#and now shes expanding into ever-so-slightly more controversial topics

[shermangepherdy]

why do people hate lavendertowne so much. i saw a post the other day and they straight up made something up about her to make her look bad. did she do something in the past or what

[jiangwanyinscatmom]

The funniest thing is JIANG CHENG HAD MULTIPLE CHANCES TO DO THE RIGHT THING but every time his jealousy and resentment towards wwx won. Are we gonna forget that his jealousy for wwx is the main thing that jin sect used to separate wwx from a little "support" he had left

Whuuuut? But he tried so hard during the biggest turning point! 🥺

Jiang Cheng’s brows were knitted. He rubbed the vein that throbbed at his temple and soundlessly took in a deep breath, “… I apologize to all of the Sect Leaders. Everyone, I’m afraid you don’t know that the Wen cultivator whom Wei WuXian wanted to save was called Wen Ning. We owe him and his sister Wen Qing gratitude for what happened during the Sunshot Campaign.”

Nie MingJue, “You owe them gratitude? Isn’t the QishanWen Sect the ones who caused the YunmengJiang Sect’s annihilation?”

Within the last few years, Jiang Cheng insisted on working late into the night every day. That day, just as he decided to rest early, he had to rush to Koi Tower overnight because of the thundering news. He’d been suppressing some anger under his fatigue since the beginning. With his natural competitiveness, he was already quite agitated since he had to apologize to other people. When he heard Nie MingJue mention the incident of his sect again, hatred sprouted within him.

The hatred was directed at not only everyone who was seated in this room, but also Wei WuXian.

Lan XiChen responded a moment later, “I have heard of Wen Qing’s name a few of times. I do not remember her having participated in any of the Sunshot Campaign’s crimes.”

Nie MingJue, “But she’s never stopped them either.”

Lan XiChen, “Wen Qing was one of Wen RuoHan’s most trusted people. How could she have stopped them?”

Nie MingJue spoke coldly, “If she responded with only silence and not opposition when the Wen Sect was causing mayhem, it’s the same as indifference. She shouldn’t have been so disillusioned as to hope that she could be treated with respect when the Wen Sect was doing evil and be unwilling to suffer the consequences and pay the price when the Wen Sect was wiped out.”

Lan XiChen knew that because of what happened to his father, Nie MingJue abhorred Wen-dogs more than anything, especially with how intolerable he was toward evil. Lan XiChen didn’t say anything else.

But he's such a wonderful diplomat, who had no way of protecting his brother. Curious how he doesn't expand on what he means by that debt and just lets the hate about the Wens take over even though Lan Xichen tried to get more information even though it would have helped to show Wei Wuxian was not power hungry.

Taking this opportunity, Jin GuangShan spoke, “Sect Leader Jiang, this was supposed to be a matter of your sect. It wouldn’t have been appropriate for me to barge in. But now that things are like this, I’ll have to caution you on the topic of Wei Ying.”

Jiang Cheng, “Sect Leader Jin, go ahead.”

Jin GuangShan, “Sect Leader Jiang, Wei Ying is your right-hand man. You value him a lot. All of us know this. However, on the other hand, it’s hard to tell whether or not he actually respects you. In any case, I’ve been a sect leader for so many years and I’ve never seen the servant of any sect dare be so arrogant, so proud. Have you heard what they say outside? Things like how during the Sunshot Campaign the victories of the YunmengJiang Sect were all because of Wei WuXian alone—what nonsense!”

Hearing this, Jiang Cheng’s face was already quite dark. Jin GuangShan shook his head, “In an event as important as the Flower Banquet, he dared throw a fit right in front of you, leaving however he pleased. He even dared say something like ‘I don’t care about the sect leader Jiang WanYin at all!’ Everyone who was there heard it with their own ears…”

Suddenly, an indifferent voice spoke up, “No.”

Jin GuangShan was in the middle of his fabrication. Hearing this, he paused in surprise, turning along with the crowd to see who it was.

Lan WangJi sat with his back straight, speaking in a tone of absolute tranquility, “I did not hear Wei Ying say this. I did not hear him express the slightest disrespect towards Sect Leader Jiang either.”

Lan WangJi rarely spoke when he was outside. Even when they debated cultivation techniques during Discussion Conferences, he only answered when others questioned or challenged him. With utmost concision, he overcame, without fault, the lengthy arguments of others. Apart from this, he almost never spoke up. And thus, when Jin GuangShan was interrupted by him, he experienced a far greater shock than annoyance. But after all, his fabrication was exposed right in front of so many. He felt a bit awkward.

The good thing was that, not long after he felt awkward, Jin GuangYao came to save the day, exclaiming, “Really? That day, Young Master Wei busted into Koi Tower with such force. He said too many things, one more shocking than the next. Perhaps he said a few things that were along those lines. I can’t remember them either.”

His memory could only be equal to Lan WangJi’s, if not better. As soon as he heard it, Nie MingJue knew that he was fibbing on purpose, frowning slightly.

Jin GuangShan followed the transition, “That’s right. Anyhow, his attitude has always been arrogant.”

One of the sect leaders added, “To be honest, I’ve wanted to say this since a long time ago. Although Wei WuXian did a few things during the Sunshot Campaign, there are many guest cultivators who did more than him. I’ve never seen anyone as full of themselves as him. Excuse my bluntness, but he’s the son of a servant. How could the son of a servant be so arrogant?”

He never believed at all what Jin Guangshan was saying, and he was only jealous because Wei Wuxian always overshadowed him and shouldn't have. Wei Wuxian only ever cared about showing off like he said and never took Jiang Cheng's feelings into account and cruelly ignored him for everyone else. Obviously Jiang Cheng wanted to stand up for Wei Wuxian like Mianmian and Lan Wangji, but he had no power (never mind that Lan Wangji and Mianmian had a lesser position in all of this and despite being mocked tried to be heard and keep Wei Wuxian from being blackened). What? Noooo, he's not at all buying into what Jin Guangshan is saying about his own first disciple he's always expressed faith in Wei Wuxian.

