#dream meanwhile has plenty of agency

[zhouxiangs]

if i had to compare i’d say before i felt worse for zee than sprite because, even though obviously no one should have gotten beaten up in the first place, zee ended up being the victim of the attack when he wasn’t even the target.

then we saw a bit of their childhood and how zee didn’t really have any say in the matter re: playing volleyball, and how their dad cared enough about sprite to take him out of the situation with their mother but he left zee behind for some reason. we saw sprite taking over zee’s life and- yes, with the best of intentions, but still- changing it irrevocably either by not thinking about the ramifications of everything he’s been doing to get close to the team or by not even considering that zee’s not close to them because he doesn’t want to be.

zee lost all agency and now he thinks he may have lost salmon too, the only person he’s been close to. so yes, all in all zee is in a horribly unfair situation, and his anger at finding out about the switch was more than justified.

but we’ve also seen sprite, who we know hated volleyball as a kid, working so hard to not only be able to play passably but trying to become good for zee, so he can help him achieve his dream. we’ve seen him exhaust himself trying to keep up with the demands of being both a volleyball player and a jiujitsu fighter at the same time, and obviously there’s plenty of guilt to what he’s doing but he’s doing it for his brother; he’s been trying to fix zee’s team so they’ll work better together, trying to make sure zee has a relationship with his teammates and will have friends when he comes back.

sprite might not have thought things through that much, his thought process is... flawed to say the least. but he’s doing everything he can for zee’s benefit to the point of losing himself (or at the very least his name) in the process. and sprite made friends! he fell in love! and now he’s coming to the realisation that zee is going to walk back into his own life at any moment and he will have to walk away from all that.

meanwhile zee has decided to become sprite for a while (i’m guessing because he wants a vacation from his own life and pressures, maybe see how it feels like to not devote every waking moment to volleyball since he’s never had that chance before…) and practice jiujitsu with his fucked up leg because if even sprite can do it of course he can too. after all everyone, even him, seem to view sprite as a good-for-nothing that always messes things up.

and that was already painful enough when it was coming from their parents, but seeing the person sprite is sacrificing everything for thinking the same… yeah i feel worse for sprite now

[zeta-in-de-walls]

Hey guys, eh little ramble about C!Dream.

I sometimes see takes that are rather sympathetic to his character, suggesting that even if some of his actions were reprehensible, his descent was partly due to others failing to reach out and help him. That he has his own reasons and people painting him as the villain essentially forced him into the role. Dream’s suffered too. 

And yeah, you can look into these ideas as an effort to get a better understanding of Dream’s motivations but it’s very easy to fall into excusing Dream’s actions too much or blaming others too much for Dream’s actions.

It’s a tricky thing, but for any action, there’s gonna be some level of personal responsibility assuming you have at least that much power/agency. (There are cases where a character does not have that much power over their own actions. I would argue that Badboyhalo is being heavily influenced by the egg. And there are other times when a character is basically being forced to do something against their will. I don’t believe Dream has ever been in such a situation - his actions in prison might count as he’s absolutely trapped in there with no options. Regardless, this post is only about his actions prior to his prison sentence.) 

Dream is responsible for his own actions.

 -No one pressured him to build obsidian walls around L’Manburg to trap the citizens in forever if they did not do as he demanded.  -No one compelled him to destroy Tommy’s armour every day.  -Or to convince him that L’Manburg was better off without him and to deliberately sabotage his party to make him believe no one cared about him while knowing Tommy was already feeling terrible and contemplating suicide. -Nothing forced him to destroy L’Manberg. -No one made him decide to kill Tubbo and lock Tommy in prison forever. These actions aren’t mistakes made under pressure, these are premeditated plans.

Now, one might argue that Tommy provoked Dream, that he had an irrational hatred for Dream long before Dream actually did anything terrible to him. Dream only became a villain because Tommy and Wilbur villainised him first. Again, this is removing Dream’s own responsibility from his shoulders too much for me. 

For comparison, Quackity tried pressuring Tubbo into executing Ranboo post the festival because he was a traitor. He even said he’d leave L’Manburg if Tubbo didn’t. Tubbo ultimately refused though! Quackity may have been pressuring him, but Tubbo had agency and if he’d actually gone through with it, it would have been as much his own fault. 

Besides this, it also suggests that Tommy and Wilbur were way worse to Dream than canon really depicts? I would argue that Dream did far, far more to provoke Tommy than Tommy did Dream. Dream for instance, griefed a bunch of places and blamed it on Tommy when Tommy hadn’t even been doing anything. To suggest Tommy viewed Dream as an evil villain prior to his exile is also untrue. Post Nov 16th, after Dream had already betrayed Tommy to join Schlatt (plus also having helped Wilbur gather TNT), the two of them sat on the bench together and listened to Blocks while watching the sunset. Tommy didn’t even care that Dream blew up his house. A week later, Dream and Tommy were friendly when they streamed with Lani. Tommy viewed Dream as a friendly rival at this point, and had for some time (the day before the Nov16th war, Dream had helped Tommy when he was in conflict with Sapnap after he’d killed Tommy’s horse. Also after Dream had announced he’d be fighting against Tommy in the Pogtopia war.)

As for friends abandoning him, this again suggests people were way colder to Dream than canon depicts. George was supportive of Dream when he was exiling Tommy. While he didn’t see such an extreme response as necessary, he definitely let Dream do what he did on his behalf. Punz was loyal to Dream right up until the disc finale. Sam built the prison on Dream’s request and remained at least neutral to Dream until the disc finale. 

Sapnap’s an interesting one, he was hurt when Dream declared the only thing he cared about was Tommy’s discs and took offense to Dream’s dethroning George rather arbitrarily and fought on George’s behalf against this. That said, Sapnap was doing this still in the position as Dream’s friend. A good friend doesn’t merely enable them - it’s good when Sapnap condemns Dream’s worse behaviours. He SHOULD be angry when Dream says he cares about nothing but Tommy’s discs and look for an explanation. 

On Tommy’s first full day of exile, Sapnap joins Dream in essentially bullying Tommy, enough so that Tommy actually challenges Sapnap on this. At the festival, Sapnap actually declines joining Tommy, stating that Dream is his friend and he’s not going against him. The next day, Dream never bothers to talk to Sapnap, while Tommy goes out of his way to apologise to him and invites him to be his friend. Only then does Sapnap give up on Dream. I believe if Dream had reached out, he would have had Sapnap’s loyalty. But he did not. 

Perhaps they could have done more for Dream, but it’s very hard to help someone who is burning bridges. Dream was elusive, he let his friendship die as he came to believe that attachment was a weakness. It’s a tragedy, yes, but Dream is also responsible for the breaking down of his friendships. 

Dream was not forced to be a villain, to be abusive. He had friends, he had power. Like every character, he had a choice. And he chose poorly. 

[earlyprincess]

Lavender’s Blue

Aoi Satsuki x Fem! Reader

Oneshot. Fluff. A little bit of angst (?).

CW: Some swearing, other than that none

A/N: Almost a month since my last story, sorry guys :”) (I’ll post an annoucement regarding my situation and how will this blog progress to the future after this fic) this one is a loonnggg fic and I don’t know if I should make a part 2? Cuz’ I feel like I leave the ending hanging :”) Anyways, enjoy this fic and sorry if it turns out cringe (I’m still a newbie to fluff stories). Tsukiuta lovers, comment me about this one! ;)

A/N (2): I change the lyrics to fit into the story.. THIS IS NOT THE ORIGINAL ONE! YOU CAN CHECK THE ORIGINAL ONE HERE.

A/N (3): There’s a different gaps since the Lavender’s green started, I don’t know how to erased the gaps guys :”) (maybe it’s because I wrote this on the phone?) so sorry if those ruin the neatness of this fic :”( (it’ll be very helpful if you tell me how to get rid of it though)

*this is not proofread*

Lavender’s blue, dilly, dilly Lavender’s green Is she your fate, dilly, dilly Is she your fate? The night air seems to blow colder tonight than any other nights before. Aoi tighten his jacket when he felt his body shivered slightly. Although it’s freezing, he doesn’t want to go back inside just yet. The night sky looked so beautiful, it’s tempting him to stay a little bit longer. Today was a tiring day, like the usual. First, he went to the Animage’s photoshoot to be their next week magazine’s cover. Then, he continued on with the filming of his new drama series. At the evening, he starred in a launching make-up brand’s ads. And finally, rehearsing with the rest of Six Gravity for their upcoming tour next month. By the time he got home, it was already nine.

Aoi yawned. Drowsiness started to take over, when he saw one tiny blue star twinkled. Thinking that his brain started to hallucinated things, he rubbed his eyes. Seeing that it’s not twinkling again, he shrugged it off and went back inside the dormitory.

The sky is blue, dilly, dilly The sky is blue Go walk with her, dilly, dilly Go walk with her Today, Aoi suprisingly has a day off, except for rehearsing with the other members again though. The director from his new drama series involved in some scandals, thus the making of the drama is in hiatus. His agency busied themselves with this problem, making sure that Aoi’s image didn’t scratch the slightest bit. Meanwhile, Aoi himself is preparing for tonight’s dinner. Kitchen filled with chopping sounds, Aoi cooks the vegetables in silence. There’s a faint sound from the TV informing the breaking news of the train accident in Sapporo, Hokkaido. When he’s done, Aoi turns off the TV then went inside his bedroom. Aoi decided to pass the time by reading some books or doing anything else he likes. Unfortunately, not long after he started reading, his mind wanders back to this morning. His brain kept manifesting an image of a girl with beautiful smile and heavenly voice. Aoi cannot keep his mind off of her. There are many girls he met before her. His classmates, his fans, his fellow actress’ friends—and there’s plenty who likes him and want to start a relationship with him. Though, he turned them all down. Besides his strict agency’s rules about not allowed to date, Aoi felt that they don’t love him sincerely. Some of them just like his handsome face—because he is the Prince of Six Gravity, everybody adore his heavenly face. And some of them just wanted to get as popular as him—he can see how egoistic they became once they got to take a photo once with him. Aoi is sick of those people. Those who just want to take advantage of him. Sometimes, he even feels like quitting. But he loves his job, it’s all he ever dreamed of. In the first place, he should’ve known that this wonderful carrier comes with an equal consequences. Then, he met her. Although barely knew each other—he even doesn’t know her name—only with the simple “you okay” and “I’m fine”, Aoi felt entranced by her. He felt entranced by her presence, her simplicity, her serenity, and her voice. God, her voice. Aoi momentarily thinks that she should be the one singing in Aoi’s place right now. However, he awares that this is not a fairytale. It’s not a lovely book story where the prince saves the princess, they married, and lived a happy life ever after. The princess won’t fall in love easily with the prince just because he saved her. That’s right, this is not a lovely book story where there’s only happiness along the way. Maybe if he takes a walk and meet another woman, he’ll forget her.

I love to sing, dilly, dilly I love to sing I’m so happy, dilly, dilly I’m so happy Today is a bright day, Aoi took a walk around the park near Six Gravity’s dormitory. While the birds are chirping, he can see some couples sitting together on the bench. A few kids playing on the slide and some on the swings. Aoi decided to stay in the park until he clears off his head. It has the shortfall of being an idol though. One of them is having to wear a mask wherever they go, the same goes with Aoi. Sure, he’s not the most popular one in Six Gravity. But he has the title “Prince of Six Gravity” which he earned because of his princely face. Almost all young girls in Japan worship him. Aoi sighed, took a rest on one of the bench. Hands in pocket, he looked up to see the sky above. Blue sky filled with celestial white clouds, the sun spreading its warmth through the air. When the temperature’s getting hot, Aoi decided to buy an ice cream to cool off his body. The stall isn’t that far away from the bench he sat on, it’s actually just across the bench. When he comes back from getting his vanilla ice cream, a ball flew over him. It toppled his ice cream and a few gasps followed not long after. There are six children standing beside him, fear etched within their faces. “H-hey! It’s your fault!” A kid pushed one of his friends to face Aoi. “I-I’m sorry, sir! Sh-should I replace your ice cream?” The kid asked, trembled. Aoi puts his heavenly smile, even though they can’t see it. Aoi patted the boy, “it’s okay. Next time, be more careful. Okay?” The boy lets out a big smile and nodded eagerly. Then, he and his friends went off to play again.

Aoi sighed, looking at his toppled ice cream—

“That kid sure has a strong leg, he can kicked a ball this far from the field.”

Aoi looked behind him to see the girl he met from this morning.

The very same girl.

No wonder it’s a familiar voice.

“I’m sorry I talked to you out of nowhere, it’s a habit of mine to speak my thoughts out loud. Do you still want an ice cream? I bought two.” Aoi snapped out of his dazed state when the girl handed him the ice creams. One is a vanilla flavor and the other one is a gum flavor.

“T-thanks…” Aoi himself, didn’t know why he was stuttering. “I think I’ll take the vanilla one.” The girl smiled, giving Aoi the vanilla one while starting to eat the blue ice cream. One thought came to Aoi, “may I know, why did you buy two? Did you come with someone?”

The girl chuckled, “my friend was supposed to meet me here, we made a promise that we’ll hangout today ‘cause she’s been in a really busy schedule. But it turned out that she forget and went with her boyfriend instead.”

Aoi furrowed his eyebrows, face scrunched with worry. “…I’m sorry.”

The girl gave a reassuring smile, “It’s fine. Maybe she’s more comfortable with her boyfriend, can’t blame her fully.”

They stood again in silence. Their ice cream are starting to melt and the sun is starting to set. The girl rubs her hands when she finished the ice cream, “well, it’s getting late. I should probably go home.”

Before the girl can turn her heels, Aoi asks a question that’s been bugging his mind since this morning. “W-wait! What’s your name?”

She flashed that pretty smile again, “it’s (Y/N).”

Lavender’s green, dilly, dilly

Lavender’s blue

Wipe your tears dear, dilly, dilly

Oh wipe your tears

You open the door of your small apartment. The night air blew coldly and you want nothing more than sitting comfortably in front of the hearth. You took off your scarf and sweater, letting them sprawled on a chair while you hasted yourself to make a tea.

You stare at the blazing fire in the hearth.

The flame was moving wildly like it was dancing on the timbers. You remembered that one scene from your childhood movie, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe where one of the protagonist was lulled to sleep by a satyr.

Instead of small dancing figurines, you see some light features of a person. Sweet smile, blonde hair, soft skin when he accidentally rubbed your skin while taking the ice cream, and a pair of clear blue eyes. A pair of eyes so beautiful you could literally drown in them.

No doubt it was a man from this morning.

When you see him, dilly, dilly

When you see him

Will he be there, dilly, dilly

Will he be there?

You stroke your hair gently, the water run down your body create a feeling of secureness with the temperature. While the warmth of the water spread through you, your head were drowning in thoughts. There is one certain thing for sure now.

The man’s face was too familiar.

You knew you saw him somewhere… but not too sure about it. In the television? Magazines? Dramas? If so, then he must be an actor. A person works in an entertainment industry. Just to make sure, you scurried yourself to your room.

You remember you watched a movie where the protagonist is a man with face’s features similar to him. After you opened your laptop, you searched for the movie and see through the credit roll. Satsuki Aoi—you searched for the said name on the internet.

Satsuki Aoi. An idol, actor, and model under one of the big agencies in Japan, Tsukino Talent Production. Member of an unit called Six Gravity.

You slumped on your chair. Not even one second in the world would you think about bumping with Japan’s No. 1 Prince. A person whose name always being screamed and whispered from young girls’ mouth. Being squealed from your stepsister’s mouth.

You groaned loudly.

It’s always tiring to hear your stepsister chanting Aoi’s name everytime she watched his music videos in her phone. Excited, face red, and giggling wildly like a crazy person. But at the same time, you love to see her being so happy about something.

As well as being content in your presence.

You shook your head, feeling the drowsiness overcame. You shut your laptop and went to your bed. Before you could sleep, you reached for your phone to call your stepsister. Suddenly feeling a yearning to meet her. The line goes on for some time, until a cute voice made its way to her ears.

“Hello?”

You smiled happily, “hi, dear. How have you been?”

You can imagined her beamed face before she started babbling about her day and you two exchanged stories about what happened today.

“Oh! I almost forgot! You wanna come here tomorrow? I have pasta and blueberry pie stored for us.”

“Sis! Are you sure!?” You bring your phone a little far away, flinched to hear her suddenly pitched voice. “No joke! I’ll be right there as soon as the sun comes up! Be ready for the loud bangs in your front door!”

You both laughed and said your goodbyes and goodnights, before you really went to sleep.

Tomorrow’s gonna be a good day with her.

It’s comforting, dilly, dilly

It’s comforting

To be with you, dilly, dilly

To be with you

You little stepsister really came at five o’clock. The beginning of the dawn.

As soon as you heard loud bangings in front of your door, you rushed over to open it before your neighbors could complain. There, stood your stepsister with a jacket, scarf, boots, and… a shorts? In the middle of autumn? You saved the scolding for later and pulled her inside.

It would be a miss if you look at it from a far distance. But when you take a look closely, her legs are definitely freezing. It’s trembling lightly and all her hairs are standing. Even when she spoke, her voice also quivering. You quickly pulled her to the front of the hearth and went to make some warm tea.

“Really, what are you thinking… going here with shorts?”

