#bafflingly entitled question

[nyancrimew]

can u just post the text on your tumblr. why inconvenience your followers like that?

???? because im a writer who writes articles for her own website and various outlets and not just a tumblr blog? i mean really why would book authors on here try and sell you their book instead of just posting the text on tumblr?

if clicking a link (or bypassing a firewall that falsely flags my site) is too inconvenient for you i dont think i can help you

[hestiasroom]

are you ever just amazed at how misogynist pro-life men are? i was watching another one on youtube the other day and at the end of the podcast he just came right out an said that if he had a choice between protecting women and their desire for self-actualization etc. and the poor fetus/”baby” (his words, obviously not mine) that “just wanted a shot at life” (not sure how he would know what a fetus at a pre-conscious developmental stage would “want” unless he is, like most males, substituting himself for the fetus), he would choose the fetus every time. They don’t even hide the fact that they straight up don’t value women’s lives. The potential of a fetus (again, you should read this as the male in question substituted for the fetus, because obviously men do not give a crap about children generally, they care about themselves and since they will never be pregnant, they never bother to imagine themselves as the mother but rather as the fetus) means more than actual women to these men. They simply feel a deep entitlement to women’s care and love regardless of her desires. He simply knows that he is more important, more valuable, and should come before anything else she has going on. He of course will not reciprocate, but that’s okay. He also had the gall to refer to pregnancy and motherhood as an “inconvenience”, basically spitting on the reality of how hard and all-consuming pregnancy and motherhood can be. He claims that he honors motherhood, and that society should do more to respect it though. Bafflingly, he didn’t seem to realize that reducing it to mere “inconvenience” does the opposite of that, but whatever. 

[onewomancitadel]

You might think that you can mitigate audience misunderstanding or countertextual interpretation with a side of entitled rage but the reality is that you could write the most forthcoming, basic, handholding, spoonfeeding narrative with characters saying the thematic statement verbally and someone would twist it into something else, including and especially something more complicated than it really is and overall tonally inappropriate. Literally just give up trying to do that.

That's why the morally didactic approach to fiction (and children's literature is more complex than a list of commandments) is so dangerous, because the minute you start trying to control what people should be taking away, the minute you've already lost.

But when it comes to say, criticism of something like R/WBY, I literally could not give criticism which would help them ameliorate the problems with the fandom. There is nothing that can be done. The handholding and spoonfeeding they've tried to do before has failed particularly since the fundamental approaches of That Part of the Audience is at odds with the fundamental approach of the text, no matter how much you overexplain something.

Bafflingly - bafflingly - R/WBY is a very straightforward show! It's only opaque to people used to stories where storytelling doesn't matter materially, only as far as it gets the spectacle forward, and it's little more than cover for self-insert dramatic fights. This isn't a question of narrative quality - I mean absolutely in terms of what you can take away the show is trying to say, which a lot of people struggle with and get mad at R/WBY about. (Of course narrative message is tied to execution, but it uses very straightforward techniques to achieve its ideas and it does so very successfully. If you listen to what the characters are saying and pay attention to what they're doing or any sort of substantial narrative content).

I often wonder about how R/WBY is so at odds with its audience and if it's salvageable. I'm not really sure. I think part of its issue is how it transgresses expected genre boundaries narratively (from V1, by the way) and where it does lean into it aesthetically. There's an audience it wants to court, and thought it could court, but... didn't really, and even with V9 I get the continual sense that they're still trying.

Just drop the farce, tell the story you have to tell; people will make up their own version.

[madamhatter]

kiboumukou inquired: /)///v///(\ Send “/)///v///(\” to see how my muse would talk about yours to another person. | accepting ! | @kiboumukou​​

    Designated and condemned to the outside world was all that Sophie Hatter feared as the ropes of control were slowly sliding out of her palms, burning her in her descent from powerlessness. Alas, with proper reconfiguration and a reality check, the eldest of three begrudgingly left the safe confines of her dorm room and gathered her composure. After all, the sole reason why she would push herself, despite the blatant plunge into a depressive episode, was only one of two lives that made her life worth something.

    “Sophie, relax, no one is going to notice us.” Huffing and rolling her eyes, Lettie shifts her weight in the white-wired chair with her flat, dark as night hair falling over her shoulders. With the length of her pale finger, she twirls her finger into the tips of her hair, eyes unable to pry away from her evermoving, ever restless sister. Compared between the two, black hair versus brown hair, ocean eyes versus earthly eyes, Lettie could reason as to why her eldest sister would’ve been on the alert as she was the most beautiful out of the three they belonged to a recognizable fashion company with some popularity overseas. Well, the second-born would be noticed. As for the eldest, given her mousey habits, she’d soon scurry than ever conduct interviews outside of controlled environments and agreements with limited availability.   

   “Lettie, you can’t ever be too sure--” Sophie fans her hand, awkwardly scooting her chair to face her sister as they both were comfortably settled outside at the cafe’s patio. Without needing to acknowledge her younger sister, the brunette could already envision how Lettie could tilt her head back, brows quirked as if ready to snark back. “And I would appreciate no comments about the ridiculousness of my claims, thank you,” she hurriedly whispers, quick to reason with her otherwise bull-headed sister. Though, on the contrary, it was all three of the sisters that were as stubborn as to what they held in their name as Hatters. 

   “Speaking of you,” Lettie slowly drums her fingers on the tabletop, observing her sister preoccupy herself with her sketchbook, “I haven’t heard a lick about you since I got here. I’ve spent all this morning being probed with questions from you about myself. Which, frankly, I don’t mind. But, I haven’t heard a thing from you!  Y’know, I thought you being out here would help with your problem--” 

     “Enough,”  The eldest of three doesn’t raise her gaze from the pages yet her tongue is quicker to maintain the conversation. “If Martha and I didn’t say anything, you’ll be wasting away in that office and alcove still,” Lettie sharply replies, eyes narrowing. Yet, no satisfaction comes with how unresponsive the eldest is, “sooner, you’d be falling to the floor and just like father--”  A pulse of indignation swept through Lettie, yet she lifts her head, deep breathing to balance her emotions and thoughts. Her voice dips into a whisper, brows pressed in worry, “Sophie, is this even helping? Can you stop acting for one second?”

    Plummeting into silence, Lettie’s shoulders straighten. What she sees is far too cold, calm. Sophie straightens herself into her seat, eyes burrowing her sister. Only by the shadows filling in her sunken sockets was there a color of emotion -- an eerie one, at that. “If you’re this insistent, I’ll tell you.” 

   “Truthfully, the student body at Hope’s Peak Academy are remarkable subjects to observe. Getting a brief grasp of the divide between the main course and reserve course is as stark as a mustard stain on mother’s fine china collection. The entitlement in several of my peers in my year, and even in the younger students in my course, is absolutely unfathomable. Yet, entitlement is a poison for the bright future minds that are coddled by this system.” Sophie gestures her hand into the air, eyes averting in her lengthy explanation. “The arbitrary nature of ‘Ultimates’ and how finicky their titles can be is more than a headache when needing to understand the abysmal and brutal culture focused on schools in Japan. However, needing to comprehend all that I must is a part of my work, whether or not I like it.” 

    “Hope’s Peak Academy, as well, has provided the most interesting set of acquaintances I could acquire for my line of work. Not at all bafflingly, being surrounded by so many peers of my own age is still a hurdle that I must get over. After spending half of my life with associates practically twice or thrice my age, I’m a failure through my atypical socialization. However, this does mean that the student body, regardless of the course they’re in, provides me more opportunities in learning different behaviors and developing future plans, if I see them fit for it.” 

   Apathy laced thoughts wallow in the unmasked Hatter, her body adjusting to recline against her seat, ankles crossed, but her left hand flared out in deliberation. “Compared to my previous school, there are far less blue-blooded belligerents who are as desperate to entangle and meddle in affairs not meant for them. Or, even worse, begin those scandalous affairs within the student body, inspired their own air-headedness and self-absorption. Alas, who am I to prescribe such a truth to the Academy? There’s plenty there to question in regard to the integrity and soundness in the Academy's foundation and structure. Yet, that could only be the pessimism in me too caught up in the obscure.” The woman turns her chin, dissatisfaction souring her cold expression for a frown. “Or it is just me too caught with everything.” 

  Pleats of winter white cascade over the horizon, seamless and untouched snow decorating rooftops, window sills, tree branches, and sidewalks. Pressing her chapped lips together, a hiss of opaque air leaves her lips, a puff of white shortly ascending and disappearing into the stratosphere. Elbow angled on the armrest, the young woman perches her chin on top of the falt on her scarred-infested palm. Countless and unrecognizable denizens stroll through the snowy blocks, living their own lives, all of which left the young woman in a soundless daze -- yearning for all its worth, despite how convoluted understanding it was. What did she want anymore? How could she want when fate mangles her like she was its own marionette?  

   “I find myself in the oddest predicaments.” Dismissing her ever-turbulent insecurities and unanswerable problems, the eldest daughter waves her hand into the chilly air, grumbling with a shine of suppressed irate hidden under her tongue. An utterance muffled against the calloused flesh of her palm, another air of frustration and uncertainty filters into the morrow. Typical fashion for the Hatter, silently left to her devices and surrounded by thorns that dig and exsanguinate the remnants of childish longing in her heart. 

   “Life is is still the same,” shrugging, Sophie’s attention remains on the picturesque downtown of Bunkyo, Tokyo. “I still don’t see why I was chosen,”  she confessed as her voice was muffled by her palm, her brows knitting. “Goodness, this school makes the poorest of choices,” she shakes her head.

    “However, it’s unexpectantly different,” a glimmer returns to her eyes as she lifts her chin, her face fully visible, “in the rare cracks of free time I could garner between school and work, there was some normalcy. For example, one of my classmates happens to be an avid reader like myself, but he tends to keep to himself. But, there are moments of disarming laughter and banter, something that clears my mind, if not for a moment--” 

    However, the Hatter raises her hand, closing her eyes to muffle her tired laughter, “I wonder if this is why he refers to me as batty. Half of the time I must talk his ear off whenever I’m on break.” Sophie fingers slowly begin to tread through her locks, dividing between the rustic brown and shimmering silver. “Mind you, he does his best to keep himself in order when he notices how out of the loop I am. Several times, his disposition is rougher than it needs to be before he realizes the errors of his ways. I suppose that’s natural for him--”

   “Hajime is interesting. He’s one of the students from the Reserve course, not at all someone who beats around the bush. Set and ready to speak his mind as he doesn’t follow polite procedure when his heart is set in stone. Though, that’s only when someone could get under his skin, which he may not realize it’s easy most of the time. I’m not comparing him to an open book, but he’s certainly a hedgehog on some days.” 

    “I’m not sure how it all began, truthfully. One moment I’m going between my classroom, conferences, to my dorm room without second thought on most days. In the next moment, I’m bunching up my skirts and trying to find him like a bloodhound from the Scottish Yard. It would be wrong to say he’s easy to talk to; I believe it’s ill-mannered to consider someone ‘easy.’ As far as a conversation partner, he’s amongst the most ‘normal,’ even if seems bothered by the notion of normalcy. Actually, I take that back. it’s just nice to talk to him; I enjoy hearing his opinions, listening about topics far and over my head. When he steps away from his bluntness and defensiveness, he’s warm, considerate--” 

   “He’s a lanky fellow, with spring green eyes always wide and quick to reflect his emotions and with messy brown hair with an ‘antenna’ sprouting on the top of it. I would consider him a head and a half taller than me, give or take. Physical appearance aside, there’s a remarkability about him that he’s stupidly blind about. Any compliment sent his way is met with skepticism and questioned. He isn’t a step shy of doubting himself whenever he can be considered different from how he sees himself. I sometimes cannot comprehend why he cannot see what I can.” 

    “Maybe that’s why I find myself conversing with him as often? Misery loves company and I suppose as one who’s as self-dejected as he is, it only becomes second-hand to identify another cut from the same cloth. He’s as determined to be unique but, he sells himself short and his own goal...is concerning.” Sophie sinks into her seat, crossing her arms over her chest. “At least, what he implies in every day talk is more than revealing; he’s mastered devaluing himself over, possibly, years of modeling from everyone else defining of who he’s to be. Or, he overanalyzes what he ‘lacks’ in a title. It is easier for a young mind to simplify problems to simple solutions.”

     “I just--I just don’t understand why he can’t see I what I see!” Sophie sighs with frustration, one hand now gesturing into the air. “Opinionated, awkward, determined, understanding, and caring-- He has a nice smile but he goes off deflecting it!  Imagine his face if I even dared expressed my thoughts on his laugh! He’s probably going to tell me to bugger off! But, will I? Of course not!”

     She pinches the bridge of her nose, inhaling deeply, slowing her words from her fuming rant. “There is so much more there but he sets himself back and it drives me insane. I might be the ‘Mad Hatter’ by those who make fun of me, but good Lord, I might end up becoming that the longer I think of it! He’s a good person, and maybe he just doesn’t understand how rare it is--”

   “---And maybe that’s why it’s all the more worrying,” Sophie hushes. “A good person may not always know that they are, maybe feel inadequate about something that doesn’t feel right. A good person -- they could be used too. They could be taken advantage of and they may believe it’s for the better.”

    “I--” Sophie shakes her head, wrinkling her nose. Configuring herself, Sophie sits up proper in her hair. “I don’t have much to say on the matter nor do I know how to define it. All I know is that his company is appreciated-- Maybe it’s a friendship--” Yet that train of thought dissolves to unbridled laughter, shakey and downright sardonic. 

   “But, that can’t be the case. There’s no time..no point. The moment that door opens, I will be dragged back to my fate. Back to the eldest of three, the inheritor after father’s work, the one meant for...” Sophie drums her fingers on the table, staring down at the unfinished lineart on her sketchbook, briefly meeting eyes with her sister, before turning reclusive altogether.

    “Are you satisfied now, Lettie?” Sophie provides a forced polite smile, hollow yet well-trained to fool common eyes. “I promise you; there’s nothing happening in my life or will be happening anytime soon.” 

    Lettie, upon being on the receiving end on one of Sophie’s infamous rants, plainly taken her glass, sipping it slowly with her brows raised. “Hm.” That sounded quite doubtful. 

[synchronysymphony]

I’d like to hear about your thoughts on Marius sometime!

ohohoho do you really

okay

Baron Marius Pontmercy, major character from Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables, bafflingly remains one of literature’s most enduring characters despite a striking lack of most redeeming qualities, and a thoroughly flavorless, though unappealing personality. This fact is interesting from a sociological perspective, as it highlights the popularity of young, attractive, white male characters, seemingly against all common sense. On a more literature-oriented perspective, however, it demonstrates Hugo’s inventive work with archetypes. While many of the other characters in the novel represent an idea, or symbolize some greater theme beyond themselves, Marius represents nothing but Hugo’s own whimsy, undeniably human, but weak and ineffectual. We may see him as a representation of society at its most blandly tasteless, or as a nod to the common man, but in the end, we must accept Marius for who he is: a half-baked cad with a shocking lack of a moral compass, and few truly appealing features.

We first meet Marius as a privileged young law student, antisocial, awkward, and seething with bitterness against his estranged father. Hugo describes him favorably, but the audience is left with the uncomfortable sense of vague dislike. He does not have the human appeal that the other characters in the book are granted; not the quaint compassion of Bishop Myriel, nor the delicate charm of Fantine, or even the robust, boisterous humanity of Les Amis de l’ABC. He appears static, flat, and thoroughly uninspiring. As a child, he is described as “having passed from a prude to a pedant,” and in his adulthood, he becomes “royalist, fanatical, and austere” (Hugo, 352). The reader may infer that much of this is due to an unhappy childhood, especially given the canonical evidence of him disliking his grandfather, by whom he was raised. This explains, but does not excuse, his later actions.

Reckless pride is one of Marius’s most striking traits. He chooses to leave the luxury of his grandfather’s house because of the slight to his father, but he does not make any sort of plan, or prepare himself in any way for independent living. In fact, it is only because of the kindness of his new friends, Courfeyrac and Bossuet, that he is able to stay in school and find a job, and a place to live. However, he never thanks either of them for their compassion, and in fact, treats both of them (particularly Courfeyrac) rather rudely. Courfeyrac, generous soul that he is, never rebuffs Marius for his inconsiderate behavior, and in fact continues to unquestioningly lend him money until his death on the barricades. Marius, refusing to take help from his family, does manage to make something of a living for himself, which is admirable, and he pays rent for the Jondrette family next door, which is even more so. In this, we see that he is capable of compassion, though for the rest of the novel, he does not exercise it anymore.

Marius’s sexist and entitled tendencies can be clearly seen in his treatment of both Eponine and Cosette. He does not see Eponine as his equal; rather, he pities her, treats her like a child, and unashamedly capitalizes on her generousness to get him what he wants. Even after her death, which happens to save him, he merely puts her body on the ground, leaves it there, and goes about his business in trying to send word to Cosette. In short, he thinks of her as an object. In the musical, they’re friends; in the novel, they are not so much. This, though illuminating, is not nearly as egregious as his treatment of Cosette. When he first notices her in the Luxembourg gardens, his first thought is that she has eyes that are “always looking about with a disagreeable assurance” (Hugo, 397). He does not like the fact that Cosette is bold and self-assured, even as a child (which she is at this juncture), though as we see from his interactions with Les Amis, he does not mind those qualities in men, whom he considers his equals. From the very beginning, he thinks of Cosette as a possession, one whom he loves, to be sure, but one who is not, and can never be, his equal. This becomes quite apparent in the episode in which Cosette’s skirt blows up and shows her ankle. Marius is furious, because he thinks someone could have seen, which would be unacceptable, as to him, Cosette is his property. So he is angry with her for three days, which is quite an unreasonable amount of time, and at the end of that time, he chooses to “forgive” her for something that was not her fault to begin with. This demonstrates his disturbing possessiveness, and his tendency to be enraged when something doesn’t go his way.

