’s...confused. While you feel closer with him than ever, there’s none of those flowery declarations you find tucked in his journal, dedicated to great loves in his past. Even on your end, you feel like you still just think of him as like.....a best friend, but more so somehow? Being romantic with him as you would be with a human feels...wrong, You reflect each other so well and so closely that its like you’re a piece of each other, and calling him your boyfriend feels like trying to call yourself your own boyfriend.

The truth comes out when you try to break up with him and in a panic he explains himself to you. Running through a long (and somewhat incoherent) crash course on troll romance, with a special focus on moirallegiance. He’s stumbling over his words (unusual when he’s sober), half waiting for your eyes to widen in shock and for you to end things forever.

So imagine his shock when you blink a few times and say “why the hell didn’t you just say so?”

As Peixes would say later, “L-Eave it to an Ampora to mak-E s)(it way mor-E glubbin complicat-Ed t)(an it n-E-Eds to b-E.”

[gold3nladybug]

Let's build a Legacy Deck

I do a lot of thinking about magic; you've possibly realised that, since I post long diatribes about what the game means to me on a somewhat regular basis. However, I'm not really very... let's say creative in how I approach the game. I'm not looking to explore new ground, I'm mostly trying to be as good at this game as I possibly can be. I'm pretty competitive, but my motivation isn't really winning - it's more about improving.

Legacy is a beautiful format. Not just the cards themselves, but the complexity, diversity and unbelievable skill ceilings that you can strive to attain playing these cards. I always feel like there is so much more I can learn, so many things I can improve. The level of mastery that could be achieved with these cards is seemingly endless.

So it is only fitting that we start here:

Mercadian Masques is the best Brainstorm. Don't @ me.

Now, beyond that, it's actually not that easy to branch out too far. There is a very real, very challenging financial barrier to playing this amazing format (and indeed all non-rotating formats share this problem to some degree). I own a handful of blue duals, and that unlocks a certain subset of the format for me. I bought them over the course of a year or so, and they were much, much cheaper than they are now. I doubt I'll ever be able to justify buying more, and since I don't have the quantity of duals necessary for some decks, and I own zero Tropical Islands, that subset actually isn't that large. I also don't really own any of the cards to play non-brainstorm decks - no Death & Taxes, no Eldrazipost, no Lands, no Quinn the Eskimo (yup, that's a real deck name. Give it a google, its delightful).

So, I own Tundras. That means that in Legacy, I'm pretty much always playing Miracles. My collection supports that. But that isn't really where I think I wanna be right now

Beautiful.

Stoneblade has had a bit of a renaissance recently, putting up good finishes at a high level because someone recently decided "I think I should play Death's Shadow in Legacy" and almost won the Pro Tour. Decks that play white mana have a pretty solid answer to that, and Stoneblade's ability to switch strategies between defender and aggressor is really valuable. I loved Miracles with Sensei's Divining Top, but the deck was a problem, and without that card it can't always claim inevitably. You need to win the game somehow, and Batterskull is a pretty solid somehow. But it can't do it alone.

Here's the rest of the team.

Snapcaster Mage is a ridiculous magic card. There are a lot of good instants and sorceries, y'all. In a format like legacy, though, playing the full four copies can sometimes be a liability, especially if you don't have cards like Lightning Bolt that can let you convert excess mages into a noncommittal, one size fits all kinda spell. All the cards I have are pretty specialized, and Snapcaster Mage can be all of them. Absolutely wild. I hear Tiago Chan, the winner of the invitational that led to this card, became a professional wrestler.

Wild.

Jace, the Mind Sculptor set the gold standard for what a Planeswalker could be. It feels like a privilege to be able to play with this card sometimes. One thing that I find interesting, is that in my experience I am vastly more willing to +2 Jace as my main plan than others. I get that Brainstorming is awesome and all, but the elevator going up is pretty cool too. It doesn't create numerical advantage, but using Jace's fate seal can create a lot of qualitive advantage and also let's you use an ability that wins the game. I'm a fan.