Your stepsister pouted, “fashion is number one! Cold can catch up later.”

You walked over to her, bringing two cups of tea. “You said that when you’re already freezing. Don’t be so reckless next time.” You gave her the cup and she didn’t drink it. Instead, she stared at it. “What is it?”

She turns to look at you, “you know I don’t like warm drinks.”

You rolled your eyes while sighing heavily, “don’t be stubborn now, okay? Or I won’t serve you the main meals.”

Your stepsister groaned loudly, “Oh! Come on!” She began to take a sip little by little while you’re prepared to cook for breakfast.

Before lunch time comes, you both spend the time by watching some movies, talking about each other’s recent activities and taking little naps together. When it’s time, you prepared the pasta and baked the pie. All while listening to your stepsister talking about her boyfriend.

“You knew Dani, right? He still chases after me! That fucking ex doesn’t know how to give up! I’m really done with him! By the way, how about you sis? You find someone interesting enough?”

You chuckled, “interesting for what?”

“For a relationship of course! Don’t say that you haven’t!”

You shrugged your shoulders.

“Right. That’s her, my lovely sister. Determined to keep herself pure and single for another nine—no… ten years, maybe!”

You sighed, “that kind of thing can wait, dear. Right now, I have to focus on my work and prepare the money for you to get in a university.”

“Sis! How many times do I have to tell you that it’s fine! I can get the money by doing some part-time jobs! You don’t have to worry about that!”

You closed the oven, “it’s my duty as one of your family to finance you, dear. All you have to do now is study hard for your upcoming exams. I’m sure you’ll be qualified to get in one of the top universities in Japan.”

Your stepsister silenced, defeated. She clearly doesn’t know how to be firm to you when all you did to her was kindness. Endless kindness. Even when she just came to your life nine years ago and not your blood-related family. But still, those nine years were filled with warmness everytime she’s with you.

Two hours later you both eat the main meals.

The sweet spaghetti melts in your mouth, creating more warmness to the one that’s already been there. The blueberry pie makes a perfect dessert to end the warm evening that day.

Your stepsister left at five o’clock in the dusk.

Another day, dilly, dilly

Another day

Let’s meet again, dilly, dilly

Let’s meet again

The next day, you decided to go to the same park.

Your boss informed you early in the morning that the project you worked two weeks ago has been a success and she gave you three off days as a reward. Hearing this, you have a mix feeling. You’re happy that you reached an achievement, but at the same time you don’t know what to do in your apartment.

After a long thought, here you are. Buying the same ice cream like two days ago.

You sat on a bench across the ice cream stall. The park still quite deserted since it’s Monday and nine o’clock in the morning. Many adults went to work and the children went to school. You thought about your stepsister going to school.

She better studies hard and not thinking about getting some part-jobs anymore… you thought.

Actually, it is true that you’re not the one who’s supposed to take care of her finance. It is her. Your stepmother. The woman that married your father nine years ago and demanded a divorce when she knew about your father’s illness.

When your father is at his worst, dying.

You’re not dumb, you knew about her intentions. Her selfishness. But your father told you to have a kindness no matter what life threw upon you. And now, she doesn’t take any jobs and relying everything on her first daughter. Your another stepsister.

She’s quite the same as her mother, though. Doesn’t like you a bit, but gained a little respect after she knew about you financing her little sister. After all, your position and salary are much higher than her and she realized that she can’t finance her toxic mother when she can’t even finance herself.

All those thoughts made you go back to the past and resurfacing one curious question.

Why your stepmother doesn’t like you in the first place?

What is it with you? Did you make a mistake to her? Did you remind her of someone she despises?

And more questions created by one resurfacing question.

When they first came to introduce themselves, you still remember their faces. Stepmother and older stepsister who are looking at you with furrowed eyebrows and little stepsister who’s innocently, curiously looking at you with those big cute eyes of her—

“You came here again?”

[somegirlsnerdywords2]

Anime i’ve Watched

That begin with a K (Part 2)!

Yep this is how i’m going to bring over all the anime and manga i’ve watched and posted about on the old blog. It’s not so detailed but it will have to do. Anything new I watch or read from this point on will have their own posts.

Karneval

Genres: action, fantasy, josei, mystery, sci-fi

Synopsis:  While in search of his precious friend, a young boy named Nai falls captive to a beautiful woman, whose looks are matched only by her taste for human flesh. Meanwhile Gareki, a clever thief, is in the midst of robbing her luxurious home. After causing a distraction, Gareki agrees to help Nai escape, but they are discovered upon the woman's return. As she transforms into a ghoulish monster, the boys flee. On the run, Nai and Gareki are found by "Circus," a government defense agency that deals with criminal activity too difficult for the police to handle and protects civilians from "varuga"—terrible monsters that devour humans for sustenance. In the hope that it will lead Nai to his missing friend, he and Gareki decide to join Circus. On their perilous journey, they face dangerous varuga and begin to uncover the secrets behind a shadowy organization known as Kafka. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

My Rating: 7/10

Finished airing in 2013 with a total of 13 episodes. 

My Thoughts: Love the character design and I was interested in the story but the series is far too short. I’d suggest you go read the manga (which is farther along) but it’s rarely updated so I can’t confidently say it’s worth the read. Your choice is read/ watch this and suffer alongside me with the lack of updates or erase its existence from your mind. Your call! 

Kaze ga Tsuyoku Fuiteiru (Run with the Wind)

Genres: comedy, sports, drama

Synopsis:  Former ace runner of Sendai Josei High School, Kakeru Kurahara is chased away from a convenience store for shoplifting. Shaking off his pursuer, he runs into Haiji Kiyose, another student from his university. Haiji is impressed by Kakeru's agility and persuades him to live in Chikusei-sou, the run-down apartment where Haiji resides along with eight other students. Having lost his entire apartment deposit at a mahjong parlor, Kakeru accepts the offer reluctantly. However, Haiji reveals a secret during Kakeru's welcoming party: the apartment is actually the dormitory of the Kansei University Track Club. He unveils his ultimate goal of participating in the Hakone Ekiden—one of the most prominent university marathon relay races in Japan. Unfortunately, all the residents apart from Haiji and Kakeru are complete running novices. Worse still, none of the inhabitants are even remotely interested in being involved with Haiji's ridiculous plan! With only months before the deadline, will the fourth-year student be able to convince them otherwise and realize his elusive dream of running in the Hakone Ekiden? [Written by MAL Rewrite]

My Rating: 10/10

Finished airing in 2019 with a total of 23 episodes. 

My Thoughts: This was a masterpiece in my opinion, an anime I won’t soon forget and one of the best of its season without a doubt! Good stuff right here and not in a high school setting which is a change of pace for a sports anime! A very satisfying anime that I highly recommend. 

Kaze Tachinu (The Wind Rises)

Genres: drama, historical, romance, film

Synopsis: Although Jirou Horikoshi's nearsightedness prevents him from ever becoming a pilot, he leaves his hometown to study aeronautical engineering at Tokyo Imperial University for one simple purpose: to design and build planes just like his hero, Italian aircraft pioneer Giovanni Battista Caproni. His arrival in the capital coincides with the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, during which he saves a maid serving the family of a young girl named Naoko Satomi; this disastrous event marks the beginning of over two decades of social unrest and malaise leading up to Japan's eventual surrender in World War II. For Jirou, the years leading up to the production of his infamous Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter aircraft will test every fiber of his being. From witnessing firsthand the growing antisemitism in Germany to fatefully reuniting with Naoko at a summer resort, his many travels and life experiences only urge him onward⁠—even as he realizes both the role of his creations in the war and the reality of the waning health of his beloved. As time marches on, he must confront an impossible question: at what cost does he chase his beautiful dream? [Written by MAL Rewrite]

My Rating: 8/10

A film released in 2013

My Thoughts: Beautiful and dreamy but not one of my favourite anime films unfortunately. Still very good though!

Kekkai Sensen

Genres: action, comedy, superpower, supernatural, vampire, fantasy, shounen

Synopsis:  Supersonic monkeys, vampires, talking fishmen, and all sorts of different supernatural monsters living alongside humans—this has been part of daily life in Hellsalem's Lot, formerly known as New York City, for some time now. When a gateway between Earth and the Beyond opened three years ago, New Yorkers and creatures from the other dimension alike were trapped in an impenetrable bubble and were forced to live together. Libra is a secret organization composed of eccentrics and superhumans, tasked with keeping order in the city and making sure that chaos doesn't spread to the rest of the world. Pursuing photography as a hobby, Leonardo Watch is living a normal life with his parents and sister. But when he obtains the "All-seeing Eyes of the Gods" at the expense of his sister's eyesight, he goes to Hellsalem's Lot in order to help her by finding answers about the mysterious powers he received. He soon runs into Libra, and when Leo unexpectedly joins their ranks, he gets more than what he bargained for. Kekkai Sensen follows Leo's misadventures in the strangest place on Earth with his equally strange comrades—as the ordinary boy unwittingly sees his life take a turn for the extraordinary. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

My Rating: 8/10

Finished airing in 2015 with a total of 12 episodes. 

My Thoughts: I recall this terribly sad episode that was an absolute masterpiece but to be honest the rest of the series didn’t leave much of an impression on me. I didn’t even bother watching the second season when it came out. Do what you will with that information.

Kenka Banchou Otome: Girl Beats Boys

Genres: action, martial arts, school, shoujo, TV short

Synopsis:  Kenka Banchou Otome - Girl Beats Boys, Hinako Nakayama has spent all of her life being raised in state-run orphanages, without ever knowing her family. As she's about to enter high school, Hinako is approached by Hikaru, a boy who claims to be her twin brother. According to Hikaru, Hikaru and Hinako are the children of the head of the powerful Onigashima yakuza family, and Hikaru wants Hinako to switches places with him at Shishiku Academy, an all-boys school overrun with the nation's toughest delinquents. Can Hinako save her brother, find romance, and become the new boss of the school? (Source: Crunchyroll)

My Rating: 7/10

Finished airing in 2017 with a total of 12 episodes. 

My Thoughts: Reverse harem style, tv short with a tomboy female lead. Not really long enough to leave much of an impression but fun enough if you have some time to waste. Surprisingly great art/ animation.

Keppeki Danshi! Aoyama-kun

Genres: comedy, seinen, sports

Synopsis:  He is charming, cool, athletic, a good cook, but more importantly, he's a clean freak. Aoyama is idolized and respected by everyone, but they can only admire him from afar due to his mysophobia. Despite that, he plays soccer—a rather dirty sport! As the playmaker for Fujimi High School's soccer club, Aoyama avoids physical contact at all cost and cleanly dribbles toward victory. However, the path to Nationals will not be easy for Fujimi's underdog team. But alongside striker Kaoru Zaizen, Aoyama will show everyone that even as a clean freak, there are things he's willing to get dirty for. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

My Rating: 7/10

Finished airing in 2017 with a total of 12 episodes. 

My Thoughts: comical with what I recall to be very little focus on the actual playing of sports which is a bummer if that’s what you’re looking for. It was alright but there are definitely better comedy (and for sure sports) anime's out there! 

Kill la Kill

Genres: action, comedy, superpower, school

Synopsis:  After the murder of her father, Ryuuko Matoi has been wandering the land in search of his killer. Following her only lead—the missing half of his invention, the Scissor Blade—she arrives at the prestigious Honnouji Academy, a high school unlike any other. The academy is ruled by the imposing and cold-hearted student council president Satsuki Kiryuuin alongside her powerful underlings, the Elite Four. In the school's brutally competitive hierarchy, Satsuki bestows upon those at the top special clothes called "Goku Uniforms," which grant the wearer unique superhuman abilities. Thoroughly beaten in a fight against one of the students in uniform, Ryuuko retreats to her razed home where she stumbles across Senketsu, a rare and sentient "Kamui," or God Clothes. After coming into contact with Ryuuko's blood, Senketsu awakens, latching onto her and providing her with immense power. Now, armed with Senketsu and the Scissor Blade, Ryuuko makes a stand against the Elite Four, hoping to reach Satsuki and uncover the culprit behind her father's murder once and for all. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

My Rating: 9/10

Finished airing in 2014 with a total of 24 episodes. 

My Thoughts: One of my top three favourite anime's of all time despite my not giving it a perfect score and the sole reason i’m such a Trigger fangirl despite the way they continue to disappoint me with each and every new release... Highly recommend! Fair warning there’s plenty of skimpy outfits and fan service which may turn some off but if you can get past it this really is an anime worth checking out. Great story, characters, music and style! A chaotic feast for the eyes and ears! I really should rewatch it... 

[earnestly-endlessly]

have any recs for canon divergent fic?

(Post-movie AU.) On a beach in Cuba, Charles manages to talk Erik down from the edge. But even after the missiles have been diverted, compromise is impossible. There are two different futures to build, and Erik and Charles will always be separated by their principles. But when Charles is kidnapped and the X-Men can't find him, Erik will get him back no matter the consequences.Meanwhile, trapped alone in his mind for the first time in his life, Charles comes face to face with the truth about what and who he wants. When convictions stand in direct opposition to the heart, which will prevail?Oh yes Anon, I have plenty of canon divergent fics. Many of these are probably familiar favourites, but I tried to list a wide variety of different fics. Some of these are fix-its, but I plan to make a different list with fix-it fics. 

I hope you Enjoy!

                                      Cherik - Canon Divergent Fics 

Us – Pangea 

Summary: “Charles,” Erik says, and if his voice hits a pleading note then who can really blame him, “Charles, it’s me.”

It takes several longer moments before Charles musters up the strength to answer, breath stuttering horribly as he tries to breathe. He’s shaking, entire body trembling.

“Erik,” Charles says, his voice cracking, “Erik, I want to die.”

Time to Grow – zarah5

Summary: In which you’ll find chess dates which aren’t dates (or maybe Charles is wrong about that). – Based on First Class, this turns (slightly) AU during the beach scene.

Took Me By Surprise And Then – Thehoyden

Summary: After the second surgery in New York, Charles doesn’t anticipate anyone keeping vigil by his bedside — and certainly not Tony Stark.

Lucid Dreaming – Listerinezero

Summary: Magneto finds himself in 1962, on the morning they go to Cuba, in the bed of the young Charles who’d spent months letting him think they were in love before breaking his heart. But he is not the same man he was forty years earlier, and as he gets to know young Charles again, he discovers that things might not have been exactly the way he remembered them after all.

Anger, serenity, and the spaces in between - appleseed

Summary: After Cuba, things are going to change - at least if Charles has any say in the matter.

The Virtue to Which We Aspire - varlovian

Summary: Nine months after Cuba, Charles is found by Erik’s Brotherhood in the smoldering ruins of an abandoned CIA base, exhausted but alive. As the only known survivor of the CIA’s vendetta against mutants, recovering Charles’ memory of the incident—which he admits to having forgotten—just became paramount.

But the harder they push, the closer Charles gets to breaking point. When he finally cracks, the X-Men and the Brotherhood will learn the truth, but it comes with a price…

Some doors, once opened, cannot be closed.

Some minds, once broken, will never be the same again.

Lay down beside me (so still and so soft) – C-Gracewood

Summary: A different take on the events of the film

Not Half As Blinding – keire_ke

Summary: Cuban beach AU. Charles discovers that death does, in fact, solve everything.

Needles – Skull_Bearer

Summary: AU where everyone’s born Dominant or Submissive. Once a Dominant and Submissive pair is born, they are linked to each other, no matter how far apart they are. This link doesn’t actually tell the Dom or the Sub each other’s thoughts, but it does allow them to know how the other’s doing and serves as a reassurance that there’s someone meant for them out there. Another one of the reasons that Erik hates Shaw so badly is because Shaw managed to break Erik’s link to his Sub. Now Erik doesn’t even know if his Sub’s alive because breaking a link like that can kill a Submissive. Meanwhile, Charles hates himself for not yet having telepathy strong enough to contact and help his Dom, especially after feeling the pain his Dom was forced to go through. He truly believes that his Dominant is dead. Hopes it, some nights when he remembers how his Dom was forced to suffer. It’s better than to think of his Dom still being forced to bear that pain.

And then Charles pulls Erik from the water

TL;DR: Erik and Charles (respectively) are a Dominant and Submissive pair that find each other after thinking the other is dead.

The Tower and the Hurricane – dreamlittleyo

Summary: (Post-movie AU.) Five years after Shaw’s death, Erik’s predictions prove painfully accurate. Violence rages on both sides of the human/mutant conflict. In a world ravaged by war, it doesn’t really matter who’s more at fault. Charles struggles to teach his students a better way, but what choices will he make when peace really isn’t an option?

Blood and Steel and Miles Between – dreamlittleyo

Summary: (Post-movie AU.) On a beach in Cuba, Charles manages to talk Erik down from the edge. But even after the missiles have been diverted, compromise is impossible. There are two different futures to build, and Erik and Charles will always be separated by their principles. But when Charles is kidnapped and the X-Men can't find him, Erik will get him back no matter the consequences.

Meanwhile, trapped alone in his mind for the first time in his life, Charles comes face to face with the truth about what and who he wants. When convictions stand in direct opposition to the heart, which will prevail?