As stated before, Marius possesses an unreasonable amount of entitlement, not just to Cosette, but to the world at large. When living next door to the Jondrettes, he thinks he is perfectly within his rights to spy on them, invading their privacy for the sake of satisfying his own curiosity. What then follows is an almost comical adventure involving Jean Valjean, Javert, and the Patron-Minette, one which Marius is privy to by virtue of his own dumb luck. He gets through it all with no problem, since, as with the rest of the novel, he is immune to all consequences, and once everything has blown over, makes Eponine’s acquaintance and uses his connection to her to find Cosette. Once he does so, he thoughtlessly invades her garden without permission, then continues to meet with her there, although if they were to be discovered, she would be the one in trouble, not him, thanks to stringent and sexist 1830s double standards. He does not care about this, though, as he feels that he can do whatever he wants with her.

Just before the barricades, Cosette tells Marius that she is moving to London, against her will. Marius takes this very badly, and treats her as if it is her fault. He asks her “coldly” if she will go, and when she says that she has to, he tells her that he will die, which is manipulative, and has a negative effect on her. He refuses to consider her solution, and instead leaves her to cry for two hours while he thinks about how hard this is on him, and him alone (Hugo, 592). Of course, Cosette has no choice in the matter, but Marius is angry all the same. This parallels their “first quarrel,” when Cosette’s skirt blew up to show her ankle. Marius didn’t get his way then, and he doesn’t now, and both times, he is unreasonably angry. He decides that since he can’t have Cosette, he may as well die, and he goes off to the barricades, which he promptly threatens to blow up. Enjolras appreciates this, and calls him the new leader, but to the audience, it appears audacious, even temeritous (okay that’s not a word but y’know what I mean). Marius feels entitled even to the revolution, which he has had no part in. In musical-Enjolras’s words, he seems to think this is a game.

This is all well and good, but Marius’s most appalling lack of humanity is shown towards the end of the novel, in his horrific treatment of Jean Valjean. Having decided that Valjean is beneath his contempt, he begins the process of cutting him out of Cosette’s life, without telling Cosette a thing about it. We must remember, at this moment in time, Cosette has two important people in her life, Valjean and Marius, and Marius is making her choose between them. He wants her to belong to him entirely, and he wants Valjean, whom he thinks is irredeemable, to live out the rest of his life in solitude. In this aim, Marius almost succeeds, until he happens to find out that Valjean is the one who saved his life. Then, he changes his tune with alacrity. All the morality he had been espousing earlier goes out the window; this man helped him, so he must be good. He still doesn’t tell Cosette anything, though, and brings her to her father’s deathbed with nothing but questions and grief.

As we can see, Marius’s morality is fluid and self-serving. He changes his mind about his father, and about Napoleon, and about the revolution once he sees that having a different opinion will fit his needs. He shapes his worldview depending not on what’s right, like Combeferre, or what’s ideal, like Enjolras, or even what’s practical, like Eponine, but on what suits him the best. He is eminently selfish, and has no strict code that would give him a strong character. He floats along through his life, getting lucky in every instance through no ingenuity of his own, and manages to succeed, not because he has a strong personality, or a good heart, but because he is, as stated before, immune to all consequence. This is one flaw in Hugo’s work; in a novel about the miserable people in society, in which everyone brushes elbows with tragedy, Marius escapes relatively unscathed. This sets him apart from the others, and makes him seem rather untouchable.

In short, Marius has few qualities which are to be admired. He is proud, but to the point of selfishness, brave, but to the point of recklessness, intelligent, but callous, determined, but self-serving. He shows little to no compassion throughout the course of the novel, and none of the redeeming love or hope that makes characters such as Cosette so appealing. One gets the sense that he is successful in his endeavors because the author wants him to be, not because of any merit of his own. He is a weak character, flawed and human to be sure, but not someone I would want in my life. To sum up, in five simple words: Marius Pontmercy is a fuckboy.

[grither55]

The Princess and the Peasant - (An Azula Epic) - Chapter 12 - Music, Conversation and Wine

"I have to say Azula…you do seem fond of this girl." Mai commented while gazing at Azula as the spoiled woman lay back upon her seat as if it was a throne.

All the while Elle lay with her head upon the woman's belly sighing peacefully with the princess's palm in her hair.

"Of course, I am fond of her Mai. What's not to like about her? She's practically the servant that I've always wanted. It's only natural that such a wonderful pet will have privileges that others could only dream of." Azula remarked as she turned with her plate in hand while scooping up another mouthful smiling widely as she did so.

"Well! I wish you two all the best!" Ty Lee cheered while gazing down at Elle with a warm smile about her.

"I-I am overjoyed that you think so Azula-sama. There's nothing not to like about you either…" Elle trailed off while swooning with a crimson traveling down her cheeks as she traced her finger along the woman's belly.

"Hm. I know but I do enjoy hearing you tell me how perfect I am." The princess responded while lazily gulping down yet another delicious bite of her meal.

"Then I will continue to do so master. May I show you my cool stuff now?" The blonde-haired girl requested with childish joy in her voice while the reclining woman gazed down at her still eating her food.

"…Fine. Show me your 'cool stuff'." Azula answered in mid mouthful before swallowing it with grace as she wiped her lips with a napkin.

"Yay! I am so happy that we're best friends Azula-sama. I just know we'll share so many wonderful memories together…" Elle cried out as she sat up on the much taller woman's lap while Azula gazed down at her with deadpan golden eyes.

"Aww…" The brown-haired woman giggled as she took careful note that her cruel friend was being quite gentle with her adopted sister.

For Azula this was astonishingly tender behavior.

"Oh, of that I have no doubt…best friend." The princess stated with a trace of wryness that was lost on the seemingly simple girl's little mind.

"Best friends with Azula-sama!" The blonde-haired girl cheered with innocent joy lighting her cheeks as she grasped her backpack.

"You have a strange choice in both best friends…and caretaker's Elle." The markswoman spoke while they all watched the girl sit in the princess's lap while beaming as she dug into her bag.

"Mhm. I must say. This is my idea of a 'best friend'…one who is complete subservient to my will. You should take note Mai…you as well Ty Lee..." Azula taunted while pointing an entitled finger down at the back of Elle's head only for the other woman to snort derisively.

"I'll survive." Mai replied in monotone while Azula peered down at Elle with amused golden eyes.

"What are you going to do with Elle when we have to go on day long wartime missions?" Ty Lee inquired while peering at their young companion's adorable face.

The words caused Elle to snap her head around with a suddenly distraught gaze that Azula just adored.

"D-days on end without Azula-sama…." Elle mumbled like a saddened puppy as she sunk in sorrow while Azula leaned against her seat smirking in approval.

"Hm? Several days without serving me is too much for you to endure?" The princess pondered while holding a palm beneath her chin.

"F-far too long. Just too long. A day without my princess is a day without joy." The blonde-haired girl responded glumly while plopping her head on the regal woman's folded knee frowning deeply.

"There are thousands…perhaps millions…that will disagree with you Elle." The markswoman sighed while finding the girl's clingy behavior to be rather sad.

It was proof that beyond Elle's happy smile is a pain so vast that she latches onto Azula for comfort.

"Well don't worry your little mind over it. I have good news for you servant. Do you want to know what it is?" Azula purred in a silken voice that instantly spurred Elle to peer upward upon her knee with her innocent eyes aglow with wonder.

"Yes Azula-sama. Please tell this loyal girl the good news!" Elle chimed while staring up at Azula with hopeful amber eyes.

"You won't have to spend even a day without me. You'll be spending every day of your life under my dominance. How would you like to come with me wherever I go? You can serve me even in travel." The princess announced while staring down at her pet's ecstatic little face with her lips curving into a pleased smile.

Any other servant would have gazed back with horrified eyes over the spoiled woman's declaration.

But Elle…

Soon erupted in a bafflingly overjoyed tone just as she leaped into the princess's lap before plopping on the grunting woman's belly.

"I would love to Your Highness! I want to spend every moment…of every day…with you Azula-sama!" The blonde-haired girl exclaimed while embracing her master's belly while the princess swallowed another mouthful of her curry.

"Your enthusiasm to serve pleases me…" Azula sighed while patting the girl's head once more with a possessive hand.

"A-Azula-sama is my home." Elle mumbled timidly while closing her eyes peacefully under the monarch's patting hand.

Her words earned her a composed glance from the princess before she returned to her meal.

"This is so cute Azula! But I do have one question. Isn't it dangerous to bring Elle on wartime missions? I mean…what if she…" Ty Lee trailed off while gazing in Azula's direction while her leader continued to eat the remainder of her dinner.

All the while Elle lay upon the princess's belly while breathing happily never bothered by how the woman treated her like a kitten.

Regardless, the fact that they were discussing a servant's safety with Azula was all the validation that was needed to know that the princess had become fond of the young girl.

"And I have a question for you in turn Ty Lee. Do you really think that she is better off in the palace without me? I have no doubt that she would attract ample negative attention wandering about the palace like a lost child." The princess spoke while gazing pointedly at the acrobat's wincing face.

"Y-yeah. Point taken." The brown-haired woman agreed while nodding as she smiled at the adorable sight that was the princess patting the small blonde's head.

"She is clearly better off under her master's direct supervision." Azula stated with her lips curving into a graceful smile while removing her hand from her beaming admirer's head.

"I would be saddened if I was without you Azula-sama. I cherish our daily routine. Coffee with Her Highness at seven on the dot…followed up shortly afterward with breakfast. And then naptime on my princess's thigh at around eight." The blonde-haired girl chirped with a bright smile while sitting up as she turned to pull her backpack onto the seat.

The girl's joyful declaration had even Mai snickering at Azula who was now glaring at the back of the naïve girl's head with narrowed golden eyes.

"There will be no further naps at the foot of my throne." The princess retorted while pointing her finger down at the small girl as she hummed joyfully all the while.

"I am so excited to show you and my oneesans the stuff from my world." Elle commented with a broad grin on her face while Azula eyed her in the same manner a parent would humoring their child.

"Not as excited as I am…no doubt." Azula remarked dryly while sighing as she peered down at her little handmaid with a flicker of fondness in her cold stare.

"Oh, don't be rude Azula! This is our chance to learn about Elle's homeland!" Ty Lee chided warmly while Azula rolled her elegant eyes in response.

"Of course, Ty Lee. I am certain that my servant's toys will teach us a great deal about this land…" The princess trailed off while waving a hand before her face when the teenager withdrew an unseen item.

"You've got even me slightly curious…what is in that bag other than Azula. Azula. Azula?" Mai pondered with faint curiosity to her usual monotone voice.

"Several things! When I ran away from Felix, I brought everything that I cherish along with me on my back. I haven't shown this stuff to anyone yet…since Azula-sama is my best friend…and the princess I wanted her to have the first look." The blonde-haired girl explained while turning to peer up at her master's deadpan countenance.

"That's so cute Azula. You get the first look." The brown-haired woman chirped while the princess swallowed another bite of her meal.

"I am honored. I assure you." Azula commented lazily after gulping down the last of her meal before pushing her plate aside.

"I just knew you would be happy that I considered you first Azula-sama. Check out my music player!" Elle exclaimed as she leaned into the woman's lap while Azula sighed as she stared down at her.

"Oh, very well servant. Show me your music player." The princess remarked dryly while peering down at her happily grinning pet with surprisingly patient golden eyes.

"Music player?" Ty Lee repeated with evident curiosity in her voice while leaning forward on the tabletop with her wine glass in hand.

Even Mai was staring at the young girl with a twinge of intrigue in her tawny eyes.

The three women observed in amusement when their young companion held up a small item before Azula's mildly curious face.

"This is it!" The blonde-haired girl cried out as she proudly held up her mp3 player before her princess's face while the regal woman scrunched up her brows in a display of grudging interest.

All three women now found themselves gazing at a small black box, that easily fit in the palm of Elle's petite hand.

It had strings attached to it that split along the middle with two circular pieces at the end of the cord.

"…That…is a music player?" Azula asked as she sat up above her small pet while trying to conceal her curiosity in the girl's strange device.

"Mhm! You place these ear pieces around your head and you can listen to all kinds of music." Elle explained with a joyful smile while Azula peered down at her with stony eyes.

"How charming servant…" The princess trailed off sighing while her little admirer propped herself up upon her stomach once more.

"That sounds amazing Elle! But how does it work…what powers it?" The brown-haired woman inquired with fascination in her voice as she eyed the device in evident interest.

"Well in my world our technology is not powered by bending. It's supposed to be powered by electricity…conducted through a charge cord…which is in my bag. Sadly though…I don't know if I will ever be able to power it up again once the battery dies…" The blonde-haired girl answered with a glummer voice all the while the princess swallowed more of her wine.

"How unfortunate." Azula snorted as she already sensed two pairs of eyes zoning in on her much to her rising annoyance.

"Azula I bet you could figure out how to charge Elle's music player." Ty Lee suggested while Azula glared over in her direction with her eyes narrowing icily.

"You expect the Princess of the Fire Nation to devote her time and energy into powering a servant's toy?" The princess snapped with her words causing the small girl's shoulders to slump sadly.

"Well Azula you are the smartest person in the world after all…" Mai commented in a deadpan voice while gazing at the princess's scowling face.

"In case you already forgot Azula. You yourself have stated that you have a romantic interest in this servant. You probably don't know this…but in a relationship you do things to please the other person. It's called caring." The brown-haired woman scolded with a frown adorning her lips while the other woman still glared at her with irate eyes.

"The girl has been sitting in my lap all night Ty Lee. I have been pampering her for several hours now. Elle is hardly mistreated. Not in the least." Azula scoffed while gazing down at her timid pet with a strict countenance.

"I know that Azula. But I am sure it would mean a lot to Elle if you helped her out with the matter…just look at her! She adores you." Ty Lee reasoned with a smile returning to her face as she surveyed the bonding duo.

It was apparent that beyond Azula's harsh exterior that she was considering assisting Elle in the matter.

Just by how she was staring down at the bashful girl with a thoughtful gleam in her eyes.

"Not only must I replicate your…breather…. you also wish for me to power your little toys? Is that right?" The princess questioned while peering down at her handmaid's adorably pouting face.

"S-sumimasen Azula-sama…this girl is sorry to be a bother…" The blonde-haired girl trailed off while sulking with her face propped up on her master's toned belly.

"Indeed, you are quite the bother…but I will not have it said that Princess Azula is incapable defeating her admirer's toy. So be it Elle. I will lend you my brilliance once more." Azula announced with her lips curling into a smile when Elle cried out in joy.

"A-arigatou gozaimasu princess!" Elle squealed with her innocent face overtaking a radiant grin while she peered up into the woman's hardened eyes.

Ty Lee smiled just as brightly while nudging Mai's shoulder as if to say see they make a cute couple.

Mai just sighed deciding to make no comment.

"Humph! It is clear that I am the optimal romantic candidate for you. I excel in all categories. Even in the repair of toys. Now let me have a look at this…music player." The princess remarked while puffing out her chest pridefully as she smirked down at her blushing pet.

Both noblewomen sweatdropped at Azula's rather bizarre way of posturing for her young love interest.

It was adorable…in a strange fashion.

"R-romance with my princess charming…I am the most fortunate girl in the world." The blonde-haired girl stammered while peering up at the woman's beautiful face with her cheeks as red as a tomato.

"On that we can agree. I have long since concluded that a girl such as yourself is only compatible with a woman of upmost dominance such as myself. You are incapable of protecting yourself…therefore I will subjugate you! It's…for your own good anyhow." Azula spoke with a smug smile while removing the device from her quivering pet's open palm.

"O-oh Azula-sama…you are so dreamy…" Elle gushed while swooning with her hands on her cheeks as she shifted in the woman's lap.

Azula's friends were somewhat baffled by her declaration that Elle required her protection and therefore enslavement was in her best interest.

But there was no point in trying to convince the princess otherwise.

"Of course, I am! What a strange little toy you have here…" The princess trailed off while blinking down at the device as she pressed her finger on one of its buttons.

Her golden eyes observed in concealed interest when a light flashed on the screen as it began to power on.

"It's probably got about a half hour charge left…put it on your ears and try it out Azula-sama." The blonde-haired girl advised happily while leaning against her love interest's left arm.

"Hm. Very well Elle. I can only hope that this music player lives up to your continuous pleas for my attention." Azula declared before placing the ear pieces over her ears while her friends observed with amusement in their eyes.

"It will! It's really cool. Not as cool as my princess but still cool!" Elle exclaimed while leaning forward while Azula peered down at her curiously when she began pressing buttons.

"There is nothing as 'cool' as…me." The princess boasted only for her callous face to scrunch up with her brows furrowing when a melody began playing in her ears.

"Don't keep me in suspense Azula! What does it sound like?" Ty Lee blurted while tilting her head inquisitively while noting Azula's pricelessly taken aback face.