With him having brought up the ‘son of a servant’, naturally there’d be some who connected it to the ‘son of a prostitute’ standing in the hall. Jin GuangYao clearly noticed the unkind stares. Yet, his smile remained perfect, not at all faltering. The crowd went with the flow and voiced their complaints.

“In the beginning, Sect Leader Jin asked Wei Ying for the Tiger Seal with nothing but good intentions, worried that he wouldn’t be able to control it and lead to a disaster. He, however, used his own yardstick to measure another’s intents. Did he think that everyone is after his treasure? What a joke. In terms of treasures, is there any sect that doesn’t hold a few treasures?”

Ignoring the rioting voices behind him, Lan WangJi stood up as well and exited. After Lan XiChen understood what happened a few moments ago, hearing how the direction of their discussion worsened, he spoke up, “Everyone, she is gone already. Let us settle down.”

Now that ZeWu-Jun had spoken, of course the people had to give him some face. In Golden Pavilion, one after another, they began to denounce Wei WuXian and the Wen-dogs again. They all spoke with passionate hatred, letting their indiscriminate, irrefutable loathing dance in the air. Using the atmosphere, Jin GuangShan turned to Jiang Cheng, “He’s been plotting for a while to go to Burial Mound, hasn’t he? After all, with his skills, it wouldn’t be too hard to set up a sect of his own. And so, he used this as a chance to leave the Jiang Sect, intending to do whatever he pleases in the bright skies outside. You rebuilt the YunmengJiang Sect with so much work. He’s got a few controversial traits in him to begin with, and still he doesn’t restrain himself, stirring up so much trouble for you. He doesn’t care about you at all.”

Jiang Cheng pretended to stand his ground, “That probably isn’t that case. Wei WuXian has been like this ever since he was young. Even my father couldn’t do anything about him.”

Jin GuangShan, “Even FengMian-xiong couldn’t do anything about him, huh?” He chuckled a few times, “FengMian-xiong just favored him.”

Hearing the words ‘favored him’, the muscles beside the corners of Jiang Cheng’s mouth twitched.

Jin GuangShan continued, “Sect Leader Jiang, you’re not like your father. It’s just been a couple of years since the reestablishment of the YunmengJiang Sect, precisely when you should be displaying your power. And he doesn’t even know to avoid suspicions. What would the Jiang Sect’s new disciples think if they saw him? Don’t tell me you’d let them see him as their role model and look down on you?”

He spoke one sentence after another, striking the iron while it was still hot. Jiang Cheng spoke slowly, “Sect Leader Jin, that’s enough. I’ll go to Burial Mound and deal with this.”

Jin GuangShan felt satisfied, speaking in a sincere tone, “That’s the spirit. Sect Leader Jiang, there are some things, some people that you shouldn’t put up with.”

After the gathering ended, all of the sect leaders felt that they received a terrific topic for conversation. They walked quickly as they discussed with all their might, their passionate hatred still burning strong.

No this is not Jin Guangshan taking advantage of Jiang Cheng's well known complexes over his dad and Wei Wuxian. He is not using the fact at all that Jiang Cheng hates that people flock to Wei Wuxian naturally to set off Jiang Cheng's complex about being seen as lesser than Wei Wuxian in anyway. Jiang Cheng was powerless after all to stand up for Wei Wuxian's reputation and help.

[mobius-prime]

246. Sonic the Hedgehog #177

Home, New Home

Writer: Ian Flynn Pencils: Tracy Yardley! Colors: Jason Jensen

As the Egg Fleet approaches New Mobotropolis, Nicole erects a forcefield-like shield around the entire city, protecting it from the bombardment that Snively, leading the fleet, begins dropping on it. With the shield protecting everyone, however, a slightly more immediate concern reveals itself - namely, the many criminals that have been teleported here along with the actual residents of Knothole, who see an opportunity to not only break free of the justice system, but take a few of the citizens with them.

Amazing speech on your part there, Mogul. Really, it's a wonder everyone didn't immediately fall at your feet. Sonic and Sally are impressed at Nicole's foresight, only to become concerned when her hologram begins flickering and she appears to show signs of pain in response to more shells hitting the city's shield. She tells them that she has to devote most of the city's power supply to keeping the shield up, and reassures Sally that she'll always be nearby even when they can't see her before disappearing. Sally and Elias address the crowd of rescued civilians, telling them that right now they can trust Nicole to keep them safe while they come up with a plan and that for now everyone should find their new homes. Sally stops Sonic, however, and orders him to go get medical attention before he does anything else, something he's predictably a bit grumpy about.

Okay, so this is where we address one of the most controversial things Ian ever included in the comic. It's controversial for good reason. We've already established that one of the major things Ian has been doing for the comic since taking over as head writer is bringing the world of the comics more in line with that of the games, and this includes the various characters and their attitudes. Vector is no longer as insufferable as he was under Kenders, Knuckles is one of Sonic's closest allies now rather than a distant rival, and so on, but this is where the age discrepancy between Charmy from the games and Charmy from the comics becomes a problem. If you'll recall, Charmy is six in the games but sixteen in the comics, and obviously a sixteen-year-old is going to act pretty different from a six-year-old. So how exactly does one take a fairly mature teenager, who's a prince of a lost kingdom and literally engaged to someone else his age, and make him act like a child? Well, I don't have any particularly good ideas myself, but Ian's highly controversial solution was to give him brain damage. From this point on, Charmy suffers from some substantial memory loss, and generally has a much more childlike personality than he once did. There's many problems with this, and others have gone into this topic much more in depth than I care to, but suffice it to say that while giving a character brain damage simply as part of their character arc isn't inherently a bad thing, and can even be a positive if handled right, giving a character brain damage purely as a plot device to make them act more like a child feels incredibly insensitive and insulting. From what I understand, this isn't totally Ian's fault; Sega was pressuring him to make these changes, and I suppose at the time this was all he could think of for the Charmy problem, but I know he has stated later on that he wishes he'd handled this particular issue better, so at least he's acknowledged how bad this whole thing seems. Furthermore, he does appear to treat Charmy as a character with as much respect as possible in future issues, so there's that at least.