Burn the World to Ashes – nixajane

Summary: Movie Ending AU. Erik is merciless after Shaw is dead, taking out Moira and sending the missiles back at the ships that fired them. Charles refuses to join him and they go their separate ways, but he keeps getting in the way and Erik can’t allow him to interfere with his plans. More importantly, he can’t allow Charles to be hurt.

Forward Momentum – AsYouWish

Summary: Six months after Cuba, Charles and Erik find themselves thrown fifty years into the future, where they meet their older selves, the Avengers, and a world that’s very different from their own. Faced with the pieces of their broken relationship, an unparalleled adversary, and dealing with Tony Stark on a daily basis, Charles and Erik do their best to adapt while trying to find a way back home – and to each other.

No Yesterdays on the Road – pocky_slash

Summary: It’s been two months since Cuba and things are settling down for Charles, Erik, and the beginnings of their mutant school. Right up until Charles disappears, that is. Faced with the possibility that a bitter Emma Frost has kidnapped Charles, Erik is forced to team up with Moira to hunt down the remainder of the Hellfire Club. From there, they hope to locate Frost and retrieve Charles, without killing each other along the way.

(Or: Erik and Moira Drive Across the Country and Talk About Their Feelings.)

Divergence Day – Manic Intent

Summary: The room that Charles is held in is simple, and underground, a concrete bunker of a place hewn into a cube, with a simple white cot for a bed. There’s a small black and white television set, plugged to the wall within hand’s reach of the bed, and an ensuite bathroom attached to the chamber. They’re somewhere in the Nevada desert, as far as Charles dimly remembers, one of Erik’s many boltholes. There’s no one else in the entire facility, and Erik’s mind is closed to Charles from the helmet. The silence is both blissful and excruciating.

It’s like one of us woke up – kaydeefalls

Summary: “You came here for me,” Charles said, meeting Shaw’s gaze levelly. “So let’s not waste any more time.”

Canon!AU in which Charles and Erik do find Shaw in Russia.

It’s All Coming Back to Me – Regann

Summary: When Erik hears that Charles died on the beach where he left him, there’s only one thing left for him to do: take the world down with him as he crashes and burns in his grief. But maybe the world will get its reprieve before he goes too far.

Shared Custody – smilebackwards

Summary: “I would like to date your sister,” Azazel tells Charles after he makes a particularly fine point about Descartes’ Discourse on the Method for which Azazel has no rebuttal.”

A Hundred Visions and Revisions – kaydeefalls

Summary: In which the CIA and FBI indulge in some inter-agency snooping, Erik hates Cerebro, a new mutant is found, and Charles is very distracting.

Enigma – Yahtzee

Summary: Written for the following prompt: Erik dies, or finds a reversey-time mutant, or a magical time travelling device, and wakes up in the past. This time, though, it’s before he ever met Charles - in fact, it’s before his mother died.He can save his mother that one time (thanks to his mastery over powers carrying back), but what does Erik do after that? Does he stick around, or escape and run to find Charles again (and hope everything doesn’t go wrong)?

Five Bullet Points – Sperare

Summary: It was supposed to be Erik locked away in a prison one hundred stories below the ground.

Charles was never supposed to be there with him.

The Winter of Banked Fires – Yahtzee

Summary: Charles Xavier has returned from the dead – but is lost within his own mind. Rogue has cast aside her own power and doesn’t know where she fits in the world any longer. The production of synthetic Cure means mutantkind itself is newly at risk. And Magneto, turned human against his will, is in despair until the day he feels a familiar consciousness tugging at his own –

Set after X-3 (with much desperate fix-it applied), during XMFC, and every time in between.

When We Two Parted – nekosmuse

Summary: At the end of X3, a still depowered Erik travels back in time to meet 1962 Charles. Cue angst, desperate kissing and happy endings for all. Written for the x-men kink meme.

The Burden We Long to Carry – arcapelago (arcanewinter)

Summary: When mutant-supporter and ally President Kennedy is assassinated and all pro-mutant progress is dismantled, Charles is no longer so confident that he’s on the right side, and extends his hand to Erik after a year of animosity. They settle tentatively into their old partnership, but not everything is the same as it was–and not everything can be. When Hank develops a metal frame to move the lower half of Charles’ body for him if he wants it, Erik offers the use of his mind and his ability in order to make it work. Both find out what they’re willing to do for each other, and neither knows if it’ll be enough to keep them together.

Take the First Option – ShowMeAHero

Summary: When Erik becomes unbalanced, Emma presents him with three options: go back to Charles for three months and learn to deal with whatever he has going have going on, lose his Brotherhood, or let Emma control his mind.

He really only has one choice.

When an Unstoppable Force Meets an Immovable Optimist – ToriTC198

Summary: “You are always trying to save me, Charles.” Erik mused aloud. “Ever since you dove into the ocean and dragged me out. Did it ever occur to you that I might not be worth saving?”

A genuine smile broke out on Charles’ face as he brightly answered, “No, my friend, not once. I have every confidence you are well worth saving. But, I never truly believed I could save you. You are not the sort of man who someone saves. The choice to be a better man has always been yours to make and I hold no illusions that I can make that decision for you. I simply have faith that one day you will save yourself. I only hope I am still at your side to witness it.”

- What if Erik and Charles had been able to find a middle ground in the end?

[tacittherapist]

Rhizomes & Rifling: Caring for Your Jade

Jade Harley Appreciation Walkthrough Version 1.0, January 18, 2020 By tacitTherapist [tentacleTherapist] =============================== TABLE OF CONTENTS =============================== 1. Exceptions and Exceptionalism..................... [A000] 2. Walkthrough (Incomplete).......................... [B000] 2.1. Broodfester Influence & You..................... [B100] 2.2. The Turing Test................................. [B200] 2.3. Domesticity, Deconstruction, and Delirium....... [B300] 3. Iteration & Recursion............................. [C000] ?. Rose: Egress...................................... [ZZZZ] ================================================================================== [A000] Exceptions and Exceptionalism ================================================================================== It is of the utmost importance that you understand this: Jade Harley, and all versions thereof, are driven by exceptionalism. Whether it be in rocket science, gardening, combat, or romance, Jade Harley will throw herself into it, with a rigor generally reserved for those passions of the heart only middle-aged men with basement train sets can fathom. Jade Harley is an asset in any endeavor, in no small part because of her natural intelligence and gumption to work on those aspects where her talent cannot carry her. That said, there will be things she is not good at. Often these small shortcomings are met with a calm collection, the frustration kept suppressed until a later time when it comes pouring back out with vindictive fervor. Other times, it’s a thrown tool and a verbal release of said frustration. A Jade’s emotions will tend to bubble near the surface. In either case, it is important that you address these feelings. Whether by consolation or encouragement, the worst thing to do is ignore how she feels. Jade Harley must be seen. ================================================================================== [B000] Walkthrough (Incomplete) ================================================================================== Caring for your Jade is much like caring for a succulent. Physical resources mean little, they are both hardy as the Paradox Nights are long, and your greatest asset is simply a bit of your spare time and attention. Generally this would be the point in the walkthrough wherein I, a privileged, sheltered person would ramble for an unacceptable length of text, and mention completely unrelated topics such as my recent summering in the Swiss Alps or the time my petulant child’s unhealthy fixation with a cereal mascot, but I’ll deign to spare you the pedantry. It pains me to admit that caring for your Jade is actually not as easy as previously stated. Unlike a succulent, Jade will make their admiration for you subtle. Where a succulent will dry out or wilt in unhealthy conditions, Jade will grin and bear it, convincing herself that she only needs to try a little harder and that her own needs come second. This is dangerous and unhealthy, and I must humbly confess that there are still plenty of moments wherein I’ll be too caught up in my own ideas that Jade’s wants and needs took a back seat. So, as mentioned, time and attention are your greatest assets. However, you will also want mindfulness to hold it all together. I do not mean mindfulness as in the practice of meditation; I mean the capacity to assess her emotional state at any given point in time. As a soul with affinity for Space (regardless of whether your Jade is a Space player), Jades tend towards isolation. Whether it be on a remote Pacific Island or a golden ship, Jades of the Harley variety tend to be left to their own devices for far too long. Granted, a fermentation like that inevitably leads to a completely fascinating personality, but that’s for another guide. One can really only imagine: what does a fully realized Jade, given all the nurturing, love, and attention she needs, look like? Is she more or less outspoken? Is she more charming, or was that a mechanism adapted to make herself more amenable? What are her interests? If you have the answer to all these questions: congratulations! You don’t need to read any further. For everyone else: are you writing this down? Find a pen. You’ll want to remember this. In all ways, caring for Jade Harley is never a chore, but a pleasure. However, as in all things, you can succumb to too much pleasure. Like a Faustian curse, every second you spend with Jade, you forget to manage your own interests. I cannot overstate this: a relationship with Jade Harley is an ambrosia so sweet, I’ve more than once forgotten who I was. This is not an admission of weakness. In fact, I’d describe the times I’m not in sheer awe of our relationship as the most lucid moments of my life. But therein lies the catch: while mutual admiration and attention are cornerstones of an ideal relationship with Jade Harley, so too are small pockets of separation. This may seem counter-intuitive at first; after all, I devoted a good portion of this walkthrough to emphasizing the importance of spending time and attention on your Jade. However, like all flames of passion, you must temper it with distance. And like a flame, the source must be pure. A pure expression of self. In many ways, this walkthrough is not just a guide to caring for Jade, but also for caring for yourself. You should care for yourself, not just because it helps you better care for Jade... but because Jade would want you to. ================================================================================== [B100] Broodfester Influence & You ================================================================================== So you’ve made it this far. Well done. Caring for someone else and practicing self care is a delicate balance, but one that is well worth the effort. Unfortunately, this is also a balance ripe for the harvesting by otherworldly beings. If you aren’t familiar with the Horrorterrors (formally The Noble Circle of Horrorterrors) consider yourself lucky. To be brief: The Horrorterrors are an ancient race of horrible creatures that reside in the Furthest Ring, a dimension that exists within all timelines and all dimensions and all realities. These creatures only truly care for their own self preservation, but thankfully only tamper with the most well-laid plans. They seem to thrive off suffering or other negative emotions... but they also seem to be attracted to ambition, because ambition sets the stage for disappointment and failure, which are suffering-adjacent. If you are more well-acquainted with The Horrorterrors, my apologies. But I’m going to assume that the fact that you are still able to read and parse this is an indicator that you’ve survived. If this is the case, do know that I’m proud of you. It takes more than strength to survive even one encounter with any of the Horrorterrors. Hell, even a Smaller God is a sight to behold. It is commendable that you’ve not only survived, but also made it this far after the encounter. Incidents involving Horrorterrors tend to leave scars that never completely heal, and I do mean that both physically and figuratively. There is a portion of me that will never truly be the same. In fact, even if you personally have not encountered a Horrorterror, their influence tends to spread across all timelines (given they, again, exist across all timelines) and thus you may have been influenced by them in another reality without knowing it. It is hard to tell. Even with distinct, quantifiable knowledge, it is hard to tell what is real sometimes. But a Jade that has been touched by the Horrorterrors is another matter altogether. The corrupting influence of the Horrorterrors never really goes away. It retreats and goes dormant and may sometimes seem to disappear... but it isn’t really gone. A Jade afflicted by the grimdark throes is a frightening maelstrom of energy and raw, unchecked emotion. This presents you with a conundrum. The only way to calm a broodfester Jade is to assure them that everything will be OK. But everything will not be OK. Simply by virtue of experiencing the woegothic trance means everything will most certainly be not OK. But you have to sell it. You must become the best liar you have ever been, lest you succumb to the weals of terrible calamity. And, as is fitting, not only must you convince Jade to calm her dark, broiling energies, but you must convince yourself as well. Jades are adept at detecting insincerity, especially those attuned to weird powers. If you cannot convince yourself, you will not convince Jade. ================================================================================== [B200] The Turing Test ==================================================================================   The Turing Test, simply put, is a test designed to tell whether a machine is capable of human behavior. Obviously Turing was a hack and the test was dogshit that flagged more false positives than a broken pregnancy test. However, his test poses a good question: what separates humans and machines? Supposing they are indistinguishable behavior-wise, where does human end and machine begin? Do prosthetics count as machinery? Are androids machines or humans? Is there a ratio of flesh to synthetics at which the threshold is crossed from human to machine? Do androids dream of electric sheep? I’m not adequately prepared or experienced to answer these questions, but I can at least posit this: the distinction between machine and human is irrelevant. What matters is behavior. My Jade is full of electronics. I mean this literally. Her body is some percent machine. Perhaps close to or above 50%. At first I was horrified. Disgusted. But after a bit of processing, I realized... this was beautiful. Jade was beautiful. Yes, this is simply a consequence of her fixation with gadgetry, but outside of that context, it is a beautiful act of rebellion against nature itself. Why should nature decide what we look like? Or how our bodies function? Who put that bitch in charge? Fuck nature. No one ever asked to exist. So existing on our own terms is the ideal existence. Jade is incredibly sexy because not only has she actively subverted nature’s intentions for her, but she’s also cultivated a cute little garden in which nature is her subject in a sexy role reversal. Meanwhile, what have I done? Kept all my original flesh? Had all my original teeth fall out just for more original teeth to grow in where the old teeth were? Lost an innumerable numbers of hairs throughout my lifetime? There’s no decision there. No agency. I haven’t shaped my own destiny the same way I was always too afraid to get a tattoo. Ironically, I’ve also found myself in situations wherein I may have failed the Turing Test. My calculating, analytical personality has likely done more to resemble a predetermined machine-like behavioral schema than anything Jade has done to herself. So, to care for your Jade, do be sure to examine your own prejudices. Question what is ‘natural’ and what is ‘desirable.’ Don’t fall back on the laurels of hokey, inaccurate tests. ================================================================================== [B300] Domesticity, Deconstruction, and Delirium ================================================================================== A life with Jade Harley is generally domestic. Regardless of setting, be it in a barren, war-torn wasteland, or even in a Victorian Manor amid political turmoil and societal upheaval, a life with Jade Harley is generally domestic. She craves domesticity, and hopefully you do too. Domestic means pertaining to the home. And home is where the Jade is. And if home isn’t where the Jade is, Jade will build one there. But therein lies the issue. Even if she weren’t a Space player, Jades tend to have and affinity for isolation. Be it because she sits at the top of her educational hierarchy or through literal physical isolation, Jades may have houses, but not homes. And in an attempt to create homes, Jades tend to create limitless expanses of home-related paraphernalia. So much, in fact, that it tends to become a mess. This is where you come in. As the foil to her constructive personality, you must serve as the deconstruction in harmony. Here, deconstruction is actually a force of growth. It clears away the debris, the unnecessary, to create space for the new. This isn’t to say you’ll be going around destroying everything though. Deconstruction in this sense is moreso acts of change: the ceasing of old traditions, the storing of dated antiquity, and the slow, low burning of ancient ritual. This also isn’t to say you are relegated to this role. Any harmonious relationship will have participants share in the construction and deconstruction of various tradition. Just know that Jade Harleys tend to gravitate towards creation. They tend to gravitate so much towards creation, that they will sometimes isolate themselves through excessive creation. Or on the other side of the spectrum, they may pull everything and everyone towards themselves, trapping it all in inescapable singularity. This brings us to delirium. Delirium is the erosion of rationality due to immense external forces. Typically delirium finds Jade caught in the haze of her own isolation. However, delirium may also find you, caught in the anxious active management of your relationship’s deconstruction. This is the catch-22: just as delirium sets in when ridden thin against isolation, so too may it set in as you find the perfect balance between construction and deconstruction. Unfortunately, in this case you have just one avenue of recourse: you must practice balance subtly, in temperance. You must practice so often that it becomes second nature to know when things are out of balance, but not so often that you become fatigued. This is a difficult, nuanced aspect of a relationship with Jade Harley that not many are ready for. And that’s OK. No relationship is perfect. But I write this here to commit to words the weighty task I grapple with each day, that which betters me in all ways. ================================================================================== [C000] Iteration & Recursion ================================================================================== Iteration is the repetition of a process, and recursion is the repeated application of a procedure, generally self-contained. I bring these two concepts to mind to emphasize that the Jade Harley I’ve described thus far is simply one instance of Jade Harley. There is, undoubtedly, a macrocosm of Jade Harleys in existence. Thus, you should use this walkthrough as more of a guide than an actual walkthrough. In fact, throughout the macrocosm, I’d say I’ve Seen not even a fraction of all Jade Harleys, let alone Jades as a whole. Though I have Seen more than my fair share, which is how I feel I have enough expertise to warrant this text. My larger point is that generally things tend to repeat ad infinitum. Time, for the sake of brevity, is a circle. Things repeat themselves. People make the same mistakes over and over again because no one lives long enough to see the pattern. But armed with knowledge and foresight, one may be able to perhaps glimpse the curvature of the event horizon. Problems you encounter while caring for your Jade will occur again if you don’t take steps to prevent them. Those things in mind, please feel free to use this guide as you see fit. Of course, there will be scenarios in which none of the advice contained herein is useful at all, but in those cases I can’t imagine you’d have read this far. In those cases: what are you doing? Go care for your nonconforming Jade. And perhaps consider writing your own guide, and putting it up on the Furthest Ring. ================================================================================== [ZZZZ] Rose: Egress. ================================================================================== I make no claims to the accuracy or efficacy of the information left here. This is simply a repository of the scant few items I’ve learned since entering into a relationship with Jade Harley. It feels overly sanitized to refer to her so often in the third person like this. Generally I’m speaking directly to her, making her the second-person and not the third-person object. There must be some more eloquent way to essay thoughts regarding a subject without making that subject an object or objective. Perhaps it is the science that is flawed. Or perhaps I am flawed. Perhaps this entire bit of nonsensical rambling about my lover carries no weight or significance at all. Perhaps this thing is the errant nonsensical misfiring of dying synapses just before my imminent demise and this entire consciousness has been one long death-induced moment of insanity. That is, ostensibly, not the case. But if it were, I laud myself for going through so much trouble to make this scenario so air-tight. Think about it. She’s had a crush on me since childhood? And those feelings haven’t wavered even for literal years? Nigh on a decade of separation did nothing to dilute it? That’s incredible. By some stroke of luck, I’ve managed to not only make concrete my own wavering sexual identity, but also manage to solidify a relationship with my best friend who has unflinchingly reciprocated. What sort of sordid, half-baked young- adult fiction is this? It’s unbelievable. I experience euphoria every time I see her. Just thinking about her rests my anxious psyche. And I get to sleep next to her... every night? Again, if it was my own dying grey matter that orchestrated this reality, I must admit I’m a bit more well-composed in the moments before death than I realized. Regardless, this is neither the time nor the place to become overly sentimental. There are a number of events on the horizon that are posed to shake up my own reality beyond the scope of these shallow, melodramatic ramblings. I am glad to have finally put these thoughts to words, though. Did they need to be shared with the multiverse? Perhaps not. And yet, perhaps so. After all, what better indicator of my unyielding adoration for Jade Harley than a written record of it, accessible to any given dimension? Pardon my egress. I do hope that by this time you’ve somehow found value in reading this. You’re welcome.