Azula's eyes were widening in an uncharacteristic display of sudden interest all the while staring down at the young girl lounging with the back of her head just below her breasts.

"…What sort of strange music is this?" Azula pondered with comical puzzlement in her voice while Elle peered up at her giggling.

"Oh, that's called jazz. It's usually upbeat and highly energetic. Oftentimes it is instrumental only." The blonde-haired girl replied as she gazed up at her princess's blinking eyes with the regal woman processing the functionality of the device.

"I see. I confess it has a certain draw to it…you informed me that there are over two thousand songs on this device…is that correct?" The princess responded while the other noblewomen gazed on in amazement with the teenager nodding.

"Two thousand? How can it hold that much?" Mai inquired while setting her empty glass of ale down.

"In my world artists are able to sell their music on multiple formats. Once the user purchases any of the formats one can compress the music files…essentially copying a data file onto a small data bank inside the music player." Elle explained in a patient voice for one so young while Mai nodded in fascination.

"Wow! That is really neat Elle. Your world has some really interesting inventions! Can I have a look at it Azula?" The brown-haired woman requested while gazing on in amusement to notice that the princess seemed to be enjoying the device.

"I have determined that further investigation is necessary on the matter. After I conclude my inspection Ty Lee…then of course…by all means you can look at it." Azula remarked while smiling in the direction of Ty Lee's sulking countenance.

"But Azula…I thought that it was just a toy?" The markswoman taunted with a slight smirk about her while the princess reclined in her seat.

"Hm. Indeed it is Mai. Just a toy, Elle's toy and I have no doubt that she'll cry if I don't solve her little dilemma. Now hush Mai. I am lending my little companion my genius…this is yet another burden that I must bear…. perfect as I am." The princess spoke while gazing down at the music player as she began to fiddle with the buttons.

"I don't know Azula…it sounds like you just want to hog it all to yourself." Ty Lee grumbled while Mai rolled her eyes over Azula's gargantuan ego.

"Oh Azula-sama…let's just hug all night long…" The blonde-haired girl trailed off while embracing the woman's belly with the princess comically paying her little mind.

"I am not quite certain what you just said…but certainly. Yes, to whatever you just said." Azula commented dryly while waving her hand before her with a wide smile on her lips.

And just like that both noblewomen were gazing at Azula in amusement when Elle cried out in joy apparently only hearing her idol say yes.

"R-really? All night long? We're having a snuggle night?" Elle stammered as she peered up at Azula with adorably happy amber eyes.

In an instant it would seem that Azula realized her error while removing the ear pieces from her head.

"What do you mean snuggle night?" The princess questioned with her eyes narrowing down at her pet's blushing little face.

"You just agreed to an all-night cuddle session." Mai informed while Azula glanced down at Elle with marginally widened eyes before hardening her gaze into a piercing stare.

"No. There will be no snuggle night." Azula stated in a strict voice that brook no argument while she glared down at Elle's now sullen face.

"B-but Azula-sama…you just said we would…" The blonde-haired girl trailed off in a somber voice while the princess leaned back in her seat scowling.

"I had ear plugs on. It doesn't count." The princess replied as she watched the small girl's shoulders slump in a saddened manner.

"…A-am I unsnuggable? Is that it?" Elle mumbled pitifully with a frown while twiddling her thumbs while all three women sweatdropped over her silly terminology.

"Unsnuggable? Ugh…" Azula sighed while rubbing the bridge of her nose while glancing down at Elle's now depressed little face.

"Azula…" Ty Lee spoke while gesturing to their young companion's innocent face while Azula met her gaze all the while rolling her golden eyes.

"Elle, I command you not to cry! If you cry, I will punish you!" The princess barked while pointing a finger down at the petite girl's now worried face with her eyes narrowing callously.

The two noblewomen could only sigh upon hearing Azula threaten to discipline Elle if she cried.

"Y-yes princess I-I won't." The blonde-haired girl agreed with her lips beginning to smile once more already while her princess peered down at her humming in approval.

"Hm. That's a good girl. You must remain on exemplary behavior for me at all times…that is if you wish to continue our current morning schedule…." Azula purred as she held a finger beneath her chin while grinning down at her handmaid's widening little eyes.

"Yes Azula-sama! Always as you say…I'll be a good girl." Elle assured sweetly while folding her palms in her lap as she met Azula's pleased gaze.

"Mhm. That is what I like to hear…now. You wish to have coffee and breakfast with me tomorrow morning at seven…is that right?" The princess pondered while lazily brushing her hair from her eyes with a seductive confidence about her.

"Oh yes! This girl wishes to start every morning beside Her Highness!" The blonde-haired girl chirped with a joyous smile while her master peered down at her with her fingers trailing through her fine dark hair.

"Then…be a good girl for me okay?" Azula cooed in a silken voice while peering down at her fingernails with her eyes always following Elle's brightening little face.

"Wakaru Azula-sama!" Elle cried out just as the woman's hand patted her hair while happily sat back beside her idol's much taller frame.

"Good. Very good. Just do as I say Elle…and we'll see what becomes of the two of us." The princess instructed in her usual stern voice just as she removed her hand from her pet's head.

"Well I for one don't find you unsnuggable! You are super, totally snuggable!" The brown-haired woman exclaimed while her friends rolled their eyes over her gushing behavior.

"I-I am glad that you think so oneesan…" The blonde-haired girl spoke with a slight blush as she gazed over at both of her big sister's.

Ty Lee's smile broadened after hearing the lovable words while she jabbed Mai's deadpan countenance as if to ask if she agreed.

"Leave me out of this." Mai muttered dryly while sighing as she folded her arms over her breasts.

"Elle…share another drink of wine with me." Azula remarked while Elle glanced up at her beaming before reaching for her wine glass.

"Yes princess…my princess charming…" Elle responded while placing a hand on her cheek all the while swooning over the regal woman's charms.

"Now…regarding this…music player and your breather as well. My brilliant mind has conquered a most wonderful idea." The princess announced in a tone of great self-importance while drinking a mouthful of her wine.

The words managed to grasp even Mai's attention as all three girls turned to their undisputed leader with curiosity in their eyes.

"Wow Azula! Tell us your idea!" Ty Lee exclaimed while Azula reclined with Elle leaning into her toned bicep once more.

"There is an Earth Kingdom inventor…. a mechanist that has done impressive work for the Fire Nation before. Unfortunately, recently he has taken up arms against the Fire Nation. But…I have a feeling that I can persuade him on the matter." Azula explained while lowering her glass smiling in a way that bore hints of violent intent.

"That mechanist…I see." The markswoman stated while eying their young companion with intrigued tawny eyes.

If Azula was willing to go to that much trouble just to replicate Elle's breather…it spoke volumes about her fondness for the girl.

Even if that affection was…somewhat twisted.

"A-arigatou gozaimasu Azula-sama…" The blonde-haired girl murmured timidly after swallowing a meager sip of wine all the while blushing in a buzzed manner.

"As I have said many times before…consider yourself fortunate that I am fond of you…Elle." The princess spoke while peering down at her little servant with imposing golden eyes.

"I am…a most fortunate girl…" Elle agreed while tracing her finger along the woman's well-muscled arm with a look of deep admiration in her eyes.

"I am glad you see things my way servant. I was thinking…that there may well be a way to power your music player…with firebending. It…is just a theory but…it may well work." Azula commented while rubbing her chin thoughtfully as she drank another swallow of wine.

The small girl's lips broke out into a grin as she peered up at the regal woman with appreciative amber eyes.

She truly cherished her princess…more than anything in life itself.

"That's a great idea Your Highness." The blonde-haired girl replied while her master smiled down with spellbindingly confident eyes.

"I am pleased that you think so…" The princess purred while purposefully adjusting her seating so that her breasts pushed down on the girl's soft head.

It was a baffling sight that did not go unnoticed by the other two women but they knew better than to comment on it.

"Azula-sama…would you care to listen to a song with me?" Elle requested in an adorably bashful voice while her heart began to race as she leaned back into the woman's soft chest.

"Hm? But there is only two ear pieces?" Azula pondered inquisitively while Elle turned to hold up one end of the headphones much to her amusement.

"Yep! One for me and one for you." The blonde-haired girl answered while the princess briefly gazed down at her before accepting half of the headset.

"I suppose that could work…" The princess trailed off while grasping onto the headset as she began to raise it upward while the girl began to pitifully stretch her neck attempting to reach her head.

"Um…could you bend over to my height?" Elle inquired lamely while Azula gazed down at her rolling her eyes sighing all the while.

It was a request that earned her a giggle from Ty Lee and a wryly amused gaze from Mai.

If anyone else had asked Azula to lean her head down to reach their eye level her answer would have been a resounding no.

But…

"You are really small…you do know, that right?" Azula scoffed while leaning down before Elle's reddened face while holding onto one end of the headset.

"G-gomen. I have always been on the small side." The blonde-haired girl stuttered while pressing her face into the beautiful woman's neck as she leaned into the other end.

"Have you? I didn't notice." The princess stated dryly while gazing through the corner of her eye at her little admirer's flushing cheeks.

"Azula…Elle has no control over her height…just listen to a song with her." Ty Lee said with a gentle smile as she gazed over at the two musing that they were cute together.

"I am well aware Ty Lee…but I do enjoy teasing her." Azula commented with a smug smirk while glancing at Elle's face pressing into hers.

Her callous eyes continued to peer onward while the teenager boldly placed her palm upon hers.

It was an action that caused her to appraise her pet curiously but she nonetheless chose to permit it.

"I am so excited to bond with you Azula-sama…oh my mighty princess…" Elle gushed in a lovesick voice while beaming at Azula through the corner of her vision before pressing play.

The princess glanced back at her companion with her lips forming a composed line before a pleasant melody began to play in her ear.

Her eyebrows quirked as she began to listen to the music from her admirer's world all the while musing that it was grudgingly appealing to her ears.

All the while Elle sat beside her blushing lovably over her song selection with the lyrics earning her an entertained glance from the conceited woman.

"Maybe I wanna be your girl. Maybe all I need is you." Chieko's voice rang out in their ears while Azula gazed back at Elle smirking confidently.

Even the other two noblewomen could hear the foreign song playing across the table.

Their mutual intrigue over the strange device grew upon hearing the music playing all along Ty Lee giggled with her palm over her mouth.

Elle's love for Azula really was quite adorable.

"Annani mou soba ni ite mo…konnani mou aisarete mo. Jikan ha mikata shite kurezu ni. Anata no kanojo ni narenai atashi." The voice continued to sing while the princess furrowed her brows in a questioning manner unable to discern the lyrics.

Yet the meaning behind the song was quite clear.

Judging by the way Elle was embracing her neck with a peaceful smile on her young lips.

"You certainly are a clingy little peasant." Azula remarked with a stoic countenance yet nonetheless allowed her little admirer to lean in cheek to cheek.

"That's so Azula-sama…" Elle murmured while tracing her finger along the woman's belly with a serene smile about her.

"Sore demo iitte nandomo omotta. Anata wo dareka to shea shiteiru keredo. Soreja iya datte nandomo naiteru. Uso demo kiyasume demo atashi dakette itte." Chieko sung in their ears all the while Azula peered back at Elle narrowing her eyes when the girl began to snuggle her cheek.

"Don't push your luck servant." The princess stated strictly while eying the girl's radiant face through the corner of her vision.

Instead of cowering Elle just giggled sweetly while smiling up at her idol.

"Princess…" The blonde-haired girl whined while latching onto the powerful woman with adoration in her innocent eyes.

Azula just sighed in response while adjusting her bottom upon the seat while still craning her neck down to Elle's eye level.

All the while listening to the bizarre music with amused golden eyes that never left her young admirer's grinning face.

And before long just like that, the song was already at its end.

"Maybe baby. I wanna be your girl, maybe I wanna be your girl. Maybe baby. Maybe all I need is you, all I need is you…" The singer concluded in a melodious voice while Azula's golden eyes peered back at Elle's overjoyed countenance.

The teenager squeezed the taken aback woman's neck giggling all the while.

"Aww…that was so sweet Azula." The brown-haired woman spoke while gazing at the two with her eyes practically sparkling.

"Hm. So, I take it that you want to be my girl?" Azula questioned as she exhaled hot air upon Elle's reddened cheeks which sent a shiver down the servant's spine.

"Y-yes Azula-sama it is so." Elle responded in a timid voice while gulping under the weight of the regal woman's intimidating gaze.

She hadn't been lying when she claimed that Azula's eyes were her favorite part of her princess's body. Her backside being a close second…

"I am astounded anyone wants to be Azula's girl." Mai stated dully while calmly taking another drink with Azula turning to glare at her icily.

"I am going to pretend that I didn't hear that…" The princess trailed off while rising to her full height with the small blonde gazing up at her once more in admiration.

"I-I do. I really do! I want to be Azula-sama's girl. There is no one that loves Her Highness more than me!" The blonde-haired girl exclaimed with a childish pride about her all the while puffing out her small chest.

The three women were amused by the young girl's tendency to attempt to appear tougher in the hopes of impressing Azula.

It would seem that Elle was the only one who failed to realize that she looked petite and cheery no matter what expression she overtook.

"Mhm. I believe you. Have some more wine." Azula spoke while raising her glass once more with Elle obediently following suit.

"Oh Azula-sama I love it when you tell me what to do." The blonde-haired girl sighed dreamily before hiccupping with her naïve eyes peering up at her amused master.

"It pleases me to hear that. From now on I will control every little aspect of your life. Your will belongs to me now!" The princess snarled while possessively grasping ahold of the quivering girl's hair.

"I-I belong to Azula-sama." Elle stuttered as she gazed up at Azula with her heart racing so wonderfully while a warm hand brushed over her eyebrows.

"That's right…my pet." Azula purred as she ran her fingers alongside her pet's cheek while dominantly clutching her hair.

"W-well…at least Elle is happy." Ty Lee stammered nervously while Mai glanced at her with deadpan tawny eyes.

"Azula-sama…" The blonde-haired girl murmured while swooning as she held a hand to her cheek like a lovesick schoolgirl.

"Simply the best pet. That is what you are…" The princess cooed as she gazed down at the trembling girl with dominance overflowing forth from her harsh stare.

"T-this girl is overjoyed that Her Highness thinks so." Elle stated while gulping when her master's fist dug into her hair.

"Azula…don't pull on her hair…that's…" The brown-haired woman attempted to reason while watching uncomfortably at the sight of Azula roughly tugging on Elle's blonde locks.

"Oh, please Ty Lee…I am hardly pulling at all." Azula scoffed before settling her palm atop the small girl's head all the while compressing Elle beneath her fist.

"…Can I show my music player to my oneesans now?" The blonde-haired girl requested while peering up at the princess's looming visage.

"I don't see why not. I have researched the matter enough for the time being…" The princess trailed off while her friends excluding their young companion rolled their eyes at her.

"Have a look!" Elle cried out while leaning forward with the princess's domineering hand never leaving her head.

It was a silent message that was clear to all.

It was Azula's way of declaring that she owned Elle.

"Thanks, little sister!" Ty Lee chimed as she reached to grasp the small device with Mai gazing down at it in slight interest.

"You go ahead. I can look at it after you." Mai informed calmly while her cheerful friend nodded in gratitude all the while slipping the headset over her ears.

"So…how do I turn it on?" The brown-haired woman inquired while blinking in puzzlement until the young girl reached over to assist her.

"That button on top is the power button…and the buttons to the left and right cycle between songs. The furthest down button is the play button." The blonde-haired girl explained with a helpful smile while the acrobat gazed back at her warmly.

"Oh! I think I get it. Hm now let's see…" The brown-haired woman stated before fiddling with the device just as music began to play in her ear.

Ty Lee listened attentively while her eyes widened in fascination as she quickly began to see why even Azula took an interest in it.

It was really amazing!

"I must admit you've piqued my interest. Is such a device available to peasants far and wide?" Azula asked with her lips pursed into her usual composed gaze while Elle sat beneath her hand.

"Yep. Pretty much anyone can buy one. I mean…unless you are homeless." Elle remarked while the woman glanced down at her in amusement.

"Like you were?" The princess taunted with her brows in slight mockery.

"I wasn't homeless until I came here Azula-sama. I had a roof over my head…even if it was a very unpleasant place to live." The blonde-haired girl answered with a marginal decline in her cheer.

Elle's plummeting joy was noticed by all three of them while Azula continued to stare down at the girl before sighing under her breathe.

In fact, the acrobat was so concerned that she removed the headphones from her ears without delay while gazing back at the girl with saddened eyes.

"I really like your music player Elle…it's very pink…but right now your aura isn't pink at all…" Ty Lee commented before sliding the music player to her friend beside her.

But the noblewoman did not reach for it.

Mai too was glancing at Elle with faint concern in her calm tawny eyes.

"O-oh well I am glad that you like it oneesan." Elle murmured while attempting to smile back at the other woman's worried countenance.

"If you ever want to talk to us…any of us. We're here to listen." The brown-haired woman declared warmly while the princess turned to her with her eyes narrowing callously.

"Ty Lee." Azula hissed in a venomous voice that promised a miserable punishment if the other woman continued.

The acrobat visibly flinched with sweat dripping down her brow while attempting to smile reassuringly in her leader's direction.

"I…am just afraid of Felix. It's…not the sort of fear that leaves you…even when he is an entire world away." The blonde-haired girl confessed with her palms folding in her lap.