Anyway, Saffron is relieved when Charmy happily confirms that he remembers who she is and hugs her, and Dr. Quack moves on from Charmy to take a look at Sonic. It doesn't take him long to confirm his suspicions that indeed, all the magical ring energy Sonic's been exposed to have given him a high resistance to injury as well as apparently an accelerated rate of healing, something which is quite fascinating and I wish would have been expanded upon in this universe's worldbuilding at some point. As Dr. Quack heads off to find his own family, we take a quick look at the Chaos Chamber on Angel Island, where Finitevus appears to be doing some kind of weird ritual with the Master Emerald, reciting Tikal's prayer. Scourge runs up and informs him that Dimitri has run - err, floated off, presumably to contact Knuckles and warn him of Finitevus' treachery. Finitevus, however, merely tells him that this was part of his plan all along, and he isn't concerned, as he'll bring back Enerjak one way or another. Sounds quite ominous indeed…

Hey man, someone needs to remind Antoine that bravery isn't a lack of fear, it's standing up to danger even when you are afraid. Sally becomes lost in thought for a moment, remembering all the times she led the Freedom Fighters into danger in the past, long before she was ever thrust into the role of acting ruler or forced into a disastrous arranged marriage. She suddenly stands up and reminds Bunnie of her old hairdressing ambitions, and asks her for one more favor before they begin their defense against Eggman's attack… Meanwhile up in the sky, Snively continues to try to break through New Mobotropolis' shield, only to become startled when a single, tiny aircraft begins firing onto his flagship. His robots prepare to return fire, but he suddenly orders them to stand down with a look of shock, and contacts the plane… having recognized it as the plane that Hope built. Hope yells at him through the comm when he opens a channel, furious that she took his advice and went to Station Square, but when she tried to return to Knothole, which she still considered home, it was in ruins. She blames him for all of it, too ashamed to show her face to the Mobians again after leaving, and begins to sob.

I absolutely love the way that these comics continue to humanize Snively more and more. I feel so bad for Hope here, especially knowing that none of the Mobians would blame her for what happened, but as for Snively, it's clear that despite his nature, he does value family, and does care about Hope. He's gone from being the cowardly, sniveling, silly minion of the evil Dr. Robotnik to an actual human with flaws, feelings, and attachments. From inside the city shield, Tails watches the bombardment continue with his parents and Merlin, and Amadeus expresses that though the destruction of Knothole was a tragedy, all in all this may actually be a good thing for the populace, as he believes that such a major event will prepare them for "the shift in thinking" that he plans for them. Merlin, however, warns him not to push ahead with any reforms he has in mind too soon, as the monarchy will also be very tense from all this chaos. Rosemary expresses her belief in her husband, and Tails excitedly says he'll support his father no matter what, but the sentiment is interrupted by Eggman's furious screaming from outside the city walls, banging on the shield with his battle suit and yelling for the Freedom Fighters to come out and face him, infuriated that his perfect victory has been stolen from him. Sonic cheerfully interrupts his tantrum, suddenly standing outside the shield, and Eggman is initially pleased, mocking Sonic for not learning from his initial defeat mere hours ago. However, it turns out that Sonic has learned, and with the knowledge that the battle suit was created to counter Sonic and Sonic alone, he and Sally have come up with the perfect plan while Eggman wasn't looking.

The entire Freedom Fighter and Chaotix force descends on Eggman's battle suit, and they're all able to locate weaknesses that Eggman hadn't anticipated in its construction. They tear it apart piece by piece while Sonic gleefully reminds his nemesis that there are more heroes on this planet than just himself, and that anything he can't handle on his own, the others definitely can. In the end, Eggman is left with barely half a shell of his precious armor, furious and humiliated, which leads into perhaps one of my favorite pages of this entire era - perhaps even the entire comic.

Eggman, still unwilling to let victory slip away despite his situation, orders his fleet to fire directly on their location, meaning either he was somehow unaware that this would kill him too, or he was aware, and was more concerned with killing his foes than surviving. Honestly, my bet is on the latter - it seems like something he'd do if angry enough and feeling sufficiently cornered. However, he's forgotten that Nicole has full control over the nanites in the city, and since everything in the city is made of nanites, she's able to stretch the city's wall out to create a wall between everyone out on the field and the bombardment from the Egg Fleet. She projects her form to Eggman and urges him to reconsider his decision, as frankly, Sally is showing him more mercy than he deserves by a long shot. And honestly, she's right - it would be a much better decision to either kill him right there, or, if they're feeling too honorable and whatnot, at least arrest him and shove him in a cell next to Mammoth Mogul…

Well hello there, old haircut! I will say, I did enjoy Sally's long hair while she had it - I thought it looked good on her. But hey, cutting one's hair as a show of maturation is a common fictional trope, and in a way, it's nice to go back to seeing Sally rocking her old look. I will actually note here that while I've mentioned before that Tracy's pencils have standardized the design of a lot of characters, I actually don't care much for his redesign of Sally as a whole. While I appreciate her proportions becoming more like those of every other Mobian - the human body that a lot of other artists gave her looked kind of weird, to be honest - her facial features have actually been significantly altered by his style. She always had a distinctive slanted-back eye shape and a more gentle slope to her nose, but by making her eye shape closer to than of characters like Bunnie and Tails, I feel she's lost some of her unique visual charm. That isn't to say that I think Sally is lesser as a character for this change - she's still one of my top favorites in the series - nor that I disapprove of Tracy's art style as a whole. And in the end, her hairstyle change here marks the beginning of a new era - one where she begins to act once more like her old self and once again joins the others on missions just like old times. She's worked through a lot of the trauma and self-doubt that she's been plagued with ever since Sonic's return to Mobius, and now we can look forward to new adventures with her, in a new location. I mean that "new era" thing literally, by the way. Congratulations, we've reached the end of the comic's fifth era - many of the eras beyond this one are significantly shorter than the ones we've seen previously, but that also means we'll be moving through distinctive arcs a little more quickly, and furthermore, the next era holds some pretty exciting new surprises! Shall we now - how do they say - do it to it?