[wisepuma23]

The Butterfly’s Shelter: Chapter 1

Summary - Logan dreamed about becoming a father all his life. However, he finds being a father on paper is very different than actually being a father to a real living breathing child. Virgil was three months old when he was adopted by Logan Crofters but his eyes spark with a curiosity, unlike other babies at his age. It both fills Logan with pride and complete utter dread. Meanwhile, he doesn't understand how his best friend, Patton Milena, was able to pull off being a single Dad to his five-year-old son, Roman. When he asks, Patton laughs until he nearly pukes, and just pats him on the shoulder.

Everything changes after Virgil's first birthday.

Logan will finally understand what it truly means to be a father beyond yanking him from open sockets and burping him as according to page 63 of his parenting manual.

Word count - 2, 901

Pairings - Logicality, Platonic Analogical, Platonic Royality, Platonic Prinxiety

Warnings - None

Notes - Behold! It's here!! Our collab between me and Tashi (fangirltothefullest)! It all started because of one scene from my fic (We Were Never Welcome Here) and we have been excitedly brainstorming and planning this Dad!Logan AU!!!

I also want to say thank you to our beta my-happy-little-bean!!! She's amazing and she really helped us polish our chapter for tonight.

It will be updated every two weeks so keep your eyes out for that!

I hope y’all enjoy!

Next Chapter

Read on AO3

Footsteps tapped along tiled floors as Logan sat in the waiting room. That universal rhythmic drum of nerves and stress made Logan aware of his own finger tapping against the chair he sat on. He couldn’t help it. Parents, nurses, and children roamed the bright hallways of the pediatric wing. His leg bounced in place as children laughed and he heard their little giggles fill his ears, his mind, his very heart.

Soon, soon, his thoughts cried out in agony. He noticed a mother across from him tilt her head in concern, then blossomed into pity. Logan felt hot embarrassment fill his chest and forced his leg and finger to sit still, yet the bundle of nerves that sat in his chest like an iron ball did not leave.

He knew it was expected for fathers to experience stress on their very first day as a father. Normal, even. Logan looked down, but he wasn’t like most fathers. Most fathers didn’t need to go through a million hoops, calls, and interviews by social workers and state officials alike. Even if it had been a hassle for the past two years, he much preferred the screening process to be complicated and thorough; it made for a better result in the end. Logan did not balk at the mountain of paperwork that stood in his way.

It was worth it.

He was prepared as far as the home, career, and state requirements seemed to suggest and the paperwork was filled out neatly and orderly. Logan had crossed all his t’s and dotted his i’s. It had taken twice as long to make sure everything was in order because they had lost his application twice when he’d faxed it. It was as if the world was trying to deny him. But Logan was not one to give up. Not after so long of dreaming about this.

Yet now that he, Logan Crofters, was faced with the actual premise of facing the children and selecting one to adopt? His heart pounded in his ears and threatened to burst out of his chest and onto the sanitized floors. His palms were sweaty no matter how many times he wiped down his slacks. He was handling it. Kinda.

Beyond the door to his left laid a plentitude of babies in their cribs. He swallowed hard. How was he supposed to choose? What if he couldn’t choose?

His hand pressed up against his tie, habitually adjusting it against the black of his button down, and pushed up his glasses. The habit took the edge off his nerves; at least it didn’t feel like his heart was going to bounce straight out of his chest cavity anymore. Yet his mind clamored with questions still, as it often did.

What if he wasn’t ready? What if this silly little childhood dream to be a father wasn’t meant to be?

Logan shut his eyes against the roar of what if, what if ?

“Mister Crofters?” a voice called out gently, snapping Logan out of his thoughts at the familiarity of it; it was none other than the social worker assigned to his adoption case. The man’s pleasant smile pulled him from his thoughts. Logan admired the dark green tie adorned around the social worker’s neck. Different from last time’s baby blue. Logan shook his head and immediately stood to shake the kind man’s hand.

“Dr. Picani,” Logan greeted with a rare smile, and the other’s blue eyes crinkled behind his own pair of spectacles. Of all the social workers that could be handling the infant department of the adoption agency, Dr. Emile Picani was one of the best. Excitable but gentle, pleasant to talk to and understanding; from the moment Logan met him, he knew this man’s life goal was getting these children to good homes. His kindness above all was what sold Logan that his case was in good hands.

“It’s good to see you, Logan. Are you ready to meet the little ones?” Dr. Picani gestured to the open doorway and Logan nodded.

“I’ve been ready for the past two years, sir; it’d be illogical that I wouldn’t be ready,” Logan said with an edge of confidence and followed him in through the second set of doors. It wasn’t true, and he was terrified beyond belief. He wanted to run to the nearest window and scream. Logan hoped the nurses didn’t tell Dr. Picani about the panic attack he had in the bathroom half an hour ago either. But by Isaac Newton, he wanted this more than anything.

As soon as he entered the room, his ears were immediately assaulted with the sounds of babbling and giggling. Tinkling laughter rang through the air like bells. Logan could see a row of cribs lining the back wall of what looked like a large playroom with baby toys scattered about the floor. There were a few babies who were sleeping, and in another room, Logan could see a couple of heavy-duty cribs fashioned with medical supplies.

None of the babies appeared to be in any of those, though he could only see a couple machines through a cracked glimpse of the sterile room. Nurses and caretakers held some of the babies, feeding them while others played with them on the floor. Warmth filled him up from the bottom of his toes to the top of his head as he leaned over a crib.

The pink baby within burst out into giggles at his appearance. Logan blinked back tears before the other doctors and nurses could see and moved away before he disturbed it further. They looked so… fragile and lovely in a way that he could not put into words. Logan desperately wanted to sit down and never leave the ward again. If he could have dubbed this his new favorite place, he would have.

Logan could see quite a few young volunteers helping out and Dr. Picani smiled at Logan’s awe. Laughter lines deepened around his light blue eyes with amusement and Logan found himself smiling despite his own efforts to appear professional.

“These are most of our available babies ready for adoption.” Dr. Picani told him. “They’ve all been properly vaccinated and such. We are currently housing only one child, an infant, who is in need of medical care and he’s under observation.” Logan frowned in concern, but Dr. Picani handwaved with a beam. “But he’s as strong as Lapis Lazuli, I just know it. He’ll be fine. When you’re done here I can take you there to see him if you like!”

Logan sighed in relief and nodded as he peered about the room. There were so many, how was he supposed to choose? He shuffled in place, torn in too many directions, and Dr. Picani chuckled behind him.

“They don’t bite Logan; that comes when they start getting teeth,” he teased and lifted one little baby from a crib.

“This is little Anna,” he cooed and held her out to Logan who lifted her into his arms and his chest ached. Her rosy cheeks, pudgy little fingers, and eyes that twinkled like sapphires made his heart melt into a puddle. Her eyes lit up and squealed as she kicked her feet. He chuckled and bounced her without thinking.

Dr. Picani smiled. “Aw, see? Paternal instincts kicking in already.”

“Perhaps,” Logan mused and his fear and apprehension of the situation seemed to drain away, “and what happened to you, chubby little thing?” He asked her as if she could answer. “Where are your parents?”

“Teenage pregnancy. Oof.” Dr. Picani shook his head as he checked her file. “The mother has requested being able to visit. However....” He frowned as Logan’s heart leapt up his throat. “... she specifically requested that she wants her child raised by a couple. You’re not-”

“No,” Logan replied with a sigh and gently ran his hand over her rosy cheeks one last time as he set her back down in her crib with the utmost care, ignoring the way his soul screamed . “Single.”

“Mmm indeed. Forgive me, I almost forgot, which was silly of me.” He sighed. “Well, there are plenty of other children whose parents have-”

But he was cut off by an ear-splitting scream shook the room, causing the other babies to startle and cry.

“Oh no, oh dear-!” Dr. Picani and another caretaker moved quickly toward the room of medical cribs. “Forgive us, this little gem is in a lot of pain.”

Logan followed worriedly; the screaming and shrieking tugged at his heart. He entered the other room where they shut the door behind him and he watched Dr. Picani gently reach his hands into the crib and bring the tiniest infant he’d ever seen from the crib. He was not hooked up to any monitors but the room was definitely warmer than the other and smelled even more sterile.

“Is the baby alright?” Logan asked, tone laced heavily with concern, and Dr. Picani nodded as the baby screamed and screamed to no avail.

“Colic,” he said softly as he rubbed the baby’s back in soothing motions. “Poor thing has a lot of tummy pain. But he screams so loudly we can’t keep him near the other little ones or they don’t sleep.” He winced as another wail pierced the room. “I am so sorry, it’s like a Howler Owl is in here. I offer my sincerest condolences for your ears.”

But Logan wasn’t looking at Dr. Picani; his eyes were locked onto the crying little baby, who was sobbing hard enough to almost puke in the other’s gentle grip. His heart ached, yearning to protect him and he held his hands out.

“May I?” he asked.

“Oh! Of course!” Dr. Picani said with a veiled note of surprise as he set him in Logan’s waiting arm, “Don’t shake him, it’s quite tempting for frustrated parents; I highly advise against it no matter how loud he cries.”

“I would never,” Logan whispered as he held the squirming infant closer, supporting his head in the cradle of his arm. “I would rather die than harm this little teardrop of starlight.”

The baby had a tuft of black hair stark against pale sickly skin that sheened with sweat as he squirmed in his gentle yet firm hold. He was so small, a lima bean almost, while the other babies around the ward were hulking giants by comparison. His hands and legs kicked as he let out another hearty wail.

Logan shushed him gently as he bent down and let his forehead bump against the fragile infant with the barest of touches. His skin so soft and supple even if it was slick with tears and sweat at the moment. Those tears bigger than any he had ever seen on a child; filled with so much discomfort and sadness, they fell in big rivers from where they pooled inside his eyes. His pale little face was so blotchy.

Logan felt his heartstrings pulled taut like a bowstring and the pang in his chest returned at the sight of his unyielding struggles.

“I know you’re in pain, little one. You have known nothing else, have you?” Logan whispered, reverent in his tone and his only answer was shuddering, unending sobs. “You are incredibly tiny, aren’t you? Hmm, how old are you?”

He heard the rustle of papers again, and then Dr. Picani’s buttery smooth reply of “About three months now.”

“He’s so young....” Logan said gently and soothingly shushed the baby. He squirmed and cried and it was loud in his ears, but he couldn’t help it and Logan understood that. “Where are his parents?”

For the first time, Dr. Picani lost that perpetual smile.

“He’s an orphan. His parents died when his house caught on fire. Firefighters said it was a faulty oven.” The doctor leaned over to brush a hand over Virgil’s head. “Boy’s a miracle, I tell you. He spent weeks in the infant ICU to recover the damage in his lungs.” Dr. Picani smiled as he brushed away a tear, clearly distressed but proud of the little bean. “He is a fighter.”

“But what about the rest of his relatives?”

Dr. Picani pulled away as a dark look crossed his face.

“None that would take him. They refused to accept a ‘devil baby’.” He glared down at the file he held. “Their words not mine. His relatives think he’s bad luck and don’t consider him part of the family tree. Disowned and discarded as if something this small and helpless could bring misfortune on them like some Scooby Doo villain.”

“Utter nonsense.” Logan resisted the urge to hold the baby tighter in his arms, as if he could shield from the dangerous ignorance of the world. Logan shifted from foot to foot as the baby calmed into mere sniffles; a respite from his pained sobbing. Logan stared at the baby he held, swaddled in soft blue blankets, and remembered the long days of waiting.

Dreams haunted him as a child, of a carriage and pealing laughter as children ran around clutching at his legs. Soft blurry dreams of him rushing to put a band-aid on a skinned knee, small hands that grasped around his neck, and of everlasting sunny days as he played with them in their white picket fence yard. Fatherhood felt more like a wonderful dream than a societal milestone. It was his one life goal, more than his career, and more than his love life. He’d been dreaming of the idea long before he even knew what it entailed.

Round dark eyes met his own and he felt the breath knocked out of him. The awareness that stared back at him fascinated him. This was a human in the making. It will go through various developmental stages until one day it will dream a little dream of its own. Rock star, astrobiologist, writer, or even stunt devil.

He rocked the baby gently, never breaking his stare; his sniffles disappeared as he watched Logan in rapt awe. Curiosity, even. The infant squirmed in his swaddle and thrusted a pudgy hand up at him. His little fingers clenched around his own finger and he watched the baby’s eyes light up despite the pain.

“Oh,” Dr. Picani said, his voice the gentlest he’s ever heard in two years of knowing him. “Are you quite alright?”

“Yes, why do you ask?” Logan croaked as the baby tilted his little head in surprise.

“Sir, you’re crying.”

Logan blinked, but it was true. Tears leaked out of his eyes in steady trickles and he could feel the cold of their rivers running down the sides of his face. He hadn’t even realized. He wondered how strange he must look with tears dripping down his cheeks and he could do nothing more than blink at the doctor in dumbfounded stupidity. He heard a quiet little squeak from the baby he held as he squirmed. His tears were cold but his arms were too full to brush them away.

“This one.” Logan said firmly, facing Dr. Picani head on. “Please.”

Dr. Picani’s eyes went wide at the uncharacteristic voice crack. “A-are you sure? We have other children in the playroom that will be more suited to your needs. He will be very fussy and it will take quite a while for him to recover yet so he may scream all that time. I rather recommend him to a family with experience already and-”

“This one.” Logan said, his voice laced with hard steel.

This was the child he wanted to raise; the one he wanted to dedicate his life to. In an instant he could imagine this little one’s future and its trillions of different changing variables, he knew with absolute certainty he wanted to give this baby a home and love him to the best of his ability.

“What’s his name?” He asked with a smile.

Dr. Picani scratched something on his clipboard and looked up, his eyes searching into Logan one last time before his shoulders dropped.

“Virgil. His name is Virgil.”

Logan pulled his finger away from Virgil’s grip to trace his round cheeks. Still that distressing shade of paleness. Virgil let out a little gurgle and leaned into his warm hand. If he wasn’t crying before, he certainly was now. Tears blurred his vision so much he could barely see. He didn’t believe in a Heaven, but the sheer amounts of dopamine flooding into his system made him more susceptible to believe he was there. Virgil’s brown eyes twinkled with faint starlight.

He was never more sure of anything in his entire life. Previous worries and concerns be damned. He wanted to raise Virgil as his son (or any other gender he was comfortable with later in life) as his own. Logan never understood feelings, or why the thought of letting Virgil go made his skin itchy, but he did understand that this was it. His dream: realized. He had no wife, and no man to take his hand now at twenty-six years old. He had accepted it was never going to happen.

So Logan couldn’t bear to wait another day.

Virgil gurgled and let out a small little giggle as he squirmed in Logan’s careful hold.

“Yes,” Logan smiled, a soft and quiet one as he looked up at Dr. Picani. “Thank you. I cannot express it enough but… thank you.”

Next Chapter

[sciencespies]

These are the new words the climate crisis will teach us

https://sciencespies.com/environment/these-are-the-new-words-the-climate-crisis-will-teach-us/

These are the new words the climate crisis will teach us

One of the annoying things about global warming – besides the likelihood it will ravage life on Earth – is all the new words we are expected to learn in order to track our descent into climate chaos.

Rising temperatures have not only boosted the intensity or frequency of major storms and heatwaves, they have spawned rare or novel weather phenomena, accompanied by new more-or-less scientific names.