The fact that the girl was beginning to shiver when she spoke her brother's name was all the proof and more of the abuse she suffered at his hands.

"Calm yourself servant…even if you should ever see your brother again. This Felix is no longer a concern of yours. You serve me now…and that entitles you to the privilege of protection." The princess announced in a stony voice while gazing down into her little handmaid's fearful eyes.

"I-I know…and I am so very grateful. But…I will always be afraid of Felix. I just hope…that I never see his face again." Elle muttered while her hands shook as she voiced the words while they listened patiently.

"It will be okay Elle. I mean…you've got Azula protecting you. That's about as safe as you can get. And you have us too!" Ty Lee assured with a resolute nod while turning to her fellow noblewoman.

"Ty Lee is correct. You are safe now." Mai informed with a slight break from her monotone as she stared back at the emotional girl's moved countenance.

"A-arigatou gozaimasu…minasan." The blonde-haired girl spoke timidly while blushing under the bulk of their combined attentions.

The three women noted that her mood had perked somewhat…yet an underlying trace of worry still lingered.

Azula found herself strangely displeased by her little admirer's fear.

It was a truly foreign feeling to her…

Yet she chose not to dwell on it. She simply waved it off with the fact that the girl belonged to her and therefore she was just concerned with the quality of her service.

With her decision already set in stone she peered down at her petite servant with cold golden eyes.

"Servant…" Azula trailed off while observing in delight when the girl's head snapped upward immediately after hearing her voice.

"Azula…please call her by name…" The brown-haired woman almost groaned while leaning forward to gaze at her leader with chiding eyes.

"Yes master?" Elle inquired while managing to muster a smile as she gazed up at the regal woman's looming face.

"Don't move…it's on your head." The princess began with her friends already glaring at her when she pointed at the now pale faced girl's mane of blonde hair.

"W-what is on my head?" The blonde-haired girl stammered as she already began squirming while her master ran her fingers through her hair.

"There is a spider on your head…right here." Azula commented with a slight smile while Elle glanced up at her with comically horrified amber eyes.

"Azula!" Ty Lee exclaimed only to fall back in her seat when a piercing scream shot through the air.

The acrobat quickly covered her ears alongside Mai who was wincing while she did the same.

And judging by the expression on the princess's face she just may be regretting her cruel prank.

"T-there's a-spider in my hair! G-get it Azula-sama! S-someone get it off my head!" Elle shrieked as she began to hop about with Azula now also holding her hands over her ears.

"Why did you have to do that Azula?" The markswoman demanded with both aggravation and disapproval in her voice.

The petite girl suddenly leaped into the grunting woman's lap while Azula now gazed up at Elle's panicking face with irate golden eyes.

"Calm down!" The princess barked while reaching out to prevent her pet's squirming by placing a stern hand on her shoulder.

"P-please get it out of my hair Azula-sama!" The blonde-haired girl whimpered pitifully while her big sisters stared at her in sympathy.

"There isn't a spider in your hair. Now stop hopping about!" Azula remarked while Elle finally sat back upon her thighs with realization in her eyes.

"T-then why did you say there was!" Elle exclaimed with a trace of humorous anger in her normally timid voice.

"Because she's an asshole. That's why." Mai stated while gazing at Elle's distraught face with a flicker of anger in her eyes.

"I don't think I care for your tone…what do you…" The princess trailed off while frowning as the girl spun around with her eyebrows narrowing up at her.

"D-don't you play a joke like that on me again!" The blonde-haired girl cried out with hurt in her voice while the woman gazed down at her in shock.

"For your information servant I only said that to get you to stop moping!" Azula snapped while glaring down at her sensitive pet's nearly crying face.

And just like that Elle's anger began to fade as she peered up at Azula with a flicker of surprise in her eyes.

"Y-you did?" Elle stammered while staring up at the woman's nodding face with calming eyes.

"Yes. Now cease this behavior at once…and in the future watch the tone that you take with me." The princess stated strictly while glaring down at her pet's now guilt-ridden face.

"Seriously Azula? You couldn't think of anything else other than that?" Ty Lee demanded with her lips curling into a scowl.

"I-I didn't know princess. I…should never have doubted your judgement." The blonde-haired girl mumbled while turning around with a rising smile on her meek lips.

The two noblewomen were somewhat taken aback by how quickly Elle accepted Azula's reasoning.

"You can be a bothersome servant…do you know that?" Azula questioned while reaching her hand down to trace her finger along the girl's once more submissive cheek.

"S-sumimasen Azula-sama…" Elle trailed off shyly while she sat obediently enjoying how her master's palm stroked her cheek.

"Hm. I'll let it slide…" The princess purred in a controlling voice all the while gazing down at the small girl with a domineeringly strict stare.

"Um…I have been meaning to ask…just how frequent will I see those huge spiders in the Fire Nation?" The blonde-haired girl pondered nervously while gazing up at the woman's stony face.

"It's okay Elle! They aren't that common…they usually are only seen in very deep forests. It's only on occasion that one or two makes it over by boat in a fruit shipment." The brown-haired woman assured gently while the blonde nodded with clear arachnophobia in her stare.

"She's not wrong. What you saw today was an occasional occurrence." The markswoman commented with a relaxed nod.

"Oh good. Because if that becomes a common occurrence, I am moving to the coldest place there is." Elle muttered while Azula peered down at her with her brows raised.

"I will not permit that. I have already decided that I am keeping you little lady." Azula remarked with a callous frown while Elle glanced up at her huffing.

"Then you had best keep those disgusting abominations away from this little lady…Your Highness." The blonde-haired girl grumbled while folding her arms over her small bust in another show of comical displeasure.

Ty Lee was soon giggling once more even musing that she found the bizarre manner in which Azula tended to Elle to be rather adorable.

"Humph! The Princess of the Fire Nation could slay a thousand volcano sac spiders!" The princess scoffed only to scowl when the girl leaped in fright once more.

"G-gross! Don't even say the name!" Elle cried out while landing in the seat beside Azula with the woman staring down at her with deadpan eyes.

"What is it about spiders that has you acting so ridiculous?" Azula demanded while sighing as she began to drink more of her wine.

"Well…let's see. They are repulsive…they crawl up the walls and drop down on me in the dark…and Felix likes spiders. He used to drop them on me in my sleep." The blonde-haired girl confided while all three women turned to her unsurprised.

"It sounds like something that someone I know would do to Zuko." Mai stated while gazing at Azula's guiltless face with cold eyes.

"Hm…perhaps." The princess replied while scanning her finger nails smugly all the while gazing down at her handmaid's lovely face.

"Once he dropped a tank of a few hundred of them on me. The next day I tried to put nails in his cereal." Elle announced while her new friends glanced at her with shock in their eyes this time.

"I…can't even picture you doing something like that…for you to try that…he must be a real monster." Ty Lee stated softly while gazing at Elle with taken aback eyes.

"I am surprised that you have the capacity to try that." Azula spoke with a genuinely puzzled voice all the while pondering if she could toughen her admirer up after all.

"Yes…well. He found the nail and told me that I had to do better than that." The blonde-haired girl explained to her baffled friends.

"He's clearly a wretched person. Try not to worry about him anymore. You're safe from him now." The markswoman informed with a faint fondness in her tone while the small blonde peered back with emotional eyes.

"Arigatou…oneesan." Elle spoke warmly with her innocent words managing to earn a small smile from the noblewoman.

"Think nothing of it." Mai responded while placing her palm on the tabletop.

"It's his fault that I am so low on medicine…I had a stock of ten inhalers but Felix confiscated them in hopes of keeping me from leaving." The blonde-haired girl admitted while the princess now glanced down at her with annoyance in her eyes.

And the two noblewomen were just appalled that the girl's own brother would go so far as to take away her medicine that stabilized her breathing.

"You would have ten more if not for your stupid brother?" The princess demanded with aggravation oozing from her voice.

"Y-yes. That is so Azula-sama." Elle answered while scratching her cheek nervously under the woman's imposing stare.

'What a nuisance. Even a world away this man manages to inconvenience me.' Azula thought while scowling in a displeased manner.

She had already made up her mind that she would kill him if she ever met him.

Now she was going to kill him and torture him.

"It will be alright Elle! I am sure that the mechanist will be able to figure it out." The brown-haired woman exclaimed hopefully while nodding in the young girl's direction.

"Azula-sama? Can I ask you something?" The blonde-haired girl pondered while the woman glanced down at her curiously.

"You just did." The princess replied with a hint of playfulness in her voice that had the small girl pouting cutely.

"W-would you consider putting a small desk in my quarters?" Elle asked meekly while inclining her head respectfully much to the princess's approval.

If any other servant were to be so bold as to ask Azula for her to upgrade their quarters she would banish them without hesitation.

But Elle was no ordinary servant…was she?

"Hm. What for?" Azula inquired while turning to gaze down at Elle's half bowing in her seat.

She truly approved of her little admirer's respectful demeanor.

"F-for my writing and for my arts and crafts…it's difficult for me to do it from my cot." The blonde-haired girl explained in a timid voice while remaining in a respectful bow in her seat.

"Very well. Consider it done." The princess agreed without delay with a slight trace of fondness in her cold voice.

The regal woman gazed on calmly when her little handmaid cried out in joy before latching onto her stomach once more.

"A-arigatou gozaimasu Azula-sama!" Elle cheered while embracing Azula while the woman stiffened in her embrace.

"You are welcome servant." Azula spoke with her eyes closed while sighing under her breath with her friends gazing on in amazement.

They never thought they would see the day when Azula took requests from a handmaid.

Unbeknownst to Elle and her childhood friends.

Azula had already been contemplating having a higher quality bed put in Elle's chamber in replacement of the standard servant cot.

The idea had been on her mind since earlier today when she had gone to the girl's chamber to see if her breathing had improved.

Strange as it was…she had found that the girl's current cot did not seem like an appropriate sleeping arrangement for her most loyal servant.

With her mind already made up…she decided that she will install a new bed along with the chair and desk.

"Aww! I am happy that you are taking such good care of her Azula. Elle is a nice girl. She deserves to be happy." Ty Lee stated while gazing at Elle's adorable face as the girl still hung onto her friend's belly.

"As I stated earlier Ty Lee. Elle is my most devoted servant…therefore it is to be expected that she will be rewarded in ways that no other servant will." The princess declared as she opened her eyes to meet her smiling friends gaze.

"Let me guess shorty…this desk is Azula related? Isn't it?" Mai queried much to Azula's pleasure while the princess turned to peer down at the girl hugging her side.

"U-um…y-yes. My back starts to hurt after writing for several hours on my cot." The blonde-haired girl answered with shyness adorning her cheeks while her master glanced down at her with pleased golden eyes.

And yet at the same time also making a mental note of the girl's admission to back pain.

"Ugh. Several hours? So, you do stay up all night thinking about Azula after all." The markswoman muttered while the young girl blushed a dark shade of crimson.

"Silence Mai. This is to be praised…not scolded. Tell me servant…about what goes through your little mind during your free time." Azula announced with her stern eyes peering down at Elle with her lips forming a refined smile.

"After Her Highness dismisses me, I spend one hour every evening archiving the days many orders and all that I've learned from my day of serving Azula-sama that I wasn't able to record in the day. I must remain on my toes after all! Azula-sama must be pleased." Elle explained in a joyful voice while gazing up at Azula's satisfied countenance.

In Azula's opinion the expression on her friend's faces as a result of her handmaid's words was just priceless.

"What a good girl. So well behaved. When I become Fire Lord…you will remain kneeling beside me at the foot of my throne." The princess purred while reaching down to cup the now quivering teenager's chin.

"R-really Azula-sama? You will keep your Elle close by at all times?" The blonde-haired girl stammered while peering up into the dominant woman's enrapturing golden gaze.

If you asked Mai that didn't sound anything like dating.

Though she knew better than to broach the subject in Azula's presence.

"You are mine girl. You will bow before me!" Azula spoke with her eyes narrowing into a soul piercing glare while gazing down at Elle's gasping face.

"O-oh Azula-sama…I will always bow before you…" Elle trailed off while swooning with a blush that quickly overtook her young cheeks.

"Your place will always be at the foot of my throne…no matter where that throne sits…that is where you belong." The princess declared with her brows scrunching up while tightening her grip on her pet's chin savoring how the girl melted under her stare.

"Yes, because Azula-sama is home." The blonde-haired girl agreed while bashfully twiddling her thumbs under the woman's imposing stare.

"Mhm. My favorite servant." Azula remarked with a twinge of fondness to her cruel voice while staring down at Elle just as the girl leaned into her bicep.

"H-Her Highness's favorite servant…" Elle trailed off dreamily while hugging the princess's powerful arm with adoration in her lovesick eyes.

"That is correct. Now…I command you to share another drink with me." The princess ordered with her strict eyes flickering down to the small girl latching onto her bicep.

"As Her Highness commands. Always as she commands." The blonde-haired girl mumbled while clutching at her glass with her master peering down at her with a smug smirk adorning her crimson lips.

"Azula…you're not really going to make Elle bow all day, long are you? Please try to remember that she's human…not a dog." Ty Lee commented while observing the two's strange method of bonding with a margin of worry in her gaze.

"Of course, I know she's human Ty Lee. Do I look stupid to you? Her place is before my throne…but I will always keep her well being in mind. It's not as if I intend to abuse her. I should think that would be apparent by now…" Azula remarked while taking a long drink of her wine before sighing in a content manner.

Her golden eyes observed her little handmaid taking another gulp of her wine all the while leaning against her elbow.

She was still a bit uncertain about the girl's clingy behavior but even so.

Elle was without question her most devoted servant and a subject of romantic intrigue.

With that in mind she chose to permit a certain level of neediness.

Even if only to maintain their amicable relations.

The princess was soon torn from her thoughts when the small girl yanked on her sleeve in a hurried manner.

"Actually Azula-sama I am not human…I am an alien sent here to destroy your world! Rawr!" Elle exclaimed childishly with an innocent smile on her lips while Azula now glanced down at her with her brows furrowing in a rare display of bewilderment.

No matter how much time she spent in the girl's company there were certain behavioral traits that remained an enigma to even her.

The two noblewomen sweatdropped while they also gazed at Elle gazing about the room with her hands clasped over her mouth in a pitiful attempt at roaring.

"…Then you have got to be the most pitiful conqueror this world has ever seen." Azula snorted with a trace of amusement in her hardened voice before gracefully sipping more wine.

"…I don't know Azula. She's pretty scary if you ask me…" The brown-haired woman trailed off giggling when her leader rolled her golden eyes in response.

"Listen to my best roar Azula-sama!" The blonde-haired girl whined while pulling on the groaning woman's sleeve once more.

Ty Lee never thought she would see the day when a servant was asking Azula to listen to their 'best roar'.

It was certainly an adorable sight to say the least.

"Have you already had too much to drink?" The princess pondered while gazing down at her lovely pet with entertained eyes.

Then the small girl sucked in a great intake of air all the while Azula watched with deadpan eyes when her pet puffed up her little chest.

"Rawr!" Elle cried out while pounding her chest in an effort to appear tough before sinking back in her seat with a prideful smile on her face.

"How terrifying." Mai stated dryly while gazing at Elle with a similar look of bafflement in her eyes.

Even for a thirteen-year-old girl…she was prone to acting as if she was eight years old or younger.

It was…strange.

"You are a peculiar girl. But not one that I dislike." Azula announced with her palm resting on her knee while Elle now beamed up at her smiling from ear to ear.

"T-those words mean the world to me Azula-sama." The blonde-haired girl mumbled while hugging her master's arm once more.

"Just don't get too clingy. This…won't be happening in the presence of anyone other than Mai and Ty Lee." The princess spoke while gesturing to her arm with the petite girl attempting to snuggle her.

"Wakarimashita!" Elle cheered with a never waning smile as she set her wine glass down in favor of reaching for her neglected watermelon juice.

"It's good that you understand." Azula stated before swallowing the final drink of wine from her glass.

"Azula-sama…" The blonde-haired girl began once more with her master sighing while closing her eyes.

"Yes?" The princess inquired with an expression of astounding patience for her favorite servant.

"D-did you keep…the fire lily?" Elle pondered to the woman's surprise while Azula's eyes snapped open before glancing down at her with a guarded countenance.

"Perhaps…or perhaps I burned it to ashes." Azula commented casually with her eyes narrowing into her usual imposing stare.

The cruel words of mockery earned a stare of disapproval from Ty Lee but Elle didn't appear bothered in the least.

"This girl understands." The blonde-haired girl spoke with a soft smile rising onto her peaceful lips.

Her master kept the flower…she was just too proud to say as much.

"I am not quite certain what you mean to imply servant. But I will just chalk it up your usual silly babble." The princess snorted while glaring down at her giggling admirer as she watched the girl sip her juice.

"Would Her Highness care to hear about the story of how I gained the courage to deliver her fire lily?" Elle inquired with a hopeful look in her innocent eyes while the woman continued to gaze down at her.

Before Azula could even speak Ty Lee beat her to it.

"Of course, we would!" The brown-haired woman shouted while the princess glared at her through the corner of her vision.

"The question was directed at me, not you Ty Lee. But all the same…by all means why not? I am certain that it must be a riveting little peasant tale." Azula spoke with her hand waving lazily before her face with her words producing a beaming smile from her pet.