[shiroe-is-my-baby]

Lucky in Love

Summary: Royalty AU where Shiroe is a prince and I am his soon to be princess. Two dorks trying to be sophisticated and royal, count me in! Not sure if I’ll write more for this, but I liked it a lot!

W: self-insert, fluff, au

The smile lingering on my face was one I had learned to keep in situations like this. It’s neither stale nor too happy. It’s the perfect amount of polite, without being overly excited. It’s something that may not be completely real depending on my mood. Mainly because I’d much rather be outside, gazing at the stars without too many worries. But, unfortunately, my responsibility lies here.

Today was the announcement of my marriage. One that I have, honestly, been dreading for as long as I can remember. Not because I was indifferent to the idea of marriage as I whole. I knew that it was my responsibility as future queen to find a suitable match. One that would bring the kingdom promise. I was merely afraid that the person whom I would be arranged with would not fit me.

My father and mother had been lucky enough to marry, so far as I’ve been told as in love as ever. It’s too often that I hear stories of kings and queens having husbands and wives who had not been entirely of their choosing or want. But that’s not something that we talk about too often. Everyone knows the obligations set up for the royal.

I breathed a soft sigh, gazing up at my parents speaking to a few visitors. This afternoon we threw a little engagement party, and in a few days will be the wedding. They seemed excited, more so with the caliber of the man that I have chosen. I’ve met many sutors in the past that haven'tseemed to match. Many were too arrogant, clearly out for my families fortune rather than my hand. Although, that’s to be expected.

Our kingdom is fairly large, though definitely not the largest. We are, in fact, one of the few kingdoms who respect the art of magic and knowledge. We’re not advanced, but we are more advanced than many. This can bring controversy, but in the recent age of change, it’s faint. Since we are growing and expanding, bringing all kinds of travelers, this brings great wealth. Which, in turn, brings both good and bad.

One of those being traitors and thieves.

I was lucky enough to find someone who was not out for my wealth, but for more of my heart.

He was not only kind, but he was also not too far below us in stature. His kingdom was smaller, of course, but the charmingness of it did no go unnoticed. His kingdom was one of the firsts to welcome a mage into their military. Where as things of this nature, every where else, would be frowned upon. But today, especially in our kingdom, the thought isn’t so far fetched.

The way we met was rather adorable, actually.

He was visiting the kingdom to potentially sign a trade deal with my father. Something to help bring not only more supplies to them, but also help grow their economy. It was there that my father discovered just how smart this man, my future husband, was. He could sell dead cattle, as my father jokingly told me one afternoon.

When I ran into the strange prince, it was on his last day with us. He was exploring the garden, my father having wandered off to assist with something. I was there, tending to the flowers and chatting with one of my maids.

I remember the first time I saw him.

He looked nothing like I thought he would. My father had described him as slightly intimidating with piercing eyes that seemed to look almost a tad bit intense. He was right about that, but the minute I found myself looking into those eyes, I was lost in them. They pulled me in and intrigued me.

Not only that, but he was handsome. Truly.

He had a certain air around him that wasn’t too royal. In fact, he seemed rather calm and polite. He didn’t look at me like most of those suitors would. Although, he wasn’t here for that. I figured that’s why he was treating me differently, and that’s probably what helped make our relationship click.

He introduced himself to me, with that smile that seemed to make my heart flutter. I realized right off the bat that I did, in fact, like this man. I couldn’t act on it, of course, but I held onto that fact as he spoke. He told me his name, bowing slightly in way of respect. I couldn’t help but notice how utterly cute he was.

Shiroe was… everything that I never knew could be in a prince. He was intense and strong when he wanted to be, but also sweet and caring. He might have been the dorkiest prince I’ve ever seen. Sophistication was one of the things that he seemed to have only in sparing moments. Around me, those seemed to become more lax the more that we spent time together.

I showed him around the garden, bringing him to my own special spot. Since he’d be leaving, I figured it wouldn’t harm to be kind to him. Shiroe seemed to be more comfortable with me, as I did with him. We talked about my kingdom and his own, brushing up topics that weren’t too personal. Those conversations never seemed to last too long. Not before he and I were taking about other things.

Smiling at he memory, I could practically picture that night that he asked to stay a little longer. His cheeks were pink, eyes focused to the floor as he struggled to be the royal prince that he was. It was then that I realized he was interested in possibly wooing me. One thing that my father seemed eager about, given the information he had about their family.

Shiroe has become more to me than I ever thought. Our love was different. Even my mother noticed it almost immediately, telling me how special she thought that he was. My father gave his permission, and we were arranged to be married.

Now, here we are, gazing at our families that will once become one, watching the happy smiles and celebration of it all. We were lucky to find happiness. Shiroe and I knew that. It was obvious in our demeanor and the way that we acted. The two of us were different and our kingdoms allowed us to be just that.

I was looking forward to this new life with him.

In the middle of my thoughts, I hadn’t noticed the man in front of me. Not until he spoke up, that smile forming on his lips as he bowed to me. “Are you having fun, darling?” Shiroe asked, pulling my hand up to his lips for a kiss. I giggled softly, nodding rather quickly.

“I’m having a wonderful time. And you?”

“Your father is trying to introduce me to everyone. I didn’t take into account how large this would be,” He answered, looking up at the many people in the ballroom.

“It’s both of our families, love. Of course there’s bound to be lots of people attending.”

“I’m just not used to it, I suppose,” He said.

He turned back to me, giving me the little raise of his eyebrows I remembered all too well.

“Would you like to dance with me, my lady?”

I couldn’t help but blush at that mocking of a tone. He spoke less elegant when we were alone, but still respectful. It just always sounded strange coming from him. But I played along, leaning closer to him as I took his hand.

“I’d love to,” I said.

Shiroe smiled, pulling me forward and allowing me to lock my arms around his own.