‘Firenados’, for example, occur when searing heat and turbulent winds rise above out-of-control forest fires in tornado-like columns. California and Australia have seen plenty of these vertical flame-throwers, and will likely see a lot more, scientists say.

So-called ‘dry thunderstorms‘ in drought-stricken regions such as the southwestern United States are a big tease, producing thunder and lightning, but no rain. The air below these high-altitude light-shows is so parched that any moisture produced evaporates on the way down.

Then there are the fire-induced, smoke-infused ‘pyrocumulonimbus‘ clouds that darkened Australian skies during the Black Summer of 2019-2020; or ‘urban heat islands‘ in big cities everywhere that run a couple degrees Celsius hotter than surrounding areas.

But nothing is more terrifying, perhaps, than the potentially deadly combination of heat and relative humidity.

A healthy human adult in the shade with unlimited drinking water will die if so-called ‘wet-bulb’ temperatures (TW) exceed 35 °C (95 °F) for six hours, scientists have calculated.

It was long assumed this theoretical threshold would never be crossed, but US researchers reported last year on two locations – one in Pakistan, another in the United Arab Emirates - where the 35 °C TW barrier was breached more than once, if only fleetingly.

‘Savannafication’

An increase in algae blooms – sometimes known as ‘sea snot’ – is one thing, at least, that can’t be blamed on climate change, according to a recent study.

A critical UN assessment of climate science currently under review by 196 nations, meanwhile, will highlight the rising threat of ‘tipping points’ in Earth’s climate system, according to sources who have seen drafts of the report.

Anyone who has tried to balance in a chair leaning back on two legs knows there is a point-of-no-return beyond which things crash to the floor.

And so it is with kilometers-thick ice sheets atop Greenland and West Antarctica holding enough frozen water to lift oceans more than a dozen meters (40 feet). It may take centuries or longer, but some scientists say that big chunks are already ‘committed’, and the melting ‘locked-in’.

Likewise with the Amazon basin.

Climate change coupled with fires set ablaze to clear land for cattle and crops are pushing the world’s largest tropical forest – a process dubbed ‘savannafication‘ – into arid expanses of grasslands.

These shifts are accelerated by vicious cycles of warming that scientists call ‘feedbacks’.

As the thin crust of snow-covered ice floating on the Arctic Ocean, for example, gives way over the years to deep blue sea, the Sun’s planet-warming radiation is absorbed rather than bounced back into space. The reflective capacity of white surfaces is called ‘albedo’.

‘Flight shaming’

As for increasingly misnamed ‘permafrost’, trust me, you don’t want to know. (If you insist: shallow tundra in Siberia and other sub-Arctic regions contains twice as much carbon as in the atmosphere. We’d all be better off if it stayed there.)

How do humans reacts to all these grim tidings?

Some slip into ‘doomism’, the understandable but useless idea that the ‘Earth system’ – now a branch of science – is in a terminal nose dive.

Humanity, they will point out, has almost used up its ‘carbon budget’, and is on track to massively ‘overshoot’ the Paris treaty goal of capping global warming at 1.5 degrees above preindustrial levels.

Others are suffering from a mental state known as ‘solastalgia’, which combines melancholy, grief and nostalgia for a world that seems to be slipping from our grasp.

At the other extreme, the ‘Greta effect’ has given rise to a generation of uncompromising climate warriors inspired by the young Swedish activist, and known in Italy as ‘Gretini’.

Post-COVID, their parents dream of escaping to Bali or The Maldives for some ‘last chance tourism’ before all the coral reefs die.

But ‘flight shaming’ for the carbon foot print of flying half-way across the globe may prevent them from getting off the ground.

So the family might as well settle in for a ‘CliFi’ movie on Netflix – Interstellar and Snowpiercer perhaps – or a documentary on how ‘blue carbon’ in the ocean could save us all.

© Agence France-Presse

#Environment

[zeta-in-de-walls]

What's the most common misconception you hear about c!tommy?

Hey! Really interesting question, cheers. I’d say that there’s quite a few misconceptions floating around: that he never apologises, that he hasn’t developed, that his exile was his fault, that he’s the main source of conflict on the server, that all he does is steal, and plenty of other stuff.

But the one I probably hear most is how Tommy supposedly values music discs over people.

This one is such a mess of misconceptions. I’ve even heard it said that Doomsday happened because Tommy cared about his discs too much and he was wrong because you shouldn’t value items over human lives. I hate this one because it misunderstands Tommy enough so you can dismiss him because its such a weak position. 

Anyway, I understand why its so messy. Tommy throughout season 2 is frequently in a state of uncertainty and is being driven by emotions and isn’t thinking clearly after so much suffering. He says a lot of stuff he doesn’t mean and is very suggestible. Most of his talking about the discs is done when he’s lonely and thinks his friends don’t care for him anymore, that they’re better off without him.

Now, let’s be clear: music discs are something Tommy’s character loves. His happiness every time he listens to one feels very genuine. He’s had so many emotional moments listening to his discs with others and even considers his bench his happy space. He likes them and invites others to listen with him. These items hold no intrinsic value, they’re of no worth to anyone else besides how much they mean to Tommy. The only reason to take them is to try to control him specifically. That’s the original reason Dream took them in the original disc war - to punish Tommy after he caused some trouble. 

And the original disc war was fun for Tommy. He found the battle to be exciting and enjoyed trying to outplay Dream with his best friend Tubbo and anyone he could get on his side. It was like a fun game to him. One that, while chaotic, no one really got hurt from at all - the only one who really suffered was Tommy himself, who put stuff on the line for it and had his whole base dug up. (And Tubbo who got dragged in and lost items, but he was initially a very willing partner who found the conflict fun too.) 

And then we have Dream, who traded away L’Manburg’s independence for Tommy’s discs, an interesting decision which meant only Tommy really paid the price that day. Everyone remarked on how unusually selfless it was of Tommy. That day was a victory for everyone else, but bittersweet for him. Wilbur consoled him, saying they could get them back and then they’d have even more history and sentimental value attached to them, having been what paid for L’Manburg’s freedom. Tommy was encouraged and so the game continued.

Dream over this time became not just Tommy’s enemy, but his friend. They had fights and conflicts but it was more like a fun game. As they also did stuff like make a church together. Eventually Tommy managed to steal Mellohi back from Dream while Skeppy acquired Cat. At the elections, Tommy gives Mellohi to Wilbur who gives it back again when they’re banished. Months pass and they finally win back L’Manberg and its a wonderful day (until it goes wrong) but Tommy’s not done with his disc war. 

This disc war was always a personal thing for Tommy, he’s never wanted others to be dragged in and hurt by it. He kind of takes Tubbo for granted, but Tubbo’s also always been his partner in crime and Tommy enjoys having a war he can fight alongside his best friend - he and Tubbo against Dream. Dream at this point is still seen as a friendly enemy, in spite of choosing Schlatt and helping Wilbur blow up L’Manberg. Anyway, he rejects Presidency, giving it to Wilbur because he trusts him and also wants to focus on his personal battles after so long ignoring it. He doesn’t want others to be dragged in or for his interests to be divided. He’s leaving L’Manburg in safe hands he can trust. That’s season 1 of the SMP, but season 2 is where things get messier.

After the war, Tommy hears that Tubbo had been suspicious that Tommy might’ve been the traitor. In order to show that he trusts him, Tommy gives Tubbo Mellohi. It’s not just a disc now, its a sign of trust, a sign of their bond - at least in Tommy’s eyes.

Then Dream builds obsidian walls around L’Manburg and we first see Tommy showing that bit of selfishness. He states that he’d wanted to step away, that L’Manburg wasn’t his priority anymore. That he’d left it in safe hands so he could focus on the discs. But it doesn’t matter what Tommy intended. Dream is targeting him and is dragging the rest of L’Manburg into it by threatening to seal them in obsidian forever if they don’t comply. Tommy and Tubbo do have a disagreement here, but its not actually so much about the discs. 

-Tommy believes that fighting Dream is the superior option, if they ask for help from others in the server - because what he’s doing isn’t right - then they could defeat him, show him that he couldn’t just push them around. 

-Tubbo feels like that would get them killed and he doesn’t want to risk their lives. It would be better to appease Dream for now and secretly plot how to take him down later but Tommy’s being too hotheaded. 

Tommy brings up the disc to state how he trusts Tubbo and would consider being exiled a betrayal but Tubbo reminds him that they’re just discs and there’s more on the line and Tommy needs to be more cooperative. Anyway, Tommy’s hurt by Tubbo exiling him and think its a sign that he doesn’t care about him anymore. Tubbo meanwhile found it difficult to do but felt like there was no other option but did still care about Tommy. Tubbo would later come to regret doing it while Tommy would later say that it was the right choice when they finally actually talk. 

The discs here are kind of a symbol but Tommy doesn’t really value them over others, he’s being a little selfish for sure but that is mostly a result of being treated unfairly by Dream and feeling attacked and ganged up on by his friends, not seeing how they were trying to help him. Dream’s the one to blame here. At worst, Tommy’s being irresponsible in thinking he can just step away from L’Manburg - he didn’t value the discs over it, he just wanted to fight a personal battle without L’Manburg being involved for once. But too many things do matter to him and Dream realised he could attack Tommy through his friends. Its also why Tommy says he didn’t want Tubbo to be President, because he wanted him to be free to help him in his personal war too. There were some issues in their friendship that for sure got exploited and blown out of proportion.

So post-exile. Tommy is rather confused. He’s decided he doesn’t want to die and that Dream wasn’t really his friend, but he still feels abandoned by all his other friends. He still believes they didn’t really care about him after his failed beach party and everything else. And his feelings on Dream are mixed because he knows logically he should hate him but emotionally he still feels like he’s his friend.

Tommy at this point, begins clinging to the discs as some sort of tangible goal while feeling so lonely and abandoned. He has no real sense of agency and really wants Technoblade to give him guidance. Technoblade however wants to destroy L’Manburg and reaffirms his thoughts that Tubbo doesnt really care about him. Tommy is still...kinda(?) clear that he doesn’t want L’Manburg to be destroyed but is willing to compromise on minor terrorism. His remaining belief in L’Manburg is being eroded. You can see in his trips into L’Manburg he is rather unaware of the extent of his actions. He’s suffered and now feels right in lashing out. It seems to be the start of a villain arc even. Right at this point, the discs make more sense than people so they are his goal. And yet even in the midst of his uncertainty, he says the one Tubbo has is safe, he wants to get the one Dream has. 

The discs are Tommy’s way of saying he wants to fight Dream. It’s not really about the discs anymore, Dream went way too far with the exile and now Tommy wants to stop him and find it easiest to frame it as going after his music disc.

Then the festival. Tommy finally confronts Tubbo and sees him about to give his disc to Dream. It’s his worst fears confirmed, that Tubbo doesn’t really care about him and that he’s on Dream’s side. They fight and Tommy finally says the line ‘the discs were worth more than you ever were!’

And he regrets it immediately. The statement rang false. They were just discs and Tubbo was his best friend. He immediately tells Tubbo to give up the disc and changes sides then and there. The discs were not more important than people. He was being selfish. And he also remembered how much he cared about L’Manburg and didn’t want it to be blown up no matter what he’d agreed to the day before. He wants to fight for it, choosing his friends once and for all. 

In his argument with Techno on Doomsday, he does bring up his discs and words it kind of awkwardly. He tries to explain that ‘nothing had been taken from you, while the discs were stolen from me’ Tommy believes that Techno is destroying something people loved when he could’ve just walked away, he wasn’t fighting for something he loved like Tommy in his wars. That’s what he’s trying to get at, not that music discs are more important than people. Tommy doesn’t actually believe that and prefers wars that don’t hurt others, as the disc wars was once supposed to be before Dream brought in everyone else. Even saying that, Tommy admits he’d messed up so many times in chasing the discs. That he was wrong.

Tommy talks about going after the discs again but at this point it really means taking down Dream. Dream had expressed that he would not stop, he enjoyed their ‘game’ too much. Tommy has nothing left to lose as far as he’s concerned and needs to take down Dream for everything he’d done. 

During the disc saga finale, again Tommy always chooses Tubbo first. There’s this one moment where he has Mellohi and could run away forever but he stops and gives it up along with all their items before their taken to the vault and almost forced to watch Tubbo die while he gets thrown in prison forever. But he chooses Tubbo. He always does. 

Okay, summary over. I hope that better explains why I dislike the misconception that Tommy chooses his discs over people. He doesn’t really. It’s used to discredit him way too much, I feel. It’s only at his lowest, after being tormented in exile that he even gets close to that position and that’s when he’s on the bring of choosing a dark path and becoming what he hates. At the festival, he rejects that path.

Now that he has his discs, he hasn’t started trouble with them once. They’re safe and he can bring them out to listen to when he’s feeling low, not hurting anyone. They’re just something he loves and its okay to have attachments. 

[junker-town]

The NBA’s 9 spiciest games of the regular season

These are the NBA games we are already circling.

It seems like only yesterday LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and the rest of the Los Angeles Lakers ended the Miami Heat’s Cinderella run in the NBA’s Disney bubble to win the championship. After a truncated offseason that included the draft and free agency, the league is now ready to go once again. NBA basketball will be here before Christmas, and we already know the first half of the schedule.

The league isn’t doing a bubble, and it’s playing only 72 games during the regular season. That means more head-to-head ‘series’ to reduce travel and squeeze as many games as possible into the shortened schedule. The threaten of the global pandemic continues to hang over society and has already had high-profile impacts on both the NFL and college basketball. For all the precautions the NBA has in place, you can expect schedule delays and positive tests as the season gets into full swing.

Here are nine regular season matchups we’re already looking forward to:

Rockets vs. Wizards, Jan. 26 and Feb. 15

The Russell Westbrook for John Wall swap shook up both the Wizards and Rockets just as training camps were opening. While it will be entertaining to watch two of the best lead guards of their era go head-to-head after being traded for each other, we’re just as interested to see them go at their former teammates. James Harden and Westbrook were reportedly both very fine with parting ways in Houston, while there have been rumors about a shaky relationship between Wall and Bradley Beal for years. This isn’t exactly a Finals preview, but the individual matchups will make sure this game gets plenty of buzz.

Pelicans vs Hornets, Jan. 8

Sure, brothers squaring off in an NBA game isn’t totally unprecedented — we’ve seen the Lopez, Morris, Plumlee, and Zeller battles over recent years — but this will be the first time it’s ever happened between a pair of top-three picks. Lonzo and LaMelo Ball are both creative players who will badly want to show one another up. The fact that they’re likely to guard each other at least for certain stretches makes it even more fun. Throw in Zion Williamson, Gordon Hayward, Papa LaVar, and the bright lights of ESPN, and this is going to be a regular season matchup low on stakes but full of fireworks.

Trail Blazers vs. Clippers, Dec. 30

The Clippers and Blazers do not like each other. The beef started in the seeding round of the bubble when Damian Lillard missed a clutch free throw late that got Patrick Beverley and Paul George chirping and led to a savage response from Dame. Portland sure seemed elated when the Clippers lost in the second round of the playoffs, but it didn’t hit as hard because they were already at home. Grab your popcorn for this matchup.

Bucks vs. Lakers, Jan. 21

The dream of seeing Giannis vs. LeBron in the NBA Finals never came to fruition last season, but this remains the best individual player matchup on the schedule. Who could forget Antetokounmpo placing a metaphorical crown on his head as the Bucks defeated the Lakers last season? This is another opportunity for LeBron to prove he’s still the best player alive, and for Giannis to show he can beat the best of the best.

Heat vs Bucks, Dec. 29 and Dec. 30

The Bucks seemed destined for an NBA Finals appearance until the Miami Heat stunned them with a convincing five-game second round victory. The upset put Milwaukee into panic mode heading into Giannis Antetokounmpo’s last year under contract: the team found a big upgrade in the backcourt by trading for Jrue Holiday, but saw their dreams of also adding Bogdan Bogdanovic fade away (he ended up in Atlanta). If the Bucks want to show that they put last season’s flame out behind them, beating the team that sent them home is a good place to start.

Rockets vs 76ers, Feb. 17

Daryl Morey’s brilliant career with the Houston Rockets came to an end during the offseason, and his move to the 76ers sent shockwaves around the league. Morey didn’t waste any time making changes to Philadelphia’s roster, adding Danny Green and Seth Curry to a team that desperately needed shooting. Since Morey left Houston, the Rockets have started to fall apart, most notably with James Harden trade rumors flying everywhere. If Harden eventually does get traded, expect the Sixers to be a serious suitor.

Lakers vs. Clippers, Dec. 22

NBA fans spent the entirety of last season waiting for a Lakers-Clippers matchup in the Western Conference Finals that never happened after the Clips blew it against Denver. The Lakers, meanwhile, were dominant in their run to a championship and enter this season as the odds-on favorite to repeat. There are very few teams that possess the top-end talent to compete with the Lakers, but the Clippers are still one of them even after last year’s disappointment. This is a good opportunity for the Clippers to prove last season’s troubles are behind them.

Clippers vs. Nuggets, Dec. 25

The Clippers enter the season in dire need to show that they’ve fixed everything that killed their championship aspirations last year. There’s no better way to do it than a game against the Denver Nuggets, the team that eliminated them from the NBA bubble after coming back from a 3-1 series deficit in the Western Conference semifinals. The Clips have a new coach (Ty Lue) and a couple notable roster additions (Serge Ibaka and Luke Kennard), but this remains the Kawhi Leonard and Paul George show.