"It is very riveting Azula-sama! Full of suspense, intrigue and danger!" The blonde-haired girl chirped in a comical voice while sweeping her hand about in an animated manner.

"Hm? Is it now?" The princess responded while staring down at her little admirer with a flicker of amusement in her callous stare.

"Danger little sister?" Ty Lee asked in a tone of both worry and humor while they watched the petite girl puff out her chest in an adorable attempt to appear older.

"Mhm! I confess that I made two attempts to approach Azula-sama." Elle revealed while peering up at her princess's curious visage with a timid smile.

"You…tried to give me a fire lily twice?" Azula asked with evident intrigue in her voice while appraising her cheerful pet with surprised eyes.

"My first attempt ended in failure…I-I had found you on a bridge…but I-I was too afraid to speak to you." The blonde-haired girl stuttered while gulping as she fidgeted under the woman's stern stare.

In an instant Ty Lee connected the dots.

The painting of Azula walking over the bridge was inspired by Elle's first attempt to gift her a flower!

It was just so cute that she couldn't contain herself!

Given the look in Azula's eyes it seemed as if the princess herself connected the other painting with the bridge walk.

"And rightfully so! The Great Princess Azula cannot be approached so casually!" The princess snapped while pointing a domineering finger down at her little pet's intimidated face.

"O-oh Azula-sama…you are so strong…" Elle gushed with a hand on her heated cheek all the while enjoying how the arrogant woman spoke to her.

"There is no woman or man as strong as me. Don't you ever forget that…little admirer." Azula boasted with a conceited smile while glaring down at her swooning pet.

"Ugh. Azula can't you even go one minute without acting like a hormonal boy?" Mai questioned dryly while Azula spun around to glare back at her.

"You dare compare me to a man? I am perfectly feminine!" The princess retorted while narrowing her eyes in a dangerous manner with both of her friends coughing nervously.

"…R-right! Of course, you are Azula!" Ty Lee agreed with a wary smile while the princess scowled with her regal lips forming a thin line.

"Her Highness's beauty is so vast that I feared that she would grow wrathful with me and…possibly throw me in prison." The blonde-haired girl chimed in a comically happy voice while the acrobat now gazed at the princess's icy face with chiding brown-gray eyes.

"Stop that Ty Lee. Quit looking at me like that." Azula grunted while folding her arms as she sighed while peering down at her lovely admirer.

She would never say so aloud but…she knew that she would never be able to throw Elle in prison.

"See…that's kind of what I was getting at earlier Azula…a young girl was fearful that she would go to prison for giving you a fire lily…" The brown-haired woman trailed off while the princess scanned her fingernails smugly.

"Elle isn't in prison…she is seated on a designer cushion directly beside her master." The princess scoffed while glancing down at her pet when the girl leaned into her belly once more.

"Do you know something Azula-sama? I…was almost too intimidated to give you your fire lily but then a stranger encouraged me!" Elle admitted with her words earning her three intrigued glances while she peered up into piqued golden eyes.

"A stranger encouraged you?" Azula asked with curiosity lacing her harsh voice while she studied her little admirer's loyal face.

"Yep! I ran into a woman on the streets right after my first attempt and we talked for a while." The blonde-haired girl chirped while the princess's eyes continued to penetrate her soul.

"Another woman on the streets?" The princess almost growled while staring down at the small girl with terrifyingly dominant golden eyes.

"Azula! Don't scare her! She said this woman encouraged her!" Ty Lee scolded with a smile while her friend still scowled in jealously over the unknown woman.

"I-I just talked with her Azula-sama…I didn't g-give her a fire lily." Elle stammered while quivering submissively under the spoiled woman's possessive glare.

"Hm. And that is how it shall remain. You are forbidden to gift anyone but myself. If you do…I will punish you severely." Azula remarked with her hands at her sides while she glared down at her adorably intimidated little pet.

"F-for Her Highness alone…no one but my master." The blonde-haired girl agreed with a warm smile on her naïve lips while she craned her neck to meet the imposing woman's gaze.

"Good. Very good. I now permit you to resume your tale." The princess commented while waving her hand before her with her lips beginning to smile once again.

"She chased off some people that were making fun of me. And she gave me a bag of coins for food…" Elle trailed off while the three women gazed at her with varying levels of pity.

It was a reminder that it was not long ago that she was wandering the streets without even a coin for a meal.

"I see. Well I suppose that it is good that you received a donation." Azula sighed while Ty Lee gazed at her with scolding brown-gray eyes.

"Yep! I owe it all to her Azula-sama! Had she not told me to go for it. I wouldn't be sitting here right now!" The blonde-haired girl exclaimed while peering up at the stoic woman's amused face with joyful amber eyes.

"Tell me servant. Before she said to 'go for it' did you disclose to her my identity?" The princess pondered with a victorious look in her eyes while watching her small admirer visibly deflate.

"N-no. I just said that you were the prettiest girl in the world…" Elle mumbled meekly while Azula's smooth voice flowed into her ears when the regal woman began to chuckle.

"Aww! Well I am glad that you decided to take her advice Elle. Regardless of if she knew it was Azula you were talking about." The brown-haired woman stated warmly while the gloomy noblewoman eyed their young companion.

"If she had known you were speaking about Azula. She would have advised you to run the opposite way." The markswoman snorted while the princess eyed her with icy golden eyes.

"Yes well…you belong to me now." Azula spoke in a controlling voice while staring down at Elle's overjoyed face leaning into her arm.

"I know…Azula-sama. I am so happy that I took Toph's advice…" The blonde-haired girl trailed off happily once to blink in puzzlement when all three women turned to her with startled faces.

The announcement of Toph's name was so profound that Azula almost choked on her wine.

"Toph?" The princess breathed with narrowing eyes while glaring down at the meek teenager once more.

"T-that was her name. W-why are you all looking at me like that? I-I didn't give her a flower I swear it!" Elle cried out while nodding all the while she adorably patted her chest in a childish display of honesty.

"What did this…Toph look like? Describe her to me." Azula demanded while sitting up above Elle's small frame with a hand curled up beneath her chin.

"Hm…let's see. She didn't wear shoes…she had dark hair…and I distinctly recall that she was blind." The blonde-haired girl murmured while holding a finger to her lips as she peered up into her master's widened eyes.

Ty Lee exchanged a worried glance with Mai all the while Azula's lips curled into a furious frown.

"The Avatar's friends have the nerve to gallivant around the Fire Nation at their leisure! They will suffer for this arrogance!" The princess bellowed all the while breathing a plume of blue fire that nearly scorched the petite girl's little head.

"Azula!" Ty Lee shouted in horror while Elle fretfully ducked out of the way of the princess's dragon breath.

"E-eep!" Elle squeaked out pitifully just as Azula peered back down at her with a scowl that had her young heart racing.

All the while Azula silently scanned Elle's face searching for any signs of burns before visibly relaxing upon concluding that she was unharmed.

"Servant…how long ago was this?" Azula questioned with her palms folded in her lap while Elle still returned her stare with confused little eyes.

"Um…well master…I would probably say that it was about…uh five days before the invasion." The blonde-haired girl responded in a dutiful voice while nodding up at her master's brooding visage.

"I see. Was anyone else with the earthbender?" The princess continued while looming over her small pet's contemplative face.

"N-no master. I would have told you if there was right from the start. This girl would never lie to Her Highness." Elle spoke while inclining her head in reverence under the woman's demanding gaze.

"A-Azula you're not doubting Elle, are you?" The brown-haired woman pleaded while gazing at her friend's scowling lips with a sudden flash of fear in her eyes.

Azula can't possibly think that Elle is a spy!

She wouldn't…right?

"D-doubt me? I don't understand…have I done wrong? I am loyal to you and you alone Azula-sama, to my princess charming…to my master." The blonde-haired girl declared sweetly while meeting her princess's harsh golden eyes.

For the briefest of moments Azula seemed to be considering the possibility that Elle was a spy.

And then to the relief of both Mai and Ty Lee they watched in puzzlement when Azula lowered her palm into Elle's hair.

"Calm yourself servant. I do not doubt your loyalty." Azula assured at long last with her hand patting the petite girl's soft head all the while reclining in her seat.

"G-good. I am Princess Azula's most faithful servant…" Elle murmured while swooning underneath the woman's petting hand.

"Shorty is too obvious to be a spy." Mai remarked while gazing at the young girl with amused tawny eyes.

"Please! What sort of spy would be foolish enough to announce an association with their target's known enemy?" The princess scoffed while rolling her golden eyes down at her pet's still adorably bewildered face.

"Spy? Target? I am confused. I just want to hug Azula-sama all day! Everyday! For the rest of my life!" The blonde-haired girl cried out while the three women sweatdropped before all sighing fondly in unison.

"Don't strain your little brain over it. This Toph…is the enemy and she will be destroyed. Understand now?" Azula explained with her eyes gazing down at Elle's pure hearted face while the small girl began to nod somberly.

"Yes Azula-sama…I do." Elle answered while gazing down at the table with her master's hand still planted upon her scalp.

"Let's not worry about this tonight Azula…we're here to have fun remember? Not focus on the war." Ty Lee commented while smiling once more when Azula glance down at Elle with a sliver of fondness in her eyes.

"Indeed Ty Lee. I have yet to dominate this night…and I can only presume that if I did not…it would disappoint my little admirer." The princess stated with cold smile while staring down at the young girl's beaming face.

"Azula-sama you could never disappoint me. You are my idol…and I will always cherish you no matter what." The blonde-haired girl cooed while smiling radiantly up at the woman's lovely visage.

The young girl's words somehow struck a chord deep within Azula who was now glancing down at Elle with a marginally taken aback golden gaze.

"Aw…she's a real sweetheart isn't she Azula?" The brown-haired woman remarked while turning to gaze at the princess's furrowing countenance.

"Your idol huh?" Azula commented while holding a finger to her chin all the while musing that she rather liked the sound of that.

This young girl…pure of heart…is inspired by her strength and direction of leadership.

For even as callous a woman as she is. She is not the sort to forget such genuine words of devotion.

"T-that's so Your Highness. B-because you give me courage…I take comfort in your strength." Elle confessed while averting her eyes once more with her cheeks heating up under Azula's imposing stare.

It was completely and totally astounding to Mai to hear that this kind girl considered Azula her idol.

Because she finds her princesses might soothing.

If someone before today had told her that she would hear someone say these words before Azula herself she would have rolled her eyes.

But now…

"Oh, very well. I will be your idol Elle. In exchange for your loyalty…you may find comfort in my power if that is what you wish." The princess announced sternly while peering down at her small admirer's angelic face.

A face that was marred only by the sight of two bruises that she realized strongly displeased her.

"A-arigatou gozaimasu Azula-sama." The blonde-haired girl mumbled with a bashful stammer while finally gaining the courage to peer up into her master's harsh eyes.

"Now tell me my young companion…do you wish to see your princess dominate this night?" Azula inquired with her visage reflecting a stare of unfathomable dominance while she glared down at her trembling handmaid.

"Please Azula-sama! I really must see how Her Highness lays siege to the night!" Elle cheered while gazing up at Azula's callous face with a crimson blush overcoming her cheeks.

"I see! You won't be satisfied unless I give you yet another display of my divine right to rule! You require me to demonstrate my strength once more!" The princess announced while abruptly rising from her seat with her friends sweatdropping in their seats.

"Azula…I really think you're taking this too seriously. If you haven't noticed…Elle just says whatever she thinks will please you most." Ty Lee advised with a nervous smile on her lips only to gaze on unsurprised when her leader ignored her completely.

"Waste of breath." Mai stated once more before sighing in annoyance.

"My mighty princess charming! You captivate me with every word that you speak!" The blonde-haired girl gushed with her hands upon her cheeks while peering up at her princess standing above her with her lips curving into a refine smile.

"Marvelous! You find my dominance so charming that you can't even look away. It is painfully apparent to me that I am your ideal alpha." Azula spoke with her fists planted on her shapely thighs while gazing down at Elle's adorably speechless little face.

"Azula-sama…my alpha…will you guide me with your strength?" Elle requested timidly while gazing up at Azula towering over her with a graceful smirk upon her red lips.

"Hm. So be it. Take my hand…and I will give you the authority that you so deeply desire." The princess declared in a strict voice while extending her right hand before her petite servant's spellbound amber eyes.

"Yes, my princess…as you command." The blonde-haired girl agreed before reaching for the regal woman's outstretched hand.

And then just like that her wrist was crushed in an unyielding grip that pulled her onto her feet.

"Now that is what I like to hear. Come with me my little servant and I will crush all that oppose me on this night beneath my boot!" Azula called out with Elle standing before her belly with her eyes peering up at her in ever rising awe.

"Um…Azula…I really don't think any party goers are going to oppose you." The brown-haired woman offered while rising from her seat alongside her friend.

"Oh, Azula-sama…I just love listening to the sound of your voice…ooh it gets me so excited!" Elle exclaimed with an adorably passionate voice while cupping her hand to her cheek before sighing contently.

At this point her two adoptive big sisters were gazing at her oddly with their brows raised in a questioning manner.

But…they had already long since come to the conclusion that Elle was a bit of an eccentric.

"Then follow me my pet…and you will find that excitement you will not be lacking." The princess purred with a confident posture about her while holding her pet's backpack in one hand and the girl in the other.

"I-I will follow Her Highness for all of my days…until my last day." The blonde-haired girl chirped just as the much taller woman began to pull her alongside her.

She just barely had the time to quickly grab her shopping bags before she found herself being whisked away once more.

"Such a good girl…" Azula trailed off while gazing down at Elle with domineering golden eyes that sent shivers down the small girl's spine.

"Azula! Where are we going now!" Ty Lee yelled out while running a hand through her hair while watching the duo swiftly depart through the doors.

"Can't forget this…" Mai trailed off while Ty Lee turned curiously to notice that Elle had forgotten her precious music player.

"Yeah. We can't." The brown-haired woman replied before grasping the device while the other woman eyed it thoughtfully.

"May as well check it out." The markswoman stated dryly before holding out her hand as it was dropped into her waiting palm.

"It really is quite neat!" Ty Lee piped while smiling at Mai while they two left to pursue Azula and their adopted little sister.

It wasn't too long afterward that Mai walked with the headphones on while gazing ahead with an unnaturally inquisitive countenance.

"Yes. It is." Mai agreed while gracing the acrobat with a small smile that had Ty Lee giggling.

If you asked Ty Lee.

Elle was a good thing for all of them.

A very good thing indeed.

[cyberpoetryballoon]

Everyone Wants to Return to 'Normal.' That Doesn't Mean You Should

A strange phenomenon has begun to occur in big cities, particularly Los Angeles and New York. Inklings of the behavior started to appear on my Instagram Stories weeks ago—people, three to 10 deep, hanging out in public, drinking in groups, eating in restaurants. I have to assume the individuals at these gatherings were aware there's a deadly pandemic still ravaging the country, as some were wearing masks, yet many are choosing to forget the other measures being asked of us to prevent the spread of coronavirus. And it really is a choice.

New York City entered phase 1 of the reopening process on June 8, allowing construction work and curbside or in-store pick-up at retailers. While Phase 2 is slated for June 22—opening up outdoor dining, barbershops, and salons, as well as additional retail and other services—and Los Angeles is in Phase 3—allowing zoos, aquariums, and music, film, and TV production to resume business—it hasn't stopped experts from questioning the speed of reopening as a public health concern. Simultaneously, many denizens of these cities are fully abandoning social distancing and self-isolation guidelines, seemingly believing that these reopenings signal the end of the virus itself. In LA, an underground dance party drew about 100 people last week. That same day, St. Mark's Place in New York City was crowded with mostly unmasked people raging as a New Orleans-style jazz band played live outside a local bar. It looked like a block party, not a city heeding and grieving the hundreds of thousands of residents sickened (and nearly 20,000 killed) by a deadly pandemic.

I'm not exactly sure when it started, but this disparity between awareness and personal behavior has progressively become common on my timeline. Weeks ago, I sent friends screenshots of an ex-boyfriend's Instagram Stories in which he goes from decrying the government's handling of the COVID-19 crisis to a video of him partying with friends on a boat, no masks in sight. I've seen acquaintances post about relatives struggling with coronavirus, admitting that at first they didn't take the virus seriously, only to see them follow up with social media posts at the beach, drinking and laughing with a PPE-free group of friends. I've heard of containing multitudes, but, uh, that ain't it.

It all came to a head on Saturday afternoon, when a friend and I met up for a social-distanced hang. Masks on, we walked to a nearby bar that was empty, got frozen watermelon margarita road sodas, and headed to a park, where we sat for a few hours soaking up the sun while keeping to opposite ends of my large picnic blanket. We used hand sanitizer liberally and frequently, and avoided all touch. It felt comforting to feel a sense of normalcy again, even if it had to be adjusted for the current conditions. Those are easy sacrifices, though, when you consider the consequences (i.e. dying, or someone else dying because you're an asshole). About a hundred feet away, we saw a picnic table full of people celebrating a birthday. For a moment I thought nothing of it, until it came back to me, like a memory triggered from hearing a song or seeing a Hyundai Sonata or whatever else gets the brain remembering things: This isn't normal anymore.