Vendilion Clique, though, might just be one of my favourite magic cards. It does a whole lot of very cool things, the most important of which to me is create informational asymmetry. This game would be a lot easier if you knew all the cards your opponent had, and usually that means you have to play cards like Thoughtseize. But that card is gross. Also, don't sleep on using Clique to send one of your own cards away, especially if that card is an equipment that you can find with your stoneforge mystic.

Lastly, we have True-Name Nemesis. This card isn't always good, but when it is it's the best card in your deck. If creatures attacking or blocking matters in a game, there is no card that does either that is better for its cost than TNN. My copies are the only cards in my deck that are altered or signed, and I normally like having things be really consistent in my constructed decks, but you can see Zack Stella's beautiful signature. Can you blame me?

So that is how I'm going to win. How am I going to not lose?

Death's Shadow matches up so poorly against Swords to Plowshares, like damn. My pick for the most outrageous removal spell of all time, even with Assassin's Trophy coming down the pipeline, Swords to Plowshares solves so many problems. A lot of this post is just me gushing about these cards, and I understand that might not be the most engaging thing to read, but I really do just love so many of them.

The rest of these spells are broadly about patching holes up. One of the amazing things about Brainstorm is that you get to see a lot of cards each game, so having a few discrete answers to unusual problems can pay a lot of dividends. Council's Judgment and Enginnered Explosives can answer weird permanents that might otherwise beat me, and Supreme Verdict (though sometimes weird in a deck that wants to put creatures on the battlefield) will occasionally just bail you out. And while it might sound funny, it really is relevant that it is blue sometimes.

This is also the best counterspell art. Still don't @ me.

Force of Will is a bit of a weird card, because in a perfect world I wouldn't even want to play it. It is clunky, puts you down cards a lot of the time and is a massive hassle to play for retail. But also, sometimes Force is the only thing standing between you and rampant degeneracy. People play Belcher in this format! It is the glue that holds the format together.

And then we get to this, and I start to question if I actually know what I'm doing. Sometimes I make these really calculated choices, trying to eke out the smallest possible advantage. Other times I think to myself "yeah, that seems right" and this is one of those times. Flusterstorm is a really powerful, versatile piece of interaction that comes with inbuilt protection and scales throughout the turn. Great with Snapcaster Mage, but absolutely worthless some of the time. People play Chalice of the Void in this format!

Spell Snare is hyper specialized, but it does a lot of things that Flusterstorm can't. There are a legion of incredibly powerful, diverse threats that exist at 2cmc in this format; Baleful Strix, Hymn to Tourach, Tarmogoyf, Sylvan Library, enemy Snapcaster Mage, Counterbalance, Exhume, Infernal Tutor, etc, etc. Snare stops them all cold, but only them.

Spell Pierce is the middle ground, the bridge between two entirely different points of view. It's kinda boring, but its pretty okay at standing in for both of the other's jobs. Spell Pierce never wins employee of the month, but I hope it knows I appreciate it.

One last spell in the main deck, and its Search for Azcanta.

X marks the Spot! I play with checklist cards almost exclusively for any DFC cards that I use, even if I'm 100% sure the sleeves I'm using are completely opaque. It is way better to be safe than sorry, and I also like not needing to actually take my card out of the sleeve to flip it when I can have the real card off to the side in an inner to place on the board when I need it.

Once, when I was playing two Azcanta in a standard deck, I asked my teammate if I should have two Azcanta sleeved, one flipped and one not, because I couldn't actually have two in the same state on the battlefield. They looked like they wanted to slap me.

After that is just lands, and you probably don't want to see that...

Who are we kidding, the lands in a legacy deck are beautiful

I'm really proud of my legacy manabase.