Do the Clippers deserve to be mentioned as a legitimate title contender? This game could clue us in.

Warriors vs. Nets, Dec. 22 and Feb. 13

Kevin Durant’s first meaningful on-court action since tearing his Achilles in Game 6 of the 2018 NBA Finals comes against the dynasty he left: the Golden State Warriors. It will be fascinating to track KD’s return from one of the sport’s most brutal injuries, and the NBA knew exactly what it was doing lining up a game against Golden State on opening night. Durant will want to prove he can still be one of the best players in the world, while Stephen Curry and Draymond Green would like nothing more than to show they can still have success without him (and the injured Klay Thompson). There are many teams projected to be better than the Nets and Warriors going into the year, but there isn’t a spicier matchup on the schedule.

[khalilhumam]

The case for major government reform and how Biden can make it happen

New Post has been published on http://khalilhumam.com/the-case-for-major-government-reform-and-how-biden-can-make-it-happen/

The case for major government reform and how Biden can make it happen

By Paul C. Light Joe Biden left the Democratic Party convention in August with the nomination and a “build-back-better” plan for clean energy, new jobs, closing the racial wealth gap, and economic renewal. He also left with the 110-page Biden-Sanders plan to restore Donald Trump’s budget cuts, reverse his regulatory rollbacks, attack corporate greed, combat the climate crisis, confront COVID-19, pursue environmental justice, repair the infrastructure, create jobs, and raise the minimum wage. “Folks, it’s not sufficient to build back,” Biden said in early July. “That’s why my plan is to build back better.” Missing from the agenda is an equally ambitious commitment to the bureaucratic repairs that animated Jimmy Carter’s 1976 campaign. Biden’s website continues to promote his “Make-government-work-for-the-people plan,” but has not been updated to address the bureaucratic failures that emerged most obviously during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nor does the plan address the bureaucratic problems that undermine government effectiveness every day. Biden’s promised firewall between the White House and Justice Department and stronger whistleblower protections will signal change, but he has largely ignored the need for nuts-and-bolts repairs across government. Despite early signals that Democrats would pick up the government reorganization cudgel, big-ticket streamlining such as Elizabeth Warren’s proposed Department of Economic Development is still missing from the agenda. Not only are grand reorganization plans missing from the campaign, but Biden also has yet to embrace overhauls at the many federal agencies that cracked during the early days of the continuing crisis. Although there is cause to focus on individual agencies in future legislation, the failures at the Centers for Disease Control, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Food and Drug Administration, Internal Revenue Service, and Small Business Administration demand a comprehensive approach. This is especially true given collateral breakdowns highlighted in the Government Accountability Office’s testimony before Congress in its inventory of threats to accountability in June. Moreover, as former Democratic strategist and Washington Monthly columnist Ed Kilgore has warned, Democrats ignore the public’s distrust toward big government at their peril. Americans may want the bigger government and more services envisioned in Biden’s build-back-better agenda, but they also want a government that delivers on its promises with élan. Over the next several weeks, I will pen a blog series here at FixGov that will make the case for a fix-government-fast reform agenda that provides a framework and game plan for a first Biden administration. Trump could adopt the agenda, too, but would need discipline to make it work. This agenda will be laid out in seven posts as follows:  

My first post will examine the recent history of government breakdowns. Americans have come to their distrust of government performance because of one highly visible breakdown after another over the last 30 years. There have been plenty of government achievements over the years, but the successes have often been eclipsed by an attention-grabbing story about a broken government agency, failed program, or an executive gone wrong.

  My second post examines the public’s demand for very major government reform. Although this demand is linked to party differences, ideology, and demographics, it is also driven by public beliefs that the federal government is almost always wasteful and inefficient, does a poor job running its programs, and is run by a few big interests looking out for themselves. The recent surge in government breakdowns has also given Americans ample reason to wonder whether the federal government can faithfully execute even small-scale promises, let alone the grand promises on the Biden and Trump agendas today.

  My third post will discuss declining public support for Trump’s “burn-the-house-down” vision of major government reform.[1] Trump won the presidency as the champion of the “dismantlers” who say the federal government needs very major reform and a smaller government that delivers fewer services. Meanwhile, Trump has largely ignored the more moderate “streamliners” who favor limited reform and a smaller government, derided the “expanders” who favor a bigger government, and dismissed the “rebuilders” who support major reform and also want a bigger government. This post will show that the number of dismantlers has fallen more than a third over the past four years, while the number of rebuilders has increased by more than half. This post will assert that Trump cannot win without significant support from the streamliners, while Mr. Biden’s best chance is with the rebuilders.

  My fourth post will examine recent trends in bureaucratic bloat at the top of the federal hierarchy. Simply put, the federal government has never had more layers of leaders at the top of government nor even deployed more leaders per layer. The number of senior-level layers has quadrupled since Kennedy entered office in 1961, while the number of leaders in those layers has risen tenfold. Much as Trump complained about the “people over people over people” in government at the start of his term, he added record numbers to the total with predictable effects on missed signals and uncertain consequences up and down the chain of command.

  My fifth post will review the true size of the federal workforce in light of the Trump administration’s promises to winnow the bureaucratic bloat, freeze and cut federal employment, and promise to “cut so much your head will spin.” Despite early accolades for following through on cuts in the civil service, the Trump administration has presided over a massive increase in the federal government’s hidden workforce of contractors and grantees. Driven by spending for defense and transportation, the federal government’s blended workforce hit a near-record mark in 2019 and showed no signs of cresting.

  My sixth post will ask whether Congress and the president’s budget office still have the expertise—let alone the motivation—to craft the sweeping reforms needed to rebuild public confidence in federal performance. Both institutions still know how to pass laws to hunt down fraud, waste, and abuse in government and have drafted multiple laws over the decades to protect whistleblowers and create modest sunshine in government. Yet, they have not undertaken a major reorganization for decades, and America is now a half-century from the last major civil service repair. It is not clear that Congress and the White House could pull together a major reform package in Biden’s first term or Trump’s second even if the president wanted to.

  My final post will provide a short inventory of proposals that might give a future president a fighting chance at reform. The list starts with a nod to Jimmy Carter who stands as the last president to put government reform at the center of an administration. Notwithstanding Vice President Al Gore’s Reinventing Government campaign, which set an important precedent for delayering the federal hierarchy, bureaucratic reform has rarely been the stuff of presidential dreams. As this series suggests, however, Biden will have a much better chance at building back better if he also promises to fix government fast. The two are walking hand-in-hand this fall.

[1]. Mayor Pete Buttigieg used the term to describe Trump voters during late in his failed 2020 campaign for the Democratic nomination. See David Weigel, “The Trailer: What we learned about Buttigieg 2020 this weekend,” Washington Post, March 24, 2019.

[lifeboatadvertisingllc]

COVID19: A Short Guide to Tourism & Business in Ipswich, Massachusetts

Photograph by Ben

Ipswich is a beautiful city located in the historically famous state of Massachusetts. This coastal town is known for its stunning scenery and mouth watering local seafood. From sunny beaches, beautiful sights, and rich history, Ipswich is an ideal destination for all travelers. 

Whether you’re looking for something to do while all the businesses are still closed or just starting to plan for life after lockdown, here is the complete guide to Ipswich, Massachusetts.

Ipswich Experiences

Best Time to Visit

Ipswich has a moderate climate but the west coast winters can be cold, wet, and windy with temperatures dropping to a mere 7 degrees at times. From late June to mid-September, the highest temperature average is only around 72 degrees. This makes summer the ideal time to visit the town to thoroughly enjoy all the warm-weather activities that Ipswich has to offer.

Relax on Crane Beach

Take in the beauty of Crane Beach with its endless trails and sandy boardwalks. With miles of white sand shoreline and clear blue water, you can dedicate plenty of time to exploring the landscape. Year after year, Crane Beach continues to be named one of New England’s most beautiful beaches. (Note: tourists must pre-purchase tickets before arriving to Crane Beach).

Explore the Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary

Photograph by Ben

Venture through more than 12 miles of trails to explore the forests, meadows, and wetlands that make up the Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary. It is filled with a diverse variety of wildlife from river otters and hummingbirds to painted turtles and great blue herons. You can explore this sanctuary either by foot along the boardwalks that weave through wetlands or even by canoe for a more up close and personal experience.

Walk Through History at Castle Hill

This 59-foot Stuart-style mansion was built in 1927 and is part of the massive Crane Estate which stretches for more than 2,100 acres along the Essex and Ipswich rivers. The mansion was refurnished in period style giving you the illusion of stepping back in time. The property’s Great House also hosts one-hour tours, concerts, and other events.

Meet Wolves Face-to-Face at Wolf Hollow

A wolf sanctuary and educational facility, Wolf Hollow aims to raise awareness about the North American gray wolves and provide an opportunity for visitors to see these animals up close in their natural environment. This is highly worth the trip to learn about this threatened species and observe the beautiful animals up close while at a safe distance.

Go Apple Picking at Russell Orchards

Photograph by Ben

Famous for their cider and donuts combination, Russell Orchards is a favorite experience for locals and visitors alike. This orchard specializes in award-winning fruit wines and hard ciders that are all made fresh on their farm. Summer and early fall are the perfect times to visit Russell Orchards when the strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, cherries, blackberries, and apples are all in season. You can spend hours hunting for these sweet fruits and reap the rewards in the end for a day of fun for the whole family.

What To Eat

Clams

No trip to the East Coast is complete without indulging in a bit of fresh seafood. Massachusetts is famous for its New England-style fried clams and Clam Chowder. The muddy estuaries and bays of Ipswich create a prime location for clam habitats. This makes Ipswich the ideal spot for fresh clams that very well could have been caught that very same morning. 

Photograph by Ben

The most iconic eatery to dine on these famous Ipswich clams is the Clam Box of Ipswich. This simple clam shack has been around since 1938 offering high-quality dishes that use only locally harvested clams. In the summer, both tourists and locals flock to the Clam Box to feast on their delectable dishes.

In early May, Ipswich is home to the annual Cask & Clam Festival where a clam centered menu is paired with beer casks from local breweries and live music. This free event provides a great opportunity to savor the local flavors of Ipswich and a fun reason to visit the town.

Ipswich, Massachusetts is a beautiful part of the country filled with activities and sights for the whole family. Even if businesses are closed, there is still plenty to do out in the fresh air. Whether you stroll along Crane Beach, meet the wolves of Wolf Hollow, or even just spend your entire trip gorging on the delicious seafood, we guarantee a visit to Ipswich will not be one to forget.

Meanwhile, while you're frolicking all around this beautiful town, you know you'll want to catch a couple of good Instagram shots to share. Since Lifeboat is local to Ipswich, we know where all the hidden photo spots are! Contact us today to find out how our team of experts can help make your creative dreams come alive.

Source/Repost=> https://lifeboat.dev/blog/covid19-a-short-guide-to-tourism-business-in-ipswich-massachusetts ** Lifeboat | Advertising Agency ** https://www.lifeboat.dev

[logh-icebergs]

Episode 14: Liberation of the Frontier Zone

Summer/fall 796/487. As the Alliance invasion progresses through Imperial territory, they find themselves suddenly responsible for feeding 50 million people that Reinhard deprived of supplies. The High Council decides appearances are more important than money and sends the extra supplies, right into the waiting missiles of Kircheis’s fleet. With resources now stretched super thin, the Alliance higher-ups authorize soldiers to take what they can from the people they “liberated” to feed the hungry soldiers, leading to riots on many planets. Meanwhile, Yang sits on his ship looking concerned, Reinhard and Kircheis make moon-eyes stare mournfully at each other, and Lazzll takes a nap.

More Heterosexuality?!

In the last episode Elizabeth discussed how portrayal of real straight romance or attraction is an important reference point for understanding all of the romance in LoGH; and in this episode we find our second Actual Legit Straight Romance™ in Franz and Therese, a couple of throwaway anime-only characters who quite possibly exist solely for the purpose of the comparisons I’m about to make.

Although they’re initially pushed together by Therese’s father (more on that in a minute), Franz and Therese bond over a shared dream of...well, living alone on an uninhabited planet, which is a bit of a depressing dream but whatever, we’re not here to judge. When the occupying force is ordered to steal food from the civilians and they (reasonably enough) fight back, Franz impulsively flings himself in front of an Alliance tank that’s tearing through the fields he helped cultivate on its way to quell the rebellion, and we get a sudden feeling of déjà vu.

The parallels between this scene and the flashback in episode 8 are so overwhelming that I’m tempted to accuse the anime team of lazy writing, except that I know there’s a purpose to it. Franz, seeing destructive abuse of power by his own society, can’t help endangering himself to try to prevent it, and is saved only by Therese physically removing him, after which they lie together on a dark grassy hill and discuss how fed up they are with the world. Of course Franz is no Reinhard, and his proposition here is to run away together to where they don’t have to deal with the problems of society, not to conquer the universe together. But the key is that it is an unambiguously romantic proposition: He talked earlier of living on a deserted planet with a wife and kids, and that’s the life he’s inviting Therese to join him in.

When we talked about the scene in episode 8, we said that the creators were trying to show us two conversations at once: one on the surface about overthrowing the Goldenbaum dynasty; and one, conveyed through posture, expression, and word choices, about the romance brewing between teenaged Reinhard and Kircheis. Because of the homophobia of both the Empire and the real world, all of the tangled layers and coding are necessary for Reinhard and Kircheis—talking in hushed voices of topics they’re afraid could be overheard, expressing themselves through gazes and lingering handholds while ostensibly talking about politics. But such coding isn’t necessary when it’s a straight couple. With the scene between Therese and Franz, the creators are able to show us a vision of what Reinhard and Kircheis’s romance would look like stripped of the need to hide itself, an explicit version of the romantic invitation just under the surface of the earlier scene.

Misogyny and Bad Parents

Does the cinematography of hiding Therese's dad's eyes as he spies on his daughter through the window suggest that he feels a bit of shame about trying to pimp her out to the occupying military force? I fucking hope so.

Although Therese’s body language and choices toward the end of the episode suggest that she ended up feeling some attraction to Franz herself, her initial interactions with him are entirely at the urging of her father, which gives me a chance to introduce an important running theme of LoGH: Fathers totally suck.

Franz, to his credit, quickly sees through the way Therese’s father is trying to use her, as does Therese.

It’s impossible to disentangle heteronormativity from misogyny: The assumption that the ultimate goal for all humans is straight sex/romance/marriage/reproduction goes hand in hand with a view of women as either objects of sexual conquest, vessels for producing the next generation, or tools to be used in negotiations between men. In this case, Therese’s father immediately sees a chance to use his daughter(’s body) as currency in his dealings with the occupying Alliance force; and when sure enough the relationship with the soldiers turns hostile, his desperation leads him to admit his schemes perhaps a bit more blatantly than he’d intended to: 

Yeah I don’t have any witty caption here; this guy can just go fuck himself.

Let’s talk for a moment about the verb he actually uses here, あてがっておいた (ategatte-oita). Ategau has two meanings: to affix/attach, and to allocate/bestow upon. The suffix -oita is used to imply an action done in preparation for the future somehow, which is made clear by the rest of his sentence: “I allocated my daughter to you so that you’d be on my side in the future.” This is absolutely one of the most fucked up lines in the show so far, and we’ve already seen some fucked up things.

This is neither the first nor the last example we’ll see of a father treating a daughter (or daughter figure) as an object to be allocated, sold, or used in some way according to his own (heteronormative) plans. Of course the most blatant case is Reinhard’s father literally selling his daughter into sexual slavery; but while Annerose’s story is striking and horrifying, it’s (shockingly) not actually the most problematic parenting we see, since the power dynamics involved meant that he likely had no more actual choice in the matter than Annerose did.

Still not exactly winning any Father of the Year awards. (From episode 4.)

Perhaps a better parallel to Therese’s father is Admiral Greenhill, who not only had a hand in getting Frederica assigned as Yang’s adjutant, but has already been rather pushy and nosy about their relationship several times. 

I’ve already discussed Yang’s discomfort in this scene in the context of his asexuality and anxiety about being pushed into normative romantic situations; Greenhill’s apparent eagerness to pair his daughter off with the rising star of the Alliance here directly puts pressure on Yang to play a role that doesn’t fit him. (From episode 10.)

The word Greenhill uses to refer to Frederica here is あれ (are), typically a word meaning 'that (thing).' I don't know all the nuances of using it to refer to a person, but it doesn't sound like the most respectful language to me. (From episode 12.)

In Frederica’s case it seems likely, given the way she talks about meeting Yang on El Facil, that at least some of the push to set her up with Yang comes from her own interest. We’ll soon see examples where that is not the case, including Cazellnu making nonchalant and uncomfortably only-half-joking comments about marrying off his six-year-old daughter to Julian when they’re older.

What Therese’s father, Admiral Greenhill, and Cazellnu have in common here is that they are not Bad Parents in any of the ways that bad parenting is normally marked in fiction (but don’t worry, we’ll see plenty of those too!). And it’s precisely that fact that makes the pressures they impose on their daughters all the more insidious. Annerose goes along with her father’s selling her to the Kaiser because she literally has no choice; Therese initially plays along with her father pressuring her to affix herself to Franz because she loves her father and doesn’t want to displease or disappoint him. The blatant political power structures at play in Annerose’s case aren’t the only way to limit agency.