The two of us had a show to put on for the guests. All of them were waiting for the couple’s first dance. Their eyes were ablaze with stars, excited for the happy smile of their future queen. I felt obligated to please, but I also wanted to be close to him.

A part of me couldn’t help but look forward to later tonight, after the party is over. I knew that he and I would sneak off to the garden, to the gazebo that was hidden behind a brush of trees. That same place that I took him on the day that we met. The one hidden spot that we go to when we want to forget for a while. The place that we can breathe and be in love.

A hidden world all to ourselves.

Where we’re not forced to be perfect.

We’re merely just ourselves. Deeply in love.

[littlefaerose]

walking on a wire through the fear (take my hand, we’ll get there)

WHO: Marley Rose (ft. Olivia Wisteria and Lila Lily)

WHERE: Sciron Square, Room #401

WHEN: Wednesday, April 19th, 2017

WHAT: There’s nothing quite like a spontaneous intrusion, followed by a quasi-intervention. Kind of.

WARNING(S): vague descriptive mentionings of death (??)

She didn’t hear the first initial knock at the door.

She was almost finished writing her final paper for her Sex, Genders and Culture class - while the topic was controversial among her own kind, she’d decided to take on the topic of ‘ace-normativity’ among Fae - and the continuous clacking of her keyboard along with her music playing low had blocked out any other sounds. She paused long enough to skim over the current paragraph she was editing when a second, more insistent banging came, distracting her from her laptop screen. She wasn’t expecting company today, was she?

“Just a minute!” she called as she hastily finished typing out her thought, hoping to get to the door and squeeze her way out to see who was interrupting her, but without warning her door flew open, making her whip around in her chair.

‘Geez, Marley, you’re such a slow- WOAH.’

She recognized the voice immediately. And immediately panicked.

See, the fact of the matter was that while she had been in a somewhat better mood the last week, the tree-like thing in the middle of her dorm room had not shrunk much past the small increment it had the night Mason’s first letter had arrived. It still wound and twisted and had a bit of a life of its own, creaking as it stretched out its roots, expanding or pulling back in depending on the minute fluctuations of her mood. It was manageable, all things considered, but she hadn’t let anyone into her room ever since the thing had sprung to life. And for good reason.

‘What the fresh hell is this??’ Olivia exclaimed as she took a step back from the twist of branches that extended out toward the front door.

“Why didn’t you wait for me to answer??” Marley answered in return, her cheeks flaming in embarrassment as she realized that not only had Olivia seen the manifestation of her lack of control, but that she had not come alone. Just as she ducked beneath a series of roots to reach Olivia, a red-haired woman stepped out and around from behind the taller girl, her eyes slightly widened in surprise as well. Oh Aether.

‘It looks like some kind of tree…?’ Lila offered, then looked to Marley questioningly.

If there was ever a more mortifying moment in the entirety of her life, Marley couldn’t remember what it was right then. This trumped it all.

“Is there a reason you’re both here unannounced?” she brushed past, making quick work of shutting the door behind all three of them. “I was in the middle of finishing a paper.”

‘Well you haven’t exactly been answering my texts or other attempts to contact you for the last - aether, what has it been now, a month? Two?’ Olivia asked, arms folding across her chest as she looked to Lila for confirmation.

‘Sounds about right,’ Lila nodded, the surprise disappearing from her expression and replaced with something more akin to concern. ‘Actually, it was my idea. I’m sorry for us barging in, but you’ve been laying low for quite some time now, it seems.’

Marley huffed but led the way further inside her room, guiding them through a maze of roots and branches back to her desk. “I’ve been busy. Schoolwork, my photography portfolio, the like,” she offered up lamely. She didn’t even really believe herself anymore.

‘And that’s understandable, of course,’ Lila continued, pausing on one side of Marley’s desk. ‘It’s just that we’re a little bit concerned.’

“You don’t need to be-”

‘Stop that,’ Olivia interrupted her. ‘I’m tired of hearing this bullsh-’

‘Olivia,’ Lila cut in, gently but firmly. Olivia’s mouth set into a thin line but she quieted. Lila then turned her attention back to Marley. ‘I know I personally have been meaning to come speak with you about the LNWA. You know - the club you so passionately pitched to me and convinced me to join?’

Marley cringed. “I haven’t had the time…” she said.

‘Actually, I think you have,’ Lila replied, nothing malicious or accusatory in her tone, but Marley couldn’t help feeling like she was starting to get backed into a corner. ‘I noticed that you haven’t been to any of the recent meetings, none at all really since the new year began. And I haven’t heard a peep from you or anyone else about this petition you were working on.’

“I gave that over to Madison McCarthy,” Marley explained. “She was one of the few others who was interested in the activism part of the club, and she was helping me with it before. She’s taking over it if you really want to know more about it.”

‘That’s fine and all, but what I’m really concerned about is the sudden lack of passion for these causes that meant so much to you not that long ago.’

Olivia chose then to chime in. ‘Look, I know losing Millie has been hard and at first you seemed to be making an effort to get better, but… honestly, I’m beginning to wonder if you’re not just worse off than you were before,’ she said.

“I’m-” Marley stopped herself before either girl could tell her to. She’d been saying she was fine for so long and it was clearly getting her nowhere. “Okay, fine, maybe I’m worse off, maybe I’m just not ‘okay’ yet. But I have a full plate and that leaves little room for personal matters like that.”

‘Marley, you’ve sequestered yourself into this room,’ Olivia argued, ‘you’re stuck in here with this massive tree thing - and judging by how out of control it is, I can only assume you didn’t intend for it to even grow here - and when you’re not here, you’re keeping company with the likes of Victoria Violet or those other conservative Fae. Not to mention I can’t remember the last time I saw you hanging out with any of your real friends.’

“It’s complicated.”

‘Everything is always fu-’

‘OLIVIA. Language!’ Lila admonished.

‘Sorry, geez - everything is always complicated with you, Marley,’ Olivia huffed. ‘You’re always making things ten times harder than they should or could be. So why don’t you uncomplicate them and talk to us. Tell us what’s going on.’