Then, I suddenly heard chants of "no justice, no peace." Hundreds of protestors marched through the park, following the paved pathway to meet at the monument in the center of the park. It was a strange collision of the world we're now living in, and the layers of cognitive dissonance that are spreading throughout our collective consciousness in various degrees. To see these gatherings—myself and my friend cautiously catching a fade at the park, a large cluster of people abandoning concern for an afternoon of celebration, and protestors fighting for a greater good despite fears of illness and brutalization from police—made me realize the mental gymnastics we're all performing out of fear or necessity.

Simply Psychology explains that cognitive dissonance "refers to a situation involving conflicting attitudes, beliefs or behaviors. This produces a feeling of mental discomfort leading to an alteration in one of the attitudes, beliefs or behaviors to reduce the discomfort and restore balance." Meaning, we do not-great shit, convince ourselves why we have to do the not-great shit, and then, when we can feel your own brain dragging us to filth, we quiet the demons by reminding ourselves that surely, we're actually a Good Person who just had to do some not-great shit. It's how society got both reality TV stars and certain breeds of Nazi sympathizers.

For protestors, there are dueling conflicting attitudes and behaviors: protecting oneself and others during a pandemic, and protecting and fighting for Black people in the face of racial injustice. To do one, the other has to be sacrificed, even if participants are taking precautions like wearing face masks, using hand sanitizer, and staying home if they have any symptoms. When I chose to protest these past weeks, it all came down to a simple fact: I have health insurance. I can afford to put my body on the line in the service of an important fight, because I have the privilege of a medical safety net. But for others, and for the drunken partiers convening and raging like it's pandemic Spring Break even when they know they shouldn't according to the pleas of health experts, it's bafflingly irresponsible. So many people are inexplicably getting comfortable, and dropping their guard too damn low.

The reminders of the time we're living in are everywhere—on signs in storefronts, in the masked faces on the street, in the daily push notifications—so seeing such a large number of people, both in real life and online, blatantly contradict themselves is surreal and upsetting. It boggles the mind, especially when coming from people who ostensibly know better. Do they believe they're immune in some way? How many of these people are getting regularly tested for COVID-19? Perhaps a positive antibody result has led some to believe that they're impervious to coronavirus, despite the fact that experts say that may not be the case. Are the people crowding restaurants and throwing backyard parties with dozens of friends and family considering their forays outside of the stifling bounds of quarantine a little treat? Something so small that it's probably harmless?

It's understanding to deeply grieve for normalcy—to yearn for the joy that comes with being drunk with your friends, laughing at a bar, gossiping at a restaurant. The act of communing over food and drink is ancient, and beautiful, and above all, really fun. But if it means you and all your friends end up with COVID after one night of getting shithoused at a Florida Irish Pub, would it be worth it? Imagine being willing to risk it all for a pint of semi-cold Guinness. Wild!

The anti-mask, pro-reopening brigade is loud and misled, but so are those who are crying online and in person about the horrible impacts of COVID only to turn around and put others at risk out of a sense of personal entitlement or willingness to allow themselves a pass. Offering our patronage to small businesses like bars and restaurants is absolutely important, especially when so many across the country are faced with the difficult choice of having to open prematurely and putting their staff at risk of contracting COVID or lose their livelihood and their ability to pay their staff. The government has done far too little to help these workers, but there are ways we can help support them besides by crowding their tables and pretending that Everything Is Fine, when the numbers show that we're still in a very bad place. So instead of choosing to forget, instead of choosing to pretend that we're safe just because their doors are reopening, consider getting takeout, or buying merch. Bars and restaurants can still be supported in full, in a safe way.

The normal we knew is gone. Humans have had to evolve for their survival since literally forever. Refusing to do so is a danger to all. It's time to adapt to a new reality.

via VICE US - undefined US VICE US - undefined US via Mom's Kitchen Recipe Network Mom's Kitchen Recipe Network

[carolrhackett85282]

Everyone Wants to Return to 'Normal.' That Doesn't Mean You Should

A strange phenomenon has begun to occur in big cities, particularly Los Angeles and New York. Inklings of the behavior started to appear on my Instagram Stories weeks ago—people, three to 10 deep, hanging out in public, drinking in groups, eating in restaurants. I have to assume the individuals at these gatherings were aware there's a deadly pandemic still ravaging the country, as some were wearing masks, yet many are choosing to forget the other measures being asked of us to prevent the spread of coronavirus. And it really is a choice.

New York City entered phase 1 of the reopening process on June 8, allowing construction work and curbside or in-store pick-up at retailers. While Phase 2 is slated for June 22—opening up outdoor dining, barbershops, and salons, as well as additional retail and other services—and Los Angeles is in Phase 3—allowing zoos, aquariums, and music, film, and TV production to resume business—it hasn't stopped experts from questioning the speed of reopening as a public health concern. Simultaneously, many denizens of these cities are fully abandoning social distancing and self-isolation guidelines, seemingly believing that these reopenings signal the end of the virus itself. In LA, an underground dance party drew about 100 people last week. That same day, St. Mark's Place in New York City was crowded with mostly unmasked people raging as a New Orleans-style jazz band played live outside a local bar. It looked like a block party, not a city heeding and grieving the hundreds of thousands of residents sickened (and nearly 20,000 killed) by a deadly pandemic.

I'm not exactly sure when it started, but this disparity between awareness and personal behavior has progressively become common on my timeline. Weeks ago, I sent friends screenshots of an ex-boyfriend's Instagram Stories in which he goes from decrying the government's handling of the COVID-19 crisis to a video of him partying with friends on a boat, no masks in sight. I've seen acquaintances post about relatives struggling with coronavirus, admitting that at first they didn't take the virus seriously, only to see them follow up with social media posts at the beach, drinking and laughing with a PPE-free group of friends. I've heard of containing multitudes, but, uh, that ain't it.

It all came to a head on Saturday afternoon, when a friend and I met up for a social-distanced hang. Masks on, we walked to a nearby bar that was empty, got frozen watermelon margarita road sodas, and headed to a park, where we sat for a few hours soaking up the sun while keeping to opposite ends of my large picnic blanket. We used hand sanitizer liberally and frequently, and avoided all touch. It felt comforting to feel a sense of normalcy again, even if it had to be adjusted for the current conditions. Those are easy sacrifices, though, when you consider the consequences (i.e. dying, or someone else dying because you're an asshole). About a hundred feet away, we saw a picnic table full of people celebrating a birthday. For a moment I thought nothing of it, until it came back to me, like a memory triggered from hearing a song or seeing a Hyundai Sonata or whatever else gets the brain remembering things: This isn't normal anymore.

Then, I suddenly heard chants of "no justice, no peace." Hundreds of protestors marched through the park, following the paved pathway to meet at the monument in the center of the park. It was a strange collision of the world we're now living in, and the layers of cognitive dissonance that are spreading throughout our collective consciousness in various degrees. To see these gatherings—myself and my friend cautiously catching a fade at the park, a large cluster of people abandoning concern for an afternoon of celebration, and protestors fighting for a greater good despite fears of illness and brutalization from police—made me realize the mental gymnastics we're all performing out of fear or necessity.

Simply Psychology explains that cognitive dissonance "refers to a situation involving conflicting attitudes, beliefs or behaviors. This produces a feeling of mental discomfort leading to an alteration in one of the attitudes, beliefs or behaviors to reduce the discomfort and restore balance." Meaning, we do not-great shit, convince ourselves why we have to do the not-great shit, and then, when we can feel your own brain dragging us to filth, we quiet the demons by reminding ourselves that surely, we're actually a Good Person who just had to do some not-great shit. It's how society got both reality TV stars and certain breeds of Nazi sympathizers.

For protestors, there are dueling conflicting attitudes and behaviors: protecting oneself and others during a pandemic, and protecting and fighting for Black people in the face of racial injustice. To do one, the other has to be sacrificed, even if participants are taking precautions like wearing face masks, using hand sanitizer, and staying home if they have any symptoms. When I chose to protest these past weeks, it all came down to a simple fact: I have health insurance. I can afford to put my body on the line in the service of an important fight, because I have the privilege of a medical safety net. But for others, and for the drunken partiers convening and raging like it's pandemic Spring Break even when they know they shouldn't according to the pleas of health experts, it's bafflingly irresponsible. So many people are inexplicably getting comfortable, and dropping their guard too damn low.

The reminders of the time we're living in are everywhere—on signs in storefronts, in the masked faces on the street, in the daily push notifications—so seeing such a large number of people, both in real life and online, blatantly contradict themselves is surreal and upsetting. It boggles the mind, especially when coming from people who ostensibly know better. Do they believe they're immune in some way? How many of these people are getting regularly tested for COVID-19? Perhaps a positive antibody result has led some to believe that they're impervious to coronavirus, despite the fact that experts say that may not be the case. Are the people crowding restaurants and throwing backyard parties with dozens of friends and family considering their forays outside of the stifling bounds of quarantine a little treat? Something so small that it's probably harmless?

It's understanding to deeply grieve for normalcy—to yearn for the joy that comes with being drunk with your friends, laughing at a bar, gossiping at a restaurant. The act of communing over food and drink is ancient, and beautiful, and above all, really fun. But if it means you and all your friends end up with COVID after one night of getting shithoused at a Florida Irish Pub, would it be worth it? Imagine being willing to risk it all for a pint of semi-cold Guinness. Wild!

The anti-mask, pro-reopening brigade is loud and misled, but so are those who are crying online and in person about the horrible impacts of COVID only to turn around and put others at risk out of a sense of personal entitlement or willingness to allow themselves a pass. Offering our patronage to small businesses like bars and restaurants is absolutely important, especially when so many across the country are faced with the difficult choice of having to open prematurely and putting their staff at risk of contracting COVID or lose their livelihood and their ability to pay their staff. The government has done far too little to help these workers, but there are ways we can help support them besides by crowding their tables and pretending that Everything Is Fine, when the numbers show that we're still in a very bad place. So instead of choosing to forget, instead of choosing to pretend that we're safe just because their doors are reopening, consider getting takeout, or buying merch. Bars and restaurants can still be supported in full, in a safe way.

The normal we knew is gone. Humans have had to evolve for their survival since literally forever. Refusing to do so is a danger to all. It's time to adapt to a new reality.

via VICE US - undefined US VICE US - undefined US via Mom's Kitchen Recipe Network Mom's Kitchen Recipe Network

[melodymgill49801]

Everyone Wants to Return to 'Normal.' That Doesn't Mean You Should

A strange phenomenon has begun to occur in big cities, particularly Los Angeles and New York. Inklings of the behavior started to appear on my Instagram Stories weeks ago—people, three to 10 deep, hanging out in public, drinking in groups, eating in restaurants. I have to assume the individuals at these gatherings were aware there's a deadly pandemic still ravaging the country, as some were wearing masks, yet many are choosing to forget the other measures being asked of us to prevent the spread of coronavirus. And it really is a choice.

New York City entered phase 1 of the reopening process on June 8, allowing construction work and curbside or in-store pick-up at retailers. While Phase 2 is slated for June 22—opening up outdoor dining, barbershops, and salons, as well as additional retail and other services—and Los Angeles is in Phase 3—allowing zoos, aquariums, and music, film, and TV production to resume business—it hasn't stopped experts from questioning the speed of reopening as a public health concern. Simultaneously, many denizens of these cities are fully abandoning social distancing and self-isolation guidelines, seemingly believing that these reopenings signal the end of the virus itself. In LA, an underground dance party drew about 100 people last week. That same day, St. Mark's Place in New York City was crowded with mostly unmasked people raging as a New Orleans-style jazz band played live outside a local bar. It looked like a block party, not a city heeding and grieving the hundreds of thousands of residents sickened (and nearly 20,000 killed) by a deadly pandemic.

I'm not exactly sure when it started, but this disparity between awareness and personal behavior has progressively become common on my timeline. Weeks ago, I sent friends screenshots of an ex-boyfriend's Instagram Stories in which he goes from decrying the government's handling of the COVID-19 crisis to a video of him partying with friends on a boat, no masks in sight. I've seen acquaintances post about relatives struggling with coronavirus, admitting that at first they didn't take the virus seriously, only to see them follow up with social media posts at the beach, drinking and laughing with a PPE-free group of friends. I've heard of containing multitudes, but, uh, that ain't it.

It all came to a head on Saturday afternoon, when a friend and I met up for a social-distanced hang. Masks on, we walked to a nearby bar that was empty, got frozen watermelon margarita road sodas, and headed to a park, where we sat for a few hours soaking up the sun while keeping to opposite ends of my large picnic blanket. We used hand sanitizer liberally and frequently, and avoided all touch. It felt comforting to feel a sense of normalcy again, even if it had to be adjusted for the current conditions. Those are easy sacrifices, though, when you consider the consequences (i.e. dying, or someone else dying because you're an asshole). About a hundred feet away, we saw a picnic table full of people celebrating a birthday. For a moment I thought nothing of it, until it came back to me, like a memory triggered from hearing a song or seeing a Hyundai Sonata or whatever else gets the brain remembering things: This isn't normal anymore.

Then, I suddenly heard chants of "no justice, no peace." Hundreds of protestors marched through the park, following the paved pathway to meet at the monument in the center of the park. It was a strange collision of the world we're now living in, and the layers of cognitive dissonance that are spreading throughout our collective consciousness in various degrees. To see these gatherings—myself and my friend cautiously catching a fade at the park, a large cluster of people abandoning concern for an afternoon of celebration, and protestors fighting for a greater good despite fears of illness and brutalization from police—made me realize the mental gymnastics we're all performing out of fear or necessity.

Simply Psychology explains that cognitive dissonance "refers to a situation involving conflicting attitudes, beliefs or behaviors. This produces a feeling of mental discomfort leading to an alteration in one of the attitudes, beliefs or behaviors to reduce the discomfort and restore balance." Meaning, we do not-great shit, convince ourselves why we have to do the not-great shit, and then, when we can feel your own brain dragging us to filth, we quiet the demons by reminding ourselves that surely, we're actually a Good Person who just had to do some not-great shit. It's how society got both reality TV stars and certain breeds of Nazi sympathizers.

For protestors, there are dueling conflicting attitudes and behaviors: protecting oneself and others during a pandemic, and protecting and fighting for Black people in the face of racial injustice. To do one, the other has to be sacrificed, even if participants are taking precautions like wearing face masks, using hand sanitizer, and staying home if they have any symptoms. When I chose to protest these past weeks, it all came down to a simple fact: I have health insurance. I can afford to put my body on the line in the service of an important fight, because I have the privilege of a medical safety net. But for others, and for the drunken partiers convening and raging like it's pandemic Spring Break even when they know they shouldn't according to the pleas of health experts, it's bafflingly irresponsible. So many people are inexplicably getting comfortable, and dropping their guard too damn low.

The reminders of the time we're living in are everywhere—on signs in storefronts, in the masked faces on the street, in the daily push notifications—so seeing such a large number of people, both in real life and online, blatantly contradict themselves is surreal and upsetting. It boggles the mind, especially when coming from people who ostensibly know better. Do they believe they're immune in some way? How many of these people are getting regularly tested for COVID-19? Perhaps a positive antibody result has led some to believe that they're impervious to coronavirus, despite the fact that experts say that may not be the case. Are the people crowding restaurants and throwing backyard parties with dozens of friends and family considering their forays outside of the stifling bounds of quarantine a little treat? Something so small that it's probably harmless?

It's understanding to deeply grieve for normalcy—to yearn for the joy that comes with being drunk with your friends, laughing at a bar, gossiping at a restaurant. The act of communing over food and drink is ancient, and beautiful, and above all, really fun. But if it means you and all your friends end up with COVID after one night of getting shithoused at a Florida Irish Pub, would it be worth it? Imagine being willing to risk it all for a pint of semi-cold Guinness. Wild!

The anti-mask, pro-reopening brigade is loud and misled, but so are those who are crying online and in person about the horrible impacts of COVID only to turn around and put others at risk out of a sense of personal entitlement or willingness to allow themselves a pass. Offering our patronage to small businesses like bars and restaurants is absolutely important, especially when so many across the country are faced with the difficult choice of having to open prematurely and putting their staff at risk of contracting COVID or lose their livelihood and their ability to pay their staff. The government has done far too little to help these workers, but there are ways we can help support them besides by crowding their tables and pretending that Everything Is Fine, when the numbers show that we're still in a very bad place. So instead of choosing to forget, instead of choosing to pretend that we're safe just because their doors are reopening, consider getting takeout, or buying merch. Bars and restaurants can still be supported in full, in a safe way.

The normal we knew is gone. Humans have had to evolve for their survival since literally forever. Refusing to do so is a danger to all. It's time to adapt to a new reality.

via VICE US - undefined US VICE US - undefined US via Mom's Kitchen Recipe Network Mom's Kitchen Recipe Network

[carolinechanson97838]

Everyone Wants to Return to 'Normal.' That Doesn't Mean You Should

A strange phenomenon has begun to occur in big cities, particularly Los Angeles and New York. Inklings of the behavior started to appear on my Instagram Stories weeks ago—people, three to 10 deep, hanging out in public, drinking in groups, eating in restaurants. I have to assume the individuals at these gatherings were aware there's a deadly pandemic still ravaging the country, as some were wearing masks, yet many are choosing to forget the other measures being asked of us to prevent the spread of coronavirus. And it really is a choice.