Stray Tidbits

I could watch this gif of Andrew Fork passing out because anyone dared criticize him all day. 

Other things I could watch all day: Bucock getting exasperated and roasting people. ❤ Bucock. 

This is made all the more hilarious by Yang’s own obsession with his afternoon naps.

Like much of the middle of this season, the main action of this episode (everything involving Franz and his interactions with the villagers on this random planet) is original to the anime; in the novels it’s mentioned in passing that rioting has broken out on several of the occupied planets but no more detail is given.

Our one glimpse of Reinhard and Kircheis in this episode is a heartrending scene that serves to reinforce the Oberstein-centric tension that’s growing between them. The unguarded sadness in Reinhard’s eyes after Kircheis leaves the room is rare and so painful to watch. 

Another theme that’s set up by this episode is the question of what happens when a soldier finds his orders so objectionable that he can’t bring himself to carry them out. When Franz’s commanding officer, on orders from even higher up, sends his troops out to plunder food stores from the villagers, Franz decides he can no longer be part of the military. In his case this decision is personal and ultimately inconsequential to even the outcome of the rioting on that one planet, let alone the war on a larger scale. But the general question of the interplay between a soldier’s personal sense of morality and duty to carry out orders is one that will recur throughout the show. 

This theme was already introduced in episode 12, when several of the military higher-ups, including Yang, had serious reservations about the whole invasion plan.

The narrator helpfully summarizes the thesis statement of this episode at the end in case it wasn’t clear: As Reinhard schemes to weaken the encroaching Alliance forces by taxing their supplies and Alliance politicians fret about their poll numbers and whether withdrawal would make them look silly, it’s the people living on these border planets who get fucked over. We’ve talked about LoGH showing war at all levels of zoom; I like that the anime took this opportunity to depict how quickly a supposedly friendly military occupation turns violent and oppressive as soon as the soldiers are emboldened by official orders and worried about their own physical comfort.

I could say something here about this being emblematic of the futility of the struggles of the populace against military might, but.....I'm really just including it 'cause it's adorable.

Speaking of the end of the episode, for the second time (the first being episode 6) we get a scene playing through an instrumental version of the ending song. I absolutely love this technique and will rhapsodize about it a ton in the future. The scenes that happen during the opening or closing credits are some of the most powerful and beautiful moments of the show, including this pre-victory toast by the admirals of Reinhard’s fleet. Definitely the artistic highlight of the episode by a mile. 

[petersasteria]

Life - Bradley Simpson Imagine! AU (Part 1)

A/N: Requested? No.

Pairing: Brad x Reader

Inspired by one of my favorite movies!

Y/S/N = your sister's name

Lindsay = other sister (apologies if your name is Lindsay)

Monique = your boss (apologies if your name Monique)

Audrey, Henry, Sarah = Lindsay's kids

* * * *

You live in NYC a.k.a the big apple. You work for this really big and famous modeling agency named 'Monique's Style'. You happen to be the executive assistant of Monique. Let's just you're her favorite. You absolutely love your job! You get to party every other night with your colleagues and some models. Recently, you've found a girl named Tinka who has the potential of being a model. As a part of your job, you were able to get her as a model for your company. Monique is jubilant about having you in her company.

Tonight, you're going to New Jersey for Lindsay's birthday. You're the youngest sibling out of three. Lindsay is your eldest sister and Y/S/N is the middle child. You and Lindsay are really close. Your mother died when you were 7 years old. At that time, Lindsay was in New York fulfilling her dream of being a dancer whilst Y/S/N is at home taking care of you. Now, both of your sisters have kids except for you. Lindsay has three kids whilst Y/S/N have two. Y/S/N is currently 5 months pregnant. You're the fun kind of aunt.

Lindsay's party wasn't that grand. It was just you, Y/S/N, Y/S/N's husband, Lindsay, Lindsay's husband, Y/S/N's two kids, Audrey, Henry, and Sarah. You played some games and watched Lindsay open her presents. It was everything. Simple, yet contented.

*

You were having your usual Sunday brunch with your colleagues at a fancy restaurant, when you get a call from Y/S/N.

"What?" you ask, "Y/S/N, slow down. I can't understand you."

"Lindsay and her husband met an accident," Y/S/N slowed down, "And they didn't make it." Y/S/N cried.

"Oh my-" And with that, you tried your hardest not to break down in a really fancy restaurant. Your colleagues noticed and asked if you were okay.

*

You went to stay in New Jersey for awhile. You were in Lindsay's room, bawling your eyes out. You stood up to leave, but you saw the closet door open. You peeked inside and saw Audrey, Henry, and Sarah sitting down on the floor next to each other with tear stained cheeks. You sat down with them and held them close to you.

Just then, Y/S/N peeked in and said softly, "People are paying their condolences downstairs. I think they'd appreciate it if you guys would be downstairs."

The three kids went downstairs as you and Y/S/N stayed behind.

"Y/N, can you please go to the store and buy some blue napkins?" Y/S/N asked nicely.

"Why?" was all you said.

"Y/N... I've arranged the funeral, I cooked, I took care of the kids. All I'm asking you for, is to go to the store and buy blue napkins, so that the guests won't remember our sister with table napkins sitting on their laps when they eat." Y/S/N lost it at this point. It was true, though. You weren't really much of a big help. As soon as Y/S/N said that, you just shut up and agreed to buy them.

*

Still in New Jersey, two people went to Lindsay's house to speak with you and Y/S/N.

"We have letters for you. It's from Lindsay before she passed away." The man handed you both the letters.

"It also says here that Y/N Y/L/N will be their legal guardian." The lady said.

"What?" Y/S/N was gobsmacked.

"Yeah, what?!" you were shocked even more.

"You'll be taking care of the kids from now on. You'll be like they're mom." The man shrugged.

"Why can't Y/S/N have them? She IS a mom. She has the mom body, the mom haircut... super mom!" You tried to reason out.

"Sorry, it really says here. There's nothing we can do about it." The lady said before they left.

That night, you talked to the kids about living with you in New York.

"What?!" Henry, the second child, shrieked.

"We're living with you?" Audrey, the eldest, asked.

"Mhm." All you could do was nod.

"Who's going to give me a bath?" Sarah, the youngest, asked.

"Me." You smiled.

"Who's going to take me to school?" she asked again.

"I guess, I am." You answered.

"And make me chicken fingers?"

"Me." You smiled. "Look, all we got to do is stick together. Alright?" you continued.

"Alright. C'mon Sarah it's time for your bath." Audrey said as she carried Sarah to the stairs, with Henry following.

*

You brought the three kids to New York with you. You bought pizza (for take-out of course). You all have one pizza each. It came in a paper plate and a soda.

"I love New York pizza!" Audrey exclaimed as you walked out of the pizza place.

"Aunt Y/N, can we go to the Statue of Liberty tomorrow?" Sarah asked sweetly.

"No, because we won't be-- wait, where's Henry?!" you screeched.

"He said he'd be back!" Audrey said, looking around.

"I go to the bathroom for a second, and he's gone?!" you panicked.

"There he is!" Audrey pointed at Henry talking to an old man who owns a hotdog stand.

"I said no mustard." You overheard Henry talking to the old man.

"Okay. No mustard." The old man said as he fixed a hotdog for Henry with no mustard. "Who's going to pay for this?" the old man asked as he handed the hotdog to Henry.

"Henry!" you yelled as you, Audrey, and Sarah walked towards him.

"Aunt Y/N will pay." Henry said to the old man.

"Hi I'm Eric." The old man introduced himself.

"Yeah, hi." You said as you paid the old man. "Why did you leave and not tell us?" you asked.

"I don't like pizza. I wanted a hotdog." Henry said.

"Next time, when you want a hotdog tell me and we'll all go together." You told Henry as you all crossed the street.

"Where are we going to dinner?" Audrey asked as she ate her pizza.

"This is dinner." You said.

"Gee, mommy never let pizza be our full dinner." Sarah said.

"And dad always said not to eat AND walk at the same time." Henry said.

"Well, they're not here to yell at us so it doesn't matter." Audrey rolled her eyes.

*

A month later, you were packing some of your things to bring to New Jersey. You see, it was around Easter time, and you were celebrating Easter with Y/S/N, her husband, and her kids.

"Audrey, get out of the bathroom!" You yelled as you got some clothes out of your closet.

Henry knocked on the bathroom door and said, "Fire! Fire!" in the most unenergetic voice.

Audrey opened the door and walked up to you.

"Why are we going back? We should spend more time here." Audrey asked.

"Spend more time here?"

"Yeah. We can move here." Audrey crossed her arms.

"We can't sleep in one bed every night." You reasoned out.

"We'll move to another apartment. It's a huge city! You'll be closer to your job and everything. You love your job!" Audrey said.

"What about Henry and Sarah?"

"What about them?!"

"They've got school, you have friends, and you grew up in that neighborhood."

"That's why it's a sad neighborhood. Everywhere we go reminds us of mom and dad. The kids treat me differently."

"We'll talk about this later."

"Please think about it aunt Y/N." Audrey pleaded.

"Alright, let's go we have a train to catch! Henry, stop brushing your teeth they're gonna fall out!" you said loudly when you found Henry in the bathroom brushing his teeth for the nth time.

You all grabbed your things and put it in the back of the cab.

"I can't put hippo in the bag!" Sarah whined as she can't put her stuffed animal in her tiny pink bag.

"Oh, give it to me!" Henry snatched the hippo and the bag out of Sarah's grasp and shoved the hippo in the bag. Apparently, Sarah had been having trouble with hippo for awhile and made Henry lose his shit. "There! He's in the bag! Are ya happy now?!" Henry asked, annoyed.

*

You arrived at New Jersey and spoke to Y/S/N about what Audrey said.

"That's not part of the plan." Y/S/N said.

"That's YOUR plan, Y/S/N." you sighed.

"What's wrong with moving down the block? I think the calm of the familiar is better than the hustle bustle of the city." Y/S/N said as she glanced at all the kids painting Easter eggs. "Kids, keep the paint on the eggs and not on each other please!" She pleaded.

"Y/S/N, Sarah thinks hippo's parents are on vacation and they're coming back. Henry walks around like a zombie and draws skeletons. Audrey's my only ally." You told Y/S/N and her husband, John.

"You really have to watch her." Y/S/N said as you mentioned Audrey.

"Look, they're not happy."

"Y/N, they're not gonna be happy anywhere right now."

"Let's just think this through." John said to Y/S/N as you joined the kids.

"The Easter bunny's not coming! The Easter bunny joined 50 cent!" Henry said aggressively.

"Henry, why do you have to be a brat?" Audrey said.

"YOU'RE a brat." Henry rolled his eyes as he painted an egg.

Meanwhile, Y/S/N and John talked about Audrey's request.

"I think Y/N's right. I think the new environment would help the kids. If it doesn't work out, they can always go back here to New Jersey." John said.

*

Y/S/N finally agreed and now you're looking for an apartment with the help of a real estate agent.

"How about this one?" the real estate agent asked. This was the 10th picture of an apartment she showed you. It wasn't your type.

"Um, no."

"I heard there was some pretty decent stuff at Queens?" the agent tried. She really did.

"No. We're Manhattan people." You said quickly.

The agent showed the next picture and you gasped.

"Oh wow!"

The agent smiled and said, "Four bedrooms and close to Central Park. Only 9,000 a month."

The place was great, but the price wasn't as great as the apartment. You had no choice but to move in Queens.

You went to the apartment in Queens and check things out. You got apartment 1D (a/n: wink wink)

"Okay, here's the bathroom."

"Only one bathroom?"

"Yeah. There are two rooms over there."

"Okay. Henry and Sarah could one room and Audrey the other room. Then I'll sleep on the pull-out couch." You said.

"There's plenty of room for a pull-out couch and you get a nice view." The landlady said.

"So, in the ad it said something about a visual security system. How does that work?" you asked politely.

"Oh. When someone ring the doorbell, you look out the window; that's the visual part. And you yell at them if you want them to come up or not; that's the security part. Here are the keys. Welcome to this apartment. I'm only available between 8:30 and 9:30 in the morning because I have a life." And she left.

You turned to the kids and said, "So, home!" The kids ran up to you and hugged you.

That same day, your things arrived and Y/S/N and John came over to help with your things.

"I ordered pizza and it's gonna arrive in 30 minutes!" Y/S/N cheered.

"Okay, kids let's put your stuff in your rooms!" John said as he grabbed Sarah's bike.

In Henry and Sarah's room....

"I want this bed!" Sarah shouted at her brother who was sitting on the bed she wanted.

"Look, in the old house I had this bed and you had that bed." Henry calmly said.

"But I want this bed!" Sarah shouted yet again.

"That's it! Hippo goes out the window!" Henry stood up from the bed he called dibs and grabbed hippo.

"Followed by Irwin!" Irwin is Henry's pet turtle.

In the living room...

"Guys, stop fighting!" You said as you looked at Y/S/N. "It's hard. Like, really hard."

Y/S/N smiled and gave you a hug instead. Being –already 6 months- pregnant, she's not allowed to be stressed.

You pulled away from the hug and heard a knock on the door. The door was already wide open, but the person was really polite. You and Y/S/N turned around and saw a nice looking Indian woman. You approached her and said hi.

"Hi, I'm Nilma. I live across the hall. I made samosas."

"Wow! Thank you so much. I'm Y/N and that's Y/S/N, my sister." You smiled.

"I caught this little one screaming around the hall." The landlady interrupted as she grabbed Nilma's 5 year old son by his shirt.

"It's okay. Mr. Carlos is deaf." Nilma said.

"Well I'm not." The landlady said as she left. Nilma told her son to go back to their apartment.

"So, I see you have kids too. Maybe a play date sometime?" Nilma asked nicely.

Y/S/N immediately came over and spoke to Nilma as she handed you the samosas and put it in the kitchen.

"Hi. You see, these kids are our sister's kids..." Y/S/N told Nilma.

"These aren't her kids?" Nilma asked.

"No. Our sister passed away and left her kids with Y/N. I was wondering if you could help her with some things."

"Of course. Say no more."

"Thank you so much."

Y/S/N and Nilma looked at you. You gave them a look that said 'what?'

"Nothing. Just mommy talk." Y/S/N answered.

"So Y/N, where are you taking the kids to school?" Nilma asked.

Your eyes widen in realization. You never thought of that. You were so focused on your job and moving to a different apartment, you forgot that the kids have to go to a school.

You looked at Nilma and nervously smiled, "I got it. I got it covered."

*

The next day, you went around Queens to look for a school. You, Henry, and Sarah went inside this random school, but they didn't like it. You've been looking for schools all day and Audrey wasn't helping. Instead, Audrey flirts with every guy she sees.

"Really Audrey? C'mon let's go to a different school." You groaned. You're about to lose your shit. Until you found a Christian school. You were really desperate, so you checked it out.

You went inside the church (which was part of the school) and found some people there.

A man with curly hair smiled at you.

"Hello." He smiled at you.

"Hi. I would like to speak to the principal." You smiled.

"That's me! Let's go to my office." He said and shook your hand.

-at the office-

"Being a Christian is really great. We've been Christians for as long as we can remember. Right kids?" you said as you looked at the three kids who were smiling.

"Okay. We just need to run some blood tests to make sure they're really Christian." The man said.

"What?" The color drained from your face and instantly became nervous.

"Yeah. You heard me." The man smirked.

"The kids can't do that, because they're scared of blood." You said.

"It's a joke." The man chuckled.

"Now, why would I joke about that?" You asked.

"The blood test. There's no blood test. It's a joke. You don't have to be a Christian to go to this school."

"Really?"

"Yeah. There are only a few Christians who live here."

"Thank you, father."

"It's pastor."

"Oh. Thanks, father pastor."

"Yeah, Pastor Brad actually." The man said.

"Oh. Sorry."

"It's alright. So, tour?" Pastor Brad asked. You immediately agreed and he took you around the school for a tour.

* * * *

Lmao reblog if you liked it

[countrymadefoods]

6 Weird Dating Traditions In History That Might Actually Make You Grateful For Tinder

“We hear a lot about the so-called "golden age" of dating — the early '50s and '60s, where men brought flowers, opened doors, and generally behaved as if their date was a piece of fine china without any agency — and how modern casual attitudes have made the process both less formal and less magical...Throughout history, people have concocted all kinds of ways to express love and propose marriage in the confines of their societies — and they've had to get very inventive.

Medieval romantic tradition, for instance, was dominated by courtly love, which required men to poetically idealize ladies who were completely inaccessible or out of their league (which usually meant either "married" or "dead"). They'd express their abject servitude to their lady at great length, and enjoy the dramas of an impossible love, without actually requiring anybody to do anything. And from 1740 to 1820, English literature was flooded with novels by women about how confusing courtship was, and how to do it properly.

Men Whittling Love Spoons

Welsh "love spoons" date back to the early 17th century, and were designed to be made out of a single piece of wood to demonstrate the carver's prowess...There was a language to these love spoons: Flowers, hearts and locks and keys were pretty self-explanatory, but a wheel meant "I will work for you," while putting a twist in the wood meant "togetherness 4ever."