Marley looked between both girls and sighed again. Were they right? Was she making this more complicated than it needed to be? And would it really kill her to talk to someone about what had been going on with her since February?

It’s not like she could tell her real friends anything about the Fae… but…

“Fine,” she relented, raking a hand through her hair as she tried to figure out where to even begin. “Here’s what’s going on.”

~*~

‘It’s time to stop acting like a sapling, my Dog Rose,’ Raphaelle drawled. ‘You’ve had your fun but it is time to buckle down and show where your true loyalty lies.’

Marley shook in her spot, rooted (not literally but close enough) to the ground. She couldn’t take her eyes off the strange and creepy abomination of a flower, upon which their ambassador’s face was affixed, upside down. In any other situation, this might be comical. But with Raphaelle Le Fay? It was just downright scary.

‘There is a time coming when you will need to put aside this frivality and face the responsibilities that come with being the Flowerchild of Prophecy,’ she continued, flexing her leaves and petals as she spoke.

“But I’m not-”

‘I have eyes everywhere, Dog Rose. And while you have been having fun with your unorthodox group of ‘friends’, you have neglected your sisters. You have pushed them to the sidelines rather than offering to stand united with them.’

Marley’s cheeks flamed green as she ducked her head in shame.

“My people are no less important to me,” she insisted. “I still want to help… I still want unity…” Just maybe not quite exactly the same unity the Fae had right then. “I promise you, my alignment is still with the Fae. I want to help them.”

‘Then it’s time to start showing it,’ Raphaelle replied. ‘I am capable of many great things, my Dog Rose. I still wish to help you with your fallen sister… I could find ways to bring her back. And… while I shudder to think of such alliances, there could come a day in the future when Fae would not have to worry about the dire implications that come with being with the Humans. I hold the power to bring about such changes, but I need a united front among my most influential sisters. Our future-makers.’ The upside-down face studied her own right-side-up one, and Marley shifted again nervously. ‘I need to know that I can trust our Flowerchild of Prophecy.’

Marley swallowed thickly. “Whatever it is I need to do… I’ll do it,” she promised, trying to ignore the sinking feeling that went with it. “Just tell me what I need to do to prove myself.”

‘The next Promenade will be in May of this year,’ the flower nodded. ‘I need to see a marked change in you, my Dog Rose. Find common ground with your sisters. Show us all who your true priority it is. And if there is not a significant change to be found at that time…’ The sentence ended there and hung in the air, leaving Marley feeling a certain sense of dread. What did she mean? What consequences would accompany a lack of change?

“I’ll fix this,” she answered, “I promise.”

~*~

‘I told you,’ Olivia shook her head, pacing what small space was available for them to move around in. ‘I told you she would use this stupid prophecy business to her advantage. Clearly, she’s manipulating you. For what reason, I don’t know, but there’s no denying it - she wants something from you and she’s willing to do whatever she has to in order to get it.’

“But she was right,” Marley admitted, rubbing the back of her neck as her cheeks flushed. “I was spending all this time fighting for causes that had nothing to do with Fae. I was going to parties and getting drunk and having crushes on people who can’t reciprocate and I… I…” She sighed, leaning forward on her elbows and rubbing her temples. “I wanted to be someone other than me. But that’s not possible. I’m still Marley Rose. I’m still a Fae, and I’m still the Flowerchild of Prophecy, and no matter of glamour potions or learning about human culture or frivolity can change that.”

Lila reached out to take one of Marley’s hands and squeezed it. ‘You’re putting yourself under a lot of pressure,’ she said. ‘You’ve dealt with a lot since coming here and… maybe I’m reaching a bit, but it sounds like you’re holding on to a lot of guilt.’

‘You can say that again,’ Olivia muttered.

“Would you shut up?” Marley snapped.

Lila gave Olivia another warning look. ‘As I was saying, it seems like perhaps you’re taking on the responsibility of a lot more than you’re obligated to. And I don’t quite understand why. The sorts of politics and issues that Raphaelle Le Fay concerns herself with - they are not the kind that I’ve come to know you to support,’ she said, squeezing again. ‘I can understand feeling overwhelmed with the pressure to please multiple parties and find some sort of acceptance among your peers, but… is this what you really want?’

Marley gave a humorless laugh. “What I want hasn’t mattered for some time now,” she said.

‘You may not think so, but it does.’

The truth though was that it was easier to focus on expectations and rules and parameters rather than what she actually wanted. Because… what did she actually want?

“Either way, it doesn’t matter because I already made my choice. I’m working on my relationship with the Fae and I think I’m close to the breakthrough I need to prove myself worthy of this stupid title.”

‘Which, just to clarify, you think is stupid?’ Olivia asked, raising an eyebrow. Marley gave her a glare in return, though the older Fae just rolled her eyes. ‘Whatever. The reason we’re here is because we want to help.’

‘We hope you’ll let us help,’ Lila added. ‘If this is really the road you’re going to choose to go down, then we can’t stand by and let you drown here on your own.’

“I’m not drowning.”

‘You’ve got a massive tree taking over your room and you’ve all but become a recluse,’ Olivia reminded her. ‘I don’t know what your plan is but I already don’t like it…. but I also won’t let you go this alone. So please. Let us help you.’

Marley looked between both ladies, unsure what definition to give the overwhelming feeling that rose within her chest. It was one thing to have Mason offering his help, or even Santana prying in her own intrusive ways, but to have Fae in her life who could and wanted to help? It felt simultaneously like a dangerous idea and like breaking the surface of the water to finally breathe again.

“I don’t… I don’t know how you can help yet,” she admitted, running her hand through her hair again. “But I’m open to suggestion.”

Lila smiled, relief infusing her facial features as they softened and her frame relaxed. ‘We should wait to see what happens at the Promenade,’ she nodded. ‘See if Raphaelle has anything to say about the current political climate and if the Fae have any cooking up moving forward.. But in the meantime… Marley, I really think you should take some time out to figure out what exactly it is that you want. Independent of the expectations of you as the Flowerchild of Prophecy, and separate from what anyone else’s opinions might be of who and what and how you should be.’ She squeezed Marley’s hand again. ‘You can’t base your life off of what others unrealistically expect from you, and you certainly can’t make a decision this great without taking stock of what implications it will have for you in the long run.’