New York City entered phase 1 of the reopening process on June 8, allowing construction work and curbside or in-store pick-up at retailers. While Phase 2 is slated for June 22—opening up outdoor dining, barbershops, and salons, as well as additional retail and other services—and Los Angeles is in Phase 3—allowing zoos, aquariums, and music, film, and TV production to resume business—it hasn't stopped experts from questioning the speed of reopening as a public health concern. Simultaneously, many denizens of these cities are fully abandoning social distancing and self-isolation guidelines, seemingly believing that these reopenings signal the end of the virus itself. In LA, an underground dance party drew about 100 people last week. That same day, St. Mark's Place in New York City was crowded with mostly unmasked people raging as a New Orleans-style jazz band played live outside a local bar. It looked like a block party, not a city heeding and grieving the hundreds of thousands of residents sickened (and nearly 20,000 killed) by a deadly pandemic.

I'm not exactly sure when it started, but this disparity between awareness and personal behavior has progressively become common on my timeline. Weeks ago, I sent friends screenshots of an ex-boyfriend's Instagram Stories in which he goes from decrying the government's handling of the COVID-19 crisis to a video of him partying with friends on a boat, no masks in sight. I've seen acquaintances post about relatives struggling with coronavirus, admitting that at first they didn't take the virus seriously, only to see them follow up with social media posts at the beach, drinking and laughing with a PPE-free group of friends. I've heard of containing multitudes, but, uh, that ain't it.

It all came to a head on Saturday afternoon, when a friend and I met up for a social-distanced hang. Masks on, we walked to a nearby bar that was empty, got frozen watermelon margarita road sodas, and headed to a park, where we sat for a few hours soaking up the sun while keeping to opposite ends of my large picnic blanket. We used hand sanitizer liberally and frequently, and avoided all touch. It felt comforting to feel a sense of normalcy again, even if it had to be adjusted for the current conditions. Those are easy sacrifices, though, when you consider the consequences (i.e. dying, or someone else dying because you're an asshole). About a hundred feet away, we saw a picnic table full of people celebrating a birthday. For a moment I thought nothing of it, until it came back to me, like a memory triggered from hearing a song or seeing a Hyundai Sonata or whatever else gets the brain remembering things: This isn't normal anymore.

Then, I suddenly heard chants of "no justice, no peace." Hundreds of protestors marched through the park, following the paved pathway to meet at the monument in the center of the park. It was a strange collision of the world we're now living in, and the layers of cognitive dissonance that are spreading throughout our collective consciousness in various degrees. To see these gatherings—myself and my friend cautiously catching a fade at the park, a large cluster of people abandoning concern for an afternoon of celebration, and protestors fighting for a greater good despite fears of illness and brutalization from police—made me realize the mental gymnastics we're all performing out of fear or necessity.

Simply Psychology explains that cognitive dissonance "refers to a situation involving conflicting attitudes, beliefs or behaviors. This produces a feeling of mental discomfort leading to an alteration in one of the attitudes, beliefs or behaviors to reduce the discomfort and restore balance." Meaning, we do not-great shit, convince ourselves why we have to do the not-great shit, and then, when we can feel your own brain dragging us to filth, we quiet the demons by reminding ourselves that surely, we're actually a Good Person who just had to do some not-great shit. It's how society got both reality TV stars and certain breeds of Nazi sympathizers.

For protestors, there are dueling conflicting attitudes and behaviors: protecting oneself and others during a pandemic, and protecting and fighting for Black people in the face of racial injustice. To do one, the other has to be sacrificed, even if participants are taking precautions like wearing face masks, using hand sanitizer, and staying home if they have any symptoms. When I chose to protest these past weeks, it all came down to a simple fact: I have health insurance. I can afford to put my body on the line in the service of an important fight, because I have the privilege of a medical safety net. But for others, and for the drunken partiers convening and raging like it's pandemic Spring Break even when they know they shouldn't according to the pleas of health experts, it's bafflingly irresponsible. So many people are inexplicably getting comfortable, and dropping their guard too damn low.

The reminders of the time we're living in are everywhere—on signs in storefronts, in the masked faces on the street, in the daily push notifications—so seeing such a large number of people, both in real life and online, blatantly contradict themselves is surreal and upsetting. It boggles the mind, especially when coming from people who ostensibly know better. Do they believe they're immune in some way? How many of these people are getting regularly tested for COVID-19? Perhaps a positive antibody result has led some to believe that they're impervious to coronavirus, despite the fact that experts say that may not be the case. Are the people crowding restaurants and throwing backyard parties with dozens of friends and family considering their forays outside of the stifling bounds of quarantine a little treat? Something so small that it's probably harmless?

It's understanding to deeply grieve for normalcy—to yearn for the joy that comes with being drunk with your friends, laughing at a bar, gossiping at a restaurant. The act of communing over food and drink is ancient, and beautiful, and above all, really fun. But if it means you and all your friends end up with COVID after one night of getting shithoused at a Florida Irish Pub, would it be worth it? Imagine being willing to risk it all for a pint of semi-cold Guinness. Wild!

The anti-mask, pro-reopening brigade is loud and misled, but so are those who are crying online and in person about the horrible impacts of COVID only to turn around and put others at risk out of a sense of personal entitlement or willingness to allow themselves a pass. Offering our patronage to small businesses like bars and restaurants is absolutely important, especially when so many across the country are faced with the difficult choice of having to open prematurely and putting their staff at risk of contracting COVID or lose their livelihood and their ability to pay their staff. The government has done far too little to help these workers, but there are ways we can help support them besides by crowding their tables and pretending that Everything Is Fine, when the numbers show that we're still in a very bad place. So instead of choosing to forget, instead of choosing to pretend that we're safe just because their doors are reopening, consider getting takeout, or buying merch. Bars and restaurants can still be supported in full, in a safe way.

The normal we knew is gone. Humans have had to evolve for their survival since literally forever. Refusing to do so is a danger to all. It's time to adapt to a new reality.

via VICE US - undefined US VICE US - undefined US via Mom's Kitchen Recipe Network Mom's Kitchen Recipe Network

[latoyajkelson70506]

Everyone Wants to Return to 'Normal.' That Doesn't Mean You Should

A strange phenomenon has begun to occur in big cities, particularly Los Angeles and New York. Inklings of the behavior started to appear on my Instagram Stories weeks ago—people, three to 10 deep, hanging out in public, drinking in groups, eating in restaurants. I have to assume the individuals at these gatherings were aware there's a deadly pandemic still ravaging the country, as some were wearing masks, yet many are choosing to forget the other measures being asked of us to prevent the spread of coronavirus. And it really is a choice.

New York City entered phase 1 of the reopening process on June 8, allowing construction work and curbside or in-store pick-up at retailers. While Phase 2 is slated for June 22—opening up outdoor dining, barbershops, and salons, as well as additional retail and other services—and Los Angeles is in Phase 3—allowing zoos, aquariums, and music, film, and TV production to resume business—it hasn't stopped experts from questioning the speed of reopening as a public health concern. Simultaneously, many denizens of these cities are fully abandoning social distancing and self-isolation guidelines, seemingly believing that these reopenings signal the end of the virus itself. In LA, an underground dance party drew about 100 people last week. That same day, St. Mark's Place in New York City was crowded with mostly unmasked people raging as a New Orleans-style jazz band played live outside a local bar. It looked like a block party, not a city heeding and grieving the hundreds of thousands of residents sickened (and nearly 20,000 killed) by a deadly pandemic.

I'm not exactly sure when it started, but this disparity between awareness and personal behavior has progressively become common on my timeline. Weeks ago, I sent friends screenshots of an ex-boyfriend's Instagram Stories in which he goes from decrying the government's handling of the COVID-19 crisis to a video of him partying with friends on a boat, no masks in sight. I've seen acquaintances post about relatives struggling with coronavirus, admitting that at first they didn't take the virus seriously, only to see them follow up with social media posts at the beach, drinking and laughing with a PPE-free group of friends. I've heard of containing multitudes, but, uh, that ain't it.

It all came to a head on Saturday afternoon, when a friend and I met up for a social-distanced hang. Masks on, we walked to a nearby bar that was empty, got frozen watermelon margarita road sodas, and headed to a park, where we sat for a few hours soaking up the sun while keeping to opposite ends of my large picnic blanket. We used hand sanitizer liberally and frequently, and avoided all touch. It felt comforting to feel a sense of normalcy again, even if it had to be adjusted for the current conditions. Those are easy sacrifices, though, when you consider the consequences (i.e. dying, or someone else dying because you're an asshole). About a hundred feet away, we saw a picnic table full of people celebrating a birthday. For a moment I thought nothing of it, until it came back to me, like a memory triggered from hearing a song or seeing a Hyundai Sonata or whatever else gets the brain remembering things: This isn't normal anymore.

Then, I suddenly heard chants of "no justice, no peace." Hundreds of protestors marched through the park, following the paved pathway to meet at the monument in the center of the park. It was a strange collision of the world we're now living in, and the layers of cognitive dissonance that are spreading throughout our collective consciousness in various degrees. To see these gatherings—myself and my friend cautiously catching a fade at the park, a large cluster of people abandoning concern for an afternoon of celebration, and protestors fighting for a greater good despite fears of illness and brutalization from police—made me realize the mental gymnastics we're all performing out of fear or necessity.

Simply Psychology explains that cognitive dissonance "refers to a situation involving conflicting attitudes, beliefs or behaviors. This produces a feeling of mental discomfort leading to an alteration in one of the attitudes, beliefs or behaviors to reduce the discomfort and restore balance." Meaning, we do not-great shit, convince ourselves why we have to do the not-great shit, and then, when we can feel your own brain dragging us to filth, we quiet the demons by reminding ourselves that surely, we're actually a Good Person who just had to do some not-great shit. It's how society got both reality TV stars and certain breeds of Nazi sympathizers.

For protestors, there are dueling conflicting attitudes and behaviors: protecting oneself and others during a pandemic, and protecting and fighting for Black people in the face of racial injustice. To do one, the other has to be sacrificed, even if participants are taking precautions like wearing face masks, using hand sanitizer, and staying home if they have any symptoms. When I chose to protest these past weeks, it all came down to a simple fact: I have health insurance. I can afford to put my body on the line in the service of an important fight, because I have the privilege of a medical safety net. But for others, and for the drunken partiers convening and raging like it's pandemic Spring Break even when they know they shouldn't according to the pleas of health experts, it's bafflingly irresponsible. So many people are inexplicably getting comfortable, and dropping their guard too damn low.

The reminders of the time we're living in are everywhere—on signs in storefronts, in the masked faces on the street, in the daily push notifications—so seeing such a large number of people, both in real life and online, blatantly contradict themselves is surreal and upsetting. It boggles the mind, especially when coming from people who ostensibly know better. Do they believe they're immune in some way? How many of these people are getting regularly tested for COVID-19? Perhaps a positive antibody result has led some to believe that they're impervious to coronavirus, despite the fact that experts say that may not be the case. Are the people crowding restaurants and throwing backyard parties with dozens of friends and family considering their forays outside of the stifling bounds of quarantine a little treat? Something so small that it's probably harmless?

It's understanding to deeply grieve for normalcy—to yearn for the joy that comes with being drunk with your friends, laughing at a bar, gossiping at a restaurant. The act of communing over food and drink is ancient, and beautiful, and above all, really fun. But if it means you and all your friends end up with COVID after one night of getting shithoused at a Florida Irish Pub, would it be worth it? Imagine being willing to risk it all for a pint of semi-cold Guinness. Wild!

The anti-mask, pro-reopening brigade is loud and misled, but so are those who are crying online and in person about the horrible impacts of COVID only to turn around and put others at risk out of a sense of personal entitlement or willingness to allow themselves a pass. Offering our patronage to small businesses like bars and restaurants is absolutely important, especially when so many across the country are faced with the difficult choice of having to open prematurely and putting their staff at risk of contracting COVID or lose their livelihood and their ability to pay their staff. The government has done far too little to help these workers, but there are ways we can help support them besides by crowding their tables and pretending that Everything Is Fine, when the numbers show that we're still in a very bad place. So instead of choosing to forget, instead of choosing to pretend that we're safe just because their doors are reopening, consider getting takeout, or buying merch. Bars and restaurants can still be supported in full, in a safe way.

The normal we knew is gone. Humans have had to evolve for their survival since literally forever. Refusing to do so is a danger to all. It's time to adapt to a new reality.

via VICE US - undefined US VICE US - undefined US via Mom's Kitchen Recipe Network Mom's Kitchen Recipe Network

[deborahaphillips54303]

Everyone Wants to Return to 'Normal.' That Doesn't Mean You Should

A strange phenomenon has begun to occur in big cities, particularly Los Angeles and New York. Inklings of the behavior started to appear on my Instagram Stories weeks ago—people, three to 10 deep, hanging out in public, drinking in groups, eating in restaurants. I have to assume the individuals at these gatherings were aware there's a deadly pandemic still ravaging the country, as some were wearing masks, yet many are choosing to forget the other measures being asked of us to prevent the spread of coronavirus. And it really is a choice.

New York City entered phase 1 of the reopening process on June 8, allowing construction work and curbside or in-store pick-up at retailers. While Phase 2 is slated for June 22—opening up outdoor dining, barbershops, and salons, as well as additional retail and other services—and Los Angeles is in Phase 3—allowing zoos, aquariums, and music, film, and TV production to resume business—it hasn't stopped experts from questioning the speed of reopening as a public health concern. Simultaneously, many denizens of these cities are fully abandoning social distancing and self-isolation guidelines, seemingly believing that these reopenings signal the end of the virus itself. In LA, an underground dance party drew about 100 people last week. That same day, St. Mark's Place in New York City was crowded with mostly unmasked people raging as a New Orleans-style jazz band played live outside a local bar. It looked like a block party, not a city heeding and grieving the hundreds of thousands of residents sickened (and nearly 20,000 killed) by a deadly pandemic.

I'm not exactly sure when it started, but this disparity between awareness and personal behavior has progressively become common on my timeline. Weeks ago, I sent friends screenshots of an ex-boyfriend's Instagram Stories in which he goes from decrying the government's handling of the COVID-19 crisis to a video of him partying with friends on a boat, no masks in sight. I've seen acquaintances post about relatives struggling with coronavirus, admitting that at first they didn't take the virus seriously, only to see them follow up with social media posts at the beach, drinking and laughing with a PPE-free group of friends. I've heard of containing multitudes, but, uh, that ain't it.

It all came to a head on Saturday afternoon, when a friend and I met up for a social-distanced hang. Masks on, we walked to a nearby bar that was empty, got frozen watermelon margarita road sodas, and headed to a park, where we sat for a few hours soaking up the sun while keeping to opposite ends of my large picnic blanket. We used hand sanitizer liberally and frequently, and avoided all touch. It felt comforting to feel a sense of normalcy again, even if it had to be adjusted for the current conditions. Those are easy sacrifices, though, when you consider the consequences (i.e. dying, or someone else dying because you're an asshole). About a hundred feet away, we saw a picnic table full of people celebrating a birthday. For a moment I thought nothing of it, until it came back to me, like a memory triggered from hearing a song or seeing a Hyundai Sonata or whatever else gets the brain remembering things: This isn't normal anymore.

Then, I suddenly heard chants of "no justice, no peace." Hundreds of protestors marched through the park, following the paved pathway to meet at the monument in the center of the park. It was a strange collision of the world we're now living in, and the layers of cognitive dissonance that are spreading throughout our collective consciousness in various degrees. To see these gatherings—myself and my friend cautiously catching a fade at the park, a large cluster of people abandoning concern for an afternoon of celebration, and protestors fighting for a greater good despite fears of illness and brutalization from police—made me realize the mental gymnastics we're all performing out of fear or necessity.

Simply Psychology explains that cognitive dissonance "refers to a situation involving conflicting attitudes, beliefs or behaviors. This produces a feeling of mental discomfort leading to an alteration in one of the attitudes, beliefs or behaviors to reduce the discomfort and restore balance." Meaning, we do not-great shit, convince ourselves why we have to do the not-great shit, and then, when we can feel your own brain dragging us to filth, we quiet the demons by reminding ourselves that surely, we're actually a Good Person who just had to do some not-great shit. It's how society got both reality TV stars and certain breeds of Nazi sympathizers.

For protestors, there are dueling conflicting attitudes and behaviors: protecting oneself and others during a pandemic, and protecting and fighting for Black people in the face of racial injustice. To do one, the other has to be sacrificed, even if participants are taking precautions like wearing face masks, using hand sanitizer, and staying home if they have any symptoms. When I chose to protest these past weeks, it all came down to a simple fact: I have health insurance. I can afford to put my body on the line in the service of an important fight, because I have the privilege of a medical safety net. But for others, and for the drunken partiers convening and raging like it's pandemic Spring Break even when they know they shouldn't according to the pleas of health experts, it's bafflingly irresponsible. So many people are inexplicably getting comfortable, and dropping their guard too damn low.

The reminders of the time we're living in are everywhere—on signs in storefronts, in the masked faces on the street, in the daily push notifications—so seeing such a large number of people, both in real life and online, blatantly contradict themselves is surreal and upsetting. It boggles the mind, especially when coming from people who ostensibly know better. Do they believe they're immune in some way? How many of these people are getting regularly tested for COVID-19? Perhaps a positive antibody result has led some to believe that they're impervious to coronavirus, despite the fact that experts say that may not be the case. Are the people crowding restaurants and throwing backyard parties with dozens of friends and family considering their forays outside of the stifling bounds of quarantine a little treat? Something so small that it's probably harmless?