Year-Long Competitions

One of the most famous bride competitions, from the historian Herodotus, involved the king Cleisthenes, who made his daughter's suitors compete for an entire year.

Coded Fan Language

In the 18th and 19th centuries in Europe, a "fan language" developed for women to be able to communicate to interested parties without opening their mouths. Folding hand fans were used to send signals as various as "Do not betray our secret" (covering your left ear with an open fan)...and "Do you love me?" (presenting a shut fan).

Sack Cuddling

[A] practice called bundling appeared in the 19th century (supposedly in the Netherlands before spreading to Britain and Pennsylvania) involving putting prospective couples in two sacks and letting them "sleep" together. It was actually rather kind; rather than letting two strangers marry, each partner was put inside a sack, and they were allowed to get to know each other, talk, and even spoon — without any premarital hanky-panky.

Victorian Dance Cards

Nobody did regimented courtship like the Victorians...The most common courting ritual was the giving of cards at dances, which were the main mixing grounds for different genders among the Victorian English. Men filled out their names on a woman's dance card (basically a roster), which she wore delicately tied around her wrist, and left their personal calling cards if they wished to call on her at home at a later point.If the woman liked what she saw, she gave him her card, and the courtship was on.

 Sexy Belts

There was a trend in the Italian Renaissance for prospective lovers to give their lady friends erotically inscribed belts. Belts pop up in a lot of poetry of the time, as symbols of sexuality and beauty which women of all societal positions could wear and receive as gifts: at one point in Boccaccio's Decameron , a woman seduces a man by giving him her belt...There's a particularly famous belt from Italy which was presumably given to a woman, with a highly erotic poem embroidered on the inside; it begins "I will burn even as a phoenix/with the fire of your kisses/and will die."

Lonely hearts and holiday flings: a history of dating

“[T]he history of dating...how similar the problems of today are to the 1930s, the 1840s, and even the 1780s. From worrying about a partner’s financial standing, or whether someone was going to stick around long enough for you to have children with them, to persuading your parents they are indeed a good fit, the means by which we go about finding love may have changed, but not the hopes, dreams and anxieties we’ve had about discovering it.

In the Regency era, for example, the advice was clear: looks matter but value them at the peril of your long-term happiness...throughout history, grooming and dressing as well as you possibly can has always been a better strategy than ruminating on what you don’t have.”

“Once you were suitably styled, you needed to get a date’s attention. The Georgians were mad for ‘lonely hearts’ adverts, which they would write and post via newspapers including the Times, later in matrimonial gazettes, circulated around London’s coffee houses, while the Victorians settled on the idea of the marriage bureau, an agency designed to match the middle classes, via photos and details about their hobbies.

In the flesh, of course, the best seduction tool has always been dancing. From Regency square dancing to secret Victorian drag balls, from the 1920s ‘turkey trot’ to the 1990s acid house rave scene, the vertical expression of the horizontal desire has rarely failed a trier.”

“But if you couldn’t dance, witty conversation and excellent manners have always served as a good substitute. Meeting a lady on the street in Victorian England was a fraught business...Middle-class Victorians embraced a complicated ritual of giving out calling cards, and of making home visits according to a strict etiquette. However, even if you succeeded getting an audience with your potential amour, you would never be left unattended. Chaperones were in full force until the First World War, when the exodus of Britain’s young men left women to parry and party on their own.”

“When we think of the early 20th century, we may imagine courting couples meeting one another on realistic terms, their expectations untroubled by the imagery of dream homes and impossibly honed bodies that haunt contemporary media. However, we’ve always idealised glamour. From the birth of the celebrity-courted gossip column in the 1920s and the boom in cinema from the 1930s, our aspiration to marry the richest and most beautiful has long intruded upon our daily contentment...the Victorians even had the own version of Instagram, exchanging carte de visites – small portrait prints which would be organised into albums also containing images of celebrities and royalty. These albums were exchanged in flirtation but also as a means of asserting one’s social standing. The trick was to guess whether someone showcasing a royal portrait had in fact met the royal in question.”

“Perhaps the biggest surprise about our dating history is that pre-marital sex has often been the norm for most people. Apart from the revival of a long-practised behaviour called ‘bundling’ – cuddling with clothes on – which was a response to the 1834 Poor Law penalising women who found themselves pregnant as single mothers...Marie Stopes wrote her sex manual Married Love in 1918...advocated the benefits of conjugal love, and physical pleasure within marriage. “I paid such a terrible price for sex-ignorance...that I feel knowledge gained at such a cost should be placed at the service of humanity.”

“In the 1930s, Marjorie Hillis, the author of Live Alone and Like it...acknowledging that plenty of single ladies were inviting gentleman callers back to their homes at night, and that societal attitudes were changing: “A woman’s honour is no longer mentioned with bated breath and protected by her father, her brother and the community. It is now her own affair.”

Meanwhile, in the 1960s, ‘the pill’ didn’t quite provide the immediate revolution it has been credited with. Originally it was only prescribed to married women, and even in the 1970s, doctors could refuse women a prescription on moral grounds...the downside of women procuring the pill was that men, who had originally assumed responsibility for acquiring condoms, stopped taking as much responsibility for contraception.”

“The bicycle, meanwhile, also improved romantic opportunities. Contrary to the tricycle, which saw women wearing full skirts and accompanied by a chaperone...Etiquette guides of the period recognised that people could now pay “surprise visits … by moonlight” and that seaside flirtations could be enhanced by romantic bike rides together. While there was fear about exactly what kind of excitations might be invoked by the bike riding, 1897’s Manners for Men advised that men encountering female cyclists “help ladies as much as possible by pushing their machines up the hills for them”.

“In the 1930s middle-class women that found themselves ‘left on the shelf’ still travelled to colonial India in search of husbands. Nicknamed ‘the fishing fleet’, these women travelled by boat to colonial outposts along with ambitious young men seeking work. In some cases, they’d often coupled up before the vessel had even docked...Later, the film Shirley Valentine would inspire a flock of similarly inclined women, including female sex tourists who were courted by young Caribbean men called ‘rastitudes’, and men who sought mail-order brides, on a ‘no-try-before-buy’ basis.”

”As for the future of dating? Well, there’s one thing for sure – it’s not in decline like marriage, which, in 2013, was nearly back down to its 2008 all-time lowest level since 1895. Instead, dating is fast becoming our favourite global hobby. And in an increasingly competitive marketplace, we’ll need new tricks up our sleeves in order to compete for the best paramours.”

(via Lonely hearts and holiday flings: a history of dating - History Extra)

Put down that phone! Here’s how to meet potential dates without apps.

“If you want to meet someone “in the wild,” putting some effort into making that introduction happen and not just hoping for a chance encounter is key. Here are a few tips:

Don’t rely on serendipity

“counting on serendipity to meet someone isn’t always fruitful...If you go into every situation with the expectation of meeting the love of your life, you’re most likely going to be let down. Instead, focus on expanding your social network and giving yourself opportunities to meet people.”

Sign up for an (ideally new) activity

“If you want to meet someone organically, increase the chances of it actually happening by going to places that open you up to meeting people with shared interests.”

Go to events alone

“While bringing a friend along may seem like the most natural thing to do when going to a social event...You’re more likely to get out of your comfort zone and talk to people if you have to.”

Use body language that’ll help

“The key to meeting someone is looking like you actually want to meet someone...First things first – smile...“Who cares if you look like you have nothing to do...It’s amazing what you can do when you’re not looking at your phone...You can have a more intimate conversation when you’re closer, next to each other...Across feels more like an interview.” 

If you’re stuck for a pickup line, look around you

“If someone does catch your eye, try starting a conversation that’s relevant to the situation. Typically, people will be pretty transparent about their feelings. “If they talk to you for a long period of time, they’re probably interested...And if they’re in a relationship, they’ll probably bring up their significant other in conversation.” When in doubt, you can always just flat out ask them out...”

Take risks

“[D]on’t expect that the first person you approach is going to end up being the father of your child, or you’ll be sorely disappointed. The most important part of being open to meeting people is being open to rejection...After all, all you need is one to work out.”

(via Put down that phone! Here’s how to meet potential dates without apps. | The Washington Post)

[flauntpage]

Your Monday Morning Roundup

Last night felt like a punch to the gut.

It was a roller coaster weekend for Sixers fans regarding LeBron James. He officially opted out of his deal with the Cavaliers Friday morning and the courting for the king began. And slowly, it started to begin to feel he might actually come to Philly. And it felt like a Big 3 of James, Kawhi Leonard, and Paul George would not happen with PG staying in OKC.

Fast forward to Sunday, when in the middle of the World Cup, Woj dropped a huge bomb involving a meeting with the Sixers and LeBron’s reps, sans LeBron. The Sixers reportedly pitched that they were very confident the team could get Kawhi from the Spurs and sign him to a long-term deal. Getting him would’ve taken two players and three first round picks. We all wanted to pull the trigger immediately.

And then at 8:05 PM, out of nowhere, Klutch Sports Group, the agency that represents James, dropped a short press release announcing James would go to LA for four years and $154 million. Get his jersey if you want.

To make things worse:

Sources: As trade talks have unfolded, Kawhi Leonard’s focus is unchanged: He wants to be a Laker. https://t.co/0wZGf5MrNt

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 2, 2018

Who knows how it may unfold in LA. The Lakers also signed Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, LANCE STEPHENSON, and JAVALE MCGEE to one-year deals. KCP is a good player, but Stephenson, LeBron’s top enemy who will probably play the role of J.R. Smith, and McGee, the big man who’s made numerous appearances on Shaqtin’ A Fool embarrassing himself, is unbelievable. It might turn into a clown show for all we know. They’re also interested in bringing back Brook Lopez and signing Nerlens Noel.

So what will the Sixers do? Ersan Ilyasova and Marco Belinelli left, which means the scoring from our bench took a huge hit. And with Kawhi’s wishes to still be a Laker in any way possible, including sitting out next season, it’d be smart if the Sixers don’t waste Dario and Covington plus three first round picks for a rental.

The big priority right now is to get J.J. Redick back. Losing him would be brutal. Next up would be reloading the bench. James Ennis has reportedly been a target for the team, and Jabari Parker has also been linked to the team. Do you also re-sign Amir Johnson or possibly pursue a guy like Kyle O’Quinn? Guys like Avery Bradley, Tyreke Evans, and Kyle Anderson (RFA) also intrigue me.

They also appear to be talking to Jerryd Bayless about either a complete buyout of his $8.575 million contract or stretching out his contract. The latter of the two options would keep him on the books for three seasons (double the number of years left on his current contract plus one year), but with a lower salary hit of around $2.85 million a year.

So with that, Joel Embiid’s response to all of this was simple:

MOOD #TheProcess pic.twitter.com/uwsCLVCSth

— Joel Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) July 2, 2018

Let’s do it organically. Trust The Process.

Before we continue, a word from our sponsors:

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The Roundup:

We have a new episode of Crossing Broadcast to discuss everything that happened this weekend, including the LeBron stuff.

Continuing with the current Sixers squad, Summer League action begins later this week. Markelle Fultz will not participate as he continues to work on his shot with Drew Hanlen, and Shake Milton suffered a stress fracture in his back and also will not play in Las Vegas.

Here’s a look at the minicamp participants, which also includes former St. Joe’s Hawk Isaiah Miles:

A look at #Sixers minicamp participants (with obvious note that Milton will not be in this group now) pic.twitter.com/tP9FaKOg3K

— Kyle Neubeck (@KyleNeubeck) July 1, 2018

Jonah Bolden will also not participate, and apparently he might not be a part of the team in the future at all:

Source: Philadelphia are entertaining the idea of using stash Jonah Bolden as a trade asset. Lots of interest from other NBA teams, there's a standard NBA buyout to free him of his $400,000 deal with Maccabi Tel Aviv.

— David Pick (@IAmDPick) July 2, 2018

As with the veterans on the team, Justin Anderson had shin surgery and will be re-evaluated in about two weeks.

On Thursday, the Sixers helped opened up a renovated playground in North Philly. They hope it can turn the area around for the better.

The Phillies took three of four games against the Nationals this weekend. After edging the Nats Thursday, the Phils got blown out Friday with a 17-7 loss, thanks to seven home runs by Washington.

Saturday saw Vince Velasquez leave the game early after taking a line drive to his right arm, but the Phils eventually earned a 3-2 win thanks to seven innings of bullpen work. He’s on the 10-day DL.

The series finale was a hot and wild 13 -inning affair, with the Phillies coming out on top with a 4-3 win thanks to an Andrew Knapp walk-off homer. Nick Pivetta came in relief for the final inning and got the win. That capped off a brutal 42-game stretch which saw the team go… 21-21. That’s really damn good.

The team has a well deserved day off before beginning a quick two-game series with the Baltimore Orioles tomorrow night at home. Zach Eflin will take the mound in that one.

During the weekend, we saw Pat Neshek return for a third of an inning, but also saw Hector Neris go back down to Lehigh Valley.

Recently retired Phillie Jayson Werth probably deserves a spot on the team’s Wall of Fame.

While NBA Free Agency was hot, NHL Free Agency also got underway Sunday afternoon. The Flyers made one move, signing James van Riemsdyk to a five-year, $35 million deal ($7 million AAV).

You can thank Claude Giroux and Jake Voracek for persuading JVR to come back:

“I heard from G and I talked to Jake Voracek,” van Riemsdyk said via conference call. “It was good. I did my homework in the situation to talk to guys that were still there, some guys that maybe are not there anymore but that were there recently, just to get a feel of where things are at.

“I talked to both those guys and just picked their brain about some stuff. They were great about being open and available to help me through my process of getting to the point to make a decision. That was really helpful.”

Three former Flyers the team didn’t want signed elsewhere. Brandon Manning went to Chicago (2 years, $2.25 million per year), Petr Mrazek went to Carolina (1 year, $1.5 million), and Valtteri Filppula signed with the New York Islanders (1 year, $2.75 million). Good job by Ron Hextall to not give those guys that much money.

Meanwhile at Development Camp, Isaac Ratcliffe is showing signs of why the team moved up in last year’s draft to get him:

“My goal after last camp was just to get a lot stronger,” he said last week, after finishing drills at the team’s practice facility in Voorhees. “I have the size to actually get heavier, and this year I wanted to come back and really show I developed a lot this year and put on a few pounds. I want to show I can compete with the toughest guys in the league.”

Ratcliffe, 19, said he wants to put on even more weight, continue to add strength, and increase his speed in the next year.

“It’s a fast game, and it’s a game that’s decreasing in size, too,” he said. “And I have to show that I can bring both speed and size to the game, and my skill set as well.”

Some surprising Eagles news: Linebacker Nigel Bradham won’t play in the season opener. He said it stemmed from an incident back in 2016 where he hit a cabana boy.

The Ringer suggests the Eagles trade Brandon Graham to San Francisco:

Let’s say, just for a minute, that the cap-strapped defending champs decide they can’t afford to sign Graham, 30, to a long-term contract extension now or in 2019. In that case, their next two options are to (1) ride out the final year of his contract and maximize their shot at winning a second consecutive title before letting him walk in free agency—thus getting relatively little (a 2020 comp pick, maximum) in return or (2) think big picture, and trade him now for high-value picks and some much-needed cap relief.

I know what I’d do (Super Bowl LIII or bust, baby), but with the 25-year-old Carson Wentz locked in as their franchise quarterback, the Eagles brass should be thinking about the long-term health of their roster and salary cap, too. That’s where the 49ers—cap- and draft-pick rich and not afraid to make a big splash—come in. San Francisco’s got plenty of interior pass-rush talent, but they don’t have a proven elite edge rusher like Graham. If they threw a 2019 second-rounder and more Philly’s way, Howie Roseman may have to consider it.

The Union fell to LAFC 4-1 out west this weekend. They’ll return home on Saturday to take on Atlanta United FC.

In the FIFA World Cup, France, Uruguay, Russia (in penalty kicks), and Croatia (PKs) all moved on to the quarterfinals this weekend with wins.

Today, Brazil takes on Mexico at 10 AM, followed by Belgium and Japan at 2 PM on Fox.

In other sports news, former Islanders captain John Tavares signed a seven-year, $77 million deal ($11 million AAV) with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Not everyday you can live a childhood dream pic.twitter.com/YUTKdfMALl

— John Tavares (@91Tavares) July 1, 2018

In other NHL Free Agency news, John Tortorella ripped on defenseman Jack Johnson going to Pittsburgh:

John Tortorella sure can’t help himself when it comes to the Penguins https://t.co/vo3l6RH0sF pic.twitter.com/3W8o5DVcpc

— Mike Darnay (@MikeDarnay) July 2, 2018

Seahawks safety Kam Chancellor is probably calling it a career:

Gods Grace

pic.twitter.com/60J2DugpD1

— Kameron Chancellor (@KamChancellor) July 1, 2018

Celtics first round pick Robert Williams missed his flight to Boston and didn’t show up to the first day of Summer League workouts for the team.

Mo Salah signed a new long-term deal with Liverpool. He’ll be there until 2023.

In the news, $1.7 million of fentanyl was seized at the Port of Philadelphia.

Michael Cohen, Donald Trump’s personal attorney, said his family and country come first before President Trump

Vermont legalized weed.

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