This is also one of those examples of those really calculated choices, optimising for the smallest possible advantages. It turns out that you're only allowed to play four Flooded Strand, and after that NONE of the fetches get both basic Island and basic Plains. Normally this means a couple of Scalding Tarns, or whatever other blue fetch you have a few copies of, but why not extract the tiniest, most infinitesimal fraction of an advantage. What if they Pithing Needle Scalding Tarn? What if they're monsters who cast Surgical Extractions on random targets to see if they getcha? Well you're not going to get me, because I have insulated myself by playing three different blue fetches and an Arid Mesa.

Otherwise, Karakas is a lovely tech land against any sort of reanimator strategy, while also unlocking all sorts of fun play patterns with Vendilion Clique. Wasteland is playing in a similar space, being a low investment singleton that can be really good in some matchups, but I don't know if I like it. I might play an extra basic over it, we'll see.

But wait, I hear you asking, why are you playing Volcanic Island. You don't have any red cards!

Entirely fair question.

All the way from the sideboard, red cards.

As you might have gathered, there are some pretty amazing blue cards in legacy. I'm not one to let people just get away with playing blue cards. It's a little weird to have a 2/1 split of red blast effects, but it's just one of those micro optimizations. Sometimes they'll have a meddling mage naming Pyroblast, you know? Also, on my wishlist is a black border red elemental blast of some description. My pyroblasts just look so much prettier.

Also I guess I lied about TNN being the only signed card I play. But again, just look at Franz Vohwinkel's signature. Impossible to turn it down.

The rest of the sideboard is pretty easy to break down. A Hydroblast, because we can't let people get away with playing red cards either. An extra Flusterstorm, because it's just a fantastic card that usually gets better after sideboard. People usually have pretty good spells in their decks, and stopping Flusterstorm from countering those spells can be pretty challenging. Disenchant is a pretty good hedge a lot of the time, for a similar reason. People tend to have some high impact enchantments or artifacts kicking around, so I usually want a cheap way to fight that available to me. Containment Priest and the two Surgical Extractions are a concession to the speed and power of reanimation strategies, that also happen to have some really good splash damage against other really powerful strategies. I kind of want to make room for a Rest in Peace, but for now these will serve. Monastery Mentor is just one of those cards that, in a post sideboard game where a lot of the removal is gone and Pyroblasts imperil the battlefield and stack, can take over a game with extreme speed and quickly end it. It could also be something like a Gideon, Ally of Zendikar, but there's value in dodging Spell Pierce.

So the only part of this that might be a bit weird is the Spell Queller, Counterbalance package. My thinking is, coming from Miracles, that Counterbalance is sometimes an exceedingly powerful card. And sometimes it's pretty janky. It's hard to truly cut it from the main deck there, because it helps enable so many of the soft synergies in the deck (revealing for Predict, making all the cantrips that much better, finding spots to crack fetch lands for extra value), even though the times that it's bad it is so bad. But here, I've almost got the same amount of cantripping and deck manipulation as I would in Miracles, but my main proactive gameplan is strong enough that I don't need them in my main deck. It's a perfect card to slide into the sideboard, where I can access it both as a value engine for blue pseudo-mirrors and a desperate tool to fight combo as well.

Spell Queller was a card I considered for Vendilion Clique's spot for a long time. They are approximately as vulnerable as each other in the context of the format, but eventually the inability to profitably play it for value proactively gave Clique the nod. But the other main three drop I play kept me thinking about it. When it matters, TNN is exceptional. But when it's bad, there's nothing you want less; True Name feels like such a brick if your opponent is doing something degenerate. It's an easy swap in those situations for this powerful reactive spirit. Like Mentor, dodging Flusterstorm and Spell Pierce is a huge deal in winning counter wars while also transitioning into an aggressive stance. So many important cards are vulnerable to being quelled, and I'm honestly quite excited to play with it.

So... there you have it. That's my legacy deck. It's not perfect, and I'm sure before too long I'll end up putting Terminus back in here and going back to Miracles. It's hard to change decks in Legacy, and not just because of the price. These cards really do feel special, like you're playing with important pieces in the history of a really great, really important game. I hope I get to keep playing Legacy for a long, long time.