It felt like an exercise in defeat but Marley finally nodded in agreement. “Fine… I’ll think on it.” It felt like Lila was asking the world of her - just like every other person crossing her path - but with finals almost done and the edge of the pressure taken off, she could stand to entertain the impossible, however far out of reach it might seem.

[thephilologist-blog]

The issue of illegal immigration in the United States presidential election of 2016 - Karolina Kupis

The problem of illegal immigration has been present in the history of the United States for centuries. However, from 1990 to 2007 it faced the biggest ever growth. In 1990 there were 3,5 million illegal immigrants in the country but in 2007 the number increased up to 12,2 million, which made about  4% of the American population. In 2014 the population of unauthorized nation dropped to 11,2 million people, which is about 3,5% of the country’s population. About half of all illegal immigrants are of Mexican decent but, what is important to mention, before the Great Recession the Mexican population in the U.S. reached 7 million people. Undocumented immigrants are spread all over the United States. However, about 80% of them live in ten states, mainly in California and Texas, the two states on the U.S.-Mexican border.

Illegal immigration has a significant impact on American culture, society and economy. When such a big number of people come to another country, they bring with themselves their language, culture, traditions and religion. In the United States, currently there are 37 million people who speak Spanish, the most popular non-English language in the country. Spanish customs and traditions have also become important elements of American culture.

There is a strong connection between the phenomenon of illegal immigration and the development of American economy. Although unauthorized workers are an important source of low-skilled labor force, they do not damage the U.S. economy. Instead they create thousands of new workplaces and pay millions of dollars each year in state and local taxes. Thus removing undocumented workers from America would cause the loss of millions of dollars and thousands of workplaces.

The problem of illegal immigration in the United States in one of the most important topics of the 2016 presidential election. The Democratic candidates, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, are the ones who have favorable opinions about immigrants, and their plans would make a good change for the unauthorized nation. However, the Republican candidate, Donald Trump, has a slightly different opinion from these two. He is determined to take serious action to end illegal immigration in the United States.

Hillary Clinton is the first woman in the American history with the biggest chance of winning the election. She was the First Lady of the United States during Bill Clinton’s presidency from 1993 to 2001, the First Lady of Arkansas for 12 years and the 67th United States Secretary of State from 2009 to 2013. Hillary grew up in Illinois, in 1969 she graduated from Wellesley College and in 1973 she earned her Doctor of Law degree from Yale Law School. Clinton was a Democratic candidate in the 2008 presidential election but she lost her nomination to Barack Obama. However, it was a big success because in the history of elections, no other female candidate had won so many delegates as Clinton.

Hillary Clinton’s attitude towards immigrants is most favourable of all the candidates. On her website she outlines her plans of the comprehensive immigration reform which may create a pathway to citizenship for many illegal immigrants:

We have to finally and once and for all fix our immigration system – this is a family issue. It’s an economic issue too, but it is at heart a family issue. If we claim we are forfamily, then we have to pull together and resolve the outstanding issues around our broken immigration system. The American people support comprehensive immigration reform not just because it’s the right thing to do – and it is – but because it will strengthen families, strengthen our economy, and strengthen our country. That’s why we can’t wait any longer, we can’t wait any longer for a path to full and equal citizenship[1].

Clinton has already supported government actions connected with comprehensive immigration reform. She is a person who cares about every human beings, their dignities, security, and equality. She claims to defend President Obama’s executive action about deportation and she says she will do everything that is possible under the law to protect immigrant families. As the president of the United States Hillary Clinton will promote naturalization because there are nine million people with lawful permanent residence and she believes that they should be given a chance to become United States citizens. What is more, Clinton wants to support immigrant integration and make sure that they all have access to health care. She also promises to focus on humane, targeted and effective immigration enforcement.

The next candidate for the Democratic nomination for president is Bernie Sanders. Sanders was born in Brooklyn, New York City. He graduated from the University of Chicago in 1964. Sanders is the longest serving independent in American congressional history. In the United States Senate, where he represents Vermont,he is serving his second term. He won re-election to the American Senate with 71% of the vote in 2012. In the past, Bernie Sanders was a mayor of Vermont’s biggest city for 8 years. He was also Vermont’s sole congressman in the House of Representative for 16 years.

His presidential campaign is based on a progressive agenda. He wants to create new jobs, raise wages, protect the environment and provide health care for all people, give them better access to higher education, reform immigrant and criminal justice, confirm civil rights and reduce the influence of money on politics.

Sanders himself has a big connection with immigration and a big plan for fair and human immigration policy. He has already voted for the comprehensive immigration reform bill that would have legalized millions of illegal immigrants. On to his website Bernie expresses his view on immigration:

We are a nation of immigrants. I am proud to be the son of an immigrant. My father came to this country from Poland without a nickel in his pocket. Their story, my story, our story is a story of America: hard-working families coming to the United States to create a brighter future for their children. But even as this tradition is carried on proudly by so many families all across the United States, we have eleven million people in this country who are undocumented – who came here to improve their lives, to escape oppression, to flee desperate poverty and violence – and are systematically shut out from that same opportunity[2].

As a president Bernie Sanders will disassemble inhuman deportation programs and detention centers. The growth of these phenomena resulted in separation of hundreds of thousands of immigrant families, which Bernie Sanders does not accept. As well as Hillary Clinton, in his plans he has extension of President Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans. He wants to allow all illegal immigrants who have been in the United States for more than five years to stay in  the country. According to this plan, about nine million people would be able to apply for deferred action.