It's understanding to deeply grieve for normalcy—to yearn for the joy that comes with being drunk with your friends, laughing at a bar, gossiping at a restaurant. The act of communing over food and drink is ancient, and beautiful, and above all, really fun. But if it means you and all your friends end up with COVID after one night of getting shithoused at a Florida Irish Pub, would it be worth it? Imagine being willing to risk it all for a pint of semi-cold Guinness. Wild!

The anti-mask, pro-reopening brigade is loud and misled, but so are those who are crying online and in person about the horrible impacts of COVID only to turn around and put others at risk out of a sense of personal entitlement or willingness to allow themselves a pass. Offering our patronage to small businesses like bars and restaurants is absolutely important, especially when so many across the country are faced with the difficult choice of having to open prematurely and putting their staff at risk of contracting COVID or lose their livelihood and their ability to pay their staff. The government has done far too little to help these workers, but there are ways we can help support them besides by crowding their tables and pretending that Everything Is Fine, when the numbers show that we're still in a very bad place. So instead of choosing to forget, instead of choosing to pretend that we're safe just because their doors are reopening, consider getting takeout, or buying merch. Bars and restaurants can still be supported in full, in a safe way.

The normal we knew is gone. Humans have had to evolve for their survival since literally forever. Refusing to do so is a danger to all. It's time to adapt to a new reality.

via VICE US - undefined US VICE US - undefined US via Mom's Kitchen Recipe Network Mom's Kitchen Recipe Network

[shepgeek]

It was the Summer of ‘96

The UCI at Kinnaird Park, Edinburgh was a 12-screen multiplex which stood outside of the city throughout the 1990s. Edinburgh has a rich history of wonderful old cinemas, with the Filmhouse and Dominion seemingly still thriving, but they were a considerable trek into town and a multiplex was something completely new to the capital. As the 80s ended, shiny new laser-adorned centres appeared on the fringes of the city and it was genuinely exciting when a curious new outdoor retail park appeared promising to change how shopping worked. The mysteries of this enormous cinema complex, flanked as it was by a bowling alley and a Mexican restaurant (what the hell was a “fajita”?) and boasting a preposterous number of screens were impossibly glamorous. When it opened in 1990 the first film I saw there was Nuns of the Run, but later that summer there followed Back to the Future part III, The Rocketeer and Gremlins 2. I was sold on the place and, throughout my teens, it became my cinema of choice and so, when I returned home from university in the summer of 1996, it felt obvious to try for a 10-week summer job there.

 My previous summer had been spent working in a hotel, resenting every second spent in thrall to the management’s penny-pinching, living in dread of being asked to serve soup at weddings and, on one memorable occasion, flooding a storage room: in short I had not been a good fit. Getting the job at the UCI proved alarmingly easy and, on day one, a couple of the older and longer-term workers proposed a welcoming trip to the bar besides Asda for what proved to be an alarming number of tequila slammers in our lunch hour. These guys were a mixed bunch- some of them comfortable in their own skins and mischievously keen to mess with new blood (I am pleased, although not proud, to report I held my booze that afternoon)  but there were others that were clearly resentful of us swanky summer students. Those gents held 5-star badges, having made it up the ladders to the highest level of subordinate but marooned short of management and, for us 1-star newbies with our air of cheerful short-term frivolity, I can, in hindsight, see how annoying and privileged our attitudes must have felt. It led to unrelenting surliness from a few, lifting growls only when delighting in handing out the crappiest jobs possible, but beyond that they rarely held much tangible sway. All employees also got a pass card entitling us to half price at the nearby McDonalds, something which, after watching Super Size Me, must have affected the longer term workers and probably took a year off my own life expectancy. A group of about half a dozen similarly intentioned students banded together to give an air of demented fun to working there that summer and my trips to any multiplexes were forever changed by having to don the black waistcoat, turquoise clip-on bowtie and flashlight.

 Beyond the ticket office at the entrance, there was a large central food court leading to two avenues symmetrically with screens 1-6 to the left and 7-12 to the right. 6 and 7 were the big ones and would be sold out almost every evening, with the entire place packed out on Friday and Saturday nights: if you ever had that final shift you could expect to be locking up at about 2am. In the central hub there was a main food counter in front of you, with an ice cream vendor on the right and the pic’n’mix and computer game area to the left and it soon became clear which was the station to avoid. The pic’n’mix room was tucked into a corner, so if you were manning it you faced hours sat alone in a circular snug filled entirely with sweets to be kept company only by the unrelenting barrage of the arcade games’ yelling at you in a loop of their demo modes: “ITS RACHEL, DAUGHTER OF THE PRESIDENT OF SERCIA!” The hours there were long and draining and, on one occasion, I tried to lift the grim monotony and took the bags of change from the till to see if I could teach myself juggling. I managed about 10 minutes before the camera in the corner of the room tipped off a manager who fired up the walkie talkie to order me to stop dicking about. What was often worse was actually getting a customer, as frequently it would be a kid whose parents had blithely waved them towards the room with permission to “get yerself some sweeties”. I would watch with dread as a child visited scoop after scoop and, despite the numerous signs making the hefty pricing clear, the reaction when I weighed the final submission would often be incredulous anger from the parent. I couldn’t disagree but that didn’t seem to help much either. Still, it meant that, come the end of the day, there were always a few bags left over that irate customers had refused to pay for, which we divided up between us but the quality of cinema pic’n’mix has remained so low for the 2 decades since that I can’t stomach the stuff to this day.

By far the best job was working as an usher, which I managed to sustain for almost the entirety of my time there. Usher’s jobs were vaguely defined and generally had to just keep everything flowing, so if a life size cardboard cutout of Billy Zane dressed as The Phantom needed building, then we’d do so. We were tasked to open each screening, manage any queues, seat the customers if it was busy and then open the doors at the end, tidying up any litter which was left and taking that to the compactor. Beyond that we were to wander round the screens, ostensibly to check that everything was working fine and each day would start with a slip of paper issued to all detailing every start & end time for all showings across the 12 screens throughout that day. This “checking” duty was the best part of the job but it was a luxury than only could be indulged when we were less busy and generally only during the afternoons. The job was simple and trouble was rare, although I did make one big cockup when I allowed in a party of kids with some accompanying adults but didn’t twig that the birthday boy was carrying a helium balloon, which he then let go and it blocked the projection, casting a massive silhouette of Bert from Sesame Street onto the screen. The showing had to be stopped as we messed about with the aircon to try & blow it to one side and the final solution involved a ladder and a pencil on a brush. Aggressive behaviour from the public was similarly rare and the only problem I ever experienced consisted of three guys who pitched up to a bafflingly scheduled late-night showing of Flipper whist completely arseholed and magnificently bellowing the theme song on a loop throughout the show. As there was nobody else in there with them, we left them to it and all we needed to do was gently wake them come the end of the screening.

 Littering was far more of a problem, with the worst cases being when someone dropped a drink on the downward-sloping floor which led to puddles of stickiness that spread everywhere when the audience went to leave. You’d also periodically get a couple of kids overfilled on sweets & fizzy drink barfing it all back up, which was always fun, so the trick was to work out when the tidying of a particularly bad screening was due to finish and then volunteer to open a screening that began immediately beforehand: my mastery of spreadsheets allowed me to dodge plenty of pukers. Even without occasional vomit, the mess was always considerable, and I still don’t understand why people feel that, once the light goes down, that all bets are off in a cinema, with some punters leaving mystifying amounts of carnage upon exiting. Some would try to sneak in messy food from outside and, on one cleaning, I picked up what I assumed to be a sweets wrapper but turned out in actuality to be a condom. What made it worse was that the screening concerned had been about half full. Given how long it took to clear each screen, the end credits to each film became our accompanying litter-picking soundtrack to the summer, and David Arnold’s score to Independence Day remains a personal favourite. Once we had filled our bags of rubbish (the trick being to take your time in doing so), we had to then dump them into the compactor, an ominous machine round the back of the complex which, given its daily diet of coke, nacho cheese, popcorn and ice cream, had an aroma of profound horror which I will never forget, nor will I the images of the mysterious brown goop which oozed around its base. It had its uses though- I remember that the compactor was the only safe place to hide undisturbed to listen to my AM radio as penalty shoot-outs defined Euro 96.

 We also had to keep an eye out for kids trying to sneak into 15 certificate films, something that the ticket office often picked up but that parents would try to subvert by buying tickets for their children and then buggering off. I fondly recall one set of lads who were plainly aged between 8 and 12 who were desperate to get into The Rock. After firing questions at them about their birthdays and watching them desperately struggle with the arithmetic, we suggested they swap their tickets for The Hunchback of Notre Dame and, when the littlest lit up at the suggestion, we declared this the final proof that they were definitely under age. They genuinely were furious with the lad, convinced that they had come tantalisingly close to actually making it in.

 Aside from pic’n’mix, working on the food counter was the least fun shift and I managed to avoid this for almost the entire summer till one of the 5-star badges noticed and dobbed me in. There was nowhere to hide when you were front and centre and what surprised me most was how many customers completely switched their brains off. This is perhaps to be expected: you go to the cinema because you don’t want to have to think, but suddenly you get faced with a myriad of options and offers. By far the most frequent request from a customer was simply for “some juice”, to which I’d have to reply “certainly- would you like Irn Bru? Diet? With or without Ice? Small, medium or bucket? Upgrade to a meal deal?”. More clarification just annoyed everyone- I still believe that nobody ever likes buying food at the cinema.  There were plenty other spectacular brainfarts from the public though- one customer asked how many scoops of ice cream they would get in a treble cone, whilst another, in a moment that still baffles me to this day, queued up to ask “What do you get in a packet of minstrels?” Swallowing the instinct to reply “minstrels”, I hesitatingly offered “Er, small chocolates in a crispy shell?” and the gent, in what I can only imagine was mortification at the ridiculousness of his own question, thanked me and immediately moved away.

 Aside from the gunfire coming from the arcades, the background noise was provided by a loop of trailers firing from tv screens above our heads. You soon became immune to them, but it is interesting to note that the films which were pushed by the studios the most were those who faded fastest: I can vividly recall the music and dialogue for trailers to Phenomenon, Chain Reaction and Escape from LA.

In the quieter moments between the puking, seating, endless litter picking and outbreaks of sheer silliness (“Nacho, Nacho Man” was often sung ), came the moments of sheer pleasure: sneaking into the films. Under the auspices of “just checking everything is OK” I would creep in for 15 or so minutes and see films in patchwork, sometimes going a week before I had caught every scene and made sense of what was going on. There were rare evening staff screenings for the big blockbusters whilst the projectionist checked that everything was working, but the joy came from discovering films I’d never heard of that often nobody else seemed keen to watch, such as Mr Holland’s Opus, The Truth about Cats & Dogs, Stealing Beauty & Happy Gilmore. Also that summer’s huge tentpole releases saw some really great films to sneak snippets of, with the original Mission: Impossible the early hit that was later outdone by the behemoth of Independence Day, which packed in audiences and left thousands leaving the cinema with wide, knowing grins. The Rock, Hunchback of Notre Dame and From Dusk Till Dawn were each excellent, and I still have a soft spot for Ben Stiller’s darkly comic The Cable Guy. Twister was flimsy but spectacular, The Nutty Professor not my cup of tea (but hugely popular) , whilst Eraser was always a laugh to sneak a moment from.

Once I’d consumed a film, I later realised that the greatest joy came from not watching it over again but watching the audience from the back of the screening and I memorised the timing of key scenes for each film so that, when I got the schedule for the day, I could sneak in to see how a new audience reacted: there is nothing quite like the sight of hundreds of people all simultaneously rocketed a foot into the air by a good jump scare. My absolute favourite was the Langley break-in scene in Mission: Impossible, at the precise moment that Tom Cruise’s rope gives way to leave him dangling millimetres from a floor which he absolutely must not touch: the gasping sound made by the audience was that of vibrant, vivid excitement and different every time.  My love of cinema was essentially absolute by this stage, but these moments cemented it.

The UCI was torn down but rebuilt as an Odeon in 2008 in what is now called Fort Kinnaird, but it remains the student job I remember most fondly, even compared to the following summer which I spent in a video shop. My favourite moment came towards the end of the summer, when the Edinburgh International Film Festival was up and running in the city’s more venerable cinematic venues. There had been rumours of celebrities being spotted at the UCI before (I was gutted to miss out on Sylvester McCoy nipping in to see The Rock) but we got sudden notice of a very special event that we were to host in a matter of days. Sean Connery was both a patron of the EIFF and a legend of the city and his newest blockbuster, Dragonheart, was the opening film for the festival. Connery, however, had noted that the movie was a family film and that it was a bit daft having all the bigwigs come along just to marvel at a then-novelty CGI dragon, so he suggested a “family premiere” the following morning, where Edinburgh families could come and see the film for free and we were designated to be the venue. That morning there was a buzz about the place and people had swapped shifts to be there: I was one of the few who had been lucky but, to my horror, the grumpiest of the 5- star badges had been put in temporary charge of the ushers for the day as the managers were distracted by the multitude of other considerations and the sudden exposure of their cinema, and there was no way he was going to let the summer students anywhere near this. I was given the duty to supervise the essentially empty screens on the opposite side from where the hubbub was building. I was gutted but snookered and will never forget the moment when the main boss, who was visibly frazzled, spied us and, confused to find us underemployed, threw us Film Festival T-shirts and told us to get to screen 7, now. Once we had the shirts on our backs the 5 star badge never got a look in as Connery swept past us in a blaze of charisma, dealing effortlessly with the family who had been sat in the front row and attempted to monopolise the Q&A.

“Are you James Bond?” asked a kid’s voice.

“Well, I wash onesh Jamesh Bond but now thatsh played by another actor.”

The same hand shoots straight back up: “But you sound like James Bond.”

Connery milked the laughter, said “So doesh the Dragon”, made a quip about independence and nipped out of the Fire Exit.

[restoreamericanglory]

New Post has been published on Restore American Glory

New Post has been published on http://www.restoreamericanglory.com/health/now-democrats-have-an-opening-to-really-bring-socialized-healthcare-to-u-s/

Now Democrats Have an Opening to REALLY Bring Socialized Healthcare to U.S.

Republicans have now tried and failed, for the second time, to bring their version of Obamacare repeal-and-replace to a floor vote. And, when you consider what the latest version of the bill entailed, it’s not out of line to suggest that maybe their failure was for the best. After all, as several of the more conservative senators pointed out, there was a hell of a lot of the OLD healthcare law included in the new one. It was not, certainly, a full repeal of Obamacare by any stretch of the imagination. And bafflingly, even in its most impotent, state-expanding form, it was still too CONSERVATIVE for a few Republicans to wrap their minds around. Which should tell you quite a lot about the current state of the GOP.

But the question remains: What now?

President Trump is not giving up. He is putting additional pressure on Congress to come through on their promise to voters. But the fact remains that there is a seemingly unbridgeable divide between the various factions of the party. Slide the bill towards the more conservative end of the spectrum and you lose Susan Collins. Slide it towards the liberal end, and you lose Ted Cruz. And those two are just examples, because there are plenty of other Republican senators who have yet to see a bill that satisfies whatever they need to see to bring them to a “yes” vote.

Which leaves…?

Working with Democrats.

And THIS is where Mitch McConnell, Trump, Paul Ryan, and the rest of the GOP leadership must be very, very careful. It’s one thing to simply keep Obamacare in place. It’s quite another to organize a federal bailout for insurance companies in order to stabilize the failing markets. And it’s quite another INDEED to begin entertaining the BIG IDEA – the one Democrats have been quietly salivating over while Republicans fight their way to roadblock after roadblock.

From The Atlantic:

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push();

Emboldened by Hillary Clinton’s 2016 defeat, and the Republican effort to dismantle former President Barack Obama’s signature health-care law, progressive lawmakers and activists are trying to move single payer into the party mainstream. There are signs the idea is winning traction: For the first time ever, a majority of House Democrats have signed up to support “Medicare for all” single-payer legislation, a threshold crossed in the aftermath of the presidential election. A number of influential Senate Democrats have also expressed support for single payer in the midst of the current Republican health-care push, which is now in doubt as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell pushes for an Obamacare repeal vote.

“If you’re serious about real health-care reform, it has got to be on the agenda, and I would hope that as many Democrats as possible support it,” Senator Bernie Sanders said in a recent interview after a rally against the GOP health-care bill  in Kentucky, where he promised that “as soon as we defeat this terrible Republican proposal,” he would introduce his own Medicare-for-all legislation. “It’s going to be a tough fight,” Sanders said, “but it is a fight that has to be waged, because it is the only rational solution to the health-care crisis that we face.”

As The Atlantic signals, the idea – borrowed from our increasingly-socialized allies in Canada and Europe – has gone mainstream within the ranks of the Democratic Party. Al Gore made headlines this week when he endorsed the idea in a speech in New York City on Tuesday.

“The private sector has not shown any ability to provide good, affordable healthcare for all,” Gore said. “I believe we out to have single-payer healthcare.”

Republicans, including the president, appear to understand how disastrous this would be for U.S. healthcare, to say nothing of the economy. Then again, they seemed to understand for years that it was not an option to keep Obamacare around. Things change.

This entire fiasco should be included in every conservative manual from here on out to demonstrate the dangers of letting a state-expanding entitlement take root. The left’s programs ALWAYS, ALWAYS fail, and the answer is ALWAYS, ALWAYS to double down on exactly what made the original disaster so terrible.