What is more, this candidate wants to provide permanent immigration relief to families. He would improve the Administration’s parole-in-place policies to contain undocumented relatives of the United States citizens and lawful permanent residents, and also provide deferred action for family members who came to the U.S. on a visa but fell out of status. Sanders would also separate local law enforcement from immigration enforcement because in many cases these two would have a bad effect on the final result of deportations. He would promote cooperation between immigrants and local enforcement. It would certainly create a strong bond between community members and local law enforcement. It would also help to respect the rights of immigrants and show the will of local governments.

As a president he will also protect immigrant workers exercising their rights by setting a whistleblower visa for workers who experienced labor violations. He would also employ humanitarian parole to reunite families and expand access to legal counsel for detained immigrants.

In his plan for detention, he has “the end for-profit detention” and “the end for family detention”. Sanders wants to fight to end federal, state and municipal contracts with for-profit private prisons[3]. What is more, he will work to be sure that detention centers do not hold innocent families who came to the United Sates looking for safety. As a president he will also make detention practices accountable and will promote alternatives to detention.

Senator Sanders is a very open candidate. He is willing to create a path to citizenship to all unauthorized immigrants, so as a result it would create a new humane immigration system. He even wants to take care of future immigration flows and integration between immigrants. He does not perceive border security as something that needs a lot of militarization improvement but rather as something that needs work on protecting the rights of border communities.

Donald J. Trump, the candidate of the Republican Party, represents a different approach to illegal immigration in the U.S. He is a controversial businessman, television personality, and author. This multimillionaire is a son of Frederick C. and Mary MacLeod Trump. His father was a builder and New York City real estate developer and gave him passion to business. Donald J. Trump studied economics at Wharton School of Finance at the University of Pennsylvania and after graduation he joined his father’s company, and in 1971 was given control over it. Now he is the Chairman and the President of The Trump organization and also founder of the gaming and hotel enterprise Trump Entertainment Resort. Trump was involved in presidential elections before. He first campaigned for the United States presidency in 2000 from the Reform Party. In 2015 he announced his candidacy for president from the Republican Party.

Donald J. Trump is known for his controversial views, which he is eager to proclaim. He is against illegal immigration, as well as various free-trade agreements. He wants to temporarily ban foreign Muslims from entering the United States. His mission is to make America great again and one of the ways to make it is through the immigration reform.

On his website Donald J. Trump presents the main principles of his immigration plan[4]. First of all, he claims that “a nation without borders is not a nation” and that means that there must be a wall between the United States and Mexico. Second of all, “a nation without laws is not a nation”, thus laws must be enforced. Finally, “a nation that does not serve its own citizens is not a nation” and that means that any immigration plan must improve jobs, wages and security for all Americans[5]. The 2.000 mile border is a very important topic in the 2016 presidential elections. The Republican candidate Donald J. Trump has very strong views on the U.S.-Mexican border. On his website he posted a very exact plan of the action for the border[6]. James Whitlow Delano comments on this policy in the following way:

Donald Trump has famously and repeatedly promised to seal the border with a wall if he's elected. He and others have promised to send people who illegally crossed the border—a number that appears to have leveled off—back to Mexico.[7]

Trump intends to give an overall end to illegal immigration in the United States. He also is going to make Mexican government pay for the wall. In his view, over the years Mexico had taken advantage of America and its economy. Open borders let Latino criminals smuggle drugs on the territory of the United States and the money from selling drugs came back to Mexico in considerable amounts. Open borders let Latino criminals develop smuggling people industry, which gave Mexico thousands of dollars each year when illegal workers sent money back to their families. The United States suffered extraordinary costs in the fight with Mexican illegal immigration. Now according to Trump, it is time for Mexico to pay for the past actions.

What is more, Trump intends to triple the number of In Case of Emergency (ICE) officers as it happened with the United States Border Patrol after the 9-11. He also wants to implement nationwide e-verify programs, which would prevent taking jobs by illegal immigrants. Trump promises to introduce action that will cause deportation of every illegal immigrant who has committed a crime and detention and sending back home every person who was crossing the border illegally. He will stop giving money to any cities which will not cooperate with the laws and will improve penalties for overstaying visas. He will take actions on gangs of illegal immigrant members. Moreover, he will end birthright citizenship to the children of illegal immigrants.

Donald J. Trump will put American workers first. He claims that America needs to control the admission of illegal workers. This might lead to higher earnings of legal citizens, job opportunities for teenagers, the rise of the middle class, as well as improvements of American schools and communities as a whole.

There are more details concerning Trump’s further plans. First of all, in his opinion, America needs to increase the prevailing wage for H-1Bs. H-1B refers to people who are temporarily employed in the United States and deal with specialty occupations. Increasing the prevailing wage for H-1Bs will induce companies to hire American citizens more likely than foreign workers. Second of all, Donald J. Trump wants to change a requirement system of hiring people, so that American workers were first in the line. He also wants to end welfare abuse. Anyone who will want to work in the United States will have to prove that they can pay for their needs, housing, healthcare. The job program for foreign youth will also change. Trump wants it to be terminated and replaced. What is more, he wants to do away with the refugee program. Instead he would prefer to spend money from the refugee program on American children and their needs. He aims to help those without parents to find safer homes and communities, and also increase safety in American neighborhoods with a high rate of crime.

The fate of immigrants staying in the United States illegally lies in voters’ hands and their choices. The future U.S. President will decide about the new measures aimed at several million people who will either stay in the country to achieve the American dreams or will have to leave disappointed and disillusioned with the New World.

[1] Hillary Clinton website, http://www.hillarycliton.com(accessed 1.05.2016).

[2] Bernie Sanders website, http://www.berniesanders.com(accessed 1.05.2016).

[3] Ibid.

[4] Donald Trump website, http://www.donaldjtrump.com(accessed 1.05.2016).

[5] Ibid.

[6] Ibid.

[7] James Whitlow Delano, “This Is What the U.S.-Mexico Border Wall Actually Looks Like.”National Geographic, Mar. 4, 2016. http://nationalgeographic.com (accessed May 17, 2016).

Bibliography

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Noferi, Mark. “New Study Show Deportations Don’t     Reduce Crime.” American Immigration Council Immigration Impact. http://immigrationimpact.com (accessed May 6, 2016).

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